The following letter was written in response to a phone call one of the undersigned received from Wes Skelton, Commissioner of Dixie Youth Baseball, on or about the 1st of March. This letter was written by the three Florida DYB National Board members, the DYB Florida State Director, and the two DYB District Directors under which NEP has played for many years on NEP's behalf.
TO: ALL MEMBERS OF DYB EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
FROM: BILL WILLIAMS (ND-FL), HAROLD GARDNER (ND-FL), EDDIE WALDRON (ND-FL), JACK KING (DD-1-FL), STEVE SUTHERLAND (DD-2-FL), CHARLES KIRKLAND (SD-FL)
DATE: MARCH 2, 1998
After receiving a very disturbing phone call from Wes Skelton regarding the decision by the Executive Committee that in your opinion Florida's Northeast Pensacola league is in violation of certain rules regarding the placemente of players on teams, and that they were to be ordered to redraft all of the teams under the direction of out of State officials, which to do so at this time would be out of the question, we would like to bring the following statements to your attention. These are taken out of the 1998 Dixie Youth Official Rules & Regulations.
PAGE 6 - INTENT OF DYB ORGANIZERS THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL INTENT OF THE ORGANIZERS OF LBB, INC. WAS TO DEVELOP A PROGRAM WHICH WOULD EMPHASIZE LOCAL AUTONOMY. IT WAS OUR PHILOSOPHY AND BELIEF THAT THE PARENTS AND WORKERS IN EACH LOCAL LEAGUE KNOW WHAT IS BEST FOR THEM AND THEIR CHILDREN. SINCE THE MORES (CUSTOMS) OF OUR PEOPLE VARY FROM COMMUNITY TO COMMUNITY, EVEN WITHIN THE SAME DISTRICTS, IT WAS NECESSARY TO LEAVE SUCH THINGS AS NIGHT BASEBALL, TEAM SELECTIONS, AND LEAGUE OPERATION UP TO THE LOCAL LEAGUE. CERTAIN FUNDAMENTAL RULES WERE IMPOSED UPON THE LEAGUES THAT WERE DEEMED NECESSARY FOR GOOD ORGANIZATION AND TO KEEP ONE LEAGUE FROM GAINING UNFAIR ADVANTAGE OVER ANOTHER SUCH AS BOUNDARY AND POPULATION LIMITATIONS, THE NUMBER OF TEAMS IN A LEAGUE, AND THE AGE BRACKETS.
We fail to see where we are leaving the above decisions to the local league. There is also confusion on our part as to where any unfair advantage over another league is taking place by letting a local league decide on its own system for placing players on teams.
PAGE 64 - III. TEAMS (A) EACH TEAM MAY CONSIST OF A MAXIMUM OF 15 UNIFORMED PLAYERS WHOSE NAMES SHALL BE REGISTERED WITH THE LEAGUE PRESIDENT NOT LATER THAN FIVE DAYS PRIOR TO THE FIRST REGULARLY SCHEDULED GAME OF THE LEAGUE SEASON. TEAM MEMBERSHIP SHALL BE WITHIN THE SOLE DISCRETION OF EACH LEAGUE, PROVIDED SUCH MEMBERSHIP SHALL NOT BE IN CONFLICT WITH THE CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS AND RULES AND REGULATIONS OF DYB.
PAGE 65 - III. TEAMS (D) LOCAL LEAGUE OFFICIALS SHALL ADOPT THEIR OWN RULES IN REGARD TO THE PLACEMENT OF PLAYERS ON TEAM ROSTERS.
We do not understand why we are being told to inform certain leagues that they must redraft teams that were drafted under a system that was adopted by those leagues in accordance with the above regulations. Just exactly where have these leagues put themselves in conflict with DYB rules and regulations? Because they allow teams to have options (recruits)?
PAGE 65 - IV. SELECTION OF PLAYERS (A) EACH LEAGUE SHALL DETERMINE ITS OWN METHOD FOR THE SELECTION OF PLAYERS FOR TEAM ROSTERS. HOWEVER, ANY SYSTEM USED SHALL BE UNDER THE DIRECTION OF A PLAYER AGENT WHO SHALL SEE THAT ALL TEAMS HAVE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY IN THE SELECTION OF PLAYERS.
The above statement has been adhered to by the leagues that use the method in question as to the idea that they can determine their own player selection system. The draft was conducted under the supervision of a player agent and not one manager has filed a complaint that he did not have equal opportunity in being able to place a player on his team.
Not one place in the rule book, either under rules or regulations, is the issue of options (recruits) in any shape, form or fashion mentioned. It is therefore assumed that since this is a very common practice in many leagues throughout many DYB states, not just Northeast Pensacola, that this league is being singled out because of their success not only on the district and state level, but at the World Series. How can a league or leagues have an advantage over anyone other than their own because they allow their own teams to place players on a roster by an option system?
We have been told by the powers that be that, yes, a team manager may have his own son as an option (recruit). Again, we cannot find any place in the rules and regulations that even allow that to happen. If a league or leagues is allowed to have one option, where is that statement? As a manager, if we wanted to draft the son of another manager, and he has been frozen as an option to his father's team, then we have not had equal opportunity to draft that player.
All of the above is to try to point out to you that if we are being mandated to enforce the so called "equal opportunity" rule by not allowing options (recruits), then it doesn't matter if we are talking about 1 option or 6. It is still all the same. Therefore, we submit to you that Northeast Pensacola should not be singled out as a violator, but all leagues in every state that plays DYB and has even one option, should be penalized the same as you are asking that Northeast Pensacola be penalized and be commanded to redraft their entire league two weeks before their opening day. Uniforms have been purchased and distributed, sponsors are ready to attend opening day ceremonies, the teams have been practicing together for weeks, managers have scheduled practice games and parents have purchased team products with logos and colors. Not one complaint has been filed that anyone is unhappy with the way any of the leagues have distributed their players.
Therefore, we respectfully ask that the 5 members of the Executive Committee reconsider that this mandate be enforced at this time and allow the matter to be brought before the entire board at the annual meeting in Hattiesburg.