[greymule]

I'll certainly go along with that. With the ball in the circle, no play imminent, and clearly nobody going anywhere, I usually do call time out as a preventive measure, even if runners have not fully returned or advanced to a base.

In such situations (as with BR putting on or adjusting equipment on the way to 1B), the defense can't possibly complain if you call time. All you've done is prevent them from having to think about runners. And the offense obviously can't gripe, either. It doesn't take much experience for an umpire to know when nothing's going to happen.

But once as PU in baseball I had 2 out and a slow runner on 2B. Offense 4 runs down. Ball 4 to BR, who starts walking to 1B. Ball goes back to F1. Runner on 2B goes back to 2B and stands on the bag looking at the right field scoreboard as the next batter starts toward the plate. Defensive coach walks toward the mound and asks for time. I grant it. BU screams, "No time!" The entire park looks at him in wonderment. Two seconds later, BR touches 1B, and BU says, "Now time!"

It's true that few girls will know to maintain a very slow but continuous motion toward a base. In fact, I've never seen it happen. However, I posited that coaches might start teaching either that or the long delay to 1B to keep the LB rule off.