WESTERN
FALL BALL --
“RULES & REGULATIONS”
General Rules – All Divisions
GENERAL PURPOSE OF THE LEAGUE: There are two basic purposes that we hope
this league will serve. First, we feel
that kids need to be able to play more baseball once they’ve finished the
“regular” league season and, secondly, we want the players to have the
opportunity to play in situations similar to what they will be facing next
season – kids moving up to the next level of play.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS: The Western Board of Directors will be in charge
of the Western Fall Ball league with Kelly Robinson serving in the capacity of
a non-board "Commissioner.” Mr. Robinson will make all decisions
regarding the league, although consultation with the Western LL Board of
Directors may be the proper avenue for him to levy any rulings as a function of
his duties. Board members of WLL will
visit with parties voicing concerns only after Mr. Robinson has been consulted
in all cases. This is the 13th
season for this particular league (functioning at various ballparks) and we’ve
managed to keep our problems, complaints and controversies to a minimum … we
hope to accomplish that again this year.
However, if a problem or complaint needs to be handled, let’s please
remember that it is just as easy to approach things in an adult manner and not
make a scene in the presence of the kids.
Please be mindful that this is, as we all agree, for the kids. Now, should a problem arise and Mr. Robinson
is not present, there will be a designated “commissioner” (someone in charge
who is either a member of the WLL Board or an adult designee of Mr. Robinson)
that would be levied with the responsibility to handle the situation – that
person will be known to league teams. Games may be played at various facilities
in the area, especially as the need arises to make up games due to weather
situations. Should that happen, please
keep in mind that those facilities fall under the same guidelines as our normal
game sites. Please offer the personnel
at alternate sites the same courtesy you’ve had for Western LL and Kelly
Robinson the last several years.
AGE DETERMINATION: In all divisions the age of the players is
determined by age as of April 30, 2012!
BIRTH CERTIFICATES: The league may request copies of all players’
birth certificates and any manager refusing to provide them will be suspended
and the team’s scheduled games forfeited until they are produced. If a player is found to be illegal, then only
games played by that team with the player in question may be forfeited, based
on a decision of the league commissioner and Western LL Board.
ROSTER LIMITS: Each team is required to have a minimum of 10
players … there is no maximum roster limit. All players MUST HAVE BEEN PAID FOR
in order to play for any team. (Note: fill-in players may be used for teams to keep
them from being short of nine players in the regular season only/not in
tournament play … in the case of fill-ins, they must be players who are already
REGISTERED players on another Western Fall Ball League team’s roster regardless
of age group – players may play “up” in age division, but not “down” in age
division … there is not an extra fee charged for “fill-in” players … NO FILL IN
PLAYER MAY PITCH AND THEY MUST BAT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BATTING ORDER … also
the use of “fill-in” players may ONLY be to get your team to 9 players – you
may not “fill-in” up to your official roster size!)
PLAYER LIMIT TO START GAME: Forfeits can only be ruled by the Western
Board of Directors (based on recommendation of Mr. Robinson). A team must have
9 on the field to start/play/finish (Little League Rule).
MANDATORY PLAY: There
are roster/batting options in all divisions that are explained on their
specific rules sheet. Because of the
rules we have for Western Fall Ball we STRONGLY encourage the managers of each
respective team to see to it that their players receive the appropriate playing
time. Remind your parents that
complaints regarding playing time or lack thereof are to be directed to the
manager of the team and not the league as this is a “team signup” league and
the league has not assigned players to your team.
DUGOUTS: Dugouts WILL BE ASSIGNED this season … 1st
base dugout – visitors; 3rd base dugout - home!!!
HOME/VISITOR TEAM RESPONSIBILITY: (home/visitor
will be designated on the schedule) The HOME team in each game will be
responsible for keeping the “official” book for the game … by mutual agreement
this duty may be passed to the visiting team (make sure the umpires know who the official book is being kept by). The VISITING team will be charged with
keeping the official game time. The game
time begins when the plate umpire declares “PLAY BALL” to start the game. As soon as game time expires the visiting
team’s designee will make sure the umpires and opposing team know that “time
has expired” and the inning being played will conclude or, in some cases, the
game ends at that point. THE ONLY WAY
GAME TIME WILL BE KEPT BY ANYONE OTHER THAN THE VISITING TEAM IS BY MUTUAL AGREEMENT
BY BOTH TEAMS AT THE PLATE MEETING – IF THEY WANT THE UMPIRES TO KEEP THE TIME,
THEN BOTH TEAMS MUST AGREE!! NOTE: A new inning officially begins just as soon
as the third out of the bottom of an inning is recorded – if an inning ends
before the “Time has expired!” announcement is made, a new inning begins. NO ONE WILL BE ALLOWED IN THE PRESS BOX – NO
SCOREBOARD WILL BE AVAILABLE!!
INFIELD: Absolutely NO INFIELD will be taken prior to
games, other than for the first game on a given date/field – Game #1 needs to
start on time and umpires will cut infield short to do so!!!
SCHEDULED INNINGS/EXTRA INNINGS: All games will be scheduled for 6
innings. If after 6 innings (or time has
expired) a game is tied, then one extra-inning using the “International”
tie-breaker will be in effect. In this
instance the team who is hitting will begin the inning with a runner (the last
batter from the previous inning) at second base and no outs … the inning is
then played in regulation fashion. If after one extra inning the game remains
tied it will be declared a “tie” in the standings.
GAME TIME LIMITS: T-Ball games will have a 1-hour time
limit. Coach Pitch and 9U games will
have a 1:30 time limit and the 11U division will have a 1:45 time limit. SEE
“TEAM RESPONSIBILITIES” for official timing responsibilities!! Per Little League rules no inning shall begin
after 10:00 pm in any of the four age divisions.
RUN RULES: In all divisions there will be a 15-run rule
after 3-innings, 10-run rule after 4-innings and 8-run rule after
5-innings. Should a game, because of
time limits, not get through four innings, then the result will stand based on
the last complete inning played by the two teams. The T-Ball Division will play a 7-run
cumulative per inning rule. The Coach Pitch
division will play a 7-run cumulative per inning rule. ADDED IN 2010 (3rd Year in
Effect): The 9U division will also play
a 7-run cumulative per inning rule through the first 3 innings of ALL games …
after 3 innings, then there are no run limits per inning.
SCHEDULING:
One of the features of Western Fall Ball are “kill
dates”. The six dates which can be “blocked
out” by teams and no games scheduled are unique to our league and it allows
teams to accommodate family trips, tournaments, etc. Another facet of fall ball that is unique to
us is that we play predominantly at one complex for all four age groups. In order to facilitate all of the games we
need to play before the season is complete there may be occasions when we have
to schedule games at 5:00 pm in the evening and try to play three games in a
single night. Coaches, please make your parents aware of this and educate them
to the fact that this may be the best way to get all the games in for the
season. There may also be Sunday’s when
we play morning games, although that isn’t something that we wish to do (that
would have to be a very EXTREME circumstance). Your cooperation as coaches will
greatly determine the attitude that the parents and the players maintain in
dealing with these scheduling situations.
ON-DECK BATTER: Little League rules will not allow “on deck”
batters in the four age divisions.
HEAD FIRST SLIDES: No head first slides are allowed (runner is
out), except when returning to the previous base … this is an OUT!
COACHES: All divisions may have two adult base coaches
… the manager is charged with the conduct of his/her coaches in the dugout and
on the field and any problems that arise will be dealt with by umpires
accordingly.
PROTESTS: All protests will be ruled upon before
continuation of the game in all divisions.
EJECTIONS: The first ejection of a player, manager,
coach or spectator from a game will result in that individual being remanded to
the DUGOUT ONLY for
players/managers/coaches (in the case of
a fan being ejected, the banishment to the dugout for that team’s manager will
be in effect) for the next game that is played for that team. Should the same person be ejected a second
time, they will be suspended (no sitting in the dugout, but may sit in the
stands) from the next played game, plus fined $25.00 (payable to Western LL)
before being allowed to return. If an
individual is ejected a third time they will be banned from the league
(entirely-dugout, ballpark, etc.) for the remainder of the season. Appeals of any of the aforementioned
sanctions must be made to Kelly Robinson, who will consult the Western LL
Board, within 24 hours of the ejection!! EMPHASIS:
Umpires will ask the manager to “calm down” an irate fan before any
other action is taken … if that fan continues to be a “trouble maker” then both
the fan and the manager will be ejected!
DUGOUT TRASH: (see Trash/Field
Maintenance Agreement) THIS SHOULD NOT BE
A RULE WE EVER HAVE TO EVEN LOOK AT THE REST OF THE SEASON!!! PLEASE CLEAN OUT
THE DUGOUTS AND HAVE YOUR FANS POLICE THE AREA OF STANDS WHERE THEY SIT!!!
TIE-BREAKERS – ALL DIVISIONS: Should ties occur in the standings at the end
of the season, here are the tie-breakers, in order: (1) head-to-head results in regular season
games, (2) how each team fared against other teams in the pool/division, from
the highest placed team on down, (3) average margin of victory with a 10-run
limit per game, (4) average runs allowed per game, (5) average runs scored per
game with a maximum of 20 runs per game, (6) coin flip.
REPORTING SCORES: The winning team from each game will be in
charge of reporting the final score …the winning manager/coach needs to tell
Mr. Robinson in person or text the score to his cell (773-8088) to report the
score.
TAKE CARE OF THE FIELDS: Coaches, make sure your players understand
that taking care of the facilities is a priority … make your kids clean up the
dugout after games, emphasize to them that digging holes in the outfield is not
acceptable and could cause injuries … also, please emphasize to your parents
that their help in policing their area in the stands is important.
POINT
OF EMPHASIS: This fall season is a great training time for
the ballplayers involved … it can also be a great training opportunity for
managers and coaches who may need to work on their game preparation/execution,
etc. … most of the managers/coaches in this league have experience under their
belts and we all do things in different ways … however, we can also all learn
from others as it pertains to dealing with certain “confrontational”
situations. Sportsmanship comes in all
shapes, forms and sizes … use your head and try to make this a fun experience
for all concerned.
“Always try to
earn the respect of the opposing team, while also striving to allow both teams
to leave the field with a sense of pride
and dignity about how they’ve played/coached the game.”
KIDS FIRST: As always, let’s put the kids first when it comes to the league and playing the games. No verbal abuse of opposing players, coaches, umpires, fans or others will be tolerated by anyone. Managers/coaches need to consider themselves stewards of the league and help diffuse any situation that they may deem potentially harmful to the kids or the league as a whole.
Any rules not covered in these handouts will
fall under the general rules of baseball as ruled upon by the league’s umpires
with the 2012 Little League Rule Book being used as the reference material.
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