2010 Regulations and Rules

REGULATIONS

1) SPORTSMANSHIP
All players, captains and officials of the League will treat one another and spectators with courtesy, dignity and respect and will not tolerate any other behavior. Aggressive and mean-spirited behavior toward any one at a League game will result in ejection(s) from that game and possible further suspension to be decided on by the Commissioner.

2) PLAYER ELIGIBILITY
Players may only play for one team per season. If employed by a team in the League, players must play for that team unless they started with another team at the beginning of the season. Interns are not employees.

3) TEAMS
There will be 10 teams split into two divisions of five (5) each.

4) LEAGUE COUNCIL
The League Council will consist of one captain per team and the Commissioner, Mark Fagan. The Council, by majority vote, shall determine changes to the Regulations and Rules as needed. The commissioner’s vote will count only if there is a 5-5 vote by the captains.

5) ROSTERS
Teams must provide the League with a list of all players on their rosters no later than March 1. There is no limit to the number of players that may be listed on a team’s roster.

Only (paid) employees of a team’s business may be added to a team’s roster after the March 1 deadline. No players, except replacements for injured females, may be added to a team after the fifth game of the season.

6) GAMES
A regulation game shall consist of nine innings. A game that is tied after nine innings shall be continued by playing additional innings until one team has scored more runs at the end of a complete inning or until the team second to bat in the inning has scored more runs.

A game called by the umpire shall be regulation if five or more complete innings have been played, or if the team second to bat has scored more runs in four innings than the other team has scored in five or more innings. The umpire may agree to call a game at any time because of darkness, rain, fire, or any other cause that would put people in jeopardy. If city league play continues so will we, if the city league stops because of dangerous weather, so will we.

7) LINEUPS AND BATTING ORDER
A team may have no more than 15 players per game in its lineup. All players who play in the field must be in the batting order. All players in the batting order must play at least one inning in the field.

Team batting orders will be shared previous to each game and the batting order will be followed for the entire game.

Teams must play at least three women per game, all must be in the batting order with at least two women playing in the field at all times. Teams short one woman will have an automatic out added to their lineup; teams without at least two women will forfeit.

8) EQUIPMENT
Baseball spikes or any other full-metal spikes are not permitted. All players must use softball bats. There are no exceptions to these rules.  If caught wearing spikes or using an illegal bat, the player will be ejected. The minimum length of suspension is that game plus Commissioner’s decision on further disciplinary action.

The Alternative Softball League will be using white 12-inch Worth leather Super Blue Dot or Gold Dot balls.

There should be no equipment on the playing field. If there is equipment on the field that causes a blocked ball by the offensive team, the lead runner is out and all other runners must return to the previous base. If the equipment is the defensive team’s, the ball becomes dead and runners advance one base.

9) UMPIRES
Each game will be umpired by at least three umpires, one of which will also keep score for the game. The scorekeeper can keep score from the stands if there are enough umps on the field. Each team is responsible for recruiting capable volunteers to umpire League games.

An umpire may not overrule another umpire’s decision as long as the play was in the second umpire’s jurisdiction. They may discuss it but if a call is to be reversed, it must be done by the umpire who originally called the play.

10) FORFEITS
If a game is forfeited the score will be considered 10-0 win for the opposing team.

11) SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE
Teams will split the cost for the rental of the field for each game and each team will provide two (white 12-inch Worth leather Super Blue Dot or Gold Dot) softballs for each game.

12) SEASON
Each team will play a 9-game regular season. Each team will play divisional opponents once and non-division opponents once. Teams will play non-division opponents first and then finish the season playing their four divisional rivals.

13) PLAYOFFS
The top three teams from each division make the playoffs. The top three seeds will be decided by overall win-loss record. Then head-to-head record. Then head-to-head point differential. Then overall point differential. Then a coin flip. If there is a tie for the third and final seed, then those teams will play a regulation game to determine the third seed. In the event of a three-way tie, playoff eligibility will be determined by the head-to-head record of the three teams involved, then their division records, then head-to-head run differential, then divisional run differential. If three teams tie for third place, this will be used to exclude one team and then the other two will play the play-in game.

The first place team receives a first-round bye.

14) CHAMPIONSHIP
The championship series, upon agreement of the captains of the two teams, will be a single game or a three-game series with the home team advantage going to the winner of the regular-season head-to-head match-up between the two teams.

RULES:

1) BASE PATH
The base path is three feet either side of a direct line from one base to another. The runner does not need to run in the base path unless a play is being made on him/her. In running the bases, a runner establishes the base path, i.e., batter-runner rounds first base on the way to second, the base path is on an arc. The ball remains in play if a base runner is called out for running outside the base path to avoid a tag.

2) BATTING OUT OF ORDER
If a batter bats out of order, this is an appeal play, which must be brought to the umpire’s attention. If it is detected while the incorrect batter is at bat, the correct batter assumes the count and all plays made will stand.

If it is detected after the incorrect batter has completed their turn at bat and before and next pitch, the batter who should have batted is out, the ball is dead and any advance or score made because of the improper batter’s advance shall be nullified, however any runner or runners put out on the play remain out. The next batter is the player whose name follows that of the player called out for failing to bat.

If the error is discovered after the first pitch to the next batter, the turn at bat of the incorrect batter is legal, all runs scored and bases run are legal and the next batter shall be the one whose name follows that of the incorrect batter. No one is called out for failure to bat. No base runner shall be removed from a base to bat in his/her proper place. They merely miss their turn at bat with no penalty.

3) COLLISIONS – DELIBERATELY CRASHING INTO A FIELDER WITH THE BALL
When a defensive player has the ball, and the runner remains on his/her feet and deliberately crashes into the defensive player waiting to apply the tag, the runner is out, the ball is dead and all other runners must return to the last base touched at the time of the collision. Note: If the act is determined to be flagrant, the offender shall be ejected. In order to prevent a deliberate crash ruling, the runner can give up, slide, go around the defender, or return to the previous base touched. This rule will be strictly enforced in order to prevent injury and protect the defensive player who has possession of the ball.
• Fielders should not block the base without possession of the ball (that is obstruction), stand to the side of the base, not in front of the base, catch the ball, then apply the tag.
• If a defensive player is fielding a thrown ball and the flight of the ball draws the fielder into the path of the runner, this would not be a crash.
• If the ball, runner and the defensive player all arrive at the same time and contact is made, the umpire should not invoke the crash rule or obstruction-this is merely incidental contact.

4) DOUBLE FIRST BASE
• A batted ball hitting the white portion is fair and a batted ball hitting the orange portion is foul.
• Whenever a play (ball must be thrown to first base in an attempt to record an out) is being made on the batter-runner, the defense must use the white portion and the batter-runner must touch the orange portion. If a play made at first base, but the ball is overthrown or the fielder is pulled off the base by an errant or missed throw,
the batter-runner is allowed to use the white base if trying to advance to second base.
(Exception: On a play attempt on the batter-runner from the foul side of first base, or by errant throw pulling the fielder off the base into foul ground, the batter-runner and the fielder can use either white or orange portions of the base.)
• On extra base hits or balls hit to the outfield when there is no play being made at the double base, the batter-runner may touch the white or orange portion. When tagging up on a fly ball, either the white or orange base may be used.
• The batter-runner is allowed to legally return to either color base after he or she has touched or missed first base. After returning to either portion of the base, an appeal cannot be made.

5) FAIR AND FOUL BALL
Home plate and all bases are completely in fair territory.

A. Fly Ball – in determining fair or foul, the relationship of the ball when touched, to the foul line is the deciding factor. The placement of the fielder’s feet (inside/outside the foul line) is not a consideration. In the case of a batted ball caught by the catcher, if the ball flew above the batter’s head, it is a putout; otherwise it is a foul ball.

B. Batted Ball
1) A batted ball that first hits the ground before it reaches 1st or 3rd base is fair, if it settles in fair territory, is touched by a player while the ball is on or over fair ground, or if the ball passes over 1st or 3rd base, regardless of where the ball hits the ground after going over the base.

2) A batted ball that first hits the ground beyond 1st or 3rd base is fair or foul based on where it hits the ground that first time.

3) A batted ball that hits a player or umpire in fair territory and then goes foul, is a fair ball.

6) INTERFERENCE
Interference is defined as the act of an OFFENSIVE player or team member which impedes, hinders or confuses a defensive player attempting to execute a play. Defensive players must be given the opportunity to field the ball ANYWHERE on the playing field. There are several different types of interference calls (i.e. batter, baserunner, on-deck batter, and coach). When one of these types of interference occurs, the ball becomes dead, someone must be called out (usually the player interfering or being played on), and all baserunners will return to the last base touched at the time of the interference. If the interference is done to prevent a double play, either the immediate succeeding runner or the runner closest to home plate will also be called out.

7) PITCHING
The pitch must have an arc of between six and twelve feet from the ground.

8) OBSTRUCTION
Obstruction is the act of a fielder, who neither has nor is attempting to field a batted ball, which impedes the progress of a runner. Blocking a base, when not in possession of the ball, is a form of obstruction. Whenever obstruction occurs (including a rundown), the umpire will call “obstruction” and signal delayed dead ball. The ball will remain
alive.

When an obstructed runner is put out prior to reaching the base they would have reached had there not been obstruction, a dead ball is called (at the time of the putout) and all runners are awarded the base they would have gotten if obstruction had not occurred.
When obstruction occurs during a “rundown” a delayed dead ball is called. If the runner is tagged after being obstructed, time is called and the runner awarded the base they would have made. If the ball is overthrown after the obstruction, the runner can advance the ball remains alive. If the obstructed runner is put out after passing the base they would have reached had there not been obstruction, the obstructed runner will be called out.

9) OVERRUNNING A BASE
The batter-runner is not out if they overrun first base and turn either way unless they make an attempt to advance to second base and are touched with the ball while off base. All other runners are out if they overrun a base and are tagged with the ball while off the base.

10) STRIKEOUTS
Three swings, including foul balls, are a strikeout. If the third swing is a foul ball that still constitutes a strikeout.