Need to share... Why I love this game

smythejd · 09-22-2016, 06:18 PM

Just to bring you up to speed on my league. Over 150 years old, 40 teams, one league, two divisions, only the division winners get to play for the Finley Cup. It is now 2172.

I GM the Philadelphia Rowdies, a very successful team, won it all in 2169, 2170 and came in second last year as I brought up a lot of young players. My preseason predictions had me winning the division by 10 games (going 80-40).

All was well for the first 15 games (12-3) but then the team started to underperform winning only 3 of the next 10 games. After 54 games, we stood 30-24. Not up to par so I decided to make a change and fired my manager (who had a legendary status) and promoted the assistant. Well I got lucky or something because we went on a tear the rest of the year. With 10 games to go we had a 74-36 record and again, led the division.

Then the injuries hit... For 5 straight games, one of my position players went down and had to be put on the DL. First my CF, then my C, then 2B, then backup 2B, next LF and finally RF. My team went 9-1 the last ten games and won the division.

Now onto the playoffs...

TheMaus2 · 09-22-2016, 06:38 PM

Emotional roller coasting.

Déjà Bru · 09-22-2016, 06:48 PM

Yeah, like winning World Series championships in 1946 and 1949 but having to win end-of-season, tied-for-first, pennant-deciding games to even get to the Series. Like losing the first three Series games in 1946 only to come roaring back and sweep the last four (the 1949 Series was more conventional).

Now these were two teams that hardly dominated the league, backing into the Series as they did. Yet they won. Some other times, when I won 90-100 games, I've been swept or took only one Series game on the way to shameful defeat.

These kind of stories, so true to real life, are one reason "Why I love this game." Emotional roller coasting, indeed.

smythejd · 09-22-2016, 09:08 PM

WOW.. Just got swept in the Finley Cup. My players just forgot how to hit... Roller coaster just ended...

drhay53 · 09-22-2016, 09:28 PM

I have lost three world series.... the third one I was winning the series 3-0 and lost 4 straight... to the same team I lost to in the first WS appearance. I think I sat there and literally just blankly stared at the final box score for an hour. So much effort, so much time, and to blow a 3-0 lead in the world series against a nemesis? Ahhhhh.... it still hurts.

conception · 09-23-2016, 12:38 AM

I had been GM of one team for the duration of my league's existence, roughly 40 years, winning my share of championships. Decided I would switch teams so I could experience what it was like to turn around an existing team within my league structure, since there are no trades and you have to build your nucleus through an NFL-style draft of major league-ready players. The year I was gonna resign I ended up having an uncharacteristically bad year despite what seemed like a good roster. I decided to turn my team around before I left.

I had a really great offseason and actually managed to shore up my bullpen, an area where I don't frequently get to allocate as much money as I would like under a salary cap. I also shored up my bench with some patient and skilled hitters, something I don't always get to obtain. To top it off, I got a draftee in the first round who was the total package, a good defender with top hitting skills and patience.My team started out a tad slow but eventually roared out to a huge lead that really wasn't in question after June. We dominated the playoffs en route to the championship series, the Paramount Cup.

In a 2-3-2 format, we started at home, a big hitters park, for the first two games, before heading to Detroit, a big pitchers park. I was excited to face Detroit, as they were the weaker team out of the two in the other league. We won the first two games easily and it didn't seem like Detroit was gonna be a challenge at all. I get to Detroit, and their solid pitching and large ballpark completely suffocated my hitting. They won 3 in a row before the series shifted to my home park. I thought my hitters would come alive...they didn't. Game 6 wasn't even close. They were up by nearly ten runs by the time the game was over. As disappointing as it was, I had to swallow my last series with a stout team as a total disappointment.

GoBucsGo · 09-23-2016, 11:22 AM

Great story! I had a similar one in my MLB league as the Padres. I was 2 years in, and we were awful. My star player Wil Myers refused to sign an extension because he and my manager clashed.

We started the season awful, just dreadful as always. I took a chance and fired my manager and promoted the bench coach. Wil Myers had a crazy breakout season and we made the wild card.

Last thing I expected was for us to make the playoffs, let alone all the way to the division round. I love that OOTP can give us awesome scenarios like this one.

09-22-2016, 06:18 PM	#1
smythejd All Star Starter Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 1,025	Need to share... Why I love this game Just to bring you up to speed on my league. Over 150 years old, 40 teams, one league, two divisions, only the division winners get to play for the Finley Cup. It is now 2172. I GM the Philadelphia Rowdies, a very successful team, won it all in 2169, 2170 and came in second last year as I brought up a lot of young players. My preseason predictions had me winning the division by 10 games (going 80-40). All was well for the first 15 games (12-3) but then the team started to underperform winning only 3 of the next 10 games. After 54 games, we stood 30-24. Not up to par so I decided to make a change and fired my manager (who had a legendary status) and promoted the assistant. Well I got lucky or something because we went on a tear the rest of the year. With 10 games to go we had a 74-36 record and again, led the division. Then the injuries hit... For 5 straight games, one of my position players went down and had to be put on the DL. First my CF, then my C, then 2B, then backup 2B, next LF and finally RF. My team went 9-1 the last ten games and won the division. Now onto the playoffs...

09-22-2016, 06:38 PM	#2
TheMaus2 All Star Starter Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: The OOTP Forums. Always. Posts: 1,951	Emotional roller coasting. __________________ I write a monthly newsletter on the Food Baseball Association. I also listen to music no one's ever heard of in hopes of looking cool and alternative.

09-22-2016, 06:48 PM	#3
Déjà Bru Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Long Island Posts: 11,741	Yeah, like winning World Series championships in 1946 and 1949 but having to win end-of-season, tied-for-first, pennant-deciding games to even get to the Series. Like losing the first three Series games in 1946 only to come roaring back and sweep the last four (the 1949 Series was more conventional). Now these were two teams that hardly dominated the league, backing into the Series as they did. Yet they won. Some other times, when I won 90-100 games, I've been swept or took only one Series game on the way to shameful defeat. These kind of stories, so true to real life, are one reason "Why I love this game." Emotional roller coasting, indeed. __________________ - Bru

09-23-2016, 12:38 AM	#6
conception All Star Starter Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 1,150	I had been GM of one team for the duration of my league's existence, roughly 40 years, winning my share of championships. Decided I would switch teams so I could experience what it was like to turn around an existing team within my league structure, since there are no trades and you have to build your nucleus through an NFL-style draft of major league-ready players. The year I was gonna resign I ended up having an uncharacteristically bad year despite what seemed like a good roster. I decided to turn my team around before I left. I had a really great offseason and actually managed to shore up my bullpen, an area where I don't frequently get to allocate as much money as I would like under a salary cap. I also shored up my bench with some patient and skilled hitters, something I don't always get to obtain. To top it off, I got a draftee in the first round who was the total package, a good defender with top hitting skills and patience.My team started out a tad slow but eventually roared out to a huge lead that really wasn't in question after June. We dominated the playoffs en route to the championship series, the Paramount Cup. In a 2-3-2 format, we started at home, a big hitters park, for the first two games, before heading to Detroit, a big pitchers park. I was excited to face Detroit, as they were the weaker team out of the two in the other league. We won the first two games easily and it didn't seem like Detroit was gonna be a challenge at all. I get to Detroit, and their solid pitching and large ballpark completely suffocated my hitting. They won 3 in a row before the series shifted to my home park. I thought my hitters would come alive...they didn't. Game 6 wasn't even close. They were up by nearly ten runs by the time the game was over. As disappointing as it was, I had to swallow my last series with a stout team as a total disappointment. __________________ Check out my unique and endlessly thrilling no-trade OOTP league. Once you play this way, you will never want to go back! http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...xperience.html

09-22-2016, 09:08 PM	#4
smythejd All Star Starter Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 1,025	WOW.. Just got swept in the Finley Cup. My players just forgot how to hit... Roller coaster just ended...

09-22-2016, 09:28 PM	#5
drhay53 Major Leagues Join Date: Aug 2016 Posts: 355	I have lost three world series.... the third one I was winning the series 3-0 and lost 4 straight... to the same team I lost to in the first WS appearance. I think I sat there and literally just blankly stared at the final box score for an hour. So much effort, so much time, and to blow a 3-0 lead in the world series against a nemesis? Ahhhhh.... it still hurts.

09-23-2016, 11:22 AM	#7
GoBucsGo Banned Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Buffalo, NY Posts: 278 Infractions: 0/2 (4)	Great story! I had a similar one in my MLB league as the Padres. I was 2 years in, and we were awful. My star player Wil Myers refused to sign an extension because he and my manager clashed. We started the season awful, just dreadful as always. I took a chance and fired my manager and promoted the bench coach. Wil Myers had a crazy breakout season and we made the wild card. Last thing I expected was for us to make the playoffs, let alone all the way to the division round. I love that OOTP can give us awesome scenarios like this one.