Journey of a Welshman

[MrMuse]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

Your right it shouldn't but sometimes does, however it doesn't every time. I came across it years ago in an online league when I just didn't have any starters left so had to use relief pitchers, it's something I don't like doing now and when I'm solo playing it's something I don't use unless it's tied into my storylines.

It doesn't make sense that a player with almost zero stamina (and MR/Closers will generally have low stam compared to a Starter) can still pitch 5-8 innings. Not even for a single game. IMO Closers especially just shouldn't be allowed onto the starting roster. But then I suppose it would be easy to sub them on *shrug*.

Re: the other thing I said shouldn't work (trading up from the trash base)
It is because it's not possible for a game to have the AI make a trade decision based on every factor within so many players. You can't accurately decide if one player is worth 20 or not (I don't know if the 5 player thing is an actual baseball ruling or whether it's just there in an attempt to balance gameplay/deal with the calculation issue - perhaps someone could enlighten me?). So it's effectively a lame loophole for the 5 player trade rule.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by MrMuse

Bah. It's draft time and I can't find a pen (to record where all the players I want actually go because I'm way down in the picks line).

1 goes to CLE. Indians I hate youuuuu
2 tampax ..I mean Tampa. I hate you MORE
3. ME. YAY!
4. Dodgers
5. Me. But I might fail to sign him
6. Tampa (again)
7. Marlins
8. Me but he's 2 pot and we are starting to scrape the barrel
9. Chicago
10. Tampa (what a surprise)

I got 11. but by this point it's just picking up sticks..the 2 left on my list aren't particularly relevant. I gave up after round 14. Still find it odd that the recommendations tend to be for players that the scout reports say are useless.

Getting pick 3 was a coup...he fills a gap and could easily have been pick 2. pick one will be a star..I'll chase him in trade.

2 questions come to mind. What is "offer a slot?" (on the 40 man?) and wth is magic # on the standings screen? It means nothing to me.

A bunch of thoughts went through my mind, reading this post.

First of all, "Tampax Bay Rays"? I'm chuckling at that one. Is that original or did you get that somewhere?

Second, that seems to be a bit of a thin draft class if you're already down to "2 pot" in the first 10 picks or so. Maybe I'm reading it wrong. However, it seems to me, based on empirical evidence only, that sometimes the game needs a season or three to adjust the distribution of draftee talent so that you realistically have better picks at least in the first round.

Third, that said, I can tell you that after the second round or so you really don't see much to get excited about in terms of multi-star potential. BUT, you should not necessarily go on auto-pilot for the rest of the draft. There are gems out there in the later rounds (not too much later), diamonds in the rough, and you can spot them once in a while given a bit of an experienced eye.

Fourth, I totally agree with you about scouting recommendations. I take those with a BIG grain of salt. For one thing, your scout tends to overlook personality traits which are detrimental to player development, like low intelligence and work ethic.

Fifth, a recommendation. Look for players in later draft rounds with high marks in those traits, intelligence and work ethic. They are most likely to get talent bumps and fulfill promises. As far as ratings go, look to OSA for a second opinion. Give consideration to drafting guys with the right personality (leadership is another useful one, although not directly tied to his own performance) and with, let's say, yellow potential ratings (the greens and blues are all gone by that time, of course). Those are the guys who might surprise you in a few years.

Sixth, I think you are referring to Slot Bonuses in conjunction with an amateur draft. Basically, a draftee whose demand is "Slot" is asking for nothing special in terms of a signing bonus; he is only asking for a bonus that would be considered normal for his expected pick position in the draft. "A slot bonus is a predetermined bonus amount, a rough estimate of what kind of bonus a player should accept when drafted in a certain position in the draft. The Slot Bonus is based on the Slot Bonus Baseline, which is set in the Amateur Draft Rules section of the Rules page, or directly on the Draft Rules page." Read more about this here: Out of the Park Baseball Manual

Seventh, from Wikipedia: "In certain sports, a magic number is a number used to indicate how close a front-running team is to clinching a division title and/or a playoff spot. It represents the total of additional wins by the front-running team or additional losses (or any combination thereof) by the rival team after which it is mathematically impossible for the rival team to capture the title in the remaining games. This assumes that each game results in a win or a loss, but not a tie. Teams other than the front-running team have what is called an elimination number (or 'tragic number')."

Eighth, if you haven't gotten into the online manual yet, you should. For example, here is an excellent reference on the statistics included in the game: Out of the Park Baseball Manual

Ninth, you did what you needed to do dealing with LTL. I just mentioned the Ignore List as an alternative if you ever get tired of dealing with somebody.

Tenth, many people get into it with The Wolf. However, he is NOT on my Ignore List and probably will never be on it because he's got a good mind and he has contributed much to this game and these forums. He and I get along good because I don't take him too seriously when he gets on my case. He has strong opinions, which is fine, but his faults are in trying to convince by overwhelming any dissension and being easily baited and drawn into silly altercations. Don't you be like that, if you please.

[MrMuse]

Oh, I wouldn't say The Wolf and I argue as such..I appreciate a good debate. He is obstinate...but so am I. I'm also highly opinionated - but if I have no opinions what would be the point me posting to a forum in the first place?

Tampax was all me...but it's not so much of a stretch to add one letter..hardly a display of genius. I'm not sure why but I seem to see them as my main rival in this game even though I'm 2nd to Toronto at the moment with a 2.5 spread.

I got ONE useable player out of the draft. The 5th pick (in actuality the 2nd) was a no-sign (as I expected). And the rest are handing out orange slices in the rookies.
There were still a few 4.5 star pot players left when I took the 2 star. I just preferred his ACTUAL stats and the descriptive scout report for him than the others. I also noticed that the star rating in-general fluctuates wildly for rookies dependent on their past play year by year...which hardly seems relevant in most cases.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by MrMuse

Oh, I wouldn't say The Wolf and I argue as such..I appreciate a good debate. He is obstinate...but so am I.

Heh, then you make a good pair.

[MrMuse]

Oh and I dipped into the manual a little. Whilst it might shed some light on specific issues now and then it's hardly a good read. I'll just use it for ref. if I get seriously stuck with anything.

p.s. that magic number thing? Still pretty useless from a gameplay perspective. You don't need a badge to tell you when you are doing well and another to tell you you suck ass. It is more than likely the basis of calculation for your owner feedback anyway (mine fluctuates between "not happy" "angry" and "mad" - seems he is a whiney bitch that expects you to be top from start to finish).

Pineda came off the DL so I shopped Colby Lewis for a 4.5 star RF - which is basically what I'd lost in the crash. Why Lewis and not Pineda? His recent use made him more appealing to would-be traders, HIS injury history description was fragile where Pineda's was not, Their 'tools' stats and overall ratings were comparatively equal, Pineda is younger.

[slugga27]

Originally Posted by MrMuse

Oh and I dipped into the manual a little. Whilst it might shed some light on specific issues now and then it's hardly a good read. I'll just use it for ref. if I get seriously stuck with anything.

p.s. that magic number thing? Still pretty useless from a gameplay perspective. You don't need a badge to tell you when you are doing well and another to tell you you suck ass. It is more than likely the basis of calculation for your owner feedback anyway (mine fluctuates between "not happy" "angry" and "mad" - seems he is a whiney bitch that expects you to be top from start to finish).

Pineda came off the DL so I shopped Colby Lewis for a 4.5 star RF - which is basically what I'd lost in the crash. Why Lewis and not Pineda? His recent use made him more appealing to would-be traders, HIS injury history description was fragile where Pineda's was not, Their 'tools' stats and overall ratings were comparatively equal, Pineda is younger.

I think you're misunderstanding the "magic number". It basically tells you how many games, based on your current record and the record of the second-place team, you need to win to clinch the division.

Let's not get this confused with your owner or whatever because the two have nothing to do with each other.

[MrMuse]

Originally Posted by slugga27

I think you're misunderstanding the "magic number". It basically tells you how many games, based on your current record and the record of the second-place team, you need to win to clinch the division.

Let's not get this confused with your owner or whatever because the two have nothing to do with each other.

Hehe, they do when I'm way behind now and my owner is chewing me out (since his expectation is "win everything" they ARE the same).
I understood the explaination of what the magic number is. I'm just saying it seems superfluous. You need to win as many games as you can, your divisional standing and win/loss scores are plain to see, knowing exactly how bad or how good you are doing "in the long run" isn't really helpful. In the course of one bad month I've gone from being 2nd and looking okay but not great to being on the verge of "tragic number" territory (it's late season).

[slugga27]

Originally Posted by MrMuse

Hehe, they do when I'm way behind now and my owner is chewing me out (since his expectation is "win everything" they ARE the same).
I understood the explaination of what the magic number is. I'm just saying it seems superfluous. You need to win as many games as you can, your divisional standing and win/loss scores are plain to see, knowing exactly how bad or how good you are doing "in the long run" isn't really helpful. In the course of one bad month I've gone from being 2nd and looking okay but not great to being on the verge of "tragic number" territory (it's late season).

To be fair, in the real world and in my brain, the magic number doesn't mean a thing until September 1st. I always chuckle at seeing my "magic number" being 161 after winning on Opening Day. haha

[MrMuse]

Sabathia made (in game) 2013 All Stars by the way. As did Zobrist. Verlander missed his first spot in 5 years..apparently. That's what happens when you spend your youth as Amish - he has to be of Dutch decent with a name like that right?

And its top of the ninth...Tampax are leading 3-2...2 out, 2 on base, and its 2/2 the offering...Butler swings, the hit, hard and long...and it's going up..up...it's out of here...Butler brings home 3 for the Yankees and the crowd are going CRAZY. (and some mad Welsh dude is laughing insanely to himself in an empty room)

[MrMuse]

It's All-Change in the AL East...I've gone from being a distant 2nd with 3.5 GB to bottom of the Division with 6 GB and all the way back to 2nd and .5 GB. One would think my miserable twat of an owner might smile after a 12 win streak putting us back into contention. But NO he's "upset". I've come to the conclusion he is in serious need of Prozac in general and Lithium when the Yankees are in a slump. Yep - someone needs to go buy this guy a few hookers asap.

Today's joy bonus: Tampa are bottom
Now to catch those pesky Red Sox (that came from NOWHERE to be a strong lead).

Bad News of the Day:
"Robinson Cano exploded for a barrage of base hits today at Yankee Stadium. The Detroit second baseman had a field day in the 15-5 triumph over The New York Yankees, finishing with a 6-6 day and a spot in the league record book....Cano has collected 130 hits for the Tigers this year, 21 of them home runs....he has also netted 84 RBIs and scored 70 runs while batting .337"

Coming to a t.v. screen near you: the new series When Good Trades Go Bad.

[MrMuse]

I am ranked 3rd of 30 in the latest power rankings...I am leading the division with the Red Sox 2nd 4 GB, I have a magic number creeping down to 20..it shrinks with every game I play. I'm having regular streaks..I decide to go and see how my owner is feeling about our wondrous recent success. He is "unhappy" I decide that there is no fixing him and pull the plug on the old duffer's respirator. Meanwhile I am being bombarded by News items telling me how all my minor league teams are getting regularly slaughtered.

The Yankees win another 5 games in a row...they are on fire and we are 1st in the power rankings. I rush to tell my dying owner the good news...he looks "worried". So he should be, his bed has pillows large enough for me to smother him without getting caught.

[slugga27]

When you have a minute, google "Jeff Bagwell". You want to talk about "good" trades going bad...haha

[MrMuse]

Originally Posted by slugga27

When you have a minute, google "Jeff Bagwell". You want to talk about "good" trades going bad...haha

Do you mean because the Red Sox drafted him and he became a 20mil+ earner with Huston?...I don't see any details about him after 2006.

Anyway...I'll make the playoffs with ease now...Sox tanked...and looks like Cardinals will be main danger.

I have a magic magic number....it is '1' and no one else has qualified (though Cardinals are on 2)

After being in situations where I was more than 10 games down..I'm pretty surprised to qualify 1st with 92 61 .601 - now to get my rookies some game time.

[MrMuse]

Pfft...well that was bs. Chicago...who hardly won a game against me all season...put me out 2-0 after the bye.

Cards went out the same round and Dodgers (wild card) won the series...As if! RNG 1 Brain 0

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by MrMuse

It doesn't make sense that a player with almost zero stamina (and MR/Closers will generally have low stam compared to a Starter) can still pitch 5-8 innings. Not even for a single game. IMO Closers especially just shouldn't be allowed onto the starting roster. But then I suppose it would be easy to sub them on *shrug*.

Re: the other thing I said shouldn't work (trading up from the trash base)
It is because it's not possible for a game to have the AI make a trade decision based on every factor within so many players. You can't accurately decide if one player is worth 20 or not (I don't know if the 5 player thing is an actual baseball ruling or whether it's just there in an attempt to balance gameplay/deal with the calculation issue - perhaps someone could enlighten me?). So it's effectively a lame loophole for the 5 player trade rule.

I never went as far as putting a closer in but most of the time a relief pitcher would pitch 5-6 good innings the first couple of starts, era something in the region of 2.50-3.00 then he'd go to an average of 4.00-5.00 after that but 9 times out of 10 he'd do ok for the first couple of starts. If I remember right Hideo Sanu of the LRS was the last relief pitcher who started a game for me, he pitched 7 innings in a 2-0 win against the Shin Seiki Evas even wrote what I think was my best ever work

The Planetary Extreme Baseball Alliance Forums ? View topic - IF

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by MrMuse

Oh and I dipped into the manual a little. Whilst it might shed some light on specific issues now and then it's hardly a good read. I'll just use it for ref. if I get seriously stuck with anything.

True. Don't overlook the search feature, though. It works pretty well.

Originally Posted by MrMuse

I understood the explaination of what the magic number is. I'm just saying it seems superfluous.

slugga is right - the magic number is meaningful only in September.

Originally Posted by MrMuse

And its top of the ninth...Tampax are leading 3-2...2 out, 2 on base, and its 2/2 the offering...Butler swings, the hit, hard and long...and it's going up..up...it's out of here...Butler brings home 3 for the Yankees and the crowd are going CRAZY. (and some mad Welsh dude is laughing insanely to himself in an empty room)

And some calm, sedate American dude who happens to be a fan of the read deal, smiles.

Originally Posted by MrMuse

One would think my miserable twat of an owner might smile after a 12 win streak putting us back into contention. But NO he's "upset". I've come to the conclusion he is in serious need of Prozac in general and Lithium when the Yankees are in a slump. Yep - someone needs to go buy this guy a few hookers asap.

You sure are providing one essential ingredient to enjoying this game: imagination.

Originally Posted by MrMuse

Coming to a t.v. screen near you: the new series When Good Trades Go Bad.

Bah, you've got to give a trade time to evaluate it properly. I recently had something similar happen to me but in reverse: I traded an SP who I thought was over the hill for an up and coming prospect. The SP spent the next season and a half spanking my rear-end (figuratively and virtually, not literally) while my prospect languished in AAA. Well, guess what. The SP had a CEI (career-ending injury), but not in a game against me which would have been exquisite, and the prospect is now my everyday CF (batting .260 but steals bases like candy). Not every trade works out, of course, but you need to look at them in the long-term to judge them properly.

Originally Posted by MrMuse

Meanwhile I am being bombarded by News items telling me how all my minor league teams are getting regularly slaughtered.

I have often thought over the years whether this means anything. Is it something to be concerned about, I wonder? Does it mean either my prospects stink, or they will not develop as well because they are playing on losing teams? I don't know, but one thing I am fairly sure of: If you are playing with ghost players, I don't think minor league team record means much at all and is basically random and neutral in effect. That's how I play, so I don't worry about it.

[MrMuse]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

or they will not develop as well because they are playing on losing teams?

This is my worry. But on the matter of giving a player time to develop...a one star actual with one star prospect that I picked from the draft just because I liked his base stats and scouting comments in the descriptive text...quickly went to being a 3 star actual and 5 star potential after I refused to move him out of double A after being told he wasn't ready for single A short stay. And his descriptive scouting has now changed from "maybe and if" to "definite all star potential - the kind you can build a franchise around"

It was a bit of a clue that something was up with him that he showed regularly on the "make this trade work" with other teams trading for 4.5 star players when he was just a 1/1 (and they were good players that I chose..not old or overpriced). Ironically, Verlander has done the reverse..he lost a full star for no reason despite being played often and not injured. And Sabathia has gone from being 4.5 to 3 but still plays exactly the same way...go figure. Maybe I should sack my scout..I think there is a good chance he's been on the whiskey too much.

[slugga27]

Originally Posted by MrMuse

Do you mean because the Red Sox drafted him and he became a 20mil+ earner with Huston?...I don't see any details about him after 2006.

Anyway...I'll make the playoffs with ease now...Sox tanked...and looks like Cardinals will be main danger.

I have a magic magic number....it is '1' and no one else has qualified (though Cardinals are on 2)

After being in situations where I was more than 10 games down..I'm pretty surprised to qualify 1st with 92 61 .601 - now to get my rookies some game time.

Cliffnotes version: He was traded for a reliever in 1990 then became a perennial All-Star and on the cusp of the Hall of Fame.

The point is...there's even trades, where everyone wins and there's uneven trades, where one team comes out way ahead. Bagwell is an example of the latter; early to tell, but the Cano trade would fall under the former.

[Déjà Bru]

I was looking for something else and I came across this thread, which I enjoyed. Alas, our Welshman, Mr. Muse, has moved on after losing interest as he predicted. Here's a pint to him and to hoping that he returns someday!

[Honorable_Pawn]

They always return.

Yes...Crusader Kings II with all (All...that is) DLC was fun for awhile. Skyrim was fun for awhile, but...

They always come back.