SANDWICH BABE RUTH LEAGUE

BY-LAWS

Article IPLAYERS

  1. Any youth between the ages of 13-15, who has attained the age of thirteen (13) prior to April30th and will not reach the age of sixteen (16) prior to April 30th of the current year will be eligible to participate in the program provided that the player is a resident of the Town of Sandwich.
  2. Any player who moves after the beginning of the season will still be considered eligible to participate in the remainder of the season provided that the player does not register with any other program and attends as required.
  3. Any player who is released by the League or quits may only play again if approved by the Board of Directors.
  4. Any player playing for the High School varsity is not eligible to play until the High School season has ended. Eligibility for All-Star team selection shall be determined by games played starting the day after the last High School game of the season.

Article IICOACHES(Amended 2/08)

  1. Any individual who coaches in Sandwich Babe Ruth League must be approved by the Board of Directors.
  2. All coaches must undergo a pre-approved training program as required by Babe Ruth Leagueinc. andthe Town of Sandwich Recreation Department.

Article IIIGAME RULES(Amended 8/08)

  1. Every effort is to be made to play each game on the day scheduled.
  2. The Home team will make the final determination on whether to play the game in case of rain or poor field conditions. If a game is cancelled, it shall be rescheduled at the first opportunity. The Field Coordinator shall be notified of any cancellations and shall coordinate and approve rescheduled games.
  3. Each game will start on the scheduled time unless there is overlap time from a previous game or if reasonable circumstances prevent it from being so. No full inning shall start after two hours and fifteen minutes (2:15) have expired from the start of the game. This only applieswhen there is a game immediately following the game in question. Games may end in a tie except playoff games. The 2:15 hour rule is waived for tie games during playoffs only.
  4. The Home team will occupy the first base dugoutand will supply two (2) new baseballs for the game with the Visitors supplying one (1). An extra ball, if needed, will be supplied by the Visitors and will then alternate if required.
  5. Pre game warm up will be conducted approximately twenty (20) minutes before the start of the game. The Visiting team will take the field for the first ten (10) minutes, while the Home team will take the field for the last ten (10) minutes and will remain in the field.

Article IVPLAYING RULES

All games shall be played according to the Official Baseball Rules 1.00 through 10.22 with the following exceptions and/or clarifications:

  1. Protective Equipment
  2. Catchers must wear a protective helmet and mask with throat guard during all practices and games including pitcher warm ups.
  3. All Catchers are required to wear a protective cup.
  4. Helmets must be worn by players acting as base coaches.
  5. Designated Extra Hitter
  6. A player can only be the extra hitter three (3) times per season and can’t be utilized in two (2) consecutive games.
  7. A player must be the designated extra hitter for the entire game. He can play in the field only for an individual who is playing the entire game, excepting the pitcher, as long as the player he’s substituting for remains in the game at the same position in the batting lineup. He may play in the field after an injury to another player and there are no other substitutions available.
  8. A team with eleven (11) or more players at the start of the game must have a ten (10) man batting order.
  9. Pitching Rules
  10. There is a maximum of seven (7) innings per week per player
  11. There is a maximum of fourteen (14) innings per week using any combination of fifteen (15) year old pitchers. No individual may exceed the maximum of seven (7) innings.
  12. The week is defined as Monday through Sunday.
  13. Pitchers rest is determined by the following formula:

More than one (1) inning pitched requires one (1) days rest. More than three (3) innings pitched requires three (3) days rest. Any amount of pitching during an inning constitutes one (1) inning pitched.

  1. Players pitching for the High School Freshman team or playing (any position) for the J.V. team may not pitch in Sandwich Babe Ruth League games until their high school season is completed.
  1. Substitution Rules
  2. Each substitute player must play at least three (3) full innings and have at least one (1) plate appearance per game. The innings must be consecutive.
  3. Re-entry Rules
  4. Any of the starting players in the field may withdraw and re-enter once, provided the player occupies the same batting position in the line-up. A substitute who is withdrawn may not re-enter.
  5. Slide Rule
  6. Players reaching home plate must slide if there is a defensive play being made. Otherwise, no slide is required. Catchers must not interfere with the runner if no play is being made.
  7. If a runner attempting to reach home intentionally and maliciously runs into a defensive player in the area of home plate, he will be called out on the play and ejected from the game.
  1. Base Runners
  2. With two (2) outs, the catcher is to be substituted by someone who is not in the line-up. The only purpose for the substitution is to speed up the game. Coaches must make every effort to comply.
  3. There will be no base stealing or advancement on a past ball/wild pitch if there is more than a six (6) run differential.
  1. Slaughter Rule(Adopted 11/05)

a.If a team has a twelve (12) run lead going into the 5th inning or obtains a twelve (12) run lead in the 5th inning or later, the slaughter rule will take affect and the game will be ended. The home team will be afforded their last at bats if they are the team with the twelve run deficit.

Article VTEAM SELECTION (Adopted 4/00)

  1. It is the intent of this League to form teams that are considered equal on a talent basis throughout the entire program. The selection of equal teams is to be performed on an annual basis and players are not guaranteed to remain on the same team year to year.
  2. Players in all age categories shall be ranked by the Coaches knowledgeable of those particular players or based on the results established at tryouts.
  3. Teams will be made up of a maximum of fifteen (15) players while every effort will be made to limit the number of players to plus/minus thirteen (13) in numbers.

Article VIALL-STAR SELECTION (Adopted 4/05)

1. Nominations

  1. Each Coach shall nominate a minimum of one (1) player per age group from his team with a maximum of eight (8) players total from his team.
  2. Each Coach shall use three criteria’s to select a Nominee.
  1. Batting average of regular season from an accurate score book.
  2. Error percentage of regular season from an accurate score book.
  3. Attitude toward Nominees teammates, Coach and the game of Baseball.
  4. Nominees must have played in sixty (60) percent of the regular season games.
  5. Nominees must not have missed fifty (50) percent of the regular season practices.

3.Tryouts

  1. Tryouts should be conducted on the weekend prior to the regular seasons end if possible.
  2. Each age group, (13, 14 and 15 year olds), shall have a separate tryout. The tryout shall consist of:
  1. A minimum of ten (10) infield ground balls.
  2. A minimum of ten (10) outfield fly balls.
  3. A minimum of ten (10)swings of the bat.
  4. Nominees who wish to be considered to pitch or catch shall be afforded the opportunity to do so.

4. Selections

  1. At each tryout there will be a minimum of four (4) “Judges” with the maximum being six (6).
  2. The Judges should be comprised of Board members. Each Judge will be impartial, meaning that he cannot judge a specific tryout if he has a son in that tryout.
  3. No Board member or Coach, with a son trying out, may be on or near the tryout field of play. The Board member or Coach must watch with the rest of the player parents.

d.The Judges from each tryout will confer and select the top ten (10) players from that specific tryout. These selections shall be based on the tryout, regular season batting average, regular season fielding percentage and attitude.

e. The remaining player selections shall be made by the All-Star Coach in each age category. The Coach will select a minimum of two (2) additional players with a maximum of five (5) additional players.

f. Once an All-Star Coach selects the remainder of his/her team, he shall not inform the players of whom the top ten (10) players were. They will all be regarded as “regular roster” players.

5. Coaches

a. All-Star Coaches will be selected in each age category based on the top ten (10) players

selected by the tryout Judges. The Board of Directors will select each Coach, provided that his son is in the top ten (10). If there are no coaching volunteers from the top ten (10) than the Board of Directors will select a Coach who has volunteered from outside of the top ten (10).

Article VIILEAGUE DISCIPLINE

  1. Players and Coaches are expected to maintain a high standard of conduct and sportsmanship. The throwing of equipment, foul and abusive language or gestures and disrespect will not be tolerated.
  2. A player ejected from a game for the second time will be suspended from league play pending a hearing with the Board of Directors. A third ejection will constitute suspension for the remainder of the season, including Tournament play.
  3. Coaches ejected from a game will be subject to disciplinary actions or suspension by the Board of Directors.
  4. If a Coach removes a player from a game or practice for disciplinary reasons, he must notify the players Parent or Guardian in writing or e-mailexplaining the reason(s) why he was removed. A copy of the letter must be forwarded to the League President.

Article VIIIOPEN WOUND POLICY (Adopted 4/00)

  1. A player with an injury involving an open wound or a bloody nose shall be removed from the game and a substitute player shall be entered. If the situation can be treated in a reasonable amount of time, no substitution will be required.
  2. The injured player cannot return to the game until the problem has been corrected and if necessary, the uniform is changed.
  3. Coaches shall ensure that common sense and proper precautions are exercised for anyone involved with the injured player.

Article IXPLAYOFFS(Adopted 11/05)

  1. There will be a single elimination playoff series at the conclusion of the regular season.
  2. All rules and regulations will be the same as the regular season with the exception of:
  3. The two hour and fifteen minute (2:15) time limit shall be lifted.
  4. The home team shall be determined by whoever finished higher in the regular season. If two (2) teams play each other with the same record, than the following process will be followed to determine who will be the home team: 1) Head to head, 2) Coin toss.
  5. Base stealing or advancement on a past ball/wild pitch if there is more than a six (6) run differential will be allowed.
  6. There will be no slaughter rule in effect.

Article XMISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

  1. The Board of Directors will rule upon any situation that may develop, which is not covered by the Official Baseball Rules or these By-Laws, in the best interest of the League.
  2. No umpire shall officiate a league game in which his child’s team is playing. The purpose of this rule is to remove any perception of impropriety.
  3. These By-Laws may be amended only upon a majority vote of the Board of Directors.

8/19/08