Proposal 1: Keep the current 2-week draft format with a set start date and no early posting of picks where whatever portion of the draft remains on the final Sunday is to be completed in a single session

2010 Rule Change Ballot Results

The proposals that passed (#1, 3, 4, and 6) shall take effect for the 2010 season starting in January.

Proposal 1: Keep the current 2-week draft format with a set start date and no early posting of picks where whatever portion of the draft remaining on the final Sunday is to be completed in a single session. (This proposal was mandated by the controversy surrounding changing of votes in regards to original adoption of the 2-week draft format last year).

Vote YES on Proposal 1 if: you want the to continue to use the draft format used in 2009 where the on-line portion of the draft is kept to a 2-week maximum (although the start and end dates may change based on whether or not other proposals pass) with no early posting of picks.

Vote NO on Proposal 1 if: you want the draft to revert to the 2008 and earlier format where posting of picks prior to the official start date is allowed and there is no set end date, only the 12 hour limit per picks, and thus the draft may last more than two weeks.

RESULT: PROPOSAL 1 PASSED 16-3

Proposal 2: Instead of starting on the weekend prior to the weekend of the Super Bowl, move the start date back one week to the Saturday the day immediately before Super Bowl Sunday. For example, Super Bowl XLIV is on February 7, 2010. Instead of the draft starting on Saturday, January 30, as with the current system, the start date of the draft would be Saturday February 6.

Vote YES on Proposal 2 if: you want the start date of the draft moved back exactly 1 week so that the draft starts on the Saturday that is the day before the Super Bowl.

Vote NO on Proposal 2 if: you want to keep the current start date of the Saturday of the weekend one week before the Super Bowl.

Note: Proposal 4 also deals with the start date of the draft. Should both proposals 2 and 4 pass, then the one getting the most votes shall be adopted. If there is a tie then there will be a run-off election between them.

RESULT: PROPOSAL 2 PASSED 10-9, but because proposal 4 got more Yes votes (11) it will be adopted.

Proposal 3: Start the draft on a Friday evening instead of Saturday morning. Regardless of what the actual start date is, rather than having the official start at 8AM Saturday morning and not letting anyone go before that, let’s make the official start be 7PM CT Friday evening. So, for example, if the current draft system holds, the start would be Friday, January 29. If proposal 2 passes to move the start date back one week, then the start would be Friday, February 5.

Vote YES on Proposal 3 if: you always want the draft to start on a Friday evening.

Vote NO on Proposal 3 if: you want to keep the current 8AM Saturday start.

RESULT: PROPOSAL 3 PASSED 11-8

Proposal 4: Have the 2-week draft start the weekend before Presidents Day weekend, so that it ends the Sunday after Presidents Day, and thus the weekend of Presidents day is always the middle weekend of the draft. Federal Law puts Presidents Day as always the 3rd Monday in February (February 15 to 22). Under this proposal the start date would be from February 5 to 12 (assuming a Friday start) and the end Sunday would fall from February 21 to 28.

Vote YES on Proposal 4 if: you favor always starting the draft the weekend before Presidents Day weekend, such that Presidents Day is always the middle weekend of the draft.

Vote NO on Proposal 4 if: you do not like always having Presidents Day as the middle weekend of the draft.

Note: Proposal 2 also deals with the start date of the draft. Should both proposals 2 and 4 pass, then the one getting the most votes shall be adopted. If there is a tie then there will be a run-off election between them.

RESULT: PROPOSAL 4 PASSED 11-8, and got more Yes votes than proposal 2.

Proposal 5: Move the pre-draft trade deadline from where it currently is on January 9 back to January 24. The pre-draft deadline is the date on which rosters are re-balanced to 35 total picks plus players such that excess picks are forfeited. Thus moving the deadline back will give additional time in which to trade excess picks before they are lost.

Vote YES on Proposal 5 if: you favor moving the pre-draft trade deadline back to January 24.

Vote NO on Proposal 5 if: you want to keep January 9 as the pre-draft trade deadline and the date when rosters are re-balanced to 35.

RESULT: PROPOSAL 5 FAILED 9-10

Proposal 6: Any new features added to the Strat game will automatically be utilized by our league unless there is a 3/4 majority vote to turn the feature off. Upon receiving the new version of the Strat game the League Secretary shall review the game and notify the league of available new features. The league then has until the March 2 trade deadline for March games to call for such a vote. Any manager may request a vote on a feature, and it only takes one such request for the vote to be taken. Votes will be due by March 9. If no call for a vote is posted by March 2 then a consensus is assumed and the feature will be used for the entire year and any subsequent vote could not take effect until the following season.

Vote YES on Proposal 6 if: you want to adopt this system for dealing with new features added to the Strat game.

Vote NO on Proposal 6 if: you do not want such a system, which means that the choice to use a new feature would be left up to the league secretary as part of his emergency powers and any disagreement would require a veto vote of that choice.

RESULT: PROPOSAL 4 PASSED 13-6

Proposal 7: The monthly deadlines will be set in stone and no longer allowed to be changed with the exception of the season trade deadline at the beginning of August. Other than that exception, the monthly deadlines will always be: Trade Deadline on 2nd, Rosters and Rotations due on the 9th, and Lineups due on the 24th of each month.

Vote YES on Proposal 7 if: you favor setting the deadlines in stone such that they can never be changed.

Vote NO on Proposal 7 if: you are OK with the league secretary pushing deadlines back on occasion as his schedule permits (with the understanding that they will never be moved forward, only back).

RESULT: PROPOSAL 7 FAILED 7-12

Proposal 8: Regarding playoff usage:

1. <100 Regular Season AB cards, which as of approved rule change for 2010 will be prohibited from starting, cannot pinch hit for another player until after first time through the batting order.

2. Change back to 10% standard usage for both batters and pitchers (revoke 7% usage change and related language approved last year for 2010)

3. Limit batting cards with <150 AB to 5% usage.

League secretary will be required to manually adjust the usage of the impacted playoff cards when creating the playoff leagues. All usage must be monitored in-game. Batters who have reached their AB/PA usage limit must be removed from the game before they come up to bat again.

4. Limit pitching cards with <35 IP to 5% usage.

League secretary will be required to manually adjust the usage of the impacted playoff cards when creating the playoff leagues. All usage must be monitored in-game. Pitchers who have reached their IP usage limit must be removed from the game before they pitch to another batter.

5. Usage Violation Remedy: If a player has been found to have exceeded their usage limit during a game, the offended manager has the option to return the game to the point that the over usage occurred using the Delete Last Play option. This option is available until the Game Is Over dialog is closed. After that point the game result is final and no penalty is incurred.

All other playoff rules remain unchanged.

Vote YES on Proposal 8 if: you want to adopt the above playoff usage system.

Vote NO on Proposal 8 if: you do not want to adopt the above playoff usage system.

Note: There are multiple playoff usage proposals. Should more than one of them pass, then the one getting the most votes shall be adopted. If there is a tie then there will be a run-off election between the ones getting the most votes. If all of the proposals fail, then we would keep the 7% usage passed for position players last year but use the previous 10% system for pitchers, with the league secretary required to work out the logistics of such a system.

RESULT: PROPOSAL 8 FAILED 7-12

Proposal 9: Regarding playoff usage:

The playoff usage for each series should be 7% for all players, both position players and pitchers. Instead of having to track usage during games and pull players when they run out of AB/PA or IP, though, managers only need to check the usage reports prior to each playoff game to ascertain availability for that game.

We would keep the 100 AB or more MLB minimum to start as passed last year. Then depending on how many AB, PA, and IP remain left for a player on the Strat Usage Report, their status for the game about to be played would be as follows:

1. A position player who meets the 100 AB MLB minimum may start and play the entire game if he has at least 3 AB OR 4 PA remaining on the usage report prior to that game.

2. A position player who does not meet the requirements to start but still has at least 2 AB AND 2 PA remaining may pinch hit or otherwise come into the game and remain in to the end only after one of the following conditions has been met:

a. It is the 6th inning or later.

b. The opposing team has made a pitching change.

3. A position player who does not meet the requirements above but still has at least 1 AB OR 1 PA remaining may pinch hit or otherwise come into the game and remain in to the end only in the 8th inning or later.

4. A position player who has 0 AB AND 0 PA left cannot start and is not allowed to bat. They can be used as a pinch runner or defensive replacement, but should their spot in the order come up to bat again they would have to be removed from the game and replaced by a pinch hitter. If the manager has screwed up such that there are no batters left on the bench to pinch hit, then their worst hitting starting pitcher remaining on the bench shall bat in that spot and play the field, with the choice for which pitcher that is left up to the opposing manager. The pitcher chosen to come in then must bat in that spot for the rest of the game.

5. In order to be the starting pitcher for a game, a pitcher must meet the following usage requirement:

a. If a pitcher has already appeared in relief in this series, then at least 5 IP must remain on the usage report for that pitcher to make their first start.

b. If a pitcher has not appeared in relief in this series, then at least 4 IP must remain for that pitcher to make their first start in the series.

c. At least 2 IP must remain for a pitcher to make their second start in a playoff series.

d. At least 1 IP must remain for *-rated starter to make their third start (i.e. for him to start game 7 after having started games 1 and 4).

e. These minimums would be in addition to the other playoff pitching requirements (50 or more MLB IP to start one game, 100 or more MLB IP to start any two games, and a *-rating to start three games).

f. The starting pitcher is allowed to pitch any number of innings, but the manager should monitor starter innings to make sure that enough will remain for any subsequent starts scheduled for that pitcher in the series.

6. A pitcher who has 2 IP remaining can come into relieve anytime (subject to the fatigue carry-over rules from one series to the next). They can remain in the game and pitch any number of innings.

7. A pitcher who has only 1 IP remaining can come into relieve only in the 6th inning or later (subject to the fatigue carry-over rules from one series to the next). After that point they can remain in the game and pitch any number of innings.

8. A pitcher who has 0 IP remaining is allowed to make 1 more “desperation” appearance in a series. This rule is to allow for extenuating circumstances that may be brought on by long or frequent extra innings games. A pitcher with 0 IP left on the usage chart may only come into the game under the following conditions:

a. There are no other relief pitchers or starter/relievers with an R(#) rating who have 1 or more IP remaining who are left on the bench. i.e. all other available relievers have been used and the only relievers on the bench all have 0 IP usage left.

b. The reliever currently in the game has pitched at least 1 IP over their R(#) rating. i.e. an R(1) has already gone at least 2 IP, an R(2) has gone 3 or more, an R(3) has gone 4 IP, and an R(4) has gone 5 IP.

c. Once a reliever has made their desperation appearance they are not eligible to pitch again for the rest of that series.

Vote YES on Proposal 9 if: you want to adopt the above playoff usage system.

Vote NO on Proposal 9 if: you do not want to adopt the above playoff usage system.

RESULT: PROPOSAL 9 FAILED 6-13

Proposal 10: Repeal the change to 7% playoff usage proposal passed last year and go back to 10% playoff usage and keep everything else for playoff usage the same as it was before: i.e. usage must be monitored during the games and players must be immediately pulled from the game in progress when their AB and PA or IP runs out. There would be no other additional playoff usage restrictions other than the 100 AB MLB minimum to start.

Vote YES on Proposal 10 if: you want to go back to the 10% playoff usage system used before.

Vote NO on Proposal 10 if: you do not want to go back to the 10% playoff usage system.

RESULT: PROPOSAL 10 FAILED 9-10