"Bring us a pitcher of beer every seven minutes until somebody passes out. And then bring one every ten minutes."

Rodney Dangerfield as Thornton Melon

Back to School will be a single season progressive that combines elements of some of my favorite progressive leagues along with my own twist.

Here's the first twist. Every player drafted will have years of eligibility similar to NCAA rules. Every player drafted in rounds 1-5 will have 5 years of eligibility (Freshman). Rounds 6-10 will have 4 years of eligibility (Sophomore). Rounds 11-15 will have 3 years (Junior). Rounds 16-20 have 2 years (Senior). Rounds 21-25 have 1 year (Grad Student). The player will return to the draft pool once their eligibility has been used up.

AAA players are considered Red Shirt Freshmen for their years of eligibility. Meaning AAA players have 5 years of eligibility whether they appear in a major league game or not. However, AAA status does not overrule the round of draft status.

Example, you draft a player in round 12 - meaning he has 3 years of eligibility. Moving that player to AAA does not increase his years of eligibility.

Here's the second twist. Your franchise has rights of first refusal for your own rookies beginning with the 1971 season. You include these players on your keeper list and they will have 5 years of eligibility. Players that have a split season as a rookie will have their rights assigned to the team where they earned the highest WIS salary. The player will join the general draft pool if there is no distinction in salary.

And, the last twist. Each draft class will include rookies drawn from a random MLB year of play. The MLB years will span 20 year intervals based upon the first year of play. Example - 1970 is the first year of play so rookies will be included for one of the following years: 1890, 1910, 1930, 1950, 1990 or 2010. 1971 is the second year of play so 1891, 1911, 1931, 1951, 1991 or 2011 will be the year of the random rookie.

You only get one bite at the apple in regard to the random rookies from years past. The random year rookies will not re-enter the draft once their eligibility expires. The exception is rookies from the future - they will cycle in to the league in the appropriate year of play.

Recap:
20 team league
1970 is first year of play
Inaugural draft will be 25 rounds plus any AAA you chose to draft
Subsequent draft classes will be undrafted veterans, random rookies and free agents
Players will cycle through the league as free agents based upon their years of service
Random year rookies included in each draft class - these players will not re-enter as free agents

All data regarding player years of service, right of first refusal, etc. will be tracked by the commissioner and posted clearly so that you can manage your team.

To sign up - declare you are in and declare the franchise you would like to have. There will be 10 AL and 10 NL teams based upon real life MLB.

Trades - Yes; Draft picks can be traded for up to 3 draft cycles - example 1970, 1971 and 1972. In season trades are subject to league vote - 12 vetoes will defeat the trade. Offseason trades subject to vote if 4 owners ask for a review.

Trade vetoes:

In season trades will be submitted through WIS and will be subject to a league vote. 12 votes against the trade is a veto.

Off season trades will be voted upon if 4 owners object to the trade. The vote will be administered by the commissioner unless the commissioner is involved in the trade. Then an owner that is not involved will be asked to administer the vote. The vote will have results publicly displayed and 12 votes are needed for a veto.

Team names - pick anything you want but you need to use the ballpark associated with your franchise during the league year in play.

Injured reserve - a player without a WIS season that is part of your roster may be placed on I/R. An I/R year does not count as a year of service.

Player draft - Each draft class will include: unsigned veterans, unassigned rookies, random year rookies and players that have no more eligibility for their existing team.

Player draft list - The commissioner will take all due care to prepare the list of available players. All league owners will have the opportunity to review the list in advance of the draft. Any mistake or omission will need to be addressed prior to the start of the draft. After the draft has started no alterations can be made to the draft list. An eligible player that was not included on the list will not be available for that draft class.

Draft order - inaugural draft will be determined by random draw. All subsequent drafts will be based upon league standings with the bottom 4 teams entering an evenly weighted draft lottery. 40 wins are required to be eligible for the lottery. Teams failing to meet that threshold will draft no higher than 5th. Tiebreakers - Head to Head, then runs scored head to head then home games won for the season.

Draft - Inaugural draft will be 1-20, 20-1. All other drafts will be 1-20 for all rounds.

AAA Draft - there will be a separate draft for AAA players. That draft will take place after the conclusion of the 25 man roster / normal draft.

Rule changes - can be proposed by any owner. A league vote will follow with 12 yes votes needed to implement the rule.

Loopholes - the commissioner reserves the right to close unintended loopholes in the rules with advance notice to the league.


Owners:

1. Chargingryno - Chicago Cubs
2. Strubrosll - Boston Red Sox
3. Sigblend - Kansas City Royals
4. Fatguyrd - Baltimore Orioles
5. Mickr9 - LA Dodgers


AL East
Baltimore Orioles - Fatguyrd
Boston Red Sox - Strubrosll


AL West
Kansas City Royals - Sigblend

NL East
Chicago Cubs - Chargingryno

NL West
LA Dodges - Mickr9