Ken's Korner- 2013 End of Season Report
Kens Korner 
Season Wrap up Meeting News
To the players in the Northern Illinois Men's Baseball League, as well as
to all of our future league players:
On October 22nd, even before the MLB World Series Champion was decided, the league met with its managers to discuss the 2013 season and to get a basic framework for the 2014 season and beyond. It's never to early to think about playing baseball!!!
While it was a good season overall, the league did acknowledge areas that needed improvement for higher player satisfaction, including:
- Better communication by the league to players regarding "decisions and clarifications" made between managers and the league, especially in the area of play-off eligibility. While there were no illegal players in this year's play-offs, "injury waivers" and "new player add-on exceptions" brought several legitimate players into question. The league will work on improving this type of communication by better utilizing the website and by posting required play-off roster forms.
- No more courtesy postponements. "Courtesy Postponements" were defined as a manager/team requesting a game be postponed due to a lack of players. If the opposing manager consented, the game was postponed. This caused havoc with rescheduling and as such will no longer be permitted.
- No more team rescheduling of postponed games. The league will now take full control of rescheduling to avoid teams trying to reschedule games when it is to their best advantage.
- Play-offs. The play-offs will now begin in August. By holding play-offs in August we hope that team rosters will be fuller and stronger; less players missing those all-important play-off games. August play-offs will also be beneficial to forming a league Fall Baseball Season come September.
- Officiating. We will be talking to our current officials about improving their game, and in addition, we will be talking with other organizations about what they can do best for us.
Other league news and notes of the meeting included:
- We will be a league-wide BBCOR/Wood Bat league in 2014. Following the lead of the 30's division (BBCOR) and the 50's (BBCOR / Wood)... the entire league will now use BBCOR certified bats or wood bats. The 50's division which will be split BBCOR and wood only will work out its play schedule come the winter meetings. For all other leagues you must use BBCOR bats or approved wood bats.
- Age divisions will be determined at the first, or prior to the first, winter meeting. 30's division will remain 30's and 50's will remain 50's. The 42's will have to decide whether they are dropping down to 40 and up or staying at 42.
- We are also welcoming the addition of new leagues and new divisions NOT TO fill our current age divisions, but to add to the growth of the league and thereby add to the player pool that our existing divisions can pull from.
- The league is taking a business-controlled approach to 2014 and beyond. Players, managers, and teams will help determine the framework of baseball play. However, beyond that the league will operate as a sole business entity whose value proposition is to create a baseball universe where players come to play competitive spring/summer/fall baseball without a corporate/park district feel. Our baseball universe will maintains a grass roots, down home feel. This league has been and will continue to be about its players and the league will work behind the scenes - while you are playing baseball - to ensure that we always have fields to play on, to ensure that we always have officials at every game, and to ensure that you enjoy playing the game you love... baseball.
Finally... the Northern Illinois Men's Baseball League is available to attend your individual team meeting. From now to opening day 2014, I/Ken (and when required/needed, Keith Marc your league web master) will work with managers and teams to be available to attend 1 or 2 of your team meetings... if that is what you as players want. We understand that sometimes managers, while worrying about the overall team organization miss out on representing a player's needs or expressing a player's opinion. With that in mind, if any team wants the league in attendance at any of their team meetings we/the league will most definitely work on a schedule that is conducive to making the meeting(s) happen. League attendance at a team meeting is not mandatory and may not be necessary with every team, but for those teams who want this benefit ... we'll be there!
Keep watching the website for "Ken's Korner" updates as well as news/article postings that I plan to submit on a regular basis. Winning is fun and important, but communication is too.
Questions... comments.. concerns... please do let me know.
-Ken O'Young
Chief Administrator
Northern Illinois Men's Baseball League
