2005 AGM / Banquet Minutes

The Annual General Meeting for the 2005 Glen Cairn Men's Fastball League season was held in conjunction with the year-end banquet on Saturday October 15th 2005 at The Kanata Sports Club. For those who were unable to attend, here is a summary of the items discussed, voted on, and agreed to during the meeting.

  1. The Executive Committee for the 2006 season is comprised of:

President:

Eric Rosenquist

1st Vice President: 

Trevor Wood

2nd Vice President: 

Eric Colvin

Equipment Manager: 

Mike Money

Treasurer: 

Charlie Durning
  1. In order to encourage participation in the AGM, all those in attendance qualify for a draw with the winner receiving free registration for the following season. The winner of the draw for the 2006 season is Chris Read.
  2. Treasurer Charlie Durning gave a brief report on the league’s financial situation and pointed out that our bank account balance has been declining steadily over the past few seasons as costs have escalated. As a result, it was decided that sponsorship fees should be raised (for the first time in over 10 years) to $400, and that player registration should be raised to $130. The league will also investigate getting a sponsor such as Easton to supply one new bat per team, thereby saving the league approximately $500 and leaving the captains with less equipment to worry about before and after games.
  3. It was voted on and decided that for the 2006 season, the assignment of pitchers to teams will be done in random order by the pitchers. Rather than the captains drawing numbers from a hat and selecting pitchers in the assigned order, the 12 starting pitchers will draw numbers from a hat and select their team in the assigned order. Under the old system, pitchers had the option of not returning to their previous team. In the “pitcher picks” system, teams will have the option of not getting the same pitcher as the previous season.

    It has since been suggested by several people that the method should alternate between “pitchers pick” and “captains pick” each year – that will be a discussion matter for the 2006 AGM.
  4. It was voted on and decided that the playoff format would be changed to eliminate one round, and at the same time make the regular season standings more relevant. The teams finishing 5th and 6th in each division will play in the “consolation” playoffs, with the 5th place teams hosting the 6th place teams from the opposite division in the first round, and the two winners playing in the consolation final. The prize, if any, for the consolation winner is yet to be determined.

    The first through fourth place teams would compete for the league championship in a fashion similar to the current playoffs, though the number of rounds would be reduced to three since there are only eight teams in the running for the championship. The divisional cross-over will take place in round two; the semi-final round.
  5. Allowing the use of metal cleats by all players was discussed, and in the end it was decided (by a 17-7 vote) that the question would be put on the 2006 registration forms.
  6. Pitching rules for 2006 will be changed as follows:
    1. Starting pitchers are eligible to pitch as a spare for other teams whose starting pitcher is away. Teams may only use a given starting pitcher as a spare pitcher once per season. Throwing a single pitch counts as a pitching appearance. Other players are still eligible to pitch as spares; nothing has changed in that regard.
    2. Starting pitchers who come out of the game before the start of the 5th inning may play any defensive position – they no longer have to sit on the bench until the 5th. It is still the starting pitcher’s decision whether or not he should stay in the game up until the start of the 5th inning.
  7. The extra inning rule for 2006 will be changed so that the batting order continues from the point it left off to start the 8th inning rather than resetting to the top of the order.
  8. As a result of the change to the extra inning rule, spares will now bat last and 2nd last rather than 2nd and 3rd last.
  9. Several items regarding the mid-season tournament were discussed and voted on.
    1. The move to Bridlewood Core Park in 2005 was well received and it was decided that the 2006 tournament should be held there as well.
    2. There was no interest in changing the format of our tournament to allow participation by outside teams.
    3. The concept of a 2nd tournament later in the season was discussed, but it was decided that such an event would not be an official league activity. Interested parties within the league that wish to organize and host a tournament are free to do so, and the league will assist in whatever capacity it can.
    4. It was decided that the league should try to avoid scheduling games on the Monday after the tournament.
  10. A vote was held on which style of softball to use. The “Red-Dot” was overwhelmingly favoured over the “K-Master”, and the “optic yellow” colour was favoured by a count of 17-7 over white. As a result, the league will be using yellow Red-Dot balls for all of its 2006 games.
  11. A couple of proposals for changes to the protection rule regarding the eligibility of pitchers and players acquired via the spares list were discussed, but there was no interest in changing the current protection rules.