D-Bats

Welcome all returning and new players to CSSA’s 2022 Spring Softball Season! It has been a long, cold winter, and we are all excited to step into the sun and play ball. Whether it’s been a few months or a few decades since you’ve swung a bat, run the bases, or chased down a fly ball, you need to do a solid warmup and stretch routine before every game. A proper pregame warmup takes less than 15 minutes, and with CSSA’s exclusive video, you’ll have your pregame warmup and stretch routine done before you know it.
Avoid injuries—warm up and stretch like the MLB pros.
Check out the warmup video here: https://youtu.be/YnoV0tVpyWY

CSSA BOARD MEETING
February 7, 2022
The monthly meeting of the CSSA Board of Directors was held February 7, 2022, at Ralph’s Tavern/Zucca Pizza in Kennesaw, and called to order by Norm Thiem at 6:17 P.M.

Members Present: Norm Thiem, Ray DeLuca, Maria Burden, Robbie Crider, Leland Brown, Mike Maguire, Dan Bonham, Randy Bergman, Bob Werner, Mike Parson, John Humeston, James Bauch, and Dick O’Connor. Anne Ryan and DeWayne Logan were guests.
Absent: Dewey Hom

A. Minutes of the January 12, 2022 meeting, having been emailed to all, were Board approved.
B. Treasurer/Financial Report, having been emailed to all, were Board approved.
C. 2022 Sponsors: Ray DeLuca submitted his sponsor letter which was recently mailed. Nearly half of our sponsors are player-sponsors, which is a good indicator of future sponsor longevity which is excellent for the league. Ray will continue to follow up on all sponsors for full payment, hopefully prior to season start.
D. Staffing Issues: After some dedicated work by Dick O’Connor and Anne Ryan, it appears that we have a sufficient number of umpires and scorekeepers for the 2022 season. Anne, who will serve as a “floater” scorekeeper, is working on building a pool of alternate scorekeepers as well.
E. Player Evaluation Days: Dates and times are set, and CRPA has accommodated CSSA’s requests for field and pavilion availability for all four days. Mike Parson and Mike Maguire have done extensive planning for the Evaluation Days to ensure an organized and streamlined process with less administrative difficulty during the draft. Two board members with laptops and hotspots will be needed at each evaluation day to register new players online. Team managers are requested to come sometime between 12-2 pm on either February 19th or 20th (weather permitting), so they can sit down with DeWayne Logan of Misfits Sports Apparel who will be on site at the evaluations to help managers design their team’s new sublimated jerseys for the 2022 season. If the first weekend is rained out, managers are requested to come on the 26th or 27th. Bob Werner has designed an advertisement in the Cherokee Ledger which will appear on February 9, 16th and 23rd. Lawn signs for evaluation days were distributed to all board members and will be placed throughout the area in the next few days. Business cards with the same information were also distributed to board members to make it easy to share this information with people we meet and build up our association with new players.
F. Norman Thiem distributed the New Player Orientation Packets to all members for review. The packets include Welcome Letter, FAQs, Board of Directors Contact List, Tips for New Players + Unusual Rules, and Navigation Guide for the TeamPages website. The Board approved the packet. All new players will be given a packet on evaluation day. Maria will also post a PDF copy of the document on the TeamPages website, so it is available for all players to view as well.
G. Proposal for Adoption of Changes to Rules of Play: After an extensive study of proposed rule changes was completed by the Rules Committee, it was proposed that changes be made to rules 1, 2, 14, 22 and 25, and that new players turning 49 before December 31, 2022 will be eligible to play in the 2022 season. The board discussed and approved the proposed changes. A vote of the Board of Directors will be undertaken to confirm the rule changes on February 15th, following the seven-day delayed vote requirement. Directly following the vote, if affirmative, the Rules of Play document on TeamPages will be revised and republished with the displayed revision date. The Board decided that the Rules of Play posted on the TeamPages website (after the aforementioned revisions are complete), will be the Rules of Play for the 2022 season and future seasons.
H. Phasing in New Sublimated Jerseys in 2022 Season: As decided previously, new sublimated jerseys for all teams in all leagues will be ordered from Misfit Sports Apparel. The cost per jersey is $22.00. Due to the large number required and production time required, jersey delivery will be phased in, league by league as soon as available. The newly merged American/National League teams will have priority because otherwise they would have no jerseys to start the season. Teams in other leagues will use previous year’s jerseys until their new jerseys are ready. Team Managers will design their team’s new jerseys, with approval of designs by League Directors. DeWayne Logan of Misfit Sports Apparel will have a jersey design station at Player Evaluations February 19th and 20th 12-2 p.m. at Hobgood Park. All team managers must come to the park on one of these days to meet with DeWayne to get their design confirmed. For all teams, the front of the jersey will have the Sponsor Name, the right sleeve will have the CSSA Logo, the left sleeve will have the sponsor logo if available, and the back of the jersey will have the player’s number and Misfit Sports Apparel logo above the player number. Colors and designs will be determined by team managers and approved by the league directors. At the end of each season, every jersey must be returned to the team manager, or players will be required to pay for a replacement.
The meeting adjourned at 8:25 P.M.
The next BOD meeting will be Monday, March 7, 2022 at 6:30 p.m.

Spring ball season is approximately 5 weeks away for 2022 Cherokee Senior Softball. Evaluations will be held at Hobgood Park, (Corner of Bells Ferry Rd and Town Lake Parkway), Field #4, Woodstock, GA the last two weekends of February, 12 noon to 2pm each day. Evaluations are open to adults ages 49 and older – we even have some 89 yr olds still participating!!
With 8 leagues and approximately 38 teams, all evaluations are based on abilities and not ages.
Fees for a 10 week season are $50.00-Cash, Check, OR $55.00-Debit, Credit card.
If you know of anyone who would be interested in playing, please put the word out regarding new player evaluations. Even if they haven’t played for some years, all are welcome to join in.
Days of play at Hobgood are: Monday, Tuesday nights, Wednesday and Thursday night at Skip Wells Park off Bells Ferry Rd in Marietta. Players can be on several leagues if schedules permit.
Spring season will start the week of March 14, 2022 – weather permitting.
For more information, please call 770-757-8467 or email nthiem@aol.com.
In the event of weather conditions not being conducive, a notice will be posted on this webpage.

If you ever see an outfielder twist and turn away from an approaching fly ball, then observe as the vivid yellow softball lands miraculously in the glove behind the player’s back. That fielder will probably be Warren Butler.
The most senior player (he’s called Pappy) in the American League of the CSSA was a late bloomer in the world of sports. While he played Little League in his hometown of Dalton, GA, he admits his coordination at that early age lagged behind his counterparts.
It wasn’t until he was in his mid-twenties that he plunged into a pool of players being chosen for a church league. The teams were assigned ratings of one, two, and three in order of the assessment of their talent, and Warren joined the team with the lowest rank. He surprised himself with his abilities and hit three home runs in a tournament game that lifted his bottom-rated team to victory. They quickly reassigned him to the top-graded team.
He did not disappoint. The church league soon judged that group’s talent superior to others, and cast them out to the open league. Warren and his mates won that league’s championship on four occasions.
He proceeded through his work life with the Georgia United Credit Union, where he succeeded and became the CEO. He veered away from softball and focused on good times with his wife, Lashon, now thirty years his partner. They didn’t share a love of softball in the early days, but were a championship team in archery and trap-shooting. If fact, the pair won the Georgia State Trap-Shooting crown for four consecutive years.
Lashon has also won the women’s championship in archery in a combined competition for the states of Georgia and Alabama. Warren’s most cherished moment in his sports history is his own trophy for combined Georgia and Alabama state competitions in trap-shooting.
About fourteen years ago, Jeff Land, a neighbor of the Butlers, told them about the senior softball league in Woodstock. Warren’s been playing ever since and continued his leadership role, as he has in most everything he has joined in his life. He became the Director of the American League, then the Vice Commissioner of the CSSA Board of Directors under Dewey Hom for four years. He received the Lowell Lawson Award in 2017. His wife is a fervent supporter of his softball avocation. If you scan the grandstand, Lashon will be the one wearing the “Team Mom” shirt.
On the field, he’s led his team to their division title for three seasons in a row. He’s done so playing the outfield while expanding his expertise to the pitching mound. This past spring, the American League bestowed Warren with his first Most Valuable Player award. He bats left-handed and throws right. I’m not sure which hand pulls the shotgun’s trigger to get those clay pigeons, but have little doubt he could also shoot behind his back!
This avid outdoorsman has experienced some memorable fun events throughout his lifetime. A devoted Braves fan, his favorite players were Dale Murphy and Bob Horner. He’s had the good fortune of spending a day fishing with Hall of Famer Phil Niekro. About eight years ago, he took part in an Atlanta Braves Fantasy Camp. He improved his talents by working with Sid Bream, Marquis Grissom, Pete Smith, Javier Lopez, David Justice and Otis Nixon. Each day at the event, they highlight a Most Valuable Player based on the players’ performances, and Warren was honored at his selection as the MVP on one of those occasions. Not bad for a senior softballer!
He has another year in the American League before his age requires he step aside and join other leagues. No matter where he settles, his new team will receive one of the CSSA’s brightest stars and passionate cheerleaders; someone who practices what he preaches as he spouts in the dugout. “Don’t Ever Give Up.”
Written by Marty Aftewicz

Hello Everyone,

It is almost that time of year to come out into the sun light and play ball.

I wanted to update everyone on the plan for the Spring season related to the National and American League teams. I have no idea what rumors are circulating out there so here is what I can tell you as of today.

The CSSA BOD has decided to merge the NL and AL Leagues into one combined League (no idea what we will call it) for the Spring 2022 season and beyond. I have been asked to be the league director for the 2022 season. We will have 8 teams with 13 man rosters. The purpose of this reorganization is to have a competitive league with team stability. We hope that a 13 man roster and player realignment will eliminate the need for managers to scramble at the last minute to field a team each week. We are also trying to provide each team with players that can field a good defensive alignment as well as have the offence needed to win games.

The managers for the teams have been selected and they have begun to put together a core group of players to begin with. This season the managers are:

• Dan Bonham – Bedoes

• James Bauch – Lawn Doctor (Last seasons All Weather team)

• Chris Geiger – D Bats

• Earl Riley – Integrity

• Terry Crump – GCB

• Freddy Allen – AIMC

• Ken Silvers – Becketts

• Brian Henson – Southland Custom Homes

The managers should have already been in touch with you to confirm your playing status for the Spring season. If you have not been contacted please use this message to let me know directly if you are planning to return and play in the Spring 2022 season. We will likely move some of the sponsor names around after the draft but for now it is easier to use the Team name from the fall for draft purposes.

The managers will put together a team core to start with and then draft the remainder of the teams from the player pool (returning players and Spring tryout players). Tryout out dates are February 19, 20, 26 and 27 at Hobgood. We will begin at noon each day and end around 2PM. We plan to start the Spring season the week of March 14th. We are planning to have a practice week (week of March 7th) and then play a 10 game regular season. The season will have 2 parts to it. In Part 1 each team will play each other once. Once those 7 games are completed the teams will break up into 2 divisions based upon overall record. In Part 2, the 4 teams in each division will play each other once to determine a champion for that division.

That is the basic overview, I hope you find this information helpful. I look forward to seeing everyone out of the field again.

Please note: It is important that we know each players plan for the Spring season so we can list the players available for the draft. Please respond to me directly and let me know your status for the Spring.

Regards,
Mike Maguire
maguire@jeol.com