PMP SOFTBALL - THE WINTER PAGE


Mar-29-97 No Practice Today.

I went out to the practice facilities at about 10:15AM in case anyone showed up. No one did. I didn't think anyone would, given the heavy rains last night. But I wanted to be there in case anyone from the more distant area showed up. It wasn't raining around here this morning, but it was raining in Cunningham's area.

Anyhow, it was a mess out there, with puddles in the infield and outfield. So we're down to two weekends of practice. See you at 10 AM on April 5th and April 12th.

Mar-27-97 More Info from Liberty Park.

Liberty sent a form letter today. Our schedule will be available the day of our first game. Managers call Liberty on Monday, April 7th after 10:00am for the first game time. If our roster is not presented to the umpire on the due date (which I believe is the 2nd game), the game is forfeited and no future games can be played until it's turned in.

BTW, our first practice is this Saturday at 10:00 AM in Oak Park.

Mar-24-97 Malloy's Ready to Practice.

In reference to our Spring Training schedule, Malloy offered a few suggestions:

"Cool with me Bud! Lets practice right now, shit!I think everybody should take at least a week off work and we dedicate ourselves to some intense training, Up at the break of dawn a bowl of wheaties the breakfast of champions, warm up excercise's as soon as everybodies dressed and have eaten. fielding and batting practice for 3 hours then break for lunch then fielding position practice followed by some more batting then break for dinner and after dinner to the worship hall for a little prayer then it's off to bed at sunset. You think Larue can house all of the team and minor league hopefuls or should we start looking for other facilities as did the Lions? Let me know what your thoughts are."

Um...I think LaRue would probably be okay with it...his mrs. might require a little coaxing though.

In case anyone cares, I had my ISDN line installed today. Frozen rope fast, baby.

Mar-20-97 Registration mailed today, the first day of Spring

Spring is officially here. Yea.

I mailed off our balance due to Liberty Park this morning. Our sponsor sent me a check for the registration portion of the balance due, and I paid the forfeit deposit/last game fee with money collected from the player dues.

Speaking of player dues, it works out to $42.00 per player, with sponsor-players paying also. This will total $546.00 from 13 players. I didn't figure Andy into the dues, as he is always a little iffy in the Spring due to his work schedule.

I don't have to have all the money by April 17th, but obviously I'll need enough collected to pay the first game or two. If at all possible, please pay up at least half at one of our upcoming practices. I would definitely like to have everyone paid by the end of April.

Speaking of practice, we are still hoping that field conditions will be favorable enough to start March 29th, and continue every saturday up to the weekend before the 17th of April. I will be calling everyone this weekend, and will try to get a field conditions report from Practice Facilities Coordinator LaRue Williams.

Oh, I almost forgot. We have been invited via email to play in a tournament this June(ish) over in Windsor Ontario. I really hate trying to coordinate personnel for tournies, which is probably why we rarely play in them. If anyone is interested in playing and/or coordinating the details, let me know.

Gerry, since you will be recognized on Opening Day for winning the team Batting Title, you might want to take a look at this site and choose a utensil. Sorry, no creams or gels.

Mar-12-97 Liberty Park Info Packet

Assistant Manager Mark Cunningham (#6) dropped the info packet off at my house. Thanks, Mac. There's a lot of stuff in it. Below I will hit on some of major items in it, and/or items that vary significantly from Softball City that all players should be aware of. Please help Mark and I out by reading this over a few times.

  • Roster Due April 24th, NO ADDITIONS after it's handed to the umpire of that game. Substitutions are permitted at any time for injured players who provide a doctor's note. Our April 24th game will not start until it's handed to the umpire, and it must be 100% complete.
  • Makeup time preferences must be on the roster. Liberty will try to accomodate, but can't guarantee requested preferences will be honored. Choices are: Sat (12pm-6pm), Sat (6pm-11pm), and Sun (8am-3:30pm). My preference is the first one, as it's the least disruptive to the weekend.
  • NO: Metal spikes, fake tags, crashing into players, throwing bats/other equipment, other harzardous conduct, drunkeness, fighting.
  • Also NO: bringing in any foods or beverages, drinking in parking lot or dugout areas, pets, removal of glasses or alcohol from the bar, profanity from players or fans.
  • All USSSA 1997 Rules apply, except where amended by Liberty Park. (Major ammendments are discussed below).
  • One or Two Additional Hitters allowed, if in lineup before 1st pitch of the game. If the AH is added after the 1st pitch, the player is ejected, and an out is record when his turn to bat. To initiate the ejection, the illegal AH must be protested to the ump before the next legal batter takes a pitch.
  • 12 run mercy rule, after 5 innings. No Mercy Rule applies for final championship games in the playoffs.
  • Pitching Arc: 3 feet from pitcher's hand, to 10 feet from ground.
  • Strike Count: Out after 2 strikes, walked after 3 balls (Same as SBC, to my suprise). Also, 2nd foul after one strike results in a deadball, and strikeout.
  • Strike Zone: Ump calls the plate, not batter's position in box. Zone is from batter's highest shoulder to batter's front knee, and the black is not part of the plate (Meaning, I think, black counts as a strike, if it's the back, pointy portion of the plate?).
  • Game time 70 minutes max, 1 extra inning played if tied. No time limit for 1st place championship games.
  • Complete games are minumum 3.5 innings or later, or if visitors lead after 4 innings.
  • Men's C Minor has a 1 homerun hitter limit, predesignated by manager, or defaulted to the first player doing so in the absence of the predesignation. A homerun is defined as a fair, untouched ball that clears the fence.
  • Up to 3 B players can play on any C team, but no Super B players are allowed.
  • All players must wear spikes, shirts, and of course pants (No ass-shaving, I guess).
  • Re-entry is allowed, one time per player, if replacement is a non-starting player who has not yet played. Reentering player must bat in his original lineup spot.
  • Awards are given to 1st and 2nd place teams.
  • 1st base is stationary, 2nd and 3rd base are breakaway. Sliding is discouraged, but collisions are definitely not allowed.
  • Bats: No Titanium bats, nor double-walled DeMarini bats.
  • Courtesy Runners are allowed if opposing manager agrees, and must be player who made the last out.
  • A forfeit is recorded if team can't start at least 7 players as of 10 minutes after the game start time. Game will start immediately after game start time when at least 7 players per team have arrived.
  • Liberty Park has a golf dome, and it's available for rental for softball practice in the morning before it opens at 8AM daily.

    There's more, but that's the main stuff. Liberty Parks appears to be much more stringent than SBC in the enforcement of its policies, which I think is good (though I'm not too thrilled about the parking lot drinking ban). I didn't find a rainout number in the packet, But Mark will be emailing it to me tonight so I'll post it soon.

    Mark was advised that a typical Thurday Men's C league distribution of game starting times would look like this (our mileage may vary):

                  # of    Game
              Games   Time
              -----   ----
                4     6:10
                2     7:20
                1     8:30
                3     9:40
                4    10:50

    One more thing: don't forget to re-enter the free bat contest I told our mailing list players about. The drawing is monthly, and you have to re-enter every month. Rather than posting the URL here, which could decrease our odds, I have emailed it to list subscribers today.

    Message to Mark and Jeff G: Your ISP is returning email I send you as undeliverable. Please send me your correct email addresses, or tell those people to get on the stick.

    Mar-7-97 March Is Here! Spring Training Might Begin This Month.

    Does anyone else stare out the window, look at this early March sunshine and get kinda itchy to toss a softball around? Me too. Last Saturday was so nice out that I did play some catch with the youngster.

    I know it's way too muddy out to hit the fields just yet. But we should probably start thinking about the when's and where's of it. I'd like to see everyone make it to at least one practice. If we planned 2 or 3 practices, there'd be no excuse for not getting out at least once.

    Weather and field conditions permitting, our first practice could be March 29th. This would start a three weekend period, leading up to our first game. I lean toward Saturdays, but Sunday is fine too. Most players prefer to get done with it early, so 10 or 10:30 AM would be a good time.

    As for where, I suppose that the usual field in Oak Park would work, with an alternate field near my house at Lazenby Field in Berkley.

    I'll post something definite as March progresses. So players, email me your thoughts on this.

    Feb-28-97 A Correction, Doctor's Report, Possible Star Restaurant Rematch, and More.

    I blew the newest Stalker's name; It's "Jaden Clifford Stalker". He's still a boy though, that much was correct. I corrected the Feb.14.97 item below.

    Johnny B. does indeed have some knee problems going on. His doc told him he can do the surgery thing any time John wants. Just a little cartilage rearrangement, and maybe a week or two of no ball. John has made no plans for surgery yet. And he still plans on playing ball.

    Mark Cunningham tells me that a co-worker's son plays on the Star Restaurant team. Remember them from the '93 season championship game? Well, Star has been playing at Liberty, and they are playing Thurday nights. I believe Mark also told me their sponsor has changed, so the're playing under a different name. Gee, it'll be nice to see those guys again.

    Has anyone noticed all the Softball City advertisements this week on WDFN AM-1130? They have played the ad at least three times a day, everyday this week. It talks about signing up for leagues, in-ground dugouts, and the annual Free Press Tournament. I did notice that they did not mention the rock-hard outfield, and the absence of foul lines in the grass.

    Feb-25-97 Spring Roster Confirmed

    The roster, posted below on 2/14/97, is now pretty well confirmed. Andy is going to be mostly absent until school is out in June. Mark Cunningham has some scheduling issues to work out, if he is to make late games...but he's somewhat optimistic. John Bateman plans on being around the entire season. Pat Kelly will be promoted to "regular" status, if he wants to play every week.

    So we're fairly set in the personnel department, but that's not to say that the other 6 roster positions can't be filled with some decent reserve players. Maybe we can get a look at a few guys at Spring Training, which we should start thinking about in 4 weeks or so.

    I'm still not completely sure how we're going to finance the game and ump fees. Yes, it will almost certainly be divided equally among regular players. But how many regulars is still a little uncertain. I figure it will be about $40.00 per player. This will probably include the player/sponsors paying their share. Please page down to the 1/13/97 update below, to get an idea of this season's financial issues.

    Feb-17-97 Winter Meetings '97 Was Last Saturday

    We had a fair turnout. 7 or 8 players and their wives and girlfriends made it. A few no-shows, of course. But we did manage to float the keg, while watching vintage '94 and '95 PMP film footage. And true to the tradition of our Winter Meetings, no team business was conducted whatsoever.

    Feb-14-97 It's a Boy!

    Congratulations to Cliff and Toni for the birth of their son Jaden Clifford yesterday. They're gonna be scratched from the Winter Meetings lineup tommorow night, though Cliff hinted he might sneak out for a cold one with da team.

    Feb-13-97 '96 Combined Season Statistics

    I figured I'd be asked during Winter Meetings for this by at least half the team. So here is the 1996 Combined Season Statistics.

    Congratulations to Gerry Nestale for winning the 1996 Batting Average Title, PMP's most coveted and prestigious distinction! In keeping with the newest team tradition, all his body hair will be removed on opening day.

    Feb-11-97 USSSA Online

    The USSSA finally has a presence on the world wide web. The site is pretty new, but they've added some content to it since it first appeared. Take a look at the History of the USSSA page, it's pretty interesting.

    And in other softball news, I cleaned my softball bag and all it's contents this past weekend. Oiled the glove too. I'm ready.

    Feb-10-97 Softball City Telephoned Today

    And this is the message left on my machine:

    Softball City Calling...We are playing ball '97 season. There's no race track at the State Fair Grounds now or ever...Got any questions please call..."

    Maybe it's just me, but don't you think they should have said something before we went and signed up at Liberty? Even sending their traditional Christmas card would have suggested that they at least intend to be around. True, we were leaving anyway, but how many other teams made the switch because they never received any mailings and their phone was always answered by a machine with last year's stale old recording?

    Feb-8-97 Softball City Registration Form Arrives

    It just came in today's mail. Here's a quote from the back of the form:

    "We at Softball City plan to be a part of the local community through the year 2000.

    Many plans have been announced by the local media in the past few months causing the delay of this brochure. We want to assure you that you will receive the same superior treatment you have enjoyed in the past."

    Hmm..'same superior treatment'...kind of makes you feel good about the decision to try Liberty Park, doesn't it? Oh, and the umpire fee went up this year to $8.00 per game.

    Feb-4-97 Tenative 1997 Roster

    Here's what the 1997 Spring roster is tenatively looking like. We have confirmation from most players listed, but not all.

    
 1. Bill Hiotaky P  
 2. Malloy Farley LC, RC 
 3. LaRue Williams RC, C
 4. Gerry Nestale L, P 
 5. Mark Cunningham SS   
 6. Jeff Gatt 2B         
 7. Cliff Stalker R, 1B    
 8. Denver Jones R, RC, 2B
 9. Dan Phillips C, 3B
10. Mark Warren 1B
11. Jeff Kollenberg 2B, RC, 3B, C, LC, etc.
12. John Bateman 3B             
13. Andy Fisher LC, L
14. Pat Kelly LC, RC

    Jan-30-97 Speedway Project Cancelled

    Fox 50 TV is reporting tonight that the speedway project is "scrapped". Perhaps Softball City will be around in '97. I still haven't received the traditional phone call from the owner, nor the christmas card though.

    Jan-23-97 Heavy Equipment Parked at SBC

    I spotted maybe ten dump trucks parked at Softball City this morning. I dunno, it could just be State salt trucks, but I've never seen them there before. Plus it's icy as hell this morning, so you'd think they'd be on the road. The entrance gate is wide open. All the fences and buildings appear to be still intact. But it kinda looks like the're getting ready to do something.

    Jan-21-97 Winter Meetings '97: Players RSVP Please

    Historically, PMP players have a dismal record of RSVP-ing to team-related social activities. This year is no different, with a grand total of zero RSVP's received so far. It's never been a huge problem, and Winter Meetings is usually pretty good, but the Fall party at Farley Acres was definitely not well attended. Because beer is a terrible thing to waste, it will be purchased and provided at Winter Meetings based solely upon the number of RSVP's received. So far, I plan on purchasing one six pack. So...um...RSVP as soon as you can.

    Jan-13-97 Spring 1997 Season Finances

    Liberty Park's pricing is different from Softball City's, but it's only slightly more expensive. Here's the breakdown:

    
   ENTRY REQUIREMENTS:

   $310.00 TEAM ENTRY FEE payable by our sponsor Precise Metal Products
  +  31.00 REFUNDABLE     Payable by our sponsor Precise Metal Products? This fee is also
           FORFEIT FEE    considered pre-payment for our last Game Fee.
   -------
   $341.00 TOTAL ENTRY 
           REQUIREMENT

   
  PER GAME REQUIREMENTS:

    $31.00   GAME FEE        Payable (probably) from collection from every regular player,
                             including player-sponsors.
   +  8.00   UMPIRE FEE      Same collection as above.
    -------
    $39.00  TOTAL PER GAME   Cash money payable at game time
   X    14  NUMBER OF GAMES  14 games, 13 games guaranteed
   --------
   $546.00  SUBTOTAL            
   - 31.00  FORFEIT FEE      Forfeit Fee pre-pays the last Game Fee (asumming no PMP forfeits)
   --------
   $515.00  TOTAL PER
            GAME REQUIREMENTS

    Of an estimated 12 regular players, this would be $42.92 per player for Spring 1997. Yes, this is a lot more than past years, but there are no players slips so its an out-of-pocket wash for you, provided you make all the games. And depending on how many players we dress for each game, it may work out to be a little cheaper than Softball City, overall.

    I don't have a definite roster set at this time, although I can say we should have more than enough players, as usual. Reserve players will probably not be asked to pay anything, but that could change depending on circumstances. I'll probably ask for payment in one lump from regulars, but installments will be acceptible if you have to.

    Any funds leftover at the end of the year will go toward beer for Winter Meetings '98.

    Jan-12-97 Winter Meetings '97 Date is Set

    Players only, mark your calendar for February 15th. The flyer will be mailed out to all invitees this week.

    Jan-9-97 Liberty Park Entry

    We are now signed up for Thursday nights, Mens C-Minor at Liberty Park. Thanks, Mark. I will probably be contacting everyone this weekend to see if playing mostly 9:30 and 10:40 games will be a significant problem. If it is, we may be able to switch to another night if we do it soon. I will also be polling players concerning the February 15th Winter Meetings date.

    Jan-7-97 Update

    Mark will be getting our deposit into Liberty Park today (hopefully), for Thursday nights.

    Winter Meetings is tentatively scheduled for February 15th. This is a Saturday, the day after Valentine's Day. Please contact me immediately if this day is terrible for you (players only, please). Flyers will be created, posted on this site, and mailed to all players, probably by Monday, January 13th.

    ...

    Whatever the outcome of the Softball City/Motor City Speedway controversy, one thing is for sure: PMP is pursuing an entry at Libery Park for the 1997 season. We have been on the Liberty Park mailing list prior to the announced closing of SBC. Mark and Andy managed have teams at Liberty for 15 seasons, and they may be assisting us in getting in if we have problems getting in.

    UPDATE: We have an entry application for Liberty, and will be submitting it probably by January 3rd. Liberty Park expects to fill up fast, so that's the reason for our haste. Applications went out to returning team managers first, and (ahem) one of them is Mark Cunningham. We'll play Thursday nights, Mens C Minor. It's the same night as the Mens Super B leagues, so we are told to expect mostly 9:30/10:40/6:00 game times. And the worst umpires. Super B's get preferencial treatment on Thursday nights. The cost will be $310.00 entry (Sponsor pays), $31.00 refundable forfeit fee deposit, and $39.00 cash per game ($31.00 game fee, $8.00 umpire fee) both to be (most likely) covered from all regular players. It's a 14 game Spring season, 13 guaranteed. Don't ask me about Summer yet. Thanks to Mark Cunningham for taking the lead on getting us signed up.

    Don't forget to check our links page, because there are many new teams listed.

    Winter Meetings will probably be in mid February.

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    Created: November 19, 1995
    Updated: March 29, 1997