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What are some of the most obscure rules that you have seen called by the officials in sports?

I have seen:

NBA - "Illegal Offense"
I was like "UUUUWHAT??".  Apparently, if you have 3 or more players on the same hemisphere of the court AND beyond the three-point line, it is a techical foul.  I don't know if this rule is still an active rule today, but I have seen it called...and no-one in the whole building, players included, knew what the hell that was.

NFL - "Jumping"
This happened in that crazy Tampa Bay / Indianapolis MNF game like 3 years ago.  Indy came all the way back with a GW FG.  On a FG attempt, a defensive player cannot use another teammate as leverage to jump higher than what he can naturally jump, or to hurdle him in efforts to block the kick.

NFL - "Regular Season Tie-Braking Procedure".
I want this to happen someday so bad!  If two teams both qualify for the last spot of the conference playoffs by having the exact same record, home record, away record, division record & conference record, the playoff spot will be given to the winner of a special coin-flip held at NFL Headquarters.  Nothing like a whole season's hard damn work and sweat and blood to be determined by a freaking coin flip.

The 3rd-string QB rule in the NFL is one I didn't know about until last season.  Apparently, you must designate someone on the roster as your 3rd string QB prior to each game and if that person enters the game before the start of the 4th quarter, no other QB's are allowed to participate until the 4th quarter.

How about in the NHL the visiting team must put his stick on the ice before the home team for a face off.

I always wondered what that was about.... 

How about in baseball, they still have the DH in the American League but the pitcher has to hit in the National League.

We all know that with the exception of guys like Dontrelle Willis, pitchers can't hit if their lives depended on it!!!!

Fans want to see the long ball and more action on the basepaths.  Put the DH in both leagues!!!!!!

And I'm here to say...I enjoy national league baseball....Take way the DH from the american league....

I agree 100%

Its not our fault that pitchers can't hit.  Why is that the only position exempt from any batting skill.  Learn your ass some hitting, chumps, this is the major leagues.

Pitchers shouldn't be treated any differently than any other position player.    Give him a bat and send him to the plate.  The DH is for sissies.

Besides, that's not an "obscure sports rule" anyway. ::)

Yeah, you guys are missing the point here I think.  The "DH" is not even close to what this topic should be about.

I'm talking about calls on the field or on the court that are extremely rarely called.  Not "Playoff Rosters are 14 deep in the NBA, WTF?".  That's not an obscure rule.

One time I saw in the 1997 Sugar Bowl (Ohio St. vs FSU), Ohio St was lined up for a field goal, and they had a guy sub in at the last second, then they faked the field goal and took it in for a TD.  The ref threw a flag and called an "Attempting to decieve" penalty that backed up Ohio St. 10 yards.  I don't know if that's obscure but I've never heard of that one before. 

I saw a call in the Mavs/Suns game where it was called a "palming violation".  I guess it was just a carry.  I've never heard that before.

I think the infield fly rule is a pretty weird rule, even though it's probably not that uncommon.  It's one of those rules that is called, but many don't really know why.  It's just a thing to pretect the offense from getting screwed.

And to penalize batters who can't hit a fly ball out of the infield. 

It's not about a penalty for the batter...it's a protection for him.  It just exists so that infielders can't pretend they're going to catch it and then drop it on purpose, so that they can turn a double play.

HIJACK!

I just have to Rehash it though.....
Tommy wrote:

REALLY? ???
Carlos Zambrano went 1 for 3,with a HR,and 4 RBI's tonight against the Houston Astros...Ohh yeah and took a no hitter into the 8th inning....(7 1/3)

This is the second game in a row,he's had a no hitter past the fith inning...

Sorry,I just had to do it.....We'll probably do something stupid like trade Zambrano to the Yankees for Giambi and a bag of peanuts....and we'll throw in a prospect just to make sure the deal goes through.... ::)

That's true.  But at the same time, the batter is automatically out...... so in a way that penalizes the batter.  It's a fair rule.  If you can't hit a fly out of the infield, you deserve to be out. 

The batter is automatically out TO PROTECT THE BASE RUNNERS.  The batter being out means there's no force play at 2nd or 3rd anymore, and the runners don't have to go, even though the ball is in play.

Its definitely a rule that favors the offense, not penalizes them, and it only comes into play in a very specific situation: runners on first and second with less than 2 outs.

Actually, yes they should.  Pitching is the one position in baseball that requires the most skill from the field. 

Why can't pitchers hit?  Because they spend 80% of their time pitching and 20% of their time hitting.  Other position players,  including catchers, spend 80% of their time hitting and 20% of their time playing the field. 

A team's pitching staff is rated separately from the hitting and defensive ability of the team.

Stop HiJacking my perfectly good thread!!  >:(

I have another rare or obscure thing that happened.  It happened at SBC Park (Wherever the SF Giants play).  It was the Giants vs. Marlins.  A triple was hit off the right field wall. The Right Fielder leaped to try to catch it, couldn't, and then ran into a fence, which actually opens.  On the other side of this fence is a walkway in between the ballpark and McCovey Cove, where people can walk around and stop and look through (this is no charge). 

Anyway, the gate broke, and the umpire came over and had to call the groundscrew to fix it, and the game could not continue unless this thing got locked.  So this was a 10 minute delay.

why is that an obscure sports rule?

And Tommy - you're wrong.  Every minute a pitcher is pitching, the fielders are fielding.  The pitchers pitch once a week, the fielders play every day.  There's no reason why a pitcher shouldn't be able to hit the ball.  He's a professional baseball player, he should play baseball.

I prefer the NL where pitchers hit as well, for 2 reasons:

1) It adds much more strategy to when you pull a pitcher, double switch, etc. and managers actually have to manager.
2) It a natural equalizer to keep pitchers from getting too cocky or wild.  You're less likely to go head hunting if your own head is going to be in the batters box in the next inning.