Other Information

Congratulations to Faircrest for finishing as the regular season champions (due to tie-breaker with Capitol Foods). Congratulations to Capitol for winning the league tournament. Congratulations also gho to the two WMLL Central league all star teams - One team won both the Sun Praire and reedsburg tournament and the othet team finished as runner up in the Reedsburg tourney.

Going into the July 7th games only 2 of the tourney seeds are locked in place. Burkhalter will be the #3 seed and IBEW will be the #6 seed. The #1 and #2 seeds will be held by Faircrest and Capitol, the order has yet to be determined. The #4 and #5 seeds will be held by Sandridge and Octopus, the order will be determined by todays game. The #7 and #8 seeds will be held by Coca Cola and Fak Eye, the order will be determined by their July 11th game.

Please make sure to provide the invitations to the players on your team who were chosen to participate in the all star try outs. The tryouts, will take place on Friday July 12th at Van Hise/Hamilton School at 5:00 pm. The players will demonstrate hitting, fielding, throwing, pitching, and catching skills.

The runner has the primary responsibility to avoid a collison with a defensive player. On close plays at a base a runner is required to slide OR AVOID A COLLISION with a defensive player who HAS THE BALL within the vicinity of a base. A runner does NOT have to slide on a close play as long as (s)he avoids contact.

Please continue to try and use players in a variety of positions and in a number of spots in the batting order and more than the minimum number of defensive innings. The game is for all of the kids, not only the most skilled. We are all competetive and like to win, however, this game is for ALL the kids.

Parents should provide only positive comments. Please remind your parents that they need to provide good sportmanship models for the players and that negative comments will not be tolerated.

The umpires are in charge of the game. Coaches should not question calls from the dugout. If you find a need to help the umpire with a rules interpretation, please ask the other coach to join you in that discussion. Please focus the discussion on the rule, not the judgement made by the umpire.

Please have your team run onto and off of the field. This is both the proper way for players to approach the game and allows for timely completion of games. Also, please ask your pitchers to work as quickly as possible on the mound. Please do not employ stall tactics in an effort to win a game by not completing it.

Please remember that the umpires are in charge of the game. You can call time out and ask them to clarify a call and you can request that they receive help from the filed umpire. At that point you should thank the umpire and return to the game. If you believe that the umpire is not applying a rule correctly you should call time out and ask the opposing coach to join you to discuss the rule clarification. It is not ok to argue or to attempt to over rule an umpires judgement call by getting the opposing coach involved.

Please remember that there is one parking spot reserved per team in the parking lot from 1 hour 15 minutes before your game until just after your game. Please try and be considerate of other coaches needs.

Make sure that your fans do not harass the umpires in any way. The fans should either be supportive of the umpires and players (on both teams) or you should ask them to leave the premises. Please let me know of any problems that you have with any of the fans or with the umpires. The umpires are to be held to the same standards of decorum as the coaches and fans. Please make sure that when you discuss any call with an umpire that you do so in a non-threatening way. Be careful to consider how your actions during a discussion with an umpire could be considered threatening.

Please be sure to let your players know that baseball is (for the most part) a non-physical game. It is never appropriate for a player to run over another player while trying to reach a base. Players must slide whenever there is a play at a base. This is not hockey or football.

No new inning should be started after the 1:45 minute time limit has been reached during a preceding inning, except to complete a tie game. If the time limit is reached during the home half of the 4^th inning or later, and the home team is ahead, the game should be stopped at that point.

Please provide a complete lineup form, including player name, uniform number, pitchers innings during the current week, and number of games during the current week, to the other team prior to each game.

Please check the web site scores page and let me know if you find any errors. I will use that list of scores to update the standings. Check the accuracy and legibility of the game cards the umpire asks you to sign after each game. Also make sure the umpire knows that the card is to be turned in at the concession stand.

Two Sandridge players have broken their arms and will be out for at least the next three weeks. (More recently they have also had a player injure his knee). Sandridge will be using at least one 10 year old to maintain their roster at 12 players while these players are out.

Players on scholarship can have their snack shop fees waived. Please tell the concession manager if any of your team's players will be asking for the waiver.

1) Any player is eligible to sell Northwood League all star game tickets to recoup part or all of his league fees - Call Phil James 287-0377 if you are interested. Northwood League all star tickets will also be available from the concession stand (profits go to WMLL)

2) teams can take their players and families to Mallards games free in exchange for players selling programs at the game for 1 hour. This is a fun team outing. Call Phil James to choose a date 287 - 0377.

Coach evaluation forms and volunteer forms will be given to team reps in early July. Completed forms (by players and parents) can be turned in to team reps or can be put in the Central League coordinators mail box behind the snack shop (3rd column in, bottom slot).

All star team nomination ballots will be provided to players and coaches in the next week. these will be due back to me by June 23rd. All star tryouts will be held July 12th.

The WMLL Board agreed to support the majority coaches opinion for implementation of the no stealing from 3rd rule. The rule should be implemented (starting with the June 2nd games) as written in the WMLL rules for the Central League (see below). The rule applies only after a dead ball situation - when time has been called at the end of a play and a runner is on third. Let me know if you need any further clarification.

Stealing - Central. A base runner may not steal home. A player may go from third to home only when the ball has been put in play by the batter or the pitcher has issued a bases loaded walk (or hit by pitch). Stealing of second and third base is permitted.

I think it would be good practice for both coaches to meet with both umpires before each game to discuss the 3rd base "no steal" rule, the last batter rule, any other rule you may be concerned about, as well as how the umpire intends to call the strike zone during the game.

The catchers interference rule is in effect for all WMLL games. A catcher can not be called for interfering on a batters follow through.

Remember that the home team should provide someone (preferably an adult) to operate the scoreboard during games. The scoreboard operating system is stored at the concessions stand. The home team for the first game of the day should pick up the operating system and hook it up (be careful to assure proper orientation of the plug). The home team for the last game of the day should unplug the system and take it to the concession stand. Thanks for your help with this.

Ice packs are available in the back of the concessions stand (above the mailboxes) help yourself to those as you need them.

Remember that the home team has access to the batting cage from 70 minutes prior to game start time until 40 minutes prior to the game. The visiting team has access to the cages from 40 minutes prior to the game until 10 minutes prior to the game. The central league teams should be using only one of the cages prior to games unless there is no other team interested in using the cages. Thanks for sharing.