2012 League with a twist.... Join Now!!

[Dbobola22]

Introduction

It was in February of 2010 that I decided I wanted to get back into being a part of an online league in OOTP.

In the past, I had been in a few different leagues as manager (with mixed results) and I even was Commissioner of a successful league back in 2008 before having to take the walk of shame and tell the dedicated owners that I needed to step down due to personal reasons. Sure I had legitimate excuses as I was working in our family operated business 60-70 hours per week while taking my wife, who was pregnant with our first child, 75 miles round trip every day to the hospital as she watched her mother fight a very long, tough and eventual losing battle with cancer but anybody who knows me knows I don’t like excuses and I felt like I did the dedicated members of my league wrong.

After taking some time off from running the league, I joined online leagues as a manager and I really enjoyed it and see how so many OOTPers are addicted to this online fantasy we let consume so much of our time. However, that wasn’t enough for me as I need to be in control but I don’t need to be the dictator. By being in control, I mean I need to be able to handle issues that come up in a fair manner, I need to be able to set the date and times of exports and make sure they are done on time and I need to make sure I provide an experience where managers feel comfortable putting a lot of their free time efforts into the league they know will still be around for a long time and therefore they can commit to their strategies, even if it means rebuilding for down the road. Nothing is more frustrating than not getting the chance to see your plans cut short because of someone else.

So this brings us back to April 2010. I started a league called Paramount Baseball League (PBL) with a few friends I made from the league I was just in that ended because the Commissioner failed to communicate and ask for help. We went on a recruiting mission and found some of the best online gamers the OOTP boards have to offer and now in July of 2012 we are coming to the end of our 10th season and still going strong.

After the past few months of giving it careful thought I decided to start a second league as Commissioner. Why? I really enjoy playing the game but I’m quickly becoming much more of an online purist as I think after competing against other humans, the AI gets too predictable and its not really all that challenging to build a winner. By adding a second league this should fill my OOTP appetite. Also as we are about to crown the 10th PBL World Champion, there were mistakes made along the way and even though they are corrected as we go, I just feel like starting a second league from the beginning with what I know now, can only be the beginning of what I’m hoping is another special league.

I also knew it was time to branch out as well when I joke with my wife when I get upset over league issues and tell her I’m quitting my league and she looks at me with a straight face and just tells me “shut up, your talking nonsense.”

Coming up with a name for an online league has to be one of the hardest parts of setting the game up. When thinking of baseball and its rich tradition, one league I always respected was the American Legion. When you look at the official website for the legion (History of American Legion Baseball | The American Legion) you can read about its rich tradition and the impact it plays on the kids of America who love this American pastime.

“American Legion Baseball is a national institution, having thrived through a world war, several national tragedies, and times of great prosperity as well as great despair. The league still stands behind the traditional values upon which it was founded in 1925. American Legion Baseball has taught hundreds of thousands of young Americans the importance of sportsmanship, good health and active citizenship. The program is also a promoter of equality, making teammates out of young athletes regardless of their income levels or social standings. American Legion Baseball has been, and continues to be, a stepping stone to manhood for millions of young men who have gone on to serve their country or community, raise families or play the sport at the highest level.”

The key points in this to me is it always been a league based upon values and it preached the importance of sportsmanship, good health and active citizenship. In my opinion the same values are extremely important to an online league and this is the reason for the name Baseball Legion of America (BLOA).

I am a Commissioner who is dedicated to running the best league possible for every team in the league. I make decisions that I think makes sense for the majority of the league, even if my opinion might put me in the minority.

I take GREAT PRIDE in my ability to run a league and to prove it, you could ask any current or former member of the PBL. I'm always available, active on the boards and I do not ever miss a sim without a full warning and those are VERY few and far between. My commitment to the PBL shows in my 7,133 posts to date. I have a few guys who are among the best OOTP GMs you could find in an online league who help out with other aspects of the league to ensure this will be one of the most special OOTP leagues to date.

Rosters

I have updated all the rosters through the July 31 trade deadline to ensure we have the most active rosters to start to date.

The Twists {More details below}

* Teams will not be rewarded on a first come; first serve basis. Once we have 32 committed owner, we will hold a lottery from #1-30. Each team will be assigned a number and based on their place, that is where they will be placed in choosing their team.

* The 'BLOA' has decided to expand to 32 teams prior to the 2012 season and we will hold an Expansion Draft prior to the league beginning. Note: The expansion teams will not be available in the Inaugural team draft, there will be another deciding factor in who receives a team and that will be announced shortly.

* We have decided to realign to fit in the 32 teams. 2 Leagues (AL&NL) while splitting into 4 divisions: East, West, North and South.

* The Playoff format has been altered to accommodate the new Divisions. 4 Division Winners, 2 Wild Cards. Wild Card round has been moved to a best of 3-series as well.

* The Oakland Athletics have been relocated to San Jose, California and received an increase in budget.

Requirements

The only requirements are you own the game, are active on the boards and will write some articles (team, player or league specific).

Sim Schedule

We will be simming 3-4 days per week. 7 days per sim. Example: week 1 will be Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun then week two will be Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday.

Want to Join

If you want to join the league, you can post here or send me an email at Derek.Bobola@gmail.com

Also if your interested in an expansion team. You must send me an email with your OOTP experience and why you deserve the opportunity to run an expansion franchise.

The league will welcome veterans and OOTP rookies but will only accept veterans to run the Expansion franchises as its a commitment that I think OOTP-vets understand more of and a longer process than might be expected by some.

[Dbobola22]

After a long battle, the fight is over for Lewis Wolff as he finally received approval from the Commissioner's office to relocate his franchise from Oakland to San Jose, California.

Wolff has lobbied for year to relocate his financially strapped franchise to the larger, wealthier city of San Jose. Currently playing in one of the leagues oldest stadiums which lacked many amenities which has become commonplace among newer stadiums such as premium seating, restaurants among the many others.

The new move to San Jose will allow Wolff to expand the teams budget and lure some bigger name free agents to the Athletics which is a far cry from the past years where they only could develop young talent to watch them leave as soon as they are about to hit a big pay day.

The new ballpark, Cisco Field, is conveniently located just miles from three major freeways which will connect fans from the entire Bay Area. It is also within walking distance to the very vibrant nightlife in downtown San Jose which will add to the overall fan experience.

The Athletics are one of the oldest franchises in Baseball as it got its beginning in 1901 in Philadelphia before moving to Kansas City in 1955 then moving to Oakland 13 years later. After enjoying some great moments in Oakland, if the A's are to survive and compete then its officially time we join Lewis Wolff and embrace for the future with the "San Jose Era".

With the move, there will also be a new branding of the Athletics. To continue with its tradition and rich history, they will have the same logo, but their colors will now be changed to blue and yellow which represent the San Jose flag colors.

[Dbobola22]

When trying to decide where an Expansion team should be rewarded there are many factors brought into the mix. Should it be a team from the United States or somewhere else around the world. Should we move up North again and bring a second team to Canada or move south to Mexico. Looking at the map, the East Coast and West Coast sure seem to have their share of teams so perhaps we should expand in the ‘fly over states’ to give Colorado a natural rival?

Oregon, Utah, Idado, Montana, Wyoming, Kansas, New Mexico, the Dakota’s? What about Vegas? Gambling be damned, hire Pete Rose as a manager and lets go! So many options…

We can also argue a team could fit anywhere, especially in OOTP where travel logistics are not a factor. The Carolinas or Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana. Is this heaven? No its Iowa. So many opportunities to have fun so the decision to pick which two locations to expand to is very difficult.

I still like to use some type of realism so the first city that I have chosen has the largest population of any city in North America. Another factor was to find a location that would support an international audience. A city that is growing and is the home of over 8-million people allows for a large media market. Another major factor was the background of so many of today’s players.

With that said, The Baseball Legion of America is proud to welcome its first expansion franchise, Mexico City Marauders.

Whoever takes control of this franchise must be aware that this will not be the best spot for pitchers as the altitude is going to be an issue. Mexico City lies at over 7,000 feet, which makes Coors Field seem tame.

Players might struggle adjusting to the thin air. Additionally, in a ballpark with a higher elevation, studies have shown that the ball carries much farther. The new stadium in Mexico City would require special dimensions to compensate for the altitude.

Details will follow on the new stadium but very deep outfield fences with high walls almost seems to be guaranteed.

[Dbobola22]

With the Baseball Legion of America already proving it believes baseball can thrive outside the United States by adding the Mexico City Mauraders as the second team outside the United States along with Toronto Blue Jays, they have announced they will return another professional team to Canada as they welcome the Montreal Expos back in baseball.

Commissioner Derek Bobola said the decision to bring a team back to Montreal was "very difficult, yet pretty simple." When asked to elaborate he said "When your trying to decide which City deserves a BLOA franchise, there are so many options that its really hard to say you made the wrong decision. If we decided to bring another team to the United States, I don't think we could of went wrong but then when were were approached to branch out to not just the United States but to the rest of North America, the opportunities became much more difficult to narrow it down to just two teams.

If I had it my way, we would be expanding 6 teams to cover the areas across the US, Canada and Mexico that I think are VERY deserving of teams but in the end we had to select only two and I'm confident we did a great job."

Bobola also said the decision to give Montreal a franchise is to prove that there are second chances in life. The Winnipeg Jets of the NHL proved a team can come home again. With new ownership in place, its believed Montreal has established themselves as a team that can support a payroll in the $60-million dollar range. Helping the cause is
it's a well known fact that Montreal remains the largest North American city without any professional baseball in its boundaries.

Montreal is a town with no shortage of things to spend time and money on, and its casual sports fans take the word casual to a whole new level. Will this be a benefit or a hindrance to a professional team?

The Conference Board of Canada released a report stating that "Montreal has the necessary market conditions in place today to be the home of a Professional Baseball franchise" With the Canadian dollar soaring in 2011 (even hitting a modern all-time high), this is not a surprise. Montreal has certainly grown over the past several years and the business climate is a lot more stable now than it was when Montreal last had a team before moving to D.C.

A few other factors in bringing the Expos back to Montreal are but not limited to:

Population: Montreal is a big city with a very large population, almost 4 million people. According to a Conference Board of Canada report prepared in 2011, one of the “market pillars” needed to support a Major League Baseball team is a population of at least 2.5 million people.

Passionate Fan Base: Montreal is known the world over for its multitude of festivals that are so well-attended each and every year. Also their other professional sports teams are well received as the Alouettes of the CFL and Montrealers of the MLS have many passionate fans.

Nostalgia: I always liked following the Expos and enjoyed their logo, uniforms and many of the former players who got their start in an Expo uniform or farm system. Also I think it makes a great story to see a franchise resurrected.

History There were MANY great players who played in Montreal or got their start. Andre Dawson, Gary Carter, Tim Raines, Vladimir Guerrero, Dennis Martinez, Pedro Martinez, Jeff Readon, Marquis Grissom to name a few.

[Dbobola22]

Many would say the decision to expand to 32-teams left the 'BLOA' no option but to realign its divisions but the fact is, the decision to adopt MLB's new playoff format of 2 Wild Card winners led to the decision to both expand to 32 teams as well as integrating realignment.

The league will keep its two leagues, American and National while expanding to four divisions in each league: Eastern, Western, Northern and Southern.

Divisions were set to best each team based on proximity while also trying to keep the rich history and rivals in tact.

AMERICAN LEAGUE:

EAST: Baltimore, Boston, NY Yankees, Toronto
WEST: Colorado, LA Angels, Oakland, Seattle
NORTH: CHI White Sox, Cleveland, Detroit, Minnesota
SOUTH: Houston, Kansas City, Tampa Bay, Texas

NATIONAL LEAGUE:

EAST: Montreal, NY Mets, Philadelphia, Washington
WEST: Arizona, LA Dodgers, San Diego, San Francisco
NORTH: CHI Cubs, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh
SOUTH: Atlanta, Mexico City, Miami, St. Louis

As far as the Playoffs go, there will be 6 teams per League that qualify for the playoffs each season. The four (4) Division winners plus two (2) Wild Card teams.

Each of the six (6) teams will be seeded based on winning percentage but the Wild-Card teams will be seeded lowest.

Wild Card Round will be a best of three format where seeds 1&2 will have a Bye. The 3rd seeded team will host the 6th seed while the 4th seed hosts the 5th. The format will be Home, Away, Home.

Divisional Round will be a best of five with a 2 Home, 2 Away, 1 Home format will be used. For this round, the #1 seed will host the winner of the #4-5 series, while the #2 seed hosts the winner of the #3-6 series.

League Championship Series The two teams who advance from the Divisional Round will compete in a best of 7 series. The format will be 2 home, 3 away, 2 home.

World Series The American League Champions will compete against the National League Champions in a best of 7 series. The format will be 2 home, 2 away then home, away, home.

[Dbobola22]

Also of note, there will be some rules in place for trading 10-5 players as well as reward systems for writing articles.

[wwrigleyfield]

sounds good! and something i'd like sign up for. hopefully we can get 30 owners, big number, hey got start with someone why not me. i already play in a couple leagues but looking for one more. let me know if you need any help.

what are the league settings? you did a great job laying out the league but we all want to know more ootp settings

oh. this is a ootp12 league

[anthonywvalentine]

Originally Posted by wwrigleyfield

sounds good! and something i'd like sign up for. hopefully we can get 30 owners, big number, hey got start with someone why not me. i already play in a couple leagues but looking for one more. let me know if you need any help.

what are the league settings? you did a great job laying out the league but we all want to know more ootp settings

oh. this is a ootp12 league

This is an OOTP13 league. Derek just hasn't updated his signature yet!

[Dbobola22]

I will post settings shortly. Also, I need to change my sign and avatar now I got two leagues running. Lets avoid any confusion!

[Dbobola22]

Full League Name (Initials): Baseball Legion of America (BLOA)
Email Address: Derek.Bobola@gmail.com
OOTP Version: OOTP 13
Game Needed?: Yes

Players: Modern 2012 with all trades made through July 31.
# Of Teams: 32 - Expanded to Mexico City and Montreal
Exports Days & Deadlines: M,W,F,Sun then T,Th,S rotating week.
League Time Per Sim: 14 Days
First Season: 2012
Current Season: 2012

Rules & Settings:

Coaches: OFF
Scouting: OFF
Rule 5 Draft: Enabled
10/5 Rule: ON - Will have rule in place that will allow teams to trade them

Ratings Scale: 1-10
Injury Setting: Low
Draft Pick Trading: OFF
Advanced Draft Negotiations: On

Minor League System: Complete

Playoffs: Wild Card (best of 3), Division Series (best of 5), League Championship Series (best of 7), World Series (best of 7)

Designated Hitter: ON in both AL & NL. Past has show NL teams prefer it as they struggle with AI decisions and this takes some of it out.

2012 CBA Rule Changes: Enabled

10MM Max Cash

Batter Aging Speed: .250
Batter Dev. Speed: 1.000
Pitcher Aging Speed: .375
Pitcher Dev. Speed: .900
Talent Change Randomness: 67

[Rebington]

Derek is simply the best commish around, and already has a group of 12 active GMs committed to make this new league a keeper.

If you're looking for a new long term league, have the OOTP experience to compete with some veteran GMs and like to be active on forums (not just an export and logging on at draft time) then this would be an excellent league for you.

[Bucky36]

The commish and GM s in this league are second to none. I've been with The PBL 2 years and it's been a blast. We never miss sims , the export rate is close to 100%. Looking forward to being part of the action ASAP!

[mdale2k]

I'd be interesting in joining as a GM

[pancakes]

PBL = Best League in Existence
Derek = Best Commissioner in Existence.

So join!

[sean_c]

I'd be interested in joining. I have been playing OOTP for a few years now, but would be an online league newbie.

[hluraven]

Originally Posted by pancakes

PBL = Best League in Existence
Derek = Best Commissioner in Existence.

So join!

This. PBL is the best online league by far, and the main reason is Derek. In addition to the best commish around, 10 of the best PBL GMs are going to be in this league so there is a fantastic core of good and very active GMs already.

[Dbobola22]

We have 16 members... Filling out quickly.. Join now to get in on the ground floor of what I promise to be one of the best OOTP leagues running.

[wwrigleyfield]

league is really taking shape. glad to see DL in both leagues

[stevem810]

I've been a member of Dericks PBL for 8 months and its been a great experience. As well as being a very dedicated and accomplished Commish Derick has assembled a core of talented and knowledgeable GM's who will join him in this new venture. The BLOA promises to be a very engaging and dynamic experience. Join the BLOA and be a part of a great community of OOTP players!

[mets8484]

New to online leagues but I would love to join the league. Your enthusiasm for OOTP is undeniable. Looking forward to a great league!

my e mail is srosenberg19@gmail.com