THE BOGUS AMERICAN BASEBALL ASSOCIATION

In early March of 1989, the original concept of the Bogus American Baseball Association (herein 'B.A.B.A.') was forged from the aftermath of Steve Lombardi's perusal of Barry Shapiro's article: "Rotisserie Like It Oughta Be" which appeared in SPORT magazine (March 1989). So impressed with the notion of Fantasy Baseball was Mr. Lombardi that he took it upon himself to lay the groundwork for the origin of B.A.B.A. and thus serve as the association's founding father. In its inaugural season, the association consisted of six franchises. At first, the association's founder dutifully and laboriously kept statistics by hand. Rules (much less charters) were far and few between. As the association grew through education, experience and expansion, the necessity arose for the employment of an outside statistical service, the creation of a governing constitution (or charter) and the installation of an internal governing body.

Beginning in 1990, the association began to solicit the services of outside firms in order to tabulate the season's statistics and standings; and, the first edition of this charter was composed. Expansion procedures were first introduced in 1990 and were later refined to yield a crop of successful newly admitted franchises. In 1991, the Council of Elders was formed in order to govern the association and administer the charter. It was decided that three of the remaining original members who not only had tenure but a deep rooted interest in the league (Steve Lombardi, Lou Tafuri Jr., and Mike Belores) would be that first Council.

Through the years that passed, the association continued to grow and prosper and managed to weather a miscellaneous storm here and there. In conjunction with this continued evolution, the Official Charter and Rules has been subject to an occasional revision. This version is the current edition and was produced through those aforementioned efforts and trials.

The Bogus American Baseball Association was established with the intent to serve as an outlet for the above average baseball fan to further their following of the game and each baseball season. It was (and is) meant to be an activity carried on primarily for pleasure; a pastime. The association is not a haven for those rotisserie players who like to refer to themselves as "cut throats." Nor, is it a den for hard-core gamblers. Any beginnings of such behavior have never been (and never will be) tolerated. B.A.B.A. was born and continues to exist to serve as an avenue for its members to experience the sheer enjoyment of baseball and to fuel their friendly competitive spirit.

SLOGAN - "The Elephant Graveyard of Conventional Wisdom"

The Bogus American Baseball Association is somewhat analogous to a remote conceptual sanctuary where knowledge, fashioned from ideas approved by means of general usage, draws near to final rest in undisturbed repose.

OBJECTIVE - MODUS OPERANDI DISPORT

Simplified, the B.A.B.A. season is a contest to determine who (among competitors) can select the best baseball players for a corresponding Major League Baseball season. The chosen players create a team or franchise ('on paper') and each competitor then becomes an owner of that franchise. As a collective, the owners (competitors) and their teams (of players) form the Bogus American Baseball Association. At the completion of the Major League Baseball and B.A.B.A. season, the actual Major League Baseball statistics (in the agreed-upon categories -- see SECTION III) for the players representing their B.A.B.A. franchise's "Active Roster" (during the season) are tallied on a cumulative basis. The franchise possessing the players who produce the best team cumulative statistics, as compared to all other franchises, is declared the victor of the contest.

AGREEMENT - IMPLIED RATIFICATION

The members of the Bogus American Baseball Association hereby acknowledge and ratify this charter and have evidenced their agreement to be governed by it and to be subject to the rules and provisions contained herein by accepting ownership of a franchise in B.A.B.A.

SECTION I - LEAGUE FEES

Each franchise shall deposit their league fee with the Financial Elder, by rendering one-quarter of the total amount ($60.00) on the day that both the Winter Roster and Bush Affiliate Drafts are conducted and by later rendering the remaining three-quarters of the total in three equal installments of sixty dollars ($60.00) each. The first of these remaining three installments is payable by month end December, the second by month end January and the last by month end February - each of these months directly following the Winter Roster and Bush Affiliate Drafts (which are conducted prior to the season for which the league fee is due). There will be a late fee, of $1.00 per day, for each day that a team is late in depositing any installment of their league fee. Any franchise that has not paid their entire league fee (and any possible late fees) by month end February (of the year in which the season is taking place) will be dropped from B.A.B.A., and will lose their rights to recover any funds previously collected by the league. This rule is to be hereby known as (remember) THE 1990 SLOPPY JOES RULE.

SECTION II - QUALIFIED PLAYERS

The following types of players are the only ones who are eligible to ever appear on a Winter Roster, Regular Season Active Roster or Reserve Roster at any given time:

Major League players (from both the National and American Leagues) who are either on a Major League Roster or are Major League Free Agents, Minor League players (all levels, including independents), College players (all divisions), Japanese Baseball players (both Central and Pacific Divisions).

However, only Major League Baseball generated statistics shall be used in computing B.A.B.A. statistics. (See SECTION III.)

In addition, only the following types of players are eligible to ever be drafted in to a Bush Affiliate:

Minor League players (all levels), provided they have NEVER ever appeared in the Major Leagues at the time they are drafted in to a Bush Affiliate, College players (all divisions), High School players (all classes).

Special note: Japanese Baseball players (both Central and Pacific Divisions) are not eligible to be selected in a Bush Affiliate Draft; and therefore, may not be drafted in to a Bush Affiliate. This rule is to be hereby known as the "HIDEO" PLAYED IN JAPAN, HE'S "NOMO" A ROOKIE RULE of 1995.

SECTION III - STATISTICS

The association's statistics and standings shall be calculated, recorded and tabulated by obtaining and utilizing an outside independent statistical services firm (herein 'Stat Service'). Any firm used will be thoroughly examined and referenced to ensure they are reliable and capable of maintaining the association's records in an acceptable, presentable and timely manner. For the purposes of eliminating a potential situation in which a conflict of interests may exist, at no time should a member of the association be affiliated with the 'Stat Service' currently in use.

A. Only statistics generated in the Major Leagues shall be used in computing the B.A.B.A. statistics.

B. The number of pitching categories and offensive categories used in determining a team's total value must balance (or equal) in number.

Example: 5 (five) offensive and 5 (five) pitching categories.

C. The categories to be used and to be calculated cumulatively in order to determine a franchise's performance will be the following, (unless a subsequent change is made, of which all members of the association will be notified in advance):

        OFFENSE: 

On Base Average          (See #1 below)
Slugging Percentage      (See #2 below)
Runs Produced            (R+RBI-HR) 
Homeruns                 (HR)
Stolen Bases             (SB) 

PITCHING:                            

Earned Run Average                           (ERx9)/IP    
Wins plus Saves                              (W+SV)       
Pitching Strikeouts                          (SO)         
Pitching Base on Balls Allowed               (BB)  (Fewest)
Hits + Base on Balls per Innings Pitched     (H+BB)/IP

#1 -- Depending on the statistical services firm used, On Base Average will be calculated as

(H+BB)/(AB+BB) or (H+BB+HP)/(AB+BB+HP+SF).

#2 -- Slugging Percentage is calculated as [H+2B+(2)(3B)+(3)(HR)]/AB

Before the beginning of the B.A.B.A. Season, the Senior Elder will announce if there has been any change in the statistics that will be utilized. Any change made will be subject to a majority vote and must be announced by the Senior Elder at least one month before the start of the season. The categories will never be changed during a season.

D. Averages, percentages and ratios shall be computed to as many decimal points as is necessary (and possible) to break ties.

E. Each B.A.B.A. team will be awarded points in each statistical category. The points for first place will equal the number of teams in the league, one less for second place and up to one point for last place in a category. Each team's cumulative points for all statistical categories are then compiled to give a total and this will determine the order of finish for the league standings.

F. Ties that exist in any interim or final league standings shall be awarded by comparing placement of teams in individual categories. Respective performances will be observed and a "tie breaker point" (not to be confused with a point in the standings) will be assigned to the team who betters the other team (locked in the tie) in each category. Should one team (in the tie) total more "tie breaker points" than the other, that team is declared the victor and will be awarded the higher standing. This rule is to be hereby known as the HEAD-TO-HEAD RULE.

In the event more than two teams are involved in a tie, in administering the Head-to-Head Rule, respective performance will be observed and a "tie breaker point" will be assigned to the team who betters all other teams (locked in the tie) in each category. Only one "tie-breaker point" may be associated with each category during an observation for the purposes of breaking a tie between multiple teams. This rule is to be hereby known as the TOP DOG PROVISION of the HEAD-TO-HEAD RULE. Once the Top Dog is determined, this provision will be repeatedly applied to the remaining teams involved in the tie in question, as often as necessary, until the tie is completely resolved or the necessity of implementing the second tie breaker arises.

If a tie still exists after the first tie breaker, the team with the most total first place finishes in a category (considering all categories) will break the tie. This rule is to be hereby known as the DUKE OF NEW YORK RULE. (As 'The Duke of New York' is 'A Number One'.) There are no third tie breakers. If two teams are still tied for a position in any standings after the first two tie breakers, the prize money for that position in the standings and the prize money for the position below it will be combined and divided into equal shares to be split equally by the teams locked in the tie.

A 'draw from the hat' will determine both the Winter Roster and Bush Affiliate Draft orders for the next year. (One 'draw' will determine both.) A coin flip will determine who draws from the hat first. The owner who finished lower in the standings the year before will make the call on the coin flip.

In the rare case where more than two teams are still tied after the HEAD-TO-HEAD and DUKE OF NEW YORK RULES, the prize money for the position at which they are tied plus the prize money for those positions directly below (that tied position) which is equal in number to one less than the number of total teams locked in the tie will be combined and divided into equal shares to be split equally by all teams locked in the particular tie. (For example: At season end, after the application of the Head-to-Head and Duke of New York Rules, three teams are still tied for second place. The prize money for second, third, and fourth place will be combined and split into three equal shares for distribution to the three teams locked in the tie.) A 'draw from the hat' will determine both the Winter Roster and Bush Affiliate Draft orders for the next year. Selections from the hat will be made in an order based on the reverse order of the previous year's final standings. Whoever was lowest will 'draw' first, second lowest will 'draw' second, etc. This rule is to be hereby known as the HIPPIE SHIRT RULE. It's where the 'tie dies.'

Ties in interim standings will be resolved for determining "Free Agent Claim" and "Counter Claim" rights. In these cases, the aforementioned first and second tie breakers will be utilized. In the event of a continued deadlock, the draw from the hat and coin flip determination method will be used.

See SECTION XI, Sub-section H; regarding "Free Agent Claim" and "Counter Claim" rights.

SECTION IV - REGULAR SEASON ACTIVE ROSTER SPECIFICATIONS

When establishing their Regular Season Active Roster (on, or before, the Major League Opening Day) and maintaining it thereafter during the season, each team must carry 23 (twenty-three) players, at all times, in an assemblage as described below:

9 pitchers (any combination of starters and/or relievers)
5 outfielders
2 catchers
1 first baseman
1 second baseman
1 third baseman
1 shortstop
1 corner man (either a first baseman or a third baseman)
1 middle infielder (either a second baseman or a shortstop)
1 utility player (can play any position; EXCEPT PITCHER)

SECTION V - POSITION ELIGIBILITY

A. To qualify for a particular position, a player must have played that position in at least 20 (twenty) games during his last active Major League season, or during the season that is in progress.

B. If and only if a player has no Major League experience, shall the above or below stated rules be applied to the latest minor league or college level statistics. In this case, the burden of proof is on the B.A.B.A. team owner. This rule will hereby be known as the JAMES MOUTON RULE of 1994.

C. If a player has played at the Major League level but has not appeared in 20 games at a particular position in his last or current Major League season, the position where he played the most games in his last or current Major League season will be the position for which he qualifies. This rule will hereby be known as the TIM NAEHRING RULE of 1991.

D. If a player has not played in the field during his last active Major League season, or longer, (regardless of whether or not he has played and/or qualified for a particular position during the season that is in progress), he will (also) qualify for the position that he played when he did last play the field (even though one or more years may have passed in between the present time and the season when he did last play the field) provided he satisfied the position eligibility parameters outlined in sub-sections "A," "B," or "C" (above) or "E" (below) when he did last play the field. He will continue to qualify for the position he last played until this stipulation no longer applies.

Example: In year 0001, player plays only 9 games at 2B and 4 in the OF. In year 0002, this player will only qualify at 2B. Still in year 0002, player does not play in the field. Therefore, in year 0003, this player will still qualify for 2B (regardless if he has met position eligibility for a new position in the year 0003). If the player DOES meet position eligibility for a new position in year 0003, and does not meet it for the position for which he was 'grandfathered' (2B), he will not qualify for the 'grandfathered' (2B) position in year 0004. This rule will hereby be known as the JULIO FRANCO RULE of 1994.

E. In the case of A.L. players, whose regular position is D.H. and who have not played 20 games at another position during his last or current season, the position where the player appears second most (as compared to D.H.) will be considered his regular position. This rule is applied at the time that a D.H. is drafted, signed, or traded into a position on a B.A.B.A. roster.

Example: Player is at D.H. for 109 games, the other 15 games in the outfield. When this player is drafted to a B.A.B.A. roster, he is considered an outfielder. This rule will hereby be known as the HAROLD BAINES ('knee-morial') RULE. (Mr. Baines fit this category in 2 of the association's first 3 years. Year after year, the question was always raised: "What position does Harold Baines qualify for?")

If during the course of the season, a D.H. who was previously acquired at one position is switched, in the Major Leagues, to a new position, he qualifies for both positions, provided the new position is a position that is second most played after D.H. and the player has not appeared anywhere else in the field.

Example: D.H. was drafted as an outfielder. At a particular point in the season, the D.H. has played no games in the outfield, 89 games as D.H., and 2 games at first base (and has not appeared anywhere else in the field). At that particular point in the season, this D.H. can also be considered as a first baseman, because that is his new second most regular position (after D.H.). This rule will hereby be known as the DAVE PARKER RULE of 1990.

F. Position eligibility is only pertinent in matters concerning players on a Regular Season Active Roster. Players on a Winter Roster, Reserve Roster, or Bush Affiliate may be associated to any position. However, it is significant to note, for a player who was once a Bush Affiliate player (and has been since promoted to a Reserve Roster in anticipation of an activation to a Regular Season Active Roster), the JAMES MOUTON RULE of 1994 (aforementioned in the above sub-section B) will have no bearing on his position eligibility, at any time, (since the player had Major League experience when first promoted from the Bush Affiliate). These types of players will be subject to any and/or all of the other appropriate Position Eligibility provisions (outlined above and below).

G. All players occupying a pitcher's position on the B.A.B.A. roster shall generate only pitching statistics. All players occupying a non-pitcher's position on the B.A.B.A. roster shall generate only offensive statistics.

SECTION VI - REGULAR SEASON ACTIVE ROSTER SELECTIONS

On, or before, the Major League Baseball Opening Day, and after the Winter Roster Draft is conducted prior to said Opening Day, each B.A.B.A. franchise must submit, to the Senior Elder, a list of players, drawn from their Winter Roster, which will constitute their Regular Season Active Roster. Bush Affiliate players may not be placed on a Regular Season Active Roster during this procedure. The deadline to submit the list is 7:00 PM of the Major League Opening Day. Each list so submitted shall contain 23 (twenty-three) players that will satisfy the Regular Season Active Roster Specifications (and position eligibility requirements) - see SECTIONS IV and V.

SECTION VII - RESERVE ROSTER DESIGNATIONS

On, or before, the Major League Baseball Opening Day, and after the Winter Roster Draft is conducted prior to said Opening Day, each B.A.B.A. franchise must submit, to the Senior Elder, a list of players, drawn from their Winter Roster, excluding all players chosen for their Regular Season Active Roster, which will constitute their Reserve Roster. Bush Affiliate players may not be placed on a Reserve Roster during this procedure. The deadline to submit the list is 7:00 PM of the Major League Opening Day. Each list so submitted shall contain exactly 7 (seven) players, not bound by any position requirements. All players that had appeared on a team's Winter Roster, and who have not been assigned to a Regular Season Active Roster or a Reserve Roster, by the Major League Baseball Opening Day, shall be deemed free agents and will be returned to the "Free Agent Pool."

SECTION VIII - BUSH AFFILIATES

In addition to (and yet always entirely separate from) a "B.A.B.A. Roster" or a "Winter Roster," each franchise will have a "Bush Affiliate." This is an associate and subordinate squad of "qualified" players, (see SECTION II). Bush Affiliates are always distinct and independent to Winter Rosters, Regular Season Active Rosters, and Reserve Rosters.

Individual franchise owners should view this as having a "BA-BA" (B.A.B.A. - Bogus American Baseball Association) and a "BA-BA-BA" (B.A.B.A.B.A. - Bogus American Baseball Association Bush Affiliate). In a sense, they are two entities.

At the commencement of each season, a Bush Affiliate must contain exactly 5 (five) players. (No more, no less.) During the regular season, a Bush Affiliate may never contain more than 5 (five) players or less than 3 (three) players.

Players drafted in to the Bush Affiliate must be pure rookies - they must have never ever appeared in the Major Leagues. (Pure Rookie, in this case and stated elsewhere in this charter, is strictly a B.A.B.A. term. By no means does it relate to the definition of, or qualifications for, a Major League Baseball Rookie - and, should not be confused with such.) Once a player has appeared on an active regular season Major League roster for the first time in reality, he will lose this status of being a pure rookie. (Just being on the Major League regular season roster for one day will be considered sufficient enough to qualify as an appearance - he need not play in a game.)

A. Bush Affiliate players may be only promoted directly to a Reserve Roster. This may only be done once he loses his pure rookie status (see above). When a Bush Affiliate player is promoted to a Reserve Roster, a player from the Reserve Roster must be "waived" directly to the Free Agent Pool. Any Bush Affiliate player who is promoted to a Reserve Roster will not be eligible to be activated to a Regular Season Active Roster until the next transaction period that will be effective following the one in which he was promoted to the Reserve Roster.

B. Only 1 (one) promotion of a Bush Affiliate player to a Reserve Roster will be permitted per franchise in each transaction period. Each franchise is only permitted 2 (two) promotions of Bush Affiliate players to a Reserve Roster in any given season.

C. Once a Bush Affiliate player has been promoted to a Reserve Roster, he may never ever return to a Bush Affiliate at any time. (Including during Regular Season Active Roster Selections and Reserve Roster Designations - see SECTIONS VI and VII.)

D. If a Bush Affiliate player loses his pure rookie status, he does not have to be immediately promoted to a Reserve Roster, he may remain in his Bush Affiliate. However, he will be considered as having permanently lost his pure rookie status. Therefore, he may be promoted to a Reserve Roster ANY time subsequent to having lost his pure rookie status (including during subsequent seasons - even if he is not in the Major Leagues in reality during that later season).

Example: Player in your Bush Affiliate gets his first Major League appearance in September 1996. However, in B.A.B.A., you choose to retain him in your Bush Affiliate rather than promote him to your Reserve Roster at that time. In 1997, the player is still in your Bush Affiliate. Regardless of whether or not he's in the Major Leagues or the Minors in 1997 - it doesn't matter - you can promote this Bush Affiliate player to your Reserve Roster any time during 1997 or after as he has previously lost his pure rookie status. This rule is to be hereby known as the BOTTOMLESS CUP OF COFFEE RULE.

E. In the rare occurrence when a player is drafted in to a Bush Affiliate, and it is later discovered that he did not possess the aforementioned required pure rookie status when drafted in to the Bush Affiliate, one of the following must be performed:

1. The player must be promoted from the Bush Affiliate to a Reserve Roster during the season which directly follows the Bush Affiliate Draft in which he was selected; or,

2. The player must be cut from the Bush Affiliate (at season end of the season for which he was drafted) during the Bush Affiliate cut down phase, (see sub-section F, below).

This rule is to be hereby known as the NAILED UPON FURTHER REVIEW RULE.

If a franchise has already used its two promotions for the year when the discovery is made that they drafted a player without pure rookie status, and the above two provisions are therefore not possible, they will be required to promote the Bush Affiliate player to their Reserve Roster immediately in the first possible transaction period of the following season. Failure to immediately comply will result in the Council of Elders making the necessary decisions and actions to resolve the issue.

F. Exactly one week after the end of the Major League Baseball regular season, all Bush Affiliates must be cut down to contain exactly three players. (No more, no less.) Any players cut will be returned directly to the Free Agent Pool. The Senior Elder will announce the applicable date and time of the deadline. Any and all cuts must be reported to the Senior Elder and he will inform the rest of the association.

Special Note: "Qualified" players with the previously described pure rookie status who are in the Free Agent Pool may still be selected during any other draft or Free Agent Signing.

SECTION IX - EXPANSION DRAFT

When the Council of Elders ascertain it is an appropriate time to expand the number of franchises in B.A.B.A., an announcement will be made that a particular party, agreed upon by the Elders, has been granted admission to the association. However, such an announcement must be made at a 'reasonable time' before the Winter Roster Draft directly preceding the season in which the expansion franchise would debut as to allow enough time for existing franchises to prepare strategies in relation to their draft selections, trades, Free Agent signings, Bush Affiliate promotions, etc. The determination of the 'reasonable time' will be made by the Council of Elders and will be contingent to any pertinent relative factors and issues.

Candidates for expansion franchise ownership will be judged on knowledge of baseball, enthusiasm, personality, cooperation, and (most importantly) an understanding of exactly what they are about to undertake.

In years of expansion, B.A.B.A. will conduct an expansion draft for the newly admitted franchise. The expansion draft will be conducted on the first Wednesday of the Major League Baseball season. In the Expansion Draft, the expansion franchise will submit, to the Senior Elder, a list of players, drawn from all "qualified" players not listed on any B.A.B.A. Regular Season Active Roster or Bush Affiliate (as they are protected and excluded from the Expansion Draft). Any player listed on a B.A.B.A. Reserve Roster at the time of the Expansion Draft, will be deemed eligible to be selected by the expansion franchise. The deadline to submit the list is 5:00 PM of the first Wednesday of the Major League Baseball season.

Any B.A.B.A. franchise which loses a Reserve Roster player, in the Expansion Draft, will be compensated for the loss, in the Supplemental Reserve Roster Draft; (see SECTION X).

The list submitted by the expansion franchise, in the Expansion Draft, shall contain 23 (twenty-three) players, which will satisfy the Regular Season Active Roster Specifications (and position eligibility requirements) - see SECTIONS IV and V. The players contained on the list will then become the expansion franchise's Regular Season Active Roster - retroactive to the Major League Opening Day.

At the same time that the expansion franchise submits the list representing its Regular Season Active Roster, and by the same time deadline, they must also submit a list of 5 (five) players (no more, no less) which will represent its Bush Affiliate. It will be a list of players drawn from all "qualified" (Bush Affiliate eligible) players not listed on any other B.A.B.A. Roster or Bush Affiliate - see SECTIONS II and VIII.

SECTION X - SUPPLEMENTAL RESERVE ROSTER DRAFT

In years of expansion, after the expansion franchise selects its Regular Season Active Roster and Bush Affiliate via the Expansion Draft, the league will conduct a Supplemental Reserve Roster Draft for the expansion team and for all those teams that may have lost a Reserve Roster player in the Expansion Draft (and the lost Reserve Roster player now appears on the expansion franchise's Regular Season Active Roster).

The Supplemental Reserve Roster Draft order shall be announced by the Senior Elder, and shall be determined in reverse order of the previous year's final standings (with the expansion franchise being awarded the first selection in each round of the Supplemental Reserve Roster Draft). The amount of players remaining on a team's Reserve Roster will be accounted for in determining the Supplemental Reserve Roster Draft order.

The Supplemental Reserve Roster Draft will begin with the first round, and the first round shall include only those teams who have no players on a Reserve Roster. The Supplemental Reserve Roster Draft will continue with the second round, and the second round shall include only those teams who have only 1 (one) player on a Reserve Roster. The Supplemental Reserve Roster Draft will proceed in this manner until all B.A.B.A. franchises have a full Reserve Roster of 7 (seven) players (no more, no less), not bound by any position requirements. Only those "qualified" players who are not currently listed on a B.A.B.A. Regular Season Active Roster, Reserve Roster, or a Bush Affiliate are eligible to be selected in the Supplemental Reserve Roster Draft.

The Supplemental Reserve Roster Draft will be conducted as soon as possible and practical following the Expansion Draft. The date and time will be announced by the Senior Elder.

SECTION XI - PLAYER TRANSACTIONS

A. Active players, Reserve players, Bush Affiliate players and Winter Roster Draft picks, can be traded for one another during the regular season. However, an active player can only be traded for an active player, a draft pick can only be traded for a draft pick, a reserve player can only be traded for a reserve player and a bush affiliate player can only be traded for a bush affiliate player. Exchanged reserve players must remain on their new reserve roster until the next transaction period following the effective date of the trade. Exchanged bush affiliate players must remain in their new bush affiliate until the next transaction period following the effective date of the trade. Draft pick exchanges must be limited to the following year's Winter Roster Draft. Other than Winter Roster Draft picks, no other type of draft pick may be traded. Trades made during the regular season must meet the position eligibility requirements, as well as the B.A.B.A. team roster requirements.

B. Trades made during the winter are not bound by roster requirements. However, the number of players exchanged by all teams in the trade must always be equal. (If Winter Roster Draft picks or Bush Affiliate players are exchanged in a trade made during the winter, the number of draft picks exchanged by all teams involved in the trade must also be equal and the number of Bush Affiliate players exchanged by all teams in the trade must also be equal. This rule is to be hereby known as the QUID PRO QUO EXACT-A-MUNDO RULE.)

C. At no split-second in time may a Regular Season Active Roster contain more or less than 9 (nine) pitchers and/or more or less than 14 (fourteen) offensive players as defined by SECTION IV. Nor may a Reserve Roster ever contain more or less than 7 (seven) players. Additionally, a Bush Affiliate may never contain more than 5 (five) players or less than 3 (three) players. (This does not imply that trades made during the regular season or winter involving Bush Affiliate players may be a disproportionate exchange - i.e., two for one, three for two, etc. Any trade of Bush Affiliate players must always involve equal numbers of Bush Affiliate players being exchanged.)

At no split-second in time may a Winter Roster contain more or less than 40 (forty) players.

D. Each season, prior to Opening Day, the Senior Elder will announce the first effective period in which transactions (as described in the following paragraph) will be permitted. The first permissible transaction date will vary from season to season as it is contingent to what the 'Stat Service' is capable of providing.

"Transactions" involving players moving to and from the Active Roster and/or Reserve Roster, players being promoted from a Bush Affiliate to a Reserve Roster (with a player from the Reserve Roster being waived to the Free Agent Pool), or players traded, must be reported to the Senior Elder by 8:00 PM Saturday in order to have the transaction go into effect for the following Monday's games. There will be no exceptions made. Any trade made must be reported (to the Senior Elder) by all franchises involved in the trade in order for it to be acknowledged. In reporting a transaction, in the case where the Senior Elder can not be directly reached, a message with a report of the transaction should be left, before the deadline, on the answering machine that is connected to the Senior Elder's home telephone.

Transaction request deadlines are requisite boundaries and do not mandate last minute requests. Requests made routinely moments before a deadline in non-emergency situations lack courtesy. Whether it is due to indecisiveness, ignorance, or apathy, routinely pushing the option to the near limit is ill-mannered and childish. It is always appreciated if all owners exercise thoughtfulness in regard to notice when requesting routine roster moves of which they have ample foreknowledge. This rule will hereby be known as the TRY NOT TO BE RUDE AND MAKE THE DEADLINE A TARGET RULE.

Additionally, any request for a transaction (exclusively pertaining to ones referenced in this sub-section) may be requested as early as one week prior to the aforementioned deadline. For example: An owner may request to activate a Reserve Roster player and deactivate a player from their Active Roster as early as the Sunday before the Saturday, 8:00 PM, deadline. The transaction will still be effective the Monday following the Saturday deadline. It is significant to note, there is no penalty for a request made well in advance of the deadline. The request may be rescinded any time before the deadline. Obviously, it can not be rescinded after the deadline. This rule will hereby be known as the CIVILITY BEGETS COURTESY RULE. (This right of retraction ONLY applies to the types of transactions referenced in this sub-section. Free Agent and counter claims may never be rescinded - see the following 'sub-section H' for more on Free Agent and counter claims.)

E. "Transactions" (exclusively pertaining to the ones referenced in the previous sub-section) may not be requested after 8:00 PM of the next to last Saturday of the Major League Baseball season. After the end of the season, 'winter' trades will be permitted (see SECTION XI, Sub-section B).

F. If a majority of the teams in the league suspect a trade made between a number of teams is 'unfair' and they desire to protest, then that majority must select a representative. (For the purposes of determining a "majority," one greater than half of all B.A.B.A. franchises who are not involved in the trade will be the measure.) The representative of the majority must present written testament, within 3 (three) days of the announcement of the trade, to the Court Elder, in which it states why the majority feels the trade is unfair. The Court Elder, upon review of the document will then either uphold the trade, or reverse it, retroactive to the original date. If the trade is reversed, the teams involved in the trade may then appeal the Court Elder's ruling. A written appeal must be submitted within 3 (three) days of the ruling. It must state why the teams involved feel the trade was just and equitable. The Court Elder will then rule on the appeal. If the Court Elder agrees that the trade was fair, he will then reinstate the trade, retroactive to the original transaction date. If the Court Elder rules that the trade is still unfair, his initial ruling on the issue will stand, and no further appeal may be submitted.

In the case where the Court Elder may be involved in the trade, an outside arbitrator, mutually agreed upon by the Elders, will preside over the review; unless neither of the remaining Elders are involved in the trade or the majority requesting the review (and therefore would have an impartial view of the proceedings and would be able to preside). In absence of the Court Elder, the presiding pecking order would be Senior Elder first, Financial Elder second.

G. No player can be "transacted" twice within the same transaction. Therefore, a player being activated from the Reserve Roster, or a player being deactivated from the Regular Season Active Roster, can not be simultaneously traded or waived; and, a player acquired in a trade can not be simultaneously activated, reserved, or waived. Also, a Bush Affiliate player being promoted to a Reserve Roster can not be simultaneously traded, waived, or activated and a Bush Affiliate player being traded can not be simultaneously be promoted to a Reserve Roster.

H. Once the first printed report of the league standings has been received from the statistical services firm, teams will be allowed to sign Free Agents. A Free Agent will be a "qualified" player (see SECTION II) not currently on any B.A.B.A. Roster or Bush Affiliate who is a member of the "Free Agent Pool."

No franchise may sign more than 5 (five) Free Agents in any season.

Each "claim period," a franchise will be permitted to "waive" one player from their Reserve Roster contingent to claiming one player from the "Free Agent Pool." The "waived" player will be returned directly to the "Free Agent Pool" should the franchise sign the player claimed.

The "claim period" will commence Sunday 9:00 AM and will cease Tuesday 8:00 PM. If two or more franchises file a claim for the same player during the claim period, the team with the worst record (in the standings of the week prior to the claiming period) will be awarded the "original claim."

The signing of the Free Agent is subject to the claimed player passing through the B.A.B.A. Free Agent claim clearing house. All franchises (without original claims for the claim period), which are lower in the standings (than the team awarded the original claim), will have an opportunity to "counter" claim the Free Agent during the clearing house hours. The clearing house will begin Wednesday 9:00 AM and will end Friday 8:00 PM. (The standings of the week prior to the claim period will determine "lower in the standings.") If at the end of the clearing house, no one "counter" claims, the Free Agent will be signed by the team who was awarded the original claim. If at the end of the clearing house, one or more "counter" claims is made, the Free Agent will be awarded to the "counter" claim made by the team lowest in the standings (of the week prior to the "claiming period") and they must release a player from their reserve roster. The franchise which was awarded the original claim, and lost to the counter claim, as well as those franchises who "countered" in the clearing house and lost to the team lowest in the standings, will have to wait for the next claim period to file any other type of claim.

Any franchise that is awarded an original Free Agent claim at the end of the claim period forfeits its right to counter-claim another claim in the subsequent contingent B.A.B.A. clearing house.

All teams beneath the team awarded the original claim will be notified of the claim. THE LEAGUE WILL HAVE SATISFIED ITS OBLIGATION TO INFORM BY PLACING ONE TELEPHONE CALL TO EACH OF THE TEAMS ELIGIBLE TO "COUNTER" CLAIM. The one call may be placed to either the team's residence (as made known to the association) or to the team owner's place of occupation. THE LEAGUE WILL NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR A MESSAGE LEFT ON AN ANSWERING SYSTEM OR WITH A THIRD PERSON, WHICH HAS NOT BEEN RECEIVED BY THE ELIGIBLE OWNER. The league is never required to assume the burden of proof that any call was made.

Any franchise that does not receive a telephone call from the league in any particular clearing house period should assume that either no claims were made that week or that they were ineligible to counter any claim made that week. If said franchise is curious as to which of the two possible assumptions applies, it is their responsibility to contact the Senior Elder for clarification. This rule is to be hereby known as the BE A SPORT AND DROP A QUARTER RULE.

ANY CLAIM OR COUNTER CLAIM IS IRREVOCABLE and must be reported to the Senior Elder in order to be valid.

At the time any claim is filed, the filing franchise must report which player is designated to be waived contingent to signing the free agent. Otherwise, the claim will not be accepted. The "waived player" designation may be changed until 8:00 PM of the Saturday directly following the clearing house.

In making any Free Agent or counter claim, in the case where the Senior Elder can not be directly reached, a message with a report of the claim should be left, before the appropriate deadline, on the answering machine that is connected to the Senior Elder's home telephone.

Any Free Agent awarded to a franchise will be assigned to their Reserve Roster on the Monday directly following the end of the clearing house, and will not be eligible to be "transacted" (i.e., activated, traded, or waived) until the following transaction period which is effective 9 and 1/6 days after the end of the clearing house (otherwise known as the second Monday after the end of the clearing house in which the Free Agent passed through or was claimed).

Example: A signed Free Agent appears on your Reserve Roster on the Monday which directly follows the close of the clearing house. The first day he can appear on your Active Roster would be the following Monday, one week after he first appears on your Reserve Roster. You would have to request a transaction to active him onto the Active Roster before 8:00 PM of the Saturday directly following the Monday when he first appears on your Reserve Roster.

For Free Agent and counter claim purposes, any ties in the standings will be broken in the same manner that is used at season's end.

Free Agent claims will not be permitted after the Tuesday preceding the last Monday of the regular season. For example: If September 23rd is that last Monday of the regular season, September 17th would be the last day in which a Free Agent claim is allowed.

Please note: SECTION XIV, sub-section C; regarding Free Agents Transaction Fees.

I. Any and all transaction requests made which are not possible in reality due to the heedlessness of a franchise (who made the request) in recognizing Regular Season Active Roster Specifications, position eligibility rules, or any of the transaction rules contained within this charter, will obviously not be honored by the association. Furthermore, upon receipt of such an unworkable request, it is NOT the responsibility of the Senior Elder to inform said franchise that the transaction is not possible. The erring franchise will learn of their 'faux pas' when they notice that their request was not included on the "Weekly Report." This rule is to be hereby known as the DON'T ASK THE SENIOR ELDER TO BE YOUR G.M. RULE.

SECTION XII - RESERVE ROSTER ACTIVATIONS

A. A team may deactivate a player from its Regular Season Active Roster and activate a player from their Reserve Roster (to take the active player's position on the active roster) whenever the franchise owner feels it is an appropriate decision. The deactivated player will then be transferred to the Reserve Roster. (See SECTION XI, sub-section D; regarding reporting transactions and their effective dates.)

B. When a team activates a player from the Reserve Roster to replace a deactivated player from the Regular Season Active Roster, position and roster requirements must still be met when the replacement player is activated.

C. No roster moves requests will be permitted after 8:00 PM of the next to last Saturday of the Major League Baseball regular season.

SECTION XIII - SUSPENDED PLAYERS

Any B.A.B.A. team whose player(s) becomes suspended from the Major Leagues (either A.L. or N.L.) due to an action that occurred on the playing field cannot deactivate that player to the Reserve Roster and activate a replacement player from the Reserve Roster while the suspension is being served. Nor may such a player be activated from the Reserve Roster while the suspension is being served. The suspended player cannot be traded or "waived" while the suspension is being served. The aforementioned transaction requests are permitted if the suspension is under appeal. (There is a difference as 'under appeal' denotes that the suspension is pending while 'being served' signifies the suspension is currently taking place.) However, any transaction request made involving a player who will be serving a suspension on the first day when the transaction becomes effective will not be permitted even if the transaction request was made prior to the beginning of the suspension being served. Notwithstanding, any player suspended due to a 'personal problem' (i.e., substance abuse) may be transacted. These provisions will hereby be known as the ALBERT (don't call me Joey and I don't use cork) BELLE and STEVE (that's only rosin on my nose) HOWE RULE.

SECTION XIV - TRANSACTION FEES

A. All trades made during the regular season are $8.00 in total cost regardless of the number of players and/or draft picks exchanged. It is up to the teams involved in the trade to determine (and report to the Senior Elder) who will pay what portion of the fee to the league. (Unless stated otherwise by the teams involved in the trade, it will be assumed the cost will be divided equally). All trades made during the winter are free of cost.

B. All deactivations from the Active Roster, or activations from the Reserve Roster, are $2.00 per player involved. Example: Herb Washington is moved from your Active Roster to your Reserve Roster and Don Money is moved from your Reserve Roster to your Active Roster (to replace Washington). That's two players, at $2.00 per player, for a total of $4.00 for the transaction.

C. All Free Agent signings and required contingent reserve players waivings are $5.00 per player involved. Example: Lynn McGlothen is waived from your Reserve Roster and Johnny Grubb is signed from the Free Agent Pool (to replace McGlothen on your Reserve Roster). That's two players, at $5.00 per player, for a total of $10.00 for the transaction.

D. All Bush Affiliate promotions and required contingent reserve players waivings are $3.00 per player involved. Example: Andy Hassler is waived from your Reserve Roster and David Clyde is promoted from your Bush Affiliate (to replace Hassler on your Reserve Roster). That's two players, at $3.00 per player, for a total of $6.00 for the transaction.

E. A franchise will only be permitted to "transact" provided they have a transaction fee credit deposited with the Financial Elder. Once a franchise exhausts their credit (deposited with the Financial Elder), the franchise will be required to make a subsequent deposit (before being permitted to once again "transact"). This rule is to be hereby known as the ROCCO/TRINGALI RULE from the Spring of 1992. Furthermore, if a franchise has a transaction fee deposit balance which is not greater than or equal to the TOTAL amount of all the fees for their transaction requests by 8:00 PM of the Saturday immediately prior to the period in which their aforementioned transactions requests would be effective, ALL their requests for that given period will be denied by the association. This rule is to be hereby known as the "Doh!" RULE. ("Doh!" being pronounced with a tormented Homer Simpson-esque accentuation.)

Example: On Tuesday, August 11th, 'Team Example' makes a Free Agent claim. No one counters the claim and on Friday, August 14th, 'Team Example' is awarded the Free Agent. On Saturday morning, August 15th, 'Team Example' calls in a transaction request - reserving his Utility Player (UT) and activating a Reserve Roster player to the UT spot. At this point, 'Team Example' has requested $14.00 worth of transactions. However, as of 8:00 PM on August 15th (Saturday), 'Team Example' has only $4.00 on deposit with the Financial Elder. Therefore, NONE of their transactions will go through for the week - neither the Free Agent Claim or the roster move.

It is significant to note, should a team be denied a "counter" claim on a Free Agent claim as a result of the "Doh!" Rule, the Free Agent will be awarded as follows:

1. If no other "counter" claims were made on the Free Agent claim, the player will be awarded to the team who made the original claim (provided they have sufficient funds on deposit to cover the transaction fee); or,

2. If other "counter" claims were made on the Free Agent claim, the player will be awarded to the franchise lowest in the standings of the week prior to the "claiming period" who made a "counter" claim on the player - discounting the franchise who was subject to the "Doh!" Rule, thus initiating this provision - (provided they have sufficient funds on deposit to cover the transactions fee). If necessary, this provision will be repeatedly applied to the remaining applicable "counter" claims until an eligible franchise is found to have sufficient funds on deposit to sign the player.

This rule is to be hereby known as the SOMEWHERE AMONGST THE HORDES OF DEADBEATS MUST TREAD A REPUTABLE SOUL RULE.

Any trade which is not possible as a result of the "Doh!" Rule will be voided in its entirety - for all franchises involved in the trade.

There will be no warning notices made as a franchise approaches the lower limits of their transaction fee deposits. Nor will calls be made to inform of a zero balance. Each franchise is required to monitor their own transactions and deposits made. This rule is to be hereby known as the ABENDS RULE.

Mad scrambles made in order to deposit funds with the Financial Elder just before the Free Agent Claim, Counter Claim and Transaction Request Deadlines are not encouraged. Franchises should not wait until they have an extremely low or zero balance to make a deposit. It is not the responsibility of the association to ensure that deposits can be received 24 hours per day, seven days per week. It is the responsibility of each franchise to make their deposit in an acceptable and convenient fashion. Only once the Financial Elder acknowledges a deposit is it to be considered as received. This rule is to be hereby known as the BUZZER BEATER SCURRY RULE.

Any post-dated checks received will be considered received as of the date of the check, NOT the date it is received by the association. Any check submitted by a franchise that does not clear when cashed (i.e., due to "insufficient funds") will result in that franchise's current and future standing in the association to be reviewed and considered by the Council of Elders. (In cases of repeat offenders, expulsion may be warranted.) The responsibility for any charges incurred in association with a check that does not clear shall be transferred to the franchise who submitted the check. This rule is to be hereby known as the CAFARELLA RULE.

F. All transaction fee deposits which are unused and left remaining at the end of the regular season will be refunded to the respective franchises.

SECTION XV - PRIZE MONEY

At the season's end, the Financial Elder shall disburse all prize money in the following manner based on the final standings:

35.0% of the prize pool to the 1st place team.
22.0% of the prize pool to the 2nd place team.
17.0% of the prize pool to the 3rd place team.
12.0% of the prize pool to the 4th place team.
5.0% of the prize pool to the 5th place team.
2.0% of the prize pool to the 6th place team.
1.0% of the prize pool to the team which finishes below 6th place and has spent the most on transactions (as compared to all other teams finishing below 6th place) as an 'Effort Prize.'
6.0% of the prize pool to the Council of Elders for their administrative efforts (to be divided equally amongst the Elders - See Section XXIII for Council of Elders' responsibilities).

Note: In determining the award of the 'Effort Prize,' if two or more teams in consideration are tied in the amount spent on transactions, the team locked in the aforementioned 'spent on transaction tie' which finished lowest below 6th place will win the 'Effort Prize.'

SECTION XVI - WINTER ROSTER DRAFT

After the Major League Baseball World Series, the league will conduct a Winter Roster Draft. Each B.A.B.A. franchise will expand its B.A.B.A. roster (of both active players and reserves), via the Winter Roster Draft, to 40 (forty) players. (No more, no less.) The players added to the B.A.B.A. roster in the Winter Roster Draft may be associated to any position provided they are "qualified" (see SECTION II) and are chosen from the "Free Agent Pool." The Senior Elder shall schedule the Winter Roster Draft at a reasonable time and place. The date must be at least 2 (two) weeks after the completion of the Major League Baseball World Series. The Winter Roster Draft order shall be announced by the Senior Elder, and shall be determined in reverse order of the just completed B.A.B.A. season's final standings and will reflect any trade(s) of draft picks.

In no conceivable manner will the Winter Roster Draft ever affect or involve a Bush Affiliate or any of its players - see SECTIONS VIII and XVII.

SECTION XVII - BUSH AFFILIATE DRAFT

Directly following the Winter Roster Draft, the league will conduct a Bush Affiliate Draft. Each B.A.B.A. franchise will expand its Bush Affiliate, via the Bush Affiliate Draft, to 5 (five) players. (No more, no less.) The players added to the Bush Affiliate in the Bush Affiliate Draft may be associated to any position provided they are "qualified" (see SECTION II) and are chosen from the "Free Agent Pool." The Bush Affiliate Draft order shall be announced by the Senior Elder, and shall be determined in reverse order of the just completed B.A.B.A. season's final standings.

SECTION XVIII - TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP

Any owner who wishes to dispose a franchise or who has been discharged must return their franchise back to the association. Any subsequent transfer of ownership must be approved by the Council of Elders. A current franchise owner may not exchange their franchise for the vacant one as such a move would disrupt continuity. (As one of the strengths of any Fantasy Baseball league is the building of traditions, the more stable the league in terms of having franchises with uninterrupted ownership, the deeper the traditions will run.)

Once a franchise is without ownership, the Council of Elders will form a search committee to select a new owner for the next season. For draft purposes, the new owner will be entitled to all privileges as if the franchise had actually never changed or lost ownership. Specifically, they will draft in the order based on where the franchise actually finished at year end and will inherit any draft pick liabilities or gains which were the result of trades made by the previous ownership before their withdrawal or expulsion. Potential owners will be judged on knowledge of baseball, enthusiasm, personality, cooperation, and (most importantly) an understanding of exactly what they are about to undertake.

SECTION XIX - OWNERSHIP UNDERGOING SALVAGE TERMS

In years when a newly admitted Owner inherits a previously existing franchise after the end of the regular season and before the Winter Roster Draft, the transfer of the roster from the previous Owner to the new incoming Owner will be subject to the "Ownership Undergoing Salvage Terms" (O.U.S.T.) outlined below. This initial transfer made during this specific time period is the only event that will ever initiate the implementation of these terms.

A. Newly admitted Owner(s) will only be permitted to retain 15 players (no more, no less) from the B.A.B.A. roster that they inherit. Players may be associated to any position. (If the inherited franchise's Bush Affiliate has already been reduced to 3 players, then all Bush Affiliate players must be retained in addition to the 15 players retained from the B.A.B.A. roster. If the Bush Affiliate has more than 3 players, then the newly admitted owner must make the necessary cuts to reduce the Bush Affiliate to 3 players and they will be retained in addition to the 15 players retained from the B.A.B.A. roster. This Bush Affiliate cut down is subject to the same time deadline outlined in sub-section D below.)

B. Returning Owners will be permitted to retain between 15 and 30 players from their B.A.B.A. roster (any positions). ALL players currently in a Returning Owner's Bush Affiliate must be retained in addition to the players retained from the B.A.B.A. roster.

C. All players not retained on any B.A.B.A. roster (or the Bush Affiliate of the inherited franchise, if cuts are necessary) after the implementation of these procedures will be returned to the Free Agent Pool.

D. All 'retention' lists must be submitted to the Senior Elder within three days after the announcement that there has been an acceptance of ownership made by a newly admitted Owner for the last (or only) available franchise (and all franchises in the association are then under ownership). The deadline to submit will be 8 PM of the third day following the aforementioned announcement. (The public announcement of the lists will be performed as a whole as to ensure that no returning franchise will base their decision on the newly admitted Owner's decision or that of a fellow returning Owner.)

E. An 'OUST' Draft will be conducted to bring all B.A.B.A. rosters (newly and continuously owned) back to 30 (thirty) players.

OUST DRAFT: The OUST Draft will be held directly preceding the Winter Roster Draft.

Draft order will be announced by the Senior Elder and shall be determined in reverse order of the just completed season's final standings. Newly admitted Owners will draft in the position which their newly acquired franchise qualified for based on the reverse order of the just completed season's final standings. 'Retained' players will be accounted for in determining the draft order as follows:

The OUST Draft will begin with the 1st round and will include only those franchises who have made 15 'cuts' from their 30 man B.A.B.A. Roster. The Draft will continue with the 2nd round and this round will include only those franchises who have just 16 players on their B.A.B.A. Roster. The Draft will proceed in this manner until all franchises have 30 players on their B.A.B.A. Roster (at the completion of the 15th round).

A player of any position will be eligible to be drafted in the OUST Draft provided they are "qualified" (see SECTION II) and are chosen from the "Free Agent Pool."

Once the OUST Draft is complete and all franchises have 30 players on their B.A.B.A. Roster, the Winter Roster Draft and Bush Affiliate Draft will proceed as normal.

F. In the rare occurrence when a newly admitted Owner inherits a previously existing franchise before the Winter Roster and Bush Affiliate Drafts are conducted and subsequent to an OUST Draft having been conducted (and the team they inherited was eligible for and/or participated in the OUST Draft), the newly admitted Owner will be permitted to participate in the upcoming Winter Roster and Bush Affiliate Drafts. The newly admitted Owner will (Winter Roster/Bush Affiliate) draft in the position that the newly acquired franchise qualified for based on the reverse order of the just completed season's final standings. After participating in the Winter Roster and Bush Affiliate Drafts, the newly admitted Owner will be permitted to return up to any 8 (eight) players from their inherited B.A.B.A. roster, which has just been expanded to 40 (forty) players via the Winter Roster Draft, to the "Free Agent Pool" and replace them with any players from the "Free Agent Pool." (Bush Affiliate players are excluded from this privilege.) This rule is to be hereby known as the KNIGHT HAWKS (Winter '94 - '95) RULE. If the post-draft courtesy is utilized by the newly admitted Owner, the selections must be announced immediately following the completion of both the Winter Roster and Bush Affiliate Drafts.

In years when a newly admitted Owner inherits a previously existing franchise, subsequent to the association conducting the Winter Roster and Bush Affiliate Drafts and before Opening Day of the Regular Season, the newly admitted Owner will be permitted to return up to any 8 (eight) players from their inherited 40 (forty) player Winter Roster to the "Free Agent Pool" and replace them with any players from the "Free Agent Pool." (Bush Affiliate players are excluded from this privilege.) This rule is to be hereby known as the SATELLITES RULE. If this courtesy is utilized by the newly admitted Owner, it must so be done within one week's time from when their ownership is confirmed or before the Major League Opening Day, whichever time span is shorter. The Senior Elder will announce the applicable date and time of the deadline. Any and all actions must be reported to the Senior Elder and he will inform the rest of the association.

SECTION XX - GOOD FAITH DEALINGS

The Financial Elder shall never commingle funds in any manner and shall never use the league's moneys for any purpose other than B.A.B.A. related business. This rule will hereby be known as the KEEP YOUR FINGERS OUT OF THE COOKIE JAR RULE. All funds collected by the Financial Elder will be maintained in a safe and sensible vehicle for the facilitation of clearing personal checks or money orders submitted and distributing prize pool shares at year end. (It should not be expected that this vehicle would bear or garner interest for the association.)

Any time the Senior Elder reports a "transaction", Regular Season Active Roster Selection, Reserve Roster Designation, or (if applicable) OUST 'cuts' germane to his own franchise, said action must be witnessed by another party to ensure the action was reported before the particular deadline by which to report the action. In such a case, any member of the association will suffice as witness. It is the Senior Elder's responsibility to record his witness for every action. (This record is strictly for internal administrative files. It is not required that the witness for each action be made public record.) This rule will hereby be known as the I NEED A WITNESS FROM THE CONGREGATION RULE.

On, or before, September 1st of the season in progress, each B.A.B.A. franchise will be required to submit a verbal commitment to the Senior Elder in regard to their intent of returning for the following season. This rule will hereby be known as the VOW RENEWAL RULE.

Should a franchise owner, at any time or times, or in any manner fail to comply with the covenants and agreements herein contained within the charter, or should the said party at any time be intemperate, corrupt, derelict, apathetic, or conduct themselves in such a manner, as to endanger the best interest and harmony of the association, its constituents or authorities, then the Council of Elders hereunto shall have the right to discipline, fine or discharge said owner as they shall deem fit and proper, and the Council of Elders shall be the sole judge as to the sufficiency of the reason for such discipline, fine or discharge. This rule will hereby be known as the NO TIME FOR FOOLS RULE.

If a franchise allows their transaction fee deposit balance to reach 'zero' and the situation is unresolved for eight consecutive weeks, the franchise's current and future standing in the association will be reviewed by the Council of Elders. (In the case of evident derelict intent, expulsion may be warranted.) This rule will hereby be known as the HARRINGTON RULE.

In addition, no person(s) exercising any ownership authority and/or financial responsibility for one franchise shall be allowed to have such authority and/or responsibility over any other franchise. No two or more franchises are allowed by surreptitious combined effort of individual owners to control outcome of player transactions, standings or other association matters. If a person is found guilty of such intent or action after scrutiny by the Council of Elders, the penalty for the violation will be immediate expulsion from the association of all offending parties with no refund of fees. Any affected franchise will be allowed to finish out the season. However, while its statistics will count in tabulating the final standings, it will be considered as not being part of the final standings and is ineligible to collect any prize. All franchises finishing below the affected franchise(s) in the final standings will automatically advance one station as if the offending franchise never existed. This rule will hereby be known as the HAVE NO DELUSIONS ABOUT COLLUSION RULE. In such a case, the Council of Elders will form a search committee to select a new owner for the next season as instructed by the terms of "Transfer of Ownership" outlined in this charter.

Any franchise which can not be physically present in attendance at any draft or mandatory meeting is required to designate a proxy (albeit an Elder or independent party) or make alternative arrangements to participate in the draft or mandatory meeting in another manner (i.e., telephone conference). The party unable to physically attend, and only that party, must inform the Council of Elders of the proxy's identity or other participatory arrangements and notice must be given prior to the event in question as Elder's approval is required. Failure to comply will result in the Council of Elders assuming the role of proxy and having all decision making authority and voting rights normally assigned to the franchise during the particular event in question. This rule will hereby be known as the STONEWALL SOLUTION RULE.

SECTION XXI - ADDITIONAL FEES

The Council of Elders shall collect reasonable additional fees deemed necessary to defray all B.A.B.A. related administrative costs (such as the cost of on-line usage charges, fax transmissions, etc.) or may deduct said fees from the prize pool if needed. All members of the association will be immediately notified should the necessity arise to exercise this provision.

SECTION XXII - COUNCIL OF ELDERS' RULE

The BOGUS AMERICAN BASEBALL ASSOCIATION Council of Elders' decision on the interpretation of this charter is to be considered the final authority on such. Issues not covered by this charter will be objectively governed upon by the Council of Elders on a contingency basis. All decisions reached by the Council of Elders will be based solely on maintaining fairness and competitive equity. It will always be the Council of Elders' intent to remain consistent within the association's current philosophy. Clarity of thought will be employed at all times to ensure against any incongruous edicts. The Council of Elders has the reserved right to amend, augment, nullify and create rules in times when situations dictate a necessity.

SECTION XXIII - COUNCIL OF ELDERS' RESPONSIBILITIES

A. The Senior Elder shall perform the duties of 'League Secretary' and will record transactions (and provide them to the Financial Elder and the 'Stat Service') in addition to administering the Free Agent process. The Financial Elder shall perform the duties of 'League Accountant and Treasurer' and will collect, monitor and distribute all funds in addition to publishing (or causing to be published) a periodic money summary and/or a league ledger. The Court Elder shall administer the Charter, settle disputes and (if necessary) will host the Winter Roster and Bush Affiliate Drafts in addition to providing 'scouting reports' on locations that are suitable for holding meetings. Any inquiry by a franchise should be directed to the appropriate Elder. An Elder who receives a question not pertaining to his specialty may refuse to answer the question by stating the reply 'SEE SECTION TWENTY THREE.' This will serve as an implicit instruction for the inquiring party to seek the appropriate Elder.

B. An Elder is not permitted to disclose information to a franchise if the information does not pertain to the inquiring franchise.

Example: Team A questions the Senior Elder to determine Team B's transactions for the upcoming week. THIS IS NOT PERMITTED. Or, Team B questions the Financial Elder to determine Team A's balance on deposit for future transactions. THIS IS NOT PERMITTED.

The Council of Elders (and in some cases the 'Stat Service') are the only parties permitted access to information prior to it appearing on the "Weekly Report" or in any newsletter. This is to be hereby known as the NERVOUS NOSEY OLD LADY WITHOUT A NEED TO KNOW RULE.

C. In a situation where an opening in the Council of Elders may exist, in order to be a qualified candidate for consideration, a member of B.A.B.A. must be an individual who has substantial tenure in the association, has no prior record of being a discomfort in the derriere, is a possessor of an open mind, places the good of the association over their own franchise, has never attempted to manipulate the Charter or bucked an obligation, displays an aptitude for cooperation, maintains a proper perspective and does not whine or have a propensity of nit-picking. (Campaigning will also cost a candidate to lose some points.)

SECTION XXIV - SEASON END INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

Commencing with the end of the 1996 season, as time allows and strictly for FUN, the Senior Elder will determine, announce and present B.A.B.A. Season End Individual Awards for the players, franchises and their owners who best correspond with the parameters of the following described awards. It is significant to note: the names of awards are relative to renowned players and memorable persons who existed during the first seven years of B.A.B.A. The attainment of the award by an individual or franchise is the only associated prize. Respective winners may wear the intangible award as a badge of honor or scarlet letter of shame - whichever is appropriate. These awards were established in order to instill and perpetuate widespread tradition, pride and camaraderie within the association.

Brady Anderson Award - to the player who hits like Mario Mendoza for four straight seasons; and, on the 5th year, shows up hitting like an inspired Rickey Henderson.

Mark Davis Award - to the relief pitcher who one day begins to believe that the world is flat; and, when his fastball agrees; he immediately falls off the edge of the horizon.

Barry Bonds Award - to the offensive player who is unquestionably the all-around best in the league.

Joe Carter Award - to the hitter who accumulates bushels of At Bats along with an On Base Average near .300; thus, destroying a franchise's cumulative On Base Average.

Bret Saberhagen Award - to the pitcher who's name is likely to appear in any given medical journal more often than advertisements for "man-to-man body rubs" appear in the classifieds of the Village Voice.

Tony Phillips Award - to the offensive player who displays both roster saving versatility and category contributing productivity.

George Steinbrenner Award - to the franchise owner who views an inferior useless player like a rose in the desert and/or who treats money like water.

Marge Schott Award - to the franchise owner who would rather "walk through Hell in a gasoline suit" before cracking open their change purse.

Greg Maddux Award - to the starting pitcher who is an overwhelming dominant force in the league.

Sandy Alomar Jr. Award - to the player who is on the D.L. so often, he makes Eric ("E.D." for "Eventually Disabled") Davis look like Cal Ripken Jr.

Bobby Witt Award - to the pitcher who thinks a Base On Balls is as good as an Out.

Tim Wakefield Award - to the pitcher who's name was on no one's lips on Opening Day; and, subsequently during the season, he surprisingly falls out of the clouds and lands on an ERA near three.

Darryl Strawberry Award - to the player who limits his chances to perform, despite inherent talent, due to constantly bending himself forward in an attempt to see how far up his anus he can insert his head.

Sid Fernandez Award - to the corpulent player who looks more like he should be cast as an extra in a Richard Simmons' "Sweatin' to the Oldies" video than being a big league ball player.

Dennis Eckersley Award - to the bullpen hurler who preserves his team's wins by automatically turning games into less than nine inning contests.

Pat Listach Award - to a former rookie standout who starts to perform like he misses long bumpy bus rides, poorly illuminated playing fields and minor league meal money.

Roberto Kelly Award - to the player who is traded so often that Century 21 gives him a gold jacket.

Eric Anthony Award - to the player who's pedigree screams "stud"; yet, who's performance whimpers "dud".

SECTION XXV - SHAPIRO CUP

Commencing with the end of the 1997 season, the 'Shapiro Cup' will be awarded annually at season end as a tribute to the franchise who has won the B.A.B.A. Championship. The 'Shapiro Cup' is to be kept pristine by those to whom it is awarded for transfer to a successor when the next Champion is determined. Said transfer between previous and successor Champion will occur at the Winter Roster Draft following the season in which a successor is crowned. (Any franchise in possession of the 'Shapiro Cup' in a given season and who will not be participating in the association in the following season must immediately surrender the 'Shapiro Cup' to the Senior Elder upon the determination that they will not be returning to the league. In these cases, the Senior Elder will house the 'Shapiro Cup' for future presentation to the next rightful possessor.)

The penalty for damaging the 'Shapiro Cup,' losing it, or not transferring it to the successor Champion (or the Senior Elder, when applicable) will be as follows:

1. The offending franchise will be charged with a fee equal to 300% of the cost of repairing or replacing the 'Shapiro Cup;' and,

2. If the Council of Elders determines it is warranted, for the full season immediately following the season in which the damage or loss of the 'Shapiro Cup' occurred, the offending franchise will be referred to as the 'FECAL DIGESTORS' (instead of their actual franchise name) in ALL association communication materials - INCLUDING the "Weekly Report."

SECTION XXVI - GLOSSARY

"Bush Affiliate" - shall constitute those players drafted without Major League experience and who are grouped in a distinct classification and are somewhat associated to a team's B.A.B.A. Roster or Winter Roster; but, who are, in reality, entirely separate, independent, and subordinate to the B.A.B.A. Roster or Winter Roster.

"B.A.B.A. Roster" - shall constitute those players on a team's Regular Season Active Roster and Reserve Roster (as they appear when combined).

"Free Agent Pool" - (also: "Pool") shall constitute the group of "qualified players" (see SECTION II) not currently on any B.A.B.A. Roster or Bush Affiliate.

"League Fee" - shall constitute $240.00 (two hundred and forty dollars). This amount includes postage fees, a $40.00 (forty dollars) deposit for future transaction fees, 'stat service' fees, an initial prize pool contribution, and any possible up front administrative fees.

"Money Summary" - (also: "Unit Summary") shall constitute a periodic summary of each franchise's costs incurred and fees contributed, and a summary of the current prize pool breakdown.

"Regular Season Active Roster" - (also: "Active Roster") shall constitute the team roster, exclusive of the Reserve Roster and Bush Affiliate, as it may be during the B.A.B.A. regular season.

"Reserve Roster" - shall constitute the players on a B.A.B.A. Roster during the regular season, not appearing on the team's Regular Season Active Roster or Bush Affiliate.

"Standings of the Week Prior to the Claim(ing) Period" - shall constitute the standings as they appear on the weekly report reflecting games played through the date that is one week before the first day of the current claim(ing) period.

"Tie-Breaker Point" - shall constitute the point that is awarded to a franchise for bettering all others in a statistical category when resolving a tie in the standings. ('All others' concerns only those franchises who are involved in the league standings tie.)

"Transact" - shall constitute having the ability to request or report (and essentially carry out) a "transaction."

"Transaction" - shall constitute any trade of active players, reserve players, bush affiliate players, and/or draft picks; any transfer of player(s) to/from the Active Roster/Reserve Roster; any transfer of a player from a Bush Affiliate to a Reserve Roster and a contingent waiving of a reserve player, and any award of a Free Agent (albeit from an original or counter claim) and contingent waiving of a reserve player.

"Waive (a player)" - shall constitute returning a player directly and exclusively to the "Free Agent Pool."

"Weekly Report" - shall constitute the report provided each week by the outside statistical services firm (employed by the association) which contains the team summary comparison for the entire league, a roster and statistics for each individual franchise, the league standings and a report of the transactions that are effective for the week ahead.

"Winter Roster" - shall constitute those players on a B.A.B.A. Roster following the Winter Roster Draft, excluding the Bush Affiliate, and preceding the Regular Season Active Roster Selections and Reserve Roster Designations.

Revised December 1997 ecl/sml

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