Fort Belvoir Litle League Info Book - 2011 Season

Fort Belvoir Little League2011 Season

What you should knowabout signing your kids up for baseball

ContentsTryout Schedule for 9-16

year old players - page 13

Age Determination 1Who May Play 2Registration 3Challenger Division 4Game Scheduling 5Field Locations 5Practices 5Player Participation 5League Organization 6Team Formation 7Parent Responsibilities 9Responsibility of Equipment .... 9Volunteers 9Field Decorum 10Tournament Play 10Officials 11Umpire Considerations 12Fall Baseball Program 12Girls Softball 7Tryout Schedule (9-16 yrs) .13

by Bill Behring, League President

Welcome to Fort Belvoir Little League Baseball. This publication is generalinformation about our league and is intended to help you understand someof the policies and procedures involved in the operation of a youth baseballprogram. The information contained herein is general in nature and futureeditions of the newsletter, The Fielder, are to be published as theseason progresses to keep you up to date. This information isalso available on the Fort Belvoir Morale Welfare and RecreationWebsite, www.belvoirmwr.com . Adobe Acrobat Reader, availablefree from Adobe.com must be installed to read the document.

There are many versions or brands of baseball: Pony, Babe Ruth,Khoury and Little League, just to name a few. Fort Belvoir is asanctioned league of Little League Baseball, Inc., a registeredorganization by the government of the United States. By virtue oflegislation approved unanimously by both the House of Representativesand the Senate and signed into law by the late President Lyndon B. Johnson,on 16 July 1964, Little League has been granted a Congressional Charter ofFederal Incorporation. It is this parent organization with which we maintainour charter for play, issued to us annually, and are bound by its regulations.

New this season!Little League now offers kids league age four (born May 2006 or later) toplay in the Tee Ball Division.

Players eight and under in the Machine Pitch and Tee Ball Divisions, will beassigned to teams whenever possible by their neighborhoods. This shouldbenefit families with multiple players of different ages, particularly incarpooling. It is for this reason the box labeled Belvoir Village? has beenadded to the team assignment card. Bear in mind, however, that this maynot always be possible as if one village has all eight-year-olds and anotherhas all sevens, there will still be the goal to age-balance the teams. Thispolicy cannot be incorporated with the players 9 years old and above asthey are drafted by the coaches of the teams based on the talent theyobserved during the tryout sessions held for these ages.

The sixty-foot diamond complex on 21st Street will be the location of allgames played by the Minor Division, home games of the Major divisionand some games of the Machine Pitch Division. While this complex is verynew, all amenities have not yet been completed not the least of which areparking facilities. Notably during the first and third Saturdays of each monthwhen the Belvoir Thrift Shop is open, parking will not be allowed in the lotof the shop. Parking is permitted on the second and fourth Saturdays aswell as weekday evenings when the shop is closed.

Age DeterminationAfter 55-years of using 31 July as the League Age cutoff date, Little Leaguechanged the cutoff date to 30 April, as did virtually all youth baseballprograms. With this change in place, it permits kids to play with kids their

All players, 9 through 16, new andreturning, must attend tryout sessions

Dates and times are specified on page 13. Forthose involved in other sport activities call forinfo on attending an alternate or special session.All players league age 12 will be placed in theMajor Division. See page 2 for details.

Table ALITTLE LEAGUE AGE SEASON

AGE MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN

Tee Ball Division

FEB MAR APR AGE

4 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006 2007 2007 2007 2007 45 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2006 2006 2006 2006 56 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2005 2005 2005 2005 6

Machine Pitch Division7 2003 2003 2003 2003 2003 2003 2003 2003 2004 2004 2004 2004 78 2002 2002 2002 2002 2002 2002 2002 2002 2003 2003 2003 2003 8

Minor and Major Division9 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2002 2002 2002 2002 910 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2001 2001 2001 2001 1011 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 2000 2000 2000 2000 11

Major Division*12 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999 12

Junior Division13 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1998 1998 1998 1998 1314 1996 1996 1996 1996 1996 1996 1996 1996 1997 1997 1997 1997 14

Senior Division15 1995 1995 1995 1995. 1995 1995 1995 1995 1996 1996 1996 1996 1516 1994 1994 1994 1994 1994 1994 1994 1994 1995 1995 1995 1995 16

Big Division'.17 1993 1993 1993 1993 1993 1993 1993 1993 1994 1994 1994 1994 1718 1992 1992 1992 1992 1992 1992 1992 1992 1993 1993 1993 1993 18

AGE MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR AGE

*See text this page, paragraph 4 **See text page 3, paragraph 2

own age throughout the season. For instance, a 12-year-old player born inJune, in the previous set up, would play the entire season on a team withkids 13 and 14 years old even though he would not turn 13 until the seasonwas almost over. The age table below illustrates the "league age" of yourkid and the division in which he is eligible to play.

Who May PlayAll military dependent boys and girls, regardless of where they live, leagueage 4-16, are eligible. If in signing up for a previous sport or activity, youonly need to update the information in the Army computer registrationprogram. The most important items to verify are any changes in addressesand phone numbers as this is how you are contacted. Signing up for baseballinvolves completing the Team Assignment card, showing proof of age (IDcard), sport physical report, and paying the sign-up fee. Those living onthe installation must sign up with the Fort Belvoir League with the exceptionof those living in Woodlawn Village. They may sign up with either theBelvoir or Woodlawn League. See residency below.

The player's age and residence is now more than ever under close scrutinyby Little League Headquarters in light of the fiasco created in 2001 by theRolando Paulino Little League of Bronx, New York whereby, a kid wasplaying that was too old for the Major Division and did not have legalresidence within the league's boundaries, causing forfeiture of the WorldSeries Championship. As the Fort Belvoir League President, I will alwaysbe in close scrutiny of the residence and age of each player to insure thekind of embarrassment created by the Paulino Little League to all of LittleLeague Baseball does not befall our league or more important, the playerswho are, as usual, the innocent victims.

Ages: Players, league ages 4-16 years old are eligible. See Table A, below,to determine your son's league age. This league age determines in whichdivision he will play except for players9 through 11 years old. The 9- through11-year-old players will be placed on ateam in the Minor or Major Divisionbased on their skills displayed at thetryout sessions. See Table B, page 6,for the division/age breakdown. A newrule incorporated in the 2008 season is,all players 12 years old will tryout andbe placed on a Major Division team.Exceptions to permit the 12-year-old toplay in the Minor Division can begranted through District Headquarterswith the parents' request through theleague president. The rule prohibiting12-year-olds pitching in the MinorDivision is still in effect. This sametryout format will apply to the 13-14-year-old Junior Division and the 15-16-year-old Senior Division in the event wehave enough signed up to create morethan one team in each division. Basedon history, in both of these divisions,we usually have only one team, whichis created by the first 13 that register.Ideally, we would like to have more

FORT BELVOIRLITTLE LEAGUE

DIRECTORY2011 Season

Now: AS phones have answering devices,

Youth Baseball CommissionerLittle League President

Bill Behring1-540-752-2662

Umpire in ChiefEddie Mallard

[email protected]

Youth Sports DirectorJerry Arrington703-805-9139

Youth Sports Assistant DirectorRashawd Pope703-805-1257

Assistant Director for Health and FitnessJulie Libert

703-805-9138

Coach's TrainingAricka Vaughan703-805-1258

Field and Warehouse ManagerTravis Souza703-806-0633

2 What you should know about signing your kids up for baseball 2011 Season

FORT BELVOIRLITTLE LEAGUE

CALENDAR2011 Season

4 January Baseball sign-up begins

1 March Sign-up closes12-19 March Tryouts (9-16 year old)

13 March Daylight saving time begins22 March Teams formed (9-16 years)23 March Teams assigned (4-8 years)23 March Team practices begin

5 April Parents' orientation9 April Opening day

18-22 Apr Easter school break24 April Easter

8 May Mother's Day30 May Memorial Day

19 June Father's Day21 June School ends

TBD Fun tournamentTBD All-star tournament begins

Dates may be changed due toweather or other unforeseeablecircumstances

Because of the inter-league play inthe Major, Junior, and SeniorDivisions, games may begin earlier

Walk-in Sign-upHours are 6:30am to 4:30pm

Monday through Friday

Appointment Sign-up703-806-0791

Registration Info703-805-9114, 9116, or 9118

Baseball InfoCoach Bill

1-540-752-2662Email: [email protected]

than one team but a minimum of 12 players per team is needed. Games arescheduled with other leagues around Fort Belvoir.

Players 17 and 18 who wish to play will not register with Fort Belvoir, asthere are not enough players within the Belvoir league to create teams.Travel teams are formed by District 9 Headquarters, encompasing playersfrom throughout District 9 and surrounding districts. For those interested,contact me by email, coachbill2Pverizon.net for further information.

Residency: Little League Baseball has strict geographical boundaries fromwhich all players in a given league must reside. Military dependents residingon Fort Belvoir must sign up for the Belvoir League at Youth Services. Theonly two exceptions Little League provides for are: 1) military dependents,of active, retired, or deceased sponsors, may play for a military leagueregardless of where they live. Conversely, dependents living on theinstallation (the Fort Belvoir Little League boundary) cannot play in offpost Little Leagues.

Dependents living in Woodlawn Village on north post may play for theWoodlawn or Belvoir League. This is because the Woodlawn Little Leaguewas formed considerably earlier than our league and because of its fieldsproximity, the Woodlawn League included this village. We had anindependent baseball program in those days and when we joined LittleLeague it was decided not to be in the best interest of the Woodlawn orBelvoir leagues to require Woodlawn residents to leave Woodlawn and playat Belvoir. The Woodlawn housing area at that time had been and stillremains within the boundaries of the Woodlawn Little League. However,by virtue of the fact the residents are military, they may play for the 13elvoirLeague.

The other exception, 2) is for players who have lived off post and played inanother league. Those players moving on post may continue to play fortheir former league. For this exception, I have to sign a waiver each yearfor each player for this to happen. It is not likely this waiver will ever bedisapproved. The formality of this insures participants are legal in wherethey are playing. However, if they elect to play at Belvoir for any season,they may not return to their former league in future seasons.

RegistrationRegister at the Central Registration Office, Markham School Age Services,building at 9500 Barlow Road at Mount Vernon Road from 6:30am to4:30pm, Monday through Friday.

Registration is the process whereby the administrative staff of Youth Servicesinputs your family's specific information into an Army-required databaseof all eligible and potential users of Youth Services. The informationcollected is required by Headquarters, Department of the Army and is notpassed on to us who are running the Little League as much of it, includingSocial Security numbers and shot records (with the exception of the latestbooster shot date) is not needed for Little League purposes. This is whythe two-part Player Assignment Card is completed containing only theinformation the league officials and the team coaching staff need. The largerportion of the card is held by the league president and upon playerassignment; the smaller portion is given to the team manager. Mostimportant is the medical release form on the back of the card the teammanager must have in his possession. If necessary, this permits him to seekmedical assistance, (usually at Dewitt Army Medical Hospital, located onpost at Belvoir Road and 12th Street,) in the event the parents are not present.Your local phone numbers are also important, as this is how you will be

What you should know about signing your kids up for baseball 2011 Season 3

contacted in the event of an emergency or for routine notifications as in thecase of schedule changes.

To register for baseball you will need to provide: 1) player's military IDcard, (a government issued birth certificate for those not old enough tohave an ID card), 2) a valid sport physical for the duration of the sport(health assessments are accepted if it includes a statement that the"registrant may fully participate in sports," 3) the sport activity fee.The fee for baseball this season has been reduced to $60.00.

The manager's first kid plays free, and each additional kid enrolled inthe same sport will play at a 50% discount. (For the purpose of fees andregistration, tee ball, machine pitch, and softball are considered thesame sport—divisions of baseball.) The manager-parent must stillregister with Youth Services and complete the Team Assignment card.

No player will be signed up with any guarantee to be on a particular team,or with a particular coach except in the case of the team manager's son. Seethe Team Formation section on page 6. This policy is in place to prevent the"stacking" of teams, or the "red-shirting" of players. Managers, as well asall personnel have been encouraged to recruit players for the league butthey cannot make promises as to which team they will be assigned.

Register Early: Sign up early as teams are formed to accommodate allprospective players until such time when the registration has to be closed(in early March) and the teams formed, so practices and games can begin.Signups cannot go on throughout the season, as all teams must have anequal number of players, there are no extra uniforms, and over loading ateam with extras cuts down the individual playing time of each player, whichis not fair to those that registered on time. Ideally 12 players for each division(8 for tee ball, 13 for junior and above) is best as this makes for the maximumpractical amount of player participation time.

Waiting List: A waiting list will be kept after the teams are formed andseason begun so as to permit filling vacancies if and when they occur. Parentsof those on this waiting list will complete the signup process but make nopayment of the registration fee. The potential player will not attend tryouts,or practice with any already formed team until they are notified by, andonly by, the Youth Sports staff (directory upper left corner of page two) of avacancy. Managers and coaches are not authorized to recruit players afterteams have been formed.

Sign Up Fee: This fee contributes to the cost of baseballs, field strippingpaint and chalk, Turf-ace, caps and shirts for each player, which they keep.Other expenditures incurred are for replacement game equipment such ashelmets, catcher's equipment, bats, pants, printed material, umpireeouipment and train; r, and francFiseLeagueWilliamsport and Little League Virginia District 9. Other expenses areincurred with participation in all-star competition or other tournaments.Some of these additional expenses are: returnable all-star uniforms/shirts.caps, additional baseballs, and team entry fees to the league or organizationsponsoring the tournaments.

Items the registration fee does not cover, but the players willneed, include but are not limited to: a catcher's protective cup(some coaches may require all players to wear one at all times),a (leather) fielder's glove (the catcher's mitt is furnished), rubbermolded cleats or athletic shoes, and white socks. (The white

Challenger Division

The Little League ChallengerDivision is for kids ages 4-21 withdisabilities. It is operated under theauspices of Little League VirginiaDistrict 9 (the District Fort Belvoirbelongs to) by Central SpringfieldLittle League.

Opening ceremony is 2pm, Sunday,27 March at West Springfield HighSchool with games beginning onSunday, 3 April. Games are playedon Sundays at Springfield's TrailsidePark.

Many other activities are availablethroughout the year as members ofEddie's Club.

Challenger Division information isavailable at Central Registration,Fort Belvoir. More information isavailable on the web at:

www.springfieldchallenger.org

or for ages 4-12 contact:

Eddie Garretson703-304-2330

[email protected]

or for ages 13-21 contact:

Bella Hosier540-372-6605

[email protected]


Parents' OrientationCommunity Club

Tuesday, 5 April, 6pm

One parent or guardian of eachfamily must attend.

No kids are to attend.(In the event of lack of child care, kids

may attend but must be seatedquietly with their parents.)

The information contained hereinwill be discussed and parents willbe given the opportunity to quiz theleague commissioner and sportsdirector. Afterwards parents willmeet with their player's coachingstaff. The coaches will have theopportunity to put forth their teampolicies and prcedures and answerany questions.

The Community Club is located onTaylor Road which is parallel toBelvoir Road across from the newhospital construction site.

socks are not required in our machine pitch and tee ball divisions.) Player-owned first baseman's and catcher's mitts are not required, norrecommended, however players who have them must also have a fielder'sglove as the mitts cannot be worn when playing any other position.

Game SchedulingThe schedules will call for two games to be played each week, usually oneon Saturday and one on a floating weekday, usually a Tuesday, Wednesday,or Thursday. Games in Tee Ball, Machine Pitch, and the Minor Division,are played here on Belvoir's fields. The Major, Junior, and Senior Divisionstypically will play one game on post, usually Saturdays, and one away,usually on weekdays.

All effort is made to avoid Sunday games but it is possible they could occurbecause of rain, an increase in the number of teams, games to be played, orother unforeseen situations.

Field LocationsMinor and Major Division games were previously played on the fields atthe corner of Belvoir Road and 18th Street. This site was turned over to theMissile Defense Agency and a new complex was constructed on 21st Streetwest of Gunston Road. The Tee Ball Division plays on the field betweenBelvoir Road and Pullen football field. Machine Pitch Division games areslated to be played on Specker field as the Washington Street field is beingremoved for construction of another child care facility Junior and SeniorDivision games are played on the "Route One Field," located on CaseyRoad adjacent to Route One. Access to this field can be made through theWoodlawn Baptist Church, using their access from Route One and theirparking lot, which is adjacent to the field on Belvoir's north boundary. Itneeds to be noted that parking on any grass area of the Church propertyis not permitted. Traditionally, "away" games in the Major Division areplayed at Woodlawn. The Junior and Senior Division games are played atWoodlawn, Alexandria-Potomac, and Fort Hunt fields. Directions to thesefields will be made available once the schedules are complete and it hasbeen determined where the teams will be playing.

PracticesPractices are held at the discretion of the team manager and are usually aminimum of two times per week depending on the player's age, attentionspan, and space availability While each manager sets his own practiceschedule, he may not always be able to be there on time. It must be noted,that the manager and coaches working with your son's team are volunteersand they, just like you, have families, other jobs, duties, and obligations.For obvious reasons, do not drop your kid and run unless a coach is present.Likewise be sure to return on time to pick up your kid. It is not the duty ofthe coaches to "baby sit" after practices or games. Many practices will takeplace on the auxiliary Pullen Field on Belvoir Road opposite the footballfield, the main post parade field, Specker Field, across from the library, andother open real estate on post. Generally, there are no more than fivepractices per week, again, depending upon the age and attention span ofthe players.

Player ParticipationEach division of the league has a minimum playing time each kid mustplay per game except in games shortened by inclement weather. There isno maximum limit per player except in the tee ball and machine pitchdivisions as described below.

Team Photo DayTo be Announced

All players are to be present tohave the team photo taken.Families will have the opportunityto purchase team and individualpictures if they wish. Details willbe forth comming.


Tee Ball: All members of the team present at the start of the game are inthe batting order and take their turn batting. Players are substituted inpositions on the field at the discretion of the manager except players cannotplay the pitcher and/or first base positions more than a total of two inningsper game. With a maximum of eight players on a team, all will be in thefield every inning. There is NO SCORE or STANDINGS kept for the teeball games. Scorers are used solely for the purpose of keeping track of thebatting order and the number of outs. Teams change sides when three outsoccur or if the team has batted through the entire order, whichever comesfirst. No new inning will start after one hour has elapsed.

Machine Pitch Division: All members of the team present at the start ofthe game are in the batting order and take their turn batting whether or notthey are in the game defensively at the time their turn at bat comes around.Players are substituted on the field in such a manner so that each playerwill be in a defensive position at least every other inning of the game. Teamschange sides when three outs occur or four players have crossed the plate,whichever comes first. Every player must play an infield position at leastonce in every other game. No new inning will start after one hour haselapsed. There is NO SCORE or STANDINGS kept for machine pitch games.

Minor Division: All members of the team present at the start of the gameare in the batting order and take their turn batting whether or not they arein the game defensively at the time their turn at bat comes around. Playersare substituted on the field in such a manner so that each player will be in adefensive position at least every other inning of the game. Teams changesides when three outs occur or four runs have scored in innings one throughfive, or eight runs in the sixth inning and only if there is time for a sixthinning. No new inning will start after one-hour and forty-five minutes.Any game tied at the end of the complete inning after one hour and forty-five minutes will remain tied.

Major, Junior, and Senior Divisions: Conventional nine-man baseballlineup would normally apply, but as was the case in previous seasons, thecontinuous batting order was used by the leagues in which these divisionsparticipated. This will be decided early in the season. Playing time isgoverned by Little League Regulation IVi which states: "Every player on ateam roster will participate in each game for a minimum of six defensiveouts and bat at least one time." There is no further playing time modificationfor these three dis.dions, itrilPss the continuous batting order is used.

League OrganizationThe Beivoir League consists of three major officers, the commissioner/leaguepresident, sports director, and the assistant sports director. We are availableas much as possible to answer your questions. However, would-be problemsmust be submitted in writing so that a full investigation of the allegedsituation can be conducted. If a problem arises, you are asked to use thischain of command/concern: If the question is within your son's team, givethe manager of his team the courtesy of talking to him first. If his responsedoes not satisfy you, then the commissioner and/or sports director shouldbe advised in writing as stated above. Email is adequate and encouraged.

The league is divided into six divisions by the ages of the players. See thetable above. The 9-11 year old players are further divided in to two divisionsbased on playing ability. Managers and coaches as well as parents andplayers are encouraged to recruit players for the league but they cannotmake promises as to which team they will be on. Promises by any of thecoaching staff to be placed on a particular team will NOT be honored. Teams

Table BDivision Breakdown

(Age as specified in Table A, page 2)

Tee Ball Division4 through 6 year old players

Machine Pitch Division7 and 8 year old players

Minor and Major Divisions9 through 11 year old players

Major Division12 year old players

Junior Division13 and 14 year old players

Senior Division15 and 16 year old players


In addition to Little LeagueBaseball, Fort Belvoir YouthSports sponsors softball for girls.Teams are formed of dependentyouth and entered into theMount Vernon League.Registration procedure is thesame as described herein forbaseball. Detailed informationmay be had by contactingRashawd Pope, Assistant SportsDirector, at 703-805-1257.

will he formed as indicated below in order to promote an equally balancedand talented league.

Team FormationAll players, inducting -manager's offspring must be completely °registeredthrough Youth Services for baseball before being permitted on the field atthe time of tryouts. No one will be cut from the league that has signed upand paid before the league player quotas- have been reached (Minor-MajorDivisions, 12 players per team, Junior and Senior Divisions, 13 players perteam) and sign-up closed. The tryout/evaluation process is solely to let themanager of each team determine the order he would like to pick his playerswhen the teams are drafted.

Exceptions to team formation: 1) Returning players who are eligible, byvirtue of their age, to return to the Major, Junior, or Senior Division teamswill be placed on their former season's team unless extenuatingcircumstances with the league prevent this. In the event the player's formerteam is no longer in existence due to an insufficient number of players toform the same number of teams as last year, or the coaching staff has changedthose players may be reassigned to a different team or will be placed in thedraft with the understanding they will still be drafted to the respectivedivision. 2) Managers may elect to have their kids on their team, and 3)where there are two or more players from the same household, in the samedivision, they will be placed on the same team unless the parents wishotherwise.

Tee Ball and Machine Pitch Divisions: Four, five, and six year old playerscomprise the Tee Ball Division with eight players per team. Seven andeight year old players comprise the Machine Pitch Division with twelveplayers per team.

No player evaluations/tryouts are held. Teams are formed as much aspossible by the village in which they live with the following considerations—to yield, as dose as possible: 1) an equal amount of players of the sameages on each team, 2) an equal amount of boys and girls, and 3) evendistribution of previous experience which is determined only by the parent'sindication, on the Team Assignment card, of the number of seasonspreviously played. Managers will have their kids on their team. Teamswill be formed no later than mid-March. If you haven't been notified bythe third week, contact the commission er or Youth Sports (page

Minor and Major Divisions (Ages 9 thru 12):of registrations, four or five Minor Divisionteams, and four Major teams are planned.More teams will be added if necessary.The ages, 9-1.1., are identical forboth divisions. However, theMajor Division usually consistsmostly of players 11- and 12-years old, as picked by themanagers based on theirevaluation of the disposition,attitude, and playing ability ofthe candidates. As statedearlier, all 12-year-old playerswill be assigned to the MajorDivision unless an exception isrequested in writing to the

Depending upon the number


league president for forwarding to district headquarters. Note that 12-year-old players in the minor division cannot pitch which has been the ruleat least since 1973.

Minor, Major, Junior, and Senior Divisions: Players previously in theMajor, junior, and Senior Divisions last season will return to the same teamprovided their age permits. All new players league ages 9-12 and playerspreviously in the Minor Division will attend tryouts and be drafted to aMinor or Major Division team. Minor Division players will not necessarilybe drafted to the team they were with last season as the requirements ofthis division, like tee ball and machine pitch, are that the teams are dissolvedat the end of the season and start from scratch in each subsequent season.Players placed on/or selected to teams will not change teams except asprovided for by Little League regulations when vacancies occur in the Majoror Senior Divisions as described below.

Tryouts (evaluations): Traditionally three tryout sessions for player's 9-12, 13-14, and 15-16 are held so as to give each candidate as muchopportunity as possible to be observed by the team managers. It is importantthat each player attend all of the evaluation sessions available to him. Theschedule for the tryouts is on page, 13.

In the event candidates cannot make the tryout times scheduled due toparticipation in basketball or other obligation, he needs to show up at thetryout time before or after his basketball obligation takes place or contactthe league president for another possible option.

If an evaluation session is missed, it is your responsibility to call YouthSports, the sports director, or the commissioner to find out when the nextsession will be held.

Major Division players from last season's teams must attend practice/evaluation sessions. They will return to the team they were on in the MajorDivision last season but the players have the option to be placed in thedraft for possible selection to another Major Division team. This optionmust be expressed in writing to the league president before the lastevaluation session is held. They cannot, however, return to the MinorDivision.

Minor Division players can be promoted to the Major Division at any timeexcept during the last two weeks of the season, or the last four games,which ever amounts to the greater number of games remaining. MinorDivision players not accepting promotion to the Major Division will forfeittheir eligibility to take part in any post-season tournament.

Junior and Senior Divisions (Ages 13-16): Tryouts will be conductedsimilarly to that of the Minor and Major Divisions outlined above to permitthe team managers to evaluate the talent and pick teams. As in past seasons,we are looking to have at least one team of each division. In the event thereare enough players (24) to form two teams, tryouts will be held in the samemanner as the Minor-Major Divisions. If only 12 players are signed up,obviously tryouts are not necessary.

After the managers have met and the team member selection process hasbeen completed the manager will contact you and advise you when andwhere practices will be.

Keep up to date on theBelvoir League in the

Belvoir Eagle newspaper'sSports Briefs section every

Thursday.


Parent ResponsibilitiesMost managers will solicit help from the parents to be coaches, a maximumof two, team parents, scorers, and to perform other jobs that may come upduring the season.

Scorer: Each team must have at least two scorers and attend the scoringclass whether or not they have kept score before. Due to the new regulationson how long a pitcher can pitch, included in the scoring process is thetracking of the number of pitches thrown by each pitcher. Usually, althoughnot always, the home team (Minor Division and above) is responsible forfurnishing the official scorer at each game while the visiting team furnishesthe pitch counter. Both will be positioned behind the backstop. Thesescoring personnel are a neutral entity and are not to be cheering from thisposition. A second scorer, from each team, is recommended to attend tothese duties near, but not in, the dugout to assist the manager and relay anychanges to the official scorers. Class(es) in scoring will be given prior tothe first game. As stated earlier, there is no scoring in tee ball and machinepitch divisions therefore classes need not be attended, but is recommendedfor future information when the kids advance to the older divisions.

Team Parents: Each team needs at least one team parent. Team parentresponsibilities include a variety of duties as requested by the team managersuch as telephoning the team members to notify them of practices, games,and any changes in the team's schedules. The team parent arranges orhelps to arrange for team after-game refreshments, transportation whennecessary and usually sets up a picnic, cookout, or some sort of outing atthe end of the season. These picnics usually take place at the team's fieldsite, at one of the players homes, or wherever the manager decides, ie:Chuckie Cheese, Potomac Nationals baseball, etc.

Responsibility of EquipmentPlaying: The team manager signs for equipment fromTravis Souza, the warehouse manager. He will usually keepthe game playing equipment in his vehicle, however theunpacking and packing is usually the player's responsibility.The players will be required to take care of these duties afterthe games and practices before they are dismissed. Players are notencouraged to bring their own equipment with the exception of their fielder'sglove. Care of the equipment by each team member is expected, asequipment damaged through misuse or abuse becomes the familyresponsibility for replacement. Bats are not to be thrown, banged into fences,posts, or each other. Helmets, bats and other equipment are not to bethrown, kicked, sat upon, or otherwise abused. Violations of this type duringa game are grounds for ejection. The same care you expect your son to givehis expensive glove is expected for all of the team's equipment.

Uniforms: Care of the uniform is the player's family responsibility. Theuniform is not to be worn anywhere except to games, team picture day,and other activities deemed necessary by the team manager or the leagueofficials. Launder shirts after each game using no bleach. Hanging to dryis preferred as dryer heat may soften the adhesive causing the numbers tocome off of those jerseys where the numbers were applied by a hot-press.Pants may be laundered in a mild bleach solution. The shirt becomes theproperty of the player once the season is complete. Pants must be returned.

VolunteersWe always need volunteers but we are in a unique situation being on amilitary installation. We usually have some normal maintenance provided

What you should know about signing your kids up for baseball 2011 Season

9

for us that you would not find in other leagues in the civilian community. Ifthis were not the case, we would need still more volunteers and funds totake care of major time- and labor-consuming things such as field grading,care and repairing of the fields, accounting, utilities, and procurement ofequipment and supplies.

Things that are not done for us are the picking up of trash and the emptyingof the trash containers. When you see a trashcan becoming full, pitch inand help by emptying it in the dumpster located near each field.

This season we expect a significant increase in the number of teams in ourMachine Pitch and Tee Ball Divisions. In these divisions we definitely needyour assistance as managers and coaches. This might be the most difficultage bracket to teach baseball, but if you remember the kids are there toonly have fun. The learning process will come in time and you will find theexperience the most rewarding. If you have a son or daughter going toplay in this division (or even if you don't) please consider giving the leagueyour assistance.

Fund Raisers-Concessions: It is the food concession stand that we operate,which provides us some of the additional income needed to foster our youthsports program. Traditionally the sports staff operates the concession butvolunteers are certainly encouraged to help. (A couple of years ago we hada parent that cooked up a mean recipe of onions for toping off the dogs andburgers!)

Field DecorumFor safety and health reasons, requirements of Army regulations, andcommon sense, dogs and other pets are not permitted at the field sites,especially the new 21st Street facility. Your dog might be the friendliestanimal in the world but it would take only one instance where he may besleeping or hanging out alongside the bleachers when a youngster runs byand startles him or perhaps steps on his tail and the dog attempts to take abite out of the youngster. This situation would prove to be embarrassing,not to mention expensive.

Bicycles are not permitted inside the confines of the playing fields. Theyshould be left behind the dugouts where they are less likely to be disturbedor tripped over by players, coaches, and fans.

Spectators are expected to show courtesy to all the players of all the teamsas although each player was their own. Our baseball program is designedsolely for the kids to have fun, learn something about baseball, and exercisegood sportsmanship. Spectator interference with these objectives will notbe tolerated and offenders will be asked to leave and/or offspring removedfrom the game in which they are playing.

Little League Rules 3.09, 3.15, and 3.17 will strictly be enforced which insummary states players, coaches, managers, umpires will remain inside theconfines of playing field and spectators, parents, and fans will remain outsidethe confines of the playing field.

Tournament PlayFun Tournament Series: In addition to the regular playing season, players9 through 12 years old, who are not participating in an all-star tournament,may take part in the post-season fun tournament series District 9 (the districtFort Belvoir belongs to) sponsors in June. The main requirements are thatwe field 12 dedicated players per team, regardless of talent, in which ever


Free Umpiring Classes

Umpiring classes will be given byCentral Springfield Little Leagueat Garfield Elementary School.Directions: Take 1-95 north to OldKeen Mill Road (West). (Turningright is Franconia Road and theSpringfield Mall.) After you areshut of the 1-95 interchange aboutfour blocks is Spring Road.Springfield Plaza K-Mart is on theright. Turn left. The school is onthe corner on the right. Classesbegin 1 February and continue forsix weeks each Tuesday, 7-8:30pm.

District 9 will host a day-and-a-half weekend clinc complete withSaturday lunch. Time and placeto be announced.

age brackets we participate; players are on field site at 5pm weekdays; andwe supply volunteer umpires to officiate other games. Age groups are 9-10and 10-12 as determined by the age table on page 2.

All-Star Tournaments: In addition to the fun tournament series, Little Leaguesponsors two versions of all-star tournaments: First are the InternationalAll-Star Tournaments in which practices begin in late June, with the firstgames being played over the Independence Day holiday. Talented playersare selected by popular vote of the players peers, cast by all the registeredplayers in their respective age bracket, their coaches, and the tournamentteam manager.

Players league age 11 and 12 from the Major Division, 13 and 14 from theJunior Division, and 15 and 16 from the Senior Division, are selected toparticipate in the Little League Virginia District 9 All-Star Tournaments.Tournament winners go on to state, region, and the World Series in August.

Additionally other all-star tournaments for players 9 and 10 years old and10 through 12 years old, from both the minor and major divisions areconducted, but advancement is only to the state level. Players from theMajor Division cannot participate in both tournaments.

Following are some of the considerations that must be taken into accountshould we commit teams to tournament play.

First and foremost, all-star players must be available every day from 15June through the end of the District Tournament, about 15 July. (Availabilitywill be extended in the event the team wins the district and goes on to thestate tournament.) 2) The all-star team members cannot be announcedbefore 15 June. 3) Intense practices will be conducted for at least two weeksprior to the tournament, which begins the week of July 4th. 4) The weatheris usually hot, and 5) while proof of age was required upon registration,proof must be shown again, in the form of the military ID card, to theDistrict 9 Headquarters staff. ID cards must be surrendered, possibly for acouple of days but will be returned immediately unharmed.

The only proof of age and residence accepted for this purpose is the player'smilitary ID card. Copies are not acceptable.

OfficialsIn tee ball and machine pitch games, officials are volunteers solicited fromthe fans and parents at the start of each game, or may be members of thecoaching staffs.

Officials for the Minor through Senior Divisions are all volunteers. The jobof the volunteer umpire is one of the most important jobs in the operationof any Little League program. We are soliciting for umpires early in thecalendar year so as to conduct training sessions and practice games prior tothe start of the season. Ideally, umpires are scheduled to umpire in gamesand preferably in divisions, in which their sons are not participating.However, based on the number of umpires available this may not alwaysbe possible. Eddie Mallard has volunteered to be the chief umpire. If youhave any umpiring experience at all from the plate, bases, or the grandstandplease contact Eddie. His contact information is in the directory, page 2.You are sorely needed!

Granted there will be times (and sometimes several) when the team youare rooting for will receive what you may deem a bad break or official'scall. But this too is part of the game and while you may be greatly upset


this is not the end of the world or the last game of the universe. Five daysor five minutes from the time this happens the kids will not rememberwhat transpired and will be to busy playing with each other to care. This isthe example we wish to follow.

Umpiring classes are being conducted by Central Springfield Little Leaguebeginning the first Tuesday of February for six successive Tuesdays. Sessionsare at Garfield Elementary School on Keen Mill Road west of SpringfieldMall, across from K-Mart, 7-8:30pm. The chief umpire of Virginia District9 will also conduct a weekend clinic, time a place to be determined. Bothclasses are free and all prospective umpires as well as coaches and managersare encouraged to attend.

Umpire ConsiderationsBefore you complain about the umpires, are you willing to trade placeswith them? Another question to ask of yourself is, "Would you be makingthe same comment to or about the official if it was your son officiating thegame?" Officials are always needed. If you are interested in officiating,contact a member of the staff listed on page 2. We want you to call thegame from behind the plate, not from the bleachers. If you do this onceyou will instantly agree that this is the best seat in the house from which towatch and call the game, however, you have to stand.

We hope you and your kids enjoy our baseball program and we look forwardto your support. Call us if you have any questions. Write us if you have anyproblems.

Bill Behring, PresidentFort Belvoir Little [email protected]

Keep up to date on the Belvoir Leaguein the Be'yak Eagle newspaper's

Sports Briefs section every Thursday.

Belvoir Fall Baseball

Fall baseball is for players leage age8 and above.

Registration for the fall baseballseason will begin 1 June. This is aseparate baseball programindependent of our LittleLeagueProgram although most rules andteam formation follow the LittleLeague format.

Based on history, one of two optionsoccur:

If there are enough players, usuallyone team is formed in each agedivision with an eight-gameschedule. Games are playedweekdays at sites off post which arelighted and some Saturday gamesat Belvoir.

If there are not enough players toform teams a camp format iscreated usually meeting one tothree times a week until earlydarkness prohibits further play.

Practice begins about the last weekof August. The season usually runsfrom the week school starts in thefall through October. Moreinformation will be available in May.


Documents

Fort Belvoir Litle League Info Book - 2011 Season