Overview

• 14-Week Regular Season, 2-Week Playoff Tournament
• 3 Divisions of 4 Teams Each
• Head-To-Head Scoring
• 3 Division Winners and 1 Wildcard Team Qualify For The Playoffs
• LIVE Conference Call Drafts Labor Day Weekend (specific days & times TBA) 
•  League Homepages
• Entry Fee of $225.00 (No Additional Fees)

League Prizes

• $2,000 Total
• League Champion:  $1,000
• 3 Division Winners:    $250 each
• Wildcard Team:           $100

 Roster Size

• 1 Quarterback
• 2 Running Backs
• 3 Wide Receivers
• 1 Tight End
• 1 Kicker
• 1 Defense/Special Team
• 9 Reserve players

 Scoring Categories

• Passing:  4 points per TD, 1 point per 20 yards.
• Rushing:  6 points per TD, 2 points per 2-pt conversion, 1 point per 10 yards.
• Receiving:  6 points per TD, 2 points per 2-pt conversion, 1 point per 10 yards, 1 point per reception
• Kicking:  3 points per field goal, 1 point per extra point
• Defense/Special Teams:  6 points per TD, 2 points per safety, 2 points per turnover recovery, 1 point per sack

 Transactions

• Starting lineups must be submitted each week before Saturday at 11 PM ET in order to be effective for the upcoming Sunday and Monday games.
• No trading with other teams
• Beginning Week 4, FA claims are made each week on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
• If two or more teams put in a claim for the same FA, priority is given to the team ranking lower in the standings.

No transaction fees!  Call or email to reserve your spot today!

Baseball has been unsuccessfully attempting to resolve this issue since the days of Commissioner Peter Ueberroth.  In theory, the obvious solution would be to either have the AL give up the DH or to have the NL adopt the DH.  Unfortunately, neither one of those possibilities is likely to ever occur.  Among other reasons, the AL is never going to give up the DH is because the MLB Players’ Association would never go along with giving up those high-paying designated hitter jobs.  And on the NL side, too many baseball purists would never accept that newfangled DH rule.  Therefore, the only possible means of achieving uniformity is through some kind of a compromise. 

What is the best part of the designated hitter rule?  Most fans agree the increased offense that comes from the DH rule adds to the game’s excitement.  Does anyone honestly enjoy watching Chris Carpenter come up to the plate in the third inning, flail wildly at the ball three times, and then go back to his seat on the bench?  Wouldn’t nearly every fan prefer watching a confrontation between a pitcher and a real hitter like Travis Hafner?

The other big advantage to the DH rule is that it has allowed aging veteran hitters a chance to continue to play even after they have become unable to perform adequately on defensive.  Players like Frank Thomas have enjoyed many productive years as a DH.  Or if you want to look back even further, Hall of Famers such as Paul Molitor or even Al Kaline finished up their careers as designated hitters.  Any rule that extends the careers of some of baseball’s greatest hitting legends has to be viewed as a positive for the game.

On the other hand, what are the disadvantages to the DH rule?  Most fans would point to the lack of strategy in the AL game when contrasted with the NL game, especially the lack of late-game strategy.  With the designated hitter rule in place, sometimes the AL game almost seems completely devoid of strategy.  Meanwhile, in the NL game managers must scratch and claw for runs.  They are bunting.  They are stealing.  They are being confronted with difficult choices on whether to pinch-hit for an effective pitcher or to let him hit.  When was the last time you saw a double-switch in an AL game?  Probably never.  For the baseball purist, these strategies are all  major parts of the game that are missing from the American League.

I propose we make a compromise between the two sets of rules, attempting to maintain the best parts of each.  I suggest we borrow a page from the softball rulebook and utilize the re-entry rule. 

Under my plan each team would begin every game with a designated hitter batting in place of the pitcher.  For the first 6 innings of the game the pitcher would be allowed unlimited re-entry into the game for as long as he was never replaced defensively.  Then, beginning in the 7^th inning, the pitcher would either need to bat for himself or he would be forced to leave the game.  Also, for the first 6 innings of the game the DH would be granted unlimited re-entry into the game for as long as he was never replaced offensively.  Then, beginning in the 7^th inning, he would either have to play the field (forcing another player to leave the game for a new pitcher in a double-switch) or he would have to leave the game.

Here is how it would work with actual players.  The Boston Red Sox for example, could start the game with Jon Lester pitching and David Ortiz as the DH.  The first 6 innings of the game would proceed like a normal AL game.  After each time David Ortiz would bat for Jon Lester, Lester would be allowed to re-enter the game as the pitcher.  And each time Lester took the field for Ortiz, Ortiz would be allowed to re-enter the game as the DH.  

Then, beginning in the 7^th inning, we would shift over to NL rules.  David Ortiz’s spot in the batting order would now become Jon Lester’s spot in the batting order.  If the pitcher bats, Ortiz (or any hitter who may have replaced Ortiz) would be out of the game.  If the pitcher does not bat, Lester (or any pitcher who may have replaced Lester) would be out of the game.

Hypothetically, Jon Lester could be throwing a two-hitter when it is his turn to bat in the 7^th inning, but his team could be trailing 1-0.  Does the manager allow Lester to hit and stay in the game or does he allow David Ortiz to hit and remove Lester from the game?  All of those intriguing late-game strategies that arise in an NL game would still remain a part of the game under this compromise rule.  Yet, many of the benefits of the AL rule would also remain in place as David Ortiz would act as the designated hitter during the first 6 innings of the game.  We would get all of the offensive punch of the AL game during the first 6 innings, yet still maintain all of the late game strategy of the NL game during the last 3 innings.

At first glance, many fans may say my plan sounds too confusing.  Many AL fans may say, “I prefer the rules in the AL the way they are right now.  And many NL fans may say, “I prefer the rules in the NL the way they are right now.”  And those are all reasonable positions to take.  However, if you are willing to accept my premise that the AL is never going to give up the designated hitter and that the NL is never going to add the designated hitter, then a compromise solution such as the re-entry rule I am proposing is the only way the two leagues will ever play under the same set of rules.  And isn’t a universal set of rules for two leagues that regularly compete against one another a common sense idea that is long overdue?

Your comments are welcome.

According to Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci, Bud Selig’s special baseball committee is considering radical realignment plans in an attempt to address baseball’s lack of parity.  Under the plan that is being mentioned,  from year-to-year a team such as Tampa Bay could float from one division to another in order to try to gain a competitive advantage.  While I am opposed to this specific plan, I do agree that something needs to be done in order to combat the lack of parity in Major League Baseball.

Obviously, there will NOT be a salary cap coming to MLB any time soon.    The players’ union would never accept it and the big market teams have already given up as much as they are willing to give up.  So any suggestion to even up the talent pool is nothing more than a pipe dream.  Therefore, the only way to create at least the illusion of parity is to steal a page from the NFL.  Major League Baseball needs to use an unbalanced schedule in order to create a sense of parity.

What I propose is that the top two teams from each division from the previous season should play additional games against the top two teams from the other divisions, the third and fourth place teams should play additional games against the other third and fourth place teams, and the fifth place teams (and the one sixth place team) should also play additional games against one another. 

Let me specifically use the New York Yankees as an example to demonstrate how this would work.  Under this plan, the Yankees would play 12 games each against the other 4 teams in the AL East (as opposed to the 18 games currently), 12 games each against the top two teams from the AL Central and the AL West, 6 games each against the remaining 5 AL teams, and for their interleague schedule they would play 6 games apiece against each of the top two teams from NL East, Central, and West.   

Based upon the results of last season season, what you would end up with as  the 2010 schedule would be the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, Rangers, Twins, Tigers, Dodgers, Rockies, Cardinals, Cubs, Phillies, and Marlins each playing 84 of their 162 games against one another.  Additionally, the Rays, Jays, White Sox, Indians, Mariners, A’s, Braves, Mets, Brewers, Reds, Giants, and Padres would each play 84 of their 162 games against one another.  And finally, with their fifth place schedules, the Pirates, Royals, Orioles, Nationals, Astros, and Diamondbacks would play 66 of their 162 games against one another.

Would this system be totally fair to the top teams?  Probably not.  But it would be no less fair than the Orioles being forced to compete equally against the Yankees despite having a payroll that is one third the size.  Sports have a history of rewarding mediocracy in order to attempt to create parity.   That’s why the worst team is awarded the top draft choice each year.  Without hope for the bottom teams, the whole league suffers. 

This plan may not be completely fair to the top teams, but it would create parity.  And parity would generate league-wide excitement.  And league-wide excitement is something that would be of benefit to all.

Please feel free to share your thoughts.