constitution
INTERNET BASEBALL LEAGUE CONSTITUTION
1 LEAGUE STRUCTURE
1.1 League Definition
The Internet Baseball League (IBL) is a play-by-electronic mail baseball
league. The IBL is a continuous ownership league using updated IBL Game
(TIG) card sets each year.
1.2 Constitution
The IBL is governed by this Constitution.
1.2.1 Amendments
Members may submit proposals for changes to any league document to the
league Commissioner. The Commissioner then distributes the proposed
changes to the franchises for a vote. Amendment votes may only be
called once during the IBL season and once during the off-season. Owners
may vote for or against a proposal, or they may abstain. Any changes to
league documents must be approved by a two-thirds vote of the
non-abstaining franchises, and by at least a majority of the total
franchises. When voting on contradicting amendments, a vote may also be
cast for preference of amendment, should more than one amendment pass.
Such amendments will be clearly marked in the ballot. Failure to vote on
a proposal will result in a -5 Incentive Point penalty and will be
counted as an abstention.
1.2.2 Commissioner's Edit
The Commissioner shall edit the IBL Constitution for spelling, grammar,
and overall consistency after each vote. The Commissioner shall
distribute the proposed edits to the League. If any League owner
disputes the need for an edit, that edit will be tabled until it can be
brought to a vote.
1.3 League Membership
The IBL allows for owners/co-owners, associate members, and caretakers.
1.3.1 Franchises
There will be 24 franchises in the IBL. Each franchise will be allowed
one vote on any item brought to a vote of the membership.
1.3.2 Franchise Fees
Each team will be responsible for a $5 fee (US) to be paid to the league
offices. The bulk of this fee will be used for the annual registration
of the IBL.ORG internet domain name. Any excess amount will be kept for
future use as needed for the design of TIG or research into other
simulations. Expenditures by the design team for TIG must be approved by
the Commissioner and Vice-Commissioner while expenditures amounting to
research into other simulations must be approved by a majority of the
leagues owners.
When the needs of the league require it, the Commissioner may levy a
league fee above and beyond the $5. Additional fees imposed by the
Commissioner above and beyond $5 per year may be reversed by a 2/3
vote of the membership.
1.3.3 Associate Members
The IBL will allow for an unlimited number of associate members.
Associate members will not be allowed to vote but will receive the
league mailings. In the event of an owner leaving the league before a
new member is chosen, an associate member will be selected to be the
interim owner of that team until a full member is chosen. An associate
member will also be selected to play games for a member should a member
be unavailable to play his team's games for an extended period of time.
Associate members may receive Incentive Points for service to the
league.
1.3.4 Co-ownership
Active associates that become co-owners of a team will retain IP earned
from the time as an active associate. If a co-owner ceases to be a
co-owner then that person would retain previously accumulated IP and may
become an active associate again as long as he is in good standing in
the league. The co-owner will not be able to accumulate any IP while
being a co-owner. The co-owner will have the opportunity to obtain a
team if the following criteria are met:
a. The co-owner is in good standing with the league.
b. No associate with an equal or greater amount of Incentive Points
wants that team.
c. A co-owner may not assume ownership of a team during the season
unless there are no active associates available for the team and the
co-owner receives a release from the other owner.
1.3.5 Selecting New Owners
New owners will be selected from the list of associate members with
non-negative Incentive Points (see section 5) based on high to low
Incentive Points. The Commissioner shall ask the selected associate if
the associate would like to change to full member status. If the
associate does desire full membership, the associate will become a full
member and assume ownership of the available team. If the selected
associate does not desire full membership at this time, the next
associate member will be selected, until the associate membership list
is exhausted. If no associate members desire to become full members, the
Recruiter shall advertise for new members.
1.3.6 Caretakers
When a team is without an owner, the Commissioner shall be empowered to
appoint an individual as that team's caretaker. The caretaker is
empowered to make transactions for the benefit of the team. However, if
a caretaker's decision is viewed as an abuse of discretion or grossly
detrimental to the team, the decision may be reversed within 7 days by
the joint decision of both the Commissioner and the Vice-Commissioner,
or by the review board. When an owner is found for the team, the
caretaker shall be discharged.
1.3.7 Leaving the League in Good Standing
Members who leave the league in good standing may return as associate
members and retain their seniority from previous time in the league.
Returning members must be associate members for at least six months
before being considered for full membership.
Owners may leave the league in good standing provided that they provide
adequate time for the league to find a new member to take ownership of
their team.
1.3.8 Removal
A member shall be removed by resignation, for violations of the
Incentive Point procedures, or, in extraordinary situations, by league
vote upon motion of the Commissioner. The Commissioner may, in his
discretion, seek the removal of an owner, associate, or co-owner. If the
Commissioner decides to seek such removal he shall so notify the league
and shall appoint another owner to supervise the secret balloting
process. The owner will be removed if two-thirds of the teams vote for
such removal. The actuall tally of such a vote will not be publicized,
only the outcome.
1.4 League Officers
The IBL will have the following positions: Commissioner,
Vice-Commissioner, Registrar, Statistician, Recruiter, and a
three-member Review Board.
1.4.1 Commissioner
The IBL Commissioner shall serve a life term. The Commissioner can be
removed from office by a two-thirds vote of the league membership. A new
Commissioner must then be elected by the league membership.
The duties of the Commissioner include:
* Responsibility for the IBL schedule. This includes producing and
distributing the IBL schedule, as well as decisions regarding making up
postponed games.
* Overseeing the annual free agent draft in February.
* Producing a list of legal starting positions for all players and
the number of games each player may start at each position.
* Producing and distributing the weekly IBL newsletter.
* Distributing proposed constitutional changes to the league members
and overseeing voting.
* Change game-play-related Constitutional provisions to reflect
changes to TIG made by the design team.
* Serving on the review board as necessary.
* Taking steps which are in the best interest of the league
Decisions and rulings by the Commissioner are subject to a protest
procedure outlined in section 7.
1.4.2 Vice-Commissioner
The Vice-Commissioner is appointed by the IBL Commissioner and serves a
one-year term of office.
Duties of the Vice-Commissioner include:
* Responsibility for all duties of the Commissioner in the event of
the Commissioner's absence.
* Serving on the review board as necessary.
* Overseeing voting to remove the Commissioner from office.
1.4.3 Review Board
The Review Board consists of three members appointed by the IBL
Commissioner. The Review Board members serve a one-year term of office.
The Review Board rules on all protests submitted by league members. No
league member may rule on a protest involving his own team. If a Review
Board member is involved in a protest, he shall be replaced first by the
Vice-Commissioner and finally by the Commissioner.
The Review Board shall issue a ruling on a protest within two weeks from
the date the protest was filed. The Review board is governed by the
procedures detailed in section 7.
1.4.4 Registrar
The Registrar is appointed by the IBL Commissioner and serves until
removed from said position by the IBL Commissioner.
Duties of the Registrar include:
* Keeping track of current IBL rosters.
* Maintaining the free agent list and distributing the list to the
league.
* Maintaining the IBL membership and officers lists.
1.4.5 Statistician
The Statistician is appointed by the IBL Commissioner and serves until
removed from said position by the IBL Commissioner.
Duties of the Statistician include:
* Maintaining the IBL statistics database.
* Reporting any illegal usage or appearances by players to the
Commissioner and Review Board, as well as to the owners of the teams
involved in the illegal event.
1.4.6 Recruiter
The Recruiter is appointed by the IBL Commissioner and serves until
removed from said position by the IBL Commissioner.
Duties of the Recruiter include:
* No less than monthly postings in a public forum about joining the IBL.
* Serving as a focal point for new members to ask questions about
the IBL and The IBL Game.
1.5 Teams
1.5.1 League Organization
The IBL consists of two twelve-team conferences. The conferences are
divided into three four-team divisions.
1.5.2 Team Abbreviation
Each owner chooses a city in which to locate his team and a team
nickname. The Commisioner is responsible for assigning the team a unique
three letter team abbreviation which reflects the team name and
location, which will be used when submitting Game Report Sheets (see
section 6).
1.5.3 Location, Stadiums, and Nicknames
Each team plays their home games in a stadium based on an actual Major
League stadium. Weather effects will be determined by the geographic
location of the chosen city rather than the actual MLB stadium.IBL teams
may not change cities, stadiums, or nicknames without prior approval of
the Commissioner and the Vice-Commissioner and may only change cities,
stadiums, and/or nicknames once every three years. Teams may not change
cities, stadiums, or nicknames during the season, and may only change
stadiums during the Winter Stadium Draft. No stadium may be used as the
home park for more than one team.
A team which has its Major League stadium replaced by the Major League
team which plays in it automatically inherits the new stadium without
any penalty.
1.5.4 Realignment
Teams may switch Conferences and/or Divisions by petitioning the
Commissioner. The Commissioner will recommend to the League which teams
will switch. Any realignment must be agreed upon by two-thirds of the
existing teams, and unanimously by all teams actually being realigned.
2 SCHEDULE
2.1 Regular Season
2.1.1 Schedule
The IBL will play a 162 game regular season schedule. There will be at least
1 real-time off week during the regular season where no games are scheduled.
The schedule will be imbalanced in favor of intra-divisional games. The
trade deadline shall be no later than four weeks prior to the end of the
regular season.
The Commissioner is responsible for providing the schedule. A schedule
that has been modified from the previous season can be rejected by a
majority vote of league owners.
2.1.2 Opening Day
Opening day will be no sooner than 1 week after the the Commissioner has
declared the card set final.
2.1.3 Weekly Deadlines
The IBL week will be as follows: Each team will play their 3 home games
Wednesday through Monday. Management instruction sheets (MIS) will be sent
no later than 4:00pm PST Thursday (5:00pm PDT). Game reports (GRS) will be
sent to the Commissioner, Vice-Commissioner, and the team's opponent by
10:59pm PST (11:59pm PDT) on Monday. The newsletter will then be prepared
and sent out on Tuesday.
2.1.4 Newsletter
Each week the Commissioner will distribute a newsletter to all league
members and associate members. The newsletter will give the current
standings, the scores from the past week, the next week's schedule,
details of any injuries, and team transactions.
2.1.5 Game Play Responsibilities
Each team will be responsible for playing three home games each week and
providing instructions for three road games. Teams may be asked to play
four home games in a week in order to make-up postponed games.
Games played via Management Instruction Sheets must be played with channel
logging on the IBL IRC server. Exceptions may be granted by permission of
the road owner.
In the event that a team will not be able to play their home games for a
given week, they must notify the Commissioner, Vice-Commissioner, and
their opponent on Wednesday one week before the management instruction
sheets are to be sent for the week in question. The team owner will be
allowed to select from the associate members an alternate manager to
play the team's home games for that week.
2.1.6 Pitcher Rest
Home and road schedules will be played in parallel. Pitchers rest
requirements will be based on past home usage for home games and past
road usage for road games.
If one or both teams are missing results from the previous week, the team(s)
with missing results will play the series as if the previous week's starting
pitchers are unavailable for the 4 days following their scheduled starts.
Relievers on the team(s) with missing results will carry over rest requirements
from the most recently completed series (home or road as appropriate).
2.1.7 Injuries and Suspensions
Injuries and suspensions will be assessed from:
1. The remainder of the home or road series.
2. The series at same location (home/road) the following week
3. The series at the alternate location the following week
4. Continuing the alternating pattern for subsequent weeks
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.
Injuries do carry over into the post season. Injuries do not carry over
into the following season.
2.1.8 Weather
The month for weather of IBL games is determined by the IBL schedule
provided by the Commisioner. Post-season games are played in October
weather.
2.1.9 Game Times
Teams will play a day game on the final scheduled day of a series, with all
other games in the series being played at night. For a series played at
Wrigley Field this is reversed, the game scheduled for the final day being
played at night and all others being day games.
A make up game played on the off day following a series is a day game.
2.1.10 Rainouts
If there is an off day following the series then a make-up game should
be played on the off day. Otherwise, if there are days remaining in the
series then a make-up game should be scheduled as a doubleheader on the
final day of the series. If a rainout occurs on the final day of a series,
or if multiple rainouts cannot be made up using the remaining days available,
report the unplayed games to the Commissioner for rescheduling.
When hosting a team for the last time during the season, if a rainout is
rolled prior to the game becoming official and the rainout would lead to
the impossibility to make up the game via game played on off-day or
double-header, reroll to see if the game is rained out. Field will be wet
for the remainder of the game.
The visiting manager should give specific instructions concerning the
pitching rotation and postponements in his MIS. Should he fail to do so,
push the rotation back one day. If pushing the rotation back is not
possible and the originally scheduled pitcher can no longer appear, use
the next pitcher from the general pitching rotation section for the
makeup game.
2.1.11 Doubleheaders
The first game of a doubleheader will be a routine day game. The second
game of a doubleheader will be a night game, but consider innings 1-4 as
being played in twilight.
2.1.12 Pitcher's Rest Requirements for Doubleheaders
For the second game of a doubleheader, treat innings pitched in the
first game of the doubleheader as a separate day. The first game of a
doubleheader does not count as a rest day.
For days after the doubleheader, add the innings pitched in the
doubleheader and count the total as the day's innings pitched.
2.1.13 Weather in Doubleheaders
Unless a wild play front passes through during game 1, new weather will
be rolled for the second game of the DH. If a front did pass through
during game 1, the weather that resulted from the front will continue to
be the weather for game 2.
2.2 Post Season
2.2.1 Participants
The IBL playoffs will consist of 5 teams in each conference. The three
division winners and the 2 remaining teams with the best record will be
in the playoffs.
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.
2.2.2 Standings and Tiebreakers
Standings will be based on winning percentages with ties decided by
tiebreakers or a 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.
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:
1) head-to-head record (round-robin record if 3+ teams)
2) division record (conference record when teams are not in same
division)
3) road record
4) coin flip
In case of complicated tie-breaking situations not covered by the
Constitution, the Commissioner is empowered to craft an equitable
tie-breaking system which would allow all teams an opportunity to make
the playoffs.
2.2.3 One-game Playoff Format
For a one-game playoff, the visiting team will use pitchers' usage for
the preceding road weeks and the home team will use pitchers' usage for
the preceding home weeks to determine rest requirements and pitcher
eligibility for the playoff game.
For days after the playoff game, a winning visiting team will use
pitchers' usage for the preceding road weeks plus the playoff game and a
winning home team will use pitchers' usage for the preceding home weeks
plus the playoff game to determine rest requirements and pitcher
eligibility for the IBL Wild Card Series.
The one-game playoff will be played on the off-day before the start of
the IBL Wild Card Series. Statistics from this playoff game will count
as regular season statistics.
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.
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.
The Wild Card Series will be played during two calendar weeks. Games one
and two will be played during week one, games three, four if necessary,
and five if necessary will be played during week two.
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.
The Division Series games will be a 7-game series, with games 1, 2, 6
and 7 played at the site of the host team, and games 3-5 played at the
site of the visiting team.
The Division Series will be played during three calendar weeks.
Games one and two will be played during week one, games three, four, and
five if necessary will be played during week two, and games six if
necessary and seven if necessary will be played during week three.
2.2.6 Conference Championship Series
The two winners of the Division Series will meet in a best-of-seven game
series to determine the conference representative in the League
Championship Series. The host team of the Conference Championship Series
is the team with the higher winning percentage, except that it may never
be a wild card team. In case of a tie, the Commissioner will use
tiebreakers to select the host team. Games one, two, six, and seven of
the Conference Playoffs series will be played at the site of the host
team. Games three, four, and five will be played at the site of the
visiting team.
The Conference Playoffs will be played during three calendar weeks.
Games one and two will be played during week one, games three, four, and
five if necessary will be played during week two, and games six if
necessary and seven if necessary will be played during week three.
2.2.7 League Championship Series
The two winners of the Conference Playoffs will meet in the
best-of-seven games League Championship Series. Games one, two, six, and
seven of the League Championship series will be played at the site of
the American conference champion in odd-numbered years and at the site
of the National conference champion in even-numbered years. Games three,
four, and five will be played at the site of the National conference
champion in odd-numbered years and at the site of the American
conference champion in even-numbered years.
The League Championship Series will be played during three calendar
weeks. Games one and two will be played during week one, games three,
four, and five if necessary will be played during week two, and games
six if necessary and seven if necessary will be played during week
three.
2.2.8 Post Season Schedule
The IBL uses the following playoff schedule:
(n) = night game
(d) = day game
WC = wild card series
D1 = divison series #1 (top seeded team)
D2 = division series #2
CC = conference championship series
LC = IBL championship series
There will be 1 day off between the end of the regular season and the
first day of the playoffs.
Schedule A is used by the Conference with Home Field Advantage in the
IBLCS.
Schedule B is used by the Conference without Home Field Advantage in the
IBLCS.
Day Schedule A Schedule B
1 off day after end of regular season
2 off WC#1 (n)
3 WC#1 (n) WC#2 (d)
4 WC#2 (n) off
5 off WC#3 (n)
6 WC#3 (d) WC#4 (n)
7 WC#4 (n) WC#5 (d)
8 WC#5 (n) off
9 off D1#1 (n)
10 D1#1 (n) D1#2 (d) D2#1 (n)
11 D1#2 (d) D2#1 (n) off D2#2 (n)
12 off D2#2 (n) D1#3 (n) off
13 D1#3 (n) off D1#4 (n) D2#3 (d)
14 D1#4 (n) D2#3 (d) D1#5 (d) D2#4 (n)
15 D1#5 (d) D2#4 (n) off D2#5 (n)
16 off D2#5 (n) D1#6 (n) off
17 D1#6 (n) off D1#7 (n) D2#6 (d)
18 D1#7 (n) D2#6 (d) off D2#7 (n)
19 off D2#7 (n) off off
20 off CC#1 (n)
21 CC#1 (n) CC#2 (d)
22 CC#2 (n) off
23 off CC#3 (n)
24 CC#3 (d) CC#4 (n)
25 CC#4 (n) CC#5 (d)
26 CC#5 (n) off
27 off CC#6 (n)
28 CC#6 (d) CC#7 (n)
29 CC#7 (n) off
30 off off
31 LC#1 (n)
32 LC#2 (n)
33 off
34 LC#3 (n)
35 LC#4 (n)
36 LC#5 (n)
37 off
38 LC#6 (n)
39 LC#7 (n)
2.2.9 Post Season Postponements
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.
Should a post-season game be postponed, the home manager shall play the
game on the next schedule day without having to notify the Commissioner.
The home manager shall indicate the postponement in the game report. The
game missed shall be made up on the next scheduled off-day for the
series.
2.3 All Star Game
The IBL All-Star Game shall be played during the designated All-Star
Break. Owners and associates may be allowed to vote for the All-Star
starters for each conference. The defending conference champion's manager
shall choose the pitchers and reserves. Each conference's roster shall
consist of 28 players, with each team in the conference having at least
one representative. The All-Star Game will be played at the home park of
the defending IBL Champions. The manager for each conference will be the
defending conference champions. Should a manager still be needed, a
manager would then be chosen from the conference runner up, remaining
division winner(s) or the wild-card entries from the previous year.
The All-Star break consists of three off days for purposes of resolving
pitcher's rest and injury requirements. Injuries in the All-Star game
do not carry over into the regular season.
3 ELIGIBILITY, THE ROSTER, AND LIMITATIONS
3.1 Eligibility
3.1.1 Carded Players
All position players having at least 30 plate appearances and pitchers
having at least 20 innings pitched are eligible for IBL rosters. Players
who were considered carded in the previous season are also eligible for
IBL rosters.
A player who had at least 30 plate appearances as a non-pitcher and at
least 20 innings pitched will be eligible as a position player and a
pitcher.
3.1.2 Uncarded Players
Any eligible player who does not have a card for the current season may
be kept on the 36 man roster.
If a player is uncarded one season, retained on the roster, and has a
card the following year he must remain on the active roster until Week
8. However, the player may be deactivated if he will be totally
unavailable for at least the two weeks following the proposed
deactivation. The player must be reactivated as soon as he becomes
available to play in at least one game of a week prior to Week 8. If
the team fails to do so, the Registrar shall activate the player for the
team and randomly deactivate another player from the team's active
roster. The player may not be released until Week 8, but may be traded.
The team that receives the player shall be under the same roster
restrictions as the team that trades the player.
3.2 Regular Season Rosters and Limitations
3.2.1 Active Roster
Each team is limited to an active roster of 26 players from week 1 through
the week prior to the trade deadline. The active roster limit is expanded
to 36 players after the trade deadline through the end of the season.
3.2.2 Inactive Roster
Each team may carry an inactive roster. The active and inactive rosters
are not to total more than 36 players.
A player placed on the inactive roster must remain there for two weeks.
This restriction does not apply once the active roster limit expands to
36 after the trade deadline.
3.2.3 Game Apperance and Starting Position Limitations
Players may not appear in more than twice as many IBL games as played in
the previous major league season.
A player may start at any position at which he played during the previous
major league season. Players with fewer than 24 games played at a position
may not start more than twice the number of games played at that position.
Players with 24 or more games played at that position may start the
greater of the total number of games played or twice the number of games
played at that position.
A pitcher may not start more than twice the number of games started in
the previous major league season. Relief appearances of 18 batters or
more will be considered a start when calculating the limitation.
Failure to comply with these rules shall result in forfeiture of any
games in which a player exceeded his legal appearances or starts.
The number of legal starts for all players at each position will be
distributed to the league members by the Commissioner.
3.2.4 Starts due to Injury or Suspension
Players may not exceed their legal starts at a position unless forced to
do so for the remainder of a series due to an injury or a suspension. If
this occurs, the player may legally start at the position for the
remainder of the series, but the team must add a player to their roster
for the next week who can legally start at the given position should the
injured or suspended player still not be available.
Failure to comply with this rule shall result in forfeiture of any games
started at a given position by the player after exceeding his legal
start limit at that position.
3.2.5 Designated Hitter
The IBL uses the Designated Hitter rule. Any position player may DH,
provided he has not exhausted his games played limitation.
The IBL adopts all MLB rules regarding the DH -- including, but not
limited to the following: the DH must make one plate appearance before
he can be removed, unless he is injured before or during the initial
plate appearance; the DH position in the lineup may not be double
switched, and no player can move to the DH position; a team shall lose
the DH position if the DH takes the field or the pitcher enters to bat
for the DH.
3.2.6 Injury Exception for Exhausted Limitations
When the only rated replacement for a player unavailable due to injury,
ejection, or suspension is a player with an exhausted 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.
3.3 Post-Season Rosters and Limitations
3.3.1 Playoff Roster
Each team owner must submit a 26 man playoff roster to the League Office
prior to the Newsletter following the trade deadline. If no post-season
roster is received, the post-season roster will be that team's active roster
at the trade deadline.
3.3.2 Playoff Roster Changes
Playoff teams may change their 26 man playoff roster between series. If a
team wishes to change their playoff roster it must submit the changes to
the League Offices for approval. The new roster is not official until the
League Offices have acknowledged that it conforms to all requirements for
a legal playoff roster. Once approved the team must notify its upcoming
opponent of the changes.
3.3.3 Playoff Roster In-Series Injury Replacements
A team may (but is not required to) replace a player on its playoff roster
who is injured during the playoffs and will miss games of a subsequent
series. The injured player who is removed from the active roster will be
ineligible to be re-added to the active roster for the next series,
regardless of subsequent injuries.
The following restrictions apply to the selection of the replacement player:
* The replacement player must be a playoff-eligible player on that
team's 36 man roster. Free-agents may not be used as a replacement during
a series.
* If the injured player is a pitcher the replacement player must also be
a pitcher.
* The choice of replacement must still leave the team with two players
who may play each position unless no playoff-eligible player is available
on the 36 man roster who will fulfill that requirement.
3.3.4 Playoff Starting Positions
During the post-season, position players may only start (or enter the
game prior to the 6th inning) at positions in which they were eligible
for 48 starts during the regular IBL season, unless an injury or
suspension causes the team to have no players who were eligible to start
48 or more games at the position.
3.3.5 Playoff Eligibility, Limitations, and Restrictions
Rules for position players:
* A batter with less than 100 total plate appearances (PA) is not
eligible for the post-season.
* A batter with less than 150 total PA may only enter the game from
inning 6 onward, unless he is the only available defensive replacement for
an injured player.
* A batter may only start a game in the post-season if they had at least
50 PA vs the hand of the starting pitcher, unless there are no other
players available which would allow a legal starting lineup.
* A batter may only pinch-hit in the post-season if they had at least 50
PA vs the hand of the current pitcher, unless he is the only available
defensive replacement for an injured batter.
* A batter with less than 50 PA vs the hand of the current pitcher
may only enter the game as a pinch-runner or defensive replacement from
inning 6 onward, unless he is the only available defensive replacement for
an injured player.
Rules for pitchers:
* A pitcher with less than 100 total batters faced (BF) is not eligible
for the post-season.
* A pitcher with less than 150 total BF may only enter the game from
inning 6 onward, unless no other pitchers are available.
* A pitcher must have recorded at least 150 total BF as a starting pitcher
in order to be eligible to start a post-season game or enter the game in a
situation where a pitcher would be required to be rated as a starter.
* A pitcher not rated as a starter but with at least 150 BF may enter the
game from inning 5 onward, or anytime prior to inning 5 when the current
pitcher has allowed 3 runs or is fatigued.
3.4 Active Roster Positional Requirements
Each team's active roster must contain players of sufficient positional
diversity for every series, including the playoffs, such that an injury
to any single player during the course of that series would not force a
team to start a player out of position or role. A player who is injured
for not more than 2 days of a series may be counted towards this
requirement.
3.5 Extra Starts
Any player entering the game prior to the sixth inning, unless replacing
a player who has been injured or ejected, or relieving a fatigued
pitcher, or relieving a pitcher when the opposing team has not scored
five runs shall be considered as using one of the player's starts at the
position which he enters. If a position player enters to replace a
player who has been injured or ejected enters at a different position
and necessitates other players to shift positions, none of the players
shall be charged with the extra start.
3.6 Playing out of Position
Players may be used at any defensive position listed on their card. A
player may only play a position not shown on his card in a desperation
move. A desperation move shall only include, when due to injury,
ejection, or pinch-hitting or pinch-running when tied or losing in the
9th inning or later, no player is available who is eligible to play the
position in question. A player forced to start at a position not listed
on his card, due to injury from previous games in a series, shall be
considered to have that position listed on his card with the appropriate
emergency rating.
3.6.1 Out of Position Ratings
Players playing out of position will use the following defensive ratings
(If a player has the position shown in parenthesis on his card, he may
use the rating on that line, otherwise he must use the "Others" line):
* Catcher 0/K/+4/Pr. Pitchers must also use their fatigue numbers
while a non-catcher is catching. Consider all "Blocked" wild pitch
results to be passed balls.
* First Base
(infielder) Error rating is two grades lower than the lowest of any
infield position, range is two grades lower than the lowest of any
infield position. Reduce all pitcher hold ratings by one grade, and give
all baserunners a +1 adjustment on steals of second base.
(Others) 0/KK/+1. Reduce all pitcher hold ratings by one grade, and give
all baserunners a +1 adjustment on steals of second base.
* Second Base
(ss,3b) Error rating is two grades lower than the lowest of ss/3b, range
is two grades lower than the lowest of ss/3b, “minus” pivot rating.
(Others) 0/KK-/+1
* Third Base
(2b,ss) Error rating is two grades lower than the lowest of ss/2b, range
is two grades lower than the lowest of ss/2b.
(Others) 0/KK/+1
* Shortstop
(2b,3b) Error rating is three grades lower than the lowest of 2b/3b, range
is three grades lower than the lowest of 2b/3b, “minus” pivot rating.
(Others) 0/KK-/+1
* Left Field
(rf,cf) Error rating is two grades lower than the lowest of rf/cf, range
is two grades lower than the lowest of rf/cf, arm is two grades lower than
lowest of rf/cf.
(Others) 0/KK/+3
* Center Field
(lf,rf) Error rating is three grades lower than the lowest of lf/rf, range
is three grades lower than the lowest of lf/rf, arm is two grades lower
than lowest of lf/rf.
(Others) 0/KK/+3
* Right Field
(lf,cf) Error rating is two grades lower than the lowest of lf/cf, range
is two grades lower than the lowest of lf/cf, arm is two grades lower than
lowest of lf/cf.
(Others) 0/KK/+3
3.7 Pitcher Fatigue and Rest
The IBL uses the Advanced (Batters Faced) pitcher fatigue and rest rules.
3.7.1 Starting Pitchers
A pitcher must have a BF SP fatigue rating in order to start a regular
season game. Pitchers without this rating may only start in the event
that weather (or other circumstances) caused postponements resulting in
no other rested pitcher with a BF SP fatigue rating being available. In
this case, the pitcher must start the game using his fatigue (italicized)
numbers. If the pitcher remains in the game after exceeding his BF RP
fatigue limit he must use the Emergency Pitcher card.
3.8 Errata
All errata published by the IBL Game will be sent to all members and
associate members by the Commissioner. The corrected data will become
effective immediately.
4 ROSTER MOVEMENT
4.1 General Roster Moves
All roster moves during the regular season must be made between weeks,
with the transaction deadline being 24 hours after the reporting
deadline. Roster moves made during the off season may be made at any
time. No roster changes may be made from the last day of the regular
season through December 1 and from February 1 through February 28
(February 29 during leap years).
4.1.1 Emergency Roster Moves
A team may (but is not required to) deactivate an injured player during a
series by activating another player from their inactive roster, so long as
that transaction allows the team to fulfill legal roster requirements.
Teams may not sign free agents in this situation, only players on the
inactive roster at the start of the series are eligible replacements.
Emergency transactions should be reported with the GRS for the series.
Players deactivated in this manner must remain inactive for the next two
weeks, just as if they were deactivated after the conclusion of the series.
4.1.2 Special Pitcher Activations
A team may replace pitcher(s) on the active roster with pitcher(s) on the
inactive roster after any game that extends beyond the 9th inning, after the
completion of a suspended game played on the same day as another game, or
anytime during a series with a double-header (including between DH games). Any
pitcher activated in this fashion must have been eligible to be activated for
the current week (as per 3.2.2).
Teams may not sign free agents in this situation, only players on the
inactive roster at the start of the series are eligible replacements.
Special transactions should be reported with the GRS for the series.
Players deactivated in this manner must remain inactive for the next two
weeks, just as if they were deactivated after the conclusion of the series.
4.2 Trades
Trades may be made from March 1 until the Newsletter following the trade
deadline announced by the Commissioner prior to the season, and from
December 1 through January 31 in the off-season.
A team with an outstanding GRS or box score from previous weeks may not
trade.
All owners involved in a trade must notify the Commissioner, Vice
Commissioner and Registrar of the trade via the game report during the
regular season and via electronic mail during the off season.
All trades are final, pending protests, and all player compensation
shall change hands at the time of the trade. Draft choice compensation
may be conditional, but all conditions must be announced at the time of
trade.
4.2.1 Trading Draft Picks
During in-season trading periods, owners may trade draft picks in the
upcoming free agent draft. During off-season trading periods, owners may
trade picks in any draft that will occur prior to the Opening Day
following the next IBL season.
4.2.2 New Owner Trading
Any owner newly appointed shall be barred from making any trades until four
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.
4.3 Free Agent Signings
An owner may sign any player on the free agent list from March 1 until the
Newsletter following the trade deadline. Any owner signing a free agent must
notify the Commissioner and Vice-Commissioner of the signing via the game
report or by electronic mail before opening day.
In the case of a conflict between teams attempting to sign the same free
agent, the player will be assigned to teams by the following priority:
1) Teams not on probation who have reported their home results from
the most recent week of play and have no other outstanding results or box
scores, in reverse order of winning percentage.
2) Teams not on probation but with outstanding results or boxscores
(even if an extension has been granted), in reverse order of winning
percentage.
3) Teams on probation, in reverse order of winning percentage.
For players signed before the beginning of week 4, winning percentages
will be determined by the previous year's standings. In all other weeks
the winning percentages will be determined by the standings from the
previous week.
Teams that still have outstanding results or box scores one week after the
completion of the regular season will be treated as having outstanding
results during the pre-season transaction periods the following year.
4.4 Player Releases
Owners may release from their roster any player who has not exceeded his
133% usage from opening day until the Newsletter following the trade deadline.
Any player may be released after the conclusion of the regular season
through December 15.
Any owner releasing a player must notify the Commissioner and Vice-Commissioner
of the release via the game report or e-mail. The released player will then be
considered an available free agent. A player released during the regular season
may only be immediately re-signed the following week by the releasing team if no
other IBL team submitted a claim on the released player.
4.5 Free Agency
4.5.1 Definition of a Free Agent
A free agent is a player who is not on the active or inactive roster of
any team in the league, or one who did not meet the league usage
requirements last season.
4.5.2 Usage Requirements
Every player must accrue IBL usage of at least 75% (3/4) but no more
than 133% (4/3) of their usage in the previous MLB season. The usage metric
for position players is plate appearances (PA). The usage metric for
pitchers is batters faced (BF). During the IBL season intentional walks
do not count toward the usage requirements for pitchers.
A player who qualified as a position player and a pitcher must meet
usage requirements as both a position player and a pitcher. For these
purposes, batting plate appearances as a pitcher will count toward
batter usage.
Players not meeting their usage requirements for a given year become
free agents at the end of the regular season. Post-season usage shall
not be considered for usage requirements.
4.5.3 Usage Credit for Injuries
Players will receive usage credit for IBL injury days. A player's injury
adjusted usage (injury credit + earned usage) is only used when determining
whether a player meets their 75% usage requirement.
Injury usage is calculated using the following formula:
Injury Usage =
(MLB Usage/162) rounded up to the next integer * Number IBL Days Injured
4.5.4 Usage Caps
Players may continue to participate during the regular season despite
exceeding their 133% usage limitation, but a player may not exceed 150%.
Failure to comply with this rule shall result in forfeiture of any games
in which a player participated while exceeding 150% usage.
4.5.5 Usage Appeals
At the end of the season, the Commissioner (or his designate) will
send the league a report listing all players who have failed to meet
usage requirements and will become free agents. This report will
*not* credit players with injury time (as per section 4.5.3).
If an owner wishes to retain a player who is listed as a potential
free agent on the Commissioner's report, an appeal must be filed with
the league officers. Owners will have one week from the release of
the Commissioner's report to file an appeal. Usage appeals should
include calculations of injury credit (as per section 4.5.3) as well
as any other mitigating circumstances which should be considered.
Reasons may include, but are not limited to, injury time, missing
boxscores, inappropriate use by an opposing team following an MIS.
The Commissioner will rule on all appeals, while in all cases allowing
for injury credit earned. The Vice-Commissioner shall rule on appeals
requested by the Commissioner for his own players. All rulings are
subject to the protest procedure (7.3). Usage shall be measured
against the offical source of MLB statistics for the IBL:
http://www.baseball-reference.com. Any discrepancy between the data
used in the Commissioner's usage report and the official source will
be resolved in favor of the official source.
Once usage appeals are concluded the Commissioner will release an
official free agent list to the League. Only players on this list are
eligible for the annual free agent draft.
4.6 Free Agent Draft
The IBL shall hold a free agent draft supervised by the Commissioner
after each season. Teams must have less than 36 players on their
combined active and inactive rosters on February 1 in order to
participate. Any free agent eligible for an IBL roster may be drafted.
4.6.1 Draft Order
By November 30, the Commissioner will send the draft order for the free
agent draft to all league members. The order of the IBL Draft shall be
determined by playoff appearances in the prior three seasons. Within
each of the four tiers (0 appearances, 1 appearance, 2 appearances, 3
appearances), the initial order will be randomly determined. Drafting
order in additional rounds will be in the inverse order from the round
before it.
4.6.2 Draft Schedule
From December 1 through the first Friday in February, members may
announce their selections, one-by-one, in the order of the draft. There
will be no deadline for any member to announce and no member should feel
pressured to announce a selection prior to the first Friday.
Prior to the first Friday, the Commissioner will appoint a Draft
Administrator to oversee the draft. The Draft Administrator may be the
Commissioner.
On the first Friday, the Draft Administrator will send the order for the
remaining rounds of the draft to all league members.
By the following Monday, league members will send to the Draft
Administrator a draft list of players they would like to draft for the
remainder of the currently active round. The Draft Administrator shall
then assign the free agent players to teams based on the draft order and
the members' draft lists.
Following this, a round of the draft will be conducted on subsequent
Wednesdays, Fridays, and Mondays, and so forth. The draft will conclude
on the fourth Friday of February, with all remaining rounds of the draft
being resolved on that day. League members must send updated draft
lists to the Draft Administrator by a designated time, this deadline not
to be earlier than 12:00am PST on the morning of the day the draft round
is to be completed.
On the first Wednesday in March, the Registrar will send to all league
members the final draft results, and the opening day rosters and free
agent list.
There will be a penalty of -2 Incentive Points for failure to submit a
list for a round in which the member has draft picks. Members may pass
a round by sending a list stating that they desire to pass. Members may
instruct the draft administrator to use a single list for multiple
rounds.
Once a team reaches the 36 player limit in February, that team shall not
make any further draft selections.
4.7 Winter Stadium Draft
In the off-season teams may change MLB stadiums, subject to the
restrictions laid out in section 1.5.3. The Commissioner will schedule
a Winter Stadium Draft once the off-season trading freeze commences (see
section 4.2). All teams wishing to participate in the draft must inform
the Commissioner via email.
Selection order for the stadium draft will be determined randomly. The
draft order will remain the same for the entire process. The pool of
available stadiums is initially limited to those which were not occupied
by an IBL team the previous season. Each team has the opportunity to
select a new stadium from the pool when its turn comes up in the
selection order. When a stadium is selected that team's old stadium
immediately enters the pool of available stadia. Stadia may change
hands multiple times during this process. The draft continues until an
entire round has been processed with no selections.
Teams must make a selection in this draft in order to be prevented from
entering a future stadium draft by the restrictions in section 1.5.3.
5 INCENTIVE POINT SYSTEM
The Incentive Point (IP) system is designed to keep all IBL members playing
their games and reporting the results in a timely manner. The incentive
point system is designed to reward members who consistently play and
report on time while severely penalizing members who either are
consistently late or are extremely late in any given week. The system
takes into consideration that circumstances will occur that will cause a
member to be late on occasion.
5.1 Allocating Incentive Points
All members shall begin each season with an Incentive Point total of 36.
Associate members shall begin each season with their Incentive Point total
at the end of last season.
New owners will be upgraded to 36 Incentive Points. Members on probation
who take on a co-owner will remain on probation but will be immediately
upgraded to 36 Incentive Points.
Associate members receive one point for every completed series (up to a
maximum of 5 points to be accumulated from the series of a single team)
and three points for every full or partial season that they are
associate members.
5.2 Incentive Point Penalties
5.2.1 IP Penalties for Late Management Instruction Sheets
* -1 for failing to upload a MIS by the start of week 1
* -1 for each subsequent week that a team fails to upload their MIS
* -1 if an owner fails to provide their MIS to their opponent by the
Thursday deadline and the home team is forced to use an outdated MIS
Late MISes must be formally reported by the home owner to the
Commissioner and Vice-Commissioner.
5.2.2 IP Penalties for Late Game Reports and Box Scores
* -1 to the home team for failing to report results or ask for a FTF
extension by the Monday deadline
* -1 to both teams after asking for a FTF extension and failing to
report results within 48 hours of the Monday deadline
* -1 to the home team for each week that results have been outstanding
for two calendar weeks or more
* -1 to the home team for each week that a GRS, box score, or scoresheet
has been outstanding for two calendar weeks or more
* -1 to the home team per item outstanding at the conclusion of a
real-time off week, in addition to any other late penalties
5.2.3 Other IP Penalties
* -1 per week after exceeding 5 weeks of using associates in a single
season
* -2 for failing to submit a draft list for a round in which your team
has picks
* -3 per week for missing playoff GRS
* -5 for failing to vote on Constitutional amendments
5.3 Consequences
5.3.1 Removal
The Commissioner is empowered to remove any member whose Incentive Point
total is less than 10.
5.3.2 Probation
A member with less than 25 Incentive Points will be placed on probation.
A member will remain on probation until completing a season with at least
25 Incentive Points.
All IP penalties are doubled for members on probation.
The Commissioner is empowered (but not required) to appoint a caretaker
for any team being run by a member on probation.
5.3.3 Free Agents
Free agent claims by members on probation are processed after claims by
members who are in good standing.
5.3.4 Free Agent Draft
When determining rosters going into the free agent draft, teams will be
allowed to keep a maximum number of players on their roster equal to the
number of Incentive Points they have remaining.
6 REPORTING
6.1 Management Instruction Sheets (MIS)
Each member is required to send a management instruction sheet for their
road series to the home manager each week by 4:00 p.m. PST (5:00 p.m.
PDT) on Thursday. Additonally, each member is required to upload an up to
date copy of their MIS to the official IBL shared storage location. It is
the responsibility of the home manager to notify the Commissioner,
Vice-Commissioner, and the visiting manager if a management instruction
sheet is late. Owners may cc the Commissioner and/or Vice-Commissioner to
ensure receipt and avoid IP penalties.
If the opponent's MIS is not received by 5 pm PDT on Thursday, the home
owner is allowed to play the series at his own discretion using the copy
of the MIS available at the IBL shared storage location. The home owner
can make other arrangements with the visiting owner to receive the MIS
later if he so desires.
6.1.1 MIS Requirements
The management instruction sheet should include:
* Active roster showing injuries, pitcher fatigue, games played by
position, and remaining limitations.
* Lineups for all games in the series showing starters and injury
replacements.
* Instructions concerning the pitching rotation, including
contingencies for postponements.
* Instructions for pinch-hitting, pinch-running, stealing, hit and
run, sacrifice, squeeze plays, and baserunner advancement.
* Instructions for holding runners, bringing infielders in, cutoff
throws, guarding the lines, and late inning defensive substitutions.
* Instructions for removal of pitchers.
* Other instructions and information needed by the home manager.
The visiting manager must remember, the more explicit the instructions
the better the home manager can make decisions for the road team.
However, it is not wise to create laborious instructions. The MIS should
simply contain instructions for every possible situation. If a situation
is left out, it will be up to the home manager to manage the visiting
team if that situation occurs.
6.1.2 Missing MIS
The home owner is allowed to play the series using his discretion if an
MIS is not received by 5 pm PDT on Thursday. The home owner can then
make other arrangements with the visiting owner to receive the MIS later
if he so desires.
6.2 Game Reports
Each member is required to send via E-mail, FAX, US Mail or phone a game
report for their home series to the Commissioner, Vice-Commissioner,
Registrar, visiting manager, and next week's visiting manager. Game
reports are to arrive each week by 11:59 pm PDT Monday.
6.2.1 Game Report Requirements
The game report must include the following information, at the top of
the game report, before any other information:
* Final scores
* Pitcher usage
* Limitation usage
* Injuries and suspensions
* Next week's home pitchers
* Roster moves
Changes to next week's home pitchers and/or roster moves would be
allowed if received prior to the mailing of the newsletter.
6.2.2 Game Report Extensions
Owners who are experiencing face-to-face (FTF) scheduling problems may
request a 48 hour FTF extension. This request must be sent to the
Commissioner before the Monday reporting deadline. Both the home and road
teams will be assessed IP penalties if results have not been reported
within 48 hours of the original reporting deadline.
6.3 Scoresheets (Play-by-play)
Scoresheets are to be sent via E-mail (play-by-plays), FAX, or US Mail.
Scoresheets should arrive by Monday one-week after the results are due.
Scoresheets are not necessary if games are played face-to-face.
6.4 Box Scores
Box scores are due by 11:59 pm PDT on Monday one week following the game
reports. A one week extension request may be made. In order to receive
an extension the member must request the extension by the box score
deadline. No owner may request more than 2 extensions during a season.
The statistics must follow strict formats in order for the statistics
programs to use the data in the report.
6.4.1 Batting Statistics
* Each team's batting statistics must begin with a heading line
beginning with the word "BATTERS".
* Follow the heading line with the batting statistics for each player
that participated for that team. Do not put a blank line between the
heading and the first player. Do not put blank lines between players.
* Begin each player's statistics in the following manner:
<place in batting order> <positions> <league team> <real team> <last
name>
Include all positions played separated by hyphens ("-"), i.e. lf-rf.
Make sure to use the correct team abbreviations. Make sure you use the
last name (including capitalization) as it appears on the player's card
with the following exceptions, players who require a initial to be
unique on their real team (JonesC.), and removing spaces from players'
names that are two or more words (VanderWal).
* List statistical information from the game for atbats, runs, hits,
rbi, doubles, triples, homeruns, stolen bases, caught stealing, walks,
and strikeouts, PA vs LH, PA vs RH in that order. Be sure to list a
number for each statistic. If a player had none of a certain statistic,
place a zero ("0") in that column.
* Separate each column with one or more blanks or tabs. Lining up the
columns makes for a more readable game report.
* Follow the last batter for a team with a blank line.
6.4.2 Pitching Statistics
* Each team's pitching statistics must begin with a heading line
beginning with the word "PITCHERS".
* Follow the heading line with the pitching statistics for each player
that participated for that team. Do not put a blank line between the
heading and the first player. Do not put blank lines between players.
* Begin each player's statistics in the following manner:
<"W", "L", "S", or "-"> <league team> <real team> <last name>
Make sure to use the correct team abbreviations. Make sure you use the
last name (including capitalization) as it appears on the player's card
with the following exceptions, players who require a initial to be
unique on their real team (JonesC.), and removing spaces from players'
names that are two or more words (VanderWal).
* List statistical information from the game for innings pitched (use
decimal format, 7.2 instead of 7 2/3), hits allowed, runs allowed,
earned runs allowed, walks allowed, strikeouts, and homeruns allowed in
that order. Be sure to list a number for each statistic. If a player had
none of a certain statistic, place a zero ("0") in that column.
* Separate each column with one or more blanks or tabs. Lining up the
columns makes for a more readable game report.
* Follow the last pitcher for a team with a blank line.
7 PROTESTS
7.1 Protesting a Trade
Any league member may protest a trade between two teams based on
fairness of compensation in the trade. To protest a trade, a league
member must send to the Commissioner, Vice-Commissioner, Review Board,
and the teams involved in the trade an explanation of why the league
member feels the trade was unfair. Protests must be filed by 10:59 p.m.
PST (11:59 p.m. PDT) on the Monday following the Tuesday that the IBL
Newsletter reports the trade being protested. The Review Board shall
request information from the teams involved in the trade as necessary. A
unanimous vote on the protest by the Review Board voids the trade.
7.2 Protesting a Game Result
A visiting manager may protest to the IBL Review Board any incorrect
game result which the visiting manager feels resulted directly from
negligence on the part of the home manager. Managers should try to
settle all protests by mutual consent prior to filing a formal protest
with the IBL Review Board.
If a member elects to protest the result of a game, the member must send
to the Commissioner, Vice-Commissioner, the Review Board members, and
the home manager an explanation of the protest as well as all
documentation regarding the protested game. Protests must be filed by
10:59 p.m. PST (11:59 p.m. PDT) on the Monday following the Tuesday that
the IBL Newsletter reports the game being protested, or one calendar
week following the sending of the full GRS, whichever is later. The
Review Board shall then request a statement from the home manager
regarding the protest.
The Review Board shall then request a statement from the home manager
regarding the protest. The Review Board shall then review all evidence
and vote on the protest. If a Review Board member believes that
negligence did occur and this negligence created an incorrect game
result, the member should vote in favor of upholding the protest. A
unanimous vote is required to uphold a protest.The Review Board, upon
upholding a protest, may require a game be replayed either in its
entirety or from the time of the protest.
7.3 Protesting a Commissioner Decision
In the event that an owner disagrees with a discretionary decision made
by the commissioner, such decision may be protested. Such a protest
shall be heard by an Expanded Review Board, consisting of the
Vice-commissioner, the Review Board, and another owner selected by the
Vice-Commissioner based upon the subject matter (i.e. the statistician
if appropriate). The Expanded Review Board shall determine if the
Commissioner has abused his discretion and the decision will only be
overturned upon a unanimous or 4-1 vote of the Expanded Review Board. A
commissioner decision may also be challenged on a going-forward basis,
on the next ballot and the Commissioner's determination will be
overturned by a simple majority vote.
8 PLAYING RULES
All rules of baseball and the IBL Game will apply, insofar as they do
not contradict any specific Constitutional provision.
8.1 IBL Game Clarifications
This section needs to be filled in by the membership. Any ambiguous or
confusing rules that you feel need to be included should be sent to the
league Commissioner and the TIG Design Team.
8.1.1 Relay Throws
The IBL will use the following chart to determine whether a relay throw
is necessary on all throws from the outfield following extra base hits
and to determine which fielder makes the relay throw. Where two fielders
are designated, the defensive team may choose between the two positions.
Throw to
From 2b 3b Home
rightfield line (rfl) None 2b 1b,2b
rightfield (rfw) None 2b 2b
rightcenter (rc/rcf) None 2b 2b
centerfield (cfw) None ss 2b,ss
leftcenter (lc/lcf) None None ss
leftfield (lfw) None None ss
leftfield line (lfl) None None 3b,ss
8.2 MLB Rule Clarifications
8.2.1 MLB 3-batter rule for pitchers
The IBL follows the MLB rules requiring pitchers to face a minimum of three
batters or complete a half-inning, except in cases of removal due to injury
or ejection.
8.2.2 MLB rules for extra innings
The IBL does not follow MLB rules placing runners on base in extra innings.
IBL games that go into extra innings will be played to conclusion using
standard rules.
9 GAME PLAY PROCEDURES
9.1 Face-to-Face Play (FTF)
Owners may elect to play games face to face on the IRC server instead of
playing games via Manager Instruction Sheets. Road owners should still
send MIS to the home opponent just in case; home owners are still
obligated to finish games by 11:59 pm PDT Monday.
Refer to the FTF Guidelines page on the IBL Wiki for decorum and protocol.
9.2 Management Instruction Sheet (MIS) Play
9.2.1 Channel Logging
As per 2.1.5, all games played by MIS must be logged on the IRC server.
The visiting manager may request a replay of any MIS game that was not
logged.
9.2.2 Logging Requirements
In general, logged MIS games should follow the same guidelines as FTF
play. Specifically, the home team is required to:
* announce all lineup changes (e.g. pinch-hitter) prior to rolling
* announce any non-default defensive alignments (e.g. infield in) prior to rolling
* announce any non-default offensive strategies (e.g. hit & run) prior to rolling
Failure to comply with these requirements is grounds for the visiting
manager to request a replay, provided the omission was material to the
outcome of a play.
constitution.txt · Last modified: 2024/03/29 18:27 by sweda