I. INTRODUCTION
The APBA OLD TIMERS LEAGUE was formed in 2002 and will be know as OTL This
will be a modern day league with continuous ownership league and all players,
once drafted, will remain with your team until traded or released. OTL is
a league that plays micromanager league with the playoffs being played live.
The regular season has live play as an option, via the internet. We use AIM,
fatigue, injuries, Non DH Leagues, 162 games schedule season, with
no interleague play.
II. LEAGUE STRUCTURE
A-The league is composed of 2 Leagues American League and National League
B-The league is composed of 4 Divisions, Babe Ruth Division, Cy Young, Willie
Stargell Division, and Pete Rose Division
C-This is a full aim league with injuries and fatigue used in this league.
D-OTL will only have Non DH leagues.
E-The winners of each division will make the playoffs
F-The 2 best records in each league not winning their division will be the
wild card teams.
G-In the event of a tie a ONE GAME playoff will determine the division winners
or a wild card team. Ties for division titles will be broken before any ties
for a wild card spot are determined. A coin flip will determine the home
team for any one game playoff game
H-Playoff series will be 2-3-2 series
I-Wild Card teams will play the division winners with best record from division
winner getting the worst wild card record of the wild card teams.
J-All players will be reset for the start of playoffs, any injury or fatigue
that happen during the playoffs will stand.
K-Games will be played live via Netmeeting, pcAnywhere or APBA system.
L-There will be no free agents picked up during the season
M-There will be no home park effects in OTL
N-Playoff rosters will be 26 man roster. You will not be able to move men
up or down unless their is an injury to a player, that will put him out for
the rest of the playoff season. If that happens then you can bring up a player
between series, but that player must be able to play the position of the
player that he is replacing.
O-Owners that don't get files in on time and don't will have the penalties
3 missed results = 3rd round pick lost
5 missed results = 3rd and 2nd round picks lost
7 missed results = 3rd, 2nd and 1st round picks lost
8 misses or more you will be asked to leave the league
If picks are lost by a team and a new owner takes over that team, the picks
are restored.
III. BEGINNING THE SEASON
A. The season will start at a time determined by the commissioner (generally
between mid-March and April 1st.) The season will run for approximately 6
months. Prior to the season, all managers will send a roster file with lineups
and rotations to the commissioner.
B. Each manager will have the opportunity to make changes to his active roster,
rotation, and lineups before each series.
C. APBA Baseball for Windows (BBW) Version 4.0 or higher will be the program
used by the OTL. All mangers must have a copy of this program and League
Manager, Advanced draft and Statmaster to participate in the OTL.
D. The commissioner will provide the initial Organization Disk prior to the
season. Please do not set up your own organization disk.
E. All new rules will be voted in at the Winter Meeting before the draft,
51% of the owners will enact a new rule to the league
F. All rule changes will take 75% of the owners to change, and will be voted
in before the draft.
G. All matters for discussion must be handed into the commissioner before
the winter meetings start.
IV. PLAYING THE SEASON
A. The OTL series will be 3 or 4 games in length vs. one opponent
B. Games will be played in a 3 day period.
C. Franchise files with game results will be due to the commissioner by 8
PM central time zone on the third day.
D. The commissioner will send results file out
E. Any manager desiring to make changes to his active roster, rotation or
lineups can submit a new default file with in 24 hours, by 8 PM central
time.
F. The commissioner will send a new games file out within 24 hours after
the results file are due in the commissioner's office.
E. Any manager desiring to make changes to their active roster, rotation
or lineups will do so and send their f-file to me by 8 pm cst, the day after
the results file is sent out to the league.
F. Any trades that are made during a week must be reported to the commissioner
by both teams before the commissioner file is sent out in order to use the
players in that week’s games, and then the commissioner will approve
or disapprove all trades.
G-All teams will send results to the commissioner via OTL egroup.
H-All C-files and default files will be sent via OTL egroup.
I-Rain Outs commissioner will reschedule the game if needed.
J-If a series has to be sim or played with a micromanager the default manager
will be Felipe Hernandez if one isn't name. All teams should name a micromanager
in the case that their team is in a series where one is needed.
V. ROSTER RULE
A. Team rosters will be limited to 40 players, including up to six (6) prospects.
The big league roster will be 26 men and the balance on the farm team. Prospects
are defined as minor league players, amateur players, or uncarded major league
players.
1-PROSPECT players are those who are not carded by APBA for the current season
(and placed by the manager on the PROSPECT roster) or have never been carded.
When placed on this list, these players carry a three (3) year contract.
This contract is canceled only if the player receives an APBA card in a
subsequent season or the three-year period expires. PROSPECT players CANNOT
be released prior to the end of three years and they MUST be released if
not carded in three years.
2-If a player does not receive an APBA card in three years, he is automatically
waived and eligible to be drafted by any team during the next pre-season
draft
3-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 (2) above
4-FREE AGENTS there will be no free agents pickup during the season. What
ever players you have after drafts will be all that will be added to the
league for that season. The only way you can add a new player to your team
is via a trade with another team.
B. ROSTER CLARIFICATIONS
1-As used in this league “Carded” means “played in the major
leagues” APBA currently rates ALL players who appeared in the majors
and all players appear on the data disk
2-Uncarded and PROSPECT players CANNOT appear in an OTL league game.
3-During the final month of the season, all carded players on your roster
are eligible to be active. Commissioner will notify the league of the date
that this may take place.
4-Teams will carry on their rosters players on the Big League Team.
VI. TRADING
A. Trading is open all year. However, in season trades must be completed
by the end of 4 months of play to take effect for the rest of that season.
The commissioner will announce the specific date for each season. Any trades
made after that date will not take effect until the off-season
B. Trades made IN SEASON must adhere to roster restrictions. If a trade gives
a manager more than 40 players he MUST cut a player (or players) immediately.
C. Trades made in the OFF SEASON do not have to adhere to all the roster
rules. A team may acquire more than 40 players in the off season prior to
the draft, but must cut to 40 players before the draft starts.
D. IMPORTANT NOTE: Managers must be careful when trading for PROSPECTS. Teams
may never have more than 6 prospects. If it is determined by the commissioner
that the number of PROSPECTS the manager has who will not receive cards is
six (6), then any trade involving an seventh PROSPECT will be voided
E. Draft picks may only be traded for the immediate upcoming pre-season draft.
Trading of future draft picks (two or more years away) is not allowed. The
conclusion of the pre-season draft marks the time that next year’s draft
picks can be traded.
F. Trades are deemed complete when both managers notify the commissioner.
Each owner is to send to the commissioner what the deal is and that they
confirm this deal. Once that is done and I see that both owners have confirmed
the same deal I will then announce the trade to the league.
H. All trades will be handled by the commissioner and sent out on next
c-file.
VII. PRE-SEASON DRAFT
A. The pre-season draft will be at a time determined by the commissioner
after checking with a majority of the league’s members.
B. The draft will be conducted on-line via chat room determined by the
commissioner. Managers who cannot attend the chat session can submit draft
lists, each member will be given 3 mins. to make there pick in each round.
C. The draft will consist of:
1. In reverse order of finish from the previous OTL season win percentage
and will draft 1-8
A-The 8 playoff teams will draft 9-16 regardless of season record
B-The teams that loose in round one will pick 9-12 and their season record
will seed them.
C-League Championship series looser will draft 13 and 14
D-The World Series Loser will draft 15
E-The OTL League Champion will draft 16
F-The order for ties will be determined by the season win/lost record, if
tied then we will go to head to head games, if still tied we will use division
record, and if still tied we will use runs scored in the season and if still
tied the commissioner will flip a coin.
2-All players (professional or amateur) not currently on OTL rosters will
be eligible for drafting
3-The draft will be 8 rounds
4-Teams that go over the 40 man roster including prospects have 7 days to
cut down to the 40 man roster before the draft.
VIII. WAIVERS
A. At the conclusion of the pre-season draft there will be a 7 day trading
period, rosters will be cut to 40 players
B. All released players, as well as all carded players not drafted in January
will be available for the waiver process
C. The order of selection of players is the same as Round 1 of the January
draft.
D-There will be 3 rounds in the waiver draft, if you pick a player you must
cut one at that time.
E-This draft will be via email and each owner will have 24 hours to notify
the commissioner on their pick, if no pick is made in that period, that pick
will be lost and we move on to the next owner.
F-Waiver draft picks can't be traded
IX. PLAYER MINIMUMS AND AIM
A-The OTL uses full Advanced Injury Management (AIM).
B-All injuries incurred during OTL play will count.
C-Injuries WILL NOT carry over into the playoffs.
D--Players will be allowed to attempt 150% of their total steal attempts
for the season.
1-If a player attempts more it will cost the owner his third round draft
pick for the first violation.
2-Second violation will cost him his second round pick only.
3-Third violation his first round pick only.
4-Fourth violation first round and third pick.
5-Fifth violation first round and second round pick.
6-Sixth violation first, second and third round picks
X. PLAYER RESTRICTIONS
A. AIM takes care of virtually all of our player restrictions. As long as
a player is not injured you can keep using him, even if it is more than he
was used in real life.
B. Players will be allowed to attempt 150% of their total steal attempts
for the season.
If a player attempts more it will cost the owner his third round draft pick
for the first violation.
Second violation will cost him his second round pick only.
Third violation his first round pick only.
Fourth violation first round and third pick.
Fifth violation first round and second round pick.
Sixth violation first, second and third round picks.
XI. COMMISSIONER’S ROLE
A. The commissioner’s role is to best serve the interests of the APBA
OLD TIMERS LEAGUE
B. The commissioner has the right to appoint his Vice Commissioner
C. The commissioner shall have the authority to mediate disputes on
organizational issues or between managers and make final decisions when all
sides of an issue have been presented and are still unresolved.
D. The commissioner shall have the authority to assess penalties and or dismiss
managers for habitually late stats or league correspondence (this includes
email to other owners), or other conduct detrimental to the OTL. This
specifically includes collusion or cheating of any type.
E. If a team owners doesn't submit his files on time the first time he get
a warning, the second time it will cost you a 3 pick, third time a 2 pick,
forth time a 1 pick, and if there is another time in that season he will
be removed as the owner of that team. When a new owner is found all draft
picks will be restored to the new owner
F. The commissioner, above all, shall strive to be accessible to league members
and help promote communication and understanding among the members of the
OTL.
G. If the commissioner ruling is taken to the board for review, he will send
a report to the board members stating why the ruling was made in that
manner.
XII VICE COMMISSIONER’S ROLE
A-To help the commissioner in any way that may be need to keep OTL running
normal.
B-To appoint a 5 man review board for the league he will not sit on this
board.
C-The board will have final say on all matter during the season once the
commissioner has ruled on it and if a owner is not happy with the ruling
he may take it to the review board.
D-If any board member/members is part of a dispute between the commissioner
and himself, he/they will not be allowed to sit for that review.
XIII REVIEW BOARD MEMBERS
A-There will be 5 owner's appointed by the Vice Commissioner, will hold their
seat as long as they want and they are a owner in OTL
B-They will review any ruling made by the commissioner against any team or
an owner in OTL during the playing season only, once the commissioner has
made his ruling on a matter. Owners must notify the Commissioner that he
wants the ruling review by the Review Board with 48 hours after the ruling
in writing. Once the Commissioner receives this email on what he is asking
the board to review then the commissioner will send it to the board
members.
C-Any member/members of this board can only be replaced if a owner ask the
commissioner to hold a league vote to remove that board member/members.
D-If a vote is held to remove a board member/members it will take 75% of
the owner's to have him/them replaced.
E-All reviews held by this board will give there vote to the Vice Commissioner,
and he will report the results to the league,
F-In the case that the board is dead locked, the Commissioner ruling will
stand on the matter in front of the review board.
