Ballot items for the 2006 mid-season ballot:
[ sweda ]
Add to section 1.2.1
If a ballot amendment fails it may not be re-introduced for two calendar years. The Commissioner (or his designate) will determine whether new amendments are similar (in description and/or application) to a recently failed amendment such that it would be disallowed.
[ sweda ]
Update section 2.2.x, renumber as necessary, add the following:
One Game Playoff
The IBL will use a one game playoff when a playoff spot is at stake between the teams that are tied. Tiebreakers will be used when all the teams that are tied are guaranteed a playoff spot.
If three or more teams are tied for both a division title and a wild card spot, the division is first decided by one game playoff, followed by additional one game playoffs for the wild card berth. A loss in a division deciding playoff game does not break a tie for the wild card berth.
Tiebreakers
Tiebreakers are used to determine home field advantage or to sort teams into division winner and wild card(s). The tiebreaker for division winner is determined prior to resolving any other tiebreakers. Tiebreakers are based upon winning percentage.
The tiebreaker order is:
[ sweda ]
2.2.4 Wild Card Series
The two wild card teams will face each other in the Wild Card Series of the IBL playoffs. The host team for the Wild Card Series is the team with the better winning percentage. In case of a tie, the Commissioner will use tiebreakers to select the host team. The Wild Card Series will be a 5-game series, with games 1, 2 and 5 played at the host team, and games 3 and 4 played at the visiting team.
2.2.5 Division Series
The team with the best record in the conference will face its choice of either the wild card winner or the division champion with the worst winning percentage in the Division Series of the IBL playoffs. The two remaining teams will play in the other Division Series. The host teams for the Division Series are the division champions with the top two winning percentages. In case of a tie, the Commissioner will use tiebreakers to select the host team.
[ sweda ]
Change wording in 3.6.1, from:
Pitchers must also use their fatigue numbers while a non-catcher is catching.
to:
Pitchers must use their fatigue numbers while a non-catcher is catching, unless the non-catcher has been rated at catcher in at least two other carded seasons.
[ sweda ]
Add to section 2.2.9:
Post-season games which have reached the 5th inning will be suspended if prematurely ended due to adverse conditions. The suspended game shall be resumed prior to the beginning of the game scheduled for the next day, or on the scheduled off-day.
[ sweda ]
Change wording in section 2.1.7 from:
Off days following a series will count as one day missed in relation to injuries.
to:
Off days on both the home and road schedule count as one day missed in relation to injuries. A player may only receive credit for both off days if injured for the entire preceding week, otherwise he receives credit for only the off-day immediately following the series in which he was injured.
[ sweda ]
Add to section 3.2.1:
Changes to the active roster may be designated as mid-week transactions. The owner must specify after which series (home/away) the transaction takes effect.
Add to section 3.2.2:
Mid-week transactions do not count toward the two week minimum for players placed on the inactive roster.
[ sweda ]
Add new section 3.2.7:
When the only rated replacement for a player unavailable due to injury, ejection, or suspension is a player with an exhausted PA limitation, the limited player may be allowed by the opposing manager to enter the game without resulting in forfeit. If the opposing manager does not allow this then an emergency replacement may be used (i.e. replacement not rated at the position). This option is not available to replace players after voluntary removal such as pinch-hitting or pinch-running.
[ sweda ]
Add to section 2.2.1:
The manager of the team winning a playoff series is responsible for submitting a complete GRS (including boxscores, play-by-play, and pitcher/limitation usage) to the league officers and all other managers of playoff teams prior to commencing the following series. Failure to comply will result in IP penalties.
Add to section 5.2.4:
-3 per week for missing playoff GRS
[Greg – COU]
Disallowing the “Wrong” Middle Infielder to Cover
Add section 3.9 to the Game Rules:
On any playing situation where one of the middle infielders is covering second base:
a. Second baseman covers the bag if the throw is coming from the catcher and the batter is right-handed; if the throw is coming from a left-handed pitcher; or if the throw is coming from the shortstop, third baseman, or left fielder.
b. Shortstop covers the bag if the throw is coming from the catcher and the batter is left-handed; if the throw is coming from a right-handed pitcher; or if the throw is coming from the second baseman, first baseman, or right fielder.
c. If the throw is from the center fielder, shortstop covers if the throw is coming from right center; second baseman covers if the throw is coming from left center. If the throw is coming from straight center, shortstop covers if the center fielder throws left-handed, and second baseman covers if the center fielder throws right-handed.
[Greg – COU]
At the end of the end of the season, the maximun number players a team will be allowed to protect is 27.
[Mike – COL] A salary cap system will be used for determining free agents instead of usage. A salary cap of $60 million will be used. Salaries published on USA Today from the previous year will be used for determining player salaries. No team may go over the salary cap.
Note: For use if salary system passes. Instead of drafting free agents, teams will bid for them in an auction. An auctioneer will be appointed and each team owner will send bids for their players to the auctioneer. At the end of every week the auctioneer will send out a list of highest bidders. If the highest bidder stands for an entire week, then the player will go to that bidder. he auction will be held starting in December. Players that have not yet been carded will be eligible for the rookie draft. The rookie draft will have the same rules as the current free agent draft. It will be held in June or July.
[Greg – COU]
Add to section 8:
8.x Increased Injury to Fatigued Pitchers
A pitcher pitching while fatigued shall be considered as having one injury rating worse than his printed injury rating. Pitchers injured while fatigued will only receive usage credit (see section 4.5.3) for as many days as he would have been injured had he not been pitching fatigued.
[Greg – COU]
Change this:
4.2.2 New Owner Trading “Any owner newly appointed shall be barred from making any trades until 2 weeks after the appointment is announced in the IBL newsletter unless he, at the time of taking over the new team, was a co-owner of another IBL team and has served as such for 17 weeks consecutively.”
to this
4.2.2 New Owner Trading “Any owner newly appointed shall be barred from making any trades until 4 weeks after the appointment is announced in the IBL newsletter unless they, at the time of taking over the new team, was a co-owner of another IBL team and has served as such for 17 weeks consecutively, which then the barring shall be 2 weeks.
[Greg – COU]
If a team cuts a player, that same team must wait for 2 weeks before being able to put a claim in to sign the same player again.
[Gerard – HAG]
Add the following rule:
8.1.2 An infielder may only do one of the following actions during each at bat: Hold the runner on, play in or guard the lines.
Each of these actions require that the fielder stand in a wholely different area to start the play, and although cumulative range penalties can make up for the incentive to be all thing at all times, it is more true to baseball if only one is done at a time.
[Commissioner] Add the following procedure to league rules:
After the draft ends but before rosters are due for Opening Day, 4 players will be randomly selected off a team's 35-man roster (uncarded players are not eligible) and those 4 players will be subjected to an injury roll. Any injuries will be considered to have occured during “sprint training” and will be effective as of week 1.
The purpose of this is to simulate injuries that happen to players during spring training.
[Nelson Lu - PAD] Option 2: Same as Commissioner's proposal above, but subject 10 random players per team to injury roll.
Option 3: Same as Commissioner's proposal above, but subject 20 random players per team to injury roll.
Option 4: Same as Commissioner's proposal above, but subject all players on a roster (active or inactive) to injury roll.
Option 5: Same as Commissioner's proposal above, but subject all players (including unclaimed players) to injury roll.
[Gerard - HAG] Option 6: Four players from each team at random (as commish's) and ALL unsigned players are checked, but all players are check at one injury level less (IRON are immune) to simulate that the injury occured before opening day, not ON opening day.
[Nelson Lu - PAD]
Pitchers may not pitch while “doubly fatigued” unless no other pitchers are available. A pitcher is considered “doubly fatigued” when he has given up twice as many earned runs or twice as many runners as necessary for him to become fatigued.
The Commissioner is authorized to recraft this section should the IBL switch to a batters-faced model or another model for pitcher fatigue.
[Commissioner]
In order to erase some of the last vestiges of our Pursue The Pennant heritage, TIG should remove the existing innings-pitched fatigue system and replace it with a batters-faced model. Design team will come up with methodology for assigning fatigue ratings to pitchers.
[Andrew Selder - WMS]
The deadline for transactions will be 24 hours after the results deadline. This will allow owners to make transactions based on results that arrive immediately before the deadline (injuries, usage issues, etc), or based on the results of other teams.
[Ryan Schutt - LAW]
Introduce a new “Immune” injury category. A position player that played in all innings of all his team's games would be given the Immune injury rating. Pitchers and players who played at any time as the DH will not be eligible for this rating. A player with this rating is immune from missing any games due to injury. A player with this injury rating will still be eligible for injuries that don't prevent him from playing, such as hamstring injuries.
[Gerard - HAG]
Add a wild play chart to the bunting chart on 00 results to include the odd plays available during bunting. List to be determined by Commish or by one or more of his hired goons. Suggestions:
1. batter is hit by pitch on hand while attempting bunt, check for injury, no HBP, strike called.
2. catcher uses mask to stop ball, automatic 3 base advancement.
3. pitcher collides with fielder, check both for injury, 1B inf.
4. thrown ball hits batter, out for being in baseline, check for injury.
5. fielder watches ball hug the line EVEN = foul; ODD = fair, 1b - any runner may attempt to advance an
extra base by subtracting 2 from his baserunning.
6. batter misses bunt sign, roll regular at bat with hit&run in effect. If K and CS, batter is benched for
the rest of the series.
7. pitchout, if runner's jump is 2+, he is caught in a rundown (follow RUNDOWN rules from coach's choice
chart).
8. batter collides with 1B, check both for injury, EVEN = out for batter's interference, runners return to
base; ODD = safe.
9. if infielder fielding is playing in (roll on BUNTING FIELDER CHART), batter tries a 'slug bunt'.
Resolve as HG to fielder with appropriate adjustments. Otherwise, successful sacrifice, batter out,
all runners advance.
10. batter slips getting out of the batter's box, check for injury. If catcher was fielding the ball, he
trips on batter, check for injury, successful sacrifice. If any other fielder was fielding, resolve
as DP with batter out even if bases not loaded in sqeeze situation.
11. batter takes one for the team, HBP, check for injury. If catcher and/or pitcher are HOT, they are
ejected for argueing the call (if batter is ALSO hot, a fight breaks out, check other HOT player(s)
for injury and check batter again - only longest injury counts - all fighters ejected and
suspended 3 games).
12. "Willie Mays Hayes" - return to bunt chart. If successful, any runner may attempt to advance an extra
base by subtracting 4 from their running rating.
13. batter strains to beat throw, resovle as CLOSE PLAY at 1st with +2 added to baserunning. Check for
hamstring pull for batter.
[Gerard HAG]
Allow as few as six (National division, realiagnment to four six-team divisions), eight (National Conference in a three Conference format), ten (two divisions in a five division league) or as many as twelve (true National League) to be formed. Since it is highly unlikely that all teams from an existing conference would all want the switch, this proposal would naturally require realignment of both Conference and division. Interleague rules would apply when playing games, including DH in 'American League' home games. The vote is just to allow teams the opportunity to use the National League style of play, and no team would be forced to relinquish the DH. If passed, at least six teams would have to volunteer their teams for the new format or else the rule would be suspended, and the Commish would determine realignment based on the number of interested teams. This rule, in the spirit of the 'experimental' DH rule in 1973, would come up for a renewal vote after one year, including the need for at least six teams to still be interested, before becoming 'permanent'.
[Gerard HAG]
Add the HBP to IBL stats so that our stats are finally compliant with Major League Baseball rules.