On
Time Baseball Association
CONSTITUTION
Revised and updated
The On Time Baseball Association (OTBA) is a Strat-o-Matic baseball
league designed for and by its members to build franchises and have fun. By joining, the members agree to follow the
rules and guidelines of the league.
While all managers shall strive to succeed, they should never forget
that the purpose of the league is to have fun.
The league will be made up of 16
teams, divided into four divisions of four teams each. Teams will be made up of players from both
the American and National Leagues. All
managers will need:
1)
The latest CD-ROM version of Strat-o-Matic available.
2)
Internet access with a home email address.
3)
A dedication to timeliness with results.
4)
A will to win.
1)
Completion of all home games on or ahead of schedule.
2)
Emailing all instructions, results, statistics and other information on
or ahead of schedule.
3)
Logical and fair application of strategy in game situations not
specifically covered by instructions provided.
4)
The home manager, using HAL instructions sent by the visiting manager
will play games.
5)
Additional instructions are encouraged, such as suggested pitchers in
certain situations (as HAL is not always so dependable with such things).
The league will have a
commissioner. His duties shall include,
but not be limited to:
1)
Interpretation of the rules and constitution of the league.
2)
Publishing of schedules, newsletters, instructions and statistics.
3)
Initiating changes in league policy as voted on by league members.
4)
Maintaining rosters and overseeing player transactions.
5)
Conducting drafts.
6)
Initiating disciplinary action against owners failing to meet league
regulations and requirements.
NOTE: decisions of the commissioner can be
overturned by a 2/3-majority vote
of
the league members.
1)
Each team will keep a 25-man active roster.
2)
There will also be a minor league roster. At the start of any season, each team will be
allowed a maximum of 35 players (active and minor league combined).
3)
After the completion of the draft, there is no minor league roster
limit (until draft cutdown the following season).
4)
As of September 1 each season, the active roster limit will be waived
until the following rookie draft in February/March.
5)
All teams must have a backup for each position on the active roster at
all times. (Of course, some players may
back up several spots.)
6)
Teams will send monthly rosters to their road opponents and the
commissioner.
7)
Rosters will be limited to those monthly rosters for road games, but
players can be called up for home games by emailing both players involved
(called up and sent down) to the commissioner and opposing manager before the
series is played. No response or
approval is necessary from either source before playing the games.
1)
Free agents will be all carded players not on an OTBA roster as of
Opening Day.
2)
Each team may sign free agents during the season (maximum of 3 free agents
per season). Those free agents signed
must go on your active roster for the following month, and one player must be
cut to the free agent pool when the new player is signed.
3)
All free agent transactions take effect on the first day of the next
month.
4)
To sign a free agent, a manager must email the names of player to be
signed and the player to be cut to the commissioner.
5)
Deadline for free agent requests will be the 25th of each
month,
6)
When multiple teams request the same free agent, the player will be
awarded to the team with the lowest winning percentage.
7)
The commissioner will then announce the signing to the league.
8)
Free agent
signings will be permanent (not for remainder of the season only).
9)
Revision – by vote of the league, free agents will be for the season
only beginning with the 2005 season. The
player cut in the transaction is permanently cut.
1)
All position players will be limited to 110% of actual PLATE
APPEARANCES (at-bats + walks + sacrifice hits and flies + HBP).
2)
All position players with 600+ actual plate appearances will be allowed
unlimited use.
3)
All pitchers will be limited to 110% of actual innings (rounding
partial innings up to figure this availability).
4)
All starters with 200 actual IP can pitch on 3 days rest.
5)
A pitcher must have a starter rating on their card to start a game.
6)
Pitchers who both start and relieve may do one or the other in any
series – not both.
7)
During a game, a team must use up any and all players rated defensively
at a position before using unrated players there.
8)
If a player is carded in both leagues, we will use the composite card.
9)
For drafting purposes, only carded players are eligible to be
selected. However, if a player is carded
for one season, then loses his card the next season, his manager may hold onto
his rights at the cost of that roster spot (ex: Kerry Wood from 1998 season was
carded, then missed all of 1999 and has no 2000 card. If you are willing to wait for him, you can
keep him on your roster).
10)
Injuries and pitcher fatigue: There will be no injuries used in the
league. However, pitcher fatigue rules
will be used (no pitch count). Fatigue
will be reset at the beginning of each series.
1)
Trading is allowed and encouraged.
You may trade any players on your roster, active or minor league.
2)
Draft picks may be traded for the following season ONLY. Example: This means that you may not trade
picks for the 2005 draft until the 2004 draft has been completed.
3)
For trades to be valid, both managers must report them to the
commissioner.
4)
Trade cutoff days for monthly rosters and for the season will be
announced with the schedule. Trades made
after the monthly cutoff will not take affect until the following month (ex:
cutoff for May might be April 25, and any trade after April 25 would not take
effect until June 1). Trades made after
the season cutoff would not take effect until the offseason.
5)
The commissioner reserves the right to convene a trade review board of
3 managers in the case of lopsided or massive trades. The procedure would be as follows:
A)
Two or more managers must file a written complaint with the
commissioner within 3 days of a trade being posted.
B)
The commissioner would then select a 3-person board to review the trade
and rule on whether said trade ruins the competitive balance of the league.
C)
The board would then make recommendation for resolution – void the
trade, force additional players to be included, etc.
D)
The commissioner will make final ruling on any recommendation, unless
the commissioner is one of the parties involved in the trade. In that case, the board’s recommendation will
stand.
1)
The four
division winners will be eligible for the playoffs, as well as the two
non-division winners with the best record (wild cards).
2)
Revision – 4 wild card teams effective 2005.
3)
The format
will be best of five for the first round, 2-2-1 setup. For the
second round and championships, 2-3-2
4)
Revision – all rounds are best of seven,
5)
The two division
winners with the best records will have a first round bye. The division winner with the 3rd
best record will play the worst wild card record, and the division winner with
the worst record will play the better wild card record.
6)
Revision – there
are no byes. The playoffs are a standard
8 team seeding process, with the division winners getting seeds 1 through 4 by
record. Wild card teams are seeded 5
through 8 by record.
7)
The winner
of the #3 vs. wild card series will play the #2 seed. The winner of the #4 vs. wild card series
will play the #1 seed. The winners of
these series will play each other for the league title.
8)
If two teams are tied in a division, a one game playoff will result.
9)
Home field advantage goes to the team with the better record.
10)
Tie breakers for home field will be:
A)
Head to head play
B)
Record within division
C)
Record vs. all playoff qualifiers
11)
All players will be limited to 10% of actual plate appearances and
innings pitched (rounded up) for each playoff series.
12)
Pitchers who
only start or relieve may not “cross over” for the playoffs.
13)
Revision –
pitchers who are rated as starters only may relieve in the playoffs using Strat
rules for fatigue.
14)
The playoffs will be conducted under the same format as the regular
season, with the home manager playing all games. Netplay is recommended and preferred when
possible.
1)
All carded players from the previous season not currently on an OTBA
roster are eligible for the draft.
2)
Draft order will be determined by record. The non-playoff team with the worst regular
season record drafts first, the non-playoff team with the best record drafts 10th. Playoff team draft orders will be determined
by order of finish in the playoffs, using regular season record as the
tiebreaker for the losers of each round.
3)
Tie breakers will be:
A)
Head to head play
B)
Record within division
C)
Coin toss
4)
All teams must cut to 25 players one month before the scheduled draft
date.
5)
Each team will draft to 35 players, however many rounds are necessary
(if picks have been traded).
6)
This draft will be conducted in February each year.
7)
The draft will begin by email on a date set by the commissioner.
8)
The rules and regulations of the draft operation are to be determined
and ruled on by the commissioner.
1)
The league will play a 162-game schedule from roughly April to October,
with the playoffs conducted after the completion of the regular season.
2) The schedule will be divided by calendar month for roster purposes.
1)
Ballparks will be the home park of the original franchise for the team.
2)
Revision – under expansion rules, the new expansion teams will draft
parks not in use already as their home parks.
This will be done at the end of the initial free agent draft.
3)
Each season, before opening day, each owner may change the ballpark
effects for their home park by +/- 3 on singles and homers for lefties and
righties. The effects are cumulative
from the previous season.
1)
Instructions for each month are due on the first of that month.
2)
At the beginning of the season, all members must send a full set of
default instructions to the commissioner.
3)
Pitching rotations must be set in SuperHAL.
4)
Remember that additional instructions are encouraged. (Ex: if you always want Trevor Hoffman in the
game when you are up 1-3 runs in the ninth inning, include that in written form
with your Computer Manager to that.)
5)
The interpretation of any unclear or incomplete instructions will be
left up to the judgement of the home manager (you know, the guy trying to beat
your team!).
6)
All games shall be played by the actual calendar week following the one
that they fall within.
7)
Results from each series will include game result files and a
box score for each game to the opposing manager, commissioner and the
statistician.
8)
These results shall be sent within one week of the game dates involved.
9)
If you do not receive instructions or results in a timely manner,
please email the member in question.
10)
After allowing a fair time (two days) for a response, email the
commissioner and the member (so they are aware that the commissioner has been
notified).
11)
At that time, the commissioner will resolve the issue by either getting
instructions/results from the member or instructing the “plaintiff” to play the
games with default instructions.
1)
Main rules will be Super Advanced with BK/WP/PB.
2)
Ballpark and clutch ratings will be used, weather effects will not.
3)
Super advanced stealing and strategy charts will be used.
4)
Miscellaneous rules, closer and GB A on
pitcher’s card are all in effect.
5)
Injuries will not be used.
6)
Pitcher fatigue will be in effect,
7)
Pitch count will not be used.
8)
DH is in effect in all parks.
1)
(1) penalty point per day will be issued for the following infractions:
A)
Late instructions
B)
Late results
C)
Late reporting on other deadlines (trades, playoff roster, etc.)
D)
Player overuse
E)
Failure to follow opponent’s instructions
2)
Punishments will be as follows:
A)
0-6 points = warning
B)
7-10 points = lose 5th
round pick
C)
11-13 points = lose 4th
round pick
D)
14-15 points = lose 3rd
round pick
E)
16-18 points = lose 2nd
round pick
F)
19+ points = automatic
expulsion
3)
Late instructions and results are defined as being more than two days
after a reminder email has been sent.
Following the procedure laid out earlier in this constitution, when a
reminder is sent a two-day grace period will follow. After that time, the commissioner is notified
and a penalty point shall be assessed.
4)
Penalties for lateness will be waived if the commissioner is notified AHEAD OF TIME by a member that he/she
will be unavailable (vacation, work, etc.). However, every effort shall be made by the
member to play games and provide instructions ahead of schedule to minimize
this problem.
5)
Player overuse is defined as follows:
A)
Exceeding position player limit of PA by more than 10.
B)
Exceeding pitcher limit by more than 1 start or 5 IP.
C)
Exceeding the limit by any amount for 4 or more players on your team.
6)
Penalties for overuse are as follows:
A)
1 player overused as a result of a road series is cause for a warning
only.
B)
Any position player breaking A) above will be suspended for the first 3
games of the playoffs and will have his available PA reduced by the overrun the
following season. Member will also be
charged one penalty point.
C)
Any pitcher breaking B) above will be suspended for the first 3 games
of the playoffs and will have available starts/IP reduced by the overrun the
following season. Member will also be
charged one penalty point.
D)
Breaking C) above will result in all involved pitchers and players
being suspended for the first 3 games of the playoffs, and having their
available PA/IP/starts reduced by the amount of overrun the following
season. The member will also be charged
one penalty point.
7)
Failure to follow opponent’s instructions will be defined as follows:
obvious and blatant disregard for opponent’s direct written instructions (which
pitcher to use, how and when to use him, rotation of starters, lineups,
etc.). One penalty point will be
assessed for each infraction, and the game in question will be replayed.
Any member may make proposals for
changes to this constitution or for expansion.
All such changes would require a 2/3-majority vote, and in the case of
expansion would require at least 4 reliable managers on the waiting list to
fill the new team spots. Any expansion
would require a draft procedure to be established at that time.
After
the 2003 season, the members of the league voted for expansion to be held after
the 2004 season was complete. Attached
is the proposal which was passed by the league:
OTBA Expansion Plan
Under this plan, we will expand the OTBA from 16 teams to 20 teams by the year 2005. These are the steps being proposed:
1. Allow existing
teams to claim free agents during the 2004 OTBA season when a team needs AB's
or IP for the regular season. However at
season’s end return all those players to the free agency pool. That way each of the 4 expansion teams can
draft 9 players out of the free agent pool after the 2004 season. As an example of the available players, this
year Esteban Loiaza, Darrell May,
2. After the 2004 season comes the expansion draft. Each of the 4 new teams would then need to add 16 more players to get to the 25 man pre-draft roster #. Each existing team would lose 4 players. It also makes it 4 for each team not 6 for some and 7 for others.
Here is a simple breakdown for the expansion draft. The idea is not to seriously hurt the existing teams while leaving some talent for the new teams to draft so they can begin to build a solid club.
The draft will be a 4 round draft with each existing team
losing 1 player a round. For Example: Once a player is selected from DYS, DYS
could not lose another player until round 2.
The draft order among the expansion teams would be determined
randomly. Each expansion team would
select 4 players per round. The format
will be serpentine – team 1 drafts, then team 2, then
team 3, then team 4, followed by team 4 again, team 3, team 2, team 1, team 1,
etc. ad nauseum.
Each of the existing teams protects 15 players.
Round 1
Existing team lose 1 player
After each team loses a player
The existing teams pull 2 players back
Round 2
Existing teams lose 1 player
After each team loses a player
The existing teams pull 2 more back
Round 3
Existing teams lose 1 player
Round 4
Existing teams lose their 4th player
In rounds 1 and 2 the expansion teams should get a pretty good player or prospect. In round 3 a guy who could start and the 4th round he might have to get lucky.
Example using Dysart: If I were to set my 15 keepers right now, I’d keep Brad Penny, Kip Wells, Carlos Zambrano, Woody Williams, Jeremy Affeldt and John Smoltz as pitchers, and Morgan Ensberg, A.J. Pierzynski, Brian Roberts, Richie Sexson, Michael Young, Milton Bradley, Carl Crawford, Jose Guillen and Jay Payton as position players. (See the accompanying Excel file for visual aid.) This would expose some quality guys.
Likely picks would include Jarrod Washburn, Greg Myers, Kevin Millar, Damaso Marte, Cristian Guzman and Chris Woodward.
Once 1 of those guys was gone (let’s assume Washburn) I could pull back 2 players (in this case I would keep Marte and Guzman).
Another would be selected (let’s assume Myers) at which time I would pull back Woodward and Eddie Perez (hah, gotcha with the sneak attack!).
This would still leave Millar, Ben Broussard, Jason Johnson, Dustan Mohr, Alex Sanchez, Chris Stynes and Ramon Vazquez available, plus prospects like Willie Harris, Jayson Werth and Ricardo Rodriguez.
So, if for example Millar and Johnson were selected 3rd and 4th rounds, I would have my original 15 plus Marte, Guzman, Woodward and Perez, as well as Broussard, Mohr, Sanchez, Stynes, Vazquez, Harris, Werth, Rodriguez, Tomko and Jimenez from which to select my 25 keepers.
In this example, I would keep Broussard, Mohr, Stynes, Rodriguez, Harris and Werth, meaning Sanchez and Vazquez would both be available in the rookie draft. Neither of them are stars, but both could certainly be starters in this league.
3. Once the expansion draft is complete, the 16 existing teams would cut to 25 players. With all 20 teams sitting at 25 players, we would go forward with the rookie draft. The expansion teams would be at positions 11-14 in the rookie draft – before playoff teams, after non-playoff teams. The teams would be slotted in reverse order from the initial expansion draft order, again using serpentine for the 4 expansion teams (team selecting 4th in the expansion draft would select 11th in the rookie draft 1st round, then select 14th in the 2nd round).
Expansion teams would draft to 40 instead of 35 (they would draft 15 rounds instead of 10). This would give them an opportunity to grab some extra prospects and help grow their talent base.