The League is comprised of 11 teams that will collectively compete as the Foothills Major Baseball Association.

WAIVERS

Any player who enters the FMBA facility must have completed an Online Registration and Waiver prior to participating in any league events such as games or practices. For emergency players, a waiver must either be completed online or in hard copy prior to engaging in any baseball related activities. Any team which has allowed a player to partake in a practice or similar training without having the Online Registration and Waiver completed will face discipline from the FMBA Executive. Any team found to have allowed a player, who has not completed the Online Registration and Waiver, to be entered onto an official lineup submitted prior to any game (regardless of whether that player has participated in said game), will be subject to an automatic forfeit of the game in question.

There is zero tolerance for non-compliance of completing this Online Registration and Waiver.

GAME RULES & REGULATIONS

The League will be governed by the Official Rules of Baseball & Rules & Regulations adapted or amended by Baseball Canada & Baseball Alberta. This means that each team must be in possession of a rule-book and the Baseball Alberta Handbook for 2008. Baseball Alberta can be contacted at 780-427-8943 to order. All team members must fill out the registration & waiver form which the team manager will submit to the league.

Special Rules
a) All games seven innings – regulation game 4-1/2 – 5 innings.
b) Ten run mercy rule after 5 innings, 4-1/2 innings if home team is ahead.
c) Mandatory courtesy runner for the catcher with two outs. This shall be either the last out, or a designated courtesy runner.
d) Re-entry rule for injury only. Re-entering player may not pitch.
e) Automatic base on balls at any point during at bat if defensive team elects.
f) Designated hitter can be used for the pitcher only.
g) Only wooden bats will be used in league play.
h) The game balls are supplied to each team by the league. Starting in 2010, the league standard will be the Rawlings ROML (MLB spec) for all games. No substitutions will be permitted.

Tie-Games
Tie games will continue to determine a winner until weather or darkness halts further play. If tie is not broken during regular season play, the tie game will end in a tie and result in award of half a game to each team. During play-offs, the game shall be continued at the next available date.

Batting Order & Substitutes
Line-up cards presented to the plate umpire & the scorekeeper shall be printed clearly & include playing positions & uniform numbers. All substitutes & their numbers should be included at the bottom. Team managers shall be clearly noted for the purpose of visits to the pitcher. Please remember that a player’s number identifies him to the official scorer & the stats will be accumulated to that number. Players switching uniforms should notify the scorer.

Ejections/Suspensions – all team members
First ejection – suspension for the remainder of the game in progress. No appeal.
Second ejection – suspended for remainder of game in progress plus the first game following the ejection. No appeal.
Third ejection – will result in an indefinite suspension until written appeal is reviewed by the appeals committee.

Any violent offense, such as, but not limited to physical contact with an official, fighting with the opposing team or physically threatening an official will result in immediate suspension until reviewed by the appeals committee. The review must be conducted within 72 hours.
The Appeals Committee consists of three people, the president, vice-president, umpire in chief and, in cases of conflict (where members of a team appealing are committee members) then they shall stand down and by a selected non partisan member.
Actions following a game which would result in an ejection/suspension while a game was in progress will result in the same suspensions noted above.

Ejections will be reported by the umpire involved & e-mail to the League President or his designate within 24 hours of each incident.

Pre-Game Infield Practice
30 minutes before game time – 10 minutes for Home Team
20 minutes before game time – 10 minute for Visiting Team
5 minutes before game time – Umpires & Managers’ plate meeting.

No Batting practice (Soft Toss) against park chain link fence

When the umpires arrive five minutes before the scheduled game time, all infield practice shall immediately terminate in order to get the game in on time.

A game in progress, field maintenance or bad weather are the only situations that should delay starting a game on time. Maintenance always pre-empts infield practice.

Field Maintenance

The FMBA contracts field maintenance services to All-Sport General Contracting, under no circumstances are complaints or criticism to be directed to All-Sport or their employees at any time by players, fans, coaches, or officials. Any and all field related issues or complaints are to be submitted in writing to the Executive.

Team responsibilities at the field are as follows:

HOME TEAM:

• • Remove tarps prior to game starting and replace tarps upon game completion (unless there is a game scheduled after).
  • Clean their dugout upon completion of game (garbage and recycling picked up, clean sweep of dugout floor)
  • Ensure park is locked up if they are last to leave the field.

AWAY TEAM:

• • Clean their dugout upon completion of game (garbage and recycling picked up, clean sweep of dugout floor)
  • Ensure park is locked up if they are last to leave the field.
• Postponements

The Umpire Assigner to be notified by the Home Team Manager or grounds keeper at least 2 hours prior to game time, when an early decision is made not to play as scheduled (bad weather) or unplayable field conditions.

Umpires arriving for a game without notification of postponement will assume that team members are also arriving for a decision on playing conditions. Umpires arriving unnecessarily will have to be compensated. Teams will reschedule games with the League Scheduler who will arrange for umpires through the Umpire Assignor. Notification to the Umpire Assignor must be at least 48 hours prior to re-scheduled games.

Weather/Darkness Suspensions

• In the event a regular season game is suspended due to weather, darkness, or any other unforeseen event prior to the game becoming official, it will be restarted from scratch at a later date. A game becomes official if:
• • 5 innings have been completed
  • 4 1/2 innings have been completed and the Home team holds the lead

• In the event that a playoff game is suspended due to weather, darkness, or any other unforeseen event prior to the game becoming official, it will be continued from the point the game was suspended. Umpires should note the placement of the runners, number of outs, count on current hitter, and any other notable information. The home team will suspend the game on GameChanger, which will be picked up when the game restarts.

  • Teams should, to the best of their ability, keep the same lineup as when suspended. Any players that have already been subbed out of the game will be eligible to re-enter only if there are no other possible options (similar to injury re-entry). Players who remain in the lineup will remain in the same spot in the lineup that they occupied at the time the game was suspended.

Forfeitures

Games will be forfeited to the opposition by a team failing to field nine players in uniform within 15 minutes of the scheduled game time. 15 minutes extra will be allowed if a player is on the way. All forfeitures will be enforced by the Umpire in Chief & be reported to the official scorer. Each forfeiture by virtue of a team not having enough players to start a game will cost the offending team $100 taken from the refundable bond put up by each team. All forfeiture bonds must be replenished within seven (7) days, otherwise the team will be suspended from the league. Remaining credits in the bond fund will be refunded to each team at season end if desired. Other forfeitures will be enforced in accordance with Baseball Canada Baseball Rules.

Forfeits will be scored as a 7-0 loss, one run for each inning of a standard game. However, if a forfeit occurs in the middle of an official game in which the forfeiting team is losing, the score will be recorded as it stands at the point of forfeit.

Tobacco Usage

Please be advised that umpires may be required to apply Baseball Canada’s zero tolerance of tobacco product use at all Baseball Alberta & Baseball Canada sanctioned events. Therefore it should be established at the plate meeting whether this rule will be being enforced.

On-Field Etiquette

• • Double-eared batting helmets to be worn by all batters and runners.
  • Bat-boys must wear protective double-eared helmets at all times.
  • Catchers to wear hard skull caps.
  • Only one on-deck batter when play is under way.
  • Bats in the on-deck circle only.
  • Bats are to be safely stored in the dugout or bat rack unless being used by the on-deck batter. No bats left lying on the ground.
  • All team equipment in the dugout, not on the top step or outside.
  • All players, coaches and managers should be in uniform and in the dugout.

Scorekeeping

Moving forward from the 2017 season the league will be using GameChanger to electronically score games and track statistics.

• • HOME team is responsible for scorekeeping throughout the game unless otherwise agreed to with AWAY team on gameday.
  • HOME team will assign a player to run GameChanger for each respective game (does not have to be the same player each game).
  • The scoring judgements made by the HOME team player scoring the game are considered final.
  • Any statistical errors that are not a result of the scorekeeper’s judgement can be brought to Curtis Smith for reconciliation (i.e. substitution errors, lineup errors, etc.).

Standings

Final standings will be determined by team record. If teams have the same record, then the higher seed will be determined by the following tie-breakers.
1) head-to-head games among teams involved.
2) If tie remains, then the differential of runs for and against between teams involved
3) If tie remains, then the differential of runs for and against among teams involved vs. other divisional opponents
4) If tie still remains then a coin flip will determine the winner

Playoffs

As of 2009, the playoff format is the top 8 teams in the regular season standings qualify for the playoffs. These teams will be seeded 1 through 8 with the highest playing the lowest. There will be three rounds each being a Best of Three, with teams being re-seeded after every round, the highest seed being the home team for the first and third games.

Playoff Eligibility

RULE ONE: IN-SEASON ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible to compete in the FMBA playoffs, a respective player must have accrued;

(the “Eligibility Requirements”)

• 15 Plate Appearances (PA) throughout the corresponding FMBA regular season;

OR

• 10 Innings Pitched (IP) throughout the corresponding FMBA regular season

EG: Player X has 22 FMBA PA’s and 4 FMBA IP’s in 2020 – Eligible for playoffs.

EG: Player Y has 14 FMBA PA’s and 9 FMBA IP’s in 2020 – Ineligible for playoffs.

RULE TWO: FMBA VETERAN EXEMPTION

Notwithstanding RULE 1, any FMBA player who has accrued;

(the “Veteran Exemption Requirements”)

• 100 Plate Appearances in the FMBA (for any team) beginning in 2017 when GameChanger was adopted for statistics;

OR

• 80 Innings Pitched in the FMBA (for any team) beginning in 2017 when GameChanger was adopted for statistics;

Shall be exempt from RULE 1 “In-Season Eligibility Requirements” on the grounds that said player has accrued sufficient service time in the FMBA to be considered a “Veteran” of the league. Any player having met the above “Veteran Exemption Requirements” is automatically eligible for playoff appearances for their respective teams in the event that they are unable to meet the “In-Season
Eligibility Requirements” in RULE 1.

EG: Player X has played in the FMBA since 2012 and has accrued 117 Plate Appearances since GameChanger was adopted in 2017. Player X is injured and does not have any Plate Appearances in
2022. Player X is deemed eligible for the 2022 FMBA playoffs by nature of meeting the “Veteran Exemption Requirements” since 2017.

• In the case of a player having played with multiple FMBA teams in their career, their cumulative Plate Appearances and Innings Pitched will include all teams played with since GameChanger was adopted in 2017.

EG: Player Y has accrued 117 Plate Appearances with Team A beginning in 2017 but will be playing with Team B beginning in 2022. Player Y has met the “Veteran Exemption Requirements” with Team A, and that would carry forward to Team B. Player Y is deemed eligible for the 2022 FMBA playoffs by nature of meeting the “Veteran Exemption Requirements” since 2017.

• In cases where players achieve either 100 Plate Appearances or 80 Innings Pitched in the midst of a current season, said player will have qualified for the FMBA playoffs under the “Veteran Exemption Requirements”.

EG: Player Z has 78 Innings Pitched in the FMBA since GameChanger was adopted in 2017. Player Z has 3 Innings Pitched in the 2022 FMBA season (81 total) but is then unable to play for the remainder of the regular season. Player Z is deemed eligible for the 2022 FMBA playoffs by nature of meeting the “Veteran Exemption Requirements” since 2017.

All tracking of cumulative Plate Appearances and Innings Pitched is readily available on the FMBA website under the respective players’ roster page and will continue to be updated as GameChanger data is added each year. This will continue to be monitored and tracked by the League Executive through each season.

Prior to the FMBA playoff schedule being released, the managers of each FMBA team who may reasonably qualify for playoffs will receive an email from the FMBA President requesting their full ‘Playoff Roster’ to be submitted as follows:

1. Each FMBA Team who has qualified for the FMBA Playoffs must submit their Playoff Roster, containing all eligible players in accordance with sections (1) or (2) above, to the FMBA President prior to the start of FMBA playoffs;
2. Each Playoff Roster will be reviewed and approved by the FMBA Executive;
3. Discrepancies on whether a player has met Eligibility Requirements shall be determined by statistics on the FMBA website, which shall be considered official by the FMBA Executive in order to determine eligibility;
4. All Playoff Rosters shall be approved by the FMBA Executive prior to the start of Game 1 of the FMBA Playoffs;
5. Once a Playoff Roster is approved, there shall be no additions or changes to any Playoff Roster for the remainder of the FMBA playoffs;

If any FMBA team or player is found by a majority vote of the FMBA Executive to have contravened the spirit of these rules through engaging in any of the following;

1. 1. Manipulation of player statistics; or
   2. False scorekeeping of player PA or IP; or
   3. Any other clear and flagrant attempt to contravene these rules;

The respective FMBA team shall be penalized by forfeit of their current playoff series.

Facility Regulations

The City of Calgary has established Bylaws which govern appropriate activities and behaviour in the City of Calgary parks and facilities. All users are required to abide by these bylaws and any regulations made under them.
Dogs are not permitted inside the field premises under any circumstances.

Individuals are responsible for the actions of those who use the facility.