Bottom string legality

[JedimasterKyle]

Today in practice, a teamate of mine checked to see if my stick was illegal because he thought there was no way I didn't get stripped by him. Everything checked out except for the bottom string he said. In my stick, the ball "rests" in the hole between the bottom of the sidewall and the mesh. He says this is illegal as the ball has to be able to freely roll out when held vertical. The balls rolls out when tilted forward, but if you put the ball in the top of the pocket and let it fall, it stops on the bottom string. If you don't understand what I'm talking about, I'll try to get pics up.

Is this illegal?

[scooterstyx]

pics would be a help, but im pretty sure its illegal

[laxfan25]

See this thread for more on the ball release topic:
http://www.lacrosseforums.com/showthread.php?t=39124

I'm assuming you're playing under Fed rules, which says this about stick construction and where the ball has to rest;
SECTION 7 CROSSE CONSTRUCTION
ART. 1 . . . The crosse shall be made of wood, laminated wood or synthetic material...
The stop shall be constructed so that the ball shall rest on the stop.
It sounds like on your stick, the bottom attachment of the mesh is so loose that the ball is resting on the circle formed by the string holding the mesh on, and the ball is literally being trapped behind the stop when you're cradling with the stick vertical. this is a violation of the spirit and intent of the rule, and I would have you adjust your pocket so that the ball is closer to resting on the stop.

If you're playing under NCAA rules, it says this;
The stop shall be constructed so that the ball shall touch the stop.
This is a little more lenient than the Fed description, but I would still have you tighten the pocket so that the ball sits up higher on the stop, rather than being able to use it as check protection.

[3rdPersonPlural]

We got spirit of the rule, and then we got a clear and well articulated rule that can be universally and consistently applied nationwide.

25's answer leads me to believe that a ball resting on some stop and some mesh is ok, but I'm waiting for LR to storm in and wonder what 'some' is to be quantified as.

My interpretation is that if you drop the ball in the center of the pocket, then rotate the crosse upright, some part of the ball has to be touching the stop.

I don't expect the ball to be entirely supported by the stop.

Am I wrong?

[laxfan25]

We got spirit of the rule, and then we got a clear and well articulated rule that can be universally and consistently applied nationwide.

25's answer leads me to believe that a ball resting on some stop and some mesh is ok, but I'm waiting for LR to storm in and wonder what 'some' is to be quantified as.

My interpretation is that if you drop the ball in the center of the pocket, then rotate the crosse upright, some part of the ball has to be touching the stop.

I don't expect the ball to be entirely supported by the stop.

Am I wrong?
No, I don't think you're wrong. I'd like to see the midpoint of the ball be at least equal with the top of the stop. The way our friends described his stick, I think the ball was well below that. As I mentioned, the NCAA was strict on the ball resting on the stop for about two weeks, now they've made it where the ball needs to be touching the stop. That is a pretty wide window, but I've never had a problem applying my concepts of the rules during a game. :nut:

[JedimasterKyle]

The midpoint of my ball is well above the ballstop, its just that like 1/8th maybe hangs below the ballstop. The horizontal line is the top of the ballstop.