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| Last Updated: January 23, 2005 |
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LEAGUE OFFICE
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THE LEAGUE
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THE DRAFT
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THE FINANCIAL SYSTEM
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DEFENSE
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OFFSEASON VOTING
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LEAGUE OFFICE |
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Powers of the Commissioner |
| Seamheads.com's Mike Lynch will serve as the league's commissioner for life or until he chooses to step down. Pete Dully will serve as the league's acting commissioner until further notice. The commissioner and acting commissioner have the sole and exclusive rights to interpret and enforce the rules within this constitution where any controversies arise between two or more owners. The constitution can only be amended by the commissioners' decision if they feel an amendment would be in the best interest of the league. The commissioners reserve the right to terminate ownership of any team if the owner/owners in question acts in a way that is detrimental to his/her team or the league as a whole or ceases to contribute to the operation of his/her team. Regardless of his status, Mike Lynch maintains full veto power and reserves the right to overturn any decision made by the acting commissioner or the Rules Committee. |
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League Presidents |
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Each league will be represented by a president, whose primary function will be to serve as a liason between the Commissioner and team owners. Presidents may be asked to handle situations that the Commissioner can't due to time constraints, but the Commissioner reserves the right to veto or overturn decisions made by the league presidents. The American League will be presided over by Kevin Johnson (St. Louis Browns), while National League duties will be handled by Matt McCarthy (Brooklyn Dodgers).
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League Officers |
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Diamond Kings will be administered to by officers, whose primary function is listed below.
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The Rules Committee |
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The Rules Committee will consist of the Commissioner, both league presidents and one member from each division. The committee's main purpose is to review existing rules for fairness, realism and conformity to the SIM's pre-existing rules. In the event that the SIM's rules need to be revised based on the judgment of the Rules Committee, the committee will convene and adopt new rules that a majority of members agree to. In cases of impasse or time restrictions, the Commissioner reserves the right to bypass the Rules Committee and adopt rules as he sees fit. In the event that a rule doesn't exist, the Rules Committee reserves the right to convene and adopt a new rule at which time the constitution will be amended. Rules Committee
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The Game |
| Diamond Kings baseball will employ Out of the Park Baseball 4 (OOTP4) and its subsequent versions as its statistical engine until further notice. Further information can be found at the OOTP4 website. |
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Stadium Lease |
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Beginning with the 2002 season, every team will sign a three-year lease with their city and stadium. In the future, ballpark changes will be limited to: 1. Parks that come with OOTP. 2. Parks based on the entire history of the park. An exception may be granted for parks that are more than 30 years old AND had major renovations (i.e. fences moved, Astroturf installed or removed, etc.). In those cases, an owner will be allowed to use a portion of the park's historical data to base the park factors on. |
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Franchise Shifts |
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Between seasons, Diamond Kings owners may apply to the commissioner to change their affiliation to another franchise in the same league, providing that city doesn't have a team already and the applying franchise's current lease has expired (see Stadium Lease above). For example, the Cleveland Indians may apply to become the Chicago White Sox. Owners may then apply to move into a franchise that was vacated by such a move. In addition, two or more owners may agree to trade franchises. Franchise shifts that distort geographical alignment will require approval of the owners of the other franchises in the league. Owners may also apply to move to the other league if they can find an owner from the other league who is willing to trade places. Beginning with the 2004 season, if a franchise becomes available when an owner drops out of Diamond Kings, current Diamond Kings owners will be given an opportunity to apply for control of the ownerless team before an attempt to find a new owner is made. The owner who takes over the team will be allowed to keep their current players or use the players of the vacated team. After all shifts have been made, the new owner has the option of taking over the remaining franchise or moving to a new franchise within that league. All applications for moving must be approved by the commissioner. Agreement between two or more Diamond Kings owners does not guarantee that the application will be accepted. The commissioner reserves the right to review each application and reject those that are not within the league's best interests. |
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Collusion |
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Collusion, defined as any agreement between two or more owners to intentionally reduce competition between them, will not be tolerated and will result in termination of ownership of all parties involved and a lifetime ban from the league. Examples of collusion include (but are not limited to): 1. One-sided trades which obviously strengthen one team at the expense of the other (NOTE: Financial matters and draft picks will be considered when determining if a trade is one-sided). Any owners suspected of collusion will be subject to a hearing of the Rules Committee. Any owner suspecting another owner of collusion, or receiving offers to collude, should contact the commissioner immediately. |
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THE LEAGUE |
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I. Leagues and Divisions |
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The Diamond Kings Baseball League will consist of 24 teams, divided by two leagues of 12 teams. Each league will consist of two six-team divisions. The number of teams and divisional alignments will remain as is, but the league reserves the right to expand prior to each new season if it so chooses. The divisional alignments are as follows:
N.L. East N.L. West Atlanta Braves Chicago Cubs Brooklyn Dodgers Colorado Rockies Cincinnati Reds Houston Astros New York Giants Milwaukee Brewers Philadelphia Phillies San Diego Padres Pittsburgh Pirates St. Louis Cardinals A.L. East A.L. West Baltimore Orioles Detroit Tigers Boston Red Sox Kansas City Royals Cleveland Indians Minnesota Twins New York Yankees St. Louis Browns Philadelphia Athletics Seattle Mariners Toronto Blue Jays Texas Rangers |
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II. League Setup |
| The league will be set on career mode and will start in the year 2000. The league record book will be blank so that we may establish our own league records separate from actual major league records. The financial system, injuries and minor league simulations will be enabled. |
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III. Schedule |
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The schedule will be unbalanced and consist of 162 games. Each team will play the other teams in its division 18 times, while playing teams in the opposite division 12 times. Typically, three games per day will be played until the postseason when only one game per series will be played. Results of games will be posted on the Official League Website at Seamheads.com on a daily basis.
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IV. Line-Ups |
| Line-ups are set at the beginning of the season, and include 25-man rosters, minor league assignments, batting orders against left-handed and right- handed pitchers, a pitching rotation, bullpen duties, a depth chart, defensive replacements, and managerial tendencies. The Designated Hitter rule is not a part of Diamond Kings baseball. Changes may be submitted to the commissioner any time before 6am Monday to be executed for the following week's games. The only other time moves will be executed by the commissioner's office is due to trade or injury. Team owners who own OOTP5 may, of course, execute their own moves whenever they like. |
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V. Rosters |
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Each team must carry 25 players on their major league roster, and may not carry more than 50 players in its entire system. When a team acquires a 51st player (through draft, free agent signing, trade, or waivers) it must immediately release a player to remain at the 50 player limit. This released player then becomes part of the free agent pool, subject to waiver wire rules.
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VI. Trades |
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Trades can be made any time between the start of the draft and July 31st. No trade can be made from July 31st until the end of the World Series. Draft picks can be traded for each other or included in any deal that includes players at any time. Only draft picks that appear on the Traded Draft Picks page can be traded. Trades need to be confirmed by all teams involved via e-mail to the Commissioner. Trades that are confirmed before the sim is run on that day will be completed for that day's sim. The Commissioner reserves the right to reject any trade offer that is deemed "not in the best interests of Diamond Kings Baseball". League owners will not be allowed to challenge trades.
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VII. The Postseason |
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The first place teams in each division will advance to the post season. Regular season ties will result in a one-game playoff, the home team to be determined by the simulation. In each league, the division winners will meet in the League Championship Series (LCS), which will be decided in a best-of-seven format. The winners of the two LCS will meet in the World Series, which will also be decided in a best-of-seven format. No more than one postseason game per league will be played on any given day. This will ensure total control over line-ups and pitching assignments. Postseason rosters must be turned in by September 1. In the event that a player who is placed on the postseason roster is injured after September 1 and won't be participating in the postseason, he can be replaced by another player who is not already on the roster. In the event that an injured player who was replaced becomes healthy enough to play if his team advances to the next round, said player will be reinstated to the postseason roster and his replacement will be removed. |
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The Draft
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VIII. The Initial Player Pool |
| The player pool for stocking teams for the initial year (2000) will be determined by the owners of the franchises. Each owner will name two historical teams (there will be 48 teams in all) naming the team and year. The Commissioner reserves the right to veto any team choice if the team does not differ significantly from another team that has already been chosen (Example: 1975 Cincinnati Reds and 1976 Cincinnati Reds). All players who played for that team in that season are placed in the pool, but any season of a player's career can be used for purposes of importing. |
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IX. The Initial Draft |
| The draft will be conducted using the serpentine format and will consist of 24 rounds. Each team will select one player per round during rounds one through 11. Each team will select two players per round from round 12 through round 16 and three players from round 17 through round 24. When a player is selected, his team's owner will be expected to supply the player's "import" year to the Commissioner. This import year may be different from the year from which the player played on the chosen team, and may also be different from his rookie season. The import year determines the player's age and ability when he joins the Diamond Kings universe, as well as his initial salary. |
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X. The Amateur Draft: |
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The Amateur draft will take place after contract extensions, but before free agent signings (except in the case of same-team contract extensions). At the conclusion of each Diamond Kings season, the four teams with the best records in the same division as the World Series champion, with the exception of the World Champions, each nominate one historical team (year and franchise) from which to form the amateur draft pool. All players who played on any of the historical teams, and have not been drafted into Diamond Kings previously, will make up the rookie pool. All players in the rookie pool are to be considered rookies, and as such are drafted from their rookie Major League season. We consider a player's rookie season as follows: In the event that a rookie failed to reach either criterion, the season chosen will be the season in which the rookie came closest to those figures. The Commissioner reserves the right to veto any selection if a chosen team does not provide enough new rookies for the amateur draft pool. The draft is a straight draft (the same order will be used in each round) with the exception of picks that have been traded. It will consist of five rounds, or until all of the players have been selected. The first twenty picks in each round will go to the teams that did not participate in the most recent play-offs, in reverse order from their winning percentage in the previous Diamond Kings season. The next two picks go to the teams that lost in the LCS, with the team with the lower winning percentage picking 21st and the one with the better record choosing 22nd. The team that lost in the World Series picks 23rd, and the champion picks 24th. Standings ties will be broken by using the run differential (runs scored minus runs allowed) of the teams. |
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The Financial System
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| XI. Team Revenue |
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Teams will receive revenue from three sources - broadcasting, merchandising, and attendance.
Teams use their revenue to pay their team salaries, including minor leaguers, players on the disabled list, and salaries of players who are released. Teams that operate at a profit may accumulate up to $20,000,000 in cash reserves. Teams that operate at a loss may have difficulty in signing players in the off-season, even if the players that they wish to sign fit under their salary cap. |
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XII. The Salary Cap |
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Each team will be constrained to a $70,000,000 salary cap. No team can be responsible for contracts for more than that amount. All players in the franchise's organization with contracts, including the disabled list and the minor league system, count towards the salary cap. A season cannot start if any team is over the salary cap. Players may be released from their original contracts in order for a team to fit under the salary cap. However, the complete remaining salary of a player who is released must be paid immediately. For example, if a player is released in the second year of a three-year, $2 million contract, the team that released him must pay the remaining $4 million ($2 million each for the second and third years) as a salary expense. Note, however, that this only clears $2 million in salary cap room. The salary cap will remain the same unless the Rules Committee deems it necessary to adjust it.
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XIII. Salaries |
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When a Diamond Kings team calls up a player from the minor leagues, the player is awarded a contract of $300,001, which immediately counts towards the team's salary cap. The player receives that salary for two seasons. After his contract is up the team negotiates with him like they would any other player in the last year of his contract.
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XIV. Contracts |
| Contracts will be handled by the sim unless the Rules Committee feels it would benefit the league to handle them manually. In which case, a system for handling contracts would be put in place. |
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XV. Rookies |
| A rookie is given a salary of $300,001 for a length of two years. At the end of his contract a team may offer him a contract extension (see XVII. Contract Extensions.) |
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XVI. Career-Ending Injuries |
| If a player suffers a career-ending injury, that team will have to pay out his salary for the rest of that season. If he had a contract that ran longer then the current season, the team will not have to pay him for the remainder of his contract. The player will retire going into the following season, voiding the remainder of the contract. |
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XVII. Contract Extensions |
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When a major league player is in the last year of his contract, his team may offer him a new long-term contract. The player is likely to reject the offer if it's made too early in the season, but will eventually begin negotiating in late April or early May. The player will either make his contract demands known or will expect you to make a random offer. Each team will have the right to make an offer to his own players; however, the player may choose to reject the offer and file for free agency at the end of the season. No other team may negotiate the salary or term of the contract at this stage (see XVI. The Free Agent Auction). If a contract extension is signed by a player, said contract will be guaranteed for the remainder of the season in which he signs the contract. A player cannot be released until the following season, at which time the team owner will be assessed a financial penalty (to be determined by the simulation) if the player in question is released.
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XVIII. The Free Agent Auction: |
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All players without contracts with Diamond Kings teams are eligible to be signed as free agents. Each hitter's salary demand will be determined by his HITS rating and each pitcher's salary demand will be determined by his ERA rating (see chart below), but the length of service (from 1-3 years) will be determined by the team that eventually signs him to a contract. The free agent auction will take place over the Internet, on the league message board . The auction will take place over a period of approximately five days, or longer if there remain competing bids.A team may not make a bid after their payroll goes over $70,000,000, or less if their cash reserves (as stated on the team's financial report) are negative. Teams with negative cash balances will have their salary cap reduced by the amount FOR THE FREE AGENT DRAFT ONLY. The salary cap will remain at $70,000,000 for the season; the effect of a negative cash reserve will only be felt during the free agency phase of the Diamond King universe. Any eligible team wishing to make a bid on a free agent may do so on the message board. To make an initial bid on a player, the owner must begin a thread naming the player in the title of the thread and include the player's salary demand, the owner's initial offer and his team name. The following table will determine a player's salary demand:
To make a competing bid, another owner must enter the same thread and post a new message, stating his team and the counter offer. Counter offers must be at least $50,000 greater than the previous bid if the current bid is under $1,000,000, $100,000 greater if the current bid is between $1,000,000 and $5,000,000 and $500,000 greater if the current bid is $5,000,000 or higher. All offers are binding until they are topped. After 24 hours without a topping bid, bidding is over. Players are assigned to their new team at the agreed amount. The owner of the free agent may declare a term with a minimum number of years equal to one year to a maximum of three years in length. If a team goes over the amount that they are allowed to spend, they may not make any further bids in the free agent auction. A player who demands a minor league contract can be claimed by starting a thread on the message board stating that you wish to offer him a minor league contract. Anyone can try to claim him by stating they would also like to offer him a minor league contract under the same thread. After 24 hours the team with the worst record in the previous season will be awarded the player. Each team may only sign one player to a minor league contract until the end of the auction. After that it becomes first come first served. If a team bids $100,000 or more on a player each bid of a minor league contract is then voided. Free agents who are not signed during the auction can be signed at any point during subsequent Diamond King seasons. Free agents who are signed cannot be traded during his first season with his new team. Teams may go above their salary cap to sign a free agent, but cannot start the season until they have reduced their payroll. |
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XIX. Free Agents: |
| Free agents can be signed at any time during the regular season, but free agents who are signed after September 1 will not be eligible for post season play. If you're interested in a free agent, e-mail the commissioner to find out what the free agent is demanding. If the contract amount is agreed upon, the player will be signed immediately. |
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XX. Waiver Wire: |
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A. There will be no waiver claims from the end of the regular season to May 1 the following season. B. Waiver priority is based on the standings at the time of the claim. Ties will be broken by run differential, worse run differential having priority. C. A player claimed off waivers will receive a contract amount based on the following ratings:
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Players claimed off waivers after September 1 will not be eligible for the post season unless they're filling in for an injured player who won't be healthy in time for the postseason. Players claimed off waivers may not be traded until after the close of the year when they were claimed off waivers.
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DEFENSE
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XXI. Defensive Positions |
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When players are imported, the simulation will assign defensive ratings to most players at their primary position. All players will have statistics imported for each position they played during the year chosen by his team owner. Those players that aren't given ratings will be assigned ratings by the commissioner. To ensure accuracy, the commissioner will import every season in major league history as a reference point and adopt the defensive ratings used for each player in the year specified by the player's owner. A player who has statistics at a secondary position is eligible to play that position, regardless of whether he's been assigned a rating or not.
A player who does not have statistics for a position can play that position only under the following conditions: |
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XXII. Defensive Spectrum |
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The order is as follows:
1B, LF, RF, 3B, CF, 2B, SS
The defensive spectrum does not apply to minor leaguers, however. Minor leaguers can be taught any position regardless of previous experience. Be aware, however, that some positions are more difficult to learn and will require more time to learn them. Also be aware that players may experience a reduction in other ratings while learning a new position and that not all players are able to make a successful transition. |
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OFFSEASON VOTING
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XXIII. Awards |
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The following awards will be voted on by league members and presented at the end of each season:
Babe Ruth Award- awarded to the most outstanding player in all of Diamond Kings baseball. MVP Award- Awarded to a player in each league who is deemed most valuable. Walter Johnson Award- awarded to the most outstanding pitcher in each league. Dan Quisenberry Award- awarded to the most outstanding relief pitcher in each league. Jackie Robinson Award- awarded to the most outstanding rookie in each league. Connie Mack Award- awarded to the most outstanding executive in each league. Gold Glove Award- awarded to the most outstanding fielders at each position in each league. |
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XXIIIV. All-Stars |
| League members will choose league All-Star teams at the end of each season, but no All-Star game will be played. |
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XXV. Hall of Fame |
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League members will choose Hall of Fame members from all players who retire at the end of the Diamond Kings season. However, the following criteria must be met before a player can be inducted or considered for induction into the DK Hall of Fame: 1. No minimum service length is required. All Players who have appeared in Diamond Kings are eligible for induction. A player's non-simulated stats will not be considered when said player is being evaluated for possible induction. 2. A three-year waiting period will be required between a player's retirement and the date he can be considered for induction. 3. A player must receive 76% of the vote to be inducted into the DK Hall of Fame. 4. Voting will be mandatory. Owners who refuse to participate could be removed from the league. 5. Retired players will remain eligible for election in perpetuity. Only election to the Hall will affect their eligibility (of course). A list of eligible players will be posted to the site at the end of each season. Hall of Fame voting will occur at the same time that awards voting takes place. Here are the procedures for HOF voting: 1. A player can be nominated for HOF voting by any member of the league. 2. A minimum of two additional league members must second a nomination in order for a nominated player to make it onto the ballot. 3. After all nominations have been made and seconded, a ballot will be created and league members will vote "Yes" or "No" for each player. 4. Players who receive at least 76% of the vote (19 of 25 members), will be inducted into the Diamond Kings Hall of Fame. 5. Players who fail to receive at least 76% of the vote, will not be inducted into the Diamond Kings Hall of Fame, nor will they be eligible again until the following offseason. |
| COMMISSIONER'S DISCLAIMER |
| It is the intention and expectation of the founders of the Seamheads.com Diamond Kings Baseball League that the league shall exist in perpetuity; however, nothing contained herein will be deemed a guarantee of any rights or privileges to continued league play. |