[Dave Hensley]

Nothing looks worse, to me, than everybody, including PU, standing around twiddling their thumbs for an extended period while a coach and his battery (and maybe others) stand there and figure out what to get Millie for her wedding present and where they can find a live rooster to take the curse off Jose's glove.

I have been taught, and follow religiously, an established protocol for how long I allow a visit to last. As the coach is going towards the mound, I observe and make note of the visit on my lineup card. When he gets to the mound, I immediately go brush the plate. Upon completing the plate brush, I turn and begin walking out to the mound. 90% of the time, the visit has concluded or concludes before I get there, in which case I turn and walk (I used to trot, but I saw Jim Joyce walking with authority, and I thought it looked cool) back to the plate. If I make it to the mound, I stand there next to the coach for 5-10 seconds, and then ask if he's going to make a change. Sometimes I suggest that candlesticks always make a nice gift. If he has been waiting for the opportunity of a face to face to whine about balls and strikes, I warn and eject, and I think that has actually happened to me maybe once in my career.

This is something of a hot button issue for me because I tend to have partners who manage these time-outs so badly it's like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. Coach sets up a temporary residence out on the mound, and partner just stands there, then after a minute or so, hollers out "let's go!"

It looks (and sounds) horrible. If the coach is out there looking for an opportunity to argue balls and strikes, then refraining from going out there just looks like you're afraid to. The issue should be confronted, not avoided.