Thanks for your answer.
Yes, in little league there is that rule about getting the ball back to the
pitcher. But as you can see from the link below, there is an argument from
"knowledgeable, experienced" little league umps about what that actually
means (circle? rubber?). Perhaps the answer is that the rules in the little
league rulebook didn't anticipate that a coach would actually coach that
tactic or maybe they just assumed the ump would have enough sense to not
allow it to go on (both big assumptions). There is a no stealing rule.
There is a rule about the runners having to return to the bag when the
pitcher has the ball (although they seem to left it unclear about what that
really means (rubber, pitching "circle"). Obviously since these rules
exist, LL is aware that at a certain age, the skill level of many of the
players is at the level where a pitcher might not be able to hold a runner
on or a catcher throw a runner out. They made an attempt to keep the game
from becoming a farce, realizing that some coaches might take advantage of
the age and experience and skills of the players. I TOTALLY AGREE WITH THIS
ATTEMPT. I am a huge fan of LL and my family (3 brothers and a son who all
played college ball) have been involved in it since 1951). I am not a huge
fan of competitive leagues at this age simply because it CAN become a
"coaches game" (and often does). That is my choice. I have no problems with
folks disagreeing with that opinion. I played and coached little league
and umpired at the high school level (yes, it is a tough job, mostly
because of coaches) and I LOVE the game which is why I despise seeing
anyone allowed to make a farce of it.
You are exactly right that ire should be directed at the opposing coach and
when I was playing in a small town in the 50's, I can assure you that it
would have been (by the rest of the townsfolk). I assume the reason that
these antics never happened back then is for just that reason (or perhaps
the umps were smart enough not to let it happen). However, I don't think it
should be necessary to police the game through such ire. Do you?
I also agree that at some level (I'd say above age 12), the players have no
need for such a rule and can take of the situation on their own.
Now, back to the situation at hand. If some coach decides to make a farce
of the game by coaching his runners to employ such tactics, how can it be
handled (other than with ire)?
1. The ball can be returned to the mound (rubber?, circle?). This is
probably the best solution and the one that the LL rule makers envisioned.
2. The fielder can simply hold the ball and watch the runners in the hopes
that they may stray a bit too far or until the umpire tires of this and
allows a timeout. I hope you agree that this is a legal tactic. As a coach
I might very well employ it simply to demonstrate the foolishness of the
other coach or the lack of judgement of the umpire. The umpire would have 3
choices. He could instruct the runners to return to the bases (he has no
authority for that), instruct the infielder to return the ball to the
pitcher while the ball is still in play because of the runners' antics
(again, no authority to direct the players to do anything with the ball
while it is still in play) or do the right thing (IMO) which is to grant
time out since the players are not advancing (just dancing) and move the
game along. That is the ONLY solution that I see is legal for the ump to
do. That is why the ump is given the authority to use his judgement and
grant time out. The alternative is to allow this legal (but within the
rules) charade to go on until nightfall. IMO, the ump MUST make that
decision because he was forced to by the offensive coach. However, once the
coach realizes that the ump will not allow the tactic to occur, it will
stop very quickly without resorting to ire (although I am sure the
offensive coach will complain for awhile), Please tell me where I am wrong
if you feel that I am.
So my beef is with: a. coaches who forget what the purpose playing the game
is at that age level and b. umpires who can't or won't use their heads for
some reason unbeknownst to me. For those who think all umpires are created
equal simply because they may know the rules, I suggest you look up Bob
Davidson. He is an umpire who somehow made it to the MAJORS without any
judgement at all.
Now fortunately the vast majority of coaches and umpires have good
intentions and judgement. My beef is only with the ones who don't. Kicking
a manager out of the game for pointing that out is chickens##t in my
opinion. Unfortunately, I have seen it happen at all levels.
Now to finish my discussion, at higher levels of ball this tactic is not
possible because of the skill level of the fielders. That said, I have
never seen an umpire not grant time out when the runners are not advancing
to the next base. I know "never" is a big word but at my old age, I usually
watch 2 or 3 games a day on MLB.com and have yet to see it. Also having
played a lot of short during better years, I never experienced it. If
someone reading this has a different experience, I'd love to hear about it.
I guess that's partly because most coaches and umps DON'T have "cranial
inversions".
Finally, I apologize for my acerbic tone. I guess being told to use my head
because I was responding to a 10 year old post rubbed me the wrong way. As
they say today...my bad. One of the best things about baseball is that
these "discussions" have and will continue to go on forever. In my "humble"
opinion, it is by far the best game ever invented (despite some folks'
feeble attempt to make a farce of it),
Dissenting opinions welcome.