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Major Sports Softball Rules
1. NSA rules apply unless superseded by a Major Sports rule.
2. Teams can play a game with 8 players. If your team has less than 8, it will be a forfeit. If you have 8 at game time you must start the game. A 9th and 10th player can be added anytime during the course of that game. They must go into the 9th and 10th batting slots in the batting order. An EH (Extra Hitter) cannot be added once the batting order has batted around.
3. Fifteen minutes is the grace period allowed before the forfeit of the first game. An additional fifteen minutes is allowed before the forfeit of the second game.
4. Both teams are to bring a home plate and bases to the field.
5. After ground rules are discussed at home plate, a coin flip will determine home teams. The team winning the coin flip decides what game they want to be the home for either the first or the second game. The team losing the coin flip takes the other game.
6. The home team puts in a new ball and a good used ball for that game.
7. Each team is allowed three extra hitters (EH) in their batting order. Which means 13 men can be in the batting order.
8. Courtesy runners are allowed during the course of the game. In Major Sports there is no limit to the number of courtesy runners a team can use, as long as there is a need for a legitimate courtesy runner. The courtesy runner is the last batted out. You cannot have a courtesy runner put in just to get a faster runner on the base paths. This seems to be done near the end of close games. This abuse of the courtesy run rule will not be allowed.
9. 12 Run Rule Any team trailing by 12 runs or more after 5 InnIngs will lose game by the 12 Run Rule. This means that after 5 innings if the home team is losing by more than 12 runs they will not get to bat in the bottom of that inning.
10. No metal spikes are allowed.
11. Judgment calls by the umpire cannot be protested.
12. Protests have to be made to the umpire before another pitch is made. It is to be written in each team's score book at that point in the game.
13. Foul on a third strike is an out and the ball is dead.
14. Bases are 70 feet.
15. Pitcher's mound is 50 feet from home plate.
16. If the batter steps on home plate and makes contact with the ball during his swing and hits the ball into fair or foul territory, he is out.
17. If he steps in front of the plate (not on it) and hits the ball into fair territory, he is not out as long as one foot is in the batter's box.
18. Batter's box extends 4 feet in front of home plate from the forward edge of the plate.
19. If a pitched ball hits any part of home plate, it Is a ball.
20. Two bases from the point of release from last base possessed, is what a base runner is awarded for an over throw into dead ball territory.
21. Appeal Play: In Major Sports there is no elaborate protocol for appeals. All a team has to do is appeal before the next pitch.
22. No fake tags: The umpire will give a warning the first time he sees a fake tag to both teams. After the warning anyone who gives a fake tag will be ejected from the game.
23. The base path is 3 feet to either side of a direct line to the base.
24. Reentry Rule: Any of the starting players may be withdrawn and reentered once, provided players occupy the same batting order.
25. Any team that is responsible for a field permit being revoked will be terminated from the league.
26. As soon as a player touches a fly ball, even if he momentarily misplays it, the runners on base can tag-up.
27. 12 Run Rule is in effect during the playoffs.
28. Any manager misreading his team's schedule will have to suffer the forfeit.
29. As soon as the play is finished, the umpire will call time out and go back to home plate. This stops all action and stops the cat and mouse games on the base paths.
30. The Double First Base will be used at all times as long as there is another base available to put down. The Double First Base is lined up next to the original first base on the inside of the diamond going toward second base.
THE PITCH
This is the league rule on the legal pitch. I try and simplify this every year to make it easy on the teams and the umpire. The arc of the pitch cannot be any higher than 12 feet. As long as the ball has some kind of an arc it will not be called a flat pitch. What this means is that as long as there is some kind of an arc it does not have to be 6 feet. For instance, if a player is 5'8", is pitched a ball with an arc of, let's say, 5 feet, then this will be considered a legal pitch. If the ball comes in at, lets say, 3 feet, then it will be considered a flat pitch, which of course is an illegal pitch.
All I am trying to do is make it as easy as possible for all involved. If you ever have any questions about any of this I will discuss it with you at any time.
THE PITCHER MAY USE ANY WINDUP PROVIDING:
A. His windup is a continuous motion.
B. He does not use a windup in which there is a stop or reversal of the forward motion.
C. He delivers the ball on the first forward swing of the pitching arm past the hip.
BASIC SOFTBALL RULES
1. INFIELD FLY RULE: An infield fly is a fair ball (not including a line drive) which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort when 1st and 2nd or 1st, 2nd and 3rd bases are occupied before there are two outs. The pitcher, catcher and any outfielder who positions himself in the infield on the play shall be considered infielders for the purpose of this rule. The batter is automatically out.
2. INTERFERENCE: Interference is the act of an offensive player or team member which impedes or confuses a defensive player while attempting to execute a play. If judged so by the umpire. Vocal interference can also be called.
3. OBSTRUCTION: Obstruction is the act of a defensive player or team member which hinders or prevents a batter from striking or hitting a pitched ball, or, a fielder, while not in possession of the ball, impedes the progress of a base runner who is legally running the bases.
LEAGUE INFORMATION
1. In case of inclement weather: if you are not called saying your games have been canceled for the day, of if you call 631.666.1360 and there is not a game cancellation message on the answering machine, then your team must report to the scheduled field for that day's game. If you get to the field and the conditions are such that the game cannot be played, then the game will be ruled a rain out and it will be made up. With the capricious nature of rain during the summer, where it can be raining in one area and not raining in another area and where one field will hold more water than another field, sometimes the decision to play or not to play will be made at the field.
If you do not get a cancellation call and there is no cancellation message on the answering machine and you decide not to show up at the field because you feel the game will be rained out and we deem that the field was playable and the other team shows up, your team will suffer the forfeit.
If you you have any doubt about a game being played or rained out always call 631.666.1360. Either I will answer the phone or there will be a message on the machine informing you of my decision to play or not to play.
2. Games will start on time: It is imperative that all games start on time, especially 9:00 a.m. games on Sunday morning, so they will not affect 11:30 a.m. starts. If teams have some players that insist on being late, the game will not be held up for them. The umpires have been instructed to start all the games on time, even if a team has 8 players.
3. Absolutely no alcoholic beverages are allowed on or near the field or the bench area: No alcoholic beverages are to be brought onto the school or the field grounds at any time by any player or spectator. If any alcoholic beverages are seen by the umpire, he has been instructed to stop the game until they are removed from the field area. If they are not removed, the game will be stopped and those individuals responsible for not abiding by the rule will be terminated from the league.
4. Use of profanity by the players or spectators will not be tolerated: Wives, children, girlfriends and parents attend these games and the fields are surrounded by houses. If you think Major Sports will permit anyone to use vile language to upset the sensibilities of these individuals, you are mistaken. Umpires are instructed to tell any player who uses any profanities to refrain from using them. If it continues, it will be brought to my attention. A word to the wise, you do not want it brought to my attention.
5. No fighting: If anyone throws a punch or a kick, no matter how much he is provoked verbally, they will be terminated from the league immediately. Of course, on the other band, if during my investigation of a fighting incident, I feel that an individual, even though he did not throw a punch or a kick, was verbally out of order, that individual will be terminated from the league.
6. I will not allow players to be abusive or discourteous to any umpire: If I hear of any incidents of abusive conduct toward an umpire, the player or players will be suspended. If an umpire is ever threatened or touched by a player or players, those players will be terminated from the league and never allowed to play in the league again. If an umpire is abusive he will be dealt with in the same manner.
7. All softball players are to conduct themselves as good sportsmen: A display of disrespect toward the opponent will be considered unsportsmanlike conduct and will not be tolerated in the league. There will be no profanity directed toward an opponent for any reason.
8. Littering of fields will not be tolerated: Clean up your bench area before you leave the field. Please display common sense and courtesy pertaining to this matter.
PLAYOFF PROTOCOL
In the Major Sports softball league the size of the team roster is usually 20 players. On certain occasions managers of some of the corporate teams will ask me if it is possible to expand the roster because of a legitimate request of players not being able to make games because of vacations or not being able to make games on certain days because of their work schedule. I have no problem with any team doing that, as long as it is a legitimate request.
However, when it comes to playoff time this, is the league rule:
For the early spring leagues - a player has to play in 3 out of the 5 doubleheaders to be eligible for the playoffs.
For the summer leagues - a player has to play in 7 out of 11 doubleheaders to be eligible for the playoffs.
For the autumn classic leagues - a player has to play in 4 out of 7 doubleheaders to be eligible for the playoffs.
Since all teams get a score book from the league, they will have to keep score for each game to track player illegibility for the playoffs. If an opponent brings it to my attention, or if an umpire brings it to my attention, that a team is loading up for the playoffs with players that did not play the required amount of games during the season to be eligible for the playoffs, that team will have to show me their score book for the season to substantiate that the players in question were illegible.
I would not have to set this rule up if all teams played in the playoffs with the players on their roster during the season. However, I know that some teams do load up for the playoffs and I want it stopped. It is not fair to all the other teams in the league who do abide by the spirit of good sportsmanship during the playoffs by playing with their regular team.
If a team is found to have played with ineligible players they will be eliminated from the playoffs at that time.
If you have any questions about this rule call me and we will discuss it at length.
RESCHEDULING RAIN OUT DATES
At the end of each season there will be time designated for the rescheduling of rain outs.
For the Sunday divisions it will be the Sunday that follows the last Sunday of the regular season. For the twilight and night divisions it will be the week that follows the last week of the regular season.
However, at any time during the season, the teams that have rain outs are encouraged to contact one another and collectively decide on a mutually agreeable date to make the rain outs up during the season. You can make up the games any time during the week. All you have to do is give me one week's notice and I will get you a field and an umpire.
The reason i encourage this is, if by chance there are 3 or 4 rain outs during a season, we will still have only the one week of make ups to get them in. The reason for this is the majority of the fields are paid for and I do not get a refund if there are rain outs. So, if you want to insure that you play your entire slate of games, speak with the opposing manager and arrange some of the make ups during the season.
There will be NO REFUNDS if all games are not made up due to inclement weather.
GENERAL RULES
1. Player ejection: If a player, manager or coach is ejected from a game, he must leave the grounds immediately. If the ejected individual does not leave the grounds within 5 minutes, the game will be forfeited to the opposing team. An ejected player in the first game can return for the second game, as long as he conducts himself properly from that point on.
2. Protest: If a formal protest is to be filed, notification must be made to the umpire and the opposing manager prior to the next pitch.
3. Sliding: there is not a sliding rule in this league. If i had it my way no one would slide, because it is a major cause of injuries in softball. Only slide if you have to. What the runner has to do is avoid contact with the fielder.
4. Automatic outs: There are no automatic outs in Major Sports for injury. If a player is hurt and his team only has 9 players left, there will be no automatic out. However, if a player is thrown out of a game by the umpire and if a player has to leave and there is no replacement there will be an out. This rule was changed from last year because some teams took it out of context and used to their advantage in close games.
5. Infielders covering the bases: The proper way to cover the bases if you are playing the infield is to straddle the base. Do not stand in front of the base with a runner coming in.
6. Collisions: Collisions on the base paths, especially at home plate, will not be tolerated. It is the runner's obligation to avoid contact. On rare occasions collisions cannot be avoided and they may be considered inadvertent. However, all base runners should run under control. Home plate is the area where collisions occur the most and here the runner has to avoid contact with the catcher. If a base runner collides with the catcher and the umpire feels that it could have been avoided, the runner is out. If the umpire feels that the collision had malicious intent, the runner will be ejected from the game. Run under control and avoid collisions.
7. No females can play in Major Sports leagues.
8. If a game has to go to a one and one count, the third strike, if fouled, is still an out.
9. Bats: Titanium bats are not permitted in the league. Anyone caught using this bat will be ejected from the game and his spot will become an out.
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