Is it true that the league has changed affiliation? 

Yes. The South Plymouth baseball league has changed affiliation from Little League to Cal Ripken. 

Is the name of the league changing too? 

Yes. Although most people referred to the baseball league in South Plymouth as “South Plymouth Little League”, the official name of the league was “Little League of Manomet, Incorporated”. The new name of the league will be “South Plymouth Youth Baseball”. 

The web address will also be changing in order to reflect the league’s new name. The current www.spll.net web address will be kept for a number of months, but the new address (www.spyb.org) will be online shortly. The new website will look just like the current website. 

What does this change in affiliation mean to me? 

Although there will be some changes in time, nothing will not change significantly for the parents. The fees for this year will be the same as last year. Registration will be the same, with almost all parents registering online as in the past. League age remains the same. The games will be played on the same fields with the same 6 leagues (Majors, American League, National League, Triple-A, Double-A, Single-A), with the same season and schedules. The Board of Directors members and Team Managers and umpires are the same (except for regular attrition with replacement members/coaches/umpires).  

The rules will change somewhat but the Rules Committee has yet to meet. 

What rules will change? 

As in the past, the Rules Committee will meet over the fall and winter months to evaluate the previous season, review the current rules and evaluate any new rules received from our affiliate (Little League previously, Cal Ripken beginning this year.) The Rules Committee will then make recommendations on rules changes to the Board of Directors. The Board makes final decisions on all rules changes. This process usually takes several months. 

As always, all Managers will be required to attend a mandatory managers meeting in the spring to go over all league rules. This ensures that all new and returning Managers are familiar with all of the league rules. 

Have any changes been approved yet by the Board of Directors? 

Yes. Below are the changes approved by the Board of Directors as of September 22, 2009. 

• The number of teams in the Majors will be 10 rather than 12, as was the case prior to last year. (No other determinations have been made regarding this change.)
• Majors and American League eligibility remains restricted to 10, 11 and 12 year old players. It is also unchanged that all 10-12 year olds who are not currently on a Majors team must attend one of the two upcoming tryouts (Saturday September 26th at 1pm and Sunday October 4th at 9am) if they wish to play in either the Majors or the American League. However, 12 year olds who are not drafted into the Majors will play in the American League, as was the case prior to last year.
• Twelve year olds who play in the American League will be eligible to pitch in the American League. Previously, 12 year olds were not eligible to pitch in the American League.

Are more changes coming? 

There currently are no plans or desires for major, significant or dramatic changes to the league structure or operation. We anticipate that some rules will change but, again, there are no plans or desires for significant or dramatic changes to rules.

Any recommended change to a rule or structure will be deliberated by all Board members and will be approved only if the majority feel it represents an anticipated improvement for the players and/or parents. Parents will be notified of any significant change if any such change is approved.

How do I find out more if I still have questions? 

Parents are welcome to attend any Board of Directors meeting, typically held on the first Monday of each month. The date, time and location of all Board meetings are posted in advance on this web site. 

Also, parents may email Player Agent Steve Beane (stevebeane@comcast.net) or Information Officer Tom Mulligan (mulliganta@aol.com) for information. 

Additionally, this “Frequently Asked Questions” web page will be updated periodically as new questions are received from parents. So be sure to check this web page periodically for additional information.