Atlantic Orthopaedics

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING

March 13, 2017 

In attendance: Bo Wood, Dick Mullins, Keith Purdy, Tom Wendorf, Carl Pierce.

• The meeting was called to order at 2:00 by Bo.

• Keith reported a balance of $7898 in funds after taking into account actual and committed expenses.

• Carl updated the registration status. There are approximately 160 players as of now that will be in the draft. New sign-ups and inquiries continue to be received. Since in past seasons we have occasionally experienced high levels of dropouts in preseason practice, it was decided to delay a decision on the number of teams for the ensuing season until shortly before the draft. We will have managers in place for 13 teams if needed.

• The status of sponsor fee collection was discussed. Five sponsors have not sent in their fees yet – American Legion, B & E Tires, Community Bank Delaware, Diamondblade Tileworks and Fox’s Pizza Den. (POST-MEEETING update – payment has been received from B & E and Community Bank has advised payment is on the way.)

• The re-rating of players who have experienced issues since their ratings were assigned at the end of 2016 was discussed.

It was decided that affected players who will be in the draft will maintain the rating they were assigned but will be asked to note their issues so managers can make draft decisions.

Managers and assistant managers who have experienced issues since the ratings were assigned at the end of 2016 will have the opportunity to plead their case to the other managers. The affected manager/assistant will propose a new rating and the remaining managers will vote. If the majority does not approve the new rating, the affected manager/assistant will remain at the assigned rating.

• Dick went over the By-Laws changes for 2017 in general terms. A draft of the new 2017 By-Laws is being prepared for distribution to and review by the Board of Directors. (POST-MEETING update – draft has been sent out for review.)

• The schedule for preseason practice was discussed. The schedule will be distributed at the All-Hands meeting on April 3rd. Preliminary draft info will be handed out to managers at the same time.

• Bo presented a proposal by the Church of God (CoG) to share the costs in a joint venture for construction of a large storage pole building to be constructed between Field #2 and the soccer field. OTS would have access to this building for storage and meetings. More details to come.

• The outfields will be rolled with heavy-duty equipment by a qualified operator. There are also plans to power-seed and fertilize.

• The issue of covering the grass mowing when John Walker isn’t available was discussed. The CoG has offered to train a few OTS members on using their large mower. This will be looked into. A plan is also being discussed to have a professional service available to occasionally fill in on a short-notice basis. The goal is to keep the outfield grass at optimal playing height.

• The new rule regarding sponsors playing on their teams was reviewed. There was a general feeling that it might not be understood by everyone and it was agreed that it would be reviewed again at the BoD meeting.

• We have purchased new, more durable scoreboards that will located outside the playing area on both fields. Installation hasn’t been scheduled.

• Tom advised that approximately $150 will be needed for the requisition of new scheduling software.

• Port-a-Johns and the Weather Line will be available on April 1. Carl will continue to be the primary Weather Line man.

• A tentative agreement has been reached with an SSUSA representative to provide umpire training to OTS umpires. The basic training will be paid for by OTS. Any umpire who wishes to be certified for SSUSA softball games will be able to do that for an additional fee of $35 which won’t be covered by the league. The SSUSA rep is checking if May 10th will work for him.

• Dick reviewed the activities of the 20th Anniversary Committee. The first planned 20th Anniversary event is the Opening Day Ceremony which will start at 10:15 on May 2nd between the first and second games. Other events being discussed are a dinner for league founders, sponsors, managers and others, a day-long picnic with 1-pitch softball games and an OTS night at the Shorebirds game.

The meeting adjourned at 4:15 PM.

Respectfully submitted, C. Pierce, Secretary

The deadline for returning players to get their registration forms in and maintain their priority for the 2017 draft is Monday, January 16 - just 12 days away. The registration form can be downloaded by clicking the Handout link below. 

 Other important dates for 2017:

April 3, Monday

All-Hands Meeting starting at 6:00 at the Bethany Beach Town Hall. All OTS players are encouraged to attend. 

April 4, Tuesday

Pre-season practices start - Returning players will practice with their 2016 teams. New players will practice together. Practices will be held every Tuesday and Thursday thru April 18.

April 18, Tuesday

New Player Evaluation Day – New players should do their best to be there on this day. This is the last day of Pre-season practice.

April 19, Wednesday

Draft Day – Time and place to be announced. Players will be advised of what team drafted them for the 2017 season that afternoon or evening.

April 20, Thursday

New team practices start – All players practice with their new team. Practices will be held every Tuesday and Thursday thru April 27.

May 2, Tuesday

Opening Day Ceremony for our 20th season. First league games are played.

 October 18, Wednesday

9th Annual OTS Golf Tournament

Congratulations to Manager Pat Carey, Assistant Manager Gene McCloskey, Sponsor Joey Royster and all the players and fans of the Diamondblade Tileworks team for winning the 2016 Tournament.

Diamondblade went undefeated through the tournament and won the championship with a close 6 - 5 win over Atlantic Orthopaedics. 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

November 29, 2016

In attendance: Bo Wood (President), Dick Mullins (Vice President), Keith Purdy (Treasurer), Tom Wendorf (Information Officer), Carl Pierce (Secretary), Dave Sroka (AOS), Johnny Allen (AL), Steve Carey (AO), Grady Meredith (B+E), Dave Lovelace (CE), Pat Carey (DBT), Chris Houlday (EJ), Harry Gowl (FOX’s), Don Hillock (LBG), John Mancuso (OVFR) and Eddie Sternberg (SB). All teams were represented and the full Executive Committee was present.

The meeting was called to order at 1:00 p.m.

• Bo thanked everyone who participated for the work done to resurface the fields. The fields are, according to his expert source, in good condition and at the proper stage in the procedure.

• Bo touched on items of continuing interest and attention. The search for new scoreboards continues and a new, larger shed has to be constructed at some later date. The new fence is gated and will be locked. Keys that pair with existing locks will be given to managers. There is a possibility another fence along the field will be extended to keep out wild hogs which have done some destruction. A suggestion was made to call the DNREC Fish and Wildlife Division and have them corral the hogs.

• Managers were reminded to be aware of players who have no email addresses. They must use mail or phone to contact those players. 2017 registration forms were mailed to all players that do not have an email address on file with OTS.

• The 2017 ratings were passed out. Keith gave an explanation regarding the updated ratings process that was used. He and Tom answered questions posed by the managers .The board generally agreed this is an improvement from past years.

• Based on the new ratings, a discussion ensued regarding changing the substitution rules. A motion was made by Carl Pierce, seconded by Don Hillock to change By-Laws section 8.3.g.3) regarding player substitution as follows:

3) The following guidelines govern the substitute player selection and utilization process:

A. Players chosen to be replacements for players with a rating of 9 to 18 may be no higher than the player being replaced.

B. In the case of a player with a rating of 4 to 8, the team manager may replace him/her with a substitute player rated no higher than 1 point more than the rating (i.e., a 4 or 5 can replace a 4, a 6 or lower can replace a 5, etc.).

C. In the case of a player with a rating of 19 or 20, the team manager may replace him/her with a substitute player of any rating.

The measure was approved unanimously.

• The next discussion was a proposal to cap the registration number at 156, i.e., 13 teams with 12 players if registration numbers permit. All players above 156 would be placed on the waiting list. After many questions and explanations a motion was made by Grady Meredith and seconded by Harry Gowl to approve. The motion carried unanimously. The actual number of teams for 2017 will be determined later based on the number of registrations.

• Bin 66 will be a new sponsor pending contact with them.

• Dick Mullins presented a list of activities to celebrate the 20th season of OTS’ existence. They will be played out during the year. Original members will be contacted, Opening Day will have special ceremonies, Shorebirds games activities will be arranged, an anniversary booklet will be available, etc. A host of activities will mark the season. A select committee helped start the preparation, but all are welcome to contribute. The more ideas and help, the better.

• A bowling tournament put together by Steve Carey and Bill Straughan as a fundraiser will take place at a date to be announced later.

• Bin 66 is willing to host a wine-tasting event for a fundraiser.

• It was motioned by Dave Lovelace and seconded by Harry Gowl to alter the way playing sponsors will be placed on teams during the draft:

When a sponsor who wishes to play on the team he sponsors is in the general draft, the team that drafts him will have the company’s name.

The measure was approved by a 10-5 vote.

• SS-USA has been asked for a proposal to provide local training for the OTS umpires. Dick suggested using experienced/certified umpires playing in OTS to provide this training. The issued was tabled pending receipt of the proposal.

• Tom and Dick will work to rid the By-Laws of redundancy of rules that are covered by SS-USA or ASA rules. Tom and Dick have identified other By-Laws changes and will work together to prepare the documentation. All changes to the By-Laws will need to be approved by the Board of Directors.

• The issue of allowing the use of senior bats by the older players was brought up again. Eddie reiterated his thoughts on maintaining a high level of safety (such as requiring pitchers to wear face masks). Discussion ensued. No action was taken.

The meeting adjourned at 2:40p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Carl Pierce, Secretary

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING

November 8, 2016

In attendance: Bo Wood, Dick Mullins, Keith Purdy, Tom Wendorf, Carl Pierce.

The first order of business was to discuss possible 2017 registration fee discounts for certain groups of OTS players. After careful consideration of the costs involved with any registration fee reductions and taking into account the overall volunteer nature of the league, it was decided to allow the members of last year’s Grounds Crew to register for free and to allow 2017 Team Managers to register for half price ($30). All others will be required to register at the full rate ($60).

Bo announced that the infield work on both fields has been completed. Thanks to all the volunteers who showed up to help with the effort. A special thanks to Buddy Robinson who persuaded the Church of God to let us use their front-loader tractor for the Field #1 effort.

Bo reviewed two major 2017 expenses to be considered by the Executive Committee:

• New scoreboards – our current scoreboards have seen better days, especially the magnetic numbers. Bo is investigating better scoreboard systems and will present options to the Executive Committee.
• New storage building – a larger storage building is required to provide better protection for our equipment including lawn tractors, field liners and tools. Details regarding size, type, location, cost and the use of volunteers need to be worked out.

The possibility of using the Dagsboro Fire Hall for our year-end picnic was discussed. We are outgrowing the indoor capacity of the American Legion, and weather concerns (heat, rain, etc.) make it impractical to expand the picnic to include outdoor use. Dick Mullins will contact the Dagsboro Fire Company.

With LBG Homes dropping out as a team sponsor, a new team sponsor will most likely be needed for 2017. Bin 66 of Rehoboth (and the host for our Winter 2015 Wine and Beer Tasting event) has expressed an interest in sponsoring a team and will be contacted through Michael Orr.

The need for a Board of Directors meeting was briefly discussed. It was decided to call a meeting for Tuesday, November 29 at 1:00. An email notice will go out to all BoD members.

The date for The Starboard/Shark Tank holiday party was confirmed to be Thursday, December 15th. Keith will work with the restaurant to finalize the times, food and beverage specials and clothing discounts. Details will be sent out as soon as they are available.

Dick announced that plans are underway to celebrate the 20th season of the OTS league during the upcoming season. Among ideas being considered by the 20th Year Committee are an extended Opening Day ceremony, bringing back players from the early days, a day-long picnic with softball games, a dinner and a Group Discount Shorebirds game. As things become better defined, please plan to participate in and help with the events. Details to follow.

A date for the annual Toys For Tots party at Fox’s Pizza hasn’t been set yet. Johnny Allen will be contacted to interface with the restaurant staff. It was decided to try for 12/6 or 12/7 for this event.

Keith Purdy announced that the gated fence on Field #2 should be completed by the end of next week.

The need to reestablish a late-winter/early-spring bowling fundraiser was discussed. Volunteers to organize this event are needed.

Respectfully submitted,

Carl J. Pierce, Secretary