The Commonwealth of Columbia Baseball League

[HRBaker]

There is no "Right Way" to play OOTP. Whether Historical, Current, or Fictional - at game detail or at 30,000 feet, we all find our own play to play it. Personally, I've always favored a fictional universe. Maybe it's my love of SciFi or maybe I'm just weird

In any case, my most recent adventure is the creation of a fictional country called the Commonwealth of Columbia, situated weather-wise in an area similar to the Gulf of Mexico. CofC is a small country of about 125,000 square miles (80% the size of California), with a population of 35 million. (see attached map)

In 1947, the Commonwealth Baseball Association was formed, consisting of 18 teams divided into 3 leagues, using a Promotion/Relegation format. For its inaugural season, the 6 largest cities were placed in the 1st Tier National League; the 6 next largest cities were placed in the 2nd Tier American League; and the 6 next largest cities were placed in the 3rd Tier Federal League.

National Commonwealth League
..Chandler Electrics
..Oakpark Eagles
..Empire Bay Cannons
..Bellevue Pilots
..Newport Knights
..Kingston Tigers
American Commonwealth League (w designated hitter)
..Akron Yankees
..Ligonier Rams
..Birkland Bears
..Hillwood Stars
..San Gabriel Missions
..Clifton Pirates
Federal Commonwealth League
..Bedford Falls Angels
..Mt. Gilead Indians
..Euclid Panthers
..Emery Park Vikings
..Canton Terriors
..Alantown Cardinals

30 other, smaller towns all have amateur teams which develop and feed the 12 professional teams in an amateur draft process.

I've played out 5 seasons so far (1947-1951) and thought I might share it with the community.

Although I do keep a detailed Almanac to capture all the details OOTP is capable of, I also assemble a short, seasonal timetable (monthly) which effectively slows me down enough for me to become familiar with the teams and players - AND serves as a "seed" for various stories within the creation.

My ultimate goal is to play out the CofC to the current time window (2018-2019?) and then possibly convert it to an online league with all its accumulated history. The real question will be how attached I am to it at that point

Anyway, I will begin by posting the 1947 season summary after the holidays. Each season currently takes me about 2 weeks to play out and summarize, so it's reasonable to expect I can post a new season every 2 weeks, assuming life doesn't get in the way.

I hope the effort is enjoyable

PS: I will eventually provide descriptions and little side-stories of each of the 18 major cities to provide an "economic/cultural" background for the baseball main story.

[Dark Horse]

i am always happy to see another fictional world league. Good luck!

And that's a nice map.

[Sizeman21]

Oh sweet, a new fictional tale! Can't wait to see how you lay this story out! Great intro and map for perspective! Keep it up!

[HRBaker]

Short History of Empire Bay, Auckway
Population 7.3 Million

Empire Bay was first founded in the year of 1547 by the Italian explorer Giulio Contadino and named Porto Romano after the founder's home town of Rome. Porto Romano served as a simple trading post on the mouth of the Culver River (originally called “The Contadino”) until the start of the 17th century when it came under Dutch rule. Under the rule of the Dutch, the city rapidly grew to be a major colonist metropolis. It would remain under Dutch rule until 1694 when the British came to take over the city. The British governor Sir John Stanmore, who began his rule in 1694, was the one who named the city, and the bay upon which it was located; Empire Bay.

Stanmore governed Empire Bay until 1739. During this time, the current territory of Columbia consisted of two colonies, called the “Two Sisters; Auckway and Ieistwin”. The city (and Auckway) remained under British rule while Ieistwin remained under the control of the Dutch. In 1739, the British and Dutch governments granted independence to both Auckway and Iestwin under the Unification of the Sister Colonies Treaty, which resulted in the formation of the Columbia Commonwealth. Over the years, the original Dutch name of "Iestwin" became known as "Eastwind".

Throughout the 19th century, during the immigration boom, many of the city's districts were formed around waves of incoming cultures. Sizable Irish, Italian, and Chinese districts make up the diverse culture of the city.

It was during the 19th century and the start of the 20th century that the city really grew to be a modern, urban oasis with the construction of the Culver Dam and the famous Empire Arms Hotel, which would burn to the ground in 1942 before it was rebuilt. The rebuilding process was completed in 1947.

Today, it is a thriving and economically powerful metropolis, proud of its standing as the largest city in the Commonwealth.

NOTE: The team name “Cannons” was in tribute to the 28 Cannons located at Fort Culver in Southport. The fort is no longer, having been demolished for the construction of the eastern approach to the Southport Tunnel.

Neighborhoods

Chinatown, Dipton, East Side, Greenfield, Highbrook, Hunters Point, Little Italy, Midtown, North Millville, Oyster Bay, The Ports, Riverside, Sand Island, Southport, South Millville, Uptown, and the West Side.

[HRBaker]

Commonwealth of Columbia Baseball League
1947 Results

The Oakpark Eagles take the first Commonwealth Cup & National Pennant without too much difficulty. Some interesting stories, and some very curious trades.

Ready for 1948? Should be ready about January 15th, 2018.

Click on this link to see season results for 1947

NOTE: The format of the seasonal results are chronological from top to bottom. The three columns represent the three leagues; National (1st Tier), American w DH (2nd Tier), and Federal (3rd Tier). The 1st place team in both the American and Federal Leagues is promoted up one level, and the last place team from both the National and American Leagues is relegated down one level. Each league awards a Pennant and individual awards. The winner of the National League also wins the Commonwealth Cup. There are no playoffs.

[HRBaker]

So... Where did I get the team names for the CofC ?

Akron Yankees
Actual team that existed between 1935 and 1941. A class C farm club of the New York Yankees that played in the Middle Atlantic League.

Alantown Cardinals
Alantown is a homophone (tribute to my middle name) of Allentown, PA. The team nickname is from my high school.

Bedford Falls Angels
A team fictionalized from the 1946 movie "It's a Wonderful Life".

Bellevue Pilots
On a vacation to Seattle, my wife and I took a side trip to Bellevue, a city just East of Seattle. It turned out by coincidence the Navy's Blue Angels had a show that day over Lake Washington.

Birkland Bears
A fictional team in the game Mafia II.

Canton Terriers
Another class C farm club from the Middle Atlantic league (1928-1942) that was a rival to the Akron Yankees.

Chandler Electrics
A two-year school I graduated from with an Associates Degree in Electronics.

Clifton Pirates
When I was a kid, my favorite restaurant was a place called Clifton's. On the way out at the cash register was a Pirates Chest where you could pick a toy for being good.

Emery Park Vikings
I lived in Alhambra, CA for two years while in elementary school. The school I attended was on Emery Park Blvd. and the Viking was the school's mascot.

Empire Bay Cannons
A fictional team in the game Mafia II.

Euclid Panthers
Another location from my childhood, Euclid Avenue runs from Cleveland's Public Square east to Willoughby OH. As a teenager I drove this stretch an untold number of times. Panther was the mascot of my Boy Scout troop.

Hillwood Stars
A variation of "Hollywood Stars", a Pacific Coast baseball team I got to see when I lived in California.

Kingston Tigers
Kingston is another location in Washington State, northwest of Seattle. There is a Ferry we took from Edmonds (east side of Puget Sound) to Kingston (west side). The nickname Tigers was arbitrary.

Ligonier Rams
A small town in Pennsylvania near Idlewild amusement park. Their high school mascot is the Ram.

Mt. Gilead Indians
A small town in Ohio I thought was an interesting name. I choose the Indians nickname since that's the MLB team I have followed since 1954 when I saw my first game.

Newport Knights
A variation of the "New York Knights" in the 1984 movie "The Natural".

Oakpark Eagles
Oakpark is where Frank Lloyd Wright, a famous architect, had his original studio. I've always liked his designs. The Eagles nickname was arbitrary.

San Gabriel Missions
When I lived in California, there was a nearby town called San Gabriel, and in San Garbriel was the San Gabriel Mission, opened in 1771 and still operating today.

[HRBaker]

A Short History of Newport, Eastwind
Population 3.9 Million

Barend Meijer and Lars Dekker established "Nieuwe Haven" under the Dutch flag in 1639 during the explorations of the East-West archipelago between the Great North and Great South Seas. The seaside community, situated on the northern tip of what was then called Pangea, grew to become one of the busiest and wealthiest ports of the time. The homeport to numerous sailing vessels, the “City by the Sea” engaged in whaling as well as the rum and textile trades. When the Colony of Ieistwin received its Dutch Royal Charter in 1663, Schuyler Jansen was the colony’s first governor and the now renamed "Newport" served as the capital city of Ieistwin. As time passed, the Dutch name of Ieistwin became "Eastwind".

Built in 1701, the Old Colony House on Vancouver Square still serves as the Eastwind Colony capital along with the other Eastwind Government Campus buildings.

Today, Newport ranks as the second largest city in Columbia, and is its largest port.

Neighborhoods

Kepler, Penfield, Sackett, Lombardy, Stonecliff, Brooklands, Little Italy, and Stockbridge.

[HRBaker]

Winter Meetings 1947-48
Empire Bay, Auckway



Scene
A conference room on the 80th floor of the Empire Bay Building, in the offices of the Columbia Commonwealth Baseball League. The long room is paneled in a dark cherry with a walnut conference table and plush chairs capable of seating 20 people. The floor is covered in a deep red, thick carpet, and 18 brass plaques adorn the two longer walls, each representing the teams making up the CCBL. They are hung alphabetically.

At the head of the table is CCBL's first Commissioner, Phineas T. Pendleton, a retired lawyer, recently "re-activated" for this challenge at the request of his longtime friend, Mayor Jonathon Blake. At the far end of the table is Pendleton's secretary, Mrs. Cora Pritchard. On each side of the long table are seated the 18 team owners under their team plaque.

To the left of the Commissioner,

Akron Yankees, Joe Bryan, 50yo,
...1947 American League Champions on nameplate of Mr. Bryan
Alantown Cardinals, Justin Simmons, 55yo
Bedford Falls Angels, Justin Goff, 56yo
Bellvue Pilots, Braden Bryant, 48yo
Birkland Bears, Jarrett Hux, 55yo
Canton Terriers, David McEntire, 50yo
Chandler Electrics, Mike Banks, 65yo
Clifton Pirates, Dave Clisby, 52yo
Emery Park Vikings, Johnny Morrow, 55yo

To the right of the Commissioner,

Empire Bay Cannons, David Biggerstaff, 53yo
Euclid Panthers, Josh Mahoney, 51yo
Hillwood Stars, Jeremy Bish, 60yo
Kingston Tigers, Jason Magallanes, 48yo
Ligonier Rams, Scott Thompson, 64yo
Mt. Gillead Indians, Nick Mahoney, 53yo,
...1947 Federal League Champions on nameplate of Mr. Mahoney
Newport Knights, John Sloan, 63yo
Oakpark Eagles, Zach Wilcox, 59yo,
...1947 National League Champions & Commonwealth Cup on nameplate of Mr. Wilcox
San Gabriel Missions, Cory Carlson, 49yo

At the back of the room are plaques representing the 1947 batting champs, pitching champs, and manager awards.

At the front of the room, framed by the flag of the Commonealth of Columbia and the Auckway Colony flag is an oil portrait of Commissioner Phineas T. Pendleton.

- - -

Pendleton raises his voice over the various discussions, "Gentlemen? If we can please call today's meeting to order?"

The room quieted.

"Cora? Can we please hear a list of the unfinished business from our last meeting?", asked Pendleton.

Cora Pritchard was a very likeable, middle aged woman, but she didn't put up with anything out of order. "By the book Cora" is what everyone called her.

"Gentlemen, there are two items remaining from past discussions. One, the issue of playoffs, and Two, the issue of the financial status of the Ligonier team."

Pendleton rubbed his chin and said, "If you don't mind gentlemen, I'd like to address the Ligonier situation first. Scott? If you would give us an update?"

Thompson, owner of the Rams, began, "As you know, I purchased this team back in 1940 at what can pretty much be called a "fire sale". The Rams were more or less an industrial league team that challenged other Colony teams for added income. For six years I struggled to keep the team afloat, and when the opportunity to join the CCBL arose, I thought I could finally make the team pay for itself. As you all know, last season was another bust for me. Lowest attendance in the league at 10,903 and I lost almost $50,000. and got a 40-60 record to show for it. The '48 season isn't looking much better. I'm putting another $12,000. into it, but I have to admit my pockets aren't bottomless. I'm seriously thinking about selling the team."

Pendleton: "Scott, I think we all understand that your financial stability has to come first. The success of your mining operation at Ram's Head is critical to the Commonwealth, and sometimes hobbies, even lucrative ones, have to take second place."

Thompson interjected, "I'd be tickled pink for second place", he quipped.

A round of laughter circled the room.

Pendleton: "Let's leave this discussion open for now, and see how the new season treats you. If you must look for a new buyer, the only thing I remind you of is that the League Contract requires we vote on any new owners, and a majority of 12 of 18 votes is required, and that teams may not move from the 18 cities we have signed with."

Thompson: "Agreed."

Pendleton: "Now, on to the second issue..."

Cora: "First Issue! Sir."

Pendelton smiles.

Pendleton: "Ah yes, Cora. Back to the FIRST issue - In our last meeting, we had quiet an animated discussion about possible playoff games. As I remember, our straw vote suggested we were evenly divided on the issue. Reason enough to continue discussion, but not decisive enough to move forward. Who would like to speak first?"

David McEntire, Owner of the Canton Terriors, was an outspoken and loud individual.

"I said it previously, and I'll say it again, playoff games would provide another avenue of income for up to 4 teams and generate a greater interest in the fan base of all teams."

"Not so fast." said Zack Wilcox, owner of the Oakpark Eagles. "It doesn't make a lot of sense to set up a playoff schedule which could result in the wildcard team with the weakest record getting lucky over a seven game series and claiming the Commonwealth Cup as the result. We would devalue the Cup in the process."

McEntire responded, "And what sense does it make for the National League Champion to ALWAYS win the Commonwealth Cup in addition to the National League Pennant simply because the National League is the Tier One league?

"If I may?", Joe Bryan of the Akron Yankees raised his hand. "There is a third option. If the playoff Round was only between the two teams with the best record, regardless of Tier, the Commonwealth Cup could represent the team with the most wins overall."

"But..." interjected Wilcox, "...then we put up for argument the validity of a Promotion/Relegation League where the best teams are suppose to be in the National League.' Motioning toward the Missions owner, "If Cory here, who just got relegated to the Federal League somehow won 75 games this coming season and won a 7 game playoff, are the Missions, who are in Tier Three, deserving of the Cup?

The collective moan was very audible.

Pendelton spoke, "If I may have the floor gentlemen. Let's make something perfectly clear. Yes, the three tier promotion/relegation concept does assume the best teams will ultimately be in the National League - however - since we initially chose to populate our league by population, one season under our belt doesn't qualify to claim the 6 best teams are today in the National League. For all we know, the six smallest cities may OWN the National League in five years."

The room sounded like a vacuum.

Pendleton continued, "There is good cause to consider a playoff round to enjoy the benefits of both increased income and additional fan interest. The way we construct it, however, and what awards are handed out is where our collective wisdom should be focused. I would suggest the following..."

"Each of you should bring the question back to your fan-base to see what ideas are favored, and to see if there are any ideas our combined wisdom happened to miss. After all, it is the fans that will define the success or failure of our efforts. They should have some input into this discussion."

"Cora? Please note that we will play the 1948 season with no playoffs, collect this information by team, and revisit this discussion after the 1948 season is complete. Are there any questions?"

One thing was certain, Pendleton demanded respect by both his personal 6'3" presence and his commanding voice. No one hardly breathed.

"Very well then, I'm sure many of you are in some significant trade proposals?" He scanned the room with a sly smile. "Meeting adjourned."

= = =

HRBAKER Note: I'm interested on how everyone feels about playoffs in a Promotion/Relegation league. The arguments above are all valid, including the one currently used - no playoffs. Feel free to comment.

[HRBaker]

Oakpark, Auckway
Population 2.8 Million

Oakpark is located on hilly terrain at the mouth of the West River. The city is divided into three sections, the West side containing the neighborhoods of Chinatown, Little Italy, the Works Quarter, and the Harbor District), Central Island (formed by the East and West branch of the West River) and the East Side (consisting of 5 neighborhood; New Ark, Downtown, Hoboken, Wexford, and Wexford Hill). West of the city is the Lost Heaven Racing Circuit, and North of the city is the airport. Outside the city are several square-miles of peaceful countryside. The Lundy Lighthouse, on the East side of town, marks the entrance to Lundy Cove from the Eries Channel.

[Dark Horse]

With 8 team leagues, i would rather not have a playoff.

With your relegation leagues, i would not like the lower tier league champion having a chance to be the overall champ.

Here are a couple of alternatives to a "true" playoff.

How about the league runs a series of exhibitions? (Call it the Commonwealth Challenge.) It would be like having an all-star game. The story line is that it is used to raise more money to be split among the league. It could be one game or a three game series. The Federal champ plays the American champ. The American champ has the home field advantage. The winner plays the National champ. The National champ has the home field advantage. The winner would not be the recognized champion. But that team would have bragging rights.

Perhaps, if the American and Federal champs win the Challenge enough, it could spur talk of an expansion of the National Commonwealth. Maybe you expand to 10 or 12 teams.

In the expansion, it is the announced that the American champ and Federal champ would join the National League. The remaining teams (2 if the National goes to 10 teams or 4 if the National goes to 12 teams) would be the teams with best records in the American League. That season would be exciting to follow. (Think the Semi-Pro with Will Ferrell plot without the comedy.)The Federal League would be still be for relegation.

You split the National League into two divisions. The division winners would then play in a true playoff for a championship.

And last place in each division would get relegated to the Federal League. And the top two teams in the Federal League would move up.

[Dark Horse]

The other idea would be to have play in series instead of just automatic relegation. The last place team in the National plays the first place team in the American. Winner goes to the National League, the loser to the American League. At the same time, the last place team in the American League plays the first place team in the Federal League team. Winner goes to the American and the loser goes to the Federal.

These games could also be played to raise money to be split among the league. i'm sure Scott Thompson would appreciate that.

By the way, i like the your use of the pdf for the reports. That was a great idea.

[HRBaker]

Commonwealth of Columbia Baseball League
1948 Results

The Akron Yankees (60-32), in the very first season of being promoted to the National League, claims the second Commonwealth Cup & National Pennant. Last year's winner, the Oakpark Eagles, managed to grab 2nd Place with a 55-45 record.

Click on this link to see season results for 1948

New additions for this report; Check out HRBaker's "Down the Middle" season opinion, and HRBaker's "Down the Middle" Season Summary. I also included historical stats for the season's award winners.

NOTE: The format of the seasonal results are chronological from top to bottom. The three columns represent the three leagues; National (1st Tier), American w DH (2nd Tier), and Federal (3rd Tier). The 1st place team in both the American and Federal Leagues is promoted up one level, and the last place team from both the National and American Leagues is relegated down one level. Each league awards a Pennant and individual awards. The winner of the National League also wins the Commonwealth Cup. There are no playoffs.

[Dark Horse]

Can't find the link for the 1948 season...

[HRBaker]

Originally Posted by Dark Horse

Can't find the link for the 1948 season...

Fixed!

[HRBaker]

Originally Posted by Dark Horse

The other idea would be to have play in series instead of just automatic relegation. The last place team in the National plays the first place team in the American. Winner goes to the National League, the loser to the American League. At the same time, the last place team in the American League plays the first place team in the Federal League team. Winner goes to the American and the loser goes to the Federal.

These games could also be played to raise money to be split among the league. i'm sure Scott Thompson would appreciate that.

By the way, i like the your use of the pdf for the reports. That was a great idea.

I like this idea... Since this would be a custom playoff setup, I assume I'd have to schedule the games manually and promote/relegate the teams manually as well. But how would I stop the game from progressing on it's pre-programmed schedule after the last day of the season. If I set the game to "manual" promotion/relegation, will it let me schedule the correct games after the season closes?

[Dark Horse]

i must admit, i came up with those ideas without any thought of whether OOTP could handle it.

But i'm happy to say. The second idea CAN be done. i ran a quick test league.

First, you have to form a League Association.

From there, you set your playoff bracket.
i set up three leagues, Gold, Silver, Bronze.
Then set Gold #8 vs. Silver #1 and Silver #8 vs. Bronze #1.

[Dark Horse]

You can sim to the end of the regular season. If you want to check your matchups or whatever. Then you can sim to the end of the playoffs. Unfortunately, there are only three options for playoffs. In the regular playoff, the winners of the two matchups will meet for a final series.

But you can set relegation/promotion to be done manually. So you can either base them off the first round results. Or, you can make it where the winner of the final gets the promotion to the top league. Then the loser of the final and the loser of the first matchup (Gold v. Silver in my case) go to the middle league. And the loser of the second matchup (Silver v. Bronze in my case) go to the bottom league.

The second option would be good for your dynasty. Since the original designations were based on populations. That way St. Gilead would've had the chance to go straight from the Federal League to the National League if it can win two series.

[Dark Horse]

After the playoffs, you will get an alert at the top (see the red box) to manual relegate/promote teams. And you get options to move teams from any league to any league. In my test, i was able to move the Bronze League champ up to the Gold League.

[Dark Horse]

UGH. OOTP doesn't like it if the top league doesn't relegate someone. Fortunately, there is another glitch that compensates for that. In cases where the top league (Gold League in my case) team wins the final. You still have to demote the team and promote the Silver League team.

But if you then sim to the beginning of the next season, you'll get another opportunity to relegate/promote. (NOTE: You have to sim to the beginning while still on the relegation/promotion screen.)

At that point, you can then promote the Gold League and demote the Silver League team... it sounds more difficult than it really is...

[HRBaker]

Originally Posted by Dark Horse

UGH. OOTP doesn't like it if the top league doesn't relegate someone. Fortunately, there is another glitch that compensates for that. In cases where the top league (Gold League in my case) team wins the final. You still have to demote the team and promote the Silver League team.

But if you then sim to the beginning of the next season, you'll get another opportunity to relegate/promote. (NOTE: You have to sim to the beginning while still on the relegation/promotion screen.)

At that point, you can then promote the Gold League and demote the Silver League team... it sounds more difficult than it really is...

Thanks Dark Horse for running through the possibilities. I can see I'm going to have to do the same myself between seasons and see what I can do with the setup I already have.