BIG League Baseball2007
¨ The
Rules of Play ¨
·
The
BIG League was founded in 1975.
·
The
BIG League is a 26 team organization divided into two leagues with two
divisions in each:
American League – 12 teams/2 divisions – Joe DiMaggio Division & Ted
Williams Division
National League – 14 teams/2 divisions – Henry Aaron Division &
Willie Mays Division
·
BIG
League Executive Staff:
¨ Commissioner -
Brandon Rose
¨ President - Willie
Jelks
¨ Webmaster - Steve
Bradshaw
¨ Competition
Committee - Mark Hetterich, Jack Stephens & Chick Wade
·
BIG
League plays Diamond Mind Baseball/Version 9 with the current season player disk.
·
BIG
League business is handled
exclusively online.
·
BIG
League information is available at the BIG League Baseball website.
·
Players
are owned from year-to-year by the same franchise unless a player is traded or
released.
·
Before
the start of the regular season and during the regular season all database updates
will be provided to you by Commissioner Brandon Rose.
·
During
the regular and post season, each team is allowed a maximum roster of 35
players of which a minimum of 25 players must have a game rating. A rated player may be moved from the active to
inactive roster - and vice versa - before the start of each series, but not
during a series.
·
You
can activate a maximum of 25 players for each series. The lone exception to this rule is for the
month of September/October when you can activate every rated player on your
roster.
·
Each
BIG League team plays their home games in one of the 30 Major League Baseball
ballparks.
·
The
BIG League official regular season schedule is the schedule in the DMB BIG
League organization database.
·
Reference
the BIG League Opening Day database for the complete regular season schedule.
·
The
BIG League regular season is 160 games - 80 home games and 80 away games - and
played from April through October.
C. Post-Season BIG League Blast
·
The
BIG League Blast is an annual 12-team
tournament played at the close of the regular season either at Hetterich Manor
in Pensacola, Florida or Wade Manor in Auburn, Alabama to determine the BIG
League champion. To qualify for the BIG
League Blast you must be a division champion or have one of the four
best winning percentages among the non-division winners in your league;
American or National. Your place of
finish in the standings within your division does not determine whether you
qualify for post-season play. Qualifying
is strictly based on the best overall winning percentage. Note: All ties in the standings will be
broken by: 1. Head-to-Head results. 2.
Best road winning percentage. 3. Best
home winning percentage 4. Coin toss.
·
All
BIG League Blast series are Best-of-7
games format. Home field advantage goes
to the team with the best winning percentage for the regular season. In case of a tie, the tie breaking method
will be: 1. Head-to-Head results. 2. Best road winning percentage. 3. Best home winning percentage. 4. Coin toss.
·
Injuries
are turned off.
·
Regular Season
Position Players At Bat Limits: 25-50=50,
51-100=100, 101-200=200, 201-300=300, 301-400=400, 401-500=500, 501-600=600,
600+=No at bat limits.
·
If
a position player has 25+ at bats and his Slugging Average + On-Base Percentage
is LESS than .600 the player has no at bat limits. These position players are limited to their
actual number of real-life stolen bases for the season.
·
Position
players with a Batting Average LESS than .220 receive an additional 100 at bats
and position players with a Batting Average LESS than .200 receive an additonal
200 at bats. These position players are
limited to their actual number of real-life stolen bases.
·
The
designated hitter is used.
·
Pitchers
can bat starting the game if necessary to save at bats. Pitchers can pinch hit only if they have a
position player or pinch-hitter rating.
Pitchers can pinch run but cannot attempt to steal.
·
Regular Season
Pitcher Usage Limits: A starting pitcher with 2+ games started and
an Earned Run Average LESS than 5.00 is limited to his real life games
started. A relief pitcher with 15+
innings pitched and an Earned Run Average LESS than 5.00 is limited to his real
life innings pitched. A starter/reliever
with either 2+ games started and/or 15+ innings pitched and an Earned Run
Average LESS than 5.00 is limited to his games started and relief appearances
unless he is used strictly in relief, then use his innings pitched for the
usage limit. Special pitching note
– A starting pitcher with an Earned Run Average LESS than 5.00 used exclusively
as a reliever is limited to his innings pitched.
·
Pitchers with an Earned Run Average 5.00+ that are
used strictly as starting
pitchers can make a maximum of 35 starts.
Relief pitchers and starter/relievers are allowed to pitch a maximum of
200 innings.
·
Starting
pitchers must rest a minimum of three games between starts within a series.
·
Pitchers
with fractional innings pitched totals whose usage is based upon real-life
innings pitched, will have that fractional total rounded up to the next whole
number, i.e., Brad Lidge threw 94.2 innings making his limit 95 innings.
·
September/October Call-Ups: Position players
with LESS than 25 at bats and pitchers with LESS than 15 innings pitched, 15
games pitched, or 2 games started are limited to September/October play
only. Their playing use is dictated by their
real-life playing time and they are NOT eligible for the playoffs. Any overuse of these position
players/pitchers will result in the loss of that player.
·
Every
team must carry enough at bats at each position for the entire season. One player can back up more than one
position.
·
Diamond
Mind Baseball allows you to play a player at a position he is not rated to
play. DMB has built into the game the ability to measure a player’s defensive
liabilities when he is playing a position he is not rated to play. Additionally, they offer a disclaimer stating
that playing a player at a position he is not rated to play shouldn’t be for
any extended length of playing time. So
agrees the BIG League Rules Committee.
Players may only play a non-rated position in an emergency or unusual
circumstance. Repeated use of a player
or players at a non-rated position will result in disciplinary action.
·
Overuse
of position players/pitchers will not be tolerated. The co-commissioners will review each overuse
infraction and decide each penalty individually. Depending on the severity of the infraction
you could lose the player[s], draft pick[s] or a roster spot[s].
·
For
each series the visiting manager must provide the home team manager with a
Manager Profile for his team. Disregard this rule when the series is going to
be played face-to-face or via the internet.
·
Contingency
manager profiles will be on file with Commissioner Brandon Rose and President Willie Jelks. If you are waiting on a Manager Profile,
first e-mail the tardy manager[s] and ask for their Manager Profile. If you do not receive a timely response – in
one or two days at the most - then contact Commissioner Brandon Rose and/or President Willie Jelks via
e-mail and ask for the contingency Manager Profile[s] you need.
·
Written
instructions are not allowed.
F. Series
Reporting
·
Series reports are due at
the end of each month of play. Being on
time with your monthly series reporting is of the utmost importance. If you are going to be late – for any reason
- it is your responsibility to inform either Co-Commissioner. Being habitually late for no reason will
result in some kind of punishment or expulsion from the BIG League.
·
Send the entire month of series files via e-mail
attachment to:
Willie Jelks.
·
Send the individual series files via e-mail attachment
to:
The visiting manager for each series.
·
Willie Jelks will enter the series files into the BIG
League2007 database. Then after
that month’s waiver draft Commissioner Brandon Rose will
distribute the new database update.
G. Waiver
Wire Draft
·
The
waiver list is made up of the players that are not on any BIG League team.
These players can be found on the current BIG League database in the
View>Organizer>Players department or Report>Standard>Batting
Register or Pitching Register>Free Agents
·
There
will be a waiver draft [cuts/claims] on the first day following the completion
of each month’s play. Each waiver draft
deadline will be announced in advance via e-mail. You will send a list of
claims/cuts via e-mail to: Commissioner
Brandon Rose.
·
The
Waiver Draft results will be sent out via e-mail and posted on BIG League
Baseball website.
·
You
can make one successful waiver claim/cut per round. You can make as many waiver claims/cuts each
waiver period as you want. The waiver
claims/cuts selection order is Worst-to-Best winning percentage using the
current BIG League standings. With the tie breakers being: 1. Head-to-Head
results. 2. Best road winning
percentage. 3. Best home winning
percentage. 4. Coin toss.
H. Trading
·
Trading
officially starts with the completion of the current BIG League regular season.
·
You
can trade any players on your roster and rookie draft picks that you possess.
·
The
only future draft picks you can trade are those one year in advance of the
upcoming rookie draft.
·
Report all trades
via e-mail to: Commissioner
Brandon Rose.
I. Rookie Draft
·
Players
who are not on a BIG League team roster who receive a game rating by Diamond
Mind Baseball are eligible to be drafted.
·
The
BIG League Rookie Draft is held annually in January on Martin Luther King
Holiday Weekend - the weekend preceding the third Monday in January - at Rose
Manor in Fort Myers, Florida.
·
For
those managers unable to attend the rookie draft you can participate in one of
two additional ways:
¨ In the BIG League
Rookie Draft AOL Chat Room.
¨ Send a draft list
via e-mail to Commissioner Brandon Rose.
·
The
BIG League uses the traditional Worst-to-Best order of regular season winning
percentage draft system. With the tie
breakers being: 1. Head-to-Head results.
2. Best road winning percentage.
3. Best home winning percentage.
4. Coin toss.
·
Rookie
Draft results will be posted following the rookie draft on the BIG League
Baseball website.
J. Post-Season
BIG League Blast Position Players & Pitchers Usage Limits
·
Position Players At
Bat Limits: 0-50=3, 51-100=6,
101-200=12, 201-300=17, 301-400=22, 401-500=27, 501-600=32, 600+=No at bat limits.
·
Pitcher Usage
Limits: Starting
pitchers/playoff starts = actual starts divided by ten and rounded down. Relief pitchers/playoff innings = actual
innings divided by ten and rounded up.
Pitchers with earned run averages 5.00+ will have their playoff usage
determined by the aforementioned methods using their real life games
started/innings pitched not their unlimited usage allowances.
·
Extra Innings Games: Any at bats or
innings pitched used will not count against a player or pitchers playoff usage
limits.
·
There
will be a one travel day [rest] after games 2 and 5 [if necessary] for all
playoff series.