2018 NORTHWEST ARKANSAS SENIOR BABE RUTH LEAGUE RULES (

Transcription

1 2018 NORTHWEST ARKANSAS SENIOR BABE RUTH LEAGUE RULES ( Northwest Arkansas SR. Babe Ruth, as a Charter Member of Babe Ruth Baseball, maintains Babe Ruth Baseball, Inc. Baseball Rules and Regulations & Official Playing Rules 2018 as the primary document upon which we base our league rules. ** Beginning with the 2014 season our league will require a background check for all current and potential Team Managers and Coaches. This is in compliance with the National Organization. ** PLAYER AGE REQUIREMENTS: Any player born prior to May 1, 2002 and on or after January 1, 1999 will be eligible for Babe Ruth League competition. 15 year olds can play up, though it is recommended that they play Junior Babe Ruth where possible. A player can participate in only one Babe Ruth state & beyond tournament age division. (A 15 yr old is allowed to play in Jr Babe Ruth league and Sr Babe Ruth league) 14 year olds will not be allowed to play in the Sr Babe Ruth league. Out of state players are eligible though names & addresses must be presented to State officials for approval prior to playing. All players must play in at least half of their league games (including league tournament, if applicable) to be eligible for state/regional tournament play. All players must be on an official league roster and entered into the Babe Ruth Network Management system in order to be eligible for practice or game play. This includes younger players (15 yr olds) competing in Jr. Babe Ruth leagues but also playing up. If a player is injured but not on a roster and entered in the Babe Ruth system, they are not be covered by our league insurance. Rosters are limited to 18 players per team. Players can be added & dropped from a roster through out the season by contacting the League President. No player can be added to a team roster after the final Friday of the regular season, prior to the final week of league play. All players must be entered into the Roster system online BEFORE allowed to play. LEAGUE PLAY: Regular season game dates are doubleheaders and played Sundays (2:00pm) and Wednesdays (6:00pm). If agreed to by both teams, games can be moved to alternate nights to avoid school or other conflicts. Time limit: 1 hour, 45 minutes or 6 innings. 1

2 International rules will be used to break ties, extending the game by 1 inning only. The visitor (and then home team) will place their last official batter from the previous inning on 2 nd base and start the batting line up where it left off. The at-bat ends with the 3 rd out. Or, if the Home team is at bat, the game ends if they score runs that exceed the visitor s total. Run rule: 10 runs ahead after 4 innings. For all doubleheaders the host team is home in game #1, visitor in game #2. Host team is responsible for the official scorebook in both games. Communications between coaches prior to a scheduled date is advised to insure the games will be played and provide directions to the field. Teams can play with 8 players but must take an out in the 9 th position of their batting order. If a 9 th player shows up they can be inserted into the batting line up immediately, at the end of the line-up. GAME NOTES: Babe Ruth League and NWA SBR prohibits the use of all alcohol and tobacco products on all field and dugouts for both local league and tournament competition. These products include smokeless tobacco, E-cigarettes, vapors, and all related alcohol products.. The EH (extra hitter) is no longer to be utilized in tournament play. The DH (Designated Hitter) rule has been revised. An EP is now allowed for league play and tournament play. ** Our local league will continue to apply the EP (hitting 10 in the lineup). However, the EP is in the starting line-up and must stay through the entire game, treated just as a starter. If this starter has to leave the game for some reason, it will become an out in the line-up. A CR (courtesy runner) may run for a pitcher or catcher. The same CR cannot run for both the pitcher and the catcher. He can not run for the pitcher in an inning and then run for the catcher in the same or another inning. The CR may not have participated in the game, other than as a courtesy runner. Re-entry rule: o Any of the starting players may withdraw and re-enter once provided the player occupies the same spot in the batting order. o Already used players may re-enter a game if all substitutes have been used and injury occurs or a player is ejected. Selection of this substitute must be agreed to by the opposing manager. Bats limits : o The length-to-weight differential can be no greater than -3. o Metal bats have a diameter limit of 2 5/8 for division. o Wood bats are optional in league play for those wanting to use them. Must conform to Official Baseball Rule o No Composite bats. o Bats must be BBCOR certified - Any bat that does not visibly reflect a BBCOR certification will not be allowed in play. Each team is responsible for cleaning up their dugout before leaving the park. Uniforms: o All players must have a full uniform with a number on the back to play. If a player does not have a matching uniform, it is up to the opposing coach whether he can play or not. 2

3 o The first week of the season is a Uniform grace period as some teams may be late in filling out the rosters. o Uniforms must have the official Babe Ruth patch on their sleeve or on their cap. Jersey patches are placed on the left sleeve, approximately half way between the top & bottom seams. If wearing a sleeveless vest uniform, the patch can be applied near the top of the left shoulder. See the information under Costs below. Tie Breaker rules to determine League tournament participants and seedings: o Division record o Head to head o If teams split head to head: 1. Least amount of runs allowed in divisional games. 2. Most runs scored in divisional games. 3. Coin flip All teams that qualify for the League ending tournament are expected to participate or may not be invited back the following season. Any player found using/having tobacco will be removed from the game immediately and not allowed to play in the following game. New Rule changes: Approved Bats Cal Ripken Baseball and Babe Ruth Baseball a. Cal Ripken Division - All non-wood bats must have the USABat Marking. The Barrel Maximum is 2 5 /8". No BBCOR Bats are permitted in the Cal Ripken Division. For the T-Ball Division, bats must be marked with the USABat T-Ball Stamp. b. Babe Ruth Baseball Division All non-wood bats must have the USABat Marking or marked BBCOR.50. Bat Barrel /8". c. Babe Ruth Baseball Division - All non-wood bats MUST be a BBCOR.50 and no greater than a -3. Barrel /8". Game Results Reporting ***** NEW o Each coach must set a GameChanger account up to load their teams and record game information. Preferrably the coach will delegate this to someone who can record the activity as the game occurs and verify it at the end of each game. o Each coach is responsible for reporting game results to Charles Tucker on the same day the game is played. Upon completion of the game, the following needs to take place: Host Team Coach o Send a text or with scores from game 1 and game 2 o Send a picture of the book for game 1 and game 2 o You can send four pictures just make sure game 1 and game 2 is clearly noted and that the picture is in focus Visiting Team Coach o Send a text or with scores from game 1 and game 2 The HOST team is responsible to RAIN OUTS: 3

4 o Notify the Visiting team s head coach. o Call the BUNWA scheduling umpire 2 hours prior to game time to stop the umpires from showing in rain-out situations. BUNWA (Baseball Umpires of Northwest Arkansas) scheduling umpire is Brian Preece. Cell: If you don t speak directly with Brian at least leave a message, time of your call & a return number. o Call Umpire coordinator Charles Tucker Cell: Rescheduling Rain Outs o The Host team should determine two possible make-up dates based on their field availability and contact the visiting coach. o The Visiting coach will need to agree to one of those dates. Generally two days are required in between the rain out & reschedule dates due to umpire scheduling. o Once a date is confirmed the HOST TEAM must contact BUNWA s scheduling umpire and Umpire coordinator (Charles Tucker). o Divisional games are make-up priorities. These should be rescheduled as soon as possible and not pushed to the end of the regular season. If needed cross-divisional games can be canceled in order to reschedule a divisional contest. Last possible date to reschedule any games is two days prior to the start of the League tournament. o No longer will a team be required to pay an umpire for travel costs, if the game is cancelled at the last minute. **Although I ask that you be considerate of ALL traveling to the game and notify all parties as soon as you possibly can to be considerate of everyone.** Unable to Reschedule Rain Outs o Missed games will generally not count against the overall league records unless a team refuses to play on an available make-up date and it s later determined that team had enough players. o The board will rule on the situation and could charge the offending team with a doubleheader forfeit. EJECTIONS: Player & Coaches Ejections o 1 st Occurrence: Offender can not participate anymore during the day and must immediately leave the playing field/dugout. Offender will also be required to sit out their next single game or the first game of a doubleheader. The ejected player/coach must sit out a full league sanctioned game. 4

5 At the umpire s discretion, the offender can be instructed to leave the premises. Failure to do so may result in forfeiture of the game. This also applies to unruly parents or fans who are asked to leave the ballpark facility due to poor conduct. o 2 nd Occurrence: Offender can not participate anymore during the day and must immediately leave the playing field/dugout. Offender will also be required to sit out their next two single games or a complete doubleheader. Offender will also be required to speak with a league board member (not associated with their team) by phone before being cleared for re-instatement. Failure to do so will result in disqualification for the remainder of the season. At the umpire s discretion, the offender can be instructed to leave the premises. Failure to do so may result in forfeiture of the game. o 3 rd Occurrence: For player - permanent dismissal for remainder of season & post-season. For coach - permanent dismissal from coaching in the NWA SBR league. o COACHES EJECTIONS: Beginning in the 2014 season, all coach ejections will carry-over from season to season. This will be implemented to help emphasize the importance we, as leaders, have in the league to conduct ourselves in a manner that is conducive to the League and Babe Ruth standards. Our intent w/ this ruling is to reduce/eliminate the need for any coach, to be ejected for any reason, during a live game. To include any League or Babe Ruth tournaments. Use of illegal players o If a player participates in a game but has not been reported to the Roster Coordinator before doing so, the coach will automatically incur the 2 nd occurrence ejection penalty and their team will forfeit any games in which the player participated. o If a player is outside of the league age requirements and participates in a game, the coach will automatically incur the 3 rd occurrence ejection penalty and be removed from the league. The team will forfeit any games in which the player was involved. COSTS: League fees are $525. Fees cover: o Insurance ($250,000 coverage per person) Accidental Liability o National Babe Ruth registration fee (League Charter) o Background check fee 5

6 o State Babe Ruth registration fee (based on total team quantity) o Babe Ruth League Management system o Umpire expenses (Scheduling /Travel) o Baseballs for tournament play, when we are the tournament host. o Miscellaneous (print paper, ink, envelopes, postage, meetings, tournament costs, etc.) o League All Star - jersey s, caps, travel o League Championship plaque o Tournament Admin Fee ($75) Umpires fees: o Each umpire is paid $47.50 for a single game & $95.00 per doubleheader. NOTE: Umpire rate still being discuss and is subject to change. o Each team pays one umpire. o If only one umpire shows, each team will be responsible for a split game fee of $47.50 only. Notify the Scheduling Umpire & League President as soon as possible if this occurs. o If only one team shows up or a forfeit occurs, excluding a weather related change, each umpire will be owed a $35.00 travel fee. The no-show or forfeiting team will be required to cover the $70 combined cost for the umpires or reimburse the Home team if failing to show. (Can mail the $$ to me and our league will disburse to BUNWA). o Based on an 18 game season, estimated cost: $ This does not include the League tournament. Teams cover a per game umpire fee ($47.50) for each game played in the tourney, excluding the championship game. Baseballs: o Each team is responsible for providing enough baseballs to complete the game. This is expected to be an equal amount by both teams. o Balls used during league play should have Official Babe Ruth League baseball on them. Recommended brands & costs per dozen: Rawlings RBRO-1 Rawlings RBRO Trump MG-BRL Baseballs available at Enter code BRSALE2 at checkout for an extra 5% discount. o Based on a 20 game season, 4-5 dozen baseballs would be required. Estimated cost: $275. Uniform patches or caps: o Babe Ruth Baseball uniform patch is required for league and postseason play. Patches are $1.50 each and can be ordered online through: Based on 18 patches, estimated cost: $27.00 (not including shipping) o Cap Emblems are patches sewn into available caps this season. Outdoor Cap

7 Team Coaching / Management Requirements o Babe Ruth League Coaching Education and Certification Program: National requirement for all rostered coaches. Only certified rostered coaches are eligible to coach in postseason and are covered for league insurance. Lifetime certification. Online course location: After completing the course you ll receive an confirmation titled Transcript for your name. These will show that the course was passed, certificate earned and the date. A copy must be mailed or ed to the League President (Charles Tucker) prior to your first scheduled league game. Cost per manager or coach: $ o Approximate costs for a 18 game season: $2, This does not include uniforms which each team covers individually. Nor does it include League tournament costs. IMPORTANT DATES / DEADLINES: League entry fees April 6 Teams are entered into the league based on order of entry fees being received. **Team Fee check can be mailed to league president. Any payment received after April 6 th will be charged a $25 late fee charge). ** League rosters due May 4 o Rosters must be submitted via on a spreadsheet provided by the league with all * columns completely filled out. o Note: Players can still be added after this date, but must be turned into the Roster Coordinator/ League President before the player participates in a game and thus is covered by league insurance. Player Add/Delete deadline Tuesday, May 31 (For All-Star consideration) League play expected start date Wednesday May 16 League play expected end date Wednesday June 17 All-Star tryouts (TBD)?????? (Rainout day will be selected later) New in 2018!! Memorial Day Baseball o Our intent is two parts: Provide a tournament type environment for our teams at an affordable cost. Raise money for the league o Expectation is: NWA SBR teams may play for $200 for the weekend. Only players on existing NWA SBR roster allowed on those teams. Other teams from outside NWA SBR may play for $350/team We anticipate a 3 game guarantee, we may only play round robin with no championship round that s yet to be decided. It s about MORE Quality Affordable Baseball games. o Played over Memorial Day Weekend, Friday evening through Monday. 7

8 o Location: expected to be White River Baseball Complex o There will be a $5/person/day admission plus we will gain concessions as well. o More information to be provided at a later date. ALL STAR/TOURNAMENT TEAMS ** President note: it is our goal, of this league, to build a tournament caliber team from the talent within this league, which provides the all-star team the best possible opportunity to compete for the chance to win a State and Regional tournament. In doing so, we provide players an opportunity to advance to play in a World Series event and compete at the highest level against talent from around the United States in all eight regions. As a league it is our belief, that in doing so, we provide a player(s) the desire to continue to participate in Babe Ruth baseball. As we strive to ensure we are building real, true citizens through sportsmanship and a high level of competition. This does not mean, we will win-at-all-costs. This means we will build a foundation of quality, character players who accept the challenge to try out and make an All-Star team that requires commitment and excellence alongside having the right attitude and integrity.** Beginning in the 2016 season, we, as a league, will incorporate the Babe Ruth rule associated w/ team quantity and allowance to tournament play. We will have one division, w/ separate conferences. If our league has 10 teams or less, one All Star team is allowed to participate in Babe Ruth tournaments, per age group. If a league has 11 teams or more, two teams are allowed to participate in Babe Ruth tournament, per age group. o TOURNAMENTS: June League Tournament at TBD Format: All teams advance. Single elimination tournament. Players must have played in at least six league games to be eligible for the league tournament. June 29 July2 17/18 s Ark N State (if held) at?? July Aug /18 s Southwest Regional at Fayetteville, AR 17/18 s World Series at Jamestown, NY LEAGUE OFFICERS: Charles Tucker C: cwtucker2@gmail.com 8

9 Seth Vannaman C: Darlene Clark Mike Jones Cell: David Rook Cell: Marty Seay Cell:

10 Mike Williamson District Commissioner Phone: Randy Smith North Arkansas State Commissioner Phone: BABE RUTH STATE COMMISSIONERS: Joe Featherston Southwest Regional Commissioner (SBR) Phone: jcfeather@cox.net Colleen Higgins Babe Ruth League, Inc Southwest representative Phone: colleen@baberuthleague.org NWA SBR: Official Team Roster forms: BABE RUTH WEBSITES: Equipment & uniform supplies: Babe Ruth League Coaching Education Center: 10