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Gold Country Senior Softball Association News and Information
NEW SEASON: The 2009 season got under way on April 18 for the Saturday league and on April 20 for the Weekday league. Weather and the infield construction project gave some fits, which essentially eliminated the practice games. Many of the managers found other locations to prep their squads. The board was concerned about the number of players and teams due to the current state of the economy. The concerns were not justified in that we ended up with three teams on the Saturday league with 12 players each and ten teams for the Weekday league with 13 players each. We have nearly 150 players signed up for the 2009 season.
FIELD RESTORATION PROJECTS During the off season Bob Swarthout and others lobbied hard to get the Park to spend Mitigation Fee funds on improvements to the ball fields. You will notice a new backstop on field one and new canopies for the bleachers on field one and two. The outfield turf for all four ball fields underwent extensive work to remove excess thatch, to reseed, to fertilize and to place a layer of top dressing. Special thanks to Tom Holland and Ron McCormick for hand watering a large area of grass that had an irrigation failure. The infields on all four fields were restored and upgraded. All fields were re-graded to optimize some drainage shortfalls and had new fill and special clay added for improved playing conditions. Field one got an infield irrigation system. The Little League field got some infield turf, which was needed to establish tournament play in Penn Valley. The Park spent over $100,000 for the improvements.
THE LECTURE: Some old and new players are not adhering to the cut-off dates for applications. You are not doing anyone a favor if you apply late or advise others that prompt sign-ups are not necessary. As you noted we have nearly 150 players. Not having an accurate count early in the season leads to several complications. The draft and concept of selecting a fairly competitive set of teams only works well when the managers know the whole field of players before the draft date. The uniform order when adjusted to accommodate late applicants is delayed and incurs extra charges to the league. We are not short of players. Be advised that in the future a late fee will be applied for late applicants and in some cases applications may not be accepted.
WORK DETAILS Several players have stepped up and are helping with field maintenance tasks. Our early season work detail went well with about a dozen players participating in a good general cleanup of the fields and storage shed. We can use more players to help with the numerous jobs to keep the fields in condition. The simple job of returning the equipment to secure locations after the last game is not getting done on a regular basis. Thank you to Julius Liebke for keeping an eye on this and personally cleaning up after teams who have failed to do their job. Many little jobs can be done without formal time lines such as: · The infields have numerous stones. Spend some time removing them. The stones should be removed to areas off the playing field. · Weeds are growing on the infield. A hula hoe or regular hoe can be used to eliminate this nuisance. · The dugouts get cruddy in a short period of time. Sweep and wash this area. Remove litter to a receptacle. · The foul lines and 160-foot arc need constant attention to keep them visible. A weed eater is used to keep the grass down on these areas. The fence lines are another area that needs weeds and tall grass removed.
AFTER SEASON SCHEDULEThe board is looking for feedback on what and how to do an after season program. The board is asking the managers to get information from their team and furnish that information to the board. It is best to provide the information in writing. Things to consider:
1. Keep the same teams or pick a new set of teams from members interested in continuing to play after the regular season? 2. Have a tournament or fall league? 3. Play on weeknights only or include Saturday? 4. Have one division or two?
BYLAW REVISIONS: Some bylaw revisions may be in order. The board is seeking persons interested in examining our bylaws and making recommendations for adjustments. If you are interested in being on a bylaw committee please contact Dave Anderson or any board member. Our bylaws state our logo is the “Gold Planner”. Did we mean “Gold Panner”?? Regardless our logo for the last several years is a ball with “GCSSA” and year. The rules for the “Rules Committee” seem a bit restrictive and confusing. Should we make adjustments? We are now using the senior softball rules of play and our bylaws refer to the ASA rules of play. We need some players to review the Bylaws and make recommendations for changes if deemed necessary.
COMMITTEES The board wants to establish the Rules committees after the regular season of play. Please give any suggestions you have to your manager or any board member. Managers who are interested in being on the committee should advise Dave Anderson or any board member.
TEAM SPONSORS The league has 13 sponsors for this year. The sponsors contributed over $4000.00 to our budget. Players can express their thanks to the sponsors at any time. What the hell-go out of your way and stick your head in their doorway and say THANK YOU. Of course you can also patronize the business when possible. Our scholarship fund did very well this year with players and ordinary citizens providing over $500 in donations. Jules Liebke and James McCammon each put in $100 for the fund. Larry Kaufman donated $145.00 toward the All Star game budget.
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