The Unintended Consequences of Time Limits

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Apr 1, 2017
535
93
Don't like them, but I understand the need for time limits. However, I try hard to avoid tournaments with "drop dead" limits. Not just because of the games some teams play, but it sets up situations where you know a comeback can't happen. Down a few runs, and you start doing the math in your head that even if we do get the runners on base to score those runs, it's going to take too long to finish the inning...

Specific to the impact on the girls playing 7 innings, I see it in our league games that don't have limits. Get to the 5th or 6th inning and they are all getting itchy wondering about how much time is left.
 
Jan 5, 2018
385
63
PNW
Don't like them, but I understand the need for time limits. However, I try hard to avoid tournaments with "drop dead" limits. Not just because of the games some teams play, but it sets up situations where you know a comeback can't happen. Down a few runs, and you start doing the math in your head that even if we do get the runners on base to score those runs, it's going to take too long to finish the inning...

Specific to the impact on the girls playing 7 innings, I see it in our league games that don't have limits. Get to the 5th or 6th inning and they are all getting itchy wondering about how much time is left.
the compromise seems to be the +1 format. @14u we're playing a lot of 5,6 and several 7 inning games all in the a time limit. We've discovered our shorter games are usually run ruled over the opponent (nobody really enjoys that) and our 7 inning games (great games a battles) have all been played in the time limit...or even before the +1 kicked in. The +1 format has taken 4 innings to 5 and 5 to 6. That at least minimizes the time limit games of running out the clock. Although it's funny to watch clock watching parents freak when they "think" the game is over and find out it's a +1 game.
 
May 29, 2015
3,731
113
League nights here are 1:15, finish the inning with run rules kicking in at the third inning. Maybe these aren’t a great comparison, but here is how my week looked:

Tuesday, 16u DH ... Game 1 - 6 innings; Game 2 - 8 innings
Wednesday, 10u DH ... Game 1 - 3 innings, Game 2 - 3 innings
Thursday, 10u - 2 innings; 12u - 1 1/2 innings

NONE of them ended early under run rules (despite over 100 runs being scored over the 6 games). They were all “travel” teams. It was a rough week.

I understand the argument against time limits, but I think it is extremely misguided to try to make that argument across the board.

Do you know the difference between softball coaches and baseball coaches? Give a softball coach a 1:15 time limit and they will hustle and keep moving to play 5-6 innings in that time frame. Give a baseball coach a 2 hour time limit and they will make sure they stretch 5-6 innings to take up the whole 2 hours.
 

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