Online leagues, my ideas

[kagnew35]

This is just a few ideas I have for online historical leagues.


1. I personally do not like catching up with current years and having to use fictional players.

2. I think most leagues are run too quickly, ie 7 game sims. A lot of the game is wasted and missed by moving too quickly. I favor 3 game sims to allow us to experiemce more of the game.

3. I prefer to import historically for ammies, ie, they come up with historical teams. We all have our favorite teams, and players and I hate seeing "my players" on another team.

4. Leagues must be very careful in deciding which database to use. DB problems have caused many leaggues to fold.

5 Comedian2006 is putting together a fantastic set of utilities that greatly enhance the game, ie, autoface, auto logo, auto reports, streaksd, and others. The commissioner shoud use these to make his league more complete.

6 I will be starting an online league soon and invite any who share my ideas to reply with ideas of their own. Will likely start round 1970 and sim 3 games 3-5 times weekly. 24 teams and no expansion. I will use arod/garlon db and career average modified to import ammies. i will incorporate many of comedians utilities.

The league will also have its own real time live, customizable chat room to felicitate trades, discussion.

[ukhotstove]

Totally agree with the sim speed, alot of leagues sim too quick and when fictional players come along are shocked when GM's start to drop out it seem's there's an obsession on completing a season within a month.

Leagues do jump in to quick with databases and a few I've seen sim a few days then find problems with the database, not putting any commish down but surely it's part of the commish job to check this before the league starts.

Another thing that bugs me is trading, 1) The leagues that allow trading before the spots have been filled, so when you join there's been multiple trades already and 2) Leagues letting GM's trade most of their team away when the league starts then the GM quits and leaves a garbage team.

Personally I'd like to see some kind of trading cap either ammount of trades or ammount of players traded, either X ammount of trades during the season or X ammout of players traded during a season, also when the league starts no trades until the league as gone through X ammount of sims and any new GM cannot trade until he has been involved X ammount of sims.

Also on the trade issue say bring something in were a player drafted cannont be traded until he's been with that team a year, also no trading of draft picks, too many GM's throw draft picks around like confetti.

Also one other thing that bugs me is when you read through the rules of a league then join only for the rules to change before the league starts because a couple of GM's don't like the rules, to me if you don't like the rules don't join. I'm not for setting the rules in stone but they should only be done after the league as started and say in the offseason and voted on by the league.

[Zubes]

ive learned that people are very stubborn about having fictional or real players in a league. the basic feeling is that gms are lazy about getting to know players they have never heard of, and it means more work for learning the league.

and ive also learned that sims that arent frequent enough and go slower lose interest because the league never gets anywhere.

again, this is all just personal experience.

[kagnew35]

and ive also learned that sims that arent frequent enough and go slower lose interest because the league never gets anywhere

On this item, I have no problem with doing the league in say 3 montths real time, just that simming 7 days at a time doesn't allow for replacing injured players or thiose in slumps as often as needed. So how bout simming 3 games, 5 times a week? Setting waivers and dfa to multiples of 3, so it mirrors sims>

[Stu]

Originally Posted by kagnew35

On this item, I have no problem with doing the league in say 3 montths real time, just that simming 7 days at a time doesn't allow for replacing injured players or thiose in slumps as often as needed. So how bout simming 3 games, 5 times a week? Setting waivers and dfa to multiples of 3, so it mirrors sims>

I like this idea a lot. I don't mind simming 7 days, but would prefer less. Simming 5 days a week also isn't an issue for me since I'm lucky enough to have access to the game at work. However, I think GM's who can/would export 5 days a week are few and far between. It also puts a great burden on the Commish and leagues where the Commish starts missing sims because they bit off more than they could chew, usually don't fair well.

[huskerdan25]

If a commissioner has the time to sim 5 days a week or more, more power to him. There are plenty of commissioners that have plenty of higher priority things to do in their lives than run a baseball sim almost everynight. It just isn't realistic for many people. I am able to devote 3 nights out of my week to run sims and by running 7 day sims, the league can get through a season in a reasonable amount of time.

One thing you have to consider is leagues that go slow lose owners because if owners of teams that are performing poorly can't do anything about it via free agency and the amateur draft until a season ends 4-6 months later, then they lose interest. But if a league is going to complete 3-4 seasons per calendar year, then there is hope for those owners that they can turn their fortunes around within a reasonable time.

As for trading, from the perspective of a commissioner who has to process all of the trades, I too have often considered a trading cap, especially in modern leagues. Many times I have been in modern leagues as an owner and seen literally hundreds of trades done in those leagues prior to the first sim without any review only to see owners drop out when they've destroyed their teams via trade while others have become juggernauts. One time when I mentioned considering a trade cap, I almost had the entire ownership group leave the league. Trade caps are not well accepted So, I have always implemented a trade commission in my leagues to review trades for fairness and balance so that the league doesn't get thrown off-balance with really bad trades resulting in teams that are so bad no one would want to take them over after the owner leaves. A trade commission helps to slow down the process a bit as well as owners know that they can't just go trading players they just got in one trade in another immediately. I set a deadline for owners to post and confirm trades, then I review them myself and if I feel a trade is questionable, then I pass it on to the trade commission. They're decision is final (I'm not involved in the decision) as to whether the trade is approved or not. Owners have the ability to contest the decision of rejection but providing a reasoned explanation of why the trade was executed between the two teams. Rejection of trades are rare when owners know that trades are reviewed for fairness. And this does have some impact in lowering the number of trades that can happen in a league. In reality, few trades are done in MLB, so why should our leagues get bombarded with an unreasonable number of trades?

Oh, and I don't let teams "officially" trade until the league is full. I'm sure owners talk about trades regardless but they can't post trade agreements and have them reviewed until the league is full. I don't think it is fair to allow owners to trade while there are still ownerless teams, but that is just my opinion.

Just my $.02

Dan

[kagnew35]

dan, aam retiored and 71 years old so have time. Am atlanta braves in mlb2006. In league I am planning, will be only 24 teams as am thinking of starting round 1970, so hopefully ccan find players who do jhave a liking for simming 5 times a week. Also intend to implement as many of comedians utilities as possible, definately autoface and autologo and aureports.

[huskerdan25]

Originally Posted by kagnew35

dan, aam retiored and 71 years old so have time. Am atlanta braves in mlb2006. In league I am planning, will be only 24 teams as am thinking of starting round 1970, so hopefully ccan find players who do jhave a liking for simming 5 times a week. Also intend to implement as many of comedians utilities as possible, definately autoface and autologo and aureports.

I wish you the best with the league. I am not knocking your ideas, just suggesting that for many of us, it just isn't doable. The smaller the league is the more chance of success you will have in my opinion. Hopefully you can invite people who you know will be committed to the league and the smaller the league is, the better chance of filling the league with those types of owners.

MLB2006 is also going to implement many of the AU tools to enhance the experience of the league. I look forward to using these fine tools!

[kagnew35]

Agree with your suggestion of smaller leagues, in fact have been looking to do a Ted Williams dynasty, but really prefer to make it an online league if I can get enuff owners who would like to join a 1939 league of just 16 teams. Intend to have a lot of newspaper stories to make it interesting. If i can find owners who will contribute regullar news items on their teams it will be special. We will have some of the all time greats to write about.

[Stu]

Originally Posted by kagnew35

Agree with your suggestion of smaller leagues, in fact have been looking to do a Ted Williams dynasty, but really prefer to make it an online league if I can get enuff owners who would like to join a 1939 league of just 16 teams. Intend to have a lot of newspaper stories to make it interesting. If i can find owners who will contribute regullar news items on their teams it will be special. We will have some of the all time greats to write about.

I'd definitely be interested in a 1939 league.

[huskerdan25]

Actually, I would be too Keep me in mind. I would try my best to export lineup changes each night there is a sim, but can't promise since I have a couple of leagues I run. Would like to be an owner in a strong historical league though.

Dan

[Stu]

Originally Posted by huskerdan25

Actually, I would be too Keep me in mind. I would try my best to export lineup changes each night there is a sim, but can't promise since I have a couple of leagues I run. Would like to be an owner in a strong historical league though.

Dan

I'm running a fictional league as well, but always wanted to participate in a historical league.

I think if you do plan on simming 5 days a week, it would be unrealistic to expect owners to export more than 3, although I probably would. Another suggestion would be no minors since it seems to cause more trouble than its worth and would make management easier for owners.

[kagnew35]

I have a web site up with a portion of a test league for the ted replay, its based on arod/garlon db so has some of the negro league players in it. I have a test league pages set up at soxxcountry.com. ted williams league pages that u can look over. As a dynasty i signed satchel paige and a couple of other NL fa's but we will put all back so we can have draft by forum of them as they come available.

I also have a live, realtime chatroom on this site, duffys tavern which I usually monitor, get a sound alert when someone enters. If no immediate response, give me a minute to get back.

[kagnew35]

For thiose of u concerned by 5 sims a week, how bout 4 sims of 3 games, thats 13 weekss realtime for regular season, say 16-18 for a seasons play total with offseason and world series, I like the world series to be a game a day for 7 days so owners can adjusrt lineups. Will give us 3 seasons a calender year. I just have to live 7 more years at 71. Intend to, so we ok.

[ukhotstove]

4 seems better, using myself as an example I doubt I could send an export in 5 times a week and specially if it was an OOTP06 league. If anybody wants writers for their league I'd check out canadiancreeds thread about the WGP, no idea how many got back to him but that league was the best for writers I've ever seen, it's a pity the messageboard got wiped clean there were some classic stories on there.

[ukhotstove]

http://wgp.allsimbaseball.com/

This was the league, best writers I've ever seen in a league, just a shame the messageboard was wiped clean before they could be saved.

[DaMook]

I run a league and we sim two week of the schedule in each sim and I try to do a sim every other day. At this pace I still get people complaining that the league is too slow. I also play in another league that does the same thing and it works out fine. There really isnt an issue with injuries or slumping players cause you really cant tell if a player is slumping with only 3 games, you need a larger sample and two weeks gives a better idea of whos hot and who isnt.

Like Zubes stated, if it takes too long people get bored and quit.

[fhomess]

I really don't think there's an absolute to this. Some people prefer faster paced leagues becuase they get bored with an inability to alter their team's future. Others prefer the slower paced leagues because it lets you make adjustments more frequently and/or is closer to real life. I think it depends a little bit on whether or not you identify more with the GM or the manager role.

[kagnew35]

My idea with slower pace is to be able to experience the game better, take fuller advantage of options. I do want to have a lot of news releases type stories to make it more realistic, not just ok, we simmed, lets get on with it. I want each owner to input at least one story line at least every 2 weeks, and don't feel this is too heavy a sched. We will have some of the all time greatest players in game history and it will be nice to have a story line bout them.I envision this league as a 16 player dynasty type, something a bit different than an ordinary league. I welcome all your comments.

garlon has just signed on as 'Cubs owner and i will own the Red sox, all others are open on 1st come 1st serve basis. So thiose of you who like the idea, let me know what your team choice is.

[kagnew35]

Cubs, Giants and Red Sox gone. get ur team request in,

Garlon and HuskerDan on board. Dodgers gone, welcome ukhotstiove