Redmond West Little League
Redmond West Little League
Rules for Tournament Teams (aka All-Star Teams) Approved: January 7, 2014
Redmond West League strives to make sure that the regular season offers as much opportunity as possible for players to learn, play and experience baseball and softball and through the Redmond City Tournament and Jamboree affords all players at the AA level and above an opportunity to experience tournament play. The Little League post-season tournaments offer some of the best players in the league a chance to play at the "all-star" level. The tournament team selection process is intended to balance the needs of forming the most competitive team possible and providing fair opportunity for each player to make the team based on their skills, ability and demonstrated performance. In general, players will play All Stars at the lowest age level for which they are eligible. The opportunity for players to make the team should be fair, independent of popularity, school affiliation, parental influence, or manager partiality. It shall be the intent to select and announce the tournament teams at the earliest time allowable by Little League, in order to allow the teams to begin practicing at the earliest allowable date.
RWLL Rules for Tournament Teams
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PLAYER EVALUATIONS Each manager shall provide an evaluation of each eligible player on their team to the Tournament Team committee, including, if available, statistics such as batting average, on base percentage and earned run average. Managers, league umpires and scorekeepers may also be invited to provide evaluations for any eligible player on any team that they have relevant knowledge of.
TEAM COMPOSITION The process for determining the eligibility and the selection and notification of players, managers and coaches is administered by the Tournament Team Committee (“TTC”). The members of the TTC are the President, Vice President, Player Agent, Chief Umpire, and two Board members appointed by the President, neither of which can be managers or coaches of record for Coast or Majors regular season teams. The TTC is wholly responsible for preparation of ballots, administering proper and secret balloting, and distributing and collecting eligibility and commitment documents from players, coaches and managers. The TTC is charged with ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of the process. The RWLL Tournament Team selection for the Juniors, Seniors baseball teams shall be determined by the VP-Juniors and RWLL President – such selection process will need to be approved by the TTC. The RWLL Tournament Team selection for Majors, 10/11 Year Old, and 9/10 Year Old teams will be made as follows: a. Majors Tournament Team. The Majors Tournament Team ballot shall be composed of eligible and available players of league age twelve (12), and in exceptional circumstances league age eleven (11) and ten (10), in the Majors Division. Players on Minor League rosters are not eligible for the Majors Tournament Team. b.
10/11-Year-Old Tournament Team. The 10/11-year-old Tournament Team ballot will be composed of eligible and available players of league age eleven (11), and in exceptional circumstances league age ten (10), playing in the Majors or Coast Divisions. Players on AAA rosters are not eligible for the 10/11-year-old Tournament Team.
c.
9/10-year-old Tournament Team. The 9/10-year-old Tournament Team ballot will be composed of eligible and available players of league age ten (10), and in exceptional circumstances league age nine (9), playing in the Majors and Coast Divisions. Players on AAA rosters are not eligible for the 9/10-year-old Tournament Team.
d.
Player Eligibility. All players on a roster as defined in (a), (b) and (c) as of the mid-point in the season (that point in which 50% of the regular-season games have been played) shall be eligible for selection to the Tournament Team. Any player wishing to be considered for an older team for which he/she is eligible must send a written request to the Player Agent to be included on the older team ballot in addition to the regular ballot for his age. The TTC will determine in its discretion whether the player will be placed on the older team ballot, based on whether that action furthers the interest of RWLL in fielding the best All Star baseball teams to compete in District, State, Regional, National, and International All Star tournaments. Players elected to more than one team will be placed on the team that best meets the league’s interests, not given a choice of which team they prefer. It is recommended that the Majors team be composed of twelves, that the 11/10 team be composed of elevens, and that the 10/9 team be composed of tens; in other words, that players play All Stars at the lowest age level for which they are eligible.
e.
Player Availability. Approximately three weeks prior to the end of the season, all eligible players as defined in (d) will be issued a Letter of Commitment by the Player Agent. This letter must be returned to any member of the TTC within the time determined by the TTC. This letter must contain the following information: 1. Name, address and telephone number of player 2. Confirmation that the parent can produce an original government issued birth certificate, or other documents to show proof of age for the player (as required by Little League International rules) within three days of notification of acceptance to the roster. 3. Confirmation that the parent can provide legal proof of residence within three days of notification of acceptance to the roster. 4. Dates and places of tournament.
RWLL Rules for Tournament Teams
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5. 6. 7.
Statement of availability and commitment of player. Statement of parent commitment, responsibility and possible expense involved. Player and parent signature indicating availability and understanding of responsibility.
PLAYERS WHO DO NOT TURN IN THE LETTER OF AVAILABILITY SHALL BE CONSIDERED UNAVAILABLE.
f.
Ballot Preparation. All players meeting the eligibility and availability requirements as defined in (a) through (e) will have their names placed on the appropriate ballot or ballots. Except for a player who has asked to be considered for an older Tournament Team per Section (d) above, and whom the TTC decides to place on the older Tournament Team ballot as well as the regular ballot for his age to further RWLL’s interest in fielding the most competitive teams, each eligible player will appear on one ballot: (1) the Majors Tournament Team ballot; (2) the 10/11 Tournament Team ballot; or (3) the 9/10 Tournament Team ballot.
g.
Players Balloting. Approximately the first week in June, on a date to be announced, each player on a team present at the time of the vote shall cast one ballot for a tournament team. Each player will cast a vote for a maximum of twelve (12) players from those on the ballot. The players may vote only for players listed on the ballot. Voting will be by secret ballot. Ballots listing more than twelve (12) players with votes will be discarded and not counted in the totals. These ballots shall be collected by a minimum of two people designated by the TTC and shall be counted by the TTC at a time and place determined by the TTC. The TTC shall keep a record of the counts by team.
h.
Juniors Balloting. All players on Juniors baseball team rosters are eligible to vote for the Juniors Tournament Team. If there are not enough Juniors players within RWLL to form one Juniors Tournament team, the players who would like to be considered for the team may need to attend a tryout or other event, as determined by the TTC. The Juniors Tournament Team may be comprised of players from more than one league, as determined by the TTC, in conjunction with the VP-Juniors and RWLL President, and the other leagues’ TTC and/or VP-Juniors.
i.
Majors Balloting. All players on Majors team rosters are eligible to vote for the Majors Tournament Team.
j.
10/11-year-old Balloting. All players on Majors team rosters are eligible to vote for the 10/11year-old Tournament Team.
k.
9/10-year-old Balloting. All players on Coast team rosters are eligible to vote for the 9/10-year-old Tournament Team. Individual players with a league age of ten (10) on a Majors team roster are eligible to vote for the 9/10-year-old Tournament Team. Individual players with a league age of eleven (11) on a Coast roster are eligible to vote for the 10/11-year-old Tournament Team.
l.
Manager and Coach Voting Eligibility. Majors Division managers will vote for the Majors Tournament Team and the 10/11-year-old Tournament Team. Coast Division Managers will vote for the 9/10-year-old Tournament Team.
m. Managers Balloting. Approximately the first week in June, on a date to be announced, each team manager of record that is present at the time of the vote shall cast one ballot for each tournament team for which he or she is eligible to vote. Voting will be done by secret ballot. Each manager of record that is present will cast one (1) ballot on which twelve (12) players MUST be selected. Ballots listing votes not exactly equal to twelve (12) or otherwise incorrectly filled out will be discarded and not counted in the total. These ballots shall be collected by a minimum of two people designated by the TTC and shall be counted by the TTC at a time and place determined by the TTC. The TTC shall keep a record of the counts. In a year where the League sponsors both an Invitational Team (to play in an Invitational tournament) and a Tournament Team (aka “All Stars”) for the same divisional age group, the Tournament Team’s meetings must be scheduled not to coincide or conflict with the Invitational Team’s games.
RWLL Rules for Tournament Teams
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n.
Team Size and Remaining Roster Positions. Tournament teams shall have no fewer than 12 roster positions and no more than 14 roster positions. An initial manager vote shall consist of options for 12, 13 or 14 players. This first vote for team size will determine a Top-2 ballot. Managers will select from the Top 2 and the option receiving the majority of votes is the roster size.
o.
Tournament Team Player Selection. The TTC will verify the totals of the players’ ballots and managers’ ballots for each tournament team. The names of the eleven (11) players receiving the greatest vote totals from the Players’ Ballots will constitute the “Players Top 11” list. The names of the eleven (11) players receiving the greatest vote totals from the Managers Ballots will constitute the “Managers Top 11” list. In the event of a tie vote in the Players Top 11 list: the managers vote totals for the tied players will be used to resolve the tie to eleven (11). In the event of a tie vote in the Managers Top 11 list, the players vote totals for the tied players will be used to resolve the tie to 11. If a tie cannot be resolved in this manner, then the Top 11 list or lists affected will be expanded to include all names involved in the tie. The TTC will compare the Players Top 11 with the Managers Top 11 and all players named on BOTH lists are selected to the Tournament Team for their division.
p.
Remaining Roster Position(s). A pool of players is created by the Player Agent. The pool of players consists of those players from each of the original combined ballots at or above the team’s roster. (Example: If the roster is 13 players, all players from the original balloting that were ranked 1-13, by vote totals for the managers’ or players’, are the players available for consideration in filling the remaining roster positions.) Managers may discuss the candidates before proceeding. Each manager casts one vote for every roster position that is unfilled. Players with majority support are added to the roster and taken out of the pool. Players receiving no votes in a round of voting are dropped from the ballot pool of players before subsequent rounds. Tie votes for the final roster position(s) are broken first by a manager vote between the tied players, second by the players vote total and third by the original Manager vote total. If a tie cannot be resolved at this point the older player is added to the roster.
q.
Ballots Confidential. The contents of any and all ballots and the vote totals will be held strictly confidential by the TTC. No player, manager or other person shall be informed as to the votes or totals on any or all of the ballots and the Top 11 lists. Ballots will be held by the Player Agent for 60 days, and then destroyed.
r.
Announcement of Tournament Teams. The Tournament Team Committee will announce the Tournament Team Rosters no earlier than the date(s) listed in the current year’s Official Little League Tournament Rules and Guidelines and District 9 tournament team guidelines, and follow strictly the rules and procedures contained in those guidelines.
s.
Change in Availability. After the announcement of the team, if a player becomes unavailable, the team manager will fill the roster position by selecting a player from the pooled names as specified in either (m) or (n).
TOURNAMENT TEAM MANAGER & COACH SELECTION The players and managers in each division shall select their division’s manager subject to approval by the Board of Directors. Each Tournament Team Manager shall select up to two (2) coaches, subject to ratification by the Board of Directors. Prior to the vote for Tournament Teams the managers and coaches of record will be informed if the Tournaments, selection process, commitment by players, coaches and parents, and eligible individuals will be invited to request their name be listed on the ballot for Tournament Team Manager. a.
Eligibility. Managers or coaches of record from the Majors division will be eligible for managing the Majors Tournament Team. Managers or coaches of record from the Majors or Minors divisions will be eligible for managing the 11-year-old Tournament Team and the 9/10 year-old Tournament Team.
RWLL Rules for Tournament Teams
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b.
Balloting. The TTC will prepare ballots for each division listing the available and eligible managers. These ballots will be presented to the players at the same time they cast their votes for the tournament team as specified in (Team Composition, g.) Each player, team manager, and one coach of record from each team will vote for the manager they feel would make the best tournament team manager. Vote will be by secret ballot. At least two (2) persons on the committee must total the votes and keep separate vote totals. The totals and individual ballots will be presented to the President for appointing managers. All individual ballots and totals are confidential. In the event that only one eligible individual requests to be on the ballot the TTC will advise the President. After confidential consultation with the TTC and if the President judges that the individual will represent the highest ideals of RWLL the President may appoint the individual as team manager for ratification by the Board.
c.
Appointment of Manager. The person receiving the highest total for each Tournament Team will be the Tournament Team Manager, which is subject to appointment by the President and ratification by the TTC. In the event that the President does not judge that an individual will represent the highest ideals of RWLL, the President may replace him or her with the person receiving the next highest vote total. In the event of a tie, the President, in confidential consultation with the Tournament Team Committee, will resolve any and all ties. The President’s appointments will be presented to the Board of Directors for ratification in a special board meeting on the day chosen by the TTC, or via electronic voting. The President shall notify the Tournament Team Managers within twenty-four (24 hours) after receiving Board ratification.
d.
Appointment of Coaches. Each Tournament Team Manager will request, within twenty-four (24) hours after being notified of his or her appointment, up to two (2) coaches to be appointed to the Tournament Team. If the requested individual(s) are acceptable to the President, the President shall appoint the individual followed by board ratification.
e.
Change in Availability. If a manager or coach becomes unable to fulfill the commitment to a Tournament Team after appointment and approval, the President, after consultation with the remaining coaching staff, will appoint a substitute from among those eligible, subject to ratification by the Board of Directors.
f.
Ballots Confidential. The TTC will keep all ballots and vote totals strictly confidential. No RWLL member shall be informed of any or all votes or totals. Ballots will be held by the President for 60 days, and then destroyed.
FILLING VACANCIES After the announcement of the tournament team, if a player on the team becomes unavailable as determined by the Player Agent, a committee consisting of the tournament team manager, Commissioner and Player Agent shall select a replacement from those players that received votes during the player selection process. (Exception: if the team originally had 14 players and now has 13, the committee may choose to not replace the player.) The pool of players from which the manager can choose shall not be expanded until there are no players left in the original pool.
CONFIDENTIALITY The entire process of selecting the tournament team, manager and coaches shall be strictly confidential. The contents of any and all ballots and the vote totals will be kept confidential by those counting the ballots. The members of the selection committee shall be informed of the vote totals during the balloting; however no other individual shall be informed as to the votes or totals on any or all of the ballots, or the order in which players were selected to the team. The ballots shall be kept secured until the selection is complete, whereupon they will be destroyed by the Player Agent and either the President or Commissioner. The Player Agent will make and keep a confidential list of those players who received votes and were not selected to the team for use in filling vacancies as specified. This list will be destroyed after the team is eliminated from the tournament. The list of manager applicants not selected shall also be kept confidential.
ANNOUNCEMENTS The tournament team, manager, and coaches shall be announced at a time, place and in a manner determined by the Board. The announcement should take place only after all tournament teams, managers and coaches have been selected for all divisions. The players on each team shall be listed in alphabetical order in the announcement. The players shall not be listed in order of selection and no vote totals shall be listed. There shall be no "Honorable Mention" of players who are not selected for the tournament team. RWLL Rules for Tournament Teams
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APPENDIX A. BALLOT PREPARATION The ballots shall list all eligible players in alphabetical order, grouped by team, by age within each team and in alphabetical order within each age group. A separate ballot shall be prepared for each tournament team. B. PLAYER LETTER OF COMMITMENT The Player Agent shall make available a form letter of commitment to all players. Each player desiring to be eligible for selection to a tournament team must deliver a completed copy of the letter of commitment to the Player Agent. The letter shall contain the following information: 1. Name of player. 2. Address of player. 3. Telephone number of player. 4. Confirmation that player can produce an original government issued certified birth certificate, King County card, or passport within three (3) days of notification of acceptance to the roster. (Parents understand that they may have registered with improper documents and that they were asked to verify before the season started that the document shown was an original and not a copy.) Players without original documentation may not be listed on the roster. Dates and places of tournament and statement that the player is available for the dates listed. 5. A summary of the rules regarding playing time for tournament teams and the requirement that the player not participate in any other baseball or softball program until the team is eliminated from the tournament. Statement of parent responsibility and possible expense involved. 6. Signatures of the player and parent confirming that all of the information is accurate and agreeing to the commitment involved. 7. The player shall return this signed letter to the Player Agent immediately. C. MANAGER QUALIFICATIONS AND SELECTION CRITERIA The manager and coaches selected to coach the RWLL Tournament Team are expected to be more that just good coaches - they are considered to be ambassadors of RWLL. The tournament team managers must be managers or coaches, who coached in the appropriate division during at least ½ of the regular season, and: 1. Possess a good knowledge of the game of Little League baseball or softball, and know and consistently practice its rules. 2. Have demonstrated an ability and willingness to teach individual players the fundamentals of baseball as well as the concept of team play. 3. Have consistently demonstrated a fair and positive attitude toward players and have a good rapport with players and their parents. 4. Indicate a willingness to become knowledgeable in the Little League tournament rules and plan to consistently adhere to them. 5. Conduct him or herself in an exemplary fashion both on and off the field at all times, and consistently show respect for umpires and all league officials. The manager selection committee shall also take into consideration the following criteria: 1. The number of years of positive contributions by the prospective manager as a manager and/or coach in RWLL. 2. The willingness of the manager over the years to attend and participate in league and district sponsored coaching clinics. 3. The manager's history of being supportive of the league and being a positive contributor to its overall efforts. 4. Without disregarding any of the above, the manager selection committee shall place priority on selecting a tournament manager for the 11/12 tournament team who is a parent of a 12-year old, and shall place priority on selecting a manager who is a second year Majors manager.
RWLL Rules for Tournament Teams
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Rules for Tournament Teams (aka All-Star Teams) Approved: January 7, 2014
Redmond West League strives to make sure that the regular season offers as much opportunity as possible for players to learn, play and experience baseball and softball and through the Redmond City Tournament and Jamboree affords all players at the AA level and above an opportunity to experience tournament play. The Little League post-season tournaments offer some of the best players in the league a chance to play at the "all-star" level. The tournament team selection process is intended to balance the needs of forming the most competitive team possible and providing fair opportunity for each player to make the team based on their skills, ability and demonstrated performance. In general, players will play All Stars at the lowest age level for which they are eligible. The opportunity for players to make the team should be fair, independent of popularity, school affiliation, parental influence, or manager partiality. It shall be the intent to select and announce the tournament teams at the earliest time allowable by Little League, in order to allow the teams to begin practicing at the earliest allowable date.
RWLL Rules for Tournament Teams
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PLAYER EVALUATIONS Each manager shall provide an evaluation of each eligible player on their team to the Tournament Team committee, including, if available, statistics such as batting average, on base percentage and earned run average. Managers, league umpires and scorekeepers may also be invited to provide evaluations for any eligible player on any team that they have relevant knowledge of.
TEAM COMPOSITION The process for determining the eligibility and the selection and notification of players, managers and coaches is administered by the Tournament Team Committee (“TTC”). The members of the TTC are the President, Vice President, Player Agent, Chief Umpire, and two Board members appointed by the President, neither of which can be managers or coaches of record for Coast or Majors regular season teams. The TTC is wholly responsible for preparation of ballots, administering proper and secret balloting, and distributing and collecting eligibility and commitment documents from players, coaches and managers. The TTC is charged with ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of the process. The RWLL Tournament Team selection for the Juniors, Seniors baseball teams shall be determined by the VP-Juniors and RWLL President – such selection process will need to be approved by the TTC. The RWLL Tournament Team selection for Majors, 10/11 Year Old, and 9/10 Year Old teams will be made as follows: a. Majors Tournament Team. The Majors Tournament Team ballot shall be composed of eligible and available players of league age twelve (12), and in exceptional circumstances league age eleven (11) and ten (10), in the Majors Division. Players on Minor League rosters are not eligible for the Majors Tournament Team. b.
10/11-Year-Old Tournament Team. The 10/11-year-old Tournament Team ballot will be composed of eligible and available players of league age eleven (11), and in exceptional circumstances league age ten (10), playing in the Majors or Coast Divisions. Players on AAA rosters are not eligible for the 10/11-year-old Tournament Team.
c.
9/10-year-old Tournament Team. The 9/10-year-old Tournament Team ballot will be composed of eligible and available players of league age ten (10), and in exceptional circumstances league age nine (9), playing in the Majors and Coast Divisions. Players on AAA rosters are not eligible for the 9/10-year-old Tournament Team.
d.
Player Eligibility. All players on a roster as defined in (a), (b) and (c) as of the mid-point in the season (that point in which 50% of the regular-season games have been played) shall be eligible for selection to the Tournament Team. Any player wishing to be considered for an older team for which he/she is eligible must send a written request to the Player Agent to be included on the older team ballot in addition to the regular ballot for his age. The TTC will determine in its discretion whether the player will be placed on the older team ballot, based on whether that action furthers the interest of RWLL in fielding the best All Star baseball teams to compete in District, State, Regional, National, and International All Star tournaments. Players elected to more than one team will be placed on the team that best meets the league’s interests, not given a choice of which team they prefer. It is recommended that the Majors team be composed of twelves, that the 11/10 team be composed of elevens, and that the 10/9 team be composed of tens; in other words, that players play All Stars at the lowest age level for which they are eligible.
e.
Player Availability. Approximately three weeks prior to the end of the season, all eligible players as defined in (d) will be issued a Letter of Commitment by the Player Agent. This letter must be returned to any member of the TTC within the time determined by the TTC. This letter must contain the following information: 1. Name, address and telephone number of player 2. Confirmation that the parent can produce an original government issued birth certificate, or other documents to show proof of age for the player (as required by Little League International rules) within three days of notification of acceptance to the roster. 3. Confirmation that the parent can provide legal proof of residence within three days of notification of acceptance to the roster. 4. Dates and places of tournament.
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5. 6. 7.
Statement of availability and commitment of player. Statement of parent commitment, responsibility and possible expense involved. Player and parent signature indicating availability and understanding of responsibility.
PLAYERS WHO DO NOT TURN IN THE LETTER OF AVAILABILITY SHALL BE CONSIDERED UNAVAILABLE.
f.
Ballot Preparation. All players meeting the eligibility and availability requirements as defined in (a) through (e) will have their names placed on the appropriate ballot or ballots. Except for a player who has asked to be considered for an older Tournament Team per Section (d) above, and whom the TTC decides to place on the older Tournament Team ballot as well as the regular ballot for his age to further RWLL’s interest in fielding the most competitive teams, each eligible player will appear on one ballot: (1) the Majors Tournament Team ballot; (2) the 10/11 Tournament Team ballot; or (3) the 9/10 Tournament Team ballot.
g.
Players Balloting. Approximately the first week in June, on a date to be announced, each player on a team present at the time of the vote shall cast one ballot for a tournament team. Each player will cast a vote for a maximum of twelve (12) players from those on the ballot. The players may vote only for players listed on the ballot. Voting will be by secret ballot. Ballots listing more than twelve (12) players with votes will be discarded and not counted in the totals. These ballots shall be collected by a minimum of two people designated by the TTC and shall be counted by the TTC at a time and place determined by the TTC. The TTC shall keep a record of the counts by team.
h.
Juniors Balloting. All players on Juniors baseball team rosters are eligible to vote for the Juniors Tournament Team. If there are not enough Juniors players within RWLL to form one Juniors Tournament team, the players who would like to be considered for the team may need to attend a tryout or other event, as determined by the TTC. The Juniors Tournament Team may be comprised of players from more than one league, as determined by the TTC, in conjunction with the VP-Juniors and RWLL President, and the other leagues’ TTC and/or VP-Juniors.
i.
Majors Balloting. All players on Majors team rosters are eligible to vote for the Majors Tournament Team.
j.
10/11-year-old Balloting. All players on Majors team rosters are eligible to vote for the 10/11year-old Tournament Team.
k.
9/10-year-old Balloting. All players on Coast team rosters are eligible to vote for the 9/10-year-old Tournament Team. Individual players with a league age of ten (10) on a Majors team roster are eligible to vote for the 9/10-year-old Tournament Team. Individual players with a league age of eleven (11) on a Coast roster are eligible to vote for the 10/11-year-old Tournament Team.
l.
Manager and Coach Voting Eligibility. Majors Division managers will vote for the Majors Tournament Team and the 10/11-year-old Tournament Team. Coast Division Managers will vote for the 9/10-year-old Tournament Team.
m. Managers Balloting. Approximately the first week in June, on a date to be announced, each team manager of record that is present at the time of the vote shall cast one ballot for each tournament team for which he or she is eligible to vote. Voting will be done by secret ballot. Each manager of record that is present will cast one (1) ballot on which twelve (12) players MUST be selected. Ballots listing votes not exactly equal to twelve (12) or otherwise incorrectly filled out will be discarded and not counted in the total. These ballots shall be collected by a minimum of two people designated by the TTC and shall be counted by the TTC at a time and place determined by the TTC. The TTC shall keep a record of the counts. In a year where the League sponsors both an Invitational Team (to play in an Invitational tournament) and a Tournament Team (aka “All Stars”) for the same divisional age group, the Tournament Team’s meetings must be scheduled not to coincide or conflict with the Invitational Team’s games.
RWLL Rules for Tournament Teams
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n.
Team Size and Remaining Roster Positions. Tournament teams shall have no fewer than 12 roster positions and no more than 14 roster positions. An initial manager vote shall consist of options for 12, 13 or 14 players. This first vote for team size will determine a Top-2 ballot. Managers will select from the Top 2 and the option receiving the majority of votes is the roster size.
o.
Tournament Team Player Selection. The TTC will verify the totals of the players’ ballots and managers’ ballots for each tournament team. The names of the eleven (11) players receiving the greatest vote totals from the Players’ Ballots will constitute the “Players Top 11” list. The names of the eleven (11) players receiving the greatest vote totals from the Managers Ballots will constitute the “Managers Top 11” list. In the event of a tie vote in the Players Top 11 list: the managers vote totals for the tied players will be used to resolve the tie to eleven (11). In the event of a tie vote in the Managers Top 11 list, the players vote totals for the tied players will be used to resolve the tie to 11. If a tie cannot be resolved in this manner, then the Top 11 list or lists affected will be expanded to include all names involved in the tie. The TTC will compare the Players Top 11 with the Managers Top 11 and all players named on BOTH lists are selected to the Tournament Team for their division.
p.
Remaining Roster Position(s). A pool of players is created by the Player Agent. The pool of players consists of those players from each of the original combined ballots at or above the team’s roster. (Example: If the roster is 13 players, all players from the original balloting that were ranked 1-13, by vote totals for the managers’ or players’, are the players available for consideration in filling the remaining roster positions.) Managers may discuss the candidates before proceeding. Each manager casts one vote for every roster position that is unfilled. Players with majority support are added to the roster and taken out of the pool. Players receiving no votes in a round of voting are dropped from the ballot pool of players before subsequent rounds. Tie votes for the final roster position(s) are broken first by a manager vote between the tied players, second by the players vote total and third by the original Manager vote total. If a tie cannot be resolved at this point the older player is added to the roster.
q.
Ballots Confidential. The contents of any and all ballots and the vote totals will be held strictly confidential by the TTC. No player, manager or other person shall be informed as to the votes or totals on any or all of the ballots and the Top 11 lists. Ballots will be held by the Player Agent for 60 days, and then destroyed.
r.
Announcement of Tournament Teams. The Tournament Team Committee will announce the Tournament Team Rosters no earlier than the date(s) listed in the current year’s Official Little League Tournament Rules and Guidelines and District 9 tournament team guidelines, and follow strictly the rules and procedures contained in those guidelines.
s.
Change in Availability. After the announcement of the team, if a player becomes unavailable, the team manager will fill the roster position by selecting a player from the pooled names as specified in either (m) or (n).
TOURNAMENT TEAM MANAGER & COACH SELECTION The players and managers in each division shall select their division’s manager subject to approval by the Board of Directors. Each Tournament Team Manager shall select up to two (2) coaches, subject to ratification by the Board of Directors. Prior to the vote for Tournament Teams the managers and coaches of record will be informed if the Tournaments, selection process, commitment by players, coaches and parents, and eligible individuals will be invited to request their name be listed on the ballot for Tournament Team Manager. a.
Eligibility. Managers or coaches of record from the Majors division will be eligible for managing the Majors Tournament Team. Managers or coaches of record from the Majors or Minors divisions will be eligible for managing the 11-year-old Tournament Team and the 9/10 year-old Tournament Team.
RWLL Rules for Tournament Teams
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b.
Balloting. The TTC will prepare ballots for each division listing the available and eligible managers. These ballots will be presented to the players at the same time they cast their votes for the tournament team as specified in (Team Composition, g.) Each player, team manager, and one coach of record from each team will vote for the manager they feel would make the best tournament team manager. Vote will be by secret ballot. At least two (2) persons on the committee must total the votes and keep separate vote totals. The totals and individual ballots will be presented to the President for appointing managers. All individual ballots and totals are confidential. In the event that only one eligible individual requests to be on the ballot the TTC will advise the President. After confidential consultation with the TTC and if the President judges that the individual will represent the highest ideals of RWLL the President may appoint the individual as team manager for ratification by the Board.
c.
Appointment of Manager. The person receiving the highest total for each Tournament Team will be the Tournament Team Manager, which is subject to appointment by the President and ratification by the TTC. In the event that the President does not judge that an individual will represent the highest ideals of RWLL, the President may replace him or her with the person receiving the next highest vote total. In the event of a tie, the President, in confidential consultation with the Tournament Team Committee, will resolve any and all ties. The President’s appointments will be presented to the Board of Directors for ratification in a special board meeting on the day chosen by the TTC, or via electronic voting. The President shall notify the Tournament Team Managers within twenty-four (24 hours) after receiving Board ratification.
d.
Appointment of Coaches. Each Tournament Team Manager will request, within twenty-four (24) hours after being notified of his or her appointment, up to two (2) coaches to be appointed to the Tournament Team. If the requested individual(s) are acceptable to the President, the President shall appoint the individual followed by board ratification.
e.
Change in Availability. If a manager or coach becomes unable to fulfill the commitment to a Tournament Team after appointment and approval, the President, after consultation with the remaining coaching staff, will appoint a substitute from among those eligible, subject to ratification by the Board of Directors.
f.
Ballots Confidential. The TTC will keep all ballots and vote totals strictly confidential. No RWLL member shall be informed of any or all votes or totals. Ballots will be held by the President for 60 days, and then destroyed.
FILLING VACANCIES After the announcement of the tournament team, if a player on the team becomes unavailable as determined by the Player Agent, a committee consisting of the tournament team manager, Commissioner and Player Agent shall select a replacement from those players that received votes during the player selection process. (Exception: if the team originally had 14 players and now has 13, the committee may choose to not replace the player.) The pool of players from which the manager can choose shall not be expanded until there are no players left in the original pool.
CONFIDENTIALITY The entire process of selecting the tournament team, manager and coaches shall be strictly confidential. The contents of any and all ballots and the vote totals will be kept confidential by those counting the ballots. The members of the selection committee shall be informed of the vote totals during the balloting; however no other individual shall be informed as to the votes or totals on any or all of the ballots, or the order in which players were selected to the team. The ballots shall be kept secured until the selection is complete, whereupon they will be destroyed by the Player Agent and either the President or Commissioner. The Player Agent will make and keep a confidential list of those players who received votes and were not selected to the team for use in filling vacancies as specified. This list will be destroyed after the team is eliminated from the tournament. The list of manager applicants not selected shall also be kept confidential.
ANNOUNCEMENTS The tournament team, manager, and coaches shall be announced at a time, place and in a manner determined by the Board. The announcement should take place only after all tournament teams, managers and coaches have been selected for all divisions. The players on each team shall be listed in alphabetical order in the announcement. The players shall not be listed in order of selection and no vote totals shall be listed. There shall be no "Honorable Mention" of players who are not selected for the tournament team. RWLL Rules for Tournament Teams
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APPENDIX A. BALLOT PREPARATION The ballots shall list all eligible players in alphabetical order, grouped by team, by age within each team and in alphabetical order within each age group. A separate ballot shall be prepared for each tournament team. B. PLAYER LETTER OF COMMITMENT The Player Agent shall make available a form letter of commitment to all players. Each player desiring to be eligible for selection to a tournament team must deliver a completed copy of the letter of commitment to the Player Agent. The letter shall contain the following information: 1. Name of player. 2. Address of player. 3. Telephone number of player. 4. Confirmation that player can produce an original government issued certified birth certificate, King County card, or passport within three (3) days of notification of acceptance to the roster. (Parents understand that they may have registered with improper documents and that they were asked to verify before the season started that the document shown was an original and not a copy.) Players without original documentation may not be listed on the roster. Dates and places of tournament and statement that the player is available for the dates listed. 5. A summary of the rules regarding playing time for tournament teams and the requirement that the player not participate in any other baseball or softball program until the team is eliminated from the tournament. Statement of parent responsibility and possible expense involved. 6. Signatures of the player and parent confirming that all of the information is accurate and agreeing to the commitment involved. 7. The player shall return this signed letter to the Player Agent immediately. C. MANAGER QUALIFICATIONS AND SELECTION CRITERIA The manager and coaches selected to coach the RWLL Tournament Team are expected to be more that just good coaches - they are considered to be ambassadors of RWLL. The tournament team managers must be managers or coaches, who coached in the appropriate division during at least ½ of the regular season, and: 1. Possess a good knowledge of the game of Little League baseball or softball, and know and consistently practice its rules. 2. Have demonstrated an ability and willingness to teach individual players the fundamentals of baseball as well as the concept of team play. 3. Have consistently demonstrated a fair and positive attitude toward players and have a good rapport with players and their parents. 4. Indicate a willingness to become knowledgeable in the Little League tournament rules and plan to consistently adhere to them. 5. Conduct him or herself in an exemplary fashion both on and off the field at all times, and consistently show respect for umpires and all league officials. The manager selection committee shall also take into consideration the following criteria: 1. The number of years of positive contributions by the prospective manager as a manager and/or coach in RWLL. 2. The willingness of the manager over the years to attend and participate in league and district sponsored coaching clinics. 3. The manager's history of being supportive of the league and being a positive contributor to its overall efforts. 4. Without disregarding any of the above, the manager selection committee shall place priority on selecting a tournament manager for the 11/12 tournament team who is a parent of a 12-year old, and shall place priority on selecting a manager who is a second year Majors manager.
RWLL Rules for Tournament Teams
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