------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | International Replay Baseball League - Founded October 30, 1973 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ***************** IRBL NEWSLETTER # 551 ***************** 3-8-98 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ...................................... ************** ***** URGENT MESSAGE ***** ************** LRD # 551 contains an updated version of the "IRBL Menu Program" (version 7.00.03). The upgrade should have automatically installed when you loaded this LRD. Each manager should verify that the new version was installed correctly by selecting menu choice "Display Or Change IRBL Menu Program Configuration" from the "IRBL Menu Program" and confirming that the 4th line from the top of the screen states the following: "Program version: 7.00.03" Changes were made to accommodate 34 series dates, to allow the IRBL Menu Program to be installed onto hard drive letters other than "C" and to add information about the IRBL web site on the configuration screen. ************** ***** URGENT MESSAGE ***** ************** ...................................... PLAYER TRANSACTIONS: The EXPOS traded ROBIN JENNINGS, ROBERTO KELLY, JORGE VELANDIA, JASON DICKSON to the RANGERS for CHAD CURTIS, RON MAHAY, DAVE MLICKI. The EXPOS traded BRIAN BOHANON to the CUBS for SHIGETOSHI HASEGAWA. The WHITE SOX traded DAVE CLARK, BRYAN REKAR, DENNIS SPRINGER to the BLUE JAYS for PAUL MOLITOR. The TIGERS released KEVIN KOSLOFSKI, JOHN DETTMER, DEREK LILLIQUIST, SCOTT SANDERSON, MO SANFORD. The EXPOS released ALLEN BATTLE, ERIK BENNETT, JOE BOEVER. The ANGELS released JERRY BROOKS, SCOTT LEIUS, TOM QUINLAN, MEL BUNCH. The ROYALS traded DOUG HENRY to the ATHLETICS for JACK HOWELL. The RED SOX released JOE SLUSARSKI. The PIRATES traded MOISES ALOU, LUIS S. LOPEZ, WILLIE BANKS, TROY PERCIVAL, AMAURY TELEMACO to the ATHLETICS for BARRY BONDS, JEFF IRBL # 551 3-8-98 2 MONTGOMERY. The EXPOS traded DONOVAN OSBORNE to the BREWERS for ERIC LUDWICK, DANNY PATTERSON. The EXPOS released EDGAR CACERES. The ASTROS released BRET BARBERIE, MILT CUYLER, JERRY GOFF, MATT LUKE, TIM MCINTOSH, RICK SCHU, KYLE ABBOTT, JIM DOUGHERTY, STEVE HOWE, ALEX PACHECO. The WHITE SOX traded RAFAEL BOURNIGAL, LUIS SOJO, WILSON ALVAREZ to the PIRATES for JEFF KENT, AL LEITER. The REDS released DOUG DASCENZO, HOWARD JOHNSON, RYAN BOWEN, HECTOR FAJARDO, PHIL LEFTWICH, CARLOS MALDONADO, OSCAR MUNOZ, ALEJANDRO PENA, JEFF PIERCE, DILSON TORRES. The RANGERS released MIKE HENNEMAN, BRENT KNACKERT. The PHILLIES released STEVE FREY, BRYAN HICKERSON, CHRIS NABHOLZ. The BREWERS released JERRY BROWNE, DAVE HAJEK, RICKY JORDAN, GERONIMO PENA, JEFF BRONKEY, MIKE DYER, LARRY LUEBBERS. The CARDINALS released BRENT COOKSON, CHRIS DONNELS, SAM HORN, TIM WALLACH, ROGER MCDOWELL, DAVE PAVLAS, RICH SCHEID. The BLUE JAYS released ESTEBAN BELTRE, MATT MANTEI. The ATHLETICS released ALEX DELGADO, TONY LONGMIRE, SHANNON PENN, LOU WHITAKER, MIKE CHRISTOPHER. The ROCKIES released BRIAN KOWITZ, DAVE RIGHETTI, RON RIGHTNOWAR. ...................................... I have included final cross-referenced rosters and team Player Usage Form files. Please call me immediately if you find any errors on the cross- reference rosters or the DMB IRBL player files. ...................................... NEW MANAGERS: MARINERS Ray Keith 8 Paul Drive Texarkana, TX 75503 903-791-0070 husker@slinket.com TIGERS Rick Dean 1736 Ridgewood Rd. Ft. Collins, CO 80526 970-224-2464 rdeaner9@aol.com (home) rdean@spike.dor.state.co.us (office) IRBL # 551 3-8-98 3 ROCKIES Wing Lee 1885 Sharon Place San Marino, CA 91108 626-285-1682 wlee@netcom.com NOTES: 1) Wing Lee will be managing the IRBL ROCKIES for the 1998 season only. In 1999, he will leave the IRBL ROCKIES and take over as the first manager of the IRBL DIAMONDBACKS. 2) All 28 IRBL teams now have managers. In 1999, the ROCKIES and DEVIL RAYS will be available. At the moment, nobody has officially reserved either of these two teams. ...................................... I have included an updated IRBL Manager Address List. ...................................... The following is a summary of the 1998 draft telephone calls that I should be receiving reimbursement for: TEAM MANAGER CALLS COST ---- ------- ----- ---- GIANTS Mike Mayko 5 3.75 CARDINALS Don Tobin 10 7.50 CUBS Mike Boling 3 2.25 REDS Jeff Nicholson 12 9.00 METS Gerry McDonald 6 4.50 RANGERS Michael Walsh 6 4.50 INDIANS Bill Mattfeld 3 2.25 ROYALS Tom Dixon 8 6.00 BLUE JAYS Roch Doran 6 4.50 ORIOLES Carmine Salerno 10 7.50 RED SOX Frank Hopkins 7 5.25 ...................................... 1998 IRBL Schedule: Due to the unbalanced schedule and Interleague series that the Major Leagues used in 1997, the 1998 IRBL schedule is a little different in structure for the first time in this, the IRBL's 25th season. Instead of 32 series (16 home and 16 road), some teams will play 31 series (15 road and 16 home, or the reverse) and some teams play 34 series (17 home and 17 road). The NL West and AL West teams will be the teams that play 34 series. This is because of West teams play eight, 2- game Interleague series (the small series size is also an IRBL first). IRBL # 551 3-8-98 4 So that these teams will not get an advantage of having extra days off for scheduling starting pitchers, for each of these teams, 3 of these 2-game series are noted with an asterisk, "*", on the Starting Pitchers Rotation sheet after the series date. For these noted series, there will be no day-off between this series and the preceding series for calculating the days off between starts for starting pitchers. ...................................... My thanks to Gerry McDonald for volunteering and preparing the 1998 IRBL schedule. Gerry indicated that it was very time consuming to prepare. Gerry is the first person (other than myself and the late Ralph Frey) to successfully prepare an IRBL season schedule. Others have tried and failed to do it. ...................................... Due to the changes in the number of series per season from the previous standard of 32 and the introduction of Interleague Series, I had to make major changes to several IRBL programs. I just barely completed the changes in time. ...................................... I have a included an updated IRBL Rules file incorporating recent rule changes that were voted in plus the changes regarding the IRBL schedule and starting pitchers rest (as noted above). ...................................... I have included the following items you will need to prepare your 1998 season team instructions (refer to IRBL Rule # 15): 1) Starting Pitchers Rotation forms for all teams (PITCHING.Txx) 2) Inactive List forms for all teams (INACTIVE.Txx) 3) Team Instructions forms (INSTRUCT.Txx) 4) Player Usage forms for all teams (PLAYERUF.Y98) xx: IRBL team code number NOTE: To edit the following files, select "Display or Print Series Results or Newsletter Files" from the IRBL Menu Program. Highlight the file name in the LIST file selection display and press the [E] key. This will invoke the DOS EDIT program. Use IRBL # 551 3-8-98 5 this method to edit the file rather than your own word processing program so that the file remains pure text. Be sure that you are in the "Overwrite mode" (the cursor will be a blinking rectangle) and not the "Insert mode" (the cursor would be a blinking underscore, "_"). You can switch between modes by pressing the [Insert] key. The "Overwrite mode" is easier to work with because it will not "push out" the remainder of the line when you type. If you insist on using your own txt editor or word processing program, be sure that you save the file in text mode only. You can verify this by viewing the file with the IRBL Menu Program and verifying that you do not see any strange characters mixed in the file. ..................................... Please use the following guidelines when filling out the forms: 1) Starting Pitchers Rotation form: Fill in the pitcher's initials (2 capital letters only) next to each game number. At the bottom of the page, list each pitcher's full name, the initials used, indicate if he throws "L" or "R" and the number of starts he is scheduled for using the following format: T GS - -- BOUCHER, DENIS (DB) L 25 DELUCIA, RICH (RD) R 30 GROOM, BUDDY (BG) L 30 JONES, JIMMY (JJ) R 27 MILITELLO, SAM (SM) R 11 PUGH, TIM (TP) R 8 ROBINSON, RON (RR) R 2 WILLIAMS, MIKE (MW) R 29 When typing the above chart, make sure that you do not exceed 60 lines on the page or 80 characters on a line (refer to the line and column counter in the lower right corner of the editing screen). 2) Inactive List form: Place an "XX" (use capital letters only) in the appropriate box for each player on the Inactive List for each series. There must be exactly 25 players on the "Active List" for each series (i.e., 25 boxes next to a player's name in each column that do not IRBL # 551 3-8-98 6 have a "XX"). 3) Team Instructions: Edit this file to contain your starting lineups for all your road and home series (including all lineups stored in your Computer Manager profile). If you leave out your home series lineups, your instruction package will be considered incomplete. If you list a player in every lineup who cannot play 162 games, you must include a note indicating which games he will be sat out and who will replace him. When typing this page, make sure that you do not exceed 60 lines on the page or 80 characters on a line. 4) Player Usage Form: The PLAYERUF.Y98 file contains a filled out form for each team. You can select and copy your team's form to a file (use file name PLAYERUF.Txx) using the directions detailed in IRBL Rule # 21A. 5) Computer Manager: Create your profile following the guidelines in IRBL Rule # 15 and export the files to the C:\IRBL\RESULTS.Y98 directory (MPyy.EXP and TEAMyy.EXP). Prepare the above detailed files and then select "Create ZIP file of Team Instructions Files set" from the IRBL Menu Program. This will combine the 5 files into one file called INSTRUxx.ZIP (where xx is your IRBL team number). Send me this INSTRUxx.ZIP file via email or upload it to the IRBL BBS. The 5 files are summarized as follows: 1) INSTRUCT.Txx 2) PITCHING.Txx 3) INACTIVE.Txx 4) MPyy.EXP and TEAMyy.EXP NOTE: The xx is the two digit IRBL team number. The yy is a different one or two number that the DMB game assigns to each team. These numbers are: yy xx yy xx IRBL # 551 3-8-98 7 -- -- -- -- DODGERS 27 03 ANGELS 13 13 GIANTS 26 04 ATHLETICS 12 14 PADRES 25 05 MARINERS 11 25 ROCKIES 24 27 RANGERS 10 15 ASTROS 23 01 BREWERS 9 19 CARDINALS 22 07 INDIANS 8 20 CUBS 21 08 ROYALS 7 16 PIRATES 20 12 TWINS 6 17 REDS 19 06 WHITE SOX 5 18 BRAVES 18 02 BLUE JAYS 4 26 EXPOS 17 09 ORIOLES 3 21 MARLINS 16 28 RED SOX 2 22 METS 15 10 TIGERS 1 23 PHILLIES 14 11 YANKEES 0 24 ...................................... All the team instruction files will be included in the next LRD and will also always be available to download separately from the the IRBL web site or the IRBL BBS. ...................................... Please note that I revised the Team Inactive List form from a one- page form to a two-page form so that it is easier to view, edit and print. ...................................... DEADLINES: Mar. 22 - Team instructions to be received by League Office and all managers within your league Apr. 1 - First series of 1998 season ...................................... Files included on LRD # 551: --------------------------- INACTIVE.Txx --> Inactive List Forms INSTRUCT.Txx --> Team Instructions file IRBLROST.xxx --> IRBL Rosters MANAGERS.TXT --> Manager Address List NEWSL551.xxx --> Newsletter # 551 PITCHING.Txx --> Starting Pitchers Rotation Sheets PLAYERUF.Y98 --> Player Usage Forms for all teams SCHEDULE.xxx --> IRBL NL and AL league schedules File Extension Legend (xxx): --------------------------- PED --> Epson Dot Matrix Compatible Printer "print file" PHL --> HP Laser Compatible Printer "print file" T1C --> Viewable one column newsletter text format TXT --> Viewable text format IRBL # 551 3-8-98 8 ...................................... BK MESSAGES OF INTEREST POSTED ON THE IRBL BBS OR SENT VIA INTERNET EMAIL ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Msg: 1 (Public, sent 03/07/98 at 09:36) From: MIKE MAYKO To: BARRY KOOPERSMITH Subj: DOWNLOAD 550 Good choice on Rick Dean. He is in a Cactus Basketball league that I have been in and he has been very competent and on time. MPM