2007 Rule Change Proposals

 

  1. Stop using designated hitters. If this proposal passes, then we would not use the DH starting in 2009. Note that as per the current rules 3/4 of the managers (15 out of 20) would need to vote YES in order for this proposal to pass. A YES vote means to stop using the DH in 2009; a NO vote means to continue using the DH. Either way, we will still use the DH for the 2008 season.

 

Proposal 1: FAILED (2-18).

 

  1. Allow for the trading of taxi draft pick positions. A YES vote means that taxi draft picks could be included as all or part of a trade, as long as the picks were traded in equal numbers. Thus you would have to trade 1 taxi pick for 1 taxi pick, or 2 for 2, etc. Since it is not known until the time of the 20-man protect lists exactly how many taxi picks each team will have, such trading of taxi picks could only come after the 20-man protect lists are announced and up until the end of the draft. If this proposal passes then it would take effect for the 2008 draft.

 

Proposal 2: FAILED (8-12).

 

  1. Allow for the trading of taxi players. A YES vote means that taxi players could be traded anytime. They would, however, retain their taxi squad status for the current season, and thus not be eligible to play. This means that a team might increase their taxi squad to more than 5 players during the season. If so, then the team must cut or promote players sufficiently to have 5 or less taxi squad players at the time that 20-man protect lists are announced. A NO vote means that we continue to not allow the trading of taxi squad players (unless proposal 4 below passes instead). If this proposal passes then it would take effect for the 2008 season.

 

Proposal 3: PASSED (11-9).

 

  1. Allow for the trading of taxi players in even numbers. A YES vote means that taxi players could be traded anytime as long as they were traded in equal numbers. They would, however, retain their taxi squad status for the current season, and thus not be eligible to play. A NO vote means that we continue to not allow the trading of taxi squad players (unless proposal 3 above passes instead). If this proposal passes then it would take effect for the 2008 season. If both 3 and 4 pass, then proposal 3 will take effect.

 

Proposal 4: PASSED (11-9). Since 3 also passed, however, it is 3 that takes effect.

 

  1. Clarification of Draft Start: No Draft picks may be posted prior to the official start at 8AM on the last Saturday in January. The draft officially starts at 8AM on the last Saturday in January. A YES vote on this proposal means that no draft picks may be announced prior to the official start. A NO vote means that we retain the current ambiguity in the rules. If this proposal passes then it would take effect for the 2008 draft.

 

Proposal 5: FAILED (7-13).

 

  1. Clarification of Draft Start: Only the very first pick may be posted prior to the official start at 8AM on the last Saturday in January. The draft officially starts at 8AM on the last Saturday in January. A YES vote on this proposal means that only the 1st overall pick of the draft may be announced prior to the official start; all other picks must wait until after the official start to be posted. A NO vote means that we retain the current ambiguity in the rules. If this proposal passes then it would take effect for the 2008 draft.

 

Proposal 6: FAILED (3-17).

 

  1. Clarification of Draft Start: Picks may be announced early, but no one is on the 12-hour clock until the official start at 8AM on the last Saturday in January. No draft pick selections may be posted prior to the January 9th pre-draft trade deadline. The draft clock officially starts at 8AM on the last Saturday in January. After 8AM on this day each pick is on the clock and each manager subject to the 12 hour time limit. A YES vote on this proposal means that after January 9 and before 8AM on the last Saturday in January, managers may post draft pick selections if they desire. There is no time limit on these selections and there is no penalty no matter how much time is taken, and any manager whose pick is up has the option of waiting until after 8AM on the last Saturday in January to post that pick. A NO vote means that we retain the current ambiguity in the rules. If this proposal passes then it would take effect for the 2008 draft.

 

Proposal 7: PASSED (15-5).

 

  1. Wait to declare playoff rosters until after final month’s games. Currently we declare a fixed 25-man playoff roster prior to the last month’s games being played, and thus before actual playoff opponents are known. A YES vote on this proposal would mean that playoff rosters would not be declared until after the playoff match-ups are known. The October results would be published, and then the playoff teams would have until a certain deadline (such as November 9, for example) to turn in their playoff roster, after which the playoff league ZIP would be released. The 25-man playoff roster would still remain fixed throughout the playoffs, however. A NO vote means that we keep the current system and require playoff teams to submit their post-season rosters during the last month (by October 9). If this proposal passes then it would take effect for the 2008 season.

 

Proposal 8: FAILED (9-11).

 

  1. Allow playoff roster changes between playoff series. Currently we declare a fixed 25-man playoff roster prior to the last month’s games being played, and thus before actual playoff opponents are known, and this roster remains fixed for the entire post-season. A YES vote on this proposal would mean that playoff rosters would not need to be set until just prior to game 1 of each playoff series. That roster would remain fixed for that entire series, regardless of how many games it goes, but the team that advances could then change its roster prior to game 1 of the next series. A NO vote means that we keep the current system and require playoff teams to submit their post-season rosters during the last month (by October 9), unless proposal 3 passes instead. If this proposal passes then it would take effect for the 2008 season.

 

Proposal 9: FAILED (7-13).

 

  1. Change order of Taxi Draft. Currently the order of the taxi draft is the same as the regular draft: non-playoff teams from best to worst record, followed by playoff teams from worst to best record. A YES vote on this proposal would mean that the taxi draft was from worst overall record to best overall record, regardless of playoff position. A NO vote means that we keep the current system. If this proposal passes it would not take effect until the 2009 draft.

 

Proposal 10: FAILED (10-10).

 

  1. Move additional make-up picks until after Taxi draft. Currently in order to make sure everyone starts each year with a 35 man roster we make sure that the number of players plus picks is 35 at the pre-draft trade deadline on January 9. If someone is short, then we add picks to the draft to get them up to 35. Right now we add those picks at the end of the regular draft and prior to the start of the Taxi draft. A YES vote on this proposal means that we move these additional picks until after the taxi draft. A NO vote means that we keep these picks in between the regular and taxi draft as we do now. If this proposal passes it would not take effect until the 2009 draft.

 

Proposal 11: FAILED (9-11).

 

  1. Change payout schedule. Currently the prize money is awarded in the following manner:

a.       World Series Champion 40% ($160)

b.      World Series Runner-Up 25% ($100)

c.       Championship Series Runner-Ups 12.5% each ($50)

d.      First-Round (Wildcard) Series Losers 5% each ($20)

This proposal is to change the payout schedule so that the First-Round (Wildcard) Series Losers at least recover all $40 of their dues. A YES vote on this proposal would mean to change the prize money to the following starting with the 2008 playoffs:

a.       World Series Champion 35% ($140)

b.      World Series Runner-Up 20% ($80)

c.       Championship Series Runner-Ups 12.5% each ($50 each)

d.      First-Round (Wildcard) Series Losers 10% each ($40 each)

If both proposals 12 and 13 pass, then the one getting the most votes takes effect.

 

Proposal 12: FAILED (9-11).

 

  1. Change payout schedule. Currently the prize money is awarded in the following manner:

a.       World Series Champion 40% ($160)

b.      World Series Runner-Up 25% ($100)

c.       Championship Series Runner-Ups 12.5% each ($50)

d.      First-Round (Wildcard) Series Losers 5% each ($20)

This proposal is to change the payout schedule so that the First-Round (Wildcard) Series Losers at least recover all $40 of their dues. A YES vote on this proposal would mean to change the prize money to the following starting with the 2008 playoffs:

e.       World Series Champion 30% ($120)

f.        World Series Runner-Up 20% ($80)

g.       Championship Series Runner-Ups 15% each ($60 each)

h.       First-Round (Wildcard) Series Losers 10% each ($40 each)

 

Proposal 13: PASSED (12-8).