Time Limits - Please Go Away (or at Least get Longer)...

I would like to call the attention of the board to ASA of Upstate SC (Diamond Classic Events). They have announced their schedule for 2012 and it includes their Super Sweet 16 Tournaments where all bracket games are 7 innings with no time limit. Awesome!

I'm not writing this post to advertise for Diamond Classic Events, but to encourage "other" tournament directors in North and South Carolina to follow suit. Softball is a game meant to be played by innings, not on a time limit. I realize that time limits are inevitable in certain situations and no one wants to be at the ballpark at midnight on a Sunday night. That being said, I have grown tired of signing my 14U team up for tournaments where we play pool games with a drop dead time limit of 60 or 65 minutes, and bracket games with finish-the-inning time limits of 70 minutes.

When you think about it, what good is a four (4) game guarantee anymore? If the time limits are shortened so severely (as mentioned above), are you really getting four games? In a 60 minute drop dead game, you play 3 innings at 10U, 12U, and even 14U. In the 70 minute games you play 4 or maybe 5 innings. When all is said and done, you have played 18 innings for your four "games" OR the equivalent of 2.5 FULL GAMES.

All of a sudden as time limits get shortened you find that your dollar really isn't going that far. I would encourage tournament directors to start establishing their time limits up front and post them on their web pages. Stop shortening the time limits to accommodate a larger field of teams. Those coaches signing up for tournaments, look at the end of the weekend and see how many dollars it cost you to play each inning. Compare the different organizations, and see which one provides the best value. You may find out that the organization that charges an extra $25 on a weekend, but gives you a longer time limit, actually gives you more innings for your entry fee.

I realize that it's probably not possible to completely eliminate all time limits, but lets go back to 80 or 90 minute finish-the-inning games for bracket play!

 

Absolutely agree!!!!!!

I'd rather have a 5-inning game than a time-limited game. Even a 4-inning game is better. A game with time limits and no clock stoppage during time outs makes no sense.

Hardly anything irritates me more than ending a player's at bat with a drop dead time limit. It goes beyond irritating when the winning run is on second.

As long as parents and coaches remain silent about it they will just continue to take your dollars and offer you less than what you deserve. Speak out about it; every voice counts!!!

Thanks, softball247, for speaking out!!

 

Agreed, until people start speaking out and backing it up by boycotting the greed is only going to get worse.

 

There have been time limits since the early nineties... this is not some new phenomenon. I would be interested in hearing your opinion of no time limits after a few tournaments that require you to stay till Monday to finish... but we know that cant happen.

 

I agree wholeheartedly .... but if (and not that it would be a bad thing) the tournament directors were to make every game 7 innings - Tournaments would also have to have a team limit - so that you weren't playing at midnight.... like you said - The parks that are being utilized, I am sure are not going to lower their prices - so you are looking at an increase either way. I am not against this at all, but it is a reality and like everything that involves sports - as long as the (teams) are going to "buy" into it - it will continue this way.

 

Time limit needs to at least be increased to an hour and a half. If teams would move the game along and cut out some of the showboating an hour and twenty finish the inning could work. 60 or 65 minutes drop dead is not even a game.

 

There are alot of things that can be done to increase play even with time limits. For Showcase tourneys a time limit of 80 minutes imo is reasonable, now here are some suggestions to get more actual playing accomplished.

1. As in HS batter keeps one foot in the box between pitches this is easily enforced by umps, and once players catch on they will easily comply.
2 No timeouts period unless injury occurs, think about if these are atleast A players and coaches with experience, way do you need to calltime to get a plan together remember its a Showcase.
3 Pitching changes coach simply informs umpire of the change, sends the new player to the circle 5 pitches and we go.
4 Mandatory runner for all catchers as soon as they reach base and the play is dead, if the coach forgets automatic 1 out at the beginning of their next at bat.

These are just off the top of my head I bet many of you could come with more, nothing I said was unreasonable, it just a matter of coaches, umpires and directors making it happen.

 

The dropdead is stupid for regular tournaments, but I have only seen it at showcase tournaments. 80 minute games with finish-the-inning and no timeouts except within the rules and no batters requesting timeout after getting in the box.

 

Get away from $$ making

The reason they put time limits is so that they can get as many teams as possible into a tourney, which brings in more money.

The game of softball is a 7 inning game, extra innings if tied. I played the game competitively, and we never played a time limit. They were double elimination tournaments, and if you lost two, you went home. That is the way it still should be. The tournaments didn't have 50 or more teams in them either, unless they were Regional or National tourneys.

I think it is absolutley absurd that the time limits be drop dead or finish the batter. At a minimum, they should be finish the inning because then it at least gives the teams a fighting chance to strategize to come back if needed.

I understand in Showcase events, that the reason for time limits is so the games can stay on schedule in order for college coaches to know where to be and at what time. I still think they should be no shorter than 90 minutes, because then most games can get done in that time frame. I think college coaches would like to see if a pitcher can make a full 7 inning game, or if she is only a 3-4 inning pitcher. I think they would like to see the full competition of two teams fighting for a win, and not just an at bat to impress a coach.

Let's get back to the real game of softball, with the outcome being a win or loss at the end of 7.

 

I wonder if the pitchers and catchers want it to go 7 when its 95 degress in Rock Hill or Columbia in June.