Glossary of Terms

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AABC: The American Amateur Baseball Congress (http://www.aabc.us/) is one of three national baseball organizations that ENYTB affiliates with. NABF and PONY are the other two. Each of these sanctioning bodies sponsors its own National Championship Tournament Series (NCTS) each year at various age levels. AABC provides ENYTB with berths in the entry level tournaments of its various NCTS. AABC also covers the travel expenses for all even year World Series teams.
Age Of Player: A player’s current "baseball age" shall be his age on April 30 of the current year. A player's age eligibility extends from his baseball age upwards. His "natural age" refers to the youngest age division in which he is eligible to participate in league play.
Classified Competition: To heighten the degree of competition within the league, ENYTB introduced skill-based, classified divisional play in 2002. The league divides each age division into up to five competition levels, depending on the number of registered teams and their range and distribution of skill levels. In consultation with the League Director, teams assign themselves a skill level when they register for regular season play, from Elite to Gold, Silver, Bronze and Supplemental.
Elite Program: Any full-time travel program in the older age divisions, 16U and above, offering players a significantly higher level of competition than is offered by ENYTB. ENYTB players are allowed to participate on these teams, in ENYTB league play, without player releases (see Section 16.9).
Full Franchise - Membership Rights: The full franchise membership is the ENYTB gold standard, conferring to owners the maximum participation, territorial and player rights.
For a full definition and explanation of all rights thereto, see Article X1 of the ENYTB Constitution. (See League Info > Governance > Constitution)
Full Franchise Membership Qualifications: To qualify as a full franchise member, an applicant must;
(1) Apply for a franchise area consisting exclusively of OPEN and/or non-discretionary area, consistent with the definitions in section 11.2 and 11.3.
(2) Register at least two different teams in the League for three consecutive years where at least one team is aged 15U or younger.
(3) Register teams in the same age division in any two of those three years (replacement participation).
MLB: Major League Baseball
Must Play Games: A "must play" game is any game required to meet the MPR or must play requirement between any two teams (see MPR). The first games played count i.e., if two teams play more than the required number of times for divisional standings purposes, the games count in chronological order that they are played. Teams may be in more than one division together and the MPR in each division may differ. Example: Two divisions, A with MPR=1 and B with MPR=2. The two teams play each other a total of four times.
Must Play Requirement (MRP): The MPR defines the number times a team must play every other team in its division. This number, usually 1, 2 or 3, is shown in the heading of each standings. These are "must play" games in the sense that they must be played in order for your team to be given points in the standings. A win is worth 2 points, a loss 1 point and a tie 1.5 points. (Also see Standings and Must Play Games.)
NABF: The National Amateur Baseball Federation (http://www.nabf.com/) is one of three national baseball organizations that ENYTB affiliates with. AABC and PONY are the other two. Each of these sanctioning bodies sponsors its own National Championship Tournament Series (NCTS) each year at various age levels. NABF provides ENYTB with berths in the entry level tournaments of its various NCTS. NABF also provides all World Series teams with a travel allowance.
Player - Franchise: Any franchise member’s roster protected or restricted free agent players are referred to as franchise players. The rights of any member to his franchise players shall extend to all affiliations regardless of any individual team’s sanctioning choices except as provided in section 10.5 (Dual Participation).
Player - Home Area: The public school district serving a player's primary home residence shall be his "home" area. Disputes regarding a player’s residency or claims of dual residency shall be decided by the League’s Player Agent.
Player - Restricted Free Agent: Any player aged 15 or younger, who has not previously qualified as a roster protected player, and who resides in the franchise area of an existing franchise owner is a restricted free agent.
Player - Roster Protection: Any player appearing on the official league roster of an ENYTB registered team in the prior year and who appeared in a minimum of 3 league games in that year is said to be roster protected. (See Constitution for exceptions.) Player rights shall extend to all affiliations regardless of the sanctioning choices of that player’s team.
Player - Unrestricted Free Agent: Any player who is neither a roster protected player nor a restricted free agent and includes any player with a release or any player 16 years of age or more who was not on the roster of an ENYTB team in the prior year and who has not made a commitment to play for an ENYTB team in the current year.
Player Release - Discretionary: Any written statement, including email, by a member to the League Player Agent or League Office to the effect that he is voluntarily relinquishing his league rights to a certain franchise player. In order to be eligible for a discretionary release, the franchise player and one of his parents/guardians must provide the player’s team owner (in the case of protected players) or his home franchise area owner(s) (in the case of restricted players) a written and signed request for a release.
Player Release - Exceptions (Protected Players): RULE 86 MINIMUM APPEARANCE EXEMPTION - Any roster player who failed to appear in 3 league games in the prior season is not counted as being on a team’s official league roster. Such players would be classified in the current season as either unrestricted free agents or restricted players, depending on their prior status and current age.
RULE 87 CUT EXEMPTION - Any roster player who was cut in the prior year after playing in 3 or more games is an unrestricted free agent in the current season.
RULE 88 TEAM INACTIVITY EXEMPTION - Any roster player whose team owner for the prior year does not have an active ENYTB team in the player's natural age level or one age class higher than in the prior year if the player was playing above his natural age division in the prior year, is an unrestricted free agent in the current season.
RULE 89 HOME AREA EXEMPTION - Any protected player residing in the franchise area of a new member or an existing member that is active in his natural age division for the first time, has the option, prior to the beginning of his team’s current season play, to play for that member without a release. This shall be a one time only option and once a player makes a choice he shall be bound from that day forward by the League’s usual release rules.
RULE 90 PLAYING “UP” EXEMPTION - Any protected player who wants to play in a higher age division for a different owner, may do so without a release from his prior team provided the owner of that team either is not active at that higher age level or is active at that age level within ENYTB but unwilling to place said player on his roster.
RULE 91 ELITE PROGRAM EXEMPTION - Any protected player over age 15 may join a qualified “elite program” team without a release, subject to the provisions of section 16.9.
Player Release - Exceptions (Restricted Players): RULE 69 TEAM INACTIVITY EXEMPTION - Any restricted player residing in a franchise area that does not have an active ENYTB team in the player's natural age level is an unrestricted free agent.
RULE 70 CUT EXEMPTION - Any restricted player residing in a franchise area who attempts to join a team from that franchise area, in his natural age division, and is not provided a roster spot, for reasons other than unpaid registration fees, is an unrestricted free agent.
RULE 71 PLAYING 'UP' EXEMPTION - Any restricted player offered a roster spot on an ENYTB team registered in a higher age division by an owner other than the owner of his home franchise area may be placed on the roster of the higher age division team without a release unless his home area franchise owner offers him a roster spot on a similar aged ENYTB team.
RULE 72 ELITE PROGRAM EXEMPTION - Any restricted player may join a qualified 'elite program' team without a release, subject to the provisos of section 16.9.
Player Release - Non-Discretionary: Applicable to restricted players only and it provides the player’s home franchise area owner with a limited opportunity -15 days from the date the written request was received - to interest the player in participating in his program. In order to qualify for a non-discretionary release, the player and one of his parents/guardians must must provide said player’s home franchise area owner(s) a reasonable opportunity to have discussions with the player to interest said player in playing in his program.
RULE 113 Prior to April 1 each year, any restricted player is eligible for a non-discretionary release. After that time all such releases shall be at the sole discretion of the home area franchise owner(s). See section 16.1 for a definition of both discretionary and non-discretionary releases.
Player Release - Non-Discretionary (cont.): RULE 114 In order to qualify for a non-discretionary release, the player and/or his family must provide the home franchise owner(s) a reasonable opportunity to discuss his program with them if requested. Once the 15 day window of opportunity expires, the restricted player shall be granted a release by the League Player Agent and become an unrestricted free agent provided the home franchise area owner(s) has not petitioned the League Player Agent or the League Office to deny the release on the grounds that the player and his family failed to provide him with a sufficient opportunity to explain his program to them.
Failure of the home franchise area owner to petition the League Player Agent prior to the conclusion of the 15 day window of opportunity shall result in the issuance of the release by the League
RULE 115 When a request for a release is received by a member, said member has 48 hours to notify the League Player Agent (email notification is preferred). Failure to do so may result in that member’s loss of rights to said player, at the discretion of the League’s Player Agent.
RULE 116 Beginning April 1 of each year, restricted players are eligible for discretionary releases only and must follow the same procedure as prescribed for protected players in Section 17.4.
Player Releases - Denial: Any player who has been denied a discretionary release has the following options.

RULE 121 The player may sit out the current season in order to satisfy his obligation to his current team owner and qualify for unrestricted free agent status in the following season. Restricted players would need to inform the League Player Agent or League Office of such intention since he has no record of prior participation in the League;

RULE 122 The player may attempt to negotiate a compromise solution with his current team owner whereby he would agree to play for him in the current season in return for a guaranteed release the following season. The league office must be notified immediately by the player and/or team owner of any such agreements. The league shall confirm the reported agreement with both parties.

Or the player may simply drop his request and play for his current team owner in the current season.
Player Releases - General: RULE 68 No protected player can change teams inside the League and no restricted player can play for any team outside his home franchise area without a release, except as provided in section 16.3.
ENYTB has two kinds of releases, discretionary and non-discretionary. Either kind makes the player an unrestricted free agent. The two kinds of releases differ in applicability as well as in the power of the player to effect the outcome.
RULE 100 Any franchise player seeking a release is required to submit a written request to that effect, dated and signed by him and one of his parents/guardians. This written request shall be directed to the team owner (in the case of protected players) or home area franchise member(s) (in the case of restricted players) who holds the player’s league rights.
RULE 101 A member owner or club rep shall provide a player with his release by writing RELEASED on said player’s written release request, signing and dating it, and returning it to the player. This can be done by email. In addition, the owner shall immediately inform the League Player Agent of the disposition of the release request and designate said player as released on the League website.
RULE 97 When a player is granted a release, he is an unrestricted free agent, free to sign with any ENYTB team.
Player Releases - Time To Act Limits: RULE 117 When a request for a release is received by a member, said member has 48 hours to notify the League Player Agent (email notification is preferred). Failure to do so may result in that member’s loss of rights to said player, at the discretion of the League’s Player Agent.

RULE 118 Other members, presumably the owner of the team that the player prefers to play for, may act on the player’s behalf to facilitate the release process provided said player submits a written request as required above.

RULE 119 Under no circumstances shall any release request remain open for more than 15 days from the date of the notification to the league player agent.

If the owner in receipt of the request fails to act within 48 hours of the conclusion of the required time frame or fails to notify the League Player Agent of his decision, the protected player becomes an unrestricted free agent.
PONY: Protect Our Nation's Youth (http://www.pony.org/home/default.asp)is one of three national baseball organizations that ENYTB affiliates with. AABC and NABF are the other two. Each of these sanctioning bodies sponsors its own National Championship Tournament Series (NCTS) each year at various age levels. PONY provides ENYTB with berths in the entry level tournaments of its various NCTS. PONY also provides all Zone and World Series teams with a travel allowance.
Roster - ABBC (Regular Season): AABC requires their regular season rosters to be signed by each player, a parent/guardian and the team manager. All AABC registered teams must submit a signed official AABC roster form, printed from the website, no later than three days after the AABC deadlines for adding new players - June15 for teams 14U and under and July 1 for teams 15U and above. Teams should keep their original and send the league a single copy for certification. Also, teams may file an amended AABC roster with the League until 3 days after the AABC deadline for doing so. The website will not let you add players to your AABC roster once the official deadline expires.
Roster - League Eligibility (Regular Season): The online roster of any ENYTB registered team, certified by ENYTB for purposes of regular season league play at a specific age level. To be eligible for ENYTB play, a team must have at least 9 players on its online eligibility roster by May 15th. This roster serves as each team's official roster list as far as player eligibility for ENYTB regular season play is concerned. Players can be added/dropped from this roster list at any time. To legally participate in an ENYTB League game, a player MUST must appear on a team's ENYTB roster BEFORE he appears in a League game and the League must have a copy of the player's birth certificate (faxes or letters postmarked within 24 hours of player's first appearance are acceptable).
Roster - NABF (Regular Season): All ENYTB registered teams 11U and older must maintain an updated online NABF roster. The League can print each team's NABF roster from the website because it does not require any signatures. Teams in all age divisions from 11U thru 14U may add players to their NABF regular season roster until June 27. In age divisions 15U thru 18U, the NABF cut-off is July 5. Above 18U, the NABF cut-off date is July 12. Players not appearing on a team's NABF regular season roster are ineligible for NABF post-season play, including as a pick-up player with another league team.
Roster - PONY (Regular Season): All PONY registered teams must maintain an updated online PONY roster. The League can print each team's PONY roster from the website because it does not require any signatures. Teams in all age divisions may add players to their PONY regular season roster until July 5. Players not appearing on a team's PONY regular season roster are ineligible for PONY post-season play, including as a pick-up player with another team.
Standings: Similar to MLB, ENYTB groups teams into divisions for regular season competition. Each division is assigned a specific number of berths in a specific sanctioned National Championship Tournament Series. Individual teams can be placed in multiple divisions or even none, depending on their registration choices e.g., AABC, NABF and PONY. A team's position in the Standings is used to determine which team(s) win berths. For more detailed information on the characteristics of each Standings, read t
Tampering: To express an interest in the services of a player to the player, his family or representative, when that player is another member's protected (roster) or restricted (territory) player. This includes engaging in any negotiations with the player, his family or representative, as well as telling the player you will add him to your league roster if he gets a release. Prior to doing any of the above, a club/team needs to contact the player's club/team and ask permission.

The failure to notify, in the case of restricted free agents, and the failure to notify and ask permission to recruit in the case of protected players, the club holding the player's league rights before engaging in any recruiting activity with said player shall also be construed as tampering.

Any contact between a League member and another member’s protected or restricted player that ignores the provisions of the League’s first contact protocols as defined in section 17.2 of the constitution shall constitute tampering. The failure to ask sufficient questions to determine whether any such rights exist shall be construed as tampering as well.
Wildcard Divisions: Wildcard play provides teams that want to play more games than are required for regular division play, an opportunity to make those games count for an extra chance to qualify for a berth in an entry level sanctioned tournament. Teams indicate their wildcard preferences when providing their team availabilty. Wildcard divisions may include teams from multiple same-colored divisions or adjacent color levels, or both combined, hence the name "cross-over" divisions. The head-to-head must-play requirement in Wildcard Divisions is usually one or two games. Games between opponents in common divisions count in all divisions up to the "MPR" in each division.