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