Dresden Baseball Association Handbook
DRESDEN BASEBALL ASSOCIATION (DBA)
Program Handbook
2014 Board of Directors
Dean Lacy – President
John Loftus – Vice President
Edie Morgan – Secretary
Corey Siegel – Treasurer
James Benton
Craig Creelman
Mariruth Galbraith
Travis Sutherland
Susan Zaslaw
Mailing Address
Dresden Baseball Association
P.O. Box 551
Etna, NH 03750
Contents
Dresden Baseball Association Overview …………………………………………………………3
Player Eligibility…………………………………………………………………………………..4
Divisions…………………………………………………………………………………………..4
Program…………………………………………………………………………………………....5
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Policies……………………………………...... 5
Playing On More Than One Team…………………………………………………………...... 6
Playing In More Than One Sport…………………………...... 6
Uniforms……………………………………………………………………………………..……6
Safety………………………………………………………………………………………..…….6
Coaches……………………………………………………………………………………………6
Umpires……………………………………………………………………………………………6
Player and Parent Expectations……………………………………………………………………7
Player Expectations………………………………………………………………………….….7
Parent Expectations………………………………………………………………………….….7
Team Selection Procedure………………………………………………………………..…….…8
Fee Structure and Payment Policies……………………………………………………...………10
Refund Policy……………………………………………………………………………………10
Fund Raising…………………………………………………………………………………….10
Volunteer Opportunities…………………………………………………………………………11
Dresden Baseball Association Overview
Dresden Baseball Association (“DBA”) is an all-volunteer, non-profit, 501( c )(3) corporation that administers and operates a skills-based baseball program each spring/early summer for residents of Hanover, New Hampshire. It is governed by a Board and the Association’s by-laws. DBA is separate and distinct from the recreational baseball programs operated by the Hanover Recreation Department.
The DBA is committed to the development and refinement of its players/ athletic skills through positive competitive experiences, instruction and guidance. We strive to accomplish this by meeting the following objectives:
1)To provide quality instruction in the development of baseball skills within the framework of the fundamental rules and regulations of the sport.
2)To provide guidance to participants with an emphasis on the development of the spirit of fair play and sportsmanship.
3)To provide quality equipment ad adequate field conditions for the participants in DBA.
4)To provide the best-qualified managers, coaches and umpires through screening, evaluation and certification procedures, with an emphasis on the knowledge of baseball rules, ability to relate positively to youth participants, past commitments, dedication, and a pledge to follow the rules, regulations and bylaws of the DBA.
5)To offer experiences for DBA participants to compete with players from outside of Hanover.
6)To continue to oppose discrimination and provide opportunity to all youth without regard to race, color, creed, national origin or gender.
7)To cooperate with other town agencies or organizations in order to foster the purposes and objectives of the DBA.
DBA baseball teams play under the umbrella of the Montshire Baseball Cal Ripken League (MCRL), which comprises teams for the towns of Hanover, Lyme, Norwich, Orford and Thetford. Cal Ripken Baseball is a division of Babe Ruth Baseball, Inc.
Player Eligibility
DBA is open to Hanover residents in the third through seventh grades. However, the Association maintains a strict upper age limit in accordance with Cal Ripken League rules. Players who are 12 years old or younger as of April 30 are eligible to play in the DBA. Players who are 13 years old or older on April 30 are ineligible for DBA programs and should play in the Hanover Recreation Department’s 7th-8th grade program or on a Babe Ruth League team.
Second graders may request to be evaluated for DBA, but are not guaranteed placement on a team (see more information about this process, below.)
Divisions
DBA teams participate in two divisions of Cal Ripken Baseball: Majors and Minors. The Majors and Minors divisions are split by skill level, with the general rule that more experienced, skilled players play at the Majors level, and those who are younger and still developing their skills play in Minors. However, there is no rule regarding age or grade that requires players to play at one level or the other. The idea is to place players at the level that gives them the greatest opportunity for development, success and enjoyment. With a few exceptions, teams in the Majors and Minors divisions play by the same rules.
Players will be assigned to the appropriate division and placed on a team after mandatory pre-season assessments, as follows:
- Players in the third and fourth grades will participate in Minors assessments.
- Second graders may request in advance to participate in the Minors assessment to determine skill readiness and maturity for Minors level play.
- Players in fifth through seventh grades will be assessed for Majors and placed at whichever level best fits their ability.
- Fourth graders may request in advance to be assessed for Majors, and, with approval by the DBA President, may do so only after participating in the Minors assessments.
- Third graders may request in advance to be assessed for Majors, and, with approval by the DBA Board, may do so only after participating in the Minors assessments.
Second grader requests to be assessed for Minors, and third and fourth grader requests to be assessed for Majors, should be submitted via email to by 5 pm on ______. All requests will be considered by the DBA Board, and a decision will be communicated to a player’s parent via email at least one week before player evaluations. See more information about the evaluation process in the Team Selection Procedure section below.
Program
Players in both divisions of DBA will be expected to participate in one or two games and one or two practices a week, travel to away games in the Upper Valley, and engage in competitive play (kids will be pitching, using harder baseballs, employing more exacting rules concerning pitch counts, etc.). The season runs from April through mid-June and may include a season-ending tournament.
In the past, DBA has also offered a variety of pre-season, indoor workout sessions; specialty clinics for pitching, catching, hitting, coaching and other skills; and social events to foster inter-team camaraderie and family fun. These events vary from year-to-year, and are dependent on volunteers to help run them.
DBA teams use the Thompson Terrace, Grasse Road and Farr fields in Hanover for practices and home games; depending upon field availability, other Town fields may be used for practices as well. Though these fields are owned and generally maintained by the Town of Hanover, DBA is actively involved in funding and implementing field enhancements for the benefit of its teams.
Policies
As a member of the Montshire Baseball Cal Ripken League, DBA observes MCRL schedules, rules and policies, in addition to DBA-specific policies. Here are some important policies for you to know about:
Playing On More Than One Team
Players who register and play for an MCRL team are not permitted to play on another baseball team at the same time. There are several reasons for the policy, including fairness to the other players on the MCRL team, and the difficulty in keeping track of pitcher arm usage in multiple leagues.
Playing In More Than One Sport
DBA strongly discourages its players from competitive participation in another sport at the same time as baseball. This helps to avoid schedule conflicts that create unfair practice and game situations for team members and coaches.
Uniforms
Team uniforms are provided to all DBA players. Uniforms include a shirt, baseball pants, belt, cap and socks. Shirts, pants and belts are returned to the Team Manager at the end of the season; players keep their cap and socks.
Safety
The DBA takes player safety very seriously. The following safety rules are enforced for all teams:
- Batting helmets are required to be worn at all times by batters and base runners. Note: Although the DBA provides batting helmets for use by its teams, we strongly recommend that players purchase their own helmet for proper fit and hygienic reasons.
- Cal Ripken League rules regarding pitch counts and inning limitations will be strictly enforced to avoid pitching injuries.
- The use of protective cups is required for all male players, regardless of position played.
- Inclement weather: In the event of thunderstorms during practices or games, players will be removed from the field to appropriate shelter for 15 minutes following the sound of thunder and for 30 minutes following the sighting of lightening.
Coaches
DBA teams are coached by volunteers, typically parents of players, who know and love the sport of baseball. Each team has one Team Manager (head coach) and one Assistant Coach. All coaches are subject to a background check and must have Cal Ripken coaching certification, which is paid for by the DBA. Coaching certification is obtained through an online course which requires two to four hours to complete, depending upon one’s knowledge of baseball.
Umpires
DBA game umpires are scheduled from a regional pool of individuals who are paid a set fee per game. The DBA is always looking to recruit more umpires to add to the pool. If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a certified Cal Ripken umpire, please contact the DBA President for more information. This is a great opportunity for high school baseball players to hone their skills and knowledge while earning some extra money!
Player and Parent Expectations
Honor your commitment to your team: Players named to a DBA team are expected to make the team a priority, to make every reasonable effort to attend all practices and games, and to follow this maxim:
Early is on time; on time is late. Give 100%: Be on time to practices and games, rested and ready to play, with the proper gear, including cleats, glove, proper training/game attire and water. Make the most out of all your training and strive to improve with every opportunity.
Demonstrate sportsmanship: Respect your teammates, coaches, officials and opposing teams at all times. Remember that you represent not only yourself, but your family and team.
Watch baseball: Watching the game is an important part of learning the game. There are many opportunities to watch high-level baseball games in the Upper Valley in addition to televised games.
Take care of yourself: eat well, get enough rest, drink water and avoid things you know you should avoid to keep your mind and body in the best shape possible.
Do your homework: Remember that job #1 for DBA players is to do the best you can in the classroom.
Embrace the Player Guidelines and Rules in the DBA Sportsmanship Guide:
Parent Expectations
Ensure players are at practices and games on time and are prepared: Make sure players have plenty of proper gear, plenty of water and that they arrive well before the start time of practices or games. Follow this maxim: Early is on time; on time is late.
Communicate with coaches: Communication with coaches is essential. If your player will be late or unavailable for practices or games you must let a coach know as far in advance as possible. Lack of communication may affect a player’s playing time in games. Further, it is of critical importance that parents communicate with coaches concerning injuries or any other circumstances that may impact a player’s ability to participate safely.
Keep baseball fun: Measure performance by focusing on your player’s progress, the improvements and what he/she is learning, not wins and losses. This will keep baseball fun and will keep your player engaged and committed to improvement.
Be a supportive spectator: Parental coaching or refereeing for the sidelines can confuse players and create a potentially negative environment during training and games. DBA parents are expected to allow the coaches to coach the game, allow the umpires to manage the game and to offer general words of support, not just to their own player, but his/her teammates as well. The DBA observes a “zero tolerance” policy regarding interactions with umpires by anyone other than the Team Manager.
Remember mistakes are part of learning: Mistakes are a very important part of baseball, and we encourage players to practice new techniques and skills and to learn from mistakes.
Be part of the solution: There are always things that don’t work the way we would like, and we need and appreciate parents’ help in identifying issues and fixing them. We are always trying to improve as an association. We appreciate and welcome constructive criticism.
Embrace the Parent Guidelines and Rules in the DBA Sportsmanship Guide:
Team Selection Procedure
The goal of the selection procedure is to create a reasonable level of parity among all teams in a division, while still leaving coaches the opportunity to select individual players that they are interested in coaching, and recognizing the value of team continuity from year to year. to that end, teams playing under the Dresden Baseball Association umbrella will be selected as follows:
1)Player assessment sessions for Majors and Minors will be held before the start of the regular season. Players’ skills in hitting, fielding and base-running will be evaluated by league coaches and other designated evaluators using a standard evaluation method.
2)All players within each division will receive a numerical skill ranking based on assessments, prior season reviews or other means of evaluation. All review for an individual player will be averaged to the nearest 0.1 and will be used as the basis for team selections.
3)Each team may have one official designated team Manager and one official designated Assistant Coach. Children of the official Manager and Assistant Coach are automatically assigned to the Manager’s team.
4)Two “experienced” pitchers and one “capable” catcher (determined through prior experience or reasonable expectations of their ability to play these positions regularly during the season) will be designated to each team. Assignment of pitchers and catchers should be done by mutual agreement of the Managers of all teams in each division. In the event that mutual agreement cannot be reached, a “draft” may be used to assign pitchers and catchers to teams, with teams picking both pitchers and catchers one at a time in an agreed upon order until each team in a division has these positions filled.
5)All remaining players determined to be eligible to play in the division will be listed in descending order by skill level (based on ranking) for all league Managers to see. Because all DBA players are currently assesses at the same time, no division by age is necessary. At such time in the future as assessments are done differently or at different times, it may be advisable to further categorize players by age as well.
6)A selection will determined (number draw, coin flip, etc.) for each team in the division. A “snake” draft or selection process will then proceed. Teams will proceed in the assigned order to select players from list (one team selects one player, and then the next team selects one player, etc.) Once each team has selected players in the assigned order, the order is then reversed. the order of draft alternates in this order until all eligible players are assigned to teams in the division.
7)At the end of the selection process, the numerical rankings of ALL players for a team will be totaled with the goal being that all teams within a division should have a numerical sum skill ranking within three points of each other. In the event that the numerical sum skills rankings are outside of this range, teams should attempt to get within the range by trading players, inasmuch as possible.
The above procedure applies to ALL players within a division without exception.
Fee Structure & Payment Policies
Separate registration fees are required to participate in the pre-season and regular/post-season activities. Please refer to the Dresden Youth Baseball website for information about the current season’s fees. Registration fees cover insurance, uniforms, equipment, umpire payments, etc. Scholarships are available to families in need – please make a confidential inquiry to the DBA Registrar for more details.
All player registrations and fees are accepted through DBA’s secure online registration system. Please go to for additional information.
Refund Policy
No refunds will be given for any DBA-sponsored out-of-season activities, such as Winter Workouts, as these activities typically involve rental of facilities, payment of instructors, etc.
The refund policy for regular season baseball fees is as follows:
- 100% refund up until the day before scheduled assessments begin
- 50% refund after assessments have taken place, but prior to team selection night
- No refunds after teams have been selected
Check the DBA online schedule at for the relevant dates. Exceptions to the above policy MAY be made, at the discretion of the Board, for situations involving hardship, illness or injury.
Fund Raising
Most of the basic financial needs of the DBA program are met through the season registration fees. Annual expenses include: