MEMBERSHIP DUES: Official members will be required to contribute towards field permits, balls and equipment. The amount of the contribution will be determined and agreed upon on an annual basis. GAME START TIME: In order to encourage people to show on time and get more playing time, practice will begin at 8:30 AM. Game start time will be established at 9:05 AM, no grace period. A regulation game will be seven innings unless the team captains agree otherwise.The winner of the tossup will take the field and have the choice of deciding if he prefers to make the first pick or second and third picks instead. An unbiased person or mediator can be chosen to look at the lineups for both teams before the start of play and let the captains know if he feels the game will be too one sided. Then, the captains might be summoned to work out a trade or deal to make the game fair. PITCHERS should be chosen differently from the rest of the picking. Once a team captain chooses a pitcher the opposing captain will be forced to pick a pitcher his next turn. If only two pitchers are present, then it has to be agreed that they cannot be on the same team. Once a captain chooses one of them, then the other captain gets the other pitcher by default. If there are more than two pitchers present then once a pitcher is selected, the opposing captain must select from the remaining pitchers and then whoever doesn't get picked as a pitcher will be up for grabs in the rest of the choosing. If a team is left without a pitcher after the first game and the opposing team has two pitchers, then a trade should be made.No player could ever be picked if not present even in the eventuality of him coming. The team captains should only choose from the pool of players at hand. LATE ARRIVING PLAYERS can be inserted in the game provided they arrive prior to the start of the second inning and only if there is a low turnout, 20 players or less; otherwise they will have to wait till the start of next game to be picked. In the event that a late arriving player inserted in the game could unfairly favor one of the teams some sort of mediation among the team captains or compensatory action should be agreed upon.Preferably a maximum of ten (10) players should be allowed on the field during play with the special case of high turnout days where eleven (11) players per team would be permitted. PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT: Official members will be granted playing time priority over non-members and newcomers. A list will be posted with the lineup cards and displayed on site for that purpose. PLAYERS ROTATION: If players in excess of 22 show up, the team captains will rotate players accordingly and allow everyone to have a spot in the batting order. In addition to rotating fielding duties a DH position could be implemented. The DH should be given a spot early in the lineup to ensure that he can get a fair amount of at-bats to compensate for not playing the field. COURTESY RUNNERS will be allowed for injured players. If a player has a partial injury such that he is able to bat but unable to run, a courtesy runner may be requested. The batter must reach first base before a courtesy runner can be used and he shall be the last recorded out.DETERMINING THE STRIKE ZONE: If any portion of the ball crosses any part of home plate between the batter's knees and chest, that pitch shall be called a strike. Any pitch swung at and missed is a strike, even if the catcher drops the ball. Foul tips count as strikes, but must be caught for outs strike 3. Also if so desired, in order to speed up a game, team captains could agree that all batters start with a 1-1 count instead.FAIR TERRITORY: Home plate is in fair territory. Balls hitting bases are fair. Foul lines are fair territory. Ground balls that bounce anywhere before first and third and then cross over (or between) first and third are fair no matter where they land in the outfield. Fly balls or line drives past first and third must land in fair territory in the outfield. Ground or fly balls that do not reach first and third are fair if they come to rest in fair territory or are first touched by a fielder while the ball is in fair territory.UMPIRING DUTIES: A member of each team will act as umpire, calling balls and strikes for their own batters. The umpire's decisions are final. The umpire has the final authority on ALL calls. Umpires are expected to uphold the integrity of the game and its rules by making fair and unbiased decisions. The umpire at his own discretion can ask other players for help on a questionable play.A foul ball must reach a height of six feet or more to be legally caught for an out.Bunting or chopping down on the ball is not allowed, and will result in a dead ball with the batter being called out.No fake tags permitted.No leading off until the ball crosses home plate. Runners can leave their bases when a pitched ball has reached home plate or is hit. If the batter does not hit the pitch, base runners must return to their bases immediately. If the mercy rule is in effect, any team ahead by 10 or more runs after the 4th inning (3½ for the home team) shall be declared the winner and the game will be complete.Captains will establish ground rules prior to the game regarding out of play areas, permanent obstacles in the field of play, etc. LEFT FIELD CONES: Besides the foul line cone, two additional cones will be placed in the outfield to mark off three different areas that can be labeled A, B, and C. The first cone will line up with first and second base, and the second one will be equidistant. If you are standing at home plate looking into the outfield then these are from left to right. If the ball flies in the air into one of these areas then the batter gets A a single, B a double, and C a homerun. If the ball bounces or the outfielder touches the ball and rolls out of play on the ground into one of these areas then the batter gets A a double, B a double, and C a triple respectively. The boundary is determined by the end of the grass, and if hedges are present they will be within the confines of areas A, B or C. Also if an outfielder manages to catch a ball ricocheting off a branch or tree limb it will be an automatic out.When the ball is in play and is overthrown and goes out of play, all runners advance two bases from where they were when the ball left the thrower's hand. Any runner that is in the process of advancing will receive the base that he is going to plus one. INFIELD FLY RULE: A batter is called out on an easily caught pop fly to any defensive player near or in the infield when there are runners on first and second or the bases are loaded and there are less than two outs. The batter is called out and all base runners advance at their own risk once the fly ball has been touched. When such a hit is made the umpire should immediately call "infield fly the batter is out". When in doubt the umpire should call "infield fly, the batter is out if fair", or “infield fly, if fair”.
