First off, I want to congratulate dtownlove10 on winning the first SimLeagues Live Championship in impressive fashion. dtownlove10 reached the World Series in 5 out of 6 leagues. Here were the Top Ten:

1. dtownlove10 - 665
2. cstrohmier - 586
3. toddleduc - 569
4. Area51Man - 561
5. sjh0825 - 553
6. stroh23 - 548
7. frozen_rope - 548
8. Ox - 530
9. topgun11 - 529
10. RisingStar1 - 528

I want to start talking about the second SimLeagues Live Championship, gauging interest, getting everything set up, and seeing whether winter or spring is better for most people as a time to begin. So please let me know what time of the year is best for everyone. We'll start sometime in between January and the end of May.

Also, the format will be a little different this year. It will still require a $10 gift certificate to enter, though I would like to attempt to expand the field to 36 owners this year. Three leagues would start simultaneously, with each owner playing in two of the three leagues. Then, the field would narrow down to 24 after those three leagues, and the second set of three leagues would start simultaneously. I think doing it in three waves was too much, as the interest of people who weren't really in the running was dying out by the third wave of leagues. And after the first wave, the people with no chance will have been eliminated, so the people will all be people who have incentive to be competitive.

If we cannot field 36 owners, we will do 24 owners again, but in two waves of three leagues this time.

The scoring system will be the similar:

1 Point per every win (including playoff wins).
3 Points for winning a playoff series, except for the World Series.
5 Points for winning the World Series.
2 Point bonus for playing 100 live games in a league.
-10 Points for not making the live requirement, and ineligibility for playoffs.
-1 Point for every game missed of the live requirement.

I am willing to adjust the scoring system by popular demand. Same with any of the other rules.

The payout will be the same with 24 owners. However, I will have to adjust it if we are able to get 36, as we will have $120 more:

Payouts ($300 Total)

First Place: $180
Second Place: $60
Third Place: $30
Fourth Place: $20
Fifth Place: $10

I will donate a free team to the user with the most live games played.

I will donate a free team to any multiple World Series winner.

Also, we will vote on six themes to run again. We can start suggesting themes now. I would like to stick with one low cap league (less than $80 million) and one, maybe two high cap leagues (over $100 million).

So please, let me know if you are interested, what the best time is for you, any questions, suggestions, and what suggestions you have for themes to be voted on. Thanks!

INTERESTED

1. Ox
2. joshkvt
3. staindman
4. kneeneighbor
5. sloadrock
6. The Taint
7. arvidjosef
8. dtownlove10
9. lawman_185
10. cstrohmier
11. dahsdebater
12. besterateam
13. wlj3b
14. summerfield
15. frozen_rope
16. Area51Man
17. Bastan_Redsox
18. hbomb223
19. soxyanks12
20. phex
21. topgun11
22. rated_pg13
23. duece_duece
24. Yaz_Benders
25. stroh23
26. topgun11

THEME SUGGESTIONS

- Platoon League: 80 Million, no players with over 300 PA or 100 IP. 6/4 draft your own AAA.

- 80 Million Open League

- Ozzie Smith League: All defenders must have a fielding and range rating between A- and A+, 60 Million cap.

- 120 Million Teammate Chain Draft

- 140 Million Open

GENERAL

The Taint: January
frozen_rope: Spring
Area51Man: Spring

As I noted in a post-tourney sitemai to Ox, I think the bonuses for post-season wins are too high.

A team unlucky enough to miss a playoff spot by being in a league or division with a couple of top teams takes a bigger hit than warranted. For example, Team A wins 93 games, but misses the WC and division title to a pair of 94-win teams, one of which wins the WS and the other loses in the LCS. Team A ends up 23 points behind the WS winner and 14 behind the LCS winner, despite being just one point worse over the 162-game season.
WS winner (94-68 regular season): 116 points
LCS loser (94-68): 107
Unlucky Team A (93-69): 93

The WS winner already gets the benefit of the WIS prize money, plus the potential of a free team by winning two titles. In my humble (insert sarcastic remark here) opinion, there should either be a point for each playoff win, or 3-point bonus for winning a series (including WS); not both.

I'm in regardless of that, but only if there are not multiple identical-player or all-clone teams. Having those leagues made the first SLL Championship series a chore to get through.

Thanks Josh! My response to that issue was that I think playoffs have to be rewarded because that is the goal you are playing for, to win the World Series. Therefore, it should be a pretty big factor for measuring your performance. I'd like to see what others have to say though, I will change anything by popular demand.

I agree on the identical player league for sure. I thought the all-clone league was fun, but I know others didn't like it at all.

yeah none of those leagues..i think we should play a straight 80 mil open league see if we can challenge those non live guys in the toc. id also like to see the Ozzie Smith League where everyone has to be A defenders or better at a 60 mil cap. Make it a challenge.

I think the all-clone league was a good idea, but didn't work because one decade was too restrictive and, more importantly, the identical player league already had everyone tired of seeing the same players all the time.

I agree playoff success should be rewarded, but feel a 25% or higher boost in points over the top non-playoff team is too much reward.

Interested

Would you guys like an automatic last place team to enter each time?

Haha we would be happy to have both of you. Thanks!

I would think about playing if it was started in January. Two semi-long vacations at the end of April and end of May kinda hose those two months for me, and I would hate to have a replay of the last time when I just had no time to play.

Check out the 120 million teammate chain draft in the regular WIS championship league for a good idea for a league.

Okay. Thanks Taint. I would not mind starting in January. I think doing it in two waves of three leagues will help in terms of making it easier to have time to play. You just need to be able to play a lot two times of the year instead of a little bit less three times in the year.

arvid