When do you call "Time!"

[wadeintothem]

Originally Posted by Dakota

Maybe you should go back and read it again. Note: you are advocating killing the ball while it is still in the outfield, just because you apparently do not have the patience to wait on the players to get the ball in. THAT is what I do not agree with. As to the rest of your post...

Depends on where they are in the "outfield" .. the grass right behind SS/2b is outfield and I will certainly kill the ball if play is stopped, players are on their bags, and we are just in wait mode for the ball to be walked into the pitcher.

If the balls at the fence.. well obviously the plays not dead so its not killed. Ya gotta use common sense when efficiently officiating softball so as to not rob or hurt the plalyers. It takes experience.

I could wait around for pitchers to pick off runners standing on the bag and other stuff like you and others advocate, I just chose to officiate my games more efficiently than that.

Never had a complaint from players/coaches on my methods in those regards either. Few complaints when i shave warm-up pitches because they lag, other than that, people like to see the games move. After a few innings, people get the feel for how its done with me and they are hustling. I hustle they hustle, we get the game done OR play more game in the allotted time.. consistently.

I dont agree that softball is a live ball sport in the same sense that little ball is - the games are night and day in that respect and theres no need to pretend differently.

Softball is not baseball.