Went back to what works

David Watts · 07-08-2026, 09:08 AM

Been struggling this version in regards to finding the league I want to stick with. I think I may have finally found that league by going back to what worked with OOTP26, a one subleague setup.

Been wanting to try a random league that played a shorter season for some time now. The league I'm playing now is a 18 team, one subleague setup that plays a 132 game schedule. The teams are broken up into 3 divisions of 6 teams. Teams play the teams in their division 12 times and face the out of division teams 6 times. The season starts in April and ends during the first week of September.

The 3 division winners make the post season. 2 wild card teams also make the post season. The wild card teams meet in a best of 3 to determine which team gets the honor of facing the the division winner that finished the season with the best overall record.

I started the league in 1965 and I'm letting the league progress historically in terms of modifiers. Will do this until I reach the season in the 80's or early 90's in which I want to stop that historical progression.

I'm currently up to August 1st 1967.

David Watts · 07-08-2026, 09:30 AM

Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Joe DiMaggio were all part of this leagues inaugural draft. Ruth came in at age 25. Mays around 27 or 28 Thinking Joe is around 32.

For some reason I decided to use 5 year recalc for this league Straight 5 years too, with none of that double weight the current season business.

So far, Babe Ruth's performance has me scratching my head. Ruth hit 34 home runs during the leagues inaugural season. He tied for the league lead during the 1966 season with 40. As of August 1st 1967, Ruth is once again leading the league with 26 home runs. Ruth is also getting on base at a healthy clip with a OBP's in the 4's What has me perplexed is how poorly he is hitting average wise. Ruth hit in the .230's in 65. He upped that to .280 in 66. As of August 1st 1967, Ruth is once again hitting in the low .230's. I need to check his strikeouts, as I'm guessing he's whiffing at a unhealthy rate. The period I'm currently playing probably factors into this quite a bit. The league ERA in 67 is even lower than it was in real life, so it's definitely a pitchers league at this time. All this being said, Ruth still finished second in MVP voting in 1966, losing out to the leagues batting champion, Tris Speaker. Looks like Ruth is simply trying to usher in current day baseball 60 years early,

David Watts · 07-08-2026, 09:50 AM

One thing that I kind of dig about random debut over the last couple versions is the number of guys the league decides to give a shot at being two way players. In my current league I was surprised to see Schoolboy Rowe starting at first base on the days he isn't pitching. His defensive ratings aren't the best (30 on a 20-80 scale). He's not crushing it at the plate, but not awful either.

Once again this league features Cavan Biggio in its flock. I have no idea how many leagues I've created with 27 so far, but I'm guessing it would be no less than 30. Biggio has been in pretty much every league I've created. Amazing how the game locks onto a certain player. Michael A Taylor is another guy that keeps showing up. Not as much as Biggio though.

Another cat I've been getting a lot is Martin Dihigo. Have to say his presence is a lot more exciting than that of Craig Biggio's light hitting kid.

Randy Johnson just showed up as part of the leagues last amateur draft. He was selected by the Baltimore Blue Claw with the first pick of the draft. So far, he hasn't made the bigs. I've had Johnson in leagues before, but he's usually part of the inaugural draft and well into his 30's. Going to be fun having his entire career.

The Detroit Tomcats may have nabbed the biggest steal in draft history taking John Beckwith in the second round of last years draft. Beckwith is already starting for Detoit with around 16 home runs so far in 1967. How he fell so far in the draft is anyone's guess.

David Watts · 07-08-2026, 09:54 AM

Another change for this league is, I've went back to my true love, 2D Classic. I absolutely love it. No more needless annoying movement all over my screen. Even t something as small as stationary fans makes my enjoyment sky rocket. Still wish I could the day and night label locations to match up 100%, as the earthquakes between daylight and pitch darkness still drive me nuts, but it's only once a game, so nowhere near as annoying as little men running around on every pitch.

David Watts · 07-08-2026, 10:20 AM

Didn't realize I posted this in the 26 Forum. I'm not that bright.

David Watts · 07-09-2026, 03:25 PM

Cy Morgan notched 2 more victories and now has 17. 20 isn't out of the picture, but I'm predicting he falls short with 19.

TC Dale · 07-09-2026, 04:26 PM

moved to correct forum.

David Watts · 07-10-2026, 09:07 AM

Had a post season no-hitter tossed this morning, but it was one of those non recognized combined ones, so it will be quickly forgotten

Junior Thompson pitched 8 1/3 innings of no hit ball, before being yanked just shy of recognition. He whiffed 5 and walked 5 along the way. I gave his AI manager credit though, as Thompson was already showing as exhausted in the 7th inning. He worked a 1 2 3 8th inning and was allowed to start the 9th. He was yanked after tossing 141 pitches. Probably helped that his team was up 8-0, otherwise, I have a feeling he would have been yanked sooner.

David Watts · 07-10-2026, 09:12 AM

Babe Ruth led the league in home runs again in 1967 with 39. He now has 113 home runs over 3 seasons. He also managed to keep his OBP just over 4, his 3rd straight season above 4. On the other side of the coin, Ruth finished the season with an average in the .220's. He whiffed roughly 180 times in 1967,

David Watts · 07-10-2026, 09:27 AM

My prediction was correct, Cy Morgan finished the season with 19 wins. He went 19-3 with an ERA just above 2.

Curt Schilling ended up with a losing record in 1967, but did so with an ERA under 2. That's pretty hard to do. His team the Chicago Outlaws were in contention for the post season right till the end, so it's not like he was on a bad team.

The MVP race should be a close one. My guess is, the top three contenders will be Willie Mays, Joe DiMaggio and Babe Ruth. I'm picking Mays. Mays had the fewest home runs out of that trio, but had the best batting average. Mays and Ruth both play on teams that made the post season(New York, Dallas) while DiMaggio plays for the above mentioned Chicago Outlaws.

Can't wait to get home as I have 2 very exciting playoff series to finish. New York is up 3-2 against Indianapolis and Dallas is up 3-2 on Detroit. If New York and Dallas win their series, it will set up a Mays vs Ruth League Championship Series. I of course am rooting for Detroit to comeback and beat Dallas.

David Watts · 07-10-2026, 10:24 AM

I love dominant pitching as much as the next guy, but I have to admit I can't wait to get past 1968 and into some years that are a lot more even kilter in terms of hitting and pitching.

The biggest name on the upcoming amateur draft list is Bob Gibson. Things are going to get exciting with the likes of Randy Johnson and Bob Gibson entering the league.

I was excited to see Jason Rooftop Thompson on the upcoming draft list.

David Watts · 07-11-2026, 04:05 PM

John Beckwith currently has 48 doubles in 1968 over the course of 116 games.

07-08-2026, 09:08 AM	#1
David Watts Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Looking for a place called Leehofooks Posts: 10,217 Infractions: 0/1 (1)	Went back to what works Been struggling this version in regards to finding the league I want to stick with. I think I may have finally found that league by going back to what worked with OOTP26, a one subleague setup. Been wanting to try a random league that played a shorter season for some time now. The league I'm playing now is a 18 team, one subleague setup that plays a 132 game schedule. The teams are broken up into 3 divisions of 6 teams. Teams play the teams in their division 12 times and face the out of division teams 6 times. The season starts in April and ends during the first week of September. The 3 division winners make the post season. 2 wild card teams also make the post season. The wild card teams meet in a best of 3 to determine which team gets the honor of facing the the division winner that finished the season with the best overall record. I started the league in 1965 and I'm letting the league progress historically in terms of modifiers. Will do this until I reach the season in the 80's or early 90's in which I want to stop that historical progression. I'm currently up to August 1st 1967.

07-09-2026, 04:26 PM	#7
TC Dale Global Moderator Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 4,995	moved to correct forum. __________________ ----------------------------------

07-08-2026, 09:30 AM	#2
David Watts Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Looking for a place called Leehofooks Posts: 10,217 Infractions: 0/1 (1)	Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Joe DiMaggio were all part of this leagues inaugural draft. Ruth came in at age 25. Mays around 27 or 28 Thinking Joe is around 32. For some reason I decided to use 5 year recalc for this league Straight 5 years too, with none of that double weight the current season business. So far, Babe Ruth's performance has me scratching my head. Ruth hit 34 home runs during the leagues inaugural season. He tied for the league lead during the 1966 season with 40. As of August 1st 1967, Ruth is once again leading the league with 26 home runs. Ruth is also getting on base at a healthy clip with a OBP's in the 4's What has me perplexed is how poorly he is hitting average wise. Ruth hit in the .230's in 65. He upped that to .280 in 66. As of August 1st 1967, Ruth is once again hitting in the low .230's. I need to check his strikeouts, as I'm guessing he's whiffing at a unhealthy rate. The period I'm currently playing probably factors into this quite a bit. The league ERA in 67 is even lower than it was in real life, so it's definitely a pitchers league at this time. All this being said, Ruth still finished second in MVP voting in 1966, losing out to the leagues batting champion, Tris Speaker. Looks like Ruth is simply trying to usher in current day baseball 60 years early,

07-08-2026, 09:50 AM	#3
David Watts Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Looking for a place called Leehofooks Posts: 10,217 Infractions: 0/1 (1)	One thing that I kind of dig about random debut over the last couple versions is the number of guys the league decides to give a shot at being two way players. In my current league I was surprised to see Schoolboy Rowe starting at first base on the days he isn't pitching. His defensive ratings aren't the best (30 on a 20-80 scale). He's not crushing it at the plate, but not awful either. Once again this league features Cavan Biggio in its flock. I have no idea how many leagues I've created with 27 so far, but I'm guessing it would be no less than 30. Biggio has been in pretty much every league I've created. Amazing how the game locks onto a certain player. Michael A Taylor is another guy that keeps showing up. Not as much as Biggio though. Another cat I've been getting a lot is Martin Dihigo. Have to say his presence is a lot more exciting than that of Craig Biggio's light hitting kid. Randy Johnson just showed up as part of the leagues last amateur draft. He was selected by the Baltimore Blue Claw with the first pick of the draft. So far, he hasn't made the bigs. I've had Johnson in leagues before, but he's usually part of the inaugural draft and well into his 30's. Going to be fun having his entire career. The Detroit Tomcats may have nabbed the biggest steal in draft history taking John Beckwith in the second round of last years draft. Beckwith is already starting for Detoit with around 16 home runs so far in 1967. How he fell so far in the draft is anyone's guess.

07-08-2026, 09:54 AM	#4
David Watts Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Looking for a place called Leehofooks Posts: 10,217 Infractions: 0/1 (1)	Another change for this league is, I've went back to my true love, 2D Classic. I absolutely love it. No more needless annoying movement all over my screen. Even t something as small as stationary fans makes my enjoyment sky rocket. Still wish I could the day and night label locations to match up 100%, as the earthquakes between daylight and pitch darkness still drive me nuts, but it's only once a game, so nowhere near as annoying as little men running around on every pitch.

07-08-2026, 10:20 AM	#5
David Watts Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Looking for a place called Leehofooks Posts: 10,217 Infractions: 0/1 (1)	Didn't realize I posted this in the 26 Forum. I'm not that bright.

07-09-2026, 03:25 PM	#6
David Watts Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Looking for a place called Leehofooks Posts: 10,217 Infractions: 0/1 (1)	Cy Morgan notched 2 more victories and now has 17. 20 isn't out of the picture, but I'm predicting he falls short with 19.

07-10-2026, 09:07 AM	#8
David Watts Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Looking for a place called Leehofooks Posts: 10,217 Infractions: 0/1 (1)	Had a post season no-hitter tossed this morning, but it was one of those non recognized combined ones, so it will be quickly forgotten Junior Thompson pitched 8 1/3 innings of no hit ball, before being yanked just shy of recognition. He whiffed 5 and walked 5 along the way. I gave his AI manager credit though, as Thompson was already showing as exhausted in the 7th inning. He worked a 1 2 3 8th inning and was allowed to start the 9th. He was yanked after tossing 141 pitches. Probably helped that his team was up 8-0, otherwise, I have a feeling he would have been yanked sooner.

07-10-2026, 09:12 AM	#9
David Watts Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Looking for a place called Leehofooks Posts: 10,217 Infractions: 0/1 (1)	Babe Ruth led the league in home runs again in 1967 with 39. He now has 113 home runs over 3 seasons. He also managed to keep his OBP just over 4, his 3rd straight season above 4. On the other side of the coin, Ruth finished the season with an average in the .220's. He whiffed roughly 180 times in 1967,

07-10-2026, 09:27 AM	#10
David Watts Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Looking for a place called Leehofooks Posts: 10,217 Infractions: 0/1 (1)	My prediction was correct, Cy Morgan finished the season with 19 wins. He went 19-3 with an ERA just above 2. Curt Schilling ended up with a losing record in 1967, but did so with an ERA under 2. That's pretty hard to do. His team the Chicago Outlaws were in contention for the post season right till the end, so it's not like he was on a bad team. The MVP race should be a close one. My guess is, the top three contenders will be Willie Mays, Joe DiMaggio and Babe Ruth. I'm picking Mays. Mays had the fewest home runs out of that trio, but had the best batting average. Mays and Ruth both play on teams that made the post season(New York, Dallas) while DiMaggio plays for the above mentioned Chicago Outlaws. Can't wait to get home as I have 2 very exciting playoff series to finish. New York is up 3-2 against Indianapolis and Dallas is up 3-2 on Detroit. If New York and Dallas win their series, it will set up a Mays vs Ruth League Championship Series. I of course am rooting for Detroit to comeback and beat Dallas.

07-10-2026, 10:24 AM	#11
David Watts Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Looking for a place called Leehofooks Posts: 10,217 Infractions: 0/1 (1)	I love dominant pitching as much as the next guy, but I have to admit I can't wait to get past 1968 and into some years that are a lot more even kilter in terms of hitting and pitching. The biggest name on the upcoming amateur draft list is Bob Gibson. Things are going to get exciting with the likes of Randy Johnson and Bob Gibson entering the league. I was excited to see Jason Rooftop Thompson on the upcoming draft list.

07-11-2026, 04:05 PM	#12
David Watts Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Looking for a place called Leehofooks Posts: 10,217 Infractions: 0/1 (1)	John Beckwith currently has 48 doubles in 1968 over the course of 116 games.