IOW, say nothing at all on point. Again with the dingers. You're adament that your way (the SP way) is best, and call games that way 'cause dammit you're right & don't need not stinkin' rule changes, but I'm anal retentive??? You're a piece of work, wade.

Hey, youre equally a piece of work.. you complain about zingers, and lace your own posts with zingers, you invent stuff.. (like rule changes, where did you get that?? We are subject to Mikes pals fixing what aint broke in the rule book every year.. thats part of umpiring. I never said anything about rule changes) .. not only that, I was more DEFENDIng my method, not claiming its the only right way, which is what you are doing for your own methods. I stated straight up my methods are not for everyone. Obviously not for you. Cool man.. Many umpires, many ways of doing things. You do what you dig.

Your posts are like living 1 dimensional irony.

Theres no rule you can cling to to support your contention I cant do what I do so you've resorted to rhetoric.

Sad really - hey if its not illegal, its legal.

Period.

Maybe if you dont like it you can get ahold of ASA and make lead offs legal and you can truely have a REAL live ball game..

but we dont as of now, so you will have to pretend we do.

Aha....slowly drawing you to my side ;)

I'm just glad Mike and I are in agreement on this one!

There is no validity to comparing softball and "hard"ball, but those that keep mentioning lead-offs have to remember the 90 ft. vs. 60 ft. difference.

What I find the most ironic about this discussion is that, in my experience, it is baseball, and baseball trained parents, that keep wanting to ask for "time" every time the ball comes in, or after they slide into base. Certainly, if the fielder keeps holding the tag, "time" needs to be called; but, when the ball is thrown to the pitcher, I believe runners can stand up and brush themselves off without "time" being granted.

And, if the fielders can't safely get the ball to the pitcher, that is the coaches' problem; I won't bail them out by calling "time" for them. Wouldn't do it in baseball (where it seems to be expected); surely won't do it in fastpitch.

Not much on sarcasm, are you! ;)

Listen, wade, you started the little typical semi-flame internet dingers. You want to make this a flame war? You're on the wrong board.

You are taking the SP suspended play rule, applying it to FP, and using the unusual condition suspended play rule to justify your god-like power to do what you please, all in the name of making the game what you think it should be, or to be able to sit in the shade and ridicule your fellow blues about who can "manage" their games better.

I'm just glad you're somewhere else.

Riddle me this, batman, why do you have to kill the ball to get players to hustle? Here's another riddle... what the heck does the between innings warmups have to do with killing the ball? Your arguments are so scattershotted they defy logic. You can't keep on point - why do you kill the ball when it is in the hands of an outfielder? Answer that, will you?

Join him Dakota and together you will rule the Galaxy:D

IMO waiting around for a pitcher to pick off a batter standing on bag is laughable.

Even though its within the rules that a pitcher is allowed to try to pick off a batter standing on a bag or in the rules I could wait an undetermined amount of time with the Def player holding their tag on the runner.. I suppose I could even refuse to grant time to the runner holding the bag, and just make them get up watching ever so closely that there isnt a moments separation with the bag.. so as to not abuse authority.. and call time during this precious live ball game

I chose not to. WHen play is done and extraneous activity only remains, I call time and resume my spot behind the catcher.

Ya gotta use common sense in these things dakota... ya cant teach that on a message board though.[/quote]

Two things Wade,:rolleyes:
1. Don't hurt your arm while you pat yourself on the back in the first thing I highlighted.
2. It is obvious that you can't teach common sense on a message board or your wouldn't be posting like you are.

Now for my comments.
People who get saddled with an excess of plate time are usually either in an area with a overwhelming lack of decent umpires (big fish in a little pond) or are so demanding of others recognition of the perceived skill that other umpires are more than willing to forgo having to wear the plate gear.
I have known a few umpires over 28 years who would only work the plate or demand extra plate time. They have all without question, had an overly self inflated opinion of themselves and/or their ability. These kind of umpires lord themselves over others and generally make everyone else miserable or disgusted.
As for common sense, well, while I wouldn't fight a rule change like Mike advocates (nor do I disagree with him) I have always been able to keep FP and MP games moving without killing the ball in contrast to the spirit of the rules.:mad:
Most FP and MP games that I have worked especially over the last 8 or 9 years have been on par with or faster than most adult SP games.
Keeping the game moving within the spirt of the rules is called GAME MANAGEMENT and that my friend takes a lot of common sense.:mad:

I knew there was a reason we missed him. :cool:

From a very smart umpire, who has taught me much. "When a player asks for 'time', ask him, 'Why?'"

Ace