LOU GEHRIG YOUTH BASEBALL/SOFTBALL Page 1 of 10 I. PURPOSE The purpose of the Lou Gehrig Youth Baseball/Softball League is to provide our youth with a positive baseball/softball experience that emphasizes the participation of all playing members and the development of baseball/softball skills. This league will seek to implant in the youth of our community ideals of good sportsmanship, honesty, loyalty, courage and reverence so that they may be finer, stronger and happier youths. II. LEAGUE OPERATIONS Included with the handout (see Attachment A) is a listing of our Board of Directors (Officers), and League Operations committees. Each member of the board has at least one area of responsibility in operating our league. All managers/coaches should direct requests, suggestions or grievances to their Level Coordinator. It is the Level Coordinator s responsibility to communicate to the Board of Directors or the appropriate Board member if further assistance is needed. III. ROLE OF LEVEL COORDINATOR The Level Coordinator is primarily responsible for serving as a liaison between managers at his or her level and the Board of Directors. The Level Coordinator reports to the Vice President/President of Baseball/Softball regarding league policy, umpires, playing rules, scheduling, manager conduct, field conditions and use. The Level Coordinator is responsible for responding to the manager/coach in a timely fashion. If the response does not satisfy the manager/coach, a letter should be addressed to the appropriate Board member and a copy sent to the Secretary. Specific Responsibilities: Develop a list of manager candidates and present to Board of Directors for approval. Provide game schedules and field maintenance schedules. Meet regularly during the season to address issues as needed. Communicate schedule changes. Observe performance of managers, coaches, and umpires and report back to Board of Directors and Umpire Coordinator. Nominate tournament team/all-star team managers to Board of Directors. Coordinate with the appropriate Board member communication to the managers regarding team photographs, fund raising, uniform/equipment distribution and collection. Assist Player Agent with player draft and team assignments. Provide a list of players at respective level, who are eligible to play at the next level as call-up. Provide a list of players from the next lower level to managers for the purpose of farm team call-ups. Assist in evaluation and selection of tournament/all-star team players. Conduct player evaluation meeting for each division prior to the end of season and submit to Player Agent. 1
Page 2 of 10 IV. MANAGER SELECTION The selection of managers for our 120 or so baseball and softball teams is probably the most important responsibility performed by the Lou Gehrig board. A team manager is the single biggest factor in determining whether a player will have a position or a negative experience in our league. The perfect candidate will: I. Have an enthusiasm for the game of baseball/softball II. Truly enjoy working with boys, girls and young adults III. Have some measure of experience IV. Have a belief in the value of teaching fundamentals and skills so that each player can realize their potential and truly enjoy the game of baseball/softball V. Be willing to put in the time to teach those fundamentals VI. Create a positive environment so that the game is fun VII. Treat umpires and other coaches with respect VIII. Interact in a positive and firm manner with parents IX. Demand that all players and parents treat other players, coaches, umpires, yourself and each other with respect X. Win and lose gracefully The selection process takes into account: (A Manager Selection Committee, one for Baseball one for Softball which considers the following:) 1) Manager Evaluation Forms: (Most Important) We receive roughly 700-900 family responses. A pattern of poor evaluations from the previous season will eliminate a candidate from consideration. Each evaluation is read!!! 2) Umpire Complaints: A manager that has a record of abusing umpires is denied consideration 3) Attendance/Practice/Knowledge: Reports of managers that do not practice or constantly turn the team over to assistants or do not put the effort into teaching the players the game will impact selection choices. 4) Level Coordinators: Observation from previous season games. 5) General Board: The Board occasionally will receive written letters of complaint from parents during the course of the season. 6) Need for teams V. PLAYER AGENT One of the most challenging tasks every year is to set up teams at each level which are as balanced as possible with number of experienced players versus beginners. This process begins at the end of each season with the player evaluations completed by each manager and continues with new player registration each spring. The Player Agent reviews all player evaluations, meets with Level Coordinator Managers, to get a final evaluation list of players. The Instructional, A and AA Level in Baseball and Minor A & B in Softball teams are established by assigning players according to age, ability, and special requirements. This is a joint effort by the Player Agent and Level Coordinator. At all other levels, a draft is conducted where each manager selects his or her own team. Player evaluations are provided to the managers as a guide. The Player Agent coordinates the player draft with assistance from the respective Level Coordinator. 2
Page 3 of 10 As you can see, the Player Agent plays a key role in our organization. Their primary responsibility is to see that every player is placed at the appropriate age and ability level to ensure the opportunity to develop their skills accordingly. VI. SAFETY Safety is a primary responsibility of a manager, his or her coaches, and every parent at Lou Gehrig. Please be observant at all times of any condition, which threatens the safety of the players or spectators. If you have any questions or suggestions regarding safety, please call the league Safety Director. Although many of the following rules and suggestions are common sense, we can sometimes, during the activities of a practice or game, lose sight of the obvious. Safety Rules The following are absolute safety rules, which must be memorized and observed by every manager: All male participants must wear a cup for all practices and games. Male players without a cup will be denied participation. Pitchers must wear a helmet when warming up from the rubber. When warming up a relief pitcher on the sidelines, three players (the pitcher, catcher and the protector who faces the game) must wear helmets. Catchers must wear full equipment during game or practice. No batting practice prior to game on diamonds. A catcher must wear a helmet, facemask, and throat guard any time he or she is warming up a pitcher in a game or practice. This includes between innings and in the bullpen. Players may not wear jewelry during practices or games. No metal spikes may be worn at any level other than Senior American Bats and loose equipment is to be in the dugout during games. No warm ups are allowed outside of the playing field (walkways, parking lots, concession stand, etc.). All batters must wear helmets in games and practices. All players not batting must be in the dugout, except the on-deck batter and base coaches. Those players outside the dugout must wear batting helmets. No other coaches or players are allowed outside the dugout Any practice or game must stop immediately during an electrical storm. General Safety Issues Here are a few things not covered by the above categories, but are still very important: Kids, particularly pitchers, should be encouraged to dress appropriately for weather conditions. It is fashionable today to go without a sweatshirt under a uniform, but serious problems can results. Pitchers should keep a jacket or sweatshirt handy to keep their arms warm between innings. Players who wear glasses should be encouraged to wear safety glasses. Practices or games are not held on wet fields. Games are canceled by the LGYB Board of Directors or by agreement of both managers if the field is deemed unsafe. 3
Page 4 of 10 Players getting helmets between innings should go outside of the fence to avoid getting hit by a wild pitch during warm-up. Players that are scheduled as next batter must warm-up in on deck cages, where provided. Fields without on deck cages require on deck batters to always face homeplate to see a foul ball coming his or her way and far enough away from other players to be safe. Reporting Injuries In the event of any injury to a player during a practice or a game, an Injury Report must be filled out by the team s manager and submitted to the league Safety Director within 24 hours of the incident. This applies to any injury requiring a player to sit out a game or practice to be temporarily stopped, etc. If you are not sure whether or not to report an injury, report it!! Injury Report forms (see Attachment B) can be found at the concession stand or from our Safety Director. VII. UMPIRES Once again, Lou Gehrig Youth Baseball/Softball will be hiring boys and girls as umpire s ages 13 and older. They will be umpiring games starting at AA Baseball/Majors Softball. Every umpire has received classroom and field training on the basic responsibilities of the plate umpire and field umpire, as well as the rules, conduct, and appearance. Each manager will be required to sign and complete a voucher at the end of every game for the purpose of authorizing payment to each umpire. Evaluations will be performed independently by umpire coordinators along with input from you as level managers. It is the manager s responsibility to ensure that players, coaches, and spectators treat all umpires with dignity and respect. When a judgement decision is made, no explanation is warranted. You may request an explanation when an interpretation of a rule is in doubt. We are playing with a zero tolerance rule no comments regarding a judgement call are acceptable. Let s remember the umpire is in CHARGE OF THE GAME. Mistakes will be made and must be forgotten. By the way, those umpires out there are our sons and daughters. VIII. SCHEDULING All league games, playoff games, tournament games or any special events to be played on our 10 diamonds or Jurek Fields are scheduled through our baseball and softball schedulers. All communications to managers should come through level coordinator. Rainouts are communicated through the Lou Gehrig Information Hotline. See Manager s Role X 3.b. Curfews We do have some situations regarding curfews, which everyone needs to be aware of. 4
Page 5 of 10 For games starting at 6:00 PM no inning will start after 8:15 PM. An inning started prior to 8:15 PM may be completed at the discretion of the home plate umpire. On Diamond #3 and #8, where we have back-to-back games Monday through Friday, the 5:45 PM game curfew is at 8:00 PM sharp, game over! The curfew for the 8:15 PM game is at 10:30 PM sharp! On weekends, it is extremely important to manage time. The curfew for weekend games is 2 hours, 15 minutes (2 hours, 30 minutes for Sr. boys) from scheduled start time. No exceptions! Managers, we need your help to monitor curfews. Please be considerate of other games scheduled after yours. Make every effort to speed the game along! IX. BATTING CAGES A schedule will be developed for use of our two batting cages. Your Level Coordinator will distribute this schedule. Some important points regarding cages are: The cages are only to be used when our complex is open, i.e., games rained out, and batting cages rained out as well. Please stay on schedule. If you are scheduled from 7:00 8:00 PM, but you start late, you still must exit the cages at 8:00 PM if another team is behind you. No other ball playing, i.e., pitchers throwing or bunting practice should take place around the cages. The key should be obtained from the Concession Stand to open cages and then returned immediately to Concession Stand. Last team in cages for the day is responsible for closing and locking up the area. X. MANAGER S ROLE Role and Responsibilities of the Manger The role that you will play as Team Manager is quite diverse, yet one that we feel is essential that you understand and commit to. 1. First and foremost, you need to accept your responsibility in upholding our League s purpose that emphasizes our objective to provide our youth with a positive baseball/softball experience that emphasizes the participation of al playing members ad the development of baseball/softball skills. Your actions will determine, to a great extent, whether or not your team members have fun this season. See mandatory Lou Gehrig Code of Conduct form. ( see Attachment C) 2. Choose two coaches that also support our league purpose that emphasizes creating a positive experience for our youth and that they are willing to handle responsibilities for practices and games in case of your absence. They are also required to sign a Code of Conduct form. You are needed to support the League in getting your team to work on: Field maintenance Fund raisers Concession stand volunteers 5
Page 6 of 10 As you plan the upcoming season, there are numerous points you should consider as you try to balance all of the important issues required being successful. Some tips, as collected from our managers over the years: Initial Team/Parent Meeting: Contact team members immediately after receiving team rosters Schedule a team meeting for players and parents Establish a communication system among your team members Solicit assistance for jobs such as: -Assistant Coaches - Team Mom -Writing articles for Amherst Bee Note: Team Moms should be selected from the player roster or you can contact the Ladies Auxiliary who can try to assist in selecting someone. The primary responsibility of the Team Mom is to coordinate the Concession Stand Volunteer Schedule for your team. Inform team of important information, i.e., -Uniform distribution -First practice -Team tokens 3. We need you to fill the role of primary communicator to your team and their families on numerous matters such as: a) Create Practice Schedules: Want to make a friend? Give your families a practice schedule one month in advance. They will love you for it. Practice space can be a problem in Amherst. Lou Gehrig fields on Dann Road complex are not to be used for practice. They are for games only! Jurek Fields may be used for practice, but scheduled games are first priority. Do not try to squeeze into a practice space at any of the local schools while varsity, junior varsity or modified games are in session. You must wait until these games are complete. b) Rain Outs: You, the manager, are responsible to call the Lou Gehrig Rainout Hotline at 743-2800 to find out the status of that day s game. The status of weekday games will be determined no later than 4PM that day. At that time you will need to call your families. DO NOT LEAVE IT TO EACH FAMILY TO CALL THE HOTLINE! c) Clinics: Your coordinator will communicate dates and times to you. Please pass on these very important opportunities to your players families. d) Schedule Changes: It is imperative that any changes are communicated immediately. We are all busy these days, but the bottom-line if you want them to show up they need as much notice as possible. e) Absences/Call-ups 6
Page 7 of 10 After each game and practice, make it routine to ask, Is anyone going to miss the next game. These will usually prompt player and/or parent to remember that they won t be there. You then can consult your Farm Team list and get a call-up. f) We welcome the input from our players and their families on how to contribute to make Lou Gehrig a better organization. Each year we solicit the input of parents and players regarding the league operations and our role as managers/coaches. XI. MANAGER S PREPARATION FOR THE GAME 1. COME PREPARED a) Have a lineup and fielding rotation ready POST IT IN THE DUGOUT. Don t make it up when you get there. It makes you look unprepared and disorganized. You cannot possibly give enough thought to being sure each player gets his fair share of playing time when players are looking over your shoulder to see where they are playing. b) Players need to play a roughly equal amount of innings This is easy to accomplish with a little thought. If you have 12 players, six of those players sit once and the other six sit twice. Reverse it the next game. c) Let players move around We do not keep standings. There is no reason a nine-year-old boy should play the infield only once every two games. Each player should play the infield two innings per game. d) Rotate your batting order Players should have the opportunity to bat at the top of the order from time to time. If coach bats Timmy or Judy 12 th every game they quickly get the idea that the coach thinks they stink and they will continue to stink. We do not keep standings, loosen up the order. A good way of rotating the order is this: Divide your lineup into 3 groups of 4 players. RED, GREEN and BLUE groups. Each group should be balanced (a power hitter, a fast player, average player and a weak hitter for example.) In the first game have the Red group bat in the top 1/3 of the order, the GREEN group in the middle 1/3 and the BLUE group in the lower 1/3. In the next game rotate the group. This way every player bats in the top 1/3 of the order every three games. 2. STAY COMPOSED DURING THE GAME a) We do not keep standings during the season so it does not matter whom wins. b) Zero Tolerance with Umpires. THIS MEANS: No judgement calls can be appealed. NONE.NONE.NONE.. The MANAGER is the ONLY one who can bring any rule interpretation to the attention of the umpire!!! No coach, player or parent is allowed to address the umpire!!! If the manager questions the rule he must produce the rulebook to make his case No rulebook, no case!!! c) Managers are responsible for the conduct of their parents and players. Any parent abusing a player, coach or umpire must be dealt with immediately. A reoccurrence will result in asking them to leave or a forfeit of the game will occur. 3. AFTER THE GAME, TIE UP THE LOOSE ENDS a) Each player must shake hands and act in a sportsmanlike way b) No player is to leave until you have dismissed them c) Sit them on the bench and ask all in a loud voice, Will anyone be missing the next game? and Did everyone receive the new practice schedule? Or team news. 7
Page 8 of 10 d) All players are then to clean up the dugout for the next team!!! No tokens until all equipment is claimed and dugout is cleaned up!!! e) Completed Amherst Bee articles should be deposited. 2. COMMUNICATION WITH LOU GEHRIG Managers should communicate through the Lou Gehrig chain of command. The Division Coordinator should always be the first call. Calling Softball or Baseball Presidents, Auxiliary Members, etc. is not a time efficient method in getting information. Coordinators are prepared to handle most of the day to day operations of the teams. CALL THEM FIRST!! If you still need to communicate with someone else, the Lou Gehrig Board communicates by email (Addresses in the rear of this manual.) You will find that this is the most effective way of reaching that Board member. Calls are not missed, phone tag does not occur and there is a written record. WEB SITE: Most schedules, clinic, tournament and special event information can be obtained easily on the Lou Gehrig Web Sit. www.lgybs.com LOU GEHRIG NEWSLETTER: This is still your most complete record of what is going on. XII. AMHERST BEE ARTICLES The purpose of placing articles in the Amherst Bee is to recognize certain players in each game. It is the intent of Lou Gehrig that all players during the regular season are at one point mentioned in an article. It is suggested that each manager keeps a list of his/her players and include their names in an article on a rotating basis. Procedures: 1) Blank forms are kept in the main building across from the mailboxes. Completed forms should be placed in the covered mailbox labeled Amherst Bee by Sunday at noon for the prior weeks games. 2) The winning manager writes the article. The winning team should mention three (3) players names and the losing team is to include two (2) names. If you are the manager of the losing team, PLEASE be sure to give two names to the winning manager before leaving the field as the write-ups are usually done right after the game. The description of the game should be not more than two paragraphs (one for each team). Articles should be written as final copy please do not just put stats for me to write into an article. 3) The article will be submitted each week, alternating between softball and baseball with respect to the headline. XIII. EQUIPMENT Lou Gehrig Equipment Procedures The equipment bag you will receive contains baseball or softball equipment approved by Lou Gehrig for teams at your level. The replacement value of the bag is approximately, $250, so please take care of it. All of the bags have been checked, and broken or damaged equipment has been replaced. Safety is of the utmost concern, so any equipment that wears out or breaks should be replaced immediately. Please do not request newer or better equipment because you want your team to look better. 8
Page 9 of 10 All bags have a color-coded tag to identify the level and number of your team. Do not write on your equipment or paint it in any way. If you wish to further identify it, please use masking tape or some other type of tape and write on it. If you need to exchange equipment for a different size or replace damaged equipment, please leave a note in the equipment manager s mailbox (in the concession stand), or call him/her. We keep a supply of miscellaneous equipment in stock. We also have a limited number of left-handed catcher s mitts. We expect all bags to be returned to Lou Gehrig on the assigned dates at the end of the year. Your bag will be inspected with you present upon return. Please have the equipment as clean as possible and make us aware of any equipment that is in poor condition. XIV. TOURNAMENTS Purpose: General Bylaws Lou Gehrig Youth Baseball/Softball exists primarily to provide our youth with a positive baseball or softball experience that emphasizes the participation of al playing members and the development of baseball or softball skills. Competition is part of the game but should never be placed ahead of our primary purpose. Purpose: Tournaments The purpose of tournament play is to provide all players selected with additional opportunities to experience a higher level of competition against players from other leagues and areas. Goals: This experience should include all of the following: 1. Further development and enhancement of baseball and softball skills and strategies. 2. Appreciation of the positive value of teamwork and camaraderie. 3. Personal development of sportsmanship, both when winning and losing. Selection of Manager: The Board of Directors votes on names submitted. The level coordinator may make recommendations. The manager should be selected early in the regular season. Selection of Players : Process A: (Baseball Only Manager Selection to be used for player s 10 years of age and older) 1. League managers make recommendations of up to three players. The tournament manager may nominate others. 2. All league managers meet with the tournament manager, level coordinator and/or tournament committee representative to discuss players nominated. Each manager should provide the reasons for nominating his/her three players. The tournament manager may then provide further comments followed by general discussion and a vote. The vote should be for the number of players to be selected for the team, minus the final three selections that are under the control of the tournament manager. Process B: Tryouts (to be used for baseball players under 10 years of age and all softball players regardless of age.) 1. League managers make recommendations of up to three players. The tournament manager may nominate others. 9
Notification: Page 10 of 10 2. Parents of players trying out for the team should not be involved in evaluation, except for manager and coach, if he or she has been appointed. 3. Tournament managers select evaluators with approval of level coordinator. There should be minimum of three evaluators in addition to manager and coach. 4. Tryouts should be conducted in a manner to allow each player an equal and fair chance to make the team 5. Tournament manager then does selection. Process A: (to be used for player s 10 years of age and older). All players nominated for the team is to be notified of results by their own team manager. This should be done immediately after the selection, either by phone or in person, not in the presence of peers. Process B: (to be used for players under 10 years of age) All players trying out for the team are to be notified of results individually by the tournament manager. This should be done as soon as possible after the tryout either by phone or in person, not in the presence of peers. Participation: All teams members should participate in a meaningful way and be allowed the opportunity to contribute to the team s success. Tournament Book The first sponsor book was developed in the 2000 season. This book was developed to compliment our youth organization and our state of the art complex. Each tournament team is responsible for getting ads which are printed in the book. The tournament director will notify the managers as to when and how the process for getting ads will begin. Tournament team rosters are printed in the book, and include brackets for the games. Tournament Team Banners: There is a Lou Gehrig Tournament banner for each team. These can be proudly displayed when you play another team. You are responsible for returning it to the Concession Stand after your last game in the season. XV. CALENDAR (Attachment) 10