MIDDLE ATLANTIC BABE RUTH LEAGUES Following the Tournament Trail (What Coaches Need to Know) 2021 Edition This page is intentionally left blank TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 1 Scope ........................................................................................................................................... 1 Purpose ........................................................................................................................................ 1 The Babe Ruth Baseball Organization ....................................................................................... 2 The Tournament Trail .................................................................................................................. 4 The District Tournament ............................................................................................................. 5 District Participants ..................................................................................................................... 5 District Tournament Travel......................................................................................................... 5 District Tournament Schedule .................................................................................................... 5 District Tournament Jurisdiction ................................................................................................ 5 The State Tournament .................................................................................................................. 6 State Participants ......................................................................................................................... 6 State Tournament Travel............................................................................................................. 6 State Tournament Schedule ........................................................................................................ 6 State Tournament Jurisdiction .................................................................................................... 6 The Regional Tournament ........................................................................................................... 7 Regional Participants – Full Trail ............................................................................................... 7 Regional Participants – Non-World Series ................................................................................. 7 Regional Tournament Travel ...................................................................................................... 8 Regional Tournament Schedule .................................................................................................. 8 Regional Tournament Jurisdiction .............................................................................................. 8 The World Series........................................................................................................................... 9 World Series Participants ............................................................................................................ 9 World Series Tournament Travel................................................................................................ 9 World Series Tournament Schedule ......................................................................................... 10 World Series Tournament Jurisdiction ..................................................................................... 10 2019 Tournament Dates ............................................................................................................. 11 Total Commitment ...................................................................................................................... 12 Managers and Coaches ............................................................................................................. 12 Multiple Tournament Participation ........................................................................................... 13 Don’t Be A Quitter! .................................................................................................................. 13 Sanctions against Leagues ........................................................................................................ 14 Coaching Certification .............................................................................................................. 14 Conduct ..................................................................................................................................... 15 Tournament Credentials ............................................................................................................ 15 This page is intentionally left blank Introduction Scope There has been an increasing problem in recent years with leagues/teams dropping out of tournaments either right before a tournament starts, or during the actual playing schedule itself. This is occurring at all levels of play. It is extremely disruptive to the other teams playing in the tournament. It also affects the host league financially. Purpose This document is intended to inform anyone who is going to become a coach on a tournament team exactly what is expected from them as far as commitment and conduct. 1 The Babe Ruth Baseball Organization In order to understand the tournament trail it may first be helpful to understand how Babe Ruth Baseball is organized. Babe Ruth League, Inc. has divided the country into eight regions which contain multiple states, provinces and territories. Some of the states are divided into more than one “state” due to a large geographic area or a large number of charted leagues (as shown on page 3). The individual states are further divided into districts. The number of districts is determined by the State Commissioner based on the number of leagues which charter under his jurisdiction. The State Commissioner also determines how many and which leagues are in each district. The following diagram shows the multiple levels of the organization with a focus on the Middle Atlantic Region. BABE RUTH LEAGUE, INC. New Southeast Southwest Middle Ohio Midwest Pacific Pacific England Region Region Atlantic Valley Plains Northwest Southwest Region Region Region Region Region Region DE Eastern MD Northern PA (13-18) or Southern Southern Western NY NJ NJ NY NY NWPA (8-12) & SEPA (8-12) District District League League League League 2 NEW ENGLAND MIDDLE ATLANTIC SOUTHEAST Maine Northern New Jersey Virginia Vermont Southern New Jersey Eastern North Carolina New Hampshire Pennsylvania Western North Carolina Eastern Massachusetts Delaware Tennessee Western Massachusetts Maryland Georgia Connecticut Eastern New York Alabama Rhode Island Southern New York Florida Western New York South Carolina Ontario (Canada) SOUTHWEST OHIO VALLEY MIDWEST PLAINS Mississippi West Virginia Minnesota Northern Arkansas Ohio Iowa Southern Arkansas Eastern Kentucky Missouri Oklahoma Western Kentucky North Dakota Louisiana Illinois South Dakota New Mexico Wisconsin Nebraska Eastern Texas Michigan Kansas Western Texas Northern Indiana Colorado Virgin Islands Southern Indiana Saskatchewan (Canada) Manitoba (Canada) PACIFIC NORTHWEST PACIFIC SOUTHWEST Alaska Hawaii Northern Washington Nevada Southern Washington Utah Idaho Arizona Montana Northern California Northern Oregon Central California Southern Oregon Southern California Wyoming Guam British Columbia (Canada) Alberta (Canada) 3 The Tournament Trail The Babe Ruth League Tournament trail has four stages: DISTRICT STATE REGIONAL WORLD TOURNAMENTS TOURNAMENTS TOURNAMENTS SERIES There is an entire tournament trail for seven age groups: 10 years old, 12-year olds -- played on a 60-foot diamond, 12-year olds -- played on a 70-foot diamond, 13 years old, 14 years old, 13-15 years old, 16-18 years old. In addition, there are also three other regional tournaments: 8 years old, 9 years old, 11 years old -- played on a 70-foot diamond, There are “invitational” World Series for the following: 8 Year-Old (machine pitch) 8-Year-Old (player pitch) 9-Year-Old 11-Year-Old --- played on a 70 foot diamond 4 DISTRICT STATE REGIONAL WORLD TOURNAMENTS TOURNAMENTS TOURNAMENTS SERIES The District Tournament District Participants An all-star team from a particular league will start out playing in a district tournament. The number of participants in a district tournament depends on the number of leagues that each State Commissioner has put into each district. In some states there may not be enough leagues to form districts in a particular age group (i.e., 16-18). In these cases the individual all-star teams from each league will skip this level and go right to the state tournament. District Tournament Travel In most cases the leagues within a district are located within easy driving distance of each other and do not require the team to stay overnight at the tournament site. District Tournament Schedule District tournaments generally start in mid to late June. The duration of the tournament depends on the number of games being played. The number and frequency of days played depends on the format used. The schedule is determined by the District Commissioner. District Tournament Jurisdiction All district tournaments shall be under the jurisdiction of the District Commissioner. The District Commissioner may appoint a Tournament Director to act as his