Official Rules, Umpire Ejection Fantasy League 2013 Season
RULE 1 – SELECTION OF UMPIRES
Applicability, Draft Order SECTION 1. After the end of the previous year’s rules summit or awards season, and prior to the spring training period of the pre-season, the UEFL shall establish and commence its registration process. a. A post announcing the opening of registrations shall appear on the UEFL website no later than two months prior to the start of the regular season. This post shall instruct members on the proper methods of signing up to participate in the UEFL for the upcoming season and will contain all appropriate pre-draft deadlines. b. Once the registration period is closed, a draft order shall be assigned (see Rule 1-1-c & 1-1-d). Five umpires shall be drafted by each UEFL member in the form of one (1) crew chief per Rule 1-2, two (2) primary umpires per Rule 1-3 and two (2) secondary umpires per Rule 1-4. c. The draft will be conducted in two phases: Phase one encompasses the crew/primary round while phase two encompasses the secondary draft. (1) Crew and primary draft choices shall be conducted privately and these posts and/or form submissions will remain hidden (screened) until the end of the first draft phase. These choices will be revealed prior to the start of the second draft phase. In the event of delayed crew listings, the Crew draft selection may be postponed until such time when a crew list is made available or at any other time specified by the UEFL. (2) Secondary draft choices shall be conducted publicly and these posts will be visible throughout the second draft phase. See Rule 1-4-b for more information concerning the secondary draft. d. Beginning with returning UEFL members, the draft order shall generally take on the form of worst-to-best, so that the returning UEFL member who placed the lowest in the previous year’s competition will receive the best draft placement, and so forth. e. Once all returning UEFL members have been assigned an order, assignment shall begin of new UEFL members. This draft order shall generally be chronological, so that the first chronologically new UEFL member to sign up will receive the best draft placement of all new UEFL members. f. UEFL members shall draft umpires in the order in which they received their draft assignments and as outlined in any official posts made with specific instructions as to the draft.
Crew Round (Crew Division) SECTION 2. Prior to the beginning of the year’s regular season, and during the spring training period of the pre-season, each member of the league shall select one MLB crew chief to serve as UEFL crew chief. See Also: Rule 3. a. This round shall be conducted privately. Accordingly, two UEFL members may, by chance, pick the same umpire. b. In the event of injury to the designated crew chief, the replacement umpire shall be whoever is appointed by MLB to replace the injured umpire as crew chief or acting crew chief of his MLB crew. c. Although a member may select a non-MLB crew chief during this round, it is highly recommended that crew chief be selected.
Primary Draft SECTION 3. After or concurrent with the crew round, each member of the league shall select two umpires they believe will compile the most league points at the end of the regular and post-season. Spring training and the All-Star Game do not count toward an individual umpire's points total. Primary umpires may be Triple A call-ups. a. This round shall be conducted privately. Accordingly, two UEFL members may, by chance, pick the same umpire(s). (1) Primary umpires may be Triple A call-ups and may be the same as the umpire picked in SECTION 2 (crew round). b. The primary umpires picked by one league member may or may not be the same primary umpires of another member. c. This process is conducted simultaneously and the primary umpires are submitted secretly, to ensure that no league member gains an unfair advantage by knowing any other member's primary umpires.
Secondary Draft SECTION 4. Prior to the start of the year's regular season, and after the primary umpires have been chosen, league members select two additional umpires. a. This round shall be conducted publicly.
c. Umpires classified as AAA call-ups are not eligible for draft in the secondary round.
d. Umpire classification as AAA or MLB shall be determined during the pre-season draft period, and shall not be altered for scoring purposes during the regular or post-season unless; (1) An umpire, having been classified as AAA prior to the season, is publicly placed on the MLB Roster list; OR e. If such an alteration as specified in subsection d. occurs, the affected umpire’s points shall be retroactively modified as if the named umpire had attained MLB status prior to the season or had been considered full time pursuant to Rule 1-4-c-1. Qualified Alteration of Drafted Umpires / Authorization to Change Umpires After Draft, But Before Season Begins SECTION 5. If an umpire injury or significant personnel modification occurs prior to the beginning of the regular season, the Office of the UEFL Commissioner may authorize designated affected members the opportunity to alter their Crew, Primary and/or Secondary Umpires. RULE 2 – THE SEASON
Regular Season and Phases SECTION 1. Throughout the season, ejections are logged, along with the correctness of the call and other variables as specified in Rules 4 and 6. a. The following phases of the season shall be used to organize ejection statistics. Standings shall be posted at the conclusion of Phases (ii), (iii), and (v), with Final Standings to be posted at the conclusion of Phase (vi).
Post-Season SECTION 2. During the post-season, ejections in addition to umpire appearance, are logged. a. The All-Star game counts as 1 additional point for each umpire that appears in that game. The All-Star Game crew chief receives a total of 2 points for this appearance. No points are awarded for ejections are during the All-Star game period.
AAA Umpires SECTION 3. AAA call-up umpires’ ejections are logged individually and will contribute to a crew chief's total if the ejection occurred during a game in which the drafted crew chief was designated as such (Rule 3).
Rovers and Unassigned Umpires SECTION 4. Rovers contribute to a crew’s ejection total by experiencing an ejection during a game in which a drafted crew chief has been designated as such. Re-assigned umpires also benefit their game's crew chief in this fashion.
Disabled List SECTION 5. In the event of an umpire entering the DL, and remaining on the DL for the remainder of the season, this umpire shall remain the crew chief/primary/secondary umpire as chosen at the beginning of the season, and his crew shall remain the primary crew, if applicable. His replacement, however, shall not act as the crew chief/primary/secondary umpire, but may contribute to the total crew ejection count, if applicable.
Pre-Season RULE 3 – CREW DIVISION
Applicability RULE 4 – LEAGUE SCORING
Applicability SECTION 1. Unless otherwise stated, the points listed throughout Rule 4 (League Scoring) are applicable to both primary and secondary umpires. Unless otherwise stated, the following sections are not applicable to UEFL crew chiefs (Rule 3).
Regular Season Points SECTION 2. Regular Season points are distributed according to the following structure, which is comprised of (a) Base and (b) QOC components: a. The base points component is present in each ejection, regardless of quality of correctness, except as specified by Rule 4-2-a-1-a in regards to AAA umpires.
b. The quality of correctness component is present in all ejections that are not exempted by Rule 6-2-b-5.
Post-Season Points SECTION 3. Post-Season points are distributed as follows: a. During the Post-Season, primary umpires receive 3 base points (denoted as MLB-Post-Season) per ejection while secondary umpires continue to receive 1 point per ejection. b. During the Post-Season, the quality of correctness component will be modified as follows:
c. Post-Season appearance points are applied to the primary or secondary umpire according to the following schedule:
(a) In the event of an Umpire injury that prevents an umpire assigned to any postseason series (DS/CS/WS) from completing his assigned series, the Umpire will retain all applicable bonus points for the series assignment and initial appearance. (b) In the event of an Umpire injury, whereupon a Replacement Umpire is assigned to complete any postseason series (DS/CS/WS) for an injured Umpire, the Replacement Umpire shall receive one (+1) bonus point for this postseason appearance, regardless of series or length of assignment (DS/CS) or two (+2) bonus points if this series is the World Series. (c) In the event of an Umpire injury, whereupon a Crew Chief becomes injured and another umpire on the postseason crew becomes the new Crew Chief, he shall receive no additional bonus points for this role as Crew Chief, unless this replacement is for a majority of games during the series, or, if the series duration is an even number of games, no less than one half of the total number of games.
End-of-Season Awards SECTION 4. End-of-Season awards are given to umpires who have shown any of several characteristics throughout the season. Umpires receiving the distinction of subsections (a) through (f) will have shown dedication, professionalism, advancement, and/or an affinity for a positive work ethic. Umpires receiving the distinction of (g) will have executed the best ejection(s) of the year, either through a correct call or other valuable contribution during this ejection. To qualify, the ejection need not possess a correct QOC. Umpires receiving the distinction of subsection (h) will have shown a regression in ability and might have had a regrettable situation occur in-season. Points scale for postseason awards: a. An umpire recognized as Umpire of the Year (min. 1 / max. 1 umpire) will receive 5 bonus points. b. An umpire recognized as Noteworthy Umpire of the Year (min. 1 / max. 2 umpires) will receive 3 bonus points. c. An umpire recognized as Honorable Umpire of the Year (min. 0 / max. 2 umpires) will receive 2 bonus point. d. An umpire recognized as Fill-In of the Year (min. 0 / max. 1 umpire) will receive 2 bonus points. e. An umpire recognized as Most Improved Umpire of the Year (min. 0 / max. 1 umpire) will receive 1 bonus point. f. An umpire recognized as Crew Chief of the Year (min. 0 / max. 1 umpire) will receive 1 bonus point. g. An umpire whose ejection is recognized as Best Ejection of the Year (min. 0 / max. 2 ejections) will receive 1 point. h. An umpire recognized as Worst Umpire of the Year (min. 0 / max. 1 umpire) will receive -3 bonus points.
Case Plays and Rules Applications SECTION 5. Occasional case plays or other hypothetical scenarios may be posted to the UEFL. A case play is part rules analysis, part rules application and does have bearing on the distribution of points. Sporadically and unannounced, a Case Play posted to the UEFL will present one scenario that might play out on the field, with the possibility of multiple questions within the Case Play. a. Case play guidelines may vary from case play to case play; therefore, guidelines listed within each case play shall take precedence over the guidelines listed in Rule 4-5. b. Case plays shall remain open to UEFL members for no less than 48 hours (2 days) so that adequate time is given for UEFL members to provide responses in the form of a comment/reply to the “Case Play: __” post. c. Members requesting to receive credit for their responses must clearly convey their identity so that they may be credited with points, if applicable. This is the sole responsibility of the user replying to the case play post. d. In the interest of fairness, all responses may, at sole discretion of the Commissioner, remain in moderation (screened or invisible) until the submission period has closed. Case plays will be worth a maximum of however many points are specified in the “Case Play: __” post. e. Unless otherwise specified, all questions ("a", "b", etc.) of a Case Play are worth one point each. The UEFL Commissioners shall make all determinations in
regards to the correctness of a case play response. Though this ruling shall be
final and may not be challenged, members may increase their chances of winning
points by thoroughly citing rules and/or other evidence to support their
claims. Prop Predictions SECTION 6. Prop predictions are forecasts of what might occur during an upcoming season, series or game. They may be numerical (e.g., "On what date will the first ejection of the MLB season occur?") or objective (e.g., "What umpire will finish the season with exactly 10 ejections?"). a. In the case of a numerical prop, points (the number of which shall be specified) are awarded to the member or members who provide the correct response, or, if no correct response is given, the numerical response closest to the correct response. b. In the case of an objective prop, points (the number of which shall be specified) are awarded on a sliding scale based on the maximum. For instance, if a maximum of five points are available, five points shall be awarded if a member provides one response and that one response is correct. If five points are available, that member may provide up to five possible responses. If five responses are provided and one is correct, that member will receive one point. For instance, if Charles provides "Florida," David provides "Florida, Georgia" and Edward provides "Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky," and the correct response turns out to be Florida, Charles will receive five points, David will receive four points and Edward will receive one point. RULE 5 – STATISTICS Reporting of Field-of-Play Statistics SECTION 1. The following field-of-play statistics will be regularly reported, as in Rule 2-1-a: a. Ejections: The raw total number of ejections by an umpire b. Points: The total points received by an umpire. See Rule 4. c. Accuracy: The percentage of correct calls made by an umpire, where quality of correctness has been determined. The formula is "correct/correct+incorrect * 100." Accuracy is arranged by total number of ejections from correct/incorrect calls, if two umpires with a different number of ejections have the same accuracy rating. d. Simple Accuracy: The percentage of correct calls made by an umpire. The formula is "correct/correct+incorrect * 100." Simple Accuracy is arranged by the percentage of correctness, rather than number of correct ejections.
Reporting of UEFL Statistics SECTION 2. The following UEFL statistic will be regularly reported, as in Rule 2-1-a: a. Points: The total points accrued within the UEFL. See Rules 3 and 4.
Ties SECTION 3. Ties across Field-of-Play statistics will be allowed. Ties across UEFL statistics will be resolved in the following manner: a. The primary determining factor will be the total number of points by the first drafted (listed) primary umpire. b. The secondary determining factor will be the total number of points by the second drafted (listed) primary umpire. c. The tertiary determining factor will be the total number of points by the first drafted (listed) secondary umpire. d. The fourth determining factor will be the total number of points by the second drafted (listed) secondary umpire. e. The fifth determining factor will be the total number of points by the crew chief, pursuant to Rule 3. f. The sixth determining factor will be the total number of ejections by all drafted umpires, excluding the chief drafted pursuant to Rule 3. The final determining factor will be the previous year’s
UEFL league standings. RULE 6 – Challenges and Appeals
Definition and Application SECTION 1. Challenges and appeals shall be used interchangeably and may be employed by any League member or visitor/guest to the UEFL. Challenges shall be posted as a comment or reply to the entry containing the variable to be challenged. The word “challenge” or “appeal” must be included in this post as shall a charge of challenge, or reason for appeal. Challenges are utilized by a person who disagrees with a determination made by the League in regards to an ejection and wishes to overturn a ruling. The Office of the UEFL Commissioner shall, at its own discretion, retain the power to grant or deny certiorari based on an appeal's compliance with this or any other Rule.
Points Affecting Variables SECTION 2. Eligible points-affecting variables for challenge include the following and must be challenged during the seasonal phase in which the ejection occurs, as prescribed by Rule 2-1-a and 2-1-b. An exception is made in the event an ejection occurs during the last day of a seasonal phase, in which that phase of the season is extended 24 hours for the purposes of Rule 6-2. a. Umpire classification as MLB- or AAA-. b. Quality of correctness (QOC) regarding a call. May be correct, incorrect or irrecusable. (1) In rendering QOC regarding a pitch location (ball/strike), Pitch f/x shall be the primarily cited source. Borderline pitches, whose outer bounds are located no more than one (1.00) foot from the absolute center of the strike zone (the center of home plate), shall be deemed a strike, if the call on the field was strike, as the pitch f/x plot takes into account the working strike zone (24 inches), which includes the 17" home plate, its edges, plus the diameter of a baseball to either side; however, because pitch f/x records the location of the center of the ball, as opposed to its edges, one radius is subtracted from each side, so that the pitch f/x working strike zone is only 20.432 inches. Converted to feet, the pitch f/x zone is 1.7027 across or 0.8513 to either side. To account for a projected margin of error of no greater than one inch (0.0833 feet), pitches with an absolute horizontal location (px) value of less than 0.768 feet from center shall always be deemed a strike (given appropriate vertical location), pitches with an absolute px value between 0.768 and 0.935 shall be deemed borderline, and shall routinely reflect the call on the field as correct unless evidence overwhelmingly suggests otherwise, and pitches with an absolute px value greater than 0.935 may be deemed a ball. This provision only applies to static borders of the strike zone (e.g.: its horizontal, as opposed to vertical, boundaries). This may be referred to as the "Kulpa Rule." (2) Judgement of Quality of Correctness regarding a pitch location call (ball/strike), which involves the vertical, as opposed to horizontal, boundaries, shall be calculated using pitch f/x data. Given a batter's individual strike zone (variables sz_bot and sz_top), a pitch whose vertical location (pz) falls within this range shall always be deemed a strike (given appropriate horizontal location); pitches with an absolute pz value outside of this range may be deemed a ball. Margin of error, as indicated in Rule 6-2-b-1, shall apply to the determination of QOC with similar considerations given to borderline calls as in 6-2-b-1 .This may be referred to as the "Miller Rule." (3) In the event of a called ball four, in an at bat that has lasted no more than four pitches, including the called ball four, the four called balls shall be adjudged to have been correctly ruled, provided that the Pitch f/x chart for the at bat does not include any pitch within the bounds of the strike zone. Borderline pitches in a four-pitch walk at bat shall be deemed as having been correctly called, due to the unrealistic chance of an alternative outcome. (4) In the event of a called third strike, in an at bat that has lasted no more than three pitches, including the called third strike, the three called strikes shall be adjudged to have been correctly ruled, provided that the Pitch f/x chart for the at bat does not exclude any pitch from the bounds of the strike zone. Borderline pitches in a three-pitch strikeout at bat shall be deemed as having been correctly called, due to the reasonable probability of these pitches being within the bounds of the strike zone. This provision does not apply to an at bat in which the batter has swung at any of the three pitches. (5) The Quality of Correctness for all ejections for reasons of Fighting, Throwing At, Unsportsmanlike Conduct-NEC, or Excess Contact shall be adjudged as "Irrecusable" by default, unless there is clear and convincing evidence to suggest otherwise; however, proving "Incorrect" status for Fighting, Throwing At, Unsportsmanlike Conduct-NEC, or Excess Contact is extremely difficult. Approved Ruling: An umpire who ejects a person who was clearly and overwhelmingly not involved in the unsportsmanlike act may receive a QOC of "incorrect." a. All ejections of players/coaches not on the active roster (e.g., Disabled List) shall be associated with a reason listed under aforementioned UEFL Rule 6-2-b-5. b. Repeat visit ejections: If a manager, coach or player leaves the dugout or his position to argue a call with an umpire, this is considered one team visit and argument. If a person is ejected during a repeat visit (second or subsequent) to argue the same play that he or a teammate, manager or coach argued during the first visit, this ejection shall be considered Unsportsmanlike-NEC under Rule 6-2-b-5. This may be referred to as the DiMuro Rule. (6) Quality of Correctness for an ejection that occurs prior to or during the course of umpire consultation, wherein the initial call was incorrect, and after consultation, the correct call was made, shall be incorrect. Quality of Correctness for all other ejections prior to consultation shall be adjudged as correct. a. Any displayed reasoning for such a call, including a communicated application or interpretation of a rule, shall not affect the determination of Quality of Correctness. Quality of Correctness is governed by the (in)correctness of the call made, not by the quality of reasoning given for such a call. (7) Quality of Correctness for an ejection that occurs after umpire consultation, wherein the initial call was correct or incorrect, and after consultation, the initial call was changed to incorrect or correct, shall be adjudged as to whether the call after consultation is correct or incorrect. c. Name of ejector. (1) Ejector classification as calling or secondary due to a crewmate designated as the calling umpire. a. All classifications in regards to calls that are upheld or overturned after umpire consultation shall revert to whichever umpire would have had primary responsibility (calling) had the consultation not occurred. b. All classifications in regards to calls that are overturned after instant replay review shall revert to reflect the crew chief as the calling umpire, whether or not he had calling responsibility on the field of play. In the case of an upheld call, either umpire may be calling. Approved Ruling: A calling umpire is the umpire who has primary responsibility for a play and makes the original call on the field. In the event of a live ball appeal play (such as a check swing appeal), in which a play is instantaneously appealed AND the decision of the appellate umpire shall regularly prevail AND the ball remains live during this appeal process (excepting a ball which becomes dead for reasons other than to execute this appeal), the call of the appealing umpire shall be judged secondary to the call of the appellate umpire, which shall be deemed the primary call. d. Umpire classification as crew chief. e. Umpire crew listing. f. Date of ejection (See Rule 2). g. Reason for ejection is a pseudo points altering variable, which is primarily considered an inalterable variable under Rule 6-3. It may be challenged but may also be reviewed at any time under Rule 6-3 (see Rule 6-2-b-5).
Points Inalterable Variables SECTION 3. Eligible points inalterable variables for review during any seasonal phase include the following. a. Seasonal ejection number. b. Player ejection number. c. Manager ejection number. d. Ejected team. e. Position of ejected person. f. Name of ejected person. g. Team W/L and score at time of ejection. h. Runs scored/allowed after an ejection. i. Inning of ejection and top/bottom designation. j. Reason for ejection (See Rules 6-2-b-5 and 6-2-g). k. Play result.
Presentation and Review of Appeals and Challenges SECTION 4. Upon review of an appeal, the determination shall be made upon a course of action to result from such an appeal or challenge. a. The UEFL shall establish an Appeals Board that shall routinely rule on issues of Quality of Correctness. (1) This board shall be comprised of both UEFL Commissioners and five through seven at-large members. Board members shall rotate abstentions such that no less than three board members adjudicate each QOC appeal. a. Abstentionism is determined by conflicts of interest, such as an appeal that includes a member’s umpire. (2) Selection of the five through seven at-large members shall be determined by a pre-season membership nomination. a. The pre-season election shall take the form of a plurality-at-large voting system such that top vote recipients are elected. b. The sixth and seventh Board members may/may not be elected or appointed, sole discretion to the UEFL Commissioner. (3) At-large terms shall be limited to one year in length with no term limits. (4) At the conclusion of the season and during the Rules Summit, Appeals Board members may sit for re-election/retention. An absolute majority is required for re-election. If a Board member fails to ascertain this during a first ballot, a run-off may be initiated. (5) The Appeals Board shall vote upon matters by casting a vote for "Confirm," "Uphold," "Overturn," "Defer" or "Abstain" (Present). Though a simple majority is required to reverse or defer a decision, a plurality is required to affirm a decision. a. The UEFL Commissioner who made the Original Ruling is required to abstain during this process unless a tie occurs; b. In the event of a tied vote, the abstaining UEFL Commissioner shall place a casting vote that either Confirms, Upholds or Overturns the matter; in this event, the simple majority requirement is suspended. The casting vote may not result in another tie. b. After a decision has been rendered by a Commissioner or the QOC Appeals Board, the appeal may be: (1) Reversed, through which the initial ruling is overturned (Corresponding Vote: Overturn). (2) Affirmed, through which the initial ruling stands or is confirmed (Corresponding Votes: Confirm or Uphold). (3) Deferred, through which the initial variable is listed as inconclusive (Corresponding Vote: Defer).
Quality of Correctness Guidelines and General Instructions to the Appeals Board SECTION 5. The general rules regarding appears for Quality of Correctness include: a. In the event that a play under appeal can be conclusively categorized or adjudged as Correct/Incorrect as a result of this action, through the use of conclusive and/or clear and/or convincing evidence, the appeal shall be either Upheld or Denied, as specified in Rule 6-4-b-1 or 6-4-b-2, respectively. b. In the event that a play under appeal cannot be conclusively categorized or adjudged as Correct/Incorrect as a result of this action, through the lack of conclusive nor clear nor convincing evidence, the appeal shall be Deferred, as specified in Rule 6-4-b-3. c. Quality of Correctness only applies to the call made directly prior to ejection, or, if balls/called strikes during a single at-bat, any pitch called during that at bat, provided that the call was against the ejected person (or his team) and this call realistically resulted in a different outcome of the at-bat. Approved Ruling: "Realistically resulted in a different outcome" refers to a decisive pitch being incorrectly ruled, provided this call is against the ejected person (or his team). An example of a decisive pitch, when the batter is ejected, is a 1-2 pitch that is incorrectly ruled strike three. An example of a decisive pitch, when the pitcher is ejected, is a 3-1 pitch that is incorrectly ruled ball four. "Realistically resulted in a different outcome" also refers to a contributing pitch, which itself is not decisive, being incorrectly ruled, provided this call is against the ejected person (or his team) and this contributing pitch has preceded a decisive pitch being called later in the at bat which included only the minimum number of contributing + decisive pitches (generally, strikes). "Realistically resulted in a different outcome" does not refer to a scoring decision or alternate method of judgment, such as a tag of the player vs. a tag of the base (unless concerning a force play vs. no force, where this distinction is significant in the ruling of a play by virtue of allowing or prohibiting a runner from advancing) or a swinging vs. called strike (unless the swinging vs. called distinction is significant in the ruling of a play by virtue of allowing or prohibiting a batter or runner in advancing). (1) Rule 6-5-c. only applies to ejections and calls made by the HP Umpire, in the event of a Balls/Strikes ejection. Otherwise, this Rule may be applied to any Umpire for any ejection and call. (2) In the event of an ejection which occurs during an inning break immediately following the half inning in which the play to be argued occurred, the ejection must undoubtedly be for this one specific call, and is considered a Post-Inning Exemption. If there is any doubt as to the call being argued immediately prior to and during ejection, the Post-Inning Exemption shall be denied. The Post-Inning Exemption may be applied directly, or as the result of a challenge. a. A Pitching Change Exemption shall be authorized pursuant to terms identical to that of the Post-Inning Exemption. (3) Ejections, wherein an argument for a previously ruled play (either correct or incorrect) continues into a later play (i.e., some point after a pitch has been delivered to the next batter), shall be ruled irrecusable under Rule 6-2-b-5, which states that these ejections, which are colloquially deemed "Unsportsmanlike Conduct-NEC," are ordinarily not assigned a QOC. A reason for ejection of Unsportsmanlike Conduct-NEC is only assigned when no other reason for ejection may be assessed. For instance, if an ejected person reignites an argument over a previously ruled play, yet indicates a disagreement regarding the current play, reason for ejection and QOC will reflect the argument over the current play: NEC represents "Not Elsewhere Classified" and is generally subservient to any other probable classification. (4) The Quality of Correctness of a post-at bat ejection, if arguing balls/strikes or some other call which occurs during the at bat immediately preceding ejection, shall be judged in relation to the holistic effect of the argued call(s)/pitch(es). This rule further declares that the argued call(s) during this preceding at bat must be against the ejected person (or his team) and this call must have realistically resulted in a different outcome of the individual at bat. d. Balls/Strikes ejections that occur at the end of an inning shall be judged on a case-by-case basis, with a strong regard for Rule 6.e.iii. Single-case exemptions may or may not be made, depending on the overall inning's performance by the Home Plate umpire. Typically, an umpire must have less than 66% accuracy on callable pitches during a specific half inning for an exemption to be made, though some exemptions may be made where an umpire's accuracy is greater than 66% during any given inning. For an exemption to be made under this rule, a challenge for Quality of Correctness must be made for said ejection. Only ejections flagged "Eligible for Balls/Strikes Exemption" may be challenged under the realm of Rule 6.e.iv., and only ejections flagged "Eligible for Balls/Strikes Exemption" may receive such an exemption after challenge, though not all ejections flagged in this way will ultimately receive an exemption. The accuracy rating of 66% has been determined as the result of the finding that of all ejections, 66% are as a result of a correctly ruled play. (1) No precedents shall be established based on any actions taken in regards to Rule 6-5-d as by rule, all B/S Exemptions under Rule 6-5-d. are determined on a case-by-case basis. (2) Balls/Strikes ejections that occur during a pitching change, mound visit, or other pause in play, shall be judged on a case-by-case basis, as above, with a strong regard for Rule 6-5-c. The same exemption that may be made under Rule 6-5-d shall also apply to this provision, except that this exemption shall not be referenced as a Rule 6-5-d exemption, but as a Rule 6-5-d-2 exemption. The exemption title, "Balls/Strikes Exemption," however, shall remain the same as if the exemption were granted under Rule 6-5-d. e. In the event of an ejection resulting from one or more calls which occur during the same play and which carry the same Quality of Correctness, in which it is feasible that the argument may have been in response to any number of these calls which carry the same Quality of Correctness, as opposed to overwhelmingly clear and convincing evidence that the argument was indeed in response to only one call, Quality of Correctness and Ejector Classification (if applicable) will be determined by virtue of the points application by call order. For instance, if a ball (incorrect) and subsequent check [no] swing (incorrect) call result in the ejection of a player/coach, with no overwhelmingly clear and convincing evidence to suggest one call was exclusively argued, the scoring would proceed as such: the ejecting 1B/3B Umpire would receive -2 Incorrect Call (Crewmate) points, while the HP Umpire would receive -4 Incorrect Call points. The 1B/3B Umpire in this case would remain secondary, whereas the HP Umpire would remain primary. Comments
on Appeals for Quality of Correctness may be made by any user, and may or may
not have influential value in regards to the final decision made to uphold,
deny, or defer the appeal for Quality of Correctness. As such, the recommended
interval of time from the first post of appeal ("Challenge") to the
post displaying the result of appeal as overturned, confirmed/upheld, or
deferred shall be no less than 24 hours. RULE 7 – Unresolved Classifications and References
Classifications and Probable Reversion SECTION 1. All unresolved classifications, which fall under the category of points-affecting variables, as in 6.b., shall be resolved and reverted to a probable classification, or the default if no probable classification can be made. Although unresolved/inconclusive classifications are subject to review and resolving and/or reversion at any time, such resolving and reversion must be made no later than the conclusion of the phase of the season, defined in Rule 2-1, during which the ejection occurred. a. In the instance of an Umpire changing status from AAA to MLB, or any other status change, during the season, the classification of Level shall reflect the level assigned at the time of the ejection. b. In the instance of an exhaustive disputed or inconclusive Quality of Correctness, the Quality of Correctness shall revert to reflect the call made on the field as correct. c. In the instance of a disputed name of Ejector, the name shall reflect the ejector noted in the official Box Score of the game during which the ejection occurred. d. In the instance of a disputed crew listing, the crew shall reflect the umpires listed in the affected game’s box score or if inapplicable, the pre-season crew listing, unless definite evidence (injury, etc.) proves otherwise.
Disputed Information SECTION 2. In other instances of disputed information, the listing in the official box score shall prevail unless clear and convincing evidence exists to prove information listed in the official box score is erroneous. The UEFL Commissioners shall make this determination, which may not be appealed. If deemed accurate, only ejections documented in the specific contest’s box score shall be deemed official ejections. All other ejections shall be deemed unofficial ejections. The box score criterion may override any other criteria ordinarily applied to gaining information.
Official Rules Reference SECTION
3. Unless specifically stated otherwise, the Official Baseball Rules shall take
precedence over any other documents in determining information including, but
not limited to, Quality of Correctness. RULE 8 – Umpire Odds & Ends and Community Issues
Comment and Posting Guidelines SECTION 1. CCS has implemented a rudimentary set of posting guidelines, which shall apply to all comments, profiles and other user content;
Odds and Ends SECTION 2. As a result of discussion regarding the disputed value of unofficial ejections, what constitutes an unofficial ejection, and the desire to discuss unique umpiring situations that may not lead to an ejection, either official nor unofficial, a different category of discussion will occasionally appear on the UEFL page. Post headings that fall under this category, but do not involve ejection, will read "Umpire Odds & Ends"; followed by a brief description of the situation involved. Unlike Case Plays as specified in Rule 4-5, Umpire Odds & Ends do not involve ejection, do not have bearing on points distribution, nor are Umpire Odds & Ends logged statistically. Rules Summit SECTION 1. At the conclusion of each season, the UEFL shall introduce a Rules Summit during which members, visitors and guests are invited to submit proposals for rules changes and for other matters. The Rules Summit shall culminate in a vote on which proposals to pass & adopt and which to reject. Unless otherwise noted by these rules, all proposals with two options (Yes/No) require an absolute majority for passage, while all proposals with more than two options require a plurality for determination, wherein the combination of like options has resulted in a simple majority in favor of the option who has gained plurality. If this combination simple majority is not achieved, a run-off shall occur. (e.g., like options in the poll, Yes #1 vs. Yes #2. vs. No #1 vs. No #2 would include Yes #1—Yes #2 and No #1—No#2. If Yes #1 received 10 votes, Yes #2 received 15 votes, No #1 received 20 votes and No #2 received zero votes, because the combination of Yes #1 + Yes #2 = 25 votes, which is greater than No #1 + No #2's 20 votes, a run-off vote would be held with only Yes #1 and Yes #2 on the ballot.) RULE 9 – Unaddressed and Authorization Provisions
Elastic Clause SECTION 1. Any issue that may arise during the season, which has not been addressed in the above rules, nor in prior cases, shall be judged by the UEFL in a manner seen fit by the creator/owner of the UEFL and/or any designated appellate interpreter.
Finality and the Overwhelming Exemption SECTION 2. All decisions regarding challenges shall be final unless overwhelming evidence surfaces to overturn the challenged decision. This overwhelming clause challenge may only be initiated by the appellate interpreter of the UEFL.
League Participation: Commissioners and Appeals Board SECTION 3. Commissioners and Board members shall be eligible to participate with the following restrictions. a. Commissioners must not overlap any draft choices with any other UEFL Commissioners. This applies to crew chiefs, primary and secondary umpires. b. Commissioners may not rule on any play, either initially or on appeal, involving any of their drafted umpires or crews, if applicable. c. Board members may not rule on any play involving any of their drafted umpires or crews, if applicable.
UEFL Rules initially adopted March 2008 Last revised: November 2012 |
   Support the UEFL  Thank you! |
UEFL Rules Book |