Where is this rule? Time not called before asking for new ball

[Greatdaytobeawildcat]

While not technically I guess, the ball seems dead for all intensive porpoises when it's in the circle and runners are back on base... so seems like kind of harsh enforcement without at least a warning (especially since most umpires have let this slide from my experience).

I don't think I've ever even seen a pitcher do anything with the ball when it's in the circle and runners are back on base. If you had asked if they were even allowed to do anything other than pitch it, I'm not sure I would have been able to say yes (which I guess they technically can, though I don't know why they ever would).

Interesting thread and rules clarification, though!

I mean, you know it's not dead, so no need to get into a whole thing - but in your casual view we shouldn't care about a runner on a base just randomly jogging towards the dugout because she needs a new shoelace without calling time because, hey, the pitcher has the ball in the circle, so...

But practically speaking, in early morning dew, or drizzle games, where I know new balls are going to be constantly needed, I make a point in the plate meeting to tell the coaches to make sure their pitchers call time before tossing balls all over the place...and then inevitably in the first inning when they're just about to I preventatively call time for them, and then remind to call time. And pretty soon everyone gets it, catastrophe avoided.

Agreed that in a rec game this is ridiculously petty by the umpire.

Also, admittedly I recently had a situation where after a single, the play was stopped, the batter-runner starts jogging toward the dugout for her courtesy runner (no one called time, no one told me there was a courtesy runner), and I let it go, but with a warning - this was a single day 14u round robin.

 

[earlg3]

I mean, you know it's not dead, so no need to get into a whole thing - but in your casual view we shouldn't care about a runner on a base just randomly jogging towards the dugout because she needs a new shoelace without calling time because, hey, the pitcher has the ball in the circle, so...

If zero competitive advantage can be gained in any capacity, I think it's worth doing a warning first time at the youth age (like you did). If someone could make even the wildest, feintest claim of a competitive advantage, then call it... but, if not, meh. Just my personal take, not saying it's the rule or proper procedure or anything. (And I actually consider myself a pretty harsh stickler to the rules.)

Runner leaving the game and holding up the pitcher (who sets the pace) could maybe be argued as a competitive advantage (a stretch), but not sure how the pitcher not calling time when no one could do anything could be stretched in any capacity to a competitive advantage.

Either way, I agree with how you handle/handled it.

 

[HunterMO]

I was helping coach DD's C-level team back during her first year of 12u. We had the situation of early morning rain....so the grass was wet everywhere. So there was the need to dry or replace the ball after every passed ball, foul ball, and anything hit into the outfield.

Umpire kindly "reminded" us coaches that the pitcher needed to call time before trading out balls with anyone. As soon as he told us, it was a "duh" moment for me. I think both teams were just operating under the understanding that balls would be wet and need to be swapped out.

It was a non-issue, but a nice learning point for me early on in helping coach my DD and her team.

 

[ninthgirl]

This just seems like a dorky moment where the umpire felt really important...

Good discussion from the topic though!

The same ump later called the game in the middle of the top of an inning because time hit no new inning (not a drop dead) per league rules. The teams had a solid 15 minutes left to complete the inning and the home team, which was winning, would have liked to give the girls more at-bats because it's fall rec ball and of course you want to provide more at bats to developing players. I think there was only one out, so the away team probably wanted to get the rest of their batters for the inning through as well. The umpire had 25 minutes before his contracted time per game was up. So...something was weird. No one knows quite what, though there was intensive speculation.

 

[The Man In Blue]

Had accumulated lots of small chit chat from when I was catching. Good Insight. Although I did find that there were umpires that had different answers for the same scenarios.
Just as have encountered umpires calling situations different during games.

Did you ever experience umpires giving you a different answer for the same scenario?

I still remember a game where a first base coach presented me with a "explain what happened to us" scenario right off the bat. Apparently he liked the way I explained it (don't remember what it was), because he kept coming back with more and more (I think he was polling the coaching staff and parents).

At the end of the game I issued him a challenge . . . Grab the rule book and check me. I'm not perfect, and just because you like it doesn't mean I am right.