The Canadian Baseball League uses Sierra Sports Baseball Pro 98 as the simulation. It runs year-round, and is free. You do not need to own BBPro 98.

The Canadian Baseball League uses fictional players generated by BBPro 98. The CBL consists of 28 teams.

League and Divisional Structure:
2 Leagues: Farmers and Fishermen.
3 Divisions in each League: East, Central, and West
Each league has two 5 team Divisions and one 4 team Division.
The designated hitter (DH) is used in both leagues.

The Commissioner is responsible for maintaining the League Constitution, simming all games, processing all game files and maintaining the league website, (although the website can have input from all owners). The Commissioner will ensure all members of the league adhere to the league rules. He shall rule on any and all protests concerning game play, or other protests. In the event the Commissioner's team is involved in a dispute, the dispute will be brought before the League Presidents. In the event that one or more of the League Presidents teams are involved in a dispute, the dispute will be put to vote of owners not involved in the dispute. The majority of votes received determines the outcome of dispute.

The Commissioner shall reserve the right to remove owners or other league members, as needed, to ensure the integrity of the league.

Owners are responsible for the management of their teams. This includes, but is not limited to, roster moves and lineups. Upon entering the league, owners will specify to the Commissioner: Team Name, Nearest City, Stadium Name, Stadium Model, Grass or Turf Field. Specifying uniform colors and dates to wear special uniforms is optional.

New owners must submit a valid email address to the Commissioner when applying for ownership. A free email account (for instance hotmail) may be used for league purposes once a valid address has been given to the Commissioner. The Commissioner will keep the valid address confidential if the owner does not wish to use it for league purposes.

New owners will be assigned teams based on their order of choice among the available teams on a first come, first served basis. Applicants will be placed on a waiting list if no team is currently available and be assigned teams on a first on, first off basis.

Owners may not switch ownership to another team at any time.

Owning multiple teams is not allowed. Any owner found in violation of this rule will be removed from the league and be permanently banned from the CBL.

• If an owner is removed from the CBL for owning multiple teams, the teams in question will be broken up in the following manner:
  • A supplemental draft will be held in which teams will select in reverse order of current winning percentage.
  • Teams selecting a player must give up a player on their current roster to the team in question.
  • Released players must meet the criteria established by the Commissioner prior to the draft.

Collusion is not allowed. Collusion is defined in the dictionary as a secretive cooperative for deceit. Two or more owners may not collude for the betterment of one or more teams. Any owner(s) found in violation of this rule will be removed from the league and permanently banned from the CBL.

• If an owner(s) is removed from the CBL for collusion, the teams in question will be broken up in the following manner:
  • A supplemental draft will be held in which teams will select in reverse order of current winning percentage.
  • Teams selecting a player must give up a player on their current roster to the team in question.
  • Released players must neet the criteria established by the Commissioner prior to the draft.

Harassment or threatening of league members will not be tolerated. The Commissioner shall enforce a zero tolerance policy of unsportsman-like behavior.

Owners are expected to submit lineups and make roster assignments, as needed, before each sim. As a courtesy, owners are not required to submit a roster/lineup email if no roster or lineup changes are to be made for the next sim.

However, if the Commissioner has not heard from an owner for a period of three weeks, the owner will be sent an email to determine the status of the owner. If the owner does not respond to this email within one week, the owner will be removed from the league. Removed owners may apply for re-entry into the league, but must take back their former team or wait 6 months real-time to re-enter the league.

If an owner is to be absent for any period of time, the owner should notify the Commissioner. Absent owner's teams will be placed on computer control with the computer unable to make trades, release or sign players. Owners may appoint a substitute manager for his team during the period of his absence. Substitutes will not be able to make trades, sign, or release players. The substitute may not be a current CBL owner or a former owner that was removed from the CBL for rules violation.

• Any owner who fails to notify the Commissioner of an absence is subject to an owner status check (the Commissioner would have no idea the owner is absent). If an owner fails to give notice to the Commissioner of an absence and is removed from the league while absent due to an owner status check, the owner will have to reapply to the Commissioner for entry back into the CBL. Removed owners may apply for re-entry into the league, but must take back their former team or wait 6 months real-time to re-enter the league.

Each team will play a 162 game regular season balanced schedule. The schedule is determined by BBPro 98. Games will be simmed daily; 4 games per day during the regular season, one game per day during the post-season, unless lineups have been submitted to the Commissioner for the next game. The outcomes of all games as determined by the BBPro 98 sim process are final.

Standings will be determined by BBPro 98. The teams with the highest winning percentages in each division will make the playoffs as a division champion. One wild-card team from each league will make the playoffs. Wild-card teams will be the non-division winning team in each league with the highest winning percentage.

Playoff matchups are determined by BBPro 98. The general format follows:

• Divisional Series: Best of 5.
• League Championship Series: Best of 7.
• Battle for the Beer: Best of 7.

All roster moves are due daily by 8:00 AM Mountain time. Only roster moves received by the Commissioner before this deadline will be implemented for the day's sim. Any roster moves received after this deadline will not be implemented until the next sim.

Each team is allowed up to a maximum of 50 players on its roster, to be distributed in the following categories:

Active Roster
Each team is limited to 25 players on the active roster.
The active roster may expand to 40 players as of September 1st in any season.

AAA/DL
Each team is limited to 15 players in AAA/DL.

Low Minors
Teams are limited to 10 players in the low minors. Players must be 26 years of age or younger to be placed in the low minors.

Post-Season Roster
Movement of players between rosters during the playoffs is only allowed between series or in the event of an injury during a series.

Opening Day Rosters
Owners are required to submit opening day rosters to the Commissioner by the normal roster submission deadline on opening day. If a team has not submitted an opening day roster by the roster submission deadline, the Commissioner will email the owner requesting an opening day roster. The owner will have 1 week to respond. If the owner does not respond within 1 week, the owner will be removed from the league. Removed owners may apply for re-entry into the league, but must take back their former team or wait 6 months real-time to re-enter the league.

Opening day rosters must include:

• Active, AAA, and Low Minor players.
• Batting orders and defensive lineups for both versus right (vR) and versus left (vL).
• Pitching staff roles including starting rotation and bullpen.

Miscellaneous Roster Rules

• Players may be moved between the Active roster, AAA, and Low Minors at any time during the regular season. However, players must be 26 years of age or younger to be placed in the Low Minors.
• Players may be released at any time during the regular season or off-season.
• Players may not be released during the post-season.
• Rookie position players with less than 100 career plate appearances (PA) will mantain their rookies status until they surpass 100 career PA.
• Rookie pitchers with less than 30 career innings pitched (IP) will maintain their rookie status until they surpass 30 career IP.
• Teams must use a 4 or 5 man starting rotation at all times.
• BBPro 98 Rest/Rust: Players will get "rusty" if they have not played in a game for at least 10 days. Players will need a rest (their actual ratings will drop slightly) if they have played at least 10 consecutive days (5 days for catchers). Off days on the schedule and benching a player for at least 1 game will remove the need for "rest". Appearing in 1 game will remove the "rust". It is up to the owner to deal with rest/rust how he sees fit. The Commissioner will not track player's rest/rust.
  Note: The actual impact of rest/rust appears to be minimal. Many owners ignore it.
• Players will eventually retire. Retirements are determined by BBPro 98 and are final.
• The only way to qualify a player at another position is to play him at that position until BBPro 98 determines that he is qualified. If an owner plays a player at a position and that position is added as a qualified position, the position may not be removed as a qualified position unless BBPro 98 removes the position as qualified.
• A player's primary position may not be changed.

Player injuries are determined by BBPro 98. A disabled list (DL) is available for players to be placed if they are injured severely enough to qualify. BBPro 98 determines if an injury is severe enough for a player to be eligible for the DL.

• Players placed on the DL must remain on the DL for at least 15 days.
• Players injured during a sim will be replaced by the Commissioner by a player whose primary or qualified position is the same as the injured player's. If no player meets those requirements, a player will be chosen at random by the Commissioner. Batting orders will not be changed. The replacement will simply take the place of the injured player. Owners may, of course, make their own changes before the next sim to address the injury.

Trades are allowed at any time during the regular season up to the trade deadline (July 31st). Trades are allowed in the off-season from the end of Spring Training until the end of the official off-season. The official end of the off-season will occur before the actual opening day. The duration of time between the official end of the off-season and Opening Day will be determined by the Commissioner and be kept as brief as possible. Trades are not allowed during the post-season (not my choice, BBPro 98 does not allow them).

Players and Amateur Draft picks may be traded. Trades may be any combination of players and/or Amateur Draft picks.

• Trading with CPU controlled teams is not allowed.
• Supplemental Free Agent Draft picks may not be traded.
• Draft picks may not be traded during drafts.
• Draft picks may not be traded for future drafts later than upcoming draft.
  ( ex. You can not trade for 2003 picks if the 2002 draft has not been completed)
• Injured players may not be traded.
• Each owner involved in a trade must submit an email confirmation of the trade to the Commissioner. The confirmation must include all players and/or Amateur Draft picks involved.
• Owners must submit roster moves to the Commissioner along with trades specifying what roster the player(s) received in trade are to be assigned to and any other moves that are needed (example: if a player needs to be released to make room for the players acquired in trade). Trade roster moves can be sent with the trade confirmation or separately, but must be received by the normal roster move deadline on the day the trade is to be implemented. If no trade roster moves are received, players received in trade will be assigned to whatever open roster spots are legally available. If no roster spots are legally available, the Commissioner will release a random player(s) to make room for the player(s) received in the trade.
• Trade Protests: Once trade confirmations have been received from the owners involved in the deal, the Commissioner will announce the trade. League owners have the right to protest any trade they feel is not in the best interest of the CBL. If 3 protests of a trade are received, the trade will be put on hold and owners will be asked to vote on approval of the trade. A Majority of votes received decides the vote. If approved, the trade will be implemented without penalty to the trading owners. If declined, the trade will be disallowed and the trading owners will be issued a warning. If any owner that has been issued a warning has a second trade declined by owner vote, the Commissioner will review the owner's status. The owner may be removed from the league if it's determined by the Commissioner to be in the best interest of the CBL.
• Trades involving players acquired from previous trades that have not yet been approved, will be void if the first trade is protested.
• Trades that put a teams roster ofver 50 must have players released within two days of the trade passing. If the owner does not release anyone to make room for the newly acquired players, the newly acquired players will be released.
• The trade deadline is July 31st.
• Trades cannot be undone once both teams have submitted trade confirmations.
• Any trade confirmations received by the Commissioner during times trades are not allowed will be discarded.

• Free agents may be claimed at any time during the regular season.
• If two or more teams claim the same free agent during the same period, BBPro 98 will determine which team is awarded the free agent.
• Owners must submit roster moves along with free agent claims specifying what roster the free agent is to be assigned to and any other moves that are needed (example: if a player needs to be released to make room for the free agent) if the team is awarded the free agent. Free agent claims without accompanying roster moves will be discarded.
• If no legal roster spot is available for a signed free agent, the Commissioner will release a random player to make room for the free agent.

The CBL will have two drafts. The ametuer draft will be held in June of each season. The Free-Agent Supplemental draft will be held each offseason between the end of the Battle for the Beer and before Spring Training.

Amateur Draft
New players are introduced to the league for this draft. This draft will be 3 rounds. The draft order will be reverse order of winning percentages from the prior regular season. The draft order will only be altered based on traded draft picks.

• The draft pool will be adjusted to increase or decrease potential ratings at the discretion of the Commissioner.
• The draft pool will be created using a computer script developed by Graham Colvin based on a dice roll technique created by Vince Chartier. These players are created in advance and participate in the Canadian Collegiate Baseball League (CCBL) for three seasons before becoming eligible to be drafted.

Supplemental Free Agent Draft
Each off-season (after the post season and before Spring Training) the league will hold the Supplemental Free Agent Draft. The draft pool will be made up of 10 randomly altered free agents currently in the free agent pool. This draft will be 1 round only for teams with records under .500 in the previous season, with a maximum of 10 teams.

• Only the bottom 10 teams from the previous seasons standings will be involved in the supplemental free-agent draft. If there is a tie for the 10th and final spot, a player will be added to the pool for each added tied team.
• The draft order will be determined by a draft lottery. Once a teams ball is selected that team will represent that slot in the draft, and will have its remaining balls removed from the lottery.
  • The 3 teams with the lowest winning percentage will each have 5 balls.
  • The next 3 teams will each have 3 balls.
  • The remaining teams will each have 1 ball.

Miscellaneous Draft Rules
The following rules cover both the Amateur Draft and the Supplemental Free Agent Draft.

• The Amateur Draft will either be done live or via lists. This is up to the Commissioner. Advance notice will be given in either event.
• The Supplemental Free Agent Draft will either be done live or via list. This is up to the Commissioner. Advanced notice will be given in either event.
• Owners are not required to attend live drafts.
• Owners must do one or more of the following for each draft:
  • Notify the Commissioner if you will or will not be attending live drafts.
  • Submit a draft list to the Commissioner.
  • Submit roster moves to the Commissioner to ensure that there are empty spots available in your Low Minors to accommodate each of your picks.
  • Notify Commissioner if you want the CPU to draft for you.
  • Notify Commissioner if you wish your team to not participate in the draft.
• Failure to do any of the above will result in the forfeit of all picks for that draft.
• Note on live drafts. This is not required, but any owner who plans to attend a live draft should also submit a draft list to the Commissioner. Internet connections are often lost and chat rooms tend to boot people out. Teams will be "on the clock" during live drafts. Any owner who is not present for any reason at the time he is to select will be skipped. A draft list would be your backup in that situation.

Draft Lists

Draft lists must adhere to the following format:

• Lists must be text files.
• Players should be listed vertically in order of selection preference with the first player listed being your first choice.
• There is not a requirement as to the number of players to be included on a list. However, only players that are on the list and available at the time of the team's selection will be chosen.
• Once there are no more players available on a team's list, no further selections will be made for that team, unless stated that CPU take over for the owner.
• Lists must include any and all roster moves required to accommodate drafted players. This includes what roster to assign the draft player to and/or any players that should be assigned to a different roster or released to make room for the drafted player. If no instructions were submitted and there is no room legally available for the drafted player, the Commissioner will release a random player to make room for the drafted player.
• Draft lists not adhering to the specified format will be discarded. The Commissioner will make one attempt to contact an owner if a draft list does not adhere to league specifications. The owner will be able to resubmit a draft list, but must do so by the normal deadline for draft list submissions.
• Any team whose draft list does not adhere to league specifications will have it's selections for that draft made by CPU unless a request was included in the draft list to not have the CPU make selections in such an event.

10. Spring Training

Spring Training will be held every offseason.

The CBL uses a spring training utility to help with spring training gains.

20 players will be trained manually, while the rest will be handled by BBPro.
If you do not send ST changes in, somebody will update 20 players for you so your team is not left behind on training.

All player changes start with BBPro percentage point Minimums. They are as follows:

HITTERS
CH 20%
PH 20%
SP 20%
AS 10%
FA 5%....with our spring training FA for hitters is 5
That means you have 25% to train a hitter with, only 5% increments.

PITCHERS
AS 10%
HR 10%
CO 15%
EN 10%
Each pitch 10%
FA 10%
That means 2 pitch pitchers have 25%, 3 pitch pitchers have 15%, and 4 pitch pitchers only get 5% to work with.

When sending in allocations please use the following format.
Example. AS +10, EN +10, CH +15 etc.

Bonus Points
Any pitchers under the age of 27 with 4 pitches or more are awarded 4 bonus points each spring training until they reach the age of 27. The owners may use these 4 points towards any pitch rating, and only pitch ratings. The owner cannot place the points towards EN, CO, AS, etc. The points cannot be used to make a pitch's Actual rating improve beyond the players Potential rating for that pitch. The bonus points are to be sent using a list sent via email, within one real-time week of the end of spring training.

Team Name
Each owner will name his team. The name consists of a team name (usually a city name) and a nickname. The CBL is a Canadian league, and therefore, the team name must be Canadian, but the nickname can be anything non-offensive. Names containing profanity or offensive phrases are not allowed.

Nearest City
Each owner will choose a "nearest" city to locate their team. BBPro 98 contains a list of cities to choose from, only two Canadian, but you can use any city except for Denver, Colorado. The nearest city does not have to be the same city you are using for your team name. For example, if you name your team the Toronto Blues, you do not have to use Toronto, ON as the nearest city.

• Teams playing in a nearest city with an altitude greater than 2000 feet must use Coors Field as their stadium model.
• Teams playing in a nearest city with an altitude below 1000 feet may not use Coors Field as their stadium model.

Stadium Model
Each owner will choose a stadium model for their team to use as its home stadium. Stadium models are based on actual MLB stadiums.

• Use of the Kingdome and Fenway Park are not allowed due to programming errors in BBPro 98.

Stadium Name
Each owner will name his team's stadium. Names are not required to match the actual name of the stadium model. Names containing profanity or offensive phrases are not allowed.

Stadium Surface
Each owner will choose a playing surface for his stadium. Playing surfaces are grass or turf.

Team Uniforms
Owners have the option of specifying colors for their team's uniforms. Owners with BBPro 98 can send the values to the Commissioner. Owners without BBPro 98 should email the Commissioner for assistance in designing team uniforms.

Team Logo
Owners have the option of submitting a team logo to be placed on the team's clubhouse page. Owners wishing assistance in designing a team logo should contact the Commissioner.

Miscellaneous Team Data Rules

• New owners can change team data upon entering the league.
• Current owners may only change Nearest City and/or Stadium Model and/or Stadium Surface once every 2 seasons.
• Team Nicknames and/or Stadium Names may only be changed during the off-season.
• The CPU will manage all non-human owned teams. The CPU will not be allowed to make trades or sign free agents. It will be allowed to participate in both drafts.

Each season, owners will be able to vote for Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, Owner of the Year, Man of the Year, and Journalist of the Year.

Submission of these votes is mandatory and is used as a role call for the upcoming season. Failure to submit your ballot will result in your removal from the league.

Player of the Year
Owners should submit to the Commissioner, a list of 5 position players ordered from 1 to 5 (with 1 being the choice for best player). Players will be given points by the Commissioner based on where they appear on ballots. Points will be assigned in reverse order of rank on ballots. 5 points for 1st through 1 point for 5th. Players from both leagues are eligible and you may vote for players on your own team.

Pitcher of the Year
Owners should submit to the Commissioner, a list of 5 pitchers ordered from 1 to 5 (with 1 being the choice for best pitcher). Pitchers will be given points by the Commissioner based on where they appear on ballots. Points will be assigned in reverse order of rank on ballots. 5 points for 1st through 1 point for 5th. Pitchers from both leagues are eligible and you may vote for pitchers on your own team.

Owner of the Year
Owners should submit to the Commissioner, a list of 5 owners ordered 1 to 5 (with 1 being the choice for owner of the year). The owners should be judged on how they ran their team, and tried to improve their team. Owners will be given points by the Commissioner based on where they appear on ballots. Points will be assigned in reverse order of rank on ballots. 5 points for 1st through 1 point for 5th. Owners from both leagues are eligible but you may not vote for yourself.

Man of the Year
Owners should submit to the Commissioner, a list of 5 owners ordered 1 to 5 (with 1 being the choice for owner of the year). The owners should be judged on how much they helped to improve and maintain the league. Owners will be given points by the Commissioner based on where they appear on ballots. Points will be assigned in reverse order of rank on ballots. 5 points for 1st through 1 point for 5th. Owners from both leagues are eligible but you may not vote for yourself.

Journalist of the Year
Owners should submit to the Commissioner, a list of 5 owners ordered 1 to 5 (with 1 being the choice for owner of the year). The owners should be judged on articles that are posted on the CBL website. Owners will be given points by the Commissioner based on where they appear on ballots. Points will be assigned in reverse order of rank on ballots. 5 points for 1st through 1 point for 5th. Owners from both leagues are eligible but you may not vote for yourself.

Hall of Fame selections are determined by BBPro 98.

• The Commissioner may amend this Constitution at any time.
• Owners may suggest amendments of the Constitution to the Commissioner at any time. The Commissioner will then decide if the proposed amendment should go to owner vote. A Majority of votes received is needed for a proposed amendment to pass. The Commissioner, prior to the off-season owner's meeting will present proposed amendments to the league. Voting on amendments will only occur during the off-season owner's meeting.
• Any bugs discovered in the coding of BBPro 98 will result in immediate action to negate the effects of the bug. For example, if it is discovered that the code for a stadium is flawed in such a way as to adversely impact game play, use of that stadium will be banned and any teams currently using that stadium will be immediately moved to a new stadium of the team owner's choice.
• There will be no divisional realignment in the CBL.
• There will be no contraction of teams in the CBL.
• There will be no expansion of teams in the CBL.
• Owners are allowed to view potential ratings of all players, free agents, and draft pools.
• The following utilities will be used in the CBL:
  • BBEdit. It's now free and can be downloaded here: BBEdit
  • BBRecord. Download it here: BBRecord
  • BBRookie. Download it here: BBRookie
  • BBDraft. Download it here: BBDraft
  • BBCard. Download it here: BBCard
  • BBNames. Download it here: BBNames
  • BBTrain. Download it here: BBTrain
  • NoRepeat. Download it here: NoRepeat
  • RestRust. Download it here: RestRust
  • SpringPlayer. Download it here: SprPlyr
  • AgePlayer. Download it here: AgePlyr
  • Injury.dat. Download it here: Injury