The IBE league rules are set forth in seven parts.

NOTE: Any previously approved rules changes for this season appear in RED TEXT
 

I. League Organization
II. Players
III. Acquiring and Losing Players
IV. Season
V. Game Play
VI. Player Restrictions
VII. Postseason
 
 
 
 
 
 

I. League Organization

1. Purpose

The IBE's purpose is to provide an enjoyable, relaxing, and competitive environment with which to simulate a season using the Baseball for Windows(BBW) computer game, with owners making all decisions.

2. Rule Changes

Should any franchise owner wish to change these rules, he shall;
• Submit the proposal in writing to the league's Commissioner
• The proposal is then presented to the franchise owners through the home page of this site
• Franchise owners then vote on a one vote per owner basis
• A 75% approval is needed for these rules to be amended
• Any rule change approved is put into effect at the beginning of the following season

3. Teams

This league is comprised of ten franchises, no more than two franchises per owner. 

1. Roster Size

A franchise's roster is limited at any time to 32 players. The following shall all contribute to the total roster size
 
• Carded players
• Players which have left the rosters of any stock team used in this league
• Players to be named later
• Players which are not part of the usable card set

2. Active Rosters

A team's active roster is composed of the players which are eligible to play in a game. Each week a team is limited to an active roster of 25 players. Players may be moved between the active and inactive rosters before each week's play begins.

 

1. Draft

Before a given draft, every team must reduce the number of players on his roster to no more than 35. Before each season's draft players will be "rolled over" to the next season disk, using only players in the regular card set (20 per stock team), as well as 5 XB "cards" from each team as chosen by the Commissioner, based upon actual player usage. Draft order is determined by  by inverse order of winning percentages for non-playoff teams, who will draft first through sixth. The semifinal playoffs runners-up will pick seventh and eighth, with the lower regular season winning percentage team drafting seventh. The championship runner-up will draft ninth in the order, and the previous season's champions will draft last in each round.

2. Draft Lottery

There is no draft lottery in this league.

3. Trades

Trades may be made at any time from the end of the 2004 playoffs and 10:00 p.m. Central Time on Tuesday, August 1, 2006. Players may not be traded from that time and the end of the playoffs.

When a trade is made, it shall be confirmed by all parties to the Commissioner, who may overturn any trade on grounds of competitive balance. Once a trade is confirmed, it will show up on the next commissioner file. If an owner wishes to trade players among his own franchises, it requires a majority approval amongst all franchise owners on a one vote per owner basis.

1. Schedule

Each team will play a 52 game schedule, broken down as follows: A team will play all other teams in its division eight times (32 games), as well as all out of division opponents four times (20 games). A team will be scheduled to play four games per week. The managing phase of each week starts when the commissioner distributes to all owners the previous week's game results file on Sunday night. From then until 10:00 p.m. on Tuesday, owners may make roster moves, inform the commissioner of any free agents to sign, and set up thier team(s) for the next week's play. The playing phase starts with the Play Ball commissioner file distributed Tuesday nights and ends at 10:00 p.m. on Sunday of each week.

2. Playing the Games

All Games will be played by the home teams' manager using Baseball for Windows, version 5.5.

3. Season setup

All owners are responsible for sending the Commissioner a franchise file before the start of the season. The file should contain at least one default starting lineup and a default five-man starting rotation. These lineups and rotations may be changed at any time during the team setup phase by the team's owner.

Also each franchise will need to cut their complete rosters to no more than 32 players by the start of the season (May 30). All teams who are over the limit will have their rosters reduced to 32 by random selection. 

1. DH Rules

The designated hitter rule will be used in all games in this league.

2. Rainouts

Will be rescheduled as a double header the day following the rainout. If the rainout happens on the last game of a series, it will be rescheduled on the next common day off. If no such day exists, the game will not be made up unless it would make any effect on the playoffs or tiebreakers.

3. AIM Usage

  The Advanced Injury Management (AIM) feature shall be used in all games played by the computer. The setting will be on All Injuries and Fatigue, Late 20th century recovery, based upon 80 games per team.

As this league uses AIM, it should take care of all player usage.

VII. Postseason

1. Qualifiers

At the conclusion of the regular season, the XBL will include four teams in a playoff to decide a league champion. The four teams include the two divisional champions, as well as the two non division winning (wild card) teams with the best records.

2. Playoffs

The team with the best overall record will play the wild card team with the worst record, and the other divisional champion will play the other wild card in a best of seven series. The winners of these two series will play in a final best of seven series to decide a league champion. 

3. Resolving ties in record

Ties between two or more teams are resolved as follows (Starting at the beginning each time one or more teams are eliminated)

• Head-to-head record against all teams involved, decided by winning percentage
• Divisional record of all teams involved, but only if the tie involves teams from the same division
• A playoff game will be played if the tie means one team will be eliminated from postseason play
• Number of runs allowed against all other teams involved in the tie
• Fewest number of total runs allowed
• The team which has gone the longest without losing
• Coin toss if the tie still exists

4. Special playoff game rules

AIM status will be carried over from the regular season, and will govern all player usage. There will be two days between the end of the season and the beginning of the playoffs. Owners must declare a 25-man series roster before each playoff series begins, and no roster moves may be made once a playoff series begins. 

All pitchers are treated the same as in the regular season. There is a day off between games 2 and 3, and games 5 and 6 of any playoff series. There is also one day off between game 7 of the semifinals and game 1 of the IBE World Series.
 

5. Postseason Awards

Upon the regular season's conclusion, and before the playoffs start, all owners shall vote on the basis of one vote per owner on the following postseason awards

• Most Valuable Player
• Starting Pitcher of the Year Award
• Relief Pitcher of the Year
• Rookie of the Year (Starting with the 2003 season)
• Offensive Player of the Year
• Manager of the Year