Report of financial condition for Hingham Little League, Inc. as of fiscal year end 10/31/2009 and presented to the HLL Board of Directors on Sunday, January 10, 2009.
2009_HLL_Financial_Report_FYE_2009.10.31.pdf

November 24th, 2009 HLL Board Meeting


7:50 Call to order.

First Buiness Election of Board;

Mandated Officers:


President

Two Vice Presidents;
One Baseball Operations
One Business Operations

Secretary - records, keep minutes, correspondence,

Treasurer - keep books, file tax returns

Player Agent - Try outs, draft, Player Pool

Safety Officer - create awareness of safety precautions

Coaching Coordinator - nomination of coaches

Suggestion was made, that with more people wanted to be involved, that we have additional board like funtions for minors and majors.

Election of President: Nomminations;

1.Kevin Shea, 2.Owen Kane (declines) 3.Elliott Sherman (declines)

Kevin Shea nominated unapposed - voted and so moved.


VP of Business Opeations;

Nominations?

Eliot Sherman - Voted and approved.

Prior to nominations, discription of job functions were outlined. Again, recommendation was made to divide some of the functions such as events, concessions, to deleigate additional people and resources in order to distribute some of the work load.

VP of Baseball Operations;

Description: another time intensive job. Recommendation was made that someone with league experience take this position. Real challenge is the scheduling of the games.

Nominations:

Owen Kane - voted and approved.

Secratary -

Nominations - George Grant

George Grant - voted and approved

Coaching Coordinator - training, clinics, education and election of coaches, CORI background checks, and pulling together candidates. There is also some challenges of recruiting managers, coaches register late.

Nominations - Sean Regan, discussion was made to have Joe Cravins.

Sean Regan - voted and approved.

Treasurer

Nominations - Bill Ford - Andy Wheeler (declines) request was made to have Andy assist

Bill Ford - voted and approved.

Player Agent: resposible for try outs, drafts, player pool, this is a busy job.

Nominations - Glenn Vinton

Glenn Vinton - voted and approved - suggestions was made that Glenn get one other person to help with this job.

League Information Officer - main job was to keep scores going to journal. Recommendation was made to have this job become Communications Director that belongs to someone who is very computer savy. Email blasts was seperate from information officer. Suggestion was made to elect one person to take both resposibilities emails, information to the journal, and take control of the web site. Clean up web site and make it more user friendly, with files etc.

Mary Ann Vinton -Nominated, voted and approved.

Safety Officer - write ASAP plan, incorporate new fields, coordinate with EMTs for training.

Election of Safety Officer - was tabled to locate a nurse , doctor , or EMT.


Executive Commitee

Nominations - two vice presidents, President, Coaching Coordinator, and Treasurer - nominaed, voted, approved

Grounds Commitee: field maintanance

Ron Hutchins - Andy Wheeler - Joe Cravens (Bob Madden with assist) nominated and approved.

Equipment Committee: figure what you need, buy it, distribute it, and get it back in.

Wayne Southworth , Glenn Vinton (will assist) nominated and approved

Managers Commitee: 3-5 members, address any complaits, would include coaching coordinator, player agent,

Joe Cravens, Sean Regan, Owen Kane, Glenn Vinton,

Umpire Committee:

Jeff Hartwell, Richie Magnan, Bob Madden , Kevin Shea

District Commitee;

Eliot Sherman and Kevin Shea

Auxilliary/Sponsorship; Treasurer and two other

Joe Fallen on Sponsorship, Eliot Sherman, Bill Ford

Auditing Commitee: Treasurer not eligible

Going with an independent CPA as per usual.

Registration fees will be addressed at next meeting.

Summer Travel Commitee: Sean Regan also wanted to discuss this commitee - however summer isn't Little League. In the constitution that was referenced, the Summer Travel in question was historically only really considered to be Little League tournaments that may or may not arise. There is Suburban, and South River (seperate from Little League) that run thier own summer ball.

Next meeting:

DEC 1st there is a Selectmen meeting, offer Selectmen the same arragement we have a Lynch

Question arose around financial burden of another field - historical field maintenance was 24,000 per year. This year with Lynch in better shape this number will be lower. Debate is around taking on additional field maintenace costs, vs. paying REC per hour rental fees fo field use.

Will the Board take resposibility of Carlson Field? Suggestion was made that the board be represeented at the Selectman meeting.

Motion to offer Selectmen the same arrangement we have with Lynch - voted - and approved.

Find current constitution, table summer question.

Winterization: Lynch is done. Building is drained down. Equip is in.

Next Board Meeting : Sunday Night December 13th at 7:00 P.M.

Hingham Little League
Board Meeting Agenda
Monday, March 26, 2007
7:00 PM
Meeting Facilitator: Ed Anderson
Invitees:
Board Members: Laurie Berlinguet, Tim Driscoll, Melissa Flanagan,
Joe Higgins, Skip Jenkins, Patrick McCullom, Elliot Sherman, Tony Viola, Andy Wheeler

Invited Guest: Rich Magner
I. Call to order – 7:19 pm
II. Approval of minutes from last meeting –Tim Driscoll Approved and to be posted
III. President’s Report – Ed Anderson
• District Meeting scheduled for Thursday, March 29, 2007
o Review of Intl Congress items
• Background Checks
o Process has started. ChoicePoint is working well, looking into uploading from database to cut some time
• Little League International Congress 2007
o April 13-16, 2007 in Houston
o Agenda items discussed where variances of how we are operating. Ed will take our ‘proxy’ on the items to the meeting as discussed. We are in general agreement as a Board on the proposed changes.
IV. Treasurer’s Report – Rick Linehan – No report, Rick not able to attend.
• Current Balance
• New Revenues
o Chevrolet Corp has donated 0 and equipment for the season
o Registration checks are still coming in
• Current Expenses
• Finance Subcommittee
V. Umpires Report – Rich Magner
• Wrap up of initial umpire meeting on March 21
o 82 kids showed up – quite a high level of interest
o Rich and Mark Igo reviewed rules as much as possible
o 35 candidates are returning, and 50 new ones
o Rich proposed a plan to give a game a week to the veterans for Majors
o Need only 25 of the 50 more; expecting some to drop off
• Rules review
o Clarification needed on mercy rule/15 run rule. If there is a 10 run per inning rule, it could impact a game that was 13-1 in 6th inning, and a team scores 10 runs, it could kill a rally! It could be remedied if we waive the 10 run per inning ruling in the 6th inning.
 Motion subsequently made to amend the 10 run rule in Majors and Minors, to read ‘except for the 6th inning”. Vote taken and PASSED. Rules to be amended
o Minors – End of play rule in Minors (14) – regarding play at third base. Could be simplified if the rule was adjusted to use Dead Ball rule and omitted from Minor league.
 Motion made to eliminate the End of play rule for Minors (elimate from third bullet down). Vote taken and PASSED . Rules to be amended
o Pitch count rule – should be agreed to by scorekeepers and discussed with umpires. Umpires do not count pitches.
o Discussed having some of the extra younger umpires as pitch counter.
 We could do this for a small fee (/game), would cost us 00
 Rich will get feelers out there, and address it at the meeting. Consensus was this could be a good idea to include as many kids as possible.
 Rich would like schedules as soon as possible; to be finalized by Board at April 9th meeting.
o Rich needs clickers. Shirts (we have 30 new ones, will need more for the extra umpires), for an additional 0. Purchase was approved, will also be looking at a new set of equipment as well.
• Next umpire meeting scheduled for Wednesday, April 11
• Additional Rules review
o Discussed a few other items re: pitching rules, pitch counts, posting results, etc. As for posting results, we agreed that we will add ‘failure to post scores may result in a forfeit for the winning team. At a very minimum, report the score and pitch counts” to the rules. This applies to Majors and Minors levels.
o Need to adapt for Majors that top team in each division will have a playoff bye.
o Strike bullet in 14 re: base coaches and move to section 15.
o All Star selection – three players for top two teams in each division, then every one of the others get 2.
o Motion made to approve the changes as revised; PASSED. Ed will distribute the finalized version prior to managers meeting.
o Ed will update the version of the rules and we can meet/approve them at the next Board Meeting.
VI. Managers/Coaches Report - Skip Jenkins
• Tee-Ball Managers Appointment and Approval
o There are only 5 interested on the list, plus 2 returning (7, need 7 more).
o Motion made to accept appointment of these 7’s, PASSED.
o Will continue to work the list; Skip to distribute the list of players
• Paperwork for Managers
• Managers Training/Orientation
o Rec is available April 4; will look for other options for one of the schools that could accommodate more Managers and Coaches (within the next 2 weeks).
o Agenda is being made
o Still working on a guest speaker
• One manager will be dropping out from Farm and another is making replacement. Vote taken and Passed to approve.
• Majors, Minors, and Farm are all set
VII. Player Agent – Kevin McNally (Ed reported in Kevin’s absence)
• Wrap up of major and minor league drafts
o All done, went fairly well
• Scheduling farm and tee-ball draft
o Need to figure out location and night
o 6 years olds playing Farm League
• Finalize number of teams for Farm League and Tee-Ball
o Numbers of players per team
• Volunteers needed for draft
• Refunds for players who have withdrawn
VIII. Playing Fields Update
• Rec Department Fields
• All set. Preseason prep on fields is in progress
o Haley
o Hersey
o Kress – inquiring about mound modification
• School Fields
o South
o PRS (Farm – 6 games)
o Foster (Farm – 3 games)
• Practice Fields
o Bradley Woods
o Middle School
o Central Fields
• Scheduling of practices is going to be an issue, should we mandate the times?
o Rec will let us know about availability
o Preschedule of the practice times and notify managers was discussed
o Skip will put together a proposed slate of times for practices as a fair way to get started. Clearly field availability will be an issue this season
o 1 hour per team, 2 teams per night, 2 fields

• Other Options for Tee-Ball
o Mainly at Middle School
• Storage for Hersey, Kress, and other fields
o Shed for Hersey
o Need a box for Tball equipment at Middle School
o Green Metal Box for Kress
 Spoke with Rich, we should go for a 10 x 15 model.
 Needs to be presented to Rec on 4/5
 Rec board probably needs a picture on the plot plan/site sketch as discussed
• New PAL/Lynch Fields
o Field House
o Field Update
o Concessions Committee
o Joint Planning Committee (with HYF)
 Being formulated on how to approach
 2 from each Board requested to get things started
• Andy and Tony will assist for ongoing operations
• It was noted that the concessions concept will need a significant amount of attention from HLL and the cross committee. This will evolve and be an important role.
IX. Playing Schedules
• Opening Day festivities will be April 29
• We will start the season on last Sunday of vacation, April 22nd. Not ideal but this is what we have to work with.
X. Sponsorship Update – Melissa Flanagan
• Existing Sponsor Renewals – coming in
• All set for Majors and Minors, and will be distributed
• New Sponsors – several are being signed on for Farm.
• Remaining Openings - will be closing out as soon as possible
o 2 Tball and 5 Farms are remaining
o Great job Melissa, Laurie, and Tony!
XI. Equipment and Uniform Update – Bill Ford
• Uniforms – most are all set, based on final sponsorships
• Baseballs – ordered and on the way
• Pitch Counters
• Umpire Gear

• Discussion ensued regarding the ordering of the uniforms without an approval from Board vote for the expenditure. We discussed further, Ed will forward the order information to all Board Members.
XII. ASAP Update – Owen McConville – No report
XIII. Other Topics
• Team Photos for Next Season – Melissa Flanagan
o Captive Photo - They have come down on prices, however there were issues. Sponsor plaques were part of the agreement to renew the contract. They still want a 1 day event, and not all that flexible
o Called 4 other vendors
o ActionPhotos – have responded well. They have a minimum cost per player, but pricing package is a good deal.
o Will follow up next week and report at next meeting.
• Playing Rules Review for Farm and Tee-Ball
• Opening Day
• FAQ Section of Web Site
• Summer Baseball
• New Signs for Haley/Hersey Field Scoreboards
XIV. Adjournment – Meeting adjourned at 10:12 pm
• Upcoming Board Meetings
o April 9
o April 23
o May 7
o May 21

Hingham Little League
Board Meeting Agenda
Monday, March 12, 2007
7:00 PM
Meeting Facilitator: Ed Anderson
Attendees:
Board Members: Ed Anderson, Laurie Berlinguet, Tim Driscoll, Melissa Flanagan, Bill Ford, Joe Higgins, Skip Jenkins, Rick Linehan, Bob Madden, Owen McConville, Patrick McCullom, Elliot Sherman, Tony Viola, Andy Wheeler
I. Call to order at 7:20 pm
II. Approval of minutes from last meeting –Tim Driscoll
• Approved, Tim to post to site.
III. President’s Report – Ed Anderson
• Al & Al Clinic Review
o 11 people attended morning, and 5 attended afternoon, feedback was very positive.
• Background Checks
o Volunteer forms or spreadsheet needed by Ed, Skip to supply
• Little League International Congress 2007
o April 13-16, 2007 in Houston
 Opportunity to provide input to District Administrator
 One item of interest is a vote expected re: number of Managers allowed to be on Board of Directors
IV. Treasurer’s Report – Rick Linehan
• Current Balance - ,004.27, after 00 check (for equipment) has cleared
• New Revenues – Sponsorship for Verizon check to be deposited
o IRS matter is cleared, we do not have to pay taxes
• Current Expenses
o Bill from Diamond arrived for last year, 61.50, to be paid. This addresses the issue discussed in earlier meetings.
• Finance Subcommittee
V. Registration Update
• Numbers Registered By Age
o Ed distributed handout with numbers before tryouts
o 817 registered; a few registered but were not on list that need follow up
• Walk-Ins at Try-Outs
o Several walk-ins, most from Minors and Farm
• Refunds
o One request so far
• Determine number of 10s and 8s that can move up
o Only a few openings for 10 year olds to Majors this year as the numbers worked out.
o In the vicinity of 13 8 year olds eligible to move to Minors
• Finalize number of teams for Farm League and Tee-Ball
o Numbers of players per team
o 111 8, 146 7s, 258 Farm League eligible
o 20 teams , 13 kids per team as it stands
 Motion made and vote taken (passed) to have 20 Farm teams
o Discussed that 6 year olds with experience can be moved up case by case basis.
o T-Ball – 159 registered now. Probably 12 teams. Managers needed at this level. Need to make an appeal, hopefully find some managers and maybe move to 14 teams.
o Will hold off the T-Ball draft until a later date TBD.
o Also agreed to hold off the Farm draft until a later date

• Managers/Coaches Report - Skip Jenkins
o Farm League and Tee-Ball Managers Appointment and Approval
 Farm is good, lot of returning candidates
 No objections made to list read by Skip for candidates
 Ed appointed the 20 managers
 Motion made to approve appointments, vote passed

o TBall – only have 6 returning
 Need to make a few more calls
 Tabled for now; could use a list of the T-Ball kids
• Paperwork for Managers
• Managers Training/Orientation
o Skip could use some help with this item; Tony and Bob have some ideas
o Idea floated about Farm and T-Ball draft on same night, general consensus is yes, lets do that later in April
o Major/Minor training, shoot for week of March 26th (BOD meeting is 3/26).
VI. Player Agent Report – Kevin McNally
• Try-Out Review
o Try out went well, had a couple of long lines which we couldn’t do much about. Too many kids at a time for Minors, that is the logistics of the process
• Make-Up Try-Out on Tuesday, March 13 at 7:30 PM at South Shore Sports Center
o Volunteer Help Needed
o Email was sent to all the no shows (15).
o Band concert is taking place at 7:30pm which affects a some of the kids
o Will need a second option. Discussed holding this at PRS on Monday March 19th at 6:30 pm. Agreed; for those last 11 and 12s, to hold tryout prior to Major League draft.
• Draft Dates
o Majors: Monday, March 19
 Plan A format
o Minors: Wednesday, March 21
 Plan B
 Serpentine rule 1-18, 18-1 etc.
 Order of the draft is pulled out of hat
 Using plan B out of LL Operating Manual
 Options on sons/daughters/siblings
o Farm/Tee-Ball: Thursday, March 22 – POSTPONED UNTIL A LATER DATE
• Draft Rules for Majors
o Draft Order
 Has been established
 Teams fill empty roster spots
 Reverse order of standings of previous year
 Discussed order as based on playoff record or the season record
• Vote taken and passed to use the final playoff record to establish order of draft
• This impacts 1 team, and 2 teams move up
• First pick of the draft debated. Vote taken and passed to start with worst record team (Enterprise Equipment) as opposed to by League
• Tie-Breakers went head to head records
o Dispersement Draft
 Players have to be in same league as where they were selected. This is an important Little League requirement
• American – One player affected. He will be assigned to Enterprise Equipment
• National – one of five will be picked by the next by place of finish
• 2 released players are part of the regular draft, but only can be assigned in the National League
o Sandwich Picks
3 teams eligible for 1 5th round pick (Best Chevy, Jack Diamond, Glenzel Spatz)
o Released Players – must remain in the National League as agreed

o Restrictions on number of players by age
 There is 1 team with 7 returning 12 year olds
 Discussed number of twelves, current is 6 maximum
 Motion made to raise maximum of 7 12 year olds per team. Further discussion – we should abide by LL rule of maximum of 8 for this year, there won’t be any issue
 10’s can go in any round
• Draft for Farm and Tee-Ball
o 6 years olds playing Farm League
 Agreed that this is acceptable if the player has experience (T-Ball, or SS Baseball club).
• Volunteers needed for draft
VII. Playing Fields Update
• Rec Department Fields
o Ed and committee discussed with Rec Dept for planning
o Haley, Hersey, and Kress
 DPW plans to do work on the fields, rototilling, new mix, etc.
 Turf maintenance – fertilizer, weed control, etc.
 We will need to do supplemental maintenance of all the fields
• Kress Field – MWF Saturday Sunday this season
• School Fields
o South
o PRS
o Foster
• Practice Fields
o Bradley Woods
o Middle School
• Other Options for Tee-Ball
o Central/Powers Field
o Country Club
• Storage for Hersey, Kress, and other fields
o No new information
o Suggestion from Rec, to make a presentation to them on April 4th Rec Meeting (specs, cost, location, etc.)
• New PAL/Lynch Fields
VIII. Playing Schedules
• Majors are on Sundays at Haley and Hersey
• 12 – 2 – 4 or 2 – 4 – 6 pm debated. Still open to discussion as no agreement was made. We will use the extra hour for Minors games.
• Minors – Kress MWF 6:00, Saturday 5 games 8, 10:30, 1;00, 3:30, 6:00, 1 minor game on Sunday at Hersey. 4 and 6 on Sundays at Haley and Hersey
• Farm – PRS and Foster on Saturdays (need to double check on these permits)
• TBall – Middle School field on Sundays. Agreed this is the safest option (large parking lot). Fields will have to be made on grass but can easily accommodate the kids
• Should be in good shape, Bob to follow up on the school fields
IX. Sponsorship Update – Melissa Flanagan
• Existing Sponsor Renewal
• New Sponsors
• Remaining Openings
o Majors all set
o Minors 14 of 16 are back, looking only short 2 if rest sign on
o Farm – need 15 sponsors still
o TBall – need 14 sponsors still
X. Equipment and Uniform Update – Bill Ford (No Report due to time constraint)
• Uniforms
• Baseballs
• Pitch Counters
• Umpire Gear
XI. Umpires Update (No Report due to time constraint)
• Recruitment
• Registrations/Initial Meeting on Wednesday, March 21
XII. ASAP Update – Owen McConville
• Will need 50 or so First Aid Kits
• Dates for meetings – 3/26 for Maj/Minors, and again in April. Use this time for training. Owen will prepare a presentation.
XIII. Other Topics (No Report due to time constraint)
• Team Photos for Next Season – Melissa Flanagan
• Playing Rules Review for each division
• Opening Day
• Summer Baseball
• New Signs for Haley/Hersey Field Scoreboards
XIV. Adjournment
• Upcoming Board Meetings
o March 26
o April 9
o April 23
o May 7
o May 21

Meeting adjourned at 10:00 pm.

Hingham Little League
Board Meeting Mintues
Monday, February 26, 2007
7:00 PM
Meeting Facilitator: Ed Anderson
Attendees:
Board Members: Laurie Berlinguet, Tim Driscoll, Melissa Flanagan,
Joe Higgins, Skip Jenkins, Rick Linehan, Bob Madden, Patrick McCullom, Kevin McNally, Elliot Sherman, Tony Viola,
I. Call to order at 7:25 pm
II. Approval of minutes from last meeting –Thank you Elliot for taking the notes in Tim’s absence! Minutes approved
III. President’s Report – Ed Anderson
• Application for Divisional Format
o Approved for the 2 division format, we are in good shape with LL.
o Little League Road Show in Warwick RI – Saturday March 3rd
o Al & Al clinic March 4th in Woburn
o Background Checks – Choicepoint is up and running and information on the process distributed
IV. Treasurer’s Report – Rick Linehan
• Current Balance - 679.87. Compared to last year we are in better financial shape, likely due to earlier registration timing
• No word on IRS followup, awaiting mail from them
• Verizon Sponsorship check is on the way for previous sponsorships. Followup with Elliot for Bill Colpoys/Colin Pomeroy
• New Revenues – Finance committee to meet to review budget items and report back to Board
• Current Expenses – Uniforms, equipment, facility rentals are upcoming..
V. Umpires Review –
• Review of last years meetings (March 15th)
o Rich Magner, Rob Blomberg, and Mark Igo will assist the program this year
o Melissa will follow up for Rec date for first meeting and will post to websites once plans finalized
• Recruitment – thru the Babe Ruth players, Elliot will assist in distributing information
• Registrations – eligible if they are “baseball” 13 as of April 30, 1994
• Background Checks – good idea, need volunteer forms approved for all umpires as per Little League
• Training -
• Equipment – will need 2 new sets of umpire gear
• Shirts – 30 are on order, will follow up for clickers, rulebooks, etc.
VI. Registration Update
• All Registrations to Date
o 801 as of yesterday
o Printed out list of those registered distributed
o Is registration still open? Yes, but with waiting list based on numbers as expected.
• Remaining Slots in Each Level
o Majors
o 71 – 12s, 82 11s. Still 5 kids expected (12s); total of 154 registered, (158).
• Determine number of teams for each division
o We don’t have enough kids to register 16 teams in Majors
o 14 teams, 12 kids per team = 168
 Proposal to reduce number of Majors teams from 16 to 14 discussed. All agreed that the numbers dictate any flexibility, so we have to contract 2 teams from this season (1 in each division)
 Motion made and Vote taken on reducing Majors teams to 14 Passed
o One American League team has only 1 player coming back (Stoddard). Not renewed sponsorship, 1 player will be put back into the eligible pool.
o Gilbert has – 3 registered/1 on fence (Gilbert)
o Rules reviewed regarding Supplemental Draft to place these players first
o Vote taken on removing Gilbert and Stoddard as above, PASSED
o Minors
 104 10s, 118 9s = 222 (minus about 10 tens go to Majors) = 214
 Could stay with 18 teams of 13 kids each = 234 players
• Motion made and PASSED to have 18 teams in Minors
• Will be room for over 15 8 year olds, many have expressed interest and will need to tryout
o Issue with one player requesting to be released from a Major team
 Vote taken and Passed to allow player to be placed back into pool
 Player will be put back into the supplemental draft
VII. Managers/Coaches Report - Skip Jenkins
• Managers Appointment and Approval
o Majors and Minors list reviewed by Coaching Committee and recommendations were discussed and made accordingly.
o Majors
 9 returning Managers are recommended for return
 22 candidates expressed interest in Managing at Majors level
 7 new candidates discussed, only 5 spots available
 Final list was determined and 14 managers were chosen
 Vote taken and PASSED on nomination 14 managers subject to acceptance and CORI check
o Minors
 22 Candidates, several are returning Managers and Coaches
 List reviewed for 18 spots available based on number of players per team.
 Vote taken on Coaching Committee recommended final candidates and PASSED.
o On both Majors and Minors levels, we were very fortunate to be in the situation where we had more candidates than open slots, and unfortunately not all who had expressed interest were selected as Managers due to the circumstances. It is expected that those not selected will all take on the role of Coaches.
o Candidates will be notified and verified, subject to background check

Discussion now focused on determining make-up of the Major League teams and the new Manager placement, as to the previous vote of contracting 2 teams. Issues were thoroughly debated and processed as follows:

Names were drawn out of a hat to determine which new coaches would retain which existing teams/players which did not have Managers/Sponsors interest retained, in the following order:

Joe Haley Club players – Steve Glenzel (new team name)
Jack Diamond Law players – John Ferris
Sullivan Brothers players – Skip Jenkins

*Due to affiliation with Verizon, newly appointed Manager Bill Colpoys will manage the Verizon team.

Name Changes –Team names were adjusted according to new sponsorships, Manager in Parentheses
G&C becomes Joe Haley Club (Driscoll)
Ryder Development becomes Gilbert Trash (Carlson)
Joe Haley becomes Glenzel Spatz (Glenzel)
WB Mason becomes Cold Stone Creamery (McCarthy)

VIII. Player Try-Outs – Kevin McNally
• March 10 & 11 from 8:00 AM to Noon at South Shore Sports Center
• Major League 8 – 10 am, Minors 9:30 to 12:00 both days
• Evening for Make-Up Try-Outs
o Basketball court at SSSC is available Tuesday 3/13 – reserved 7:30 pm to 9:30pm. Discussed alternatives, will stick with this plan
o Need volunteers to assist, sign ins, on field management, etc. Any guidance for Kevin is greatly appreciated as this is his first tryout.
o Need to order tryout numbers (preassign), 2 numbers per kids, different colors, safety pins.
o Need to identify the 10’s in the mix for eligibility to Majors.
o Notification of the process for tryouts forthcoming
• Draft Dates are set as follows:

o PRS March Mon 19 7-10pm Majors
o PRS March Weds 21 7-10pm Minors
o PRS March Thursday 22 7-10pm Farm and TBall
o Need volunteers to help out particularly at the lower levels… this is what we signed up for!


IX. Playing Fields Update
• Rec Department Fields
• School Fields
• Practice Fields
• Storage for Hersey, Kress, and other fields
• New PAL/Lynch Fields
• Kress discussion with SS Baseball to allow them to use field after Memorial Day, in exchange for SS Baseball training clinic. Agreed in principle, as long as we don’t short ourselves – win win situation. Bob Madden has done the legwork on this one, thanks Bob..
X. Sponsorship Update – Melissa Flanagan
• Existing Sponsor Renewal
• New Sponsors
o Majors are all set
• Minors – 11 of 18 are committed; couple more moved down from Majors, couple others need to be approached for renewals, plus some new ones needed. The letters of interest are coming in!
• Farm – 3 of 18 or 20 teams so far, word is now spreading out
• T-Ball – 6 of ? teams – as above, these tend to fill in just prior to season.
• Melissa and Laurie are busy with the necessary work to keep on top of this…thanks both.

XI. Equipment and Uniform Update – Bill Ford
• RFP for New Uniforms and Equipment
o Sent to 3 vendors (Beacon, Rockland, and LL sponsored)
o Local vendors fared better in price, pretty much expected
o Report next meeting on where orders will go, but likely both vendors as in past
o Agreed to get new uniforms for Spirito as colors are faded; there will also be sponsor changes as noted above
XII. Other Topics
• ASAP Update – Owen McConville – no report
• Team Photos for Next Season – Melissa Flanagan – no report
• Playing Rules Review for each division – no report
XIII. Adjournment
• Upcoming Board Meetings
o March 12
o March 26
o April 9
o April 23
o May 7
o May 21

Meeting was adjourned 10:08 pm.

Hingham Little League
Board Meeting Minutes
Monday, January 22, 2007
8:00 PM
Meeting Facilitator: Ed Anderson
Attendees:
Board Members: Laurie Berlinguet, Tim Driscoll, Melissa Flanagan, Bill Ford, Skip Jenkins, Rick Linehan, Bob Madden, Owen McConville, Patrick McCullom, Kevin McNally, Elliot Sherman, Tony Viola, Andy Wheeler
I. Call to order 8:10 pm
II. Approval of minutes from last meeting –Tim Driscoll approved and to be posted to the website.
III. League Business Update – Ed Anderson
• Charter Received from Little League
• Insurance Certificate Received from Little League
• Application for Divisional Format is in process / renewal
• Membership Forms – need to get to Andy for input and tracking purposes. To be added to the database. Follow up with Elliot as these come in with applications. Andy will keep track via spreadsheet.
• LL has signed a deal with ESPN, Charter fee has been reduced so we will have a credit balance of 100 next year!
• LL has offered CORI process with a reduced rate, but we are all set with our arrangements
IV. Treasurer’s Report – Rick Linehan
• Current Balance – 20,004, minus 5000 for the scholarship fund already committed to.
• IRS issue – Rick spoke with them, and most likely the penalty fee will be abated. Rick will be sending a letter and it should be a couple of weeks at least before we hear back
• New Revenues -- Checks are coming in from Registration and Membership
• Current Expenses --
V. Registration Update
• On-Line Numbers to Date – 325 online
• Mail-In Registrations to Date --
• On-Site Registration – probably near 30. General consensus is to cut down the hours next year, to maybe 1 night before a Board Meeting
• Final Reminder Notice Before Deadline –
o Need to send an email blast in addition to Hingham Journal. Also good idea to put in the gyms Barker basketball
o All former players have been mailed a packet
o Only 63 signed up so far for Majors
o Database is set up to tack on late fee.
o Expecting to have same amounts.
o Reminder for coaches – need to make sure the Medical Forms are filled out for all their players
• We have one request for a fee waiver due to financial circumstances for 1 player. A motion was made to waive the fee and was approved by the Board. This option is available on an as needed/as requested basis.
VI. Managers/Coaches Recruitment - Skip Jenkins
• Mailing to managers and coaches from last season
o Skip needs some help with Active database as well
• Other applications
o Still looking for more candidates, please encourage friends and neighbors to return the applications

• Al & Al Coaches Training in Woburn on Sunday, March 4. Suggestion made to have all coaches strongly encouraged to attend!
o Check is due February 12th, Rick wrote out check for Ed and it will be mailed this week.
VII. Player Try-Outs – Kevin McNally
• March 10 & 11 from 8:00 AM to Noon at South Shore Sports Center
• Evening for Make-Up Try-Outs
o Plan for week after to hold this session, 1 hour should do, 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm
• Draft Dates
o Week of March 19th is ideal. We need 3 nights – Monday Majors.
o Majors, skip a night, Minors, then next night Farm & T-Ball. 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm.
o Discussed a special coach arrangement for his boy.
o 8 year olds interested in trying out for Minors must attend the tryouts. Need to segment them out. We will know how many spots are available based on the signups.
o Times for tryout need to be sorted out – ie 1.5 hours for Majors, 2.5 for Minors.
VIII. Game Schedules for 2007
• Discussed planning for season based on Ed’s previous draft
• Need to work around vacation – may want to start season earlier and hold opening day potentially a week later. Obviously have to work around the field situation

IX. Playing Fields Update
• It appears we will be able to survive missing Pal fields with schedule Ed has proposed
• Rec Department Fields
o Haley and Hersey permit applications submitted
o Kress (hopefully Friday thru Monday)
o Bob and Ed are meeting with Rec tomorrow to discuss fields, 4:00pm
o Reviewed feedback Ed solicited from other towns, it runs the gamut with some have fees, most pay for capital improvements as we do.
o Discussed outstanding invoices for Diamond past bills. To be taken up at Rec meeting
o Put in a permit application for Bradley Woods and Hull St fields for practice
• School Fields
o Middle School option? Only for practice
o Bob has talked with school department already for permits
• Practice Fields
o Cliff Boyle have offered his field for practice
• Storage for Hersey, Kress, and other fields
o Joe has looked into sheds, would need to get building permit. He has some pricing on wood or metal structure
o Would be great at Haley at least. Joe will follow up next meeting
o Bob moved metal box from Pal to Kress
• New PAL/Lynch Fields
o Field house being put up, fields underway
o Elliot, Ed, and Melissa have been invited to meet with town officials to discuss how the new facilities will be supported this week.
X. Sponsorship Update – Melissa Flanagan
• Existing Sponsor Renewal
o Letters went out last week.
• New Sponsors
o There are several prospects for new sponsors
XI. Topics for Next Meetings
• New Uniforms
• Team Photos for Next Season – Melissa Flanagan
• Playing Rules Review
• Fundraising Ideas
o Boathouse Jackets
XII. Adjournment – Meeting adjourned at 9:45 p.m.
• Upcoming Board Meetings
o February 5
o February 26
o March 12
o March 26
o April 9
o April 23
o May 7
o May 21

Hingham Little League Board of Directors
Meeting Minutes – Monday, January 8, 2007

Attendees:
Ed Anderson, Laurie Berlinguet, Tim Driscoll, Melissa Flanagan, Bill Ford, Joe Higgins, Rick Linehan, Owen McConville, Patrick McCullom, , Elliot Sherman, Tony Viola, Andy Wheeler
Invited Guests: Kathy Clarkeson, Mark Thorell
Meeting was called to order at 7:10 pm
Approval of minutes from last meeting –Tim Driscoll.
• Approved and to be posted to the Website
Recreation Department Fields Update – Kathy Clarkeson, Mark Thorell
• Not able to attend due to scheduling conflicts with apologies
• Building and Property Committee will need to meet with them separately; how we are planning to maintain the fields, additional planning, user fees, etc.
• Rec will inquire with SS Baseball to find other facilities than Kress so we can use that on Mon, Friday, all day Saturday and Sunday. Not known if others are using the field.
• Discussed the idea to work on and contribute funds for improvements at Kress, ie backstops, fencing, infield, etc. Farm Hills Civic association is in favor of improving the fields per Rick (a resident of the area), and maybe getting some contributions from Hingham Sports Partnership, possibly Hingham Baseball Boosters. Would be a good idea to follow up on this item in support of our need for additional fields for the season. Rick will discuss opportunity with the Farm Hills Civic group. This will also be brought up with the Rec Department in due course. We can also contact Cliff Boyle for information regarding anticipated costs – Ed will follow up.
Storage shed for Hersey, Kress, and other fields
• Ed has briefly discussed with Rec. For storing rakes, rollers, lime, etc. at the fields, particularly Hersey. We (actually, Bob Madden) has had to lug the equipment around in pickup trucks, would provide benefit of having the fields better cared for. Rec is open to this idea, and Ed will continue discussions with Joe will look into some pricing and options for sheds and report back.
Update on New Lynch Fields
Good progress being made
League Business Update – Ed Anderson
• Charter application has been mailed in
• Eastern Region League Administration Clinic – Sat/Sun Jan 27/28. If interested Ed has sent out further information
• Little League Road Show - In Concord NH and possibly Rhode Island
• Ed has sent information out about both of the above seminars. Probably will cover similar materials
• Ed is invited to Hingham Baseball Boosters meeting on 21st about their program and will report back.
• Discussed the merits of leaving Major League teams ‘as is’ or redrafting in the for the purpose of taking a vote on this issue. A few points:
o Had to redraft last year because of the expansion; probably only reason the Board did so.
o Reshuffling the deck may be useful for distributing the talent again to discourage ‘stacking’ of teams. This idea was considered as part of the debate
o Connecting with kids with consistent coaching from year to year also has merits
o Idea discussed about using a lottery system for drafting. Interesting concept. Similar idea was used for Barker Basketball and balanced the teams well.
o Traditionally, LL teams remain intact but is not mandated.
o Existing ‘buzz’ is that the teams will stick together
• After further debate, motion made to keep established 2006 Major teams and not redraft at the Majors draft. Vote taken and Passed.
• All 12 year olds are only eligible for Majors.
• Motion made to extend same rule as 2006 to have all 11 year olds eligible for Majors. Those wishing to play in Minors can opt to do so. All players MUST try out. Vote taken and Passed.
• Discussed Minor League draft structure. Question discussed as to keeping the Minors teams intact. This hasn’t traditionally been the case, agreed to discuss approach for the minor league draft at subsequent meeting.
• Monday, April 23rd proposed for first games, and still have the Opening Day Festivities on the following weekend. Scheduling to be worked out.
Treasurer’s Report – Rick Linehan
• Current Balance – 185.58 in bank, minus 00 for scholarship fund, balance 185.58
• New Revenues – Check received from Active for 2007 registration and forwarded to Rick for deposit
• Current Expenses – may owe a penalty to the IRS for late filings for 04 and 05 seasons, letter received. Rick to follow up with the accountant on clarification and options – there is a procedure to follow for late filing (for years 04, 05), but we may owe. Rick to update at next meeting
Playing Fields for 2007
• Ed distributed a plan of scenarios for scheduling options for Majors and Minors for review. Presented three different options, potential for moving Majors games to Saturdays opens some possibilities. This is dependent on us securing Kress Field, and at least some days at the School fields.
• School Fields - Won’t know availability of permits until March
• Bob looked at the Middle School fields for potential site. Rough estimates for fixing up backstop, fences, and benches in ballpark of 1,500. Infield 2,000. Maybe some tree work. The field is a viable option however.
• Plymouth River – may only be able to use for 1 game per week.
• Cliff Boyle’s Field – has been offered as an option. Would require some work, but again may be an option to explore
Registration Update
• 145 registered so far. Communications underway, mailing going out midweek; sent to each player. Melissa dropped off forms at the Rec as well. Continue to spread the word around town, as we have a lot riding on early registrations and cutoff of 1/31.
On-Site Registration –
• Set for the 20th of January, but we have a bit of scheduling conflict with an earlier event – time is set for 12:00 pm – 3:00pm at the Rec. Also onsite Monday 22nd before Board Meeting. Members, please forward available time you can assist to Ed so we can make a schedule. Skip should attend as good spot for Coaches.
Managers/Coaches Recruitment - Skip Jenkins
• Mailing to managers and coaches from last season planned. Coaching applications are coming in already, need to recruit mostly for Minors, Farm, Tball.
• Al & Al Coaches Training in Woburn on Sunday, March 4 (200 would be the fee, no vote needed to approve).
Player Try-Outs – Kevin McNally
Dates set -- March 10 & 11 from 8:00 AM to Noon at South Shore Sports Center each day. Discussed using same format as last year, to stagger Majors and Minors early/late, late/early on each day. May also want an interim time for 10 year olds in between for tryouts (all 10’s at the same time each day) so that Majors and Minors coaches could be there.
Potential Draft Dates
• Monday March 19 (Majors), Tuesday March 20 (Minors), Weds March 21 (Farm/TBall). Need to secure PRS school, as cafeteria has worked out well in the past.
Sponsorship Update – Melissa Flanagan
• Existing Sponsor Renewal – Ed asked if we could try and get an earlier view on returning sponsors so we know how many uniforms we need to buy (particularly at Majors level). Melissa to follow up
• New Sponsors – we have received several inquiries and Melissa is on it! Please forward inquiries to Melissa
CORI Process for 2007 – Rick Linehan
• Getting Skip set up; in progress
• Process for running the background checks
ASAP for 2007 – Owen McConville
• Current Status – In progress. Owen needs to review all fields once they are set for the application process.
Volunteer Opportunities -
• Elliot reports that we have 10 or so signed up online for Social Committee
Team Photos for Next Season –
• Tony is still looking working on this one. Not many vendors are willing to do anything other than “one night” shoot scenario, which is not a favored method among the Board.
Topics for Next Meetings
• Little League International E-Mail Distribution. Most of us are on it
• Playing Rules Review – respective committees should be meeting soon to review and make any required changes. 2006 rules are on the website
• Fundraising Ideas
o Boathouse Jackets – might be a good idea to offer again as we haven’t in a couple of years. We have information already from archive, can add it to the website. Elliot will follow up.
Adjournment – Meeting adjourned 9:50 pm.
Next meeting January 22nd 8:00 pm. Please remember we need volunteers for registration on 1/20 and also 1/22
Potential Board Meeting Dates as follows, but subject to change:
Feb 5, Feb 26, Mar 12 Mar 26 April 9 April 23 May 7 May 21 are tentative dates

On November 13, the following officers were elected by majority vote of the Board of Directors: President, Ed Anderson; Vice President, Melissa Flanagan; Secretary, Tim Driscoll; Treasurer, Rick Linehan; Player Agent, Kevin McNally; Safety Officer, Owen McConville;
Coaching Coordinator, Skip Jenkins.
In accordance with the HLL Constitution and Charter, the annual HLL membership meeting held on October 23, 2006 elected the following members to the 2007 Board of Directors:
Coaching members: Ed Anderson, Bob Madden, Skip Jenkins, Tony Viola, and Tim Driscoll
Non-Coaching members: Melissa Flanagan, Elliot Sherman, Owen McConville, Rick Linehan, Laurie Berlinguet, and Bill Ford.
Sincere thanks to the members of the 2006 Board of Directors for their efforts in making HLL a success.

A special note of appreciation is due to outgoing President Rob Blomberg for his outstanding service and dedication. Thank you also to Joe Craven, Bruce Corwin, Joe Granatino, Rich Magner, Steve White, and Tim Zyrkowski for contributions to the success of the program.

Hingham Little League
Board Meeting Agenda
Monday, December 18, 2006
7:00 PM
Attendees:

Ed Anderson ,Tim Driscoll, Melissa Flanagan, Bill Ford,
Joe Higgins, Skip Jenkins, Rick Linehan, Bob Madden, Owen McConville, Patrick McCullom, Elliot Sherman, Tony Viola, Andy Wheeler
The meeting was called to order at 7:10 p.m.
Approval of minutes from last meeting –Tim Driscoll
· Minutes of 11/28 meeting approved
League Business Update – Ed Anderson
· Inquiry re: possibility for exception for fielding 1 Williamsport team for HLL was made by Ed with the Eastern Regional LL. Request was denied based on the numbers of players registered
· Charter application is in process
· League administration clinic for Eastern Region is scheduled for January 28 and 29th in Bristol. Ed is planning on attending. Invitations open to board members as well, including Player Agent and Safety Officer sessions
· League is also doing roadshows in RI and NH, dates to be announced
Treasurer’s Report – Rick Linehan
· Balance is 25,000, minus 5,000 that is earmarked for the scholarship fund
· Rick met with Alan Gladstone and has provided the Annual Report for 2006. Annual filings for 2007 are complete as well waiting for signatures. We will post the Annual Report on the website (complete, posted under Board of Directors link.)
Haley Field Update
· Looking into the issue of potentially replacing the infield dirt/clay, estimates approximately 7,000k for red clay / infield replacement. Thanks to Steve Salerno from Cohasset who has provided valuable information for us based on experiences with their fileds. Matt sent a detailed email to Ed regarding his opinions and ideas, including the program to add mix into some of their fields.
· Rec Commission has approached us regarding outstanding tab for monies owed to Diamond Turf company. This outfit was hired on as contractor for the fields in 2006. The funds were supposed to be available from the user fees we paid last year (4,000k) for that purpose, but there is another shortfall.
· Reviewed and discussed the outstanding invoices from Diamond. Their bid for new repairs is 5200k, not including the materials.
· Herzog Landscaping bid was also discussed – 3100k for mix, labor and irrigation repair is 3900 = 7000k bid total. This outfit has a more attractive bid.
· Comment made that we will likely have to work also on any new fields we need – there will likely be expenditures.
· Discussed option of just having maintenance done on Haley and Hersey, expecting to pay 2000 – 3000 dollars for biweekly work.
· Suggestions also to have field tilled, and possibly just crowning the bases would work as well.
· Will need a written proposal either way to give to the Recreation Committee
· Agreed that we need to something with Haley, but probably short of full replacement of the infield due to costs. The maintenance program will need to be discussed in whole with Recreation department. Suggest we have a meeting with them in the beginning of January first to discuss planning for preseason. Ed will invite their representatives to our next Board meeting on January 8th

Playing Fields for 2007
Recreation Dept Fields
· Haley and Hersey – all week. Might make sense to schedule earlier games on Saturdays at 8 – 10 – 12 – 2 – 4 – 6 . This idea was met with general agreement that we could fit in more games utilizing these hours, as we can’t start play on Sunday’s until 12:00pm. We could then use Sundays as rainout dates and schedule in some minors games as well.
· Kress – Sat, Sun, Mon, Fri last season. Would like to expand if possible; take up with Rec.
· Central/Powers – Sat, Sun, Fri. Suitable for T-Ball? Farm?
· Bradley Woods – Practice only. Owned by the neighborhood association; no parking is a definite issue.
· Hull Street – Practice only?
School Fields
· South – Sat, Sun, Tuesday
· Plymouth River? May need fencing for dugouts, but is next best option for Minors
· Foster School? – could do for T-Ball, Farm. Issues with permits?
· High School? – there are 2 or 3 fields there, worth looking into? Maybe weekends are available also?
Committee will meet and report back on these ideas, and establish communication with the School department on the permitting process.
Training Update
· Boys of Baseball – we have conflicts with open dates available, just wouldn’t work scheduling-wise. Elliot will take care of communication with Steve Cosgrove.
· Al and Al sessions – Ed highlighted March 3 (Bristol) and 4th (Woburn). Program cost may only be 100.00. This is a good option for extra training for managers and coaches. .
· Training materials – Movie nights in the Rec! Ed has provided some cost information on manuals and dvd’s from Al & Al and LL. Skip will take the reins on this one and report back next meeting as we progress. It is generally agreed that we need to take as many measures as possible to provide training opportunities for our coaches.
· Motion Made to have video sessions for Managers at the Rec; league to purchase manuals for Managers and some videos for distribution.
Managers/Coaches Recruitment - Skip Jenkins
· Email will be going out soon for interest gathering. Notice has also been posted to the website for signups. It is not too early to suggest to interested parties to fill out the Membership and Volunteer forms available on the website. Spread the word.
Registration
· Active.com link and form is available on the website, thanks to Elliot. Some additional points of communication will be thru the paper, email, and regular mail. Packet should include President’s Letter Registration form (maybe not, just tell them to signup online or print online), Member App, Volunteer forms, President’s Letter, other opportunities in January, and Bricks flyer. Melissa will coordinate the mailing.
· Online form has been tested by a few Board Members and is working fine, additional corrections being made by Elliot. Item re: multiple kid signup issue to be looked into. Corrected the issue with ‘teams’ as a non-mandatory field
Try-Outs – Kevin McNally
· Kevin was not present but had forwarded information to Ed. Looking to secure dates at SSSC. Weekend of March 10/11 would be ideal. Kevin to follow up on the planning.
Sponsorship – Melissa Flanagan
· Include information about sponsorships in mail packet. Also, post to the information to the website, instructing interested parties to email Melissa so she can put on file for followup.
CORI Process for 2007 – Rick Linehan
· New rule from LL that National Registry database be used.
· Rick asked for assistance with the Cori Process, Skip has volunteered to do so as Coaching Coordinator.
ASAP for 2007 – Owen McConville
· Little League is promoting the program, only 60% of the teams are involved. We are complete with all the legwork/paperwork having been certified for the last 2 years. Most of our materials just require small updates.
· Owen passed around a pamphlet that is very good and should be distributed – “Youth Baseball and Softball Injuries” from The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. There is a link on the site but should make it more accessible.
Volunteer Opportunities
Ed outlined some ideas for possible help from volunteers, such as:
· Tryouts – High School players, other assistance as needed.
· Equipment – Uniforms inventory (February), distribution, update equipment, etc.
· Fields – Day for helping out; lining of fields, etc, regular maintenance, cleanup. Nice to have a list of on calls.
· Opening Day stuff
· Photographs. Weekly Newspaper update liaison, All Star games, Fundraising, ice and a pickup truck!
Team Photos for Next Season – Melissa Flanagan
· Tony gave an update; contacts being made. Couple of good leads, is asking for proposals and will report back next meeting
Topics for Next Meetings
· Playing Rules Review
· Fundraising Ideas
Adjournment – 9:50 pm
Next Meeting is scheduled for January 8th, 7:00 pm Recreation Center

2007 Board of Directors elected at Annual Meeting October 23, 2006

In accordance with the HLL Constitution and Charter, the annual HLL membership meeting held on October 23, 2006 elected the following members to the 2007 Board of Directors:

Coaching members: Ed Anderson, Bob Madden, Skip Jenkins, Tony Viola, and Tim Driscoll

Non-Coaching members: Melissa Flanagan, Elliot Sherman, Owen McConville, Rick Linehan, Laurie Berlinguet, and Bill Ford.

On behalf of our returnees (Ed, Bob, Skip, Tim, Melissa, Elliot, Owen, and Rick), welcome aboard Laurie, Bill, and Tony.

Sincere thanks to the members of the 2006 Board of Directors for their efforts in making HLL a success.

A special note of appreciation is due to our outgoing President Rob Blomberg for his outstanding service and dedication. Thank you also to Joe Craven, Bruce Corwin, Joe Granatino, Rich Magner, Steve White, and Tim Zyrkowski for your contributions to the success of the program.

Hingham Little League
Board Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
7:00 PM
Meeting Facilitator: Ed Anderson
Attendees:
Ed Anderson, Laurie Berlinguet, Tim Driscoll, Melissa Flanagan, Bill Ford, Skip Jenkins, Rick Linehan, Bob Madden, Owen McConville, Kevin McNally, Tony Viola

Other Guests: Rich Magner, Patrick McCullom, Andy Wheeler
Meeting was called to order at 7:15 pm
Approval of minutes from last meeting
• One minor change needed to include Minors in pitch count rule revision. Motion made to accept minutes and approved.
Approval of New Board Members
• Joe Higgins - Motion made for the nomination and appointment as a non-coaching Board Member - Approved
• Patrick McCullom - Motion made for the nomination and appointment as a Coaching Board Member - Approved
• Andy Wheeler - Motion made for the nomination and appointment as a Coaching Board Member - Approved
• This brings the number of Board Members to 15. Welcome aboard Joe, Patrick, and Andy!
League Business – Ed Anderson
• Filing of new officers completed with National Little League
• Ed met with former President Rob Blomberg for a ‘transition’ meeting
• Papers also filed with District
• Ed will attend District Meeting tomorrow evening and report back next meeting
Treasurer’s Report – Rick Linehan
• Rick provided an overview on 05/06 expenses and income with more details. Highlights
• Current Balance ~ 25k, leaving us a healthy amount to continue investing in the program. Last year’s major expenses included
• 18k Equipment
• 15k Fields
• 8k Fees and insurances
• 11k Umpires
• 90,750 expenses in total
Umpire Update
• Rich Magner has volunteered to oversee the Umpire program as a non-Board Member. We are very grateful to him for this, as he is responsible for this hugely successful and popular program with the older kids (65 last year!)
• Rich will manage the umpires, conduct trainings, schedules, and manage the entire crew and work with the Umpire Committee and the rest of the Board. No major changes in mind (/game, etc.) to be considered and re-established. Thank you Rich,… also note that Mark Igo and Rob Blomberg have offered assistance.
• We need to reserve the Rec on a weekly basis once the season is underway for payment and assignment. Weds 8:00 pm worked well last year.
• Expenses – We will need 30 – 35 Umpire Shirts to outfit the newer crew. Mark Igo has contact information for the order (Holloway’s). Approximately 0 to buy 35.
• Some clickers, cards needed. No changes for the rulebook of 2006, so we won’t need large order. Could use copies of The Right Call book. Will need Hingham Local Rules once they are complete.
• Discussed idea of having base umpire assist in counting pitches, but this process still needs to be ironed out as to how we’ll do this fairly
• Will need to post in The Journal as we have in the past, expect in March. Also posting to the website will be done. Will contact Rich in February, check on equipment inventory in the winter.
• A Motion was made to allow Rich to proceed with the shirt order, to allow expenditure not to exceed 00 or 35 shirts. Approved… Rich will confirm to Ed via email this week.
• A Motion was made to retain same fee per umpire per game – Approved
League Structure Review and Registration Fees for 2007
• Number of teams in Majors: 16 teams, 2 divisions, 12 players per team, all 12’s and 11’s eligible; remaining spots for 10 year olds.
• If all 11s and 10’s last year stay on, we are right on the mark with 193 kids.
• Discussed the issue in some detail, as well as options. Tentative to keep the status quo on the Majors level, pending the outcome of the registration process
• Minors – 9 and 10s – 254 kids, 234 last year played. Issues with the fields will impact us. 8 year olds eligibility to be determined based on numbers at registration. It is imperative to get the process underway.
• Farm – 6,7,8 s .. need to wait for registrations, T-ball veterans if they played 1 year already and are ready to move up based on availability
• Last year fees 0 for 9-12, 7-8, and 5-6. Family maximum 200 per immediate family.
• Motion made to retain the same price structure for 2007 season - Approved
• We can begin work on the Active.com registrations and enable a link from the website. Various notification avenues will be used to announce availability for signups – email to membership, website, Journal articles.
• Determined that date for in person registration will be January 20th , and then one evening that week to coincide with Board Meeting.
• Agreed to establish a deadline for registrations as January 31st, and to include a late fee and wait list option. Motion was made and Approved.
• Include communication that we need all registrations in earlier this year because of fields and to assist in our planning. Tony mentioned good opportunity to ask for further volunteers at that time.
• Also discussed a checkbox for 8 and 10 year olds to declare eligible for the ‘next level’ should space be available to be filled. Check with Elliot if this option is available on Active.com
Sponsorship Fees for 2007
• Almost all sponsorships are available in the renewal year. Letters to be sent to existing sponsors with the first opportunity before deadline (to be established). We have prospective sponsors asking us for slots, so expect to be in good shape.
• Fees - Majors 500, and 3 years at 1250. 300 for minors and farm, 100 for Tball.
• Discussed various options for setting fees, and came to the following conclusion:
• Motion made to establish that
• Majors 500, discounted for 3 years 1250
• Minors 350, 600 for 2 years
• Farm 250, 400 for 2 years
• T-ball – 100
• The Motion was Approved on the above fees.
Open Issues
Review Committees and Identify Committee Chairs
Executive Committee – Ed Anderson is Chair
Nominating Committee – Tim Driscoll is Chair.
Membership Committee – Andy Wheeler is Chair.
Finance – Rick Linehan is Chair
Buildings and Properties – Elliot Sherman is Chair. JoeHiggins and Andy Wheeler added to the Committee.
Grounds – Bob Madden is Chair. Patrick McCullom is added
Playing Equipment – Bill Ford is Chair. Joe Higgins is added.
Managers – Skip Jenkins is Chair
Umpire – Ed Anderson is Chair
District Committee – Ed Anderson is Chair
Sponsor/Auxiliary Committee – Melissa Flanagan is Chair
Major League Committee – Tim Driscoll is Chair
Minor League Committee – added Joe Higgins as Chair
Farm League – Bill Ford is Chair. Patrick McCullom is added
Summer Travel – Melissa Flanagan is Chair

New infield for Haley Field
• It was previously agreed to look into this matter further and request quotes. It is agreed the material in place is very hard, prone to puddling/poor drainage, and somewhat of a safety issue (definitely not fun to slide on it!)

• Rec got quote from Diamond to till, excavate, replace clay, lines, etc 5200 quote (not clear if we’d need to pay for the clay)

• Bob Madden worked with and received quote from Herzog Landscape (amount not available at this time)

• Rick suggested looking into attempting first to till the field, and possibly buying a machine or to hire out to do so periodically during the season if the expenditure is expected to be over 5000. We have sponsors and other contacts locally that might be able to do this, and the DPW is another option.

• Agreement that this would be a good choice. Contacts from Cohasset may be helpful as they have been dealing with a similar issue, and are known to be adding materials into the mix during the tilling. Should check with them to get input.

• Playing Fields for 2007 – known issues – use Kress, Central/Powers, Plymouth River, and Foster? Other locations are needed. Permitting process should begin as soon as possible. Will be tricky with Farm and TBall as we had all day Sat and Sun in previous years for scheduling. Will have to discuss this matter further as a top priority at the next meeting.


Player and Coach Training
• No contact has been made yet with Steve Cosgrove and Boys of Baseball program yet; as previously agreed, we would seek some options with program to come earlier and to discuss a possible flat fee.
• Ed has some materials from Little League available that were distributed. With bulk it would cost 00. Can get movie on it as well, all good options to supplement our training program. Ed will put together numbers and report next meeting.
• Volunteer Opportunities
New Business
• Team Photos for Next Season (Indoors vs. Outdoors)
• Vendor proposed indoors, aids logistically for them, but we discussed what are the potential benefits to us? There is a lot of work involved administratively in this program.

• May want to look at some of the other vendors? Agreed to look into this further. The outfit that does Hingham Youth Hockey has done a good job and is very flexible and accommodating (Tim). Also will look into outfit that does Hingham Soccer (Tony)

b) New CORI Process for 2007
Ed to forward to Rick as to the changes, mandated by LL that they need to review National database.

ASAP for 2007 – Owen has this under control.

Upcoming Meeting Schedule Proposal

• Monday December 18th, 7:00 pm.
• January 8th and 22nd
• Feb 5 and Feb 26th
• Adjournment --Meeting adjourned 10:05 p.m.

Hingham Little League
Board of Directors Meeting
November 13, 2006
Hingham Recreation Center
________________________________________________________________________

Attendees:
Melissa Flanagan, Bill Ford, Ed Anderson, Skip Jenkins, Bob Madden, Tony Viola, Laurie Berlinguet, Elliot Sherman, Kevin McNally, Rick Linehan, Tim Driscoll

The first meeting of the 2006-2007 Board of Directors was held at the Hingham Rec Center. We kicked off by welcoming our new members and discussing several of our key challenges for the coming year, highlighted by our situation with playing fields now that PAL/Lynch Fields are under major construction. This will undoubtedly be a great benefit for the kids of Hingham in years to come, but the consensus is that HLL will not be planning to use the new fields this season. We shared some ideas on what other possible options we have for fields which no doubt will be a key theme for this year’s Board to manage.

Other items informally discussed for our upcoming agendas included sponsorships, potential for new scoreboards, the need to engage other volunteers from the membership to chip in our many initiatives, potential for paying others specifically for help on the fields, and the Major and Minor League pitch count issue instituted by Little League. Planning of the upcoming Hingham Little League 2007 season is underway!

As the first order of business, a motion was made and vote passed to elect Kevin McNally as a non-coaching role on the Board of Directors. Kevin had expressed interest prior to the Annual Meeting but was not able to attend, and his status as a non-coaching candidate was not available at the time of the vote. Welcome aboard Kevin! This will allow us to extend a position to the next highest vote getter from the coaching ranks in the Annual Election, and therefore Patrick McCullom will be contacted to see if he is still interested in a position.

Elections
The main agenda item was to elect the Officers and Committee Members. The following Members have been elected by majority vote of the Board

President Ed Anderson
Vice President Melissa Flanagan
Secretary Tim Driscoll
Treasurer Rick Linehan
Player Agent Kevin McNally
Safety Officer Owen McConville
Coaching Coordinator Skip Jenkins

Executive Committee
Melissa Flanagan, Elliot Sherman, Rick Linehan, Ed Anderson, Tony Viola

Nominating Committee
Tim Driscoll, Skip Jenkins, Bob Madden

Membership Committee
Elliot Sherman, Tony Viola, Bill Ford

Finance Committee
Rick Linehan, Melissa Flanagan, Tony Viola, Ed Anderson

Buildings and Property Committee
Elliot Sherman, Bob Madden, Ed Anderson, Bill Ford

Grounds Committee
Bob Madden, Tony Viola, Kevin McNally

Playing Equipment Committee
Bill Ford, Ed Anderson

Managers Committee
Rick Linehan, Skip Jenkins, Laurie Berlinguet, Tony Viola, Elliot Sherman

Umpire Committee
Bob Madden, Skip Jenkins, Ed Anderson

District Committee
Ed Anderson, Melissa Flanagan, Rick Linehan

Sponsor/Auxiliary Committee
Rick Linehan, Melissa Flanagan, Laurie Berlinguet

Major League Committee
Skip Jenkins, Tim Driscoll, Bob Madden

Minor League Committee
Kevin McNally, Skip Jenkins, Owen McConville

Farm League Committee
Bill Ford, Tim Driscoll

Summer Travel/Tournament Team Committee
Melissa Flanagan, Elliot Sherman, Rick Linehan

*Publicity and Special Events
Melissa Flanagan, Laurie Berlinguet

*A motion was made and passed to create the Publicity and Special Events Committee, to logically separate from Sponsor/Auxilliary Committee with its own tasks to attend to such as Opening Day, All Star Game, 4th of July/Float, Fundraising, weekly publishing of the Majors games scores/highlights, and other programs.

Congratulations and thank you to all for your volunteering to make these committees operate. For further descriptions of the roles for each position please see the link HLL Constitution under downloads on the homepage.

One theme of discussion throughout this process was the need to reach out to the Membership for additional volunteers to assist in specific areas. We had some success in a few areas where non-Board Members helped make the difference in the workload, and we certainly can do better in this area so all the work isn’t left to just a few individuals. Some ideas were discussed and we agreed that reaching out to the membership to help fill in our gaps should be priority for this Board

Boys of Baseball
Discussed the Boys of Baseball program, which we have hosted in the past, to gauge interest in continue with the program. This highly acclaimed Managers and Players training is a national program that has many followers, and has had terrific feedback in the past in Hingham. Steve Cosgrove, the director of the program, is trying to plan the schedule and is awaiting a response from us. There is some debate regarding the value of this program, as last year we cancelled the fall session, and had only 30 attendees of players/20 or so coaches. The charge for the day long program for the kids was .00, and HLL paid per coach for the training, deemed to be rather expensive. Timing of the training was also brought into question – May being too late as our fields availability is dwindling and would be tough to schedule.

After debate, it was agreed to have an ‘ad-hoc’ committee of Melissa Flanagan, Tony Viola, and Elliot Sherman (‘local contacts’), approach Steve Cosgrove to see if he is amenable to a charging a fixed fee to the program to hopefully open it up to more kids, and to schedule an earlier date for an indoor event that wouldn’t interfere with the ongoing season. They will report back to the Board.

The next meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, November 28th at 7:00 pm at the Rec. *Someone will need to reserve the room.

The meeting adjourned at 9:55 pm.

Tim Driscoll
Secretary

The Annual Membership Meeting of the Hingham Little League was held on Monday, October 23, 2006 at Plymouth River School.

24 Members present, including 2006 Board members Rob Blomberg, Elliot Sherman, Melissa Flanagan, Bob Madden, Skip Jenkins, Rick Linehan, Ed Anderson, and Tim Driscoll

Welcome to all attendees from Rob Blomberg

Financial Report

Treasurer Rick Linehan reports a balance of ,000, with outstanding bills to be paid to bring to ,000, putting us very good financial shape for the 2007 year.

President's Message

Outgoing President Rob Blomberg highlighted the accomplishments of the 2006 Board and season
*838 kids played in HLL in 2006; quite a large number for our population
*198 Managers, coaches, umpires, Board Members, and other volunteers made the program run
*64 Teams, all equipped and outfitted
*Redrafted Majors, 2 divisions created, all 11 and 12's in Majors
*Significant improvements made at the fields, particularly with the new dugouts at Haley and fencing at Kress Field. Thank you to Hingham Lumber, Steve Jacobs, Iaria Construction, and all our sponsors
*Purchased more equipment for the fields, including new weighted tarps, water squeegees, pumps, etc. that helped us through some wet weather. Thank you to Bob Madden in particular for everything you did to make the fields playable all season.
*Adopted 18 batter pitcher rule in Majors to help rest our young arms
*Over 60 volunteer umpires from the 'older kids' in town helped support the program once again. Special thanks to Rich Magner for all of your dedication to the umpiring program
*Hosted Opening Day, All Star Games festivities, sponsored July 4th parade with float for all outgoing 12 year olds
*Rob thanked the outgoing Board and volunteers
*New Board challenges will be with fields as the Lynch/PAL fields are under construction. New mandatory pitch count rules by Little League for the 2007 season.
*Program is running very well, very few complaints and many positive experiences reported.

Rob was given a well earned and well deserved round of applause in gratitude for his leadership and diligent efforts as President in 2006 and 3 years of service on the Board.

Election - 2007 Board of Directors

In accordance with the HLL Constitution and Charter, the annual HLL membership meeting held on October 23, 2006 elected the following members to the 2007 Board of Directors:

Coaching members: Ed Anderson, Bob Madden, Skip Jenkins, Tony Viola, and Tim Driscoll

Non-Coaching members: Melissa Flanagan, Elliot Sherman, Owen McConville, Rick Linehan, Laurie Berlinguet, and Bill Ford.

Meeting was adjourned at 8:40pm.

The first meeting of the newly elected Board was subsequently scheduled for Monday, November 13th at the Rec Center. Election of Officers and Committee appointments will take place.

Hingham Little League-Board of Directors
Meeting Minutes
Rec Center September 11, 2006 8:00 PM

Meeting called to order without a quorum at 8:10 pm

Attendees: Ed Anderson, Rob Blomberg, Melissa Flanagan, Skip Jenkins, Rick Linehan and Elliot Sherman

Secretary’s Report

· Approve 6/12/06 and 7/10/06 Meeting Minutes
o No quorum at either the 7/10/06 or 9/11/06 meetings; will need to approve them electronically

Treasurer’s Report
· Current Balance
o Balance is 28,901.49
· Outstanding Expenses
o Misc. small expenses remaining for Rockland Sporting Goods
· Financial Reports
o Public Charity Filings for 2004 and 2005 signed and forwarded
§ Public Charity Filings for 2005/2006 season due by 2/15/07
o Tax Returns for 2004 and 2005 signed and forwarded
o Annual Report to Comm of Mass for 2004 and 2005 signed and forwarded
· Credit from LL International of 6.20 acknowledged due to overpayment in 2005/2006 and ASAP approval and will be applied to the 2006/2007 fees

Business Related Issues

· National Little League Business Filings
o Filings are up to date

New Business

· Player/Manager Registration-Membership Committee Report & Team Schedules
o Outstanding Issues?
· Potential scheduling changes for all Major’s games and some Minor’s games to Saturdays in 2007
· Leave Sundays open for rainouts and make ups
· Evaluate the impact of this potential change on HLL players who play soccer on Saturdays vs. those that play lacrosse on Sundays
(Defer to the new 2006/2007 HLL Board to resolve)

· Sponsorships and Donations-Committee Report
o Outstanding Issues
· Status of Verizon sponsorship (2004-2006)
· Partial balance remains outstanding

League Rules and Local By-Law Issues

· Player Agent Report
· Outstanding Issues?
· Hold registration and tryouts in the fall vs. the spring
o Issue is that the 2006/2007 HLL Board hasn’t been elected/selected nor have the new registration rates been established
(Defer to the new 2006/2007 HLL Board to resolve. Consensus was to hold registration, tryout and draft earlier)


· Major League & Minor League Committee Report
· Outstanding issues?
· Pitch Count-will be governed by Little League International’s final decision

· Farm League and TBall Committee Report
· No issues

· Manager’s Committee Report
· Outstanding Issues
· For 2007 consider manager/coach evaluation by parents immediately at the end of the season
· Training-Boys of Baseball/Other Programs in Hingham?
· 9/06 program was cancelled at HLL’s request
· 5/07 program with Boys of Baseball is doubtful
· BOB likely will be replaced with one weekend per year with Denny Doyle, former Red Sox second basemen, who conducts a national baseball school
o Report from Joe Craven who explored potential dates and financial arrangements including a flat fee for the manager/coach clinic and player clinic
o Recommendation to check on Denny Doyle’s availability for the weekend of 3/30/07-4/1/07
§ Mandatory HLL manager/coaches’ clinic indoors at a TBD location. Charge a nominal fee.
· Expectation that all managers or coaches must attend either a Friday evening or Saturday morning session
§ Player session would be held Saturday afternoon at a TBD location (South Shore Sports Center?). Charge a nominal fee.
(Defer to the new 2006/2007 HLL Board to make an early, final decision)


· Equipment Committee Report
o Minor’s Trophy status
· Ed has trophy and is coordinating the details with Mitch Paine and Dunkin Donuts
o Status of returned equipment
· Ed and his committee have completed a “blitz” over the next 3-4 weeks to return all equipment
· One outstanding equipment bag. Excellent job by Ed and his team.
· Consider deposit by managers in 2007
o Update on Castle Storage
· Have a 9x10 storage facility through 9/30/07
· Will prepay storage costs

· Umpire Committee Report
o No issues

· Safety Committee Report
o ASAP Program (A Safety Awareness Program) Approved
· Accident Reports

· Buildings, Property and Grounds Committee Report
o Outstanding Issue?
· Early planning for fields will be needed due to the loss of the two PAL fields
· Will be a key issue for the 2006/2007 HLL Board
· Consideration of HLL’s involvement with Hingham Rec and Hingham DPW regarding field maintenance in 2007
· Hersey Field-Melissa and Rob attended meeting on 7/25/06 with Frank Jones and Bob Keyes from Hingham Rec; Board of health and Hersey neighbors to review potential options. Most promising option was to remove the fill, replace fill with gravel in the center of the parking lot and fence the area by the playground. Awaiting next scheduled meeting.

· Cross-Hingham Baseball Liasion Committee
· Scholarship selection process
· Due to additional expenses regarding the Cronin/Haley batting cage the recommendation will be made to have the first scholarship recipient be from the HHS Baseball Class of 2007 rather than the HHS Baseball Class of 2006
· Agreed to defer first 0 scholarship until 2007

· Summer Baseball
§ Potential changes for 2007
· Creation of Ad Hoc Summer Baseball Committee
· Impact on HLL Constitution?
§ Progress has been made.
· Quasi-reporting of game results & schedules are part of the HLL website under a disclaimer.
(For the 2007 season agreed that the new 2006/2007 HLL Board needs to make a decision as to the extent of involvement they will have with summer baseball in Hingham.)

· Fundraiser
o Melissa will coordinate gift certificate for the Nielsen’s

New Business

· Annual Meeting
o Notification to members and others
· Email blast/Letter with membership application
· Elliot and Melissa will coordinate this. Carol Ryan will distribute using HLL’s address list.
· Tim D. will send email blast once Elliot and Melissa complete the language of the announcement.
· HLL website
· Tim D. will update the HLL Website once Elliot and Melissa complete the language of the announcement.
· Hingham Journal
· Melissa will provide notice
o Schedule of location
· PRS at 7:30 pm on 10/23
· Melissa will confirm date and time
o Recruitment
· All current Board members are asked to solicit and recruit potential nominees due to the expected turnover of this year’s HLL Board
o Selection process for new 2006/2007 HLL Board

· Additional Hingham Little League Information offices who would be in charge of HLL Website and communication
o Potential position but agreed that is the role where we use HLL Secretary

· Schedule for Upcoming Meetings
o 10/23/06 (Annual Meeting)

Meeting adjourned at 9:18 pm

Rob Blomberg, President

Hingham Little League-Board of Directors
Meeting Minutes
Rec Center July 10, 2006 8:40 PM

Secretary’s Report

· Approve 6/12/06 Meeting Minutes
o One short of a quorum-deferred until next meeting

Treasurer’s Report
· Current Balance
o 24,461.65
· Outstanding Expenses
o Rockland, Port A Potties, Cronin Batting Cage, Artist expense from Garden Party, etc. were paid during and subsequent to the meeting
· Audit of 2003/2004 and 2004/2005 HLL Financial Results
o Public Charity Filings for 2004 and 2005 signed and forwarded
o Tax Returns for 2004 and 2005 signed and forwarded
o Annual Report to Comm of Mass for 2004 and 2005 signed and forwarded
· Credit from LL International of 303.00 acknowledged due to overpayment in 2005/2006 and will be applied to the 2006/2007 balance

Business Related Issues

· National Little League Business Filings
o No report

New Business

· Player/Manager Registration-Membership Committee Report & Team Schedules
o Outstanding Issues?
· Consider scheduling all Major’s games and some Minor’s games on Saturdays in 2007 and leave Sundays open for rainouts and make ups
· Evaluate the impact of this potential change on HLL players who play soccer on Saturdays vs. those that play lacrosse on Sundays

· Sponsorships and Donations-Committee Report
o Outstanding Issues
· Status of Verizon sponsorship (2004-2006)
· Remains outstanding

League Rules and Local By-Law Issues

· Player Agent Report
· Outstanding Issues?
· Consider scheduling of registration and tryouts in the fall of 2006 vs. the spring of 2007
· Issue is that the 2006/2006 HLL Board hasn’t been elected/selected nor have the new registration rates been established

· Major League & Minor League Committee Report
o Playoff Recap
· No report

· Farm League and TBall Committee Report
· Outstanding Issues?
· No report

· Manager’s Committee Report
· Outstanding Issues
· For 2007 consider manager/coach evaluation by parents immediately at the end of the season
· Boys of Baseball-Future Programs in Hingham?
· 9/06 program was cancelled at HLL’s request
· 5/07 program with Boys of Baseball doubtful
· BOB likely will be replaced with one weekend per year with Denny Doyle, former Red Sox second basemen, who conducts a national baseball school
o Joe Craven will explore potential dates and financial arrangements including a flat fee for the manager/coach clinic and player clinic

· All Star Game-Saturday-6/17
o Recap
· Well received
· Limit number of pitches to batters in Home Run Derby in 2007

· Equipment Committee Report
o Minor’s Trophy
· Ed Anderson will finalize order
o Status of returned equipment
· Approximately 50% of the equipment has been returned. The Farm managers have done the best job thus far.
· Multiple summer teams are using equipment for their summer league games.
· Ed and his committee will complete a “blitz” over the next 3-4 weeks to return all equipment.
· Consider deposit by managers in 2007

· Umpire Committee Report
· Outstanding Issues?
· No report

· Safety Committee Report
o ASAP Program (A Safety Awareness Program) Approved
· Accident Reports
· No report

· Buildings, Property and Grounds Committee Report
o Outstanding Issue
o No report

· Cross-Hingham Baseball Liasion Committee
· Scholarship selection process
· Committee-Rick, Rich and Rob
· 0 will be awarded
· Rich, Rick and Rob need to meet and discuss candidates with Coach Dan McHugh.
· HLL will provide a scholarship in 2006

· Williamsport Teams
§ Both teams have been eliminated

· Scholarship-Luke Mc Dermott Fund
o No report

· Sandlot Baseball-Summer 2006
o Functioning without comments or issues

· Summer Baseball
§ Selection Process-2006
· Discussion on 2006 process
§ Potential changes for 2007
· Creation of Ad Hoc Summer Baseball Committee
· Impact on HLL Constitution?
§ Progress has been made.
· Quasi-reporting of game results & schedules are part of the HLL website under a disclaimer.
§ For 2007 the new 2006/2007 HLL Board needs to make a decision as to the extent of involvement they will have with summer baseball in Hingham.

· New Business
o Fourth of July Parade/Float
· Excellent effort by Melissa in coordinating the float. We received second place for Most Patriotic.
o Need to begin recruitment of new HLL 2006/2007 Board members now.

· Schedule for Upcoming Meetings
o 8/7/06-Cancelled
o 9/11/06
o 10/2/06
o 10/23/06 (Annual Meeting)

Meeting adjourned at 9:40 pm.

Hingham Little League-Board of Directors
Meeting Minutes
Rec Center June 12, 2006 8:00 PM


Meeting was called to order at 8:15 p.m.

Attendees:
Rob Blomberg; Steve White, Elliot Sherman, Bruce Corwin, Bob Madden, Owen McConville, Melissa Flanagan, Joe Craven, Rick Linehan, Rich Magner, Tim Driscoll

Secretary’s Report

· Approve 5/22/06 Meeting Minutes
o Approved; Tim to post to the Website

Treasurer’s Report
· Current Balance 46,135
· Outstanding Expenses
o Rockland (~ 6000)
o Hingham Lumber (~ 2800) – Speedy Dri, dugouts, etc.
o Port a Potties (~ 2500).
o Umpires (~ 1200/week, more expected for 3 umpires in playoffs)
· Status of User Fee to Hingham Rec
o 5.00 per player owed or ( 4,325) based on final player headcount
· Audit of 2003/2004 and 2004/2005 HLL Financial Results
o Status of Audits

Business Related Issues

· National Little League Business Filings
o No report

New Business

· Player/Manager Registration-Membership Committee Report & Team Schedules
o Database Status
· Submission filed for the 865 Little League-Players plus Managers/Coaches
· List of players submitted to Rec
· All went into Little League as well as scheduled June 2nd. Over 1000 players, Managers, Volunteers
o CORI status for managers
· Rick is formatting for final delivery to LL.

· Sponsorships and Donations-Committee Report
o Outstanding Issues
· Status of Verizon sponsorship (2004-2006)
· Second check came in for 0. This season outstanding still, but in process, we’ll submit paperwork and continue to track.

League Rules and Local By-Law Issues

· Player Agent Report
· Outstanding Issues?

· Major League & Minor League Committee Report
o Playoff Update
· Minor’s Trophy?
· To be ordered by Ed with Rockland

· Farm League and TBall Committee Report
· Extension of Season
· Extended season by 1 game. 16 games rescheduled for this week, many eager Managers and players
· No reschedule for T-Ball – lost games due to weather

· Manager’s Committee Report
· Meeting-5/30-Feedback
· Outstanding Issues
· Playoff schedules and good review of procedures was held. Recommendation that we should have meetings with managers again before the season or as it gets underway. Would be beneficial after all Mgrs/Coaches are selected

· All Star Game-Saturday-6/17
o Schedule
· Minor’s All Star Game, Minor’s Championship Trophies, Minor’s Roadrunner, Major’s Road Runner, Home Run Contest, Majors Championship Trophy and Major’s All Star Game
· Minors won’t be crowned due to scheduling, Majors may not be crowned either pending outcome of 6/15 game
· Minors start at 10:30 am
· Roadrunner race at 12:00 pm
· Majors at about 2:00 pm
· Innings count for pitchers are still intact. Players in playoffs still have to follow regular season rules, i.e. innings pitched, number of days rest, etc. if they pitch in All Star game.
· Minors – Question raised as to who gets to Coach? Teams will be determined tomorrow, i.e., managers of Finals teams will coach the All Stars.
o Logistics
· Food, drinks, grille, PA system, etc.
· Applebee’s will provide hotdogs (10:30am!)
· Dunkin Donuts on board
· Water from Monadnock
· PA all set, thanks Bonnard Fage
· PowerAde from Coca-Cola. Share with Babe Ruth for their Sunday Tournament-approved
o Need Grill from Rec to be set up
o Police detail to be ordered
o Balloon lady on order
o Bunting, signs etc. Good to have them up on the series
o Announcement in the paper
o Rain date is Sunday June 18.
o Shirts , hats, trophies, on order and expected Thurs or Friday


· Equipment Committee Report
o Base tarps in place
· Really helpful, good call on this Ed and Bob.
o Inventory of Returning Equipment & Uniforms
· Starting to come in. Pick up day is Saturday at All Star Game.
o Status of order of Williamsport Uniforms
· Ready at end of the week
o Storage Space
· Ed inquire if we can upgrade the storage space in Weymouth? Consensus was yes, knowing that the program and equipment storage requirements are growing. Ed ill pursue extra space.
o Requests for Boathouse Jackets are coming in. Should we sponsor this? Question was posed to Board, does someone want to take this on?
· Ed Anderson will look into this possibility. Also, will work with Elliot to see if we could electronically thru Active website.


· Umpire Committee Report
· Manager Issues
· Additional Topics?
· Additional money needed for the kids, 3 umps in the rest of the games (playoffs and All Star Games). Funding approved. Rick Linehan will work with Rich Magner as agreed this week.

· Safety Committee Report
o ASAP Program (A Safety Awareness Program) Approved
· Accident Reports
· Approved by the Little League
· Couple of injuries should have reports (4 kids) filed. Owen will follow up.

· Buildings, Property and Grounds Committee Report
o Status of Rec Fields-Haley, Hersey, PAL, Kress and Powers/Central Fields
· Outstanding Issue
· Rec Commission meeting tomorrow, neighbor complaints about Hersey Field continue. Noted that some discussion about possibly shutting down access by the Commission due to dust which turned into mud with the mulch that was laid down by DPW.
· Any other Board members please attend for ‘on behalf of HLL, etc.
· Some solutions are being investigated
· Question of when Kress backstop was received from Rec? We are not in position to do anything more on this item, as decided at last meeting.

· Social Committee Report
o Recap of HLL Garden Party, June 10th
· Very well received, thanks all for the help from Melissa and volunteers
· Near the 00 mark for proceeds
· Thank you’s are in order for our hosts and the helpers
· Agreed to designate fundraising proceeds in a separate account for purpose of scholarship funding; needs followup

· Cross-Hingham Baseball Liasion Committee
· Scholarship selection process
· Committee-Rick, Rich and Rob
· 0 will be awarded
· We didn’t get in on time for the graduation, but we will give out on Monday at 3:00pm for HHS Baseball cookout party

· Williamsport Teams (Two teams-one from each Division)
§ Selection Process-Players
· Ten players per team voted have been voted in
o Completed at last Manager meeting
§ There were 6 voted in, 5 way tie for last slots in American League. Needed a revote (4 of 5), there was still one tie. Subcommittee determined the 11 due to tie and possibility of some players opting out.
§ Once manager is named in each league, must contact each of the 11 to let them know of election, and to note that if player accepts they won’t be able to play in any other game in any other league
§ National League – 9 voted in 1st ballot. One tie, 4 players. Sent to managers who broke the tie on second vote
· Some players are known to not being able to play. But manager needs to offer the slots before filling.

o Managers will notify the ten selected players to determine if they will play
o Managers will then select 2-4 additional players
· Team cannot be announced until 6/15/06
· Team cannot begin practice until 6/15/06
§ Selection Process-Managers
· Options – to add to list of potential for Managers, there was discussion on merits/drawbacks of having a Manager nominated from a pool of non-elected players to fulfill this role. Agreed that it was not a requirement that selection come from an eligible manager with a player previously elected onto the team.
· Coaching Committee Recommendations for Managers
o Manager recommendations for American League proposed Colin Pomroy and Ron Minassian
o Vote was taken narrow review – Ron Minassian was approved as Manager.
o No other candidates offered for American League
o National League – no formal recommendation was made
§ Bob Madden and Tim Driscoll interested in role and thus nominated
· Others expressed interest in assisting
· Vote taken and Tim Driscoll was approved as Manager.

§ Upcoming District Meetings
· In Abington 6/15 to provide tournament details.
· To be attended by Rob (President), Elliot (VP), Ron Minassian, Tim Driscoll, Bob Madden

· Summer Baseball
§ Selection Process
· Additional discussion on communication of various programs and options
o Coaches are selected for Suburban and South River Leagues.


· Other New Business
o Luke McDermott Scholarship Fund
§ Does HLL want to take a role in this?
· Is this a request for donation? Joe Craven will look into the details for the next meeting 6/26. South School has a scholarship set up. General consensus of the board was to contribute funds to the program.
o Sandlot Baseball-Summer 2006
§ Will HLL coordinate Sandlot again in 2006?
· Mark Gillespie and Ivan Bermejo were guests at the meeting. They have run the program over the past years. Last season was the first the HLL sponsored the program
o Proposal discussed for support again of HLL
o Expected fee .00 per kid - there were some losses last summer due to expenses vs. revenue brought in (in the 00 range)
o Question posed - Can HLL Insurance cover the players? The Summer program can’t afford themselves
o Considered that Rec user fee ( per player) that were paid by the kids already.
o Concern was voiced over allowing non-Hingham residents, and how we ensure coverage.
§ Expenses include
§ 4 kids that work for / day
§ Uniform, baseballs, shirts, pizza party
o Have made 00 in the past
o Rec had previously run this program but asked HLL to step in last year
§ Can we help out with Insurance for the program?
§ If open to only Hingham Little Leaguers only? This might work
o Will need a form, with release signed and to be turned in to HLL. Form will be posted on the website
o Monies will go thru Hingham Little League – agreed to work with the program on this item
o Motion to support Sandlot was made – With the provision for Hingham Little League kids eligible only – to ensure we have adequate coverage. We can provide out database list to the program for cross reference
§ Motion passed

· Discussion of Zero Tolerance Policy and Violations
o Two suspensions were issued during the week of 6/5 for violations regarding the Zero Tolerance Policy.
o One of the concerned parties was present at the meeting as to discuss the incident in question
o Incidents involved inappropriate discussions with umpires during games causing comments to follow from the coaches
o One game suspension was handed down by the President according to Little League Rules. Involved parties were notified about tonight’s meeting and to give them the ability to attend the Board Meeting. The circumstances surrounding the one game suspension was discussed in some detail and debated, summarized below:
§ Zero Tolerance Policy item – no one is to speak directly to the umpires except Managers of the team, and that was clearly violated in this instance based on accounts
§ President has the role/authority to hand down action of one game suspensions for any violation.
§ Motion to extend suspensions was made but not seconded
§ Subsequent to discussion, a motion was made and passed to approve the suspension as handed out within the terms and conditions of the Zero Tolerance Policy and the authority of the President of the league to issues such suspension. Motion passed.

· Opportunity for 8 year Old Travel Team in the Friendship League

o We have been contacted regarding interest in fielding an eight year old team in the ‘Friendship’ League in Braintree. Maybe 1 or 2 slots open, 8 game schedule, is this a good idea? Most agreed that it would be great.
o If we want to do it would need a leader. Joe Craven volunteered to look into the opportunity further.
§ Season Review-Manager’s Posting of Website and Rule Enforcement
· Need to make sure all Managers post their pitching after each game. It was obvious results were not posted for one reason or another, but in all fairness this should be 100% compliance as a few issues arose during the playoffs – this could have been avoided with more diligence to posting Pitcher’s innings after each game.
· Suggestion to the next Board be more strict on compliance next season, with a warning and possible suspension for Managers not posting pitching results in a reasonable timeframe on web site to avoid similar incidents.

· Meeting Adjourned-10:25 pm-

· Schedule for Upcoming Meetings
o 6/26/06 @ 8:00 pm
o 7/10/06
o 8/7/06
o 9/11/06
o 10/2/06
o 10/23/06 (Annual Meeting)

Attached is the Hingham Little League Annual Financial Report for 2006.
HLLAnnualReport.pdf

Hingham Little League-Board of Directors
Meeting Minutes
Rec Center April 10, 2006 7:30 PM



Meeting Called to order at 7:45 pm

Present: Rob Blomberg, Melissa Flanagan, Rich Magner, Ed Anderson, Skip Jenkins, Rick Linehan, Tim Driscoll, Elliot Sherman, Owen McConville

Secretary’s Report-Tim D.
• Approve 3/26/06 Meeting Minutes
o Minutes approved, Tim to post on the site.

Treasurer’s Report-Rick
• Current Balance -- <$>72,835.64
o Completion of dugouts (<$>3400) paid.
• Outstanding Expenses
o Few more outstanding for dugouts, uniforms and equipment
• Audit of 2003/2004 and 2004/2005 HLL Financial Results
o Status of Audits
No report, other priorities

Business Related Issues

• National Little League Business Filings
o Charter Application & Charter Fees
• Charter received
• Revised Charter Application needs to be filed after teams are selected
• Done. Rob forward to Tim for files. Needs to be signed by district and forwarded to National

New Business

• Player Registration-Membership Committee Report & Team Schedules (Elliot)
o Registration results
• Updated registrations by age group-Final Registration Numbers by Age Group
o II (d) Waiver for James Cooper
• Rob has completed the waiver and sent for filing. Player not eligible for Williamsport

• Update on schedules (Rob and Rick)
• Majors
• Major’s schedule is approved
o Completed; Rick has emailed to the Board and presented tonight.
• Update on Minors, Farm and TBall schedule
• May have to move Plymouth River game currently in mid week. May not be worth putting screens up for anticipated usage. Can use Haley or Hersey on Saturdays with this game moved to Saturdays; Rick to continue to tweak
• Not using Central/Powers. Is open for practice, good for Minors practices.
• South, Kress, and High School for Minors makeups on weekend. Rainouts will be scheduled the same weekend.
• Need bin at South. Kress needs to be stocked and a box ordered.
• Umpire gear needed – Haley, Hersey, Kress, South
• Rick gave Tim the Majors schedule for input

• Sponsorships and Donations-Committee Report-Bruce and Melissa
o Major’s and Minor’s Sponsors-Complete
o Status of Farm and T Ball sponsors
o Outstanding Issues
• Verizon sponsorship (2004-2006) remains outstanding

• Done, all Sponsors accounted for. Still need to collect a few checks
• Banner on order

League Rules and Local By-Law Issues

• Player Agent Report-Skip
o Tryouts (3/12 and 3/19)
• Update on Thank You Notes To Hingham High Baseball Players, HHS Principal and Dan McHugh
• Updates on Tryouts on 4/1/06 for 8 Year Olds
• Completed, went very well.
• 13 players attended tryouts and 10 were selected to balance off the Minor Rosters
o Update on Drafts by Division
• Complete

• Major League Committee Report
o Review of Major’s Rules
• Update on rule changes
• Pitching rules
o Discussed that no changes to the rules can be made at this time, so all rules remain the same
• All Star selection process
• HLL version of Pitch Count Program
• Manager Committee recommendation on whether HLL will use our own version of the Pitch Count Program in 2006
o No action taken as above

• Minor League Committee Report
o Review of Minor’s Rules
• Update on rule changes
• HLL version of Pitch Count Program
o Other issues?
• Reviewed rules regarding overthrows and advancing past third base. Wording re-done, Tim to post to the site, Steve to forward to all managers at Major and Minor League

• Farm League Committee Report
o Review of Farm Rules
• Are any rule changes needed?
o Other issues?

• TBall Committee report
o Review of T Ball Rules
• Are any rule changes needed?
o Age issue for TBall players
o Other issues?

• Manager’s Committee Report-Steve
o Outstanding Issues Involving Selection of Managers and Coaches?
o Selection and approval of all Managers and Coaches in all Divisions
• Completed
o Additional Training for Managers, Coaches and players
• Additional training programs in the spring-likely pitchers and catchers
o Practice manual for HLL
o CORI Process
o Boys of Baseball Training-
• Dates are firm on 5/19 and 5/20
• Dates for September TBD
• Equipment Committee Report-Ed
o Status/Inventory of Outstanding Equipment
• Tracking of equipment
• All distributed to teams
• Extra balls on order
• Tees on order
• Umpire Equipment
• New bases have come in (with posts)
• Bases are in; need to be installed. Need bases for South and Kress
• Get another new set
• Some new bags on order for some Majors
• First Aid kits on order
• 2nd Dry Roller is in. Need to configure hanger for it to be stored at Haley
• Team signs – only 4 have been located, will have to follow up
• Will follow up on the others.
Will contact Dwight Walker who can have ordered once inventory is complete
• Port-A-Potties are ordered for the fields
• Uniforms-missing sponsor names and patches
• Expecting end of week from Rockland
• Beacon – in process, no date as yet, Ed to follow up
• Socks and pants coming this week as well
• Order two sets of shirts for Williamsport teams should be ordered at this time so we don’t have to worry about later
• Ed wants feedback on style, etc. Need 2 colors, should upgrade. Maybe some better hats with numbers, etc. Ed will come to next meeting with some options
• Weighted Tarps – Bob found tarps that will fit over home plate. They are <$>480 each (no spikes). Recommendation was we go ahead and order both.
• Bag tags are in. Thank you to Ed and Joanne Anderson


o Assessment of outstanding equipment needs
o Other Equipment
• Status of batting cage at Haley/Cronin
• Complete and looks great
• Potential Order of Outstanding Equipment
• Temporary Pitching Mounds
o Brief discussion; potential that we could do something at Kress, others are softball fields .

• Storage issues at the fields
• Second dry roller
o Ed has received
• Batters box templates

• Umpire Committee Report-Rich
o Review umpire requirements, rules and expectations for 2006
o Equipment inventory
o Update on Umpire Meeting and Training Sessions-3/23 & 4/4
o Future Meeting Dates and Times
• Looking at regular season meetings, Rich will follow up
o Review of assignment process and payment process for games
• 62 kids are signed up
• 2nd year Umps will work opening weekend

• Safety Committee Report-Owen
o Goals for 2006
o Renewal of ASAP Program (A Safety Awareness Program)
• Update of training plan
• Field survey update
• First aid kits required for each team bags
• Ice packs are in
• Kits on the way
• Outstanding issues
• PDF file available www.aossm.org can find good write up of Baseball and Softball safety outline. Tim will locate and post to site

• Buildings, Property and Grounds Committee Report
o Status of Rec Fields-Haley, Hersey, PAL, Kress and Powers/Central Fields
• Haley
• Status of Dugouts
o Almost completed
o Need to finish off grade to under the batting cage. Bob Spirito will be looking into fixing it up
o Extra stone dust needed in the cages to prevent mud
• Dirt/clay at Haley
• Status of Use of PAL Fields in 2006
• Kress-Backstop discussion
• Rob has spoken with Ted. 9,900 dollar estimate is best we can find. We shouldn’t have to bear brunt of cost, we would contribute up to a 1/3. Ted to bring up at the Rec board
• Other fields-depending on the LL Divisions that will use these fields
o Status of Additional Fields Through Hingham School Department
• PRS and Hingham High School
• Determine what Divisions will use these fields
o Application from Hingham Rec for fields for 2006 was forwarded
• By 5/1 need to forward rosters, schedules, CORI forms, etc.
o Other Equipment
• Tarps for fields
• As above
• Lime for fields

• Social Committee Report
o Goals for 2006 season
o Meeting at Melissa’s
o Identify potential fundraisers
• Status of “Kids in Hingham”
• Committee formed to begin planning of the event for Garden Party
• Theme is baseball
• Sell tickets ahead of time.
• Number of people? Can accommodate 200
• Costs 1500 for rental of equipment
• June 10th, 6:00 pm.
• Motion made to move forward with party plans. Motion Passed


• Opening Day
o Planning-Getting Started for Opening Day festivities (April 23rd)
• First Pitch – Investigate option to ask Best Chevy and Hingham Lumber contacts to throw out first ball, in appreciation of their continued sponsorship for baseball in Hingham. Rich Magner will contact Scott Shulman and Tom McNulty.
• Logistics
• Food – Hot Dogs, chips, etc.
• Beverages – All set with Coca Cola
• Condiments, Rolls, napkins, etc
• Grille – Tim will check with contact to see if it can be brought to Haley; if this doesn’t work, use Rec.
• Banners – Ed will check storage for bunting
• PA System – Joe will follow up for system.
• Music
• Utensils
• Balloon lady
• Canopy
• Police Detail Required
• Players should report to field in uniform by 10:30
• March to field at about 11:00

• Cross-Hingham Baseball Liasion Committee-Joe C.
o Update from this committee
• Dinner is scheduled for May 5th

• Summer Travel Baseball Committee-Elliot
o Goals for 2006
o Status of the goals and operating guidelines for this committee (proposed number of members, rules, regulations, evaluation and tryout process, appointment of managers, schedules, etc.) for discussion and vote by the HLL BOD
o Summer teams will purchase own shirts to minimize confusion with HLL uniforms
&#61607; Idea to have managers to nominate 10 players by division as a process to pick the teams was discussed, generally agreed it is a good idea, other towns follow similar process
&#61607; Proposal will be prepared and offered at next meeting

• Concession Committee-Joe G. & Elliot
o Status of logistics of van use

• Other Additional New Business
o Some questions regarding a few players, Elliot working thru these that fell thru the cracks.

• Schedule for Upcoming Meetings
o 4/24/06-7:30 pm at the Rec Center
• This is Town meeting
• Proposed move to 5/1, at 8:00 p.m. Agreed. Additional Dates are
• 5/22
• 6/12

o 5/8/06
o 5/22/06
o 6/5/06
o 6/12/06
o 6/26/06
o 7/10/06
o 8/7/06
o 9/11/06
o 10/2/06
o 10/23/06 (Annual Meeting)

Meeting Adjourned at 9:25

Greetings --

Families and friends, the Hingham Little League Board of Directors is pleased to share our excitement about the upcoming season for over 850 registered players, 100+ Managers and Coaches, 60+ umpires, and countless fans who will be sharing in the joy that baseball brings to Hingham each spring. We have been working diligently over the last several months in preparation for a great season, and now we are ready to Play Ball!

OPENING DAY April 23rd

Opening Day Ceremonies for the 2006 season will be held on Sunday, April 23rd at 11:00 a.m. at Haley Field. ALL MAJOR LEAGUE teams should report IN UNIFORM to Haley Field by 10:45 a.m. The teams will be announced in groups followed by the raising of the American and Little League flags and remarks by Hingham Little League President Rob Blomberg.

A ceremonial first pitch will kick off this season, and following the opening ceremonies hot dogs, chips, sodas, and beverages will be available free of charge for all from our sponsors Applebee’s, Coca-Cola and Monadnock Mountain Spring Water.

All Little League families are encouraged to put on your caps and come out to support Hingham Little League – Majors games are at Haley and Hersey field at12:00, 2:00, 4:00, and 6:00 pm. We can’t control the weather, so if necessary, rain date information will be posted on the Hingham Little League website at www.hinghamlittleleague.org on Sunday morning.

Minors will kick off on Monday, April 24th. Farm and T-Ball will open up on Saturday and Sunday, April 29 and 30th respectively. Please check the website for your schedules and important communications throughout the season.

All registered players should have been contacted by team Managers. If this is not the case, it is imperative that all Managers contact your team as soon as possible to ensure placement of all the players.

UNIFORM DISTRIBUTION

Uniforms for the Majors and Minors are being prepared for final distribution next week. Farm and T-Ball uniforms are on the way and should be available next weekend. Ed Anderson will be communicating with all Managers by email for instructions on picking up your uniforms. With all our new teams and sponsors, Ed and able assistant John Wehner have done yeoman’s work in making these arrangements with the vendors. Information will be posted on the website as soon as possible once the logistics are worked out.

HLL BOD SUPPORTS ATHLETIC FIELDS ARTICLE AT TOWN MEETING

The Board of Directors supports Article 16 requesting full funding of a combined project for the Athletic Fields and the new DPW facility in the School Depot/Bare Cove Park parcel. The Athletic Fields and the DPW Project have been permitted together as a single project and much of the site preparation work for the DPW Project is directly linked to the site preparation for the Athletic Fields.

Please see the Town Warrant and a Letter to The Editor in the April 6th edition of the Hingham Journal by Bob Garrity, Chairman, DPW Building Committee, which summarizes the details on this important issue that directly impacts this constituency. The article can be located at Town Online http://www.townonline.com/hingham/opinion/view.bg?articleid=467005

We ask that you take all measures to attend Town Meeting on April 24th to let your voice be heard and would appreciate your vote in favor of the proposal that will benefit youth athletic programs in Hingham, including Hingham Little League, for years to come.

SAVE THE DATES!!

SUPPORT HINGHAM BASEBALL – ATTEND THE HINGHAM BASEBALL DINNER ON MAY 5TH

The Hingham Baseball Boosters are inviting all HLL families to join them in support of Hingham Baseball and attend the Boosters’ First Annual Hingham Baseball Dinner on May 5th at 8:00 p.m. at BlackRock Country Club. Tickets are 50.00 per person, 80.00 per couple. This will be a celebration of everything about baseball, food, drink, music, history and trivia. HHS Coach McHugh will be there; Red Sox seats will be up for auction; and there will also be a few surprises. For more info or to register go to www.hinghambaseball.com. Proceeds will go to support Hingham baseball. For more information you can also call Bruce or Maureen Thompson at 749-3543, Joe or Nancy Craven at 740-0549, or Jeff or Kerry Perkins at 781-740-1827.

The HS Boosters, working with HLL and HHBR, funded the great new batting cage behind Cronin that is available to all Hingham baseball players, as well as new protective screens to be used by all teams. The Boosters will continue to support HHS baseball, where they hope many HLL payers will eventually play, so help the cause and invest in our future High School baseball players.

BOYS OF BASEBALL

HLL is pleased to again host Steve Cosgrove, Manager of the Boys of Baseball, national travel team from Alabama to conduct a players day of instruction on Saturday May 20, 2006 8:30-4:00 pm and a parent and coaches clinic on Friday, May 19, 2006, from 4:30-6:30 pm. This is a great opportunity to learn from one of the finest coaches in the country. The kids will get great lessons about baseball and life as can be attested by the many Hingham Little Leaguers who have attended this program over the last several years. The cost of the players clinic is .00 and scholarships are available. HLL will reimburse any manager or coach for the fees to attend the coaches clinic.


HLL FUNDRAISER

Plans are in the works for a Hingham Little League Fundraiser with a different flair. Melissa Flanagan is organizing a Garden Party event where works with a baseball theme from local artists will be available for sale/auction. The date is slated for June 10th in the evening, watch the website for further details as they become available.

Thank you all for your patience in letting this group of volunteers work out all the logistics for what it takes to build what we feel is one of the better Little League programs in the area.

On a closing note for all Coaches, Volunteers, Parents, and players, please remember that this endeavour is not about winning and losing. It is about sportsmanship, fun, and building character in our players. Please acknowledge that we are ‘training’ far more Little League Coaches, Doctors, School Teachers, Lawyers, medical, financial, insurance professionals, artists, volunteers, and future Moms and Dads of Little Leaguers than we are Professional Baseball Players. If we have done our jobs right, we are training future coaches of Little League Baseball!

Our best wishes to one and all for a magical and rewarding season!

The Hingham Little League Board of Directors

Rob Blomberg, Elliot Sherman, Tim Driscoll, Rick Linehan, Melissa Flanagan, Skip Jenkins, Bob Madden, Rich Magner, Ed Anderson, Joe Craven, Joe Granatino, Owen McConville, Steve White, Bruce Corwin, and Tim Zyrkowski

Hingham Little League Board of Directors Meeting
Meeting Minutes-3/26/2006
Hingham Recreation Center
7:00 PM




Meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm

Attendees: Bruce Corwin, Steve White, Ed Anderson, Elliot Sherman, Rob Blomberg, Rick Linehan, Bob Madden, Melissa Flanagan, Skip Jenkins, Rich Magner, Owen McConville, Tim Zyrkowski, Tim Driscoll, Joe Granatino


Secretary’s Report-Tim D.
• Approve 3/6/06 Meeting Minutes
o Approved, Tim to post to site

Treasurer’s Report-Rick
• Current Balance 77,711.73
o 7500 cleared, donation to Sports Partnership for Field House at Lynch; 3500 Dugouts at Haley; 1000 screen for benches at Kress
• Outstanding Expenses –
o Bill from Beacon from last year carried over. Elliot will follow up on previous bills with them which is not itemized.
• Audit of 2003/2004 and 2004/2005 HLL Financial Results
o Status of Audits
&#61607; No update, RL to check with Gladstone

Business Related Issues

• National Little League Business Filings
o Charter Application & Charter Fees
• Charter received
• Revised Charter Application needs to be filed after teams are selected
• Rob to file after teams at all Divisions are drafted

New Business

• Player Registration-Membership Committee Report & Team Schedules (Elliot)
o Registration results
• Updated registrations by age group
o 846 registered. Issue with Tedeschi player, late addition. Melissa will follow thru with contact to get him on board (minors)
o 78 12’s
o 96 11’s
&#61607; 18 10’s eligible for Majors, have to draft 18
o 220 Minors (+1)
o 221 Farm
o 197 Tball

Discussed late registrations and our need to cut off the list somewhere. We have advertised and had registrations open since December.

Motion made (with 3 exceptions in progress), that Registration is now closed, and we will take no more players. All players are on WAIT LIST from this point forward. Motion passed unanimously.

Excellent job Elliot on streamlining the registration process, over 75% signed up online


o Update on schedules (Rob and Rick)
• Majors/Minors
• Major’s schedule is approved
o Additional game Sundays (6:00pm) this year
o No other issues
• Update on Minors, Farm and TBall schedule
o Minors is all set. Ends in first week of June, then playoffs. Minors play during the week. Still need fields to fill this in. Have not heard on High School and Plymouth River as yet, Bob Madden will follow up with School Dept. South and Foster are good. Have Lynch thru May before construction is due to begin which will be helpful

• Sponsorships and Donations-Committee Report-Bruce and Melissa
o Major’s Sponsors-Complete
o Status of Minors, Farm and T Ball sponsors
• Checks are coming in
• Have 1 too many sponsors in Minors, Melissa will correct for Jacobs, move from Minors to Farm (player in Farm)
• 17 sponsors for 20 teams, need 3 more. Joe Granatino will check with Eventco contact. Still have 2 Tballs open and 3 Farm.
• Outstanding job by Melissa pulling this all together
o Outstanding Issues
• Verizon sponsorship (2004-2006) remains outstanding
• Paperwork is in process

League Rules and Local By-Law Issues

• Player Agent Report-Skip
o Update on Tryouts (3/12 and 3/19)
• Thank You Notes To Hingham High Baseball Players, HHS Principal and Dan McHugh
• Thank you notes to the kids as a follow up. Rich has the names of the kids, Skip will follow up, they did a good job. Note also sent to Hingham Journal
• 430 kids tried out.
• Lists sent out to Managers
• Makeup tryout date-3/22 at 5:30 pm at the Rec completed
• Nice job by Skip and all who assisted, the process went very smoothly


o Schedule of Draft Dates by Division (all at PRS)
• Draft lists in advance of meeting forwarded to managers
• Issues of Eight Year Olds With Birthdates From 8/1/97 “Playing Up” in Minors
• Issue has been brought up from a few parents who had their 8 year old (birthday post 8/97) try out for Minors
• Policy had been set allowing the ‘bubble’ 8 year olds having played 2 years already in Farm and born in the period 5/97 – 8/1/97 to have the option to play up in Minors. After 8/1/97 to play in Farm
• We have already fielded questions from some parents of 8 year olds born after 8/1/97 to play up, and the answer has been a consistent no, following our established policy based on birth date.
• Issue not brought up before tryouts. In hindsight, we could have offered option to move up to all 8 year olds tryout for minors. If we allow a few to play up, could look contrary. Rob outlined his ideas.
• Question on number (221, so 12 or 13. Farm has 11 per team).
• Mike Letorney and Kevin Donius both spoke on behalf of the 8 yr olds born after 8/1/97 having the option to move up. Key point is that based on talent, several of these kids would not be out of place in Minors, and likely would be out of place in Farm
• This point was supported also by potential safety issues for some of the less experienced teammates, as some of these kids hit and throw hard.
• Question again debated, how do we allow for only 4-5 kids, and not the rest of the 8 year olds to move u?. It would appear that the Board would be allowing favoritism to a few individuals if were to allow a few kids born after 8/1/97 to move up to Minors
• Rob has received multiple callas and emails in which he said no following the policy established.
• In the past a few players have been allowed to move up.
• Persuasive points were made on both sides of issue.
• Motion was made to change previous vote of the Board that established the birth date cutoff for Minors at 8/1/97. That any player born after 8/1/97 and has played 2 years in Farm or equivalent experience be eligible for Minors
o Vote taken and Motion did not pass by a close vote

• Further discussion ensued on this issue, turning to consider if any alternatives were available at this point, noting that fairness and consistency is our guiding goal
• It was noted that there is some room in Minors to fill out the number of players per team (some teams will have 12 players, some 13).
• Would we be able to do a tryout and postpone the draft for Minors to sort this issue out? Further discussion supported seeking alternative that is equitable to all 8 year olds seeking to move up, and not just a select few.
• A motion was made following discussion: That HLL will contact all players whose birthdates are 8/1/97 and 4 /30/98 or later to offer the opportunity to tryout and be eligible for the remaining Minor league roster spots. Vote passed unanimously.
• Logistics – Skip will email all the group and post notice to the website. Date is Sunday at Lynch 4:00pm. Minor managers need to be contacted as well
• Details of draft format by Division
• Majors-3/27, Minors-3/28 and Farm/TBall-3/30-6:30 pm each night
• As above, Minors and Farm T-Ball to be rescheduled
• Logistics for Draft Nights-laptop, projector, etc.
o Other issues?
o Rules reviewed from last year
• Numbers by age for Majors– Suggestiong made to have Minimum 12’s – 4 Maximum of 6
• Minimum 10’s – 0 and Maximum is 2
• Motion was made as above, 12’s 4 minimum, 6 maximum, Maximum 2 10 year olds
• Vote taken and passed
• Brother/Sister rules apply, Manager
• 12 – 3rd round , 11 4th round 10 5th round
• Use double blind draft. Serpentine order 1-16, 17-32
• Equipment will not be distributed tomorrow night.
• Decided not to distribute, not quite ready. Pick up date to be scheduled

• Major League Committee Report
o Review of Major’s Rules
• Update on rule changes
• Pitching rules
o No report at this time
• All Star selection process
• HLL version of Pitch Count Program
• Manager Committee recommendation on whether HLL will use our own version of the Pitch Count Program in 2006
• For the rules, need to update for the DATES (Tim will update). Done

• Minor League Committee Report
o Review of Minor’s Rules
• Update on rule changes
• HLL version of Pitch Count Program
o Other issues?

• Farm League Committee Report
o Review of Farm Rules
• Are any rule changes needed?
• Players who have already played two years in TBall but whose birthdates fall within 5/1/97-7/31/98 can move up to Farm
o Other issues?


• TBall Committee report
o Review of T Ball Rules
• Are any rule changes needed?
o Age issue for TBall players
• Little League advice to allow TBall players to register for Tball in 2006 if their birthdays are between 5/1/01-7/31/01
o Other issues?

• Manager’s Committee Report-Steve
o Outstanding Issues Involving Selection of Managers and Coaches?
o Training for Managers, Coaches and players
• Feedback on 3/2 and 3/9 training
• Over 60 attended, was well received - nice job Steve
• Additional training programs in the spring-likely pitchers and catchers
o Practice manual for HLL
o CORI Process
• Steve will work with Rich on these
o Boys of Baseball Training-5/06 and 9/06

• Equipment Committee Report-Ed
o Status/Inventory of Outstanding Equipment
• Orders are in. Split between Rockland and Beacon
• Fill in order forVerizon shirts
• Ed will get pricing for Pants, for distribution to Majors
• Found bathing helmet cages in the storage bin, will distribute
• Need to follow up on Umpire Equipment. Need 6 full sets of equipment
• New bases have come in (with posts)
• Team signs – only 4 have been located, will have to follow up
• Port-A-Potties are ordered for the fields
• Uniforms-missing sponsor names and patches
• Order two sets of shirts for Williamsport teams should be ordered at this time so we don’t have to worry about later
o Use of bag tags to identify equipment by Division and team
o Use of Lapel’s – got the uniform back, with patches!
o Assessment of equipment Needs
o Selection of vendors to supply equipment
o Other Equipment
• Status of batting cage at Haley/Cronin
• Potential Order of Outstanding Equipment
• Temporary Pitching Mound at South School and other fields
• Storage issues at the fields
• Second dry roller
• Port-a-Potties
o On order. Confirm that we can have one at Kress Field, probably not at Powers Field
• Batters box templates
o Rich Magner will follow up on having made in shop
• Fixed bases -- as above

• Umpire Committee Report-Rich
o Review umpire requirements, rules and expectations for 2006
o Equipment inventory
o Update on Umpire Meeting and Training Sessions-3/23 & 4/5
• 52 kids showed up, good crew anticipated this year as well. Lot of 13’s who will primarily get Minors games. Rich expects to have weekly sessions for review of assignments etc. This year will schedule options alphabetically
• Next session scheduled for April 13 6:30 at Rec Center. Tim will put on the site
•
o Review of assignment process and payment process for games
• Rule on third base overthrow to be discussed at subsequent board meeting..

• Safety Committee Report-Owen
o Goals for 2006
o Renewal of ASAP Program (A Safety Awareness Program)
• Update of training plan
• First aid training date
• Field survey for all fields we use
• First aid kits required for each team bags
• Outstanding issues
• No report

• Buildings, Property and Grounds Committee Report
o Status of Rec Fields-Haley, Hersey, PAL, Kress and Powers/Central Fields
• Status of Haley Dugouts
• Slabs in, posts in, Fence coming in, S. Jacobs will have done this week
• Status of Use of PAL Fields in 2006
• Into May scheduled. We obviously need to monitor this closely for activity; developer will give us 10 day notice before starting so we can reschedule as needed
• Determine what Divisions will use these fields
• Lime needed to line field for Hersey
• Also would like a tarp for Hersey
• Tim Z will follow up on new tarps for both fields
• Kress-status of fencing to protect players
• Fencing installed
• Other fields-depending on the LL Divisions that will use these fields
o Status of Additional Fields Through Hingham School Department
• Hingham High School and South School were used in 2005
• Other alternatives include Plymouth River, South, High School etc. or other alternative venues
• Determine what Divisions will use these fields
o Application from Hingham Rec for fields for 2006 was forwarded
• By 5/1 need to forward rosters, schedules, CORI forms, etc.

• Social Committee Report
o Goals for 2006 season
o Meeting at Melissa’s
o Identify potential fundraisers
• Status of “Kids in Hingham”

• Publicity Committee/Opening Day
o Goals for 2006 Season
o Early Planning
• Getting Started for Opening Day festivities (April 23rd).
• First Pitch
• Need to get some traction on these logistics. Hot Dogs, Soda’s (CocaCola), balloon lady
• Melissa and Bruce to follow up, with Paul LeBlanc for sodas, trip to BJ’s for provisions. They could use some help

• Cross-Hingham Baseball Liasion Committee-Joe C.
o Update from this committee

• Summer Travel Baseball Committee-Elliot
o Goals for 2006
o Status of Elliot’s outline of the goals and operating guidelines for this committee (proposed number of members, rules, regulations, evaluation and tryout process, appointment of managers, schedules, etc.) for discussion and vote by the HLL BOD
o Summer teams will purchase own shirts to minimize confusion with HLL uniforms
o A question was raised for the Board, in that there are requirements for the Suburban League and Williamsport team that players must pariciapte in 75% of league games to be eligible for roster spot on these teams. Does this should this apply to South River?
o Motion made that no limitation should apply to South River league, ie player does not even need to need to participate in HLL in spring for eligibility. Vote taken and Passed

• Concession Committee-Joe G. & Elliot
o Status of logistics of van use

• Other Additional New Business

• Schedule for Upcoming Meetings
o 4/10/06 7:00 pm Rec Center
o 4/24/06
o 5/8/06
o 5/22/06
o 6/5/06
o 6/26/06
o 7/10/06
o 8/7/06
o 9/11/06
o 10/2/06
o 10/23/06 (Annual Meeting)

Hingham Little League Board of Directors Meeting
Meeting Minutes -3/6/2006
Hingham Recreation Center
7:30 PM

Present: Tim Zyrkowski, Owen McConville, Ed Anderson, Skip Jenkins, Rob Blomberg, Elliot Sherman, Steve White, Joe Craven, Rich Magner, Rick Linehan, Bob Madden, Melissa Flanagan, Tim Driscoll

Absent: Joe Granatino, Bruce Corwin

Secretary’s Report-Tim D.
• Approve 2/13/06 Meeting Minutes
o Motion made and approved. To be posted to the site by Tim

Treasurer’s Report-Rick
• Current Balance 62,046
• Outstanding Expenses
o Equipment purchases and field supplies
• Audit of 2003/2004 and 2004/2005 HLL Financial Results
o Status of Audits
&#61607; Awaiting return for 04-05 from accountant

Business Related Issues

• Local Little League Business Filings and Topics
o Articles of Incorporation-Renewal
o Insurance Fees and Options
&#61607; Preliminary application forwarded & will be completed in 4/06 after teams are selected
• National Little League Business Filings
o Charter Application & Charter Fees
• Charter received
• Rob proudly displayed both the Charter and Insurance Certificates
• Credit of 303.00 from last year’s overpayment of fees received.

New Business

• Player Registration-Membership Committee Report & Team Schedules (Elliot)
o Registration results
• Number of on line registrations received
• Number of manual registrations received
• Summary of registrations received by age group
• 192 Majors / 16 Teams
• Couple of holdouts still
• 80 Twelves, 96 Elevens, 93 Tens, 177 Tball, 113 Nines, 126 Eights, 129 Sevens
o Followup communication for those not yet registered (focus on 11 and 12 year olds)

815 Total Players thru 3/6
Online is now closed off, but we are going to just take them by mail. Absolute last date for Majors has to be before tryouts end 3/19.
1 known Major has dropped out, potentially adding another, numbers are good
Will know the numbers of 10’s available before the draft-likely 15-20 of the 10’s will play Majors in 2006

Number of Teams
• Majors – 16 teams already set, 12 / team
• Minors – Skip has 220, plus. Discussed and decided to go with 18 Teams, 12 to 13 players per team
• Farm -- Discussed numbers – we decided to go with 20 Teams (12-13/team)
• T-Ball – Discussed, we will go with 14 teams (13/team) at this point

• Update on schedules (Rob and Rick)
• Majors/Minors
• Majors’ schedule is approved
o 4 games each field each Sunday (12, 2, 4, 6)
• Minors schedules in progress
• Other Divisions
• South – Tues/Thurs/Sat/Sun
• PR – Wide open, field needs work, no screen so only use for Tball and Farm per LL
• Kress – Mon/Fri/some Saturdays/and Sunday. There is no screen; question – should we move or erect in front of bench? WAG, est 2000 side. This is a Rec field; we can approach Rec to pay for this work. Enough to block the benches, 7 feet high. Motion was made and passed to proceed. Rob will follow up.
• Central Powers – Mon/Fri/Saturday/Sunday – no screen so only use for Tball and Farm
• PAL Fields – work is likely to begin in April, so we’re not counting on it
• HHS – have this for weekends (may be an option)
• Foster – No word
• Derby – Not available for outdoor activities

• Sponsorships and Donations-Committee Report-Bruce and Melissa
o Status of Major’s Sponsors-Complete
o Status of Minors – 12 out of 18. ( 300), Farm 5 out of 20 ( 300) and T Ball 7 out of 14 teams ( 100).
• Mohawk Rubber, Jack’s Café, Steve White/Paragon some potential sponsors noted
• Tim can post a note on the website and HYH website
• Outstanding – Jones Milligan, Bradley, Cruz, others
• Suggestion made to have a sponsorship table at Tryouts, Melissa will follow up
o Outstanding Issues
• Verizon sponsorship (2004-2006) remains outstanding
• Status of “Friends and Patrons” Letter and Agreement
• Minor League Championship Trophy

League Rules and Local By-Law Issues

• Player Agent Report-Skip
o Update on Tryout Process, Dates (3/12 and 3/19) and Location
• Notification and communication details
• Hingham High Baseball-Dan McHugh
• Format for tryouts
• Tryout lists
• Database access for Skip
• Equipment, pins, numbers, etc.
• Skip has an order
• Will need to get soft baseball (Farm League) – probably 3 dozen, Ed will check the space, get buckets, helmets, bat, bases, cones
• Names will be sent to Managers this week
• Volunteers needed from non-coaches
• Mike Letorney will assist at the 3/12 tryout
• Makeup tryout date-3/22 at 5:30 pm at the Rec
o Schedule of Draft Dates by Division (all at PRS)
• Draft lists in advance of meeting
• Majors-3/27, Minors-3/28 and Farm/TBall-3/30-6:30 pm each night
• Followup with Mike Letorney-laptop, projector, etc.
o Other issues?
• 10 year olds have to declare eligibility at tryouts; there is a form they will need to fill out.
• Decision made that no more than 2 10 year olds per team on the Majors, so agreed


• Major League Committee Report
o Review of Major’s Rules
• Update on rule changes
• Finalize pitching rules
o Do we want to add any pilot program?
&#61607; Decided not to follow National program
o Suggestion to count number of batters instead? Some limit, like 4 innings per game?
o Manipulation by pitch counts from defense?
&#61607; Still have some time to decide
&#61607; Steve / Mgrs committee will take up some options and report back
• Finalize All Star selection process
o Limited to 12’s
o 2 per team, or some reward for top finishers?
&#61607; Motion made and passed Majors All Stars, 2 from each team, top 2 teams in each division during the regular season will have 3 selections
• HLL version of Pitch Count Program
• On 2/13 we decided not to use the approved Little League Pitch Count Program in 2006 program
• Resolve whether HLL will use our own version of the Pitch Count Program in 2006

• Minor League Committee Report
o Review of Minor’s Rules
• Update on rule changes
• HLL version of Pitch Count Program
o Other issues?

• Farm League Committee Report
o Review of Farm Rules
• Are any rule changes needed?
• Players who have already played two years in TBall but whose birthdates fall within 5/1/97-7/31/98 can move up to Farm
• Projected limitation of team size to no more than 12 to 13 players per team
o Other issues?


• TBall Committee report
o Review of T Ball Rules
• Are any rule changes needed?
o Age issue for TBall players
• Little League advice to allow Tball players to register for Tball in 2006 if their birthdays are between 5/1/01-7/31/01
o Other issues?

• Manager’s Committee Report-Steve
o Goals for 2006
o Create process to Select Managers and Coaches
• Managers need to be selected before the tryouts
• Managers need to be approved by HLL Board on 3/6 meeting.
• 7 12 year olds Candidates
• 6 11 year olds Candidates
• 3 10 year olds needed
• Board voted and approved Major League candidates. Steve will be contacting managers this week.
• Minors – Board voted and approved Minor League candidates. Steve will be contacting managers this week

o Potential training for Managers, Coaches and players
• Pre-season training-3/2 and 3/9 at PRS
• 35 in attendance last week
• Note for 3/9 at PRS to be emailed to coaches (Elliot to take care of this)
• Additional training programs in the spring-likely pitchers and catchers
o Practice manual for HLL
o CORI Process
o Boys of Baseball Training-5/06 and 9/06

• Equipment Committee Report-Ed
o Status/Inventory of Outstanding Equipment
• Uniforms-missing sponsor names and patches
• Order two sets of shirts for Williamsport teams should be ordered at this time so we don’t have to worry about later
o Use of bag tags to identify equipment by Division and team
• On order
o Use of Lapel’s
• Uniforms due in the next few weeks, cleaned and patches
o Status of Beal Street Field House Pledge
o Assessment of equipment Needs
o Selection of vendors to supply equipment
• Likely will split between Beacon and Rockland for uniforms
• Not all final pricing delivered yet to Ed
• Ed will continue work on getting best price and services
• Also will check with Little League for uniforms for the younger kids
o Other Equipment
• Status of batting cage at Haley/Cronin
• Discussed; reaffirmed that the cage will be erected and in use this year.
• Potential Order of Outstanding Equipment
• Temporary Pitching Mound at South School and other fields
o Ed has contacted a vendor for estimates. Would want the smaller versions - 400-600 estimate. Challenge will be where we store it. Should get a chain for the fence? (South, Kress, High School)
o Issues with moving them around. Maybe go with a smaller model to try, decided to take this direction
• Storage issues at the fields
• Second dry roller – Ed to check with Rec
• Lime and speedy dry will be ordered by Rich
• Port-a-Potties – Bob Madden will contact Bob Keyes for the vendor we used last year.
• Batters box templates – Ed will talk to Rich Magner about idea to have Hingham Lumber make for us at cost.
• Fixed bases


• Umpire Committee Report-Rich
o Review umpire requirements, rules and expectations for 2006
o Equipment inventory
o Schedule for Umpire Meeting and Training Sessions-3/23 & 4/5
• Sign up and training
• Books are ready to go
o Review of assignment process and payment process for games

• Safety Committee Report-Owen
o Goals for 2006
o Renewal of ASAP Program (A Safety Awareness Program)
• Update of training plan
• First aid training date
• Field survey for all fields we use
• First aid kits required for each team bags
• Outstanding issues
• Should be right on time with paperwork
• Need to know numbers of Ice Packs – with 68 teams, 2 per Majors/Minors, 1 per Tball/Farm to put into the team bags
• Counts for the First Aid kits
• Owen will put order in for equipment

• Buildings, Property and Grounds Committee Report
o Goals for 2006
o Status of Rec Fields-Haley, Hersey, PAL, Kress and Powers/Central Fields
• Status of Haley Dugouts
• Will be done in 10 days
• Pads should pitch to the back
• Status of Use of PAL Fields in 2006
• Not likely to use the fields this year
• Determine what Divisions will use these fields
• See Schedules section above for details
• Kress and Powers may need fencing to protect players depending on the LL Divisions that will use these fields
o Status of Additional Fields Through Hingham School Department
• Hingham High School and South School were used in 2005
• Other alternatives include Plymouth River, South, Hull Street field, High School etc. or other alternative venues
• Determine what Divisions will use these fields
o Application from Hingham Rec for fields for 2006 was forwarded
• By 5/1 need to forward rosters, schedules, CORI forms, etc.
o Results from 2/23 meeting (Hingham Rec and Hingham School Departments) to discuss potential fields
• Suggestion to write letter to School Committee and DPW to let them know we are willing to put in our labor to fix up the fields. Melissa and Rob will write letter.
• School Committee waiting on Gals Softball scheduling and everyone else to get the applications in.
o Derby is not an option
•

• Social Committee Report
o Goals for 2006 season
o Meeting at Melissa’s
o Identify potential fundraisers
• Progress – talked with a couple of artists to paint pictures to try to raise funds (Theme: Kids in Hingham). A family has agreed to host a party at their home.

• Publicity Committee/Opening Day
o Goals for 2006 Season
o Early Planning
• Getting Started for Opening Day festivities (April 23rd).
• First Pitch

• Cross-Hingham Baseball Liasion Committee-Joe C.
o Joe C. outlined the goals and operating guidelines for this committee (proposed number of members, rules, regulations, mission) at the 12/5/05 HLL Board Meeting
o Goal of the committee will be to combine efforts of those promoting Hingham Baseball from T Ball through High School
o Status of Dinner- Scheduled for 3/25
o Update from this committee
• Led by Joe Craven and Bruce Thompson (Bruce was a guest tonight)
• Confirmed 6 HS players for each tryout sessions
• Dinner moved to Friday May 5th 8;00 to 11:30 pm at BlackRock
• HS parents, Baseball Alumni, HLL Parents etc
• Awards presentation
• Small auction to be held
• Looking for sponsors for First Annual HHS Baseball Yearbook, list available on hinghambaseball.com.
• Motion made and passed for HLL to purchase full page ad, 100 made.
• Would like to send letter to HLL and HBR. Joe distributed copies
• Idea of creating a scholarship from HLL and HBR for outgoing seniors. Criteria and selection would be up to the HLL board, player would have to fill out application, we’d set aside a budget for the fund, etc. We could set up a committee. Motion made and Passed to begin this process, Rick Linehan will be charge. Would like to announce this at the Dinner so will need follow up.
• Discussed also the Cronin Field Batting cage. This is in process; HLL has already donated the footings.

• Summer Travel Baseball Committee-Elliot
o Goals for 2006
o Status of Elliot’s outline of the goals and operating guidelines for this committee (proposed number of members, rules, regulations, evaluation and tryout process, appointment of managers, schedules, etc.) for discussion and vote by the HLL BOD
o Summer teams will purchase own shirts to minimize confusion with HLL uniforms

• Concession Committee-Joe G. & Elliot
o Status of logistics of van use

• Other Additional New Business
o Skip and Ed attended Little League meeting in Bristol; distributed materials to Board Members
• Schedule for Upcoming Meetings
o 3/26/06 at 7:00 pm (Sunday) at the Rec due to Major’s draft on 3/27/06
o 4/10/06
o 4/24/06
o 5/8/06
o 5/22/06
o 6/5/06
o 6/26/06
o 7/10/06
o 8/7/06
o 9/11/06
o 10/2/06
o 10/23/06 (Annual Meeting)

Motion to adjourn at 10:15 pm

Hingham Little League Board of Directors Meeting
Meeting Minutes -2/13/06
Hingham Recreation Center
8:00 PM


Present: Rob Blomberg, Elliot Sherman, Steve White, Melissa Flanagan, Skip Jenkins, Bruce Corwin, Ed Anderson, Owen McConville, Rich Magner

Absent: Rick Linehan, Joe Granatino, Bob Madden, Tim Zyrkowski, Joe Craven

Meeting called to order by Rob Blomberg at 8:05pm

Secretary’s Report-Tim D.
· Approve 1/30/06 Meeting Minutes
o Accepted. Tim to post
Treasurer’s Report-Rick
· Current Balance
· Outstanding Expenses
o Update on fees to Hingham Rec for Boys of Baseball and meeting room rental
§ No report

Business Related Issues

· Local Little League Business Filings and Topics
o Articles of Incorporation-Renewal
o Public Charity Filings
o Status of 501 (3) (c) Form
o Insurance Fees and Options
§ Application received & will be completed in 4/06 after teams are selected
· Initial paperwork filed
§ National Little League Business Filings
o Charter Application & Charter Fees
· Approved for 2006 season, fees paid
· Audit of 2003/2004 and 2004/2005 HLL Financial Results
o Status of Audits

New Business

· Player Registration-Membership Committee Report & Team Schedules
o Registration results thus far (Elliot)
· Number of on line registrations received?
· Online has worked very well, great call Elliott! 2/3 of the signups this way with only a few reported problems
· Number of manual registrations received?
· Summary of registrations received thus far by age group
· 698 signed up so far thru 2/13
o Need for followup communication for those not yet registered
· Identification of 11 and 12 year olds from 2005 season who have not yet registered
· Most of the 12’s are signed up
o 66 12’s and 79 11’s 85 10’s
o 2 of the 12s not playing this year
· 47 or so outstanding from this group
o Update on schedules (Rob and Rick)
· Majors/Minors
· Majors are approved
· Minors schedules in progress
o Minors Committee needs to work with Rob and Rick Linehan on this
· Other Divisions

· Sponsorships and Donations-Committee Report-Bruce and Melissa
o Status of Major’s Sponsors-Complete
o Status of Minors, Farm and T Ball sponsors
· Rates remain the same as 2005-0 for one year of Majors, 0 for Minors and Farm and 0 for T Ball
· Letters sent to existing sponsors
· Several more have put in applications – pending availability
· Margetts – move to Farm in return for work on the fields
· Steve Jacobs – all set for Minors in return for his assistance with the dugouts.
· Some responses received with checks!
· Additional sponsors on registrations (8 names) – some we already have.
· In good shape for sponsorships
· Ed needs finalization as soon as possible for uniforms.
· Patches – starting with the Majors first, Ed will contact Lapels
o Outstanding Issues
· With 501 (c) (3) approved reimbursement from Verizon sponsorship (2004-2006) remains outstanding
· Forms received by Elliot; in process. Lots of paperwork..
· Status of “Friends and Patrons” Letter and Agreement
· Minor League Championship Trophy
· Voted and agreed last meeting. This item is now under Sponsorship Committee, Melissa will handle.


League Rules and Local By-Law Issues

· Player Agent Report-Skip
o Update on Tryout Process, Dates and Location
· Skip needs access to database for registrations; Elliot can assist
· Notification and communication details
· Hingham High Baseball-Dan McHugh
· Rich Magner met with Dan, we should be all set with High School players to help out at tryouts
· Format for tryouts
· Same as last year, went well
· Tryout lists
· Access to the database for Skip
· Equipment, pins, numbers, etc.
· Available at Beacon – will need 500 numbers (two sets apiece), lots of pins!
· Maybe blue for 11 and 12, red for 9 and 10’s – would be easier to track the kids, sounds like a good idea to institute. Skip please note.
· Makeup tryout date-3/22?
· Not many expected
· Will go for the March 22nd date, 5:30 pm, at the Rec.
· Mike Letorney will assist in the whole process

o Schedule of Draft Dates by Division (all at PRS)
· Draft lists in advance of meeting
· Majors-3/27, Minors-3/28 and Farm/TBall-3/30-6:30 pm each night
· Confirmed at Plymouth River School
· Followup with Mike Letorney-laptop, projector, etc.
· Projector reserved; laptop should be all set

o Other issues?
· Need the registrations to be completed in order for us to finish our work on this front

· Major League Committee Report
o Review of Major’s Rules
· Update on rule changes
· Added that all 11 and 12’s have to tryout
· Pitcher rules / section 12
· All Star selections – with 16 teams, should we allow top teams to send more than 2 players? It is 12 year olds, 32 kids playing already. Discussed possibly 20 per team? Don’t need to make final decision today, further discussion.
· Section 21 for Standings and Playoffs
· Can talk about rule changes at subsequent meeting
· HLL version of Pitch Count Program
· Last meeting we discussed and voted down adopting the program, due to no restriction on number of innings requirements
· Rob wrote back to LL letting them know our decision
· Question – do we want to impose a local rule for pitch count? Question was sent to Majors and Minors Committees.
· Ed suggested we could just collect data for this season for some data. Would it be mandatory? Difficult to enforce.
· Discussed in some detail, both pro’s and cons. There are a lot of issues either way.
· Probably will be mandated by LL by 2008
· Defer further debate on this until another meeting.

· Minor League Committee Report
o Review of Minor’s Rules
· Update on rule changes
· HLL version of Pitch Count Program
o Other issues?
· No report

· Farm League Committee Report
o Review of Farm Rules
· Are any rule changes needed?
o Players who have already played two years in TBall but whose birthdates fall within 5/1/97-7/31/98 can move up to Farm
o Other issues?
· Only item is to try and limit number of kids per team to 12-13 and add more teams (obviously pending field availability).

· TBall Committee report
o Review of T Ball Rules
· Are any rule changes needed?
o Age issue for TBall players
· Little League advice to allow Tball players to register for Tball in 2006 if their birthdays are between 5/1/01-7/31/01
o Other issues?
· No report

· Manager’s Committee Report-Steve
o Goals for 2006
o Create process to Select Managers and Coaches
· Managers need to be selected before the tryouts, need to be approved by HLL Board on 3/6 meeting.
o Potential training for Managers, Coaches and players
· Pre-season-3/2 and 3/9 at PRS
· 7-9 pm
· Minor and Majors nite 1, Farm Tball for 2nd nite
· Has invited speaker for both nights
· Talk about fundamentals and philosophy
· Through 2/13/06 185 potential managers or coaches have submitted Volunteer Applications
· Additional training in the spring-likely pitchers and catchers
· Manager training in Bristol on 3/4
o Practice manual for HLL
o CORI Process

· Equipment Committee Report-Ed
o Status/Inventory of Outstanding Equipment
· Uniforms-missing sponsor names and patches
· Order two sets of shirts for Williamsport teams should be ordered at this time so we don’t have to worry about later
· Use of bag tags to identify equipment by Division and team
o Update on Use of Lapel’s
o Status of Beal Street Field House
· Ready to submit our pledge to Sports Partnership. Rick L. needs to forward check for ,500 to Hingham Sports Partnership
o Assessment of Equipment Needs
o Consideration of various vendors to supply equipment
· Ed Anderson and John Wehner met with Rockland past week.
· Meeting set up also with Beacon this week
o Other Equipment
· Status of batting cage at Haley/Cronin
· Potential Order of Outstanding Equipment
· Temporary Pitching Mound at South School
o Ed has done some investigating on various models and pricing. Not sure at this point how many we would need depending on fields.
o Need to consider storage issues at the fields
· Second dry roller
o May ask Bob and Tim Z to work on this, under fields and facilities committee
· Port a Potties
o Reminder – don’t forget we need these end April!
· Batters box templates – reasonable pricing. Rich offered to make them, Ed will discuss more on options
· Checking out some bases that have set in the ground; will need to check with Rec on this item (Ted Carroll). In general the idea was well accepted
o Other equipment order

· Umpire Committee Report-Rich
o Goals for 2006
o Review umpire requirements, rules and expectations for 2006
o Equipment inventory
o Schedule for First Umpire Meeting and Training Session
· Two 90 minute classes mandatory
· March 23rd - , registration and class 6:30 – 8:00 pm (Tim to check dates for conflict with HYHockey tryout..sent to Rich. Only Bantam Goalies 3/23, and 4/5 is for PeeWees so should be good)..
· April 5th Class – 6:30 – 8:00 pm
· Last class to be set; maybe just set up assignment for first few games.
· Need 30 to 35 umpires – 13 year old and up
· Check on umpire equipment at Castle Storage with Ed.
· Rich has 2006 LL Rule Book and
You Make the Call” book. Rich will follow for additional LL Umpire Manuals.
· Mark Igo has volunteered to help out.
Review of assignment process and payment process for games

· Safety Committee Report-Owen
o Goals for 2006
o Renewal of ASAP Program (A Safety Awareness Program)
o Outstanding issues
· Updated the training plan
· Need first aid training date. Each team needs a representative there. We will schedule these concurrently with Steve’s Manager’s Meeting in 3/06
· Field survey for all fields we use, form needs to be filled out. Bob Madden has details for the fields. Facility survey due May 1st
· First aid kits required for each team bags


· Buildings, Property and Grounds Committee Report
o Goals for 2006
o Status/Changes To Existing Playing Fields-Haley, Hersey and PAL Fields
· Status of Haley Dugouts
· Status of Use of PAL Fields in 2006
o Addition of Kress and Central/Powers Fields
· Determine what Divisions will use these fields
· Kress will need fencing to protect players; required by Little League
· Softball uses Tue-Wed Thurs so we should be good Mon, Fri, Sat, Sun.
o Need To Secure Additional Fields Through Hingham School Department
· Hingham High School and South School were used in 2005
· Other alternatives included repairing back field at Hersey, Plymouth River, South, Hull Street field, High School etc. or other alternative venues
o Field Meeting occurred on 2/1/06 at Town Hall
o Application from Hingham Rec for fields for 2006 has been received and is due by 3/1/06
· Forms completed and sent to Rec by Rob Blomberg
· By 5/1 – need finalized lists, schedules, CORI forms, etc.
o Meeting needs to be scheduled with Hingham Rec and Hingham School Departments to discuss potential fields and field transfers to Hingham Rec
· Bob Madden discussed with representative (Barbara Pye) of School Committee regarding school fields. Agreed we can put in work on the fields. Requests are as follows:
· South (Tues, Thurs Sat Sun)
· Plymouth River (Mon-Sunday)
· Foster (Work around softball)
· High School field (Weekends)
· Don’t know status of the PAL fields
· Is Derby a possibility? Need to follow.
· Discussions continuing, Bob Madden
o Update on Community Preservation Committee meeting-Elliot

· Social Committee Report
o Goals for 2006 season
o Meeting at Melissa’s?
· Melissa has the names of the volunteers
· Will get Melissa access to the database
o Identify potential fundraisers

· Publicity Committee/Opening Day
o Goals for 2006 Season
o Early Planning
· Getting Started for Opening Day festivities (April 23rd).
· First Pitch

· Cross-Hingham Baseball Liasion Committee-Joe C.
o Joe C. outlined the goals and operating guidelines for this committee (proposed number of members, rules, regulations, mission) at the 12/5/05 HLL Board Meeting
o Goal of the committee will be to combine efforts of those promoting Hingham Baseball from T Ball through High School
o Status of Dinner- Scheduled for 3/25
o Update from this committee
· No Report

· Summer Travel Baseball Committee-Elliot
o Goals for 2006
o Status of Elliot’s outline of the goals and operating guidelines for this committee (proposed number of members, rules, regulations, evaluation and tryout process, appointment of managers, schedules, etc.) for discussion and vote by the HLL BOD
o Summer teams will purchase own shirts to minimize confusion with HLL uniforms
§ Will be required to have 2 teams in Suburban as specified by Little League (at all levels)
§ May impact South River teams based on the numbers

· Concession Committee-Joe G. & Elliot
o Status of logistics of van use

· Calendar of Events-Tim D.
o Ensure updated Calendar posted on the website
· Done

· Other Additional New Business
o None

· Schedule for Upcoming Meetings
o 3/6/06 -- 7:30 pm – Appointment of managers, finalize tryouts, etc.
o 3/27/06-Date will be changed due to Major’s Draft
o 4/10/06
o 4/24/06
o 5/8/06
o 5/22/06
o 6/5/06
o 6/26/06
o 7/10/06
o 8/7/06
o 9/11/06
o 10/2/06
o 10/23/06 (Annual Meeting)

Motion to adjourn 9:53 p.m.

Hingham Little League Board of Directors Meeting
Meeting Minutes -1/30/06
Hingham Recreation Center
7:30 PM


Present:
Rob Blomberg, Melissa Flanagan, Ed Anderson, Elliot Sherman, Skip Jenkins, Bob Madden, Tim Driscoll, Rick Linehan
Absent:
Joe Craven, Steve White, Rich Magner, Tim Zyrkowski, Joe Granatino, Bruce Corwin, and Owen McConville

Meeting called to order at 7:40 pm.
Secretary’s Report-Tim D.
· Approve 1/9/06 Meeting Minutes
o Motion made to approve and voted in favor. Tim to post the 1/9/06 minutes to the website.

Treasurer’s Report-Rick
· Current Balance -- $57,109.26
o Registrations -$26,448.30
o Rick distributed Banking Summary.
· Outstanding Expenses
o Update on fees to Hingham Rec for Boys of Baseball and meeting room rental
§ Rob negotiated with Tom Campbell. They agreed that there is no need for us to be charged for the room rental in light of what we contribute to the community. Same is true for field rental issue with Boys of Baseball. Rob will discuss this further with Hingham Rec representatives.
o Melissa requested a check for Lapels for $850. Original was issued but not cashed, Rick will reissue.
o Ed will need a check for LL Patches as well
· Status of transition to new Treasurer
o In good shape. Transfer of signators complete with the bank, etc.
· Goals For 2006

Business Related Issues

· Local Little League Business Filings and Topics
o Articles of Incorporation-Renewal
o Public Charity Filings
o Status of 501 (3) (c) Form
o Insurance Fees and Options
§ Application received & will be completed in 4/06 after teams are selected
· National Little League Business Filings
o Charter Application
· Approved for 2006 season
o Charter Fees
· Audit of 2003/2004 and 2004/2005 HLL Financial Results
o Status of Audits

In good shape on all above fronts, no issues to report.

New Business

· Player Registration-Membership Committee Report & Team Schedules
o Registration results thus far (Elliot)
· Number of on line registrations received?
· Number of manual registrations received?
· Summary of registrations received thus far by age group
· Going well thus far from the Online system, very useful and beneficial tool and investment! 420 have registered online, 81 manual, for 501 in total. There are still more expected, need to continue to spread the word.
o Additional communication
o Identification of 11 and 12 year olds from 2005 season who have not yet registered
· Still unknowns - 12’s, have 46 outstanding who played last year but not signed up.
· 108 11’s and 12’s, 1 no, 88 outstanding from our numbers.
· Well ahead of last year
· What point do we start calling the outstandings? As of 2/15, the extra fee will apply. Wait another week or two, and we should send another reminder to the email list.
· Continue to post in the Journal and other sources
o Update on schedules (Rob and Rick)
· Majors
· Minors
· Other Divisions
· Proposed schedule distributed. Two eight team divisions in Majors. Teams randomly assigned at draft, with 12 game total schedule. 5 games interconference, to be blind draw.
· Minors on Monday nights at Haley and Hersey.
· Saturdays open for rainouts
· 16 teams, will be difficult to offer byes in first round. Will schedule by high/low seed in division. All will be aware of this plan prior to start of season.
· Similar scenario envisioned for Minors playoffs.
· Finals no later than June 18 which puts us in good shape to finish out All Stars, summer teams, etc.
o Outstanding Issues?

· Sponsorships and Donations-Committee Report-Bruce and Melissa
o Status of Major’s Sponsors
· All accounted for, Lapels is the final sponsor for 2006
o Status of Minors, Farm and T Ball sponsors
· Most are open in Minors, Farm, and T-ball.
o Rates remain the same as 2005-$500 for one year of Majors, $300 for Minors and Farm and $100 for T Ball
o Outstanding Issues
· With 501 (c) (3) approved reimbursement from Verizon sponsorship (2004-2006) remains outstanding
· Elliot working with Colin Pomroy
· Melissa distributed last year’s “Friends and Patrons” letter and agreement. 2006 version to be mailed out to existing sponsors and wait list in the coming weeks. We have good numbers for sponsors
· Rob proposed a team trophy for winning team at the Minor League level as well. Agreed it is a good idea.
· Clarification of league sponsor desires and player’s affiliation so they can play on specific team. We had a couple of issues last year and we’ll try to address. This is noted on Sponsor form
· Basically at the same place as we were last year, in good shape.

League Rules and Local By-Law Issues

· Player Agent Report-Skip
o Update on Tryout Process, Dates and Location
· Notification and communication details
o Schedule of Draft Dates by Division
o Other issues?
· Skip is going to contact Dan McHugh (HS coach) to enlist players for assistance with the tryouts. (Full uniforms, Varsity and JV’s)
· Inquiry about ‘moving up’, as decided last meeting. Does a list for kids who already played up exist? Can use discretion on a case by case basis for those outside the parameters, there are some complications due to LL rules.
· Inquiry - can kids get into Tball early? – Restricted for 5 year olds – 5/1/01 to 7/31/01. Anything after this birthday are not eligible to play in Little League. We have a firm commitment to honor this per LL rules.
· Need to establish the draft dates. Last makeup usually on the Tuesday after Sunday March 19th. Need 1 night for each level for the drafts. Need to check availability of Plymouth River School for the drafts. Skip informed that we have to sign up in person at the school for booking.
· Farms/T=Ball can be together. No rules really for Farm or T-ball.
· Contact Mike Letorney for projector, need to bring laptop. Would be good to invite Mike to MC for the Majors draft?
· Majors first. Proposed dates 3/28, 3/29, 3/30 (Majors, Minors, Farm T-Ball)
· Scheduling of when players show up at tryouts discussed.
· Need to get 2 sets of numbers from Beacon, pins, etc. Players issued as they sign up, numbers will be assigned by age group ahead of time.

· Major League Committee Report
o Review of Major’s Rules
· Update on rule changes
o Age considerations
· In 2006 all 11 and 12 year olds who attend at least one tryout will be drafted and will automatically play in Majors
· A limited number of 10 year olds who try out will be selected to play in Majors subject to space and draft order requirements
· Status of “sandwich” 12’s with birthdates from 5/1/93-7/31/93
o Breakdown of Major’s teams into Hingham American and Hingham National
o Other issues?
No Report.
· Question regarding siblings – this is a parent prerogative if they request the siblings play together. This is part of Little League rules.
· Minor League Committee Report
o Review of Minor’s Rules
· Update on rule changes
o Minors will be comprised on all 9 year olds and the majority of 10 year olds
o Players who have already played two years in Farm but whose birthdates fall within 5/1/96-7/31/96 can move up to Minors
o Other issues?

· Farm League Committee Report
o Review of Farm Rules
· Are any rule changes needed?
o Players who have already played two years in TBall but whose birthdates fall within 5/1/97-7/31/98 can move up to Farm
o Other issues?

· TBall Committee report
o Review of T Ball Rules
· Are any rule changes needed?
o Age issue for TBall players
· Little League advice to allow Tball players to register for Tball in 2006 if their birthdays are between 5/1/01-7/31/01
o Other issues?

· Manager’s Committee Report-Steve
o Goals for 2006
o Create process to Select Managers and Coaches
o Potential training for Managers, Coaches and players
o Practice manual for HLL
o CORI Process
· Rob has forwarded list of previous managers to Steve White. Elliot will provide list of former and new volunteers
· Preliminary training dates for Managers to review agendas (March 2nd and March 9th) ..to set goals and expectations
· Outdoor clinics being planned for start of the season..likely in early April. Steve will schedule these sessions.
· Need to have managers selected by end of February. Board needs to review and approve the managers ahead of time, however. Elliot suggested we go ahead with an informal meeting on 3/2 for all prospective managers and coaches to get around this conflict.

· Equipment Committee Report-Ed
o Status/Inventory of Outstanding Equipment
· Uniforms-missing sponsor names and patches
· Uniforms in Majors are still missing and will need to be replaced
· South River teams will get own uniforms this year to address a large part of the issue
· Beacon will be used for the Majors replacements as they have the stock
· Reminder – 2 sets of shirts for Williamsport teams should be ordered at this time so we don’t have to worry about later
· Use of bag tags to identify equipment by Division and team
· Ed is looking into this still; has a price of $150 for 100 of them, but we agreed it is a good investment
o Update on Use of Lapel’s
o Status of Beal Street Field House
· $93,000 has been collected so far, goal of $100,000! Looks very positive. We made $7,500 pledge toward this goal for Sports Partnership
· Will have a brick drive as well, $100 per brick
· Two baseball diamonds will be there, separated from football fields
· Timeline – ZBA has signed off. Land swap details being worked out, etc. Developer targeting start of March this year, pending approval of the variances, etc. Issue before us is this season for our planning. We have to work on all options to ensure field availability
o Assessment of Equipment Needs
· Ed has done inventory, in pretty good shape
o Consideration of various vendors to supply equipment
· Ed has discussed with Mark Igo, for leads, Beacon, Rockland, Cushman, etc. shopping for best pricing. Will also check Little League equipment directory.
o Other Equipment
· Status of batting cage at Haley/Cronin
· Potential Order of Outstanding Equipment
· Temporary Pitching Mound at South School
· Second dry roller
o To be ordered, check on condition of the sponges
o Stencil for batters box lining brought up. Good idea for purchase
· Other equipment order
· Ed – add Port-A-Potties to the list of equipment to be followed up on for the fields. Bob Keyes can provide contact names.

· Umpire Committee Report-Rich
o Goals for 2006
o Review umpire requirements, rules and expectations for 2006
o Equipment inventory
o Schedule for Umpire Meetings and Training
o Review of assignment process and payment process for games
· No Report

· Safety Committee Report-Owen
o Goals for 2006
o Renewal of ASAP Program (A Safety Awareness Program)
o Outstanding issues
· No Report
· Valiant effort to be noted – Owen pulled in to the lot as we were leaving at 9:40pm. That’s dedication!

· Buildings, Property and Grounds Committee Report
o Goals for 2006
o Status/Changes To Existing Playing Fields-Haley, Hersey and PAL Fields
· Status of Haley Dugouts
· Need for sprinkler system at Hersey
o Addition of Kress and Central/Powers Fields
· Determine what Divisions will use these fields
· Mon, Fri, Sat, Sundays; work around some other issues
· For Kress parking is a big issue, safety concern; Rec may do something to alleviate.
· Powers field is pretty reasonable.
· Issue, no fencing in front of benches at either field could be a major concern for games. May be able to add fencing at Kress if we pay for it.
o Need To Secure Additional Fields Through Hingham School Department
· Hingham High School and South School were used in 2005
· Other alternatives included repairing back field at Hersey, Plymouth River, South, possibly Middle School field, Hull Street field, High School etc. or other alternative venues
o Field Meeting will occur on 2/1/06 at Town Hall
· Representatives from the Board will be attending (Bob Madden, Rob, encourage everyone to attend if possible, etc.).
o Application from Hingham Rec for fields for 2006 has been received
o Meeting needs to be scheduled with Hingham Rec and Hingham School Departments to discuss potential fields and field transfers to Hingham Rec
o Update on Community Preservation Committee meeting-Elliot

· Social Committee Report
o Goals for 2006 season
· Melissa would like to push this, will maybe plan a meeting – at Melissa’s!??
o Identify potential fundraisers

· Publicity Committee/Opening Day
o Goals for 2006 Season
o Early Planning
· Need to get started for Opening Day festivities (April 23rd).
· Looking for former ballplayers to throw out first ball!

· Cross-Hingham Baseball Liasion Committee-Joe C.
o Joe C. outlined the goals and operating guidelines for this committee (proposed number of members, rules, regulations, mission) at the 12/5/05 HLL Board Meeting
o Goal of the committee will be to combine efforts of those promoting Hingham Baseball from T Ball through High School
o Status of Dinner-1/29/06
· Moved to latter part of March
o Update from this committee
· No report.

· Summer Travel Baseball Committee-Elliot
o Goals for 2006
o Status of Elliot’s outline of the goals and operating guidelines for this committee (proposed number of members, rules, regulations, evaluation and tryout process, appointment of managers, schedules, etc.) for discussion and vote by the HLL BOD
o Summer teams will purchase own shirts to minimize confusion with HLL uniforms
§ No report at this time

· Concession Committee-Joe G. & Elliot
o Status of logistics of van use
o On hold for now. There were several volunteers who have offered to help on Opening Day.

· Calendar of Events-Tim D.
o Ensure updated Calendar posted on the website
· Rob will forward old version to Tim, will post it on the site with updated information for 2006. Will put significant dates on homepage.

· 13 Year Old Only or 13 year Old/12 Year Old Junior League Committee
· Discuss the proposed creation of either a 13 year old only Junior League or a potential 13 year old/12 year old Junior League that would be run by Hingham Little League
· Results of Hingham Hull Babe Ruth Meeting from 1/15/06
· For 2006 Hingham Hull Babe Ruth will have combined 13-15 year old teams but will also have specific teams by age (13, 14 and 15) who will play against each other and against other towns on weekends in the 2006 as additional baseball games
· Officer elections took place at the Babe Ruth meeting. Changes have occurred with their new Constitution and By laws.
· HHBR plans to have teams comprised of 13-15 year olds in the spring but will also have to have specific teams by age (13 only, 14 only and 15 only) to play in the weekends as supplemental for the spring; additionally to play against other towns.
· Elliot still interested in having a vote by this Board to create a 13 year old league (ie 13 yr old only Junior League, as do other towns) run by Hingham Little League.
· HHBR has a prep league policy established; used to have this in Hingham.
· Question – does HLL want to expand into this area?
· Fields – potential at Union Street and Middle School have Pony League size but go unused and uncared for.
· This 13 year old league would be in competition with HH Babe Ruth
· Other towns (Rockland, Scituate, etc) have an existing Junior League, with schedules, etc.
· Rob recommended we continue to focus on 5-12 year olds in HLL and have HHBR control baseball for 13-15 year olds.
· Motion was made to create a 13 year old team under HLL auspices, to play in the Prep League with surrounding towns.
o Further discussion regarding the history of the HLL Board discussing this with B/R.
o New HHBR Board is likely to promote the 13 yr spring league and is probably against this move.
o Vote was taken on the motion was taken. The motion did not pass.

· Use of Little League Optional Pitch Count Regulation in Hingham Little League (Majors and Minors) For 2006
· Review of Little League Regulations
· Feedback from Little League District and Region
· Was discussed at last meeting, Rob followed up for discussion
· Proposal, could do for Majors or Minors.
o Limits 12 and 11s, 85 pitches per outing, 75 for 10s.
o Questions for pitch counters, tactics/strategies
o No limit on number of pitchers per game.
o Would have to take the LL program in total
o Doesn’t retain our rules re: number of innings.
o Additional burden for what benefit?
o Had kids pitching 6 innings many times, and this is not in the spirit of keeping kids arms
o We have some flexibility within our rules to put in some type of restriction, possibly limit innings / game.
o Not received well based on discussion and sentiment of those present.
o Rob will inform LL that we are not interested
o Followup – For Majors and Minors Committees, review this issue for potential changes (ie restricting the number of innings a player can pitch in a single game).


· Other Additional New Business
o Regional Manager Training Meeting scheduled for Bristol on March 4th . Elliot suggested HLL support paying for any coaches interested in attending. Motion made: HLL will reimburse coach/manager for fees for those interested in attending. Vote: Passed unanimously.
o Rob will forward to Steve White for recommendation and distribution to those interested. Timing is not perfect, but put out there.

· Schedule for Upcoming Meetings
o 2/13/06
o 3/6/06
o 3/27/06
o 4/10/06
o 4/24/06
o 5/8/06
o 5/22/06
o 6/5/06
o 6/19/06
o 7/10/06
o 8/7/06
o 9/11/06
o 10/2/06
o 10/23/06 (Annual Meeting)

Change start time to 8:00 pm for February 13th.

Meeting was adjourned at 9:35 p.m.

Hingham Little League Board of Directors Meeting
Meeting Agenda-1/9/06 (Revised)
Hingham Recreation Center
8:00 PM


Present: Rob Blomberg, Bob Madden, Steve White, Bruce Corwin, Elliot Sherman, Ed Anderson, Rich Magner, Melissa Flanagan, Tim Driscoll, Owen McConville Rick Linehan, Tim Zyrkowski, Joe Granatino
Absent: Skip Jenkins, Joe Craven

Meeting was called to order at 8:00 pm.

Secretary’s Report
· Approve 12/5/05 Meeting Minutes
o Minutes approved, to be posted by Tim Driscoll

Treasurer’s Report
· Current Balance - No update
· Outstanding Expenses
o Rob was informed by Hingham Rec that they are expecting a commission payment for the Boys Of Baseball events held in September. Apparently there was an agreement that 10% of the proceeds would be collected for “user fee” for the use of Haley Field. This request was news to Rob. HLL didn’t collect any receipts (just sponsored Boys of Baseball), however those fees need to be paid. Discussed options of sending invoice for Commission to Boys of Baseball; pay from HLL funds and request payment from B of Bball; negotiate the final fee (unclear where the 10% fee was agreed); or pay 0 fee which has been done in the past. It was duly noted that HLL already pays a .00 user fee for players for the baseball season, so there is some debate on the issue. The Board agreed to authorize Rob and/or Elliot to discuss further with Rec and come up with an amicable solution, fee not to exceed expected 10% amout (5).
o Additional expenses are foreseen for the dugout work at Haley, total tbd.
· Status of transition to new Treasurer
· Goals For 2006

Business Related Issues

· Local Little League Business Filings and Topics
o Articles of Incorporation-Renewal
o Public Charity Filings
o Status of 501 (3) (c) Form
§ We have been approved and authorized to operate as a 501(3)(c) tax exempt organization. Thanks are due to Joe Craven, Elliot Sherman, Rob Blomberg, Bob Keyes, and Rick Linehan, whose efforts contributed to achieving this important status for the organization. This is retroactive to 2004, and puts us in good standing for the future.
o Insurance Fees and Options
· National Little League Business Filings
o Charter Application
· Update on Rob’s Discussions with Corey Wright of Little League’s Eastern Region in Bristol, CT
· Our revised Charter has been fully approved by Little League and we are compliant with all LL regulations.
o Charter Fees
· Audit of 2003/2004 and 2004/2005 HLL Financial Results
o Status of Audits
· No report this evening
· HLL Constitution and HLL By-Laws
o 2005/2006 HLL Constitution Now Posted on HLL Web Site
o 2005/2006 HLL Constitution Forwarded to Little League District 8 and Eastern Region Officials
· On file, we are all set with this.

New Business

· Player Registration-Membership Committee Report & Team Schedules
o Status of on-line registration process
· Any issues with the process?
o Going very well, over 215 signups with no significant issues reported. Surges after advertisements hit in Journal, Ledger, email blast, posting on HYH site.
o Registration results thus far
· Number of on line registrations received?
· Number of manual registrations received?
· Summary of registrations received thus far by age group
o Registration results from in-person registration at Hingham Rec on 1/7/06 and 1/9/06
o Outstanding Issues?
· Registrations going well on all fronts, far ahead of last year and very important for our planning. We expect to have about 300 sign ups so far (1/3 of expectation), so we have a way to go. We are promoting word of mouth, email blasts, notices in schools, papers, etc. will help us achieve our goal of having all accounted for before tryouts. Deadline reaffirmed as Feb. 15th. Late fee will be instituted after this, and we will remain firm on shutting out signups after tryouts begin. This is the only way we can get to the difficult task of assigning teams for over 800 kids. It was noted that every attempt will be made to contact older players who have not signed up before the tryouts to see if they are interested in playing this year. It is imperative the message gets out that we have to make some tough choices if signups are late, especially pertaining to the Major Leaguers.
· Discussed some details regarding the season: Scheduling looks like we will need to kick off on Sunday, April 23rd (last Sunday of vacation week); Majors will play a 12 game schedule, with 8 teams in 2 divisions, interleague games to be picked at random. All teams will make the playoffs, single elimination first round, maybe double elimination semis and finals. Target finishing regular season June 18, time for playoffs and for the summer teams to get situated earlier than last season.


· Sponsorships and Donations-Committee Report
o Status of Four Additional Major’s Sponsors
· Confirmed Sullivan Brothers, Enterprise Equipment, and Ryder Development as new Majors sponsors. Waiting to hear by end this week from South Shore Bank; if not, we have candidates wanting to move up. Status of Stoddard Electric sponsorship in question and Melissa will follow up with John.
o Status of Minors, Farm and T Ball sponsors
· Open and still need to determine number of teams. Encouraging that we are being approached for opportunities rather than having to seek them out!
o Rates remain the same as 2005-0 for one year of Majors, 0 for Minors and Farm and 0 for T Ball
o New rates will likely be established in 2007
o Outstanding Issues
· 501 (c) (3) form required for Verizon sponsorship remains outstanding
· As above, the 501(3) (c) has been approved, form to be forwarded to the sponsor for payment. Elliot will follow up directly with Colin Pomroy for the reimbursement.

League Rules and Local By-Law Issues

· Player Agent Report
o Update on Tryout Process, Dates and Location
· Confirmed, Sunday March 12 and Sunday March 19, 7:00 am to 12:00 pm at the South Shore Sports Center. Skip is continuing to work out logistics and announcement for publication/distribution. Reminder that all 9-10-11-12’s need to tryout again this year, and in order to tryout the registration fee must be paid.
o Schedule Draft Dates -- TBD
o Other issues?

· Major League Committee Report
o Review of Major’s Rules
· Are any rules changes needed?
o Age considerations
· In 2006 all 11 and 12 year olds who attend at least one tryout will be drafted and will automatically play in Majors
· A limited number of 10 year olds who try out will be selected to play in Majors subject to space and draft order requirements
o Breakdown of Major’s teams into Hingham American and Hingham National
o Other issues?
· Regarding the age change, Rob noted that Little League advice to affiliates was to make the call at the local level. Babe Ruth league has stated that those former 12’s (5/1/93-7/31/93) who are still eligible for Little League can apply for a waiver to move up to Babe Ruth league. For those 8/1/93-4/30/94, they can also apply but likely won’t be granted; most of this group belongs in Little League anyway. 16 or so kids are impacted by the age change for this group.

· Minor League Committee Report
o Review of Minor’s Rules
· Are any rule changes needed?
o Minors will be comprised on all 9 year olds and the majority of 10 year olds
o Discuss requirements regarding those players who have already played two years in Farm but whose birthdates fall within 5/1/96-7/31/96
o Other issues?

· Farm League Committee Report
o Review of Farm Rules
· Are any rule changes needed?
o Discuss requirements regarding those players who have already played two years in TBall but whose birthdates fall within 5/1/97-7/31/98
o Other issues?

· TBall Committee report
o Review of T Ball Rules
· Are any rule changes needed?
o Other issues?
· Based on Little League advise for the younger kids stuck in the ‘age change’ group, it was determined that those who have played already 2 years at the T-Ball or Farm level can choose to move up to Farm and Minors, respectively. This is up to the parents assessment if their player is ready for the new challenge. A motion was made and vote passed unanimously in support of this measure.

· Manager’s Committee Report
o Goals for 2006
o Create process to Select Managers and Coaches
o Potential training for Managers, Coaches and players
o Practice manual for HLL
o CORI Process
· Steve is working on these items, getting in gear for early planning and training of the coaches is a key this year.

· Equipment Committee Report
o Status/Inventory of Outstanding Equipment
· Not all collected. All Major bags are accounted for, but missing many from the other leagues. The work required to collect the equipment is a huge burden, and we discussed measures to prevent this from happening again. Coaches who have not returned their equipment will not be allowed to coach again. Tags stating ‘property of HLL’ will be made for this year. Very difficult to complete inventory and know what is needed.
· Uniforms-missing sponsor names and patches
o Update on Use of Lapel’s
· Shirts sent, patches, cleaning, and boxing in progress with some exceptions
o Status of Beal Street Field House
· Potential contribution by HLL to Beal Street Field House which would give HLL a portion of the storage facility and meeting space
· As previously noted, a vote was taken and passed supporting a 00.00 donation to the Hingham Sports Partnership that goes directly to the public funds portion of the Field House (est 100,000) to be built as part of the field renovations at Lynch/PAL fields. It was noted that Hingham Youth Football and Babe Ruth were planning donations. We are currently paying 00 a year for storage facility, and this makes a lot of sense for the future.
o Assessment of Equipment Needs
o Consideration of various vendors to supply equipment
o Other Equipment
· Status of batting cage at Haley/Cronin
· Temporary Pitching Mound at South School – will be needed!
· Other equipment orders
· Question re: metal bats; agreed to use up our supply of wooden bats, and not to issue metal bats this year. It seems most of the kids bring their own anyway, we can take it up again next year.

· Umpire Committee Report
o Goals for 2006
o Review umpire requirements, rules and expectations for 2006
· Need to check on equipment inventory. There is something in the Green Shed at Haley, Ed now has a key!
o Schedule for Umpire Meetings and Training
· To be worked out; there is a ‘waiting’ list for the older kids interested in participating in this important facet of our program. Rich mentioned that he will focus on the assignment of games process to minimize confusion that has happened before. Very positive comments of the level of competency for the umps in the program.
o Determine rate schedule for umpires in 2006
· Rates will stay the same, twenty for 1 game, thirty if only 1 umpire

· Safety Committee Report
o Goals for 2006
o Renewal of ASAP Program (A Safety Awareness Program)
o Outstanding issues

· Buildings, Property and Grounds Committee Report
o Goals for 2006
o Status/Changes To Existing Playing Fields-Haley, Hersey and PAL Fields
· Status of Haley Dugouts
· Cement forms to be poured soon; fence guy is hired and waiting, and Steve Jacobs is ready. Cost will be a little more than expected due to high steel costs (fence). Lumber is also up, but Hingham Lumber will charge at cost (thanks Rich).
· Need for sprinkler system at Hersey
o Addition of Kress and Central/Powers Fields
· Determine what Divisions will use these fields
o Need To Secure Additional Fields Through Hingham School Department
· Hingham High School and South School were used in 2005
· Other alternatives included repairing back field at Hersey, Plymouth River, South, possibly Middle School field, Hull Street field, High School etc. or other alternative venues
o Meeting needs to be scheduled with Hingham Rec and Hingham School Departments to discuss potential fields and field transfers to Hingham Rec
· Rob encouraged all to attend Fields meeting, Weds Feb 1st, where discussion will be held on permitting process. Fields are a significant concern to the program.

· Social Committee Report
o Goals for 2006 season
o Identify potential fundraisers

· Publicity Committee/Opening Day
o Goals for 2006 Season
o Early Planning

· Cross-Hingham Baseball Liasion Committee
o Joe C. outlined the goals and operating guidelines for this committee (proposed number of members, rules, regulations, mission) at the 12/5/05 HLL Board Meeting
o Goal of the committee will be to combine efforts of those promoting Hingham Baseball from T Ball through High School
o Details on Dinner-1/29/06 – No report, not much advertising has hit.
o Update from this committee

· Summer Travel Baseball Committee
o Goals for 2006
o Elliot was to draft an outline of the goals and operating guidelines for this committee (proposed number of members, rules, regulations, evaluation and tryout process, appointment of managers, schedules, etc.) for discussion and vote by the HLL BOD
§ One point discussed and agreed was the the summer teams should purchase their own shirts, for the kids to keep, to minimize the confusion with HLL uniforms.

· Concession Committee
o Do we even want to do this in 2006?
· Noted that the “Rec Van” is available from ‘Friends’. Would need to be supplied, moved around, etc. Joe Granatino offered to take this up with Elliot. Might be a good fundraiser for the organization. Logistics to be worked out.

· Calendar of Events
o Determine Owner of HLL Calendar of Events
o Ensure updated Calendar posted on the website

· Hingham Little League Website
o Determination regarding continued use of bbi Marketing to support Hingham Little League
· Discussed continuing with bbi . Service has been good, about 00 spent last year. Motion made to continue with bbi Marketing and passed.

· New Business

o 13 Year Old Only or 13 year Old/12 Year Old Junior League Committee
· Discuss the proposed creation of either a 13 year old only Junior League or a potential 13 year old/12 year old Junior League that would be run by Hingham Little League
· Games would likely be played at the Hingham Middle School
· These Junior League teams would play either against themselves or against other towns during the spring season.
· This Junior League would be solely for Hingham players.
· If approved without discussion with Hingham Hull Babe Ruth this program would compete directly with Hingham Hull Babe Ruth which currently is the sole baseball program for players who are 13 years old, 14 years old and 15 years old from Hingham and Hull.
· Discuss, vote and resolve this issue
· Following much discussion on the subject, with much consideration for our wishes to ensure baseball opportunities for many of the ‘13’s who may need more seasoning, it was decided to wait until a determination is made by Babe Ruth. Their meeting is scheduled for Sunday, January 15 at 6:00pm at the Rec, and representatives of HLL should attend with a keen interest in this subject. If B/R decides to provide opportunities for 13’s, this issue becomes moot. If not, we will seek further measures to accommodate this group of players.

o Consideration of Little League Optional Pitch Count Regulation in Hingham Little League For 2006
· Review of Little League Regulations
· Discussion of Potential Use in 2006
· Rob noted that this pilot program was done in Stoughton with much success last year. Although the idea of counting pitches seemed difficult, Rob’s contacts told him it was no big deal really. If adopted, this allows Majors to use more than 5 pitchers in the game which is a rule now. Rob noted that he needs to get back to District if we are to apply for a pilot program. After further discussion, the Board agreed to allow Rob to move forward and get more information from District and to report back before a vote taken on the measure.

o Other Additional New Business

The meeting was adjourned at 10:16 p.m.



· Schedule for Upcoming Meetings
o 1/30/06
o 2/13/06
o 3/6/06
o 3/27/06
o 4/10/06
o 4/24/06
o 5/8/06
o 5/22/06
o 6/5/06
o 6/19/06
o 7/10/06
o 8/7/06
o 9/11/06
o 10/2/06
o 10/23/06 (Annual Meeting)

Hingham Little League Board of Directors Meeting
Meeting Minutes-12/5/05
Hingham Recreation Center
7:30 PM

Present: Rob Blomberg, Bob Madden, Skip Jenkins, Steve White, Bruce Corwin, Elliot Sherman, Ed Anderson, Rich Magner, Melissa Flanagan, Joe Craven, Tim Driscoll, Owen McConville
Absent: Tim Zyrkowski, Rick Linehan, Joe Granatino

Meeting was called to order in the Human Resources room at 7:38 pm.

Secretary’s Report
· Approval of 11/7/05 Meeting Minutes
o Motion made and Minutes Approved. To be posted to website by Tim Driscoll

Treasurer’s Report
· Current Balance - No report, approximately 22,000
· Outstanding Expenses
o Completion of the Haley Dugouts
· Status of transition to new treasurer
o Rob reported for Rick, all checks and signing authorities have been transferred at Citizens Bank
· Goals For 2006

Business Related Issues

· Local Little League Business Filings and Topics-All are pending items
o Articles of Incorporation-Renewal
o Public Charity Filings
o Status of 501 (3) (c) Form
o Insurance Fees and Options

National Little League Business Filings
o Charter Application
· Rob reported that he received a letter from the Eastern Region of Little League today regarding the status of our Charter. It was reported to the Board that Hingham Little League has not been in compliance with the structure of the Major League Division rules since we have had 12 Major League teams for the past two seasons, and Little League Regulations for leagues with more than 10 teams are required to field two Williamsport Teams. The HLL Board had received waivers from Little League for both 2004 and 2005 but misinterpreted the waiver that was granted for our population number. This waiver does not provide for more than 10 teams in Majors and only one Williamsport team. The letter states that our Charter is on “Regional hold” until resolution of this issue to meet requirements is communicated to the Eastern Region of Little League. The Charter was previously approved for 2004 and 2005, and the Board thought waiver of 20,000 was sufficient, but that is not the case. Rob further clarified options for rectifying the situation and those discussions to restructure the Major League divisions/Williamsport selection were taken up and voted on later in the meeting.
(Subsequent to the 12/5/05 HLL Board Meeting on 12/6/2005 Rob spoke with Corey Wright of Little League’s Eastern Region, explained the situation regarding the confusion over the population waiver letters. Rob also explained to Corey that starting in 2006 Hingham Little League will have two Major Divisions, a Hingham American and a Hingham National, and that each of these divisions will have eight Major teams. Hingham will try out all Major eligible players and will use the Common Pool draft process. All 12 year olds and 11 year olds who try out will be placed on Major’s teams. A limited number of 10 year olds will be allowed to play in Majors. In 2006 Hingham will field two Williamsport teams, a Hingham American and a Hingham National team. Based on the discussion between Corey and Rob Corey immediately withdrew Hingham Little League’s “Charter Hold” and Hingham Little League’s Charter is active once again. Corey is sending Rob some additional paperwork that needs to be completed.)
o Charter Fees
· Audit of 2003/2004 HLL Financial Results
o Status of Audit
· The audit for 2003 and 2004 are done as reported from Alan Gladstone. We are awaiting confirmation and approval from IRS. Revenues are under 0k which means there is no requirement to file. Elliot read a letter from Mr. Gladstone which provided some options of what he could provide for the results of the audit. The Board agreed that we should go for a formal review. A Motion to engage Mr. Gladstone to prepare tax return and provide an independent audit report for 2 years was made and Vote passed to continue this process.

· HLL Constitution and HLL By-Laws
o 2005/2006 Version of the Constitution Needs To Be Posted on HLL Web Site –
· Tim to post the new Constitution with the approved changes
o 2005/2006 Version of the Constitution Needs To Be Forwarded to Little League Eastern Region
· Rob will forward the new Constitution to Don Whitman and Little League Eastern Region.

New Business

· Player Registration-Membership Committee Report & Team Schedules
o Rob opened discussion with results of some research for the Registration process and fees from other towns. Others have had registration already, and we are in line with the fees that others are charging for participation. Discussed coverage of additional field use charges (Rec and Schools fees) which we absorbed last year. Discussed options and agreed to roll additional fees into the registration fees, and note that the fee includes additional charges on the registration form.
o Rob proposed that we establish rates according to age as opposed to the previous practice of by league. This was agreed and discussed further, see below.
o Elliot has done some research on an online registration option through the National Little League organization vendor Active Sports Technologies, and distributed literature from their website. It was noted that other towns like Sandwich are using this service, and that the Hingham Youth Hockey has had tremendous success with online registrations. It does cost more than the manual option currently employed, but offers significant benefits in future enrollment/database, huge time savings, 7x24 availability, etc. This option is approved by Little League, and in their accepted format, from which they can provide compatible data back to us. Payment is accepted by credit card, and fees are based on volume. Discussed fee structure. Cost of 500.00 to set it up and costs of approximately 4000 if all anticipated players registered this way. It was made clear online would have to be only one option (preferred), but we would still need traditional manual signup/registration days. Issues such as procedures, Birth Certificates, payments, etc are outlined on a FAQ we could model from the Sandwich LL.
o A Motion was made to pursue and implement Active Sports Technology model for Registrations process. Vote taken and Passed

o Determination of fees
· Significant discussion on the fee structure ensued
· Motion was made to set a flat rate of 0 for all players except TBall, which is and total costs not to exceed 0/family. Vote taken and did not pass, move for further discussion.
· Motion was made to set 0 for 9 and older, for 7-8 year olds, and for 6 and under, with a family maximum of 0. Vote taken on this motion and passed. It was agreed that this structure is in line with fees set by other local Little Leagues.
· Discussion ensued on how we must take a stance toward inevitable late registrations and attempt to encourage all to register on time – this is critical to all our planning. A Motion was made to automatically add a late fee after the final cutoff date (which would be determined later). Vote taken and passed.

o Revise Registration Form
· Need to add form online, and revise the existing Registration form. Followup with Mark Igo to do this.
o Select Registration dates
· Ability to create on-line registration [agreed as above]
· Establish cut off dates
· Discussed proposed dates. Agreed on :
· Saturday 1/7/06 from 8:30 am – 12:00 pm at Rec
· Monday 1/9,/06 from 6:00 pm-8:00 pm at the Rec
· Need to check to see if Rec available at these times to confirm (Rob will confirm with Ted Carroll)
· Agreed to make 2/15/06 the cutoff date (after Feb 15th subject to availability) and absolute drop dead date 3/1/06 so we are assured we have the correct numbers for tryouts.
· Communications
o Email blast to entire database
o Post to website
o Newspapers (Hingham Journal, Patriot Ledger)
o School flyers
o Agree it is worth expense to have Carol Ryan send post card
o Sooner the better to open up registration
o Use of HLL website for registration database-link
· See above info on Active Sports Technologies http://eteamz.active.com/llb/registration/

o Boundary/Waiver issue
o Split of Majors into Two Divisions
· Pros, Cons, Impact and Necessity of This Move
· As highlighted above, not much choice. Keeping only 10 teams in Majors would potentially impact over 60 11 year olds. Keeping over 10 necessitates 2 Williamsport teams.
o Determine Size and Composition of Divisions (along with Major League, Minor League and Farm Committees)
o Determine Impact of Baseball Age Change (8/1/xx to 5/1/xx)
· Rob reported that various leagues doing different things in response to the age change and league makeup. Little League position is that former 12’s in this category can stay in or move up to another league. Babe Ruth changes to date are not approved yet. Sixteen 12 year olds in our league from last year are impacted by this.
· We discussed prospective numbers of players by age for 2006
· 12s who could stay = 16; 12s = 92 ; 11s=108 ; 10s=-99 9s=110
· Rob outline a proposal offered by Rick Linehan to create two Minor’s Divisions-AAA and AA which would provide for all 12s to play only in Majors, 40 11’s in Majors and the remaining 11’s in AAA. This would allow some of the 10’s to play in AAA and the remainder of 10’s to play in AA with all 9s. This could provide balance teams, ensure most kids playing with age groups. Other leagues have this set up this way. This pros and cons of this approach were discussed at length
· Discussed other options and scenarios on this difficult issue:
· Nobody was conceptually in favor of reducing Majors to 10 teams. Would require redraft anyway since we have too many players
· Multiple Other Scenarios Discussed
· Have all 12 and 11s play in Majors; with 16 teams, and probably 12 players per team. Maybe less games, play Saturday, play at South School? Pitching rules would be trying (back to back days).
· Leave it the same 12 teams 144, rest of the 11s
· Have14 teams, 60 11s in AAA, then some 10’s
· Have all 12 and 11s play in Majors with 16 teams 12/team, some 10s on the teams
· After discussion on solutions, a Motion was made that Majors consist of 16 teams, 2 divisions of 8 teams to be selected by the Common Draft method, with all 12 year olds and all 11 year olds automatically included in Majors, and fill in extra spots with 10 year olds depending on number needed to fill’s team rosters at 12 players per team (192 players in Majors). VOTE TAKEN AND PASSED
· Discussed immediately the requirement that REDRAFTING for all teams will need to take place. Other ramifications include scheduling, fields, sponsorships, uniforms/equipment, more managers needed at Majors, all kids must tryout and be drafted (agreed to use the Common Pool method of Little League, which only requires 2 divisions, 1 pool, 1 league drafts first, other league draft 2nd, and continue in this fashion. This means we don’t have to divide geographically or by birth-month which are other options). We also need to revise the Charter for 2 leagues.
o Create Schedules
o Outstanding Issues


· Sponsorships and Donations-Committee Report
o Goals for 2006
o Identify returning sponsors
· With four new Major’s teams added four additional sponsors will be needed for Majors.
o Rates for 2006 will remain at the same level that was set in 2004 and 2005 (0 for one year for Majors; 0 for one year of Minors, etc.)
· Sponsorships will be for only one year for 2006
· Probable new rate structure in 2007
o Outstanding Issues
· 501 (c) (3) form required for Verizon sponsorship remains outstanding

League Rules and Local By-Law Issues

· Player Agent Report
o Determine Tryout Process
· As a result of tonight’s Board decision all players who wish to be eligible for Majors (ages 12, 11 and 10) will need to try out
· Tryouts will also be held for Minor players (ages 10 and 9) but these tryouts are not mandatory
o Schedule Tryout Dates and Location
· Skip visited South Shore Sports Center and Rockland. Only SSSC will meet our needs as far as the facility, dates and times are concerned
· Skip has tentatively booked the big field at SSSC on Sunday 3/12 and Sunday, 3/19 from 8:00 am-12:00 pm for tryouts
· Based on tonight’s decision and the need to tryout additional players Skip will seek additional dates and times at SSSC
o Schedule Draft Dates-remains outstanding

· Major League Committee Report
o Review of Major’s Rules
o Age considerations
· All 11 years olds and 12 year olds who try out in 2006 will be redrafted and will automatically play in the Majors along with a limited number of 10 year olds who try out and are selected in the Major’s draft according to specific guidelines
o Major’s Rules will need to be reviewed to determine if any changes need to be made as a result of tonight’s Board decision

· Minor League Committee Report
o Review of Minor’s Rules
o Minor’s Rules will need to be reviewed to determine if any changes need to be made as a result of tonight’s Board decision
o Creation of New Minor’s Divisions
· Minors will be comprised on 9 year olds and 10 year olds
· Discussion needs to occur regarding those players who have already played two years in Farm but whose birthdates fall within 5/1/96-7/31/96
o Other issues?

· Farm League Committee Report-Discussion Deferred to the 1/9/06 Meeting
o Review of Farm Rules
o Other issues?

· TBall Committee Report-Discussion Deferred to the 1/9/06 Meeting
o Review of T Ball Rules
o Other issues?

· Manager’s Committee Report-Discussion Deferred to the 1/9/06 Meeting
o Goals for 2006
o Create process to Select Managers and Coaches
o Potential training for Managers, Coaches and players
o Practice manual for HLL
o CORI Process

· Equipment Committee Report
o Status/Inventory of Outstanding Equipment
· Uniforms-missing sponsor names and patches
· Ed reported that two Major teams and two T Ball teams still have outstanding equipment and uniforms
· As many as 50-60 miscellaneous uniforms might also be missing
· Ed and the Equipment Committee will complete another inventory on 12/6/05
· Ed will send a “blast email” out to all parents of all HLL players to check their homes to see if they have uniforms that need to be returned
o Lapels owner Ed Segel has contacted Melissa and Lapel’s Hanover store will launder shirts and ensure patches are sewn onto shirts
o Assessment of Equipment Needs
o Consideration of various vendors to supply equipment
o Other Equipment
· Status of batting cage at Haley/Cronin
· Temporary Pitching Mound at South School
· Other equipment orders

· Umpire Committee Report-Discussion Deferred to the 1/9/06 Meeting
o Goals for 2006
o Review umpire requirements, rules and expectations for 2006
o Schedule for Umpire Meetings and Training
o Determine rate schedule for umpires in 2006

· Safety Committee Report-Discussion Deferred to the 1/9/06 Meeting
o Goals for 2006
o Renewal of ASAP Program (A Safety Awareness Program)
o Outstanding issues

· Challenger Division Report-Discussion Deferred to the 1/9/06 Meeting
o Goals for 2006
o Process to implement Challenger Division

· Buildings, Property and Grounds Committee Report
o Goals for 2006
o Status/Changes To Existing Playing Fields-Haley, Hersey and PAL Fields
· Haley Dugouts
· Rich magner reported that by the end of 12/05 Dennis Benoit will have poured the concrete, the Fence Doctor will put the posts in and Steve Jacobs will build the dugouts. Steve will get a sponsorship. The other businesses will be paid by HLL.
· Need for sprinkler system at Hersey
o Addition of Kress and Central/Powers Fields
· Determine what Divisions will use these fields
· HLL will have access to the fields at Kress and Central/Powers on Monday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We still need to determine which Divisions will play on these fields.
o Need To Secure Additional Fields Through Hingham School Department
· Hingham High School and South School were used in 2005
· Other alternatives included repairing back field at Hersey, Plymouth River, South, possibly Middle School field, Hull Street field, High School etc. or other alternative venues
o Rob, Elliot and Melissa will need to schedule a meeting with Hingham Rec and Hingham School Departments to discuss potential fields for HLL use in 2006 and potential field transfers to Hingham Rec

· Social Committee Report-Discussion Deferred to the 1/9/06 Meeting
o Goals for 2006 season
o Identify potential fundraisers

· Publicity Committee/Opening Day-Discussion Deferred to the 1/9/06 Meeting
o Goals for 2006 Season
o Early Planning

· Cross-Hingham Baseball Liasion Committee
o Joe C. outlined some of the goals and operating guidelines for this committee (proposed number of members, rules, regulations, mission and 501 (c) 3 compliance)
o Goal of the committee will be to combine efforts of those promoting Hingham baseball from T Ball through High School
o Dinner and limited auction-1/29/06 at 6:00 pm at South Shore Country Club. Scott Wahle will serve as the master of ceremonies. Other guests are being sought.
o Fundraising-bricks will be sold at Cronin with names of donors
o We will share our HLL mailing list with this group

· Summer Travel Baseball Committee-Discussion Deferred by Elliot to the 1/9/06 Meeting
o Goals for 2006
o Elliot will draft an outline of the goals and operating guidelines for this committee (proposed number of members, rules, regulations, evaluation and tryout process, appointment of managers, schedules, etc.) for discussion and vote by the HLL BOD

· Concession Committee-Discussion Deferred to the 1/9/06 Meeting
o Do we even want to do this in 2006?

· Calendar of Events-Discussion Deferred to the 1/9/06 Meeting
o Determine Owner of HLL Calendar of Events
o Ensure updated Calendar posted on the website

· Hingham Little League Website-Discussion Deferred to the 1/9/06 Meeting
o Determination regarding continued use of bbi Marketing to support Hingham Little League

· New Business
o 13 Year Old Only Division Committee
· Elliot proposed the creation of a 13 year old and potential 12 year old Junior League that would play at the Hingham Middle School. That filed is a Pony league size fields which would need to be refurbished. This Junior League would play against other towns during the spring season. It would be solely for Hingham players.
· Discussion needs to occur with Hingham Hull Babe Ruth. However the potential issue exists that if approved this program could compete directly with the existing Hingham Hull Babe Ruth program that includes players who are 13 years old, 14 years old and 15 years old from Hingham and Hull.
· Due to the late hour of the meeting limited discussion occurred but no vote was taken. It was agreed to continue the discussion of this topic at the 1/6/06 HLL Board Meeting.
o Other Additional Committees?

· Schedule for Upcoming Meetings
o 1/9/06-7:30 pm at Hingham Rec
o 1/30/06-7:30 pm at Hingham Rec
o 2/13/06-7:30 pm at Hingham Rec
o 3/6/06-7:30 pm at Hingham Rec
o 3/27/06-7:30 pm at Hingham Rec
o 4/10/06-7:30 pm at Hingham Rec
o 4/24/06-7:30 pm at Hingham Rec
o 5/8/06-8:00 pm at Hingham Rec
o 5/22/06-8:00 pm at Hingham Rec
o 6/5/06-8:00 pm at Hingham Rec
o 6/19/06-8:00 pm at Hingham Rec
o 7/10/06-8:00 pm at Hingham Rec
o 8/7/06-7:30 pm at Hingham Rec
o 9/11/06-7:30 pm at Hingham Rec
o 10/2/06-7:30 pm at Hingham Rec
o 10/23/06 (Annual Meeting)

Meeting adjourned at 10:25 pm

Hingham Little League Board of Directors Meeting

Minutes of December 6, 2004

Hingham Recreation Center



The twenty fourth meeting of the Hingham Little League Board of Directors was

called to order by President Rob Blomberg at 7:35 pm.



Present: Rob Blomberg, Cliff Boyle, Bruce Corwin, Joe Craven, Tim Driscoll, Melissa Flanagan, Mark Igo, Bob Keyes, Paul LeBlanc, Mike Letorney, Rick Linehan, Tia Mastromatteo, Owen McConville, Elliot Sherman, Rick West, Steve White, Tim Zyrkowski



Absent: Joe Granatino, Rich Magner



Opening Discussions



President Rob Blomberg opened with a high level review of the agenda. Rob suggested that we strive to utilize the committee concept more this year than last, when out of necessity with establishing the new league most matters were discussed in detail at the board level. The goal is to have the committees provide their reports at the board meeting in a more structured fashion to optimize the effectiveness of the committees.



Secretary’s Report



Minutes of November 22nd Hingham Little League Board Meeting were distributed by Secretary Tim Driscoll for acceptance. One change noted is the addition of Rob Blomberg as a member of the Umpire Committee (as President, ex-officio is part of this committee). A subsequent addition was to assign Tia Mastromatteo to the Social Committee. A motion was passed to accept the minutes of the November 22nd meeting with these changes. Tim Driscoll will post the minutes to the web site.



Financial/Treasurer’s Report



Bob Keyes provided an update on the account balances. The current balance is ,500.00. For expenses, work on the fields is proceeding as scheduled, we owe the fence company and contractor for field improvements being completed this week. There is an outstanding bill from Beacon Sports that is being finalized, approximately ,400, minus their sponsorship credit. Elliot Sherman and Bob Keyes will work with the vendor on finalizing the account with Beacon (equipment, uniforms, etc) for the 2004 season. The cumulative expenses leave us with a remaining balance of approximately ,000.



Discussion regarding the choice of banks to service the needs of the league followed. A primary need was expressed in that we should establish a “Merchant Account” with our banking partner for the purpose of fulfilling Online Services (credit card payments etc.) for future plans for the organization. It was noted that there are difficulties in setting up a favorable arrangement with a local bank for such an enterprise, and that we have not encountered any issues with the current holder, Hingham Institute for Savings, in the inaugural year.



After further discussion, a motion was made and approved to seek information on banking arrangements with several local banks including Hingham Institute for Savings, Citizens Bank, South Shore Bank, and possibly others, to investigate options favorable to the organization. Mike Letorney, Mark Igo, and Bruce Corwin volunteered to reach out to their contacts at the banks and report back on options at the next board meeting.



Business Related Issues



• Local Little League Business Filings and Topics

o Articles of Incorporation – Need to be filed annually, we were covered through fiscal year ended Oct 31, 2004, now need to file for the next fiscal year 2005, need to finalize in the next few weeks. Rob will follow up with Rick Linehan on the details and fill out the appropriate forms

o Public Charity filings – to be done thru accountant, to be hired, to be done as part of the tax return process. Discussion followed as to options for an accountant to work with. It was decided to utilize Mr. Gladstone, as he is familiar with the process of doing such work for local Youth Organizations. It was further discussed that we investigate if he can assist with the 501(3) (C) paperwork. Elliot will contact Mr. Gladstone and inquire about associated costs, and to help coordinate a meeting with Bob Keyes to discuss details and costs.



o Insurance Fees and Options

&#61607; In 2004 the HLL Board voted for Director’s and Officers, Crime and General Liability Coverage

&#61607; Last year insurance was purchased thru Little League. The rates are favorable and there were no issues. A motion was made and accepted to continue to utilize Little League for D&O, Crime, and General Liability coverage

o Population Waiver

o Discussion regarding population waiver. By Little League rules, towns with over 20,000 are required to have 2 divisions. We applied for and were granted a waiver last year as we are close to the limit. A motion was made and passed to file again this year for a waiver. Rick, Rob and Tim D are to follow up with the filing of the Population Waiver.

o Hingham Rec Department Permit

o We are okay on the permit through March, and have some time before needing to renew for next year, should not be a problem. Discussion followed regarding potential for additional field locations such as South School. Issue of fields directed to the Grounds Committee to further research and to investigate the fields we’d be interested in. Additionally, we will inquire to work together with the Hingham Softball League to see if we can make mutually agreements regarding scheduling. It was decided that Cliff Boyle will chair the Grounds Committee, and with help from Tim Zyrkowski will report back to the board at the next meeting.



• National Little League Business Filings

o Charter Application

o Charter Fees

o Forms need to filed, due in May with a fee of approximately ,500. Rick and Elliot are to follow up on the process.



• Audit of 2003/2004 HLL Financial Results

o Select an auditor

o Schedule a date for the audit

o Communicate the results of the audit

o Discussed the need for a ‘sampling audit’ to ensure we are managing the organization according to fiduciary standards. A motion was passed to seek assistance from Mr. Gladstone on this process as well, seeking recommendations on our handling of receipts, backup bills, etc. so we meet the necessary requirements. Bob Keyes to follow up as part of his meeting with Mr. Gladstone.



New Business



• Player Registration-Membership Committee

o Review Existing Player Database

o Establish Player Registration Fees for the 2004/2005 Season

• HYB in 2003 (/Majors; all others)

• HLL in 2004 (-Majors; Minors and Farm; T Ball with a family cap of 0)

• Results of research of other area town baseball league fees to establish range

• Discussion regarding registration fees as the primary source of revenue to offset expenses followed. Research into registration fees of other towns were discussed, as well as registration fees for other youth leagues in the town were evaluated. We are in line with those structures as previously established from last year. A motion was made and passed for a slight increase in registration fees to offset expenses, primarily related to umpire costs and replenishing equipment. The motion was passed to raise the registration fee structure to the following: Majors ; Minors and Farm ; T-Ball ; families of 3 or more children in the program at 0.

o Revise Registration Form

o Registration form will be revised to reflect the new rates and the registration dates as follows.

o Select Dates for Registration

• Select multiple dates

• Use Hingham Rec Center for registration

• Encourage registration by mail

• Explore on line registration

• Create spreadsheet for volunteers at registration sessions



Registration dates -- we originally discussed Saturday January 22nd, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. and Monday January 24th 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm for the walk in Registration. Upon further investigation, the Rec is available to us from 12:00pm to 3:00 pm on January 22nd, and the Monday date/time are okay.



We will be enlisting volunteers from the Board to facilitate the onsite registration process. Required information includes the Registration form, player Birth Certificate, Signed Consent to Treat form. In addition, we will provide Volunteer and Membership forms.



Discussion of Zero Tolerance form followed, and decided that it be handled between the manager and the parents prior to the season.



Additionally, the registration packet will be mailed to the entire mailing list, complete with the necessary forms, in hopes of having large numbers of registrations processed via mail to facilitate the process and cut down on waiting lines at the Rec. Center. The goal is to have the mailing out in early January and will require a group effort, with the assistance of Carol Ryan. Planning logistics for the mailing will be a key Agenda topic for our January 3rd HLL Board Meeting.



o Communicate Registration Dates

• Articles in Hingham Journal

• To be submitted by Melissa Flanagan

• Update HLL Website

• Mark Igo will update the Website with the pertinent information

• Review process for mailings to all returning players – as above



• Sponsorships and Donations

o Update database of 2004 sponsors at all four levels (Major, Minor, Farm and T Ball)

• Identify returning sponsors

• Review rates charged in 2004

• In 2004 rates were Majors-0/year or ,200/three years; Minors and Farm-0/year or 0/three years and T Ball-.

• Determine if any rate changes are warranted at any level

• Review sponsorship packet created in 2004

• Identify any potential changes that need to be made



Melissa Flanagan provided an update on 2004 Sponsorship. There is an issue regarding the 501(c) (3) form that is required by Verizon prior to payment that needs to be followed up on. There are a few sponsorships from 2004 that were not paid. Many of the sponsorships were signed on for 3 years and the fees collected. A motion was made and passed to have the Sponsorship committee report recommendations at the next meeting regarding rates, what is available, offer first options to the previous year’s sponsors, etc.



• League Rules and Local By-law Issues



It was requested by Rob Blomberg that each committee listed above get together to review issues as noted above prior to our next meeting (January 3rd) and report back to the board at that time. In order to accomplish this goal, it is very important that members of each committee take the initiative to ensure your committee(s) have the opportunity to discuss and prepare a report for the next board meeting. Emailing your colleagues on the committee would be a good first step. Additionally, each committee needs to appoint a chair (except for those committees with a chairperson already appointed by office) before the next board meeting. The following are guideline comments for issues facing each committee:



o Major League Committee

• Review current playing rules in Majors and determine if any changes need to be made

• Make recommendations to the Board regarding age limitations and restrictions

• All 12 year olds automatically in Majors

o In 2004 all 12 year olds could only play Majors

• Limitations on number of 10 year olds in Majors

o In 2004 it was a maximum of three per team

• Make recommendations to the Board on wood bat vs metal bat issue at the Major Level

• In 2004 only wooden bats were allowed

• Make recommendations to the Board on whether to redraft Major teams

• At the 10/04 HLL Annual Meeting the consensus of the members present was not to redraft the teams



o Minor League Committee

• Review current playing rules in Minors and determine if any changes need to be made

• Make recommendations to the Board regarding age limitations and restrictions

• Some 11 year olds will play in Minors

• Issue of 8 year olds playing in Minors

• Make recommendations to the Board on wood bat vs metal bat issue at the Minor Level

• In 2004 only wooden bats were allowed



o Farm League Committee

• Review current playing rules in Farm and determine if any changes need to be made

• Make recommendations to the Board regarding age limitations and restrictions

• Issue of younger players in Farm

• Make recommendations to the Board on wood bat vs metal bat issue at the Farm Level

• In 2004 metal or wooden bats were allowed



o TBall Committee

• Review current playing rules in TBall and determine if any changes need to be made

• Managers Committee

o Review data base of 2004 HLL Managers and Coaches

o Determine potential number of openings for Managers and Coaches at each

o Create process that will be used to evaluate and select Managers and Coaches

• Use Little League Approved Manager/Coach application

o Ensure CORI applications are completed and submitted by all prospective Managers and Coaches

o Explore potential intermediate or advanced training for Managers and Coaches



• Equipment Committee

o Use a database to identify existing equipment and uniforms at all four levels

o Determine what equipment needs to be replaced

o Consider potential vendors for ordering equipment



o Determine if HLL will make any changes to the uniforms that will be provided

• In 2004 we provided hat and shirts at all levels.

• In 2005 do we want to provide pants and socks?

• If so do we provide pants and socks at all levels?



• Umpire Committee

o Review umpire requirements, rules and expectations in 2004

• What changes or improvements do we need to make in 2005?

o Determine whether there is a need to make any rate changes for umpires



• Challenger Division

o Requirements for the Program

• Review with LL in Williamsport and at the District level

o Potential number of players

• Within Hingham

• Outside of Hingham

o Need to assess fields, equipment, impact on insurance

o Establish rates

o Communication of the program

• Hingham Journal

• HLL Website



• Social Committee

o Identify potential fundraisers

• Golf/tennis tournament

• Dinner/dance

• Other suggestions

• Note – Tia Mastromatteo has been added to this committee.



• Calendar of Events

o Create upcoming Calendar of Events

• Responsibility for the Calendar

• Elliot commented on progress of other programs (ie Walpole) where this is an effective communication tool, and we should try to reuse the best practices.



• Hingham Little League Website

o 2004/2005 Options

o Content on website

o Access to website



Motion was made and passed to retain bbi Marketing as our website host in light of the terrific job that was done last year. Comments on the website will continue to be subject to editorial review, and managers should be reminded of the purpose of posting scores (ie no value in boasting, just post highlights/all stars, and name and number of innings pitched). Review with the Managers Committee.



• Reconsideration of Baseball Options Within Hingham for Older Players-Junior League/Senior League/Big League

o After reviewing various baseball options for older players (Babe Ruth vs. Little League-Junior League/Senior League/Big League) the 2003-2004 HLL Board of Directors voted on a recommendation which would not expand baseball options in Hingham to include the various Little League options for players older than 12 years old.

o The vote taken at the HLL-BOD Meeting on 10/24/04 was advisory in nature and it was agreed that any further discussion on this topic should occur with the 2004-2005 HLL-Board of Directors.

o The question before the 2004-2005 HLL-Board of Directors is whether this new HLL-BOD wants to reconsider other baseball options for Hingham players older than 12 years old including the various Little League options



Discussion regarding the issue as summarized above took place. Rick Linehan provided an historical background of the issue and a brief recap of dealings with the BR league. A motion was made to not expand baseball option in Hingham to include the various Little League options for players older than 12 years old. A motion to table the vote on this motion was made, and a vote taken to hold off on a decision by the board until further information becomes available with the Babe Ruth board regarding the position on 13 year olds was taken. In favor 8, opposed 7. Held that the Board hold off on making a final decision on the matter until further information is available.



A motion was made and passed to affirm that this board is not interested in 14 and 15 year old player issues, but only focus on the 13 year old issue for the transition year.



• Establish Dates for Upcoming Meetings



The next Board Meeting will be held on Monday, January 3rd 2005 at 7:30 pm at the town hall, again in the South Room. Bob Keyes will reserve the room and confirmation will be sent as the date draws near.



• Other New Business



Bob Keyes provided an update on the status of the fields. The Hersey Field fence work is completed, although the field was chewed up from the equipment and will have to be addressed. The mounds and the dugouts are in good shape, nearly finished. The town took care of the leaves at Haley, and will be making improvements to the scoreboards.



Meeting was adjourned at 9:45 pm.



Action Items



What: Post revised Meeting Minutes of 11/22 to the website

Who: Tim Driscoll

When: As soon as possible



What: Finalize account balances with Beacon Sports vendor for 2004

Who: Elliot Sherman and Bob Keyes

When: As soon as possible, report back at next Board meeting



What: Gather information regarding banking options for the benefit of the Organization

Who: Mike Letorney, Bruce Corwin, Mark Igo will contact

When: Report back findings to the Board at next meeting if possible



What: Investigate details, fill out paper work, and file Little League Articles of Incorporation

Who: Rob will work with Rick on this issue

When: Within the next few weeks if possible. Must be done within 90 days, ie Jan 30



What: Contact Accountant Mr. Gladstone to discuss services related to filing tax return, 501(3)(c) filing, and auditing report

Who: Elliot Sherman and Bob Keyes

When: As soon as possible, report back at next Board meeting



What: Population Waiver request from Little League

Who: Rob Blomberg, Rick Linehan, Tim Driscoll

When: To be determined



What: Investigate options regarding additional fields for the program

Who: Grounds Committee, chaired by Cliff Boyle with assistance from Tim Zyrkowski

When: Report back to the Board on activity at next meeting



What: National Little League filings

Who: Rick Linehan and Elliot Sherman to investigate

When: Report back to the Board on activity at next meeting; ; forms need to be filed by May



What: Registration Process. Revise forms, plan for mailing, plan for Registration Day, revise website, post in Hingham Journal, flyers, etc.

Who: Multiple individuals as noted above

When: Primary agenda topic for the January 3rd meeting



What: Committee Reports and results of Chairperson nominee, as noted above

Who: All members of all committees noted above. It is imperative that members of each committee discuss issues related to your specific areas

When: Please be prepared to provide a report from the specific committees at the January 3rd meeting.



What: Report on the status of Babe Ruth issue regarding 13 year old options and possible next steps

Who: Mark Igo and Elliot Sherman

When: As soon as possible



What: Have an enjoyable Holiday Season!

Who: All

When: How about until January 3rd!

Hingham Little League Board of Directors
Meeting Minutes October 3, 2005
Hingham Recreation Center
7:30 pm

The 38th meeting of the Hingham Little League Board of Directors was called to order by President Rob Blomberg at 7:35 pm.

Present: Rob Blomberg, Steve White, Bob Keyes, Melissa Flanagan, Elliot Sherman, Tim Driscoll, Mark Igo, Rick West, Rich Magner, Joe Granatino, Cliff Boyle. Tia Mastromatteo and Rick Linehan joined late.
Absent: Paul LeBlanc, Mike Letorney, Tim Zyrkowski, Joe Craven, Bruce Corwin, Owen McConville

Secretary’s Report
· Approval of Meeting Minutes from 9/12/05 Meeting
o Motion was made and vote passed to accept minutes of 9/12/05 minutes without changes. Tim Driscoll to post to the website.

Treasurer’s Report
· Current Balance - ,223.
· Outstanding Expenses May be an additional smaller bill for Beacon
· Other Issues? Bob noted that HLL has paid 50 in player user fees and over 00 for field repairs and preservation.

Business Related Issues

· Local Little League Business Filings and Topics
o Public Charity Filings
§ Status of 501(3)c Form
· Just about complete. Joe has some final followup to do with Rob this week. Mark provided copy of website and cd-rom with all its contents for the filing.

· Audit of 2003/2004 HLL Financial Results
o Status of Audit
· No new developments; needs to be filed be end of October. Mr. Gladstone putting on finishing touches

· Annual Meeting- Tuesday October 25, 2005
o Location - Elliot confirmed Plymouth River School
o Time - 7:00pm. Elliot suggested Board please plan to be there at 6:30pm
o Logistics (Pre-Meeting)
· Creation of Announcement
· Elliot provided a copy of last year’s announcement. Rob provided some minor edits.
· Mailing
· Discussed need to mail package; group consensus was this is still a good idea and worth the expense. The packet will also be emailed.
· Initial email notice was sent on Friday, September 30th by Tim Driscoll. We need to send next announcement with more than 10 days advance notice to the membership, along with agenda and membership forms. Tim will coordinate mailing activities.
· Hingham Journal Article
· Melissa will forward notification to Hingham Journal for inclusion two times
· HLL Website – Done, Elliot posted to the site.
· Election committee is comprised of Rob Blomberg (President), Tim Driscoll (Secretary), Rick West and Joe Granatino. As duties of Secretary outline, Tim is responsible for preparing the Annual Meeting and will seek assistance.
o Logistics (At Meeting)
· Membership Fees will remain at .00 (approved on 9/12/05 BOD Meeting)
· Proposed Changes to HLL Constitution
· 2 recommendations for changes to the Constitution to be considered and voted on by the membership were discussed and submitted.
o Melissa Flanagan submitted a motion as below; to change wording in Article VII, Section 3 regarding the role of Vice President as it pertains to all summer travel and/or tournament teams. The wording does not explicitly name a committee to handle this as is the case with most other areas of business and a clarification was requested.
§ A motion was made and a vote passed to recommend to the membership that an amendment be made to the Constitution that the provision in paragraph c of ARTICLE VII, SECTION 3 entitled Vice President be striken from the duties of the Vice President. This paragraph specifies that the Vice President is responsible for the conduct and operation of all summer travel and/or tournament teams, and that a new committee entitled ‘The Summer Travel/Tournament Team Committee’ be added to the constitution, with the Vice President as chair of this committee, and the provisions of ARTICLE VII, SECTION 3, paragraph c regarding the responsibility for conduct and operation of all summer travel and /or tournament teams to be incorporated therein.
o Discussion followed on the issue of the number of members of the Board of Directors. This year the number was increased to 19, and some believe this was too many; we had a couple of issues reaching quorum at our meetings, and the expected benefits of increasing the number were not realized.
§ A motion was made and a vote passed to recommend to the membership that an amendment be made to the Constitution to reduce the number of elected members of the Board of Director from 19 to 15 members for 2006.
· Nominations
· Nominations for all Board Positions to be submitted prior to the meeting and accepted up until the election. Forms will be sent with the meeting notification and are posted on the website. All interested members are encouraged to run, and note that participation as a board member requires a significant time commitment.
· President’s Report
· Treasurer’s Report
· Election of New Board
· Rick West, as a non-running member and part of the Election Committee will manage the counting of ballots. Thank you Rick for your effort and dedication for your 2 years served.
· Schedule First Meeting of the New Board


New Business

· Player Registration-Membership Committee Report & Team Schedules
o Rick Linehan and Elliot Sherman are Co-Chairpersons
o Outstanding Issues?
· Nothing to report

· Sponsorships and Donations-Committee Report
o Chairpersons are Melissa Flanagan and Tia Mastromatteo
o Outstanding Issues
· 501 (c) (3) form required for Verizon sponsorship remains outstanding
· Status of Distribution of Sponsorship Plaques
· Thanks to Melissa, all but 2 of the plaques have been distributed to our sponsors.

League Rules and Local By-Law Issues

· Player Agent Report
o Mike Letorney is Player Agent.
· Outstanding Issues?
· No report


· Major League Committee Report
o Joe Granatino is Chairperson
· Outstanding Issues?
· Nothing to report

· Minor League Committee Report
o Paul LeBlanc is the Chairperson
· Outstanding Issues?
· No report

· Manager’s Committee Report
o Joe Craven is Chairperson
· Outstanding Issues?
· No report

· Equipment Committee Report
o Rick West is Chairperson
· Status of Equipment Return
· There are still over 15 bags awaiting return. Managers were asked to return all equipment on several occasions, and those not doing so would risk their status as eligible coaches in the program. Rob has asked for a list and will personally contact all the managers with equipment bags.
· Outstanding issues involving equipment or other items
· Uniforms-Missing Sponsor Names and Patches
o Awaits return of all equipment as above. The uniforms are going to be cleaned, patched, and boxed by Lapels and we need to do our best to facilitate this.
· Status of Batting Cage at Haley/Cronin-Spring 2006
· Outstanding Issues?
· Rick reports that we need a bigger storage bin in Weymouth and will follow up, the expense is clearly worth it
· Umpire Committee Report
o Rich Magner is Chairperson
· Outstanding issues?
· Nothing to report
· Safety Committee
o Owen McConville-Chairperson
· ASAP Program (A Safety Awareness Program) Approved
· Other outstanding issues?
· No report

· Challenger Division Report
o Chairpersons are Rob Blomberg, Joe Granatino and Tia Mastromatteo
o Tabled until Winter, 2006

· Buildings, Property and Grounds Committee Report
o Cliff Boyle and Tim Zyrkowski-Co-Chairs
o Outstanding Issues?
o Report from Sub Committee (Melissa and Elliot)
· PAL/Lynch Field Status
o Elliot keeping a close eye on developments. There are continuing discussions with the town and the developer regarding clean-up, doesn’t appear likely development will interrupt the start of the season at this time.
· Other alternatives included repairing back field at Hersey, Plymouth River, South, possibly Middle School field, Kress Field, East School, Hull Street field, Notre Dame Academy, High School etc. or other alternative venues
o Rob commented that we were lucky this year to have gotten South School, and we should push to get 1 or 2 new sites next season. Discussed that the School Committee still has control of several of the fields, all of which are lacking in care due to funding, and that we should approach them to discuss possibilities for us to contribute to repair and maintenance of the fields. Issue will be a recommended carry over for the new Board of Directors.
· Status of the dugouts at Haley Field
o Plans being made for Margett’s to demolish and remove debris in return for a sponsorship. Coordinating with carpenter, concrete company, and fencing company on our plans. The footprint is essentially the same as that at Hersey. Comments made that we need to correct the space above the fencing and below the roof at Hersey and to ensure full coverage on the Haley dugouts.
· Elliot and Melissa will take on an action item to facilitate with the Recreation Committee
o Notification has been forwarded to the committee and is an item for agenda for their meeting 10/4. Letter states that all funding for the work is to be contributed by HLL.


· Social Committee Report
o Chairpersons are Melissa Flanagan and Tia Mastromatteo
· Identify potential fundraisers
· Other suggestions?
· Nothing to report

· Publicity Committee/Opening Day/Fourth of July Float
o Melissa Flanagan is Chairperson
· Outstanding Issues?
· Nothing to report

· Calendar of Events
o Post updated Calendar on the website

· Sandlot
o Cliff Boyle is chairperson
· Outstanding Issues?
· Discussed lessons learned, we ended up with an operating loss of a few hundred dollars, and next season will require tighter accountability for the monies. It was noted that the kids had a terrific time and our sponsorship of this program is quite worthwhile.

· Summer Travel Baseball
· Earlier Selection for 2006 Travel Teams
· Topic for the Next BOD

· Hingham Little League-Use of Mailing List
· Hingham High School Baseball Club
· Topic for the Next BOD
· Hingham Hull Babe Ruth
· Topic for the Next BOD

· Fall Baseball League-2006
· Consider Creation of a Fall League
· Topic for the Next BOD
· New Business
· Schedule for Upcoming Meetings
o Tuesday, October 25th 7:00 pm Plymouth River School
o The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 pm.

Hingham Little League-Annual Meeting-10/25/05


· On behalf of the HLL Board of Directors Welcome to Our Third Annual Meeting of Hingham Little League

· Call To Order

· Confirmation of Quorum

o 43 Members Paid for 2005
o 23 Members Present for meeting

· Review of Tonight’s Agenda

· Introduction of HLL Board Members

· Review of 2004/2005 Financials (Bob Keyes-Treasurer)

o Current Balance 20,223
o Significant expenditures have been put back into the program and for field improvements (Hersey Dugouts, dry roller, South Schoool, equipment, etc.)

· Review of HLL 2004/2005 Season (Rob Blomberg-President)

o Generally very successful
o 812 boys and girls in the program
o 203 managers and coaches
o After a wet first two weeks we had successful, competitive and fun seasons for all the Divisions-12 Major teams, 18 Minor teams, 16 Farm League teams and 14 T Ball teams
o Continued success by our Summer Travel teams. The Williamsport made the District Semi-Finals. Two of the four Suburban teams made the playoffs. One championship team in South River with most other teams having success and fun summer seasons.
o Field improvements to Haley, Hersey and PAL. If you haven’t noticed the Haley dugouts have been demolished and will be reconfigured to look like the Hersey dugouts.
o We put money back into the fields and equipment (i.e. the drying roller, etc).
o Excellent umpiring and development of our younger umpires
o Fun days and events (Opening Day and Closing Day with the Major and Minor All Star games, HR Contest and Road Runner Contest) including hot dogs and snacks on both days
o Fourth of July Float for Majors champions, Minors champions and all 12 year olds no matter what team (a special treat)
o Summer Sandlot program now under HLL and enjoyed by 65 players
o Excellent sponsor support-ongoing recognition throughout the year
o Finally we are very up front in all our meetings posting Meeting Minutes (yes people actually do read them), being open with our financials and attempting to be proactive with all communication (HLL web site, email, etc.) with all our decisions and rationale for getting to those decisions

· Preview of 2005/2006 Season (Rob Blomberg-President)

o Build upon what we have done well while continuing to look for new ideas and better ways to administer the program.
o Address the issue of needing fields. We used South and HHS in 2005. Whether the changes to PAL are made or aren’t made we need additional fields and are working with Hingham Rec and will be working with the Hingham Schools to get more fields for use by baseball.
o The impact of the age change in all youth baseball programs. Starting with this upcoming season the baseball age at all levels was changed from 9/1/xx to 5/1/xx which puts 18 of last year’s Major’s players back in Little League for an additional year if their birthdays were between 5/1/03 and 8/31/03.
o Challenger Division for children from ages 5-18 with significant physical disabilities-we had sponsor interest, Board interest and mentoring interest. What we lacked were the players. We will move forward with the development of this program in 2005/2006.
o Continue to improve the working relationship with the Hingham High School Baseball Program. Coach Dan McHugh and his players (both Varsity and Junior Varsity) have helped us with the past two tryouts. We will build on that relationship through additional clinics, programs and other opportunities.
o Opportunity with the new 2005/2006 HLL Board Members. We have a number of HLL Board members who have been on the Board either for one year or both years and who won’t be returning. We thank them for all their efforts and look forward to the creation of the new HLL Board and the ideas the new Board will bring to the organization.
One comment for those who are considering running for a position on the Board. Those of us that have served on this Board have received much enjoyment out of our tenure and have enjoyed the experience but also acknowledge that these are very much “working positions” which require substantial effort and time commitment performing a variety of duties.

· HLL Proposed Constitutional Changes
o Review of proposals
o Discussion
o Voting
§ Both Amendments were Passed by Unanimous vote of the members
Item 1 – Article VII, Section 3 re: Summer Baseball
Recommendation: To change wording in Article VII, Section 3 regarding the role of Vice President as it pertains to all summer travel and/or tournament teams. The wording does not explicitly name a committee to handle this as is the case with most other areas of business and a clarification was requested.

Motion: That an amendment be made to the Constitution that the provision in paragraph c of ARTICLE VII, SECTION 3 entitled Vice President be stricken from the duties of the Vice President. This paragraph specifies that the Vice President is responsible for the conduct and operation of all summer travel and/or tournament teams, and that a new committee entitled ‘The Summer Travel/Tournament Team Committee’ be added to the constitution, with the Vice President as chair of this committee, and the provisions of ARTICLE VII, SECTION 3, paragraph c regarding the responsibility for conduct and operation of all summer travel and /or tournament teams to be incorporated therein.

Item 2 – Re: Number of members of the Board of Directors.
Recommendation: This year the number of members of the Board of Directors was increased to 19, and some believe this was too many; we had a couple of issues reaching quorum at our meetings, and the expected benefits of increasing the number were not realized. The Board recommends decreasing the number of members of the Board of Directors to 15.
Motion: That an amendment be made to the Constitution to reduce the number of elected members of the Board of Director from 19 to 15 members for 2006.

· Nomination of Candidates for the 2005/2006 HLL Board of Directors
o Candidate presentations
o Additional nominations
o Explanation of the ballot. There must be greater than 50% who are non-managing BOD members.
§ Vote taken to select 7 Non Coaching Members, 6 Coaching Members, for a total Board of 13 members
o Voting (Rick West and his team will be in charge of the tabulations)
o Announcement of the new 2005/2006 Board
§ The new Board Members voted as follows:

Elected as Non-Manager/Non-Coaching Members: Melissa Flanagan, Joe
Granatino, Rich Magner, Owen McConville, Elliot Sherman, Steve White and
Tim Zyrkowski
Elected as Manager/Coaching Members: Rob Blomberg, Joe Craven, Tim
Driscoll, Skip Jenkins, Rick Linehan and Bob Madden

o Establish first meeting date, time and place for the 2005/2006 HLL BOD
§ Meeting Scheduled for Monday, November 7th 7:30 pm Hingham Recreation Center.

Hingham Little League Board of Directors Meeting
Meeting Minutes -11/7/05
Hingham Recreation Center

The 40th meeting on the Hingham Board of Directors was called to order at 7:40 pm.

Present: Tim Zyrkowski, Skip Jenkins, Melissa Flanagan, Rob Blomberg, Elliot Sherman, Steve White, , Joe Craven, Ed Anderson, Tim Driscoll, Owen McConville, Rich Magner, Joe Granatino, Rick Linehan (by phone).
Guests: Outgoing Treasurer Bob Keyes, Bruce Corwin, Ed Anderson
Absent: Bob Madden

Opening Discussions-Welcome to the Newly Elected Board

Nomination and Election of Additional Board Members
· Non-Manager/Coaching Candidate Nomination and Election
o Bruce Corwin was nominated for election as a Non-Manager/Coaching Candidate to fill the 14th spot on the Board. Vote taken and Passed unanimously. Welcome back Bruce.
If the Non-Manager/Coaching Candidate is approved
· Manager Coaching Candidate Nomination and Election
o Ed Anderson, next leading vote-getter from the Annual Meeting and Election was nominated for Election as a Manager/Coaching Candidate to fill the 15th spot on the Board. Vote taken and Passed unanimously. Welcome aboard Ed.

Election of Officers – 2005-2006
Review of Positions/Job Descriptions Followed By Nominations and Elections
· Section 2-President
o Two Nominations received and a vote was taken. Rob Blomberg was elected President of the 2005-2006 HLL BOD.
· Section 3-Vice President
o Two Nominations received and a vote was taken. Elliot Sherman was elected Vice President of the 2005-2006 HLL BOD
· Section 4-Secretary
o Tim Driscoll was nominated and elected Secretary
· Section 5-Treasurer
o Rick Linehan was nominated and elected Treasurer
· Section 6-Player Agent
o Skip Jenkins was nominated and elected Player Agent
· Section 7-Safety Officer
o Owen McConville was nominated and elected Safety Officer
· Section 8-Coaching Coordinator
o Steve White was nominated and elected Coaching Coordinator

Article VIII and by specific Section:
Nominations and Elections of Committee Members
· Section 1-Executive Committee
o President Rob Blomberg (ex-officio), Treasurer Rick Linehan (ex-officio), and Elliot Sherman were elected to the Executive Committee

Article IX and by specific Section:
Nominations and Elections
· Section 1-Nominating Committee
o Steve White, Ed Anderson, Joe Granatino were elected to the Nominating Committee
· Section 2-Membership Committee
o Steve White, Ed Anderson, Joe Granatino were elected to the Membership Committee
· Section 3-Finance Committee
o Rick Linehan (ex-officio); Elliot Sherman and Joe Granatino were elected to the Finance Committee
· Section 4-Buildings and Property Committee
o Joe Craven, Rob Blomberg, Elliot Sherman were elected to the Buildings and Property Committee
· Section 5-Grounds Committee
o Tim Zyrkowski (Co-Chair), Bruce Corwin (Co-Chair), and Bob Madden were elected to the Grounds Committee
o It was noted that Dan Morrison will join this committee as an Auxilliary Member.
· Section 6-Playing Equipment Committee
o Ed Anderson (Chair), Tim Zyrkowski, Bob Madden were elected to the Playing Equipment Committee.
o It was noted that John Wehner will join this committee as an Auxilliary Member.
· Section 7-Managers Committee
o (The coaching coordinator is automatically on this committee)
o Steve White (ex-officio and Chair); Rob Blomberg, Skip Jenkins, Ed Anderson, and Joe Craven were elected to the Managers Committee
· Section 8-Umpire Committee
o Rich Magner (Chair), and Rick Linehan were elected to the Umpire Committee
· Section 9-District Committee
o Rob Blomberg, Elliott Sherman, and Melissa Flanagan were elected to the District Committee
· Section 10-Auxillary/Sponsor Committee
o Bruce Corwin (Chair), Melissa Flanagan, and Rick Linehan were elected to the Auxillary/Sponsor Committee
· Section 11-Auditing Committee
o Joe Craven, Tim Driscoll, and Joe Granatino were elected to the Auditing Committee
· Section 12-Election Committee
o Tim Driscoll, Rob Blomberg, and Skip Jenkins were elected to the Election Committee
· Section 13-Major League Committee
o Joe Granatino (Co-Chair), Joe Craven (Co-Chair), and Bruce Corwin were elected to the Major League Committee
· Section 14-Minor League Committee
o Skip Jenkins (Chair), Ed Anderson, and Tim Zyrkowski were elected to the Minor League Committee
· Section 15- Farm League Committee
o Tim Driscoll (Chair), Ed Anderson, and Steve White were elected to the Farm League Committee
· Section 16-Other Committees-
o Tee Ball Committee
§ Rick Linehan (Chair), Rich Magner, and Owen McConville were elected to the Tee Ball Committee
o Social Committee
§ Melissa Flanagan (Chair) was elected to the Social Committee
· It was noted that Melissa will seek Auxillary Members for to assist in this committee
o CORI Committee
§ Rick Linehan
o Challenger Committee
§ Rob Blomberg and Joe Granatino were elected to the Challenger Committee
§ It was noted by Joe that he is starting up a Bowling League with the Special Olympics this winter and will be able to spread the word.
o Summer Travel/Tournament Team Committee
§ Elliot Sherman (ex officio) is Chair of this newly formed committee
§ Elliot will draft an outline of the goals and operating guidelines for this committee (proposed number of members, rules, regulations, appointment of managers, dates for tryouts, etc.) for discussion and acceptance at subsequent Board Meeting. Nominations and elections for positions will be taken at that time.
o Cross Hingham Liason Committee
§ Committee will endeavor to combine efforts of those interested in promoting Hingham baseball in an organized fashion, from High School to T-Ball.
§ Joe Craven will draft an outline of the goals and operating guidelines for this committee (proposed number of members, rules, regulations, mission, etc.) for discussion and acceptance at subsequent Board Meeting. Nominations and elections for positions will be taken at that time.

Review of Key Issues for the 2005-2006 Board of Directors

Due to time considerations for a certain football game, Rob Blomberg quickly highlight several key issues that the board needs to ‘tackle’ for the upcoming season
§ Player Registration needs to happen early
o The process should get started right away
o Book dates for tryouts; suggest looking to Bavis Rink and SSSC for availability
o Player registration is a key predecessor to several important decisions facing the Board
§ Potential for league split up due to the numbers of players; number of divisions, etc.
§ Equipment – need to collect outstanding equipment, inventory, budget, etc.
§ Status of the Fields – Need to get on this right away, pending PAL/Lynch Fields development outcome, School Department fields, etc. There is a risk that we will not have enough adequate playing fields to support the season.
§ Haley Dugouts – follow up on the building of the dugouts. Brief discussion of status. Old dugouts are down, work being organized; cement, carpenter and fencing is being arranged. Thanks to Dave Margetts crew for the work already conducted. Funds are available to complete the job before the holidays.
§ Funding for the batting cage at Cronin is also due; HLL total contribution will be ,150. Matter to be taken up at next Board meeting.


· Schedule for Upcoming Meetings
o Monday 12/5/05
o Other Meetings-To Be Scheduled
· Rec Center has been confirmed for next several meetings, generally the first Monday of each month.


Meeting was adjourned at 8:55 pm.

Hingham Little League Board of Directors Meeting
September 12, 2005
Hingham Recreation Center
7:30 pm

Meeting Agenda

The 37th meeting of the Hingham Little League Board of Directors was called to order by President Rob Blomberg at 7:42 pm.
Present: Rob Blomberg, Steve White, Joe Craven, Bruce Corwin, Bob Keyes, Melissa Flanagan, Rick Linehan, Elliot Sherman, and Tim Driscoll. Owen McConville joined later.
Absent: Paul LeBlanc, Mike Letorney, Tia Mastromatteo, Mark Igo, Rick West, Rich Magner, Joe Granatino, Cliff Boyle, Tim Zyrkowski,

Secretary’s Report
· Approval of Meeting Minutes from 8/8/05 Meeting
o A vote was taken and the Minutes of the 8/8/05 were approved with no changes. Tim Driscoll will post to the website.

Treasurer’s Report
· Current Balance
o 19,510. Recent miscellaneous payments made to Rockland Sports and Beacon (equipment), 00 donation for batting cage at Cronin, 5 clay and dirt expenses, fee for outside accounting work, bbi Marketing, etc.
· Outstanding Expenses – Nothing significant at this time
· Other Issues?

Business Related Issues

· Local Little League Business Filings and Topics
o Public Charity Filings
§ Status of 501(3)c Form
· Joe reported only a few finishing touches needed, will get necessary signatures at next Board Meeting. One action item, Joe needs information from the Website from Mark Igo, Mark has on a CD.
· Audit of 2003/2004 HLL Financial Results
o Status of Audit
· Underway, nearly complete. Joe Craven and Bob Keyes have been working with Alan Gladstone on all the paperwork. Bob forwarded balance sheet to Joe.

New Business

· Player Registration-Membership Committee Report & Team Schedules
o Rick Linehan and Elliot Sherman are Co-Chairpersons
o Outstanding Issues?
· Nothing to report at this time

· Sponsorships and Donations-Committee Report
o Chairpersons are Melissa Flanagan and Tia Mastromatteo
o Outstanding Issues
· 501 (c) (3) form required for Verizon sponsorship remains outstanding
· Getting closer as above. Joe will follow up on this item once the papers get filed after next meeting.
· Distribution of Sponsorship Plaques
· Melissa reported that the ‘corrections’ to several of the sponsor plaques are completed and the set of remaining plaques are ready to go. At this point in time, agreed that we should distribute the plaques via mail instead of trying to coordinate hand delivering. Melissa will follow up with Carol Ryan for the mailing.

League Rules and Local By-Law Issues

· Player Agent Report
o Mike Letorney is Player Agent.
· Outstanding Issues?
· Nothing to report at this time


· Major League Committee Report
o Joe Granatino is Chairperson
· Revised Major’s Rules
· Posted to the HLL Website
o Completed
· Outstanding Issues?
· Nothing to report at this time


· Minor League Committee Report
o Paul LeBlanc is the Chairperson
· Revised Minor’s Rules
· Posted to the HLL Website
· Outstanding Issues?
· Nothing to report at this time

· Manager’s Committee Report
o Joe Craven is Chairperson
· Training dates for Managers, Coaches and Players
· Boys Of Baseball-9/05 Recap
· Rob reported that the events went very well despite the conflicts of early September. Thirteen managers/coaches attended on Friday night, very positive comments from all in attendance. On Saturday, 38 ballplayers enjoyed the clinic, many of them our younger aspiring stars which was good to see. A couple of kids from surrounding towns also attended.
· Overall, the program was a success. The Board will pay for the managers in attendance as previously voted. It is expected that we will invite Steve Cosgrove again next spring and fall – next year target the 3rd weekend in September as there is likely to be less conflicts with other town sports groups. In the spring, lets hope for no rain. Rob will be seeking feedback from participants.
· Outstanding Issues?
· Nothing to report at this time


· Equipment Committee Report
o Rick West is Chairperson
· Status of Equipment Return
· Outstanding issues involving equipment or other items
· Uniforms-missing sponsor names and patches-will wait until end of the season
· There is still outstanding equipment to be collected and catalogued. We may want to contact coaches or offer a drop off hour at our next meeting. Rick and Mark will follow up. Several shirts found their way to tonight’s meeting, Rob will arrange to drop off to Mark Igo. Melissa commented that Lapels is ready to take care of the shirts, need an inventory soon.
· Status of batting cage at Haley/Cronin
· Our contribution has been paid, and the batting cage is in storage for the winter, unfortunately didn’t get to take advantage of it this season, but we’ll have available in early spring 2006
· Outstanding Issues?

· Umpire Committee Report
o Rich Magner is Chairperson
· Outstanding issues?
· Nothing to report at this time.

· Safety Committee
o Owen McConville-Chairperson
· Approval of ASAP Program (A Safety Awareness Program)
· Other outstanding issues?
· Nothing to report at this time


· Challenger Division Report
o Chairpersons are Rob Blomberg, Joe Granatino and Tia Mastromatteo
o Tabled until Fall, 2005 or Spring, 2006
· Brief discussion regarding this program and the desire to still try and line something up for 2006.

· Buildings, Property and Grounds Committee Report
o Cliff Boyle and Tim Zyrkowski-Co-Chairs
o Outstanding Issues?
· Several points of discussion regarding the fields
· Potential that work on PAL/Lynch field will begin this winter and bump into next season, so we need to start work on contingencies if we should not be able to use the fields.
· Need to investigate possibilities of repairing back field at Hersey, Plymouth River, South, possibly Middle School field, Kress Field, East School, Hull Street field, Notre Dame Academy, High School etc, for alternative venues. This is obviously an important issue that must be monitored and addressed by this and the future Board.
· Elliot agreed to follow up with Bob Spirito to look at some ideas for improvements at the Hersey back field. Bob has previously looked at some options.
· There have been requests/complaints from neighbors regarding dust on the field; we have an estimate in for less than 00 for a sprinkler system that would address this issue. No action taken on this time, must be considered by the Grounds committee.
· A storage shed has been purchased for equipment for Hersey.
· A question was raised regarding the status of the dugouts at Haley Field that could use replacement, in line with the terrific job on the dugouts at Hersey. There is money left in the budget that was allocated for this purpose. Elliot will follow up with Rich Magner to inquire regarding possible labor and effort. Elliot and Melissa will take on an action item to facilitate with the Recreation Committee.

· Social Committee Report
o Chairpersons are Melissa Flanagan and Tia Mastromatteo
· Identify potential fundraisers
· Golf tournament is 9/28/05-Status
· Unfortunately having a difficult time in getting enough players to commit. A recommendation was made by Mike Letorney to cancel the event this year, and those in attendance agreed. Mike will return all checks received so far, we’ll consider an event in the spring. Thanks Mike and crew for your effort in organizing the event to date.
· Other suggestions?

· Publicity Committee/Opening Day/Fourth of July Float
o Melissa Flanagan is Chairperson
· Outstanding Issues?
· Float must be moved from Melissa’s garage to the Storage site.

· Calendar of Events
o Post updated Calendar on the website

· Sandlot
o Cliff Boyle is chairperson
· Recap of Sandlot Program
· Outstanding Issues?
· Bob reported positive feedback from participants. The program unfortunately ran over budget this season, but was well attended and received. Lesson learned that for next season the Board needs to organize this extra attraction with more up front planning if we are to sponsor the program.

· Summer Travel Baseball
· Update on Travel Teams

· Discussion on Earlier Selection for 2006 Travel Teams
· Discussion regarding possibility to name coaches earlier in the season so they can get a preview of the kids earlier for the Suburban teams. It was also noted that there is a time crunch for the tryouts and we should try to hold them earlier to better prepare for the Sub and South River programs. Agreed to discuss further, and to continue to monitor with the next Board so we can have better preparation and communication next season. It was generally agreed that this is a difficult and sensitive issue, and we must be firm in our approach and process.

· New Business
o Hingham Little League-Use of Mailing List
· Hingham High School Baseball Club
· Joe Craven discussed some ideas being considered from the HHS Booster club for potential fundraising efforts. There was general agreement that we should vote on whether the Board could/should provide a mailing list at some point, and that we could do this at a later date, likely for the next elected Board to consider. Further discussion will take place regarding potential for a town wide ‘baseball advisory’ board to help promote the sport across all levels. There may be some restrictions with Little League rules and recommendations that would need to be investigated further.
· Hingham Hull Babe Ruth
· Status of HLL 12 year old list for mailing to Hingham/Hull Babe Ruth. As above, the group decision is to wait to address until the 2005/2006 HLL Board is elected.

o Other New Business
· There have been inquiries regarding potential for a “Fall Ball” league. This is something we agreed to consider for next season.
· Planning for the Annual Meeting needs to begin. There will be a mandatory election by the Membership for a new Board of Directors. Elliott and Melissa will draft a letter to be mailed to the Membership for the purpose of notification as required by Little League.
· In order to complete the letter, need to determine the Membership fee which was . Some discussion ensued, and a motion was made to retain the fee at . Vote was taken and passed.
· Melissa will follow up to inquire if we can again use the Plymouth River School cafeteria for the Annual Meeting.

· Schedule for Upcoming Meetings
o Monday 10/3/05 – 7:30 pm Recreation Center
o Monday 10/24/05 (Annual Meeting)

The meeting was adjourned at 8:52 p.m.

Hingham Little League Board of Directors Meeting
August 8, 2005
Hingham Recreation Center
8:15 pm

Meeting Minutes


Present: Rob Blomberg, Bob Keyes, Rick West, Mike Letorney, Mark Igo, Tim Driscoll, Elliot Sherman, Joe Craven, Melissa Flanagan, Owen McConville, Tia Mastromatteo, Rich Magner, Joe Granatino, Rick Linehan
Absent: Steve White, Bruce Corwin, Paul LeBlanc, Cliff Boyle, Tim Zyrkowski

Meeting was called to order at 8:21 pm.

Secretary’s Report
• Approval of Meeting Minutes from 6/20/05 and 7/11/05 Meetings
o Minutes for both meetings were approved and will be posted to the website by Tim Driscoll

Treasurer’s Report
• Current Balance - ,629
• Outstanding Expenses – Expect several small miscellaneous bills to settle, including some equipment expenses, balance expected to be +/- ,000. Bob mentioned that we’ll likely need to help next year with continued improvements for Hersey, particularly concerning water for the parking areas, etc.
• User Fee Issue- Hingham School Department Fields
o Status of .00 per player user fee will be imposed by Hingham School Department
&#61607; No report

Business Related Issues

• Local Little League Business Filings and Topics
o Public Charity Filings
&#61607; Status of 501 (3) c Form
Joe has done a substantial amount of work on the 501(3)c forms, distributed copies for discussion. Needs information for several points; will get some information from Alan Gladstone re: last season financials and he is aware of it, will cover in an upcoming meeting. Joe is also looking for the League Constitution, noted that it is available on the website. Also requested that we have copy of the entire website printed for supporting documentation for the application, Mark Igo has volunteered to print and get to Joe. As part of our review, we reviewed our use of bbi marketing since Mark Igo is president of bbi and also serves on the HLL Board. Whenever issues of the use of bbi arose Mark abstained from voting. The HLL Board has agreed that bbi has produced and continues to perform work for the HLL Board which is of good quality at a fair price.

o Insurance Fees and Options
&#61607; Rob noted that due to bookkeeping mixups with the National Little League offices, we have a credit balance of 5, effectively paid this year’s fees twice. This will be applied to next years fees.
• Audit of 2003/2004 HLL Financial Results
o Status of Audit
• Bob will set up a meeting with accountant Alan Gladstone, reports that he has spoken with Alan and he is set to go .

New Business

• Player Registration-Membership Committee Report & Team Schedules
o Rick Linehan and Elliot Sherman are Co-Chairpersons
o Outstanding Issues?
• No report

• Sponsorships and Donations-Committee Report
o Chairpersons are Melissa Flanagan and Tia Mastromatteo
o Outstanding Issues
• 501 (c) (3) form required for Verizon sponsorship remains outstanding
• As above, the 501(c) (3) application should be submitted shortly and then we’ll be able to close this item
• Distribution of Sponsorship Plaques
• Several plaques have been distributed in person; Rob went to several last week with positive feedback. Melissa will provide a list of outstanding plaques to be distributed, and is looking for volunteers. Joe Granatino volunteered to hand some out.

League Rules and Local By-Law Issues

• Player Agent Report
o Mike Letorney is Player Agent
• Player Evaluation Forms?
• Discussion on value of attempting to do this year, many merits to doing so for successive years, but too late to organize this year. A MOTION was made and a VOTE taken to not take this up this year and PASSED.
• Outstanding Issues

• Major League Committee Report
o Joe Granatino is Chairperson
• Revised Major’s Rules
• Discussed significant rules adjustments. Rob distributed the updated rules for Majors and Minors. Among other minor items, discussed rule change regarding whether or not to REQUIRE that every player have an opportunity to play in the infield in each game. A vote was taken and the Board ruled not in favor of making this a requirement. Primarily at issue was a concern for safety on behalf of many of the Board members / coaches on hand. It was noted that most will attempt to grant equal opportunity to the players and should be managed on a case by case basis.
• A second item discussed was the rule regarding allowing a pitcher to pitch 6 innings in a game. Concerns included potentially pushing the pitchers too much in one game. Little League rules mandate only 6 innings per week per player. A MOTION was made to honor this rule, and to not extend a local rule to mandate a restriction on how many innings a player can pitch in one game. So PASSED, each player can pitch up to six innings per week, and there are no restrictions that can limit a pitcher to a certain amount of innings per game, in accordance with Little League rules.
• Discussion on review of the rules regarding the use of sunflower seeds. Our current rules restrict use of sunflower seeds, and the issue was discussed at some length. There was input that many didn’t honor this, and that it was not considered to be a dangerous practice. A VOTE was taken and PASSED to eliminate this restriction of sunflower seeds on the playing field.
• Regarding the Player Evaluation Sheets which was part of the rules, a VOTE was taken and PASSED that we eliminate this requirement from the rules, although consensus was that it would be a good practice, it would need more attention and needs to be enforced in subsequent years.
• Discussion followed regarding the placement and selection of the All Star team candidate distribution among the teams. Should those teams with the best records in the season have more representatives for the All Star Game was at issue. A MOTION was made and PASSED to allow the top 2 teams in each division to send 4 players to the game, while all others shall have 3 representatives.

• Minor League Committee Report
o Paul LeBlanc is the Chairperson
• Revised Minor’s Rules
• As above, many of the rule changes apply to the Minor Leagues.
• Significant changes pertaining to the Minor League Rules as follows:
• Minors must play out ties in accordance with Little League rules. A situation occurred this past season that the game ended in a tie, and this is not part of the rules. All games must be played to completion in accordance with Little League rules
• A MOTION was made and vote PASSED to require that every Minor League player shall play at least 1 inning in the infield during every game. It was noted that this is a development league, and each player should be given the opportunity to experience all facets of the game.
• A MOTION was made to adapt the rule of tagging up from 3rd Base be INCLUDED. A vote was taken and PASSED that a revision/clarification of the rule ALLOWS PLAYERS TO TAG UP when at Third base.
• A MOTION was made and the vote PASSED to accept the rule changes as discussed and outlined. The updated rules will be posted to the website.

• Manager’s Committee Report
o Joe Craven is Chairperson
o Outstanding Issues?
• Training dates for Managers, Coaches and Players
• Status of practice manual for HLL
• Boys Of Baseball-9/05 Session
• Reimbursements For Managers & Coaches Who Attend the Session
• Discussion ensued regarding the positive value this program brings to our program, and a MOTION was made and PASSED to have the BOARD subsidize the cost of the program for the Managers and Coaches to attend. It was agreed that we should encourage participation at no cost to those responsible for teaching the kids. Please encourage all coaches and managers involved in HLL to attend this valuable training session that benefits us all.
• Training Sessions-External Requests
• Discussion involving a request from a High School player to affiliate with HLL to run clinics for the kids. Although a good idea, a VOTE was taken and PASSED to not sponsor private arrangements as so described on behalf of Hingham Little League. A response to the High School Player will be provided, and we appreciate the offer. There is no reason this outside program can’t continue without our sponsorship and we applaud the initiative.

• Equipment Committee Report
o Rick West is Chairperson
o Status of Equipment Return
• One more time, many outstanding issues with coaches not returning equipment bags as mandated. There will be another return date scheduled by Mark/Rick to ensure we can bring equipment to storage facility, and to prepare Major and Minor shirts for storage with Lapels Dry Cleaning --- DATE OF RETURN TBD
o Outstanding issues involving equipment or other items
• Uniforms-missing sponsor names and patches-will wait until end of the season
o Status of batting cage at Haley/Cronin
• We have not been billed as yet for our share of the funding for the Batting Cage, and need to follow up to ensure it is erected for next season. There was some question whether we committed to paying 1/3 or ½ of the bill, Bob will follow up on the status.

• Umpire Committee Report
o Rich Magner is Chairperson
• Outstanding issues?
• None. Can’t overstate how pleased we were with this program, issues were minimal, and the kids learned a great deal. Thanks to Rich Magner and Mark Igo for sponsoring the development of the umpires at all levels this season in this valuable extension of our program.

• Safety Committee
o Owen McConville-Chairperson
o Approval of ASAP Program (A Safety Awareness Program)
• Other outstanding issues?
• We are accredited, thanks to Owen for your efforts. It was noted that this should be posted to the website.

• Challenger Division Report
o Chairpersons are Rob Blomberg, Joe Granatino and Tia Mastromatteo
o Tabled until Fall, 2005 or Spring, 2006

• Buildings, Property and Grounds Committee Report
o Cliff Boyle and Tim Zyrkowski-Co-Chairs
o Status of order of dirt/clay for all fields
o General maintenance issues and topics
• End of the season thanks to the tireless efforts on Tim’s behalf of ensuring our fields were ready for play all season long.

• Social Committee Report
o Chairpersons are Melissa Flanagan and Tia Mastromatteo
o Identify potential fundraisers
• Golf tournament is 9/21/05
• Mike Letorney provided and update, all is going well. Mailing will go out in August and Mike could use some volunteers to assist the fundraising effort, particularly on game day of the tournament. Funding for the tournament is modest, and all agreed that the expected expenditures for the event are well balanced by the expected profits to the organization. Mike will provide a balance sheet after the event.
• Other suggestions?

• Publicity Committee/Opening Day/Fourth of July Float
o Melissa Flanagan is Chairperson
• Outstanding Issues?

• Calendar of Events
o Post updated Calendar on the website

• Sandlot
o Cliff Boyle is chairperson
• Status of Sandlot
• Status of volunteers, costs, equipment and other details
• There was discussion on the balance sheet for this program, many of our questions regarding where monies were spent and for what purpose. Cliff was not present, Rob to follow up on the financial aspects. Reports were that kids showed up, with supervision, and all had a great time. Will need a report for next Board meeting on financial aspects.

• Summer Travel Baseball
• Update on Travel Teams
• Williamsport team
o A good run for our 12 year olds, thanks to all who contributed
• Suburban teams
o No report
• South River teams
o No report

• Schedule for Upcoming Meetings
o Monday 9/12/05
o Monday 10/3/05
o Monday 10/24/05 (Annual Meeting)

New Business
• Joe Craven is now heading up the Hingham High School Baseball Club and inquired about the potential for using our mailing list to attract interest in that endeavor. Discussion ensued whether this is a potential conflict, and it was noted that Little League rules may prohibit sharing of the mailing list. This question was deferred to further investigation; suggested that use of the Hingham Youth Hockey mailing list wouldn’t be prohibited and likely would reach many of the same families without compromising the Little League rules. Issue to be investigated further.

Meeting was adjourned at 10:15 pm.

Hingham Little League Board of Directors Meeting
July 11, 2005
Hingham Recreation Center
8:00 pm

Meeting Minutes

President Rob Blomberg called the meeting to order at 8:05 pm. Present: Rob Blomberg, Bob Keyes, Melissa Flanagan, Tim Driscoll, Tim Zyrkowski, Cliff Boyle, Elliott Sherman showed up late.

Absent: Paul LeBlanc, Mike Letorney, Tia Mastromatteo, Mark Igo Steve White, Joe Craven Bruce Corwin Rich Magner Rick Linehan, Joe Granatino Owen McConville, and Elliot Sherman joined later.

Secretary’s Report
· Approval of Meeting Minutes from 6/20/05 Meeting
o Due to lack of quorum, the minutes from 6/20 meeting were not voted on / approved – to be done at next meeting. Minutes were sent to board on June 21st.


Treasurer’s Report
· Current Balance
o ,164.81. Bob reports that we are in good shape
· Outstanding Expenses
o No significant expenses at this time
· User Fee Issue-Hingham Rec
o Status of .00 charged per player per team for Little League season
o Status of .00 charged per player per team for summer travel season
§ Bill was paid, ,050.00
· User Fee Issue- Hingham School Department Fields
o Status of .00 per player user fee will be imposed by Hingham School Department
§ Unknown
Business Related Issues

· Local Little League Business Filings and Topics
o Public Charity Filings
§ Status of 501 (3) c Form
· Need to get this completed as soon as possible, is holding up ability to close books for 2003-04, collect payment for Verizon, etc. Discussed that if Joe is still struggling with administrative work that we hire the Accountant Alan Gladstone to finish the work on it. Rob will follow up with Joe Craven for a status.

o Insurance Fees and Options
· Audit of 2003/2004 HLL Financial Results
o Status of Audit
· Haven’t planned meeting with accountant yet, needs the 501 (3) c form completed, as above.

New Business

· Player Registration-Membership Committee Report & Team Schedules
o Rick Linehan and Elliot Sherman are Co-Chairpersons
o Outstanding Issues?

· Sponsorships and Donations-Committee Report
o Chairpersons are Melissa Flanagan and Tia Mastromatteo
o Outstanding Issues
· 501 (c) (3) form required for Verizon sponsorship remains outstanding
· As above
· Sponsor plaques are completing and being distributed in appreciation of sponsorship. Discussed how to distribute, may want to hand deliver around town, possibly hire Carol Ryan to mail the others.
· Lapels – has agreed to trade services for sponsor fee. Melissa has discussed handing over uniforms for cleaning, attaching of Little League patches, and boxing/storing the Majors and Minors uniforms. Will be collecting final shirts after Summer Teams complete in mid-August.

League Rules and Local By-Law Issues

· Player Agent Report
o Mike Letorney is Player Agent
· Playoff-Postscript
· Went very well; minimal complaints or issues in either level.
· All Star Game-Postscript
· Terrific day, a good time was had by all, thanks to all the hard work of the contributing Board Members. Timing worked okay with the delayed start of Majors game due to Williamsport conflict. Roadrunner race was fun, the Balloon Lady reportedly was also a big hit.
· Status of Player Evaluation Forms
· There is a provision in the Major and Minor rules that we will complete evaluations on all players in both leagues. We didn’t do that in 2004 but those of us in attendance feel we should do for 2004. A suggestion was made to use the form that we used for tryouts and add a comments section. Rob will follow up with Joe and Mike to coordinate logistics?

· Major League Committee Report
o Joe Granatino is Chairperson
· Revised Major’s Rules
· Rob took time to review the season’s worth of feedback, agreement, misalignment, misinterpretation etc. of all the rules prior to meeting. He distributed revisions to both Major and Minor rules which need to be discussed at next meeting. These need to be FINAL from this Board for handoff, and needs the input from all while the issues are reasonably fresh.
· There were a couple of issues noted regarding ties, Minors playing week/innings pitched that need to be corrected.

· Minor League Committee Report
o Paul LeBlanc is the Chairperson
· Revised Minor’s Rules
· No Report

· Manager’s Committee Report
o Joe Craven is Chairperson
o Outstanding Issues?
· Training dates for Managers, Coaches and Players
· First Aid session
· Catching clinic
· Status of practice manual for HLL
· No Report

· Equipment Committee Report
o Rick West is Chairperson
o Status of Equipment Return
· Lot of outstanding equipment to be collected, nearly 40 teams. Some teams didn’t have complete set of equipment returned, many others haven’t returned. Rick and Mark will inventory and set up 1 or 2 dates in later August after summer ball is over.
· Discussed that next year we (Board) may want to grab the bags from all teams after their last games in order to make this a less painful process. Also discussed sending another email to coaches with consequences for non-conformance!
· Discussed also to maybe consider getting uniforms for Summer teams to keep them separate from the regular ones, to be taken up next year.
o Outstanding issues involving equipment or other items
· Uniforms-missing sponsor names and patches-will wait until end of the season
· As above, see information re: Lapels handling the shirts.
o Status of batting cage at Haley/Cronin
· Still not erected; Bob was to follow up with Ted, the High School team was going to put it up but never did. We have volunteers who could help.

· Umpire Committee Report
o Rich Magner is Chairperson
· Outstanding issues?
· None. Terrific season put in up and down with the umpires, nice job Rich and Mark.
· Umps have been signed up for the summer league.

· Safety Committee
o Owen McConville-Chairperson
o Approval of ASAP Program (A Safety Awareness Program)
· Other outstanding issues
· Approval was granted for our ASAP program; among other benefits, it will help us save on our insurance policy.

· Challenger Division Report
o Chairpersons are Rob Blomberg, Joe Granatino and Tia Mastromatteo
o Tabled until Fall, 2005 or Spring, 2006

· Buildings, Property and Grounds Committee Report
o Cliff Boyle and Tim Zyrkowski-Co-Chairs
o Status of order of dirt/clay for all fields
o General maintenance issues
· Fields in good shape, thanks to all the work put in by Tim Zyrkowski
· Haley wasn’t approved for District game because the dirt is ‘too hard’. Most agreed, brief discussion as to what to do about it (tilling, raking, water?). Recommend not using the product again.
· At Hersey, need to extend backstop higher, loosing too many baseballs.
· At Haley, tree behind backstop needs to be trimmed, interfering with balls in fair territory.
· Shed needs better organization/pegboard, have equipment stored properly, etc.
· We want a storage shed for Hersey
· We want to purchase a larger model of the roller for Haley (worked great); the smaller could be stored at Hersey
· Portable mound is probably still a good idea for South
· Dirt piles at PAL – it would be nice if they were in between the fields!
· Tim Z. will solicit more ideas/suggestions for how we can better maintain the fields and equipment for next season.

· Social Committee Report
o Chairpersons are Melissa Flanagan and Tia Mastromatteo
o Identify potential fundraisers
· Golf tournament is 9/21/05
· Mike looking for volunteers – so Melissa, Rob, and Tim D have volunteered to help organize. To discuss at next meeting
· Other suggestions

· Publicity Committee/Opening Day/Fourth of July Float
o Melissa Flanagan is Chairperson
· Fourth of July Float Postscript
· Awesome job, float looked terrific. Thank you to Melissa for being the Float Committee, to Rich for use of Hingham Lumber, and to all others who contributed to making us all look good.

· Calendar of Events
o Post updated Calendar on the website

· Sandlot
o Cliff Boyle is chairperson
· Status of Sandlot
· Status of volunteers, costs, equipment and other details
· Cliff reports that Mark Gillespie will be taking the lead, has ensured there will be Adult Supervision, etc, and will report into Cliff/HLL. All accounting will be done by HLL. CORI forms were to be turned into Rick Linehan July 5th (need follow up on this to ensure). Shirts and baseballs will be provided.

· Summer Travel Baseball
· Update on Travel Teams
· Williamsport team
· Suburban teams
· South River teams

· Schedule for Upcoming Meetings
o Monday 8/8/05
o Monday 9/12/05
o Monday 10/3/05
o Monday 10/24/05 (Annual Meeting)
Adjourned at 8:55 pm.

Hingham Little League Committees 2005

Executive Committee
Rob Blomberg*, Bob Keyes, Mark Igo, Rick Linehan, Paul LeBlanc
Nominating Committee
Cliff Boyle, Melissa Flanagan, Bruce Corwin

Membership Committee
Elliot Sherman, Rick Linehan, Paul LeBlanc

Finance Committee
Bob Keyes*, Melissa Flanagan, Joe Granatino, Mark Igo

Buildings and Property Committee
Bob Keyes, Rick West, Rich Magner, Elliot Sherman, Steve White, Tim Zyrkowski, Cliff Boyle*

Grounds Committee
Bob Keyes, Rick West, Rich Magner, Elliot Sherman, Steve White, Tim Zyrkowski, Cliff Boyle*

Playing Equipment Committee
Mark Igo, Paul LeBlanc, Rick West*, Joe Craven, Owen McConville

Managers Committee
Joe Craven (ex-officio)*, Mike Letorney, Rich Magner, Mark Igo, Steve White

Umpires Committee
Mark Igo, Rich Magner*, Tim Zyrkwoski, Steve White, Cliff Boyle, Rob Blomberg

District Committee
Rob Blomberg*, Elliot Sherman, Rick Linehan, Mike Letorney, Joe Craven

Auxillary/Sponsor Committee
Bob Keyes, Melissa Flanagan*, Bruce Corwin, Paul LeBlanc, Mike Letorney

Auditing Committee
Tim Zyrkowski, Cliff Boyle, Rick Linehan, Joe Craven

Election Committee
Rob Blomberg, Joe Granatino, Rick West, Tim Driscoll

Major League Committee
Joe Granatino*, Rich Magner, Bruce Corwin

Minor League Committee
Mike Letorney, Paul LeBlanc, Rick West

Farm League Committee
Tim Zyrkowski, Tim Driscoll*, Mike Letorney

Tee Ball Committee
Mark Igo*, Joe Craven, Steve White

Social Committee
Mike Letorney, Melissa Flanagan#, Paul LeBlanc, Bruce Corwin, Tia Mastromatteo#

CORI Committee
Rob Blomberg, Rick Linehan, Bob Keyes

Challenger Committee
Rob Blomberg#, Joe Granatino#, Bob Keyes, Mark Igo, Paul LeBlanc, Rich Magner, Tia Mastromatteao#

* denotes Chairperson, # denotes Co-Chairperson



Hingham_Little_League_Committees_2005.doc

Hingham Little League Board of Directors Meeting
June 20, 2005
Hingham Recreation Center
8:00 pm

Meeting Minutes

President Rob Blomberg called the meeting to order at 8:10 pm. Present: Rob Blomberg, Steve White, Rick West, Joe Craven, Bruce Corwin, Bob Keyes, Melissa Flanagan, Rich Magner, Rick Linehan, Joe Granatino, and Tim Driscoll. Cliff Boyle, Tim Zyrkowski, Owen McConville, and Elliot Sherman joined later.
Absent: Paul LeBlanc, Mike Letorney, Tia Mastromatteo, Mark Igo

Secretary’s Report
· Approval of Meeting Minutes from 6/7/05 Meeting
o Motion passed to accept minutes from 6/7/05 meeting. Thank you to Joe Craven for filling in. Tim Driscoll to post to website.

Treasurer’s Report
· Current Balance
o ,5654 is the current balance
· Outstanding Expenses
o Expected for equipment from Rockland, shirt replacements, etc. Not expected to be a large bill.
o See below for User-Fee
· User Fee Issue-Hingham Rec
o Status of .00 charged per player per team for Little League season
§ Discussed that we owe approximately ,000 for all the registered players. Noted that Rec has seen to it that the fields have been in excellent condition all season.
o Status of .00 charged per player per team for summer travel season
§ Further discussion on whether this additional fee applies, most of the kids in the summer teams participate in Little League and have already paid. We will make sure any players in summer ball not registered in Little League (there are a few) will also pay the fee.
· User Fee Issue- Hingham School Department Fields
o Status of .00 per player user fee will be imposed by Hingham School Department
§ No report

Business Related Issues

· Local Little League Business Filings and Topics
o Public Charity Filings
§ Status of 501 (3) c Form
· Joe is working on, has set a September date
o Insurance Fees and Options
§ Status of filing revised version
· Audit of 2003/2004 HLL Financial Results
o Status of Audit
· No rush at this point, to be worked on in the September/October timeframe. Bob is in touch with the CPA.

New Business

· Player Registration-Membership Committee Report & Team Schedules
o Rick Linehan and Elliot Sherman are Co-Chairpersons
o Status of Refunds
· A couple of refunds have been issued for various circumstances, no more expected.

· Sponsorships and Donations-Committee Report
o Chairpersons are Melissa Flanagan and Tia Mastromatteo
o Outstanding Issues
· 501 (c) (3) form required for Verizon sponsorship remains outstanding
· Discussed arrangement with one of our sponsors Lapels Cleaners. In lieu of payment, they have agreed to clean uniforms, apply Little League patches for those shirts without them, and box the shirts. This will be a huge help for the program and keep the shirts in good shape.
· We’ll need additional Little League patches. Agreed that Rob will put in order for 300 patches so we’ll have plenty in stock (.00 each).
· Checks received from two sponsors for past due and the last outstanding sponsor for this season.

League Rules and Local By-Law Issues

· Player Agent Report
o Mike Letorney is Player Agent
· Playoffs
· Any issues?
o Going well. Schedules posted to the website
o Due to Williamsport team, the Majors Championship schedule needs to be adjusted accordingly. This is posted on the website as follows: Note: The Hingham Little League Williamsport Team has its first game on Sunday, 6/26/05 at 3:00 vs. Canton in Sharon.
As a result the second and potentially the championship Hingham Little League Major’s World Series games will be scheduled around the Williamsport Team’s games.
For now Major’s Games Twelve (the second game of the World Series) is tentatively scheduled for 6/27 at 6:00 pm at Haley and the potential Game Thirteen (the Major’s championship game) will be 6/28 @6:00 pm at Haley. However the dates of these two games are subject to change. The Williamsport Team and its games take precedence
· All Star Game
· Selection
o Not all teams have put names in as yet. Joe / Mike to follow up.
· Home Run Hitting Contest
o To take place between Minor and Majors Games.
o Two minor leaguers hit homers over the fences and are eligible to participate. Same format as last season with 4 rounds to determine the winner. Trophy will be awarded to the winner
· Road Runner Contest
o Will need to have a stopwatch – Mike Letorney please follow up. Last year we used one from Rec?
o Trophies to be awarded, Mike has on order.

· Discussed arrangements for cookout. We have some items in stock in Melissa’s freezer, and will plan to bring up to the amounts we had scheduled for Opening Day, expecting a larger crowd. Melissa could use some help with this.
· Need to follow up with Paul LeBlanc/Coca-Cola for beverages.


· Major League Committee Report
o Joe Granatino is Chairperson
· Status of Posting Revised Major’s Rules on the website
· Joe will forward to Tim for posting.

· Minor League Committee Report
o Paul LeBlanc is the Chairperson
· Any outstanding issues?
· No Report

· Manager’s Committee Report
o Joe Craven is Chairperson
o Outstanding Issues
· Upcoming training dates for Managers, Coaches and players
· First Aid session
o Will be held Wednesday, June 22nd at the Rec at 8:00pm. Joe will follow up with letting managers know.
· Catching clinic
o JP Craven will conduct a clinic for interested catchers playing in the summer leagues – targeting 2nd weekend of July.
· Status of practice manual for HLL
· Status of CORI checks for managers and players
· Completed.
· Approval of coaches at all levels
· Outstanding issues
o None reported

· Equipment Committee Report
o Rick West is Chairperson
o Outstanding issues involving equipment or other items
· Uniforms-missing sponsor names and patches-will wait until end of the season
· Bill expected from Rockland as noted above
o Status of batting cage at Haley/Cronin
· Foundation is there, no clear date for installation as yet, unfortunately have missed most of the season. HLL will contribute 00 for the cage.
o Status of mound at South School
· Mound was not ordered this year. Also reports of vandalism issues with the South School equipment box and generally poor conditions of the field (ie no trash barrels available). Rob suggested for next year we organize a clean up of the field in early April to improve playing conditions.

· Discussed need to set up a “Equipment Return” date in first week of July, after playoffs, for all non-summer league equipment. Rick Linehan suggested an inventory sheet for all bags so we have a better accounting of equipment on hand. Rick West to follow up on setting date. Agreed to continue to contract with the storage company in Weymouth, worked out well last year.

· Umpire Committee Report
o Rich Magner is Chairperson
· Outstanding issues?
· Final meeting scheduled for this Weds at 8:00pm at the Rec.
· 3 Umpires will be scheduled for the Championship series for Majors and Minors, as well as the All Star Games.
· Continued high praise for the performance of the umpires across the board this season. Excellent job Rich and Mark.
· Rich will compile a list of available umps for the summer teams, should not be a problem as there is a lot of interest and a lot of good umpires.

· Safety Committee
o Owen McConville-Chairperson
o Further discussion of details of ASAP Program (A Safety Awareness Program)
· As above, First Aid clinic to be held June 23rd 8:00pm at the Rec, Owen has a volunteer to conduct.
· Outstanding issues
· Ice bags need replenishing in the boxes at the field
· As part of the program, we need to conduct field surveys prior to season.
· We put in to host a Williamsport District Tournament game in Hingham. For us to host a later round game, we need to be ASAP approved, we don’t have that approval yet.
· Challenger Division Report
o Chairpersons are Rob Blomberg, Joe Granatino and Tia Mastromatteo
o Tabled until Fall, 2005 or Spring, 2006
o

· Buildings, Property and Grounds Committee Report
o Cliff Boyle and Tim Zyrkowski-Co-Chairs
o Status of order of dirt/clay for all fields
o General maintenance issues
· Tim has done a terrific job with the fields all season and deserves a lot of credit for the upkeep.
· Haley is looking good, Diamond came last Friday with new clay; Bob will look into getting additional dirt.
· Tim is planning to re-line at Hersey, Haley, and Pal this week for the playoffs.
· We need to look into getting some kind of extension netting for the backstop at Hersey, as lots of baseballs now live in the woods. Open issue for this committee to look into for next season.
· We need additional Speedy Dry in stock, Bob to order.
· Suggested that it would be good idea to trim the tree behind the Haley backstop, it’s creeping in to the playing field. Bob will follow up.
· Briefly discussed need for a shed at Hersey for storage.

· Social Committee Report
o Chairpersons are Melissa Flanagan and Tia Mastromatteo
o Identify potential fundraisers
· Golf tournament is 9/21/05
· Other suggestions

· Publicity Committee/Opening Day/Fourth of July Float
o Melissa Flanagan is Chairperson
· Volunteers to create this year’s Fourth of July Float
· Additional details?
· Discussed logistics in detail. Parade on July 4th, will need to prepare float on Sunday the 3rd at Hingham Lumber. Rich will coordinate, and Dave O’Connor will be helping out again.
· Materials from last year are in storage, Rick Linehan and Melissa Flanagan will coordinate, need volunteers to help out. Last year worked really well, signage for sponsors a plus.
· All outgoing 12 year olds, and Major and Minor Championship teams will be invited to ride on the float, along with members of the Board, some of whom will be walking alongside. A motion was made and passed to invite Joey Granatino to ride on the float – Joey had a terrific year in Minors and Joe Granatino expressed his gratefulness to the board for affording this opportunity.
· Melissa will follow up on final logistics, ie where and when the kids should show up (9:00am is plenty early)…
· Melissa will send notices for the parade and the All Star games to the Hingham Journal. Also to post on website and email.

· Calendar of Events
o Post updated Calendar on the website
· No discussion

· Sandlot
o Cliff Boyle is chairperson
· Status of request by Hingham Rec for Hingham Little League to run this program
· Agreed to manage the program, co-sponsoring with Rec.
· Status of volunteers, costs, equipment and other details
· Cliff has board approval to set this up. Discussed a question regarding insurance, whether we are covered by Rec or Little League. Elliot suggested we are covered under Little League for all registered players, and players not registered in LL show up, we will put them in and pay the fees
· Cost will be per player, includes fees, t-shirts for all players. 8-11 year olds eligible.
· Will need adult volunteers to sign up of oversight, in addition to 2 High School age kids to run the games; agreed to pay them .00 per day, need to run CORI.
· Games on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Hersey, discussed possibility of also using Haley.
· Cliff will follow up with previous Rec employees who ran the program in the past to see if their still interested.
· Cliff will put a more formal plan together and share with the Board on getting the program up and running.


· Summer Travel Baseball
· Update on Travel Teams
· Williamsport team
o Team has been selected and will be posted to the website by Rob. Leo Peloquin, Rich Magner, and Ron Driscoll will coach.
· Suburban teams
o Selections being made and should be finalized this week. Coaches are Peloquin, Pomroy, White, and Carlson for 12, 11, 10, 9’s respectively.
· South River teams


· New Business
o Little League District 8 Meetings
· Recent meeting held, discussed formation of Williamsport team. Paperwork packet needs approval. Meeting scheduled for 6/22 to continue with reference to Williamsport related issues.
· Discussion regarding trophies for all levels, as a follow up from some feedback from a coach. Decided to use the same approach as last year, with trophies going to All Stars, Championship teams, and Contest winners.

· Schedule for Upcoming Meetings
o Monday 7/11/05
o Monday 8/8/05
o Monday 9/12/05
o Monday 10/3/05
o Monday 10/24/05 (Annual Meeting)

The meeting was adjourned at 9:45 pm
Submitted by Secretary Tim Driscoll

Hingham Little League Board of Directors Meeting

Minutes of November 22, 2004

Hingham Recreation Center



The twenty third meeting of the Hingham Little League Board of Directors was

called to order by President Rick Linehan at 7:35 pm.



Board of Directors present were: Rob Blomberg, Cliff Boyle, Bruce Corwin, Joe Craven, Tim Driscoll, Melissa Flanagan, Joe Granatino, Mark Igo, Bob Keyes, Paul LeBlanc, Mike Letorney, Rick Linehan, Rich Magner, Elliot Sherman, Rick West, Steve White, Tim Zyrkowski



Owen McConville and Tia Mastromatteo were absent.



Opening Discussions



Welcome to the new Board. Congratulations and an immense thank you to all those who contributed countless hours and effort for establishing Hingham Little League as a hugely successful program out of the gate. Due to your efforts, we are now poised to take the program, focused on involvement of all the membership, to a new level. Particular recognition was acknowledged for President Rick Linehan who deserves recognition for guiding the program through its infancy.



New Business



Primary agenda item and first order of action for all assembled was the election of officers for the new Board of Directors as follows:



Election of Officers – 2005



Prior to accepting nominations and voting on candidates, where necessary we individually reviewed the job descriptions for each position and/or committee. Nominations were accepted from the floor, and as necessary ballots were distributed and results tabulated with the following outcome:



The results of the voting under Article VII and by specific Section were as follows:

• Section 2-President- Rob Blomberg

• Section 3-Vice President-Elliot Sherman

• Section 4-Secretary-Tim Driscoll

• Section 5-Treasurer-Bob Keyes

• Section 6-Player Agent-Mike Letorney

• Section 7-Safety Officer-Owen McConville

• Section 8-Coaching Coordinator-Joe Craven



The results of the voting under Article VIII and by specific Section were as follows:

• Section 1-Executive Committee-Rob Blomberg, Bob Keyes, Mark Igo, Rick Linehan and Paul LeBlanc



The results of the voting under Article IX and by specific Section were as follows:

• Section 1-Nominating Committee

o Cliff Boyle, Melissa Flanagan, Bruce Corwin

• Section 2-Membership Committee

o Elliot Sherman, Paul LeBlanc, Rick Linehan

• Section 3-Finance Committee

o Melissa Flanagan, Joe Granatino, Mark Igo, plus Bob Keyes (The Treasurer is automatically on this committee – ex officio means By virtue of office or position.)

• Section 4-Buildings and Property Committee

o Bob Keyes, Rick West, Rich Magner, Elliot Sherman, Steve White, Tim Zyrkowski, Cliff Boyle

• Section 5-Grounds Committee

o Bob Keyes, Rick West, Rich Magner, Elliot Sherman, Steve White, Tim Zyrkowski, Cliff Boyle

• Section 6-Playing Equipment Committee

o Mark Igo, Paul LeBlanc, Rick West, Joe Craven, Owen McConville

• Section 7-Managers Committee

o Joe Craven (ex-officio), Mike Letorney, Rich Magner, Mark Igo, Steve White

• Section 8-Umpire Committee

o Mark Igo, Rich Magner, Tim Zyrkwoski, Steve White, Cliff Boyle, Rob Blomberg ex-officio

• Section 9-District Committee

o Rob Blomberg, Elliot Sherman, Rick Linehan, Mike Letorney, Joe Craven

• Section 10-Auxillary/Sponsor Committee

o Bob Keyes, Melissa Flanagan, Bruce Corwin, Paul LeBlanc, Mike Letorney

• Section 11-Auditing Committee

o Tim Zyrkowski, Cliff Boyle, Rick Linehan, Joe Craven

• Section 12-Election Committee

o Rob Blomberg, Joe Granatino, Rick West, Tim Driscoll

• Section 13-Major League Committee

o Joe Granatino, Rich Magner, Bruce Corwin

• Section 14-Minor League Committee

o Mike Letorney, Paul LeBlanc, Rick West

• Section 15- Farm League Committee

o Tim Zyrkowski, Tim Driscoll, Mike Letorney

• Section 16-Other Committees-

o by Board vote, following committees were created and members elected

o Tee Ball Committee - Mark Igo, Joe Craven, Steve White

o Social Committee – Mike Letorney, Melissa Flanagan, Paul LeBlanc, Bruce Corwin, Tia Mastromatteo

o CORI Committee – Rob Blomberg, Rick Linehan, Bob Keyes

o Challenger Committee – Rob Blomberg, Joe Granatino, Bob Keyes, Mark Igo, Paul LeBlanc, Rich Magner, Tia Mastromatteao



Be it noted that charters/descriptions of the Other Committees under Section 16 will need to be created and recorded for each committee. This should be taken up as an agenda item at a subsequent meeting.



Board Meetings



Newly elected President Rob Blomberg proposed that a regularly scheduled monthly meeting date be adopted. After discussion, the 2nd Monday of each month was agreed to as a target, although several members have a conflict on December 13th. Therefore, the next meeting is scheduled for MONDAY DECEMBER 6th at 7:30 pm at the Recreation Center. Bob Keyes is working on reserving the room, details to follow. Subsequent to that, the Board should adopt a schedule for meeting every second Monday of the month. Bob Keyes will schedule the meetings at the Hingham Rec Center to secure the space. Our goal is to set a regular time and place for the meetings.



Financial/Treasurer’s Report



Bob Keyes commented on the account balances and we are in good shape on the books (specifics not available at this time).



Buildings and Grounds Report



Bob Keyes discussed recent improvements at the fields. Work at Haley Field is completed with aeration, fertilizer, new fencing on the dugouts etc. Leaves need to be cleaned off (subsequent to the meeting, it was reported that the Town will clear them off). Hersey Field work is nearly completed, the new fencing is in place with the assistance of the Iaria Company. A significant amount of this work was completed free of charge. A motion was passed to hire Iaria to complete the work on the fields due to their willingness to donate time and effort to the cause of the Hingham Little League.



New Business



A motion was made to provide a mailing list of eligible 12 year olds moving up to Babe Ruth to the Hingham Babe Ruth League for the purpose of informing Hingham eligible players of opportunities to continue their baseball participation. Discussion included the desire to establish a close working relationship with the Babe Ruth League, and to adhere to stipulations of the Little League charter concerning availability of such information regarding the players. After discussion, the motion was amended and approved to the following considerations:



• We will provide access to only those players eligible, by no means to provide the entire mailing list of Hingham Little League

• We will provide access to the mailing service who shall provide only the labels (ie name and address information), for the purpose of fulfilling the Babe Ruth mailing for the upcoming season, and not to provide the information in electronic format for potential reuse or resale to any other party.

• Elliott Sherman will provide verbiage (standard Little League material) regarding the agreement with Hingham Babe Ruth League



Newly elected President Rob Blomberg provided the game plan for the Board’s next meeting, suggesting that we review all the topics but only focus in detail on specific topics that have timing elements such as registration fees, registration dates, early sponsorship requirements, etc. Other proposed topics for the agenda are to have the newly elected committees meet, review existing material and have them recommend changes to the entire HLL Board. This could involve playing rules, equipment, the wood vs. metal bat issue, etc. depending on the committee.



Meeting Adjourned at 9:30 pm





.

Hingham Little League Board of Directors Meeting
April 4, 2005
Hingham Recreation Center

Meeting Minutes

The thirtieth meeting of the Hingham Little League Board of Directors was
called to order by President Rob Blomberg at 7:40 pm.

Present: Rob Blomberg, Bruce Corwin, Joe Craven, Tim Driscoll, Melissa Flanagan, Mike Letorney , Mark Igo, Bob Keyes, Rick Linehan, Rick West, Tim Zyrkowski Tia Mastromatteo, Owen McConville, Elliot Sherman,

Absent: Cliff Boyle, Paul LeBlanc, Joe Granatino, Rich Magner, Steve White

Secretary’s Report
• Approval of Meeting Minutes from 3/21/04 Meeting
o Minutes approved, to be posted by Tim Driscoll

Treasurer’s Report
• Current Balance
o Approximately 69,859.48
• Outstanding Expenses
o Equipment, umpires, and uniforms represent the majority of expenses
o Storage shed repair paid, approximately 0

Business Related Issues

• Local Little League Business Filings and Topics
o Articles of Incorporation-Renewal
o Public Charity Filings
o 501 (3) c Form
&#61607; In progress. Joe needs an electronic copy of the bylaws as approved from last year, Mark Igo to follow up
o Insurance Fees and Options
&#61607; Preliminary version filed
o Population Waiver
&#61607; Rob forwarded letter to Don Whitman on 3/10/05
• No response
• National Little League Business Filings
o Charter Application
• Preliminary version filed
o Charter Fees
• Part of insurance application
• Preliminary version filed
• Audit of 2003/2004 HLL Financial Results
o Status of Audit
• Bob will be in contact with Alan Gladstone after tax season.
• HLL Constitution and HLL By-Laws
• Copies to All Board Members (Electronically)
• As above, Mark is going to track them down, distribute, and post to site
• Posted on HLL Web Site

New Business

• Player Registration-Membership Committee Report
o Rick Linehan and Elliot Sherman are Co-Chairpersons
o Establishment of New “Final” Registration Date
• Final date has passed
o Updated Registration Counts
• Breakdown by age groups
• 12-69
• 11-93
• 10 & 9 (combined 237)
• 8 & 7 (Rick didn’t report his numbers...you might want to followup with him)
• 6 & 5 ( combined 191)
• Challenger-2
o HLL Website
• Use of HLL website for registration database
o Update on Schedule for Major’s, Minors, Farm and T Ball
• Update from Rick Linehan
• Majors and Minors schedules are just about completed, Farm and T-Ball on the way. Opening day for Minors will be 4/30, Opening Day Majors is May 1st

• Sponsorships and Donations-Committee Report
o Chairpersons are Melissa Flanagan and Tia Mastromatteo
o Update of 2005 sponsors at all four levels (Major, Minor, Farm and T Ball)
• Just about all are accounted for, checks are in the mail for remaining 4 or 5 in question. Need 2 sponsors for Farm, Melissa will continue to seek other sponsors, can also advertise at Farm Draft if needed. Otherwise, miles ahead of last year on Sponsorship from last year.
o Discuss Other Issues
• 501 (c) (3) form required for Verizon sponsorship remains outstanding

League Rules and Local By-Law Issues

• Player Agent Report
o Mike Letorney is Player Agent
o Status of Tryouts-4/2 and 4/3 at the South Shore Sports Center
• Outstanding Issues?
o Tryouts held as above with very few issues. Terrific job Mike and all the staff.
o Staffing times at tryout table
o Procedures to be followed
• Coordination with Dan McHugh for HHS varsity players
o Rob will send thank you letter to Dan for the players, really helped out a lot, much appreciated.
• Make-up tryout date
o Only a handful expected on April 5th. There are 3 or 4 12 year old players who Mike will contact for final determination as to their commitment (registered but did not show for tryout or notify Board Member). One player is known to be injured.
• Status of Draft
• Outstanding Issues?

• Drafting rule was discussed, change confirmed that Major managers can select ten year olds by the end of the fifth round, as opposed to the fourth round as was originally stated. This makes the rule consistent with the LL rule for manager selection of ten year old children - and is also fairer to those new managers with 11 year old children to select - which must be done by the fourth round. Remember, maximum of two ten year olds per team.

• Lengthy discussion on issue on minimum and maximum of numbers of 12 year old players per team, in light of the unknown ‘final’ numbers of 12’s that need to be drafted as per Little League rules.

A MOTION was made and PASSED that requires all Major teams to carry a minimum of five or six 12 year old players and a maximum of 6. In order to ensure all the twelve year olds eligible are accounted for and selected, a lottery will take place BEFORE THE DRAFT that will require some number of teams to carry a minimum of six 12 year olds to level off the numbers. This will be enforced until all the 12 year olds are selected.

• MINORS: There were a significant number of players that did not try out - approximately 30, and discussion on this issue ensued. Some concern was voiced that this has a remote possibility of trying to hide players in order for protecting them in the draft, clearly against the rules. It was agreed that the best way to handle this issue is that only players who participated in try outs will be drafted, with the remaining players allocated to teams by blind draw. Our goal is to have as balanced a league as possible, and the fastest way for that not to happen is to draft about 15% of the players without having seen them play.

• Draft Meetings will precede each draft
• Draft/Selection Dates
• Majors-4/8 from 7-9 at Hingham Rec
• Minors-4/12 from 7-9:30 at PRS
• Farm/TBall-4/13 from 7-9:30 at PRS
• Draft order at Majors and Minors
• Majors-follow LL rules where last place of last year picks first and continues in reverse order of finish for Majors
o There was some discussion on this issue, and the Board confirmed we will use the serpentine method 1-12, 13-1, etc. as allowed within Little League rules as reviewed and understood during this discussion.
• Minors order to be determined by double draw out of hat

• Major League Committee Report
o Joe Granatino is Chairperson
o Outstanding Issues?
• No report, no known issues at this time
o Age limitations and restrictions
• All 12 year olds automatically in Majors (Little League rule)
• Number of players per Major’s team is 13 per team
• Maximum of two 10 year olds per team can be drafted in Majors
• 10’s must be taken by the 5th round
• Determine minimum number of 12’s required per team
• As above

• Minor League Committee Report
o Paul LeBlanc is the Chairperson
o Outstanding Issues?
• No report, no known issues

• Farm League Committee
o Chairperson is Tim Driscoll
o Outstanding Issues?
• No issues to report.

• TBall Committee
o Chairperson is Mark Igo
o Outstanding Issues?
• Discussed issue of early starting times for Sunday games. Mark will work with Rick for the best possible solutions for scheduling the games. It was noted that not all teams will always be starting before 12:00 pm each week which allows some flexibility. We have a lot teams with a lot of players to support this season (nearly 200 enrolled).

• Manager’s Committee Report
o Joe Craven is Chairperson
o Status of selection of Managers and Coaches at all levels
• Issues on specific coaches
• Nearly complete; Joe will finalize this week
o CORI applications will need to be completed and submitted by all prospective Managers and Coaches
• To be reaffirmed at Drafts
o Dates for intermediate and advanced training for Managers and Coaches
• To be determined, likely to be the week of April 25th as vacation week is expected to limit attendance.
o Practice manual for HLL will be developed
o Communication of HLL’s Coaching and Parental Policy
• Policy to be discussed prior to all Drafts

• Equipment Committee Report
o Rick West is Chairperson
o Outstanding Issues
• Inventory completed in 1/05 of existing equipment and uniforms at all four levels
• Budget for 2005 will be approximately ,000
• Determine what equipment needs to be replaced
• Status of ordering uniforms
• Uniforms and equipment for T-Ball and Farm ordered from Rockland. Purchased additional helmets to be equipped with facemasks (1 per Major and Minor team) as previously voted on. Miscellaneous equipment purchases ongoing.
• Issue of uniforms not being returned
• Managers agreed last year in writing to return all uniforms at risk of losing their ability to manage again. The missing shirts amount to nearly 00 in costs which should have been avoidable. The Equipment Committee will contact last year’s Managers who were responsible for the missing shirts before further determination will be made. How to deal with the Managers who failed to return all shirts will be discussed at next meeting.
• Determine which potential vendor(s) will be used for ordering equipment
• Best prices found by dividing vendors between Rockland and Beacon Sports; will continue to work with both vendors based on price and service.
• Equipment that will be provided
• Majors-hat, shirt, pants and sox
o Question arose regarding ordering of pants and sox at the Majors level. It was determined that most expedient way is to have coaches take pant sizes of players after the draft and contact Mark and Rick for ordering and color coordination with hats. This will ensure the little guys aren’t stuck with big guy pants and vice versa. Pickup will be arranged either by manager or Mark/Rick, to be determined.
• Minors, Farm and T Ball-hat and shirt
o Awaiting finalization of sponsorship and missing shirts prior to final order
• Status of batting cage at Haley/Cronin
o Batting cage has been delivered, is at the Rec.
• Cleaning of Shirts/ Getting LL Patches Sewn Onto Uniforms
o Melissa will followup with Lapels to determine if they have interest in cleaning, packaging, sewing on patches and repairing our uniform inventory

• Umpire Committee Report
o Rich Magner is Chairperson
o Review umpire requirements, rule changes and expectations for 2005
o Rates for umpires remain unchanged
o Completion of CORI form by all umpires
o Rule books need to be ordered
• Rob has ordered necessary copies
o Shirts needs to be ordered for new umpires
• Ordered
o Dates for the two followup training sessions (one session for all umpires and a second session for returning umpires)
• Posted April 7th for first session. Second session to be verified, during the week of April 25th is target.

• Challenger Division Report
o Chairpersons are Rob Blomberg, Joe Granatino and Tia Mastromatteo
o Ongoing problems encountered in getting the Challenger Division started
• Recommendation to table Challenger until Fall, 2005 or Spring, 2006
o Requirements for the Program
• Identification and number of players
• Two registrants thus far
• Update on recruitment
• Communication with Parents Advisory Committee
• Have received two versions of PAC List but cannot use the list due to concerns on how to make contact with the PAC as many names on the PAC List have disabilities that don’t qualify them for Challenger Division
• Need to attend next PAC Meeting to discuss and continue to spread the word about Challenger
o Communication of the Challenger Division Program
• Additional articles in the Hingham Journal, the Patriot Ledger and in the Boston Globe South edition
• No responses
• HLL Website
• Additional Contacts-Dan McHugh
• Hold meeting for parents of potential players
o Change in potential start date of Challenger Division to the fall of 2005 or spring of 2006
• Agreed that this was prudent decision at this time. Noted that the Braintree program took a year or two to get rolling. We will continue to pursue all avenues for publicizing. Discussion ensued regarding allowing Challenger candidates to participate in the other divisions; there is no rule against this and it can be taken up on an individual basis.

• Buildings, Property and Grounds Committee Report
o Cliff Boyle and Tim Zyrkowski-Co-Chairs
o Status of Existing Playing Fields-Haley, Hersey and PAL Fields
o Hingham Rec Permit Requirements
• Permit request for Haley, Hersey and PAL fields filed on 2/27/05
• Some additional information still needs to be provided to Hingham Rec to support the application
• .00 will be charged per player per team
• Await results of Rec meeting 4/6. Rob and Cliff to follow up

o Update on use of Hingham School Department Fields
• Permit filed for use of Hingham School Department Fields
• .00 per player user fee will be imposed by Hingham School Department
• Fields will be used for Minors
• Update on Rob’s phone call with Barbara from Hingham Schools on 2/28
• Still need communication from department and confirmation of availability. Rob to ask Cliff to follow up this week.
o Status of Ordering Portable Rest Rooms
• Need to be ordered from Haley, Hersey and PAL
• Bob to follow up

• Social Committee Report
o Chairpersons are Melissa Flanagan and Tia Mastromatteo
o Identify potential fundraisers
• Golf tournament is 9/21/05
• Other suggestions

• Publicity Committee
o Melissa Flanagan is Chairperson
o Decision made on photo vendor for HLL in 2005


• Safety Committee
o Owen McConville-Chairperson
o Discussion of details of ASAP Program (A Safety Awareness Program)
o Next steps needed to initiate the program
• Owen distributed draft of plan, requires some more information on enrollment.
• First aid equipment received for all teams, additional ice packs etc. for each of the Field boxes

• Concession Committee
o Elliot Sherman is chairperson
o Status of concession stand at PAL Field
• Volunteers are signing up and still being solicited. It was decided to open only on weekends. We have access to the facility. Need to discuss specific logistics at next meeting

• Calendar of Events
o Review HLL Calendar of Events for potential changes to the Calendar
• Opening Day ceremony at Hersey will be between scheduled games for Minor league teams on Saturday, April 30th. It was decided not to host a cookout for this event due to tightness of schedule. Invite for all Minor teams in uniform was an open issue
o Updated Calendar posted on the website

• Hingham Little League Website
o Status of additional content for the HLL Website
o Use of scheduling software
o Use of web banners

• PAL Field Conversion/Tom Hastings land swap
o 4/05 Town Meeting

• Other New Business
o Other fundraising opportunities

• Schedule for Upcoming Meetings
• Meeting scheduled for 4/11 has been moved
o Wednesday 4/27/05
o Monday 5/16/05
o Monday 6/6/05
o Monday 6/20/05
o Monday 7/11/05
o Monday 8/8/05
o Monday 9/12/05
o Monday 10/3/05
o Monday 10/24/05 (Annual Meeting)

Meeting Adjourned at 10:15 pm

Submitted by Tim Driscoll

Hingham Little League Board of Director’s Meeting
June 7, 2005
Hingham Recreation Center

Minutes

Meeting was called to order by President Blomberg at 7:35 p.m. with a quorum including Sherman, Craven, McConville, Flanagan, Letorney, Corwin, Magner, Igo, Linehan, and West. White and Boyle joined at 8:10 p.m. after the conclusion of their game.

Minutes of the meeting of May 16, 2005 were unanimously approved.

Treasurer’s Report: As Bob Keyes was attending the Recreation Commission meeting, the Treasurer’s report was deferred until next meeting. There was discussion concerning the Beacon and Rockland’s final invoices for equipment.

Business Related Issues:
¨ Local Little League Business Filings and Topics:
¨ Public Charity Filings: Craven noted that he has restarted the process and committed to completion by September 1, 2005. President Blomberg noted that it is critical that it be completed before the next Board assumes responsibility in October.
¨ Insurance Fees and Options: President Blomberg noted that 0 was returned by LL corporate as a rebate or overpayment of insurance premiums. He said that he believes it was an error on their part which will be looked into.
¨ Audit of 2003/2004 HLL Financial Results
¨ Bob Keyes has met with Alan Gladstone (CPA) and the audit is moving forward.

New Business

Player Registration-Membership Committee Report & Team Schedules
¨ Status of registration submission to LL – players and coaches. Sherman submitted over 1,000 players and volunteers to LL corporate on behalf of HLL. Out of the 1,000 submissions, only 9 errors were found (less than 1%). The corporate LL professionals were helpful in reconciling the data to eliminate the errors. It was noted that this process is insurance based – if the player or coach is not included in data submitted, they would not be covered by LL insurance.
¨ Use of HLL website for registration database. A brief discussion was held concerning next year’s registration and the possibility of doing on-line registration to eliminate or reduce the amount of manual input of data. It was noted that LL corporate sells software for this purpose – and that Hingham Youth Hockey is the only youth sports organization in Hingham that offers on-line registration. It was also noted that the use of credit cards for on-line registration will cost HLL a fee of 1% of total revenue – a price that we may not be willing to pay for the convenience. The discussion was ended with the note that it needs to be examined further.
¨ Status of Refunds. All refunds to players have been made. Igo reported that he has successfully cleared the T Ball waiting list – submitting two more registration forms.
¨ Sponsorships and Donations – Committee Report. The only outstanding issue remains Verizon, which is waiting for official submission. A discussion of single year sponsor fees was initiated by West as the fee simply covers the cost of shirts if they are replaced each year. There was discussion about changing vendors to lower the cost of the shirts, reusing the shirts with a different sponsor name, or potentially looking to increase the cost of one year sponsorship for next year.

League Rules and Local By-Law Issues

Player Agent Report – Playoff Format
¨ Majors: It was stated that last year’s playoff format worked very well and it was suggested to simply repeat the process for this year. On a motion by Craven, seconded by Letorney, the Board voted unanimously to adopt last year’s playoff format for Major Leagues.
¨ Minors (This discussion was deferred until later in the meeting to allow White and Boyle to arrive from their game). A lengthy discussion was held concerning the differing views of the minor league playoff format. At the April 27th meeting, the Board voted to move to a “blind-draw” process for determining playoff pairings in order to diminish the value of winning any single game during the season – and emphasizing the developmental mission of the minor leagues. On May 16th, the Board reversed that decision, voting to use the won-loss records of the teams as seeding for the playoffs. The basis for that decision was that the teams with the best won-loss records should be rewarded for the hard work of the players, and that the minor league managers, parents and players were opposed to the blind draw format. This issue was revisited for the final time with many views expressed, including the fact that once the Board adopts a rule for a league and communicates it to managers, it should not change that rule except under extraordinary circumstances. Many of the same discussions were held including the fact that there was a split among the minor managers – many of whom favored the blind draw system and some who favored the seeding system; the historic structural challenges of the minors leagues given the large disparity in talent between some ten year olds – and some nine year olds; the challenges in the drafting process; the large number of teams creating a diffusion of talent; and the fact that the mission of HLL, and minors in particular, is developmental, not competitive. At the end, upon motion by White, seconded by Boyle, the Board unanimously adopted a minor league playoff plan that provided first round byes to the teams with the best records from each division; with other pairings being selected by blind draw. It was also agreed that a more structural review of the minor leagues in necessary for next year, including a bottom-up review of the draft process.

Major, Minor, Farm and TBall Committee Reports

It was reported that all levels are having positive experiences with very few complaints regarding coaching, umpiring, parents or players. White noted that it is difficult with so many farm team players on a team (17) and that should be examined.


Major League All Star Game. It was noted that the Major League All Star Game will be held on Saturday, July 2nd. A discussion was held on the purpose of this game and last year’s rule that it be restricted to twelve year olds. Members of the Board noted that it is really not a league all star game – it’s more of a reward to those twelve year olds who performed at a high level are ending their HLL careers. After a motion by Craven and second by Letorney, the Board voted to again limit the Major League All Star Game to twelve year olds, with three being nominated by each of the 12 teams.

Minor League All Star Game. It was noted that the Minor League All Star Game will also be held on Saturday, July 2nd. There was discussion about the logistical difficulties of this game with the large number of teams and players. There was discussion about having two games – but the logistical difficulties of having two games over a holiday weekend were also discussed. In addition, there was discussion about limiting the game to only ten and eleven year olds, but it was pointed out by Boyle that many teams have predominantly nine year olds and the sentiment was expressed that it would be unfair to limit the nomination process to tens and elevens. Upon motion and second, the Board voted to have one Minor League All Star Game, with all age players eligible; to limit the number of player to two per team; to extend the game to seven innings; and to have a different pitcher each inning.

Craven was asked to make sure Manager’s submitted All Star names to Letorney as player agent prior to last game of season.

Manager’s Committee Report

Craven discussed that the First Aid training still needs to be scheduled; difficulties in getting a qualified instructor have delayed the session. McConville (safety officer) will arrange for South Shore Hospital personnel to hold session before end of year. Catching a pitching clinics were victims of rainout rescheduling and summer tryouts. We will attempt to reschedule catching clinics – focused on older players.

It was noted by Sherman that list of coaches for all teams have not been formally approved by the Board – however, it was also noted that all names have been submitted as part of data submitted to LL corporate, as well as for CORI checks. On a motion by Boyle, seconded by Letorney, Board voted to approve coaches list, with two exceptions (both of which were resolved within the week following the meeting).

Equipment Committee Report

West asked that the coaches do an inventory of equipment in their bags as some umpires equipment was inadvertently picked up this week, and some reports of missing equipment have surfaced. Craven was asked to email managers. Discussion that all equipment/umpire boxes have been tampered with and some equipment/bases are missing. Upon motion and second, the Board voted to approve locks for all equipment/umpire boxes.


Umpire Committee Report

Magner reported that other than a little griping about minors, umpire issues have been benign. The umpires have been enthusiastic, the feedback has been positive – including written communication from Boyle regarding positive performance of one umpire. The only issue for umpires is that there are not enough games for them.

Safety

McConville reported that the safety plan is complete except for the manager/coach meeting which will be scheduled promptly.

Challenger Division Report

President Blomberg reported progress in the Challenger Division. He held a meeting with interested parties, including Dr. Loud, where the LL video was shown. There is optimism that a program can be started in Hingham, modeling successful programs in Braintree and Norwood. It was noted by Flanagan that Fox News recently showed a very positive TV piece on Norwood’s program.

Social Committee Report.

Letorney reported that the Golf Tournament is on for September 21st. He noted that hole sponsors are wanted.

Sandlot.

Boyle reported that adult volunteers are needed to oversee Hingham Rec’s sandlot program to be held at Hersey Field Tuesday and Friday mornings, July 11 through early August, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. He said Hingham Rec is uncomfortable with only a high school student attending when 9 to 12 year olds are playing. Board members volunteered and Boyle would seek others out to cover the time periods in question.

Summer Travel Baseball

Discussion regarding summer travel tryouts including Williamsport Team, Cooperstown Team, Suburban Teams and South River Teams. Schedule was shown (9’s and 10’s on Saturday, June 11th; 12’s and 11’s on Friday and Saturday, June 17th and 18th, respectively). Board member who don’t have player eligible for that level will be eligible to judge. Coaches Committee, along with summer coordinator, Elliot Sherman will be responsible for the review of all coaches interested in coaching in the summer.




New Business

District 8 Meeting: It was discussed that we should have the Williamsport Manager selected prior to June 15th District 8 Meeting, as scheduling, rules for the tournament would be discussed. It was determined that Rich Magner should attend that meeting, as he will either be manager or a coach of that team.

Schedule for Upcoming Meetings.

It will be determined in next few weeks whether a June 20th meeting will be necessary. Only topic at time would seem to be July 4th parade. President Blomberg to notify Board Members.

Upon motion and second, the meeting of June 7th was adjourned.

Hingham Little League Board of Directors Meeting

December 10, 2003

Hingham Rec Center



The first meeting of the Hingham Little League Board of Directors was called to order at 8:00 pm on December 10, 2003 at the Hingham Rec Center.



Board of Directors present were: Rob Blomberg, Mike Bynarowicz, Dave Canepa, Melissa Flanagan, Tom Golden, Joe Granatino, Mark Igo, Bob Keyes, Mike Letorney, Rick Linehan, Owen McConville, Amy McGuiggan, Elliot Sherman and Rick West. The only Board member absent was Steve Hughes.



A review of the HLL Board of Director List of telephone numbers, addresses and emails occurred and corrections made. These corrections to the HLL BOD List will be forwarded in a separate email note.



After reviewing schedules we decided that the HLL BOD meetings would take place on Monday night at 7:30 pm at the Hingham Rec Center. Upcoming meetings will be held on the following dates: 12/20/03; 1/12/04; 1/26/04; 2/2/04; 2/9/04; 3/1/04; 3/15/04; 3/22/04; 4/5/04; 4/12/04; 4/19/04; and 4/26/04. Starting on 5/3/03 when the season begins we decided to have weekly meetings every Monday night throughout the season.



A preliminary agenda had been drafted by Elliot Sherman and Mark Igo. The proposed agenda was reviewed. We decided to have tonight’s meeting focus on rules concerning the Little League Constitution and election of all officers.



Elliot reviewed the Little League Constitution, the by Laws and our ability to make local rules and regulations applicable to HLL. He also reviewed our need to incorporate HLL. Hingham Youth Hockey is incorporated. Hingham Youth Baseball had been incorporated as well. As a group we discussed 501 C-3 and the rules around filing as a Public Charity. We agreed that following up on these items were priority items once we elected offices for the HLL Board. Once incorporated we will be required to produce annual reports. Incorporation will also create a separate identity for tax purposes.



We proceeded to the election of officers. Prior to accepting nominations and voting on candidates we individually reviewed the job descriptions for each position and/or committee.



The results of the voting under Article VII and by specific Section were as follows:

Section 2-President-Rick Linehan

Section 3-Vice President-Elliot Sherman

Section 4-Secretary-Joe Granatino

Section 5-Treasurer-Bob Keyes

Section 6-Player Agent-Mike Letorney

Section 7-Safety Officer-Owen McConville

Section 8-Coaching Coordinator-Mark Igo



The results of the voting under Article VIII and by specific Section were as follows:

Section 1-Executive Committee-Rob Blomberg, Mike Bynarowicz, Bob Keyes, Rick Linehan and Rick West



The results of the voting under Article IX and by specific Section were as follows:

Section 1-Nominating Committee-Tom Golden, Mike Letorney and Elliot Sherman

Section 2-Membership Committee-Melissa Flanagan, Joe Granatino and Amy McGuiggan

Section 3-Finance Committee-Mike Bynarowicz, Tom Golden, Mark Igo plus Bob Keyes (The Treasurer is automatically on this committee).

Section 4-Buildings and Property Committee-Tom Golden, Steve Hughes and Bob Keyes

Section 5-Grounds Committee- Tom Golden, Steve Hughes and Bob Keyes

Section 6-Playing Equipment Committee-Steve Hughes, Owen McConville and Rick West

Section 7-Managers Committee-Rob Blomberg, Mark Igo, Mike Letorney, Elliot Sherman and Rick West

Section 8-Umpire Committee-Dave Canepa was appointed as the Chief Umpire. Discussion had occurred earlier in the meeting and the motion to create an Umpire Coordinator position was approved. Once we reached this section of the HLL Constitution we noted that this position was already listed as Chief Umpire. Others included Mark Igo and Rick West plus Rick Linehan. (The President is automatically on this committee).

Section 9-District Committee-Tom Golden and Mike Letorney plus Rick Linehan. (The President is automatically on this committee).

Section 10-Auxillary/Sponsor Committee-Mike Bynarowicz, Melissa Flanagan and Bob Keyes

Section 11-Auditing Committee-Rob Blomberg, Mike Letorney and Elliot Sherman

Section 12-Election Committee-Rob Blomberg, Dave Canepa and Amy McGuiggan

Section 13-Major League Committee-Joe Granatino was elected Major League Vice President. Amy McGuiggan and Rick West are also on this committee.

Section 14-Minor League Committee- Mike Letorney was elected Minor League Vice President. Mike Bynarowicz and Owen McConville are also on this committee.

Section 15- Farm League Committee- Rick Linehan was elected Farm League Vice President. Steve Hughes and Mark Igo are also on this committee.

Section 16-Other Committees-by Board vote the position of Publicity/Special events was created. Melissa Flanagan and Amy McGuiggan will serve as co-chairs.

It was proposed but not voted upon that a Summer Baseball Travel Committee be created in the future.



From a priority standpoint the next steps are to secure the Little League Charter, focus on membership, identify other areas of greatest importance and create an agenda for the 12/22 meeting. All Board members were asked to forward their thoughts by email to Rick Linehan prior to the next meeting.



The meeting was adjourned at 10:25 pm.



Submitted by Rob Blomberg 12/11/03

HLL Board of Directors Meeting, December 22, 2003
Hingham Recreation Center
The second meeting of the Hingham Little League Board of Directors was called to order by President Rick Linehan at 7:37 pm on December 22, 2003 at the Hingham Recreation Center.
Board of Directors present were: Rob Blomberg, Mike Bynarowicz, Dave Canepa, Melissa Flanagan, Tom Golden, Joe Granatino, Mark Igo, Bob Keyes, Mike Letorney, Rick Linehan, Owen McConville, Amy McGuiggan, Elliot Sherman and Rick West. Board member absent was Steve Hughes.
Local Little League Business Filings:
Articles of Incorporation - Vice-President Elliot Sherman addressed this matter and stated all paper work was being processed and hopefully by the next meeting the Articles would be signed.
Public Charity Filings - Vice-President Elliot Sherman addressed this matter also and stated that all paper work was being processed and hopefully by the next meeting the Filings will be signed and filed.
IRS-04 Number - Treasurer Bob Keyes addressed this issue and stated that he was waiting on the Articles of Incorporation and that he would file all the appropriate paperwork in the near future.
Bank Account - Treasurer Bob Keyes addressed this issue and after a discussion amongst Board members it was voted on to make the Hingham Institute for Savings the official bank of Hingham Little League.
National Little League Filings:
Charter Application - President Rick Linehan addressed this issue and stated that the Little League is forwarding him all the appropriate paperwork. Information will include teams in the division along with the insurance rates.
Player Registration Process:
The membership committee addressed this issue and after a lengthy open discussion it was decided that Elliot would continue to contact local sport leagues to the availability of their mailing list and Melissa Flanagan and Joe Granatino would contact the three elementary schools in town regarding the availability of their school directories.
There was a discussion regarding the rates for the registration fee for the season. It was voted upon that Major League would be eighty dollars and Minor and Farm Leagues would be seventy dollars. There would be a one hundred and sixty dollar cap per family. Tee-ball rates were tabled till it was decided if there would be a Tee-ball league this year.
Registration for the upcoming season will be on January 24, 2004 from 9:00 am - 1:00 pm at the Hingham Recreation Center and on January 26, 2004 from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm also at the Recreation Center. The application will also be placed on the web site and a mailing will be done through Ryan Mailing Services.
The Publicity/Special Events Committee is drafting up a letter for the Hingham Journal to let everyone know about the upcoming season. It was decided that a weekly reminder should also be placed in the Journal regarding the upcoming Registration.
Sponsorships and Donations:
During discussion it was voted to set sponsorship levels and fees. Major League Sponsors fee were set at ,500.00 for a three year commitment. Minor League and Farm League fees will be set at 0.00 a year. Sponsors will receive their names on the player shirts, corporate sponsorship on the HLL website, recognition in the HLL yearbook, Thank-you notice in the Hingham Journal, Framed certificate, eligibility for a tax-deduction and the winner of each league will have the respective league trophy for display at their business.
The committee will provide to Mark Igo by 1/12/04 a promotional packet that will be sent out to potential donors. This package is tentatively set for a 1/31/04 mailing.
League Rules and Local By-Law issues:
Major League:
Eliot Sherman and Mark Igo provided board members with information pertaining to the National Little League and other Local Little Leagues rules and regulations. It was voted that this year teams would have thirteen players on their roster with a maximum of eight twelve year olds per team. It was voted that ten year old players would not be eligible for Major League Baseball. After the vote it was discussed and agreed upon that after the registration if it was deemed necessary the ten year old rule would be revisited.
Major League baseball will only use wooden bats.
The draft process and local playing rules were tabled for future meetings.
Minor League will consist of nine and ten year olds and those eleven year olds not selected at the Major League level.
Minor League baseball will only use wooden bats.
The draft process and local playing rules were tabled for future meetings.
Farm League will consist of seven and eight year old players. Six year olds may compete on the Farm League level if they have completed one year of Tee-ball and they receive a waiver from the Player Agent.
Farm League baseball may use wood or aluminum bats.
The draft process and local playing rules were tabled for future meetings.
Tee-Ball it was voted to start a Tee-Ball league for the upcoming season. Mark Igo and Mike Letorney will head up this committee. There will be a .00 fee to participate in the Tee-Ball League.
Wooden Bat Issue:
This issue was taken up and voted upon at each league level.
Managers and Coaches:
It was voted on that no previous manager or coach at the Major League level would be grand fathered in for the upcoming season. All players would also have to tryout for the upcoming season.
All individuals who would like to coach in the Hingham Little League must submit a volunteer application. The coaching committee will meet with each individual and make there recommendations to the board of Directors.
Last years Major League managers will be given consideration based upon their previous coaching experience.
Last years assistant coaches will be given consideration based upon their previous coaching experience.
Only Managers will be assigned to a team prior to the draft. Assistant coaches who are recommended to coach by the coaching committee will have their name placed on a list as an eligible coach. After the draft is completed Mark Igo will supply the Managers with names of volunteers who would like to be an assistant coach.
As soon as volunteer applications are processed a CORI check will be initiated.

It was voted on to keep the name of Joe Haley as one of the teams at the Major League level.

Uniforms and Equipment:
Uniform and equipment needs will be addressed at a later time after the registration period.

Umpire Issues:
Minimum age requirement for Major League umpires is ninth grade with a minimum of three years umpiring experience.
The issue of structuring umpiring teams will be tabled to a future meeting.

Umpires will receive .00 for a Major League game and .00 for a Minor League game.

The meeting was adjourned at 10:45 pm.

Submitted by Secretary Joseph K. Granatino.

Hingham Little League Board of Directors Meeting
April 27, 2005
Hingham Recreation Center

Meeting Mintues

The thirty first meeting of the Hingham Little League Board of Directors was called to order by President Rob Blomberg at 7:42 pm.

Attendees: Rob Blomberg, Mark Igo, Steve White, Cliff Boyle, Tim Driscoll, Rich Magner, Mike Letorney, Rick Linehan, Bruce Corwin, Melissa Flanagan, Rick West, Joe Granatino, Owen McConville
Absent.: Paul LeBlanc, Bob Keyes, Tim Zyrkowski, Tia Mastromatteo, Joe Craven, Elliot Sherman


Secretary’s Report
• Approval of Meeting Minutes from 4/4/04 Meeting
o Minutes accepted; to be posted by Tim Driscoll

Treasurer’s Report
• Current Balance
o 70,141.23
• Outstanding Expenses
o Approximately 10,000 due to Rockland Equipment for uniforms and equipment, outstanding balance with Beacon not determined as yet. Dues have been returned for several players not opting to play, including 2 12 year old players who did not attend tryouts and are now on waiting list for Majors. A copy of itemized financial statement was distributed, thank you Bob Keyes.

Business Related Issues

• Local Little League Business Filings and Topics
o Articles of Incorporation-Renewal
&#61607; Certificate of Charter for 2005 received
o Public Charity Filings
o 501 (3) c Form – in progress
o Insurance Fees and Options
&#61607; Preliminary version filed
• Received response, all set.
o Population Waiver
&#61607; Approved
• All set for 2005. This is an annual renewal requirement and must be considered again for next year when it is likely we’ll have a population requirement issue.
• National Little League Business Filings
o Charter Application
• Received
o Charter Fees
• Preliminary version filed
• Audit of 2003/2004 HLL Financial Results
o Status of Audit
• No report at this time
• HLL Constitution and HLL By-Laws
o Copies to All Board Members (Electronically)
• To be distributed, Mark or Elliot should have the e-copy.
o Posted on HLL Web Site
• Needs follow up once received

New Business

• Player Registration-Membership Committee Report & Team Schedules
o Rick Linehan and Elliot Sherman are Co-Chairpersons
o Update/Issues
• Registration requests still coming in. Determined that numbers will allow for some flexibility to not turn away players in Farm and Minors (some openings), but no openings in Majors. Two 12 year old players who did not register on time are on a waiting list.
• Discussion ensued regarding how we can improve on this process for process for next year, particularly registrations were difficult for the T-Ball and Farm levels. Our philosophy of not turning away any player who wants to play has to be balanced with our ability to run our team assignment process smoothly, and not sticking to our established deadlines (with at least 3 extensions) creates significant amount of work and opportunity for mistakes in not assigning players in the same timeframe.
• A motion was made and passed to restrict team rosters to a maximum of 13 Majors, 14 Minors, 17 Farm, and 15 T-Ball for this year. There is enough room at the Minors, Farm and T-Ball levels to add a couple of players in the works. Once filled, no more registrations will be accepted.
o Final Registration Counts
• Breakdown by age groups
• No report available at this time; information will be useful for next year’s planning.
o HLL Website
• Use of HLL website for registration database
• After experiencing some difficulties this registration season, we look forward to taking advantage of the online process for next season.
o Status of Refunds
• As above, refunds have been issued to several families.

o Update on Schedule for Major’s, Minors, Farm and T Ball
• Outstanding issue update from Rick Linehan
• Rick reports schedule is just about finalized for all levels barring a few field adjustments for games at South School field. Discussion ensued regarding number of games particularly at Minor League levels. With the number of teams in the league we have had to reduce the amount of games to ensure possibility of coverage for rainouts. The availability of fields is a huge challenge for us as they are fully booked for games, and practice fields are just about non-existent and impossible to distribute evenly. This leaves it up to the coaches to figure out practice time strategies at all levels.

• Sponsorships and Donations-Committee Report
o Chairpersons are Melissa Flanagan and Tia Mastromatteo
o Update of 2005 sponsors at all four levels (Major, Minor, Farm and T Ball)
• We are in excellent shape again thanks to Melissa’s hard work, only a few checks not received but are expected without issue
o Discuss Other Issues
• 501 (c) (3) form required for Verizon sponsorship remains outstanding

League Rules and Local By-Law Issues

• Player Agent Report
o Mike Letorney is Player Agent
o Status of Draft
• Outstanding Issues?
• Final rosters need to be submitted to Little League by June 1st
• Discussed issue of 2 12 year olds on waiting list for Majors; spots will be available only thru injury or withdrawal of player on existing team
• Update on responses to inquiries regarding 11 year olds not playing in Majors
• Rob reviewed letter to be sent parents who had inquiries on this issue, and will distribute to the Board electronically.

• Major League Committee Report
o Joe Granatino is Chairperson
o Outstanding Issues?
• Discussed process for informing all levels regarding weather cancellations. Rick Linehan, Rich Magner, and Steve White will take the lead in determining if rainout is to be called, and we will communicate as soon as possible, using the website as the primary vehicle. Tim Driscoll will serve as backup person to post to website if needed.

• Minor League Committee Report
o Paul LeBlanc is the Chairperson
o Outstanding Issues?
• Debate regarding the need to track standings in Minors as the focus is on development. All teams will make the playoffs, and the seedings will be done by blind draw. After much debate, a motion was made and passed to continue tracking standings on the website, but to inform all that playoff seedings will be conducted by blind draw

• Farm League Committee
o Chairperson is Tim Driscoll
o Outstanding Issues?
• Nothing to report

• TBall Committee
o Chairperson is Mark Igo
o Outstanding Issues?
• Nothing to report

• Manager’s Committee Report
o Joe Craven is Chairperson
o Outstanding Issues
• Discussion again regarding lack of fields for scheduling practices ensued without resolution. There is a significant for fields in town and that is out of our control.
o Upcoming training for Managers and Coaches.
• No report
o Practice manual for HLL will be developed
• No report

• Equipment Committee Report
o Rick West is Chairperson
o Outstanding issues involving equipment or other items
• Rich Magner will order storage box for South School field
• Some teams did not receive bats and additional equipment, to be distributed and available for any teams in need. Issue regarding supplying of metal bats discussed and deferred as an issue for next season – need to supply them next season.
o Status of batting cage at Haley/Cronin
• Batting cage is available for all HLL teams on a first come first served basis.
o Potential Order of Temporary Pitching Mound at South School
• Issue discussed regarding permission to store mound at field. Cliff Boyle will follow up, but no issues are anticipated. A motion was made and passed to purchase a mound for South School field.. Fields and Grounds (Cliff and Tim Z) need to follow up ordering the item, Joe Craven has the details of what we need.
• Equipment and uniform distribution to be held at Rec Center on 4/29 Email and posting to website will be made.


• Umpire Committee Report
o Rich Magner is Chairperson
o Outstanding issues
o Upcoming training dates
• Meeting to take place on 4/27 for training and assignments. Once again, umpiring squad in great shape, 50 kids signed up for this terrific opportunity – great job Rich Magner and Mark Igo

• Challenger Division Report
o Chairpersons are Rob Blomberg, Joe Granatino and Tia Mastromatteo
o Tabled until Fall, 2005 or Spring, 2006
• Rob reported that he was contacted by the Patriot Ledger for a report to published soon regarding the program.

• Buildings, Property and Grounds Committee Report
o Cliff Boyle and Tim Zyrkowski-Co-Chairs
o Status of Existing Playing Fields-Haley, Hersey and PAL Fields
• Hingham Rec Permit Requirements
• Await confirmation on request for Haley, Hersey and PAL fields
• Status of .00 charged per player per team
o Update on use of Hingham School Department Fields
• Permit filed for use of Hingham School Department Fields
• Status of Hingham High School and South School fields
• Status of .00 per player user fee will be imposed by Hingham School Department
o Status of Ordering Portable Rest Rooms
• Need to be ordered from Haley, Hersey and PAL
• Complete
Issues - discussed need for dirt at the PAL fields and to build up the mounds. A motion was made and passed to request permission from the Rec Department and to investigate possible vendors to do the work. Cliff Boyle will follow up on this item

• Social Committee Report
o Chairpersons are Melissa Flanagan and Tia Mastromatteo
o Identify potential fundraisers
• Golf tournament is 9/21/05
• Other suggestions

• Publicity Committee/Opening Day
o Melissa Flanagan is Chairperson
o Finalize all details for Opening Day at Haley and Rededication at Hersey
• Hersey rededication-4/30
• Discussion regarding dedication at Hersey. Due to circumstances with conditions of the field not being final, it was proposed to defer ceremonies until the Minor League All-Star Game festivities in June. This will provide us an opportunity to better prepare for the ceremony and to highlight the improvements when they are completed.
• Haley-5/1
• Discussed logistics planning for Opening Day 5/1 at Haley. Melissa once again has taken the lead in organizing the details for the festivities – we owe Melissa a great deal of gratitude for tireless contributions. 1200 beef hot dogs on order with all the fixings. Bruce Corwin volunteered to assist in the BJ’s run and to arrange for beverages, thanks Bruce. Thank you also to our sponsors (Coca-Cola, Monadnock Water etc) for their contributions. All members of the Board are expected to be present at 8:30 Sunday morning to assist.

• Safety Committee
o Owen McConville-Chairperson
o Discussion of details of ASAP Program (A Safety Awareness Program)
• Outstanding issues
• Need to complete paperwork and send to Little League by end of April. Owen needs dates for coaches/First Aid training to be held. All first aid kits and ice packs are at the respective fields.

• Concession Committee
o Elliot Sherman is chairperson
o Status of concession stand at PAL Field
o Status of volunteers and start date
• No report

• Calendar of Events
o Review HLL Calendar of Events for potential changes to the Calendar
o Updated Calendar posted on the website

• Hingham Little League Website
o Status of additional content for the HLL Website
o Use of scheduling software
o Use of web banners
• No report

• PAL Field Conversion/Tom Hastings land swap
o Results of 4/05 Town Meeting
• Pending vote at Town Meeting not yet taken

• Other New Business
o Other fundraising opportunities

• Schedule for Upcoming Meetings
o Monday 5/16/05
o Monday 6/6/05
o Monday 6/20/05
o Monday 7/11/05
o Monday 8/8/05
o Monday 9/12/05
o Monday 10/3/05
o Monday 10/24/05 (Annual Meeting)

The meeting was adjourned at 10:05 pm.

Hingham Little League Board of Directors Meeting
May 16, 2005
Hingham Recreation Center

Meeting Agenda

The thirty second meeting of the Hingham Little League Board of Directors was called to order by President Rob Blomberg at 7:35 pm.

Attendees: Rob Blomberg, Mark Igo, Steve White, Elliot Sherman,
Cliff Boyle, Tim Driscoll, Rich Magner, Paul LeBlanc, Rick Linehan, Bob Keyes, Melissa Flanagan, Tia Mastromatteo Rick West, Joe Granatino, Owen McConville
Absent.: Mike Letorney, Tim Zyrkowski, Bruce Corwin, Joe Craven


Secretary’s Report
· Approval of Meeting Minutes from 4/27/04 Meeting
o Minutes accepted, to be posted by Tim Driscoll

Treasurer’s Report
· Current Balance
o ,005
· Outstanding Expenses
o Beacon Sports bill is outstanding for major expense, expect ,000.
o Little League fees, owe 0

Business Related Issues

· Local Little League Business Filings and Topics
o Articles of Incorporation-Renewal
§ Received
o Public Charity Filings
o Status of 501 (3) c Form
§ Still in progress, Joe Craven working on
o Insurance Fees and Options
§ Status of filing revised version
·
· National Little League Business Filings
o Charter Application
· Received
o Charter Fees
· Preliminary version filed
· Owe 0 for additional team
· Additional waivers, rosters, etc due June 6, 2005
· All 800+ players need to be added to LL database manually – Elliot is taking the lead on this.
· Audit of 2003/2004 HLL Financial Results
o Status of Audit
· In progress; need 501(3) c paperwork, no rush at this team
· HLL Constitution and HLL By-Laws
o Copies to All Board Members (Electronically)
· Version needs to be updated to reflect 2005, not 2004. Also to review number of Board Members (now 19). Mark Igo was assigned to make changes (or forward Word version to Tim D to take care of).
· Additional discussion regarding ability to break out the master schedule into divisions, difficult to read. Tim D will forward request to Mark Igo.
o Posted on HLL Web Site
· As above, need some minor corrections

New Business

· Player Registration-Membership Committee Report & Team Schedules
o Rick Linehan and Elliot Sherman are Co-Chairpersons
o Update/Issues
· Status of Registration Submission to Little League
· Use of HLL website for registration database
o Status of Refunds
· Completed
o Location of Missing 9/10 Year Old Registration Binder
· Rick Linehan may be holding the purloined binder, will follow up
o Schedules
· Outstanding Issues
· Fortunately had left open Saturdays, all Majors games washed out on May 8th were replayed May 14th. Farm League makeup for May 7th games make up date is Sunday, June 12th. A Minors game also rescheduled. Thank you Rick Linehan for handling the scheduling!

· Sponsorships and Donations-Committee Report
o Chairpersons are Melissa Flanagan and Tia Mastromatteo
o Outstanding Issues
· 501 (c) (3) form required for Verizon sponsorship remains outstanding
· All but one Sponsor have paid in full for their commitments. Melissa is in progress with the outstanding sponsor, no issues just the paperwork to be complete
· Tia reported that Talbots is still interesting in sponsorship, and although no openings at this time, we will continue to work with them for other opportunities – potential for All Star uniforms or other arrangement. Tia to follow up.

League Rules and Local By-Law Issues

· Player Agent Report
o Mike Letorney is Player Agent
o Status of Draft
· Additional followup responses to inquiries regarding 11 year olds not playing in Majors
· Rob has communicated with all families who made inquiries of the board regarding the selection process. It was noted that this issue is not new, according to a former Board member of Hingham Youth Baseball as discussed in a conversation with a current Board member.
· Major League Committee Report
o Joe Granatino is Chairperson
o Review and Approval of Revised Major’s Rules
· Joe reviewed the rules changes/updates etc. of the Major’s Rules. Highlights include:
· Number of games will change to ‘number of scheduled games will be decided by the Board of Directors at the start of the season’. Currently reads 16 games.
· Change reference to game times to be ’10 minutes after scheduled game start time’ and ‘1 hour before scheduled game start time’, to replace references to ‘6:10pm’ or ‘6:00pm’.
· Change ‘due to rain’ to add ‘due to rain or poor field conditions’
· All Majors players must play in the field 4 innings, with the exception of the case where the home team is winning the game at the end of 5 ½ innings
· Add ‘only uniformed players, Manager, 2 coaches, and scorekeeper are to on bench / in dugout or in field during the game.’ No exceptions.
· Mercy rule clarified – 15 runs after 3 ½ innings
· Change that ‘Playoff seedings to be determined by the Board of Directors’ . All teams will make the playoffs.
· Reminder – there is no on deck circle, no player shall have a bat other than the batter. This rule applies to all divisions.
· Coaches are not allowed to warm up pitchers. Players warming up pitcher must wear catcher’s mask
· In course of discussion, reminder that NO ALCOHOL is allowed at any of the town fields, no exceptions.
· Reviewed policy that Managers and Coaches are not allowed to wear uniform shirts on the field (Little League rule).
· A motion was made and passed to accept the proposed Majors Rules as outlined by Joe. The final official revisions to the rules will be distributed and posted to the website as soon as possible. (Tim will post significant changes/updates to website)

· Minor League Committee Report
o Paul LeBlanc is the Chairperson
o Review and Approval of Revised Minor’s Rules
· Paul reviewed the rules changes/updates etc. of the Minor’s Rules. Rules discussed in detail. Highlights include:
· Clarification of ‘overthrow’ issue. A motion was made and passed that the rule state ‘no player shall not advance on an overthrow at 3rd base’
· Discussion regarding Playoff seedings. It was noted that many Minors managers and players do not agree to ‘blind draw’ system for playoffs as previously discussed. A motion was made to have playoff seedings conducted by a blind draw. This was not passed. A motion was then made and passed to seed teams by record, top to bottom, with byes and draw pairings to be determined by the Board of Directors.
· A motion was made and passed to accept the proposed Minors Rules as outlined by Paul. The final official revisions to the rules will be distributed and posted to the website as soon as possible. (Tim will post significant changes/updates to website)

· Farm League Committee
o Chairperson is Tim Driscoll
o Outstanding Issues?
· Makeup dates for farm
· As above, rainouts of 5/7 rescheduled for 6/12. There is not a lot of room for future makeups if subsequent rainouts occur

· TBall Committee
o Chairperson is Mark Igo
o Outstanding Issues?
· There are 3 kids on waiting list, Mark hopes to place them soon

· Manager’s Committee Report
o Joe Craven is Chairperson
o Outstanding Issues
· Upcoming training for Managers, Coaches and players
· First Aid session == TBD
· Catching clinic === TBD
· Pitching clinic === TBD
· Status of practice manual for HLL
· Status of CORI checks for managers and players
· Rick Linehan reports good progress, must be uploaded to database still. Elliot asked for list of all coaches and managers to review that all are Members and have paid dues for 2005. Rick and/or Joe please follow up.

· Equipment Committee Report
o Rick West is Chairperson
o Outstanding issues involving equipment or other items
· Uniforms-missing sponsor names and patches
· Discussed missing sponsor names – these are from additional shirts ordered for Summer teams last year, only Tarzia and McCusker have extras without names. Rob will talk with Leo Peloquin about getting the sponsor names on all the extra shirts.
· Patches are not on all shirts on Majors. There are some patches in stock, discussed issue without resolution. May want to wait until end of season to have patches sewn on shirts.
o Status of batting cage at Haley/Cronin
· Base to be poured tomorrow, weather permitting. Cage will be available on 1st come 1st served basis, to be located at Cronin behind the police station
o Temporary Pitching Mound at South School
· Joe Craven has ordered the mound
Other
· Additional bill expected from Rockland for baseballs. Beacon bill is in the mail and will need review. Misspelled sponsors shirts have been replaced with corrections.
· Rick displayed helmet with mask. We have 25 new helmets and masks that will be attached and distributed as soon as possible.

· Umpire Committee Report
o Rich Magner is Chairperson
· Outstanding issues
· Receiving very positive comments on the umpiring as a whole, the kids are doing a terrific job. No issues reported. Umpires meet every Wednesday night for assignments etc, Rich will update them on Minors 3rd base overthrow rule and infield fly. All of the umpires should have shirts by now, and Rich will remind them of proper footwear, etc. Rich reports that there are not enough games to go around for all the umpires.

· Outstanding issues Safety Committee
o Owen McConville-Chairperson
o Further discussion of details of ASAP Program (A Safety Awareness Program)
· Papers filed, several items were questioned and require followup (ie dates for First Aid clinic). Owen will continue completion of the necessary paperwork.
· Outstanding issues
· No significant issues

· Challenger Division Report
o Chairpersons are Rob Blomberg, Joe Granatino and Tia Mastromatteo
o Tabled until Fall, 2005 or Spring, 2006
o PAC Meeting on 6/3/05
· A few more have expressed interest. Rob and Joe will attend PAC meeting. Notice was printed in the PAC Newsletter which was recently mailed.

· Buildings, Property and Grounds Committee Report
o Cliff Boyle and Tim Zyrkowski-Co-Chairs
· Rob noted that Tim Z is doing yeoman’s work on the lining and raking of the fields, they look in great shape – thank you Tim!
o Status of Existing Playing Fields-Haley, Hersey and PAL Fields
· Hingham Rec Permit Requirements
· Await confirmation on request for Haley, Hersey and PAL fields
· Status of .00 charged per player per team
o Update on use of Hingham School Department Fields
· Permit filed for use of Hingham School Department Fields
· Permits received for Hingham High School and South School fields
· Status of .00 per player user fee will be imposed by Hingham School Department
o Status of order of dirt/clay for all fields
· Delivered
o Status of rebuilding mounds at PAL
· Mounds look good, but not built up. Dirt is at PAL. We can go ahead and build up the mounds according to Rec. Cliff will follow up on this item and coordinate.

· Social Committee Report
o Chairpersons are Melissa Flanagan and Tia Mastromatteo
o Identify potential fundraisers
· Golf tournament is 9/21/05
· Other suggestions
· Tia discussed some opportunities she is looking into in addition to golf, such as fashion show, cocktail party, dinner dance perhaps, something to appeal to a broader audience. Tia will continue to work on these ideas.


· Publicity Committee/Opening Day
o Melissa Flanagan is Chairperson
o Recap of Opening Day
· Thank you letters to the non-Board members
· A few noted – Bob Madden, Lou Alvarado, Mike L.’s neighbor. Melissa to follow up.

· Concession Committee
o Elliot Sherman is chairperson
o Status of concession stand at PAL Field
o Status of volunteers and start date
· Only 3 volunteers stepped forward, so it was decided to table this great idea until next season. Thanks Elliot for the legwork done on this project, they all don’t move forward.

· Calendar of Events
o Review HLL Calendar of Events for potential changes to the Calendar
o Updated Calendar posted on the website
· Some additions have been posted by Tim D.
· Discussion re: dedication at Hersey. An idea was brought up to possibly select 4 Minors All Stars Teams due to the number of players, and was generally agreed that this is a great idea! Will put on agenda for further discussion at subsequent meeting.

· Hingham Little League Website
o Status of additional content for the HLL Website
o Use of scheduling software
o Use of web banners
· No report

· PAL Field Conversion/Tom Hastings land swap
o Followup to Town Meeting vote
· Article passed Town Meeting
· Elliot reports that this process will take some time before we see any movement, will keep on the radar screen

· Other New Business
o Sandlot
· Request by Hingham Rec for Hingham Little League to run this program
· Discussion on whether HLL as the stewards of youth baseball in Hingham could take this on. Need to get some traction on this item as Rec is looking for help. 2 games per week, Tues and Thurs from 9 – 12 for six weeks, ending in August, for 9-12 yr olds. Needs significant coordination and volunteerism from some adults to make this work. Need to have position by first week of June for the next Rec meeting. Cliff agreed to investigate further, and Bob offered to assist, will follow up with Ted Carroll of Rec. Need volunteers, maybe should post to website?
o Summer Travel Baseball
· Williamsport team
o Much discussion on the makeup of the Williamsport team. Last year HLL restricted to 12 year olds only. This decision was brought to further discussion, and a Motion was made and passed to have the selection committee use all Little League regulations to be able to pick the most competitive team, which can include any Major League player of age 11 or 12 who is a resident of Hingham. Discussed makeup of the Selection committee, and agreed to appoint the HLL non-coach Board Members to do the judging, as long as they have no kids in the tryout. Dates – Friday June 17, 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm at Haley Field, then Saturday June 18, 9:00 am – 10:30am.
· Suburban teams
· South River teams
o Tryouts for both leagues as follows:
§ TBD – 12 year olds (after June 18th)
§ TBD – 11 year olds (after June 18th)
§ Sat June 11th – 8:30 – 10:00 – 10 year olds
§ Sat June 11th – 10:00 – 12:00 – 9 year olds
o Coaching Committee with select the managers.

· Schedule for Upcoming Meetings
o Monday 6/6/05
o Monday 6/20/05
o Monday 7/11/05
o Monday 8/8/05
o Monday 9/12/05
o Monday 10/3/05
o Monday 10/24/05 (Annual Meeting)

Meeting was adjourned at 10:05 pm.

Note: Tim Driscoll will be out of town June 6th, need someone to fill in with the minutes.

Sincere thanks to the members of the 2005 Board of Directors for their efforts in making HLL a success.

In accordance with the HLL Constitition and Charter, the annual HLL membership meeting held on October 25, 2005 elected the following members to the 2006 Board of Directors:

Coaching members: Ed Anderson, Rob Blomberg, Joe Craven, Tim Driscoll, Skip Jenkins, Rick Linehan, Bob Madden;

Non-Coaching members: Bruce Corwin, Melissa Flanagan, Joe Granatino, Rich Magner, Owen McConville, Elliot Sherman, Steve White, Tim Zyrkowski.

Congratulations to all.

T 2006.membership.form..doc

The 2006 HLL Board of Directors has elected the following officers for 2006: Rob Blomberg, President; Elliot Sherman, Vice-President; Rick Linehan, Treasurer; Tim Driscoll- Secretary; Skip Jenkins, Player Agent; Steve White, Coaching Coordinator; and Owen McConville, Safety officer. Other members of the Board of Directors also elected were Ed Anderson, Bruce Corwin, Joe Craven, Melissa Flanagan, Bob Madden, Steve White, Tim Zyrkowski, were also appointed to various committees.



Any non Board member interested in serving on any of the committees should contact the HLL president as the HLL encourages all those that are interested, to assist with the league functions or to contact any Board member with their concerns.



This Board, elected on October 25, 2005, pursuant to the Little League Charter at the annual membership meeting consists of Ed Anderson, Rob Blomberg, Bruce Corwin, Joe Craven, Tim Driscoll, Melissa Flanagan, Skip Jenkins, Joe Granatino, Rick Linehan, Rich Magner, Owen McConville, Elliot Sherman, Steve White, Tim Zyrkowski.



The Board of Directors will now submit the 2006 Little League Charter.



Our sincere thanks to the members of the 2005 Board of Directors and the managers, coaches and volunteers who gave of their time and energy and to all those who have stepped up to help with the 2005 program.

Hingham Little League Board of Directors Meeting
March 21, 2005
Hingham Recreation Center

Meeting Minutes

Secretary’s Report
• Approval of Meeting Minutes from 3/7/04 Meeting
o Minutes approved; thank you Steve White for taking the minutes. TAD to post to website.

Treasurer’s Report
• Current Balance
o ,852, high balance due to the influx of registration fees.
• Outstanding Expenses
o No issues reported
• Status of detailed balance sheet for the 2005 year
o Bob distributed Income/Expense sheet with details.

Business Related Issues

• Local Little League Business Filings and Topics
o Articles of Incorporation-Renewal
o Public Charity Filings
o 501 (3) c Form
o Insurance Fees and Options
&#61607; Part of Charter Renewal Registration once player registration is completed and number of teams finalized per Division
• Preliminary Renewal Registration form ready to go, was pending finalization of number of teams.
o Population Waiver
&#61607; Rob forwarded letter to Don Whitman on 3/10/05
• Rob has not heard back, no issues anticipated
• National Little League Business Filings
o The below to be included in above Renewal.
o Charter Application
• Renewal due in 5/05
o Charter Fees
• Part of insurance application
• Audit of 2003/2004 HLL Financial Results
o Will be completed in 4/05

New Business

• Player Registration-Membership Committee Report
o Rick Linehan and Elliot Sherman are Co-Chairpersons
o Establishment of New “Final” Registration Date
• Still accepting registrations subject to payment of late fee.
o Updated Registration Counts
• Breakdown by age groups
• 12 - 69
• 11 - 93
• 10 - 103
• 9 - 112
• 8 - 221 (8&7s)
• 7
• 6 - 181 (6&5’s)
• 5
• Challenger – see below
• Total as of 3/21 is 779 total registered
• Still known ‘likely to register’ players, and still being mailed in
• Discussed ranges of ages and majors eligibility; 10 year olds in majors/11 year olds playing minors will be comparable to last years numbers. 13 players/team in Majors, no more than 2 10 year olds per team
o HLL Website
• Use of HLL website for registration database
• BBI working on updating the lists, will get back to Rick and Elliot; will add access privileges for Mark, Rob, and Tim to be able to make changes and additions
o Schedule for Major’s, Minors, Farm and T Ball
• Update from Rick Linehan on potential of three Divisions for Majors and Minors
• Rick provided an overview of issues faced last year relating to the 16 game schedule over 8 weeks. Majors playoffs finished in late June right on top of All Star game into July, really pushing the limit. Minors ran into similar issues. Rick proposed reducing the Major season schedule and creating 3 divisions to facilitate scheduling, with 4 teams in each; games would be 2x against opponent in division, then the other teams one time each to ensure balance schedule. Divisions would be chosen randomly. Suggests the season run from May 1 to June 16, ensuring plenty of time for playoffs (all teams make playoffs) and All Star game planning.
• Motion made to plan for a 14 game regular season over 7 weeks, and to have 3 divisions (American, National, International) randomly selected to balance the schedule. Motion was PASSED.
• Continuing discussion relating to schedule for Minors, consensus again was that 16 games was too many, including all teams guaranteed 1 playoff game. With 18 teams in the Minors foreseen this year, it will not be possible to play each team once, and the additional constraint of field availability is a factor, all indicating that a reduced schedule would be beneficial. All of the logistics have not yet been worked out as yet regarding divisions/team vs team play, number of games. A motion was made and PASSED to allow Rick Linehan the latitude to schedule between 12 and 14 games for the Minor League teams, considering availability of fields to schedule the games.

• Sponsorships and Donations-Committee Report
o Chairpersons are Melissa Flanagan and Tia Mastromatteo
o Update of 2005 sponsors at all four levels (Major, Minor, Farm and T Ball)
• Majors are all set and paid
• Minors – one more than needed but will shift to Farm. Most are paid.
• Farm – 5 more sponsors are needed. Mike Letorney will sponsor a team (Horace Mann). Suggestion that we post at tryouts for additional 5 sponsors at the tryouts, should not be a problem
• T-Ball – In need of one more sponosor, in good shape (Nice job Melissa!)
o Discuss Other Issues
• 501 (c) (3) form required for Verizon sponsorship remains outstanding

League Rules and Local By-Law Issues

• Player Agent Report
o Mike Letorney is Player Agent
o Status of Tryouts-4/2 and 4/3 at the South Shore Sports Center
• Mike will review tryout process
• Updated registration numbers for 10’s, 11’s and 12’s not yet in Majors as well as all 9’s
• Staffing times at tryout table
o Melissa and Steve will assist (others?)
o Joe will staff a Managers table, hand out listings of players with their numbers
• Procedures to be followed
o Dan Morrison will pitch to Majors, Tim Z will pitch to Minors. Format same as last year, each player will get 3 swings, run out last pitch, and field 3 ground balls.
• Communication status
o Post cards were mailed. Notices have been published in the Hingham Journal and posted to the website.
• Coordination with Dan McHugh for HHS varsity players
o All set; 6 HHS players will assist each day
• Make-up tryout date
o Make up will be Tuesday April 5th at the Rec. Center
o Status of Draft
• Pre-Draft Meetings will precede each draft
• Draft/Selection Dates
• Majors-4/8 from 7-9 at Hingham Rec
• Minors-4/12 from 7-9:30 at PRS
• Farm/TBall-4/13 from 7-9:30 at PRS
• Draft order at Majors and Minors
• Majors-follow LL rules where last place of last year picks first and continues in reverse order of finish for Majors
o To be furnished at draft
• Minors order to be determined by double draw out of hat
• Manager/Coach draft combination resolved

• Major League Committee Report
o Joe Granatino is Chairperson
o Age limitations and restrictions
• All 12 year olds automatically in Majors (Little League rule)
• Number of players per Major’s team is 13 per team
• Maximum of two 10 year olds per team can be drafted in Majors
• 10’s must be taken by the 5th round
• Determine minimum number of 12’s required per team
o Safety Discussion
• Review of option of using batting helmet with face mask in Majors
• Significant debate weighing the pro’s and con’s of this issue followed. It was noted that use of face masks do reduce the risk of facial injury, that the occurrence of such injuries is infrequent based on available studies, and lastly that Little League has not taken a stance on this issue nor mandated use of masks at this time. A MOTION was made and PASSED by split vote to provide 1 helmet equipped with a face mask for each team in the majors, leaving the option up to the player whether to use at bat or not.
• Outstanding Issues?
o OPENING DAY
• Significant discussion regarding Opening Day planning followed.
• Opening Day will be MAY 1st
• Open cookout at Haley for Majors.
o All players will be in uniform and will be introduced
o Games will be scheduled for the afternoon
o Nominations for candidates to throw out the ceremonial first pitch discussed. Names included Bob Magner, Jack Lynch.
o Invitations will be sent for a Senators Hedlund and Bradley to attend, possibly Selectmen.
o Paul Leblanc offered sponsorship through Coca-Cola
o A sub committee needs to be formed; Bruce Corwin was appointed chair and will seek assistance for planning
• Elliot proposed an Opening Day Ceremony as well to celebrate the newly refurbished Hersey Field, and the members agreed this would be a great idea
o Provides a good opportunity to thank our sponsors and volunteers for the upkeep and improvement of the field
o Invitations to join the ceremonies, first pitch etc. to be determined.
o Minor league game(s) will be scheduled
o Cookout will be held
o A sub committee needs to be formed for ‘Hersey’ opening day planning, Elliot Sherman was appointed chair and will seek assistance for planning.
• This will be a great opportunity to kick off the season on positive note, but it will take a lot of work and planning from the members! This will be taken up further as an agenda item in subsequent Board Meetings.

• Minor League Committee Report
o Paul LeBlanc is the Chairperson
o Safety Discussion
• Make decision on whether to use batting helmet with face mask
• In polling of several managers, there were more against than for this idea. Paul suggested to follow suit with the decision reached at Majors level. A MOTION was made and PASSED to provide 1 helmet equipped with a face mask for each team in the Minors, leaving the option up to the player whether to use at bat or not.
• Make decision on whether to use some version of a “safety” ball vs. regulation Little League ball
• Paul reported consensus of managers is to stay with the regulation baseball this year.
o Outstanding Issues?

• Farm League Committee
o Chairperson is Tim Driscoll
o Playing rules in Farm will be unchanged in 2005
o Outstanding Issues?
• Question was raised regarding the draft. Last year each coach was able to pick 6 players at a time from the list; some warnings about possible ‘stacking’ of teams even at this level. We will remind the coaches about the sense of fair play with their draft picks, and try to stick to making teams from neighborhoods and school districts.

• TBall Committee
o Chairperson is Mark Igo
o Playing rules in TBall have been updated
o Use of other products including “blast ball”
• Will pass on this idea and use the same RIF ball as last year
o Outstanding Issues?

• Manager’s Committee Report
o Joe Craven is Chairperson
o Status of selection of Managers and Coaches at all levels
• All Managers have been contacted. Have 4 slots to fill on Farm level, 1 on Minors, will be done this week.
o CORI applications will need to be completed and submitted by all prospective Managers and Coaches
o Status of dates for intermediate and advanced training for Managers and Coaches
• Schedule to be determined, includes first aid training for ASAP
o Practice manual for HLL will be developed
o Creation of a Zero Tolerance Policy
• Joe has crafted the policy, incorporating key points from other policies found through research. The key message to be communicated is that all Managers and Coaches are required to refrain from arguing with the umpires about any issue on the field. Joe will distribute to the board via email and distribute to all Managers and Coaches for signatures.
• Equipment Committee Report
o Rick West is Chairperson
o Inventory completed in 1/05 of existing equipment and uniforms at all four levels
o Budget for 2005 will be approximately ,000
• Factor in potential Challenger Division
• Draft of budget was distributed, will require updating based on the numbers of registrations, new teams, etc.
o Determine what equipment needs to be replaced
• Rick and Mark will coordinate with Melissa regarding Sponsors (returning, new, etc) for the uniforms.
o Determine which potential vendor(s) will be used for ordering equipment
• Meetings are scheduled with Rockland and Beacon Sports. Equipment prices are essentially the same regardless of the vendor
o Equipment that will be provided
• Majors-hat, shirt, pants and sox
• Minors, Farm and T Ball-hat and shirt
• Challenger Division-hat, shirt, pants and sox
o Status of order of Roll Dry Machine
• No report
o Status of batting cage at Haley/Cronin
• No report

• Umpire Committee Report
o Rich Magner is Chairperson
o Review umpire requirements, rule changes and expectations for 2005
o Rates for umpires remain unchanged
o Completion of CORI form by all umpires
• Done
o Rule books need to be ordered
• Done, Rich will distributed
o Shirts needs to be ordered for new umpires
• Rich to follow up with Mark and Rick for final numbers/sizes for ordering prior to the start of the season
o 3/16 umpire kickoff meeting
• Meeting held, well attended, 41 umpires signed up. A large class of 13 year olds, will schedule them mostly for Minors
o Schedule two followup training sessions (one session for all umpires and a second session for returning umpires)
• Dates to be determined closer to the season, assignments will be handed out, review of rules, etc.

• Challenger Division Report
o Chairpersons are Rob Blomberg, Joe Granatino and Tia Mastromatteo
o Ongoing problems encountered in getting the Challenger Division started
o Requirements for the Program
• Identification and number of players
• Two registrants thus far
• Update on recruitment
• Communication with Parents Advisory Committee
• Have received two versions of PAC List but cannot use the list due to concerns on how to make contact with the PAC as many names on the PAC List have disabilities that don’t qualify them for Challenger Division
• Need to attend next PAC Meeting to discuss and continue to spread the word about Challenger
• Joe Granatino will contact the new President of PAC to continue to drum up interest for the program.
o Player Criteria can be within Hingham or outside of Hingham
• No player will be turned away
o Schedules and Fields
• Games will be played on Saturdays
• Potential use of High School Girl’s Softball Field
o Uniforms and equipment
o Fees- will be the fee
o Funding/Grant status is still outstanding
o Finalize Playing Rules
o Communication of the Challenger Division Program
• Additional articles in the Hingham Journal and the Patriot Ledger
• Done
• Possible article in the Boston Globe South edition
• Done
• HLL Website
• Additional Contacts-Dan McHugh
• Hold meeting for parents of potential players
o Creation of “Buddy List”
o Creation of Parental and Volunteer List
o Handicap Rest Room issue
o Kickoff Ceremonies
o End of Year Awards Ceremonies
o Potential start up of Challenger Division in the fall of 2005

• Buildings, Property and Grounds Committee Report
o Cliff Boyle and Tim Zyrkowski-Co-Chairs
o Status of Existing Playing Fields-Haley, Hersey and PAL Fields
o Hingham Rec Permit Requirements
• Permit request for Haley, Hersey and PAL fields filed on 2/27/05
• Some additional information still needs to be provided to Hingham Rec to support the application
• .00 will be charged per player per team
o Update on use of Hingham School Department Fields
• No word yet, expecting to hear back soon
• Permit filed for use of Hingham School Department Fields
• .00 per player user fee will be imposed by Hingham School Department
• Fields will be used for Minors
• Update on Rob’s phone call with Barbara from Hingham Schools on 2/28
o Status of Ordering Portable Rest Rooms
• Need to be ordered for Haley, Hersey and PAL
• Bob Keyes will follow up on this item
New business related to Buildings and Fields
• Elliot updated the board on an important zoning issue before the town regarding a potential land swap for property adjacent/contiguous with PAL Field. The issue is under discussion with Selectmen and will be an article at Town Meeting. Briefly, if the article were to pass, the developer will pay for significant improvements to the fields, including new field house (with plumbing for rest rooms, storage area), fencing, grading, landscaping, lighting, etc. The improvements will benefit the recreation opportunities for the kids without cost to the programs

The article requires a 2/3 vote at Town Meeting, plus additional Legislative measures on the State level to move forward. Further concerns were discussed among the board, but the consensus is that this would provide a huge benefit to the program and bring the playing fields up to date from their present condition.

A MOTION was made and PASSED unanimously for the Board to endorse the proposal. Elliot will forward a letter of our support to the Board of Selectmen.

• Social Committee Report
o Chairpersons are Melissa Flanagan and Tia Mastromatteo
o Identify potential fundraisers
• Golf tournament is 9/21/05
• Other suggestions
• No activity to report at this time

• Publicity Committee
o Melissa Flanagan is Chairperson
o Decision made on photo vendor for HLL in 2005
• No activity to report at this time

• Safety Committee
o Owen McConville-Chairperson
o Discussion of details of ASAP Program (A Safety Awareness Program)
o Next steps needed to initiate the program
• Owen is putting together the information.
• First aid kits and ice packs for the field boxes are on order

• Concession Committee
o Elliot Sherman is chairperson
o Status of concession stand at PAL Field
• No activity to report at this time

• Calendar of Events
o Review HLL Calendar of Events for potential changes to the Calendar
o Post Calendar on the website

• Hingham Little League Website
o Status of additional content for the HLL Website
o Use of scheduling software
o Use of web banners

• Other New Business
o A request has been made of the Board by the Recreation Dept. to inquire if there is any interest in assisting with the popular ‘Sand Lot’ baseball program in August. The Board will take up the issue at a later time.

• Schedule for Upcoming Meetings
o Monday 4/4/05
o Monday 4/11/05
o Monday 5/2/05
o Monday 5/16/05
o Monday 6/6/05
o Monday 6/20/05
o Monday 7/11/05
o Monday 8/8/05
o Monday 9/12/05
o Monday 10/3/05
o Monday 10/24/05 (Annual Meeting)

.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:54 pm.

Submitted by Tim Driscoll, Secretary

Hingham Little League Board of Directors Meeting

Minutes of October 19, 2004

Hingham Recreation Center



The twenty second meeting of the Hingham Little League Board of Directors was

called to order by President Rick Linehan at 7:05 pm.



Board of Directors present were: Rob Blomberg, Mike Bynarowicz, Bruce Corwin, Melissa Flanagan, Joe Granatino, Bob Keyes, Mike Letorney, Rick Linehan and Rick West.



Mark Igo, Tom Golden, Rich Magner, Owen McConville and Elliot Sherman were absent.



Financial/Treasurer’s Report



Treasurer Bob Keyes announced that for the 2003.2004 calendar year HLL received ,481 in funds. The current balance is ,191.25. Bob still expects to receive an additional bill from Beacon Sports.

For the 2004/2005 season we will recommend to the new HLL Board that they consider options other than Beacon Sports for uniforms and equipment. We agreed to contact Pro Sports, Rockland Sporting Goods and other vendors.



Potential Expansion of Hingham Little League to Jr League/Sr. League and Big League



A meeting was held on Wednesday, September 29, 2004 at 7:30 pm at Plymouth River School to consider the potential expansion of Hingham Little League to include additional leagues run by Little League for older players including Jr. League, Sr. League and Big League.

After reviewing the various options and results of that meeting the current Hingham Little League Board voted not to explore expansion to other Little League Programs for older players including Jr. League, Sr. League and Big League. The current HLL BOD is providing this recommendation on an advisory capacity to the Hingham Little League Board that will be elected on October 25, 2004 for the 2004-2005 year.

We also discussed various options regarding how HLL could notify those 12 year old players who played in Hingham Little League during the 2004 season about their future baseball opportunities. We agreed it was more appropriate to have the newly elected 2004/2005 HLL Board deal with this issue.



Annual Meeting



The Annual Meeting of the HLL Board will be held on Monday, October 25, 2004 at 7:30 pm at Plymouth River School. All HLL members and families of players were notified by letter. It is expected that all HLL Board members will attend and will be present by 7:00 pm.

We will have two tables at the entrance of the cafeteria. Table one will have a list of those members that have already registered. These members will be checked off and be given a ballot.

Table two will serve as the registration table for those attendees who haven’t registered and paid their .00 dues. After paying their dues these members will be added to the list and be given a ballot.

Once all are assembled President Rick Linehan will distribute the agenda, introduce the current 2003/2004 HLL BOD and provide an update on the 2003/2004 year in review. Bob Keyes will then provide the Treasurer’s Report with details regarding our expenditures in 2003/2004.

Rick will then present to the members the following changes to the Constitution. Recommendations include the following:

-increase the number of Board of Directors from the current 15 to a proposed 19

-state that four unexcused absences will be grounds for removal of an individual from the HLL Board of Directors

These motions will need to be voted upon at the meeting as will any other proposed constitutional changes.

Election of the HLL 2004-2005 Board of Directors will follow. Ballots will include previously identified candidates and whether candidates fall into the manager/coach or non-manager categories. Write-in spaces for additional candidates will be included. Those individuals who have provided background information to support their candidacy will have that information included on a separate sheet. Once the election occurs and since he is not running for re-election Rick West will serve as the chair of the ballot counters. Rick will get 3-4 people who are not candidates to assist him in counting the ballots.

While the ballots are being counted Rick and the 2003-2004 HLL BOD members will field questions about the 2003/2004 season from the members.

Once the ballots are finalized the results of the voting will be announced by Rick Linehan. The new HLL BOD will then schedule their first meeting.





Old Business



Field Updates



Reconstruction of Hersey Field will continue this week as sod has been planted and the fence has been replaced. Iaria Brothers tore down the former Hersey dugouts for free. We discussed and will recommend to the new 2004/2005 HLL Board that they be given a sponsorship as a token of our appreciation. We still need to get the concrete forms poured for the dugouts. We will be getting a new flagpole and stands.

For Haley Field plywood has been ripped off the dugouts. These will be repainted and screened. Diamond will be brought in to sod areas of the field, rebuild the mound and infield and other parts of the field. They will leave extra dirt behind for future use.

Hingham Rec is paying for these improvements. The only cost to HLL will be rebuilding the scoreboards.



The next BOD Meeting date will be established by the newly elected 2004/2005 HLL Board of Directors and will likely occur in November, 2005.



The meeting was adjourned at 8:12 PM



Minutes submitted by Rob Blomberg, Acting Secretary.

Hingham Little League Board of Directors Meeting
March 7, 2005
Hingham Recreation Center

Minutes

Secretary’s Report
• Minutes approved

Treasurer’s Report
• 57,737.98 Balance
Discussion
• Some outstanding invoices not included in balance, screen, SSSC and BBI.
• Several requests for a more formal written financial report (i.e., balance sheet or income statement)

Business Related Issues

• Local Little League Business Filings and Topics
o Articles of Incorporation-Renewal
&#61607; Nothing New to Report
o Insurance Fees and Options
&#61607; Need Number of teams to finalize part of Charter
o Population Waiver
&#61607; Rob has updated last year’s letter and is awaiting registration count prior to forwarding it to Don Whitman and Little League
• National Little League Business Filings
o Charter Application
• Renewal due in 5/05
o Charter Fees
• Part of insurance application
• Audit of 2003/2004 HLL Financial Results
o Audit to be done by Bob Keyes who is meeting the week of March 14th

New Business

• Player Registration-Membership Committee Report
o Rick Linehan and Elliot Sherman are Co-Chairpersons
o Establishment of New “Final” Registration Date
• late fee for registration is now in effect.
• Any registrations after March 1st will be subject to availability of roster spots.
o Registration Counts
• Breakdown by age groups
• 12 YEAR OLDS
67 registrations received, 3 confirmed not playing, 15 not registered who played in 04
• 11 YEAR OLDS
89 registrations received, 4 confirmed not playing or requested to play in minors, 16 not registered who played in 04
• 9 AND 10 YEAR OLDS
208 total, approx 50/50 of each age, generally a lot of late registrants. 18 teams to accommodate
• 7 AND 8 YEAR OLDS
200 for 14 Teams
• TEE BALL
167-180
• CHALLENGER
2 Registrants
Discussion
Talked about closing registration

o HLL Website
• Dump data for this year onto a protected site.

• Sponsorships and Donations-Committee Report
o Chairpersons are Melissa Flanagan and Tia Mastromatteo
o Majors – Done
o Minors - 6 Definite, need 3 more sponsors
o Farm – 6 Definite, 4 verbals, need 4 more
o Tee Ball – 9 Definite 6 Needed

League Rules and Local By-Law Issues

• Player Agent Report
o Mike Letorney is Player Agent
o Tryout dates-4/2 and 4/3 at the South Shore Sports Center
• Mike reviewed tryout process
Bob Madden and Dan Morrison will pitch 5 swings
Timed run to first, 3 grounders and 3 fly balls
• Staffing at tryout table – need board members
• Procedures to be followed
Numbers assigned 1 through 193. Half for 9-10s and half for 11-12s. Numbers will be assigned alphabetically.
• Communication through postcards post cards. Cards will be colored and will tell you when to show up to tryouts by color.
• Hingham Journal article and update on the website
• Dan McHugh will send 6 players to each tryout

o Status of the Draft
• Pre-Draft Meeting
• No pre-draft meeting
• Draft/Selection Dates
• Majors-4/8 from 7-9 at Hingham Rec
• Minors-4/12 from 7-9:30 at PRS
• Farm/TBall-4/13 from 7-9:30 at PRS
• Draft order at Majors and Minors
• Majors-follow LL rules where last place of last year picks first and continues in reverse order of finish for Majors
• Minors order to be determined by double draw out of hat
• Discussion of Manager/Coach draft combination
• MOTION made to allow any Major League manager can bring one person to the draft, as long as their son/daughter is NOT eligible for the draft.

• Major League Committee Report
o Joe Granatino is Chairperson
• All 12 year olds automatically in Majors (Little League rule)
• Make decision on
• Number of players per Major’s team
o MOTION approved to limit the number of players per major league team to 13
• Whether to create an Intermediate league
MOTION to limit to 12 major league players and create an international type league. All 11 year olds not drafted to Majors would play in this league, but the league would consist of 9, 10, and 11 year olds. Motion later AMENDED by proposing 6 international teams and 12 minor league teams. Suggestion made to we wait until next year, especially because of the birth date change coming. Motion for an international league was defeated for 2005.
• Determination of whether 10 year olds will play in Majors and what limitations will be placed on the number of 10 year olds in majors
o Motion made and approved to allow no more than 2 ten year olds in Majors and all tens must be selected by the fourth round.
o Safety Discussion
• TABLED

• Minor League Committee Report-TABLED

• Farm League Committee - TABLED

• TBall Committee -TABLE

• Manager’s Committee Report
o Joe Craven is Chairperson
o Discussion regarding coaches training indoors with Frank Niles of SSBC at the end of March. Will be pushed off until after tryouts. Also discussed a batting session with Don McHugh HHS baseball coach. Discussed Parent Code of Conduct and Coaches zero tolerance both will be posted on web site.
o Status of interviews of Manager candidates at all levels will be interviewed.
o Joe Craven presented a list of proposed manages to the board. Some minor discussion as to how the decisions were made. No 10-year old parent can coach majors, there was no single reason for selection of managers, it was based on several criteria.
o Some discussion on two open slots.
o Recommended manager list prepared by the committee and was approved with the exception of two empty slots that need to be filled.

• Equipment Committee Report - TABLED
o Rick West is Chairperson

• Umpire Committee Report
o Rich Magner is Chairperson
o Ad in Journal next week inviting new and past umpires to a new meeting March 16 at 7pm at Rec. center. There are a lot of returning umpires. Taking 13-year olds. Same rate of pay. Two training sessions.
o Review umpire requirements, rule changes and expectations for 2005
o Rates for umpires remain unchanged
o Completion of CORI forma for all umpires
o Rule books need to be ordered
o Shirts needs to be ordered

• Challenger Division Report
o Chairpersons are Rob Blomberg, Joe Granatino and Tia Mastromatteo
o Review of problems encountered in getting the Challenger Division started
o Due to privacy issues need to communicate Challenger Division through publicity and informal means. Rob recommends we put an ad in the Patriot Ledger to attract more players.

• Buildings, Property and Grounds Committee Report.
• Roof in storage shed. Rick Magner said he will take care of it. Owen McConville stated that a facility inspection is part of safety program. Cliff Boyle has the checklist
o Cliff Boyle and Tim Zyrkowski-Co-Chairs
o Status of Existing Playing Fields-Haley, Hersey and PAL Fields
o Hingham Rec Permit Requirements
• Permit request for Haley, Hersey and PAL fields filed on 2/27/05
• Some additional information still needs to be provided to Hingham Rec to support the application
• .00 will be charged per player per team
o Update on use of Hingham School Department Fields
o Barbara at school department said she sent in approval for use of school fields
• Permit filed for use of Hingham School Department Fields
• .00 per player user fee will be imposed by Hingham School Department
o Status of Ordering Portable Rest Rooms
• Need to be ordered from Haley, Hersey and PAL

• Social Committee Report
o Chairpersons are Melissa Flanagan and Tia Mastromatteo
o Identify potential fundraisers
• Golf tournament is 9/21/05
• Other suggestions
• Publicity Committee
o Melissa Flanagan is Chairperson
o Make decision on photo vendor for HLL in 2005
o Melissa Flanagan suggested we use Captive Images for photos. They are a good one-stop-shop.
o Photos will be taken at games and not at the Rec Center.

• Safety Committee
o Owen McConville-Chairperson
o Need First Aid Training
o A safety Plan will save 25% on insurance
o First Aid kits are required at every practice and every game.
o Coaches need to inspect equipment
o Discussion of details of ASAP Program (A Safety Awareness Program)
o Next steps needed to initiate the program

• Concession Committee
o Elliot Sherman is chairperson
o Status of concession stand at PAL Field

• Calendar of Events
o Review HLL Calendar of Events for potential changes to the Calendar
o Post Calendar on the website

• Hingham Little League Website
o Status of additional content for the HLL Website
o Use of scheduling software
o Use of web banners

• Other New Business

• Schedule for Upcoming Meetings
o Monday 3/21/05

MOTION TO ADJOURN –
10:18PM
.
Submitted by Steve White

Hingham Little League Board of Directors Meeting
February 7, 2005
Hingham Recreation Center

Meeting Minutes

The twenty seventh meeting of the Hingham Little League Board of Directors was
called to order by President Rob Blomberg at 7:31 pm.

Present: Rob Blomberg, Cliff Boyle, Bruce Corwin, Joe Craven, Tim Driscoll, Melissa Flanagan, Mark Igo, Bob Keyes, Mike Letorney, Rick Linehan, Owen McConville, Elliot Sherman, Rick West

Absent: Joe Granatino, Paul LeBlanc, Rich Magner, Tia Mastromatteo, Steve White, Tim Zyrkowski

Opening Discussions

President Rob Blomberg called the meeting to order at 7:31 pm.

Secretary’s Report
· Approval of Meeting Minutes from 1/17/04 Meeting
o Minutes approved, to be posted by Tim Driscoll

Treasurer’s Report
· Current Balance - ,921, registration fees deposited
· Outstanding Expenses – Roofs for the dugouts at Haley and Hersey. Additional estimated expenses – Equipment 00 +, Uniforms ,000, Umpires ,000, Storage ,000, Trophy/printing/mailing, website ,000, Field usage ,000, and tryout rental ,000. Last year’s expenses were approximately ,000.
· Citizens Bank Update – No issues
· Status of detailed balance sheet for the 2005 year
o Use of Quicken or other product
§ Open, Bob to get assistance from Rick Linehan

Business Related Issues

· Local Little League Business Filings and Topics
o Articles of Incorporation-Renewal
o Public Charity Filings
o 501 (3) c Form
§ Update from Joe Craven – Work continues. Joe needs bylaws and budget information for form. Rob noted we need to send updated bylaws and new Board of Directors listing to LL HQ this year.
o Insurance Fees and Options
§ Part of Charter Renewal Registration
· Rick Linehan received form in mail and turned it over to Rob. We need figures from registration for costs/team, number of teams, etc. as part of the process
o Population Waiver
§ Rob has updated last year’s letter and is awaiting further numbers from registration prior to forwarding it to Don Whitman and Little League – Hold pending Registration figures

· Hingham Rec Department Permit
o Permit available in 3/05 - Tabled, not due until March
o Status of User Fees Decision By Hingham Rec
§ Update from Hingham Rec’s 1/25/05 Meeting
· .00 will be charged per player per team

· National Little League Business Filings
o Charter Application
· Renewal due in 5/05
o Charter Fees
· Part of insurance application
· Audit of 2003/2004 HLL Financial Results
o Will be completed in 4/05
New Business

· Player Registration-Membership Committee Report
o Rick Linehan and Elliot Sherman are Co-Chairpersons
o Status of update to existing HLL Player Database – New registrants being added to the database
o Player Registration Fees for the 2005 Season have been determined and the Registration Form has been updated and is on the HLL Website
o Registration Dates
· Determine need for additional registration date
· Overwhelming response to registration, determined that it was not necessary to hold another session, see below
· Followup for outstanding issues related to missing birth certificates and medical releases
· On hold, address next meeting
o Establishment of New “Final” Registration Date
· Agreed to extend mail in registration date. Motion made and passed to extend deadline until March 1st, and to institute a late fee for any registrations received after this date. Additionally, any registrations after March 1st will be subject to availability of roster spots.
· Postcards
· In lieu of postcards, decision made to have Major League Committee to reach out and call those 12 yr olds who were expected back but have not yet registered to determine their status.
· Communicate Registration Dates
· Followup articles in Hingham Journal
Melissa will send to HJ for publication.
· Additional registration notices distributed in schools and the Rec Center
o Registration Counts
· Breakdown by age groups
· 11/12 ~ 153
· 9/10 ~185
· 7/8 ~ 210
· 5/6 ~ 147
· Challenger-1
The overall response was great and mail in registrations are still coming in.
o HLL Website
· Updated with all registration details including Challenger Division
· Tim to post notice on the Website.
o Use of Comcast Cable to promote registration

· Sponsorships and Donations-Committee Report
o Chairpersons are Melissa Flanagan and Tia Mastromatteo
o Update of database of 2004 sponsors at all four levels (Major, Minor, Farm and T Ball)
· Identify returning sponsors
· Melissa reviewed sponsorships. Majors are accounted for but plenty of opportunity in other divisions.
o Letters to 2004 sponsors who failed to pay sponsorship fees in 2004
· Rob forwarded letters on 1/24/05 to all three sponsors who failed to meet their 2004 sponsorship obligations (Harbor Financial, Square Café and Hingham Lions).
· There has been no response yet to the requests.
o Review rates charged in 2004/Recommendation on Rates for 2005
· In 2004 rates were Majors-0/year or ,200/three years; Minors and Farm-0/year or 0/three years and T Ball-0
· Determine sponsorship rate for Challenger Division
o Review details of sponsorship packet for 2005
· Identify any potential changes that need to be made
o Melissa planning to send letters to previous sponsors detailing 2005 season. Requesting that sponsorship commitments be made by March 1st

· Review Various Options For Sponsorships in 2005
· First Option of Renewal, etc.
o Discuss Other Issues
· 501 (c) (3) form required for Verizon sponsorship


· League Rules and Local By-law Issues

· Player Agent Report
o Mike Letorney is Player Agent
o Tryout dates-3/19 and 3/20
· To be communicated. Tim to post on Website, Melissa to send to Hingham Journal. Discussed sending postcards with numbers stamped on them identifying tryout number. SSSC, both days 9:00 – 1:00 pm. 9 & 10’s Saturday, 11 & 12’s Sunday. Mike will determine specific schedules and times (i.e. A-Z, by number, what to do about conflicts, etc) including a possible third make-up session.
o Status of Draft
· Discussion of draft order at Majors and Minors
· Majors Friday April 1st 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm FOSTER SCHOOL CAFETERIA.
· Minors Sunday April 3rd, 12:00 pm -2:00 pm, Farm and TBall 2:00 pm-? HINGHAM RECREATION CENTER
· Follow LL rules, last place of last year picks first, go in reverse order of finish for Majors. Minors order to be determined by double draw out of hat, worked out well last year
· Discussion of Manager/Coach draft combination
o Not an issue. LL clearly mandates ONLY MANAGERS can draft players, no prospective coaches are allowed to participate in the draft
· Review of Little League’s version of red shirting
o Other Topics

· Major League Committee Report
o Joe Granatino is Chairperson
o Playing rules in Majors were left unchanged
o Age limitations and restrictions
· All 12 year olds automatically in Majors (Little League rule)
· Limitations on number of 10 year olds in Majors
· In 2004 it was a maximum of three per team
o Issue remains outstanding until registration is finalized
· Significant discussion on this topic ensued. Due to the large registration numbers, it is apparent we may have to increase the number of players per team in the Majors. Need a decision on number of 10 year olds in Majors. Discussed the distinct possibility that we may need to address numbers issue next year potentially with two leagues. An idea was discussed about creating an ‘intermediate’ league this year. A motion was made and passed to table further discussion on this matter until the next Board Meeting.
o Metal bats will be used in Majors
o Major teams will not be redrafted in 2005
o Safety Discussion
· Review of option of using batting helmet with face mask
o Other topics

· Minor League Committee Report
o Paul LeBlanc is the Chairperson
o Review current playing rules in Minors and determine if any changes need to be made
o Make recommendations to the Board regarding:
· Age limitations and restrictions
· Some 11 year olds will play in Minors
· Issue of 8 year olds playing in Minors
· Make recommendations to the Board on wood bat vs. metal bat issue at the Minor Level
o Metal bats will be used in Majors
o Safety Discussion
· Review of option of using batting helmet with face mask
· Review potential use of “safety” ball vs. regulation Little League ball
· Reviewed merits of safety ball, Rob passed one around for show and tell. The discussion continued with the use of proper fitting of helmets, use of masks, etc. Clearly, further investigation is needed on this topic, whether to require/offer helmets with masks, use of safety balls in which levels, etc. before a recommendation is made. Motion was made and passed to table this important discussion for the next Board Meeting.
o Other topics

· Farm League Committee
o Chairperson is Tim Driscoll
o Playing rules in Farm will be unchanged in 2005
o Make recommendations to the Board regarding age limitations and restrictions
· Issue of younger players in Farm League will be revisited after registration is completed
o Wood bat or metal bats can be used
o Other topics

· TBall Committee
o Chairperson is Mark Igo
o Playing rules in TBall have been updated
o Other topics

· Manager’s Committee Report
o Joe Craven is Chairperson
o Data base of 2004 HLL Managers and Coaches has been reviewed
· Status of potential number of Managers and Coaches
· List of candidates was prepared, but will hold off on further discussion at this time due to registration numbers/number of teams not yet finalized and the additional incoming registrations.
o Potential oversubscription at the Major’s level for Managers with Mangers needed at all other levels
o Manager candidates at all levels will be interviewed
· Use Little League Approved Manager/Coach application
o CORI applications will be completed and submitted by all prospective Managers and Coaches
o Intermediate and advanced training for Managers and Coaches will occur
· Joe is lining up sessions for instruction on the topics How to Run a Practice and Hitting, would like to lock in dates in March.
o Practice manual for HLL will be developed
o Zero Tolerance policy
· Update
o Other topics

· Equipment Committee Report
o Rick West is Chairperson
o Update database to identify existing equipment and uniforms at all four levels
o Status following 1/30/05 meeting
· Inventory taken
o Create equipment budget
· Factor in Challenger Division
· Budget roughly estimated at ,000. Pants will be expensive, research shows roughly same price per pair from several vendors. Need to have final numbers of participants and teams to determine more accurate cost estimate.
o Determine what equipment needs to be replaced
· Will scrutinize equipment, i.e. any cracks in helmets, the helmets must be destroyed. Also review various sizes of helmets, how many per team, mask issue, etc. to be determined.
o Consider potential vendors for ordering equipment
o Equipment that will be provided
· Majors-hat, shirt, pants and sox
· Minors, Farm and T Ball-hat and shirt
· Challenger Division
· Recommend hat, shirt, pants and sox
· Additional equipment-RIF baseballs, etc.
o RIF balls are more expensive than regular baseballs
o Other Equipment-Order of “Roll Dry”
Bob reported that it will be ordered
Other Business
· Discussed the subject of a seasonal batting cage for Haley Field that would be shared with High School, potentially HHBR and HLL. We were approached to share the cost. Rec is in favor of it. Would be removable, 14x14x70 cage to be stored by the Rec, located behind left field area, use for batting practice pre-game and regular practice. Only other cage in town at High School which is not well maintained. General comments that this would be a great thing for the kids of the town. Cost anticipated to be in the 00 range. A motion was made and passed to appropriate 00 towards the purchase of the batting cage.

· Umpire Committee Report
o Rich Magner is Chairperson
o Review umpire requirements, rule changes and expectations for 2005
o Rates for umpires remain unchanged
o Completion of CORI forma for all umpires
o Rule books need to be ordered
o Shirts needs to be ordered
o 3/16 was the date selected for umpire kickoff meeting
· Advertisement in the Hingham Journal

· Challenger Division Report
o Chairpersons are Rob Blomberg, Joe Granatino and Tia Mastromatteo
o Requirements for the Program
· Identification and number of players
· Few registrants thus far
· Update on communication with Parents Advisory Committee
· Have PAC List but concerns exist how to make contact with the PAC as many names on the PAC List have disabilities that don’t qualify them for Challenger Division
· Need to attend PAC Meeting to discuss and spread the word about Challenger
o Work will continue on spreading the word about the program goals and opportunities. Rob is also working with Dr. Loud to get a revised list of PAC members whose children will qualify for Challenger. Once he gets that list he will email them a letter, brochure and registration.
o Player Criteria can be within Hingham or outside of Hingham
· No player will be turned away
o Schedules and Fields
· Probable games on Saturday vs. Sundays
· Use of High School Girl’s Softball Field
o Uniforms and equipment
o Fees
· will be the fee
o Sponsorship fee will be 0
o Funding/Grant status is still outstanding
o Finalize Playing Rules
o Communication of the Challenger Division Program
· Hingham Journal
· HLL Website
· Challenger table at HLL Registration with brochures and video
· Parents meeting post registration
o Creation of “Buddy List”
o Creation of Parental and Volunteer List
o Handicap Rest Room issue
o Kickoff Ceremonies
o End of Year Awards Ceremonies
o Other topics


· Buildings, Property and Grounds Committee Report
o Cliff Boyle and Tim Zyrkowski-Co-Chairs
o Status of Existing Playing Fields-Haley, Hersey and PAL Fields
o Hingham Rec Permit Requirements
· More extensive than previous years (Rob will review in detail)
· .00 per player user fee imposed by Hingham Rec
· Application due March 1st, will require a number of things from HLL (will provide what we have based on last year). Need to include Bylaws, Board of Directors, Officers, Guidelines for Coaches, list of CORI volunteers, rosters/number of teams, Scholarship policy, etc. Rob and Elliot will complete this ahead of the deadline.
o Update on use of Hingham School Department Fields
· Determine amount of use needed by HLL Division
· Remain cognizant of the .00 per player user fee imposed by Hingham School Department
o Update on status of discussions with Hingham Softball, Hingham Rec or other groups regarding additional fields
· Discussed finding out first what is available, and potentially restricting School Dept. field permits for 1 level only (Minors). Could schedule practices and games depending on the condition of the fields. Motion made and passed to reserve these fields for use by Minor league only, of course depending on availability. Restriction due to .00 fee; other levels can use the fields at risk of being asked off by a permit holder. Cliff will contact Paul Fields to follow up.
· Potential to use front of SSCC for T-Ball was brought up and possible. Was offered last year but we didn’t need it, keep option open for T-Ball.
o Status of Ordering Portable Rest Rooms

· Social Committee Report
o Chairpersons are Melissa Flanagan and Tia Mastromatteo
o Identify potential fundraisers
· New date for golf tournament is 9/21/05
· Correction noted. Save the date should be posted on the Website
· Other suggestions


Old Business

· Calendar of Events
o Review HLL Calendar of Events for potential changes to the Calendar
o Post Calendar on the website

· Hingham Little League Website
o Additional content for the HLL Website
· Following from last meeting, discussed the opportunity to enhance the HLL website and database functionality to provide online registration, extended player db capability, CORI enrollment, additional automation, mailing lists, email listserv, etc. This effort would save considerable time and labor in future years, and the value is evident. The service provider, bbi Marketing, has estimated a cost of 0.00 (10 hours @ /hr) for this work. The cost is considered at or below competitive market rates. A motion was made and passed to award a contract to bbi Marketing to conduct the work necessary to add these features to the website and backend database.

· Update for Challenger Division

· Further Consideration of Baseball Options Within Hingham for Players Older Than 12 Years old
o Update from 1/05 HH Babe Ruth Board Meeting
o At the 12/6/04 HLL BOD Meeting the HLL BOD affirmed that there is no interest in offering baseball options for players age 14 and older
o At the same time there was ongoing interest in determining what potential baseball programs Hingham Hull Babe Ruth might offer to the Hingham 13 year olds.
o Status of followup discussions with Hingham Hull Babe Ruth

· Other Old Business
o Potential concession stand option at PAL
· Elliot secured the go ahead from Hingham Youth Football for HLL to utilize the concession stand and the football lights at PAL field. The concession stand could sell candy, wrapped foods, soft drinks, coffee, etc. No plans to cook food, which would require further permitting. Elliot will need help in organizing a committee to continue planning for this venture. Also discussed ability to use the lights. It was well noted that the purpose is not for night baseball, but to help extend early season games when darkness is imminent. Further discussion will be required to develop guidelines/policies on both topics at subsequent board meetings.

· New Business

o Safety Committee
· Discussion of details of ASAP Program (A Safety Awareness Program)
· Next steps needed to initiate the program
· Rob discussed in brief. Significant advantages available to the program for insurance. There are fairly easy steps that we will adopt that will help us qualify for benefits. We will follow up for further report from Owen at the next Board Meeting.

· Schedule for Upcoming Meetings
o Monday 3/7/05
o Monday 3/21/05
o Monday 4/4/05
o Monday 4/11/05
o Monday 5/2/05
o Monday 5/16/05
o Monday 6/6/05
o Monday 6/20/05
o Monday 7/11/05
o Monday 8/8/05
o Monday 9/12/05
o Monday 10/3/05
o Monday 10/24/05 (Annual Meeting)

The meeting was adjourned at 9:58 pm.

Hingham Little League Board of Directors Meeting

January 17, 2005

Hingham Recreation Center



Meeting Minutes



The twenty sixth meeting of the Hingham Little League Board of Directors was

called to order by President Rob Blomberg at 7:35 pm.



Present: Rob Blomberg, Cliff Boyle, Bruce Corwin ,Joe Craven, Tim Driscoll, Melissa Flanagan, Joe Granatino, Bob Keyes, Mike Letorney, Rick Linehan, Rich Magner, Owen McConville, Elliot Sherman



Absent: Mark Igo, Paul LeBlanc, Tia Mastromatteo, Rick West, Steve White, Tim Zyrkowski



Opening Discussions



President Rob Blomberg called the meeting to order at 7:35 pm.



Secretary’s Report

• Approval of Meeting Minutes from 1/3/04 Meeting

o One correction noted by Elliot, Articles of Incorporation are filed, it is the Certificate of Conditions which need to be renewed.

o Minutes approved with above changes, to be posted by Tim Driscoll



Treasurer’s Report

• Current Balance

o Current balance is ,022.00

• Outstanding Expenses

o Beacon Sports – balance closed out

o Other expenses

&#61607; Field. Fencing and Other Expenses for Haley and Hersey

• Roofing on dugouts upcoming expense. Work won’t be done until after winter. Was noted the Steve Jacobs Construction offered to help, we can reciprocate with a Tee-Ball Sponsorship for the donation of labor. A motion was made and vote passed to work with Steve Jacobs Construction in building the dugout roofing structure as above. Suggested to use Hollingsworth Field in Braintree for a template of what we are looking for. Rich Magner will follow up with Steve.

• Citizens Bank Update

o An account has been opened up with Citizens Bank.

• Need to create a detailed balance sheet for the 2005 year

o Use of Quicken

&#61607; Rick Linehan will get together with Bob to continue work on this.





Business Related Issues



• Local Little League Business Filings and Topics

o Articles of Incorporation-Renewal

&#61607; Expired 10/31/04 and need to filed by Alan Gladstone

• Clarification as above, the Certificate of Conditions is what needs to be renewed

o Public Charity Filings

&#61607; Use of CPA Gladstone

• Bob contacted him, busy in tax season, will set up meeting at end of March for the financial matters – our deadline is not until June 15th.

o 501 (3) c Form

&#61607; Update from Joe Craven

• Joe is working on the form, we actually have 27 months from inception to file so we’re in good shape, he needs to report balances and budget of 3 year period, board needs to sign Conflict of Interest statement for non-profit status, etc. Joe will update us at the next meeting

o Insurance Fees and Options

&#61607; Part of Charter Renewal Registration

• Hold, not pressing

o Population Waiver

&#61607; Rob is in the process of updating last year’s letter and forwarding it to Don Whitman and Little League



• Hingham Rec Department Permit

o Permit available in 3/05

o Further discussion on fields tabled until Grounds Committee Report

&#61607; We learned from various sources that the Rec Dept will be instituting a participant fee for use of the fields to offset the costs of maintenance. The arrangement is .00 per participant per program. Fee expected to be in 00-00 range which we will absorb. Further discussion ensued regarding the School Department permit application which requires the same per user fee (brought up by Cliff Boyle). It was decided to table further discussion until we had more details for which fields we might be available, what slots, and if we could assign to only 1 or 2 levels (ie TeeBall or Farm, Minor)



• National Little League Business Filings

o Charter Application

• Renewal due in 5/05

o Charter Fees

• Part of insurance application



Both of these items can be put on hold for now, not due until May



• Audit of 2003/2004 HLL Financial Results

o Use CPA Gladstone

o Schedule a date for the audit

o Communicate the results of the audit



As above, agreed to use Gladstone’s services, but he is not available in busy tax season – Bob will set up a meeting with Mr. Gladstone in late March



New Business



• Player Registration-Membership Committee Report

o Rick Linehan and Elliot Sherman are Co-Chairpersons

o Update existing HLL Player Database

• Update on proposed changes to the database

• There is availability on the website to leverage the database which ultimately can support all data regarding players in a centralized location. The new database would be accessible by the board, supports billing, automated registration, etc (for next year). The fee for the additional service is reasonable, but now data gathering is taking place in anticipation of moving to the database, and it was decided to wait to take a vote to appropriate the funds until next meeting when there is more information available as to cost and specific services.

o Player Registration Fees for the 2005 Season have been determined and the Registration Form has been updated and is on the HLL Website

o Registration Dates

• Hingham Rec Center will be used

• Registration Dates

• Saturday-1/22/05 from 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm

• Monday-1/24/05 from 6:00 pm-8:00 pm

• Registration by mail will be encouraged

• Create spreadsheet for volunteers at registration sessions

o Rob distributed a signup sheet for volunteers, looks like we’re covered well for all hours, those not present should please follow up / show up to help out. (Rob sent an email subsequent to the meeting to this effect)

• Separate Challenger Division table will be created at registration

o Decided to have 1 big table / area to register for Majors, Minors, Farm, and T Ball, and separate tables each for Volunteers (including Managers and Coaches), Sponsorships, and the Challenger Division. There will be Membership forms available for those seeking to join HLL. We’ll also push fundraising with plenty of stickers to sell .

• Previous players who supplied birth certificates

o Reminder, if already played in HLL last year no Birth Certificates are required, but if any doubt please ask for one! All new players regardless of division are required to provide a copy of their Birth Certificate.

• Finalize all outstanding registration issues

o Joe Granatino will bring along cash boxes

o Need 400 copies of the registration packets—Elliot will provide

o Need supplies of staplers, tape, pens – Elliot and Rick will provide the materials



o Mailing of Registration Postcards

• Status of mailing of postcards

• Sent, most of the members report getting them, some didn’t

• Communicate Registration Dates

• Articles in Hingham Journal - done

• Registration notices distributed in schools and the Rec Center = done

o Posting to the Hingham Youth Hockey site as well

o HLL Website

• Updated with all registration details including Challenger Division

o Use of Comcast Cable to promote registration

• Joe Granatino will call tomorrow to see if they put on the Hingham Town Channel.



• Sponsorships and Donations-Committee Report

o Chairpersons are Melissa Flanagan and Tia Mastromatteo

o Update of database of 2004 sponsors at all four levels (Major, Minor, Farm and T Ball)

• Identify returning sponsors

• All set at major level. There are 13 open slots in Minors, will inquire if last year sponsors would like to extend this year. Continue to add sponsors, Citizens Bank, Steve Jacobs Construction, etc. Will have a table at registration for Sponsorships. Suggestion was made to have signage listing all sponsors to make it more widely seen.

•

o Letters to 2004 sponsors who failed to pay sponsorship fees in 2004

• Rob will forward letter to all sponsors who failed to meet their sponsorship obligations

• Rob has HLL Letterhead and will send letters to get this squared away.

o Review rates charged in 2004/Recommendation on Rates for 2005

• In 2004 rates were Majors-0/year or ,200/three years; Minors and Farm-0/year or 0/three years and T Ball-0

• Determine sponsorship rate for Challenger Division

• Fee is 0. See comments under Challenger Divison later on in the minutes.

o Review details of sponsorship packet for 2005

• Identify any potential changes that need to be made

• Review Various Options For Sponsorships in 2005

• First Option of Renewal, etc.

o Discuss Other Issues

• 501 (c) (3) form required for Verizon sponsorship



• League Rules and Local By-law Issues



• Player Agent Report

o Mike Letorney is Player Agent

o Status of Tryout dates

• Dates are confirmed. SSSC, big field on right

• March 19th and March 20th 9:00 am – 1:00 pm

• Mike will inquire to get returning HHS Varsity players to assist

o Status of Draft

• Majors, Friday April 1st 7:00 – 9:00 pm at Rec, Minors Sunday April 4th time and location to be determined

o Other Topics

• Players with SSSC certificate can join Farm, 8 yr olds in Minors will take into consideration



• Major League Committee Report

o Joe Granatino is Chairperson

o Playing rules in Majors were left unchanged

o Age limitations and restrictions

• All 12 year olds automatically in Majors (Little League rule)

• Limitations on number of 10 year olds in Majors

• In 2004 it was a maximum of three per team

o Outstanding issue until registration is finalized

o Metal bats will be used in Majors

o Major teams will not be redrafted in 2005

o Other topics

• One issue discussed, a coach left town and question was asked whether that team is compensated with extra pick. Determined that the Draft Order and rules will be further evaluated prior to Draft date.



• Minor League Committee Report

o Determine Chairperson(s)

• Paul LeBlanc is the Chairperson

o Review current playing rules in Minors and determine if any changes need to be made

o Make recommendations to the Board regarding:

• Age limitations and restrictions

• Some 11 year olds will play in Minors

• Issue of 8 year olds playing in Minors

• Make recommendations to the Board on wood bat vs metal bat issue at the Minor Level

• Motion was made and passed to allow metal bats in the Minor Division this year

o Metal bats will be used in Majors

o Other topics

• Recommendation made to offer 1 batting helmet with face mask as an option for players to wear at bat. Considerable discussion ensued regarding the merits of the mask, should it be mandatory or optional, is there data regarding safety, etc. Further discussed looking into using a RIF ball (less than standard ball, some favorable data exists on safety factor). The issue of optional/mandatory facemasks was tabled for further discussion at this time.



• Farm League Committee

o Chairperson is Tim Driscoll

o Playing rules in Farm will be unchanged in 2005

o Make recommendations to the Board regarding age limitations and restrictions

• Issue of younger players in Farm League will be revisited after registration is completed

o Wood bat or metal bats can be used

o Other topics



• TBall Committee

o Chairperson is Mark Igo

o Playing rules in TBall have been updated

o Other topics



• Manager’s Committee Report

o Joe Craven is Chairperson

o Data base of 2004 HLL Managers and Coaches has been reviewed

• Joe reported that all recipients of ‘interest’ except 2 responded to the email sent out in early January, and all but 2 expressed interest still in managing/coaching. These are spread pretty well among divisions, plenty affirmative and still more volunteers needed. Due to schedules, the committee was not able to meet again but will shortly, to prepare for next board meeting to establish the process for selection for manager, format of process, etc.

• Potential oversubscription at the majors level for Managers with Mangers needed at all other levels

o Manager candidates at all levels will be interviewed

• Use Little League Approved Manager/Coach application

o CORI applications will be completed and submitted by all prospective Managers and Coaches

o Intermediate and advanced training for Managers and Coaches will occur

• Coaching training will include How to Run A Practice, Hitting, Pitching, Catching, Defense instruction, etc, as well as Boys of Baseball opportunities. Goal of the training to aim for consistency of coaching techniques throughout the program.

o Practice manual for HLL will be developed

o Zero Tolerance policy

• Discussed that this will addressed at the Coaches Meeting.

o Other topics



• Equipment Committee Report

o Rick West is Chairperson(s)

o Update database to identify existing equipment and uniforms at all four levels

o Create equipment budget

• Factor in Challenger Division

o Determine what equipment needs to be replaced

o Consider potential vendors for ordering equipment

o Equipment that will be provided

• Majors-hat, shirt, pants and sox

• Minors, Farm and T Ball-hat and shirt

• Challenger Division

• Recommend hat, shirt, pants and sox

o See under further notes, motion made and passed to provide full uniform for division players.

• Additional equipment-RIF baseballs, etc.

No report due to absences of committee members. Need to get going on this front as there is a lot to do. Rob will follow up



• Umpire Committee Report

o Rich Magner is Chairperson

o Review umpire requirements, rule changes and expectations for 2005

o Rates for umpires remain unchanged

o Completion of CORI form for all umpires

o Rule books need to be ordered

• Also discussed need to order new shirts for new umpires. Rich to follow up with Mark on this issue.

o Date selected for umpire kickoff meeting

• Rich provided update – 1st meeting is scheduled for March 16, Rec Center, 7:30pm. Rich asked Melissa if she could post upcoming in the Hingham Journal addressed to ‘the youth of the town’ age 13 and older to come to this informational meeting. Suggested that adults would be considered for umpiring if any requested, we support the opportunity it gives to the younger kids still interested in participating in organized sports.



• Challenger Division Report

o Chairpersons are Rob Blomberg, Joe Granatino and Tia Mastromatteo

o Update from Rob on Discussions with Ralph Rowe of Braintree Little League and Dianna Clarke of Hingham TOPS Soccer Program

• Highlights include: the program in Braintree is very successful and it is worth the effort, ‘Best thing I’ve done as President” of the Braintree Little League, Ralph Rowe. Treat the division and players like any others, kids really enjoy participating, go with full uniforms and trophies to hype it up…The TOPS program is also successful, with 20-30 participants of varying capabilities, but all sharing in the fun.

o Requirements for the Program

• Identification and number of players

• Update on communication with Parents Advisory Committee

• Upcoming, Joe has spoken with Director of Special Ed in town, they are very supportive and grateful, will work with us as this develops.

o Player Criteria can be within Hingham or outside of Hingham

• No player will be turned away

o Creation of Registration Form

o Schedules and Fields

• Saturday vs Sundays

• Conflict with the TOPS Soccer program

• Rob discussed working around the establishe TOPS program so as to not conflict; may want to schedule on Saturdays as the TOPS plays on Sundays, but only through mid May. We acknowledge that we can continue with division play later into June or more, no restriction.

o Uniforms and equipment

• A motion was made and passed to provide full uniforms for players in the division. Trophies will also be awarded to all players at the end of the season.

o Fees

• Make decision… vs donations vs waived fees

• Input received from several sources points out that players should not be treated differently and should pay regular fee (scholarships can be awarded on as needed basis, no player will be turned away)

o Sponsorship

• Discussed fee for sponsorship opportunities in this division. This is the most popular/sought after sponsorship level in the Braintree program. A motion was made and passed to establish a sponsorship fee of 0 per team

o Funding/Grant status

o Finalize Playing Rules

o Communication of the Challenger Division Program

• Hingham Journal

• HLL Website

• Challenger table at HLL Registration with brochures and video

• Parents meeting post registration

o Creation of “Buddy List”

o Creation of Parental and Volunteer List

o Handicap Rest Room issue

o Kickoff Ceremonies

o End of Year Awards Ceremonies

o Other topics



• Buildings, Property and Grounds Committee Report

o Cliff Boyle and Tim Zyrkowski-Co-Chairs

o Status of Existing Playing Fields-Haley, Hersey and PAL Fields

o Update on potential expansion to other fields

• Will continue to inquire availability of Foster, South, etc.

o Update on status of discussions with Hingham Softball, Hingham Rec or other groups regarding additional fields

• Cliff reported application received from School Committee, noting the fee per participant per field. Discussed issue in detail, determined we need more information on what permits we can get before deciding on how to best utilize the school fields at the most affordable cost.

o Status of Ordering Portable Rest Rooms



• Social Committee Report

o Chairpersons are Melissa Flanagan and Tia Mastromatteo

o Identify potential fundraisers

• Golf/tennis tournament-9/05

• Date set for September 21st at SS Country Club. Discussed that tournament is intended as a social function in addition to fundraising opportunity. Further details will be report later.

• Dinner/dance

• Other suggestions





Old Business



• Calendar of Events

o Review HLL Calendar of Events

o Changes to the Calendar

o Post Calendar on the website

• Rob will update and forward to Mark for posting on website.



• Hingham Little League Website

o Additional content for the HLL Website

• Update for Challenger Division



• Further Consideration of Baseball Options Within Hingham for Players Older Than 12 Years old

o At the 12/6/04 HLL BOD Meeting the HLL BOD affirmed that there is no interest in offering baseball options for players age 14 and older

o At the same time there was ongoing interest in determining what potential baseball programs Hingham Hull Babe Ruth might offer to the Hingham 13 year olds.

o Status of followup discussions with Hingham Hull Babe Ruth

o Update from 1/12/05 HH Babe Ruth Board Meeting

• Meeting was held, no plans to support 13 year old league. Option still exists to support a 1x / week ‘sandlot’ league with instruction. More information next meeting.



• Schedule for Upcoming Meetings

o Monday 2/7/05

o Monday 3/7/05

o Monday 3/21/05

o Monday 4/4/05

o Monday 4/11/05

o Monday 5/2/05

o Monday 5/16/05

o Monday 6/6/05

o Monday 6/20/05

o Monday 7/11/05

o Monday 8/8/05

o Monday 9/12/05

o Monday 10/3/05

o Monday 10/24/05 (Annual Meeting)





• Other Old Business



• New Business



o Bob Keyes distributed a flyer on a piece of field equipment that is used to dry fields, called a drain roller “Roll Dry” that is supposed to be terrific. After struggling with puddles several days last year, the special Diamond Turf on the infield at Haley was dumped on the grass, ultimately killing it. This device takes care of puddles in short order for a reasonable price. A motion was made and passed to purchase the device. Bob will follow up, report back on specific pricing.



o Issue of potential use of concession stand at PAL field was discussed. There is potential to raise funds, using the football shed. Several members thought this would be a great idea to support, as well as manning the ‘trailer’ which is available at Haley to help bolster funds. Being late, the issue was tabled at this time and will be put on future meeting agenda for further discussion.



Meeting was adjourned at 9:45 pm.