Replay Baseball Network
Constitution
January 14, 2003 ... First Issue
March 30, 2003 ... (6.2) Added last sentence
July 28, 2003 ... (9.4) Trading draft picks
July 28, 2003 ... (7.7) 2nd paragraph, changed "run" to "baserunner of any kind"
August 11, 2003 ... (10) Update to playoff rules
March 15, 2005 …(5.8) Rookie Draft, (6.2) Changed games played calculation divisor from 3.5 to 4.0, (6.3) Pitching rotation rules, (10.6) Changed GP calculation divisor from 3.5 to 4.0, changes last sentence “I suggest” to “There will be”. (7.6, 7.7) Pitcher’s limit on “B” rating.
April 1, 2006 … (4.2, 10.7) 2006 experiment. Changed 25-man active roster to 28-man active roster.
April 1, 2006 … (6.9) Corrected cards and additional cards.
April 1, 2008 … (4.2, 10.7) Roster size: Changed 28-man active roster to 26-man active roster. (27 in 2007)
April 1, 2008 … (5.4) Alternating draft picks in case of tie (implemented 2007)
April 1, 2008 … (6.1) Column 2 “rest of game” injury ignored (implemented 2007)
April 1, 2008 … (7.6) Adoption of new Replay BF Cap rules (slight change to RBN rule)
April 1, 2008 … (7.7) Adoption of new Replay definition of bonus inning
April 1, 2008 … (9.5) No “players to be named later” in trades
(1.1) The Replay Baseball Network (RBN) is a play-by-email baseball simulation league using the Replay Baseball board game. The intent of the League is to promote an atmosphere of friendly competition between its members, serve as a forum in which to share enthusiasm for the Replay game, and to provide an added dimension to its members' enjoyment of major league baseball.
(2.1) Enrollment in the RBN is open. The league will be divided into divisions, with a minimum of 4 teams per division. The inaugural season will use the 2002 Yearbook, and will continue in subsequent years to use the yearbook from the last completed MLB season.
(2.2) Since this is a hobby, the RBN membership is flexible. We will remain open to expansion, turnover and teams wishing to dropout. If expansion is requested, the existing owners will vote on the method of populating the new roster. If a team wishes to dropout, all efforts will be made to find a replacement owner. If no replacements are available, the owners again will vote on a satisfactory method of dissolving a team.
(2.3) All new rules/issues require a majority vote of owners to be implemented. To change an existing rule/issue, a 2/3 majority of owners is required.
(3.1) The RBN will play an 80-game schedule, running (approximately) from April through August. The exact dates will be determined prior to the start of each season and will take into consideration the release date of the past season Replay Yearbook and the logistics of completing the annual player Draft.
(3.2) The schedule will be divided into four Quarters, each of which will be one month in duration. Each team will be assigned approximately 10 home games each quarter. Each team’s home and away series are played concurrently. The order series are played is not important, as long as games within a series are played in the correct order. All efforts should be made to complete one quarter before continuing on to the next quarter. During a quarter, there is no need to wait for someone else to complete a series before you can get started.
(3.3) Prior to the start of each season, the RBN office will publish a schedule detailing the specific dates and deadlines for each quarter’s play.
(4.1) RBN rosters will start a season with 35 players. Trades made during the season may result in franchises carrying slightly more or less than 35 players. There is no restriction on the number of players on the team during the season, but an owner is expected to have a legitimate 25 player roster at all times.
One possibility is to use a free agent pool consisting of players eligible for the draft, but not chosen, and players released during the season. In this cast, teams would not be able to remain above 35 players, and teams under 35 players could claim free agents. In addition, a team would be allowed to release a player on the roster and replace him with a free agent. This item was never fully discussed.
(4.2) At the start of each Quarter, each Owner will specify two 26-man active rosters for that Quarter (one for home games, one for road games), chosen from his 35 major league players. Only these 26 players will be eligible to play in RBN games during that Quarter. The active rosters must meet the following constraints: they must contain every pitcher scheduled to start a game during that Quarter, they must contain at least four outfielders, and they must contain at least two players rated to play each of the other positions.
(4.3) In order to simulate the September roster expansion and to provide added flexibility towards satisfying late-season usage issues, active rosters will expand to include up to 35 major-league players FOR THE FOURTH QUARTER ONLY.
(5.1) The annual RBN draft will be held some time after the release of the yearbook to be used. The Draft will be administered in one of three fashions: (1) Delphi forums message board, (2) via an Internet chat facility such as AIM or the Delphi Forum chat rooms, or (3) via e-mail.
(5.2) The Draft will continue until all Franchises pass. Prior to the start of the season, a rosters may not exceed the 35-man limit.
(5.3) Draft order for the inaugural season will be determined via dice rolls in an AIM chat room. The draft will be serpentine style, i.e. each round will be a reverse of the previous round.
(5.4) Draft order for future drafts will be determined as follows: All non-playoff teams go first, in order of record, worst to best. Then teams eliminated from the first round of playoffs, in order of record, worst to best. This continues for each round of playoffs. The World Series champion will draft last. This draft is not a serpentine style, i.e. teams will pick in the same order every round. If two or more teams have identical records, first head-to-head records (of all involved teams, then remaining teams) will be used to break the tie. If a tie still remains, the team with the lowest run differential (runs scored – runs allowed) in all games will go first. If there is still a tie, a roll-off in an AIM chat room will be required. The tie breaker will only apply to the first round as tied teams will alternate the pick advantage each round.
(5.5) The RBN draft will draw from a limited talent pool to be randomly selected sometime after the release of the yearbook and well before the draft. This draft pool will be selected from the entire Major Leagues. Every effort will be made to keep the talent level comparable to a major league team. For example, the random selection will be weighted to restrict the talent level of the draft, and it will be audited to ensure there are enough position games available to satisfy all the teams.
(5.6) Prior to any subsequent year’s draft, teams must trim their rosters to 25 players. Any player released at this time is eligible for the upcoming random selection of players if they remain carded.
(5.7) In order to be eligible for the random selection, a player must be carded. However, a player already on a roster can be protected regardless of whether he is carded in the following season.
(5.8) ROOKIE DRAFT: A rookie draft will be held between the regular draft and the start of the season. Each team is issued one rookie draft pick every season. A rookie is a player that has never been carded. (To determine who's been carded, look for any player with less than 25 ABs and 20 IPs in every season they played.) Rookies are exempt from roster player limits. You may have up to 3 rookies on your team, acquired from either draft or trade. Rookie draft picks are subject to the same trading rules as normal draft picks. (See Section 9.4). As soon as a player loses his rookie status (completes a season with at least 25 ABs or 20 IPs), he is no longer a rookie and will be counted against your player limit.
(6.1) Use of players in RBN play will be limited in proportion to their usage in the major-league season (50% of 162 games) on which the current Past Season Yearbook is based, and all Replay injuries lasting for longer than the remainder of the current game (from either Column 2 or Column 5, or from the Rare Play book) will be ignored. All column 2 “rest of game” injuries will also be ignored.
(6.2) A batter’s game usage is restricted to “Games Allowed to Start” (GS) and “Games Allowed to Play in” (G). They are calculated by the following formulas:
Use …
To get …
Minimum [G, [FG / 2] rounded up]
The insertion of a position player into a game prior to the 6th inning for reasons other than injury shall be considered a “Game Started”.
(6.3) Pitchers are limited to 50% of appearances made during the preceding major-league season, rounded UP. This limit applies separately to both starts and relief appearances; e.g., a pitcher that made 21 starts and 21 relief appearances in the major-league campaign in question would be restricted to 11 RBN starts and 11 RBN relief appearances. Innings limits will not be imposed, as the Replay pitcher fatigue system should suffice to control innings pitched given realistic appearance limits.
PITCHING ROTATION: The season will be laid out as one continuous schedule (home and away games intermixed), 20 games per quarter, with an off-day inbetween each quarter. Prior to each quarter (about 10 days), each team is required to publish a pitching rotation for that quarter. Teams are encouraged to submit a full season rotation prior to the season, and then tweak as they go. This makes it easier to administer, since if no changes are posted, the pre-published rotation becomes official. Pitchers with 17 or more RBN starts are required to have at least 3 days off between starts. Pitchers with 16 or fewer RBN starts must have at least 4 days off between starts.
Pay special attention to your end-of-season starters. Your pitching rotation can have an impact on who can pitch in a one-game playoff and/or game 1 of your conference championship series. (Section 10.6, Pitcher’s Usage)
Note: Pitchers may relieve between starts as long as it does not conflict with section 6.4. This helps you get those one and two relief appearances from your starters without messing up the rotations.
(6.4) In addition to the pitching constraints of Section 6.3, starting pitchers are subject to additional limits:
(6.5) Within a series, pitchers are subject to rest considerations as defined in the Replay pitcher rest chart included in the optional game rules (the "green sheet") and published in the Replay Review. There is no carry over from series to series.
(6.6) Players may not appear in RBN games at any position for which they are not rated.
(6.7) Overuse is VERY strongly discouraged. You should draft knowing you need to be able to start a player at every position over the course of 80 games. The only unknowns are relief pitcher usage and in-game injuries. If you have a player that is nearing his full usage, it may be necessary to track usage on a game-by-game basis. This is your responsibility to keep in touch with the other owners.
If you feel overuse is unavoidable, contact the league office BEFORE it happens. The case will be reviewed and an appropriate line of action will be determined. You owe your fellow Owners the commitment to play by the spirit of the rules, and you owe yourself the chance to meet the challenge of managing your franchise's resources effectively. The RBN Office reserves the right to appoint an executive committee (consisting of owners without a vested interest in the particular situation) to review any instances of concern and recommend appropriate remedies.
(6.8) Some players that played on multiple teams are issued more than one card. The additional cards are to be ignored. The RBN is only using the full season combo card that is issued with the team on which he finished the season.
(6.9) Corrected player cards officially released by Replay Publishing (either by download or mail) become effective immediately. Also, additional player cards (cards issued in addition to the yearbook) are not considered part of the yearbook, and therefore are not to be considered. However, a player card issued because it was accidentally left out of the yearbook, is considered eligible. This would qualify as a correction since it was supposed to be released in the yearbook.
(7.1) All games will be played using the latest edition of the Replay Baseball Yearbook and an appropriate Replay Chart Book, and will adhere to the most recently published set of rules for Replay Baseball (including Bonus ratings for pitchers). There are some exceptions and clarifications listed below. If a rule is not discussed here, follow the published set of rules. You are free to use any of the Replay options as long as they do not contradict any other rule in this document. No substitution of other simulations is allowed.
(7.2) Each RBN owner is responsible for purchasing the necessary Replay products (yearbook, chart book, etc.) and having these products ready and available for the scheduled start of League play.
(7.3) All games are played by the owner of the home team. The visiting owner will provide Quarterly instructions on how their team should be managed. These instructions will include (but not necessarily be limited to) batting orders, starting and relief pitching rotations, and use of strategy plays. It is a goal of the RBN that these instructions not be too complex; owners should aim to express the most efficient management of their team possible without creating an unnecessary burden for the opposing owner.
(7.4) As a new quarter approaches, all owners must release their pitching rotations for the upcoming quarter. This will allow teams to prepare different lineups for left handed and right handed starters. The date for the rotations will be released with the schedule.
(7.5) Certain aspects of game play are handled automatically by Replay Baseball, and in these cases (unless the game is being played face-to-face by two owners) the game shall be allowed to control these on behalf of the visiting team. To wit:
(7.5a) STEALS OF HOME: all runners drop FOUR lines on the Jump Chart, and use line J of the Action Chart for steal attempts.
(7.6) STARTERS ENDURANCE: Starting pitcher endurance will be covered using the Batters Faced optional endurance ratings as calculated and provided by Replay. The RBN will use a slight modification to this rule known as the BF Cap. The latest Replay rules have adopted the BF cap with a slight difference. Instead of using the inning to determine extra hitters, the starter’s S rating is used. We will honor the Replay rule change. Implementation of the BF rule is as follows:
Example: Mickey Lolich (BF=32) is pitching in a scoreless tie. Lolich reached his 32nd batter in the 8th inning. Using the CAP addendum, he remains on his "A" grade until allowing a run OR he has faced 8 additional batters. Lolich retires his 40th batter (32+8) to end the 10th. If he wants to pitch longer, he must do so on his "B" grade. (By Replay rules, Lolich could continue on forever as long as the game remained scoreless. And in this game, Seaver was matching him inning for inning.)
Example: Dick Selma (BF=25) allowed 3 runs in the first inning, but settled down after that. He reached his 25th batter to end the 6th inning. Using the CAP addendum, he remains on his "A" grade until allowing a baserunner OR he has faced 6 additional batters. Selma retires his 31st batter (25+6) to end the 8th. If he wants to pitch longer, he must do so on his "B" grade. (By Replay rules, Selma could continue on forever as long as he doesn't allow an additional baserunner. (If the score was tied, this could go on for several innings.)
A pitcher may only face a maximum of 9 players on “B” grade. Exception: A starter that is forced to “B” on the rare-play collision at 1st base, may remain in the game as long as he would not have yet flipped to “B” under normal conditions.
(7.7) RELIEVERS ENDURANCE: The following simplified rule will be used. Any reliever entering the game during or before his raised bonus inning will have three (3) added to his printed endurance rating; if he enters after his bonus inning, he uses his printed rating. Exception: any pitcher entering the game in extra innings also qualifies for the +3 bonus. However, there exists a BF Cap for relievers as follows:
Note that the definition of bonus inning has changed in the new Replay rules. If a team is trailing or leading by 4+ runs, the bonus inning may be extended to any inning. If the game is tied, the bonus inning may be extended one more inning. If a team is ahead by 1 to 3 runs, the bonus inning remains the same.
A pitcher may face a maximum of 9 players on “B” grade. Exception: A releiver that is forced to “B” on the rare-play collision at 1st base, may remain in the game as long as he would not have yet flipped to “B” under normal conditions
(7.8) Ballpark effects will be used for RBN play. Before the season begins, each manager shall either select an existing ballpark from the Past Season in use OR create/tweak a ballpark of their own creation. Created/tweaked ballparks must meet league approval. Two or more teams may use the same ballpark.
One owner expressed interest in not using the Ballpark Effects at all. Since Replay has designed this as an option, there is no reason why this is not acceptable. In this case the owner should declare his home park as a neutral site.
(7.8) The RBN will use the Designated Hitter rule for both regular-season and postseason play.
(7.9) Visiting teams should supply bunt and hit and run information with their quarterly instructions. The game player may use either the Hit & Run/Bunt Play Chart that came with the game or the one published in the latest Replay Review.
(7.10) The game must be played with the Replay 3-dice system, not the optional 2-dice system.
(7.11) The Replay game comes with a sheet entitled “Optional Rules”. The Infield Positioning Chart, the Batter’s Faced altenative, and the Pitcher’s Rest Chart were addressed earlier. The Relief Pitcher Option (adjusting the first batter faced by a reliever in the middle of an inning) and the Stolen Base Option (using the pitcher and catcher to determine the result) are purely optional. Call it home field ground rules.
(7.12) The Replay Umpire and the Double Play Pivot man options for column 4 are also optional. More home field ground rules.
(7.13) After the completion of a series, the home owner must (1) report the game scores via e-mail or phone to both the opposing owner and the RBN Office, and (2) e-mail copies of the game linescores and completed stat sheets to the opposing owner and to the RBN Office. Please mention any unexpected substitutions that occurred either due to in-game injuries or extremely long games, as they may affect the owner’s long term player usage plan. These responsibilities must be completed by the date given on the official schedule, unless prior arrangements have been made with the opponent and with the RBN Office.
(7.14) The intent of the RBN rules is to establish a system of play that best simulates Major League Baseball. If you find a loophole in the rules, the appropriate action is not to exploit it, but to bring it to the league’s attention so that we may try to fix it. However, no rules can be changed for a season once it is underway.
(8.1) During the season, compilation of individual statistics for each team will be the responsibility of that franchise's owner. Statistics for each series will be reported to the RBN Office; the Office will collate them and make up-to-date totals available to the League membership.
(8.2) Reporting of statistics will be done in a fixed format agreed upon by the League; forms for reporting will be made readily available before the start of the season.
(8.3) The following statistics will be tracked:
(9.1) Trading is allowed year-round in the RBN, except during the period from the final day of the third Quarter through the end of the RBN Playoffs.
(9.2) Trades made during the first day thru the last day of a quarter, will take effect the following quarter.
(9.3) All trades are subject to review by the RBN Office. Although it is strongly desired that such a necessity never arises, the League Office reserves the right to nullify any trade which it believes is the result of unfair trading practices, or is detrimental to the health and stability of the League.
(9.4) Teams my trade draft picks before and during the upcoming draft. Teams may not trade draft picks from any future drafts beyond that. As soon as a draft concludes, the next year's draft becomes the upcoming draft and picks are available for trading.
(9.5) No “players to be name later” are allowed in trades. The MLB rules for this phenomenon have restrictions that would make it illegal in our league anyway.
(10.1) The structure of playoffs and the number of teams qualifying is dependent on the final number of league members and the structure of divisions. They will be announced once league membership is finalized.
(10.2) All playoff series including the RBN World Series will be a best-of-seven affair played in a 2-3-2 format, with home field advantage awarded to the team with the highest regular winning percentage.
(10.3) If at all practical, the RBN World Series will be played in a "face-to-face" setting (either in person, over the phone, or via the Internet) in order to give both owners the opportunity to manage their franchises in as complete a manner as possible.
(10.4) If two or more teams tie for a playoff spot, a playoff game (or two) will be used to determine who goes into the playoffs. Postseason participation will not be determined by head-to-head or run differentials. Home field for this playoff will be determined by (in order): head-to-head record, head-to-head run differential, total run differential.
(10.5) In order to be eligible to play in the RBN Championship Series, a player must have been on the roster of his current RBN team as of the start of play in the fourth Quarter.
(10.6) Playoff usage limits will be similar to season limits. (Formula differences are in red.) Use of players in RBN play will be limited in proportion to their usage in the major-league season (5% of 162 games) on which the current Past Season Yearbook is based, and all Replay injuries lasting for longer than the remainder of the current game (from either Column 2 or Column 5, or from the Rare Play book) will be ignored.
Batter’s Usage: A batter’s game usage is restricted to “Games Allowed to Start” (GS) and “Games Allowed to Play in” (G). They are calculated by the following formulas:
Use …
To get …
Minimum [G, [FG / 20] rounded up]
The insertion of a position player into a game prior to the 6th inning for reasons other than injury shall be considered a “Game Started”.
Pitcher’s Usage: All starts and relief appearances are subject to rest requirements. There will be three days off between the final regular-season game and the first game of the Series (two days for any team involved in a one-game playoff), and one day off between Games 2/3 and Games 5/6 of the Series. There will be two days off between the end of one series and the beginning of the next one. (Note: The rest rules contain a scenario where you reduce the pitcher's S rating by 2. Since we are using BF ratings instead, there will be a 25% reduction, rounded up, instead. i.e. BF * .25)
Starters:
11+ RBN starts – no restriction
6-10 RBN starts - eligible for one start per series
1-5 RBN starts - eligible for one start during the entire play-offs.
For Relief Pitchers:
15 RBN relief appearances – no restrictions
0-14 RBN Relief appearances - eligible for 2 appearances per series
A starter who is fully rested is eligible to relieve as an R3(8); should he do so, it also counts as a start appearance.
(10.7) Playoff rosters will be restricted to 26 players. However, a different roster may be used for each series.