Starting Fictional League: Help Me Set This Up

[GForce22]

Hey all,

OK, with TotalMinors' main work being near completion, I will actually get to play the game a bit. I will run two seasons, one real with TotalMinors, but one fictional also. Teflon Skies' outstanding stadiums, fictional logos, have me pumped up about doing this. But I want some advice from you fictional players to help me get this exactly as I want.

First off, help me with team names. This will be the North American Baseball Association. What I have set up now is a 2-league, 2 division setup, 4 teams per division. Prospective team names are in parentheses...not happy with some of them, so if you have better ideas, please let me know.

Eastern League (will be renamed)
North Division
Long Island (Towers...in respect to 9/11)
Ottawa (Freeze)
Norfolk (Waverunners)
Indianapolis (Racers)

South Division
Charlotte (Smoke)
Orlando (Tourists)
Memphis (Notes)
Louisville (Thoroughbreds)

Western League (again to be renamed)
North Division
Portland (Cutters...don't like this one at all)
Vancouver (?)
Omaha (?)
Sacramento (Stars...lame)

South Division
Las Vegas (Lights...everyone uses gamblers, rollers, etc.)
Dallas (Riders)
New Orleans (Blues)
Wichita (?)

ok, I want to have some semblance of realism behind the league because I like writing, doing web sites, etc. We can talk about not wanting big money, but there has to be some backing for the new league. Each team will have corporate backing, with the stadium rights sold to that company. But the company needs to be local, because we don't want teams relocating. So, for example, Long Island will be owned by Computer Associates. The company is ideally in the city, but if not, should at least be in the state. Using that framework, any ideas for the company for each city. If we really can't find a company to match with a city, I'll just use big companies.

The league will have a salary cap. I'm guessing $50M or $75M. Which would be better given OOTP's finances. Or should I just turn finances off and not worry about it?

League Commissioner: George Brett
Eastern League President: Cal Ripken
Western League President: Tony Gwynn

I wanted players I respect, guys who were about what the game is about, to hold these roles (of course it doesn't matter but it's good for the story ). I'm thinking of renaming the league's after historic players, perhaps Ted Williams and Jackie Robinson. Any other ideas are welcome.

OK, so give me a hand with the companies and the team names if you can. I'll be running through this as well. The companies I should be able to do well, since I work as a business journalist With no huge companies near New Orleans, I'm tempted to use IBM just because of the nickname "Blues"

The players:
The league will be fictional to an extent. My problem with fictional leagues has always been getting to know the players. So the league will have mostly fictional guys, but it will also include friends of mine, people I work with, movie players, etc., just to get off the ground and get my initial interest high. I like playing out games, and following certain of these guys will kind of keep me in it while I find other guys to follow as well.

Any other ideas are welcome.

GH

[LivnLegend]

In my solo Pastoral Baseball League I have had the Portland Timbers for years. It's much more original than others I have seen used repeatedly. You can use that if you like. And hey, Nike would probably love the chance to outfit their own local baseball team

[GForce22]

good thinking LL. I like the Timbers. I was trying to think of something wood related without using Beavers, Badgers, etc. Lumberjacks just seemed lame Nike certainly works for them!

GH

[GForce22]

ok, 12 of the 16 cities now have corporate sponsors. I need sponsors for Las Vegas, Sacramento, Ottawa and Vancouver.

Long Island - Computer Associates
Norfolk - AOL
Charlotte - Bank of America
Orlando - Darden Restaurants
Indianapolis - Eli Lilly
Dallas - Centex
New Orleans - Entergy
Memphis - Federal Express
Omaha - ConAgra
Louisville - Humana
Portland - Nike
Wichita - Koch Industries

I was tempted to put Louisville's team at a stadium at Churchill Downs, but that would be a sacrilege of sorts

GH

[bauermj]

for Indianapolis, i believe Conseco is now out of business...can someone confirm this?

[GForce22]

Conseco isn't out of business, but they are bankrupt I did their earnings report the other day. Who's next in line in Indiana? Eli Lilly, I think.

I forgot, Koch Industries for Wichita.

GH

[satchel]

A good name for Memphis would be the ‘Suns’ because of Sun Records, and all the Egyptian sun connections.

[Bravo 1/5 USHA]

How about the Wichita Armored or the Wichita Gun Bunnies or the Wichita Dragoons. Kansas is home to the storied 1st armored and infantry divisions and the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division. "Armored" would obviously be for the armored division...."Gun Bunnies" is a nickname given to the armor guys by grunts (infantrymen), and "Dragoons" was the unit (1st US Dragoons) who decided on the location for the fort (originally named Camp Center and later renamed in honor of Major General Bennet C. Riley). **It's also my old unit!!

Wichita is actually in southern Kansas whereas Ft. Riley is closer to the North...but Wichita is almost directly south of the BIG RED ONE so I thought you still might be able to use it.

Also,

How about:

Las Vegas Rackateers (or the Las Vegas Rat Pack)
Dallas Tycoons (pretty lame, I know)
Long Island Heroes (...in honor of the heroes (including two of my cousins) that died trying to save the civilians)
Omaha Steers (I love Omaha Steaks!)


Well....just some thoughts....might come up with more later. Ciao for now...


BRAVO 1/5 USHA - "Hamilton's Own"

[chinaski]

Ya, Conseco went bankrupt awhile back, down but not out.

p.s. For true Portland realism, PGE (Nike's evil) would be the sponsor with the Beavers being the team name Beavers Baseball! One of the oldest minor league clubs around. Timbers are good too, but thats the name of our indoor soccer team.

[GForce22]

interesting. something to consider. Thanks for the thought!

GH

[GForce22]

I thought of Heroes for Long Island, but thought it would be too presumptuous placing the players (fictional though they are) on par with the real heroes.

GH

[GForce22]

lots of military in Wichita? What about Brigade or something like that?

GH

[satchel]

Vancouver: Salmon, Sturgeon, Sounds, Islanders, Greens, Evergreens, Pine, Redwoods, Bears, Moose

[satchel]

‘Las Vegas Hunters’ after Hunter Thompson’s famous book.

Las Vegas Silver
Las Vegas Gold
Las Vegas Millions
Las Vegas Heat
Las Vegas Blaze

[Bravo 1/5 USHA]

Originally posted by GForce22
I thought of Heroes for Long Island, but thought it would be too presumptuous placing the players (fictional though they are) on par with the real heroes.

GH

I hear ya, but the players wouldn't be put on par with them...they would be playing for a team that is named in honor of them, you know?

[Bravo 1/5 USHA]

Originally posted by GForce22
lots of military in Wichita? What about Brigade or something like that?

GH

Whichita Brigade sounds cool...for some reason, the more i think about it I am liking Wichita Armored more and more...might have to start another league just so I can use it....

[Twelvefield]

The Vancouver Orca. The Vancouver sports scene has long been dominated by the Orca Bay ownership, with the Canucks and the Grizzlies being beneficiaries/victims of their unusual brand of fiscal management. Orca Bay, love it or hate it, is the true definition of "A fool and his money are soon parted", except that Orca Bay has found ways to keep generating money. They take it from the even greater fools, the Vancouver sports fans. Again, the prrof is in the Grizzlies (gone to Memphis... Memphis !?!?) and the Canucks. Way to golf, Canucks.

[NYJuggalo45]

Long Island...
Sound
Bravest
Finest
Islanders (in memory of my recently defeated Isles)

Definately gotta have Charles Wang as the owner and Mike Milbury or Bill Torrey as the GM

[eraddeus]

New Orleans Swingers.

A double entendre at its best.

[John C]

GForce22,

If you want a sound fictional league, one thing you may want to try is using people you know in the league (as players), and maybe not even using real players in administrative positions. If you want the league to stand alone and not have any MLB residue in it, then I'd look at making fictional people and giving them personalities. I also think it makes it a lot more fun.

-John
-has run a fictional league for over 100 years, still doesn't know anything