USA change 2 - time limits
 

Rule 5, Section 10: Junior Olympic Fast Pitch Classifications of Play, for Pool Play and Elimination Play with a time limit, the time limit will be 1-Hour and 20 minutes and finish the inning and then play one more complete inning, or half inning if the home team is ahead.

Comment: Changes the time limit for all Junior Olympic Fast Pitch Classification of Play, Pool Play and Elimination Play, that uses a time limit. It changes it from 1 hour 40 minutes finish the inning to 1 hour 20 minutes finish the inning and play another inning or 1/2 inning if the home team is ahead.

Been banging this drum for years. Glad to see they finally caught up

Wouldn't it eliminate gaming even more if they shortened it to an hour and played 2 complete after time elapsed? Though thinking about that what if they shortened it to 20 minutes and then played 4 complete. :D Or perhaps even better if they're worried about the game going to long just play 5 or complete and forget the time limit.

Hell, just call it after the coin flip. :rolleyes:

That's my preferred position. Time expires after the coin flip, we'll finish this inning about to start and 6 more. Maybe I'll try that line on my next untimed game. Pretty sure no coach will catch on.

Coin flip, one 9-out half-inning and that's it. If it is still tied, a second coin flip determines the winner.

Make sure all get it that finish inning after the 1 - 20 means regardless of who is ahead or which half they are in at the time limit. Only the add-on inning can end incomplete because the home team is ahead.

Of course, some tournament sponsors will want to mess with it or insert a drop dead rule.

I find it absolutely amazing the responses to the time limit change Im seeing on softball forums. The usual chatter about time limits is the cock game playing coaches do, trying to stall or hurry up and get an out so a new inning will start before the clock expires or the total disgust of drop dead time limits.

But what Im seeing now is everyone complaining about the new USA rule completely throwing tournament schedules out of whack and how late games are going to be.

Come on people, you cant have it both ways. Either you use drop dead time limits to keep games on schedule, or you remove the clock completely and games start when the previous game finally completes.

The real problem here...at least in the JO game, is the proliferation of teams due to "daddy ball" and everybody thinking their kid is going to have college paid for by softball. Too many teams, not enough talent to go around, especially pitching, leads to 15-14 games that take three plus hours. At the JO cup last year, bracket games were scheduled for seven innings at two hour intervals. I think we were at least an hour behind on one or more fields by the end of the day just about every day. If it is happening at that high of a level, then I can just imagine how its going to play out at lower levels.

This change will be used in championship play...I doubt that very many local tournaments will want to use this.

If they do use it locally I would think they would just shorten the clock. We use 1:20 now, shorten it to 60 minutes or 1:10 and then complete the inning plus 1.

" they do use it locally I would think they would just shorten the clock. We use 1:20 now, shorten it to 60 minutes or 1:10 and then complete the inning plus 1. "

"This change will be used in championship play...I doubt that very many local tournaments will want to use this. "

As I said! :rolleyes:

Can't really say I've ever seen coaches playing cock games down here in SC. :D

Actually, the new rule can still be gamed by coaches. If the visiting team is winning by, say, six runs, and they're on the field as the 1:20 approaches, they may want to delay things a bit to preclude having to play two more complete innings and give the home team two more at-bats. Someone will figure out a way to take advantage.

SC? Go Gamecocks!

On topic, almost every rule can be abused or taken advantage of. The important part is whether is effects the spirit of the game. Abusing the time + 1 inning rule, IMO, has less effect on the original spirit of the game than does the cLock games played under the current rule.

The wording of the time limit rule is ambiguous as to whether the tie breakers starts with the inning played by rule as the post-time-limit "additional" inning or the inning following that.
Example, time limit expires in the 4th. Finish that inning, then play a 5th inning as an "additional" inning. If tied after 4, does the tie breaker start with the 5th?

Yes, I know most pool play does not require a winner, but it's in the book, so go with it.

Time does not expire until the end of the "and then play one more ... inning", so, unfortunately, the game has not ended in a tie until after that!