Is this taking the chicken way out?

ForeverRoyalKC · 10-31-2017, 11:37 PM

I am getting ready to take a GM position for the 2018 season and I was really wanting to take the Astros. I simmed the 2017 season and, believe it or not, they lost to the Dodgers in 7 games (cue Twilight Zone music).
Anyway, since they are the AL Champs, would it be chicken to take the Astros as good as they are instead of taking the challenge of a bad team? Is that "cheating?" Am I taking the easy way out? I mean there are RL situations where managers are about to walk into sweet jobs (Yankees, Nats). So is joining an already good team a cop out on a real challenge?

Thoughts? Opinions?

jpeters1734 · 11-01-2017, 06:49 AM

i don't think anyone here cares if you take an "easy team". you've got nothing to prove to anyone. use whatever team you want

RchW · 11-01-2017, 07:54 AM

No problem here. Just let us know if you screw it up.

redmarkYankees · 11-01-2017, 08:23 AM

I've bought several versions of OOTP, and only ever managed the Yankees (in single player, anyway, a couple of others or fantasy teams in online leagues); like I only ever manage a particular (pretty big) team in Football Manager. Your money, your game.

At some point you might want a different/more difficult challenge, but that's the nature of the game and upto you and how you play it.

Mr. Marlin · 11-01-2017, 09:05 AM

Keeping a team on top is as challenging as building a bad team. You still have to make all the personnel decisions, draft, trade, and sign players that are not only good, but complimentary to what you have. You will still have clubhouse personality clashes, clueless owners asking you to do things that hurt the club long term, unhappy veterans demanding trades, and the cost of free agents is only going up. Don't think taking over a good team is easy. You are trading one set of problems that bad teams have for a different set. Yes you will have better results on the field (in the short term) but also higher expectations. So no you are not taking the chicken way. It is still difficult, but in a different way.

bigsmooth · 11-01-2017, 10:07 AM

Perhaps now you have the easy part, and maybe that will be the case for the next 3-5 years; but the challenging part is building and sustaining a dynasty. How many of those franchise players can you keep; and which ones will walk away. How will you draft? What fringe players do you need? Which players are you willing to trade away? These are the same questions that someone who takes a project team and works with. Different starting and ending vision perhaps - but the game allows us to play it our way - It certainly isn't the chicken way out - let me know in 5 years how the Astros are doing, you will have your hands full maintaining that franchise.

old fat bald guy · 11-02-2017, 01:46 PM

All that matters is how you feel about it. There's a whole sub-culture of Football Manager players who start games waaaaay down the food chain, but it's different because futbol doesn't have farm systems and you can manage Spennymoor Town and control its personnel. I don't do minor-league managing in OOTP because I want to have control over the roster, but I do start with a small-market club.

itsmb8 · 11-02-2017, 04:31 PM

I think the biggest problem with managing a minor league team is that call-ups and send-downs are really frequent. I've tried it but I usually just end up simulating it until I get a GM offer.

That being said, being a GM of a small-market team is a lot more challenging, obviously. At the same time though, the owners USUALLY have very patient personalities, so it's sort of give and take.

10-31-2017, 11:37 PM	#1
ForeverRoyalKC All Star Starter Join Date: May 2015 Location: Hop, skip and a jump from Pomme De Terre Lake, MO. Posts: 1,226	Is this taking the chicken way out? I am getting ready to take a GM position for the 2018 season and I was really wanting to take the Astros. I simmed the 2017 season and, believe it or not, they lost to the Dodgers in 7 games (cue Twilight Zone music). Anyway, since they are the AL Champs, would it be chicken to take the Astros as good as they are instead of taking the challenge of a bad team? Is that "cheating?" Am I taking the easy way out? I mean there are RL situations where managers are about to walk into sweet jobs (Yankees, Nats). So is joining an already good team a cop out on a real challenge? Thoughts? Opinions?

11-01-2017, 06:49 AM	#2
jpeters1734 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Juust a bit outside... Posts: 6,318	i don't think anyone here cares if you take an "easy team". you've got nothing to prove to anyone. use whatever team you want __________________ "Cannonball Coming!" Go Bucs!! Founder and League Caretaker of the Professional Baseball Circuit, www.probaseballcircuit.com An Un-Official Guide to Minor League Management in OOTP 21 Ratings Scale Conversion Cross-Reference Cheat Sheet

11-01-2017, 07:54 AM	#3
RchW Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Toronto ON by way of Glasgow UK Posts: 15,629	No problem here. Just let us know if you screw it up. __________________ Cheers RichW If you’re looking for a good cause to donate money to please consider a Donation to Parkinson’s Canada. It may help me have a better future and if not me, someone else. Thanks. “Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition …There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.” Frank Wilhoit

11-01-2017, 08:23 AM	#4
redmarkYankees All Star Starter Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 1,283	I've bought several versions of OOTP, and only ever managed the Yankees (in single player, anyway, a couple of others or fantasy teams in online leagues); like I only ever manage a particular (pretty big) team in Football Manager. Your money, your game. At some point you might want a different/more difficult challenge, but that's the nature of the game and upto you and how you play it. __________________ In times of universal deceit, telling the truth will be a revolutionary act. George Orwell

11-01-2017, 09:05 AM	#5
Mr. Marlin All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,284	Keeping a team on top is as challenging as building a bad team. You still have to make all the personnel decisions, draft, trade, and sign players that are not only good, but complimentary to what you have. You will still have clubhouse personality clashes, clueless owners asking you to do things that hurt the club long term, unhappy veterans demanding trades, and the cost of free agents is only going up. Don't think taking over a good team is easy. You are trading one set of problems that bad teams have for a different set. Yes you will have better results on the field (in the short term) but also higher expectations. So no you are not taking the chicken way. It is still difficult, but in a different way.

11-01-2017, 10:07 AM	#6
bigsmooth Major Leagues Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Tennessee Posts: 437	Perhaps now you have the easy part, and maybe that will be the case for the next 3-5 years; but the challenging part is building and sustaining a dynasty. How many of those franchise players can you keep; and which ones will walk away. How will you draft? What fringe players do you need? Which players are you willing to trade away? These are the same questions that someone who takes a project team and works with. Different starting and ending vision perhaps - but the game allows us to play it our way - It certainly isn't the chicken way out - let me know in 5 years how the Astros are doing, you will have your hands full maintaining that franchise.

11-02-2017, 01:46 PM	#7
old fat bald guy Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Aug 2013 Posts: 220	All that matters is how you feel about it. There's a whole sub-culture of Football Manager players who start games waaaaay down the food chain, but it's different because futbol doesn't have farm systems and you can manage Spennymoor Town and control its personnel. I don't do minor-league managing in OOTP because I want to have control over the roster, but I do start with a small-market club.

11-02-2017, 04:31 PM	#8
itsmb8 All Star Starter Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 1,348	I think the biggest problem with managing a minor league team is that call-ups and send-downs are really frequent. I've tried it but I usually just end up simulating it until I get a GM offer. That being said, being a GM of a small-market team is a lot more challenging, obviously. At the same time though, the owners USUALLY have very patient personalities, so it's sort of give and take.