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VIRTUAL BASEBALL LEAGUE 5 - CONSTITUTION |
10. The Virtual Baseball League 5 (VBL5) is a fantasy baseball league.
1. Original owners drafted their players from a pool of 1965 Major League Baseball players. The league is simulated as a career league; players will age, develop, and eventually retire. New players are added via the Amateur Draft and are selected during the off-season.
2. The commissioner is solely responsible for creating and maintaining the roster files. Once a player enters the league, he operates as part of the simulation, independent of his real-world biography.
20. The VBL5 is simulated with Out of the Park Baseball 8.0 (OOTP8).
1. The Commissioner can change simulators at any time.
2. Following the 1967 Season, VBL5 changed simulations to Out Of The Park Baseball 8.0. The league originally used Sierra's Front Page Sports Baseball '98.
30. League and Divisional Alignment
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Virtual Baseball League 5 |
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Trillian League |
Marvin League |
| Dent Division | Arthur Division |
| Team 1 | Team 2 |
| Team 3 | Team 4 |
| Team 5 | Team 6 |
| Team 7 | Team 8 |
| Team 9 | Team 10 |
| Prefect Division | Ford Division |
| Team 11 | Team 12 |
| Team 13 | Team 14 |
| Team 15 | Team 16 |
| Team 17 | Team 18 |
| Team 19 | Team 20 |
40. The VBL has been in existence since December, 1995. It is expected the VBL will be an ongoing league.
10. Each season consists of 162 games, World Series, and a VBL5 All Star Game.
20. Wantz Cup
1. The top team in each league will play a Best of 7 series to determine that season’s Champion.
a. The top team in each division will play a Best of 7 League Championship series to determine the league's Champion.
2. In the event there is a tie for the division championship at the end of the season, the winner will be decided by the simulator’s tiebreaker. (Note: The manual does not indicate how the division will be decided in the event of the tie.)
a. At the Commissioner's discretion, the two teams tied for a division championship will play a Best of 3 series in Exhibition Mode. The Commissioner will then use the results of the Series to influence the simulator's tiebreaker. The Commissioner will save the league prior to the final game of the season.
30. All-Star Game
1. The All-Star players are picked by OOTP8. Each VBL holds a separate All Star Game.
2. All-Star Games are broadcast live on AOL Instant Messenger, and are held in Virtual July.
3. The Owners of the previous Wantz Cup participants will have the honor of managing their leagues in the game.
40. Simulation Format
1. Each week consists of 20 simulated days (game days).
2. The Commissioner is responsible for announcing and maintaining a consistent simulation schedule throughout the season.
10. Commissioner
1. Holds position for life. Can name his own successor.
2. Responsibilities include:
a. Simulate games and enter lineups;
b. Maintain web page;
c. Enforce league policies;
d. Approve and enter trades;
e. Administer Free Agency systems;
f. Create the Amateur Draft pool.
3. The Commissioner can not be an owner in his own VBL to avoid conflict of interest.
20. Senate
1. The Senate consists of all Virtual Commissioners, 2 League Presidents from each VBL, and 2 additional Senators from each VBL.
a. League Presidents
1. One each from the Marvin and Trillian League in each VBL.
2. Initially elected by league-wide vote.
3. League Presidents will hold the position for 4 seasons unless voted out by 2/3 of that VBL's owners AND approval by all Virtual Commissioners.
b. Senators
1. Two from each VBL.
2. Can be from either the Marvin or Trillian League.
3. Senators will hold their seat for two seasons at which time elections will again be held.
2. Elections will be held during the off-season.
3. Special Senatorial Seats
a. Voted by all current Senators and/or delegated by the Commissioner.
b. Not all Special Senatorial Seats need to be filled.
30. League Policy
1. Any league-wide emails sent by the Commissioner(s) and all information contained in the VBL FAQ are to be considered official rules regardless of whether or not it is contained in this Constitution.
2. League policy can be suggested by any owner.
3. Policies must be submitted in writing via email to the entire league.
4. Policies will/can be voted by either:
a. All owners (majority to pass).
b. Senators (2/3 to pass).
c. Virtual Commissioners (unanimously).
d. Which factions vote on individual policies is determined by the Commissioner.
e. The Commissioner has the final say on all league policies.
10. Disenfranchisement
1. Owners can have the privilege of VBL team ownership taken away for certain violations. Disenfranchisement can be approved by that league's Commissioner, the Senate, or a 3/4 majority of owners.
2. An Owner can only move his franchise under the following conditions:
a. He is a brand new owner;
b. His team has performed under .500 for the past 3 seasons.
3. An owner may only change his stadium model under the following conditions:
a. He is a brand new owner;
b. His team has performed OVER .500 for the past 3 seasons.
4. Grounds for Disenfranchisement are as follows:
a. An owner who fails to email the league offices for 3 weeks;
b. An owner who fails for 5 game days to submit line-up changes after a player is "out" with an injury;
c. An owner who, as determined by the Commissioner, fails to operate his team in a way which is promotional and productive;
d. If an owner fails to participate in a mandatory league-wide event, the Commissioner may submit a warning to that owner, or immediately remove him;
e. If an owner must leave their team for more than 3 weeks due to circumstances beyond their control, they must find a substitute owner to run their team while they are gone.
1. The substitute owner has full authority to make any changes to the team.
2. In the event that the original owner does not return to claim his team, the substitute owner will become the owner of the team, based on Commissioner approval.
3. An owner who can not find a substitute owner has abandoned his team.
1. Beginning with the 1969 Season, teams must maintain a 50-man roster at all times.
2. Each franchise will have 3 minor league affiliates, at A, AA, and AAA levels.
a. A minor league affiliate's roster cannot exceed 25 players.
3. Major League players (Active Roster - ACT)
a. From Opening Day until August 31 and in the playoffs up to 25 ACT players.
b. During Spring Training, and after August 31 but before the Playoffs begin, up to 40 players may be on the Active Roster
4. 40-Man Rosters
a. 40-Man Rosters in VBL5 are defined as the 25 men on the Major League roster, any player on the 15-Day Disabled List, and additional players as assigned by the Franchise owner.
b. During Spring Training, any player within the organization can be placed on the Active Roster, up to 40 players.
c. From Opening Day through March 1, only players assigned to the 40-man roster may be placed on the Active Roster.
d. When it is time to set your playoff roster, you may not move ANY players anywhere but DL once your series begins. Before playoffs begin, you can place any player from your 40-man roster on to the Playoff Roster.
e. Any player with a Major League Contract must be on the 40-man roster. When a player has a Major League Contract, he can only be waived from the 40-man roster when he is released into the Free Agent pool.
f. When a Free Agent is signed to a Major League Contract, he must be immediately placed on the 40-man roster.
30. Roster Movement
1. A player may be transferred freely between the Minor Leagues and the Active roster as long as the player is on the 40-man roster.
2. Players may be moved to the 40-man roster at any time as long as the total number of players on the roster does not exceed 40.
3. Players may NOT be removed from the 40-man roster without first passing through waivers. Waivers will also be ACTIVE during the off-season.
4. If a player is on the Disabled List, and has been healed (and ready to be removed) for more than 1 real-time week; and the owner has NOT moved him off the DL, that player will be released into the free agent pool.
a. The team with the worst record that attempts to sign him in the first full day will receive that player.
b. This rule is left up to the division teams to look after. For example, if the owner of the Shitty Beatles owns Andruw Jones and he broke his leg and healed on Monday, and it is now the Monday after; I may alert the commissioner and Andruw Jones will be released into the free agent pool.
40. Batting Orders
1. VBL5 does not employ the Designated Hitter at the Major League level.
2. Owners can submit both lineups versus left handed pitchers and versus right handed pitchers, or have one lineup for both. Lineups can be set for each affiliate.
3. Owners will email lineup changes to the commissioner in a clear format, noting changes with an ‘*’. The commissioner will implement a lineup submission form as soon as it becomes ready, and the form will then be mandatory for submitting lineups.
4. Owners have the option with OOTP8 to export their lineups to the Commissioner, through email attachment.
1. After spring training has been completed a team can redistribute up to 5 ratings points among certain player ratings for as many as 10 players on the roster.
2. A player's rating in a category would not be allowed to go higher than his potential rating in that category.
a. Points taken from one rating to add to another are not put back if the rating being increased cannot use the points.
60. Trades
1. Player to be named later trades are allowed only if the player to be named later is on the DL. The player to be named later will go to the new team as soon as he is eligible to come off the DL.
2. Owners may NOT trade picks for the following year. For example, if we are in the middle of Season 5, you MAY trade a pick for the Season 6 Amateur Draft of Free Agent Draft; however you may NOT trade any picks for the Season 7 picks until after the previous draft has been completed.
3. Players on the 40-man roster cannot be traded during the regular season after July 31, unless they first pass through waivers.
1. When a team puts a player on waivers, the player is eligible to be claimed over the next six game days.
a. If multiple teams place a claim, the player is awarded first to a team in the same league as the waiving team, and second to the claiming team with the worst record.
b. Example: If a Trillian League team waives a player, the best team in the Trillian League will be awarded the player before the worst team in the Marvin League.
2. If a player is subjected to waivers to complete a roster move (i.e., removing a player from the 40-man roster), the waivers are irrevocable. Any player removed from the 40-man roster must first pass through Waivers.
3. If a team chooses to waive a player independent of any other roster move, the waiving team may revoke waivers prior to the waiver being awarded to another team. A player may only be placed on revocable waivers once in a virtual calendar month.
4. Waived players will be announced on the league's Waiver page at the update of each simulation. After the trading deadline, players on the 40-man roster can still be traded if they first pass through waivers.
5. No player acquired through waivers after August 31, whether that player was awarded or traded, is eligible for the playoff roster, even in the case of injury to another player.
6. When a waived player is awarded or traded, the claiming team must place the player on the 40-man roster.
a. Example: If a player was waived because he was assigned to AAA from the Active roster, the claiming team must assign the player to its Active Roster. The claiming team cannot waive another player to make room for the claimed player, but can cut a player. The claiming team must submit a proposed roster move to the Commissioner with its claim.
Section 500. Player Contracts and Payroll
10. For the first season, a team's payroll is not to exceed $9 Million.
1. Prior to each off-season Free Agency, the Commissioner will re-evaluate the salary cap. If the current salary cap for the league is less than 60% of total league revenue, the Commissioner will increase the cap.
2. Each new salary cap will be amended in the Constitution to Rule 512.
3. Even if a team is under the salary cap, a team cannot put itself in debt through new contracts. Money available for Free Agents will be determined by OOTP8 through the formula:
[budget room + cash] - current payroll - pending offers
4. Before the 1969 Spring Training, the Commissioner will decide on a cap for Cash On Hand.
20. A major league contract has a fixed duration, in years, and a specific salary amount for each year in the contract. Major league contracts can also include no-trade clauses or incentives. A player with a major league contract remains under the team’s control until one of the following events occurs:
1. The player's contract expires.
2. The player is traded or retires.
30. If a player’s major league contract ends, he will either become a free agent, or be eligible for salary arbitration.
1. Player contracts expire on the last day of the playoffs.
2. Players without a contract who have less than two years of major league service time are automatically signed to a contract for the league minimum.
a. A player earns a full year of Major League service for any season that he spends at least one day at the Major League level.
b. A player earns a full year of Secondary Roster service for any season that he spends at least one day on the 40-man roster.
40. Free Agents can be signed by any team. Teams submit blind bids to the Commissioner, who is responsible for communicating all bids to the free agent player.
1. After the Wantz Cup concludes, the Commissioner will announce the Free Agency schedule for the off-season.
a. The Commissioner will assign each free agent to a tier within the player's position, based on the player's VORP for the previous season.
b. On the first day of Free Agency, teams can submit blind bids on first-tier players only. Teams can submit blind bids on 2nd tier players only after the 1st tier players of the same position have signed a contract.
c. If a team offers the best bid to a player for 3 consecutive simulations during the off-season, and that player is the last in his tier, the Commissioner will demote the player to the next tier and open up bidding for that tier.
50. A player with more than two years of major league service time but less than five years is eligible for arbitration when his contract expires.
1. In OOTP, at the end of a league season, any eligible player files for salary arbitration. An arbitrator (OOTP8) determines his value as a player and assigns a new salary to the player. The player is then signed to a one-year contract with your team at the new salary amount. General managers are informed by mail about the value of each player’s new contract.
60. A player on a Minor League Contract will become a Free Agent after a season where his Major League Service minus his Service on the 40-man roster equals 6 or more seasons.