River City League Rules 2002

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     I. Each team must have the following players on it's active roster:     II. Players must be used in the position listed on the Major League roster. If the roster lists them at more than one position, they can be used at any one of them. A player may be used at a position other than his listed (roster) position in these cases:    III. The player auction will be held at a predetermined time before the start of the Major League regular season. Last year's league winner will begin the bids and the order will proceed clockwise after that. A maximum of $35.00 may be spent on players. All bids start at $0.25 and raises will end in "5" or "0". A player will be named and bid upon by an owner and will be auctioned off, going to the highest bidder. Owners will in turn name and bid on players until all rosters are filled and no owners wish to open bids anymore. An owner may not open a bid if he has less than the minimum of $0.25 to spend.

    IV. An 16 round "minor reserve" draft will follow the player auction. Teams will have 20 minutes to submit a list to the auctioneers of their draft choices. The first names on the list must be of extra players purchased in the auction and kept. The first draft pick will be awarded to the highest non-money winning team from the previous year. Next, the lowest money winning team, the second highest non-money winning team, the second lowest money winning team, etc. The draft will continue, each round in the same order until 16 rounds are finished or there are no names left on any of the team's lists. The lists submitted may be of any desired length. The top available name will be picked. Any player not purchased in the player auction or retained before the auction may be listed. Also, any player released before the draft begins may be listed. A player need not be on any Major League roster to be listed, but he must be identified completely by his present or past team or some other means to insure against confusion over similar names. Before the draft begins, extra players bought at the player auction may be released or designated as draft picks, corresponding with the first round, or second round if a #1 draft pick is retained, (see rule XXIII). A club's active roster may not be left unbalanced by the release or designation as draft picks of extra players. After the draft, an owner need not adhere to the 24-man position requirements until opening day. The remaining players owned may be optioned to the minor reserve roster, recalled to the 24-man roster and then placed on the disabled list, traded or released outright. The cost to option a player to the minor reserve will be $1.00.

     V. If a club bought more than 40 players at the auction, enough players must be released to get down to 40 before the draft begins.

    VI. All players purchased after the draft will be $1.50 each. A "free agent" player claimed by more than one team in a "waiver period", will be auctioned, starting at $1.50.

   VII. During the season, players may be traded, sold, released, optioned, activated, recalled or put on the disabled list. The team will always have 24 players active. Additional players owned may be on the disabled list or on the minor reserve roster.

  VIII. The effective date of all transactions shall be the date the transaction was initiated.

    IX. A player may be replaced only once per disabling occurrence.

     X. If a player goes on the Major League disabled list, an owner may choose to do nothing or he may put the player on River City League's disabled list. He may then purchase a player from the pool of free agents, (for $1.50), obtain a player from another owner or recall a minor reserve player. When/if the player comes off the Major League disabled list, the owner may option the player to the minor reserve roster for a period not to exceed 5 days as a rehabilitation assignment. The player will not be counted in any minor reserve limits which may be in effect. At the end of the 5-day period the player must be recalled or released unless there is a current opening on the minor reserve roster. In this case he may remain although his rehab assignment is over. When a player is placed on the disabled list, the owner may state at this time, the desire to have his player moved to a rehab assignment at the end of his disablement in the absence of a decision made on the day after activation.

    XI. The cost to recall a minor reserve player to the active roster will be $1.00.

   XII. The season will be divided into 4 periods.

  XIII. A player on the Major League disabled list is considered to be on the Major League roster.

   XIV. The cost of a transaction with another owner will be $0.50 for each owner.

    XV. If a player retires or is released by the major league club, the team owner can hold that player on his team or release him and move another player to his spot.

   XVI. Players eligible for the disabled list before September 1, must be put on the list before midnight, August 31 or not at all. Players who become eligible on or after September 1 may be put on the disabled list anytime up to and including the last day of the season.

  XVII. Any transaction may be voided by the 3-man elected committee. (This is to discourage one owner from destroying his own team to build up a fellow owner's team.

   XIX. A commissioner shall not approve his own transactions. If two commissioners are involved in a trade, the approval of the third commissioner is required.

    XX. All released players go into the pool of unpicked players to become "free agents" after a 24-hour "waiver period", during which, they may be claimed.

   XXI. The deadline for player transactions will be 12:00, midnight, September 1. This deadline concerns all transactions except the following:

  XXII. Before the auction begins, owners who still hold rights to a team from the previous year will have the option of signing up to six of their players. The cost to sign each player is determined by the acquisition price of that player the previous year plus $1.00. This cost is to be paid and deducted from their $35.00 of auction money. The players may be from the owners active roster or from his minor reserve roster. The acquisition price of a player is the cost the player was purchased for at the auction or the cost that he was retained at prior to the auction. If the player was not purchased at the auction or retained and was later purchased as a standard free agent, the price to retain him will be $1.50 or if he was later purchased as a free agent in a special auction, the price to retain him will be the special auction price plus $1.00. If a player was obtained in the draft, the acquisition price will be defined as $0.25 for retaining purposes. A players retaining salary must stop at the $5.00 level for one year. Each proceeding year thereafter, the salary will increase at the rate of $0.25 per year. A player purchased at the auction for the price of $5.00 or more may be retained at the $5.00 level the following year. If an owner still has control of any minor reserve players, he may retain control of up to three of them before the auction and draft begin. One player named will become his #1 draft pick. Two named will become his #1 and #5 draft picks. Three named will become his #1, #5 and #10 draft picks.

 XXIII. Owners will bring a minimum of $125.00 to the auction. This money will cover their $35.00 auction money, the auctioneers pay, league fees and leave a balance to their team account of $70.00. Money owed to the league in excess of a team's account balance must be paid by the end of the regular season schedule. A team that does not pay it's funds on time will not receive credit beyond their paid up account balance in the following season. If a team has still not paid fees by the time of the Winter Meeting, the owner will lose control of his franchise. All players on that team will become free agents.

  XXIV. At the end of the Major League season, the points for each statistical category will be added up. First place will receive 50% of the pot money collected, second place will receive 25%, third place will get 15% and fourth place will get 10%. If the league has 10 or 11 teams, the money will be divided to include fifth place as follows: First 47%, second 23%, third 15%, fourth 10% and fifth 5%. If the league has 12 or 13 teams, the money will be divided to include sixth place as follows: First 47%, second 22%, third 14%, fourth 9%, fifth 5% and sixth 3%. If the league has 14 or 15 teams, the money will be divided to include seventh place as follows: First 46%, second 21%, third 14%, fourth 9%, fifth 5%, sixth 3%, and seventh 2%. If the league has 16 teams, the money will be divided to include eighth place as follows: First 45%, second 20%, third 13%, fourth 8%, fifth 5%, sixth 4%, seventh 3%, eighth 2%.

   XXV. These are the 12 "point categories":

  XXVI. Statistics for a player will accumulate for a team only during the time that the player is on the active roster of that team.

 XXVII. Pitcher's batting records will not be used.

XXVIII. In the event of a tie in any of the categories, the points for the rankings concerned will be added and divided by the number of teams tied.

  XXIX. In the event of a tie in the amount of points for the money positions, (1st thru 4th or thru 5th, 6th, 7th or 8th), the money for the positions concerned will be added and divided by the number of teams tied.

   XXX. World Series, Championship, Division Series, All Star or exhibition games will not be counted.

  XXXI. In the event of a Major League strike, lockout, suspension or cancellation of the season, all rosters will be frozen. They will be unfrozen upon the resumption of the Major League season. Decisions concerning players on the disabled list can still be made during the strike, lockout, or suspension, (releasing, or activating them). No players may be purchased but minor reserve players may be recalled to replace a disabled player. All stats up to the point play stops will count, plus any stats made after play resumes up to the end of the regular season.

 XXXII. All disputes will be settled by the three (3) commissioners who will be elected prior to the auction. Decisions of the commissioners are to be final unless overridden by a 2/3 majority vote of all owners.

XXXIII. A winter meeting will be held each year to vote on any proposed rule changes and/or discuss any pending matters. No owner may have a vote in these matters unless they are present at the meeting. A seven (7) day notice must be given to each owner as to the day, time and place of the winter meeting.

 XXXIV. A seven (7) day notice must be given to all owners as to the day, time and place of the auction/draft.

  XXXV. Before the auction, each owner will contribute the sum of $10.00 to the league fund. This will be used toward the cost of league operations. The costs remaining shall be paid out of  the league's input capital. Each team will also contribute $10.00 to the payment of autioneers. (see rule XXIII)

 XXXVI. The maximum number of teams allowed in the River City League will be 16. Any time that there are less then 16 teams in the league, a perspective owner may secure a franchise spot for the upcoming year by placing a $10.00 deposit with the league treasurer. This deposit is refundable up to the day before the next auction. On auction day it becomes property of the River City League but will be used to pay down the new owner's balance owed. If there are no openings for a new team, a deposit may still be made and the perspective owner will be put on a waiting list. All those put on the waiting list will be informed of the aution time and place and must be prepared to be present in the event of an unexpected opening. If an owner does not arrive, (or call announcing that they will be late), to the auction 30 minutes before the auction start time, the first name on the waiting list will be called and awarded the open spot. If they cannot be contacted or cannot be present their deposit will be forfeit and the spot awarded to the next on the waiting list. If no spot opens up on auction day, those with deposits on the waiting list may stay on the list or have their deposits returned.