Dave Blakley, President of the Colorado League Board of Directors dblakley2003@yahoo.com
Mike Carroll, Colorado League Commissioner carrollrealty@aol.com
Howard Rollin, National Tournament Director howard@over50baseball.com
AFFILIATED WITH THE NATIONAL ADULT BASEBALL ASSOCIATION
The following addendums for the Colorado League supersede all present rules as established by the National Adult Baseball Association (NABA) and the National Baseball Congress. If you are interested in the Las Vegas National Fun Tournament rules, please click on: http://www.over50baseball.com/rules.htm
1. Eligibility - During the 2003 season, male participants will be eligible to participate when they reach their 48th birthday. Female participants will be eligible to participate when they reach their 18th birthday.
2. Stealing bases will not be permitted while the pitcher has possession of the baseball on the mound, or when he pitches it to the plate. However, runners on base may try to advance if a pitched ball makes contact with the ground (wild pitch, passed ball, 55-footer, etc.). If a pitched ball is caught by the catcher on the fly without the ball touching the ground, all base runners must return to their bases. Even if the ball is scooped cleanly by the catcher on a short pitch (55-footer), base runners may try to advance since the ball touched the ground. If a pitcher or catcher attempts to pick-off a runner (taking too big of a lead), and the pick-off attempt hits the ground, the runner(s) may try to advance. Otherwise, all base runners are forced back to their bases. However, the force play back to their bases requires a "tag" for an out, but if the ball makes contact with the ground during any pick-off attempt, regular baseball rules apply. If a base runner takes off illegally (attempts to steal) and the pitch is caught by the catcher without the ball touching the ground, the ball should be thrown or carried to the base where the runner illegally left from. However, the ball must not touch the ground in order to maintain the force play on the runner back to the prior base. If, in the opinion of the base umpire, the base runner is far removed from the base he is forced back to and the ball has been thrown or carried to that base without the ball touching the ground, the umpire may call the runner out without the need for a tag.
3. If a batter, after reaching base successfully and the play is finished, does not wish to run the bases (desires to be a non-runner), that batter may call "time" and have any player on his team run for him. (The decision to replace a non-runner must be made immediately after the batter reaches base and before the first pitch to the next batter. No changes can be made after that next pitch.) If a player who is acting as a substitute runner is scheduled to be at bat while still on the base path, an additional substitute runner is ineligible to take his place, and the original substitute runner must take his turn at bat immediately. An out will be recorded with the elimination of the runner on base. It should be noted that a substitute runner may only run once as a substitute during each inning. Therefore, a player may only run the bases for himself (when he gets on base) and only once as a substitute runner during any one inning.
4. All teams will utilize an extended batting order. All players present and in full uniform will be placed in the batting order. Semi-injured players who are not in full uniform, but are present just in case of an emergency, should be listed on the lineup card by the manager as a potential substitute player according to traditional NABA rules. If required to play, those players would be required to be in full uniform before they would be eligible to enter the game. Please note, there must be a minimum of 9 batters in the batting order if 9 players are fully suited up, are present, and ready to play.
5. If a player must quit the game and his manager has notified the opposing manager (prior to the game) of the player leaving during play, the batting order will be shortened without penalty. Players who are removed from the batting order, but are still present at the field when it is their turn to bat (except players who are injured as determined by the home plate umpire), will be declared an automatic out for being illegally skipped in the batting order. If a player is injured while at bat and cannot continue to complete the "at-bat," the next player in the batting order will bat immediately and assume the injured player's ball and strike count. If a player is ejected by an umpire, there will be no penalty for skipping the ejected player's position in the batting order. If a second player on the same team is ejected during the same game, an out will be recorded for the second vacated position. If, as a result of a player ejection, a team is reduced to 8 players, that team will not forfeit the game according to NABA rules. Any team may play a game with a minimum of only 8 players.
6. Managers are required to utilize each player on their team (either regular team or emergency substitute players) in a defensive playing position for at least 2 innings (6 outs played) in each game. This rule will apply to both regular season and playoff games. Please note that players who want to bat, but do not want to play defense, may be listed as designated hitters only. Managers are then required to notify the opposing manager and the league director of any player who fits into that category, even if it is the result of an injury.
7. All games will be 9 innings or 2 and three-quarter hours, whichever comes first. However, if after 7 innings have been played and 2 hours and 35 minutes have expired, the game will be considered official and completed. An eighth or ninth inning will not begin if there is 10 minutes or less of official time remaining. If a new inning up to and including the seventh inning is started before the 2 and three-quarter hour time limit is reached, that inning will be completed according to traditional NABA rules. Game times during 2003 will be 9:00 AM, 12:15 PM, and 3:30 PM. If, after time has run out and the score is tied, the game will end in a tie. Also, a game is considered official after the losing team (or both teams when tied) has been to bat at least 4 times (4 innings). This may occur when a game has to be stopped because of unplayable conditions (rain, lightning, sprinklers, etc.). Also, during the Colorado League playoffs, all games will be played to completion to determine a winner, and any extra umpire costs will be paid for by league funds.
8. If a team anticipates being short-handed on any weekend (excluding playoffs), the manager may recruit players from any other team in the Colorado Over 50 Baseball League. There will be no additional charges to individual players for playing in extra games. Players who volunteer to play should be notified as soon as possible before the scheduled games. These additional volunteer players should be added to a team in order for that team to have 9 or 10 (maximum) available players for the game. All volunteer (substitute) players must be added to the bottom of the "short" team's batting order. Also, volunteer players are not allowed to pitch, without the approval of the opposing manager. During the playoffs, each team must be able to field their own players only or lose by forfeit, unless the opposing manager approves the use of emergency players. If a regular team player shows up late (after the game has started), that player will be added to the bottom of the lineup without the need to drop substitute players from the game. Once a game has begun, a volunteer player has the right to continue playing until that game is complete. Please note that late arriving players (both regular team members and emergency substitute volunteers) must have been listed on the lineup card as substitutes only (not listed in the batting order), in order to be eligible to play. When in doubt, managers should always list everyone on their team (and possible emergency substitutes) on the lineup card but not necessarily in the batting order, unless they're present and ready to play.
9. Although the NABA places certain restrictions on pitchers, there will be no restrictions on pitchers in the COLORADO OVER 50 BASEBALL LEAGUE, except that a pitcher who is relieved from the mound may return to the mound to pitch again, but not within the same inning of the removal.
10. Metal spikes will be permitted. However, players wearing spikes are cautioned against high-leg sliding or any other action that could possibly cause physical harm due to their footwear. Disciplinary action will be taken against any player found guilty of such actions, as determined by the managers, coaches, umpires, and league commissioner.
11. In order to prevent injuries at first base, a double base will be used when field conditions permit the placement of an additional first base. On any anticipated play at first base, the batter must run to the extended first base in foul territory (and he may overrun it). The first baseman must make a play by touching only the traditional first base. The first baseman must avoid making contact with the second 1st base, or he may be charged with a dangerous obstruction of the batter-runner. If there is no play at first base (such as a clean hit to the outfield), the batter may run to the regular first base in order to turn the corner in anticipation of trying for second base. A batter running to the traditional first base on an infield play at first base may be called out. The subjective decision by the umpires will be final. EXCEPTION: Only on a strikeout, when the ball is not caught by the catcher and 1st base is unoccupied or there are 2 outs, the first baseman may take the catcher's throw to either side of the two 1st bases for the force out. If the first baseman has possession of the ball in foul ground and he is in contact with the second 1st base, the batter will be called out. The batter, who has struck out and is now running toward the second 1st base in foul territory, may run to either first base to avoid a collision with the first baseman. ADDITIONAL SAFETY RULE: On any other play at first base that would require the first baseman to cross over into foul territory to take a possible errant throw, the first baseman must not interfere with the batter, who is running to the second 1st base in foul territory. The first baseman cannot take a throw while standing in foul territory and extend his leg completely across the second 1st base to tag the traditional 1st base to apply a force out. Once the first baseman has crossed over into foul territory to take an errant throw, he can only physically tag out the batter approaching first base without interfering with his path to the second 1st base. The umpire's subjective judgment concerning the safety of players in these instances will be final. All managers must advise their players accordingly.
12. In order to prevent injuries at all bases, a no collision rule will be enforced. Infielders should never block bases even if they have possession of the baseball. Also, infielders should never enter the base path of an approaching runner to intercept a poorly thrown ball. The infielder will be held responsible if contact occurs in such a situation. Infielders should always give a substantial portion of a base for a runner who might be sliding in. Base runners must either slide or give themselves up. However, sliding is not required in this league because of the age group. Players will not be forced to slide, if they wish not to. However, if a player does slide in order to try to break up a double play, the runner will be held accountable for any dangerous contact at the base. "Barrel-roll" body sliding is not an acceptable form of sliding into a base. Base runners must always run with control and concern for their opponent. Under no circumstances will a base runner try to dislodge the ball from a defensive player. Also, infielders should not induce base runners to slide unnecessarily by using a "phantom tag." Disciplinary action (ejection, suspension, fines, etc.) will be taken against any player guilty of such actions, as determined by the umpires, managers, coaches, and league commissioner. Please remember, this is not "blood and guts baseball."
13. In Colorado league play, the team with the best regular season record will be crowned the Division Winner (in each respective division). The team that wins the Playoff Tournament will be crowned League Champion (also in each respective division). All players on each League Championship team will receive an individual award as determined by the Board of Directors. If the same team wins both titles, the individual award will be upgraded. Individual awards for championship teams and division winning teams will be distributed at the league banquet in November. If a player or manager (who is to receive an award) cannot be present at the league banquet, he will have 60 days to pick it up directly from the league commissioner. Each player or manager is responsible for arranging to pick up his own award.
14. Any team that must forfeit a game because it does not have at least 8 players available on the field at game time, will be fined up to $100 (the cost for the 2 umpires that have to be paid). "Fine money" will be placed in escrow for the team that won by forfeit, and the money will be utilized for upgraded awards for that team, or refunded to that teams' players at the end of the season. Extra players from the opponent's team may be utilized (with the permission and approval of the manager and his team who have more than 9 players present) only as a last resort to avoid a forfeit. The number of players loaned and the caliber of player(s) will be at the sole discretion of the manager loaning the players to avoid a forfeit. No player, however, will be forced to play against his own team.
15. A 10-run mercy rule will be instituted at the end of seven innings.
16. Additional special rules for this age group are covered in the Manager's Rulebook and Guidelines as printed by the NABA. All other official rules are determined by the 2003 National Baseball Congress Rulebook. When in doubt, contact the league commissioner. Protests must be addressed by the manager only and directed to the home plate umpire and the opposing manager before play continues. Because of the uniqueness of our rules, the umpires may have no authority over nor the proper knowledge about certain rules and situations. When in doubt, a manager should immediately consult with the opposing manager to determine legality of a play before play continues. If the managers disagree, a protest should be stated immediately to the opposing manager and the home plate umpire, the protest should be logged in the home team's scorebook, and the protesting manager should notify the league commissioner within 6 hours after the conclusion of the game. The NABA regulation to post a protest bond will not be required in this league.
17. Before the first game of the day, each team will be required to supply 2 players to prep the field. The two team managers, working in conjunction with each other, should insure that the entire infield (fair and foul territory) should be dragged by a qualified pickup truck driver. The other 3 field-prep workers will assume other rake and drag responsibilities, including the preparation of the mound and home-plate areas, as well as chalking the foul lines for the entire game-day's usage. If there are trenches around home plate and on the mound, they should not be prepped by just pushing dry "beach sand" dirt back into the holes. Water must be used to solidify the dirt, and water is accessible by the use of a hose and quick-connect coupler (to be attached behind the mound). Please be careful and DO NOT MAKE MUD! Tamping of the slightly moistened filled-in areas is then necessary. If any aspect of field preparation for any game is substandard, then the teams that are then playing on their poorly prepped field will have nothing to complain about.
Each team is responsible for cleaning their own dugout after each game and then vacating the field and dugout areas ASAP. After the first and second games of each game day, it is very important that the next 2 teams get access to their respective dugouts and begin field preparation and warm-ups for their upcoming game.
Before the second and third game on game days, each team will also be required to supply 2 players to prep the field. The driver of the pickup truck will only drag the infield in fair territory and will avoid wiping out the foul lines. The other 3 field-prep workers will assume other rake and drag responsibilities, especially to protect the slightly worn and partially erased foul lines and to prep the mound and home plate areas.
18. At the end of the last game of the day, the winning team will be required to prep the mound and home plate areas only (water and tamping will be necessary). There will be no requirement to drag the infield. However, the winning team will also be required to store and lock up the 4 bases and all field maintenance equipment, and all "plugs" must be re-inserted into the base anchors. The losing team in the last game slot on Sunday (only) will be responsible to empty all of the trash cans by unhooking the drag on the pickup truck and loading up the trash cans to haul and empty them into the dumpster behind the Auto-Trol building. The trash cans should then be returned to their appropriate locations around the field, the pickup truck should be returned to its formerly parked position, and the drag should be re-hooked to the bumper.
19. Managers of winning teams are required to call in their game scores to Howard Rollin (league webmaster) at 303-759-4752 no later than 9:00 PM on game day. Reporting of scores at the field is not acceptable, including the game that Howard is playing in. Failure to report scores in a timely manner delays the posting of the weekly results on the Internet. Penalties will be assessed for late or non-reporting of scores. First offense fine will be $5, and each subsequent fine will add $5 to the previous fine. This year, a "HOME RUN CLUB" will again be established for anyone hitting one out during league play. Managers from both winning and losing teams should report home runs hit by their players each week. The player with the most round-trippers will win this year's "HOME RUN DERBY," and will be presented with an award at the league banquet in November.
20. The home team always occupies the first base dugout.
21. If a game is postponed for any reason, the league commissioner will reschedule that game on the earliest possible Saturday that is available for both teams. However, any game that is postponed very close to the end of the regular season, the league commissioner reserves the right to reschedule that postponed game until after the playoffs, if (in the commissioner's opinion) that game is considered to be insignificant and could possibly hamper playoff scheduling and fairness.
22. If two or more teams are tied in the standings at any time during the season, the traditional NABA tie-breaker rules will apply to determine which team is officially higher in the standings. Managers should check their appropriate rulebook for clarification.
23. The Colorado Over 50 Baseball League will have 12 teams during the 2003 season. The first scheduled games will be played on April 6, or possibly on both April 5 & 6. Games will not be played on the following Sundays and holiday weekends - Easter, Mother's Day, Memorial Day, Father's Day (possible make-up day), Independence Day (possible make-up day), and Labor Day. If the league is made up of 12 teams, each team will be scheduled to play 1 complete round robin of 11 games against each of the other teams in the league. Based upon the standings at the end of the round robin, the league will be broken into 3 divisions, 50AAA (the top 4 teams), 50AA (the next 4 teams), and 50A (the last 4 teams). In case of a tie in the league standings during any part of the regular season, managers should refer to the tie-breaking rules in the NABA Manager's Rulebook. Determination of home team, visiting team, time slot, and field will be at the sole discretion of the league commissioner. A sophisticated computer program will determine the entire regular season schedule. Special requests for team scheduling cannot be guaranteed.
24. Each team in all three divisions (50AAA, 50AA, and 50A) will then enter the playoffs and compete in a double-elimination tournament within its own group of four teams. If a team loses its first two playoff games, it will have played 13 total games and its season is now over. It is possible for a team to play as many as 5 playoff games or 16 total season games. If there aren't any postponements, the regular season will end no later than July 20th. The playoffs will start 2 weeks later, after the league's All-Star Game has been held.
a) During the playoffs, the highest seeded team in each division is the home team and plays the lowest seeded team in each round. An exception to this rule will occur if a higher seeded team loses a game during the playoffs and then plays an undefeated lower seeded team. The undefeated team will then assume the role of home team in that game. In the second championship game (only if necessary), if the winner of the loser's bracket (visiting team) defeats the only remaining undefeated team (home team), the winner of the loser's bracket will then become the home team in the now-required second championship game, unless they had previously lost to that same team earlier in the playoffs. In that situation, a comparison will be made of those two teams in head-to-head competition during the playoffs. The team that has the best run-differential (as a result of winning by a larger margin) will be the home team in the final championship game.
25. The 2003 All-Star Game will be held on Sunday, July 27th at Rebel Field. The game is scheduled to start at 11 AM. This year, the game will be 9 innings or 3 hours, whichever comes first. This will allow all players on both large teams enough at-bats and defensive playing time. After the games of the July 12-13 weekend are played (cut-off date), the standings (including 10 total games played by each team) will then determine the player allocations to the All-Star Game and which team those players will be placed on. All league teams must elect their representative players and report them to the league commissioner no later than the weekend of July 20-21. All player names and team assignments will be posted on the league webpage 6 days prior to the All-Star Game. Player allocations for each team, as well as team assignments for the All-Star Game, are as follows:
The National Division will be the home team (first base dugout) and will be comprised of players from the teams that finished in the following positions in the standings as of the close of play on July 13: first, third, fifth, seventh, ninth, & eleventh
The American Division will be the visiting team (third base dugout) and will be comprised of players from the teams that finished in the following positions in the standings as of the close of play on July 13: second, fourth, sixth, eighth, tenth, & twelfth
Allocations of players from each team is based upon their team's position in the standings as of the close of play on July 13. Each team will have a total of 15 players. The allocations are: First & Second Place - 4 players each, Third & Fourth Place - 3 players each, Fifth & Sixth Place - 3 players each, Seventh & Eighth Place - 2 players each, Ninth & Tenth Place - 2 players each, Eleventh & Twelfth Place - 1 player each.
The managers for each team will be the manager of the teams that are in first and second place as of the cut-off date. If the manager is not elected as a player, he will manage only and not play in the game. Each manager will select one coach from a non all-star participating manager from one of his assigned teams.
There will be no regularly scheduled or playoff games on All-Star Weekend. However, it may be necessary to schedule Saturday, July 26th as a regular season make-up date. League players not involved in the All-Star Game are not scheduled to play that weekend, but they are encouraged to attend and support this annual league event.
26. All pitchers will be required to observe a semi-strict interpretation of the balk rules. When a pitcher is observed as having balked when delivering a pitch to the plate, that pitcher will be warned after the pitch (privately) by the umpire upon first offense. Each pitcher will be given a warning in each game upon first offense in that game. Umpires may (but are not required to) try to assist pitchers by explaining the illegality of the pitcher's motion or foot work. A second offense by the same pitcher during the same game will result in a balk called and a penalty. However, if a pitcher commits a balk during any pick-off attempt, a balk will be called without the requirement of a warning. If, according to the umpires subjective decision, a pitcher commits a serious and deliberate deceptive infraction or a repeat of an infraction from a previous recent game, a balk with a resulting penalty may be called without a first warning. Also, umpires will take into account the reduced flexibility of the neck and shoulders of Over 50 Baseball pitchers and will assess balks only for flagrant violations. When in doubt, pitchers should check with the umpires before the game about the balk rule and how it will pertain to them.
27. Any ball hit at Rebel Field that exits the field of play through the small walk-through opening in the center field fence will be considered as a ground-rule double.
28. Team roster sizes will be maintained according to the NABA rulebook. That means that each team may have as many players on their roster as they see fit. However, if a team with more than 15 eligible players wins a title that is expected to bring individual awards to all of its players, the league commissioner, in conjunction with the President of the Board of Directors, reserves the right to reduce the individual value of each award presented.
29. If a player shows up in full uniform at a game field, it is assumed that he is ready to play and must be placed into the lineup. Injured players or those players not wishing to play should not be in full uniform. This will prevent teams from improperly dropping weaker players from their active playing roster at game time. Please note that players who want to bat, but do not want to play defense, may be listed as designated hitters only. However, managers are required to notify the opposing manager of any player who fits into that category, even if it is the result of an injury.
30. Smoking and/or drinking alcoholic beverages are prohibited on the playing field and within the dugout areas at Rebel Field.
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