OVER 50 SOFTBALL LEAGUE, INC.
LEAGUE
RULES
2011
April 30,
2011
PREAMBLE
The name of the organization shall be
Middlesex County Over 50 Softball League Inc.
The League shall be a non-profit corporation pursuant to Title 15A: 2-8
of the New Jersey Domestic Non Profit Corporation Act (The Act), whose purpose
is to organize scheduled softball games for member teams. Each team in the League shall be considered a
member pursuant to the Act and shall have equal rights and limitations. If any assets are at any time to be
distributed, such distribution shall be equally among active members. All officers and only officers of the League
shall be deemed Trustees under the Act.
The League hereby indemnifies Trustees/Officers to the maximum extent
permitted under Title 15A: 3-4 of the Act against expenses and liabilities in
connection with any proceeding. Any
provisions of these By-Laws (sometimes referred to as a
"Constitution") which are not in accordance with the Act are to be
considered null and void. The intention
of the League is to operate as a corporation under the Act to limit any
personal liabilities of Trustees/ Officers.
ARTICLE I
BY-LAWS
MEMBERSHIP/TEAMS
A. Each player must be at least fifty (50) years old in the calendar year that he joins the League. If a player is found to be ineligible due to age, his team forfeits all games for which he was on the roster (current season only) and the player is ineligible for future play in the League unless reinstated by the Board.
B. Prior to April 1, any new team can be awarded membership by the League Board in unanimous agreement. Any new team wishing to gain entry into the league must first be in compliance with Section D below in regards to the number of existing players that can be included for it to be considered “New.” New teams will be accepted singly or in pairs as needed, and will be entered into the League's A, B or C Division at the discretion of the League Board.
C. Team rosters with a minimum of sixteen (16) and a maximum of twenty (20) players are to be submitted no later than April 1. Photocopies of players' driver’s licenses and signed liability release forms must also be submitted along with the team rosters. Teams forfeit all games until rosters are submitted. Team rosters are frozen after the completion of the third regular season playing date. Any player officially removed from the roster is ineligible to play for any team that year.
In the event of injuries, only, new
players can be substituted for roster players during the season. Substitute players' names, photocopied
driver's licenses and signed liability release forms must be submitted to the
Executive Board (10) days prior to the player's first game in order to allow
for proper notification of all team managers.
In order to avoid exceeding the twenty (20) regular player limit, a
substitute player becomes ineligible when the injured roster player for whom he
was substituted returns to active player status. Similarly, an injured player may not return
to active playing status until his substituted counterpart player is removed
from eligibility.
D. Prior to the first game of the season, no more than two (2) players can be picked up by any team from other existing teams in the League. A player shall be considered as an existing player –i.e. part of an existing team in the league- if he was on an official Player Roster for any team for any period of time (including partial seasons) during the preceding season (they need not have played in a game, just appear on a roster). Therefore, a new player would be anyone who never played in our league or appeared on any rosters at any time in the preceding year.
E. Among the four (4) Division A teams, players may only move from a higher-ranking team to a lower ranking team (based on the final standings from the previous year). Division B and C players may move freely to a Division A team, and Division A players may move freely to a Division B or C team. Players can move freely among the Division B and C teams. However, no more than three (3) players can be picked up by an existing B team, and no more than four (4) players can be picked up by an existing C team, from other existing teams in the League. Therefore, any “new” team cannot consist of more than 2 existing A Division players, 3 existing B Division players and 4 existing C Division players. In all cases, managers wishing to move players must submit their plan to the Board for approval. No existing players may be moved to other existing teams during the season.
ARTICLE II
YEARLY
OBLIGATIONS
All teams must pay League fees of $1200 by March 1 with the remainder
payable no later than April 1. Fees are required to purchase softballs and
also include insurance coverage, which the League will supply to the teams, and
to pay umpires. Teams in arrears forfeit
all games while in arrears.
ARTICLE III
OFFICERS
OF THE BOARD
The League Executive Board will be
comprised of four (4) to five (5) members, each with specific responsibilities.
The Board will be charged with all League administrative decisions and duties,
including determining League Rule revisions and additions. The League Board will decide all appeals, grievances and protests lodged during the
season.
ARTICLE IV
NOMINATIONS
AND ELECTIONS
All shall be held at a formal meeting
called for at any time by the Executive Board or by a simple majority of team
Managers and will be governed by the following:
A. Nominations
1. Any
designated team can make a nomination representative.
2. Only
one nomination or second will be accepted from any designated team
representative for each Board position.
B. Elections
1. Requirements
for voting. Each team has one vote to be
cast by the designated team representative.
2. There
will be no absentee ballots.
3. Any
candidate shall be elected when the balloting yields a majority of the votes
cast.
ARTICLE V
RULES
OF PLAY
The League shall adhere to the current
ASA rules and regulations for all playing matters, except as provided in the
League rules of play. League rules take
precedence over ASA rules.
Before the start of each softball season,
the League Board will review and decide on playing rules that shall be in the
best interest of the League. The Board
shall also adopt a schedule for the regular season. Subsequent suggested revisions to individual
regular season game dates, times, and fields may be made with the approval of
the Executive Board .
The
current League rules of play are as follows:
1. Team
field strength will be a maximum of eleven (11) players and a minimum of nine
(9).
2. Before
the start of or during a game, an opposing manager may require a player to
provide proper identification to confirm his roster eligibility. If a manager has reason to believe that an
opponent's team includes (an) ineligible player(s), he may play the game under
protest, with a subsequent investigation and ruling to be made by the League
Board.
3. A
game will be forfeited if a team cannot field a minimum of nine (9) players
fifteen (15) minutes after the pre-arranged starting time or during play. If both teams cannot field eight men, then
both teams forfeit the game.
Penalties for forfeiture of games are as follows:
a. Any
team which forfeits one (1) game will pay the League fifty dollars ($50.00).
b. Any
team, which forfeits two (2) games, will pay the League an additional one
hundred ($100.00) for the second game, and will become ineligible to represent
the League as one of its entrants in the state tournament.
c. Any
team, which forfeits three (3) games, will automatically forfeit all remaining
games in the current season, and the team will be ineligible to return to the
League during the following year.
Players from the disenfranchised team will become available to other
teams in the following season through a lottery selection system.
Note:
Where the forfeiture in question is a doubleheader, the above listed
penalties will be assessed as if the doubleheader represents one forfeiture
"occurrence", not two. The
sole exception to this interpretation is that the forfeiting team will record
two losses, and the opposing team will record two wins.
Forfeiture fees are due to any League
officer no later than twenty-four (24) hours prior to the start of the next scheduled
game.
4.
A
team may bat all players. However, a
minimum of twelve (12) players, if available, must be batted.
5. There are no rules governing individual
playing time in the field; however, team Managers should make every effort to
give sufficient playing time to all players who desire it. Player complaints about inadequate playing
time in the field will be addressed to and ruled on by the League Board.
6.
There
is free substitution with players in the batting order (i.e., a player may be
removed from the field of play and reinstated at any time thereafter without
liability, including pitchers).
7.
Each
team may field Eleven players (11).
8.
Base
runners may not leave base until a pitched ball crosses home plate.
9.
Pinch
runners are allowed freely except any one player may be used as a pinch runner
no more than one time per inning from the batting order.
10.
If a player is removed from the game, an
automatic out will be recorded (only) for the removed player's next scheduled
turn at bat. (No additional outs will be
recorded for subsequent scheduled turns at bat). Before the start of the game, players
planning to leave a game before its conclusion must inform the umpire and
opposing manager of their intended departure time; no penalty will then be
imposed. Note that the team is still
subject to (non-monetary) forfeiture of the game if it is unable to field eight
(8) players as a result of (a) player(s) leaving or having been removed from
the game.
11.
Players
arriving at any time subsequent to the start of the game will be inserted at
the bottom of the lineup.
12.
This
is a slow pitch league with a minimum arc of six (6) feet and a maximum arc of
twelve (12) feet above the ground.
13.
The pitcher’s box shall
be two (2) feet wide and four (5) feet deep. The pitcher can pitch from any
spot in the box, as long as he has one foot in the box. The pivot foot must
remain in the pitcher’s box throughout the delivery. Consistent with current
regulations, the pitcher must pause at least
one (1) second before the start of delivery i.e. he cannot run up while
in the box.
14.
A league
approved strike zone mat will be used in all League games. The plate and the mat shall constitute the
strike zone.
15.
If
the umpire calls a pitch illegal and the batter swings, the ball is in
play. If the pitch is taken, it is an
automatic called Ball.
16.
A
third strike foul (i.e., a foul hit when the count is already strike two) is an
automatic out. If such a third strike
foul out is caught by a fielder, the ball is in play and runners may attempt to
advance at their own discretion.
17.
All
base paths are sixty-five (65) feet between bases and the pitching rubber is
fifty (50) feet from home plate except where otherwise agreed due to field
limitations.
18.
A
commitment line will be designated halfway (32½ ft) between third and home.
19.
No
base stealing, bunting or slap hitting are allowed.
20.
All
games will be seven (7) innings. Five
(5) innings must be completed (4-1/2 if the home team is winning) for a game to
be official.
21.
In
the first inning, the maximum amount of runs scored will be 5 per team. After the first inning, the even plus five
(5) run rule will be in effect, with no restrictions in the last inning or
extra innings.
22.
Mercy Rule: a game is
officially over if one team leads the other by fifteen (15) runs after five (5)
innings of play have been completed (or 4-1/2 innings if the home team is in
the lead).
23.
All
bats must be slow-pitch officially approved by ASA. Bats
with altered [original manufacturer] markings are prohibited.
All bats must be equal to the 1.20 BPF standard. Every player will be required to sign a
written statement attesting to the fact that his bat does not exceed the 1.20
BPF standard. (If a player is in
doubt about the specifications of his bat, it cannot be used.) A batter using a
bat prohibited by these rules will be declared out and ejected from the game.
24.
Metal
spikes are not allowed.
25.
Sliding
is permitted into all bases, including (the scoring) home plate and (the
batter's) first base. At any base and regardless of the specific
circumstances of the play, a runner
who does not slide must veer out of the way of an infielder in order to avoid a
collision. (A player cannot break up a
force out, tag play or a double play by running into a fielder.) The umpire will declare (an) out(s) as
appropriate if this rule is violated.
If the runner runs into the fielder and, in the umpire's judgment, it
was a dangerous play, the runner will be ejected from the game and may face
suspension. The player's action will be
reviewed by the League Board to determine if further disciplinary action should
be taken. Any decision made by the
Committee will be strictly enforced. We
are a "fun" League.
26.
On a
play at home plate, the catcher can record an out only by touching any portion
of the mat. This means that the catcher
cannot tag out a runner coming home or block him from crossing the scoring
plate, even if the incoming throw draws him toward the runner and/or scoring
plate. Correspondingly, the runner who touches
home plate or interferes with the incoming throw at home plate shall be
automatically called out.
27.
Where
playing field design makes the use of a scoring plate potentially dangerous, as
agreed upon by the opposing managers and the umpire, a scoring line (extension
of the first base line into foul territory on the third base side) may be used
instead of a scoring plate.
28.
Both
teams shall provide one (1) new ball for each game.
29.
Judgment
calls cannot be protested. Except for
player-eligibility protests, a protest, when allowed, must be made before the
next pitch and submitted in writing within two (2) days to the Board. The protest must be important to the outcome
of the game and the League Executive Board will render a decision.
30.
During
play, only team managers can discuss calls with the umpire, or other
items pertaining to the nature of play. Managers must make this clear to their
players.
31.
After
the umpire calls, "Play Ball"; a team has two (2) minutes to resume
play or the umpire can call a (non-monetary) forfeit.
32.
An
umpire may remove a player for verbal abuse or physical abuse. Physical abuse will result in being removed
from the League for the remainder of the year.
33.
A
player removed from the League for physical abuse will be subject to review by
the League Board regarding possible future reinstatement the following year.
34.
A
player removed from the game by an umpire must leave the vicinity of the
ballpark, or sit in his car for the remainder of that game. Failure to do so will result in his team's
(non-monetary) forfeiture of the game. A
player removed from game one can return for game two of the doubleheader.
35.
End
of season ties in the standings will be decided by the record of each team
against all teams with which it is tied.
If ties still exist, the tiebreaker is recorded against the highest
finishing team or group of teams in the division against the next highest,
etc., in descending order through all teams.
Ties shall be settled from bottom of standings to top in ascending order
(ties for 3rd and 4th are settled before ties for 1st and 2nd). In case of ties still existing, a coin toss
in the presence of representatives of all affected teams shall decide. Won/lost percentage, rather than games ahead/behind,
will be the criterion for comparing records.
A 0-1 record is better than 0-2 where neither team has at least one
victory.
36.
This
same tiebreaker procedure will be used to determine competing team pairings for
all "Bumper Week" games. (That
is, within each Division, the team currently standing #1 plays team #2 and #3
plays #4-- with these standings having
been determined by the tie-breaker procedure, above.)
37.
If
the umpire does not show up for a scheduled game, or leaves during the course
of the game, both managers must agree on a substitute or substitutes, who can
be from either or both teams (and can even play in the game when not serving as
an umpire), or a spectator. Once the
game begins, it cannot be terminated over dissatisfaction with the umpiring.
38.
While
it is preferred that all players wear uniforms, this provision shall not be
mandatory.
ARTICLE VI
DIVISIONS
A.
During pre-season meetings, both the Division and cross-Division team
alignment will be reviewed and decided upon for the coming season. A majority
vote will be required for approval. Every effort should be made to maintain
parity among teams in any given Division.
B.
State
Championships
Teams from the league may participate in
the NJSSA State Championships. These
shall include teams from any Division. Application
must be made the the NJSSA prior to team participation. Details are contained on the NJSSA.US
website.
ARTICLE
VII
RATIFICATION
New By Laws are proposed and adopted for
the League at the discretion of the League Board. If so designated by the Board, a meeting of
League Managers may be called at any time to consider and adopt By Law
revisions and/or additions. If such a
meeting is held, ratification shall require that at least a quorum must be in
attendance and at least two-thirds (66-2/3 per cent) of those present must vote
for the Article I (By-Laws) in the affirmative.
Changes in Article VI (Rules of Play), however, require only a simple
majority vote approval.