The Good IV League On-Line:
The Archives
1997 Note: This was the last time I attempted to put the League Rules in writing all in one place. There have been numerous updates, changes, and clarifications since then, usually embodied in a League Report somewhere. Don't get too hung up on these.
The Good IV League's operations are governed by the Official Rotisserie League Baseball Constitution, 1991 edition, as specifically modified below. Ambiguities and conflicts that arise unexpectedly are ignored to the extent possible, and otherwise resolved by majority vote and/or Commissioner decree.
Sec. II, Teams. For 1992, the GoodIV League has 10 teams in an A.L. league; the official rules propose 12. We compensate by carrying 25 players instead of 23. Expansion may be possible next year, upon agreement of the owners.
Sec. III, Rosters. In our 10 team league, we have both a Designated Hitter and a Utility player, and we use 10 pitchers instead of 9.
Sec. IV, Auction Draft Day. We follow the Rotisserie Draft procedures, except our budget amounts are 1/10th of theirs: $26.00 per team, bidding in $0.10 increments. We have agreed that for 1992, we will assess a flat fee of $150.00 per team, which is unrelated to this theoretical $26.00 Draft budget. The $150.00 will cover the Stats service ($45.00 per team), plus all relevant fees that contribute to prize money. Accordingly, no per-transaction fees will be required. As for the minor league draft, we agreed to draft in the reverse order of last year's standings: 10,9,8,7, etc.
Sec. V, Position Eligibility. We basically use the Rotisserie rule, at least to the extent it is incorporated in the position eligibility lists we receive. With respect to potential controversies and exceptions, our decision was to attempt to resolve such questions before the draft, and the Commissioner has offered to supply a list of players requiring special consideration prior to the Draft.
Sec. VI, Fees. As mentioned above, we have eliminated fees in favor of a flat per-team charge of $150.00 for the season. The charge may be payable in installments if desired.
Sec. VII, Player Salaries. For all future transactions, the salary of a player claimed on waivers is $1.00 or his current salary, whichever is greater, and his contract status remains unchanged. For September call-ups, the salary is $2.50, although this may be unimportant in view of other changes in the Rules (see below).
Sec. VIII, Prize Money. Winners receive 50% for 1st place, 25% for 2nd, 15% for 3rd, and 10% for 4th.
Sec. IX, Standings. We agreed to replace our Batting Average category with On-Base Percentage. Thus, the Good IV League's hitting categories are: On-Base Percentage, Total Bases, Runs Batted In, and Runs + Stolen Bases. The pitching categories are the same as those for Rotisserie baseball.
We agreed to change the minimum innings pitched standard to 1200 IP and the minimum At- Bats standard to 5000 AB per team. Thus, any team finishing with fewer IP or AB than these levels cannot surpass a team in any category that has more than the minimum.
Sec. XI, Trades. We agreed to open up trading as much as possible. Since we are also opening up roster moves (see below), there are no effective limits on positions of players traded, or on the balance of numbers (all outstanding needs after a trade can be fixed by obtaining the relevant free agents). We eliminated the "contiguous" rule for trades after the All Star break, as well as the September 1 trading deadline. We did, however, institute a single "anti-dumping" rule: Players in their Option year cannot be traded after August 1st at all.
Sec. XII, The Reserve List. In most respects, we follow the same procedures regarding reserving players (injured, demoted) as in the Rotisserie rules. Some clarifications:
As is explained further below, we are changing our policy on releasing and signing free agents, as well as on minor league players. Specifically with respect to the reserve list, we will now have 3 minor league reserve slots, starting at the beginning of the season, and minor league players in those slots can be exchanged with unsigned minor leaguers at any time. See below for more.
We agreed that when a player is released during the season, and then re-signed by another team (e.g., Dave Parker), his former GoodIV team has "right of first refusal" to re-sign the player at his previous salary or $1.00, whichever is greater, as long as that team has not replaced the player in the meantime. I expect this rule to be relevant once every three seasons.
Because of the change to full free agent replacement, which in effect removes any necessary connection between "reserved" players and their replacements, we can no longer use an automatic reinstatement policy. At any time before a reserved player returns from the minors or the DL, the owner may designate the player he wishes to waive when a given player is activates, and request that the activation be automatic. Without that instruction prior to the player's active return, he will not rejoin your roster until you affirmatively identify whom he will replace. If no such action is taken within two weeks (two full reporting periods), the activated player will be placed on waivers.
Sec. XIII, Farm System. As mentioned above, our new farm system will consist of a maximum of 3 players at any one time (including players demoted during the season). We will have an initial draft of minor leaguers after the major league draft (please stay around long enough), selecting in reverse order of last year's standings. After that, you can freely replace minor leaguers in your farm system at any time with unsigned minor leaguers. If a player is promoted to the majors, he can be promoted to your team, and another player waived. Then the promoted player can be replaced on your minor league roster. If a major leaguer on your team is demoted, you may reserve him on your farm team by dumping one of your other minor leaguers, or you may release the demoted player.
Another clarification: If a player on your roster ends up in the minors to start the next season, you retain rights to him as if he were on reserve (not as one of your farm system players).
Sec. XIV, Signing Free Agents. We have made a significant change this year: You may release any player on your roster and sign a free agent at any time. The order of priority of signing is the reverse order of the standings as of the Monday before your selection. Note: a player who is released (or waived) by another team may not be signed to a new team the same week; he must wait until the following period. I am hoping that we can keep the moves to a manageable level. In particular, I would like to ask that teams wait until the weekend to inform me of their choices. By then, you will know the effective standings, and since there is no first-come, first-serve element to this, there is no real hurry. You can tell me several priorities in case the player(s) you want are not available. This way, I can receive most of the calls regarding moves at home, often on my answering machine, and then call everyone back Sunday night or Monday to inform you of which moves were successful. I hope that this process won't get out of hand; if it does, I might put a per-team per-week limit on the number of transactions.
Sec. XV, Waivers. The waiver rule will continue to be in effect. This means that when you sign a free agent (or a waived player), the player you let go is put on waivers. A player on waivers can also be claimed by the lowest team in the standings. The primary difference is that a waived player retains his previous salary and contract status as long as the waiver period is in effect. If he is not claimed during that period, he becomes a free agent, and his acquisition contract and salary are S2, $1.00. This prevents, or at least inhibits, deals like the infamous Cal Ripken non-trade.
The waiver period rule is now one full week on the waiver wire. The player joins the new team's roster at the end of this period. The standings that apply for determining which team is lower are the same as for free agent pickups. For example, if I pick up free agent Felix Fermin and waive Omar Vizquel ($2.50, S1), effective Monday, April 20, then the team that is in last place in the standings as of that day (i.e., those that you'll receive in the mail 3-4 days later) can claim Vizquel, and add him to its roster effective Monday, April 27, but keeping the S1, $2.50 status. If no one claims him that week, however, he becomes a free agent, and can be signed by the lowest claiming team effective the following Monday, April 27, for $1.00, S2. My job, of course, is to send out up- to-date waiver lists with each standings report, so that if you receive it by Friday you'll be able to claim players by Sunday.
Sec. XVI, September Roster Expansion. We are sticking with the old Rotisserie rule of allowing 1 additional player as of September 1, for a salary of $2.50.
Sec. XVII, The Option Year and Guaranteed Long-Term Contracts. We have instituted a different "escape" clause: to dump a player under a long-term contract before the contract expires requires the owner to deduct one-half of the contract value from his available draft budget.
Sec. XVIII, Roster Protection. From here on out, including 1992, there is no minimum roster retention limit, and the maximum is 15 players. We are keeping the deadline of April 1 for freezing rosters and confirming contract status. This is not a trading deadline, however, but no trades are permitted after midnight on the night before the draft (arbitrary Commissioner edict).
Sec. XIX, Governance. Whoever has the Gold makes the Rules.
Sec. XX, Yoo-Hoo. We're too hip to do this.
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Copyright 1997 David N. Townsend