Purpose:
To equip Commissioners, coaches and parents with pre-defined guidelines for rescheduling games which need to be made up.
Goal:
The goal is to get in as many games as safely possible given the constraints of the season and availability of field space. This is especially important in the Spring season for AAA divisions and higher where Little League requires that teams and players adhere to a minimum 12-game schedule for players to qualify for Summer All Star teams.
Abstract:
From time to time, scheduled CCLL games must be rescheduled for a different time than initially scheduled. The Board recognizes this and seeks to provide clarity to all interested parties in how the rescheduling process should occur. The goal is for as many games as possible to take place without ignoring mitigating factors such as weather, field availability, participant safety and personal schedules.
Categories:
There are 3 categories of rescheduled games:
- Reschedule for convenience - one team can’t field enough players and asks to have a game rescheduled. Note, this only applies to instances where a coach is unable to field enough players from their own team, NOT where simply the Manager is unable to make the game. A Manager’s inability to make the game is not sufficient reason to reschedule a game.
- Reschedule for rain/weather/Acts of God – The Commissioner determines a game can’t be played due to circumstances outside of anyone’s control
- Playoff/Timebound Reschedule – A game must occur before a date certain and must produce a winner for tournament/playoff/tie-break purposes.
Reschedule Rules:
Division Commissioners will help facilitate rescheduled games (secure umpire, help arrange field, etc.), however, it is the responsibility of the Team Managers to work out the day and time of any rescheduled games.
Category 1 – Reschedule for Convenience: Note, Majors and AAA Managers must make every effort to secure substitute players from the Player Pool (as described below), prior to Rescheduling for Convenience. AA may also attempt to secure substitute players from their division, including the opposing team, or an A team by notifying the Player Agent and AA Commissioner as soon as managers know they may need one or more substitutes. Rescheduling for Convenience should be done on a limited basis. A guideline for Managers is that if they can field at least 7 of their own players, they must make reasonable efforts to secure at least two eligible substitutes before requesting a Reschedule for Convenience. If the Manager is using substitute players, the Manager must notify the opposing manager prior to the game.
The team that requests the reschedule must offer their next available practice time as an alternative game time. If that time is unacceptable to the team that did not request the reschedule, then that team shall offer its next available practice time as an alternative to the game time. The team that requested the reschedule must choose between either the original scheduled game time or the opposing team’s practice time. The teams will play with as many players as available, supplemented as allowable under League and Division Rules (e.g. registered players from other teams in the same division may play, must play in the outfield, may bat etc.). If the coaches and Commissioner can find a mutually convenient alternative time and location for the rescheduled game that is at neither teams’ practice, that is allowable. However neither team shall be required to do so.
For AA and above, pitchers from the team requesting the reschedule will inherit their required rest days based on pitch count from their last pitched game for the rescheduled game as if the rescheduled game were being played on its originally scheduled day or their actual pitch count and rest days from their most recently pitched game, whichever is greater. Pitchers from the team that did not request the reschedule will inherit their actual pitch counts and rest days from their most recently pitched game. The intent is to prevent teams from requesting reschedules simply to gain rest days for their pitchers.
Category 2 - Reschedule for rain/weather/Acts of God: The game shall be played at the next scheduled practice time of the 2 teams. If either team cannot field 9 of its own players for that date/time, nor secure suitable substitute players, then the game may be rescheduled to the next scheduled practice time of the 2 teams. This should give all parties enough time to make accommodations. If a mutually convenient time and field space can be found before the next scheduled practices, the game may occur and both teams will retain their scheduled practices. However, neither team shall be required to play a game that is not at one of the 2 scheduled practice times.
Category 3 - Playoff/Timebound Reschedule: All CCLL playoffs at the AA, AAA and Majors divisions will begin on or about the Thursday following Memorial Day, and finish no later than 11 days later (the second Sunday after that Thursday). Some divisions may conduct double-elimination playoffs during that window, whereby teams may play 2 – 5 games over that timeframe. At the beginning of the Spring Season, managers should instruct their players and parents of such a schedule so they have plenty of notice. Only players from the Player Pool that play in divisions below the impacted division, may participate in playoff games (e.g., a AAA player from the Player Pool can play in a Majors playoff game, but not another Majors player).
Unless a game is rescheduled due to a Category 2 reason, no reschedules shall occur unless both coaches and the Commissioner agree to a time and location, though no team shall be required to do so and the game will be played at its originally scheduled time and location. Provided, however, in any division that has a double-elimination playoff format (Majors and AAA had such format in Spring 2017), NO reschedules are allowed except for a Category 2 reason. Otherwise, Category 2 reschedule rules shall apply unless the next scheduled practice of both teams is after the date of the next scheduled game in the tournament/playoff schedule. If that is the case, then the rescheduled game must occur as soon as practical as determined by the Commissioner in order to maintain the tournament/playoff schedule. The Commissioner will seek to determine, to the best of their ability given time and field availability constraints, a time and location that the greatest total number of players from both teams can be available.
PLAYER POOL
If any Majors or AAA division team does not have enough players for a regular season game, the manager may request one or more players from a “pool of players” comprised of players willing to participate in extra games during the regular season. Majors and AAA managers must attempt to utilize the Player Pool prior to requesting a Category 1 reschedule. Under little league rules, managers and coaches do not have the authority to permit non-rostered players to play on their teams. Players are prohibited from playing on other teams unless authorized by CCLL.
The Majors player pool consists of players from existing Majors regular season teams and eligible AAA division players as determined by the Player Agent. The AAA player pool consists of players from existing AAA regular season teams and eligible AA division players as determined by the Player Agent. Although no formal AA player pool exists, AA managers may request one or more players by contacting the Player Agent and AA Commissioner.
Players must be assigned by the Player Agent or Commissioner, under the following Little League guidelines (regulation V(c)):
1 – The Player Agent will create and run the pool. The pool may include players from the same division as well as from the division immediately below it. The Player Agent will use the pool to assign players to teams that are short of players on a rotating basis.
2 – Managers and coaches will not have the right to pick and choose players.
3 – Under the option, when a player participates in a game on a team other than his/her own team, such player will not be permitted to pitch or catch in that game and will bat last in order
4 – Pool players that are called and show up at the game site must play at least nine (9) consecutive defensive outs and bat once.