CYBSA Board Minutes 2007 - 2008
NOVEMBER 25, 2008 MEETING MINUTES:
Minutes from CYBSA meeting 11/25/2008
Present members: Federle, Canney, Dooley, Golz, Iantosca, Marsden, Hurley.
Discussion of upcoming election on Dec 11th at CHS.
There are 5 openings, resulting from the following board members either stepping down, or having their terms expire:
Susie Montgomery, Nancy Froio, Liam O'Connell, Joe Staganelli, Erik Golz.
Commisioner Golz is running for re-election, along with the following active CYBSA parents;
Paul Prescott, Dan Varney, Bill Doyle, Brian Lynch.
There are 5 openings, and 5 candidates, so we will welcome all to the CYBSA board in 2009! We will go through the full election procedure, as it will serve us well in the future to be as comfortable with it as possible. The election committee, chaired by Joe Iantosca, and assissted by Bill Marsden and Mike Maher, will certify the votes and count all ballots. Counting may NOT start until the meeting has been called to order. All candidate staements will be online today, Wednesday November 26th.
Significant Challenges for 2009: ( To name just a few)
Parade logistics
Snack Shack operations
Uniform ordering in a timely manner
The board would like to get some sort of template on each and every activity that is put on during the year, so that when the board changes from year to year, we can have a seamless transition from one board member to the next.
Annual meeting agenda:
Financials will be presented by Commisioner Golz.
Discussion of significant events, past and future
Programs
Capital improvements
We discussed and asked for opinions with regard to # of board members, and we also discussed when a voting CYBSA member should be deleted when there is a significant amount of inactivity.
Kevin Dooley mentioned that we ought to call the coordinators of the town's lacrosse and soccer program's, and see if we could "trade off" a day with them, so as to not dilute the excitement of an opening day, or as example when lacrosse has a jamboree, we would offer a "no baseball" day for them. He also suggested that we go back to old form, and have a baseball day on opening day, where everyone plays baseball, instead of running off to other sports. Obviously, Kevin is one of our better thinker's.
We discussed some things that were a big hit in 2008, such as the All Star game, the awards banquet, and Fall baseball, which were all big hits with the kids and parents.
Now that Dan Varney may be elected to the board, I move for a set of keys and a remote for his basement entertainment systems be included for all CYBSA members! HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!
OCTOBER 21, 2008 MEETING MINUTES:
MEETING MINUTES
October 21, 2008
Cohasset Middle/High School Library
7:00 pm to 10:00 pm
PRESENT: Jay Blackington
Kevin Dooley
Mark Federle
Nancy Froio
Erik Golz
Chris Herman
Tina Hurley
Joe Iantosca
Mike Maher
Bill Marsden
Kevin O’Brien
Minutes from the September 9th meeting were handed out, reviewed and accepted.
One Change—It has been decided that it is more fiscally responsible to lose baseballs at Chase, than purchase fencing to keep a majority of balls within pickup range.
DUGOUT AWNINGS
Rich Evans will advise the Board as to the best way to put awnings over the dugouts at Chase field.
CYBSA BOARD ELECTION 2008
There are 4 seats open on the Board for this year’s election. Three current members’ terms expire this year. They are:
1. Erik Golz - Open
2. Liam O'Connell - Open
3. Nancy Froio - Open
4. Suzie Montgomery - Resigned
The date of 2008 CYBSA Board Election will be the second week of December. The exact date will be forthcoming in a few days.
Election Committee - The Committee was formed after a nationwide search. Joe Iantosca will Chair, assisted by Bill Marsden and Mike Maher. The committee will be responsible for:
• Soliciting statements of interest from potential candidates
• Ballot collecting and counting
• Verification of voting authenticity and integrity
Other Issues
• The Board would like to establish an expiration date of general CYBSA membership that is fair and workable.
• Sports Pilot will be used to help the candidates get a message posted.
TH OUGHTS ON ML TRYOUTS
• The tryouts went well.
• There was excellent feedback from the parents and the kids.
• Need to stress the importance of ALL AL teams being represented by at least one coach.
Further thoughts for consideration:
• Timing of tryouts for next year - should we move it up closer to the end of summer ball?
• We could have used a few more evaluators this year.
• We also went back and forth with fairness issues. There was a lengthy discussion about the fairness of which team picks where for the actual draft. Regular season record vs. playoff results. 75% for playoff results and 25% for regular season was suggested.
• We believe we have achieved a very evenly balanced tryout.
• We will have 40 kids moving into the ML next year.
• We will need all interested coaches who have a desire to coach an ML team to submit a letter of interest by Friday, October 24, 2008.
SEPTEMBER 9, 2008 CYBSA MEETING MINUTES:
MEETING MINUTES
September 9, 2008
Cohasset Middle/High School Library
7:00 pm to 10:00 pm
PRESENT: Jay Blackington
Kevin Dooley
Nancy Froio
Erik Golz
Chris Herman
Tina Hurley
Joe Iantosca
Mike Maher
Bill Marsden
Liam O’Connell
KEYS
Members - A poll was taken to determine who has keys to the storage sheds and Snack Shack at the Barnes Complex? Nancy Froio has distributed keys to some board members but will follow-up with those who haven’t received them yet.
FINANCIAL UPDATE
Chris Herman provided a financial update. As of 8/31/08, there is $53,000 in the CYBSA’s operating fund.
2008 FALL BASEBALL SEASON
• Tryouts will begin this weekend—9/13 and 9/14.
• The Fall Baseball Season will go until 11/1/08.
• The pitching machine will be used.
• All team schedules will be prepared by Tina Hurley.
• Umpires will be notified of game dates/times/fields by Liz and Dwight Williams.
• Uniforms will be ordered for 11 year olds and under. The 12 & 13 year olds will use existing
uniforms.
SNACK SHACK
2008 Spring and Summer Baseball/Softball Program
-Spring Season (4/30-6/25) $6,378
-Summer Season (7/8-8/31) $469 (only open 5 nights and 1 tournament)
• The Snack Shack will not be open for Fall Baseball.
• Any suggested changes? Nothing comes to mind for members.
APPAREL
Nancy Froio will check with Suzie Montgomery on this issue and report back.
2008 CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDS NIGHT
The Championship Awards Night was held on 10/24/07 last year. This year it will be held on 10/23/08. We need an Awards Night program, a facility, trophies and jackets/sweatshirts for the event. Nancy Froio will manage/coordinate all activities related to the event.
In 2007, the following awards were given out:
-American League - trophies
-Major League - sweatshirts
-Junior League - jackets with names on it
-Softball - sweatshirts
CHASE FIELD ENHANCEMENTS
The field work has started on Chase. Joe Iantosca provided an overview.
Sprinkler System - Need to check this to determine whether the system is in good working order. Joe Iantosca would like to run all the sprinklers and then label them. He also suggested winterizing the irrigation system by blowing out the sprinkler system.
Warning Track -The group had a discussion relative to getting rid of the warning track. Joe Iantosca will get a price to do the work.
Other Suggestions/Recommendations for Chase Field
Issue Baseballs are very expense and a lot are getting lost during games along the 1st base line. It’s also a safety issue for kids retrieving the baseballs in the low lying swampy areas by the field and fans who may get beaned by flying balls.
Suggested -It’s cheaper to buy more baseballs than to put up a fence or athletic safety
Change: net.
FREEDOM FIELD
Suggestion/Recommendation for Freedom Field
Issue During late spring and summer, it gets very hot and uncomfortable for the players in the dugouts at Freedom Field.
Suggested To enhance player comfort, put tarps up over the two (2) exposed dugouts.
Change:
MAJOR LEAGUE (ML) TRYOUTS
• ML Tryouts Date - Saturday, 10/6/08 at Barnes Field from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm.
• Kevin Dooley will spearhead the tryouts.
• ML Tryouts Notification - Nancy Froio will handle this. Member Froio will get flyers out in
kids knapsacks one (1) week before the tryout date.
• Policy Communication - Tryout information will also be posted on the CYBSA Website.
• ML Draft - ID coaches and align schedules. Would like to move the draft date closer to the
tryout date to address concerns raised last year regarding the lag time between the tryout and team and coach assignments.
DONATIONS
There was a discussion regarding the planting of a tree on the Barnes Complex in honor of the DeGiacomo’s. Joe Iantosca will handle this.
BLEACHERS
The Board approved loaning the bleachers at the Barnes Complex to the football organization. Ron Ford would appreciate this gesture.
OPEN DISCUSSION
• 2008 Summer Baseball/Softball Season.
• The First Ever CYBSA Labor Day Tournament - A truly and successful fun first time event.
• Suzie Montgomery - Resigning as a CYBSA Board Member.
ANNUAL CYBSA MEETING - AGENDA ITEMS
1. New Membership - The Board will look at this issue.
2. Voting Process - It needs to be examined and made easier. The goal is to promote active voting by having people cast their votes electronically.
3. Election Issues/Questions
• Do we want to change the election process?
• In order to vote for a candidate, the voting party must be a member. Inactive members--Do memberships expire? How do we monitor this?
• Regular Member - We need to define what this is. At the moment, the definition is very general.
• The CYBSA Board needs to review the Constitution for assistance with clarification.
• Do we need to vote on any and all changes?
PICTURE DAY
Issue There has been a low player/team turnout for this event due to conflicts. How can we increase numbers?
Suggested Schedule the event on Parade Day where there is a captive audience.
Change: -Talk to Ellen Maher about taking team and individual photographs on Parade Day and/or during the regular season.
-Build this event into the regular Baseball and Softball season.
SUMMER BASEBALL - SUBURBAN LEAGUE
MINUTES FROM 4-8
CYBSA BOARD MEETING
MINUTES FROM 3-11 APPROVED.
AN ANONYMOUS DONOR HAS PURCHASED A TRACTOR AND TILLING IMPLEMENT FOR FIELD USE.
SOFTBALL UPDATE:
3 TEAMS FOR INSTRUCTIONAL/FARM
2 TEAMS DIVISION 2
1 TEAM DIVISON 3
2 TEAMS DIVISION 4
DIVISIONS 2,3,4 WILL BE JOINED WITH HINGHAM.
STILL NEED SOFTBALL COACHES
COACHES CLINIC FOR BASEBALL IS THE 12TH.
COORDINATORS NEED TO ASK/POLL COACHES TO SEE IF THEY HAVE EQUIPMENT BAGS. THEY WILL NEED TO BE DELIVERED TO SHED.
WE’VE ORDERED 50 NEW HELMETS FOR MAJOR, AMERICAN AND NATIONAL LEAGUES.
WE HAVE ISSUES WITH THE SCHEDULING COMPONENT OF SPORTS PILOT.
SPORTS PILOT HASN’T FINISHED THE SCORING UPDATE FOR THE MAJORS, THEY’VE OFFERED TO DO OUR SCHEDULING FOR ALL LEAGUES. WE NEED TO GET THEM ALL THE VARIABLES IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS.
MAY HOLD DRAFT NEXT YEAR ON FRIDAY.
CHANGES TO TEAMS SHOULD BE MADE THE NIGHT OF THE DRAFT, NOT AFTER THE FACT.
EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS DRAFT FEEDBACK.
NEW STAIRS AT FREEDOM WILL BE DONE BY APRIL 12TH.
WE WILL HAVE ENGINEERING FIRM TO DO SURVEY OF FREEDOM AND CHASE TO DETERMINE WHAT IS NEEDED TO IMPROVE THE DRAINAGE AND GRADES.
DISCUSSED NEEDING A NEW SHED FOR EQUIPMENT. POSSIBLE DONATION? NEED NEW LINERS
MIGHT SCHEDULE CLINIC FOR COACHES TO LEARN HOW TO MAINTAIN THE FIELD.
SNACK SHED HAS BEEN REFURBISHED, PAINTED.
BOARD NEEDS TO PURCHASE FREEZER, APPROVED BY UNANIMOUS VOICE VOTE.
PAPERWORK HAS BEEN SUBMITTED TO BOH FOR APPROVAL TO COOK AND SELL FOOD.
POSSIBLY HOLD A NAMING CONTEST FOR SNACK SHACK. MAYBE A RAFFLE..
SUZIE MONTGOMERY WILL HANDLE STAFFING
NANCY FROIO WILL HANDLE FOOD AND ACCOUNTING.
BOARD WILL PURCHASE A SMALL AIR CONDITIONER FOR SHED FOR HUMIDITY PURPOSES.
BOARD PICKED 1 MAIN LOGO FOR PROMOTIONAL ITEMS
BOARD PICKED 3 TO 4 OTHER LOGOS TO BE AVAILABLE FOR APPAREL
NEED TO POST UP ON WEB SITE THE FOLLOWING:
COACHING CLINIC WILL BE HELD 4-12 FROM 9-10:30AM AT HS GYM.
SOFTBALL COACHING CLINIC 4-19. 10:00AM TO NOON. FREEDOM FIELD.
NEED TO CONNECT SUZIE WITH MELISSA FOR APPAREL LINK ON WEB SITE.
NEED TO POST CORI FORM ON WEBSITE.
CLEAN UP DAY WILL START THIS SUNDAY 4-13
WE WILL TAKE AN AD OUT IN THE MARINER TO THANK ALL THE SPONSORS FOR THIS YEAR.
CYBSA Meeting Minutes
January 15, 2008
Present: O'Connell, Stanganelli, Iantosca, O'Brien, Dooley, Canney, Federle, Hurley, Maher, Honorable Golz, Herman, Froio, Marsden.
Absent: Blackington, Montgomery, Rice.
Erik Golz was unanimously elected president, and we then went over the other officer openings and we also split up the coordinator's positions. Below is a listing of those positions; to those of you who were not there, in some instances we assigned a duty or duties to you. If any BOD member would like to be considered for a position that has already been taken or would like to help out in an area we missed, please contact Erik and let him know as soon as possible. Liam cautioned us that timing is very important right now, the registration deadline is February 1st, and we need to get moving. Softball is a particular concern, we are looking for help from any parents or others who can help us make this more successful. We discussed the possibility of aligning with Scituate, (they are affiliated with Williamsport which is a must) and we agreed to look into this ASAP and see if Jay and Tina would spearhead the effort. Meeting adjourned at 9:40PM.
CYBSA MEETING MINUTES
DECEMBER 15, 1007
Attendance: Froio, Stanganelli, O'Brien, Dooley, O'Connell, Montgomery, Golz, and Haggerty
Core Issue:
Election – membership forms/ballots; voters disenfranchised?
Issue raised at General Meeting that people couldn't register online. Are they disenfranchised because they couldn't register/vote? Could open registration form but not fill out. Are the votes received "late" because of server? Did it limit vote? Prevent some from voting? Concerns raised by candidates and potential voters.
Motion Placed on Table:
Erik Golz: Motion to acknowledge top 5 vote getters; other 4 candidates who ran to be offered seats on Board, and authorize Board to be up to 17 in number. Motion seconded by Joe Stanganelli. All in favor – unanimous 8-0 vote.
CYBSA MEETING MINUTES
SEPTEMBER 11, 2007
Financial Report:
Review the 2007 year-to-date numbers. Controlled expenses – over $18,0000 less expenses. Eric asked for further investigation with concession revenue and BAT (Lout Rettman) payment. Will complete budget review.
Coordinator Reports:
Summer Ball – Board should review the process of different age groups travel baseball team. Base it on numbers. Should have further discussion on the 8 year old teams. Should we have 1 or 2 teams for the Friendship League?
Williamsport – Review whether the 12 year olds should even play in District 8. The option of playing just Williamsport and weekend tournaments.
10-12 Year Old Girls Softball – Team won District 8. Need to get the championship banner.
Fall Ball – Having new division for 7 and 8 year olds. 2 teams – 9, 10, 11's – 38 present, full on 3 teams.
Hughie's Shed:
Looking to perform a "spring cleaning" this fall. Discussion the future of Hughie's.
Awards Night – Nancy Froio
4 teams – location – high school auditorium. October 24, or 25th.
Major League Tryouts:
October 13th – notification in Mariner. Roster size are a concern and possible contraction of teams from 7 to 6 teams.
On-line Registration:
It is ready to go. It is matter when we "want to flip the switch". Board will decide on a time-frame on when to start and how long it will stay open. We will have an enforced late fee. Unify the fee for both American and Major. Major league tryout subcommittee will notify Eric when to proceed with the registration.
Beechwood Ceremony:
Liam – September 29th - Board feels the homerun derby prizes may be donated by the CYBSA ($100 total) gift certificates.
Audit:
Mark Chase will head up the independent audit of the CYBSA.
Field Maintenance Projects:
(Dools/Chris) Blue siding for the outfield fence at Barnes being replaced. Freedom is being done. Replacement of the infield material. Weeds and landscaping clean-up on all three teams. Chase – waiting for a proposal on improvement of "non-grass" areas. Board votes in favor of improving the baselines at Chase field.
Fundraising:
Nancy Froio – CYBSA apparel for the Spring.
Softball:
Mark Chase – Trying to develop an alignment with Scituate and Hingham. Need to have all 3 town programs to abide by Little League governance or have Cohasset migrate towards what Scituate and Hingham.
Board Election:
Mark Chase proposed election committee which would review the voting process and membership election process. Mark Chase and Eric Golz will head that subcommittee. For next discussion of the possibilities of increases of board members. It will be a priority on October 9th meeting.
Coaching Evaluation Form:
Proposed to send out form via internet to every parent of every registered player in 2007 season.
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CYBSA MEETING MINUTES
JUNE 26, 2007
Financial Report from Eric Golz:
$$ Donations off a little; $$ Spring off a little. In black on budget (field maintenance costs lower than budgeted). Budget of $36,000, $14,000 spent so far. Overview past four years – looking much better.
Coordinators:
Junior League - Paul Tarpey's team; went to last game before elimination from playoffs.
Tarpey and Salerno – JR All Star getting together (Summer).
Softball - Blue Jays won Champ series – 3 games. By default – District champs. (No Whitman team) only 2 pitchers.
Minor League – not a lot of girls signed up. Paul Guinee did good job running – 7-8 girls would show. Look at group for next year.
Instructional Softball – Virginia Spofford ran it – went well.
Minor - #'s might be down next year. Need strong coordinator next year.
Consider: regional, not part of Little League (combined Hingham/Scituate under umbrella).
Middle Group – 17 kids highest # on first day.
24-25 Instructional
Majors – OB
Big issue – NO SHOWS/lack of commitment. Some forfeits.
1. Pulled some kids up – recommend getting something in writing. Next year – losing kids to LAX?
2. Can we support 7 teams?
3. Schedule of playoffs - conflict with Williamsport.
- Great Season-
Pitch count went off well.
American - Orioles won!
Bags are back and accounted for. Pitch count – 5&3 next?
National – Suzie, 6 year old – great experience
Parents – why only on weekend?
Coaches recommendations for next year to keep in farm. More information might strengthen 6 year old. Coaches did change things on the fly – others followed. Can see benefit to breaking out 6-7-8 next year.
Eric – Farm – evaluations – some viewed as babysitting other didn't have benchmark to evaluate – will be parental default. 4-5 girls on 3-4 teams. Parents liked it, more friends, etc. 7-8 bags back.
Williamsport – Kevin D – dong fine 2-0 next game Saturday. Tournament – last weekend in July in Sandwich
Liam – 11 year old - starts on July 5th. State tournament - 4 teams – July 5th
Saturday, July 7 – host 2 games - 4 teams playing.
Summer Ball Tryouts:
Had enough kids except 9B (2/8's, 2/9's, 2/10's, 2/11's). Upward to 14 kids on some teams. Evaluations went well. Kevin D. brought in out of town evaluators.
Week Day Tryout good idea.
9B – only 18 showed – 12 on 9A
Got more for 9B (after calls/e-mails)
Enough kids showing up – do we keep 9B team?
All-Star:
Kevin D. – kids got to choose 2 out of 3 running, throwing, hitting. Home run hitters (in season). Got to be a part of homerun derby. Great green monster.
Field Maintenance:
Fence at Barnes – right field line, would like rubber. Chase & Freedom – major work.
Fundraising: Nancy to spearhead.
Action Items: Eric – on-line registration. Backbone set-up. Check out process. Sports Pilot. Wants e-mail feedback.
Safety Issue:
Liam – District Meeting (ASAP Program) in order to host tour games, need to be participants.
Insurance:
Mark – our Limited Liability Policy does not cover games played with non little league teams. In future we may need to add General Liability Policy (covers coaches/volunteers/admin) 5.79/softball/pp policy.
Fall Ball:
Liam – Peter was coordinator. Will need replacement. Need to uniforms, schedule, expansion?
Do we open to younger kids (7 and 8 yr olds). One or two games on Sunday. Liam will send out mass e-mail soliciting interest.
Board Make-Up:
November/December - general members meeting/election.
Liam – need more board members.
Whose leaving/staying/running for office? Down to 9.
Responsibilities/Officers.
Meeting Adjourned 8:00 p.m. No meeting in August
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CYBSA MEETING MINUTES
MAY 2, 2007
Huey's Shed
Attendance: Froio, O'Brien, Dooley, O'Connell, Montgomery, Golz, Chase, Haggerty
Minutes were unanimously approved from the April 4, 2007 meeting.
Financial Report from Eric Golz:
Income is a bit below last year, but Eric is confident that they league will continue to close the gap as registrants/sponsor check continue to flow in.
Eric provided an overview of league cash position. Because of the lower number of registration fees, plus the increase of additional field maintenance costs, and the donation made to the Beechwood fields, the cash position of the league will be less than the previous year.
Report Items:
Saturday Clinics – Lou Rettman and Jon Menelli will provide baseball instructional clinics on Saturday mornings form 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Board approves a motion for Mark to spend up to $1,000 on items needed for clinics; e.g., balls, tees, nets.
Coordinator Reports:
Each League Coordinator provided an overview report on how the leagues are operating, the implementation of pitch counts, and coordination of rules.
Parade Update:
Parade was a success. It went off on time and was conducted in a timely fashion. The concept of having the awards night in the fall helped the parade.
Summer Ball Selection
Subcommittee of Dooley, O'Brien and O'Connell will coordinate the tryouts and coach evaluation process.
Rules on Absences:
League is reviewing the issue of players missing games on a regular basis.
Field Maintenance:
Haggerty and Dooley will review needs of fields.
Draft After Action Report:
Committee will continue to look at he draft, and propose any changes as they see needed.
On-Line Registration:
Eric provided an overview of the feature and benefits of moving to an on-line registration form.
Parking and Safety Issues:
Safety Officer has added no parking signs along the fences, which should alleviate the parking issue.
All-Star Game:
Dooley will coordinate the All-Star events for June 9, 2007.
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CYBSA Meeting Minutes
4/4/07
CMHS Library
Attendance – O’Brien, Dooley, Froio, Haggerty, O’Connell, Montgomery, Golz, Stanganelli, Chase, Buckley
Softball Report – 8th Grade players have been accepted into the high school softball program. 7th grade girls are now back in the Major Leagues with 6th and some 5th grade girls – there will be four solid teams with 13 – 14 players on each team.
Minor League softball will meet 2 days a week with players ranging in age from 8 – 10 yrs. old. Instructional softball will be devoted to the 7 and 8 yr. old girls.
Field Maintenance Report – Matt Salerno with the aid of Chris Haggerty presented a thorough review of some immediate field issues that should be addressed to get the fields into satisfactory operational condition. Additionally, Matt presented a dollar request to repair damage done to the fields and property due to vandalism and severe weather – that amounted to a little more than $ 3,000 .00. Matt also proposed hiring a laborer, who under his supervision, would take care of weekly field maintenance and trash removal at a cost to the league of roughly $ 4,000.00. All requests were approved and Treasurer Golz ensured that sufficient funds were available to meet our field maintenance obligations. The board thanked Matt once again for the tireless effort he puts forth in maintaining the fields.
Chris Haggerty will chair a subcommittee with Kevin Dooley to explore field improvements and other capital projects related to the Barnes/Freedom/Chase complex.
Minutes for March 2007 meeting – Minutes were unanimously approved as amended.
Financial Report – Spring registration is down from last year. We made the first installment of our $ 25,000.00 donation to the Beechwood field project by issuing a $12,500.00 check. Sponsorship money is ahead of schedule with just a few more sponsors left to pay.
Report Items –
•A. Registrations – Speaking of registrations, Nancy Froio reported that registrations for both baseball and softball have declined. There was some improvement over last month’s registration totals and with registrations still trickling in a proposal was put forth to freeze registrations on April 9th.
•B. Clinic Update – Mark Chase will coordinate this initiative and has enlisted the help of professional coaches, Lou Rettman who runs a local AAU program, and Al Golatta, the CHS varsity baseball coach to help with instruction. The coaching clinic will take place Saturday morning, April 7th at the CHS gym from 8 – 10 A.M.
•C. Rules Proposal – Joe Stanganelli continued his fantastic work in updating the many rules changes to conform to all our different age divisions. He presented for the board’s review a set of CYBSA Local Rules and National League supplemental rules to be reviewed and once approved to be placed in their entirety on the CYBSA web site. The board approved his work and thanked him for his thorough effort.
•D. Coordinator Reports – Each league coordinator presented to the board an initial estimate of the number of teams in their divisions and the time and place of their league’s draft night.
•E. Parade – The parade will take place on Saturday morning April 28th and will be directed by Suzie Montgomery with the help of other CYBSA board members.
•F. Saturday Morning Skills – Mark Chase will coordinate this effort. These sessions will take place on Saturday mornings at a time yet to be determined and will most likely start the first weekend in May. Mark has contacted some professional coaching help who will run the drills.
•G. Uniforms – Liam secured uniforms for 42 teams and Chris Haggerty has led the effort in obtaining team sponsors.
Fiori Award – after a round of discussions through e –mail and some discussion that evening three names were offered as potential nominees. The board was asked to consider those nominated and any other considerations over the next subsequent days and then vote by e-mail.
CYBSA Meeting Minutes
3/06/2007
CHS Library
Attendance – O’Brien, Dooley, Froio, Haggerty, O’Connell, Montgomery, Golz, Stanganelli, Chase, Buckley
Softball Report/Recommendations – Rob Spofford, after being acknowledged and thanked for his many years of tireless devotion to the softball program, offered a report detailing changes in the program that will be implemented in the ’07 season. Rob’s committee proposed several specific changes all guided by the league more closely conforming to Williamsport Little League rules for softball. The league will convert from a grade base league to an age base league. The age group that will be most profoundly impacted by this change will be the 7th grade girls as some will be playing in the Major League while others will play for CYBSA’s one Junior League team.
The Major League teams will be comprised of girls raging in age from 9 – 12 with the presence of nine year olds expected to be a very rare exception - girls age 11 and 12 will automatically be put on a team, 10yr. olds will be placed on a team at the discretion of the player’s parent and 9 yr. olds would have to try out. Major League softball will have players pitching games will be played in accordance with LL rules. The Minor League (8-10 yr. olds) will be an instructional league where parents will pitch. In order for an 8yr. old player to be eligible for Minor Leagues she would have to play one year in the 7- 8 yr. old Instructional League.
Mark Chase, Chris Haggerty, and Joe Stanganelli will draft a document that will explain all the changes and post it on the web site.
Minutes for February 2007 meeting – Minutes were unanimously approved as amended.
Financial Report - The rather surprising drop in the number of registered players has impacted our YTD revenue as compared to the same period last year. The league is still in a solid financial condition. A donation to the Beechwood field redevelopment effort was sent this month. One CYBSA Scholarship payment was made this period with the second scheduled for end of March.
Report Items –
•A. Registrations – Speaking of registrations, Nancy Froio reported that registrations for both baseball and softball have declined. Baseball has 48 fewer registered players while softball has 54 fewer players. There is an expectation that the softball registration numbers might increase through some personal outreach to potentially interested but not yet registered players as well as the arrival of some late registration forms.
•B. Minutes Committee – The committee, under the inspired leadership of CYBSA treasurer, Peter Buckley, proposed to have the minutes drafted in such a way that they could be posted on the CYBSA web site. In the event a matter arises that is deemed sensitive or confidential, a board member can request that the board go into executive session and all matters discussed therein will not be part of the minutes. The board voted to approve the committee’s recommendation.
•C. Rules Proposal – A committee headed by Suzie Montgomery proposed restructuring the age classification for the National League. Three proposals were considered and thoroughly debated with one proposal being adopted through a majority vote. The National League will have two divisions with one division comprised exclusively of T – Ball graduated six year olds, and another division comprised of 7 and 8 yr. olds.
•D. More Rules – Joe Stanganelli crafted several documents that incorporated changes to the rules impacting all levels of league play. The most significant change to league rules is the introduction of a LL mandated pitch count policy. Joe presented his changes to the board for consideration and approval and after thorough and substantive discussion Joe was charged with further modifying his proposed changes so they can then be approved by the board through e – mail. Once approved all the changes and the full set of rules governing all levels of play will be posted on the web site. The board recognized that the effort put forth by Joe in drafting these documents and incorporating the many changes was herculean to say the least and are truly grateful to Joe for his thorough and sterling effort.
CYBSA Meeting Minutes
2/06/2007
CHS Library
Attendance – O’Brien, Dooley, Froio, Haggerty, O’Connell, Montgomery, Golz, Stanganelli, Chase, Buckley, with guest Robert McCunney
Welcome – Liam called the meeting to order shortly after 7:00 P.M. and briefly outlined the agenda for the evening. All members were then asked to review the minutes from the previous meeting and after Mark Chase made a request to change the wording in a phrase attributed to him, a motion was made to approve the minutes. The minutes were unanimously approved.
Finance Report – Treasurer Eric Golz provided a brief comment affirming the state of the league’s finances consistent with his fuller report given at the previous meeting. Nancy Froio and Suzie Montgomery gave the treasurer a number of checks from the walk in registration which will be deposited into the league’s account.
Reports –
•- Joe Stanganelli began to provide a review of the rules changes that he drafted to implement the new mandatory Little League Pitch Count Rules, and as a way to codify in one place many exisiting policies that govern play on the field. In an effort to give his revisions the adequate review and attention the discussion was tabled until the next meeting of the board. It was agreed to proceed with other business and a sub – committee was formed to discuss the details of Joe’s revisions that would then come back to the board for final approval.
•- Mark Chase proposed changing the election notification process and broadening communication generally by posting CYBSA meeting minutes on the official CYBSA web site. Mark suggested that the results of a board election be posted on the web site with the vote total for each candidate to be posted rather than just listing the top four vote getters. After some discussion a motion was made and approved to make the results available to the Regular Members, and (1) to place a notice of their availability on the website, and (2) to contact all the election candidates to let them know of the availability of the results. On the matter of posting the minutes on the web site a sub – committee was established to discuss the best format to present the minutes that would both encourage openness and also protect sensitive material that might occasionally surface. Mark Chase will be joined by Suzie Montgomery and CYBSA secretary Peter Buckley to present a proposal to the board on this matter.
•- Junior League – Peter Buckley, the ’07 Junior League coordinator, outlined a possible change in the Junior League format that had been presented by outgoing Junior League coordinator Bob McCunney. Bob then presented to the board the two options: staying with Norwell in the current Junior League format that might involve the inclusion of another District 8 town or two, or leave District 8 Junior League and join in a 13- 15yr. old Babe Ruth league with Hingham and Hull. After some discussion a decision was made to remain in Junior League with Norwell and most likely Rockland as CYBSA’s league for 13 – 14 yr. olds, while the 15yr. olds would have an option to play in the Hingham/Hull Babe Ruth league.
•- Registration update – Nancy Froio and Suzie Montgomery conducted a one time in person registration as an alternative to the on – line registration that extends to Feb. 15th. Any registration received after Feb. 15th will be considered late and subject to a $25.00 late fee. The in person registration shows a significant decline in softball registrations from what had been received in previous years. Mark Chase, the softball coordinator will work with Liam and Chris Haggerty in order to facilitate a transition from previous softball league coordinator, Rob Spofford.
•- National League Age Breakdown – Suzie Montgomery proposed realigning the current National League which includes six, seven, and eight year olds, to a league that would consist solely of seven and eight year olds with parents pitching for half the season and children pitching for the remainder of the season. Because of the pitching changes six year olds would move back to the Farm League. After much discussion a consensus formed around the notion that six and eight year olds should not be playing together. A committee consisting of Suzie, Joe Stanganelli, Mark Chase and Kevin O'Brien will explore the different options and configurations and report back to the board with a specific proposal.
•- Field Usage – Liam and Joe were part of a town wide field use conference call the previous Monday with other town sports coordinators. Joe and Liam are confident CYBSA will have the field access they will need in spite of Beechwood not being available. Furthermore, they were happy to report that Milliken will be available to the Junior League on Monday nights.
•- Saturday Morning Skill sessions – Mark Chase has arranged to host a clinic on Saturday mornings run by B.A.T, a well known and well regarded baseball program who sponsors the AAU Navigators. The proposed time will be 10:00 A.M. to noon with more details to follow.
•- Fiori Award – Liam asked all members to consider a worthy recipient for CYBSA’s most prestigious award and be prepared to present possible names at the next board meeting.
Adjournment – Meeting adjourned shortly before 9:45 P.M. with a date set for the next board meeting on March 7th.
CYBSA Meeting Minutes
1/16/2007
CHS Library
Attendance – O’Brien, Dooley, Froio, Haggerty, O’Connell, Montgomery, Golz, Stanganelli, Chase, Buckley
Welcome – Newly elected members, Stanganelli, O’Brien, Dooley, and Chase were announced.
Beechwood Field – Merle brown, a member of the Beechwood field project gave a presentation on the status of the new Beechwood field project and the current financial needs. Merle expressed a hope that CYBSA would be one of the field’s “big” contributors and specifically asked the board to consider making a donation.
Finance Report – for the first time the new board members were able to view the artistry embedded in our treasurer’s thorough and colorful reports. Eric summarized that CYBSA has an annual revenue base of $100k or so and the league costs roughly $80k a year to operate leaving the organization with an annual operating surplus approaching $20k – 30k. In addition to the expected operating surplus the organization currently has a cash balance of $65k.
Beechwood Vote – armed with an awareness of the organization’s financial status the board voted to make a $25k donation to the Beechwood field project to be paid out over two years in two $12.5k installments.
Election Review – Mark Chase proposed, as a follow up to a series of e-mails directed to the board earlier in the day, to invite all board candidates to serve as board members for a year due to perceived first year election problems. The motion was defeated.
Board Election Results – In an effort to provide for a smooth transition from an outgoing president to a potential successor, a second vice president position was created with the title of Vice President of Operations and Governance. Newly elected officers are:
President – Liam O’Connell
VP Operations/Governance – Suzie Montgomery
VP Administration – Nancy Froio
Treasurer – Eric Golz
Secretary – Peter Buckley
Safety Officer – Kevin Dooley
Player Agent – Joe Stanganelli
Duties – With the board positions decided duties were apportioned according to each member’s board assignment, availability, and willingness.
Froio – registrations, fundraising, web site access, awards night.
Haggerty – sponsorships, field maintenance.
Montgomery – registrations, uniforms, NL coordinator, cookout/parade coordinator, Huie’s shed.
O’Brien – equipment, ML coordinator.
Golz – website access, Farm League coordinator.
Chase – softball coordinator, Saturday skills coordinator, coaches training coordinator.
Buckley – Junior League coordinator, Fall Baseball coordinator, glue that holds the organization together.
Stanganelli – scheduling, Summer baseball coordinator, website access.
Dooley – AL coordinator, All Star game coordinator, field maintenance.
O’Connell – parade coordinator, delegating coordinator.
New Business:
•- Treasurer Golz is committed to leaving as his legacy an online registration system. To that end he will analyze the programs of two different vendors and make a recommendation to the board at a subsequent board meeting.
•- Junior League baseball – Bob McCunney presented a Babe Ruth league alternative with the towns of Hull and Hingham as a possible replacement for the current baseball option for 15 – 16 yr. olds which is District 8 Little League Junior League. Peter Buckley, the newly appointed Junior League coordinator, agreed to study the options and report back to the board with specific recommendations.
•- Fiori Award – Liam O’Connell asked the board to consider potential candidates for 2007 with a special consideration to older active CYBSA members who have not been engaged for the past few years.