AMERICAN LEGION BASEBALL

Transcription

1 AMERICAN LEGION BASEBALL DEPARTMENT OF ALABAMA BASEBALL RULES 2014 Frank Hannah Commission Chairman

2 AMERICAN LEGION BASEBALL DEPARTMENT OF ALABAMA 2014 BASEBALL RULES PURPOSE: These rules provide guidance for the formation, administrative control and competition of American Legion baseball teams organized under the Department of Alabama and approved by the Department of Alabama Baseball Commission. SCOPE: These rules govern ALL teams and associated personnel participating in the American Legion Baseball program in Alabama. REFERENCES: American Legion Baseball Rules as published by the American Legion National Americanism Commission The Official Baseball Rules as published by Major League Baseball Approved for Issue: Frank Hannah Commission Chairman Date 2

3 Table of Contents RULE 1 - NATIONAL RULES AND REGULATIONS... 4 RULE 2 TEAM REGISTRATION AND VALIDATION... 4 RULE 3 INSURANCE COVERAGE... 5 RULE 4 STATE TOURNAMENTS... 5 RULE 5 SENIOR DIVISION 1 SUB-STATE SHOOT-OUT... 5 RULE 6 UMPIRES AND UMPIRE REPORTS... 6 RULE 7 STANDARD BASEBALL... 6 RULE 8 SENIOR DIVISION 2 AND JUNIOR DISTRICT TOURNAMENT BIDS... 6 RULE 9 PROTEST... 6 RULE 10 BASE SCHOOLS... 7 RULE 11 RELEASES/FORM 76 (19U)... 7 RULE 12 TEAM DOCUMENTS AND ENROLLMENT... 7 RULE 13 UNIFORM APPEARANCE... 7 RULE 14 DUAL PARTICIPATION... 7 RULE 15 - DUAL ROSTERED PLAYERS... 8 RULE 16 COACHES AND PLAYER CONDUCT... 8 RULE 17 - SENIOR DIVISION 1 SCHEDULING... 8 RULE 18 GRADUATED PLAYERS... 9 ATTACHMENT 1 Senior Division One Calendar of Events ATTACHMENT 2 Senior Division 2 Rules ATTACHMENT 3 Senior Division 2 Calendar of Events ATTACHMENT 4 - Junior Division (15U) ATTACHMENT 5 Baseball Commission ATTACHMENT 6 Coaches Agreement

4 Department of Alabama American Legion Baseball Rules 2014 The American Legion, Department of Alabama, Baseball Commission, approved these rules on October 23, American Legion Baseball is based on the team concept. Teams will maintain team integrity throughout the year. In other words, teams will end the season with the same players they begin with. Players will not play for one legion team during the season, then jump to another legion team for post season tournaments, unless properly dual rostered. Coaches should pick their players at the beginning of the season, then stick with those players for the entire year. Teams will not pick up players for games. Teams will NOT use players that exceed the age limit for the division in which they are playing. All teams will play and conduct themselves in a manner that will reflect positively on the Department of Alabama and American Legion Baseball. RULE 1 - NATIONAL RULES AND REGULATIONS National rules and regulations take precedence in all cases where there is conflict with these rules; however some state rules may be more restrictive than national rules. National rules and regulations apply in all situations and issues not covered by these rules. RULE 2 TEAM REGISTRATION AND VALIDATION Alabama will have three age divisions in They are: Junior Division (15U Players must not turn 16 before July 15, 2014) Senior Division 2 (High School Eligible) Senior Division 1 (19U Players must be born on/after January 1, 1995) All teams will register on line by June 1, National Headquarters will impose a block to register after this date. Initial registration will include basic team information, payment of insurance, and payment of registration fee ($ for senior teams, and $ for juniors). Payment will be made with credit card. Team rosters for JUNIOR (15u) AND SENIOR DIVISION 2 (HSE) will be completed on line by Jun 10, 2014, and submitted to the state chairman. SENIOR DIVISION 1 (19u) TEAMS WILL INPUT ROSTERS BY JUNE 29. Teams may request their roster be returned and make changes to their roster until June 29. Rosters will be approved at the state level and submitted to National Headquarters on June 29. No changes will occur after June 29! Teams will construct a binder with each player s form 2, original certified copy of birth certificate or copy of driver s license, insurance certificates, and roster. This binder 4

5 will be maintained by the coach and brought to each game throughout the year. Teams MAY be asked to turn binders in to the tournament director at district and state level tournaments. RULE 3 INSURANCE COVERAGE Insurance must be purchased online from S. A. Van Dyke in accordance with National Rules when the team is registered. RULE 4 STATE TOURNAMENTS The Junior State (15U) Tournament will be held at Eagle Stadium in Ozark. The number of teams and bracket will be determined by the number of teams in the state. The Senior Division 2 tournament will be an 8 team double elimination tournament at Troy University. The number of teams from each district will be based on the number of teams registered. The Senior Division 1 state tournament will be a four team double elimination tournament at Troy University, consisting of the top four teams from the sub-state shoot-out. Teams will be seeded, seed 2 vs. seed 3 in game 1 and seed 1 vs. seed 4 in game 2. Home team will be the highest seed until the championship game in which the undefeated team will be the home team, with a coin-toss used for the if game. RULE 5 SENIOR DIVISION 1 SUB-STATE SHOOT-OUT Games will be 9 innings with 10 run rule. The tournament will be seeded based on the regular season records (Game 1 seeds 4 & 5, game 2 seeds 3 & 6, game 3 seeds 1 & 4, and game 4 seeds 2 & 7) Home teams will be the highest seed throughout the tournament. Teams will be seeded for the sub-state by winning percentages against other Alabama American Legion Division 1 Senior teams. Teams will only count two games against every other Senior Division 1 team in the state. It is each teams responsibility to schedule and play these games. Games that count will be identified at the beginning of the season and sent to the state baseball web engineer. Game results will also be sent to the web engineer. to pharris@bama.ua.edu, or text to Standings will be posted weekly on our website. Rainouts will not be counted in the standings; however teams that cancel games for any reason other than causes of nature will forfeit the game(s) if not rescheduled. The top 8 teams in the state will participate in the tournament. The top 4 teams will advance to the state tournament. The 3 and 4 seed will be determined by a coin toss, rather than playing the last game of the tournament. In the event we have less than 8 teams the national bracket will be followed with the highest seeded team(s) receiving byes. In the event a team folds prior to July 6 and does not register, all games against that team will be cancelled and will not count in the standings. In the event a team registers and folds after July 6, all future games against that team will be counted as forfeits. Division 1 teams 5

6 that use non-roster players during the season in a game that counts in the standings will forfeit that game. RULE 6 UMPIRES AND UMPIRE REPORTS All American Legion teams shall only use umpires certified at the high school level or above. Gerry Story ( ) and Lee Walker ( ) are the umpire commissioners. Teams should contact them with questions or issues about umpires. All umpires must file reports on ejection of game participants. A copy of each report will be forwarded to the Commission Chairman. RULE 7 STANDARD BASEBALL Diamond D-1 baseballs with the American Legion logo are recommended for American Legion Baseball play, however other top of the line baseballs may be used. RULE 8 SENIOR DIVISION 2 AND JUNIOR DISTRICT TOURNAMENT BIDS Tournaments will be drawn up by the Junior Director and commissioners in each division. District tournament bids to host tournaments for Senior Division 2 and Juniors will be submitted by teams at the coaches scheduling meetings. Teams are responsible for furnishing a playing field, umpires, official scorekeepers, and baseballs. RULE 9 PROTEST An umpire s call questioned on the basis of an interpretation of the rules may be protested. The umpire will be informed of intent to play the game under protest. Notice of intent to file a protest must be made prior to the next pitch or play, before play is resumed. All player/eligibility protest will be submitted in writing and will be accompanied by a $ check made payable to American Legion Baseball. If the protest is approved, the check will be returned. All player eligibility will be certified for Post Season Tournaments by the Commissioner in charge before tournament begins. All teams are required to have team packets at each tournament. In case of fraud, a protest may be filed at any time. Coaches, managers, and other team officials will go through the proper channels with all complaints, protests, and questions pertaining to American Legion Baseball. Punitive action will be taken against personnel that directly contact National Headquarters. 6

7 Violation of State or National Rules by a manager, team or person affiliated with a team may cause suspension of the team or individual for one year depending on severity of infraction. Reinstatement may be considered after submitting a written request to the Baseball Commission. RULE 10 BASE SCHOOLS Base school changes for all senior teams must be approved by the baseball commission at the senior scheduling meeting. Two Division 1 teams will not use the same base school. Division 2 teams may have the same base school. RULE 11 RELEASES/FORM 76 (19U) All players in the Senior Division 1 (19U) are required to play for the team nearest their parent s legal domicile per national rule 2 and 4. IF a player is granted a release to play for the next closest team, that release is only good for one year. Players in Alabama are only required to tryout for a team if they are informed of this. He must then try-out for the closest team again next year. Releases that cross state lines must be discussed with both state chairmen prior to the player s participation in any game, or try-out. All releases must be approved by all parties, including the baseball chairman, prior to placing the player on your roster. If a player requests a release and the closest team does not grant that request, the player will be placed on the closest team's roster - REGARDLESS if they play or not. EXPLANATION: (Our purpose is to allow players the chance to play American Legion Baseball, not block them for playing for another team. If you don't release a player, he's yours and he is going on your roster.) RULE 12 TEAM DOCUMENTS AND ENROLLMENT The team manager shall bring original copies of all paperwork to District and State Tournaments for review by Commissioners on site. School enrollment population will be determined using the enrollment numbers on the national baseball website, or AHSAA website. Coaches must contact private schools for their enrollment numbers. Teams cannot exceed a total enrollment of 5000 students in grades. RULE 13 UNIFORM APPEARANCE All coaches and players shall be dressed alike and in proper uniform at all American Legion baseball games. Coach s jackets are permitted. RULE 14 DUAL PARTICIPATION REGULAR SEASON: (19U ONLY) All 19U players may, prior to the beginning of post season play, attend showcases, college tryouts, and camps with the written approval of their 7

8 manager or coach. PLAYERS PLAYING FOR A NON-LEGION BASEBALL TEAM (EXCEPT THEIR HIGH SCHOOL TEAM) DURING THE REGULAR SEASON MUST HAVE WRITTEN APPROVAL FROM THEIR COACH/'MANAGER AND THE BASEBALL CHAIRMAN. PLAYERS THAT VIOLATE THIS RULE WITH BE INELIGIBLE FOR THE REMINDER OF THE SEASON. (15U and Senior D2) - Players only need the permission of their coach to participate in camps, showcases, or play with non-legion teams during the regular season. POST SEASON: (ALL PLAYERS) Once the post season (district/sub-state through world series) begins, players may not participate in any baseball event, except with their legion team. If a player violates this rule, his team will forfeit all games he played in after the violation occurred, and this player will be ineligible to play for the remainder of the year. RULE 15 - DUAL ROSTERED PLAYERS Players may be dual rostered on a junior (15U), a senior D1, or a Senior D2 team within the same post/ organization. Players will not be on two rosters within the same division. RULE 16 COACHES AND PLAYER CONDUCT Players: Any player ejected from a game for misconduct or unsportsmanlike conduct will also be suspended from the next game. If this occurs during a post season tournament, the player must be reinstated by the tournament director after he serves his suspension. If the conduct is flagrant the player will sit out the remainder of the tournament. Coaches: Coaches must set the example for their players to follow. Coaches will not cause a spectacle by arguing with umpires, players, or spectators. Coaches ejected from a game will also be suspended from the next game their team participates in. If a coach fails to self-impose this sanction they will be placed on probation for one year. Coaches ejected from post season games will also be suspended for the next game, and will not coach again until reinstated by the commissioners on site. All coaches are required to sign the Coaches Agreement attached as enclosure 6. Any coach or player that makes threatening or abusive remarks to a commissioner will be banned from American Legion Baseball. This will not be tolerated! RULE 17 - SENIOR DIVISION 1 SCHEDULING Division 1 Senior teams WILL NOT schedule non-legion teams prior to the senior coaches/scheduling meeting. Non-legion teams will be used as schedule fill- in s only. Senior teams will make every attempt to play ONLY legion teams, regardless which state they are from. Teams may play non-legion teams in legion sanctioned tournaments. 8

9 RULE 18 GRADUATED PLAYERS During the 2014 season, players that graduated in 2013 must play for the team they played for in There are 3 exceptions to this rule: 1. If parents have a change of legal domicile, then the player may play for the team closest to his parents new LEGAL domicile, or play for the team he played for last year. 2. If a new team is formed closer to the player's parents legal domicile the player may elect to play for that team, or he may play for his previous team. 3. If the team he played for the previous year no longer exists, he may play for the nearest team. In all cases, the player must have played legion ball the previous year. ATTACHMENTS: 1 Senior Division 1 Calendar of Events 2 Senior Division 2 Rules 3 Senior Division 2 Calendar of Events 4 Junior (15U) Rules and Calendar of Event 5 Baseball Commission Organizational Structure 6 Coaches Agreement 9

10 ATTACHMENT 1 Senior Division One Calendar of Events March 9, 2014 May 15, 2014 June 29, 2014 July 25-27, 2014 Aug 1-3, 2014 August 7-11, 2014 August 14-18, 2014 Spring Baseball Meeting, 1:00 PM, Post 171, Birmingham Register team on line, pay insurance and registration fee Input rosters and upload team picture on line. Sub-State Tournament, Birmingham Southern College State Baseball Tournament, Troy University Southeast Regional Tournament, Ashborough, NC American Legion World Series, Shelby, NC 10

11 ATTACHMENT 2 Senior Division 2 Rules The Senior Division 2 (High School Eligible) Baseball program will be administered in accordance with Baseball SENIOR Baseball Rules and references, except as modified by these rules as adopted by the Alabama Baseball Commission. Rule 1: Rule 2: Rule 3: The Senior Division 2 league is a high school eligible league. All players must have at least one year of high school eligibility left to participate, regardless of age. All Division 2 games will be seven-inning games and the ten run rule will be applied after five innings. Senior Division 2 teams will play by JUNIOR pitching rule. All Division 2 teams are encouraged to participate in district tournaments. ATTACHMENT 3 Senior Division 2 Calendar of Events April 27, 2014 May 15, 2014 June 10, 2014 July 10-13, 2014 July 17-20, 2014 Coaches/Scheduling meetings: Northern Division Athens, Post 49, 2:30 pm Central Division Tuscaloosa Academy 1:00 pm Southern Division Eagle Stadium, Ozark 1:00 pm Register team on line, pay insurance and registration fee Submit rosters. District Tournaments State Baseball Tournament, Troy University 11

12 ATTACHMENT 4 - Junior Division (15U) April 27, 2014 May 15, 2014 June 10, 2014 July 3-6, 2014 July 10-13, 2014 Coaches/Scheduling Meetings Northern Meeting Athens, Post 49 at 4:00 pm Central & Southern Meeting Tuscaloosa Academy, 2:30 pm Register team on line and pay insurance and registration fee Submit rosters District Tournaments State Tournament at Eagle Stadium, Ozark, AL 12

13 Department Commander Department Adjutant Braxton Bridgers PDC Gordon Seale ATTACHMENT 5 Baseball Commission Baseball Chairman Frank Hannah Vice Chairman Senior Division 2 Director Gerry Story Junior Director Secretary Terry Wofford Umpire Commissioners Gerry Story Lee Walker FIRST DIVISION: Commissioners Gerry Story Lee Walker Dewayne Green Advisory Committee Rick Bragg Danny Slocom SECOND DIVISION: Gordon Seale Jack Smalley Joe Elliott Mike Parks THIRD DIVISION: Ron Sutton Ben Davis John Rushing Robert Bradford Steve Sherrill 13

14 ATTACHMENT 6 Coaches Agreement As a coach of an American Legion baseball team, I realize I am expected to meet the high standards of American Legion Baseball. I will.. Follow all state and national rules pertaining to American Legion Baseball Conduct myself in a manner that will reflect favorably upon me, my team, and American Legion Baseball. If ejected from a game I will sit out the remainder of that game and the next game my team plays. I realize I am required to leave the ball park and have no contact with my team. Ensure my players and coaches are in proper uniform and all my equipment meets American Legion and Major League baseball rules. Ensure my fans show good sportsmanship. Failure to comply with this agreement will result in my probation or suspension from American Legion Baseball. COACHES SIGNATURE DATE 14