My yearly OOTP traditions

Antonin · 03-26-2024, 01:50 PM

I don't buy every new version of OOTP, but I did this year. One thing I always do in preparation for a new version is re-read several old baseball books.

My favorite is "The Worst Baseball Pitchers of All Time: Bad Luck, Bad Arms, Bad Teams, and Just Plain Bad," by Alan Kaufman and James Kaufman. Their amusing analysis of the worst of the worst goes all the way back to the 19th century. One of the statistics they use is WAT ("wins-above-team"), which for each of the pitchers they write about is always a negative number.

Another favorite is "The Hidden Game of Baseball: A Revolutionary Approach to Baseball and its Statistics," by John Thorn and Pete Palmer.

And I always spend some time with "The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues," by James A. Riley. I bought this book for my mother years ago, but never got around to buying it for myself. When she passed away three years ago I kind of inherited it.

And then there's David Nemec's "Great Baseball Feats, Facts & Firsts (expanded and updated for the 1995 season)." I found it at a rummage sale and return to it often.

"Baseball: The Biographical Encyclopedia," from the editors of Total Baseball is another one. I found it at Borders more than 15 years ago. It was on the "remainders" table, marked down to one dollar. That was maybe the best dollar I ever spent. I can just open it to a random page and start reading.

These books put me in a cheerful mood to begin some new baseball adventures on my computer.

Once I actually buy the new version of OOTP I always start a fictional league, using jerseys created by people on this forum, just to see how things look. Eventually I might import some of my leagues from previous versions. But inevitably I fall in love with my so-called "test" league. Even though I have been playing OOTP since OOTP5, I call myself a "hardcore casual" player. I enjoy having more exotic stats in each new version, but I don't pay that much attention to them. And since I play mostly fictional I don't worry much about how accurately the game portrays Sandy Koufax or anyone else.

Do you have any yearly OOTP traditions?

ScottyA · 03-26-2024, 04:03 PM

My yearly tradition is to start a normal modern-day league, pick the Tigers, and spend a good couple of hours looking over the team. Then I typically spend another couple of hours looking at stats after running a hands-off season or two, just letting the AI manage everything. I'm sure a ton of people do the same thing with their favorite teams. It always gets me pumped up for opening day and it familiarizes me with any new players.

After any nagging bugs have been patched, which I haven't run into any this year, I start working on my fictional league. I always do something different with my custom leagues and work for HOURS personalizing things. This year is going to be particularly goofy and I'm excited to get started. I'm not at all a fan of AI generated art, but I am going to incorporate a bunch into my league this year - it's good enough for generic logos and stuff even if they do all look stylistically similar.

I like the idea of reading a good baseball book before the season starts though, that's a great idea. My wife and I are pretty huge fans, we plan our vacations around the park we are going to visit that year, so there is no reason we shouldn't have a nice baseball library. Gonna start working on that.

Pelican · 03-26-2024, 08:57 PM

My approach is to immediately ramp up the current season. In recent years, I choose one of the worst teams in MLB to manage and act as GM (KC, Pirates, Oakland, Detroit, DC in recent years). But, since these are invariably teams with low budgets, I adjust financials to give them LA/Atlanta/NY money - for free agents, player development, long-term contracts. Lots of player turnover. Mixed results. Another test I run is to see how the latest version handles expansion. Either add a couple teams currently, going to four leagues of eight teams, or more recently the Continental League in 1961, eight new franchises in NY, Houston, Montreal, San Diego, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Denver, Minnesota, Oakland. And finally I will pick a historical season to replay, pre-1947, with no color line - to test how OOTP is treating Negro League stars. When I come to a player I don't know well, I go to Baseball Reference, and look to see if there is a SABR biography. That adds depth to the game for me. Plus for historical seasons I download the actual stadiums that were used, for realism.

progen · 03-27-2024, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScottyA

My yearly tradition is to start a normal modern-day league, pick the Tigers, and spend a good couple of hours looking over the team. Then I typically spend another couple of hours looking at stats after running a hands-off season or two, just letting the AI manage everything. I'm sure a ton of people do the same thing with their favorite teams. It always gets me pumped up for opening day and it familiarizes me with any new players.

After any nagging bugs have been patched, which I haven't run into any this year, I start working on my fictional league. I always do something different with my custom leagues and work for HOURS personalizing things. This year is going to be particularly goofy and I'm excited to get started. I'm not at all a fan of AI generated art, but I am going to incorporate a bunch into my league this year - it's good enough for generic logos and stuff even if they do all look stylistically similar.

I like the idea of reading a good baseball book before the season starts though, that's a great idea. My wife and I are pretty huge fans, we plan our vacations around the park we are going to visit that year, so there is no reason we shouldn't have a nice baseball library. Gonna start working on that.

I stumbled upon this site and I'd think would be a good place for suggestions for your library. I contacted Ron and he emailed me the 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read Before They Die.

https://www.ronkaplansbaseballbookshelf.com/

And here's a post on the forums where folks posted their favorite books. I found this to be very helpful as well

https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...d.php?t=322257

AB42 · 03-27-2024, 08:02 AM

Yearly Tradition: Pour several bourbons while perusing my Reds ratings, cussing because I think they're all underrated and then starting a sim with another team that's a fun rebuild.

I don't know what it is....I just have a hard time using my favorite team.

Bluenoser · 03-27-2024, 08:31 AM

I like watching baseball movies when ST starts. I have several so enough to get me to opening day if I watch 2 or 3 a week. It helps get me into the "baseball" mood and get excited for the season to start.

03-26-2024, 01:50 PM	#1
Antonin Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Ohio Posts: 2,553	My yearly OOTP traditions I don't buy every new version of OOTP, but I did this year. One thing I always do in preparation for a new version is re-read several old baseball books. My favorite is "The Worst Baseball Pitchers of All Time: Bad Luck, Bad Arms, Bad Teams, and Just Plain Bad," by Alan Kaufman and James Kaufman. Their amusing analysis of the worst of the worst goes all the way back to the 19th century. One of the statistics they use is WAT ("wins-above-team"), which for each of the pitchers they write about is always a negative number. Another favorite is "The Hidden Game of Baseball: A Revolutionary Approach to Baseball and its Statistics," by John Thorn and Pete Palmer. And I always spend some time with "The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues," by James A. Riley. I bought this book for my mother years ago, but never got around to buying it for myself. When she passed away three years ago I kind of inherited it. And then there's David Nemec's "Great Baseball Feats, Facts & Firsts (expanded and updated for the 1995 season)." I found it at a rummage sale and return to it often. "Baseball: The Biographical Encyclopedia," from the editors of Total Baseball is another one. I found it at Borders more than 15 years ago. It was on the "remainders" table, marked down to one dollar. That was maybe the best dollar I ever spent. I can just open it to a random page and start reading. These books put me in a cheerful mood to begin some new baseball adventures on my computer. Once I actually buy the new version of OOTP I always start a fictional league, using jerseys created by people on this forum, just to see how things look. Eventually I might import some of my leagues from previous versions. But inevitably I fall in love with my so-called "test" league. Even though I have been playing OOTP since OOTP5, I call myself a "hardcore casual" player. I enjoy having more exotic stats in each new version, but I don't pay that much attention to them. And since I play mostly fictional I don't worry much about how accurately the game portrays Sandy Koufax or anyone else. Do you have any yearly OOTP traditions? __________________ "Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?" - Johnny Rotten (Sex Pistols), San Francisco, 14 January 1978

03-26-2024, 08:57 PM	#3
Pelican Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2021 Location: Wilmington, Delaware Posts: 3,193	My approach is to immediately ramp up the current season. In recent years, I choose one of the worst teams in MLB to manage and act as GM (KC, Pirates, Oakland, Detroit, DC in recent years). But, since these are invariably teams with low budgets, I adjust financials to give them LA/Atlanta/NY money - for free agents, player development, long-term contracts. Lots of player turnover. Mixed results. Another test I run is to see how the latest version handles expansion. Either add a couple teams currently, going to four leagues of eight teams, or more recently the Continental League in 1961, eight new franchises in NY, Houston, Montreal, San Diego, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Denver, Minnesota, Oakland. And finally I will pick a historical season to replay, pre-1947, with no color line - to test how OOTP is treating Negro League stars. When I come to a player I don't know well, I go to Baseball Reference, and look to see if there is a SABR biography. That adds depth to the game for me. Plus for historical seasons I download the actual stadiums that were used, for realism. __________________ Pelican OOTP 2020-? ”Hard to believe, Harry.” Last edited by Pelican; 03-26-2024 at 08:59 PM.

03-26-2024, 04:03 PM	#2
ScottyA Bat Boy Join Date: Mar 2024 Posts: 2	My yearly tradition is to start a normal modern-day league, pick the Tigers, and spend a good couple of hours looking over the team. Then I typically spend another couple of hours looking at stats after running a hands-off season or two, just letting the AI manage everything. I'm sure a ton of people do the same thing with their favorite teams. It always gets me pumped up for opening day and it familiarizes me with any new players. After any nagging bugs have been patched, which I haven't run into any this year, I start working on my fictional league. I always do something different with my custom leagues and work for HOURS personalizing things. This year is going to be particularly goofy and I'm excited to get started. I'm not at all a fan of AI generated art, but I am going to incorporate a bunch into my league this year - it's good enough for generic logos and stuff even if they do all look stylistically similar. I like the idea of reading a good baseball book before the season starts though, that's a great idea. My wife and I are pretty huge fans, we plan our vacations around the park we are going to visit that year, so there is no reason we shouldn't have a nice baseball library. Gonna start working on that.

03-27-2024, 08:02 AM	#5
AB42 Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Jun 2017 Posts: 38	Yearly Tradition: Pour several bourbons while perusing my Reds ratings, cussing because I think they're all underrated and then starting a sim with another team that's a fun rebuild. I don't know what it is....I just have a hard time using my favorite team.

03-27-2024, 08:31 AM	#6
Bluenoser Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: In The Moment Posts: 14,488	I like watching baseball movies when ST starts. I have several so enough to get me to opening day if I watch 2 or 3 a week. It helps get me into the "baseball" mood and get excited for the season to start.