Cal Ripken Junior Memorial League Constitution
Basics
The RJML consists of 24 teams. The Organization is divided into 2 leagues, with each league having 2-6 team divisions. The results are reported back to the league statistician as well as the opposing teams played that month. Results are then sent back to each manager on a monthly basis. No DH is used in the RJML.
What’s required?
Each team must have the most current version of the DMB computer game as well as the latest season disk. Team owners are also responsible to download any current patch available.
Dues
No League fee is required
League Play
Each home is responsible to play all their home games and send in all results to the league statistician. Each away team is responsible in sending their opponent as well as the commissioner a copy of their manager profile. The home team will download that profile and use it to play the months games. Generally, manager profiles are due to your opponent on the 1st of every month. Each home team then has until the 20th of every month to email the results back to the statistician and the teams he has played. Please note, make sure manager profiles you send out are accurate. Once you send the profile to a league manager (and to the commissioner) that should be final. Also referred to as "load and go" All the home team should have to do is download the profile into his database, set all aspects of the visitor manager to computer and then play the games. All depth charts should be set to "game by game" and not "track starts". Setting the depth chart to track starts are for non-redrafted rosters and using this will produce an unwanted lineup. If you have play time percentages in your depth chart, a starter may not start. Make sure that the play time percentages are what you want set before you send it out. The reason for the profile being sent to the commissioner is that if there are any discrepancies, the copy sent to the commissioner shall be the overriding factor, and should it be necessary ,the Commissioner can send the profile to the waiting manager. Should a manager neglect to send a copy to the commissioner, the home teams profile shall take precedence. If a manager neglects to send both the home team and the commissioner a copy of his manager profile by the first of the month, the home team is hereby given permission to auto play that series.
Commissioner
The Commissioner is responsible for awarding and revoking RJML franchises. The commissioner, in conjunction with the Board of Trustees, are responsible for resolving any disputes and have complete and final authority in all matters.
Schedule
The regular season starts approximately April 1st and ends approximately October 28. Each team will play approximately 160 games (32-5 games series). The Diamond Mind computer manager will be used for visiting teams. As stated before the manager profile for visiting teams must reach the home team manager by the 1st of each month. All results must be sent to the league statistician and all visiting managers by the 20th of each month.
Rosters
Team Rosters will be set at 40 players. No uncarded players may be on a RJML Roster. The only exception to this rule is if a player was previously drafted to a RJML roster then that player may be retained for the following season but counts towards your roster count of 40 players. Teams must have sufficient batting and pitching resources to cover the 160 game schedule. Sufficient resources include 160 starts, at least 600 at bats per position, and at least 300 relief appearances. Of the 40 players on your roster, 27 are designated as active for each series from April through October. Rosters may expand to 40 players in September. By the end of November all teams must cut down to 27 players. The Players released will be available in the next year’s rookie draft.
Player Limits
All batters are limited to a + 5% over usage limit of their actual at bats
All pitchers are limited to actual starts and relief appearances
A pitcher with no actual starts may not start a game
A pitcher with no relief appearances may not be used in relief in a game
A pitcher with both relief appearances and starts may use all appearances in relief. They cannot use all their appearances as starts.
All batters must be used for at least 50% of their actual at bats or they will be released from their team and be made available for the next years rookie draft. Batters who are not used for at least 50% of their actual at bats during the regular season may not be traded. *this rule is waived for new ownership*
Pitchers with starts must be used for 50% of their actual starts or they will be released from their team and be made available for the next years rookie draft. Pitchers with starts who are not used for at least 50% of their actual starts during the regular season may not be traded. *this rule is waived for new ownership*
Pitchers that have both starts and relief's must be used for 50% of their starts or they will be released from their team and be made available for the next years rookie draft. Pitchers with starts and relief's who are not used for at least 50% of their actual starts during the regular season may not be traded. *this rule is waived for new ownership*
Draft
The RJML draft will hopefully get underway sometime in January or February 2006.The draft will be conducted by email lists and will be performed in groups of six teams. Please see the Draft tab to see the draft grid to see where each team will pick in each of the13 rounds. Since we are freezing 27 players only 13 rounds will be necessary to complete the draft (till each team has 40 players). The draft order will go in reverse order of record and will be a straight draft for all rounds. The worst three teams will enter in a NBA draft style lottery to determine the #1 overall pick. The worst team will get 3 chances, second worst 2 chances, and the 3rd worst 1 chance. the team that comes out of the hat first will receive the1st pick, the second name, 2nd pick and the 3rd name will receive the #3 pick in the draft. Ties will be broken using the following in order: head-to-head competition, run differential, coin flip.
Series Play
Each Visiting team sends the home team his completed manager profile by the 1st of each month
The home team downloads the file into the RJML database. (Transfer/import statistics)
The home team manager resets player usage and injuries for him and his opponent before each series is played.
After completion of the series the home manager exports the statistics back to the commissioner and the visiting team by the 20th of each month. (Transfer /export statistics)
The Commissioner will send to each manager a new RJML database prior the first of each month
Managers are not to play any practice games in the RJML database!!!!!
Managers are not to play ahead in any games using the RJML database!!!!
If any manager has problems importing/transferring please do not hesitate to ask. After you do it the first couple of times it’s a breeze.
Playoffs
The top two teams in each division qualify for the playoffs. Each playoff series is a 7-game series. Days off will be between games 2 and 3 and 5 and 6. Injuries and player fatigue do not carry over from one playoff series to the next. The first round of playoffs will be the top two teams in each division. The second round of the playoffs will be division playoff winners and finally the last round will be the World Series between League Pennant winners. The Home team will play the first two games of the series and then export those stats, scoresheets, and boxscores to the commissioner and his opponent. Then the visitor will do likewise in the next three games.
Playoff Player Usage
To be eligible to make a playoff start, a pitcher must have at least made 10 or more RJML starts during the regular season. The chart below determines how many starts per series that starting pitchers are eligible to make.
10-14 RJML Starts= 1 playoff start per series
15-19 RJML Starts= 2 playoff starts per series
20+ RJML Starts= 3 playoff starts per series
The chart below determines how many relief appearances per series, that are allowed in the playoffs.
60 + ML games relieved =5 games
50-59 ML games relieved=4games
40-49 ML games relieved=3games
25-39 ML games relieved=2 games
1-24 ML games relieved=1game
Starting pitchers need at least 2 games rest between starts. If that pitcher is still tired he must pitch at that level of tiredness.
Batter with 500+ at bats are allowed an unlimited amount of at bats per series.
Batters will be limited to 5% (rounded up) of their real life at bats per series.
Batters that reach their 5% at bat limit in a series are permitted to finish the game they entered, regardless of usage.
Trading
All trades must be approved by the Commissioner.
Both managers must report trades to the Commissioner before approved.
Trading Period is from November to March. (No trades while season is in play)
Only draft choices for the current years may be traded.
Penalties
For each 5 at bats of overuse per batter a team will have 1 game added to their victory total.
for each game started of overuse per pitcher a team will have 9 games added to their victory total.
for each relief appearance of overuse per pitcher a team will have 2 games added to their victory total.
The penalties for the above three situations would cause your 2nd round pick to be lowered if applicable
If a team is penalized between 10 and 19 games, their first round pick will be dropped to the bottom of the round.
If a team is penalized more than 20 games, they lose their first round draft choice.
All penalties are null and void if a manager resigns or removed from the league. New managers are not penalized for the actions of a previous manager.
Late Reporting
Since the whole operation of the league can be affected by one manager for late reporting of stat disks the following penalties will be assessed for late stat disks to the statistician. Please be aware that the league is not trying to penalize managers who get caught up in emergency situations or incur PC problems. These penalties are just for those managers who are constantly late for no apparent reason causing the League to become at a standstill waiting for their results.
1st late reporting- 2nd round pick dropped to bottom of order
2nd late reporting- 1st round pick dropped to bottom of order
3rd late reporting-1st round pick is lost
4th late reporting-meeting between board of trustees to determine if manager should be dropped from league
Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees are made up of the Commissioner and one manager from each division creating a membership of 5 trustees. The Trustees sole duty is to vote on certain issues that arise during the course of the season or off-season that are not part of the Constitution. The trustees will also vote on trades that are deemed totally unfair to the rest of the League. Should a Board Member become involved in the dispute, he/she shall not have a vote on matter at hand. Should the board vote in a tie due to that possibility, a league wide vote of all 24 members will take place on that issue. The Commissioner will ask for volunteers for Members of the board. The first four who request will be granted a trusteeship. The term limit is two years for trustees, however, the Commissioner shall have no term limits.
Odds and Ends
The Ripken Junior Memorial League is a NO DH League
Era setting will be determined by coin flip
A player rated in the OF may play any OF position
Other than above, a player may only START a game at a position he is rated at. A player only rated at DH can play his last position played on a Diamond Mind disk taking into consideration he will not have a rating at that position.
Players may play positions they are not rated at only as RESERVE players late in the game due to pinch-hitting, extra-innings (ect.) Managers must be aware that they will have to take the defensive consequences of playing players not rated at positions. Also managers must have drafted at least 600 at-bats per position on their roster to be eligible to use a player out of position.
Teams can, if they wish, use net meeting to conduct their games. This is up to the home team if he desires to do so. If the Visiting team does not wish to play over net meeting and the Home team does, The home team will play using the visitors manager profile.