2011 Regular Season - First Half

ANNUAL MEETING MINUTES

April 1, 2015

Meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. at the Bethany Town Hall.

1) Bo Wood introduced the Executive Committee, and then identified the 13 teams for 2015 and their managers and sponsors. There will be 13 teams with 12 per team. A question was asked about going to 14 teams, would not be feasible with 2 fields. Options will be looked at in the future.

• All Out Sports: Chris Brown and Ron Weber
• American Legion Post #24: Johnny Allen and Ed West (Pat Sherry will assist, not play).
• Atlantic Orthopaedics: Steve Carey and Mike Krieg
• B & E Tires: Grady Meredith and Neil Fleming
• Colonial East: Jesse Bare and Wayne Peaper
• Diamond Blade Tire Works: Pat Carey and Gene McCloskey, sponsor Joey Royster
• Dynamic PT: Bo Wood and John Bokop
• Edward Jones Investments: Paul Litwin and Chris Houlday
• Fox's Pizza Den: Mike Fleetwood and Frank Sica
• LBG Homes: Don Hillock and Ron James
• Ocean View Family Rest: John Mancuso and Carl Pierce, sponsor John Walker
• Robinson Furniture: Harry Gowl and Buddy Robinson
• The Starboard: Carmine Calciano and Ed Sternberg

2) Tom Wendorf went over the preseason and season schedules. Each team will have 3 byes during the regular season. Preseason practices start tomorrow, April 2nd. New players will practice on Field #2 at 9 a.m. every day, other players will practice with their 2014 team according to the schedule, until the draft.

New Player Evaluation will be April 16th at 9:00 on Field #2. Players from last year that need to be re-evaluated are to attend the Evaluation session. Manager will meet after this session to set ratings.

The player draft will be April 22nd at 10 a.m. Location should be the COG, any changes will be announced. (Draft Meeting date rescheduled due to facility availability – meeting will be held Monday, April 20 at the Church of God small chapel starting at 10:00 a.m.)

3) Dick Mullins went over the draft procedures, and the fact we may have 4 teams that exceed the leveling round limit, and that the Exec. Comm. will get with the managers on April 13th to identify how that will be addressed. Also went over the numbers of players, wait list, etc.

4) Harry Gowl went over the financial status for the Treasurer.

5) Harry Gowl talked about rule changes for 2015 that will be taken to the Board of Directors for approval.

Also stated that each team is required to provide two umpires. Umpire training session will be held on April 28th to go over OTS rules that are different than the SS-USA rules that we follow.

6) Work needed on fields. John Walker has already started the road work. We will put down crush and run.  Additional infield mix is needed to fill in holes and low areas. $1200 per load, plus $1200 to deliver, so we’re looking at getting a half load so storage for more than a year is not an issue, for half the price. Had a leak in the irrigation on Field 1, repairs will have to be made.

A field work day will be held, date to be announced.

7) Ground crew is headed by Johnny Allen. Anyone interested on helping out on the ground crew, let Johnny know.

8) Frank Kerns asked about removing any restrictions for bats for players over 70 years old. Other leagues allow senior bats. Asked that it be taken to the Board of Directors. Bo stated he would take it to the Board.

9) Bo discussed the idea of hiring umpires for the tournament, will be brought to the Board of Directors for a vote on whether to do it or not. Special rules we have will have to be given to them.

10) Bo discussed the growth of the league, with 2 suggestions on how to handle it. One, divide the league into two divisions by age and ability, they would play on different days. Two, change the league age from 55 to 60, thus reducing the number of eligible players. Nothing to vote on now, but things to consider for the future.

11) Joey Royster stated they need two more managers for the Wednesday night league, for a total of 4. Keith Purdy, Terry Shifflett and Joey will be handling the Wednesday night league. The teams that play on Wednesday night will be required to prepare the fields for the Thursday games.

12) Dick Mullins announced the elections this year will be for Vice President and Secretary. He will not be running, Carl Pierce has indicated a willingness to take the position. If anyone else is interested in the Secretary's position, please let him know.

Richard B. Mullins Secretary, OTS

Bin 66 graciously hosted our Wine and Beer Tasting even in February. Now they are hosting an event to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. Mike Ohr, OTS player and an employee at Bin 66 has passed along an invitation for all OTS players:

Happy Spring! Here’s a link to sign up for Sussex County Habitat for Humanity's 2015 WineTasting on Sunday April 19th from 4-6 pm at Bin 66. Co-sponsored by Bill Lingo of Lingo Realty and Bin 66, this event has been sold out for the past two years - Great wines, scrumptious apps, raffles, and even discounts on anything you decide you like and want to bring home - you won't want to miss this opportunity to get out on a Sunday afternoon and join your friends and neighbors while supporting a great cause.

To register click on the following link: https://www.sussexcountyhabitat.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=164

For more info - click on: https://www.dropbox.com/s/3sjth61vdz79al4/winetasting%20ad%202015.pdf?dl=0

Hope to see you on our registration list soon!

 

Ted Fisher  

As the opening of spring training is about to begin, it is with great sadness for me to realize that my days as an OTSer are over. I have moved to Florida as a full time resident, and while the playing opportunities are year around, my softball roots will always remain in Delaware.

I am sorry I did not have a chance to say goodbye to the few very long term players, especially my tournament teammates, who remain active. To you thanks for the memories, high and low.

It is great to see how the league has progressed, both in numbers and quality of play. Playing ball at an older age is a gift for life on and off the field. May you all have great seasons and long term health, so you can continue playing beyond 80 as I did.

Cheers,

Sal 

Bowling

The 3rd Annual Bowling tournament is less than 2 weeks away. The tournament will be held at the Millsboro Bowling Lanes on Friday, April 10, 2015. Sign up starts 11:30 a.m. with bowling beginning at noon.  Cost is $25 per player, payable during sign-up.

Come on out and support this fundraising event.

The flier can be downloaded using the Handouts below or by clicking here.

General Membership Meeting

The annual General Membership meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 1st at the Bethany Beach Town Hall. The meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. The address for the Town Hall is:

214 Garfield Pkwy

Bethany Beach, DE 19930

This is the same place we've used the past several years. All players, including new players and those on the waiting list are invited.

Practice Schedule

Practice starts on April 2nd. New OTS players and former OTS players that didn't play last year will practice on Field #2 at 9:00. All returning OTS players will practice with their 2014 team per the schedule. Players on the waiting list are to attend practice also.

Draft Day is scheduled for 4/21. After Draft Day, all players will practice with their new 2015 team as also shown on the schedule.

The schedule can be downloaded using the Handouts below or by clicking here. 

The 2015 Regular Season starts on May 5th. This schedule will be published around the middle of April. Don't forget that the last Wednesday of every month will be used for make-up games if needed.

As a reminder to all players, access to the fields is via the gravel road off Rt. 26. Do not drive through the Church of God parking lot to access the field. See the map below.

Open Practices

On each Monday during the season, there are open practices for anyone who wants to improve their batting, running, fielding and throwing skills. Emphasis is on hitting and fielding. Once batting practice is done, there is often a pick-up game if there are enough players. Gary Kane will be coordinating the open practices. All players, including those on the waiting list, are invited to attend.

Practice for Monday, March 30th starts at 10:00. Starting April 6th and for all Mondays until the end of October, practice will start at 9:00.  

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING

February 25, 2015

Present: Harry Gowl, Keith Purdy, Tom Wendorf

1) Team sponsors and managers/assistant managers were reviewed. There are 13 teams for this year. The lineup for 2015 has changed again and is now:

TEAM MANAGER ASS'T MANAGER

All Out Sports Chris Brown Mike Bahr

American Legion Post #24 Johnny Allen Ed West

Atlantic Orthopaedics Steve Carey Mike Krieg

B & E Tire & Alignment Grady Meredith Neil Fleming

Colonial East Ltd. Jesse Bare Wayne Peaper

Diamond Blade Tileworks Pat Carey Gene McCloskey

Dynamic Physical Therapy Bo Wood John Bokop

Edward Jones Investments Paul Litwin Chris Houlday

Fox's Pizza Den Mike Fleetwood Frank Sica

LBG Homes Don Hillock Ron James

Ocean View Family Restaurant John Mancuso Carl Pierce

Robinson's Furniture Harry Gowl Buddy Robinson

The Starboard Carmine Calciano Eddie Sternberg

2) Wording for By-Laws changes approved at the January 12, 2015 Board of Directors meeting was reviewed. The new wording will be presented to the Board of Directors at their next meeting.

3) Additional “housekeeping” changes to the By-Laws were discussed and approved. These also will be presented to the Board of Directors at their next meeting for their discussion and approval.

Thomas C. Wendorf Information Officer, OTS