Calling Time Out

[D-Man]

WE are TOLD not to call "Time" to brush the plate. Unnecessary dead balls are vehemently discouraged. An additional bad call of "Time" is for the defense to get the ball in to the pitcher.

D

[Justme]

Originally Posted by D-Man

WE are TOLD not to call "Time" to brush the plate.

We? Not me, no one told me. I must have been absent that day.

Originally Posted by D-Man

Unnecessary dead balls are vehemently discouraged.

I fervently agree, having dead balls is not a good thing.

Originally Posted by D-Man

An additional bad call of "Time" is for the defense to get the ball in to the pitcher.

I enthusiastically agree with that statement.

[D-Man]

Justme can't be we (by definition).

Those I see are we.

Man, I gotta pee.

D

[Dave Hensley]

Originally Posted by RPatrino

I had an EJ one time (player and 3rd base coach), R2 steals 3b, raises his hand and prior to my 'granting' time out he leaves the base to dust himself off. F5 applies the tag... I have an out!!! Player turns into the Tasmanian Devil and I give him the rest of the game off. 3B coach "F" bombs me and he's heading for his Toyota. HC comes trotting out to see "what the Heck is going on here?" I asked him if he saw the play? He said..."Yes, but I thought you always give a time out in those cases?" My answer, "I don't".

Did it ever occur to you that maybe you should? In the case in point, calling time to allow the player to get up and dust himself off, while the fielder returned the ball to the pitcher, as opposed to playing the cat and mouse game you apparently consider to be baseball that requires the runner to stand up and dust himself off while maintaining contact with the base, lest he be tagged by the fielder who is holding the tag on him persistently - would have undoubtedly avoided the ejectathon you endured instead.

That ain't baseball, at least not any level I'm interested in working. Once a runner has secured possession of a base and is in control of his body (even if it's prone), then the play is over. Refusing to call time to allow both sides to reset only prolongs the game, it doesn't delay it.

Watch a pro game and see how professional umpires handle this issue. The claim that calling time always delays the game is simply a canard. Make the defense earn its outs playing baseball, not little league.

[RPatrino]

With all due respect, players over the age of being able to tie their shoes, should be able to properly keep contact with the bag, stand up, and dust off without delaying the game by asking for time, while the fielder is throwing the ball back to the pitcher.

In the pro game, the fielder isn't hovering around a clueless baserunner waiting for him to get up. That's what delays the game, and it should be ( to quote the late Don Knotts) "nipped in the bud".

BTW, two ejections is NOT an ejectathon.

[ozzy6900]

This is precisely where the thread went sour on the other board - "What to do after a slide?' Some say let the players work it out and others say call time and let "both parties reset".

I simply read how the players are working it out. If the runner is climbing up and not requesting TIME, fine with me. I keep my eye on the action until the defense sends the ball elsewhere. If the runner is lying prone in contact with the bag and the defense is holding the tag on I will call TIME if the runner requests and only if he requests! If the runner wants to climb up without asking for TIME, I am not going to call it - I'm not the 10th player! Likewise, younger runner slides, hangs on to the base and asks for TIME. Defense is oblivious and throws the ball back to F1 - I'm not calling TIME! Again, I'm not the 10th player.

I'm sure that this will draw some discussion.

[mick]

Originally Posted by ozzy6900

Likewise, younger runner slides, hangs on to the base and asks for TIME. Defense is oblivious and throws the ball back to F1 - I'm not calling TIME! Again, I'm not the 10th player.

I conscientiously call few time-outs.
But, I have time for this runner. He may have to fix his equipment, get dirt out of his pants or just adjust his stuff.
It's a courtesy, and I am on the field for him.

[tibear]

Originally Posted by GarthB

3. Don't ever clean your glasses during an inning.

You've never had sweat running down the middle of your lens????
How can you possibly wait until the end of the inning, you can't see anything!


Yes, I realize the pitcher has to be on the mound to call "Play". Usually when I clean the plate it is just after a hit and the plate has needed a brush for a while. With the hit, of course we must wait for the play to come to an end and usually thats when the pitcher has the ball standing on the mound. So before the next batter gets to the plate, I quickly call time, take a second or two to give the plate a quick brush, get up turn around and put the ball back into play. By the time I get behind the catcher, I still have to wait a second or two for the batter to get into the box.

[Tim C]

Let's step back now and take a look at this thread:

Things have been very interesting in the process of this thread.

I really thought it was asking about calling "TIME!" to dust the plate. I was simply amazed that some of the responders, and many of them people I respect, that actually think it is a delay to call time to do the plate sweep.

I am just shocked to see that any umpire, no matter how many partners, would turn their back to the field with the ball in play.

I have learned that many do. I have learn that some are even taught to do this.

Calling time to clean the plate does not cause ANY delay. You are going to clean the dish anyway "why not" protect the game by calling "TIME!"?

Since we all know there is no such thing as "implied time out." The boat don't float.

So we have three situations that we have discussed in the thread:

1) Do you call time out when "fully" cleaning the plate,
2) Do you let infielders call "Time" when they complete a play and,
3) Do you call "Time" when a runner has made it safely into a base?

These are three really interesting questions when you read the responses.

I would contend that no umpire working "real" (there's that term again -- "real" -- I don't consider the Northern League or the Golden State League "real" minior league baseball) professional baseball would EVER turn his back to the infield and brush the plate without calling time . . .

I would also contend that calling "TIME" in this situation causes no decernible delay in play and it is much more valuable to control play on the field then turn your back.

I would also contend that "great" umpires seldom allow infielders to call "TIME" without reason and,

I would also contend that umpires should consider all base running situations independantly and feel that "time" can be called at any time if it makes your situation better.

I think winter time storms cause us all to over think the most simple of items.

Regards,

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by Tim C

1) Do you call time out when "fully" cleaning the plate,
2) Do you let infielders call "Time" when they complete a play and,
3) Do you call "Time" when a runner has made it safely into a base?


Regards,

1. Yes. However, I don't attempt to do this in 5 seconds. "Time!" Remove mask and pull out brush as I move around the catcher. Make sure the batter has stepped back...ask if necessary. ( I don't like getting slammed with a practice swing.) With my back to the infield, bend over and clean the plate. Straighten up, replace brush as I step back into positon. Put mask on and, after checking for pitcher, ball, batter and catcher, point and "Play!" As I said earlier, attemting this in 5 seconds would look like a Monty Python sketch.

2. Not without damn good reason. Throwing the ball back to the pitcher or killing the offense's chance to continue the play are not good reasons.

3. Depends on what is going on. All play is over and he needs to get the dirt out of his jock strap? Sure. A team mate is off the bag at another base and a play is possible? Nope, not yet.

[Chris_Hickman]

Originally Posted by Tim C

I would contend that no umpire working "real" (there's that term again -- "real" -- I don't consider the Northern League or the Golden State League "real" minior league baseball) professional baseball would EVER turn his back to the infield and brush the plate without calling time . . .

I have done fill-in games at the Class A level and I have worked with minor league guys in college ball. I have seen them clean off the plate without calling time. Maybe back in the old days they did things different. Who knows. I think some people are making too big a deal of all this.

[DG]

1) Do you call time out when "fully" cleaning the plate,
2) Do you let infielders call "Time" when they complete a play and,
3) Do you call "Time" when a runner has made it safely into a base?

1) Yes, but I wait until all action has ceased, and never with a batter in the box.
2) No
3) Depends. If the defense still has a potential play I don't. Ex: runner just dived back to 1B on a pickoff. F3 is holding the ball on him, I generally tell F3 to throw the ball in and then time is not necessary.

[Tim C]

Whatever Chris, I simply disagree . . . I do not accept your comments. No minor league umpire turns his back on the field without calling "TIME!"

Call any instructor and ask . . . that's all I request. Have them e-mail their answer to me and if it supports your position I will post an apology.

BTW, I won't have to.

Regards,

[Chris_Hickman]

Tim, I am not going to e-mail guys I know to prove a point. I like to think that most of my posts consist of good common sense. But here is one. 2 man system... nobody on....trouble ball hit and base ump goes out. Plate guy takes BR into 2nd. Base ump gets back into the infield and plate guy jogs back to the plate area. I do not call time out to jog back into position unless the BR requests time to dust off or somethin'. My back is turned to the field. I see this all the time in the minors. Any thoughts?

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by Chris_Hickman

Tim, I am not going to e-mail guys I know to prove a point. I like to think that most of my posts consist of good common sense. But here is one. 2 man system... nobody on....trouble ball hit and base ump goes out. Plate guy takes BR into 2nd. Base ump gets back into the infield and plate guy jogs back to the plate area. I do not call time out to jog back into position unless the BR requests time to dust off or somethin'. My back is turned to the field. I see this all the time in the minors. Any thoughts?

We (and by "we," I mean the SDCBUA as a group, not you Justme ) were taught that it is neither necessary nor desirable to call Time to clean the dish, except with a runner at 3rd. This association frowns on the unnecessary, frivolous calling of Time, and this is an example of that. Good things can happen when the ball is alive (such as outs), and not many can happen when it is dead.

The same goes for the above example, there is no need to call Time, as long as at least one set of eyes is watching the action on the bases.

When I'm working the bases, and an umpire unnecessarily calls Time, I feel that he has no confidence in my ability to manage the action on the bases while he is briefly involved with the all-important task of removing a bit of dirt from the plate.