A Fond Farewell to the UBL

kq76 · 11-23-2003, 06:48 PM

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.

Cooleyvol · 11-23-2003, 07:01 PM

Thanks, Kieran for the kind post.

FWIW, the UBL is not 'for sure' closing.
I'm still working on some things that would cut down on the time it takes to properly run this league.

As you know, the ammy draft pool is the toughest portion of this league. To properly research the rookies of that particular year in the Negro and Pacific Coast leagues in order to create them in our UBL universe, alot of time is needed.

So don't give up just yet.

Another point I'd like to make is my surprise that this league did not tweak the interest that I think it deserves. Nowhere else have all the players of the era been placed in the same league and frankly, I'm surprised that we didnt have a huge number of people following our league to see how the NL/PCL guys did against their MLB counterparts

Maybe it was b/c of the commish. Some folks around here think less of me than others. Maybe it was something totally different, but I would have thought the historians in our group would have flocked to this league just to pour over its stats.

Finally, as I said, the UBL isnt dead just yet, so hold on................you may get to run your Tigers for several seasons to come! But I will say this: Kieran has been the model owner and one that I know for sure I made the right decision on by adding him to the initial set of owners.

mpsquid · 11-24-2003, 12:36 AM

I hope it stays around, I'd like to become more active in it again. Thanks for all the hard work Mark, and congrats Tigers. Losing I think 17 of the last 20 made the race to the finish a little lopsided. Either way I enjoy this league and its premise immensely.

Putt-Seals

Crapshoot · 11-24-2003, 01:12 AM

Mark, down the line, if you're looking for more owners, let me know - I'd like to know.
thanks,

kq76 · 11-24-2003, 11:32 AM

Well it appears I may have spoken too soon. If the UBL is back next season, I'll be back too!

JDScorch · 11-26-2003, 02:36 AM

I too thought the UBL was tooting it's final horn, I would welcome it's return. Mark, you know I'll be here as long as the UBL is around, and would look forward to assisting with another expansion in the near future. Jim

Henry · 11-26-2003, 12:34 PM

I just wanted to throw in my 2 cents as well. I wasn't able to stay with the UBL due to personal schedules, but the league is top notch - and Mark does a bangup job making sure everything is as correct as possible and fair to everyone. I hope the UBL continues - it's certainly one of the leagues that deserves to

Henry

11-23-2003, 06:48 PM	#1
kq76 Global Moderator Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 12,006	A Fond Farewell to the UBL 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. __________________ My OOTP Wishlist \| My FAQ List OOTP Wiki \| Your Recommended Team Nicknames, By City (A Crowdsourced Project) For Beta/Devs: Full screen (1920x1080) Last edited by kq76; 11-23-2003 at 06:50 PM.

11-24-2003, 12:36 AM	#3
mpsquid Minors (Double A) Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 182	I hope it stays around, I'd like to become more active in it again. Thanks for all the hard work Mark, and congrats Tigers. Losing I think 17 of the last 20 made the race to the finish a little lopsided. Either way I enjoy this league and its premise immensely. Putt-Seals __________________ DDBL- Point Breeze Salty Dogs HFTC- BrewCrew

11-24-2003, 01:12 AM	#4
Crapshoot Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: watching: DArwin's missing link in action Posts: 3,112	Mark, down the line, if you're looking for more owners, let me know - I'd like to know. thanks, __________________ Senior Senor Member of the OOTP Boards Pittsburgh Playmates- OTBL

11-24-2003, 11:32 AM	#5
kq76 Global Moderator Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 12,006	Well it appears I may have spoken too soon. If the UBL is back next season, I'll be back too! __________________ My OOTP Wishlist \| My FAQ List OOTP Wiki \| Your Recommended Team Nicknames, By City (A Crowdsourced Project) For Beta/Devs: Full screen (1920x1080)

11-26-2003, 02:36 AM	#6
JDScorch Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Minnesota Posts: 234	I too thought the UBL was tooting it's final horn, I would welcome it's return. Mark, you know I'll be here as long as the UBL is around, and would look forward to assisting with another expansion in the near future. Jim __________________ SO49 Minnesota Giants 1955, 1959, 1969 Champs MCBL Chicago White Sox 1954 amd 1956 Champs MLBC Philadelphia Phillies 1959, 1960 and 1974 Champs

11-23-2003, 07:01 PM	#2
Cooleyvol Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Union City, TN Posts: 6,383	Thanks, Kieran for the kind post. FWIW, the UBL is not 'for sure' closing. I'm still working on some things that would cut down on the time it takes to properly run this league. As you know, the ammy draft pool is the toughest portion of this league. To properly research the rookies of that particular year in the Negro and Pacific Coast leagues in order to create them in our UBL universe, alot of time is needed. So don't give up just yet. Another point I'd like to make is my surprise that this league did not tweak the interest that I think it deserves. Nowhere else have all the players of the era been placed in the same league and frankly, I'm surprised that we didnt have a huge number of people following our league to see how the NL/PCL guys did against their MLB counterparts Maybe it was b/c of the commish. Some folks around here think less of me than others. Maybe it was something totally different, but I would have thought the historians in our group would have flocked to this league just to pour over its stats. Finally, as I said, the UBL isnt dead just yet, so hold on................you may get to run your Tigers for several seasons to come! But I will say this: Kieran has been the model owner and one that I know for sure I made the right decision on by adding him to the initial set of owners.

11-26-2003, 12:34 PM	#7
Henry Hall of Fame Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 6,498	I just wanted to throw in my 2 cents as well. I wasn't able to stay with the UBL due to personal schedules, but the league is top notch - and Mark does a bangup job making sure everything is as correct as possible and fair to everyone. I hope the UBL continues - it's certainly one of the leagues that deserves to Henry