GENERAL

	Cumulative team performance is tabulated in five offensive and five pitching categories:  
Batting Average, Runs Scored, Home Runs, Runs Batted In, and Stolen Bases represent the 
offensive half.  Wins, Saves, Strikeouts, Earned Runs Average, and Hits+Walks per Inning 
(Ratio) represent the pitching categories.  
	In each of the categories, teams are ranked from best to worst.  The highest ranked team 
in a league of 12 teams will earn 12 points for that ranking.  The second best team will earn 
11 points, and so on.  In the event of a tie within a category, the point values for the tied 
positions are added together and divided by the number of tied teams.  For instance, the 
previous example would have each of the two teams being awarded 11.5 points if tied for the 
best in that category.  The team with the most total points wins the pennant!!

	In the event of a total point tie, head-to-head comparison of categories will serve to 
break the tie.  For example, two teams with 50 points each may be tied for 6th place, but 
since one of the teams outperformed the other in 6 of the 10 categories, the "6 category" 
team will claim 6th place and the other is left in 7th.  This serves as the ONLY tie-breaking 
method.

	As a side competition and to amuse those who are out of the league competition by June, 
each owner qualifies to win several $20 awards at season's end.  The awards are earned by the 
owner who has an individual player on the team roster that amasses the highest value for a 
given category -- one award per category.  Highest value is based on the West Hill league, 
not the National League.  For example, Sammy Sosa hit 50 homers in 2000, but those 50 homers 
were split over two different West Hill rosters.  The individual player who accumulated the 
most homers for a West Hill roster in 2000 was Barry Bonds with 49.  The owner of Barry Bonds 
would win the $20 at season's end in this example.  For the category of Batting Average, the 
player must have a minimum of 350 at bats.  For the pitching categories of ERA and Ratio, the 
player must have a minimum of 100 innings pitched.  The sum prize money for these awards is 
$200.

	End-of-season prize money is distributed as follows:  45% for 1st place, 25% for 2nd, 15% 
for 3rd, 10% for 4th, and the 5th place team earns 5% provided we have greater than 9 teams 
in the league.  All fines and transaction fees accrued between the end of one season and the 
end of the next season represent 100% of the prize pool.

The Draft

	Teams are assembled at a free agent draft auction that takes place each year on the 
Sunday following Opening Day.  In 2002 it will be April 7th at 09:15AM.  Phone the hotline to 
request details on location.  
Each team is composed of 23 players taken from the active rosters (includes disabled or 
suspended players) of the National League (NL) teams.  West Hill teams shall be composed of 
five outfielders, two catchers, one 2nd baseman, one shortstop, one additional middle 
infielder, one 1st baseman, one 3rd baseman, one additional corner infielder, one non-pitching 
utility player, and nine pitchers.  Also, each team has five Farmer spots -- two offense, two 
pitching, and a fifth spot available for offense or pitching.

	Players not retained from the previous season's roster are acquired at an open auction.  
Each team may use up to $260 at the auction which includes fees incurred through retention of
players.  The previous season's winner begins by nominating an eligible player from the 
free-agent pool for a minimum of one dollar.  The bidding continues openly at minimum 
increments of one dollar and the player is sold to the highest qualified bidder.  The process 
repeats with each successive owner (poker-style around the "table") nominating players until 
every team has a full complement of 23 players.

	Players eligible at more than one position may be shifted appropriately during the draft.

	No team may bid for a player who qualifies only at a position that the team has already 
filled.

	No team may make a bid for a player it cannot afford.

	Players are eligible if they are on the Active, or Disabled, or Suspended lists of their 
NL team.

	A Farm draft (simple selection, as opposed to an auction) is conducted immediately prior 
to the auction.  The Farm draft selection order will begin with the franchise coming closest 
to the previous season's prize money without having earned any.  The farm draft order will 
continue downward through the previous season's standings until the last place team has 
picked a player.  The selection order then resumes with the lowest prize-winning team through 
the team winning the championship.  A 12-team example is 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 5, 4, 3, 2, 
1.  Expansion teams are automatically slotted into last season's "first place" for farm 
drafts.  

	Immediately following the auction portion of the draft, each team that officially has 
an inactive player on the roster may participate in a supplemental draft.  The order of the 
supplemental draft will be determined by picking "numbers out of a hat."  Upon their turn, 
each participating owner will identify the inactive player, whether reserving or releasing 
that player, and identify the qualified NL player to fill the roster spot.


FEES PER TEAM

	The following transaction fees are in effect:

Dollars			Purpose

   260 limit	Auctioning fund

   *10			Post-auction "active" player acquisition

   * 5			Reserving a player

   * 5			Reactivating a reserved player

   * 2.50		For each traded player

     0			Farmer acquisition

   *These fees double after the All-Star break effective on midnight between that Wednesday 
and Thursday.  Doubled fees are available at half-price for teams in the bottom three 
positions of the overall standings each week.

   25		Each willy-nilly release of a player.

  Top Bid	Addition of a player previously unaffiliated with a NL team.  This "fee" is only 
available if the bid is called in prior to 10PM (Chicago time) of the date following his 
acquisition by the NL team.

	Each franchise must deposit no less than $450 which the treasurer/Commissioner will hold 
in an account and will use for ongoing transactions throughout the season.  When a given 
team's account falls under $30, that owner will be called upon to deposit another $100.  The 
Commissioner reserves the right to impose a fine and to discontinue transactions when a given 
team has a negative balance for more than a week.

COMMISSIONER'S/STATISTICIAN'S OBLIGATIONS/FEES

	Stats are provided by Allstar Stats, Inc.  Their fee is dependent on whether a team seeks 
federal mail, fax, email or Web-downloaded delivery.  This service will also provide draft-day 
eligibility rosters.  The basic fee is $34 per team.

	The Commissioner (currently Paul Adler), for a $20/team salary,is responsible to:

1)	Answer player availability queries
2)	Act as the medium for all transactions
3)	Act as the treasurer of funds
4)	Maintain the league's web site
5)	Distribute awards no later than Nov 1 following the season.


POSITION REQUIREMENTS

	A player may be designated for any position in which he played a minimum of 20 games, or, failing that, in which he
appeared most while in the Majors in the previous season, or any position for which he has 
already played in the current season.

	A player with absolutely no Major League experience qualifies under the same guidelines 
pertaining to his Minor League experience.

	All transactions must meet positional requirements.

TRANSACTION REPORTING

Players affiliated with a NL team

	At the conclusion of the supplemntal draft, we have a first come/first serve policy 
using a 24-hour phone line which will also indicate the time called which, in turn, indicates 
the effective date of the transaction.  A transaction is effective the date following the 
call, unless placed before noon (Chicago time) in which case it becomes effective the date of 
the call.

Players unaffiliated with a NL team

	Each West Hill franchise is allotted $100 for the season with which to bid on an 
unaffiliated player.  If a tie for the top bid occurs, the acting Commissioner will contact
all tied parties who will then supply an updated bid of at least their original amount.  If a
tie occurs at the $100 mark, then the subsequent bid is unlimited. 
	Eligible owners have until 10:00PM of the date following the player's NL Major League 
signing to record their intent to bid on the hotline.  A Commissioner/Owner must report his 
intent to a non-participating owner.  After 10:00PM, each bidding owner must phone in to the 
hotline and report the amount bid and which roster spot the new player will occupy.  The owner 
with thehighest bid will obtain the player.  Bids must be in full-dollar increments (no coins!).

	The winning bid represents the player's salary.  The transaction fee will either be the 
actual bid or our current acquisition fee -- whichever is greater.  Following that particular 
10:00PM, if no team has bid on that player, acquisition rules for the player revert to those 
of affiliated players.

Trades

	Our trading deadline is midnight between August 1st & 2nd.  Between that trading deadline
and the midnight between Sep 1st & 2nd, trades are restricted such that a given franchise 
cannot trade more than 2 non-Farmer players plus one Farmer to any other given franchise.  
There is no limit, however, to how many franchises a given franchise can trade with.  After 
midnight between Sep 1st & 2nd, trading between teams contiguous in the most recently 
published weekly standings is legitimate throughout the remainder of the season and is not 
limited in player quantity.
	Designating a player to be traded at a time other than the time the trade is called in, 
is prohibited.
	Trading farm-draft positions is legal.  Trading willy-nilly maneuvers is not legal.  
Trading farmer or active roster spots is also illegal.  If a farmer is involved in the trade 
at all, then each team must be exchanging farmers.
	Trading of player's rights is legitimate during the off-season at a fee of $2.50 per 
player and is not restricted by field position or roster size.

Willy-nilly releases
	Each owner has the option to release a single player, including a farmer, from the 
owner's roster -- regardless of that player's NL status.  This transaction is known as a 
willy-nilly.  Each team is allotted three willy-nillys per season, but one of those is 
restricted for use in September.  Exercising this option carries a $25 fee and must be 
accompanied with the acquisition of another player to fill the roster spot.  The acquisition 
maneuver is NOT covered by the $25 release fee and must comply with our position requirements.
All other replacements can only be made for players that are officially off of the active 
roster of their respective NL team (e.g. disabled list, suspended for greater than 14 days, 
gone from the National League, major leaguer sent to the minors).

TRANSACTION INTEGRITY

	If anyone deems a transaction to be of questionable integrity, he will implore the 
Commissioner to elicit a vote from each of the three teams nearest the bottom of the 
currently published standings and who are not directly involved in the transaction (hereby 
referred to as the Executive Council).  The result of the vote will serve to validate or 
nullify the transaction.

	The Executive Council will also resolve all appeals of Commissioner decisions.

PLAYER SALARIES

	The salary of an auctioned player is his auction price.

	The salary of a retained (from the previous season) player
is his previous season's salary plus $5.00.

	The salary of a retained (from the previous season) farmer who 
had been activated to the West Hill roster due to the NL's September 
roster expansion, is his previous season's salary plus $2.00.

	The salary of a Bonus Baby is his previous season's salary.

	The salary of an unaffiliated player acquired from the
free-agent pool before 10:00PM of the date following his NL Major 
League signing, will be the highest bid placed on the player      
regardless of his acquisition fee.

	The salary of a Farmer does not change during the course of a single season whether or
not the Farmer is activated to the West Hill active roster.

	The salary of all other players acquired from the free-agent pool during the season is 
automatically $20 -- regardless of his acquisition date.

PLAYER RETENTION

	Each of the West Hill teams is allowed to retain up to 8 players at a fee $5 greater 
than the player's salary.  One exception, the Bonus Baby, is permitted to be retained at his
exact salary.  The only other exception is a September-call-up farmer whose salary increase 
is only $2.  Retention of players must follow these restrictions:  Maximum of 2 infielders, 2 
outfielders, 3 pitchers, and one wildcard.  The Bonus Baby is allowed at any position. 
Retention fees come directly from the auction fund.

	A Bonus Baby may not be retained as a Bonus Baby more than once by the same franchise.

	Farmers not activated in the West Hill League during the previous season may also be 
retained as Farmers for a $5 fee (not counted against the auction limit).

	Once declared, retained players on your active roster remain on your active roster on 
draft day -- regardless of their Major League status.  Similarly, once declared, retained 
Farmers are on your Farm squad on draft day -- regardless of their Major League status.  When 
our draft day follows opening day, the retention declaration must also include a definitive 
statement as to whether you intend to activate each farmer on draft day.  If YES, his stats 
will be retroactive to opening day and the player he replaces on the roster will not 
contribute any stats to your team.  If NO, the Farmer's stats are attributed to your team 
effective on the day you activate him -- even if it's draft day.

	The declaration deadline is midnight (Chicago time) between the Sunday and Monday of 
Opening Day each season.  In 2002, the deadling is noon of April 1st.  Declarations may 
precede this deadline, but once declared, there will be no modification under any 
circumstances.  If an owner has not contacted the Hotline by the deadline, no players will be 
retained by that franchise.

PLAYER ELIGIBILITY

	A player or Farmer may be activated from the reserve list
only if he is officially announced as an active member of a NL team.  He must be listed as 
ACTIVE at the time the activation is declared.  A Farmer activation may be used to dispense an 
active player from a West Hill roster.

	A player may be acquired from the free agent pool provided he is on the NL team's 25 man 
roster or on any of the NL disabled or suspended lists (15-day, 21-day, ...).  ACQUIRE is 
defined, in this sense, as drafting on draft day, or replacing a dropped or reserved player 
during the season.

	Any player declared suspended by the NL for 15 continuous days or more (regardless of 
reason) will be eligible for replacement, as if he were placed on a disabled list.

	Any player considered as "property" of a NL team (such as a June draftee) may be claimed 
as a West Hill farmer.

MINIMUM INNINGS

	We have a minimum inning requirement of 900 innings per team by the end of the season.  
The penalty for violation of this requirement is that the guilty party will be awarded 0 
points in the categories of ERA and Ratio.  The party will, however, maintain their position 
in the standings of those categories.

NATIONAL LEAGUE ACTIVATION AND THE TWO WEEK CLOCK

	When an owner's Farmer or Reserved Player is activated by his Major League team, a 14-Day 
clock begins ticking.  If 14 consecutive calendar days pass without the owner's activation of
that player and the player remains on the Major League team's active roster, the player 
becomes available to all owners.  If the original owner reclaims the player prior to the 
published notice of the player's release in our weekly stats, the player's salary becomes the 
greater of $20 or his previous salary.

	If the owner, during the 14 consecutive days, activates the reserved player, then the 
player who was acquired in the reserved player's roster spot at the time of the reservation, 
must be released or "slid" into a natural roster opening.

	If the owner, during the 14 consecutive days, activates a Farmer, then he may activate 
the Farmer in any position for which the Farmer is qualified, and may release the player 
holding that position.

	In the case of the Farmer, a second 14-day clock begins ticking simultaneously with the 
first.  This clock is monitoring filling the Farm spot opened when the owner activates the
Farmer.  For example, Joe Minor is activated by the Padres on June 1.  Pete Owner has him as 
a Farmer.  Pete has 14 consecutive calendar days (for which Joe remains on the Major League 
roster)to activate Joe, and also 14 concurrent days in which to claim another Minor Leaguer to 
fill the Farm opening.  On the very first second of June 16th, if Joe was activated by Pete at 
any time during the previous 14 days, but not replaced, Pete loses the Farm spot.  On June 
16th, if Pete had not yet activated Joe or replaced him with another Minor Leaguer, Pete loses 
the Farm spot and Joe.

	The 14-day clock does not apply whatsoever to farmers called up to the majors for 
September roster expansion.  This enables an owner to retain that player as a farmer going 
into the following season.  The owner maintains the right to activate or replace the player at 
any time he is an active member of the September NL roster.

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