League City Little League: LCLL News

To our League City Little League Family,

I apologize for my delay in thanking everyone for all they did to make Danny’s tournament possible.  I have been so overwhelmed with emotion that when I have begun to turn our gratitude into words tears prevent me from being able to type. 

Since Danny became a board member he had been pleading to be able to have a tournament to raise money for the league.  He came home from one of his first (if not his very first) board meeting telling me, a grown man close to tears, we would be unable to have a fall ball season.  He thought we should just have a tournament and presto all would be solved.  He continued on with explaining to me how the ladies just said it was not possible.    After trying to reason with him and explain brackets need made, concession duty has to be assigned and HELLO fields need fixed, Danny convinced me I needed to send Peggy a persuasive e-mail, which, I did.  It was like trying to appease a kid whose ice cream had just fallen off the cone.  All season long Danny never stopped trying to convince us all we just needed to have a tournament.  Personally, I just think he wanted a reason to have everyone together playing baseball all weekend long.

There are so many of you I want to thank for making Danny’s tournament possible, and so many of you who have touched our hearts and our lives.  Thank you to all of our board members who not only put up with Danny this season, but worked tirelessly all weekend long from sunrise to long past sunset to make this happen!  You guys have blessed us with more than you will ever know!  Thank you for giving in and giving Danny his tournament.   Thank you to the Porter and Anderson families for cooking in the heat and giving up their time and sleep.  Brisket and BBQ sauce was one of Danny’s favorites!  It was delicious and a perfect ball field meal.  Thank you to all of the parents and siblings of a player who sacrificed their holiday weekend to sit out in the heat and sun.  Your support of our family and your player means more than you will ever know.  Thank you to all of the players from LCLL and other teams for coming out and playing for Danny.  A special thank you to Coach Lorri who wrapped this family in her arms and still continues to help us make it by.  To Wayne, Shana, Adrian, Cade, Lauren, Clay and Aubrey who have stayed by our side and supported us and loved on us in many special ways.  To my best friend Melanie and her family, Blue, Jase and Gia who also stood by our side and walked with us through such a difficult time in our lives.  Thank you to all of the families on the National Rookie Bats and the AAA Raptors who came to us, supported us and loved us.  Thank you to the Major League Cubs Manager, Coaches and players who played and fought for three back to back games Monday.  Who never gave up, who cheered us on from the dugout, who said this one is for Danny.  You may have lost the final game on the field but you brought a lot of wins home.    To all of our friends we have called family out on the baseball field there are so many players, parents, siblings and board members that not only touched Danny’s life, but became a part of it, and he loved you all so dearly!  There are many in our League young and old who he learned from, grew from and said he became a better man because of.  Thank you to all of Danny’s players who he learned more from by coaching you than he ever taught you in skill.  To those players who Danny shared a special bond with.  He believed in you and he knew you were going places on the baseball field and far beyond. 

Thank you to all of you who gave our family a whole weekend of baseball, of no worries, but if ball would meet bat, if an ump would call safe or out.  Thank you for a whole weekend of sharing memories, of cheering, laughter and good tears.  I know Danny is at those fields.  When I am there I reflect on past games, past Opening Days and silly things he would do like trying to water a dry home plate and end up soaking a bleacher full of people from the opposing team instead.  All the many times we have been out there frustrated with each other from just having rushed to get to a game on time, special moments like cheering together at a home run, glancing at each other looking for reassurance that a hurt player was going to be fine and our shared nod across a field to each other that confirmed with pride we were together part of a good, simple, pure thing.  And those walks as a family back to the car carrying more bags, gear, chairs, banners and bins than seems humanly possible, but still all of us smiling, laughing, sharing win or lose it is ALL in how you play the game.  To me Danny will be forever watching a LCLL game, arms propped on the fence, right at the dugout door ready to give a high five, a reassuring pat on the back, or a simple I knew you could do it to a player and sometimes even a fellow Coach. 

So many times I could never get Danny ready to leave the fields.  As a new Coach he would stay and rake and clean up, even when it was the other team doing it.  If a field needed tarped he had to help.  If we had an early game he would want to stay and walk around to watch all the next games.  If we had practice Danny would round up kids and convince them to stay late and hit a few more balls or throw a few more pitches.  Despite my best efforts to leave, Danny always wanted to stay just a little bit longer.  I finally gave up awhile ago folding my chair and gathering things up to leave when a game or practice was over. 

Besides, Daddy there was only one other title, one other name Danny loved to be called and held with great pride…Coach.

Thank you to all of our LCLL family who gathered us in your arms, gave us strength to carry on and support and love, just when we needed it most.  Thank you to all of you who were a part in finally giving Danny his tournament! 

With gratitude and love,

Amber, Daniel, “Meat”, Dan, Sheryl, David, Chrissy, Jacob, Granny and all of us who loved our Coach so dearly.   

Regulation IV (i) Note 3

What is changed: Text added for clarification.

NOTE 3: In Minor League, if a half-inning ends because of the imposition of the five-run limit in "Rule 2.00 - Inning," and a player on the defense has played for the entire half-inning, that player will be considered to have participated for three consecutive outs for the purposes of this rule. However, if the player has not played on defense for the entire inning, that player will be credited only as having played for the number of outs that occurred while the player was used defensively.

Regulation VI - PITCHERS

What is changed: Increases the maximum number of pitches a pitcher could deliver, and then be permitted to become a catcher in that day; Provides a second option for required rest; Deleted (e.) and moved that text up so that it applies only to Option 1.

(a) Any player on a regular season team may pitch. (NOTE: There is no limit to the number of pitchers a team may use in a game.) (b) A pitcher once removed from the mound cannot return as a pitcher.

(c) The manager must remove the pitcher when said pitcher reaches the limit for his/her age group as noted below, but the pitcher may remain in the game at another position:

League Age 11-12: 85 pitches per day
9-10: 75 pitches per day
7-8: 50 pitches per day

Exception: If a pitcher reaches the limit imposed in Regulation VI (c) for his/her league age while facing a batter, the pitcher may continue to pitch until any one of the following conditions occurs: 1. That batter reaches base; 2. That batter is put out; 3. The third out is made to complete the half-inning. Note 1: A pitcher who delivers 41 or more pitches in a game cannot play the position of catcher for the remainder of that day.

Prior to the start of the regular season the local league Board of Directors (or leagues involved in interleague play) must choose one of the following pitching rule options to be used by all teams in the league or a specific division during the regular season. NOTE: The local league Board (or leagues involved in interleague play) may select option 1 or option 2 but may not pick parts of option 1 and option 2 to make a local league rule.

Option 1:

(d) Pitchers league age 16 and under must adhere to the following rest requirements:

• If a player pitches 61 or more pitches in a day, three (3) calendar days of rest and a game (see note below) must be observed.
• If a player pitches 41 - 60 pitches in a day, two (2) calendar days of rest and a game (see note below) must be observed.
• If a player pitches 21 - 40 pitches in a day, one (1) calendar days of rest must be observed.
• If a player pitches 1-20 pitches in a day, no (0) calendar day of rest is required.

NOTE: A player may not pitch in consecutive games. Exception – League Age 16 and under - A player may pitch in consecutive games if 40 or less pitches were delivered in the previous game.

(e) DELETED for 2009

(f) Each league must designate the scorekeeper or another game official as the official pitch count recorder.

(g) The pitch count recorder must provide the current pitch count for any pitcher when requested by either manager or any umpire. However, the manager is responsible for knowing when his/her pitcher must be removed.

(h) The official pitch count recorder should inform the umpire-in-chief when a pitcher has delivered his/her maximum limit of pitches for the game, as noted in Regulation VI (c). The umpire-in-chief will inform the pitcher’s manager that the pitcher must be removed in accordance with Regulation VI (c). However, the failure by the pitch count recorder to notify the umpire-in-chief, and/or the failure of the umpire-in-chief to notify the manager, does not relieve the manager of his/her responsibility to remove a pitcher when that pitcher is no longer eligible.

(i) Violation of any section of this regulation can result in protest of the game in which it occurs. Protest shall be made in accordance with Playing Rule 4.19.

(j) A player who has attained the league age of twelve (12) is not eligible to pitch in the Minor League. (See Regulation V – Selection of Players)

(k) A player may not pitch in more than one game in a day. (Exception: In the Big League Division, a player may be used as a pitcher in up to two games in a day.)

NOTES:

1. The withdrawal of an ineligible pitcher after that pitcher is announced, or after a warm-up pitch is delivered, but before that player has pitched a ball to a batter, shall not be considered a violation. Little League officials are urged to take precautions to prevent protests. When a protest situation is imminent, the potential offender should be notified immediately.

2. Pitches delivered in games declared "Regulation Tie Games" or "Suspended Games" shall be charged against pitcher’s eligibility.

3. In suspended games resumed on another day, the pitchers of record at the time the game was halted may continue to pitch to the extent of their eligibility for that day, provided said pitcher has observed the required days of rest.

Example 1: A league age 12 pitcher delivers 70 pitches in a game on Monday when the game is suspended. The game resumes on the following Thursday. The pitcher is not eligible to pitch in the resumption of the game because he/she has not observed the required days of rest.

Example 2: A league age 12 pitcher delivers 70 pitches in a game on Monday when the game is suspended. The game resumes on Saturday. The pitcher is eligible to pitch up to 85 more pitches in the resumption of the game because he/she has observed the required days of rest.

Example 3: A league age 12 pitcher delivers 70 pitches in a game on Monday when the game is suspended. The game resumes two weeks later. The pitcher is eligible to pitch up to 85 more pitches in the resumption of the game, provided he/she is eligible based on his/her pitching record during the previous three days (or four days, if the league is using Option 2).

Note: The use of this regulation negates the concept of the "calendar week" with regard to pitching eligibility.

Rule 1.10

What is changed: Reduces the maximum diameter for a bat in the Junior League Baseball division from 2 3/4 inches to 2 5/8 inches. (Maximum diameter for bats in Senior League and Big League remains at 2 5/8 inches.)

1.10 - The bat must be a baseball bat which meets Little League specifications and standards as noted in this rule. It shall be a smooth, rounded stick and made of wood or of material and color tested and proved acceptable to Little League standards.

Little League (Majors) and below: it shall not be more than thirty-three (33) inches in length nor more than two and one-quarter (2¼) inches in diameter. Non-wood bats shall be printed with a BPF (bat performance factor) of 1.15 or less;

In all divisions, wood bats may be taped or fitted with a sleeve for a distance not exceeding sixteen (16) inches (18 inches for Junior/Senior/Big League baseball) from the small end. A non-wood bat must have a grip of cork, tape or composition material, and must extend a minimum of 10 inches from the small end. Slippery tape or similar material is prohibited. An illegal bat must be removed.

NOTE 1: Junior/Senior/Big League: The 2¾ inch in diameter bat is not allowed in any division.

NOTE 2: The traditional batting donut is not permissible

NOTE 3: The bat may carry the mark "Little League Tee Ball."

NOTE 4: Non-wood bats may develop dents from time to time. Bats that cannot pass through the approved Little League bat ring for the appropriate division must be removed from play. The 2¼ inch bat ring must be used for bats in the Tee Ball, Minor League and Little League Baseball divisions. The 2 5/8 inch bat ring must be used for bats in the Junior, Senior and Big League divisions of baseball.

Rule 1.11 (k) Note

What is changed: Clarified to include managers and coaches.

(k) Casts may not be worn during the game. NOTE: Persons wearing casts, including managers and coaches, must remain in the dugout during the game.

Rule 3.02 Penalty

What is changed: Clarified to make it clear that the pitcher could remain in the game after the infraction, but at a different position.

PENALTY: The umpire shall demand the ball and remove the offender from the pitching position. In case the umpire cannot locate the offender, and if the pitcher delivers such discolored or damaged ball to the batter, the pitcher shall be removed from the pitching position at once.

Rule 3.03 Note (1)

What is changed: Added for clarification.

NOTE 1: A substitute may not be removed from the game prior to completion of his/her mandatory play requirements.

Rule 7.10 (d)

What is changed: Added for clarification.

EXCEPTION: If an otherwise proper appeal is being made by a player who has to go into foul territory to retrieve the ball in order to make an appeal or if the appeal is being made by the catcher (who may never have been in fair territory at all), the appeal will be adjudged to have been properly executed.

CHANGES/UPDATES TO THE LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL® RULES AND REGULATIONS – 2009