Final Call/Start time

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Which person is in charge of start time for games, the TD that provides the schedule for games with start times with no mention of the early start time or the umpires who have the game. We were told to take the field 45 minutes early. Just looking for answers.

Thanks

 

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Good question.

As an umpire, if I've been given a schedule that says a game starts at, say, noon, then I will start the game at noon.

But there have been plenty of times when I've had TD's tell me to "get them started as soon as possible, no matter what the schedule says". Then I'm bound to follow the directions given to me by the TD.

Many times the tourney information given to coaches will address this, even stating that teams must be ready to play games at times sooner than scheduled. If that's the case, then those are the rules you agreed to when you signed up to play.

 

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as a TD, that type of thing should come from the TD and only the TD..

 

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Most NSA/USSSA tournaments will have in their rules that a game MAY start 15 minutes early and that the teams must be ready to go. The umpires will start the games with that understanding.

Starting a game 45 minutes early would be very hard on any team and simply does not or should not happen in well run tournaments.

 

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Had that happen today. Warming up for a 10:15 start and the plate umpire called to us at 9:50 and said to be ready to play in five minutes. I simply told him we would be ready when our pitcher's were ready and no more was said. We ended up starting at 10:05 or so.

 

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We had that happen, we arrived about 50 mins early and set up to warm up got nets up and waiting for a few late players to get here and were told this park was not ready and we had to drive about 4 or 5 miles to another park to play. The park left behind looked better than the one we relocated to... Still with players in route to the first play location and we were off to the second park. When we got to the diamond and started setting up to warm up, the umpire said we play in 5 minutes. No pitchers had warmed up, the starting lineup not completed and a player still trying to find this park. Both teams wanted the pitchers to warmup but the umpires were forceful in starting the game way over 35 minutes ahead of schedule with no regard for the teams forced to relocate to this field.
We found out the TD had said games start on time!!!! NOT early

I can understand relocating but not forcing teams to play over 35 mins. early with no warmups and people in route. 15 minutes I can understand with teams ready to play starting early but not that early and after relocating and people trying to find the ballpark.

I guess you would have to experience this to feel that pressure we had. Conversation with the Umpire failed to correct anything for both teams!