The Agon League Constitution

Written by Loyd Marbury & revised by John Rushton

last updated 09/26/2013

Section 1- League and Team Structure

1. The Agon League will consist of 2 leagues, American & National with 2 5-team divisions each. There is limited inter-league play scheduled. The DH will be used in all games. We will use the current edition of the APBA Computer Disk along with the Baseball for Windows (BBW 5.75) game with AIM.

2. Each team may or may not named after a Major League Team. A team may switch leagues, as needed, to enhance possible face-to-face play. The Commissioner will make any decision regarding changing of leagues.

3. The schedule will consist of 162 games, 81 home & away. Each team will play their division opponents 12 home and 12 away (all 6-game series). Play versus the other league division will be 6 home and 6 away (all 6-game series). There will two 3-game interleague series for each team - as close to the middle of the season as possible.

4. The inter-league matchups will be determined by the division standings from the previous year - 1st vs 1st, 2nd vs 2nd, 3rd vs 3rd, 4th vs 4th, 5th vs 5th. The commish will create the schedule via League Manager.

5. Everyone will be using a domed stadium to eliminate rainouts.

6. Agon has the following requirements for current and prospective managers:

· must have access to the Internet and the ability to send/receive f-files and c-files

· must have Baseball for Windows (BBW) version 5.75

· must value fair play and (preferably) be an experienced BBW player

· must put the league ahead of any self interests

7. The commissioner is responsible for maintaining the league operation to establish harmony, continuity & fairness in all league activities. His authority in the following is absolute:

· Selecting & removing league members

· Determining rule changes

· Running the annual draft

· Settling disputes between league players

· The sending and receiving of c-files and f-files

· Approving trades

· Punctuality in all statistics & records

· Any other duties that would naturally fall under his domain.

Section 2 - Player Ownership and Usage

1. Each team's roster shall consist of a maximum of 40 players. A maximum of 5 players on a team's roster may be uncarded during the season. Rosters may exceed 40 during off-season. Teams retain players until they are traded or released.

2. A team's active roster for a series consists of 27 players with a sub for each position. A player may play a position that he's not rated at ONLY in cases of injuries during a game after all other players have been used. Pitchers may be used as pinch-runners, but not as pinch-hitters, unless all available hitters have been used. Parent club rosters can be expanded to 40 players after series 21.

3. All injuries will be for the duration dictated by the BBW game. You may not adjust your 27-man roster within a series due to injury (in other words, you must play a player short for the duration of the series). After the series ends, you may move the injured player to the farm team or keep him on the parent team at your discretion.

4. AIM and Maximum Batter Faced (MBF) limits will be used. Game injuries and fatigue will be the default selection with regard to injuries. All injuries will last the amount stated by the game. Injuries carry over into the playoffs and throughout the playoffs.

5. Any owner caught altering the duration will be subject to penalties as determined by the commissioner. A second offense (at any time, only 2 chances ever) of altering player records will result in expulsion from the league. Only the commissioner or the statistician (with the commissioner's knowledge) can adjust players. You may use players who are tired, worn out or overused at your own risk. Players will underperform in this state anyway.

6. All position players are restricted to playing only the position(s) for which they are carded unless no other players are eligible to play the position due to injury or ejection. However, if a player did not play a minimum of 10 games at a position in MLB during the season that the disk is for, he cannot *start* more than the actual number of games that he played at that position.

7. Note: Innocuous players (OPS < .600 - PR/SF of 930/100) are excluded from the 10-game minimum and may play to the limit of the RUse% at any position they are rated for.

8. All players with SF<100 will be normalized to an SF of 100 (which results in a decrease of his PR). For example, a player who was a 1000/75 would be normalized to 750/100. What this change does is allow you to spread a player's usage over the course of the entire season rather than just the percentage of the season allowed by the Season Factor (SF).

9. Usage Limitations: The usage limitations on players are those imposed by AIM and MBF restrictions with the following exceptions:

· Starters at grade 5 or less will be adjusted to 1000 MBF or their actual MBF – whichever is greater.

· Relievers at grade 5 or below will be given a minimum MBF value of 700. These relievers will also get a J-2 and Q-2 rating (if they are not at that level already) - this will allow them to take advantage of the MBF bump.

· Split-grade pitchers with *both* grades 5 or less will get a minimum MBF value of 700. If either grade is 6 or more, then the original MBF will stand as is. The split-grade pitchers may be used strictly as a starter, a reliever or a mixture as the manager sees fit.

10. For home managers not using MM's to play their games: The starting pitcher must pitch 4 innings, or give up 2 runs before removal, unless injured. The starter must be removed after 10 IP.

11. If a pitcher scheduled to start a game is either Tired or Worn out, the auto sub mode of BBW will try and find the highest rated pitcher with at least one start who is not Tired or Worn Out. However, if no such starter is found, then the game will try to start a relief pitcher. Relievers with no starts may not be used as starters. If this situation happens, please determine the SP with the most days of rest (DOR), unbench him and use him as the starting pitcher - even if he is "Tired".

12. Penalties for overusage: The obvious abuse of limitations set in the above items may result in the loss of a draft pick. The severity of the penalty shall be determined by the severity of the violation and its affect on the standings.

13. Even though players do need to be rested, it is understood that managers will attempt to field their best teams at all times. Any obvious case of "sandbagging" that is brought to the league office's attention will be investigated and dealt with, if found to be valid.

Section 3 - Deadlines

1. The following are Agon League Deadlines:

· The defaults f-file for each series (if changes are to be made) will be e-mailed to the commish by the specified date for each series.

· The results f-file must be sent to the commish by specified date for each series. Use of e-mail for f-files is mandatory.

· NOTE: If results are not received by the deadline, your games will be simmed using the chosen micromanagers for both teams and you will be charged with one lateness.

· Any special correspondence must be returned within the specified time.

· Pre-season trading deadline is 2/22. 40-man rosters must also be submitted by 2/22

· The season will start on March 1 (or the closest Wednesday to it)

2. Lateness penalties are defined as follows:

· 1st and 2nd lateness – no action taken

· 3rd lateness - Loss of 4th round pick

· 4th lateness - Loss of 3rd round pick (in addition to the above)

· 5th lateness - possible expulsion from league.

Section 4 - Playing Rules

1. All games must be played using APBA Computer Disk for the current season, with the following special rules:

· Only batters with a H&R rating of 2 or more may hit and run (applicable only to teams not being micromanaged).

· Stolen Base Limitations: Stolen base attempts will be limited to 125% of real-life attempts. Once the limit has been reached, the player’s SSN (steal success number) will be set to 14 to (nearly) eliminate the chance of a successful steal. By using 14, we keep the integrity of the hit and run alive and well. Also, the steal allowance factor will be set to "R" (rare) to further restrict the players.

2. Instructions: Managers will define a 27-man active roster, lineup(s) and rotation on their default f-file as well as specifying a micromanager (MM).

3. Micromanager Usage: The current league stance is to disallow the use of personalized micromanagers (those created specifically for one team by Steve Galbraith or other programmer).

Section 5 – Results

1. Result f-file must be e-mailed to the commish by the date required or they will be considered late Any late series will be simmed by the commissioner using MM's for both teams.

2. Make a backup copy of your f-files. If lost or damaged, you must be able to furnish a copy of the f-files. If you cannot provide a backup copy, then the games must be replayed. Managers are encouraged to keep a copy of each series f-file until the season-ending stats have been published.

3. Verify f-file is attached to your e-mail before sending. Commitment from everyone will make this work.

Section 6 - Post-Season Play

1. There are two wild-card teams in both leagues - the two non-division winners in each league with the best records). The teams in each league are ranked as follows: #1 (division winner with better record), #2 (division winner with worse record), #3 (wild-card team with better record) & #4 (wild-card team with worse record). NOTE: If ties exist with the W-L records, head-to-head records will be used to break the tie. If the teams split their season series, then road records will used to break the ties. If the tied teams have identical road records as well, then the tie will be broken by a coin flip.

2. The first round of the playoffs (the ALDS & NLDS) will match up these teams as follows: #1 vs #4 and #2 vs #3. Home field advantage will belong to the division winners.

3. The winners of each league's divisional series shall meet in that league's Championship Series. If both teams in the LCS are division winners, the home-field advantage goes to the team with the better record. If both are wild cards, the home-field advantage goes to the team with the better record. If a tie exists between the two teams, the home-field advantage goes to the team with the 1) better head-to-head record or 2) better road record (if the season series was split).

4. Pitching rotations may be reset for each post-season series subject to the AIM fatigue factors (i.e. if the starter is Tired or Worn Out from pitching the last game of the previous series, he will not be allowed to start the first game of the following series).

5. The winners of the LCS will play the World Series.

6. The same limitations apply in the Series as the playoffs. The rotation may be reset for the World Series.

7. The home-field advantage in the World Series will go to the team with the better record. Wild-card teams cannot have the home-field advantage here, unless *both* teams are wild-card teams.

8. AIM status for post-season participants will be copied across from the previous segment to the appropriate post-season segment using Advanced Draft's Copy Organization command. This ensures that continuity is preserved by counting all previous team games, player games played, and player plate appearances, all of which figure into the computation of his play rating to date (PRtd). Remaining Useful Value (RUse) is adjusted upward to reflect the newly scheduled games for the new segment so that all players may participate in the new games (with their same Season Factor of course!). So if you play a 162 game Regular Season and a player is used up due to SF, then schedule a 7 game Post Season segment, the SF=50 player will get enough RUse back to play approximately 3 of the 7 games. NOTE: The Enforce Batters Faced Limits option cannot be used in the post-season. Starting pitchers pitching 15 games or less in real-life will be limited to one start per post-season series. Relief pitchers shall be limited to 1.1 innings/game in the series (e.g., if the series went 5 games, all relief pitchers would be eligible to pitch 5 X 1.1 or 6.2 innings in the series). Managers shall be allowed to carry an additional starting pitcher as a reliever during the post-season.

9. Any player with less than 10 games started at a position *cannot* start at that position in the post-season unless all other eligible players are fatigued or injured.

10. The road team in each series will be afforded the opportunity to adjust its lineup and/or rotation after games 4 and 6. (No changes can be made between the parent and farm rosters, though).

Section 7 – Trades

1. Post-season/pre-season trades may be made between 10/1 and 2/22. Trading during the season is allowed from the start of the regular season until the Wednesday that instructions for series 22 are due. If a trade is reported and confirmed by Wednesday midnight ET, the players will be eligible to play for their new teams in the series starting that Thursday. Otherwise, they will not be eligible until the following series. Rosters may exceed 40 players ONLY during the off-season - trades made during the season that would take your roster size over 40 MUST be accompanied by cut(s) to bring you to 40 players.

2. Trades must be reported to the league office by BOTH managers by e-mail.

3. Draft picks may be traded for only the next immediate draft. For example, after the 2012 season, only picks for the 2013 draft can be traded. Picks for the 2014 draft cannot be traded until after the 2013 draft is complete.

4. The Commissioner shall have the authority to veto any trade deemed detrimental to the league. All trades shall be listed on the Agon web site Trade Register (http://www.jdrushton.com/agonreg.htm).

Section 8 - Drafts

Regular draft

1. A weighted draft lottery among the four teams with the worst W-L records shall be held to determine the draft order of these teams in the first round. For subsequent rounds, the lottery teams draft in the inverse order of W-L %.

2. The rest of the order is in inverse order of W-L %, except for the playoff teams. Positions 13-16 are occupied by the losing teams in the Divisional Series (Wild-Card Series) in the inverse order of their regular season W-L %. Positions 17 & 18 are occupied by the losing teams in the LCS in the inverse order of their regular season W-L %. Position 19 is occupied by the losing team in the World Series and position 20 is reserved for the World Series winner.

3. If two teams tie for a draft position, the team with the better road record shall pick higher in the odd-numbered rounds (and lower in the even-numbered rounds). If the road records are identical, then a coin flip will be the tie-breaker.

4. The Agon draft will be held on the 2nd Saturday of January, unless special circumstances arise. In which case, the Commissioner will give the managers the revised date as early as possible. The draft will begin at the time designated by the Commissioner. The 2014 draft will be held on Saturday, January 11, 2014 at 9:30 AM ET.

5. The draft will consist of 10 rounds. A draft grid will be posted on the Web site as soon as the post-season has been completed. The draft will be held in a Parachat chat room. One or more trading/practice chat sessions will be scheduled prior to the draft and managers are encouraged to attend. Any unowned player appearing on the data disk is available to be drafted. No uncarded players (or never carded players) are eligible to be drafted.

Waiver draft

1. Each year, before 2/22, all Agon managers will send in a list of cut players to the Commissioner. These waived players are placed in a pool that they can be selected from during the season, provided certain criteria have been met.

2. The Commissioner will create a "Waiver Pool" League in the Agon Farm Organization. One team, "Waiver Pool Pitchers", will contain the list of available pitchers. The other team, "Waiver Pool Batters", will contain the list of available position players.

3. If any team fails to report their cuts on time, the Commissioner will decide that team's cuts for them and that will not receive the 1 point for turning in a cut list. To claim a player during the season, a team must have 10 points. Total points that can be earned each season are 16.

4. Points can be earned the following ways:

· Sending dues in on time. Due date as set by the Commissioner (1 pt)

· Turning in cuts & initial f-file before the start of the season. (1 pt)

· Turning in default and game results f-files on time (due dates as set by commissioner) (2 pt/month x 7 months)

5. A team with enough waiver points can claim a player at any time. The waiver will last no more than 72 hours. Teams with worse record(s) than the claiming team can block the claim, provided they have enough waiver points (10). Team must notify commissioner of block. If a claim goes through, the claiming team forfeits 10 points and must cut one player from his 40-man roster. This cut player then goes into the waiver pool and is eligible for the waiver process.

6. A team may not submit a claim for a 2nd player while its first claim is still pending.

7. The waiver process ends 10 days after the end of the regular season.

Section 9 - Fair Play

All Agon League members are expected to practice fair play at all times - in playing the games, in releasing information regarding card ratings as received and in maintaining uncompromising honesty in all league matters. This is a hobby. Let's have fun and enjoy.

Section 10 - Revising the Constitution

1. The Constitution and the rules it contains shall govern the Agon League. The Commissioner is responsible for enforcing it and making interpretations.

2. Any member may propose amendments to the Constitution. The proposed amendments should be submitted at the time the commissioner calls for them.

3. Proposed amendments will be sent to all managers via e-mail. A proposal will require a majority + 1 YES votes to pass (12 YES votes for a 20-team league).

Section 11 - Commissioner's Comments

1. The success of our league will depend on all managers being committed to the league. If you reach the point it isn't fun, or you're not able to keep up with the schedule, please do the rest of the managers a favor and resign.

2. The following comments are from Agon's first commissioner (Loyd Marbury): "I enjoy 'the game' (APBA). I grew up with APBA. It was my way to keep in touch with baseball. Being in the South, we had no TV with every Saturday and night baseball. Only radio sometimes and Saturday's Game of the Week on TV. Thank you for participating in Agon."

Section 12. Specific Baseball for Windows (BBW) rules

The following BBW settings are set by the commissioner and may not be changed under any circumstances. Only by amendment to this constitution can these rules be changed.

1. Schedule and A.I.M. Rules:

· Season Segment should be set to Regular Season

· Segment Rules:

o 162 games per team

o Inter-League Games (box checked)

o League Play (box checked)

o Wild-Card Teams (box checked)

o Bench Starting Rotation (box checked)

· Player Role and Status - Based on 162 games per team

· Injury and Fatigue Rules set to Game Injuries & Fatigue

· Pitcher Durability set to Late 20th Century

· Miscellaneous:

o Enforce Batters Faced Limits (box checked)

o Pregame AIM Auto Substitutions (box checked)

2. Rules for Organization/League/Division

· Skill Level should be set to Amateur - 20 sec

· Game Rules should have the Designated Hitter and Exiting during game boxes check

3. Note: Please be aware that any League Play game started from the Play League Game menu that is canceled after it is started (at least once) prior to its finally being played to completion is denoted as such by a (c) in the Game Box for that day. The commissioner may require the home manager to submit an explanation as to why the game was cancelled. If the reason was found to be unsatisfactory in the commissioner's view, he may require that game to be replayed.