Welcome to Alameda Little League, California District 4

We have had a few incidents lately that lead us to clarify the issue of CHEERING. “REALLY????”

If we were to make a rule that stopped cheering, then we should just close up the program and play video games. Baseball and cheering are synonymous, and any effort to prevent cheering is akin to being SCROOGE AT CHRISTMAS!

There is one exception, and one exception only. Little League and Baseball Rule 4.06 says: “No manager, coach, or player, shall at any time, whether from the bench or the playing field or elsewhere...make any move CALCULATED to cause a pitcher to commit an illegal pitch.” This means that if in the judgment of the umpire the cheering is DIRECTED SPECIFICALLY AT THE PITCHER AND HIS ATTEMPT TO PITCH THE BALL, the cheering from the bench should cease. However, if the cheering is constant and not directed at the pitcher, then no such judgment should be made. Plain and simple, it is good cheering as long as it is positive and not directed at the opponent. (There is also a part of this rule that prevents language that reflects on the opponent, but I believe we all know and understand that this is also a violation of the Code of Conduct and should be stopped in any event).

The Alameda Attack announces its 2012 Fall Ball program. Evaluations will be held June 24 at Krusi Field. Play is open to 6 age groups from 9-Under to 14-Under. Please see the handout for more details.

Alameda Little League will continue its annual tradition of paying for players to go to a Fireworks game at the Oakland Coliseum. On Friday, June 15th we have purchased 900 tickets for players and managers to attend the game between the A's and the San Diego Padres. At the end of the game players get to go onto the field to enjoy the post game fireworks.

In order to attend, players must notify their TEAM MANAGER. Do not contact Board Members because the only way to get tickets will be through the managers. Tickets are free for players and manager. Coaches and parents will pay $10 per ticket, still a great bargain.

These tickets go fast so don't delay. If you do not hear from your manager then ask him or her. Teams that wait too long are often left out, so please get your teams going now!

Write-ups as submitted by teams thru 7:00pm, May 13. Submissions after 7:00pm will appear the following week. Links to previous week's submissions are adjacent to the article. Write-ups will also appear in the Friday Alameda Journal.

Click on the link to see the District 4 post season Tournament of Champions and All Star schedules. Alameda will be hosting the AA Division Championship Series, as well as the first three Major Division games.

For All Stars, Alameda will host the first three games in each age group (12's, 11's and 10's). There should be lots of excitement starting June 16th, which is also the day of our Closing Ceremonies.

Alameda Little League endorses the Diamond Skills Camps that are run by the local college age team named the Neptune Pearl at our Little League fields. These players are former Alameda Little Leaguers who have come back to Little League and offer excellent clinics designed to make our players better during the summer months. No other clinics in Alameda are endorsed by Alameda Little League, nor do they contribute to us.

If you sign up for a clinic please sign up for these to benefit Alameda Little League!

Dear Parents,

Alameda Little League is a non-profit organization whose sole purpose is to serve our community by giving families the opportunity for their children to learn and play baseball. Because we are non-profit we depend on our families to support the league. We have beautiful fields and a nice controlled environment because dedicated parents like you step up and volunteer their time. A big part of our financial support comes from the Snack Bar. Between the Snack Bar and sponsorship we have been able to keep our registration fees flat for the past 10 years.

Your child's team manager should have explained to you that each team is expected to provide volunteers to work the Snack Bar during the course of the
season. We have experienced a high level of absenteeism which makes this operation suffer. The Snack Bar schedule for the remainder of the season is in and the next two weeks are posted on the web-site. We ask our team managers to do many things and one of those responsibilities is to get volunteers to staff the Snack Bar. Please step up like so many other parents have in the past and volunteer to work your team's shift.

This is my 19th year at Alameda Little League and I have enjoyed every year immensely. We have a great environment for our kids to develop into strong people and that is Little League’s primary purpose. Your Board of Directors continues to think of ways to improve the venue and to make rules that don’t stifle us but are needed in order to preserve the great environment that we have.

But it takes more than rules to make Alameda Little League successful. It takes parents who understand the collective challenge that we have to be role models for our youth. By collective, I mean all of us, not just managers and coaches and umpires but as spectators too. Our challenge is to remember that we are ALL teaching LIFE LESSONS to our youth, and how to win AND lose with dignity and good sportsmanship.

It is early in the season and I have received complaints and witnessed some behavior that simply does not fit into the category of good role modeling. First, regarding spectators, it is NEVER acceptable to BOO at Little League, NEVER! The message being sent to our impressionable youth is disrespect for others. But there are other things that spectators say that are just as bad, like “Pitch right at him, he can’t hit!” Now, the boy or girl who is at bat probably is struggling and statements like that certainly don’t help the self esteem very much, do they? Or, for example, verbally questioning the judgment of an umpire by making remarks like “ Come on blue, he was safe!” What is that teaching our youth? It teaches them that it is OK to question the authority of the official enforcement of rules. It is also a violation of our Code of Conduct, and for good reason. Our umpires are primarily volunteers who are trying to do the best they can, and they are important to our success, even if they make mistakes.

There is much that can go wrong in the “heat of the battle,” but as long as the adults understand the bigger picture we will come out fine. If we recognize our responsibility as role models, then we will make our League better. I ask that everyone again read and live by our Parent Code of Conduct because it is the foundation on which our success is built.

Alameda Little League needs recycling monitors for Saturday game days at all 5 stations on the premises. Students may get community service hours, or the League will pay $10 for a one game shift. Please e-mail ron-matthews@comcast.net if your player is interested.

Please click on the link above to learn how our League will be handling waste this year. We have received a grant to assist us in our efforts to recycle and compost as much material as possible, but we need your help to succeed. The containers will be just like the ones at your home, so there really are no surprises. We simply must put the materials in the correct container.

Please join in the effort to make Alameda Little League a ZERO WASTE leader in the community!

Clkick on the link to see the amazing production video of the making of baseballs. Enjoy!

Please click on the link above to read more about the new law in California that addresses concussions. Little League will follow the same guidelines according to our 2012 Safety Plan that is submitted to Little League, Inc.

To retrieve a copy of the Parent Form for signature, click this link or copy and paste to your browser:

Please view the handout below for information for the 2012 Little League Medical Release.  All players are required to complete this form before playing including practicing.

Click on the link to review the complete list of approved bats for use in Little League baseball.

Please view the handout below for information for the 2012 Alameda Little League Volunteer Application.  All league volunteers are required to complete this form.

If you are interested in managing a team this season, please complete this form and send to Ron Matthews, 2857 Sea View Parkway, Alameda, 94502, or scan and e-mail it to him at ron-matthews@comcast.net.

On Saturday, January 28th Shooty Babitt led the Alameda Managers and coaches in an interactive clinic. His inspirational approach was magnetic and his message should be heard by everyone who has a child in the program. Click on the link above to view excerpts from the clinic.

Alameda Little League is always in need of sponsors and it is a great way to get publicity for your business. Please complete the 2012 Alameda Little League Sponsor Form below for team sponsorship. Contact Roan Kees at 865-1854 or rjkees@comcast.net for responses or questions.

We also offer a great opportunity for advertising through our banner program. Please complete the attached Banner application and return to Ron Matthews. Contact Ron at 510-769-6031 or ron-matthews@comcast.net

Thank you for your support of Alameda Little League.

The Alameda Little League Board of Directors looks forward to a great year.

Please volunteer wherever you can, and help our League become even better!

As you may have heard at opening ceremonies, Alameda Little League has a great fundraiser starting up.  You can purchase customized laser engraved bricks that will be installed on or around the snack bar.  These bricks are similar to the custom bricks you may have seen at Disneyland.  You can customize it to say your players name, your family name, your team name - whatever you'd like.  This is your chance to leave a lasting memory at the Little League fields!

The cost is $100 for one brick/$150 for two. This fundraising effort is for the Alameda Little League General Fund only and will not go to any one team. All proceeds are used to keep registration fees as low as possible.

The order form can be found on the little league website, www.alamedalittleleague.org.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at (510) 523-7946 or benandersonmotors@comcast.net.

Thank you for supporting Alameda Little League!

The Alameda Little League Local Rules are approved by the Board of Directors and supplement Little League National Rules for certain situations. These rules can NEVER supercede Little League rules and are designed to address local situations.

Please see the attached document if you would like to read the Local Rules.

There are always questions about how to prepare the fields. The attached document helps anyone understand basic field procedures.

If you ever have any questions, please contact Ron Matthews at

ron-matthews@comcast.net

The attached documents are for umpires who are interested in learning the basics of umpiring in Alameda Little League.

If you have any questions, please call Randy Marmor at 418-7451 or Ron Matthews at 769-6031.

Please view the handout below for information for Frequently Asked Questions about Alameda Little League.