Washington District 4

INTERLEAGUE RULES 2010

Updated 05/19/2010 [Time Limits]

Regular Season Schedule

ALL GAMES WILL COUNT TOWARD EACH TEAM’S STANDINGS WITHIN THEIR OWN HOME LEAGUE. 

Every game, even between two teams from the same league, is an Interleague Game and is subject to these rules.

In the event that a manager knows he/she may not be able to field a team, the following will apply:

1.      Notice must be given to the opposing manager no latter than twenty-four (24) hours in advance.  Note:  If a league is using the ”Player Pool” all requests for use of the “Player Pool” must be made to the player agent of the appropriate league.  The player will wear their property team uniform.

2.      Below is a list of excusable causes:

Ø School function

Ø Illness or injury

Ø Other reasonable causes must be approved by your league

3.      The absentee player(s) must be participating in the event, OR a family member is participating, causing the absence.  (i.e. player going to sibling’s graduation)

Incident Review Process

The process will be consistent with Rule 9.05 (a) (b) (c) of the Rule Book.  The Umpire shall address their report to the District Umpire Consultant.  The managers may turn in reports to the presidents of the leagues involved also.  The review committee shall be made up of the following: The Presidents, Player Agents, and Umpires-in-Chief of the leagues involved.  The review committee may impose such additional penalties as it feels are justified.  The Review Committee does not have authority to overrule or rescind the ejection or waive the one game automatic suspension. 

If a player or coach is ejected from a game, it is a mandatory suspension from the next physically played game, and he/she may not be in attendance (Rule 4.07).  The umpire must file a written report (email message is acceptable) within twenty-four (24) hours.  The report shall be submitted to the District Umpire Consultant with a copy to the president of the league involved.  The review committee shall convene as soon as possible to ascertain if further action is necessary.

The attendance of the ejected party and manager/coach is mandatory.  The parent(s) or guardian(s) of the ejected player may attend.

After the review presentation is heard by the Review Committee, all parties will be excused so that the committee may discuss and decide the matter privately.

An ejected player, manager, or coach may continue to participate in subsequent games, after serving their one (1) game suspension (Rule 4.07), until such time as the Review Committee can meet.  Absence

from the Review Committee meeting must be due to approved cause or else the player, manager or coach may not participate in subsequent games.  Additional penalties may be imposed by the Review Committee.

Any matter for which disciplinary action may be necessary, whether occurring before, during or after a game or resulting from a game, will be dealt with by the Review Committee

Protest Process

The Protest Process will be consistent with Rule 4.19 (a) through (g) of the Rule Book with the modifications stated herein.  If a manager, or in their absence a coach (acting manager) has notified the game Umpire-in-Chief of a protest, the manager must submit the protest in writing to a member of the protest committee.  The Protest Committee shall consist of the following: the District Administrator, the District Umpire Consultant, the Asst District Umpire Consultant, the District UIC for Softball, and the District UIC for Baseball. 

Championship Schedule

The method of determining each league’s champion and the scheduling of championship games is the responsibility of the individual league’s Board of Directors.  If a district wide championship is desired by those involved in the interleague, this will be scheduled by district staff.  A “Special Game Waiver Form” will be filled out and forwarded to the District Administrator of WA 4.  It must be approved before games may be played.

Rules

All rules in the Rule Book shall apply with the following modifications and additions.  The following applies to all divisions unless noted otherwise. 

Game Schedules: All game schedules will be prepared by each Interleague grouping.  All changes to the schedule must be approved by the Interleague.  Rainouts, tied games, continuation games, and cancelled games shall be rescheduled by the home team through the Interleague scheduler. 

Pitcher’s Record: Team managers shall sign the pitching record in both teams’ score book and on each team’s Little League pitching log.  Opposing manager/coach at any time may inspect pitching records.

Umpires: Home team will provide two (2) umpires.

Scorekeepers: The Home team will provide the official scorekeeper.

Pitch Count (Baseball): Official scorekeeper shall count and record each pitcher’s pitch count.  Scorekeeper may use an official assistant for this duty.

Game Balls: The home team will provide two (2) new regulation game balls.

Night Games: Host league will pay for lighting. 

Field Equipment: The Host League will provide all field equipment (i.e. chalk, bases, etc.). 

Weekend Time Limits: If less than three games are scheduled, then there shall be no time limit.  If three or more games are scheduled, then no new inning shall begin two (2) hours and fifteen (15) minutes after scheduled game time or until a game becomes a regulation game as defined in Rule 4.10(a), whichever occurs latest.

Weekday Time Limits: If only one game is scheduled, there shall be no time limit.  If two or more games are scheduled, then no new inning shall begin two (2) hours and fifteen (15) minutes after scheduled game time or until a game becomes a regulation game as defined in Rule 4.10(a), whichever occurs latest.

Pre-game Warm-ups: It is the responsibility of the mangers, and coaches of each team for pre-game warm-up.  The games will start at the scheduled time.  If you wish to take infield practice it needs to be done well in advance of game time.  At the end of warm-ups each team will clear the field to the dugout.

Infield practice (time permitting) should start thirty minutes before scheduled game time for ten minutes for each team.  If your game follows another game you may not be able to take any infield practice so have your players ready to go.

Time, Game management:  Managers, Coaches, Players, and Umpires are encouraged to keep the game moving.  This includes the one minute period between innings as defined in Rule 8.03.

Time Limit, Minor Leagues (Baseball and Softball):  For all games, the time limit is no new inning shall begin two (2) hours and fifteen (15) minutes after scheduled game time or until a game becomes a regulation game as defined in Rule 4.10(a), whichever occurs latest. 

Run Limit, Minor Leagues (Baseball and Softball):  Refer to Rule 4.10(e), Note 2 - For Interleague games, the 10-run rule shall not be used.  In accordance with the rule book definition of “Inning” and Rule 5.07, there shall be a limit of five (5) runs per inning.  There shall be NO unlimited innings.  Games shall be 6 complete innings, regardless of score.  Games shall not be stopped because they are perceived to be “unwinnable”.  Games shall not be extended because the score is tied.  Length of games is also subject to other rules herein and in the rule book. 

Continuous Batting Order, Minor Leagues (Baseball and Softball): In accordance with Rule 4.04 Note 1, continuous batting order is mandatory. 

Continuous Batting Order, Major and above (Baseball and Softball):  Continuous batting order, Rule 4.04, shall NOT be used. 

Minor Softball

On passed balls and wild pitches, runners may advance no more than one base per pitch.

The Following shall be in effect until May 02, 2010:

 Runners may not advance from third base to home on a passed ball or wild pitch.  No stealing is allowed on the return throw, from any player not just the catcher, to the pitcher after a pitch.

EXAMPLE:  A wild pitch may deflect off the backstop and the third baseman retrieves it and returns it to the pitcher.  No stealing is allowed on this throw even if it is a wild throw.

PEE WEE Softball

1.      Pee Wee Softball is a division of Minor Softball. 

2.      Once the pitcher has control of the ball and is inside the pitcher’s circle, the ball becomes dead, and all base runners not over half the distance to the next base shall return to the last touched base.  The lead base runner (if more than one runner is on base) is the controlling runner for determining the half way mark.

3.      Offensive teams will bat around their lineup no more than one time per inning.  If the third out is made before the five (5) run limit is achieved, the inning is ended, and the offensive team resumes the batting order where it left off their next at bat.

4.      Until the mid-point of the season (Sunday May 2, 2010) the following pitching rules apply.  Coach will pitch to their own batters until batter runner is put out or three strikes whichever occurs first.  After May 2, 2010 a youth pitcher will be used and allowed to pitch to the opposing teams batter 4 pitches.  If after 4 pitches the batter runner is not put out or does not strike out their own coach shall deliver the amount of pitches left equal to the amount of strikes left (1 strikes vs. youth pitcher, 2 pitches from an adult coach etc.) unless they foul the LAST pitch off.

a.       Three (3) strikes will be an out.

b.      Only those batters struck by a pitch from a youth player shall be awarded first base.

c.      There will be no base coaching from the pitchers circle when the batter’s coach pitches the additional pitches.

5.      Only reduced injury factor type balls shall be used for play at the Pee Wee division. 

Amendments

The Rules set forth above may be changed with a majority vote of the League Presidents involved in the interleague.  Proposed changes will be forwarded to the District Administrator and the respective leagues involved for comment and final approval.

February 27, 2010