That Sentimental Fork in the Road

AndrewG · 09-17-2009, 09:34 AM

I know a lot of OOTP Vets can relate, we have seen this type thing before.

My favorite solo league is in Spring training of its 9th season. In year 1 I had a 25 year old ace who in the 8 seasons finished:

Won 169 games.

Won 4 Cy Youngs

Led League in Ks Twice

Led League in Ks to Walk ratio 4 times

Two seasons ago (season 6) went 28-1, with an era of slightly over 1.00 (IIRC 1.12)

Last season he dropped to 3 stars. He went 20-8, however his era was 5.19. There was a massive horsehoe up his ass that season in the form of great run support when he took the mound.

Now in spring training number 9, hes down to 1.5 star rating. On the entire staff hes clearly the bottom feeder. I have two good young arms in AAA who will likely both be able to break the line up no later than half way through the season as starters. There is also at least 2 bullpen arms ready for the pros that are languishing in AAA. As they say, the writing is on the wall, my old ace is at that fork in the road, and the path going towards the sun and happy chirping birds is barricaded… were looking at the dark broken road heading towards the creepy castle with lightening hitting it.

(Now here is where we have been before so many times as vets of the game!)

Hes only 34, and hes clearly not going to be starter for much longer, hes a poor #5 right now. Hed also throw a major wrench into what is a great bullpen. Sending him to AAA seems cruel.

Now my league has a 100 million cap, and he makes 15 million a year for another 3 years. I am at 94 million for the next 2 years and in year 3 from now Ill have 3 big players due a raise from mimimum.

I don’t want to trade this guy, but have no choice. Hell at 15 million per year and a poor rating, I likely wont be able to trade this guy.

Man… I am now wishing for a career ending injury so I can close the chapter on my beloved player in some sort of dignified way!

Malleus Dei · 09-17-2009, 11:06 AM

Turn finances off.

Trade him.

Turn finances back on.

Zeppelin462 · 09-17-2009, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Malleus Dei

Turn finances off.

Trade him.

Turn finances back on.

I hope you aren't serious about that. That would be such a cheap route to take.

RamMan12 · 09-17-2009, 12:50 PM

I'd keep him until he reaches the 200-win milestone. Then, do what you please with him. I always keep my aging stars until they hit the closest milestones; then I let them go in some way, shape, or form.

AndrewG · 09-17-2009, 01:22 PM

Two years ago I was hoping for 300 wins! lol!

Its funny, becuase as last year went on, I saw him go down I was like you and going to keep him to 200. But 31 away with bad ratings... ugh.

Maybe if he can rack up 15-17 wins in the #4 slot theres a chance in year 9.. Id hope the steep decline will wane for one year so I can get 2 more seasons with the horsehoe to hit 200. However if he has a bad start to season....

Athletics17 · 09-17-2009, 01:34 PM

Can you still option him to the minors, or can he refuse? Maybe use him as a #5 or spot rotation guy. You may have to give someone up with him in a trade which will not be fun, but if you can't sign someone you need then it is a problem. Remember it is a business.

Malleus Dei · 09-17-2009, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zeppelin462

I hope you aren't serious about that. That would be such a cheap route to take.

I always play with finances off, so it's not cheap to me.

Remember the old OOTP motto? "It's your game, play it your way"?

TavesSoul · 09-17-2009, 03:25 PM

I'm at the same place as you with Matt Capps in my Pirates dynasty, although his skill hasn't declined quite as fast as your Ace. He's still a decent reliever, but I can't let him keep closing when I have two younger guys with much better skills. As the Pirates all-time leader in Saves, it's hard to trade the guy though. Good luck making the decision, but it is a business in the end.

EMSoccerCoach · 09-19-2009, 11:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Malleus Dei

I always play with finances off, so it's not cheap to me.

Remember the old OOTP motto? "It's your game, play it your way"?

Heck, if that's how you look at it he should just change the ratings!

eborix · 09-20-2009, 05:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Malleus Dei

I always play with finances off, so it's not cheap to me.

Remember the old OOTP motto? "It's your game, play it your way"?

And from the looks of it, in his way of playing that would be a cheap route.

StyxNCa · 09-20-2009, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EMSoccerCoach

Heck, if that's how you look at it he should just change the ratings!

That's another good option.

Antonin · 09-20-2009, 11:26 AM

Since it's my game and I can play it my way, I sometimes let sentiment enter the picture.

In RL it often bothers me that sports is a business and nothing more. In OOTP, I would let a situation such as the one AndrewG described play itself out, even at $15 mil a year, out of loyalty to the player who had such a great career with my team. Maybe I'd begin using the guy in the bullpen, only in blowout situations.

Exodor · 09-20-2009, 12:48 PM

I'm facing a similar situation in my MLB replay. It's 1992 and my Royals have to decide what to do with George Brett.

He's in the final year of a 3 year/ $20M extension signed in 1989. I figure I can leave him on the bench this year and let him walk as a free agent at the end of the year. There's no way he can start anymore (his skills in the field are completely gone) but I can't bring myself to release him. I think I'll let him hang on for a shot at one final title.

I owe him that after the career he's had.

Killing Time · 09-20-2009, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EMSoccerCoach

Heck, if that's how you look at it he should just change the ratings!

Why not? As everyone has pointed out, it's his game.

StyxNCa · 09-20-2009, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Exodor

I'm facing a similar situation in my MLB replay. It's 1992 and my Royals have to decide what to do with George Brett.

He's in the final year of a 3 year/ $20M extension signed in 1989. I figure I can leave him on the bench this year and let him walk as a free agent at the end of the year. There's no way he can start anymore (his skills in the field are completely gone) but I can't bring myself to release him. I think I'll let him hang on for a shot at one final title.

I owe him that after the career he's had.

Move him to 1B.

esovia23 · 09-20-2009, 09:15 PM

Id send him to AAA if possible and hope he retires. Otherwhise Id use him as a spot starter and mop-up reliever.

Left-handed Badger · 09-20-2009, 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StyxNCa

Move him to 1B.

Well, in real life by that time Brett had already done that......and then moved to DH.

In any case with a range rating of 3, that isnt even good enough for a 1B for me. This Brett is a platoon DH if anything.

morningstar8 · 09-21-2009, 02:17 AM

For either of the two players in question in this thread, if the team isn't a playoff team, is it possible that you can justify their presence by their affect on attendance figures? I'm not sure how player popularity figures into attendance...just asking the question.

AndrewG · 09-21-2009, 10:36 AM

I like this thread!

Actually I just finished bmy 3rd straight season of over 4 million in attendance, popularity is 100%, so keeping or dumping him wont really sink us. The other 4 teams in my division are weak, so I perennially finish first.

As far as changing his ratings... well.. no! The fact is in a league only 8 seasons old hes the all times wins leader and has done such all rating tamperinf free. If I boost him, its unfair to anyone that may challenge any of his records.

UPDATE: I kept him so far into season 9 as the #4 starter (In #5 he wont get enough starts) Id like to roll the dice and hope by some minor miracle and get him the 31 wins he needs in next 2 years. (I cant imagine as his current decline hed be starting in 3 years) After 2 starts he is 2-0 with an era of 3.33, putting in 13 innings.

I actually shopped him around and got a couple of decent offers for him, which of course makes the decision harder!!

I will actually try to post up a screenshot of this guys career to show you..

Malleus Dei · 09-21-2009, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndrewG

I actually shopped him around and got a couple of decent offers for him

Trade him now. Leo Durocher had it right: nice guys finish last.

“Every good manager effectively threatens his players with professional extermination if they don’t give him the best effort they are capable of giving; Casey Stengel, Billy Martin, White Herzog and Earl Weaver are masters at it, as was Durocher. These are not nice people. They are manipulative, cunning SOBs, hard and crass and they drink too much. Nice guys finish last because a nice guy is not going to coldly exploit the insecurities of his players. Nice guys finish last because a nice guy is not going to kick an old friend out of his comfortable sinecure the minute that old friend becomes a milli-second too slow on the fastball.”

- Bill James

09-17-2009, 09:34 AM	#1
AndrewG Major Leagues Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Pointe Claire, PQ, CANADA Posts: 317	That Sentimental Fork in the Road I know a lot of OOTP Vets can relate, we have seen this type thing before. My favorite solo league is in Spring training of its 9th season. In year 1 I had a 25 year old ace who in the 8 seasons finished: Won 169 games. Won 4 Cy Youngs Led League in Ks Twice Led League in Ks to Walk ratio 4 times Two seasons ago (season 6) went 28-1, with an era of slightly over 1.00 (IIRC 1.12) Last season he dropped to 3 stars. He went 20-8, however his era was 5.19. There was a massive horsehoe up his ass that season in the form of great run support when he took the mound. Now in spring training number 9, hes down to 1.5 star rating. On the entire staff hes clearly the bottom feeder. I have two good young arms in AAA who will likely both be able to break the line up no later than half way through the season as starters. There is also at least 2 bullpen arms ready for the pros that are languishing in AAA. As they say, the writing is on the wall, my old ace is at that fork in the road, and the path going towards the sun and happy chirping birds is barricaded… were looking at the dark broken road heading towards the creepy castle with lightening hitting it. (Now here is where we have been before so many times as vets of the game!) Hes only 34, and hes clearly not going to be starter for much longer, hes a poor #5 right now. Hed also throw a major wrench into what is a great bullpen. Sending him to AAA seems cruel. Now my league has a 100 million cap, and he makes 15 million a year for another 3 years. I am at 94 million for the next 2 years and in year 3 from now Ill have 3 big players due a raise from mimimum. I don’t want to trade this guy, but have no choice. Hell at 15 million per year and a poor rating, I likely wont be able to trade this guy. Man… I am now wishing for a career ending injury so I can close the chapter on my beloved player in some sort of dignified way!

09-17-2009, 01:34 PM	#6
Athletics17 All Star Starter Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: jackson Hole, Wy Posts: 1,187	Can you still option him to the minors, or can he refuse? Maybe use him as a #5 or spot rotation guy. You may have to give someone up with him in a trade which will not be fun, but if you can't sign someone you need then it is a problem. Remember it is a business. __________________ Compilation of Uniforms

09-20-2009, 11:26 AM	#12
Antonin Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Ohio Posts: 2,536	Since it's my game and I can play it my way, I sometimes let sentiment enter the picture. In RL it often bothers me that sports is a business and nothing more. In OOTP, I would let a situation such as the one AndrewG described play itself out, even at $15 mil a year, out of loyalty to the player who had such a great career with my team. Maybe I'd begin using the guy in the bullpen, only in blowout situations. __________________ "Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?" - Johnny Rotten (Sex Pistols), San Francisco, 14 January 1978

09-21-2009, 02:17 AM	#18
morningstar8 Minors (Single A) Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Milwaukee, WI Posts: 82	factor in attendance For either of the two players in question in this thread, if the team isn't a playoff team, is it possible that you can justify their presence by their affect on attendance figures? I'm not sure how player popularity figures into attendance...just asking the question.

09-17-2009, 12:50 PM	#4
RamMan12 Major Leagues Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Maine Posts: 482	I'd keep him until he reaches the 200-win milestone. Then, do what you please with him. I always keep my aging stars until they hit the closest milestones; then I let them go in some way, shape, or form.

09-17-2009, 01:22 PM	#5
AndrewG Major Leagues Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Pointe Claire, PQ, CANADA Posts: 317	Two years ago I was hoping for 300 wins! lol! Its funny, becuase as last year went on, I saw him go down I was like you and going to keep him to 200. But 31 away with bad ratings... ugh. Maybe if he can rack up 15-17 wins in the #4 slot theres a chance in year 9.. Id hope the steep decline will wane for one year so I can get 2 more seasons with the horsehoe to hit 200. However if he has a bad start to season....

09-17-2009, 03:25 PM	#8
TavesSoul Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 168	I'm at the same place as you with Matt Capps in my Pirates dynasty, although his skill hasn't declined quite as fast as your Ace. He's still a decent reliever, but I can't let him keep closing when I have two younger guys with much better skills. As the Pirates all-time leader in Saves, it's hard to trade the guy though. Good luck making the decision, but it is a business in the end.

09-20-2009, 12:48 PM	#13
Exodor Major Leagues Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 481	I'm facing a similar situation in my MLB replay. It's 1992 and my Royals have to decide what to do with George Brett. He's in the final year of a 3 year/ $20M extension signed in 1989. I figure I can leave him on the bench this year and let him walk as a free agent at the end of the year. There's no way he can start anymore (his skills in the field are completely gone) but I can't bring myself to release him. I think I'll let him hang on for a shot at one final title. I owe him that after the career he's had.

09-20-2009, 09:15 PM	#16
esovia23 Banned Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 154 Infractions: 0/1 (4)	Id send him to AAA if possible and hope he retires. Otherwhise Id use him as a spot starter and mop-up reliever.

09-21-2009, 10:36 AM	#19
AndrewG Major Leagues Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Pointe Claire, PQ, CANADA Posts: 317	I like this thread! Actually I just finished bmy 3rd straight season of over 4 million in attendance, popularity is 100%, so keeping or dumping him wont really sink us. The other 4 teams in my division are weak, so I perennially finish first. As far as changing his ratings... well.. no! The fact is in a league only 8 seasons old hes the all times wins leader and has done such all rating tamperinf free. If I boost him, its unfair to anyone that may challenge any of his records. UPDATE: I kept him so far into season 9 as the #4 starter (In #5 he wont get enough starts) Id like to roll the dice and hope by some minor miracle and get him the 31 wins he needs in next 2 years. (I cant imagine as his current decline hed be starting in 3 years) After 2 starts he is 2-0 with an era of 3.33, putting in 13 innings. I actually shopped him around and got a couple of decent offers for him, which of course makes the decision harder!! I will actually try to post up a screenshot of this guys career to show you..