League Rules

1982 Small Market Handicapped League

So often we pick the big market teams, and it seems like NYY, LAD, STL, ATL are always in the World Series. There are so many teams you never pick because they won’t be competitive.

So I listed the 1977 - 1992 era teams, and removed the “big market teams.” Then I settled on 1982 as a starting year. If I went with 1977, some of these teams would be unduly dominant; with 1982, you need to balance present vs. future, and it is a little more muddied.

Here are the teams:

BAL,CAL, CHC, CHW, CIN, CLE, KCR, MIL, MIN, OAK, PIT, SDP,TEX

Your first team will be picked in the order you joined the league and put “Hiya” in the chatbox. Your second team will be chosen in inverse order of your first team’s 1982 win total.

For a hypothetical example, Albert joins first, Bobby joins second, and Carlos joins third. For their first teams, they pick in that order. Albert picks Wichita (101 wins), Bobby picks Tulsa (89 wins), and Carlos picks Amarillo (94 wins).

For their second teams, the order is Bobby first (89 wins), Carlos second (94 wins), and Albert 3rd (101 wins).

2. How are players acquired?

First season USED? 1982
Minimum AB/IP? 50/20 AB/IP season 1. (25 IP/75 AB minimum for years 2 and 3. 30 IP/100 AB beginning year 4, forward.)

Are duplicate players allowed? Yes, in Year 1 only. In subsequent import cohorts, a player goes where he has the most AB or IP. While duplicates will not be issued after the initial season, the teams who had duplicate players originally can keep those players indefinitely.

ANY ISSUE ABOUT WHICH TEAM A PLAYER BELONGS ON MUST BE RAISED PRIOR TO THE FIRST GAME, OR THE RIGHT TO APPEAL IS WAIVED. Once a player “suits up” for a game, he belongs to that team.

3. Updating personnel:

Progressions: type: Unpredictable: 28 - 32 plateau. From 1990 through 1999, 29 - 32 will be the plateau. At 2000 and beyond, 30 - 32 will be the plateau.

Trades? Yes! But no trades, or waivers, after game 140 and before the end of the World Series. And no trades between your teams.

Anyone can question the fairness of a trade, and forward a review request to the trade review committee. I will select the members of this committee, and majority rules. If for some reason there is a tie (as with an abstention), the Commissioner will break the tie. The Commissioner will oversee the performance of this committee. Requests to have trades reviewed must be made within 1 week or 20 games from the trade, whichever comes first.

Is there a draft? No, but there are waiver claims once the season begins.

Stat changes: Yes, as long as the new stats meet the league minimums (25 IP/75 AB minimum for years 2 and 3. 30 IP/100 AB beginning year 4, forward.)

4. League set up, number of games, rotation size, injury length, and roster size:

One 10-team league. 162 games. 4-man rotations in the first year, and 5 man rotations from 1983 forward. Injuries: 5/8 . Rosters will be 26/7 (or 26/33).

Owners will be given a day’s grace (24 hours from first pitch) to fix their rosters; after 24 hours, and after game 2, any team that is over roster limits will be trimmed by me. I can trim them by any process I choose, but I cannot leave you with fewer than 9 pitchers, or 11 position players when I am finished (i.e. I cannot cause a forfeit.)


5. Playoffs: Other leagues of this size have used:

1 regular season champion and 4 wild cards. Wild cards play best-of-3 series until 1 is left. The regular season champion and the last remaining wild card play a best-of-7 world series.

The regular season champion is the home team in the World Series.

The wild card games are all in the host city, determined by:

Regular season record
Head-to-head record
Run differential
Commissioner's arbitrary decision.

Rules about ties for a playoff spot:

If teams tie for a playoff spot:
⇒ If both teams would be “in”, use head to head record as a tiebreaker. Run differential is the 2nd tie-breaker.
⇒ If one is in, the other is out, 1 game playoff (@ head 2 head winner)

In addition to a Cy Young and a MVP Award, there will also be a Manager of the Year Award given to the owner with the best combined record. In the event that some owners own more teams than some other owners, it will be the best combined winning percentage.

MY BASIC EXPECTATIONS OF EACH OWNER:

⇒ Your commitment is season to season. When you join, you will be expected to actively run your team until the end of the season, which is when the regular season ends for non-playoff teams, or when your playoff team is eliminated. If you quit mid-season without my blessing, I will share this information with other commissioners.

⇒ Actively running your team means that you read messages once per day, meet all deadlines, and communicate any difficulties to the commissioner.

⇒ I will provide a minimum of 48 hours between a posting of a deadline, and the deadline. Ignorance of the deadline will not be an excuse for failing to meet the deadline.

⇒ If you will be away, and unable to get your messages, give the commissioner advance notice. Inactivity for ten (10) days, or repeated failure to meet deadlines, may result in your being booted from the league.

⇒ Every owner is expected to field a team (9 pitchers and 11 fielders) every game. Failure to do so, making the sims not run, results in a forfeit.


⇒ Read and be familiar with the rules immediately upon joining: it may affect your desire to be in the league, or your desire to pick a certain team.

Please keep all conversations clean
Please don't be rude to fellow owners
Please be active, if not active for 14 days you may be removed from the league
We all love baseball and that's why we're here. So Just have fun and enjoy!


General rules:

Each offseason, you can switch a SP to RP, or a RP to a SP, but stamina will remain “as is.”. You can change it back the next offseason if you like, but no changes between first pitch and the last out of the World Series.
You can switch a player’s primary and secondary positions if they played 50% or more games THAT season at their secondary position, or at least 25% of their games for their career at their secondary position.
During an offseason, a player can be switched to the position they played most in their career, regardless of the requirements of General Rule #2.
You can switch a DH to his secondary position, as long as he has a fielding percentage.

Off season duties:

Unpredictable progression: 28 - 32 plateau. From 1990 to 1999, the plateau will be 29 - 32. At 2000 and beyond, 30 - 32 will be the plateau.

Imports: You get all the imports from the next season that are not already in the league (25 IP/75 AB minimum for years 2 and 3. 30 IP/100 AB beginning year 4 forward.)

Stat changes: Yes, as long as the new stats meet the league minimums (25 IP/75 AB minimum for years 2 and 3. 30 IP/100 AB beginning year 4, forward.)

Cuts to a certain roster limit. 26/7

Turn drops and trades on

Opening Day/Waiver claims.



Elastic Clause: I reserve the right to create new rules as necessary to deal with problems as they arise.

League Settings

Year Range of Stats	1983 - 1983
Roster Size (Majors)	26
Roster Size (Minors)	7
Keepers
Change Stats Allowed	(not allowed while under contract)
Free Agency	(waivers)
Drops
No-Drop List
Player Fatigue
Batter Injuries	(5 games max)
Pitcher Injuries	(8 games max)
Use Pitcher's HR Allowed Stats
Allows Max Surprise Bunts
Min Batters Pitcher Must Face	1
Slump Buster	(1unlimited days)
On Fire	Classic
User Sims	(every 2 hours)