Maybe in your games. I grant time immediately at the HS and college level or wherever kids can actually play.

This must be a great revelation, then. Does today's, modern field have some super-abrasive additive that did not exist a decade ago? Because I have been watching MLB all my life and I never recall the ball-switching mania like that which exists today.

Oh sure, if the ball is drilled into the ground - I understand that. But they swap it out for the most innocuous touch of the ground. Hell, I think they're swapping it out if only the catcher's glove touches the ground while catching the pitch. They swap it out if it might have touched the ground.

MLB seemed so focused on cutting down the length of the games. How 'bout not switching baseballs every time it just ticks the turf? I'd bet that would shave a few minutes off the game - especially when you factor in how the pitcher tends to rub up each new ball before the next delivery.

No you don't! Because you don't have over 100 baseballs to work with.

And, if you do swap balls every time it touches the ground (especially in a HS game) - I'll bet you continue using that ball 99% of the time. At worst, you slip it into the bag just to reemerge one foul ball later. Hell, half the time you don't have more than three at time to work with after about dozen foul balls into the woods.

Unless it's wet, hits the backstop, or is noticeably discolored or damaged - in a HS game - keep using it, for crissakes.

You call "time" every time the ball touches the ground?

Ohhhh - so that explains the greatness of Bob Gibson and Sandy Koufax. They had the advantage of scuffed baseballs. Because I know they didn't swap baseballs out like that in those days.

Naturally I was being facetious about the ball being live when the umpire throws it back. Geez - give me a little credit.

What if there was a runner on 3rd during the ball-in-the-dirt walk? Killing the ball takes away a seldom used, but viable, tactic of the runner continuing after the walk. That would probably never occur in a MLB game - but I've seen it numerous times in HS.

Apparently reading is a skill you haven't acquired. The man never said he changed balls every time the ball hit the dirt.

And, I believe he was commenting on calling time on a base on balls.

Even then, calling time every time the ball touches the ground in a HS game is silly, in my opinion.

Just what is it you expect to see? A little scuff? A grass stain? Now what - throw the ball out? Pfft!

The coaches around here would be very pissed about that - that I do know.

I can hear it now:

Coach: "Blue, what's wrong with this ball?"

Ump: "It has a small scuff mark on it, coach."

Coach: "Yeah, well, we're gonna play with it anyway unless you want to donate $200 to our booster club."

I mean I call time as soon as the defensive coach asks for time. I don't do the "wait until the batter gets to fir.....OK, TIME" nonsense.

There's one school here where I get the minimum 3 balls to start a game. Last year in about the 3rd inning, I noticed a nice cut on the ball and told the home team to throw that one out. I got the whole "what kind of budget do you think I have" routine...

In high school baseball, I pretty much keep all of the baseballs in play even if they're bad...like you said, typically I only get three...and it's like pulling teeth to get more baseballs, so unless they're really bad or a player complains about a baseball, then I swap it out...but for the sake of keeping the game moving, I play with what they give me.

Perhaps a higher mound explains it a heck of alot better.
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On a side note, some basic math. 12 dozen balls X $120 per dozen X 162 games a year X (32 teams / 2) = about 3.7 million a year for balls based on open market price.

MLB just contracts Rawlings, correct? It's not up to each team to buy balls for the year, is it?

At the high school level there aren't that many pitchers who know what to do with a doctored ball. And if they do, I like it, and I like it a lot!

pretty much!

Again...reading is apparently not your strong suit. Why do you make this stuff up....are you a coach? This is not what the man is saying.

And regards your little league scenario...I have NEVER had a high school coach or college skipper question why I threw a ball out of play.

if you want to go the sarcasm route with me, i'm game, sir. but, before we delve into that, are you fully prepared to contend that TODAY'S game is the same as the game was a DECADE ago? times change. the game changes. they don't want scuffed balls now, and, with people paying a ridiculous sum of money to watch, they have the loot to be able to provide a "perfect" ball for just about every pitch. it is what it is.