2015 BOYS OF SUMMER ELITE BASEBALL RULES AND REGULATIONS

Rule 1- Boys of Summer Baseball League, is a subsidiary of the Long Island Stan Musial Baseball League Inc. and shall be ruled in accordance with the national affiliated organizations (NABF and AABC) except in such situations where the local rules conflict with the national rules. The local rules prevail over the national rules for seasonal play.

Rule 2- The only way rules can be added, dropped or modified is by a two-thirds vote of the quorum.

Rule 3- If an interpretation of a rule or a situation is in question the President and Rules Interpreter should be notified immediately for clarification. If there is a question during a game, the umpire’s ruling shall be used.

Rule 4- When the final schedule is issued, the games are to be played in accordance with that schedule. This league schedule takes precedence over other leagues.

Rule 5- All league fees must be submitted in full by the May manager’s meeting. The $500.00 deposit must be submitted by the February manager’s meeting and is non-refundable.

Rule 6- A team's roster must have a minimum of 12 players and a maximum of 24 players. Final rosters are due to the League President and posted on the league website by July 1.

Rule 7- A player must sign a roster before playing in a league game. Once a player has signed a roster he becomes the property of that team unless he is released before June 30. The only exception is if a written waiver is given from the team and is approved by the league. All rosters are frozen on July 1. No players can be added without league consent. IE: Team has multiple injuries and needs to add players to honor the schedule and finish the season. Players cannot be rostered in the same division but can play in the same age group. There are no crossover games between the National and American Divisions in any age group. Thus, a player can play in both the National and American divisions. If a player's High School team is in the 17U Division, the player may be on the High School team's roster and Travel team's roster for the regular season but must officially declare one team for the postseason. All teams should carry proof age for all players. Photo will be required. Any player who is not on the team roster before July 1 is ineligible to participate. No players can be added after July 1 unless a waiver is granted in a special situation due to multiple injuries or unforeseen circumstances. A letter needs to be drafted and sent to the league office for review and a decision will be made by the executive board of directors. The player would still have to meet the eligibility requirements to make the playoffs. All players become free agents on September 1.

Rule 8- The use of a player not officially on a team's roster will cause said team an automatic forfeit. If a player signs more than one roster he becomes the official property of the first team he competes with in a league game.

Rule 9- All teams are responsible for field maintenance, including clean-up, repair and proper conduct. Judgment must be used in determining if a field is playable due to rain. Teams will be held financially responsible for damage caused to fields. Soft toss into fences is strictly prohibited and subject to paying for any damage. Violators of this rule will be ejected from the premises.

Rule 10- All players must be fully uniformed (matching hats, jerseys, pants and socks) by June 15. Managers and coaches on baselines need to be in coaching attire. Managers and coaches on the bench need to be in coaching attire. Coaches must have matching team shirts and are allowed to wear coaching shorts. If they are not in proper attire they cannot make trips to the mound or coach the bases. The umpire can eject any manager, coach or player in accordance with this rule.

Rule 11- Bat sizes are in accordance with the National Federation. Only minus -3 bats are allowed in league play. We are an all wood bat league from the 15U through the college divisions. The use of any composite or bamboo bat is not allowed in league play. This rule was updated in 2011.

Rule 12- The official baseballs used in this league are the Spalding NJCAA raised seam, Rawlings (R-200 or R-100), Diamond D-1 or the Wilson HS-1010. No other balls are allowed in League play unless approved by the executive committee.

Rule 13- The use of baseballs are to be shared by each team, each game, regardless of who is the home team.

Rule 14- Mercy Rule: play is stopped under this rule when 1) a team has a lead of 10 or more runs after the trailing team has batted at least 5 times 2) a team has a lead of 12 or more runs after the trailing team has batted at least 3 times.

Rule 15- Lightning Rule: If an umpire sees lightning, future play is suspended for 25 minutes. There can be two suspensions before a game is declared over.

Rule 16- We flip for home team in all single games. For doubleheaders, we flip for the first game and change the home team for the second game.

Rule 17- Slide / Avoid contact rule: All players must try to avoid contact at all four bases. Failure to do so will cause the player to be called out on the play and ejected from the game. This is a judgment call by the umpire. Throws that sail into the base path have to be judged individually with the sole interest in the safety of the players involved. Fake tags are illegal and are cause for ejection.

Rule 18- All players must wear a double-flap helmet when batting and when on base. Catchers must wear skull caps and throat protectors. Umpires may eject players for refusal to wear such equipment. Managers are responsible for catchers to wear protective gear while warming up pitchers.  1st and 3rd base coaches are required to wear skullcap helmets at all times while on the field. 

Rule 19- The local rule for the designated hitter (DH): Use of the DH is optional. The DH can be used for any position player, not just the pitcher. The DH can never change his spot in the batting order. A DH can be substituted for without affecting the fielder being DH’d for. If the DH enters the game defensively, the use of the DH is lost for the rest of the game. Now, every fielder must have a spot in the batting order. The fielder previously being DH’d for will occupy the player’s spot, replaced in the field by the DH.

Rule 20- The local rule for the extra hitter (EH): Use of an EH is optional. An EH is a player who is in the batting order in addition to the players in the field and the DH. Use of an EH creates a 10-man batting order. You can use multiple EH’s, therefore you can have a batting order longer than 10. EH’s can go into the game defensively with no effect on the batting order.

Rule 21- The local speed-up rule: Use of the speed up rule is optional. The speed-up rule can only be used for catchers and it can be used as soon as the catcher reaches base. It is not mandatory for a catcher when there are two outs. The replacement runner must be the last man to bat out in the batting order. It cannot be a player not in the game.

Rule 22- Insurance claims must be reported to the League office immediately. Incidents need to be recorded and reported to the insurance company within 48 hours.

Rule 23- The local rule for forfeits. Forfeit time is 20 minutes. If a team does not have enough players at game time there is a 20-minute grace period for the players to show up. After 20 minutes the game is declared a forfeit, in the case of a doubleheader, both games are declared forfeits. The team that forfeits is responsible for all of the umpire fees. If a team has 9 players it cannot wait 20 minutes for other players to show, the game starts on time as long as 9 players are present. Teams can begin a game and play with eight players.  If a team begins a game with 9 players but loses one due to ejection, the game is declared a forfeit. Two forfeits is expulsion from the league.

Rule 24- A manager must be declared before each game. The manager is the person who is listed on the League manager’s directory. If the listed manager is not present an assistant will assume the manager’s duties. If a defensive conference on the mound includes the manager it is considered a pitcher’s conference.

Rule 25- Protests must be lodged at the time of incident with the home plate umpire before the next pitch is thrown. A phone call to the President within 24 hours and a written application of protest within 72 hours are required. The protest committee will determine the outcome and has the authority to overturn the decision made on the field. The protest committee will decide the outcome of the protest and if a replay of the game is necessary from the point of protest. It could also have no bearing on the league standings and will not warrant continuation.

Rule 26- Only games suspended by lightning can be played to completion. Any games stopped by darkness are official if the visitor is trailing after five innings of at bats or the home team is trailing after five innings of at bats. If the visitor takes the lead in the top of the sixth or seventh inning and the home team does not bat in the bottom of the inning, the game reverts back to the previous fully played inning. It is the responsibility of both managers to agree on a replacement date, time and field for games stopped by lightning. The division coordinator must approve the game and assign umps.

Rule 27- Teams must input results and statistics on Leaguelineup.com/liboysofsummer within 24 hours of completion.

Rule 28- Standings for division championships and eligibility for post-season play will be determined by the following: A) won-lost percentage B) head to head record, C) total wins D) playoff E) A team must play in at least 21 games to be eligible for the playoffs.

Rule 29- Time limits. There are no time limits on Boys of Summer games unless they are on rented facilities with back-to-back DH's where time limits are a must. There are time limits at some college fields that have to be adhered to. No inning can start after an hour and 50 minutes at Dowling College, Adelphi University, Suffolk CC Selden, Farmingdale State College, St. Joseph's College and Hofstra University for all weekend games or any weekday DH’s. Any inning that starts before the time limit must be played to completion. There is no such thing as a kill time. Regular season games that go five full innings are official.

Rule 30- Ejections. The first ejection warrants a warning but could carry a suspension. The second ejection carries an automatic suspension. The umpires have the right to ask for a suspension, even if it is the first ejection. An executive committee hearing will be held to determine suspensions.

Rule 31- When a manager, coach or player is ejected from the game, that person must leave the bench area. The umpire will resume the game after the ejected person has left the area. The ejected party will have ample time [four minutes to leave the field area without being threatened with a forfeit by the umpire. If the ejected party hangs around or verbally abuses anyone the game is over. A coach cannot run the team from a distant area. Failure to comply will result in a forfeit.

Rule 32– The eligibility rules will require that a player must make an appearance in at least 50 per cent of his games. An appearance is equivalent to an at bat or an inning played on defense. Teams are requested to keep stats on Leaguelineup.com/liboysofsummer throughout the season to prevent eligibility issues. The website allows the league to monitor eligibility. Failure to keep the stats updated will put said team’s playoff eligibility in jeopardy. Any player who participates without complying with the eligibility rules will cause his team to forfeit.

Rule 33– Physical abuse of an umpire will result in banishment from the league. Physical abuse of an opposing player will result in a suspension. Banishments, suspensions and reinstatements will be determined by the League’s executive committee.

Rule 34- Alcoholic beverages on the playing field, dugouts or stands are strictly prohibited and are grounds for immediate ejection and suspension. Anyone found drinking during a game will be suspended indefinitely pending a hearing. If during a doubleheader, the ejection goes for both games. A hearing of the rules committee will be held for further action.

Rule 35- Teams may not play a 9 inning game in order to enter the results as two separate games into the standings.