1. HOW CAN I PROVIDE FEEDBACK TO PLAY BALL LINEUP IF I FIND A BUG?
If you have feedback, good or bad, we'd love to hear it. You can reach us via our website, facebook or twitter. Visit our website www.playballlineup.com and click 'Contact' to connect with us.
2. HOW CAN I REACH PLAY BALL LINEUP IF I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT HOW TO DO SOMETHING?
If you have questions about creating a lineup we're here to help. You can check out the 'How It Works' page on our website and if that doesn't help click 'Contact' on our website to connect with us.
3. WHICH WAY IS "ON" OR "YES" WITH THOSE BASEBALLS?
Good question! If the baseball is to the RIGHT and the fill color to the left of the ball is BLUE then the setting is 'ON' or 'YES'. If the baseball is to the LEFT and the fill color to the right of the ball is GREEN then the setting is 'OFF' or 'NO'.
4. WHEN SHOULD I USE THE "START NEW LINEUP FROM SCRATCH?" OPTION ON THE CREATE LINEUP SCREEN?
Use this option any time to begin a new lineup. All lineup inputs and settings must be entered when using this option. Any saved teams in the app are available for this option. All Lineups are automatically saved based on the Information provided on the GAME INFORMATION screen. NOTE: The first time you use Play Ball Lineup and any time you create a lineup for a new team you will need to use this option.
5. WHEN SHOULD I USE THE "START NEW LINEUP FROM EXISTING LINEUP?" OPTION ON THE CREATE LINEUP SCREEN?
Use this option when you do not want to start a new lineup from scratch. By choosing to this option all inputs and settings from the existing lineup will be copied into the new lineup EXCEPT for the Game Date, Game Number, Home and Away Team Names inputs which must be entered. When that information is provided, the app will save the new lineup based on the new information. NOTE: This option is for NEW lineups and should not be used to modify an existing lineup.
6. WHEN SHOULD I USE THE "MAKE CHANGES TO AN EXISTING LINEUP?" OPTION ON THE CREATE LINEUP SCREEN?
Use this option whenever you want to modify or update an existing lineup. Any changes made in this option are automatically saved to the lineup. You cannot start a new lineup from this option.7. HOW MANY GAME LINEUPS CAN I SAVE IN PLAY BALL LINEUP?
Play Ball Lineup can currently save up to 100 lineups. NOTE: When you save your 101st lineup, the 1st lineup will be deleted to make room. If you need to be able to save more than 100 games, let us know.8. WHY AM I SEEING ALL OF THESE LINEUPS NAMED [GAME #: ??? vs. ??? - XX.XX.XX] ON MY SAVED LINEUPS SCREEN?
Play Ball Lineup will save all lineups completed or not completed. Saved lineups that have ???s fall into this category. Most likely you or someone was playing around with a lineup and did not enter any information the app uses to save the lineup and then closed out of that lineup. When this happens, the lineup that was being created will be saved as something like this: [Game #: ??? vs. ??? - xx.xx.14]. These lineups can easily be deleted by sliding the lineup row to the left to display the delete button on the right. TAP on delete to get rid of the lineup.
9. HOW DO I ADD OR DELETE A TEAM?
You may add or delete a team via the "Away Team Name?" or "Home Team Name?" questions on the GAME INFORMATION screen. TAP on either "Away Team Name?" or "Home Team Name?". On the screen that appears TAP on the plus sign in the upper right hand corner. A keyboard will appear for you to enter in the name. To delete a Team, slide the Team Name row to the left to expose the delete box. TAP delete to delete the Team. NOTE: A Team only needs to be added via one once to be available via either the HOME or AWAY question. Also, all Team information is deleted with the team. You cannot recover a deleted team.10. HOW MANY POSITIONS CAN I PUT IN MY LINEUP?With Play Ball Lineup, the Coach has the ability to create a lineup with up to 12 positions. To select the positions for your lineup, TAP on the "Number of Fielders for this Game?" question on the GAME INFORMATION screen. A screen with a field will appear detailing all possible positions. TAP the positions that apply for your lineup. NOTE: A position that is gray is an 'inactive' position. A position that is highlighted in blue with a white border is an 'active' position and will be included in your lineup. 11. HOW MANY INNINGS CAN BE IN A LINEUP?
With Play Ball Lineup, the Coach can choose to create a lineup for 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 innings. The App is pre-set for a 6 inning game but the innings can be changed at any time. To change the number of innings in the lineup TAP on the "Number of Innings in Game?' question on the GAME INFORMATION screen and select the correct number of innings from the screen.12. WHAT IF I DON'T CHOOSE THE CORRECT "TYPE OF GAME"?
Choosing TEE-BALL when you are really creating a lineup for a KID PITCH game will not impact your lineup in any way except that the final lineup will have a 'TB' next to each inning number instead of a 'KP'. Not a big deal. NOTE: We put this feature in for the Combo: Kid Pitch and Coach/Machine Pitch games to help the players and coaches keep track of which innings were which when looking at the lineup in the dugout.13. HOW DO I INPUT THE SPECIFY PITCHING INFORMATION AFTER CHOOSING THE "COMBO: KID PITCH & COACH" TYPE OF GAME?
This information is used to indentify which innings on the final lineup are Kid Pitch innings and which ones are Coach/Machine Pitch. For example, if Kid Pitch is the first three innings of a 6 inning game, enter '1' to the question "When does kid pitch start". If Coach/Machine pitch is the last three innings answer '4' to the question "When does coach/machine pitch start?" As a result, innings 1 - 3 will have a 'KP' next to the inning number and innings 4 - 6 will have a 'CP' next to the inning number on the final lineup for the dugout. NOTE: The app assumes Kid pitch and Coach/Machine pitch innings are consecutive.
14. WHAT DOES CONTINUOUS BATTING ORDER MEAN?
This information is used to identify which innings on the final lineup are Kid Pitch innings and which ones are Coach/Machine Pitch. For example, if Kid Pitch is the first three innings of a 6 inning game, enter '1' to the question "When does kid pitch start". If Coach/Machine pitch is the last three innings answer '4' to the question "When does coach/machine pitch start?" As a result, innings 1 - 3 will have a 'KP' next to the inning number and innings 4 - 6 will have a 'CP' next to the inning number on the final lineup for the dugout. NOTE: The app assumes Kid pitch and Coach/Machine pitch innings are consecutive.
15. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO STRATEGY MODES: INSTRUCTIONAL PLAY AND COMPETITIVE PLAY ON THE TEAM INFORMATION SCREEN?
Strategy Mode on the TEAM INFORMATION screen enables you customize your lineup by using the Fielder Skill Level ratings you provide for each player on your team. When Instructional Play mode is 'ON' the Fielder Skill Level chart will be in-active and all players will have the same 'Emerging' rating. You cannot change any of the Skill Levels in Instructional Play mode. When Competitive Play mode is 'ON", you have the ability to rate the fielding skill level of your players. PLay Ball Lineup will use the skill levels when creating the lineup. NOTE: The Fielder Skill Level ratings are based on a 5-point scale so Emerging is the same as a '3'. Rookie is '1' and Proficient is a '5'. It's all relevant to the ability of the players on your team. 16. HOW DO I ENTER PLAYER INFORMATION ON THE TEAM INFORMATION SCREEN?
On the TEAM INFORMATION screen, there are cells for # and Player Name on each row. TAP on one of the cells and a keyboard will appear to enter the information. Use the Next button on the keyboard to tab your way through the chart.17. HOW DO I DELETE A PLAYER?
You may delete a player's name and uniform number at any time from the Team Information screen. Simply TAP on the player's name and use the keyboard backspace button to delete the name. Repeat the process to delete the player's uniform number. NOTE: The Fielder Skill Level scale will not immediately disappear. But if you tap to another screen and come back to the Team Information screen it will be gone.18. CAN I SAVE MY TEAM INFORMATION SO I DON'T NEED TO ENTER IT EVERY TIME I CREATE A LINEUP?
Yes. Play Ball Lineup automatically saves the information on the TEAM INFORMATION screen to the team name located at the top of the screen. Once you've entered your team name, player's names, uniform numbers and Fielder Skill Level that information will be there everytime you create a lineup for that specific team. You can update the information at any time as many times as needed. The only thing that will not be saved to the Team on the TEAM INFORMATION screen is the "Playing?" question. That is only saved to the lineup you are creating because it may change from lineup to lineup.
19. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF FIELDER SKILL LEVEL?
Fielder Skill Level allows the Coach to tell the App the fielding skill level of each player on the team based on a 5-point scale. Play Ball Lineup may use this information when creating the lineup depending on the other settings and inputs (i.e. strategy) provided by the Coach.
20. HOW DO I TELL THE APP WHO IS PLAYING IN THE GAME?
On the TEAM INFORMATION screen there is a "Playing?" question. If the player will be at the game, make sure the ball is the to the right with the blue color fill to the left. This will tell Play Ball Lineup to include this player in the lineup. If the Player is not playing in the game, make sure the ball is to the left and the color fill to the right of the ball is green. This will tell the app to not include this player in the lineup.
21. WHAT ARE THE LOCAL RULES FOR?
The Local Rules can be used as a setting to help the app create lineups that are better suited to the lineup rules of your specific little league.
22. WHY DO SOME LOCAL RULES BECOME "INACTIVE"?
Occasionally, based on the inputs for the game, some rules will not be applicable or may conflict with another rule. In an effort to avoid confusion, the app will make those Local Rules "inactive". For example, if you are creating a 9-person lineup and you only have 9 players for the game, the Local Rules associated with sitting players out or playing at least a certain amount of innings will be "inactive".23. WHAT IF I HAVE A SUGGESTION FOR A NEW LOCAL RULE?
If you have a Local Rule that would make the Play Ball Lineup app even better, let us know. You can reach us via our website, facebook or twitter. There are links to each provided via the INFORMATION button in the Play Ball Lineup app.
24. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO STRATEGY MODES: INSTRUCTIONAL PLAY AND COMPETITIVE PLAY ON THE POSITIONS SCREEN?
Strategy Mode on the POSITIONS screen enables you to customize your lineup by identifying position preferences for your players. When Instructional Play mode is 'ON' you will not be able specify Pitchers & Catcher by inning or select specific positions by player. In this mode the 'ANY' position will be chosen for all players playing in the game. 'ANY' basically means the app can play a player in any position. There are no positional restrictions being applied. When Competitive Play mode is 'ON' you will be able to specify Pitchers & Catcher by inning and select specific positions by player. In this mode, you can choose the positions that you prefer each player to play in the game. The app will use these position preferences when creating the lineup. For outfield play, you can choose 'OF' for any outfield position or you can specify by outfield position (e.g. CF). NOTE: The 'ANY' button may still be 'ON' in Competitive Play mode but you can un-select it.25. CAN I SPECIFY PITCHERS AND CATCHERS BY INNING?
Yes. In order to specify Pitchers and Catchers by inning you must be in the CompetitIve Play strategy mode on the POSITION screen. Once in Competitive Play mode, TAP the "Specify Pitchers and Catchers by Inning" row at the top of the screen. A new screen will appear showing only those players selected on the position preferences chart to play either pitcher or catcher. TAP the baseballs by inning by player that you want to pitch and/or catch. There can only be one player per position per inning. NOTE: If you are in the Instructional Play strategy mode on the POSITION screen, this feature will be in-active.
26. WHAT DO "TOTAL LINEUP INNINGS IN GAME" AND "TOTAL PLAYER INNINGS" DO?
Total Lineup innings is the product of the number of innings in the game times the number of positions per inning (6 inning game x 9 positions = 54 Total Lineup Innings). It represents the total number of lineup spots you must account for in your lineup. Total Player Innings is the sum of the number of innings all players playing in the game times are playing. If these two numbers match, then all innings and positions are accounted for in the lineup. If the numbers do not match, you can adjust the number of innings each player is playing by TAPPING on the number in the "# of Innings Playing?" column on the POSITIONS screen by player to adjust the number of innings for each player accordingly.
27. CAN I SELECT SPECIFIC POSITIONS BY PLAYER?
Yes. You can select Position Preferences by players on the POSITIONS screen. TAP on the baseball by position column by player row to select a position. NOTE: You must be in Competitive Play mode to choose position preferences by player.
28. WHAT HAPPENS IF I CHOOSE "OF" ON THE POSITIONS SCREEN?
"OF" basically means the app can play a player in any outfield position. There are no positional restrictions being applied to playing the outfield. You can also select specific outfield positions in addition to "OF" as long as you are in Competitive Play mode.
29. WHAT HAPPENS IF I CHOOSE "ANY" ON THE POSITIONS SCREEN?
"ANY" basically means the app can play a player in any position. There are no positional restrictions being applied. You can also select specific positions in addition to "ANY" as long as you are in Competitive Play mode.
30. CAN I SPECIFY HOW MANY INNINGS EACH PLAYER PLAYERS?
Yes. You can adjust the number of innings each player is playing from the POSITIONS screen. Simply TAP on the number in the "# of Innings Playing?" column on the POSITIONS screen by player to adjust the number of innings for each player accordingly to your preference. NOTE: As a default, the app is designed to have all players playing the total number of innings chosen on the GAME INFORMATION screen. It is likely this the Total Player Innings will be greater than the Total Lineup Innings in the Game and will need to be adjusted down. If you do not adjust the innings down or up, the app will still create a lineup but you may not agree with the approach the app took.31. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO STRATEGY MODES: INSTRUCTIONAL PLAY AND COMPETITIVE PLAY ON THE DEFENSIVE STRATEGY SCREEN?
Strategy Mode enables you to customize your strength of defense depending on the level of competitiveness of your games. By choosing Instructional Play, the app will not create the lineup around the basis of playing better players at key positions in certain innings of the game. Instead, it will treat all innings and positions as equally important and set the lineup based on the other inputs and settings in the app. Key Positions do not apply when Instructional Play mode is 'ON'. By choosing Competitive Play, you are choosing to have your better fielders in Key Positions in the innings you feel you need to play your best defense. You can select one or all innings of the game a Competitive innings. You may select up to five (5) Key Positions. The Key Positions selected would apply to all Competitive innings identified.
32. HOW DO I USE DEFENSIVE STRATEGY?
See "What is the difference between the two Strategy Modes: Instructional Play and Competitive Play on the DEFENSIVE STRATEGY screen?"33. CAN I VARY KEY POSITIONS BY INNING?
NO. You may choose up to 5 Key Positions but the positions you choose will apply to all Competitive Innings you've identified. NOTE: Key Positions will not apply to the Instructional Innings.34. HOW CAN I VIEW THE LINEUP THE APP HAS MADE?
The VIEW LINEUP screen will display the lineup the app has made based on the strategy provided by the coach. NOTE: For each new lineup, the first time you get to the View Lineup screen you will need to hit the SHUFFLE button to view the lineup.
35. CAN I TWEAK THE LINEUP THE APP HAS CREATED?
Yes. To tweak the lineup go to the VIEW LIINEUP screen and TAP on the position of the player in the inning you wish to change. A picker wheel will pop up with all positions in the lineup. Schroll the wheel to you get to the positon you want. Tap done. If another player was playing the position you just placed Player 2 in, Player 1 will go to the bench for re-assignment. The 'square' represents the bench. Any positions missing a player in an inning will show up in the "Missing Positions' row by respective inning.36. WHAT DOES THE LINEUP ISSUES SCREEN DO?
The Lineup Issues screen is designed to identify any lineup issues based on the strategy (i.e. setting and inputs) provided by the coach. Sometimes the strategy provided will result in issues because a lineup may not be possible. By tapping on the Lineup Issues row you will be able to see what the app is considering an issue. You can then decide to tweak the lineup to fix the issue, disregard it or hit the SHUFFLE button and have the app create a new lineup for you.
37. HOW DO THE SHUFFLE AND THE UNDO BUTTONS WORK ON THE VIEW LINEUP SCREEN?
Play Ball Lineup takes the strategy provided by the coach and uses it to create the lineup. In the event you do not like what the app is giving you, you can either tweak it to get it just right or you can tell the app to make a new lineup by hitting the SHUFFLE button. The UNDO button lets you undo the last change made to the lineup.38. HOW DO I SET THE BATTING ORDER?
To set your batting order for the game, TAP on the VIEW BATTING ORDER button. A Set Batting Order screen will appear. To move players, simply TAP your finger on the three lines to the far right on the player's row and HOLD. The row will become 'highlighted' enabling you to DRAG the player to the spot in the order you desire. Repeat until the order is set.39. HOW DO I CHANGE A PLAYER'S NAME OR NUMBER ON THE BATTING ORDER OR THE VIEW LINEUP SCREENS?
You can change a player's name and number at any time but you can only change it on the Team Information screen. Simply TAP on the name or number field you wish to change and use the keyboard to make your changes. NOTE: The app uses the player's name and number exactly how it is entered on the Team Information screen throughout the rest of the app.40. CAN I MAKE CHANGES TO THE LINEUP FROM THE EXPORT LINEUP SCREEN?
NO. The Export view is a PDF and cannot be changed. If you find something that needs to be changed, simply go back to the specific screen to make the change. NOTE: The Export View screen is designed to be a 'print preview' type of screen before you email the lineup to yourself for printing.41. HOW DO I EMAIL THE LINEUP TO MYSELF?
From the EXPORT LINEUP screen TAP on the export icon in the upper right hand corner. This will launch an email and will automatically attach the lineup. All you need to do is enter your email address and send. 42. WHEN TRYING TO EXPORT MY LINEUP, I GET A "FAILURE: YOUR DEVICE DOESN'T SUPPORT COMPOSER SHEET" MESSAGE. WHAT SHOULD I DO?
It means you don't have an email setup on the device. Once you have an email setup on the device you will be able to export the lineup to yourself via email.
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