Olde Tymers Softball

This year’s Bowling Tournament was the best ever and was a huge success. Special thanks to the Tournament Committee led by Mary Lou Straughan, including Steve Carey and Bill Straughan.

Congratulations to the winners of the bowling prizes:

High Scratch Female: Mickey Ponton

High Scratch Male: Wayne Saia

High Handicap Female: Caryn Luckett

High Handicap Male: Rodney Southerland

First Place Team Handicap Series: Lane 5 (Mulwhinney, Braver, Snead, Sudina)

Second Place Team Handicap Series: Lane 6 (Burd, Hook, Burd, Unger)

Third Place Team Handicap Series : Lane 7 (Marino, Lovelace, Givens, Mary Lou Straughan)

And thanks to the restaurants and other businesses who donated prizes:

Bin 66

Captain’s Pizza & Grill

Coastal Chiropractic

Doyle’s Restaurant

Fenwick Surf Shop

Fisher’s Popcorn

Fox’s Pizza Den - Bayside

Frankford Diner

Georgia House of Millsboro

Lighthouse Liquors

Long Neck Diner

Maaji

Millsboro Bowling Lanes

Millsboro Pizza Palace

Millville/Fenwick Island Pet Stop

Ocean View Family Restaurant

Selbyville Holly Kia

Stargate Diner

Texas Roadhouse

The Starboard

Thanks to those who helped get donations and/or made personal donations: 

Guy Burd

Steve Carey

Phil Martin

Keith Purdy

Dave Sroka

Eddie Sternberg

Mary Lou Straughan

Dawn Bunting

Rick Duncan

Mike Fleetwood

Harry Gowl

Don Hillock

Grady Meredith

Bill Straughan

Mary Lou Straughan

Bo Wood

Leslie Wendorf

And last, but certainly not least, thanks to those who worked the tournament:

Pat Carey

Harry Gowl

Bob Miller

Carl Pierce

Leslie Wendorf

Tom Wendorf

Only a month to go before the 5th Annual Bowling Tournament.

There are only a few spots left - register now. Get the registration form below.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING

January 16, 2018

In attendance: Bo Wood, Steve Carey, Keith Purdy, Tom Wendorf, Carl Pierce.

• The meeting was called to order at 11:30 by Bo.
• Bo presented a report on the first fence sign. Bo has received a check from B&E along with the design requested by that sponsor. He will make arrangements with Mike Fleetwood to get the sign made.
   
• Carl gave an update on the registration status. As of 1/15, 155 players had registered. (Post-meeting update: As of 1/22, 166 players had registered.)
   
• Carl gave an update of the receipt of 2018 fees from team sponsors. Teams that still owe the sponsorship fee for 2018:
  • American Legion
  • Atlantic Physical Therapy (Post-meeting update – sponsor is processing check request)
  • B & E
  • Diamondblade Tileworks (in process)
  • Fox’s Pizza
  • Pivot Physical Therapy
    
    
• Keith requested a third step in monitoring OTS funds. Hard copies of the monthly bank statements will be given to the secretary for review and filing. The purpose is to add another level of security to money-handling. An amendment to the By-Laws will be created to reflect this requirement.
  
  
• Steve gave an update on the progress of the bowling tournament. Lanes are filling up fast – 15 teams had registered. (Post-meeting update – 22 of the 24 lanes are filled.)
  
  
• Dates were established for meetings in March:
  • Executive Committee – Tuesday, March 13, 11:30 a.m.
  • Board of Directors – Tuesday, March 20, 1:00 pm at the Dagsboro Fire Department

The meeting was adjourned at 12:45.

Respectfully submitted,

C. Pierce, Secretary

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

November 28, 2017

In attendance: Executive Officers - Bo Wood, Steve Carey, Keith Purdy, Tom Wendorf, Carl Pierce.

Team Managers - Johnny Allen, Russ Bowen, Pat Carey, Harry Gowl, Dave Lovelace, Grady Meredith, Dave Sroka and Steve Unger.

• The meeting was called to order at 11:00 by Bo.

• Keith reported the treasury is in good shape with a carryover of approximately $6000 to begin the new season. He noted that income from the Golf Tournament, our major fundraiser, has decreased in each of the last two years. While there is no immediate crisis, ways to increase revenue from the Golf Tournament and the other fundraisers need to be explored, as well as opportunities for new fundraisers.

• Keith enumerated some of the new or increased operating costs related to improving field conditions such as seeding, fertilizing, mowing, infield work and other items.

• Carl reported there were 63 players registered, five new ones being among them. Three sponsors have already paid their fees. (Post-meeting Update – there are now 100 players registered for the 2018 season.)

• Bo gave a status of several items:

o Bags of drying mix have been put in both sheds and are to be used sparingly because of their price.

o It has been decided that the fields will need another delivery of infield dirt in the spring. More later on this.

o Two pitcher protection screens have disappeared over the past year with no clue as to the perpetrators. A new collapsible model will be purchased for spring and placed in the care of Dave Lovelace.

o New home plates will be placed on both fields.

o It was noted that the pitcher rubber on Field #2 is not lined up correctly. Plans are to correct the alignments on both fields in the spring. The Board is seeking among our players someone with surveying skills and/or equipment to help with the field layout. If you are willing to provide this expertise, please let a member of the Executive Committee know.

o A member of the Church of God (COG) who specializes in irrigation systems will relocate our irrigation system and install new sprinkler heads. This will require electricity at Field #2. The cost of extending power from Field #1 is exorbitant ($8000 to $10000), so investigation is being done into the use of solar panels.

o Since there were some glitches in grass mowing communications this past season, Bo is negotiating with Sequoia to assure cutting on a regular basis with an option for us to request special as-needed cutting. We will spend about $1000 on this in 2018 and will attempt to have summer cutting done in the afternoons.

o A joint venture between OTS and COG to build a pole barn had been discussed last year. Estimated costs appear to be escalating to a prohibitive level, so the project has been put on hold indefinitely.

o Advertising signs to be displayed on the homerun fences of both fields have been discussed. This new fundraiser has the potential to earn OTS significant dollars. The projected cost of the sign for the first year is $125 for the advertiser and $100 dollars every year thereafter. B&E will be asked to buy the first sign so that the Board can get an idea of the appearance of the sign itself as well as its presentation on the fence. It can then be used as a sample to present to other potential advertisers.

o The purchase of 2-button team shirts will be explored. (Post-meeting Update – because of the limited number of colors available in this style we needed to procure shirts without buttons.)

o A request has been received to put covers over the two sets of bleachers that are currently uncovered. Plans are to do this in the spring. Anyone with carpentry skills that is willing to help out with this project is asked to notify a member of the Executive Committee.

o It was also noted that some of the seats in the bleachers are worn out and need to be replaced. This will also be done in the spring.

• Steve will be managing the umpire crews and will run the program with few changes from last year. He announced that he will attempt to schedule the umpires 3 to 4 weeks in advance. He also suggested another umpire training session either with Tim McElroy, the SSUSA umpire who did the training last year, or an experienced member of OTS.

• A motion was made by Russ Bowen and seconded by Pat Carey to allow “impact” players to be substituted for when that player was the only player missing. The motion was defeated 8-5.

• Keith proposed an amendment to the player substitution rule that requires a manager to replace high-rated and low-rated players on an alternating basis.

Motion was seconded by Dave Lovelace. Carried 8-5.

• A motion was made by Carl Pierce and seconded by Johnny Allen to permit a 4-rated player to be replaced by a player rated up to a 6. The motion passed unanimously.

• A motion was made by Johnny Allen and seconded by Steve Unger to start the bat count at 0-0 with no courtesy foul. The motion passed unanimously.

• A motion was made by Pat Carey and seconded by Steve Unger to put numbers on shirts. The motion carried 11-2. (Post-Meeting update - The cost of putting numbers on the shirts was in excess of $350. The Executive Committee decided not to approve this expenditure (per By-Laws, Section 2.6) because it believes that this money could be better used elsewhere to improve the players’ experience. The shirts were ordered without numbers.)

• A motion was made by Dave Sroka and seconded by Pat Carey to prohibit managers from disallowing their players from playing as substitutes in earlier games. Motion carried unanimously.

• Attendees were reminded of important dates for the 2018 season:

o OTS General Meeting - Monday, April 2 at 6:00 p.m., location TBA

o Pre-season practices start Tuesday, April 3 with 2017 teams

o New Player Evaluation Day – Thursday, April 19

o Player draft – Monday, April 23, time and location TBA

o Practice with new teams starts – Tuesday, April 24

o Season starts – Tuesday, May 1 and runs through August

• The meeting was adjourned at 1:45 p.m. 

Respectfully submitted,

C. Pierce, Secretary

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING

October 24, 2017

In attendance: Bo Wood, Steve Carey, Keith Purdy, Tom Wendorf, Carl Pierce.

• The meeting was called to order at 11:30 by Bo.

• The bank account balance was approximately $8000.

• The Golf Tournament earned about $3500 for the league. Thanks to all who helped in this effort. This is slightly below the results of previous tournaments.

• The number of teams for the 2018 season was discussed, as well as the number of players per team. This will be discussed further at the next Board of Directors meeting.

• The 2017 team managers will be polled to see which ones will continue to manage in 2018.

• Tentative By-Laws changes were discussed at length. Proposed changes will be prepared and presented at the next Board of Directors meeting for discussion and approval/disapproval.

• The plan to allow advertising signs on the field home run fences was discussed. This is a promising fundraiser with yearly returns. It was suggested that a first sign be made so we can use it as a sample to solicit advertisers.

• The irrigation system update was discussed. Bo has been informed that there is a member of the Church of God who owns an irrigation business. Bo will work with him to get an estimate.

• The possibility of making electricity available at Field #2 was discussed. This would allow separate control for the Field #2 irrigation system as well make it available for the concession stand. An email will be sent to all OTS players to see if there are any electricians in the group that would be interested in assisting with this effort. (Post-meeting Update – we have one volunteer from OTS and one suggested outside contact.) (Additional Update - Keith has received a rough estimate for this effort of $8k - $10k, which at this point is prohibitive. Other options will be explored.)

• A better quality team shirt for the 2018 season was selected.

• Sequoia Landscaping will be contracted to cut the field grass on an every other week basis for the 2018 season. Grass cutting in the off weeks will be done as needed by the Grounds Crew or other volunteers.

• TruGreen will be contracted to fertilize the outfields.

• More dirt will be ordered to fill in some spots on both fields. OTS players will be asked to help with this effort. (Post-meeting Update – this was accomplished on 11/1.)

• The need for a new pitching screen for batting practice was discussed. One was purchased at the beginning of the 2017 season but has gone missing. Bo is going to check with the church.

• The registration fee for 2018 was discussed. With the update of the irrigation system, more outsourced grass cutting, outfield work and the lower results of the golf tournament fundraiser, it was decided to raise the fee to $75. It was also decided to not continue the discounted registration fee for team managers but to continue to waive the registration fee for the members of the Grounds Crew. Dates for the spring start up were also determined. (Post-meeting Update – the registration letter and form was sent out 11/1.)

• Umpire arrangements for 2018 will be the same as last year. Steve will schedule the umpires hopefully a month at a time.

• The holiday parties were discussed. A tentative date for the event at The Starboard was set for December 8th. Steve agreed to work with Harry Gowl on a date for the Toys for Tots event at Fox’s. (Post-meeting Update – 12/8 is confirmed for The Starboard. The date for Fox’s will be finalized in the next day or so.)

• Steve announced that he will work with Mary Lou and Bill Straughan on a Bowling Tournament Fundraiser. Tentative date is March 23, 2018. More volunteers will be sought.

• The meeting adjourned at 1:50 PM

Respectfully submitted,

C. Pierce, Secretary