------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | International Replay Baseball League - Founded October 30, 1973 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ***************** IRBL NEWSLETTER # 570 ***************** 2-27-99 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ...................................... ************** ***** URGENT MESSAGE ***** ************** LRD # 570 contains an updated version of the "IRBL Menu Program" (version 7.00.07). The upgrade should have automatically installed when you loaded this LRD. Each manager should exit and restart the "IRBL Menu Program" and 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: 7.00.07" This new version modifies the Series Dates menu to handle 36 series for the 1999 IRBL schedule. ************** ***** URGENT MESSAGE ***** ************** ...................................... PLAYER TRANSACTIONS: The PADRES released RODNEY BOLTON, TIM DAVIS, EVERETT STULL. The METS released JOSE HERRERA, MATT GROTT, DANE JOHNSON, MIKE MILCHIN. The ANGELS traded JOSE VIDRO to the CUBS for JASON BATES. The BLUE JAYS traded MARQUIS GRISSOM, TOM CANDIOTTI, JIMMY KEY to the PIRATES for TODD DUNWOODY, BART EVANS, PETE SMITH. The TWINS released CHRIS GWYNN, RICK PARKER, KEVIN ROBERSON, RICHARD BATCHELOR, ANDRES BERUMEN, ANTHONY CHAVEZ, MARK GUBICZA. ...................................... The following is a summary of the 1999 draft telephone calls that I should be receiving reimbursement for: TEAM MANAGER CALLS COST ---- ------- ----- ---- ASTROS Mike Rainey 17 12.75 REDS Jeff Nicholson 6 4.50 BRAVES Jim Jansen 14 10.50 METS Gerry McDonald 2 1.50 ANGELS Matt Cummings 9 6.75 INDIANS Bill Mattfeld 4 3.00 TWINS Mark Johnson 2 1.50 ORIOLES Carmine Salerno 6 4.50 ...................................... The following managers still need to confirm that they have upgraded to DMB version 7.0d: DIAMONDBACKS Jesse McConnell DODGERS Massimo Ortensi GIANTS Mike Mayko ROCKIES Wing Lee BREWERS John Mattfeld PIRATES Ricky Diaz REDS Jeff Nicholson BRAVES Jim Jansen EXPOS Chris Williams MARLINS Don Swearingen PHILLIES John Parker ATHLETICS John Minor MARINERS Robert Gunter ROYALS Jason Masner TIGERS Rick Dean WHITE SOX Chip Hopkins BLUE JAYS Francois Lessard DEVIL RAYS George Widenor ORIOLES Carmine Salerno RED SOX Frank Hopkins ...................................... 1999 IRBL Schedule: Due to the continued use of an unbalanced schedule and Interleague series that the Major Leagues used in 1998, the 1999 IRBL schedule is again unbalanced (for the second straight year). Although all IRBL teams play 81 road games and 81 home games, the number of series per team varies. All AL teams play 32 series (16 road and 16 home) but NL teams play 34, 35 or 36 series. So that the NL teams will not get an advantage of having extra days off for scheduling starting pitchers, NL teams have 4 series where there are no days off between series. These 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. You will find the post-season schedule at the bottom of the SCHEDULE.Y99 file. ...................................... IRBL # 570 2-27-99 3 My thanks to Gerry McDonald for volunteering and preparing the 1999 IRBL schedule. This is the second straight year that Gerry has completed this time consuming task and I appreciate the effort. ...................................... I have included the following items so you can get a head start (if you want to) in preparing your 1999 season team instructions (refer to IRBL Rule # 15): 1) Starting Pitchers Rotation forms for all teams (PITCHING.Txx) 2) Team Instructions forms (INSTRUCT.Txx) 3) Player Usage forms for all teams (PLAYERUF.Y99) xx: IRBL team code number NOTE: To edit the above 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 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 prefer, you can also use a Windows text editor program (such as Notepad) to edit the files. Please do not use a word processing program (such as Word or WordPerfect) because these programs will modify the format of the file and will insert special characters that will be time- consuming for me to remove. You can verify that the file is saved as pure text 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: IRBL # 570 2-27-99 4 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) 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. 3) Player Usage Form: The PLAYERUF.Y99 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. ...................................... After the trading deadline, you will also receive a Inactive List form for you to fill out plus updated and IRBL # 570 2-27-99 5 final Player Usage forms. PLEASE NOTE: Do not begin creating your computer manager profiles until after you install LRD # 571 (the one after this one). When you install LRD # 571 (after the trading deadline), it will replace your current IRBL DMB player files with the final IRBL DMB files and you will lose any computer manager profiles that you have previously created. If you want, you can experiment with the profiles now but make a printout of the profile if you want to be able to re-enter the information into the final IRBL DMB player files. ...................................... DEADLINES: Mar. 7 - Trading and player release deadline (6 pm, EDT) Mar. 21 - Team instructions to be received by League Office and all managers within your league Apr. 1 - First series of 1999 season ...................................... Files included on LRD # 570: --------------------------- INSTRUCT.Txx --> Team Instructions file IRBLROST.TXT --> IRBL Rosters NEWSL570.xxx --> Newsletter # 570 PITCHING.Txx --> Starting Pitchers Rotation Sheets PLAYERUF.Y99 --> Player Usage Forms for all teams SCHEDULE.Y99 --> IRBL NL and AL league schedule File Extension Legend (xxx): --------------------------- T1C --> Viewable one column newsletter text format TXT --> Viewable text format ...................................... BK IRBL # 570 2-27-99 6 MESSAGES OF INTEREST POSTED VIA INTERNET EMAIL ---------------------------------------------- Subject: (no subject) Date: Sun, 21 Feb 1999 21:30:41 EST From: MMayko@aol.com To: All IRBL Managers Hey guys: I could use a starter and somebullpen help. Look at the Giants and E-mail on any possibilities. Mike Subject: Rebuilding Date: Tue, 23 Feb 1999 22:41:57 EST From: MMayko@aol.com To: All IRBL Managers Hi Guys: I am considering rebuilding the Giants. I am looking for good young players. These guys may be available in the right deal: Ken Caminiti or Matt Williams; Greg Jeffries or Paul O'Neil; F. P. Santangelo; Kirt Manwaring; Midre Cummings; Dwight Gooden; John Hudek; Mike James; Aaron Small; Neiro Rodriguez. Mike mayko