If the county cancels games due to rain, they will post a message on the sports hotline at 4:00. 748-1001, press 1. Cancellations after 4:00 p.m. are not put on the hotline.
Men's League Matters
It's come to the Board's attention that some people may be unaware that bats on ASA's Prohibited List may not be used in CSSA league or tournament play. CSSA President Allen Harlow has a printed list of banned bats with photos, so if you have any questions about the legality of yours, please ask him. From time to time, he will also be spot-checking those bats being used during games, so save yourself some embarrassment--if you have any questions about your bat, ask Allen before using it. Though we aren't checking for steroids, Association rules do penalize users of illegal equipment. Allen will also be available on Monday nights should Co-ed League members have any questions about bats and there, too, he may visit the dugouts from time to time to ensure that no banned (because they are dangerous) bats are being used. We operate on the premise that no one playing senior ball is so uncertain of his (or her) athletic prowess or so consumed by gaining an unfair advantage that he (or she) would knowingly use banned (or altered) equipment.
If anyone on a Gold team desires to play in the Silver Division instead where rosters may be less full, please contact Dave, Patrick, or Lacy.
Rule Changes for 2009 Season
Rule #1: In case of a tie game , there will be 1 extra inning played under new rule to break the tie. The rule states that the last batter from the previous inning goes to 2nd base at the start of the extra inning. The batters in the extra inning will be hitting with 1 pitch only. (This means that the hitter will walk if the pitch is a ball, strike out if the pitch is a called or swinging strike or a foul, get a hit, or make an out.) There will be a limit of 3 runs in the extra inning, hence there will be a minimum of two pitches and a maximum of seven pitches per half inning. CSSA league rules permit courtesy runners so the last out from previous inning may be replaced at second.
Rule #2: ASA has made a rule change in the pitch count. There will no longer be a "courtesy" foul allowed on the 2nd strike. (This means that if you have 1 strike in the count--whether called, swinging, or fouled off--and you foul off the 2nd strike, you're out. In previous years this 2nd strike would be called a foul and the batter would have another swing.) CSSA members' opinions have been generally mixed. In view of that and the need to schedule five games per night on one field, the CSSA Board and Team Managers have decided to adhere to the ASA rule change in the Men's League. Batters are accordingly forewarned: one strike on you--keep the next one fair!
We will distribute to each Team Manager or Acting Manager rosters for his own team and rosters for the other teams in the league so that if the Manager knows he will be short of personnel in the first or second game of the night, he can contact players on other teams in advance to use as pickups instead of relying on "borrowing" players from the opposing team. After the second game, borrowing is mandatory before pickups are allowed. There is no penalty for borrowing. In the Gold Division, each pickup player will add two runs to the opponent's score (figured from the beginning of the game), up to a maximum of four runs, no matter how long the pickup player is in the game. In the Silver Division, teams that are allowed to borrow are not penalized if the pickup is from another Silver Divison team. If a player is picked up from a Gold Division team, he must be 55 and there will be a one-run penalty for each such pickup (maximum of four) by a Silver team from a Gold team.
We are seeking to update all of our playing rules and bylaws in accordance with changes that have been instituted at our Fall, Winter, and Spring general membership meetings. We will then distribute copies to the Managers and post them here.