MBCA
Coaches Association
President's Message,
MBCA Constitution and By-Laws,
and
MBCA Position on Bats and
Federation Rules
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
of
the
Article I. NAME
The name of
this organization shall be the Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Association.
Article
II. PURPOSES
Section I: To foster and promote the game of baseball for
the youth of
Section 2: To provide a recognize body to submit ideas,
suggestions and problems pertinent to baseball for consideration and action by
the M.I.A.A.
Section 3: To bring together those who have a common
interest in baseball to discuss problems and to provide the best possible
conditions for improving the game.
Article
III. Membership
Section I: There shall be three classes of membership
– active, allied, honorary.
a) Active
membership shall consist of individuals who are actively coaching baseball from
grades seven through twelve in
b) Allied
membership shall consist of individuals who are actively coaching baseball in
youth leagues and other persons who are interested in baseball. They may attend meetings but not vote or hold
office.
c) Honorary
membership may be conferred upon any individual who has been an officer in the
Association and is no longer actively coaching baseball and upon any individual
who, because of his valuable contribution to the game of baseball, shall be
nominated by the Executive Committee and elected by two-thirds vote of the
Association present. Honorary members
may attend meetings but not vote.
Article
IV. OFFICERS
Section 1: The officers of this Association, elected
from the active members, shall be a President, a First Vice-President, a Second
Vice-President, a Secretary/Treasurer, and an Assistant Secretary.
Section 2: The term of office for each officer shall be
for two years, except that of the Secretary/Treasurer and Assistant Secretary
who may serve for an indefinite period of time.
Section 3: The slate of officers shall be presented by
the Nominating Committee at the annual meeting.
Section 4: Election of officers shall take place at the
annual meeting, at which time they shall take office.
Section 5: Vacancies in offices, other than President,
shall be filled temporarily by the Executive Committee and approved by the
Association at the following meeting.
Section 6: No member shall be eligible for election to
office who has not been a member of the organization for the minimum of one
year.
Article
V. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Section 1: There shall be an Executive Committee
consisting of the elected officers of the Association, all past Presidents and
past officers, At Large Members, and sixteen active members duly recommended
and approved by the Executive Committee.
Section 2: This committee shall formulate policies and
plans.
Section 3: The President of the Association shall serve
as chairman of the Executive Committee.
Section 4: Vacancies occurring among the members of the Executive
Committee, shall be filled temporarily by the
Executive Committee and approved by the Association at the following
meeting.
Section 5: The term of the sixteen elected members shall
be four years. There will be four from
each district: Western Massachusetts,
Section
6: “At Large” Members
may be nominated by the President and approved by the Executive Committee. “At Large” Members have voting
rights.
Article
VI: STANDING COMMITTEES
Section 1: The Standing Committees shall be appointed by
the President.
Section 2: Standing Committees shall be as follows:
a) Nominating
Committee
b) Clinic
Committee
a) Membership
Committee
b) Hall
of Fame Committee
c) Hospitality
Committee
d) Publicity
Committee
Article
VII. MEETINGS
Section 1: The annual meeting shall be held in the
winter for the purposes of hearing reports from the Standing Committees,
holding election of officers, and to consider any other old or new business. The winter meeting shall also consist of a
coaching clinic and Hall of Fame induction, and an Honors Luncheon.
Section 2: Special meetings may be called by the
President, the Executive Committee, or on application of twelve members of the
Association.
Section 3: Fifteen members of the Association, in good
standing, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at the
annual meeting.
Article
VIII: MEMORIALS
Section 1: The Association shall recognize the passing
of any of its members by either a floral tribute, a
spiritual remembrance, or donation to a scholarship memorial. A member of the Hospitality Committee will
ordinarily take care of this duty; if, however, any member realizes that the
Association has failed to act in a situation of this king, the person may be
authorized by the President to provide an appropriate remembrance. The bill shall be forwarded to the
Secretary/Treasurer for reimbursement.
Article
IX: AMENDMENT
Section 1: This constitution may be amended at any
business meeting of the association by a two-thirds majority of the present and
duly accredited members.
BY-LAWS
Article
I. MEMBERSHIP
Section 1: With a two-thirds vote of the membership
present at a meeting, a member may be suspended for one year for conduct
unbecoming to our Association standards.
Article
II. DUES
Section 1: The annual dues of active members shall be
$20.00.
Section 2: Allied members shall pay a membership fee of
$10.00.
Section
3: Honorary members
dues shall be waived.
Section 4: Any member who fails to pay his annual dues
for the period of one year shall have his name removed from the active
file.
Article
III. DUTIES OF OFFICERS
Section 1: The President shall preside at all
meetings. The President shall exercise
general supervision over the affairs and activities of the Association and
shall serve as a member ex-officio on all standing committees. The President shall serve as Chairperson of
the Executive Committee.
Section 2: The First Vice President shall assume the
duties of the President during the President’s absence. The First Vice President shall be responsible
to assist the Chairperson of the Clinic Committee and to be the coordinator of
the North/South, Central/West, and the MA/CT All Star games.
Section 3: If the First Vice President is absent, the
Second Vice President shall assume the duties of the First Vice President. The Second Vice President will assist the
Chairperson of the Hall of Fame Program.
Section 4: The Secretary/Treasurer shall be the
custodian of all Association records, conduct correspondence, and perform such
other duties as the office may require.
The Secretary/Treasurer shall receive and safeguard all Association
funds and shall make an annual report of receipts and disbursements. Furthermore, the Secretary/Treasurer shall
coordinate the duties of the executive cimmittee
members responsible for :
a) Clinic
program directory
b) Clinic
registration
c) Membership
records
Section 5: The assistant secretary shall be responsible
for the recording of the minutes of all executive committee meetings and
distributing them for approval at the next executive committee meeting.
Article
IV. DUTIES OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Section 1: The Executive Committee shall have the
general direction and control of the affairs of the Association, and shall
establish the dues structure for the baseball coaches association.
Section 2: No matter, not previously acted upon and
approved by the Executive Committee, shall be acted upon by the general
membership assembled at a regular meeting.
Section 3: The Executive Committee shall meet at least
twice a year, prior to the annual meeting.
At these meetings, the Committee shall approve or disapprove all matters
presented by members for consideration.
Special meetings of the Executive Committee may be called by the
President or upon written request of five members of this Committee.
Section 4: The Executive Committee shall recommend to
this Association one member of the Executive Board to serve on the
Massachusetts State Baseball Tournament Committee sponsored by the
M.I.A.A. The Executive Committee shall
present recommendations to be considered by the M.I.A.A. concerning tournament
play.
Section 5: Six members of the Executive Committee shall
constitute a quorum.
Article
V. DUTIES OF THE STANDING COMMITTEES
Section 1: The Nominating Committee shall be responsible
for recommending the best qualified candidates for Association officers and
members of the Executive Committee.
Section 2: The Clinic Committee shall be responsible for
making arrangements and conducting the Winter Clinic. All Standing Committee Chairpersons shall be
included as members of this committee.
Section 3: The Membership Committee shall be responsible
for encouraging members to participate in all Association activities and to
orient prospective members to the aims and objectives of the Association, and
administer clinic registration.
Section 4: The Hall of Fame Committee shall be
responsible for recommending to the Executive Committee at its fall meeting
coaches who have coached high school baseball in Massachusetts, and because of
their length of service, devotion to the game of baseball, and contribution to
the development of youth, are qualified to become members of the Massachusetts
Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame.
Requirements for entry to the Hall of Fame are:
a) Length
of service should be a minimum of 15 years of high school baseball
coaching.
b) A
nominee who has coached high school baseball 15-20 years must be retired for a
minimum of 5 years.
c) A
nominee who has coached high school baseball more than 20 years must be retired
for a minimum of 2 years.
d) A
nominee who has coached high school baseball over 25 years is automatically
eligible for nomination.
e) The
list of criteria for selection should include:
character, longevity, activity in the Association, and record.
Section 5: The Hospitality Committee shall be
responsible for sending a communication to a member relative to illness,
condolence, or act deserving of congratulatory recognition.
Section 6: The Publicity Committee shall be responsible
for informing news media of the activities of the Association. The Publicity Committee shall be responsible
for publishing the Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Association Newsletter.
Article
VI. PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
Section 1: Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised, shall
be the parliamentary authority for this organization on all matters not covered
by the Constitution and By-Laws of this organization.
Article
VII. AMENDMENT
Section 1: Any amendment to these By-Laws may be
proposed at any regular meeting, to be adopted at the following meeting by a
majority vote of the present and duly accredited members.
Article
VIII. ORDER OF BUSINESS
Section 1: The order of business at all meetings of this
Association shall be as follows:
a) Meeting
called to order
b) Secretary’s
roll call
c) Formal
introduction of any new members
d) Secretary’s
report
e) Treasurer’s
report
f)
Communications
g) Reports
of Standing Committee
h) Unfinished
business
i)
New business
j)
Adjournment
Article
IX. CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS REVIEW
Section 1: A committee shall be established to review
the constitution and by-laws every three years.
All Executive Board members shall receive an updated copy of the
constitution and by-laws at the beginning of each new business year.
Revised:
3/96
3/99
10/02
10/04
10/06
Next
revision 10/09
MBCA Executive Board - Position on Bat of
Choice
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Executive Board would like to
express its position on the current bat issue. We strongly favor continuing the
current MIAA bat regulations, which allow metal bats to be used during the
regular season. We are extremely disappointed by the October 31 vote by the
MIAA Baseball Committee to ban metal bats for MIAA tournament play in 2003,
especially in light of the fact that the MIAA Sports Medicine Committee had
previously voted against its own proposal to ban metal. We urge the Task Force
to support the Sports Medicine Committee on this issue.
It appears that the decision by the Baseball Committee is based
primarily, if not solely, on safety concerns, yet there is no statistical
evidence that metal bats are less safe than wood. Those who have studied this
issue concur. Mr. Todd Stevenson, Secretary of the U.S. Product Safety
Commission stated on April 5, 2002 “available incident data are not
sufficient to indicate that non-wood bats may pose an unreasonable risk of
injury.” Dr. Frederick Mueller, who is Director of the
The fact is that metal bats have changed in the last few years
to perform more like wood. In 2001, the NCAA, NFHS, and MIAA enforced two new
bat rules. First, a bat must have a “minus 3” differential between
its length and weight (for example, a 33 inch bat cannot weigh less than 30
ounces). Previously, “-5” was the standard. Second, the maximum
allowable barrel diameter was reduced from 2 ¾ to 2 5/8 inches. Another
regulation, created by the NFHS and adopted by the MIAA, becomes effective
January 1, 2003. This states that all non-wood bats must have the Ball Exit
Speed Ratio (BESR) certification mark to be legal for high school baseball. The
BESR limitation is intended to have the ball exit metal bats at speeds no
greater than those off wood. The NFHS states that, “All recent changes in
bat requirements have been to minimize the risk of injury to high school
student-athletes, and maintain the balance between offense and defense and keep
within the sound traditions of the game.” We have not played even one
season in
A study done by Mr. Joseph J. Crisco at Brown University, has been cited by some who favor wood bats, yet Mr. Crisco’s study actually shows that legal metal bats perform similar to wood. Mr. Crisco tested five metal bats and one wood bat and his report shows that 4 of the 5 metal bats tested “outperformed” the wood bat. However none of those four metal bats are legal, according to current MIAA standards, as they are all “-5” or “-4” bats. The only “-3” bat in the study, according to Mr. Crisco, “was not statistically different from bat W [wood bat]” and “one metal bat [the –3 bat] was more similar to wood.”
We believe the game of baseball in
Respectfully Submitted,
Bat Subcommittee Members:
Bob Ashley Frank Carey Dan Dulchinos
Paul Fenton Peter Pasquarosa
Dear MIAA Baseball Committee;
The Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Association (MBCA) continues to be adamant in its support of allowing member schools to have their choice of using wood or BESR certified non-wood bats for tournament play as well as in the regular season.
Mr. Frank Carey, baseball coach at North Reading High School and the MBCA’s representative to the MIAA Baseball Committee, will make an official proposal at the October 22 Baseball Committee meeting that both wood bats and BESR certified non-wood bats be allowed in the MIAA Baseball Tournament. Approval of this proposal would mean that tournament games are played with the same set of rules as regular season games (where both non-wood and wood bats are allowed). Approval of this proposal would be consistent with recent decisions by other MIAA committees and would put an end to this year-long controversy.
The following is an outline of what has transpired in the last year regarding the bat issue:
? Last fall, the MIAA Sports Medicine Committee voted 15-0 against a proposal to prohibit non-wood bats (October 2002).
? The MIAA Baseball Committee voted, on October 31, 2002, to make wood bats mandatory for the 2003 MIAA Baseball Tournament.
Since that October 31 meeting much has transpired, all of which indicates that coaches, Athletic Directors, Principals, and MIAA Committees all desire to allow BESR certified non-wood bats to be allowed in Massachusetts.
? In December, the MIAA Board of Directors created a Baseball Bat Task Force who studied the matter in great depth, receiving both written and oral expert testimony on both sides of the issue, particularly around the issue of safety. The Task Force concluded, by a 7-1 vote (Jan. 2003), that there was “no compelling evidence that metal bats were significantly more dangerous than wood.”
? At the MBCA annual meeting (Feb. 2003), 72% of
? The Massachusetts Secondary Schools Athletic Directors Association voted 14-2 to reject the proposal to ban non-wood bats.
? At the MIAA’s Annual Meeting last spring voted, 68% of Mass. Principals and Athletic Directors voted against the proposed ban on non-wood bats (vote was 78-37).
? The MIAA Board of Directors voted (May 2003) by a 10-6 count to reject the proposal to prohibit non-wood bats.
? The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Council (MIAC), the ultimate
rule-making committee of the MIAA, voted 12-5 against a proposal to ban
non-wood bats from high school play (May 22, 2003). Therefore, in 2004 and 2005
member schools/leagues will have their choice of bats, metal or wood, during
the regular season.
? This past June, after the 2003 baseball season and tournament,
? Mr. Paul Wetzel, MIAA Spokesman, stated in this fall’s issue of Coaching Management magazine “I can’t speak for the [baseball] committee members, but there’s a sense that having been turned down for a regular season change, they will go back to allowing non-wood bats for the 2004 tournament. It doesn’t make sense to keep one set of rules for the regular season and another for the playoffs.”
With the safety issue having been thoroughly investigated, discussed, and
resolved by the committees and groups mentioned above, this matter should now
be a non-issue. Rule changes should be implemented only when there is clear,
conclusive evidence that such changes are necessary to improve a sport, not
merely on the personal preference of a handful of individuals. No factual
evidence or logical reasoning warranting a rule change has been presented by
wood bat proponents during this year-long debate. The MIAC, the MIAA Board of
Directors, the MIAA Sports Medicine Committee, Mass. Athletic Directors,
We ask the MIAA Baseball Committee to support the proposal to allow BESR
certified non-wood bats for regular season and tournament play.
Respectully Submitted,
MBCA Survey Results
• Mass. Baseball Coaches Association Executive Board voted, 17-1, in favor of allowing metal bats for regular season play
January 2003 survey of Mass. Head Baseball Coaches:
• 72% coaches prefer to use metal bats
• 66% coaches have seen zero batted ball injuries in their careers (0
injuries in 895 total years)
• 91% coaches have seen 3 or less injuries (40 injuries in 1330 years = 1
injury per 33.3 years)
• Overall average of 1 injury per 12.5 years = 1 injury per 793 days of
games/practices
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Safety: Injury Data
• Todd Stevenson, Secretary for U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (April 2002), “available incident data are not sufficient to indicate that non-wood bats may pose an unreasonable risk of injury.”
• Dr. Frederick O. Mueller, Director of the
• Medical/Safety Advisory Committee of USA Baseball report shows overall injury rate of 1.1 “catastrophic injuries” per one million participants
• Little League Baseball study (1997-2001): 1.1 batted ball injury per 10,000 players
• NCAA statistics: less than 1 batted ball injury per 10,000 players
• Baseball is very safe sport: has lower injury rate than boys soccer, girls soccer, boys basketball, girls basketball, softball, wrestling, and football.
• Metal bats have been studied and not prohibited, by: National
Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), NCAA Blue Ribbon Research
Panel, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Little League Baseball, PONY
Baseball, Babe Ruth Baseball, USA Baseball
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Safety: New Bat Regulations for 2003
Effective January 1, 2003: all metal bats must have Ball Exit Speed Ratio
(BESR) certification, ensuring:
• a maximum exit speed which limits performance to mirror wood bats
• adherence to Moment of Inertia requirement
• barrel diameter not exceeding 2 5/8 inches
• length to weight differential of no greater than minus-3
• NFHS News Release (March 2002): “All recent changes in bat requirements have been to minimize the risk of injury to high school student-athletes, and maintain the balance between offense and defense and keep within the sound traditions of the game.”
• Report by Joseph J. Crisco reveals that the only minus-3 metal bat
(M1) tested “was not statistically different from bat W [wood
bat]”. Also states, “one metal bat [M1]
was more similar to wood.”
VICTORY, 2002 !!!
The MIAA has voted not to pursue the
adoption of Federation Rules for baseball in
The information on Federation Rules will
be left on this web site for all coaches to read and be aware of not only the
stance the MBCA took on this position in 2002 but also the reasoning behind
that stance.
MBCA Executive Board - Position on Federation Rules Adoption
The following has been accepted, by unanimous vote, as the official position of the Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Executive Board regarding National High School Federation Rules for Baseball.
The Massachusetts Baseball Coaches
Association’s Executive Board is unanimously opposed to adoption of
Federation Rules. We believe that high school baseball in
We are not simply opposed to change; in fact we have willingly accepted many rule changes in the past few years. As a result, our current rules already include nearly all of the safety, sportsmanship, and participation-enhancing rules that appear in the Federation Rules (such as the sliding rules, no-collision rules, new bat regulations, re-entry rules, and DH for any player). Thus, the real differences in the two sets of rules are in the way the game of baseball is actually played.
We have studied Federation Rules thoroughly
and we see no advantage for players, coaches, or umpires. Rather, we believe
that
We have spoken with numerous coaches from
neighboring states, every one of whom has told us that Federation Rules have
had a negative impact on playing and officiating the
game without offering any benefits. Furthermore, these coaches expressed
displeasure that Federation Rules are in constant change, with three to five
rule amendments each year. This makes both knowledge and proper enforcement of
the rules increasingly more difficult. In
The following are just a few examples of the numerous significant rule differences between our current rules and Federation Rules. There are certainly many more; in fact the book entitled Baseball RuleDifferences by Carl Childress contains 86 pages and over 400 rule differences. Again note that the typical rule differences are not safety-related, but rather are seemingly nonsensical rules that in no way improve the game. Some examples are:
Mercy rule – would reduce participation
Intentional Base on Balls – artificial;
much can happen on thrown pitches (examples – Johnny Bench in World
Series)
Fake Tag – will lead to misinterpretation
and unwarranted penalty
Defensive Conferences – controversial,
misunderstood, inconsistent
Offensive Conferences – will slow game
Set Position – position of hands (such
pitchers as Maddux, Clemens, Glavine, Orlando Hernandez would never throw a legal pitch
from set according to Federation Rules)
Turning shoulders before set – balk
Batter must keep one foot in box between
pitches: penalty is a strike
No appeal plays
NFHS authenticating mark is required on all
baseballs
On the MBCA Executive Board alone, we have
hundreds and hundreds of years of coaching commitment to student-athletes in
We hope the MIAA respects and accepts the opinions of the coaches, the true experts in the
game of high school baseball, and trusts that we are acting in the best
interests of our players and schools. We thank the MIAA for its consideration
and hope that our statement is influential in maintaining our current rules and
the quality of
Differences between Official Rules of Baseball and Federation Rules
The MIAA is considering adoption of the
National Federation of State High School Rules for Baseball for the
*To understand just how different Federation
rules are from the Official Rules, the book “Baseball Rule
Differences” by Carl Childress details 480 rule differences.
Page - Rule Number - Category - Summary of Rule
7 1-1-5 Positions and Equipment of Players . . . It is mandatory for on-deck batters, batters, runners, retired runners, players/students in the coaches boxes as well as non-adult bat/ball shaggers to wear a batting helmet that meets the NOCSAE standard. The batting helmet shall have extended ear flaps that cover both ears and temples and also display the NOCSAE stamp and the exterior warning statement. . . . When an umpire observes anyone who is required to wear a bating helmet deliberately remove his bating helmet while in live-ball territory and the ball is alive (non-adult ball/bat shaggers required to wear batting helmet in live-ball are even if ball is dead), the umpire shall issue a warning to the coach of the involved team, unless the ball becomes dead without being touched by a fielder or, after being touched, goes directly to dead-ball area. A subsequent violation of the rule shall result in ejection.
14 2-4-3 Intentional Base on Balls An intentional base on balls may be given by the defensive team by having its catcher or coach request the umpire to award the batter first base. (No pitch needs to be thrown)
19 2-22-2
19 3-3-1a Fake Tag A fake tag is an act by a defensive player without the ball that simulates a tag. A fake tag is considered obstruction. PENALTY: The umpire will determine which base or bases shall be awarded, as with any obstruction. The umpire shall also issue a warning to the coach of the team involved and the next offender on that team shall be ejected.
26 3-1-3 Substituting Any of the starting players may be withdrawn and re-entered once, including a player who was the designated hitter, provided such player occupies the same batting position whenever he is in the lineup. The pitcher is governed by the provisions of Article 2. A substitute who is withdrawn may not re-enter. (This could mean that re-entry rules apply for all games, including MIAA tournament play)
29
3-4-1 Charged Conferences Each
team, when on defense, may be granted not more than three charged conferences
during a seven-inning game, without penalty, to permit coaches or their
non-playing representatives to confer with a defensive player or
players….Prior to accumulating three charged conferences in seven innings
or less, a conference is not charged if the pitcher is removed as pitcher.
PENALTY: After three charged conferences in a
seven-inning game, or for any charged conference in excess of one in each extra
inning, the pitcher shall be removed as pitcher for the duration of the game.
(This means that a coach is entitled to three charged conferences without
having to remove his pitcher. But, after the third charged conference during
regulation play, the pitcher must be replaced as pitcher for the remainder of
the game each time the coach confers with defensive player(s). In any extra
inning, on the second and each subsequent charged conference, the pitcher must
be replaced for the remainder of the game. This means that, in certain
situations, a coach can make three “trips” to the mound for the
same pitcher in the same inning, yet the pitcher does not have to be removed.
In other situations, because of previously accumulated conferences, a pitcher
must be removed even though it may be the first trip while that particular
pitcher is on the mound)
29 3-4-2 Charged Conferences Each team, when on offense, may be granted not more than one charged conference per inning to permit the coach or any of that team’s personnel to confer with base runners, the batter, the on-deck batter or other offensive team personnel. The umpire shall deny any subsequent offensive team requests for charged conferences.
31 4-2-2 Ending a Regulation Game . . . The game shall end when the visiting team is behind 10 or more runs after four and one-half innings, or after the fifth inning, if either team is 10 runs behind and both teams have had an equal number of times at bat. (This would make a “mercy rule” mandatory for all games)
37 6-1-1 Pitching Turning the shoulders to check runners while in contact with the pitcher’s plate is a balk (This applies even if the pitcher has not yet come to his “set” position)
37 6-1-3 Pitching For the set position… [the pitcher] shall come to a complete and discernible stop (a change of direction is not considered an acceptable stop) with the ball in both hands in front of the body and the entire glove below the chin….PENALTY: The ball is dead immediately when an illegal pitch occurs. If there is no runner , a ball shall be awarded the batter. If there is a runner, such illegal act is a balk. In both situations, the umpire signals dead ball.
38 6-1-6 Pitching Each state association shall have a pitching restriction to afford pitchers a reasonable rest period between pitching appearances. (Such restrictions may include: a limit on the number of innings a pitcher could throw in a week; and a mandatory rest period between appearances, depending upon the number of innings pitched)
39 6-2-2 Infractions by Pitcher Illegal acts include: c. failing to pitch or make or attempt a play, including a legal feint, within 20 seconds after he has received the ball. PENALTY: The batter shall be awarded one ball. (In the Official Rules, the 20 second rule applies only with the bases empty).
40 6-2-5 Infractions by Pitcher It is also a balk if a runner or runners are on base and the pitcher . . .places his feet on or astride the pitcher’s plate, or positions himself within approximately five feet of the pitcher’s plate without having the ball. (In the Official Rules the pitcher cannot be on or astride the rubber; there is no “within … five feet” provision)
42 7-3-1 Batting Infractions – A Batter Shall Not: Delay the game by failing to take his position promptly in the batter’s box within 20 seconds. The batter must keep at least one foot in the batter’s box throughout the time at bat. EXCEPTIONS: A batter may leave the batter’s box when: a. the batter swings at a pitch; b. the batter is forced out of the box by the pitch; c. the batter attempts a “drag bunt”; d. the pitcher or catcher feints or attempts a play at any base; e. the pitcher leaves the dirt area of the pitcher’s mound or takes a position more than five feet from the pitcher’s plate after receiving the ball; f. a member of either team requests and is granted “Time”; g. the catcher leaves the catcher’s box to adjust his equipment or give defensive signals; h. the catcher does not catch the pitched ball. PENALTY: For failure of the batter to be ready within 20 seconds after the ball has been returned to the pitcher, the umpire shall call a strike. If the batter leaves the batter’s box, delays the game, and none of the exceptions apply, the plate umpire shall charge a strike to the batter. The pitcher need not pitch, and the ball remains alive.
45 8-2 Touching Occupying and Returning to a Base PENALTY (Art. 1-5): For failure to touch base (advancing or returning), or failure to tag up as soon as the ball is touched on a caught fly ball, the runner is out. This is a delayed penalty if not played upon by the defense during same playing action (live ball). After all playing action has ended, the umpire will indicate time-out to call runners(s) out. (In other words, if a runner misses a base or fails to tag up, there is no appeal by the defensive team. If the umpire sees the infraction, he calls the runner out. Also, say a runner misses a base or leaves too soon and, during live action, proceeds to a succeeding base: if the ball becomes dead, the runner is not permitted to return to that missed base and would be called out).
51 8-4-2g A Runner is Out g. . . . If, in the judgment of the umpire, a runner, including the batter-runner interferes in any way and prevents a double play anywhere, two shall be declared out (the runner who interfered and the other runner involved). If a retired runner interferes, and in the judgment of the umpire, another runner could have been put out, the umpire shall declare that runner out. If the umpire is uncertain who would have been played on, the runner closest to home shall be called out. (The difference here is that in Federation Rules, except for an illegal slide on a force play, the umpire must believe that the defense could have completed the double play if not for the interference in order to call two outs; if a double play was considered not possible, only one out may be called, even if the interference was deliberate. In the Official Rules, with a double play possible, two are out if the interference is obvious and deliberate, whether or not the umpire judges the double play could have been completed).
12 1-3-4 Equipment The Coefficient of Restitution (COR) of baseballs shall not exceed .555
12 1-3-4 Equipment The NFHS authenticating mark is required on all balls that will be used in high school competition.
12 1-3-5 Equipment . . . Devices designed to remain part of the bat, such as batting donuts and wind-resistant devices, are legal. NOTE 2: The NFHS Baseball Rules Committee and Board of Directors are considering a new bat rule. Please refer to www.nfhs.org for current information. The new bat rule appears to be the same one that the MIAA has adopted: 2 5/8 diameter barrel, -3 weight-length.
19 2-22-1 Obstruction When obstruction occurs, the ball becomes dead at the end of playing action (always a delayed dead ball) and the umpire has authority to determine which base or bases shall be awarded according to the rule violated (the ball becomes dead only “after runners have gone as far as possible”, which may allow the defense to record outs).
21 2-28-3 Pitcher, Pitch, Pivot Foot Time of pitch is when the pitcher has committed himself to delivering the pitch to the batter. Following part of rule was new for 2000: For the windup position, the “time of the pitch” occurs when the pitcher, (a) with both hands in front of his body first starts any movement of his arm(s) or leg(s) prior to delivering the pitch; (b) with both hands at his side, first starts any movement with both arms or leg(s), prior to the pitch; (c) with the glove hand in front of the body and the pitching hand at his side, after bringing his pitching hand to his glove hand, first starts any movement of his arm(s) or leg(s) prior to delivering the pitch.
22 2-32-1
22
2-32-2 Slide Appears to be
compatible with MIAA Slide Rule: A legal slide can be either feet first or head
first. If a runner slides feet first, at least one leg and buttock shall be on
the ground. If a runner slides, he must slide within reach of the base with
either a hand or a foot.
A slide is illegal if: . . . f. the runner, on a force play, does not slide on the ground
and in a direct line between the two bases. EXCEPTION: A runner may slide or
run in a direction away from the fielder to avoid making contact or altering
the play of the fielder.
27 3-3-1c, f Bench and Field Conduct A coach, player, substitute, attendant or other bench personnel shall not: c. wear jewelry (players participating in game); f. wear bandannas
31 4-2-3 Ending a Regulation Game . . . If the game is called when the teams have not had an equal number of completed terms at bat, the score shall be the same as it was at the end of the last completed inning; except that if the home team in its half of the incomplete inning, scores a run (or runs) which equals or exceeds the opponent’s score, the final score shall be recorded as when the game is called. This differs from the Official Rules of Major League Baseball: rule4.12 (a) (5)
31 4-2-4 Ending a Regulation Game A state association may adopt game-ending procedures that determine how games are ended, including suspended games. However, if a state does not adopt game-ending procedures, by mutual agreement of the opposing coaches and the umpire-in-chief, any remaining play may be shortened or the game terminated. NOTE: If a state association has adopted game-ending procedures, only those game-ending procedures may be used, should the opposing coaches wish to terminate a game.
32 4-4-1f Forfeited Game A game shall be forfeited to the offended team by the umpire when a team: f. is unable to provide at least nine players to start the game or cannot provided eight players to finish the game. NOTE 1: An out will be called each time that spot in the batting order comes to bat. If the offensive player must be substituted for after reaching base, the most recent batter not on base is allowed to run for that player.
32 4-5 Protested Game It is optional on the part of a state association as to whether protests are permitted. When allowed, protests are permitted regarding rules one through nine only….
33 5-1-1h Dead Ball Ball becomes dead immediately when: h. the umpire handles a live ball or calls “Time” for inspecting the ball or for any other reason, including items in Section 2 or gives the “Do Not Pitch Signal”.
33 5-1-1k Dead Ball Ball becomes dead immediately when: k. a balk or illegal pitch is committed.
37 6-1-2 Pitching New NFHS rule in 2000: For the windup position, the pitcher is not restricted as to how he shall hold the ball. A pitcher may assume the windup position when his hands are (a) together in front of the body; (b) apart (both arms at the pitcher’s side and then he goes directly into his delivery to the plate); (c) apart and he then brings his hands together and comes to a stop to adjust his grip or the ball before beginning his delivery.
43 7-4-1a Batter Is Out A batter is also out as in above penalty when: a. the batter enters the batter’s box with an illegal bat or is discovered having used an illegal bat. If the infraction is discovered before the next pitch following the turn at bat of the player who used an illegal bat, the defense may take the penalty or the result of the play.
45 8-2-5 Touching, Occupying and Returning to a Base If a runner who misses any base, including home plate desires to return to touch the base, he must do so immediately. If the ball becomes dead and the runner is on or beyond a succeeding base, he cannot return to the missed base and, therefore, is declared out.
48 8-3-3d Baserunning Awards Each runner is awarded: d. one base . . . with less than two outs, the batter hits a fair or foul ball (fly or line drive) which is caught by a fielder, who then leaves the field of play by stepping with both feet or by falling into a bench, dugout, stand, bleacher or over any boundary or barrier such as a fence, rope, chalk line or pre-game determined imaginary line. NOTE: A runner shall not be declared out if the fielder deliberately throws or carries the ball into dead ball territory to prevent that runner who has touched or advanced beyond a succeeding base from returning to a missed base or a base left too soon. Award the runner two bases.
50 8-4-2b, c,d,e,f A Runner is Out This is different from the Official Rules of Major League Baseball, but appears to be same as MIAA rules: Any runner is out when he: b. does not legally slide and causes illegal contact and/or illegally alters the actions of a fielder in the immediate act of making a play, or on a force play, does not slide in a direct line between the bases. NOTE: Runners are never required to slide, but if a runner elects to slide, the slide must be legal. (See complete rule on pages 50-51)
61 Suggested
Speed-Up Rules By state association adoption any, all, or any part of the
suggested speed-up rules may be used. Rules include courtesy runners for
pitchers and catchers; see complete list on page 61.