GTCSPL: Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting went as planned on Thursday and we’ve now officially wrapped up the 2008 season. A quick look at what we discussed …
NSA Review:
We looked at what NSA brings to our league and the costs relative to the alternatives and came away satisfied that we made the right choice as far as league affiliation. We’re still learning how to maximize the benefits available to us, but expect no change as far as affiliation for next season.
Umpire Review:
While coverage of the games was fairly complete (about 10 games were missed this season), there was some dissatisfaction in some instances with the quality of the umpires available to us. We are looking at ways to improve in this area while still maintaining the better umpires who have been with us for a long time. We’ll have to see what develops over the winter.
Diamond Review:
This was primarily an overview of the Outdoor User Groups meeting (see previous entry for details) but we did touch on some of the work which has been done with the bases and some that still needs to be addressed. We replaced 1 set of bases this past season and will need to replace at least a couple more next season where the magnets are losing some of their effectiveness. In ground fixtures have been made and are ready to be installed in the spring, and we have a new design for plugs to help protect them.
Banquet Review:
From all accounts of those in attendance, the banquet proved to be an enjoyable evening (as always). Having said that, it was not a success. We need to seriously look at whether the banquet should be something we try to continue doing since there doesn’t seem to be enough interest among the league when it comes time for participation. There were only 92 in attendance this year (hurt by not having the men’s league involved – but we knew that before we started!) which leaves the bulk of the costs to fall on the league’s shoulders. This will definitely be on the agenda again when we resume operations for next season!
Statistician / Website Review:
Of course we’ll say nothing but good things here 
!
Okay, maybe just a little dose of reality. The scores and standings and scheduling all get good marks, but the usability only falls into the “satisfactory” area and the score reporting would rate a “needs improvement”. There are upgrades to the site in the works which you’ll begin to see in a couple weeks. The system controlling the website has become unstable and lost it’s interactivity (patches, trials and expansion are to blame) so there’ll be a new system implemented shortly. This will result in a loss of users’ information, so registered users will need to re-register (eventually – there won’t be any added benefit to being registered when changes are first made). Check back over the off-season and watch as we grow again!
Budget and Finances:
We reviewed the financial picture of our season and found it to be very satisfying. Careful management of diamonds and umpires helped control our biggest expenses, while revisions in how we manage tournaments also contributed to a healthy bottom line. While the bank balance looks really good, you have to keep in mind that team Performance Bonds make up a good chunk and that’s not money the league has to play with.
Divisional Alignment – 2009:
While it is still too early to conclusively decide what the divisional picture will be for next season, we got a preview of where we stand based on results from this season. There are currently 6 teams looking to add their names into the mix, so nothing can be determined this early – but we do have a starting point!
Rules & Constitutional Changes:
There was surprisingly little to discuss as far as the Constitution is concerned, but one issue did come up in reference to injury runners. The injury runner rule has been seriously abused – probably due to it being misread. The rule is not meant to provide a competitive advantage, but is in place to ensure teams don’t get charged with a forfeit due to the number of available players falling short due to injury.
Also of interest in the changes discussion, there will no longer be a forfeit associated with late reports – it will simply be a $25 fine.
Executive Elections:
As with the men’s league (see previous post) there were no new names added into the executive mix. Bruce, Mike and Brandi have agreed to give it another year.
