1. How will league start off?
We will have a Majors Division for 9-12 year old kids. Teams will play about
14 games total in regular season. Teams will play both each other (intraleague) and play vs. other little league
teams (interleague) around the MD/DC/VA area.
Practices will start around April 1, 2010 and the opening day cermonies
and games will be on Saturday April 10th, 2010. The season will continue until Saturday June 12th, 2010. ALL STARS will be
announced by June 15th, 2010. Season ending league championship is in second week of June. A player must first register online
to be eligible. All registered players will be placed on a spring season team.
2. Can my kid play in other baseball
and sports leagues during a regular Bethesda Little League season?
Yes
3. I have heard people use the phrase "Little League" before?
There is
only one true Little League organization headquartered in Williamsport, Pa. with about 2.7 million kids (about 225,000 teams)
playing in 80 countries (inc. all 50 states in the USA) around the world. An official Little League chartered team would
have Little League official patches sewn on the left sleeve on their uniforms. The Little League World Series tournaments
had a record 49 televised games on ESPN and ABC during August 2007. Little League Baseball is chartered by Congress and is
the largest youth athletic organization in the world.
4. Please outline the
timeframes of the summer Little League ALL-STAR tournament/World Series overall process?
Early June to Mid June........ Bethesda Little
League special games
Mid June to end of June......... ALL-STAR selections and practices
First
half of July.......... District 7 Tournament
(Maryland)
Only winner of District tourney would advance here....
Second half of July...........
State Tournament (Maryland)
Only winner of State Tournament would advance here....
First
10 Days of August....Mid Atlantic Region Tournament (Bristol, Connecticut)
Only winner of Regional Tournament
would advance here....
August 15 - 26..........Little League World Series (Williamsport, Pa.)
The
final winner of this round would be the Little League World Series Champion
Summer ALL-STAR
teams will be selected for both 9/10 and 11/12 year old teams. The final selection decisions (around June 15th each year)
will be based on the entire spring regular season (8-10 weeks) of performance. Pitching depth for the teams will be very
very important. Player ability and skill in playing several field positions (with speed, strong arm-glove-bat, and
overall field play instincts) all very important as well. FOR THOSE THAT ARE SERIOUS ABOUT POSSIBLE SUMMER LITTLE LEAGUE
"ALL STAR" PLAY.....THEN DO NOT SCHEDULE TRIPS, SLEEP AWAY CAMPS, OR FAMILY VACATIONS DURING THE PERIOD OF MID JUNE
UNTIL MID JULY. THIS IS PRIME TIME FOR ALL STAR PLAY. IF YOUR CHILD HAS SERIOUS DATE AVAILABILITY
"ABLE TO PLAY" CONFLICTS DURING THIS TIME PERIOD, THEN THEY COULD BE PASSED OVER FOR ALL STAR ROSTER SELECTION.
5. How many regular season games per week?
All
league teams will always have a Saturday morning or afternoon game each week (8am/10am/12 noon/2pm/4pm/6pm) during the spring
season AND have another weeknight game during each week. The weeknight games (6pm) will be played on either Mondays, Tuesdays,
Wednesdays, or Thursdays. Little League "Majors" teams will be scheduled for at least
12 and as many as 15 spring season games. Practices for all teams will be on either Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays
or Saturdays or another weeknight during the week (if coach cannot select an available provided BLL practice slot). Most teams
practice one day per week. Some coaches do sometimes hold extra non mandatory practice sessions.
6. Will
the league have an area or place with real little league style fields to call home? Yes, see below. All games and practices
will be at this home location.
NORTH CHEVY CHASE PARK - FIELD #2
4105
JONES BRIDGE ROAD
CHEVY CHASE, MD 20815
7. Will the league have real Little
League style field dimensions including outfield home run fences?
YES - INCLUDING
WARNING TRACK, pitching mound AND a new 6' HOME RUN FENCE located 200' from home plate meeting LL rules and requirements ....
8.
Will ALL of the league teams MLB pro style uniforms be provided and sponsored by (with the company name on back of jerseys)
local business owners in Bethesda?
YES - our teams will have very nice mlb replica uniforms
during the spring regular season. In addition, summer all stars will receive a special bethesda little league all stars jersey
and hat.
9. Will the league be all volunteer run?
YES
10.
Will every volunteer have to complete an application and have a background check?
Yes
11. If I register now, do I pay any more later
for the entire SPRING season?
No, just the fee when you sign up now. There is a small additional fee for those
kids that play summer all stars.
12. If my son ends up having to pick or play for another team and league due
to some sort of conflict that cannot be changed....prior to the season starting.....Can I/we get a refund?
Yes,
if the league is contacted in writing via email with an official refund cancellation request (request must be received
via email prior to OCTOBER 15th, 2009). If a refund is issued it will be issued by league
bank check within 30 days of official refund request. The total refund amount will be minus $20 in administrative
fees (little league network costs, active.com costs, office expense costs, bank account fees, etc).
Note:
(1) The Little League network via Active.com does not issue refunds.
(2) No refunds
will be issued after October 15, 2009. The league will incur many financial obligations as of
this date and all registration funds will be used toward paying those obligations.
13. How many
kids will the league have in year one?
There were 104 registrants in year two (we doubled in size
vs. prior year). After the second season, it will be much harder to get into the league as there will be a much smaller pool
of open spots available for new registrations. Word of mouth, local media coverage, and national media coverage will impact
new interest as well. A nine or ten year old registrant could play LL for 3 or 4 seasons/years therefore taking precious spots.
14.
How many teams? This depends on actual registrations, ages, etc.
We did not advertise this year....Entirely word
of mouth technique.
There were a total of 8 majors teams in spring of 2009 which is double the amount
of first season spring 2008.
Will your teams only play intra league games in spring season?
No,
our teams will play both intra and inter league play. This means a team can play other LL teams from all around the
DC/MD area. This is a really special part of LL. Kids will get to play kids from other areas and visit other towns and cities.
Lots of cool stadiums/fields to play on as well.
15. Do you crown a regular season champion after a full 12-14
game slate of spring games played?
Yes, this will be done during the final regular season games in early
to mid June of 2010 when the two half season champions play each other. We also form a team (from all the interested players)
to play in a Memorial Day Weekend Tourney in Waldorf, Md.
16. Will you have LL style player evaluations
each winter?
Yes they will be mandatory for each new player, with a 5 "station" format. Five points
max. score per station (hit, throw, run, pops, grounders). Scores will be kept private. Evaluations will be conducted on a
Friday night in mid February. Required papers must be turned in prior to an evaluation. See announcements page for more information
on required papers. Special exceptions scoring will take place for those that register later in spring.
17.
Will the teams have competitive play parity?
Yes, there will be a private drafting session by management
and coaches. Each player will have a tryout score. Scores will be kept private. New players will then be drafted by existing
team or new team coaches. New teams will be created via league expansion and growth via new registrations.
18.
Are you in need of donations and sponsors?
You bet. See sponsors tab for current sponsors.
Always looking to add new ones. Sponsors and Volunteers are the life blood of Little League. For donations, simply click on
"donate" tab of main website home page and you will be directed to quick, safe, secure donation page via credit
card.
19. Do you need umpires (high school SSL helpers), coaches, asst. coaches and field prep workers?
For sure. All potential coaches and volunteers will be interviewed and pre-screened. President
will have final say on all coach and umpire selections made by the league. Decisions will be made on many factors including
youth coaching and baseball experience, training, communication skills, background check, and references/reputation, etc.
- See website for copy of volunteer application.
Fill out and bring to Parents meeting or Tryout session.
20. Will the league have a concession (fundraising source) type area near the Stadium Fields?
YES
- concessions provide an extra fund raising source for the league. Some of the actual goods sold (water, juice, etc) will
be donated by Whole Foods and other fine food and beverage companies. This will definitely help our fundraising bottom line.
21.
Will the league always be a visible and an active part of the whole community?
Yes indeed.
22.
Will the league teams or the league overall....record, monitor, and publish individual player or team statistics (stats),
or accomplishments?
Yes
23. Will the league results, accomplishments, photos, or standings during
a season be published in the local media outlets?
Yes
24. Will a player have to first register
and pay online, then complete and submit all required papers, and then be skill evaluated in order to play in spring season?
Yes
25.
Can a child from outside Bethesda play in the Bethesda Little League?
Yes, a child/player must live in Montgomery
County, MD and also must reside in our official league boundary area. See the boundary page of this website for exact location
points covered. No exceptions (waivers) to our new boundary area will be granted after 3/14/08. It is a liberal boundary area
though which covers: all of Bethesda, most of Potomac, all of Chevy Chase, most or all of Kensington, parts of Silver Spring,
and parts of Rockville. (Note: a child who lives outside the boundary could possibly play during spring regular season, assuming
all waiver forms are completed and approved by Little League. This child would not be eligible for summer all star selection)
