Unofficial SDMB OOTP Blog

Dateline: Hickory - Husker GM Too Frazzled to Come Up With Clever Headline

noreply@blogger.com (Frank) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 01:47:00 +0000

The dismantling of the first playoff team in Hickory history began this week, as the Huskers dealt veteran lefty closer Harold Beeks to division rival Seattle. Acquired in a midseason trade with River Cities in 2014, the 33-year old Beeks helped Hickory seal its wild-card run by saving 21 games in the second half. This season, Beeks has been one of the few bright spots for the Huskers, converting all 14 save opportunities to date, but his productivity has been limited on a disappointing team that sits 16 games behind the first place Monarchs.

"Am I worried about helping the competition?" asked incredulous Husker GM Frank Ferrara at a press conference announcing the trade. "We are 16 games behind them. We're only their competition in the sense that Pompeii competed with Vesuvius. We'll be sorry to see Harold go, but there's not much point holding onto an elite closer at this point." Added veteran manager Todd Lee, "Yeah, and also, we're thinking about letting Frank Osborne close on the days when he's not starting." The press conference was then briefly halted as Ferrara repeatedly struck Lee about the head and shoulders.

Coming to Hickory in the deal are catcher Kareem King (.312/.352/.531 in limited time behind Seattle starter Alberto Grenado) and lefty reliever Jacobo Centeno (0-3, 3.86, 14 strikeouts in 21 innings at AAA Tacoma). At 28, King is old for a prospect, but the Huskers hope his outstanding defensive reputation and plus plate discipline will make him an immediate starter behind the plate.

This Blog Has Moved --

noreply@blogger.com (Zev) — Thu, 21 May 2009 20:56:00 +0000

See us at our new home at http://sdmbootp.blogspot.com/

May I: Who Uploaded?

noreply@blogger.com (Zev) — Thu, 21 May 2009 05:04:00 +0000

Hickory

Houston

Los Angeles

New York

River Cities

Seattle

Walla Walla

As for the ballot issues put up, the injuries will be kept as Average, the salary cap will be kept at $10 million and the DH will be put in place throughout the minors next season.

As for the schedule, it is an issue... I noticed that the schedule for Brooklyn is similarly out of balance (Saksatoon comes to Brooklyn for 28 games while I visit the Great Northern Wasteland for only four). I've checked the OOTP forums and no one seems to have posted about this.

I'll probably create a custom schedule for next season and use that.

Lastly, I'm currently uploading updates to the league site, but they'll probably continue uploading through the night.

Next sim: Wednesday night.

Los Angeles/Hickory trade

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Weintraub) — Mon, 18 May 2009 20:30:00 +0000

Today, Los Angeles and Hickory have made their first trade since Frank Ferrara took over the Huskers franchise. "I heard that Hickory needed a 1B after Mudge got hurt," Los Angeles GM Michael Weintraub stated. "I had Soriano available, so I called up Frank and introduced myself. We had a deal 48 hours later."

Blocked at 1B and in the outfield in Los Angeles, Federico Soriano now finds himself the starting 1B for the Huskers. Traveling to the heartland with him is swingman pitcher John Stalvey.

In return, the Scorpions gets another ace for the rotation, Armando Carballo, as well as 3rd and 4th round picks in the 2015 draft. 1B Richard Peel was also obtained, but has been informed not to sign any leases in the Los Angeles area as the team is still evaluating their backup 1B options.

Schedule Oddity...

noreply@blogger.com (Jeremy Goldman) — Sun, 17 May 2009 17:10:00 +0000

Just wondering if there has been any progress in the issue of the imbalanced nature of home and away games in the schedule?

April II: Who uploaded?

noreply@blogger.com (Zev) — Thu, 14 May 2009 01:48:00 +0000

Cleveland
Danville
Hickory
Houston
Los Angeles
Maui
New York
River Cities
Seattle

Next sim, next Wednesday.

I will put up a post about the issues raised last week in the next day or so.

April I: Who uploaded?

noreply@blogger.com (Zev) — Thu, 07 May 2009 03:40:00 +0000

Cleveland
Hickory
Houston
Los Angeles
Maui
New York
River Cities
Seattle

Next sim, next Wednesday.

Tonight's sim

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Weintraub) — Thu, 07 May 2009 02:21:00 +0000

For all I know, Zev is running it now, but if he isn't, I'll take care of it around midnight EDT (9pm PDT).

If anyone e-mailed any instructions to Zev, and not to me, you have until 11.45/8.45pm to get it to me.

Voting time...

noreply@blogger.com (Jeremy Goldman) — Sun, 03 May 2009 17:20:00 +0000

So I guess it is up to one of us to start a vote on the issues that Matt and others have raised so let's go ahead and do this before opening day.

Here are the issues that were laid by Matt and that we should vote on:

1. Injuries - what should we set them to...The options are Very Low, Low, Average, High, Very High...I am assuming that they are on Average now, but Zev or Michael will have to confirm that.

2. Should we change the financial cap in this league from $10M...and if so what should the max be?

3. DH through out the minors or keep it as it is?

So that seems to be the issues right now. I say we vote in the comments of this post, but if you want to keep your vote private, you can e-mail Zev and Michael directly.

If there is anything else that is not on this blog bring it up and we can add it to the vote.

Opening Day Is Here (And A Response To Matt)

noreply@blogger.com (Zev) — Sun, 03 May 2009 05:12:00 +0000

Spring Training is over and the most magical day of the season, Opening Day, is upon us.

Please make sure to have your rosters down to 25 players by Wednesday night (the first sim of the season).

As for Matt's previous post... he raises some valid questions, and perhaps there should be some more discussion on these matters. The fact is that my policy, in running this league, is that it is just as much your league as it is mine. While I do sometimes make "executive decisions" on matters, for the most part, I try to allow you guys to run the league. Anyone is free at any time to ask for a vote on a matter and, if the majority want it, it's law. I also generally try to refrain from influencing votes on said matters (except where I introduce the question) by keeping my opinion silent until a vote is required.

So, if you want a DH in the minor leagues, or to change the injury settings or the cash cap or any other setting, feel free to bring it up, discuss and ask for a vote. I won't be offended. :) It's not so much if there is support at the commissioner level... it's is there support at the owner level.

As for the Rule V draft, I'm afraid it's toast for this season. However, it is in place for next season. My apologies on the screw up.

Zev

Unresolved League Issues

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Macario) — Fri, 01 May 2009 20:17:00 +0000

The recent spate of injuries during spring training made me think that it might be helpful to start a post with a list of the league issues that are currently unresolved. My hope is that Zev or Michael can give us some idea of whether these issues are being considered by the hosts of the league, and if so, how and when they might be resolved.

1. Cash cap/financial issues - I started a post some time ago that generated a lot of discussion on this issue, but nothing ever came of it. Is there any interest at the commissioner level in making some changes to the financial settings of the league, and if so, to what extent?

2. Rule 5 draft - I am guessing it can't happen this year (which is somewhat disapppointing to me because Maui can use ANY talent at this point), but has the setting been changed so that it will occur next year?

3. Minor league DH - I recall there was a discussion at one point about adding a DH position to the minor league lineups, to create opportunities for other players to get playing time. I don't think this was ever changed.

4. Injury settings - Nate has asked the question of what setting is currently in place, which has never been answered to my knowledge. Assuming that it is set to "normal" or something similar, we know Mack's and Jeremy's generally differing positions on that. Is there any interest at the commissioner level in changing these, or is it a moot discussion?

That's everything I can think of right now. I'd encourage other owners to add to the list as needed.

Week 3 of Spring Training is Done...

noreply@blogger.com (Zev) — Fri, 01 May 2009 02:45:00 +0000

... and Seattle didn't lose anyone. I guess the bubble-wrap and the KFC chicken sacrifice worked.

The next sim (Saturday night) will finish off Spring Training and take us to Opening Day.

Zev

Monarchs Acquire New Victim

noreply@blogger.com (Mack Shultz) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:53:00 +0000

The Seattle Monarchs today acquired a new outfielder, and a familiar face at that. Seattle reacquired Lonnie Machen from the Hickory Huskers in exchange for $8 million in cash and left-handed reliever Guadelupe Rodriguez.

Machen went to Hickory last season as part of the blockbuster Greg Mudge / Dong Lutz trade. Now, desperate for more people to play the outfield, Seattle was forced to pay richly for Machen's return. Machen is expected to start in centerfield while Armando Cedeno heals and then share left field with Bill Bivens.

When reached at his home in New Hampshire, Machen sounded less than thrilled to return to his former squad. "First, they refuse to give me a starting position for two and half years. Then, they cast me aside to Hickory. Then, they pay how much money to bring me back so that I get killed instead of that prima donna David Kerry? They're heartless bastards."

Meanwhile, Guadelupe Rodriguez just sounded relieved. "There was a team meeting where they discussed putting pitchers in the outfield to fill in. Thank the heavens I got traded before that happened."

In other news, Seattle planned today to sacrifice a live chicken to appease the baseball gods who have struck down the team's outfielders. Unfortunately, they could only rustle up a bucket of KFC. It is unknown whether the fabled Secret Recipe will be sufficient to lift the curse.

Seattle Announces Player Protection Program

noreply@blogger.com (Mack Shultz) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 17:02:00 +0000

In response to a federal government report issued today, the Seattle Monarchs announced a series of steps to improve working conditions for its employees. The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its annual report on the most hazardous jobs in the United States. The previous year's top ten list had included famously dangerous jobs such as fishing and logging. But, the new list placed "Seattle Monarchs Outfielders" squarely at the top.

Ned Schneider, spokesman for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, admitted that there have been no fatalities yet among the Monarchs outfielders, but claimed, "It's only a matter of time. I mean, we've got 67% of the work force injured in just two weeks. The outlook is not good."

In response, Owner/GM Mack Shultz announced a series of steps to improve working conditions. "First, David Kerry has been transferred into the witness protection program. Right now, it's safer to snitch on the mob than to play the outfield in Seattle."

The second step by Seattle was to open dialogue with the league's front offices on incorporating "designated fielder" rules. "We don't think it's a coincidence both Guerrero and Cedeno went down making defensive plays. It's a dangerous job out there. We've got to find someone more expendable to shag fly balls. I mean, we can only play Rosato in one position at a time." Reserve outfielder Raymond Rosato refused to comment for this story, and walked away muttering obscenities.

Third, the Monarchs have begun to rethink their practice of holding Spring Training games in abandoned and rusted factories. "We thought this was a great sustainability initiative. You know, reusing things and cutting down on our environmental footprint. In addition, it was really, really cheap. But we've discovered that playing on unstable floors, with leaking pipes and machines falling all around our players, may not be the best way to go."

In what must be a coincidental move, the History Channel announced a new television series exploring the life of Monarchs outfielders. Executive Bill Wussmeyer explained, "Hey, with the success of Ax Men and Deadliest Catch, how can we go wrong?"

Spring training sim 2 done

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Weintraub) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 03:32:00 +0000

Zev had me pinch hit tonight and I ran the sim. I also processed the Maui/Walla Walla trade and we're now at March 16, 2014.

Bad news continues for Mack: Seattle's star OF Armando Cedeno strained his rotator cuff throwing a ball in a game and is out for eight weeks. I bet Mack is starting to regret trading Sean Arant back to me.

Saskatoon also had a player get dinged up, but it's not as serious. Reggie Perez will be out for two weeks due to a torn thigh muscle.

The league file is up. Zev's got the next sim, on Thursday night. We'll cover week three of spring training and see whom Mack loses next! Stay tuned!

Maui/Walla Walla Trade

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Macario) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 22:47:00 +0000

In the hopes of making spring training more interesting, the Maui Mashers and the Walla Walla Federal Duck have agreed to a trade. Maui sends 2B Francis Armendariz and its 3rd round pick in next year's amateur draft to Walla Walla in exchange for rising prospect SS Justo Munoz.

And there was much rejoicing. *yay*

First Spring Training Sim Done

noreply@blogger.com (Zev) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 19:16:00 +0000

The second week of ST will be done on Tuesday night.

Zev

No Spring Training?

noreply@blogger.com (Nate Wooley) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 12:18:00 +0000

???

Draft Done. Welcome to Spring Training 2014!

noreply@blogger.com (Zev) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 03:33:00 +0000

The amateur draft has been completed. Personally, I'd love to fast-forward five years and see how this wacky draft worked out... but I suppose I'll have to wait just like everyone else.

In the meantime, we are now at Spring Training. I'll be running ST one week at a time, for a total of four ST sims. You can find information on how ST is running at the online game manual.

The first week of ST will be run on Saturday night.

Zev

Round 4 Done. Round 5 Tomorrow Night

noreply@blogger.com (Zev) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 02:30:00 +0000

Let's try to make this a bit easier.

I will proceed to finish the draft tomorrow night if one of the following two things happen:

1. The majority of owners say to finish it.

2. No one sends me a list. :)

If you want to send a list for Round 5, please send it before tomorrow night.

Zev

Round 3 Done

noreply@blogger.com (Zev) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 03:52:00 +0000

Here are the picks:

Round 3, Pick 1 - Maui Mashers: LF I. Overdevest
Round 3, Pick 2 - Cleveland Steamers: CL J. Contreras
Round 3, Pick 3 - Walla Walla Federal Duck: SS S. Bennett
Round 3, Pick 4 - Danville Dans: 3B J. Velázquez
Round 3, Pick 5 - Houston Armadillos: MR L. Young
Round 3, Pick 6 - Los Angeles Scorpions: 2B R. Martínez
Round 3, Pick 7 - Hickory Huskers: CL A. Alvarado
Round 3, Pick 8 - Saskatoon Amigos: C F. Johnson
Round 3, Pick 9 - Brooklyn Wolves: C R. Rivera
Round 3, Pick 10 - River Cities Sternwheelers: MR G. Gonzáles
Round 3, Pick 11 - New York Gothams: SS M. Rivera
Round 3, Pick 12 - Seattle Monarchs: SP C. Reed

Round 4 will be Sunday evening.

If the majority of owners are willing, I can just have the computer do the rest of the draft. If you would prefer that option, just let me know in the comments.

Zev

Hickory Shopping RF Maclin

noreply@blogger.com (Frank) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 17:06:00 +0000

After being rebuffed in efforts to deal solid but unspectacular outfielders Alva Mendonca and Lonnie Machen, Hickory has begun quietly shopping outfielder Lowell Maclin, sources indicate. The left-handed Maclin, 30, had his best season in 2013, hitting .355, with an on base percentage of .429 (good for fourth and eight in the league, respectively), and a slugging percentage of .456.

When questioned regarding whether trade rumors might affect Maclin's performance if he remains in Hickory, Husker GM Frank Ferrara replied, "We don't expect that they will. Lowell is a consummate professional and understands the reality of the modern game. Also, as a purely imaginary construct built of electrons and named by a random generator, he does not tend toward strong emotional responses to stress."

Interested parties are encouraged to contact the Hickory front office at ferrarafc@comcast.net before the conclusion of the ongoing amateur draft.

Maui/Los Angeles Trade

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Macario) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:37:00 +0000

In the first non-blockbuster of the offseason, Los Angeles sends 1B/LF John Hodge to Maui in exchange for AA LF Steve Keo.

Round 2 complete

noreply@blogger.com (Zev) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:58:00 +0000

Round 3 will be done on Saturday night.

Zev

First Round done

noreply@blogger.com (Zev) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 15:19:00 +0000

As someone who is privy to all choices, I feel that it's only fair to share this with the rest of the league -- there must be a WIDE divergence of opinions among scouts in the league, as I saw owners select players whom my scout predicted to be career minor leaguers. Likewise, I'm sure some of you are going to look at my selection and say "He picked Heida when X was available?!"

Furthermore, in previous versions of the game, most owners would submit similar (if not identical) draft lists. Yeah, they may switched a guy or two, but there was a high degree of similarity between the lists. In this year's first round, I got vastly different lists from different owners -- no two lists were very similar -- further leading me to believe that the opinions of scouts in this league are not consistent at all. I'm really curious as to who's scout is right (if any)...

First round choices:

Maui: 2B Fransisco Perez
Cleveland: C Bill Miller
Walla Walla: 1B Lindsay Walker
River Cities: 2B Anthony Lysons
Houston: SP Eric Rogers
Los Angeles: 2B Lawrence Richardson
Hickory: CF Mario Lopez
Saskatoon: CF Wayne Frederick
Brooklyn: SP Kenshin Heida
River Cities: C Gabriel Feliciano
New York: 2B Wes Harris
Hickory: MR Forest Powell

Round 2 on Monday night
Round 3 on Thursday night

Zev