Killing the Clock

[GOINGDEEP]

Could I steal another teams signs? Sure, but I guess I'm just a big dumb jarhead that still believes in integrity and trying to instill that in my girls.

I think it goes a little deeper than integrity. I think its good to have the girls trying to out smart a grown up. Trying to pick up on the smallest of details, as all of have to do everyday in life.

Had a SS in the championship game this past weekend, I caught her trying to steal my signs on 3rd. It was so funny cause I'd look over at her real fast and she would turn away and act like she was just singing. So I played with her, changed indicators every inning, and did 'addition' signs the last 2 innings. But my hats off to her for trying.

I think the Marines have the saying of " adapt and improvise"??

 

[JC heir]

Im just thinking......how many of you wouldnt be trying to speedthe game up if you knew you had to have another inning or another at bat to win the game? my guess is everyone would do everything they could to make sure the game progressed quickly.....maybe skipping warmup pitches, etc.

conversely, why wouldnt you slow the game down, if running out the clock during your atbat would result in a win??? Now im not talking ignorant delays, but just a slowing of the pace & maybe taking a few pitches will eat time.......now against a couple certain teams, a mound conference or pitching change might even be in orderLOL

 

[GOINGDEEP]

Thats why all sanctions should go to set inning games. Pool I don't mind a drop dead. Brackets go to 5 innings. Championship should be 7.

Lets see, most tourneys we play at 14u have 14 teams at $300 a piece. Thats $4200 in just entry fees, why the heck can't we get even inning play time? And don't give me the crap about keeping the games on time. Some will finish early some will run a few mins late, some will get run ruled. It would all work out.

 

[mudbug]

When hosting a tournament, you take in money, and you pay it out to rent the fields. Renting nice softball complexes, with groundskeeping crew, and field crews, etc is expensive. it can cost $5000 - $7000 for a weekend for a complex with two 4-plexes. You need a certain amount of teams to make it pay out, and it still takes concessions, gate fees, t-shirt sales, other vendor fees, etc to make a bit of money. You always also have the risk of losing big money if it rains out , and a certain percentage do. You have to refund entry fees if no bracket games were played. You have to squeeze in a lot of teams and a lot of games. Sometimes the fields (fence, rubber, etc) need to be adjusted for different age group in between games, and field personnel have to know what time to expect to do that too. Many communities also have times limits on their parks, no games after 8pm or such too, that tie your hands. It has to stay on schedule, hence the short, timed games. Inevitabley thought, enough STILL run over due to ties in bracket games, etc to put things considerably behind most of the time.

People also need to know when they will play next, so they can leave, and know what time to be back.

Just some reasons time limits are part of tournament ball. If you stretch out the times, you get less games in, need more fields to handle the same # of teams, and will have to charge higher entry fees to pay for the fields.

 

[BretMan]

USFA has adopted a 'no stalling' rule this year.

About time. Then again, USFA has always been kind of a joke among umpires for their lack of a coherent rule book. The first few years of their existence, their rule book was a one-page handout with a few random rules and a note that anything not covered should be governed by the "standard rules of softball". Right. Whose rules? ASA? NSA? NCAA? Little League? There are so many rule differences between the associations that you'd need another whole book just to list them all!

All other rule sets have had rules that address illegal stalling for years. And, literally, for decades for sanctioning bodies that have been around that long. The penalty for stalling the game is first a warning, then a forfeit.

 

[Wookie]

PlanoHeat-

First off, my response was not intended directly at you, although by my poor choice of words I can see why you, or anyone else, would think so. I probably got my posts mixed of on this or other forums where there were those who say that stealing signs is bush league, and I apologize for implying that you said that.

Second of all, we're talking about adolescent sports, not national security, so chill a bit.

My whole point is that it's part of the game to have signs and for the other team to try to steal them. If it's that big of a deal for a team to be against stealing signs then don't have signs yourself.

 

[PlanoHeat]

No worries. I'll agree to disagree.