Minutes
2007 Jan 17 Feb 17 Mar 13 Apr 2 Apr 16 Jun 26 Aug 8 Sept 10 Oct 23
Jan 17, 2007
The Meeting was called to order at 6:00 P.M at Gambino's Pizza Parlor.
Those in attendance were; Tom Fiscus, Rick Simodynes, Bill Smuck, Ben Heald, Mert Opfer, Bob Kubat, Torri Pantaleon, David Dye, and Joe Beninato.
  1. Fields - The Board has contacted all local cities in order to obtain the best possible location for our games. He is a brief synopsis of our efforts; Papillion does not have any fields available for us, Lavista does not have any fields available either, Bellevue could only let us use their lighted field on Friday nights. The only field that Omaha offered is Dodge Park on Monday and Wednesday nights. Our rates will be increased by $15.00 per team to $295.00 for the Spring/Summer season, Council Bluffs was very accommodating, they offered us their best field, (the former Harrah's complex) on either Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday, they will meet or beat Omaha's price. In the final analysis, more players and teams wanted to stay at Dodge than wanted to move to Council Bluffs. The Board voted to return to Dodge Park for Spring/Summer 2007.
  2. Sign up Dates - Registration will be from February 1, 2007 until March 26th 2007 (for returning players from both Spring/Summer and Fall of 2007). Any returning player whose registration is received between March 26th and April 2nd will be entered in the Draft and will have to pay the full new registration fee of $105.00. In the event their application is received after April 2nd they will be charged an additional $25.00 late fee and there is no guarantee that the application will be accepted. Teams are filled on the basis of when applications are received. The fee for returning players will be $80.00, for new players and returning players entering the draft, it will be $105.00. Spring training will start April 2nd, the draft will be April 23rd, and the Season will be April 30 thru July 25th.
  3. Rules and Equipment - We will be using the optic yellow, 44 core, 375 compression ball this year. Motion made by Bob Kubat, Second by Ben Heald, Carried unanimously. After input from the Managers, it was determined that we will modify the rules for adding players when a team has less than 10 at game time. A team will have to have at least 7 of their players to avoid a forfeit. They may add a maximum of 2 players from the 'drawing'. If they have 7 players they will add 2 and play with 9, if they have 8 players they will add 2 and play with 10. If they have 9 players they will add 1 and play with 10. Players added may play only Catcher, Right Field, or Right Center Field. They must bat at the end of the order. Motion made by Ben Heald, second by Rick Simodynes, carried unanimously.
  4. Budget - Mert Opfer read The Proposed Operating Budget. By increasing the registration fee by $5.00 we should be able to keep our Bank Balance at approximately $6,900. Motion to accept the Budget as written by Bob Kubat, Second by Torri Pantaleon, carried unanimously.
  5. By Laws - A motion was made by Ben Heald to modify the by laws so that the Legal Advisor and Web Site Manager become voting Members of the Board. Second by Bill Smuck, carried unanimously.
  6. Board Vacancy - David Dye notified the Board that he will be resigning. Dave has put in a lot of long hours and we all owe him our thanks for a job well done. Please ask your players if anyone would be interested in serving as Communications Officer. This is a new position on the Board. He will be responsible for supervising Web Design, coordinating the Communications process, collecting data, Writing updates and communicate to the League at the Direction of the Board. Please contact any Board Member if you are interested.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:15. The next Board Meeting will be at the office of Simodynes and Associates on February 14th, 2007 at 6pm.
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Feb 17, 2007
The Meeting was called to order at 1:00 P.M at Gambino's Pizza Parlor.
Those in attendance were; Tom Fiscus, Ben Heald, Bob Kubat, Mert Opfer, Torri Pantaleon, Bill Smuck, and Tom Herfordt.
  1. Budget - Mert Opfer presented the proposed budget. The cost per player for the Spring/Summer season will be $76.34. Since our registration fee is $80.00 per player, we are doing a good job of charging the least amount possible while maintaining our Bank Balance. The proposed balance at the end of the year will be $7,005. This is in keeping with our previously agreed on goal to keep enough of a balance to handle unforeseen problems. Motion was made by Bob Kubat to approve, second by Ben Heald, carried unanimously.
  2. Registration. - At the time of the meeting, we had 46 players registered and have collected $3710 in registration fees.
  3. New Strike Mat - A proposal was made by Bob Kubat to use the new SPA strike mat. This is the mat that was used in the SPA national tournament last year. It is 21 inches by 35 inches, so it is four inches wider than our current mat. Second by Bill Smuck and carried unanimously.
  4. Letter to Papillion - Joe Beninato is drafting a letter to Papillion, asking for a partial refund to Nebraska Senior Softball for the expense of the sprinkler system we paid for. We have not been allowed to use their fields as much as we envisioned when we purchased the sprinkler system, and it does not appear that the situation will improve any time soon.
  5. Uniform Shirts - Shirts will be ordered the night of the Draft. The vendor will be at Dodge Park to take the order. Team Managers are responsible to order uniform shirts at that time for their team members that require them. They will need to know the player number, quantity of shirts needed, and size.
  6. End of Spring/Summer Tournament - Team Managers are asked to poll their teams to determine if they would prefer to have a tournament after the Spring/Summer season as we have done in previous years or if they would rather we just schedule league games until the end of the season (as we did last year). Please e-mail Ben Heald with your preference.
The meeting was adjourned at 2 pm. The next Board Meeting will be at the office of Simodynes and Associates on March 14th, 2007 at 6pm.
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Mar 13, 2007
The Meeting was called to order at 6:00 P.M at the office of Simodynes and Associates.
Those in attendance were; Tom Fiscus, Bob Kubat, Bill Smuck, Duane Carolus, Rick Simodynes, Tom Herfordt,
  1. Registration - We have 86 players registered for Spring/Summer at this time. This includes six new players. Returning players are reminded that their registration is due by the 26th of March. Returning players registering 3/27 thru 4/1 will be required to pay a $25.00 uniform fee and enter the draft. Registrations from returning players received after April 2nd. Will require an additional $25.00 late fee, and there is no guarantee that they will be accepted. If accepted, they will enter the draft.
  2. .Spring Practice Dates - We will begin practicing on the second of April, 6pm, at Dodge Park. We intend to practice each Monday and Wednesday until the season starts on the 30th of April. The Draft will be on the 18th of April at Dodge Park.
  3. End of Season Tournament - There was not much response to my query to the Managers concerning whether of not the players would like to have an end of season tournament. This Tournament would be in place of regular season games. The Board will decide at the next meeting if we are going to have this tournament or just play more regular season games, (as we did last year).
  4. Pitching Net - It was decided that we would experiment with a pitching net in the Fall League.
  5. Web site - Please take a look at our new Web site. Tom Herfordt has done a great job of making it user friendly. A motion was made by Ben Heald to pay Tom $300 for all his hard work on the site. (The Board had budgeted $600 for this expense). Second by Bob Kubat, carried unanimously.
The meeting was adjourned at 7pm. The next meeting will be at 5pm at the office of Simodynes and Associates on the 28th of March.
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Apr 2, 2007
The Meeting was called to order at 5:00 P.M.
Those in Attendance were. Tom Fiscus, Bob Kubat, Ben Heald, Rick Simodynes, Mert Opfer, Torri Pantaleon, and Bill Smuck.
  1. Registration - We have 119 players registered. It should be noted that quite a few of them would miss a great number of games. Most affected are the Cubs and the Reds.
  2. Number of Teams - Based on current registrations and the fact that at least 10 players are planning on missing a significant number of games. A motion was made by Rick Simodynes to have 9 teams again this year. Seconded by Ben Heald, carried unanimously. In the event we get a significant number of New Player registrations before the draft, we will consider adding a tenth team. Motion seconded by Bill Smuck, carried unanimously.
  3. Managers - A motion was made by Bob Kubat to keep the seven returning Managers. The only teams in need of new Managers are the Twins and the Cardinals. Second by Ben Heald, carried unanimously.
  4. Cardinals Manager - A motion was made by Bob Kubat to appoint Rod Kidder as the Cardinals Manager. Seconded by Bill Smuck, carried unanimously.
  5. Twins Manager - None of the Twins that registered agreed to manage. A motion was made by Bob Kubat to assign Cort Fernald to the Twins and appoint him as Manager. Seconded by Ben Heald, carried unanimously.
  6. Managers/Board Meeting- There will be a Managers/Board Meeting at Dodge Park on the 11th of April at 5:30. We will discuss issues such as the upcoming draft and the schedule at this meeting. If a manager cannot attend, he should be sure he is represented at the meeting.
The Meeting was adjourned at 6 pm.
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Apr 16, 2007
The meeting was called to order at 5:30 PM at Dodge Park.
Those in Attendance were: Tom Fiscus, Rick Simodynes, Ben Heald, Mert Opfner, Duane Carolus, and Bill Smuck. Managers present were: Cort Fernald, Dave Mitchell, Dave Dye, Dave Banghart, Ed Tworek, Rod Kidder, and Steve Jordan.
  1. Registration - We now have 124 players registered, including 14 new players.
  2. Spring/Summer Season 2007 - After conferring with the Managers, it was determined that we will have ten teams this season! The Managers voted in favor of attempting to try to make up games that are rained out this year. (This will be easier to do since we will have an even number of teams). The Managers voted against having a tournament at the end of the season. The Draft will be 5:30 P M, Monday the 23rd of April.
  3. Manager Responsibilities - Managers are the most important link to our players, (especially new players), and to umpires. All Managers were advised that the Board will be more pro-active and involved should we become aware of any problems.
    Our standard is to treat all Players and Umpires with respect. We especially want to make sure that new players are treated well. The impressions that they get in their first few weeks will establish their long-term opinions about our League. We want to make sure it is a positive one.
  4. New Manager - A motion was made by Ben Heald to have Tom Smith manage our new team. Second by Duane Carolus, carried unanimously. The new team will be the Rockies.
The Meeting was adjourned at 6 pm.
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Jun 26, 2007
The Meeting was called to order at 6:00 P.M at the office of Simodynes and Associates.
Those in attendance were; Tom Fiscus, Rick Simodynes, Bob Kubat, Mert Opfer, Bill Smuck, Torri Pantaleon, Duane Carolus, Joe Beninato, and Tom Herfordt.
  1. Treasurer’s Report - Mert Opfer reported that we have a balance of $9180. Motion to accept by Ben Heald, Second by Duane Carolus, carried unanimously.
  2. Fall League - Team Managers were asked to provide the Board with their team’s preference for the fall schedule. The following was decided: Due to a Metro Omaha Scheduling issue, the first two weeks of the season (beginning August 13th, will be played at Dodge Park, beginning August 27th, all games will be played at Seymour Smith. The cost will be $190 per team, which is a $10 per team increase from last year. We will have a 17 game schedule.
  3. Fall Registration - The fall registration period will be from July 6th thru July 30th. The fee for fall registration will be $60. Uniforms will not be issued to players that are drafted by a team. Players that wish to register July 31st thru August 6th will pay a $25 late fee. Registrations received after August 6th will require Board Approval. Players are encouraged to mail their registrations to Ben Heald 2813 Nottingham Dr. Bellevue NE. 68123.
  4. New Ball - Bob Kubat made a motion that we try a different ball for the fall Season. He made a motion that we switch to a Worth 44 core 375 compression optic yellow ball, second by Ben Heald, carried unanimously.
  5. Web Site Manager - A motion was made by Bob Kubat to make the Web Site Manager (Tom Herfordt) a voting member of the Board. Second by Ben Heald, carried unanimously.
  6. Fall Banquet - Our Fall Banquet will be at the Offutt Base Lake again this year. It will be on the second of November. Price will be $7.50 for Members and significant other. $15 for each additional guest.
  7. Rules Reiteration - There has been some confusion with regard to a few of our rules. Here is a reminder Teams that have a twelve man roster can play with as few as 7 of their players present. Teams with an eleven-man roster must have at least 6 players present. Roster size can only be reduced when a manager officially contacts the Director of Player Personnel and notifies him that a player in injured or sick and will miss at least four games. Teams can draw a maximum of 3 players. The substitute players may only play right field, right center field or catcher, cannot pinch run, and must bat at the end of the line up. The white part of the pitching mat is home plate. The Black part is not home plate.
The Meeting was adjourned at 8 pm.
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Aug 8, 2007
The Meeting was called to order at 6 PM at Dodge Park.
Those in attendance were; Tom Fiscus, Ben Heald, Rick Simodynes, Bob Kubat, Duane Carolus, Tom Herfordt, and Bill Smuck.
  1. Fall Season - It was determined that there will be eight teams for the fall 2007 Season. The Indians and Rockies will be eliminated. The season will begin on August 13th. The first two Mondays of the season will be at Dodge Park, all other games will be at Seymour Smith. The schedule on the Web Site depicts the first 14 games. The last three games will be scheduled at a later date so we can make up for rainouts.
  2. Registration - At the time of the meeting, we had 94 players registered, which is a significant improvement over last year.
  3. New Managers - Bruce Babko was nominated to be the new Manager for the Angels and Ben Heald was nominated to be the new Manager for the Cubs. Motion made by Bob Kubat, seconded by Torri Pantaleon, carried unanimously.
  4. Draft - Rick Simodynes presented an excellent proposal to the Board and the Managers regarding the Fall Draft. His proposal included all relevant factors. The overwhelming majority of those present felt it is as fair a proposal as could be made. We then proceeded on to the fall draft.
  5. Award for Fall Champions - Managers and Board Members are asked to contact Tom Fiscus and tell him if you think the fall Champions should receive any award. Hats, Shirts, Sweatshirts or Jackets are an option. We could also give the winners nothing due to the fact that the fall season is a secondary season. Players are asked to tell you Manager what your wishes are on this issue.
The meeting was adjourned at 7 pm. The Draft then took place.
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Sept 10, 2007
The Meeting was called to order at 6 PM.
Those in attendance were; Tom Fiscus, Ben Heald, Torri Pantaleon, Mert Opfer, Bob Kubat, and Rick Simodynes.
  1. Concerns - Ed Tworek presented a number of concerns to the Board. His areas of concern were:
  2. Treasurer’s Report - Our current Balance is $13,498, we have spent $9606 to date, and our balance at the end of the year should be approximately $7000. Motion to accept by Ben Heald, second by Bob Kubat, passed unanimously.
  3. Rules - Rick Simodynes has done a superior job of compiling a list of “Senior Softball” rules. These rules are a very concise list of rules that differ from standard ASA rules. A meeting that includes the Managers will be held to finalize these rules.
  4. Denny Zakovec Request - Denny Zakovec made a request to the Board that all players over 80 years of age be allowed to use the Mikken Ultra II bat. The Board will discuss this and make a decision prior to the Spring 2008 season.
  5. Awards for 2007 Champions - A motion was made by Bob Kubat to award the Spring Champions sweatshirts and the Fall Champions Hats. Second by Ben Heald, Carried unanimously.
  6. Rainout Games - It was determined that the games that have been rained out will be made up at the end of the year.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:00 pm
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Oct 23, 2007
The meeting was called to order at 6:00 PM at Gambino’s Pizza.
Those present were: Mert O, Bill S. Duane, C., Bob K. Tom H, Torri P, and Tom F. Absent: Joe B.
  1. Budget - An operation budget update was given by the Board Treasurer, Mert. We still have outstanding bills for the banquet and awards. It was also noted that we will have additional expenses next year for uniforms for the entire league for the spring draft and will reduce the balance to be in line with the Board’s cash reserve goal. Motion to accept by Duane C. Second by Bill. Vote 7-0 to accept.
  2. Banquet - Bill Smuck responded that all plans are set and duties assigned for specific activities. It was noted that we needed to make an effort to stay on schedule so as to allow people to enjoy the entertainment afterward.
  3. Board resignation - It was moved by Bill S and seconded by Bob K to accept the resignation of Rick S and Ben Heald. Rick was in charge of player personnel and Ben was Secretary and handled all of the registrations. Motion passed 7-0. The Board would like to thank Rick and Ben for their time and effort given to NSS.
  4. Player Survey - A request was received by the Board to conduct a player survey. The Board discussed this and after some research we concluded that it had been 2 to 3 years since the last one was done. A list of potential questions was submitted to the Board by a group of players.
    A committee was then formed to conduct the survey. The committee is made up of Duke Burgess, Bill Smuck, Bill Riggle, John Lucash, and Ed Tworek. Duke presented a rough draft of the survey at the meeting and asked the Board to review it. The Board conducted the review and made a few minor changes which will serve as the main template for the survey committee.
    A discussion followed on several topics: It was decided that the committee would have the survey ready to distribute by December 1, 2007 or sooner.
    The results of the survey would be due back by December 15th. The information would then be tabulated and analyzed by the committee and presented to the Board by the first or second week in January.
    It was decided that we would develop a web application and access with a password that would be sent to members via email. The Board accepted a motion by Bob K and seconded by Torri to authorize up to $300 for the development of the survey. Motion carried 7 - 0.
    It is the Board’s desire to ensure the timeliness and accuracy of the survey. Results of the survey will be put on the web after the Board has had a chance to review it, which should be by early January.
  5. Commissioner - It was moved by Bob K with a second from Torri that the Commissioner transition be no earlier than May 1, 2008. Motion carried. 7-0. It was moved by Bob K and seconded by Bill S to appoint Duane C as incoming Commissioner. Motion carried 7-0. It was moved by Duane C. with a 2nd by Bob K. to appoint Torri as Associate Commissioner. Motion carried 7-0. Decisions on the status of all other Board positions will be made after the results of the survey have been reviewed.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:15 pm
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