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Online now: 3 members: MCG, db, veenus31; 15 anonymousDiscussion: SSUSA RULES COMMITTEE 2010 REPORT
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| Dec. 5 SSUSA Staff 3505 posts | 2010 Annual Meeting – Tucson, AZ – December 1-3, 2010 The SSUSA Rules Committee met in three sessions during the 2010 Annual Convention, in an open public comment General Forum on Wednesday, and open to the public working Committee Meetings on Thursday and Friday. RULES CHANGE ACTIONS OF THE COMMITTEE§1.29C - HEADWEAR - Reference to ball caps for men being 'mandatory' changed to 'optional' §3.8A - UNIFORM - Section amended to allow for sleeveless jerseys. This is in recognition of the trend in uniform manufacturers to offer that style of jersey. §4.2(2) - ADDING PLAYERS - Amended to provide that tournament rosters are “frozen” as of the Manager’s Meeting the evening before play begins. NO on-site player additions allowed without Tournament Director approval before team’s first game. Managers who do not attend Manager Meeting, and do not send a representative, would be prohibited from beginning tournament play before check-in with Field Director and be prohibited from Roster additions. §4.5 - AMERICANS WITH DISABILITy ACT RULE - Amended to require person asserting coverage under the act to provide governmental issued or medical professional issued documentation of coverage. §5.5(1) - GAME TIMES - Subsection A amended from 60 to 65 minutes for Seeding/Pool play. Subsection B amended from 65 to 70 minutes for Bracket Play (excluding Championship games. Subsection C amends official game time start from delivery of first pitch to two (2) minutes after the umpire’s coin toss. §5.5(3) - FLIP-FLOP RULE - Flip-Flop Rule remains unchanged at Seeding/Pool play level of the tournament and may be voluntarily invoked by BOTH managers in a game with a 10-Run differential in favor of the Visiting team at the start of the “Open Inning”. For Bracket Play, including Championship Game(s), the Flip-Flop Rule is now MANDATORY in the circumstance of a 15-Run differential in favor of the Visiting team at the start of the “Open Inning”. §8.5 - SLIDING OPTIONAL and §8.6(5) - AVOIDING COLLISIONS - Sections merged to clarify when permissible/advisable to slide to avoid collisions at 1st Base and Scoring Plate/Line. §13.2(4)D - AGE ELIGIBILITY AND GROUPING - Women’s Senior Division 65+ and 70+ are granted right to add underage players under the same theory as Men’s 75+ and 80+ now have. Women’s 70+ may add up to 3 underage players, with no more than one being 68 and no more than two being 69. Women’s 65+ may add one age 64 player. §16.6 - UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT - Rule amended to include more harsh penalties for gross unsportsmanlike behavior such as assault/battery of tournament officials and umpires. Penalties strengthened to include up to lifetime ban from SSUSA events in appropriate circumstances. DIRECTIVES OF THE COMMITTEE TO SSUSA STAFF§13.1(1) - DIVISIONS OF THE SSWC - Staff was directed to analyze and report back to the Rules Committee on the number players (and their respective teams) with a personal rating history higher than the rating level of their current team affiliation. It was brought to the attention of the Committee that a very high percentage of teams have as many as five such players. Staff was also instructed to place emphasis on analyzing those players from teams that have been recently raised in rating because of winning a National or World Championship in Senior Softball Summit member events. Based on the results of this data analysis, the Committee will reconvene by telephone conference call special session to consider imposing a rule based reduced maximum on the number of such players who may be on an active roster without triggering a ratings increase. This would affect all ratings divisions of play. §16.1(5) - DOUBLE TEAM REGISTRATION - Women’s Coordinator presented a proposal to prohibit Double Rostering by a player between two separate age groups at the same tournament. Effect was to return to Women’s Division specific pre-2010 rule that prohibited the practice. The request was tabled and Staff was directed to further study this proposal via a survey of the Women's Division managers and, based on the results, to refer the matter back to the Rules Committee for potential reconsideration. __________ Respectfully submitted, Terry Hennessy - Co-owner and CEO (California); Bill Ruth - Co-owner and President (Washington); Fran Dowell - Executive Director (California); Michael Boone - Northeast Regional Director (New Jersey); Don Brooks - National Director (El Paso); Dave Dowell - National Director (California) - 2010 Chairman; Jerry Jackson - National Director (Illinois); Otis Rowland - National Director (Oklahoma/California); Rick Siefman - Southwest Regional Director (Arizona); Steve Simmons - National Director (Minnesota/Not in attendance); Ray Starwalt - National Umpire in Chief (Washington) |
