Time limit opinion

[Umpire in Chief]

The topic about time limits got me thinking about this? 

How do you handle time limits? 

I have heard 2 very different philosophies:

1. Put the extra push on them to hustle and get as much baseball in in that time as you can
2. It's their came and their time if they only want to play 3 innings in 2 hours that's their business

[grayhawk]

I said "Other" because I am in between the two options.  I keep the game moving, but I'm not overbearing about it.  If they're dawdling, then I will give a gentle push.  New pitchers get 8 and returning pitchers get 5 like usual.  If nobody is warming up the pitcher, then I'll limit the warm ups if they're taking too long.  Seems to work well enough.

[LittleBlue]

I've talked to a lot of guys who say that they are there for the whole time regardless because the teams are never going to finish the game even if the time was extended so they don't care if the teams hustle. I am of the opinion that it may be true that there is no way we are going to make it through the whole game but we also want to teach the kids that they have to hustle. If we don't teach them that they have one minute for warm up pitches what are they going to do when they get to a higher level? In addition to leaving the game in a better place then when we got there I think it also helps me get through the game faster (mentally of course) because we can have some kind of rhythm to the game as opposed to a lifeless game that sees maybe 4-5 innings.

[Stk004]

I'm all for hustle between innings, and I'm not gonna stand around for 2-3 minutes between innings while they lolly-gag. That said, sometimes the pitching just isn't there or it looks more like batting practice. Nothing I can do there. 

[Mudisfun]

5 minutes ago, Stk004 said:

I'm all for hustle between innings, and I'm not gonna stand around for 2-3 minutes between innings while they lolly-gag. That said, sometimes the pitching just isn't there or it looks more like batting practice. Nothing I can do there. 

I voted for #1 but agree with this, especially the pitching issue. At this time of the year lots of teams are playing short; kids are playing other sports at school or the coach just wants to give kids a chance to play other slots... If they cannot hit the zone and the catcher cannot stop past balls those innings just get longer and longer.

[siz]

It depends on the scenario.   If one team is trying to use it as a strategic move, I'm pushing hustle as hard as possible.

If the teams are teaching like in Fall Ball, they get some leeway...

 

[stkjock]

wouldn't it depend somewhat on the age group?

 

FWIW - I had several games this past spring (12U LL Majors) with a 2 hr limit, no new innings after 1:45, that we finished in 75-90 mins, 6 innings.  Granted these are more the exception than the rule, additionally, of the 15 games we played, I do not recall having one called due to time,

[JSam21]

I voted #1... I tell coaches at the plate meeting... Hustle them off and on. 8 pitches to start and new pitchers, 5 between innings.

If you establish a pace of play at the beginning of the game, it makes it easier to see if they are trying to stall later.

[noumpere]

I just treat it like any other game.  If they hustle, they might get done early.  If they hustle and don't get done early, it's better to have worked for the full two hours (or whatever) than to have stood around for much of it.

[LMSANS]

11 minutes ago, noumpere said:

I just treat it like any other game.  If they hustle, they might get done early.  If they hustle and don't get done early, it's better to have worked for the full two hours (or whatever) than to have stood around for much of it.

I'm with @noumpere .  I treat it like every other game.

[kylehutson]

I treat it like every other game. ...which means I'm getting on them to hustle. Unless they're really bad, nearly all of my games with a time limit get in all of their innings, because I discourage dawdling (time limit or not).

[gnhbua93]

Make them hustle. The less time you are on the field, the bigger the pay rate.

[MB_Ump]

Youth/HS games I want them to hustle. Adult MABL/MSBL I don't make a big deal about it but they never are waiting for me-until they get to play off/championship games where I'm stuck for 9 innings, then they get the normal encouragement.

[udbrky]

Emphasizing hustling pre-game goes a long way.

[ricka56]

How I manage the game depends on quality of the game. If it is good baseball, I'll keep a tight ship and get as much baseball in as we can get. If there are a few minutes left at the end of the inning, the final inning 'shouldn't' add much time.

If its a crap baseball and the bad news bears is HT, then I adjust my management to keep the game from going 45 minutes over. Speed things up or slow things down in the final 30 minutes allotted. No one wants to be there past the time limit. I try not to let the crap game get away from me. 

[kylejt]

If we're talking about kids, I like to keep the game moving. Baseball is boring enough, and if it gets too slow kids and parents will quit. For LL, I'm a volunteer and league official, and I want kids coming back to the program. One minute, in and out.

 

If this is travel, where teams pay to play, and I'm getting my cut, I couldn't care less how they choose to waste their time/$. Three minute change overs are two minutes I'm not getting my gear tested by awful pitching and catching.

[Stk004]

4 hours ago, kylejt said:

Baseball is boring enough,

Woah now... 

[kylejt]

On 11/15/2016 at 0:23 AM, Stk004 said:

Woah now... 

It's boring to most non-baseball folks (not us). What I meant was that youth baseball needs to have less lag time, or it drags. And with so many other choices for kids out there, you really need to keep tempo up, the game moving, or it's a drag. Three minute change overs, in a rec league, will lead to parents having their kids play soccer.

Again, we're talking about a timed game. You're ending it at x-o'clock no matter what. So how you manage that certain amount of time will dictate whether kids come back to the program, or go elsewhere. And I'm just talking about rec ball, where umpire are an integral part of the program. Elsewhere, we're just hired guns, and a time limit game is going to end no matter how they want to slog along. Make no difference to me.

[Stk004]

31 minutes ago, kylejt said:

Three minute change overs, in a rec league, will lead to parents having their kids play soccer.

Oh no...... not soccer..... ANYTHING but soccer...... 

[BT_Blue]

4 hours ago, Stk004 said:

Oh no...... not soccer..... ANYTHING but soccer...... 

As long as it's anything but The Sounders! #RCTID #GoTimbers

[MadMax]

19 hours ago, Stk004 said:

Oh no...... not soccer..... ANYTHING but soccer...... 

I roomed with 3 of the 1994 NCAA Champion Men's Soccer team, and played club ball through my 20's until picking it back up at 33 to recommence playing amateur Flight 1 soccer. Still play it to this day alongside my umpiring career. Keeps me nimble. Got a problem with soccer, there, Skippy?

[BT_Blue]

Or as real soccer snobs call it... futbol

[VolUmp]

My answer is a combo of what seven or eight have stated above, so I couldn't simply vote 1 or 2.

The only occasion when I do not like time limits is when the clock becomes part of the coaching strategy.  That goes against every fiber of the game of baseball ... the only major sport to not use a clock ... as long as you keep hitting, the game keeps going ...

But ... we live in the real world ... especially with tournaments ... and we have to use time limits.

So ... for that reason, I try to take the clock out of the equation and keep the hustle going just as I would any other highly competitive game such as Varsity HS which never has a clock.  Count warm up pitches, keep the batters in the box, hurry along pitcher visits, etc.  If I try everything and still fail, I will acquiesce to the clock ... but I won't create trouble like refusing to allow a pitcher visit that's clearly for the purpose of draining the clock.  That's OOO and always leads to trouble. 

Thank goodness Mercy Rules often kick in before the time expires.