Changes made at fall meeting

The 2009 Powerline Baseball League fall meeting took place on Thursday night with some robust discussion, enterprising and rule modification on tap for the night.

The league looks poised at the moment to hold steady with at least six teams with the possible addition of 1 to 3 more depending on numbers and other issues in 2010.

Holden and Sherwood Park had representatives at the meeting who were interested in learning more about the league and posed questions to the current members on fees and entry into the storied league.

Holden has a solid core of young players, but would need to finalize a few more to make a go of it. Sherwood Park has nine committed and possibly more, but is concerned about the men’s league not being under Baseball Alberta for insurance purposes for both players and umpires. The league will look into costs for teams to register with Baseball Alberta over the winter and bring forward for discussion in the spring.

Rules for playoff eligibility were tweaked with the league recommending to eliminate the old “3-game rule” and approving a roster rule, which would see each team submit an 18-man roster by the first Friday in June. That roster would be frozen and only those on the roster could play after the first Friday in June and in playoffs.

The league also set in stone an official tie-breaker formula, ultimately, the league has decided that runs for vs. runs against is not an appropriate way to break a tie, and that a one-game playoff should be played. Watch for specific details in the updated rules and minutes of the meeting.

For the 2010 campaign, PBL members will have to state their intentions to field a team by Feb. 28 and the schedule will be cobbled together the week or two after so teams can review it and come to the spring meeting (to take place on March 17) with any concerns. Also to be discussed at the spring meeting is requiring two umpires for all games and a look at how the all-star team is selected.

Teams also decided to continue using wood and wood composite bats after the trial year in 2009.