Could really use some help and advice!

ForeverRoyalKC · 04-22-2016, 09:36 PM

I have a very busy life that includes taking care of my 86 year old father. I am doing something almost constantly, but I do find time to sit down with my OOTP at times. I am running the 2016 season and watching it unfold so I can take a full year to see if my life will unwind a little and I can actually run a team in 2017.
I try to sit down and peruse the minors, look at stats, check the International players and just overall keep myself updated as the season progresses. I am having a very hard and rough time trying to concentrate though. As I look at stats and numbers and schedules, I feel like I read them and have no idea what I just saw.
I know this is a rambling thread, but is there any of you that lead incredibly busy and chaotic lives, but can still concentrate, bear down and feel like you are in this game? I could really use some advice on how to do that. Some of you probably saw that I had a 1979 Fantasy Kansas City Royals post going, but I had to stop it and this is why! Any help would be appreciated!

RchW · 04-22-2016, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ForeverRoyalKC

I have a very busy life that includes taking care of my 86 year old father. I am doing something almost constantly, but I do find time to sit down with my OOTP at times. I am running the 2016 season and watching it unfold so I can take a full year to see if my life will unwind a little and I can actually run a team in 2017.
I try to sit down and peruse the minors, look at stats, check the International players and just overall keep myself updated as the season progresses. I am having a very hard and rough time trying to concentrate though. As I look at stats and numbers and schedules, I feel like I read them and have no idea what I just saw.
I know this is a rambling thread, but is there any of you that lead incredibly busy and chaotic lives, but can still concentrate, bear down and feel like you are in this game? I could really use some advice on how to do that. Some of you probably saw that I had a 1979 Fantasy Kansas City Royals post going, but I had to stop it and this is why! Any help would be appreciated!

Sleep less. That's the only way I'll get anything done this weekend.

Nero · 04-22-2016, 10:12 PM

Take notes......

I know, it's not for everyone, personally, I enjoy jotting notes down on notepads, it makes me feel more attached to the team, because then my "game time" isn't just when I'm sitting down at the computer, I get a little bit in here and there. Before I moved a couple of summers ago, I found notepads from 2002-2003, where I was weighing how good Corey Patterson and Juan Cruz really were going to be.....Even 10+ years later, when I saw the notepads, it drew me back, and I remember what I was thinking....I remember trading for Alfonso Soriano in 2006, and then offering him a massive contract, and watching him sign with Cleveland....only to see him really sign with the Cubs...

I'm not saying keep the notes forever, but when I'm deep in "OOTP mode", I'll peruse the notepad a couple of times a day, and it'll start me thinking about the SS I'm looking at in the draft, or who I really want to package for that 3rd starter that I need.

Really, whatever works for you, so you can take a little bit of the game, and enjoy it when you aren't sitting at the computer...

Cheers and good luck!

NoOne · 04-22-2016, 10:37 PM

notes are a great idea if there is time between game sessions for sure.

when i put it down for a month or more at a time and try to pick it back up, i definitely forget a few things until i start playing regularly again.

i have to remember who is part of long-term plans, when i promote from various minor leagues etc etc... i have a spreadsheet i keep some information on the repetitive tasks so i don't have to commit it to memory.

surly manservant · 04-22-2016, 10:47 PM

The thing that helped me was to simplify the game. I play a maximum of 16 teams, only two levels of minors, no rule 5 draft, no draft signing, no 40 man roster. This way I can feel closer to my league and following the development of my prospects is much easier.

Sent from my SM-N910G using Tapatalk

PSUColonel · 04-22-2016, 10:54 PM

Slow down, and maybe the lay one game day as equal to a real day

DJP53916 · 04-23-2016, 12:17 AM

What I have found to work for me to control pace of play and my ability to focus is to slow down.

I am playing out a game with a team in rebuild mode (Milwaukee Brewers), and because of that, I am dedicating myself more to the minors and draft and international signings than I am the major league team. Because I start the year with five teams, and the other three don't come along until later in the season, I'm finding I MUST go slow and methodical or else I miss too much going on.

I'll play for about a half hour almost every night after work, and about maybe an hour in the morning with my coffee before I start my day. I also find I'm only simming about two or three days at a time.

As a single parent with a mentally disabled child with A LOT of problems and needs for attention, and working a full time job, I NEED diversions like OOTP to stay balanced.

One thing I did last weekend was let my son make a decision on a transaction for me, and he spent 15 minutes with me looking at my different options, and made a decision I thought was very sound. He likes baseball, and we do watch, listen, or even once in a while go to a game together, so for him it was doing something cool with the old man. Lol

Maybe that's an idea. Maybe it is possible you and your dad could do this together once in a while?

Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk

fcabanski · 04-23-2016, 05:17 AM

Play the games in one pitch mode.

I started playing OOTP when I was taking care of my sick father. It was good for late nights when he decided he was hungry at 3 in the morning, or when I was sitting in the hospital after rushing him to the ER.

kq76 · 04-23-2016, 06:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nero

Take notes......

I know, it's not for everyone, personally, I enjoy jotting notes down on notepads, it makes me feel more attached to the team, because then my "game time" isn't just when I'm sitting down at the computer, I get a little bit in here and there. Before I moved a couple of summers ago, I found notepads from 2002-2003, where I was weighing how good Corey Patterson and Juan Cruz really were going to be.....Even 10+ years later, when I saw the notepads, it drew me back, and I remember what I was thinking....I remember trading for Alfonso Soriano in 2006, and then offering him a massive contract, and watching him sign with Cleveland....only to see him really sign with the Cubs...

I'm not saying keep the notes forever, but when I'm deep in "OOTP mode", I'll peruse the notepad a couple of times a day, and it'll start me thinking about the SS I'm looking at in the draft, or who I really want to package for that 3rd starter that I need.

Really, whatever works for you, so you can take a little bit of the game, and enjoy it when you aren't sitting at the computer...

Cheers and good luck!

I don't do it much for OOTP, but taking notes is a great idea. I totally understand the reading something and then 5 minutes later forgetting what I read thing, but taking notes really helps me get around that problem. And like Nero, if I take a note and then look at it years later I'll somehow remember more than even what I wrote or typed.

I'm a big fan of Evernote (it's free) in that you can sync it with your computer and your phone, organize notes with notebooks and tags, and search everything so easily. I use it for everything. Just try it, it will most likely help.

shipfb21 · 04-23-2016, 10:15 AM

my advice would b to just follow one team at each level. mlb, aaa, aa, etc. become a fan of those teams. sim one day at a time. check the box scores, stats, dl, etc. after a few weeks (game weeks) u will begin to connect with the teams n players. it will give u a rooting interest in the teams n game. it will make u look at the game on more of a micro level, instead of trying to keep tabs on the entire league n universe.

JaBurns · 04-23-2016, 10:23 AM

All of the above are great but you have to find your own way. Experiment with all or portions of the ideas which will probably spawn some of your own and most importantly enjoy yourself! This isn't a job it is a diversion and an enjoyable pass time. You will become immersed once you find the way the game is most enjoyable to you through experimentation. Ask questions, people in these forums are incredible and very helpful.

jpeters1734 · 04-23-2016, 11:29 AM

I would actually suggest something outside of ootp. You said you just stare at stats and box scores but they do tell a story. You should pick up some baseball books to understand the game better.

IanIachimoe · 04-23-2016, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ForeverRoyalKC

I have a very busy life that includes taking care of my 86 year old father. I am doing something almost constantly, but I do find time to sit down with my OOTP at times. I am running the 2016 season and watching it unfold so I can take a full year to see if my life will unwind a little and I can actually run a team in 2017.
I try to sit down and peruse the minors, look at stats, check the International players and just overall keep myself updated as the season progresses. I am having a very hard and rough time trying to concentrate though. As I look at stats and numbers and schedules, I feel like I read them and have no idea what I just saw.
I know this is a rambling thread, but is there any of you that lead incredibly busy and chaotic lives, but can still concentrate, bear down and feel like you are in this game? I could really use some advice on how to do that. Some of you probably saw that I had a 1979 Fantasy Kansas City Royals post going, but I had to stop it and this is why! Any help would be appreciated!

the only way I can feel like the game is alive is by managing every game. if that's not for you, maybe playing out a week or two here & there.

mitchkenn · 04-23-2016, 11:41 AM

if you're not into actually enjoying playing out every game, you can sim them. Or pick one team to play. A million combinations. i personally sim the games and then scan the teams and players each week or so to see what changes the team i am dictator of (oh, GM/Manager....

) needs and then revamp my line-ups. The actual scores matter a bit less to me than the team creation and modification.

this is just one example of how you can get into the game a little less, but finding your own niche shouldn't be all that impossible once you decide what you can get a focus on. Good luck. You've undertaken a HUGE job taking care of your father. Best of luck and pace yourself. Family care is overwhelming at times.

Hammercraft · 04-23-2016, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mitchkenn

if you're not into actually enjoying playing out every game, you can sim them. Or pick one team to play. A million combinations. i personally sim the games and then scan the teams and players each week or so to see what changes the team i am dictator of (oh, GM/Manager....

) needs and then revamp my line-ups. The actual scores matter a bit less to me than the team creation and modification.

This is exactly how I play. I pick an organization that is down on its luck and has an owner that is tolerable to deal with, then I focus on rebuilding the club. I spend my time looking at the long-term view of things. To keep notes for myself about how I feel about certain players, I will right-click them and add a note about them so I will remember what I was thinking, like "I originally drafted this guy as a catcher but he had an awesome arm so I turned him into a pitcher." When you add a note to a player they appear in ALL CAPS in the roster list.

ForeverRoyalKC · 04-23-2016, 11:42 PM

Wow! Thanks everyone. Quite a variety of opinions! I might have to just take a little from all of you like puzzle pieces and fit it together.

I would like to give a tip of the cap to my wife. I should've said WE take care of my father. But I do most of the "care" (I wont give details).

Anyway, I really appreciate everyone taking the time and effort to help me. I imagine some or many of you that are busy have felt like you watched tv or read a book, etc. and then had no idea what you just saw. That's kinda where I am. I try to immerse myself and then when I turn OOTP off, I feel like my brain got none of it. Might start printing stuff out and turning to IT. That way I have it basically whenever I want.

Keep the advice coming! In this case, there's no such thing as too much.

04-22-2016, 09:36 PM	#1
ForeverRoyalKC All Star Starter Join Date: May 2015 Location: Hop, skip and a jump from Pomme De Terre Lake, MO. Posts: 1,226	Could really use some help and advice! I have a very busy life that includes taking care of my 86 year old father. I am doing something almost constantly, but I do find time to sit down with my OOTP at times. I am running the 2016 season and watching it unfold so I can take a full year to see if my life will unwind a little and I can actually run a team in 2017. I try to sit down and peruse the minors, look at stats, check the International players and just overall keep myself updated as the season progresses. I am having a very hard and rough time trying to concentrate though. As I look at stats and numbers and schedules, I feel like I read them and have no idea what I just saw. I know this is a rambling thread, but is there any of you that lead incredibly busy and chaotic lives, but can still concentrate, bear down and feel like you are in this game? I could really use some advice on how to do that. Some of you probably saw that I had a 1979 Fantasy Kansas City Royals post going, but I had to stop it and this is why! Any help would be appreciated! Last edited by ForeverRoyalKC; 04-22-2016 at 09:38 PM.

04-23-2016, 11:29 AM	#12
jpeters1734 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Juust a bit outside... Posts: 6,313	I would actually suggest something outside of ootp. You said you just stare at stats and box scores but they do tell a story. You should pick up some baseball books to understand the game better. __________________ "Cannonball Coming!" Go Bucs!! Founder and League Caretaker of the Professional Baseball Circuit, www.probaseballcircuit.com An Un-Official Guide to Minor League Management in OOTP 21 Ratings Scale Conversion Cross-Reference Cheat Sheet

04-23-2016, 11:41 AM	#14
mitchkenn Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Oregon, not by design Posts: 2,872	if you're not into actually enjoying playing out every game, you can sim them. Or pick one team to play. A million combinations. i personally sim the games and then scan the teams and players each week or so to see what changes the team i am dictator of (oh, GM/Manager....) needs and then revamp my line-ups. The actual scores matter a bit less to me than the team creation and modification. this is just one example of how you can get into the game a little less, but finding your own niche shouldn't be all that impossible once you decide what you can get a focus on. Good luck. You've undertaken a HUGE job taking care of your father. Best of luck and pace yourself. Family care is overwhelming at times. __________________ "This is my opening farewell " - Jackson Browne “They make a desolation and call it peace.” ― Agha Shahid Ali "Maybe she just has to sing, for the sake of the song - And who do I think that I am to decide that she's wrong." - Townes Van Zandt "I saw a young man leaning on his wooden crutch - He called out to me, 'Don't ask for so much' And a young woman leaning in her darkened door She cried out to me, 'Why not ask for more?' " - Leonard Cohen "Hello darkness, my old Friend ...." - Paul Simon Before Mays, before DiMaggio, there was Oscar Charleston. "All the lies about Babe Ruth are true." - Waite Hoyt Avatar is the late great Townes Van Zandt. rip. Last edited by mitchkenn; 04-23-2016 at 11:42 AM.

04-22-2016, 10:12 PM	#3
Nero Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 206	Take notes...... I know, it's not for everyone, personally, I enjoy jotting notes down on notepads, it makes me feel more attached to the team, because then my "game time" isn't just when I'm sitting down at the computer, I get a little bit in here and there. Before I moved a couple of summers ago, I found notepads from 2002-2003, where I was weighing how good Corey Patterson and Juan Cruz really were going to be.....Even 10+ years later, when I saw the notepads, it drew me back, and I remember what I was thinking....I remember trading for Alfonso Soriano in 2006, and then offering him a massive contract, and watching him sign with Cleveland....only to see him really sign with the Cubs... I'm not saying keep the notes forever, but when I'm deep in "OOTP mode", I'll peruse the notepad a couple of times a day, and it'll start me thinking about the SS I'm looking at in the draft, or who I really want to package for that 3rd starter that I need. Really, whatever works for you, so you can take a little bit of the game, and enjoy it when you aren't sitting at the computer... Cheers and good luck!

04-22-2016, 10:37 PM	#4
NoOne Banned Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 7,273 Infractions: 0/1 (3)	notes are a great idea if there is time between game sessions for sure. when i put it down for a month or more at a time and try to pick it back up, i definitely forget a few things until i start playing regularly again. i have to remember who is part of long-term plans, when i promote from various minor leagues etc etc... i have a spreadsheet i keep some information on the repetitive tasks so i don't have to commit it to memory.

04-22-2016, 10:47 PM	#5
surly manservant Minors (Single A) Join Date: Jun 2015 Posts: 61	The thing that helped me was to simplify the game. I play a maximum of 16 teams, only two levels of minors, no rule 5 draft, no draft signing, no 40 man roster. This way I can feel closer to my league and following the development of my prospects is much easier. Sent from my SM-N910G using Tapatalk

04-22-2016, 10:54 PM	#6
PSUColonel Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 13,143	Slow down, and maybe the lay one game day as equal to a real day

04-23-2016, 12:17 AM	#7
DJP53916 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Mar 2014 Posts: 175	What I have found to work for me to control pace of play and my ability to focus is to slow down. I am playing out a game with a team in rebuild mode (Milwaukee Brewers), and because of that, I am dedicating myself more to the minors and draft and international signings than I am the major league team. Because I start the year with five teams, and the other three don't come along until later in the season, I'm finding I MUST go slow and methodical or else I miss too much going on. I'll play for about a half hour almost every night after work, and about maybe an hour in the morning with my coffee before I start my day. I also find I'm only simming about two or three days at a time. As a single parent with a mentally disabled child with A LOT of problems and needs for attention, and working a full time job, I NEED diversions like OOTP to stay balanced. One thing I did last weekend was let my son make a decision on a transaction for me, and he spent 15 minutes with me looking at my different options, and made a decision I thought was very sound. He likes baseball, and we do watch, listen, or even once in a while go to a game together, so for him it was doing something cool with the old man. Lol Maybe that's an idea. Maybe it is possible you and your dad could do this together once in a while? Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk

04-23-2016, 05:17 AM	#8
fcabanski Minors (Double A) Join Date: May 2015 Posts: 170	Play the games in one pitch mode. I started playing OOTP when I was taking care of my sick father. It was good for late nights when he decided he was hungry at 3 in the morning, or when I was sitting in the hospital after rushing him to the ER.

04-23-2016, 10:15 AM	#10
shipfb21 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Apr 2014 Posts: 117	my advice would b to just follow one team at each level. mlb, aaa, aa, etc. become a fan of those teams. sim one day at a time. check the box scores, stats, dl, etc. after a few weeks (game weeks) u will begin to connect with the teams n players. it will give u a rooting interest in the teams n game. it will make u look at the game on more of a micro level, instead of trying to keep tabs on the entire league n universe.

04-23-2016, 10:23 AM	#11
JaBurns All Star Starter Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Kelowna, British Columbia Posts: 1,301	All of the above are great but you have to find your own way. Experiment with all or portions of the ideas which will probably spawn some of your own and most importantly enjoy yourself! This isn't a job it is a diversion and an enjoyable pass time. You will become immersed once you find the way the game is most enjoyable to you through experimentation. Ask questions, people in these forums are incredible and very helpful.

04-23-2016, 11:42 PM	#16
ForeverRoyalKC All Star Starter Join Date: May 2015 Location: Hop, skip and a jump from Pomme De Terre Lake, MO. Posts: 1,226	Wow! Thanks everyone. Quite a variety of opinions! I might have to just take a little from all of you like puzzle pieces and fit it together. I would like to give a tip of the cap to my wife. I should've said WE take care of my father. But I do most of the "care" (I wont give details). Anyway, I really appreciate everyone taking the time and effort to help me. I imagine some or many of you that are busy have felt like you watched tv or read a book, etc. and then had no idea what you just saw. That's kinda where I am. I try to immerse myself and then when I turn OOTP off, I feel like my brain got none of it. Might start printing stuff out and turning to IT. That way I have it basically whenever I want. Keep the advice coming! In this case, there's no such thing as too much.