BASS

Section I - Name

This association shall be known as Baytown Area Senior Softball (BASS), and operates as a non-profit 501(C) corporation.

Section II - Purpose

BASS has been formed and operates to promote a healthy active lifestyle among Baytown area senior adults by creating opportunities for exercise involving friendly competition that emphasizes player safety and participation.

Section III – Eligibility 

Men who will be at least 50 years of age by the end of the calendar year, and women who will be 40 or more years old by the end of the year, are eligible to participate in BASS league play.  All teams and individual players must abide by all league rules established by the Executive Board.

Section IV - Dues

Each player shall pay dues to BASS for spring and fall leagues combined.  The amount to be paid shall be determined by the Executive Board.  Dues must be paid, and a registration form and injury waiver completed before a player can participate in any league games.  There will be no partial refund if a player decides not to play in the fall league.  Players joining the league after June 1 will pay a reduced fee as determined by the Executive Board.

Section IV – Executive Board

BASS will be administered by an Executive Board, which will consist of seven elected persons (President, Vice President, Secretary-Treasurer and four at-large representatives).  All board members must maintain active membership within BASS and all have voting privileges.

Article II - Elections

Section I – Voting Eligibility

Only players who have registered and paid their dues by the election date may vote in the election of BASS officers

Section II – Election Procedure

BASS officers shall be elected by mail-in ballots plus the votes of BASS members present at the annual spring organizational meeting.  Mail-in votes must be received by the date of the organizational meeting in order to be counted.  Nominations for officers should be complete by January 20, and ballots, registration forms and invitations to the annual meeting should be sent out by Feb 1. 

Section III – The Ballot

The ballot shall consist of the names of all nominees who have agreed to have their names listed. The person who gets the most votes (and has agreed to serve in that capacity) will be named BASS President.  The runner-up among those who were willing to serve as President shall be the Vice President. The 5 next highest vote getters will become BASS board members.  From the 5 board members, the President shall appoint a Secretary, Treasurer and a Player Representative. 

Section IV – Term of Office

The term of office will be for two years and will commence immediately after the election.

Section V – Filling Vacancies

In the event of a board vacancy during any term of office, the President shall appoint a replacement to serve until the next election.  In the case of a presidential vacancy, the Vice President will fill that vacancy until the next election. 

Section VI – Removal From Office

Any officer can be removed for good cause by a two-thirds majority vote of the Executive Board.

Article III - Executive Board

Section I – Function

The Executive Board will be responsible for the administration of all business matters relating to the activities of BASS, as well as the enforcement of league rules and regulations.

Section II – Meetings

 The Executive Board shall meet periodically as called into session by the President.

Section II – Quorum

A quorum (4 or more) of the Executive Board is necessary to officially conduct BASS business.  A vote is required to make a seconded motion a fact, and it shall consist of a majority of the quorum present.  In the event of a tie vote, the President’s vote shall be the deciding vote.  No meeting shall be held without a quorum.

Section III – Attendance by Team Managers 

Team managers may attend board meetings, but are not required to do so.  They may participate in discussions, but will have no voting privileges.

Article IV- Duties of Officers and Officials

The duties of the officers and officials shall be as follows:

 President:  Assumes overall responsibility for the supervision and the execution of all Association activities.  He chairs all general and executive meetings, authenticates all legally binding actions of the organization.  He may establish standing or special purpose committees that are deemed necessary to carry out BASS programs. He shall be empowered to sign checks in the treasurer’s absence.  He is responsible to support team managers and the player representative, and functions as liaison with Harris County officials.  The President will also oversee arrangements for the annual meeting, team drafting, schedule making, and elections.

 Vice President:  Replaces the President as presiding officer in case of the President’s absence. Performs all assignments as directed by the President. He is responsible for arranging for umpires, securing sponsorships, obtaining insurance for the League (as necessary), and purchasing equipment for league play.

 Secretary:  The secretary is responsible for recording and reporting the minutes of board meetings.

Treasurer:  The Treasurer handles all Association correspondence as directed by the President or the Executive Board.  He maintains all BASS financial records and collects the annual dues and deposits received monies in the BASS bank account.  He reports all expenditures and receipts at board meetings or as requested by the President.  The treasurer also writes checks in payment of bills and reimburses expenditures incurred by BASS.   The Treasurer will maintain a database of league players and relevant information.  He is also responsible to see that all the League players pay their dues on time.

Player Representative: The Player Representative shall maintain a liaison relationship with the players and the Executive Board.  He must present all matters of concern to the Executive Board as well as assist in the communication and implementation of the rules and regulations.    

Field Manager:  The Field Manager is appointed by the President and is in charge of field maintenance.  He has the authority to delegate duties to people of his choice.

Team Managers shall be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Executive Board.  Team managers will

A.  Participate in the annual draft to select members of his team.

B. Provide his players with schedules and notify his players about schedule changes and any league functions (e.g., tournaments, picnics, sponsorship solicitations, and fund raising events). 

C.  Make every effort to field a team of 10 or more roster players for each game and be responsible for having his team ready to play on time.  The team manager will call or otherwise make sure that each player is aware of upcoming games.  He is also responsible to notify the umpire of any lineup changes during the course of the game.

D.  Collect any unpaid dues from his team members prior to league play and give the money to the Secretary-Treasurer.

E.  Be aware of all league rules.  He must notify the President anytime a player leaves or quits a team for any reason.

F.  Be responsible for the professional conduct and sportsmanship of his players and coaches during the game.

G.  Manage the lineup so that all players are allotted the playing time mandated by league rules.

H.   Manage the lineup in a way that stresses the safety of his players.

I.  Be his team’s SOLE representative in any discussion with the umpire regarding questions about on-field rulings.

J.  Make sure that his players know the rules and present his team’s attitudes and opinions to the Player Agent as needed.  The manager will also discuss all board decisions and policies with his team.

K.  Make himself available for league, board, or committee meetings as required, and be willing to work with other managers, board members, and the Player Agent to promote camaraderie and sportsmanship, keeping in mind at all times that this is a SENIOR recreational softball league. 

Article VI – Teams

Section I - Player Rankings Committee

The President shall appoint a committee that will assign an ability rating to each registered player in advance of the draft.  The ratings will be made available to managers for drafting purposes, but will not be otherwise publicized.  The purpose of the ratings produced by this committee is to help produce an even distribution of talent among the teams.

Section II – Drafting of Teams

      Drafting of teams should occur approximately 2 weeks prior to opening day.   The drafting procedure will be determined by agreement among the managers, but must have the aim of producing balanced teams.  Whenever possible, managers should accommodate reasonable requests of players involving situations such as car pools, husband/wife combos, personality conflicts, etc.

Section III – Balancing Teams

Several games into the season, the President may, with the advice and consent of the executive board, redistribute players to make sure that the teams are evenly balanced.

Section IV – Late Signups

Players that sign up after drafting has occurred will either be added to a team roster or designated to be a permanent substitute player as decided by the BASS President.

Article VII - Miscellaneous

Section I – Bank Account

A bank account shall be maintained by the treasurer at a bank stipulated by the Executive Board.  One signature shall be required on each check to make it valid.  One valid signature shall be that of the Treasurer.  Another valid signature shall be that of the President.  Other signatories may be authorized by the Executive Board as deemed necessary.  The Treasurer shall maintain an accurate accounting of BASS finances and make the accounting available to the Executive Board when requested.

Section II – Bylaw Adoption Procedure

Initial adoption of BASS bylaws will be implemented by a two-thirds majority vote of the Executive Board.  Subsequent revisions and amendments will be implemented by the same procedure.

Section III – Rules

The Rules and Regulations that govern league play shall be those established by BASS. All situations not covered by BASS rules will be governed by ASA rules for senior softball.

 Section IV – Dissolution

In the event of the dissolution of BASS, all outstanding debts will be paid and any remaining assets will be donated to charities as decided upon by the Executive Board.