1.1 There will be 15 teams in the Gammonsonian Diamonds League of Rotisserie Baseball
consisting of major league players. Each team will consist of 27 players (22
starters, and 5 reserve players) in addition to a maximum of 7 minor leaguers
and 2 MFS players.
1.2 A team's roster consists of the following players:
* 5 outfielders
* 1 catchers
* 1 second baseman
* 1 shortstop
* 1 middleinfielder
* 1 first baseman
* 1 third baseman
* 1 corner infielder
* 1 DH (any batter )
* 9 pitchers (any combination of starters and relievers)
* 5 reserve players (any positions)
1.3 There is a minimum innings requirement for all staffs of 1200 innings. Anyone who does
not achieve 1200 innings, will be placed last in the categories of ERA and WHIP.
1.4 No team shall exceed 200 games started in the pitching category. Teams will not accumulate any stats for any games started once 200 starts is exceeded. If a team is below the 200 starts limit but exceeds that on a given day (i.e. go from 199 to 202), none of the starts will be counted.
1.5 Every owner is responsible for setting their respective team's lineup daily. The commissioner will modify a team's lineup after the noon deadline in only certain circumstances: extreme personal circumstance or difficulty accessing the cbs server. Should the above situation arise an e-mail or phone call BEFORE the noon deadline to the secretary or commissioner for lineup changes is acceptable.
1.6 Each team MUST have a legal lineup everyday of the season. Should an owner not have an eligible lineup for any given day, the commissioner shall modify the roster retroactively in the following manner: Scenario #1 Too few players in the lineup - First reserve players who did not play will be inserted into the active slots. Should this fail to achieve a legal lineup next players with the worst to best stats will be inserted into the active slots until legal. Scenario #2 - Too many players in active lineup. Those garnering the best stats will be removed from the active lineup until the lineup is legal.
1.7 There shall be an unlimited IR. Only players who go on the
MLB DL while currently on an owner's team may be placed onto the FLB team's IR
(i.e a team may no claim a player currently on the DL and then subsequently
place that player on its IR).
1.8 IR eligibility. Once CBS recognizes that a player is designated to the DL by their respective major league club, that player may be placed on the IR. If >48 hours pass from the time that said player is placed on the DL and CBS does not allow IR placement, a written request to the Commissioners' office is needed and the Commissioners will manually place that player on the IR if indeed >48 hours have passed.
1.9 Once a MLB club removes a player from the DL, the respetive
fantasy team has 48 hours to vacate that player from its IR, no exceptions.
1.10 Owners not returning in the off-season will be replaced in a timely manner by a qualified replacement. Burr Loew is the current recruiter and any league member is allowed to sit on the interview committee. The new owner takes over the franchise AS IS. In certain situations the "AS IS" clause may be waived. If multiple owners resign a dispersal draft may be held for the owners involving the abandoned teams. This will require a league majority vote.
1.11 Expansion teams will be dealt with on a case by case basis. Preferred protocol is to allow an expansion team to select 5-8 players NOT choosen as
KEEPERS at the deadline before auction day including their respective contracts. Expansion teams will also be
granted the 1st pick in the minor league and reserve drafts. They will be allowed to draft 5 minor leaguers for their farm
system.
1.12 Salary Cap - Beginning in 2004 the GMDS will adopt a salary cap. The current salary cap will be set at $325. DL'ed and MLers/MFS players do not count against the cap. Beginning in 2005 there will also be a MINIMUM cap. A team's active and reserve salary must equal at least $225. IRed players may be counted against the minimum cap unless that player was acquired via trade while that player was on the MLB DL.
2.1 Each team must acquire 22 players at a total cost not to exceed $260 (not real money).
A team need not spend the maximum.
2.2 Teams will nominate players for acquisition in an order to
be determined at each year's draft (i.e. drawing straws).
2.3 All players owned by a MLB franchise are eligible for the auction. Players who have rookie status may be taken in the auction AND again in the ML draft. However should that rookie not make the Opening Day Roster (ODR) only the team that drafted him in the ML draft shall retain him. Conversely, if the specified player does make the ODR only the team drafting him in the auction retains his rights. Any rookie taken in the ML draft may not be taken in the reserve draft.
2.4 If an ineligible player is selected in the auction and his ineligible status is not declared at the time of the auction, league executives have from the end of the auction until three
hours before the start of the first game of opening day to uncover this error. If the error
is uncovered, the team who selected must pick a replacement player from the free agent
pool. This replacement will count as a free agent in all aspects, including the $5 salary. The ineligible player will then be released outright
and cannot be resigned until such time he is legally eligible. This rule holds for a rookie selected in the auction should he not make the opening day roster.
2.5 The team bidding first opens with a salary bid of at least $1 for any eligible player and
the bidding proceeds at minimum increments of $1 until only one bidder is left. That team
acquires the nominated player for the final bid amount. The process is repeated, with
successive owners nominating players to be bid on, until every team has acquired a squad of
22 players by requisite position.
2.6 No team may make a bid for a player it cannot afford. For example, a team with $3
left and two openings on its roster is limited to a maximum bid of $2 for one player.
(Leaving $1 for the other unfilled roster spot).
2.7 No team may bid for a player who qualifies only at a position that the team has already
filled and that team has already fulfilled its DH position.
2.9 After an owner acquires a player, he immediately chooses the position that player will
fill. Players eligible at more than one position may be shifted during the course of the
auction.
2.10 The salary of a player acquired in the major league auction is his two year contract.
2.11 Reserve Draft - The Reserve Draft occurs immediately following the Minor League Draft. The order will be determined by the previous year's standings with a slight modification. First pick belongs to the 4th place finisher and proceeds sequentially to the last place team and then 3rd-1st places respectively and then snakes around for a total of 5 rounds. The salary of players in the reserve draft shall be: $5 1st round, $4 2nd round, $3 3rd round, $2 4th round, and $1 5th round. The salaries in the reserve draft DO NOT count against the $260 each team has for the auction.
3.1 A player may be assigned to any position at which he appeared in 20 or more games in
the preceding season. If a player did not appear in 20 games at a single position, he may be
drafted only at the position(s) at which he appeared most frequently. However once that player acquires new position eligibility (5 games during the current season at one position), the old eligibility expires if it was <20 games the prior season. If a
player appeared in 0 games the previous season, the last year he played will be
used to determine position eligibilities.
3.2 Once the season is underway, a player becomes eligible for any position at which he
appears at least 5 times.
3.3 The position eligibility of minor leaguers who have no major league experience will be
determined by the default CBS position. The default position expires once 5 games played at another position are reached.
4.1 BASIC: The entrance fee is $125.00 which includes fees to the stat service.
4.2 All fees must be paid by DRAFT DAY to Burr Loew. Unless arrangements have been made,
commissioner has right to freeze rosters until fees are up to date.
4.3 All transactions made throughout the season are free.
4.4 Beginning in 2006 owners are required to submit $50 as a downpayment for the following years fees. An owner not is not in compliance is forbidden from making any trades until the fee has been paid. This is to prevent owners who have no intention of returning, of unfairly influencing the pennant race.
5.1 The salary of a player does not change unless the player becomes a free agent, or is
signed to a long-team contract.
5.2 The salary of a player acquired in the major leauge auction is his auction price.
5.3 The salary of reserve drafted players will be $5 first round, $4 second round, $3
third round, $2 fourth round, $1 fifth round.
5.4 When a player is claimed off waivers/free agent, his salary either becomes $5 or
remains the same, whichever is higher.
6.1 1st 65% including first place plaque, 2nd 25%, 3rd 10%
6.2 Improvement award - The owner with the best 2nd half improvement as determined by largest improvement in total points after the All-Star break shall receive either an extra keeper or MFS/MLer the following season. The team with the 2nd best improvement shall receive 1 extra MFS/ML spot.
6.3 Weekly prizes - All owners will contrubute an additional $25 which will be used to give out weekly awards to the team with the best weekly statistics (as shown on CBS standings under "by period") during the last 15 weeks of the season. Those weekly prizes will be ~$25.
6.4 Payouts - The league treasurer is to pay out all league prizes in a timely fashion.
7.1 The following criteria are used to determine team performance:
* Composite Batting Average
* Total Runs Scored
* Total Home Runs
* Total Runs Batted In
* Total Stolen Bases
* Total Wins
* Total Saves
* Composite Earned Run Average
* Composite WHIP
* Total Strikeouts
7.2 Teams are ranked from first to last in each of the ten categories, and given points for
each place. For example, in a 14 team league, the first place team in a category receives
14
points, the second place team 13, and so on down to one point for last place. The team with
the most total points wins the pennant.
7.3 In case of ties in an individual category, the tied teams are assigned points by totaling
points for the rankings at issue and dividing by the total number of teams tied.
7.4 In case of ties in total points, each team involved in the tie is compared to all other
teams involved in the tie in each individual category. One point is given to each team for
leading in a category. The team with the most points using this method wins the
tiebreaker. If, after this method is used, it is still a tie, the tie stands.
8.1 CBS Sportsline will be the recommended statistical service chosen and will constitute the official statistics for our league. Any problems with statistics/player moves etc. must
be reported to the commissioner within 3 days. After that, any changes fall under the
discretion of the commissioner.
8.2 Performance statistics of a player shall be assigned to a Rotisserie League team only
when he is on the active roster of that team.
8.3 Standings and Transactions will be tabulated daily on-line and available on the internet.
8.4 All regular season statistics from Major League Baseball, including any extra games
necessary to determine playoffs teams, will be included. Statistics from Major League
Baseball's playoffs are not included.
9.1 Rosters will be frozen from noon of the last day of the regular season until Dec. 31st. Trades resume from Jan. 1st until the keeper rosters are due. Off-season trades are not bound by the position distribution requirement.
9.2 No trade may take place from September 1 until the last day of the regular season.
9.3 There are no limits to the number of trades a team may make during the season.
9.4 Auction money and draft picks may not be traded at any time.
9.5 Minor league trading restrictions - Beginning in 2004 the in-season trading of MLers shall be prohibited. Special exception: once a player does exceed the ML eligibility requirements (300 ABs/100 IP) that player may be traded and remain in the ML system until the following season when that player must either be designated as a keeper or placed in MFS. MFS players can also be traded and remain in the recipient team's MFS system. There is unlimited and unrestricted trading of MLers in the off-season.
9.6 Trade vetoing - This has been dissolved. Only the Commissioner shall override a trade and only in cases of deemed collusion. Burr Loew and Gary Blanchard if both in agreement will be granted the power to overturn a trade if collusion is involved..
10.1 A player may be released at any time by his rotisserie team from the time after the draft until the last day of the regular season. The last waivers process is run on the morning of the last regular season day. Thereafter no players may claimed.
10.2 When a player is released, he is placed on waivers for 2 days. Within those 2 days,
the lowest team on the waiver list to claim the player acquires the player. The initial waiver wire order shall be reverse of that previous year's standings. After a team claims a player from the waiver wire he shall drop to the last position.
10.3 When a player is claimed off waivers, his salary either becomes
$5 or remains the
same, whichever is higher. That player's length of contract IS completely transferable from the team that dropped him. Note however that should the player be signed to a long term contract (LTC) the team dropping the player is penalized in the following year's auction but the team adding the player will not be penalized if the player is NOT a keeper the following year (i.e. player can be dropped by the team claiming the player from the present season thru the time keeper lists are due and that team is not penalized. Otherwise this would be double jeopardy and 2+ teams would be penalized for ONE LTC).
10.4 After the 2-day waiver period has passed, if the player has not been claimed, he
immediately becomes a free agent and is available to all teams.
10.5 Players on the major league dl may be claimed off waivers
but can not be placed on a team's IR, i.e. the player must be placed on the
active roster..
11.1 Any player owned by a MLB organization who is not owned by another rotisserie team, not currently on the waiver list, and is listed in the player database may be acquired as a free agent.
11.2 No free agents/waiver wire players may be acquired after noon on the last day of the previous season and
draft day of the current season.
11.3 Free agents may be picked up from after the auction until noon on the
last dayof the season.
11.4 Free agent contracts are treated identically to that of waiver wire players (i.e. length and terms of contract are completely transferable. The salary will be
$5 or the player's previous salary whichever is higher). Free agents not claimed before the end of the season have their remaining contracts terminated and are available for the upcoming year's draft.
12.8 A player may be signed to only one long-term contract. After the contract has
expired, the player must be released and made available for the next major league auction.
12.9 Trades do not affect the contract status of a player.
13.1 Initial Minor League 5 player draft to be conducted in 2002. Subsequent drafts will consist of three rounds. Each team gets a maximum of three picks. Players eligible for the minor league draft are players with rookie status owned by a MLB club. Players not owned by a MLB team (i.e. Japanese players, High schoolers) are not eligible.
13.2 1st round $5, 2nd round $4, $3, $2, 5th round $1. For a three round draft salaries shall be $5, $3, and $1 respectively.
13.3 Draft order to be snake starting with order determined by previous year's standings. 4th-last and then 3rd-1st places respectively.
13.4 Once a fantasy team calls a minor leaguer up from the farm system that
player CAN NOT be placed back on the farm system. That player will be treated as a major leaguer in every way including the keeper rules and initiation of the player's contract. So be careful.
13.5 September Roster Expansion - Beginning in 2006 teams may use any
ML/MFS player on their active roster without losing ML status and starting their
contracts. However, teams must still comply with a roster of no more than 27
active players.
13.6 Minor leaguers do not count against the major league keeper number. Once rookie status is lost during the following off-season the respective team must either add the player to the active roster,
drop that player, or add it to their MFS system (see below) at the time keeper rosters are due.
13.7 A rookie is defined by the Gammonsonian Diamonds as a
player who has not exceeded 300 ABs, 100 IP (Note this is different from major
league rookie requirements).
13.8 Maturation Farm System (MFS) - Given that the GMDS is a AL & NL player universe, young players drafted in the minor league draft may need several years after losing rookie status before approaching minimal fantasy value, the "Maturation Farm System" (MFS) was developed. The purpose of the MFS is to allow promising young players who upon losing rookie status (therefore farm system eligibility) to be protected by their respective team because that player's production would not otherwise justify a spot on a fantasy team. Beginning in 2004 teams may designate ONE player who has lost rookie status onto the maturation farm system. In 2005 the MFS roster will be increased to a MAXIMUM of
TWO players. A player may remain on the MFS for up to 2 years after which the player must be either dropped or brought up to the major league roster. A player on the MFS is treated similarly to a farm system player: The contract does not begin until brought up to the active roster, his salary does not count against the cap, and the player does not count as one of the "keepers". NOTE: Only players in a team's farm system and after losing rookie status may be transferred to the MFS. Once a player is activated from the farm system or MFS, that player is forever ineligible for the MFS.
13.9 Minor League Roster Limits - The ML roster is limited to 7 slots. MFS players do not count against this cap (i.e. a team may have 7 MLers and 2 MFS players maximum). The ML "keeper" rosters are due at the same time as the regular keeper rosters. Beginning in 2004 teams will only be allowed to draft MLers until their ML roster is full and are restricted to a maximum of 3 picks. For example a team with 6 MLers may only draft one rookie that year in the first round and forfeits 2nd & 3rd round picks. 2nd example; a team with 1 MLer may only pick 3 MLers in any given year even though the 7 ML roster limit is not met.
13.10 Timing of ML draft - Beginning in 2004 the ML draft will be held immediately following the auction and before the reserve draft. Players who have rookie status may be taken in the auction AND again in the ML draft. However should that rookie not make the Opening Day Roster (ODR) only the team that drafted him in the ML draft shall retain him. Conversely, if the specified player does make the ODR only the team drafting him in the auction retains his rights. Any rookie taken in the ML draft may not be taken in the reserve draft.
13.11 September Roster Expansion - Beginning in 2006 teams may "call-up" any ML/MFS player onto their active roster without losing ML status and starting their contracts on/after Sept 1st. However, teams must still comply with a roster 27 active players. Any called-up players may not be placed back into the farm system until the end of the season.
14.1 The commissioner(s) shall enfore all rules in the league constitution judiciously and without bias. Should at least 3 members of the league feel a rule was misinterpreted by the commissioner or that the commissioner acted unconstitutionally they may by league wide
2/3 majority vote overturn the decision of the commissioner. Should a situation arise in which there is no law governing the proper action or ambiguity in the rule, the commissioner along with the league as a whole shall decide the proper course of action.
14.2 The current Commissioners are Gary Blanchard and Burr Loew.
The Commissioner(s) along with league secretary, Chris Kwan, will keep the everyday operations of the league running smoothly. Rishi is the current Poll Master.
Our league treasurer is James Mycroft.
14.3 Rule changes will be done in the offseason. A majority vote of the league as a whole will be required to overturn an old law and enact a new one. In extreme circumstances should a rule be deemed necessary during the season, the league may convene and with a 2/3 vote enact a new/overturn a law.
15.1 69 rule - The owner finishing in second to last and last shall contribute $6 and $9 respectively into the league pot.
15.2 GDFLOOTY (Gammonsonian Diamonds Fantasy League Owner of the Year) to be awarded annually to the league's most valuable owner. Winner shall be determined by the following: 100% based on subjective voting by league owners for top 5 owners based on competitiveness, activity, BB postings, and level of fun and entertainment brought to the league. Points distributed in 5-4-3-2-1 manner. In event of tie, team finishing highest in the standings wins. The winner shall receive a cash prize from funds garnered from "69" rule.
15.3 Trade vetoing - This has been dissolved. Only the Commissioner shall override a trade and only in cases of deemed collusion.
15.4 Maturation Farm System (MFS) -See rule 13.8 for complete details. MFS to be slowly phased in beginning with ONE player in 2004 and TWO players in 2005.
15.5 Expansion - Expansion teams to be handled on a case by case basis by vote of the entire league. Current format is to allow the expansion team to select 0-8 non-tendered players once keeper lists are submitted due exactly 1 week after keeper lists have been sumbitted. Expansion teams shall be granted 5 minor league picks (as opposed to 3) to aid in the building of a farm system. The team shall receive the first pick in each round of the minor league draft as well as the final two picks, totalling 5 minor league picks (as opposed to 3) to aid in the building of a farm system. The team is also to receive the first pick of the 5 player reserve draft and then commencing in the usual snake format. Finally, a discounted league entry fee may be given.
15.6 Juan Rivera Rule - A player activated in the previous season from the minor league roster but who did not lose rookie status may be designated as one of the current maximum number of keepers and can be retained even if the player does not make the Opening Day roster. Juan Rivera was activated by his respective roto team when the Yankees apparently had given him one of the OF positions. However he subsequently was injured and missed the remainder of the year and did not lose his rookie status. Such a "rookie" player would normally be subject to forfeiture for the minor league draft even if a keeper designation was used should he not make the Opening Day roster in the subsequent year. The Juan Rivera rule was created to allow a team to retain such a player as one of the 8 keepers.
15.7 Keeper Number - Keepers were initially set at a maximum of 11. There is to be a slow wean down to 8. 2004 - 10 keepers are allowed. 2005 and beyond - 8.
15.8 Rookie eligibility - Rookie requirements have been modified by GMDS to regard rookies as any player with less than or equal to 300 ABs and 100 IPs (changed from Major League Baseball's rules regarding rookie status of 130 ABs/50 IP or 45 days of major league service). This change does not take effect until the 2004 season (i.e. players before the 2004 season commences are subject to MLB rookie eligibility requirements (50 IP, 130 ABs, or 45 days on the major league roster
15.9 Farm system roster limits - Beginning in 2004 a team may have no more than 10 minor leaguers. 2005 - 8 slots. 2006 and thereafter 7 slots. Special grandfathering in for the NY SnappleBoyz. MFS players do not count against this cap (i.e. a team may have 7 MLers and 2 MFS players maximum). The ML "keeper" rosters are due at the same time as the regular keeper rosters. Beginning in 2005 teams will only be allowed to draft MLers until their ML roster is full and are restricted to a maximum of 3 picks. For example a team with 6 MLers may only draft one rookie that year in the first round and forfeits 2nd & 3rd round picks. 2nd example; a team with 1 MLer may only pick 3 MLers in any given year even though the 7 ML roster limit is not met.
15.10 Minor League Trading - Due to what many felt was the the firesale of all-star caliber players for ML talent during the 2003 season, GMDS has instituted ML trading restrictions. Beginning in 2004 the in-season trading of MLers shall be prohibited. Special exception: once a player does exceed the ML eligibility requirements (300 ABs/100 IP) that player may be traded and remain in the ML system until the following season when that player must either be designated as a keeper or placed in MFS. MFS players can also be traded in season. There is unlimited and unrestricted trading of MLers in the off-season.
15.11 Salary Cap - Beginning in 2004 the GMDS will adopt a salary cap. The current salary cap will be set at $325. DL'ed and MLers/MFS players do not count against the cap. Beginning in 2005 there will also be a MINIMUM cap. A team's active and reserve salary must equal at least $225. IRed players may be counted against the minimum cap unless that player was acquired via trade while that player was on the MLB DL.
15.12 Ben Broussard DL rule - Should a rookie begin the season on the major league DL he IS NOT considered to have made the Opening Day Roster and must be forfeited if another team selected that player in the ML draft.
15.13 Incentives - Improvement award - The owner with the best 2nd half improvement as determined by largest improvement in total points after the All-Star break shall receive either an extra keeper or MFS/MLer the following season. The team with the 2nd best improvement shall receive 1 extra MFS/ML spot. Weekly prizes - All owners will contrubute an additional $25 which will be used to give out weekly awards to the team with the best weekly statistics (as shown on CBS standings under "by period") during the last 15 weeks of the season. Those weekly prizes will be ~$25.
15.14 September Roster Expansion - Beginning in 2006 teams may "call-up" any ML/MFS player onto their active roster without losing ML status and starting their contracts on/after Sept 1st. However, teams must still comply with a roster 27 active players. Any called-up players may not be placed back into the farm system until the end of the season.
15.15 Beginning in 2006 owners are required to submit $50 as a downpayment for the following years fees. An owner not is not in compliance is forbidden from making any trades until the fee has been paid. This is to prevent owners who have no intention of returning, of unfairly influencing the pennant race.
15.16 In season penalty - Beginning in 2006 any team who drops a player under LTC will incur an in-season salary cap penalty equal to $3 multiplied by the number of years left on the contract. (i.e. a team dropping a player X with a LTC 2/3, will have a salary cap reduction of $6).
