Join a "USER FRIENDLY" league

GT25Ump · 02-25-2002, 06:59 AM

Hi guys,

A buddy of mine and I purchased OOTP just about two months ago and were planning to just do the "solo league" thing but then came to the realization that the full online league thing is the only way to go. We spent a couple of weeks trying to find the right league to join. We knew we wanted to be in a fictional league cuz u have too many "expectations" with REAL players, IMHO.

We finally came across the FEBL. About two weeks ago, I decided I wanted to join a SECOND online fictional league cuz I'm "addicted" to this like alot of u guys!

I've been looking and looking at RULES for various leagues and I can't find another league that does it for me like the FEBL. Here are some of the positives of the FEBL.

A "user friendly" and well put together website.

They allow you to "rename" the players you draft, which is kinda cool.

"Active" owners who like to make trades, whether it's for players, cash or draft picks and are very active on the website message board.

To change the managerial tendencies such as stealing or sacrifice bunting, you have to "fire" your manager and "hire" a new one who manages the way you want them to. Kinda real life-like!!

Very original team logos & names.

A knowledgeable commissioner that explains things thoroughly and gets back to you promptly when u email questions.

There is more I'd like to list but I can't babble forever here.

Some of the fictional leagues I checked into have such "complicated" rules that I felt I might have to have the rules printed out and right in front of me all the time as to not make a mistake!

Other leagues have such "generic" rules that I had 25 questions for the commish and that's not right. Most anything that would occur in the league SHOULD be listed in the rules!!

The FEBL is a happy "inbetween" with their rules. DETAILED yet not complicated. SPECIFIC, not generic and vague.

So that's how I feel about the FEBL. We currently have TWO OPEN TEAMS available and a new season just started. Take a look and check us out!!!!

Tom Gordon
FEBL - Siouxland Express

<a href="http://www.FEBL.org" target="_blank">http://www.FEBL.org</a>

Killebrew · 02-25-2002, 07:11 AM

That looks like an awesome league.

GT25Ump · 02-25-2002, 07:32 AM

Thanks for the positive statement, "Kille".

I know ur a respected and knowledgeable member of this board and what u say means alot to others on here!

I think it's a good league but I'm biased. There, of course, are alot of other good ones out there. Too many to mention. I'm glad there are so many leagues to pick from and they're all different so u have to choose what works for you.

Another thing I forgot to mention that I like about this league is that ALOT of leagues sim like two weeks worth of games per each sim. I think that is too many personally. There's another I ran across that sims three games each sim, but they have a sim EVERY REAL DAY. Sorry, I have to work sometimes...to at least help pay for OOTP v4, if nothing else!

But this league sims three times a week (which is the norm for most leagues) and sims five games per sim, which is a pretty acceptable.

Also, some leagues can make it almost too much of a hassle to re-locate a team that you take over. The FEBL realizes that an owner will enjoy participating MORE if they can take a team and make it "their own"...by renaming some players and relocating teams without a two chapter book of rules on WHERE they can relocate, how expensive it is to move them, etc...

P.S. I'm STILL lookin to join another fictional online league. I'd love to find one starting brand new in early March with the new version 4 and one that has a good set of rules and lets the owners be active in adding & editing the rules, etc...

Are there any out there guys that are planning to get going here in March with the new game? Anyone, anyone? ha

TG
FEBL - Siouxland Express

LivnLegend · 02-25-2002, 08:11 AM

You know, I love the idea of being able to rename your amatuer drafted players since the OOTP fictional names are often silly.

However, I looked at the league site and I notice player names like "Jabba T. Hutt", "Leilu 5th Element", and "Hello Kitty". I am guessing the league has no rules about the names being "baseball-ish"?

GT25Ump · 02-25-2002, 08:21 AM

Nope. No rules on what u choose to name ur drafted players except for profanity, etc.....

I agree that it's kinda wierd to have "unusual" names & team locations (Japan, Sioux City, Iowa, Atlantis) but once again, "to each their own".

The commish is big on letting the owners have some leeway on "unimportant" things like naming their players. Doesn't affect the game, right?

I figure that if guys out there want to be in a league that "reminds" them or closely resembles Major League Baseball as we know it...then they would join a "non-fictional" league with real complicated rules, etc...

TG
FEBL - Siouxland Express

The Professor · 02-25-2002, 08:25 AM

I think it looks cool...

Hehe...the 'Star Warriors' play on The Death Star III and are managed by George Lucas! And it is a coed-league as well...whew! Brittany Diggers and her 34 HR. Qui-Gonn is a Cy Young winner!

Very Original...very neat.

I am particularly impressed with the managers system! This is something I have always liked and always considered implementing -- if I could ever get a league off the ground

-- which until I get some school hurdles out of the way (final semester for BA, 20-hours+ of class) won't be happening.

Cooleyvol · 02-25-2002, 08:53 AM

I'd bet you havent looked at all the fictionals if you cant find any more to join. I know one for sure that has all you mentioned except the "jabba t hutt" type of names.

Check out Home Town Baseball at <a href="http://www.baseballsim.com" target="_blank">www.baseballsim.com</a>
No openings now, but you never know.

Also, keep your eyes open for a NEW fictional on the horizon!!

KWhit · 02-25-2002, 08:58 AM

Sounds like a cool league. I am a OOTP "noobie" having only played the demo of version 3 (I just found out about the game last week and am waiting to buy version 4). But I've done online leagues before with Baseball for Windows - APBA. I may be interested in joining. Are you guys gonna use version 4 for the next season?

GT25Ump · 02-25-2002, 09:10 AM

I'm actually already on HTB's waiting list!

Off the top of my head, when I came across this league previously, the only things about it that I wasn't too excited about was:

Only three round amateur drafts
too many games per sim (15)
just not enuff teams to go around (darn waiting list - haha).

I love the "small town" old time baseball thing. I didn't find much on the site about stadiums & field dimensions, etc...that plays a big part in what kind of team u put together. Anyways, it's another fine fictional league available to us. Keep me in mind for that OOTP v4 League possibility that u mentioned!

GT25Ump · 02-25-2002, 09:12 AM

We just started a new season. It won't be completed until May. THEN, I'm sure we will be switching over to v4.

Tom Gordon
FEBL - Siouxland Express

<a href="http://www.FEBL.org" target="_blank">http://www.FEBL.org</a>

FEBL Commish · 02-25-2002, 01:24 PM

I'd like to thank everyone for stopping by and checking us out. It makes me almost as happy as finding out one of my owners is enjoying himself as much as he is.

That's what makes this commish gig worthwhile.

As for the league and all of its 'house' rules, I have to admit it's not for everyone. If pressed, I'd have to say the old nintendo game 'Baseball Stars' (to this day the greatest baseball video game ever made) is the ambition behind the whole thing. I *LOVED* the fact you could make your own team and name it and the players whatever you wanted. Oh, to have the endless hours me and my friends burned on the ol' Nintendo in college. To this day, I can hum that friggin' music...

FEBL's been through a lot. It started as a replacement to a league I used to play in a few years ago (HCBA - Sierra's BBPro98). Back then it was just a small handful of us with a lot of CPU teams. We went to OOTP because of its finances and game engine, and have come all the way up with OOTP 3. We crashed out just after our first season and had to restart. Then we had a format of 14 teams (3 divisions only) and didn't get playoffs. After *that* restart, we converted to OOTP 3 and our league data would not import correctly so we had to restart AGAIN. Yes, it sucked...and sucked hard. That's the reason we only have one year of history for our league but in actuality we've played five. I like to think that we're here with that track record, so that should say alot about the dedication we have to keep it going.

Most of the rules I've seen in other leagues that I browsed when originally figuring out exactly what OOTP was. I wish to this day I could remember where I saw the manager thing, but I can't, so whoever you are, I love it

Sure, names like 'Jabba T. Hut' are NOT baseball names. But hey, he plays for the 'Star Warriors'. That team owner had something he wanted to do, and God bless 'im, he did it. That's the core of this league. Just a bunch of guys enjoying the game for what it is. I like to give a lot of flexibility to owners and let them do whatever they wish with their teams (as long as it does not ruin the actual running of the game).

The bottom line is it's fun. Heck, a lot of you probably scoff at the whole idea. I have absolutely no problem with that. I can totally understand where you're coming from.

We've got an alternative league to say the least, but we do play baseball and have a lot of owners who do it quite well (last season the entire Atlantic League was in the playoff race with only 1 week to go). Here's our recipe:

2 parts baseball
1 part comic books
1 part movies/pop culture
Find 1 dedicated commish
Find 15 dedicated owners
Blend for 15 minutes on 'Frappe'

Results:

FEBL.
Serves 16.

-Garner Traher
FEBL Commish
<a href="http://www.febl.org" target="_blank">www.febl.org</a>

LivnLegend · 02-25-2002, 04:58 PM

Garner,
Great explanation!
OK, I was skeptical at first but you've sold me. It helps go to prove that there isn't just one "right" OOTP league formula! It's also nice to hear that even after some initial adversity, you stuck it out in order to achieve success. Keep up the good work.

02-25-2002, 06:59 AM	#1
GT25Ump Bat Boy Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Sioux City, Iowa Posts: 14	Join a "USER FRIENDLY" league Hi guys, A buddy of mine and I purchased OOTP just about two months ago and were planning to just do the "solo league" thing but then came to the realization that the full online league thing is the only way to go. We spent a couple of weeks trying to find the right league to join. We knew we wanted to be in a fictional league cuz u have too many "expectations" with REAL players, IMHO. We finally came across the FEBL. About two weeks ago, I decided I wanted to join a SECOND online fictional league cuz I'm "addicted" to this like alot of u guys! I've been looking and looking at RULES for various leagues and I can't find another league that does it for me like the FEBL. Here are some of the positives of the FEBL. A "user friendly" and well put together website. They allow you to "rename" the players you draft, which is kinda cool. "Active" owners who like to make trades, whether it's for players, cash or draft picks and are very active on the website message board. To change the managerial tendencies such as stealing or sacrifice bunting, you have to "fire" your manager and "hire" a new one who manages the way you want them to. Kinda real life-like!! Very original team logos & names. A knowledgeable commissioner that explains things thoroughly and gets back to you promptly when u email questions. There is more I'd like to list but I can't babble forever here. Some of the fictional leagues I checked into have such "complicated" rules that I felt I might have to have the rules printed out and right in front of me all the time as to not make a mistake! Other leagues have such "generic" rules that I had 25 questions for the commish and that's not right. Most anything that would occur in the league SHOULD be listed in the rules!! The FEBL is a happy "inbetween" with their rules. DETAILED yet not complicated. SPECIFIC, not generic and vague. So that's how I feel about the FEBL. We currently have TWO OPEN TEAMS available and a new season just started. Take a look and check us out!!!! Tom Gordon FEBL - Siouxland Express <a href="http://www.FEBL.org" target="_blank">http://www.FEBL.org</a>

02-25-2002, 07:11 AM	#2
Killebrew Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 3,326	That looks like an awesome league. __________________ FOBL Capital City Metropolitans CDL Minnesota Twins

02-25-2002, 08:11 AM	#4
LivnLegend Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: 100% pure adrenaline! Posts: 5,624	You know, I love the idea of being able to rename your amatuer drafted players since the OOTP fictional names are often silly. However, I looked at the league site and I notice player names like "Jabba T. Hutt", "Leilu 5th Element", and "Hello Kitty". I am guessing the league has no rules about the names being "baseball-ish"? __________________ Excess ain't rebellion. You're drinking what they're selling.

02-25-2002, 08:25 AM	#6
The Professor Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: East of East Posts: 3,020	I think it looks cool... Hehe...the 'Star Warriors' play on The Death Star III and are managed by George Lucas! And it is a coed-league as well...whew! Brittany Diggers and her 34 HR. Qui-Gonn is a Cy Young winner! Very Original...very neat. I am particularly impressed with the managers system! This is something I have always liked and always considered implementing -- if I could ever get a league off the ground -- which until I get some school hurdles out of the way (final semester for BA, 20-hours+ of class) won't be happening. __________________ History isn't really about the past - settling old scores. It's about defining the present and who we are."

02-25-2002, 08:58 AM	#8
KWhit Major Leagues Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 413	Sounds like a cool league. I am a OOTP "noobie" having only played the demo of version 3 (I just found out about the game last week and am waiting to buy version 4). But I've done online leagues before with Baseball for Windows - APBA. I may be interested in joining. Are you guys gonna use version 4 for the next season? __________________

02-25-2002, 07:32 AM	#3
GT25Ump Bat Boy Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Sioux City, Iowa Posts: 14	Thanks for the positive statement, "Kille". I know ur a respected and knowledgeable member of this board and what u say means alot to others on here! I think it's a good league but I'm biased. There, of course, are alot of other good ones out there. Too many to mention. I'm glad there are so many leagues to pick from and they're all different so u have to choose what works for you. Another thing I forgot to mention that I like about this league is that ALOT of leagues sim like two weeks worth of games per each sim. I think that is too many personally. There's another I ran across that sims three games each sim, but they have a sim EVERY REAL DAY. Sorry, I have to work sometimes...to at least help pay for OOTP v4, if nothing else! But this league sims three times a week (which is the norm for most leagues) and sims five games per sim, which is a pretty acceptable. Also, some leagues can make it almost too much of a hassle to re-locate a team that you take over. The FEBL realizes that an owner will enjoy participating MORE if they can take a team and make it "their own"...by renaming some players and relocating teams without a two chapter book of rules on WHERE they can relocate, how expensive it is to move them, etc... P.S. I'm STILL lookin to join another fictional online league. I'd love to find one starting brand new in early March with the new version 4 and one that has a good set of rules and lets the owners be active in adding & editing the rules, etc... Are there any out there guys that are planning to get going here in March with the new game? Anyone, anyone? ha TG FEBL - Siouxland Express

02-25-2002, 08:21 AM	#5
GT25Ump Bat Boy Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Sioux City, Iowa Posts: 14	Nope. No rules on what u choose to name ur drafted players except for profanity, etc..... I agree that it's kinda wierd to have "unusual" names & team locations (Japan, Sioux City, Iowa, Atlantis) but once again, "to each their own". The commish is big on letting the owners have some leeway on "unimportant" things like naming their players. Doesn't affect the game, right? I figure that if guys out there want to be in a league that "reminds" them or closely resembles Major League Baseball as we know it...then they would join a "non-fictional" league with real complicated rules, etc... TG FEBL - Siouxland Express

02-25-2002, 08:53 AM	#7
Cooleyvol Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Union City, TN Posts: 6,383	I'd bet you havent looked at all the fictionals if you cant find any more to join. I know one for sure that has all you mentioned except the "jabba t hutt" type of names. Check out Home Town Baseball at <a href="http://www.baseballsim.com" target="_blank">www.baseballsim.com</a> No openings now, but you never know. Also, keep your eyes open for a NEW fictional on the horizon!!

02-25-2002, 09:10 AM	#9
GT25Ump Bat Boy Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Sioux City, Iowa Posts: 14	I'm actually already on HTB's waiting list! Off the top of my head, when I came across this league previously, the only things about it that I wasn't too excited about was: Only three round amateur drafts too many games per sim (15) just not enuff teams to go around (darn waiting list - haha). I love the "small town" old time baseball thing. I didn't find much on the site about stadiums & field dimensions, etc...that plays a big part in what kind of team u put together. Anyways, it's another fine fictional league available to us. Keep me in mind for that OOTP v4 League possibility that u mentioned!

02-25-2002, 09:12 AM	#10
GT25Ump Bat Boy Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Sioux City, Iowa Posts: 14	We just started a new season. It won't be completed until May. THEN, I'm sure we will be switching over to v4. Tom Gordon FEBL - Siouxland Express <a href="http://www.FEBL.org" target="_blank">http://www.FEBL.org</a>

02-25-2002, 01:24 PM	#11
FEBL Commish Bat Boy Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 16	I'd like to thank everyone for stopping by and checking us out. It makes me almost as happy as finding out one of my owners is enjoying himself as much as he is. That's what makes this commish gig worthwhile. As for the league and all of its 'house' rules, I have to admit it's not for everyone. If pressed, I'd have to say the old nintendo game 'Baseball Stars' (to this day the greatest baseball video game ever made) is the ambition behind the whole thing. I LOVED the fact you could make your own team and name it and the players whatever you wanted. Oh, to have the endless hours me and my friends burned on the ol' Nintendo in college. To this day, I can hum that friggin' music... FEBL's been through a lot. It started as a replacement to a league I used to play in a few years ago (HCBA - Sierra's BBPro98). Back then it was just a small handful of us with a lot of CPU teams. We went to OOTP because of its finances and game engine, and have come all the way up with OOTP 3. We crashed out just after our first season and had to restart. Then we had a format of 14 teams (3 divisions only) and didn't get playoffs. After that restart, we converted to OOTP 3 and our league data would not import correctly so we had to restart AGAIN. Yes, it sucked...and sucked hard. That's the reason we only have one year of history for our league but in actuality we've played five. I like to think that we're here with that track record, so that should say alot about the dedication we have to keep it going. Most of the rules I've seen in other leagues that I browsed when originally figuring out exactly what OOTP was. I wish to this day I could remember where I saw the manager thing, but I can't, so whoever you are, I love it Sure, names like 'Jabba T. Hut' are NOT baseball names. But hey, he plays for the 'Star Warriors'. That team owner had something he wanted to do, and God bless 'im, he did it. That's the core of this league. Just a bunch of guys enjoying the game for what it is. I like to give a lot of flexibility to owners and let them do whatever they wish with their teams (as long as it does not ruin the actual running of the game). The bottom line is it's fun. Heck, a lot of you probably scoff at the whole idea. I have absolutely no problem with that. I can totally understand where you're coming from. We've got an alternative league to say the least, but we do play baseball and have a lot of owners who do it quite well (last season the entire Atlantic League was in the playoff race with only 1 week to go). Here's our recipe: 2 parts baseball 1 part comic books 1 part movies/pop culture Find 1 dedicated commish Find 15 dedicated owners Blend for 15 minutes on 'Frappe' Results: FEBL. Serves 16. -Garner Traher FEBL Commish <a href="http://www.febl.org" target="_blank">www.febl.org</a>

02-25-2002, 04:58 PM	#12
LivnLegend Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: 100% pure adrenaline! Posts: 5,624	Garner, Great explanation! OK, I was skeptical at first but you've sold me. It helps go to prove that there isn't just one "right" OOTP league formula! It's also nice to hear that even after some initial adversity, you stuck it out in order to achieve success. Keep up the good work. __________________ Excess ain't rebellion. You're drinking what they're selling.