vcblue wrote:GIMNEPIWO wrote:vcblue wrote:Let play finish and call time. This isn't a game of got-yas, but in most cases it is a timed game. So help speed things along an get on to the next pitch.
Disagree ... This is FP not SP ... Ball is live, no injuries, no reason to call time ( unless requested and warranted ) ... R1 should have maintained contact with the base, if she was unable to or needed to get the dirt out of her eyes or pants she needs to request time ... Suppose the ball is thrown back to F1 and she misses it ? Are you going to call time to get to the next pitch ?
OK let me re-phase. If the runner request time and play has finished then call time. Once again in most cases this is a timed game. I would like you to think about your game… You grant time to the catcher when she wants to talk to the pitcher, why? I mean, something could happen with the ball before the next pitch.
Assuming we aren't talking about the players that continue holding a tag well after any reasonable person would consider it a play, and no other runners are possibly advancing, sorry, no. If the ball isn't in the circle possessed by the pitcher and all runners stopped on a base, then play has not finished. The defense has to get the ball there; and doesn't always do that. Granting time before play has truly ended is taking plays away.
Runners request time because someone told them to, to STOP PLAY. We should NOT grant time to stop play; play ends. Then, if it is necessary, time can be called. Reality check; runners don't need a dead ball to stand up maintaining contact with a base, runners don't need a dead ball to brush off after a slide, they do it because it is routinely granted without any real need in baseball, and, too often in softball. And YOU don't need to sweep off the base, just walk away to your next position, because you look "rec" doing it.
NCAA softball is played without "time" being granted to runners unless there is a reason for it. This is one of many (but not all, IMO) lessons that could well be learned in younger levels.