BY-LAWS OF THE REDWOOD EMPIRE BASEBALL LEAGUE
Revised January 1, 2014
Article I. Name
1. Name. This organization shall be known as the Redwood Empire Baseball League or “REBL” and shall be affiliated with the Men’s Senior Baseball League / Men’s Adult Baseball League.
Article II. Governance
1. Officers. REBL shall consist of the following officers: Commissioner, League President for each REBL league, Chief Financial Officer. Each of these officers, in addition to the duties of their office, shall serve as a member of the REBL Board of Directors.
2. Term of Office. Each officer shall serve an annual term of office commencing December 1 of the calendar year and ending November 30 of the following calendar year.
3. Officer Elections. Each officer shall stand for election annually. Annual elections shall be held at the fall meeting of the Board of Directors.
(a) The Commissioner shall be elected by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of all REBL affiliated teams. The manager of each REBL team shall vote on behalf of their team on all REBL and league matters. A team may vote by a person other than that team’s manager by written proxy but the proxy holder must be a member of the team casting the vote. The Commissioner need not be a player in REBL.
(b) League Presidents shall be elected by a majority of the teams of their respective leagues. In the event of a tie vote, the Commissioner shall cast the tie-breaking vote. The league presidents need not be players in REBL.
(c) The Chief Financial Officer shall be elected by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of all REBL affiliated teams. In the event of a tie vote in either league, that league’s president shall cast the tie-breaking vote. A team may vote by a person other than that team’s manager by written proxy but the proxy holder must be a member of the team casting the vote. The Chief Financial Officer need not be a player in REBL.
(d) Any member in good standing may be nominated for any of the elected offices of REBL. A REBL member nominated must accept the nomination if they are to be placed on the ballot for officer elections. A REBL member may self-nominate for any elected office of REBL.
4. Mid-Term Vacancies. In the event that an officer of REBL is unable, for any reason, to complete their term, the Commissioner, with the consent of a majority of the members of the Board of Directors, may fill that office with his/her nominee for the balance of that office’s term. In the event of a tie vote, the Commissioner shall cast the tie-breaking vote to fill that office.
5. Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall be the governing body of REBL. The Board of Directors shall consist of: The Commissioner, The League Presidents, The Chief Financial Officer, at-large member from each REBL League chosen by a majority of that league’s teams, and an at-large member who may be chosen from any REBL league, chosen by a majority of the teams of the entire league. All actions of REBL not otherwise specifically delegated to any REBL officer by these by-laws must be approved by a majority of the members of the Board of Directors.
6. Removal of Officers. Any officer of REBL may be removed from office during their term with cause upon the vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the remaining members of the Board of Directors. Upon such a vote, the issue of that officer’s removal shall be voted upon by all teams. The action of the Board of Directors to remove an officer shall be approved by either two-thirds of the teams from each league or by three-quarters of the teams of REBL.
7. Meetings. The Board of Directors shall meet on a bimonthly basis as scheduled by the Board of Directors. An annual managers’ meeting will be held on the second Tuesday of January.
Article III. Officer Duties
1. Commissioner. The Commissioner of REBL shall act as the Chief Executive Officer of the entire league. The Commissioner shall be the signatory to all contracts entered into on behalf of REBL, shall be an ex-officio member of all committees, shall act as the chair of the Board of Directors of REBL, shall be a co-signatory with the REBL Chief Financial Officer to all financial documents on all accounts of REBL, shall be the official spokesperson for REBL, shall serve as the REBL representative in all MSBL/MABL meetings or activities, shall maintain all REBL records, rosters, non-financial assets, and equipment, shall purchase and distribute all necessary equipment and supplies for all REBL teams as needed, and shall serve as the player agent for all potential REBL members not affiliated with a REBL team. The Commissioner shall also perform any duties assigned to him by the Board of Directors.
2. League President. Each league president shall be responsible for the day-to-day operations of their respective leagues. Each league president shall also serve as a member of the REBL Board of Directors. In even-numbered years, the National League President shall serve as the Commissioner of REBL in the event of the Commissioner’s absence or if the office is vacant during that year and shall continue in that position until the Commissioner’s office is filled or the conclusion of the Commissioner’s term of office, whichever comes first. The American League President shall assume such duties in odd-numbered years. The presidents of each league may coordinate to maximize efficiencies for use of fields, umpires, and scheduling.
3. Chief Financial Officer. The Chief Financial Officer of REBL shall be responsible for maintaining all financial records of REBL, shall be a co-signatory with the REBL Commissioner to all financial documents on all accounts of REBL, and shall prepare or oversee the preparation of all appropriate financial reports, returns, or other required documentation within standard accounting procedures. The Chief Financial Officer of REBL shall also serve as a member of the REBL Board of Directors and as the Chair of the REBL Finance Committee. The Chief Financial Officer shall make all financial reports available for REBL officers and team managers at each Board of Directors and team meetings.
Article IV. Committees
1. Standing Committees. REBL shall have the following standing committees: Fields and Scheduling, Umpiring, Finance, Discipline and Communications/Publicity.
2. Umpiring Committee. The Commissioner shall appoint, with the approval of a majority of the Board of Directors, a three-person umpiring committee. Any organization with which REBL contracts for umpiring may designate a representative to serve as an ex-officio member of the umpiring committee.
3. Finance Committee. At the discretion of the Chief Financial Officer, a finance committee may be established. The finance committee shall consist of the REBL Chief Financial Officer and a representative appointed by the President of each league, approved by a majority of the Board of Directors. The committee shall be charged with overseeing all financial operations of REBL including, but not limited to, budgeting, financial reporting, and financial management. All financial transactions in excess of $1,000.00 shall be approved, upon recommendation of the finance committee, by a majority of the Board of Directors.
4. Disciplinary Committee. The disciplinary committee shall consist of one member from each REBL league, each appointed by their respective league President, and approved by a majority of the Board of Directors. All such members shall be in good standing in the REBL. Under no circumstances may a member of the disciplinary committee hear an issue involving a player within their own league.
5. Communications/Publicity Committee. The Communications/Publicity Committee shall be appointed by the Commissioner, with each member being approved by a majority of the Board of Directors. The committee shall be charged with overseeing the maintenance of the REBL website, league statistics, media relations, promotion of REBL, and recruitment of players. The Commissioner, as the spokesperson for REBL, shall be an ex-officio member of the committee.
Article V. League Structure
1. Playoffs. Each league shall have a playoff series with a minimum of four teams from the league and a championship series. The number of teams to make playoffs, the playoff format, including number of games, shall be determined by a vote of the league managers, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors. It shall be the objective of REBL that playoff games and championship games shall be played on fields of highest quality within the budgetary constraints of REBL.
2. REBL Competitive Balance/Season Schedule Maximization. The Board of Directors of the REBL is responsible for the proper governance of the league and all activities, as defined in these by-laws, associated with the league. Part of that responsibility is to maintain a competitive, balanced environment for all teams in all divisions and to maximize the amount of baseball that can be scheduled and played by those teams (i.e., minimize bye weeks). To ensure the REBL is able to maintain a competitive, balanced league throughout all divisions and/or to ensure the maximum number of games can be scheduled for all teams, the Board reserves the right to review annually the realignment of divisions as necessary to maintain competitive balance and/or to maximize the playing schedule for each team during the season. To guarantee there is a consistent process for making an equitable decision about realignment, the following criteria will be followed by the Board:
To balance a division (competitive and/or season scheduling):
1. Any team in a lower division that finishes in the top position of its division for two consecutive years (or finishes 1-2 in its division for the last 3 years) will be considered for realignment.
OR
2. Any team in an upper division that finishes in the last position of its division for two consecutive years (or finishes last/next-to-last in its division for the last 3 years) will be considered for realignment.
After teams have identified the divisions they will be playing in, financially committed themselves to playing for the season, and before finalization of the upcoming season’s playing schedule, the Board will make the determination for the need to realign divisions in the REBL. This will allow the Board to assess team make-up within the divisions (divisions with even-numbered teams vs. divisions with odd-numbered teams) and whether or not realignment is necessary.
Realignment will be reviewed annually to determine the effectiveness of previous realignments and, if necessary, change the realignment as required to maintain the competitive balance within the divisions and the league and to ensure each team has the maximum opportunity to play baseball. The realignment process will only be implemented if there are appropriate upper and lower divisions for the selected team to be realigned.
3. Discipline. Teams and/or players may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including expulsion from the league. Any player ejected from a game shall be automatically subject to a one game suspension without right to hearing or appeal. A player ejected from three or more games in a season may be subject to greater penalty subject to the right to a hearing as set forth below.
A. Grievance. Any member and/or officer of REBL may submit a grievance to the disciplinary committee when that person has a good faith belief that another member and/or officer of REBL or team has violated a rule of this league or of MSBL or has conducted themselves in such a manner as to bring disrepute upon the good name of REBL and/or MSBL. Such a grievance must be made in writing and shall be signed under penalty of perjury by the complaining party. The disciplinary committee shall not accept or consider any grievance that is not presented in conformity with this requirement. The person or team that is the subject of the grievance shall have ten (10) calendar days to respond in writing to the grievance. This time for response may be extended by the disciplinary committee for no more than ten (10) additional calendar days. All writings submitted by either party shall be provided to the opposing party at the same time that it is submitted to the disciplinary committee. If no written response is received within the allotted time, the grievance shall be deemed admitted. The disciplinary committee shall then meet within ten (10) calendar days and provide the person or team that is the subject of the grievance with written notification of the punishment or other relief granted by the disciplinary committee. That decision must be delivered within five (5) days of such meeting. In the event that a response is received requesting a hearing on the grievance, the matter shall be set for hearing in front of the disciplinary committee with the hearing to be held within fifteen (15) calendar days.
B. Hearing. The hearing on the grievance shall be held before the disciplinary committee. The decision of the disciplinary committee may be appealed to the Board of Directors. The party filing the grievance shall bear the burden of proof in the hearing, which shall not be subject to the formal rules of evidence. Parties shall have the right to present documentary and other evidence and call and cross-examine witnesses. The disciplinary committee shall, at least five (5) days prior to the hearing, meet with the parties to set forth the rules of conducting the hearing such as time limits, location, etc. Unless otherwise authorized by the committee, each side shall be limited to one (1) hour to present and argue their position on the grievance. At the conclusion of the grievance, the disciplinary committee may, at its sole discretion, meet in closed session to deliberate and render a decision. That decision and remedy shall be sent, in writing, within five (5) days of reaching that decision to the complaining party, the person or team that is the subject of the grievance, the league president, and the Commissioner.
4. Stipend. At the conclusion of each fiscal year, the teams, by a majority vote, may award a stipend from any remaining REBL funds, to the officers of REBL for the satisfactory performance of their duties.
Article VI. Voting Rights
1. Good Standing. No person or team may be eligible to vote on any REBL matter unless that person or team is in good standing with the league. “Good standing” shall be defined as being current with all financial obligations with the league and not currently serving any disciplinary punishment handed down by the disciplinary committee.
2. Proxy Rights. Any person or team in good standing having a vote in any REBL matter may assign that vote to another person on their team in good standing by way of written proxy.
3. Amendment. Any amendments to these by-laws must be approved by at least two-thirds of all REBL teams.
Article VII. Supersession
1. Conflicts With MSBL Rules. In the event that any portion of these by-laws conflict with the rules of MSBL, that portion of the by-laws shall be deemed void and MSBL rules shall take precedence. All remaining portions of these by-laws shall remain in full force and effect.
