Intentional delay of game

[David Emerling]

Originally posted by IRISHMAFIA

I don't know where you got that impression, but it isn't true. If an umpire knows and admits s/he issued a warning in lieu of enforcing the rule, s/he subjects themselves to a protest.

Personally, as an umpire, if I saw this coming I would kill the ball and admonish the coach. That would be a nice example of preventive umpiring, not to mention kill another minute or so off the clock :-)

Maybe you misunderstood me. Surely you're aware that there are certain infractions that can cause an umpire to administer a warning prior to invoking a more severe penalty. Couldn't an umpire warn a fielder about executing a fake tag prior to ejecting them? Yet, the umpire could just as easily eject the fielder with no warning. Neither ruling would be incorrect. Agreed?

I would think many of the items listed under ASA 5-4 (forfeited games) would commonly be preceded by a warning. In fact, ASA 5-4-F specifically *requires* a warning. Yet, the umpire need not necessarily issue a warning prior to issuing a forfeit. Would you WARN a team about hitting the umpire? "Coach, if you hit me again you'll forfeit this game." I don't think so. (ref. ASA 5-4-A)

In the case where a runner DELIBERATELY leaves the base early in order to force the game into an extra inning, an umpire COULD reasonably rule that ASA 10-1-L could be invoked - which would cause him to negate the out ... place the runner back on base ... and allow the game to continue. Naturally, in so doing, the clock would run out and the team's tactic would have failed.

What if the offense was employing delaying tactics? Let's say, for instance, that the batters were being unreasonably slow to enter the batter's box. There are mere seconds left on the clock. The batter is being very slow to step into the batter's box. The umpire orders the batter to comply. She refuses. 10 seconds go by and the umpire calls a strike. "Get in the batter's box and bat!" She refuses. Technically, the umpire must wait an additional 10 seconds in order to call the next strike. "Strike two! Now get into the batter's box young lady!" She won't. She stares at you while the seconds tick away on the scoreboard. 5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2 ... 1 ... bzzzzt! NOW - she steps into the batter's box!

To my way of thinking, if the batter refuses to comply with an umpire's order, a HIGHER rule comes into play.

It's no longer the lesser rule of issuing a strike for failing to take her place in the batter's box within 10 seconds ... they are now flirting with a forfeiture. I'd WARN them ... "Coach, if you're batter continues to refuse to enter the batter's box, I will issue your team a forfeit."

I don't see how a team's illegal dragging of their feet to prolong an inning to their advantage substantially differs from a team's willful violation of a rule (leaving a base early) to expediate the conclusion of an inning to their advantage.

As one poster commented, since so many games are now played with a time limit, it would probably be prudent to address some of these sticky issues in the rulebook ... or casebook. Almost everything in the rulebook assumes that the games are 7 innings long. That is seldom the case.