USABLFall2016
Thismeetingwillserveasaforumtoorganizeandplanfortheoperationofa
successfulFallprogram.Itisanopportunityfortheleaguetoexpressitsideasand
conceptsfortheupcomingseasonaswellhearsuggestionsfromitsmembers.
ThepurposeoftheUSABListooperatealeaguewithstructureandorganization
towardtheprimarygoalofprovidingitsmemberswithalevelplayingfieldbased
onskilllevelandlimitedtravel.TheUSABListotallycommittedtogettingplayers
preparedtoplayatthenextlevelandbeyond!
Withallofthedifferentbaseballopportunitiesofferedtoday,choicescanbe
confusing.Oneofourbiggestprioritiesistomakesureyouareplayingmorethan
justaseasonofscrimmages.Theobjectiveisprovidingcompetitiveplaywitha
divisionchampiontobeawardedattheendoftheseason.
TeamageisthesameasitwasintheSpring.Wedonotcalltheagegroupsby
thenextageornewageuntilSpring2016.Example:Ifyourteamwas11Uinthe
SpringorSummeryouwillremain11UintheFall.
USABLoffersthefollowingagegroups:7,8,9,1046/60,1050/70,1150/70,12U
50/701260/90,13U,14U,15/16,18Uand18&Over.
ThanksforcomingandwelookforwardtoanothergreatFallSeason!
LeagueContacts:
Baseball911(TextOnly):732-903-5385|Fax:732-295-011|www.USABL.com
BobDelahant:[email protected]
BrianDelahant:[email protected]
BrianSchifillitia.k.a.“Schif”:[email protected]
PatrickQuigley:[email protected]
KevinLodge:[email protected]
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Divisions:
Teamswillbeplacedindivisionsbasedonlocationandstrengthofteam
(rating&priorteamhistory).TypicallythereisanAmericanDivision,Central
Division,&NationalDivision.Forlargerdivisionstherewillalsobea
ContinentalDivision.
Schedule:
o 9RegularSeasonGames+1GuaranteedPlayoffGame
o 7U–13U–SaturdaysOnly
o 14/15&15/16willhavetheirchoiceofSaturdayorSunday
o 18UwillplayonSunday.
o RegularSeasonwillbeover7weeks.
§ Thismeanstwodoubleheadersformanydivisions.
§ Someoftheweakerdivisionswewillgowith1doubleheader
andmayaskforoneweekendtobeSaturday&Sundayvs.the
sameopponent.IfthatisanissueyoucanturnitintoaDH.
RegularSeasonDates(SaturdayProgram):
o 9/10,9/17,9/24,10/1,10/8,10/15,10/22
PotentialPlayoffDates:(Willdependonyourdivision/agegroup)
o 10/29,10/30,11/5
DoubleHeader:
Alldivisionswillbescheduledforatleast1-2doubleheader.Wewillnot
knowyourdouble-headerdateuntilwebegintoformulatetheschedule
towardstheendofMarch.Weneedtoconsiderfieldavailabilityandumpire
availabilitywhenschedulingdoubleheaders.Ifyoucannotplayonacertain
dateletusknowinadvancesowecanattheveryleasttrytoavoidaDH
Playoffs:
Game#10forallteamswillbeaseededplayoffgame.Theentireplayoffswill
beasingleeliminationevent.Yourteamwillcontinuetoplayuntilthey
receivealoss.Weplaydownuntilthereisadivisionalchampion(i.e.
AmericanEastChampion)
LeagueFee:
o 7UTeamFee--$1000
o 8U-12UFee--$1370teamfee(unlimitedroster)
o 13/14–15/16--$1395teamfee(unlimitedroster)
o 18U(16/18)=teamfeeof$1485
WhatdoestheUSABLleaguecover?
o Wesetthedivisionsbasedonskilllevelandlocation
o Createeachindividualteam'sschedule
o Assignandpayindependentumpiresweekly
o DistributeLeagueBaseballs
o Provideinsurance
o Stayon-callduringgametimetofieldanyproblemsthatmayariseall
whilecontinuouslyupdatingthewebsitewithbaseballnews,scores
andstandings(typicallylessthan24hoursofthegamebeingplayed).
Withover600gamesbeingplayedeveryweekend,youcanimagine
howmuchtimeandeffortgoesintoeach10-gameseason.
Whatareteamsresponsiblefor?
o Gettingahomefieldifpossible
o Uniformsandequipment
o Outsideofthosetwothingsyoujustshowup&play!
• HomeField:
o Allteamsshouldtrytosecureahomefield.Ahomefieldhoweveris
notrequiredforentranceintotheprogram.Teamswithahomefield
willhavemoregamesscheduledattheirfieldandwillprobablyhave
lesstravel.
• Rules:Locatedonthewebsiteandinthescorebook.
• Website:USABL.COM
• OnlineRegistration/Roster:
Allteams(parents)willnowberequiredtofillouttheonlineplayer
registrationthisseason.Theonlythingthatwillbepublishedonthewebsite
istheplayersnameanddateregistered.
• Rating:
o 1Rating:Youshouldhaveaveryweakteam.Thereshouldbevery
few1ratedteams.1ratedteamswouldbe“C”levelteams,whichcan
becomparedtorecteams.
o 2Rating:Youshouldbeaweaker“B”levelteamorastronger“C”
levelteam.Ifyouhaveonepitcherthatisdecent,itcouldbringyour
teamfroma2toa3or4ratedteam.
o 3Rating:Youarea“B”levelteam.Ifyouarenota“B”levelteam,you
shouldbea4or5ratedteam.No“A”levelteamsshouldbea3rating
unlessyouareaveryweakAll-StarCaliberteam.
o 4Rating:Youarean“A”levelteam.YouhaveanAll-StarCaliberteam.
o 5Rating:Youareastrong“A”levelteamandcanchallengeanyteam
withconfidence.
• Insurance:
o Theinsurancewillcovertheplayers,coachesandumpires.Itisa
accidentpolicy&twomillion-dollarliabilitypolicy.Youwillhave
liabilitycoverageandanaccidentpolicy,incaseofinjury.Theleague
doesnotofferprimaryhealthinsurancecoverage.
o Thisinsuranceisforourprogramonly.Youcannottransferthe
insurancepolicytoanyotherleagueortournament.Wearenotan
broker.
o Injuredplayersmustfirstgototheirinsurancecarrierfor
compensation.Outofpocketexpenseswillthenbepaidbyour
carrier.Coachesmustreportinjuriesassoonaspossibletotheleague
office.Coachesandortheinjuredplayer’sparentswillbeE-mailed
claimformstocomplete.Theseformsmustbecompletedandthen
senttotheleagueforpresentationtothecarrier.
• NoGuestPlayerPolicy:
PleasenotethattheUSABLdoesnothaveaguestplayerpolicy.Youmay
howeveraddplayersatanytimeduringtheregularseason.Playersadded
muststillcompletetheonlineregistrationformandpaytheleaguefeeunless
yourteamalreadypaidtheteamfee.Whenateampaystheteamfeetheywill
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nothavetopayanadditionalleaguefeetoaddplayers.Alladdedplayers
muststillqualifyfortheplay-offs(5gamesor21innings)
EstimatedTimeline:
o August17th:Processallteams
o August18th:Makesureallteamsregisteredwillhaveateam.
o August22nd:Analyzeallteamsratings,priorteamhistory,and
locations.Divisionsarenotsimplydoneonratingalone.Agreatdeal
oftimeandeffortgoesintoanalyzingthisinformationtoformulate
properdivisions.
o August23rd:Divisionswillbeposted.Itispossiblesomeagegroups
maybepostedearlier.Teamswillreceiveane-mailwhenyour
divisionisposted.Additionallyteamswillreceivea2nde-mailwhen
theywillbeabletopickupbaseballsfromAthletesAlley.
o August24rd–26th:Asdivisionsarebeingpostedweneedtoleave
timetomanipulatethedivisionsasneeded.Whatwedonotwantto
doisbeginthescheduleandpostitthenhaveateammove,dropout
etc.andhavetorecallscheduleabunchoftimes.Wewillalso
formulateyourdivision’smanagercontactlisttobeusedforUSABL
gamecommunicationonly.Thislistshouldnotbeusedtosolicit
teamsforeventsandtournaments.Ifyoureceivesolicitatione-mail
fromoneofourteamsletmeknowsowecancontrolit.Wehave
receivedcomplaintsinthepastthatteamshaveusedtheirteamlist
forotherpurposes.
o August26th–31st:Wewillbeworkingaroundtheclocktogetyou
theentireschedule.Alongwithmakingsureallteamsaredoingthe
onlineplayerwaivers.Thefirstschedulewillbereleasedviae-mail,
thenshortlyafteritwillbeuploadedtothewebsite.
o August31stth–September9th:Wewillnotonlybeworkingaround
theclocktofinetunetheentireschedulepostedonthewebsitefor
everyagegroup/division,wewillbemakingsureeverythingissetfor
openingday(umpires,fields,times,allrostersuploadedinetc.)
o September10th–OpeningDay!
SpecialRequest:
Wehaveanoverwhelmingamountofschedulingandspecialrequest.Wewill
tryourbesttoaccommodateallteamsspecialrequest.Somespecialrequest
maytakesomelegworkfromyoutoworkitoutwithyouropponents.For
exampleifTeamArequestAMgamesandTeamB(thehometeam)canonly
gettheirfieldpermitforPMgamessomethingneedstogivetogetthegame
played.Furthermoreinsomecasescoachesandplayersthatcoachorplayon
multipleteams/sportsmayhavetochooseinsomecases.Pleaserememberit
isaboutgettingthegamesplayed.Reschedulingbecauseofoneplayeror
coachshouldneverbeafactor.Anothercommonrequestthatcanmake
schedulingverydifficultistokeepcertainteamshomeonthesamedate
eitherbecauseofsharingplayers,coaches,orsothesnackstandcanbe
utilizedtoitsfullpotential.
KeepinmindUSABLneedstomakesureallteamshavetheproperamountof
gamesscheduled,properamountofhomegames,andwhenyouplaya
opponenttwicewehavetomakesureyouarehome/awayonce.Ifyouhave
morethenonecrossovergamewehavetomakesureyouplayadifferent
crossoveropponenteachgame.Wewilltryourbesttoaccommodateall
specialrequests,butsometimesitmaynotbepossibletoworkout
consideringtheabovelogistics.
ImportantLeagueReminders&Information:
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OncepaidinfullyouwillbeabletopickupbaseballsfromAthletesAlley,483
BroadStreet,Shrewsbury,NJ07702.PleasebepreparedtogiveAthletes
Alleyyourteamname,agegroup,andmanager’snameforthemtorelease
baseballs.
Itisthewinningteam’sresponsibilitytoreportthescoreafterthe
game.Preferablye-mailthescores.
Itisthehometeam’sresponsibilitytocancelthegameincaseofrain.That
meansgettingintouchwiththeotherteamandwiththeUSABLofficeto
cancelumpires.
Eachteamshallsupplytwobaseballseach.Ifmoreareneededitisthehome
teamsresponsibility.
Ifforsomereasontheumpiresarelateordonotshowpleasesendane-mail
orcalltheoffice.Pleasechecktheparkinglotbeforecalling.
AllgametimeorfieldchangesmustbemadebyWednesdaynight.Any
changethatcomesafterWednesdaynightwecannotguaranteeumpires.
Incaseofrainout,cancellation,oranyotherconflictpleasegettogetherwith
theothercoachtoseewhatdateandtimecanworktomakethegame
up.Alsonotewearemorethanwillingtobethemiddlemanontryingto
rescheduleamakeupbutmostofthetimethingsgosmootherandfasterif
youreachouttotheotherteamdirectly.
o Ifthegameiscanceledforwhateverreasonpleaseletusknowsowe
cancancelumpiresandupdatetheschedule.
Youwillreceive1pointforaloss,2foratieand3forawin.
Pleasecheckthescheduleeveryweekbeforeyourgametomakesure
everyoneisonthesamepageandnothinghaschanged(homefield,time
etc.).Itisalsoencouragedtoreachouttoyouropponentbeforeeverygame
tomakesureeveryoneisonthesamepage.
PleaseremembertocarryasetoftheUSABLruleswithyouatalltime.This
wayifthereisarulesconflictwiththeotherteamorumpireitcanbesolved
onthespotatthefield.
Ifyoucancelascheduledgameforanyotherreasonotherthanfield
conditionsyouputtheleagueandtheotherteaminabadspot.Itisupto
yourteamtoworkaroundyouropponent’savailabilitytogetthegame
rescheduled.Onceyougetthegamerescheduledpleasecontactussowecan
updatethescheduleandgetumpires.
Youcannotchangedivisionsoncethefirstgameisposted
Pleaseremembertoincludeyouragegroupandteamnameine-mails.
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Pleasehaveallregistrationforms,rosterse-mailed,andregistrationfeespaid
byAugust15th
Age Groups
**WeuseyourSpring2016ageintheFall.WhateverageyouwereintheSpringyou
remainfortheFall.**
SpecialAgeGroupNotes:
• 13Uyouareallowedtwoleagueage14’sonyourroster
• 14Uyouareallowedtwoleagueage15’sonyourroster
• 15/16isreally16U.Howevermostteamsare15Uteams.Anyteamwith
majority16’susuallyplaysinthe16/18programsunlessitisanextremely
weakteam.
USABLFallLeagues
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7U,8U,9U,10U46/60,10U50/70,11U50/70,1250/70,12U60/90
13U,14U,15/16SaturdayLeagues.
o 9regularseason+1guaranteedplayoffgame
o Thisiswhat90%ofourteamsareregisteredfor.
14/15,15/16,16/18and18&OverSundayLeague
o 9regularseason+1guaranteedplayoffgame
o 14/15&15/16havetheirchoicetoplaySaturdayorSunday.
16UEliteand18UEliteWoodBat--InviteOnlyLeagues–Sunday
DoubleHeaders
o 12gameseason
10U50/70,11U50/70,12U60/90,13/14,14uDoubleHeader
League
o 5doubleheadersshortseason.
7UAgeGroupFall2016
USABLisagainputtingonour7UFallprogram.Thiswillbeour7thseasonoffering
the7UFallProgram.IthasbeenahugehitandforthisFallwehavebeengettinga
tremendousamountofinterestfromteamsallovertheStatesincewearetheonly
programtosuccessfullyofferaFall7UProgram.
The7Uprogramisusedtoeasekidsintocompetitivetravelbaseballby
buildingexperiencesotheyaremorepreparedformorecompetitiveplayatthe8U
and9Ulevel.7Uteamswillbeplacedinadivisionbasedonlocationandrating
whenpossible.
Wehavemodifiedthepitchingrulesforthe7Uprogram.Thefirst2andlast2
inningswillbecoachpitchwhilethe3rdand4thinningwillbeplayerpitch.
Wherearetheteamslocated?
WehaveteamsrangingfromasfarNorthasWayne,NJasfarwestasBucksCounty
PAandasfarsouthasBarnegat,NJ.Weputteamsindivisionsbasedonyourteams
locationatthe7Ulevel.Wetrytokeepthetravelto30minutesorlessforyour
awaygames.
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GamesareonSaturdaysonly.
1umpireinthefield
Teamfeeis$1000(includesbaseballs,umpire,andinsurance)
Halfthegamesareatyourhomefieldandhalfatyouropponentshomefield.
Thefirst2andlast2inningswillbecoachpitchwhilethe3rdand4thinning
willbeplayerpitch
Itisa9gameregularseason+atleast1playoffgame(allteamsmakethe
playoffs)
Allplayersmustbe7yearsoldoryoungeron4/30/2016.Itispossiblethey
turn8onorafter5/1/2016.
Directlinktothe7urules:http://usabl.com/usabl/rules/#bottom
[email protected]
USABLFallTournaments:
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LaborDayClassic–Doesnotconflictw/FallSchedule
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UnionCountyChallenge–September24-25
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7U–10U46/60:September25th1-DayTourney,doesnotconflict
withSchedule.
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10U50/70–18U–3GameMinimum(Sat/Sun)
RidgeOctoberFest–October1st-2nd
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7U–10U46/60:October2nd-1-DayTourney,doesnotconflictwith
Schedule
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10U50/70–18U–3GameMinimum(Sat/Sun)
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1-DayColumbusDayBash–October9th–Doesnotconflictw/Fall
Schedule
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1-DayFrazierHalloweenHavoc–October16th–Doesnotconflictw/Fall
Schedule
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BeastofTheEast–October22nd–23rd
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7U–10U46/60:October23rd-1-DayTourney,doesnotconflictwith
Schedule
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10U50/70–18U–3GameMinimum(Sat/Sun)
[email protected].