League Rules for SBDL
In the SN-SOM ATG5 game format
As of April 6, 2010
Section A: Core Values
1. League Structure
a. ATG 5
b. Salary Cap: 100M
c. no-DH
d. Advanced
e. 5/10/20 penalty
2. Unique ballparks
a. Any ballparks eligible in ATG5 can be used.
3. The player pool will not exceed 12 letter groupings (more below) at any time.
Section B: League and Initial Team Creation
1. League Creation
a. The ATG5 player set is divided by letters of players’ last names as well as by hitter and pitcher:
HITTERS
Letter(s) # of Hitters
M 250
B 220
S 199
C, U 193
H, E, Z 199
W, O, Y 198
R, A, Q 197
G, K 202
D, F, I 196
L, J, N 207
P, T, V 204
PITCHERS
Letter(s) # of Pitchers
B, J 190
M, T 192
S, A, Y 190
H, F, U 188
C, D, Q 187
R, W, Z 187
L, P, N 187
G, K, E, O, V, U 187
b. Base player pool is 12 letter groupings of which at least four must be hitters and hour must be pitchers.
c. The base player pool is created by a single-round draft in which each manager selects one grouping to be added to the pool.
d. Draft order for the league creation is by a randomizer, to be solicited on the main ATG forum.
e. Divisional alignment TO BE DETERMINED.
2. Initial Team Creation
a. Live draft is 14 rounds, consisting of 13 players and one ballpark.
b. Draft order is overall winning percentage of SBDL career. Worst-to-first, serpentine.
c. Draft to be conducted on http://www.diamonddope.com .
Section C: Between Seasons
1. 3-1-3 Keeper format.
a. Each owner announces 3 keeper, or protected, players.
i. A keeper (protected player) is a player from the manager's roster at the end of the preceding season. added 4/6/10
ii. In cases where the keeper has multiple seasons available, at the time the keeper is announced the manager must select the player's season (e.g., Manager X announces Hank Aaron is a keeper and the season is 1957, which is a change from the 1959 of the preceding season). added 4/6/10
b. Then there is a steal round, worst to first, where one remaining player gets stolen from each owner’s roster.
i. In the steal round, the player is stolen not the player card (e.g., Manager X steals Hank Aaron from Manager Y, not specifically the season that was on Manager Y's roster). added 4/6/10
ii. The stolen player's season does not have to be announced at time of being stolen, but is otherwise considered a keeper from this point forward. added 4/6/10
c. Then another round of announcing keepers of (up to) three players.
d. Maximum players per owner’s roster at this point is 7, minimum is 4.
e. The 7 keepers (this includes the steal round selection) must adhere to a maximum of no more than 4 position players or pitchers, thus a 4:3 ratio.
f. If keeping less than 7 players, you must have at least 1 of each type.
i. Thus, if keeping 6, the acceptable ratios would be 4:2, 3:3; 5 keepers - 4:1, 3:2; 4 keepers - 3:1, 2:2.
g. Keeper player list must be posted in specific forum thread by predetermined time to be compiled by commissioner at end of each season.
2. Retirement.
a. One letter grouping from the player pool will be removed at random (using randomizer.org or the like) never to be used again.
b. Keepers can be from “retired” groupings, but that is the only way the players remain active. Think of this as giving players guaranteed contracts (e.g., the letters C, U Hitters grouping is retired, but Team X puts Ty Cobb on his keeper list for X additional seasons before he "retires").
c. A player from a retired grouping cut during the regular season remains active for that season. For example if Team X cuts Ty Cobb after game 75, anyone can pick him up before game 142 to keep him active in the league.
i. If such a player is ever cut after Game 142 or left unprotected, the player has retired.
ii. Such a player can be traded; again as long as the player remains active, he has not retired.
d. The retired grouping is replaced with one previously unused letter grouping from ATG 5. Again using a random method, one grouping from the unused list will join the player pool. This will further stimulate the strategy and live draft portion of the time between seasons.
e. The retiring and adding of groupings will occur prior to Game 82 of the current regular season, though the actual removal and addition of players from the pool does not occur until after the season ends.
i. Commissioner may request another league owner help with this process.
3. Drafting.
a. Six-round live draft following keeper announcements.
i. To be conducted on www.diamonddope.com
b. NFL style: Worst-to-first only (12-1, 12-1, 12-1…) from previous season, playoff results included.
c. Tie breakers: Head-to-head; if tie remains, then run differential; if tie remains, then lotto draw.
d. Time limit between picks - 3 hours.
i. No time limit from midnight–9 a.m. Monday–Friday, and all day Saturday and Sunday.
ii. During first round of draft and the steal round in the middle of the keepers phase, time limit between picks is 12 hours, which includes "overnight" and weekends. The clock is not "off."
e. After live draft, keepers and drafted players get placed at the BOTTOM of the autodraft card. All players hoping to be taken via autodraft must be at the top of the card.
f. For players with multiple seasons in the player set, a single player's card is drafted (e.g., 1959 Hank Aaron). And thus must be on the autodraft card as drafted, however can be dropped as normal after the draft. added 4/6/10
4. Ballparks.
a. Any team can change parks, but only once every three seasons.
i. Thus there will be no ballpark changes after seasons 18 or 19, because of the new league creation.
b. A park change must be drafted in place of a player in live draft.
c. New owners, taking over existing teams, have the option to switch parks without having to use a draft pick.
i. This “free” ballpark change happens only for the first season of a new owner.
ii. Must be announced with keepers.
5. Miscellany.
a. One trade involving keepers is allowed per team, after announcing keeper list through end of the live draft.
b. Trading during the season is allowed and with only normal SN-SOM restrictions.
c. Teams must retain their keepers from end of live draft through the sixth game of season play.
d. Divisional realignment can only occur when at least 10 managers vote in favor.
i. It must first be proposed by one owner and seconded by another. Commissioner will then create a forum poll for official voting.
e. SBDL League Rules can be changed at any time by commissioner.
i. Commissioner must post on SBDL Web site front page AND SBDL Discussion Thread (TSN) that there are rules changes.