New home

Hey folks:

You should all have gotten an email from me earlier this afternoon, but in case you didn't or if you check this first --

We've moved. I offered to host the league pages on my server space, and from there, we just pushed everything over to the same place. Hopefully it'll be easier -- you'll only need one address to access everything (oel.bjones.net): League pages, past champions, contact list, blog, anything else we come up with.

Once again, I sent each of you an email to the address I had on record. It has your username and password in order to post and comment. If you didn't get it, leave me a comment here or email and I'll check things out. Please check out the site -- any issues you find, suggestions you have, whatever, leave a comment on the Welcome post I made this afternoon or email me. It's Wordpress, which is pretty self-explanatory to use, but it may be new to you, so if you need any help with it, just shoot me an email and we'll figure it out.

Thanks,
Brent (Cairo)

Sim #7 Completed: Socratic League Tightens

It's May 6. In the Platonic League, Pittsburgh has opened up a 5.5 game lead over its rivals. Frequent trading partner Cairo stands in second, 1.5 games clear of Miami and 2 up on Stockholm.

Meanwhile, in the Socratic League, Marietta clings to a slender half-game lead over Jersey City and New York. Defending champs Brooklyn have closed to within two games of first place and Gainesville stands only another half-game back. With five teams within 2.5 games of the lead, it looks like a wild race in the Hegel Division.

On the injury front, the only injury was a doozy, as Helena lost reliever Martin Volpe for two months to a torn bicep.

In other news ...

Cairo's young catcher William "The Whammer" Byrd and Jersey City's Basil Gomez captured Player of the Week honors.

On May 1, Cairo demonstrated its need for new closer Ariel Santos as it blew a four-run ninth inning lead to Marietta and lost 6-5 in ten innings. Unfortunately, Santos and Desilva are still in transit, apparently stuck on a snag in the river.

On May 2, Maryland's Baltasar Acevedo gave up just one hit in eight innings in a 4-1 victory over Helena.

On May 3, Cairo pounded Jersey City 11-0, featuring eight shutout innings from Bryan Im.

On May 4, Gainesville rode Lenard Ramirez's eight shutout innings to a 5-0 victory over Miami.

On May 5, Stockholm's Robert "Ogre" Mccree and Cairo's Rafael "Cricket" Palermo, two of the most promising prospects in the game, each clubbed two home runs to lead their teams to victory.

In other news, we're hopefully nearing a solution on hosting the web pages for the league. I'll be testing it later tonight, so check the comments.

League file is uploaded. Nate's got the next sim on Monday.

2005 Draft Lottery

Just for giggles, here are the current lottery odds, based upon everyone's current record and using the top secret formula selected by the league commissioners.

Cairo - 12.02%
Maryland - 10.85%
Miami - 6.20%
Pittsburgh - 2.71%
Stockholm - 12.02%
Sylva - 12.40%
Brooklyn - 4.65%
Gainesville - 7.75%
Helena - 13.57%
Jersey City - 6.01%
Marietta - 6.98%
New York - 4.84%

The actual lottery will be conducted following the sim ending on May 31, 2005 and using the standings at that time. Also, remember that all 12 positions will be determined by lottery. None of this namby-pamby-first-three-spots only BS.

So, keep dreaming everyone.

P.S. I can't believe I came up with a system where I got a whole 2.71% chance of the first pick. I suck.

Desilva and Santos take a trip down the river

The Cairo Leveemen, currently in the Platonic League's wildcard slot and 4.5 games behind the leading Pittsburgh Pisces, today attempted to shore up its pitching staff with the acquistion of starter Wilfredo Desilva and closer Ariel Santos, both of the Pisces. In exchange, Cairo ships off middle reliever Dominique Peters and triple-A short stop top prospect Danilo Henriquez. In the deal, Cairo also snagged Pittsburgh's 1st round pick in the 2006 draft.

The Leveemen, smack in the middle of PL pitching with a 4.99 ERA, hopes to add some consistency to its starting rotation with Desilva, coming off his best season yet in 2004 with a 13-7 record and a 3.59 ERA.

Closer Ariel Santos makes a welcome return to Cairo. Pitching in 9 Pisces wins this season, Santos has received saves in eight of them. Over the 8.2 innings, he's compiled an impressive .071 offensive average, allowing just two hits. His 0.00 ERA, 0 homers or walks allowed, 2.08 hits per 9 innings, 2.08 runners per 9 innings, .23 WHIP and the OAVG are all league-leading statistics for relievers. A 2003 and 2004 All-Star, Santos was drafted in the 4th round by Cairo in 2001 and traded to Pittsburgh in July 2003 for starter Chuck Finger. Cairo regrets the error.

Dominique Peters, a 24-year-old middle reliever, accumulated a 2-11 record with 12 saves for Cairo last year, with 1 win and 2 saves so far in 2005.

18-year-old shortstop phenom Danilo Henriquez is batting .313 for Cairo's triple-A affiliate Danville Dans. Henriquez tops the monthly Baseball America Top 100 Prospects report released May 1.

Sim #6 Complete! Draft Pool Now Available!

In another great first for the OEL there is now a draft pool available for the June draft of amateur talent! While the order of drafters will not be available for a month the players are now available for inspection and review. Go get 'em, boys!

In pennant race news this sim Marietta and Pittsburgh remain in first in their respective leagues while the wildcard races remain competitive. In the Platonic League Cairo holds the top spot for the second spot with three other teams within three games. The Socratic chase is even tighter with Jersey City and New York now tied for second with and Gainesville and Brooklyn less than three games off the pace.

Several minor injuries this sim including Pittsburgh's Amador Zaragosa who somehow bruised his wrist while running the bases. You're doing it wrong, Amador!

In standout games this sim we find on April 27 New York pitcher James Weiler tossing 8 innings of 6 hit, no walk ball only to see his team lose to Stockholm 3-1 reliever Corchado blew the save by allowing 3 runs in the bottom of the ninth! Ouch!

The other standout performance was by starting pitcher Bobby Lowry of Marietta. On the 29th of April Lowry threw a complete game one-hit shutout against Sylva. Lowry lost the no hitter when the first batter in the ninth poked a single through the infield. The Marietta hurler struck out eleven while walking one to turn in the second best pitching performance of the year so far!

Get out there and study the draft pool, players! The list can be seen on the OEL menu under 'Draft Pool'. The next sim is on Friday by Mack! Be there!

2006 Traded Draft Picks

Per the request from Matt in the free agent compensation draft rules thread, here is the current list of 2006 draft picks that have been traded:

1st Round
Pittsburgh's pick to Cairo (Desilva/Santos trade)

2nd Round
Marietta's pick to Pittsburgh (Pineda trade)
Brooklyn's pick to Pittsburgh (Marcano trade)

3rd Round
Pittsburgh's pick to Jersey City (Pate-Williams trade)
Miami's pick to Pittsburgh (Alcala trade)

10th Round
Stockholm's pick to Pittsburgh (McLaurin trade)
Miami's pick to Pittsburgh (Alcala trade)

I'll try to update this periodically, but I'm not promising anything.

(Note, this is the list of traded picks in the 2006 draft. Not the 2005 Supplemental Amateur Draft. We're not allowing the supplemental draft picks to be traded.)

Updated as of 1/22/09.

Sim #5 Complete - Ro Throws a No-No

We're almost to the end of April and the big news of the sim was Richard Ro's masterpiece against the Cairo Leveemen on April 21. The young Pisces righthander threw a no-hitter, walking only one and striking out 12. The Pisces' offense contributed more than enough runs to the party, resulting in a 9-0 victory.

No huge changes in the standings. Pittsburgh remains in first in the Platonic League. Miami is three games back and Cairo a half-game beyond them. In the Socratic League, Marietta has a slim half-game lead over New York. Jersey City, Gainesville, and resurgent Brooklyn are all within three games though.

In other news, no injuries this sim! At least, not in the majors. (The minor leagues weren't as lucky.) Good work by the team docs.

Maryland's Marcos Navarro and Brooklyn's Pedro Sequiros took home Player of the Week honors. Congrats gentlemen.

On April 22, in a day with only two games, Helena pounded Miami and high-priced free agent acquisition Joseph Diederich 15-2. The Handbaskets accumulated 20 hits in the offensive barrage.

On April 23, Jersey City's Brendan Townsend hit two home runs and drove in five to spark the Skeeters' 7-3 victory over Cairo.

On April 24, Maryland's Lewis McGurk shined with eight strong innings in an 8-1 victory over Gainesville. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh and Helena broke out the lumber with 14-3 and 13-2 victories over Brooklyn and Miami, respectively.

On April 25, New York's Abe Nix held Sylva to just one hit over seven innings. The Black Bears had a spirited comeback in the ninth, but fell 5-3.

Finally, Ronald Hernandez, the maligned free agent who lingered without a contract before Cairo took a chance, hit two home runs and posted a .917 slugging percentage in his first four games. Good for Ro-Her.

League file is uploaded. Next sim will be Wednesday by Nate, when we'll turn the page on the calendar to May and possibly announce the draft pool for the 2005 Supplemental Amateur Draft. Remember, draft position will be awarded by a far-too-complicated lottery to be held on June 1. The draft will be June 15.

Miami / Helena Trade

Miami and Helena have agreed to a swap involving two promising young players. Miami sends AAA SP Manuel Herreros to boost Helena's starting rotation and Helena sends one of its Rule 5 selections, 1B Seve Bosch to Miami.

P.S. I'm using links to the player pages on the old website because I'm not aware of any post-conversion player pages. Are they on the way, Nate?

Free Agent Draft Pick Compensation

Well, an alert owner brought to our attention that the draft pick compensation in the game may not work quite right. So, I did some testing over the weekend and he's right. It's a mess. After consultation, Nate and I have come up with a system that we believe will work. It's a balance between MLB's free agent compensation rules and making it reasonable easy for Nate and me to implement.

So, here are the rules.

1. The game will assign free agents one of three ratings - Type A, Type B, or no compensation. Our plan is to abide by the ratings given by the game.

2. If Team 1 signs a Type A free agent who played for Team 2, then Team 2 gets Team 1's highest draft pick.

3. If Team 1 signs a Type B free agent who played for Team 2, then Team 2 gets Team 1's highest pick below the first two rounds (i.e., no higher than a third-round pick).

4. If Team 1 signs any other free agent, there is no draft pick compensation.

5. In no circumstance may a team lose a first round pick if that pick would be in the top half of the first round (picks #1 through #6). So, if Team 1 holds the #1 overall pick and signs a Type A free agent who played for Team 2, then Team 2 gets Team #1's second round pick.

6. If Team 1 signs two free agents of the same type (whether A or B), then the picks will be signed in chronological order. For example, the team that lost the player first signed by Team 1 would get the first round pick and the team that lost the player signed second would get the second round pick. Even if the player signed second is obviously better.

7. When picks are assigned, all Type A compensation will be assigned first and then all Type B compensation. So, if a team signs three Type A free agents and one Type B free agent, the Type B compensation would only be the team's fourth-highest pick.

7. There are no sandwich picks. Too much of a pain to try and administer given the way the game works.

8. Free agent draft pick compensation ends as of Opening Day. A team signing a Type A or B free agent after Opening Day owes no free agent compensation. So, for instance, if Hernandez had been eligible for compensation, Cairo still wouldn't have owed any picks because they signed him after Opening Day.

9. Picks received through free agent compensation cannot be lost as free agent compensation. So, for instance, if Team 1 signs Team 2's Type A free agent and then Team 2 signs Team 3's Type A free agent, Team 3 does not end up with Team 1's pick. Instead, Team 2 gets Team 1's top pick and Team 3 gets Team 2's top pick, even if it's lower than the Team 1 pick.

10. Draft picks are mobile and may be traded. Picks traded away belong to the new team for purposes of compensation. So, for instance, if Team 1 gets Team 2's first round pick through trade, then Team 2's first round pick can be assigned for the purposes of compensation as a result of Team 1's free agent signings.

This is going to be an exception to the "We Don't Fix Bugs" rule, but don't take it as a sign that we're going to begin fixing every bug in the game. It's basically a situation-specific thing.

Hopefully, that's clear. If you have any questions, including any hypothetical ones where you want to see how the rules will play out, put it in the comments.

Sim #4 Complete! Hernandez Signs with Cairo!

It's finally happened. The plum free agent still out there on the market has finally found a home. Five star rated Ronald Hernandez reached a one year deal with Cairo this sim to play for the confluence-bound team for 2005. Hernandez, who held out for the right long-term contract all through free agency and the beginning of the season only to see his aspirations fail as he compromised on a shorter deal with hopes of a longer one in the next offseason.

In the league, Marietta is out to a one game lead in the SL over the New York Knights and Pittsburgh is up by two over Cairo. Possibly Hernandez will be enough to make up the ground and pass the Pisces once and for all. Both leagues have five teams within five games of the lead and there's more than five months to go!

In outstanding performances Cairo's David Oppenheimer went the full 9 against Pittsburgh! The big O allowed 4 hits and three walks in the shutout! It was good enough for the ninth best performance of the season to date!

With three weeks under the OEL belt we're still in the process of seeing how the races will shape up. Who moves forward and who loses ground? Only time will tell. The next installment of 'As the League Turns' will be Monday by Mack! Don't miss it!

A Baseball First - 2 Games, 2 Cities, 1 Day, 1 Team

AP - April 11th, 2005 - For the first time in documented baseball history a team played two road games in two different cities in one day. "It was a double-hitter for the ages," stated Brooklyn Manager Nelson Bowen, "It has been a tough start of the season for us with 11 of the first 14 games on the road, but it is defiantly something that builds early character."

The team played the first game along the shores of the Ohio River in Marietta, Ohio suffering a 5-2 loss to at the hands of the Mammoths and then took the quick 15 minute flight to Manhattan to play the night cap of their day against the Knights of New York at 7:05. The team showed fatigue in the second game, but hung tough, only losing 3-2 in the first game of a 4 game series that was a rematch of last year’s Socratic League Playoff series won by the Bombers.

"It was a long day that is for sure," stated Bomber C Pio Pastrana who started and played all of both games of the double dip, "as a team, we cannot wait to get home and sleep with our own wives again. The hoes on the road are not the same quality as the women in Brooklyn."

With only 26 minutes between the end of game one and the start of game two there was no time for post game showers. The team had to board the plane that was waiting in the parking lot for them right after the final out. One member of the team was overheard calling the airplane "rank." They arrived at the second game and did not have time to even warm up, they just hit the field and played as hard as they could. Many of the players mistook the 7th inning stretch for nap time in game number 2 and that might have been the reason they gave up 2 runs in that inning and the lead in the game.

The co-commissioner of the league Mack Schultz said, "The Bombers kept saying they wanted a challenge, well we game them one. I hope that they will stop their whining about how great they are now, or we can schedule games like this for them every week."

Brooklyn does have their work cut out for them with their 4-10 start it will take a good run for them to get back into the playoffs and return to the World Series this season.

Sim #3: Early Separation

The third sim has been run. We're through tax time, as the day is now April 16. In addition to the major league season going, the first games have been played in AAA, AA, and full-season A ball. Also, please read all the way to the end of this blog entry for an important note.

After 15 days, Marietta and New York are tied for first with a three-game lead over Jersey City. Nate's offseason spending spree appears to be paying off right now. Defending champs Brooklyn, reeling from a four-game sweep by New York and loser of six of its last seven, is in last place. Questions mount in the ornery New York press as to whether Brooklyn's start is a sign of things to come or a temporary aberration.

In the Platonic League, last year's playoff teams are in the lead, with Pittsburgh ahead of the Miami Clay Bennets by 1.5 games. The two are in the midst of a series right now, as the carpetbaggers have taken the first game. Surprising Cairo is in third place, just two games out of first. The Sylva Black Bears are off to a very rough start, going 1-11 and already 8 games out of first.

The biggest news of the sim was the fight between Donald "Missing" Parson and Joshua Lajoie in the April 13 game between Pittsburgh and Sylva. Both players were suspended for nine games as a result of the brawl.

On the injury front, Stockholm was hit hardest as Dennis Delvecchio and Chad Kinlaw will be out about 1-2 weeks. In the only other injury news of the sim, Jersey City's Sergio Varela announced that he could not pitch for the next two weeks due to a blister.

In other news, Brooklyn's Miyatarou Takenao is the last remaining player to have a hit in every game his team has played this year. So, the Bombers struggles can't be fairly laid at the feet of their star third baseman, who is brutally underpaid.

On April 12, Earl Moya of Helena turned in a steller performance, shutting out Jersey City on two hits in the Handbasket's 9-0 victory.

Next sim will be Friday by Nate. League file is updated. Good luck everyone.

---------------

As to the important note, prompted by a request from an owner, we will allow any owner to request a stadium change before next Friday's sim. After this, we will only entrtain such requests in the offseason. So, if you want to be in a different stadium, speak now or forever hold your peace.

OEL Sim#2: Helena Takes a Fall

Sim #2 is now complete. In addition to celebrating the HoF election of Rickey Run and Jim Rice let's see how teams in the OEL fared this sim:

Helena has the worst run of all not winning a single game and dropping from tied-for-first to fifth in the Socratic League with a record of 3-5 this sim. New York, on the other hand, does well and is now tied for first with Marietta who has won 3 games in consecutive sims so far.

In the Platonic League Pittsburgh stands alone at the top of the heap with Cairo one-half game behind. Sylva trails at 1-7 in the PL.

A few day to day injuring (including one strep throat infection, poor man) but there were three significant injuries this sim:

Stockholm lost 2B Redding for 3 weeks to a hernia.
Miami lost 1B Alcala for 2 weeks to a concussion.

And most painful, Gainesville lost 3B Dwight Balducci to a herniated disc suffers in a collision on the basepaths. The third sacker will be out for 2-3 months! That smarts!

In outstanding games of note we have the April 9 tilt between Maryland and Miami. How often does a team score 10 runs and lose? Miami did here at they gave up 17 runs to Maryland to lose by seven!

But 17 runs wasn't the top offense for the sim. On the 7th of April Stockholm put up 18 against Cairo in winning 18-6. Stockholm scored in every inning except the third.

The next sim is another five days by Mack! The update is on Wednesday. Be there!

Pittsburgh-Cairo Trade

In a minor deal intended to help stock Cairo's roster, Pittsburgh sold the Leveemen one major league player and five players from the AAA Imperial Guards. Pittsburgh traded major league pitcher Robert Gaertner along with minor league pitchers Earnest Bosserman and Randy Woodhouse, infielder Jason Godines, and outfielders Michael Seay and James Ward in exchange for $1 million.

"Well, it looked like Cairo needed some more guys capable of playing at a major league level and we had some guys who wanted that opportunity. Pretty simple," explained Pisces Owner/GM Mack Shultz. "It's a little deal that hopefully is a win-win for everyone involved."

2005 Season Underway!!!

We're finally playing baseball in 2005. The first five days have been simmed and the league file is posted. Here's a summary of the events of the first five days.

Good balance in the early going as nobody is undefeated and nobody is winless. Miami, Pittsburgh, Marietta, and surprising Helena have bolted to 3-1 starts. Stockholm, Sylva, Jersey City, and self-proclaimed favorite Brooklyn have stumbled to a 1-3 beginning.

Unfortunately, Helena lost star closer William "World B." Freeman to a tender elbow. He should return by mid-April though. No other injuries in the OEL this sim.

Marietta's Brandon Millette threw a four-hit shutout of New York on April 2. However, the top pitching performance (according to game score) was Pittsburgh's Richard "Buck" Ro's complete game victory over Sylva in the opener. Pittsburgh also had Timothy Hornyak combine with closer Ariel Santos on a one-hit shutout of Sylva in the second game.

On Opening Day, Marietta's bullpen melted down and gave up a two-run lead in the ninth as New York rallied for a 9-8 victory.

On April 2, Helena and Brooklyn went extra innings before Helena pushed a run across in the 12th inning to win 3-2.

On April 3, Stockholm blew a 7-1 lead in the seventh before recovering to defeat Maryland 8-7 in 10 innings.

On April 4, Sylva crushed Pittsburgh 11-3, showing the first two games may have been a bit of an aberration.

Then, on April 5, Miami showed maybe not by spanking Sylva 14-0. Ouch.

Next sim is Monday by Nate, another five days. Good luck everyone!

OEL: Final Pre-season Sim Complete!

The final sim is complete and we're at March 31, 2005. Tomorrow is opening day and the fans are excited!

Who will win and who will lose? No one can know at this point but the field looks WIDE open this season and it's anyone's title to win. There's no end to the excitement in baseball and the crowd's anticipation!

Beginning with the next sim we'll be on the 5 games every MWF routine that Mack and I know so well. The last chance to make preseason moves is by Friday. Don't be late!

Simmed to March 1

We've simmed up to March 1. Some team name and team colors changes made on request. Not much else notable seemed to happen.

Final preseason sim will be Wednesday by Nate and then Opening Day and the first games will be simmed Friday by me. Woo hoo!

Seattle Stunner

SEATTLE, January 5, 2005:

It won't be a happy new year in Seattle, as the Ministry of Silly Walks became the latest professional sports franchise to leave the City of Sporting Futility. GM Matt Macario shocked his fanbase today by announcing that the team and its minor league affiliates will be moving to Florida to begin the 2005 season.

"We have enjoyed our time in Seattle, and have been fortunate to have made the playoffs every year to date. But we haven't been able to win a championship here, and frankly, I'm sick of the snow and rain, so Miami is sounding pretty good right about now. Give me a hurricane any day."

And with a new home come new names, as well. Macario's new team names reflect his odd devotion to comedic television shows that are no longer on the air and live only in the sad world of syndication. "That Monty Python theme worked for a while, but I was the only one who liked it," Macario said. "I'm a superstitious guy, you know, so I figured maybe a new theme will help the team, yada yada yada." A reputed fan of the Seinfeld series, Macario announced the new names of his franchise and affiliates will be as follows:

Miami Masters Of Their Domain (ML)
Sarasota Soup Nazis (AAA)
Del Boca Vista Double Dippers (AA)
Pensacola Puffy Shirts (A)
Clearwater Close Talkers (SA)
Jacksonville Junior Mints (R)

Having aired his grievances and having completed the highly coveted "pre-emptive breakup" with Seattle, Macario invited the small press corps in attendance to participate in a Feats of Strength competition, but unsurprisingly, there were no takers. Undeterred, Macario shouted "Serenity Now!" and left the podium in his swishy suit.

Sim #4 - Complete. Date now 2/1/05

The final sim of January is complete and the date is now 2/1/05.

You all are very bad gentlemen as most of you had players who were DFA that I had to...DO...things with and to. Most of them ended up in AA if they'd accept an assignment. If they wouldn't and they sucked as players and human beings I simply released them. Keep an eye on your rosters, guys!

You all will be happy to note that only one of my players, Starting Pitcher Walter Font, was injured so far. I lost him for eight weeks. Booya!

The next sim is Monday by Mack and will comprise the entirety of February. We're moving this thing right along.

Pisces Fans Deliriously Happy

The Pittsburgh Pisces front office announced a contract extension today with star reliever Vincent Furness, sending the Pisces' fans into waves of delrium.

Vincent "The Fox" Furness has long been known for his matinee idol looks. A solid 6'3" with 230 pounds of chiseled muscle, Furness's female fans have gone slightly loopy with their excitement. The sentiments posted on the WFF ("Women for Furness") website cannot be shared in a family-friendly blog. But, the news of the three-year extension has sent these women into an orgasmic frenzy.

"I loved the Pisces before," said WFF spokeswoman Heidi Klum. "I mean, my interest was at an 86 on a scale of 1 to 100. But now, after the extension, it's a solid 100. I told Seal that I was sorry, but I would be travelling with the team from now on."

Could other teams achieve similar gains through extending the contracts of their popular players? Hard to tell, but time and experience should show the way.