2009 Survey
The survey was sent 142 players. 90 players responded (63.3%).

#1 In 2009 the fall league tested the policy of allowing senior bats (e.g. Ultra II, etc) for 70 and older players. Should the league continue this policy?
Discussion: ASA is considering changing its bat standards and the ball standards for 2010. The NSS Board has already decided that we will follow the same guidelines for bats (ASA) and balls (.44/400) that were used in 2009 by NSS. For the 2nd half of the fall season, we tested the use of senior bats and have not made a decision at this time for the 2010 season. The Board’s recommendation is to continue the use of senior bats.

#2 In 2009 the fall league tested the policy of borrowing a catcher from the opponent when short a player or players. Should the league continue this policy as now written in the rules?
Discussion: This was implemented for the fall season. The team at bat was allowed to choose the catcher. Most teams decided to use the last batter in the previous inning as the catcher to start the inning. Whatever teams decided to do, the concept seemed to work well. There were some questions when we first started but they seemed to resolve themselves as the league went on. The Board’s recommendation is to continue this practice.

#3 Should the league use an 11th defensive fielder to help reduce the number of balls hit up the middle, speed up play and increase player participation?
Discussion: NSS has not tried this previously. For the tournament teams, it is standard practice for teams 65 and over. The 11th fielder normally plays behind 2nd base to discourage the batters from hitting the ball up the middle, threatening the pitcher. The positioning of this player is at the discretion of the manager. The 11th fielder gives more players an opportunity to play in the field but the potential decrease in the number of hits will reduce the number of at bats per player over the course of the game. If this option is adopted, team roster size will most likely increase. For the summer of 2009, we had 13/team and for the fall, we had 12. The Board has no recommendation on this issue.

#4 How often should the league conduct a full player draft? (Note: Registration fees increase approximately $30 in full draft years).
Discussion: The current plan calls for a complete redraft after every 3 years. This allows time for the teams to learn to play with each other and hold down the cost of playing. If we continue the use of MLB logo’ed jerseys, more frequent redrafting will increase the cost to all players due to the frequency of needing to buy new jerseys. The Board sees no compelling reason to change from the current schedule and recommends retaining the 3 year interval.

#5 Should the teams be split into two equal divisions, with games played both within and between divisions? Division champions would then play for the league championship at the end of each season.
Discussion: Teams would be assigned to a division at the start of each season. One scheduling option would be to play each team in your divisions twice and each team in the other division once. Or you could play all teams twice. For a 12 team league, this would be 16 games under the first option and 22 under the second option. Other options are possible as neither of these calls for as many games as we played in the summer of 2009. The Board has no recommendation here but welcomes possible scheduling options.

#6 Should the summer season be made longer and the fall season shortened by the same amount?
Discussion: Our previous schedules have not coincided with the Metro Omaha Softball league schedules, necessitating we start the fall season playing at Dodge Park. If our schedule matched that of MOS, our 2009 seasons would have changed by 4 weeks. Changing the season lengths would also increase the cost of the summer league and reduce the cost of the fall league. The Board has no recommendation on this issue.

#7 Would you rather play Nebraska Senior Softball at Dodge Park or the Harrah’s facility in Council Bluffs?
Discussion: Until NSS grows to 16 teams, the only MOS facility we can get is Dodge Park. With our current size, we can play at Harrah’s for essentially the same cost. Several of our players played there this past year and are very impressed with the playing conditions. There may be traffic concerns getting to our early games at Harrah’s due to rush hour traffic crossing the I-80 Bridge. The South Omaha Bridge (US 275) is currently closed for construction until an unspecified date. Some of our players feel that NEBRASKA Senior Softball should be played in Nebraska. However, playing in Council Bluffs will increase our exposure and possibly gain us new players.


2009 Follow-Up Survey
The survey was sent 142 players. 91 players responded (64%).

Our Nebraska Senior Softball League Board desires to receive input to the following questions from each and every player who participated in our senior league during the 2009 season in order that we may make a decision prior to the end of January that truly reflects which softball complex the majority of our players prefer.

Softball Complex Availability for 2010 Season:
Only two facilities are currently available for use by Nebraska Senior Softball in 2010; NP Dodge Park in northeast Omaha, one mile north of the Mormon Bridge; and the Council Bluffs Recreation Complex located at 2900 Richard Downing Ave, one mile east of the Missouri River on I-80, Exit 2-A, on South 24th Street.

Concerning the complexes, there are several important factors about each facility for you to consider:
#1 In view of the above information, which softball complex do you prefer to play at during the 2010 season. #2 In order to allow for adequate travel time after work, the first scheduled game on Monday and Wednesday should start at: