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When
Does the Season Start
Generally the season begins the last week of April for most divisions.
The younger age groups start about a week later. Teams can be scheduled Monday through Friday with usually
two games per week. All efforts are made to conclude the season by the second week of July to coincide with state tournament
operations. Two Saturdays during the season are reserved for any rescheduling due to weather cancellations that cannot
be made up during the regular week. View example of 2009 Team Schedules.
Dates of Conflict
With a little bit
of diligence we can avoid many scheduling conflicts before they happen. Coaches with teams made of players from
the same school must identify dates of school activities that can be excluded from scheduling. Please
take this responsibility seriously. With new scheduling software the need to reschedule games due to school and
other known events can simply be avoided.
Team Creation
By far the best way to join the league is to organize as much
of a team as you can. Start early, choose your players, plan a practice schedule, identify to the other parents what support
you need, and goals for the group. Assistance filling the roster and finding practice facilities can be given by
the Northeast Baseball and Softball Association, but one parent must step to the front and shoulder some organizational responsibilities. You
will be surprised at how many players come forward once a coach is identified and practice begins. Individual registrants will
be used to supplement teams in need of players or are assembled into new teams.
Team Entry Application(link)The Team Entry Application is an option for coaches to assist
league directors in the accumulation of necessary information for league operations. It aids in the development of more
comprehensive team lists, contact persons, player requests, divisional placement, and scheduling exclusion dates. If viewed in development terms, when each team can achieve full response to all items we as league officials will
know that each team has adequate coaching staffs, accurate contact information, matched expectations of play, complete
rosters, and no rescheduling due to outside obligations.
Divisional Separation
A comprehensive league must be structured to include
all players. No program should be exclusively competitive or entirely recreational. Coaches and parents
must have options and information to appropriately place their children. An accumulating number of teams
playing through recreational, developmental, and competitive baseball is necessary to create actual demand for new facility
construction. Competitive imbalances will never be eliminated. However, to match players and teams to more evenly selected
opponents is an important function in creating an elevated baseball experience.
The
American Division
The first consideration given to the placement of teams is matching
play based upon similar rates of physical development. Most age brackets for leagues and tournaments are sorted
into divisions of ages 14 and under, 12 years and under, 10 under, or 8 under. The American Division would
simply be the teams built largely with 13's, 11's, 9's, or 7 year old players. Each move up the
age bracket entails an adjustment to new playing dimensions. Newly formed teams of mixed ages might also fall into
this category depending upon amount of organization, player experience, and number of practices before the season begins.
The National Division
Teams in the National division will be older in age and\or experience.
They are assembled with players of narrow age classification for tournaments and post-season play. Rosters will
have remained largely intact for a number of years. New Teams with a consistent returning nucleus, skilled recruitment, knowledgeable
coaches with more rigorous practice and game schedules may feel that playing "Up" is the path to pursue for
a more competitive experience towards the development of their players.
Rain Information
Northeast Baseball is always trying to provide the proper amount of time for coaches to contact players in the
event of weather related cancellations. Our grounds crew personnel make recommendations on current field conditions at
3pm on game days. If the fields have received rain and will be unplayable for games that day, league officials
are notified, and information is disseminated by the league's notification system between 3-4pm. Once the fields are deemed playable by the grounds crew the decision to play next
becomes the responsibility of umpires at the scheduled start time. In the event of rain or anticipated rain between 4-6pm
an assumption that the game will be played must be maintained. The umpires on each field and umpire coordinator
make decisions based upon the most current playing conditions. Once umpires have delayed or discontinued games
all attempts are made to utilize the rain hotline immediately to notify participants in the later scheduled games.
Forfeiture of games may result if teams do not show up at the scheduled start time.
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