Let's start with Crew and Primaries. This year's draft will employ a secret Crew & Primary pick. That is, until the UEFL draft is complete, all Crew and Primary draft picks shall remain secret (posts will remain unscreened or "in moderation"). Here are some additional Guidelines for Crew and Primary draft choices:
CREW: SECTION 2. Prior to the beginning of the year’s regular season, and during the spring training period of the pre-season, each member of the league shall select one MLB crew chief to serve as UEFL crew chief. See Also: Rule 3.
a. This round shall be conducted privately. Accordingly, two UEFL members may, by chance, pick the same umpire.
b. In the event of injury to the designated crew chief, the replacement umpire shall be whoever is appointed by MLB to replace the injured umpire as crew chief or acting crew chief of his MLB crew.
c. Although a member may select a non-MLB crew chief during this round, it is highly recommended that a crew chief be selected.
PRIMARY: SECTION 3. After or concurrent with the crew round, each member of the league shall select one umpire they believe will compile the most league points at the end of the postseason. Spring training and the All-Star Game do not count toward an individual umpire's points total. Primary umpires may be Triple A call-ups and may be the same umpire picked as UEFL Crew Chief.You may choose your Crew and Primary umpire draft picks by sending an e-mail to the Office of the UEFL Commissioner (recommended) or by replying to this post. Make sure you include your username, your Crew and/or your Primary umpire selection. You have until 11:59 PM Pacific Time on March 16 to submit your Primary umpire and you have until 11:59 PM Pacific Time on April 1 to submit your Crew selection. Umpires may be selected from the Umpire Roster / Stats page located on the UEFL Portal. Do not select a "Retired" umpire. Recall that MLB and AAA receive different base points for ejections (as defined in Rule 4) and that UEFL Crew Chiefs are on a different points schedule for their crew's ejections (Rule 3). If you have any questions about points, please e-mail the Office of the UEFL Commissioner.
a. This round shall be conducted privately. Accordingly, two UEFL members may, by chance, pick the same umpire.
(1) Primary umpires may be Triple A call-ups and may be the same as the umpire picked in SECTION 2 (crew round).
b. The primary umpire picked by one league member may be the same primary umpire of another member.
c. This process is conducted simultaneously and the primary umpire is submitted secretly, to ensure that no league member gains an unfair advantage by knowing any other member's primary umpire.
Because the 2012 MLB Umpire Crews have not been released as of the time of this post, you may submit your Primary and Crew selections separately. Though we will provide you with the Crew Listing as soon as crews are available, our contingency plan in case Crew Listings are not available by April 1 is to extend the Crew round until April 6, when most umpire crews will have been observed during MLB's various opening series (Opening Days range from April 4-6). If this occurs, all points accrued prior to the sixth will remain valid and selections will close at 11:59 PM Pacific Time on April 6. The UEFL will post a deadline extension notice if this is to occur. Primary umpires must be submitted by 11:59 PM March 16, regardless of the Crew listing situation.
As always, if you have any questions regarding any of these processes, please post here or send an e-mail to the Office of the UEFL Commissioner.