Article I: Teams and Rosters

A: Each team will begin its season with a roster of 45 players and that number can increase or decrease through trading as the season goes on. Major league rosters (the rosters used for game play) will consist of no more than 25 players.

B: Each roster must have a minimum of five starting pitchers, six relief pitchers and two position players at each of the eight field positions. This means that a minimum of 27 players (11 pitchers and 16 position players) must be on a team roster at all times. Players cannot be counted at multiple positions. You must have AT LEAST one backup at every position during the regular season. Roster minimums do not need to be maintained in the off-season (January 1 until the Free Agent Draft).

C: Teams will have the annual option of playing under American League rules (with a DH) or National League rules (non-DH).

D: The NYLISL Winter Meetings will take place annually on the Saturday before the Super Bowl. The Waiver Draft will be held online and the Draft can begin online, to be finished in person on a date to be determined, depending on the availability of cards.

E. The team that finishes last will pay for the nameplate added to the trophy displaying the name of that year's champion. The cost of the card set will be split 7 ways. Each team will be responsible for mailing out cards after trades. (new for 2014)

Article II: Scheduling and Ballparks

A: The league will consist of seven teams with an 84-game season. Teams will play 14 games against other teams in the league.

B: Each team signs a four-year "lease" on an actual MLB ballpark and must use that park as its home field, with the dimensions as set by Strat-O-Matic each year. (For 2013, teams were allowed to use their 2012 home field instead for one season.) When all the leases are up (after 2016, 2020, etc.), teams pick new parks in a draft, the order set randomly. Ballpark draft picks cannot be traded.

Article III: Drafting, Eligibility and Player Protection

A: Except for the first round, the draft order will be determined by overall records and will proceed in reverse order (worst to first). The draft itself will proceed in a ladder fashion (1-end in every round) until all teams have a complete roster.

The order of non-playoff teams in the first round of the draft will be determined by a lottery among the non-playoff teams, with the 7th place team having a 50% chance (1-10 on a 20 side), the 6th place team having a 25% chance (11-15); the 5th place team having a 15% chance (16-18); and the 4th place team having a 10% chance (19-20). Once the No. 1 spot is determined, the die will be rolled again for each spot until the result indicates one of the remaining non-playoff teams. The remainder of the first round will be ordered in the usual manner. (new for 2014)

B: A team cannot finish their draft with more than 45 players and then release them before the season begins.

C. In any season, a team may use its original first-round pick (or a higher, acquired pick) to draft a Hall of Fame card.

-- I. The Hall of Fame player may play ONLY in games against a team that also has a Hall of Fame player, including the postseason.

-- II. A team may only have one Hall of Fame player, and can keep that player for only four years before he must be released.

-- III. Only Hall of Fame position players can be chosen.

-- IV. Before its first game of the season, a team with a Hall of Fame player must designate one player -- pitcher for pitcher or position player for position player -- as the player who replaces the Hall of Fame player in games against teams that do not have a Hall of Famer.

-- V. The designated HOF replacement may not be sent to the minors. If placed on the disabled list, the player called up to replace him becomes the temporary HOF replacement. The designated HOF replacement may be traded, and then a new designated HOF replacement must be named.

-- VI. If the designated HOF replacement player is injured, he does not accumulate games toward recovery (or coming off the disabled list) in games against another team with a Hall of Fame player. Similarly, a HoF player does not accumulate games toward recovery in games against teams without a HoF player.

-- VII. Teams that do not begin the season with a Hall of Famer may not trade for a Hall of Famer. Teams may have no more than one Hall of Famer at any time.

-- VIII. If a Hall of Fame player is injured, the designated HOF replacement takes his roster spot for the next appropriate number of games against teams with a Hall of Fame player. HoF players are considered to have enough IP/PA for the minimum injury on the chart. 

D: Multi-year Contracts: any player who signs a multi-year deal with their MLB team must be kept on your roster for the duration of that contract. The only players eligible for release at the end of the season are players signed to one-year MLB deals or players who are becoming free agents. A players' contract status is determined by his MLB contract status 5 days after the World Series, accounting for options and extensions.

E: If a player has a contract terminated (through retirement or a buy-out) between five days after the World Series and the NYLISL Free Agent Draft, a franchise owner has the option of releasing the player after the draft and replacing him with an undrafted free agent. The replacement process will function as a supplemental round to the Free Agent Draft and will follow the order of that draft.

F: A position player must have 300 plate appearances (at-bats plus walks) to be eligible. Catchers need only 250 plate appearances to be eligible. A starting pitcher must have 100 innings pitched to be eligible. A relief pitcher must have 45 innings pitched or 45 games pitched to be eligible.

Beginning in 2015, the new eligibility requirements are 345 PA (285 for catchers), 115 IP for starters and 50 IP/50 G for relievers. (new for 2014)

G: Teams can draft players that do not meet eligibility requirements. They can be used after the rosters expand until the end of the season, but not in the playoffs.

H: At the conclusion of the season, teams can choose to protect as many "free agents" (players whose contract did not extend beyond the current season) as they want to for the upcoming season. Those players must be declared in advance, before the draft begins. All unprotected players have to pass through waivers before they become NYLISL free agents.

I: Before the draft, all unprotected players, and any players under contract that a team wishes to put on waivers, go on waivers. Teams claim in reverse order of finish, one at a time, with a maximum of three picks per team. Any players under contract not claimed go back to their original team.

Article IV: Trading

A: Teams cannot trade any of their draft picks more than one season in advance. Only 2013 draft picks can be traded after the 2012 draft is completed, not 2014 or beyond.

B: Teams can trade their players for other players or for draft picks. Player-to-be-named-later deals are allowed, as long as the player is named and switches teams by the trading deadline of the first of the two teams involved.

C: A player-to-be-named-later cannot be one of the players in the original deal, otherwise known as “renting” players. EXAMPLE: Albert Pujols cannot be traded for a PTBNL with the tacit agreement that he will be returned at the conclusion of the season.

D. A player who is sent to the minor leagues as the result of a trade must remain there for five games before becoming eligible for non-injury related recall to the major league roster. This five-day rule applies only to the players acquired in the trade and/or the players who were replaced on the 25-man roster with players acquired in the trade (who must be designated at the time of roster move to qualify).

E: Trades are NOT considered final if one or both teams have not maintained roster minimums as defined in Article 1, Section B as a result of the trade. Both teams are responsible for ensuring that they have met the roster minimums for their team before a trade is announced. In the event that a trade is announced between two teams and the roster minimums are not met, that trade is not considered to be complete and players cannot change teams. A separate trade CANNOT be completed with a third team to satisfy this requirement.

F: If one team fails to maintain a roster minimum as the result of the trade, the other team involved in the illegal trade can choose among the following options to rectify the situation:

1. Revoke the trade outright.

2. The non-offender may add a player of his choice to the deal to satisfy the roster minimums of the other team.

3. The two teams involved in the original trade may re-negotiate the original deal, as long as the trade deadline has not passed.

G: In the event of multiple-party trades (trades involving three or more teams), the individual player movements are not subject to the roster minimums. All teams must ensure that their roster minimums are satisfied once all trading is complete.

H: If a team trades its supplemental pick but does not meet the requirements by season's end, the supplemental pick is converted into a second-round pick. If the second-round pick was also traded, the pick converts into a first-round pick instead.

I. Draft picks can be traded conditionally depending on the trading teams’ order of finish. (new for 2014)

Article V: Regular Season

A: The last day of the regular season will be on January 15. At this point, all unplayed games will count as losses for playoff seeding purposes and wins for draft seeding purposes. If a team finishes January 15 with a record of 40-32, for playoff seeding purposes the record is 40-44 and for draft seeding purposes the record is 52-32.

B: If you feel you made a concerted effort to play your remaining games and were not able to do so through no fault of your own, you can file a grievance that the entire league will vote on. If the grievance is accepted by majority vote, those games will simply not count and the team’s record will remain the same. EXAMPLE: a 40-32 record would remain 40-32 for draft seeding and playoff seeding purposes and winning percentage would be used to determine seeding. If the grievance is denied, all un-played games will count as losses for playoff seeding purposes and wins for draft seeding purposes.

C: Any team that completes its regular season schedule receives a supplemental pick after the second round of the subsequent free agent draft. The draft order for the supplemental round is determined by the order in which each franchise reaches the trading deadline.

Article VI: Trade Deadline and Roster Expansion

A. Trading can only take place before midnight Eastern Time Oct. 1 (new for 2014) and between teams that have not yet completed 55 games.

B: Once a team has reached its individual trading deadline, the owner may select from the pool of undrafted players. Any players picked, randomly or specifically, are subject to usual eligibility rules; i.e., those who would have been eligible for the full season if drafted can be added to active 25-man roster for Game 56 (clarification, 10/17/11). This process can be done in one of two ways:

1. If the owner chooses a card “blindly” from the pool of undrafted players, that player is eligible for postseason play regardless of inning or plate appearance restrictions (the “Timo Perez Rule”). The player is also eligible for protection the following year and can be traded during the off-season before the player protection deadline. Owners can pick up to THREE players in this fashion.

2. If the owner chooses a specific player from the pool of undrafted players, that player will not be eligible for postseason play or protection the following year. The player may play out the remainder of the regular season and is automatically released on January 16 of the following year. This player is not eligible to be traded at any time. Owners can pick ONE player in this fashion.

C. If a manager blindly picks the single team-card of a player who is already in the league, that card is placed back into the pool of undrafted players and a new player is chosen without penalty. If a manager picks a single-league card of a player who has a card in both leagues and a total card, he must return it to the bag and re-pick.

D: After Game 70, a team may expand its roster to 40 players. Players who do not meet established eligibility requirements may be used from Game 71 to Game 84. Players on the DL or in the minors upon roster expansion must serve out their minimum stays there; DL and minor-league moves are allowed as usual after Game 70.

Article VII: Playoffs

A: There will be two best-of-seven series played to determine the league championship. The top three teams will be eligible for the playoffs. The first place team will have a bye into the league championship series and will have home field advantage for that series. The second and third place teams will square off in a wild card round, with the second place team having home field advantage for that series. The first tie-breaker will be head-to-head schedule and the second tie-breaker will be overall record against playoff teams. Third tie-breaker will be a coin flip.

B: There will be a play-in game for the final playoff spot if the third- and fourth-place teams finish with an identical record. Home field advantage will be determined by the tie-breaker rules.

C. Before a playoff series, either team may ask for the other team’s 25 man roster. If a request is made, both teams should submit their 25 man rosters to one of the commissioners. Once both rosters have been received, the commissioner will forward the rosters simultaneously.

D: There will be one "off day" between each playoff round, except for a team that wins a one-game playoff to qualify for the postseason. The championship series is considered to start nine "days" after the regular season ends.

E: Starters may pitch on two days’ rest in the playoffs if they have a * next to their endurance rating – otherwise they will start on the standard three days of rest. All starters are eligible to be used as relievers, with a reliever endurance factor of 3.

F: Pitcher fatigue rules carry over to the playoffs. This includes regular season games – a starter must have three days of rest between his final regular season start and his first postseason start.

G: The elapsed time of injuries during the playoffs are based on a seven-game series in the first round, regardless of how many games are actually played. Also, if a player is injured in a playoff series and the injury would cause him to miss the remainder of the series, that player may be replaced with a like player (pitcher for pitcher, batter for batter). The injured player would then be ineligible for the remainder of the postseason. (new for 2014)

H: Players whose first career game in MLB came after July 1 of the previous season (the season used for the cards) are eligible for the postseason if they have 225 AB+BB (position players), 75 innings (starting pitchers) or 38 innings pitched or 38 appearances (relief pitchers).

Article VIII: Player Usage

A: A player can be sent to the minor leagues and replaced by a minor leaguer at any time, but the demoted player must remain in the minors for a minimum of 10 games. This rule does not apply to demoted players who are then used as injury call-ups.

B: A player who is optioned to the minor leagues at the beginning of the season must remain there for five games before becoming eligible for non-injury related recall to the major league roster.

Article IX: Starting Pitcher Usage

A: Starting pitchers must pitch at least four full innings (record 12 outs) OR face 18 batters (two trips through the lineup) before they can be removed from the game. If a starter gives up four or more runs in one inning, five or more runs in two innings or six or more runs in three innings (non-consecutively) then he can be taken out before recording 12 outs or facing 18 batters. If a starter allows a total of six baserunners in one inning OR a total of nine baserunners in two non-consecutive innings (not including fielding errors) then he can be taken out before recording 12 outs or facing 18 batters.

B: There will be no rule for starting pitcher usage in “elimination” games, both in the regular season and the playoffs. In these games, when one more loss would mean elimination from playoff contention or elimination from a playoff series, the manager can remove his starting pitcher whenever he desires.

C: Starting pitchers can pitch in relief after Game 70 (clarified, 10/17/11) and in a playoff series. Starters have an endurance factor of 3 and the Starting Pitcher Rest Chart will be used to determine how often a starter can pitch in relief. All other relief pitcher rules apply.

D: Use the Starting Pitchers Rest Chart to determine how many days rest a starter needs before starting again. CLARIFICATION: We round UP, even if NO BATTERS RETIRED IN AN INNING. Thus, 2 1/3 innings means you need the same rest as 3 innings. And, 2 innings and then a leadoff single in the third means you need the same rest as 3 innings. Put another way, read the chart by the last inning in which the starter pitched. If he faces any batters in the 3rd, use the 3 IP row. If he faces any batters in the 4th, use the 4 IP row.

E: Starting pitchers cannot pitch a third inning past his point of endurance if he has already been made tired. EX: A starter cannot pitch in the ninth inning if he is a (6) endurance and is made tired by the end of the eighth inning.

F: A starting pitcher may not pitch on “short rest” (fewer than 3 days off for a durable starter, fewer than 4 days off for a non-durable starter) in consecutive starts. (new for 2014)

Article X: Relief Pitcher Usage

A: Relief pitchers who pitch beyond their endurance point in a single game cannot exceed that number of innings pitched on consecutive days. EX: a (1) pitcher who pitches between 1.1 and 2 innings in Game 1 cannot pitch more than 1 inning in the subsequent game.

B: Relief pitchers cannot be used in more than two straight games without at least one game of rest to remain "rested." A reliever is considered “tired” if he makes three or more consecutive appearances without a day off. The reliever would be subject to the following conditions: (a) the reliever is automatically tired and remains tired until he gets a day of rest (b) a reliever who comes in three or more straight days must be given a corresponding number of days off afterwards (with a maximum of five days' rest necessary). EX: If Billy Wagner pitches a third game in a row, he would require two games of rest (the regular one game plus an additional game) before he is no longer tired. If he were to be used in a fourth straight game, he would require three days off before he is no longer tired (c) a reliever who is pitching for the third (or more) straight game cannot exceed the inning rating on his card (d) fatigue carries over into and throughout the playoffs

C: Pitchers carded only as starters can be used in relief before Game 70 if (1) he is properly rested according to the rest chart; (2) all other relievers on the roster, regardless of previous use, have pitched. Such a pitcher can be made tired as soon as he enters the game and may not pitch more than 4 innings. (new for 2014)

D: Relievers who

a. pitch more than 2 IP (face a batter after recording six outs) in one game must rest for one day or enter tired

b. pitch more than 3 IP (face a batter after recording nine outs) in one game must rest for two days.

c. pitch more than 4 IP (face a batter after recording twelve outs) in one game must rest for three days.

Entering a game without the proper rest from above usage means that pitcher enters the game tired, can only pitch one inning and then must rest the amount from his long use plus one game. (new for 2014)

E. The NYLISL will use the Stratomatic closer rule. In sum, a pitcher in the game in the 9^th inning or later, with the lead and the tying run on base or at bat begins tiring according to his closer rating, which measures how many outs he can record before the next hit or walk makes him tired (including ours already recorded before the closer situation arose). A N rating makes that pitcher tired in a closer situation before he records an out. (new for 2014)

The rule is as follows:

28.0 CLOSER RULE

This Super Advanced system encourages realistic use of relief pitchers, emphasizing the use of pitchers in late-inning save situations who were the real big-league closers.

Since 1992 (and for each of the oldtimer seasons Strat-O-Matic has issued since then) each reliever is given a second POW rating, call it "closer endurance." For example, a rating of "relief (2)/3" indicates a regular POW rating of 2 and a closer endurance rating of 3.

28.1 Closer ratings range from 0-6, with 6 being the big-league's most frequent and successful closers. If a relief pitcher is rated "N" for closer endurance, he should not be used as a closer.

28.2 Closer endurance is the duration, measured in number of outs, a pitcher can maintain his effectiveness in closer situations. In Strat-O-Matic, a "closer situation" is defined differently than a big-league save opportunity. Your pitcher will be in a "closer situation" whenever you have the lead in the 9th inning or later and the tying run is on base or at bat.

28.3 A pitcher may enter a game in a closer situation or a game he already has entered may suddenly become a closer situation. Here are some rules to govern both possibilities:

28.31 The closer rules do not affect the current game's starting pitchers, who always use their starter POW (even for starting pitchers who have ratings both as starters and relievers).

28.32 Each reliever enters the game using either his closer endurance (if the game is already a closer situation) or his regular POW rating (if the game is not currently a closer situation).

28.33 If the pitcher begins his appearance with his regular POW and the game becomes a closer situation, he changes to his closer endurance rating. At that time, reduce his closer endurance by the number of outs he has already recorded. This number cannot be reduced to lower than 0, unless the pitcher's closer endurance is "N".

28.34 Once a pitcher begins to use his closer endurance rating, that is his endurance for the remainder of his appearance, even if the score changes and the game no longer is a closer situation.

Example: A reliever enters the game in the bottom of the 9th inning with a 3-2 lead - a closer situation. The opposing team ties the score in the bottom of the 9th. In the top of the 10th, the pitcher's team scores four times. If the same pitcher remains in the game for the bottom of the 10th, he is still using his closer endurance rating to determine when he becomes fatigued.

28.35 The closer endurance rating is the number of outs the pitcher can record before becoming fatigued. Once this number has been reached, reducing his endurance rating to 0, he becomes fatigued as soon as he allows a hit or walk.

Example: A pitcher with a closer endurance rating of 0 will become fatigued as soon as he surrenders a hit or walk, while a pitcher with closer endurance of 6 can pitch two full innings without risking fatigue.

28.36 Any pitcher with a closer endurance rating of "N" is immediately considered fatigued with the first batter he faces in a closer situation.

28.37 As with regular POW, once a reliever becomes fatigued under the terms of the Closer Rule, out readings followed by dots become SINGLE** (all other baserunners advancing two bases).

 

Article XI: Injuries

A: There is a seven-game “disabled list” for injured players. If a player is injured for less than seven games, the manager decides whether or not to play with a short roster for the length of the injury or to replace the injured player with someone from the minor leagues for seven games. A player must come off the DL after his injury stint is complete. Players can go on the DL retroactively.

B: Any roll of a 6-12 can potentially result in a pitcher’s injury. After the play is decided, two dice are rolled and if a 5 is rolled, the pitcher is injured.

C: Starting pitcher injuries are derived by taking the number of games shown on the injury chart, multiplying by 2 and adding three more games. "Durable starters" (starters with a * in the endurance rating) use the standard Injury Chart and can only be injured for a maximum of seven games.

D: Catchers with at least 500 at-bats plus walks can only be injured for a maximum of three games. This is limited to position players who have "catcher" listed as their primary position.

E: There is a possibility of a season-ending injury for position players with less than 600 at-bats plus walks, catchers with less than 500 at-bats plus walks, non-durable starters or relievers with less than 75 IP. (Note: this pertains only to pitchers classified “relief” only. It does NOT pertain to pitchers designated “starter/relief.") If an injury reading occurs and a 20 is rolled, the manager must roll the dice a second time. If a 19 comes up, the player is out for the regular season. If a 20 comes up, the player is out for the regular season and the playoffs. At that point, the manager must roll the 20-side a third time – if a 19 or 20 is rolled, it’s a career ending injury.

F: An adjustment to the injury chart: A roll of 19 is a 9-game injury, and a roll of 20 is a 10-game injury. A roll of 20 still calls for the season-ending possibility in Article XI(E).

Article XII: Base Stealing/Advancing Bases

A: With a runner on first or second in a base-stealing situation, the maximum combination is +/- 5 when you’re not holding the runner. Holding on a runner subtracts two points from the safe rating when the runner is on first and four points when the runner is on second. EXAMPLE: if Jorge Posada (0) and Tommy Hanson (+9) were to not hold on a runner, the natural hold would be +5. If they were holding a runner on, it would be +3 (+1 if the runner was on second). Conversely, if Yadier Molina (-4) and Roy Oswalt (-4) were to not hold on a runner, the natural hold would still only be a (-5). However, it would be (-7) if they were holding him on.

B: A player who does not get a lead while trying to steal second has an additional two points subtracted from his running rating. EXAMPLE: If Carlos Beltran (19-13) is trying to steal second base off of Felix Hernandez (+3) with Russell Martin catching (-1) and didn’t get a good lead while being held on, under the old rules his chances of stealing second are 1-13. Under the current rules, his chances of stealing second would be 1-11.

C: Double Steals: The opposing manager can choose to go after the runner stealing third base OR the runner stealing second base. The runner going from first base to second base IS NOT automatically safe. If the runner on second base gets a good lead, it is assumed that the runner on first base does as well. The opposing manager then gets to choose which runner he is trying to throw out. The runner that the opposing manager is not trying to throw out is automatically safe.

D: On a fly(rf)B to RIGHT FIELD ONLY, a runner at second base may advance with this calculation:

 

Baserunner's Running rating +/- right fielder's arm, +2 for the throw to third base from right field. Roll the 20-sided die. However, the only OUT chance is the split chance of 20. If the roll is higher than the highest safe chance, but lower than 20, the runner holds at second base.

 

Example: A 1-14 runner and a -1 arm. Safe: 1-15 (14+2-1); Hold: 16-19; Out: 20.

 

Article XIII: Expansion

 

A: The first phase of expansion begins after the free agent draft is complete – prospective expansion teams do not initially participate in this draft. The expansion team can stock its roster with the remaining talent available. The appearance minimums are reduced to 150 plate appearances and 50 innings pitched for starters. There will be no limit on relievers. Expansion teams will not be subject to the contract provisions on players drafted that year and submit a protected list at the end of the inaugural season. At that point, the contract provisions will then be applied to the team. Trades are allowed, but the reduced appearance minimums apply only to the expansion team, NOT to the rest of the league. Any player obtained in a trade by an expansion team will be subject to the regular contract provisions that the rest of the league is subject to.

B: Expansion teams must begin their regular season schedule by July 1 of the year they enter the league. They must also complete at least half their games with each team and play at least 65 total games to be eligible for the second phase of expansion.

C: The second phase of expansion allows the expansion team, after completing its first season, to pick players not on the protected list of the other teams, although no established team can lose more than three players overall. The expansion team will select two players per team (one per round) over the first two rounds. After the first two rounds, the established teams add an additional three players to its protected list. The initial protected list for each team consists of 15 players from the 40-man roster, not including any player who has NEVER had an eligible card (including for the upcoming year).

Article XIV: Additional Game Play Issues

A: Each game will be played in accordance with Strat-O-Matic’s advanced rules, unless otherwise noted below. The following additions are either modifications of existing Strat rules specified to our league or are new facets of game play that had not previously been incorporated into our rules.

B: If a designated hitter moves into the field during a game, the vacated spot in the batting order must be filled by the pitcher. A field player cannot move into the DH position during the game.

C: A player cannot be taken out of the game (except as a result of injury) if no available backup at his position exists. If an injury does occur and no backup is available, any player may play that position and will be given the worst possible defense and throwing arm (+5).

D: The only exception is when an outfielder moves to another outfield position; refer to the chart to determine the range rating for playing an outfielder out of position below. The column going across is for the unrated position (the position you’re moving the player to) and the column going down is the rated position (the position listed on the card). Please note: this is ONLY for injury purposes! You cannot deliberately use an outfielder or any other position player out of position before the ninth inning of any game.

   CF RF LF (unrated)

CF na  0  0

RF +1 na  0

LF +2 +1  na

 

E: The official Strat-o-Matic rule says that when a Lineout MAX reading comes up and the possibility of a triple play arises, the official reading is Triple Play 1-7 Double Play 8-20 (lead runner gets picked off).

F: Once a runner has rolled for the lead, that team cannot pinch hit or pinch run until the batter reaches base or records an out or the defensive team changes pitchers.

G: If a team runs out of players at an outfield position during a game, it must use all available outfielders before using another player out of position in the outfield. If a team runs out of players at second base, third base or shortstop, it must use all available 2B/3B/SS before using another player out of position. A moved infielder has 4 range with his highest infield e rating.

H: Any trade can be vetoed by the league with a unanimous vote of the teams not involved with the disputed trade.

I. If a Designated Hitter is injured while not reaching base, he need not be replaced in the lineup until that spot is due to bat again.

J. After each session of play, all teams must report to the league members their records and any roster moves. Failure to do so will result in a warning from the commissioner; after one warning, the commissioner can, at his discretion, punish a repeat offender by taking away Draft picks.

K. The NYLISL will use the standard pitcher hitting cards (1-8) instead of individualized cards. (new for 2014)

Article XV: Commissioner

A: The league commissioner will be chosen yearly, by open roll call, by a vote of league members.

B: Trades need not be approved by the commissioner’s office before they can go into effect, but for any in-season trade to take effect, both owners must sumbit their new full lists of five starters, six relievers and two players at each position as required in Article I(B).

C: The commissioner will have sole discretion to determine the outcome of protests made by league members. In situations where a game is played under "inappropriate conditions," the commissioner will have sole discretion to determine the appropriate course of action to rectify the situation. In such situations in the past, the game had to be replayed if the offending team won the game and, at the end of the regular season, a different result would affect the draft order or playoff seeding.

D: All disputed games must be completed within seven days of the offical end of the regular season.

E: A commissioner’s decision can be overturned by a simple majority of other league members.