Touching All Bases. NCOA Softball 2014 Newsletter Vol 2, Issue 5 Jan. 26, Let s Play Ball!!

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1 NCOA Softball 2014 Newsletter Vol 2, Issue 5 Jan. 26, 2014 Let s Play Ball!! Touching All Bases Last Reminder the first General Session is Tuesday, January 28th starting at 6:00pm in the cafeteria at Jesuit HS in Sacramento. This will be combined with the first classroom session. You can start picking up your books at 5:30pm. Please use Gordon Lane, off of Fair Oaks Blvd. Be careful and allow additional time for parking. There is a lot of construction going on around the parking lot area and we have been informed there is also a lot of school activity going on that day. Traffic greeters/monitors (your peers) will be out in the parking area directing traffic, if necessary. D1 Sports Apparel will be selling equipment in the foyer of the cafeteria starting at 5:00pm and ending at 6:00pm. (January 28 th only) On Deck Registration Info Online registration has been extended one week to midnight on January 28 th. 100 Point NFHS Certification Exam Softball Part I Now available on Arbiter NFHS Tier2 Central Hub and closes March 31 11:59pm. Upcoming Schedule: General Meeting & Classroom Session #1(All) Tues, Jan. 28th 6:00pm Jesuit HS 2014 ASA National Umpire School Feb. 7 th, 8 th, & 9 th Dublin, CA General Meeting & Classroom Session #2 Tues, Feb. 11th 6:00pm Jesuit HS Classroom Session #2 Thurs, Feb. 13th 6:00pm Vanden HS Training Locations Jesuit High School 1200 Jacob Lane Carmichael, CA Jackson Sports Academy 5209-A Luce Avenue McClellan, CA Vanden High School 2951 Markeley Lane Fairfield, CA Pioneer High School 1400 Pioneer Avenue Woodland, CA 95776

2 Group Leadership Corner Umpires, it is officially here! The first General meeting is Tuesday. Co-Group Leaders Frank Moreno and Carl Clark are looking forward to welcoming many of you back and meeting some new faces too. In preparing for the 2014 NCOA Softball season, our theme has been to provide you with Tools to allow you to improve yourself as an umpire which in turn will make better as an Umpires' Group. This year you will have several options in fulfilling the CIF requirement of 18 hours of training to be certified for assignments. We will be explaining these at the first General Meeting. We recognize you know yourself best and what you need to work on. We also know we are all busy with other things in our lives, so we want you to have options to complete the Mandatory Training. Elsewhere in this Newsletter is an introduction to the Training Team members who have been working since October to prepare a varied program. Please don't forget to thank these volunteers. We look forward to seeing you Tuesday night. For your Toolbox DRESS FOR SUCCESS The appearance of the uniform should be impeccable. We need to dress and maintain our appearance in a manner befitting the dignity and importance of the umpire. This is important to gain the respect of players, coaches, and spectators, as well as for comfort and safety. The proper uniform for an NFHS umpire consists of a powder blue shirt (no patches or lettering), heather gray slacks, and a navy fitted cap with NCOA lettering. If an undershirt is worn under the powder blue shirt, it must be white and short sleeved. If a long sleeved undershirt or turtleneck is worn, it shall not be exposed. You can wear a long sleeved umpire shirt or jacket over your layers. Pullover style jackets shall be solid navy blue. Navy blue shirts are acceptable, but if with a partner, both shall match. The plate umpire is required to wear a mask with a throat protector. The inside-style chest protector and leg guards are strongly recommended. Shoes should be hard shell or steel toe and be solid black (and shined!) with no white or colored markings. Ball bag shall be gray or navy blue with no lettering. Black socks and black belt with a small buckle finishes off the uniform. Training Program Staff Carl Clark, Training Chair Training Team Captains: Pete Dufour Neil Hillel John Silva Lisa Allard Talamantes Kevin Nicholson Training Team Members Rudy Aguillio Jr., Gary Butler, William Butler, Burt Corral, Danny Galyean, George Green, Jim Halstead, Dennis Hobart, Tim Lucke, Mike Machovec, Dusty Marx, Vince McQueen, Kevin Okino, Dennis O Leary, Brian Pearson, Phil Perkins, Rick Post, Don Postle, Richard Reynolds, Owen Steen, Al Weihe, Jack Wendell, John Williams, KJ Young.

3 Certification Test The mandatory 100-point NFHS certification test is now available the Central Hub, NFHS Tier 2. The test will close on March 31st at 11:59 pm. You must receive at least an 80% to pass, and 90% to be considered eligible for playoffs. Please note the NCOA group has no control over the certification exam and a maximum of 3 attempts is a requirement set by the NFHS. Member in Good Standing - See the NCOA Softball Hub site for further information about the requirements and for qualifying for post season assignments. Know Your Hubs in Arbiter Do you know where the 100-point NFHS test is located? or most importantly, where to get your assignment? Navigating Arbiter for the first time or even after a long winter can be a humbling experience. So here are some helpful tips to get you started: 1. Bookmark the Arbiter website in your browser. This will allow for quick access in the future. Trust me you will be going to this site often during the NCOA softball season. /Home/Home 2. If you are new to NCOA softball once you have registered, the assignor with send you a welcome about how to get started in Arbiter. 3. When you first log into Arbiter, the default page will ask you, Which Account would I like to sign into? 4. Finally, the Ready To Be Assigned check box. Once checked, the Ready To Be Assigned should turn blue which means you have met all the requirements and are able to accept assignments. Once you have navigated to the first hub, use the Switch Views tab (at the top right side of the page) to toggle between these other hub sites: NCOA Central Hub This is our NCOA site for all sports. Click the Softball tab. You will see a link to most current Touching All Bases Newsletter, a calendar of events, and a link to the different Committees. In the near future, your weekly quizzes will be posted here. (Do not forget to click the more button!) NFHS Tier2 Central Hub The 100-point NFHS Certification test is on the hub. Simply click the Testing tab (at the top left side of the page) the 2014 NFHS Softball Rules Book to view previous, pending, and open tests. NFHS Main Central Hub Click on the Softball tab. This is a great resources for you here. Some valuable resources for your toolbox are the ASA Certified Bat List and the DP/Flex Rules powerpoint on Basic Utilization Strategies for Coaches. Additional tabs will take you to online publications of the 2014 NFHS Softball Rules Book, the 2014 NFHS Softball Case Book, and the NFHS Softball Umpires Manual.

4 NFHS Official Hub This is the NCOA official site. It can be used to access the Jorgensen Sports Service (JSS) Baseball/Softball official site by clicking on the Switch Views tab. Jorgensen Sports Services Baseball/Softball Official Hub This is the main hub for NCOA softball. It includes items such as a listing of the umpires and their and phone numbers, payment pay sheets and Ref pay account information, your scheduled games and most importantly date blocking options. Should you have any questions about this site, this is the time to ask questions not after you have turned back a game. For uniform and equipment needs you can contact Bernard Walker at (916) or him at bmwump@yahoo.com. Practice Quiz Over the next several weeks a different practice quiz will be available for your knowledge and benefit. These quizzes are NOT to be mistaken as the quiz requirement for your required training obligation. Practice Quiz Rule 3 True/False (All answers are true or false.) 1. A number at least 6 inches high is required on the back of each player s jersey. 2. Knee and ankle braces that are unaltered from the manufacturer's original design/production are permitted if all exposed hinges are padded or covered. 3. Any equipment judged to be potentially dangerous by the umpire is illegal. 4. F1 and F5 switch defensive positions after one out in the third inning. Later in the third inning, the same two players may switch positions again. 5. Substitutions may be reported to the plate umpire at the time of the change or projected for a future change. 6. The DP may re-enter the contest once, but the FLEX does not have a re-entry opportunity. 7. Only adults may occupy the coaches box. 8. Coaches performing duties in live-ball territory may only be attired in school colors. 9. A fielder shall be ejected for faking a tag without the ball. 10. Bench personnel are permitted to engage in throwing and running activities during the one minute designated for the pitcher to throw warm-up pitches. 11. Deliberately throwing a bat or helmet always results in the offender being ejected. 12. Time granted for an incapacitated player shall constitute a charged conference for the offense or defense. 13. A coach who calls time, goes out to speak with F6 and then replaces F1, is charged with a defensive conference. 14. A player in the game may wear earrings provided they are covered by tape. 15. A pitcher may not wear any item on the pitching hand, wrist, arm or thighs which may, in the umpire's judgment, be distracting to the batter.

5 Practice Quiz Rule 4 True/False (All answers are true or false.) 1. The home coach shall decide whether the grounds and other conditions are suitable for starting the game. 2. During the pre-game conference with coaches and umpires, a team may take its turn at infield practice. 14. After the game starts, the umpires are sole judges as to whether conditions, including grounds, are fit for play. 15. The game begins when the first pitch is thrown. (Answers to follow in next issue of Touching All Bases.) 3. Substitution rules are in effect after the umpire-in-chief accepts the lineup cards from both coaches before the game. 4. Ground rules specific to a location may supercede a rule book rule. 5. When a ground rule is in conflict with a playing rule, the ground rule shall be enforced. 6. The game begins when the first pitch is thrown. 7. The game begins when the umpire calls Play Ball. 8. A state association may determine gameending procedures. 9. A team may finish the game with fewer than eight players. 10. A team may finish the game with eight players in the batting order. 11. A team using a DP/FLEX may finish a game with eight players on defense (DP playing defense for another player) and seven players in the batting order. 12. The score of a forfeited game is 7-0 unless the offending team is behind; then the score remains as recorded. 13. A team may finish the game with eight players in the batting order.

6 Answer Section (from 1/12 newsletter) Rule 1 Practice Quiz TRUE/FALSE 1. ANS: F REF: 1-1-2b 2. ANS: T REF: 1-1-3d 3. ANS: F REF: ANS: F REF: 1-3-1: ANS: F REF: ANS: F REF: ANS: T REF: ANS: T REF: ANS: F REF: ANS: F REF: ANS: F REF: ANS: T REF: ANS: T REF: ANS: F REF: 1-1-3a 15. ANS: F REF: 1-5-2a Rule 2 Practice Quiz TRUE/FALSE 1. ANS T: REF: ANS: F REF: 2-8-2, ANS: T REF 2-9-5F 4. ANS: T REF: ANS: T REF: ANS: T REF: ANS: T REF: b 3. ANS: T REF: b 4. ANS: T REF: ANS: T REF: ANS: F REF: ANS: T REF: ANS: T REF: 2-1-3a 14. ANS: F REF: ANS: F REF: 2-56

7 Jesuit HS Vanden HS Jackson SA Pioneer HS 1200 Jacob Lane 2951 Markeley Lane 5209 A-Luce Avenue 1400 Pioneer Avenue Carmichael, CA Fairfield, CA McClellan, CA Woodland, CA Antelope HS 7801 Titan Drive Sacramento, CA TENTATIVE MEETING SCHEDULE Date Day Time Session Location Jan. 28 Tuesday 6pm General Session #1 Jesuit HS Classrooms sessions #1 (ALL) Feb. 11 Tuesday 6pm General Session #2 Jesuit HS Classrooms sessions #2 Feb. 13 Thursday 6 pm Classroom session #2 Vanden HS Feb. 22 Sat Time TBA On-Field Clinic #1 (Veterans) Antelope HS On-Field Clinic (Basic Skills / 1man) Pioneer HS Feb. 25 Tuesday 6pm General Session #3 Jesuit HS Classrooms sessions #3 Feb. 27 Thursday 6pm Classroom session #3 Vanden HS Mar. 1 Sat Time TBA On-Field Clinic #2 TBD