GCBL By-Laws

Gratiot County Baseball League Rules and By-Laws

Rule 1 - Pre-Season and Team Manager Requirements

Article 1. . . Each team will be allowed to sign as many players to their team roster as they wish.

Article 2. . . Each player for each team must be under contract to that team prior to playing in any official league game with that team.

    a. Players will sign a contract with the team they wish to play for and will be bound to that team until they ask for and receive a release from that team.     

    b. Players seeking release from contract are required to fill out and sign a release form from the team in which they are contracted under.              

    c. No manager should refuse a players release without first speaking with the league president.    

    d. All uniforms and equipment must be turned in before a player can play for another Gratiot County team. Any player not doing so is ineligible to play for any other Gratiot County league team. If a player wants to change teams during the season he must turn in all equipment and until he does so, there will be no release from his contracted team.         

    e. Players released from contract must sit out one playing date from the date the release contract is dated and signed, before being allowed to sign a contract for another team.    

    f. No player will be allowed to sign with another team after July 1st.    

    g. Team managers are allowed to sign players to a contract at any time, including the day of a game.      

    h. Contracts must be received by the league president within 10 days of a player signing the contract. If the contract is not received within that time frame, the players playoff eligibility date will not be recorded until the league president receives the contract.    

    i. Managers are responsible to give the league president an active roster prior to any playoff games. (7-3-c)

 

Article 3. . . Tentative team rosters must be turned into the league president prior to the start of the season with names printed legibly.

   a.      Any team using an ineligible player during a league or a playoff game will automatically forfeit the game by a score of 9-0 (1-4-a, 3-3-a, 6-2-c)

 

Article 4. . . Each team will be required to pay a league entry fee, yearly, that includes a forfeit fee.

    a. Should a game be forfeited, the forfeiting team will have to repay the forfeit fee to the league before they can play another game. The forfeit fee is the minimum double-header umpire fee.    

    b. League fee amounts vary from year to year and may vary based on the amount of teams in the league. Fees are used to pay for year-end plaques, administrative supplies, league president fee, and playoff umpires as deemed appropriate.

    c. League fee payment is due to the league by last scheduled winter league meeting in order for a team to be considered eligible for league inclusion.

 

Article 5. . . Each season the league will conduct a drawing in which each team will receive the order they will be notified upon a team dropping out of the league. This allows managers to contact players from the team that has dropped to seek interest in joining another team.

    a.      No release contract is needed for situations mentioned in Article 5 above, however, 1-2-d may still apply.

 

Article 6. . . The home team will be responsible for reporting game results to the league president each week.

    a. A game result form will be provided to each team manager to be used when reporting games to the league president.

    b. Games are required to be reported Sunday evenings or no later than 10:00 a.m. Mondays.

 

Article 7. . . Team awards will be given out prior to the start of the following season based on the previous year’s accomplishment.

    a. In the playoffs, the first place (also called the Bill LaPaugh Award) and runner-up will receive an award.

    b. The pitcher with the most wins and meets the league requirement (at least five decisions) in the regular season will receive an award.

    c. A player that finishes with the highest batting average and meets the league requirement (2 plate appearances per scheduled league game per season minimum; i.e., 18 scheduled games=36 plate appearances required to qualify) will receive an award.

   d. A player that finishes with the most stolen bases will receive an award.

   e. A player will be voted as League MVP by the GCBL Board based on league performance.

   . The batter with the most home runs will receive an award.  

   g. The coach of the league championship team will receive the Louie Sipkovsky Award.  

   h. The league championship team will receive GCBL League Championship T-shirts provided by the league at the end of season.  

       NOTE: Teams are given seven (7) days following the completion of the regular season to send the league president with the names of the candidates for individual awards. (5-2)

 

Rule 2  - Players, Field and Equipment

Article 1. . . American League rules apply except when superseded by an Article of rule.

Article 2. . . If the home teams field is not playable, the game should be moved to the visiting team’s field in order to get the game in.

    a. Once the game is started, the umpires will decide if the game is to be played or called due to inclement weather or inappropriate playing conditions. They must wait and see if the home team can make the playing field safe and playable before canceling or moving the game, however.

Article 3. . . The home team will allow the visiting team equal use of its facilities prior to game time.

    a. If the home team is taking batting practice either on the field or in a batting cage, they are to allow the visiting team the same ability at twenty (20) minutes past the hour previous to the hour of the game starting time.

    b. If the home team is taking infield practice on the field, they are to allow the visiting team the same ability at twenty (40) minutes past the hour previous to the hour of the game starting time.

    c. In both 2-2-a and 2-2-b, the home team will re-take the field or batting practice facility at ten (10) minutes until the hour of the game starting time.

Article 4. . . No alcohol or smoking of any kind shall be allowed on high school property.

Article 5. . . The player in the pitching position must be in full uniform.

Article 6. . . Batting helmets are mandatory. A batter not wearing or refusing to wear a batting helmet while batting must be removed from the game and called out.

 

Rule 3 - Starting, Rescheduling and Ending Games

Article 1. . . All American League rules apply except when superseded by an Article of rule.

Article 2. . . All single league games are to be nine innings. All double-header league games are to be seven innings.

    a. Single games start at 2:00 p.m. while double-headers begin at 1:00 p.m.              

     NOTE: Any change in these starting times has to be agreed upon by both teams and the league president must be notified in advance.

    b. There is a 30-minute forfeit time from the time the game is to start. If a team does not have enough players to field a team after the forfeit time the other team will win by the score of 9-0 and the losing teams forfeit fee will go to the winning team. (1-4-a)

    c. Games that would be forfeited due to less than eight players being present within the normal 30 minute forfeit timeframe, however, only if both managers agree to it before the game starts.

    d. Games that begin with eight players will count the ninth position as an out in the batting order.  If the ninth player arrives late, they may fill the ninth slot in the batting order at any point in the game.

 

Article 3. . . The benefactor of a forfeited game receives an appearance for their entire roster.

Article 4. . . If a team knows in advance that a game cannot be played due to inclement weather, they are to contact the opposing team by 12:00 noon or two hours prior to game time. If the opposing team cannot be reached, the home team is to try to contact the league president who will then try to get in touch with the opposing team.

    a. If  waiting for inclement weather to pass results in a late start, the game may be switched from a 9-inning game to a 7-inning game or from a 7-inning game to a 5-inning game. Both managers must agree before you start the game. (2-2)

     b. Any cancelled games in the season’s first half of the schedule should be made up before the two teams meet again. (3-5-a)

    c. If a rain out does not have to be made up, then both teams get entire roster appearances.

    d. Once the game is started, the umpires are the ones to decide if the game is to be played or called due to inclement weather. They must wait and see if the playing field can be made safe and playable. (2-2, 6-1)

 

Article 5. . . Teams responsible for making up and rescheduling games must do so prior to the end of the season. If not, they will be seeded based on won-lost record, regardless of the number of games they have played.

    a. The league President will reschedule any cancelled games not rescheduled. The league President will reschedule the remainder of the season’s rainouts before the playoffs start unless both managers arrange other make-ups and the league is notified.

     b.       The penalty for a team not playing a scheduled make-up game will be the minimum double-header umpire fee.

 

Article 6. . . A team playing with eight players, will forfeit the rest of the game in the event of injury or ejection. (3-2-c)

 

Article 7. . . The 10 run mercy rule will be in effect for all league games.

    a. The team that is ahead by 10 runs or more at the end of or after 7 innings in a 9-inning contest, or after 5 innings in a 7-inning contest will be declared the winning team.

Rule 4 - Substituting, Coaching, Bench and Field Conduct

 

Article 1. . . All American League rules apply except when superseded by an Article of rule.

Article 2. . . Each manager shall have access to American league rules and GCBL By-Laws upon umpire request.

Article 3. . . Protests may only be lodged on a rule infraction and must be made at the time of the infraction in the game. League president or a league appointee will settle all protests.

Article 4. . . A starter may re-enter the game in the same batting order one time per game per player.

Article 5. . . The league president and vice president or league appointees will review all league ejections.

    a. Players can be ejected for use of inappropriate or foul language.

    b. Players can be ejected for fighting.

    c. Players shall be removed from the game if found to be drinking alcohol or if found to have been drinking alcohol by the umpire while an active member of a competing team. Drinking by players shall be allowed away from the playing area once the player is deemed no longer active or eligible for re-entry.

    d. Players ejected for foul/inappropriate language will be allowed to play in the second game of a scheduled double-header should the infraction occur in the first game.

    e. Players ejected for fighting will be suspended for the remainder of the day and until the suspension can be reviewed by the league before the player is allowed to play.

    f. If a player is ejected a second time in a season, the league president will meet with the league managers to make a decision on further action for that player up to and including probation or suspension from the league.

 

Article 6. . . Courtesy runners shall be used for pitcher and catcher only.

a.       Eligibility for the runner is anybody on the roster who is eligible and not presently in the game.

 

Article 7 . . .A designated hitter can be used, however, a manager does not have to use one.

  a. The designated hitter can be used for any position player

 

Rule 5 - Scoring and Record Keeping

 

Article 1 . . .The home team is designated the official scorekeeper with the opposing team to check scorebooks following the game should there be questions or concerns.

    a. First and last names shall be entered legibly into the scorebook. Should the first and last name not fit, the scorer shall use the first initial and last name.

    b. Protests shall be noted in the official book.

Article 2. . . Teams are required to turn in official team and/or individual statistics to the league president within seven (7) days of the conclusion of the league regular season.

 

Rule 6 - Umpiring

Article 1. . . Once the game is started, the umpires are the ones to decide if the game is to be played or called due to inclement weather. They must wait and see if the playing field can be made safe to play. (2-2, 2-2-a)

Article 2. . . Each team in the league will use umpires with at least high school certification. The home team will obtain two (2) certified umpires for each game, while splitting the cost of umpires with the opposing team.

    a. No relatives of managers may be used unless in an emergency, and must be agreed upon by both managers.

    b. In emergency situations only, and for whatever reason, when one umpire is used they will be paid double.  NOTE: If a pattern continues with only one umpire being used, it will be addressed by the league president to the commissioner of umpires.

    c. A player can umpire only with the approval of the opposing team. In the event the opposing team is not notified that a player is umpiring, the team at fault will forfeit the game by a score of 9-0.

    d. The league president will verify and approve all umpires for all playoff and finals games. (7-5)

    e. Non-certified umpires may be used but only in emergency situations. This can be done to be able to get the games in that day, but only if both managers agree before the game starts and the league president is notified immediately at the conclusion of the contest.

 

Article 3. . . The league minimum payment to umpires for single games is set at $60.00 while the league minimum for double headers is set at $100.00.

NOTE:  While the league minimum for umpires is set at the above mentioned amounts, coaches are allowed to pay the umpire more if they deem fit but are not allowed to go below the league minimum.  If umpires are used as assigned by the league commissioner, the pay will be $120.00 per double header.

1. If games are called due to inclement weather, umpires are paid in full for the game/games played.(if only one game, paid for one game, if second game started, paid for both)  When a makeup game is mandated, the umpires for the makeup contest will again be paid in full, regardless of previous payments made for the original rain out date.

 

Rule 7 - Post-Season Play

NOTE: The rules and format for league playoffs are subject to change based on league decisions from year to year. These rules and articles apply for current year only.

Article 1. . . The playoffs will consist of the top four teams based on overall league record.

       a. The first round will be called the league semi-finals and will consist of playing single 9 inning games on Saturday.      

b. The seeds will play as follows:  1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3 all at one site playing single 9 inning games and the winners meeting the next day for the GCBL Championship.      

c. The highest-ranking seed will pick either the late game or the early game for the semi-final round  

d. The second round will be called the play-off championship and will consist of a single 9-inning contest, played by the winners of the play-off semi-finals.     

e. The League will host the post season at a neutral site for the play-off championship game.     

f. If the semi-finals or finals are called because of rain or any other reason, they will be continued from the point that the game was stopped, with all situations, outs, counts on batters, runners on the base being the same until game is completed.

 

Article 2. . . The teams with the best season records will be seeded accordingly for the playoffs.      

a. If two teams have the same record, the team with the most games won against his opponent will receive the higher seed.          

b. If two teams have the same record and have the same win-loss record against each other, the higher seed will be given to the team that scored the higher amount of runs against the team in which they are tied with.      

c. Teams that are tied after the regular season and 7-2-a as well as 7-2-b have not determined the higher-ranking seed will be determined by coin flip.

 

Article 3. . . Players must meet eligibility requirements in order to participate in the playoffs.      

a. Players must be present in at least 40 percent of league games throughout the year to be eligible to play or pitch in any playoff games.   Exception may be made by the league president. (4/21/13)

b. Any team using an ineligible player during a league or a playoff game will automatically forfeit the game by a score of 9-0.     

c. Managers are responsible to give the league president an active roster prior to playoffs upon request (1-2-i)

           d. The league president will verify and approve all umpires for all playoff and finals games.

 

Article 4. . . Teams interested in entering tournaments outside of the league, may apply to the GCBL Executive Board to request financial assistance.