Delaying play to run clock time off

[Cagman]

I can't stand timed games, but it is what it is. After a few years of coaching younger girls, it was so nice to move up to HS and play real 7 inning softball games. Nice to be involved in a game and never look at the clock.

I agree with above that 90 mins is a reasonable time if you have to have one. Hopefully finish the inning.

Like you said, we've all been on both sides of factoring into the clock on these timed games. But in todays world of money making softball tournaments, have to keep the games on schedule. Need as many teams as you can pack in.

 

[marriard]

Game time rules are local, and umpires have wide discretion to suspend play, including injury, rule/player protest, weather, an unsafe playing condition or any other situation which prevents the normal conduct of the game.

Of which 'stalling' is not one of them.

An umpire may have some discretion over certain things - your examples are good ones that sometimes are included - they could have a major influence of the game. But you don't really have wide discretion - despite a lot of 10U parents having fits, stalling is not against any rule and you don't get to make rules up just because you want to.

I have never seen an umpire suspend a clock for 'stalling'. In fact I am sure every UIC and tournament director I have worked for would drag the umpire over the coals if they ever did so.

 

[The Man In Blue]

Just to echo ... umpires have some control on timed issues.

If you want a time out, you have 60 seconds. You may use all three defensive conferences consecutively. You only get one offensive conference per inning.

You have 60 seconds from the moment the third out is made to having your pitcher ready to pitch. (And yes, the new inning already started the moment the third out was made.)

You have 60 seconds to warm up your new pitcher.

Your pitcher has 20 seconds to start her pitch once she receives the ball.

Your hitter has 10 seconds to get ready.

Tell your fielder to take her shoelaces out? I’m giving you a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct and not allowing her to do it. The next brilliant idea you have will give you plenty of time to think about what you were doing.

Can an umpire “manage the clock” though? Within the constraints we have, yes. When do we do that? Mainly in trying to prevent prolonged pain. If it is a good game, back and forth, and every play matters, most umpires don’t mind going over the time limit. If it is a brutal 3 inning affair with the visitors up 15-0 ... most umpires are going to try to not give the visitors a chance to go up 20-0 as we run another 25 minutes over.

I don’t remember if I talked about my dual-ejections from last week, but with the HT at bat and up by 1 run, the HTAC ejected himself and the HTHC was refusing to leave the field, the VTHC asked if I was going to stop the clock due to the bru-ha-ha going on. I told him “No, but you will get one more at bat.” I knew there was enough time that the new inning would start. Then I granted the HTHC his ejection so we could move the game along and ensure the new inning would start.

 

[justanotherguy]

Gotta wonder if the best strategy isn't simply making fun of the opposing team. Let the girls LOUDLY laugh at the other team because they're afraid to actively play ball. While I don't think my DD has ever called out a coach for stalling, she sure has for intentionally walking her. There was one team that we regularly saw that started intentionally walking her most at bats. Eventually, she did the chicken dance on her way to first base. He never walked her again. Coincidence, maybe. Still a great time to poke at the opposing team/coach.

 

[daave266]

This past weekend during upper flight bracket play, top of last inning down 3-2 with 6 minutes remaining, two down nobody on bottom of our order. We were visitors. (yes we put ourselves in this position, with an error that gave up 2 runs that is on me to work on later). The opposing coach makes a pitching change in the slowest possible way one can imagine. Then immediately follows that up with a "defensive positional change" where he instructs his left fielder to unlace and relace her shoes. My girls are ready to go. Batter line drives out to short.

He instructs his team to walk off the field, our girls are sprinting to positions, He holds a team meeting on the field and the ump instructs me he has 60 secs in between innings. He calls time to talk to his batter, and instructs her to take every single pitching with a fake bunt. His delays ran off almost 5 minutes of clock time when there was no ball in play and was allowed. After the game as we are leaving my assistant coach is a few strides behind the blues and over hears the plate ump say and i quote "you can bet if the shoe was on the other foot they would have no problem doing the same exact thing" to which my loudmouth assistant ( i will address this later) fires off "no our teams comes to play ball not pull that busch league crap that you just allowed) and the ump replies "you dont even know what the hell we are talking about brother" and that is when i pulled him away knowing we can and will see them at a later time.

now aside from the "dont be in that situation to begin with" comments and the drama from my own team what are the actual rules here? UTRIP and what are your views as a coach on pulling this.

Was this drop dead or finish the inning. Sounds like you got your last at bats and the home team was up when the clock expired....or am I missing something?

I agree that the whole shoe tying thing is a bit much, but 6 minutes left to get 3 up and 3 down is pretty tight even if he didn't pull the whole shoe tying thing. And if they're showing fake bunts and not trying to get anything down, then three strike outs should take place pretty quickly, but may still be pressed to get them out in 5 minutes.

Managing the clock has become a part of the strategy of some coaches that are trying to close a game down that's close. Not sure what your game time limit was or which inning you were in when this occurred, but I'm also a big believer in Karma, so rest assured if the softball gods believe they're gaming the system it'll come back to them at some point in time anyways.

Dave

 

[MadBandit22]

This past weekend during upper flight bracket play, top of last inning down 3-2 with 6 minutes remaining, two down nobody on bottom of our order. We were visitors. (yes we put ourselves in this position, with an error that gave up 2 runs that is on me to work on later). The opposing coach makes a pitching change in the slowest possible way one can imagine. Then immediately follows that up with a "defensive positional change" where he instructs his left fielder to unlace and relace her shoes. My girls are ready to go. Batter line drives out to short.

He instructs his team to walk off the field, our girls are sprinting to positions, He holds a team meeting on the field and the ump instructs me he has 60 secs in between innings. He calls time to talk to his batter, and instructs her to take every single pitching with a fake bunt. His delays ran off almost 5 minutes of clock time when there was no ball in play and was allowed. After the game as we are leaving my assistant coach is a few strides behind the blues and over hears the plate ump say and i quote "you can bet if the shoe was on the other foot they would have no problem doing the same exact thing" to which my loudmouth assistant ( i will address this later) fires off "no our teams comes to play ball not pull that busch league crap that you just allowed) and the ump replies "you dont even know what the hell we are talking about brother" and that is when i pulled him away knowing we can and will see them at a later time.

now aside from the "dont be in that situation to begin with" comments and the drama from my own team what are the actual rules here? UTRIP and what are your views as a coach on pulling this.

I’ve seen delay tactics like your talking about. The idea in timed games is to score early and often so you don’t run into this kind of BS. Easier said than done I know. Some people call it gamesmanship like not giving the starting line-up to the opposing team until after the game starts. I think it’s cowardice and shows lack of faith in your team. Let the girls play and may the best team win. Some coaches just have control issues and think they are more important than the game.

 

[SESwildfire]

In all honesty i cant blame the guy. My team was flat out lacing the ball all game. Line drive after line drive right at every single girl on the dirt. Couldnt find a gap. More curious why the umps let the clocks between innings go well over 60 seconds and then allow all the delays on top of that. I get the pitchers/defensive conf etc part of the game.

All weekend long they did everything in their power to end games early teams were flat out protesting the clock all weekend. Was a 4gg tourney that ran into 10pm starts sat, rai. Hit around 8pm and they forced several teams into bracket play with only an 0-1-0 record. Essentially forcing them to lower brkt and not letting them finish pool. Was one of the oddest tournies ive seen im terms of official decisions.

 

[bmakj]

I think ideal is 70 minute (or 75, or 90, depends on what you have to get in ), finish the inning, plus one more inning. then you absolutely know before the last inning even starts (ie when you are down to 3 outs) that is last inning. and will end a lot of the bs, because time is no longer a factor once you hit 70, but there is still at least one whole inning left.

and I have seen umps stop the clock, one time RF made a running catch, feet slipped, put her arm back as she fell, turns out she buckle fractured her wrist. total of about 5 minutes checking her and getting her off field (she did complete catch, CF retrieved ball after minute and got it in). as he called time, umpire announced he was pausing the clock.

 

[_MIA_]

It is amateur softball..Control what you can control, if your team played well and lost because of that so be it. Don't worry about what some knuckleheads will do to win a plastic trophy.

 

[The Man In Blue]

Bmakj — in case of injury I was always taught to stop the clock for injuries. It is respectful to the player and takes any “gamesmanship” off the table when attention should be on the player’s well being.