Dead Ball--Play Suspended
 

NCAA 6-5

Time shall be called by the umpire and play is suspended when:

f. A coach or player calls a third offensive timeout during a regulation game.
Each team shall be allowed three (3) offensive and (3) defensive conferences
per game. If the game goes into extra innings, the team will receive one (1)
extra defensive conference and one (1) extra offensive conference plus any
unused conferences from the first nine innings.

The rule was changed this year thus:

<i>Replace the word “fourth” with “third.” “A coach or player calls a “third” timeout . . . “
Rationale: make the body of the rule consistent with the application.</i>

Anybody know what that change and rationale is supposed to accomplish? That's certainly not consistent with how I or anybody I've ever worked with administer that rule.

It wasn't broke; why did they fix it?

Hiler asked the entire group that question in Chicago and those who answered said "three" he said nobody told him "4" was in the rule book so they replaced the 4 with a 3. He couldn't believe in his entire time, nobody told him about the "4" If you were there and I butchered that paraphrased story, please correct me.

I think it's just another in the long litany of rules "experts" at the NCAA outsmarting themselves. I'm looking forward to the errors of omission and contradiction that always accompany the rules test.

I don't umpire NCAA Baseball, so forgive me up front. But what is the purpose of this rule? Doesn't the umpire call Time and suspend play anytime a coach or player requests it? What is so magical about that third (or fourth) request? If this is a conference-limiting rule, then it should start by saying, "A coach or player requests Time for the purpose of a conference."

As it reads, it's fraught with mistakes. First, it's called "Time", not "timeout". And coaches and players request it, not call it. And, what; an umpire doesn't call Time and suspend play if it's the first or second request?

Maybe when the word "fourth" was in there, the NCAA meant to say that the umpire shouldn't call Time and suspend play when the team exceeds its allotted number of conferences. That would make more sense to me than changing the word "fourth" to "third".

What am I missing?

Don't be anal Manny, your missing the intent of the rule and discussing something out of context. This has been in the rule book for years, the word fourth, was obviously and erronously changed to third.

No.