Rising Star League Rules

[Buane]

Initial League File

LEAGUE RULES




1. History

a. The Rising Star League began play in 1990, with computer simulation taking place until the conclusion of the 2007 season.

b. Simulation was halted at the conclusion of each simulated season to edit Draft classes as well as introduce new Free Agents and adjust league modifiers in order to create realistic and fair results.

2. League Information

a. Structure

i. The League is split geographically into the Eastern and Western Conferences, housing 12 teams each.

ii. Each Conference is split into three divisions, housing 4 teams each.

iii. Neither Conference uses the Designated Hitter rule.

b. Playoffs

i. All division winners will reach the playoffs, plus a wild card team from each league. The Wild Card and League Championship Series are best-of-7 series in the 2-3-2 format.

ii. The two League Champions will face each other in the World Series. The World Series is a best-of-9 series in the 2-2-2-2-1 format.

3. General Managers

a. Qualifications

i. General Managers of all skill and experience levels will be permitted to join the league.

ii. General Managers must be able to be reached via Private Message, E-Mail, or AIM/Instant Messenger Service.

b. Responsibilities

i. General Managers shall be responsible for the operation and maintenance of their team at all times.

ii. General Managers must, at all times, act within the best interests of their team and of the league. Should the actions of any GM be called into question regarding adherence to this rule, the Commissioner will make a ruling that may range from no penalty to league expulsion.

iii. General Managers must maintain an active role in maintaining their team. While making an export prior to every sim is not required nor expected, it is recommended that a GM keep up with exporting roster changes at least once per simulated month.

iv. General Managers may also contact the Commissioner at any time if they wish any roster or strategy changes to be made.

v. General Managers deemed to be inactive by the Commissioner will be replaced at the Commissioner’s discretion. Prolonged absences shall always be tolerated should the league be made aware ahead of time.

4. The Commissioner

a. The Commissioner reserves the right to modify or add rules at any time deemed to be in the interest of the League.

b. League disputes will be settled by the Commissioner. Any complaints or questions should be made to him directly.

i. Team Ownership

1. The Commissioner, being responsible for many behind-the-scenes aspects of the League, may not run a team himself. He may, at his discretion, take control of a team or teams during an ownerless period in order to prevent the team(s) from becoming unattractive to potential General Managers.

2. A team under Commissioner Ownership is not permitted to make trades. A team under Commissioner Ownership may sign free agents, but only after the start of Spring Training.

3. A team under Commissioner Ownership is not permitted to operate at a financial loss.

5. Simulation Schedule

a. There will be three simulations per week.

b. The simulations will cover 7 days, from Sunday through Saturday.

c. Simulations will occur at the following times: Tuesday evening (due 6:00 PM EST), Thursday evening (due 6:00 PM EST), Sunday night (due 8:00 PM EST).

d. Special exceptions to the normal simulation schedule should be expected. The Commissioner will notify the General Managers of any alterations to the upcoming simulation via the current RSL Season thread on the forums.

6. League Specifics

a. Talent Display

i. The League will operate under a Potential-Only system for player skills. Actual Talent ratings will be hidden, and no star-ratings will be displayed.

ii. Talent Potential will be displayed on a 1-10 scale.

b. Arbitration

i. Players become arbitration eligible after two years (344 days) of service time.

ii. Players who have accumulated five years (860 days) of service time are eligible for Free Agency.

iii. Arbitration-eligible players may be released after the postseason if a team wishes to avoid awarding them arbitration.

iv. There will be no voiding of a player’s contract once arbitration has been awarded.

c. Waivers/DFA

i. The League’s waiver period is set at 8 days.

1. Waiver claims may be made through the game’s interface or by requests made of the Commissioner.

ii. The League’s DFA period is set at 22 days.

1. If players who refuse assignment to a Minor League team are designated for assignment past the 22 day limit, it will be interpreted as an intention to release the player in question. The Commissioner will release the offending player in such instances. In instances where a player is designated for assignment past the 22 day limit but is willing to accept a minor league assignment, the Commissioner will assign that player to the team's AAA affiliate.

d. The Disabled List

i. The Disabled List has been shortened from 15 games to 14 games to make it more sim-friendly.

ii. The 60-day disabled list has been left as-is.

iii. Abuse of the 60-day Disabled List will not be tolerated. Players whose DL stints have ended and their injuries healed must be removed from the Disabled List in an understandable amount of time. Failure to comply will be met with escalating penalties.

e. Free Agency

i. Players with more than 5 years (860 days) of service time are eligible for Free Agency.

ii. Teams may bid on Free Agents through the game interface, or by sending bid information to the Commissioner.

iii. Contract Incentives

1. Teams may not make individual contract incentive offers of more than 100% of a player’s annual guaranteed salary. For example, a player offered a one-year contract of $10 Million may be offered, at most, Plate Appearance and MVP Bonuses of $10 Million each.

2. Teams who offer invalid contracts will be notified by the Commissioner’s office. The offending contract will be restructured, re-appropriating incentive money as guaranteed money until the contract is properly structured, or the team will have the option of simply voiding the offending contract. In the case of an offending contract that goes unnoticed for a significant period of time, if the offending team is a first-time offender then an equitable resolution will be adjudicated by the Commissioner on a case-by-case basis. If the offending team is a repeat offender, there will be no option but a forced contract restructuring.

[Buane]

f. Player Trades

i. Player trades shall be made outside of the game. Trades must be posted and confirmed in the appropriate Trade thread on the forums. Trades will be processed at the conclusion of the next simulation, or at an earlier date if it is convenient for a new file to be generated.

ii. Trades may include Draft Picks in the next two upcoming drafts, and Conditional Draft Picks in the next three.

iii. Trades may include Conditional Draft Picks. Conditions for Conditional Draft Picks must be clear, and plainly agreed upon and confirmed in the Trade Thread by both parties. Any disputes involving Conditional Draft Picks will be settled by the Commissioner.

iv. Sign-and-trade deals may be processed by request through the Commissioner. The signing price in such cases must always be the exact contract the player is “asking” for.

v. Players signed as free agents may not be traded until June 1st of that season.

vi. The trade deadline is July 31st. After the deadline passes, players with any major league service time in the current season must clear waivers prior to being traded.

vii. After the end of the regular season, no trades may be processed until the Free Agent Filing Date passes, at which point trades may once again be executed.

viii. All trades are subject to the discretion of the Commissioner. Trades will be voided if they are found to be significantly unbalanced, in violation of league rules, or damaging to the integrity of the league. The Commissioner also may choose to waive or alter any rule governing trades as he deems appropriate, based on any extenuating circumstances, perceived or real, and any trade decision he makes is binding and within his authority to make.

g. League Financials

i. Financials have been set to "Use Entire Revenue."

ii. Because this function operates confusingly, teams' budgets will be manually adjusted at the end of each season to accurately reflect the team's total revenue from the previous season, rounded up to the nearest million. This adjustment also takes into account any changes in a team's media contract.

h. League Schedule

i. The Rising Star League uses a 162-game schedule

ii. The League schedule features 14-15 games against intra-conference opponents.

iii. The League schedule does not include interleague play.

iv. The League schedule is custom made, and is not a generic game-generated schedule. This means teams will have different off days, instead of the default schedules lining up all teams schedules exactly the same.

i. First-Year Player Draft

i. The Rising Star League First-Year Player Draft will take place in the game on March 1st. Draft picks will be made in the appropriate Draft thread, or utilizing the Draft utility, on the forums. Picks will run simultaneously with the Offseason period in order to save time.

ii. The First-Year Player Draft will be seven rounds in length.

iii. Teams may not trade Draft Picks beyond the next two drafts.

iv. Draft order will be determined by previous' season's record, in reverse. The non-playoff team with the best record will pick first, and then in descending order according to next best record. Playoff teams will be the final eight picks, with record determining the order of picks #17-24 with one exception: The World Series Runner Up and Champion will be the second to last and last picks, respectively.

j. Foreign Leagues

i. Foreign Leagues run relatively simultaneously with the RSL season. The NPB, or Nippon Professional Baseball, is a Japanese league which operates a 146-game schedule beginning in early May. The CBL, or Cuban Baseball League, operates a 90-game schedule beginning in late August. The EBF, or European Baseball Federation, operates a 120-game schedule beginning in mid-July.

ii. International Free Agency

1. NPB players become International Free Agents after 9 seasons of service time.

2. EBF players become International Free Agents after 4 seasons of service time.

3. CBL players do not become International Free Agents at any regular interval, though players will occasionally opt for International Free Agency if they no longer wish to play in Cuba.

4. Prior to February 1st, International teams are under a roster freeze. The NPB and EBF are permitted to bid on RSL free agents following the passing of February 1st each offseason. The CBL does not bid on International Free Agents.

iii. Posting System

1. Players from the NPB may be posted by their team at any time during the offseason. Typically this is done early in the RSL offseason, and with players who are entering their 9th and final season of team control. Bidding on posted players is done via closed bid, with the winning bid subtracted from the winning team's cash-on-hand. The player is also awarded a two-year contract worth the total bid.

2. Players from the EBF may not be posted.

3. Players from the CBL may be posted by their team at any time. Typically this is done prior to the CBL's opening day, and with players who are young and unproven. Bidding on posted players is done via closed bid, with the winning bid subtracted from the winning team's cash-on-hand. The player is awarded a minor league contract.

[Buane]

Reserved!!!

[Buane]

Reserved!!

[Buane]

Deleted!!!!