BYLAWS

OF

Wickliffe Baseball League, Inc.

 

Article 1 – Name

A.      The name of the organization is Wickliffe Baseball League, Inc.  The organization is formed in accordance with the Nonprofit Corporation Law as amended.  The organization has not been assembled for the making of any profit, or personal gain.  The assets and income of the organization shall not be distributable to, or benefit the trustees, directors, or officers or other individuals.  The assets and income shall only be used to promote corporate purposes as described below.  Nothing contained herein, however, shall be deemed to prohibit the payment of reasonable compensation to employees and independent contractors for services provided for the benefit of the organization.  This organization shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on by an organization exempt from federal income tax.  The organization shall not endorse, contribute to, work for, or otherwise support (or oppose) a candidate for public office.  The organization is organized exclusively for purposes subsequent to section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

 

Article 2 – Objective

A.      The purpose of the league is to provide for the youth of Wickliffe and surrounding cities to actively participate in baseball in an organized fashion, to promote physical fitness among the youth by organizing them in league play, and to prepare the boys to play high school baseball.  Managers and coaches of the boys shall provide the leadership and sportsmanship for the development of future citizens of this community.  The Wickliffe Baseball League plays in conjunction with the Western Reserve Baseball League.  The playing rules are put in place by the Western Reserve League Board.

 

Article 3 – Board Members

A.      The Wickliffe Baseball League shall be managed by an Executive Board consisting of 7 members.  Those members are:  President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, Equipment Manager, Umpire-in-Chief, and Player Development Manager.  The Executive Board will also elect 3 Trustees.

B.      The Executive Board and Trustees must maintain a current membership and attend a minimum of 50% of ALL monthly meetings.  Failure to do so will be just cause for removal from office.  If a meeting is attended via conference call, it shall count as attending.

C.      Removal from office of any board member can be executed with the following motion:  “It is moved that ____ immediately vacate the office of ____.”  All other Board Members present and voting must pass the motion unanimously for the board member to be removed from office.  An abstention is not a vote cast.  Any officer formally removed by method of this section shall immediately vacate the office and the Executive Board shall appoint a replacement.  Notice of this meeting shall be given at least 15 days prior to the meeting.

D.      Duties of Officers –

a.       President – The President shall preside at all meetings, and subject to the approval of the Board, shall appoint the Chairman of all necessary committees, and of any special committees deemed necessary by the Board.  In the absence of the President, the Vice-President shall preside.  In the absence of both the President and the Vice-President, the Treasurer shall conduct the duties of the President.

b.      Vice-President – The Vice-President shall act as the Chairman of all special committees, and secure sponsors and initiate all fund raisers.

c.       Secretary – The Secretary shall keep and preserve a record of the proceedings of the League and Board and conduct the correspondence of the organization.  He/She shall submit a report of the business affairs of the league at each regular meeting and submit reports as may be required for the proper conduct of the league.  Furthermore, it is the responsibility of the Secretary for entering registration and fundraiser data.  He/she is responsible for handling all rained out re-schedules, including notifying the service department and Umpire-in-Chief.  He/She shall also keep the roll of members, managers, and coaches.

d.      Treasurer – The Treasurer shall collect any monies due to the organization and shall have custody of all funds of the league.  He/She shall disburse monies when the Board approves of such payment.  He/she shall deposit the funds of the organization in a bank or trust company approved by the Board, and each deposit shall be in the name of Wickliffe Baseball League, Inc.  The accounts shall be audited by the Trustees annually and at the end of term.  He/She shall provide bank statements as hand-outs with the monthly minutes and provide a copy of all bank statements to the Secretary.  Also, he/she must submit annual and monthly financial Wickliffe Baseball League reports, as well as, annual and monthly sponsor reports to the body at each meeting, furnishing a copy to the Board members.

e.      Equipment Manager – The Equipment Manager shall keep charge of ordering new equipment and uniforms when needed, securing prices and discounts, scheduling of equipment distribution to the teams and collection from the teams in an orderly fashion.  He/she shall provide a monthly report to the Board.

f.        Umpire-in-Chief – The Umpire-in-Chief shall be responsible for scheduling umpires for all home games.  He/she will explain new or complicated rules to managers and umpires, and is responsible for training new umpires.

g.       Player Development Manager – The Player Development Manager shall be responsible for planning all clinics and baseball instruction for the league.   

 

Article 4 – Election of Officers

A.      The President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, Equipment Manager, Umpire-in-Chief and Player Development Manager shall serve 2-year terms.  An officer may maintain their role for more than 1 term, if uncontested, in good standing with the league, and they maintain the support of the majority of the membership. 

B.      Trustees shall serve 3-year terms or until successors are duly elected.

C.      Elections

a.       The President, Secretary, Equipment Manager and Player Development Manager shall be elected in odd number years.

b.      The Vice-President, Treasurer and Umpire-in-Chief shall be elected in even number years.

c.       1 Trustee shall be elected every year on a rotating basis as their 3-year term expires.  Only the Executive Board members can nominate and vote on the trustees.

d.      Nominations for all officers will be accepted in the August monthly meeting.  A nominee must be in good standing with the league and have served the league as a Manager, Coach or Committee position for at least 2 years.

e.      Elections will be held in the September monthly meeting.

 

Article 5 – Meetings

A.      A monthly meeting shall be held on the 3^rd Thursday of every month for the purpose of discussing league issues and for the transaction of business that may properly come before the meeting.  These meetings will be held at the time and place designated by the Board.  These meetings are open to the public.

B.      Special meetings may be requested by the President or by the Board.  Unless otherwise specified, these meetings are closed to the public.

C.      Four (4) Board members shall constitute a quorum at a meeting.  In the absence of a quorum, a majority of Board members may adjourn the meeting to another time without further notice.  If a quorum is represented at an adjourned meeting, any business may be transacted that might have been transacted at the meeting as originally scheduled.  The directors present at the meeting represented by a quorum may continue to transact business until adjournment, even if the withdrawal of some board members results in less than a quorum.

D.      Any action required to be taken, or which may be taken, at a meeting, may be taken without a meeting and without prior notice if a consent in writing, setting forth the action taken, is signed by the board members with respect to the subject matter of the vote.

 

Article 6 – Meeting Procedures

A.      The order of business will take place as follows:

a.       Roll call

b.      Minutes of previous meeting will be approved

c.       Officer reports

                                                               i.      Vice-President

                                                             ii.      Treasurer

                                                            iii.      Secretary

                                                           iv.      Equipment Manager

                                                             v.      Umpire-in-Chief

                                                           vi.      Player Development

                                                          vii.      President

d.      Old business

e.      New business

 

Article 7 – Registration

A.      Registrations may be taken from November 1^st through March 15th, unless players are needed to fill a team, in which case, players may be added up to the time uniforms are ordered.  Once the uniform order has been placed, no new registrations may be taken. 

B.      League Divisions:

a.       Mitey Mites – Ages 7-8

b.      Minors – Ages 9-10

c.       Majors – Ages 11-12

d.      Ponies – Ages 13-14

C.      The age of all players in the baseball divisions shall be determined by their ages as of May 1^st.  Players may play in one division above their age level, if they are in the same grade as players in the above division.  Example, a player is in 5^th grade, but only 10 years old as of May 1^st.  The player can play in the Majors division with the consent of his parent(s).

 

Article 8 – Managers

A.      In all divisions, the manager’s primary mission is to teach the children on his/her team age appropriate skills and prepare them physically and emotionally to have fun, compete and excel to the best of their ability.

B.      Managers are responsible for the team’s, coaches, and fans actions on the field and sidelines and they represent the team in communications with the umpire and opposing team.  They are responsible for regular communications with players and their parent(s) / guardian(s).

C.      Managers are responsible for all league issued equipment, including bags and their contents during the season.  They are also responsible for returning all league issued equipment in good condition to the Equipment Manager at a timely manner at the end of the season.

D.      Before practices begin, all managers and coaches must have a certified background check.  This includes anyone who is participating or helping the team 50% of the time or more. 

E.       A scorekeeper is exempt from a background check, since they do not have direct contact with any players.

 

Article 9 – Umpires

A.      Umpires in the Wickliffe Baseball League shall be a minimum of 13 years of age on or before opening day of the regular season unless deemed fit by the Umpire-in-Chief and must attend all mandatory umpire meetings set by the Umpire-in-Chief.

B.      Umpires shall be paid according to the prevailing rate determined by the Board.

 

Article 10 – Draft

A.      Each team will be represented by a manager or an appointed representative.

B.      The Secretary is responsible for the preparation of the draft eligibility list and distributing it to each manager.

C.      Each team will pull a numbered ping pong ball to determine the draft order.

D.      A serpentine order will be used.  This means that the last team to draft in the first round will draft first in the second round.

E.       Each manager will be allowed to have 2 ‘coach-picks’.  A parent / guardian of these ‘coach-picks’ must help out at 50% of the team’s activities (practices/games) or more.

F.       If siblings are in the same draft, once the first sibling is drafted, the second sibling is applied to the last pick for that team.

 

Article 11 – Scheduling of games

A.      Each team’s original schedule and the playoff schedule are created by the Western Reserve League.

B.      The Secretary, working with the home team’s manager, Umpire-in-Chief and the city’s service department will schedule make-up games at both teams earliest convenience.

 

Article 12 –Weather Policy / Field Fitness

A.      The City of Wickliffe, at their sole discretion, declares rain-outs and determines if fields are playable until the close of their business day.

B.      When lightning or thunder is detected, all games on fields used by Wickliffe Baseball will immediately be delayed until 30 minutes after the last lightning strike or thunder clap. 

C.      If an umpire feels that the safety of the players is in danger due to inclement weather during the game, he/she may postpone the game to another date.  The game will resume from the last completed inning.

 

Article 13 – All-Star / Tournament Teams

A.      Each tournament team will consist of 1 manager selecting a minimum of 2 coaches.

B.      All players on a tournament team must be participants on a rec team in the Wickliffe Baseball League.

C.      All-star teams will be determined on a tryout basis.  The roster must consist of a minimum of 9 players, and can have a maximum of up to 15 players.

D.      The tryout date(s) will be determined by the tournament team manager.  Teams must be formed by April 15^th, and the roster, with shirt and hat sizes, must be submitted to the Equipment Manager to ensure that uniforms are completed by the 1^st tournament.

E.       The All-star team managers and coaches will decide what tournaments they will enter.

F.       The Board will determine how much money it will subsidize to each tournament team for tournament fees, and it will be up to each team to pay the difference if there is any.

 

Article 14 – Code of Conduct

A.      Managers or coaches who consume any type of alcohol within the confines of the playing area, including the dugout, shall be immediately ejected.

B.      Players, coaches and spectators will not verbally abuse or belittle any participant including the umpires.  If a violation occurs, the umpire will warn the manager to correct the situation, unless said violation is deemed extreme or flagrant.  The second offense results in an ejection and possible forfeit and disciplinary action.

C.      Profanity, obscene gestures and/or flagrant misconduct by anyone, including managers, coaches, players, and spectators shall result in their immediate ejection. 

D.      Any manager, coach, player or spectator ejected from the game must immediately leave the playing field and have no involvement in the remainder of the game.  Further misconduct or involvement in the game shall result in their removal from the park.

E.       The Board reserves the right to suspend any manager, coach, player, parent or spectator for any length of time based on the magnitude of the conduct violation.

 

Article 15 – Amendments / Changes to By-Laws

A.      The By-Laws may be amended by two-thirds (2/3) vote at any monthly or special meeting, between September and February.  A notice specifying the proposed change to the amendment(s) must be presented to the Secretary in writing and read at the meeting 1 month prior to voting. 

 

Article 16 – Dissolution

 

A.      In the event that the Wickliffe Baseball League, Inc is dissolved, the Executive Board will dispose of all assets, including plaques, trophies, uniforms, baseball equipment, and any remaining monies and equipment as per Board recommendation to a qualified 501(c)(3) organization.