TP BREAKING NEWS: An Important Communique Regarding The 2010 TP House League Baseball Tournament


PDF  FILE OF TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE POSTED; IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING FORMAT AND RULES OF TOURNEY ALSO RELEASED

Greetings TP Parents/Guardians, Players and Coaches.                                                                                                     

It’s hard to believe that it’s already time for it, but here’s the schedule for our end-of-year 2010 TP House League Baseball Tournament (a.k.a. ‘September Madness’).

Please click on the following link to access a PDF copy of the 2010 TP TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE that you may either save to your computer or print out at your leisure.

We’d also like to go over a few things so that all of us…parents, coaches, players, and umpires… are all on the same page as we begin the tournament on September 7.

First of all, please note that we’re no longer following a standard division night schedule…games can be any night and also Saturday and Sunday). Please read the schedule carefully to see when your team plays.

All regular house league baseball rules will be in effect during the tournament. Diamonds 2 and 3 will have fencing set up, and balls bouncing over or rolling under the fence will be declared dead and bases will be awarded at the umpire’s discretion. Balls clearing the fence on the fly will be home runs.

In the Mosquito, Peewee, and Bantam divisions, a round-robin series will take place followed by elimination playoff games. Divisional standings will be kept during the round-robin portion, with teams receiving 2 points for a win; 1 point for a tie and 0 point for a loss.

If teams are tied in the divisional standings after the round-robin series, the following tie-breaking system will be used:

First tie-breaker: Head-to-head – the result of the game/games between the two teams; if still tied then

Second tie-breaker: Total plus/minus after 4 innings – each team’s plus/minus after 4 innings of each game will be recorded during the tournament, and this number will be the 2nd tie-breaker; if still tied then

Third tie-breaker: Plus/minus after 4 innings of game/games between the two teams; if still tied then

Fourth tie-breaker: Coin toss.

Mosquito Division: Each team will play every other team once in the round-robin, and then there will be quarter-finals, semi-finals, and a championship game.  All games must be 5 innings, unless an elimination playoff game is tied in which case there will be extra innings. The games in the mosquito division will be played under a strict time limit.  If the game is still in progress two hours after the start time (7:45 pm), the inning being played will be completed and the rest of the game will be suspended. However, if the outcome of that game would affect the standings and the quarter-final match-ups, the rest of the five innings will be completed at the earliest possible time.

Peewee and Bantam Divisions: Each team will play four games in the round-robin (against two teams once and one team twice), and then there will be semi-finals and a championship game.  All round-robin games must be 5 innings, and playoff games will be 6 innings unless tied in which case there will be extra innings. If a game is still in progress two hours after the start time, the inning being played will be completed and the rest of the game will be suspended. However, if the outcome of that completed game would affect the standings and the semi-final match-ups, the rest of the five innings will be completed at the earliest possible time.

Midget Division: The midget division tournament will be a best-of-five series between the Homesteads and the Lizzies. Any game which is potentially the clinching game will be six innings in length. Non-clinching games will be five innings in length, unless five innings have been completed before one hour and forty-five minutes of play, in which case a sixth inning will be played.

VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION – PLEASE NOTE:

  • ALL games WILL start at the scheduled time, regardless of how many players are there. Defensive teams will have to field with available players.
  • Please arrive at least one half hour before game time to warm up and to allow coaches to make lineups.  
  • Full uniforms (houeseleague hat, houseleague jersey, houseleague pants) are to be worn.
  • If games are cancelled due to weather, the tournament will run longer than indicated on the schedule.

Players, coaches, and umpires will receive a free lunch from the BBQ on Saturday. We will also be selling lunch from the BBQ on both Saturday and Sunday from approximately 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. We require some volunteers to help run the BBQ, so if you could be available for an hour or two on either Saturday or Sunday, please give your name and phone number to your child’s coach or to me before the start of the tournament. We greatly appreciate any help that you can provide. Thanks in advance!

Updated scores, standings, pictures and other news will be posted at the conclusion of play every night on the Toronto Playgrounds House League baseball website  at www.torontoplaygrounds.ca  throughout the tournament. Remember to check the hotline (416) 392-1914 if the weather is suspect.

Finally, let’s try and keep the games and our comments positive, and help the players and coaches be good sports.

Yours sincerely,

Steve Smith, Coordinator, Toronto Playgrounds House League Baseball