GMJBA Regulations and Rules of Play

Section #1 - General

The Board of Directors of Green Mountain Junior Baseball Association (hereinafter referred to as the Association) shall establish regulations and rules which govern, among other things, player eligibility, rules of play, equipment and uniform requirements, selection of coaches, bracketing of teams, registration procedures, and player drafts;
Each team shall assume the responsibility for the conduct of it’s players, coaches, and spectators at all practices and games;
The Official National League Baseball Rule, latest Revised Edition, copyrighted by the Commissioner of Baseball, shall be used to govern all rules of play, except where the Jefferson County Junior Baseball League (JCJBL) Regulations and Rules of Play apply;
JCJBL will establish all game schedules for league play for all teams;

Section #2 - Registration

Open registration shall be scheduled for all players, usually in January or early February of each year;
All players, and their respective parents or guardian, shall agree to all regulations, rules, codes of conduct, and any other requirements as stipulated by JCJBL at the time of registration. Players and their respective parents or guardians shall be required to sign a Release and Authorization form;
Registration fees for all players shall be established by the Board of Directors annually prior to the open registration;
Players who register with the Association for the first time shall be required to provide a copy of a birth certificate in order to verify age;
Players unable to register at the established times shall be allowed to register late with the Vice President of Registration. All players who register late shall pay a late fee which will be established annually by the Board of Directors. Although all efforts will be made to place players who register late on teams, there will be no guarantee of placement;
Any player who registers late and is not placed on any team shall be placed on a waiting list. Players may graduate from the waiting list to a team only if an opening would arise;
Any player may register as a “hardship” player. The decision to waive any or all registration fees for any player shall rest with the Board of Directors.

Section #3 - Player Eligibility

All players shall register with the Association described in Section #2 above;
Player eligibility guidelines shall comply with JCJBL player eligibility guidelines as outlined in the JCJBL Regulations and Rules of Play;
All players must conform to the requirements set forth in the Player’s Code of Conduct (see Exhibit A). Failure to comply to the requirements established in the Player’s Code of Conduct may result in the immediate suspension of the player’s eligibility;
All parents and guardians of the player must conform to the requirements of the Parent’s Code of Conduct. Failure to comply to the requirements established in the Parent’s Code of Conduct may result in the immediate suspension of the player’s eligibility;
The final decision on a player’s eligibility shall rest with the Board of Directors.

Section #4 - Teams

Teams shall be formed based on a player’s age as of July 31 of each year. Players may choose to play up in age brackets but never down;
All teams in age groups 9 and up shall be bracketed in flights 0,1,2,3,and 4 in accordance with JCJBL guidelines;
All players on Pee-Wee teams, age groups 6 through 8, shall be placed on teams at random; except that returning Pee-Wee players may request to return to the same team as in the previous year, if applicable. There will be no bracketing of Pee-Wee teams;
All team rosters shall include; the JCJBL team number; the names, addresses, and phone numbers of all players, coaches, and team parents; and the name of any sponsors.
It is recommended that the number of players on each roster be 12 or 13 players.

Section #5 - Player Draft

The dates and times of the player drafts shall be established by the Board of Directors, usually in February of each year. Backup dates will be established in the event of inclement weather;
All players age 9 and up, including sons and daughters of all Coaches, shall be required to enter the player draft. There is no guarantee that players will be placed on the same team that they played on in a prior year;
Players shall be drafted to various flight teams based on playing ability as judged by a panel of drafting age group coaches. Due regard will be given to securing adequate pitching and catching for each team;
Players, and parents or guardians of players, must understand and accept that players may be placed on a team against their wishes; except that players who are drafted on a 0 flight team, who are likely to play a much more demanding game schedule, may opt to drop down one flight level to play on a less competitive team. If any players opt to drop down from 0 flight to the next lowest flight, the 0 flight coach has the option to draft any players from any other lower flight teams as replacements, subject to those players’s acceptance to play on a 0 flight team. Players who choose not to play for any reason would be eligible to receive a full refund of all registration fees provided that written notification is given to the Vice President of Registration prior to the commencement of the first regularly scheduled game for that player’s team.
Players who register with the Association but are unable to attend the draft will either be placed on a team by the Board of Directors or will be placed on a waiting list subject to the conditions set forth in Section #2-5 above.
The entire roster of each team will be filled in descending order from 0 flight (highest)to 4th flight (lowest). To avoid, as much as possible, any conflict in placement as described in Section # 5-4 above, the entire roster of any 0 flight teams must be confirmed with all players on that team prior to the notification of players for any first flight teams. Once the 0 flight coach has confirmed his roster with all players, he shall immediately contact the head coach of the 1st flight team who shall confirm his roster with all players. This protocol shall be used by all remaining teams in descending order until all rosters are confirmed and all players are notified. Head coaches shall contact the Vice President of Registration as soon as possible with their player rosters. All player rosters should be completed and submitted to the Vice President of Registration within 96 hours (4 days) of the consummation of the draft;
In the event that two teams are placed in the same flight, the existing established team shall fill their roster first, and the new incoming team shall fill their roster second. If both flighted teams are established, the team with the best record from the prior year shall fill their roster first, followed by the next. If both flighted teams finished the prior year with the same record, the teams shall alternate their player choices until their rosters are full. If neither team is established, the teams shall alternate their player choices until their rosters are full. If more than two teams are placed in the same flight, the President of the Association shall intervene and decide the draft order for all teams which shall be based generally on the above guidelines;
All player draft scores shall be kept confidential;
Any players age 8 or lower may attend the draft for the Roberto Clemente 8 year old 0 flight team. Players not chosen for this team may play Pee-Wee or may attend the 9 year old draft to be placed on a 9 year old team. Players chosen for the Roberto Clemente team shall be chosen by a panel of coaches which are appointed by the Board of Directors. Coaches for the Roberto Clemente team shall be appointed by the Board of Directors after the team players have been chosen;
It is common for a parent or guardian to coach a team. It is the goal of the Association to place players on teams based on their ability. Coaches follow the player, not the other way around, with one exception. The Head Coach and the first Assistant Coach shall be chosen for each team in advance of the player draft. Consequently sons and daughters of the Head Coach and first Assistant Coach shall be allowed to play on the team which is coached by their parent or guardian without regard for player ability. The final decision on the placement of coaches shall rest with the Board of Directors.
Players who wish to return to the same team as in the previous year may indicate so at the time of registration, however there will be no guarantee that the player will be drafted on the same team.
Any player who wishes to not play for any particular team or coach may choose to do so only if that player gives notice, in writing, to the President, Vice President of Administration, or Vice President of Registration prior to the player draft. Players may use this option only one time per season. Coaches will then be notified at the draft of any players who do not wish to play for their team. Coaches will then avoid drafting any players against their wishes which should avoid further conflicts.
The final decision on the placement of players on teams shall rest with the Board of Directors whose decisions shall be final.

Section #6 - Coaches

Any person wishing to coach a team, whether it be as a head coach or as an assistant coach, must be approved by the Board of Directors prior to assuming any coaching duties. In order to be approved, all coaches must comply with the following:

All coaching candidates must submit a complete Coaches Application to the Vice President of Administration;
All coaching candidates must sign and agree to the Coaches Code of Conduct;
All coaching candidates must agree to allow the Board of Directors to perform a background check through the Colorado Bureau of Investigation or any other source at the time of application or at any time in the future;
All new coaches must attend a coaches clinic as sponsored by the Association;
Any coaching candidates may be required to interview with the Vice President of Administration;

The Vice President of Administration shall make coaching recommendations to the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall be responsible to assign all coaches to their teams.
All coaches shall abide by the Coaches Code of Conduct at all times;
No coach shall cause a player’s school eligibility or academic standing to be placed in jeopardy due to the demands of baseball practices;
Returning coaches from prior years teams shall indicate their intent to coach to the Vice President of Administration by January 15th;
Coaching vacancies which occur during the baseball season shall be filled by appointment by the Board of Directors;
The Board of Directors shall be responsible to recruit, select, assign, review, reprimand, suspend, or dismiss any coach. All decisions by the Board of Directors shall be final.

Section #7 - Pee-Wee League Play

Our Pee-Wee leagues shall be divided into two divisions; a non competitive coach pitch league for 5, 6 and inexperienced 7 year olds (Level 1), and a competitive machine pitch league for experienced 7 year olds and 8 year olds (Level 2). The characteristics of each league shall be as follows:

Level 1:

This is a non competitive league. We will not keep score;
Players shall be placed on teams at random. There will be no player draft;
Each season shall be approximately 12 games long. League play shall begin in late April. All league play shall consist of teams from GMJBA playing games against other GMJBA teams;
There will be no league sanctioned season ending tournaments;
Each game shall be 1 1/2 hours long;
Each team shall bat 9 batters per inning, or bat until 3 outs are obtained, whichever comes first;
If any batter takes 10 swings without hitting a fair ball they shall automatically walk;
All pitching shall be done by a coach who represents the team at bat;
There will be no leading off base or stealing bases;
All players must be at least 5 years old by April 1 of the current season;
All players shall be required to wear a heart guard which shall be purchased at the player’s expense.

Level 2:

This is a competitive league. We will keep score of games. Team standings will be kept;
Players shall be placed on teams at random. There will be no player draft;
Each season shall be approximately 12 games long. League play shall begin in late April and shall end prior to July 4, weather permitting. All league play shall consist of teams from GMJBA playing games against other GMJBA teams;
There will be a league sanctioned season ending tournament for all teams;
Each game shall be 1 1/2 hours long;
Each team shall bat 9 batters per inning, or bat until 3 outs are obtained, whichever comes first;
All pitching shall be done by a use of a pitching machine. Pitching machines shall only be operated by coaches with complete regard for player safety at all times;
There will be no leading off base or stealing bases;
7 year olds will be allowed and encouraged to move up to play Level 2 if:

They will reach age 7 by April 1 of the current season, and
They have played baseball in an organized baseball league (such as Level 1) for at least one year. Due to safety concerns, 5 and 6 year olds will not be allowed to play Level 2 under any circumstances.

It is strongly recommended but not required that all players wear a heart guard which shall be purchased at the player’s expense.

Section #8 - Players and Parents Code of Conduct

All players and their respective parents or guardian must agree to comply with the Player’s Code of Conduct and Parents Code of Conduct as described in attached Exhibit A.

Section #9 - Coaches Code of Conduct

All coaches must agree to comply with the Coaches Code of Conduct as described in attached Exhibit B.

Section #10 - Association Coaches Meetings

All Association Coaches Meetings shall be held monthly at a time and place as determined by the Board of Directors;
All coaches are strongly encouraged to attend all coaches meetings;
Any head coach, assistant coach, team parent, or any other representative may attend a coaches meeting in order to receive information which should then be shared with their team. However, only coaches, as defined in the Association Bylaws Article #3, Section #5 , may discuss any issues or vote on any matters as a member of the Association;
In order to reward teams who are represented at Coaches Meetings for their attendance during the previous twelve months, as recorded by the Secretary of the Association, the Vice President of Fields shall give priority on the assignment of practice times and locations to the teams with the highest attendance, regardless of age group. In the event of a tie, an older age group team shall have preference over a younger age group team. In the event of a tie within an age group, the higher flight team shall have preference over the lower flight team. However, as certain practice fields are unable to be used by older age group teams due to the limited size of the field, larger practice fields will be reserved for older age group teams;
Teams which have a regular season game or tournament game which conflicts with the monthly Coaches Meeting shall be excused from attending the Coaches Meeting. However, the team must notify the Secretary of the Association prior to the Coaches Meeting so that their absence will be considered excused.

Section #11- Mandatory Play Rules

All teams, except for Seniors and Level 3 teams, shall be required to comply with a mandatory play rule;
All players must play one complete inning in a defensive position and have at least one plate appearance in each game;
Approved exceptions to the mandatory play rule shall include:

If a league game is canceled prematurely due to inclement weather or curfew;
For any player, on a game by game basis only, who arrives at the site of the League game after the time specified by the head coach of the team;
If a player is being disciplined. In this case the player’s name and reason that he/she is not playing must be listed on the game scoresheet. The game scoresheets can be called for review by the Board of Directors.

For Seniors and Level 3 teams, the above guidelines shall also apply, except that each player must play a minimum of six defensive outs and have at least one plate appearance;
It is recommended, although not required, that all teams exercise the option to use a batting order in which every player is listed (also known as “bat the lineup”), whenever allowed by JCJBL rules;
Any coach who violates the mandatory play rule will be subject to disciplinary action, which may include suspension or dismissal of coaching duties as determined by the Board of Directors.

Section #12 - Safety Requirements

All players are required to wear double-eared batting helmets while batting, running bases, coaching bases, or at any time while on a practice or game field while not in possession of his/her baseball glove. This requirement includes any practices, practice games, league games, tournament games and any other times while actively participating on offense;
All catchers are required to wear complete catcher’s protective gear, including an athletic cup, at all times in which a batter is in the batter’s box. Ages 12 and under are required to wear a full catcher’s helmet;
No player or coach shall throw bats, helmets, or other equipment in such a manner that endangers others, or in an unsportsmanlike manner;
The Association shall issue to all teams a first aid kit. The first aid kit shall be in possession of the head coach or acting head coach at all practices and games;
The head coach, or acting head coach, of any team must have in his/her possession a completed Medical Authorization form for every player on his/her team. No player may participate in any practice or game until the player’s parent or legal guardian has completed and signed a Medical Authorization form and returned the completed and signed Medical Authorization form to the head coach;
The use of Association issued safety equipment or it’s equivalent shall be mandatory.

Section #13 - Uniforms

The Association shall issue baseball jerseys and baseball caps to all Pee-Wee and Junior Association teams. All baseball caps and Pee-Wee baseball jerseys shall become the property of the player and do not need to be returned to the Association at the end of the season. Junior baseball jerseys are the property of the Association and shall be returned to the Association at the conclusion of league or tournament play. All other baseball uniform components must be purchased individually by the player and therefore become the property of the player;
All Association teams are required to wear uniforms which consist of baseball hat, jersey, baseball pants, and baseball socks that are approved by the Association at any and all league and tournament games;
For games and tournaments not classified as official league play, Association teams are encouraged, but not required, to wear the Association approved uniform. However, as many teams desire to purchase additional jerseys and other uniform components to be used for tournament play, teams will be allowed to purchase additional uniform components including baseball jerseys. Any other uniform components must still comply with the name and color requirements as identified in sections #13-5 and #13-6;
Undershirts, jackets, warm-up jerseys, sanitary socks, batting gloves, shoes, etc. may be used by any team without restriction as long as these uniform components comply with the color requirements described in Section #13-6 below. These uniform components shall not be provided by the Association;
All jerseys used for junior league play and any jerseys purchased by teams used for tournament play shall read either ”RAMS”, “Green Mountain”, or “GM” on the front of the jersey;
Standard Association uniform colors for all teams except Pee-Wees shall be consistent with those of Green Mountain High School, which are black, white, and gold. Pee-Wee teams shall wear jerseys which are of various colors in order to distinguish each team from another;
The Association shall issue, free of charge, three coaches shirts to each Association team.
Junior teams that purchased uniforms used in the 2001 baseball season with the intention of using those uniforms again in the 2002 baseball season shall be permitted to do so for league and tournament play;
Player’s names may be placed permanently on the back of the Pee-Wee jersey. Player names may be placed on the back of the Junior jersey only if it can be safely removed at the conclusion of the baseball season. No advertising or sponsor information shall be allowed to be placed on any uniform component;
The Board of Directors shall retain the right to determine uniform compliance for all players and teams.

Section #14 - Sponsorships

GMJBA is committed to obtaining sponsors for the entire baseball program each season. Money raised from the sponsorship program helps to reduce our registration costs as well as helps to assist us in financing the overall baseball program. Sponsorship contributions are used to help defray the costs of such things as field repair, equipment purchases and repair, field useage, and bracketing costs as well as many other costs incurred during the season;
The Sponsorship Director shall be responsible to supervise the overall administration of the Sponsorship program;
Please refer to the attached exhibit A for complete details of the sponsorship program.

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GREEN MOUNTAIN JUNIOR BASEBALL ASSOCIATION

REGULATIONS AND RULES OF PLAY

AS AMENDED DECEMBER, 2001

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