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High school baseball in Alabama stinks. There is talent in the state but the governing body of high school baseball is trying its best to hold it down through its ridiculous and antiquated rulings. They will barely even let the boys play. There is a big stink going on right now over summer ball. Makes me sad to say we even live here.
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Lot of upset people in North Atlanta when at the 11th hour, six Alabama teams had to pull out of a huge hs summer baseball tournament. Officials were told that AHSAA told them that if they played they would be punished during the spring season. Stupid rules, let he kids practice and play. Ga has some dumb rules also. Especially when you are allowed only 2 weeks or organized practice before the start of the season. Lots of sore, tired arms by May.
Here are the Alabama rules on Summer and Fall Baseball

They stink!!

SUMMER PRACTICE RULE:
A coach may practice with his/her own players during the summer without any restrictions as far as the number of players. However, a coach may not coach his/her own players or player in any competition during the summer. Neither can a coach prepare his/her players for competition and have someone else do the coaching at the games. The only exception is coaching in competition during the one team camp allowed. Mandatory practices during the summer are prohibited. Summer is defined as the period from the last day of school until the starting practice date for fall sports. Competition between school teams is not permitted. High school facilities and equipment may not be used for competition between school teams or competition involving students with any high school athletic eligibility remaining. School uniforms may be used in the one team camp allowed. (School facilities may be used by community recreation programs.) Weight training and conditioning programs are not restricted.


PRACTICE DURING SCHOOL YEAR:
During the school year, a coach or coach's aide may practice his/her players from the starting practice date until the team's last game of the season. Practice is prohibited during the off-season, the period of the school year before official practice starts and after the season ends. Spring practice in football, basketball and volleyball is permitted. Practice is any activity using the ball for a particular sport and/or any other equipment (such as gloves, bats, blocking dummies, etc.) used to play that sport. Practice includes, but is not limited to, drills that develop skills and strategies of a particular sport. School facilities may not be used in any capacity during the school year for off-season practice. Students may practice or play on their own off the school campus without any restrictions as far as numbers are concerned. However, they may not be supervised or play in any competition outside the school setting during the school year unless the Fifty Percent Rule is in effect.


FIFTY PERCENT RULE:
Participation during the school year by students from any high school team (varsity and B-team) on a non-school team during the off-season is limited to 50 percent of the number of players required to play the game of that sport (i.e, three in basketball, six in s****r, five in baseball, etc.) The rule does not apply to seniors who have completed their high school eligibility in that sport nor to middle and Junior high school students who will not play on a high school team the following season.
The Fifty Percent Rule is not in effect during the summer, only during the school year.



PRACTICE GAMES PROHIBITED ALL YEAR:
Practice games or scrimmages between schools are not permitted at any time. The only exception is a 'modified' game during a training session set up by an officials' association before the season of a sport. Schools served by a particular association may be invited to engage in 'modified' games for the purpose of training officials. The officials' association must get the event sanctioned through the AHSAA. Any school involvement in the training must be held on a non-school day.
We have the same limits in TX, a HS coach cannot coach a summer league team made up mostly of his players. That doesn't stop the talent in this state from playing ball in the fall and summer, they just can't play with the same guys on the HS team. Good baseball and lasting friendships with top select teams is the norm around this big ole' state.

A coach cannot organize a scheduled practice after school hours, during the off-season (fall, winter or summer), in TX.

Those rulings do not say that you cannot play summer or fall ball, just you can't play with your entire HS team that is coached by your HS coach, or is coached by a puppet with the coach pulling the strings.
Our HS eligible team just got shut down for the rest of the season.

From what I'm reading on a statewide forum it wasn't only us.

It was legal on paper as the league was a "community recreation organization" using the high school fields, but the AHSAA is really cracking down statewide.

It looks like the Babe Ruth and American Legion organizations are going to get a big boost across the state of Alabama next summer unless this can be resolved.
Last edited by Kungaloosh
I think it makes alot of sense. Let's take these kids off the playing field where they are learning the rewards of hardwork, teamwork, and dedication and let them stay home doing little if anything, letting their idle minds prattle on until they get in trouble due to boredom. Nice call AHSSA. No wonder we have so many out of shape kids running around. Bet football doesn't have the same problem.
In Florida no restrictions in summer, can coach your own high school kids all you want, play at school, work out at school. Almost all Fla HS coaches coach in summer against other high schools, in fact in Central Florida if you arent coaching your HS kids you would be looking for a job. In fall cant coach them,
can coach but 50% must be from different schools, not on roster but with you at any time
half must be not yours, thats enforced. Also we can only play 25 total hs spring games which includes any tournaments we want to participate in.

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