Phillies.tk

This is an idea I’ve had for years now. I first thought it up when I went to see an arena football game (which is awesome, by the way). After the thrill of the game, I thought, It seems that everything is played indoors, nowadays. Except baseball. I wonder why not. I should do that. Yes, that is how I think. Choppy. Just like this paragraph. Anyways, after some revisions (and after I lost it in my room a bunch of times), and a year later, this is what I came up with.  EDIT: I made an Arena model on Google SketchUp.

Arena Baseball Constitution

• The game is played in a basketball/hockey/arena football/indoor lacrosse (ANYTHING) arena, and the field is 166 by 85 feet. The “grass” part of the field is simulated by AstroTurf (or any suitable variant), and actual dirt is used for the infield. Whether the dirt covers the bases or the whole infield is up to the home team.
• There is a big wall at the end of the arena where the outfield is made out of a very bouncy fabric, allowing the ball to bounce off. the top of the wall ends with the first “deck” of seats. Balls hit off of it are in play, and the ones that go over it, obviously, are homers. Every other wall around the field are only 10 feet tall. Balls hit outside of them are foul.
• The distance between the bases is changed a bit, as well. Home to first and third to home is 90 feet (same as a regulation MLB diamond); first to second and second to third are only 75 feet each. (This will allow for way more stolen bases than the outdoor game).
• Balls in play in the outfield can only be touched by the outfielder whose section the ball is in. This rule no longer applies once the ball hits the ground. Noncompliance of this rule results in a free base, whether the ball was caught or not. (I did this rule after seeing replays of the Utley/Rowand smash and the Carlos Beltran/Mike Cameron collision a few years back).
• Dugouts are foul.
• Balls are wrapped looser than regular baseballs (This is done to reduce the huge amount of home runs that will inevitably happen in the game).
• Wooden bats only. It’s size may be no larger than 37″, and must weigh between 20 and 30 oz.
• Pine tar (and anything similar) are prohibited. Violation results in a fine by the league (I did this to prevent incidents like the Kenny Rogers ball in the playoffs this past season). This is the only way to prevent things like this, batters must suffer as well, unfortunately.

• If a game ends after 9 innings with both teams tied, up to five more innings may be played. If still tied, a three-on-three home run derby will be played. If neither team hits a homerun (or hit the same amount) a tiebreaker scenario occurs in this order:
  • most hits
  • fewest errors
  • most pitching K’s
  • fewest pitching K’s
  • first team to score
• If an illegal object is found on the field, the game ends immediately with the away team awarded enough runs (if necessary) to surpass the home team by one run. however, if the object is determined to be from the away team, this rule applies for the home team.
• The season is 150 games and runs from November to February.
• An allstar team is named halfway through the season with players from both leagues. Players, coaches, and league staff all get to cast votes.
• Two allstar teams (one per league) are named after the postseason and play in one game at the conclusion of the championship. The game is the feature event at the so-called “all-star week”. Every event is hosted by the league’s worst team recordwise. Four events are played in a period of seven days, including:
  • A minor league allstar game
  • A homerun derby (roundrobin tourney between one player from every team competing until one is left. Each player receives 10 pitches in a round).
  • Pitching contest (ten players from both leagues compete to see who can throw the most strikes in 20 pitches. Similar to the homerun derby).
  • And, of course, the major league allstar game.
• Fans (weight of five), players, coaches, and league staff (weight of three), and certain members of the media (weight of two) all are eligible to cast votes for the allstar game.
• Rosters have 25 men, with anywhere from 10 to 14 pitchers. Summer Training (the ABL equivalent of Spring Training) has 30 men under contract, five unsigned, restricted free agents that played with the team in the past season, and 20 minor leaguers.
• Players must be at least 20 years old at the start of the season to be under a major league contract (A major league contract ensures that the player will be in the majors by the conclusion of the contract. Unlike the MLB counterpart, the pay is not split up differently).
• If a player has been in the league for 5 accumulative years (750 games) over his career, he can have teams bid for his rights after a contract is finished. This option is decided by the player, and the player only. Bidding price is separate from contract salary.
• If a player leaves the ABL to play elsewhere, his ABL team retains his rights for five seasons.
• the ABL allows trades with teams from other leagues. The team can trade with any professional team in the world, be it the Yankees, the Yomiuri Giants, or the Amsterdam Pirates, as long as the player fits under the salary cap, or agrees to restructure his contract to fit under the cap. This is done to allow better competition in the league.
• There is a salary cap of $470,000 for the major leagues. No cap for the minors.
• “Family Dynasty Rule”- If a former player’s son is eligible for the draft, both the father’s first club and the son can opt to be taken by that club in the first round. If either party (the team or the player) declines, said player can not be taken by the club at any time in the draft.
• There is one level of minor leagues. Minor league franchises can be shared between two major league teams,though this is not enforced.
• There is a draft for amateur players two months before Opening Day. Minor league rosters must have 20 players signed by opening day and 30 players by December (one month into the season). The draft must go at least 10 rounds, but can not go longer than 30 rounds.
• The ABL Hall of Fame will be instituted in April 2030 in Philadelphia (the biggest city near the game’s “birthplace”). Requirements for every class:
  • 5 seasons in the ABL (4 years starting)
  • The player must be a member of a team’s Hall of Fame.
  • If a player has been suspended accumulatively for 100 games or more, he is ineligible for entry.
  • An alternative requirement: the player was drafted and played in the ABL or ABL minor leagues, but starred in another league.
• Unrestricted “tradeables”:
  • All major league contract players in second year or later of contract. (If a player’s contract length is only one year, the player is untradeable).
  • Major league veterans (5+ years)
  • Draft picks after round two.
• Restricted “tradeables”:
  • Major league veterans (2-4 years) [Penalty: team pays 50% of remaining contract]
  • Draft picks in rounds one and two [Penalty: team loses last two stated draft picks (usually round 9 and later)]
  • Cash [Penalty: for every dollar traded, the sending team’s cap decreases by $1, and the receiving team’s cap increases by $1.
• “Untradeables”:
  • Major league rookies
  • Major leaguers on a one year contract

I’ll probably organize this better later.