THE ISBL GAZETTE -- Winter Edition #5

PYT	106-56	.654	-
NOI	104-58	.642	2
NOM	100-62	.617	6
DIR	92-70	.568	14
BEA	66-96	.407	40
GIA	62-100	.383	44
RAC	60-102	.370	46

ISBL HOME ENCYCLOPEDIA DISKS PAST GAZETTES AUCTION SITE E-MAIL

2005 KEEP-DUMP FORM 2005 TRANSACTIONS 2005 CALENDAR 2005 FINANCES 2005 UNCARDEDS

BASEBALL IS BACK IN SEATTLE

After a one-year absence, Seattle again has a baseball team -- thanks to a British benefactor. Shaun Gratton of Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, took ownership of the Lexington Legends on Wednesday and has moved the club to Seattle, where they will be known as the Navigators.

Seattle last had a team in 2003, after which the then-Dissidents became the Piedmont Giants under current owner Larry Miller.

Shaun can be reached via e-mail at naush@pihy.fsnet.co.uk or via AOL IM at Naush The Pihy. No, I don't know what that means. Ask him.

KEEP OR DUMP?

That is the question, as January 31 quickly approaches. As the deadline for deciding what players will remain on your rosters and be paid from your coffers creeps nearer, you can submit your list of "keeps" and "dumps" on the handy form provided HERE.

Be sure to fill out all of the information. Some information is for administrative use only, but it's important to fill out everything so we can hunt you down if your computer goes on the fritz or you suddenly go AWOL on us.

Your 2005 Keep-Dump Form is due no later than January 31 at 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time. No rush, plenty of time.

But if you're late, the penalties are steep -- $1m a day, or worse yet, the potential loss of your team. So don't wait too long to get those forms in to the home office.

2005 GAZETTE TEAM LINKS ARE IN PLAY

Click on the team names to the left and right (or the league logos, for that matter) and you can find current rosters (as of the most recent disk release), even if you don't have access to the disk. Ah, the ISBL, dedicated to finding new ways to lower work productivity ...

EXPLOSION INFO

The Manchester Moose now have a new owner and a new home after the team's proposed move to Ajax was scrubbed. The Halifax Explosion are the newest member of the American League, helmed by owner Rod McGlashing.

Rod can be contacted via e-mail at explosion@isbl.com

Rod's AOL IM is Beaver Fighter

The Explosion are now open for business and fielding trade offers.

2005 PAGES ARE UP ON SITE

If you go to the main ISBL site, you'll find that the 2005 Pages are now there.

ONE MORE DISK CORRECTION

Catcher Brian Schneider of the Gridlock is now a high unlimited (450 PA/Catcher ONLY).

CONTRACT CODING

The coding seems to confuse a lot of owners, so here's a quick index of the codes.

x : Contract Year

When this number reaches 4, the player's minimum salary becomes $1m.
When it reaches 6, the player's minimum salary jumps to $5m.

Players showing a single digit are restricted to 110% of their MLB2004 PA (plate appearances) or BF (batters faced) in ISBL2005 play.

999x : High-unlimited player

Batters with at least 500 PA
Batters rated defensively at CATCHER ONLY with at least 450 PA
Pitchers with at least 700 BF or 162 IP (innings pitched)

These players have no restriction on usage in ISBL2005 play.

666x : Low-unlimited player

Batters with no better than a .650 OPS (on-base-plus-slugging) and no better than a .700 OPS against either LHP or RHP
Batters rated defensively at CATCHER ONLY with no better than a .700 OPS and no better than a .725 OPS against either LHP or RHP
Pitchers with an opposing OPS of .900 or greater

These players have no restriction on usage in ISBL2005 play.

777x : Junior Draft-eligible player

Players with fewer than 30 PA or 10 IP who do not qualify as low-unlimiteds, but who have never amassed those numbers in a single season

These players are ineligible for the ISBL2005 regular season, but can be used in the ISBL2005 Diamond Cup. Their rights are secured in a special draft exclusive to Junior Circuit teams, at a salary of $200k each. Any undrafted 777x player is deleted from the disk. If a drafted player does not qualify for the ISBL2006 regular season, the team that drafted him loses his rights.

555x : Ineligible player

Players with fewer than 30 PA or 10 IP who do not qualify as low-unlimiteds or as Junior Draft-eligible

These players are ineligible for ISBL2005 play. Their rights may be retained by their owner for one year, provided they pay that player's salary. Players not retained are deleted from the disk.

575x : Ineligible player / Junior Draft-eligible player

Players with fewer than 30 PA or 10 IP who do not qualify as low-unlimiteds, but who have never amassed those numbers in a single season

This seems to be the tricky one. Simply put, if you currently own a 575x player (and there's only one left -- Matt Diaz of the Gridlock), he's a 555x player if you keep him. If you release him, he becomes a 777x player and goes into the Junior Draft player pool.