Holden Baseball Program, Inc.: Information for Parents
Information For Parents New To The ProgramIf this is your first year as a Holden Baseball parent, let us first welcome you to our program and wish you many years of enjoyment. For many of us, the days and nights spent at the baseball fields are among our best memories and launched lasting friendships for us and our children. As we place your child on a team, you will receive a call from your child's manager with information about the first practices, which begin as soon as fields are open. The regular season continues through mid-June. There are no playoffs for our primary leagues (Instructional, Rookie, A and AA) which include players age 5, 6, 7 and most 8's. Playoffs in the upper leagues (AAA, Junior Little League and LL Majors) last until the third week in June. Players in the 5 and 6 year old leagues play 10 games, which means two on some weekends and one on others. There are no games in those leagues on Mothers Day. There are no games in our lower minor leagues on Memorial Day weekend. All our teams are assigned a practice time on one weeknight. Much of our curriculum in the primary leagues is geared toward the team experience, so attendance and punctuality is a lesson parents can instill in their children to assist us in that teaching. Please be aware that no parent may manage, coach or even go on the field with the children without first having submitted the two coaching applications and a photo ID (see Forms section at left for applications) and having been cleared by the league after a background check. Please do not put us in the position of telling you that you may not coach because you have not submitted your applications. As parents, you should take some comfort in our insistence on this issue. If you have questions about what to expect this season and cannot find your answer here, please email us at holdenbaseball@gmail.com and we will be happy to help you. Enjoy your season!
Reminder About Coaches
No one may be involved in any way with a team unless he or she has filed the applications and been cleared through a background check. This applies to all coaches, even those who coached last season. League directors will circulate a list of approved coaches to each manager, and the manager is responsible for making sure that only approved coaches participate.
This Should Be Obvious, But...
Everything that happens on our baseball fields should be about the children and not about the adults. For that reason, we have no tolerance for adults making derogatory remarks about players, coaches or umpires. With respect to umpires, no manager or coach may question an umpire's judgment in making a ball/strike, fair/foul or out/safe call. To do so is grounds for immediate ejection and suspension. In the rare case in which a manager wishes to question an umpire's interpretation of a rule, he or she should ask to approch the umpire and quietly ask for him or her to reconsider the interpretation. In the very unlikely event that the manager and umpire cannot reach an agreement after a very brief discussion, the manager may play the remainder of the game under protest in accordance with Little League rules. Remember, these are games between children, and no one's life will be changed by their outcome.
A Word About Our Fundraising Policy
Have you heard about Holden Baseball's latest fundraiser? Probably not, because we don't have one. For the past several years, we have avoided fundraisers that require our children to sell candy bars, gift wrap, cookies, coupon books or any of the many other items you probably don't want to buy and don't want your children to sell. The truth about many fundraisers is that a large portion of the money you contribute goes to the cost of the product you don't want to buy or to the cost of a professional fundraising organization. We raise our revenue through our registration fees, the contributions of our many generous sponsors, our snack bar, photo sales and the operation of a very popular summer tournament. That way, you pay one fee and sit back and enjoy the season. That doesn't mean we don't need contributions. Each year, we raise funds through voluntary contributions to Friends of Holden Baseball, and we spend 100% of those funds on improvements to our fields and facilties, making them safer and more useful for our players and more comfortable for our spectators. If you haven't done so already, please consider becoming a Friend of Holden Baseball by sending a check, payable to Holden Baseball Program, Inc., to P.O. Box 117, Holden, MA 01520 together with the Sponsor Application that you can download from the Forms section on the left side of this page. Thank you for your generous support.