Time limits are not used in NCs except 10U, in which my personal feeling is that there should not be a NC in that age division.
Time limits are basically for pool play, none of which would elminate a team from the tournament. They are in place to get the games complete in a reasonable time frame.
At the local level, time limits are a tool of the tournament director, NOT the UIC. If they are going to use them, the TDs should provide the guidelines.
Personally, I hate time limits. The only reason they exist is because of all the BS that goes on between innings and put-outs. Coaching antics and their lack of willingness to control their players is what creates the need. Every time you have an umpire try to speed the game along by using the rules, all you hear is "let the girl's play, it's their game."
RANT ON
Well, this is a pet peeve of mine as an umpire and a UIC. Local directors, TDs, coaches and parents act as if umpires are the trolls under the bridge and will come out whenever beckoned.
I have constantly run into people who have the attitude that the tournament/league directors should:
Change a starting time to give players a break;
Change a starting time because the sun may be in their eyes;
Move this game here or that game there to accommodate travel problems;
Move games from Sunday morning to Saturday evening.
Then there are those who think that an umpire who tries to keep a game moving "has a date" or "promise" and that since the umpires are being paid, they should back off and let the players run the show.
For anyone in the forum who are not umpires, let me enlighten you. Umpires are human being who also have families often including children the same age as yours. They wouldn't mind being able to see their families on ocassion. Many also have regular jobs which they need to keep to be able to afford to umpire when they can. Point is that our lives are no different that those doing the complaining. We are not paid by the hour and there is no sensible reason to expect us to just stand around while others goof off.
Umpires are on the field for a full seven inning plus and do not get a break to sit in a dugout or under a tree every other half-inning. Unless an extreme emergency, we also cannot stop a game to take a bathroom break. While teams may play every so many game slots, many umpires are lucky to get a game break after every two or three games.
As a UIC, I have a helluva time getting umpires to commit to an entire weekend to work state or regional tournaments, but those who do are the same faces week in and week out. I'm am very lucky that those who do work for me will step up to the plate when there is a problem and volunteer to skip a break to cover the games.
It's about time people realize that umpires are not something that just appears when you schedule something. The funny thing is that those who complain or whine the loudest are the first to discount even the remotest possibility of becoming a sport's official.
RANT OFF.
Have a good day,
[Edited by IRISHMAFIA on Aug 11th, 2002 at 02:55 PM]