Question on your league host/league rules

[da_big_kid_94]

Since I can't post a poll, I'd like to ask a question of you all. Viper brought up a point in a post that I was totally unaware of and it may be farther reaching than I thought.

Simply put, do your league rules or host allow you to bench an active player (most likely a pitcher) and not replace him in your active lineup? If you answer, would you also be good enough to mention if it is either your league's rules or it's host that allows this ... and if it is your host, just who that host is? Thank you for your comments.

[rotodog]

Since I can't post a poll, I'd like to ask a question of you all. Viper brought up a point in a post that I was totally unaware of and it may be farther reaching than I thought.

Simply put, do your league rules or host allow you to bench an active player (most likely a pitcher) and not replace him in your active lineup? If you answer, would you also be good enough to mention if it is either your league's rules or it's host that allows this ... and if it is your host, just who that host is? Thank you for your comments.

You can not have an open slot in any of my leagues. I can however use a DL player or minors players in that spot and essentially do the same thing.....In just a couple leagues...

As for a host, I dont know of one that will allow an illegal roster...

[cwk1963]

I use CBS and if you don't have a legal lineup based on league rules there is an error message and it's always corrected beforehand. I don't know if it was left as illegal if CBS would allow it.

[da_big_kid_94]

I use CBS and if you don't have a legal lineup based on league rules there is an error message and it's always corrected beforehand. I don't know if it was left as illegal if CBS would allow it.

But, based on your league rules, it may be allowable to remove someone from your active lineup without replacing him?

[da_big_kid_94]

As for a host, I dont know of one that will allow an illegal roster...

I think that's the point. I know Yahoo will - but Viper said ESPN allows it as well ...and THAT shocked me. It got me thinking - what we may have once considered to be an "illegal" roster may have a whole new definition today.

[cwk1963]

I use CBS and if you don't have a legal lineup based on league rules there is an error message and it's always corrected beforehand. I don't know if it was left as illegal if CBS would allow it.

But, based on your league rules, it may be allowable to remove someone from your active lineup without replacing him?

No. But if it wasn't corrected I don't know how CBS would react. Would that team not gain points? Would it not matter? I can't say.

[da_big_kid_94]

I use CBS and if you don't have a legal lineup based on league rules there is an error message and it's always corrected beforehand. I don't know if it was left as illegal if CBS would allow it.

But, based on your league rules, it may be allowable to remove someone from your active lineup without replacing him?

No. But if it wasn't corrected I don't know how CBS would react. Would that team not gain points? Would it not matter? I can't say.

I understand, cwk, but that's not what I'm asking. I'm asking if a setup like that over at CBS allows the commish to set the roster for pitchers at nine, but allows for a minimum of five active slots filled in order to constitute a legal lineup for your league. Does the rule setup allow for an owner to reserve a pitcher without replacing him on the active roster and NOT have the lineup be declared illegal?

[Todd Zola]

I can't speak for the public leagues that follow the rules enforced by the game's operators. But I do know that with CBS and All Star (I have not been commissioner with OnRoto, the old TQ Stats or fanball), there is a custom setting you can deploy with respect to 'illegal' lineups. You can set the system to ignore them, in which case I suppose they would not be illegal. You can get the system to flag them but still count the stats. You can set them to impose a penalty. You can also set the system to not even allow an illegal lineup.

Again, this is for the running of private leagues.

[viper]

ESPN allows it and the situation it can be helpful happens twice every week. ESPN allows daily moves. ESPN legaue have a bench of three players. Assume you have two MRs you can keep or cut any time you want. Also assume you have a random catcher. Since ESPN has just one active catcher's slot, the catching pool is filled with players who can be played.

Now it is Monday. You release your catcher for an OF. You release your three MRs for position players. With most of your regular players not playing, you have several pitching slots open and you also have a vacant catching slot. After games start on Monday, you reset things with a catcher and other players filling your slots. You have gained ABs and never has a run been scored or knocked in by a player whose team is off. ABs = counting stats. Given how shallow ESPN is, you may get some decent players if you are quick to make these moves the day before.

[cwk1963]

But, based on your league rules, it may be allowable to remove someone from your active lineup without replacing him?

No. But if it wasn't corrected I don't know how CBS would react. Would that team not gain points? Would it not matter? I can't say.

I understand, cwk, but that's not what I'm asking. I'm asking if a setup like that over at CBS allows the commish to set the roster for pitchers at nine, but allows for a minimum of five active slots filled in order to constitute a legal lineup for your league. Does the rule setup allow for an owner to reserve a pitcher without replacing him on the active roster and NOT have the lineup be declared illegal?

I'm not the commissioner so I really don't know but Todd answered that - if it's what you were looking for.

[AllstonRockCity]

The 10team mix that I commish for uses TheSportingNews and they to have the option to allow illegal lineups. So yes, you can have an open roster spot and still accrue points for the time period that your lineup is 'illegal'

[alleyoops]

In many host sites (including Onroto) you can specify a min and/or max at each position, and a min and/or max total. This actually gives you a lot of flexibility. For example, in one league we allow a pitcher to be placed in our UT spot. We set this up as follows (numbers are minimums and maximums at the position):

C 2,2 1B 1,1 3B 1,1 CI 1,1 2B 1,1 SS 1,1 MI 1,1 OF 5,5 UT 0,1 P 9,10
MIN total active 23
MAX total active 23

So, your only options are to leave UT open, or one P open.

None of my leagues have any restrictions on bench spots, other than in 3 of them you must keep your bench filled. One allows empty bench spots. A new league I'm joining requires bench to be filled, but also has 2 DL spots, which can be empty. That one also doesn't allow minor leaguers in the bench spots, while the others do.

[roche]

I personally don't have a problem with owners having empty rosters slots. In standard roto, empty slots mean less stats which is mostly a negative. I can see that parking an iffy starter on the bench instead of letting him pitch at Coors is likely a positive but that's a rare occurence.
Philosophically, playing roto is being the GM of a real life MLB team. A real team does not play every single one of their players every game. Mostly, it's the 8 position players and about 3 or 4 pitchers who put up stats on any given day. The rest of the team don't contribute. This is true of deep only leagues (which were the original roto rules). Nowadays, with shallow mixed leagues, your entire roto roster would play every day. In this case, we are back to the empty slots= less stats.

[da_big_kid_94]

I personally don't have a problem with owners having empty rosters slots. In standard roto, empty slots mean less stats which is mostly a negative. I can see that parking an iffy starter on the bench instead of letting him pitch at Coors is likely a positive but that's a rare occurence.
Philosophically, playing roto is being the GM of a real life MLB team. A real team does not play every single one of their players every game. Mostly, it's the 8 position players and about 3 or 4 pitchers who put up stats on any given day. The rest of the team don't contribute. This is true of deep only leagues (which were the original roto rules). Nowadays, with shallow mixed leagues, your entire roto roster would play every day. In this case, we are back to the empty slots= less stats.

But we're not supposed to be a real team. That was the idea behind roto. Take and manage a team of your design and compete against others in a similar manner. Maintain your team over a period of years in an attempt to simulate major league wheelings and dealings. If it were supposed to be an accurate sim of MLB, we'd only play with a roster of 8, not 14 offensive players. Where in MLB do you see a team be able to pick up a starting pitcher on a waiver wire or off an FAAB bid on a week's notice? No one is supposed to have a pitching lineup made up of six actual starters and three closers, either. Just because the "pool" is big enough since the league is shallow enough doesn't mean you get to sit a guy and leave his spot open because you can - or pick up a pitcher and dump him a week later - then maybe pick him up two or three more times during the season as it meets your needs.. Playing roto is close to be a GM. Playing fantasy? Entirely different story. One and out, no keepers, importance on standings over rosters, luck of draft position - evolved into two different animals.

I swore off all Yahoo leagues including ours when I saw I simply wasn't going to be competing against the same standard. It's the way I feel, and I understand if people feel differently - it's why I made this post - I was curious to see how many leagues/hosts supported this concept for my own edification. It's not a question or right or wrong - simply one of determining if there may be a new norm. It may be that the pendulum is swinging towards this and I'm interested to see how pervasive (not meant in a pejorative sense) these concepts may actually be.

[Todd Zola]

I personally don't have a problem with owners having empty rosters slots. In standard roto, empty slots mean less stats which is mostly a negative. I can see that parking an iffy starter on the bench instead of letting him pitch at Coors is likely a positive but that's a rare occurence.
Philosophically, playing roto is being the GM of a real life MLB team. A real team does not play every single one of their players every game. Mostly, it's the 8 position players and about 3 or 4 pitchers who put up stats on any given day. The rest of the team don't contribute. This is true of deep only leagues (which were the original roto rules). Nowadays, with shallow mixed leagues, your entire roto roster would play every day. In this case, we are back to the empty slots= less stats.

I don't have an issue with you not having an issue, but I do disagree with the reason. If a manager gives a player a day off, he is required to put another player on the field and in the batting order.