Masa 2009

[mboard]

MASA -- 2009:

MASA now has a website www.masasoftball.net -- the website is currently being populated. The 2009 bat list is on the site. The 2009 Rules and Regulations as well as a new roster form will be on the site shortly.
Please note:
The registration fee for the men's league is $685.00 and the women's fee is $600.00. The extra $100.00 for the men and the extra $50.00 for the women will be used to cover the ball procurement for each team. In 2009, the only ball allowed by MASA will be the Worth 40 Cor Optic Yellow. MASA will provide each men's team with 2 dozen balls and will provide each women's team with 1 dozen balls. The teams will receive the balls on ID nights.
Also for 2009, teams will NO LONGER have to provide a registration night forfeit fee check. The new forfeit penalty procedure is: a team forfeits a game (say on Monday) and the next scheduled game is on the following Wednesday. A MASA official will be at the field to collect the forfeit fee CASH ONLY -- first forfeit $50.00 -- second forfeit $100.00. If a team does not have the fee at their next scheduled game, they will not be allowed to play.
MASA is retaining the two requested days off for teams. Two days, not two weeks, not a week, two days.

Regarding the new rosters --- if they are not ENTIRELY completed and legible - they will be refused at the door. Also this year, MASA has been tasked with stepping up eligibility enforcement. If a roster is found to have fraudlent information.....player with a bogus address for example....a team penalty will follow --- possibly expulsion from the league.

Please take a look at the website -- your thoughts would be appreciated.

The hotline will remain in effect for the season and Parks & Rec will be receiving hard copy rules and regs and rosters during the first week of Feb.

The men's season starts on April 13 --- the women's season starts on April 27.

[mboard]

MASA will also be offering a coed division in the spring as well.
A dedicated night will be set for the division, most likely Thursday night (like the fall). Team registration fee will be $500.00 -- again the optic yellow ball will be provided. We will need a minimum of 6 teams to offer the division. The coed fall ball rules will carry over to the spring.

[herzovet]

mboard - how about posting a contact phone number/or better yet, e-mail address, where someone from the organization can be reached - all we have to use now is a P.O. Box...get into the 21st century............Thanks:)

[mboard2]

if you went to www.masasoftball.net you would notice we have a email address now. Everyone wanted a website and it has been created. all the info you need is on that website. a contact number will not be left due to way to many people calling with stupid issues.

[herzovet]

Typical MASA reaction to those who have questions about the league - never anyone available to answer a simple, meaningful, question.
Remember the old adage 'there are no stupid questions, just stupid answers' and MASA can't even handle them............sad!!

[mboard2]

Not one of us on the board wants our PERSONAL phone numbers available. We set up the email so players & coaches can contact us. If thats not good enough then we are sorry. People complain about MASA not being up with the times so we go out and make a website during our own personal time and people still arent happy. So what is this simple question????

[herzovet]

OK - I checked out the website - looks like it will be a good resource for the MASA organization - suggest you include the web address on ALL your promotional material - including rosters, rules etc. - maybe have some promo magnets made up.
Also, keeping it updated will be key to its success and usefulness - good luck wth it - hope all goes well for this season............
Welcome to the 21st Century.............

[mboard]

I see we are off to a good start without even a pitch being thrown this season. To the questioner, over the years I have received quite a few calls from MASA participants, most at a normal time .... but quite a few at 11:00p.m., midnight, and beyond.....would you like that?
As stated before we now offer a p.o. box, a website, an email address - if you write to the email address, you will have an answer within 24hrs.

[mboard]

The email addy and website addy will be on all of our documents.

[Snakebite]

I see we are off to a good start without even a pitch being thrown this season. To the questioner, over the years I have received quite a few calls from MASA participants, most at a normal time .... but quite a few at 11:00p.m., midnight, and beyond.....would you like that?
As stated before we now offer a p.o. box, a website, an email address - if you write to the email address, you will have an answer within 24hrs.

Why are you guys continually coming across as combative and condescending.
Their is an attitude about everything someone comments on, like they bother you.

You need to designate one person with personable skills to handle questioners here and probably everywhere.

Just constructive critique.

" Hello, this is Sir Snakebite, thank you for calling, leave a message and I will get back to you soon"

[herzovet]

Sir Snakebite - you are spot on about MASA and public relations - their former Commissioner - Steverino - did not offer any help to participants in the league vis a vis contact, player relations - very aloof.
And the people who are now answering ?'s on this website are certainly a bit gun shy and argumentative.
I hope they take your suggestion and appoint s PR person with some ability to be neutral and helpful.
The website is a good start.................

[mboard]

Gun shy - hardly, condescending - nope, argumentative - maybe.
But you folks only see a small fraction of what MASA deals with on a daily basis. I would list all of the things I have seen with teams and players trying to get over on MASA, but you would mostly likely take it out of context.
You might be a little argumentative yourself when you (if you were on the board) go to a field and hear "MASA Sucks" on a regular basis. It really makes us want to go the extra mile for players of MASA. Seemingly, nothing is never good enough.
Let's see -- fall ball came back, a coed division has been formed, a website started, a email addy started.......all things the body of MASA wanted. But I am sure as the suns rises in the east, I will hear in 2009, those most welcoming words "MASA Sucks" again.

[mboard]

Oh yes as far as neutral and helpful -- that was a bit low.
Teams have asked for help, usually with dates, and 99% of the time have been taken care of. Teams and players have called because they could not make an ID night or lost an ID -- they have been taken care of. And yes, the board is neutral, not always correct, but neutral.

[sjckk]

Do us all a favor and go play somewhere else Herzovet. MASA stepped up to the plate and got a website which I have posted on twice thus far and received responses in less than 12 hours, not even 24. And where do you get off asking for a phone # to ask questions? Granted writing to the P.O. Box to ask a question was a little annoying, but you now have a website to visit that has a forum for ?s and it has an email as well....yet you still need a phone #? Why don't you get into the 21st century?? More people email than make phone calls now a days. Keep in mind too, this league and its reps do this voluntarily, they don't get paid. They do it on their own time because they love the sport and the fun it brings to the city. So you and Sir Snakebit should quit your complaining and if you're not happy than pick up your bat and ball and go play in Wallingford or somewhere else. With Fall Ball being brought back last year, along with the CO-ED league, and the website MASA has certainly made tremendous progress in the right direction. They have deserved some grief in the past, but I think last year and definitely beginning this year they deserve some credit for once.

[herzovet]

Dear sjckk - sure I did complain - however after I noticed that MASA had a new website I wished them well with this new endeavor....
Also who appointed you Forum police to tell people to go elsewhere and complain and play - the Forum is open to anyone with a legitimate gripe, concern, comment and I was airing mine.
If you do not care for what I say - then you have the option not to read my posts.....thank you very much.

Yours very truly,

H'vet

[sjckk]

forum police?? Are you kidding me? You know, you're right...go ahead its a public forum and you can complain all you want. I just dont get why if people are so unhappy with MASA they continue to play in the league. The league has had its issues but it's been headed in the right direction for 2 years now. I am not the forum police, I'm just trying to give the league some credit and point out some positive things, that's all.

[mboard]

MASA does welcome constructive criticism -- any ideas that will make the league better are always considered.
A few simple things done by players would make MASA happy.
Enjoy the game - play hard, but do not trash talk.
Speaking of trash, pick up after games and parking lot activities.
Back off the umpires -- if a team has a problem with an ump, send the complaint to the email.
Show up to the games -- no forfeits.

Very simple stuff to accomplish - stuff that will drive MASA to provide more for the league.

As far as the comment about Steve Kinard -- this man served as chairman for 25 years. Most do not know how much work he did and how he championed MASA to the City of Meriden. He was instumental in laying a solid foundation for MASA, devoting hour after hour for the betterment of this league. Maybe some did not like his management style, but it worked. He had very simple rules for the teams to follow and he always looked at what was best for the entire league, not just the upper echelon teams.
The man should be thanked for 25 years of volunteer service.

[tjohnl]

sounds like last year already....i predict the sniping about MASA will start this year before the first pitch

[ScottS]

I'm suprised no one has complained about the field conditions yet.

[herzovet]

"""The hotline will remain in effect for the season and Parks & Rec will be receiving hard copy rules and regs and rosters during the first week of Feb."""

I called the Park/Recreation office as it is the second (2nd) week of February to see if I could pick up hard copy roster info. They do not have any - MASA has not dropped off any information/rosters/rules/regs to the P&R office on Liberty Street.:confused:

[mboard2]

Not sure why they havent gotten anything but again if you went to the WEBSITE..... everything you need is right there.

Rules & Regs
Bat List
Roster Form

[herzovet]

Yes - the website is quite complete and I certainly can go there for my information - how about those who do not have computer access???
The website states that rosters, rules/regs etc. would be at the P&R office the first week of February - today is Feb 11th, just sayin'................:)

[mboard]

The rules/regs and rosters are at Washington Park.
The hotline has been updated.

Why did you not print the rules and regs along with a roster right from the website? They are all posted on the site and in printable format. The bat list is also listed on the website.

[sjckk]

Yes - the website is quite complete and I certainly can go there for my information - how about those who do not have computer access???
The website states that rosters, rules/regs etc. would be at the P&R office the first week of February - today is Feb 11th, just sayin'................:)
it's 2009, who doesn't have computer access by now?? You obviously do, otherwise you wouldn't be on this website. Why waste gas and drive to the P&R when you click a button and everything is right at your disposal. I just don't understand.

[mboard2]

herzovet just likes to cause problems. Looks likes someone needs a job or a hobby to take some of their time up during the day.

[herzovet]

mboard2 - fyi - I have a job, a couple of hobbies, cause trouble, well that's your interpretation. I just wanted to make sure that MASA was fulfulling its obligations - and even though it's 2009 - not everyone has computer access.
This will be my last comment on the issue - have a nice day!:cool:

[mboard2]

Filling our obligations is a 24/7 job . Every year someone finds something wrong with MASA. Board members volunteer their time to give something back to the people of the city who enjoy the game of softball. Yet, every year we have random people complaining about this and that. Like addressed a few posts before, if you dont like Meriden softball you dont have to play it. You have every right to voice your opinion just as I have the right to voice mine. The matter was handled and the papers were dropped off to the Park & Rec Dept.
Ok, maybe a few days late, so what. The person who had to drop them off also has a job and a family. Please in the future be alittle more patient. If you dont like how the board handles things then come to the team rep meeting and run for a position. Atleast then you can see first hand how demanding being a board member is behind the scenes. You also have a good day!!!

[mboard]

MASA will always fulfill the obligations they signed on to accomplish.
I wish such could be said for all of the teams. 95% of the teams participating in MASA are great, want to have fun, play hard, but keep the game in perspective. However, handling the other 5% of the teams is a full time job.....on the field antics, no respect for the game, parking lots littered with beer cans, rosters not properly filled out, ids not brought to every game, loaded bats, the list goes on and on.
But that is ok - all of the board members gladly accept the challenges, love the game, and keep trying to improve the league.

[EAsports]

Yep... that last statement just about raps it up.

MASA is unappreciated. Give them a break, it is not an easy task. Be happy we are playing ball downtown and not losing the fields to low income housing....cause you know that is going to be brought up any day now.

Here to a solid 09 and no tricky hops heading toward 2B!.

EA