Structure: The Buckeye Baseball League (BBL) is a 24 team Strat-O-Matic computerized mail league. Each league member  must obtain the current version of the CD Rom computer game and roster disk yearly. The league is divided into two leagues  (American and National) each with three 4-team divisions. Each franchise is affiliated with a major league team and uses that  team's name and yearly stadium ratings, Owners may own up to two teams (one in each league). The designated hitter is utilized.  Each team plays their home games during the season.  All super-advanced rules are used with the exception of the following:  bunt for base hit, home field advantage, pitch around rule, robbing HR rule. There are no injuries during our replays. New optional rules introduced by Strat each year will be voted on by the league.
 

Players: All players with at least 20 ab/ip are eligible to be drafted and used for play in our league. Players appearing in both the AL and NL in real life will have their IL card (if issued) used. Players already on a BBL team but with less than 20 ab/ip for a particular year may be retained as part of a team's 30 man roster.
 

Rosters: Each team's roster consists of 30 players. Each  manager designates 25 players to be active for each series of the first 3 sessions and can have up to 30 active for the final session. Managers designate their 5 inactive players for their away games for each session in their computer manager and may modify that ineligible list for their home games. The home ineligible list must remain constant during a single home series but may be changed from series to series if so desired. Teams may retain as many players as they wish from year to year providing that those players meet maximum/minimum requirements.
 

Computer Manager: Managers designate their starting  pitchers for each away game and have their away games managed by the computer manager using lineups and tendencies sent in to the commissioner for each session of games. No additional instructions are permissible.
 

Schedule: A 162 game annual is broken into 4 sessions of  approximately 40 games each (20 home, 20 away). Each team plays teams in their own division 14 times, the rest of the teams in their league 12 times, and each team in the other league 2 times. The home team for each Interleague series will alternate from year to year. The deadlines for returning game results to the commissioner are May 15, June 30, August 15, and  September 30. Updated files are released by the commisioner after each session and each team is given a minimum of two days to submit updated manager files for the following session. Teams not submitting their results by the deadline will have their games played using Autoplay.
 

Draft: By the last Sunday of January each year, teams will provide a list of eligible players from their roster they wish to protect for the upcoming year. This list may include players on their previous year's roster who accumulated less than 20 ab/ip during the previous real life season. After the cut down day, players may not be dropped until after the draft. The yearly draft of available players is via e-mail and starts soon after the cutdown day. Eligible players will be Major League players with at least 20 ab/ip not protected by a BBL team.
 

Player usage: Batters and pitchers must be utilized a minimum of 70% and no more than 110% of their plate appearances/innings pitched during the replay season in order to be protected by their team for the next year. Players with under 100 plate appearances and pitchers with under 40 innings pitched do not have to meet minimum requirements. Pitchers used exclusively as starters (emergency relief appearances only! such starters must be listed with the "never" designation for relief in computer manager files and may only be used in relief in home games if all available relievers have been used) who don't exceed their actual starts can pitch as many innings as he wants. Managers must have at least four rated relievers not listed as starters (even with the "as needed" designation) active in their road manager for each session.  Players who exceed their maximum limits during the season will be removed from their team's roster immediately by the commissioner and will be ineligible for the remainder of the year (including post-season). Managers who overuse a player by 50 pa or 20 ip over the 110% are liable to lose their highest draft pick(s) if, in the commissioner's opinion, the overusage was a deliberate attempt to gain an advantage. Players can only play in positions listed on their cards with these exceptions: Outfielders can play any outfield position (with Strat restrictions if applicable) and players may play out of position from the 8th inning on if needed in an emergency situation (no other players available to play that position).  After each session of home games, as long as he leaves at least 100 pa's for batters and 15 ip for relievers (no away starts for the session - using 110% of pa's/ip) those players can not be overused due to their usage in away game.  After each session of home games, as long as a manager leaves at least 40 pa's for Batters starting only against LHers (one or both lups vs lhps) and at least 80 pa's for batters starting only against rhers (one or both lups vs rhp), those batters can not be overused due to their usage in away games.  In addition, as long as a manager leaves at least 15 pa's for batters not appearing in any lineups, those batters can not be lost to overusage. Managers of course my elect to not give their players these cushions but then must take full responsibility for any overusage at the end of the season. There will be no grace amount above the 110% limit nor below the 70% requirement.
 

Trades and Free Agents: Trades and free agent pickups are allowed at any time prior to the last session. Owners with two teams in the league cannot make trades between their teams nor can they be involved in multi-team trades involving both their teams. All trades must be reported to the commissioner and take effect the session following the trade. Free agent pick ups are to be made on the league bulletin board. To insure the needed uniformity of rosters for stat purposes, changes to team rosters can only be made by the commissioner. Free agent acquisitions can not be protected for the following year.  Traded players are still subject to the maximum/minimum usage if they are to be retained. Only draft picks for the next Spring draft may be traded. Draft picks for the next year's draft can not be traded during the Spring draft.
 

Special Rule Involving Trades: After a trade is announced by the commissioner via e-mail, the remaining teams of the league have the opportunity to work out a counter-deal with either of the teams involved in the original trade. The counter-deal must include all of the players/picks included in the original deal but may include additional players/picks if so desired. The counter-deal period will last for two days with the deadline announced by the commisioner when the trade is announced. If one of the original teams in the deal accepts a counter offer, he will announce it to the commissioner. Only one counter deal can be accepted by the original team(s) during this two day period. If a counter-deal is accepted, the original team that the original deal involved has one day to work out a final deal between the two original teams. This deal must involve all of the players/picks involved in the original deal but again, may include more players/picks if so desired. If a final deal is worked out, the trade becomes final.  If, in the judgement of the Commissioner, a counter offer is accepted that is radically different from the original trade (for instance - the original team includes a key player or players in a counter), the accepted counter offer can be labeled a "new" trade which will include a new counter period.  Trades involving pending draft picks made during the draft will have a one day counteroffer period instead of two. Trades involving an pending draft pick may be announced when the draft is within 5 picks of the traded picks. Those 5 picks in front of the traded pick my not be used by another owner in any counter offer.
 

 Post Season: The top team from each division and the non-division winner from each league with the best record advance to the playoffs. Each series is best of 7 (2-2-1-1-1) with home games being played by each manager. 1st round series will match the team with the best record in the league with the playoff team with the worst record (independent of divisions). Home field advantage is determined by regular season record, regardless of whether the team is a wildcard team or not. Trades made after the deadline for the 4th session (approximately August 15) will not take effect until after the post season. Post season rosters consist of 25 and are unchanged throughout the post season. Players cannot be utilized more than 10% of their pa/ip during each playoff series. Starters with astericks on their "cards" will have those removed and may only start a maximum of 2 games in each playoff series.  In any series which goes to a game 7, the final game is to be played either face to face, via telephone, or via NetPlay.  "Home Field Advantage" will be turned on for game 7 of any postseason series.
 

Moving Franchise:  Teams are allowed to move to another city/ballpark in their respective leagues with the following provisions: 1.  Only one move every five years is allowed; 2.  Teams can only move to a vacant city/ballpark (no trading of locations between teams); 3.  If two or more teams request the same vacant city, the owner that his gone the longest w/o moving is given precedent.  In the event of a tie, a coin flip is used; 4.  Requests to move to another city is to be made by November 1 of each year.
 
 

Dues: $15.00 per season