The Internet League that Ruth Built

A Fantasy Baseball League

 

featuring

Strat-O-Matic Baseball 3.0!

Issued: 9/28/98

Celebrate over one hundred years

of baseball with all of your favorite players from a decade in Major League History!

A fantasy baseball league consisting of the baseball’s all-time greatest players managed by you.

 

  1. The League;
    1. You will draft a team consisting of 25 of the all-time greatest players that played during a decade of Major League Baseball.
      1. You will set your starting lineup, pitching rotation, create your computer manager based on your managing tendencies & finally select your stadium.
    2. You will be placed in a 2 division – 8 team league & will be scheduled a 154 game schedule – the same as Major League Baseball.
      1. Your season will mimic the Major Leagues – running 6 months with games scheduled in the same format as the MLB. You will find that you will be involved in 3 or 4 game series, Mondays & Thursday more often then not will be your days to rest. The season will start the first Monday in Oct
      2. End of the season playoffs will involve the top 3 teams in each division.

       

    3. The league will autoplay your games using the Strat-O-Matic software.
      1. You can preview this software at http://www.strat-o-matic.com/
      2. You will be issued daily box scores of all league games and weekly league stats updates.
      3. These weekly stats will include; Team Standings, League Leaders, Individual Player Stats both Hitting & Pitching.

     

  2. Your roster;
    1. Your team’s roster will consist of 25 players.
    2. Your roster will be based on the best season of Major League players for a given decade of Major League Baseball. The League will kick off in 1998 with the ROARING 20’s. Each season will feature players from the next decade.
    3. You will be issued a master list of 300 players containing their stats from their best year during the ten seasons of the featured decade (1920 to 1929 for the 1998 season). Each player is represented by the statistics of one of their best single season during that decade. From this master list, you will build your team of twenty-five players (9-10 pitchers recommended). This list will contain the player's stats as well as the positions that they can field (and their ability to field them).

     

  3. Draft – Seal Bid Option
    1. Your Team will be drafted, 8 players at a time using a seal bid. Your maximum team salary is $2,000 – this can never be exceeded either during the draft or during the season nor can it ever be projected to be exceeded.
    2. The Seal Bid Draft will be held in rounds.
      1. Each round all Managers will submit a list with his bid for any eight players of his choice.
          1. Bids are only to be made in multiplies of $1
          2. Once your Roster exceeds 17 players the number of players to be bid on each round reduces accordingly.
      2. Bids are a one-time affair. No raising – the bids are reviewed & the Team bidding the highest is awarded the player – provided it’s a "legal bid" – see legal bids & projected team salary below.
          1. If multiple managers tie for the high bid on a given player that player will not awarded during that round. Instead he is eligible to be bid on during the next round but by only the original tying Managers. If he is not bid on during the next round then in any following rounds he can again be bid on by the whole league.
          2. If a manager fails to submit a bid by the bid deadline he is out of luck for that round & will not receive any players. There are no provisions for a manager to select players after the bids are closed – he just moves into the next round.
          3. Bids must be Legal Bids
            1. A legal bid is a bid that will not carry either your current team or your projected team salary over $2,000
          4. Projected Team Salary
            1. Your Projected Team Salary equals the sum of the salaries of all your current players plus the sum of the salaries of all undrafted positions based up their salary being the league minimum.
            2. Projected team salary will be monitored by the league as follows:
              1. Before the start of Draft the league will create a Roster & Salary spreadsheet for each team. The spreadsheet will have 25 unnamed players priced at $20 each (the league’s minimum). Included will be the summation for the total team salary-which will initially be $500 (25 players @ $20 each) for each team.
              2. After the round’s bid closing but prior to the league awarding the player(s) to their successful team the new player with his salary will be added to this spreadsheet –replacing an unnamed player.
              3. With the new player’s salary now included in the bottom line –total team salary of existing & projected players is reviewed.
              4. If it’s under the salary cap of $2,000 it’s a legal bid & the player is awarded to that team.
              5. If it’s over the salary cap of $2,000 it’s an illegal bid & the player is not awarded to that team but awarded to the second highest bidder.
              6. When multiple players are won by a team using an illegal bid in a given round the player’s salaries are reviewed in descending order of bid salary. Starting with the highest bid – that player will be awarded to the second highest bidder. This process continues working downward in bid salary until the projected team salary drops below the $2,000 cap.
                1. Note-only newly bid on players are involved in this process. Players previously awarded in earlier rounds are not involved and can not be stripped from its team.
    3. You must draft a complete team roster of 25 players and your active roster must always contain 25 players.
      1. On November 2nd the league team salary cap will be increased by $100 to $2100 and rosters can be expanded by up to 5 additional players. At 8:00 eastern time the expanded roster round bids are due. You can submit up to 5 players. If there is a tie during this round the player will be randomly awarded (high dice roll – best of 7 using AOL’s dice roll feature (// roll).
    4. Transactions
      1. Free Agents
        1. Starting on 6:00 am eastern time on the morning after the expanded roster draft is completed Managers can claim free agents from the free agent pool. The remaining 100 players non-drafted players or any released player will make up the free agency pool. A player can be selected from the pool simply by emailing me and telling me the player you are selecting and the player from your roster you are releasing. This will be done on a first-come – first-serve basis according to the time stamp on your email. The new player is added to the team’s Roster & Salary spreadsheet at his proper incoming salary.
        2. Free Agents can be bought @ $25 apiece – increasing your roster, provided you don’t exceed the maximum limit of 30 players.
        3. Or Free agents can replace existing players. Upon claiming a new player an existing player must be released to free agent pool to make room for the newly signed player. The new player will be assigned the same salary contract as that of the released player’s salary plus an additional $1 signing bonus.

         

      2. Trades
        1. Trades can involve both players and or cash but must involve at least one player. Both owners need to email me to let me know that the trade has taken place.
        2. Traded players retain their original salary on their new team
        3. When cash is included in the transaction the following occurs:
          1. A line item is added to each of the team’s Roster & Salary spreadsheet
          2. For the team giving up the cash the value is inputted as a positive number on the team’s Roster & Salary spreadsheet. This effectively reduces by this cash amount the salary available to pay the 25-man roster.
        4. For the team receiving the cash the value is inputted as a negative number on the team’s Roster & Salary spreadsheet. This effectively increases by this cash amount the salary available to pay the 25-man roster.
        5. Trades can happen anytime if an equal number of players trade teams. If an unequal number are involved the trade can’t happen between the end of the original draft & the completion of the expanded roster draft.
          1. If it happens during the draft , After the trade both team’s salary must be at a level to continue drafting players to fill your 25-player roster.
          2. If it happens after the expanded roster draft , both teams must end up with a roster of 30 players or less. If the roster size is less then 25 then you must buy free agents from the free agent pool at $25 a piece. You can never exceed 30 players or be under 25.

       

    5. Schedule for Seal Bid 1998 Draft:
          1. Thursday Sept 10 – 8:00pm eastern Round #1 Bids Due
          2. Thursday Sept 10 – 9:00pm eastern Round #1 Player Awarded
          3. Monday Sept 14 – 8:00pm eastern Round #2 Bids Due
          4. Monday Sept 14 – 9:00pm eastern Round #2 Player Awarded
          5. Wednesday Sept 16 – 8:00pm eastern Round #3 Bids Due
          6. Wednesday Sept 16 – 9:00pm eastern Round #3 Player Awarded
          7. Friday Sept 18 – 8:00pm eastern Round #4 Bids Due
          8. Friday Sept 18 – 9:00pm eastern Round #4 Player Awarded
          9. Monday Sept 21 – 8:00pm eastern Round #5 Bids Due
          10. Monday Sept 21 – 9:00pm eastern Round #5 Player Awarded
          11. Wednesday Sept 23 – 8:00pm eastern Round #6 Bids Due
          12. Wednesday Sept 23 – 9:00pm eastern Round #6 Player Awarded
          13. Friday Sept 25 – 8:00pm eastern Round #7 Bids Due
          14. Friday Sept 25 – 9:00pm eastern Round #7 Player Awarded
          15. Saturday October 3 – Computer Manager Info Due
          16. Monday October 5 – Opening Day
          17. Monday Nov 2 - 8:00pm eastern Expanded Roster Bids Due
          18. Tuesday Nov 3 - 6:00am eastern Free Agent Pool open
    6. Following the completion of your twenty-five man roster, each manager will then have an opportunity to select a home ballpark (past or present). He will also set up his pitching rotation, his batting order versus left and right hand pitchers and his manager's profile (tendency to steal, hit and run, bring in relief pitching, etc.).

     

     

  4. Autoplay
    1. All games will be played without interruption or intervention using Strat-O-Matic’s autoplay feature.
      1. The League will issue weekly the schedule of upcoming games with projected pitching matchups based on your Computer Manager setup.
        1. This schedule will be issued on the weekend covering games for the upcoming week Monday to Sunday.
        2. Each Manager is encouraged to review & adjust his rotation. Any changes must be issued to the league by 6:00 pm eastern time two days before the scheduled game. This is to allow the opposing Manager to adjust his lineup accordingly.
      2. Daily lineups, unless you have sent instructions for a specific game, will be determined by your Computer Manager. You can assume that 90% of the time your computer manager stored lineup(s) will be used however the computer software may randomly make substitutions - normally this is based on player usage or injuries. Substitutions, in our league, will most likely be made more often due to the fact that your subs will all have a "full" season of at bats. You are encouraged to hand select & submit your unique lineup on a daily basis. This lineup must be turned in by 5:00 pm eastern on the day before the scheduled game.

        3.  

         

      3. Overusage
          1. Since most of the players in this league, including your subs, were starters in real-life this should not be a problem. We will limit the player’s utilization to 110% his actual season total. After the game in which this figure is reached the player is no longer eligible for the season – becomes inactive (sent to the minors). However, if your team does make the playoffs he can be reactivated. Overusage will not be a factor during the playoffs.
      4. As mentioned once the game begins it will be played to completeness without interruption or human intervention. All decisions will be made by the computer – again 90% of the time the software will follow your pre-programmed computer manager. But at times, mainly due to usage or injury substitute decisions may be made.
      5. Daily Boxscores
          1. The League will typically play the games on the evening before they are scheduled. Box scores for each game will be saved as a ".PRT" file, zipped into one common file & issued first thing (usually by 6:30am eastern) on the morning of Game Day (Don’t we all need to review our team success as we read the morning paper?). Weekend games may not be issued until noon.
          2. There will be days were due to either professional or personal commitments that I will be unable to play the scheduled games. Every attempt will be made to pre-notify you of these situations and how I plan to adjust to get back on track.
      6. As you can see by reading the rules above you can be as active or as inactive as you choose. If you choose to be inactive, the games will go on without you. But if you choose to be active, you will have the opportunity to play specific lineups versus specific teams, make sure that guys who are on the "Hot List" are getting their playing time as well as benching those whose bats or arms are frozen!

       

    2. As a manager your responsibility is to:
      1. Draft your team
      2. Select your stadium
      3. Create your Computer Manager
      4. Set your pitching rotations
      5. Create your starting lineups
      6. Review your weekly pitching rotations
      7. Review your opponent’ rotations and send any special instructions to the league in the proper time frame.

     

     

  5. League Schedule
      1. The season will start the first Monday in October. Our league will use the 1927 NL schedule as its basis. What this means is that every team in our league will be assigned a NL counterpart – they will play their games when their counterpart in 1927 was scheduled with our season shifted so that Oct 5, 1998 corresponds to April 4, 1927.
      2. Our League’s All-Star Break will be Dec 24, 25, 26 – no games will be scheduled. Games that would have been scheduled those days will be moved to the end of the season.
  6. Playoffs
      1. End of the season playoffs will involve the top 3 teams in each division.
          1. In round #1 of the playoffs the Division champs receive a first round bye. The two series will match the 3rd place team versus the 2nd place team in the opposite division in a best of 5 game series (home team advantage in game #5 to 2nd place team).
          2. In round #2 of the playoffs the Division champs will play the winners of round #1 in a best of 5 games series (home team advantage in game #5 to division champs). If both winners in round #1 are from the same division then the highest seeded Division Champ will place the lowest seeded winner. If the winners in round #1 are from different divisions then the Division Champs will play the team in the opposite division.
          3. Round #3 will match the Winners of round #2 in the League of 10’s best of seven World Series- home team advantage to the highest seeded team.

     

     

     

  7. SOM Player Ratings
    1. In addition to the typical baseball statistics, Strat-O-Matic has the following ratings assigned to each player & found on the Master Player Roster.
    2. Balance Rating
        1. Both batters and pitchers are assigned a balance rating which indicates their relative effectiveness vs. right-handed and left-handed opponents. The balance rating tells you the lefty/righty balance of the batters and pitchers. The balance rating has two components, a number from 1 to 9 and a letter ("L," "R," or "E").
        2. The letter indicates the types of opponents he is stronger against. An "L" indicates he is stronger against opposing lefties. An "R" indicates he is stronger against opposing righties. And an "E" indicates he is about even against lefties and righties.
        3. The number shown is on a 1 to 9 scale with a 1 being just a little bit stronger, and a 9 being tremendously stronger.
        4. Take for example a batter whose balance rating is "1R." This indicates he is slightly stronger against right-handed pitchers. A batter rated "5L" would indicate a batter who is significantly better against left-handed pitchers. A rating of "E" indicates this player has evenly balanced ability vs. left and right-handed pitchers.
    3. BATTER RATINGS (shown from best to worst in each category)
        1. Running (17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8) - this is based on 1-20 so a player will the running rating of 17 has a 85% (17/20) of successifully advancing on a play were his speed comes into play. Is adjusted up or down bythe throwing arm of the outfielder making the play.
        2. Stealing (AAA, AA, A, B, C, D, E)
          1. Safe Per Centage prior to any Adjustments – AAA/AA – 85%, A-75%, B-65%, C-55%, D-45%, E-35%
        3. Bunting (A, B, C, D)
        4. Hit-and-Run (B, C, D)
        5. Fielding Ratings; are in the format 1E26 +/- 3 if an outfielder
          1. The first number is the Fielding Range (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) or ability to get to the ball.
          2. The second number is the Error Rating - The lower the number the better. This rating correlates to how many errors the player would make if he played a complete season at that position.
          3. Throwing arm (-6, -5, -4, -3, -2, -1, 0, +1, +2, +3, +4, +5) - adds or subtracts from the player's running.
          4. Catcher's T rating - Catchers' throwing errors, the lower the number the better.
    4. PITCHER RATINGS (shown from best to worst in each category
      1. All Pitchers have an endurance rating as *8/3/n
          1. Only Pitchers with an "*" can start every 4th game - resulting in a possible 4 man rotation
          2. First number is the Starting fatigue (9, 8, 7, 6, 5) rated in innings before a pitcher becomes eligible to become "tired" - once a pitcher reachs his endurance inning he bcomes tired once he gives up a combination of 2 hits or walks. Once tired a certain per centage of outs become singles
          3. Second Number is the Relief fatigue (5, 4, 3, 2, 1) rated in innings before a pitcher becomes eligible to become "tired" - once a pitcher reachs his endurance inning he bcomes tired once he gives up a combination of 2 hits or walks. Once tired a certain per centage of outs become singles.
          4. Closer Rating (6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, N)
            I don't know exactly how this rule is applied, but I know that the closer rating is how many outs the pitcher can go in a closing situation. If he goes more than that number of outs, he becomes "tired", and very easy to hit. A pitcher with an "N" as his closer rating, would go into the game tired, in a closing situation.
            1. Using this Closer Rating is a game option that can be turned off or on. Since we are playing the Roarin 20's where there was no such things as cloasers (well, maybe 2) we will not use this option & you can disregard this rating when selecting players. As long as the pitcher has a relief endurance rating his pitching in relief will mimic his stats as a starter
            2. The printout of the roster; The pitchers are listed in 3 consectutive reports. The first one has the season, team, how he throws, Start Endurance, Relief Endurance, Closer Rating, and hitting rating. What doesn't show on this report is item (a) the "*" was signifies that he can pitch with only 3 days of rest. To find this you need to go to third report - the first column following the player name is *-Rating. A "Y" indicates that he has one - a "N" means 4 days of rest between starts.
        1. Additional Pitcher Ratings
          1. Error Rating - The lower the number the better.
          2. Hold runner (-6 to +9)
          3. Balk (0 to 20)
          4. WP (0 to 20)
          5. Hitting ability - see chart below.
            1. IF NO HR'S OR AB/HR>=68
                1. Bavg Card
                2. .000 - .134 1
                3. .135 - .179 2
                4. .180 - .224 3
                5. .225 - .269 4
                6. .270 + 5
              1. IF AB/HR < 68
                1. Bavg Card
                2. .000 - .199 6
                3. .200 - .249 7
                4. .250 + 8
  8. S-O-M Game Rule settings – "X" represents the option being used
    1. Main Rules
      1. Advanced
      2. Super Advanced
      3. Super Advanced w/BK/WP/PB
      4. X Maximum level
    2. Stealing
      1. Advanced Steal System
      2. X Super Advanced Steal System
    3. Miscellaneous
      1. Do Not Use Miscellaneous Rules
      2. X Use Miscellaneous Rules
    4. Injuries
      1. Do Not Use Injuries
      2. X Use Injuries
      3. Use Super Advanced Injuries
    5. GroundBall A
      1. Prevent GBA on Pitcher Card
      2. X Allow GBA on Pitcher Card
    6. BP/Clutch
      1. BP/C - No Weather –No
      2. BP/C - Yes Weather –No
      3. X BP/C -Yes Weather – Yes
    7. Strategy
      1. Advanced Strategy Charts
      2. X Super Advanced Strategy Charts
    8. Closer
      1. X Do Not Use Closer Rules
      2. Use Closer Rules
    9. Pitcher Fatigue
      1. Do Not Use SADV Fatigue Rules
      2. X Use SADV Fatigue Rules
      3. Use SADV Fatigue Rules & Pitch Count
    10. Maximum Rule Settings
      1. X Improve Statiscal Accuracy
      2. X Bunt for Base Hit
      3. X Improve Out distribution
      4. X Improve Base Running Realism
      5. X Home Field Advantage
      6. X Starting Pitcher Clutch
      7. More Base Running Decisions
      8. X Doubles/Triples Option
      9. X Force Daily Injuries
  9. Computer Manager
    1. MANAGER PROFILES
      1. Manager Profiles is used by the computer manager. The computer manager makes decisions based on the score, inning, number of outs, who is on base, the ability of the pitcher and catcher, the ballpark, the availability of bench players, and many other factors.
      2. The manager profile contains instructions for four aspects of managing your team: handling your pitching staff, choosing starting lineups, defining roles for bench players, and influencing how various tactics should be used during a game.

       

    2. PITCHING PROFILE
      1. The pitching chart includes your starting rotation, rules for how your starters are to be used, a list of other pitchers who may start from time to time, and the assignment of relief pitchers to various roles as follows:
        1. Starting Rotation: You identify the pitchers that make up your starting rotation and the order in which they appear. You can choose a rotation of at least four & up to seven pitchers (note only pitchers with "*" rating can pitch on 3 days rest). You can also indicate whether your starting pitchers can also relieve. The Following Chart is to be completed:
          2.

          Starter

          Player

          Relieve?

          Starter #1

          Name

          Never, Sometimes, As Needed

          Starter #2

          Name

          Never, Sometimes, As Needed

          Starter #3

          Name

          Never, Sometimes, As Needed

          Starter #4

          Name

          Never, Sometimes, As Needed

          Starter #5*

          Name

          Never, Sometimes, As Needed

          Starter #6*

          Name

          Never, Sometimes, As Needed

          Starter #7*

          Name

          Never, Sometimes, As Needed

           

        2. Setup Situations: You need to designate two setup pitchers (note the same pitcher can hold both slots), one to face left-handed batters, and one to face right-handed batters. Setup men are generally used in the 7th inning or later in close games, but will also be used in other situations when required.
        3. Closers: You need to designate two closers (note the same pitcher can hold both slots), one to face left-handed batters and one to face right-handed batters. Closers are generally used in the 8th or 9th inning when the team has a lead in a close game, but will also be used in other situations when required.
        4. You can enter a pitcher on more then one list if you want him to be considered for more then one role.
        5. In addition you can inform the computer manager to follow the guidelines listed below for each/every pitcher (set up individually with each pitcher). However, please keep in mind the computer manager must sometimes override these guidelines due to player overusage and other concerns. If you wish to add any of these guidelines to your manager's pitching profile (optional), please be sure to indicate the pitchers it will pertain to.

 

 

 

game. You might want to use this for starting pitchers who aren't good, especially if you have a strong bullpen.

    1. BATTING PROFILE
      1. You can create up to five saved lineups. One against right-handed pitchers and the second for left-handed pitchers. You select who plays each defensive position and the batting order. If necessary due to injuries, fatigue, or the desire to give a spot starter his share of playing time, and the computer manager will adjust your starting lineup and batting order. The Game will be set to "Primary Lineup W/Rest" which means if you don’t turn in a daily lineup most of the time the Computer Manager will select your Lineup #1 vs Right-handed Pitchers & Lineup #2 vs Left-handed Pitchers- resting the starters as required.
      2. Depth Charts
        1. A depth goes hand in hand with a starting lineup, and provides instructions for using the players not in the starting lineup:
        2. Defensive Replacement: If you specify a player in this role, the player will be inserted into a game in the late innings of games in which the team has a narrow lead. Up can select up to 4 – indicate the position that they are going into for.
        3. Pinch Hitter: You need to designate two pinchhitters (note the same batter can hold both slots), one to face left-handed pitchers, and one to face right-handed pitchers. The computer manager doesn't always choose the first player in the list as the first pinch hitter in the game. Sometimes it will choose to keep the top player available for a better opportunity later in the game.
        4. In addition, you can inform the computer manager to follow the guidelines listed below for each/every batter (set up individually with each batter). However, please keep in mind the computer manager must sometimes override these guidelines due to player overusage and other concerns. If you wish to add any of these guidelines to your manager's batter's profile (optional), please be sure to indicate the batters it will pertain to.

pitcher who throws from the other side. For instance, try to have a right-handed batter pinch-hit against left-handed pitchers, only.

 

    1. COMPUTER MANAGER SETUP; the following items will need to be completed to design your computer manager.
      1. OFFENSE - The values you can set for each tactic are Very aggressive, Aggressive, Normal, Conservative, and Extra Conservative.
        1. Base Stealing_____________
        2. Minimum lead % of Your Baserunner before you try to steal ____ 0% to 95%
        1. Base Running____________
        2. Hit & Run _____________
        3. Bunting_____________
      1. PITCHING - The values you can set for each tactic are Extreme Aggressive, Very aggressive, Aggressive, Normal, Conservative, Extra Conservative, & Dead Ball Era
        1. Using Relievers __________
        2. Using Closers ____________ - Regular or Maximize
        3. Intentional Bases on Balls Offered __________ - Very aggressive, Aggressive, Normal, Conservative, and Extra Conservative.
      2. DEFENSE
        1. Always Hold Runners ___________ -Yes/No
        2. Minimum Successful steal % of Baserunner before you hold him ____ 0% to 95%
        3. Earliest Inning to bring the Infield In ___________- 1st,2nd,3rd,4th, or 5th

 

 

 

  1. League Fees
    1. The only league Fees will be the cost to buy the required season software. This fee will be $10 per Manager – payable before the start of the draft. All software seasons purchased as part of the league fee will also be made available to any Manager who also owns the Strat-O-Matic software.