[tcblue13]

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

Can the runner steal? No. Can the runner leave the base early on a pitch? No. Can the runner clear away or smooth an area which may be dangerous? NO. So, why not just call time, move into position and pitch the ball?
You have the same result as if the ball was live, NOTHING!

Wrong, then you have high school women dancing off the bases like they are playing little league baseball between every pitch. You end up with more throwing errors as D players are tempted to play the runners instead of returning the ball to the circle. This makes for a l o n g e r less disciplined game.

To call time after every play removes the responsibility of the runners to pay attention to their relative position in respect to the ball and would thereby create a sloppy lackadaisical game. All of this would make your game l o n g e r .

BTW any umpire that would not allow a player to address a safety issue on the field doesn't need to be out there. I would grant time for that as I am sure that everyone on this forum would.