Batter and runners think it’s ball 4

[The Man In Blue]

While I am not a fan of adding anything to your plate meeting “speech”, @Comp ’s suggestion may be good if there is a transition period for teams to get used to this.

Let the coaches know that somebody needs to be warming the pitcher up if the catcher needs time to gear up. Stick to it.

I don’t necessarily watch the clock as long as the teams are moving on their own. What I do consistently is stand up the baseline and give an alert when it is almost time to go. Typically I am counting pitches, but I will keep an approximate time in my head If needed. When there are two pitches left (or my estimate of time for two pitches) I am raising two fingers to the pitcher and the on deck batters. Don’t forget to leave time for the throw down to second if they are going to do it. That’s not an additional amount of time.

On the bases, I am in RF doing the same routine in my head. When it is getting close (especially if my PU is not paying attention) I start to move to the fair side of the first base line.

As for calling it, I am pretty liberal with verbal “warnings.” If they are making an effort, I’ll work with it. If they aren’t, start awarding balls to the batter. I think I have only done that 2 or 3 times in my career.

 

[eddieq]

Depending on the level, it's "easier" to keep it moving. I've talked a lot about my experiences in community/rec 10u/12u. Sometimes it's enough that there are 9 or 10 players on the field and they are all facing the same direction.

Usually, a firm, "Ok, let's roll" is enough to get them moving when they are lollygagging.

As an aside, is there a community rule that I am not privy to that requires all catchers to be changed each inning and the incoming catcher has to be polar opposite in size from the previous catcher? It feels like I'm always waiting for them to adjust the equipment and it takes two coaches and a parent to get it done.

 

[Dabears17]

so the one minute is suppose to be from the last out to the batter in the box? I've never seen that happen (has anyone?). And as an umpire, I've never enforced it. Maybe I should do that next game, watch everyone go crazy. Then what's the penalty, ball on batter?

I set the expectation for one game in an 8u tournament the other week and called "balls in" at about the 45-50 second mark and surprisingly, I had the batter in the box at the 60-75 second mark every half-inning. Did the same thing in the two other games I did that tournament, if the catcher took more than ~50 seconds to get out there, it was "balls in" and the pitcher got one pitch. Of course, in those two games catchers took more than 60 seconds to get out there several times.

From another thread:

As far as walk-up music, I had a coach shocked I called a strike on his batter when his batter did not leave the on-deck circle and get into the batter's box after the 3rd time I called out "batter up". I had warned him the inning before after it took his batter more than 30 seconds to hear me and get into the batter's box. His excuse was his batter couldn't hear me because of the in-between inning music his team was playing.

 

[flash277]

I've called strikes on batters a few times for not being ready. Last one the next batter was sitting on the end of the bench oblivious to what's going on. Is said to the coach we need a batter. She tells into dugout "who's up". "Suzy is"came the reply. Suzy then jumped up, couldn't find her helmet, then had to put on the gloves and grab the bat. As she was walking to plate i said to coach " that's strike one". Coach had nothing to say, just a defeated look on her face.

Maybe I'll enforce.The one minute rule this weekend, see how it goes.

 

[Big Daddy Michigan]

From another thread:

As far as walk-up music, I had a coach shocked I called a strike on his batter when his batter did not leave the on-deck circle and get into the batter's box after the 3rd time I called out "batter up". I had warned him the inning before after it took his batter more than 30 seconds to hear me and get into the batter's box. His excuse was his batter couldn't hear me because of the in-between inning music his team was playing.

Do you ever have the batter who won't leave the on deck circle because they didn't play her walk up music? Seriously, the walk from on deck circle to batter's box is about 30 feet. It takes about 5 seconds max. If the jackass dad running the jukebox isn't on the stick it can really slowdown the game.