Little League Baseball Tournament Ground Rules for Arizona Welcome to the Little League Baseball and Softball District Tournaments. In order to prepare each manager, coach and player for participation at this and all levels of Tournament play we have adopted the following standard ground rules that will be used in conducting our Tournaments in Arizona. If at any time a Local Ground Rule conflicts with Little League Regulations, Rules, Policies and Procedures, Little League Rules or Procedures will be the governing standard. 1. All games are played at the times on the Tournament Bracket. The District Administrator must approve any changes before any are made. Exception: Weather Conditions SHOULD IT BE NECESSARY, FOR ANY REASON, TOURNAMENT GAMES WILL BE PLAYED ON SUNDAY. 2. All fields are considered neutral. Part of the tournament experience is playing at other fields. 3. The team traveling furthest to the field (League) calls the coin toss. The winner has the choice of "home" or "visitor." 4. Teams must have a representative available to call the coin toss no less than 45 minutes before games time. Failure to do so results in automatic loss of the coin toss. 5. All players are to be properly equipped with the appropriate uniform. Shirts are to be tucked in, baseball pants and socks are to be the same. All safety equipment required by Little League Baseball rules are to be used. a) The catcher must wear his/her required protective equipment at all times while on the field including a dangling throat protector. This includes warming up the pitcher (on and off the field). Skullcaps, metal cleats (except in Junior and above Baseball), are not permitted. Buttons, pins, wrist watches, jewelry (anywhere on the body), etc. must be removed while in uniform. Wrist bands, including sweat bands cannot be worn either pitcher s arm. Hockey style catcher s helmets are required to have the dangling throat protector. These restrictions apply to managers and coaches and are safety issues. b) ALL TOURNAMENT TEAMS NEED TO HAVE WATER JUGS AND TAKE THEM TO THEIR GAMES. 6. All managers and coaches must have Photo I.D. on them at all times. To insure that they are on the Tournament Affidavit, tournament staff reserves the right to check identification of all managers and coaches in the dugout. Arizona Tournament Ground Rules Page 1
Pre-Game a) Line-Up & Affidavit Package THE MANAGER IS TO TAKE THE LINEUP TO THE SCOREKEEPER AND IDENTIFY HIM OR HERSELF TO THE SITE OFFICIALS. TAKE A COPY OF YOUR LINE-UP AND the TEAM AFFIDAVIT PACKAGE to the scorer s table 45 minutes before your scheduled game time. The scorekeeper will return all copies to the team manager. The team manager will take all copies of the scorecard to the home plate meeting for distribution. b) The distribution of the copies is: White original to the home plate umpire. Second copy to the scorekeeper. Include all players on the roster, their numbers and names. LIST ALL PLAYERS ON THE AFFIDAVIT; INCLUDE FIRST AND LAST NAME AND THE NUMBER. c) Coin toss will be done as soon as both managers have arrived at the game site by a district official. In the absence of a district official, the local league coordinator will do the coin toss. If there is a doubleheader involving the same teams, the coin toss will be held at the conclusion of the first game. A coin toss done by managers and/or coaches is invalid and will be redone. d) Dugouts The home team will occupy the third base dugout. No Exceptions. The only exception is if there is a double header, the teams do not have to switch dugouts. e) Infield Visiting team will take infield first. An infield practice may be up to 10 minutes, provided time is available. Should it be necessary, the district official will determine the time allotted for infield? All games will start on time. f) Umpires will meet with the Managers, and Player representative from both teams at home plate before the start of each game. g) During warm-up and infield, catchers warming up a pitcher and during infield practice must have on an approved catcher s helmet with earflaps and dangling throat protector. h) Adults may not warm-up a player at anytime or anywhere. i) No one other that those players, manager, and coaches listed on the Affidavit will be allowed on the field at any time including warm-ups. The field includes the Dugout. THERE WILL BE NO SUBSTITUTE MANAGERS OR COACHES WITHOUT THE DIRECT AUTHORIZATION OF THE DISTRICT ADMINISTRATOR OR HIS OR HER DESIGNEE. j) No batboys/girls; use a substitute with a helmet on to retrieve bats. Arizona Tournament Ground Rules Page 2
Game k) NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY l) NO ARTIFICIAL NOISE MAKERS a) Access to the dugout is restricted. See section 2.h 2.i above. b) Managers, if you have a question, please ask for time out before leaving the dugout. Remember that time is NOT out until an umpire acknowledges and announces TIME. WAIT for an umpire to acknowledge and GRANT TIME before leaving the dugout. Direct any questions concerning rules interpretation or violation to the umpire who made the call. Umpires do not discuss JUDGEMENT calls. DO NOT come running out of the dugout yelling, you could be ejected from the game. c) Only the MANAGER is permitted to be out of the dugout for discussion with an Umpire. NO one may leave the dugout without the permission of the umpire. d) There will no throwing of equipment or use of foul or abusive language by any players, managers or coaches. The offending individual may be ejected from the game. e) Remind parents they are not allowed to talk to players, manager, or coaches during the game. Advise them to stay away from the dugout area. It is recommended that the tournament site post this on the dugout for spectators to see. f) Between innings, you have one (1) minute to warm up the pitcher. If the catcher is not ready, have another player with a mask warm up the pitcher, remember no ADULTS. When the umpire calls PLAY, a batter must get in the box and be ready. Having a batter step out after each pitch to receive a series of signals for the third base coach may be considered DELAY of game and will be handled as such. The following shall be used during tournament games. g) No HUDDLES ON THE FIELD between innings. If the manager or coaches huddle, you could be charged with a visit to the pitcher, charged with delay of game, or ejected from the game. h) The MANAGER OR DESIGNATED COACH will make substitutions to the plate umpire, who will then escort the manager or designated coach to the scorer s table. Please use numbers: i.e. #4 for #37 positions 6, #2 for #16 position 1. Come to the table PREPARED to make the substitutions DO NOT DELAY THE GAME. Arizona Tournament Ground Rules Page 3
A BATTER SHALL NOT: (SPEED-UP RULE) DELAY the game by failing to take his position promptly in the batter s box within 20 seconds. The batter must keep at least one (1) foot in the batter s box throughout the time at bat. EXCEPTIONS: 1) The batter swings at the pitch 2) The batter is forced out of the box by the pitch or 3) The batter attempts a drag bunt, or 4) The defensive teams feints or attempts a play at any base, or 5) The pitcher leaves the dirt area of the pitching mound or takes a position more than five feet from the pitcher s plate after receiving the ball or 6) A member of either team requests and is granted a time out. 7) The catcher leaves the catcher s box to adjust his/her equipment or give defensive signals, or 8) A wild pitch or passed ball occurs. Dugouts a) The manager is responsible for everyone in the dugout. Conduct yourselves accordingly. b) There are to be no beepers, cellular telephones, or other electronic devices. Use of cellular telephones during the game may subject the offending person to immediate ejection. Should a manager or coach need to use a cell phone during the game, make arrangements with the site director before the game. c) If parents or spectators create problems, the tournament staff will address and resolve them. d) Ejected managers, coaches, and players must leave the game, field and stands. They are not permitted to sit in the stands or along the fences. If an ejected player does not have a way to leave the facility, (his/her parents are no not there) then the player must remove their jersey, or turn it inside out, and remain at the facility with the site officials). e) WHEN A MANAGER, COACH OR PLAYER IS EJECTED, IT IS FOR THAT GAME AND THE NEXT ONE. THEY MUST LEAVE THE FACILITY AND ARE NOT PERMITTED TO ATTEND THE NEXT GAME. Tournament staff will note on the tournament affidavit when this occurs f) TEAM SCOREKEEPING SHALL BE IN THE DUGOUT NOT IN THE STANDS THERE WILL BE NO COMMUNICATION BETWEEN Arizona Tournament Ground Rules Page 4
SPECTATORS AND THE TOURNAMENT TEAMS. DISTRICT STAFF WILL TAKE SCOREBOOKS THAT ARE IN THE STANDS AND THE SPECTATOR COMMUNICATES/PASSES THE BOOK TO THE DUGOUT. THE MANAGER /COACH MAY ALSO BE EJECTED. g) Return foul balls to the scorekeeper or the umpire. They do not become the property of the tournament teams for their use. Equipment a) Refer to the Little League Rule book 1.09 through 1.17. (NOTE: Regarding PAINT OR STICKERS ON BATTING AND CATCHER HELMETS, we have checked with Little League Headquarters in Williamsport, PA and received the following instructions. The batting and catcher helmets must be used as issued by the company that manufactured them. The exterior of the helmets may not/must not be altered by the addition of paint, decals, or any letters/numbers attached with any glue or adhesive. If the manufacturer adds any numbers, lettering or designs on the above mentioned helmets, please get a letter of verification from the manufacturer. Please share this information with your league s managers, coaches, players, and parents. Above all, be sure this memo is in the packet of information provided to all your managers and coaches. This will eliminate any encounters or problems during regular season and tournament play. ANY PLAYER, MANAGER, COACH OR LEAGUE OFFICIAL WHO MIGHT BECOME INVOLVED IN AN ALTERCATION AT THE GAME SITE COULD BE SUSPENDED OR REMOVED FROM TOURNAMENT PLAY. REMEMBER, the players are the center of attention at a Little League Game, not the adults. If an adult becomes the center of attention, they will do it in the parking lot. Any questions? PLAY BALL! Anonymous ATTACHMENTS: 1. An Open Letter from a Little Leaguer (Copy and Distribute to all spectators) Arizona Tournament Ground Rules Page 5
An Open Letter from a Little Leaguer Dear Mom and Pop: An Open Letter from a Little Leaguer I hope you won't get mad at me for writing this letter, but you always said never to keep anything back that I want to bring out in the open. So here goes. Remember the other night when my Little League team was playing and both of you were sitting in the bleachers? Well, Mom and Dad, I hope you will not get mad at me, but you kind of embarrassed me. Remember when I went after that ground ball near second base and I booted it? Well, Mom, I could hear you clear out in the infield yelling at the shortstop for getting in my way. Shucks, it was not the shortstop's fault. I just booted the ball. It was my fault. And remember the time I struck out with the tying run at third base? Pop, you should not have cursed the umpire. I was swinging the bat. I missed the first two pitches as far as from here to the corner grocery store. And the third pitch was a beautiful curveball. I stepped in the bucket and the ball broke right over the plate. It was not the ump's fault. The pitcher just fooled me that is all. But what really got me, Mom and Dad, was what happened after the game. Gosh, you should not have jumped our coach for pulling me out of the game. He is a pretty good baseball man, and he knew what he was doing. Besides, he is just a volunteer, helping us kids because he loves sports. And then neither one of you spoke to me the whole way home. I guess you were pretty sore at me for striking out with the tying run on base. I did not mean to strike out. And I did not mean to boot that ball over by second base. I guess I am just a lousy ball player. But I love to play Little League Ball. It is a lot of fun being with the other kids and learning how to compete as a real good sport. But Gosh, Mom and Dad, how can I learn to be a good sport if you do not show me a good example. And anyhow, I thought I was playing Little League Ball for fun, and to have a good time. I did not know you were going to take it so seriously. Your loving son, Johnny PS I hope you re not mad at me, I love you both. Arizona Tournament Ground Rules Page 6