Standings

Rules and Regulations of RIFGFBL

Updated 10/2009

This is the 16th year of this league and these are the rules which govern us to ensure a smooth fantasy baseball year. Hopefully these rules will allow all teams to remain competitive for as long as possible and also to think about the future of their teams and the integrity of the league. These rules should clarify many questions and ensure a smooth running league, year in and year out, which is what is most important. As a reminder, ignorance is NOT an excuse. Read these rules carefully and be sure you understand and agree to them. New rules added this year are in bold. If there are any questions, ask.

Spring Training and Hot Stove Rules

All teams must protect 2 players. If a team chooses not to protect 2 players they will fill their roster at the end of the draft.
No team can have any more than 2 picks in rounds 1-3 at any time during the year. Teams also can not trade for draft picks that are more than 1 year away. There are 13 rounds in the draft and 15 roster spots.
You may pick up and cut a player anytime between the end of the draft and the last week of the RIFGFBL playoffs. Free agents can NOT be picked up from the last week of the RIFGFBL playoffs until the draft is over.
After the RIFGFBL playoffs end, owners can trade anytime during the off season.

Draft Rules

The draft order is to first draft pitching staffs and then identify the two players that you will protect.
The draft is conducted from 1-12 to 12-1 for the entire draft until all teams have a full roster.
Any players that is drafted and needs to be placed on the DL list must be done at the end of the draft.

Transaction/Trade Rules

Teams that have players that are on the major league disabled list can put that player on the DL and use that player in their lineup immediately. DL transactions have preference over regular transactions and, in cases where there are more than 1 DL transactions, the waiver wire preference will be used to determine who gets the player(s). All DL players MUST be placed on the DL by the second Sunday in which he has been placed on the DL. If an injured player is NOT placed on the DL within that time, a $2 per week fine will be assessed.
Any player that is on the DL and is activated by his major league team must be activated within 1 week. For example, if the player is activated on a Wed., he must be activated by the following Sun.(11 days later) or he becomes a free agent. You can, however, activate a DL player anytime during the week and immediately use that player. You must cut a player to activate the DL player.
All transactions must be in by 9:00 pm on Sunday. Only DL transactions have to be in by 6:00pm. After that, I will let the teams know about DL players so they can put those players in their lineups.
You can not pick up a player that has already been placed on the DL by a major league team and then DL that player.
The trading deadline is 9:00pm on Sunday. During the week of the trading deadline, the deadline for trades and transactions will be midnight.
Teams can not cut any player (s) they receive in a trade the same week the trade takes place.
When two teams put in for the same player/ps, the team with the better waiver wire number will get that player./ps. The other owner has until Sunday night at 10:00 to pick up a new player/ps. If that owner doesn't pick up a player by that Sunday at 10:00, they lose the player/ps they cut and they can not pick up another player until the following week. The team does not have a preference over any other owner when they pick up a player next week. In other words, call or e-mail me by Sunday at 10:00 with your new player/ps or, even better, put in for a second/third choice.
Once an owner puts in for a player(s), regardless of when in the week it happens, that move(s) can not be changed. All moves called/e-mailed to me are final! However, if you do not get the player(s) you requested, you can keep the player you were going to cut. In that case, you have to pay the $2 transaction fee. The same applies for a pitching staff, except the transaction fee is $10.
It is the owners responsibility to ensure that their roster is complete and accurate for the entire year. All rosters must be accurate and complete by 9:00 on Sundays. If a roster has too many players, the player(s) most recently added to the team's roster will be cut.
At the end of the year (Week 25), all owners must have a roster with 15 players. Any players on the DL must be activated or they will be cut from your roster.

Lineup Rules

If a team is over the salary cap that team forfeits the game. In addition, that team also loses their highest scoring position for the week.
A team is only allowed to call/e-mail their lineup once in a week. I will only accept the first lineup I receive from an owner.
You must e-mail your lineup to your opponent and me by 12:00pm(noon) on Monday. The only exception is the week before the All-Star break, when lineups are due on Thursday at 12:00pm(noon). You must do so even if you are keeping your lineup the same from the previous week. Any late lineups will be assessed a fine of 10 points a day. If this happens twice during the season, you will be removed from the league. It should never come to that step! If your lineup is not is by 12:00pm, I will forward your previous week's lineup to your opponent. There will also be a $5 fine assessed to the team that will be applied to the kangaroo court.
All teams will now utilize a utility player, either AL or NL. AL teams no longer have a DH and NL teams no longer have their pitchers hitting stats count.
Teams can expand their rosters by 2 players on the Sunday of the trade deadline. There is a $5 fee per player for the extra roster spot(s). These players can stay on your roster for the entire playoffs.
Each team is allowed to substitute player(s), including pitching staffs, any day of the week beginning on Monday 5 minutes before the first game. The substitution(s) need to be sent 5 minutes before the first game for it to count for that day's game. Any substitution sent after 5 minutes before the first game will count for the next day. For example, if you e-mail the commish at 8:30 pm on Tuesday, the move(s) will not count until Wednesday. You must e-mail the commish as well as your opponent for the change to occur. The substitution(s) must be eligible at the position(s) you are substituting, the player(s) you are adding to your lineup must be on your active roster and you must be under the salary cap. The cost for using substitutions is $3 per player or ps, which is added to the league fees. There is no fee for changing the positions of the players in your lineup.

General Rules

You must be able to field a team each week. If, for some reason, you have a vacant spot (s) on your roster and that position on your team can not be filled, you will be assessed a $5.00 fine each week for each position that is vacant. Be sure to have a starting lineup with active players every week!
All transaction money is due by the end of the playoffs. Any team that is not paid in full by the end of the playoffs will lose its first round pick in the following year’s draft. The following week that team loses a second, etc. There will not be any exceptions to this rule.
There will be a 2 week, winner take all, bonanza for the teams that miss the playoffs. All of the teams that do not make the playoffs are eligible for $75. The team that scores the highest points for the two weeks wins! All lineups must be e-mailed to the commish as well as the entire league. If teams are within 5 points of each other,
Teams that are eliminated from the playoffs as determined by the playoff link set by the commish can sub two times during a week for free. They are allowed to sub more than that, however they will pay the usual $3 fee per sub after the first 2 subs.