A number of years ago, there were a series of theme leagues, where in order to qualify for the playoffs, your team had to be really bad in a pre-defined statistical category. (Sorry, I can't remember who ran these leagues). The catch was that your team had to be above .500 to be eligible. This was a fun concept because you got to roster players you wouldn't normally roster. This theme is based on that idea.
This is a 24-team league with a $100 million salary cap.
In this theme, you want to be among the league leaders in the following three "negative" categories:
Can't Catch - Bad Fielding (errors + negative defensive plays - positive defensive plays)
Can't Pitch - Most Home Runs Allowed
Can't Run - Most Caught Stealing
At the end of the season, each team will be ranked (1 thru 24) in these three categories and then the ranks will be added up. The eight teams (with a W-L record over .500) with the lowest cumulative ranks will advance to the playoffs. So if your team finishes 1st, 3rd and 5th, then your total ranking points = 9 and if your team is above .500, you will be advancing to the playoffs. Ranking ties will be split (tied for 10th and 11th, each team gets 10.5 ranking points). Once you get into the playoffs, it's simply winner advances.
Here's another wrinkle. The highest ranking team will get to choose his first round opponent. The next highest ranking team (not already selected as an opponent) will choose his first round opponent, etc. (The team with the better ranking will have home field, regardless of the playoff round). So it's possible for the #1 ranked team to select the #2 ranked team. If #2 wins that series, they would be home in the next series. The second round of the playoffs will work the same way, with the highest ranked team selecting his next opponent.
Also note that we will be using players from 1960-2014 only.
$100 CHALLENGE
I will send you a $100 Gift Certificate if your team finishes 1st (no ties) in all three categories AND wins at least 75 games.
Specifics:
Salary Cap: $100 Million
Years: 1960-2014
DH: No
WW: No
AA: No
Trades: No
Clones: No
Injuries: Turned On
Live Play: Not Allowed
Ballpark: Use any park in use from 1960-2014
Team Name: Anything
Alignment: Random
Other miscellaneous questions:
Q: Can I play players out of position?
A: Yes
Q: What if there aren't 8 teams over .500
A: Unlikely, but if that happens, I'll include the team or teams closest to .500 in the playoffs.
Q: After you add up the ranking points, what happens if two or more teams are tied? The tie-breaker will be 1.Best W-L%, 2.Rank in HRs Allowed, 3.Rank in Bad Defense.
1/16/2015 10:10 AM (edited)