The DOSball League - Founded 2012

DOSBALL APBA LEAGUE BYLAWS

I. LEAGUE ORGANIZATION

A. The league’s primary managers will be a commissioner and three deputy commissioners.

B. The commissioner is responsible for running the league, issuing rulings on all league matters, enforcing rules, recruiting members, and maintaining technology.

C. Deputy commissioners handle commissioner responsibilities when the commissioner is away on business or is otherwise unavailable. The deputies also play a key role as watchdogs over the commissioner if/when an objective third party is needed to mitigate disputes, as explained later in these bylaws.

D. The league's electronic statistician, D.A.V.I.D. (DOS Assisted Virtual Intuitive Databank), will handle computerized administration of many league functions, including the oversight of the league Usage Checker, Series Checker, modernized stats, advanced leader boards, player database, Draftmania lists, fines, bonuses, X-Static game summaries, schedules, standings, expanded rosters, APBA card generation, electronic box scores for every game played, trades/roster management, draft results, and other record keeping.

E. The D.A.V.I.D. automation system is the official arbiter of all records and its numbers/computations are considered official and binding for all league matters once the system uploads them to www.dosball.com. All league data and web pages are generated and uploaded by D.A.V.I.D.

F. The commissioner is the primary administrator of D.A.V.I.D., unless another duly appointed representative is appointed by the commissioner to oversee the system's technical needs/requirements.

G. Matters directly affecting the commissioner’s team, such as protests filed by or against his team, will be decided by a majority vote of the deputy commissioners (collectively, these three shall be known as “The Committee.”)

H. The Committee can, at the behest of a majority league vote, reverse any ruling by the commissioner. The Committee must be unanimous for the vote to be reversed.

I. Changes to the bylaws may be proposed by any league member and will be voted on in accordance with the league calendar.

J. Any member who is interested in running for league commissioner or for a spot on The Committee is free to do so, provided he submits a plan for how he will live up to the responsibilities and obtains a majority vote of the league. In the case of the commissioner position, the candidate must also demonstrate the requisite technical ability to handle the league's computer responsibilities.

K. The DOSBall League is an activity for people who love baseball and the good-hearted spirit of friendship. No dues will be charged.

II. FORMAT

A. League games will be played using DOS version 2.0 of the APBA Baseball game. The league will provide and install proprietary software, known as D.I.V.A. (DOS Interactive Virtual Aid), that will enable the DOS APBA game to function correctly on modern-day computers running Windows, Mac or Linux.

B. All games must be played head-to-head against another manager, either in person or over the internet using remote access software, such as Logmein, TeamViewer, and GoToMyPC. Both managers of a series must mutually agree on the remote access software to be used.

C. The commissioner, upon request, can grant permission for an occasional series to be played using APBA’s Baseball for Windows 5.5 or 5.75. The series must be played head-to-head and box scores (in .bxs format) must be saved and submitted to the commissioner for the games to be official.

D. The official APBA league disk is used for all league play. No modifications are allowed, save for two: pitchers with less than 25 official MLB at bats receive a generic hitting card; and any pitcher who receives APBA's ZZ control rating will receive three more points added to their pitching grade.

E. Any player who receives an APBA card is eligible to be drafted.

III. SEASON & ROSTER

A. Game play commences on April 1 and concludes on Sept. 30.

B. Each team is responsible for playing a 162-game schedule.

C. Each team must play all of its scheduled games in any current month by the last day of the current month.

D. Inter-league play will be used but no designated hitter is allowed.

E. Each team is required to maintain a roster with enough innings pitched and games played at each position to cover a 162-game simulated season.

F. The maximum roster size during the playing season is 34 players.

G. The maximum number of pitchers on the roster is 19 during the playing season. Teams may draft more than 19 but must trade or cut any excess pitchers by the start of the season. Uncarded pitchers do NOT count toward the 19-pitcher limitation.

H. Rosters may be any size during the period from the end of the playing season to draft day.

I. No team's roster may exceed 34 during the draft.

J. Trades made following the end of the draft must not increase any team's roster beyond 34 players, with a maximum of 19 carded pitchers.

K. The trading deadline is March 20 and all rosters will be considered finalized for the season at midnight on that day.

IV. USAGE

A. Vital to the DOSBall's league structure is a usage scheme that requires managers to be organized and thoughtful in deploying their players throughout the season.

B. Players are limited to actual games played and actual innings pitched in the most recent Major League Baseball season. The allowable number of games and innings pitched will be listed on each team’s roster page.

C. Position players are limited by the number of GP listed on the team's roster page, but they are NOT limited from playing any qualified position for the maximum number of games that they qualify for. EXAMPLE: a player who qualifies at SS and 2B and has 128 games played may play all 128 games at either position, or a combination of games at both that equal 128.

D. Stolen base attempts are limited to actual stolen base attempts plus 25 percent, rounded up. Every player shall have a minimum of two stolen base attempts.

E. A position player may only pitch in a game if an ejection or injury requires it (i.e., an extra-inning game where the last available pitcher on the roster is thrown out of the game or injured.)

F. Pitchers are only allowed to pinch hit if they did so in the MLB season. Such pitchers are limited to the actual number of pinch hitting appearances.

V. ROTATIONS

A. Pitching rotations must be completed before the season begins, in accordance with a pitching rotation spreadsheet that will be provided to each team. Technical assistance will be provided, if needed.

B. All starting pitchers must rest 4 days between starts during the regular season.

C. Starting pitchers must have enough innings to be able to pitch at least 5 innings per start.

D. Modifications to the rotation may be made twice per year, on dates specified on the league schedule. The modifications must comply with rules B and C, above.

E. There are no fines for submitting a rotation with an accidental error. However, failure to submit a rotation by the deadline noted on the league calendar will incur a $700,000 fine.

VI. ELIGIBILITY

A. Starting pitchers of grades 1 and 2 are given a minimum of 200 eligible start innings. If a pitcher threw more than 200 innings, he is eligible for the actual number of innings pitched.

B. Relief pitchers of grades 1 and 2 are given a minimum of 100 eligible relief innings. If a pitcher threw more than 100 innings, he is eligible for the actual number of innings pitched.

C. Starters or relievers graded 3 or higher may only pitch the same number of innings as they pitched in the MLB season. Fractions are rounded up.

D. Some players whose overall major league performance drops below certain levels are deemed to be UFOs, otherwise known as innocuous players. Such players are allowed to play in all 162 games on the DOSBall schedule. They are determined to be UFOs if they meet each of the following criteria:

1. OPS of .600 or less;

2. OBP of .333 or less;

3. SLG of .375 or less;

4. Catchers with a +2 arm or less;

5. Defense grades C-5, C-6, C-7, 1B-2, 1B-3, 2B-5, 2B-6, 2B-7, 3B-3, 3B-4, SS-6, SS-7, SS-8, OF-1, OF-2.

VII. HEAD-TO-HEAD PLAY

A. Managers are responsible for ensuring that they contact opponents in a timely manner for the playing of their upcoming series.

B. Series do NOT have to be played in the order they are listed on the official schedule. However, only series scheduled for the given month may be played, and the starting pitchers must be thrown in the order they are shown for each series on the schedule. The D.A.V.I.D. system will periodically check to ensure all pitchers are thrown in their scheduled starts; any violations will result in a $500,000 fine per offense.

C. Managers may decide between themselves who will host each series, although preference is generally given to the home team listed on the schedule. Managers should play both as host and as visitor online throughout the course of the season; playing as solely the host for every game is strongly discouraged.

D. Results files, commonly called P-files, for each series must be sent to the commissioner after each series. They must also be provided to the opposing manager upon request.

E. P-files must be sent to the commissioner by the final day of each month.

F. A manager who has failed to play his scheduled games in any given month, or who does not turn in any required P-files, will be fined $350,000 per series that was not completed and/or reported by the final day of the month.

G. The commissioner will play any games that were not finished by the end of the month.

H. A manager who loses a P-file should contact the commissioner immediately for recovery of the P-file from a backup location on the manager’s computer. In the rare event that a P-file cannot be retrieved, a $250,000 fine will be assessed against the manager who lost the P-file.

VIII. SERIES ROSTER RULES

A. REPLACEMENTS: All teams must have a defensive replacement at each position for each series. A single player may serve as a backup at more than one position, with the outfield treated as one position.

B. PITCHERS: Each team must always have at least nine pitchers on the playing roster.

C. MONTHLY REQUIREMENTS: Rosters for each series must additionally adhere to the following requirements:

1. April Rules

a. Each team is limited to 25 players on the playing roster.

b. Each team must have at least four starting pitchers on the playing roster.

2. May through August Rules

a. Each team is limited to 25 players on the playing roster.

b. Each team must have at least five starting pitchers on the playing roster. If one (or two) of the five starting pitchers have relief innings, they are allowed to pitch in relief in the series, provided that they do not have a scheduled start in the series.

3. September Rules

a. Each team can have 26 players on the playing roster.

b. Each team must have at least as many starting pitchers as there are games to be played in the series (i.e., three in a three-game series and four in a four-game series.)

IX. SERIES PLAYING RULES

A. OFFENSE

1. Hit-and-run

a. Any batter, including a pitcher, may attempt a hit-and-run. However, a batter may NOT attempt a hit-and-run while a pitcher is on first base.

b. The hit-and-run play can be used with any number of outs.

2. Pitchers cannot attempt to steal in any situation. However, a pitcher may be inserted into the game as a pinch runner.

3. Pinch hitting for the starting pitcher is only allowed after:

a. The starting pitcher has thrown five full innings; or

b. The starting pitcher has allowed four runs; or

c. A rain delay; or

d. The "Magic 8" rule can be invoked (see IX.C.2, below.)

B. DEFENSE

1. Players may only enter the game at one of their official positions, unless an injury or ejection leaves a vacant position that cannot be filled.

2. Position players may not be used as pitchers unless an injury or ejection makes it absolutely necessary.

C. PITCHING

1. A scheduled starting pitcher in a series may not enter ANY game in relief during that series.

2. Starting and relief pitchers must be removed after allowing eight runs in a game. This increases to 10 runs in September.

3. Starting pitchers are required to pitch at least five innings, UNLESS:

1. The "Magic 8" rule can be invoked. This means the pitcher can be removed if the current inning, plus the runs the pitcher has allowed in the game, plus the runners he currently has put on base, totals eight. EXAMPLE: a pitcher is on the mound losing 4-0 with the bases loaded in the 1st inning. So, add runs scored (4) plus the inning (1) plus the number of men on base (3) and you get 8. It is "Magic 8" time and you can remove your pitcher - but only if you want.

2. Any starting pitcher may be immediately removed after a rain delay.

4. No starting pitcher may pitch more than 10 innings in a game, unless he is throwing a no-hitter. The pitcher in that scenario may stay in the game until he surrenders a hit.

5. A starting pitcher appearing in his last start of the season in September may be replaced by a 1, 2, or 3 grade reliever(s) as long as a 1, 2, or 3 grade reliever(s) pitches through the 5^th inning.

6. Relief pitchers graded 1, 2 or 3 may pitch any amount of innings in relief, subject to rule #2 in this section.

7. Relief pitchers grade 4 or higher may not pitch more than three innings in a game unless they are the last available reliever on the roster.

8. Pitchers who are mistakenly entered into a game must walk the first batter and be removed immediately.

X. VIRTUAL FINES

A. Fines are an important element of the league that bring teeth to the bylaws. Without them, there is no real incentive to play by the usage rules and other requirements that are critical to a fair and honest game experience. It is expected that all managers will respect their opponents' right to fair play. But mistakes will inevitably happen and fines apply to errors just as surely as they do to willful violations.

B. Fines during game play result in $100,000 per offense. Games that are played with the wrong home team result in fines of $40,000 for BOTH the home and away manager in the series.

C. Overusage offenses are $500,000 per infraction, with the following stipulations:

1. Overusage of innings pitched or games played results in the standard $500,000 fine, but the commissioner has discretion to impose a higher fine for flagrant offenses. Additionally, the overusage can impact a player’s eligibility to play, as explained below:

a. Overusing a relief pitcher for more than two innings results in the pitcher’s suspension from all future games for the rest of the current season, including playoffs;

b. Overusing a starter for more than two innings results in the pitcher’s suspension from all future games for the rest of the current season, including playoffs;

c. Overusing a position player for more than one game results in the player’s suspension from all future games for the rest of the current season, including playoffs;

d. Overusing a player’s allotted stolen bases by two or less results in the player’s suspension for 10 games and a $500,000 fine;

e. Overusing a player’s allotted stolen bases by three, four or five results in the player’s suspension for 60 games and a $750,000 fine;

f. Overusing a player’s allotted stolen bases by six or more results in the player’s suspension from all future games for the rest of the current season, including playoffs.

2. The above provisions for over-usage apply to mistakes only and leniency will be thrown out the window for obvious cases of cheating or deliberate circumventing of the rules, i.e., overusages that deliberately occur in key September games that could impact the league playoff picture. In any case, any overusage can result in a protest and a replay of the game in question.

3. Any player still serving a suspension upon completion of the regular season will be ineligible for the playoffs.

4. Suspensions do not carry over into the next season.

D. All fines collected will be equally distributed to all teams at the end of the season.

E. The league provides a Usage Checker that gives each team a detailed summary of its usage. The same Usage Checker is used to calculate all overusages and will automatically assess fines. The commissioner may make modifications to certain fines based on extenuating circumstances.

F. The Committee may over-rule any fine levied by the commissioner with a unanimous vote.

XI. PROTESTS

A. Any rule violation, including an overusage, may result in a protest. However, it is encouraged that both managers first attempt to resolve the problem amicably between themselves, preferably by re-starting the game in which the violation occurred. If that is not considered an option by either manager, then the game should be finished and a protest filed with the commissioner:

1. The commissioner should be notified before the P-file has been updated in Statmaster;

2. The commissioner will decide whether the infraction was indeed committed and whether it would have impacted the outcome of the game in question;

3. The commissioner can order the game to be replayed if the game's outcome was affected, or he can let the finished game stand;

4. The commissioner will inform both teams of his ruling and give each manager 24 hours to decide whether either wishes to appeal the ruling to The Committee. Any manager has the automatic right to a protest review by The Committee if it is asked for within the 24-hour period;

5. Protests involving the commissioner's team will always be reviewed by The Committee and the commissioner will not be allowed to render a ruling on such a protest;

6. Any member of The Committee who is involved in a protested game or who has a vested interest in a protest's outcome shall be excused for that particular vote and another league manager will be temporarily appointed for the protest review. The manager will be selected at random by a dice roll at www.rolz.org.

B. Good sportsmanship should be the guiding factor on whether a manager decides to file a protest. It should only be done as a last resort.

XII. VIRTUAL BONUSES

A. The league uses an incentive program for quality play and management. Teams that show certain incentive or improvement will be given virtual rewards for their accomplishments:

1. The two teams in the league who show the biggest increase in winning percentage over the previous season will be awarded $350,000 each;

2. A team below .500 for the season who sweeps a 1st- or 2nd-place team in September will be awarded $150,000 per sweep;

3. The top winner in the roto standings on the league's CBS Sportsline site will be awarded $350,000. The next four in the roto standings will receive, in order of finish, $300,000, $250,000, $200,000, and $150,000;

4. The team in each league (American and National) which has the best record but does not make the playoffs will receive an incentive bonus of $250,000;

5. Any team that throws a no-hitter receives $100,000 (television revenue generated from the ESPN highlights of the no-hitter.)

6. Any team that throws a perfect game receives $200,000 (more TV revenue.)

7. Any team which has a player hit for the cycle receives $100,000 (again, TV revenue.)

8. Teams that finish the regular season with zero overusages are awarded $350,000;

9. Teams that are the first to finish their schedule in any given month before any other team in their respective leagues will be awarded $50,000. If a team finishes their schedule first in a subsequent month, they will be awarded a $100,000 bonus. If the same team finishes their schedule first in a third month, they will receive a $150,000 bonus and another $150,000 bonus for each month thereafter that they finish their schedule first. Under this formula, a team could receive $750,000 in bonuses for finishing their schedule first in all six months of the season.

10. Managers who provided league help above and beyond playing their games (i.e., recruiting new league members, playing games for a sick manager, providing technology assistance, etc.) will be awarded sums to be determined based on the meritoriousness of the deeds.

B. All bonus money is awarded to a team's revenue at the end of the season.

C. There is no bonus money awarded to the DOSBall League championship winner, but the winning team will receive a virtual trophy on their roster page.

XIII. TRADING

A. Trading is only allowed during the off-season.

B. All trades must be final and there can be no player to be named later.

C. Trades are not final until both parties have reported the trade to the commissioner and the D.A.V.I.D. system has posted the trade to the league web site.

D. Both managers are responsible for accurate reporting of trades. Any misreported trade can result in a fine to be determined by the commissioner.

E. In the event that collusion or other unfair/unethical behavior is suspected in a trade, The Committee can act on its own to review the trade in question. If a majority of The Committee feels that there is a breach of ethics and fair play, the trade will be overturned. The Committee will only consider foul play and an obvious attempt to cheat as grounds for trade review. The trade being subjectively uneven is not grounds in and of itself to nullify the trade.

F. Draft picks for the next upcoming annual draft are the only draft picks permitted in trades. The D.A.V.I.D. system will monitor trading of draft picks and will automatically levy fines of $500,000 for any draft picks which are traded that are not actually possessed by the teams making the trade. The fines will be assessed to BOTH teams who report the erroneous trade.

G. Cash may be part of a trade. It also may be the sole reason for a trade, i.e., one team buys another player(s). But each team may only be involved in one cash-only trade per season.

XIV. DRAFTING

A. All players with an APBA card are eligible to be drafted.

B. Uncarded players and minor league players are ineligible to be drafted. However, any previously drafted player who becomes an uncarded player may remain on a roster.

C. Draft order will be in the inverse order of record from the previous season. The eight playoff teams will be placed at the back of the draft order, ranked by their playoff performance, i.e., the championship team drafts last.

D. Ties in the draft order will be decided by face-to-face records between the two teams, with the team who won more games picking ahead of the other. If the teams deadlocked in the regular season, a tie-breaking dice roll will be used at www.rolz.org.

E. Each team will be awarded 12 draft picks each year.

F. The draft will be held each February at a pre-determined date. The DOSBall Draftmania site or other similar computerized draft tool will be used for all draft selections.

XV. CONTRACTS & SALARY SYSTEM

A. Each team will receive $22 million in revenue at the beginning of each of the first two seasons. The amount to be distributed at the beginning of the third season and beyond will be determined by relative DOSBall dollar values in the league (i.e., inflated economic years will see lesser revenue distributions.) EXAMPLE: if the average net worth of all teams is statistically high, each team will receive comparably less funding. No team will be awarded a different revenue amount than any other team.

B. Each player drafted will be given a guaranteed two-year contract. His salary at the time of drafting will be determined by the selection and its place on a descending salary grid, with the first player chosen in the draft receiving a salary of $800,000.

C. Minimum league salary is $200,000.

D. Upon contract expiration, a player can be cut, or renewed with another two-year contract. In the event of renewal, the player receives a 50-percent raise. EXAMPLE: A player with an $800,000 contract may be renewed for a 50-percent bump, bringing his salary to $1.2 million.

E. Since contracts are guaranteed, a player who is cut before his contract expiration must be paid the full cost of the contract. In other words, the manager must buy out the contract. EXAMPLE: a player with a $200,000 contract may be cut after one year, but the manager must still pay the player $200,000 that he is owed for the second year of the contract.

F. Players must be cut by Dec. 31st. On Jan. 1st, all expired contracts which have not been cut from a team's roster are considered to have been renewed with 50-percent raises.

G. All cuts are final once the player is deleted from the team roster on the league web site.

XVI. PLAYOFF STRUCTURE

A. Playoff format is three division winners from each league and two wild card winners from each league.

B. Rosters are limited to 25 players, at least three of whom must be the starting pitchers announced in advance for the series by the manager.

C. Ties between two teams will be decided by:

1. Two teams

a. One-game playoff, UNLESS both teams already qualify for the post-season (i.e., the worst-case scenario for the losing team would be a Wild Card berth.) In the event of both teams already being playoff eligible, then the deciding factors in a first-place tie breaker will be (in this order): head-to-head record, best record in the division, most runs scored in head-to-head play between the two teams.

b. Home team in the one-game playoff will be decided by best head-to-head record. Tied teams in head-to-head record will each roll dice at www.rolz.org to determine home-field advantage.

2. Three teams

a. One-game playoff with a bye for the third team

b. Determination of bye

a. Best head-to-head record among tied teams

b. Best head-to-head record among other playoff teams

c. Best record against teams with winning records

d. Dice roll at www.rolz.org.

3. Four teams

a. Two playoff games

b. Top seed is determined in the same manner as a three-team tie.

4. If both teams would make the playoffs anyway, there is no playoff. Top seed is determined by head-to-head record, and in the event of ties, best record in the division. Final tie breaker will be most runs scored in head-to-head play.

D. The two Wild Card winners in each league will play a best-of-five series for the right to advance to the first full round of the playoffs. For scheduling purposes, the first game of the series is considered to be played in the day after the last day of the regular season. Modified rest rules apply: a starting pitcher who started any of the final three games of the season is NOT eligible to start the first Wild Card game. A starting pitcher who started any of the final two games of the regular season cannot start game 2 of the Wild Card series.

E. Following the Wild Card games, the first round of the playoff will be a seven-game playoff. The three division winners of both the American and National leagues will be the top seeds. The best records get top seeds.

F. Ties in seeding are determined in the same manner as XVI.B.2, above.

G. All series formats will be 2-3-2.

H. The 1st seed will face the 4th seed. The 2nd seed will face the 3rd seed. 1st and 2nd seeds have more home games.

I. The first-round champions will meet in a seven-game playoff to determine the American and National league champions. The top seed gets its choice as to whether to be home for the two-game sets or the three-game set.

J. The American League champion and the National League champion will play a seven-game championship for the World Series winner. Seeding is determined by overall best record. Tie-breaker is the same as XVI.B.2, above.

XVII. PLAYOFF USAGE

A. Except as noted below in section H.8., overusage in the playoffs results in the player being deemed injured and ineligible to play for the rest of the playoffs.

B. Teams may use a three-man pitching rotation since only three days is required between starts. But not all pitchers may be considered rested heading into a playoff series:

1. The starting pitcher in the last game (Sept. 30) of the regular season may not pitch game 1 of the playoffs.

2. A starting pitcher in the last three games of the regular season may not start a one-game playoff.

C. Starting pitcher playoff eligibility

1. A starter with 100+ DOSBall-eligible IP can start three games in a series.

2. A starter with 50-99 DOSBall-eligible IP can start one game in a series.

3. A starter with less than 50 DOSBall-eligible IP cannot start in a series.

D. A Starting pitcher's relief grade will be the same as their start grade unless they pitched over 20 innings of relief, in which case they will receive their relief grade. EXCEPTION: if the relief grade is lower than the start grade, then the pitcher will receive the start grade in relief.

E. All starters must pitch five innings unless the inning plus runs allowed plus runners on base is equal to or greater than six.

F. Any pitcher may be immediately removed after a rain delay.

G. Pinch-hitting for the starting pitcher is only allowed after the pitcher has thrown five innings or has allowed four runs. He also may be removed for a pinch-hitter at any time after a rain delay.

H. Relief pitcher playoff eligibility

1. A reliever with 80+ DOSBall-eligible IP is allowed eight IP per series.

2. A reliever with 70-79 DOSBall-eligible IP is allowed seven IP per series.

3. A reliever with 60-69 DOSBall-eligible IP is allowed six IP per series.

4. A reliever with 50-59 DOSBall-eligible IP is allowed five IP per series.

5. A reliever with 40-49 DOSBall-eligible IP is allowed four IP per series.

6. A reliever with 30-39 DOSBall-eligible IP is allowed three IP per series.

7. A reliever with 20-29 DOSBall-eligible IP is allowed two IP per series.

8. A reliever with less than 20 DOSBall-eligible IP may not be used in the playoffs. No exceptions.

9. A reliever grade 1, 2, or 3 is not restricted by IP limitations.

10. A starting pitcher with 100+ DOSBall-eligible IP who won't be used as a starter in the playoffs may be used in relief (80+ reliever) at his starting grade.

11. Any grade 4 or higher reliever may pitch more than their restricted amount if they are the last available reliever on the roster. That reliever will be deemed injured and ineligible to play after the game and will not be allowed to pitch again in that playoff series.

12. A doubleplay or tripleplay in the playoffs will not result in any pitcher being deemed ineligible for the playoffs.

13. Starting pitchers who are scheduled to start in a series CAN be used as a reliever in the series, provided that:

a. The starter did not pitch the previous day;

b. The starter is not scheduled to pitch the next day;

c. The starter was eligible to pitch at least 20 relief innings in the DOSBall regular season;

d. The starter adheres to the relief pitching limitations spelled out in XVII.H.1 to XVII.H.5.

I. Position player playoff eligibility

1. A player with 65+ DOSBall-eligible games may start each game.

2. A player with 54-64 DOSBall-eligible games may start five games per series. He may play in all seven games provided he starts only five games and does not enter the other two games before the 7th inning.

3. A player with 30-53 DOSBall-eligible games may start two games per series. He may play in all seven games provided he starts only two games and does not enter the other five games before the 7th inning.

4. A player with less than 30 DOSBall-eligible games may not play in the playoffs.

5. A player with 30 or more DOSBall-eligible games may start a one-game playoff or a Wild Card game.

6. In the event that a team does not have replacement players at every position because of the above playoff usage limitations, the commissioner will designate a player on a team's roster to play the position for which there is no replacement player. The player will only be allowed to enter the game in the event of an injury or ejection. EXAMPLE: a team has a SS with only 26 games as its backup at that position. Since the player does not qualify for the playoffs (fewer than 30 games,) the commissioner will name an outfielder or some other player as backup. The player may then only enter a game in the event of injury or ejection.

J. Stolen base restrictions for each playoff series

1. Players with less than 5 DOSBall-eligible SB attempts are limited to one SB attempt.

2. Players with 5-14 DOSBall-eligible SB attempts are limited to two SB attempts.

3. Players with 15-24 DOSBall-eligible SB attempts are limited to three SB attempts.

4. Players with 25-34 DOSBall-eligible SB attempts are limited to four SB attempts.

5. Players with 35 or more DOSBall-eligible SB attempts are not limited by SB attempts.

XVIII. PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

A. Starting pitchers must be announced before lineups are loaded.

B. Team rosters must be announced before each playoff series and may not be changed once they have been declared for that series.

C. Team rosters will be 25 players.

D. One-game playoffs and Wild Card games are considered to be played on Oct. 1.

E. The first playoff series is considered to begin on Oct. 3. A starting pitcher who threw a scheduled start in the final three days of the season is NOT eligible to start game 1 of the first round of the playoffs.

F. All other series are considered to begin three days after the previous series, meaning that there are two rest days in between the end of one series and the beginning of the next. That means any starting pitcher in game 7 of the previous series will NOT be rested to pitch game 1 of the next series, since he will not have had the required three days of rest between starts.

XIX. ROTO COMPETITION

A. The DOSBall site on CBS Sportsline will be used to track each team's roto standings throughout the season.

B. The site will be adjusted to correctly track only stats that are good indicators of APBA success. That way, the standings will be a quality measure of a team's expected success in the next DOSBall season. The better that a team performs in the DOSBall roto standings, the better the team can reasonably expect to be in the next league season.

C. The categories that will be used to determine roto standings will be, ranked in order of value (categories listed first receive more roto points in the standings):

1. HITTING: Homeruns, SLG, OBP, games, walks, strikeouts (less is better,) fielding percentage, fielding chances, stolen bases, caught stealing.

2. PITCHING: ERA, innings, walks per 9, homeruns allowed, strikeouts per 9, WHIP, wins, games started, innings per start.

D. Pursuant to rule XII.A.3., the top five teams in the roto standings will be awarded varying sums of DOSBall money, based on their overall ranking.

XX. WAIVER WIRE

A. The league will maintain a list each year of undrafted UFOs and/or other “skill-challenged” players who will be available on waivers for the month of September ONLY.

B. Any manager may claim one “call-up” player and one “emergency” player off the waiver wire. The player(s) must be claimed by teams between 12:01 a.m. on Aug. 23 and 11:59 a.m. on Aug. 28. The players do not have to be taken at the same time.

C. In the event that one or both of the waivered players is a starting pitcher, then the team who claimed him will have to submit a revised rotation for the month of September that includes the waivered pitcher(s) in the rotation.

D. The waiver wire player(s) may begin playing on Sept. 1.

E. The "call-up" player can be taken for any reason. The "emergency" player may only be taken if the manager can demonstrate an emergency need to fill innings and/or games, i.e., he does not have enough starts left in his rotation to finish the season.

F. A “call-up waivers fee” of $300,000 will be charged for a call-up player taken off the wire.

G. An “emergency waivers fee” of $500,000 will be charged for an emergency player taken off the wire.

H. Waivered players are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The time stamp on the emails received by the commissioner will be considered a tie-breaker if requests for the same player are received on the same day, with the earlier email getting the player.

I. The main purpose of the waiver wire is to allow teams to shore up any holes they have in their usage obligations during the final month of the season. Therefore, any waivered player may NOT participate in the playoffs.

J. The waivered player(s) will be listed on each team’s roster in a separate area, but they will be available for use as regular rostered players during September games.

K. The waivered players will be dropped from the team’s roster immediately following the end of the playing season.

- Updated October 2016