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Originally Posted by bkbjones
At the risk of incurring wrath:
1. Why start the clock at any time other than on the first pitch? the only exception I can see that is fair to the teams is to add one minute and start it at the end of the plate conference. The home team has been determined by this time.
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The reason I tried to get it moved to the end of the pre-game meeting was to encourage the coaches to get the team on the field and playing. Instead, there is a waste of time before you get that first pitch. I know you have seen this happen after the pre-game. Coach has a team meeting outside the dugout. Players move to their position with bench players on the lines to help them warm up (like they need it after spending the past hour going through drills elsewhere), the coach meandering around the circle talking to the pitcher while she it slowly and deliberately going through her warm-ups. At the same time, the offense has their own little meeting, the first batter waits until after the meeting to find her helmet, bat and any other paraphenailia she may need to bat.
Of course, everyone is going to say that it's the umpire's fault for not enforcing the one minute warm-up time for the pitcher. And that is true, though it will start the game off on the wrong foot for the crew. You also have the coach which holds the pitcher until the rest of the team is on the field.
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2. What in the !$#@ gives us the RIGHT to "interpret" anything concerning time, time limits or time remaining? It is not our game, our field or our anything. These teams pay beau coups bucks (including your pay) to play in these tournaments. If they have, say, a 1:20 time limit, interpreting that to mean 1:18 or anything else less than 1:20 is no less of a sin than, say, a supermarket checker or bank teller tapping the till. If you feel that you need to "interpret" 1:20 as something less, you're stealing from the players and stealing from the game. That is not my opinion; that is fact.
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Speaking ASA, it is also the rule. Like the teams who have no complaint about time limits advertised before getting into the tournament, the umpires should have no complaint about allowing the full time to expire before ending a game.
BTW, let me know anytime you are hitting the Midatlantic area, I would welcome you help on the field.