Umpires cutting games short

[Justamom]

After a game I had an umpire tell me he cut our game short simply because he could not stand the coach on the other team.

 

[wow]

Having the clock on the backstop so everyone can see its is the most amiable way to handle this. At least there is no issues with clock synchronization, cell towers not updating between carriers, or whether the big hand was on the three or not. Bring a extra timer, kindly ask blue for a official start, and attach to the backstop. May not solve the "who's watch is atomically correct" debate but at least its out there and in the forefront the entire game.

 

[coachjwb]

Yes, maybe I was lucky but the vast majority of umps I had the last 3-4 years I coached travel ball has those clocks that hung on the backstop and an alarm would go off when the time limit had been reached, so that wasn't an issue. Most of them started the clock as soon as the pre-meeting was over, which I wasn't always crazy about depending on whether we just came from a different field, but I recognized the reason for it to keep everything on schedule.

 

[KO123]

Did they have no new within 5 minutes or just the 75 limit.

 

[raidian70]

We had one yesterday at Berliner where we were ahead by 4 or 5 runs and the inning/time ended. The other coach raised a fuss with the home plate umpire and said the inning ended with 30 seconds left. The umpire told him that the scheduled start time is when the clock starts ticking. The other coach responded to him and said "but you weren't here at the scheduled start time". Home plate umpire said "if you don't like it, take it up with the tournament director".

Had this happen to us at the same tournament last year, umpires were there at the start, we weren't. Our game was still going on the adjacent field. Even though we were ready to roll as soon as we made it to the field (had our pitcher warm up while other game was finishing), they still started the clock while our other game was going on. Needless to say we did not return to this particular tournament this year.

 

[snoman76]

Did they have no new within 5 minutes or just the 75 limit.

Yes and no.... 2 of my 4 pool games the umpires told us if we get inside 2 minutes they will not start a new inning. During one of my other games I asked how much time was left and he said just over 2 minutes (in bottom of inning) and he said but you never know, this could be a 3 pitch inning and we play another inning. He also said as long as there's time on his clock we play ball.

 

[Dawgsdad]

I have always wondered why the clock starts at the ground rules? It seems between intros, rules, coin flip and whatever conversation starts up during the meeting is just eating time up. I like it quick and short. Most ground rules are obvious. We use an I Pad and keep score using Game Changer and it has a clock function so you know to the second how much time is left, usually, The next tournament, I plan on talking with the TD to find out the true format of when it starts and when it is over.

 

[WWolff]

I have always wondered why the clock starts at the ground rules? It seems between intros, rules, coin flip and whatever conversation starts up during the meeting is just eating time up. I like it quick and short. Most ground rules are obvious. We use an I Pad and keep score using Game Changer and it has a clock function so you know to the second how much time is left, usually, The next tournament, I plan on talking with the TD to find out the true format of when it starts and when it is over.

Time usually starts at end of coaches meeting. We ask our umpires to use timer and put on fence. Even with that you still see crazy coach/scorekeeper complaining that theirs 20 seconds left .

 

[coachjwb]

I like it when it's on the backstop and you can actually look at if you want to, and everyone hears the alarm go off. I will admit though that there was at least one time when I was pretty sure the ump set the timer 5 minutes short of the actual rule for the tourney .... I had looked at my watch when the clock started, and knew what time the game was supposed to end and the alarm went off 5 minutes earlier. We were winning or I might have asked to see how he set the timer!

 

[cobb_of_fury]

Time usually starts at end of coaches meeting. We ask our umpires to use timer and put on fence. Even with that you still see crazy coach/scorekeeper complaining that theirs 20 seconds left .

Once made an umpire play another inning with 7 seconds left.
We were down by one - Other team tried to stall - I had my hitter in the batters box with 7 seconds left - we played that last at bat (and lost by one... but hell we tried)
If there's still time there's still time you gotta die trying, other team should have done better at killing the clock.

That being said I hate having to play the clock -

 

[Meemerthe beast]

This past weekend at Berliner I had umpires show up 10 mins late for the game and then end it 6 mins early. At Berliner the Start/End time is whatever the schedule states. After the field umpire acknowledged it he told me "to bad, I called the game". The other coach even came out on the field and said yes we had 6 more minutes to play. It had no impact on the actual tournament so its a mood point but I lost a game that we would have easily won had I got to bat. I paid for 90 minutes of play, I want 90 minutes to play. In the Championship game I had the same umpires just switched, field for plate. In that game the field ump came to me every inning and told me how much time was left from the start of the game. By the third inning it was comical.

 

[Louuuuu]

I lost a game that we would have easily won had I got to bat.

Really? How do you know?

 

[SoCal_Dad]

I have always wondered why the clock starts at the ground rules? It seems between intros, rules, coin flip and whatever conversation starts up during the meeting is just eating time up. I like it quick and short. Most ground rules are obvious. We use an I Pad and keep score using Game Changer and it has a clock function so you know to the second how much time is left, usually, The next tournament, I plan on talking with the TD to find out the true format of when it starts and when it is over.

Time usually starts at end of coaches meeting. We ask our umpires to use timer and put on fence. Even with that you still see crazy coach/scorekeeper complaining that theirs 20 seconds left .

Years ago, a TD had clock start at beginning of coaches meeting. I asked him about it and he did it to motivate coaches to not waste time at the meeting and to quickly get their teams ready to play afterward. He added 5 minutes to the normal game times to offset starting the clock earlier. It worked.

I don't like the idea of starting the clock at the time a game is/was scheduled to start since it penalizes the teams following a game that runs long. A better approach would be X minutes after previous game ends.

 

[ech92]

We played a game at a tournament were the ump ended the game with over 3 minutes remaining ( clock was hanging on fence and my assistant coach looked at as the ining ended ) , ump takes clock off the fence puts it in his pocket and says line up thats game ! I questioned him and he said time expired , I explained to him that we seen it as the inning ended so then he decides to admit there was around 3 minutes left but that he needed to keep games moving . I said if there was time left then we keep playing , he refused ( I told him my team is not leaving the dugout until I speak to the TD ) . The opposing coach agreed to stay as well . TD was not happy with this ump & made him let us play another inning , he ofcourse took it out on my pitcher & then on my batters . We got squeezed & the opposing pitcher threw nothing but strikes ( we lost that game ) ! That truely felt like he cheeted our players !

 

[ThompsonUSSSA]

"We are now on the clock"...announce it. It amazes me how much small things like communication, preventative officiating DOESNT get done.

Would save a lot of headaches and questions on integrity...

 

[NCWaves2015]

We had the opposite issue a couple of weeks ago. My daughter up to bat (home team) with a 3-2 lead. Time expired during the at-bat, but umpire waited until her AB was over to call time and game. Visiting coach about flipped his lid, insisting that the ump play another inning because he did not call the game precisely when time ran out, being that the home team had the lead.

Your thoughts? Was Umpire correct in his decision? it's not like the timer had an alarm go off when time ran out...he had to physically look at it to determine that time expired.

 

[wvanalmsick]

We had the opposite issue a couple of weeks ago. My daughter up to bat (home team) with a 3-2 lead. Time expired during the at-bat, but umpire waited until her AB was over to call time and game. Visiting coach about flipped his lid, insisting that the ump play another inning because he did not call the game precisely when time ran out, being that the home team had the lead.

Your thoughts? Was Umpire correct in his decision? it's not like the timer had an alarm go off when time ran out...he had to physically look at it to determine that time expired.

An act of kindness. The outcome of the game was not going to change so why not let the girl finish her at-bat??? The other coach had sour grapes.

 

[NCWaves2015]

That was my thought as well. It was a good, close game (the way I enjoy them) all the way to the end.

 

[MD 20/20]

I always run a stopwatch during every game to know how far in we are/have left without bothering the umpire for time during the game. It also seems like everyone in the free world now has a smart phone. My question is this, why don't the umpires just set their cell phone timers for 75 min or 90 min, whatever the case maybe? I run my local little league and we have timed games to try to keep everything on schedule also. I instruct all of my umpires to have their meeting, announce the starting of the clock and set their alarm. When the alarm goes off, finish the inning and....BALLGAME. It simply takes the questions and all the above comments out of the picture. Like someone said before me. The announcement and communication given to both teams takes any argument away.

 

[BretMan2]

My question is this, why don't the umpires just set their cell phone timers for 75 min or 90 min, whatever the case maybe?

I love the timer and alarm on my phone. But:

1) Umpires are instructed to not carry cell phones on the field.

2) It's kind of bulky to have in your pocket or ball bag.

3) I don't want my $600 smart phone getting whacked by a foul ball or full of ball field dirt/sand/dust.

There are timers out there that work as well as a cell phone timer, can be clipped to the backstop, and have a loud alarm. Check out "Screaming Eagle" timers (I found a cheap one on eBay).