Years ago I think there was a rule set that made the rail the cue ball was frozen to dead for the cue ball. That rule is gone now. One example of how bad that rule was: A ball is frozen to the point of the side pocket and you shoot it into that point and it goes across the pocket and hits the other point and sits there and the cue ball does not hit a cushion after. Foul. The rail was dead to that ball.
The whole point of the frozen ball rule is to prevent a thousand safes in a row on the same frozen ball.
Bob, I believe this is the Mike Shamos rule, correct me if I am wrong. We now see it pictured and depicted in bcapl/csi whereas the ob is frozen to the side rail by the side pocket and is stroked across the side pocket and now is pictured frozen to the other side rail. Now a legal shot!
Mike stated he offered up 150 rule suggestions, and this one got adopted.
I believe you are expressing that once upon a time the entire long rail side was considered one rail, thus the above shot would then be illegal at that time.
It is funny! WPA states; when a frozen ob to a rail is stroked down the rail and the wear line makes it weave in and out of contact it then is a legal shot. Whereas, bcapl states it is not a legal shot. thanks, Whitey