AMECHE/TODD ABITZ LEAGUE – RULES AND REGULATIONS

 

This League is dedicated to the memory of our friend, Todd Abitz.

 

I. THE DRAFT:  On draft day, each team is given $260 to spend on 23 players, as follows:

 

 

During the draft, the floater may not be a kicker nor a defense.  However, a third kicker or defense may be acquired after the draft.  All players drafted are deemed to have a three-year contract.

 

Pre-draft protected rosters must be submitted before the draft, at a time established by the commissioner (typically two days before the draft.)  If an owner fails to turn in his roster on time, he will either a) not be allowed to retain more than three players or b) forfeit $25 of Draft Day salary cap ($235 salary cap.) No changes may be made to protected rosters after the deadline passes except in the event of injury or other unusual and unforeseen circumstance.

Teams are allowed to retain up to 7 players prior to the draft, including team defenses.  When submitting their protected rosters, teams may sign players in the last year of their original contract to a long-term contract.  Any players signed to a long-term contract will have $10 added on to their salary for every additional year signed.  A player can only be signed to one long-term contract; once that contract expires he is released back into the pool. 

Players signed to long-term contracts are guaranteed roster spots.  If a player is released by an owner prior to the expiration of a long-term contract, that owner must buy the player out for the number of years or partial years remaining on the contract.  No buyout penalty is assessed for releasing a player that either retired or was released by his NFL club at the end of the transaction period, the off-season counting as one transaction period.

Players drafted in years 2003 and subsequent years are not eligible to be signed to long term contracts.

 

II. STARTING LINEUPS: Each week, each owner must submit a roster of 13 players as follows:

 

 

Only starting players earn points for the week. 

If an owner does not call in a lineup, he automatically gets the same lineup he started the previous week.  Additionally, if an owner fails to call in a complete lineup, he gets a zero for any unoccupied positions for the week.

The owner with the highest starting point total for the week will be awarded a $5 Transaction Credit.  If there is a tie for first, the credit will go to the owner with the most reserve points.

All starting rosters must be called in prior to the games starting on Sunday afternoon.  Exception: if a team’s games start prior to Sunday, moves involving that team’s Free Agents must be called in prior to that team’s games starting.  Additionally, players playing before Sunday will be frozen after their team’s game.

 

III. FEE SCHEDULE:

 

Entry/League Fee: $100

Free Agent pickup/Waiver Claim/FAAB: Greater of $5 or 50% of winning bid

Trades: $2.50 per player acquired and kept for at least a week. (No charge for trading future dollars)

Reserving a Player: $2.50

LT signing (pre-season only): $10 per additional year

LT buyout: $10 per year or portion of a year bought out

 

IV. FREE AGENTS/FAAB/WAIVERS: At the beginning of the year, each team is given a Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB) of $50.  Teams bid on Free Agents.  The free agents are awarded to the team that places the highest bid.  If there is a tie for the highest bid, the bid goes to the team lower in the standings; if still tied after that, the bid goes to the team with the highest remaining FAAB, if still tied after that, the bid goes to the team that called in the bid first. 

An owner’s FAAB is reduced by $1 for every dollar successfully bid over 10 for Free Agents; additionally an owner cannot bid beyond his resources (i.e., with 10 dollars FAAB left an owner cannot bid over 20)

Players released into the free agent pool are placed on waivers for one week.  If claimed on waivers, their salary and contract status remains the same as it was when released.  Any owner may claim a player on waivers, including the owner that released the player into the pool.  The cost and FAAB impact of picking up a player on waivers is the same as any other free agent pickup.  Once a player clears waivers, he can be picked up the same as any other free agent.

An owner can start a player he picks up out of the pool the week he picks him up; however it is highly recommended that he have a contingency in place in case his first choice(s) are unsuccessful.   Any free agents who are playing prior to Sunday must be picked up prior to their team’s game starting.  Additionally, a player on a roster who played prior to Sunday cannot be released until the following week.

 

V. TRADES: Trades may be made in any combination for any number of players.  The only condition is that both teams must have complete rosters at the end of the week.  If either team does not have a complete roster the trade will be disallowed. 

Teams may also trade and/or acquire dollars for the following year’s draft (“future dollars”;) however owners can have no more than 265 nor less than 255 future dollars at the end of any one transaction period.  There is no charge for trading or acquiring future dollars.

 

VI. RESERVED PLAYERS: A team may reserve a player who is listed as “out” on the official injury reports, or who is documented by more than one major news source as being out for that week’s game.  Burden of proof is on the owner.  Once a player is no longer listed as “out”, or dresses and is eligible to play (even if he only dresses as an “emergency” quarterback), the owner who reserved him has two full weeks to activate him or release him back into the pool. 

 

VII. FINALITY OF MOVES: All roster transactions will be final after one week.  It is each owner’s responsibility to check his roster carefully and alert the Commissioner promptly of any possible errors to either his or someone else’s roster.

 

VIII. WEEKLY STANDINGS: The commissioner will make all good efforts to post stats/roster moves after any days games are played.  Additionally, once baseball season is over, good efforts will be made to leave a brief summary of Free Agent pickups on the transaction line voice mail outgoing message.

 

IX.  PRIZES/SETTLING OF ACCOUNTS: After accounting for transaction credits and League fees, the prize pool will be awarded to owners at the end of the year as follows:

 

 

The $100 entry/league fee is due on Draft Night.   Additionally a down payment toward current year’s transactions may be required. 

Year-to-Date balances due through Week 9 are due and payable by Thanksgiving.  Any owner who does not bring their account current or otherwise make arrangements will be placed ‘on hold’ and not be allowed to make transactions or lineup changes until the balance is paid.

All owners’ accounts must be settled as soon as possible after the season, typically before the conference championships.  

 

Any owners who do not keep their accounts current or otherwise do not make good efforts to comply with the above may face sanctions, including having their rosters frozen, being barred from making transactions, and forfeiture of their team in extreme instances.

 

 

X. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTONS:

 

Q. If a player is listed as “Doubtful,” but they say that he will probably miss that week’s game can I put him on reserve?

A. No.  He has to be listed as “Out,” regardless of what happens during the week.  If he is not, you cannot reserve him.  The most recent injury list prior to games being played is used as the disabled list.

 

Q. One of my players got hurt tripping over his dog and the news says he’s going to miss the game.  However he’s not on the injury list.  Can I reserve him?

A. No.  The injury list is the only source that may be considered.

 

Q. When do I have to activate a player who is reserved?

A. Two weeks after he dresses for a game, or he stops being listed as “Out.”  This is true even if he did not appear in the game, i.e., was an emergency Quarterback.

 

Q. I had a player who was reserved.  He was activated and played the past two weeks but in the second game he got hurt again and now he’s listed as “out” again.  Can I keep him on reserve?

A. Yes.  As long as he’s listed as “out” on the injury list.

 

Q. On draft day I already had two players signed to long-term deals.  Can I trade for more long-term players after the draft?

A. Yes. You may trade for other players signed to long-term contracts after the draft; however you can only have two on your roster on Draft Day.

 

Q. On draft day, can I draft players not on a team?

A. Yes, you may draft players not on a team, as long as their college eligibility has expired.

 

Q. After the draft, one of my players got cut.  Will I get any special priority in replacing him?

A. No.  That player must be released same as any other free agent. 

 

Q. If a player is a Free Agent, can I claim him out of the pool?

A. No.  Players who are not on an NFL team cannot be claimed out of the pool.

 

Q. If a player is on injured reserve or otherwise documented as being out or out for the season, can I claim him out of the pool?

A. Yes.  Hurt players can be picked up out of the pool, as long as they are under contract to an NFL team.

 

Q. If I claim a player on waivers, and I bid $40 for him and his salary is only $2/2S, do I still get him for a salary of $2 with a two-year contract?

A. Yes.  Although contract and salary remain the same, the impact and cost is the same as it would be for an ordinary free agent move.

 

Q. I have a player signed to a long-term deal.  His team released him this week and on roster call-in day he was a Free Agent.  Will I have to buy him out if I release him into the pool.

A. No.  As long as that player is not on an NFL team you may release him back into the pool without penalty.  This is true even if it is all but expected that he will sign with another team.

 

Q. How are ties broken in the weekly standings?

A. The first tie breaker is total points by reserves.  Next tie breaker is most weeks won, followed by highest weekly score for the year, second highest, etc. until the tie is broken.

 

Q. How are ties for high score broken by week?

A. First tie breaker is total reserve points.  Next tie breaker is highest overall starter, followed by second highest overall starter, etc. until the tie is broken.

 

Q. Three weeks ago I noticed that one of my starters was listed incorrectly.  Can I get it changed?  I have the return receipt from the e-mail that I sent that day, time-stamped.

A. No.  All moves are final after a week, even if the moves were made in error.

 

Q. I caught an error on Sunday after the moves for the week were posted.  I told the commissioner but he didn’t make the change this week.   Can I still get it changed or am I stuck?

A. Yes, you can get it changed.  As long as you catch it and let the commissioner know in time you’re covered, even if he doesn’t make the change.

Q. I let the commissioner know of an error when I called in my lineup at 12:58 on Sunday afternoon.  Is that good enough, even if there were games earlier this week?

A. Yes.  The deadline to let the commissioner know of errors is when rosters for Sunday’s games are due.

 

Q. I have a player who played on Thursday.  I didn’t start him, but I’ve made a trade involving him.  Can it go through this week?

Q. The guy I want to drop played on Saturday.  Can I drop him for a free agent if I don’t play him?

Q. A guy on my team got injured Thanksgiving and is expected to be out for at least a week for sure.   Can I put him on reserve this week?

 

A. No, no, and no.  Once a player has played his games for that week his status is frozen.  He must remain on your roster with his current status for the rest of the week.

 

Q. I started a guy last week who played on Saturday but I didn’t call in any changes.  What happens now?

A. That player is on your starting lineup.

Q. Continuing, when I call in my lineup, if I call in a full lineup which players do I get?

A. The first player that you say.  For instance: You started Quarterback A last week and he plays Thursday.  You don’t pull him, so he is one of your two starters.  When you call in your moves, you call in Quarterback C and B.  You will get Quarterback C, because that’s the first name you said.

 

Q. This week when I called in my lineup, I tried to pick up a Free Agent running back but failed to get any one of the guys I put in for.  However because I didn’t leave a contingency pick I only wound up calling in two running backs this week. What happens now?

A. You will get a zero at that position, unless after processing all your moves you had a legal and complete starting lineup.

 

Q. What happens if I call in a move and it turns out that the player I’m dropping I can’t drop (i.e., it leaves me with only 5 running backs)

A. The move does not count. 

 

 

PRIOR CHAMPIONS:

 

1994-Tom McDonald

1995-Bob Chapin, JR

1996-Bob Chapin, SR

1997-Bob Chapin, JR

1998-Greg Fida

1999-Todd Abitz

2000-Tom McDonald

2001-Bob Chapin, SR

2002-Craig Durgy

2003-Phil Ryan/TONY Leonardi

 

ALL-TIME ALAN AMECHE LEAGUE ROSTER

 

Todd Abitz (1997-2001)

 

Pete Garofalo (Founder & Co-commissioner)

Tony Leonardi (Founder & Co-commissioner)

Bob Chapin, JR (Founder)

Tom McDonald

Bob Chapin, SR

Craig Durgy

Bruce Girola (1995-present, partners w/Walt)

Walt Kenney (1995-present, partners w/Bruce)

Mike Montagano (1995-2002)

Scott Buden (1995)

Pete Gianoni (1996-present)

Rod Latham (1996-1997)

Greg Fida (1998-present)

Fred Giannetto (1998-2001, as partner with Mike)

Derek Abitz (2001-present)

Phil Ryan (2001-present, as partner with TONY)

Dave Gade (2003-present)

 

 

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