THE BASICS-

-This is the updated rulebook of the Slacker Softball League. Slacker Softball is played every Friday of the year, as long as the weather permits it. Games start at 11am unless otherwise discussed on the official Facebook page. We also play holiday Monday games, as well as the occasional Monday game organized on the Facebook page. If it’s a Friday, assume there’s a game. For any other day, check the page. If you do not have a facebook page, befriend a regular who does. That’s what friends are for. They’ll keep you in the know, and you get to maintain that perceived coolness you’ve got for not being a part of the social media age.

-Games are played at several locations. From the first week of April through Labor Day, we play in Prospect Park, at fields 4 or 5. After Labor Day and through March, we observe Park rules and move to the Parade Ground. If at any point we are not going to be playing on the fields as explained above, we will post a notice on facebook or make announcements the week before, if we know about it.

-Slacker Softball league is a glorified pick-up game. All are welcome to play, and we will never exclude anyone who is good natured and looking to have fun, regardless of skill level.

-In keeping with the fact that this is a for-fun league, we ask all people to remember to avoid using abusive language or acting aggressively towards other players, be they on your own team or the other. The abusive language thing is more of a suggestion, since we often have kids around. However, any aggression towards other players, be they acts of the verbal or physical variety, will not be condoned. We have still never needed to ask a person to leave, and we would like to keep it that way. We know that there are many more personality types playing with us now than ever before, so we want to stress that while is okay to take the game seriously on a personal level, you cannot expect people of other skill or interest levels to feel the same way.

-Due to ever-increasing park permit prices, and other expenses that have arisen due to the heavy numbers of people we get, contributions of $20 per season are encouraged. This money is mostly used for the field permit, which has increased every year since the park started making us get one, and any leftover money is applied to softballs and equipment. People who choose to not contribute are still welcome to play, but $20 a year is something we feel that most can afford, and it is necessary so we’d really appreciate your donation. All of the money is handled by Ronnie Ribnick, you can either hand it directly to him (or to Jay, if Ronnie is not around) on the field, or paypal him at slikwit@aol.com


GAMEPLAY-

-The first game of the day is first-come, first-serve. Cutoff for the first game of the day is ten players on each team, plus one DH per team. The DH does not get to play the field unless one of his or her teammates volunteers to sit. All other games of the day have no cutoff and everyone gets to play. When there are over 27 people, we usually split into two games. Less than that and the team managers will establish a sitting rotation so that everyone gets equal playing time in the field.
Standard slacker games are played with a three swing rule. You can take as many pitches as you like, but you may be heckled if you take too many. A foul ball on your third swing is an out. A foul tip must clear the batter’s head to be caught for an out.

-In accordance with popular demand, some slacker games are now played with traditional balls and strikes rules. The rules for this are as follows- The first game of the day will always be played with the standard slacker rules. The second game of the day will be played with standard slacker rules unless EVERY SINGLE person agrees on balls and strikes. The third game of the day will only be balls and strikes if there are fewer than three dissenters. The fourth game of the day is put to a popular vote. The only exceptions to these rules are as follows- on days with low turnout in which there might not be more than three games, the third game is subject to popular vote. Also, on days when there are games on two fields, it may be possible to split in to one standard slacker game and one balls and strikes game for the second game of the day. In that specific instance, if the fields recombine for the third game of the day, one dissenter makes the third game of the day a standard rules game.

-Plays on the bases are called by the Pitcher. If the pitcher cannot make the call, the catcher or the nearest infielders who are not involved with the play make the call.

-Fair and Foul ball calls are made by the catcher. If the catcher cannot make the call, the call is made by the pitcher or the infielder with the best view.

-This league is played by the honor system, which means you make the right call, not the call that benefits your team. A player involved in a play cannot make the call, nor can the other team’s base coach. If consensus cannot be reached by the fielding team players, the call goes to the batting team.

-There is no leading off the bases. You run on the batter’s contact with the ball.

-Tagging up is allowed at any base. If you are caught leaving early, it is the pitcher and the nearest infielder’s call. As this is usually a close call sort of play, the call must be made by both the pitcher and one infielder for it to stand.

- Overthrows at first and third base that clear the front dugout fence are subject to a one base penalty. Runners may advance one base from the base they are nearest to. In event of any unforeseen confusion, runner placement is the pitcher’s call.

-Play is dead once the ball is thrown back to the pitcher. The only exception is when the pitcher is acting as the cutoff man on a play. In that instance, play is dead once the pitcher walks back to the mound area with the ball.

-Bunting and intentional chop-bunts are not allowed. Both result in an automatic out.

- With the bases loaded, the infield fly rule is in effect only if called while the ball is in the air.

-Any ground rules necessary due to obstructions in the field will be agreed on by both team managers before the start of a game.

- In the event of any heated disagreement over any sort of call, the two team managers will reach an agreement. If no agreement can be reached, the call will go in favor of the team with fewer runs.


MISCELLANEOUS-

-Batting practice ends when the two teams for the first game have been chosen. There is never scheduled BP, so come early if you want the practice.

-As a safety precaution, Slacker Softball does not allow metal cleats. Aggressive sliding is discouraged as well, regardless of what style of footwear you have. If it is deemed that a person consistently puts others in danger with their style of play, they will receive a warning. If they do not adjust their style of play, they may be asked to leave.

-Babies are not allowed on the field of play, regardless of how fortified their strollers are. Seems odd that we’d have to include this in the rulebook, but there you go.

-We try for fairness as far as position play goes. This means that even if you are clearly dominant (or the least of a liability) at one position, you should share it over the course of the day if another person would like to try it. This is not an enforced rule, just a common courtesy.

-Eat the seasonal fruit.

-Any rules or decisions not covered in the text of this rule page will be determined on the field by the field managers.

- If you have any questions or concerns, you can discuss it with Ronnie or Jay whenever you want, though you should probably wait until they are done sniping at each other as you probably do not want to become a pawn in their game of thrones and versa-carts.