Between games discussion - catcher calling time
 

Two similar situations here - how do you personally handle?

In both, Runner on 3rd, pitch is the fourth ball, BR has just started jogging to first. R1 is a normal 3-4 step lead-off from 3rd base. Catcher calls time and starts walking to the pitcher.

If you call time when the catcher calls it, say so, the following are not relevant. Personally, I don't - the ball is live, and several teams routinely send the BR to 2nd in this situation, so I'm not going to play defense and kill it.

1) Catcher reaches the mound, still has the ball. R1 starts creeping. Do you call time?

2) Catcher reaches the mound, still has the ball. R1 turns around, still off the base, talking with coach during the apparent time out. F2 gives F1 the ball, still talking, R1 still off base. Do you call time? Do you call an out?

If the catcher asks for time, I grant it once all playing action has apparently stopped. So, 1) No, because playing action has not stopped. 2) Yes, all action had stopped. I don't care if R1 is off the base if it's apparent that she's back. I'm not sure there's a good rule justification for calling time with a runner off the bag but if you don't call time then I don't see how you can avoid the out in 2b.
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Why is the coach on the field if you havent awarded time?

I must have missed something. Why wouldn't there be a coach at 3B?

The missing part is the disposition of the BR. Where was she doing during this?

Sorry, read it as catcher talking to coach with the pitcher at the circle.

In situtation 2...
 

You might get an out on the LBR...if F2 hands the ball to F1 in the circle and R1 is off the base wouldn't this fall under the LBR?

Like the others have said, I am not calling time until the action has stopped. If the playing action (advance of BR/R1 has stopped, with no apparent idea of doing anything else), then I will call time.

The catcher in possession of the ball in the circle means nothing as far as the LBR goes. So, there is no violation of the LBR in your second situation.

Now then, what fields are you on where there is a mound in softball? :eek:

I'm with youngump....time is not called until playing action has stopped.

1) Playing action has not stopped, and F1 does not have the ball in the circle, nothing to call here...

2)Here is where I will probably generate some disagreement. Once F1 has the ball in the circle and is not making a play on R1 near third, I will call time. Both players (F1 and R1) have stopped playing to have their discussions. You would be justified by rule to call R1 out for a lookback violation, but to me, this is an example of OOO and poor game management.

Because there's a new rule that allows the offense to have a coach near first base and near third base. Pretty cool, actually - some fields put a chalk box to tell them where to stand, even. :)

BR had reached the base somewhat coinciding with the catcher reaching the pitcher - in both cases I don't believe she was going, but in the case where R1 turned around to talk to coach, she was definitely already at first base (since LBR was in my head at this point, I had obviously been watching for that first).

Re: Mound ... point taken.
Re: no LBR ... F2 handed F1 the ball.

And exactly what you say on number 2 is what the main discussion was about. 1 of our crowd said he'd call time as soon as it was apparent that BR wasn't going to 2nd. Most of us didn't call time at all in sitch 1, which led to the discussion on sitch 2 - if we're not calling time AT ALL - how do we justify calling time in sitch 2.

Personally, in game and on the field, I did not call time in the first sitch, and R3, after creeping, went back to third. In the 2nd, as soon as R1 turned around, I honored the catcher's request for time, albeit 15 seconds later than it was requested.

That said, I fully acknowledge that these two applications are not internally consistent... hence the post here.

In this and similar situations, when F2 asks for time I respond with "Not yet", or "No", or "When all play is stopped".

Must quit skimming. Bad teacher habit of mine. In all likelihood, though, since F2 had requested time, and before she was granted it, had walked onto the field, I would, as I stated earlier, probably call time when it is obvious that no subsequent action is taking place. In that case, I would not have R1 out, since, from rereading your OP, time was probably called before F2 handed the ball to F1.

As a rule, so do I. Sometimes, though, they just don't listen.

yep

As the last 3 posts, I say "NO" or "WAIT" or both to any request for time by player or coach until play is over (runner(s) on base(s), ball with pitcher in circle.
Even in SP, I would not call time with a runner off 3rd and HP not covered.

This is a situation where I think we as game manager's must manage.

If you don't shout out "time out", then there's no time out. If you did, you did it in the middle of a play, albeit the offense's play.

Catcher walking back to pitcher while batter/runner is moving past 1B then batter/runner is live and play is on. It's on even when ball is handed back to pitcher. Batter/runner has to do something, right? That goes for runner at 3rd also. She's live meat no matter what she does. To me the play started when the batter/runner "started" to first base and the play continues until you make a call and you sure as heck shouldn't call time out in the middle of it. You didn't call time out before the batter/runner got to first because that's in the middle of the action as well, it's just slower.

If runner on 3rd is tagged out while talking to coach...shame on her. It'll drive home the point that "the ump didn't grant time" so time isn't assumed when players "think" it should.

Hope I'm clear cuz I am in my own mind.

The catcher asked for time; if she did so with hopes of baiting in the offense and they all stop playing, dmc because I'm then granting time. If the offense doesn't stop playing and something good happens, dmc because I didn't grant time. If the offense doesn't stop playing and something bad happens, neither side was disadvantaged because the offense didn't stop playing. I agree though that if the batter-runner or some other runner is not in the vicinity of the base that they can't stop playing.
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