For new families, we look forward to meeting you and watching your children participate in the best all-volunteer baseball experience you can find in Atlanta. We wanted to let you know about a few things that are going on, and to also ask for your help.

• A couple of weeks ago, there was an electrical fire in the mechanical room on the ground floor of the concession stand. There was a short in the service panel that handles the concession stand and Fields 6, 7 & 8. Currently, the field light towers and the clubhouse are without power. We have been in constant contact with the County and have met them on site to observe the investigation. They have assured us that the power will be restored this week. We are concerned about the timing of the repairs, and will keep you up to date on the County’s progress.

• Continued flooding – We continue to experience flooding each time it rains more than an inch or so. In addition to the large-scale flooding in the fall, there have been many small and medium floods over the winter months. Three weeks ago, the park had 7 inches of standing water in the garage building, and Field 3 and 6 were hit pretty hard. On Thursday, February 11 we had a meeting with Commissioner Jeff Rader, the new Parks & Rec Director Roy Wilson, and the Associate Director of Roads and Drainage Carl Glover. The Roads & Drainage department conducted extensive operations this week in the creek bed near the Willivee Bridge. They removed obstructions, debris, and straightened the channel to allow the creek to flow under the bridge without obstructions. This may go a long way to fixing the flooding problem.

• We will need a lot of help cleaning up Field 3 this spring. Please plan to lend a hand during the field work day so that the kids playing on that field have the best experience possible. Thanks to Ken Crochet for his tireless efforts to continue to mop-up after each flood.

• We have open Board positions. If you have the time, and would like to help manage the direction of your baseball program, contact Jamie Laubenthal (Jamie.Laubenthal@aecom.com) for more information.

• The Board has received an unusual numbers of requests for player play-ups and play-downs at the younger age groups. Our position is that players will play with their age-appropriate groups unless there are COMPELLING overall circumstances to play in a league with older or younger players. These decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis after player skill evaluations by the managers, league directors and VP(s) of the leagues involved. The number of play-ups should be, at maximum, 1 or maybe 2 players per league per season in all age groups. Unless a player evaluates at the top of his/her age appropriate group, they will not move “up”. Many leagues are over booked, and there are limited Managers in many leagues so there may be no moves at some levels.

• It is the Board’s expectation that parents register their children with their correct birth dates, and with the understanding that this is subject to verification. Parents should be reminded that if a child plays in a league/level that is outside his or her age-appropriate level in the spring, then that child would not be eligible for their age-appropriate summer/tournament team. Please ensure that each player is registered with his or her actual birth date so that the proper league can evaluate your players.

• Once again, DHYS will be sponsoring many FREE Player Skills Clinics this Spring, for players enrolled in our DHYS programs. These clinics will be led by professional baseball instructors Bill Melvin and Ben Johnstone, who are long-time friends of DHYS and who have led clinics, given private lessons and facilitated baseball summer camps at Medlock Park for many years. The clinics are scheduled for various dates and times and run from March 6 through May 3. Clinics are divided into age-specific groupings. Please refer to the DHYS website or the many postings around the park for more details and for the specific clinic schedule. We highly encourage you to take advantage of these clinics, which are designed for parents (in addition to children) to learn valuable skills, drills and tips for player development.

• Also, if you have volunteered to Manage or Coach a team (thank you!), Bill and Ben will be conducting Coaches’ Clinics for coaches at all levels this spring. You are HIGHLY encouraged to attend one of these clinics. Again, please refer to the DHYS website or the postings around the park for more details and for the specific clinic schedule.

• If you haven’t spent time looking through the website (www.DHYS.org), please take the time to do so soon. There are many informative resources for you and your players. Click on the tabs on the left side of the page. Thanks to Rick Brozek for constantly updating the web site for us.

• The calendar for 2010 Board meetings is posted – You are welcome to attend any and all board meetings. Please come take part in the action!

We are hoping for another great spring season of baseball, and look forward to working with you to continue to make this the best place to play baseball!

Jamie Laubenthal
DHYS President