About Spring Scheduling

1) Season Format. MSA was requested to provide the 2 games/1 night format. A few years ago, several coaches and parents asked MSA to consider the format. The concept was presented at a coach's meeting and was overwhelmingly supported. The 2 game format, like everything else in the world, has pros and cons. They provide great flexibility for practices, or any other team or family time thing you wish. It simply frees up one night per week. Other benefits? A shorter season, greater efficiency in use of the fields, savings on gate fees. Drawbacks? Late games, some nights where you play one then skip one and then play the late game, a shorter season.

2) Length of Season. Many have requested that the season end about the time school is out. When school is out, you see many teams having difficulty fielding a full team. Again, it helps the kids play all their games and eases late season rescheduling difficulties but causes more late games.

3) Start times. Also a few years, MSA was requested to move the start time for the 1st game from 6:00 to 6:15 to accommodate those folks who had to travel from other cities. This 15 minutes was a huge help to some but for local players or teams, it simply kept them later.

4) Varying ages - Tball games start at 6:15, 7:15 and 8:15. All other game times are 6:15, 7:30 and 8:45.

5) Exception dates. Teams are offered the opportunity before scheduling to block out dates they know they cannot play. It helps the teams and kids get to play ball but makes the schedulers job much more difficult.

6) Rainouts. A schedule must plan for rainouts. Some time is built into every season to make up rainouts.

7) Game format. What do you prefer? Drop dead at time limit or finish the inning? Play out the tie or let the game end in a tie? Many feel shortchanged in the drop dead format. Others don’t like ending a game in a tie. This year MSA has opted to allow games to end in a tie to help the later games start on time.

8) Fields & Nights.  There are 5 fields only.  We wish we had more.  Youth ball is schedule for Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.  Wednesdays are not available for youth ball; it is a constraint placed by the city.  Friday nights are set aside for tournament play.

MSA always has and always will be open to suggestions and calls for improvement. If the teams want to extend the season, change the season format, the game format, etc. please make that known to your coach and ask that he/she propose that at a coaches meeting. If the majority of the coaches feel the same, things will change.  Thank you for the opinions expressed on the message board.