Sim #3 Complete

Well, my first sim to run is behind us and we're up to January 15.

Things seem to have gone well but do check your teams carefully. Not everyone uploaded this time and it would such to have bad things happen do to time constraints.

I've got the next sim, which will take us through February 1st, on Friday. We're moving this along as fast as we're comfortable.

Sim #2 Complete

The game is up to January 11, 2005 and the new league file is posted. Nothing very significant happened, except for some waiver claims and the expiration of waiver periods for the other computer-made changes.

Please make sure to do something with all of the players in your DFA list before their time runs out, lest Nate or I make decisions you don't want made.

Next sim is tomorrow by Nate.

Remaining Offseason Sim Schedule

Here's the planned schedule for the remainder of the 2005 offseason.

Mon., 12/29 - Sim to 1/11 - Mack
Tue., 12/30 - Sim to 1/16 - Nate
Fri., 1/2 - Sim to 2/1 - Nate
Mon., 1/5 - Sim to 3/1 - Mack
Wed., 1/7 - Sim to 4/1 - Nate
Fri., 1/9 - First regular season sim (to 4/6) - Mack

We're getting there, guys. Woo hoo!

Need an outfielder?

I have an extra outfielder available for trade. The conversion to 9.0 was very kind to LF/RF Cary Buteau, who is now a 5-star power hitter according to my scout. He also makes league minimum salary which is very nice. Please email me at guitar_shark@hotmail.com with any interest.

Sim #1 in Version 9 Complete

I simmed up to January 6 and uploaded the league file. We're still working on the web pages for the new version, so nothing there to look at. Just update the league file within the game and it should go to January 6. I hope.

Not a lot of note. Some resignings by New York and Pittsburgh, including a great deal struck by Eric to resign a top starting pitcher.

I'll do another sim Monday evening, of another five days. After that, we'll start picking up the pace again and get to the new season. I just want to make sure everyone has a second chance to modify the changes made by the computer during the rollover.

Brooklyn has too many Major League Ready MR

If you want one of my MR in AAA it will not cost you much just e-mail me. One of them could be the Middle Reliever that you have been looking for!!!!

I also have some ML ready 1B that will be future stars. They can be yours for the right price.

jgoldman99@yahoo.com or AIM 'jsg3c'

Pittsburgh continues to wheel & deal

Pittsburgh Pisces GM Mack Shultz completed yet another deal today, this time with key Platonic League rival Seattle. Pittsburgh has agreed to send 1B/OF Lamont Alcala to Seattle in exchange for Seattle's 3rd and 10th round picks in the 2006 amateur draft.

Reached at his winter retreat on the beaches of Maui for comment, Seattle GM Matt Macario said "You know, I could barely even bring myself to talk to that guy [Shultz] again, after he waved an ungodly sum of money at The Dominican God of Walks during the offseason, stealing him from his rightful home in Seattle. But I have to admit, that Shultz is a smooth character. He convinced me to let bygones be bygones, and even sent me a brief Merry Christmas message from his blackberry today. Such a thoughtful guy. I mean, that was really a nice touch."

Asked for his comment on the incoming player, Alcala, Macario said "Who? Oh, yeah. Well, he's no Zaragoza, but let's hope this Alcala guy has got a few more solid years in the tank. At the very least, he fills a gaping hole and gives us a chance to get to the playoffs yet again. Maybe this will be the year that we finally go home happy for the winter."

Meanwhile, after being informed of Macario's optimitic comments regarding a possible end to Seattle's postseason futility, Pisces GM Shultz said, simply, "No comment," then walked away chuckling.

Pittsburgh Makes yet another move

Mack Schultz and the Pittsburgh Pisces do not take a day off not even the period around New Years. In a move that is believed to be made just before the ball dropped in Times Square at midnight the Pisces and Brooklyn Bombers pulled the trigger on a trade that will help both teams advance into the future.

Brooklyn sends Minor League 3B prospect Kevin Grow along with a second round pick in the 2006 draft and $1,000,000 in cash. Grow was never able to advance in the minors and the thought is that a change in scenery might do him well. In return, the Bombers get their coveted 4th outfielder and pop off the bench 25 year-old George Marcano. Marcano was traded to and from Pittsburgh in the last season and has put up solid OPS numbers in AAA and in his cup of coffee with the big club last season.

Marcano will be on the ML roster come opening day and was very pleased with the move. He was heard saying, "Pittsburgh told me I was going to spend another season in the Minors on opening day, and then the next thing I know it is New Years 2005 all over again and I am told I am heading to Brooklyn. I do not know what the hell happened, but I sure do like the results." He will be expected to be an integral part of the defending champs being the main player off the bench and should fit into the starting lineup maybe as soon as later on this season.

Are the Pisces done trading this offseason? They have an overflow of young talent in the minor leagues, and it would not be surprising if they make a few more moves before the season starts on April the 1st.

Trade: Pittsburgh and Marietta

We have the first trade under the new system, players. Apparently the 'living in each others back pockets during the conversion' syndrome is in full swing these days as Pittsburgh and Marietta complete a deal.

Pittsburgh sends first baseman Benicio Pineda and $300,000 to Marietta in return for Marietta's second round pick in the 2006 amateur draft.

"I just had to be first." Marietta owner Nate Wooley was heard to say at his secret Tibetan hideaway where he'd been communing with the Dalai Lama over matters of VORP and WARP. "Really, and all of our choices at first were weak. This Pinny-whatever guy is no Lou Gehrig. Hell, he's no Wally Pipp. But he's better than the paycheck cashing weasels we've got right now."

2005 Supplemental Draft Update

The draft order for the June 15, 2005 draft will be determined by lottery, giving weight based on 2004 and 2005 records, with some equalizing weight to each team. The draft pool will be revealed on May 1 and the lottery will be held June 1, allowing everyone to dream. Nate and I are cruel that way.

Also, these draft picks CAN NOT be traded. The next picks that can be traded will be for the 2006 June draft. We'll keep track of all trades and make the necessary additional swaps after the 2005 supplemental draft is held.

Hole in your roster?

Looking at your team and realizing that you need another infielder? An outfielder? A catcher? A reliever? Come to Pittsburgh to Crazy Mack's House of Replacement Value. I have found that I ended up with absurd numbers of replacement level players, as minor league free agents flocked to the feel of Pisces fever. And, my scout tells me many of those players are ready for major league action, which they can provide at bargain salaries for YOU!

Prices will be low, low, low, since they are basically replacement level players (some maybe a touch better), after all. But look at the values represented by catcher Leo Quintana, first/third baseman Andre Hanson, shortstop Robert Emanuel, outfielders Michael Seay, utility player Heriberto Serrano, and many other fine position players. Or, you can get pitching in the form of Ernest Bosserman, Greg Heilig, Randy Woodhouse, or Luis Reynoso.

These any many other players are just waiting for your call. Visa, Mastercard, cash, and mid-round draft picks are all accepted.

OOTP 9 - League file available

We're still resolving some technical issues relating to the web reports, but the league file is posted. The .zip version should be available here. It's about 22 megs. Download it and unzip it in the "saved_games" folder in your game. The default setup (on a PC, anyway) places that within the My Documents Folder structure. The league folder name should be "OELv9.lg". Post a comment here to let me know how it works.

I'll be emailing each of you your individual passwords today. Once you are in the league file, please go to the game menu and hit "load online league file". The game will then update itself to the latest version. Nate and I haven't rolled the game forward at all, but we have been doing testing to make it works. So, the zipped version isn't the latest one.

Pay very close attention to your rosters, as the computer has assigned players to the various levels and your rosters may look nothing like they did in version 6.5. Make whatever roster moves you want and upload the changes.

The first sim will be just five days of league time and will occur Friday, December 26. I'll be doing it. Feel free to email Nate and me with any questions or post them here.

EDIT at 9:26 am Pacific: I changed the league file name to the old one (oel.zip) because the new zipped file name (oelv9.zip) wasn't working. Hopefully, this works.

EDIT at 9:27 am Pacific: OK, the link in the blog still isn't working. Try the link to the league file on the league page. See if that works.

EDIT at 9:53 am: I've emailed everyone their passwords now. Let me know if you don't have them or if, once you download the game and open it in OOTP9, they don't work.

EDIT at 12:28 pm: Corrected name of folder from "saved files" to "saved_games", for those of you with a too literal bent.

OOTP 9 - Upgrade to version 9.2.11

The in-game check for updates feature will only take you to version 9.2.2. Go here to get to version 9.2.11.

Everyone needs to be on version 9.2.11 for the new season.

Conversion: Expectation Management

Mack and I discussed this a few minutes ago and I thought it worth noting here.

There are many changes in the algorithm's that make up OOTP9. The architecture and conversion is entirely new. All things in the software, including how it handles players, player development, and player ability scores are different.

So what? I hear you say.

What this means is that the players you put into the conversion may be changed a little on the other side, maybe a little, maybe none, maybe a lot. Make sure you examine your players carefully when you first download the converted file.

You'll be glad you did.

2005 Spring Training Complete

Spring Training 2005 has been run. The web pages are en route. I also updated and uploaded the league file, but there's not much use in downloading it, unless you just want to scan it.

Next step is to convert the file to OOTP version 9. I'll start working on it tomorrow, but the final product probably won't be available to the league until Sunday or Monday, since Nate and I will need to make sure the online component is working.

Pittsburgh Announces Two Trades - Plus One

In its continuing effort to reshape its roster and confuse observers, Pittsburgh made two trades today. In the first deal, Pittsburgh sent reserve catcher Richard Pendleton to New York in exchange for $500,000 and minor league "pitcher" Juan Truluck. In the second deal, Pittsburgh sent infielder Alan Williams to Jersey City for starting pitcher Steven Pate and outfielder George Marcano. Owner/GM Mack Shultz could not be reached as his winter ski retreat, instead sending deputy assistant GM William Shultz out to meet the press.

"Well, Daddy said we had too many catchers, what with Dominy starting, Valdes capable of backing up, and Jensen on the way. So, when Uncle Eric asked nicely for Pendleton, Daddy said sure. Boy, does Trulock suck though," explained the youngest Shultz. "As for the other deal, we felt that it was more important to acquire another quality starting pitcher in Pate and to return Marcano to the Pisces fold than to keep Alan Williams or the draft pick."

Surprisingly, neither of these trades dealt with the two Rule 5 players selected in yesterday's draft. Will Pittsburgh do the improbable and keep them, or is this merely parts one and two of a trade trifecta?


Edited to add:

Pittsburgh also announced that it traded the two Rule 5 players recently drafted, 1B Seve Bosch and 3B Agustin Moreno, to Helena in exchange for $200,000 and C Eduardo Romo. This announcement caught few people by surprise.

Rule 5 Draft Completed

Only two selections in the Rule 5 draft. Pittsburgh selected 1B S. Bosch and 3B A. Moreno. Rumor is that the selections were made for an as-yet-unidentified team that erroneously filled its roster up, but no deal has been announced yet.

Other free agent signings were made. Any competing offers were extended in waiver priority order (i.e., amateur draft order).

Spring Training is next. For those of you who want to, please upload your spring training plans by tomorrow evening and I'll run spring training then. For those who don't upload plans, you're probably better off for it. Spring Training in version 6.5 is a veritable landmine. Anyway, after Spring Training, it's on to the mysterious version 9!

League file is posted. Web pages en route.

Revenue Sharing and You: A system to be placed

Yet another bit from the commish. This time on revenue sharing.

OOTP9 allows for revenue sharing per a simple flag in the setup. Well and good. Should we implement it? Mack and I have been over this a bit addresses concerns of fairness, implementation, current salary sets and other factors. While we both seem to like the idea of revenue sharing we're leery about it as well.

Here is what we arrived at:

Barring some huge outcry from our constituency (you guys) we will implement revenue sharing following the 2007 season at our discretion.

The delay is for a few reasons:

1. We're facing a new financial system, one that undoubtedly has landmines in it. We'd like to avoid adding revenue sharing to that while the initial transition is underway.

2. Mack and I are still acclimating ourselves to the new software and want to minimize the things with which we have to cope.

3. Players have set salaries and contracts and we wanted to give current owners enough time to adjust strategy and make preparations for revenue sharing's implementation.

I'd like to see some discussion on this, obviously, but I think it makes sense.

Questions? Concerns? Address them in the comments, please.

Settings for OOTP 9 conversion

Nate and I have been conferring over the settings for the new league and have made some executive decisions. Here's the planned set-up after the rollover on the various options. The decisions are pretty final, but I suppose we'd listen if there were violent reactions against our plan. It's based in part on some testing I've done to try to keep the league stable after the conversion.

Scouting: In use, high accuracy
Coaching: In use
Enable suspensions, drug suspensions, and injuries
Injury frequency low
Player fatigue average
All ratings to be 1-100 (actual, potential, coaches, etc. - it's easy this way)
Don't show ratings over maximum
Use star ratings, based on position and not on all players
Top Prospect list dynamic rather than annual
Auto-save once a year
Save box scores, game logs, and replays from human leagues (i.e., not minors)
Don't keep news logs, injury logs, or transaction logs
Normal rate of player development
Create and maintain hidden players (for incomplete minor league rosters)
Show and use personality ratings and morale system
Keep career L/R splits, fielding stats, and postseason stats for major leagues only
Player pictures for major league players only, create pictures automatically
Pictures for coaches/scouts/managers
AI Options set to normal
Generate almanac annually
Full set of minors (AAA, AA, A, S A, R)
DH in minors, not in majors
Standard roster rules with exception of 10 day waiver period and 15 day DFA period (works better for 5-day in season sims)
Enable trading, with 7/31 deadline
Allow trading of recently drafted players and draft picks
Amateur draft on June 15 (See note below)
20 round amateur draft (OOTP recommends 4 rounds per minor league)
Generate amateur players for 21 rounds
Reveal amateur draft pool 45 days before draft
Financial settings mostly normal with following tweaks
Draft pick compensation for lost free agents enabled
Will make entire revenue available to GM (no computer AI team owner control)
No salary cap
No revenue sharing for now (Nate will post on this later)
Average media contract set to $40 million to match version 6.5 finances
Cash cap of $200M
Allow incomplete minor league rosters (ghost players)
Stats detail very high
Schedule spring training (although the first one will be in 2006)
Start major league schedule 4/1/05
Time start of rookie and short season A leagues to work with draft and match real MLB
162 games per team
Balanced schedule format (18 per team in division, 12 interleague)
Typically 3 game series
Allow interleague play
Hold All-Star game
Wild Card round
Both playoff series are seven games
Typical startegy and player creation settings
Minor league roster size limit of 35, except for rookie league where no limit
Mixed minor leagues

Notes:

1. I'll keep the existing names of the minor league affiliates for AAA, AA, and A. But, if you want to name your short season A teams and Rookie teams now, send me an email and I'll put it in. Otherwise, the game will automatically generate cities and team names. Also, if you want to make any changes to the names of your franchises or minor league affiliates for the 2005 season, now's the time to let me know and send me an email.

2. We are going to have a minor league draft June 15, 2005. Yes, a second draft this year. We'll keep the same draft order. We recognize this may be an unfair benefit to the teams who are picking high, but tough. It's a major pain in the ass to do it differently. For example, do we really want the game to be telling us that the "2005" draft is being held June 15, 2006? Look at it this way, it will help everyone stock those new minor league affiliates.

3. When we do run the draft, people will get to submit draft lists for the first four rounds at the start of the draft and the computer will do the last sixteen rounds of the draft (5-20). We want to have a midseason draft, but we don't want everything to grind to a halt. Hopefully, the game's draft list feature will automate this, but it may take some experimentation to make it work.

4. We're setting the injury setting to "low" rather than "average" to start with. It comes from my belief that injuries aren't really fun and nobody enjoys them. Low is enough to still have a fair number of injuries, but a couple of my tests showed a pretty rapacious rate of injuries. We're not going down to "very low" though either. If after a few years, people think there aren't enough injuries, we'll reconsider the setting.

5. I've found a couple of work arounds to get most of the league history into the version 9 database, but some things (minor league stats, for example) simply can't be brought over. I can't help that. But, we should be able to get complete league and major league player histories in.

6. We're setting scout accuracy to high. Most of you are aware of my feelings on this and I won't belabor the point.

7. For some reason, the game lets you enter in the GMs' birthdays. If you want it to be set to your actual birthday, you'll have to send it to me.

If you have questions, feel free to drop me an email or to post them in the comments.

Another player free to good home

Given the resounding success of sending Bill McLaurin to the waiting arms of the babes in Stockholm, I hereby announce that starting pitcher Ramiro Roxas is also free to a good home. Mr. Roxas is an experienced starter, with a career ERA of 4.56. However, the same minor league signing frenzy that made Mr. McLaurin expendable also makes Mr. Roxas available.

He's not great, and probably not even good, but he's not terrible either. If you have any interest, email me. (Don't spread this too widely, but I may even be willing to pay part of his salary.)

Rule 5 Rosters Locked

First, a celebratory announcement. We had 100% participation in getting updated rosters before the Rule 5 draft. Nice job, everyone. (Of course, the downside is that there's not a lot of talent available, but I think that's a good thing on the whole.)

Second, the Rule 5 eligible list is now locked. (At least, as soon as the updated file is loaded. If J. Fine is at the top of the list, the new list hasn't uploaded yet.) If you forgot to protect someone, tough.

Third, the Rule 5 draft will be simmed tomorrow. Same rules as in the past. To select a player, you must have room for that player on your 25-man roster and on your 40-man roster. If either roster is full, no banana for you. The draft will be in the same order as the amateur draft. If you want to select someone, send me a detailed email, especially if you're trying to select multiple players. If I can't understand what you're telling me to do, I'll either skip it or follow my best understanding at my discretion.

Upcoming schedule remains intact. Spring training will be Thursday night and the file will be converted to version nine and uploaded sometime this weekend.

P.S. I screwed up and started the upload of the web pages before I uploaded the league file. Now, I can't upload the league file until the pages are done. Sorry. I'll post a comment when I get the updated league file posted.

P.P.S. New York made some free agent signings. Feel free to copy Eric's initiative and email me offers on any remaining players you're interested in. You may find that the price has come down on some people from what they demanded in the official free agency period. As we did last year, if I get multiple offers acceptable to a player, we're going to use the waiver priority rules (last year's standings) to decide who gets them.

Need a Reliever?

Free to good home: Reliever Bill McLaurin.

He's not great, but he's not bad either. It's just that the influx of relievers I got to sign minor league deals has made Mr. McLaurin expendable.

Email me if you're interested.

Final Free Agency Sim

Final free agency sim has been run.

February 27:
Seattle: Free agent 2B Lawrence Nickel has been signed to a contract of $300,000 per year, for 1 years.
Helena: Free agent SS Mariano Guerro has been signed to a contract of $300,000 per year, for 1 years.

February 28:

Stockholm: Free agent LF Julian Galgano has been signed to a contract of $1,750,250 per year, for 1 years.

March 3:

Pittsburgh: Free agent 1B Benicio Pineda has been signed to a minor league contract.
Pittsburgh: Free agent SS Jack Sandoval has been signed to a minor league contract.
Pittsburgh: Free agent SS Robert Emanuel has been signed to a minor league contract.
Pittsburgh: Free agent CF James Rhodes has been signed to a minor league contract.
Pittsburgh: Free agent LF Michael Seay has been signed to a minor league contract.
Pittsburgh: Free agent RF Shachihiko Okitsugu has been signed to a minor league contract.
Pittsburgh: Free agent P Anderson Norred has been signed to a minor league contract.
Pittsburgh: Free agent 3B Andre Hanson has been signed to a minor league contract.
Pittsburgh: Free agent 1B Patrick Cresswell has been signed to a minor league contract.
Sylva: Free agent C Lauren Ice has been signed to a minor league contract.
Pittsburgh: Free agent RF Heriberto Serrano has been signed to a minor league contract.
Sylva: Free agent P Matthew Pahl has been signed to a minor league contract.
Sylva: Free agent P William Woodman has been signed to a minor league contract.
Pittsburgh: Free agent P Earnest Bosserman has been signed to a minor league contract.
Sylva: Free agent P Walter Bickham has been signed to a minor league contract.
Sylva: Free agent 2B Keith Johnson has been signed to a minor league contract.
Seattle: Free agent C Rocky Slape has been signed to a minor league contract.
Pittsburgh: Free agent P Randy Woodhouse has been signed to a minor league contract.
Pittsburgh: Free agent P Luis Reynoso has been signed to a minor league contract.
Sylva: Free agent P Pedro Ortiz has been signed to a minor league contract.
Seattle: Free agent RF Antonio Moya has been signed to a minor league contract.
Brooklyn: Free agent 3B Warren Gertz has been signed to a minor league contract.
Jersey City: Free agent SS Leo Sapienza has been signed to a minor league contract.
Stockholm: Free agent P Michael Authement has been signed to a minor league contract.
Sylva: Free agent P Aaron Tennyson has been signed to a minor league contract.
Sylva: Free agent 2B Larry Spindler has been signed to a minor league contract.
Jersey City: Free agent RF Hiichirou Shusake has been signed to a minor league contract.
Sylva: Free agent P Ricardo Viveros has been signed to a minor league contract.
Pittsburgh: Free agent P Paul Gassaway has been signed to a minor league contract.
Stockholm: Free agent P Curt Webb has been signed to a minor league contract.
Jersey City: Free agent P Adam Still has been signed to a minor league contract.
Sylva: Free agent C Micheal Stanford has been signed to a minor league contract.
Seattle: Free agent P Edward Scoles has been signed to a minor league contract.
Sylva: Free agent P Arthur Kraemer has been signed to a minor league contract.
Pittsburgh: Free agent P Dario Herreros has been signed to a minor league contract.
Pittsburgh: Free agent P George Heilig has been signed to a minor league contract.
Seattle: Free agent RF Melvin Vegas has been signed to a minor league contract.
Pittsburgh: Free agent P Samuel Jordan has been signed to a minor league contract.
Pittsburgh: Free agent P Mel Trafton has been signed to a minor league contract.
Sylva: Free agent C Fernando Bilbao has been signed to a minor league contract.
Jersey City: Free agent C William Williams has been signed to a minor league contract.
Brooklyn: Free agent SS Jerry McDonald has been signed to a minor league contract.
Pittsburgh: Free agent P John Atnip has been signed to a minor league contract.
Stockholm: Free agent C Lawrence Child has been signed to a minor league contract.
Sylva: Free agent CF Franky Lamas has been signed to a minor league contract.
Jersey City: Free agent C Frank Zavaleta has been signed to a minor league contract.


So, now that free agency is over, we turn to the Rule 5 draft. Everyone has a sim to remove anyone from the Eligible List by adding them to the 40-man roster. Tomorrow evening, I'll upload changes and we'll freeze the rosters. Then, we do the draft Wednesday, Spring Training Thursday, and roll over to version 9. Hoo ahh!

Free Agency Days 21-25

No real surprises this time around.

Remember, Mack is doing the final sim as I'm on the road. Don't be late!

Day 21 :

Stockholm : 1B Albert Ramer, 4,500,000 per year, for 6 years.

Day 22 :

Sylva : P James Artman, 479,500 per year, for 2 years.

Day 23 :

Seattle : LF Bryan Caraway, 4,775,000 per year, for 3 years. Jersey City : RF Jerrod Aguila, 704,000 per year, for 1 year. Sylva : C Ricardo Vizcaino, 417,000 per year, for 2 years.

Day 24 :

Day 25 :

Free Agency: Days 16-20

Now at the two-thirds point in our process things are moving along...

Day 16 :

Sylva : 2B Leo Villa, 2,475,300 per year, for 2 years. Sylva : LF John Sasso, 1,706,900 per year, for 2 years. Sylva : P Joshua Lavoie, 1,544,400 per year, for 3 years.

Day 17 :

Sylva : SS Maels Ruiz, 791,800 per year, for 3 years. Maryland : P Baltasar Acevedo, 528,995 per year, for 1 year. Helena : CF Richard Whitesides, 450,000 per year, for 2 years.

Day 18 :

Sylva : CF Franky Gingras, 1,652,400 per year, for 2 years.

Day 19 :

Maryland : RF Will Hsu, 820,000 per year, for 2 years. Sylva : 3B Michael Rutan, 1,483,500 per year, for 2 years.

Day 20 :

Days 21-25 are tomorrow! Mack will be doing 26-30 on Monday as I'll be on travel. Chicago in December! It's every schoolboy's dream.

Free Agency Days 13-15

Why fifteen, you say? Because that hits the halfway point neatly, that's why.

Signings for this period:

Day 13 :

Helena : RF Mark Kiker, 3,900,000 per year, for 2 years.

Day 14 :

Pittsburgh : P Stephen Pacheco, 750,000 per year, for 3 years. Stockholm : C Timothy Odom, 680,000 per year, for 1 year. Stockholm : P George Martinez, 2,000,000 per year, for 4 years. Jersey City : P John Tozier, 646,000 per year, for 2 years. Brooklyn : P Ulises Sala, 350,000 per year, for 3 years.

Day 15 :

Sylva : C Nathan Sanchez, 421,200 per year, for 3 years. Sylva : P Clemente Acosta, 423,400 per year, for 2 years.

Days 16-20 tomorrow! Be there!

HUGE Trade Opportunity. Pitchers, Hitters, Both!

OK, here's the plan. I'm willing to remake your entire team for you. I'll deal these players:

Starting Pitcher Billy Lowry (3 stars!)
Starting Pitcher Joseph Silas (4.5 stars!)
Shortstop Juan Favela (4 stars!)
Starting Pitcher Christian Diaz (3 stars!)
Catcher Broderick Hooker (4 stars!)
Third Baseman Constantino Martinez (3.5 stars!)
Right Fielder Manuel Abalo (3 stars!)

And a slew of useful pieces of the puzzle.

What I want: a combination of 4 star plus prospects or first and second round picks for combinations of the above. Contact me! You know you want to!

OEL Free Agency Days 9-12

We're getting towards the halfway point of the free agency period and things are steamrolling! Over days 9-12 we had fourteen signings. The biggest one was Sylva's signing of Freddie Mendes for almost $10MM per year! Oofah!

Day 9 :

Sylva : P Cedrick Iverson, 1,590,000 per year, for 4 years. Stockholm : 2B Carmine Leventhal, 350,000 per year, for 1 year.

Day 10 :

Marietta : SS Juan Favela, 8,000,000 per year, for 3 years. Jersey City : P James Dambrosio, 4,400,000 per year, for 2 years. Sylva : P Ralph Mills, 508,800 per year, for 2 years.

Day 11 :

Brooklyn : 2B Pedro Sequeiros, 2,750,000 per year, for 2 years. Stockholm : P Oscar Leon, 3,000,000 per year, for 2 years. Helena : C Gonzalo Abarca, 2,100,000 per year, for 2 years. Helena : P Steven Mendelsohn, 450,000 per year, for 2 years. Sylva : P Alvin Ahumada, 428,000 per year, for 1 year. Sylva : P Dion Vazquez, 494,500 per year, for 3 years.

Day 12 :

Sylva : P Freddie Mendes, 9,859,255 per year, for 4 years. Jersey City : P Fabio Puñal, 5,500,000 per year, for 2 years. Maryland : C Marcos Navarro, 2,595,550 per year, for 1 year.

Tomorrow is days 13-15. Don't be late!

Marietta-Seattle trade

Since Nate amusingly posted this to the wrong blog, I'll do him a favor and bring it over:

Yet another Marietta-Seattle deal as Marietta acquires pitcher Juan Mandeville in return outfield prospect Rudolph Fu.

Free Agency Days Seven and Eight!

More signings! They're speeding up as we get deeper into the process!

Day 7 :

Marietta : P Joseph Silas, 8,000,000 per year, for 3 years. New York : 2B Roger Kirby, 3,035,000 per year, for 2 years. Jersey City : 2B John Arant, 2,450,000 per year, for 2 years. Helena : C John Neiman, 880,000 per year, for 2 years. Jersey City : 2B Daniel Ochs, 300,000 per year, for 1 year.

Day 8 :

Seattle : P Joseph Diederich, 10,060,000 per year, for 3 years. Pittsburgh : 1B Amador Zaragoza, 9,000,000 per year, for 6 years. Gainesville : P Bobby Stoops, 7,000,000 per year, for 4 years. Sylva : 3B Maximo Corona, 436,800 per year, for 1 year. Maryland : P Craig Tanner, 3,985,115 per year, for 3 years.

Day's 9-12 are tomorrow! Be there!

Upgrade to Version 9: Options

During the upgrade to Version 9, there are a few things we can change about the game that Nate and I wanted owner input on. We may not go along with the huddled masses yearning to be free (what good dictator would?), but we do want some input on these choices. Please post your thoughts as comments.

Minor Leagues:

1. How many minor league teams do we want to have? Right now, there's 1 AAA, 1 AA, and 1 A ball team per major league franchise. In OOTP, we can also have short-season A-ball and Rookie leagues. So, is more the merrier?

2. Strict league separation? During the upgrade, the game automatically mixes the leagues when creating the minors. So, for instance, Seattle and Brooklyn may have teams in the same AAA division, even though they're in different major league divisions. I'm inclined to let the game do this, if only to reduce my workload during the upgrade, but I'm willing to listen to dissenting opinions on the point.

Post-season Awards:

3. The game has an open spot for a post-season award other than the traditional best batter/pitcher/fielders/rookie. Should we use this category and, if so, for what? Best reliever? Least valuable player? What?

Amateur Draft:

4. When to have it? Pre-season, as we do now? Or, mid-season, as in real baseball?

5. How many rounds? Preserve the current 15 rounds?

Input, please.

Need a back end starter?

I'm putting SP John Mandeville on the trading block for anyone who needs a 4th or 5th starter or just some additional depth. He's relatively cheap, popular, and has an expiring contract this year. Please email any offers to guitar_shark@hotmail.com.

OEL: Free Agency Days 5-6, Draft Complete

Days 7-8 will be Monday!

Free Agency Days Five and Six brought these signings:

Day 5 :

Gainesville : 2B David Austin, 10,500,000 per year, for 5 years. Stockholm : P Tom Ambler, 3,100,000 per year, for 3 years. Pittsburgh : 3B Logan Scalise, 1,010,000 per year, for 1 year. Maryland : C Stephen Dugan, 325,000 per year, for 3 years.

Day 6 :

New York : CF Carlos Araoz, 3,500,000 per year, for 2 years. Stockholm : 3B Stephen Hyer, 4,000,000 per year, for 2 years. Stockholm : P Lyman Grimm, 3,890,000 per year, for 3 years.

And here's the final draft log.

Round 4 :

Cairo pick: C Terrance Wilson. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Helena pick: SS Porter Graham. Signing Bonus: $54,250 Stockholm pick: P William Adkison. Signing Bonus: $47,250 Sylva pick: 3B Roberto Velez. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Maryland pick: LF Benjamin Lopez. Signing Bonus: $35,000 Marietta pick: LF Katsuo Fumihiro. Signing Bonus: $38,500 Gainesville pick: C Samuel Villagomez. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Jersey City pick: SS Corey Petrosky. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Seattle pick: RF Bradford Barnhouse. Signing Bonus: $61,250 Stockholm pick: 3B Lewis Alcott. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Maryland pick: 3B Shane Bucci. Signing Bonus: $38,500 Cairo pick: CF Kevin Westerlund. Signing Bonus: $36,750

Round 5 :

Cairo pick: C Ruben Obrien. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Helena pick: C Christopher Fender. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Stockholm pick: P William Koerner. Signing Bonus: $35,000 Sylva pick: CF Hector Espinosa. Signing Bonus: $32,000 Maryland pick: CF Carl Delay. Signing Bonus: $27,000 Marietta pick: 3B Darrell Burkhead. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Gainesville pick: P Robert Leiter. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Stockholm pick: C Nicolas Napoles. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Seattle pick: P Felix Vilardebo. Signing Bonus: $31,000 New York pick: LF James Fike. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Brooklyn pick: LF James Oddo. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Pittsburgh pick: P Ulises Sala. Signing Bonus: $30,000

Round 6 :

Cairo pick: C Alonso Gallegos. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Helena pick: CF Federico Guerrero. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Stockholm pick: P Robert Coyer. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Sylva pick: P Kerry McClendon. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Maryland pick: C Juan Tolentino. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Marietta pick: CF Robert Guerriero. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Gainesville pick: SS Jose Herreros. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Jersey City pick: CF Jeremy Degarmo. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Seattle pick: P Omar Hernandez. Signing Bonus: $25,000 New York pick: SS Neil Morrow. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Brooklyn pick: 1B Ivan Romano. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Pittsburgh pick: P Jose Doriva. Signing Bonus: $25,000

Round 7 :

Cairo pick: C Karl Urick. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Helena pick: C Anthony Clay. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Stockholm pick: P David Liriano. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Sylva pick: 2B Jeffrey Amezaga. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Maryland pick: C Eric Stillwell. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Marietta pick: CF Henry Harris. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Gainesville pick: 2B Juan Mesa. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Jersey City pick: C Willie Etherton. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Seattle pick: 3B John Zeno. Signing Bonus: $25,000 New York pick: 2B Teo Sancho. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Brooklyn pick: LF Dominick Collins. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Pittsburgh pick: 3B Maximo Rodrigues. Signing Bonus: $25,000

Round 8 :

Cairo pick: RF Fernando Santiago. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Helena pick: 3B Randy Carman. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Stockholm pick: LF John Moya. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Sylva pick: P Mathew Erb. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Maryland pick: P James Mabrey. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Seattle pick: 2B Ivan Cabezas. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Gainesville pick: P Manuel Dediego. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Jersey City pick: P Sal Garza. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Seattle pick: P Steve Wilson. Signing Bonus: $25,000 New York pick: 1B Henry Kinner. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Brooklyn pick: 2B Johnny Berryhill. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Pittsburgh pick: LF Jesse Turberville. Signing Bonus: $25,000

Round 9 :

Cairo pick: LF Hilario Rotella. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Helena pick: 3B Paul Oglesby. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Stockholm pick: P Aldo Pacheco. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Sylva pick: P Robin Wilner. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Maryland pick: P Ray Diaz. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Marietta pick: CF Salomon Maurice. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Gainesville pick: 2B James Loewen. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Jersey City pick: RF Michael Reilley. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Seattle pick: 3B Robert Battle. Signing Bonus: $25,000 New York pick: 2B Joshua Dearman. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Brooklyn pick: RF Kieth Crown. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Pittsburgh pick: SS Freddy Val. Signing Bonus: $25,000

Round 10 :

Cairo pick: P Mark Mahar. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Helena pick: SS Anthony Roseman. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Stockholm pick: P John Pickett. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Sylva pick: P Alfredo Mendoza. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Maryland pick: P Matthew Tynan. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Marietta pick: P Michael Thiessen. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Gainesville pick: P Clarence McFarland. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Jersey City pick: P Floyd Pentecost. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Seattle pick: P Kendry Rodriguez. Signing Bonus: $25,000 New York pick: LF Darrell Pando. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Brooklyn pick: P Daniel Nicholes. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Pittsburgh pick: RF Charles Stoller. Signing Bonus: $25,000

Round 11 :

Cairo pick: P Dewitt Gary. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Helena pick: SS Denver Mueller. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Stockholm pick: P Martin Stacy. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Sylva pick: P Albert Packard. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Maryland pick: P Willie Sayles. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Marietta pick: 3B Julio Romero. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Gainesville pick: SS Whitney Mike. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Jersey City pick: P Andrew Williamson. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Seattle pick: 2B Francis Decesare. Signing Bonus: $25,000 New York pick: P Ronald Robin. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Brooklyn pick: P Joshua Bourgault. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Pittsburgh pick: P Adrian Zorrilla. Signing Bonus: $25,000

Round 12 :

Cairo pick: 1B Milton Palermo. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Helena pick: P Jacob Vanleuven. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Stockholm pick: P Nicholas Kirts. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Sylva pick: SS Paul McLawhorn. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Maryland pick: P Louis Wilson. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Marietta pick: LF Eugene Plowman. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Gainesville pick: 2B Joe Smith. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Jersey City pick: SS Simeon Segovia. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Seattle pick: P Raymond Bush. Signing Bonus: $25,000 New York pick: RF Terry Bryner. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Brooklyn pick: P Cosme Garza. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Pittsburgh pick: P David Reed. Signing Bonus: $25,000

Round 13 :

Cairo pick: RF Carlos Varga. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Helena pick: 2B John Meaney. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Stockholm pick: P Newton Su. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Sylva pick: P Benjamin January. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Maryland pick: P Joaquin Servia. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Marietta pick: P Jeff Fletcher. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Gainesville pick: LF Pedro Bohorquez. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Jersey City pick: RF Joseph Wright. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Seattle pick: P David Seigler. Signing Bonus: $25,000 New York pick: 2B Keenan McGill. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Brooklyn pick: P Florian Mejia. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Pittsburgh pick: P Jose Leon. Signing Bonus: $25,000

Round 14 :

Cairo pick: P Victor Pardo. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Helena pick: P James Yoshida. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Stockholm pick: P Kenneth Hale. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Sylva pick: P David Bravo. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Maryland pick: P Reinaldo Cotte. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Marietta pick: P Tobias Malave. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Gainesville pick: P Filiberto Leon. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Jersey City pick: LF Craig Carroll. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Seattle pick: P John Hering. Signing Bonus: $25,000 New York pick: P Richard Blalock. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Brooklyn pick: P Randy Wyckoff. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Pittsburgh pick: P Samuel Fernandez. Signing Bonus: $25,000

Round 15 :

Cairo pick: P Gilbert Hillen. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Helena pick: P Chijirou Masujiro. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Stockholm pick: P Joey Rodriguez. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Sylva pick: P Berry Sword. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Maryland pick: P Brian Bernstein. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Marietta pick: P Alberto Santoro. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Gainesville pick: P Jason Walker. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Jersey City pick: P David Ray. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Seattle pick: P John Roll. Signing Bonus: $25,000 New York pick: P Ignacio Rivas. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Brooklyn pick: P Deivi Carranza. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Pittsburgh pick: P Jesse Sickels. Signing Bonus: $25,000

OEL: Free Agency Day Four, Draft Round 3

Pretty much everyone let the computer make their choice for round three of the draft. Unless someone objects that tells me I can run rounds 4-15 tomorrow night and get that portion of the off-season over with. Sound off if you still want to make the picks.

Here are your Round Three selections:

Round 3 :

Cairo pick: LF Steve Yeager. Signing Bonus: $60,000 Helena pick: P William Curtis. Signing Bonus: $52,500 Seattle pick: 1B Roger Russell. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Sylva pick: P Matt Truesdell. Signing Bonus: $85,000 Maryland pick: 2B David Symons. Signing Bonus: $80,000 Marietta pick: 3B Julio Barraza. Signing Bonus: $52,500 Gainesville pick: 3B Luis Boring. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Jersey City pick: 3B Nicholas Concepcion. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Seattle pick: C Travis Lesko. Signing Bonus: $25,000 Stockholm pick: C Gerard Leak. Signing Bonus: $55,000 Brooklyn pick: 3B William Thorn. Signing Bonus: $90,000 Cairo pick: 1B Davor Banda. Signing Bonus: $72,500

On the free agent class the steady trickle continues with three more signings on day four. Those signings are:

Day 4 :

Stockholm : CF Joseph Watson, 5,000,000 per year, for 2 years. Jersey City : P Guille Alvarado, 2,200,000 per year, for 3 years. New York : RF Thomas Tietjen, 300,000 per year, for 1 year.

I will run days 5-6 tomorrow night, along with possible the rest of the draft. Be there!

Seattle/Jersey City Trade

In a continuing effort to rescue his franchise from financial ruin caused by his own poor decisions, Seattle GM Matt Macario announced a trade with Jersey City today. Seattle sends minor league starter John Toy and MR Bruce Westlund to Jersey City, in exchange for minor league reliever William Salter and a much needed $3.5 million in cash.

In other news, Macario is soliciting suggestions for a new team name. After four consecutive exits from the playoffs, the "Chokers" is the current frontrunner, but all suggestions will be considered.

Free Agency Day Three and Draft Day Two

Note: Mack and I decided to go every night for the offseason if I can keep up. This means some small changes in how we handle things. Day three was tonight, day four will be tomorrow night, and days 5-6 will occur Friday. If you object let Mack or I know quickly.

Day two of the draft has come and gone. Here are tonight's picks:

Round 2 :

Cairo pick: P Erik Little. Signing Bonus: $108,500 Helena pick: 1B Frank Ramos. Signing Bonus: $350,000 Stockholm pick: P Amaury Diaz. Signing Bonus: $91,000 Sylva pick: P Zachary Hubbard. Signing Bonus: $224,000 Maryland pick: SS Matthew Bacon. Signing Bonus: $122,500 Marietta pick: P Willie Gowans. Signing Bonus: $308,000 Gainesville pick: P Nathan Edney. Signing Bonus: $108,500 Jersey City pick: SS Fred Montemayor. Signing Bonus: $91,000 Seattle pick: P Martin Hernandez. Signing Bonus: $115,500 New York pick: 3B Ronald Bostrom. Signing Bonus: $35,000 Sylva pick: 2B John Rodriguez. Signing Bonus: $133,000 Cairo pick: LF Adrian Francois. Signing Bonus: $35,000

And Day three of free agency saw our next two signings:

Day 3 :

Pittsburgh : CF Oscar Woodworth, 10,570,000 per year, for 3 years. Brooklyn : CF John Douglass, 7,000,001 per year, for 3 years.

Day four is tomorrow night! Be there!

5 star SP prospect available

I'm making 5 star SP prospect T Tashiro available in the right deal.
I'm looking for a major league caliber SS or SP in the 3 star or more range, signed beyond this year at least, as the cornerstone.
Also 3 star OF prospect G Marcano is now available with my recent signing of Paul Caldwell.

All offers will be considered! Well, except for Mack's hookers and blow.

OEL: Free Agency, Day Two/Draft, Day One

Another exciting day here at the commissioner's office of the Overeducated League! With both Free Agency and the Draft happening concurrently it's all we can do to contain ourselves!

In free agent circles day two saw our first signings.

Day 2 :

Jersey City : LF Paul Caldwell, 5,600,000 per year, for 4 years. Jersey City : P Nicanor Gonzalez, 660,660 per year, for 2 years.

Who's next on the signing parade? Download the file and it...could...be...YOU!

From the draft offices of the baseball HQ comes this news of the first round of the amateur draft!

Round 1:

Cairo pick: SS Danilo Henriquez. Signing Bonus: $2,156,000 Helena pick: 3B Myles Horne. Signing Bonus: $1,568,000 Stockholm pick: LF Richard Vuong. Signing Bonus: $3,000,000 Sylva pick: 2B Nelson Osuna. Signing Bonus: $155,000 Maryland pick: P Geronimo Rodriguez. Signing Bonus: $2,346,000 Marietta pick: P Adam Peters. Signing Bonus: $1,089,000 Gainesville pick: 2B Francis Murillo. Signing Bonus: $877,200 Jersey City pick: P Paul Valles. Signing Bonus: $550,800 Seattle pick: CF Domingo Gonzales. Signing Bonus: $176,800 New York pick: P Paul Rollison. Signing Bonus: $200,850 Brooklyn pick: 3B Robert Judy. Signing Bonus: $185,000 Pittsburgh pick: P David Abarca. Signing Bonus: $460,600

Note: To those who noticed that the order in the game varied from the order Mack posted be assured that Mack's order was right but it was decided that I should fudge the results rather than work on straightening it up with a bunch of teeny trades.

Days 3 and 4 of free agency and day 2 of the draft are Wednesday! Don't be late!

Pittsburgh Sells Future to Cairo

In a deal finalized on the eve of the draft, the Pittsburgh Pisces have sold off a piece of their future for nothing but cold, hard cash. The Pisces have sent their second, third, and fourth round picks in the upcoming draft to Cairo in exchange for $10 million. Two other crappy A-ball starting pitchers also exchanged hands to comply with league rules, as the Pisces sent out John Stanley and received Simon Galaz.

Speculation is running rampant in the Steel City as to Owner/GM Mack Shultz's intentions with his new found riches. Sources indicate that the always popular "hookers and blow" option is being hotly debated within the organization. Other possibilities are said to include a new villa in the Caribbean, a preemptive legal defense fund, and payola for a new stadium. Wild rumors indicate that Shultz may even spend it to improve the team, but that seems most unlikely.