Frequently
Asked Questions
WHO
IS ELIGIBLE TO PLAY BABE RUTH BASEBALL?
If you reside in Danvers and, as of May 1, 2012, will be at least 13 years
old, but not more than 19 years old, you are eligible to play Babe Ruth baseball. It
does not matter whether you’re a boy or a girl, a budding expert or
a mere novice. So long as you are a Danvers resident who wants to play
real baseball and will be 13 to 19 years old on that date, we have a roster
spot for you.
WILL I BE PLAYING WITH OTHER KIDS MY OWN AGE?
Our league has 3 playing divisions, based strictly on age. All 13-year-olds
play in our Prep Division, regardless of their skill level. All 14 and
15 year olds play in our Major Division, regardless of their skill level. All
16, 17, 18 and 19-year-olds play in our Senior Division, regardless of their
skill level. Period! No one may “play up” to an older age
group and no one is kept down below his own age group. You play with
your peers, your schoolmates and your friends.
HOW ARE BABE RUTH GAMES PLAYED?
Babe Ruth baseball is real baseball. For the most part, we play by the
same rules as the pros. Stealing is allowed; runners take leads
off bases; pitchers try to pick runners off base, etc. But, there
are certain limited differences. First, during our regular season, we
use a “continuous batting order”, meaning that every player gets
to bat, even when he is not taking the field in a particular inning. Second,
we only play a 7-inning game, unless there is a tie after 7 complete innings. Third,
every player gets at least 3 innings in the field during each game. Fourth
and finally, we limit the number of innings pitchers may pitch in any one-week
period, in order to avoid hurting young arms. Otherwise, it is full-tilt
baseball. The playing rules for each division are posted on our website
(www.danversbaberuth.com).
HOW COMPETITIVE ARE BABE RUTH GAMES?
At the Babe Ruth level, we place sportsmanship and player development ahead
of competition, during our regular season. That doesn’t mean that
the games are not competitive. On the contrary, they are all “hard
fought”. But, we try to ensure that everyone has a good experience
each season. We make our teams as even in strength as we can. By
utilizing a continuous batting order, we ensure that every player’s head
is kept in the game at all times. We try to give all players approximately
the same amount of playing time, offensively and defensively, over the course
of the regular season. Babe Ruth baseball is good baseball and it’s
fun baseball.
HOW MANY TEAMS ARE THERE AND HOW MANY PLAYERS ARE
ON EACH TEAM?
Last year we had 6 teams in the Prep Division, 7 teams in the Major Division
and 1 team in the Senior Division. Each team had no fewer than 12 players,
nor more than 14 players, except the Senior division team which carries a larger
roster. We expect that this year’s program will include between
180 and 200 players.
WHERE AND WHEN ARE THE GAMES PLAYED?
Prep Division (13 yr. old) games are played at the two fields at Danvers High
School every day of the week. Additionally, on Friday nights, two Prep
Division games are played under the lights at the Twi Field at Plains Park. Major
Division (14/15 yr. old) games are played at the Twi Field every day of the
week, except Fridays, when they are played at the Stadium Field at DHS. Half
of the Senior Division (16-19 yr. old) games will be played at the new field
at DHS; the other half of their games are on the road in other North Shore
cities and towns.
WHAT WILL IT COST ME TO PLAY?
The 2012 fee is $140 per player or $190 (max family rate) for families with
more than 1 player.
IS THERE A TRYOUT? IF NOT, WHEN AND HOW WILL MY SKILLS BE EVALUATED?
For the Prep and Major divisions, there isn’t any tryout. If you want
to play and are registered in time, you will get to play. But, you MUST attend
an “Evaluation Session”, so that we can assess your skill level
and take it into consideration as we set up teams of equal strength in each
division. The evaluation session for players who are 13 to 15 years old will
be held in March. Participation on a Senior division team is based on available
space and is not guaranteed. In 2011, for the first time in many years, we
had to turn away quite a few players due to the limited space on the one
team that we have typically fielded. In 2012 and going forward, we will try
to field a second or potentially third team to make sure every player has
a team to play on. The evaluation session for players who are 16 to 19 years
old will be held in May. You will be notified of the exact date, time and
place of those evaluations, as soon as they are set.
WHAT DO I WEAR AND BRING TO THE EVALUATION SESSION?
You must wear comfortable clothes with sneakers to
your evaluation session . Bring your baseball glove. If you wish, you may also bring a
pair of batting gloves. Everything else that you might need will
be provided to you.
DO I HAVE TO PROVIDE MY OWN UNIFORM AND EQUIPMENT
AFTER I AM ASSIGNED TO A TEAM?
Each registered player receives a baseball shirt and
a baseball cap. Those
items are yours to keep. You must provide your own uniform pants and
baseball socks. You also have to provide your own baseball glove and,
if you want to use them, batting gloves. We provide bats and the other
equipment. NOTE: Do not go out and buy your pants and socks,
until you find out what team you will be on, because different teams wear
different
colors.
WHAT
IF I HAVE A PARENT OR AN ADULT RELATIVE OR A FRIEND WHO
WANTS TO COACH A BABE RUTH LEAGUE TEAM?
Tell them to obtain an Application for Managers and Coaches from our website
(www.danversbaberuth.com) or by calling our President. We need all of
the help we can get. We never have as many coaches as we would like. Since
all managers and coaches have to be screened by a CORI check, before they can
be appointed, make sure that your parent or friend does not delay in submitting
an application. Each team needs a manager and at least 2 coaches. Therefore,
we expect to need at least 45 adults to staff our teams this season.
WHEN DOES THE REGULAR SEASON START AND WHEN DOES
IT END?
Our Opening Day will be held during the last week of April. Our regular
season should conclude during the second week of June. Playoffs begin
the following week. All teams make the playoffs.
HOW ARE REGULAR SEASON TEAMS CHOSEN?
All regular season teams are completely redrafted every year by the team managers,
using our own draft procedures, which we designed to produce teams of equal
strength. The details of our draft procedures will be posted on our website
(www.danversbaberuth.com) prior to the draft. In the years that our current
system has been in place, no more than 4 victories have separated the 1st-place
team from the last-place team in any division. It is our goal to ensure
that every player has a fun year on a team that has a chance to win its divisional
championship.
HOW MANY TEAMS WILL MAKE THE PLAYOFFS?
All teams make the playoffs, regardless of their divisional standing at the
end of the season. Standings are only used to determine the seeding of
the first round of playoff games. Believe us when we tell you that anything
can happen in playoffs … and usually does. That’s the beauty
of having every team capable of beating every other team on any given day.
WHO OFFICIATES AT BABE RUTH GAMES?
We pay to provide at least one certified, adult umpire for every Babe Ruth
game. All Major and Senior Division games are controlled by two certified,
experienced umpires.
ARE THERE TOURNAMENT TEAMS AND, IF SO, WHO GETS TO
PLAY ON THEM?
After the regular season ends, our league fields the following teams in the
national Babe Ruth tournament: a 13-year old tournament team, a 14-year old
tournament team and our league’s flagship 13-15 tournament team which
is comprised of the best 15 players in our non-senior divisions. Senior
division players may be selected to play on the tournament teams chosen by
the managers of teams in the Northeast Senior Babe Ruth League in which Danvers
plays. Our own tournament teams first compete in the Eastern Massachusetts
District 1 tournaments. District 1 includes all of Essex County (except
Lawrence) and the southern half of Middlesex County. Teams that win the
District 1 tournament go on to compete in the Eastern Massachusetts tournament. If
they win that tournament, they play in the New England Region tournament. If
they win the New England Region Championship, they go on to compete in the
Babe Ruth World Series for their age group. In recent years, our tournament
teams have won district championships at each age level and have reached the
finals in the Eastern Massachusetts tournament. Playing on a tournament
team is an exciting and fun experience; but, it involves a great deal of hard
work and a tremendous commitment of time in late June and July. The managers,
coaches and players comprising our 13 Year Old Tournament Team are chosen by
a selection committee consisting of the managers of all teams in our Prep Division,
the VP of the Prep Division and the President. Selection committees,
which are similarly constituted, choose the personnel on our 14 Year Old Tournament
Team and our flagship 13-15 Year Old tournament team. Details of our
selection procedures are permanently posted on our website.
WHO RUNS DANVERS BABE RUTH LEAGUE?
A Massachusetts non-profit corporation, Danvers Babe Ruth League, Inc. which
is otherwise known as “DBRL”, runs Danvers Babe Ruth League. DBRL
holds monthly meetings throughout the entire year. All parents, managers and
coaches may attend DBRL meetings. |