Time between innings
 

The rules provide 1 minute for the pitcher to throw her warmups.
I don't see anything that gives the offense that same minute.

Timed game, defense needs to get back to bat, they hustle on the field and catcher throws down right away. 15-20 seconds tops.
Do they have the right to say "let's go, we're ready?"

This may be an unpopular stance, and there is no exact rule support, per se. But, one minute was selected as a reasonable amount of time for (both) teams to change over, and prepare for the opposite role. The team leaving defense should have same one minute to:

1) leave their defensive positions and go to the dugout,
2) remove defensive equipment (catcher),
3) take a swig of water,
4) get their bats, helmets, put batting gloves on,
5) take a few practice swings,
6) coaches have a few words,
7) base coaches move to their coaching boxes,
etc.

It so rarely happens that a team hustles out every inning as a normal pace of the games, that I have no sense of special urgency when they finally choose to just because it now benefits them. If the opposing team cooperates, fine. If the opposing team makes a special effort to delay, I will address that. But one team just now deciding they have an added incentive to get started, well, I'm giving the opposing team a reasonable opportunity to get ready, similar to what they have had all game long to this point.

There is also nothing in the rule book that says the offense must be ready at the beck and call of the defense. There is 1 minute allowed, and I (the umpire) have no rule to enforce unless or until that minute has elapsed.

I have always handled it much as Steve and Dakota have explained.

Even though there is no exact rule support, My belief is that the team coming on offense has the same one minute that the defense has.

No doubt that if we ever went off our rockers and started to enforce the 1 minute, there would never be 5 warm-up pitches, wind sprints by bench players, not congenial conversations by coaches, no reason for F3 to ever carry a ball onto the field, etc.

As often noted, this is a rule in place for game control purposes and really shouldn't be pushed unless necessary to control the game and that includes keeping it moving in a timely manner, clock or no clock.

This is why we added it to the PONY Umpire Manual. There is no "hurry up offense."

You forgot the HP and BU getting together an chatting about where they are going for their beer after the game, talking about the cute mom on the side, etc ;)

Seriously - is there anything more annoying than, especially when working the bases, than a partner who who comes jogging up to you to chatter in between innings?? Especially a veteran who should know better. I know when I am working the plate, unless it is warm and I need to hydrate, I never leave that dirt area around HP. It's called setting an example, I do believe. As a result, I have a nice rep in my area of having games that move right along.

If I'm on the bases with a partner known to be a chatty type, I stay even farther out into right field! (Well, not so far out I'm in danger of being clocked by the fielders warming up... )

On the plate with a chatty partner, though, I'm a bit more trapped if he wants to stroll in.

(As an aside, it may seem counterintuitive, but the female umpires I've worked with have almost never been chatty types... OTOH, maybe it's me they're trying to avoid! :eek:)

Years ago, I had a pool play game in an USSSA girls' FP tournament and the visitors huddled for about 55 seconds with its HC after their first at-bat before taking the field. I told the catcher to take the first pitch down to 2B. She gave me a puzzled look and complied. The HC started to pitch a hissy fit, but I told them that he can huddle all he wants between innings but he had better have his F1 and F out there with F1 throwing her warm-up pitches because his team has only one minute to take them. Both teams hustled pitchers and catchers (or coaches to do the catching) between innings after that.

MTD, Sr.

While I may not care for some of the chatter, I'm firmly in the camp of the old between innings positioning on the foul line of the team coming off the field.

IMO, it gives the umpire a chance to nonchalantly discuss observations and possible adjustments in coverage assignments. Or maybe even about the hot mom/dad in the stands.

With today's mechanics (excuse to the change was bullshit), when umpires do need to converse for whatever reason, it sticks out like a sore thumb.

And what was that excuse? I honestly don't know.

I have to adapt it here due to some of the fields designed for slow pitch... they have the backstop practically on your butt when you're behind the catcher! So, no room, really, for the proscribed positioning.

But, I agree with any necessary discussions now being obvious. If I intend to discuss a controversial play between innings, I just make sure it is an inning or so later and not right away.

The only reason I can see to talk between innings is if you're trying to have a veteran train a new guy. And even then, it doesn't need to be every single half inning... Can't stand it when I go work a tourney with people I don't know, and end up partnered with Chatty Cathy.

The originally stated reason was that the base umpire coming in each inning was too easy a target and too often resulted in the coaches having "words" on their way by, with the umpires looking like they were the aggressor in those confrontations; the base umpire grazing in the outfield forces the coach to be the obvious aggressor if the comments are happening.

As Mike says, more an excuse than a necessary change for the stated reason.

If you have a pre-game with your partner, what is wrong with continuing the same discussions during the game? Once the game begins, like pitchers to an umpire's strike zone, the umpires must adjust to the teams, their abilities and the flow of the game.

There can be some very enlightening discussions during a game even with veteran umpires and it doesn't always involve training.

Everyone loves talking about the umpire crew is the third team on the field, so why wouldn't you expect the crew to act like a team instead of two-three-four individuals milling around a field between innings?

JMHO