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2010 St. Mary’s County
Young Men’s Softball League
By-Laws
Article I. Entry Fees/Awards:
Each new team intending to participate in the SMCYMSL will be required to pay a non-refundable sponsor fee of $100 at the February meeting. Any team that has been in the league and dropped out must pay the fee again. (Teams failing to pay at the designated time will be dropped.)
Each player, manager and coach, participating in the SMCYMSL will be assessed a fee of $45.00, due when rosters are turned in. Players added for the second half of the season will also be assessed a $45.00 fee.
Awards and banquet expenses will be purchased with SMCYMSL funds. The number of awards will be determined by the amount of funds generated by the league members each year.
Article II. Eligibility:
Players must reside in, or be a native of St. Mary’s County. If a player played in 1996 or prior to that date, they will be considered a St. Mary’s County resident. Out-of-county players that played in the 1997 season and after will be considered out-of-county players. A player must establish residency in St. Mary’s County as of March 1, 2010, to be eligible as a St. Mary’s County resident for the 2010 season. Out-of-county players that play for the same team three consecutive years will be considered county ball players until they miss a year, at that time the player will be considered out of county.
Exceptions: Each team shall be allowed an unlimited amount of out-of-county (non St. Mary’s County residents) ball players. The non-residents must play 70% of league games and at least four (4) innings of those games, to be eligible to play in the playoffs. Each team will note on their respective rosters the out-of-county ball players, which will be given to each team manager. (no doctor’s notes) Out-of-county players picked up in the second half of the season will be eligible to play in the playoffs if players play 100% of the games in the second half.
Military are considered out-of-county after March 1, 2010.
Each player must be at least eighteen (18) years of age before the first game of the regular softball season, or the first game of the second half to be eligible for the second half.
Each player shall only be on one (1) team roster in the league and are not eligible to change teams during the 2010 season.
Each player shall not be a player in any other organized softball league in St. Mary’s County. The following leagues are recognized as organized leagues; Slow Pitch League and Premier League.
Article III. Team Eligibility:
The SMCYMSL will accept any team with an organized roster, as long as all other conditions of these by-laws are satisfied. All player dues shall be paid in full when rosters are submitted to the President of the league prior to the start of the season, or prior to the first game of the second half as a second half addition.
Team rosters shall not exceed twenty (20) players, excluding non-playing managers and coaches.
Once the rosters have been submitted to the President of the league, no players may be added until the second half, unless a hardship arises. A hardship would have to reduce a team’s active roster to twelve (12) men. If this occurs, two (2) new players may be added to bring the active total to fourteen (14). In any case, the league President will take all precautions to determine whether or not a hardship is legitimate. The added players must meet all other requirements of the league. A player dropped for hardship is ineligible for the remainder of the 2010 season.
The manager of a team that utilizes the hardship clause must submit to the league President, the names of those players that will be listed as inactive players for the remainder of the season, and the names of those players that will be replacing those inactive players. This information will be provided to all team managers, who will make the necessary changes to their copies of the league rosters. Managers/Coaches cannot remove themselves to be eligible to claim hardship.
Each team must make enough copies of the first and second half rosters for each team in the SMCYMSL, and the four (4) league officers. Any teams that do not have copies at the time rosters are due will be assessed a fee of $1.00 per copy due at the time rosters are submitted.
Any team found using an illegal player will be fined $50.00 by the league and will forfeit all the games for the half in which the illegal player participated.
Each team will submit a second-half roster that will indicate those players that are being dropped from the roster for the second half and will include all information, including signatures from players that are being added for the second half. For those added players, the league fee must be paid in full prior to the start of the second-half.
Article IV. Irregularities:
If a team questions the eligibility of a member of the league, the accusing team must gather information proving that the person in question is ineligible to participate in this league. All information gathered will be submitted to the league President, who will evaluate the information and make a decision on the eligibility of the player in question.
A player may sign only one (1) SMCYMSL roster. Any player signing more than one (1) roster shall be declared ineligible to play in the SMCYMSL for the entire season.
Article V. Playing Rules
All games will be governed by the USSSA rules with the exception or addition of the following: (1) the home team will supply the official(s); (2) all teams will use an official USSSA umpire. (If the official umpire does not appear at the game and the two team managers cannot agree in writing on a capable person from the field, the game will be postponed. The game will be made up within two (2) weeks, or be rescheduled by the league President.)
Any payment of the officials will be the responsibility of the home team. Payments shall be made through the SMCYMSL.
Any player who physically or verbally abuses an official will be removed from the league for the remaining season. The league will evaluate the circumstances and decide if any further judgment should be carried out against the perpetrator. Any player using foul language, especially the “F” word shall be ejected from the remainder of that game.
Protest: Protests will follow guidelines outlined in the USSSA Rule book, Rule 4, Section 11. Written protests to the league require a $25.00 protest fee and must meet the 48 hour filing requirement.
Home runs will follow the progressive rule. All teams will be allowed 4 home runs per game. A team can win the game with a home run in the bottom of the seventh inning. Note, a ball that is knocked over the fence off a fielder’s glove will be considered a four (4) base error and not a home run.
A game shall be considered complete after five (5) full innings of play.
Games will be considered official if a team is trailing by 15 runs after 6 innings. Batters will start with a 1 and 1 count with a courtesy.
Home runs require all base runners and the batter to run all bases.
Every team is responsible for playing the entire schedule. Only one (1) forfeit game will be allowed per half, due to lack of players. Two (2) forfeits, due to lack of players, will result in the forfeiture of all games for the half, and the team will be assessed a fine of $50. A forfeit incurred during a game due to the loss of a player by injury will not count. A fine of $25 shall be assessed for each scheduled game not played. If a team forfeits two (2) games in one half, all records stay the same and any game remaining will automatically be a win for the opposing teams.
Article VI. Rescheduling:
A game may be rescheduled due to an emergency, field conditions, or darkness.
The decision to reschedule a league game will be made by the team managers. Cancelled games must be made up within two (2) weeks. If the team managers cannot agree on a makeup date, the President/Vice President shall set a date for the rescheduled game.
All tournament games shall supersede regular scheduled league games. Seven days prior notice must be given to apprise the opposing team of rescheduling a league game for a tournament game. During playoffs, only a major tournament will be allowed to supersede a scheduled playoff game. The validity of the tournament game will be the decision of the President/Vice President.
Article VII. Equipment:
No steel spikes may be worn.
Bats shall not be altered and must meet requirements specified in the USSSA Rule Book.
The Trump Softball, Core 40, 375 compression will be used during the 2010 season.
The home team will supply two balls to begin the game. A team that bats a ball over the fence or foul shall supply a replacement ball.
Article VIII. Games:
A fifteen minute grace period will be allowed before a game is forfeited as a no-show or due to lack of players.
Article IX. Meetings:
Only one member of each team will be permitted to answer roll call, make motions, or vote during the course of a league meeting.
Tie votes will be broken by the vote of either the President or Vice President, or both.
Teams not represented at league meetings will be fined $25 and the absence will be noted in the official records of the meeting. Any team missing three (3) meetings during the year will be required to replay their $100 entry fee.
All fines and money owed to the league must be paid prior to the end of each half. Banquet tickets will be withheld from those teams owing money to the league at the end of the season.
Article X. Special Rules:
Drinking – Drinking will not be permitted by the players, managers, coaches, or other game officials while the game is in progress. If any of the above do not comply with this rule, umpires will remove the player from the game and/or playing area and the player shall leave the playing area or automatically forfeit the game for their team.
Illegal Equipment – Any player caught using illegal equipment, such as altered bats, may be held liable for injuries caused by use of illegal equipment.
Altered Bats – If a player is suspected to be using an altered bat, the umpire may request the player voluntarily hand over the bat for testing, or the umpire may take the bat from the player for testing. If bats are found to be illegal, they will be returned to the player/owner once holes have been drilled in the barrel of the bat to keep the bat out of circulation. Teams will be responsible for the cost of shipping the bat for testing if the bat is found to be illegal. The costs of which shall be paid to the league prior to banquet tickets being issued.
Taunting – Taunting will not be tolerated as outlined in the USSSA Official Slow Pitch Playing Rules and By-Laws. Any player ejected from a game for taunting shall be subject to suspension by the league President and/or Vice President.
Ejections – Players that are ejected from a game shall leave the field and shall not be visible or audible to the umpire. If a player chooses not to comply, they shall be subject to suspension by the league President and/or Vice President.
Smoking – Smoking shall not be allowed on the field of play by the players while the game is in progress.
Banquet – Banquet arrangements will be made by the league officers.
All sponsors and co-sponsors of a team will receive two (2) banquet tickets.
Article XI. Playoffs:
Tie Breakers will be broken by looking at head to head records between the teams and then runs scored against one another.
All playoff games must complete seven (7) full innings. Each batter will start with a one and one count. If the game is called due to darkness, rain or for any reason, the game will be resumed from the point of where the game was called, and will be played on the next playing date. Starting times for all playoff games will be set by the league President. The league will have on hand a league official should a protest arise.
Playoff games shall be scheduled as follows. (1) The first game shall be seeded by record. (2) Playoffs shall be scheduled as bracket ball. (3) Teams will play a two out of three series head to head. The semi-final and finals will play a three out of five series. (4) All the teams in the SMCYMSL will make the playoffs.
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Last modified 04/12/2010