The presidents of the area baseball leagues continue to make progress in rules and eligibility for the new GBBA Post Season. Here are the latest details regarding the post-season baseball league that will be in place beginning in the Spring of 2016.
This league will play baseball during the months of May and June after the 12-game recreational season ends on May 7th 2016. This will replace the all-star experience in which some of you have participated during previous years. “Metro”, the organization that was comprised of several city parks in the Birmingham area has been dissolved. In its place a new organization has been formed named the Greater Birmingham Baseball Association (GBBA). GBBA is comprised of the following parks: Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook, Homewood, Oak Mountain, Trussville, Shades Mountain, and Hoover East. We are open to other parks joining us, but will entertain their inclusion on a case by case basis.
GBBA continues to meet and work out the structure of the league and the rules that will govern the league. The primary change in GBBA as compared to the old “Metro” league is that the emphasis will move away from “all-stars” to more tournament style baseball. The biggest benefit to the boys is that the post-season will allow more boys to play after the regular (rec) season, and boys will be able to play with friends during the post-season. Not everyone will be guaranteed to play on a post-season team after the regular/rec season, just like not everyone played in “All-Stars”. However, there will not be a limit on the number of teams that can enter into post-season play from each park which will allow the potential for more boys to play more baseball each year (i.e. we may field 6 seven year old teams if we have enough players and find enough coaches to coach them. Following are some details regarding the GBBA post-season:
· Each member park in GBBA will form their respective post-season teams as they choose ages 6 & up.
o In ages 6-10 100% of the players on a team must play in the Regular/Rec Season of its respective city park.
o In ages 11 and older a post season team may have up to two players on its team who did not play regular/rec season with the following stipulation: A non-regular/rec season player may not play on, or appear on the roster of any other travel/tournament team other than the post-season team organized for play for GBBA. (The allowance of two players is intended to accommodate a player who my want to play baseball, but has a school or other sport commitment during the regular/rec season.)
o Players on age 11 and older teams who did not play in a member park during the regular/rec season must have been eligible to participate in same member park as the rest of the team. (This will keep coaches from recruiting from other GBBA member parks).
· The 6 year old Championship tournament will be hosted by Hoover East under the same format as the old Metro tournament.
o 1-week of Pool Play
o 1 week of Tournament play
· Double Elimination Tournament Dates will be determined at a later date.
o GBBA Qualifying Tournaments will begin no earlier than the weekend of May 6-8 and end no later than the weekend of June 10-12.
o Weeknight qualifying games (pool games) may begin as early as May 9th.
o June 11th will be the last weekend GBBA will sponsor tournaments.
o 7 & 8 Double Elimination tournament will end no later than June 21.
o 9 & Up Double elimination tournament will end no later than June 28
· Qualification Games :
o Ages 7 & 8
§ Team registration will include 6 qualifying games and a double elimination championship tournament.
§ Each Team must participate in at least 6 Qualifying games to participate in the Double Elimination Championship Tournament.
§ 3 of the 6 games must come from weeknight qualification games.
§ The remaining qualification games can come from GBBA sponsored tournaments.
§ If a team chooses to play only 3 weeknight games, entry into one GBBA sponsored tournament will be included in registration for post-season. If a team chooses to play in more than 3 weeknight games no tournament fees would be covered in registration for post-season play.
§ Additional GBBA Tournaments may be entered but the cost will be a-la-carte and in addition to any post-season registration costs for the 6 games and double elimination tournament.
§ Teams are not required to play in any GBBA Tournaments as long as they play 6 qualifying games. They are free to enter Grand Slam, USSSA, Perfect Game, Playmakers, or any other tournaments they wish to, but the cost will be incurred by each individual team and not GBBA or any member park.
o Ages 9 -12
§ In Ages 9-12 each team must participate in at least 8 Qualification games to participate in the Double Elimination Championship Tournament.
§ At least 4 of the games must be played on Weeknights
§ The remaining 4 games can be played on weeknights or in GBBA sponsored tournaments.
§ If a team chooses to play only 4 weeknight games, entry into one GBBA sponsored tournament will be included in registration for post-season. If a team chooses to play in more than 4 weeknight games no tournament fees would be covered in registration for post-season play.
§ Additional GBBA Tournaments may be entered but the cost will be a-la-carte and in addition to any post-season registration costs for the 8 games and double elimination tournament.
§ Teams are not required to play in any GBBA Tournaments as long as they play 8 qualifying games. They are free to enter Grand Slam, USSSA, Perfect Game, Playmakers, or any other tournaments they wish to, but the cost will be incurred by each individual team and not GBBA or any member park.
· Tournament Classification
o For ages 7 and up, teams will register with a “best guess” as to their starting classification by their coaches as whether they are A, AA, or AAA.
o GBBA will be seeking to hire an unbiased individual to evaluate post-season teams as to their skill level to place them in the appropriate division for the Double Elimination Championship Tournament. In other words, there will be someone who will help GBBA move a team up or down a division based on the team’s play in the 8 qualifying games. This will keep coaches and parks from sandbagging just to win a division championship. It may also mean a particular park may have more than one AAA team if the talent level of the teams warrant such a designation.
o There will be tournaments in at least 2 divisions (AAA and AA) and in 3 or 4 divisions (AAA, AA, A, ???) if needed.
· Rosters
o Each Park will submit their teams, rosters, and payment by April 15th.
o During pool play games each team must field at least 8 players or the game will be declared a forfeit and given a score of 8-0.
o There is no penalty for missing players during pool play
· Miscellaneous
o Outside travel teams (those who do not meet the above eligibility requirements) may enter GBBA weekend tournaments as an at-large team, but cannot compete for a GBBA Championship in the end of season double elimination tournament. GBBA will slot outside teams on an as needed basis to round out brackets in a respective tournament, so there is no guarantee that an outside team will be needed from week to week. GBBA will determine what division (A, AA, AAA tournaments) a team is eligible to participate in based on the talent level of that team. Outside travel teams will play by GBBA rules.
o In Ages 7 There will be 72 hours rest before the winner of the winner’s bracket and the winner of the loser’s bracket play for the championship provided there have not been rainouts that prevent allowing a 72 hours rest. Pitch counts and pitcher’s rest time reset prior to the championship game provided the 72 hour rest time takes place. If the winner of the loser’s bracket wins the first game, the second game will begin 20 minutes after the first game and pitch counts and rest time will be enforced for the second game.
o GBBA will sponsor qualifying games on weeknights and through weekend tournaments at GBBA affiliated parks.
o Continuous batting will be adhered to for all 6-10 year old teams.
o Ages 11 and up may choose continuous batting or official baseball substitution rules. The head coach must inform the other team’ head coach and the head umpire before each game.
o Lead offs will not be allowed through age 9.
o Lead offs will be allowed for ages 10 and older for post-season. Each park may determine if they want lead-offs for 10 year olds during its regular season. OMYBS will have lead-offs in the 10 year old age group this Spring.
o No games before 1:00 on Sunday for GBBA Tournaments.