MESSAGE TO OUR FANS!!!

April 8, 2007

Several days ago it was brought to our attention that an unknown group of individuals had written several remarks in our comment sections of the photo gallery that were not in accordance with our teaching and practices here at Fossil Park.  There are nearly four thousand photos within this site and we had no idea of such comments having been posted. These remarks have been deleted from our site and the ability to text message on the photo galleries has been disabled.  In the four years that we have permitted fans, parents, relatives, and friends to text encouraging remarks to the players and members of all the other teams that we post on this site, we have never had any problems with inappropriate behavior from the fans until now.  We apologize for any derogative remarks made by the person or persons and assure you that we are investigating the source of those responsible for this type of behavior.  Again please accept our sincere apologies.

IMPORTANT CHANGES FOR 2007 AT FOSSIL PARK YOUTH BASEBALL & SOFTBALL

Fossil Park, over the last few years has experienced significant growth in various areas of or youth sports activities.  The advent of Girls' Softball has been a huge success; couple this with growth in our baseball division, hosting State Championship Baseball, and other tournaments, a time for change in some of our league structures seemed warranted.  Anyone interested in learning all our baseball rules and regulations may do so by clicking on this link to our Rules and Regulations pages.  Below we will summarize the significant changes you can expect when registering for the upcoming 2007 season.

League Age Assignments:  We have reassigned various age groups and realigned those leagues to reflect what we believe will offer better playing environments for our players.  One of the main additions is the new competitive Farm League.  This league is designed primarily for 7 and 8 year olds but experienced or advanced 6 year olds may also try out.  Please Note:  All players 7 and above will be asked to tryout for league placement.  The Farm league will be formed via the draft as other competitive leagues.  We encourage those who wish to manage or coach on one of these teams to complete an application.  The number of teams will be determined by the number of registrants of that age group.  Those that are not drafted shall be placed in the regular B-Minor Division for 7 and 8 year olds.  Also note that the 7 and 8 year old All-Stars will be selected from the Farm Division.  ALL ALL-STAR SELECTIONS WILL BE TAKEN FROM THE COMPETITIVE LEAGUES WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE 6 & UNDER WHICH WILL BE SELECTED FROM THE T-BALL DIVISION.

The B-Major Division age grouping will be 9 and 10 year olds that were not drafted and may also include those 8 year olds that tried out for the Minors Program and were not drafted.  The A-Minor Program will now consist of 11, 12, and 13 year olds that were not drafted.  We believe this will help us accommodate many more youth and also provide a more challenging environment in our instructional leagues.

The following is taken from page 9 of the 2007 Edition of the Fossil Park Youth Baseball and Softball League Operating Rules:

 "In order to be chosen in the draft for any competitive league, all players who are 7 years old or older must try out.  Players must attend and participate in a minimum of two of the three tryout dates.  Note:  In order for any player to be eligible for all-stars, he or she must be currently playing in one of the competitive age groups (Six year old all-stars will be selected from the T-Ball Division). Official League Age is as of April 30.  Players must play in their age bracket.  Those players effected by the new age changes in 2006 and whom have completed a minimum of two years in their designated age bracket may elect to remain in that age group for an additional season or they may try out in one age group higher."

Another significant change for the upcoming season will take place in the Freshman (11-12 yr. olds).  The Dropped Third Strike Rule will be in effect for all local league play.  Catchers must learn to hold on to the third strike as in Major League Rules and the upper divisions.  If the catcher drops the third strike or the strike is a passed ball the batter may advance to first base providing the base is unoccupied.

Minimum Playing Time:  "To insure that players receive the minimum required playing time as set forth in these rules; managers must have satisfied these requirements by the end of the fifth inning for Farm through Freshman Leagues and by the end of the sixth inning for Sophomore through Senior Leagues. In the event that a player does not receive his/her required playing time in a game then that player shall start the next game and the play time requirements for the game(s) in question and the current game shall be met before being substituted."  See page 21 of the League Operating Rules for a complete description of minimum playing time requirements.

Curfews/Tiebreakers:  This Season the Modified California/Texas style tie breaker shall be for one inning only.  If no team is declared a winner at the end of one inning of play the game shall be declared a tie.  See the complete rule on page 23 of the League Operation Rules.

Additional changes in the 2007 rules includes issues dealing with various definitions such as defining the start time of a game; eligibility of teams for the City Tournaments; interpretation of the start of an inning; adding a tenth player on defense in the B-Major Division; and All-Star selection methods and requirements which is worth bringing to the forefront in this cover story.

The following is covered in Item 12, page 28 of the League Operation Rules:

"Players elected to All-Stars will be notified of their selection to the All-Star team, and shall be advised of the practice requirements. At this time they will be asked to review and sign the All-Star Commitment form. Each player selected to the All-Stars must commit to both the district and state tournaments (if applicable). World Series commitments will be optional should the team become eligible. Any All-Star player who willfully abandons his team or violates the commitment agreement shall not be eligible for All-Stars for a period of one year. Note: Any player that misses a post season game to play for another team or organization shall be subject to the penalties described in this section."

We look forward for a great and prosperous 2007 Season at Fossil Park.  Please review the Operating Rules and League By-Laws.  We have posted this information for you so that you may better understand how the league operates and as parents, we hope that providing you with access to information will help resolve any questions you may have.  Have a great Holiday Season and we look forward to seeing you at registration time.

Wanted: Managers and Coaches For The
2007 Regular Spring Season

Complete an Application Online and Print

Click the Link Below

2007 Spring Season Managers/Coaches Application

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view most of these forms and documents.  If you do not have Adobe Reader you can obtain it from Adobe at the link above or download it for free here. (File size: 15.9 mb)