i can't, but ask one of the numerous guys on here that have been to one of the schools and they'll tell you the same thing. do not call time to clean the plate. unless you are using a friggen vacuum, it should take all of 2 seconds to do. get in, swipe 5 or 6 times, get out. if cleaning the plate is taking so much of your time that you are risking missing something on the field, you're being lazy. do it faster. if you have a situation where the plate is completely covered after a slide, or maybe it's raining and there's mud all over it, sure, maybe you're going to need 10 or more seconds to do it. in that case i wouldn't have a problem calling time to do it cuz there is going to be a significant amount of time spent dealing with it. a 2 second project does not warrant calling time, turning your lazy butt around, diligently swiping every speck off, strolling back behind the plate, waiting for everyone to get ready again and then putting it back in play. you've turned that 2 second deal into 30-45 wasted seconds. you call it pro-active, i call it an unnecessary waste of time.

i've said this before (though i don't remember if it was this site or one of the other ones) that you guys have a tremendous resource in former pro guys and former pro school instructors on here. there's always talk on here of being as professional as you can be when doing your job, so why not use this resource and strive to do things as they are taught at the schools? granted, there are some parts of the pro game that do not fit into amateur ball, but there are many, many things that do. these are simple things that we call "polish" when instructing and are universal to umpiring. this "situation" is one of them.

In EVERY baseball and softball association I belonged to, we considered brushing the plate to be an IMPLIED TIME OUT. Even if it wasn't verbalized.

Bob

you just lost a protest.

Doubtful. He could just say, "I called time."

That said, I'm with you. I'll not kill it unless I feel I need to (there's a truckload of dirt on the plate, for example).

Gotta go with Bobby here. It's not a big deal, you see the plate needs to be attended after the play, pull out your brush, step up and quickly brush it off. Why call time? If there is action on the field, you're no doubt trying to brush it off to soon. Action stops, brush it off, get back behind the catcher, if you're doing it right, you will most likely be waiting for the catcher without calling time. JMHO.

Ha ha, officials need to control the game by calling time to prevent runners from advancing....So the guys you work with are terrible and don't know what they are doing, so instead of trying to help them out and teaching them that the ball is not dead just because they turned their back for 3 seconds you just call time.

Ok so R1 and R3, partner turns and dusts the plate and R3 runs and scores, and I as the BU look bad? So instead of the defense looing bad for not paying attention to a guy trying to score, it is the officials fault because they did not call time. That makes no sense at all.

So you guys who insist on calling time when the plate is cleaned, do you also call time when the PU has to return to the plate area after having moved somewhere during a play? In both situations the PU's back is turned away from everyone for a couple of seconds. What is the difference?

Show me ONE that says not too ever do so.

There are obvious regional differences here, because this is standard around here to call time with runners on to dust the plate. That stops all the weird sh*t from happening, such as in this case posed.

I can tell you at school, they teach NOT to call time for every little thing and or request. When the action is stoped, brush it off, quickly and efficently, you must enjoy those 3+ hour games for seven innings huh!

I have been following this thread since last night. AND the bottom line is that if the PU is going to turn his back to the field to clean the plate he had better call timeout and if he does not call timeout, timeout is implied. While the offense made a good effort to gain a base, BUT the PU had stopped the game to clean home plate and that means the ball is dead.

With all due respect to the people that have taken the postion that the PU should not make the ball dead when turning his back to the playing field to clean home plate: I cannot understand how any umpire would allow the ball to remain live in this situation. To do so is utter nonsense.

MTD, Sr.

well here goes, i am a pointer, on my strike call i point, i would also look too the right as i pointed. i was told i should stop because i could miss something as i was looking at my finger, made sense too me so i have made every effort to stop. now some of you think i can turn my back to the play? not a chance, i call time, get it done, put on my mask, call play.

steve

Mark, I would respectfully disagree. On what basis do you say that " if he does not call timeout, timeout is implied" ? I have never seen this in any manual. I do not understand why you think to leave the ball live in this instance is nonsense. As long as I am working with a partner, and I do not work solo, I see no reason to kill the ball for a few seconds of dusting the plate. The base umpire can easily watch the ball, and make a call if a play is made. Besides, why deny the defense any opportunity to make an out ?
If the plate is heavily covered, or at times with a runner at third, I will call time, while making eye contact with my partner. If I'm not calling time, I will still make eye contact, while removing my brush, so that he knows where I'm headed. It's over quickly, and we move on.
I'm not trying to be combative, just trying to understand where you are coming from on this issue.

Lets stop with the school crap here.

I am a graduate civil engineer and it doesn't mean I know everything about engineering, and please, lets not try applying what happens in minor and pro ball to amateur ball. It not same.

Its obvious, that the common sense things of amateur baseball certainly were not covered at school, nor should it be. But it is certainly lacking here.

But then again, who the hell am I to try teach that stuff, I DIDN'T GO TO UMPIRING SCHOOL.

Handle your games as you see fit.

[QUOTE]When there is 2 of us no need to call timeout. I trust my partner.

Now if we have R3 that's a different story.

In the OP what is the defense doing?

If they allow R2 to simply stroll on over to 3rd base (without hearing the call of Time or an umpire giving a signal of Time) that's their fault.

Also, as Bobby says cleaning the plate takes all of what 2-3 seconds.

This falls under the category to each his own. My partner is taking care of action on the bases for the 2-3 seconds I have my back turned.

Pete Booth

That's not how you do it in pro school.

2007-08 Umpire Manual. Page 19, #26 refers to the time when the umpire cleans the plate as "stopping play". A synonym of that phrase would be "suspending play".

Rule 5-2-1f. Time shall be called by the umpire and play is suspended when...the umpire suspends play for any other cause, including an award of a base after an infraction, or for inspection of the ball.

For any other cause includes cleaning the plate.

And the rule is clear...time shall be called. It is not an option