[Lucky]

Rules

• Roster
  - 27 major league roster spots.
  - C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, CI, MI, LF, CF, RF, OF, Util, SP, SP, SP, SP, SP, RP, RP, P, P, P, BN, BN, BN, BN, BN, DL, DL
  
  
• Stat Categories
  - 7x7
  - R, HR, K, RBI, SB, AVG, OPS, x W, L, SV, K, HLD, ERA, WHIP
  
  
• Teams/Owners
  - 12 teams. 27 major league roster spots. 5 minor league keeper roster spots.
  - All owners in good standing will be allowed to return each season and retain rosters and draft orders.
  - In the event of new owner they will be offered the option of fully acquiring the team/order of the departing owner(s) or starting fresh.
  - If new owner chooses to adopt existing franchise all rosters and drafts will remain the same.
  - If new owner chooses to start fresh he will receive the top pick in the draft (after Consolation winner) and be allowed to choose 5 keepers from the free agent pool prior to the start of the Free Agent Period.
  
  
• Payment/Payouts
  - $25 payment.
  - $50 for Regular Season Champion.
  - $150 for 1st place playoff finish, $75 for 2nd, $25 for 3rd.
  - Owners may not participate in Minor League Draft until payment is received.
  - Payment due by July 1st to be eligible for regular season payout.
  - Payment due Aug 1st to be eligible for playoff payouts.
  - Failure to pay will be grounds for dismissal.
  
  
• Draft
  - Held live on messageboard.
  - 24 hour deadline on all picks. If deadline is missed a player will be automatically chosen from a predetermined list.
  - If 2 straight picks are missed deadline will be ignored and automatic picks will occur until owner checks in with commissioner.
  - If pick is traded while on the clock, clock does not reset for new owner.
  - If an invalid pick is made the clock ends and the next clock begins. The owner of the invalid pick may pick ASAP.
  - Order determined by reverse regular season standings except for:
  (a) Playoff Champion who takes last pick.
  (b) Consolation Playoff Champion who takes 1st pick.
  (c) Any Expansion Owners take highest pick after Consolation Champion. If multiple owners a coin flip chooses order.
  See Draft Page for details.
  
  
• Keepers
  - Each owner may keep 5 players total.
  - The first 5 rounds of each draft are protected and those players can not be kept.
  - Each Keeper costs a draft pick based on where he was drafted. The pick moves up 2 rounds every season, including the first.
  - Any Keeper not drafted is treated as a final round draftee.
  - A player loses Keeper eligibility the season after costing a 1st round pick and reenters the draft pool (unless franchised).
  - All rules apply regardless of owner. If a Keeper is traded or released his new owner picks up where the last left off.
  - If the Keeper Cost occurs in a round where the owner has 2 picks (due to trade) he is penalized his original pick, not the acquired one, regardless of placement.
  - If the Keeper Cost occurs in a round where the owner has traded out his original pick but acquired a 2nd he will be penalized that pick. Cost will not move up a round unless there are no more picks in that round.
  - If the Keeper Cost occurs in a round in which the owner has no more picks then the price moves up one round, but will be considered its original round for the sake of longterm keeper cost.
  See Keepers Cost for further details.
  
  
• Franchise Keepers
  - Each owner may designate one of his 5 keepers a full Franchise Keeper (F1) and 1 a partial Franchise Keeper (F2). He does not have to do either.
  - F1 full Franchise Keeper may be kept without cost of any draft pick.
  - F2 partial Franchise Keeper may be kept at half the cost of a regular keeper. He continues to cost a draft pick but it only elevates 1 round each season.
  - A player may be Franchised as many times as his owner wishes.
  - Once a player has the Franchise tag taken off of him he can no longer be kept and reenters into the draft pool.
  - A F2 may be upgraded to a F1. A F1 may not be downgraded to a F2.
  - All rules apply regardless of owner. If a Franchise Keeper is traded or released his new owner picks up where the last left off.
  See Keepers Cost for further details.
  
  
• Trades
  - Trades may occur during the draft, in season, or out. The only time when trades can not be made is between the Trade Deadline and the end of the playoffs. The commissioner reserves to the right to halt trading temporarily in matters of bookkeeping.
  - Eligible to be traded are major league roster members, minor league keepers, and draft picks (including in future years). Nothing else may be part of a trade including but not limited to money and other fantasy league commodities.
  - If a trade is deemed unfair to look like owners are circumventing the rules, colluding, or being taken advantage of the commish reserves the right to halt the trade. The league can approve or veto a trade by vote.
  
  
• Minor League Keepers
  - Any player is eligible provided he is not currently on a major league roster and has not qualified as a ML rookie in the past. MLB defines rookies as anyone who has spent 45 days on a ML roster, had 130 ABs, or pitched 50 innings.
  - Any eligible player called up to the majors after 8/31 will not lose his eligibility based on September numbers and will not be removed from mLeague rosters at the end of the season.
  - All mLeague Keepers will be available only to the owners who have kept them. If someone else picks them up the commish will correct that.
  - If a mLeague Keeper makes the major league roster the owner is not required to promote him to the major league roster.
  - A Keeper is free to be dropped and replaced with another player any time during the season, provided the player is eligible.
  - A Keeper is free to be traded in any deal provided all roster limits are adhered to.
  - mLeague Keepers are frozen during the offseason and no additions may be made between the end of the season and the mLeague Draft. Trades are allowed.
  - At the start of each new season any players no longer eligible will be taken off teams (unless made full Keepers) and each May a new draft will be used to fill any open slots.
  - If a player is drafted in the main draft and kept on the major league roster until the mL draft he may be demoted once the rosters unlock, provided he qualifies. This demotion must be made in place of one of the owner's scheduled picks. If all picks are made he loses this eligibility and must clear waivers to be demoted.
  - If an owner wishes to demote a player added to the major league roster as a free agent he must put him through waivers on the major league roster. Any successful waiver claim may be used to put player on Minor League Keeper roster or major league roster. If player clears waivers owner may demote him.
  - If a minor league keeper is called up to MLB and then demoted back down, the fantasy owner may also demote him provided that he meets all mLeague Keeper qualifications. No waivers necessary.
  See Minor League Keeper Rosters for details.
  

______________________________



Schedule

NOTE: All times EST.

• 10/1/08
  - Major League Rosters lock. No more cuts or adds. Trades allowed.
  - Minor League Keepers lock. No more cuts or adds. Trades allowed.
  - Trading allowed for all picks, minor leaguers, and major leaguers.
  - Draft Order Set.
  
• 2/2/09
  - Keepers designated. All other players released to the Draft pool.
  - Franchise Keepers must be designated if being designated.
  - Draft adjusted for Keeper penalties.
  - Two week delay for bookkeeping.
  
• 2/16/09
  - Draft Begins.
  
• 4/5/09
  - Season Begins
  
• 5/4/09
  - Minor League Draft begins.
  - Minor League Rosters unlock.
  
• 8/14/09
  - Trade Deadline
  
• 10/1/09
  - Major League Rosters lock. No more cuts or adds. Trades allowed.
  - Minor League Keepers lock. No more cuts or adds. Trades allowed.
  - Trading allowed for all picks, minor leaguers, and major leaguers.
  - Draft Order Set.

[The Jewish Cunthead]

This is our bible. Take a bow, sir.

[Jack Quinn]

well done sir. Any chance we can add a 6th bench spot? Or are we keeping it as is? Just wonderin

[Lucky]

I have no idea why we have 27 roster spots. Part of me is tempted to drop to 25 but that seems too little considering we play MI, CI, and OF (which I like). I was considering suggesting jumping to 14 teams and then 25 would make sense but in the end I think 12 is the perfect number. Part of me thinks 28 spots is too many but with the minor leaguers and keepers maybe that's not true. Suddenly hanging onto Alex Gordon hangs heavier and that extra roster spot is helpful. I'll put that up for debate in the offseason. Just remind me. I'm not against it. I could use an extra roster spot right now. I just don't want it to get crazy.

Speaking of crazy I also was sort of considering suggesting we adopt a 40 man roster. 28 major league spots, 2 DL, and 10 Minor League. But it strikes me that might be excessive and it seems like half the league isn't all that able or interested in filling 5 minor league spots I dunno. Again, I might bring it up in the offseason.

I also mentioned a weird idea to GM the other day that I might fly by you guys. About adopting the same sort of post trade deadline waiver rules that MLB has. But its a bit screwy and again, maybe just something I'll throw out there in the offseason.

[Jack Quinn]

well Sop and I were talking it over the other day. Six came up because then, in theory at least, you could have 3 bench spots for position players, and 3 bench spots for pitchers. Again, just a thought, no big deal either way, but I wouldn't want to see it get too big either, then you run into the same problems we had in the Free League, there just are no decent players available should one of your guys get hurt. Seriously, I had a pitcher go down and Tim Fucking Redding was my best option.

[Mikey]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. That's what i say.

I also say that when this discussion dies, we delete all the responses and lock this baby up.

[Lucky]

That is actually my intention. I just wanted to leave it open for people to point out mistakes or whatnot. Or suggest changes.

Yeah, those other changes I mentioned are probably just excessive and more hassle then they're worth. The 6th bench spot might make sense and only lessens the pool by 12. I dunno.

[National Champion Chris Cole]

Even though the rule helped me this season I still think the Consilation Winner should get number one pick. Any new owners should slot in at 2. That's my two cents. I even brought it up before the season and was willing to let Moose take number one.

[Lucky]

Yeah, you're right. I'm doing that. I didn't want to do it last year because you and GM had been promised the top 2 spots but really, its the prize. There's noone sitting around waiting to be the new team so noone has been promised it. Might as well change that rule now.

[The Jewish Cunthead]

(b) Consolation Playoff Champion who takes 1st pick.

A-Rod is MINE bitches!

[Jack Quinn]

which means three days into the season he blows out his ACL

[The Jewish Cunthead]

oh go fuck yourself and jump in front of a bus already

[Sparty]

A-Rod will only be yours because of a technicality. How can you possibily be proud of that?

[The Jewish Cunthead]

Technicality or not, I'm actually proud of my mini comeback after being in the basement most of the year.

[Jack Quinn]

what technicality?

[Mikey]

what favor?

[The Jewish Cunthead]

when it's over

[Attitude Adjuster]

First pick in the draft means nothing. I'm playing for the last pick...for the second straight year...IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!!

[Lucky]

I'm gonna have the 2nd to last pick for the 2nd year in a row. That sucks.

[National Champion Chris Cole]

Does that make me third to last?

[Lucky]

Yeah.

[Lucky]

Right now it would be:

1. Solly/Army
2. Dragon
3. Dev
4. Army/Solly
5. GM
6. Vols
7. Pun
8. Mike/Moose
9. Moose/AA
10. MKid
11. Lucky
12. AA/Mike

So Moose could lose or gain a spot depending on the winner of the championship but otherwise its all set besides those two matchups. I'm not sure if Dragon and Army are going to be back so they might be expansion teams. But Dragon's due for the 2 spot anyway and Army might end up getting the 1.