Hingham Little League Board of Directors Meeting

Minutes of March 15, 2004

Hingham Recreation Center



The eighth meeting of the Hingham Little League Board of Directors was

called to order by President Rick Linehan at 7:37 pm.



Board of Directors present were: Rob Blomberg, Bruce Corwin, Melissa Flanagan, Mark Igo, Bob Keyes, Mike Letorney, Rick Linehan, Elliot Sherman, Rick West and Rich Magner.



Joe Granatino, Owen McConville, Mike Bynarowicz and Tom Golden were absent.



Secretary’s Report



The Meeting Minutes from the February 9, 2004, and February 25, 2004 meetings were reviewed, discussed and approved.



Treasurer’s Report



Treasurer Robert Keyes stated that as of March 15, 2004 the balance in the account was ,348. No disbursements have been made during the time period since the last report.



Business Related Issues



Local Little League Business Filings:



Articles of Incorporation: Vice President Sherman stated that all paper work has been filed with the Massachusetts Secretary of State office for Hingham Little League Inc. A check for .00 for the fee was issued.



Public Charity Filings: Vice President Sherman stated that all of the appropriate paperwork is still in the process of being filed.



National Little League Business Filings



Charter Application: President Rick Linehan mailed the application on January 23, 2004. Little League National has received it. Additionally, the League Charter and Insurance have been paid. Rick is following for a copy of the insurance binder. The Hingham Little League Constitution was sent to Little League East and has been accepted.

The 20,000+ town population waiver has been filed and a map of the town was sent to Don Whitman the District representative. Don has endorsed it and has forwarded the waiver to Williamsport. We are still awaiting their decision.



Recreation Department Permit for the Fields:



Elliot Sherman stated that the paperwork was filed prior to the due date.









Player Registration Process:



As of March 13, 2004 we have received 610 applications. The breakdown includes 141 for Majors; 220 for Minors; 208 for Farm; and 134 for T-Ball. By age the breakdown is 12’s (69); 11’s (72); 10’s (101); 9’s (119); 8’s (115) and 7’s (134).

March 6, 2004 was the deadline for registrations. Since other application were received after the cutoff date we now have waiting lists for Minors and Farm.



We agreed to the following:



Majors will be 12 teams and a 16 game schedule. There will be two divisions comprised of six teams. Each team will play two games against teams in their own division and one game against the teams in the other division. All teams will make the playoffs. The playoff format remains under discussion.



Minors will have 16 teams and will play 15 games. Based on projected numbers we agreed to add two teams as this will reduce the number of players per team to approximately 13.75 players. There will be one division. Each team will play every other team once. All teams will make the playoffs. The playoff format remains under discussion. Mark Igo will get two additional Managers for Minor teams. We will need to supplement our insurance and order additional uniforms of different colors for these two teams.



Farm will have 14 teams and will play 9 games.



We discussed and approved a 2-D waiver for Will Walker, a Scituate resident who attends Derby Academy. Will, who is now 11, has played baseball in Hingham since he was 7 years old and played in the Majors in 2003. Rick Linehan and Mike Letorney will approve the 2-d, discuss it with representatives from Scituate and then will forward the 2-d to Don Whitten, Little League District Administrator.



Subsequent requests for a 2-D waiver will be considered on an individual basis based on non-Hingham resident status but attendance at Derby Academy or St. Paul’s. Preference for subsequent 2-D approvals will be given to players who played baseball in Hingham prior to 2004.



Calendar of Events:



The Hingham Little League Calendar of Events needs to be finalized and placed on the HLL Website.



Major League Draft:



Mike Letorney brought an updated version of the Draft and Tryout Schedule which was reviewed by the BOD. Changes as a result of last night’s meeting are noted in bold regarding Major League Draft:

-All 12 year olds will only play in the Majors

-There will be a maximum of six 12 year old players and a minimum of five 12 year old players on each Major’s team. If the registration numbers of 12 year olds remain at 69 the first 9 teams in the Major’s draft order will be required to select 6 players from the 12 year old ranks at some point in the draft. Teams drafting 10-12 will be required to select only 5 from the 12 year old ranks.

-There will be a maximum of seven 11 year old players on each Major’s team. There will be no minimum number of 11 year old players on each Major’s team.

-There will be a maximum number of three 10 year old players on each Major’s team.

Mike will forward his updated version of the Draft Rules to the BOD prior to the next meeting.



Sponsorships and Donations:



Melissa Flanagan provided an update regarding the HLL Sponsors.

There are four sponsors for Majors: Gauthier and Connors; Best Chevrolet; Tarzia Construction; and Jack Diamond Law Offices. All but Jack Diamond have made the three year or ,200 commitment. Jack Diamond has committed 0 but is expected to commit for three years.

There are two sponsors for Minors: Paragon Environmental and Pyne Keohane Funeral Home who have committed for three years and 0.

There are no sponsors yet for Farm league teams.

There are two sponsors for T-ball: Margett’s and Iaria Bros. who have committed 0 apiece.

The deadline for sponsorships for previous sponsors was March 15, 2004 so more applications are expected.

The entire HLL BOD will look for future opportunities to tell the sponsors that their names will also be included in the future HLL Booklet. We have identified 54 potential sponsors.



Volunteer Applications



President Rick Linehan has applied for CORI Certification through Mass Criminal History Systems Board. The application was sent on 2/10/04 but there is a back up due to spring sports.



Tryouts Rules:



Mile Letorney provided an updated handout on the HLL Tryout process which the BOD reviewed. Try-outs will be held at the South Shore Sports Center on April 3, 2004 from 8:30 am-2:00 pm and on April 4, 2004 from 12:30 pm-4:00 pm.

All information listed below is correct other than the following changes:

-Major and Minor candidates will take three swings rather than five swings. We will not have major candidates bunt.

-A stop watch will be used to time runners going from home plate to first base.

-A meeting of all Managers of Majors and Minors teams has been scheduled for Tuesday, March 23, 2004 from 6:00 pm-7:00 pm to review the try out and draft rules.



On April 3, 2004 the schedule will be:

8:30 am-9:00 am-12 year old registration

9:00 am-10:00 am-12 year old tryouts

9:30 am-10:00 am-11 year old registration (A-L)

10:00 am-11:00 am-11 year old tryouts (A-L)

10:30 am-11:00 am-11 year old registration (M-Z)

11:00 am-12:00 pm-11 year old tryouts (M-Z)

12:30 pm-1:00 pm-registration for 9 and 10 year olds that can’t make it on Sunday, April 4

1:00 pm-2:00 pm-tryouts for 9 and 10 year olds that can’t make it on Sunday, April 4



On April 4, 2004 the schedule will be:

12:30 pm-1:00 pm-registration for 9 and 10 year olds (A-L)

1:00 pm-2:00 pm-tryouts for 9 and 10 year olds (A-L)

1:30 pm-2:00 pm-registration for 9 and 10 year olds (M-Z)

2:00 pm-3:00 pm-tryouts for 9 and 10 year olds (M-Z)

2:30 pm-3:00 pm-registration for 11 and 12 year olds that didn’t make it on Saturday, April 3

3:00 pm-4:00 pm-tryouts for 11 and 12 year olds that didn’t make it on Saturday, April 3



Each player will be identified by number.

There will be a maximum of 25 points for each player with grades from 1 (low) to 5 (max).

Each Manager will complete their evaluation sheets, will give them to Mike Letorney who will summarize them for all managers and return a copy to the Manager.

Draft nights will be on 4/12 (Major’s); 4/13 (Minor’s) and 4/14 (Farm) at Plymouth River School. Melissa Flanagan will confirm the times. A 7:00 pm or even a 6:30 pm start is desired.

The Major’s Draft will follow the serpentine process. Other requirements have been included previously in these minutes.

Options for sons, daughters and siblings will need to be forwarded to Mike 48 hours in advance of the draft. Age requirements will be Age 12 by round 3; Age 11 by round 4 and Age 10 by round 5.

Trading was discussed further. The deadline for trading will be the conclusion of the evening on the night of the draft. Additional trades after draft night can be made up to 14 days after the draft and are subject to review by Mike Letorney followed by full BOD review.



Mike Letorney will update his handout and will forward it to the entire BOD. Mike will continue to solicit Coaches and other non-Managers to assist him with registration, pitching batting practice and coordinating the activities on the field during tryouts.





Playing Rules/Local By-Laws:



Majors



Bruce Corwin agreed to be added to this committee.

Bruce will rewrite the Major’s Rules to follow the format used for Minors, Farm and T Ball and will present the revised version at the March 29, 2004 meeting..

While we did not review all potential rule changes made by the Major’s Committee we took a high level review and made the following changes to the proposed Major’s rule changes:

-We added language stating that during May no inning may start after 7:45 pm. During June no inning may start after 8:00 pm.

-Major’s games will be scheduled for Saturdays in addition to keeping Saturdays open for make up dates.

-We will use a continuous batting order. Rick West suggested that variety be used to avoid having the same batters hit lead off, clean up, etc. every game.

-There will be one Manager and two Coaches per team. If all three are at a game the Manager or Coaches can serve as base coaches. If less than the three are in attendance one player will serve as a base coach.

-Managers and Coaches will remain in the dugout or in the base coach boxes.

-Teams must have nine players by 10 minutes after the regularly scheduled playing time. Forfeits will be under the umpire’s discretion.

-No warm ups with bats will be allowed either in the on-deck circles or in the on-deck areas within the cages. Umpires will warn a team once if players warm up with bats. Subsequent swinging of bats in on-deck areas will results in outs being called for every instance.

-All team will make the playoffs. As previously mentioned playoff pairings will be discussed at a later date.



Minors



Mike Letorney presented his version of the rules for Minors.

While we again did not review all potential rule changes made by the Minor’s Committee we took a high level review and made the following changes to the proposed Minor’s rule changes:

-We added language stating that during May no inning may start after 7:45 pm. During June no inning may start after 8:00 pm.

-We will use a continuous batting order.

-Each team will receive 24 new baseballs at the start of the year.

-Umpires will work games from behind the plate

-A week in Minors is defined as Monday through Sunday

-Runners may not tag up and advance on caught fly balls

-There is a maximum 10 run rule per u=inning in addition to other "slaughter rules" that apply

-While no food is allowed in the dugout or on the bench (including sunflower seeds) drinks (water, Gatorade, etc.) are permitted

-Ties in the fourth tie-breaker will be determined by a coin toss

Mike will revise the proposed Minor Rules based on the discussion.



Farm



These playing rules will be discussed at the March 29, 2004 meeting.



T-Ball



These playing rules had been forwarded by Mark Igo and will be discussed at the March 29, 2004 meeting.



Little League Merchandise



Rick Linehan distributed a spreadsheet involving miscellaneous Little League Merchandise including patches, rule books, etc. We approved all items on the list for the stated amounts with the exception of the Basic Baseball and Softball Manual and the Getting Started Manual which were .00 respectively. For both books we agreed to order one copy apiece rather than 28 and 26 copies.



Umpire Committee



Training will be coordinated by Mark Igo, Rich Magner and Rick West. 20 umpires were registered on March 15, 2004. We will continue to use various sources including Hingham High School, ads in the Hingham Journal and previous experience to recruit additional umpires.

Following each game the umpires and Manager’s will jointly complete a "game sheet" report listing the pitcher’s used, the score and any other comments about the game itself.

Equipment



Elliot Sherman reported that the Major’s shirts have been received.



We discussed and agreed upon the following requirements for uniforms by group:

-Major’s-shirt, hat, sox, LL patch and sponsor name up to

-Minor’s-shirt, hat, sox, LL patch and sponsor name up to

-Farm-shirt, hat, LL patch and sponsor name up to

-T-Ball-shirt, hat, LL patch and sponsor name up to



We discussed and agreed to order the "hockey style" catcher’s masks for major’s catchers. These are roughly .00 apiece. We will continue to use the regular style catcher’s masks for Minors and Farm.



Elliot approached Hingham Youth Baseball about obtaining their former equipment. However they declined to provide equipment to us citing concerns expressed by their liability insurance carrier.







The next BOD Meeting date will Monday, March 29, 2004, at 7:30 pm at the Hingham Rec Center.



The meeting was adjourned at 10:37 PM



Minutes submitted by Rob Blomberg, Acting Secretary.