1  League Structure

1.01  League Name

1.02  League Goals

1.03  Membership

1.03[a] The CBL consists of twenty-four continuous ownership franchises, using actual major league baseball (MLB) team names and organizations. The teams are divided into two Associations, the Gnitecki Association and the Wesenberg Association (named after the two CBL founders, Richard Gnitecki and Bernhardt Wesenberg).

1.03[b] Twelve teams are assigned to the Gnitecki Association and twelve teams to the Wesenberg Association. Each Association has two Divisions with the teams evenly divided between them. The League Executive assigns teams to their Association and Division. Geographic proximity and traditional CBL rivalries are used as factors in assigning teams.

1.03[c] There shall be at least one manager per franchise. No person may manage two or more teams simultaneously except when necessary on a temporary basis while a new manager is being recruited.

1.03[d] Each CBL Club shall pay yearly dues to cover administrative costs involved in operating the CBL. The amount is determined annually by the CBL Executive, and is payable at the beginning of the season schedule.

When a CBL franchise becomes open, that franchise will be made available for 30 days to existing league managers, with priority going on a seniority basis. Conditions are:

1.04[a]  Effective in 1997, a CBL manager may make only one such switch during his CBL career.

1.04[b]  If the open franchise is an existing team in the league, the switching manager may either [i] give up his entire team assets (players, draft picks, and minor league protection list) and take on the open team’s assets in total. Any future assets of either team that have been traded away will be adjusted by the League Executive for fairness; or [ii] retain all current team assets and change franchise names only. From the point of the switch onward, minor league picks would be made from the new franchise’s farm system.

1.05  Game Product

1.05[a]  The CBL uses the APBA master baseball game, or any computer version of the Miller Associates APBA Baseball Game.

1.05[b]  The final list of 30 players per MLB team carded by the APBA game company, plus any uncarded players already on forty-man CBL rosters who appeared in the major leagues during the year, shall be available for CBL play.

2  League Governance

2.01 Officers

2.02  Duties of the Commissioner

The Commissioner has authority over all aspects of league operation, including responsibility for

2.02[a]  appointing the Association Presidents.

2.02[b]  being public spokesperson for the League.

2.02[c] arbitrating any disputes that arise among managers, or settling any grievances raised by managers.

2.02[d]  disciplining managers or revoking franchises for cause.

2.02[e]  recruiting and orienting new managers when needed.

2.02[f]  ensuring publication of a regular league newsletter.

2.02[g]  ensuring administration of league finances.

2.02[h]  ensuring accurate statistical records are kept and shared with managers.

2.02[i]  keeping track of league votes.

2.02[j]  conducting the annual draft.

2.03  Duties of the Association Presidents.

The Presidents are members of the League executive team. They:

2.03[a]  assist the Commissioner in carrying out administrative duties.

2.03[b]  perform the duties of the Commissioner when needed.

2.04  Selection of the Commissioner

2.04[a]  When the Commissioner’s position becomes vacant, nominations will be open for a new Commissioner for a period of 30 days from the announcement of the vacancy in the newsletter. Any league member may nominate another member. Following the close of nominations, a vote is taken by the retiring Commissioner or his designate.

2.05  Amendments to the Constitution

2.05[a]  Any member of the league may present proposals for change to the league constitution by forwarding the proposals to the Commissioner. The proposals will be published in the CBL Newsletter.

2.05[b] Proposals are adopted when approved by a 3/4 (75%) majority vote of league members. An abstention shall be considered a vote to retain the existing rules.

2.06 Grievances

Grievances may be voiced by any manager to the League Executive. The Commissioner shall be the final authority in settling grievances.

3 Regular Season Play

3.01  Season

3.02  Schedule

3.03 Rosters

3.03[a]  Each CBL club will have a Total Team Roster of no more than 40 players who have received an APBA card in the current or a previous year. This will include players on the Active (see 3.03[b]) and Reserve (see 3.03[c]) Rosters, but not players on the Minor League Protected List (see 3.04). This limit must be maintained at all times except for the period beginning with the annual CBL draft in February and ending with the submission of opening-day rosters in March. At any other time of year, if players are added through trade or waiver pickup, the owner must release players by the end of the same day to return to the 40-man limit.

3.03[b]  Each CBL club will establish an Active Roster of 25 players from the start of the season through approximately 130 games. Each club may carry up to 40 active players for the rest of the regular season (“September callups”).

3.03[c]  Each CBL club may have a Reserve Roster of up to fifteen players, so long as the maximum allowable Total Team Roster size (40) is not exceeded.

3.03[d]  Players may be moved between the Active and Reserve Rosters prior to the start of each full series, so long as the maximum allowable Active Roster size is not exceeded.

3.03[e]  A player who does not receive an APBA card, after having received one in a previous season, may nevertheless be used up to the level of his actual Starts, Innings Pitched, or Plate Appearances, if any, in the major leagues during the past season, and will remain on the Roster until traded or released. If the player meets the statistical qualifications for unlimited status, (as per 3.06[b]7 and 3.06[c]2) he need not observe the limit of actual Starts, Innings Pitched, or Plate Appearances.

3.03[f]  Any player carded in the APBA game who is not on a CBL Club roster is a free agent and is available to be selected in the annual CBL draft.

3.04 Minor League Protection Lists

3.04[a]  In 1992, each CBL Club was allowed to establish a Minor League Protected List of seven minor league players from within the franchise who had never at that point received an APBA card. On May 1^st of each subsequent season, each club is allowed to add three additional minor league (never carded) players to its protected list. Players remain on the CBL Club’s Minor League Protected List until they are carded by APBA, traded by the CBL club, or released by the CBL club. When carded, these players are automatically the property of the CBL Club on whose Protected List they appear.

3.05 Playing the Games

3.05[a]  Games are played face-to-face when possible, and by the home team when face-to-face play is not possible.

3.05[b]  Each manager shall forward all appropriate instructions, play games, and forward appropriate individual game statistics and series results on the dates required. Instructions should reach the home manager by seven days prior to the date the series is scheduled to be completed. If no instructions are received within seven days after the due date for the series, the home manager shall play the series using the instructions available on the Web Site. Games must be played and results communicated to the visiting manager no later than fourteen days after the due date set for the series.

3.05[c]  Each manager shall accurately compile statistics on each game played in the format required by the League Executive.

3.05[d]  Each manager shall, as far as possible, comply with all instructions of the visiting manager, and manage the visiting team to its best advantage in situations where instructions are unclear or silent.

3.05[e] Each manager shall supply for the League Web Site a set of Standard/Emergency Playing Instructions, both home and away, for each series of the current season, prior to the start of the season. The Standard/Emergency Instructions must provide rotations, lineups, and playing information. The Commissioner shall ensure that all Standard/ Emergency Instructions are available to every manager.

3.05[f] If a home manager fails to complete a series within fourteen days of the due date, the Commissioner may designate a person to play the series, using the Standard or Emergency Instructions.

3.06  Player Use

3.06[a]  Players may be used only as much in the CBL regular season as they played in real life, as detailed below, except when defined as “unlimited”.

3.06[b]  Pitchers

3.06[b]1  Only a pitcher rated as a starting pitcher may start a game.

3.06[b]2  A starting pitcher must have at least three games rest between starts. Consider the road games to be played first, the home games last in each series for the purpose of establishing a pitching rotation.

3.06[b]3  A starting pitcher may not exceed the number of Starts, nor the number of Innings Pitched in the MLB season (except for Unlimited Pitchers as allowed in Paragraph 3.06[b]7 below).

3.06[b]4  A relief pitcher may not exceed the number of Innings Pitched during the MLB season (except for Unlimited Pitchers as allowed in Paragraph 3.06[b]7 below), but is not limited as to Number of Relief Appearances.

3.06[b]5.1 A pitcher graded only as a starter by APBA may be used both as a starter and/or reliever in the CBL, but is limited to the number of appearances. A start may be considered to represent two relief appearances for the purpose of calculating the allowable appearances. The total innings pitched in the CBL cannot exceed the actual MLB innings. These limits apply except in the case of pitchers defined as unlimited re: 3.06[b]7.

3.06[b]5.2 A pitcher graded by APBA as a split-grade starter/reliever is limited to actual number of starts but is not limited in relief appearances as per above clause 3.06[b]4. The total innings pitched in the CBL cannot exceed the actual MLB innings. These limits apply except in the case of pitchers defined as unlimited re: 3.06[b]7.

3.06[b]6  A split grade pitcher with the higher grade being 5 or greater is limited to the actual innings pitched.

3.06[b]7  A starting pitcher, carded or uncarded, whose grade is 4 or lower is limited to 36 starts and must observe the days of rest as in Paragraph 3.06[b]2, and any pitcher whose grade is 4 or lower is not limited to Innings Pitched other than by Paragraph 3.06[b]6. 

3.06[b]8  A pitcher may bat only if he is pitching in the game, unless he is rated at a position other than pitcher. Pitchers may not pinch-hit. A pitcher is allowed to pinch-run.

3.06[c]  Position Players

3.06[c]1  Position players may not exceed the number of Official Plate Appearances, excepting as provided in 3.06[b]2, nor the number of Stolen Base Attempts recorded in the MLB season. There is no limit on Games Played.

3.06[c]2  Position players, carded or uncarded, who meet all of the following criteria are considered “unlimited” and are not restricted to any number of Plate Appearances:

[i] Batting Average of .240 or less

[ii] On Base Percentage of .300 or less

[iii] Slugging Percentage of .350 or less

[iv] None of the following defensive ratings: 8 or 9 at C; 4 or 5 at 1B; 8 or 9 at 2B; 5 or 6 at 3B; 9 or 10 at SS; 3 at OF. 

3.06[c]3  A manager may request Unlimited status for a non-productive position player who marginally exceeds the criteria in Paragraph 3.06[c]2 if the manager has exhausted all means of trading for help. This designation may be granted with the approval of the League Executive prior to the opening of the season.

3.07  Penalties for over-use of players

3.07.1 Penalties for overuse of players beyond the established buffers (30 PA for batters, 5 SBA for base-stealers, 2 GS and 15 IP for starting pitchers, and 7 IP for relief pitchers) will be determined by the Commissioner and graduated depending on the severity of the overuse. Penalties may include loss of playoff status, loss or demotion of draft picks, or other penalties as deemed by the Commissioner to be justified. In general, the penalty will be more severe when the overuse is more extreme and/or involves better players. If there is any possibility that the overuse contributed to a team making the playoffs, that team will be removed from the playoffs. Examples of typical penalty rationales are presented in the Supplement to the Constitution at the end of this document. The Commissioner’s decision is final unless appealed within three days of receipt of notification.

3.07.2 The decision of the Commissioner may be appealed by the offending team or by any other manager to the other members of the Executive (i.e. two presidents and the statistician) who will [a] uphold the ruling; [b] modify the ruling; or [c] remove the penalty. The decision of this Appeal Committee is final.