Constitution
Updated 1/6/12
Updates in red

Structure Morals Clause Team Rosters Draft and Player Acquisition Playing the Game Player Usage Penalties Schedule Trades Free Agent (FA) Pool Post Season Playoff Usage and Eligibility Attrition

Structure

The CCNL is a continuous ownership draft league and will consist of 24 individually owned teams.
All CCNL games will be played via the internet, using the most current version of Strat-O-Matic CD-ROM computer baseball game.
CCNL members are required to own the latest version of Strat-O-Matic CD-ROM computer baseball game, with card image, and have AOL Instant Messenger.
All super advanced options will be used.

Injuries will not be used; usage limitations should take care of that.
The following Max Rules will be used:

Bunt for base hit
Improve base running realism
More base running decisions
Doubles and triples option
Realistic throwing errors
Pitch around option
Robbing a home-run
Limited OF mobility (but a player cannot play CF if not rated in CF on his card)

The CCNL will consist of 2 sub-leagues, designated as the American and National leagues. Each sub-league will consist of 12 teams.
The CCNL will be made up of 4 divisions, 2 in each league, designated AL East, AL West, NL East and NL West. Each division consists of 6 teams. As much as possible, divisions will be based on time zones. This could mean yearly divisional changes. The Commissioner will make this determination prior to each season, when the roster of managers is set and prior to the draft.
The DH will be used in all American League ballparks.
Team's names maybe changed prior to the draft. These names may not be changed during the season. If a team changes hands, the new owner can chose a new team name before next season's draft.

Morals Clause

All members will treat each other with dignity and respect.

Under no circumstances will foul language used in a demeaning manner - whether via AIM or during any league communications - be tolerated.

Team Rosters

Each team shall consist of up to 40 players. A team may never have more than 40 active players at any time except from the end of the regular season until the draft cut down date, which is January 5. These players may be obtained through the draft, free agency, or trades.
At the conclusion of the draft, each roster must show 720 Plate Appearances AFTER the 5% allowance for each position (including DH if AL). It is the manager’s responsibility to make sure that any trades made during the season enable his team to remain viable as far as usage. There will be no usage check in order to approve a trade.

You must always have a minimum of 2 players rated at each position and be able to show that you cover all positions to the 720 PA minimum.
The formula is (AB x 1.05)+(BB x 1.05). Round up at .5.

At the conclusion of the draft, each roster must show 1524 IP AFTER the 5% allowance. It is the manager’s responsibility to make sure that any trades made during the season enable his team to remain viable as far as usage. There will be no usage check in order to approve a trade.

Draft and Player Acquisition

Each year between the release of SOM's ballpark ratings and the Player Draft, a Ballpark draft will be conducted.

The ballpark draft is optional.
Any team must announce a week prior to the Ballpark Draft their intent to participate.
The order of the Ballpark Draft will be the same as the Player Draft.
Ballpark Draft picks are tradable.
Team owners retain the right to a new stadium if the MLB team moves to a new ballpark or city.
A team may never be in possession of:

More than one ballpark
More than one ballpark draft pick
Both a ballpark and a ballpark draft pick
A team does not own a ballpark draft pick until they drop their ballpark

Managers may switch leagues (AL/NL) any time, as long as there is another manager willing to switch, but once they have switched they may only switch again after being in the same league for 10 years.

Existing managers will have first choice in switching leagues prior to new manager's league placement.

The commissioner will move teams between the East and West divisions within a league based on the time zone and geographical location.

A manager does not get to request a divisional change as this could be construed as moving divisions in order to be more competitive.

Draft-Eligible players are any players who played in MLB the previous season and received a player card for that season. COMPUTER-ONLY players ARE NOT draft-eligible.
Prior to each season, a rookie free agent draft will be held.

The order of the draft will be in reverse order of the final regular season standings, with the following exceptions.

The World Series champ will pick 24th in each round.
The World Series runner up will pick 23rd in each round.
The runners up in the League Championship Series' will pick 21st & 22nd, with the order decided by reverse order of their regular season records.
The runners up in the Division Series' will pick 17th - 20th, with the order decided by reverse order of their regular season records.

Non Playoff Teams will draft ahead of Playoff Teams, seeded in reverse order of finish.

If 2 teams have the same record, the team with the better head-to-head record picks earlier. If that was a tie, there will be a coin flip.

The draft shall be scheduled for 10 rounds.

Each team will have one pick per round. This pick may be traded or waived.
Once a team reaches their roster limit, they may not continue to draft.
Teams who have not reached their 40-man roster limit after 10 rounds will continue to draft until the roster limit is reached.

Prior to the draft, on January 5, each team will provide a list of players to be retained. (In 2013, the cut date will move out to March 1). You MUST cut down to at most 35 players on your roster.

After the cut, if you make trades that put your roster over or under 35, your number of draft picks will be adjusted accordingly during the draft, depending on if you need to stop once you hit 40, or you need to continue to reach 40.

Playing the Game

Prior to the start of each month, teams are required to designate a number of players as Inactive, in order to bring their Active Roster to 25. Active rosters must have at least 2 players rated at each position and must contain a minimum of 5 pitchers who are eligible to START. (Must be rated as Starter or Starter/Reliever) If a team has 4 * starters, they may carry only 4 starters.
Teams must send their Computer Manager, with “STARTERS SCHEDULE” prior to the upcoming month. The following schedule will be adhered to, subject to adjustments by the commissioner when circumstances require it:

All results, trades FA requests in by the 25th
New rosters/stats sent out by the 27th
CMs in by 30th (No lock codes)
New .LZP file sent out by the 1st

All players designated as inactive, prior to the start of a month, must remain in the inactive until the completion of the current month.
Active rosters expand to 40 players for the September play month.
Required menu option menu settings will be set by the League Office prior to league files being made available each Play Month. Managers are NOT to change any of these settings, unless requested to do so by the Commissioner. Changing these settings constitutes cheating and you will be immediately kicked out of the league.
Make sure, prior to the start of each game, that the “Create Game Files” option is turned on.
Managers are allowed to set the following options to his or her personal preferences:

Offense and Defense color
Play by Play Color
Play by Play Background and Sound
Card image on will be the default. Only if BOTH managers agree, will the card image be turned off.
Also, if both managers agree, they can use the Quick Play feature. But BOTH must agree.

Upon completion of each series, the Home team manager is required to email the Game Files to the commissioner AND the league statistician. All files must be mailed immediately upon completion of the series.
If you pinch hit for a player, you must have a player eligible for the replaced position, regardless of point in the game.

Player Usage

Players are limited to 105% of actual usage ABs plus Walks, (a.k.a Plate Appearances) for fielders or IPs for pitchers. Always round up at .5. The limits will be added into the league rosters prior to the start of the season.

You may use a fielder up to his limit for Plate Appearances OR his limit for ABs, whichever you reach LAST. So if a player's adjusted ABs are 105, and his adjusted PAs are 125, he might reach 125 PAs in our season before he reaches 105 ABs. In that case, he may continue until he reaches 105 ABs.

Pitchers who are not rated as Starter, may not perform in that role.
Pitchers who are rated as a Starter only may only pitch in relief under the following conditions:

It is the 9th inning or later AND
The team has no remaining relief rated pitchers available AND
The relief pitcher currently in the game is out of innings for the season, AND
The starter being used had at least 2 days rest prior to this appearance and will have sufficient rest to make his next start.
You cannot replace a relief pitcher if it leaves you with a starting pitcher as your only option, unless it is due to his being used up.
You must use fatigued relievers before you go to a starting pitcher as a reliever.
BOTTOM LINE – carry enough relievers on your roster. Managing/manipulating the game to force a starting pitcher in to the game as a reliever is not allowed.
In the playoffs, the rules for starting pitchers as relievers differ.

Starting Pitchers must have at least 4 days of rest, unless they are rated with an asterisk, then they may start on only 3 days rest. Any pitcher starting games with insufficient rest will be suspended for 1 Play Week. Any second offenses by an owner will result in a player suspension of 3 weeks. A third offense by an owner will result in that player being released into the free agent pool and the owner will lose a 1st round draft choice the following year.
A player may not field a position for which he is not rated. EXCEPT:

If your player is rated in center field, he may play any outfield position at his center field rating, per SOM rules. If his card doesn’t rate him in center field, he cannot play center field. If a player is rated in left field or right field, he can play either position per SOM rules.

If an ineligible player appears in a game, and said infraction is caught by the opposing manager before the first At Bat, then the UNDO LAST PLAY function will be used to revert to the point in the game just prior to the infraction taking place and the infraction corrected.
If the infraction is caught after the first At Bat --the play will stand and the ineligible player shall immediately be removed from the game. If the manager does not have any players that can play that position then the opposing manager can select ANY player (excluding pitchers) to play that position, including a player already in the game. This does not apply to a mistake in making a double switch where a position player accidentally was used as the pitcher and vice versa.
Any player who has exhausted his allowed usage will be removed from the team's SOM computer game roster for the remainder of the regular season.

Penalties

Penalties will be assessed for overuse, tardiness and any other behavior that infringes upon the spirit of the league, unless the league office grants specific permission to do so.
Player Overuse: Managers are expected to act in the spirit of fair competition, as such, if a player is overused by even 1 AB or IP, the penalty will be as follows:

Suspension of the player for the rest of the season, including the playoffs.
A team forfeits its right to the playoffs if they have 2 or more overused players.
Penalties are assessed on a point scale. Like in golf, you want a low score:

Each player at 1 AB/PA/IP is equal to 1 pt
Each player at 2 AB/PA/IP is equal to 2 pts
Each player at 3 AB/PA/IP is equal to 3 pts
Each player at 4 AB/PA/IP is equal to 4 pts
Each player at 5 AB/PA/IP is equal to 5 pts
And so on...
An IP over is a full IP

Penalty table is as follows:

1 pt lose a 5th round pick
2 pts lose a 4th
3 pts lose a 3rd
4 pts lose a 2nd
5 pts lose a 1st
Commissioner's discretion after that - removal from the league is always an option

The Commissioner may reduce penalties after reviewing the circumstances of the overuse.

You must complete all of your games by the 25th of each month. Since you start on the 1st of the month, this gives you 24 days to complete all of your games.

The league statistician will check the games played at the halfway mark of the play month, on the 12th of the month. At this point you should have at least 12 games played.
If you are not going to be able to get 12 games in by the 12th, let your opponents and the league know about it. Tell us how you are going to get all of the games done for the month on time.
If you do not let us know, and there is a pattern of waiting til the last half of the month to get your games played, you will be removed from the league. Stuff happens and the league understands that. So let us know what is going on or we have to assume you are not interested in playing.

It is your responsibility to make sure your games are played. If an emergency arises notify the league and we will find someone to play your games. But this will not be tolerated on a consistent basis.

If you are unavailable to get your games played, and a series gets autoplayed, and as a result your opponent(s) overuse player(s), you will BOTH get the penalty point(s).

Schedule

Each team will play a 162 game regular season schedule. Each team will play every other team in its division 18 times (9 H, 9 A) for 90 games. Each team will play every team in the opposite division within its league 8 times (4 H, 4 A) for 48 games. Each team will play every team in the opposite league 2 times for 24 games. Home teams for interleague series' will alternate yearly.
Each team will play 1 month on the schedule and the games must be completed during that “Play Month,” approximately 27 games.
Once all games are finished the rosters will be updated for trades.
Once the new rosters are sent out, each manager MUST send the computer manager, which will include the “Starter Schedules” for the upcoming play period. The league office will then send out Rosters containing all CMs for the month and up to date stats.
League games will be scheduled within the CD Rom game itself, but the managers can play the games anytime within the "Play Month".
ALL games in each scheduled series MUST be completed by the end of the current “Play Month”. League files for each successive “Play Months” cannot be released until all series from the previous month have been completed. Managers who are continually involved in late series will have their membership reviewed by the League Office, and may face expulsion from the league.
ALL games must be played between two human opponents. Under no circumstances are any league games to be played one manager vs. a HAL computer manager controlled team. Teams must immediately inform the Commissioner if they are unable to manage their teams during a current, or upcoming, “Play Month”.
Teams may elect to bring in their own fill in manager. If the team is unable to supply their own fill in manager, the League Office will make arrangements for someone to step in and manage the team’s games. All results from games managed by fill in managers are final and binding.
ANY MANAGER FAILING TO NOTIFY THE LEAGUE OFFICE THAT HE WILL BE UNABLE TO PLAY HIS GAMES, AND FAILS TO DESIGNATE A FILL IN MANAGER IN TIME FOR THOSE GAMES TO BE COMPLETED WITHIN THE DESIGNATED PLAY PERIOD WILL BE SUBJECT TO DISMISSAL.

Trades

Trades may be made freely until the end of the July Play Month.
The trade deadline for the Play Month is the same as the Game Deadline.
Teams may not make any trade that would place their current roster above the team roster limits (except during the off season which is after the regular season trading freeze is lifted until the draft cut down date). You may freely release players into the Free Agent Pool, in order to make room on your roster for a trade.
Once a player has been traded from a team during the play season, he may not be traded back to that team by the team he was traded to for one calendar year.
Draft picks may not be traded except during the off-season. Then, only draft picks for the immediately upcoming draft may be traded. During the off-season, draft picks may be traded up to and including draft day.
After a trade has been agreed upon, all parties involved must submit the trade proposal to the League Office. If the trade is approved by the league office, the trade will be listed on the website. Do NOT announce your trades to the league directly.
At the conclusion of the current Play Month, all approved trades will become Official, with the League Office actually moving the players to their new teams prior to the release of the next block league files.
Trades which have been approved may only be rescinded if ALL managers involved agree to so prior to the roster update for that month. Teams will retain full rights to any player that they acquire through a trade, until that team either trades, or releases, the acquired player.

Free Agent (FA) Pool

All carded players who are not on a CCNL roster, at the conclusion of the Free Agent/Rookie draft will be placed in the Free Agent Pool.
Free Agents may be picked up at any time, but the pickup is only effective at the end of the play month (the 20th of the month).
Free Agents may not be used in the playoffs.
Free Agents may only be picked up to prevent over usage. The manager must tell the commissioner why the Free Agent acquisition is necessary. The commissioner decides whether the Free Agent may be picked up or not. The commissioner may delegate this responsibility to avoid a conflict of interest.
Once cut from a team, a player may not be picked up by any other team.
If two or more managers option the same player, the one with the poorest winning .pct at the end of that play month gets the player. If this occurs prior to the start of the season, then the team that had the earlier draft position gets the player.
All free agents taken during the season will be returned to the free agent pool at the end of the season.

Once you pick up a FA, you may cut him later to pick up a different FA.
You can NOT trade a player that you picked up as a FA.

Post Season

The team with the best record in each division will make the playoffs. The two teams with the best non division winning records in each league will be Wildcard teams and will advance to the Playoffs to play the Division winners. Worst wild card record vs. best division winner.
Each league’s playoff series will be a best-of-7 series, with the higher seeded teams having home field advantage, hosting games 1, 2, 6 and 7. In the event that teams are tied, for purpose of determining home field advantage, tie breakers will be used in the following order: head to head record, division record, total runs scored minus total runs allowed.
If all four playoff teams within a league are determined, there is no need for a tie breaking game, and the procedure for determining the seeding is defined above. However, if there is a tie for the final playoff spot, this is the procedure.

· The two teams tied will play a 1-game playoff.

· The home team is determined by the same tie breaker used to seed two tied that are in the playoffs (nobody can complain about a rigged coin toss).

· The teams maintain their September rosters.

· The game takes place THE NEXT DAY AFTER the conclusion of the season. There is no off day for starting pitching, but you do have to reset the days off to account for relievers since we always reset for a new series during the season.

· This is treated like a regular season game, so usage from the regular season continues. Used up players cannot be used.

If there are 3 teams tied for the final playoff spot, the tie breaker procedure will determine which team gets a bye in the first game. That team will host the winner of the one-game playoff in another one-game playoff to determine the final playoff team.
If there are 4 teams tied, the tie breaker procedure will determine which teams are home for one game. The winners play each other in one game with home team based on the seeding from the tie breaker procedure.
The World Series will be a best-of-7 series, with the winner being crowned CCNL Champions. Home field for the World Series will be determined by the current Strat year being played. The NL team will have home field advantage Odd numbered years, while AL will have Home field in EVEN numbered years.
A separate league will be created for each play off series. Teams will begin each play off series with rest and days off imported to the subsequent series. Days off will be given between series'. A pitcher may not pitch on less than 3 days rest any time during the post season. Days off will be given between games 2 and 3 and games 5 and 6 for each post-season series. A pitcher who pitches game 7 of a series can not start game 1 of the next series.
Prior to the start of post-season play, each participating team must name a 25-man play-off roster. This roster will be used throughout the entire play-offs. No Roster moves will be permitted once the post season has begun.

Playoff Usage and Eligibility

Playoff usage is limited to 10% of the AB/IP listed on the card (ignore the 5% buffer). Starters may only pitch on the days rest that would normally be allowed during the regular season. For this purpose, there is an off day scheduled between games 2 & 3, and games 5 & 6 of each playoff series. Pitchers that start a game 7 of one series may not start game 1 of the next series.

For the purposes of determining pitching rotations in the first round of the playoffs, treat it as if there are 5 days off between the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs.
The game 6 starter in one playoff series may start game 1 of the next series.
You may use 1 “starter only” pitcher as a reliever, but he may only appear in relief.

You do not have to declare which “starter only” pitcher will be used in relief, but once he relieves, he is a reliever for the rest of the series.
Strat will treat “starter only” pitchers used in relief as having a 1 POW rating. We are not going to adjust that.

If you reach a point in the series where you have used up a player or pitcher, and it leaves you with no player or pitcher to come in to the game to replace him, the game is a forfeit. So plan ahead.

Make sure you carry enough innings in starting and in relief and make sure you have enough PAs per position.
If you take a “short usage” player, such as a catcher who has only 15 PAs for the series, and start him in several games and that causes you to use up all your other usage for the position, you’re going to get a forfeit.
Expect to have long extra inning games and carry players accordingly.

Playoff dates will be scheduled at the start of the season so that the playoffs don’t drag on for months. There will be a reasonable window of time in which to finish your playoff games, so if you are in contention, be prepared to schedule playoff games.

Attrition

If more than one manager needs to be replaced at the beginning of a new season, an attrition draft may be held prior to the rookie/free agent draft. Only new managers will participate in the actual draft. The new managers will draft from a combined pool made up of the players from the dissolved teams. No rookies or free agents are involved in this draft. New teams will draft after the non-playoff teams in the rookie/free agent draft. The commissioner reserves the right to forego the attrition draft if it is deemed unnecessary and continuing teams will retain their draft positions.
Manager-less teams are not eligible for the playoffs. If a team is promoted to the playoffs because of a manager-less team, then that team will be treated as a playoff team as any other playoff team.

Constitution Updated 1/6/12 Updates in red