Welcome to
The Rules

The Please Me Softball League is an adult co-ed league consisting of 24 teams in two divisions, both recreational. Each division has 12 teams playing 20 regular season games with the top eight teams making the playoffs.

The Please Me Club holds a tournament in June which is open to all league teams. This tournament is held at Jaycee Slo-Pitch Park located at 1899 39th Ave. N.E.

Team points are awarded as follows:

Each team will be fined $25.00 for not having at least one representative present at all league meetings. If your team is not represented, you will not receive all information concerning your League/Division. You will lose your right to vote on issues which arise during the meeting. All information should be relayed back to your team members.

League fees include entry into the league, fields (user fees), softballs, rules, score sheets, trophies, medallions or t-shirts and schedules.

All players must be eighteen (18) years of age or older to compete in this league.

All players are required to sign a waiver before participating in the Please Me Softball League. Personal injuries are at your own risk. Parked cars are at the owner's risk. It is advisable that all players playing in the Please Me Softball League have full medical and dental insurance as baseball has proven to be a dangerous sport!

All teams must hand in completed rosters which include names, address, phone, cell & e-mail numbers . We reserve the right to withhold schedules if rosters are incomplete.

Players on each team entered into the Please Me Softball League must wear a matching team uniform. Minimum requirement is matching T-shirts. Minimum eight (8) players must have team uniforms on the field when playing. If you do not have uniforms and your team makes the play-offs, you will forfeit your spot in the play-offs and the ninth (9) place team will move up one spot.

Each team must have the following equipment:

• Safety Bag for first base
• Two (2) bases - 2nd & 3rd
• Strike mat
• Umpire clicker is recommended
• Back catchers are strongly urged to always wear an approved catcher's mask!
• Only standard C.A.S.A. approved softball bats are permitted. No other bats will be allowed.
• Any type of baseball glove is allowed.

Spiked track shoes, pounded metal spike shoes and metal spiked baseball cleats are not permitted. Only rubber or plastic cleats are acceptable.

Jewelry should not be worn on the playing field.

Games must start at scheduled times with a ten minute grace period.

The team up to bat will umpire their at bat. (voted in at March 31st, 1998 meeting)

Home team must measure and spike the bases. If the home team comes without equipment and the visiting team cannot provide the necessary equipment, then the home team forfeits the game.

EXCEPTION: If your team is playing a double header, then you are responsible for setting up the bases for both games.

Bases are to be spiked sixty-five (65) feet apart and the pitchers plate fifty (50) feet from home plate.

Home team must provide one game ball prior to the start of the game.

Each team is to consist of ten (10) players of which three (3) must be female and on the field at all times. However, a team may play with eight (8) players but the team will play a player short in the field for each missing player. A designated AUTO OUT in the batting order for the missing female player is then required. At least two (2) players must be female or the team forfeits the game.

If a team cannot field eight (8) players (again at least two (2) must be female) by game time, they will default and a 7-0 score will be entered. Before the game the captains from both teams will go over the ground rules. Depending on field conditions, some special ground rules may apply. i.e. fence rules, out of bounds, batter's box, overthrows, lead-offs, etc.

Winning teams are to e-mail in team name and score within 48 hours of scheduled games to the designated scoreboard chris@pleasemeclub.com. If not, scoreboard will record a double default (two (2) zero's). Score sheets are to be kept and will be referred to if a dispute arises.

There will be seven (7) innings with either three outs or a maximum of five (5) runs per inning. Last inning is unlimited, as determined by the time. Each game is one (1) hour and thirty (30) minutes. No new innings may commence after one (1) hour and twenty (20) minutes (7:20pm & 9:05pm)

Mercy rule is ten (10) runs after five (5) innings but ONLY the losing team can end the game. This is due to the unlimited runs in 7th inning.

Games are valid upon completion of five (5) innings. Game can only be called by mutual agreement of both coaches, (except rain outs).

If a game is tied at the end of seven (7) innings, then the game will be entered as a tie game in the standings.

A twenty (20) foot commitment line from home plate toward third (3rd) base will be established, if any part of the foot on the ground crosses this line the runner must go home. If the base runner has not crossed the commitment line he/she can attempt to return to third (3rd) base if it is open. All plays at home are force plays, no tag is required. Any defensive player need only touch home plate or tag the runner and be in control of the ball to register an out.

To avoid any collisions at home plate, a safety line will be established. (similar to the committment line) extended from the back left corner of the home plate that runners have to run across when coming home. The runners DO NOT touch the home plate or the strike mat.The catcher may only stand on the Home Plate when catching the ball for plays at home.NOTE: The catcher is not permitted to stand on the strike mat and may only stand on the HOME plate. Runners are not permitted to touch home plate or the strike mat and will be called out if they do.

No sliding is allowed. If a base runner slides into a base it will be considered an automatic out.

When a female batter is up, outfielders must not enter the shale zone and infielders are to be behind the baseline.

Players may exchange positions on the field as long as the batting order remains the same.

Free substitutions will be allowed but a player must play a defensive position before batting.

All substitutions must be reported to the official scorekeeper for the opposing team prior to subbing in.

Due to the seriousness of open flesh wounds, a player must leave the field immediately when bleeding to have the open wound bandaged to cover any exposed bleeding and return to the game A.S.A.P. No penalty will be accessed and free substitution will be allowed until that player returns.

The batting order is fixed as: MMFMMFMMFM. If playing with more than three (3) females, the batting order can be flexible as long as the order of three (3) males in a row is at the bottom of the batting order only. ***Please indicate which females occupy the male spots. Watch out for looping at the bottom and top of the order.

No bunting or deliberate chopping of the ball. This will be considered an automatic out.

Batter hitting a foul ball on the third strike will be called out.

No trying for first (1st) base on a missed third strike.

The infield fly rule is in effect - batter is automatically out, play is live.

Batter must be able to get to first (1st) base on their own. Pinch runners will be allowed only in the case of injury. Last gender person out. Male for male and female for female.

Runner is allowed to leave base once ball has made contact with bat. Dead ball will be called if pitched ball hits front part of home plate or ground in front of the plate. A lead-off will be called if runner leaves before the ball has made contact with the bat and he/she will be called out. If pitched ball contacts batter then play is dead.

On an out of bounds overthrow the runner is awarded two (2) bases from the last base attained at the time of the throw regardless of the direction of the runner. This will be up to the umpire to call.

If a fly ball is caught in fair territory, runners may attempt to advance but cannot leave the base until the ball is touched by a defensive player's glove or body.

If a fair ball is caught and momentum carries fielder out of bounds, all runners advance one base.

Runners may attempt to advance on caught fly ball or foul ball (tagging up).

Umpire will call time when ball is in the infield and all immediate play has ceased.

Pitchers must have at least one (1) foot on or behind the pitcher's plate when ball is released.

A legal pitch will be a ball delivered in an underhand motion. The pitch must be a slow pitch without excessive speed. Pitch should be lower than twelve (12) feet and must have an arc of at least six (6) feet from the ground.

A no arc pitch will be called a ball unless a batter swings to put the ball in play.

If a pitched ball is legal and hits the strike mat(including the tri-angle part of the plate) it will be called a strike. If a pitched ball is illegal or doesn't hit the strike mat it will be called a ball. If a pitched ball is illegal and hits the strike mat it will be called a ball.

A pitched ball will be declared dead if it hits the batter. The batter does not get first (1st) base.

When a male batter is walked with four (4) consecutive balls in a row without a strike, he is automatically awarded second (2nd) base if the next batter is a female. The next female batter must bat. If the next batter is a male, then the batter goes to first (1st) base only.

A player may be called out or ejected from the game if in an umpire's discretion, he/she is using any roughness on the field or unnecessary verbal abuse to other players or umpires.

• One (1) ejection - player must sit out remainder of the game.
• Two (2) ejections - player suspended from two (2) league games.
• Three (3) ejections - player suspended for the remainder of the season.
• Umpires are to file all ejections (team name, player's name) with the Please Me Softball League.
• All suspensions must be served in entirety before playing in any league or playoff games.

To be eligible to play in the league playoffs, players must have played in a minimum of three (3) league games with the same team in the same division. A player can play for more than one team as long as the teams are not in the same division.

All teams are to report to their scheduled fields at their regularly scheduled times regardless of the weather conditions. If, at this time, the COACHES cancel the game (except rain outs) for whatever reason, then the game must be rescheduled within two weeks.

Due to some teams wanting to play in any weather conditions, the rule has been changed. Now only ONE team captain wanting to cancel the game will be accepted as a rain out for both teams. Please note that you still must have a full team on the field in uniform and ready to play to rain out game (effective June 30, 1998)

PLEASE NOTE: "Please Me Club" will not rain out any games for any weather conditions.

A team must give another team at least forty-eight (48) hours notice of a cancellation or they will forfeit the game and the score will be entered as 7-0.

Canceled games - Home Team must:

• e-mail the scoreboard at chris@pleasemeclub.com and report that the game has been canceled A.S.A.P.
• Reschedule the game within two (2) weeks
• If, in the judgment of both the coaches, they decide to cancel a game before game time for whatever reason (except rain outs), it is acceptable provided both conditions above are completed. If either coach disagrees, all players on both teams must show up at the scheduled time and place or forfeit. As a rule, home team is responsible for all of the above conditions.
• If one team forfeits, the teams may still play the game, however zero (0) points will be awarded to the defaulting team regardless of the outcome. Defaulted games are to be e-mailed in to the scoreboard by the winning team.

All rain out games must be played within two weeks from when the scheduled game was canceled. If it is not played within the two week period, a loss will be recorded for both teams. Responsibility lies with the home team to reschedule the game and let the league scoreboard know of rescheduling.

No alcohol or drugs are allowed on the playing field!

ALL OFFICAL SLO-PITCH (SPN) RULES AND REGULATIONS WILL APPLY UNLESS SUPERSEDED BY PLEASE ME SOFTBALL RULES. AS USUAL, THE UMPIRE HAS THE FINAL SAY IN THE INTERPRETATION AND ENFORCEMENT OF ANY RULE.

A $25.00 fine will be administered for the following infractions and will result in one (1) point being deducted from the standings:

• No representative at league meeting
• A default at the field or failure to cancel properly
• Failure to pay a fine will result in the team being suspended from playing league or play off games. The league reserves the right to remove from the league any team with three (3) or more defaults.