The HMBL & CPBL Boards have approved the Summer Baseball Academy for 2012. The SBA is structured to deal with the consistent problems that have arisen over a ten year period in both leagues at the teenage level. Issues such as players switching leagues and teams midseason, players not finishing schedules, high school baseball players with seasons complete on July 8th and the departure of a number of players from each Community program to private baseball Clubs in the region.

These issues were so dramatic that a meeting between the community programs and the school coaching staff was convened in September. The presence of the school coaching staff was a request that came from the HMBL and the CPBL. The communication and the partnership developed between these three entities is designed to dramatically improve the experience for all community baseball families and players. Any other notion in that regard, suggested publically or privately comes from individuals who don`t know the facts on the ground, haven`t been apprised of the structure and inherient fairness in the new structure and weren`t part of any solution. As is reflected in our society daily, it is easy to criticize without information. Furthermore criticism that comes from sources unwilling to sign their name and take ownership of that criticism lacks creditability and doesn`t solve any of the issues at hand.

Here are the facts on the ground as agreed upon by each of the Community Baseball organizations:

The Summer Baseball Academy structure consists of a SBA Board. The Board is compromised of two board members from each community league for a total of four members. The SBA employs a General Manager who does not have a vote on any issue presented and makes no decisions as it relates to the SBA. Furthermore that GM does not decide the makeup of any team, does not write the lineups for any team within the SBA structure.. The Leagues approved the existence of the SBA with that common language in place. It is the pervue of the SBA to enforce that policy guideline and to work  to enforce that relationship where the GM is responsible for the Operations of the SBA and the overall quality of the summer program.

The SBA is designed to be similiar to a Association. The Association in this case has a Board of Directors with two {2} represenatives from each Community Baseball League. The Association also has a Executive Director. In the case of the SBA the Executive Director is the General Manager for the 15-18 year old baseball programs. The 13 & 14 U baseball is still under the direction of each respective Community League. The General Manager convenes meetings for discussion points and items that need resolution for the SBA Board. Those items are generated from issues the SBA Board and each Community Baseball Board wants discussed and acted upon. The role of the GM is to facilitate and conduct operations, not set the agenda. The GM organizes Player Personnel Meetings for the SBA. These Player Personnel meetings are the  meetings where each team is selected by a consensus vote of the SBA Board. The GM does not have a vote when it comes to Team Selection. The selection process has multiple layers of input from coaches involved with these players in previous seasons. The Coaches involved with these players from the previous season are asked for formal input thru a MLB 2-8 Player Evaluation rubric. In addition these coaches are asked to come in and present information and arguement on behalf of their players and where they think those players should be placed for the upcoming season. The process is transparent and the SBA Board is the only party responsible for making the final decesions on where players are placed in the SBA program.

The GM is responsible for putting together the Coaching Staff {College Coaches only}-Establishment of Schedules for each team-Coordination with SBA Board members on Team Zero Budgets-Equipment and Uniform Issue-Transportation and Hotel reservation for Tournament trips to Baseball Heaven {LI} and Diamond Nation {NJ}. The goal is to establish a 36 game Summer Baseball schedule that creates equal opportunity for all four teams. The level of competition, the schedules, the equipment, the Coaching Staff and all the experiences will be the same at each level. Example: The Connie Mack # 2 Team will have the same opponents in League Play, travel to the same tournaments, travel to the same Showcases and have the same quality experience that the Connie Mack Team # 1 has. The same is true for Mickey Mantle.

The goal of the SBA is to make sure that every player that has the ability to play a high level of Baseball and wants to make the commitment to a intense 8 week program has that opportunity.

 

Note: The purpose for posting the information on the www.shenbaseball.com website is derived from the fact that 90% of the players who will be participating in the SBA this summer are students who attend Shenendehowa and a majority of them participate in the High School program.

The Shenendehowa Players have the right to receive information.One of the ways the Shenendehowa Coaching Staff communicates with their players is thru the website.  Careful consideration  and great detail has been focused on HMBL-CPBL registered players who attend private schools {and who do not attend Shenendehowa and play Shenendehowa Baseball} and want to be a part of the SBA program this upcoming summer. The represenatives from each League has placed guidelines within the SBA Board structure to ensure fairness toward the non Shen players and to ensure they have every opportunity possible to compete and earn a slot on one of these teams.

Again for all those who comment publically without a name and without information, the GM is not selecting the teams and the SBA Board members are the individuals carrying the torch of fairness and transparacy. It is their mission to protect all players and to give all players a fair opportunity in the process.

What we can not guarantee anymore is that the parochial methods of "those most involved in the process get the spoils". The old model where the Coach and his son`s friends are on the team is gone. There is complete transparacy in this process.

 

Baseball in our community has now changed in a very positive way. That positive change involved communication and compromise from each Community League to solve a problem.That change also involved a partnership and communication with the Shenendehowa Baseball Professional Coaching Staff. The Shenendehowa Coaching Staff for the past 22 years has been focused 12 months of  every year in doing everything possible to promote Baseball in our Communities.

Youth Coaching Clinics-Sunday Sluggers-Q & A e-mail system for Youth Coaches to directly address members of the Staff for Inservice-Fall Club Baseball Program-Fall and Winter Conditioning programs for all players-Access to both Baseball Fields for Community use. Additionally 78 former Halfmoon-CPBL players who have gone thru the Shenendehowa program and the above stated Youth programs have gone on to play College Baseball. These three programs have also produced nine {9} Professional players who have signed MLB contracts.

There is not another partnership in the Capital District in any sport that has produced these accomplishments in these past 22 years. The time has come to bring the resources and the work ethic of all parties together for the benefit of the families- the players and the three organizations that can dramatically impact the process.

 

 

James E. Carrese

 

Head Coach of Baseball

 

Shenendehowa High School