The Ohio Old-Time Strat-O-Matic League (OOSL) began in 1993 as a reaction to the Strat-O-Matic game company's announcement that they would be publishing a new product, the Career Historical Disks, that winter. The inaugural season kicked off in May 1994. Seven base ball fans from the state of Ohio formed the league, with the computer handling the rest of the 16 teams. All seven original league members still own their teams today.

The OOSL added three new humans in 1995, also from the state of Ohio. In 1996 the league lost two of the three newcomers from the previous year, but made an ambitious move by admitting a new member from the state of Minnesota. This marked the first step in an effort to make the OOSL a national Strat-O-Matic league, as opposed to remaining strictly regional. This sort of expansion is thanks in part to the realities of e-mail and computer play. In 1996 we also added four new teams, bringing the total number up to 20. In 1997 we added four more teams, rounding us out at 24 teams. Our outward expansion continued by bringing in two new members from the state of Connecticut. The OOSL remained largely the same in 1998 as 1997, with the notable addition of two more play-off teams per league. For 1999, we have gained another member from Connecticut, as well as a strong base of Associate Members from, literally, all around the world. We have also retracted to 16 total teams, eight in each league, and have added another 16 team sister league, the American Association.

The American Association is being groomed for a possible future merging with the OOSL, to create one 32-team entity. In furtherance of this, some parity-designed rules, such as only allowing the AA teams to draft new, "rookie" talent that becomes league eligible, have been made. In spite of this, the American Association operates as a viable and separate league, valid regardless of whether it merges with the parent or not.

The OOSL-proper has two leagues, the American and the National. The season is 154 games in length with no inter-league play now or ever. We will never use the designated hitter rule. The winner of each league and the second and third place teams in each league qualify for the play-offs and a chance to win the World's Series. The Qualification Series (between #2 and #3) is best-of-five games; the League Championship Series is a best-of-seven affair; the World's Series is a best-of-nine.

An innovation of the OOSL is the All-Star Series. Rather than have a mid-season game and give the stars an at-bat or two to shine we block out 15 days in the schedule during the month of July and have a full blown, best-of-seven game All-Star Series. Accompanying the All-Star Series is a unique Home Run Derby contest, with rules created specifically by the OOSL.

The OOSL regular season begins every May, and runs into August or September. Each team plays approximately 15 games every week. The All-Star Series is played during June or July, and the play-offs occur anywhere between the end of July and the beginning of August. The annual draft occurs shortly after the yearly update disks come out, typically in February or March.

Near the end of March, the Spring League begins play, allowing teams to both play against the teams from the other league and to evaluate how their players are performing.

Another unique feature of the OOSL is the participation of players from the old Negro Leagues. The presence and contribution of the Negro Leaguers adds a very special element that only the OOSL is able to offer.

The OOSL is built on a true affection for and love of the history of the sport of base ball and the players who created that history. Our passion for the game can be evidenced in little features like referring to the sport as Albert Spalding did, "base ball," as opposed to "baseball" as it is known today. Another example of this is our usage of "World's Series" as opposed to "World Series." In the old days, this is how the post-season classic was known. Our World's Series stretches 9 games in length just as the Series did at the turn-of-the-century and in the late 1910's. However, our World's Series lasts nine games because we love the aesthetics of every game; in the old days the Series was expanded to nine games to boost profits for the owners! Who says greedy owners are a late 20th century invention?

However, our love for the sport is not limited to the infant days of the game. We allow three of the eight teams in each league into the post-season. We also have teams representing the old Negro Leagues to give our organization an integrated flavor.

Statistics are a big part of what the OOSL is all about. Because we love the players of the past, we want the opportunity to keep the same core of players on our team over time and establish career statistics. That is one of the biggest reasons why there is only very limited mandatory player movement in the OOSL. We both enjoy the players we have and the statistics that the players in general generate. For many of us, the statistics are the most enjoyable part of the league.

The OOSL plans to publish a full-blown Encyclopedia, the rough equivalent to Palmer and Thorn's magnificent "Total Baseball." While the entire document is years away from completion, we already have full Player and Pitcher Registers with every statistic earned in OOSL history to date. This Encyclopedia is a fantastic feature of the OOSL, a feature that very, very few leagues of any kind have.

Ultimately, the OOSL is all about fun. The members of the league genuinely like one another and enjoy spending time and sharing this activity together. On Opening Day, we have a cookout and play ball in the yard. We visit socially with one another, converse via e-mail, and enjoy joking and goofing around. It is an environment conducive to enjoying one's self while learning more about the history of base ball and creating some history of our own.

For a league to run seamlessly, a rigid system of rules and guidelines must be in place. No one likes rules, but they are a necessary evil that allows the OOSL to run virtually without incident. Every member of the league is acutely aware of this and makes efforts to follow the letter and spirit of the rules. This helps to insure that the OOSL will continue to run as a harmonious entity for years to come.

A. The OOSL is split into two leagues, the American League and the National League. Each league has eight teams. The American Association is a single 16 team league with two divisions: the East and the West.

B. An OOSL team may never voluntarily elect to switch leagues.

C. An owner may only move his team to another city if the franchise he controls historically existed in the other city. It is not necessary to go in real-life chronological order (e.g., the San Francisco Giants COULD move to New York).

A. Each OOSL/AA team owns the rights to 30 players.

B. Each team's roster must contain at least three players rated to play each position. In addition, each OOSL team must have at least 1000 dedicated at-bats per position from Opening Day of the season until the final out of the World's Series. Each AA team must have at least 800 dedicated at-bats per position from Opening Day of the season until the final out of the Temple Cup Series. This is to guarantee adequate basic personnel in case of any combination of injuries.

C. Each team is required to have at least 11 pitchers and no more than 14 pitchers on their 30 man roster. The aggregate number of innings pitched on an OOSL roster must not be less than 1700 at any point from Opening Day of the season until the final out of the World's Series. The aggregate number of innings pitched on an AA roster must not be less than 1500 at any point from Opening Day of the season until the final out of the Temple Cup series. This is to guarantee adequate basic personnel in case of any combination of injuries.

D. To encourage a greater amount of innings pitched in the OOSL, any team with more than 1800 innings pitched on their 30 man roster as of Opening Day can elect to use any one player on the roster for 110% usage during the upcoming season. This player can be chosen by the owner of the team at any point during the year.

E. Excepting the above guidelines, owners are free to populate their clubs with any mix of talent they see fit.

A. Players in the OOSL are restricted to using no more than the amount of at-bats plus walks a position player is set up for, or the amount of innings pitched that a pitcher is set up for. Players in the AA are restricted to using no more than twice the amount of at-bats plus walks a position player is set up for, or twice the amount of innings pitched that a pitcher is set up for. Once a player has exhausted this maximum usage, he will be deactivated for the remainder of the Regular Season.

B. In the OOSL, the exceptions to this are all batters with 600 at-bats, who are completely exempt from usage, and any one player to 110% as stipulated in Section III of the Constitution.

C. The OOSL has banned the participation of AAA steal ratings. All players with the AAA rating will be changed to AA before the beginning of the Regular Season.

D. Strat-O-Matic has made a litany of normalization errors pertaining to position players who competed before 1920. As such, the OOSL and AA support a special Normalization Adjustment to the catcher defense rating and stolen base ratings of many of these players.

E. Being that Strat-O-Matic makes all catchers twice as likely to be injured as non-catchers, owners may elect, before the start of the season, to remove the catcher rating from players on their team and have the less frequent injury number implemented.

F. Each OOSL team gets two "Usage Designations" (also referred to as "Usage Slots") per year, to be applied at a specified time before the beginning of the Regular Season.

G. Usage designations may not be traded.

H. Here are the four different ways that a single Usage Designation can be applied:

1. Overusage of one player. Said player will have their AB/IP doubled, up to a ceiling of 600/400. A single player may be overused twice in the same year, thus spending both of a team's Usage Designations on overusage.
2. Partial overusage of multiple players. To add 32 AB's to a position player or 20 IP to a pitcher will cost a team 1/7 of a single Usage Designation. Any leftover sevenths are wasted and cannot be applied in part to any other aspect of Usage Designation.
3. Use a player's CH (Career Historical), as opposed to CN (Career Normalized), for the current season. However, the player does retain their CN carded defense ratings in total.
4. Designate a player for "Peak Season" status. Position players will have their cards increased by a percentage of carded ability while pitchers will have their cards decreased by a percentage of their carded ability. The following charts provide the guideline for this, using the actual carded OB*SLG of the players, *not* the numbers they are set up for "on paper":

             BATTERS, by carded OB*SLG (LHB - 30/70; RHB - 50/50)

                             375.1+               1%
                             367.6-375            2%
                             360.1-367.5          3%
                             352.6-360            4%
                             345.1-352.5          5%
                             337.6-345            6%
                             330.1-337.5          7%
                             322.6-330            8%
                             315.1-322.5          9%
                             307.6-315           10%
                             300.1-307.5         11%
                             292.6-300           12%
                             285.1-292.5         13%
                             277.6-285           14%
                             270.1-277.5         15%
                             262.6-270           16%
                             255.1-262.5         17%
                             247.6-255           18%
                             240.1-247.5         19%
                             240 and below       20%

             PITCHERS, by carded OB*SLG (LHP - 30/70; RHP - 50/50)

                             30.0 and under       1%
                             30.1-32.5            2%
                             32.6-35.0            3%
                             35.1-37.5            4%
                             37.6-40.0            5%
                             40.1-42.5            6%
                             42.6-45.0            7%
                             45.1-47.5            8%
                             47.6-50.0            9%
                             50.1-52.5           10%
                             52.6-55.0           11%
                             55.1-57.5           12%
                             57.6-60.0           13%
                             60.1-62.5           14%
                             62.6-65.0           15%
                             65.1-67.5           16%
                             67.6-70.0           17%
                             70.1-72.5           18%
                             72.6-75.0           19%
                             75.1-77.5           20%

I. Usage Designation Plans 2 and 3 may not be combined in any capacity. Usage Designation Plans C and D may not be combined in any capacity. Otherwise, Usage Designation can be used in any legal way that an owner sees fit.

J. Applying Usage Designation to a specific player cannot be done every season. Here is a chart delineating said limits:

1. Players cannot have a Usage Designation placed on them during the season after which any of the following Usage Designations have occurred:
   • Single "Plan 1" designation, up to 300 IP.
   • Any type of "Plan 2" designation.
2. Players cannot have a Usage Designation placed on them for the two seasons after which any of the following Usage Designations have occurred:
   • Any combination of multiple Usage Designations.
   • "Plan 1" designation above 300 IP.
     • Any "Plan 3" designation.
     • Any "Plan 4" designation.

K. Players who are active in real-life are ineligible for Usage Designation Plans 3 and 4. Only active batters with 448 or more AB or 154 or more IP are eligible for Usage Designation Plans 1 and 2. No other active players of any type are eligible for usage designation in any capacity.

L. Players who are retired in real-life with less than 320 carded CN AB's or 115 carded CN IP's are limited in application of Plan 3 to receive no more than double their carded CN AB or IP, unless their owner spends both Usage Designations on the player in question.

M. Pitchers who are overused past 300 innings pitched will have their Games Started number changed to the following:

             Innings     Games Started
             301-314          43
             315-328          44
             329-342          45
             343-356          46
             357-370          47
             371-384          48
             385-398          49
             399-400          50

A. Players who have been rated by Strat-O-Matic with both batting and pitching cards that qualify under OOSL or AA usage rules cannot be used in an unlimited fashion in the normal course of league play. At a specified point before Opening Day, an owner must declare which card, or both, that he will be using in the upcoming season.

B. The player being used as a two-way player (both cards in use) has his usage cut down to 384 at bats and 154 innings pitched. If the usage for either batting or pitching is at or below those numbers to begin with, then that number would be unchanged. Therefore, a Monte Ward would be reduced to 384 at bats and keep his 88 innings. A Bullet Joe Rogan would both have his at bats moved down to 384 and his innings moved down to 154.

C. During all Regular Season games, or during Post-Season games managed by Hal, only one of the two cards can be active. During Post-Season or All-Star games that are managed by a human, both cards can be active with the specific requirement that, no matter what, the two cards must be treated as one single player and not used together in a way that would be at all unrealistic in a base ball playing sense. A player used in both ways during a game would do so in the following way: the batting card can pinch hit for the pitching card, eliminating the pitching card from the game. Alternatively, the pitching card can enter the game in the same lineup slot as the hitting card, removing it from the game. There is no other way for the second card to enter a game that has begun with the first card.

A. Each Spring, every OOSL and AA team has a chance to lose players to Free Agency.

B. The list of unprotected free agents on each team is based on the team's performance the previous season.

C. The OOSL World's Series representative from each league and both AA Temple Cup representatives can protect 10 players from Free Agency. The two losing OOSL playoff teams from each league can protect 12 players from Free Agency. The 14 AA teams that do not qualify for Temple Cup play and the remaining five OOSL teams from each league can protect 16 players from Free Agency.

D. AA teams must protect all players under 320 carded at bats and all pitchers under 62 carded innings pitched.

E. Each team will then lose one player not on the protected list. This will be determined randomly and with an identical chance for any player on a given team to be lost to Free Agency, determined by a roll of the dice.

F. All players lost to Free Agency enter the draft pool for the upcoming year.

A. Every year, each OOSL team has a chance to lose players to Long Term Injury. Long Term Injuries are determined before trading opens, after the Winter Break.

B. Every player who used 75% or more of their carded at bats plus walks or innings pitched is eligible for a Long Term Injury.

C. No team can have more than two players suffer a Long Term Injury in a particular season. If more than two players roll an injury there will be a random determination of which two actually get hurt. The first player on each team who rolls an injury is subject to a Severe Injury.

D. A Severe Injury might last between one and six months, to be determined by the roll of a six-sided die.

E. After the number of months the Severe Injury lasts is ascertained, an eight-sided die will be rolled to determine in what month the injury began. A roll of "one" indicates that the injury begins in the month of February; a roll of "two" indicates that the injury begins in the month of March; a roll of "three" indicates that the injury begins in the month of April; a roll of "four" indicates that the injury will begin in the month of May; a roll of "five" indicates that the injury will begin in the month of June; a roll of "six" indicates that the injury will begin in the month of July; a roll of "seven" indicates that the injury will begin in the month of August; a roll of "eight" means that the player's injury will begin in the month of September.

F. The injury lasts for the number of months determined in Article D, beginning in the month rolled in Article E, and running straight through. Thus, if a player was to have a four month injury, and the first month of the injury was rolled to be March, said player would be unable to play during the months of March, April, May, and June.

G. A player who suffers a Severe Injury must miss at least one month; therefore, if a one or two month injury is rolled, and if the injury is scheduled to begin in February or March, by rule that player must miss the month of April. Additionally, any player who suffers a Severe Injury will have their at-bats or innings pitched reduced in half.

H. The second injured player on a team is subjected to a Minor Injury. This player will miss between zero and four months, pending the roll of a four-sided die. Determining which months the player is injured for operates in precisely the same way as a severe injury; however, players who suffer a Minor Injury are not forced by rule to miss an actual month of the season. The other notable difference is that players who suffer a Minor Injury do not have the at bats or innings on their card affected in any way.

I. Injuries are in force until the final out of the World's Series, after which point all usage goes back to normal. For players who have suffered a Long Term Injury that were traded to the American Association, the injury occurs during the scheduled months and goes back to normal after the final out of the Temple Cup.

A. The annual OOSL/AA draft is conducted approximately three weeks after the update disk is received by the OOSL and AA Commissioners.

B. The Draft will consist of up to five rounds, the first round of which is mandatory.

C. Aside from losing a Free Agent, each team may elect to drop up to four additional players. All player drops must be made before the start of the Draft. No further drops are allowed once it is in progress.

D. By rule, at the end of the fifth round of the Draft, every team in the OOSL and AA must have exactly 30 players.

E. The Draft consists of all players not on an OOSL/AA roster who have 224 or more at bats or 50 or more innings pitched.

F. OOSL teams are forbidden from drafting players with less than 320 at bats or pitchers with less than 62 innings pitched.

A. Teams are free to trade during most of the season and during specified trading periods in the off-season.

B. Trading for computer teams is run by the OOSL/AA Commissioner. If the Commissioner wants to trade with a computer team, he needs the confirmation of another member of the Executive Committee.

C. Any trade, whether it involves human teams, computer teams, or any mix thereof, can be appealed by any OOSL member and is then voted upon by two parties in the league hierarchy who are not involved in the transaction in any way.

D. From the end of the Annual Draft to the beginning of the Spring trade period (approximately April of one year to March of the next) all teams must have exactly 30 players and an equal number of draft picks.

E. During the Spring trade period and up until the end of the draft, teams can trade disproportionate commodities providing that they make sure to have exactly 30 players on their roster at the end of the Draft.

F. If teams trade draft picks other than their first round pick, they must release enough players to have a pick in every round of the Draft from the first round all the way down to the round of the pick that they traded.

G. Any trade made involving teams from both the OOSL and the AA must be approved by the Inter-League Trading Board, made up of the members of the OOSL Executive Committee and the AA Executive Council. Such trades can only be made during specified times on the OOSL/AA yearly schedule.

A. Each OOSL and AA team has a historical ballpark that is affiliated with the city that team currently resides in and was used in the actual history of their franchise.

B. A team can switch to a different historical ballpark in their home city, but must remain in the same ballpark for at least three seasons after changing from one to another. Teams must also make every effort to select a park that has a statistical basis from which basic ballpark numbers can be derived.

C. Each ballpark has been assigned a historical rating to reflect the effect that park had on hitters over its history.

D. Team owners can elect to "move the fences" a bit: any of the four ballpark components can be moved up to two (2) numbers in either direction away from the historical assignment. For parks with a historical rating of either 0, 1, 19, or 20, the components can be moved up or down in the following ranges: 0-4, 0-4, 16-20, or 16-20, respectively.

E. Teams that share a ballpark with a another team can only change ballparks or shift their existing ballpark if the other team using the ballpark agrees.

F. The following ballparks:

• Bacharach Park
• ABC's Field
• Ruppert Stadium
• Greenlee Field

Do not have valid statistical basis from which to be rated. As such, the teams with one of these historical parks can elect to exercise the following ballpark construction plan:

• Upon first taking over the team, any ballpark numbers for singles or home runs, for left and right handed batters, can be employed at the team owner's discretion with the restriction that there will be no more than a 10 number variation for the single or homerun numbers between left and right handed batters. Once the base numbers have been set by the team owner, traditional OOSL/AA ballpark practices must be followed for the duration of the team owner's participation in the league.

A. All OOSL games are played on the computer of the OOSL Commissioner. All AA games are played on the computer of the AA Commissioner.

B. All OOSL and AA league members are required to have input complete computer manager instructions prior to the first Regular Season game.

C. Most super-advanced Strat-O-Matic rules are employed with the exception of most "Maximum Rules," which allow results not based on the actual Strat-O-Matic cards, the Closer Rule, and the most advanced player injury rules.

D. Owners must expect that, each week, approximately 12-18 games will be played that involves their team.

E. Local OOSL owners who are unable to attend and play in a given week and all remote owners are encouraged to send specific pitching rotations and lineups to the OOSL Commissioner. All AA owners are encouraged to send specific pitching rotations and lineups to the AA Commissioner.

F. Specific instructions for the upcoming week are due by 11:59 PM each Sunday night. Instructions will be accepted after that point with the understanding that some or all of a team's games for that week may have already been played. It is the responsibility of the OOSL/AA Commissioner to have e-mailed the league out to the members no later than 11:59 PM each Saturday night.

G. The Strat-O-Matic computer managing program controls the in-game actions for all computer teams and all human teams whose owners do not play their games in person.

A. The OOSL is governed by a Commissioner and two others who collectively make up an Executive Committee. Currently the Commissioner is Dirk Knemeyer and the Executive Committee includes John Mortimer and Mike Thomsen. The AA is governed by a Commissioner and two others who collectively make up an Executive Council. Currently the Commissioner is Lon Whitehead and the Executive Council includes Dirk Knemeyer and Ed Mortimer.

B. The position of Commissioner is a permanent one, barring unforeseen circumstance. Committee/Council members operate on a rotating basis.

C. Each year, league members can lobby to be appointed a Committee/Council member. A maximum of one Committee/Council member can be replaced, meaning that, of the members who express interest and agree to the responsibilities that come with the position, no more than one will be selected to replace a sitting member.

D. The Committee/Council will determine among themselves which sitting member will step down to allow the newly nominated member to join.

E. Only full OOSL members who have had voting powers for a full year are able to sit on the OOSL Executive Committee. Only full OOSL members and/or Associate Members who have played through two full seasons of AA play are eligible to sit on the AA Executive Council.

F. The Commissioner has the sole discretion to make decisions concerning logistics and game play. For example, this might include forcing a 24 game week. This does not extend to decisions of major importance, which would go through at least the Executive Committee but usually the league-wide voting procedure.

G. Virtually all league business is dealt with by the Executive Committee/Council. They work out specific legislation, debate issues, make recommendations, and determine a number of similar league matters. On issues of moderate importance that exceed the jurisdiction of the Commissioner but are not necessarily relevant to the point of voting, unanimous approval by the Executive Committee/Council will constitute a valid vote.

H. While some league matters and issues are determined by the Executive Committee/Council, no major rule change can be made without an open vote of all league members who are eligible to vote. Any decision made by the Commissioner, a member of the Executive Committee/Council, or the Executive Committee/Council as a whole, can be challenged by another league member and as such be brought to an open vote. Even league members who are not eligible to vote can challenge one of the above situations. League-wide votes are final and not open to challenge. Tie votes result in the status quo being maintained.

I. The OOSL has two different windows for voting on league issues per season: after the OOSL World's Series and sometime in the Spring at or around the time Strat-O-Matic releases the newest version of their game.

J. In order to be eligible to vote on OOSL an owner must have been either an Associate or Full OOSL member through an entire OOSL season and paid for the subsequent year. This is to prevent individuals who will not be around for the long term from manipulating situations in a way detrimental to the league.

K. The OOSL Voting Procedure goes as follows: the OOSL Commissioner lobbies league members for rule change suggestions. The Executive Committee considers the proposed suggestions and puts all of the ideas into "proposal" form. Then, the OOSL membership has a one week window to debate/discuss the issues on the rule change ballot. After this week has expired, the Executive Committee fashions final proposals that synthesize what they believe is best for the league with the opinions stated by the league members during the preceding discussion/debate period. Then, all voting members are required to vote on the final rule change proposals.

L. Any member of the OOSL, whether they have voting privileges or not, can suggest a new rule or a change to an existing rule that will then be brought up for a league-wide vote, unless the Executive Committee unanimously deems it ridiculous.

M. Voting in the OOSL is not optional and apathy can result in penalty. Abstention from specific issues is permitted. Voting is mandatory in the league to ensure due process and encourage the will of the entire league to be the determining factor.

A. The Spring League occurs approximately two to six weeks before the start of the OOSL/AA Regular Season.

B. In the OOSL Spring League, each American League team plays every National League team four times and vice-versa, for a total of 32 games per team. In the AA Spring League, each team plays each other team twice, for a total of 30 games per team.

C. Owners are required to submit computer manager instructions before the first game of Spring League play.

D. All Spring League games for all teams are played by the computer, including roster selection and starting pitcher for each game.

A. The play-offs are conducted within three weeks of the final Regular Season game.

B. In the OOSL, the winner of each league and two "playoff qualifiers" from each league participate in the play-offs. In the AA, the winners of both divisions meet in a best-of-seven game Temple Cup Series.

C. If two teams have identical best records in a given league they play a one game play-off. Statistics from this game (and Regular Season usage restrictions) count toward the Regular Season.

D. Teams tied for #2 or #3 best record in a league determine who finishes where by the following process:

1. Head-to-head record
2. Better record versus the regular season League Champion
3. Larger runs scored-runs allowed differential
4. Most runs scored
5. Coin flip.

E. The only usage restriction in the play-offs is that a pitcher must have started 10 games during the Regular Season to make any starts during the play-offs.

F. In the OOSL, the first round, the "Qualification Round," is a best-of-five series played between the #2 and #3 teams in each league. The #2 team hosts games 1, 2, and 5. #3 hosts 3 and 4.

G. The OOSL League Championship Series is a best-of-seven game affair, in the 2-3-2 format. The Regular Season League Champion hosts games 1, 2, 6, and 7. The winner of the LCS is declared League Champion.

H. The OOSL World's Series is played between the two League Champions.

I. It is a best-of-nine series, in a 2-2-2-2-1 format.

J. In even-numbered years the American League team is host; in odd-numbered years the National League team enjoys that honor.

K. The AA Temple Cup series is a best of seven games in the 2-3-2 format.

L. The team with the best Regular Season record hosts the Temple Cup. Tiebreaker is head-to-head record.

A. The All-Star Series is played in the month of July.

B. It is a best-of-seven series in the 2-3-2 format.

C. All-Star starters are voted upon by the entire league constituency, with the League Manager providing the tiebreaker.

D. All-Star reserves are chosen exclusively by the League Manager, unless a computer team posted the best record, at which point the OOSL Commissioner has the right of refusal and inclusion after the manager has made his selections. The All-Star Series MVP from the previous year is an "automatic" selection, filling one of the 30 spots for his league. All 16 OOSL teams must have at least one All-Star representative.

E. Whichever human team has the best record at the All-Star break will provide the League Manager of the All-Star team that season.

F. All-Star starters are only obligated to start in the very first game of the series. After that, the manager of each particular game chooses whom to start. The only exception to this is the pitching rotation: the League Manager is obligated to assign starting pitchers for every game of the series, before the first game.

G. The Home Run Derby is conducted before the fourth game of the series.

H. When picking the All-Star reserves the League Manager must also assign six All-Stars to represent the league in the Home Run Derby.

I. Each batter gets ten outs before his home run hitting attempts are over.

J. Both an individual and a team Home Run Champion are crowned.

K. In cases of a tie: individual ties are settled by all players who are tied getting three additional outs to hit home runs. Any players still tied after three outs get three more outs, continuing until a Champion is crowned. Team ties are decided by each team nominating a hitter to get an additional three outs. If it is still tied after the first hitter, a second hitter is nominated, continuing until all players from both sides have three additional outs. The rotation continues in the same order as it did during the first tiebreaker round if the contest has not been decided in any of the six rounds therein. The rotation would continue until one team has emerged the winner. Note: individual ties are determined BEFORE team ties, and as such the individual winner in that instance would also prove to be the team winner. In addition, home runs earned during additional outs can neither change the individual or team outcomes, provided that there was a tie after all 12 players were done with their initial rotations.

L. The AA has a traditional All-Star Game that will be organized and played by the AA Commissioner.

A. There are five major awards for each league in the OOSL: Most Valuable Player, Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and League Champion for the team which comes out of the play-offs. The four major awards that are OOSL-wide are: All-Star Series Most Valuable Player, World's Series Most Valuable Player, Home Run Derby Champion, and the World's Series Champion. The AA has seven major awards: Most Valuable Player, Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Division Champion, Temple Cup Champion, Temple Cup Most Valuable Player.

B. The OOSL has a World's Series Championship Trophy. It is a traveling trophy, and belongs to the owner of the World's Series Champion from the month of September through the month of April the following year.

C. Remote owners will be mailed the World's Series Championship Trophy at the expense of the league but must then mail back the trophy to the OOSL Commissioner at the owner's expense prior to the first day of April the following year.

D. In order for any owner to take home the World's Series Championship Trophy during their reign they must submit a $150 deposit and sign forms of liability regarding the condition of the trophy. The $150 will be placed in a 6 month CD.

E. Upon returning the World's Series Championship Trophy in identical condition to how it was received the owner is entitled to the entire sum of his deposit, plus any interest accrued on the money in the interim.

F. Upon returning the World's Series Championship Trophy in a condition less than it was received, or if the trophy is not returned at all, the owner is subjected to losing any or all of his deposit based on the cost of repairing or replacing the trophy, plus a reasonable nuisance fine for the time and effort spent. If the trophy is not returned or has been pronounced destroyed, the owner in question is subject to immediate and unilateral expulsion from the league, at the discretion of the OOSL Commissioner.

A. OOSL dues currently stand at $10 per year, due in August or September of the preceding year.

B. The $10 payment entitles local owners to: 3 team roster printouts, 5 complete statistical printouts, a complete copy of the OOSL/AA Player and Pitcher Registers, and all other privileges that are inherent with being a local league member.

C. The $10 payment entitles remote owners to: weekly e-mail updates of both leagues, all of their box scores sent over e-mail, a complete copy of the OOSL/AA Player and Pitcher Registers, and all other privileges that are inherent with being a remote league member.

D. Local owners can opt to pay an additional $10 which entitles them to all of their box scores printed out, plus double the standard number of team roster and complete statistical printouts.

A. In order for an individual to become a new manager at any capacity in the OOSL they must fill out an application form and be deemed acceptable by the OOSL Commissioner, the Executive Committee, or the league as a whole, depending on the situation of the applicant.

B. If an applicant appears to be acceptable they will be contacted by the OOSL Commissioner for a final screening, which is more a formality and a get-to-know-you type of process.

C. Applicants accepted as Associate Managers must first spend a year managing an American Association team in order to become acquainted with the Career Normalized disks and the OOSL's rules and methods.

D. Associate Managers immediately receive a team in the American Association. They will also receive the weekly in-season OOSL league e-mail and any e-mails connected with the American Association.

E. It costs $10 over any American Association costs to be an Associate Manager. This money is payable to the OOSL Commissioner upon entrance into the league.

F. When the OOSL has a vacancy, the replacement will be an Associate Manager who has already spent at least one year in the American Association. Length of tenure is the first determining factor for deciding who is promoted to the OOSL but can be overruled if there are concerns about competency, aptitude, enthusiasm, contribution, or issues of trust.

A. Penalties are levied upon teams, owners, and players for a number of different infractions, including but not limited to: overusing or misusing players or roster requirements, malicious attempt to circumvent rules, failing to vote, failing to participate and contribute in a manner roughly commensurate with the average league manager, behaving in a manner not conducive to the overall good of the league and/or the other members.

B. Owners are accountable for their players not being overused. If a player is inadvertently overused and an owner has not made specific efforts to avoid the overusage than the player(s) involved are subject to:

1. being ineligible for the post-season;
   
2. being restricted to 50% usage the following year;
   
3. not being able to be traded during the 50% penalty year.

C. Owners are not permitted to make a pattern of trades that are considered unfair and benefit one or a couple of other league members in the process. Owners who trade in such a fashion are subject first to a warning, but then are eligible for immediate expulsion following a subsequent violation of this guideline. While it is somewhat subjective, a pattern of behavior will normally leave little doubt.

D. Owners are not permitted to act in a negative or antagonistic manner toward their counterparts. This league is based on the principle of fellowship, and strives for everyone to have an engaging time. Continued unnecessary, disruptive, or incendiary behavior will be met with an initial warning before leading to immediate expulsion of the owner in question.

E. The list of infractions in Section A of this passage is not exhaustive. The infractions listed in that passage can be broadened or otherwise construed if the league administration believes that the philosophies and/or spirit of the league has somehow been undermined in a particular instance. This is necessarily very discretionary and far-reaching in theory, but is protected by Section F.

F. All penalties and expulsions can be challenged by any league member who is not involved in the penalty or expulsion, but questions the validity of it. In those cases the situation goes to a vote, not including the individual being penalized.

March 1:

ALL OOSL AND AA TRADING REMAIN CLOSED.

The new update disk arrives.

OOSL/AA League voting process occurs.

Wartime/Negro League usage adjustments and pre-1920 corrections are enforced.

Protected lists are submitted and OOSL/AA Free Agents are determined.

OOSL Long Term Injuries are determined.

Early-to-Mid March:

OOSL AND AA TRADING BOTH OPEN.

A two week period of open trading involving all OOSL and AA teams commences, continuing until the first pick is made in the Annual Draft.

Late March-Early April:

OOSL AND AA TRADING BOTH CLOSE.

The Annual Draft is conducted over e-mail and telephone.

Early April-Mid April:

OOSL TRADING OPEN; AA TRADING REMAINS CLOSED.

Upon completion of the draft, OOSL trading begins again.

At a specified date, OOSL teams announce the following: expenditure of Usage Slots, changes to their ballpark for the season, removal of defense ratings, and changes in primary position.

Results of Usage Slot expenditures, ballpark changes, removal of defense ratings, and changes in primary position are implemented.

OOSL TRADING CLOSES UPON SUBMISSION OF SPRING LEAGUE INSTRUCTIONS; AA TRADING REMAINS CLOSED.

Computer manager instructions for the OOSL Spring League are due by a specified date.

Mid-April:

ALL TRADING REMAINS CLOSED.

The OOSL Spring League is played.

Late April-Early May:

OOSL TRADING OPEN; AA TRADING REMAINS CLOSED.

Upon completion of the Spring League, OOSL trading resumes.

Early May-Late May:

Before the beginning of the OOSL Regular Season, owners must submit computer manager instructions.

The OOSL Regular Season begins.

Sometime in July:

OOSL TRADING CLOSES UPON COMPLETION OF THE ALL-STAR SERIES, AT AN APPOINTED DAY AND TIME. IT WILL REMAIN CLOSED UNTIL THE NEXT CALENDAR YEAR. AA TRADING REMAINS CLOSED.

After the 100th game for each team has been played, the All-Star break begins. As soon as any team has played their 101st game the All-Star break is over and so is trading.

Early-to-Mid August:

OOSL Regular Season ends; post-season begins. After the final out of the World's Series the OOSL season is over.

OOSL/Associate Manager Dues for the following season must be paid at this time.

Late August:

OOSL TRADING REMAINS CLOSED; AA TRADING IS CLOSED.

At a specified date, AA teams must submit the following: changes to their ballpark for the season, removal of defense ratings, and changes in primary position. Computer manager instructions for the AA Spring League are due. Trading closes.

OOSL TRADING REMAINS CLOSED; AA TRADING OPENS. The AA Spring League is played. Upon completion, trading opens again.

Early September:

Before the beginning of the AA Regular Season, owners must submit computer manager instructions.

The AA Regular Season begins.

Sometime in October:

OOSL TRADING REMAINS CLOSED; AA TRADING CLOSES UPON COMPLETION OF THE ALL-STAR GAME, AT AN APPOINTED DAY AND TIME. IT WILL REMAIN CLOSED UNTIL THE NEXT CALENDAR YEAR.

After the 100th game for each team has been played, the All-Star Break begins. As soon as any team has played their 101st game the All-Star Break is over and so is trading.

Sometime in November:

AA Regular Season ends; Temple Cup series is played.

After the final out of the Temple Cup, the AA season is over.