I.The Purpose
The purpose of the Liberty League is to provide its members with a challenging simulation of the full spectrum of enjoyment that baseball provides, from the strategic aspects of building a team to the in-game tactical maneuvering that determines success over the course of a season, using the current version of the Strat-o-Matic Computer Baseball Game. Our principles are simple: integrity, gamesmanship, and creating a community which allows us to pursue our love of the game.
While we recognize that Strat-O-Matic is not a perfect recreation of the game of baseball, the use of “Strat-ball strategies” in this league is vigorouslydiscouraged.
II.The League
A.Structure. The Liberty League is managed by the Commissioner and the Rules Committee. The Rules Committee consists of the Commissioner, plus three other members nominated by the Commissioner and approved by a vote of the remaining League members.
B.Duties.
1.The Commissioner will oversee the operations of the league.
2.The Rules Committee will make necessary changes in the Rules, and will vote on the acceptance of new members, by majority vote.
C.Web Sites. The League maintains a number of Internet Sites:
1.A Yahoo Member Group, which is accessible only to League members, and is used for the exchange of all computer files necessary to play the game, and messages between members.
2.A League Web Site, which contains the League Directory, the Rules, and a History of the league,
D.Rules changes. Changes in these rules can be proposed by any member, but must be approved by theRules Committee. Any in-season rule changes, or changes to be applied retroactively, must be done with unanimous concurrence of the Rules Committee. Changes which will be prospective for the upcoming seasonrequire a majority vote of the Rules Committee.
1.Objections by Members. If any three members object to a rule change, it will be submitted to a vote of all League members, through a poll on the group site which will remain open for two (2) weeks.Upon objection, any in-season or retroactive rule change requires two-thirds of those votingto make the change. Any other change requires a majority of those voting.
E.Expulsion. Expulsion of a member from the League is an extreme sanction, and will be imposed only for extreme violations of the rules, such as gross non-cooperation or cheating. Expulsion requires the concurrence of four-fifths of the members of the Rules Committee. Upon objection by any member besides the affected one, expulsion requires approval of two-thirds of the membership.
III.The Teams
A.Number. The Liberty League consists of twelve teams, organized into two divisions, the Ruth Division and the Aaron Division.
B.Stadiums. Each team shall select a home stadium from among those in the National League. If a new owner comes into the League, or if the actual National League team changes its stadium, either through relocation or renovation, a new stadium can be selected by the affected team, from among those not currently used. In such cases, the current owners affected by the relocation or renovation of their current stadiums shall have first choice of available stadiums not currently used, in the same order as they will have in the next free agent draft, followed by new owners, in the order in which they entered the league.
1.Change of Stadiums. Any team may change its stadium after five years. The intention to change stadium must be announced within sixty days of the end of the season. If two or more owners wish to change their stadiums, they will draft from among the available stadiums in the same order as they will have in the next free agent draft, with the exception that any current owners affected by the relocation or renovation of their current stadium shall draft first. The selection of a stadium by new owners will take place after the stadium draft.
C.Rosters. Each team must maintain a roster of no fewer than 37 and no more than 40 players at all times, except for the period from the end of the playoffs until the beginning of the Annual Draft.
D.Salary Cap. Each player has a salary, which is the actual salary he was paid during the previous year; if a salary cannot be determined, the major league minimum salary will be used. (E.g., our 2007 season will use player cards and player salaries from the 2006 season.) Each team will have a salary cap. The total salaries paid to all players on the roster cannot exceed the salary cap, except for the period from the end of the Playoffs until the Roster Cutdown Date.
1.Calculation. The basic salary cap for all teams is calculated as follows: 35 times the average baseball salary for the preceding year, rounded upward to the nearest $50,000, plus 5 times the minimum baseball salary the preceding year.
E.Roster Cutdown Date. At least two weeks prior to the Draft, on a date designated by the Commissioner, each team must reduce their rosters. Teams which played in the championship game the previous year can retain 14 players; other teams which made the playoffs the previous year can retain 15 players; and non-playoff teams can retain 17 players. Players who did not play in the major leagues the previous season cannot be retained on a roster. As long as a player has a Strat card, either regular or computer, he can be retained, regardless of which league he played in.
1.AL Player Retention. Any player who finished the previous season on an AL roster can be retained on a Liberty League roster, subject to the following penalties: he counts as two roster spots, and his salary is assessed at 133% of actual. Example: Team X, which made the playoffs the previous year,decides to retain four players, each of whom finished on an AL team the previous season, and each of whom had a salary of $6 million. The four would count for eight roster spots toward the Roster Cutdown Limit, and would have a total salary of $31.92 million, instead of $24 million. Note that the roster penalty is only effective on the Roster CutdownDate; in the example above, Team X would only be able to retain 11 players: the four AL players would count as 8 toward the limit of 15. Once the Roster Cutdown was achieved, Team X would have only 11 players on its roster, and would have to draft the necessary players to meet the requirement of having 37 to 40 players. After the Cutdown and prior to the draft, however, it could trade for as many players as it wanted, and the AL status would have no effect on this. Example: The above team, with a roster of 11, trades for two more players, one of whom is an AL player. It would then have a roster of 13 players; the AL player would not be counted as two roster spots.
IV.The Players
A.Eligibility: Roster Retention. Any player is eligible to be retained on a Liberty League team roster if he has a regular or computer Strat card.
1.Loss of Eligibility. A player will lose eligibility to play in the Liberty League if he (a) did not play in the major leagues during the prior season, or (b) is dropped from a Liberty League roster, and either finished the prior season on an AL team or does not have a regular Strat card. Any player who becomes ineligible will remain so until he finishes a season on an NL team and has a regular Strat card.
2.AL Players. Players who finished the previous season on an American League roster can be retained on a Liberty League team roster, subject to the penalties described in Section III.E.1.
3.Eligibility for Postseason Play. Any player who does not have a Strat card with at least 30 IP or 80AB’s(adjusted usage) is ineligible for post-season play.
B.Acquiring players. Players can be acquired through either draft or trade.
1.Draft. The annual Liberty League Draft will take place each March, on a date designated by the Commissioner.
a)Draft Pool. The Draft pool for the Draftwill consist of all Free Agents, who are defined as players who (1) are not currently on a Liberty League team roster; (2) who finished the season on an NL roster during the preceding year, and (3) have a regular Strat card. Note that a player who is dropped from a Liberty League roster must meet all three definitions to be placed in the Free Agent pool.
b)Split Cards. If a Free Agent played in both the NL and the AL the preceding year, his whole card will be available to be drafted, and his full salary will be used. If a player is retained on a roster, and that player played in both the AL and NL in the preceding year, his full card will be used; if he finished the season in the AL, he will be subject to the penalties described in Section III.E.1.
c)Draft Order. Draft order will be inverse to winning percentage in the previous season, with the exception of the first round.
(1)First Round. In the first round, the order of the lowest threenon-playoff teams will be determined by a weighted lottery. The championship winner will draft last, regardless of winning percentage.
(a)Weighted Lottery: The weighted lottery will be conducted in the following manner: Beginning with the last-place team, each team will be given a certain number of chances, in the following order:
12th place –1-3 (3 chances)
11th place – 4-5(2 chances)
10th place – 6(1 chance)
A random integer generator will then be used to generate a list of random numbers between 1 and 6. The seeding will then take place according to the numbers generated. (E.g., if the numbers 4 and 2 were the first two numbers generated, the seeding would be 11th place, 12th place, 10th place.)
(2)Ties. Any ties in winning percentage will be broken in reverse to the tie-breaking formula for seeding in the playoffs.
d)Rounds. The Draft will continue until all teams have reached a roster of 40 players, or have passed. No team may pass until it has at least 37 players on its roster. Owners cannot drop players from their roster during the draft, and cannot exceed the salary cap.
2.Trades.
a)What can be traded. Teams can trade players, Draftpositions, or any combination of the two. Subject to salary cap and roster limitations, there are no restrictions on player trades. Trades for Draft positions are subject to the following rules.
(1)A draft pick may be traded, but only for the upcoming draft. E.g., a team may trade a draft pick for the 2013 draft at any point from the conclusion of the 2012 draft to the beginning of the 2013 draft, subject to the trading deadline (see below). A team could not trade away a 2014 pick until the conclusion of the 2013 draft.
(2)Subject to the trading deadline, there are no restrictions on trades of draft picks in Rounds 6 and higher. For draft picks in Rounds 1 through 5, the following restrictions are in effect: No team may trade away more than two of its draft picks in those rounds, and those draft pick/rounds cannot be lower than a total of five. E.g., a team may trade away its 1st and 4th pick, or its 2nd and 3rd pick. It could not trade away its 1st and 2nd or 3rd pick. This applies regardless of how many picks a team has in Rounds 1 through 5.
(3)The in-season trading deadlines do not apply to trades involving only draft picks, and not players. I.e., such trades can be made at any time from the conclusion of the draft until three (3) days before the beginning of the next draft.
b)When trades can be made.
(1)Seasonal trades. Trades can be made from the conclusion of the Draft until the conclusion of the 5th block of the season. During this time, no trade can be made that will result in a team’s roster being in excess of the salary cap, or having fewer than 37 players or more than 40 players. A team can come into compliance with this rule by releasing players within 48hours after any trade. Any released player goes into the free agent pool, and, subject to eligibility, is not able to re-enter the league unless acquired during the following draft.
(2)Effective date of seasonal trades. The player(s) traded will become available to their new teams at the conclusion of the block during which they were traded. If a player is traded after a block is concluded, but before the beginning of the next block, the trade will not become effective until the conclusion of the upcoming block. Examples: (A) Player X is traded to Team Y during Block 5. He is added to the roster of Team Y at the end of Block 5, and can be included in the Computer Manager for Block 6. (B) A team makes a trade for Player X after the 3rd block is concluded, but before the 4th block begins. The trade would not take effect until the 5th block.
(3)Postseason trades. Trades can be made from the conclusion of the Playoffs until the Roster Cutdown Date. During this period, salary cap and roster limits are not in effect; owners can accumulate as many players as they want, and pay them as much as they want, as they long as they reduce the number of players to the necessary limits by the Roster Cutdown Date.
(4)Post Cutdown Trades. Trades can be made from the period after the Roster Cutdown Date until three (3) days before the start of the Draft. During this period, roster limits are not in effect; teams may, as a result of trades, go above or below the limit specified for them at the Roster Cutdown Date. (E.g., Team X is allowed 17 players, and trades a Draft choice for another player, bringing its total roster to 18. It does not have to cut any players; the roster limit is effective only on the Roster Cutdown Date.)
(5)In-Draft Trades. Trading is not permitted during the Draft. You may arrange for informal trades if you’d like; e.g., “I’ll trade you this reliever if you pick up this right-fielder in the next round.” You would then actually complete the trade after the Draft is concluded. Note that if the other party backs out of the trade, you have no means of enforcing it; trading during the Draft is done at your own risk.
c)Announcing a trade. A message announcing a trade should be sent by either team to all members through the Group site. The trade will become effective immediately upon confirmation by the other team.
d)Voiding a trade. The Commissioner reserves the right to void any trade as being contrary to the best interests of the league. If the Commissioner is the owner of a team in the league, such decision requires the concurrence of all of the members of the Rules Committee, and if objected to by any member other than one of the teams participating in the league, a vote of seven members of the League, with the Commissioner and the two teams affected by the trade not participating in the vote.
C.Usage
1.All players shall be limited to 105% of the at-bats (AB’s) or innings pitched (IP’s) they actually accumulated during the season. This will be referred to as the Adjusted Usage. This usage adjustment will be implemented by the commissioner via “adjust league stats” prior to the start of each season. Any additional use is considered overusage.
2.Any pitcher with an "SP" rating can start every 5th day (4 days of rest). Any pitcher with an asterisk (*) rating can start every 4th day (3 days of rest.)Note that this does not override the usage limitations of the preceding paragraph; e.g., Pitcher A has an asterisk rating and 210 innings of adjusted usage. If he pitches every 4th day during the season, he will probably acquire far more than 210 IP, and thus will be overused. The “4th day” rule should be reserved for rare occasions when you want a particular pitching matchup.
a)Playoff exception. Regardless of the asterisk rating, no starting pitcher may start more than two games during any one playoff series.
3.During the course of the season, any non-pitcher who accumulates more than 35AB’s more than his Adjusted Usage, or more than 10% of his Adjusted Usage, whichever is less, loses his eligibility for further play during the season, including the playoffs. The loss of eligibility takes place at the end of the block in which overusage occurs.
4.During the course of the season, any pitcher with an S rating who accumulates 15 IP or more than his Adjusted Usage, any pitcher with an S/R rating who accumulates 10 IP or more than his Adjusted Usage, or any pitcher with an R rating who accumulates 5 IP or more than his Adjusted Usage, or any pitcher regardless of his rating who accumulates more than 20% of his adjusted usage, whichever is less, loses his eligibility for further play during the season, including the playoffs. The loss of eligibility takes place at the end of the block in which overusage occurs.
5.Examples of overusage:
a)Player A has 410 AB’s of Adjusted Usage. During the season, he accumulates 415 AB’s. He has been overused, and his team will not be eligible for the non-overusage bonus (see Section E., below), but he is eligible for the playoffs.
b)Player B has 410 AB’s of Adjusted Usage. By the 7th Block, he has accumulated 452 AB’s. Since he has accumulated more than 35AB’s in excess of his Adjusted Usage, he becomes ineligible for further play, including the playoffs, at that point.
c)Player C has 83AB’s of Adjusted Usage. By the 6th Block, he has accumulated 98 AB’s. Although this is not more than 35 AB’s in excess of his Adjusted Usage, it is more than 10% in excess of his adjusted usage, and he becomes ineligible for further play, including the playoffs,at that point.
d)Pitcher D is rated as starter only, and has 185 IP of Adjusted Usage. By the 7th Block, he has accumulated 205 IP. Since this is more than 15 IP in excess of his Adjusted Usage, he becomes ineligible for further play, including the playoffs,at that point.
e)Pitcher E is a reliever only, and has 21 IP of adjusted usage. By the 6th Block, he has accumulated 26 IP. Although this is not more than 5 IP in excess of his Adjusted Usage, it is more than 20% in excess of his adjusted usage, and he becomes ineligible for further play.(He would not be eligible for the playoffs in any event, because he does not have at least 30 adjusted IP. See Rule IV.A.3.)
6.You need to Draft players with sufficient AB’s and IP’s so as not to exceed the usage requirements. To avoid overusage, it is strongly recommended that youDraft players totaling the minimum AB’s and IP per position, as follows: