This week #4 in Junior Baseball Notes:
This past weeks games and standings will be posted on the District 5 web site on Monday, April 27th.
1. Conduct/Behavior/Ejections: A little disturbing trend reared its ugly head the past week, week and half of play. We have had already 4 ejections from games (last year 14 weeks of play we have 1 ejection), plus I have received reports from our site administrators of other types of behavior that is not really "role model" conducive for our youth. Let me extremely clear on a few things when it comes to conduct and behavior:
A. Reminder--a second ejection by a same individual, and such an infraction will be reviewed by D5 Administration to determine if additional penalities shall be enforced besides the one game suspension. Also, there are NO appeals to any ejection. The blues will be supported and no ejection will be overturned.
B. Umpires: As mentioned at the pre-season manager meetings, the conduct and the approach of the umpires has to be at a high standard at all times. We expect our coaching staffs to have a high conduct standard (which has been a little shaky lately in some quarters) thus it is expected the blues will have the same standard. If a blue does not present this professionalism, then you contact Mr. Bill Fronzaglio (mrbillbiglue@ymail.com) , Upper Baseball UIC and we will investigate the situation. We did have one issue with a blue that was reported to us and it was investigated and dealt with.
C. Umpires: For Junior Silver games we are trying to use some of our young D5 umpires to help them gather the experience and develop like the players as well. For the most part we are using the Tucson AIA Chapter. I want to stress that some of these blues also work high state playoffs, college and PAC-10 games. The blue that does college and PAC-10 games does not take any nonsense from UCLA, they sure as heck are not going to take any snipping from our Junior coaches.
Everyone needs to understand, the blues will make mistakes and sometimes get confused with our rules, because they do so many school games where some of the rules are different--it's just the way it is Remember, the blues will make mistakes, just like every coach. Not everybody umpires the perfect game and no one coach coaches the perfect game.
D. There is to be NO smoking or tobacco chewing while inside the dugout or on the field of play. If you feel the need to smoke or grab a dip, then take it outside away from the field. If you are seen with any tobacco by the umpires or site administrators, you will be directed to leave the playing field.
2. PITCH COUNT RECORDERS:
We had a situation in Gold game yesterday where we had a pitch count descrepancy that was near the end of the game and the pitchers eligiblity. This was a case of both teams pitch count recorders not communicating with each during at the end of each half inning. This process was discussed in detail at the pre-season manager meeting, it is also in our local playing rules that themanagers received at the pre-season meeting Please see the snippet below as it relates to this local rule:
1. PITCH COUNT:
a. Each team will provide a pitch count recorder that records and maintains the pitching records of both teams.
b. Between innings, both team recorders are to communicate and confirm the pitch count.
c. After the game has concluded the both team pitch count recorders are to complete the pitching eligibility affidavit form that is to be signed by the opposing team manager. This affidavit is to remain in the possession of the team manager at all games.
Remember, it is the responsibility of both teams to make sure the pitch counts are correct--not the umpires. If we had communication, the game in question would not have been held up for 10-15 minutes.
At the pre-game meeting at home plate with the umpires each manager is to identify the location of their pitch count recorder and if they are the home team, the location of the official scorekeeper, so the umpires and everybody knows who is where.
3. OFFICIAL GAME/TIME LIMIT: Reminder all D5 Junior Baseball games must first reach regulation 4 1/2 or 5 full innings, then followed by the 2 hour time limit rule. Please find the following local rule, that again was issued to all managers and reviewed at the pre-season manager meeting:
1. TIME LIMIT: All regular season games will have a two (2) hour time limit starting from the game scheduled start time and must reach regulation (4 ½ or 5 full innings) to be declared an official game.
a. Game that does not reach regulation, but reaches the time limit, must be played until the game becomes official. Once the game reaches regulation after the time limit, the game is considered complete and the final score at that point will be the official results
b. An inning starts before the time limit, then that inning is to be completed. All other games, per rulebook and local park curfews.
c. Gold Division game that is tied after 7 innings, the game will continue with extra innings until a winner is declared.
d. Silver Division game that is tied after 7 innings, the game will continue with one (1) extra inning. If no winner is declared after this extra inning is played, then game is declared a “tie.”
e. Gold Division game that is tied after regulation 4 ½ or 5 full innings and reaches the time limit, the game will continue until a winner is declared.
f. Silver Division game that is tied after regulation 4 ½ or 5 full innings and reaches the time limit, the game will continue until a winner is declared or to the maximum of 8 innings.
g. A game that is tied and due to local park curfew or other man made situations (irrigation systems, blackout, etc.) requires the game to be stopped, the game will be suspended and resumed from the point of suspension and re-scheduled by District 5 at a later date and played to completion.
4. ROLE MODEL: We need all our managers, coaches and parents to step up and be a role model for our young athletes who play in this program. What I have seen and heard the past week have been in the minority of the great work that many you are doing, but it has been disturbing. The actions and poor behavior of a coach or coaching staff will be passed along and reflected on the players.
This is a long season and during these tough times for everyone, especially for those families who have had someone lose their job, home, etc. baseball is an outlet for the players and the families and we do not need our coaches adding fuel to this difficult time with poor behavior or actions over a baseball game that is for kids--not for adults.
D5 has in place standards and rules to assure the game is about the young athletes and to project our program in a positive manner to the community---and these such standards and rules will be enforced against those that wish to challenge and continue a pattern of behavior that interferes and becomes a detriment to the objective of providing a program for these young athletes that should be fun and at the same time teach them how to compete and strive to do their best.
With all that said, lets go out and let's enjoy this game and the young athletes that are looking up to us to provide a positive experience.
Bill Leith, D5 ADA Upper Baseball Divisions