Last update: 7/22/2017
**most recent changes (minimum free agent bids, illegal lineup penalty schedule**
The following rules and bylaws define the competition that is the Original Bitnet Fantasy League Baseball (OBFLB). If you are interested in finding out more or joining the league, send e-mail to the league waiting-list-keeper, Jim Teresco (terescoj@teresco.org).
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Object
Teams
Trading Points
Rosters
OBFLB Seasons & OBFLB Drafts
Lineup Cards
OBFLB Player Eligibility
Owners Protests
Player Activity Minimums/Penalties
Statcards
Statistical Categories Of Competition
Minor League Pool
Playoff Games
Forfeiture Rules
Rule Changes
Administration/Hierarchy
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1. Object
To assemble a team whose starting lineup and pitching staff perform well enough to win your division (or the Wild Card) then to win the OBFLB World Series (awarded in memory of former owner Joydeep Sarkar, who will forever be missed) and bask in the circle of green phospheresence! Actually, none of us use BITNET anymore, and we probably don't look at green screens, but hey, we've been here a while..
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2. Teams and Divisions
The OBFLB is made up of 24 teams, which are divided into four 6 team divisions (usually in the A season) or three 8 team divisions (usually in the B season). Team's lineups are comprised of active Major League Baseball (MLB) players from any of the 30 MLB teams. Each team has an Owner/General Manager who is responsible for all team activities and has a vote in league matters. GM's are encouraged to have one or more Assistant General Managers (AGM's) who can help out and run the team during vacations, etc.
The composition of each division will be selected in a "modified snake" fashion. In the case of four divisions, the teams ranked 1-4 from the previous season will be randomly assigned to each division, with no two in the same division. The same process will occur with teams 5-8, 9-12, etc., until all the teams have been assigned to a division. This will be modified if the number of divisions changes so that at each round of selection, one team will be in each division (three teams per round when there are three divisions, for example.)
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3. Trading Points
Trading Points (TP's) are the lifeblood of OBFLB teams. They have many uses which include:
Pre-Draft Player Retention: 50 TPs per player
Bidding on Free Agents: **10 TPs is the minimum bid, with 20 TP being the minimum bid for players who will subsequently be protected.**
Placing players currently on the MLB DL onto the OBFLB Disabled List: 15 TPs
Upon the conclusion of each season and the end of free trading, prior to the retention/release declarations, teams will receive Trading Points (TP's) based upon their win/loss record. The amount of TPs awarded after each season will be determined by whether the team made the playoffs or not.
The four playoff teams - 450 TPs
All other teams - 750 TPs
In the event of expansion, the expansion teams will receive the the same as the worst team + the average number of TP's held by the existing teams.
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4. Rosters
Each Team's roster shall consist of no more than 28 active players. There must be one player for every position and enough pitchers to prevent pitching penalities. Should the number of players on a roster exceed 28, the most recently acquired player or players shall be dropped. By utilizing the Disabled list teams could have more than 28 players
Disabled List
Players who are placed on a Major League Baseball (MLB) Disabled List (DL) may be placed on the OBFLB DL for 15 TP's. A player on the OBFLB DL does not count against the 28 man limit, thus, a team may sign or trade for replacement player(s). A player must be reactivated within 10 days of his activation in MLB from the OBFLB DL or else he will be released and placed in the OBFLB Free Agent Minor League pool.
During the mid-season break, players on the DL may be kept on the OBFLB DL and retained (for 50 TP's the same as 'active' players) for the second half OBFLB season. Also see OBFLB Drafts.
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5. OBFLB Seasons / OBFLB Drafts
OBFLB Seasons
The OBFLB usually plays two, 'split,' seasons during the MLB season. A OBFLB season consists of a regular season, which is typically about 10 weeks, followed by playoffs and a week of competition for the OBFLB World Series. The league presidents determine an appropriate schedule each year, taking into account the MLB All-Star break.
A regular season series consists of 10 games (stat categories). Which teams and who they play are determined by random draw. This process is necessary to schedule 2 full seasons in a major league season. The league winners then advance to play each other in the much heralded OBFLB World series.
OBFLB Drafts
Since the OBFLB plays more than one season per year, the drafts between these two seasons must be short and to the point to prevent not utilizing any significant portion of the season. During these drafts, each team must retain at least 7 but no more than 15 players on their roster (including any Disabled list players for the Mid-Season break between seasons). There are to be no other transactions allowed during a draft, except the drafting of players.
The first round that a particuliar team drafts in, is determined by the sum of all players retained plus 1. Example: If you retain 10 active players and 1 DL player, you join the draft in the 12th round. The draft rounds continue until each team has 25 active players.
The order of the draft will be in inverse order of:
a. Each team's won/loss record from the previous season
b. If one or more teams have equivalent won/loss records, the inverse order of Division standings will be used.
c. If one or more teams have equivalent Division standings, the draft order for the tied teams will be alternated.
Power Rating is determined by assigning a value of 1-24 (24 for best, 1 for worst) for the cumulative totals or averages for the previous season. Combining all of these values for a team into 1 total is that team's 'Power Rating.'
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6. Lineup Cards
Lineup cards are used for two purposes
a. Makes clear owner's intention on who will start in the given week b. Determine what backups will be used in the event that a named starter does not play that week.
Lineup Cards should contain the names and ML team names of a player at each regular postion (non-pitching) and DH. One or more backups may also be listed. The backups will be used if the starting player does not play (1 PA minimum). One player can be put down as the backup for more than one position. However, if that player must play one of those positions because the starter has not played, he cannot play as the backup for one of the other positions. In other words, no player can play two positions for a week. The first three listed outfielders are considered the starters and the remaining outfielders are backups. Substitution Order: When more than 1 substitute is listed at a position, this list of substitutes should be considered a depth chart. Even if the 1st substitute listed is a starter at a different position, the 1st sub should be moved into the starting position, as long as the starting position he is being removed from has a 1st sub. backup, over any 2nd substitute listed.
For Player eligibility - see section 7.
Every week, owners should set their rosters and lineups in the league's stat server. In a lineup card can be sent through e-mail to the opposing team owner and to the league Webmaster (lineups@teresco.org) in an appropriate (text in e-mail) format. Lineup cards for each week of baseball are to be submitted by Monday Noon (Eastern time) for the upcoming week of play. This is strictly enforced because some games are played early Monday afternoon and all lineups must be in before the games start.
In the absence of a lineup card for that week (or a note that says to use the previous weeks' card), the CBS lineup will be the official one. The last lineup card on file will only be used to determine appropriate backups if needed.
If there is no lineup card or the lineup card is out of date such that an appropriate backup cannot be identified if needed, then the team will take a penalty for not fielding a full team as per Section 9.
All lineup cards will be made available on a Web server. Below is a sample lineup card that can be used as a template.
Last Resorts Week 8
Player Name Team
+------------------------------+------+
C[Snyder, Chris /ARI ]
[Barajas, Rod /TOR ]
1B[Sexson, Richie /SEA ]
2B[Hudson, Orlando /ARI ]
[Ryan, Brendan /STL ]
3B[Cabrera, Miguel /DET ]
[Ryan, Brendan /STL ]
SS[Crosby, Bobby /OAK ]
[Pena, Tony /KC ]
[Ryan, Brendan /STL ]
OF[Hunter, Torii /ANA ]
[Quentin, Carlos /CHW ]
[Lewis, Fred /SF ]
[Duncan, Chris /STL ]
[Victorino, Shane /PHI ]
DH[Bradley, Milton /TEX ]
[Quentin, Carlos /CHW ]
[Lewis, Fred /SF ]
SP[Maddux, Greg /SD ]
[Lowe, Derek /LA ]
[McGowan, Dustin /TOR ]
[Guthrie, Jeremy /BAL ]
[Reyes, Jo-Jo /ATL ]
[Davis, Doug /ARI ]
[Moseley, Dustin /ANA ]
[Buckner, Billy /ARI ]
RP[Wilson, Brian /SF ]
[Percival, Troy /TB ]
[Rincon, Juan /MIN ]
+------------------------------+------+
If the owner has sent in a current lineup card for that week, it is encouraged that owners set their stat server lineup to be an accurate reflection of who will actually play that week. If a player who is not expected to play, but is listed as a starter on the lineup card that week ends up playing, the lineup card makes clear the intention to have that player's stats count for the week and the lineup on the stat server can then be adjusted by a league administrator. Doing the change in advance helps alleviate the change burden for the league admin AND makes the live scoring feature accurate.
If it is clear that a player in the stat server starting lineup will not play that week, please let your opponent and a league admin know. The league admin can then adjust the lineup during the week and that keeps the live scoring feature accurate.
If there is a current lineup on file for that week, it is the responsibility of the owner and their opponent to check that the stats for that week reflect the lineup card. No one from the league will be double checking it. The league stats administrator will typically only refer to the lineup card if a backup is needed.
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7. OBFLB Player Eligibility
Anyone whose name can be entered into the league stat service
may be drafted or signed as a free agent to be carried on rosters,
regardless of their MLB affiliation status (or lack thereof). For CBS Sportsline, anyone can be entered into the database.
Only MLB statistics may be used in weekly competition of the OBFLB.
OBFLB Player Eligibility By Position(s) Played:
OBFLB Pitching (Non-Positional) Player Eligibility:
If a pitcher starts a game during a given week of competition his statistics will only be considered if he is listed as a starting pitcher (SP).
If a pitcher doesn't start a game during a given week of competition, his statistics will only be considered as a relief pitcher (RP).
OBFLB Positional (Non-pitching) Player Eligibility:
A Player will be eligible for the position that he is listed on a OBFLB roster if he gets at least 1 PA and if he:
Played the position he is listed at during the week in question.
Reference: Box score and date
Past Performances at a position,
Pre-All Star Game season: Played the position in 8 or more games during the previous MLB season or 6 or more games during the current MLB season.
Post-All Star Game season: Played the position in 6 or more games during the current MLB season.
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8. Owners Protests
If, during a week of competition, an owner, upon reviewing his opponent's lineup card, suspects any player ineligibility and the two competing owners cannot work it out, protests may be submitted to the teams' league president. The protestor is advised to have complete information, use the references that are listed for player eiligilbity, send copies to each league president and the opponent you're accusing.
The Statute of Limitations (time limit) on all player eligibility protests 2 weeks from the stats due date.
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9. Player Activity Minimums/Penalties
The OBFLB has certain playing minimums in order to reflect the requirements and actualities of a MLB Roster. No team in MLB live on relief alone and, accordingly, all teams in the OBFLB must conform to league minimums for pitching requirements.
Starting Pitching: Each team must have a minimum of 4 pitchers which start a game each week and may use stats from a maximum of five starters. If a team has only three pitchers which start, the team will take a TP penalty (see below).
Relief Pitching: If at least 3 relief pitchers appear for the week, there is no penalty. If fewer than 3 RPs appear, the team will take a TP penalty (see below). The maximum number of relief pitchers that can be used is equal to the number of eligible SPs minus one. In other words, with five starters a team can use four relievers, but with four starters a team can only use a maximum of three relievers. With 3 or less starters, the allowable maximum defaults to the same number as the required minimum (i.e., 3 RPs).
Positional (Non-Pitching) Players Non-activity Penalities: A team must have a player eligible for every position which plays each week. If a player does not appear during the entire week of play, a minimum of 1 plate appearance, or is otherwise ineligible, the team will take a TP penalty (see below).
Teams will be penalized for not fielding a team that meets the
minimum requirements (1 C, 1 1B, 1 2B, 1 SS, 1 3B, 3 OF, 1 DH, 4 SP, 2 RP).
**1st week of offense(s): A warning will be issued
2nd week of offense(s): 40 TPs per offense
3rd week of offense(s): 60 TPs per offense
4th week of offense(s): 100 TPs per offense
5th week of offense(s): 150 TPs per offense
6th week of offense(s): Ownership is transferred to the next owner in
line. All TP penalties are reimbursed to the new owner.**
Note that the offenses need not occur in consecutive weeks.
If a team cannot afford to pay the TP penatly, they have until the end of the season to raise the funds required. Otherwise, the balance short is doubled and deducted from their TP award at the end of the season.
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10. Statcards
The league's stat service generates statcards each week to determine winners of the week's matchups. Each owner should check his own stats and those of his opponent to ensure the correct players have been used. Any corrections should be pointed out to the league statistic administrators ASAP.
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11. Statistical Categories of Competition
The statistics used by the OBFLB to determine wins and losses are detailed below with explanations of what each one measures:
Positional players (Non-Pitching) Categories
Batting Average - Tried and (some may say not so) True. This statistic measures hits per at-bat and is determined by dividing the number of hits in one week by the number of at- bats in that week. (Hits/ABs)
Runs Produced Average - The OBFLB's departure from Gross RBI's. This statistic measures runs produced per at-bat. The formula is ((Runs + RBI's) - HR's) / AB
Stolen Bases - The total number of stolen bases during a week.
Home Runs - The total number of home runs during the week.
Batter plate appearances (BPA) – The total number of plate appearances during the week
Pitching Categories
Earned Runs Average - Earned Runs per 9 innings is a standard measurement of an effective pitcher. (ER/IP) * 9
WHIP Ratio - This is a rough approximation of baserunners a pitcher allows each inning. (BB + H) / IP
Wins - The total number of wins during the week.
Saves - The total number of saves during the week.
Total innings pitched – The total number of innings pitched during the week.
Each week a team wins two points for each of the stats above which is better than the team they are playing. Ties are split with each team earning a single point in the tied category. Hence there are a total of 20 points available each week.
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12. Minor League Pool
The OBFLB Minor League consists anyone that is not on a current roster of any OBFLB team. The entire pool of players in the OBFLB Minor League are considered free agents. OBFLB owners can and do compete with each other during the Post OBFLB draft and regular seasons for the services of these free agents.
Free agents are acquired by placing a bid on the stat server by Saturday at midnight Eastern Time each week during OBFLB seasons. The team with the highest bid is awarded the player in question. TP's that are spent through this bidding process will be deducted from the awarded team's current balance. See the stat servers “help” file on FAAB for more information about how bids are processed.
All Free Agent (FA) bids start at 20 trading points (TPs).
FA bids are allowed by teams in the playoffs, but those players cannot be protected into the following season.
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13. Playoff Games
The number and organization of playoff games shall be be determined by the league based on the structure of Leagues/Divisions and the number of teams.
For purposes of playoff eligibility and/or advancement, the following
tie-breaker system will be used:
1. Compare the teams TOTAL record against ALL opponents using the
Breakdown standings posted on the CBS Sportsline site
2. If method 1 is a tie, compare the records of the two teams against
one another in the ALL column of the Breakdown standings posted on the
CBS Sportsline site.
3. If method 1 and 2 are still a tie OR for whatever reason the
Breakdown standings are not available, then the tied teams will next
be compared on a category-by-category basis using seasonal stats, with
2 wins awarded for an outright victory in a category and 1 win awarded
for a tied category. The team with the best record in this
head-to-head matchup will advance.
4. If the teams remain tied after employing method (3) above, then
seasonal power ratings will be used to determine playoff eligibility
or advancement. The team with the higher power rating will advance.
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14. Forfeiture Rules
If the League feels that an owner is unjustly taking advantage of the league by not sending in stats cards on time, working reasonably with other owners, etc, as a first warning, it will be cause to forfeit one week's play. When forfeiture occurs, the team in question will lose 8 games that week, while their opponent will win the amount he would have normally. Repeat offenders could risk losing their teams.
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15. Rule Updates
To change an existing rule, a group of 5 owners must contact the Presidents with a proposal that they all endorse as written. In addition to outlining the proposed rule change, the proposal should include the motivation(s) behind the rule change.
Once the proposal and requisite endorsements are received by the Presidents, they forward the proposal to the league for a two week discussion period. During the period, the pros and cons of the proposal will be discussed. In addition, owners can offer alternative proposals meant to accomplish similar goals in different ways or to less or more of a degree.
Alternate proposals can get on the voting ballot if they are endorsed as written by 5 owners. Note: An owner who endorsed the original proposal MAY endorse a new proposal. However, an owner may only endorse ONE "alternate" proposal. Also note that an endorsement is not (necessarily) the equivalent of a vote for that proposal.
At the end of the two week discussion, the original proposal, status quo, and any alternate proposals will be presented to the league for a vote using a preference voting system.
As part of their vote, each owner ranks in preference order the proposals presented (including status quo). If after counting everyone's first preference, no option gets a majority, the last-place option is thrown out and the vote is re-counted, with anyone whose vote was for the last-place option replaced by their second choice. For more than 3 options, this continues until some proposal has a majority of the "top ranked among the remaining choices" votes. If there's a tie for last, the one with the most second place votes will be kept and the other eliminated.
If there is a tie for first place involving status quo, status quo wins out. If status quo was a rejected option, then the President's votes break the tie. In the case of tie among the Presidents, the President with the longest seniority breaks the tie.
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16. The OBFLB Administration & Hierarchy
The League is run by 2 Presidents. The Presidents are empowered to do anything and everything needed to keep the league healthy and fair.
Make no mistake, The owners have to work together to make the league work. The presidents are here to provide continuity, structure and settle disputes, but it's an owners league. Should you decide to participate, make sure you hold up your end of the duties. When you fail, you let down 23 others!
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