[ASA] Tiebreakers and Defensive Conferences

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by UmpireErnie

I think this is an editorial issue...I'm guessing that 5-7-b was written before time limits were ever written into championship play rules. Seems to me for years there was no mention of time limits in the rules but only in ASA code.

The fact that we begin using the tie breaker in the top of any inning after time has expired seems to indicate that regulation innings are over and we are now in an extra inning so each team now gets one DC per inning regardless of how many DCs they used prior to going into extras.

But it does say "seven innings" doesn't it?

It does, and you are correct about the time limits. Then again, at that point in time, it only applied to 10U & certain pool play. However, as money became the issue and a tournament would take as many teams as possible, the demand for fields and umpires increase while there were still so much time in a weekend. So, they obviously had to allot the time two teams could take.

I expect the clarification to be the easy way out and consider going to a TB as extra innings, but I contend that creates a possible advantage
to the team that uses or even misuses their conferences early by allowing one team up to 3 more conferences than the other. the 7 inning plus one per extra inning (not time) seems the only fair method, IMO.