In my absence, I'd like the league to chew on two proposals,
each designed to strengthen commitment to the league and
foster stability, something we've had some, er, trouble with
of late.

The first would implement $15 annual dues. These dues would
be paid to the commissioner, and be distributed among the people
who administer the league, as a small compensation for the time
involved in doing so, particularly when managers drop out.

The second would implement a $100 performance bond. At the
beginning of the year, each manager would send $100 to the
commissioner, or another designee. The $100 would be in the
form of a check made out to a charity as yet to be determined,
although a baseball-related one such as RBI or BAT would seem
appropriate.

At the end of the season, assuming a manager has played his
games and sent out his instructions, he gets his money back. If
a manager disappears, he loses his bond. Note that losing the
bond is a last resort, after all channels have been exhausted.
Additionally, managers who must leave their teams for 
good reason--family, career, personal situations--would not
likely lose their bond.

(Note: certain details remain to be worked out, but there is
a mechanism more or less in place to implement this.)

Think of this as the Dare-McDonald Clause, and I think you'll
see the  of the rule.

I encourage people to exchange thoughts on these proposals.
I do not present them lightly; they are the product of many hours
of discussions and e-mail with league members and other Strat
acquaintances. I truly believe they will stabilize the league, and
help us avoid some of the nasty problems of 1996-97.