*** Very Important, Please
Read & Retain ***
After every game is
completed, the score of the game must be called into one of the tournament
directors.
Scores of all tournament games will be
published at http://www.scorebook.com/downeastclassic
or
www.smmbl.com/SMMBL/DownEastClassic/downeastclassic.htm
Any protest, grievance, or appeal must be called into the tournament director immediately following the completion of the game.
Or
In the event there is a significant time between games,
each team will split the remaining time up to 10 minutes previous to the game
for fielding practice. NO batting
practice on any fields. No soft toss against fences or backstops. Feel free to
use batting cages where available.
TOURNAMENT RULES
Note: any rule not specifically mentioned will be
governed by the official rules of the Men’s Senior Baseball League (MSBL)
1. UNIFORMS, HELMETS, & BASEBALLS
1a. All teams must have full uniforms consisting
of caps, numbered jerseys, baseball pants, sanitary sox with stirrups, two in
one socks, or solid colored baseball socks.
No player can play without a full uniform.
1b. All batters and runners must have helmets;
there is no option to this rule.
Catchers are also encouraged to wear a helmet under their mask.
1c. Rawlings MSBL baseballs will be used for the
tournament. Each team will have three
baseballs available for each game. We
will expect to use four baseballs per game, two per team. Each team will be given a dozen baseballs at
registration.
1d. This is a wood bat only tournament. Only wood bats that meet major league
baseball specifications will be permitted. (NO composites).
1e. Metal cleats are permitted.
2. GAME LENGTH
2a. All tournament games will be nine innings.
2b.
There will be a 2 ¾ hour time limit on 9 inning games,(2 ½ hours for 7 inning
games)except the Semi-finals and Championship games. The time limit begins with the first pitch of the
game. No inning will start after the time
limit is reached. All innings already in
progress at the time limit will be allowed to finish.
3. TEAMS, PLAYERS, LINE-UPS
3a. All players must be a member of the MSBL to be eligible for the
tournament, unless exception is received from national MSBL headquarters
pervious to tournament per Steve Sigler.
3b. Team rosters, including uniform numbers must
be submitted at registration. These
rosters will be each teams official roster for the tournament, no players can
be added after registration.
3c. All teams must be paid in full at the time of
registration, no team failing to meet this requirement will be allowed to play
any games.
3d. All players must have signed waver forms on
file with their league.
3e. A team manager may bat as many players as he
desires, with a minimum of 10 (subject to the number of batters available if
less than 10). Batters cannot be deleted
or skipped over, regardless of their batting position or when they were added
during the game.
3f. A manager may add batters to the bottom of
the lineup at any time but if a batter is pinch-hit or run for (except under
courtesy runners as outlined in Section 5), the player may not re-enter the
game as a hitter but may remain in the game as a fielder or pitcher. Each team has hitting and defensive lineups
that are independent of each other.
Players may play in either lineup or both.
3g. If a player is forced to leave a game due to
injury or commitment or if a player is ejected from a game, a reserve player,
not previously entered into the game as a hitter, must hit in the batters
place. If no reserve is present, that
spot is skipped and all batters move up accordingly, with no penalty to the
affected team.
3h. A team must have nine roster players for an
official tournament game.
3i. All players may be substituted for
defensively at any time, without affecting the players offensive status in the
lineup. If the pitcher is removed, he
may re-enter to pitch only one time in the same inning. The removed pitcher may play any other
position after being removed or no position at all.
3j. Final tournament team rosters must have no
less than 14 players.
3k. Any player over the age of forty-five (45) is
eligible to be on one roster in each division of the tournament (meaning one
over 25 team, one over 35 team and one 45 team). Any player over the age of thirty-five (35)
is eligible to be on one roster in each division of the tournament (meaning one
over 25 team, one over 35). No player
can be on more than one roster within the same division (meaning more than one
over 25 or more than one over 35 team or more than one over 45).
3l. A player must have one plate appearance or
pitch one inning to be eligible for the playoffs.
4. SPORTSMANSHIP
4a. There will be no beer or alcoholic beverages
permitted at the field before, during, or after the game. The field refers to the general playing area.
4b. The tournament director has the right to
suspend or expel any team member who abuses league rules or who does not
exhibit a sense of sportsmanship or who plays without regard to the safety of
the umpires or other players.
4c. The umpire has sole discretion to expel any
player or manager from the game.
4d. Fighting among players or aggressive physical
contact with an umpire will not be tolerated and players expelled from the game
for either violation will be suspended from the remainder of the tournament.
4e. Players shall not intentionally collide with
any other player. In the case of a
runner intentionally colliding with a fielder, the runner will be called out,
and may at the umpires discretion be expelled from the game. All base runners must either slide or give up
their right to a base (avoid a collision by stopping or leaving the base path)
if the defensive player (e.g. catcher) has possession of the ball, is in the
act of receiving the ball, or is about to immediately receive the ball and will
be able tot make an apparent play on the runner.
If a defensive player is not in possession of the
ball, is not in the act of receiving the ball, or is not about to immediately
receive the ball so that he is able to record an out (apparent play…at any
base), he cannot block the base (e.g. home plate) or be in the base path so as
to impede (obstruct) the base runners right to that base. Under such circumstances, the defensive
player shall be responsible to avoid any collision. If a collision does occur under these
circumstances the runner will always be considered safe and the obstruction
rule shall be enforced. The defensive
player may be ejected from the game (if the action is intentional, he must be
ejected), and will be suspended from the tournament if the obstruction is
judged to be flagrant.
5. COURTESY RUNNERS
5a.
Players that
will need courtesy runners must have their manager notify the opposing manager
before game time. If not so notified,
the opposing manager may deny the request.
Each team will be allowed the maximum of two (2) courtesy runners per
game. The player to make the last batted
out must be the courtesy runner. Once
the game begins and the full compliments of two (2) courtesy runners have not
been used, only by obvious injury can an additional courtesy runner be used. In the event a player becomes injured during
the game and the maximum number of courtesy runners (2) have already been
designated, a pinch runner must be used and no courtesy runners will be
allowed. If a batter (designated as
needing a courtesy runner) opts to run or forgets to get a courtesy runner and
subsequently runs, he will loose his courtesy runner for the remaining portion
of the game.
6. PITCHERS
6a. No pitcher while pitching may wear white or
gray sleeves, nor may a pitcher wear a batting glove or wristband while
pitching.
6b. Intentional walks will be allowed in the tournament.
6c. There will be no regulation as to the number
of innings a pitcher may pitch in the tournament.
7. FIELDERS
7a. Infielders are not allowed to decoy a throw
or catch. If a decoy throw or catch is
detected, all runners shall be allowed to advance one base beyond the base held
after all play stops. If the same
fielder decoys twice in the same game, the fielder shall be expelled from the
game. Decoying is referred to as a false
catch or throw done in an attempt to get the player to slide unnecessarily,
where no strategic value is gained.
8. CODE OF CONDUCT
Prohibitions
Managers
and players shall conduct themselves in a sportsmanlike manner at all
times. No manager or player shall commit
the following:
1. Lay a hand upon, shove or strike, or threaten an official. Players and managers guilty of such conduct shall be immediately suspended from further participation in the game, and will be expelled from the remainder of the tournament.
2. Refuse to abide by an officials decision. Players and managers guilty of such
conduct shall be suspended from further participation in the game.
3. Be guilty of objectionable demonstrations of
dissent at an officials decision. Players
and managers guilty of such conduct shall be suspended from further
participation in the game.
4. Discuss with an official or officials the decision reached by such official or officials, except for the manager or his designee who are authorized to participate in such discussions. Players guilty of such conduct shall be suspended from further participation in the game.
5. Use unnecessarily rough tactics in the play of the game against the body or person of an opposing player. Players guilty of such conduct shall be immediately suspended from further participation in the game, and will be expelled from the remainder of the tournament.
6. Be guilty of physical attack as an aggressor upon any player, manager, official, or spectator, before during or after a game. Players guilty of such conduct shall be immediately suspended from further participation in the game, and will be expelled from the remainder of the tournament.
7. Be guilty of verbal abuse of any player,
manager, official, or spectator, before during or after a game. Players guilty of such conduct shall
be suspended from further participation in the game.
8. Consume alcoholic beverages or illegal drugs during the game or be on the field of play at any time in an intoxicated condition. Players guilty of such conduct shall be suspended from further participation in the game.
9. No smoking on the field of play or in the
dugout. Players guilty of such conduct shall
be suspended from further participation in the game.
9. PENALTIES
9a. Any player that is suspended from a game for
none flagrant offenses as outlined previously in the rules, shall be allowed to
return to play in the teams next game. A
second suspension will eliminate that player from the remainder of the
tournament.
10. GRIEVANCES, PROTESTS, & APPEALS
10a.
Protest
involving normal baseball rules must be filed with umpire at time of play. No
protest will be allowed after next pitch is thrown.
10b. All grievances, protests, or appeals must be
filed with the tournament director immediately following the completion of the
game. The tournament directors ruling
will be final.
11. SCORING & TIEBREAKERS
11a. Ties will be allowed during the preliminary
division play of round robin games should a game be called due to a time
limit. No ties, and no time limit will
be in effect for the Semi-finals or the Championship games.
11b. During the preliminary division play on
Friday and Saturday, a win will be worth two (2) points, and a tie will be
worth one (1) point.
11c. The tiebreakers for determining the teams
that will advance to the Semi-finals and Championship games will be as follows,
and will go only as far through the list as needed to break the tie:
1. Head to head competition (cannot break three way tie).
2. Fewest total runs allowed in the preliminary division games.
*(average runs per game if one team has played 4 round robin games)
3. Fewest runs allowed in any one preliminary game.
4. Flip of
a coin.
12. AWARDS & TROPHIES
12a. Championship and runner-up trophies will be given
to each team in each division.
12b. MVP awards will be given out in the
Championship games in each division.
13. AGE REQUIREMENTS
13a. A player must turn twenty-five (25) by
December 31 of calendar year to be eligible
to play in the over 25 division.
13b. A player must turn thirty-five (35) by
December 31 of calendar year to be eligible to play in the over 35
division.
13c. A player must turn forty-five (45) by
December 31 of calendar year to be eligible to play in the over 45
division.
13d. Any age
challenge must take place during ground rules with the umpires, anyone that
cannot prove their age will be ineligible for that game. If a player arrives
after game starts age challenge must take place when player is announced as
entering game. If an under age player is used both he and his coach will be
suspended for entire tournament. Any game appeared in will be forfeited.
14. PLAYOFF
ELGIBILITY
14.a. One plate appearance is required to be eligible for the
playoffs.
15. HOME TEAM
15.a Home team
in playoffs will be higher seeded team, if the finals are two like seeded teams
the team allowing the fewest runs in the tournament.
16. SPEED UP RULE
16.a
Every time the catcher or pitcher gets on base with
two outs, a courtesy runner is to be used to enable the catcher to gear up and
the pitcher to be ready for the next defensive inning. The courtesy runner will
be the last batted out.