With the UBL winding down apparently its last season, I'd like to thank all of those who contributed to it over the seasons. Just some of the people I'll remember are: devaneyfan, Henry, spleen, asamford, Eck, eagleeye, woody, Aussie Mark, jdsorch, ubert, and that damn Yankees owner who shares my last name.
I'd especially like to thank its creator and commish, Mark Cooley. For those of you who do not know, over the years Mark has created a number of online leagues that have gone on to be very successful. Mark, you may not know this, but before the UBL started, I had applied to join a few leagues, but I was either turned down or not even responded to by all of them. When I applied to join the UBL, I really wanted in because of the unique concept, but to be honest I did not think my chances were very good. You just knew too many people and it seemed like everyone wanted in and with me being a relative newbie and all, well, there was little hope. Anyways, I got the e-mail and to my surprise I was invited to join my first online league. I even got the team I wanted most!
I made a few mistakes in the initial draft (what was I thinking taking Heinie Manush over Harry Heilmann!), but overall I think I did ok for my first time. The first few seasons the Tigers played well, but not good enough to win the league. Then in the third year, the league split into two divisions and though there was still some heavy competition, without Gehrig and Ruth and the rest of the Yankees in our division, we felt we had a real chance. Well, we ended up surprising a few people by winning our division and then I think we shocked the entire league by first beating the batting might of the Yankees in the league championship and then, in a very very tight series, the pitching strength of the Reds in the UBL championship series. It was a great season and I enjoyed it very much.
Anyways, without being given the chance in the UBL, I seriously doubt that I would have stuck around long enough to join the CBL and the other leagues I've been a part of, nor make any of the other contributions I may have made. Without the community that goes along with online leagues, OOTP just would not be as fun or addictive and I'm sure I would have found something else to spend my free time on. Thank you Mark and everyone else who contributed to the UBL, I enjoyed the experience.
Good luck to the Yankees who just beat my Tigers in the league series this year. We're rooting for you. You've maybe been the best team over the league's history yet you've still to win a championship. Hopefully this year is your year.