League Overview
The league will be using the OOTP5 game engine. All owners will be required to own a copy of one or the other, with the current patch (OOTP 5.01)
This will be a fictional league, with one minor exception. The BPLA will initially start with 16* [28] teams, set up in two leagues, two divisions, (4-4)* [three divisions (5-5-4)].
Sims will be conducted 3 times a week: Mon, Wed, Fri 7pm CST. Sims will consist of 2 weeks of games, with the exception of games leading up to the All-Star game and the playoffs (see below).  Sims will be live, broadcast on AIM chat.
The league will start in 2003
Finances are set on. Injuries on/norm. Minors on. Coaches/Scout off. Position fatigue on. Ratings traditional.
Owners and Responsibilities
Each team will have one owner and each owner will be allowed only one team. Any owner caught violating this rule will immediately be expelled. The teams' fate will be given to the next person on the waiting list or, in the case the waiting list is empty, run by the league office.
Each owner is required to take active participation in the league. Participation includes:
  • Sending in lineups, depth charts and pitching rotations at the required times.
  • Responding to league e-mails.
  • Responding (yes, no, counter) to trade requests.
  • Participating in drafts.
  • Participating in league votes.
  • Signing up for the message boards

Participation will now be gauged on a 1 week basis.  There is a point system that will be used based on several things.  The system is detailed out in Awards/Penalties.

Lineup submissions are due by 6 pm CST the day of the sim (Monday, Wednesday and Friday).

Directions will be given to the commissioner as to what to do in the event of an injury. This includes whether to play day-to-day injuries and which players to bring up to take the roster spot of the DL player. These steps will only need to be taken if an injury occurs early in the sim. For injuries that occur just before the end of sims, the owner will be responsible for any moves.

Lineup submissions will be exported from the game. If you've never done that before, you will just set everything in the game as you want it (depth, lineup, pitching) and then export the team from the team setup screen (buttons at the bottom). The export will be sent to a folder in the league folder EXPIMP. The file will be named "team#.exp." This is the file that you will e-mail to me.  You also have the option to Export to FTP.

However, if you wish to make no changes whatsoever, you can just e-mail me "No lineup changes."

Trading and free agent signing is not a requirement. But attempting to win is. Teams will not bench players to try to lose in order to gain higher draft picks. Any sign that a team is doing so will result in a league wide investigation. The other owners will take a vote. If 90% of the owners believe the owner is losing on purpose, the team will be penalized.

Team and league articles to be posted are not a requirement, but are appreciated.

All owners will be required to use AIM (it's free and easy to setup) and to be logged on as often as possible. This is allow for faster trade replies and such. It is understood that not everyone has broadband access and cannot stay logged on at all times. But AIM will be used for live drafts and live sims.

Most importantly, all owners will treat one another with courtesy and respect. ANY violations will be penalized swiftly and severely (see below).
Commissioner Duties
The commissioner will process all sims, take care of all league transactions, and update the league files and site. He will also be the final arbitrator in disputes between owners. His decision is always final. The commissioner is also the one to hand out fines and penalties.
The Commissioner is responsible for notifying all owners of league events (e.g.. league votes, upcoming drafts).
He is responsible for ensuring the integrity of the league, above all else.