WIBL League Guide

Table of Contents

I. Introduction
II. League Structure
III. Beginning the Season
IV. Roster Rules
V. Post Season Trading Period
VI. Pre-Season Draft
VII. Waivers
VIII. Playing Rules - Regular Season
IX. Player Restrictions/Injuries - Regular Season
X. Player Restrictions - Post Season
XI.Defaults, Game Results File Submission and Processing
XII. Trading During the Season
XIII. Role of the commissioner
XIV. League Fees


I. Introduction

WIBL was born out of a desire to do something new with a game that is both old and new and based on a sport that we all love and have a passion for. While the league will be full of competition, it's main purpose is to have fun and promote camaraderie among its members.

WIBL will stay on the cutting edge of Baseball for Windows, partly due to its founders relationship to the company that produces the game, and partly because its such a great game. As the years roll on, this league should prove to be a great one, though, not based on the game, or the teams, but on the members themselves.

Bill Schindel, Founder and First commissioner of the Windows Internet Baseball League 1997.


II. League Structure

A) WIBL franchise relocation between leagues:

a. In the event that a franchise opening occurs due to a GM leaving the league, existing GMs will have the opportunity to move their franchise to the league of the departed franchise.

b. If there is more than one franchise asking for the opportunity to change leagues, the franchise with the longest WIBL tenure will be awarded the move.

bb If the final two requesting franchises have the same tenure, then the franchise with the worst regular season record of the just completed WIBL season will be awarded the relocation.

c. A move request will only be applied in the offseason.

d. Only one time may a franchise be allowed to relocate.

B. The WIBL will be composed of two twelve team leagues with three four team divisions:

1. American League -- The designated hitter will be used.

2. National League -- Pitchers must hit.

C. This is a continuous ownership league and all players, once drafted, will remain with your team until traded or released. Playoff qualifiers will be the three division winners and the non-division winner with the best record. Any ties will be determined by a one game playoff at the home field of the team who won the season series. In the event of a tie in the season series, the commissioner will toss a coin. In the event of multiple team ties, the commissioner will publish the tie breaking plan.

D. Post-Season playoffs will consist of three rounds:

a. The first round will place the Division winner with the best record against the playoff qualifying team with the worst record. The other two playoff qualifiers will face. This round will be best of 7. Games will be played in the following sequence: Team with the best record will be Home Team for games 1, 2, 6, and 7. In the event the teams have identical records, the season series result will determine who has home field advantage.

b. The second round - the League Championship Series - will be a best of seven series pitting the winners of round one. Home team advantage (games 1, 2, 6 and 7) will go to the team with the best regular season record. In the event of identical records, the season series results will determine who has home field advantage.

c. The third round - The World Series - will pit the LCS winners. Host for games 1, 2, 6 and 7 are on a rotating basis with the American League team hosting these games in EVEN numbered seasons and the National League team hosting them in ODD numbered seasons (the actual calendar year is used in this calculation.

d. Days of rest: There will be at least one day of rest between the end of the season and the beginning of post season play. There will be one day of rest between games 2 and 3 of the division series. There will be one day of rest between games 2 and 3 and 5 and 6 of the LCS and WS. For rotation purposes, all subsequent series start dates will be based on all series going their maximum duration and at least one day off between each series. So if one or more or all series end early, the pitching staffs will gain maximum rest time.


III. Beginning of the Season

A. The season will start at a time determined by the commissioner (in March). The season will run for a period up to 32 weeks. Default instructions will be sent before the season starts, and ongoing during the year in the form of Franchise Files. The commissioner will send commissioner files to the league members with full defaults compiled from each teams' franchise file along with results and game setup, as appropriate.

B. Each manager will have the opportunity to override their default settings, rosters and rotations in League Manager each week during the default file phase.

C. If no default instruction overrides are received by the scheduled weekly date, League Manager's automated mode will handle the team in the upcoming series.

D. Should a manager drop out of the WIBL in the middle of the season, his team will be monitored by the commissioner for player fatigue and the auto-mode of League Manager will handle the team until a new manager is found.

E. Default instructions will be handled through Advanced Draft and League Manager. Managers will set their rosters, moving players between their active and farm team rosters in accordance with league rules. In League Manager, the managers should do the following:

1. Assign lineups verses RHPs and LHPs.

2. Designate a Manager for your road Games. (The default manager for teams that don't indicate a manager will be Miller IV)

3. Put in a pitching rotation (this can be for the upcoming series or for any length of games in the future).

None of the above settings are required. If a manager chooses, he can let the game choose rotations and lineups for all games. The features of League Manager will handle pre game fatigue and injury substitutions for him while his team is on the road (so as to avoid AIM injuries) and the micro manager will handle in-game strategy moves. However, if managers choose this method, they still need to review the team status reports (in Draft of League Manager) and monitor the fatigue levels of their players and adjust as needed.

F. APBA Presents Baseball for Windows (version 5.75 or higher) and League Manager Power Tool is the game being used.

G. The commissioner will provide ALL teams with the Official WIBL Season Organization Disk/commissioner Disk. Please DO NOT set up your own organization. The league disk is provided however you do need to purchase the MLB season disk from APBA.


IV. Roster Rules

[Definition: Carded Player means a player who is on the Disk]

A. Regular Rosters will be limited to 38 players and up to four (4) Prospects. Prospects are defined as minor league players, amateur players, or uncarded major league players.

1. ACTIVE ROSTER - for league play will be 27 players including at least one back up player for each position and at least nine (9) pitchers. A player may be the sole back up at two positions maximum. Rosters may be adjusted during each weekly update cycle. There will be no limit to the number of times a player may be deactivated (moved to the farm team roster).

a. If the current series is a 6 game series, the team may have an extra player bringing the roster size to 28. This extra player must be sent down immediately following the series.

2. FARM roster players are the nine (12) players that can be placed on the ACTIVE roster during the update cycle. A maximum of one of these eight players may be uncarded. (Remember when keeping uncarded players that your playing time can be covered with the other 37 players.) The transfer of players from the Farm Team to the Active roster will be done by the team's manager during the update cycle (or the commissioner in cases of emergency).

3. PROSPECT players are those who are not carded by APBA for the current season or have never been carded. When placed on this list, these players carry a maximum (3) year contract. This contract may be canceled only if the player receives an APBA card in a subsequent season, or the three year period expires, or the player is eligible for a roster cut. Prospect players will be located on the FARM roster and the will be indicated by an asterisk (*) before there last name and the year they signed after the name (i.e. *Ramirez'98, Aramis). These players MAY NOT be placed on the ACTIVE ROSTER.

a. In the case of a prospect player receiving a card he must be placed on the 38 man roster, traded, cut or waived in accordance with the roster size rules (during the post-season period).

b. If a player does NOT receive an APBA card in three years, he is automatically waived at the completion of his third year and prior to the pre-season draft and is eligible to be drafted by any team DURING the next pre-season draft.

c. PROSPECT players carry their three year contract when traded; the time does not reset with the new team. Once the contract expires, that player is eligible for the draft under (b), above.

d. A PROSPECT player can move to the regular roster ONLY if he gets rated on the data disk. He CANNOT move up to the regular roster as an uncarded player.

B. END OF SEASON ROSTER CUTS

1. At the end of the season (post season for playoff teams) each team will be required to release players in accordance with the procedures listed below.

2. The carded players must be trimmed to 29 players at the end of the season - the 29 players kept can include up to 1 player who is not on the disk (uncarded veteran)- but had been on your roster. This section of players is based on who was on your active roster during the just completed season in WIBL and who appeared in a MLB game during the actual current MLB season (anyone who appeared in an MLB game will be on the disk for the following year). The designation of an uncarded veteran ('NC) is done at this time. Failure to indicate an uncarded veteran prior to the cut down will free that player to be available during the draft as a prospect by any franchise.

3. The Minor Leaguers (Prospects)- Once minor leagues get on the rosters (up to 4 per team) they fall into the cut down requirements as well. If a minor league got called up to MLB and played during the season, he will go into the 29 man ceiling (above). You have to cut your minor league roster to 2 players at the cut down point. That means that if none of your minor leaguers got called up, then you will have to cut 2 of them. If 2 got called up, you will subject those 2 to the 29 man rule and then you HAVE to keep the other two. You CAN ONLY CUT minor leaguers (prospects) above the level of two players. In other words, you can't cut minor leaguers if you are down to the 2 or 1 level. One side note - if you draft a dead weight, you could end up keeping him forever NOT! There will be a max of 3 years that you can carry a guy. But any player dropped after 3 years COUNTS 1st against your minor league cuts.

4. Summary, the CUT DOWN ROSTER SIZE is 31 players - 29 active (carded or had been carded - can include 1 uncarded veteran) and 2 prospects.

C. ROSTER CLARIFICATION

1. The only uncarded players that CAN be on the Regular Roster are those who had a card in a previous season but do NOT have a card currently and are not being waived. A player on the regular roster MUST have been carded at one time.

2. A Prospect player cannot have a card and can only be given Prospect status via draft pick OR be a previously carded player (who has uncarded status now) and is given the three year Prospect contract.

3. Uncarded players ('NC) who were on the disk the prior year and kept during the roster cut down per section IV.B.2 above can be classified as a PROSPECT player or FARM player by his manager. The determination is made at the completion of the current season's waiver draft. If he is made a PROSPECT player, he is given a 3 year contract. But there has to be room within the prospects (3 or fewer). If he is made a FARM player and retains the 'NC designation and carries a one year contract. The player may be waived (cut) during the season like any other 38 man roster player. This status remains the same when traded during the season. An 'NC uncarded player, by definition above, only carries a 1 year contract. If he does not get carded during the upcoming MLB season, he is lost to the team and reverts to the Free Agent prospect pool. He may not be kept as an 'NC player two years in a row.


V. Post Season Trading

A. At the conclusion of each regular season trading period (end of last series in August) the Inter league trading period will commence and continue through approximately February 14th (depending upon the pre-season draft).

B. Any traded players acquired during the time period of September 1s t (League Manager Schedule date, not real life date) until the official roster cut down date, will be subject to the roster limitations. In other words, if you acquire additional players via trade, you may have more cuts to make at cut down date. Both managers are free to determine what date the trades will be official as long as they keep their rosters within the number limitations.

C. After the roster cut down date, Roster restrictions are relaxed (until the post draft roster cut down day - usually February 15th) allowing the procurement of more players via trade than the roster limits stated in paragraph IV. ROSTER RULES.

D. Trades of draft picks are effective only with respect to draft picks that are traded for the IMMEDIATE upcoming pre-season draft. Managers can agree to trade future draft picks (following year only!) provided that the agreed trade is reported to the commissioner when made and provided further that the trade is not effective until after the draft for the current year. This allows trades to be made which occur either after the post-season cut down date or the January draft date. For trades with a future effective date, all players involved are "frozen" on the destination team's roster until the effective date. If any roster limitation could be potentially violated, the commissioner will void the trade immediately. If either manager is no longer in the league on the effective trade date, the deal will be voided.

E. Trades are deemed complete when BOTH managers notify the commissioner. Both GMs must reply to the commissioner with an email in the following format:

TEAM A sends Player X to TEAM B for Player Y


VI. PRE-SEASON DRAFT

A. The pre-season draft will begin at a time determined by the commissioner after checking with a majority of the league members. Tentatively it will is set for the 1st week in February. Date will be worked out with league members.

B. The draft will consist of 13 rounds. There will be 13 times the number of teams picks in the draft (i.e. 13 x 24 = 312 picks). Because of Waiver Claims, there may be more than 13 rounds, but the total number of picks will still be 312, just some of the picks will be moved from the earlier rounds and pushed to the end of the draft (see Waivers Section VII).

1. The draft order for rounds 1-13 will be in reverse order of the teams record from the previous season.

a. The eight playoff teams will draft in the last eight positions regardless of record. Their order will be Series Winner (24th), Series Loser (23rd), LCS Loser with better record (22nd), LCS Loser with worst record (21st), Division series loser with best record (20th), Division series loser with 2nd best record (19th), Division series loser with 3rd best record (18th), Division series loser with worst record (17th).

b. There are 2 supplemental rounds bringing the rounds total to 15:
These 2 supplemental picks bring carded roster to 40. These picks have to be a carded player.
These 2 supplemental picks can not be traded or released during the season.
These 2 supplemental picks will be released at the end of the season.

b. The order for ties will be determined by teams' record for the previous season, with the team with the worst road record drafting first.
b1. If there is a tie for road record, worst record head to head drafts first,
b2. If there is a tie head to head, worst record in their own divison drafts first,
b3. If there is a tie for worst record in their own division, the worst record in their own league drafts first.

2. If there are rounds after 13 (caused by waiver claims), the teams picking in these rounds will be in their same respective orders as rounds 1 through 13.

C. The commissioner will send out the complete order for all rounds prior to Draft day. This will include information on all traded draft picks as available at time of mailing.

D. All players (professional of amateur) not currently on WIBL Rosters will be eligible for drafting. You may have more that 38 carded at the end of the draft. However at the end of the draft all rosters will need to cut down to 38 carded.

E. Players may NOT draft more prospects [4] than they have room for on their roster as of the time of their respective picks. If they are full at the time of a pick, they must make a trade to free up a slot, or not pick a player. Prospects picked that put a team over his limit will be cut by the commissioner.


VII. WAIVERS

A. PRESEASON:

1. At the conclusion of the pre-season draft and a brief trading period, active rosters will be cut to their season levels of 38 players on the regular roster. You can not cut or trade players if the roster ends below the 38 man level in order to made a waiver claim (see paragraph 3 below).

2. The released or cut players will then be available for a mini waiver draft. Since WIBL has a pre draft cut down and limited number of draft picks each year, most teams will be at or near their roster limits at the conclusion of the draft. Any players cut to trim to this level, will then be available to the teams that have fewer than 38 players on their roster.

3. Teams with fewer than 38 players in their "carded" roster will be allowed to select up to the number of players needed to fill the roster. They cannot release other players and replace them with new ones.

B. IN SEASON WAIVERS

During the season, teams will be able to acquire additional players from the player pool to augment the current season due to usage requirements not adequately prepared for, OR to meet emergency roster voids caused by injury. Details for each category follow:

1. Waiver Pool - the waiver pool consists of every player not currently affiliated who:

a. In the case of a non-pitcher his batting average is below .300

b. Or in the case of pitchers are graded 10 or below

2. Emergency Waiver Claim (EWC) due to injury - if your starter or only defensive backup for a position is injured and you don't have any other rated defensive player to cover as a backup, you ARE REQUIRED to obtain a player to meet the rules of having a backup for every position. Under the provisions of the EWC, a team may claim an eligible player from the waiver pool who will be added to their roster. The injured player will be put on the 15 day DL (with the injury adjusted to end at the end of a series - not mid series, which may add a few extra days to the duration of the injury).

a. At the end of the injury the Injured player will be moved back to the active roster and the player acquired from the waiver pool will be returned the waiver pool.

b. Teams will be allowed 3 EWC claims during the year with no other adjustment to their team except the player going on the DL. If a team requires a 4th EWC, they will have to use a regular Usage Waiver Claim.

c. To make an EWC, a player needs to notify the commissioner of his intentions, who is going on the DL and who he is claiming. Upon receipt of the request the commissioner will make the adjustments and confirm it with the manager.

d. NOTE: Players who were injured because their RUSE fell to 0% cannot be used to justify an EWC.

3. Usage Waiver Claim - if you have not properly staffed your team to adequately cover player usage for the season, you may claim an ELIGIBLE player from the Waiver Pool to replace a player currently on the roster in accordance with the following guidelines:

a. OPTION I - When claiming a player you designate what player you will be dropping (and he gets released to the waiver pool) and which player you will be claiming. Under Option I, the claimed player goes to your team immediately, the dropped player goes to the pool immediately. The payment for this transaction:

1. The claimed player is ONLY on your roster for the current season and he reverts to the pool immediately after the season.

2. One draft pick is moved to the end of the draft. The waiver claims start affecting the 8th round pick. If you don't have an 8th round pick, the 7th round pick is moved and so on downward toward number 1. If you have NO PICKS available you can't make a waiver claim, AND YOUR team is in serious jeopardy and so is YOUR STATUS in the league!!! As waiver claims are made, extra rounds are added to the end of the draft. Round 13 would be 1st waiver claims, Round 12 second and so on.

b. OPTION II - This option allows you to KEEP all your players when making a waiver claim (you DON'T get to keep the claimed player, they will always revert back to the player pool after the season). But this method allows you to keep the designated player, if he clears waivers. Here's how it works:

1. If a player has reached 2% RUSE or less, you can designate him for WAIVERS for the purpose of acquiring an additional body from the waiver pool.

2. This player will then be announced to the league and any team who wants him can claim him for a 4th round pick (or higher [3rd, 2nd or 1st] if they have no pick). The first team to claim him (based on phone call or email time stamp) within 48 hours of the posting of the notice has the rights to him. The manager of the team with the player then has 24 hours to either accept the draft pick and release the player to the claiming team OR REMOVE the player from WAIVERS (you can only float a player ONCE on waivers).

3. If the manager allows the player to be claimed, he is released to the other team for the draft pick and then the player can pick a player from the waiver pool (this player will be released at the end of the year). The team gaining the player will have to release a player if adding the player puts him over the limit.

4. If the player CLEARS waivers, the manager then KEEPS him on his roster and drafts a player from the waiver pool (this player goes back to the pool after the season) and FORFEITS HIS 4th round draft pick (or higher if the 4th pick is not available).

5. A player may only make an OPTION II Usage claim once per season.

6. This option allows you to gain a usage body from the waiver pool without forfeiting a prospect, but you will lose a draft pick in the next season player draft.


VIII. PLAYING RULES -- REGULAR SEASON

A. - There are no restrictions on how long a starter has to remain in the game after he faces a batter. But to start a game, the pitcher has to have had at least one start in real life (the only exception would be on the road if the team is "physically disabled" and the auto mode of League Manager chooses a non starter to start.

B. Pitchers cannot be used as designated hitters (DH) or as pinch hitters unless they were used as such in MLB.

EXCEPTION: A pitcher may be used as a pinch hitter provided all other players on the bench have been used in an extra inning game.

C. Pitchers can be used as pinch runners. If a pitcher is injured while pinch running, the length of the injury will be what is reported by the game.

D. The HIT & RUN play can be used anytime the your score is within plus (+) or minus (-) 3 runs of the opponents score; up to a MAXIMUM of FOUR (4) times per game. It may be used once every two innings after the 9th inning. Hit and run attempts that result in "foul ball" or base stealing attempts do NOT count against the maximum number usable.

E. In the event of a rainout, and if the game is not official, the game will stand as not official and the commissioner will reschedule the game for a later date if necessary. If the rained out game is a tie, it will be replayed at the end of the season if it has a bearing on the pennant race.

F. With Advanced Injury Management (AIM) being used, injuries last for the duration of the injury. See Section IX paragraph on Injuries on how to handle long term injuries and Disabled List.

G. Players are allowed to play only the positions listed on their "cards". The ONLY exception is when the last player at a position is injured during the game or series. When using a player in a position not rated on his card, the substitute should be a reasonable choice.

H. VISITING TEAM PLAYERS OUT OF POSITION:
If a substitution is made for the visiting team and player is inserted at a position he is not rated, the home manager will do the following:

(a) review the bench of the visiting team to see if any player on the bench is rated at that position. If a player is, then the following will be done:
(b) Change the visiting team to manual and click OK
(c) Open the Visiting roster and place a rated player from the bench into the position where a non rated player is located [EVEN IF IT MEANS PUTTING in a TIRED, BUSHED or WORN-OUT player]
(d) Change the visiting manager back to AUTO!


IX. PLAYER RESTRICTIONS -- REGULAR SEASON

A. STARTING PITCHERS

1. All pitchers usage is restricted by AIM to give pitchers a limitation of 110% or their actual usage as expressed in batters faced (except as noted below).

2. Starting pitchers, Grade 6 or 7, have had their Maximum Batters Faced (MBF) total increased to allow them their actual starts plus 25% to a maximum of 32 starts.

EXAMPLE: A grade 7 pitcher who starts 20 games in the majors would be allowed 20 starts plus one fourth or 5 extra starts for a total of 25 starts. Therefore his MBF has been increased 150 batters (30 batters times 5 bonus starts).

3. Starting Pitchers, Grade 5 or less, have had their MBF edited to allow for twice their actual starts to a maximum of thirty-six (36) starts.

EXAMPLE: A Grade 5 pitcher that starts 22 games in the majors would be allowed an extra 14 starts to the maximum of 36 starts. Therefore his MBF has been increased by 420 batters (30 batters times 14 bonus starts).

4. Days of rest required for pitchers is determined by AIM and therefore there are no restrictions. If a pitcher is Ready or Rested, he can start with no fear of AIM injury. You can start a pitcher on short rest, BUT if he is in a fatigued condition (Tired, Bushed or Worn-out) you risk an AIM injury (which can be long on duration). Once a pitcher’s Ruse has reached 0% he is effectively gone for the season. (BUT HE CAN BE ELIGIBLE for the Post Season).

5. All pitchers receiving grades 1 or 2 on the data disk will will be upgraded through Wizard to grade 3.

6. All pitchers who had less than 16 at bats in MLB will have a maximum OBP of .350 and a maximum SLGP of .400. and a maximum PRO of .700 (OBP+SLG)

B. RELIEF PITCHERS

1. Relief pitchers Grade 6 and above have the built in 10% bonus with the MBF.

2. Relief pitchers Grade 5 or lower have had their MBF doubled.

3. Split grade pitchers grade 8 and up for starting grade are subject to the 10% bonus built into the MBF.

4. Split grade pitchers, starting grade 7 and below have had their MBF adjusted according to their number of starts and their relief role. If the player is significantly higher in relief and his starts were minimal, the adjustment would be small if any.

5. ANY pitcher may start a game IF he started a game in MLB (even if he only has a relief rating). The team status report reflects what his starting grade is and how many workable batters he has if starting. Pitchers who didn’t have any starts, may end up starting games under the AUTOMODE, but it would be a very rare occurrence and usually only happen due to injuries or poor player management.

6. There is no restriction on days of rest when going from a starter to a reliever and vice versa except that imposed by fatigue status.

7. All pitchers who had less than 16 at-bats in MLB will have a maximum OBP of .350 and a maximum SLGP of .400.

8. All SF is set to 100. This prorates the PR for those adjusted by setting the SF to 100.

9. Each team is allowed to request adjustment of up to two relievers in efforts to dictate to the Micro Manager how they are used (i.e. Closer, setup). Allowable adjustment are to the ACTUAL Save values. Most Micro Managers use the pitcher with the highest Actual Saves totals as the primary closer. If you prefer to have someone else close for you, you can request that up to two relievers actual save totals be raised or lowered. The amount that a pitchers save total can be raised can be no greater than the actual number of relief appearances the pitcher made minus his W/L record. Once a request is made, it can not be changed until the start of the next month on the LM schedule.

C. NON-PITCHERS

1. Players usage is totally controlled by AIM which will usually limit a player to at or near his real life games total or Plate Appearance totals. Players who receive a 930 PR (obp + slg% <.600) can exceed there actual limits and will receive lots of bonus time. It is okay to use these players as often as you like (since you probably won’t like to).

D. STEALING

1. Base stealers will be limited to their actual stolen base attempts plus 15%. This includes attempts made during hit & run plays and squeezes.
    When a player reaches the steal limit, his Steal Allowance/Success is changed to R/20.

EXAMPLE: 32 SB + 8 CS = 40 attempts x 1.15 = 46 attempts allowed.


When a player reaches the steal limit, his Steal Allowance/Success is changed to R/20.

E. USAGE CHECKPOINTS

1. Stolen base attempt amounts will be checked periodically during the year.

2. It is the responsibility of each manager to monitor his own players usage. Failure to review usage/fatigue can cause fatigue problems and lead to injuries. When a player has reached 0% Ruse, move him to the FARM roster and bring up a replacement.

3. If any problems should arise during the season please communicate concerns to the commissioner.

4. Flagrant violation of the player usage will result in draft picks being moved to the end of the round, end of the draft or managerial sanctions or removal if necessary. Depth of violation will determine penalty. Hopefully it will never have to be imposed. (And since we only have SBs and Hit and Run to watch for, it’s a whole lot easier - anything else can be blamed on the game .)

F. INJURIES

1. If you have a player who is injured you can move him to the farm or have the commissioner place him on the DL.

2. In the case of designating a player for the DL, inform the commissioner who you want on the DL. You may recall a farm player and place him on the parent. The commissioner will keep the DL player on the parent. At no time will a player on the DL be allowed on the farm.

a. Disabled List - A team may carry up to 3 players at any time on the 15 Day disabled List. If a player is on the DL, another player may be called up to replace him during the injury without it counting against the 27 man limit.

b. A player may be placed on the 60 Day Disabled List if his injury is over 15 days or if the franchise already has 3 players on the 15 day DL.

c. Placing a player on the DL makes a team eligible to make an Emergency Waiver claim (in accordance with procedures outlined in the Waivers section of the League Guide).

3. In the case of an injured player, if he is on the parent he counts against the 27 man roster. Thus, if his injury is for 3 days, and he is on the parent, the franchise will play short handed for those 3 games (a player can not be brought up for part of a series).


Moving Injured Players to the Farm- If a team is already at 3 players on the 15 day DL, he is placed on the 60 Day DL.

After the last series of August (League Manager date) rosters are relaxed. All carded players may be brought up from the farm to the parent.


X. PLAYER ROSTER/RESTRICTIONS -- POST SEASON

A. Any player on the ACTIVE roster (38) man roster at the end of August (LM Schedule) is eligible for the post season. The actual playoff roster will consist of 27 players. Moving players from farm to playing roster during the playoffs can be done but only between series except in the case of injury.

B. In the case of injury, the home manager may delay playing the subsequent games as long as he offers the visiting manager the same option of setting the lineup.

1. Injured players may be moved to the farm after the series segment by the GM or placed on the DL after the series segment. No moves are allowed during the series segment. A series segment is defined as the 2 or 3 game home/away set.

C. The 27 man playoff roster will still require at least one back up player for each position. A player may be the sole back up at two positions maximum. If due to injuries, a playoff team can not fulfill this basic roster requirement due to injuries, the following procedure will be followed :

1. The GM will select an injured player to go on the 15-day DL. The length of the DL will extend throughout the length of any affected playoff series, i.e. entire Divisional Series, entire LCS, entire World Series. The commissioner will then select a player with the lowest draft rating to fill out the 27-man roster, with the intention that the roster rules are satisfied.

D. In order to qualify as a starting pitcher in the post season, the pitcher must have thrown 25 innings AND started 5 games in WIBL during the just finished season.


XI. DEFAULT/GAME RESULTS FILE SUBMISSION AND PROCESSING

A. Franchise files (for default instructions and game results) are to be emailed to the commissioner in accordance with the following schedule:

1. Game files are to reach the commissioner by 6 PM CT on Monday

2. Default files are to reach the commissioner by 6 PM CT on Wednesday.

B. The files will be named with the following naming convention:

1. commissioner files will be C-WIBDxx.alp or C-WIBGxx.alp (xx represents the series number)
The Dxx stands for default files. This file will contain the results of the previous week's games and be the one that the current week defaults will be set from. The Gxx stand for the GAME file. This is the file that is to be used for PLAYING the games.

NOTE: If a manager fails to load the Gxx file and plays the games off the Dxx file, the road manager may request that the games be replayed. In this event, the commissioner will play the series in auto mode. It is imperative that HOME managers follow the procedure. Each week when the file is sent, the procedures will be posted.

2. Franchise files will be F-yyyDxx.alp or F-yyyGxx.alp (yyy stands for the team's initials, xx stands for the series number).

3. The Dxx stands for the default file the franchise teams send in by Wednesday evening each week. The xx will be the SAME as that used in the commissioner default file that week.

4. The Gxx stands for the game results file the HOME franchise teams send in by Monday evening each week. The xx will be the same as the corresponding "G" commissioner file that was sent out Wednesday evening.

NOTE: Creating the franchise files after playing games can cause you to lose the results. Please follow these instructions when making the files:

After the games make any roster changes, rotation changes and lineup changes you want for next week THEN save the file!! Once the file is saved, DO NOT RESAVE it with the same name, this will wipe out the results.

5. Default franchise files (or a report that none will be sent) are required each week. You may include notification that the GAME franchise file contains your defaults for next the week in lieu of submitting a weekly franchise file.

C. AIM rules eliminate the need to maintain any type of points method to ensure timely submission.If a player consistently fails to send files he will be penalized in drafting or asked to leave the league.

NOTE: All games will be completed on time. If the results are not in by the deadline, the games will be played in the AUTOMODE to keep the season on track. Your team will get excellent representation!


XII. TRADING DURING THE SEASON

A. The In-Season trading period will begin on opening day and close after the last series of August (per League Schedule in League Manager).

1. Restrictions on who a team can trade with:

a. There will no trading restrictions in the first four months of the season.

b. During the last month of in season trading (August on the League Manager Schedule), trading can only be done with teams within your OWN league, with no other restrictions applied.

2. There is no restriction on the number of players that can be traded.

3. Trades must remain within roster limits. Roster sizes will NOT be raised or lowered; if you acquire more players than the limit, cuts will be made. If the roster is reduced, a subsequent trade must be made to bring the roster to 38.

4. Trades are effective after the series in which they are completed. Trading deadline is 6pm Wednesday each week.

5. Both managers have to notify the commissioner of the trade. If the commissioner does not receive notification from both parties, the trade will not be processed. (The only hope here is that a manager doesn't use this as a way to Back Out of an agreed upon trade, this notice is more to inform managers on why a trade may be a week late. Of course trades not reported by the end of the last series in August (LM schedule) won't go into effect until after the season).

NOTES: Any player involved in an approved in-season trade is eligible for the playoffs for their new team.

Managers involved will have to adjust their rosters, rotations, and lineups in League Manager to incorporate the new players. The commissioner will place all players involved in trades on the ACTIVE rosters at the time of trade unless specifically instructed to put them on the farm.


XIII. COMMISSIONER'S ROLE

A. The commissioner's role is a position to best serve the interests of the Windows Internet Baseball League.

B. The commissioner shall have the authority to mediate disputes on organizational issues and make final decisions when all sides of an issue have been presented and are still unresolved.

C. The commissioner shall have the authority to assess penalties and/or suspend managers for overuse of players, habitually late data disks, unpaid league dues, and late league correspondence.

D. The commissioner shall afford GMs an opportunity to submit any rule change at the conclusion of the WIBL season. All 24 GMs must vote, and a 2/3 majority is needed to enact any new rule. That new rule will go in effect the 2nd season after the rule passes.

E. The commissioner, above all, shall strive to be accessible to the league members and help promote communication and understanding among the members of the Windows Internet Baseball League.


XIV. LEAGUE FEES

A. An annual $15.00 fee is due by October 31.

B. If the fee has not been paid on time, the GM receives a warning. Draft picks will be moved to the waiver round, beginning with the 7th round if no payment is made by a date determined by the commissioner.. If no pick is available in the 7th round (traded pick), the next highest pick is m oved. The commissioner has the right to ask the GM to leave the league if the warning and/or draft pick movement does not prompt a payment.

C. League fees are not refundable.

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