1. How will league start off?
We will have a Majors Division for 9-12 year old kids. Teams will play about 12-14 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.
Games will start on April 5th and run into early June. Special regular season ending games will be in early to mid 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 - 24..........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.
5. How many regular season games per week?
Interleague games will be on Saturdays and half of all Wednesdays your team will have an intraleague weeknight
game as well. Little League "Majors" teams will be scheduled for at least 12 spring season games. Practices
for all teams will be on Monday nights.
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 two very nice uniforms. One uniform for inter league games vs. other LL cities
and an MLB replica uniform for in house or "intra" league games.
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.
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, 2008). 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, 2008. 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?
Most likely less than 75 registrations in year one. After the first 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.
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 2008 and 2009. There also
MAY be a LL District invitational tourney for our internal league champion to attend and represent Bethesda LL.
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 during February and March. 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.
