Rain Delays/Cancellation
There are a couple of ways that games and practices are canceled or delayed. The County surveys the fields every day at around 2:00 PM. If there is a lot of water of the fields due to rain, the County will notify the park President that the park is closed. If the fields are borderline, the County will leave it up to us to make the decision about the parks. It is our policy to play games if at all possible. Until you receive an email notifying games or practices are canceled, please assume games are on. If games are canceled, we will work with the managers to reschedule the games.

Umpires
Getting umpires is one of the toughest parts of organizing a season. In the past we have done pretty well and when we have not had umpires, coaches have always stepped in to help.

We will do our best to to get umpires at every game but there will undoubtedly be some where we cannot get one. We would like to layout this policy for the times we will not.

The defensive teams manager or coach will ump from behind the mound with the caveat that he or she may not speak to or coach the pitcher while behind the mound as this would provide an unfair advantage. Instead, a coach or manager would be required to follow the typical procedure - call for time, when time is granted enter the field of play and consult with the pitcher, et al, one visit per inning, etc.

When there is an ump shortage, preference will be given the majors games over minors games.

Field Maintenance

• There are rakes in the shed that can be used to rake the fields. Please return them to the shed when you are done with them.
• If the fields are wet when you arrive at the park, please use discretion. If the surface of the dirt area is soft, please do not use the fields. If you feel as though the fields are playable with a little work, DO NOT PUSH WATER INTO THE GRASS. If that is the only way to start play, cancel the event and reschedule.
• The lights are controlled remotely. You cannot turn them on at the park. If lights go out, contact the park President via text at 850-545-4508. Once the lights go out, it can take up to 15 minutes for them to power back on.
• Please do not attempt to turn off the sprinklers. They are on times and are not scheduled to run during our game and practice time. If they come on during your practice, please contact the park President and we will coordinate with the County.

Pitching Machines
Machine Pitch pitching machines are located in the equipment shed. We will be calibrating them so that they are set at 38-44 mph. The machines are to be placed 46 feet from home plate. This information is included in the local league rules.

Home and Away Team Responsibilities
http://www.chairesll.com/index.php/information/home-away-team-game-responsibilities

Local League Rules
http://www.chairesll.com/files/2016_CC_Rules.pdf - Please take a couple minutes to review the local league rules. We will also make them available to the umpires.

Safety Report
http://www.chairesll.com/files/2018-Chaires-Capitola-Saftey-Plan.pdf - Please take a couple minutes to familiarize yourself with the safety report. It has good information about first aid and general organization procedures.

Player Reps
Your division’s Player Rep is your first point of contact for any questions or concerns you have throughout the course of the season. They will also coordinate the player pool.

Player Pool
http://www.chairesll.com/files/Player_Pool_Policy.pdf

Game Protests
Games protests are handled the following way. If you believe a call has been made that rises to the level of a protest the first thing you should do is take a deep breath. Then you must notify the umpire that you are filing an official protest and then continue with the game. After the game, the umpire will contact the Umpire Chief who will then contact both managers that participated in the game. The Umpire Chief will then contact the League President. The League President will then form a committee of 4 board members that will hear the protest and make a determination of what will be done. The League President will then notify the managers of the judgment.

Important Numbers
Keith Wemm, Park President 850-545-4508
Adam Moore, Majors Player Rep 561-602-5522
Chad Pursell, Minors Player Rep 850-510-0645
Craig Spickard, Machine Pitch Plater Rep 850-583-0719
Bill Connell, TeeBall Player Rep 850-264-6949

Please consider adding your player to your divisions player pool. Here is how to do it:

To assist teams that are having a difficult time getting enough players for their regular season teams during the season, Chaires Little League has opted to create a division player pool, consisting of players who have volunteered to be in the pool.

Player Pool Reps
Machine Pitch - Craig Spickard This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Minors - Chad Pursell - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Majors - Adam Moore - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

1. The player agent will create and run the pool. He will use the pool to assign players within the minors division to teams that are short of players on a rotating basis. Once the volunteer list has been compiled, the player agent will randomly arrange the players in the pool. This order will not be known by any minors division coach.
2. The player agent will create and run the pool. He will use the pool to assign players within the minors division to teams that are short of players on a rotating basis. Once the volunteer list has been compiled, the player agent will randomly arrange the players in the pool. This order will not be known by any minors division coach.
3. Managers and/or coaches will not have the right to randomly pick and choose players from the pool. Managers will not know who their pool players will be until after they have requested one from the player agent. Once a request has been made, it cannot be rescinded.
4. When a player participates on a team other than his/her own team, such player will not be permitted to pitch or catch in that game. They will be placed at the end of the batting order. Pool players that are called and show up at the game site must play at least nine consecutive defensive outs and bat once. They will wear their own team uniform.

Once a player has been selected by the player agent as a pool player, he/she will be placed at the back of the pool list and will not be selected for another game until their turn comes up again. A parent will always have the ability to refuse or ignore an invitation but, to preserve the integrity of the process, that refusal will result in the player being put in the back of the list as if they did accept.

To make this process run smoothly, parent/guardians of willing volunteers will need to send an email your player agent with a subject of Player Pool Volunteer. Please include in the email the player's team, name, and a number to contact the parent/guardian via text message.

Coaches wishing to request a player should contact your player agent via text as soon as they are aware of the need. Please include your team name and game date with the message. It is preferred that you give him at least two days notice but he will likely be able to find a player for you within one day. In extreme cases, he will attempt to find players on the day of the game but due to work/family commitments and dependency on parent responses, he may not be able to fill your request.

Again, please let him know as soon as you can.

Parents will be informed of a player request via text message. If a parent does not respond within a reasonable time (which will depend on the urgency of the request), the player agent will contact the parent of the next player on the list and inform the first parent the offer is no longer in place. The originally contacted player will then be placed at the back of the selection list.

Immediately after a player has accepted an invitation to play, the player agent will contact the requesting coach.

This year opening day will be on February 23. We are excited and looking forward to seeing everyone. The following is some information about the day’s activities to help you plan.

Schedule: Please see the schedules below for your picture time and game time. Only Machine Pitch and TeeBall will be playing games on opening day.

Parking: We will be opening the overflow parking that is between the park and Chaires Elementary School. The gate to this field is located just east of the main park entrance. There will be a gate open on the south side of the lot by the Dreams field through which you will be able to pass through fence. We are attaching the map again so you can orient yourselves.

Concession Stand: The concession stand will open at 10:00 to 4:00 and will be serving our full menu including hotdogs, hamburgers and cheeseburgers. If you are interested in starting the season off right by volunteering some time to help in the stand, please use this link to sign up for a time slot. And thanks for your help!

FSU Bat Girls: Sports Marketing from FSU will be at the park starting at Noon. They will be set up next to the concession stand and will be handing out posters and schedules. Please stop by their table and say hi.

Chaires Little League Day at FSU: Chaires will have a fan day at the March 31 baseball game between the Noles and Boston College. The game is at 1:00. We will be selling $3.00 tickets at opening day at the hat table. We will only have 200 tickets to sell so please get them early. Players will be able to join the FSU Baseball team on the field during the national anthem. We will be selling some current and past Richardson hats at a table for $16 each.

Opening Day Ceremony: The opening ceremony will include the parade of teams, special guest Michelle Milligan will be singing the national anthem. The Lincoln High School color guard will be there and our first pitch will be thrown by FSU football legend and Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward.

Picture Schedule

Opening Day Game Schedule

Good afternoon. We wanted to share the 2018 Spring Opening Day schedule with you. Below you will see a schedule that includes picture times, game times and when the opening ceremony fits into the day's events. We have tried to structure the day around the opening ceremony so that families don't have to be there all day long. Only TeeBall and Machine Pitch teams will be playing games on opening day.

We ask that you arrive at least 15 minutes before your picture time. If your pictures are after opening ceremony, please arrive 15 minutes before the ceremony begins. Pictures will be taken behind the concession stand again this year. Please meet your team at that location. Photo packets will be handed out to you by your Manager with your jersey this week. Even if you are not getting individual pictures, please come so that your player can be included in the team picture.

The concession stand will open at 11:00 and will be serving the normal menu of hot food so please come and join us for lunch at the park. We will also be selling team hats for $18 is you are interested in getting one.

We are also including a map below. Because opening day brings in such big crowds, we will open the overflow parking. The gate to that area is located just south of the park's main entrance.

We will follow up later this week with reminders and more information.