Calling off the dogs protocol.

When the game gets out of hand, what is expected of each team? For that matter, when is the game out of hand?

Amateur baseball is so different from professional in this respect. Amateur baseball simply doesn't have the depth of professional baseball. Defensive substitutions can impact a game in a deleterious manner. Replace a starter with a backup and that routine out becomes a base runner. Base runners become runs and all of a sudden you've got a game. So, when should a team start to back off and what does "backing off" look like?

In amateur baseball where there is a mercy rule I believe it is perfectly acceptable to play to the mercy rule. In other words, win the game as soon as possible. This saves arms and quite simply saves energy. So, when considering when to call off the dogs, I don't subscribe to the 7 run,8 run,9 run lead. To me, calling off the dogs exists only when the game is not in doubt and a game will not be shortened.

However, if you do subscribe to calling off the dogs, here are some guidelines to consider.

I think a team can back off offensively well before it backs off defensively. As a team begins to pull away LATE IN THE GAME, an offensive coach should not give signs (this would imply that he is still coaching). He should remind his team not to take the extra base but to take anything that is given to him. Showing a team up can also manifest itself in not taking a base on wild pitches and passed balls.

Defensively, calling off the dogs manifests itself by not holding runners on, not attempting pickoffs, not jockeying runners at 2nd base. It is imporatnt to undertand that calling off the dogs does not mean that a pitcher should not throw breaking balls in fastball counts. It's imporatnt to understand that pitchers should still compete and still attempt to throw their pitches in certain counts. It doesn't mean that pitchers should simply throw fastballs because the game is out of hand.

When the game gets out of hand it is always a delicate situation. However, understanding some certain basics about protocol gives the head coach on both teams some proper guidelines as to how they should react.