Managers are primarily responsible for checking on their field status - the county only monitors Park fields: ECL 5 and LLV. The league on occasion will make the call for all fields however, in most circumstances the managers will make the prudent call.

Coaches, parents, and others: When prepping fields for play or practice, do not sweep puddles into the grass as dirt goes along with it and do not remove any dirt (mud) from the fields as both these actions create holes from which future puddles are created. Should field be in this type of condition you probably should not be playing on the field. We know everyone has the best intentions, however please understand a lot of work has gone into these fields. You can help by dragging and raking fields following games/practices and filling in holes as necessary.

Congratulations to Former SYA Little League Player Brandon Snyder for his 6 RBI Game against the Orioles.

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press - The Rangers’ Brandon Snyder (Westfield High), a former Baltimore first-round draft pick, belts a three-run homer in the sixth inning en route to a six-RBI night in Texas’s 14-3 victory over the Orioles. He entered the game with five career RBI.

While we all recognize that parking at Cub Run can be tough to come by at times, we want to make sure that all our players and their families are safe when leaving their cars and making their way to the fields. It has come to our attention that there have been some number of incidents where cars are being parked illegally, often ignoring posted signs, making crossing streets/intersections very dangerous. Please consider the players, families, and the local residents in your choice for parking as there is always the school lot - which is often less than half full. We expect the police to be patrolling this area more frequently in the coming weeks because of complaints. Here is a general summary of Fairfax County parking regulations: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fcdot/parking_restrictions.htm. Please heed this warning as well as street posting. All these regulations apply to all our fields.

Looking to not spend hundreds on a new bat? Still trying to figure out what to do as your old bat is no longer legal. SYA Little League is maintaining a listing of bats folks have for sale. Check out the Bats For Sale page for details and listings.

Two of SYA's volunteer umpires have been selected to umpire in regional tournaments this year. Charlie Bond received his invitation to umpire the 2012 Senior League Baseball (13-16yr olds) Southeastern Region Tournament in Viera Fl. later this summer. Rod McCord received his invitation for the Little League Southern Region Big League Baseball (15-18 yr olds) Regional in Ft Lauderdale, FL in July. Congratulations to our umpires on being selected and tell them so when you see them on the Little League field around Centreville this spring!

Southwestern Youth Association (SYA) Little League and Chantilly Youth Association (CYA) Little League will host a “Challenger Baseball Jamboree” on Saturday, April 28 at 4:00 p.m. at Cub Run Elementary School. Leagues from around the area are expected to attend as SYA Little League will complete its Saturday schedule prior to the start of this event so everyone can participate/attend. See pictures from the 2011 event.

Little League has updated all their information on bats for the upcoming 2012 season. Be sure to review for bats are legal as new penalities for illegal bats (automatic outs) are in place for the upcoming season.

http://www.littleleague.org/learn/equipment/baseballbatinfo.htm

Here are some additional references on baseball bats:

Baseball America Bat Guide
http://paws.kettering.edu/~drussell/bats-new/compalum.html
http://ezinearticles.com/?What-is-a-Composite-Baseball-Bat?&id=1569771
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=4351979

The Board of Directors is making an effort this year to get more people involved in the decision-making process as well as provide an avenue for volunteerism in areas that you may be interested in. Below you will find a description of each of the committees we are trying to form at this time. Please review these and if you find yourself interested in one or more of these committees, visit our registration form to let us know about your interest. In the coming weeks you will be contacted by a Director to kickoff these committees so that we are fully functioning by the end of the year.

These committees are an extension of the Board of Directors and will participate in the decision making process for our league. While not able to cast votes on Board matters, input into the decision making process of the Board is key to continuing to improve our league and baseball experience for the players. We hope that you consider participating.