For Managers, Coaches, Parents,
Players
and Others of High Moral Fiber
What is Chelmsford
Youth Baseball?
Who owns and maintains the
fields that CYB uses?
The season is
approaching. When will I hear what team my child is on, and about the schedule?
What are the rules regarding
batting order and playing time in the field?
Do we call the infield fly
rule?
If one base runner passes
another base runner, who is out?
If one base runner runs
into or touches another base runner, who is out?
If two base runners occupy
the same base, who is out?
If a base runner fails to
slide on a close play, he is out, right?
Can
a base runner run over the first baseman?
What are the rules regarding
who can pitch and how much?
Can my catcher wear his
own equipment?
A tie goes to the runner,
right?
What can one do if one thinks
the umpire has made a bad call?
We have a player who has missed
numerous practices and games. Do we have to play him?
We have a player who
repeatedly has been disruptive on the bench. What can we do?
What fields do we use
for practices and games? Where are they?
How frequently do we
practice?
Where can we practice, and
how can we schedule a field to practice?
What is the procedure for
canceling games due to rain, snow, sleet and/or pestilence?
What’s the rule regarding
stopping of play due to thunder and lightning?
What do we do to reschedule
games that get rained out?
Can managers or
the league reschedule a game if one or more teams cannot field a team?
What happens if a
playoff game is stopped by bad weather?
What awards and trophies
are bestowed each year?
Can we add names to the back
of shirts?
What’s the deal with
CORI forms?
What do we do for all-star
games?
What is the criteria for
selecting all-stars?
What do we do with these
“Game Result” forms?
What are the responsibilities
for the home team for each game? What about the visitors?
Do we have to cover the
Refreshment Stand even if our game is canceled?
We showed up for a game at
HS2 and the high school JV was playing. What’s going on?
In most divisions,
kids get re-assigned to different teams each year. Why is this?
Can a manager or parent
request placement of a given player to a given team?
Chelmsford Youth Baseball,
Inc., founded in 1952 as Chelmsford Little League, Inc., is a Massachusetts
non-profit corporation managed and operated strictly by volunteers. The objective of CYB is to implant in the
youth of the community the ideals of good sportsmanship, honesty, loyalty,
courage, and respect for moral authority, to help youths grow into well
adjusted, strong, happy, decent, healthy and trustworthy adults. To achieve
this objective, CYB provides supervised programs of competitive baseball games
consistent with the rules and policies of Babe Ruth, Inc., baseball. All
adult participants in CYB are directed to bear in mind that stressing
exceptional athletic skills or winning games is secondary, and that moral, fair
leadership and the setting of a good example are our prime tasks.
CYB has divisions for
children from ages 5 to 15, and for children with disabilities from ages 8 to
18. For details on which division your child should play in, click the Divisions by Age button on the left.
It is common for kids to
join CYB at any age. Any child who is age-eligible can start playing at any
age, whether that age is 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 or 15 (or, in the
case of children with disabilities, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 or
18).
The main CYB complex on
Route 110 is on ground that is owned by the Town of Chelmsford and leased to
CYB. The fields and buildings at the complex are 100% owned and maintained by
CYB.
Other fields that we use
around town are owned by various Town of Chelmsford entities, including the
School Department, the Recreation Department, the Parks Division, and Public
Works. Maintenance on those fields is provided by various town agencies, with
significant contributions in time and money by CYB.
Ayotte Field in North
Chelmsford, which is used by the High School teams and occasionally by Senior
Majors and Senior Farm teams, is privately owned but maintained by the town.
The fields at the 110 CYB
complex are scheduled by and used exclusively by CYB.
The town issues permits
for use of the other fields. From approximately March 25 until the end of June,
CYB has permits for most of the available time on most of the available fields.
If you wish to use a ball
field during the spring season, check with CYB, although chances are good that
no field will be available, because they really are used most of the time.
During the rest of the year, check with Chelmsford Community Education (http://www.chelmsfordcommunityeducation.org),
who issues the permits.
In no particular order…
Shaun Scully was a
Chelmsford resident and ex-Chelmsford Little League player who died in a
construction accident while working as an engineering intern in college. The
firm he was working for built Scully Field at the CYB Route 110 complex in his
memory.
Fitts
Field at the CYB Route 110 complex is named for local resident and police
officer Peter Fitts, who was heavily
involved in Chelmsford youth baseball in the early days of the organization.
Lupien
Field at the CYB Route 110 complex was named after Albert Lupien, a prominent
local athlete who later played baseball professionally. His brother, Ulysses John “Tony” Lupien, also played Major
League ball for several years.
Greenman Lane, inside the
CYB complex on Route 110, is named for George Greenman, currently president of
CYB, who has been working in many capacities for Chelmsford youth sports and
CYB in particular since life first emerged from the primordial ooze.
Donoghue Way, inside the
CYB complex on Route 110, is named for Robert Donoghue, who was a Vice
President and driving force for Chelmsford Youth Baseball (and Chelmsford Little
League before it) for approximately 1,000 years. He retired from official
participation in CYB in 2008, although he is still active behind the scenes in
many ways. Bob’s son, Mike, is the general manager of CYB, responsible for the
facility maintenance and daily activities of CYB, and the individual who
without question volunteers more time to CYB year in and year out than any other person;
some folks believe the street is named for him, and he certainly deserves a
street or at least an alley, but the original Donoghue Way is in fact named for
his Dad.
Ayotte Field, located in
Varney Park in North Chelmsford, is named in honor
Harry Ayotte for all he has done over the years to promote youth sports in town.
The Gorham
Batting Cage, adjacent to Volunteer Field, is named for David Gorham, a
long-time manager, coach and volunteer who was involved with Chelmsford’s youth
baseball and basketball programs for many years.
The Clancy
Batting Cage, adjacent to 110-Lupien Field, is named for John “Jack” Clancy, a
long-time manager, coach and volunteer who was involved with Chelmsford’s youth
baseball and basketball programs for many years.
Roberts Field is named in
honor of somebody named Roberts who did something. (I have not been able to
learn any more about this one.)
Before the season begins,
each division has a Manager’s Meeting at which time the managers are given
their team roster and schedule. Managers are asked to contact all the kids on
their rosters within a few days of the meeting. If more than a week passes
after the manager’s meeting for your division, feel free to contact your
division VP to see what’s happening.
The schedule for the
Manager’s Meetings can be found in the CYB calendar. Go to http://www.chelmsfordyouthbaseball.org
and click the Events Calendar button
on the left.
Contact information for
the division VPs can be found in the Board of Director’s listing. Go to http://www.chelmsfordyouthbaseball.org
and click the Board of Directors
button on the left.
If you are not certain
which division your child will be playing in, check the “Divisions by Age” page.
Go to http://www.chelmsfordyouthbaseball.org
and click the Divisions by Age button
on the left.
Batting order
Tee Ball
All
players on a team bat each inning, regardless of the number of outs. After the
last batter hits the ball, the half-inning ends when s/he is out on the bases, or
the third out is made, or a defensive player tags home plate with the ball.
Minors and Farm Extension
All
players on a team bat in rotation with no substitutions. A half-inning ends
when three outs are made or five runs are scored.
Youth Farm AA and Youth Farm AAA
All
players on a team bat in rotation with no substitutions. If a player arrives
after the start of the game, he or she is immediately inserted LAST in the
line-up. If a player shows up after that player, he or she is then immediately inserted
LAST in the line-up.
A
half-inning ends when:
(a) three outs are made, or
(b) five runs are scored, or
(c)
the final
legal batter in an inning hits a home run out of the park. If this occurs,
the hit is recorded as a home run, all base runners score, and all scores are
counted, even if this brings the total number of runs scored in the inning to
more than five. The inning is then considered complete.
Youth Majors
Teams
will play with a batting order of 10, including a DH (designated hitter). See
Local Rule YLM.3 for details. Every player present
must have at least one at bat in each game.
Senior Farm
All
players on a team bat in rotation with no substitutions. If a player arrives
after the start of the game, he or she is immediately inserted LAST in the
line-up. If a player shows up after that player, he or she is then immediately inserted
LAST in the line-up.
A
half-inning ends when:
(d) three outs are made, or
(e) five runs are scored, or
(f)
the final
legal batter in an inning hits a home run out of the park (only applies on
fields that have outfield fences). If this occurs, the hit is recorded as
a home run, all base runners score, and all scores are counted, even if this
brings the total number of runs scored in the inning to more than five.
The inning is then considered complete.
Senior Majors
Teams
will play with a batting order of 10, including a DH (designated hitter). Every
player present must have at least one at bat in each game. See Local Rules SLM.2 and SLM.3 for details.
Playing Time
Tee Ball
All
team players should be positioned on the field during defensive innings. All
coaches shall be positioned behind defensive players.
Minors and Farm Extension
Free
defensive substitutions are permitted. Every player must play defensively at
least every other inning; that is, no player may ever sit on the bench for two
consecutive defensive innings. Managers are encouraged to play players at
a variety of positions; every child should have at least one inning of play in
the infield in each game.
Youth Farm AA and Youth Farm AAA
Free
defensive substitutions are permitted. Every player must play defensively at
least every other inning; that is, no player may ever sit on the bench for two
consecutive defensive innings. All players must play 4 defensive innings in a 6
inning game for teams with 13 players or less on their roster. See Local Rule YLF.5 for details.
The job of each manager is to have the best record
he can have within the constraints of developing all the players and balancing
playing time. All assistants and parents need to understand
this.
Youth Majors
Each
player must play 3 full innings defensively, and must bat at least once per
game. The only exception to this rule is for a 5 1/2-inning game or a game
called for darkness or inclement weather.
Senior Farm
Local
Rule SLF.2 provides that defensive playing time must
be roughly balanced to insure the development and fair play of all
participants. This includes provisions that
(a) Free defensive substitutions are permitted.
(b) Every player must play defensively at least every
other inning; that is, no player may ever sit on the bench for two consecutive
defensive innings.
See
Local Rule SLF.2 for details.
CYB also recommends that in SLF, kids should be
learning to specialize at one or maybe two infield positions, and one or maybe
two outfield positions. You’re not doing a kid any favors by having him play different
and unfamiliar positions in game after game.
The job of each manager is to have the best record
he can have within the constraints of developing all the players and balancing
playing time. All assistants and parents need to understand
this.
Senior Majors
Each
player must play 3 full innings defensively, and must bat at least once in
games of 6 or 7 innings. In games of 5
1/2 innings or less, particularly during April and May, each player must play 2
full innings and bat at least once.
Tee Ball, Minors, Farm Extension,
Youth Farm AA and Youth Farm AAA
No.
Youth Majors, Senior Farm, Senior
Majors
Yes
-- and let’s review the rule. The idea of the infield fly rule is to eliminate
easy double and triple plays that can result from infield pop-ups when there
are players on 1st and 2nd, or 1st, 2nd,
and 3rd, with fewer than two outs. If a player intentionally drops an easy infield
fly in such a situation, conscientious base runners will not have tried to
advance, so the fielder will almost certainly be able to get force plays at
home, 3rd and 2nd. The infield fly eliminates this
possibility.
However,
please remember that the infield fly is NOT an automatic call, as there is a judgment
component. Here’s the rule.
Rule
2.00 - Definitions - Infield Fly:
"An
Infield Fly is a fair ball (not including a line drive nor an attempted bunt)
which can be caught by and infielder with ordinary effort [my emphasis],
when first and second, or first, second, and third bases are occupied, before
two are out."
There
is more in the rule book about how and when the Infield Fly rule is invoked,
but the key here is the phrase "with ordinary effort." If the umpire
judges that a play cannot be made with an ordinary effort – if he thinks it’s
going to take a pretty good play to make the catch – he will not call it an
infield fly. This is a judgment call and may not be argued.
Tee Ball, Minors, Farm Extension,
Youth Farm AA and Youth Farm AAA
No.
Youth Majors and Senior Majors
Yes.
Senior Farm
Sort
of. According to rule, we do call balks. As a matter of practicality, since
none of the 13-year-olds have ever dealt with players leading, or with pitching
from the stretch, or with all the balk rules that therefore come into play for
the first time, we usually give warnings and explain infractions for the first
several games of the year, and start enforcing the rules strictly towards the
end of the year. Managers are advised to learn the balk rules and teach them,
and to be sure they discuss whether and how balk rules will be enforced at the
umpire’s conference before each game begins.
7.08: Any runner is out
when he (h) passes a preceding runner before such runner is out.
If one base runner runs
into or touches another base runner, neither is out or penalized, unless one runner passes the
preceding runner. If one base runner merely runs into or touches another base runner,
play proceeds as if nothing happened.
Rule 7.03: Two runners may
not occupy a base, but if, while the ball is alive, two runners are touching
the base, the following runner shall be out when tagged. The preceding runner
is entitled to the base.
Wrong. The first thing to
remember is, “slide or avoid contact.” If a runner fails to slide and there is
a collision, the runner is out. However, the runner may also stop short to
avoid a collision, and/or step around a fielder, as long as he does not leave
the baseline to avoid a tag in so doing (in which case he is out), and as long
as he does not “hinder” or “confuse” (2.00 INTERFERENCE (a) ) a fielder in the
act of making a play on the ball, in which case he may adjudged guilty of
interference and be called out. But the idea that the runner must slide or be
automatically called out is incorrect.
If the runner fails to slide
and there is a near collision, or if the runner fails to slide and the fielder
is “hindered” or “confused” by the
runner’s actions, the runner may be called out if the umpire rules that the
runner unnecessarily created a dangerous situation that should have been
avoided with a slide.
Note: Little League
rule 7.08 (a) (3) specifically states that on a close
play, a runner must slide or avoid contact, or be ruled out if failure to do so
results in a collision or hinders the ability of the defensive player to make
the play. The Babe Ruth League rulebook does not include a rule 7.08 (a) (3),
remaining strangely silent on this specific issue. However, even with this lack
of specific language, the effect of the rule is the same, as explained in our Local Rule 25 and Babe Ruth League Rule 2.00 INTERFERENCE.
When in doubt, slide!
See Local Rule 25
and Babe Ruth League Rule 2.00 INTERFERENCE for details.
If the fielder has the
ball in his possession, he may block access to the base while attempting to tag
a player out. If the fielder blocks a base or in any way impedes the progress
of a runner while he does not have the ball in his possession and is not in the
act of making a play on the ball, he is guilty of obstruction (Babe Ruth League
Rule 2.0, OBSTRUCTION). If the fielder blocks a base while he does not have the
ball in his possession, but while he is in the act of fielding a hit or thrown
ball, and in the opinion of the umpire the fielder had no choice but to be in
that location to attempt the play, he is not guilty of obstruction, and the
runner must slide or avoid contact. Otherwise, he is guilty of interference
(Babe Ruth League Rule 2.0, INTERFERENCE).
Generally,
NO, but it depends. Let’s consider a typical infield play, such as a
bases-empty ground ball to the second baseman, who throws to the first baseman
in an attempt for an everyday 4-3 putout.
Some
general guidelines:
With
all these rules to consider, the umpire has a lot of leeway, and this is a 100%
judgment call. So:
Tee Ball and Minors
The
players don’t pitch.
Farm Extension
Pitchers
may pitch up to 3 innings per game and 6 innings per week. For all the FEX
pitching rules, see Local Rules FEX.11 through FEX.16.
Youth Farm AA and Youth Farm AAA
Pitchers may pitch up
to 3 innings per game and 6 innings per week. Even a single pitch thrown in an
inning constitutes an “inning pitched.” Having pitched up to three innings in a
game, a player must have a day of rest before pitching again.
Regardless of
innings pitched, for games 1 thru 6 of the season, a player may pitch a maximum
of 65 pitches per game, and for the remainder of the season and playoffs, a
player may pitch a maximum of 85 pitches per game. For all the Youth Farm
pitching rules, see Local Rules YLF.6.
Youth Majors
Pitchers may pitch up
to 6 innings per week. Even a single pitch thrown in an inning constitutes an
“inning pitched.” A pitcher who pitches up to three innings in a game must have
a day of rest before pitching again. A pitcher who pitches more than three
innings in a game must have three days of rest before pitching again.
Regardless of
innings pitched, for games 1 thru 6 of the season, a player may pitch a maximum
of 65 pitches per game, and for the remainder of the season and playoffs, a
player may pitch a maximum of 85 pitches per game.
For all the Youth
Majors pitching rules, see Local Rules YLM.4, YLM.5 and YLM.6.
Senior Farm and Senior Majors
A
pitcher may pitch a maximum of 7 innings in a given week. Even a single pitch
thrown in an inning constitutes an “inning pitched.” A pitcher who pitches up
to three innings in a game must have a day of rest before pitching again. A
pitcher who pitches more than three innings in a game must have three days of
rest before pitching again.
Regardless
of innings pitched, a pitcher may pitch no more than 95 pitches in a day.
In
Senior Farm, individual 15 year-old players may pitch up to 3 inning per week,
and all 15 year-olds combined may pitch no more than four innings per week per
team.
For
all the Senior Farm and Senior Majors pitching rules, see Local Rules SL.2, SL.3, SL.4,
SL.5, SL.6, and SLF.12.
This is covered by Local
Rules YLF.2, YLM.6, and SL.6:
Youth Farm
YLF.2
Any player who is
on the roster for any other organized baseball team may play or continue to
play in Youth Baseball, including playoffs, subject to the following
conditions:
YLF.2.1 The player, regardless of playing position on the
other organized team, may not pitch in Youth Baseball, including playoffs,
until the season for the other organized team concludes or the player withdraws
from the other organized team.
YLF.2.2 The player must, during schedule conflicts, make
his/her participation in Youth Baseball the priority.
YLF.2.3 Any player missing three or more practices and/or
games, due to scheduling conflicts with another organized team may be removed
from the Youth Baseball roster upon the request of the team manager and
approval of the Division Vice President.
Youth Majors
YLM.6
Any
player rostered on any other organized baseball team
may play or continue to play in Youth Baseball, including playoffs, subject to
the following conditions:
(A) The
player, regardless of playing position on the other organized team, may not
pitch in Youth Baseball, including playoffs, until the season for the other
organized team concludes or the player withdraws from the other organized team.
(B) The
player must, during schedule conflicts, make his/her participation in Youth
Baseball the priority.
(C) Any
player missing three or more practices and/or games, due to scheduling
conflicts with another organized team may be removed from the Youth Baseball
roster upon the request of the team manager and approval of the Division Vice
President.
Senior
Farm and Senior Majors
SL.6
Any player rostered on
any other organized baseball team may play or continue to play in Senior
League, including playoffs, subject to the following conditions:
(A) The
player must submit the other team's schedule to his/her Senior League manager.
(B) If
the player throws one pitch in a game for the other team, he/she cannot pitch
in the remainder of the Senior League games, including playoffs, until the
organized team season is over or until a written notice is received from the
team manager indicating the manager will no longer use this player as a pitcher
for the organized team; thereafter the player may be used as a pitcher.
(C) The
Senior League team manager assumes responsibility for the player’s compliance
with these conditions. A violation will
result in forfeiture of all applicable games.
Tee Ball, Minors, Farm Extension,
Youth Farm AA, Youth Farm AAA, Youth
Majors
No
on-deck batters are allowed.
Senior Farm and Senior Majors
You
may have one on-deck batter, who must wear a helmet and stand well away from
the plate.
Yes, as long as the equipment complies with the
rules. The manager or a coach must bring any catcher’s equipment that is not
supplied by the league to the CYB Equipment Manager and have it inspected and
approved before using it in a game or at a practice.
For safety reasons, the CYB Board is adamant that
we follow these regulations closely. The regulations in the rulebook state:
During the game, catchers
must wear a catcher's helmet (with face mask and throat guard), supporter and protective cup, chest protector and shin pads.
At all times, when a
player gets into a crouching position to catch a pitcher, the player must wear a
catcher's helmet, face mask and throat guard. This applies between innings and
in bullpen practice.
Important: Any time a player gets into a crouching
position to catch a pitcher, whether at a game, during a warm-up, or in
practice, on the mound, in a bullpen, or at any location on or near a field, s/he
MUST have a catcher's mask on, as well as a throat guard. ALL catcher's masks
need the dangling throat guards if they are to be used.
WRONG! Rule 7.08(e) says, “Any runner is out when… he
fails to reach the next base before the fielder tags him or the base, after he
has been forced to advance by reason of the batter becoming a runner.” That’s
right -- it says that the runner has to get to the base BEFORE the fielder tags
the runner or the base. A play where the runner and the fielder get to a base
EXACTLY at the same time is highly unlikely, but if it were to occur, the
runner would be out for failing to get to the base BEFORE the ball.
By the way, this language
is different from the language in the Little League rulebook, which is much
more convoluted on this rule, but is consistent with MLB’s
Major League Rule 7.08(e).
So you’ve been wrong for
all these years. :-)
There are a few things you
should know.
Unless you take certain
steps, you must play every player who shows up for a given game as long as s/he
is on your roster. CYB Local Rules Section 1 Rule 5 says:
Any
player missing three or more practices and/or games without prior notification
to the manager and without valid reason(s) may be suspended for a game subject
to approval of the Division Vice President.
Any manager proposing such action shall inform the respective Division
Vice President and provide him/her with the reason in writing. Any subsequent absences shall be referred to
the Board of Directors for appropriate action.
However, the Division VP
is unlikely to approve any suspension unless the manager has been proactive
about dealing with the problem. Managers are expected to make sure parents know
that missing practices is a problem. If a player does miss a practice without
explanation, the manager needs to tell the child that he needs to notify the
manager when he is going to be absent. If the problem recurs, the manager must
speak to the parents. Only if the parents know of the problem and know of the
consequences, and still the player is having unexcused absences, will a
suspension be approved. This is especially true during the playoffs, when a
convenient suspension of a less-than-excellent player may give a team an
advantage.
First, you need to
understand what is required of you and your players, and what you can do if
there are problems. Rules that govern player’s behavior are scattered all over
the rule book, but include sections 3.02, 3.09, 3.14, 3.15, 4.05 - 4.08, 4.15,
8.02, 9.01, 9.05, and Local Rule Section 1, Rules 5 and 6. To summarize:
So, if a player is
disruptive on the bench, you want to do something like this:
Explain that such behavior
is specifically against the rules (Rule 3.09) and that such behavior can lead
to disciplinary action. (See the item above.)
Absolutely not. Physical
punishment is not permitted in CYB.
In Youth Majors and Senior
Majors, rules allow for a DH, but limit how often a player can play that
position. Any exception to this rule would have to be presented to the Division
VP and Board of Directors for consideration.
For all other divisions, the
rules make no allowance for a DH. However, in the spirit of letting kids play, and
based on the advice of the president of CYB, Division VPs would probably allow
a player to DH in this circumstance. It is likely that the Division VP would
require a doctor’s note that specifically states that the player may bat but
may not play in the field.
As long as a parent gives
the child permission to play, either verbally (to you) or in writing, you can
and must play him/her. Of course, you need to exercise caution and minimize
risk and stress to the injured area.
Tee Ball
Practices
are held before games at Roberts-Tee Ball, which is the Tee Ball field at Roberts
Field on Old Westford Road. For directions, click the Facilities button on the left side of the screen.
Minors
Games
are held on Roberts-Lupien and Roberts-Fitts fields. Practices are also held at
Roberts-Lupien and Roberts-Fitts, and may also be held at the Parker Fields and
the High School Fields. For directions, click the Facilities button on the left side of the screen.
Farm Extension
Games
are held on Roberts-Lupien, Roberts-Fitts and Strawberry Hill fields. Each Farm
Extension team also plays one night game under the lights on 110-Fitts or
110-Lupien. Practices are held on Roberts-Lupien, Roberts-Fitts, and Strawberry
Hill, and may also be held on the Parker Fields and the High School Fields. For
directions, click the Facilities
button on the left side of the screen.
Youth Farm AA and Youth Farm AAA
Games
are held on 110-Lupien and 110-Fitts fields. Practices are held on 110-Lupien
and 110-Fitts, and may also be held at the Parker Fields and the High School
Fields. For directions, click the Facilities
button on the left side of the screen.
Youth Majors
Games
are held on 110-Scully field. Practices are held on 110-Scully, 110-Lupien and
110-Fitts, and may also be held at the Parker Fields and the High School
Fields. For directions, click the Facilities
button on the left side of the screen.
Senior Farm and Senior Majors
Games
are held on Volunteer field, High School 1 (HS1), High School 2 (HS2), and
occasionally on Ayotte field. Practices are also held on those fields and
sometimes on the wide open space at the High School fields. For directions,
click the Facilities button on the
left side of the screen.
Tee Ball
These
are little kids, so long and frequent practices and games are inappropriate and
impractical. Practices that run for 30 to 45 minutes are conducted right before
games; the games themselves last about an hour. There are practices/games twice
a week (on Saturday and a weeknight) from late April until about the time
school ends in June. The season ends with a Skills Day.
Minors and Farm Extension
Pre-season
practices begin in early April. Teams will typically have five or six practices
before the regular season begins. There are regular season games twice a week (on
Saturday and a weeknight) from late April until about the time school ends in
June. During the regular season, coaches are encouraged to have one practice a
week. The season ends with a Skills Day.
Youth Farm AA and Youth Farm AAA
Pre-season
practices begin in late March. Teams will typically have five or six practices
before the regular season begins, and managers may schedule a pre-season
scrimmage or two. The regular season runs from mid-April to early June, with
(usually) two games a week (on Saturday and a weeknight). During the regular
season, managers are encouraged to have one or more practices a week based on
the schedule and the needs of the team. All teams make the playoffs, which run
from early to late June. Managers usually schedule practices during the
playoffs.
Youth Majors
Pre-season
practices begin in late March. Teams will typically have six or more practices before
the regular season begins, and managers usually schedule a pre-season scrimmage
or two. The regular season runs from mid-April to early June, with (usually)
two games a week (on Saturday and a weeknight). During the regular season, the
league assigns a Sunday practice every week for every team, and managers usually add a practice during
the week based on the schedule and the needs of the team. Playoffs run from
early to late June. Managers usually schedule practices during the playoffs.
Senior Farm and Senior Majors
Pre-season
practices begin in late March. Teams will typically have six or more practices and
a pre-season game or two before the regular season begins. The regular season
runs from mid-April to early June, with (usually) two games a week (on Saturday
and a weeknight). During the regular season, at least one practice per week is
assigned by the league. Managers may add or subtract practices based on the
schedule and the needs of the team. Playoffs run from early to late June.
Managers may schedule practices during the playoffs.
Scheduled Practices: The various divisions assign practices. See your
team’s schedule. To check for field availability, you may check with your
division VP, or…
Guerilla Practices -- Weekdays: On weekdays, the usual case is that all fields are
all in use by a Youth, Senior or High School team. Furthermore, even on the
rare days when Youth League fields (110-Scully, 110-Fitts, 110-Lupien,
Volunteer) are open, they are usually scheduled for grass cutting and other
field maintenance. Therefore, the easiest way to go is to schedule a practice
for the High School or Parker fields and then use whatever space is available.
You may or may not get a field, but you can probably find some space where you
can set up a diamond and get in some work. Such a practice is sometimes called a “guerilla
practice”.
Guerilla Practices -- Saturdays
Forget
it. You have games every Saturday, and all the fields are fully utilized.
Guerilla Practices -- Sundays
Sundays
are a great days for practices, with a few provisos. First of all, Sunday is
often used for make-up games, so you may lose some practices because you have
to make up a game. Second, you may have assigned practices on Sunday. And
third, the 110 fields are almost always either fully scheduled or due for
maintenance and grass cutting on Sundays.
But
you always have the option of calling a guerilla practice on a Sunday. However,
note that there is an adult league that has the permit for HS1 and HS2 on
Sundays from 9 AM to noon. You can’t push them off the fields.
Note: Because there are so few full size diamonds in
town, the Senior teams get priority on the large diamonds. If a Youth League
(12 and under divisions) team is using any full size diamond, and a Senior team
shows up for a practice, the Senior team may politely ask the Youth team to
move off the field, explaining as necessary. (“Coach, the CYB Board of
Directors has reserved use of the large diamonds for the older kids. I need to
ask you to move to another location so we can conduct our scheduled practice.”)
Indeed, the CYB does NOT want the smaller kids playing on the large fields, as
they ruin the infield by playing at the shorter distance.
Mix it up! While you may
have certain things that you want to work on in every practice, try to
introduce new activities throughout the year.
One good technique is to break
the kids into groups and have them compete against each other -- who can
consecutively field the most ground balls cleanly and make the throws to first?
Who can catch the most consecutive fly balls? Who can make the most consecutive
relay throws?
You might also, on a
completely unpredictable basis, surprise the kids now and then by supplying
some reward to the winning team, such as ice cream novelties (ice cream
sandwiches, popsicles, fugicles, Italian Ice, packaged Sundaes, and large
things with complex names; everybody gets something, but the winners get first
choice.)
Also, if you or any
parents on the team happen to know a professional coach or any kind of baseball
expert who might be willing to conduct a special clinic for your team, such
guests are always well received by the kids.
Finally, make sure that
the kids understand that practices are NOT just time to screw around. While we
want the kids to have fun, and a certain amount of clowning and talking is
expected, you need to keep things under control.
Advice: when in doubt, PLAY. We cannot always
guarantee that postponed games will be made up.
Also: If it should start to rain during a game,
keep playing until you deem the situation to be either dangerous (kids are
slip-sliding all over the place, or no one can grip or see the ball) or
destructive (play is really chewing up the infield to the degree where it will
require serious work to make it playable once it dries). If you stop play, give
it a good 30 minutes at least before you suspend or end a game, as even heavy
downpours often stop and allow games to resume. Be patient. Again, do
everything possible to play a game, as we cannot always guarantee that
postponed games will be made up.
If an umpire sees any lightning (bolt or
flash) at any distance, play must be immediately stopped and all players
must leave the field. Play may only resume after fifteen consecutive minutes
free from lightning. The umpire will keep the official time. If you stop
play, give it a good 30 to 60 minutes at least before you suspend a game, as
even nasty thunderstorms often pass quickly and allow games to resume. Be
patient. Again, do everything possible to play a game, as we cannot always
guarantee that postponed games will be made up.
Nothing. The Division VP will see to it that games
are rescheduled. Per the CYB Board of Directors (this is in the “Manager’s
Info” file on the CYB web site), “Games may be canceled and rescheduled by a
league official only.”
The rule is that scheduled games must be played at
the time they were scheduled to be played, and make-up games must be played at
the time they were RE-scheduled to be played. Each year we try to create a
schedule that evades known conflicts for players, avoiding days like the
McCarthy and Parker 8th Grade Dances, Mother’s Day, and other days
when we KNOW that many kids will not be able to attend games. We do our best
with limited field availability and a short New England baseball season.
Past experience has taught the league that it's not
workable to let teams reschedule on their own, as doing so often causes new scheduling
conflicts with regard to field availability and umpiring staff, and almost
always has a domino effect (“You moved THAT game, so now it’s only fair that
you move THIS game, and THIS OTHER game…”).
Sometimes make-up games result in some tough
situations, such as teams having to play three or four days in a row, which is
not only a busy schedule for the team but also makes it difficult to manage a
pitching staff. We recognize that this is inconvenient, but it happens
sometimes and is unavoidable. When faced with several consecutive games, all we
can recommend is that you limit your innings pitched so that pitchers are
available after a single day off.
A game may be suspended
due to persistent lightning, field conditions that are deemed to be dangerous,
or when conditions are such that continued play is likely to cause field damage
that could make the field unusable for some time. Once a playoff game is
suspended, we follow Local Rule 30, which states, All play-off games must be played to a conclusion. After the
first pitch of a play-off game, suspension rules apply.
This
rule has two implications.
Tee Ball, Minors and Farm Extension
Skills
days medals are presented. There are Gold, Silver and Bronze medals for the top
three teams, and Participants medals for everyone who participates.
Youth Farm AA, Youth Farm AAA
Trophies
are presented to all players who are on the championship teams and the
runner-up teams.
Youth Majors, Senior Majors
Trophies
are presented to all players who are on the championship teams, the runner-up
teams, and all-star teams.
Senior Farm
Trophies
are presented to all players who are on the championship teams, the runner-up
teams, and all-star teams. A trophy is also awarded to the player who gets the
most extra-base hits during the regular season, and to the pitcher with highest
strike-out to walk differential (the number of strike outs minus the number of
walks) during the regular season.
Tee Ball, Minors, Farm Extension, Youth
Farm AA and Youth Farm AAA
Many
teams add names to shirts. Although kids generally like it, and the league
takes no official position, one must be conscious that (1) it adds yet another
expense, and (2) law enforcement authorities often discourage the placing of
external IDs such as names on children’s clothes.
Youth Majors, Senior Farm and Senior
Majors
They
don’t generally do so.
CORI stands for Criminal Offender Record Information. The Criminal History Systems Board (CHSB)
provides criminal offender record information
to board certified, non-criminal justice agencies such as schools, day care
centers, home health aides, youth athletic coaches, and municipal government
agencies.
In English: The CORI forms provide a mechanism for the
league to do a background check so that we can find out if any prospective
volunteers are criminals, especially sexual predators. Massachusetts law
requires that we do a CORI check on all volunteers.
Tee Ball, Minors, and Farm Extension
There
are no play-offs. There is a Skills Day at the end of the season.
Youth Farm AA and Youth Farm AAA
All
teams make the playoffs, which consist of a single-elimination tournament,
followed by a best-2-of-3 championship series.
Youth Majors
The
winners of each division make the playoffs, and the two teams with the next
best records, regardless of their division, make the playoffs. There are two
playoff rounds, both best-2-of-3 series. The first seed (the team with the best
regular season record) plays the fourth seed (the team with the 4th
best regular season record) in round one of the playoffs, and the 2nd
seed plays the 3rd seed. The series winners meet in the championship
series.
Senior Farm
Senior Majors
All
teams make the playoffs, and all series are best-2-of-3. In the first round,
the first seed (the team with the best regular season record) and the second
seed (the team with the second best regular season record) have a bye, while
the 3rd seed plays the 6th seed and the 4th
seed plays the 5th seed. The winners of the first round play the 1st
and 2nd seeds in the second round, and the winners of the second
round play for the championship.
Tee Ball, Minors and Farm Extension
There
are no all-star games in these divisions.
Youth Farm AA, Youth Farm AAA, Youth
Majors, Senior Majors
All-stars
are selected by managers and the division VPs, and an all-star game is played
at or near the end of the playoffs.
Senior Farm
Senior
Farm has two all-star games. Typically there is one for all 15-year-olds and
one for selected 13- and 14-year-olds. In both games, the Fitts Division
all-stars compete against the Lupien Division all-stars in nine inning games.
All players, including 15-year-olds, may pitch.
Tee Ball, Minors, Farm Extension
Not
applicable.
Youth Farm AA, Youth Farm AAA, Youth
Majors,
Senior Farm and Senior Majors
The
league recommends that managers nominate players based not only on skill, but
also on attendance and attitude. A player who is disruptive, or a negative
force on the team, or who does not consistently show up for games and
practices, should not be nominated regardless of his skills.
In
Senior Farm, all 15-year olds participate in the 15-year-old All-Star game. If
there are fewer than 30 15-year-olds, 14-year-olds may also play in the 15-year
old All-Star game. 13- and 14-year-olds who are nominated by their managers and
selected by the division VP participate in the other all-star game.
All fields have some sort
of shed in which these materials are stored. Coaches are responsible to see to
it that the materials are removed and returned.
For games at the 110
fields, the equipment is in the shed that is in one of the dugouts. For games
at Volunteer, the equipment is in the shed behind home plate at Volunteer. The
keys for all are in the Snack Shack; just walk over and ask for them. Remember
to put stuff away after the game (unless there is a game that follows yours) and
return the key.
For games at the Roberts
field and Strawberry Hill, there is an equipment shed.
For games at HS1 and HS2, the equipment is in a
shed that is next to each field. For games at Ayotte, the equipment is in a
shed that stands near the third base line.
The home team is
responsible to get the equipment before the game. The home team is also
responsible to return it after the game, and to lock up the shed, and to lock
up Volunteer Field, unless another game follows yours.
Check with your division
VP for details on how to access the sheds.
There are Game Results forms for Youth Farm AA,
Youth Farm AAA, Youth Majors, Senior Farm, and Senior Majors. Immediately after
each game, the manager of the home team must complete the Game Results form, and
have the visiting team’s manager add his team’s information. Both managers must
confirm that the information is accurate. Both managers sign the form,
representing that they agree to the accuracy of the information. Please be
careful to accurately track all information the form asks for, especially pitch
counts. For some divisions, information such as extra base hits, walks, and
strikeouts is used to determine the winners of year-end awards.
Once the form is signed and submitted, the game
results are official and final; if there is an error, there is no right to
appeal.
Within a day of the game -- and preferably right
after the game -- please take the completed and signed forms to the Chelmsford
Youth Baseball complex at Route 110. On the small shed that is just across from
the Snack Shack, there are mailboxes for each division. Place the Game Result
forms in the appropriate mailbox.
Yes. It is possible that field conditions may
require the cancellation of games in one location, such as the high school,
while other games, like those at the 110 fields, go on. If you are scheduled to
work at the refreshment stand, you need to show up unless you are explicitly
notified that the stand is closed and your service will not be required. Your
turn at the stand may be rescheduled.
By agreement between the involved parties, high
school teams always have priority over Chelmsford Youth Baseball teams
(including Cal Ripken League and Babe Ruth League) on fields that are owned by
the school department (HS1 and HS2), as well as Ayotte Field. If a high school
game (varsity, junior varsity, or freshman team) runs late, we must wait until
the game is complete. If the high school reschedules a game for a time when a
Senior League game is scheduled, we may even have to reschedule a game,
although this is rare.
Generally, the worst thing that happens is that
occasionally a Senior Farm game will get a late start and will have to be
called because of darkness before 6 innings are complete. This is unfortunate,
but out of our control.
There are several reasons.
1.
The quality of
the managers and coaches varies, and it fairest to all kids if they experience
different managers and coaches. It would be unfair for some to kids to
experience only the best coaches while others might only experience only the
least skilled coaches.
2.
For younger
kids (Tee Ball, Minors, Farm Extension), there are so many changes each year,
as the kids move to different divisions, and more kids join, and skills
develop, that it makes sense for each division to assign new teams to assure
good balance.
3.
By starting
with a clean slate each year in the Youth Farm and Senior Farm divisions, we reduce
the likelihood that one team will dominate year after year, which would be
unfair to the rest of the kids.
4.
Basically,
there are two ways to assign players to teams. You can either have a draft,
where the managers choose players based on try-outs and other evaluations, or
you can assign players to teams, to balance the competition as much as
possible. In the Majors, where there is
little turnover in managers, we use the draft method. In the Farm and with the
younger players, where the managerial turnover is great, we use the second
method, which means that we try to assign players so as to have balanced teams.
In the Majors divisions, once a player is drafted
by a team. s/he stays with that team as long as s/he is in that age division.
This gives the players consistent instruction that is appropriate at this most
competitive level.
In the Majors, there are rules that govern player
placement to assure that a parent gets to manage his own child, and that
siblings are likely to be placed on the same team. Other than that, players
must play for the team that drafts them, and no other arrangement is permitted.
For the other divisions, we discourage parents from
making placement requests. Placement requests inevitably create situations in
which some teams are loaded with good players while other teams have few top
players, and tend to make assigning players impossibly complicated, since when
such requests are honored, many more such requests are made.
There are a few exceptions. (1) If a certain
manager and a certain coach wish to work together, and combining their kids on
the same team will not have an obvious effect on league balance, we will
usually assign the coaches and kids to the same team. (Also, we bend over
backwards to reward people like coaches who volunteer their time to CYB.) (2)
If a child has a transportation problem, we’ll make every effort to assign
him/her to a team if someone on that team can help solve the transportation
problem. (3) If a child, through no fault of his/her own, has had a poor
experience with a particular coach, we’ll certainly assure that he/she is not
assigned to the same coach, and we’ll try to honor any request to assure that
he/she has a better experience.
Babe Ruth and Cal Ripken
baseball are youth baseball programs that, according to the Babe Ruth League
web site, “…serve players from ages 4-18 in Babe Ruth
Baseball, Cal Ripken Baseball, Babe Ruth Softball. The Babe Ruth Buddy Ball
Division encompasses players ages 4-20.” The Cal Ripken division serves kids
ages 4-12, and the Babe Ruth division serves kids 13-18. CYB does not cover
quite so many ages, currently covering ages 5-15. Our Patriot division is for
children with disabilities, ages 8 to 18.
Little
League baseball is another youth baseball program that serves kids of about the
same ages. CYB was affiliated with Little League baseball from our inception in
1952 until 2008, when we switched over to Babe Ruth/Cal Ripken because of
radical rule changes and increasing micro-management of local leagues by Little
League baseball.
CYB currently has no 16-18 division. The league has
dabbled in a “Big League” or “18U” (18 and under) division in the past, but the
division has never worked out for a variety of reasons, not the least of which
was having someone to really take the bull by the horns and recruit and run the
division.
But you do have some options. As a rule,
neighboring towns will allow Chelmsford kids to participate in their league if
that town has a division for an age group for which Chelmsford does not have a
division. For example, the Westford Youth Baseball & Softball League (WYBSL, see http://www.wybsl.com) has in the past even
gone so far as to have one Chelmsford team in their “18U” division.
So if you have a 16 year old who wants
to keep playing, I’d make a call to the Westford league (see http://www.wybsl.com for contact information) or,
if it is closer for you, the Billerica league (http://www.eteamz.com/billericalittleleague),
and see how they are currently handling non-townie players.
One other options is AAU
baseball. The AAU (“Amateur Athletic Union”) is an organization that provides a
framework for people to put together teams and leagues for sports competition.
There is AAU baseball, AAU basketball, AAU diving, and so on. As a practical
matter, AAU sports tend to be for the extremely serious amateur athlete. One
tries out for most AAU teams, and many kids get cut. One pays a lot of money to
play on AAU teams. One expects excellent coaching from AAU coaches. Some AAU
teams are extremely serious, and travel all over the country and even the world
to seek the highest level of competition. The good thing about AAU teams is
that they do provide a place to play. The bad thing is that at least sometimes
they are EXTREMELY competitive, and expensive, and sometimes, all the parents
involved are a bit crazed, hoping little Johnny is going to get a college
scholarship and big league contract. Anyway, there are various AAU clubs
around, like the New England Firebirds, who operate out of North Andover (http://www.eteamz.com/newenglandfirebirds/).
You might consider AAU ball for a serious ballplayer.