Commerce Little League: CLLB News

The board would like to thank those parents that took the time to fill out the league survey in July.  We have reviewed the results and although not every issue is being addressed below, we have addressed most of the common concerns that were mentioned.  If you have a concern that is not addressed below, feel free to contact any of the board members individually or email all the executive board members at executiveboard@commercelittleleague.com  

 • Parking & Roads – The roads and parking within Maple Glen are the responsibility of Commerce Township.  Commerce Little League is responsible for the condition of the playing fields (inside the fences), and Commerce Township is responsible for the maintenance of the remainder of the park. As a league, we have talked to Commerce Township about the road and parking in general, and they have the issue on their radar as something to address. As you can imagine in these tough economic times, this is very likely not a top priority for the Township to address, and the league simply does not have the money to correct the problem.

period.  Ratings are performed by coaches and independent parent raters that are recruited every year before tryouts.  Each travel manager chooses

players who have tried out based upon their ratings and knowledge of the

players. For example, some players may not have great tryouts, but are known in the league as very good players.  Conversely, some players may have excellent tryouts, but are generally considered average to below average players in terms of skill level.  Each manager selects his team based upon the tryouts, and the recommendation is sent to the Travel Director for review.  The Travel Director reviews the manager's team recommendations, compares the players recommended with the rating sheets to ensure fairness and a level of objectivity in the selection of the players.  The final rosters are then reviewed and voted upon by a league committee.

• Umpiring – The league is committed to improving the performance of our

young umpires, and each year we strive to achieve this through training and clinics.  We look at the umpires in a similar light as the players on the teams; they are mostly children who are learning skills that will help them as they mature.  As families in our league, we should view them as we do the players on the field - they are kids that are learning the game, and they will make mistakes.  They should be treated no different than the players, as they are doing the best they can under what can often be difficult circumstances.

• Concession Stand – As you may be aware, Commerce Little League has

contracted a builder to construct our new concession stand.  Since we

selected the contractor, we have been working with Commerce Township to

obtain the necessary approvals and permits to begin construction. We hope to begin construction on the concession stand in the fall of 2009.

• Registration – We understand that there have been some issues with the

CLLB registration process, which is managed through a internet-based program provided by Active.com.  Active.com has been working with us to correct a majority of the issues we are aware of, and we’re hoping for a smoother process for the 2010 registration.

• Fields – Prior to the district tournament we hosted in July 2009, we

contracted with a vendor to reduce the transition from the infield to the

outfield. We recognize that there is some additional maintenance required on all of the fields, and we are obtaining pricing from vendors to level the infields, maintain the pitching mounds, and continue working on the

infield/outfield transitions.

Remember that the CLLB board of directors, managers, and coaches are all

volunteers that are dedicating their time to improving the CLLB experience

for everyone - players and families alike.  That said, we - as a league -

are only as good as the volunteers that become involved in the management

and maintenance of league activities.  The league always has opportunities

for those interested in volunteering to help with league activities.  These opportunities could range from participating in a one-time event to being an active board member, and everything in between. The only way to drive change and improve the league is through a dedicated group of volunteers of sufficient number to accomplish all of our objectives.