proper mechanics?

[vcblue]

Let play finish and call time. This isn't a game of got-yas, but in most cases it is a timed game. So help speed things along an get on to the next pitch.

Disagree ... This is FP not SP ... Ball is live, no injuries, no reason to call time ( unless requested and warranted ) ... R1 should have maintained contact with the base, if she was unable to or needed to get the dirt out of her eyes or pants she needs to request time ... Suppose the ball is thrown back to F1 and she misses it ? Are you going to call time to get to the next pitch ?

OK let me re-phase. If the runner request time and play has finished then call time. Once again in most cases this is a timed game. I would like you to think about your game… You grant time to the catcher when she wants to talk to the pitcher, why? I mean, something could happen with the ball before the next pitch.

[UmpSteve]

Let play finish and call time. This isn't a game of got-yas, but in most cases it is a timed game. So help speed things along an get on to the next pitch.

Disagree ... This is FP not SP ... Ball is live, no injuries, no reason to call time ( unless requested and warranted ) ... R1 should have maintained contact with the base, if she was unable to or needed to get the dirt out of her eyes or pants she needs to request time ... Suppose the ball is thrown back to F1 and she misses it ? Are you going to call time to get to the next pitch ?

OK let me re-phase. If the runner request time and play has finished then call time. Once again in most cases this is a timed game. I would like you to think about your game… You grant time to the catcher when she wants to talk to the pitcher, why? I mean, something could happen with the ball before the next pitch.

Assuming we aren't talking about the players that continue holding a tag well after any reasonable person would consider it a play, and no other runners are possibly advancing, sorry, no. If the ball isn't in the circle possessed by the pitcher and all runners stopped on a base, then play has not finished. The defense has to get the ball there; and doesn't always do that. Granting time before play has truly ended is taking plays away.

Runners request time because someone told them to, to STOP PLAY. We should NOT grant time to stop play; play ends. Then, if it is necessary, time can be called. Reality check; runners don't need a dead ball to stand up maintaining contact with a base, runners don't need a dead ball to brush off after a slide, they do it because it is routinely granted without any real need in baseball, and, too often in softball. And YOU don't need to sweep off the base, just walk away to your next position, because you look "rec" doing it.

NCAA softball is played without "time" being granted to runners unless there is a reason for it. This is one of many (but not all, IMO) lessons that could well be learned in younger levels.

[AlwaysImprove]

Disagree ... This is FP not SP ... Ball is live, no injuries, no reason to call time ( unless requested and warranted ) ... R1 should have maintained contact with the base, if she was unable to or needed to get the dirt out of her eyes or pants she needs to request time ... Suppose the ball is thrown back to F1 and she misses it ? Are you going to call time to get to the next pitch ?

Under the present rules you are correct. However, it is a myth that FP is any more of a "live ball" game than SP.

Back in my 20's I played slow pitch out behind a bar and they had a keg in each dugout. There was nothing live ball about that game, especially compared to watching my daughter on 18g fastpitch. Anyone try to run on a throw back to a pitcher is going to get cut off!

But I do understand what you are saying from a rules perspective.

[GIMNEPIWO]

Let play finish and call time. This isn't a game of got-yas, but in most cases it is a timed game. So help speed things along an get on to the next pitch.

Disagree ... This is FP not SP ... Ball is live, no injuries, no reason to call time ( unless requested and warranted ) ... R1 should have maintained contact with the base, if she was unable to or needed to get the dirt out of her eyes or pants she needs to request time ... Suppose the ball is thrown back to F1 and she misses it ? Are you going to call time to get to the next pitch ?

OK let me re-phase. If the runner request time and play has finished then call time. Once again in most cases this is a timed game. I would like you to think about your game… You grant time to the catcher when she wants to talk to the pitcher, why? I mean, something could happen with the ball before the next pitch.

Well ... I grant time to the Backstop because she requested it and it was warranted ... I agree, timed games add a wrinkle that the present rules do not take into consideration ...

[BearFlagFan]

This is very confusing, so just in case others are reading what people thinks happen when blue calls time, lets clarify: Calling 'time' changes the situation to dead ball instead of live call, exactly the same as if the ball had been hit foul. Runners can't advance, defense can't make a play, etc. It isn't "time out" like in football or basketball, where elapsed time stops. Any game being played under time (i.e. 1:30 no new, 1:45 drop dead, etc.) the elapsed time isn't affected by most "time" calls. (Generally the ump will declare we will "suspend play" but that digresses too far).

MTR has it right, such a call is situational. Rule says if the ball is live and runner is off the base, she can be put out. That said in a friendly you generally don't call that. Its a ticky-tack call that isn't going to help either team with situational experience, which is usually the reason to have a friendly. You refrain from it with young rec players, or if you call it you make sure its a good learning situation and not just punitive. Most travel, HS, All-Star tournaments they usually know enough to call time, so they get rung up if they make that mistake.

Sounds to me like the trainer just wanted to keep the situation going. Probably should have said that, but I wasn't there so I'm not going to second-guess. But with 3 umps at a friendly, its more important for the umps and the players to get situational experience with players on base than call a runner out for momentarily breaking contact with the base.

Also, with 3 umps its possible one of them away from the action called time and raised his/her hands and wasn't observed by the original poster. By rule the player would then be safe and the trainer - acting as a UIC - could overrule the out call, especially if all 3 umps were being trained (vs. evaluated).