Ideas for a fictional league?

Steve Wagner · 02-06-2003, 11:37 AM

Please forgive me, but I am not a creative person at all. I would like to set up a fictional league, but I am having trouble deciding what cities to use. I don't want an international league or a league that has ridiculously small cities, but am at a loss.

I want a 16 team league and that is about all I know of so far. Please help me develop a league. I am open to pretty much any ideas. Give me your ideas please!

fhomess · 02-06-2003, 01:30 PM

Here's some ideas:

1. Start a league in a foreign country (this is technically not international if you stick to one country)
2. Create a league on another planet
3. Use a book or movie as the basis for your league
4. Use only state capitals
5. Use cities only within one state

As far as market size is concerned, if you simply make the markets relative to each other, it should work. They don't have to be small in the game just because they're small in real life.

Kelric · 02-06-2003, 02:31 PM

My current fictional solo league is only 8 teams, and is called the Greater Boston Baseball League. Two leagues, one division in each league. I use cities and suburbs of Massachusetts, such as:

Boston
Norwood
Cambridge
Cape Cod (not a city, but the part of the state that loops into the Atlantic)
Worcester
Lowell
Lynn
Southie (part of Boston, where Good Will Hunting was set)

I know the towns, I've been to each, lived near or in some. I've thrown in real life people that I've known in each town into each teams to, gives it a nice touch.

The major league rosters are actually made up of generated AAA players and generated AA players. There are no major league caliber players in the game yet, and everyone is young. Basically I am trying to simulate a start up league that hasn't garnered any attention and has only managed to attract young guys trying to get a job somewhere.

With the upcoming inaguaral amateur draft, more talent will be injected into the league, with some of the star draftees probably starting right away in the bigs. Should be interesting to see the talent of the league (hopefully) increase over time, until eventually it comes to major league caliber across the league.

After five seasons I am going to inject two more teams into each league and take some western Massachusetts cities. Ten seasons after that I am going to create a new division, relocate two teams from each existing division into the new ones, and then put two out of state teams in each of the new ones.

So the original divisions will be back to four teams in each, and the new divisions will have two of the newer teams, and two of the out of state expansion teams, giving me 16 teams in all. I probably won't let it grow much beyond that at all.

Kelric · 02-06-2003, 02:32 PM

I just noticed you were from Marblehead, heh. Hello fellow Massachusetts resident.

Edit - Ignore my Southie and Cape Cod comments above.

dsvitak · 02-06-2003, 03:04 PM

A fantasy league is just that....a fantasy.

If you want the Yankees in the National League, fine.

If you want the National League to be the Gold League, as I have done, fine.

There is no-one to tell you no.

Do what you want.

Fort Wayne, Indiana was once an NBA city.

The important thing is that it pleases you, and allows you to enjoy your league just a little bit more.

If you want to rename your best player Mae West....well, maybe not!

Steve Wagner · 02-06-2003, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Kelric
I just noticed you were from Marblehead, heh. Hello fellow Massachusetts resident.

Edit - Ignore my Southie and Cape Cod comments above.

I've lived in Marblehead for 2 years now. I love the area, but the people are....different. COming from Ohio, the people are much different out here - at least in Marblehead. Ohh, I can't wait to get back home.

Thanks for the welcome and all of the great suggestions.

By the way Kelric, where do you live?

Kelric · 02-06-2003, 11:21 PM

You're coming from Ohio? That's hilarious...

I'm in college out at Ohio State University. I grew up in Boston and went to high school about 30 minutes south of the city in da 'burbs where I live when not in school.

The people are definitely different....I like the East Coast (specifically Boston, New York sucks) a lot more than I like the "country" out here. Random strangers are friendlier out here, its spooky. Give me the city where no one cares to talk to each other any day.

BBills1999 · 02-07-2003, 01:22 AM

how about recreating the Cape Cod Leagues..

Kelric · 02-07-2003, 01:38 AM

I've thought about that, just didn't quite get around to it. Fond memories of hitting some Falmouth games as a kid.

LuvDaReds · 02-07-2003, 01:37 PM

In state leagues can be fun. I run a Florida league.

You could even run a league where each division represents a state....the possibilities are endless, which is why I love this game.

MJohnson · 02-09-2003, 05:11 PM

When will the South Shore, Scituate especially, get its Greater Boston expansion team?

slackmeisterPA · 02-09-2003, 05:20 PM

I've often thought about a regional Mass league, but they always get too big, because I put in too many towns and cities.

I'm curious, Kelric, what some of the teams nicnames?

Kelric · 02-09-2003, 05:32 PM

I never really put too much thought into the cities I used, just threw together the first ones that came to mind.

Boston Snappers
Norwood Rebels
Cambridge Patriots
Cape Cod Whalers
Worcester Valley Cats
Lowell Spinners - break away from the Red Sox and join a professional league.

Lynn Outlaws (Lynn, Lynn, the city of sin!)
Southie Cloverleafs - Obvious where this one came from...

And if I expand to the South Shore I'll be hitting up Braintree for a team before Scituate. The league is probably going to go west, and then one in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, and New Hampshire...I might only take on western city just to throw Vermont in there too.

twins15 · 02-09-2003, 11:20 PM

If I could suggest something, how about some teams in North Dakota?

P.S. That is a big DVD Collection, Kelric.

Kelric · 02-09-2003, 11:34 PM

North Dakota? Where the heck is that?

Sadly the DVD collecting has slowed down in the past half year or so while I've been away at college.

MJohnson · 02-10-2003, 07:42 AM

Quincy Presidents would be the best team to add in. As for Scituate, I was just trying to get a team for my home town. Another expansion team would in Hull, where the first night baseball game was played. The team name would have to be the Hull Lights.

JML · 03-07-2003, 05:39 AM

League ideas I've used in the past:

20 teams in the greater Mpls/St. Paul area (something got in the water and the Twin Cities went baseball-crazy!)

Small (and some larger) towns on the road trip from where I grew up (in central Illinois) to my current residence (Minneapolis), a trip I've made a zillion times.

A recreation of the Northern League (Using a real league with fictional players just didn't feel right)

The idea of my current league is that MLB seriously screwed up, folded, and a handful of teams went on to form a new league, along with a few minor league and several fictional teams. All players are still fictional though.

It's definitely hard to start and get into a fictional league unless it has some kind of concept/story behind it.

02-06-2003, 11:37 AM	#1
Steve Wagner Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Marblehead, MA Posts: 24	Ideas for a fictional league? Please forgive me, but I am not a creative person at all. I would like to set up a fictional league, but I am having trouble deciding what cities to use. I don't want an international league or a league that has ridiculously small cities, but am at a loss. I want a 16 team league and that is about all I know of so far. Please help me develop a league. I am open to pretty much any ideas. Give me your ideas please!

02-06-2003, 01:30 PM	#2
fhomess Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 3,683	Here's some ideas: 1. Start a league in a foreign country (this is technically not international if you stick to one country) 2. Create a league on another planet 3. Use a book or movie as the basis for your league 4. Use only state capitals 5. Use cities only within one state As far as market size is concerned, if you simply make the markets relative to each other, it should work. They don't have to be small in the game just because they're small in real life. __________________ StatsLab- PHP/MySQL based utilities for Online Leagues Baseball Cards - Full list of known templates and documentation on card development.

02-09-2003, 11:20 PM	#14
twins15 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Area 51 Posts: 4,792	If I could suggest something, how about some teams in North Dakota? P.S. That is a big DVD Collection, Kelric. __________________ "Ah man we're just hungry man" - Dovonte Edwards Bismarck Boy Scouts of the OTBL - league yes-man Ross Gload at baseball-reference.com Book Quotes and Book Lists Last edited by twins15; 02-09-2003 at 11:25 PM.

02-06-2003, 02:31 PM	#3
Kelric Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Greater Boston Area Posts: 3,992	My current fictional solo league is only 8 teams, and is called the Greater Boston Baseball League. Two leagues, one division in each league. I use cities and suburbs of Massachusetts, such as: Boston Norwood Cambridge Cape Cod (not a city, but the part of the state that loops into the Atlantic) Worcester Lowell Lynn Southie (part of Boston, where Good Will Hunting was set) I know the towns, I've been to each, lived near or in some. I've thrown in real life people that I've known in each town into each teams to, gives it a nice touch. The major league rosters are actually made up of generated AAA players and generated AA players. There are no major league caliber players in the game yet, and everyone is young. Basically I am trying to simulate a start up league that hasn't garnered any attention and has only managed to attract young guys trying to get a job somewhere. With the upcoming inaguaral amateur draft, more talent will be injected into the league, with some of the star draftees probably starting right away in the bigs. Should be interesting to see the talent of the league (hopefully) increase over time, until eventually it comes to major league caliber across the league. After five seasons I am going to inject two more teams into each league and take some western Massachusetts cities. Ten seasons after that I am going to create a new division, relocate two teams from each existing division into the new ones, and then put two out of state teams in each of the new ones. So the original divisions will be back to four teams in each, and the new divisions will have two of the newer teams, and two of the out of state expansion teams, giving me 16 teams in all. I probably won't let it grow much beyond that at all.

02-06-2003, 02:32 PM	#4
Kelric Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Greater Boston Area Posts: 3,992	I just noticed you were from Marblehead, heh. Hello fellow Massachusetts resident. Edit - Ignore my Southie and Cape Cod comments above.

02-06-2003, 03:04 PM	#5
dsvitak Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 5,389	A fantasy league is just that....a fantasy. If you want the Yankees in the National League, fine. If you want the National League to be the Gold League, as I have done, fine. There is no-one to tell you no. Do what you want. Fort Wayne, Indiana was once an NBA city. The important thing is that it pleases you, and allows you to enjoy your league just a little bit more. If you want to rename your best player Mae West....well, maybe not!

02-06-2003, 11:21 PM	#7
Kelric Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Greater Boston Area Posts: 3,992	You're coming from Ohio? That's hilarious... I'm in college out at Ohio State University. I grew up in Boston and went to high school about 30 minutes south of the city in da 'burbs where I live when not in school. The people are definitely different....I like the East Coast (specifically Boston, New York sucks) a lot more than I like the "country" out here. Random strangers are friendlier out here, its spooky. Give me the city where no one cares to talk to each other any day.

02-07-2003, 01:22 AM	#8
BBills1999 Bat Boy Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: mass Posts: 10	how about recreating the Cape Cod Leagues..

02-07-2003, 01:38 AM	#9
Kelric Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Greater Boston Area Posts: 3,992	I've thought about that, just didn't quite get around to it. Fond memories of hitting some Falmouth games as a kid.

02-07-2003, 01:37 PM	#10
LuvDaReds Bat Boy Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Winter Park, Florida Posts: 4	In state leagues can be fun. I run a Florida league. You could even run a league where each division represents a state....the possibilities are endless, which is why I love this game.

02-09-2003, 05:11 PM	#11
MJohnson Major Leagues Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: under an overpass Posts: 459	When will the South Shore, Scituate especially, get its Greater Boston expansion team?

02-09-2003, 05:20 PM	#12
slackmeisterPA Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 275	I've often thought about a regional Mass league, but they always get too big, because I put in too many towns and cities. I'm curious, Kelric, what some of the teams nicnames?

02-09-2003, 05:32 PM	#13
Kelric Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Greater Boston Area Posts: 3,992	I never really put too much thought into the cities I used, just threw together the first ones that came to mind. Boston Snappers Norwood Rebels Cambridge Patriots Cape Cod Whalers Worcester Valley Cats Lowell Spinners - break away from the Red Sox and join a professional league. Lynn Outlaws (Lynn, Lynn, the city of sin!) Southie Cloverleafs - Obvious where this one came from... And if I expand to the South Shore I'll be hitting up Braintree for a team before Scituate. The league is probably going to go west, and then one in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, and New Hampshire...I might only take on western city just to throw Vermont in there too.

02-09-2003, 11:34 PM	#15
Kelric Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Greater Boston Area Posts: 3,992	North Dakota? Where the heck is that? Sadly the DVD collecting has slowed down in the past half year or so while I've been away at college.

02-10-2003, 07:42 AM	#16
MJohnson Major Leagues Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: under an overpass Posts: 459	Quincy Presidents would be the best team to add in. As for Scituate, I was just trying to get a team for my home town. Another expansion team would in Hull, where the first night baseball game was played. The team name would have to be the Hull Lights.

03-07-2003, 05:39 AM	#17
JML Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: The act or process of locating. Posts: 2,154	League ideas I've used in the past: 20 teams in the greater Mpls/St. Paul area (something got in the water and the Twin Cities went baseball-crazy!) Small (and some larger) towns on the road trip from where I grew up (in central Illinois) to my current residence (Minneapolis), a trip I've made a zillion times. A recreation of the Northern League (Using a real league with fictional players just didn't feel right) The idea of my current league is that MLB seriously screwed up, folded, and a handful of teams went on to form a new league, along with a few minor league and several fictional teams. All players are still fictional though. It's definitely hard to start and get into a fictional league unless it has some kind of concept/story behind it.