B.R.A.S.S. began the first of its rotisserie leagues in 1985 and the first of its Strat-O-Matic leagues in 1987 on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. Current BRASS League Director Vaughn Nuest was among the four original BRASS members and "founding fathers."

The first BRASS S-O-M league was a face-to-face league with a forty game season. In the following five years, the face-to-face league added many new members. Among these was current BRASS League member Kevin Kolb. During this five-year period, we played 13 league seasons ranging from 40 games to 162 games per season. We often played 4 leagues and over 400 games in the year during which we used a given set of cards.

Many original BRASS members joined the play-by-mail world in 1990 after being invited to join in the formation of a new 16-team league. As many new leagues do, the league sputtered through a rocky first season under a different administration, lost nearly 70% of its original owners in the first year and was on the brink of ceasing operation. BRASS began operating this league in its first off-season in 1991. The league has prospered under the BRASS Constitution since that time. In early 1993, the BRASS League expanded to 20 teams. The league expanded again in early 1996 to 24 teams.

The BRASS PBM League has now grown into a well-established, high-quality league presently entering its 12^th year. It is a 24-team league which plays a 162 game season over a 6-month period from September to February. We use the players from every major league team as our talent pool and also permit the drafting of a limited number of players in the minor league systems of MLB franchises. We use almost all super advanced rules of play, and a few time-tested rules of our own. The BRASS League is divided into two smaller leagues, the Gold League and the Silver League. BRASS has six divisions in all, three in each league. There are eight post-season qualifiers each year. All six division winners qualify, a wild card from the Silver and a wild card from the Gold.

The players which make up the franchise rosters in BRASS are the Major League Baseball players who played in the most recent MLB season and a handful (five) of minor leaguers to give each franchise a semblance of a minor league system. BRASS employs a realistic contract system that permits each team to draft or bring up a player from the minors for just one major league contract (the length of which is the team’s choosing) before the player is available on the open market to all bidders as a restricted free agent. All BRASS teams will therefore have an opportunity to bid on and sign any player at some point in his career. The contract and free agency system promote the type of annual, MLB-style player movement that offers the opportunity for every team to improve, for every team to land a superstar.

BRASS also employs a system of revenue sharing that ensures equal footing and equal competition for all franchises. There is no such thing as a small market or large market franchise in BRASS. The teams succeed based on the decisions of the owners, along with the usual healthy dose of baseball luck that any good franchise must have.

The League has all the bells and whistles that one would want from a good league. It has an annual All-Star game, post-season awards, incentive programs for on-time mailings, rewards for league member contributions to the league, a very low league dues payment, 12 newsletters a year, speedy electronic delivery of league information, staright majority voting on all issues of league changes, an excellent web site with an up-to-date in-season standings feature, and an extensive compilation of the league’s history in the BRASS Encyclopedia.

Our league does not have a Commissioner, as such. The League is administered by a League Director, who is assisted and supported by members of the League’s Administrative Team. The team handles jobs like Webmaster, League Statistician, Draft Conductor, Bank Accountant, Newspaper Editor, Auction Conductor, All Star Coordinator, Year Ends Awards Coordinator, Constitution Coordinator and any others that are necessary from year-to-year. These individuals have the authority and bear the obligation to keep the league running smoothly. The League Director or his designee authors a monthly newsletter, collects and distributes pitching rotations and trades, reports a list of who owns which draft selections, handles recruiting and other mailings, organizes and conducts all league operations, and rules on all league matters and disputes which may arise.

The BRASS League Director is not granted the authority to make unimpeachable rulings on league matters however and is not granted the authority to make unilateral rules changes. His decisions are subject to the approval of the league's membership, as represented by the BRASS Executive Committee.

The BRASS Executive Committee is constituted of four league members (2 from the Gold League, two from the Silver) who are in good standing. The Committee is disbanded at the end of each league year. A league member is ineligible for appointment to the Executive Committee if he had a league penalty imposed upon him in the previous year. The Committee, once constituted, possesses the authority to overturn poor decisions and to rule on poor or unfair trades. The Committee's primary function is to check the power of the League Director if and when it may be necessary.

The Director does have the authority and obligation to rule on disputes, rules interpretations, and expulsions. He has commissioner-like authority, but not the end-all authority of most commissioners. After the Director rules on an issue, any league member can appeal the ruling to the league's Executive Committee. In order for the Director's decision to be overturned, the Executive Committee must pass a majority decision on the appeal. If the voting is split, the original ruling will stand. If one or more Executive Committee members are involved in a dispute, they are not permitted to vote.

All appeals must be made within 3 days of the L.D. ruling. The league membership is cautioned about calling for appeals frivolously. The appeal process is designed simply to provide a mechanism for overturning a very poor ruling, not one that just didn't go your way. An appeal can quickly drain the league treasury of critical operating funds because of the inevitable phone bills it creates.

The BRASS Constitution provides for monthly, up-to-date, in-season mailings to the league's membership. League members will likely have completely current standings, league leaders, trades and other league information before playing their games for the coming month.

The league emphasizes fast turnaround time on all league information and prompt, respectful correspondence practices as basic, high ideals in the league's operations. The League Director is permitted to have no tolerance for late mailings and is obligated to enforce league penalties in accordance with the Constitution on the first offense.

Being a member of the BRASS League also means your opinion will be required in periodic voting processes during the season. From All-Star balloting to post-season awards voting to off-season voting processes to the occasional informal vote during the season, the collective League opinion is sometimes gathered several times a year. Voting is not considered optional in the BRASS League.

BRASS is set up to be something significantly more than the run-of-the-mill PBM League. Whether it winds up being a special league, in reality, is dependent solely on its administration and its owners. In order to have a successful PBM league, we must each be a strong link in the league's chain of owners. Everyone must meet his mailing deadlines and fulfill other obligations, treat our league colleagues with respect and keep this wonderful hobby in it’s proper perspective. As BRASS sees it, that perspective is to view the league as a fun and friendly pastime, a break from the stresses and day-to-day grind of everyday life, and a league membership that is conducted in such a way as to bring us each the respect of our colleagues and who knows, maybe even result in a few friendships!

• Unowned, carded players: These are players whom the game company has carded for the current season and who are not on a 30-man protected list for any franchise at the time of The Draft.
• Unowned, never-carded or "amateur" players: These are players who have never been carded and who are not already owned by another BRASS franchise.

The following players are not eligible to be selected in The Draft:

• Protected players: These are players who are on 30-man protected lists or who still retain their amateur contract status and are on a BRASS franchise roster already.
• Uncarded Veterans: These are players who were not given cards for the current season, but whom have been owned previously by a BRASS franchise and have also been carded previously.

1. The Draft will last for a number of rounds sufficient to satisfy all owners or until each owner has filled the 40 roster spots available for carded players in his organization and the five spots available for amateur players; whichever occurs first.
2. Draft order for each round is determined by inverse order of each team’s winning percentage in the regular season. The final eight picks in each round will belong to that year's post-season qualifiers, regardless of their winning percentages as compared to the non-qualifiers. The 24th pick will belong to the BRASS World Series champion, and the 23rd pick to the World Series runner-up. The 22nd pick will belong to the League Championship Series runner-up with the better record, and the 21st pick to the League Championship Series runner-up with the worst record. Picks 20 through 17 will belong to the teams who were eliminated in the Division Series round of the Playoffs, in inverse order of that season's regular season winning percentage.
3. Tie breakers for all selections will be: 1) best on-time mailing record, 2) regular season series, 3) division record (if in same division), 4) record within the teams league (if in same league), and 5) a coin flip. In each tie case, the winner of the tie breaker selects ahead of the loser in alternate rounds starting with Round 1.
4. The Draft contains a Bonus Round after Round 3 for teams whose owners maintained perfect on-time mailing records throughout the previous league year, from March through February. Picks in this round are in the inverse order of that season's regular season winning percentage.
5. Each team may protect 30 non-amateur players in their organization during The Draft. All amateur players who are already on rosters are automatically protected during The Draft. There is a limit of 5 protected amateurs per franchise.
6. A list of your 30 protected players is due to the Draft Conductor five days prior to the beginning of the e-mail portion of The Draft. A fine of $1,000,000 is incurred for being late on the mailing, with $200,000 being added for each additional late day.
7. In order to reclaim a player left unprotected during The Draft, a team must use one of it’s draft selections to do so.
8. A team may draft an unprotected player from another team during The Draft. If a team does, it must reimburse the current owner for the money remaining on the player’s contract for the current season, accept liability for all future seasons of the contract, and pay a $50,000 transaction fee.
9. Contract reports for your draftees are due to be sent to the L.D. within seven days after The Draft.

1. When the League began, and in the case of expansion teams, each team receives $45 million to spend on their initial player contracts.
2. In every subsequent season, each team will receive $35 million more. The money is credited to each team's bank account on the first day after the end of each regular season, on February 26. Crediting each team an equal bank account represents our form of revenue sharing. We all equally divide up the equivalent of MLB's gate receipts, merchandising profits, TV contract money, parking and concession revenues, etc. to allow everyone to compete on equal ground. None of the franchises in our league will be "small market" franchises.
3. A team can carry over unspent money indefinitely without limit.
4. A team may not spend more money than is available in their bank account at any time. The only time a negative bank account is possible would be in the unlikely case where a team's fines have exceeded their available balance.
5. A newsletter will contain a full report of each team's bank accounts on a monthly basis.

Years 1-3: $5,000,000 per year or current player contract times 1.1 annually (whichever quantity is higher)

Year 4: $6,000,000 per year or current player contract times 1.15 annually (whichever quantity is higher)

Year 5: $7,000,000 per year or current player contract times 1.2 annually (whichever quantity is higher)

Year 6: $8,000,000 per year or current player contract times 1.25 annually (whichever quantity is higher)

Year 7: $9,000,000 per year or current player contract times 1.3 annually (whichever quantity is higher)

Year 8: $10,000,000 per year or current player contract times 1.35 annually (whichever quantity is higher)

Year 9: $11,000,000 per year or current player contract times 1.4 annually (whichever quantity is higher)

Year 10: $12,000,000 per year or current player contract times 1.45 annually (whichever quantity is higher)

22. When a team reaches an agreement with a player on a contract extension or a free agency contract, which is at least 3 years in length and at least $12 M in total value, it may designate the contract as a no-trade contract if it wishes, in exchange for a 5% reduction in the player’s annual salary. This designation attempts to simulate the MLB model where players may agree to stay with a given team for less money, if given the guarantee that their lives will not be disrupted by a trade. The following text details the BRASS logic behind this program, the specific manner in which the program is applied in the BRASS League, and the specific trade restrictions imposed by the no-trade designation.

In MLB, teams and players will occasionally agree to a contract in which a no-trade provision is included. The use of such a provision is usually reserved for premier players or players who have been with a franchise for a long time. (What other type of player would a franchise prefer not to trade?) At contract negotiation time, the provision is sometimes employed as an incentive, designed to entice the player to sign with that team, offering the stability of several years with a single franchise. In return for this stability, the player must generally concede other negotiating points in the process—in short, give something up to get the stability if he wants it. In the MLB process, the concessions can of course be in the form of money, cars, homes, requirements that the player make promotional or charity appearances or what ever might have been on the table during contract negotiations.

In the BRASS League, we of course have just one concession that a negotiating player might make to receive a no-trade provision, and that is to accept less money. And money is exactly what a BRASS team would want back from a player if it were to grant that player a no-trade contract.

So the BRASS model and the MLB model, with the usual layers of differences between MLB reality vs. a fantasy league, do both lend themselves to using this realistic quid pro quo agreement between an employee and management. So we employ a realistic system of our own to simulate this feature of MLB.

Here is the framework of the no-trade contract program:

• A team may declare any contract extension or any contract signed as result of free agency, a "no-trade" contract, as long as it is at least 3 years in length and at least $12,000,000 in amount. (note: the qualifying contract length and amount is designed to keep the"nt" contract designation from being used a gimmick to save money on players who aren't good enough to be traded anyway)
• An owner must announce his intention to declare a newly signed contract a "no-trade contract" immediately upon announcing a contract extension or signing a player in free agency. The designation may not be used retrospectively.
• Upon announcing a no-trade contract, the signing team will receive a 5% discount off the annual salary of the tendered contract. This amount will serve as the player's concession to receive the no-trade provision.
• A new contract string will be created. Examples are: (1,B4-25M-nt) or (1,X3-15M-nt) The "nt" will of course stand for: no-trade. The league will list the original amount of the offered contract in the contract string so as to easily recall what the original contract offer was and to easily determine what the discount was.
• If a team decides it wants to trade a player with a "no-trade" contract it must reimburse the player the sum total of the 5% discounts it has received to date, and also a penalty equal to the aforementioned reimbursement.
• When a player with a "no-trade" contract is indeed traded, the league will assume that the no-trade provision was waived only to go to the new team, and no other, and the no-trade contract will remain in effect. The new team will receive the original 5% discount. If the new team or any other team wishes to trade the player it must make the same contract reimbursement and pay the same penalty as the player’s original team.

While the intention of this rule is to simulate the condition by which a player and franchise agree to cast their lots together for a few years while the player pursues his profession in that city, we know that in MLB, on occasion, no-trade contracts are waived or bought out. Sometimes a player with a no-trade contract is traded, though generally not without the team compensating the player in some way. This is possible in BRASS as well. The points above are designed to simulate that "traded for a price" concept.

22. You must notify the L.D. by midnight, February 25 which of your players you intend to sign to major or minor league deals, who are now under initial (M0), (MA) & (AM) contracts. This notification should also include those players whom you intend to cut from the organization. A fine of $1,000,000 is incurred by being late on the notification with $200,000 added for each additional day late.

In developing and using a system that attempts to simulate the decision making of the average MLB free agent, the league makes some basic assumptions.

We assume that the average free agent will be concerned about three main characteristics of any contract offer: 1) length, 2) total value, 3) guarantee status. When comparing contract offers, a free agent will use the first two characteristics listed above to determine his average salary per season. We assume that the average salary per season is the determining factor in contract offers whose lengths are identical and is extremely important in contract offers whose lengths are similar. We also assume that to eliminate an extra bookkeeping task and to keep the comparisons relatively simple, we ignore guaranteed, non-guaranteed, bonus clauses, option years, incentives, buyouts and other MLB contract elements that would serve to make our job more difficult and muddy up the comparison process. So, all deals are said to be guaranteed. If you make the bid, you pay the price--no escape hatches.

Beginning this process by making the basic, logical assumptions listed above, we simplify the process a great deal. We boil the contract offer comparison process down to just one number, the average salary per year.

We realize that any system we create in our PBM world to judge contract offer superiority is missing the key element in the MLB process of determining bid superiority--the living, breathing, thinking, deciding player. The only way to simulate the player's decision making is to employ a device that places value on the same things a real player does, and will make a judgment which is similar to a player's judgment. This "judge" is found in our employment of the Bid Superiority Chart.

In setting up the Bid Superiority Chart, the League again makes a couple basic assumptions. We assume that a longer deal, for the same average salary per season, would be judged superior by any free agent. For instance, a 3 yr, $24 M offer would be better than a 2 yr, $16 M offer. We further assume that average salary per season was less of a determinant in comparing relatively long term offers than relatively short term offers.

The Bid Superiority Chart compares two contract offers, using the assumptions outlined above as important to the process we have already established, and determines which offer is better. It allows us to compare contracts of any length and any total value. It does this by using multipliers designed to "judge" (in place of the live free agent) a shorter-term contract of higher average salary per season against a longer-term deal of less average salary per season.

The Chart makes the assumption that if you have two offers of say, 5 yr, $30 M and 6 yr, $34 M (which translates to $6.0 M per year for 5 years and $5.6 M per year for 6 years), the player would likely take the long-term security. But on competing offers of say, 5 yr, $30 M and 6 yr, $32 M the choice is not so clear. The extra year of the second contract at only $2 M, as compared to his average of $6 M per year under the other deal probably would not be palatable.

A few examples of competing offers, and the likely choice of a free agent presented with these offers, shaped the chart:

In each set of examples above, the chart assumes there will be a "break even" point, somewhere in between the offers listed under "Offer #2," where the difference is too close to call, or where the offers are basically equal. The Chart assumes that the tie-breaker for all "equal" offers goes to the deal in which the most money was offered.

The Chart treats longer-term contracts with higher value because a free agent will usually opt for the deal that guarantees him significant long-term security, over a short-term windfall. And also because long-term contracts risk greater sums of money than short-term. In each case however, the chart builds in the possibility of a player selecting a huge single-year or two-year payday over a long-term deal, and then deciding to take his chances on attracting interest in the free agent market after the year is over, like Wally Joyner did in the off-season after the 1991 MLB season. Of course, as in MLB, a team takes a significant risk by bidding this way. They might get a good player, but at an extremely high price for a short period of time. And they do not retain matching rights in the next free agent cycle for this player.

Now, let's go through how one uses the Chart.

Let's use one of the above examples of competing contract offers. Let's say we want to use the Chart to compare offers Meridian and Plainsfield make for Alex Rodriguez when he becomes a free agent. Let's say Meridian offers Alex a 5 yr, $30 M deal and Plainsfield offers a 6 yr, $34 M deal. Who will Alex choose? To find out, we first determine the average salary per season of the two offers. The Meridian offer averages out to $6 M per season (over 5) and the Plainsfield offer averages out to $5.667 M per season (over 6).

We are comparing a five-year deal to a six-year deal, so the chart will be necessary to tell us the "multiplier" we must use to find out if the smaller deal (the $30 M deal) is superior to the larger one. Use chart's "5" row and sight over until the "5" row intersects with the "6" column. This is the multiplier. Multiply this quantity (1.085) by the average contract of the LONGER deal. If the average salary of the shorter deal is higher than this quotient, then the shorter deal is superior. If it is not, the longer deal is superior. The multipliers allow us to compare a shorter length deal, with a little higher average contract per season with longer-term deals to determine bid superiority.

Let's work through the results...

The average salary of the Plainsfield offer is $5.667 M per season X the 1.085 multiplier = $6.149 M per season. Since this number is larger than the average salary of the Meridian offer ($6 M), the Plainsfield 6-year deal wins out.

A team may bid on as many free agents as it wishes, by "clustering" the bids according to the procedure outlined in the following paragraphs.

In free agency, a team may opt to use the process to bid on just a couple players and take their chances on landing them. They may not be satisfied with less than the top player available at a given position of need and might prefer to draft a young player in the next draft, instead of pursuing the rest of the free agents. But if a team decides it wants one of a given year's crop of second basemen, or starting pitchers, etc. it can "cluster" its bids to define a group of players with something in common in whom they have interest. Even if, in total, the bids exceed the team's bank account. Here's how.

A team can construct a free agent cluster by position, by age or by "desirability." The bidding franchise may use whatever criteria it wishes in which to cluster the players. The cluster system attempts to simulate the process a MLB team goes through in "pursuing" players to fill a certain need or desire. Perhaps a MLB team wants a "franchise player" and doesn't care what position he plays. They might "pursue" several players in a "franchise player cluster". Or perhaps if they want a #1 left-handed starter, they might well pursue a group of lefties that they have on their "short list."

Let's say for example a team decides it has to have one of the current crop of free agent shortstops and one of the current crop of free agent relievers. Let's also say that their current bank account holds $17 M. They could cluster their bids in the following way to give them a greater chance at landing one of the players they want.

They list the clusters they have created and also list their bids, in descending order of the values of the average annual contracts. In our example, the team wanted a shortstop or a reliever, so they might rank their shortstop and reliever bids in the following way:

SHORTSTOP CLUSTER RELIEVER CLUSTER

Player A: 3 years, $20 M offer $6,666,667 annually Player A: 3 years, $16 M offer $5,333,333 annually

Player B: 3 years, $16 M offer $5,333,333 annually Player B: 3 years, $14 M offer $4,666,667 annually

Player C: 2 years, $ 8 M offer $4,000,000 annually Player C: 3 years, $10 M offer $3,333,333 annually

Player D: 2 years, $ 4 M offer $2,000,000 annually Player D: 2 years, $ 6 M offer $3,000,000 annually

Player E: 1 years, $ 2 M offer $2,000,000 annually

They might also choose to bid on a couple backup middle infielders in the following way:

MIDDLE INFIELDER CLUSTER

Player A: 1 year, $ 1 M offer $1,000,000 annually

Player B: 1 year, $ 800 K offer $ 800,000 annually

When clustering bids, a team need only ensure that the combined totals of the annual salaries of the top offers in all their clusters do not exceed their bank account. In the case of our example, the combined total of the annual salaries of their top cluster offers is $13 M, well under their $17 M budget.

Cluster size is limited to 15 players per cluster. A team may also wish to place their own restricted free agent at the top of a cluster. This is done with the understanding that the team prefers to re-sign it's own free agent in this category. If a team does opt to retain this restricted free agent by matching the top contract offer, it is not obligated to pursue any of the bids lower in the cluster. It can drop them all. But if a team does not retain it's own top-of-cluster free agent, the team is protected by being able to pursue the lower bids in the cluster if it wishes.

As a way for teams to acquire additional PA's and IP's after The Draft, the league employs the following secondary free agency process.

1. The L.D. publishes a list of undrafted, carded players in the May 31, post-Draft mailing.
2. Any team who wishes to offer a contract to an undrafted, carded player may do so by sending a free agent offer to the League Director by June 25.
3. Contract offers can be for major league contracts of any length and must equal or exceed the major league minimum for the number of years offered.
4. The major league contracts are considered to be "A" contracts, consistent with the contract status of those players selected in that year's Draft.
5. A team may also bid any amount above the minimum on a one-year minor league (M0) contract if they wish for any player.
6. Month-to-month major league contract bids are also accepted for any number of months. Again here the bid must at least equal the minimum contract amount for the given number of months offered.
7. The Bid Superiority Chart will be employed to determine the winning bidders as with the regular free agency process.

1. Active rosters are limited to 25 during the first 5 months of the season.
2. Active rosters may expand to 40 during the final month of the season.
3. Teams may make changes in their active rosters prior to a given month's play only.
4. Each roster must have at least 8 pitchers and must have one backup for each infield position. A player may backup more than one position.
5. A team need not have a backup player at a position where the starter cannot be injured.
6. A team may not have more than 40 carded players on their roster at the completion of The Draft, and may not have more than 5 amateurs.
7. After the Draft, and during the season, a team may carry an unlimited number of players on their roster, whether they are carded or amateur.
8. If a team uses more players than it is permitted in any given month, and it was the fault of their manager, a $1,000,000 fine is incurred.

The BRASS League uses all SOM game company super advanced rules including the following:

1. All injuries last for the remainder of the current game in progress only, except of course for the players who are only temporarily shaken up and can continue in the game without missing any playing time.
2. We use the DH. He may only bat for the pitcher.
3. All pitchers involved in trades are considered rested.
4. We use the closer rule.
5. We use the super-advanced relief pitcher rest guidelines. Each reliever is considered to be rested at the beginning of each series.
6. You may only pinch hit for the last player you have at a given position if you are losing in the 9th or later.
7. An outfielder may play another outfield position not listed on his card, according to the game company's guidelines for such play.
8. No position player (except for outfielders as outlined in section g. above) may play a position not listed on their card unless they are the last option as an injury replacement or are replacing a player pinch hit for when losing in the 9th or later. Use the game company's guidelines when playing infielders and catchers out of position.
9. A pitcher who does not have reliever listed on his card may not relieve and a pitcher without a starter rating on his card may not make a start.
10. A position player may not pitch.
11. A pitcher cannot be used as a starting designated hitter and cannot be used as a pinch hitter. A pitcher cannot bat unless he has come to the plate because of an injury to the DH or another injury that has caused the DH to play the field during the game. A pitcher can be inserted as a position player, and take an at bat, if the last player at a given position was pinch hit for in the 9^th inning and the game goes into extra innings. But the pitcher may be inserted only if there are no other position players available. Pitchers will use the pitcher's hitting cards they earned during the MLB season.
12. BRASS uses the pitch count feature.
13. No team may exceed 213 total sacrifices in a given season. The number is exactly 150% of the modern-day record for American League sacrifices after the adoption of the DH. The record is 142, by Gene Mauch’s 1979 Minnesota Twins. This number was used as it most closely simulates today’s BRASS League, where we use the DH like the American League does. The rule exists to address instances were teams were using wholesale sacrifice bunt attempts as method of stretching plate appearances, often regardless of the game situation or player. The sacrifice restriction hopefully reinforces the BRASS ideal that each team be played strictly to win at all times, while still permitting the manager who prefers to employs the sacrifice bunt strategy as a runner-advancement strategy to use it liberally.

1. Both owners must report trades to the L.D. via e-mail. In order to avoid misunderstandings, the best reports are those that are brief and simply report the transaction to which the two teams just agreed. The report should feature the names of the BRASS teams who agreed, the first and last names of the players who were traded, the specific year, owning team and round of any draft selections traded and specific financial agreements (if they differ from the league defaults). A simple, brief recounting of the deal to the L.D., copying the other trade party so he can confirm it, works best. Please don’t forward the entire e-mail correspondence history of the trade as a report.
2. In-season trades must be reported by midnight on the 15th of the month in order to have the trade take effect by the following month.
3. Off-season trades must be reported as soon as they are made.
4. The in-season trade deadline, for trading between the two Leagues is midnight, December 17.
5. The in-season trade deadline for trading within each League is midnight, January 17.
6. No trading is permitted during the period of time between midnight on February 25 and the receipt of the free agency signings report from the L.D..
7. A traded player's new team takes on financial responsibility for all remaining months and years of his contract. Use the information below to determine what percentage of the current year's contract for which you would be liable if you acquired a player during given points in the league's accounting year.

- in all off-season deals (February 25 - August 25) teams pay 100% of current year's salary.

- if a trade takes effect for October's games, teams pay 83.33% (5 months out of 6) of the current year's contract

- if a trade takes effect for November's games, teams pay 66.67% (4 months out of 6) of the current year's contract

- if a trade takes effect for December's games, teams pay 50.00% (3 months out of 6) of the current year's contract

- if a trade takes effect for January's games, teams pay 33.33% (2 months out of 6) of the current year's contract

- if a trade takes effect for February's games, teams pay 16.67% (1 months out of 6) of the current year's contract

These are the default contract liabilities. Trading teams may negotiate any different contract payment arrangements they wish as part of a trade.

8. For players who are traded and whose contracts are being paid by another team (those with "-pd." as part of their contract strings), the default situation is that neither the trading team nor the receiving team incurs an expense or receives a contract reimbursement.
9. You may trade money and draft picks, but cannot enter into an agreement to trade next year's money, whether implied or announced, or arranged as part of a future trade.
10. Amateur players are eligible to be traded.
11. No trade can be made involving any players to be named later, whether the deal is announced as such or arranged as part of a future trade.
12. You may sell a player, but you may not loan a player.
13. You may trade ballparks if you wish. You may trade them even up or in combination with money, players or draft picks.
14. An appeal may be made to the Executive Committee if any owner thinks a trade should be nullified because it is unfair.
15. The Executive Committee must vote unanimously to overturn a trade and should only vote to overturn a trade that will absolutely not benefit one owner at present or in the future.
16. A team may trade draft selections but must retain a total of four draft choices in the first five rounds between the current year's draft and the next year's draft.
17. A team may not trade draft selections for any drafts other than the upcoming draft and the one after it.
18. No team may benefit from trading a draft pick that occurs after their last pick in a given Draft. For example, a team is not entitled to trade a sixth round draft pick if it stopped drafting in the fifth round. A team is not permitted to trade something it does not own, even if it expected to be drafting past the sixth round at the time of the trade. If a team finds itself in this position, it must either: 1) trade places with the team who owns their sixth pick, 2) pass on the fifth round selection and make their final pick in the seventh, or 3) use the fifth round pick but release a player and select another one sometime after the sixth round pick they traded.
19. If a team has a trade need or a player it wishes to advertise, the most common method is to e-mail the league’s membership directly.
20. New league members may not trade until they are announced as a new league member.

Here is a brief detailing of the type of information you must send to the L.D. & League Statistician each month and the deadline by which it must be sent.

1. By the 15^th of each in-season month, you must report any trades to the L.D. and send your series results report (a boxscore, play-by-play and team stats report for both teams) to the League Statistician and Backup Statistician.
2. By the 25^th of August through January, you must send the L.D. a report listing the starting pitchers for the upcoming month's schedule of games, incorporating the required rest for each pitcher between starts that the game company's rules call for.
3. The 25^th of each month is also the deadline for the submission to the L.D. of any newsletter articles you would like published; any trade wire listings you wish to see published, and any contract signing announcements you may have.

There are two types of e-mailings to opponents, mailing CM’s to the commish and posting the results of your home series. Detailed below are the requirements for posting series results….

1. All series will be reported as game results and uploaded directly to the website.
2. Computer players should be sure to save a copy of the box scores/PAC/scoresheet files as well as the subset stats reports from each series each month in case a replay is necessary or in case the mailing doesn't make it to the intended party.
3. The deadline for a. or b. is midnight on the 15th of the month in which the games were scheduled to be played.
4. If you are late with the upload you incur a late filing penalty. League on-time record is the primary tie-breaker for many league ties, and accurate maintenance of on-time records is essential to employing this tie-breaker fairly. Late mailings will be recorded religiously and accurately by the league.

A BRASS League member will also be mailing out road instructions to the commish for the next month's games. The information below covers the requirements for sending out road instructions.

The L.D. is required to announce the following penalties if a league member is late with the mailings that are due on the 15^th or the 25th of a given month in-season month.

In addition, there are fines attached to late mailings to. Any league member should report the receipt of a late mailing for which a fine has not yet appeared in the newsletter. The reports must be used to tabulate accurate on-time mailing records for the league's members.

6. A "nuisance" fine of $400,000 is incurred whenever a league member forces the League Director or Statistician to spend additional time, effort or money to remedy a problem caused by the inattention or neglect of the league member. Some examples include:

• causing them to ask for information he was supposed to receive in the first place (ie. the "little things" that are small enough to not incur a full incomplete or late mailing fine like no starter listed for a given day in a pitching rotation report, a series results mailing that is incomplete or formatted incorrectly, or other similar oversights)
• causing the L.D. to have to re-compile or re-enter player or team stats that are now incorrect due to a replay which was caused by the given league member's inattention
• other time-, effort- or money-wasting incidents at the discretion of the League Director

The League Director's discretion will be guided by the concept that "nobody is perfect", but that his and other Administrative Team members considerable contributions to the League should not include having their time and efforts diminished or wasted by league members who fail to provide the basic information they are supposed to provide for them to be able to do their jobs.

6. If a league member incurs two nuisance fines in the same year he may not participate in the Bonus Round of The Draft that year.
7. If a league member incurs four nuisance fines in the same year or a total of six over any consecutive seasons, he may be expelled from the league at the sole discretion of the L.D. If a league member totals six nuisance fines in a single season or ten over any two consecutive seasons, he is automatically expelled.

1. The six division winners qualify for the Playoffs, as does a wild card team from each league. The wild card entry to the Playoffs is awarded to the team in each league with the best regular season record who is not a division-winner.
2. The Playoffs begin as soon as possible after the regular season ends.
3. In each league, the opening Playoff series are called the Division Series. There are two Division Series in each league. They are best-of-seven series. One Division Series in each league will feature the team with the best record among that league's playoff teams versus the team with the worst. The teams with second and third best records play in the other series. The team with the better record gets home field advantage. The series are played in a 2-3-2 format with the home field team hosting the 2-game sets.
4. The winners of the Division Series in each league meet in the respective League Championship Series. Each series is again best-of-seven, played in a 2-3-2 format. The team with the home field advantage is the team with the best record in each series.
5. The winners of the two League Championship Series meet in the BRASS World Series. The World Series is also played in a best-of-seven, 2-3-2 format. Again the team with the best record hosts the series.
6. There is considered to be two rest days between the final day of the regular season and the beginning of the Playoffs. There are also two rest days between the Division Series and the League Championship Series and also between the LCS's and the World Series.
7. For pitcher usage purposes, there are two travel days during each post-season series, one each after Games 2 and 5.
8. The roster requirements for post-season roster composition is the same as the regular season requirements for the first five months of the regular season.
9. Starting pitchers need to have made 20 Major League Baseball (MLB) starts or more to start 2 games in a BRASS playoff series (if he is an asterisk starter, then he may pitch 3 games as long as he has 3 days off between starts). Starting pitchers making 15 to 19 MLB starts may start 1 BRASS playoff game per series. Starting Pitchers with fewer then 15 MLB starts cannot be started in BRASS playoff games. Starting pitchers may be used as relievers in the post-season. Unless indicated otherwise on their cards, they will have a (1) endurance, can pitch no more than three innings per game, and cannot enter a game before the completion of the 5^th inning unless the opposing team puts the potential fifth run on base prior to the completion of the 5^th inning.
10. Relievers with 45 or more MLB innings may relieve regularly using regular SOM relief rules. Relievers with 40-44 MLB innings are only allowed to pitch 1 inning max per game except for 1 game where they are not limited to the 1 inning. Relievers with less than 40 MLB innings are only allowed to pitch 1 inning max per game.
11. Batters who had 450 MLB PA's (400 for catchers) are unlimited for playoff usage.
12. Batters with 400-449 PA's (350-399 for catchers) are allowed to start 5 games per series. He may pinch hit once in the other games or enter any game for good, from the 8th inning on (7th inning if used as a defensive replacement). To be used as a defensive replacement he must be better then the guy he is replacing.
13. Batters with 350-399 PA's (300-349 for catchers) are allowed to start 4 games per series. He may pinch hit once in the other games or enter any game for good, from the 8th inning on (7th inning if used as a defensive replacement). To be used as a defensive replacement he must be better then the guy he is replacing.
14. Batters with 300-349 PA's (250-299 for catchers) are allowed to start 3 games per series. He may pinch hit once in the other games or enter any game for good, from the 8th inning on (7th inning if used as a defensive replacement). To be used as a defensive replacement he must be better then the guy he is replacing.
15. Batters with 250-299 PA's (200-249 for catchers) are allowed to start 2 games per series. He may pinch hit once in the other games or enter any game for good, from the 8th inning on (7th inning if used as a defensive replacement). To be used as a defensive replacement he must be better then the guy he is replacing.
16. Batters with 200-249 PA's (150-199 for catchers) are allowed to start 1 game per series. He may pinch hit once in the other games or enter any game for good, from the 8th inning on (7th inning if used as a defensive replacement). To be used as a defensive replacement he must be better then the guy he is replacing.
17. Batters with less then 200 PA’s (149 for catchers) would only be available to pinch hit once each game or enter any game for good, from the 8th inning on (7th inning if used as a defensive replacement). To be used as a defensive replacement he must be better then the guy he is replacing.
18. An exception is made to section q. above, allowing a player to appear regularly in the post-season, if he was the portion of a platoon that played vs. left-handed pitchers during the season, has more than 300 PA's (200 for catchers) allotted to him, but just didn't see enough lefties to gain the necessary plate appearance minimum. The player qualifies for this exception only if he is used in the same role as he was used in the BRASS regular season.
19. For a player to be eligible for post-season he must have had at least 35 PA or 15 IP in the MLB season on which is card was based and either have been signed to a major league contract by December 26th (the day after the signing deadline for January games) or be on a MTM contract and have been activated for at least 1 month by December 26th (the day after the signing deadline for January games).
20. The playoff series should be played face-to-face whenever possible to provide greater fun and to eliminate the possibility of unsatisfactory interpretation of road instructions.
21. If two opponents cannot agree on whether a series is to be played face-to-face, over the phone or through the mail, they should consider a mutually agreeable third party or the League Director to play the series.
22. If the games are played by mail, and you encounter any ambiguous instructions during the series, place a telephone call to your opponent to clear it up. Every attempt must be made during these series to play the games as the opposing manager intended.
23. A copy of the game boxscores, play-by-play and series stats must be sent to the L.D. to keep as a league record.

1. The L.D. does not have the authority to change or implement new rules regarding the playing of league games.
2. As part of the off-season activities, each owner will be given the opportunity to send in suggested changes in rules or procedures for a league vote. The suggestions should be written in such a way that they can be voted on as they are suggested. This is called the league changes process and changes are approved or rejected as part of the league changes balloting process. The suggestions or ballot items should be sent by midnight, February 25.
3. League members should strongly consider introducing topics of some significance during the course of the season in the form of a newsletter article. A better decision can be reached on your idea for league change if league members have had a chance to think about it or write about it in a newsletter. And since BRASS pays it's league members for newsletter articles, there is still more reason to approach the league changes process in this manner.
4. A league voting process on any suggested changes will take place soon after the ballot items are submitted. The results will be reported by April 15.
5. A majority of league voters is required to approve or change rules and for significant constitutional changes.
6. Since league changes also potentially affect the amount of time and effort which the League Director is required to put forth to execute his responsibilities to the league, it may be a good idea to introduce the idea to the League Director as well for his comments and impressions. Any league change is best accomplished with the support and involvement of the league's chief administrator.
7. The L.D. will undoubtedly be called on to make rulings and decisions during the year on issues, league procedures, or other league business which is either not clearly detailed in the constitution or which was not anticipated at the time of the league changes voting process. In these cases, the L.D. will make decisions which are consistent with league ideals, which are fair, and which are consistent with the concept of the smooth operation of the league. He will also need to assess and revise the administrative rules of the league as appropriate.

1. The L.D. will determine the player and pitcher of the month and report it in the league's monthly newsletters. Feel free to point out those players who had a good month so the L.D. will not miss anyone.
2. Player of the Year, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, and the GM of the Year will be voted on in March for both the Silver and Gold Leagues.
3. All-Star ballots will go out in the November newsletter, and will be due back by December 15.
4. The All-Star Game will be played at a different owner's park each year, alternating between the two leagues.
5. The All-Star teams, and game scoresheet will be reported in the December newsletter, and if possible, the game will be played by the owner whose park is hosting the game.
6. The winning manager in any post-season series selects the Series MVP.
7. The "Frank Toy Award" is earned by the Silver League owner who is voted the Silver League General Manager of the Year each season. Frank was a friend and set an excellent example of an ideal BRASS colleague before passing away during his BRASS tenure.

In the BRASS League, we hold maximum effort for our home opponents as a high League ideal. If everyone gives consistent effort in this regard, a team should perform to approximately the same degree above or below average at home as they do on the road. Knowing that the dissatisfaction with the lack of reliable road results and the lack of honest effort on the part of opponents are two problems which can ruin a league, the BRASS League uses the program detailed below to encourage and reward the honest effort at home which leads to small home/road discrepancies.

At the end of each season, the L.D. will figure out the BRASS League average of the discrepancy between home and road records and express it in terms of the number of games difference. As an example, let's say that the average BRASS team won 8.3 more games at home than on the road in a given season.

After determining the League average, the L.D. will list those teams whose home/road discrepancy was lower than this average. He will then establish the range of discrepancy over which awards will be given by using the League average as one end of the scale and using the games of home/road discrepancy for the team with the least discrepancy as the other end. He will then divide the range into fifths and issue the appropriate cash awards for the range into which a team falls.

The following example illustrates this method.

Here are the teams who had smaller discrepancies than the League average of 8.3 and the method used to determine the award ranges.

Team 12 : + 7 games

Team 20 : + 4 games The League Average = + 8.3

Team 4 : + 4 games The smallest discrepancy = - 5

Team 17 : + 2 games

Team 10 : even The range over which awards are given = 13.3

Team 8 : - 1 games Dividing the award range into fifths = 2.66 per range

Team 23 : - 5 games

The award ranges are therefore: And the teams who fall in the award ranges are therefore:

Award Range #1: - 5.00 gms to - 2.34 gms : Team 23 (-5 gms)

Award Range #2: - 2.33 gms to + 0.32 gms : Team 10 (even), Team 8 (-1 gms)

Award Range #3: + 0.33 gms to + 2.98 gms : Team 17 (+2 gms)

Award Range #4: + 2.99 gms to + 5.64 gms : Team 20 (+4 gms), Team 4 (+4 gms)

Award Range #5: + 5.65 gms to + 8.30 gms : Team 12 (+7 gms)

The cash awards per range are as follows, each year:

Award Range #1: $3,000,000

Award Range #2: $2,500,000

Award Range #3: $2,000,000

Award Range #4: $1,500,000

Award Range #5: $1,000,000

1. If possible, the league should maintain a list of backup managers so that if there is any manager turnover in the league, the replacement manager can step in immediately.
2. The L.D. will be responsible for organizing and conducting the activities related to securing candidates for backup, replacement or expansion managers.
3. Each applicant will be required to submit a BRASS League Application Form in order to be considered for admission. The applicant may also wish to include facts or other information that is relevant to his candidacy.
4. The L.D. will approve or deny candidates for admission into the BRASS League and inform the league's membership promptly whenever a new backup owner or replacement owner has been added.
5. The backup owner list will be maintained and franchises awarded in order of the date of the receipt of the applicant's BRASS League Application Form.
6. The current league members should always be aware of people they know whom they are sure would be good BRASS League members and recommend them for the application process. Known quantities are less risky, in general.
7. Once awarded backup manager status, a new manager can also become a BRASS Associate Manager. An associate manager receives all in-season, monthly mailings and can "stay on top of the league." The league and the associate manager can make a more smooth transition between owners this way. A newly-selected backup manager can become an associate manager by declaring his intent and paying a $5.00 fee.
8. If the league decides to expand, it will offer expansion franchises in order of backup owner priority number.

During the season, the key dates to remember are the 15th and the 25th. Each of these dates is the last possible date by which you must send required information to avoid fines. Please don't use these dates as the target dates for your mailings. With the fines attached to late mailings in BRASS, it's too risky.

If you finish playing the games or have all the information ready to mail to the L.D. or other league member in a given month, please send it out before these deadlines. There is no reason to delay a mailing that another person is waiting to receive. A brief description of your mailing responsibilities and deadline dates follow:

• report all trades to the L.D. which will take effect for September’s games

• master rosters will be distributed to the league’s membership for use in playing the league season with synchronized rosters, and employing a centralized, automated statistical tabulation system

• starting pitcher rotation for September’s games due to the L.D.
• newsletter article submission (if any) due to the L.D.
• notification of contract signings, especially month-to-month contracts, to take effect for September games (if any) due to the L.D.
• road instructions for September games due to road opponents

• series results mailings (a boxscore, play-by-play and team stats report for both teams) due to September home opponents, League Statistician and Backup League Statistician
• report all trades to the L.D. which will take effect for October’s games

• the latest master rosters and master statistical files will be distributed to the league’s membership for use in playing October’s games

• starting pitcher rotation for October’s games due to the L.D.
• newsletter article submission (if any) due to the L.D.
• notification of contract signings, especially month-to-month contracts, to take effect for October games (if any) due to the L.D.
• road instructions for October's games due to road opponents

• series results mailings (a boxscore, play-by-play and team stats report for both teams) due to October home opponents, League Statistician and Backup League Statistician
• report all trades to the L.D. which will take effect for November’s games

• the latest master rosters and master statistical files will be distributed to the league’s membership for use in playing November’s games

• starting pitcher rotation for November’s games due to the L.D.
• newsletter article submission (if any) due to the L.D.
• notification of contract signings, especially month-to-month contracts, to take effect for November games (if any) due to the L.D.
• road instructions for November's games due to road opponents

• series results mailings (a boxscore, play-by-play and team stats report for both teams) due to November home opponents, League Statistician and Backup League Statistician
• report all trades to the L.D. which will take effect for December’s games

• the latest master rosters and master statistical files will be distributed to the league’s membership for use in playing December’s games

• starting pitcher rotation for December’s games due to the L.D.
• newsletter article submission (if any) due to the L.D.
• notification of contract signings, especially month-to-month contracts, to take effect for December games (if any) due to the L.D.
• road instructions for December's games due to road opponents

• series results mailings (a boxscore, play-by-play and team stats report for both teams) due to December home opponents, League Statistician and Backup League Statistician
• All-Star ballot due to the L.D.

• report all trades to the L.D. which will take effect for January’s games
• deadline for trades to be made between Gold and Silver League teams which would take effect during the current season

• the latest master rosters and master statistical files will be distributed to the league’s membership for use in playing January’s games

• starting pitcher rotation for January’s games due to the L.D.
• newsletter article submission (if any) due to the L.D.
• notification of contract signings, especially month-to-month contracts, to take effect for January games (if any) due to the L.D.
• road instructions for January's games due to road opponents

• series results mailings (a boxscore, play-by-play and team stats report for both teams) due to January home opponents, League Statistician and Backup League Statistician

• report all trades to the L.D. which will take effect for February’s games
• deadline for trades to be made between teams from the same League (Gold or Silver) which would take effect during the current season

• the latest master rosters and master statistical files will be distributed to the league’s membership for use in playing February’s games

• starting pitcher rotation for February’s games due to the L.D.
• deadline for announcement of contract extensions (if any) to the L.D.
• newsletter article submission (if any) due to the L.D.
• notification of contract signings to take effect for February games, especially month-to-month and minor-major contracts, (if any) due to the L.D.
• road instructions for February's games due to road opponents

• series results mailings (a boxscore, play-by-play and team stats report for both teams) due to February home opponents, League Statistician and Backup League Statistician

• trade report and trade wire listing (if any) due to the L.D.
• newsletter article submission (if any) due to the L.D.
• notification of contract signings for all players on a minor league or amateur contract due to the L.D.
• notification of any players you wish to cut from your organization due to the L.D.
• new ballpark claims or changes due to the L.D.
• next years dues are due to the L.D.
• send any proposals you wish to make for rules or league change…remember to word them clearly and in such a way as to permit a yes or no response

a. Contract Mailings, Roster Cuts, League Dues, Rules Change Proposals

DEADLINE: sent by February 25

TO WHOM: the League Director

• Send a listing of any minor leaguers whom you desire and are permitted to sign to major league contract. Report any players whom you wish to cut from your organization. Send a check or money order for next year's dues. Any player’s contract that is not advised of to the commish will be renewed automatically.
• Send any proposals you wish to make for rules or league change. Remember to word them clearly and in such a way as to permit a yes or no response.

b. Free Agent List, Contract and Cut Report, Awards Ballot, Rules Change Ballot

DEADLINE: sent by March 15

TO WHOM: all BRASS League members (from the L.D.)

• The L.D. will report any major league contract signings, roster cuts, provide a free agent list, and issue both the post-season awards ballot, and the rules change ballot.

c. Sealed Bids, Awards Ballot, Rules Change Ballot Due

DEADLINE: sent by March 25

TO WHOM: the League Director

• Send your sealed bids for restricted and unrestricted free agents, your post-season awards ballot, and your rules change ballot. (NOTE: The sealed bids deadline may be adjusted from year to year depending on the circumstances surrounding the completion of the free agency process.)

d. Free Agent Signings Report, Awards Report, Rules Change Report

DEADLINE: sent by April 15

TO WHOM: all BRASS League members (from the L.D.)

• The L.D. will report the results of the free agent signings, post-season awards winners, and the results of the rules change balloting. (NOTE: The free agent signings deadline may be adjusted from year to year depending on the circumstances surrounding the completion of the free agency process.)

e. The Draft (and related deadlines)

• The chat room portion The Draft is held on the second Saturday in May at 12:00 pm (noon) Eastern time. The e-mail portion of the draft begins in late-April, at 7 pm Eastern time, on the Friday which is 15 days prior to the second Saturday in May. The e-mail portion of The Draft lasts for exactly two weeks and concludes at 7 pm Eastern time on the Friday before the second Saturday in May. The 30-man protected lists will be due to be submitted to The Draft Conductor at least five days prior to beginning of the e-mail portion of The Draft.

f. Draftee Contract Signings Due

DEADLINE: sent within 7 days after The Draft

TO WHOM: the League Director

• Send your list of contract signings for the newly-drafted members of your team.

g. Draftee Contracts Report, Secondary Free Agency List

DEADLINE: sent by May 31

TO WHOM: all BRASS League members (from the L.D.)

• The L.D. will report the contract signings of each team's draftees and list the carded players who are available in the secondary free agency process.

h. Secondary Free Agent Contract Bids

DEADLINE: sent by June 15

TO WHOM: the League Director

• Send any bids you may wish to make on any of the secondary free agents.

Penalty Incurred For

$400,000 fine nuisance fine (same amount for all occurrences in league year)

$400,000 fine first late mailing to any league member

$500,000 fine failing to report stats in an acceptable format

$800,000 fine second late mailing to any league member

$1,000,000 fine first occurrence of late mailing to L.D. or Statistician

$1,000,000 fine using too many active players in a given month

$1,000,000 fine (+$200,000/day) failing to meet the Feb. 25, March 25, April 25 & draftee contract mailing deadlines

$1,200,000 fine third and all subsequent late mailings to any league member

$2,000,000 fine overusing a player by more than the 10 PA and 5 IP usage buffer

$2,000,000 fine second occurrence of late mailing to L.D. or Statistician

$3,000,000 fine (and loss of third occurrence of late mailing to L.D. or Statistician

2^nd Round Draft pick)

$4,000,000 fine (and loss of fourth occurrence of late mailing to L.D. or Statistician

3^rd Round Draft pick)

$4,000,000 fine fifth and all subsequent late mailings to L.D. or Statistician

possible expulsion (judgment of L.D.) fourth and all subsequent late mailings to L.D. or Statistician

possible expulsion (judgment of L.D.) fourth and all subsequent late mailings to any league member

These instructions are to be used for any series where the opposing owner has not sent you his instructions by the 5th of the month. These instructions do not favor the team who is being managed by them. It is obviously wise to avoid late road instructions mailings, since one's team will have a difficult time winning under these instructions.

You may choose to place a brief telephone call, before the 5th has passed, to find out if your opponent is having special difficulties in mailing out his road instructions and to ask when you might expect the instructions. But this

is not required.