MMB Bandits Tournament Team Information

To meet the desires of all players and families, Mathewson McCarthy Baseball is committed to offering both league and tournament play opportunities. In resolving conflicts between league and tournament activities it is the policy of the league that league officers, managers, players and parents accord league activities -- games, practices and meetings -- priority over like tournament activities. Priority shall require that players attend league activities over simultaneously scheduled like tournament activities. Effort should be made to avoid such conflicts including making reasonable adjustments in league scheduling to accommodate tournament schedules.

At each level of play, except Rookies and Single “A”, players are selected to represent Mathewson McCarthy in post-season tournaments as the MMB Bandits. Player selection is based on a player’s ability as demonstrated in try-outs. While playing ability is the major consideration, sportsmanship, conduct, attitude, and ability to get along with others are traits considered when selecting tournament players. The selection process for regular season all-stars has no bearing whatsoever on post season tournaments.

Tournament teams may participate in the Clarence Sunday league, or suitable alternative as approved by the Board of Directors. Teams also participate in Babe Ruth National Tournament and in Mathewson McCarthy sponsored invitational tournaments. The Babe Ruth National Tournament (age divisions 10, 12, 13, 14 and 15) begins the last week of June or first week of July with the District Tournament (played in the Buffalo area), followed at two week intervals by state, regional, and, finally, national (World Series) championship tournaments. Progression beyond the district level may involve extensive travel. Housing and transportation are the parents’ responsibilities.

Tournament team player fees cover the league’s cost of participation in the Clarence Sunday League, the Babe Ruth National Tournament, and up to three invitational tournaments. A Mathewson McCarthy sponsored invitational tournament will be counted against this three. Team managers may select invitational tournaments to enter from a list provided by the league’s Tournament Director, subject to approval of the Tournament Director and Board of Directors. Teams wishing to participate in more than three invitational tournaments may do so with permission of the Board of Directors and provided that all costs are paid by the team.

Tournament team participation involves considerable practice and playing time in addition to regular league play. This being so, tournament team players and parents must make the necessary commitment to the team. Depending on success in district and state tournaments, a team may possibly continue to play through much of August. In the past, Mathewson McCarthy tournament teams have advanced to regional finals in Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

TOURNAMENT TEAMS

When possible, MMB will field the following tournament teams:
1. Three Senior Teams (13, 14, and 15)
2. Two 12 year old and under teams
3. One 10 and under team
4. One 9 and under team
5. One 8 and under team
If player interest warrants, MMB will attempt to field two tournament teams at each level.

TOURNAMENT MANAGERS

1. NOMINATING COMMITTEE
a. Cal Ripken DIVISION: League President, Executive Vice President, Tournament Director and respective Divisional Vice President.
b. SENIOR DIVISION: League President, Executive Vice President of Senior Division, Tournament Director and respective Divisional Vice President.

2. PROCEDURES FOR NOMINATIONS
a. Respective Divisional Vice President will gather a list of Managers and Coaches who have requested to be considered by the Nominating Committee for the position of Tournament Team Manager. The only document that will be considered is the applicant’s written application. All applications should include a statement of all relevant experience both within and outside the league.
b. The Nominating committee will then meet with each applicant to decide which Applicant and/or Applicants the committee will submit to the Board of Directors for final approval. The nominating committee will also submit to the Board a list of all managers and coaches who have requested consideration.

3. CRITERIA FOR MANAGERS SELECTION
a. Selection of managers for teams participating in Babe Ruth National Tournaments will be made in accordance with Babe Ruth Rules. The manager selected will, in turn, select two (2) coaches. Both manager and coaches must be officially rostered as managers or coaches of Mathewson McCarthy league teams (See rule 11.00 in Cal Ripken Rule Book and page BR5 of your official Baseball Rule book).
b. Managers must be fully committed to fulfill the manager’s obligations to hold sufficient practices, follow all applicable tournament rules and regulations, insure required documentation is provided, and finish all tournaments to conclusion. The manager must be aware that he may be required to play out of town for possibly days at a time, thus losing time from work for which he will not be compensated by the league. Reimbursement will only be made for those expenses specified in the league’s tournament expense guide.
c. Manager selection will typically occur in August or September preceding the next regular season.  All tournament managers should be available to attend the organizational meetings of the Clarence Sunday League.

4. QUALIFICATIONS & RESPONSIBILITIES
a. Managers must have a good knowledge of the game and be able to fulfill the foregoing responsibilities. In addition, managers must have demonstrated proper conduct both on and off the field and the ability to work with players, coaches, officials and parents.
b. The Manager is also responsible for all coaches and players both on and off the field.
c. Managers must strictly abide by all league and Babe Ruth rules and policies. In addition, the manager must be prepared to commit to being available for all tournaments.
d. A manager shall commit to be available to manage all his team’s tournament games.
e. The manager is responsible for all equipment and uniforms issued to the team and for return of those items, in good condition, promptly upon completion of the tournament season.
f. A manager must assist the Tournament Director in running any Mathewson McCarthy sponsored invitational tournaments at his age level. Additionally, the manager is required to coordinate performance of field maintenance duties by player parents.

5. TOURNAMENT TEAM TRYOUTS, ORGANIZATION AND CONDUCT

a. In scheduling and conducting tryouts and selecting players, tournament managers shall:
- Schedule at least two (2) try-outs and post the time and location of the try-outs. Teams attending the Babe Ruth National Tournaments will have priority on any players at their respective age levels.
- Give managers of all league teams with eligible players written notice of the times and places of each try-out. This can be done by putting the notice in the Wehrle Drive mail slots.
- Select coaches to help conduct the tryouts and evaluate the players.
- Prior to starting the first tryout, assemble parents and players and inform them of the commitment involved in playing tournament baseball, including dates of tournaments,
and verify player availability for all tournaments which the team will enter; also inform them of the criteria which will be used to select players including conduct and sportsmanship.
- conduct the tryouts with the goal of selecting the best possible team to represent Mathewson McCarthy, considering not only playing ability but also the personal qualities of the players.
- meet with the coaches who assisted at the tryout to evaluate player abilities and make player selections; a team participating in a Babe Ruth National Tournament shall have priority in player selection over any other tournament team for which a player is eligible.
- after selecting the team, submit a complete roster to the Tournament Director and appropriate divisional Vice President and post the roster on the bulletin board next to the snack bar; managers may inform players not selected in any manner but, as this is a sensitive issue, care and discretion are in order.
b. Up until one week prior to the district tournament, in the event of conflict between league and tournament team practices, a tournament team player must, without exception, attend the league practice to conclusion. Tournament practices may be held prior to league games, but players must be released in time to arrive on time for their league game warm-ups. Practices held prior to league games shall be limited to skills development -- no conditioning, base-running or other stamina taxing activities which might result in players being unable to perform to the best of their ability in the game. All tournament teams will be given one assigned practice time per week-not to conflict with league play. League teams will not schedule practices during this time.
c. Additional players may be added to the roster following the tryouts if deemed warranted by the tournament manager and approved by the division vice president. An underage player not named to the ORIGINAL team roster may not be added (for either practices or games) until following such player’s team’s commitment to the Babe Ruth National Tournaments except on an interim, emergency basis where the older team can field fewer than 9 players for a scheduled game. When possible, the younger player playing the needed position should be called up and not the same player time after time. Roster spots MAY NOT be kept open in anticipation of calling up younger players when they become available.

6. CLARENCE TRAVEL LEAGUE
a. Policies for Clarence Sunday League
1. Each manager must attend the organizational meeting of the Clarence Sunday League and coordinate his team’s participation. Prior to the Clarence winter meeting, managers will obtain from the League Scheduler a list of Sundays when Clarence league home games may be scheduled. Managers will inform the league that all Mathewson McCarthy home games must be scheduled no earlier than 4:00 PM (3:00 PM for Doubleheaders) and will be moved to a later start time or cancelled when Mathewson McCarthy league games require. Managers must also request that all away games be scheduled with a late afternoon or evening start time with the warning that earlier scheduled games run the risk of cancellation due to league make up games. All diamonds will be scheduled for 6:00 PM Clarence home games on All-Star Sunday (usually Sunday after Fathers Day) to allow time for the all-star games and avoid travel that Sunday
2. Tournament players with an earlier league game must arrive on time for and play that game to conclusion to be eligible to play in a later Clarence game. When the league game is later, players who play in the earlier Clarence game must arrive on time for and play the league game to conclusion. A player who has good cause for arriving late to or missing the league game, as confirmed in a note from a parent, may be excused by his league manager and thereby be eligible to play in the later Clarence game or suffer no sanction for being late to or missing the later league game. Managers may not permit a player to leave a league game early to attend a Clarence game.
3. League managers shall permit a player to miss, or to leave early, a league practice so the player may attend a tournament tryout or play in a Clarence league game scheduled at the same time.
Tournament team managers shall observe the following pitching limitations for all Clarence league games:
All ages - - 2 innings per day
Although 2 innings are permitted for players, tournament managers are strongly encouraged to limit pitchers to one inning and to keep pitch counts low. Tournament managers shall report their pitchers and innings pitched to each pitcher’s divisional VP after each Clarence game.
4. Tournament managers shall coordinate the use of pitchers with each pitcher’s league manager. Tournament managers shall make themselves aware of the number of innings the pitchers they intend to use have pitched on Saturday and what the league managers’ plans are for using those pitchers in the coming week. Tournament managers must give all deference to the league managers and their plans. In the use of pitchers, tournament managers will not be bound, but should be guided, by the league’s weekly pitching limitations.

TOURNAMENT PLAYERS

1. TRYOUTS
a. All players will be required to attend a scheduled tryout conducted by their respective tournament team manager. Open tryouts will be scheduled prior to the start of the regular season. If unable to attend these tryouts, players may contact the team manager and request an opportunity to tryout.
b. When two tournament teams will be fielded at any level, players are required to attend the tryouts for the “A” team. “B” team players will then be selected from the remaining players attending that tryout. A player is strongly discouraged from  “playing down” on a “B” team if the “A” team manager has selected that player for the “A” team. League rules state that if a player refuses to attend a tryout sponsored by the “A” team, such player shall be ineligible to play for the “B” team. However this has seldom been enforced. Instead, players and families should understand that Mathewson McCarthy philosophy is that players should play on the best team that their abilities allow and should not attempt to play with teams composed of players with lower ability. In rare circumstances when a player who was chosen by the 'A' team prefers to play on the 'B' team, the parent(s) must communicate with the Tournament Committee and placement on the 'B' team is subject to approval by the League President.
c. Players must attend the age appropriate tryout. However, 14 year old players may attend the 15U tryouts if no 14U team will be participating in the Babe Ruth National Tournament. Players will not be allowed to tryout for tournament teams above their level of league play unless age appropriate. For example, a 12 year old player in Major 60is eligible to try out for the 12U team, but a 10 year old player in Major 60 is not unless no 10U tournament team is being fielded. By the same token, a 10 year old player in AAA may try out for the 10U team despite the fact he is not rostered in Majors 60.
d. Players 9 and under may attend the tryout appropriate to either their level of league play or age.

2. RESPONSIBILITIES
a. Players must agree to commit for the entire tournament season including the Clarence league unless first notifying the manager of any circumstances that would prevent this. Players WILL NOT be prevented from participating due to scheduled vacations, etc. Any special circumstances, e.g. a player participating in just the Babe Ruth National Tournament due to outside commitments, must be approved by both the team manager and division VP prior to the player’s participation.
b. Players on teams participating in the Babe Ruth National Tournament may not play or practice with another Mathewson McCarthy tournament team until their team has completed participation in the Babe Ruth National Tournament except when called upon in an emergency.

3. FEES
a. Every player selected for any Babe Ruth tournament team is required to pay a non-refundable fee. No player shall be permitted to play until the fee is paid. Tournament mangers are required to submit player fees to the Tournament Director or Treasurer prior to the team’s first game.
b. Tournament team player fees will be set annually by the Board of Directors.
c. It is highly recommended that the team manger appoint a team representative to handle the collecting of the team fees and team paperwork and as a lead person to handle the team’s responsibilities during Mathewson McCarthy’s invitational tournament.
d. A team will not be allowed to enter a tournament until all team members have paid their fee (Adopted 1/17/2007).