"Time" vs. "Dead Ball"

[BlueMagic]

Are the following situations instances in which calling "time" or calling "dead ball" really doesn't matter and can be used interchangeably? 

*HBP

*Batter (out of the box)/runner hit by a fair batted ball

*Ball goes out of play

[Jimurray]

20 minutes ago, BlueMagic said:

Are the following situations instances in which calling "time" or calling "dead ball" really doesn't matter and can be used interchangeably? 

*HBP

*Batter (out of the box)/runner hit by a fair batted ball

*Ball goes out of play

A trained umpire would never say "dead ball" or "foul ball" for that matter. The call is "time" or "foul". But some guys can't break the habit and everyone still knows the status of the ball. 

[maven]

Right: "Time" and "Foul," and only when needed.

Our verbalizations are communication tools. When the batter fouls off a pitch high and 50 feet out of play, whom do we need to inform that it's a foul ball? Everyone in the park sees that as soon as we do.

HBP: verbalize "Time," and sell it if it's not obvious that the batter was hit.

INT: verbalize "Time," and keep doing so until play stops. Then point, "INT," and assess penalties (and, if appropriate, award).

Out of play: depends on how it got there. If batted there, often no verbalization is required. If thrown there, then "Time," and assess penalties.

[MadMax]

I’m following up on @Jimurray‘s answer, but I’m going to be less kind...

1 hour ago, BlueMagic said:

Are the following situations instances in which calling "time" or calling "dead ball" really doesn’t matter and can be used interchangeably? 

Oh, it does matter. If you’re officiating a football, soccer, basketball, hockey, or lacrosse match (heck, water polo!), what is used to signal the stoppage of time and to cease action? A whistle. Can you use a kazoo? A duck call? How about a toy slide whistle? I know! An airhorn! A bugle? Surely you can clap really loudly, right?

All those noise-makers surely get attention, do they not? But, they are completely unexpected and ridiculous! Game participants start to question why you’re using it, and not just a simple whistle! So why not just use a whistle??? ... So, why not just call “Time”, as all other umpires are supposed to, and typically, and expectedly do?

There are two “killing” words, or calls, in baseball. Just two (Fed rules adds a third due to the nature of that ruleset) – Time and Foul. That’s it. Anything else is atypical and unexpected.

No, these (calling of “Time” and “Dead Ball”) cannot be used interchangeably. The inability to use the proper word – Time – is either improper training, ignorance, or blatant stubbornness.

[grayhawk]

Agree with all of the above responses for baseball.  If you work softball, then I believe the expectation is "dead ball" in certain circumstances.

[beerguy55]

2 hours ago, grayhawk said:

Agree with all of the above responses for baseball.  If you work softball, then I believe the expectation is "dead ball" in certain circumstances.

I was wondering this...I've heard "dead ball" for years in softball - most common is when a batter hits the ball off their foot.

It's memorable to me because, without fail, the parent doing Gamechanger says "there's no Dead Ball option" and I say "it's a foul ball" and they say "he didn't say 'foul ball' he said 'dead ball'

A few years of that and I transformed from beerguy to scotchguy.   I'm much happier now.

[noumpere]

2 hours ago, beerguy55 said:

I was wondering this...I've heard "dead ball" for years in softball - most common is when a batter hits the ball off their foot.

Just don't say "It hit her in the box."

[The Man in Blue]

Wow ... I was feeling a little discouraged in the other thread ... but I am feeling so much love in here that I am going to embrace “Time!”  I still think it is weird, but that’s not my decision to make.  

 

Wait ... is that love or are you all mocking me?  

[maven]

7 hours ago, The Man in Blue said:

Wow ... I was feeling a little discouraged in the other thread ... but I am feeling so much love in here that I am going to embrace “Time!”  I still think it is weird, but that’s not my decision to make.  

Wait ... is that love or are you all mocking me?  

We're all here to get better.

I'm sure that in some areas of the country—especially those with a lot of softball guys working baseball—a bunch of softball mechanics are common and customary in baseball, and nobody knows the difference.

If you're in such a place, using proper mechanics will make you stand out, and not necessarily in a way that will be beneficial to you. Getting some proper training and then sharing it with others (via association clinics and the like) is the way out.

[BlueMagic]

Thanks for the replies. I call "Time", but I have worked with several umpires (maybe who also call softball) who have said "Dead ball."