2007 WBCA Executive Board Meeting, Madison, November 19, 2006
Present: Tony Gerharz, John Ball, Bob Gawlitta, Tom Wilson, Marty Paulsen, Mark
Fuller, Ron Kading, Joe Waite.
1) President Gerharz called the meeting to order at 8:00AM.
2) John Keliher (Showtime Sports) reported to the board on the progress of the
Showtime Sports Junior Combines. 342 Wisconsin players tried out last year at
six different sits, representing 164 different schools. There were small changes
made in the criteria for being selected, involving weighting baseball-type skills
at a higher score. 12 staff are involved, including nine volunteer coaches.
52 professional or collegiate organizations were represented at the Showcase.
Team Wisconsin went 3-1-1 at the tournament. 15 players are selected to play,
with 10 alternates.
Showtime Sports encourages prosepective players to play with their Legion or
High School teams first. Six combines again features on six different Sundays
(excluding Easter) from March 25th to May 7th.
3) Paulsen reported on last year's meeting minutes.
4) Discussed different ways to recognize Hall of Fame members at the clinic.
Having a Hall of Fame social, giving them small gifts/awards, special table
at the Banquet, having a 10 year anniversary class meet were ideas that were
discussed. Hall of Fame committee was appointed to formulate the ideas and to
take them back to the Executive Board for review.
5) Fuller reported that he would begin gathering addresses for Hall of Fame
members.
6) The board decided to raise the "Clinic Only" fee from $35 to $55,
to encourage more people that attend the clinic to also become members of the
WBCA. After February 1st, the fees for all membership and admissions increase
by $10. Waite directed to make changes to website application and to post the
membership application online after December 1st. Decided to make December 1st
the first date of the new membership year.
7) Wilson directed members to have bills for expenses to be sent directly to
him when possible, and not for reimbursement unless the member running the function
(area meetings for example) has no other choice.
8) Area Meeting concerns: From Appleton... summer schools would like to add
a 2nd division, but that is at the discretion of the WIAA. The Executive Board
felt that there is little or no chance of us convincing the WIAA to make changes.
From Cumberland... discussed clarifying the role of the conference reps and
wood bats were also discussed. Waite mentioned that there is currently a survey
question regarding wood bats that will be published in Baseball Wisconsin. From
Madison... they would like a mass emailing to the membership regarding important
dates. Waite said that he had tried this, but over 40 had bounced back and many
messages sent were treated as spam by the recipient because of the mass mailings
and never made it to the coach. The Board decided to authorize Waite (with the
help of Gerharz) to make an online calendar (suggested by Jim Pliner, Madison
LaFollette) that would list all of our dates. From Milwaukee... preferred that
the Clinic remain in Madison. Because of hotel problems, we are forced to go
to the Four Points in Milwaukee for 2007 and 2008, and then would prefer to
move back to the Marriott West in 2009. Also, sectional sites criteria... Andre
Gosch, Wisconsin Lutheran, sent Waite and Gerharz the football model for Sectional
selection. Though the WIAA has suggested that they are willing to work with
us, they haven't made a committment to it. The Board will keep trying. Ball
reported that the biggest reason a school is not considered for a sectional
site is because the Athletic Director of that school didn't say he or she would
be willing to host. Inferior sites might be selected because there is no other
field in the area that would host for that division. From Baldwin... some summer
coaches upset that umpires assigned to summer state tournament games didn't
work any summer regular season games.
9) WIAA State Tournament start times: The board reiterated that they would prefer
the Division 1 semi-finals be played in Oshkosh on the 2nd day, giving every
team at least once chance to play at Fox Cities Stadium, and eliminate early
starts (8:00AM) and late finished (after 2:00AM last year). The WIAA has reiterated
that they want to keep the tournament at one site and have it completed in three
days.
10) Reviewed agreement with All American Liscensing and decided that all is
going well. Will once again authorize three $500 scholarships, selection committee
headed by Gawlitta.
11) Discussed whether or not the Publications Director should become a voting
member of the Executive Board. Decision tabled.
12) The Board accepted the recommendations of the Hall of Fame Committee, and
welcomed three new members into the WBCA Hall of Fame. Pat Neary (Oconomowoc),
Pat Reilly (Dodgeville), and Gene Mand (Manitowoc).
13) Reiterated that speeches during the Hall of Fame Banquet need to be limited
because of time, and agreed to work harder to keep presenters to two minutes,
and acceptance speeches to five minutes. Fuller will discuss this with each
presenter and award recipient.14) The All-Star Classic must be held, per WIAA
rules, the last weekend of June. Which is June 29-30. The players will once
again be housed at Taylor Hall at UW-Oshkosh. Discussed whether or not the Classic
should be moved around the state to different cities on a rotational basis.
Directed the Classic Committee (Gerharz, Fuller, Kading, Waite present) to meet
before the State Clinic in Milwaukee and make a recommendation to the Board.
14) Reviewed organizational by-laws.
15) Concerns with State Coach of the Year selection: Decided to have nominations
made at the area meetings instead of the District Meetings, and to have the
Executive Board make the final decisions rather than the All-State committees.
Reasons include that the selections are made before the conclussion of the State
Tournament and that the timing of the voting by the All-State committee was
difficult to implement.
16) Reported that Miller Park has a new Hall of Fame plaque in the park.
17) Decided that our membership registration information should not be sold.
Organizations that are interested have the option of buying Baseball Wisconsin
yearbook if they so choose.
18) Clinic Speakers: Fuller reported that the agenda for the Clinic is complete,
and that once again we have an outstanding lineup of speakers.20) Vendors are
available only until the start of the Hall of Fame Banquet, and then are requested
to leave by the hotel.
19) Discussed voting procedure for 2nd VP election coming up in February. Decided
to post on www.baseballwisconsin.com that anybody that is interested can declare
their intent to John Ball for the election. Only two or three candidates will
be put on the ballot.
20) The WBCA will once again sponsor a Wisconsin Baseball hospitality room at
the National Convention in Orlando.
21) Agreed to sponsor rooms and airfare for Fuller and Paulsen as they speak
at the BCA in St. Louis and the Oregon State Clinic in Portland. Fuller encouraged
other executive board members to speak at other clinics, specifically the Ohio
Clinic in 2008.
22) Voted on nominees from Area meetings for other awards: Winners are Umpire
of the Year Steve Sevals (Rice Lake), Media Person of the Year Burke Griffin
(Green Bay), College Coach of the Year Chris Schwarz (UW-LaCrosse), Woman of
the Year Rachel Waite (Hillsdale), Amateur Coach of the Year Jim White (Oshkosh).
23) Congratulated Tom O'Connell on his induction into the ABCA Hall of Fame.
24) Discussed WIAA's concern of incrdase in coaches ejections last season. Discussed the possibility of haiving a couple of coaches join the umpires at the WIAA rules meeting to discuss coaches concerns with umpires, etc.
25) Decided to move WBCA business meeting from Saturday at 10:30 to Friday
night at the end of the speaker's sessions to see if that increases participation
and attendance.
Sincerely,
Tony Gerharz-President
Joe Waite-Publications Director
Marty Paulsen-Secretary