American Legion Baseball District 11

District 11

American Legion Baseball League

 

BY-LAWS

Updated and Revised on

May 12, 2018

 

Section 1 – Preamble

 

1.1 It is the intent to have one (1) set of By-Laws governing all aspects of the league so that everyone involved has a complete understanding of the rules and regulations of the league. The By-Laws contained herein were revised after complete research of previous By-Laws and all approved motions covering the last forty (40) years. They are also the result of many years of experience of the officers in the league and a complete understanding of previous problems and controversies affecting the league.

 

1.2 The By-Laws contained herein were reviewed and approved by a majority of the Board of Directors, which is defined herein.

 

1.3 These By-Laws, regulations and rules govern all aspects of the District 11 American Legion Baseball League.

 

1.4 A majority vote will be needed by the Board of Directors to change any existing By-Laws contained herein or added hereto.

 

1.5 Once submitted to the Regional Director in May, no changes shall be made to these By-Laws until after the completion of the league playoffs.

 

1.6 Votes for league officers and protest votes shall be by secret ballot.  By-Law votes will be by show of hands.

 

1.7 Second and subsequent votes on By-Laws that have been decided for an upcoming playing season are forbidden unless there is unanimous agreement among the members of the Board of Directors present at a league meeting.

 

1.8 Changes to these by-laws may be made only at the annual re-organization or close of business meetings unless there is unanimous agreement among all members of the Board of Directors present at a league meeting.

 

Section 2 - Purpose

 

2.1 The main purpose of the District 11 American Legion Baseball League is to give the youth of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, the opportunity to play and learn the fundamentals of baseball.

 

2.2 The league's other objectives are to provide the opportunity for these young people to build character, learn loyalty and teamwork, as well as cooperation, develop a sound mind and healthy body, learn how to control emotions, gain friendships, develop respect, afford an opportunity to have an outlet to spend time and energy and to provide a source of enjoyment and fun.

 

Section 3 – League Officers and Governing Body

 

3.1 The league shall have officers and operating personnel to oversee the operations of the league. The offices of President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer shall have a one-year term.  Elections for these offices shall be held every year at the “Re-Organization” meeting.  The office of the Assigning Umpire shall be open to candidates each year at a time to be determined by the Board of Directors.

 

3.2 The Board of Directors shall be comprised of one (1) representative from each team in good standing with the league. The league officers shall not have a vote in any league matters unless they are previously designated by a team in good standing with the league to be their authorized representative at a scheduled meeting. The exception to this rule is that in cases of ties, the President shall cast the deciding vote.

 

3.3 In order for a scheduled meeting to be legal and in order for any business to be conducted, a minimum of one (1) more than half of the number of teams in good standing with the league must be represented.

 

3.4 Each team in good standing with the league shall designate one (1) representative to be contacted at least one (1) week in advance of any scheduled league meeting.  When possible, this contact will include possible agenda items.

 

3.5 The duties of the league President shall include, but are not limited to, calling and presiding over league meetings, calling for votes at league meetings, resolving scheduling disputes between league teams as mentioned herein, receiving and settling any protests as mentioned herein, overseeing all other officers of the league, negotiating umpire's fees and overseeing any other activities or decisions that affect the proper functioning of the league.

 

3.6 The duties of the league Vice-President shall include, but are not limited to overseeing the procedure to select players from the league for the state's scouts’ all-star game and assisting the league President in any manner designated by the league President and presiding over any meetings that cannot be attended by the league President.

 

3.7 The duties of the league Secretary shall include, but are not limited to, recording the minutes of all scheduled league meetings and providing a written copy as such at the next scheduled league meeting, working with the league president to contact the designated member of each team in good standing with the league and alert them to an upcoming scheduled meeting, assisting to establish the league’s regular season schedule and league's playoff schedule, overseeing the filling out of and sending in to the appropriate departments all paperwork associated with the league, including, but not limited to, team franchise/insurance forms, league By-Laws, league territory boundary maps, team rosters, all-star game player profile forms and player contract forms.

 

3.8 The duties of the league Treasurer shall include, but are not limited to, maintaining all financial records for the league including, but not limited to, making bank deposits, writing out checks and giving a written treasurer's report at each scheduled league meeting.

 

3.9 The duties of the Assigning Umpire shall include, but are not limited to, assigning state registered umpires for all non-league, regular season, playoff, all-star and regional tournament games and negotiating umpire's fees with the league President.

 

3.10 The League President may call meetings on less than 24-hours notice is situations that he deems “emergency” situations.

 

Section 4 – Team Rosters and Management

 

4.1 All team rosters and player contracts shall be in the hands of the league Secretary on the date designated by the league Secretary and in no case any later than the date designated by the Regional Director or the date the team plays its first regular season game.

 

4.2 In accordance with the rules outlined in the Pennsylvania Baseball Guide, no team shall be allowed to play a regular season game until their roster is handed in to the league Secretary and no player shall be allowed to participate in a regular season game unless their name and information is listed on the team roster and they have completed and signed the player agreement contract and said contract is in the hands of the league Secretary.

 

4.3 In accordance with the Pennsylvania Baseball Guide, no manager, coach or business manager of a team shall conduct themselves in such a manner that would be a bad example for the players in the league.

 

Section 5 – Player Eligibility

 

5.1 Player eligibility shall be determined by the Department and stated in the Pennsylvania Baseball Guide.

 

5.2 The District 11 American Legion Baseball League will not restrict players from playing on other teams in other baseball leagues during the season, but does suggest to coaches to get commitments from players at the start of the season and to emphasize to players who play in another league that they are expected to play with their legion team when a scheduling conflict arises.  Players may participate in programs other than American Legion Baseball under the following conditions:

1) Players have properly completed the “Request for Dual Participation” form AL #5.

2) As is stated on the AL #5, when a scheduling conflict exists, a player’s American Legion commitment shall always take first priority over any other commitment

3) As is stated on the AL #5, once American Legion post-season play begins, all dual or multiple participation in other programs must be terminated.  

 

Section 6 – League Schedule

 

6.1 A league schedule, excluding exhibition, tournament and playoff games, shall be played by all league members to determine the team(s) that will represent the league in the regional tournament.

 

6.2 The Board of Directors shall determine prior to the start of the regular season the setup of the league teams, the number of games to be played by each team and how many games each team shall play against each other.

 

6.3 If the Board of Directors decides to divide the teams into two (2) divisions for a season, the division names will be the Sebastianelli Division and the Kays Division. Likewise, if the Board of Directors decides to divide the teams into three (3) divisions for a season, the division names will be the Sebastianelli Division, the Kays Divisions and the Long Division.

 

6.4 For fields without lights, games scheduled during the week (i.e. Monday thru Friday) will begin at 5:30 p.m. unless otherwise agreed upon by the two managers ahead of time and in no case should a game being played on a field without lights be scheduled to start any later than 6:00 p.m. on any day of the week.

 

Section 7 – Game Responsibilities

 

7.1 In the event that a scheduled game cannot be started because of rain or other weather related reasons, every effort should be made by the home team to contact the visiting team at least one-and-a-half (1 ½) hours before the scheduled start time of the game. If a game is cancelled before it starts, it is the home team's responsibility to contact the league President and Assigning Umpire and to discuss possible make-up dates. The league President will contact the necessary media outlets to inform them of the cancellations and make-up dates.

 

7.2 In the event that a game is rained out or cancelled before it becomes an official game, the game should be scheduled to be played or completed no later than fourteen (14) days after the date of the postponement.  However, if there is less than fourteen (14) days remaining in the season, the games should be scheduled to be played prior to the start of league playoffs.  Managers / Coaches must report a tentative make-up date to the League President by 9:00 p.m. the night of the postponement.  A confirmed make-up date should be reported to the League President by 9:00 p.m. the day after the postponement.  If the home team cannot get its field within this time frame, the game shall be played on the visiting team's field. If neither team can get its field within this time, the League President shall determine a date, time and field where the game will be played and if one (1) or both teams cannot play on that date, a forfeit or forfeits will be awarded.  Double-Headers may be used to enforce this By-Law.

 

7.3 It is the home team's responsibility to make sure that the field is in suitable condition to play, including being lined off, to make sure that they have enough American Legion baseballs to put in the game, to pay the umpires the agreed upon fees for the given season and to call the score of the game into the necessary media outlets and provide these media outlets with any statistical or game information the media outlets request.  The home team should report full box scores with players’ first and last names, position(s) played, at bats, runs, hits, RBI’s, extra base hits, and all relevant pitching information.  Current league records for both teams at the conclusion of the game should also be reported.  Reports must be called in the night the game was played to the Scranton Times – Tribune sports department at 570-348-9125.  The home teams shall log onto the District 11 web site to report the game’s final score and each pitchers' pitch count within twenty four (24) hours from the end of the game or two (2) hours before the start of either teams' next scheduled game (whichever comes first).  It is the intention of this by-law to ensure good, accurate, timely publicity for our league and its individual players.  Furthermore, this by-law will benefit fans, family members, college coaches, scouts, and legionnaires who follow our league through our reporting of the game’s results to our local daily newspaper, The Scranton Times – Tribune.  Failure to adhere to this by-law shall result in a warning to the offending manager for the first offense and a fine of fifty dollars ($50) for each subsequent offense during the season.  Fines must be paid before the team will be allowed to play its next league game.  If the fine is not settled by the time of the next scheduled game, the team will forfeit that game.

 

7.4 It is the home team's responsibility to provide a scorekeeper to serve as the official scorer for the game. If the home team cannot provide a suitable scorekeeper to serve as the official scorer for the game, the visiting team's scorekeeper shall serve as the official scorer for the game.

 

7.5 It is the home team's responsibility to give up the field to the visiting team at least thirty-five (35) minutes prior to the scheduled starting time of the game. The visiting team shall then give up the field at least five (5) minutes prior to the scheduled starting time of the game. In the event that another game does not allow each team to spend a minimum of thirty (30) minutes on the field for pre-game, each team shall split the time on the field from the end time of the previous game to five (5) minutes before the scheduled starting time of their game. If a previous game runs past the scheduled starting time of a Legion game, each team shall be given five (5) minutes on the field for infield/outfield only.

 

7.6 The league will be responsible to pay umpire fees for all tie-breaker and post-season games at the Youth and Senior levels.

 

Section 8 – Playoffs

 

8.1 Playoffs will consist of the top three(3) teams in each Division with the best regular season record.  

 

8.2 The playoff format will be determined each year by the league.  First round: The 2nd seed from Sebastianelli division will play the 3rd seed from Kays division.  The 2nd seed from Kays division will play the 3rd seed from Sebastianelli division.  

 

8.3 If our league only gets one regional bid, the winner of the league playoffs will represent District 11 as the Regional qualifier; if our league gets two regional bids, the two teams playing in the Championship Round of the league playoffs will represent District 11 as the Regional qualifiers.  The winner of the Championship series will be seeded as the #1 Regional qualifier and the loser as the #2 Regional qualifier.

 

8.4 In the case where there is a tie of record, the following tiebreaker rules will be applied:

(a) Ties among 2, 3 or more teams for the last league playoff spot shall be decided by the playing a one game playoff or a mini single-elimination tournament* with teams drawing straws to determine seeds, byes (if necessary) and “home” and “away” teams.  (*No weight shall be given to the head-to-head record during the regular season if more than 2 teams are tied.)

(b) Ties for any other league playoff spots shall be broken using head-to-head record as the first criteria and a coin flip (or drawing of straws) as the second criteria.

 

Section 9 – Umpires

 

9.1 The umpires used for all league games shall be certified as per the rules of the Department of Pennsylvania.  The game fees shall be determined by yearly negotiations held between the League President and the Assigning Umpire.

 

9.2 Two (2) umpires shall be used for all league games, including playoff games, with the use of three (3) or four (4) umpires for playoff games at the discretion of the League President.

 

9.3 The League President shall negotiate umpires fees each season and shall report any proposals to the Board of Directors before deciding on the fees for the upcoming season.

 

Section 10 – Protests and Disputes

 

10.1 It is the responsibility of the all league managers and coaches to know and understand all rules and regulations of the league as determined by these By-Laws and the rule books listed in section 15 of these By-Laws.

 

10.2 A manager or coach is only allowed to lodge a protest when they believe that a rule governing the league has been violated or misinterpreted.

 

10.3 Every effort should be made to resolve disputes at the time of the dispute and without the use of a protest.

 

 

10.4 In the event that a manager or coach decides to lodge a protest, they must alert both game umpires at the time when the decision to protest has been made and both umpires should sign the home team's scorebook noting that the game is under protest. The manager or coach protesting then has twenty-four (24) hours from the completion of the game to inform the League President, either over the phone, in person or in writing, of their protest. The manager or coach who is protesting must provide the League President with all details involving the protest, including what rule or rules the manager or coach feels has been violated or misinterpreted and that manager or coach's interpretation of said rule or rules. The League President will then determine if they can resolve the protest or if a protest committee must be gathered to hear the protest.

 

10.5 If the League President determines that a protest committee must be gathered to hear and decide the protest, the League President shall call a meeting of the protest committee and shall provide the committee with all necessary information to decide the protest. If a meeting cannot be gathered, then the League President shall call or meet with individual members of the protest committee to determine a resolution to the protest. In any case, the League President shall deliver a decision on the protest to the protesting manager or coach within forty-eight (48) hours of being informed of the protest.

 

10.6 The protest committee may include:

 

1. League President
2. League Vice-President
3. League Secretaries
4. League Treasurer
5. Mike Cerra
6. Jeff Arthur
7. Dave Brudzinski
8. Assigning Umpire 
9. Jerry Valonis

 

If the team most closely associated with any of the aforementioned protest committee members has a significant stake in the protest’s outcome, that committee member shall not be allowed to sit on that protest committee.

 

10.7 The decision of the protest committee is final and shall be honored by all league teams.

 

10.8 The League President reserves the right to add or delete members of the protest committee prior to the start of the season.

 

10.9 With regard to protests of non-playing situations, the board of directors shall hear the protest and vote.  Appeals of the board’s decision may be heard by the established commission in accordance with American Legion Baseball’s Pennsylvania Baseball Guide.

 

10.10 The commission established in 2014 include:

 

Mike Cerra Current Division 1 umpire

Joe Ross Former Maywood University coach and former District 11 president

Jerry Valonis  Former high school coach

Lou Sottile  Former American Legion Baseball Manager and professional ballplayer

William Schoen  PIAA District II  Committee Officials representative

 

Section 11 – Scouts All-Star Selections

 

11.1 Each year, the league shall be given a certain number of player spots in the first round of the Pennsylvania Scouts’ All-Star Tournament. The state Activities Director shall determine the number of players each year and it is up to the league to pick these players and see to it that they attend the first round game.

 

11.2 Each year, the Board of Directors will determine the method by which the league selects the players to play in the first round of the all-star tournament in accordance with the Pennsylvania Baseball Guide.

 

Section 12 – Forfeits / Suspensions

 

12.1 A team will be given a grace period of no more than thirty (30) minutes from the scheduled start time of the game to field a team of at least nine (9) eligible players. If a team cannot field at least nine (9) eligible players when the thirty (30) minutes is expired, the game will be declared a forfeit.

 

12.2 If a team forfeits a game for whatever reason, the offending team is responsible for paying all umpires fees as well as a fifty (50) dollar forfeit fee to the league. These fees should be paid before the offending team is allowed to play another league game.

 

12.3 The League President reserves the right to review all forfeits for special circumstances before fines and expulsions shall be handed out.

 

12.4 Ejections. (a) Any player who is ejected from any league or playoff game for any reason shall be automatically suspended from one (1) to three (3) games or more, depending on the severity of the reason for ejection. Any suspension shall be administered for the team's next game(s). It is left to the discretion of the player’s manager to decide if he chooses to make the player attend the game(s) for which he is suspended and not allowed to play. (b) Any coach or manager who is ejected from any league or playoff game for any reason shall be either suspended from one (1) to three (3) games or more, depending on the severity of the reason for ejection or required to pay a fine of fifty dollars ($50) per suspended game to the league using a personal check or money order – not using team funds – in lieu of serving the suspension.

 

12.5 The Board of Directors will convene a meeting for any player, coach, or manager who is suspended a second time.  At this meeting, the Board of Directors, not including the affected team, by majority vote, will set a penalty for the next ejection, from suspension up to and including a season-long ban.

 

Section 13 – League Expansion

 

13.1 Any team wishing to apply for a franchise into the league must submit their request in writing or verbally to the League President no later than March 15th of the year they wish to enter the league.

 

13.2 Once a team indicates to the League President a desire to enter the league, said team must attend a designated meeting to present their application to the Board of Directors and answer any and all questions from the Board of Directors. A majority vote of the Board of Directors is required to admit a team into the league.

 

13.3 If two (2) teams apply to enter the league and request the same territory, the team that is sponsored by an American Legion post will be given preference.

 

13.4 If a team applies to enter the league and requests territory that already belongs to a team in good standing with the league, said team must agree to release said territory before the team's request to enter the league shall be entertained.

 

13.5 The following teams are in good standing with the league and possess the following territories:

 

1. Abington.  Abington Heights School District - (Clarks Summit = 5,126; Clarks Green = 1,630; North Abington Township = 782; South Abington Township = 8,638; Glenburn Township = 1,212; Newton Township = 2,699; Ransom Township = 1,429); Lackawanna Trail School District = 3000. Total = 24,516
2. Carbondale / Lakeland.  Carbondale Area School District - (City of Carbondale = 9,261; Fell Township = 2,131); Lakeland School District - (Greenfield Township = 2,152; Jermyn Borough = 2,227; Carbondale Township = 1,017; Mayfield Borough = 1,703; Scott Township = 4,931); Forest City School District = 5280; Wayne Highlands School District = 20,842.  Total = 49,544
3. Dickson City.  Mid Valley School District - (Throop Borough = 4,010; Olyphant Borough = 4,978; Dickson City Brough = 6,205). Total = 15,193   
4. Dunmore. Borough of Dunmore = 14,081.
5. Green Ridge.  Zoned City of Scranton
6. Hawley.  Wallenpaupack School District = 25,535. Total = 46,377
7. Montrose.  Montrose School District = 11,708; Susquehanna School District = 5,494; Blue Ridge School District = 7,744; Mountain View School District = 9,134; Elk Lake School District = 8,362 Total = 42,442
8. Moscow.  North Pocono School District - (Jefferson Township = 3,592; Roaring Brook Township = 1,637; Elmhurst Township = 838; Madison Township = 2,542; Spring Brook Township = 2,267; Covington Township = 1,994; Clifton Township = 1,139; Thornhurst Township = 798; Lehigh Township Wayne County = 1,639; Moscow = 1,883); Western Wayne School District = 19,292.   Total = 37,621
9. South Scranton.  Zoned City of Scranton
10. Tri-boro. Riverside School District = 11,978; Old Forge School District = 8,310.    Total = 20,288
11. Valley View School District - (Jessup Borough = 4,040; Archbald Borough = 6,488; Peckville / Blakely Borough = 5,260) Total = 15,788
12. West Scranton. Zoned City of Scranton

 

Section 14 – Game Rules

 

14.1 The league shall allow for the use of the Designated Hitter (DH) per the following rules:

(a) The DH may bat for any defensive player and may bat in any spot in the order.

(b) In order to be used, a DH must be in the starting line-up.

(c) The DH may also re-enter the game in accordance with the rules set in section 14.2.

 

14.2 A “re-entry” rule shall be in effect for all regular season and league playoff games in both divisions.  Any starting player, including the DH, may be substituted for and then re-enter into the lineup once during a game. Players re-entering the game must return to the same batting position that they originally were in.  A substitute may not re-enter a game once removed.

 

14.3 A coach or pitcher may choose to notify the umpire when intentionally walking a batter.  No pitches will be thrown or added to a pitcher's count using this option.

 

14.4 Upon the second (2nd) visit to the mound by a manager or coach in one (1) inning, the pitcher that has been visited twice in that inning must be removed from pitching and cannot pitch again in said game. If a pitcher is removed from the game on the first (1st) visit in an inning and remains in the game at another position, said pitcher can pitch in the game at a later time.

 

14.5 The force play slide rule, per the rules stated in the Pennsylvania Guide Book, shall be enforced in all league games.

 

14.6 League regular season and playoff games shall be scheduled to be 7 innings in length.

 

14.7 Games stopped because of weather before they have become an official game shall be suspended.  The game shall be scheduled to be completed, not re-started, at a later date, unless both teams mutually agree that the game has been completed  In the case where the suspended game needs to be completed, the game umpires, the official scorer, and the team managers should agree to what the game situations were at the time of the game’s suspension with respect to score, inning, outs, runners on base, count on the batter, and other facts relevant to the game at the time play was stopped.  Suspended games should be completed in accordance with section 7.2 of these By-Laws.

 

14.8 A ten (10) run rule will be in force for all levels.  If, after five (5) innings (4 1/2 if the home team is ahead), a team is winning by ten (10) or more runs at the end of an inning they will be declared the winner & the game will end.

 

14.9 A pitch count will be in effect for the senior and junior league divisions.  The home team scorekeeper will be the official pitch count for all pitchers and log onto the District 11 web site within twenty four (24) hours from the end of the game or two( 2) before the start of either teams' next scheduled game (whichever comes first), to report all scores and pitch counts for all pitchers on both teams.  Failure to adhere to this by-law shall result in a warning to the offending manager for the first offense and a fine of fifty dollars ($50) for each subsequent offense during the season.  Fines must be paid before the team will be allowed to play its next league game.  If the fine is not settled by the time of the next scheduled game, the team will forfeit that game.

 

14.10 A protest may be made to the umpire for any pitcher that has been identified as ineligible due to not observing their proper days rest required, exceeding the maximum limit or making more than two (2) pitching appearances in three (3) consecutive days.  Once identified, an illegible pitcher will be removed from the game.  The coach will also be ejected from the game and serve an additional game suspension.  No penalty will be observed if the pitcher is removed prior to throwing a legal pitch.  Both managers will attempt to identify any possible ineligible pitchers before such penalty shall have to be enforced.  * Should an ineligible pitcher be identified due to an incorrect pitch count reported on the league website, the game shall continue and be played under protest.  If the pitcher is found to be ineligible then the violating team shall be charged a forfeit along with the manager serving a two (2) game suspension.  

 

Section 15 – Miscellaneous

 

15.1 The league shall operate under the rules established and annually re-established and printed in the most recent copies of: a) The Official Rules of Major League Baseball, b) the national Rule Book prepared by The National Americanism Commission of The American Legion, c) thePennsylvania American Legion Baseball Guide, d) the baseball rule book of the National Federation of State High School Associations (where applicable), and e) these By-Laws.

 

15.2 Any matter not covered by the rule books outlined in section 15.1 of these By-Laws or any matter not covered by these By-Laws shall be decided by the Board of Directors.

 

15.3 A District 11 Senior Legion franchise that fails to send a representative to its second and/or any subsequent scheduled meeting in a calendar year will result in that franchise’s requirement to pay a fine of $50 per absence.  This fine is to be paid before the offending team is allowed to play another league game and vote on matters concerning league business.

 

District 11 American Legion Baseball League

Developmental League (13 and under)

By-Law and Rule Differences

 

1. Playoff match-ups will be determined by a random draw prior to the season.  Regular season record will have no bearing in determining playoff seeds.

 

2. Each game will have one umpire.  The “home” team will pay the umpire according to the contract that has been agreed to and approved by the Board of Directors.

 

3. Coaches are not required to report the results of games to media outlets, but they must report results to the appropriate league designate in accordance with by-law 7.3.

 

 

District 11 American Legion Baseball League

Junior Legion League

By-Law and Rule Differences

 

1. Each game will have two umpires.  The “home” team will pay the umpires according to the contract that has been agreed to and approved by the Board of Directors.

 

2. There will be a (20) minute break between the end of the first game and the start of the second game of a double-header.  Official time will be kept by the umpire in chief.

 

3. Coaches are not required to report the results of games to media outlet, but they must report results to the appropriate league designate in accordance with by-law 7.3.

 

 

 

 

 *2018 Changes in Bold print