Just Released! The DHYS Equipment, Field Maintenance, and Field Preparation Guide.
DHYS Manager and dad Andy Doyle has put together a comprehensive, easy-to-follow guide that answers all the questions that a manager, coach and field parent (at any level) might have. Thanks Andy for your hours of hard work Jamie Laubenthal and David Volandt also contributed time and insight into this project. Click below to open the file and you can download the PDF (4.5 MB) to your computer to print and keep.

Click Here to Download (4.5 MB PDF file)

Fall 2008 Clinic Schedule:

All Clinics are FREE and on a first-come-first-served basis.

All Upper Division clinics are on Mondays on Field 4, and Pinto clinics are on Mondays on Field 7.

Parents are expected to attend the clinics and help the instructors.

Managers:
Guidelines are 3 players from each team per clinic, but more can attend with your approval and parent/coach assistance.

Day Date Time League
Monday 10/6 6:30pm-8pm Pinto (Field 7)
Monday 10/13 7:15pm-9pm Mustang & International (Field 4)
Monday 10/20 7:15pm-9pm Bronco & Above (Field 4)

Questions:
Contact Rob Friedman
Home 770 491-9334
Cell 404 932-0114
rob@friedman.tv

Back to DHYS Homepage

Required Background Check Form
Click on the form below, fill out and return to Rob Friedman
Contact Rob with any questions rob@friedman.tv


Pitching Logs
This PDF file can be used for tracking pitchers this season. Turn in the completed forms to your League Director so they can chart an average pitch count for their league.



Game Day Line Up Sheets
Download these PDF files and print out game line up sheets for both Fielding Positions and Batting Line Up.

Versions are available for 6, 7 and 9 innings games.

Umpire Evaluation Sheets
This PDF file can be used for game day evaluations of our umpires. Turn in the completed forms to your League Director.

All DHYS Managers, Coaches and Parents should adhere to these guidelines when using DHYS equipment during games and practices:
 
1. Tarps must be removed at the beginning of every day by the first team to practice or play in a game and replaced by the last practice or game of the night. The tarps should not be played on. They should be folded and dragged (gently) to the side of the field. Tarps should be replaced with the DHYS stenciled side up.These tarps are expensive and should be treated with care. We'd like to get several years of use before we have to begin replacing them.
 
2. Green boxes - If you open them you are responsible to lock them. The park has stocked them with new catchers gear, first aid kits and instant ice packs. Lets protect this investment by keeping them locked.
 
3. Sheds and Barn - There are thousande of dollars worth of equipment in every shed and barn. It is simply unacceptable to leave any shed unlocked or in messy shape. If you open it you need to lock it.  If you find equipment unlocked - take the initiative to lock it. This is our park funded by your dollars.
 
4. Lime markers - These require replacement into a shed or barn after every use. Don't wait to bring them back after a game - take them back as soon as you are done. To keep them operating properly moisture must be kept out of them. In fact they manufacturer says to clean and empty them after every use.  I know this is not reasonable at our park (during the regular season) but we are guaranteeing theft, damage and malfunctions when we leave them on the field. Plus these things are expensive! The new 4 wheel markers are $300 each. Lets take pride in our equipment.
 
5. Lights - We have a responsibility to keep these lights off after the last practice or game of the night. In addition if we turn the lights on we need to lock the key back in the lock box so as to prevent someone stealing the key while you are playing. This is no light matter and it has happened in the past. Please note lights are not for private use. No more than fifteen minutes extra after any practice should the lights be left on.
 
6. Mule Mix(Dry Mix) - Is never to be poured over areas of standing water. All standing areas of water need to be sucked up with MR Thirsty - our in park wet/dry vac that is usually located in the shed between 2 and 3. Mule mix is only to be mixed in with damp dirt. This stuff is expensive and not to be wasted.
 
7. Dugouts are to be kept clean at all times. Tell your kids thay have a responsibility to keep it clean. It is bad manners to leave any field or dugout with trash after any use.
 
8. The green Gator and Sand Pro are never to be driven by children period. Nor any adult who is not familiar with their operation. Key codes to the Gator are never to be given out.  If you are not trained don't drive it. These two pieces of equipment are the most expensive pieces of equipment the park has. Lets make them last.
 
9. Rakes, shovels, wheelbarrows, tamps etc. are not to be left out on the field for any reason. Not only is this a danger hazard but it welcomes vandalism and theft.  By returning the rakes and liners to the sheds we insure the equipment is there for the next guy. There is nothing more frustrating while prepping for a game when you have to go trekking all around looking for what you need. This is a common courtesy issue for all to observe.
 
10. The park has purchased one L-screen for every field and batting cage. We have also purchased one sock net for soft toss practice for every dugout and soft toss warmup areas next to the cages. Do not move these around the fields and leave one field without the equipment it has been allocated. Note that not all nets have been assembled and/or distributed. We are working on that. Please be patient. Note Field 8 should be the ony field without nets.
 
11. The park has invested in new locks for all lockboxes and sheds. The park is operating under one key. All teams have been distributed keys. These keys are not to be loaned out unless you are expecting immediate return of the key. If these keys get into wrong hands we will have to rekey the entire park at great expense. Protecting the park will only be successful if we all do our part.
 
12. Parking - Parking in the lower lot should only be reserved for overflow from the upper lot. Last weekend we were jammed in the lower lot, parking on grass and maneuvering around children and bikes. At the same time the upper lot was only 1/2 full. Lets remind our parents of this goal.
 
Following these rules will go a very long way in making baseball this Spring more successful and fulfilling for all.  With the largest registration to date and over 73 baseball teams to accomodate we simply must show these common courtesy.

Spring 2004 handout for Medlock coaches (pdf file)

Rain-out information for coaches

DeKalb County-required background check for coaching. (All coaches must complete a background check each year.)

Practical coaching tips from a Doyle clinic held at Medlock (pdf file)

Positive Coaching Alliance (a great organizaton for youth coaches)

Pitch counts may be a part of the future for young players (article on PONY website, 6/17/04)
Want to know more about Little League elbow?
Tips for preventing injuries

Coaching Strategies (for life)
  • Keep reminding yourself that youth sports is a vital training ground for life skills, and only secondarily for athletic proficiency.
  • A coach is fully responsible for the behavior of his/her team. If the coach does not uphold a standard, the kids will manufacture their own.
  • If a coach fails to hold the kids on the team accountable for their behavior, a parent must intervene. The kids should see that not all adults find their misbehavior acceptable.
  • A coach must stand up for decency and fairness if the other team, or its coach, engages in poor sportsmanship.
  • Here's the ultimate measurement of coaching success: How many of the kids on the team - not just the one or two star performers - would say in honesty that they are having fun and want to keep playing the sport after the season is over? If that percentage dips under 80%, you're losing as a coach, no matter how many games your team wins. [from "How to lose points in youth sports," by David Batstone]
    Background Checks

    Download background form (pdf format )

    Please note: Once a year, each manager/coach must submit a background check before the first game of the season. Please download a form (see links above) and bring it to the Sept. 6th coaches' meetings (see above). If you cannot attend, please mail the form to the address listed at the top (DeKalb County Parks and Recreation Dept.).

    According to DeKalb County...

    Applicants applying for a volunteer position with a Dekalb County Sports Association are subject to a criminal background check. Applicants with a criminal history from a period of one to ten years may not be permitted to volunteer (i.e. coach, board member, etc.).

    Denied applicants may request a formal hearing by a review committee provided the applicant has no current record, no arrest, violation and or convictions within the ten year period.

    Any false information given on the application will result in application and volunteer position being denied.

    The following offenses are unacceptable for a volunteer position with Dekalb County Parks & Recreation Department: (1) Violent acts against a child, spouse, or another individual, place, or property. (2) Sexual conviction of a child or another individual. (3) Drug conviction. (4) Violent felony offenses. (5) Habitual offender. (6) Pending cases that involve number 1 through 5. (7) An outstanding warrant will automatically terminate volunteer position. (8) False information on an application will automatically terminate volunteer position.

    A few lessons about sore elbows and pre-teens...

    • No elbow soreness is normal. Kids might develop sore upper arms and sore shoulders from throwing, but take anything serious if it involves the elbow. Especially if it involves the inside of the elbow (or if this area gets red). Damage to the growth plate can lead to problems like arthritis later in life -- and can require surgery in extreme cases when the bone is chipped.
    • Tendonitis isn't a factor in kids these age, according to one source. The problem is growth plates. As boys go into teens, the tendons and ligaments play a bigger role.
    • Limit innings pitched at this age (especially in Bronco leagues when it's permissible for someone to pitch 6 innings). Also be careful of too much throwing during off-days.

    More Information below...

    http://www.teenhealth.net/Med%20Tips%20-%20Little%20Leaguer's%20Elbow.htm

    Tips To Prevent Baseball Injuries

    Each year, almost 500,000 baseball-related injuries are treated in hospitals, doctors' offices, clinics, ambulatory surgery centers and hospital emergency rooms (Source: U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's 1999 NEISS data and estimates, based on injuries treated in hospitals, doctors' offices, ambulatory care facilities, clinics and hospital emergency rooms).

    The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons offers the following tips to prevent baseball injuries:

    • Always take time to warm up and stretch. Research studies have shown that cold muscles are more prone to injury. Warm up with jumping jacks, stationary cycling or running or walking in place for 3 to 5 minutes. Then slowly and gently stretch, holding each stretch for 30 seconds.
    • Your equipment should fit properly and be worn correctly.
    • Wear a batting helmet at the plate, when waiting a turn at bat, and
      when running bases. Facial protection devices that are attached to batting helmets can help reduce the risk of a serious facial injury if you get hit by a ball.
    • Follow the guidelines about the number of innings pitched as specified
      by your baseball league (usually four to 10 innings a week) not by the
      number of teams played on.
    • While there is no concrete guideline for the number of pitches allowed,
      a reasonable approach is to count the number of pitches thrown and use 80 to 100 pitches as a maximum in a game, and 30 to 40 pitches in a practice.

    • Wear the appropriate mitt for your position. Catchers should always use a catcher's mitt. Catchers should always wear a helmet, face mask, throat guard, long-model chest protector, protective supporter, and shin guards.

    • Wear molded, cleated baseball shoes that fit properly.

    • Inspect the playing field for holes, glass, and other debris.

    • Be knowledgeable about first aid and be able to administer it for minor
      injuries, such as facial cuts, bruises, or minor tendinitis, strains, or
      sprains.
    • Be prepared for emergency situations and have a plan to reach medical personnel to treat injuries such as concussions, dislocations, elbow contusions, wrist or finger sprains, and fractures.

    • For more information on "Prevent Injuries America!®," call the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons' public service telephone number at 1-800-824-BONES (2663).

      Page updated March 19, 2008