Managers, the year is flying by. But, we have had great weather so far. Mother Nature has been tough on FHC the last couple of years so we are do a good year for softball. In no particular order of importance there are several things to go over with you.

As most of you know, we are making our own study on a fair but firm policy on attacking the "illegal bat" problem. We have been checking bats at random, but with those players who wanted their bats checked. Very soon, we will start checking bats by teams at the check-in table. The bats will be marked one way or the other and there will be some stiff penalties if players are using a bat already determined to be illegal. It turns out to be a safety issue after all. I will get back to you soon on this topic.

There has been some confusion on where defenders can line up on the field. In all age divisions, players can play defense anywhere they choose as long as they adhere to the rules. The rules state that a player is legal as long as they have at least one foot in fair territory. That is it.

Our webmaster has added a team page where FHC members can search for, or give out, information regarding finding things like new players or teams, selling equipment, buying equipment, etc. It will not be a gripe page. It is for helping our members where we can.

From the webmaster:

We have a very simple page here on the FHC website for connecting players and teams.  To get your info on this page, please use the Contact page on the website to send me your info:

Name or team name
Area 1, 2, 3 or 4
Age or Division
Position(s) you play or a team is seeking
Any other info that will help you find a team or a team find a player

I have also developed a website called SoftballMonster.com, where you can post info about anything softball related.  Selling or looking for equipment, talking about rules, tournaments, teams and players looking for each other, etc. It's free to sign up and post on the Softball Monster website.

Please fill out the forms in a proper and complete manner. It is the responsibility of the Manager to contact the Secretary about roster additions, subtractions, and so on. It is not the Secretary's job to run down information that should have been gathered by the Manager already. Also, ONLY PICK-UP FORMS CAN BE TURNED IN AT THE TOURNAMENT SITE. ALL OTHER FORMS SHOULD BE MAILED TO THE SECRETARY. If you need help with something regarding the rosters, just pick up the phone and
call him. His number is on the website.

If your team is playing in a tournament your check is due in to the Host on Friday a we????k before the tournament is actually played. However, things happen. If you have an emergency, pick up the phone and call the Host and let him know your problem. If you do not contact the Host then be prepared to pay a late fee. There has been some comments on doing away with the middle infielder in the 65 and over groups, because we already employ the screen. Let your Area Director know your thoughts. COURTESY RUNNER EXPLANATION -If a player is on base as a "courtesy runner" and his time at bat comes up, he is declared out. If that out is the 1st or 2nd out in the inning that player bats in his regular spot. If it is the 3rd out of that half inning that batter is the first batter in the next inning. We are experimenting with that rule and we will vote on it in the fall.

Our FHC Umpire Training is an ongoing process. We are very proud of how hard our officials work at improving their work. Brett Porche, our UIC, and Wayne Berryhill are constantly evaluating and training our guys and gals that work our games. We have 3 all day camps during the calendar year and have minicamps at every single tournament during the year. Hats off to our officials. This is just a reminder that our FHC Board discusses any suggestion that is brought to us by our Managers and Players. The Board has the very important task of continually looking for ways to improve on our rules and ensuring the safety of our players. We also have the right to institute new rules, experimental or not, to ensure the same for our members. See you at the ball parks.

Mike Knowles
FHC Chairman