Welcome to the McLean Little League Spring 2017 ... - League Athletics
Welcome to the McLean Little League Spring 2017 season! Each month we will be sending you a comprehensive update on the league. Please take a few minutes to read through the email when you receive it, as we will include lots of great information. This version is MUCH longer than others will be, as we want to provide info for the whole season-- we promise next month will be contained to one page… PARKING LOT DO’s DO follow all marked signs. Do not illegally park in handicapped spaces or along Westmoreland St. adjacent to field 1. Fairfax police will ticket illegally parked cars. DO keep the reserved spots open for the families who have purchased them. You will get your chance to bid on them soon! DO appreciate our neighbors at Kent Gardens Pool who are good enough to let us use their lot; however, we are not allowed to use it after May 20th! DO help us keep the driveway leading up to the clubhouse car-free. Only the complex manager, board member on duty and chief umpire are allowed to park there. DO exercise caution when parking along the outfield fences on fields 1 and 2. Home runs clear fences regularly! Park at your own risk. OPENING DAY CEREMONIES Opening Ceremonies will be held April 1st, rain, snow or shine!! Teams meet at McLean High School at 7:30am and will parade down Westmoreland Street to the fields. Live entertainment, local dignitaries, opening ceremonies and ceremonial first pitches will take place on field 2 followed by a day full of games! Feel free to walk with your player or line Westmoreland Street to cheer MLL on! Enjoy this amazing MLL tradition! MLL GAME OF THE WEEK Starting on April 1st, MLL will host the MLL Game of the Week every Saturday at 5pm on Field #2. Our first GOW features Color Wheel vs. Northwestern. Fans will be treated to fun activities and contests, as well as a fantastic baseball game featuring two MLL Majors baseball teams. It promises to be a great community event. We look forward to seeing your family there! If you would like to help, please contact Kristen Chandler ([email protected]).
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FOR YOUR CALENDAR March 25th: First games of the season April 1st @ 7:30am: Opening Day Parade and Ceremonies (see below) April 29th and May 1st: Picture Days May 8th:2017 Chain Bridge Bank Terry Mahony Golf Tournament June 3rd: City Series Tournament begins (AA-Majors, Softball and Baseball) June 16th and 17th: Softball City Series Championships June 10th, 12th, 17th: Baseball City Series Championships June 12th: Official Closing Ceremonies for Baseball (following Majors City Series Championship game) June 16th: Official Closing Ceremonies for Softball (following Majors City Series Championship game) July 13th: MLL hosts State Softball Tournament—Opening Ceremonies July 18th: MLL hosts an evening with USA National Softball player Jennie Finch
BY THE NUMBERS Players registered to play MLL this Spring: 1252 Teams we are likely to have this year: 108-110 New Majors teams joining the league: 2 Number of years Coach Paul Shiffman has been at MLL: 50 Teams representing MLL at State Tournaments in 2016: 4 CHAIN BRIDGE BANK TERRY MAHONY GOLF TOURNAMENT Join us at one of the most enjoyable league events and biggest fundraisers of the year! This year, our Chain Bridge Bank Terry Mahony Golf Tournament will take place on May 8th at Hidden Creek Country Club in Reston. The day begins with a lunch at 11am, followed by a shotgun start at noon. The evening will conclude with an awards dinner which, this year, will honor Coach Shiffman’s 50th Anniversary with MLL. In addition, there will be an auction with many wonderful items available for bidding. Proceeds from the golf tournament provide two scholarships to former MLL players who are graduating from high school. The remaining proceeds go directly to help maintain and improve our league and facilities. How can you participate? 1) Come out and play—you can sign up as an individual or foursome. 2) Be a sponsor—we have a wide variety of sponsorship opportunities. Can’t sponsor on your own? Gather a group of friends & team up! 3) Donate an item for auction Please visit our website www.mcleanll.com for more information. With questions, contact Jamie Loving at [email protected].
STAY IN TOUCH WITH MLL To stay in touch with MLL in real time, follow MLL on Twitter @MLLUpdates. NEW FOR THIS YEAR…this will be the only way that we announce weather related game cancellations. These tweets will also appear on our website homepage. If we haven’t posted anything or you haven’t heard from your coach, games are on! For non-urgent information, please follow us on Facebook or visit our website at www.mcleanll.com.
MLL SNACK BAR The 100% volunteer run snack bar is typically open during regularly scheduled games and serves a variety of food and drink, including periodic Chick-Fil A days. Grab a snack and stay to watch a game! It’s the best entertainment in town. All families are required to work their team shift at the snack bar. If you do not come to work during your shift, we are forced to shut down the snack bar and then we have a lot of hungry, thirsty and unhappy kids. We love to have eligible teens working the snack bar, but teams should have no more than TWO teens per shift. There must be at least TWO adults at each shift. Also, please make sure that NO children under 13 (or any current MLL players) are in the snack bar! Detailed instructions are always provided, so don’t be intimidated. Without you, this time-honored tradition would not be able to continue! PLAY A GAME AND STAY AFTER TO BBQ If you would like to use the grill and picnic area (between fields 1 and 2), there is a sign-up calendar in the snack bar for reservations. This area gets crowded toward the end of the season when teams like to celebrate. Reserving your spot makes it easier to plan! Please ensure that the area is cleaned up after use. There are extra trash bags in the snack bar, and the extra trash should be taken to the dumpster in the parking lot, not left next to the trash can. Animals get into the bags left on the ground and create a mess!
DO YOU KNOW THE MLL RULES? Each year, our local rules are revised based on input from the MLL community. These rules lay out expectations for conduct by players, coaches, and parents. They also help keep games moving, ensure competitive play, and make the MLL experience safe and enjoyable for everyone. Please take time before the season to review our local rules. The 2017 Rules will be posted on our website during the week of March 20th. Stay up to date with our local rules and impress your bleachermates when you know about the drop-dead time guidelines!
TEAM SPONSORSHIPS ARE FULL!! Thanks to the generosity of the MLL Community, all our teams are sponsored this season! If you’d like to be added to a sponsor wait list for next year please email Elizabeth Marino at [email protected]. If you’re still interested in supporting MLL this year, sign up to be a sponsor at our golf tournament. It’s a great way to show your support of McLean Little League and get broad community exposure for your business at the same time. COACH MAX SAYS PLAY BALL! Our training and development coordinator, Max Eckert, will be back this year to work with all players at MLL. Max is available to come to practices to help coaches with their teams, and we encourage all coaches to invite Max to attend one of your practices! When he’s not attending practice, Max holds twice-weekly player clinics and helping out at the fields. Schedule to be posted soon. Find him at the fields and say hi! Max can be reached at [email protected].
AND NOW A NOTE ABOUT SAFETY AROUND THE PARK… GENERAL SAFETY INFORMATION Our facility is one of the best in the area, and we want everyone to stay safe and happy. Please discuss these guidelines with your players and their siblings, especially if they are new to the league! Bats may not be swung in any area outside of the batting cages or fields. This includes on the handball court, outside of • the batting cages between fields 3 and 4, and the driveway leading to the snackbar. Helmets should always be worn. Baseballs should not be thrown anywhere except on the field or in the bullpens. • Foul balls and home runs leave the fields ALL THE TIME. When walking around our fields, please be aware of your • surroundings. Please make sure small children are also aware at all times. Our property is bordered by woods, a creek and a busy street. Please keep an eye on smaller children during games. • They enjoy wandering off to explore the creeks and woods while their older siblings are playing! LIGHTNING POLICY When arriving at the MLL Park, look at the clock tower. If no light is lit no storms are expected. If the GREEN light is lit it means play ball, but be alert for changing weather conditions. If the YELLOW light is lit, it means play has been suspended. Stay sheltered in your vehicle in the parking lot and wait for the all clear or park closed signal. If the RED light is lit, the park is closed. No activities can take place at the park. The umpire in chief, board member on duty, or park manager will suspend play: • At the sound of definite thunder (then lightning is close enough to strike), or • If lightning is sighted and after counting the time until they hear thunder, this time is 30 seconds or less (then lightning is close enough to strike). The air horn will sound and the yellow warning light will be lit. If one field suspends play then all fields will suspend play. After 30 minutes since last sound of thunder, the green light will be relit and the air horn will sound the all clear, reopening the ball fields. In the event that play cannot be resumed, the red light will light closing the park. Let’s play it safe and follow these procedures to protect all our little league family members!
SOFTBALL UPDATE Softball is again off to a promising start this year. After sending all 3 All-Star softball teams to the State Tournament last year, MLL is returning many talented players and we have a ton of new softball players added to our ranks. This year, we had 149 girls trying out for AA, AAA or Majors softball, and the girls did a GREAT job at their tryouts. In addition, we have a solid group of transition softball players and coaches. MLL is honored to be hosting the Virginia State Softball Tournament this July which will bring teams from the entire state of Virginia to our fields to compete. More information to come, but this will be a great opportunity to volunteer with the softball program. We will also host USA Softball Superstar Jennie Finch on July 18 th.
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BASEBALL UPDATE Majors and Minors Baseball : This year, we had 470 potential Majors, AAA and AA players showcase their talents for our coaches at tryouts. The players did a great job getting up there one at a time in front of anywhere from 25-50 coaches. Way to go MLL players! Thank you to all of the volunteers who helped us manage players…and parents. Teams have been drafted and have started practicing (now if we can just get the snow off the practice fields!). Developmental Baseball: Single A, Transition, Rookie and T-Ball rosters have been finalized and managers should have reached out to you regarding the season. Developmental Baseball is where our players learn the basics of the game and learn to love baseball. These players are the future leaders of our league!! Intermediate Baseball (50/70) is back for a second Spring season at MLL. Coach Max will be leading the charge with these 13 year old players (and a few 12s) as they represent MLL within both our district and nearby districts. Come watch a 50/70 game to see these players compete on the big(ger) field!
BASEBALL QUESTIONS FROM AROUND THE PARK We have heard these questions from many parents, so we wanted to provide brief explanations! Why are there 14 Majors teams this Spring and where did the two new teams come from? YES, this is a repeat question from last year, but bears repeating! We are lucky to have seen incredible growth at MLL, and the number of players vying for Minor and Major league spots was growing rapidly. After over a year of study, discussion and deliberation, MLL decided that our Majors program needed to expand by 2 teams. To provide a competitive base, each expansion team has selected three returning Majors players from existing teams—athletes drafted for their skill and leadership abilities—along with newly drafted 10, 11 and 12 year olds. Are there players who automatically get to play at a certain level of play? Yes. There are many players who are allowed to play at a certain level regardless of their evaluation, experience or skill level. For example, every 12 year old who wants to play Majors is drafted onto a Majors team. All 11 year olds who want to play AAA are drafted onto an AAA team. Anyone who has played at a specific level before and wants to play at the same level again will be drafted into that level of play. There are a few more rules, such as these, that make our drafts very complex, but ensure that all players continue to have a safe, fulfilling experience at MLL. When will we get our schedule? Uniforms? Schedules should be distributed to your managers this weekend. Uniforms are distributed at the first practice/game. What equipment does my first time player need? Everyone needs a glove and a helmet. These are requirements. Beyond that, players may choose to use their own bat or batting gloves. We recommend that players have baseball cleats and pants, and some teams (especially older teams) might require this. We provide a jersey and cap. What is AL vs. NL? Because of the size of our league, we are required to have two baseball charters, American League (AL) and National League (NL). Once your player is both 9 and drafted onto a AA or higher team, he is required to stay in that league throughout his MLL career. If your player is 9, but still playing developmental baseball OR if your player is 8 and is drafted into AA, they are still considered “free agents,” and can be drafted into either league in the following year.
BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL AGE CALCUATIONS For baseball: • Any player born on or before August 31, 2005 uses April 30th of the current year to determine his/her age. For example, a player born in May, 2005, will play in 2016 as an 11 year old for Little League purposes. • Any player born on or after September 1, 2005 uses August 31st of the current year to determine his/her age. For example, a player born in September 2006, will play in 2016 as a 10 year old for Little League purposes. For softball: • All softball players go by their age as of December 31, 2016.
• • • • • • • • • • •
FOR YOUR CALENDAR March 25th: First games of the season April 1st @ 7:30am: Opening Day Parade and Ceremonies (see below) April 29th and May 1st: Picture Days May 8th:2017 Chain Bridge Bank Terry Mahony Golf Tournament June 3rd: City Series Tournament begins (AA-Majors, Softball and Baseball) June 16th and 17th: Softball City Series Championships June 10th, 12th, 17th: Baseball City Series Championships June 12th: Official Closing Ceremonies for Baseball (following Majors City Series Championship game) June 16th: Official Closing Ceremonies for Softball (following Majors City Series Championship game) July 13th: MLL hosts State Softball Tournament—Opening Ceremonies July 18th: MLL hosts an evening with USA National Softball player Jennie Finch
BY THE NUMBERS Players registered to play MLL this Spring: 1252 Teams we are likely to have this year: 108-110 New Majors teams joining the league: 2 Number of years Coach Paul Shiffman has been at MLL: 50 Teams representing MLL at State Tournaments in 2016: 4 CHAIN BRIDGE BANK TERRY MAHONY GOLF TOURNAMENT Join us at one of the most enjoyable league events and biggest fundraisers of the year! This year, our Chain Bridge Bank Terry Mahony Golf Tournament will take place on May 8th at Hidden Creek Country Club in Reston. The day begins with a lunch at 11am, followed by a shotgun start at noon. The evening will conclude with an awards dinner which, this year, will honor Coach Shiffman’s 50th Anniversary with MLL. In addition, there will be an auction with many wonderful items available for bidding. Proceeds from the golf tournament provide two scholarships to former MLL players who are graduating from high school. The remaining proceeds go directly to help maintain and improve our league and facilities. How can you participate? 1) Come out and play—you can sign up as an individual or foursome. 2) Be a sponsor—we have a wide variety of sponsorship opportunities. Can’t sponsor on your own? Gather a group of friends & team up! 3) Donate an item for auction Please visit our website www.mcleanll.com for more information. With questions, contact Jamie Loving at [email protected].
STAY IN TOUCH WITH MLL To stay in touch with MLL in real time, follow MLL on Twitter @MLLUpdates. NEW FOR THIS YEAR…this will be the only way that we announce weather related game cancellations. These tweets will also appear on our website homepage. If we haven’t posted anything or you haven’t heard from your coach, games are on! For non-urgent information, please follow us on Facebook or visit our website at www.mcleanll.com.
MLL SNACK BAR The 100% volunteer run snack bar is typically open during regularly scheduled games and serves a variety of food and drink, including periodic Chick-Fil A days. Grab a snack and stay to watch a game! It’s the best entertainment in town. All families are required to work their team shift at the snack bar. If you do not come to work during your shift, we are forced to shut down the snack bar and then we have a lot of hungry, thirsty and unhappy kids. We love to have eligible teens working the snack bar, but teams should have no more than TWO teens per shift. There must be at least TWO adults at each shift. Also, please make sure that NO children under 13 (or any current MLL players) are in the snack bar! Detailed instructions are always provided, so don’t be intimidated. Without you, this time-honored tradition would not be able to continue! PLAY A GAME AND STAY AFTER TO BBQ If you would like to use the grill and picnic area (between fields 1 and 2), there is a sign-up calendar in the snack bar for reservations. This area gets crowded toward the end of the season when teams like to celebrate. Reserving your spot makes it easier to plan! Please ensure that the area is cleaned up after use. There are extra trash bags in the snack bar, and the extra trash should be taken to the dumpster in the parking lot, not left next to the trash can. Animals get into the bags left on the ground and create a mess!
DO YOU KNOW THE MLL RULES? Each year, our local rules are revised based on input from the MLL community. These rules lay out expectations for conduct by players, coaches, and parents. They also help keep games moving, ensure competitive play, and make the MLL experience safe and enjoyable for everyone. Please take time before the season to review our local rules. The 2017 Rules will be posted on our website during the week of March 20th. Stay up to date with our local rules and impress your bleachermates when you know about the drop-dead time guidelines!
TEAM SPONSORSHIPS ARE FULL!! Thanks to the generosity of the MLL Community, all our teams are sponsored this season! If you’d like to be added to a sponsor wait list for next year please email Elizabeth Marino at [email protected]. If you’re still interested in supporting MLL this year, sign up to be a sponsor at our golf tournament. It’s a great way to show your support of McLean Little League and get broad community exposure for your business at the same time. COACH MAX SAYS PLAY BALL! Our training and development coordinator, Max Eckert, will be back this year to work with all players at MLL. Max is available to come to practices to help coaches with their teams, and we encourage all coaches to invite Max to attend one of your practices! When he’s not attending practice, Max holds twice-weekly player clinics and helping out at the fields. Schedule to be posted soon. Find him at the fields and say hi! Max can be reached at [email protected].
AND NOW A NOTE ABOUT SAFETY AROUND THE PARK… GENERAL SAFETY INFORMATION Our facility is one of the best in the area, and we want everyone to stay safe and happy. Please discuss these guidelines with your players and their siblings, especially if they are new to the league! Bats may not be swung in any area outside of the batting cages or fields. This includes on the handball court, outside of • the batting cages between fields 3 and 4, and the driveway leading to the snackbar. Helmets should always be worn. Baseballs should not be thrown anywhere except on the field or in the bullpens. • Foul balls and home runs leave the fields ALL THE TIME. When walking around our fields, please be aware of your • surroundings. Please make sure small children are also aware at all times. Our property is bordered by woods, a creek and a busy street. Please keep an eye on smaller children during games. • They enjoy wandering off to explore the creeks and woods while their older siblings are playing! LIGHTNING POLICY When arriving at the MLL Park, look at the clock tower. If no light is lit no storms are expected. If the GREEN light is lit it means play ball, but be alert for changing weather conditions. If the YELLOW light is lit, it means play has been suspended. Stay sheltered in your vehicle in the parking lot and wait for the all clear or park closed signal. If the RED light is lit, the park is closed. No activities can take place at the park. The umpire in chief, board member on duty, or park manager will suspend play: • At the sound of definite thunder (then lightning is close enough to strike), or • If lightning is sighted and after counting the time until they hear thunder, this time is 30 seconds or less (then lightning is close enough to strike). The air horn will sound and the yellow warning light will be lit. If one field suspends play then all fields will suspend play. After 30 minutes since last sound of thunder, the green light will be relit and the air horn will sound the all clear, reopening the ball fields. In the event that play cannot be resumed, the red light will light closing the park. Let’s play it safe and follow these procedures to protect all our little league family members!
SOFTBALL UPDATE Softball is again off to a promising start this year. After sending all 3 All-Star softball teams to the State Tournament last year, MLL is returning many talented players and we have a ton of new softball players added to our ranks. This year, we had 149 girls trying out for AA, AAA or Majors softball, and the girls did a GREAT job at their tryouts. In addition, we have a solid group of transition softball players and coaches. MLL is honored to be hosting the Virginia State Softball Tournament this July which will bring teams from the entire state of Virginia to our fields to compete. More information to come, but this will be a great opportunity to volunteer with the softball program. We will also host USA Softball Superstar Jennie Finch on July 18 th.
•
• •
•
•
• • •
BASEBALL UPDATE Majors and Minors Baseball : This year, we had 470 potential Majors, AAA and AA players showcase their talents for our coaches at tryouts. The players did a great job getting up there one at a time in front of anywhere from 25-50 coaches. Way to go MLL players! Thank you to all of the volunteers who helped us manage players…and parents. Teams have been drafted and have started practicing (now if we can just get the snow off the practice fields!). Developmental Baseball: Single A, Transition, Rookie and T-Ball rosters have been finalized and managers should have reached out to you regarding the season. Developmental Baseball is where our players learn the basics of the game and learn to love baseball. These players are the future leaders of our league!! Intermediate Baseball (50/70) is back for a second Spring season at MLL. Coach Max will be leading the charge with these 13 year old players (and a few 12s) as they represent MLL within both our district and nearby districts. Come watch a 50/70 game to see these players compete on the big(ger) field!
BASEBALL QUESTIONS FROM AROUND THE PARK We have heard these questions from many parents, so we wanted to provide brief explanations! Why are there 14 Majors teams this Spring and where did the two new teams come from? YES, this is a repeat question from last year, but bears repeating! We are lucky to have seen incredible growth at MLL, and the number of players vying for Minor and Major league spots was growing rapidly. After over a year of study, discussion and deliberation, MLL decided that our Majors program needed to expand by 2 teams. To provide a competitive base, each expansion team has selected three returning Majors players from existing teams—athletes drafted for their skill and leadership abilities—along with newly drafted 10, 11 and 12 year olds. Are there players who automatically get to play at a certain level of play? Yes. There are many players who are allowed to play at a certain level regardless of their evaluation, experience or skill level. For example, every 12 year old who wants to play Majors is drafted onto a Majors team. All 11 year olds who want to play AAA are drafted onto an AAA team. Anyone who has played at a specific level before and wants to play at the same level again will be drafted into that level of play. There are a few more rules, such as these, that make our drafts very complex, but ensure that all players continue to have a safe, fulfilling experience at MLL. When will we get our schedule? Uniforms? Schedules should be distributed to your managers this weekend. Uniforms are distributed at the first practice/game. What equipment does my first time player need? Everyone needs a glove and a helmet. These are requirements. Beyond that, players may choose to use their own bat or batting gloves. We recommend that players have baseball cleats and pants, and some teams (especially older teams) might require this. We provide a jersey and cap. What is AL vs. NL? Because of the size of our league, we are required to have two baseball charters, American League (AL) and National League (NL). Once your player is both 9 and drafted onto a AA or higher team, he is required to stay in that league throughout his MLL career. If your player is 9, but still playing developmental baseball OR if your player is 8 and is drafted into AA, they are still considered “free agents,” and can be drafted into either league in the following year.
BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL AGE CALCUATIONS For baseball: • Any player born on or before August 31, 2005 uses April 30th of the current year to determine his/her age. For example, a player born in May, 2005, will play in 2016 as an 11 year old for Little League purposes. • Any player born on or after September 1, 2005 uses August 31st of the current year to determine his/her age. For example, a player born in September 2006, will play in 2016 as a 10 year old for Little League purposes. For softball: • All softball players go by their age as of December 31, 2016.
