Official Constitution for the Bingo League progressive
this is the league that was advertised as "Serious Fun Progressive" in the classifieds
Section 1: LEAGUE OVERVIEW
1.1 League concept. 16-team, single-season progressive. It will start in Spring 2015 with an inaugural draft drawing players from the 1961 season. The league is based on some fundamental principles: operate a fun, well-run league; efficient management of the draft process; active roster management to ensure the highest levels of WIS competition; full accountability on the part of all owners; no reward whatsoever for tanking.
1.2 League membership. The commissioner will be responsible for maintaining a pool of owners sufficient for the number of teams in the league. No owner will own more than one team at any time, except in the unusual (and hopefully short-term) scenario in which an owner cannot be found to take over a team. In this case, the commissioner (or another owner of his choosing) may run the vacant team until such time as a new owner is found. Under this temporary ownership, the substitute owner is expected to serve as a caretaker and manager, managing the team to the best of his ability, but not making any trades.
1.3 General expectations for ownership. While owners are obviously free to join and leave any progressive at any time, it is expected that new owners who join will stay for a minimum of 5 seasons (roughly 1 calendar year), and provide sufficient notice (generally, 1 season in advance) of their intention to depart. In addition, owners are expected to adhere to all league rules and league deadlines. This will not be a league for owners who have trouble adhering to deadlines, making draft picks on time, keeping track of their roster, or getting keepers in on time. If you are one of those owners, there are other progressive leagues where you will be happier. As the rules below will make clear, it is expected that owners will meet deadlines, take full responsibility for accuracy in their keeper lists and draft picks, and act with integrity at all times. The commissioner may, at his sole discretion, remove an owner from the league for either flagrant rules violations or general misconduct.
Section 2: RULE CHANGES AND DISPUTES
2.1 Rules changes (minor). Minor changes to these rules – generally defined as changes that would not alter the fundamental structure of the league or materially impact any team – may be proposed by any owner. Upon receipt of a proposal for a minor rules change, the commissioner will post the proposal in the league forum and the matter will be opened for discussion. If, within one week of the posting of the proposed change, 3 or more owners object to the change, the rule will be considered a “major change” and will be handled as in section 2.2. Otherwise the rule change will be enacted.
2.2 Rules changes (major). Major changes to these rules may be proposed by any owner. Upon receipt of the proposal for a major rules change, the commissioner will evaluate whether the change is consistent with the league philosophy as outlined in section 1. If the proposal is found to be consistent with the league philosophy, the commissioner will post the proposal in the league forum and put the matter to a formal vote. Approval of 2/3 of the existing owners will be required to pass the proposal.
If a major rule change is proposed and does not receive the 2/3 majority necessary for approval, the league will wait at least 5 seasons before considering that rule change (or any similar rule change) again. The commissioner may override this waiting period if he believes there has been sufficient owner turnover such that the previous outcome of the vote is not certain to repeat.
2.3 Rules clarifications and disputes. In the event of a dispute over the proper interpretation of the rules, or if 2 or more rules appear to be in conflict, the commissioner will rule on the issue as needed, and may update the league rules with clarifying language. Such rulings and clarifications will not require a league-wide vote.
Section 3: LEAGUE STRUCTURE
3.1 League format. 16-team league organized as Alternate WIS Format B: two leagues, each with two 4-team divisions. The 4 division winners will make the playoffs; there will be no wildcard. There will be no interleague play.
3.2 League Alignment. Divisions will be aligned geographically. In cases of franchise relocation, the league alignment will update each season in accordance with the location of the real MLB franchises (i.e. the 4 easternmost cities in each league will be placed in the eastern division.)
3.3 Future Expansion. Following the completion of our 1966 season, we will have a vote on possible expansion in 1969. Approval of 2/3 of the owners will be required to move forward with expansion. If approved, we would add two teams in each league in 1969 and an expansion draft plan will be drawn up and added to this section. If expansion is not approved, we will reconsider again following 1975 for possible expansion in 1977.
3.4 Ballparks. In the inaugural draft, each owner will choose from 1 of the 16 MLB franchises in existence in 1961. These franchise selections will obviously be exclusive. Teams will be allocated to the AL or NL based on the league of their actual franchise.
When teams move to a new ballpark in real life, owners will have two options: they can move to the new ballpark at the same time that their real-life counterpart did, or they can choose to stay in the older ballpark. Your only chance to move to the new park is in the same season that your team did in real life. If you choose to stay in the old park, you must stay in that park and will only have the opportunity to move again when your team also switches parks in the future (for example, if the owner of the Pittsburgh team chooses to stay in Forbes Field in 1970, they will continue to play in Forbes Field until at least 2001, when they would have the option of moving to PNC Park). This rule also applies to relocation. In 1966 Milwaukee moved to Atlanta, and in 1968, Kansas City moved to Oakland. The owners of these franchises will have the option of either moving to the new city/park, or remaining in their original city. If our KC owner chooses to stay there, they would have the option of moving to Kauffman/Royals Stadium in 1973.
3.5 Team Names: Owners can use any name that has actually been used in their city at any point in history. Please refer to the
Baseball-Reference Team History page to see potential names. If you are in a city that has had multiple MLB franchises, the rights to actual MLB team names are exclusive to the respective NL or AL franchise. Non MLB names (the "Earlier Franchises" or "American Association" lists) are up for grabs.Using Chicago as an example: the Wrigley Field team could be the Cubs, Orphans, the Colts, or the White Stockings, the team in Comiskey could be the White Sox, and both would be able to choose from Pirates or Whales if they so desired. No two teams may share the same nickname (ie: there cannot be a Chicago White Sox and a Chicago White Stockings, and there can not be a Pittsburgh and Chicago Pirates). Once you choose your team nickname, you can not change it for at least ten seasons, at which point you would have the option of changing it to another eligible name. If a new owner takes over a team, they will at that moment have the option of changing to another eligible nickname and would be subject to the same 10 year rule going forward.
Section 4: WIS RULES
4.1 Basic WIS rules: No WW, No Salary Cap, No AAA players, No Live play. Injuries off. While the league will not use the DH during its initial seasons, once we reach the 1973 season the DH will be used by AL teams only.
4.2 Transactions. Trades will be permitted as discussed in section 8 below. The transaction deadline will be game 120.
4.3 Players with multiple versions in the WIS database. For players with multiple versions in the WIS database, owners are free to use any version of that player (partial/full/combined).
Section 5: INAUGURAL DRAFT
5.1 Available players/parks. In the initial draft each owner will choose players from the 1961 WIS database plus one franchise/ballpark that was active in 1961 (except for the two AL expansion parks - no LA Wrigley or Griffiths Stadium).
5.2 Format: The inaugural draft will be a standard serpentine draft, reversing in round 3. In other words, round 1 will be 1-16, round 2 will be 16-1, round 3 will also be 16-1, round 4 will be 1-16, round five will be 16-1, round six will be 1-16, etc.
5.3 Schedule. Rounds will be timed with half hour time slots from rounds 1-13 (one round per day) and fifteen minute time slots from round 14 on (two rounds per day), running from 10AM to 6PM, Eastern Time.The inaugural draft will last for 26 rounds, allowing for each team to select 25 players and 1 ballpark.
5.4 Missed Picks: If an owner misses a pick in rounds 1-3, all subsequent picks in that round must occur during their scheduled time slot. In other words, no picking ahead of your time slot in the first three rounds unless all owners before you have picked. During these first 3 round, if any picks are still missing by the start of the next draft day, the commissioner will make the draft pick for the team. Starting in round 4, owners no longer have to wait for missed picks to be made up. As long as the owner before you has picked, you may make your selection.
5.5 Abandonment: An owner who has more than 2 missed picks at any one time during the inaugural draft may be considered to have left the league. The commissioner reserves the right to take over the team and/or give the team to a new owner immediately.
5.6 Proxies: If you will be away during your pick, you have two options:
(i) post a public proxy in the league forums OR
(ii) send a proxy to the commissioner and the two owners immediately following you AND post in the league forum draft thread that you have done this.
Public proxies (i.e. proxies adhering to rule 5.6.i) will become valid as soon as your time slot starts, or (starting with round 4) as soon as the owner scheduled to draft before you posts a legal pick, whichever comes first.
Private proxies (i.e. proxies adhering to rule 5.6.ii) will become valid as soon as your time slot starts, or as soon as another owner legally posts for you, whichever comes first.
All owners are expected to honor proxies responsibly – we will absolutely stop the draft, and undo picks if a proxy has not been honored.
Section 6: SUBSEQUENT DRAFTS
6.1 Keepers. The keeper thread will be started by the commissioner shortly after the All-Star break. All keeper lists (which must include full names of players and primary WIS position for the upcoming season) are due by the 135-game mark of each season; any owner that fails to meet this deadline runs the risk of losing his team, at the commissioner’s discretion. Teams may keep up to 25 active WIS players each season, plus injured reserve. Each team is allowed an unlimited number of IR slots for players who are not WIS-eligible in any given season. Each owner is responsible for keeping track of his IR players and making sure each year’s keeper list is correct. Failure to list a player as a keeper means that player will be added to the available draft list, and you risk losing the player.
After game 135, any subsequent roster corrections must be posted directly in the league forum AND sitemailed to the commissioner. Keeper lists will be considered final (and no further changes to them may be made) once the randomized draft order is posted.
6.2 Roster composition. Keeper lists (and all subsequent draft picks) must comply with WIS roster limitations. For example, you may not keep 14 or more active pitchers, because WIS will only allow a team to have 13 pitchers on its roster at any time. Similarly, at no time during the keeper/draft process may a team have more than 25 active WIS players on its roster.
In the event that an owner drafts a player (or completes a trade) who puts him over the limit (e.g. selects a 14th pitcher during the draft), this draft pick (or trade) will be considered invalid.
6.3 Lists of draft-eligible players. At the 135-game mark, the commissioner will use the posted keeper lists to determine which players are eligible for the next draft.
This list will be compiled from the list of all WIS-eligible players in the given season, subtracting out all players listed as keepers. Since the draft will not start until after the conclusion of the regular season, owners will have plenty of time in which to verify that the available player list is correct.
IT IS EACH OWNER’S RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THAT NONE OF HIS KEEPERS ARE LISTED AS AVAILABLE. In the event that a mistake is made by the commissioner, and a keeper is listed on the available players list, that player WILL BE ELIGIBLE TO BE DRAFTED.
Similarly, if a player who should be eligible for the draft is not listed on the available list, he may not be drafted. Such a player will be added to the available list for the following season.
6.4 Allotted draft picks. If you trade draft picks, it will effect how many players you may include on your keeper list, as you will need to make your traded pick available (for example, a team that, say, trades its 2nd round pick can keep no more than 23 players, in order to “free up” the traded 2nd round pick).
Each team will be allotted as many draft picks as necessary to reach 25 players, based on the number of keepers on the roster at the start of the draft.
6.5 Draft Order: Draft order will be determined at the 120 game mark. Teams will be ranked in order of W-L record. Ties will be broken with 1) head to head record, 2) record vs. division, 3) Run differential. In tiebreakers, the team with the better record will get the higher draft position. The first five spots for round one of the draft order will be randomized through random.org by the Commissioner. If the Commissioner has a team in the top 5, another owner will be asked to provide the randomized order. Rounds 2 on will adhere to the unrandomized order. In order to be included in the randomized order, a team must have a minimum of 30 wins by the 120 game mark. Should a team have less than 30 wins, they will automatically be placed in the #6 slot for round one.
6.7 Drafting: The draft will proceed as a "straight" draft format (1-16, 1-16). Once round 1 is complete, as long as the owner before you has picked, you may pick. All rounds will be “on the clock.” Round 1 of the annual draft will have 60-minute time slots and will take place across two days, 10AM to 6PM, Eastern Time. All subsequent rounds will have 30 minute time slots.
6.8 Timing of the draft. Drafts will typically start a couple of days after the keeper deadline, and owners are expected to prepare accordingly. While we will attempt not to start a draft on a major US holiday (Thanksgiving, Christmas), we will not in general delay the draft more than 1 day or so for this purpose. Nor will drafts be delayed to accommodate owners who are on vacation, away from the internet, etc.
6.9 Updating the draft board. During the draft, the commissioner will attempt to update the available players list and draft board as often as possible, but each owner is ultimately responsible for keeping track of who has been picked and who is still available. If you make a mistake and pick a player who has already been selected or is otherwise not eligible, your pick will be considered “missed” and can be skipped.
6.10 Proxies. If you will be away during your pick, you have two options:
(a) post a public proxy in the league forums OR
(b) send a proxy to the commissioner and the two owners immediately following you AND post in the league forum draft thread that you have done this.
Public proxies will become valid as soon as your time slot starts, or (starting with round 2) as soon as the owner scheduled to draft before you posts a legal pick, whichever comes first.
Private proxies will become valid as soon as your time slot starts, or as soon as another owner legally posts for you, whichever comes first.
All owners are expected to honor proxies responsibly – we will absolutely stop the draft, and undo picks if a proxy is not honored.
In the event that an owner misses his first round pick, the commissioner will make a proxy pick for that team at the end of the first round. Any such teams have the option of changing their pick to another available player, until the next scheduled team makes its pick. Once the next scheduled team makes its pick, the proxies become official.
Section 7: TANKING
This league is designed for managers who want to play WIS competitively and manage their teams to the best of their ability. The randomized draft order and 30-win minimum are meant to be disincentives to tank. However, it is expected that owners will attempt to do as well as they can with whatever team they have. In particular, owners are expected not to put their teams on “autopilot” just because they are not contending, not to play players out of position (unless there are really no alternatives), and are also expected to use bench players to manage fatigue if necessary. These are guidelines rather than formal rules, however if it becomes necessary we will consider formalizing certain requirements in the future.
Section 8. TRADES:
8.1 Draft picks may be traded up to 2 seasons in advance. For example, in the 1961season season, teams may trade 1962 or 1963 draft picks. During the 1962 draft, teams may trade picks for the current draft, or for the two subsequent drafts, etc.
8.2 Owners may trade draft picks conditionally (for example, a 1st round pick unless the pick ends up in the top 3, in which case it’s a 2nd round pick) provided the condition is clearly spelled out and both owners agree to it.
8.3 There will be no trade vetoes. All trades will be permitted, even ones that seem to be somewhat one-sided. On the off chance that there is a grossly imbalanced trade, one or more owners may flag the trade as questionable. If an owner flags a trade as questionable, it will be put to a league-wide vote. A vote of 2/3 of the non-trading owners will be sufficient to overturn the trade. Please only invoke this rule if you believe that the imbalance is so flagrant as to be detrimental to the integrity of the league. Trades in which one team gets more value than another are part of baseball.
8.4 "Player to be named later" trades are not allowed. All trades must be complete at the time of the trade.
8.5 Trades made during the annual draft. Trades that are made while a draft is in progress will be assumed to include additional draft picks, as necessary, unless the owners involved in a trade state otherwise. For example, while a draft is in progress, Team A and Team B execute a 2-for-1 trade, with Team A getting 2 players from Team B. Team A now needs 1 less draft pick, but Team B needs one more; therefore this trade will include sending Team A's (now superfluous) final draft pick to Team B. If both owners indicate they do not want this draft pick exchange, then any necessary draft picks will be added at the very end of the draft. In other words, in this example Team B would get a final draft pick added at the very end of the draft, after all other scheduled picks for all other teams have been completed.
Note that if the two teams do not want to do this draft pick exchange, then Team A will lose their final pick anyway (as it would be superfluous - teams cannot draft a 26th active player). So there is no loss to Team A as a result of this rule.
4/9/2015 12:58 AM (edited)