Scripps Ranch Little League Player, Parent, Manager & Cach Cdes f Cnduct Preamble Little League Baseball is intended t prvide a fun, safe experience fr kids and their families. Scripps Ranch Little League strives t btain this gal. We als hpe that Little League will help build character by teaching fairness, sprtsmanship, hw t try yur best, hw t play as a member f a team, and principles like respect and respnsibility. In rder t meet these gals, everyne (the league, managers & caches, parents, and players), must wrk tgether. Only then can we truly achieve a safe, healthy and fun experience fr all. T help accmplish this, we have adpted the fllwing Cdes f Cnduct. The Player, Parent, Manager & Cach Cdes f Cnduct are intentinally included in a single dcument, s that each will knw nt nly their rle, but what is expected f thers. Players Cde f Cnduct Players respnsibilities are simple; Be respectful f thers, be respnsible, play fair, always d yur best, and always exhibit gd sprtsmanship. This includes: N verbal r physical abuse f anyne (yu must shw respect twards teammates, ppnents, umpires, fficials, parents, managers r caches). N pr sprtsmanship, befre, during r after games. Listening t and paying attentin t yur Manager and Caches. Remembering that winning a game is the result f teamwrk, and yu are part f a team. Fllwing safety rules, such as n n deck circle, n bats in the dugut, etc. Parents Cde f Cnduct The rle f parents, while quite simple, cannt be verstated. Parents shuld bth supprt and share their children s experiences. Prper supprt and sharing f yur child s experience includes: Nt frcing yur child t participate in sprts. Remembering that children participate in yuth sprts t have fun. Remembering that while parents and adults are essential t Little League, the game is fr the kids. Keeping yur child s manager infrmed f any physical disability r ailment that may affect the safety f yur child. Cmplying with and helping thers t cmply with safety rules, such as: Nt playing catch with players at the game field, n game day. This is bth a safety rule, and a rule designed t make sure that game day is reserved fr the kids. Making sure yur child wns and is wearing a prtective cup in (CAPs divisin and abve. Making sure yur child knws the safety rules (n bats in duguts, n n deck circle, n practice swings, wearing their cup, etc.). Being a psitive rle mdel and exhibiting sprtsmanship at all times, including: 1
Teaching yur child hw t d their best, and regardless f whether they win r lse, t take pride in their effrts, t supprt their team, and t exhibit gd sprtsmanship. Nt vicing disagreement, questining, r cmmenting upn calls and decisins f umpires, managers and caches, r plays/decisins by players. Mistaken calls, mistakes by managers, caches and players are an anticipated part f the game, and as adults, we must teach children sprtsmanship, including hw t accept such mistakes withut getting upset. Gd Sprtsmanship includes recgnizing that smene may have made a mistake, and thugh yu d nt agree with the decisin, yu have sufficient gd sprtsmanship nt t cmment n, questin, r argue abut the mistake. By yur actins, yu teach yur child sprtsmanship teach them gd sprtsmanship, nt bad sprtsmanship. Learn the rules f the game and the plicies f the league. Applaud and cheer yur child, as well as all the ther players (n bth teams). D nt address ridicule r criticism at anyne, including spectatrs, players n either team, fficials, managers r caches. N use f prfanity, n use f alchl at the field, and maintaining Little League s smke free envirnment at the field. Help yur child s manager and caches. They have an imprtant jb t keep the warm-ups, practices and games high energy, safe and fun. Yu can help by getting yur child t the field n time, by helping t prepare the field fr the game, helping t take dwn the field after the game, and by being there n time t pick up yur child. Refrain frm caching their child r ther players during games and practices, unless they are the manager, r ne f the fficial caches f the team. Manager and Cach Cde f Cnduct 1. Safety Obviusly, safety is the mst imprtant aspect f managing and caching. Yur rle, is t persnally fllw, and ensure thers fllw Little League Incrprated and SRLL safety rules! T d this, yu must knw the rules. Take a few minutes t review and learn the rules. Over 60 years f experience went int sptting the areas where serius threats t safety exist, and t implement rules, which if universally fllwed, will substantially reduce the risk f injury in mst areas. Here are sme examples (fr the cmplete list f safety rules, please read the Little League Baseball Rules and Regulatins, as well as the Scripps Ranch Little League Lcal Rules): A) Except in the Junirs Divisin, there is n n deck circle, and players shuld nt be taking warm up swings (unless they are standing at the plate, with the pitcher getting ready t pitch the ball.) Kids swinging bats represents ne f the mst serius threats t safety. Let s face it, kids ften dn t have enugh safety awareness t check t see if anyne is near them when they swing, and similarly, kids ften dn t pay attentin t where they walk r run, and will run right int the path f a player swinging a bat. The result can be devastatingly terrible. The simplest and best way t avid this is t keep all bats ut f the players hands until they are walking up t the plate t bat. This means n bats in the dugut either. 2
2. Fairness B) Adults cannt warm up players n game day at the game field by playing catch with them. If yu put 24 players n the game field, add t this parents, many f whm thrw harder than players, and many f whm may nt catch r avid being hit as well as players, and yu have created a ttally unnecessary safety risk t the kids and parents. Besides, game days are fr the kids, nt the parents t play. Hwever, it is permissible fr managers and caches t thrw infield grunders r utfield flies, and catch the return thrw (but even managers and caches may nt play catch with a player at the game field). C) N adult may ever warm up a pitcher (i.e., n adult shuld ever be in the catcher s cruch, even if it is nt a game day, and even if the cach is wearing a cup and catcher s mask). Remember, kids catch kids. D) While hitting infield, n adult may catch the return thrws at the plate (i.e., shag balls at the plate) while anther adult hits infield. Only the adult hitting the ball may catch the return thrws (it is hard t imagine a cach wuld hit himself in the back f the head with the bat but quite easy t see hw ne cach culd accidentally hit anther cach standing nearby, when he swings t hit the ball). A player may shag return thrws nly if the player is wearing the catcher s helmet and mask. E) Make sure yur equipment is safe, and the players are prperly equipped (all players, frm Caps thrugh Junirs, must wear a cup, all catcher s helmets must have a dangling thrat guard t prtect the thrat), n cracked r brken batter s helmets. F) Unless yu are base caching, helping with the batting Tee (T-Ball and Caps), running the pitching machine (Caps r Maps), r statined in the utfield (T-Ball and Caps), yu must stay in the dugut! If yu are ne arm s length frm the end ple, and able t duck inside the dugut in the event f a ful tip r errant thrw, this is acceptable. G) If yu are in a divisin where players may slide int bases, teach the players the crrect technique befre they get int a sliding situatin and injure themselves. Be fair t all players. We realize that baseball is a cmpetitive game, and that healthy cmpetitin is a gd thing. Hwever, the desire t win must be secndary t fairness, and shuld never result in treating a player unfairly. Gd managers discver hw t be cmpetitive, while als being fair t all the players. Fairness is a subjective term. As a result, we have enacted rules which can be fund in ur Lcal Rules, requiring certain minimum levels f play, etc. In additin, we have adpted the fllwing minimum guidelines regarding ther matters, which we ask that managers and caches fllw. The fair play Rules, enacted in ur Lcal Rules, are s basic (such as assuring players play a minimum amunt f innings, get a minimum number f at bats, etc.), that we have made them mandatry fr every game. Other principles f fair play, are nt as easy t administer, and thus we have made them guidelines fund in this Cde f Cnduct. We have dne s, in recgnitin that exacting rules may be difficult, and because we realize that it is pssible that in a particular game, a particular player may nt play in all the psitins fairness might dictate. By making this a standard, it is ur desire t give managers sme degree f flexibility. Fr instance, if 3
a situatin arises where a manager can nt meet these standards in a particular game, he shuld simply make it up t the player at the next game. The fllwing principles, are principles which ver the curse f a seasn, each manager and cach shuld meet, and indeed, decisins as t wh is allwed t manage r cach in the fllwing year, may be based upn such matters as fund in this Cde f Cnduct, including adherence t safety rules, fair play, etc.: a. In T-Ball and Caps, the gal f managers and caches shuld be, barring safety r ther issues, t assure each player gets the same playing time, the same number f at bats, and equal expsure t all psitins. Players shuld play a minimum f ne inning infield, and ne inning f utfield per game. N player shuld sit ut mre than tw innings in a game, n player shuld sit ut a secnd inning until all players have sat ut ne inning, and n player shuld sit ut tw innings in a rw. Yu shuld be rganized in the preparatin f yur lineups and psitin charts t insure fairness (keep track f wh plays where, and make sure yu rtate fairly). Managers and caches need t exercise their best judgment and cmmn sense when making lineups and psitin charts. If yu have a player wh is nt sufficiently skilled t play infield (this wuld be a very unusual situatin), and the parents agree, yu are nt required t play them in the infield. Similarly, if yu have a player wh struggles t catch a thrwn ball, placing he r she at 1 st base, while yu have a hard thrwing player at the pitcher, r 2 nd baseman psitin, shuld be avided. Other pssible exceptins include players wh are late t the game, r ther disciplinary issues (i.e., a manager r cach has discretin nt t psitin players in the infield wh habitually d nt attend practices, r wh refuse t pay attentin, r are misbehaving, in an infield psitin.) We want t be fair t all players, and t managers and caches as well. b. During the regular seasn in Maps thrugh Minrs AA, the gal f managers and caches shuld be, barring safety r ther issues, t assure that each player receives apprximately equal playing time, at bats, and expsure t playing the infield (nt necessarily every psitin, just time in the infield). Players shuld play a minimum f tw innings in the infield, and ne inning in the utfield, per game (in Maps, the catcher s psitin cunts as an utfield psitin). N player shuld sit ut mre than tw innings in a game, n player shuld sit ut a secnd inning until all players have sat ut ne inning (unless the ther player is pitching, in which case that player can cme ut when he r she is dne pitching), and n player shuld sit ut tw innings in a rw. Unlike T-Ball and Caps, this des nt require players t play each specific infield psitin, merely that they play infield. If a player is nt sufficiently skilled t play shrtstp r pitcher they can play elsewhere in the infield. Managers and caches shuld f curse try t prvide players with expsure at all psitins, including pitcher, but are nt required t d s if in their judgment, the psitin is beynd the skill f the player. Managers shuld be rganized in the preparatin f their lineups and psitin charts t insure fairness. Managers and caches need t exercise their best judgment and cmmn sense when making lineups and psitin charts. If yu have a player wh is unsafe t have play infield (this wuld be a very unusual situatin), and the parents agree, yu are nt required t play them in the infield. Similarly, if yu have a player wh struggles t catch a thrwn ball, placing he r she at 1 st base, while yu have a hard thrwing player at the pitcher r 2 nd baseman psitin, shuld be avided. Other pssible exceptins include players wh arrive late t the game, r disciplinary issues (i.e., a manager r cach has discretin nt t psitin players wh d nt 4
3. Organizatin attend practices, r wh refuse t pay attentin, r are misbehaving, in an infield psitin. We want t be fair t all players, including thse wh d their best, play fair and shw gd sprtsmanship. During the play-ffs in Maps thrugh Minrs AA, all the freging guidelines still apply, except that a player is required t be played in the infield nly ne inning per game. c. During the regular seasn in Minrs AAA and Majrs, the gal f managers and caches shuld be, barring safety r ther issues, t assure that each player receives a fair amunt f playing time, at bats, and expsure t playing the infield. While there are n minimum infield and utfield requirements, managers and caches shuld try t have each player receive sme measure f infield play per game (preferably tw innings). If a player is nt sufficiently skilled t play shrtstp r pitcher they can play elsewhere in the infield. Managers and caches shuld try t prvide players with expsure at all psitins, but are nt required t d s. N player shuld sit ut mre than tw innings in a game, n player shuld sit ut a secnd inning until all players have sat ut ne inning, (unless the ther player is pitching, in which case that player can cme ut when he r she is dne pitching), and n player shuld sit ut tw innings in a rw. Yu shuld be rganized in the preparatin f yur line ups and psitin charts t insure sme reasnable degree f fairness. If yu have a player wh is unsafe t have play infield, and the parents agree, yu are nt required t play them in the infield. Use yur cmmn sense and best judgment when assigning psitins t players wh are significantly less skilled than the average player. Other pssible exceptins include disciplinary issues (i.e., a manager r cach has discretin nt t psitin players wh d nt attend practices, r wh refuse t pay attentin, r are misbehaving, in an infield psitin. We want t be fair t all players, including thse wh d their best, play fair and shw gd sprtsmanship. During the playffs, when we use straight Little League rules including a nn-cntinuus batting rder, the freging guidelines d nt apply. Hwever, all players must play three innings in the field (9 cnsecutive uts). d. Fr the Junirs Divisin. While there are n additinal fair play requirements currently impsed upn the Junirs divisin (beynd thse included in the Little League Rules and Regulatins), managers and caches are strngly encuraged t exercise as much fairness as is feasible during the regular seasn. This includes, where safe t d s, expsure t differing psitins. e. Be Fair t yur Own Child. Sme managers unfairly favr their wn child, sme are unfairly demanding f their wn child. Treat yur child like yu wuld any ther player. Dn t use yur psitin as manager t assign yur child exclusively t the best psitins, and dn t frget t shw yur child the same patience yu shw t ther players. Let yur sn r daughter be part f the team. Be rganized and be n time. Prepare fr the seasn as if yu wanted t make this the greatest seasn yur players have ever had. Cnsider what yu want t teach these players in practices, plan yur practices s they will be high energy, fun, and instructinal. Prepare yur lineups befre arriving at the field, giving thught t fairness. Track the psitins and innings yur players have played, s yu can be fair. Keep yur team s parents infrmed regarding what is ging n. Perhaps a brief weekly newsletter r update will keep them in the lp. 5
Arrive at practices and games n time s the kids will be prperly supervised at all times, and pre-game activities will be prperly taken care f. As a general guideline, yu shuld have yur team arrive an hur t thirty minutes befre game time, depending n the age f the players. In additin, if yu have the first game, yu and ther caches/vlunteers shuld arrive an additinal 30-45 minutes befre the team will arrive, in rder t drag, wet, chalk and prepare the field befre the players begin arriving (again, s that yu can prperly supervise the players when they arrive). Keep yur team s parents well infrmed f events, game times, schedules, practice dates and times, team rules, and any last minute changes. Be sure yur parents knw what t d in the event f inclement weather. Keep in mind, fr mst, Little League is a scial experience, where kids and parents cme t be with friends and have fun. Plan sme fun team building events, and try t make it the best seasn these players and their parents have ever had. 4. Field Preparatin and Maintenance Whether yu are the hme team, r the visiting team, if yu have the first game, bth teams shuld have vlunteers arrive 45 minutes befre yur players will arrive (i.e., if yur players are t arrive 45 minutes befre the game, yu shuld arrive ne and ne-half hurs befre the game). First, drag the field. Secnd, chalk the field (yu can chalk after wetting the field if yu prefer). Third, wet the field. Furth, put dwn the bases, set up any pitching machine, get ut the umpire and base caching equipment. With help field prep is a really easy jb, and the kids will have a great field t play n. If yu dn t get enugh help, field prep. can be quite difficult (yu are trying t prep. the field, while supervise yur arriving players, etc., and this can be quite difficult, and nt safe r fair fr the kids). After the last game f the day, managers and caches shuld inspect and make any repairs necessary t the pitching mund (particularly the area directly in frnt f the rubber, and the landing area), as well as the batters bxes. Typically, repairs will require filling depressins and hles with wet infield clay mix, tamping and raking level. If these repairs are nt made at the end f the day, it is nearly impssible fr the repairs t be made by the team shwing up fr the next scheduled game, as any repairs made shrtly befre the game, wuld nt likely dry by game time. Please be sure t be an adult, and put the equipment back in the shed neatly, s the next guy wn t have t clean up yur mess just t d field prep. Als, BE SURE TO LOCK THE SHED S LOCK, WHILE THE SHED IS OPEN, AND THEN AGAIN AFTER YOU HAVE CLOSED UP THE SHED. Every seasn, manager frget t lck the lck when the shed is pen, and sme enterprising kid wanders ff with the lck, and then later, when the day is ver, the lck cannt be fund, and the shed cannt be lcked up. We als get a surprising number f adults wh frget t lck the shed up. Bttm line, as a result f sheds nt being lcked up, we lse a lt f equipment. 5. Be A Prfessinal Part f baseball, is that umpires, managers, caches, and players, make mistakes. Learning t deal with these mistakes in a prfessinal, calm and sprtsmanlike manner, is ne f the mst significant things fr teaching players sprtsmanship and hnr. Dn t argue, questin, r direct negative cmments at an umpire, ppsing team players, managers, caches, r parents. Managers and caches shuld never make r suggest calls fr the umpire by saying such things as strike, ball, yeah, n, ut, safe, fair, ful during the play. Let the umpire make the call! 6
If an issue arises which requires a discussin, the Manager, and nly the manager must ask fr time ut, and if a time ut is awarded by the Umpire, the manager can then discuss this issue quietly, privately and plitely with the chief (hme plate) umpire and any ther umpire(s) wh are invlved in the issue. The ppsing manager has a right t be present during any such discussin. This discussin is t be a calm, plite cnversatin ut f the hearing range f spectatrs. The gal (particularly with yuth umpires) shuld nt be t dispute, argue r change the call, but shuld be t insure that the umpire understd and applied the crrect rule, and if nt, t have the situatin crrected in a manner nt upsetting t the umpire, players and parents. If the call is nt a call the manager believes is critical, r which he r she feels a prtest is apprpriate, the manager shuld cnsider letting the call, gd r bad, g, and perhaps, alng with the ppsing manager, discuss this call with the umpire a later time, in a manner designed t help the umpire t better understand the rule, and hw a call might be better made in the future. Dn t ever scream at yur players, make negative cmments directed at them, r engage in an emtinal utburst. Such cnduct has n teaching value, ruins the game fr all invlved, and has n place in Little League. Managers and Caches wh shut at players r behave badly, will nt be allwed back the fllwing seasn, and culd be remved immediately, depending n the severity f the situatin. It is a certainty that players will make grss and even hard t believe mental and physical mistakes and errrs, they are after all just kids. Shw patience and understanding, nt anger and intlerance. 6. Cntrl Yur Team Pay attentin t what yur players are ding and saying in the dugut, and n the field. Mre ften that we wuld like t believe, players d and say inapprpriate things, including pushing shving and bullying players n their wn team, making cmments directed at the ppsing players, parents, and smetimes the umpire. Als, sme parents can get t wund up, and say r shut inapprpriate things, such as trying t make r influence umpire calls, questining calls, yelling at ther players, etc. As the team manager, these parents are yur respnsibility. If a spectatr becmes t unruly, the umpire can, at his r her discretin, eject yur team manager (yu). 7. Educate Yurself & Teach Yur Players Take sme time t learn t be a better yuth cach. Attend league clinics (we try t get the best), read n the subject, visit websites, and teach yurself t be a great manager r cach. Measure success in hw much knwledge and skill yur players pick up, while still having fun. If yur players learn gd mechanics and fundamentals, they will likely have greater success, greater success means they will have mre fun n the field and enjy baseball mre. Learn the rules. Attend rules clinics (yu will be surprised hw much yu learn). Learn t teach yur players nt nly hw t catch, thrw and hit, but als, hw t d their best, hw t win and lse with grace, hw t be a part f a team, hw t vercme things like instances f failures and errrs (smetimes their wn and smetimes thse f thers n the team, r umpires), etc. 7