CENTRAL PENOBSCOT YOUTH LEAGUE

The League

Congratulations Bradford: 2006 champs

The Central Penobscot Youth League (CPYL) is a late spring independent baseball league for children 9 - 12 years old living in the towns of Bradford, Corinth, Exeter, Garland, Hudson, Kenduskeag, and Stetson in central Maine. Play starts in early May and ends before the Fourth of July. The schedule will be posted here when it becomes available. The league follows rules as set by Little League Baseball Official Regulation and Playing Rules exept as amended to meet the needs of the league by a majority of coaches attending the league meeting. Amendments will take precedence over Little League rules immediately upon adoption. Associated leagues are encouraged to adopt these procedures.

To be eligible to play, a child must reside in one of the above towns and the 9th birthday of the child must occur before August 1 and the 13th birthday of the child must not occur before July 4 of the current year. Baseball opportunities also exist for for children from 13-16 years of age. Contact your municipal office for further information.

If you wish to sign your child up to play, call the municipal office in your town.

For further information about the league, call CPYL President Willie Underhill at at 207-296-3470 or 207-852-8260(cell). Or see Index

Municipal Office Numbers

Bradford: 327-2121
Corinth: 285-3271
Exeter: 379-2191
Garland: 924-3691
Hudson: 327-1284
Kenduskeag: 884-7947
Stetson: 296-3232

League Principles

We have adapted a set of governing principles for players, coaches, officials and spectators so that we may ensure safe, fair, instructive, and pleasant recreation for all concerned. This New York Times article illustrates the importance of these principles and what youth sport is coming to nationwide.

The game is for the children. Youth baseball cannot be expected to satisfy the egos of relatives of the players who would have liked to have been all-stars in their own day. We must never forget for a moment: The game is for the children.
As a result of #1 above, it is the business of the adults directing the efforts of the children to ensure that the young people have the opportunity for safe and healthy recreation and to learn physical, emotional, intellectual, and social skills.
It is also the business of the adults to treat the young people with respect and courtesy at all times. Don't denigrate them. Don't ridicule them. Coaches are teachers, not stand-up comics. Save the Don Rickles imitations for the New Year's Eve party.
For the sake of the safety of the players, games must never extend beyond the curfew set by the coaches. Violations of this curfew increase the risk of injury to the children. That an individual game may have been extended without injury is a matter of luck and nothing else.
Also to ensure safety, coaches must never tell players to seek an 'edge' by doing something that might endanger the health or well-being of any player.
Coaches and umpires must make sure the field is safe for play. If no safe place to play a game can be found, postpone or cancel the game.
Players, coaches, and spectators must respect the integrity of game officials. As a corollary, the home coach must find the best umpires available and must be sure that these officials are aware of the general rules of Little League baseball and particularly those pertaining to the Central Penobscot Youth League. To this end, home coaches are responsible for supplying an up-to-date set of rules to the umpire-in-chief and of assuring that a set is available at the game site. In any town does not have a set of rules, one may be obtained by contacting the league office (327-1453).
If a disagreement regarding rules interpretation occurs, consult the rules -- calmly and rationally. If the disagreement still exists, consult any league official who may be present for possible clarification. If the conflict still remains, play the game under protest and appeal to the league. We want to teach our children to handle differences of opinion calmly and rationally, without shouting, swearing, and making accusations.
If questions arise concerning the judgment of the umpire as to ball-strike or safe-out, it is unfortunate, but nothing can be done beyond complaining to the league afterward. In cases of this type, certain umpires haven't been asked for further services. Never forget -- the kids are watching. If you act like a jackass, you are teaching them to act like jackasses.
For the playoffs, the league will select and pay umpires judged to be of the highest quality. You won't get anywhere arguing with them; they most likely know the game -- at least the rules -- better than you do. Certainly, you won't find better umpires. We are careful about whom we ask to officiate our playoff games, and this policy seems to work well.
The league is for all aspiring players, not just the gifted athletes. Each boy or girl living in the towns we serve must be given the opportunity to participate in the camaraderie and to develop the skills particular to the sport.
Players, coaches and spectators all represent their towns. They must refrain from abusive language or actions toward the team that is their guest or host or toward the umpires. We hope that the families and friends of the players will support them and will keep their support at the highest levels of good sportsmanship. The Bangor Daily News for Nov. 18, 1999 reports that the Jupiter-Tequesta Athletic Association of West Palm Beach, Florida requires parents of participants to take a 1-hour course on spectator ethics. We're doing ok without going that far, but it shows how seriously that league takes sportsmanship.