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FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS
ORGANIZATION
What is "Junior Baseball Organization
Inc"?
What is the Clackamas County Junior Baseball
Association?
What is a Junior Baseball Area?
How is CCJBA governed and decisions
made?
JUNIOR BASEBALL DIVISIONS
What are the different Age
Divisions?
Are there opportunities for players younger than
9 years of age?
What are the different Skill
Divisions?
I believe that my child has skills suited for the
Federal level of play but my local Area does not have a Federal team. What
can I do?
How are players assigned to teams of the correct
Skill Level?
Why are some teams moved to a different Skill
Level during the season?
How does the Board decide on moving teams during
the season?
LEAGUE PLAY AND GAME RESULTS
How long is a Junior Baseball season?
If a player is late in arriving to a game, can he
play?
POST-SEASON PLAY
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN JBO AND LITTLE
LEAGUE
GENERAL QUESTIONS
Who do I contact if I have a concern or
question?
How do I get my child signed up to play in Junior
Baseball?
Answers
Organization
Junior Baseball of Oregon, Inc.
(JBO) is a non-profit organization formed to provide an opportunity for
Oregon youth from ages 9-16 to participate in an organized baseball
experience. The goal of JBO is to provide each child, regardless of skill level, an
ability to compete in baseball against other players of equal skill and
age. As such, players are divided into separate divisions based on age and
skill level (see "Junior Baseball
Divisions"). JBO games are played according to the rules of the
National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) with some
modifications to tailor the rules to the age and skill level of the
players. For example, JBO base lengths and pitching distances are reduced
from the High School level to accommodate younger players, but increase
progressively with the age of the players. The intent is to provide all
ages of players the opportunity to play the complete game of baseball
(leading off, stealing, etc.) but to progressively increase playing
distances as the age and skill of players increase.
The Junior Baseball
Organization program revolves around local Associations creating
community-based programs to meet local needs for summer baseball programs
within the broader framework of JBO. The JBO organization is made up of
separate Districts, and local Associations (also known as Areas). JBO is
administered by four elected officers, six Commissioners from the JBO
Districts, and one At-Large Commissioner. These administrative members of
JBO are responsible for the overall governance of the organization
including activities such as establishing rules for player participation,
league formation, game play, etc.
Junior Baseball of Oregon is independent of any of
the other nationwide baseball organizations such as "Little League" (See
"How
Does JBO Differ from Little League")
The Clackamas County Junior Baseball
Association (CCJBA) is a JBO District currently made up of 24
local Associations (Areas) located within Clackamas County, Marion County,
and Washington County ,Oregon. CCJBA exists under the umbrella of Junior
Baseball of Oregon and operates according to the rules and procedures
established by JBO.CCJBA is the largest District in the State and annually
fields more than 200 Junior Baseball teams. CCJBA annually elects two
District Commissioners who participate in JBO meetings, and serve as
liaisons between JBO and CCJBA.
A Junior Baseball Area or Association is the local organization in your
community that forms teams to participate in Junior Baseball of Oregon.
For example, "Putnam Youth Baseball" and "Milwaukie Junior Baseball" are
local organizations that exist within CCJBA. Each Area has a defined
boundary that must be annually approved by CCJBA and JBO. The boundaries
of each Area generally coincide with the boundaries of their local High
School District (though there are exceptions). Each local Area generally
has it's own Board of Directors or other governing body. Each Area elects
an "Area Head" who participates in CCJBA meetings and acts as a liaison
between the local Area and CCJBA. A list of the current Area Heads within
CCJBA is posted on the website. CCJBA Area Heads
CCJBA is composed of an elected Board of
Directors and the Area Heads from each approved Area/Association within
the District. Board members are elected annually through a vote of the
Area Heads and current Board members. CCJBA is governed through
participation by the Board and Area Heads. The Area Heads provide
input and vote on proposals brought before them by the CCJBA Board of
Directors. The Board independently handles "sensitive" or confidential
matters (in consultation with the affected Areas) that are not appropriate
for general communication. The Board also oversees contracted positions
necessary for the operation of the District (e.g. League
Statistician
Junior Baseball Divisions
Junior Baseball provides opportunities for
players 9-16 years of age. Players are grouped into four distinct age
divisions, Midget, Junior, Senior and Cubs. The Midget Division is made up
of players aged 9 and 10, Juniors are aged 11 and 12, Seniors are aged 13
and 14, and Cubs are aged 15 and 16. The age of the players are generally
determined by their age on July 31 of the year of the baseball season,
though there are exceptions for older players who wish to participate with
their school classmates (see the JBO rulebook). Within each age group (except
Cubs), players are also separated into three distinct skill levels (See
"What are the Different Skill Divisions")
Most of the local Areas offer developmental
leagues, often referred to as "T-Ball" programs, for players younger than
nine years of age. These leagues are governed by the local Area and are
totally independent of Junior Baseball and CCJBA. Contact your local Area
to obtain information on programs that may be available in your
community
Within each Age Division, Junior Baseball teams
are also separated by the relative skill level of the players. This
separation is necessary to meet the JBO goal of assuring that all players
participate against other players of equal age and skill. For all
Divisions except Cubs, players are separated into three distinct levels:
National, American and Federal. Generally, the National level is for
players with beginning or
recreation level skills. the American level is for intermediate skills,
and the Federal level is for players with the highest skill level. Cubs
players are not separated by skill level.
Junior Baseball Organization
rules provide that if an Association (Area) does not field a Federal team,
Federal players from Areas without a Federal program must play in the
next closest Association (no"skipping" to another Area).
The intent is to prevent player recruitment.
Junior Baseball Organization
rules require that each Association (Area) conduct a skill evaluation of
players prior to forming teams, and that teams be formed by placing
players on teams of equal age and skill (Rule V.C.). At these player
skill assessments, coaches or Area officers are responsible for evaluating
the players and placing them on teams of the proper skill level. CCJBA has
found that where player skill evaluations are completed and teams are
formed according to these evaluations, the need to "move" teams during the
season is very rare.
One of the most important goals of Junior
Baseball is to assure that all players participate against other players
of equal age and skill. Occasionally, teams are formed and placed in
leagues where their skills are inconsistent with other teams at that
level. Many times this situation arises because of poor or non-existent player skill
evaluations in the team formation process of the local Area or in meeting
the State matrix. When these situations arise, the CCJBA Board will pursue
options to move the team to the appropriate competition level.
The decision to move a team to
a different skill level during a season is not taken lightly by the Board.
Before a team is moved, the Board reviews some or all of the following
sources of information: scores from league games, scores and relative
success in invitational tournaments, past records of the team, current
team roster, and current standings. The Board also attempts to solicit
input from other parties. Some of this input comes from coaches and Area
Heads who have observed the relative skill of the team in question. CCJBA
Board members also observe teams in question as their time and schedules
permit. Any Board Member or Area Head that could be directly affected by
the decision is excused from participating in the final decision of the
Board. Finally, it should be recognized that the ultimate decision by the
Board is simply "professional judgment" based on the information reviewed
and the experience of Board members. While these are rarely popular
decisions, the integrity and fairness of Junior Baseball relies on the
Board making these tough calls.
LEAGUE PLAY AND GAME RESULTS
The length of a normal Junior Baseball season
will vary according to the age/skill level of the team being considered,
and whether a team advances to post-season play. In general, regular
league play normally begins in early May and continues through late June
or early July. Teams that advance to a District tournament will continue
until approximately mid-July. Teams that further advance to the State
tournament may continue playing into the first weekend of August. Annual
league schedules for CCJBA teams will be posted elsewhere on this website
if the schedule is available.
Yes. He is put in the bottom of the batting
order, and may be inserted at time of arrival, regardless of inning. This
is a "Junior Baseball Organization" exception. High school rules
differ.
A game can end up in a tie because of time
restriction, darkness, or weather. Details are in the "JBO" and
"NFHS" rule Books rulebooks.
A tie score for a regular season game counts as
a half game win and a half game loss for each team. Both coaches should send in a game
card.
CCJBA rules require the coach of the winning
team to complete a "game results card" and to mail this to the League
Statistician within 48 hours of the game. These cards report the game
scores and provide a record of the innings pitched by each pitcher
participating in the game. The game results cards must be signed in ink
only by both coaches to certify the accuracy of the information
reported.
Failure to send in the game results card in a
timely manner will result in a forfeit by the winning coach.
Junior Baseball rules limit the number of
innings that a player can pitch during a game or in seven consecutive days
(depending on the age/skill level). These rules are intended to protect
the health of the players. CCJBA tracks this information closely; coaches
that "over-pitch" any player will forfeit the game where the innings
pitched exceeded the maximum innings allowed by rule.
No. The Junior Baseball rules that limit the
number of innings that a player can pitch only applies to league games.
The number of innings pitched by a player during invitational tournaments
DO NOT count in subsequent games played in the regular season schedule.
Coaches are strongly encouraged to consider the innings pitched in
invitational tournaments, however, when using pitchers in the subsequent
league games so that the health of any player is not
threatened!
CCJBA attempts to post game results at least
once per week. With over two
hundred teams participating in CCJBA, and each team playing twice per
week, the number of game results cards coming in to the Statistician can
be staggering! In addition, if questions or problems arise with the cards
these issues must be resolved before the scores can be posted. Some
coaches may also contribute to delays by not sending in their game cards
in a timely manner. Finally, everyone must recognize that reviewing the
cards and posting game results on the website involve the time and
commitment of volunteers who are also busy coaching teams, running local
Associations, and being parents!
The scores of all CCJBA games are not posted
for two basic reasons. First, the large number of game results cards
originating from 200+ teams playing twice per week generates a substantial
amount of work just to keep league standings current. Adding specific game
scores to the website would require additional workload by the volunteer
maintaining this site. Secondly, and most importantly, the Board is
concerned that reporting scores from games where a team loses by a wide
margin could potentially be degrading to the losing team. Since only the
win/loss information is needed to maintain league standings, CCJBA prefers
to limit the postings to this information.
The Board and Area Heads in
CCJBA have discussed this issue extensively. Electronic reporting cannot
currently be used in a manner that maintains one important purpose of the
game results cards, i.e. there is no way to include a "signature" of both
coaches verifying the accuracy of the information. This verification is
essential to enforcing the limits on the number of innings that a player
can pitch. In the past, some coaches have been caught "altering" game
results cards to allow them to use an effective pitcher more than the
rules allow. The use of game results cards has provided the Board with an
ability to discover these alterations, an ability that would be precluded
with electronic reporting. If timeliness of reporting is an issue, coaches
still have the option of faxing the game results and then immediately
mailing the original card.
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POST-SEASON PLAY
Junior Baseball Organization
annually hosts Championship Tournaments for each age/skill Division
within JBO. The teams entering these tournaments advance from each of the
JBO Districts based upon their success at District Tournaments, or their
standings resulting from regular league play. JBO currently does not offer
"regional" or "national" post-season tournaments.
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CCJBA annually hosts a County
(District) tournament for each age/skill Division following the regular
league season. These County tournaments are a "modified"
double-elimination format and the competition results in the placement of
teams into 1st through 6th place finishes. Teams are
then advanced to the State Tournament based on this placement (though the
number of teams advancing to State at each age/skill Division can vary
each year).
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Teams qualify for District
tournaments based upon their relative success during the regular league
season (invitational tournament results are not considered). Teams at
every given age/skill level are ranked ("seeded") according to their win
percentage during the season. All Federal level teams advance to the
District tournament. Only the top eight teams or 50% of the total National
and American level teams (whichever is greater) advance to the tournament.
Generally, teams that win at least half of their regular season games will
normally (but not always) qualify for at least a County "pre-tournament"
game.
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The sites for District
tournaments are determined annually by the CCJBA Board based upon requests
by the Areas to host these tournaments. The selected tournament sites are
reported elsewhere on this website.
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Teams advancing from the
District tournaments seed the JBO State tournament. Some one MUST host a district
tournament. Unlike hosting an
invitational tournament where profit comes from team entry fees, the only
profit an Area can derive from hosting a district tournament comes
primarily from concession sales.
CCJBA does reimburse tournament hosts for the cost of balls and
umpires. Ideally, the work of
hosting a district tournament will not fall on one particular Area each
and every year.
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A
"pre-qualification" game is actually part of the annual District
tournament, but are not held at the central District tournament site.
These games are part of the playoff process to determine the "final eight"
teams that participate in the weekend tournament. In general, the
games are held the weeknights immediately prior to the main weekend
tournament.
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Pre tournament games are
held at the home field of the highest seeded team. In the case of two teams having
the same record, a formula of the regular season statistics is used to
break the tie. Both teams share the costs of balls and
umpires.
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Pre-tournament innings pitched will not count against County
Tournament games.
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All league champions get an automatic seed into the final District
County tournament. EXCEPTION: If there are more than four leagues, there
will be no automatic berths.
The League Champion with the best season record also receives the
highest seed in the tournament.
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If a team is moved at any level (up or down in skill level) their
season record is determined only by the win/loss record at the new skill
level. If a team is moved down in skill level, it is not possible to be a
league champion (i.e. receive an automatic berth). The win/loss record is
then used to determine eligibility for pre-qualification games to earn a
spot to play in the District County Tournament.
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DIFFERENCES BETWEEN JBO AND LITTLE
LEAGUE
The primary difference is that "JBO" plays by amended high
school rules, as opposed to "Little League" rules. Probably one of the
most prominent rule differences is about base stealing. In "Little League", a player
cannot steal a base on a pitched ball until the ball crosses home
plate. In "Junior Baseball",
a player may take a lead off the base and steal at any time during the
pitch. As the kids get
older and more experienced, the "base stealing" rule makes for some very
exciting baseball. The rule
also teaches the kids smart base running techniques. They will need the techniques if
they continue playing baseball, as they get older. Possibly the best thing about
Junior Baseball, is that when it comes to playoff time, a team goes as a
unit. No "all-star" team is created.
A growing number of Little
Leagues in Oregon are converting to Junior Baseball Organization.
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Any successful move to Junior Baseball from
Little League or Babe Ruth always occurs because of strong local support.
If people are hesitant (and they probably will be since change is always
difficult) suggest that the area put together an independent Federal level
team (probably Midget or Junior Federal) to participate in JBO
invitational tournaments. In these tournaments, they will get to see how
High School baseball is played, and will see how good the competition is
in JBO. If there appears to be some interest, contact the JBO State Board or County in your area to see if either can send some Board members to
explain JBO to a local group. Then, if you eventually get to the point of
a possible transition, contact an Area that has recently "made the switch"
to get advice on how to make the transition to a new association. The
conclusion - - it's not simple, but it can be done and it's well worth the
effort!!!
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GENERAL QUESTIONS
Questions or concerns should be addressed to
the CCJBA Area Head for your local community. The local Area may
forward issues that cannot be resolved locally to CCJBA for
consideration.
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How do I get my child signed up to play in Junior
Baseball?
Contact the Area
Head for your local community to find out when they hold sign-ups and
tryouts (skill evaluations) for Junior Baseball. If your community does
not have a Junior Baseball program, contact the Area Head from the Area
closest to your community to determine if they have opportunities for your
child to participate. If you cannot determine the appropriate Area, send
an e-mail to one of the CCJBA County Board members listed on this site and they will attempt to
direct you to the appropriate Junior Baseball Area.
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