Since this got terribly off-topic, I'll make an on-topic post:

There may be any number of reasons his AAA team has some players better than what's on his BL team. First, if they're not 4 year pros, they don't have to be on the 40. As a general rule, I wouldn't put a player on my BL team before his 4th season. I can only think of one case where I have. Second, some of the BL players may be in the last year of a LT contract. If he doesn't think he can win, there's no reason to send BL contract players to AAA and call up his AAA players. Lastly, everyone has a development plan. As long as he's not playing .300 ball, it's really up to him when to call players up.

This has been one of the more fun threads to read.

FWIW, I'm probably the biggest pain in the *** as a commish over teams competing at the BL level. However, as long as they somehow win 1 of 3, I don't question them(unless they keep throwing L10 out there). If a team wants to play 5 DH and attempt to win 15-14, I don't care. Just be competitive. If you're holding 5 BL-quality players in AAA and winning at .400, you're probably a dumbass.

Quote: Originally Posted By sanderbear on 1/11/2010This has been one of the more fun threads to read.

Little kids tattling on one another? Fun?

This is my first season playing and first team. Thank you for pointing out that my SS is below the glove average by that many points. I did not know this and will correct it. As for the majors with contracts that are in my AAA. I did not give them those contracts and dont think they should be in my majors. I actually have gotten rid of 3 times as many bad contracts on this team to make it better.

If there are any other items you would like to point out I am gladly willing to take advice on how to run a team as I am new. As for myself I will admit I made mistakes and missed many opportunities during the first round of FAs and Rule 5(which I missed entirely). But overall, I have made the team a better team ridding it of all its bad contracts for the years to come.

Quote: Originally Posted By snake_p on 1/11/2010

Quote: Originally Posted By sanderbear on 1/11/2010
This has been one of the more fun threads to read.

Little kids tattling on one another? Fun

It's like one of those MTV reality shows.

Quote: Originally Posted By 98greenc5 on 1/11/2010
I will note that the owner lostpike is calling a tanker does appear to be unconcerned with winning at the MLB level ... just adding to zbrent's point that lostpike is living in a glass house

and not for nuthin, but it is simply silly how much Intl budget is sitting in that world ... I'm guessing there is some HAK world history that is causing the have-nots to tank to get back to balance

Making no judgement about this specific case, just pointing something out, but "tanking" does not mean being "unconcerned with winning at the MLB level". "Tanking" has to do with being concerned about winning- and taking steps to ensure that you don't, either to get a top draft pick or just because you like screwing up franchises. For instance, after my real-life Texas Rangers dealt Texiera to Atlanta a couple of years back, I became "unconcerned with winning at the MLB level" for the next season and a half or so. It was time to do an all-in rebuild. So I stopped watching every game and started watching the Farm system. That doesn't mean it would be okay to try to lose to improve draft position. THAT is tanking, and it's wrong. But it's fine to not sign any ML FAs and go after a bunch of teenaged internationals and over-slot draft bonuses with your money instead, even if you know it means being less competitive at the ML level for a time. That's called being committed to rebuilding. And now it's paying off, as the Rangers have the Baseball America #1 Farm System for the second year in a row, despite numerous graduations to the majors last season (Feliz, Andrus, Hunter, Holland, Borbon). The club now has a long and bright future, with a well-controlled long-term payroll. If it were an HBD club, that would be a success.



Now, that said, rebuilding has to have a time limit, and HBD owners should have a long term plan, and it ought to be the duty of every owner to make some effort to field a reasonble team. Obviously any fatigue issues should be dealt with promptly especially in the pitching staff, no 1B playing SS, don't list your best SP as "Mop", etc. Put together a "real" team as best you can. And by season 4 of a rebuild, you should probably be pretty darned close to becoming competitive.



Still, you have to give people a lot of leeway when they take over a team that needs a rebuild.

By season 4 you should be competing for the division. You should be "competitive" right out the box. HBD is designed so teams don't have to have 3-4 hundred loss seasons in order to rebuild.

Competing for the division (or at least a Wild Card) was what I meant by competitive. I didn't mean it in the minimum sense of fielding a competitive team.

Quote: Originally Posted By MikeT23 on 1/11/2010By season 4 you should be competing for the division. You should be "competitive" right out the box. HBD is designed so teams don't have to have 3-4 hundred loss seasons in order to rebuild

i agree- in HBD if you want to compete, you can compete.

i inherited this team from a guy who every year spent $128M on player payroll but like $80M of cap space and lost 110+ games every season. when i stepped in, there were only a couple mediocre prospects, and a few legit BL players...really, the only good thing about the team was that there weren't many bad contracts. went 82-80 in S1 and have won 90+ every year since.

http://www.whatifsports.com/HBD/Pages/Popups/FranchiseProfile.aspx?fid=1743

While Regulars isn't an elite world, it's run fairly well and there are worlds in much worse shape. It has been tougher to build a contender in MG where there are fewer people in tanking/rebuilding mode, but I still believe that if you want to compete, you can compete.

I agree with gjello10 (as per usual). There is a difference between committing to rebuild and tanking. Tanking involves trying to lose. Commitment to rebuilding involves being frugal with ML salaries

Quote: Originally posted by MikeT23 on 1/11/2010By season 4 you should be competing for the division.   You should be "competitive" right out the box.   HBD is designed so teams don't have to have 3-4 hundred loss seasons in order to rebuild.

Quibbling just a small bit with your word choices.

You can tread water right out of the box. Unless there's already a foundation in place, you cannot be "competitive" with just any team in your 1st year with a franchise.

By the dawn of your 3rd season, there should be a foundation in place, with wins rolling in and chance at being "competitive" for the world championship; it doesn't take longer than that.

Guess it depends on what you call "competitive".

Here's the scenario that drives me up the wall:

1) Owner legitimately says his team isn't ready to compete at the major-league level.

2) Owner fills out pitching staff -- such as via Rule V -- with guys who are clearly not major-league caliber. Guys with 30/30 splits and no pitches above 60.

3) Owner says "Why should I bother spending money on a real pitcher, when I can have this innings-eater for $327,000?"

To me, that is tanking. Because, as other owners point out, FAs are available who cost little more, and have major-league stuff. It's the difference between having #4 and #5 SPs go 7-15, 5.25 (the FAs) and having ones that go 3-19, 9.50 (the Rule Vs or other minor-leaguers). Plus two or three similar relievers.

So overall, you have a team go 45-117, when with very little effort, it could win another 10-15 wins and be "competitive."

Yeah, it does.

Competitive means winning, means a chance at winning a championship.

Treading water means winning as many as you lose, or close enough that you don't drown.

Tanking means intentionally taking on water to sink to the bottom.

Using words precisely, and defining what they mean, is kinda the basis of communication.

Surely you aren't suggesting that everyone who plays HBD, regardless of experience, knowledge or franchise quality, should be "competitive" in the sense that they should be competing for a championship, in year one.

You mean that anyone who plays HBD should be able to keep their head above water and not lose more than 3/4 of their games, regardless of experience or franchise quality. In year one.