In existence since 1979 The TML American Constitution (last updated: 6/30/2023)

I. ORGANIZATION

A. THE GOAL

The main goal of The Major League (TML) is to promote friendship and have fun through playing Diamond Mind (TM) Baseball v11..

B. THE ORGANIZATION

B. The organization will consist of 24 active Managers, divided equally into the Oceanic Conference and the Atmospheric Conference, each containing three four-team divisions (Ruth, Steinmetz, Williams, Gatto, Gehrig and Robinson). There may also be an unlimited number of Associate Members.

  1. All Members are required to adhere to both the letter and spirit of this Constitution.
  2. Repeated failure to follow League rules and practices, gross incompetence, or a violation involving personal integrity, will result in expulsion.

C. OFFICERS

The Commissioner performs the duties necessary to conduct League business. He will act in conjunction with the Board of Directors (which will consist of all TML Officers) as the final arbiter in all League disputes.

The Statistician is responsible for the accumulation and publication of all statistics for TML baseball games.

The Trade Reporter is responsible for approving and publishing all player transactions, including trades and waiver claims. He prepares the list of eligible rookies and maintains the official rosters for all TML teams. He is responsible for preparing rules proposals for voting. He also serves as the alternate arbiter for disputes involving the Commissioner.

Board of Directors
Commissioner Mike Landin
Statistician Mike Landin
Trade Reporter Pat Barry
TML Commissioner TML Trade Reporter
Mike Landin Pat Barry
E-mail: mlandin2204@gmail.com E-mail: thetml@hotmail.com

D. BASIC OPERATING RULES

The basic operating rules shall be as follows:

  1. We will use the current edition Diamond Mind (TM) Baseball data disk.
    • NOTE: throughout this Constitution, any reference made to "rated" players are to those players that are on the Diamond Mind (TM) Baseball season disk.
    • NOTE: throughout this Constitution, any reference made to "MLB" refers to Major League Baseball.
  2. During the regular season, each team may have a maximum ROSTER SIZE of 40 players, of which a MINIMUM of 26 MUST be RATED. A rated player can be moved from the active to the inactive roster (and vice versa) before the start of any Series set, but not during a set. Each team can place up to two (2) players on Injured Reserve at the time they submit their 40-man roster.
  3. Players can be added to a team through trading, the rookie draft, and waiver claims.
  4. All players are owned from year to year by the same team unless traded, released or lost as Free Agents due to flagrant OVERUSE.
  5. Each team will receive 2 BONUS POINTS for sending in their Yearbook Info Form by the appropriate deadline (usually within 2 weeks following the completion of the season) and 2 BONUS POINTS for sending in a pre-season roster (with cuts) by the Roster Form deadline (usually in mid-March). BONUS POINTS are used to determine the drafting order in some rounds of the Rookie Draft. Bonus points are also used to earn draft picks that can be used to make waiver claims or select players in the succeeding season's Rookie Draft.
  6. Each team will receive 2 Free Waiver Claims immediately following the completion of the Rookie Draft, which can be used to add players to their rosters without expending draft picks.
  7. Each team must remain in their home ballpark for a minimum of five (5) years before a change is allowed (exceptions: a new manager will always be able to select a new ballpark and a new ballpark must be chosen if the current one is no longer available). Any switch from a Neutral park to an existing MLB ballpark will be subject to the 5-year rule. Note that any one MLB ballpark can only be in use by three (3) TML teams for any one TML season. However, an unlimited number of Neutral parks are allowed.

E. THE WEBSITE AND THE INTERNET

The TML maintains a website where much of the operating information for league business will be stored. Internet e-mail will also be used for TML News and TML News Flashes, as well as other league business such as submitting rosters and voting.

The league strongly encourages the use of the Internet for informal purposes, such as the proposition and discussion of rules proposals, trade offers, and general conversation.

F. RULES PROPOSALS

Rule proposals can be discussed at any time in the TML Forums. Internet e-mail is strongly encouraged for the discussion of rules proposals. Final Rule proposals are to be sent to the Trade Reporter by the end of August. The proposals will be voted on in September and October or other times as necessary.

II. SCHEDULE

A. THE REGULAR SEASON

The regular season schedule consists of 30 series sets of games. Each month, A total of 80 games will be against teams out of its division, but in its Conference. During the "Summer Stretch" (July and August) each team will play 4 home or away series against two of the three divisions in the opposite Conference, consisting of 4 games per set. A total of 32 games will be against teams outside the Conference. The leaves a total of 48 games against divisional opponents.

  1. Each team plays each divisional opponent twice (3 teams, 16 times each), once home and away, 8 games each. Each team plays every team in the other two divisions in its Conference twice (8 teams, 10 times each), once home and away, 5 games each. Each team plays two entire divisions of the opposite Conference (8 teams), either home or away, 4 games each. Each division will not play one remaining division in the opposite Conference during the regular season. The TML season is 160 games. 2022 Schedule.
  2. There is an "off day" between Games 5 and 6 in each of the 8-game divisional series only. The 5-game series are played straight through on consecutive days. (These "off days" are already accounted for in the playing schedule and will automatically reset pitcher rest one day during an 8-game series.)

B. POST SEASON PLAY:

  1. Each playoff will be a best-of-seven, except for the multi-tie division tie-breaker, which will be 1-game playoff (see 4. below). (See Post-season player and pitcher limits.)
  2. Every effort should be made to play a playoff "face-to-face"; or over Diamond Mind(TM)'s "NetPlay" feature. If either option is not possible, MPs are to be used only if both Managers agree to play the series this way. If either Manager wants to be in control of his team, then the other Manager must send an MP to be used for the entire series. In this case, a proxy Manager can be designated.
  3. PLAYOFF TEAMS: The three first place teams in each division of each Conference will make the playoffs, along with two Wild Card teams (the two next best records in each Conference) for a total of ten (10) playoff teams. In the case of a tie for any playoff berth, see 4. below.
  4. DIVISION TIE-BREAKER: If only two teams tie for their division title and both are in the playoffs (i.e., one is the Wild Card), the tie breaker order is as follows:
    1. head-to-head record amongst tied teams; if still tied,
    2. Conference record; if still tied,
    3. overall ROAD record; if still tied (!),
    4. Officer "coin toss."
  5. If two teams tie for any playoff berth, there will be a 1-game playoff, with the home team being determined by the tie-breaker rules above. If more than two teams tie for any divisional playoff berth, then there will be a one game playoff, with the teams being "seeded", using the tie-breaker order above. In the case of a 3-way tie, the top seeded team will get the choice of being the home team for the deciding game(s) or going on the road to meet the winner of the first game (with the next highest seed being the home team). In a 4-way tie, the top seed will play the bottom seed, working in toward the middle (e.g., 4 at 1, 3 at 2). The higher remaining seed will be the home team for the next game. (See special rules and guidelines for tie-breaker play.)
  6. CONFERENCE WILD CARD ROUND: The two Wild Card teams in each Conference will playoff in a best-of-seven series. The team with the best regular season record will be the home team for games 1, 2, 6 & 7 (if necessary). In the case of a tie in record, the Division Tie-Breaker above will be used.
  7. CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS: Following the Wild Card Round, the four remaining teams will be "seeded" by regular season record from 1 (strongest) to 4 (weakest). The matchups will be 4v1 and 3v2. The teams with the best regular season records will be the home team for games 1, 2, 6 & 7 (if necessary). However, a higher seeded Wild Card team will defer home field advantage to the Division winnner.
  8. CONFERENCE FINAL: The winners of the Conference Semi-Finals will play the winner within their Conference to determine their own Champion. The winners with the better regular season records will be the home teams for games 1, 2, 6 & 7 (if necessary). If the two teams have the same regular season record, then use the tie-breaker as shown above in 4. Again, a higher seeded Wild Card team will defer home field advantage to any Division winner.
  9. TML AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP: The two Conference Champions will play each other to determine the TML Champion. For the 2023 TML season (TMLAM2022) the Oceanic Conference will be the home team for games 1, 2, 6 & 7 (if necessary). (Next season, this will switch to the Atmospheric Conference.)

III. RULES OF PLAY

Use all rules as outlined in Diamond Mind (TM) Baseball Rules, with the following exceptions.

A. PLAYER USE

  1. All INJURIES will be ignored.
  2. All players with fewer than 25 actual MLB at bats are limited to their actual at bats. In the rare case that a player has 0 at bats, then he is limited to his actual plate appearances.
  3. Players with over 500 at bats or over 550 plate appearances can be limited to their "50-at bat" limit or to their actual games played. Example #1: a player with 615 actual at bats and 152 games played is limited to either 650 at bats or he can sit out 8 games and be "unlimited" in at bats. Example #2: a player with 476 actual at bats, 555 plate appearances and 153 games played is limited to either 500 at bats or he can sit out 7 games and be "unlimited" in at bats. (Note: such a player is limited to the number of actual MLB games played; the number of games a player missed during the MLB season is irrelevant.)
  4. All other players will be limited to their actual number of at bats, rounded up to the next 50 (e.g., 25 --> 50, 51 --> 100, 200 --> 200, 325 --> 350, 405 --> 450, 499 --> 500, 675 --> 700).
  5. Any player with 25 or more at bats is UNLIMITED in at bats if his published real-life slugging percentage plus his published on-base percentage (SPC) does not exceed .600 percentage. (Note: Published always refers to the stats on his Diamond Mind (TM) profile).
  6. A player can only start at a position he is rated for as shown on his Diamond Mind (TM) profile screen, except for outfielders who can start and play any of the outfield positions. Diamond Mind (TM) will "penalize" any player for playing "out of position", but this has less effect with outfielders. LF and RF are nearly interchangeable, but putting a LF or RF into CF may be costly. (In emergency or unusual situations during a game in progress, such as ejections or lengthy extra-inning games, any player can play any position.)

B. MINIMUM ACTIVE ROSTER SIZE

Every team must carry 26 rated players/pitchers on its active roster for each Series set. This roster may vary from set to set. (See Section I.D.2 above.) Expanded, full (40-man) rosters are allowed for any regular season series that begins in October (on our real life calendar, not the TML schedule date). Playoff series will have 26-man rosters.

C. DESIGNATED HITTER

The DESIGNATED HITTER (DH) will be used.

D. PITCHERS AS PINCHRUNNERS and PINCHHITTERS

  1. Pitchers can be used as pinch-runners but may NOT attempt steals.
  2. Pitchers with less than 25 actual MLB at bats cannot be used as a pinch-hitter or as a Designated Hitter.
  3. Pitchers with 25 or more actual MLB at bats are limited to the same 50 at bat limitations as position players (i.e., actual number of MLB at bats rounded up to the next multiple of 50).

E. PITCHER USE

  1. Usage
    1. There is no carry-over rest between series. All player and pitcher rest is to be "re-set" prior to starting a new series.
    2. Any pitcher must have at least one (1) actual START in order to be eligible to START in the TML.
    3. A STARTING PITCHER must pitch at least 3 innings, unless he gives up 2 or more runs.
  2. Limits
    1. Pitchers at or below the TML cutoff ERA are limited to their actual games appeared in the preceding major league baseball season. In addition, a pitcher may start no more than his actual games started in the preceding MLB season.
    2. The TML cutoff ERA is calculated by adding 0.30 to the highest league average ERA and rounding up to the next tenth of a run. The TML cutoff will never be lower than 4.30. In the 2023 season, the TML cutoff ERA is 4.40. (In other words, 4.41+ is "unlimited" as in d. below.)
    3. Pitchers who pitched fewer than 20 innings in the preceding major league season are limited to their actual games started and actual appearances regardless of their ERA.
    4. Pitchers who threw 20 or more innings and had an ERA above the TML cutoff may appear in up to 90 games. Pitchers with an ERA above the TML cutoff who started at least one game in the preceding major league season may start up to 32 times during the TML season. All pitchers who appeared in more than 90 games are limited by their actual appearances. All pitchers who started more than 32 games are limited by their actual starts.
    5. In case of dispute, a pitcher's ERA shall be the ERA published on his Diamond Mind (TM) profile screen.

F. ACTIVE ROSTER MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Every team must carry a back-up (i.e., a player rated) at every position on its active 26-man roster. One player can back up more than one position. You MUST have enough AT BATS to cover every position for the entire season (e.g., J.Doe: 300 at bats; T.Smith: 100 at bats, as your only catchers will NOT do). Any outfielder can back up any of the outfield positions. You must be able to field a team for all 160 games, or roughly 550-650 at bats per position, depending on where you plan to bat the player in your lineup.)

G. OVERUSE

This refers to starts or appearances for pitchers and to players subject to the TML at bat limitations. Overuse will be dealt with on an individual team-by-team basis by the Commissioner, taking into account the amount of overuse, the type of player overused, and the impact that the team had on any pennant race. (Minor overuse will likely result in the loss of BONUS POINTS, DRAFT PICKS or DRAFTING POSITION, or some combination of the three.) There is NO EXCUSE for over-starting pitchers.

"OVERUSE `EM ... YOU LOSE `EM RULE": Any player or pitcher who is flagrantly overused will become a Free Agent and added to the upcoming Rookie Draft. Basically, overuse is a "contract violation" in addition to being illegal by our rules.

There are no exact guidelines (ABs, GS/GR) as to what constitutes flagrant overuse. As U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart in Jacobellis v. Ohio (1964) once said about pornography, "But I know it when I see it, ...". Overuse will always be dealt with on a case-by-case basis to ensure fair competition on a level playing field.

Addendum to section III.G: if overuse is the fault of a home Manager not loading in the visiting team's Manager Profile (MP) and/or not following explicit road instructions (i.e., starting the wrong pitcher, using a reliever more times than allowed, exceeding an at bat allowance on a batter, etc.), then the home Manager may absorb the visiting team's overuse penalty. In order to enforce this ruling, the visiting Manager will likely be requested to forward a copy of his MP to the Statistician as proof.

H. MANAGER PROFILE (MP)

For each set in a given series, the visiting Manager must e-mail a Diamond Mind (TM) Manager Profile (MP) to each of his opposing teams by the starting day of the series. This deadline will always be on the first day of the month. (See the TML Calendar and Important Dates.) If you know you are going to be a day or two late, then you are to contact your opponent(s) to open a line of communication. No matter what, an MP must eventually be sent. (Words similar to: "Use the MP in the database" and "My MP is good to go in the database" are not acceptable.) If an MP (or a note of lateness) from the visiting manager is not received by the first of the month, then the MP is late!

  1. Prior to sending out each monthly league database, Diamond Mind (TM) "Contingency MPs" will be created for all teams by the League Office, thus requiring that every team send out an MP to their opponents.
  2. CONTINGENCY MP: If a visitor MP is not received by the due date (and after some attempt to contact the manager involved has failed), then use the "Contingency MP" that is included in the database. Play the games using that MP and send an e-mail to the STATISTICIAN noting that a "Contingency MP" was used for the series.
  3. If a "Contingency MP" is used, then the visiting Manager will lose 2 BONUS POINTS for that series.

Prior to beginning any series:

  1. Import the opponents proper MP.
  2. Re-set player usage for all teams in the database.

I. STATISTICS

The computer will tally a multitude of statistics.

J. REPORTING PROCEDURES

At the conclusion of a series, the HOME Manager must e-mail each series stat ".zip" file (created by Diamond Mind(TM) using export statistics) to the STATISTICIAN and to the VISITING MANAGER. The HOME manager must include the VISITOR's MP used in the series. (It is required that you "cc" the stat file to the visiting manager.) Failure to comply will likely result in a penalty.

Note that in Diamond Mind(TM), when you go to export stats, the MPs that are highlighted on Screen 1 are the ones that were used on the games that will appear for export on Screen 2. Just export both screens and you will satisfy the above. (Screen 3 contains roster moves and is not to be included in the export.)

  1. Standard series naming convention: Home team itials, visting team initials, season year. For example, if TX is home and TR is visiting in TML 2014, then the series ID is: TXTR14
  2. Multiple stat files can be sent in one file, but should be appropriately named. For example, if TX is sending in their entire monthly stats, then something such as TX14_April_Results is acceptable, and preferred.
  3. Stats will be updated on a nearly daily (sometimes hourly) basis on the TML Retro web page by the TML Statistician.
  4. The series Due Dates are usually 25th of the month in question. Please see the TML Calendar and Important Dates. Any unreported series will be completed at the Commissioner's Office. Such unexcused lateness penalties will be determined by the number of offenses:

    1st Offense ==> FORFEIT 3rd ROUND ROOKIE DRAFT PICK

    2nd Offense ==> FORFEIT 2nd ROUND ROOKIE DRAFT PICK

    3rd Offense ==> FORFEIT 1st ROUND ROOKIE DRAFT PICK

    4th Offense ==> EXPULSION

  5. NOTE: IN THE EVENT THAT YOU KNOW YOU WILL BE LATE FOR ANY SERIES, GIVE THE STATISTICIAN (Mike Landin) A PHONE CALL OR DROP HIM AN E-MAIL IN ADVANCE. In this manner, you will avoid a lateness penalty. However, if any series is not reported within 3 days of the Due Date, then the appropriate penalty will be imposed. All games will be completed no later than 3 days following the series due date, usually by the 28th of the month in question.

  6. Deadlines: If the home manager sends results after the period deadline date, he will be penalized. Latenesss will likely affect his team's ranking in draft rounds by dropping that team's draft position in all rounds and may result in the loss of Draft Picks.
  7. BONUS: If you, as the HOME Manager, e-mail your stats (by midnight eastern time) on the Due Date as noted on the TML Calendar, you will be awarded 2 BONUS POINTS (BPs). In the "Summer Stretch", for each series posted prior to the Due Date for the Stretch, you will receive 2 BONUS POINTS. Thus, including the Yearbook Info form (2 BPs) and Roster Form (2 BPs), there are a maximum of 34 BONUS POINTS to be earned. (Note that for any series completed at the Commissioner's Office due to unexcused lateness, the home team will not receive the 2 BPs as above.)

    NOTE #1: A two (2) point "buffer" will be allowed for ranking purposes in the upcoming Rookie Draft. For this season, 32, 33 & 34 BONUS POINTS will all be considered the same.

  8. NOTE #2: An additional one (1) BONUS POINT penalty will be assessed to any team that does not submit their Yearbook Info in time for publication of that season's TML Yearbook, thus sending that team to the bottom of every round in the subsequent Rookie Draft.

  9. COMPUTER STATS: each Manager will be able to view or print the latest complete stats for every team in the TML off the TML web page. These stats are usually updated daily (sometimes even hourly). Even though these stats are "Official", each Manager is advised to keep a running account of his limited players and pitchers, to avoid possible overuse. An updated league database (League File) will be e-mailed prior to the beginning of each month's play.

K. PROTESTS

The visiting Manager may protest any LOSS which he feels resulted from the home Manager's negligence, error or misinterpretation of the rules, including violations of Baseball or TML Rules, failure to load in the visiting Manager's MP (Manager Profile), or a failure to follow visiting Manager instructions without good reason. The home Manager may protest ONLY if he learns, after a Series set has been played, that an illegal player was used by the visiting team. Either Manager may protest a rule violation if the Series set is played face-to-face. The procedure for a protest is as follows:

  1. The Manager filing the protest sends a copy of the scoresheet(s) and the grounds for protest to BOTH the home Manager and the TML Commissioner.
  2. Should the home Manager disagree with the protest, he must send in a statement to the Commissioner within two (2) weeks.
  3. The Commissioner will be the final arbiter in all protests.
  4. The Commissioner will decide in favor of the protesting team if he feels that the opposing Manager did indeed make a mistake or commit a rule violation that resulted in the loss to the protesting team.
  5. An upheld protest will be replayed by the Commissioner (with instructions from both Managers), if the game is needed to determine a playoff berth. The game will be replayed from the beginning. Any starting player in the original lineup may start, unless he is already over his at bat limit (i.e., overused). All subs are limited to their at bat limits. All relief pitchers with more than 15 actual games relieved, will be granted an extra relief appearance, if needed.
    NOTE: If there is a "conflict of interest" involving the Commissioner's decision on a protest, the decision will be made by the Trade Reporter. In the unlikely event that the dispute be between the Commissioner and Trade Reporter, a mutual arbiter will be selected.

L. LEAGUE PROTESTS

The Commissioner may void any game or games where a team affected the outcome of a post-season berth, by overusing players or pitchers. This could result in the disqualification of a team from the playoffs.

IV. PLAYER CONTROL and ROSTERS

A. ROSTER SIZE

Roster size is outlined under section I.D.2 above.

  1. Roster size is "unlimited" during the off-season, but may never exceed 40 total players during the regular season.
  2. Injured Reserve: each team can place up to two (2) players on Injured Reserve (IR) at the time they submit their 40-man roster. The two players must meet both of the following qualifications:
    1. They must have been on the team's active roster during the entire preceding season. They cannot have been on IR (which is not considered the active roster) and they cannot have been on the Waiver List or any other team's roster during the preceding season.
    2. They must have fewer than 25 MLB at bats for players and fewer than 20 MLB innings pitched for pitchers, during the preceding MLB season.

    Note: Players on IR will be deleted from the TML League File and thus cannot participate during the season in any way, except that they may be released. Players on IR may not appear in any TML games that season, including post-season. They may not be traded. Players on IR are added to the active roster at the conclusion of the season. Once added to the active roster, they are treated like any other player.

B. TRADING

Trading is allowed both during the off-season (see below) and during in-season (see below), There is no trading during the week immediately prior to the Rookie Draft, the exact date to be announced for each season. There is also no trading from the date Rosters are due until the start of the season, from TML POSTING DATE through March 31st of the current year, inclusive. Trades will not be recognized by the Trade Reporter during the non-trading period.

  1. Off-Season Trading:
    1. Both managers must have paid the upcoming season TML Dues in advance for a trade to be approved.
    2. Trades may only include players or earned draft picks and may not include players to be loaned, transferred, or named later, or any other type of future consideration.
    3. Immediately following the Rookie Draft, free waiver claims for the coming season may also be included in trades.
  2. In-Season Trading:
    1. Both managers must have paid the following season TML Dues in advance for a trade to be approved.
    2. Draft picks (earned through Bonus Points) and unused Free Waiver Claims may be included.
    3. Players to be "delivered later" may be included in trades; the original team keeps the player for the rest of the season and post season, before becoming property of the other team -or- the original team keeps the player through a given series and then sends him to the other team; the DATE/SERIES is to be explicitly specified at the time of the trade.
    4. A 40-man total roster may never be exceeded.
    5. Players acquired before the end of the Summer Stretch (Aug. 28) are eligible for post-season play.
    6. Players acquired after the Summer Stretch will be assumed for next season unless stated explicitly at the time of the trade that it is an "in-season trade."
    7. After the summer stretch, only players that are included in an explicit "in-season trade" can appear in a later "in-season trade." Players in trades assumed to be for the following season cannot be included in an in-season trade.
    8. Trades reported by the 28th of the month are official as of any series scheduled to be played the following month. Traded players continue to play for their original team until the trade is official.
  3. No Manager may offer the same player simultaneously in trade to more than one team at a time, unless ALL parties are aware that the offer is TENTATIVE. No Manager may offer a player that he does not own.
  4. For a trade to become effective, both parties must send an e-mail message to the TRADE REPORTER confirming the trade.
    Report all trades to the TRADE REPORTER: Pat Barry

C. ILLEGAL TRADES

Any team attempting to make a trade which is illegal under the rules outlined within this Constitution or impossible because of its player roster will be penalized in proportion to the infraction. If both parties are found to be cognizant of the fact that the trade was illegal, then both will be penalized. The Commissioner and Trade Reporter may, at their discretion, award compensation to a team injured by the illegal action of the other party in an attempted trade.

Note: the Trade Reporter must hold up any trade he feels may not be in the best interest of the league; after gathering information from the managers involved, the reporter will make a prompt decision regarding the disposition of the trade.

D. ROOKIE DRAFT

The rookie draft will be held annually on the third or fourth Saturday in February. A "Rookie" in the TML is defined to be any rated player on the DMB season disk who is not already owned by a TML team. The Rookie Draft is a "reverse-order-of-finish" draft, using winning percentages from the past season in a seven (7) round format, with a "lottery" for the first three (3) drafting positions in Round 1 only and a "BONUS POINT" system (see below) for the remaining rounds.

E. DRAFT LOTTERY

Each of the three (3) lottery teams will be assigned a "Key Indicator" stock for a one day determination, as shown in the USA Today newspaper. The decimal points will be converted to a whole number of "points" (e.g., 458.15 would be "15" points). The teams will be assigned tie-breaker stocks in the event of a tie. The team with the lowest total getting the #1 Draft Pick and so on to #3.

F. FREE WAIVER CLAIMS

Teams can claim Free Agents from the Waiver List using the procedure described below in Section IV.H. Usually, such a Waiver Claim costs a team the last of its remaining draft picks. However, each team is granted two (2) Free Waiver Claims at the conclusion of the Rookie Draft, to be used during the regular season beginning on April 1st through September 28th. Extra Free waiver claims may also be obtained by submitting a roster of fewer than 40 players (see Section IV.G.1). From the conclusion of the Rookie Draft until September, these Free Waiver Claims can be traded away, or obtained through trades. A team using a Free Waiver Claim does not lose a draft pick to claim a player.

The Free Waiver Claims can be used from April 1st until the close of Waivers on September 28th. Unused Free Waiver Claims disappear at that time. The Free Waiver Claims may be traded (see 1. below), but will retain the value of the original team at the time the claim is used, as if it were being used by the original team.

  1. When a team trades its first Free Waiver Claim, it will be considered to be higher in priority than the retained second Free Waiver Claim, unless otherwise specified. This is necessary in order to break a "tie" on a similarly claimed player by two teams using Free Waiver Claims originating from the same team.
  2. At the start of the TML season, after Official Rosters have been submitted, any team with fewer than 40 players, rated or unrated, will be granted an additional Free Waiver Claim for each roster spot below 40. For example, a team with a 30-man roster would be granted 5 extra Free Waiver Claims, giving them a total of 7 Free Waiver Claims. Note that rosters must be smaller than 40 players to obtain additional free claims. The two free claims granted to all teams are to be used to fill roster spots (or in any other way the General Manager feels is in his best interest).
    NOTE: Rosters may still not exceed 40 players during the regular season when using a Free Waiver Claim.

G. WAIVER LIST

The waiver list will consist of all rated players not presently on TML rosters, including rated players released prior to and during the season. (Any non-rostered pitchers leftover from the Rookie Draft with fewer than 15 innings pitched will no longer be available, and will be deleted from the TML League File, as will any non-rostered batters with fewer than 25 at bats.) Any player on the Waiver List may be claimed by any TML team, as long as the team can pay for the claim using either Free Waiver Claims or earned draft picks. In April, only Free Waiver Claims can be used, since teams do not earn draft picks until the conclusion of that month's games. An exception is during the Summer Stretch, when teams can earn their #1 draft pick as soon as all their Summer Stretch games have been reported.

  1. HOW TO MAKE A CLAIM
    1. Each claim will cost that team a Free Waiver Claim or their lowest Rookie Draft pick earned.
    2. All claims are sent to the TRADE REPORTER via e-mail only.
    3. A team's roster limit of 40 total players may never be exceeded by make a successful claim during the regular season. During the season, all claims must be sent with the name of the player who will be cut if the claim is successful, if adding the claimed player would push the roster size over 40 players. Failure to include this conditional cut will result in a voided claim.
    4. Managers should include clear instructions to the Trade Reporter about who to cut should a multiple claim be only partially successful. The claim should include language like:
      • XX claims player Y and player Z. Cut player AA and player BB in that order; or
      • XX claims player Y and player Z. Cut player AA if the claim on player Y is successful and cut player BB if the claim on player Z is successful.
    5. Waiver Claims reported by the 28th of the month are official as of any series scheduled to be played the following month. Cut players may continue to play until the claim is official.

    Without such language, the Trade Reporter will release players according to his best judgment. His decisions are final.

  2. RESOLVING MULTIPLE CLAIMS
    • From April 1st through April 28th, any multiple Free Waiver Claims on the same player will go to the team with the LOWEST winning percentage from the previous season.
    • From May 1st until September 28th, during the first 21 days that a player is available (i.e., had been cut by a team and announced on the TML Web Site), priority on multiple claims on the same player goes to the team with the LOWEST winning percentage in the standings at the conclusion of the previous month's series.
    • After a player has been available for over 21 days, the first team to claim the player (by e-mail time stamp) gets that player.
  3. Note: Send all claims to the TRADE REPORTER: Pat Barry

V. DUES

A. DUES and DATES

Dues will be fixed by the Commissioner at a level that will cover League expenses. For the 2023 TML season, the dues are still only $2.50.

Dues are made payable to: Mike Landin

  1. Dues for the upcoming season must be postmarked no later than December 1st of the current calendar year.
  2. No Dues money will be refunded after January 1st, prior to the start of the new season, AND to any Manager that has made a trade effective for the new season.
  3. Any Manager who has not paid their dues by January 31st of the following year will not be able to participate in that February's Rookie Draft.
  4. Any Manager who has not shown "proof of purchase" of the new (latest) Diamond Mind Season Disk by February 1st will not be able to participate in that February's Rookie Draft.

B. DUES FOR ACTIVE MANAGERS

Dues will cover the maintenance and costs of the TML web page.

APPENDIX A

2023 "Unlimited" ERA = 4.41+

There is no carryover rest between series.

RULES AND GUIDELINES FOR TML POST SEASON PLAY

The structure of the Playoffs are outlines in Section II.B of the Constitution. Below are the restrictions on player/pitcher use per series in the TML Playoffs:

PLAYERS:

Playoff At Bat Limits
Actual At Bats Playoff At Bat Limit
25-50 3
51-100 6
101-150 9
151-200 12
201-250 15
251-300 18
301+ Unlimited

* IMPORTANT: any AT BATS incurred AFTER the 12th inning in any playoff game will NOT count toward a player's playoff AB total for that playoff. NOTE: those with 301 or more actual at bats are unlimited in number of playoff AT BATS. Unlimited (MLB OPS <=.600) players are also unlimited in number of playoff AT BATS.
PITCHERS:
PLAYOFF STARTS = REAL LIFE STARTS X 10% (Rounded DOWN)
TOTAL PLAYOFF APPEARANCES = REAL LIFE APPEARANCES X 10% (Rounded OFF)
Examples:
John Doe (GS-28, GR-17)
28 x .10 = 2.8 or 2 PLAYOFF STARTS
45 x .10 = 4.5 or 5 TOTAL PLAYOFF APPEARANCES
J.Q.Public (GS-19, GR-6)
19 x .10 = 1.9 or 1 PLAYOFF START
25 x .10 = 2.5 or 3 TOTAL PLAYOFF APPEARANCES
Juan Smith (GS-4, GR-0)
4 x .10 = 0.4 or 0 PLAYOFF STARTS
4 x .10 = 0.4 or 0 TOTAL PLAYOFF APPEARANCES
PITCHER REST: There will be a 1-day rest period ("travel day") between Games 2 & 3 and between Games 5 & 6 in all playoffs. (Thus, you can start your "ACE" three times, Games 1, 4 & 7, provided he has 3 Playoff Starts as outlined above. Also, please note that your "ACE" may be "SHAKY" if started a day early based on his Diamond Mind(TM) Baseball rest.) Unlimited pitchers are limited to 3 GS and can appear in all 7 games, but must have had at least 1 MLB start, as in the regular season.
REMEMBER: Starting pitchers are still subject to the TML rule that they must pitch at least 3 innings or give up 2 or more runs before they can be removed for a relief pitcher. (Ejection supersedes this rule.)
INJURIES and EJECTIONS:

REMEMBER: All injuries are ignored, but ejections are to be enforced.

PLAYOFF STATS:
Each playoff home manager will e-mail stats to the STATISTICIAN as each set of home games are completed. The stats will be processed and an updated League File will be created in order to continue the series. If the series is played on one computer, then the entire series is to be completed before sending in the stats.

RULES AND GUIDELINES FOR TML TIE-BREAKER PLAY

Below are the restrictions on player/pitcher use in the 1-game TML Tie-Breaker Playoff:

For Players:

  1. any *overused* player is ineligible and cannot be carried on the active roster;
  2. any player who has unused ABs can be used up to his TML AB limit;
  3. any player who has reached his TML AB limit and had 301+ MLB ABs can play, without regard to ABs, in any tie-breaker games;
  4. all remaining players (i.e., those who have reached their TML AB limit *and* had 300 or fewer MLB at bats) are limited to 1 additional AB above their TML AB limit per tie-breaker playoff game.

Example: Doe (TML AB limit: 250 ABs) has used 244 at bats (6 extra unused at bats). He can be used in tie-breaker playoff games until he reaches 250 ABs, after which he is limited to one (1) additional AB per tie-breaker playoff game.

For Pitchers:

  1. any *overused* pitcher is ineligible and cannot be carried on the active roster;
  2. any pitcher who has unused GS/GR can be used;
  3. any pitcher who has reached his TML GS limit *and* had 20+ MLB GS can start *once* in the entire required tie-breaker playoff games;
  4. any pitcher who has reached his TML GS+GR (i.e., total games) limit *and* had 20+ MLB GRs can appear in relief in each required tie-breaker playoff game;
  5. all remaining pitchers are ineligible and cannot be carried on the active roster.

Note #1: In the event of the maximum of two (2) tie-breaker playoff games, a team would have to use two different starting pitchers.

Note #2: There is no carryover rest between 1-game playoffs (except for the noted "rest" for starting pitchers in Note #1 above.)

Note #3: Each team is held responsible for any *overuse* incurred to any player or pitcher in violation of the items listed above.

PLAYOFF STATS: usually the 1-game playoffs are played by the Commissioner and Trade Reporter with Manager Profiles from both Managers. If the playoff can be played face-to-face or "ear-to-ear", then the appropriate stat files will be posted on the TML BBS. (These stats will count as part of the regular season and be totaled into each team's composites.)

RULES AND GUIDELINES FOR PROTEST MAKE-UPS

If a game or games are to be replayed, all players in the ORIGINAL lineups must start (with their at bats not counting toward potential overuse). All substitutes are limited by regular season at bats or games played. No additional at bats or games played are granted to players for protest make-ups. The ORIGINAL starters are to be used, unless one of the starters is the reason for the protest. All relievers with 20 or more actual GR are granted an extra appearance for each protest make-up. Of course, any unused at bats and GR can be used, just as in the regular season.