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  #1 (permalink)  
Old Wed Apr 11, 2018, 08:10pm
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Charged Conference

NFHS game, catcher asks for time and goes out to talk with her pitcher. At the same time the offensive coach at 3rd calls his batter and runner who was at 2nd over for a conference.

Question?
Since the catcher-pitcher meeting is not a charged conference, would/could you charge the offensive coach a charged conference, since it was between a coach and players?

This was discussed at a SB meeting. Could not find any reference to this situation in the rule book or case book.

I have never charged a coach for this.

Follow up: Rule 3-7-3..."When either team has a charged conference, the other team may also have a conference which is not charged...."
As I said the defensive meeting was not a charged conference.

Last edited by Blueplate; Wed Apr 11, 2018 at 08:24pm.
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Old Wed Apr 11, 2018, 08:22pm
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As long as the offensive team does not delay the game once the defense has finished, no it is not a charged conference.
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Old Thu Apr 12, 2018, 02:38am
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In HS/USA softball, this is not an offensive conference as the defense requested the timeout. In NCAA, runners may not leave the vicinity of their bases during an uncharged timeout.
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Old Thu Apr 12, 2018, 01:20pm
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The primary purpose for limiting conferences in amateur baseball and softball is to minimize delays in the flow of the game. So if there's already going to be an appreciable delay because the umpires have granted Time to the defense for a discussion, or to take a substitution, or to deal with an injury, etc., etc., then there is no problem for the offense to have meet as well.

As teebob mentioned, the NCAA won't allow runners to vacate their bases for delays involving player-only meetings by the defense, or when the PU is taking a substitution from either team. In those cases should the runners go to meet with a coach in the coach's box, it is an offensive conference. I've been told the reason why is because runners tend to still be trotting back to their bases when play is about to be resumed. But that only applies to base runners. There is no problem when the batter goes to talk to a base coach in these cases.
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Old Thu Apr 12, 2018, 08:10pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Blueplate View Post
NFHS game, catcher asks for time and goes out to talk with her pitcher. At the same time the offensive coach at 3rd calls his batter and runner who was at 2nd over for a conference.

Question?
Since the catcher-pitcher meeting is not a charged conference, would/could you charge the offensive coach a charged conference, since it was between a coach and players?

This was discussed at a SB meeting. Could not find any reference to this situation in the rule book or case book.

I have never charged a coach for this.

Follow up: Rule 3-7-3..."When either team has a charged conference, the other team may also have a conference which is not charged...."
As I said the defensive meeting was not a charged conference.
No it would not be a charged time out on the offense because you granted time out for the defense.

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Old Fri Apr 13, 2018, 05:43am
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Charge a offensive conference any time a coach meets with more than just the batter it’s a conference


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Old Fri Apr 13, 2018, 07:33am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by northbendon View Post
Charge a offensive conference any time a coach meets with more than just the batter it’s a conference


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Citations, please
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Old Fri Apr 13, 2018, 11:38am
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Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA View Post
Citations, please


3-7art3
We can’t let the offense conference (players off base)every time the catcher goes to the mound with out a charge.



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Old Fri Apr 13, 2018, 12:13pm
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3-7-3 says nothing about restricting runners to a base during a defensive timeout. It also explicitly permits the offense to hold a conference during a charged defensive conference.
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Old Fri Apr 13, 2018, 07:33am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by northbendon View Post
Charge a offensive conference any time a coach meets with more than just the batter it’s a conference


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Who the coach meets with is irrelevant, batters can have conferences, too.
Regardless of who called the time out, the other team can meet, as long as the timing coincides.
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Old Fri Apr 13, 2018, 08:46pm
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There is no charged defensive conference that’s what we’re debating.



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Old Fri Apr 13, 2018, 10:05pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by northbendon View Post
There is no charged defensive conference that’s what we’re debating.



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There is nothing in the rule restricting runners to their bases during any time out. And no, it is not a charged conference if they do meet during a defensive timeout. I'm pretty sure there is even a test question on the subject.
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Old Fri Apr 13, 2018, 10:34pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by northbendon View Post
There is no charged defensive conference that’s what we’re debating.
That's just part of the rule that grants the other team a conference. Before you get to that point, read the definition of a charged conference (under rule 2).

It says that a charged conference is when a team "asks for and is granted time out to meet with team personnel".

In the scenario being debated, which team asked for time out? Which team did not? Which one of those meets the charged conference definition?
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Old Sat Apr 14, 2018, 08:16am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BretMan View Post
That's just part of the rule that grants the other team a conference. Before you get to that point, read the definition of a charged conference (under rule 2).

It says that a charged conference is when a team "asks for and is granted time out to meet with team personnel".
Not really. The rule has a quantifier that notes it is when a coach or bench/dugout personnel request and is granted time. That did not happen in this case
Quote:

In the scenario being debated, which team asked for time out? Which team did not? Which one of those meets the charged conference definition?
Being granted time doesn't make a conference. In this case, there was no charged conference to be had.
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Old Wed Apr 18, 2018, 10:00am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA View Post
Being granted time doesn't make a conference. In this case, there was no charged conference to be had.
Right. I didn't mean to imply that there was one (maybe I just didn't make that point very well).

My point was that:

1) What the defense was doing wasn't a charged conference, so the part of the rule about the other team also having a conference doesn't even apply.

2) What the offense was doing didn't meet the definition of a charged conference (they weren't the ones who requested time out).

In summary: NOBODY gets a charged conference!
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