Gwinnett Senior Softball, Inc.
General Membership Meeting
December 3, 2022 - Meeting Minutes

 

Date, Time, Location
December 3, 2022 - 9:35 a.m. - Gwinnett Senior Center at Bethesda Park

 

Call to Order
Presiding President Mike Alexander called the meeting to order and welcomed members.

 

Opening Prayer
Skipped

 

Attendance
The following 2021 Board members were in attendance:

• Mike Alexander, President
• Tommy Wiggins, New Vice President
• Doris Warpole, Secretary
• Frank Casper, New Secretary
• Christine Scheurich, Treasurer
• Rick Rhodes, National League Commissioner
• Ron Petre – American League Commissioner
• Gary Mastrodonato, Past President / Team Sponsorship / Shirts
• Eurskine Lyons, National League Member at Large
• Harvey Schulman, American League Member at Large / Legal

Special Guest:Tara Branch, Recreation Program Supervisor

 

Gary was Sgt at Arms to help keep things running. He had the small softball hammer as a gavel.

 

Association By-Laws state that all members in good standing in the current calendar year are eligible to vote at the Annual Meeting; and 20% of the eligible membership in attendance shall be considered a quorum. Fifty- four (54) members attended representing 44% of the current active eligible membership of 126.

 

Mike reminded folks that everyone gets a door prize. They need to take a gift card of their choice after signing in. They should also supply their names on a small slip of paper because at the end of the meeting there will be a drawing for the top prizes - $100 gift certificate from Dick’s Sporting Goods donated by Larry Ellison. There were also 4 new bats and a couple of turkeys. 3 of the bats were donated by Eurskine Lyons and one from Lewis Grace. The turkeys were donated by Ron King.

 

Minutes Approval
Mike asked for a motion to approve the minutes from the previous year’s meeting. There were several, and there were seconds, and the vote to approve was unanimous. A copy of the minutes was provided on the back tables.

 

Financial Report
Christine reviewed the 2022 Financial Report. Copies of the financial report were on each table for members to review. If members have any specific questions related to the 2021 report, they can contact Christine directly.

• The league is very solvent right now. In good shape.
• There is a balance on hand of 13,503.92 The CD Balance stands at 6,042.46
• Gary offered that the program of buying shirts 2 years in advance is working out well for the league.
• Ron offered that the softballs that go over the fence on the baseball field are pretty much a loss.

There was no further discussion or questions regarding the financial report. Mike asked the members to approve the financial report as presented. (Motion to approve financial report; motion seconded) Unanimous Vote by Members Present – Financial Report approved as presented.

Overview of Membership and League Statistics

 

Mike:
Overall Membership decreased 8.7% over 2021

• Members by Age: 46% - 60 or younger vs 54% - 61 and older
• County: 51% Gwinnett vs 49% Other Counties
• Copies of statistics available in back

Gary:
Team Sponsors – Flyer in back

• Gary gave a good push to members, encouraging them to reward sponsors by using their services or frequenting their establishments whenever possible. Those who have saved time and money.

Recognition
Mike gave special thanks to the following for their help in providing logistics and materials for this Annual Meeting.
Tara Branch – Recreation Program Director for Gwinnett County. Terra introduced herself to us and
answered a few questions.

• Jim Hannah – Projector / Taking Pictures
• Board Members - Breakfast snacks
• Board Members and individuals who helped in setting up
• Eurskine Lyons for his donations

Special Recognition
Mike stated that the League could not run efficiently without the Team Managers and League Commissioners.  He thanked everyone for their hard work.

 

Commissioners – Rick Rhodes / Ron Petre - $30 gift card

 

10 Team Managers – $20 gift card

• National League: Tommy Wiggins, Jim Hannah, Nate Henry, Gary Still, Neil Castro
• American League: Chris Bolden, Clif Parker, Sergio Sencion, Chuck Williams, Ed McVeigh

.

Mike also recognized the following individuals with gift cards for the work they have done for the League during the year:

• Umpires - Ed Brown and David Birge
• Practices – Jim Hannah and Ken Packman
• Field Nurse - Kathy Walker
• League Web Site - Todd Eaton - By the time you get home, the website is updated.

 

Note: There are a number of gift cards to be mailed to the recipients: Frank will mail them.

 

In Memory of a Founding Sponsor
Terri Granger Potter, 58, of Dunwoody, Georgia, passed away after being hospitalized for a ruptured brain aneurysm on May 5th and passed into glory on Thursday, May 26, 2022.

 

Terri was not only a spouse, but one of our original and founding sponsors. Georgia Health Insurance, Inc. has been a loyal supporter of our league. 

 

New Business - 2022

2022 Team Sponsors
Mike thanked all the sponsors. Members were encouraged to support our sponsors with their patronage.

 

Gary noted there has been no major changes in sponsorship fees. Flyer for 2022 Sponsorship was available at the meeting. If a member is interested in becoming a sponsor, he/she should contact Gary.

Jim Smith Sportsmanship Award
Harvey: Jim Smith Sportsmanship Award

• Anonymous donor - $250 for award / $25 donation to American Cancer Society in Jim’s name.
• Award given to a player that exhibits sportsmanship, overall team player, supportive of his team, and exemplary effort on the field.

 

Harvey spoke about playing with Jim Smith and the reason why the Sportsmanship Award was created by the Board in 2010. This is the 11 th year of this award. Jim Smith was a man with a common name and an uncommon character. Had a remarkable line drive swing. He was as good a man as he was a player. He would offer advice and counsel. He came to the field even while on chemo treatment for the cancer he was battling. We lost him in 2010.

 

Members were asked to submit nominations of players (except Board Members) who they felt were deserving of the award. This year we received 5 nominations and All the nominees this year were deserving. But we could only have one winner.

 

From Michael Mauk:

I play in the National League and this season I was on the Brown Team.  Even though we finished in last place, we always had the drive to win.  We lost many close games.  This did not deter our team’s efforts or passion in always trying to do better.  A teammate in particular who was always a positive light on our team was Danny Park.     

 

Danny always has a positive attitude, regardless of the score.  He would always praise our
teammates for their efforts and encourage those that were struggling.  He was never yelling, arguing, or condescending when trying to help people out.   He would even go out of his way to compliment the other team….even during the game.  Don't get me wrong, Danny is competitive and he wants to win.  A great player as well.  He sets the example of winning isn't everything; we're here to have fun-- the mantra of the Senior Softball League.   He is a true asset to the league.

 

Thank you for considering him for the award.

 

Nominations and Election of Officers

• President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer are elected positions voted on by members. Officer term is 1 year; officers need to be re-nominated and elected each year.
• Two League Commissioners nominated by President and approved by the Board – Term up to 4 years.
• Three At Large Members appointed by President and approved by the Board – Term up to 4 years. At Large Members serve as an Advisory Council and will step into a mandatory position to continue operation of league.
• All the current officers agreed to continue in their positions.

 

Mike asked for any floor nominations? None. Motion to close nominations, motion seconded. Unanimous Vote by Members present to elect nominees. Board of Directors for 2023 are:

• President Mike Alexander
• Vice-President Tommy Wiggins
• Treasurer Christine Scheurich
• Secretary Frank Casper

League Commissioners 2023
Ron Petre and Rick Rhodes agreed to be the American League Commissioner and National League Commissioner, respectively.

3 At Large Board Members 2022

• Harvey Schulman – American League Member at Large / Legal Liaison
• Eurskine Lyons – National League Member at Large
• Gary Mastrodonato – Team Sponsorship / Shirts

Mike thanked the Board members for their hard work over the past year and in keeping the best interest of the league in their decisions.

 

Board Members do not get paid. They volunteer their time and attend several meetings as well as responding to calls and emails from members with suggestions and comments.

 

2023 Season
Best Friend Park – We still have “first rights” on the park.

Field Availability

• Softball and Baseball Field – Monday through Thursday and Saturday mornings.

Nights of Play

• American League - Monday/Wednesday
• National League - Tuesday/Thursday

League Play

• 2-3 week break between seasons depending on weather!!

 

Annual One Pitch Memorial Tournament – mid/late September

• Thursday night at Best Friend Park - All league players eligible - no charge to play

 

Practice Schedule – remains the same for 2023

• December through March: Tuesday and Saturday – 10:00 or 11:00 a.m. (or later)
• April through November: Tuesday and Saturday - 9:00 or 10:00 a.m.

 

Meeting with Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation will take place in January. As far as we know county is not going to increase light fees or out of county resident fees.

• Out of County Resident Fee – Remains $90 per out of county member
• Light Fee – Remains $9.00 per hour per night per field

Contact Tara to see if she has any indication if the rates will remain the same or go up – if she doesn’t know then Mike can tell members we’ll find out in January

Note

• No Smoking – All Gwinnett County Parks and Fields (dugout/bleachers)
• Alcohol Free Park (Fines up to $150)
• Lights go off automatically at 11:00 p.m.

Questions:

• There was a suggestion that a net to trap softballs is easier to do than we thought. It is being revisited.

The Board welcomes any suggestions from members and stated a Board member will respond to all complaints, concerns, issues, etc.

 

Breakout Sessions by League
Rick Rhodes - Minutes from National League Breakout Session
It was again suggested that we start with a one ball one strike count. There was minimal discussion about it possibly speeding up the game, but it was pointed out that we have a 70-minute time limit and if the first game goes into extra innings by rule the second game will use the one and one count. There was a vote taken and the majority voted to leave things as they are.

 

There were no discussion points submitted prior to the meeting.

 

Rick mentioned there are two new rule changes for next year.
1. When catching for the other team if, in the opinion of the umpire, the catcher does not make a valid attempt to catch the ball the umpire will call the runner out.
2. Only the manager can authorize an intentional walk.

 

Eurskine talked about the new SSUSA requirements that all new approved senior bats to be legal must be stamped with the SSUSA logo and an NTS Certified Stamp of Testing Compliance, but that current bats are grandfathered in.

 

It was asked if the league could make the strike mat all one color (like white) to help the pitcher. Rick said he would bring it up at the next board meeting.

 

It was again asked by a new player if the National League could move to a one-on-one count to help speed up the game. Rick explained that this has been brought up a time or two and voted down, but he took a vote anyway. It was defeated.

 

The discussion talked more about trying to get players to more quickly get to and from their positions to help speed up the game to get in seven innings. Most there determined that since we are older things work fine the way they are.

 

Rick also mentioned that the rule about the infield restriction line has been reworded to make it easier to understand by players and the umpires.

 

Harvey Schulman for Ron Petre - Minutes from American League Breakout Session
American League Breakout Session
Ron Petre, AL Commissioner, chaired the meeting.

 

Discussion topic: With the goal in mind to equalize team strength, have the league commissioner set team rosters and do away with the draft.

Team managers are not in favor of doing this. Some teams look strong on paper but don’t perform up to expectations on the field due to injuries, absence of key players and other factors. Sometimes advanced information about a new player’s ability is exaggerated.

 

Strong preference was voiced for continuing to form teams through a draft and allowing managers to freeze three players from their first half roster when going into the second half. Players will not be moved from one team to another during the season for the purpose of balancing out team strength.

 

Players signing up late will be placed on teams based on roster size, not player ability.

 

Discussion topic: Substitute players
Several players sign up to sub each year who do not accept sub assignments when contacted. The commissioner goes through the sub list and contacts prospective subs in order. He keeps reaching out to players until enough are found. What ultimately happens is a handful of players end up being subs several times during the season.

 

If there are five teams in the league and four teams are scheduled to play on a particular night, that leaves only one team to draw subs from. It is not possible to place subs based on ability because there are not enough subs to choose from. More players willing to sub are needed.

 

There were no suggestions on how to resolve the lack of subs issue.

 

Discussion topic: Players not happy with their positions played
If a player is stuck at catcher and wants a chance to play another position so he can improve, that is a discussion that should be raised by the player with their manager. If the situation is not resolved to the player’s satisfaction, an option would be to move to the National League where there might be more opportunity to play other positions.

 

Discussion topic: Do we want to shorten the time length of games?
No time limit exists now. If the score is tied after seven innings, one and only one extra inning is played.

 

We will continue to use a one-one count when each batter comes to the plate to try to speed the game up.

 

We use the SSUSA rulebook as a guide. That rulebook includes the flip-flop rule. We will not leave the decision to use the flip-flop rule to team managers on a game-by-game basis. We will decide before the season starts to either use it universally or not. The prevailing opinion was to not adopt the use of the flip-flop rule.

 

It was suggested that an extra ball be placed in the netting of the pitching screen. It was determined that there is no room for that because of the lack of slack in the screen netting.

 

Discussion topic: Tie games
Once a game starts, the umpire is in charge of what happens on the field, not a board member who may or may not be participating in the game.

 

If a full seven-inning game is not played because of weather conditions, lightning, power failure or other reason, the winner of the game is determined to be the team that was ahead at the completion of the last full inning. If the score was tied after completion of the last full inning, the game ends in a tie. No games will be suspended to be resumed at a later date.

 

If the score is tied at the end of seven innings, only one extra inning will be played. Ghost runners will begin each half-inning at second base. If the score is tied after eight innings, the game is over and ends in a tie.

 

Discussion topic: Shorten the outfield distance on the baseball field
It was suggested that a chalk line be placed in an arc approximately 305 feet from home plate stretching from foul line to foul line.

 

Discussion topic: How to increase league membership
Blast emails about league participation are sent out to current and former league members. An advantage our league has over others is that we play 24 games in a season, more than most other leagues.

 

It was suggested that some verbiage on the league website be refreshed and softened up a bit so as not to give the impression that existing players take precedence over new incoming players. Todd Eaton, webmaster, will follow up on this.

 

A suggestion was also made that the league Facebook page could use some refreshing.