TCBA Today Constitution and Rulebook
100. ORGANIZATION
110. TCBA Today (TCBA-T) operates to promote
friendship and stimulate competition among baseball fans through playing the
APBA Computer Baseball Game remotely or in person.
111. No wagering on any TCBA game, series, or
draft is permitted.
112. The league mailing list may not be used or
sold for any form of solicitation that is not directly related to league
business.
120. The association is composed of 24 active
managers, consisting of four divisions of six teams each. There may also be an
indefinite number of non-participating associate members.
121. All members are required to adhere to both
the letter and the spirit of this Constitution and all other TCBA-T rules and
practices. Members must be fair and prompt in their dealings with
other members, and answer all correspondence from other managers, including
trade offers.
122. Repeated failure to follow league rules and
practices, gross incompetence, or violation involving personal integrity may
result in a vote to suspend or expel a league member. The vote will
be conducted among the other 23 members of the league. A two-thirds majority,
consisting of at least 13 affirmative votes, is required for
expulsion. Once expelled, the member may not rejoin the TCBA-T
except by vote of league members.
130. The basic operating rules of the TCBA-T
shall be as follows:
131. The current APBA data disk will be used
each year.
132. All players are owned from year to year by
the same team, unless released or traded.
140. The officers of the association are the
president, the treasurer, and the player control agent. There may also be a
three-member rules committee, chaired by a rules committee chairman. When in
effect, in January of each year, if any three members so request, there will be
an election for any of these positions. If no candidate receives a majority in
such an election, there will be a run-off election among the three highest
vote-getters and anyone tied with them. The duties of these officers are as follows:
141. The president interprets and enforces
TCBA-T rules, recruits and selects new members, and arbitrates any conflicts
between members. In enforcing the rules, the president may penalize violations
by issuing appropriate fines, declaring players ineligible for periods of time
(including post-season), invalidating the result of one or more games, or any
combination of the above. Any dispute involving the team managed by
the president shall be resolved by the chairman of the Rules Committee, when in
effect, or if his team is also involved, the vice-chairman of the Rules
Committee. The president may also name members to fill any vacancies in officer
positions created by resignations in-between elections. The president may not
take any action which contravenes this Constitution, as amended, or overrules a
valid vote of TCBA-T members.
143. The treasurer collects annual dues fixed by
him at a level which will cover anticipated association expenses for the year,
and distributes league funds as necessary to cover league expenses.
146. The player control agent maintains
"cash" balances and rosters of each team in the league. He is
responsible for handling the Rookie Draft, Free Agent Draft, and any waiver
claims that are made.
147. When desired, there may be a rules
committee of three members, to receive, discuss, refine, select, and present
proposals by TCBA-T members regarding changes in TCBA-T rules and practices.
The member of the Rules Committee receiving the highest number of votes shall
serve as chairman unless he designates some other committee member to perform
that function. The committee member receiving the second highest vote total
shall be designated the vice-chairman.
150. Any reasonable proposal to change TCBA-T
rules or practices may be presented to the Rules Committee (or the President
when a Rules Committee is not in effect), for discussion, and possible
amendment or refinement. If the proposal is approved by the Rules Committee
or President, it shall be presented to the entire membership for discussion and
written comment (pro and con) at least two months before voting.
151. An absolute majority of league members is
necessary to add, delete, or change any part of this Constitution and Rulebook
except Rules 100-199. Proxy votes will not be permitted on changes to the TCBA
TODAY Constitution. The absence of a full membership shall not prohibit voting
and obtaining absolute majority votes with less than a full membership voting.
152. A three-fourths majority of the voting
members, with a minimum of 13, is necessary to change, or delete any part of
Rules 100-199.
153. Associate members of the TCBA-T may
participate in any voting which does not concern the size of or who shall be a
member of the TCBA-T. Their votes will be counted as one-half vote each.
154. Any rule change that affects members
unequally (as determined by the Rules Committee or President) shall not take
effect until the beginning of the following season.
160. At the annual general meeting, the members
may present, consider, and adopt rule changes, but no rule proposal may be
voted on at the meeting unless it was proposed at least one month earlier, and
any members absent from the meeting are given the opportunity to vote by mail,
telephone or e-mail.
200. SCHEDULE
210. The schedule consists of one series per
(calendar) week for 34 weeks, home or away but not both, for a total of 162
games, 81 home and 81 away games. A series may consist of 4 or 5 games.
213. During the regular season, each team will
play 52 games against the teams in one other division (8 against some teams and
9 against others,) and 5 games against each team in the other two
divisions. Schedule will rotate these division matchups on a
three-year cycle.
214. During the regular season, each team will
play 10 games against each team in its own division.
215. Rainouts and ties will be rescheduled
during open dates in the season, at the discretion of the league president. Any
rainouts and ties not rescheduled by the end of the season will be replayed if
they have any bearing on divisional championships, playoff qualification or
playoff seeding. Injuries and rest will carry over to such replays from the
final game of the regular season, and teams may use, subject to AIM, pitchers
who had exhausted their allotment of allowed starts during the regular season.
220. There shall be post-season playoffs subject
to the following rules:
221. The first-place team in each division
qualifies for the playoffs. These teams are designated Teams 1, 2, 3 and 4 for
post-season play, with the lowest numbers going to teams with the best
regular-season records, in order.
222. Of the 16 non-division winning teams in
each league, the four with the best records also qualify for the playoffs. The
non-division winning team having the best record will be designated Team 5 for
post-season play, and the non-division-winning team with the next-best record
will be designated Team 6 for post-season play. The two teams with the
next-best records after team 6 will be designated Team 7 and Team 8.
223. If after all ties, rainouts, and
upheld-protest games have been made up, any ties exist between teams in the
same division for any playoff position mentioned in or , the
tie will be broken, without additional playoff games, in favor of the team with
the:
A. best record in head-to-head play between the
tied teams, or if still tied, the
B. best record inside the division of the tied
teams, or if still tied, the
C. best overall record for the last 25 games of
intra-division play, or if still tied, the
D. greatest differential between runs scored and
runs allowed for the season, or if still tied, the
E. greatest number of runs scored in
head-to-head play between the tied teams, or if still tied, the
F. greatest differential between runs scored and
runs allowed in games played within the division of the tied teams, or if still
tied, a
G. coin toss.
224. If after all ties, rainouts, and upheld
protest games have been made up, any ties exist between teams in different
divisions for any playoff positions mentioned in or , the tie will be
broken, without any additional playoff games, in favor of the team with the: A.
greater strength-of-schedule, i.e., overall comparative records of the entire
divisions of the tied teams, or if still tied, the B. best record against all
teams in the divisions which do not contain the tied teams (common opponents),
or if still tied, the C. greatest differential between total runs
scored and total runs allowed in games against common opponents specified
immediately above, or if still tied, the D. greatest differential between total
runs scored and runs allowed for the season, or if still tied, the E. best
record in head-to-head play between the tied teams, or if still tied, a F. coin
toss.
225. In the quarterfinal round of the playoffs,
team 1 plays team 8 in Series A; team 2 plays team 7 in Series B, team 3 plays
team 6 in Series C and team 4 plays team 5 in Series D. 226. In the semifinals,
the winner of Series A plays the winner of Series D in Series E and the winner
of Series B plays the winner of Series C in Series F. 227. In the TCBA Today
World Series, the winner of Series E plays the winner of Series F to determine
the league champion. 228. All playoff series described in Rules 225-227 shall be best-of-seven series. The higher
seeded (lower numbered) team is the home team for games 1, 2, 6, and 7 of each
series. AIM injuries and fatigue carry over from the regular season to the
quarterfinal playoff series, and from one playoff series to the next. There
will be one scheduled day of rest between the last day of the regular season
and the quarterfinal series (more if necessary to make up rainouts), but no
days of rest between rounds of the playoffs. All regular-season rules of play
(Rules 300-399) apply, except that there are special limitations on post-season
starts by pitchers ( ) and there are no
limits on stolen base attempts ( ).
310. All games are played subject to the
Official Rules of Baseball as applicable, using the APBA Baseball for Windows
computer game. [If a version of this game later than version 3.75 is used, any
features which affect the play of the game which were not included in version
3.75 must be not be used, including but not limited to bunting for a base hit,
pulling the infield in at the corners, and ballpark effects.]
311. Player fatigue and injury is determined by
using the AIM system of Baseball for Windows version 5.75, using the following
options: All injuries and fatigue, Late-20th Century pitcher durability and
recovery, enforce batters faced limits, PR 930 if SLG + OBP < .600, and
pause pre-game if player is tired, bushed or worn out.
312. Use of micromanagers for away series is
mandatory unless the series is played with the live (real-time) participation
of the visiting manager. Any micromanager used must be distributed to the
entire league if it is not already available to the public. (If the manager is
obtainable by paying a fee to the publisher, it is considered available to the
public).
313. The designated hitter rule will be used in
the TCBA-T
314. In the event of computer failure prior to
the end of a game, the game should be replayed in its entirety.
320. All managers shall use a copy of the
official league data disk for that season.
323. The injury rating
of all innocuous players (defined in ), and
pitchers (defined in ) shall be changed to J-1 (unless it was J-0).
330. To be eligible for usage in the regular
season, a non-pitcher must have at least 50 real-life plate appearances in the
corresponding Major League season.
331. To be eligible for usage in post-season
play, a non-pitcher must have at least 80 real-life plate appearances in the
corresponding Major League season.
333. No player may start at a position (except
pitcher) at which he did not appear at least 10 times during the corresponding
major league season, unless he has played 75 or more games at that position
during his major league career. A player not eligible to start at any position
at all because of this rule may start at the first position listed on his card.
Players may be used defensively at positions at which they are ineligible to
start, but never before the seventh inning unless the last remaining eligible
player at that position is injured or ejected.
334. Innocuous
players are defined as players with a batting average less than .235, an
on-base percentage less than .315, a slugging percentage less than .350 in the
corresponding major league season, and who meet fielding limitations as shown
in are given a play rating of 930. Any additional non-pitchers with SLG +
OBP < .600 will also get a PR of 930.
336. No player may
appear at a position at which he is not currently rated. No player may be
removed from the game without a defensive substitute available at his position,
unless his team is tied or behind in the ninth inning or later. If it becomes
unavoidable to use an ineligible player at a position, a weak hitter who once
played or might be expected to play the position shall be used.
337. Each team must
include on its playing roster at least two rated players at every defensive
position. A player may be used to meet this requirement at more than one
position.
340. Pitcher eligibility and fatigue depends in
part on the pitcher's category. To be eligible for usage a pitcher must have at
least 8 starts or 20 games pitched in the corresponding Major League season. To
be eligible to pitch in the playoffs a pitcher must have started 10 games or
appeared in 25 in the corresponding Major League season. The three categories
of pitchers recognized by these rules are starters, who have no asterisk after
their grade on the APBA data disk; relievers, who have an asterisk after their
single grade on the APBA data disk; and split-grade pitchers, who have two
separate grades on the disk.
341. Split-grade
pitchers (only) are limited to their real-life number of starts.
342. Pitchers
defined as innocuous (Grade 3 or lower) are given a MBF of 900 or their actual
MBF, whichever is greater.
343. Starts by starting
pitchers and starts by split-grade pitchers in post-season play are
limited as follows:
MLB
starts Starts per
7-game playoff series
1-9
0
10-19 1
20-29 2
30+ 3
350. All strategy used must make sense as
baseball strategy. Strategy may not be based solely or primarily on reasoning
which is unique to or based on the limitations of the baseball simulation model
of APBA, BBW or the TCBA-T.
351. During the regular season, the home team
manager can choose any stadium they wish at their own discretion. During the playoffs, domed stadiums are not allowed.
353. No pitcher may pinch-hit
unless it is shown that he was used to pinch-hit at least 8 times during the
corresponding season. A pitcher who qualifies to pinch-hit under this rule may
only pinch-hit when all or all but one of the non-pitchers on the bench have
been used. Announcing players and removing them without playing for the purpose
of making a pitcher eligible to pinch-hit is not permitted.
354. The hit-and-run may
be called only when the runner on first has a Steal Allowance Letter of A-F (or
G with Steal Success Number 0-27) and the batter has a hit-and-run rating of at
least 2. The hit-and-run play may not be called with two out.
355. The attempted steal
may not be called when the baserunner has already attempted 125% or more of his
steal attempts for the corresponding season. However, trailing
runners on double or triple steals may steal at any time. Pinch runners may not
steal unless they have an SAL of A-F, stole at least 5 bases during the
corresponding major league season, and are otherwise eligible. In post-season
play, the steal may be called only when the runner on first has a Steal
Allowance Letter of A-F (or G with Steal Success Number 0-27). This rule does
not affect a team's ability to call the hit-and-run play.
383. After each series, the home manager must
send a data file as applicable in the League Manager module of the BBW game to
the person acting as League Manager "commissioner," by the posted
deadline. If results are not reported by the deadline the Commissioner has the
authority to auto-play those series.
384. Failure to meet deadlines established for
reporting procedures detailed in Rule 383 will
result in a fine to be deducted from the team's cash balance. This fine is
doubled for the second offense and tripled for the third and subsequent
offenses in one season. Waiver of a penalty may be granted by the president
only if a valid excuse is submitted before the series, or if truly exceptional
circumstances intervene. Fines will be refunded to any team that changes
managers before the next rookie draft. The fourth offense in any
season triggers an automatic expulsion vote under rule 122.
385. At the conclusion of each season each team
is given a lump sum bonus of $72,000 for playing their home
games. If a series is not reported on time, the person acting as
"commissioner" (as defined in Baseball for Windows League Manager)
will play the series using micromanagers for both teams. All bonus money will
be awarded after rosters are cut to 30 following each season and may not be
used until that date. It may be used in the upcoming Rookie Draft
and thereafter.
410. Each team may control up to 27 players on
its active playing roster and up to 10 others on its reserve
list ("farm team") for a total of 37 during the regular season. During
the playoffs the active roster is limited to 26 players. Players may be
transferred between playing roster and reserve list between any two
series. Players may be transferred between playing roster and
reserve list only between series and not between games of a series, regardless
of injury. Control of an ineligible player ( ) may
be maintained by keeping his name on the reserve list.
411. Starting with a posted pre-season deadline and throughout
each season, each team must have sufficient players available at every position
to total a Play Rating (PR) of 1100 [counting only those players eligible to
start, and in the case of players who have a Season Factor (SF) of less than
100, counting a play rating of PR times SF divided by 100] at that
position. The play rating of a player who qualifies to start at more
than one position may be divided as needed to meet this requirement. The 1100 PR
requirement for a team at any position, including designated hitter, is reduced
to 1050 if that team has at least one player eligible to start at that position
who has a PR of 930 or higher and whose SF is 100. In this case,
players on the roster not eligible to start but rated at that position can
apply 60 PR of their total available in order for the team to reach the 1050PR
level at that position. Each team must have sufficient starting
pitchers to start 170 games (based on real-life use) and a total MBF (batters
faced) on the pitching staff of 7000 or more. Innocuous players (defined in ), and pitchers ), may be used to meet of these requirements. For purposes of
this rule, innocuous starting pitchers will be credited with 20 starts or the
number of starts made in real life, whichever is greater, and 900 MBF or the
number of batters faced in real life, whichever is greater.
412. Each player will be assigned a "salary" each season
based on application of a formula contained in Appendix C using the player’s real-life statistics for the
corresponding season. Prior to the start of the season, and from
that time forward throughout the season, no team may exceed the salary unit
limit established for that season for their complete roster. Any
team exceeding the Salary Cap for the current season must, from that point, immediately cut players from their roster
to achieve the salary unit limit or below. All players cut at that
time will be placed in the league’s free agent pool and will be available in to
the league through its free agent system.
420. Players may be traded and sold between
teams, subject to the following rules:
421. Trades may include
money from a team's cash balance, but all players and money in a transaction
must be transferred at the same time. Trades may not include players to be
loaned, transferred, or named later, or any other type of future consideration.
No agreement may be made to announce a trade or part of a trade at any future
date. Trades may be made, however, after the current season's deadline, to take
effect at the end of the season in progress, with any cash involved being
transferred immediately.
422. Any transaction
resulting in a team acquiring the rights to more than 37 total players must
include the names of those players cut to return the gaining team to the 37-man
maximum roster. Such cuts will take effect on the date the transaction
takes effect, and are not revocable.
423. No trade may take
effect until both parties have notified the player control
agent and President of all players, cash, and/or draft choices involved in the
transaction.
424. No manager may
offer the same player in trade to more than one team at a time, unless the
offer indicates that it is only tentative, using words to that effect.
425. Any team violating , or attempting to make a trade which is
illegal under these rules or impossible because of its current roster or cash
balance, will be fined $20,000. Both parties to a trade may be fined the full
amount if both participated in the violation. At the president's discretion, a
trade may also be voided and/or the fine money awarded to a team injured by the
violation.
426. Any trade that
takes place on or after the posted trading deadline (prior to Series 13), will
not take effect until the conclusion of the season in progress.
427. No player
transactions of any kind may be made between the conclusion of the regular
season and the time that teams’ mandatory postseason cuts rookie nominations
have been published. The trade window will then remain open until again frozen
by a published date approximately 10 days prior to the annual Winter Meetings.
428. No manager may make
any trade, trade offer, or agreement to make a trade until the fifteenth day
after his name and address have been published in writing to the members of his
league.
430. Rookies, defined as players never before
included on an APBA data disk and whose statistics for the corresponding season
meet one of the criteria of 80 plate appearances, 8 games started as a pitcher
or 20 games pitched, are drafted as follows:
431. The auction draft is held at the winter
TCBA-T meeting. Those players available for the draft will be selected the
previous autumn by manager nominations. Each manager may nominate, by mail in
advance of a specified deadline, 0 to 8 rookies. There will be no penalty for
failure to nominate any rookies. Players will be added to the draft by
selecting one nominee from each team in reverse order of W-L record, until 50%
of the available rookies have been selected or all nominees from each team have
been selected, whichever is first. In the event that less than 20 rookies are
nominated, others will be chosen randomly to bring the pool up to 20.
432. The pool of rookies available for the draft
is placed in a random bidding order. The order is determined during
the annual rookie draft.
433. The Rookie Draft will be conducted as an
auction with an auctioneer to be designated by the President, in which teams
bid in predetermined order according to previous season's finish. It
is preferred that members attend in person, if possible.
434. If some managers cannot attend in person,
an attempt will be made to permit them to participate by telephone or other
electronic method. It will not be permitted, except by ruling of the President
in exceptional circumstances, to designate a proxy bidder, whether a league
member or not.
435. If the draft cannot be conducted with all
managers present either in person or by telephone or other electronic method,
the absent managers will bid by submitting a separate sealed envelope on each
player he wishes to bid on. There will be no limit on the number of players a
team may bid on, and a bid may include a contingency making it dependent on how
much cash the team has left, whether or not it has drafted some other player,
or any other reason. The total of such bids may exceed the team's cash balance;
however, any bid which exceeds the team's adjusted cash balance when it is
opened will be deemed a bid for the remainder of the cash balance.
436. Managers will be seated around the table in
the draft room in order of their previous season's record, with a place left
for any manager participating remotely. Bidding on each player
will start with the manager whose nomination placed that player in the draft.
That manager must make an opening bid of at least $5,000. (If the player was
not nominated, the manager making the opening bid will be chosen randomly and
there will be no minimum bid.) If a manager must make an opening bid but has
less than $5,000 left or has already drafted the maximum number of rookies, he
will be permitted to bid $5,000 but no more. If he drafts the player because
there is no other bid, he will have a negative cash balance at that point. This
will be the only situation in which a team may bid more than its cash balance.
437. After the opening bid on each player, the
bidding proceeds around the table in order of seating. The direction of bidding
will alternate with each player between clockwise and
counter-clockwise. Any team not able or wishing to bid more than the
previous bid must pass and may not make any further bid on that
player. Bidding continues around the table until all but one manager
has passed. The minimum increment by which a bid must be increased
is always $1,000 although a manager may increase the previous bid by any amount
in multiples of $1,000 that does not exceed his cash total.
438. [Applies only if one or more managers are
bidding by mail.] After all but one manager
has passed on a player in the live bidding, it will be determined whether or
not there are one or more envelopes containing bids on that player which are
equal to or higher than the final live auction bid. If so, the manager
who is present will be asked to declare what is the highest he is willing to
bid on that player. Then all envelopes containing bids on that player will be
opened and the mail bids compared with the declared maximum. The
player will go to the highest bidder, whether live or by mail, for $1,000 more
than the next highest of these bids. If no mail bid exceeds the
highest live auction bid, the player is drafted by the highest live bidder.
Ties in this process are decided in favor of the team having the poorer record
in the previous season.
439. No more than six rookies may be drafted in
one draft by any manager, unless a team is required to
open the bidding for a 7th player, and every other team passes.
440. Players are also distributed in the Free Agent Draft,
also held at the TCBA-T meeting in February of each year. Following the Rookie
Auction Draft, each non-playoff team cuts its roster to 32 players. Teams
making the playoffs will be required to cut to a lower number following the
rookie draft. Beginning in 2022, all teams making the playoffs
will be required to cut down to 31 players. Any teams that make the
playoffs for the following year (2 consecutive years) will be required to cut
to 30 players. For each consecutive season that playoff
qualification continues an additional player cut will correspond till that team
reaches 27 players. Any additional season, from that point forward,
that the team makes the playoffs they will also cut to the minimum allowed of
27 players. After any season in which a team misses
the playoffs the will revert to cutting to
32 players and be required to cut to 31 the next time they make the
playoffs. The carded players who are cut as well as any other
unowned carded players are available in this draft. Each manager, unless he
appears in person, submits a preference list. The draft proceeds, in order of
lowest winning percentage the preceding season. Teams may draft for as many
rounds until they reach the 37-man limit. Free agent draft picks in
rounds 1-5 only may be sold or traded only during available trading periods
between postseason cutdown and the beginning of the Free Agent Draft.
450. Players on the league waiver list may
be claimed for $5,000 by sending e-mail notice of the claim to the player
control agent and the league Commissioner, with the date of transmission
determining priority. The waiver list consists of all players available but
unclaimed in the Free Agent Draft, plus all players released after the Rookie
Auction or during the current season. Players must be cut
immediately after a waiver claim or uneven trade if necessary to stay within
the roster limit. No players may be claimed after the trading deadline.
461. Teams are awarded bonus cash prior to the
Rookie Auction for having players among the league leaders, as determined by
Stat Master in certain categories.
460. Teams are allotted cash annually after the
Rookie Draft. The league champion receives $2,000; the other seven
playoff teams receive $27,000 each; the other 16 teams receive $60,000
each. Cash is also awarded in the form of bonuses as indicated in .
461. Teams failing to submit a ballot in the
annual voting on rule change proposals are fined $10,000, to be deducted
immediately.
462. All players on a team’s 37-man roster will be required to be
used at least one third of their actual MLB usage (rounded up). For
hitters this will be for plate appearances, for pitchers’ innings
pitched. Any players not used the minimum amount will be placed in
the following years free agent pool.
APPENDIX B - Fielding Limitations for Innocuous
Players
POSITION RATING
C 5-7
1B 2-3
2B 5-7
SS 6-8
3B 2-4
OF 1-2
APPENDIX C - Salary Calculation System
For Hitters:
TWar= OWar plus 25% DWar
For Pitchers:
TWar = PWar
Formula Definitions:
OWar – Offensive Wins Against Replacement
DWar – Defensive Wins Against
Replacement
PWar – Pitching Wins Against Replacement
TWar – TCBA salary
Note: All WAR calculations are based on the Baseball-Reference.com
version