Thursday Night Tournaments
A Strat-o-Matic Baseball League TNT!
TNT, Tournament Rules
1. Introduction: TNT is a 16-team, double-elimination tournament. Each round of the tournament is played as a best-of-5 series with the winner moving on and the loser moving to the loser bracket or going home upon losing a second series. A day of rest is assumed following Game 2. The Championship series is a best-of-7 series, with rest days after Games 2 and 5. Another off-day is assumed between series.
2. Teams: Each owner has a “constructed team” (drafted from the most current SOM set) and three historical teams (any team that SOM has carded for super-advanced play). The winner of the previous TNT advances to the new Tournament as the top seed (see Tournament Seeding section below); each GM’s “constructed team” also advances with the rostered players switching to the most recent, full-season SOM card issued.
3. Draft: Using two teams from the most recent season of cards issued (one from the NL, one from the AL), chosen by roll of the dice, we conduct a draft to fill out constructed team rosters to 25 players (additional teams will be added to the Draft, if necessary). GM’s may drop any players from their rosters at any time to choose a different player. Dropped players become eligible to be drafted by other GMs. Draft order is determined by the results of the previous tournament, with the winning GM drafting 1st; in case of two GMs eliminated in the same round, the best overall winning percentage wins.
During their turn in the draft, each GM may choose:
1) a player for their constructed team
2) a ballpark for their constructed team, or
3) a historic team to compete in the upcoming Tournament
Note: Any team from any year is eligible to be drafted, including teams that have played in previous tournaments. All rosters must be cut to 25 players for the Round Robin and Tournament, with rosters frozen upon the first pitch.
4. Some Details of Play: TNT follows SOM super-advanced rules. Also…
Player eligibility: Players must have a minimum of 250 AB in order to start a game at any position (200 for catchers). No non-injury-driven substitutions prior to the 7th inning, unless pitching has been changed.
Starting Pitchers: Four-man rotations for the starting pitchers; starters must have 15 starts for the season to be eligible to start in TNT. Minimum of three day's rest between starts (including day’s off).
Relief Pitchers: Relievers follow the STAR Tournament Rules for use:
* The maximum number of innings a reliever can pitch without fatigue is his POW inning, plus 2.
* Relief pitchers cannot be used more than three straight games and can’t pitch more than four total innings in any four consecutive games.
Injuries: Maximum of the remainder of the current series being played. Rolls 1-4 result in an injury to the pitcher.
5. Tournament Seeding / Round Robin: Each TNT begins with a Round Robin "season" to determine seeding with each GM's team playing every other GM's team in a 2-game series. This allows the GMs to get to know their teams better for tourney play and get to experience more fun matchups of great and historic teams.
After Round Robin play, all teams are ranked by owner and by record. For example, click here for a hypothetical seeding by record after a Round Robin:
NOTE: In case of additional GMs joining the TNT, the Tournament bracket and placements will be tweaked to accommodate the general scheme outlined above.
6. Home teams for each round of the Tournament is determined by highest seeding. If teams are unseeded, the home team is determined by roll of the 20-sided dice. Unseeded teams are seeded higher than the four lowest seeds.
7. Trading: Permitted during Round Robin play, but must be completed prior to the start of the tournament. Historic teams must be kept intact, if playing in their first TNT; returning historic teams may trade with other returning teams and/or with constructed teams. Any constructed team may trade with any other. No GM may trade within his own teams or for players previously on his team in the same Tournament.
8. Expansion: New GMs may enter TNT at the start of any Tournament and not necessarily needing to participate in the Round Robin. The brackets would be shifted accordingly in the fairest way agreed to by the participants.
9. A Mini-Tournament of the Worst Teams Ever. Each of us picks two historic teams that have lost at least 100 games. At any time, GMs may choose to play their rotten teams in Round Robin play; no rules on how many times each team must play another, but try to get as many in as possible against different teams. Whenever the TNT is winding down, each GM’s team with the best record goes into a four-team tournament (first round best of 5; Championship Round best-of-seven).
In addition to being an interesting aside for the history lovers, it also keeps everyone with the opportunity for meaningful, competitive games.