2017 Laurel & Hardy Slo-Pitch Constitutionmmtrees.com/lnh/2017 LNH Constitution.pdf2017 Laurel &...

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2017 Laurel & Hardy Slo-Pitch Constitution Page 1 of 13 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1) Executive 2-3 2) Sponsorship 4 3) Captains 5 4) Players 6-7 5) Draft 8 6) Attendance 9 7) Rules of Play 9-11 8) Playoffs 11-12 9) Disciplinary Actions 12 10) League Awards 13 INTRODUCTION The Laurel & Hardy Men’s Slo-Pitch league is a fun, family-oriented recreational league. In order to maintain the good natured atmosphere, the membership of the Laurel & Hardy Slo- Pitch league is responsible for the following: 1) To have fun 2) to Be Respectful

Transcript of 2017 Laurel & Hardy Slo-Pitch Constitutionmmtrees.com/lnh/2017 LNH Constitution.pdf2017 Laurel &...

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1) Executive 2-3

2) Sponsorship 4

3) Captains 5

4) Players 6-7

5) Draft 8

6) Attendance 9

7) Rules of Play 9-11

8) Playoffs 11-12

9) Disciplinary Actions 12

10) League Awards 13

INTRODUCTION

The Laurel & Hardy Men’s Slo-Pitch league is a fun, family-oriented recreational league. In

order to maintain the good natured atmosphere, the membership of the Laurel & Hardy Slo-

Pitch league is responsible for the following:

1) To have fun

2) to Be Respectful

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1) EXECUTIVE

1.1 Executives are elected into position at the year-end banquet.

1.2 To be eligible for election, all executive candidates must be nominated and seconded

by a league member and must accept their nomination. Candidates that will not be in

attendance can accept nominations via text, email, phone or letter.

1.3 If a candidate is uncontested, they will be acclaimed the position.

1.4 If more than one candidate has been nominated for an executive position, a

membership vote will be taken. Voting will be performed by the executive group at the

Banquet.

1.5 An elected Executive is not required to pay membership fees. If for any reason and

executive does not or cannot finish their term, but elects to continue to play in the league,

they will be required to pay for the remainder of the season. The incoming executive will be

reimbursed the amount paid by the outgoing executive.

1.6 If for any reason the president does not or cannot finish their term, then the vice president

becomes president and an election is held for a new vice president. If for any reason any

other executive does not or cannot finish their term, then they will be replaced by a new

election.

1.7 Executives who do not fulfill their roles as outlined in Responsibilities of Executive Members

can be impeached at any time. At any point a league member may ask for the removal of

an executive member by bringing the issue to their captain. The captain will then bring it to

the executive, the executive will then have a meeting to see if there is justification for

removal. If the complaint is justified, an executive vote will be held and a ¾ majority vote of

the remaining executive is needed to remove the executive member in question.

1.8 Changes to the constitution can be made by a membership vote. Playing rules can be

changed by a captain’s vote during the season but must have a membership vote to be

added into the constitution for the following year.

1.9 All executives share the responsibility of ensuring at least one executive is present at all

times during game hours and act as page moderators on the league social media pages.

1.10 The executives must ensure the league has its own bank account that requires two

signatures for purchases.

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Responsibilities of Executive Members

President To chair all meetings

1 of 3 co-signing authorities

To find sponsors

Approve purchases

Order team jerseys

Organizes year end awards and prizes

Vice President Acting president if president is not available

1 or 3 co-signing authorities

To find sponsors

Approve purchases

Organizes year end awards and prizes

Treasurer Book-keeping

1 or 3 co-signing authorities

Having books available and up to date

Organizes year end awards and prizes

In charge of fundraising

Secretary Keeping track of stats

Making notes at meetings

Making all forms for teams

Make player list for draft

Ensure scores are submitted to the brantford expositor

Managing waiting lists

Diamond Manager In charge of booking diamonds

League representative to the city/Parks and Rec

Insurance

Setup bases at diamonds

Maintaining equipment

Purchasing new equipment

Organizing umpires

First Aid Kits

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2) SPONSORSHIP

2.1 Intent to sponsor a team is due by February 1st of each year.

2.2 Sponsorship fees are due one week prior to the league draft day.

2.3 League and Team Sponsors will be selected based on the following

a) Returning sponsor

b) Previous sponsor with player in the league

c) New sponsor with player in the league

d) Player seniority for new sponsor or previous sponsor in regards to a & b.

e) Previous sponsor

f) New sponsor

2.4 The 2016 cost for a league sponsorship is a minimum of $750.00.

2.5 The 2016 cost for a team sponsorship is a minimum of $500.00.

2.6 A team sponsor can appoint a player for whom league fee is covered.

2.7 The sponsor name will appear across the back of the jersey except where otherwise

requested by sponsor.

2.8 The league sponsor name and logo will be incorporated into the Laurel & Hardy logo for

the year which will appear on the chest or sleeve.

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3) CAPTAINS

3.1 Intent to captain must be declared by the last organized sign up date.

3.2 The captains are selected by the executive while considering the following criteria

a) Sponsor request for a team captain

b) Past performance as a captain

c) Returning captain from previous year

d) Years of seniority as a captain

e) Has served as a captain before

f) Seniority in the league

3.3 Responsibilities of all captains:

a) Be familiar with the League Constitution and rules of Slo-Pitch

b) Participate in all Captains votes

c) Inform the executive of their team’s reserve player, who will be

protected in the draft. (This player must agree to be reserved)

d) Attend captains meetings. If unable to attend a meeting ensure a team

representative is available

e) Select players in the annual player draft

f) Contact their team and inform them of all game times and league functions.

g) Ensure team has 13 active players and track attendance (see: ATTENDANCE)

h) Provide umpires in according to the umpire schedule

i) Ensure score is kept for all home games and all score sheets are handed in

j) Help facilitate all in-season league votes

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4) PLAYERS

4.1 Players must meet the following criteria

a) Male

b) 18 years of age by the beginning of the season

c) Have given an Executive a completed sign-up sheet

d) Player is not be under league suspension

4.2 Only Laurel & Hardy players are allowed to take part in Laurel & Hardy league games.

4.3 The draft list will be made up of eligible players, priority will be given in the following order

a) Returning players from the past year (based on seniority) who have signed up by

the last day of February

b) Players who have played in the league previously and have only missed the

prior season.

c) New players who have signed up at the banquet.

d) New players who sign up at official sign ups.

e) Returning players who have missed the deadline and new players who have

signed up after the official sign ups.

4.4 The waiting lists will be made up of eligible players who did not make it onto the draft list.

4.5 There are three waiting lists which are drawn from at random in order of list priority.

a) The first waiting list will be comprised of eligible players who signed up before the

draft but were not included on the draft list

b) The second waiting list will be comprised of eligible players who have signed up

after the draft but before the start of the season.

c) The third waiting list will be comprised of eligible players who sign up after the start

of season.

4.6 The Waiting List is held by the Secretary. In the event the League Secretary is a

Captain/Reserve the waiting list will be held by the members of the Executive who are not

Team Captains or Reserves.

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4.7 Waiting List Procedure

a) A Team Captain can request the Executive to provide a player from the Waiting List

when a player is lost for the season. (Injury, attendance issues, etc.)

b) When a team requests a player from the waiting list, the team Captain (or a

Captain appointed representative) will randomly draw three player names and those

players will be contacted in the order the names were drawn.

c) In addition to the team Captain (or representative) from the team picking being

present, 2 non-involved team Captains/representatives and a minimum of one

Executive must also be present.

e) Waiting list players will be contacted by the executive in the order that they are

drawn and are given 24hrs to return the call if a message is left. Any Waiting List player

not returning a phone call will be removed from that waiting list and be moved to the

lowest waiting list.

f) If a Waiting List player accepts his invitation to the league he will be added to the

team’s roster as soon as league fees are paid. The names selected after him will be

returned to the waiting list they were selected from.

g) If a waiting list player does not accept his invitation to the league, he will be

removed from all waiting lists.

h) No player can join a team after the Civic Holiday, however, the Executive will

consider a request to take a player off the waiting list after the Civic Holiday under

special situations.

4.8 League fees for Waiting list players will be determined based on the number of games

remaining.

Cost = ½LF + ( ½ LF * GR%)

GR = Games Remaining

LF = Start of year League fee

4.9 Refund to exiting player will be based on the same formula with a 15% administration fee

taken off.

4.10 Players that are removed from the league due to attendance issues or other disciplinary

actions will not receive a refund.

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5) THE DRAFT

5.1 A list of draft eligible players will be distributed prior to the pre-draft Captains Meeting.

5.2 New players that are selected as a Reserve Player will be rated as an automatic 1st round

pick.

5.3 Captains and their Reserve Player’s rankings will be determined by a Captains Vote,

facilitated by the league Executives.

5.4 Laurel n Hardy teams are selected in a draft consisting of 13 rounds.

5.5 At the draft Team selection order is determined by random draw for every odd

numbered round. In the round following the drawing rounds the draft order will be in reverse

order.

5.6 The selection order of the first round will determine each team’s random spot on the pre-

made schedule.

5.7 Only Captains and Reserves are allowed at the draft table. In the event the executive

feels a captain is soliciting outside advice or causes undue delay while at the draft table

their pick may be relegated to the last pick in the current round.

5.8 Trades are allowed for a 60 minutes following the completion of the draft. In the event of

a trade, both captains must fill out a “Trade Sheet” clearly identifying the players involved in

the trade(s). Two non-participating captains and one executive (who is not on either team)

must also sign off on the trade in order to maintain a level of fairness. In the event a non-

participating executive is not available a third non-participating captain’s signature will be

acceptable.

5.9 At the end of the allotted trade period all captains must submit their final rosters to the

Executive.

5.10 Captains cannot trade themselves or their protected player.

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6) ATTENDANCE

6.1 Captains are to ensure valid absences are noted on the score sheets each week.

6.2 Players missing 5 games without a valid reason will be contacted by the Executive to

discuss potential disciplinary action/removal.

6.3 A player will be removed if at any point prior to the Civic Holiday weekend a player is

unable to play in 50% of the team’s full regular season schedule.

6.4 Waiting list players can be removed from the team if at point prior to the Civic Holiday

weekend a player is unable to play in 50% of the team’s full regular season schedule from

the time he joined.

7) RULES OF PLAY

7.1 The Laurel n Hardy Slo-Pitch League will follow the SPN Rulebook for any issue not

specifically covered by the Laurel n Hardy Constitution.

7.2 Only bats that have a USSSA 2012 “thumbprint” will be allowed in Laurel n Hardy

7.3 Players that do not wear their team shirts will be marked on the scoresheet and formally

cautioned. Players that are cautioned more than twice may face disciplinary action from

the executives, including removal from the game.

7.4 A team can play with 9 players without penalty of an automatic out providing they

supply their own catcher.

7.5 A team can play with 9 players with the opposing team supplying an inactive catcher to

return the ball to the pitcher. The tenth batting spot will be an automatic out.

7.6 A team can play with 8 players with the opposing team supplying an inactive catcher to

return the ball to the pitcher. The ninth batting spot will be an automatic out.

7.7 A team may pick up to 2 players to get to nine roster spots in order to avoid forfeited

games. The opposing captain must approve of the replacement player(s). The

replacement player(s) will bat last in the order and must play Catcher or First Base. The

opposing captain may allow replacement player(s) to play positions other than Catcher or

First Base.

7.8 In the event of a forfeited game, the forfeiting team will be penalized with a 15-0 loss.

7.9 If, after 7 complete innings, the two teams are tied extra innings will be played until there

is a winner.

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7.10 Extra Innings start with 0 out and the last batter from the previous inning on 2nd Base.

7.11 Games are to be 1hr and 15 minutes long with no inning beginning after 1hr and 5

minutes. After 5 complete innings have been played the game will be considered complete

if the time limit has expired. If a game is tied at the 1hr 5 minute mark, extra Innings rules will

be applied to the next inning.

7.12 No Leadoffs are allowed

7.13 Each team is allowed three (3) courtesy runners per game and the runner can be

anyone in the batting order

7.14 Injury runners are allowed, providing both captains agree. The person needing the injury

runner cannot, under any circumstances advance beyond 1st base. All other runners may

advance at their own discretion. The injury runner is to be the last recorded out. If the last

out cannot be used, the person farthest away from the injured running in the lineup shall be

used.

7.15 Laurel n Hardy uses a Scoring Line at home, not a Live Plate. Runners are not allowed to

touch home plate. Once a runner is past the commitment line between 3rd and the Scoring

Line the player must advance to the Scoring Line. Once a baserunner passes the

Commitment Line, he cannot be tagged out. The baserunner will be out if a defensive

player is in control of the ball and touching home plate before the baserunner crosses the

Scoring Line.

7.16 An Intentional Walk is four “balls” thrown in the first four pitches of an at bat. Batters can

only be intentionally walked once in a game. If a batter is intentionally walked a second

time, he has the option of talking the walk or resetting the at bat.

7.17 The Mercy Rule will be called and the game will be over if:

a) Home team is up by 15 or more runs after 4 and a half innings

b) Away team is up by 15 or more runs after 5 or 6 complete innings

c) Home team is up by 15 or more runs during their at bats in the 5th or 6th innings

7.18 Legal pitches will be between a 6 to 12 foot arc from the ground ruled at the umpire’s

discretion.

7.19 Third strike foul ball is an out.

7.20 Homerun Rules

a) Home runs are unlimited at Lions Park Yellow and Blue and on open diamonds

b) Lions Park Red diamond features a +2 rule. Teams are allowed two more home runs

than the opposing team, any home runs after +2 will be ruled as an out.

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c) Diamonds featuring natural barriers may also be ruled +2 diamonds as per the

executive.

7.21 Players hitting a Home Run are only required to touch 1st base, he is not required to

continue running and can leave the field. If he chooses to run all the bases, regular base

running rules will apply. Players on base during a home run are required to touch the next

base before leaving the field.

7.22 An over the fence Home Run by a player with an injury runner will be ruled as a home

run as the injured runner does not have to advance past 1st base.

7.23 Each player must play a minimum of 3 full defensive innings in a regulation 7 inning

game

7.24 A game can be protested to confirm an interpretation of a rule, but not because of an

umpire’s discretionary call.

7.25 Steps to file a protest:

a) Declare to the umpire that you are now playing the rest of the game under protest

and why

b) Have the Score Sheet marked where the protest occurred and why.

c) Protest must be handed in in writing to an Executive member within 48hrs of the

game, with the following information: teams involved, umpire, and reason for protest.

d) A decision on the protest and the resulting effect will be determined on a case by

case basis by the Executive.

8) PLAYOFFS

8.1 The playoff format will be a round robin where every team plays each team one time

8.2 The four teams with the best records after the round robin will advance to the semi-finals.

8.3 If teams are tied after the round robin, tie breakers will be as follows:

a) 2 teams tie:

i) Record - If at any time two only two teams are tied (including the 3 team tie

breakers) the team that won the head to head game during the round robin will

advance.

b) 3 or more teams tie:

i) Record – The team(s) with the better record against the other teams during the

round robin will advance.

ii) Plus/Minus – if more than two teams are still tied, the team(s) with the best plus/minus

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will advance

iii) Runs for- If more than 2 teams are still tied the team with the highest runs scored will

advance

iv) Decision – If more than 2 teams are still tied, the executive and Team Captains will

decide how to break the tie.

8.4 No team will be awarded more than +15 run differential for any one game.

8.5 The semi-finals will feature a 1st vs 4th game and a 2nd vs 3rd game. The winners of those

games will face each other in the Championship game.

8.6 The Championship game is 7 innings and will have a home umpire (crew chief) and two

base umpires. These umpires are to be agreed upon by the 2 captains playing in the game.

8.7 Home field for playoffs

a) Round Robin: team with higher regular season record has choice of home or away

b) Semi & Championship Games: Best Round Robin seed has choice of home or away

9) DISIPLINARY ACTIONS

9.1 Any acts of violence or threats of violence are subject to disciplinary actions with a

maximum penalty of a lifetime ban and the police called.

9.2 The league does not support the use of drugs or consumption of alcohol at the baseball

facility.

9.3 An umpire can remove a player from the field if he determines the player to be unfit to

take the field.

9.4 There is no smoking allowed on the field of play. Offending players will be asked to leave

the field and can be ejected from games if non-compliant.

9.5 Use of illegal equipment is an automatic ejection from the game and a minimum of 1

game suspension after review by the executives.

9.6 Use of doctored equipment is an automatic ejection from the game and a minimum of 5

game suspension after review by the executives.

9.7 Any player that has been ejected more than once in the same year is subject to further

penalty upon review by the executives.

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10) LEAGUE AWARDS

10.1 A Team MVP is selected from each team, as voted by his teammates

10.2 A Heart & Hustle award winner is picked from each team at each team’s captain’s

discretion

10.3 Most Dedicated is voted on by the membership either during the playoffs or at the AGM

10.4 Most Sportsmanlike Player is decided by the Executive with the captains of each team

nominating players from anytime.

10.5 The Gold Glove is an award given annually to Laurel & Hardy Slo-Pitch players judged to

have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position as voted

by the coaches in the league.

a) After the regular season has finished each captain will write down their teams 10

top defensive starters by position (C, P, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, LF, LC, RC, RF) and hand them into the

Secretary to compile a league voting list.

b) The Secretary will give each captain a league voting list during the playoffs to have

completed before the end of the playoffs.

c) The Gold Glove awards to be awarded at the Banquet.

10.6 Batting Title is awarded to the player with the highest batting average that meets the

minimum plate appearances during the regular season. Minimum PA = (Eligible Team

games-5 games) X 3 plate appearances.

10.7 Home Run Trophy is given to the player with the most Home Runs on the year. There is

no minimum plate appearances.

10.8 Anniversary Gifts are handed out to players with 10 and 20 continuous years of Laurel n

Hardy Membership.

Anyone needing clarification of any parts of this constitution, please contact one of the

current league executives.