The ASBL was established in 1995. The 2002 season is the league's eighth year of existence. All regular season games are played on a game-runner's computer using Hal, the Strat-o-matic computer manager, but as a GM you still can have a great influence over the strategy for each game played in the year. Each week it's up to you to select your starting pitchers and lineups for each of the 6 games played, as well as set manager tendencies for each of the two series played in the week. But you don't have to be so hands on if you don't want to. You also have the choice to let a default computer manager manage things for long periods of time. Things change though come playoff time. If you happen to make the playoffs prepare to manage your team live online. All playoff games are played mano-a-mano in a chat room online.

Before the start of the regular season each of the 24 teams keep 13 players from the previous season plus 2 players on special reserve. The released players become part of a 22 round draft ofonly players who made at least 1 ab or 1 ip in the majors the previous season. The draft takes place over a 10 day period sometime in early to mid March. So far it appears the 13-player keeper system has made it very difficult for teams to repeat as champions: in the 7 completed seasons of league play there have been five different ASBL champions. It also appears that this system makes it easier for a GM to rebuild his team: a few times teams have gone from worst to best in one season.

There are many enjoyable ways to play in a simulated draft league and I believe the ASBL is one of them. This is a league for people who want to be involved in the drafting and managing of a team, but don't have the time to manage all their games, or just their home games in person. So continue to read the summary of the league features to the right and if it still sounds interesting and you want to see about joining click on the sign up button at the bottom of the league features.

Hope to see you around the ballpark someday,

Matt Kingsbury: ASBL Commissioner

• League is free–your only expense is you must purchase each year the upgrade Strat-o-matic releases in order to play in the league
• Stats are released on a weekly basis
• 6 games (2 series) played each week
• You can select starting pitchers and lineups for each game played in the season as well as set manager tendencies and minor leaguers for each series
• If you don't have the time to select starters, lineups or set manager tendencies over a given period,a default computer manager will take over
• Playoff games are played in human vs human mode live online
• 13-players retained from previous season plus Special Reserve rule allows 2 additional players to be kept if they meet appearance requirement
• 22 round draft of carded players (players who at least had 1 pa or ip from last season) over a 10 day period
• Subset stats sent on a monthly basis
• Mac & Windows compatible but if you are a Mac user you must have Virtual PC to run Strat

To join or to be put on a waiting list click here