Call to order: The 65th Annual Board of Directors meeting of the Wisconsin Baseball Association was held at the Blue Moose Grill & Steak House in Bloomer, Wisconsin, on Saturday, April 13th, 2013. The meeting convened at 1:00 PM, President Joe Juza presiding, and Chris LaBreche, secretary.
Members in attendance: Joe Juza, Jamie Ziembo, Michael Roiger, Chris LaBreche, Josh Eidem, Burt Ekern, Dave Hanson, Herb Scheithauer, Scott Sorenson, and Steve Truttman.
Members not in attendance: Gary Isensee, Tim Lee, Dick Leonhard, Jim Nikolay, Ed Pufall, and Steve Salmi.
Approval of minutes: Motion was made by M. Roiger and seconded by H. Scheithauer to approve the minutes of the April 12, 2012 meeting. Motion carried.
Officers’ reports: President Joe Juza stated that the WBA is as strong as its member leagues, and that the leagues have done a good job in policing themselves, since very few complaints were made in recent years. Vice President Jamie Ziembo complimented Osseo on their hosting of the state finals. Secretary Chris LaBreche also complimented Osseo and later filed a report on the 2012 seeding meeting. Treasurer Mike Roiger submitted the 2012 financial statement, which was distributed to all meeting attendees.
Seeding committee report: Chris LaBreche reviewed the July 31, 2012 seeding meeting held at the Eagle’s Club in Hallie, Wisconsin. Seeding was performed in a #1 through #32 manner, with league champions ranked as #1 seeds from high to low based on winning percentage from league games played. Seeds in the #2, #3, and #4 groups followed accordingly. Complaints were raised by directors regarding the procedure that determined pairings for the State Finals, as brackets were aligned according to overall seeding. In prior years, it was customary to select semi-final tournament bracket winners and pair them randomly (through drawing out of a hat.)
Unfinished / Old Business:
Final Tournament Game Pairings / Selection Moved by Dennis Musil (Independent League President) and seconded by H. Scheithauer that State Final tournament pairings be drawn from a hat (randomly selected.) U13 – absent, CRBL – yes, SCV – no, MV – yes, INDY – yes, DL – yes. Vote 4-1, motion carried.
New Business: Election of Directors Moved by Chris LaBreche and seconded by Aaron Musil (Haugen) that Joe Juza, Burt Ekern, Dave Hanson, and Scott Sorenson be re-elected for a term of 3 years. Motion carried.
Amendment of Article 12, rule 2 Moved by Rex Zemke (Dairyland League Vice President) and seconded by Burt Ekern that player eligibility radius of 25 miles increase to 30 miles. Vote 5-0, motion carried. Article 12, Rule 2 shall now read, “A home player resides within a radius specified by his own league, but shall not exceed a thirty (30) mile radius from the team’s field.”
Clarification of Article 14, rule 9 Moved by Chris LaBreche and seconded by Dick Bender (Hayward) that article 14, rule 9 allows the use of a designated hitter (DH) for ANY defensive player and is not limited to the pitcher. Motion carried. The rule will read: “State tournaments shall utilize American League playing rules. However, MLB rule 6.10 shall be altered to allow a designated hitter (DH) for any defensive position on the field. The designated hitter must bat in the spot assigned to him on the line-up card and only in that spot. No multiple substitutions may be made that alter the batting rotation of the DH. The defensive player named for the DH may bat for the DH at any time during the game in the DH line-up spot, but this move shall terminate the DH role for the remainder of the game.”
2013 WBA Seeding / Playoff Tournament Meeting The 2013 WBA seeding meeting will be conducted at the Hallie Eagle’s Club on Tuesday, July 30, 2013 at 7 PM. Seeding committee members will include: Joe Juza, Chris LaBreche, Mike Roiger, league representatives, and semi-final tournament directors appointed by President Juza. Semi-Final Tournament site representatives are asked to attend, but possess no voting privileges. 2013 WBA Playoff Dates WBA Single Elimination Semi-Final tournament dates for 2013: Friday, August 9th through Sunday, August 11th. 2013 WBA State Final tournament (hosted by the Osceola Braves) will be held between Friday, August 16th and Sunday, August 18th.
WBA Umpire-In-Chief / Compensation Moved by Chris LaBreche and seconded by Jeremy Musil to retain CRBL umpirein-chief (and former WBA Director) Art Zwiefelhofer as WBA umpire-in-chief. Responsibilities include scheduling and arranging lodging for the umpire crews at the state finals in Osceola. Payment for these duties will be $125. Motion carried.
Discussion of Article 12, rule 4 Moved by Dan Kraschnewski (Whittlesey) and seconded by Aaron Musil (Haugen) that Justin Musil be allowed to play for the Haugen Knights in 2013, after leaving the Haugen area for a period of years. Motion carried.
2013 WBA Semi-Final Tournament Bid Auction The following teams were awarded tournament sites for 2013:
Chippewa Falls Lumberjacks (to be played at Altoona) – bid $3500
Chaseburg-Coon Valley Blues – bid $3500
Interwald Woodticks (to be played at Rib Lake) – bid $3500
Osceola Braves – bid $3500
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 3:05 PM.