FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Does my player have to play in his/her age group or can they play in the age group of our choice? How much is the fee and what does it include?                                                                                  Can I request a certain coach or a certain team? What happens after I sign-up?                                                                                                      What equipment should I purchase for my player before or during the season? When and where are practices? Where are games played? When are games played?  When does the season start and end? What is the policy for canceling games? How do I become a Board Member? Does my player have to play in his/her age group or can they play in the age group of our choice? Forest Park Baseball has a standing commitment to the safety of all players in our organization. For this reason, members of the board would have to approve any movement outside of a players designated age group. This would be done by evaluating your players skill level through a 5 - 10 minute individual evaluation. How much is the fee and what does it include? Our fees have not increased since 2003! For the 2009 season our fees will remain $80.00 for Tee Ball, $90.00 for Peewee, Minor and Major and $100.00 for Pony. Included in the fee that is paid is a complete uniform, consisting of a hat, shirt, pants, belt and socks, which are yours to keep. Also included is participation trophies for each player at the end of the season. The fee is also used for many other necessary expenses throughout the season such as umpires, baseballs, baseball equipment, city permits, fuel for lawn mowers, chalk for the foul lines, league mailings, league website, etc.... We will not be conducting a fundraiser this year. Can I request a certain coach or a certain team?                                                                         Our principal goal in the draft is to put together balanced teams. You should note your request when you register. Coaches will generally attempt to honor those requests if they can be accommodated without detracting from the goal of balanced teams, however, we can make no guarantees. Requesting your player be placed on a certain team is not something that is feasible as our team names (jerseys) usually change from year to year.   What happens after I sign-up? It is the intent of Forest Park Baseball to organize teams that are balanced as much as possible with players of all skill levels. Teams consist of 11-13 players.  After a completed application and payment is received your player will be assigned to a team.  Players are assigned to teams in a two step process, (1) Player Evaluations and (2) a Player Draft.  At Player Evaluations, players are observed and rated on their baseball skills. Players are each given a turn fielding groundballs, fly balls, making throws, and batting. Coaches, and league officials evaluate each player on their skill levels. Player Drafts are held following completion of Player Evaluations. During the draft, coaches will select players for their teams in a cyclical system somewhat like professional teams draft players from college. Players do not attend the draft.  After the draft is held and team rosters are finalized the coach of your players team will then contact you with further details. We also post the team rosters on this website.  No player will be placed on a team until fees are paid in full or payment arrangements have been made with the league Treasurer. What equipment should I purchase for my player before or during the season? Forest Park Baseball provides most equipment required for the season such as batting helmets and baseballs. We do not provide baseball gloves, bats or cleats. It is a requirement that all players have gloves. It is recommended that all players older than Tee Ball age have cleats. It is also highly recommended that male players who play in the minor leagues and up wear a protective cup.  When and where are practices? While the league does provide a field once a week in pre-season for each team to practice, the time, place and days of practice for individual teams are at the discretion of the coach. Where are games played? All Tee-Ball through Major games are played at the Woodward Park fields. The Pony league may play some games at various locations, however the majority are played at Woodward Park. When are games played? The Tee-Ball games are played on Wednesday's at 6:15 pm and Saturday's at 12:30 pm. Pee-Wee league games are Thursday's at 6:15 pm and Saturday's at 9:30 am. Minor league games are Tuesday's at 6:15 pm and Saturday's at 12:30 pm. Major league games are Wednesday's at 6:15 pm and Saturday's at 3:00 pm. The Pony league normally plays twice a week on varying days. Make-up dates for rained out games can be scheduled on days different than your normally scheduled game days. When does the season start and end? Our opening day is normally the first week in May and we try to complete the season, barring an inordinate amount of rainouts, by July 4. The Pony league begins play, following the school ball season, in late May/early June and ends in late July. All teams play 14 to 17 game seasons. What is the policy for canceling games? While we do everything possible to make the fields playable there are times, for the safety of the players, that games must be cancelled. We do our best to make that decision on weekdays by 4:30 pm and Saturday's by 8:30 am. When games are cancelled the league will post a message on our rain line 888-6929.  Ultimately it is up to each team's coach to notify you that a game is cancelled. Games that are rained out will be rescheduled and that information will be posted on this website. How do I become a Board Member? Ask any current Board Member about open positions that currently exist or send us an email to let us know of your interest. Someone will get in touch with you as quickly as possible.