Hello Ballplayers

Hello Ballplayers

Every year at this time, the League holds elections for the Executive Committee that is responsible for all league activities. We always need a few people to step forward to join the Executive Committee and help guide the League as we organize for next season. Please consider getting involved, either as a candidate or by persuading another capable individual to stand for election.

This year three of our five Executive positions are up for renewal, League President,

VP Social and Treasurer. You can find the Job Descriptions HERE.

As in the past, the vote will be by secret ballot at the diamonds.

Bear in mind that you can nominate someone for a role (get that person’s approval, first) or you can self-nominate (that is, volunteer yourself).

Absence from Ottawa (for any snowbirds) is not a barrier to holding one of the positions as the monthly meetings are held virtually. You can be located anywhere and still participate. The success of our league depends on the availability of volunteers to keep things running smoothly.

KEY DATES

July 29 to August 16: Nominations
August 20 & 27: Elections by secret ballot at the diamonds.

Following the close of nominations, the candidates will be announced and instructions provided on how to participate in the vote.

Dave Tripp has kindly volunteered to look after the nominations and the election process this year.

Nominations (or questions) can be submitted by sending an email to Dave Tripp at <dtripp1661@rogers.com>

When submitting nominations please include the name(s) of the nominator(s) and the contact information for the nominee.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Robin Boyd, League President

president.ottawa60plusslopitch@gmail.com

Hello Everybody

The summer is here and with it hotter weather. We recently had some very hot weather and concerns have been raised by some players regarding the safety of playing under conditions of extreme heat. It is well established that extreme heat can bring health problems that may not be obvious until it’s too late.  These effects do not affect everybody equally. However, like every other bad thing, they disproportionately impact the very young and seniors.

As you may already know, every Tuesday morning, bright and early, I do a weather check to see whether we have a substantial threat (or reality) of rain making it impossible or unsafe to play. If the conditions do not allow play, the League Secretary notifies the captains that the games are postponed and the captains pass the message on to their teams.

From now on, I will be considering the projected temperature and humidity when making the call as to whether we will play. I’ll also look at any air quality alerts for things like smoke and other pollutants.

The members of the Executive have proposed a standard where any time the projected high is above 30 degrees Celsius, or the Humidex exceeds 40 degrees, the schedule will change as follows. One of the 11:00 o’clock games will be moved to 9:30 at diamond 4 and the other will be postponed and rescheduled. We will also reduce the games played on those days to 5 innings instead of 7.

Moving the one later game to 9:30 is based on the principle that the earlier games are not likely to be subjected to the worst heat. We also are trying to minimize having a long backlog of games that otherwise would need to be rescheduled.

If you have any concerns regarding this proposal, please refer them to me or to your captain for forwarding to me.  Otherwise, we will implement this starting Tuesday, July 2.

Hello ball players!

This week we had a case of a batter/base runner who was hit on the head by a ball thrown to first base. This is an occupational hazard of playing ball but the risk can be reduced by the use of helmets.

Our league does not mandate the use of helmets for batters and baserunners and we have no plans to do so.

However, if any player wishes to use one, there is nothing preventing it. The league has a very small supply of helmets (3). If you want to reserve one for your use for the rest of the season, contact our VP Operations, Peter Atkinson.  Peter can be reached by email at peteraeducation16@gmail.com . The helmets will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Stay safe out there and enjoy the rest of the season.

Robin Boyd, League President

Hello League Members

Hello All Members

Hello All

Hello All League Members

With the 2024 Ball season getting ready to start, we have decided to have an Opening Breakfast/ Information session again this year. All League members are invited including new players, spares and scorekeepers. Members of the Executive will also be there to answer questions.

The breakfast will be held on April 30th at 9:30 AM at the Royal Oak Centrepointe, 117 Centrepointe Drive, Nepean.

We will be the only client in the restaurant at that time. Doors will open at 9:00 AM.

This will be a buffet style breakfast with a choice of coffee or tea. Juice will be served upon request. The cost will be $16.00 per person all in. Everyone is welcome.

To book your meal, you can pay by cheque (Payable to Ottawa 60+ Slo-Pitch League, and mail to 6084 Willowbark Drive, Orleans, Ont. K1C 5T8) or send an e-transfer payment to Chery Ferguson at the following email  treasurer.ottawa60plusslopitch@gmail.com

Deadline to book your breakfast is April 19^th. If you are sending a cheque by mail, please send an email to Chery at the above address to ensure you are counted.

Looking forward to seeing you at the Breakfast.

Robin Boyd, President

Question 1

Complete the season by early September.	12	13.79 %
Complete the season by middle of September.	19	21.84 %
Keep the 21 week schedule as is.	43	49.43 %
Not a big issue – whatever the majority chooses is fine by me.	13	14.94 %

Question 2

 

Let’s stick with the status quo – 9:30 and 11:00 am.	43	50.00 %
I would really prefer a slightly later start time – 10:00 and 11:30 am.	32	37.21 %
I’m easy either way – let the majority rule.	11	12.79 %

Question 3

 

Keep the rule as is – one home run per player per game.	33	38.82 %
Tweak the existing rule – a player’s 2nd home run in a game is credited as a double.	19	22.35 %
Deal with home runs on a team basis – maximum of 3 per team per game.	4	4.71 %
Successive home runs – once Team A gets one, only Team B can hit the next one, and so on.	25	29.41 %
I have no opinion on this matter.	4	4.71 %

 

Hello Slo-Pitch Players

With valuable assistance from Lorne Abugov, we have established an online survey as a new communications tool to obtain your ideas and input into league operations and rule changes. It is important to emphasize, however, that the continued success of our league strongly depends on the support and participation of all of its members. With this in mind, our first survey consists of two key questions that have come up from our 2023 year-end survey and generally throughout the year from players: 1) adjusting the start time of the two games each Tuesday, and; 2) the overall length of the regular and playoff season. We have added a third question dealing with the home run rule to provide more content to our inaugural survey attempt.

The survey is easy to complete and should not take more than a minute to do. I ask that you please take the time to complete the survey as the results will provide the basis for making any improvements to the league’s operations. A healthy response rate and a clear statement of support or non-support are key to making informative decisions.  After completing the survey, if you have any comments about the questions or our ongoing use of surveys in general, please email me at ottawa60plusslopitch@gmail.com.

The survey will close on Tuesday March 26.

The link to the online survey is https://mainstreeter.surveysparrow.com/s/Softball-League-Rule-Changes-Survey/tt-fx3Y6mJWS6s7t95zVuQUZQ .

There is also a link available on our website at ottawa60plusslo-pitch.ca.

Thank you and I look forward to receiving your feedback.

Robin Boyd, President