But this weekend fans are being allowed to handle the ball, and pose for photographs with it.
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Claims for a Celtic penalty were waved away by referee Charlie Richmond after Steven Jennings appeared to accidentally handle the ball.
Referee Lee Mason also waved away penalty appeals from Chelsea when Andy Dawson appeared to handle the ball as their frustrations grew.
West Ham levelled the score at 1-1 after Frederic Piquionne seemed to handle the ball on the way to scoring, before Stoke emerged 2-1 victors.
However, the visitors were handed a lifeline late on when former Falkirk player Jack Ross was deemed to handle the ball on the line, and Arfield powered the penalty kick high into the net.
The Blue Bull added the extra two points and a Springbok counter-attack in the final seconds of the half forced Ma'a Nonu to handle the ball from an offside position, allowing Steyn to give South Africa a nine-point cushion at the interval.
Murphy scored from second on an infield hit after shortstop Daniel Descalso could not handle Wright's slow roller and the ball rolled free.
He is a streaky shooter, capable of putting up points in bunches, and his ball handling skills allow him to handle the point guard duties when needed.
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It turned out that the handle had compressed the eyeball in and pushed it up in the socket (think about squeezing a rubber ball), but it remained attached.
And things got worse as keeper Iker Casillas failed to handle a long throw just before halftime and Pablo Garcia lobbed the loose ball over him into the net.
Having played his college ball at Nevada-Reno, this could boost the handle due to a hometown loyalty effect.
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It's perfectly charming that Harry can handle dragons but not the terrifying task of inviting a pretty classmate to the ball.
Meanwhile, Khawaja, playing the ball late from a high back-lift with hands low on the bat handle, consolidated intelligently as the skies darkened overhead.
Imagine a tennis player practicing with a ball machine that is adjusted three notches above the pace the player is expected to handle.
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