is a four team participatory recreational wooden bat baseball program for ONLY good sports. Older players are encouraged. All players register with the League and are placed on a team to help ensure parity. Special rules for safety and parity include a sliding requirement, limitations on a pitcher returning to the mound after the pitcher's team is leading by 5 or more runs, and ending a half-inning at the end of the play during which that team's fifth run of the inning is scored.

We play a year long schedule, beginning just after New Year's Day. We start our modified Summer Format when the school year ends, and resume the season when the next school year starts.

Our team managers have basically two sets of duties. One is to set the player postiions (batting, defense, pitching rotation). That role is critical to the success of the team. On that, we like to let the team largely select their preferences. The other set of duties is to be the "eyes, ears, and spokesman" for the league in the dugout. That is an indispensible role which is critical to the overal success of the league. The League largely makes that selction in consultation with the team leaders.

We strive for a "club" atmosphere where all teams play at the same time and at the same complex on the same day each week. Batting practice and warm-up begin one hour before game time. The season ends with what is essentially a double-elimination playoff tournament.

To the extent we are permitted, we have 3 types of players: (1) Roster players; (2) Taxi Squad players; and (3) Walk-On players.

(1) Roster Players: We only can accommodate approximately 48 roster players. We try not to place more than 12 players in the dugout sharing field time and at-bats. Roster players pay an annual registration fee (typically $65) and game fees (typically $7). Roster players have to attend frequently, and must pay game fees even for those games for which they are not present. Roster players may request to be removed from a roster and pay game fees for only those games which they attend, but are available to any team. Rosters are carefully policed and openings occur frequently.

(2) Taxi Squad Players: Taxi Squad players pay the annual registration fee and then the lower game fees, but do not have to pay game fees for games which they do not attend. These players are eligible to be placed on a roster when they request and when an opening occurs. These players are available to any team.

(3) Walk-On Players: These players are invited to participate in batting practice, field practices and warm-ups, and all other activities except, perhaps, games if there are already 12 players "in the dug out". We count the number of roster players at the field at the start of the game, and then assign unregistered players to teams only for that night until all dugouts have 12 players. Unregistered players pay a higher game fee (typcially $14).

WHAT TO DO:

We play on Wednesdays. We do not have try-outs. Anyone who wants to play gets to play whenever there is an opening. All players sign in as they arrive. New walk-up players sign a waiver, and leave their games fees as a deposit and take batting practice. Then we count the number of roster players actually present when the umpires arrive at the field. This tells us the number of walk-on players that we can accommodate. If we cannot get a walk-up player into a game that day, their money is returned. We ALMOST always are able to get Taxi Squad, and then Walk-Up players into games.

In fairness to all players, we try never to put more than 12 players in a dug-out for games.

As players drop out, players are assigned to the opening from the Taxi Squad.

Interested persons are encouraged to come to the field at 6:15 pm; sign a waiver; leave their deposit and take BP and fielding practice.

We play at Lakewood Ranch High School in Manatee County, near I-75 (1 and 1/2 miles east on SR 70 ( 4 lights) then left (north) on Lakewood Ranch Blvd. 1 mile north of SR 70.)