Looking for a commish and players for new OOTP 10 (or 9) league

[EWC]

Hi. I co-write a not completely obscure baseball blog called East Windup Chronicle, which is mostly about baseball in and of Asia. I live in South Korea, and am also a part time scout for the Chicago Cubs here. I've been playing baseball simulation games most of my life, and started playing OOTP (the best) in 2006.
Up until now I've always played by myself, but I want to try an online league. I have an idea for a league, which kind of tags to what I do here with scouting and the blog, but since I don't have any experience in online leagues, I don't think I should be attempting to take on the role of commish. Also, due to scouting, blog and erratic schedule I think I'm too busy to do the job properly.
What I'd like to do is begin with the current MLB rosters, then sim four years into the future and add an Asian division with two teams in Japan, one in Korea and one in Taiwan. I actually think this is more or less the way MLB expansion into Asia will eventually happen. Down the road, I'd like to add teams in Mexico and Latin America. Obviously this would be a mix of both real and fictional players.
I want to find someone with experience in commishing, who will help create a great league, and basically let me have a little input into setting it up I'd like the league to be a little slow paced (so people can savor it) and I'd like to open up applications to readers of my blog (in addition to everyone here, of course). I also think the league should be OOTP 10, but maybe I'm out of line on this. I have 9 as well, so if people really want that I'd be ok with it.
And all that said, I'm flexible. Most importantly, I want it to be a great, long-running league like some of those I see on here... the PEBA really jumps out at me, something that looks good, is well organized, has a blog component that gets people interested etc.

Any takers? Please email me at eastwindupchronicle@gmail.com or reply here.

[kq76]

That sounds extremely cool. I wouldn't have the time to help, but I'll definitely be rooting for you to get it going.

I wonder if you might like to elaborate on your plans like the team names, etc as the discussion might generate even more interest. For example, you mention adding a division, but how would that work? Would one league have 4 divisions and one 3? Or would you do some re-alignment of all the teams? How would the schedule work? What about the playoffs?

[EWC]

I've been playing this same league idea for a little over a year. I added the Tokyo Stars and the Taipei 101s (via expansion draft) into the AL West after two post 2008 seasons, and then added the Osaka Wave and Seoul Fire, splitting all four teams off into their own Asia Division when the two new teams started. So, yeah, in my world the AL now has four divisions. I could see it happening a little like that in reality.

As people know, the game comes equipped with a pretty good expansion system, and I haven't had any major scheduling problems. Adding four expansion teams within three years doesn't seem terribly likely. But, maybe four over 7 or 10 years.

[Corsairs]

Aaron (EWC) was kind enough to say some nice words about the PEBA. Now let me return the favor. I've spent the last hour reading over East Windup Chronicle. What a fantastic blog! Speaking as someone with a great deal of interest in baseball being played outside the States, this is just an amazing treasure trove of info. I've got EWC bookmarked and I wouldn't have known about it had I not been directed to this thread. Pretty neat how OOTP can connect people both within the game and without.

I'll also echo kq76's sentiments; this is a really intrigung idea for a league. We've had more candidates for our ownership vacancy than we can use. I'm going to suggest to those we can't fit in at this time to give this thread a lookover. Hopefully it generates some hits for you. It's definitely a concept worth pursuing.

[kagnew35]

There are currently DB's of Japanese and Korean historical accuracy, so why not just make use of them? Start the new league in say 2000 and utilize these DB's. Use the MLB setup and add a far east componet of 8 Japanese team and 8 from Korea? Is there also a Chinese DB? If so use 8 from Japan, 4 each from Korea and Taiwan.

I have a website set up that can host this and am willing to Commish. We can have 4 4 team divisions and hold division and lg champuionship series.

[argot]

I like this idea. I support it in the BCBL, but if they don't move on it, I may be interested in taking part, depending on set up.

[EWC]

I could be into your idea kagnew. I guess that's basically what I'm talking about. The Asian league could even be a third league, primarily independent, maybe some interleague play vs. MLB teams, but then somehow face off in the playoffs.

I'd also like to see some kind of Champions League tournament in November or March that includes every team.

[kagnew35]

Is there a Taiwanese or Chinese DB or roster set tho, the Korean is only a roster set for 2009, so we'd have to start this year.

[EWC]

I think it's fine to start in 2009. Probably should anyway. I don't know of a CPBL (Taiwan) database, but I wouldn't be opposed to just using fictional Taiwanese and Chinese players, since it's going to get pretty fictional anyway in future drafts.
I think the Asian teams should attempt to stay somewhat true to their home race, since they wouldn't be able to attract fans otherwise. So at least to start, the Korean teams should have mostly Korean players, Japanese teams with Japanese players etc. That'll change in the future, but at least it'll take a while. And we could make a rule that limits too much player movement. or maybe the MLB and Asian leagues should have totally different new player drafts with the Asian teams only drafting Asian players and the MLB draft featuring no Asian players.

I'm also thinking the Asian league should just be one 10 team league with the DH. Maybe four teams in Japan, three in Korea, two in Taiwan and one in China.

[kagnew35]

We have real life players form Japan and Korea, prefer to use them in 2009, ok with fictional for Taiwan and/or China. How bout 8 from Japan, 8 from Korea, and 4 each fictional from Taiwan and China, each as seperate leagues, all to have own draft with some form of posting for all with strict limits. say 2-4 max from each 8 team lg. Maybe use a wild card to make a 4 team playoff set? So would need 54 owners

[EWC]

So, an 8 team Japanese league, 8 team Korean league, and an 8 team China/Taiwan league? I could go for that. Although that's almost as it is now in real life, except we're eliminating 4 Japanese teams.

Maybe for the sake of (some) realism we should scale it down a little to six (or even 8) from Japan, six in Korea, and six in Taiwan/China.

To get around draft problems, we could just make a rule that in a 10 round draft you have to take 9 players from your own territory. Something like that. Then we could set it up as three divisions with mostly interdivisional play (like, 75%), with some league play (20%), and then some interleague play with the MLB clubs (5%).

Not sure if that last part is possible.

[kagnew35]

For as close to as is today, that I like, prefer to play historical as long as possible. In your 1st post, you mentioned playing at a reduced pace to fully enjoy the game, last year I tried to set up a real time league, had lot of interest, filled mlb quickly , but never got a proper roster set, so killed it. If we did that, we could use actual draft Also, do you find many OOTP players in the far east? Drafting in November, we can use real life lists for MLB, Japan and Korea, fictional for the Chinas, Any appeal there?

[EWC]

Well, I don't see the point it using real draft lists or trying to keep things as they are, especially if we're going to use a completely fictional roster set for 1/3 of it. I'm more into what could be possible. What might happen if real expansion into Asia were to happen. Plus I like drafting.

If you killed your last league because you couldn't find a proper roster set I think you might run into that problem again and again so long as you get hung up on trying to keep things too close.

I like the idea of using a player pool of mostly real NPB and KBO players, but then more or less pretending those leagues folded and that this new idea is rising from the ashes.

Are we getting too far from each other's ideas?

[kagnew35]

Well, we can of course have a dispersal draft for the NPB and KBO, cutting number of teams and then just go with all fictional players for all drafts in future leagues. Just thought lot of owners would like to use real players comingv up. Can even do a backstory, with MLB disbanding because of steroids probs and reforming as a smaller league, say 24 teams. 24 teams MLB, 8 Japanese, 8 Korean and 4 each Taiwan and China in 3rd league in Asia.

Do you have many Asian OOTPers? Be nice to have appropriate owners from some of the Asian countries if possible.

[EWC]

I really don't. I thought once things got going I could advertise on my blog, which is read by a lot of Asian baseball fans and people living in Asia, but I'm not sure how many readers play OOTP. Seems like there are a number of Asian baseball fans on this forum as well.

We could use real players coming up. We could use Cubby Fan's roster sets, make it a mix of fictional and real. I thought you meant you wanted the players to be on the teams that drafted them in real life.

I've always liked that kind of post apocalyptic backstory. I'd still argue for fewer Korean teams than Japanese teams, like 8-5-3, just because that's about what the market would demand. And they should cater to their home countries as far as the race of the players on their team. Korean baseball fans aren't going to go watch a team made up of 20% Koreans.

Maybe 24 MLB teams, plus a division of Mexican/Latin American teams?

For me one of the important things is the big WBC style tournament after the season. Maybe even an invitational type thing before the year.

[kagnew35]

How many KBO teams are thee IRL? Agree all players in Asian portion of Universe should come from native country, believe that can be set by country now. If we do the backstory and trim MLB, should we also have an initial draft there too? Must be enough Korean players in the roster set to start with 8 teams there, but you are much more familiar with thec area so will defer to your expertise.

By the way, I have a commercial chat room on my site so if you like, drop in and we can talk hth, much quicker. And Fidel Montoya is my site host. See my sig for site. Duffys tavern is room, no registration necessary, just pick a username and log in.

[kagnew35]

1 am here now, Las Vegas, bed time, domani. chat is open 24/7 and am always logged in but be away from computer for bout next 6 hours.

[EWC]

Why don't we chat via aim/my gmail. That java script is messing with my browser (google chrome).

[kagnew35]

Sorry, had gone to bed when you dropped in, is your java up to date? Come in one more time and I can check it. Up now, so anytime.