Howard Rollin, League Director [email protected]
AFFILIATED WITH THE NATIONAL ADULT BASEBALL ASSOCIATION
RULES AND INFORMATION HIGHLIGHTED IN GREEN REPRESENT THE MOST RECENT MODIFICATIONS AND UPDATES
RULES AND INFORMATION HIGHLIGHTED IN RED REPRESENT IMPORTANT MODIFICATIONS AND UPDATES
The following addendums for the Denver League supersede all present rules as established by the National Adult Baseball Association (NABA) and the National Baseball Congress. All rule addendums below are subject to the approval of the team managers. In any game day situation, if both opposing managers agree to modify the rule addendums listed below, they may do so.
1. Eligibility - During the 2009 season, male participants will be eligible to participate if they were born before 1953. Each Denver League team will be permitted to have up to a maximum of 2 underage players who are at least 48 years old by the end of the 2009 calendar year. In addition, each team can carry a maximum of 13 total players on their roster, which will include both primary and official secondary players (not emergency players). Female participants will be eligible to participate when they reach their 18th birthday. The League Director reserves the right to permit certain underage male players to insure the viability of the league. On any game day, any team may add emergency players to their roster to insure that their team has up to a maximum of 11 players for the early 8:30 AM time slot or 10 players for the 11:00 AM time slot. If any team already has 2 underage players on their roster who are present and ready to play, an additional underage (48-56) emergency player may be recruited for that specific situation. This would result in as many as three 48-56 year old participants for that particular game.
2. Stealing bases is greatly discouraged. If there are runners on base and the catcher receives a pitch on the fly from the pitcher, ALL BASE RUNNERS ARE FORCED BACK TO THEIR BASES. Therefore, attempted stealing of bases is not a wise play. This is also applicable when the pitcher has possession of the baseball while on the mound, or when he pitches it to the plate, or when the catcher attempts to throw the ball back to the pitcher. In addition, runners on base are not only imperiled from stealing, but are prohibited from taking bases as a result of wild pitches, passed balls, and dropped pitched balls by the catcher. If a pitched ball does not make contact with the batter's bat but does make contact with the ground, the ball will be immediately considered to be a dead ball (as if it was a foul ball). The catcher (or any other player or umpire) must throw the ball back to the pitcher (only) to put the ball back into play, and the umpire will then acknowledge that the game can continue. The pitcher must then assume the pitcher's position by placing his foot on the rubber, similarly to the situation after a foul ball has hit the ground or has gone out of play and has become a dead ball.
If a base runner has inadvertently tried to advance to the next base in a dropped ball/wild pitch/passed ball situation, the base or home-plate umpire should immediately stop play and direct him back to the base that he came from, after the dead ball has been called and before the next pitch. A dead ball situation will occur only when a pitched ball is not caught by the catcher and the ball hits the ground (including short pitches that are scooped cleanly by the catcher). However, if a pitcher or catcher attempts to pick-off a runner (taking too big of a lead), and the pick-off attempt hits the ground during that play, the base runner(s) may then try to advance. OTHERWISE, ALL BASE RUNNERS ARE FORCED BACK TO THEIR BASES. If a pitched ball does not hit the ground, base runners are therefore imperiled from stealing. Pick-off attempts by the catcher can only be attempted if the ball has not touched the ground during or after each pitch. However, the force play back to a runner's base requires a "tag" for an out, unless in the umpire's opinion, the runner is too far removed from the base he is forced back to and a "tag" would therefore be irrelevant and unnecessary. Please note, when a base runner is far removed from the base he is forced back to, it might be prudent for the defensive team to avoid a long throw to that base. This is true because if the throw to that base inadvertently hits the ground, the base runner now standing at the next base (or beyond) will then be declared safe and will be able to stay at that base due to the ineptness of the defensive team. Carrying the ball to the base a runner is forced back to (to insure that it doesn't hit the ground) would be considered a wise play.
3. If a batter, after reaching base successfully and the play is finished, does not wish to run the bases (desires to be a non-runner), that batter may call "time" and have any player on his team run for him. (The decision to replace a non-runner must be made immediately after the batter reaches base and before the first pitch to the next batter. No changes can be made after that next pitch, except for injuries occurring on the base paths, or the catcher is on the base path with 2 out and needs to get into his defensive gear for the next half inning.) If a player who is acting as a substitute runner is scheduled to be at bat while still on the base path, an additional substitute runner is ineligible to take his place, and the original substitute runner must take his turn at bat immediately. An out will be recorded with the elimination of the runner on base. It should be noted that a substitute runner may only run once as a substitute during each inning. Therefore, a player may only run the bases for himself (when he gets on base) and only once as a substitute runner during any one inning. The only exception to this rule will occur when the offensive team goes completely through its batting order during any one inning and batters are now getting their second at-bat during the same inning. If a non-runner gets on base twice and requires a substitute runner both times during the same inning, a substitute runner who has already run for him or any other player may run again. This situation will probably occur only during a team's last at-bat in the 7th inning, when unlimited scoring is in affect.
4. All teams will utilize an extended batting order. All players present and in uniform will be placed in the batting order. Late arriving players will be added to the bottom of the batting order. Semi-injured players who are not in full uniform, but are present just in case of an emergency, should be listed on the lineup card by the manager as a potential substitute player according to traditional NABA rules. If required to play, those players would be required to be in uniform before they would be eligible to enter the game. Please note, there must be a minimum of 9 batters in the batting order if 9 players are fully suited up, are present, and ready to play.
5. If a player must quit the game and his manager has notified the opposing manager (prior to the game) of the player leaving during play, the batting order will be shortened without penalty. Players who are removed from the batting order, but are still present at the field when it is their turn to bat (except players who are injured as determined by the home plate umpire), will be declared an automatic out for being illegally skipped in the batting order. If a player is injured while at bat and cannot continue to complete the "at-bat," the next player in the batting order will bat immediately and assume the injured player's ball and strike count. If a player is ejected by an umpire, there will be no penalty for skipping the ejected player's position in the batting order. If a second player on the same team is ejected during the same game, an out will be recorded for the second vacated position. If, as a result of a player ejection, a team is reduced to 8 players, that team will not forfeit the game according to NABA rules. Any team may play a game with a minimum of only 8 players.
6. Managers are required to utilize each player on their team (either regular team, secondary or emergency substitute players) in a defensive playing position for at least 3 innings (9 outs played) in each game. This rule will apply to both regular season and playoff games. Please note that players who want to bat, but do not want to play defense, may be listed as designated hitters only. Managers are then required to notify the opposing manager and the league director of any player who fits into that category, even if it is the result of an injury.
7. All games will be 8 innings or 2 1/4 hours. However, an 8th inning will not be started after 2 1/4 hours have been played. However, once any inning has been started, that inning must be completed.* In case of inclement weather or poor playing conditions, a game is considered official after the losing team (or both teams when tied) has been to bat at least 4 times. All games may end in a tie if scheduled time runs out, except for playoff games, which will be played to completion to determine a winner. Regularly scheduled game times during the 2009 season will be on Thursdays at 8:30 AM for the first game. The second game may be started 10 minutes after the conclusion of the first game, but no earlier than 11:00 AM, if a sufficient quantity of players are available. In most situations, the second game will start between 11:00 -11:10 AM. If the first game ends later than 10:50 AM, there will be a 10 minute break between the games. It is assumed that the second game every Thursday will start no later than 11:10 AM, assuring that it will be completed by 1:40 PM, when the league should vacate the field. If each week's games finish after 1:40 PM on a regular basis, the league may require an additional fee from each player to cover a possible additional field expense. Postponed games will be added on at the end of the regular season schedule. The first five games of the regular season will be scheduled on the Logan Field at the Double Angel Baseball Complex in Parker, Colorado. There is the possibility that on some game dates, the league may be required to play on the larger Dillon Field. After the first four available game dates have been played at the Double Angel Complex (by the end of May), all remaining games (possibly including playoffs) will be played at Alameda High School (S. Wadsworth & W. Mississippi). If a scheduled game date is postponed at the Double Angel Complex in April or May, it may be necessary to return to that complex in August in order to complete the season.
*If 7-innings in any game are completed in less than 2 hours and 15 minutes of game time (measured from the officially-determined start time), an 8th inning will be started. However, the run differential in the scoring must be no more than 5 runs at the start of the 8th inning, otherwise the game ends as a 7-inning game. If the visiting team is leading after 7 innings and extends the lead to 6 runs in the top of the 8th inning, the game will end immediately (walk-off situation). The 7th inning will be the only unlimited-scoring inning played in the game. If there are more than 15 minutes of available playing time and the home team is batting in the bottom of the 7th inning and leading in the game by fewer than 6 runs, the game will continue.
If both teams are shorthanded (less than 8 players) at any game start time, the game clock will begin and the amount of playing time will therefore be reduced until at least one of the teams has enough players. Then, if only one team is shorthanded, they will play with whatever number of players they have or can borrow from their opponent until their regular players show up to make their team full. Any borrowed players will then revert back to their originally assigned team.
8. Secondary and emergency players will always be listed in the batting order and bat after primary players (and secondary players always bat before emergency players). Secondary and emergency players who are pitchers will be allowed to pitch a maximum of any portions of 2 innings total. However, if not enough primary team pitchers are available, the 2 inning maximum rule may be lifted with the approval of the opposing manager. Of special note, secondary or emergency players who are official underage league players will be allowed to pitch for not only their primary but their secondary and emergency teams, as well. If a team anticipates being short-handed in any regular season game or playoff game, the manager may recruit age-eligible players from any other NABA team within the Denver leagues or age-eligible players in the Colorado Over 50 Baseball League. Any player recruited must have already signed an NABA 2009 player's contract. Emergency players who are not official members of any Denver Over 60 Baseball League team must have filled out an NABA 2009 player contract before participating. These additional players should be added to a team in order for that team to have at least 9 minimum players available for the game. If a regular team player shows up late (after the game has started), that player will be added to the bottom of the lineup without the need to drop any emergency substitute player from the game. Once a game has begun, an emergency player has the right to continue playing until that game is complete. Please note that late arriving primary players must be listed on the lineup card as substitutes only (not listed in the batting order), in order to be eligible to play once they show up. When in doubt, managers should always list everyone (all primary players) for their team on the lineup card but not in the batting order, unless they're present at the field and ready to play.
In order for players to qualify to play 2 games on any game date, the following procedures will be utilized in 2009:
Players who would like to be officially assigned to a secondary team must request that they would like to be added to the draft of secondary players and do so no later than April 16th. The draft of secondary players will be held by all four team managers on April 23rd at the end of the pre-season league banquet. Players wanting to be included in the official draft of secondary players should email that request to the league director <[email protected]> before April 16th. Once drafted and assigned, that's the official secondary team that each drafted player can play for during the rest of the regular season and throughout the playoffs. Please note, if a player's primary team is scheduled against his official secondary team (resulting in a game-schedule conflict), that player must play for his primary team, but he can still participate as an emergency player (if needed) in the other time-slotted game that week. During the playoffs, only primary and official secondary players can participate with their teams. Emergency players will be handled on a game-to-game basis, but the use of emergency players during the playoffs will only occur when a team has fewer than 10 players present at game time. During a regular season game, any team may add emergency players up to a maximum of 11 in the 8:30 AM game and only 10 in the 11:00 AM game.
Any player who must drive 100 or more miles each week (total roundtrip) in order to participate will be given the highest priority to play on a secondary and/or emergency team. That player will be included as an emergency player when there is a secondary game scheduling conflict (primary versus secondary team). Presently, only league players Lou Rotola and Jimmy Terman fit this description.
9. Although the NABA places certain restrictions on pitchers, there will be no restrictions on pitchers in the DENVER OVER 60 BASEBALL LEAGUE, except that a pitcher who is relieved from the mound may return to the mound to pitch again, but not within the same inning of the removal.
10. Metal spikes will be permitted during the 2009 baseball season.
Until further notice, there will be only a single first base in use. A secondary first base that has been used during prior years will not be used at the Double Angel Baseball Complex or at any other Metro Denver high school.
11. In order to prevent injuries at all bases, a no collision rule will be enforced. Infielders should never block bases even if they have possession of the baseball. Also, infielders should never enter the base path of an approaching runner to intercept a poorly thrown ball. The infielder will be held responsible if contact occurs in such a situation. Infielders should always give a substantial portion of a base for a runner who might be sliding in. Base runners must either slide or give themselves up. However, sliding is not required in this league because of the age group. Players will not be forced to slide, if they wish not to. However, if a player does slide in order to try to break up a double play, the runner will be held accountable for any dangerous contact at the base. "Barrel-roll" body sliding is not an acceptable form of sliding into a base. Base runners must always run with control and concern for their opponent. Under no circumstances will a base runner try to dislodge the ball from a defensive player. Also, infielders should not induce base runners to slide unnecessarily by using a "phantom tag." Disciplinary action (ejection, suspension, fines, etc.) will be taken against any player guilty of such actions, as determined by the umpires, managers, coaches, and league director. Please remember, this is not "blood and guts baseball."
12. In Denver league play, the team with the best regular season record will have earned the title of Division Winner. The team that wins the Playoff Tournament will earn the title of League Champion.
13. Teams must have a minimum of 8 players available on the field at game time to avoid a forfeit. Extra players from the opponent's team may be utilized (with the permission and approval of the manager and his team who have more than 9 players present) only as a last resort to avoid a forfeit. The number of players loaned and the caliber of player(s) will be at the sole discretion of the manager loaning the players to avoid a forfeit. No player, however, will be forced to play against his own team. Lastly, if a team loses a player during the game for any reason, including a situation that reduces the team count to only 8 active players, an automatic out will not be charged. However, if any team's player count is reduced to only 7 players and no other players are available (even from the opponent), that team will be subject to a forfeit.
14. Once a team has scored 5 runs in an inning, play is halted and the half inning is over. However, if in achieving the 5 maximum runs allowed per inning, an over-the-fence home run is hit with men on base that results in more than 5 total runs, all of the runs will score and be counted. (For example, if the bases are loaded and four runs have already been scored in a half inning and the batter hits a grand slam over the fence, 8 runs will count.) This rule will apply only to the first 6 innings of any game. During the 7th inning and only in the 7th inning, each team may score as many runs as possible. In an 8-inning game, please refer to rule #7* which explains that the 8th inning is played just like innings 1 through 6 where each team can score only a maximum of five runs. A lead of 6 or more runs by either team after 7 innings have been completed will result in the end of the game (mercy rule).
15. Additional special rules for this age group are covered in the Manager's Rulebook and Guidelines as printed by the NABA. All other official rules are determined by the National Baseball Congress Rulebook. When in doubt, contact the league director. Protests must be addressed by the protesting manager only and directed to the home plate umpire before play continues. Once play continues, there can be no protest. When in doubt, the protesting manager should immediately consult with the opposing manager to determine legality of a play. If the managers disagree, a protest should be stated immediately to the opposing manager and the home plate umpire. The protesting manager should notify the league director, who in most situations will be present at the field and will (in most cases) become involved. The league director and home plate umpire will immediately consult and rule upon the protest. If the league director is not present and either team manager is not satisfied with the ruling by the home plate umpire, the protest must be logged in the scorebook of the protesting team and preferably both teams for the best clarification. The league director must be informed by the protesting manager no later than 6 hours after the conclusion of the game. A protest bond will not be required in this league.
16. Before the first game of a game-day, the infield dirt areas will be "prepped" by Double Angel Baseball Field maintenance or by Faith Christian Academy. Also, each team is responsible for cleaning litter out of their dugout after each game. The teams playing in the last game each week are responsible for sweeping out their respective dugouts at the conclusion of their game.
17. Since maintenance crews at the fields that the league plays on cannot provide between game field repair on any game date, the following will apply: Immediately at the end of the first game (only) on each scheduled play date, the winning team will be required (as necessary) to repair the mound and home plate areas before the second game begins, if rakes are available.
18. The home team always occupies the first base dugout.
19. The league will play a total of 12 regular season games starting on April 30th. Following the end of the regular season, a single-elimination playoff will commence on the following week. If there are no more than one postponement, there is the possibility that a double-elimination playoff can be held in order to complete the playoffs before the end of August. Details will follow.
If, by the conclusion of the 10th or 11th game of the regular season, the standings (particularly the regular season division winner) would not be affected by the remaining regular season games, the format for the playoffs may be changed to a double-elimination format. Such a change will require the approval of a majority of the team managers. Details of the format change would be published by the league director on the 2009 league webpage.
20. If two or more teams are tied in the standings at any time during the season, the traditional NABA tie-breaker rules will apply to determine which team is officially higher in the standings. Managers should check their appropriate rulebook for clarification.
21. During the playoffs, the highest seeded team in each game (as determined by the final regular season standings) is the home team. The only exception to this rule would be if a double elimination playoff format is implemented. If that occurs, the format for that situation will be published.
22. During the 2009 season, the league will only permit official wood baseball bats. Composite wood bats will be allowed after inspection by the League Director and/or home plate umpire. However, if any player in the league is 70 years old or older, that player has the option to use either a wood or metal bat.
23. All pitchers will be required to observe a semi-strict interpretation of the balk rules. When a pitcher is observed as having balked when delivering a pitch to the plate, that pitcher will be warned after the pitch by the umpire upon first offense. Each pitcher will be given a warning in each game upon first offense in that game. Umpires may (but are not required to) try to assist pitchers by explaining the illegality of the pitcher's motion or foot work. A second offense by the same pitcher during the same game will result in a balk called and a penalty. However, if a pitcher commits a balk during any pick-off attempt, a balk will be called without the requirement of a warning. If, according to the umpires subjective decision, a pitcher commits a serious and deliberate deceptive infraction or a repeat of an infraction from a previous game, a balk with a resulting penalty may be called without a first warning. Also, umpires will take into account the reduced flexibility of the neck and shoulders of Over 60 Baseball pitchers and will assess balks only for flagrant violations. When in doubt, pitchers should check with the umpire(s) before the game about the balk rule and how it will pertain to them.
24. If a player shows up in full uniform at a game field, it is assumed that he is ready to play and must be placed into the lineup. Injured players or those players not wishing to play should not be in full uniform. This will prevent teams from improperly dropping weaker players from their active playing roster at game time. Please note that players who want to bat, but do not want to play defense, may be listed as designated hitters only. However, managers are required to notify the opposing manager of any player who fits into that category, even if it is the result of an injury. Also, if a player must leave the game before it's complete, that player is required to inform his manager, who in turn must inform the opposing manager before the game begins. Otherwise, the opposing team can request an automatic out when the player leaving the game (not because of an injury) misses his at-bat, unless there are extenuating circumstances that the league director or umpire will decide upon.
25. In any league game, both opposing managers may mutually agree to modify any of the above rules for the sake of the game being played. The league director (if present) and the home-plate umpire must be notified of any changes by both managers before the game begins or before play can continue.
26. Any veteran player who wants to change teams may do so (either primary or secondary), but only through the appropriate draft of players that will take place during the annual managers meeting before the season begins. The only exception to this rule is when the two managers involved in a possible player transfer or trade agree to it. Otherwise, all player official assignments must be done through the annual draft.
27. Smoking and/or drinking alcoholic beverages are absolutely prohibited at the Double Angel Complex and all Metro Denver high school fields.
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