Northside Cal Ripken Baseball League of Charlottesville/Albemarle, Virginia (dba Northside) BYLAWS Dated August 11, 2015 Page 1 of 9
Northside Cal Ripken Baseball League of Charlottesville/Albemarle, Virginia (dba Northside) BY-LAWS ARTICLE I NAMES Section 1.01 The official name of this organization shall be the Northside Cal Ripken Baseball League of Charlottesville/Albemarle, Virginia (dba Northside) hereafter referred to as the "League". ARTICLE II PURPOSE Section 2.01 The League is a youth program, which exists to foster sportsmanship and the physical, mental, and social growth of its participants through organized instruction and competition in the game of baseball. Babe Ruth Baseball, Inc., a national not-for-profit organization, charters the League annually. Section 2.02 The League conducts regular season games as well as participates in post-season tournaments (All-Stars). ARTICLE III ORGANIZATION Section 3.01 The League is an organization of teams formed within defined geographical boundaries, each team acts in accordance with and by the legal authority derived from the current Official Rules and Regulations of Babe Ruth Baseball, Major League Baseball, and these By-laws. Section 3.02 The League shall provide for a T-Ball Division (ages 5-6), a Rookie Division (ages 7-8), a Minor Division (ages 9-10) and a Major Division (ages 11-12). The league age is defined by the Babe Ruth Rule Book Age Chart in effect for the current season. Players and their parent or guardian may petition the League to play up or down one league age year or more, based upon special circumstances. Team composition is defined by Rule 0.05 of the current Official Rules and Regulations of Babe Ruth Baseball. Section 3.03 The administration of the League will be vested in the Board of Trustees, hereafter referred to as the Board. Section 3.04 The League will be composed of a sufficient number of teams to comply with Rule 0.02 in current Official Rules and Regulations of Babe Ruth Baseball. ARTICLE IV MEMBERSHIP AND VOTING RIGHTS Section 4.01 Members of the League are current players, parents or guardians of players, managers, coaches, and Board members. Section 4.02 Voting Rights-Each member shall have no more than one vote regardless of the number of qualifying definitions in Section 4.01 of this document. Page 2 of 9
Section 4.03 The proliferation of technology has made it possible for the Board to conduct business virtually, when appropriate. Voting for various Board issues may take place virtually. The President will initiate the process by sending an email to all Board members with the issue at hand. Board members will be allowed a discussion time whereby they may provide feedback, in writing. The President will compile all feedback and distribute to Board members for their consideration. After Board members have had ample time to read and react, any Board Member may provide a motion via reply all to the Board. If the motion is seconded, a vote via website will be conducted. Once the motion passes or fails, the President will notify the Board of the final decision. ARTICLE V MEETINGS Section 5.01 Parliamentary law as set forth in Robert s Rules of Order, shall govern all meetings and other procedures not expressly provided. Section 5.02 A meeting of the membership shall be held in the fall of each year with the time and place designated by the President to elect members of the Board for the next year. Section 5.03 The President, or any four (4) members of the Board, may call a Board meeting. The number of meetings should be sufficient in number to administrate the League s activities. Section 5.04 A quorum of the Board shall consist of a majority of the voting positions of the Board. (See Section 6.03 for voting positions of the Board.) ARTICLE VI BOARD OF TRUSTEES Section 6.01 The function and the purpose of the Board shall be to provide the authority for the administration and preservation of the League, its activities, and its best interest all in support of the Purpose of the League (Article II). Section 6.02 The Board of Trustees shall consist of a minimum of five Trustees elected for a term of one year. The term year runs from November 1 to October 31. Page 3 of 9
Section 6.03 Any League member 21 years of age or older may be placed in nomination for a position on the Board. The Membership shall approve and elect persons to fill the following positions: President* Vice President* Secretary* Treasurer* Concessionaire* T-Ball Division Commissioner Rookie Division Commissioner Minor Division Commissioner Major Division Commissioner * Required positions. Section 6.04 The Board may select and approve persons to fulfill the following auxiliary positions: Equipment Manager Groundskeeper Official Scorekeeper Umpire in Chief Webmaster Fundraising Coordinator Vendor Relations League Parent/Volunteer Coordinator Fall Ball Coordinator Scheduler Registrar Tournament Team Coordinator Coaches Liaison At-Large Members The Board may opt to add or subtract auxiliary Board positions by a majority vote to meet the changing needs of the Board as they evolve over time. Section 6.05 Vacancies on the Board Vacancies on the Board, other than the President and Vice President, shall be filled by a nomination from the membership or by a member of the Board, and approved by a majority vote of the Board. The Vice Presidents position shall be filled by a nomination from the existing Board or by a member of the Board, and approved by a majority vote of the Board. The Vice President shall fill the President s position. These appointed officers shall serve out the remaining term of the vacant office. Section 6.06 Membership-elected and Board-appointed positions have voting rights on the Board. Individuals holding more than one Board position will only have one vote on matters of the Board. Page 4 of 9
ARTICLE VII FINANCES Section 7.01 The Board will control all League finances and will furnish an annual financial statement to any Member upon request following conclusion of a season. Section 7.02 Finances of the League shall be derived from sponsors fees established by the Board, concession stand receipts, private donations, and other means approved by the Board (i.e. player registration fees). Section 7.03 If the Board chooses to charge a registration fee for all players, then such registration fee shall be paid prior to Opening Day of the season. Players for whom the fee is not paid will not be allowed to play until such time that the fee is paid, or waived by the President or Treasurer as a hardship case. ARTICLE VIII AMMENDMENTS Section 8.01 Proposed amendments to the By-laws must be presented to the Board in writing. To be approved, an amendment must receive a two-thirds majority of a quorum, at which time it shall be sent to the membership for ratification. The proposed amendment must be ratified by a majority of ballots cast by the membership present at the Board meeting in order to become part of the By-laws. ARTICLE IX DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD Section 9.01 A detailed listing of the duties of each Board position will be maintained in a separate document as an addendum to the Bylaws. Yearly review of Job Descriptions by the Board is highly encouraged prior to the Board election cycle. ARTICLE X MANAGER SELECTION AND RETENTION Section 10.1 Managers shall be approved by a majority vote of the Board. Voting may be handled via email voting process, if necessary. See Section 4.03. ARTILE XI PLAYER SELECTION Section 11.01 All players must register during a registration period or League try-outs. Failure to register will prevent players from participating in any League game for that year. Players who are returning to the League having played during the preceding season must register prior to the draft or forfeit their right to participate. The Board will consider any extenuating circumstances. Section 11.02 A draft selection, defined by the Board, is to be used for the selection of players to be placed on teams at the Major, Minor and Rookie Divisions. T-Ball assignments will be made by the Division Commissioner and coaches based on criteria established by the Board. Parental requests will be honored when it does not present a hardship to a team or coach. Page 5 of 9
ARTICLE XII CONDUCT AND PARTICIPATION Section 12.01 Players must stay behind the playing field or any chalk lines, either behind the backstop and/or fair territory while they are not directly involved in the game. PENALTY: The umpire will warn a player who violates this rule. If the violation occurs a second time, the umpire has the prerogative of removing the player from the game. Section 12.02 All players must wear their official jersey for all League games. Section 12.03 Any time a player, manager, or coach throws equipment in an intentionally disobedient or obstinate manner or uses abusive language or gestures, he/she may, at the discretion of the umpire, be removed from the game without warning. Section 12.04 Fighting among players on or off the field will not be tolerated. If such incidents occur, the players involved shall be subject to disciplinary action at the discretion of the presiding Game Official including ejection and suspension or expulsion (Division Commissioner or Board in the case of suspension or expulsion). If suspension or expulsion is the penalty there will be no refund of the registration fee. Section 12.05 Mandatory Playing Time A player must play a minimum of two (2) complete innings and have one turn at bat each game. If a player is not able to play the required innings due to darkness, time limit, or weather, that player must play at least three of the first five innings the next game. This rule does not apply when a player opts to miss a game or has been suspended by the League or has been reprimanded by the manager. Manager reprimands must be declared prior to the start of the game. PENALTY: Violation of the Mandatory Playing Rule shall result in the forfeiture of the game in which the violation took place. ARTICLE XIII MANAGERS, ASSISTANT COACHES, COACHES Section 13.01 All appeals and protests must be submitted to the Commissioner of the appropriate division for adjudication. In the event of the absence of the Division Commissioner, appeals and protest must be referred to the ranking League official present at the game in question. All appeals and protests must be submitted within twenty-four (24) hours of the end of the game in question. The person responsible for appeals and protests will facilitate the final appeals process to the Board for final resolution. Section 13.02 Managers, assistant managers, and/or coaches may be given a warning for a first offense of unsportsmanship conduct. On the second offense, he/she will automatically be removed from the game. Section 13.03 Managers, assistant managers, and/or coaches must remain in the coaching box or designated area while the game is in progress. Page 6 of 9
ARTICLE XIV UMPIRES Section 14.01 Authority to determine play-ability of a game a) Before a game starts: Ranking League official has the authority to call a game because of inclement or questionable weather, or non-playable field conditions. b) After the game has started: The chief umpire has the authority to call a game off because of inclement or questionable weather or non-playable field conditions. Section 14.02 Base umpires have the option of positioning themselves on the field where they deem necessary to officiate the game properly. Section 14.03 Review process for umpires a) Any time during the season managers may submit standard "Umpire referral forms" to the President of the League for review for any reason, both positive and negative. b) At the end of each season, each manager may submit a standard "Umpire season review form" of each umpire to the Board for final performance review. ARTICLE XV THE GAME Section 15.01 Time Limits are imposed on all regular season games as determined by the Board prior to the commencement of the season. No new inning may start after the stated time limit. Innings in progress must be completed unless stated otherwise by local League Rules. Time will be added to the time limit for injury time outs or breaks in play due to weather disruption. The game umpire will state the official start time and be solely responsible for the addition of any time as defined above. The team ahead at the end of the time limit is declared the winner. Games called due to the time limit are official games. Section 15.02 Any Major, Minor or Rookie Division game shall be terminated once becoming a regulation game if one (1) team is ahead by ten (10) or more runs and has had equal times at bat or the home team is leading. ARTICLE XVI SPECIAL RULES AND REGULATIONS Section 16.01 All spectators will be expected to exercise good sportsmanship at all times. Section 16.02 Teams practicing and playing on League fields are responsible for all League equipment and security of the concession stand. Section 16.03 No one will be allowed to sit on the player's bench (dugout) during a game except players, managers, assistant managers, coaches, batboys and/or team scorekeeper. Parents and or spectators must stay on or around bleachers. The umpire will issue a warning for a first offense. Second offense-the parent or spectator may be asked to leave or the parent s/spectator s team may be penalized by calling an out (if batting) or a runner will be placed on the next available base (if on defense). Page 7 of 9
Section 16.04 With the exception of games canceled because of weather, games will be rescheduled only if conflicts with school events reduce the team's roster to a level where it would be impractical for that team to field a team of at least eight (8) players. Notice of such conflicts must be submitted to the Division Commissioner no less than one (1) week prior to the day of the game in question. Such games may be rescheduled for play either before or after the original game date. Section 16.05 The team manager or assistant manager must attend All-Star selection meetings. No parents will be allowed to attend. Section 16.06 All complaints about the behavior or conduct of managers, coaches, players, spectators, umpires, or League officials must be submitted in writing to the League President before any disciplinary action can be considered or taken. Section 16.07 Games per Week Restriction and Make-up Game Restrictions No team shall play more than three (3) games in one (1) week. Make-up games will be scheduled on the next available date, provided that the make-up game does not force a team to play more than three (3) games in seven (7) calendar days or one (1) pitching calendar week. Section 16.08 Warm-up Pitches/Stalling Tactics The number of warm-up pitches between innings in a time-limit/curfew game by a continuing pitcher will be five (5). At the request of the manager and the approval of the opposing manager, a maximum of eight (8) warm-up pitches will be allowed. The number of warm-up pitches allowed a new, incoming pitcher from the field is subject to the chief umpire s discretion. ARTICLE XVII SELECTION OF ALL-STARS MANAGERS Section 17.01 The Board will determine a detailed procedure to select the All-Stars Managers to be published prior to player registration. ARTICLE XVIII SELECTION OF ALL-STARS PLAYERS Section 18.01 A detailed All-Stars player selection procedure will be established by the Board and published prior to player registration. ARTICLE XIX LATE SIGN-UP AND TRANSFERS BETWEEN DIVISIONS Section 19.01 Late Sign-up Late sign-ups will be allowed with the approval of the League President or Secretary. The player will be placed on the team with the fewest players in the Division appropriate for the player s league age. Late sign-ups are defined as players who sign up after teams have been formed. Page 8 of 9
ARTICLE XX THE BOARD AUTHORITY Section 20.01 The Board shall have complete authority to question, discuss and resolve all policies, decisions and rules of the League in accordance with the current year Babe Ruth League, Cal Ripken Division playing rules and the requirements of the charter issued by Babe Ruth Baseball, Inc. ARTICLE XXI LOCAL LEAGUE RULES Section 21.01 Any and all modifications to rules governing playing of non-tournament regular season games, i.e. local league rules, must be adopted prior to January 1st to be in effect for the upcoming season. These modifications include any changes that impact how teams are formed, to include but not limited to posted team drafting procedures. Page 9 of 9