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- Any rules not specifically addressed here will be interpreted under the guidelines
of the Official ASA rulebook, which you will get as part of your teams ASA
registration package.
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- Only ASA certified bats are allowed in this league.
- Please refer to the ASA web site (link below) for current information on
approved and non-approved bats.
- Using a bat that is not approved can result in the forfeiture of a game.
- All bats will be certified by the league and Empire State Umpires and will have a sticker placed on the
taper of the bat to signify this. You must have all your bats certified before they can be used in games.
If you step to the plate with a bat without a certification sticker, the bat will be considered non-approved
and all penalties associated will be enforced, regardless of whether or not the bat meets standards to be certified.
It is the team’s responsibility to get all bats certified by the umpire or myself before or after games, not during
games. If you refuse to allow the sticker to be placed on your bat for whatever reason, you will not be allowed to
use the bat in this league.
- To be certified, a bat must have an ASA 2000 or ASA 2004 stamp on it and not be one of the 25 bats on the list
of bats previously approved, but now no longer approved by ASA.
- Bats with dents, cracks, burrs or audible rattles will not be certified for use.
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www.asasoftball.com/about/certified_equipment.asp
- Now that the league is a non-bunt / non-steal league, there are some differences
involving base runners.
- A runner may not leave a base until the ball is hit by the batter or until it
crosses the plate.
- Leaving the base early will result in being called out by the umpire.
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| Rosters and Playoff Eligibility |
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- The initial 20-man roster will be due by midnight May 7. If you
submit fewer than 20 players, you will lose the remaining slots up to the first
20. If you do not submit your initial roster at all by this deadline, you lose
the right to add the additional 5 players to your roster and you will have a maximum
roster of only 20 players for the season. You will not be allowed to play until
you have submitted your roster, even if that means you have to fill it out at the field
prior to your first game.
- 5 players may be added prior to June 1, at which time all rosters are
frozen. This means that the League President must be notified by midnight, May
31.Once this deadline passes, you lose any vacant roster spots.
- The League President must be notified of these roster additions prior to the player
actually participating in a game. A message can be left on my phone, if I am not
present at the fields.
- Once a player has been added to a roster, they can not be removed, even if they have
not yet played a game for the team.
- Rosters can include 2 "A" players. This is a player that initially chose to
play for an "A" team in this league when it was split into two divisions, or
a player that was first part of an "A" team in this league. This refers to
the years of 2000-2002 when we had a higher level "A" league. Players
that initially chose to play for a "B" team, but also have played with an
"A" team will continue to be regarded as "B" players.
- Anyone that has pitched in the "A" division in past years is not eligible
to pitch in the league, unless granted a specific waiver by the league. Also, most
pitchers from the former YMCA, Elite, and Andy's "A" (B-1 in 2009) leagues for the past few seasons are not allowed
to pitch in this league. We will use the same general list of prohibited pitchers that
is used by the NYS Softball league and other local leagues. Any pitcher deemed out of
class or one that cannot conform to strict ASA pitching guidelines, will also be prohibited
from pitching in this league.
- Any player not on the roster who participates in a game will be considered an
illegal player. The team found to have played a game with an illegal player would
be forced to forfeit that game, and pay a $50 fine, which is due prior to
them being allowed to play their next game.
- In order for a player to be eligible to participate in the playoffs, they must
appear in at least 8 regular season games. Pitchers must appear (pitch) in
at least 8 games, including at least 4 "legitimate" starts.
- Game participation will be recorded from the official game line-up cards.
- It is the manager's responsibility to make sure that any line-up changes made during
the game are properly recorded by the umpire on the official game line-up card. If
the changes are not made on the official line-up card, the player will not receive
credit for playing in that particular game. There will be no exceptions to this rule.
- In the event that a game is not played due to a forfeit at the field, all players on
the winning team's roster at that time will receive credit for that game. No players
on the losing team's roster will receive credit for that game.
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- Games are scheduled for 6:30 PM and 8:00 PM.
- If a team does not have at least 9 players at game time, there is a
15-minute grace period prior to the game being declared a forfeit. However,
if a team has 9 players, the games must start at their normal
starting times.
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- Each team will provide 1 new official league game ball for each game.
- The official game ball is the Trump MP-44-ASA-375..
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- It is the responsibility of the HOME team to provide the official line-up
card for each game, and to make sure that each card has the date of the game noted
on it. Extra cards will usually be posted on the bulletin board, located just inside
the door of the utility room in case they are needed.
- Only the official league line-up cards can be used. Each team will be given more
than enough for the number of home games that they will have. Line-ups submitted
for a game on anything but a single official league line-up card with both team's
line-ups on their respective sides, will not be accepted, and players will not get
credit for that game.It's an extremely simple process to follow...if you can't
follow the rules ... you won't get credit for the game. The umpires will be
instructed to not accept anything but a single official line-up card.
- The home manager should fill in the appropriate side of the card with his line-up
and then give it to the visiting managers to fill in his line-up. Please make sure
that each side has the team name. The visiting manage should then give the
card to the home-plate umpire.
- List your substitute players that are present in the appropriate section of the card.
This will make it easier for the umpire to make changes to the card when substitutions
occur.
- A substitute player that arrives late can still enter the game even if he was not
listed on the original line-up card. As long as the player is on the teams roster,
this is acceptable.
- Please use Last Name, First Initial when filling out the card. Don't just list first
names or nicknames. If there is more than one player with the same last name, please
make sure that each can be uniquely identified.
- Since the line-up cards will be used to determine playoff eligibility, it is up to
the managers to make sure the the home-plate umpire properly records any substitutions
or line-up changes on the official line-up card. Any player not officially recorded
on the line-up card will not receive credit for playing in that particular game.
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- The league will not tolerate any unsportsman-like conduct from players in this
league. Based on some problems that have occurred in previous seasons, the league
will have a zero-tolerance policy this season. This includes arguing with or
harassing umpires, harassing players on other teams, throwing equipment, and
anything else that could be considered inappropriate behavior. The league has
agreed to these tougher restrictions, and punishment will be handles swiftly and
severely.
- The team managers will be issued their only warnings during the pre-game meeting
with the umpires.
- It would be advisible to all managers to discuss these policies with all of their
players before each game.
- A simple rule of thumb would be to come and play the game and keep your mouths SHUT.
- It would not be advisible for players to try to push the envelope of these
restrictions, as they will not like the results.
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- Please do not throw helmets, bats, or any other equipment. This could result in
a player's ejection from the game.
- The umpires will issue the only warning regarding this in the pre-game conference
with the team managers.
- If a player throws equipment on the playing field, and an umpire decides that the
action warrants an an ejection, the player will be ejected on the spot.
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- 1st Offense - 2 Game Suspension.
- 2nd Offense - 4 Game Suspension.
- 3rd Offense - Termination from the League and a 1-year ban.
- Upon ejection from the game, the Umpire will notify the player AND the manager of
the ejection. The player has 1 minute to leave the playing field. If the
player refuses to leave, he is subject to an automatic doubling of the
particular suspension. For example, on a 1st offense, the penalty would a 4 game
suspension, and the 2nd offense, it would be an 8 game suspension. The ejection
however will only count as 1 ejection against the player and the team.
- While serving his suspension, the player can not particpate in a game in any way.
He is not allowed to be on the field or on the bench. He is only allowed to be a
spectator.
- Any player that physically abuses an umpire will be banned from the league for life.
- As we have clarified this season, all suspensions will be served in full, regardless
of whether or not they must be carried over to subsequent seasons.
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- 1st Ejection - $25 fine payable to the league prior to their next game.
- 2nd Ejection - $25 fine payable to the league prior to their next game.
- 3rd Ejection - $50 fine payable to the league prior to their next game.
- 4th Ejection - $75 fine payable to the league prior to their next game.
- 5th Ejection - Team will forfeit the remainder of the season..
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| Ejections - Payment of Fines |
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- It is up to the player that has been ejected to pay the fine that the team incurs.
After serving their mandatory suspension, the player will not be allowed to play
again until the fine has been paid. The team will not be punished if the player
decides not to pay the fine, however, that player will not be allowed to play
another game in the league until the fine is paid.
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| Alcoholic Beverage Rule |
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- Knickerbacker Park does not allow any alcoholic beverages anywhere in the facility.
This includes the parking areas outside the entrances to the playing fields. The
league does not condone the consumption of alcoholic beverages anywhere in the
Knickerbacker Park facility.
- Any player seen drinking prior to or during their scheduled game will not be
eligible to participate in that game or will be ejected from that game, depending
on which circumstance exists. This is for the 1st offense by a player. This will
result in the team being put on probation.
- A 2nd offense by an individual player will result in the termination of the player
from the league. The team's manager will be required to present the team's case to
the league.
- The 3rd offense by a team will result in their termination from the league.
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- No league player (either during a game or as a spectator) shall harass, taunt, or
threaten an Umpire or another league Player. The league will not
tolerate this type of behavior. If the umpire requests the removal of a league
player (as a spectator) from the premises and said player refuses to leave, he may
receive a 2 game suspension from the league, and/or termination from the league.
- Any instance of harassment will be dealt with by the President, and can include
suspensions from games and termination from the league for repeat offenders.
- Any such instance must be accompanied by a written report to the league President.
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- The City of Troy mandates that out of respect for those residents in areas
surrounding the facility, no inning shall begin past 10:30 PM. If the game
has reached the point of being an official game, that result will stand. If the
game is not yet official, or is tied, it will be continued at a later date.
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- It is the responsibility of the HOME team manager of the game that ends
last on the night to close the facility. This include turning off the lights,
locking the bathrooms, and the main room.
- Keys will be made so that all managers have a key to the facility.
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- Metal cleats or spikes are NOT ALLOWED. A warning will be issued for the
1st offense. The 2nd offense will result in a 1 game suspension.
The 3rd offense will result in that players termination from the league. The
player involved must remove the metal spikes before play can continue.
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- A slashing incident (making any indication to bunt and then swinging away) will
result in a dead-ball situation. The batter will be called out and EJECTED
from the game. The runners will return to their previous positions.
- Since there is NO BUNTING in the league this year, the batter is not allowed
to ever square around and fake a bunt.
- If a batter squares around to bunt, it will be a dead-ball situation, and a strike
will be called on the batter. The batter will also receive a warning. A second such
offense will result in an EJECTION.
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- The League allows the uses of an EH as well as a DH, so that at any
given time a team could officially have up to 12 players participating in
the game. The uses of both positions are described as follows:
- The EH
is a player who starts the game as just a hitter, but can play the field at any time.
Exclusive of the DH (DP) / DEFO relationship, the EH is one of
11 players who can bat, and any 10 of them can play the field at any
time. This allows for the case where 2 players can split the game in the field,
but both are able to bat. In the case of an injury, where there are no substitutes
available, the EH can play the field for the injured player, and that player's
spot in the batting order will be skipped with no out being recorded.
- The DH (DP) is a player who bats specifically for another player, typically
the pitcher. He may enter the game defensively only for the person for whom he is
batting (and that played is now out of the game permanently). In the case of an
injury, where there are no substitutes available, the DH (DP) can enter the
game defensively for the injured player, while the player for whom he was batting
(DEFO), must now bat in the spot of the injured player.
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| Number of Players Starting and Finishing a Game |
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- A team may begin a game with 9 players.
- A team can add a 10th player to the line-up, provided that the team has not
batted through the line-up 1 time (the 1st batter has not batted a
second time). Once the team has gone through the batting order 1 time, no
additional players may be added.
- A team can finish with 1 less player than it started the game with if a
player has to leave for any reason other than ejection, provided there are
no substitutes available. However, an automatic out will be recorded each time that
the removed player's spot in the batting order comes up. The game would be a
forfeit if a player is ejected and there are no substitutes, or if a team is
2 players short.
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- If a game is not played due to a forfeit by one team, that team is charged a
forfeit fee of $50. A team is allowed 2 forfeits for the season,
before they are terminated from the League.
- However, once a team forfeits a game, they must provide the League with a $50
forfeit fee before being allowed to play their next game. They will not be allowed
to play again until the fee is paid.
- Any game that is started, but ends due to a forfeit condition, or is completed and
then later ruled a forfeit due to a rules violation, will be treated the same as any
other forfeit. The forfeit fee will still be charged.
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- As soon as a determination on the weather and/or field conditions is made, each team will be contacted.
Up until 4:00 PM the decision is made by the city of Troy.
- Unless you are told otherwise, you should expect to play.
- Some nights it may be a situation where the game status is determined at the fields by the League and the umpires.
- Depending on the time of day, teams may be contacted by e-mail, phone, or text and if time allows, the website
will be updated to reflect the current status.
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| Rainout Re-scheduling |
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- Teams will be contacted following a rainout to try and get a make-up scheduled.
- Teams will usually be given a few choices for the date and time of the make-up game.
- If teams do not agree on a make-up date within 1 week following the rainout,
the make-up game will automatically be scheduled, and the teams will be told when
they are to play the make-up game.
- Teams will be given a minimum of 1 week notice prior to the make-up game.
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- The pitching in this league will be strictly enforced. All pitchers must conform
to the agreed upon pitching criteria. This is listed in the official ASA rulebook
under the rules for 10-Man Modified play.
- These rules can be found on pages 66-70 in the 2012 ASA Official Rule Book.
- Any pitcher that cannot abide by these rules will not be allowed to pitch.
- Any issues regarding pitching that are brought to my attention will be investigated
as soon as possible.
- A pitcher is limited to 5 illegal pitches per game. After this, the pitcher
must be removed from the game and cannot return as a pitcher. However, he may
remain in the game at another position.
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- For 2012, the top 2 teams will receive a Round-1 bye.
- Round-1, Semi-Finals, and Finals are all Best-of-3 series.
- Round 1: Team-3 vs Team-6, Team-4 vs Team-5.
- Semi-Finals: Team-1 plays 4 / 5 winner. Team-2 plays 3 / 6 winner.
- Finals: 2 remaining teams.
- The higher seed in each series will be the home team for games 1 and 3,
while the lower seed will be the home team for game 2.
- All games in the Finals will start at 7:00 PM, unless otherwise agreed to by both
teams, and approved by the League President.
- The playoff schedule will be set well in advance and will not be adjusted.
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- The first criteria are head-to-head records.
- The next is each teams record against all of the other playoff teams.
- The next is to look at each of the teams involved in the tiebreaker. You would
total up the number of wins by all of the teams that each tie-breaker team had
beaten. This would reward the teams that had beaten more of the leagues top teams.
This method was used in past years to determine which teams made the playoffs, or
what seed they received.
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| Recording of Information by Umpires |
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- The umpires should make note of all special circumstances on the official game
line-up card. These would include the ejection of a player, a player that has been
found to be wearing metal spikes, etc., so that it can be properly recorded by the
League and that any penalties due, can be assessed.
- It is the responsibility of the umpire to either give the official league line-up
card to the League President (or other person designated by the League President)
or to hold onto it until it can be given to the League President. Failure to do so
will result in the forfeiture of pay for the games in question.
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| League Storage Box at Facility |
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- The league will have a storage box that is kept in the utility room at the facility.
It will contain a tape measure and hammer for adjusting the pitcher's mound (46 feet
from back of home plate to front of pitching rubber). It will also contain a first
aid kit, disposable ice packs, extra balls, extra line-up cards, etc., which can be
used by anyone at the facility. Please alert me when any of the supplies are running
low or are gone.
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- The league does not require teams to have full uniforms. It is recommended that
all teams at least have the same color shirts.
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- Prior to a game, each team can designate 1 player for whom a courtesy runner
can be used. The courtesy runner must be the last player to make an out at the time
the runner is needed. If no outs have been recorded, then it must be the last batter
in that team's lineup.
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- Fake tags are not permitted in this league and will be considered unsportsman-like
conduct. Any fielder that makes a fake tag in an effort to deceive a base-runner,
will be subject to ejection at the umpire's discretion. There is no need for this
activity, which could lead to serious injury.
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| Sliding / Avoiding Contact |
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- You are not required to slide into a base, but you must avoid contact with the
fielder. You are not allowed to bowl over the catcher at home plate. Failure to
avoid contact by sliding or other means can result in the runner being called out
and ejected from the game. This is at the discretion of the umpire.
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- Any other issues that arise will be handled under the sole discretion of the
League President.
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Click on the icon above for a hard-copy version of the League rules.
To download, Right-Click on the icon and choose "Save Target As".
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