New Ulm Sports Central - Preserving and Sharing New Ulm Area Sports History

New Ulm baseball's issues with the state amateur baseball board have now included a move to reclassify the Kaiserhoff to Class B and a court legal session is for July 9 is mentioned on Tweeter. New Ulm Baseball Association expressed "no comment" to the board rulings or of any rumored legal actions.

Earlier in the season in moved the K from it's Class B position to Class C and then upped the New Ulm Brewers to Class B when some of the Kaiserhoff players were released to play with the Brewers.
Classifications determine where the teams will participate in post-season play.

As of now, the K will be in Section 3B playoffs with Chaska, Jordan, Shakopee and Victoria.

State Board minutes and two Tweets from the world-wide Internet are reproduced below.

The most recent action is reported in the June 11, 2011 minutes of the state board of directors. Other resources on Twitter have indicated New Ulm has asked for a judge's ruling on the validity of the actions. Mention of any of these issues has not been noted in the New Ulm Journal or by KNUJ. The president of the New Ulm board this week said there would be no comment from the New Ulm Baseball Association to either classification or about any submitted or pending legal actions.

According to the minutes published below, the New Ulm's Kaiserhoff did not comply with a new league rule regarding the addresses of college players. It is uncertain from the minutes if the Kaiserhoff will be allowed to be in the playoffs and a Twitter correspondence reportedly said the River Valley League has forfeited all K wins so far. The rule provides penalties for incorrect or misrepresented "home addresses."

Our blog on these situations is that NUSC neither condones nor opposes the rulings, but does object to the issue not being made public in the New Ulm community. If New Ulm did in fact not handle the signing of the player(s) it should accept and admit to the error. For 50 years we've objected to any decisions made on table tops rather than on ball fields. If there are other circumstances, we can't object to the court ruling being requested.

In other business, the board cleared status of players who were on rosters of Northwoods and other collegiate leagues including New Ulm Brewer pitcher Kyle Fischer. the minutes reported: "Kyle Fischer Play for the Willmar Stingers, return to the New Ulm Brewers for post season only if he meets his (4) game eligibility. (Kyle Fischer) has returned and will be eligible to play for the New Ulm Brewers."

Fischer did not see action with Willmar due to a season-ending injury which limits his throwing until late in the amateur season.

The minutes of the state board is quoted followed by the Tweets.

"The New Ulm Brewers sent a letter requesting the board to reconsider re-classifying the Brewers to Class “B” for the 2011 season. The Brewers has there manager Al Flor, one player, and three board members speak on their behalf. After much discussion a motion by Hartmann, seconded by Rademacher, to re-classifying the New Ulm Brewers to Class “B” for the 2011 season. Motion carried 7-2. Voting for-Richter, Zellmann, Hartmann, Roufs, Forsman, Brennan, Rachemacher. Voting against-Kreger, Barry.

The manager and the directors of the New Ulm Kaiserhoff Baseball team were invited to the MBA meeting on Saturday June 11, 2011. It was brought to the boards attention that the Kaiserhoff team signed a few players that go to Mankato State, and are using their college address. The MBA rule reads a player going to college and uses their college address, he cannot play for a “C” team. One of the players that were brought to our attention was Stephen Papke, there is also a possibility of a few other players. Bob Reinhart spoke for the Kaiserhoff team; he handed out player rosters going over every player where they lived. When he came to players Papke, Ahlschlaged, and Parks with a Mankato address he was asked by the board if these three players lived somewhere else other then Mankato, he didn’t know.

The board told Mr. Reinhart that the new college rule was in our November minutes. It was also gone over and explained at the MBA March meeting with all the leagues, and league officers in attendance. Also, the board was told that at the Riverview Leagues organizational meeting the college rule was again gone over thoroughly. We also received a statement of the acknowledgement of constitution and by-laws signed by Robert Reinhart.

The board discussed two options to rule on. 1) Make New Ulm Kaiserhoff a “B” team. 2) A team which plays an ineligible player will be barred from post season lay, and no player can be drafted from a team that has been barred from State participation for that season.

After board discussion, a mtion by Roufs, seconded Hartmann, carried, 9-0, to reclassify the New Ulm Kaiserhoff team to Class “B” for the 2011 season."

The Tweets regarding this action are reproduced below:

em>RVLbaseball RIVER VALLEY LEAGUE
The teams of the #RVL-Central have decided games with New Ulm will not count towards 'C' division standings this year. @Minnbaseball
20 Jun

RVLbaseball RIVER VALLEY LEAGUE
The New Ulm Kaiserhoff has been moved to Class 'B' by the MBA, based on the college ballplayer rule. NU BB Assn suing; July 8 court date.