Poll: Fakes invade O'Farrell universe...what to do?

Big Six · 06-26-2007, 09:32 AM

As I was preparing for the 1939 World Series in my Pat O'Farrell dynasty, I noticed something a little odd.

The NL champion St. Louis Cardinals had a very productive young player on their roster named "T. Martin." Upon further examination, I discovered that Trey Martin was a 23-year-old switch-hitting outfielder who lit up the senior circuit with a .310/.427/.497 line as a rookie. His talent ratings--76 for Contact, 91 for Power, 155 for Eye--indicate that Trey has a chance to be one of the all-time greats.

The thing is, Trey Martin isn't real.

I clicked on the Top 100 Prospects list, and discovered that about HALF the names were absolutely, completely, totally unfamiliar to me.

I'm using the Ankit Career database, and I usually recognize almost all the names on this list. No team had more than a few guys in their lower minors in 1938. Did the game generate a host of fakes to "fill out" those rosters, or did I unknowingly click somewhere I shouldn't have? The minor leagues aren't full, so I doubt I clicked on "fill minors with imaginary players."

For what it's worth, I'm still running the O'Farrell league on 6.51. I'm planning to try it out on OOTP2007 for 1940, however.

It turns out that in early April 1939, a whole lot of fictional young players were added to the free agent pool. On April 7 and 14, these young guys were snapped up by the computer-run teams. At the time, I didn't know they existed. Consequently, the Red Sox, which I control, didn't get any of the imaginary youngsters. That's one more reason why I didn't realize they existed until I saw Trey Martin's contribution to the NL champions.

Most of the fakes are still in the lower minors; only a few have played in the majors at all, and only two or three have made any real impact. Now I'm trying to decide what to do with them.

The O'Farrell universe has always been spiced with a generous dose of "fiction." Major events like world wars don't exist there, so players can enjoy uninterrupted careers. In the 1920s, I integrated the major leagues, and added stars from the Negro Leagues. A handful of Japanese legends began to appear in the 1930s. Two characters from Field of Dreams have enjoyed long, productive major league careers. And, of course, Pat and Mike O'Farrell are fictional characters, too.

Now I'm at a loss about what to do about the imaginary players. Should I keep them and see what happens? Should I concoct a story line that explains their disappearance?

What do you think? Please let me know by voting in my poll.

Thanks!

Roundin Third · 06-26-2007, 10:09 AM

My first reaction was to keep them as it would provide opportunities for the story to go. Once you mentioned the league is still in 6.5, I definitely feel they should be deleted since the creation modifiers likely mirror modern day players. You may suddenly have a bunch of power hitting middle infielders.

I would either edit their potentials, delete them outright, have them go off to war.

Tyke · 06-26-2007, 10:44 AM

As you say, Big Six, there's a very significant fictional element already so, as you control the major players, why not leave these few other fictional players and, if any of them comes up really big, you can incorporate them into the story?

metsgeek · 06-26-2007, 11:04 AM

Keep 'em. You can kill most of them off in WWII

Big Six · 06-26-2007, 01:50 PM

Thanks for the suggestions, everybody. Having them all go off to war would be one way to solve things, except that there won't be a World War II in my universe. I'm curious to see what kinds of careers Williams, the DiMaggios, Spahn, Feller, O'Farrell, etc. will have if they don't have to do their patriotic duty.

That's a good point you make about their potentials, Roundin Third. I took a look at them, and the only guys who project to be true power hitters play positions where power hitters are traditionally found: first, third, and the outfield corners.

hayesb26 · 06-26-2007, 02:43 PM

As long as nothing totally unrealistic comes up (such as the middle infield power hitters) for the era, I say let it be!

metsgeek · 06-26-2007, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Six

Thanks for the suggestions, everybody. Having them all go off to war would be one way to solve things, except that there won't be a World War II in my universe.

D'oh!!! I really need to catch up on the thread. I've been intimidated by the size of it ....and a bit distracted by mine.

Big Six · 06-26-2007, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by metsgeek

D'oh!!! I really need to catch up on the thread. I've been intimidated by the size of it ....and a bit distracted by mine.

You can always read the "condensed" version...there's a link to it in my signature. Then, if there's a part of the story that particularly interests you, just move to that part of the thread and read as much, or as little, as you like.

I can understand what you're saying about the intimidation factor, though. I have no idea how long it would take to read all the way through.

I can also understand how you're distracted by your dynasty. It distracts me quite often, too.

DTF955 · 06-28-2007, 08:52 AM

I voted "keep,' but with a caveat - that's *way* too many, in my opinion.If we were dealing with 30 teams, it would work out well. That's 1.5 per team, a little more. But, with 16, that means each would get on average 3 fictional players in the top 100 prospects. It's to the point where you might not be able to find out how a Williams, Feller, etc. would do without WW II because they'd be crowded out.I'd keep Trey martin. The kid's what, 21 or so? It's after your Point of Departure, and he could very well be like the little blurb I did about Malcolm Little in your universe, someone who was affected by violence in OTL but wasn't here. Or, even better, he might be the son of someone who was killed in WW I (I forget what happened there in your universe) but who wans't in the ATL.I can see one per team at the most like that. I can't see the sons of 45-50 men all becoming big leaguers because their dads didn't die in WW I, the casualty rate for that wasn't nealry as high as in WW II.So, I'd delete most of them, and Trey Martin can be one of those who easily have been born in the ATL but wasn't in OTL, or something like that. And, so can a dozen or so others.Even with no WW II, if a bunch of rookies decide to take a plane ride, say 20, and die...travel was very risky in OTL till after WW II. And, that might also help as the impetus to improve air travel.BTW, what will you do with franchise moves? (I know, you've been dreading that question, haven't you? Maybe a poll on each franchsie? Part will depend on how they're doing, I imagine; the Braves might be ready to move out now, they're such second class citizens to the Red Sox.)

Renner · 06-28-2007, 11:38 AM

I voted for 'keep'...as long as it's a one-time influx of new talent. I think it opens new storylines without compromising the "universe" and it gives the perennial also-rans a chance to catch up to the Red Sox !

(as a life long Sox fan it pains me to say that !). Even if some of the fakes are power hitting middle INFs, I don't that should matter either. The inclusion of Negro Leaguers in the 20s-30s already meant that a strict following of MLB history was canned. But, even if you want to get rid of them, that's fine too !
-Erik

View Poll Results: What should I do with the fake players in the O'Farrell universe?
Keep them. They'll add interest and, besides, your dynasty isn't completely historical anyway.	18	66.67%
Get rid of them. You can create a storyline to explain why, and that will be interesting to read.	9	33.33%
Voters: 27. You may not vote on this poll

06-26-2007, 09:32 AM	#1
Big Six Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Virginia Posts: 3,145	Poll: Fakes invade O'Farrell universe...what to do? As I was preparing for the 1939 World Series in my Pat O'Farrell dynasty, I noticed something a little odd. The NL champion St. Louis Cardinals had a very productive young player on their roster named "T. Martin." Upon further examination, I discovered that Trey Martin was a 23-year-old switch-hitting outfielder who lit up the senior circuit with a .310/.427/.497 line as a rookie. His talent ratings--76 for Contact, 91 for Power, 155 for Eye--indicate that Trey has a chance to be one of the all-time greats. The thing is, Trey Martin isn't real. I clicked on the Top 100 Prospects list, and discovered that about HALF the names were absolutely, completely, totally unfamiliar to me. I'm using the Ankit Career database, and I usually recognize almost all the names on this list. No team had more than a few guys in their lower minors in 1938. Did the game generate a host of fakes to "fill out" those rosters, or did I unknowingly click somewhere I shouldn't have? The minor leagues aren't full, so I doubt I clicked on "fill minors with imaginary players." For what it's worth, I'm still running the O'Farrell league on 6.51. I'm planning to try it out on OOTP2007 for 1940, however. It turns out that in early April 1939, a whole lot of fictional young players were added to the free agent pool. On April 7 and 14, these young guys were snapped up by the computer-run teams. At the time, I didn't know they existed. Consequently, the Red Sox, which I control, didn't get any of the imaginary youngsters. That's one more reason why I didn't realize they existed until I saw Trey Martin's contribution to the NL champions. Most of the fakes are still in the lower minors; only a few have played in the majors at all, and only two or three have made any real impact. Now I'm trying to decide what to do with them. The O'Farrell universe has always been spiced with a generous dose of "fiction." Major events like world wars don't exist there, so players can enjoy uninterrupted careers. In the 1920s, I integrated the major leagues, and added stars from the Negro Leagues. A handful of Japanese legends began to appear in the 1930s. Two characters from Field of Dreams have enjoyed long, productive major league careers. And, of course, Pat and Mike O'Farrell are fictional characters, too. Now I'm at a loss about what to do about the imaginary players. Should I keep them and see what happens? Should I concoct a story line that explains their disappearance? What do you think? Please let me know by voting in my poll. Thanks! __________________ My dynasties: The Base Ball Life of Patrick O'Farrell: 2014 inductee, OOTP Dynasty Hall of Fame Kenilworth: A Town and its Team: fun with a fictional league Last edited by Big Six; 06-26-2007 at 09:37 AM.

06-26-2007, 11:04 AM	#4
metsgeek Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Norwood, MA Posts: 5,450	Keep 'em. You can kill most of them off in WWII __________________ Commissioner - PBRL - Just finished 2009 109 seasons and still running strong!!!

06-26-2007, 01:50 PM	#5
Big Six Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Virginia Posts: 3,145	Thanks for the suggestions, everybody. Having them all go off to war would be one way to solve things, except that there won't be a World War II in my universe. I'm curious to see what kinds of careers Williams, the DiMaggios, Spahn, Feller, O'Farrell, etc. will have if they don't have to do their patriotic duty. That's a good point you make about their potentials, Roundin Third. I took a look at them, and the only guys who project to be true power hitters play positions where power hitters are traditionally found: first, third, and the outfield corners. __________________ My dynasties: The Base Ball Life of Patrick O'Farrell: 2014 inductee, OOTP Dynasty Hall of Fame Kenilworth: A Town and its Team: fun with a fictional league

06-28-2007, 08:52 AM	#9
DTF955 Minors (Single A) Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 80	I voted "keep,' but with a caveat - that's way too many, in my opinion.If we were dealing with 30 teams, it would work out well. That's 1.5 per team, a little more. But, with 16, that means each would get on average 3 fictional players in the top 100 prospects. It's to the point where you might not be able to find out how a Williams, Feller, etc. would do without WW II because they'd be crowded out.I'd keep Trey martin. The kid's what, 21 or so? It's after your Point of Departure, and he could very well be like the little blurb I did about Malcolm Little in your universe, someone who was affected by violence in OTL but wasn't here. Or, even better, he might be the son of someone who was killed in WW I (I forget what happened there in your universe) but who wans't in the ATL.I can see one per team at the most like that. I can't see the sons of 45-50 men all becoming big leaguers because their dads didn't die in WW I, the casualty rate for that wasn't nealry as high as in WW II.So, I'd delete most of them, and Trey Martin can be one of those who easily have been born in the ATL but wasn't in OTL, or something like that. And, so can a dozen or so others.Even with no WW II, if a bunch of rookies decide to take a plane ride, say 20, and die...travel was very risky in OTL till after WW II. And, that might also help as the impetus to improve air travel.BTW, what will you do with franchise moves? (I know, you've been dreading that question, haven't you? Maybe a poll on each franchsie? Part will depend on how they're doing, I imagine; the Braves might be ready to move out now, they're such second class citizens to the Red Sox.) Last edited by DTF955; 06-28-2007 at 09:02 AM.

06-26-2007, 10:09 AM	#2
Roundin Third Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 46	My first reaction was to keep them as it would provide opportunities for the story to go. Once you mentioned the league is still in 6.5, I definitely feel they should be deleted since the creation modifiers likely mirror modern day players. You may suddenly have a bunch of power hitting middle infielders. I would either edit their potentials, delete them outright, have them go off to war.

06-26-2007, 10:44 AM	#3
Tyke All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, U.K. Posts: 1,142	As you say, Big Six, there's a very significant fictional element already so, as you control the major players, why not leave these few other fictional players and, if any of them comes up really big, you can incorporate them into the story?

06-26-2007, 02:43 PM	#6
hayesb26 Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 267	As long as nothing totally unrealistic comes up (such as the middle infield power hitters) for the era, I say let it be!

06-28-2007, 11:38 AM	#10
Renner Major Leagues Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Connecticut Posts: 416	I voted for 'keep'...as long as it's a one-time influx of new talent. I think it opens new storylines without compromising the "universe" and it gives the perennial also-rans a chance to catch up to the Red Sox ! (as a life long Sox fan it pains me to say that !). Even if some of the fakes are power hitting middle INFs, I don't that should matter either. The inclusion of Negro Leaguers in the 20s-30s already meant that a strict following of MLB history was canned. But, even if you want to get rid of them, that's fine too ! -Erik __________________ I drink only distilled water, or rain water, and only pure-grain alcohol.