Rochester Youth Baseball Association

 Welcome to the Rochester Youth Baseball Season of 2012!  It won’t be long until we are all out enjoying a game of baseball in 80 degree weather!  RYBA is continuing over a half-century tradition of providing authentic youth baseball programs to the Rochester Community.

RYBA is a non-profit organization operated by dedicated individuals who serve on our Board of Directors with the goal of providing great baseball programs for the kids of Rochester.  These individuals volunteer hundreds of hours of their time year-round to our program.  Many of you may not realize that some of our Board’s busiest times are during the winter and early spring as we prepare for the upcoming season.  Please appreciate all the time these individuals are putting in to make Rochester Youth baseball the successful program it is today.  Thank you also to all the coaches who volunteer their time to teach both the game and the skills of baseball to your kids. 

RYBA now has a very strong online presence.  This will mark our first year that we will be doing all registration online.  Therefore, there will NOT be in-person registration at the REC Center in late January.  We are now live for online registration at rybamn.com.  This online registration still allows payment options including payment by check (via postal mail after entering player info online), credit card, or paypal®.  For those families with limited or no online access, there will be one night of LIMITED registration at the RCTC Field House on February 26^th from 6:30-8:00.  At our website there is also a very detailed Q & A section to answer many of the questions you may have concerning our program.

 Based on feedback from our yearly survey, RYBA has decided to not have any fundraiser cards for the 2012 season. We thank the businesses who have been a part of the coupon cards in past years.

 Another big change is the new bat requirements that are now mandatory for those playing in RYBA.  The changes started at the collegiate level and have since moved down to the High School and youth leagues.   “The new standard ensures that performances by non-wood bats are more comparable to those of wood bats. It’s also expected to minimize risk, improve play and increase teaching opportunities”.  A primary reason for the change was safety in that balls were coming off the composite bats so quickly that it was difficult for pitchers and third baseman to react quickly enough.  RYBA is also mandating the use of these bats in its league play.  At ages where there is an umpire, the bats will be inspected for compliance.  When looking for a new bat be sure that they are in compliance with the new rule.  All the sporting goods stores are aware of the new requirements and can assist you.  Most bats from 2011 or before will not be “legal” in 2012, but see our website for specific marking to look for to determine which bats are eligible.

 Finally, it is the mission of RYBA to have our players develop as baseball players and as individuals- hence our motto is "Youth Growing Through Baseball".  To advance this mission all involved in youth baseball- coaches, parents, spectators should abide by the adaptation of the Golden Rule- Treat the players, coaches or umpires as you would want your family, especially your child, to be treated.  One area where this especially holds true is the treatment of umpires.  Many of our umps are young adults who usually have a love for the game and enjoy umping youth sports.  They, like all umpires, make mistakes.  Just ask Armando Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers who pitched a “perfect game” only to have an umpire error take this away from him.  Though stunned and mad at first, Galarraga ended up handling the situation with an amazing grace.  Let us all realize that mistakes will be made, and before yelling at an ump, ask if that was your son out there umping, would you want someone yelling at him?

 Let’s have fun, still strive to win, and make this a great summer of baseball!

 Play Ball!!!!

 Scott Rosenow, President of RYBA

2012 RYBA President