DIAMOND MIND BASEBALL - FANTASY BASEBALL SEASON 2002
(Based on statistics from the 2001 season)

Welcome to the Diamond Mind Baseball section of my web site.  I am currently running a simulated fantasy baseball league using the Diamond Mind Baseball simulation PC game, arguably the best stats-based simulation game in existence!  Below is my league, setup, rules and all:

THE LEAGUE

My baseball league has gone through a slight metamorphosis this year, as we "re-aligned" the league and split it into two different leagues (NATIONAL and AMERICAN) leagues.  However, unlike the MLB, BOTH leagues have the DH rule.  So, here are the new divisions:

Everything you will need is right above in the first table on the page.  All reports are generated right from the software itself.  The leaders and injuries will be updated on a weekly basis.  The scores and standings will be updated, although I cannot say on a daily basis, as I've been known to run more than one days games in one day, so I will have to post all the scores of the games that are run.  If you have any questions, let me know.  To see the most recent rosters for any team, simply click the name of the team in the League tables above.  Those of you involved in the league, you know how to contact me, so no sense in putting my e-mail on this page too, now is there? ;)

THE RULES

Well ... this is where it gets tricky. You see ... I don't really have any.  Just kidding.  I do, but not as strict as I'd like.  So let's go over the most important rule of all ... the Salary Structure of the league.  Each team started the 2000 season (my inaugural season, so to speak) with a $100 million salary cap.  Any money that they do not spend towards their 40-man roster will be carried over and added to this season's salary base, which will be $120 million.  Teams that make the playoffs will also receive more money to spend the following year, with the World Champion getting $5 million extra (See the bank section for more information).  Teams that cannot afford their roster will either have the option of trading or releasing talent, so manage wisely. Those who find it hard to trade away expensive players who did not have productive seasons (thus decreasing their initial worth) or are just plain over the salary cap have the option of releasing or "waiving" players. These players, however, will NOT be able to be signed by any other team for that season. After the next season, the original team then has the option of re-signing that player at their salary set for the upcoming season. If not, they will be declared eligible for the draft.

After consultation with the other members of our governing body, the draft will consist of a lottery type system (almost like the NBA) to make it more interesting and to prevent any "lose on purpose" strategy to secure the number one pick in the draft for the next season, as there may be one or two fantasy players added in each draft.  The worst team in the league will definitely have the greatest chance of securing the number one pick, but like the NBA, that doesn't always happen. This will go into effect in the 2002 season.

The next rule I have really isn't a rule.  Since this is FANTASY baseball, I decided to make it a little more interesting and incorporated FANTASY players, basically these are pitchers and position players with packed stats, not too over the top, but good enough to be all-stars in any league.  Are they worth $252 million?  I don't think so, I don't think Alex Rodriguez is worth it either though, so that's just my opinion.  The addition of FANTASY players allowed myself and my friends to have a little fun and put us into the game (using fake names of course, well ... some of us, others had too big of an ego to want to change their name ... hehehe).  So, if you happen to be browsing the leaders and see some names you don't recognize, don't think that you are completely lost when it comes to players in baseball, they could just be one of those FANTASY players I just mentioned.

Fantasy players are now only added at the descretion of myself or the Commissioner of the League. In any case, they would be created and entered into the draft, unless otherwise explicitly stated. FP's are like any other players and can be traded or sold to other teams. For more on fantasy players, and their salaries, see the tables below.

Trading during the season is allowed until the trading deadline of our baseball season, which is July 31st, the same as the MLB.  When players are traded mid-season, their salaries will be prorated and the trading team will pay for the time spent on the team.  Ex.  If Barry Bonds is traded after 50% of the season to Toronto, San Francisco will pay 50% of his salary, and Toronto will pay the other half for the season, unless otherwise stated by the involved parties or details of the trade itself.

Free Agent signings are possible, only those players that were released from another team may be signed, but only till the end of that season.  This prevents anyone from signing a "future" star midway through one season to secure him for the next.  The salaries of the players signed will be paid in full for the year.  Their entire salary will be added to your current payrolll and they will become free agents again at the end of the year and be entered into the draft for the next season.

More rules to come when the need arises ...

TRADING

If you have any trade proposals, please send them to DMB_Commish@yahoo.com where they will be reviewed and you will be notified by the "Commissioner's Office" of the league with either (a) yes (b) no or (c) a counter offer or any combination of the preceding.

THE BANK

In this section, you will find the links to the league and the separate teams bank accounts, with a listing of how much you get by making the playoffs and winning the World Championship.  This will determine if you can afford to be competitive next season!  Each team is listed there and it also tells you how much bank you will be forwarding to next year.  You can review the BANK STATEMENT here.

FANTASY PLAYERS

Fantasy players are really what makes this league interesting and unpredictable.  However, when a fantasy player does not perform up to the stats of the previous year or if he does better, then we check the tables below to see what becomes of the player.