Time Warp Prepares to Go Live
 

It's mid-1935 as I write this and I am still holding true to my promise to make Time Warp an online league after the end of the 1945 season, which signified the end of the WWII era when many TWB players will miss time in military service. That gives us just under 10 seasons to get prepared. My target date is still sometime in August, depending on how long the sims take me. I'm a bit bogged down at work for the next week or two, but I am still valiantly plugging away at the updates. The good news is that my family will go visit the in-laws for 2 weeks in late July, giving me ample time to sim what is needed at that time.

Now, I want to post some of my thoughts on the league as we plan to go online. I'll post my current thoughts on which ootp6 options will be used and I'll ask several questions about what you think is best.

Remember, the goal here is to mirror real life baseball history to a large degree, but allow for our own uniqueness. Franchises will move and stadiums will be built as they were IRL. But, I have some questions on some other issues pertaining to how closely we simulate history and how "fair" we want to make it for all owners.

For example, IRL the Yanks and Brewers have vastly different income levels. At the same time, Yankee Stadium's capacity of nearly 72,000 in 1937 is much greater than even Fenway's 35,000 or Wrigley's 40,000 at the time.

Questions for Discussion:

1) Should we stick with standard capacities for all stadiums (i.e. 45K) or go with more realistic numbers?

2) Should Market Size represent real city populations or be equal for all teams? I could set all capacities to 45K but let market sizes vary to mirror RL pop's during each era. Yes, I have pop. totals for each era.

**In other words, do we try to emulate RL as much as possible, or do we strive for equal footing for all teams where finances are concerned?


Anticipated League Settings:

**Some of these are debatable, as I am just posting my initial thoughts.

Financials - Off until 70's

Coach/Scout - Off

Ratings/Talents/Others - 1-10

Salary Cap - None. But with financials turned off, should there be some kind of way to monitor salaries & promote some player movement? Or should we just let teams stockpile players & trade whatever they want?

Cash Max - Not sure yet, but I'll probably go with 20-30 mill. Although if there's enough support, I could even go with 10 if people think it will help promote player movement. If we don't use this in any way until financials come on, I will reset all teams to $0 cash beginning with the first season that has free agency.

Roster Size - 25

EDIT: 40-Man - Yes, beginning in 1946.

EDIT: Waivers - Yes

EDIT: Minor Lg Option Yrs - Yes

EDIT: Rule V Draft - Yes, beginning in 1946.

Salary Arb - Yes, after financials are on.

Minor Lg Free Agents - Yes. We should have a large stockpile of minor leaguers by then. But this may be something that remains up in the air until the 70's.

Engine - new v6 engine (DIPS)

Player Eval - Default 40/35/17/8

Home Field - Enabled

Injuries - Currently set to High because I think it's more realistic. I am willing to take suggestions here, but we may stick with High for a few seasons to see how it goes.

Fatigue - On

EDIT: Ammy Draft - 3 rounds, Pre-Season. Based strictly on W/L record from previous season. Worst team in AL goes first every odd year, NL in even. Same goes for tiebreakers where teams from different leagues have same record.

EDIT: Signing Bonuses - On




New Ancestor Signup - No restrictions other than the same ones currently in place. However, once we go live in '46, I'll be more strict on their ratings. They'll be ranked in order of the date they were posted. The oldest ones get the best players. In other words, say ootp generates 2 5-star, 4 4.5 star and 6 4-star prospects to start the draft. If we have 7 new ancestors, they won't all be 5-stars, but 2 will likely be 5-stars, and the other 5 will be mixed betw. 4.5 and 4 stars.



Once Financials Come On - Some switches will be flipped as noted above (i.e. Salary Arbitration, etc). Cash on hand edited to $0 for all teams. Fan Interest edited to 65 for all teams.

**Or should Fan Interest reflect the team's performance over the past, say, 10 seasons? I could come up w/ a method if it was something owners wanted.

Answers in line

Questions for Discussion:

1) Should we stick with standard capacities for all stadiums (i.e. 45K) or go with more realistic numbers?

I'd go with actual stadium capacity

2) Should Market Size represent real city populations or be equal for all teams? I could set all capacities to 45K but let market sizes vary to mirror RL pop's during each era. Yes, I have pop. totals for each era.

Real

**In other words, do we try to emulate RL as much as possible, or do we strive for equal footing for all teams where finances are concerned?


Anticipated League Settings:

**Some of these are debatable, as I am just posting my initial thoughts.

Financials - Off until 70's Agreed

Coach/Scout - Off Agreed

Ratings/Talents/Others - 1-10 Agreed

Salary Cap - None. But with financials turned off, should there be some kind of way to monitor salaries & promote some player movement? Or should we just let teams stockpile players & trade whatever they want?

Let em stockpile & trade

Cash Max - Not sure yet, but I'll probably go with 20-30 mill. Although if there's enough support, I could even go with 10 if people think it will help promote player movement. If we don't use this in any way until financials come on, I will reset all teams to $0 cash beginning with the first season that has free agency.

Roster Size - 25 agreed

40-Man - Yes, once financials are turned on. Agreed

Waivers - No not sure on this one when did waivers take effect in RL?

Minor Lg Option Yrs - No. Maybe we will turn this on when this actually started happening IRL (1980's?). I have that info somewhere. Just have to find it.

Agreed

Rule V Draft - Yes, once financials are on. May wait until date it actually started being used. Although, I'm not too concerned w/ being exact on the start date of smaller stuff like this.

Agreed
Salary Arb - Yes, after financials are on.
Agreed
Minor Lg Free Agents - Yes. We should have a large stockpile of minor leaguers by then. But this may be something that remains up in the air until the 70's.
mid 70's
Engine - new v6 engine (DIPS)
Yes
Player Eval - Default 40/35/17/8
Agreed
Home Field - Enabled
Agreed
Injuries - Currently set to High because I think it's more realistic. I am willing to take suggestions here, but we may stick with High for a few seasons to see how it goes.
Agreed
Fatigue - On
Agreed
Ammy Draft - 3 rounds, Pre-Season. Does MLB make WS teams always last like the NFL or does it go strictly by W/L record?
only 3?
Signing Bonuses - Off, until possibly the 80's/90's
Agreed



New Ancestor Signup - No restrictions other than the same ones currently in place. However, once we go live in '46, I'll be more strict on their ratings. They'll be ranked in order of the date they were posted. The oldest ones get the best players. In other words, say ootp generates 2 5-star, 4 4.5 star and 6 4-star prospects to start the draft. If we have 7 new ancestors, they won't all be 5-stars, but 2 will likely be 5-stars, and the other 5 will be mixed betw. 4.5 and 4 stars.
Agreed


Once Financials Come On - Some switches will be flipped as noted above (i.e. 40-Man Roster, etc). Cash on hand edited to $0 for all teams. Fan Interest edited to 65 for all teams.

**Or should Fan Interest reflect the team's performance over the past, say, 10 seasons? I could come up w/ a method if it was something owners wanted.
Yes reflect performance

1) Should we stick with standard capacities for all stadiums (i.e. 45K) or go with more realistic numbers?
The actual stadium

2) Should Market Size represent real city populations or be equal for all teams? I could set all capacities to 45K but let market sizes vary to mirror RL pop's during each era. Yes, I have pop. totals for each era.
Real Population

**In other words, do we try to emulate RL as much as possible, or do we strive for equal footing for all teams where finances are concerned?


Anticipated League Settings:

**Some of these are debatable, as I am just posting my initial thoughts.

Financials - Off until 70's
Agreed

Coach/Scout - Off
Agreed

Ratings/Talents/Others - 1-10
Agreed

Salary Cap - None. But with financials turned off, should there be some kind of way to monitor salaries & promote some player movement? Or should we just let teams stockpile players & trade whatever they want?
With no fincances just trade

Cash Max - Not sure yet, but I'll probably go with 20-30 mill. Although if there's enough support, I could even go with 10 if people think it will help promote player movement. If we don't use this in any way until financials come on, I will reset all teams to $0 cash beginning with the first season that has free agency.
I don't know that would be 25 years away I could have some say in a while

Roster Size - 25
Agreed

40-Man - Yes, once financials are turned on.
Agreed

Waivers - No
Agreed

Minor Lg Option Yrs - No. Maybe we will turn this on when this actually started happening IRL (1980's?). I have that info somewhere. Just have to find it.
Agreed

Rule V Draft - Yes, once financials are on. May wait until date it actually started being used. Although, I'm not too concerned w/ being exact on the start date of smaller stuff like this.
I don't really like the V draft

Salary Arb - Yes, after financials are on.
Sure

Minor Lg Free Agents - Yes. We should have a large stockpile of minor leaguers by then. But this may be something that remains up in the air until the 70's.
Agreed

Engine - new v6 engine (DIPS)
I can't really give an opinion :(
Player Eval - Default 40/35/17/8
Agreed

Home Field - Enabled
Yes

Injuries - Currently set to High because I think it's more realistic. I am willing to take suggestions here, but we may stick with High for a few seasons to see how it goes.
I don't know I haven't really watched injuries

Fatigue - On
Yes

Ammy Draft - 3 rounds, Pre-Season. Does MLB make WS teams always last like the NFL or does it go strictly by W/L record?
Sure but i'm sure well have to expand the draft later

Signing Bonuses - Off, until possibly the 80's/90's
Yes



New Ancestor Signup - No restrictions other than the same ones currently in place. However, once we go live in '46, I'll be more strict on their ratings. They'll be ranked in order of the date they were posted. The oldest ones get the best players. In other words, say ootp generates 2 5-star, 4 4.5 star and 6 4-star prospects to start the draft. If we have 7 new ancestors, they won't all be 5-stars, but 2 will likely be 5-stars, and the other 5 will be mixed betw. 4.5 and 4 stars.
Yes


Once Financials Come On - Some switches will be flipped as noted above (i.e. 40-Man Roster, etc). Cash on hand edited to $0 for all teams. Fan Interest edited to 65 for all teams.
No

**Or should Fan Interest reflect the team's performance over the past, say, 10 seasons? I could come up w/ a method if it was something owners wanted.
On the past 10 seasons

Way to be on top of things Matt. This is why you are in charge, you think ahead.

I think because we want to emulate real life as much as possible, going with the real stadiums/real populations makes the most sense to me. It could be altered to reflect the certain teams, as could the fan interest and financials. Just for example, the Yankees in the TWB during the 60's might not be the Yankees in the MLB during the 60's. It might be too difficult to really guess as to what the numbers might be however, as there might not be a good template to go by. Just something else to throw into the mix.

As for the Ammy Draft, I do believe it goes by Win/Loss, with the World Series Champion drafting last if and only if that team had the best regular season record. I'm almost positive.

Everything else looks pretty good. I'm quite impressed with what you have built Matt. You're ahead of the game, and that's what makes this thread so much more fun to read!

Real stadiums and populations

Agreed with your other choices.

I think you could have some type of sliding 5-10 year scale for fan interest. Base it on record and or standings with extra credit for league and world championships (weigh those years higher)

Re: Time Warp Prepares to Go Live
 

For example, IRL the Yanks and Brewers have vastly different income levels. At the same time, Yankee Stadium's capacity of nearly 72,000 in 1937 is much greater than even Fenway's 35,000 or Wrigley's 40,000 at the time.

It's the history we care about...and of course our ancestors...stadium capacity should mirror real life

Questions for Discussion:

1) Should we stick with standard capacities for all stadiums (i.e. 45K) or go with more realistic numbers?


Go realistic, if you wish to have teams to mirror real life, or else you open a can of worms, with people wishing to move to Portland, or Mexico...we should be the GM, YOU should represent the ownership.

2) Should Market Size represent real city populations or be equal for all teams? I could set all capacities to 45K but let market sizes vary to mirror RL pop's during each era. Yes, I have pop. totals for each era.

[B] I like a challenge and want the lower totem team...it won;t be as satisfying if I win without having a 'miracle year' then go back in the muck...like my 1878 APBL expansion Troy Haymakers winning it all in their 3rd year...which will go in the annuals as the "Hitless Wonders" of our league.

**In other words, do we try to emulate RL as much as possible, or do we strive for equal footing for all teams where finances are concerned?


Anticipated League Settings:

**Some of these are debatable, as I am just posting my initial thoughts.

Financials - Off until 70's


Agreed 1976 correct?


Coach/Scout - Off


agreed


Ratings/Talents/Others - 1-10


I have no clue...maybe higher range equals more diverse players???


Salary Cap - None. But with financials turned off, should there be some kind of way to monitor salaries & promote some player movement? Or should we just let teams stockpile players & trade whatever they want?


NO CAP, PUHLEASE!!!


Cash Max - Not sure yet, but I'll probably go with 20-30 mill. Although if there's enough support, I could even go with 10 if people think it will help promote player movement. If we don't use this in any way until financials come on, I will reset all teams to $0 cash beginning with the first season that has free agency.


No Cash Max...a low market team needs to save cash for say 4 years then get 5 to 6 Free Agents...and it needs to be a hit or you are doomed. A team like the Yankees (rookie GM possibly?) should be able to get a backup for their backup...thus beating them would be so much sweeter :)


Roster Size - 25

40-Man - Yes, once financials are turned on.

Waivers - No



roster size...ok...i guess, was it 25 from 45 on?
40 man, if thats when it was implemented then ok
why no waivers at all? is it buggy?


Minor Lg Option Yrs - No. Maybe we will turn this on when this actually started happening IRL (1980's?). I have that info somewhere. Just have to find it.


yes when it happened IRL, see my trend of thinking? lol


Rule V Draft - Yes, once financials are on. May wait until date it actually started being used. Although, I'm not too concerned w/ being exact on the start date of smaller stuff like this.


I think we stick to when it was implmented which I believe was the mid 80's


Salary Arb - Yes, after financials are on.


ok


Minor Lg Free Agents - Yes. We should have a large stockpile of minor leaguers by then. But this may be something that remains up in the air until the 70's.


agreed


Engine - new v6 engine (DIPS)

Player Eval - Default 40/35/17/8

Home Field - Enabled

Injuries - Currently set to High because I think it's more realistic. I am willing to take suggestions here, but we may stick with High for a few seasons to see how it goes.

Fatigue - On

Ammy Draft - 3 rounds, Pre-Season. Does MLB make WS teams always last like the NFL or does it go strictly by W/L record?

Signing Bonuses - Off, until possibly the 80's/90's


I think injuries should mirror real life and from the 45 to 65 maybe normal...65-85 high and then like real life with too much bulk...very high, I mean what is up with all these 'athletes' popping hamstrings? baseball you need to be tone...not bulky!



New Ancestor Signup - No restrictions other than the same ones currently in place. However, once we go live in '46, I'll be more strict on their ratings. They'll be ranked in order of the date they were posted. The oldest ones get the best players. In other words, say ootp generates 2 5-star, 4 4.5 star and 6 4-star prospects to start the draft. If we have 7 new ancestors, they won't all be 5-stars, but 2 will likely be 5-stars, and the other 5 will be mixed betw. 4.5 and 4 stars.



As much as I enjoy the teen and 20's Allen dynasty, I think there should be somewhat a limit on what one guy can throw in there.
I know Mark loves the league, but it will be hard for any family to compete with his family if they pop up every 5 years.


Once Financials Come On - Some switches will be flipped as noted above (i.e. 40-Man Roster, etc). Cash on hand edited to $0 for all teams. Fan Interest edited to 65 for all teams.

**Or should Fan Interest reflect the team's performance over the past, say, 10 seasons? I could come up w/ a method if it was something owners wanted.


Stick with less work, realistically speaking all our fan interest should be set on low since a World War just put a nail in the national pasttime

I think market size and stadium size should vary with each team. Gives the league a more realistic feel, despite hurting competetive balance.

I also agree with Carlton's assessment of new ancestors.

Can't wait for this to get going!

Re: Re: Time Warp Prepares to Go Live
 

Originally posted by Carlton
I like a challenge and want the lower totem team...it won;t be as satisfying if I win without having a 'miracle year' then go back in the muck...like my 1878 APBL expansion Troy Haymakers winning it all in their 3rd year...which will go in the annuals as the "Hitless Wonders" of our league.

That's great to hear... I'm so glad everyone so far wants to mirror real life...


No Cash Max...a low market team needs to save cash for say 4 years then get 5 to 6 Free Agents...and it needs to be a hit or you are doomed. A team like the Yankees (rookie GM possibly?) should be able to get a backup for their backup...thus beating them would be so much sweeter

I think I have to put in some max, so maybe $100 mill...


why no waivers at all? is it buggy?

I don't think it works just right w/ online lg's... Perhaps we can find a workaround... for example, do waivers on a message board & let me do the work manually in-game... we'll see


I think injuries should mirror real life and from the 45 to 65 maybe normal...65-85 high and then like real life with too much bulk...very high, I mean what is up with all these 'athletes' popping hamstrings? baseball you need to be tone...not bulky!

Maybe that's a good idea... start off normal, then increase...


As much as I enjoy the teen and 20's Allen dynasty, I think there should be somewhat a limit on what one guy can throw in there.
I know Mark loves the league, but it will be hard for any family to compete with his family if they pop up every 5 years.

Well, there is already a rule in place in my signup thread: "Limit 3 people per last name per generation... So if you have family w/ different last names, you can have more than 3 per generation... Post as many as you want for different era's..."

in other words, you can have 3 per generation w/ the same last name... then signup more for other generations w/ the same last name... but, you can still signup others w/ different last names that share the same generation as the first last name you used...

For example, metsgeek has a few different families in: the Kahles, Nagels and Dittys, with a few others scattered in there... I won't have any restrictions while still here on the boards, but once it goes live, I may...


Stick with less work, realistically speaking all our fan interest should be set on low since a World War just put a nail in the national pasttime

So you think FI should be low initially? I know interest in the game grew after the war, but I suppose many people weren't able to get out to games as much? Perhaps everyone should start with 40 or 50?



As for Rule V Draft, and all that other stuff, I'll try to find out when it all happened...

Here's some date's I've found... Articles on the history of these types of stuff can be found here... Thanks to sporr for locating this for me!

Roster limits will be set at 25... the only real fluxuation in this for modern times was from 1957-68 when teams could have 28 players for the 1st 30 days of the season...

**We may or may not do this.

Waivers: The whole breakdown can be found in this link. Here's a summary of what affects us: In 1947, the price for claiming a player off waivers was raised to $10,000. We'll implement this in our first season (1946) for simplicity. Priority for selecting a player on waivers goes to lowest W/L record in the current season with previous season's record being the tiebreaker if necessary. A limit of 7 players put on waivers per team per day was implemented in '47, but we'll use it in '46. If a player is "pulled back" from waivers (after being claimed) twice in one year, the next time he is waived, a claim is irrevocable. Once a player is removed from waivers, he can't be waived again for 30 days. If a player is waived for the purpose of giving him an unconditional release, the fee is just $1. It will take 4 days to clear waivers & specific waiver periods will go into effect in '49, and there is more info for later seasons.

**We'll figure out some way to use waivers.

Option Yrs: Apparently veterans could refuse assignment as far back as 1914. Then you had to have 10 yrs pro experience to refuse assignment. In '54 it dropped to 8 yrs & in '76 to 5 yrs.

**I doubt we can simulate the major league exp. required to get the right to refuse assignment, but we will turn this option on.

Trade Deadline/Waivers: As of 1922, the trade deadline was June 15 (which is what we'll have to use in '46). As of 1934, any player involved in an interleague trade (i.e. AL to NL) had to go thru intraleague waivers first (i.e. player traded from AL to NL must go thru AL waivers first). In 1959, a period from Nov 21 - Dec 15 was created where interleague trades could be made without waivers. That time was lengthened in 1970 and another such period was created from Feb 15-Mar 15 in 1977. In 1981, that second period was extended to Apr 1. In 1986, the interleague trade distinction was eliminated, and waivers for any trade was required only from Aug 1 to the end of the season.

**Want a real challenge? Want to emulate RL baseball? Wow... we will use these rules.

"Starting in 1973, players who had been in the major leagues at least 10 years, the last five with his current club, could not be traded without their consent. In addition, in 1980, a player with at least five years in the majors could demand a trade if he was in the final year of their contract, or had been traded while signed to a multi-year contract. However, in doing so, he waived his right to free agency for a period of five years and could not demand another trade for three years. Also, he could be traded to any team except six clubs he specified. If his team did not honor his demand by March 15, he would become a free agent."

**Don't think there's any way to use these rules without coming up w/ some guidelines, because ootp doesn't do this.

Rule 5 Draft: Believe it or not, it began in some form in 1892. In '46, the price for drafting a player was $10K from AAA, $7.5K from AA and $6K from A. They didn't change until '58.

**Who knew? This is all pretty complicated stuff, but it appears that we will begin using this draft in 1946.

Amateur Draft: I began in 1965 and was held in June (which we will replicate beginning in that same year). Teams are not allowed to trade draft picks, but they were used as free agent compensation from '76 on. Draft order is based solely on W/L record. Only US residents (excluding territories) could be in the draft until 1985 when anyone attending school in the US was eligible. In '89, players from Puerto Rico or other territories were made eligible, and in 1991, Canadians were made subject to the draft.

**It does not explain what happened to non-eligible players before that, so I have to assume they were essentially free agents. I don't think I can do that because when Latin players join the MLB, Roberto Clemente for instance, I would have to add them as free agents instead of including them in the draft. I'll have to give this some thought.

**Player Bonuses will be used. See Bonuses below.

Disabled List: After 1941, a team could only place 2 players on the DL as long as it was done before Aug 1 and he remained there for at least 60 days. In '49, the minimum stay was shortened to 30 days. In 1960, a 60-day emergency list was created that required commish approval, but the player did not count against either the 25 or 40 man roster. In 1966, the required DL time was shortened to 15, but increased to 21 in '67. In '71, one player could be put on the supplemental 15 in addition to 2 players on the 21. In '73, 3 players could be put on the 21. In '81, there were 4 DL's. "the regular 21 day list with a 3-player limit, the 15 day "supplemental" list for one non-pitcher, a new "special" 21 day list to be used when the prior two were full, and the "emergency" 60 day list. In 1984, the "special" list was changed to require a minimum 30 day stay and the supplemental list was increased to allow two players, including one pitcher. In 1990, the rules were changed once again. From then on, there were only two DL's, a fifteen day and a sixty day list. There were no limits on the number of players that could be placed on these lists. However, the 40 man roster had to be full before the sixty day list could be utilized."

**I'll have to look this over, but we will try to use these DL restrictions somehow.

Expansion: This link explains the expansion drafts beginning in 1960.


Bonus: Check this out.... In 1946 (btw, did everything happen in '46?), a rule was implemented to stop teams from throwing huge bonuses to amateurs to get them to sign. If a player's bonus + salary was $6K or more, he was a "bonus player" which meant he had to be in the majors or be waived to get to the minors. If they hit the minors, they became eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. In '47, the rule was toughened by lowering the salary to $5K. In '48 the rule was softened to allow players to play 1 season in the minors before becoming subject to these restrictions. If released, they lost the "bonus player" designation. In '49, the salary limit was raised back to $6K. If he was claimed in the Rule 5 or on waivers, he could be optioned to the minors by his new team. After the 1950 season, this was ruled a failure and terminated. For the '53 season a new rule was instituted. It said a player with combined salary of $4K had to remain on the 25 or 40-man roster for 2 yrs if they started their career in the majors. If they started in the minors, they were subject to the Rule 5 draft. This was abolished after the '57 season.

**We can use these rules if we allow player bonuses and multiply the limit by 100 (i.e. $6K = $600K) to compensate for ootp using only modern monetary terms.

I edited the following stuff in my initial post:

FYI: Clemente was signed as an amateur free agent by the Dodgers & then picked in the Rule V Draft by Pittsburgh.

New Question:

I want to get thru as much history as possible without sacrificing your abilities to GM thru injuries, streaks, etc. I hope for us to someday get to modern baseball, if possible, and I want us to experience the team relocation of the 50's, expansion of the 60's/70's, free agency, etc. I may be able to sim 4 days a week, so would you prefer:

A) Sim a half-month every sim. That would get us through 2 months every week. A season would take 3 weeks, not counting postseason and all offseason transaction time, which I estimate to be at least 2 weeks. We could get thru appx. 10 seasons per calendar year.

B) Sim 15 days every 2 sims (7 days first sim, 8 the next, etc) to work around 15-day DL. On 31-day months, the 4th sim would also add in that extra day. We would get through 1 month per week. A season would take 6 weeks, not counting appx. 2 weeks for playoffs and offseason. We could get thru appx. 6 seasons per calendar year.

I would say A because I like a more rapid pace and if we can only go 6 weeks a season it will take OOTP12 to finish :)

I agree with Texas. Simming a half month every sim adds more strategy, and the GMs can experience all the great things that happen after the 40's and 50's.

I vote for A. While we want to be competitive GMs, in this case, moving through history takes precedence over a GMs desire to micromanage.

I'm in a league that does the whoe regular season in 5 days, World Series over the weekend, then all other post season activities over the next week. You learn to pay attention and keep up with the league.

If no one says otherwise, we'll go with 1/2 a month every sim...

Sounds good.

works for me

FYI: Free Agency began in 1977, which we will duplicate. I can't find enough info on minor league free agents, so if all else fails, that too will begin in '77. However, I don't think it started that year, but I'm still trying to find out.

You may be right about the year that free agency started but here is the story of how it came about (for those who didn't know or don't remember)

In 1975 Marvin Miller asked Dave McNally and Andy Messersmith to play without a contract. After the year ended the players' union and the owners went in front of an arbitrator for a ruling to make them free to go to any team that they chosed. The arbitrator's ruling was in favor of the players.

The players' union president, Marvin Miller, then went to the owners to set up a meeting with them so that they could set up guidelines because the owners feared that there would be massive player movement.

I don't remember if the guidelines, which became part of the CBA, took effect in 1976 or 1977.


Also, if there are any openings in this, I would like to participate.