UEFL Draft 2012: Preparing for Umpire March Madness

Today is the last day of the Umpire Ejection Fantasy League's standard registration process (Click here for more information and to register for the UEFL). Standard registration will remain open until 11:59 PM Pacific Time tonight, March 5, 2012. Though registrations are "soft closed" at 11:59, registrations may be received after this date, but will be considered late and may result in a reduced roster of available umpires (e.g., Even though there may be Primary Draft overlap among on-time registrants, if only Brian Gorman and Mike Winters remain after the Primary draft, and a late sign-up takes place, that late signee may be limited to choosing between Gorman and Winters as a Primary umpire). Late registrants are automatically placed at the very end of the secondary draft order list, if applicable.

After standard registration is closed, the Office of the UEFL Commissioner will determine applicable secondary draft order assignments and distribute this to league members by March 9. As a reminder, it is recommended—yet not required—that UEFL members be placed on an e-mail list so that we may expeditiously communicate important site-related news, including UEFL draft order. If you haven't yet signed up and wish to be included, click here to e-mail the primary UEFL Commissioner, referencing your registration information for identification purposes.

Important: The official UEFL member roster is located on the UEFL Portal. If your username does not appear on this roster, we have not received your registration. Please resubmit via e-mail.

At the time of this post, 81 members have signed up for the 2012 UEFL season, an increase of 44 (119%) over last year. This includes 27 veterans and 54 rookies, a retention rate of 73%. More information after the jump:

• From here, the UEFL will open the Crew and Primary rounds of the draft on March 10, 2012. Because we have yet to gather information regarding the 2012 MLB Umpire Crew List, the Crew round will remain open indefinitely (likely until the conclusion of the Secondary draft). The Primary round will proceed as scheduled and is not affected by the Crew List. Reminder: Primary umpires may be MLB or AAA Fill-ins (AAA's receive an extra point per ejection). Refer to the Umpire Roster for umpire Level (MLB/AAA). Do not draft "Retired" umpires.
• After the Primary round closes on March 16, the Secondary round will commence on March 17. Because of the unique format of the 2012 Secondary Draft (explained below), it is highly recommended that UEFL'ers send an e-mail (see above link) containing a "wish list" of secondary draft selections, in order of preference. For instance: "My wish list... 1st choice: Mark Wegner and Todd Tichenor, 2nd choice: CB Bucknor and Jim Wolf, 3rd choice: Ed Hickox and Jim Wolf," etc. Reminder: Secondary umpires may not have AAA status (e.g., can't choose Angel Campos).
• Appeals Board nominations close on March 23, while Appeals Board voting takes place between March 24-30. For more information on the Appeals Board, click here to access the Portal.
• This "wish list" format is necessary because... the UEFL will offer a Live Secondary Draft for the first time. Though UEFL'ers voted down a mandatory live draft, we received a significant amount of votes in support of the live format. Therefore, this Live Secondary Draft is optional. For those participating in the Live Secondary Draft, RSVP is required (via e-mail or the Secondary Draft thread when it is created on March 17), and Crew Chief picks may be submitted at that time (if the crew list has been posted). We will use the draft order assigned by March 9. Because the non-live Secondary Draft will close a day before the Live Secondary Draft, a UEFL Commissioner will moderate and assign non-attending members their Secondary umpires based on availability and their "wish lists" when that member's name is next in the draft order.
• Important: The optional Live Secondary Draft will occur on April 1 (Sunday, Afternoon-Evening Time TBD). This is the off-day in the NCAA Tournament between the Final Four and Championship Game.
• On April 2, UEFL rosters and draft results will be posted, with April 3 the last day for approved roster changes (retirements, pre-season injuries).
• In the event that MLB Umpire Crews are still not available by Opening Day, the Crew Draft will remain open until 10:00 AM Pacific Time on Saturday, April 7. By then, UEFL'ers will have had a chance to observe at least 15 umpire crews as they work during MLB's Opening Weekend.

If you have any questions whatsoever, do not hesitate to e-mail us or post here.