The Constitution of
The Major League est.
1979
The goal of The Major League (TML) is to
promote friendship and have fun playing the Diamond Mind Baseball Game.
The organization of the current era TML has
24 teams in four 6-team divisions. Retro Leagues have 2 divisions of 8 teams
each. The TML1970’s has 20 teams in 4 5-team divisions.
All members are required to adhere to the
letter and spirit of this Constitution.
Repeated failure to follow League rules and
practices, gross incompetence, or a violation involving personal integrity,
will result in expulsion.
1)
The Board of Directors (Larry Alber,
Pat Barry, Dave Yamin, Scott Lagace, Rich Goldberg, and Jim Pertierra) will
perform the duties necessary to conduct league business. The Commissioner, Jim
Pertierra, will act as the final arbiter of all League disputes.
2) Basic
Operating Rules:
A) We will use the Diamond Mind game.
B) During the regular season, each team may
have a maximum roster size of 35 players, of which a minimum of 25 must be
rated. A rated player can be moved from the active to inactive roster (and vice
versa) before the start of any series, but not during a series.
C) Each team will submit a completed roster,
pitching rotation, and generic Manager Profile before the beginning of the
regular season.
D) All players are owned year to year by the
same team unless traded or released.
3) Statistician
Jim Pertierra will serve as statistician for
TML.
4)
Rule proposals
Should be sent to Jim
Pertierra during the month of August for a League vote in September.
5)
Schedule
5a) In a current
league, every team plays each division opponent 14 times (7 home, 7 road),
playing the other 18 teams in one 5 game series either home or road. The
current era and 1970 era TML seasons are 160 games. All retro era TML season length is 154 games.
6) Post Season Play
6A)Each playoff will be a best of 7, except for division tie
breaker, which will best of 3.
6B) If a playoff reaches a final game either manager may ask the
Commissioner to play the game, using manager profiles from both managers.
6C) Playoff teams
in "current" leagues will include the first place teams from each
division and the 2 teams with the next best records in each conference for a
total of 8 teams. Retro leagues do not use a wildcard. In case of a tie for any
playoff berth the tiebreaker will be:
6D) If two teams tie for their
division title, the tie breaker order is as follows:
1) head to head
record; if still tied
2) Conference record; if still tied
3) Road record; if still tied
4) Commissioner's celebrity dice roll.
If more than 2
teams tie for any division playoff berth there will be a best of 3 playoff, with the teams being seeded using the tie
breaker order above. In the case of an odd number of tied teams, the top seeded
team will get a bye. Otherwise, the top seed will play the bottom seed, working
in toward the middle. The higher seed will be the home team for games 1 & 3
(if necessary).
6E) TML
Championships – Within each Conference (Woody Studenmund and Norm Roth conferences) The two first place
teams will play the two wildcard teams.
The Conference winner with the best record will host games 1,2,6,7
against the wild card
team with the lesser record.
The other division champ will host games 1,2,6,7 against the wildcard
team with the better record.
6F) The TML champion will receive a
prize to be valued at no more than $ .37 and an all expenses paid 25 minutes
with Dave Pittner and/or Rusty Kuntz.
7.
Rules of Play
7A) Use all rules as outlined in Diamond
Mind Baseball with the following exceptions:
7B) Batters are limited to their real life
at bats rounded up to the nearest 100. A player is unlimited if his published
real life slugging percentage PLUS his published on-base pct. does not exceed
.600. In real life seasons where 162 games are played, players with more than
600 at bats in real life are also unlimited. In real life seasons where 154
games are played, Players with more than 550 at bats in real life are
unlimited.
·
In the retros
(pre-1972), the rounding is up to the nearest 50 up to 550 at bats
·
In the current
era, all limited players with less than 50 at bats are limited to 50 at bats.
7C) Pitchers with ERAs at or below the TML
cutoff are limited to their actual starts (GS) and/or total appearances
(GS+GR). Pitchers with ERAs above the
TML cutoff are limited to 90 games, no more than 40 may be starts IF the
pitcher started at least 1 game in the season being replayed.
The ERA cutfoff for TML Current is 5.00 and above. For the retros, the cutoffs are as follows:
1911 3.67 and above 1910
3.07 and above 1909
2.83 and above
1908 2.67 and above 1907
2.80 and above 1906
2.96 and above
1905 3.12 and above 1904
2.96 and above 1903
3.41 and above
1934 and 1935 4.50 and above
All other retro seasons to be played will
have an unlimited ERA of 4.30 and above.
7Cii) Any pitcher
must have at least 1 actual START in order to start in TML
7Ciii) A starting
pitcher must pitch at least 3 innings unless he gives up more than 2 runs.
7D) In TML Current, each team may carry a maximium of 25
rated players on its active roster for each series. The roster may vary from
series to series. There must be a backup for each position, though a player may
back up more than 1 position. In the
final period of the season, the entire roster may be active.
7E) The Designated hitter can be used in any
TML season after 1972.
7F) Injuries will not be used and will be
disabled in the game setup.
7G) OVERUSE of starts and/or appearances for
pitchers and players subject to at bat limitations will be dealt with on an
individual team by team basis by the Board of Directors taking into account the
amount of overuse, type of player, and impact on the pennant race.
7H) MANAGER PROFILES - For each series the
visiting Manager must send a Manager Profile for his team to arrive no later
than the starting date of the series. The series start dates are published on
the schedule. If the Manager Profile does not arrive by the start date of the
period, they are considered late.
7I) CONTINGENCY RULES - If no profile is
received by the start date of a series, the home manager may play the series
using a Profile created by Diamond Mind reflecting actual usage.
Note: Courtesy dictates contacting the
visiting manager if a Manager Profile does not arrive on time.
8 Contingency
MPs
A contingency manager profile must be
submitted to the statistician prior to the start of any TML Season. Failure to receive a MP is subject to a fine
and loss of draft choice.
Please include the card year and team
abbreviation naming your Manager Profile, i.e., NY2006.
9.
REPORTING PROCEDURES: The home
manager must send all series files to the statistician AND opponent.
9A) Standard
Series Naming Convention - Home team initials, visiting team initials, card
year: If NY is home and CS is visiting in TML1949, the series ID is NYCS49.
9B) Series period deadline dates are
published on the schedule. If you know you will be late let the Commissioner
(Jim Pertierra) know before the deadline to avoid a lateness penalty. However,
if the series is not reported by the deadline of the next reporting period, you
will be fined, have to cross a bridge with Art Albanese and give up your first
born child.
8C) Deadlines: If the home manager send
results after the series deadline date, he will be fined. Lateness will affect
the team's ranking in draft rounds by dropping your team's draft position in
all rounds.
10)
STATS are posted online periodically. Due to the nature of Diamond Mind these stats
are for people interested in the league as the stat package in the game gives
plenty of report formats..
11.
Player Control
11A) Roster Size is unlimited during the TML
trading period in the off season and may not exceed 35 total players during the
regular season.
11B) Trading is allowed between seasons
only. Both teams must have paid their dues before a trade is allowed.
11Bi) For a trade
to become effective, it must be reported to the Trade reporter with a cc: to
the other manager. Jim Pertierra is the trade reporter.
11Bii) No manager may offer a player he does
not own. Illegal trades will be dealt with swift, punitive and overwhelming
force through the use of a Terrible Swift Sword by the Board of Directors.
(Especially the Commissioner, who will want to whack any offender!)
12. Rookie
Draft
12A) Will be held
annually. A TML "Rookie" is any player on the disk not already owned
by a TML franchise AND meeting the following minimum usage requirements (for retros only). TML Current Rookie Draft will consist of ALL
unowned players.:
Batters - 30 At Bats
Pitchers - 3 games
started or 20 innings pitched.
12B)The Rookie draft is in reverse order of finish, using the winning
percentages from the past season in a five round format. Only teams with a
total roster of less than 35 players may draft after the 5th round and then only
until they have 35 players. NO CUTS WILL BE ALLOWED AT THE DRAFT. The order of
Rounds 2 through 5 will be determined by a team's won loss percentage (least to
most) breaking ties.
12C)The first 3 picks of the first round of the Current Year
rookie draft will be determined by a random selection made up of all teams NOT
participating in the playoffs. The spots are weighted (i.e. Team 16, 16
chances, Team 15, 15 chances, etc.).
11D) For the
remainder of the first round, the selection order will be based on inverse
order of the previous TML Season's won loss percentage.
13.
Post Season Player Limitations
(INJURIES ARE IGNORED)
13A) Batters
Real
1 - 50 3
51 -100 6
101 -150 9
151 -200 12
201 -250 15
251 -300 17
>300 Unlimited
13B) Pitchers:
Real Life Starts divided by 10 (rounded
DOWN) = Playoff Starts
Real life starts (for example, 38) divided
by 10 = 3.8 (rounded down) = 3 Playoff Starts
Real Life Games divided by 10 rounded OFF = Playoff Games
Real life games (57) divided by 10 = 5.7
(rounded off) = 6 Playoff Games
Real life games (54) divided by 10 = 5.4
(rounded off) = 5 Playoff
Games
14. PLAYOFF STATS - Each manager will send
results for his HOME portion of the playoffs to the statistician by the date
determined by the Board of Directors.
15. In Conclusion, The TML Philosophy:Have fun, be fair, have fun.
Jim Pertierra
revised 11/8/2006