It's just a game...

[rolltyed]

I don't know why, but I wanted to share this. So, I played Little League ball as a kid (All Stars twice) but when I got into junior high my football coaches pushed me to abandon baseball and focus on football. Big mistake, suffered leg injury my sophomore year and never managed to get my speed back.

Back to baseball as a kid. I remember when I was 9 or 10 being obsessed with the game and collecting the cards. This was the late 1970's and I don't remember how much the packs were (for some reason, 35 cents is stuck in my head) but I DO remember skipping lunch at school several days so that I could use the money to buy them.

Fast forward to this past weekend. I have had an urge to try out a baseball sim lately and decided that OOTP would be a good choice. The idea of managing a team and trying to make it better appeals to me and I was ready to give it a shot. What I was NOT ready for was Perfect Team. The pack opening animations and creating a team from the cards took me back to 9 years old. You see, on rainy days when I couldn't play outside, I would lay out my cards on the floor in my room with players at each position and 'play' baseball with them. I don't remember the specifics, but I know that I used dice to determine outcomes. I also remember idolizing the players (Rod Carew!) and memorizing their stats printed on the back of the cards. And how weird is this? When the first pack of Perfect Team cards was opened, I immediately had a Pavlovian anticipation for the piece of nasty gum that came in the packs all those years ago (nasty or not, I still chewed it).

Anyway, OOTP is just a game, but it provided me with a magical Sunday afternoon and I look forward to spending a lot of time with it going forward. Thanks for letting this 50+ old dude get that story out of me, now I have to get ready to play ball in OOTP 21!

[Pendragon]

From another 50+ player, I don't think it is weird at all.

In fact, one of my templates I created in OOTP has rosters set up from my real baseball card collection (yep, I still have 'em from my childhood and up). I imported the players one at a time as I sorted through my cards for each team.

[Déjà Bru]

rolltyed, I am betting that someday you will be "rolly-eyed" (that's actually how I read your forum name when I first saw it) when you look back on your debut comment: "It's just a game."

Nice story, thanks for sharing it. Just a minor correction, at least in my perception of things: Perfect Team and OOTPB (or, short version, OOTP) are two different games. For me, OOTPB is most definitely not just a game. For you, it's Perfect Team (if not now, then soon).

Same source (OOTPD), so it's all good.

[Calvert98]

This was a cool read.

My main focus is the core game, but I appreciate the way PT is able to provide someone both a fun, as well as nostalgic experience.

I have read posts where folks mentioned how this game is a great way to for them unwind and take a break from the everyday. I think there is something to it; probably both Baseball itself, and the fact that OOTP is such a good product.

Thanks for the post.

-Cal

[CarolinaSoxfan]

I am 45 years old. My wife rolls her eyes at me as I sit on my laptop and changing up uniforms for my historical and fictional leagues or when I am sitting there trying to figure out if I should extend a contract, let them walk or try to trade them. It definitely taps into the kid deep inside of you. It is incredible

[mayday10]

I usually forego the online type activities with sports games. Mainly due to 'video game' experience. People are either just better than me or have some annoying quirk where it isnt fun.... or if I am doing good, then the game 'magically' disconnects.

I am new to OOTP, but I think I might give the Perfect Team a try, mainly because it isn't based on any sort of 'skill' other than building a lineup and a few strategy things that arise. As far as I know, it doesnt slap you with a schedule of deadlines too, which is good.

[slugga27]

Originally Posted by CarolinaSoxfan

I am 45 years old. My wife rolls her eyes at me as I sit on my laptop and changing up uniforms for my historical and fictional leagues or when I am sitting there trying to figure out if I should extend a contract, let them walk or try to trade them. It definitely taps into the kid deep inside of you. It is incredible

Wives will never understand. My wife doesn’t understand, but at least she supports the OOTP addiction because it’s the only $40 I spend on myself every year.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by CarolinaSoxfan

I am 45 years old. My wife rolls her eyes at me as I sit on my laptop and changing up uniforms for my historical and fictional leagues . . .

Hah, we are getting nutty waiting for this next version, or at least I am. When I read this, I thought you meant that you change uniforms according to the team you currently have an interest in, and you do it while sitting on your (closed lid?) laptop!

[Mr. Marlin]

[yount19]

Originally Posted by slugga27

Wives will never understand. My wife doesn’t understand, but at least she supports the OOTP addiction because it’s the only $40 I spend on myself every year.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

...Get this...
My wife will tear apart AND separate the teams for me when I purchase table top games!!! She actually enjoys doing that although I am not sure why... I recently purchased the entire 2008-09 set of college basketball teams for a basketball game that I own, and she separated EVERY team herself (that's 350 plus teams)...

In the words of Napolean Dynamite... LUCKYYYYYY!!!

OOTP is a GREAT baseball sim and I look forward to each coming years advancements to the game. Before long, MLB the Show will lose most of it's hard core baseball fans to this fantastic game...

[Marcelo1967]

I was born in Argentina, big soccer country. I used to similate soccer games with legos. Ha ha ha. Now I simulate entire soccer and baseball seasons with FM and OOTP. Amazing!! oh, I forgot...I'm 52 years old.

[Bunktown Ballers]

Originally Posted by rolltyed

I don't know why, but I wanted to share this. So, I played Little League ball as a kid (All Stars twice) but when I got into junior high my football coaches pushed me to abandon baseball and focus on football. Big mistake, suffered leg injury my sophomore year and never managed to get my speed back.

Back to baseball as a kid. I remember when I was 9 or 10 being obsessed with the game and collecting the cards. This was the late 1970's and I don't remember how much the packs were (for some reason, 35 cents is stuck in my head) but I DO remember skipping lunch at school several days so that I could use the money to buy them.

Fast forward to this past weekend. I have had an urge to try out a baseball sim lately and decided that OOTP would be a good choice. The idea of managing a team and trying to make it better appeals to me and I was ready to give it a shot. What I was NOT ready for was Perfect Team. The pack opening animations and creating a team from the cards took me back to 9 years old. You see, on rainy days when I couldn't play outside, I would lay out my cards on the floor in my room with players at each position and 'play' baseball with them. I don't remember the specifics, but I know that I used dice to determine outcomes. I also remember idolizing the players (Rod Carew!) and memorizing their stats printed on the back of the cards. And how weird is this? When the first pack of Perfect Team cards was opened, I immediately had a Pavlovian anticipation for the piece of nasty gum that came in the packs all those years ago (nasty or not, I still chewed it).

Anyway, OOTP is just a game, but it provided me with a magical Sunday afternoon and I look forward to spending a lot of time with it going forward. Thanks for letting this 50+ old dude get that story out of me, now I have to get ready to play ball in OOTP 21!

From a 60 year old I've always felt privileged that I got to experience the collecting of baseball cards from the love of baseball & not the monetary value as it's been for a few years now. I still have many many of those old cards & wouldn't even consider selling them. I wish everybody could have experienced the joy we had at collecting baseball cards (even with the gum) stuck to them from back in the old days....Happy PTing to all

[sentry85]

Originally Posted by rolltyed

I don't know why, but I wanted to share this. So, I played Little League ball as a kid (All Stars twice) but when I got into junior high my football coaches pushed me to abandon baseball and focus on football. Big mistake, suffered leg injury my sophomore year and never managed to get my speed back.

Back to baseball as a kid. I remember when I was 9 or 10 being obsessed with the game and collecting the cards. This was the late 1970's and I don't remember how much the packs were (for some reason, 35 cents is stuck in my head) but I DO remember skipping lunch at school several days so that I could use the money to buy them.

Fast forward to this past weekend. I have had an urge to try out a baseball sim lately and decided that OOTP would be a good choice. The idea of managing a team and trying to make it better appeals to me and I was ready to give it a shot. What I was NOT ready for was Perfect Team. The pack opening animations and creating a team from the cards took me back to 9 years old. You see, on rainy days when I couldn't play outside, I would lay out my cards on the floor in my room with players at each position and 'play' baseball with them. I don't remember the specifics, but I know that I used dice to determine outcomes. I also remember idolizing the players (Rod Carew!) and memorizing their stats printed on the back of the cards. And how weird is this? When the first pack of Perfect Team cards was opened, I immediately had a Pavlovian anticipation for the piece of nasty gum that came in the packs all those years ago (nasty or not, I still chewed it).

Anyway, OOTP is just a game, but it provided me with a magical Sunday afternoon and I look forward to spending a lot of time with it going forward. Thanks for letting this 50+ old dude get that story out of me, now I have to get ready to play ball in OOTP 21!

This story is so familiar i had to look to see if i posted this. i can remember taking my baseball cards and setting them up in 4 piles per team starting lineup, starters, bench players, and relievers. i had notebooks with schedules and results, other notebooks used for recording stats and playing season after season using dice to play out the games. then eventually computers came out and new baseball games were developed. i can remember the amazement of being able to print out the box scores and the computer kept the stats tallied. i think it was Earl Weaver baseball maybe APBA that i started with. But i remember that baseball card and dice game with great fondness.

[PocketsAintFull]

This thread is great, I love it

[lschaef]

I also filled a lot of notebooks growing up with fictional leagues of various sports. I'd make up schedules and roll dice to decide who won each game.

I eventually got hooked on PureStat baseball. http://www.stadium64.com/gameinfos/p...atbaseball.htm

It didn't have a season or franchise mode, so I acted as GM for all eight teams. I did a fantasy draft, manually created a schedule, and kept track of records. I played out every game for my team, and simulate every other 3 game series. I'd print out the results of each game then type them into a computer program I wrote to keep individual stats for the entire league.

I eventually upgraded to a new computer and couldn't get PureSim to run correctly. I used Front Page Sports Baseball for a few years before that franchise folded.

Finally I found OOTP 3 and have bought every version since.

[RoryN]

Seems like this story has struck a nerve with some of us. I just turned 61 and while I never played organized baseball in my youth, I was always a fan. I remember listening to games on the radio or watching them on TV and being captivated by the play-by-play and all the stats that people came up with. (The amount of stats available today is almost mind-boggling). OOTP has brought me years of enjoyment (I think my first version was OOTP 4) and I look forward to even more years of enjoyment as a baseball fan/armchair GM.

[rolltyed]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

rolltyed, I am betting that someday you will be "rolly-eyed" (that's actually how I read your forum name when I first saw it) when you look back on your debut comment: "It's just a game."

Nice story, thanks for sharing it. Just a minor correction, at least in my perception of things: Perfect Team and OOTPB (or, short version, OOTP) are two different games. For me, OOTPB is most definitely not just a game. For you, it's Perfect Team (if not now, then soon).

Same source (OOTPD), so it's all good.

I had been doing some studying up on OOTP in preparation for 21 coming out. Prior to purchasing and installing 20, I didn't know what Perfect Team was except that it was an alternative way to play the game and there was some howling on the interwebs about microtransactions. My plan was to learn the base game and then maybe check out Perfect Team and Challenge Mode later. The only reason I stumbled upon Perfect Team immediately was because I run on a Linux system and wanted to see if Perfect Team would work if I installed the Windows version of OOTP in Steam using proton (I didn't like the idea of paying full price for the game and not get to use all of the features). So, I installed OOTP, clicked into Perfect Team, and was blown away. I still plan to play the regular game because of the depth that it provides, but nostalgia will pull me into PT as well. There isn't any reason that it has to be mutually exclusive

[rolltyed]

Originally Posted by RoryN

Seems like this story has struck a nerve with some of us. I just turned 61 and while I never played organized baseball in my youth, I was always a fan. I remember listening to games on the radio or watching them on TV and being captivated by the play-by-play and all the stats that people came up with. (The amount of stats available today is almost mind-boggling). OOTP has brought me years of enjoyment (I think my first version was OOTP 4) and I look forward to even more years of enjoyment as a baseball fan/armchair GM.

So far in this thread, I believe that four people have identified as over 50...maybe we should start a Geezers League

[progen]

Count me in. I'll be 65 in April, and have been playing this game for over 15 years. Some of my buddies my age play chess, do crossword puzzles, etc., to keep their brain and mind sharp. I play OOTP.

[BirdWatcher]

Originally Posted by rolltyed

So far in this thread, I believe that four people have identified as over 50...maybe we should start a Geezers League

I certainly get the feeling that this forum tends to be populated pretty well with older OOTP players. My guess is that the median age here is quite a bit higher than, say, on the Reddit forum.

Turned 55 a little over a month ago, myself.