Spring 2016 This meeting will serve as a forum to organize and plan for the operation of a successful Spring program. It is an opportunity for the league to express its ideas and concepts for the upcoming season as well hear suggestions from its members. The purpose of the USABL is to operate a league with structure and organization toward the primary goal of providing its members with a level playing field based on skill level and limited travel. The USABL is totally committed to getting players prepared to play at the next level and beyond! With all of the different baseball opportunities offered today, choices can be confusing. One of our biggest priorities is to make sure you are playing more than just a season of scrimmages. The objective is providing competitive play with a division champion to be awarded at the end of the season. USABL offers competitive baseball in the Spring, Summer and Fall. All players aged 7-­‐10 will be playing on the 60-­‐foot diamond. The 10's & 11's will have their choice of the 46/60 or the 50/70 fields while the 12’s play on the 50/70 field in the Spring and move to the 90 -­‐foot diamond for the Fall season. Beyond that, the USABL has leagues for players 13–18 who are all playing on the 90-­‐foot diamond. Thanks for coming and we look forward to another great Spring Season! League Contacts: Office: 732-­‐899-­‐5990 | Fax: 732-­‐295-­‐0111 | Website: www.USABL.com Bob Delahant: [email protected] Brian Delahant: [email protected] Brian Schifilliti a.k.a. “Schif”: [email protected] Kevin Lodge: [email protected] Deanna Kile: [email protected] •
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Divisions: Teams will be placed in divisions based on location and strength of team (rating & prior team history). Typically there is an American Division, Central Division, & National Division. For larger divisions there will also be a Continental Division. Please note the ratings are a guide for us not a perfect system. Schedule: o 9 Regular Season Games + 1 Guaranteed Playoff Game o All regular season games are on Sundays. Regular Season Dates: o 4/3, 4/10, 4/17, 4/24, 5/1, 5/8, 5/15, 5/22 Potential Playoff Dates (will depend on your division/age): o American Leagues (9U – 14U): 5/21, 5/22, 6/4, 6/5 § USABL World Series – June 11th – 12th o All other divisions: 6/4, 6/5, 6/11, 6/12 Double Header: All divisions will be scheduled for at least 1 double header. Most American League divisions will have two double headers. We will not know your double-­‐header date until we begin to formulate the schedule towards the end of March. We need to consider field availability and umpire availability when scheduling double headers. Playoffs: Game #10 for all teams will be a seeded playoff game. The entire playoffs will be a single elimination event. Your team will continue to play until they receive a loss. We play down until there is a divisional champion (i.e. American East Champion) League Fee: o 7U Team Fee -­‐-­‐ $1000 o 8U-­‐12U Fee -­‐-­‐ $130 per player or $1370 team fee (unlimited roster) o 13/14 – 15/16 -­‐-­‐ $130 per player or $1395 team fee (unlimited roster) o 18U (16/18) = team fee of $1485 What does the league cover? o We set the divisions based on skill level and location o Create each individual team's schedule o Assign and pay independent umpires weekly o Distribute League Baseballs o We insure all teams. The insurance is for USABL only. o Stay on-­‐call during game time to field any problems that may arise all while continuously updating the website with baseball news, scores and standings (typically less than 24 hours of the game being played). With over 600 games being played every Sunday, you can imagine how much time and effort goes into each 10-­‐game season. What are teams responsible for? o Getting a home field if possible •
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o Uniforms and equipment o Outside of those two things you just show up & play! Home Field: o All teams should try to secure a home field. A home field however is not required for entrance into the program. Teams with a home field will have more games scheduled at their field and will probably have less travel. Rules: Located on the website and in the scorebook. Website: USABL.COM Online Player/Parent Waivers: All teams (parents) will now be required to fill out the online player waivers this season. Rating: o 1 Rating: You should have a very weak team. There should be very few 1 rated teams. 1 rated teams would be “C” level teams, which can be compared to rec teams. o 2 Rating: You should be a weaker “B” level team or a stronger “C” level team. If you have one pitcher that is decent, it could bring your team from a 2 to a 3 or 4 rated team. o 3 Rating: You are a “B” level team. If you are not a “B” level team, you should be a 4 or 5 rated team. No “A” level teams should be a 3 rating unless you are a very weak All-­‐Star Caliber team. o 4 Rating: You are an “A” level team. You have an All-­‐Star Caliber team. o 5 Rating: You are a strong “A” level team and can challenge any team with confidence. Insurance: o The insurance will cover the players, coaches, umpires and spectators. You will have liability coverage and an accident policy, in case of injury. The league does not offer primary health insurance coverage. o This insurance is for USABL only. You cannot transfer the insurance policy to any other league. We will however insure you to participate in approved tournaments. For approved outside tournament we would need to make sure the tournament operator has their proper insurance and provide us with a COI with USABL listed as additionally insured. USABL cannot insure other businesses events. Those businesses will need to be responsible for their own events. An exception can be made if the business has formed an alliance or partnership with USABL to be on our approved tournaments list. § **Baseball Academies will only be insured for USABL events. Due to many baseball academies focus being intense training, practicing and many non sanctioned USABL games you would need your own policy to cover your non-­‐USABL functions. o **USABL does not sell insurance, we are not a broker. We do place coverage on all USABL teams. The insurance will cover the players, coaches, umpires and spectators. You will have liability coverage and an accident policy, in case of injury. The league does not offer primary health insurance coverage. o Injured players must first go to their insurance carrier for compensation. Out of pocket expenses will then be paid by our carrier. Coaches must report injuries as soon as possible to the league office. Coaches and or the injured player’s parents will be E-­‐mailed claim forms to complete. These forms must be completed and then sent to the league for presentation to the carrier. • No Guest Player Policy: Please note that the USABL does not have a guest player policy. You may however add players at anytime during the regular season. Players added must still complete the online registration form and pay the league fee unless your team already paid the team fee. When a team pays the team fee they will not have to pay an additional league fee to add players. All added players must still qualify for the play-­‐offs (5 games or 21 innings) • Special Requests: We have an overwhelming amount of scheduling and special request. We will try our best to accommodate all teams special request. Some special request may take some legwork from you to work it out with your opponents. For example if Team A request AM games and Team B (the home team) can only get their field permit for PM games something needs to give to get the game played. Furthermore in some cases coaches and players that coach or play on multiple teams/sports may have to choose in some cases. Please remember it is about getting the games played. Rescheduling because of one player or coach should never be a factor. Another common request that can make scheduling very difficult is to keep certain teams home on the same date either because of sharing players, coaches, or so the snack stand can be utilized to its full potential. Keep in mind USABL needs to make sure all teams have the proper amount of games scheduled, proper amount of home games, and when you play a opponent twice we have to make sure you are home/away once. If you have more then one cross over game we have to make sure you play a different cross over opponent each game. We will try our best to accommodate all special requests, but sometimes it may not be possible to work out considering the above logistics. Important League Reminders & Information: •
Once paid in full you will be able to pick baseballs up from Athletes Alley, 483 Broad Street, Shrewsbury, NJ 07702. Please be prepared to give Athletes Alley your team name, age group, and manager’s name for them to release baseballs. •
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It is the winning team’s responsibility to report the score after the game. Preferably enter the score directly from the mobile app/website. It is the home team’s responsibility to cancel the game in case of rain. That means getting in touch with the other team and with the USABL office to cancel umpires. Each team shall supply two baseballs each. If more are needed it is the home teams responsibility. If for some reason the umpires are late or do not show please send an e-­‐mail or call the office. Please check the parking lot before calling. All game time or field changes must be made by Wednesday night. Any change that comes after Wednesday night we cannot guarantee umpires. In case of rainout, cancellation, or any other conflict please get together with the other coach to see what date and time can work to make the game up. Also note we are more than willing to be the middleman on trying to reschedule a make up but most of the time things go smoother and faster if you reach out to the other team directly. o If the game is canceled for whatever reason please let us know so we can cancel umpires and update the schedule. You will receive 1 point for a loss, 2 for a tie and 3 for a win. Please check the schedule every week before your game to make sure everyone is on the same page and nothing has changed (home field, time etc.). It is also encouraged to reach out to your opponent before every game to make sure everyone is on the same page. Please remember to carry a set of the USABL rules with you at all time. This way if there is a rules conflict with the other team or umpire it can be solved on the spot at the field. If you cancel a scheduled game for any other reason other than field conditions you put the league and the other team in a bad spot. It is up to your team to work around your opponent’s availability to get the game rescheduled. Once you get the game rescheduled please contact us so we can update the schedule and get umpires. You cannot change divisions once the first game is posted Please remember to include your age group and team name in e-­‐mails. USABL 2016 Age Requirements: Players may not turn the next age before May 1st, 2016. Whatever age your players are on 4/30/2016 is their USABL League Age. Special Age Group Notes: • 13U you are allowed two league age 14’s on your roster • 14U you are allowed two league age 15’s on your roster • 15/16 is really 16U. However most teams are 15U teams. Any team with majority 16’s usually plays in the 16/18 programs unless it is an extremely weak team. Estimated Timeline • 3/7 – 3/9– Confirm all teams registered have a team • 3/10 – 3/15 – Analyze all teams for division placement • 3/16 – 3/20 – Preliminary divisions to be posted • 3/23 – 3/25 – Scheduling in progress • 3/23 – 3/26 – Schedules to be distributed • 3/23 – 3/26 – Contact List to be distributed and prepping for Opening Day. • 4/3 – Opening Day USABL World Series 2016 USABL is the largest baseball league in the Tri-­‐State area and we are taking our playoffs to the next level by allowing our teams to compete to be the best team in their age group (most age groups have over 120 teams.) The USABL World Series is truly a statewide event along with the teams from the Eastern PA and Staten Island. USABL World Series Format: 9U, 10U, 11U 50/70, 12U 50/70, 14U, 15/16 and 18U will be a 1-­‐day tournament style World Series. The 13U World Series will be a double elimination tournament style event. This event will be hosted at the beautiful baseball complex in North Brunswick and Marlboro LL depending on the age group. The Champions of each American League USABL Division will be eligible to advance to the World Series. American League Divisions are made up of 4 and 5 caliber teams (using the USABL rating system of 1-­‐5 with 5 being the strongest). To be able to compete to be the #1 overall team in USABL is something to play for and should make for an exciting season! We are always striving to add more excitement to USABL and we believe this will bring more meaning to the USABL Playoffs and regular season. At this time, only the American League Divisions will be eligible to participate but we are working on bring the World Series to all divisions. 7U Spring 2016 – USABL Travel Baseball League USABL is again putting on our 7U Spring program. This will be our 7th season offering the 7U Spring Program. It has been a huge hit and for this Spring we have been getting a tremendous amount of interest from teams all over the State since we are the only program to successfully offer a Spring 7U Program. The 7U program is used to ease kids into competitive travel baseball by building experience so they are more prepared for more competitive play at the 8U and 9U level. 7U teams will be placed in a division based on location and rating when possible. We have modified the pitching rules for the 7U program. The first 2 and last 2 innings will be coach pitch while the 3rd and 4th inning will be player pitch. Where are the teams located? We have teams ranging from as far North as Wayne, NJ as far west as Bucks County PA and as far south as Barnegat, NJ. We put teams in divisions based on your teams location at the 7U level. We try to keep the travel to 30 minutes or less for your away games. •
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Games are on Sundays only to avoid conflicts with rec baseball 1 umpire in the field Team fee is $1000 (includes baseballs, umpire, and insurance) Half the games are at your home field and half at your opponents home field. The first 2 and last 2 innings will be coach pitch while the 3rd and 4th inning will be player pitch It is a 9 game regular season + at least 1 playoff game (all teams make the playoffs) All players must be 7 years old or younger on 4/30/2016. It is possible they turn 8 on or after 5/1/2016. The 7U Rules can be found on usabl.com Any questions or interest please e-­‐mail [email protected] 2016 Summer League – New Format! USABL summer leagues are designed to keep teams close to home while playing similar competition. We will offer two leagues with different formats: •
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AA designed for the "B" and "C" level teams AAA designed for the 4 rated level teams (All-­‐Star type teams). Many teams supplement their Summer league schedule with USABL Tournaments. Our tournaments provide multiple skill levels using our rating system 1 -­‐ 5. Plan your summer today and e-­‐mail [email protected] with any questions or if you would like to secure your teams spot. Summer Series – AA (“B” and “C” Level Teams) This is a league geared for the B and C level teams. Teams must be a USABL rating of 3 or lower to enter this league. For the stronger teams we offer the AAA program. We found that many lower level teams were looking for more games but most Summer baseball opportunities were geared towards the powerhouse teams. This format will allow the B and C teams a chance to play good baseball this summer. Regular Season Game Days: Games will be scheduled on Wednesday and Saturday # of Games: 9 regular season games + all teams make the playoffs. Scheduled for at least 10 games. Half home and half away games. Regular Season Dates: June 22nd, 26th, 29th, July 6th, 9th, 13th, 16th, 20th, 23rd Playoff Dates: July 26th, 28th, 30th Tri-­‐State Championship: Winners will advance to the Tri-­‐State Championship which is a tournament-­‐style championship with teams from our different regions. Ages: All ages 7U -­‐ 18U Skill Level Background Check: Any team can join as long as they fit the criteria of a team that is a 3 rating or lower (using the USABL Rating System). We will be cross-­‐checking all teams to ensure no A teams slip into the program. What is included: Just like all our other leagues, we schedule/pay umpires, provide game balls, insurance, upgraded website/mobile app, and close to 24x7 customer service. Where are games played? This is a home/away league which limits your travel to 4 or 5 dates. Therefore, it is extremely important to us to keep every team as close to home as possible. We are setting guidelines that any away game we schedule during the week must be 25 minutes or less. If a team falls outside of the 25 minute or less range, they will be notified ASAP that the league does not work for their team. How are we going to accomplish this? The demand for this program is overwhelming. We will break teams into divisions based on locations such as North, East, West, Central, South, Shore etc. We will check travel distance to verify on google maps. Game Changes: These are the dates set by the league. If they do not work both teams must be in agreement to move the games to another date. While the majority of teams work together, if there is a scenario where both teams cannot agree the date must remain as originally scheduled. Looking for more games? Supplement your Summer league schedule with some of our tournaments that provide multiple levels of play: usabl.com/tournaments Summer Series – AAA (“A” Level Teams) This is a league designed for teams looking to keep the weekends open for tournaments or just in general, trying to avoid weekend conflicts. This summer league will provide your team with a consistent schedule giving you two games a week. Format: 9 regular season games + top 4 teams advance to playoffs. Half home and half away games. Game Days: Games will be scheduled on Tuesday and Thursday Dates: June 21st (Tues), June 23rd (Thurs), June 28th (Tues), June 30th (Thurs) July 5th (Tues) July 7th (Thurs), July 12th (Tuesday), 14th (Thurs), 19th (Tues) Playoffs: Top 4 teams in a division advance to single elimination July 26th and July 28th Tri-­‐State Championship: Winners will advance to the Tri-­‐State Championship which is a tournament style championship with teams from our different regions. Ages: All ages 7U -­‐ 18U Skill Level Background Check: Any team can join as long as they fit the criteria as we want to make sure this is a competitive league. What is included: Just like all our other leagues we schedule/pay umpires, provide game balls, insurance, upgraded website/mobile app, and close to 24x7 customer service. Game Changes: These are the dates set by the league. If they do not work both teams must be in agreement to move the games to another date. While the majority of teams work together, if there is a scenario where both teams cannot agree the date must remain as originally scheduled. Looking for more games? Supplement your summer league schedule with some of our tournaments: usabl.com/tournaments Summer Series Promotional Pricing This Year Only: • $1170 -­‐-­‐ 8U -­‐ 18U o
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Includes 2 umpires at ALL levels 8u-­‐18u, game balls, scheduling payment of the umpires, enhanced playoff system with the winners receiving a bid to the Tri-­‐State Championship, close to 24x7 customer service. $800 -­‐-­‐ 7U -­‐-­‐ Same as above but only 1 umpire. 2016 Tournaments These tournaments will sell out quickly. If you are interested in locking up a spot please contact [email protected]. Registration fee is not due until a month prior to the event. •
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Spring Blast - March 26th – Sold Out
Spring Fling - April 2nd
Memorial Day Classic - Memorial Day Weekend
o Currently 150 teams registered
Frazier Showdown - June 18th or 19th
14U Powerhouse Classic - June 25th and June 26th
4th of July Stars & Stripes - 4th of July Weekend
Jersey Battle - July 7th - 10th
Frazier Invite - July 16th or 17th
North Jersey Mayhem - July 23rd or 24th
Summer Slam - July 30th or July 31st
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Labor Day Classic - Labor Day Weekend
Columbus Day Bash - 10/8 or 10/9
Frazier Halloween Havoc - 10/15 or 10/16
USABL Tournament Facts: • We offer multiple skill levels and multiple champions per age group using the USABL Rating System and current team status. o Example, we will readjust your team for Memorial Day as we will have a very updated team status giving us an idea if we need to challenge your team or drop you down. • We consider who you are matched up with as we know teams want to see some new competition • All Tournaments in 2015 sold out. We are on track in 2016 to sell out again. Do not wait to secure your spot. STADIUM CHALLENGE 2015
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Want to play a game at Trenton Thunder or Lakewood BlueClaws
Stadium?
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Available Dates and Openings:
Date
Day
Team
6/20
Monday
6/20
Team
Stadium
Time
USABL World Series 13U
BlueClaws
5:15 PM
Monday
USABL World Series 14U
BlueClaws
7:30 PM
6/22
Wednesday
13U Brick Bees
13U NJ Warriors
BlueClaws
7:00 PM
6/23
Thursday
13U Lincroft Panthers
13U Matawan Terriers
BlueClaws
7:00 PM
6/28
Tuesday
JSBL All-Star game
JSBL All-Star
BlueClaws
7:00 PM
Date
Day
Team
Team
Stadium
Time
7/9
Saturday
13U Marlboro Mustangs Gold
13U Bordentown Blast
Trenton Thunder
10:00 AM
7/9
Saturday
13U Franklin Township Warriors
13U Hamilton A's
Trenton Thunder
12:45 PM
7/9
Saturday
13U Opponent Needed
13U Bucks County Outlaws
Trenton Thunder
3:15 PM
7/11
Monday
13U Ocean Raiders
13U Middletown Lions
BlueClaws
7:00 PM
7/12
Tuesday
18+ Opponent Needed
NJ Ballbusters 18 and older
BlueClaws
7:00 PM
7/15
Friday
18 & Older All Stars
18 & Older All Stars
BlueClaws
7:00 PM
7/23
Saturday
14U Opponent needed
14U Bucks County Blue Devils
Trenton Thunder
10:00 AM
7/23
Saturday
14U Pitch by Pitch Drillers
14U Holmdel Highlanders
Trenton Thunder
12:45 PM
7/23
Saturday
Open
Open
Trenton Thunder
3:15 PM
8/1
Monday
13U Opponent Needed
13U Jersey Outlaws
BlueClaws
7:00 PM
8/2
Tuesday
Open
Open
BlueClaws
7:00 PM
8/6
Saturday
Open
Open
Trenton Thunder
10:00 AM
8/6
Saturday
Open
Open
Trenton Thunder
12:45 PM
8/6
Saturday
Open
Open
Trenton Thunder
3:15 PM
8/8
Monday
Open
17U Frazier Baseball
BlueClaws
7:00 PM
8/9
Tuesday
Open
Open
BlueClaws
7:00 PM
8/10
Wednesday
Open
Open
BlueClaws
7:00 PM
8/11
Thursday
Open
Open
BlueClaws
7:00 PM
8/12
Friday
Open
Open
BlueClaws
7:00 PM
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USABL STADIUM CHALLENGE INFORMATION USABL will be providing its teams an opportunity to play at Trenton Thunder and BlueClaws this Summer. This is something your team will always remember! Not only is this a great experience for the players and coaches on the field, it will provide lasting memories for friends, parents and grandparents to watch their sons and grandsons play in a professional atmosphere. At one time or another, every boy dreams of being a professional baseball player. This will give them a chance to feel like pro, even if it is just for a day. Not many teams can say they played at professional stadium. How does it work? In short you can challenge another team to arrange playing them at the stadium, or USABL can match your team against another team in your age group with the same ability. If you plan to challenge another team to the USABL Stadium Challenge it is recommended that your opponent be a team that you have been competitive with throughout the years or perhaps a team that you played in a tournament in a close game. We will have full use of the scoreboard and announcer. You will be allowed unlimited fans and they will have free entrance. What is the cost? The cost is $640 for weekend dates for all USABL teams. It usually comes out to about $50 per player or less if you have more players. The cost includes baseballs, insurance, & umpires. There is no charge for fans. The more the merrier! How does my team register? We expect these events to fill up quickly and will be offered first come first serve. In order to save you a spot we will need a $200 deposit per game. You can charge the deposit to your credit card by registering on the website or send a check to USABL/PO BOX 3080/PT. PLEASANT, NJ 08742. What if USABL cannot find an opponent for you? Over the past 5 years we have always been able to find teams opponents with similar skill levels. We will not match you up with a team that we do not think would be a good fit for this event. If for some reason we cannot find you an opponent we will refund you 100%. Can the field dimensions be modified? No, all games on the field are 60/90 games. 12U teams do however usually register for July, August, September, or October dates since all 12U teams move up to the big field in the Fall. •
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For more information please contact Deanna – [email protected]