TRI
COUNTY PONY LEAGUE
CONSTITUTION &
BY-LAWS
NORTH BRANCH
VOLUME XVII March 16,
2008
ARTICLE I- Name and Purpose
Section I. Tri-County Pony League
Section II. The purpose shall be to promote
baseball for youth and teach
fundamentals and sportsmanship.
Section III. It shall be the policy of this league
that no person shall be denied the
opportunity to participate due to his family’s economic hardships.
Section IV.
All correspondences to the League should be done by email, rockcreekball@aol.com
ONLY Phone in EMERGENCY
Sections V. There is No
Complaints to be addressed to the League concerning Umpires,
that
should be handled on the Field
ARTICLE II- Executive Committee
Section I. The Executive Committee
shall consist of (5) five members. This body will
be made up of 4) four current officers and the advisor.
Section II. The Executive Committee shall
conduct general business, fill vacancies,
and determine criteria to be discussed at the board meetings.
Section III. The Executive Committee shall be
responsible annually for presenting a
proposed budget and for the approval at board meetings before the playing
season begins.
ARTICLE III- Officers
A. Officers shall serve as board members and vote on
all policies of the
league.
B. Officers will not vote on any policies concerning
their teams.
Section I. President
A. The duties shall be to conduct all business at the
board meetings and
Executive Committee meetings.
B. The President is Tri County Pony League’s representative
to the
public.
C. The President is allowed to manage and or coach a
team.
D. The President will vote on all policies of the league.
Section II. Vice President
A. The Vice President will assist in conducting all
board meetings.
B. The Vice President will assume all Presidential duties
in the event
that the
President is unable to participate.
C. The Vice President will be a representative on the
Executive Committee
in
the event the President or an Ex-Officer is unable to attend.
D. The Vice President will vote on all policies of the
league.
Section III. Secretary
A. The Secretary shall record all proceedings of every
Board Meeting.
B. The Secretary shall type notes and make copies to
be distributed at
the
next meeting.
C. The Secretary shall purchase hats for All-Star game
and medals for
all participants.
D. The Secretary will vote on all policies of the league.
Section IV. Treasurer
A. The Treasurer shall receive all monies and pay all
bills upon approval
of the
board.
B. The Treasurer shall keep an itemized account of all
receipts and
disbursements,and present a written report at each meeting of the
board.
C. The Treasurer’s book will be audited upon request
of the board.
D. The Treasurer shall buy trophies, medals, certificates
or ribbons for
All-Star Game and 1st place Team in divisions,
and 1st,
2nd, 3rd, & 4th
places individuals for end of season tournament.
E. The Treasurer will vote on all policies of the league.
Section V. Advisor
A. The Advisor shall assist by guiding the committee
and offering input
where needed.
B. The Advisor shall be called upon to interpret rules
on appeals filed
with the league.
C. The Advisor will vote on all policies of the league.
Section VI. Managers
A. Managers shall assume responsibility for equipment
and uniforms. This
includes collection of uniforms at the end of the season. The manager
shall maintain upkeep of the equipment.
B. Managers shall not negotiate changing game dates
or times with other
managers or umpires without permission of the schedule coordinator.
Failure to comply will risk forfeiture.
C. Managers shall serve as board members and vote on
all policies of the
league.
Section VII. Umpire
A. The Official Rules of Baseball are the guidelines
to be followed.
B. Pony League Baseball Rules shall override where applicable.
C. Any amendments to either of these, passed by the
board, will overrule
the above.(Umpire must
be 16 yrs old or older)
ARTICLE IV- Meetings
Section I. Regular board meetings
will be announced with at least (1) one week
notice on website
www.rockcreeball.com
Section II. Special meetings may be called
by the President or by (7) seven board
members and another
officer.
Section III. All committees are urged to hold
meetings to discuss matters that they
need to bring before the board.
ARTICLE V- Quorum
Section I. Majority by show of hands.
ARTICLE VI- Amendments
Section I. This constitution may be
amended at any board meeting by a 3/4 majority
of those present.
ARTICLE
VII- Revenues & Expenditures
Section I. Monies used to operate
this organization shall come from:
A. Entry fees (paid by each competing team)
B. Donations
C. Fundraiser's
D. Concessions
Section II. Individual teams will provide
and supply proof of insurance to the
league President, along with a map to each teams field.
Section III. League shall provide trophies, medals,
certificates or ribbons as
designated from the general fund.
Section IV. A quorum of the board shall
be necessary to approve disbursements
exceeding twenty-five dollars. ($25.00)
Section V.
Entry fees ($255.00 for 2008)
are to be paid before the season begins.
Fees will be established annually to accommodate for yearly expenditures.
ARTICLE VIII- Boundaries
Section I. Eastern boundary shall
vary along Rt. 47 only to include the School
District of Kaneland.
Section II. North boundary shall be Rt.
38 to include the School District of
Kaneland.
Section III. Western boundary shall vary from
the School District of Earlville
and Leland, which will include Malta
Section IV. Southern boundary shall vary
along Rt. 52 only to include the entire
School Districts of Serena, Sheridan, and Newark.
ARTICLE IX- League
Section I. League shall be divided
into divisions if:
A. More than (6) but less than (14) team shall be divided
into (2)
divisions.
B. If more than (14) teams but less than (20) , shall
be divided
into (3) divisions.
C. If more than (20) but less than (28), shall be divided
into (4)
divisions.
D. The number of divisions can be changed other than
stated by a
majority of the vote before the season starts.
E. For the year 2008, will consist of(2)divisions, up
to(8)teams each.
Section II. Any new town or organization,
which wants to enter the Tri County Pony
League, shall come to a meeting and ask to join the league.
A. There will be a vote of the existing teams at the
meeting, with a
majority vote winning.
B. All new teams must follow the Tri County by-laws
and rules to part
of the league.
C. New towns joining the league shall pay an extra ($25.00).
ARTICLE
X- All-Star Game
Section
I. Site shall rotate between
1. Sheridan (2000) 8. Hinckley- Big Rock (2008)
2. Earlville (2001) 9. Sugar Grove (2004)
3. Waterman (2008)
10. Elburn (2004)
4. Plano (2009)* 11. Shabbona (2004)
5. Newark (2006)
12. Yorkville(2006)
6. Sandwich (2003) 13. Serena (2009)*
7. Somonauk (2003) 14. Leland (2007)*
*Projected host for that year
Section II. In the event a team is unable
to host a game, the site shall be moved
to the next town, with the rotation order remaining the same.
Section III. Any new towns joining the league:
A. Shall host an All -Star game after Shabbona, or would
be placed in
the last position, which is (15th) position. If the team joins the
year Shabbona is to host the game, that team shall host following
Shabbona, and be last in the order. Yorkville would
host for 2006.
Section IV. The game shall be held on the
Fourth of July, or a date selected at
the first meeting.
A. If weather causes a postponement of the game, it
shall be rescheduled
on the first Sunday following the Fourth of July.
1. If the 4th of July falls on a Sunday,
game shall be played on the
following Sunday.
B. In the Year 2008 Sunday
July 13, 2008
1. All-Star game is @ 2:00 PM @ Hinckley/ (Waterman's
game is 4:00pm)
C. Each team will select 3 players from there team to
represent them at
the All-Star Game These players’ names must be turned into the League
Office by June 30th.Divisions subject to change.
East Division - 2:00PM
West Division - 4:00PM
All Star #1 -
All Star #2
All Star #3-
All Star #4
(12 Players) (12
Players) (12 Players) (12
Players)
D. Every player must play at least (3) innings.
1. No pitcher shall be allowed to
pitch more than (2) innings.
2. Pitchers innings apply to the week’s
total innings. Except
for playoff games
Section V. The game shall be (7) innings
in length.
A. The game shall be (9) innings in length if there
are more than
(18) players per team.
Section VI. The host town will be responsible
for providing:
A. Umpires (Patched Umpires are preferred)
B. Field in proper condition.
C. Advance Public Notice
ARTICLE
XI- Schedule
Section I. Schedule shall be compiled
by the schedule coordinator.
Section II. Schedule should have:
A. Play in division to play each team twice. Once at
home and once
away.
B. Out of the division play each team once divided equally
between
home and away.
C. If (2) divisions, shall play each team once.
D. In 2008
each team will be scheduled a minimum 14 division
games
and will determine the division champ. If 10 teams in a division
you may be scheduled 18 games.
E. Teams can select how many more games, if any, they
wish to play.
They will be scheduled against other teams who wish to play more
games from either division.
Section III. All scheduled games must be played
when scheduled.
A. Unless prohibited by weather conditions.
B. Unless permission to re-schedule is granted by schedule
coordinator.
C. Violations will be considered a forfeit and dealt
with by the league
office.
1. If violation repeats, disciplinary
action could result.
Section IV. All evening games shall begin:
A. At 6:00pm unless noted on schedule
B. Some night games are scheduled for 8:00pm start time
1. 6:00pm games followed by an 8:00pm game should not
start an inning
after 7:50pm
2. Teams that play at 8:00pm please take batting and
fielding before
your team arrives.
3. 8:00pm games shall start 15 minutes after 6:00pm
game ends
4. No inning shall start after 10:00pm on 8:00pm games.
C. Saturday and Sunday games are to begin at 10:00am
unless otherwise
noted.
D. No inning is allowed to begin after 8:00pm. An inning
begins when the
third out of the previous inning is registered.
E. (2-hour limit all games
with Double Headers) including Saturday games.
2-hour limit not to be exceeded, Please hustle in an hustle out
no stall tactics - Playoff games have time limit of 2 Hours
except the 3rd place game is 2 hour time limit.
F. Tie games are considered suspended games. They must
be concluded from
the point
where the play stopped.
G. All teams must complete the schedule regardless of
position in
standings.
H. Home team to supply (2) new official Pony League
approved baseballs
for the
game.
I. If the game balls are lost, then use the best available
ball to be
submitted.
ARTICLE XII- Team Structure
Section I. Each participating town shall have a pool of players who register
with their organization. Each organization shall offer open registration
to their respected school district, for which the organization belongs
to.They shall
accept and use every legal registration.
A. Teams shall divide into(2)or more teams when the
registered players is
divisible by(12).
1. Each organization shall use their
own rules in governing the
division of
the teams by either of the following:
a) Blind
draft
b) Regular
draft
c) Balance
of Power (Equalize)
2. Each team shall be as equal as
possible (granted in a blind draft
all skilled
players could end up on the same team)
a) NO HAND
PICKED TEAMS
b) No team
shall hold tryouts and cut players.
3. Returning players from the previous
year may stay on the same team
as long
as they live in the school district of the organization.
4. Player(s) who live(s) in a town’s
school district that does not
offer Traveling Boys Pony League my participate in an adjacent
town’s program provided
that,
a) The player(s)
has (have) been approved by the league officers.
b) And also
by a majority of the coaches within the league.
Section II. Each team will consist of (20)
players maximum to (9) minimum.
A. Program will be allowed to bat (15) players in a
continuous batting
order, with free substitution in defensive positions only. Batting
order must remain
the same.
1. If a team has more than (15) players,
the extra players should
be substituted
into the batting order. (see substitution)
2. Teams have the option to bat their
(15) players or bat as many
players as the opposing team has in their line-up & substitute
the rest of the players
into the line-up(see substitution)
a) Any
players dressed at the game and not in the batting line-up
must be substituted into the line-up for at least (2) innings
of defense.(Only if they are not in the batting order)
B. Minimum number for fielding a team.
1. Team must field at least (7) players
by 10 minutes after game is
scheduled to start or umpire shall declare the game a forfeit in
favor of
team with enough players to play.
2. If neither team can field (7) players,
both teams will be charged a
loss.
3. If a team plays with less than
(9) players
a) Empty spots in
the batting order must be declared when turning
in the line-up and every time they come around an automatic out
is charged.
b) If a player arrives
late, he is allowed to enter the game immediately.
Section III. Each team must turn in a roster with birth dates to League Office before
season begins.(May
1 , 2008)Sent in by email.
A. Only roster players of proper age are allowed to participate in the
game.
1. 14 & under league (12-14 year olds)
2. Must be no older than 14 as of May 1st,
2008.
3. In U.S.S.S.A. Tournaments the is 14
year old and under
4. Pony National Tournament has a 13 only
and a 14 only tournament
B. Players may be added to or removed from rosters by
notifying the
league office and waiting for approval. There could be up to one
week delay while
contacting officers.
C. Failure to comply will result in a forfeiture if
both teams knowingly
violate a rule, Article XII- Section II, A, each team will be charged
a forfeit.
D. If offense occurs more than once, officers will review
them and could
result in
disciplinary action.
ARTICLE XIII- Equipment
Section I. Shall be as outlined in
the U.S.S.S.A. Rules and Regulations.
We will not be joining any affiliate this year, every team that wants
to
play in their tournament must register themselves
Section II. Noting the following exceptions.
A. Steel spikes will not be allowed.
1. If a player is wearing steel
spikes, the player is given the
opportunity to remove them. If the player refuses, the player
shall be barred from the game.
Section III. Bat
Rule
A. All (-3) Bats are legal with 2 5/8" Barrel(These bats are recommended)
All (-4 to -5) Bats can be up to 33" in Length or under
All (-6 to -9) Bats can be up to 32" in Length or under
All (-10 to -12) Bats must be 28" in Length or Under
ARTICLE XIV- Pitching
Section I. A player may pitch a maximum
of (10) innings per calendar week.
A. Calendar week begins at midnight Sunday and
ends at midnight
the next Sunday.
Section II. A pitch to one batter will constitute
one inning.
Section III. If a pitcher pitches more than (3)
innings then the pitcher must
have (40) hours rest from the start of the previous game.
Section IV. Violation of Article XIV- Section
III shall result in forfeiture
of all games that said pitcher has pitched in the week of the violation.
Section V. If a team has 3 scheduled
games in one week, each pitcher is given
an additional 4 innings.
Section VI. Once a Pitcher is removed from the mound, he can not be inserted into
Pitch again, in that game.(wording was change to mound, that is what
the rule meant)
ARTICLE XV- Fighting
Section I. First offense- shall result
in a 2 game suspension.
Section II. Second offense- shall result
in suspension from the league.
ARTICLE XVI- Substitution/Injuries/Slide Rule
Section I. Tri County Pony League will use free
substitution.
A. A player removed for a substitute must remain out
of the game
for 6 defensive outs.
1. Player may re-enter game
at any position but must bat in
his original place in the line up, or at a lower position
in the line up.
a) The
only exception being player may not re-enter as a
pitcher
if the player has already pitched in the game.
b) If
there are no eligible substitutes and a player
becomes sick or injured, the last player to leave the
game
shall be placed in the injured player’s position.
c) If
a player is injured during the game and can not
continue to play and there is no substitute, an out
will
not be recorded in that players spot.
d) If
a player is ejected and there are no substitutes,
an out will be recorded.
Section II. Slide rule
A. Base runners must avoid contact. If contact will
be made, the
runner must slide. If the runner fails to slide and avoid
contact, he is out. If the shoulder is dropped and the runner
intentionally runs into the fielder, he is automatically out
and ejected.
ARTICLE
XVII- Ten Run Rule & Complete Game
Section I. Applies after 4 1/2 innings if the
home team is leading, or 5 if
the visiting team is leading.
A. If at this point one team is leading by 10 runs the
game is
complete. It may continue if both teams agree, but the outcome
will not change. Any innings pitched will be charged
for the pitchers weekly totals.
B. A game is complete after 5 innings, or 4 1/2 is home
team is
ahead. If games are less than this because of darkness, rain,
2 hour time limit they will be considered suspended games and
must completed at a later date.
ARTICLE XVIII- Umpires
Section I. The umpire is governed
by the Official Pony League Baseball Rules,
with amendments. An
Umpires minimum age requirement is 16 yr old.
Section II. Home team supplies 2 umpires
who are familiar with the rules of
Pony League Baseball.
A. A third umpire is encouraged but the absence
of is not to
delay the game.
Section III. If the assigned umpire or umpires
fail to attend the game,
both managers must agree on selection of their replacement.
A. If an agreement can not be reached by the managers
acting
responsibly, they are both to report by phone or in person to
the league office. League office will decide if the game
should be rescheduled. If the game is played,
it is final.
B. Game may begin with only 2 umpires present.
ARTICLE XIX- Standings
Section I. All teams must report
score and pitchers used. Winning team must
report score within 48 hours to receive credit for the win. Not
doing so will result in winning team being credited
with a tie.
A. Report may be in writing, person, by
telephone, fax, or
e-mail to office.(Article XXIII)
B. Report shall include for each game:
1. All pitchers
used for both teams and number of innings
pitched.
2.
Final score.
3. Winning and losing
pitchers.
Section II. League official is keep standings
and publish semi-monthly in the
local paper, by mail or web site. WWW.RockCreekBall.com
Section III. The team with the most wins in the
division shall be declared the
winner of the division.
A. If the weather forces a postponement,
the game must be played
at the first available opportunity.
B. 12 games must be played to determine
division winner.
C. Play-off site for ties in division leaders
to be determined by:
1. Run differential
from previous games.
a)
If no difference, a coin flip shall determine the site.
ARTICLE
XX- Post Season Tournament
Section I. All teams are included
in the tournament.
Section II. Winning percentage will determine
seeding. Seeding done by board members.
Section III. Team with the best winning percentage
will be seeded the highest.
A. Teams will be seeded by the league officials.
B. 2007 seeds will be Winning Pct. times games Played
Section IV.
Team awarded the highest seed will be paired against the lowest seed.
Second highest seed against second lowest and so forth.
A. Highest seed will be home team for 1st,
2nd, and 3rd rounds.
Section V. Each pitcher is allowed
10 innings of pitching for the 1st & 2nd round
and 7 innings in the
3rd round and 10 innings for semi finals and finals.
A. All rest periods for pitchers shall apply
if they pitch more than 3
innings.
1. With the exception
of the semi finals and finals.
B. In 2007 pitchers get 10 innings first week & 10 innings Semi's/Finals
Section VI. Schedule of tournament to be determined
later.
A. 1st round to be TBA (approx June 23 &
24)
B. 2nd round to be TBA (approx June 25,26,27).
C. 3rd round to be TBA (approx June 30 &
July 1)
D. Semi finals to be July 10 & 11 @
6:00pm.
E. 3rd place game will be July 12 at 2:00pm.
Championship game at
4:00pm.
Section VII. Host Town for final four will Be responsible for Providing:
A.Two Patch Umpires
(which League will reimburse cost up to $45(Home) & $45(Bases)
B. Field in Proper Condition
C. 1 Dozen Base Balls Furnished by league 2008
D. Advance Public Notice
E. Sound Sytem for Public Adress Anouncing For Championship Game
F. Concessions
G. Decorations
ARTICLE
XXI- U.S.S.S.A. Tournaments and World Series
Section I. The manager of the team
in first place in the standings at the end of the
regular season shall be manager of the division in the U.S.S.S.A.
Tournament.(The League Will not be paying the entry
fees)
THE LEAGUE WILL NOT BE PARTICIPATING
IN THIS. IN 2008
EACH COACH CAN FORM THEIR OWN TEAM AND PAY SAID ENTRY FEES
A. If unable, then second place manager shall
be given the opportunity.
B. If the 1st & 2nd place managers are unable,
then the 3rd place
manager and so on, until a manager is able to
commit.
C. This rule is for both 14 and under tournament
teams.
D. League will pay entry fee for 14 year old team.
The league still
has red Tri County jerseys.
E. 13 and under team
will need sponsors for jerseys and entry fees.
Call league office with any sponsors.
Section II. The manager then selects the
coaches from a pool of other division
managers.
A. If no managers
are available then a manager may choose whom he
wishes for
his coach
Section III. Manager selects the players from
the rosters of every team in the
division.
A. Every manager must submit a list of 4 players
maximum to attend
a tryout to be selected to the U.S.S.S.A. Tournament
Team.
B. Players may participate on one tournament team
at a time.
Section IV. Pony National Tournament
A. Any team can enter Pony National tournament.
1. You can register your
own team.
ARTICLE
XXII- Protests
Section I. Protests are only allowed on
interpretation of the rules.
A. Protest will be decided by officers of the
Tri County Pony
League Division in which your team plays.
ARTICLE XXIII- League Office
Section I. League office for the year
2008 TBA
Section II. The Commissioner of Baseball
can be reached at
Greg H. Gould
G-Force Labels & Printing, Inc.
420 W. Rt. 34 Unit #4
Plano, IL 60545
(630)327-9168
Fax (630)327-9168
Work (630)552-8911
Email-rockcreekball@aol.com