Time to start over

Kelric · 02-16-2008, 12:50 PM

A few weeks back (maybe two months? I don't remember anymore) I started a solo league in 1901 and got into the teens before the game turned everyone's name to Smith. I started over with my current game as the Detroit Tigers in 1901. I just finished the 1913 season with an all-time record of 1353 - 753 for a .642 win percentage. Since 1903 I have been in the World Series every year and have won seven out of the eleven times.

My star pitcher, Ed Siever, has a career line of 405 wins with 186 losses in 615 starts. He's 36 years old and shows no signs of slowing down - his career VORP is 974 (the next closest pitcher is more than 300 points behind him) and he has thrown 400 or more innings every year except for 1901 when he threw 394. I have another pitcher, Frank Owen, who has 273 wins (both guys have spent their entire careers as Tigers) and would have 300 by now but I used him out of the bullpen in '01 and '02.

Honus Wagner has been a Tiger since signing as a free agent for the 1903 season and is rapidly closing in on 3,000 hits. He starts the 1914 campaign with 2974 hits and a career .319/.391/.450 line. Former Negro Leaguer Pop Lloyd is my stud shortstop. He's won two MVPs and has 7 Gold Gloves in his nine year career. At the age of 29 he has 1507 hits.

Basically, my team is much too dominant. I've won the league by as few as 6 games (in 1905) and by as many as 33 games. No one in the AL stands a chance. I mostly blame the weak AI when it comes to drafting. Everybody in this time period stocks up on pitchers and lets five star hitters wait and wait and wait. I don't draft a hitter until someone else does, but that usually means I just get the second best hitter. And sometimes the third best as well since the teams continue picking pitchers.

In the thirteen seasons I've played, I've used a total of 23 pitchers. 13 of those are random relief pitchers. 5 of the 23 have thrown more than 1500 innings for me. Every other team uses many, many more pitchers. I never carry more than eight on my roster at one time whereas the AI stocks up on relief pitchers like it's 2001 and not 1901.

I'd love to start over in 1901 to try and play out big league history, but it gets boring playing the same fifteen seasons over and over before something goes wrong or my team gets too good. What to do, what to do....

swampdragon · 02-19-2008, 01:03 AM

Import rookies to their original teams. Don't initiate trades. Start as the Brewers.

Kelric · 02-19-2008, 12:32 PM

The only trades I allow myself to make are ones the computer initiates or the basic 'shop player' 1 for 1 deals. And rookies to their original teams is boring.

swampdragon · 02-19-2008, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kelric

The only trades I allow myself to make are ones the computer initiates or the basic 'shop player' 1 for 1 deals. And rookies to their original teams is boring.

As long as you're drafting, you'll dominate. If you must have a draft league, let the computer draft for you.

Kelric · 02-19-2008, 03:29 PM

True. Might have to let it do that.

ctorg · 02-20-2008, 09:37 AM

In my experience, the AI just doesn't handle itself well in the deadball era. I've taken to starting in 1921 when I do historicals in the modern era, or I purposely notch the strategies more toward modern ones.

No Pepper · 02-20-2008, 11:25 AM

ctorg, man of experience...I'd like to do a deadball era sim, for what reasons does the AI fail?

02-16-2008, 12:50 PM	#1
Kelric Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Greater Boston Area Posts: 3,992	Time to start over A few weeks back (maybe two months? I don't remember anymore) I started a solo league in 1901 and got into the teens before the game turned everyone's name to Smith. I started over with my current game as the Detroit Tigers in 1901. I just finished the 1913 season with an all-time record of 1353 - 753 for a .642 win percentage. Since 1903 I have been in the World Series every year and have won seven out of the eleven times. My star pitcher, Ed Siever, has a career line of 405 wins with 186 losses in 615 starts. He's 36 years old and shows no signs of slowing down - his career VORP is 974 (the next closest pitcher is more than 300 points behind him) and he has thrown 400 or more innings every year except for 1901 when he threw 394. I have another pitcher, Frank Owen, who has 273 wins (both guys have spent their entire careers as Tigers) and would have 300 by now but I used him out of the bullpen in '01 and '02. Honus Wagner has been a Tiger since signing as a free agent for the 1903 season and is rapidly closing in on 3,000 hits. He starts the 1914 campaign with 2974 hits and a career .319/.391/.450 line. Former Negro Leaguer Pop Lloyd is my stud shortstop. He's won two MVPs and has 7 Gold Gloves in his nine year career. At the age of 29 he has 1507 hits. Basically, my team is much too dominant. I've won the league by as few as 6 games (in 1905) and by as many as 33 games. No one in the AL stands a chance. I mostly blame the weak AI when it comes to drafting. Everybody in this time period stocks up on pitchers and lets five star hitters wait and wait and wait. I don't draft a hitter until someone else does, but that usually means I just get the second best hitter. And sometimes the third best as well since the teams continue picking pitchers. In the thirteen seasons I've played, I've used a total of 23 pitchers. 13 of those are random relief pitchers. 5 of the 23 have thrown more than 1500 innings for me. Every other team uses many, many more pitchers. I never carry more than eight on my roster at one time whereas the AI stocks up on relief pitchers like it's 2001 and not 1901. I'd love to start over in 1901 to try and play out big league history, but it gets boring playing the same fifteen seasons over and over before something goes wrong or my team gets too good. What to do, what to do....

02-19-2008, 01:03 AM	#2
swampdragon Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2002 Location: The Lonely Mountain Posts: 2,509	Import rookies to their original teams. Don't initiate trades. Start as the Brewers. __________________ “Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies." -- C.S. Lewis

02-20-2008, 09:37 AM	#6
ctorg Global Moderator Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Queens, NY Posts: 9,848	In my experience, the AI just doesn't handle itself well in the deadball era. I've taken to starting in 1921 when I do historicals in the modern era, or I purposely notch the strategies more toward modern ones. __________________ My music "When the trees blow back and forth, that's what makes the wind." - Steven Wright Fjord emena pancreas thorax fornicate marmalade morpheme proteolysis smaxa cabana offal srue vitriol grope hallelujah lentils

02-20-2008, 11:25 AM	#7
No Pepper All Star Starter Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Milwaukee, WI Posts: 1,570	ctorg, man of experience...I'd like to do a deadball era sim, for what reasons does the AI fail? __________________ Uniforms compatible with OOTP23/24 Historical Major League Baseball 1901-current Historical Major League Baseball 1871-1900 Historical Federal League Historical Negro Leagues

02-19-2008, 12:32 PM	#3
Kelric Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Greater Boston Area Posts: 3,992	The only trades I allow myself to make are ones the computer initiates or the basic 'shop player' 1 for 1 deals. And rookies to their original teams is boring.

02-19-2008, 03:29 PM	#5
Kelric Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Greater Boston Area Posts: 3,992	True. Might have to let it do that.