Quote:
Originally Posted by AtlUmpSteve
The hell there isn't!! You can (and I do) refuse to allow the extra pitches when the coach delays the game. Your game; not his. The one minute between innings applies to everyone; it is a reasonable amount of time for the offense to get ready, and the defense to warm up. It is an equally reasonable amount of time for a coach to tell you about a normal substitution.
Granted, he may have 4 changes, and looks at the lineup card to be sure we are getting it right; fine. If he started that process in a reasonable time, it is what it is. If he waits the full minute, then comes to me, his delay, not the umpire's delay, so the exception does not apply.
|
Well, if I've got a coach who appears to be on the ball, handles things in a timely manner, and does that only once, I've got no problem with it. It's allowable within the rules. If I get a whiff that the coach is trying to pull something, then I'll tell the pitcher to stop warming up while I deal with the coach.
But by rule, if we're engaged in handling substitutions with a coach, yeah, they can continue warming up. Good game management dictates otherwise, but it's written in black and white.