[Ump20]

Originally posted by JJ
They can ASK for time, but we don't HAVE to grant it. If a player asks for time in your instance for no other reason than to protect a potential bad throw, I just say, "Nah, you don't need it here". If he asks why not, just say, "If that runner takes off you want to be able to get an easy out, don't you?" It's a different story if he wants to confer with the pitcher, or tie his shoe, etc. If the coach wants to get silly, just tell him you want to keep the game moving and you're got going to grant time in this case. Period.

When I'm BU I usually grant Time when infielder first asks for it. When I see him simply toss the ball back to the pitcher I'll say someting to the effect "Next time I think you better need a significant chat with the pitcher. I'm not going to kill the ball just for you to get it back to the pitcher." If coaches question it I tell them that in baseball we keep the ball "live" whenever we can. Jim/NYC