        
Rules |
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| (modified December 2002)
League structure and organizational rules
Special league rules, eligibility, and game setup Puget Sound Computerized Baseball (PSCB) is a face-to-face, continuous ownership, computerized draft league. The league was formed in 1990 to provide team owners a recreation opportunity, to act as their own General Manager as well as Field Manager of a baseball team. The league is designed to promote friendly competition, in an other-wise competitive league. Every attempt is made to allow managers to be able to be successful over the long run and no one team be non-competitive for an extended length of time. The league will use "Diamond Mind Baseball" (DMB) as their game of choice. The league officers have the right to research other computerized baseball games and make recommendations for change as they see fit. The rules of DMB and major league baseball will apply unless modified by league rules. The preferred method of play is face-to-face. The following types of play are considered face-to-face:
LEAGUE STRUCTURE AND ORGANIZATIONAL RULES Organization: PSCB will be divided into two leagues consisting of the Atlantic and Pacific. Each league will have 2 divisions, the East and the West. The total league size will be held to 24 teams, 12 in each league. This is to insure that there will be enough players available to meet (PSCB) player restrictions. Each team will play a 154 game schedule. The schedule will be balanced; that is 14 games against each of the other 11 teams in the league. All games against teams in the same division will be played face-to-face. One round of games (42) against the opposite division (7 games x 6 teams) will be played on a common night and will be known as the computer night of play. The league schedule will be set with Monday night as the preferred night of play. Membership: Each league will be solely responsible for the nomination of individual franchise holders in their respective league. Approval of a manager will require a 2/3 favorable vote by the appropriate league members, also a 50% favorable vote by the opposite league. Dismissal from the league will require a 2/3 vote from the league as a whole. Managers: Starting with the 2001 season, all managers must own or have access to a computer and Internet connection. It will be each manager's responsibility to manage their team's "Manager Profile" to insure that they use players in accordance with the league rules. Each manager is expected to check e-mail on a regular basis. E-mail will be the primary means of communication from the league office to managers. While the league encourages managers to play their games face-to-face it is not a league requirement. Managers may take (and need to) advantage of the commuter manager function of the game. Managers are however expected to manage their team's profile, communicate with their opponents on a weekly basis, and insure that, however the games are played, the correct pitching rotations and lineups are used. During the season managers should expect to spend 1-2 hours a week monitoring their team profile and keeping up with league business. Managers who play face-to-face can expect to spend 2-3 more hours. Protocol: Managers are reminded that the game, while competitive, is for recreational purposes. All managers have the responsibility to insure that they comply with league rules. It also will be considered in bad taste to run up the score. Stealing bases with a 5 run lead and trying to improve a player's statistics in one-sided games would be examples of this. Fines, loss of draft picks, or being asked to leave the league could result if a manager fails to show good sportsmanship. Prior to each week's series it will be the visiting team's manager that is responsible for contacting his opponent to make all necessary arrangements to play the series. If the home team has not heard from the visiting manager by Monday night then he is free to play the series. Voting: Each manager will receive one voting-share for each year of longevity in the league. All issues/ rules will require a 2/3 favorable vote by league members. Dues: The league will charge annual dues based upon the league's needs for the current year. This year (2001) they will be $15. Dues are payable to the treasurer, on or before the secondary phase of the winter draft. League Officers: The league as a whole will choose a Commissioner and a Treasurer. Each league will pick their respective president. The Executive Committee will consist of the Commissioner, Treasurer, a representative at large, and Presidents. All disputes and protests will be handled by the individual league presidents. All parties involved in said dispute/ protest may appeal the league president's decision to the Commissioner. The Commissioner will have final decision powers in all disputes. Any situation that does not fall into the hands of the league presidents will be handled by the commissioner. The term of league officers extends from opening day of the season until opening day two years hence. Removal From Office: Any league officer may be removed by a 2/3 vote of the entire league. Protest: Protests involving the RULES OF THE GAME must be made with the other manager at the time of the dispute and must be filed within 48 hours from midnight of the night the game was played. Protests involving eligibility / protocol must go to the league president for investigation. An eligibility protest upheld means forfeit of the game in question! An officer cannot vote in a dispute in which his team is involved. There is a $5 filing fee for all protests. Statistics: The DMB has its own built-in statistics program. This program can generate all necessary statistics. Indeed this is a great feature of playing DMB. The manager's responsibility is to insure that all games played are saved to disk and then transferred to the commissioner to be added to the master statistic program. Team Rosters: Rosters will be divided into three distinct categories. The first will be the active roster, not to exceed 25 players. (After game 126 rosters may be expanded to 33 players). The second, the inactive roster, not to exceed 8 players. Each franchise also will maintain a development squad, not to exceed 5 players. No team is allowed to have more than 33 players on the first two rosters at any time. ( See trades ) Each franchise will retain all rights to those players on their roster, (38 players maximum after the season has started) until their freeze list is due December 1. Each franchise must keep (on their active roster) at least 9 but no more than 12 pitchers (until the rosters are expanded to 33). In addition, managers must keep a normal allotment of players (backup catcher, infielders). The commissioner will have the power to order changes to a team's roster if this doesn't take place. Players on these rosters that have been placed on the Data disk by DMB will be referred to as "carded" players. The development squad will be selected during the summer draft. The Commissioner will set the date and notify all managers. Players eligible for this draft will be all players who were on the Major League 40-man spring training roster or invited players as stated on "USA TODAY, baseball web-site" and who are not currently on someone's roster. Players on the development roster will be the property of the respective team until they are moved to the active roster or released. Freeze Lists: As directed by the commissioner (before the winter draft) all teams must submit a freeze list on or before December 1. At this time a manager may release players from their active roster, move players from the development squad to the regular roster, or move un-carded players from the regular roster to the development squad. Teams may freeze as many as 25 players. However this will result in not being able to participate in the primary phase (until all teams have 25 players) of the winter draft. Final rosters are due on to the commissioner by midnight of the Monday preceding the opening of the season. The Drafts: There will be two separate and distinct drafts in the league. The first will be the winter draft and the second called the summer draft. These drafts will take place at a place and time specified by the commissioner. Teams draft in inverse order of standings. The summer draft will use inverse order, based upon the standings after game 119. Ties will be broken by coin toss. The World Series winner will draft 24th in the winter draft. The winter draft will be divided into two phases. The first will be to fill out each team roster to 25 players (primary). Teams will draft until they have reached the 25 man limit. After the completion of this phase all teams will then draft (secondary) 8 additional players. The primary phase of the draft will be held by phone, e-mail, or other direct means of communication. The secondary phase will be held in conjunction with the winter meeting. The date of the secondary phase will be in January, as announced by the commissioner. One week prior to the summer draft teams may release players from their development squad. Released players will be subject to the summer draft. Trades: Teams may trade players between the end of the regular season through completion of the second week play the following season (except when the rosters are frozen by the commissioner). Any player traded from a team may not return to that team until the following year. All trades are to be reported to the commissioner. The commissioner will have the final OK on all trades and may veto a trade based upon the equity to the trading partners or the effect on the league. He may veto a trade if it (in his opinion) drastically alters the balance of power. The trading parties may appeal (see protest) any vetoed trade to the league presidents. If one of the presidents agrees with the decision, then the veto will stand. In all cases an officer may not rule on any trade he is involved in. In this case the commissioner will appoint someone to act in their place. There will be NO DRAFT PICKS TRADED. The primary reason is for administration purposes. There may be other benefits as well. In a multiple player trade, in which the player movement is unequal, the team that receives the extra players may not exceed a total of 33 players. At the time the trade is reported this manager must release that number of players that will insure that he does not exceed 33. Any team not having 33 players at the start of the regular season, and not being able to fill all its required games, will have its roster altered to meet obligations by the commissioner. Trades will be allowed into the season up to the 14th game. Regular season schedule: Prior to the season the commissioner will use the game's schedule generator to create that season's schedule. All games will be played using the official schedule. The first series will be held in February. The regular season will consist of 154 games, with six series being played on the computer (42 games) and the balance of the schedule (16 weeks) by the individual managers. The commissioner will allow the computer to play any games not completed in the prescribed manner of play. The games will be played in seven game series against opponents listed on the official schedule. You will play your division twice and the other division twice. Rule changes: Rule change proposals are to be submitted in a typed format on or before the Sunday before the World Series/summer meeting. Rules will be dealt with prior to the summer draft. Those present at the meeting will debate the rules and vote. Those rules receiving 2/3 majority of the total number of outstanding voting shares will be considered passed. Rules passed go into effect when they are passed. Unless otherwise specified, no rule shall be retroactive. SPECIAL LEAGUE RULES, ELIGIBILITY, & GAME-SETUP Home field characteristics: Each franchise will play the configuration of his home ball park, based upon the data and options provided by DMB. The use of Coors Field and Minute Maid Park will be for the name only; these two parks must be played with the home park characteristics set to "neutral park." Days Rest: During the regular season, one day's rest will be programmed after every series. There will be a three day rest period at the season's mid point. This is to simulate the All-Star break. Era: The league will use the current (season being played) AL ERA. Relief pitcher warm-up: The game will be played with the relief pitcher warm-up function turned off. Injuries: The game will be programmed for no injuries. Disk Failure/Crash: In the event of a disk failure or crash, any results that can not be recovered will result in those teams replaying the necessary games. Traded Players: For those players that may have been traded during the Major league season, their combined statistics will be used for eligibility. REGULAR SEASON All managers will have available to them the following buffer that will provide some protection form an inadvertent error in player usage:
It is the manager's job to insure that he does not exceed these limits. Remember these are team totals. The penalty for violation could be loss of their first round draft picks in the summer draft and they will also forfeit the right to participate in post season play. The commissioner will take into account any special circumstances that lead to violations of this rule. A player who has 30 at-bats or fewer against a pitcher who throws from the same side that the player is batting will have his statistics zeroed out against that side pitchers. They may then be used any manner assuming they do not exceed the player eligibility limits. All substitutions will be in accordance with Major League Baseball rules. Designated Hitter: Will apply to both leagues. Starting Pitcher Eligibility: A pitcher is eligible to start in the same number of games that he did in real life. If rated as a reliever, he may use starts as relief appearances. Starting pitchers who are not rated as relief pitchers may not relieve in the regular season. All other factors, such as fatigue, will be governed by DMB. Relief pitcher Eligibility: A relief pitcher may be used to relieve in the same number of times as he did in real life appearances. Other usage will be controlled by DMB. If all pitching eligibility is used, the manager must then select a position player. This will count as a game played for this player. Pitchers used as Players: Pitchers may not be used as offensive players. (In the event that the computer manager makes this type of substitution, it will not count against the team.) Roster Movement: Player movement from the active roster to the inactive roster and the reverse to the active roster will be governed as follows:
PLAY-OFFS Ties for Play-offs: One game will be played on the normal day off between the regular season and the playoffs. Rotation carries over from the regular a season, as if it were game #155. The statistics count towards the regular season. If more than 2 teams tie the commissioner will decide on playoff procedure. Rosters: A 25 man roster will be used for the playoffs and World Series. This roster will have been declared to the commissioner by all teams that would have a chance to advance from the regular season to the playoffs after the 133rd game of the season and before the 134th is officially scheduled. In the event a manager fails to do this, his playoff roster will be the same as was used in the 133rd game. Playoff teams will be permitted to change their roster between series in accordance with major league baseball rules. Starting pitcher eligibility: Pitchers who did not have at least 10 starts in real life are not eligible to start in either the payoffs or World Series. Starting pitchers who are eligible, but not rated as relief pitchers, may be used as relief pitchers with a limit of two appearances, providing this is their only use. Relief pitcher eligibility: Pitchers with relief eligibility will use the same as the regular season. To be eligible to participate a RP must have at least 20 relief appearances in real life. Starting pitchers who are eligible to start and also had relief appearances in real life are exempt from this restriction providing they have at least 20 total appearances in real life. Players eligibility: Any player who is on the 25 man roster and had least 45 games and 140 plate appearances played in real life, is eligible to start all 7 games. Players who are on the 25 man roster but don't meet this criteria, may be used as 3 plus players subject to the normal rules for these players. A player's PLUS games can be used as follows:
If a player's PLUS is used before the 7th inning to pinch hit or to pinch run, he must then leave the game; however, a player used as a PH or PR in the bottom of the 6th can stay in for defense. A player whose PLUS game is used in the 7th inning or later may remain in the game and play defense. WORLD SERIES MISCELLANEOUS Most correspondence will be via E-mail. Web site: The league will provide a web-site at www.PSCB.com League spirit: There will be at least three occasions when the league will meet as a whole: the winter draft, the computer night of play and the World Series/summer meeting. All managers are strongly urged to attend these events. A manager can only request a change in his franchise name once every three years. |
Modified 12/18/02