Drop dead time limit

[Ryan777]

If you don’t like it when a team does something that is perfectly within the rules, such as a pitching change or a substitution, as time is running out, then don’t put yourself into a position where your team is on the losing end as the game winds down. You played three, four, five, maybe even six innings up to that point, so it’s your team’s fault that the other team has the clock in its advantage.

As I mentioned to someone else, I’m not changing the way I umpire throughout a timed game. If I grant a coach time to go talk to their pitcher in the first inning, why should I not grant it with two minutes left on the clock. You don’t like it, then have more runs on the board than the opposition as the last few minutes tick away.


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Where did I mention pitching change or a substitution? I said wasting time.

If there’s two minutes left and my pitcher isn’t throwing strikes I’m taking her out even if that kills that clock. Time management is huge. Playing down here in SoCal pretty much everything is drop dead so you’re always aware of the clock.

I’m not asking you to change the way you umpire but coaches who call time and take way more than a minute, or coaches who have their girls shoes untied Or coaches who always seem to have their catchers not have there gear on at the start of the new inning. That’s intentionally wasting time and a bad example for the girls.

 

[Ryan777]

Keep saying this...
If your going to play in drop dead tournys.
(which no one HAS TO DO)

*Both teams can control the clock.

Work strategy.
Or Dont play
Or geeez stop complaining.
Because
*The clock is part of the game in drop dead!

Totally agree that the clock is part of the game and I don’t have a problem with legal things that reduce the clock such as calling time or switching a pitcher. It’s shitty but that’s clock management in drop dead games.

but to say don’t play or stop complaining when a team is blatantly wasting time by taking more than there time allotment during circle visits or in between innings is craziness.

 

[radness]

but to say don’t play or stop complaining when a team is blatantly wasting time by taking more than there time allotment during circle visits or in between innings is craziness.

The post by TheManInBlue addressed that and i agree with it as it addressed your point!
However...
If the umpire doesnt address it.
(Yes its crappy.)
Saying once to an umpire please be aware of the time is fine.
But then bringing it up again and again 'complaining' to an umpire who already doesnt address it is worthless.

If drop dead or revert back events are actually hurting their own outcomes of games.
People should not attend those.
Or consider helping who runs them make a wiser choice.
But playing knowing theres a chance your going to start complaining is kinda silly .

 

[radness]

THAT, THAT, THAT.

Advice to newer umpires: control your time outs and time between innings the WHOLE game -- from the first warm-up pitch to the end. You can eliminate these issues 70 minutes before they begin.

• Know how many time outs a team has (offense and defense!)
• Control the length of time outs the entire game and be consistent
• Control the time between innings the entire game and be consistent

Anything after that is legal strategy for coaches.

Umpires who try to control/manipulate the clock annoy the hell out of me (to avoid starting a new inning, etc.). Control the game ... the clock belongs to everybody.

 

[Ryan777]

The post by TheManInBlue addressed that and i agree with it as it addressed your point!
However...
If the umpire doesnt address it.
(Yes its crappy.)
Saying once to an umpire please be aware of the time is fine.
But then bringing it up again and again 'complaining' to an umpire who already doesnt address it is worthless.

If drop dead or revert back events are actually hurting their own outcomes of games.
People should not attend those.
Or consider helping who runs them make a wiser choice.
But playing knowing theres a chance your going to start complaining is kinda silly .

Gotcha didn’t know it was complaining to follow the rules. Again most tournaments in SoCal are drop dead we play with what we have available to us.

it’s not like I’m yelling from the dugout I walk up to the ump with respect and professionalism but they will continue to hear from me throughout the game.

 

[Vertigo]

Just to clarify, the pitching switch I’m referring to is when the current pitcher is doing just fine but the other team calls for the switch so the current offense can’t get a chance to get any runs as the clock winds down. Obviously doesn’t matter if the inning reverts but sometimes seedings also rely on runs scored, runs against, etc in addition to win/loss. I don‘t have a dog in this race because again, we play a set number of games and there is no championship. Just found that to be annoying back in 12U.

 

[radness]

Gotcha didn’t know it was complaining to follow the rules. Again most tournaments in SoCal are drop dead we play with what we have available to us.

it’s not like I’m yelling from the dugout I walk up to the ump with respect and professionalism but they will continue to hear from me throughout the game.

Yes gotcha. In so cal also.
Did you see the post where i agree about knowing the rules?!!!!
Can appreciate when umpires apply them! Just doesnt always happen.
Then the complaining can happen...tell the umpire what they need to do over and over.
Maybe the 2nd or 3rd time they will listen

Its ok to have different coaching styles

 

[Ryan777]

Yes gotcha. In so cal also.
Did you see the post where i agree about knowing the rules?!!!!
Can appreciate when umpires apply them! Just doesnt always happen.
Then the complaining can happen...tell the umpire what they need to do over and over.
Maybe the 2nd or 3rd time they will listen

Its ok to have different coaching styles

Maybe I’m just hung up on the complaining part.

complaining to me is arguing strikes and balls every pitch or a girl leaving bases early when there is only one umpire. Even arguing with judgement calls but to me blatant time wasting is a non judgement call.

I'm not disagreeing that it probably won’t change the umpire to keep bringing it up but we have not only a shortage of umpires but a shortage of good umpires and if my “complaining” and educating them on the rules can make them better I will continue to do so.

I don’t believe it’s different coaching styles I think it’s more a fundamental problem with the fact that softball is not meant to be a timed game and the different problems that arise from it being timed.

 

[The Man In Blue]

There really is no rule on how much time there is between innings, is there? Like I said, in DD's game, it was almost 5 minutes from when the other team made the last out to when they were ready for first pitch.

@Comp touched on it ... but it does depend on your code. Again, KNOW YOUR RULE BOOK!

I have class today and a lesson plan to work on tonight, but I will try to find some time tonight to create an offshoot thread (so it can be found easily in the future) on the time rules that exist and what codes they are in.

 

[The Man In Blue]

Can recall only few umpires who would say
" Lets go catcher throw it down."
Keeping pace of game going.

Somewhat embarrassing story ... one of the last games I played in I was kicked out of for throwing the ball to second base between innings.

The umpire was a young, arrogant kid who wanted to be home watching the Bulls win one of their Championships (dating myself there) and was making no bones about it. We came out in the third or fourth inning and he told me "He doesn't need any warm-ups and you don't need to throw it down, I'm missing the Bulls game." (About the 8th time he had made that point already.)

I took three pitches as he got more and more impatient. I threw the third one down. He ejected me. (To my discredit, I went ape****.) My coach was too laid back to make any waves ... or I was making too many for him to.

Anyway ... that really soured me. I was already an angry and rebellious youth. The next season (school season) I tore my knee up and I walked away from a game that I had loved, but had come to loathe.

When I came to umpiring, I held up two umpires in my mind ... both were terrible umpires that I encountered in my youth. I always tell myself, "Don't be those guys."

EDIT: Proper method -- work with your catchers early and let them know what they can or cannot do. I try to tell catchers when they first come out so they know the rest of the game. Sometimes tournaments have different rules (less than the 5 pitch/1 minute max), but I work hard to adhere to to book rule (I won't say I am always successful). And yes, I will shut down warm-up pitches (from the plate or the bases) if the coach does the old "oh, now I need to make a line-up change").