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OFFICIAL LEAGUE CONSTITUTION
Active League Roster means those Players on a League Team’s League Roster who are assigned to a position (not the DL or bench), which renders that Player eligible to earn Rotisserie points for the Owner of that League Team.
AL means The American League of MLB.
Collusion means any trade or act between two or more Owners for a fraudulent or deceitful purpose and is prohibited in the League.
Commissioner means the Owner charged with the responsibility of ensuring this Constitution is followed and to carry out all other executive authority necessary and proper for that duty.
DL means The Disabled List that applies to all Players who have been placed upon it by his MLB Team and/or by the host Site.
Fantasy Baseball means the game of skill that challenges each Owner to assemble a League Team of MLB Players for the express object and purpose described in this Constitution — namely winning a Rotisserie game of skill.
FBM means the trademarked organization that is Fantasy Baseball Mafia inclusive of its website http://www.fantasybaseballmafia.com.
Host Site means http://www.sportingnews.com.
Inactive League Roster means the Players on a League Team’s League Roster who are assigned to either that League Team’s DL or bench, and are ineligible to earn Rotisserie points for the Owner of that League Team.
League means the group of Owners assembled through FBM for the express object and purpose defined in this Constitution.
League Team means the various rival organizations comprising the League.
League Roster means the Players comprising a League Team.
MLB Team means any one of the 30 official MLB franchises, and only MLB Players currently on an MLB Team are eligible to earn Rotisserie points for a League Team.
MLB means Major League Baseball.
MLB.com means The official website of MLB which can be found at http://www.mlb.com.
NL means The National League of MLB.
Off-Season means any portion of the calendar year not included in the Season and includes any portion of a Major League Baseball Season that is outside of the Major League Baseball Season.
Owner means the person, or persons, with responsibility for managing a League Team.
Player means a member of an MLB Team who is eligible for inclusion on a League Roster as defined within this Constitution and Players shall be interpreted accordingly.
Rotisserie or Roto means the scoring system used to rank each League Team.
Season means any portion of the MLB Regular Season regardless of number of games.
Waiver(s) means the status of a Player ineligible to be on a League Team until the allotted amount of time (2 days) has passed.
Waiver Order means the order of priority in which League Teams can successfully claim Players who are on Waivers.
A. The object of the League shall be to assemble a lineup of 28 Players (plus up to 2 Players on the DL), regardless of position, whose cumulative statistics, compiled and measured by the methods described in this Constitution, are superior to those of all the other League Teams.
B. The central purpose of the League shall be to assemble a wide range of Owners, regardless of race, gender, sexuality, and religion, to participate in a League designed to pit each Owner’s skills and baseball knowledge against all other Owners in a friendly, non-discriminatory, harassment-free environment.
A. There shall be no less than 12 League Teams and no more than 14 League Teams in the League in any given Season.
B. League Teams are permitted to have multiple Owners. How these Owners split responsibility for the management of their League Team is entirely left up to the Owners and is not the responsibility of the Commissioner or FBM to arbitrate or determine.
C. Each League Team’s nicknames, colors, motto, hiring policies, dress codes, and corporate philosophies are left up to the Owner(s), but are subject to the FBM’s anti-discrimination and harassment policies.
D. A League Team’s name shall not be changed during the Season unless at the direction of FBM due its unsuitability for reason of potential to cause offense.
E. League Teams shall remain active throughout the Season and shall continue to remain active as long as the League Team’s Owner is a member of FBM.
A. Each League Roster is composed of up to 30 Players.
B. Each Active League Roster is composed of up to 23 Players assigned to the following positions:1 First Baseman, 1 Second Baseman, 1 Shortstop, 1 Third Baseman, 1 Corner Infielder (First Baseman OR Third Baseman), 1 Middle Infielder (Second Baseman OR Shortstop), 2 Catchers, 1 Utility Player qualifying at any other position except Pitcher, 5 Outfielders, 9 Pitchers (Owners decide the number of Starters and Relievers).
C. Each Inactive League Roster is composed of all bench Players which shall not exceed 5 Players plus any unassigned Active League Roster positions. Each Inactive League Roster may also include up to 2 Players currently on the DL.
D. Position eligibility is determined by FBM and its Host Site.
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FBM and its Host Site shall determine when a Player goes on or off of the DL. FBM shall also determine when a Player goes on or off a MLB Team.
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During the Off-Season the position eligibility of a Player shall be determined by that Player’s eligibility at the end of the prior Season.
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During the Season a Player shall be eligible at each position at which he appeared 10 times in the prior or current Season. A Player’s total number of appearances shall not carry over from one Season to another.
E. League Teams are credited for the accumulated statistics of its Active League Roster in the following ten categories Batter Categories Runs, Home Runs, Runs Batted In, Stolen Bases, Batting Average, Pitcher Categories Wins, Saves, Earned Run Average, WHIP (Walks + hits divided by innings pitched), Strikeouts. Pitchers are the only MLB Players eligible to accumulate statistics in pitcher categories. Pitchers are ineligible to accumulate statistics in batter categories.
F. League Teams are ranked from first to last place in each of the categories and assigned a point value for each place. Therefore in a 14-Team League, first place in a category nets 14 points; second place 13 points, and so on down to 1 point for fourteenth place.
G. The League Team with the most total points at the end of the Season across all ten categories wins the League.
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In the case of a category tie, the Owners shall split the points of the places his or her League Teams occupy in that category. For example, if League Team A (in first place) and League Team B (in second place) tie with a 3.36 ERA both Owners shall receive 13.5 points [(14 + 13) / 2 = 13.5].
In the case of a total point tie at Season’s end, the following tie-breakers shall be applied:
a. The League Team that placed first in the most categories shall be placed higher (in the case of a tie between two League Teams) and highest (in the case of a tie between more than two League Teams).
b. If two or more League Teams remain tied then the League Team that placed higher in the most categories shall be placed higher (in the case of a tie between two League Teams) and highest (in the case of a tie between more than two League Teams).
c. If two or more League Teams remain tied then the League Team that placed higher in the most Batter Categories shall be placed higher (in the case of a tie between two League Teams) and highest (in the case of a tie between more than two League Teams).
d. If two or more League Teams remain tied then the League Team that placed higher in the most Pitcher Categories shall be placed higher (in the case of a tie between two League Teams) and highest (in the case of a tie between more than two League Teams).
e. If two or more League Teams remain tied then the League Team that placed highest in runs shall be placed higher (in the case of a tie between two League Teams) and highest (in the case of a tie between more than two League Teams) with a further tie determined by home runs, then runs batted in, then stolen bases, then batting average, then wins, then saves, then earned run average, then WHIP, and then strikeouts.
f. If two or more League Teams remain tied those League Teams shall be declared co-champions.
H. Waiver Order will be determined following the Draft and will reflect the reverse order of the Draft. For example: In a 12 Team League The League Team with the first pick in the Draft shall have the 12th Waiver Priority and the League Team whose pick in the Draft was 12th will have the 1st Waiver Priority.
I. Waiver Priority will be adjusted automatically by the Host Site throughout the Season to reflect successful Waiver Claims. A successful Waiver Claim will result in a League Team’s Waiver Priority of last.
J. Waivers shall last 2 days.
A. The League shall conduct a live Draft between March 10th and the day before the first day of the MLB Season.
1. The Commissioner shall solicit feedback from the Owners about preferable Draft dates and times before February 15th of each year.
2. The Commissioner shall administer a League vote regarding the date and time of the Draft with a simple majority being necessary to select a date and time. Shall a majority not be reached the Commissioner shall administer a runoff vote between the two highest vote getters. The initial vote shall be concluded by February 21st, and a runoff vote shall be concluded by February 26th.
3. The Commissioner shall email the result of the League vote to all Owners and FBM before February 28th.
4. The Commissioner shall lock all League settings, including League Team names, on March 1st and send a verification email to FBM. Thereafter, changes may only be made with unanimous League consent and approval of FBM.
B. FBM shall randomly set the Draft order for all new Leagues after receiving verification from the Commissioner that the League is ready.
C. In the first Season of a League, there will be 28 rounds in the Draft. In each subsequent Season there will be a minimum of 23 rounds in the Draft.
D. In subsequent Seasons the Draft Order regardless of the number of rounds shall be the reverse of the League standings as at the end of the previous Season.
1. In a 12 Team League the order of the first round of the Draft shall be as follows: the League Team that finished in last place shall pick first, the League Team that finished eleventh shall pick second, the League Team that finished tenth shall pick third, the League Team that finished ninth shall pick fourth, the League Team that finished eighth shall pick fifth, the League Team that finished seventh shall pick sixth, the League Team that finished sixth shall pick seventh, the League Team that finished fifth shall pick eighth, the League Team that finished fourth shall pick ninth, the League Team that finished third shall pick tenth, the League Team that finished second shall pick eleventh and the League Team that was League Champion shall pick last.
2. For the second round of the Draft the order set out above shall be reversed so that the League Team that picked last in round one shall pick first in round two, the League Team that picked eleventh in round one shall pick second in round two etc.
3. Until the Draft is concluded all odd numbered rounds shall be conducted in accordance with Section V clause D sub-clause 1 and all even numbered rounds shall be conducted in accordance with Section V clause D sub-clause 2.
E. The default time allowed for each pick in the Draft will be 90 seconds. If the Host Site cannot accommodate 90 seconds the time allowed for each pick in the Draft shall be chosen from the times which the Host Site does allow as agreed upon by the Owners through a League vote prior to setting the Draft date.
F. After each Season of a League each League Team shall be entitled to designate up to five Players from its League Roster and those Players shall be removed from the Draft as proscribed later in this Constitution.
1. Each League Team keeping fewer than five Players shall participate in a supplemental draft that shall last up to five rounds. Each League Team keeping 0 Players shall participate in round one of the supplemental draft. Each League Team keeping 1 Player shall participate in round two of the supplemental draft. Each League Team keeping 2 Players shall participate in round three of the supplemental draft. Each League Team keeping 3 Players shall participate in round four of the supplemental draft. Each League Team keeping 4 Players shall participate in round five of the supplemental draft.
2. The order of each round of the supplemental draft shall be conducted in accordance with the order outlined in Section V clause D sub-clause 1.
3. The supplemental draft shall be held no earlier than February 28th and no later than March 9th.
4. The Commissioner shall oversee the supplemental draft.
5. The Commissioner shall email all Owners the result of the supplemental draft prior to the League Draft.
G. No League Team may acquire more than 23 Players in the Draft.
H. Only Players designated as being on a MLB Team by FBM and/or its Host Site shall be eligible to be selected during the Draft.
I. After the Draft all remaining Players shall go onto waivers for 2 days.
A. Trading Players is a valuable part of Fantasy Baseball and FBM strongly encourages Owners to actively engage in trading between League Teams.
B. Vetoed Trades
1. Vetoing a trade shall be a matter of last resort and reserved for instances of Collusion. Owners are encouraged to raise concerns about a trade and inquire further about the motivation behind a trade. 2. Trades may be vetoed by 1/3rd of Owners plus 1 additional Owner officially protesting a trade through the means established by the Host Site unless otherwise noted. Vetoes may be voiced by email if the Host Site provides no other means.
D. An Owner may not trade a Player for future consideration.
E. An Owner may not make a trade retroactive nor may Owners retroactively trade a Player’s statistics.
F. No Owner may invalidate or cancel a pending trade based on a claim of mistake.
G. All trade discussions are subject to FBM’s anti-discrimination and harassment policies.
H. The Trade Deadline shall be August 15th, or a date as agreed upon by the League prior to March 15th.
I. Trades shall automatically process once an appropriate number of “for” votes have been received and this number shall be set at 5.
J. Off-Season trading is allowed subject to the following rules.
1. Off-Season trading is limited to Players on the League Roster of a League Team.
2. All Owners involved in an agreed Off-Season trade shall email the terms of the trade to the Commissioner.
3. Within 24 hours of receiving details of a proposed trade from the last Owner in the trade the Commissioner shall by email notify all Owners of the terms of the trade.
4. All Owners have the right to protest the trade and may do so by emailing the Commissioner within one week of the Commissioner sending to the Owners the official notice detailing the trade.
5. The Commissioner shall initiate the trade if the number of protests against a trade, under the terms of the rules governing the vetoing of an In-Season trade, are not received by the Commissioner within one week of the Commissioner sending out the official notice detailing the trade.
6. An Off-Season trade that results in a League Team having more Players than allowed shall require the offending Owner to bring his or her League Team into compliance by emailing the Commissioner the name or names of the Player(s) to be dropped from his or her League Team within 24 hours of the trade being initiated regardless of the potential acceptance of another trade. If the offending Owner does not comply with this requirement the Commissioner shall drop the appropriate number of Players from the offending Owner’s League Team starting with the Player selected latest in the last Draft until the League Team becomes compliant.
7. Off-Season trades shall not be made after February 28th in any circumstances.
A. An Owner may keep up to 5 Players from his or her League Team from one Season to the next.
C. Owners shall comply with the following deadlines:
1. Within seven days of the last recorded out on the last day of the Season, all Owners intending to keep Players shall email the Commissioner a keeper list of up to 12 Players from his or her League Roster. Failure to comply with this deadline shall result in the Commissioner assigning that League Team a keeper list comprised of the 12 Players on that League Roster picked highest in the now concluded Season’s League Draft.
2. By 23:59 EST on February 28th all Owners who emailed a keeper list by the above deadline shall email a second list of up to 5 Players to the Commissioner. This second list may include any Player from the keeper list plus any Player that the Owner received through an Off-Season trade, but may not include any Player from the Keeper List who was traded away in an Off-Season trade. Failure to comply with this deadline shall result in the Commissioner assigning that League Team a second list comprised of the 5 Players, not including Players traded away in an Off-Season trade, on that Keeper List picked highest in the now concluded Season’s League Draft.
3. The Commissioner shall email the Owner within 48 hours of each deadline to either verify that Owner’s keeper list and/or second list, or to provide a noncompliant Owner with his or her Commissioner-comprised keeper list and/or second list.
4. Once each Owner has received confirmation of receipt of the Players that are being kept the Commissioner shall notify the League of all Players being kept by each League Team.
5. The Commissioner or FBM shall remove all Players on all Owners’ second list from the Draft pool. If either the Commissioner or FBM is unable to remove those Players from the Draft pool it is the responsibility of all Owners to be aware of all Players being removed from the Draft pool and to not draft them in the Draft and/or the supplemental draft. If an Owner drafts a Player who is named on another Owner’s second list of keepers the Commissioner shall reassign that Player to the correct League Team and the offending Owner shall only be allowed to fill their roster spot by the usual waiver wire or free agent means. The offending Owner shall not receive compensation in any form whatsoever.
6. Owners who email a second list of less than 5 Players shall be eligible to participate in the supplemental draft as described in Section V clause F.
A. While it is the hope of FBM that the disciplinary process need not be invoked, violations of FBM’s anti-discrimination and harassment policy, anti-gambling rules, or this Constitution in any other way may warrant the invocation of the disciplinary process.
B. Best efforts shall be made to ensure that all actions taken under the disciplinary process are corrective in nature and not punitive.
C. The Commissioner shall have the power to take the following disciplinary measures.
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In the event of a minor offense the offending Owner shall be reminded that a rule has been broken.
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Repeated minor offenses may result in the Commissioner recommending to FBM that the offending Owner be placed on probation for a period of time commensurate with the severity of the offenses. If FBM approves that recommendation full details of the recommendation and FBM’s determination shall be sent to the offending Owner within 48 hours of FBM’s determination being received by the Commissioner.
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More serious offenses shall result in the Commissioner notifying FBM and all Owners of the offense(s) via the League message board and by emailing to FBM all relevant information, and calling for an email vote regarding expulsion from the League. Expulsion shall require a 2/3rds majority plus 1 vote and authorization from FBM.
D In the case of an Owner’s removal:
1. If an Owner is removed in the Off-Season the ex-Owner’s League Team shall be locked pending the appointment of a replacement Owner by FBM. In the event that a replacement Owner cannot be found prior to Draft, the League Team will be auto-drafted and locked thereafter.
2. If an Owner is removed during the Season the most recent and complete League Roster for the ex-Owner’s League Team will be utilized and not changed until such time that a temporary or permanent replacement Owner has been appointed by FBM. In the event that a replacement Owner is not found the roster will remain locked and keepers be handled in accordance with Section VII clause C.
3. If an Owner is removed, regardless of whether during the Season or the Off-Season, no fees that have been paid by the ex-Owner shall be refunded in full or in part.
E. FBM reserves the right to remove an Owner at any time.
1. Each League Team has one vote regardless of how many Owners it has.
2. A 2/3rds majority and authorization by FBM is needed to modify the League Constitution or to make any other League policy decision.
B. No person exercising any ownership or financial authority for one League Team shall be allowed to have such authority over or responsibility for any other League Team in the same League.
C. An Owner whether acting alone or in conjunction with another person (regardless of whether or not said other person is the Owner of another League Team) shall not attempt to influence or control the outcome of League standings, MLB Player transactions, or any other League matter.
1. Any behavior by Owners suggestive of Collusion is subject to scrutiny and review by the other Owners in the League and FBM.
2. Collusion shall be treated as a major offense that warrants expulsion from the League.
D. Issues not addressed within these rules shall arise. The Commissioner’s executive authority empowers him or her to make a temporary rule for the duration of the Season, and to seek a permanent rule change from FBM during the Off-Season. As a check on unlimited authority, the Commissioner shall take the following into consideration:
1. Good governance requires that any proposed decision by the Commissioner takes into account the opinions of all Owners not involved in a particular dispute, and a majority vote of those League Teams not involved in a particular dispute. (For example, if two League Teams dispute Ownership over a MLB Player, then the other Owners shall vote on who receives the Player). This process is especially important whenever a dispute involves an action of the Commissioner.
2. When an immediate decision is necessary, the Commissioner shall take action without consulting the Owners so long as the decision does not benefit the Commissioner or the Commissioner’s League Team. In such cases, the Commissioner shall email all Owners stating the issue, his or her rational for making the decision, and seek input as to whether another decision is warranted. However, the Commissioner is not to reverse that decision if to do so shall create a conflicting result for two or more League Teams. (For example, Team A is allowed to do X while Team B was not allowed to do X).
X. League Commissioner
A. FBM will appoint a Commissioner for the League.
B. The Commissioner will provide FBM with updated contact information at all times and is part of the requirement for being a Commissioner. This information includes, but is not limited to:
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Email Address
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Instant Messenger ID regardless of application
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Phone Numbers
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Postal Address
C. The Commissioner’s duties include, but are not limited to:
1. Upholding the integrity of the League
2. Enforcing the League Constitution
3. Maintaining the competitive nature of the League
4. Ensuring each League Owner is an active participant
5. Maintaining communication within the League and between League Owners
D. In the event that the Commissioner is unable to perform his or her duties, regardless of reason, FBM will assign a new Commissioner as soon as possible.
E. In the event that an Owner feels that the Commissioner is not performing his or her duties as defined in this Constitution, that Owner shall notify FBM of all details supporting such beliefs. FBM will then take such action as it deems necessary to maintain the League’s integrity.
A. FBM strives to create an open environment for Owners of any race, ethnicity, nationality, sex, creed, and sexual identity and/or preference. FBM shall not tolerate any abuse or harassment in violation of this policy, and reserves the right to remove an Owner from the League for violation of this policy.
B. FBM reserves the right to monitor any and all chat rooms, message boards, League Team names, and forums. However, FBM is not responsible for affirmatively undertaking such action and it is the responsibility of each Owner to report a violation of this policy to FBM so that appropriate action may be taken.
C. FBM encourages all Owners to engage in baseball-related debate, relating to the League and MLB, so as to maximize each Owner’s experience. Each Owner shall respect the wishes and privacy of all Owners and a request to cease correspondence must be honored immediately and without exception. In the event that an Owner feels that he or she is being harassed by one or more fellow Owners he or she shall be entitled to contact the Commissioner in confidence and detail the nature of his or her complaint.
A. It is the position of FBM that fantasy baseball is a game of skill and not chance. No consideration paid to FBM is to be used as the basis for any prize other than a de minimus recognition of achievement, such as a congratulatory email, or certificate.
B. The establishment of a separate monetary fund, outside the control and/or knowledge of FBM, shall not be permitted regardless of whether it is used to payout a prize or cash.
C. Any Owner having knowledge of a violation of this policy is charged with reporting the same to FBM.