Rules are MLB American League rules except as follows:
Sportsmanship: - The highest levels of sportsmanship shall be maintained at all times.
- Players should not pursue arguments with umpires or attempt to show-up umpires after any spontaneous reaction to a call. Only managers and field captains (players taking rules, limited to two players besides manager) shall request explanations of calls, and only with significant discretion. Umpires are not obligated to discuss calls.
- Players, Managers, Umpires & Fans shall maintain the highest levels of decorum and respect at all times.
- Any fighting, spitting, throwing of items are an automatic ejection and suspension.
- Fans of teams that are unruly or disruptive, or that harass players, managers or umpires will be asked to be removed from the field area. An umpire has the discretion of forfeiting a team’s game in extreme circumstances. Managers should maintain influence over their team’s fan base.
Game Time, Player, Game & Field Issues: American and National games are 7 innings subject to no new innings begin after 2 hours and 20 minutes from the first pitch, exception being an extra inning game which may begin new innings until 3 hours have elapsed- no new innings after 3 hours. Teams must field eligible nine players to begin a game, no exceptions. Teams without nine players receive a twenty minute grace period before being a declared to have forfeited the game. A team causing a grace period delay is assessed an out to their lead-off hitter in their first turn at-bat if the game is played. Teams may finish a game with eight players due to injury or personal emergency if the leaving player has played the field or had an at bat. If the team loses a player due to ejection to reach eight eligible players, in that case, the team forfeits for being short on players. If a team is playing with eight players, the emptied spot in the line-up is an automatic out when that spot in the line-up comes up to bat. No courtesy runners in American and National divisions. A ten run rule ONLY applies to games part of a natural doubleheader in National and American games. If a team is down by ten or more runs after their at-bat in the FIFTH inning, the game is over and the team in the lead is declared winner. Base coaches do not need to wear helmets when in the field, although the MBL recommends it. Base coaches must position themselves in or behind coaches box at the base they are coaching. Doubleheaders between the same two teams will have a twenty minute break between the first and second game (and not start before the scheduled time unless both teams agree). Teams split field time for warm-ups.- Split doubleheaders where one team is playing twice will have a twenty minute break between games. The team that didn’t play in the first game gets the field for warm-ups.
- Second game of a set, with different teams playing each game, will have a 30 minute break between the games (but not to start before the scheduled time), with each team getting the field an equal amount of time.
- On plays at the plate, any other base or in the baseline: The baserunner may not purposely create a full contact collision for any reason. Runners should make an attempt to avoid full-force collisions (generally by sliding, though sliding is not required) or side-stepping. A runner is not expected to make any sudden moves to avoid partial contact if such a move to avoid contact can possibly cause him to lose his footing or balance in such a way that he may injure himself- in the opinion and judgement of the umpire. Position players and catchers are under equal responsibility to avoid creating collisions when they do not have the ball; as such, any position player or catcher blocking the baseline without the ball or without attempting to catch the ball should be called for interference in accordance with MLB AL rules, and ejected if the interference is judged by the umpire to be done on purpose to slow, hinder or disrupt a runner and puts the runner in possible endangerment of injury. Any position player who is ejected for causing a collision that injures a player will be suspended until one game after the injured player returns to playing, and not less than three games.
- Uniforms: All players should have matching jerseys, pants and socks. Base coaches must wear tennis shoes or cleats, no sandels or similar, and either a team jersey (with shorts this is fine), or baseball pants with matching socks to the team and a solid t-shirt, sports pull-over or team warm up. During the playoffs this will be more stictly enforced.
Manager Game Reporting Responsibilities: - Managers shall provide line-up cards with all players listed who are at the game, for each other and the home-plate umpire prior to a game. If a roster legal player shows up late to a game or was excluded from the line-up card by mistake he needs to report to the score keeper to be added to the line-up card. He can not play until he reports. He may report and immediately then play- for example, reporting and being subbed in simulateously.
- Winning manager will submit an online game summary form at www.baseballmilwaukee.com by the Tuesday following the game. Failure may result in all non-reported wins being recorded as ties.
- Each team shall keep game statistics for both teams.
- Managers will submit team statistics the week after the final week of the season to the league via email.
- Managers should preserve their score book for 20 years, then bury them in a time capsule or donate them to the MBL.
Identification: - Players must carry a picture ID in the case eligibility is questioned.
- If a manager wishes to challenge a player's eligibility, he should request that the head umpire ask the player to produce a picture ID. If the player can not or will not produce a picture ID, he may play, but the game is under protest. The protest should be submitted within four days following the incident by the manager protesting.
Playoff Eligibility: - Players must achieve one at-bat and/or inning pitched for each game regularly scheduled for their team to be eligible for the playoffs and have played in a game before the end of June. There will be no adjustments made due to rain-outs or cancellations. So, if a team has 18 regularly scheduled games, playoff eligible players must have at least 18 at bats, 18 innings pitched or a combination- even if the team gets fewer than 18 games played due to weather or forfiets (managers be aware).
- A player may also be eligible for the playoffs if the following apply: He qualified for the playoffs based on PAs &IPs the previous season or two of the three previous seasons and he made an appearance by the end of June.
- A player may also be eligible if he qualified for the playoffs based on PAs &IPs the previous season or two of the three previous seasons AND he notified the league he was coming off of a significant injury that prevented him from playing until later in the season.
- MBL Management reserves the right to prohibit ringers from playing in July or the playoffs. Ringers are defined as recent professional players or Division 1 college players clearly added only for the playoff stretch drive or playoffs. We do encourage former professional players and Division 1 players to play in the league, however, as regular team members, not late season roster additions.
- Players who switch teams within the past year will not be allowed to play in the playoffs against the team they left, through the next full season after switching teams, UNLESS, the manager of the team the player left allows the player to play.
2010 Playoffs - Eight teams make the playoffs, comprised of the top four teams in each division.
- Weekend one of the playoffs will have each division playing semi-finals and finals to determine their division playoff champion, with 1st playing 4th and 2nd playing 3rd. The division champions will meet in a league championship the weekend after.
Tie-breakers: Veteran's Division Additional Rules: Eligible Players must be 25 years of age by June 30 of the season they are playing in. 9 inning games. No new innings, regardless of score, may begin after the 3 hour mark. Doubleheaders are seven inning games. If either team trails by 10 runs or more after their at-bat in the 6th inning the game is over and the leading team is the winner. Teams may begin with either a nine or ten man line-up. If the nine man line-up is elected it must remain a nine man line-up. If the ten man line-up is elected, the team may drop down to nine players, however, the vacated spot in the line-up is an out each time it comes up. Teams that elect a ten man line-up may have the Extra Hitter (EH on the line-up card) freely substitute into and out of the field during the game for one or various players. Designated Hitters (DH) only allowed for pitchers. Courtesy runners are allowed for the pitcher and catcher with two outs in the inning. The substitute runner must be the most recent player to have been recorded out. Playoff eligibility: Players must have 20 IP or 20PA or a combination of IP and PA equaling or above 20, AND must have played by June 30. Also, players who are eligible for the MBL American and National playoffs may only play in the Vet playoffs if they have more playing time in the Vets division, i.e. a combination of AB and/or IP.
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