Bylaws
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Valley Dartball Bylaws Rev Aug 30 2004.doc
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MON
VALLEY
DARTBALL
LEAGUE
BY-LAWS AND RULES
(amended
August 2005)
1. League Officers and Election
The
League officers will be elected at a February meeting and installed at the
banquet at the end of the season. The
officers will be elected by majority vote of all members present at that
February meeting with a guarantee that elected officers will serve.
(a) Officers of the League and their Duties
President:
Call and conduct all League meetings and appoint committees.
Vice-President:
Help the President and conduct meetings in his absence.
Secretary:
Shall maintain the records of the League and minutes of the League meetings for
future reference.
Treasurer:
Shall maintain the financial records and report to the League meetings.
By-Laws
Committee: To be appointed by the President, to alter and amend the by-laws
when necessary. To act as an
arbitration committee and will conduct the yearly play-offs.
It will consist of five (5) members with no two members being from the
same team.
Executive
Board: Will consist of all League officers.
(b) League Officer Rotation
Starting
in the 1977-78 season the officers of the President and Vice-President will come
from all the teams in the League. Vice-President
will always succeed the President for the coming year.
Each team will supply a man for the Vice-Presidency the following year
until all teams are represented. It
will take twelve (12) years to complete the team rotation and then the cycle
will be repeated. If a team in
rotation defers the office of President, the league may vote on a President of
its choosing by a majority vote.
Team
rotation is as follows:
1.
Monongahela
2.
Belle
Vernon
Presbyterian
3.
Roscoe Methodist
4.
Marion Presbyterian
5.
Fayette
City
Christian
6.
Holy
Spirit
Church
7.
Donora Emanuel Baptist
8.
Belle
Vernon
Methodist
9.
Grace Methodist
10.
Olive Branch Baptist
11.
12.
Rehoboth Presbyterian
Regular scheduled league meetings shall be rotated in a season among the
churches represented by the four officers (President, Vice President, Secretary,
Treasurer).
(c) Checking Account
There
must be two (2) signatures on the Checking Account of the Mon Valley Dartball
League at all times.
2. Voting Quorum
At
least one more than half of all the teams in the League shall be represented by
the manager or his alternate at all meetings.
Each team in the league will be entitled to one vote to be cast by the
manager or alternate. A majority
vote elects a team to the League, a two-thirds majority vote of all managers or
alternates present is necessary to amend or change the by-laws presented by the
By-Laws committee. Officers will be
elected by a majority vote of all members present at the February meeting.
3. League and Teams
(a)
The League will consist of no greater than twelve (12) teams.
Teams to be admitted by a majority vote.
(b)
After the first night of play each season the manager of each team in the
League shall furnish the League secretary with a roster of players that will
constitute his team.
(c)
A team will not be permitted to add any names to their roster until they
have notified the League secretary one week in advance.
It is unlawful for any player to be transferred from one roster to
another during any half. All transfers are to be made prior to the start of any
half. Any players not legally on the
roster, that play in any games, all such games will be forfeited at the
discretion of the By-Laws committee. All
team rosters will be added to the website and maintained each year and as
players are added.
(d)
Each team is to consist of at least nine players.
In the event of seven or eight players being present at game time (
8:00pm
), John Does shall be added to fill the line-up.
The John Does can be placed in any position in the line-up and will be an
automatic out at their time at bat. In
the event of the arrival of other players, the John Does shall be replaced by
these players. The first arrival
will replace the first John Doe, etc. All
teams must have at least two adult members over the age of twenty-one at all
League games. All players reporting
shall play in all three games during the evening if able.
No players shall be added to the line-up before the last batter posted
bats, except when replacing a John Doe(s). He
will then play in the remaining games. Second
and Third games --- The next batter posted in the line-up after the player
making the last out of the previous game, will
bat first.
(e)
If a team leaves the league, that team's records shall be destroyed and
all games scheduled during any half shall be stricken from the opponents'
records. The players of this team
shall have their records maintained and these will be a part of their records in
the event they join another team.
(f)
The manager of each team shall be responsible for reporting all games to
the League secretary. These records
are to be reported in the first mail following the games.
All teams shall use the League accepted score sheet.
Each manager is to forward the standings of each player to the secretary
at mid-season and at the end of the season.
(g)
No female is to be added to any team roster.
(h)
It is up to the individual manager's discretion to decide if a boy is old
enough to be put on a team's roster.
(i) A line-up of all players
shall be posted each night prior to the first game, including any John Does.
(j)
Any team exhibiting behavior that another team deems inappropriate,
including language, is to notify the League President.
The League President shall present the occurrence to the Executive Board
at the next league meeting for discussion. A
majority vote of all teams present will determine whether or not that teams
manager is to remove the player(s) from their roster for the remainder of that
season. Repeated occurrences by any
one team shall be grounds for removal of that team from the league by a majority
vote by all teams present at an Executive meeting.
4. Schedule and Number of Games
The
schedule will be composed of two halves. Each
team will meet the other eleven teams in each half.
Each meeting will consist of three games.
The home team will be at bat last in the first and third games and the
visiting team will bat last in the second game.
The schedule will be reversed for the second half in regard to home games
and away games. To eliminate playing
the same team at the same time each year, a rotation schedule will be used.
The teams that play each other on the first week of the season will play
each other again the last week of the following season.
All other games are to be moved ahead one week.
All games are scheduled for Monday nights at
8:00 PM
. If a team does not have at least
seven of their regular players ready to play at that time, they shall forfeit
the first game. If they do not have
at least seven or more players at
8:30 PM
they shall forfeit all three games. The
home team shall have their practice prior to
7:45 PM
, at which time the visiting team shall be given the floor for practice.
No player shall have practice other than their allotted time or after the
games have started.
(a)
Postponement of a game shall be before
6:00 PM
on the playing date due to extraordinary circumstances.
In case of a postponement, the two managers involved must set another
night to play the delayed game. All
postponed games are to be made up before the end of each half.
Postponed games are to be rescheduled within seven (7) days and managers
are to notify the League secretary with that date.
In case the postponed game is the last game of the half or season, that
game is to be made up within three days after the end of that half or season.
If neither team can set a future date to make up a postponed game, the
By-Laws committee will meet and set a
night and time for that game to be played. If
a team fails to show on that night without just cause, those games will be
forfeited.
(b)
In case the visiting team believes a board or darts to be in bad
condition or the pitching line is not visible as required in (9), they will have
the right to play the games under protest. The
protest is to be made by the manager before the games start.
The protest will be carried to the By-Laws committee, who, in turn, will
meet and decide the case. If the
By-Laws committee finds the home team's darts or board to be in bad condition,
they may, at their discretion, cause the home team to forfeit three games to the
visiting team.
(c)
Any team that forfeits three weeks (9 games) during any season shall be
removed from the league immediately after the third forfeited week.
The team can only be reinstated the following season after reasonable
assurance of a solid roster, and by a vote of the league managers.
5. Dues Designated Each Year
Each
team is required to post dues of $60.00 prior to the league meeting at the end
of the first half of the season and are payable to the League Treasurer. Failure
to pay dues will result in that teams' second half games being forfeited until
dues are paid at the next league meeting. If
dues are still unpaid, the team shall continue to forfeit games until dues are
paid at a regular league meeting. Dues
may only be paid at the league meetings. The
League Treasurer will be responsible to provide each team a receipt for dues
paid. The league will provide one
dozen new darts to each team every other year beginning in the 2004-2005 season
upon payment of dues. The league
will present each team darts at the league managers meeting immediately
following the first half of the season when the team pays the league’s dues in
full. If a team fails to fully pay
their dues on time, their darts shall be withheld until dues are fully paid.
6. Boards and Darts
(a) Boards
All boards must be of
regulation size and color. (See diagram on front cover) The board, when in
playing position, shall measure fifty-four (54) inches from the floor to the
center of the board. The pitching
distance shall be twenty-five (25) feet from the board to the pitching line.
All boards shall be wired with 18-gauge steel wire with the exception of
the long single which is not to be wired. All
boards are to be in good condition during the playing season.
(b) Score Boards
Each
team shall furnish a score board that will list the line-ups and the three games
played each evening.
(c) Darts
Four
feathered white professional darts only will be classed as official darts.
All teams are required to have two dozen darts in good condition at all
times during the playing season. Teams
involved in the play-offs will supply one dozen playable darts each.
The league will provide darts for the championship and elimination
series. The league treasure will
store and will be in charge of the post season darts each season.
7. Playing Surface
(a) Singles
A
dart entering the white area of the extreme right square will be a single and
all runners, if any, shall advance one base.
If the dart should stick in the 1.5 in. square in the center of the
single square, it shall be called a long single and all base runners, if any,
shall advance two bases. If any part
of the dart is touching the blue area of the long single, it shall be ruled a
long single.
(b) Doubles
A
dart entering the white area of the square at the extreme top of the board shall
be called a double. The player
throwing the same will be on second base and all other base runners, if any,
will advance two bases.
(c)
Triples
A
dart entering the white area of the square at the extreme left of the board
shall be called a triple. The player
throwing the same will be on third base and all other runners, if any, will
advance three bases.
(d) Home runs
A
dart entering the white area of the square at the center of the board will be
called a home run. The player
throwing the same and all runners, if any, will score.
(e) Ball
A
dart entering the blue area of the square at the bottom of the board shall be
called a ball. Any player throwing
four balls before he makes an out shall take first base and all other runners,
if any, shall remain on their respective bases unless forced to move.
This is not considered a time at bat.
(f) Error
A
dart entering the small 2 in. square between third and home shall be called an
error. The player throwing the same
goes to first base and all runners, if any, will advance one base.
An error shall not be considered as a single, but it is a time at bat.
Any runners that score shall be considered an RBI for the batter.
(g) Sacrifice
A
dart entering the small 2 in. square at the upper comer of the ball square shall
be called a sacrifice. A dart
entering this square with no runners on base or when two men are out shall be
called a "no dart". If
there are runners on base with no outs or one man out, the player throwing the
same shall be called out and all runners will advance one base.
A sacrifice is not considered a time at bat.
(h) Double Play
A
dart entering the small 2 in. square between home and first base shall be called
a double play. The player throwing
the same is out and, if there are runners on base, the most advanced runner is
also out. No other runner will
advance. If there are no runners on
base or two outs it will be considered a "no dart".
(i) Strikes and Foul Balls
A
dart entering any of the four yellow squares shall be called a strike.
A dart entering the foul ball area, the white area around the squares,
shall be called a strike on all throws except the third strike, (as in
baseball), this being ruled a "no dart".
The player throwing three strikes is out.
(j) Outs
1.
Dart entering any red space on the board.
2.
Three darts entering strike area.
3.
Dart entering double play square with runners on base with less than two
outs.
4.
Dart entering sacrifice square with runners on base with less than two
outs.
5.
Dart missing board completely.
6.
Dart entering outside the six (6") inch foul area.
7.
Dart touching any objects before reaching the board.
8.
Dart hitting the wood frame of the board as defined in rule 6 (a) shall
be out if the dart sticks or not.
9.
Dart hitting the leg standards or base indicators shall be out, whether
or not the dart sticks.
10.
Dart glancing off the board and passing beyond the board.
11.
Any player(s) missing a turn at bat.
(k) "No Dart"
1.
Dart that sticks in another dart.
2.
Dart that strikes the cork area of the board but does not stick
and falls in front of the board.
a.
The leg standards and base indicators are not part of said board.
3.
Dart entering the sacrifice area without runners on base or with two men
out.
4.
Dart stuck in the wire on the playing surface of the board.
5.
Dart entering the double play area without runners on base or with two
men out.
8. Players Batting Out of Order
a.
Any player batting out of order is out, not to exceed three outs in that
inning per occurrence.
b.
Any player skipped shall be considered out, not to exceed three outs in
that inning per occurrence.
c.
Only those batters charged with an out as described in 8 (a) and 8 (b)
shall be charged with an At Bat. All
others who were skipped or batted out of order shall be considered as not
batting.
d.
The next player to bat will be the player following the last person who
batted out of order.
e.
This rule is only to be used when the first batter bats out of order.
If the opposing team does not challenge the order of the batters at that
time, the game shall proceed from that point without any penalty.
f.
All players will remain in the game and the lineup shall remain
unchanged.
9. Umpires
Each team will furnish one suitable umpire per game.
The umpire is to be an adult of at least twenty-one (21) years of age.
Both umpires will serve at the same time and their decisions will be
final. NO player shall be permitted
to aid in any decision! Umpires
shall not be permitted to pull a dart from the board until all decisions are
made. Any time the umpires are in
doubt as to a decision, they should give the benefit of the doubt to the batter.
Umpires shall stand at least five feet from the playing board while the
batter is throwing their darts. An
umpire can call a man out if his foot touches
or extends beyond the throwing line.
The home team provides the scorekeeper to be overseen by the umpires.
The pitching line shall be clearly distinguishable from the umpire’s
vantage point. If a visiting team
feels that the line is not visible as required, they may play the game in
protest as provided under section 4(b).
(a) Interference
No
spectators or players are permitted within five feet of the center of the
throwing line. No movement of the
limbs of any player, spectator, or umpire will be permitted that would exceed
the five foot playing area. No
player, spectator, or umpire will be permitted to interfere with the batter at
any time. No mechanical sounds of
any kind will be permitted by any player, spectator or umpire.
No sharp or sudden noises are to be made as a player releases a dart.
In cases of any violation of these rules by the opposing team, the umpire
may award the batter a single and advance all runners one base if there are any
runners on base at that time.
10. Play-offs and Trophies
(a) CHAMPIONSHIP
SERIES
The
team winning the most games in the first half of the season will be declared the
winner of the first half. The team
winning the most games in the second half will be declared the winner of the
second half. The winner of the first
half and the winner of the second half will play a seven game Championship
series on one Monday evening. The
team winning four games will be declared the champions and receive a trophy.
The team losing four games will be declared the runner-up and receive a
trophy. These two teams will be
eliminated from any further play-offs that season.
In the event one team wins both halves of the season they will be
declared the champion of the league. The
team with the next highest win total for both halves will be declared the league
runner-up. In the event of a tie
between two teams for the first or second half winners, the teams will conduct a
three game play-off. In the event of
a tie between three teams or more, see the tie breaker rules in 10(c) below.
The Championship Series will be played at the site of the team with the
best overall regular season record. If
there is a tie to between the two teams' regular season record to determine the
site of the championship series, please see the tie breaker rules in 10(c)
below.
(b)
SHAUGHNESSY SERIES
The
next four highest teams with the most wins for the regular season will play an
elimination series (Shaughnessy's) for a trophy.
The league champion and runner-up will not be considered eligible to
participate in this series. This
elimination series shall consist of two best-of-three games series the first
Monday after the regular season, with the two winners playing the following
Monday in a best-of-five games
series. The winner of this
elimination series will receive a trophy. In
the event of two teams tying for the 4th Shaughnessy position, a best
of 3 series will be played at the church – the location of the 3 game
tiebreaker series will be determined based on the tiebreaker rules in 10(c)
below. In the event of 3 or more
teams tying for the 4th Shaughnessy position the ties will be broken
with the tie breaker rules in 10(c) below only.
(c) TIE
BREAKER RULES
The following tie breaker rules are to be applied as follows:
for any Championship Series tiebreaker, “overall” shall be defined as
the half in question. For any other
tiebreaker, “overall” shall be defined as the entire season.
1)
The first tiebreaker will be overall head to head.
2)
The second tiebreaker will be overall total runs scored.
3)
The third tiebreaker will be overall total hits.
4)
The fourth tiebreaker will be a coin toss.
(d)
All play-off games will be conducted by the By-Laws committee, who along
with the league officers will schedule the dates and places of the play-off
games. Two Bylaw Committee members
not participating in the playoffs or any team manager who is not participating
in the playoffs shall be the umpires for all playoff games as determined by the
Bylaw Committee. The Bylaw Committee
shall meet immediately prior to the league meeting at the end of the season to
prepare for the playoffs and determine umpires.
The umpires will be neutral.
For the first round of the Shaughnessy series, the home team
will provide the darts for the game and refreshments.
The league shall provide darts for the elimination and championship
rounds.
(e)
The Christmas Tournament will consist of all twelve (12) teams and will
be a single elimination tournament. It
will be played between the first and second halves of the season.
This tournament will be
conducted be the By-Laws committee.
(f)
The team trophies awarded will be as follows:
1.
League Champion
2.
League Runner-up
3.
Winner of the Elimination (Shaughnessy's) Series
4.
Christmas Tournament
(g)
The individual trophies awarded will be for highest and runner-up totals
in these categories with all trophies engraved at League expense:
1.
Average --- Player must have played in at least 42 games.
2.
Runs Batted In
3.
Singles
4.
Doubles
5.
Triples
6.
Home Runs
7.
Walks (minimum of 25; no runner up will be awarded a trophy)
(h)
A special President's Trophy will be awarded by the Vice President of the
League each year at the season ending banquet to someone of his choice.