Schwartz League Constitution

* INTENTION OF THE LEAGUE *
The purpose of this league is to have FUN and enjoy the game of Baseball and Strat-O-Matic Baseball.

Section 1.00     League Officials

• The Commissioner is the moderator of the league.  He will be responsible for rule enforcement and maintaining the integrity of the league.

Section 2.00     Fees & Requirements

• There will be no fees to join the league.
• There will be no fees for trading.
• All Members must have the latest version of Strat-O-Matic computer baseball including patches as required by the commissioner.
• All members must have a computer, a valid email address, and AOL instant messenger.

Section 3.00     League and Playoff Structure

• The Schwartz League currently consists of 20 teams divided into four 5 team divisions.
• Each team will play a 162 game schedule consisting of nine home and nine away games against each team within their division and three home and three away games against each team in each of the other divisions.
• Regular Season games may be played in one of the two following ways.  

• Required: Visiting teams must play the home team's Computer Manager.
• Optional: Teams may agree to play the games head to head but the visiting team is responsible for ensuring the game results files are posted by the deadline.

• At the end of the regular season there will be a league playoff. Each game during the playoffs will be played head to head via net-play.
• The Schwartz League playoffs will consist of the FOUR division winners and TWO wild card teams from EACH League.
• The playoff teams will be seeded as follows in EACH league:
  
• The division winners will be seeded first and second by winning percentage, with the better record receiving the #1 seed.
  
• The two other teams in the league with the highest winning percentages will be seeded third and fourth by winning percentage.*
  
• The first round, or Division Series, will consist in each league of the #1 seed hosting the #4 seed and the #2 seed hosting the #3 seed in a best of seven series. (2-3-2)
  
• The second round, or League Championship Series, will consist of the winner from each Division Series playing each other in a best of seven series. The winner of the LCS wins the League Pennant and advances to the World Series.
• The pennant winners then play the World Series. The Schwartz Mug will be awarded to the winner of the World Series.
• Home field advantage in the LDS and LCS will be based on seeding (the higher seeded team will get home field advantage).
• Home field advantage in the World Series will be based on Regular season Record.
• In the event of a tie for a Division Title, LDS seeding, or Home field Advantage in the World Series, the following tiebreakers will be followed in order.
• Head to head record.
• Team's Division record
• Runs scored **
  
• Each round of the playoffs will be best of 7 (2-3-2).

Section 4.00     Game Rules and Lineup Options

• Game rule options will be as follows:
• MAIN RULES – Maximum Level
• STEALING – Super Advanced Steal System
• MISCELLANEOUS – Use Miscellaneous Rules
• INJURIES – Do Not Use Injuries
• GROUNDBALL A – Allow GBA on Pitcher Cards
• BP/WEATHER/CLUTCH – all options should be checked
• STRATEGY – Super Advanced Strategy Charts
• CLOSER – Use Closer Rules
• PITCHER FATIGUE – Use SADV Fatigue & Pitch Count
• MAX RULES – all options should be checked except “FORCE DAILY INJURIES”

• Lineups and Usage Options will be as follows:

• VISITING TEAM LINEUP – Draft League Mode No Rest
• HOME TEAM LINEUP – Draft League Mode No Rest
• SCHEDULED DAYS OFF – Give Scheduled Days Off
• MINOR LEAGUERS – Minor Leaguers – Ineligible
• AUTO SWAP – No Auto Swap-O-Matic
• OVERUSAGE – Ignore Over usage
• USE ‘SUPER HAL' BULLPEN – Yes
• USE ‘SUPER HAL' LINEUP SUBS – Yes
• ALLOW EXTRA GS FOR CERTAIN PITCHERS – Yes

Section 5.00     Schwartz League Draft & the Retention of Players

• UnCarded Players may NOT be drafted (players that would require a fringe card).  
• Multi-Cards may NOT be drafted.  
• Only players which have a card in the 200x Major League are eligible.
  • Carded Players Include those under Non-Carded Players on the CDROMBB game.
• Each team may retain 20 players from previous year’s roster.
• Retention rosters are due one week before the annual draft.
• The draft will be conducted in a straight format in reverse order of the previous season’s final regular season standings, with two exceptions (i.e. the team with the worst record picks first).
  • Exception 1: The team that wins the Schwartz Mug Championship the previous season will pick last in each round regardless of their position in the final regular season standings.
  • Exception 2: The team that loses in the Schwartz Mug Championship the previous season will pick second last in each round regardless of their position in the final regular season standings.
• Time Limits for each round of the draft (Depending upon format, and at the discretion of the commissioner).
  • Draft rounds one through three – 30:00
• Draft rounds four to the end of the draft – 20:00
• If a team fails to select in the allotted time the next team will be allowed to make its selection.
• The team that misses its time slot may make up the pick at any time after its allotted time.

• ALEX FERNANDEZ CLAUSE
• Teams may retain non-carded players that had previously been on their roster.
• Fringe card will be created for this special clause.
• Said player will be ineligible for current season in which he is non-carded.
• Said player will occupy a roster spot going against the 40 man roster limit.
• Said player may not be traded from the team that retained him as a non-carded player.

Section 6.00     Ballpark Draft

• Ballpark draft will be held immediately following the player draft
• The draft will be conducted in a straight format in order of the previous season’s final regular season standings (i.e. the team with the best record picks first).
• Those who wish to retain their current ballpark are not eligible to participate in the Ballpark Draft.

Section 7.00    Trading & Free Agency

• Trades can be made by any combination of owners for any combination of the following:
• Players
• Draft picks
• Trading deadline will be on or shortly after day 105 of each season.
• Trades may be made after the deadline with the commissioner's approval.
• Players traded after the deadline are not eligible to play in the playoffs.
• All trades must be sent to the League's Yahoo Group via email and confirmed by all managers involved.
• Trades that take place during a block on the schedule will not take effect until the next block in the period.   For example if you make a trade during the first two week block, the trade will not go into effect until the next two week block.
• Players may be acquired from the free agent pool.
• Process for acquiring free agents.
  1. Owner e-mails the league with his request.
  2. Other owners may place a waiver request for the same player.
  3. The waiver request will be granted to the requesting team with the lowest winning percentage.
• Free agent list:
  • Players undrafted will remain in the free agent pool
  • Only players that were carded are eligible for any waiver request.
• When a teams receives the waiver request he must verify that he has 40 players on his roster.
• If a team has more than 40 players on his roster that team must cut down to 40 players. The cut player will then be added to the free agent list and is eligible to be picked up by another team via the waiver process.
• Any free agent picked up after the annual draft has been completed will remain the property of the team for the remainder of the season only, and will enter the draft pool the following season.

Section 8.00     Designated Hitter

• The DH rule as it exists in the American League will be used in the Schwartz League.

Section 9.00     SOM Game Limitations

CATEGORY	MAXIMUM
Teams per league	30
Divisions	10
Teams per division	14
Subleagues	6
Batters per team	35
Pitchers per team	25
Batters eligible for a game	25
Pitchers eligible for a game	15
Minor Leaguers per team	35
Total players on team during season	75
Fringe players per team (not used in the Schwartz League)	12

Section 10.00   Player Usage

• All players (hitters & pitchers) are limited to 100% of their previous season’s at bats & innings pitched.
• Any hitter with over 500 Plate Appearances may be used unlimitedly.
• Any starting pitcher with over 192 Innings Pitched or 32 starts may be used unlimitedly.
• Any relief pitcher with over 80 Innings Pitched (in relief only - no starts) may be used unlimitedly.
  • There is no limit to IP for relief pitchers but please try to be sensible and don't way overuse this type of player.
• Any split use pitcher (defined as both Started and Reliever) is limited entirely to 100% innings pitched no exceptions.

Section 11.00   Overusage of Players

• If a player is overused he will be ineligible for the remainder of the season, and the playoffs. Overused players may be retained by either forfeiting a third round pick or the losing of one roster spot per each player retained, up to a maximum of two players.
  • You can keep 20 players that were not overused.
  • You can keep 18 players plus one that was overused.
  • You can keep 16 players plus two that were overused.
• If a team overuses more than four players he will be asked to leave the league.
• If a player begins a game under his usage limit, he may finish the game with no overusage penalty.
• If a player begins a game over his usage limit, he will be considered overused.

Section 12.00   Off Season

• Winter meeting will take place on a designated date in December or January each year during the off-season.
• Player retention lists are due one week before the Schwartz League Draft.
• Trade embargo begins one week before the draft and ends when the team with the number one pick is on the clock.
• Annual player draft will begin on or about the third Saturday in February depending upon the release date of the latest version of the Strat-O-Matic Baseball CDROM Game.

Section 13.00   Manager/GM Responsibilities

• Each manager is expected to meet all deadlines, play honestly, and display good sportsmanship at all times.  Any manner of disrespect shown toward another member may result in disciplinary action.
• The league may remove owners that are viewed to be breaking any rule or acting in an unethical manner.

Section 14.00   Owner Expulsion (taken from the original Schwartz League Bible)

• Owner in question must be voted out with an 11 vote majority.
• Owner must have the opportunity to defend his situation/position
• Voting will be done by secret ballot or e-mail to the commissioner directly
• The commissioner will tabulate the votes and he will announce the results
• All rulings are final with no further appeals

Section 15.00   Rules Changes

• Rules may be changed at the winter meeting by a majority vote of owners present.
• Rule changes will be added as amendments to the constitution.
• Owners may submit any ideas on rules changes to the commissioner and after the change has been proposed, there will be a period of discussion regarding the change.
• At the end of discussion a vote may be called only by the commissioner on the rules change.
• The measure will be passed only when the majority of those presently in the league vote for the change.
• All voting will be done by polling on the Yahoo Group site.
• Rules may be changed as needed by the commissioner, if it is in the best interest of the league.

Section 16.00   Strat-O-Matic Corrections

• 2004 Corrections
  • Royce Clayton (COL) has an incorrect steal rating. His rating should be a C, not an E.
  • Doug Glanville (PHI) has an incorrect steal rating. His rating should be a B, not an E.
  • Hideki Matsui (NYY) should not have a injury reading on his card. Ignore the "+ injury" on his card.
  • Carlos Beltran (HOU) should not have a injury reading on his interleague combined card. Ignore the "+ injury" on this card. However, his Kansas City and Houston cards are correct and do not have a "+ injury" reading.
• 2005 Corrections
  • Roger Clemens (Hou) is missing an * rating (Computer)
• 2006 Corrections
  • Ramon Ortiz (Wash) is missing an * rating (Card and Computer) - Corrected
  • Matt Belisle (Cin) should have a 1-10 running rating. (Computer has 1-12, Card is correct) - Disregard
  • Jason Johnson (Bos) has a typo on his stats (Card and Computer). He should have 106 IP, not 105 IP - Disregard
  • Derrick Turnbow (Milw) has an error on his Basic card side: His reading on 5-7 should be a Strikeout - Disregard