Minutes from April 25, 2018 Meetings - Peterborough Mens Senior Slo Pitch
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Minutes from April 25, 2018 Meetings
League Executive
Meeting Minutes from April 25th 2018
Peterborough Men’s Senior Slo Pitch League
Executive Meeting Minutes – April 25, 2018
Opening:
The meeting of the League Executive was called to order at 9:00 a.m. by President Steve Gardner at the Knights of Columbus Hall.
Present:
Bill McKnight, Dave Dettman, Brian Balcombe, John Russo, Wayne Withers, Vince Bowe, Steve Gardner, Tim Moody, Charlie Lauer, John Holmes. Absent: Peter McCrae, Jim Glynn.
Umpires:
After many years of umpiring for our league Stan MacLean has decided to retire. ACTION: Steve Gardner will invite Stan to throw out the first pitch for the 2018 season. ACTION: Vince Bowe will make arrangements for a card and a $50.00 gift card from King’s Crossing to be given to Stan as a thank you on behalf of all players for his many years of service to the League.
Letter of Concern:
Steve Gardner received a note from one of our players that outlined a number of concerns related to the day of the week (Wed) that the draft and year end banquet are held, why Wed ball players are not forced to move up to Tue/Thur ball and costs related to sponsorship and new sweaters. ACTION: Steve will raise these items at the AGM and then prepare a response based on the feedback at the AGM.
Registration:
At this time we only have 128 players registered so we will be short a couple. We will proceed with the draft as planned with 13 players per team and will attempt to make up the shortfall from Wed ball.
Wed Ball:
There are currently 17 players from last year and another 14 new contacts who have expressed an interest in playing for a potential total of 31 players. John is aware of at least 2 or 3 of these players who would be willing to move up to Tue/ Thur ball so we should be in good shape to address the current shortfall on the teams that will have less than 13 players.
John also expressed a need to get some new sweaters for the Wed League. A number of managers still have the sweaters that their teams wore before all the sweaters were replaced last year. ACTION: John will contact team managers to make arrangements to acquire sweaters for Wed ball.
A motion to increase the current fee for Wed Ball from $50.00 per year to $75.00 per year was made by Steve Gardner and seconded by Vince Bowe. Carried.
Practice Dates:
The City has advised the League that we may not be allowed to use the ball fields until the week starting May 15, 2018 due to the late spring and wet conditions. As such we may not be able to get on the fields for our planned practice dates of May 8th and 10th. We will keep everyone informed through the League website about the status of the fields as we get closer to these dates.
Hotdog Vendor:
Steve Gardner did get in touch with the City to express the League’s support for the return of our hotdog vendor but was informed that current legal matters between the City and the vendor would not allow for his return at this time.
Future Meetings:
The Executive meeting was to be followed immediately by the Managers meeting at 10:00 a.m., the Umpires meeting at 11:00 a.m. and the AGM/Draft at 1:00 p.m.
Adjournment:
A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Bill McKnight and seconded by Vince Bowe. Carried. The meeting was adjourned at 9:50 a.m. by President Steve Gardner.
Minutes submitted by: Charlie Lauer
Minutes approved by: Steve Gardner
Peterborough Men’s Senior Slo Pitch League
Peterborough Men’s Senior Slo Pitch League
Meeting Minutes – June 15, 2018
Opening:
The meeting of the League Executive was called to order at 2:00 p.m. by President Steve Gardner at his residence.
Present:
Steve Gardner, Vince Bowe, Wayne Withers, Jim Glynn, Dave Dettman, John Russo, Peter McCrae, John Holmes, Brian Balcombe, Charlie Lauer, Tim Moody, Bill McKnight.
Player Numbers:
Several teams have had trouble fielding a full team. Some players have now been brought up from the Wed League which will help the situation. For those teams that know they will have less than ten players for a game the managers can request a player of equal or lesser ranking from the Wed league, one of the bye teams or from one of the other teams.
Rule #8 (late for game):
The rule states that a player cannot enter the game after three innings are completed. It also states that they are placed at the bottom of the batting order and if they are not available to bat in the first three innings then they are declared as an “out” when it is their turn to bat.
It seems that late players have not been declared “out” and as such we will be doing this for the remainder of the year.
This rule will be revisited at the AGM next spring.
Rule #2 (pitcher’s box)
The rule States that the pitcher’s rubber is the front of the box and that the pitcher must have one foot on or behind the pitching rubber at the time the ball is released. The rule was put in as a safety measure.
It has been noted that a number of pitchers are getting too close to homeplate when they release the ball. Umpires and mangers will remind pitchers of this rule and umpires will declare pitches illegal if released outside the box.
Rule #7 (sitting out)
The rule states that no player may sit out consecutive innings. We do however recognize that from time to time a player, for legitimate reasons (injury, heat, etc), may have to sit out consecutive innings.
Lead-Offs:
The rule was changed this year to allow for a base runner who loses contact with the bag. However if a runner takes a couple of steps off the bag then they are called out – and yes there have been some runners called out this year.
ACTION – Tim Moody will review this rule with the umpires prior to the start of the playoffs.
Batting Order:
Our League Code of Conduct states that “After the initial four games, it is expected that managers will stick to a particular batting order, wherein the next-to-last out of one game becomes the first batter of the next”.
This is to ensure that all players get equal amounts of playing time. There has been some concern expressed that not all teams are adhering to this code of conduct. As such non-compliance with this code of conduct will result in a default situation for the team.
A motion to put out a written notice to all payers regarding this code of conduct and subsequent penalty for non-compliance (default of game) was made by Jim Glynn and seconded by John Russo. Carried.
Wed Ball:
John advised that he had 20 players out last week and that there are still 5 or 6 willing to move up. ACTION – John will send a list of names to Steve of those willing to move up and Steve will share it with the managers.
Bats:
Dave Dettman will look into acquiring a few more aluminum bats with a variety of weights.
NSA Registration:
About 70% of the players have not completed the online registration form for NSA. This is a requirement for our League insurance.
All remaining players are reminded to complete the form ASAP.
Adjournment:
A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Vince Bowe and seconded by Dave Dettman. Carried. The meeting was adjourned at 3:20 p.m. by President Steve Gardner.
Minutes submitted by: Charlie Lauer
Minutes Approved by: Steve Gardner
Manager’s Meeting – April 25, 2018 at 10:00 a.m.
The League Executive met with all the Team managers prior to the start of the 2018 ball season. Items that were discussed included:
Rule Changes: there were two significant rule changes for 2018. The Lead off/anticipation rule. A runner will no longer be called out if he inadvertently loses contact with the base. And secondly the pitching rule. If only one of your designated pitchers shows up then that pitcher can pitch the entire game. If both pitchers show up then they must split the game 3 innings/4 innings each.
Player Substitution: The managers were reminded about Rule #9 that allows a manager to get replacement players (of an equal or lesser ranking) from the Wed league or one of the bye teams if they are going to have less than 10 players.
Line Up Rotation: After 3 or 4 games the managers are to set their batting order and rotate it throughout the year based on who was last out.
Practice Dates: Due to the late spring and wet conditions our originally scheduled practice dates of May 8th and 10th have been cancelled by the City. If conditions improve and things change there will be a notice posted on the league website.
# of Players per Team: after the draft a couple of teams will be short one player. We plan to bring up players from the Wed league right away to address this issue.
Questions and Answers:
Q – After the draft can a manager trade an outfielder for an infielder from another team? A – No.
Q – Have we looked at other ways to better balance the teams? A – Yes we have looked at a number of options and will raise this question at the AGM.
Q – What about doing the playoffs in late August or through a tournament format? A – These ideas have been discussed but there will be no changes to the playoff format for 2018.
AED – everyone was reminded about the AED which is located in the equipment bunker at the Kinsmen ball field.
Hats – Dave Dettman distributed the new hats to all the managers.
Minutes submitted by: Charlie Lauer
Minutes approved by: Steve Gardner
Peterborough Men’s Senior Slo Pitch League
Umpires Meeting – April 25, 2018 at 11:00 a.m.
The League Executive met with the League Umpires (approx 30) prior to the start of the 2018 ball season.
Umpire in Chief Tim Moody provided some general reminders such as:
Announce calls loudly
Use hand signals
Keep games moving
NSA Rules apply plus League’s unique rules
Home plate umpire covers home and 3rd
Base umpire covers 1st and 2nd
One umpire can ask the other for help (communicate with each other)
Schedule – Tim will attempt to schedule umpires for the game immediately following the game they play that day (recognizing that this will not always be possible). If you can’t make it for a game please find your own replacement. If you still can’t find someone then let Tim know.
Pitch Height – 6 – 12 feet. Too low is easy. Too high is trickier. Try and use a reference point, be consistent, give the pitcher a warning and make the call as early as possible.
Appeals- Any player on the field can request an appeal but only the manager or assistant manger should argue a call.
Batter’s Box – There is no batter’s box, however umpires should watch for any batter’s who are moving out in front of the plate and should warn them to stay back.
Game Balls – There will be a new ball provided every second game (not every game as in the past).
Minutes submitted by: Charlie Lauer
Minutes Approved by: Steve Gardner
Peterborough Men’s Senior Slo Pitch League
Annual General Meeting – April 25, 2018
President Steve Gardner welcomed approximately 60 players to the AGM and then introduced the members of the Executive. A variety of items were then discussed as follows:
Financial – For the past few years the League has usually carried a balance of about $6,000.00 into the start of a new year. This year our balance is down to about $3,000.00. This is largely the result of the reduced number of players in the League, the higher than normal subsidy of the yearend banquet and the new sweaters purchased for most teams last year. The League will also be increasing the registration fee for Wed ball from $50.00 to $75.00.
Registration – We currently have 128 players registered for the draft. We plan to bring up a couple of Wed players to round out the teams to 13/team (130 in total)
Wed Ball – There are currently 17 players from last year and another 14 new contacts who have expressed an interest in playing for a potential of 31 players. John Holmes is aware of at least 2 or 3 of these players who would be willing to move up to Tue/Thur ball so we should be in good shape to address the current shortfall on the teams with less than 13 players.
Social Events - The League golf tournament will be held on July 18th with a rain date of July 25th. The cost will be $75.00/person. There will also be a Cards Night and a Yearend Banquet. The review of last year’s banquet indicated that the majority of players wanted a similar format to last year’s banquet. The cost may have to be raised slightly to address the actual costs for the League. Details for these events will be provided throughout the season as they are firmed up.
Rule Changes – There were two significant rule changes for 2018. The Lead off/anticipation rule; A runner will no longer be called out if he inadvertently loses contact with the base. And secondly the pitching rule. If only one of your designated pitchers shows up then that pitcher can pitch the entire game. If both pitchers show up then they must spilt the game 3 innings/4 innings each.
Bill Bowers Tribute – There will be a special event at Bowers Field on May 2, 2018 to honour Bill Bowers and the great work he did to support baseball in Peterborough over the years. The event will begin at 10:00 a.m. with a game between 2 of Bill’s previous teams – McMillan Sports and J.O. Express. This will be followed by a barbeque at the ball field. All players are encouraged to attend.
Letter of Concern – Steve Gardner shared with the group the contents of a note that he had received from one of our players. In it there were concerns raised about the Banquet being held on a Wed and the Draft being held on a Wed when the League games are always on Tue and Thur. As well the writer expressed concern about Wed ball players not being forced to move up to Tue/Thur ball when the League was short of players. He also raised concerns about the costs associated with sponsorship and new sweaters. These items were discussed and in the end the members present at the AGM did not share these same concerns and were OK with the way these items were currently being addressed.
Balancing the Teams – There was a wide ranging discussion about ways to better balance the teams and the pros and cons of various approaches. By a show of hands it was agreed that we would leave the system the way it is (Rank all the players and do a random draw).
Playoff Format – There was a suggestion from the floor about shortening the season in order to conduct the playoffs by the end of Aug. It was also suggested that this might be accomplished with a playoff tournament at the end of the season. These ideas were discussed; however, the playoff format will remain the same for the 2018 season.
Bats – The safety of pitchers and infielders was raised as it relates to the use of composite bats and the speed with which the ball leaves the bat. A variety of possible solutions were discussed such as aluminum bats only, wooden bats only, a protective screen in front of the pitcher. A motion to use aluminum bats only was made by John Russo and seconded by Len Clancey. Carried.
ACTION: Dave Dettman will remove all the composite bats from the equipment bunker.
Volunteers – Steve Gardner reminded everyone that this League only works if we have members step forward and volunteer. He encouraged all players to take a turn at helping in any capacity they can – And yes we still need one more Manager for this season!!
New Business – There were no additional items raised.
Draft – The annual draft was then conducted and players were assigned to the 10 teams. Best of luck to everyone and remember it is all about having some fun playing ball.