Apparently there is a new WiS policy in place that prevents users who have taken over an abandoned team from taking on another abandoned team until the first team's season is complete.
I don't really mind, but it will take a little longer to get new owners for abandoned teams, if replacement whores like myself can't get in on the action.
Also would have been nice to see that posted somewhere.

Right?!

whafu?!

It is disappointing.  I made quite a living off of taking over teams, refreshing the pitching staff and making the team somewhat respectable for the best of the world. 

But now, the scumbag owner who bailed 15 seconds after his first log in will cause the world to suffer longer since it will be tougher to get a replacement. 

My name is tecwrg2, and I am a replacement whore.

From my ticket asking what the deal was, this was their answer:

We recently had to introduce a policy where an owner may not receive more than one free franchise transfer at any given time.  This is due to other users taking advantage of the previous system.  We understand the need and importance of mid-season transfers, but we had to introduce another level of checks and balances to prohibit cheating and abuse.

I am thinking this has to do with owners who jump on abandons and pick up the $4 each season. Some would agrue that is well worth getting a team back in order. But I can see why WIS would want to put a stop to that.

I rarely got the $4 because my team rarely finished last. I have profited from playoff runs though (including 2 championships).

I don't like the phrase "taking advantage" though. It's a crapshoot, and you usually wind up with a team in awful shape that has no hope.

Posted by kneeneighbor on 3/23/2011 6:43:00 PM (view original):
I am thinking this has to do with owners who jump on abandons and pick up the $4 each season. Some would agrue that is well worth getting a team back in order. But I can see why WIS would want to put a stop to that.

I'll admit that that's one of the reasons why I pick up the abandonments.  The credits help subsidize my "regular teams".  But, I do make it very clear to the commishes who bring me in that I'm just a babysitter for that season only, so there's full transparency about what they're getting.  I also put in a fair amount of work to keep the ML team competitive and keep the prospects on the development path.  If I'm brought in early enough in the season, I put in a good amount of work on draft preparation.  In the end, I feel that I always leave the team in better shape than how I found it, that I've provided a service to the world that brought me in, and that I've earned whatever credits I may pick up.

I'll also make two other comments: (1) I've never intentionally jockeyed for a fourth place finish, or even a third place finish.  I do the best with the resources I've got to try to win as many games as possible.  If that means second place and zero credits, so be it; and (2) I've quite publicly suggested that the current $4 credit for last place (and the $1 credit for third place) is 100% asinine, and should be replaced with a new credit system which rewards teams that finish with .500+ records but miss the playoffs with a $2 credit.  That would encourage competitiveness, and I believe would also actually cut down on the number of credits that WIS currently issues to the third and fourth place teams.

Very well put tec. All of your comments apply to my experience as well.

Yea. The $4 for last has to go.

I'd do an abandoned for a buck, really. Love the process of bringing a team from Christmas tree red to 100%.

Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean good. Just healthy.

hypno has been VERY helpful in one of my leagues.  if we needed a replacement owner in a future season, i'd hate to ask him-- someone who has a great track record-- just to hear that he's not eligible because he's HELPING ANOTHER LEAGUE.  

don't like it.

Thanks sched. I guess an alternative would be to remove any prize winnings for replacement owners. As it is, it is reduced by 50% if you win the WS.

Posted by schedule1 on 3/23/2011 10:54:00 PM (view original):
hypno has been VERY helpful in one of my leagues.  if we needed a replacement owner in a future season, i'd hate to ask him-- someone who has a great track record-- just to hear that he's not eligible because he's HELPING ANOTHER LEAGUE.  

don't like it.

My thoughts exactly. Between Mays or Griffey, it seems like tecwrg2 helps out nearly every season. Owners don't always just up and abandon teams without notice; usually, it's work or family issues that compel owners to give up their teams, and tec helps with an orderly transition.

This policy narrows my options as a commissioner to the point of having to choose between a possible alias or an abandoned team. I'm honestly not sure which is a worse option.

It's a very short-sighted policy change.  Having taken over three abandoned teams, it's a lot of work if fatigue is something that gets under your skin.   You're asked to resolve a "situation" so, if you take it seriously, you probably spend more time with that team in the first few days than all your other teams combined.    Limiting the pool of replacement owners doesn't seem to have an upside.

One can only assume they've had a few aliases take replacement teams and wreak havoc on competitive balance.   Nonetheless, it seems like they're trying to stop an armed robbery with a nuclear bomb.