PALL: Rules & Information: Frequently Asked Questions

A: No baseball experience required. We have players of all abilities in T-Ball. Your child must be ready to pay attention to a coach and be reasonably able to following directions.

Q: What ages can play?

A: The date your child turns 5 will determine if he or she is eligible. Any child (boy or girl) born between May 1, 1991 and April 30, 2003 is eligible to play Little League in Palo Alto. T-Ball ages are listed below:

Your Child's Options for the 2008 Fall season (determined by Little League Age):

If your child is 5 by 4/30/08 T-Ball
If your child is 6 by 4/30/08 T-Ball or Coach Pitch (determined by skill evaluation)

Q: How long is the season?

A: The practices will start around mid-March, with games starting in early April. The season usually ends around the first Saturday in June. Once the season has been scheduled, it will appear at http://www.pabaseball.org/calendar/

Q: How do I sign up?

A: Registration is online. Please go to www.pabaseball.org for information. Actual registration is done at http://registration.pabaseball.org

Q: Once I'm registered, what's next?

There is a Parent's meeting in mid March. You should receive an email with the exact date, but just in case, check the web site at http://www.pabaseball.org/calendar/ At the parent's meeting, you will find out more information about the season, which team your child has been placed and practices times. At this point, your manager takes over.

Q: When and how often are practices?

A: The teams practice two times per week before the season starts. This would be after the Parent's Meeting in mid March and season start in mid April. Once the season starts, most teams do not practice. Some teams may practice on a weeknight. Practice days and locations are fixed and are set prior to the Parents meeting. Practices generally last about an hour.

Q: When and how often are games?

A: Once the season begins, there are games twice per week. One game will be on a weeknight. The day of week will change from week to week, but the start times will be around 5:00 (although the schedule is not yet set.) The other game will be on Saturday, starting at different times each week. Games last one and half hours.

Q: What equipment does my child need?

A: A glove is the only requirement. Most kids also wear cleats, though they are not required. Cleats do help prevent kids slipping on the grass. Protective cups are a good idea, though they are not required at this age.

Q: What equipment does the League provide?

A: We provide uniforms (jersey and pants), and all playing equipment (bats, bases, Tees, catcher's equipment, etc.).

Q: What kind of glove should I buy?

A: Most importantly, buy a glove that fits properly (big is not necessarily better). It should be small enough so that they can easily raise it and move it around. There's no need to buy an expensive, fancy glove. Many stores label gloves with "T-Ball Size".

Q: If I choose to buy cleats, what kind of cleats should I buy?

A: Cleats are not required, but can help prevent a child from slipping on the grass. Baseball cleats are slightly different from soccer cleats. Cleats made especially for baseball are not allowed in soccer, and soccer cleats work just fine for baseball at this level.

Q: What experience is required for coaches and managers?

A: No coaching experience is required. Anyone interested has the opportunity to attend a Coaches Clinic to learn how to teach baseball skills, a Positive Coaching class to learn how to work positively with young children, and a First Aid Training course. If you are good with kids, know the basics of the game and have even minimal playing experience, you should consider coaching.

Many managers and coaches start with T-ball and grow with their kids. Managing or coaching T-ball is more about kids than it is about baseball. If you're interested or are still not sure, contact the T-Ball player agent at agent_tball@pabaseball.org

Q: How are teams formed?

A: The T-Ball Player Agent tries to create teams with balance. The following are considered, in the order given, when forming teams. Note we do our best, but cannot always meet everyone's request.

Ensuring each team has a manager and a coach.
Attempting to accommodate teammate requests.
Grouping players by school.

Q: Could you provide more detail about the team volunteer positions?

A: The league is run by volunteers, starting with the Board. It takes roughly 30,000 volunteer hours to conduct a season. Your help is greatly appreciated.

Manager: Typically, you will be at every practice and game. You will also communicate with the parents with the help of a Team Parent. You also communicate with the Player Agent.

Coach: You will spend as much time on the field as a manager, but without some other responsibilities. Very often a team will have multiple coaches, some of whom are only available at certain times. The "team" approach to coaching works well, especially at the T-ball level.

Team Parent: Helps the manager communicate with the parents (e.g., last-minute rained out practice), creates snack schedule, organizes team events and anything else that comes up. This can take some time, but very often you can make your own schedule.

Batathon Coordinator: Coordinate with League Batathon coordinator to receive and distribute forms, encourage players to raise money (a significant portion of the League's budget comes from Batathon), and coordinates the team during the Batathon.

Pictures: Coordinates the distribution of photos and organizes the team on photo day.

Positive Coaching Advocate: One 2 hour training course. Promotes positive behavior throughout the season. This is part of the League's participation in the Positive Coaching Alliance http://pabaseball.org/parents/pca.html
Scorekeeper: Keep score during games. No training required. A team can have more than one scorekeeper. If you are going to be there anyhow…

Q: Do I need to submit a Volunteer Application?

A: If you have a position that will require interacting with the players (manager, coach, umpire, etc.), you must submit a volunteer application prior to commencing your duties. This is a Little League International rule designed to protect the safety of the kids. The form can be found here: http://www.littleleague.org/common/forms/volunteerapp_08.pdf It must be submitted with a copy of government issued picture ID (e.g., driver's license).

Q: For religious reasons, my child cannot play on certain days. Can we still sign up?

A: Definitely. The most common conflict is play on Saturday. Children that can't play on Saturdays can still have a great season practicing and playing on other days of the week. We try not to schedule multiple kids on the same team with the same conflict as it makes it difficult to field a team. If you have specific needs, please let us know at registration@pabaseball.org. We do our best to avoid religious holidays. If we've missed something, please let us know at secretary@pabaseball.org.

Q: My child goes to school in Palo Alto, but we live in a different city. Can my child play in Palo Alto?

A: Generally, the answer is no. Little League has strict rules on this topic. However, if your city does not offer a Little League program for your child, it might be possible. If you think you have an extenuating circumstance, please contact president@pabaseball.org