When: Wednesday February 17th, 2010
Where: Knights of Columbus
Teams In Attendance: Friar Tuck’s, Ten Men Out, Thunder, Black Sox, Chiefs, Havana Blast, Misfits, Guelph Brewers, Full Throttle, DDG, Pour House, Sweaty Mitts, Long Shots, IC Tyle & Stone, Sandlot, Touch of Grey, Here 2 There Freight, Lyon Financial, Domino’s Pizza, Generals, Barzotti Masters, Rangers, Royal City Garage Doors, Powerline Electronics, Jose’s Noodle Factory
Absent: LockNuts, Swamp Donkeys
New Teams: Sharks, Larmer, Pembleton
Agenda:
- Introduction of new league executive
- Constitutional Proposals
- Bat Rule
- Opening Tournament
- League Affiliation
- Financial Report
- Umpires
- Website
- Divisional Alignment
League Executive
- Introduced the new look League Executive (since there was no takers when the call went out, we juggled the existing group around to suit our talents and needs):
- President
- Jon Hebden
- Vice President
- Marc Bender
- Secretary
- Brad Mitchell
- Treasurer
- Bob Nelson
- Statistician / Webmaster – Bob Nelson will again be contracted to fulfill this role.
Constitutional Proposals
These are the Constitutional Proposals from the AGM that could not be voted on due to the fact that we didn’t have enough league representation to constitute a quorum.
- Missed Meetings:
- Proposal was made to penalize any team that fails to have representation at each of the 4 scheduled league meetings. Penalty will be $50 for ANY missed meeting, leveraged against a team’s Performance Bond.
- - PASSED -
- Playoff Format:
- Proposal was made to change the playoff format from what we had last year (see Scheduling Guideline) to one big division where highest seed plays lowest seed in best of 3 series, best of 5 for the finals (broken down by seasonal divisions A/B/Masters).
- - Deferred until we confirm total number of teams and divisional alignment -
- Revise Playoff Eligibility:
- Proposal was made that all roster players must play a minimum of 1/3 of the total season games to qualify for the playoffs (injuries and special circumstances considered at the discretion of the league executive when presented by the team in question).
- - PASSED -
- Remove Roster Limitations in Masters:
- Proposal was made to Open Masters up to anyone, but players must play 8 full games to qualify for playoff eligibility
- - Deferred to the next meeting in March -
- Pitching Height:
- Proposal was made to eliminate 20′ max height option and proceed as either 6′-12′ or 6′-Unlimited
- - PASSED -
- Proposed options were then put to the vote, with 6′ to Unlimited getting an overwhelming majority
- Ban Rolled Bats
- Rolled bats are classified as “Altered Bats” according to ALL associations.
- Altered Bats are a definite safety issue.
- Though there was some discussion at this meeting and a general consensus regarding the process, we will address this in more detail at a future meeting.
Bat Rule
We will continue to follow our own (hybrid) Bat Policy as outlined in the Constitution, which states:
Any bat that does not appear on BOTH the ASA Certified Bats list and the NSA Canada Approved Bat List will NOT be eligible for RCMSPL play in 2010.
Opening Tournament
The Opening Tournament is scheduled to take place on the 1st weekend (Sat & Sun) of May – the 1st and 2nd. Along with the refreshment tent that the league will operate (as we have in the past), we are looking at the possibility of allowing Guelph Girls Minor Softball to run the food canteen. This will allow us to offer a wider variety of refreshment as well as help out a good cause.
League Affiliation
We have benefitted in our partnership with NSA and see no reason to change.
Financial Report
We had another strong year financially in 2009, maintaining our costs in line with our budget – this in spite of ongoing difficulties with GG4 lighting and how our schedule was affected by it.
With future expenses expected to rise (potentially a dramatic rise following the city budget and their NEW approach to diamond scheduling!), but our current financial picture being of good health, the League Executive has decided to maintain our league fees for the 3rd straight year at $1800 – plus the performance bond of $200. Tournament costs will once again be absorbed by the League. In addition, all returning teams will again benefit by a $100 league credit to be put toward their league fees for 2010.
Umpires
Overall our umpiring quality seems to have improved since Dewy took over as Umpire-in-Chief last season. We plan to maintain our partnership with Dewy and his umpires.
Website
The Bulletin Board has been removed, but Free Agent lists are up and working. Some additional functionality has been added (Private Messaging) or is in the process (Polls, Role Definitions, Integrated Score Reporting) for the coming season.
Divisional Alignment
With the move of Generals to Masters 45, a decision was made to disband the Masters Division for the coming season and assign the remaining Masters teams into an appropriate competitive division. This, coupled with the addition of 3 new teams, has allowed us to create 3 Open Competitive divisions. The new look 2010 Divisional Alignment will see Divisions I, II & III and the same Masters 45 as in years past.
While a Proposed Divisional Alignment was discussed at the meeting and considered the preferences of all teams present, the uncertainty of some returning teams and the potential for adding another team suggest I shouldn’t say anything at this time about definite alignment. Divisional Alignment will again appear on the Agenda for the next meeting.
Future Dates:
March 24, 7pm Knights of Columbus (50% of league fees due)
April 21, 7pm Knights of Columbus (Balance of league fees)
Note: No Pay = No Play
May 1 & 2 – Opening Tournament
May 4 – Projected Opening Night – Regular Season