I. I.
WFBL All Star Teams
Following regular Season play, the Woodbridge Fathers Baseball
League (WFBL), comprised of participants from both
the Towns of Woodbridge and Bethany, participates in numerous friendship
as well as competitive All Star Tournaments throughout the State of
Connecticut in their respective age groups. The WFBL also
participates in Babe Ruth League sanctioned State Tournaments, which is a
specific requirement of our Charters. The All Star season begins mid-June
and lasts until sometimes during the first week in August.
The WFBL fields competitive All Star “A” Teams for Boys 9’s,
10’s, 11’s, 12’s, Babe Ruth Prep (13) & Babe Ruth (14 / 15) ; the
existence of each Team at each age group is solely dependent upon the
availability of both Players and Managers / Coaches. The WFBL
may also field an All Star Team(s) for Boys 8’s, if there is an
opportunity for them to participate in a local Tournament should one be
available ; they would then be subject to these same Policies, without
exception.
The WFBL will also form less competitive and restrictive All
Star traveling “B” Teams for Players 9 - 10 and 11 - 12 years old, which
has proven to be extremely successful. These Teams will only be formed
based on the availability of both Players and Managers / Coaches. These
Teams would have the opportunity to play in local Friendship Tournaments
in the surrounding area to give those Players not selected for the All
Star “A” Teams noted above or can not make the total commitment required
for the “A” Teams a chance to play competitive baseball in the summer but
more importantly to have fun and stay involved in the game. The Manager
of each Team would also be able to select those Tournaments in which they
wish to participate in.
II. Selection of All Star Managers
The
WFBL Executive Committee, together with Bethany BSL, is
responsible for accepting nominations from those Managers / Coaches within
their respective League Divisions who wish to become Managers for specific
WFBL All Star Teams. Managers and / or Coaches within the
WFBL or others wishing to be a Manager of an All Star Team
must submit a letter of interest together with the applicable Nomination
form to the WFBL President no later than Saturday (April
05, 2008) for consideration. A mandatory meeting will be held
with all of the Boys Minors and Majors Managers / Coaches the week prior
to the selection of All Star Team Managers to review these Policies with
them and carefully explain the guidelines set forth under these Policies
for All Star Play. At this time, a Manager and / or Coach may also want
to express his / her interest in managing the 9 / 10 or 11 / 12 “B” Teams
as well.
From these letters of interest / Nomination forms, the WFBL
and Bethany BSL Executive Boards will then select the Managers of the All
Star Teams based upon the respective Manager’s / Coach’s Team record, his
/ her length of service within the WFBL and if said Manager
/ Coach has previously managed and / or coached WFBL All
Star Teams in past years. More importantly, the WFBL /
Bethany BSL Executive Boards want to ensure that each Manager who is
selected will properly represent the Towns of Woodbridge and Bethany in
all the Tournaments they play in, not only to obtain invitations to return
the following year but more importantly be a positive influence in leading
their respective All Star Teams. The WFBL / Bethany BSL
Executive Boards plan to make their selection of All Star Managers the
following week (by April 14, 2008) ; by selecting them early
on, this will allow those Managers to start planning ahead accordingly as
well as to start play in a Sunday Travel League during the months of April
and May.
It is also understood that even though someone may have managed an All
Star team in the past does not necessarily grant them
an automatic Manager‘s slot for another Team in the future. Note that
only a Manager will be selected for each All Star Team ; NO
Coaches will be assigned to any Team, so the Manager will “draft” his
Coaches from the pool of available and interested Coaches after the
Players are selected. ALL Managers and Coaches who
participate in All Stars MUST have a current
background check performed in 2008 (on file with a WFBL
League Official) as well as satisfactorily completed the on-line Coaches
Certification course provided by Babe Ruth League, Inc., without
exception.
By the third week of May, the All Star Manager would be responsible for
the scheduling and holding try-outs if the number of nominees for their
respective “A” Teams exceed the number they would normally carry (usually
12, depending on the circumstances). If try-outs are deemed required, the
selection process would be carried out by the All Star Team Manager and
two (2) impartial members of the WFBL / Bethany BSL Board of
Directors, who will attend the try-out to observe and fairly rate all of
the participants and work closely with the Team Manager to make the final
selections for their Teams. If for some reason one of the above-mentioned
League Representatives is unable to attend said try-out, those who are
present will conduct the try-out and select the Team accordingly. If both
Representatives are unable to attend, then the try-out will be
re-scheduled to a more convenient date.
If try-outs are necessary, once the All Star “A” Team roster is filled,
that Team’s Manager would offer up to 2 - 3 Players who were cut the
opportunity to become Alternates on that Team (refer to Players below for
a description of a Team Alternate). It is also to be made clear that a
Manager may NOT bring up any other Player to
participate on the All Star “A” Team who neither did try-out nor was
nominated because they could not conform to this All Star Policy unless
their participation approved in advance by both the WFBL and
Bethany BSL Presidents, without exception.
It is also understood that an “A” Team
Manager can not bring up an Alternate from a “B” Team to play on that Team
unless the “A” Team will be short Players (i.e., a total of 8), at which
time the “B” Team should release that Player. If there happens to be a
situation where both the “A” and “B” Teams may be short Players (i.e., “A”
Team has 8 and “B” has 9), then the “A” Team would take priority and the
“B” Team would have to allow him / her to play for the “A” Team.
To become an All Star
Manager is a huge commitment that requires the Team Manager’s complete
dedication for the entire duration of the number of Tournaments their
respective Team is scheduled to participate in that year, as determined by
the WFBL and Bethany BSL Executive Boards (this may change
from year to year based upon the Tournaments available).
For the “B” Team Manager when he / she is selected, if there is an
adequate number of Players interested in playing on this Team, there could
also be a need to hold try-outs should the number of nominees exceed the
maximum allowed of fifteen (15) Players per Team. These try-outs would
then follow a similar format to those noted above for the “A” Teams with
(2) impartial Board Members being present. The final “B” Team Rosters
will require approval from both the WFBL and Bethany BSL
Executive Boards.
III. Selection of All Star Players
Managers
and / or Coaches will only nominate those Players on their regular season
Teams that they believe would aptly contribute to the success of their
respective All Star “A” Teams. There is no limit on the number of Players
a Manager or Coach may nominate from each Team, as long as they are
considered to be of All Star caliber. In some instances there may be
Managers / Coaches who may not have any All Star caliber Players to
nominate in specific age groups, which is acceptable. Players
should only be nominated based upon their ability demonstrated on the
field and not through a popularity contest.
Managers
and / or Coaches may also nominate Players at this time who cannot commit
to the specific terms of this All Star Policy (i.e., “total commitment”
policy) but would like to participate on the “B” All Star Teams if that
playing opportunity becomes available if the “B” Team is formed.
To be
eligible to participate in All Stars, Players who are nominated can
NOT miss more than 25% of the League scheduled games (unless there
is an injury or illness, for which you will need to produce a doctor’s
note). Team Managers / Coaches will NOT nominate any Player
who fails to meet this specific requirement.
The WFBL will develop and
distribute copies of All Star Nomination forms to all Managers at an All
Star Policy Review meeting to be held in early-May. Each Manager will be
then required to complete and return these forms to the WFBL
President for each Player they wish to nominate from their respective
Teams. These forms must be mailed and received no later than
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
for said Players to be eligible to participate.
Prior to
nominating their Players for the “A” Team, each Team Manager / Coach will
be requested to investigate whether or not said Players (and more
importantly their Parents) are also willing to commit for the entire All
Star season. That means a total commitment to this Team
without ANY days off of All Star play during the entire All
Star Season (period from mid June through the first week in August) ; the
Team Manager will have the discretion of allowing a day off for a special
event (i.e., a Wedding) or injury but none will be allowed for vacation.
If a Player is unable
to commit, then he / she would only be eligible to participate on the
WFBL All Star “B” Teams accordingly, which will have no
restrictions on time missed due to camp or vacations. Parents’ signature
will also be required on either one of the Nomination forms to make it
valid.
In the event that the
number of actual final nominations from all the Team Managers / Coaches
exceed the actual number of Players that an “A” Team would normally carry,
then the respective All Star Manager (together with 2 impartial members of
the WFBL and Bethany BSL Boards) would hold mandatory
try-outs over a period of 1 or 2 days, where each Player would be
carefully observed and evaluated. Following try-outs, under the close
guidance of these WFBL and Bethany BSL Board members, the
respective Manager would then make the final selections for their Teams
and inform the Players accordingly.
Managers / Coaches can
only nominate Players for the specific All Star Team that their ages fall
in ; Players can NOT be nominated for a higher age group
(i.e., if a Player is a baseball 10-year old, he / she can only
participate on the 10’s All Star Team).
In addition, once a
Player has been nominated and formally selected to participate on a
specific All Star Team (i.e., an 11-year old Boys Team), he / she must
stay with that Team for the entire duration of that All Star season. They
will NOT be allowed to move up to assist another Team
(i.e., the 12-year old Boys Team if they happen to be short a Player).
It is also to be
understood that by agreeing to participate in All Stars, the respective
Players agree that they may not play in every game or play a specific
amount of innings during each game. It is at the sole discretion of the
Team Manager to decide who does and does not play during any given game
and where and when they will play. The WFBL recognizes the
importance of trying to have all Players participate in every game but
also recognizes that during certain game situations or Tournaments, the
Manager has the option to play his best Players to win that specific game.
Being
nominated to become an All Star Player is an honor all by itself, even
though a Player(s) may not be chosen as a member of that specific All Star
“A” Team he / she tried out for. However, they may be given the
opportunity to become an Alternate for that Team. This means they would
be invited to attend “A” Team practices whenever they are held and at
times when the Team is missing a Player or 2 due to either injury or a
scheduled vacation, they may be asked to fill that Roster spot to travel
and play with that Team. Alternates will be required to purchase their
own All Star uniform and will be an integral part of that Team, however
fully understanding they will not travel to nor play in every game.
In a case
where a Player accepts a position as an Alternate on a particular All Star
Team, that Player would also be able to participate on the “B” All Star
Team as well, so he / she could get as much playing time as possible
during the summer (being allowed to play for both Teams). It is
understood that this Player will first commit to play on his / her “B”
Team (practices and games) unless released by his / her Manager to play on
the “A” Team.
In addition, if a Player accepts his /
her Manager’s nomination to participate on an All Star Team, attends
try-outs and / or is selected as a Player for that specific traveling
competitive “A” Team, then that Player is fully committed to play with
that Team for the entire All Star summer season. This is a total
commitment that must be made to that Team or else the system as
established is no longer valid. Should that Player opt to back out (i.e.,
to play on another traveling or another type of Team or chose not to play
at all) despite these warnings, then there is no other recourse for the
WFBL and Bethany BSL but to bar that Player from participating
not only on a WFBL All Star Team the following year in 2008
(including the possibility of the regular Season as well).
Should
there be an 8-year old All Star Team, any 8’s who participated in the Boys
Minors as well as in the Rookies Divisions would be eligible to be
nominated by his respective Team Manager and participate on this Team.
IV. Costs
It is
understood that all Players who are successful in being chosen to
participate on an All Star Team will be required to split the actual costs
incurred by that specific Team. This includes costs for the All Star
uniform, umpire costs and various Tournament entry fees. For example, if
the total costs to play in three (3) Tournaments plus uniforms amount to
$2,700. and there are 12 Players on that Team, each Player would therefore
be responsible for paying their share totaling $ 225.
The All Star Manager for that Team will
be solely responsible for collecting the funds from each of the Parents
and getting these expeditiously to the WFBL Treasurer to
deposit, so the Tournament Fees / Uniforms / etc. can be paid by the
WFBL accordingly. We require that each “A” Team Manager
collect up front by the end of June an amount of $ 225. from each Player
to help defray the initial costs incurred by the WFBL for
uniforms and Tournament fees (for the “B” Teams, the initial cost would be
$ 125. from each Player).
If there is found to be a balance owed
after All Star play, the Manager shall then collect such additional funds
from his Team and deliver it to the WFBL Treasurer no later
than August 15th. If the actual costs are less, then a refund
will be issued accordingly.
The
respective Team Managers shall also be responsible for contacting the
WFBL Treasurer at least a week or so in advance when Tournament
Fees are required to be sent out to avoid any last minute problems and
shall forward a copy of their respective Tournament entry form clearly
identifying said cost for verification as well for the League’s records.
2008 WFBL All Star Forms
2008 WFBL A Team All Star Manager Nomination Form
2008 WFBL B Team All Star Manager Nomination Form
2008 WFBL A Team All Star Player Nomination Form
2008 WFBL B Team All Star Player Nomination Form
2008 WFBL A Team All Star Parent Consent Form
2008 WFBL B Team All Star Parent Consent Form
These
forms require Acrobat Reader
Click here to get it
It is free.
