I am sympathetic to your plight, but I agreed at the time that a change was warranted. One of the biggest complaints of past Classic seasons - by far - has been unplayed games. In response to that, we have listened, and for Classic Spring 08 halifax and I have made it a priority to address that issue. A slightly stricter stance was judged worthwhile, although we kept a multiple-checkpoint warning / probation concept so that people wouldn't be caught unaware.
It appears that you are a well-intentioned coach who is an unfortunate casualty of the replacement policy, and for that I apologize. I do have some suggestions for future seasons -
1) Make Classic games a priority. When eager replacement coaches are willing to make Classic League a top priority, but Classic games are less important to an existing coach than Capitalism of GDL games, that's a situation where a coach who is stretched thin might be better off making way for a wait list coach - who may be overjoyed and enthusiastic about getting a shot. Could be good for everyone.
2) Use email to set up games. Some people are hard to find "in real time" via IM, but email gives you a better shot.
3) Use the "Schedule a Game" forum to try to set things up, along with the PM feature of these boards. Doesn't take long, and is good advertising.
Hope that helps. Sorry about the situaton, but I look forward to seeing you coach in future seasons.
