At League Joe, we are doing our best to bring the fun back to the game of softball. As umpires, I don't need to tell you that our game has gotten too serious and too competitive - you are often the bearers of the brunt of an overly-competitive, me-first culture. What I do need to tell you and emphasize strongly is that we support you in doing what you need to do to make sure the fields are safe and fun for new players. Rules are great and all, but we all know that sometimes you're going to screw them up, or make a bad call, or a player is going to misinterpret something and create a scene. We will relentlessly drive into our coaches and players an attitude of "Let it go, it's just a game" and want to take some pressure off of your shoulders. We don't expect you to be perfect - we expect you to be human. And if players are treating you as anything less than, then you have my full blessing to remove players from the field or the entire league if you see and know that their presence is toxic.
The vast majority of the players you are going to see on the fields are new to the game of slowpitch. For some, that means they have literally never held a bat before. For others, that means they haven't played since their high school days, and they maybe have some of those bad habits. You're going to see a field with players who are 18 years old and 68 on the same team. That's the beauty of our style of play, and we ask you to be protective of that culture since many players will look to you first on the field as the leader of that diamond. We encourage you to engage with, laugh with, and enjoy a fun evening of ball with our players. If you see a brand new player who is super nervous against a tournament player who is dropping knuckle balls, we encourage you to NOT give the pitcher that strike 3 call that caught the corner and we encourage you to tell that pitcher to serve some meatballs to the new players. And if the knuckle heads don't get it through their skulls what kind of game they are playing - that's where you let us know and we'll take care of it.
One rotten apple spoils the bunch. You have our permission and encouragement to remove those apples.
Play the Game. We will preach to the coaches that they need to work with each other to be understanding of situations with subs and odd things with their lineups. Sometimes a team is going to show up and only have one girl instead of 3 and they couldn't find a sub. The coaches will be encouraged to negotiate how to make the field of play "even" and get the game in to respect the results. We try to avoid force forfeits - just get the game in!
These are the most common and/or most unique rules being used for this event. Please see "Official Rulebook" for exhaustive list of playing rules. When in conflict, rules written here shall supercede those in the official rulebook.
As a player, you are responsible for knowing all official rules of the game. By participating in the event, you are agreeing that you are aware of all rules associated with the league and the sport, and agree to abide by them at all times.
The following are the rules that coaches have all agreed to for the LeagueJoe tourney. These may differ slightly from USSSA rules or park rules, so umpires may not be aware. Please self-police and enforce these rules for your team!
GOLDEN RULE
This event is intended to be FUN first. We welcome players of ALL SKILL LEVELS to our fields, and therefore set rules that ensure the safety and enjoyment of our skilled players and our novices equally.
Be supportive of one another. Fighting, excessive verbal abuse, and poor sportsmanship will not be tolerated. Event organizers reserve the rights to dismiss any player from the event without refund.
Game Length: 50 minutes, finish the inning. No extra innings in pool play.
Pitch Height: 6'-10' from the ground.
Pitching Gear/Net: Pitchers must either wear an approved helmet and/or utilize the provided pitching net.
Defensive Innings Played: Pool - 2 by the end of the 3rd, 3 by the end of the 5th. Bracket - 1 by the end of the 3rd, 2 by the end of the 5th.
Females on Defense: No more than one female may sit defensively per inning. If a team has less females than the opposing team, they must play all of their females defensively throughout the entire game.
Outfield Throw to First: No batter may be thrown at first following a ball hit into the outfield unless by an infielder brought into the outfield through defensive actions.
Courtesy Foul: No courtesy foul.
Legal Bats: 240 USSSA stamped non-banned bats. Seniors (males: 50+, females: 45+) with a senior wrist band may swing senior bats.
Balls: Balls will be provided. Chase down any balls you hit out of the playing field.
Homeruns: Three plus one. Three homeruns and then you can hit more as long as you don't hit more than one more than the opposing team.
Courtesy Runner: Three courtesy runners per inning. Each runner may only run for one person per inning, but may run for that same person multiple times in the inning.
Male/Female Walk: If a male walks with a female behind him, he automatically gets second base and she has the option to hit or take first base. She may not be forced or compelled to take the walk, she has the option. If she chooses to bat, the male still takes second base. (Female must present themselves in the on-deck circle as the male batter is at bat to be given the option to walk. If the female does not present themselves in the on deck circle the male will only be allowed 1 base and the female will have to hit.)
Bat Testing:
All bats (except senior models) must be pass compression testing for 240 standard and receive an official tournament sticker to be used in play. The total number of bats that may be tested is two per player. If one of the two bats submitted by a player fails, that player and that player only may test a third bat.
Any bats that fail compression testing will be labeled with the name of the owner and secured until the conclusion of the tournament, or the full elimination of that player's team from the tournament, whichever comes first. Bats may only be retrieved by the submitting player who must present photo ID matching the label on the bat in order to retrieve. Any bats forgotten or left by players after the tournament may be mailed back to the player at their own expense.
All bats will be retested for the championship game and bats may be spot-tested at any time, for any reason, during the tournament - regardless of whether or not they have passed testing before. Any bat discovered to have an altered sticker or any evidence of tampering with or trying to circumvent bat testing rules will at a minimum be confiscated for the rest of the tournament, and the owner of the bat may be banned from the rest of the tournament without refund. Any bats that are discovered to have been modified, shaved, or otherwise affected to intentionally bypass safety procedures will result in an immediate lifetime ban of the player, with potential 1-year ban approved only on appeal.
If you have any concerns whatsoever about a bat being considered dangerous, leave it at home. This ain't that kind of tourney.
These are guidelines and rules for the event that all coaches must acknowledge and follow. Please review all rules carefully.
The official rules for the sport, which may or may not be from a sanctioning body.
