Setting a standard around time limit games

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I suppose this idea will be laughed at by some, but I'd like to see this Forum used more as a tool to help make improvements in the sport, and less to bash and/or complain.

I don't think any of us like time limit games ... we know the game was not meant to be played with a clock and we know the abuses that can occur in tournaments when a clock is involved. Yet most of us also realize that in order to make any money on tournaments and keep some semblance of organization, we are more or less stuck with them. It is easy to say that all games need to go 7 innings or to conclusion, but imagine sitting and waiting an extra hour or two for a field, or trying to run a tournament when several games on one field go much longer than others.

Is there any hope of a group of coaches, umpires and TD's forming a committee to come up with a set of standards to be encouraged throughout the state? While I realize that it would not be possible to "enforce" anything, money speaks and if enough coaches refuse to sign up for tournaments that don't use these standards, then they will eventually be forced to change over time. Would there be support to do something like this?

While the committee would establish the standards and perhaps some of the details, I would suggest a few "guiding principles":

1) No game should ever be scheduled to last less than 70 minutes
2) Games should never be scheduled tighter than 90 minutes apart
3) No game should ever have a score revert back to the previous inning due to a time limit
4) No game should ever have a drop dead rule where an inning started is not completed
5) No game should ever be determined by anything other than the number of runs scored (e.g., runners reaching 3rd or 1st)
6) Pool games can end in ties

I would like to hear others' thoughts on this.

 

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no game times should ever be set right up to the limit - must have at least 15 minutes to preferably 30 minutes between games.

ex. tournament has 90 minute game time limit - the schedule can't be 9:00, 10:30, 12:00, 1:30, etc.
rather it must be 9:00, 11:00, 1:00, 3:00, etc.

 

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though many of us hate timed games,this is the only way to conduct tournament. When you have 10-15 teams in age brackets and have 12-18u playing on six field there no possible way to complete a tournament except for time limits.And the there is the unexpected such as rain delays injury.that takes time.tournment director and UIC do the best they can in all these situation.Most tournament 90min games unless unforseen event as weather factor in and instead of cancealing because of time they lower
the time limit ,better play some then not at all.

 

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What you are trying to accomplish is going to take a governing body to oversee the rules, much like OHSAA in HS. Great idea, but I don't see it happeneing, I for one would like us to standardize rules for tourneys throughout Ohio, it would make things much easier for all the coaches and umpires, right now it seems everything changes from week to week. However, I am up to the challenge, schedule a meeting i will be there, but not sure how many other TD's or coaches would show up. There are so many tourneys and teams, that it will be very hard to get everyone happy. Also, even if we are able to put something together, and sanction an OH tournament with the rules we put in place, what about all the out of state tourneys that our teams go to, those would be diffeent anyway.

 

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Dad, I agree that we need to have time limits ... my point is to set up some standards around them. Agoch, I think we are actually on the same page ... none of us would actually want or expect a governing body to work but a standard that enough coaches and TD's liked could eventually get things going the right direction. You're right that we'd still have the out of state ones, but you have to start somewhere. Looking for more thoughts and/or support on this ...

 

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Since I had posted this on a Friday afternoon, I just wanted to put this back up at the top and see if there was any more support for this concept, especially from travel coaches ...

 

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1) No game should ever be scheduled to last less than 70 minutes Pool play games should always be at least 80 minutes and bracket games at least 90 minutes. There should also be a rule for no new inning begins 5 minutes before the end of the time limit
2) Games should never be scheduled tighter than 90 minutes apart This sounds good
3) No game should ever have a score revert back to the previous inning due to a time limit This is the dumbest rule ever, next to #4. Games should never revert back to a previous inning.
4) No game should ever have a drop dead rule where an inning started is not completed You have got to be stupid, stupid, stupid, to have this rule. (Are you listening Sunraze?)
5) No game should ever be determined by anything other than the number of runs scored (e.g., runners reaching 3rd or 1st) I have never heard of this happening, but if it has, the TD should be shot.
6) Pool games can end in ties I have always played in tournaments with this rule. If this is not happening, once again the TD should be shot.

 

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Man, these are great. I know quite a few coaches who would agree.
That drop dead time limit crap is for the birds! Only one tournament that we go to is like that, and for some reason we keep going back. I don't think so for next year. Seems like the other tournaments fare jsut as well without that drop-dead time limit. What they should do is limit to the number of teams entered in each age group and then there is not a need for the drop-dead rule. Reverting back to the last full inning played makes coaches have to constantly watch the clock and make decisions that are sometimes a little less "scroupulous" (for lack of a better word) than they would normally be. But then if they did that, they wouldn't make as much money, huh? Seems like the bigger tournaments don't use that rule. (Stingrays, GAPSS,Compuware, etc)
Hmmm........anyway, those are all good ideas, if you could just get something started with that, it would be great......