Mechanic Question

[PABlue]

Okay here is a mechanic question for you. Since we know that pace of play is a huge emphasis this year for baseball how do you handle time keeping duties?
I carry my stopwatch out on the field but what is the standard mechanic for me as timekeeper during the inning? Do I announce how much time is left at a certain time? What should I be doing?
I know the rule for penalty for not being ready in one minute just looking for any standard mechanic for the "timekeeper"?

[mbyron]

A stopwatch? Does PA require that? I've never seen it in a HS game.

The primary dead time is between half innings. If the teams aren't moving quickly enough, I'll first speak to the coach. Next, I'll shorten the warmup by a pitch or two.

Sorry, I don't have a timing mechanic for you for baseball.

[jicecone]

"I carry my stopwatch out on the field"

Say What??!!!!

Did 28 HS games this season and not one of them did I need to enforce a clock rule. Even the 3 -15 min game.

Sometimes you just have to umpire. And for God sakes please don't bring the watch on the field anymore. That is like reading the rulebook while in position, in between pitches. You are going to be skinned alive.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by jicecone

"I carry my stopwatch out on the field"

Say What??!!!!

Did 28 HS games this season and not one of them did I need to enforce a clock rule. Even the 3 -15 min game.

Sometimes you just have to umpire. And for God sakes please don't bring the watch on the field anymore. That is like reading the rulebook while in position, in between pitches. You are going to be skinned alive.

I would be *thrilled* if the NFHS went to a stopwatch like the NCAA has. I carry a stopwatch on the field for every NCAA game I work -- it's required equipment. If we hit 90 seconds before the pitcher starts his delivery on the first pitch, it's a ball. No warnings.

I haven't had to penalize this once this season. Because the pitcher and catcher HUSTLE to position and start warming up. And there's never, *never* a mound huddle after the ball gets thrown down because we'd have a violation every inning. I've taken to telling the catcher to feel free to go out and talk to the pitcher the first inning or if it's a new pitcher, but we don't need a huddle every inning -- they can talk in the dugout.

I don't see what's wrong with that, but an umpire can't be a lone wolf with stuff like this. An association, a state, or the NFHS must put such a protocol into place. But I do take pace of play seriously when I can.

[jicecone]

Originally Posted by GROUPthink

I would be *thrilled* if the NFHS went to a stopwatch like the NCAA has. I carry a stopwatch on the field for every NCAA game I work -- it's required equipment. If we hit 90 seconds before the pitcher starts his delivery on the first pitch, it's a ball. No warnings.

I haven't had to penalize this once this season.

Nothing personnal but, this is another rule put in by people that don't have a clue and think that the umpire is out there to babysit. Believe me if it gets enforced at the wrong time it will be changed.

Next thing you know , they will want to use aluminum bats!!!!

[kylejt]

No one said what type of ball this is.

I've worked tournaments where they want us to keep it to 60 seconds on the changeovers. I've got a pretty good clock in my head, and usually take that duty for my crew. If I'm on the bases, I'll just point to the PU, and he can tell the catcher to send it down. If I see the PU is doing paperwork, I'll wait until I can see he's about finished, then tell the closest defensive player to tell the catcher to throw it down. (I hate umpires who feel the need to bellow "BALLS IN!" Let the players take care of this).

I also factor in if teams are hustling or not, and if the catcher was on base.

I watched part of a game last night where changeovers were taking 5+ minutes. It was a three hour, 6 inning Little League game. Awful game management by all concerned. No reason for that. None.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by jicecone

Nothing personnal but, this is another rule put in by people that don't have a clue and think that the umpire is out there to babysit. Believe me if it gets enforced at the wrong time it will be changed.

Next thing you know , they will want to use aluminum bats!!!!

Do you work college baseball? I ask this with all seriousness, because I have first-hand account of the difference pre-stopwatch and post-stopwatch.

I only work D3 baseball, so no TV contracts, etc.

3-4 years ago, teams would slowly get back onto the field. It would take *forever* to get through the between innings stuff. You'd see teams huddle at the mound every half inning and some teams huddling at the dugout before going on defense. The only recourse for an umpire was to cut warmup pitches and that would start a different kind of craphouse and would have coaches calling assignors and complaining.

Now? They *run* onto the field, complete the 5 tosses in many times less than 45 seconds, and we start the next half-inning. It's like night and day. And I don't have to enforce this rule once. If the team takes a few extra seconds but it appears they're hustling, I use common sense and pretend the time hasn't expired. But the watch has made things so much nicer at the college level and it would be *easy* to put this in place at the HS level.

And notice that they give 90 seconds (measured from the last defender crossing the foul line) so the expectation isn't onerous.

[thumpferee]

Originally Posted by PABlue

Okay here is a mechanic question for you. Since we know that pace of play is a huge emphasis this year for baseball how do you handle time keeping duties?
I carry my stopwatch out on the field but what is the standard mechanic for me as timekeeper during the inning? Do I announce how much time is left at a certain time? What should I be doing?
I know the rule for penalty for not being ready in one minute just looking for any standard mechanic for the "timekeeper"?

How our association does it.

After the inning is over, the BU runs over to the defensive teams dugout and says, "ready? GO", and starts the clock.

You should see those kids go!

[JR12]

We started doing it. When the base umpire gets to 55 seconds he jogs to A position. The Plate Umpire sees this and tells F2 "2 more pitches"(unless they have thrown more than 3 already). This gives the pitcher a little longer than the 1 minute, so nobody can complain.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by JR12

We started doing it. When the base umpire gets to 55 seconds he jogs to A position. The Plate Umpire sees this and tells F2 "2 more pitches"(unless they have thrown more than 3 already). This gives the pitcher a little longer than the 1 minute, so nobody can complain.

When I hit a minute I start walking to A from my position in short right field. That tells the plate guy there's time for 2 more pitches and if we're not already at 3 pitches, he tells them. Most times, we're already at 4 or 5.

[PABlue]

This is NFHS rules, I have a guy who is telling me I should be yelling into my Home plate umpire at 30 seconds. Literally yelling in, "30 Seconds". To me this sounds crazy but this guy does some NCAA and he thinks he's God.
I've looked through every bullentin I can from the PIAA (Pennslyvania) in the last three years and from NFHS and could find no mechanics on this. This guy says we've been told this from day one but no one in our association can ever rember it being taught.
I just thought I'd take a survey before I started the revolution aganist this guy.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by PABlue

This is NFHS rules, I have a guy who is telling me I should be yelling into my Home plate umpire at 30 seconds. Literally yelling in, "30 Seconds". To me this sounds crazy but this guy does some NCAA and he thinks he's God.
I've looked through every bullentin I can from the PIAA (Pennslyvania) in the last three years and from NFHS and could find no mechanics on this. This guy says we've been told this from day one but no one in our association can ever rember it being taught.
I just thought I'd take a survey before I started the revolution aganist this guy.

We don't even yell in college games. We have a signal the base guy gives the plate guy - that's it.

[ozzy6900]

Originally Posted by PABlue

Okay here is a mechanic question for you. Since we know that pace of play is a huge emphasis this year for baseball how do you handle time keeping duties?
I carry my stopwatch out on the field but what is the standard mechanic for me as timekeeper during the inning? Do I announce how much time is left at a certain time? What should I be doing?
I know the rule for penalty for not being ready in one minute just looking for any standard mechanic for the "timekeeper"?

Uhh.... NO!
1st inning, both pitchers get 8 pitches, returning pitchers get 5 pitches. The PU controls this and should hold the teams to it. Leave your stop watch in your bag and stay in short right until you hear F2 call "2nd base" or "coming down", then move to "A".

Also, tell whoever told you this to stick the stop watch where the sun doesn't shine!

[Rich]

Originally Posted by ozzy6900

Uhh.... NO!
1st inning, both pitchers get 8 pitches, returning pitchers get 5 pitches. The PU controls this and should hold the teams to it. Leave your stop watch in your bag and stay in short right until you hear F2 call "2nd base" or "coming down", then move to "A".

Also, tell whoever told you this to stick the stop watch where the sun doesn't shine!

I think the proper advice is to do what your association or local practice is. In HS games I don't have a watch and in college games I do. I wouldn't dream of having a watch out there for a HS game and I would expect a call from the assignor if I *didn't* have one for my college games.

[jkumpire]

Originally Posted by GROUPthink

I think the proper advice is to do what your association or local practice is. In HS games I don't have a watch and in college games I do. I wouldn't dream of having a watch out there for a HS game and I would expect a call from the assignor if I *didn't* have one for my college games.

Ozzy,

Rarely do I disagree with you, but this is a marvelous thing to use. Where I do college ball we never had a problem with slow play. But some parts of the country supposedly did. Well, now it isn't a problem at all as several posters have stated.

But if you are going to do this, because of the Fed rule and interp., you need to have the PU control the time. As you know it's one minute from the last out of the previous half inning, with allowances made if F1 or F2 was on base or the last out of the previous inning at the discretion of the umpire.

In my HS games as the PU I use the same mechanics as I do in college; After 3 warmups, step to the line and announce "2 men" and flash 2 fingers to F1 and F2. They now know they throw the 2nd pitch down. When the last pitch is about to be thrown, I turn around and tell the on-deck hitter to get ready to hit as soon as F2 throws through.

If the F2 or F1 is lazy, or there is no sub to warm the pitcher, I tell them "two left" as soon as the first pitch is thrown. It's amazing how fast a team gets the message if the F1 only gets two or three warmups.

One minute can be a long time or a short time if you as the PU do not control it. If you set a quick pace to the game teams will adjust, and your stopwatch never needs to come out of the PU's pocket or ball bag, unless it needs to be seen to make a point.