What would yo udo?

[JJsqueeze]

A football team that kneels the last 4 plays is not draining the clock. The clock would drain anyway. The purpose of taking a knee is to eliminate the chance of a turnover or needless injury when a game is essentially decided. That's unlike softball, where you stop the game completely but still allow the clock to run by calling a timeout that has no other strategic value but to run the clock. I don't know where that strategy exists in any sport.

It's true that if something is not against the rules, someone will use it to their advantage. I disagree that this makes issues of sportsmanship moot, just because it's not against the rules.

I assume that it is not practical to have a rule that stops the clock during all timeouts after, say, 1 hour. Perhaps that would take the issue out of it.

huh? How is preventing a turnover by kneeling different than preventing a hit by walking a batter intentionally as the time dwindles? IN both cases you have changed how you would otherwise execute a game plan based solely on time.

 

[CoogansBluff]

huh? How is preventing a turnover by kneeling different than preventing a hit by walking a batter intentionally as the time dwindles? IN both cases you have changed how you would otherwise execute a game plan based solely on time.

I don't have as much of an issue with that as I do with timeouts for the sole purpose of stalling (to change pitchers, to tie your shoes, etc.). Walking somebody so they won't hurt you is part of softball with or without a clock.

Also, I'm not trying to judge or tell other people how to coach. I don't get bothered when other teams/coaches decide to stall. It is within the rules. This debate for me is about how I see it and why. Sportsmanship is like somebody said about pornography. I can't easily define it, but I know it when I see it. And what I see might not be what you see.

 

[CoogansBluff]

Time management tactics are really just a coaches way of saying that "I would prefer to end on last innings artificial score rather than this innings artificial score since the game is not running to a full length anyway".

Further, I'm not talking about games in which scores revert to the previous inning. Haven't coached in games like that. Too absurd for me to think about.

 

[JJsqueeze]

Sportsmanship is like somebody said about pornography. I can't easily define it, but I know it when I see it. And what I see might not be what you see.

I agree with 100%.

 

[cuzmail]

If you want to be REAL bush league about it (and yes this has been done to me):

- C & P conference until umpire breaks it up
- Catcher swap. - this is the real killer. This takes forever, especially if you pull in your LF to be the new catcher
- Pitcher change
- One pitch, 2nd pitcher change

And I bet you hoped like hell you saw that team in brackets !

 

[Pdiddy]

Walking somebody so they won't hurt you is part of softball with or without a clock.

so is changing pitchers....

 

[Sparky Guy]

If it were up to me I would never play a tourney with Drop dead time limits. It's just stupid and if you continue to
play in them you are the telling the TD that it's OK.

Good luck with that. The reason tournaments have time rules is to get the games in while trying to keep the tournament on time. I've played in tournaments that have no time limits. Every time I've been in them they are always running late.

My biggest thing is tournaments who schedule games with no changeover time built into the schedule. Most of the TD's in my area have heard the complaints and build in the needed 10 - 15 minute buffer. They have also gone to finish the inning or no new inning can start after "X" amount of minutes.

The format that seems to work best is 90 minute limit. No new inning after 80 minutes. It stops a lot of the stalling and allows teams to play. There is very little complaining when the umpire announces the game has reached the 80 minute mark and we will complete the inning. And for the most part the tournaments run close to on time. Often games can be started a few minutes early.

Ever played in a tournament with 115 teams in it? Without time restrictions they would never get them completed. Then throw in some rain and you have a real nightmare.

 

[canyonjoe]

Sparky I said no drop dead tournaments not no timed tournaments.

 

[crystlemc]

I am a big fan of 60 minute, finish the inning, plus one inning. A lot of Western PA tournaments run that way. Takes the clock out of it.