The 2008 Kick-Off Meetings will be remembered as the longest in league history - almost 7 hours for the two days combined! We got started a little late on Saturday, about 1:15PM and the room was still close to full at 5:00PM. On Sunday we started on time and finished at 4:00PM.For more than 50% of the attendees on both days, this was their first ev... read more

See previous news article for full details.I'm looking forward to discussing with you what we have in store for this year. 2008 is shaping up to be another banner year in terms of both program improvements and membership growth.MEMBERSHIP GROWTHThe club reps have done a terrific job getting their club and teams activated for the 2008 season. We alr... read more

Former Yankee Visits Area To Host Coaching Clinic this Saturday at Sand Creek Middle School Gymnasium ...Colonie, NY -- Gary Cathcart- a New York Yankee draft pick in 1984 and the Toronto Blue Jays 2007 Instructor of the Year- will be hosting an instructional baseball coaching clinic on Saturday, January 19th in the gymnasium at Sand Creek Middle ... read more

On January 5, 2008, the Board of Directors of Eastern NY Travel Baseball League (the "League" or “ENYTB”) approved and adopted a statement of priorities and programmatic plan for the upcoming season. 2008 will mark the League's 13th consecutive year of operation. *******************************************************ENYTB - Organizational Stru... read more

Last year, after the season began, we received an unusual amount of member feedback about the League's playing rules. A number of folks were clamoring for a mercy rule and for adoption of the NCAA force play slide rule. The League's Executive Board voted unanimously to adopt both rules.It also was time to enumerate specific penalties for ejections and we have done that.Finally, the rule re: Catcher Contact has been modified to conform with the latest wording changes adopted by the AABC. The full details of these rule changes are provided below.******************************************************************2008 Rule Changes – The Board approved the following four rule changes to take effect at the start of the 2008 season:**********************************************************************************************************************************(1) Mercy Rule****************************************************************Games shall end by mercy rule whenever one team trails its opponent by 10 or more runs after having had at least 15 batters make out plus all three of its outs in any other started inning.**************************************************(2) Ejections**************************************************A. Reporting System - The League President shall be notified by both team managers whenever a player, coach, manager team representative is ejected from a game. Failure to report an ejection within 48 hours of the infraction shall result in an automatic $50 fine.B. Penalties For Ejectionsi. An individual ejected for verbal abuse or unsportsmanlike conduct shall be suspended.If a player, coach, manager or team representative is ejected from a contest because of verbal abuse only, the following shall be enforced:a. For the first offense by an individual, ejection plus suspension from the team’s next contest.b. For a second offense by an individual in the same season, ejection plus suspension from the team’s next two contests.c. For a third offense by an individual in the same season,ejection and suspension for the remainder of the season,including postseason competition.ii. An individual ejected for fighting, defined as any physical abuse of a player, including attempting to strike with the arms, hands, legs, feet or equipment in a combative manner, or intentionally spitting at an opponent, or physical abuse of game officials, umpires or coaches defined as any threat of physical intimidation or harm to include pushing, shoving, bumping, kicking, intentionally spitting, throwing at or attempting to make physical contact, shall be suspended: a. For the first offense by an individual, ejection plus suspension from the team’s next three contests.Exception—For a violent attack (punching or kicking) of a player, umpire, game official or any opposing coach, the offending individual shall be suspended for the team’s next five contests, even if it is the individual’s first offense. A second violent attack, regardless of time period, shall result in the individual’s indefinite suspension from league participation.b. For a second offense by an individual, regardless of time period, ejection plus suspension from the team’s next five contests.c. For a third offense by an individual, regardless of time period, ejection and suspension for the remainder of the season, including postseason competition.NOTE: A player involved in a fight while remaining at his position on the field and judged to have been acting in self-defense and not contributing to the fight shall not be ejected or suspended.NOTE: If a confrontation or fight develops, the head coach and assistant coaches are expected to leave their positions to bring their players under control. If a player or coach makes physical contact with another player in an obvious attempt to prevent a fight or confrontation, that individual shall not be ejected or suspended. Coaches should not involve themselves in physically restraining personnel from an opposing team.iii. Pitcher Intentionally Throwing at a Batter—If a pitcher is ejected for intentionally throwing at a batter, the following penalties shall be enforced:a. For the first offense by the individual, ejection plus suspension from the team’s next four regularly scheduled contests.b. For a second offense by the individual, regardless of time period, ejection plus suspension from the team’s next eight regularly scheduled contests.c. For a third offense by the individual, regardless of the time period, indefinite suspension from all league participation.d. If the coach has been warned during or before the contest, the coach also shall be ejected and suspended according to the provisions of B(ii) above.NOTE: The suspended pitcher shall not be allowed to participate in any manner during the suspension.C. Procedures for enforcing ejection and suspension penalties are as follows:1. Immediately following an ejection, the offending individual must leave the field and dugout area immediately; remove himself from sight and sound of the contest; and, not communicate with team members or the umpires.2. If a person is ejected in the first game of a doubleheader and the person shall serve the suspension in the second game.3. Suspended persons shall be restricted to the designated spectator areas and they:i. Shall NOT be dressed in team uniform, allowed in any team area or perform any team duty;ii. Shall NOT take part in any pregame activities at the site of competition nor be on the field once pregame activities have started; and,iii. Shall be prohibited from any communication or contact, direct or indirect, with the team, coaches and/or bench personnel from the start of the contest to its completion — including all extra innings. 4. When applying the suspension rule, penalties shall be served for the team’s next previously scheduled and completed contest(s). If a previously scheduled game has been postponed or halted, that make-up game against the originally scheduled opponent shall count as a regularly scheduled contest. Games may not be added after the incident in order to fulfill the requirements of this rule.a. If serving multiple suspensions from a fight would cause a team difficulty in fielding a team for its next game or games, the club may request that the suspensions be staggered by the League office.b. All suspension penalties shall carry over from one season to the next, and from regular-season to post-season competition.*********************************************************************(3) NCAA Force-Play-Slide Rule - Shall be adopted for all regular season play at all age divisions.*********************************************************************The intent of the force-play-slide rule is to ensure the safety of all players. This is a safety as well as an interference rule. Whether the defense could have completed the double play has no bearing on the applicability of this rule. This rule pertains to a force-play situation at any base, regardless of the number of outs.a. On any force play, the runner must slide on the ground before thebase and in a direct line between the two bases. It is permissible forthe slider’s momentum to carry him through the base in the baselineextended.Exception—A runner need not slide directly into a base as long as therunner slides or runs in a direction away from the fielder to avoid makingcontact or altering the play of the fielder. Interference shall not be called.(1) “On the ground” means either a head-first slide or a slide with one leg and buttock on the ground before the base.(2) “Directly into a base” means the runner’s entire body (feet, legs,trunk and arms) must stay in a straight line between the bases.b. Contact with a fielder is legal and interference shall not be called ifthe runner makes a legal slide directly to the base and in the baselineextended.NOTE: If contact occurs on top of the base as a result of a "pop-up" slide, this contact is legal.c. Actions by a runner are illegal and interference shall be called if:i. The runner slides or runs out of the base line in the direction of the fielder and alters the play of a fielder (with or without contact);ii. The runner uses a rolling or cross-body slide and either makes contact with or alters the play of a fielder;iii. The runner’s raised leg makes contact higher than the fielder’s knee when in a standing position;iv. The runner slashes or kicks the fielder with either leg; or,v. The runner illegally slides toward or contacts the fielder even if the fielder makes no attempt to throw to complete a play.PENALTY:With less than two outs, the batter-runner, as well as the interfering runner, shall be declared out and no other runner(s) shall advance.With two outs, the interfering runner shall be declared out and no other runner(s) shall advance.If the runner’s slide or collision is flagrant, the runner shall be ejected from the contest.NOTE: If the bases are loaded with no outs, a double-play attempt is made, andinterference is called, all other runners must return to their original bases.*********************************************Elaboration of other existing rules:*********************************************CATCHER CONTACT (updated to be consistent with new AABC wording)In the vicinity of home plate, when the catcher is in the process of fielding the ball or has the ball and is waiting to make the tag, any runner in an upright position must make an attempt to avoid contact with the catcher. In this circumstance, any runner failing to make an attempt to avoid contact with the catcher shall be declared out. The ball becomes dead. In the same circumstance, if the contact is further judged to be malicious, the offending player shall be ejected. ***The counting of games rescheduled as doubleheaders.If a rescheduled (not halted) game is scheduled as part of a doubleheader, it shall be the second game played. If it is the completion of a halted game, it shall be the first game played.***Tie GamesA regulation tie game shall be declared by the umpire-in-chief:(1) If the score is tied when play is terminated after five or more equal innings; or(2) If the team that went to bat second is at bat when play is terminated and has scored in the uncompleted inning the same number of runs as the other team.Any regulation game called by the umpire with the score tied shall be declared a “tie” game unless both parties agree within 7 calendar days to classify the game as suspended and reschedule it on the website.

Congratulations to Mark Sidoti, son of Doug Sidoti, manager of the Waterford team in our College Division for winning an NABF Scholarship for the 2007 academic year. ENYTB contributes to the NABF Scholarship fund each year and Mark is our first ever winner.I met up with Mark over the Thanksgiving holiday, along with his dad and a special friend, to... read more

This is a brand new World Series site for NABF 17U and I had the opportunity to sit with the people that made the successful bid at the recent national NABF meeting in Louisville, KY. Trust me on this one, this promises to be one of the finest events ever held for this age division and a memorable experience for all.The playing sites will be City S... read more

After a one year hiatus, the NABF College Division (22U) World Series returns to Toledo, OH, sponsored by the City Of Toledo and the Toledo Amateur Baseball Federation. This 16 team event includes various Regional Champions, direct teams, and host teams and, is planned to take place at various local college facilities, including: University of Tol... read more

Official dates for the NABF National Championship Tournament Series (Regionals and World Series) have been announced and can be found on our Tournaments menu as well as on each team's online registration page.As usual, ENYTB will be hosting four NABF Regionals this year:NABF 14U beginning July 10;NABF 16U beginning July 17;NABF 18U beginning July 1... read more

LINEUP CARDS - The website will include a new feature in 2008 that will allow teams to quickly prepare and print their team lineup cards online. Teams will select their starting players from a list that includes all players on their active ENYTB roster. Teams also will be asked to indicate each player's fielding position and where they will appear ... read more