Historical League - Help/Suggestions

SkinnyDoc · 03-29-2008, 11:19 AM

I've recently picked up OOTP to start playing again (played OOTP2 thru 4 I believe and did some of the first ballpark data sheets way back when). I have thought about doing this in the past, just not a lot of time due to job and family stuff.

I am planning on starting a "fictional" historical league starting in 1956. In this league the Pacific Coast League and the American Association have joined together to form the "United States Baseball Association".

The founders have wanted to bring major league baseball to areas of the country that have long been neglected by the AL and NL. Both the PCL and AA have reformed to include some of the largest markets without major league teams (based on 1960 census numbers).

The PCL will be made up of:
Los Angeles Angels
San Francisco Seals
San Diego Padres
Seattle Rainers
Denver Bears (changed from AA to PCL for alignment)
Phoenix Stars (moved up from minor league
Portland Beavers
Oakland Oaks

The American Association will be made up of:
Houston Buffaloes (moved up from the Texas League)
Dallas Cats (Ft. Worth Cats and Dallas Eagles from Texas League merged)
New Orleans Pelicans (moved up from the Southern Association)
Atlanta Crackers (moved up from the Southern Association)
Minneapolis Millers
Indianapolis Indians
Louisville Colonels
Miami Marlins (left the International League)

The minor league systems was in a bit of an uproar, with several leagues and teams leaving their associations with the 2 established major leagues. The Texas League, Carolina League, California League, Southern Association, Western League, Evangeline League, Northwest League, Southwestern League were some of the minor leagues that became associated with the PCL and AA.

The USBA decided to initially establish 3 tiers of minor leagues (which set the precident for the AL & NL to soon follow) instead of the traditional AAA, AA, A, B, C, and D classfications due to money issues.

The big issue I'm trying to work through is new players. What % of "real rookies" should I manually insert into the draft pools each year from the Lahman database? 5%? 10%? 20?

Also, I am still undecided how to handle the social aspects of intergration within the new league structures. Since there will be more teams from the southern regions of the country in 1956 there would still be many obstacles to overcome. However, with many teams form other parts of the country there could be a way for "history changing" men (players, owners, and managers) who could bridge the racial barriers "fictionally faster" that happened in real history.

Since I'm coming back to the game, it seems much easier to have fairly accurate historic settings regarding financials and such.

Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.

No Pepper · 03-31-2008, 11:35 AM

Sounds like an interesting universe SkinnyDoc. If I remember correctly, I think MLB still had a "quota" for admitting African-Americans into organized baseball at that time, so you are right, even with the inclusion of more southern teams, the whole landscape was still slow to respond to integration. It would be interesting to imagine that with the added competition, how much faster integration would take hold, and whether the USBA could remain as a viable league with the southern teams. But, there must be a reason those teams joined the USBA, i.e., they had to know integration would be a part of it. As for % of real rookies to insert into the draft pools...I'd start out at 5% and build your way up to 50% or more depending on how financially successful the league becomes. I can't imagine that the USBA would instantly be able to scout as much or have inroads to the better players, it is a new league anyhow. However, if you wanted to give the USBA a more regional feel (pacific coast, south) then you could selectively import players from those regions into their drafts.

SkinnyDoc · 03-31-2008, 02:00 PM

Thanks for the reply No Pepper. Right now I'm deciding between 2 or 3 levels of minor leagues as well as gathering ballpark data and figuring out market sizes and such.

I'll probably go with the 5% of players at first and increase by maybe 2 or 3 % each year.

With only 4 southern region teams at this time I do believe the almighty $ would have an affect (although would still have lots of issues). An example is "Dodgertown" during spring training. The minority players still had a lot to overcome and deal with, but when the Dodgers let the townspeople know how much money they were pumping into the local economy the Dodgers had a bit more leeway.

Gambo · 04-01-2008, 11:58 PM

As for the ballpark data you can reference my Stadium Database since it has alot of parks that existed around the country at that time.

SkinnyDoc · 04-03-2008, 11:55 PM

Ty for the links Gambo, hoping to get this rolling soon...first Rome Braves game tonight and me and a six year had some serious heckling to do....

SkinnyDoc · 04-11-2008, 11:37 PM

Well, the USBA has had it's first season, I'll post up the results in the Dynasty forums, but I do have a question.

How to I import individual "real players" from a database? I cannot for the life of me find the info in the HELP section ingame.

03-29-2008, 11:19 AM	#1
SkinnyDoc Bat Boy Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 9	Historical League - Help/Suggestions I've recently picked up OOTP to start playing again (played OOTP2 thru 4 I believe and did some of the first ballpark data sheets way back when). I have thought about doing this in the past, just not a lot of time due to job and family stuff. I am planning on starting a "fictional" historical league starting in 1956. In this league the Pacific Coast League and the American Association have joined together to form the "United States Baseball Association". The founders have wanted to bring major league baseball to areas of the country that have long been neglected by the AL and NL. Both the PCL and AA have reformed to include some of the largest markets without major league teams (based on 1960 census numbers). The PCL will be made up of: Los Angeles Angels San Francisco Seals San Diego Padres Seattle Rainers Denver Bears (changed from AA to PCL for alignment) Phoenix Stars (moved up from minor league Portland Beavers Oakland Oaks The American Association will be made up of: Houston Buffaloes (moved up from the Texas League) Dallas Cats (Ft. Worth Cats and Dallas Eagles from Texas League merged) New Orleans Pelicans (moved up from the Southern Association) Atlanta Crackers (moved up from the Southern Association) Minneapolis Millers Indianapolis Indians Louisville Colonels Miami Marlins (left the International League) The minor league systems was in a bit of an uproar, with several leagues and teams leaving their associations with the 2 established major leagues. The Texas League, Carolina League, California League, Southern Association, Western League, Evangeline League, Northwest League, Southwestern League were some of the minor leagues that became associated with the PCL and AA. The USBA decided to initially establish 3 tiers of minor leagues (which set the precident for the AL & NL to soon follow) instead of the traditional AAA, AA, A, B, C, and D classfications due to money issues. The big issue I'm trying to work through is new players. What % of "real rookies" should I manually insert into the draft pools each year from the Lahman database? 5%? 10%? 20? Also, I am still undecided how to handle the social aspects of intergration within the new league structures. Since there will be more teams from the southern regions of the country in 1956 there would still be many obstacles to overcome. However, with many teams form other parts of the country there could be a way for "history changing" men (players, owners, and managers) who could bridge the racial barriers "fictionally faster" that happened in real history. Since I'm coming back to the game, it seems much easier to have fairly accurate historic settings regarding financials and such. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. Last edited by SkinnyDoc; 03-29-2008 at 11:21 AM.

03-31-2008, 11:35 AM	#2
No Pepper All Star Starter Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Milwaukee, WI Posts: 1,570	Sounds like an interesting universe SkinnyDoc. If I remember correctly, I think MLB still had a "quota" for admitting African-Americans into organized baseball at that time, so you are right, even with the inclusion of more southern teams, the whole landscape was still slow to respond to integration. It would be interesting to imagine that with the added competition, how much faster integration would take hold, and whether the USBA could remain as a viable league with the southern teams. But, there must be a reason those teams joined the USBA, i.e., they had to know integration would be a part of it. As for % of real rookies to insert into the draft pools...I'd start out at 5% and build your way up to 50% or more depending on how financially successful the league becomes. I can't imagine that the USBA would instantly be able to scout as much or have inroads to the better players, it is a new league anyhow. However, if you wanted to give the USBA a more regional feel (pacific coast, south) then you could selectively import players from those regions into their drafts. __________________ Uniforms compatible with OOTP23/24 Historical Major League Baseball 1901-current Historical Major League Baseball 1871-1900 Historical Federal League Historical Negro Leagues Last edited by No Pepper; 03-31-2008 at 11:37 AM.

04-01-2008, 11:58 PM	#4
Gambo Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 2,388	As for the ballpark data you can reference my Stadium Database since it has alot of parks that existed around the country at that time. __________________ *Give me league evolution with historical imports!!!* OOTP MODS: Historical Face Gen Project, Spritze/Gambo Database, OOTP Stadium Chart and Ballpark Images, MLB Compiled Uniform & Logo Pack available at... http://www.ootpmods.com

03-31-2008, 02:00 PM	#3
SkinnyDoc Bat Boy Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 9	Thanks for the reply No Pepper. Right now I'm deciding between 2 or 3 levels of minor leagues as well as gathering ballpark data and figuring out market sizes and such. I'll probably go with the 5% of players at first and increase by maybe 2 or 3 % each year. With only 4 southern region teams at this time I do believe the almighty $ would have an affect (although would still have lots of issues). An example is "Dodgertown" during spring training. The minority players still had a lot to overcome and deal with, but when the Dodgers let the townspeople know how much money they were pumping into the local economy the Dodgers had a bit more leeway.

04-03-2008, 11:55 PM	#5
SkinnyDoc Bat Boy Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 9	Ty for the links Gambo, hoping to get this rolling soon...first Rome Braves game tonight and me and a six year had some serious heckling to do....

04-11-2008, 11:37 PM	#6
SkinnyDoc Bat Boy Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 9	Well, the USBA has had it's first season, I'll post up the results in the Dynasty forums, but I do have a question. How to I import individual "real players" from a database? I cannot for the life of me find the info in the HELP section ingame.