Loitering Coach
 

F1 walks bases loaded. Def manager requests "time", is granted, and procedes to the mound. All infielders from defensive team come in, they have a brief meeting, and manager signals for a reliever to come in.

Offensive team members congrigate around third base coaches box during the defensive mound conference and continue to meet through the 8 warm-up pitches.

Defensive manager shifts to back portion of mound and continues to meet with infielders while reliever throws pitches 1-6 and then departs to dugout. Coach is just milling around with infielders, discusses the game minimally then is just socializing.

Permissable?

Yes.

MTD, Sr.

What rules code?

Fed, NCAA, OBR

Not allowed in NCAA.

Dont want to sound like a prick by responding. I just am trying to facilitate a discussing about something that may be a disadvantageous rule. I haven't seen a specific ruling that does not allow this. I will admit that I may have missed seeing it in the book.

Is it not permitted in NCAA, because of the last statement of 9-4-d: "The trip to the mound...shall be concluded when... the pitcher begins his eight warm-up pitches"?

To me that tells me that the conference is over, but there is nothing that requires the coach to return to the dugout during that time, other than unwritten assumption that he should return to the dugout. Permissable persons are the only ones allowed outside of the dugout during live ball periods, but they are permitted outside that area during dead ball periods which this is.


My issue mainly is that I see it as unfair that during this warm-up time, the offensive team is allowed to continue to meet with no penalty, but the defensive manager can't continue to meet with his squad. It's not equal treatment to both parties.

Like I said, I may have not seen this issue in the book and need clarification and pointed to the right direction.

You have the correct rule. The coach has to leave the mound when warm-ups begin. The O can still chat. It's not unfair. Both teams play by the same rules.

That and the discussion / interpretations given when the rule was put in a couple of years ago.

How can it be unfair? Both teams have the same constraints on defense and same liberties on offense.