If I had to give one piece of advice, it would be to do your best to be patient with the game, both short and long term. As pointed out, there are some ways to lighten the load on yourself at first, and that's good; but ultimately OOTP is an extremely detailed simulation that can be rather intimidating and overwhelming, even for someone familiar with Baseball.
Don't despair if you find it hard to create the baseball universe of your dreams. Keep at it- the end results are well worth the effort. Don't forget to lean on all the great forum contributors here, they are our greatest strength in my opinion.
I find historical play v. enjoyable, but feel that fictional leagues are where OOTP's true strength lies. Make sure and try all the modes out.
Welcome and have fun!
