Calling "time!" all the time!

[ArchAngel72]

2 hours ago, Aging_Arbiter said:

 

my bad I missed that   

[ArchAngel72]

3 hours ago, The Man in Blue said:

OK, now I’m wondering if we should move this conversation over there ... 

After reading it, I feel compelled to clarify:

I am not calling time in the middle of an at bat to clean the plate.  I’ve seen guys do this, drives me batty.

I clean the plate when there is a “natural pause” and it needs it, when it must be done (i.e., slide at the plate), or the batter or catcher gets hit with a good shot.  Even with any “natural pause in the game”, I’m calling time if we were in play (obviously not between innings or hit by pitch).

Oh ... I can think of one more time I will do it unnecessarily ... after a play and my partner needs to get across the field to get into/back into position. This was something I was taught as a courtesy to my partner.  That way it doesn’t seem as if the game is being held up because of us slow, fat, and old guys.  It helps dispel the impression that we are slow, fat, old guys who might not make it into position for a call.  Call it “professional cover”.  

God Bless you sir!

I clean the plate in between innings right after the ball is thrown down and after anyone slides into the plate making it a mess other then that if a catcher or pitcher or batter ask for it because they kicked dirt on it. 

 

[basejester]

9 hours ago, Matt said:

No, it's not.

If we leave the ball live, then one of these things are likely to happen:

• nothing (in which case it doesn't matter)
• The defense believes incorrectly that the ball is dead and a runner advances
• The offense believes incorrectly that the ball is dead a runner is picked off

The chances of anything relevant happening that doesn't cause a SH*#storm is very low.

 

[Replacematt]

1 hour ago, basejester said:

If we leave the ball live, then one of these things are likely to happen:

• nothing (in which case it doesn't matter)
• The defense believes incorrectly that the ball is dead and a runner advances
• The offense believes incorrectly that the ball is dead a runner is picked off

The chances of anything relevant happening that doesn't cause a SH*#storm is very low.

 

Then they'll learn, right?

[Vegas_Ump]

A quick sweep isn't going to allow anything to happen.  No need to call time.

But, if you need a back hoe to clean off the plate after a slide, yeah, probably a good idea to call time because it will take some time to clean it off.

Mike

[kylejt]

But calling time to sweep the plate, and putting it back in play doesn't take any more time. It really doesn't, at least for me, as I'm a pretty quick pointer, and rarely stutter. "PLAY!"

 

[mac266]

On 8/26/2019 at 6:10 PM, Umpire in Chief said:

The unnecessary calling of time is one of my pet peeves. Keep the ball live. By all means kill it when necessary. But just sliding into a base is not always necessary to call time or bringing the ball back to the infield. It will make for very long games. 

 

New guy here.  I've been reading this very opinion in a lot of places and I've seen it in some training videos (probably even yours on YouTube).  My first game behind the plate was a few days ago, and I made a point not to call "time" unless there was a reason to.  I may have done it only five times in 7 innings.

[Aging_Arbiter]

@mac266, just had a game Saturday night.  Little fellas.  R1 steals and slides into 2B.  I hear 1B coach yelling.....call time JImmy!.  Jimmy asked for time.  I asked Jimmy if he was hurt.  When her replied no, then I told him "no".

[beerguy55]

22 hours ago, Aging_Arbiter said:

@mac266, just had a game Saturday night.  Little fellas.  R1 steals and slides into 2B.  I hear 1B coach yelling.....call time JImmy!.  Jimmy asked for time.  I asked Jimmy if he was hurt.  When her replied no, then I told him "no".

But in MLB they call time after every play...shouldn't we be aspiring to greatness??  

[Jimurray]

2 hours ago, beerguy55 said:

But in MLB they call time after every play...shouldn't we be aspiring to greatness??  

In years past I used to notice quite a few MLB umps not putting the ball back in play after time. Lately I've noticed more consistency on the point.

[Aging_Arbiter]

Given my current physical limitations (still have swelling after knee replacement), I have relegated this season to volunteering to work with 5 new JR umpires and 1 first year adult umpire.  That said, my theory started years ago that for the first year, they just work the plate so their focus is contained.  I (and other adult umpires) work the bases and cover everything not at HP.

In reference to the above, anytime that I DO NOT call time, that's one less (possibly missed) chance for the new guy to NOT put the ball into play.

[BT_Blue]

On 6/24/2020 at 7:29 AM, Aging_Arbiter said:

Given my current physical limitations (still have swelling after knee replacement), I have relegated this season to volunteering to work with 5 new JR umpires and 1 first year adult umpire.  That said, my theory started years ago that for the first year, they just work the plate so their focus is contained. 

That was how I started. I dont even remember working the bases for the first year or 3! I was on the plate every game I worked. It just was what it was! It helped I was a catcher. So strapping it on didnt bug me much.

Now, any time I work a youth game with a junior umpire, I am on the bases. I want to make sure they get proficient where our bread is buttered. 

[BLarson]

They need help doing base work too.
Had a junior umpire (18)  this weekend on the bases.  Ground ball to 3B.  Throw was close at first and he watched the play, then turned to me without making a call, like he was looking for me to tell him what it was.

The coaches started chirping, which I told them to relax, called time and we got together and I explained that basically the bases are your call. (no, I didn't go into plate covering 3rd right then and there).  And as a partner I can help with RLI, potential tags, and pulling of the foot.
I told him he has to make a call.   He called him safe.   

We discussed it more after the game.

[SeeingEyeDog]

Wait...we're supposed to call time?

So for me, it goes like this...

If the game has a time limit, I am more liberal with granting time. They are on the clock. If they want to use their clock calling time frequently, it makes no difference to me.

I'd actually enjoy conducting a sociology experiment to see how many warm up pitches a pitcher would take if I wasn't there telling them they had 2 more...

Pitchers replaced due to injury where the relief pitcher has not been warming in the pen get as many warm up pitches as they like entering the game. Perhaps instead of asking them..."Are you good?", I should just let them throw?

If the game does not have a time limit, I am more conservative about granting time in order to keep the game moving constantly to a point close to the last out of the game.

~Dog

[wolfe_man]

53 minutes ago, SeeingEyeDog said:

If the game has a time limit, I am more liberal with granting time. They are on the clock. If they want to use their clock calling time frequently, it makes no difference to me.

If the game does not have a time limit, I am more conservative about granting time in order to keep the game moving constantly to a point close to the last out of the game.

~Dog

↑↑↑↑↑ this right here for me too.  When doing HS or baseball without time limits, then I keep the game moving right along.  No chasing foul balls down (dugout or coaches can get them unless they're close to a player), before a foul ball out of play lands then I have a new one in F1's hands, limit trips to mound by F2, keep batters with one foot in, 5 warm-up pitches or 1 minute between innings as much as possible, etc. to keep the game moving.  I can do most HS games (Varsity, JV and Freshmen) in around 1:45 hours.  I even did a full Varsity game in 1:15 last year!

But... if I'm doing a tournament or Babe Ruth with a time limit - and they always use the full time limit - then I'm with "Dog" here and allow them to use the time up however they want (within reason). I'm going to be there anyway and they're in no hurry, so there's not much sense for me to hurry either.  Like last night, the team had to "huddle" between innings before they can go field, at first I tried to hurry them, but once you see that's not going to happen then you just sigh and say 'it's going to be one of those nights again'.  They have a time limit and if they're not desiring to use that time playing baseball, then why rush them?  Let them have their little chats, change pitchers every 2 innings, warm up as long as they need, etc.   If the coaches don't care how they use their time, then I am not going to fight them about it.

I'd love to hear what's so important that you have to huddle up with teenage kids, who have been playing ball theoretically for 4-5 years, every inning.  I can only imagine the coach is in there saying, "If the ball is hit to you I want you to field it first, then try to throw it 1B and get the runner out!"  Or maybe, "Okay, now this inning I want you to throw Strikes out there son!"

But it's probably more me just being grumpy for having to be there at all. I love baseball, but we don't play baseball in this league (one umpire calls it Babe Ruth Football because of the scores).  The last several games I've done, they've scored almost twice as many runs as hits!  I have 2 games left this year and then I'm done with this league and so are about 4 other umpires I know.  The problem is it's the only fall baseball in my area, but I'd rather not have it than have to watch/umpire this stuff. Sorry for the rant.

 

[SeeingEyeDog]

To add to @wolfe_man's remarks...

My daughter started playing softball a few years ago. Last year, we watched the NCAA Softball World Series. I'm embarrassed to say, I never gave softball much consideration until my daughter started playing. I'm a huge fan of softball now. It has many nuances and quirks apart from baseball that really make it its own sport. The spirit and camaraderie of the players is also unique and special. They are a team and yet, their game allows for individual expression.

One thing I do NOT like about softball (and perhaps someone more knowledgeable can enlighten me...) is the coach asking for time, receiving time and having a defensive meeting usually on the mound....after EVERY hitter.

As Wolf said above, I get that it's the CSWS but, any college athlete has been playing that game for many, many years at a high level before arriving to play college sports. In the case of softball, these players KNOW defensively what play needs to be made. Fielder's choice? Sure, the coach may have a preference. That can be signaled into the catcher and signaled to the team without having to stop the game for a defensive meeting after every hitter.

In closing, if we could also prohibit coaches signalling pitch selection and or location to the catchers above Little League? That'd be great...thanks. As HOU 1B-man, Bob Watson famously said in 1977, "Let the kids play." By the way, Rest In Power Mr. Watson. Bob Watson passed away from kidney disease in May earlier this year. He was 74. And we all hope they are letting YOU play, sir...wherever you are.

~Dog

[BT_Blue]

15 hours ago, SeeingEyeDog said:

Pitchers replaced due to injury where the relief pitcher has not been warming in the pen get as many warm up pitches as they like entering the game.

This is the only issue I take with what you said. By rule, an incoming pitch that replaces an injured pitcher gets as many warm ups as necessary. There is no "unless he was warming up in the bullpen."

[SeeingEyeDog]

That's absolutely, correct @BT_Blue. Thank you.

~Dog

[aaluck]

On 9/14/2019 at 6:40 PM, kylejt said:

But calling time to sweep the plate, and putting it back in play doesn't take any more time. It really doesn't, at least for me, as I'm a pretty quick pointer, and rarely stutter. "PLAY!"

 

This all depends on the level of baseball, at least for me.  And I don't mean older kids should know how to walk it up--all kids over 9 should know how to do that.  And on that note coaches need to STOP "teaching" kids to hold the tag until the kid leans off the base to get up or time is called. Nothing, and I mean nothing, ruins a baseball game like watching one kid on the ground and the other standing there with the "tag" on at statue stillness--at least not for me.

The problem with calling time constantly is, baseball is the ONLY live game--team v. team.  Not team v. team v. clock. No one, ever in the history of baseball, is trying to score with :43 seconds left in the game.  No one in baseball is never running out of time to score--they may be running out of outs--but never time.

In a game where time is not a factor, time out should not be granted without a compelling reason.

You don't need time out to throw back to the pitcher--so it shouldn't be called.  You don't need time out to walk up a slide--so it should not be called. Etc, Etc--my .02 worth.

[kylehutson]

21 minutes ago, aaluck said:

 And on that note coaches need to STOP "teaching" kids to hold the tag until the kid leans off the base to get up or time is called.

I have a solution for this. I tell the fielder "throw it back to the pitcher", and then I purposely turn away from the ball toward the pitcher. I give it a couple of seconds (usually they've figured out they're not getting an out by this point) and if they haven't thrown it, I turn back to the fielder and say "I SAID throw it back to the pitcher". I have yet to have that fail.

ONE time a coach said something to me about it and I said "that's not baseball, that's trying to get a cheap out, and you're slowing down the game. Let's play ball." No further feedback from the coach.

[kylejt]

I like to call time when it actually speeds the game up, but doesn't take opportunities away from either team.