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PLAY BALL!

The 2018 TML League File was sent to you as an attachment. It is up to each of you to check over your own team's roster. I have copied below many of the "Diamond Mind Tips" not only for any potential new TML members, but also for the veterans too. The last chance for me to send out a corrected TML League File will be Friday evening. Otherwise, any "errors" will have to be fixed in the May League File. Please check your own roster very carefully.

IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE TML NEWS

Many of the next few paragraphs have been reprinted from last year's pre-season newsletter, as it contains very important information regarding DMB and the TML. DMB has a known "quirk" with its League File in that rosters must match all the time. Therefore, you should download the new TML League File and create a brand new Manager Profile (MP) to begin the season.

We are using DMB Version 11 for this season.

Note #1: Due to that DMB League File "quirk", the deadline for the monthly series remains the 25th ... except for October (Series 14), which has a deadline of October 15th. A day or two "extension" can be granted ... if submitted in writing to me before the 25th deadline ... only for emergencies or a "face-to-face" meeting. Any series not in my hands by the HARD deadline of the 28th will be played here at "TML Central" using the DMB-generated MPs. All games will be finished by the 28th of each month ... one way or the other ... either by you or here at "TML Central."

Note #2: Similar to previous seasons, we no longer require "Contingency MPs" ... since all teams will have their MPs re-set to DMB-generated "Contingency MPs" prior to the sending of all monthly League Files. This format change requires that all managers must send an MP to all their opponents for each series. If you have not received an MP from a visiting manager ... and after a reasonable attempt to contact him ... then use the "Contingency MP" that is included in the League File. Please send me an e-mail that you did play the series with a "Contingency MP." Bonus Point "fines" will apply as per the TML Constitution.

Note #3: All roster changes (i.e., Waiver Claims and In-Season Trades) are to be e-mailed to the Trade Reporter (Pat Barry) and will be processed at the end of each series month on the 28th (6 PM Eastern Time). Any players successfully claimed or traded cannot be used until the following month. The Trade Reporter will notify you on a successful Waiver Claim and for any confirmed in-season trades.

The following teams have been granted extra Free Waiver Claims due to their rosters being below the 35-man maximum:

      Duluth - 4
      Fog City - 3
      Lake Wobegone - 2
      Madison - 1
      New York - 4
      Oklahoma - 1
      Perth - 2
      'Skayuna - 1
      Toxic Waste - 3
      Traffic - 3
      

Free Waiver Claims can be used anytime between April 1st and September 28th. However, during April, only Free Waiver Claims can be used to claim players. The preference order in April is based on the reverse order of finish from last season.

GETTING SET UP TO START THE TML SEASON

Here's a sample guideline. Download and "Install" the new TML League File. Create your team's MPs (see "Creating Manager Profiles Made Easy" below) for April. E-mail them to your opponents. Import your opponents MPs for April. Play your home games (see "Playing Home Games Made Easy" below). "Export" the series statistics ... remember to export each ONE individually (see "Stat Reporting Made Easy" below) using the approved TML Series ID format. For example, Toxic Waste at Beverly is to be reported as:

BVTX17 (note: HOME team abbreviation first, then VISITOR, then year)

You are REQUIRED to "cc" the series result file to the visiting manager. It's nice to receive a personal note from your opponent with some series notes. A few of you still do this and I am sure it is greatly appreciated. Again, you are not required to do a write-up or series summary ... but, it's something you should consider. I will be doing my best to update the TML Web Page on at least a daily basis.

VERY IMPORTANT "TIME SAVER"

At the end of the month ... after all your home games have been played and before you install the updated TML League File ... perform any Waiver Claims and In-Season trades for your team using DMB. Adjust your MP and SAVE it. After the 28th, when notified by me, download the "updated" TML League File and "install" it. EACH TIME YOU "INSTALL" THE TML LEAGUE FILE, IT WILL OVER-WRITE YOUR EXISTING MP WITH A DMB-GENERATED MP. So, you must "import" your saved MP that you created before "installing" the new TML League File. Now you can create your new MPs for May. Repeat the above procedure for any new month.

Here's the rub. I cannot create an "updated" League File until EVERY manager has reported in to me. Therefore, *all* TML games will be finished by the deadline dates. If I have not heard from you a few days in advance of the series deadline (usually by the 20th), then I will drop you an e-mail seeking your status. I may also solicit an MP from the visiting manager, just in case. If you cannot get the games played by the 25th ... or, I do not get back a response from you ... the games will be played using MPs for both teams on the 28th. As I noted above, all TML games will be completed by the deadlines. We cannot hold up the entire league for one or two managers. In other words, there will be no "extensions" granted beyond the HARD deadline of the 28th.

CREATING MANAGER PROFILES MADE EASY

Start DMB. Select the "View" pull-down menu and "click" on "Roster/Manager Profile". Select your team. Create your MP ... activate/deactivate players to the 25-man active roster size limit ... set your pitching rotation and bullpen ... make your lineups ... etc. (Hint: use "STRICT" on rotation to insure the proper order and you really should make full lists in your bullpen options ... as DMB has been known to just take a starting pitcher right off the bench! It's a hell of a way to *burn* a start!) When finished, SAVE your MP and "close". Select the "Transfer" pull-down menu and "click" on "Export Statistics". The first screen is the "Manager Profile" screen. "De-select all" teams and then select just your team. "click" on "Next". On the "Game Accounts" screen "de-select" all teams and then "click" on "Next". On the "Transactions" screen, "De-select all" teams and then "click" on "Finish." Give the MP a name. For example if TX is sending a manager profile (MP) to BV ... I would give it a name such as "TX17@BV_April" ... the game will add the ".zip" extension to the file. Save the MP to your "export" sub-directory, which should come up as the "default" path. Repeat for all your opponents. Since all of us will have lots of MPs floating around, please do not call your MP something like "APRIL" or "ROAD" ... which is too "generic" and could be a duplicate name with someone else's MP. I like the "TX17@BV_April" format, because it clearly defines the MP ... where it came from and when it is to be used. (We need to include the YEAR now, due to the TML American Retro to avoid confusion here at my end.)

Note #1: Make sure that your "Depth Chart" is set to "Game by game" and not "Track starts" or your percentage playing times will not work.

Note #2: Make sure to list all your relief pitchers somewhere on each of the pitching lists and make sure to list pitchers on the "Setup vL" and "Setup vR", as DMB will make some very odd decisions for pitcher usage.

Note #3: We found out that if you have a "missing" player in one of your lineups, DMB may do some very strange things ... like using a position player to be a starting PITCHER ... or, to bring a position player in as a relief pitcher. Carefully check your MP each time you send it out and *especially* after you have made a Waiver Claim(s), cut(s) or an in-season trade.

Note #4: You can print out your MP settings. While in the window where you are creating and updating your team's MP ... go to the "File" pull-down menu in the upper left corner and "click" on "Print setup."

PLAYING HOME GAMES MADE EASY

Start DMB. Import all your opponents MPs. This is done by using the "Transfer" pull-down menu and on "Import Statistics". (You should have already downloaded the MPs from your e-mail service into your DMB TML import sub-directory.) Again, the first screen that comes up is the "Manager Profile" screen ... just make sure that the only highlighted team name is the one your are playing against. After on "Next" make sure that all "Game Accounts" are "de-selected" ... then "click" on "Next." Make sure that all "Transactions" are "de- selected" and then "click" on "Finish." Voila!

It is highly recommended that you print out a copy of your team's schedule. This is done by using the "Report" pull-down menu and "click" on "Standard" ... "Team Schedule" ... and select your team. Send the output directly to your printer or to either a "text" file or to an "html" file ... whichever is easier. (Note that the TML Season begins on April 1st every year.) The schedule format no longer has teams playing home and road on the same day against the same teams. This means you *can* import your road results as you receive them, but not while you are in the middle of playing a home series. Always make sure to "Reset Player Usage" prior to beginning any new series, especially after you have imported any road results.

DO NOT DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL THE TML LEAGUE FILE WHILE IN THE MIDDLE OF PLAYING ANY SERIES. Otherwise, this will overwrite any of your home games recently played and import pitcher usage and create some "odd" pitcher availabilities.

*** REMEMBER TO ALWAYS "RESET PLAYER USAGE" BEFORE EACH SERIES ***

Once all the MPs are in and your team is ready to go ... go to the "Tools" pull-down menu and "click" on "Reset Player Usage" and under "Scope" select "Teams in an Organization". This will "refresh" all players for the start of the series. You don't have to do anything during the 8-game series for the "off day" ... as DMB knows there is a day off between Games 5 and 6. Now, you are ready to play. Go to the "Game" pull-down menu and select "Scheduled". From here, find the date of Game 1 of the series of interest and "click" on it. Select either the "Play" or "Autoplay" tab and then "click" on "Play selected game". Play ball!

STAT REPORTING MADE EASY

After you have completed your entire 4, 5 or 8 game series ... go to the "Transfer" pull-down menu and select "Export Statistics". On the first screen, "Manager Profiles," highlight all the teams that you will be exporting games and "click" on "Next." On the "Game Accounts" screen, highlight the games of the series you are planning to "export." It may be easier to first "de-select all" and then select the games to "export." After on "Next" ... "de-select all" on the "Transactions" screen and "click" on "Finish." Give the stat file a name using the proper TML format. For example, if TX is at BV, then the stat file is named: BVTX17 (home team two-letter abbreviation, followed by the visiting team two-letter abbreviation, and year). PLEASE USE THIS FORMAT. YOU CAN EXPORT ONE SERIES AT A TIME OR COMBINE YOUR MONTHLY SERIES INTO ONE FILE, BY GIVING A NAME SUCH AS: TX17_April_Results

TML PLAYING LIMIT SUMMARY

Pitchers with fewer than 20 actual IPs are limited to their actual GS/GR. For this season, pitchers with 20+ IPs and an ERA of 4.70 and lower are limited to their actual GS/GR. In other words, pitchers with 20+ IPs and an ERA of 4.71 and higher are "unlimited" by TML Rules. Which means a maximum of 32 starts and 90 total appearances, unless that pitcher had more actual MLB starts and appearances. Note that an "unlimited" pitcher must have started at least one (1) game in MLB in order to start in the TML. (All starting pitchers must pitch at least 3 innings, unless he gives up 2 or more runs.)

Batters with fewer than 25 at bats are limited to their actual MLB at bats. Batters with 25+ at bats who have a combined "Slugging Pct. plus On-Base Pct." (OPS) of .600 or lower, are "unlimited" in at bats. All remaining batters are limited to the TML "50-at bat rule". Batters who had over 500 at bats (ABs) or over 550 plate appearances (PAs) can be limited by the TML "50-at bat rule" -or- to their total games played. A player that played in 160+ MLB games last year can play every day in the TML (160 games).

All batters have no additional limits versus RHP & LHP.

Each manager is responsible for monitoring their own pitchers and batters for potential overuse. If you discover that one of your players or pitchers have been overused during the season, you should "farm" out that player and notify the TML League Office immediately.

ROSTERED TML "NO-CARDS and "INJURED RESERVE"

   ROSTERED TML "NO-CARDS" and "INJURED RESERVE"
       as of: 3/28/2018

   ---------------------------
   ROSTERED "NO-CARD" (NR)
   Team      Player               
   ---------------------------
   LW        Tim Cooney
   TX        Tony Cruz  ----> released in August
   -------------------------------------------------
   "INJURED RESERVE" (IR)
   Team      Player (NR="no card")
   -------------------------------------------------
   AV        Drew Smyly   NR
   AV        Blake Swihart
   AR        (none)
   BV        Koda Glover
   BB        (none)
   CH        Alex Reyes  NR
   CH        Scott Kazmir  NR
   DT        Carlos Perez
   DW        Charlie Tilson  NR
   FG        (none)
   GL        Jose DeLeon
   GL        Yohander Mendez
   LW        Jung Ho Kang  NR   ----> released in August
   MN        Richie Shaffer  NR
   MN        Will Smith  NR
   MG        Michael Blazek
   M9        Nathan Eovaldi  NR
   M9        Melvin Upton  NR
   MX        David Dahl  NR
   NP        Brian Flynn
   OS        (none)
   PC        (none)
   RM        Colby Lewis  NR
   RM        Cody Reed
   SS        Renato Nunez
   SS        Bruce Rondon
   TX        Brandon Barnes NR
   TR        Cristhian Adames
   TR        Adam Liberatore
   VD        Oswaldo Arcia  NR
   VC        Matt Duffy  NR
   VC        Preston Tucker  NR
   WW        Nate Jones
   -------------------------------------------------

Note #1: all other non-rostered players with fewer than 25 at bats and all pitchers with fewer than 15 innings pitched have been deleted from the TML database. (This includes all players listed above on "IR".)

Note #2: you can generate your own Free Agent List by running two DMB reports, using "Batting register" and "Pitching register". Select "Real life stats" and "Players on a free agent list."

ON DECK

Let's "Play Ball!" ... and good luck to everyone!

MGL

*** REMEMBER TO ALWAYS RESET PLAYER USAGE BEFORE EACH SERIES ***

*** REMEMBER TO ALWAYS LOAD IN THE VISITING MP FOR EACH SERIES ***