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Rules and Regulations for the 2010 Season

League phone number (705) 888-8485

Email:  collingwoodball@hotmail.com

Slo-pitch Ontario rules are in effect except when the following local working rules apply; 

  1.  BALLS:  The home team shall provide a new ball and one good used ball.  The visiting team must provide a third ball suitable for play by the umpire.  Men will use the SPO1240y ball while women will use the Spolley ball for the 2010 season.  The Worth Wicked yellow RIF ball will be used for Coed.  If a homerun ball is not retrieved, the team that hit the homerun will replace it with a good used ball.  The 11 inch ball is to be used for the ladies division. 

 

 

  1. ROSTERS:  The team roster shall consist of a maximum of 22 members (this includes coaches and/or score keepers who also play) and the preliminary roster must be submitted by spreadsheet to the league president no later than May 1st.  Teams not turning in the preliminary roster, by spreadsheet, shall lose all games from the start of the season until it is handed in.  No additional players should be added to the roster after June 30th, 2010.  Players already signed with a 2010 team and wishing to sign with a different team must seek a written release from the executive.  This must be submitted to the league executive prior to June 30th.  No changes will be accepted after this time.  Any player whose name appears on two roster sheets shall become ineligible for the season.  Masters division players are exempt but may sign with only one Masters 35 and one Masters 45 team.  Any changes made to rosters, due to special circumstances, after June 30th must be approved by the league executive. 

 

 

  1. FEES:  All fees will be determined by the executive 30 days prior to the payment deadline on May 1st.  For the 2010 season, payment will be accepted up until the May 13th meeting.  Teams not making payments in full, shall lose all games until the payment is made. 

 

 

  1. FORFEITED GAMES:  A $30.00 fee will be charged to any team that forfeits a game.  This fee will be added to the league fees for the next season. 

 

 

  1. PROTESTED GAMES:  Any protest on the outcome of a game shall be set down in writing and signed by the team manager and/or team representative and delivered to the league president within 48 hours of the game.  Under no circumstances will verbal protests be accepted.  A $50.00 cheque must accompany every protest.  If the protest is approved, the deposit will be refunded to the team representative.  If the protest is over-ruled, the deposit will be retained and added to the league treasury.

 

 

  1. ILLEGAL PLAYERS:  If a winning team is found to be using illegal players, the game will be forfeited and the team will lose the win. 

 

 

  1. ELIGIBILITY:  All signed player in the men’s, ladies and coed division must play in at least 5 games in order to be eligible for playoffs.  Masters players must play in at least 3 games.  If a team questions the number of games that a player has played, the team representative may send a protest to the league executive and request a confirmation of the number of games played.  A $50.00 cheque must accompany the protest.  If the protest is approved, the deposit will be returned to the team representative. 
  2. LATE ARRIVALS:  All divisions can start a game with 8 or more players.  If a team has 8 players, they can pick up 1 extra player from the same division as their opponent or lower.  Team members arriving late for the game may be added to the game sheet at any time in any inning.  If a team has picked up extra players the late player will be substituted in for the pickup player and they will leave the game. 

 

 

  1. HOMERUN RULE:  For men’s, ladies and coed divisions, you may have 1 home run per inning (assisted or unassisted).  Runners on base do not advance.  For master’s division, the home run rule is 3 per game (assisted or unassisted). 

 

 

  1. PLAYER SUSPENSIONS:  Upon the 1st suspension, the player will be suspended from the next regularly scheduled division game.  After a 2nd suspension, the player will be suspended from the next regularly scheduled division game as well as the next 3 regularly scheduled games.  If a 3rd suspension should occur, the league executive will review the possible outcomes.  Any player who is suspended from a game is expected to league the diamond and/or stands immediately.  Under a conflict of interest, an executive member will not be involved in the decision making process if their team is involved.

 

 

  1.  UMPIRES:  The umpires will explain the ground rules to both teams and state the starting times prior to each game.  Umpires will be paid once a month by the league president.  The league will be collecting umpire fees at the start of each season from each team.  A mercied game is considered a full game.  There will only be 1 umpire per game at a cost of $15.00 per team, this includes league and playoff games.  The executive will meet with the umpires as a whole, at the beginning of the season, to go over the rules and make sure that they are aware of any changes.  A meeting will also occur halfway through the season to review any changes. 

 

 

  1. MERCY RULE:  If a team is leading by 12 or more runs, after 5 innings have been completed (4 ½ innings if the home team is winning),  they shall be declared the winner.  This rule applied for ladies, men’s and master’s divisions.  For all coed teams, a team may score 5 runs per inning or catch up and go ahead by 5 runs.  The last inning is NOT open.  When a team is leading by 12 or more runs after 5 innings are completed, the mercy rule will come into effect.  However, should the losing team wish to continue, they will have the choice to finish the game or continue until the 60 minute time limit has been reached. 

 

 

  1. COURTESY RUNNER:  Men’s, ladies and coed divisions may have 3 courtesy runners from any base at any time.  Master’s divisions may use every player on the roster, once per game, from any base. 

 

 

  1. TIME LIMIT:  No new inning should be started after 60 minutes.  (70 minutes for the master’s division)  Teams are not permitted to practice on the infield if a diamond has already been lined.  In order for a game to be considered complete, you must complete a minimum of 5 innings (4 ½ if the home team is winning).  If the time has elapsed and the score is tied, each team will receive a single point and the game will be ended.  No game shall go beyond 7 innings to break a tie, unless it is during playoffs.

 

 

  1. JEWELLERY:  No jewellery is to be worn on the playing field.  Leg braces that consist of metal or plastic must be covered and any player caught with jewellery will be an automatic out.  Tape will be permitted to cover jewellery.

 

 

  1. NSF FEES:  There will be a $40.00 fee for any NSF cheque that is paid to the league.  A second NSF cheque will result in an $80.00 fee.  Should a team provide a third NSF cheque, all remaining fees will be required in cash. 
  2. PLAYOFFS:  The format for the first round of playoffs will be determined by the executive, depending on the number of teams in the league.  The top 2 teams of each playoff division will play 3 out of 5 for final playoffs, except masters and coed, which will be 2 out of 3.  In the event that a playoff game is suspended before its completion it will be considered complete if you have completed 5 innings or 4 ½ if the home team is winning.  If it does not reach the above requirements, it will be continued from where it left off. 

 

 

  1. STARTING TIMES:  Starting times for all games shall be 7, 8 & 9pm.  Coed will play at 6, 7 & 8pm on Sundays and 7, 8 & 9pm on Tuesdays.  Rained out games may be scheduled any day of the week.  Teams must be ready to play at starting times.  There is a 10-minute grace period from the scheduled start time if you are waiting for your 8th player. These 10 minutes will be deducted from the game time.  Game sheets and balls are to be presented to the umpires at game time.  No infields are allowed.  The home team shall be the official scorekeeper for all games.  The home team MUST supply the official game sheet.  After filling in their side with all of the information required, the home tea shall hand it over to the visiting team for completion and then have it returned to the umpire.  Following completion of the game, both teams must retrieve their copy of the game sheet from the umpire ensuring that it is signed by the umpire.  The umpire is responsible for dropping the extra copy off at the designated drop point.  (Located at the canteen at the Collingwood diamonds)  The winning team is responsible for submitting the score on the website within 24 hours.  Should a team not submit the score within the deadline, all points for that game will be lost.

 

 

  1. SAFETY/MAT: The full mat is to be used in all divisions.  The mat will be made from wood for the 2010 season.  Safety lines and commitment lines will be used in all divisions.  No sliding at home and the forced play is in effect.  There will not be a batter’s box but a line will be used in front of the plate that may not be crossed, otherwise the batter will be considered out. 

 

 

  1. LEAGUE STANDINGS:  Following the completion of the season, the teams finishing 1st and 2nd in each division will be promoted to compete in the higher division for the next season.  The teams finishing in the bottom two positions will be dropped one division below for the upcoming season.  If the division consists of 5 teams or less, only 1 team will move up or down.  Team rankings will be revised by the executive each year and changes will be made if necessary. 

 

 

  1. VOTING:  All teams affiliated with the Collingwood & District Slo-pitch League must have 1 representative in attendance at each league meeting.  Each team is entitled to 1 vote on league issues.  All league meetings are mandatory and should any team not send a representative, they will lose 2 points from the standings.  All league meetings will be posted on the website. 

 

 

  1. INSURANCE:  All players, coaches, managers, scorekeepers and bat persons must have accident, health and liability insurance through SPO in order to play in the Collingwood & District Slo-pitch league.  You must be on the game sheet in order to be covered by the insurance and you must report any accident to the league president within 7 days and request a form from SPO.  No children are allowed in the dugout unless they are scorekeeping or being a bat person.  No pets are allowed in the dugout.  

 

 

  1. STRIKE RULE:  All divisions will have the third strike rule in effect.

 

 

  1. SUBSTITUTION RULE:  A team may choose to bat only 10 players.  Players may then be substituted in for any one of the 10 players however the player who is removed from the game may no longer bat. 

 

 

  1. SWEARING:  No swearing will be tolerated.  The umpire may eject any player from a game for using profanity.  Swear words will be at the discretion of the umpire.
  2. SCHEDULES:  All divisions will play an interlocking schedule.  Once the schedule has been completed, no changes will be allowed except in the case of SPO sanctioned tournaments.  Any team wishing to attend an SPO tournament may request a change.  The tournament roster must be submitted 3 weeks prior to the tournament and it must be the majority of the team attending.  Any other changes must be approved by the executive. 

 

 

  1. RAINED OUT GAMES:  If the park & recreation department deems our games to be rained out it will happen by 4pm.  Our league website will be updated by 4:30pm should any game be rained out.  (Remember that games could be rained out in Collingwood and still run in Stayner, or vice versa.)  If they are not cancelled by this time, all teams must show up for their scheduled games and it will be up to the umpires’ discretion based on the condition of the field.  The umpires may call a game at any point due to weather conditions. 

 

 

  1. PREGNANCY RULE:  No player is allowed to play in any division while they are pregnant.  However, we will make an exception for the playoffs for any mother who has not been able to play in the required number of games due to pregnancy. 

 

 

  1. INJURY RULE:  If a player is injured during the season and cannot get enough league games before playoffs an exception will be made and that player will be allowed to play in playoffs.  The executive must be given immediate notification in writing that a player is off with an injury. 

 

 

  1. NIGHTS SCHEDULED:  Men’s and ladies games will be scheduled on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings.  Masters 45 will be played on Tuesday nights while Masters 35 will be played on Thursday nights.  Coed games will be played on Tuesday and Sunday nights and any Monday nights of a long weekend.  Rained out games may be scheduled any night of the week, for any division.

 

  1. DETERMINATION OF LEAGUE AND PLAYOFF STANDINGS:  In the case of a tie the standings will be determined by: 1.  Wins in standings
      1. Win-Loss record against each other
      1. Total run difference (mercy rule capped max runs in all divisions)
      2. If after the above rulings teams are still tied, there will be a 1 game playoff (coin toss will determine the home team)

 

 

  1.  UMPIRES:  Should an umpire show up to a game late they will be charged a $10.00 penalty.  The umpire must finish this game and any other scheduled games for that night.  If an umpire does not make arrangements for a different umpire and does not show up for a game, they will be charged a $20.00 fee. 

 

 

COED TEAMS ONLY: 

  1.  SUBSTITUTION:  Male for male and female for female.

 

 

  1. AUTOMATIC WALK:  If a male batter is walked on 4 straight pitches he is automatically awarded 2nd base but the following girl must go up to bat.

 

 

  1. FIELD:  The field must consist of no more than 5 males at any time, but there may be less.

 

 

  1. BATTING:  A team can start with 8 players as long as they have a minimum of 4 females.  If there are less than 5 males at the start of a game the batting order will be a fixed order.  If additional males show up you must add them to the batting order between two females and the order will remain fixed.