Greater Lowell Umpires Association General Meeting

John Hansbury President March 25, 2015

GLBUA Agenda

• Attendance - Lucien Tanguay, Ray Bellerose • Presidents report - John Hansbury • Constitution - John Callery • Banquet - Mark Byrne • Rules interpretation - Tom Clews

General Business

• Members who have lost family members contact the Secretary. • All High School Officials are REQUIRED to take a free concussion course online before each season. This is a mandatory requirement from the MIAA http://nfhslearn.com/courses/38000 http://www.miaa.net/contentm/easy_pages/view.php?page_id=73&sid=38& menu_id=185 • GLBUA Meetings - All regular members MUST attend a minimum two scheduled meetings unless notification is given to the Secretary prior to the 1st meeting.

• Directories , Banquet , Sonny Robbins Scholarship award and Sportsmanship forms are available to members at the sign in table • With the overwhelming support of the Sonny Robbins Scholarship fund the executive board is currently reviewing giving out (2) Awards this year

Training

• Plate work is available this weekend for new and veteran umpires – Location : Game time Sports 1703 Middlesex Street Lowell, MA 01851 – Time : Saturday 8-11:15 Am Sunday 9:15 – 10:30 Am Contact the President for details

Nominations & Elections

Open Offices • (1) Secretary • (1)Treasurer • (2) Executive Committee member At- Large

Constitution of the Greater Lowell Baseball Umpires Association Table of Content s Article I Name Article II Definition of Terms Article III Purpose Article IV Jurisdiction Article V Membership Article VI Governing Body Article VII Duties of the Officers Article VIII Duties and Privileges of Members Article IX Meetings of the Association Article X Nominations Article XI Elections Article XII Committees Article XIII Affiliations Article XIV Amendments Article XV Sovereignty

Constitutional Changes

# Constitutional Change

1 Article IV - Jurisdiction- Remove

Rationale

No longer relevant 2 Article V- Membership - will have Article VII Duties of membership combined with this section Combines Membership & duties into one section Combines the interpreter and Clinician into one 3 Article VI - Governing Body- Revise section 3. Enumeration: Article VII - Duties of the Officers- Change Section 5 & 6 to position. Reduces the number of At-Large Executive Members from 7 to 5 4 combine the duties of clinician and interpreter to One Single position 5 Article VII - Duties of the Officers- Change Section 8 . At Large Members: changed from 7 to 5 Combines Clinician/ Interpreter role to a single position Reduces At-Large Members from7 to 5

YEA NAY

Constitutional Changes

# Constitutional Change

Article IX- Meetings of the Association- Section 1 - revises 6 the meeting wording to simplify meetings required of members

Rationale

Simplifies when the Meetings are held 7 Article IX- Meetings of the association - section 6 -Banquet revises the wording on when the Banquet is held Article X- Nominations Section 2-Maker of the nomination Simplifies the Banquet 8 - No Longer is required to be in attendance to be nominated Eliminates the Nominator to be in attendance 9 Article XI : Elections Section 1: time of the election is revised Article XI : Elections Section 6 requirements of Elections 10 (d) Term of Office -Eliminates the election of 2 At- Large members 11 Article XII section (i) sportsmanship award Committee Last meeting may not be the election Same as change #5 No Committee- Award is being discontinued

YEA NAY

Banquet & Nominations

• Treasure's report - Dennis Hansbury • Banquet - Mark Byrne – Dates: April 1, 2015 – Time: 6:30 – Place: Mount Pleasant Golf Club 114 Staples Street in Lowell, MA • Nominations April 1, 2015 • Elections – Held April 29 th – The LAST meeting Members are welcomed to vote anytime between 6 8 PM

TWO MAN SYSTEM BASE UMPIRE POINTS OF EMPHASIS

• MAINTAIN AND PROJECT A PROFESSIONAL APPEARANCE AND ATTITUDE (HANDS ON KNEES ON EVERY PITCH.) • ANGLES AND DISTANCE: FORCE PLAYS, 90 DEGREE ANGLE, 12 15 FEET DISTANCE; TAG PLAYS, 45 DEGREE ANGLE, 4-6 FEET DISTANCE. • PICKOFF AT FIRST, STEP TOWARDS HOME AND TURN. • STEAL OF SECOND, BALL OVER LEFT SHOULDER. • STEAL OF THIRD, IMPORTANCE OF ANGLE (TOWARDS HOME) AS OPPOSED TO RUNNING PARALLEL TO THE RUNNER.

• DOUBLE PLAY, IMPORTANCE OF ANGLE FOR PLAY AT FIRST.

TWO MAN SYSTEM BASE UMPIRE POINTS OF EMPHASIS

• FLY BALL COVERAGE WITH RUNNERS ON BASE, LEFT FIELDER TO RIGHT FIELDER. • FAIR/FOUL WITH NO RUNNERS ON. HITS OR GOES OVER OR BEYOND FIRST BASE. • GETTING INTO THE INFIELD ON A BASE HIT (PIVOT). • TAG UPS AND APPEALS. • ALWAYS KNOWING WHERE THE BALL IS AND WHETHER THE PITCHER IS IN CONTACT WITH THE RUBBER. • IMPORTANCE OF CHECK SWING APPEALS AND SELLING THAT CALL. • TIMING......TIMING.......TIMING. • COMMUNICATION AND HUSTLE.

GLBUA Baseball Interpreter

(1)

Secure possession, voluntary release.

(2) Illegal pitch. Hidden ball (on or astride rubber).

(3) Free foot passing behind the back edge of the rubber. Free foot landing on proper side of imaginary 45 degree line (4) IN FOUR WORDS OR LESS, DESCRIBE THE TWO RULE PRIORITY CRITERIA IN ESTABLISHING THE VALIDITY OF A LEGAL CATCH LIST THE TWO WAYS A PITCHER CAN BALK WITHOUT EVER COMING IN CONTACT WITH THE RUBBER. LIST THE TWO PRIORITY RULES GOVERNING CALLING A BALK ON A LEFT HANDED PITCHER.

LIST THE SEVEN WAYS A RUNNER, NOT FORCED TO ADVANCE, IS AWARDED ONE BASE WITHOUT LIABILITY TO BE PUT OUT. (5) WHEN IS THE ONLY TIME A BATTER IS NOT R ULED OUT FOR HIS OWN INTERFERENCE Balk, Overthrow or pitch to DB area from rubber, Obstruction, Stealing during catcher's interference, Pitch gets lodged in catcher's or umpires equipment, Falling into DB area after legal catch, Runner hit by pitch while stealing home.

(5) WHEN IS THE ONLY TIME A BATTER IS NOT RULED OUT FOR HIS OWN INTERFERENCE When he interferes at home plate before two are out. (e.g.) Suicide squeeze

GLBUA Baseball Interpreter

6. THE RED SOX BATTING ORDER IS VICTORINO, PEDROIA, NAPOLI AND ORTIZ. TO END 7.

THE 3RD INNING, PEDROIA FLYS OUT BATTING IN PROPER BATTER VICTORINO'S SPOT. WHO IS THE NEXT LEGAL BATTER TO LEAD OFF IN THE 4TH?

Napoli. Once a pitch is made to a batter "of either team", the improper batter's actions become legalized.

8.

LIST THE TWO WAYS A MANAGER AND A PITCHER CAN BE EJECTED AND OR REMOVED FROM THE GAME ON THE SAME PLAY.

Intentionally throwing at a batter after being warned. Making a second visit to the same pitcher, while the same batter is at bat, after being warned.

pitch

10.

.

LIST THE ONLY THREE POTENTIAL OPTION PLAYS IN BASEBALL

Catcher's Interference. One or more appeals that end an inning. Delivery of some type of illegal

9. LIST A PLAY WHERE AN APPEAL IS NOT CONSIDERED A PLAY AND ANOTHER PLAY WHERE AN APPEAL IS CONSIDERED A PLAY.

Successive (multiple) appeals are not considered plays. Throwing, from the rubber, to an unoccupied base to make an appeal is considered a play.

THERE ARE NINE SITUATIONS/PLAYS WHERE AN UMPIRE SHOULD POINT TO SIGNAL THE INFRACTION BECAUSE THE BALL DOES NOT BECOME DEAD IMMEDIATELY AND SOMETIMES NOT AT ALL. LIST AS MANY AS YOU CAN.

Balk, Plate Ump Interference, Batter Interference, Catcher Interference, Obstruction, Illegal pitch, Throwing glove at and hitting the ball, Passing a preceding runner, Leaving the base path (to avoid a tag or for abandonment of effort).