Montgomery Brewster World Baseball Association

Official League Constitution and By-Laws

Original Version 1/2/03 (MMR)

Updates:

· 3/6/03 (JSO)

· 5-8/03 (JSO)

· 7/10/03 (JSO)

· 4/22/04 (TJM)

· 4/12/05 (MMR)

· 7/13/05 (MMR)

· 8/8/05 (MMR)

· 10/20/05 (MMR)

· 12/7/05 (MMR)

· 2/5/06 (MMR)

· 4/11/06 (MMR)

· 6/11/06 (MMR)

· 8/17/06 (MMR)

· 11/27/06 (MMR)

· 1/14/07 (MMR)

· 4/7/07 (MMR)

· new MBWBA revision 4/3/10 (MMR)

· 11/14/10 (MMR)

· 9/5/11 (MMR)

· 1/9/12 (MMR)

Premise
JANUARY 1973: Major League Baseball passes the Designated Hitter rule for use in the American League on a trial basis. Oakland owner Charlie Finley lobbied hard for the rule and his counterparts obliged. The National League did not approve the rule, and were far from alone in opposing it. Many Americans were against the latest thing to disrupt the National Pastime. In 1969, Curt Flood successfully challenged the reserve clause in baseball, beginning arbitration. Challenges to bring about true free agency for players are lurking on the horizon. Along the way, a society for preservation of the National Pastime was formed. The society decided to launch their own baseball league that would abolish the Designated Hitter and fix financial and player association problems before they arose. "Businessman" Montgomery "Monty" Brewster, who has come into millions of dollars from a deceased uncle, donated the money to the league and is the society's chairman. The Montgomery Brewster Baseball Association was thereby formed as a second major league, in direct competition with Major League Baseball.

The MBWBA went strong from the 1973 season until the 1994 season in it's first incarnation. We do have all of the in-game history preserved for the most part, but also still have the CATO HIstory available from 1973-1994.

In April of 2010, the MBWBA was brought back to life with the 1995 season. We are a league rich in history and trying to recapture some of the same passionate General Managers that we used to have when the MBWBA was one of the strongest leagues in the OOTP Community.

After the 2001 MBWBA season, the decision was made to begin to add international leagues. The European Baseball Alliance, an 8 team league, was the first league added. This changed the main name of our league to the Monty Brewster World Baseball Association (MBWBA).

League Settings
NOTE: Original Rosters were "Recte-hacked" to recreate a previous FPS league (the GBC/NACBA).

· Current OOTP Game Engine Settings

How to Join/FAQ
Want to run your own team as General Manager? The MBWBA looks to create that experience. One of the most important aspects of creating that real life experience is that all 24 teams have active and involved General Managers. We aim to be a participation fueled league and look to our General Managers to take their place in that experience seriously. Checking the forums regularly, exporting, posting about the league in the various ways made available to you, replying promptly to Personal Messages and emails are all parts of creating the real life experience. If you don't enjoy these things, then an online league is not for you.

If no teams are currently open, we're always glad to have extra folks hanging around, as fans, active participators, Assistant GM's, etc. There is usually a need for Assistant GM's if a team is not currently open. So feel free to join the board chatter, join the live chats and write any league articles from your current non-biased position.

Current Open Teams

Governing Board
The MBWBA will be governed by a board of four. The following are their descriptions:

A. Commissioner: He is the leader of the Governing Board and responsible for helping to promote the league, work with the League Directors to develop programs to stimulate General Manager activity and involvement, and help the MBWBA improve and flourish. The Commissioner will ensure, along with the Governing Board, that the best interests of the league are protected at all times. The Commissioner will cast the tie breaking vote on all MBWBA issues. The Commissioner will be responsible for working with the Vice Commissioner to guide the overall vision of the league.

B. Vice Commissioner: The Vice Commissioner will be responsible for the management and daily operation of the league. He, along with the Commissioner, is responsible for ensuring that all things happen that make the league go: simulating the games, maintaining the league file, updating the home page, and monitoring the forums. He is always available to answer questions about the league.

C. League Director (2): The League Directors work under the direction of the Commissioner’s Office to ensure that league members are informed, educated and active in the community. League Directors are responsible for Participation Point tracking, new General Manager recruitment and development, and monitoring/encouraging forum participation.

General Managers
Want to run your own team as General Manager? The MBWBA looks to create that experience. One of the most important aspects of creating that real life experience is that all teams have active and involved General Managers. We aim to be a participation fueled league and look to our General Managers to take their place in that experience seriously. Checking the forums regularly, exporting, posting about the league in the various ways made available to you, replying promptly to Personal Messages and emails are all parts of creating the real life experience. If you don't enjoy these things, then an online league is not for you.
A Participation Point system is used to track General Manager activity and provide rewards for General Manager involvement.

Out of the Park Online Utilities (OOTPOU)
OOTPOU is a stand-alone utility using data files from our league file that creates a much richer interactive experience for online play, giving you access to a wealth of information and utilities without having to have game access (great for the 9-5 work GM!). We use OOTPOU for our Draft and Awards voting currently.

Participation Points and Rewards

Requirements for MBBA General Managers: Every MBBA General Manager is required to obtain a minimum of 15 Participation Points by the end of each season with at least 4 of those points coming from Team News. (In addition, General Managers with less than 2 Participation Points at the midseason update will be subject to removal by the Governing Board). Being an MBBA General Manager is a privilege, not a right. The Governing Board must assure that all General Managers are contributing in order to sustain a healthy, active league. Failure to earn your 10 PPTs by the stated Participation Point Deadline means you have given up your General Manager rights in the MBBA. Those rights may be returned to you at the Governing Board's discretion. If you are in your first or second continuous season in the MBBA and you have not met minimums, chances are you will not be returned your General Manager rights.

· Participation Points & Rewards: The Basics

Requirements for international league General Managers: You are not being held to a minimum Participation Point count, however, every point counts towards your total if you go to the MBBA in the future. Missing four consecutive exports without notice indicates that you have abandoned your team.

Sims
Will be conducted 3 times a week: Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Export deadlines for these days are 8am Central (unless otherwise stated), and the sim will occur that day at a point AFTER the Export deadline. Each sim will consist of 10 days of the MBWBA schedule, unless it is the end of a month, or otherwise stated.

Playoffs and Off-Season Events will occur as announced by the Commissioner.

All schedules are found in the current years Sim Complete thread (located in the MBWBA Announcements Forum). This thread will always be kept up-to-date with MBWBA events and deadlines by the Commissioner and Vice Commissioner.

Finances
Finances will be used. Details can be found in the Current OOTP Game Engine Settings.

You will be allowed to set your own ticket prices in-game.

Player Cuts

With the advent of OOTP:2006, player cuts can now be performed by the user within the game via export. You will no longer need to post cuts on the forums.

Designated for Assignment
The DFA is essentially being used as a holding area in the MBWBA. Basically, any player acquisition regardless of the type now goes to your DFA. Once on the DFA, it will be up to you from within OOTP to determine what your next course of action is for those player(s). If the sim is halted by OOTP b/c you have not resolved your player's DFA status, the simmer will first attempt to send the player to your AAA minor league club, and if unsuccessful, that player will be released.  You have 11 in-game days to decide what to do with a player that has been DFA’ed.

Once a player is in DFA, what can I do with him?
(1) You can assign him to your 25-man roster (prefaced by a placement on the 40-man)
(2) You can assign him to a minor league roster, however...
     - Players with a big-league contract must be placed on the 40-man roster before being assigned to the minors.
     - Players with five or more years of MLB service can refuse assignment to the minors and must clear irrevocable waivers
     - Players with no option years remaining must clear irrevocable waivers before being assigned to the minors.
(3) You can attempt to negotiate a trade involving the player before 7/31
(4) You can out-right release the player and eat his contract

Player Eligibility

Position Players:
Position players are allowed to play any position you'd like, with the understanding that if they aren't "rated" at that position they probably won't fare so well. The basic defensive spectrum is in use in OOTP, assigning positions a declining degree of difficulty as such: P, C, SS, 2B, CF, 3B, RF, LF, 1B. The basic concept behind the defensive spectrum is that players can generally adapt fairly well to a defensive position to the right of the spectrum, but not as well to the left of the spectrum.

Pitchers:
Endurance is a measure of how many pitches a pitcher can throw before tiring. Pitchers with high Endurance ratings tend to be used as starting pitchers, while pitchers with low Endurance ratings tend to be used as relievers.

Teams may choose to employ either a four or five man starting pitching staff during the regular season. Only during the playoffs is a three man starting pitching rotation acceptable.

Amateur Draft
MBWBA teams will pick as OOTP lists the amateur draft order at the start of the season.
Teams will draft on June 15^th. The draft pool will be released 75 game days in advance and we'll draft using OOTPOU until that draft's sim comes up. The draft on OOTPOU will include time limits to make your pick. There will be no live drafting. All efforts will be made to allow General Managers to make as many picks themselves as they desire. The best way to ensure the draft runs quickly is to setup shortlists using OOTPOU.

Each franchise will get to submit user-created names for each Amateur Draft in the Forums. Commissioner’s discretion applies to these names actually being applied to the upcoming draft class or not.

Rule 5 Draft

The MBWBA does do a Rule 5 Draft each offseason. Teams must protect players on their 40 man roster if they are designated with a “#” by their name. If not put on the 40 man roster, they are left available in the Rule 5 draft.

To participate in the Rule 5 draft, you must have open 27/40 man roster slots for any player you wish to draft. Lists and instructions are submitted, via Forum PM, to the Commissioner. The draft is then held offline.

Trades
ALL trades must be posted on the message board and confirmed by both General Managers and will be completed by the Commissioner BEFORE the games are simmed.

Cash: Trading of cash is allowed with a $100,000 minimum in no less than $100,000 increments. (Trading of cash is allowed starting in 1975.)

Draft Picks: There is no trading of Draft Picks allowed in the MBWBA, as we employ the OOTP Free Agent Compensation system as of the 1997 season.

Trade Protests: If an General Manager wishes to protest a trade as collusion or extremely lopsided, he must notify the Commissioner. If the complaint is valid the Commissioner will assemble a league trade committee to make a ruling on the trade. All committee rulings are final and will be accompanied with an explanation.

Please respond to trade offers as quickly as possible and be nice, even if the offer is absurd.

Off Season Free Agency
FA offers will be made via FTP exports from within OOTP. The simulation schedule will vary as the Commissioner sees fit. Players signed during off-season free agency may not be traded until June 1 of the upcoming season. Currently there is no official policy limiting bonus offers, but we will keep a watchful eye on these to ensure there is no manipulation occuring, and the Governing Board will make decisions on a case to case basis.

In Season Free Agency
Signing of free agents during the season is managed from within the game and your team exports. Currently there is no official policy limiting bonus offers, but we will keep a watchful eye on these to ensure there is no manipulation occuring, and the Governing Board will make decisions on a case to case basis.

Contract Extensions
Contract Extensions are handled from within the game, may be done any time, and as many tries as the player gives you. Currently there is no official policy limiting bonus offers, but we will keep a watchful eye on these to ensure there is no manipulation occuring, and the Governing Board will make decisions on a case to case basis.

All-Star Game
All-Star Voting is done each season through Stats Lab, and is a Mandatory League Vote.

Each Reserves and Lineups will be decided by the Commissioner. The host of the All-Star Game is up for bid each season. Once hosted, your team must wait 5 years before they will be eligible to host again. General Managers will submit formal proposals to host the All-Star Game, including as many details as to why they should win the bid, by posting them in the League Features section of the board. A winner will be announced in early June of the season. If no bids are placed the game will be given a location by the Commissioner and no bonuses will be awarded. Teams hosting the All-Star Game will receive the following: $1,000,000 Cash reflecting a city economic boost; a Cash amount totaling attendance for the game X $10 ticket price; and an immediate Fan Interest boost of 5. This is a very lucrative reward, so expect a high standard to be enforced during the Governing Board's selection process.

MBWBA Choice Awards
MBWBA Choice Awards will happen each year directly following the end of the regular season through OOTPOU, and is a mandatory league vote.

Participation
Be active and have some fun doing it. If you have no changes for the next sim, it is easiest to just export your unchanged lineup as an "I'm still active" gesture. Imagination and creativity is what will bring this league to life, feel free to use it. If for any reason you become unable to run your team for a time post your absence in the General Manager Availability. The MBWBA strives to be considered among the best fictional leagues that OOTP offers in an online experience. Get involved in rivalry and silliness where applicable, but use your judgment so as not to offend others. Please address any comments, suggestions or questions to any member of the Governing Board.

Mandatory Voting
The MBWBA is a league where participation is expected out of all General Managers. The following important league issues require a mandatory vote:

Voting for MBWBA Choice Awards

Voting for All-Stars

Voting on any Rule Changes (typically done on the forums)

Voting for the Hall of Fame

Credits
Thanks go out to Global Baseball Consortium, American Baseball Association, Other Reality Baseball 2, Federation of International Baseball, Global Unified Baseball Association and any others that inspired this document or were used as a model for differing sections