The Top 75 Dynasties of 2005

[Y0DA55]

#18 – “PABA: Rewriting Baseball History”

Started by: goroyals

goroyals is one of those guys who has started a bunch of dynasties, and would only continue one if it caught on. Well, the PABA caught on. It even had a sequel (which didn’t last). But I salute gr for working with this dynasty for a good six months (which is a lot more than I can say for many of the dynasties that are started here). I also have no idea if he got his computer problem fixed during the time of the crash.

If you want a description of the dynasty, I’ll let goroyals describe it.

Originally Posted by goroyals

The PABA is my alternate historical fiction league. What the heck does that mean? Well it means that I have fictional players (like TW), but it means that the league won't follow real moves that the MLB made. In my replay teams can fold, rival leagues can spring up, and the rules can even change a bit to make the game more offensive/defensive.

I'm also making the asumption that the rules of baseball were also more up to date in 1871. Pitchers are already throwing overhand, the mound is 60 ft 6 in, and it takes four balls to get a walk, etc, etc.

So this thread was an alternate history, much like Time Warp, where board members can sign up their ancestors to play in the league. Actually, this league is a lot like Time Warp, minus the online league element.

The whole thing is formatted really well and he does a fairly good job of tracking ancestors, but I don’t know what it is about sign up dynasties that turn me off to them. Maybe it’s the constant chatter asking about their specific ancestor, or maybe it’s the mixing of both a real and fictional world (kinda sorta), but I can’t think of one dynasty that I was ever able to “get into” that was both a board member sign-up and one that I didn’t sign up for. Maybe that’s just not my flavor of dynasty. To each his own I guess.

Anywho, if you are one who likes an alternate history/Time Warp type dynasty, then you should definitely check out this one.

Worth a Look Score: 1/2

[Matt from TN]

I always enjoyed that thread.

[Mariners]

All of these writers are awesome and I am getting so much enjoyment from reading these posts, I only wish I could write half as good as these guys.

[Y0DA55]

#17 – “The Yankee Hater's Dynasty”

Started by: Elendil

As you could probably tell by the name of this dynasty, this one is about the Yankees. Color me confused as to jist of this dynasty. Elendil says that he is rooting against the Yankees, yet he is controlling them (and slashing payroll, so he is rebuilding the team). I guess I just can’t figure out the writers voice because he does a great job writing big George, that you almost want to root for the Yanks. And how can you not root for the underdog (which is what he slowly turned them into)? Even Elendil felt that way:

Originally Posted by Elendil

I'm not sure when exactly I moved from "Yankee hater" to "Yankee lover," but I think it happened when Derek Jeter got picked up on waivers by Detroit. So I guess if the Yankees cut their payroll by 80% and got rid of all their current players, I could become a Yankees fan after all. Fortunately, that's not going to happen.

I don't think I ever fully got my "voice" for this dynasty either. For the first two pages of the thread, it was pretty silly, and I enjoyed it, but after that it settled into standard dynasty reportage too often for my tastes.

So I swear that I wrote the above paragraph before reading the one that I quoted. He basically summarized how I felt about this one.

The storyline has a few twists and turns and the writing is top notch. This dynasty even ends. Imagine that. Real world time, it was only a month long, but if you were reading during that month, you had yourself a treat.

Worth a Look Score:

[Jestor]

There were two #18s?

[Y0DA55]

Originally Posted by Jestor

There were two #18s?

What are you talking about?

[darkcloud4579]

Originally Posted by Y0DA55

#47 – “DC'S Roots Dynasty...”

Started by: darkcloud4579

I’m not sure, but it seems that darkcloud has used the same league for about 3 or 4 dynasties. He started with this (#10 in 2004’s countdown) and followed it up with this (#34). At first, I thought that this one used the same league, but I would be wrong. Although, it is a prequel to the Root’s dynasty.

Throughout the years, dc has found his own style. Some like it, some don’t. I tend to be in the former category. It’s easy to read and easy to follow along. Throughout my reading of dc, I’ve found that he likes to make moves, and he likes to take over expansion teams (see Nevada Silverhawks). This one isn’t too different. He is at the helm of the Buffalo Bisons (not quite a unique name as that is the minor league team there). He led them to a 13 game lead in their division (in the middle of July) before this dynasty goes caput.

dc was definitely one who was very pissed off because of the GC05 because he lost a lot of a dynasty. I don’t think this was the one though. I think he started another one a little later and lost the whole thing (which is why he was so upset). Check that, I just looked at his signature, and I was right, it died in the crash.

I can’t say this was his best work as he didn’t make it through the season, but I feel like it was typical darkcloud and is definitely worth the read if you enjoy his writing.

Worth a Look Score:

Because of the crash, I left these boards for a good while. Then, of course, life got a hold of me too and I got busy.

But, I appreciate the love from the Dynasty Forums crew. That's the only reason I really ever come here and well..this just lets me know that you all are reading and well, I really appreciate that.

I'm working on a new dynasty that's completely different and it should be a blast, too.

Anyway..just wanted to say that as this is the FIRST time I've seen this thread.

[canadiancreed]

so umm......what's going on with this?

[Dagrims]

Originally Posted by canadiancreed

so umm......what's going on with this?

He's waiting for the first patch or two to determine whether he's going to convert the dynasty list to the new version.

[Y0DA55]

Originally Posted by Dagrims

He's waiting for the first patch or two to determine whether he's going to convert the dynasty list to the new version.

I was just home for a week and didn't get on the computer very often (and when I did... and checked the new posts here, I read for like 2 hours). So I am catching up on work today and hopefully will get this thing going again soon.

[venusbaseball]

We are all anxiously waiting for the next update. We were beginning to worry about you.

[Y0DA55]

#16 – “For Want of a Decent Title...”

Started by: The Funk

Ah… The Funk. Author of OT Wars (which should be checked out regardless of whether you trek into off topic or not. It’s hysterical).

This one focuses on the Cubbies of Chicago (well, sort of). I tend to agree with this quote:

Originally Posted by Vris: Post 28

<------completely and utterly lost

I don’t quite know what to make of this one. I love reading it though. His previews are hilarious. The use of Gload and Uncle Sam are fantastic touches. Although, it can get a little hard to read every now and then (formatting needs to be touched up a bit), but it’s worth trying to get through that.

HOWEVER, this one suffers from computer problems/crash hitting/loss of interest from the author, as it stops sometime in May of last year and was last updated in January. There isn’t a whole lot of length to this one, and we don’t know how it ends, but it’s a fantastic read.

Worth a Look Score:

[Y0DA55]

#15 – “All-Forum Dynasty (official thread)”

Started by: Elendil

Elendil pops back up on this list again aided by the help of a “Sign up your own team” schtick. Yes, he had you sign up your entire team of created players (there were limits to the creation settings as outlined in this thread. This thread made it through 3 seasons before the GC05 hit and a whole bunch was lost.

Here’s my problem with this thread as it stands now... there are a lot of formatting issues. Elendil had a website that had all the stats and such that he constantly updated. Alas, those links don’t work anymore.

Basically, this page is the home base for this “league” and he highlights the goings ons. Good place to be if you were participating, but it was a little cluttered for those of us who were just following along. This was the place to be when it was going on, but now its just a ghost town.

Worth a Look Score:

[jeheinz72]

Hey I remember this thread!

[Y0DA55]

Yeah, I needed a much needed break from this thing. You try writing little entries for all of these guys.

But I am back with a vengence. I've already gotten #'s 14-12 written. Just have to wait a day to put the next one up (otherwise there will be another long lull).

Man, do I want to finish this already.

[Y0DA55]

#14 – “Tiger Fan's SI Test Drive - An EHM & WWSM dynasty”

Started by: Tiger Fan

So the hardest working man in the dynasty forum had an off year for new dynasties, as this is the only Tiger Fan dynasty on the list… and its not even about baseball!

To his credit, he did work on his multi-sport thread for 33 (long) pages. But that ended at around the time that this began. And who knows how long this one would have lasted had the crash not happened (yup, the GC05 hit Tiger Fan pretty hard. I believe he stopped posting for a while). Speaking of the crash, I think it was a lot like the strike of ’94 in baseball or the hockey lockout that just happened. It took some people a long time to come back. I think this is the best seen in the dynasty forum.

Anyway, Tiger Fan writes about a soccer league and a hockey league. Now I like these sports (especially now that soccer has the World Cup going on… otherwise I really wouldn’t care), but I don’t really care to read dynasties about them, so I leave this one up to you.

Worth a Look Score:

[Y0DA55]

#13 – “Tim Moungey and the Octopus League”

Started by: Jestor

This was definitely one that I followed as it was going on. But, a setup snafu and the game not allowing him to change the way his league was configured ended this thread. But it really is worth reading through the whole thing. He made it all the way through year one before starting on Tim Moungey and the Phoenix League which never quite got off the ground (because of what seemed to be a banning and then just disinterest). But I am not here to talk about the younger sibling Phoenix League. This is about the Octopus League.

At first, I never gave this one a chance. Anyone who names their league “The Octopus League” can’t be taken seriously. But then, at some point, I gave it a chance and really enjoyed it. It definitely was a mix between Jazzmosis’ “Mark Jazzington - a managerial career” and Craig’s “Yet Another OOTP6 Dynasty: The Pale Hose.” It almost was as if he was stealing ideas from these guys. However, he definitely found his voice.

My biggest problem throughout this story is the use of nicknames. I know Jestor is a big fan of the Pale Hose dynasty and he definitely liked the idea of nicknaming every one of his players. This isn’t a bad thing, but he does it so quickly that within a few posts, I have no idea who he is talking about. And while we are on the subject of things I didn’t like about this one, I have to mention the magenta fonting. I love the idea of using a underused color, but this one was a little hard to read at times (although, it shows up nicely on the yellow background we have now).

I loved the idea of a small league, following the draft as closely as he did, giving the short summary of the teams (which is a must in fictional leagues (well, I guess it depends on what kind of dynasty you are doing), and the dealings with his personal life. But I echo the following comments:

Originally Posted by hayesb26

Just sat and read through the entire thing over the past couple hours, and I must say, it's simply excellent. The way you do the writeups and give light on the characters personalities is brilliant. I could only dream of someday getting that indepth in my dynasty.

Originally Posted by Tib

Remarkable depth of vision, Jestor. And truly an original voice. To me, it reads like a combination of Hunter S. Thompson and Jim Murray on peyote.

Originally Posted by Jazzmosis

Gone the way of the XFL, and "new Coke"... you were more memorable and entertaining then both of the aforementioned, Octopus League, and Mr. Moungey... the WWBA will always have a place for you.

This one season wonder was a joy to read and I encourage everyone to check this one out. It is only 10 pages.

Originally Posted by Jestor

It was a beautiful, flawed season of heartache, the dynasty itself a mixture of joy and frustration.

But I'll be back again with a new dynasty someday, maybe even someday soon. I hope it can be an improvement on the Octopus, but we'll see what happens.

Goodbye to all the people that inhabitated this world. Those who loved us were few, but a dedicated few they were.

And that dedication makes all the difference. Thank you to everyone who has come along on this journey and I hope you enjoyed it.

No Jestor. Thank you for taking us on this journey.

Worth a Look Score:

[ifspuds]

Ah, the Octopus League. Jestor's done a lot of things since then, but none of them captured my attention quite the way this one did. Congrats to Jestor!

[Y0DA55]

Because I must have been a mental midget when organizing this list, I mistakenly put one that was on the 2004 countdown in spot #12. So in honor of my mistake, here are some more dynasties that didn’t make it on the list, but I’m going to talk about anyway.

“EPSTEIN IS OUT!!!! What is next for Red Sox Nation??” – CarolinaSox
zukes said it best: “Art foreshadowing life.” It was amazing to see this go up, then a few days later see it actually happen. This would definitely make my top 5 most memorable dynasties of the year 2005.

“A Dynasty I Actually DID finish” – InRepair
Gotta give him props for finishing one.

“Starting Over - TWB Chicago White Sox” – bigjas
That’s a lot of writing in only a 2 weeks. Another Time Warp dynasty.

“Selected moments from American Association history” – Elendil
I’m a ****** for random stories from leagues.

“A Long Time Ago In a Galaxy...” – Johnny Slick
It’s hard to read with all the formatting issues that arose at some point, but if you get a chance to peace this one together and read it how it was meant to be read (and I can’t understand why the formatting just suddenly messed up), its worth the read.

“SAD: A Reformation of the Human Condition” – endgame
Oh, how I would have loved to see this continue.

“POTD - The Vermont Emperor Penguins Dynasty” – TheRockCT
Awesome formatting.

“'05 Rox: Todd and the Toddlers” – pat
I liked the Like-O-Meter.

“Taking the helm of the NL's worst in 1970” – This Is Not Here
Just barely didn’t make the list at #76 (or I guess what would be 75 if I hadn’t included the one that would have been #12).

“The Chase for .400 - Ryan Richmond's Mini-Dynasty – JDOldSchool
What can I say, I am also a ****** for mini-dynasties. And I enjoyed this one a lot.

[Y0DA55]

Have any of you seen Jimmy Kimmel's "Unnecessary Censorship" segments? That's what it kind of feels like with the above.