How about a different way to play.....

[GBS]

I was thinking about how this game would work if i saw myself as an owner / GM. In that view, I am a business man and see my ownership of my team as a investment that I would like to maximise a return on. Factors playing into this would be not only how the team performs on the field but how I manage all the business aspects of the team especially player and staff salaries. At season end how my team finished will be important of course, but as owner i would view the success of the team by total profits. If my Tigers win the series but lose several million $, I might not view that as a good season compared to the Yankees that finished .500 but showed a $50MM profit. See what I mean? I know the owner is usually the bad rich guy, but OOTP is getting so realistic I was just thinking that this might be in fact the most realistic way to play. Any thoughts?

[BruceM]

I like OOTP the way it is.

I like being a GM/Manager of a baseball team.

I have no interest whatsoever in being a business manager and having to worry about profit/loss and all the other things that go with it.


If OOTP ever incorporates something like this I pray it's an option that can be disabled with one click.

[DesertFox07]

If all you want is to manage profit vs. loss, this is probably not the right game. That sounds more like Buisiness Manager 2007 than Baseball Manager. Maybe Markus can create a second spin-off, Own the Park Baseball where you buy a franchise and run it like a business.

[JHruska]

Originally Posted by BruceM

I like OOTP the way it is.

I like being a GM/Manager of a baseball team.

I have no interest whatsoever in being a business manager and having to worry about profit/loss and all the other things that go with it.


If OOTP ever incorporates something like this I pray it's an option that can be disabled with one click.

"!

[battists]

I think this is very unlikely. In fact, last year, Markus and crew went out of their way to say that they wanted to minimize this aspect of the game, taking out promotional days, ticket price editing, and so forth.

OK, so ticket editing is back, but that's only to appease the screaming hordes.

[Curtis]

Too bad. I'm with GBS. As it is, I always keep one eye on the bottom line as the GM. I figure that if I spend the team into the red, I should be fired and have to start over with another team… if one will hire me.

Owner/GMs weren't common historically — Cornelius MacGillicuddy being the extremely notable exception — unlike manager/GMs, who used to grow on trees. Desert Fox probably has the best idea with a spin-off, but I'd rather not see Marcus waste his time on that one when Inside the Park is still waiting.

Patiently.

[BballDoc]

Sounds more like Baseball Mogul than OOTP.

[sfeldkamp]

I think profit/loss is a reasonable thing to track, if for no other reason than that it should be one of the goals the owner gives the general manager.

Goal 1: Win the division.
Goal 2: Break even doing it.

I don't want to play as the owner, but i do want the realities of baseball as an investment / business to be part of my play as the general manager.

[battists]

Originally Posted by sfeldkamp

I think profit/loss is a reasonable thing to track, if for no other reason than that it should be one of the goals the owner gives the general manager.

Goal 1: Win the division.
Goal 2: Break even doing it.

I don't want to play as the owner, but i do want the realities of baseball as an investment / business to be part of my play as the general manager.

I respectfully disagree with this. It's my understanding that a general manager would be responsible for bringing the team in under the budget allocated, and that's exactly what's provided to you in OOTP.

I don't think general managers are responsible for overall profit/loss. For example, the general manager isn't responsible for ticket sales, or merchandising, or expenses other than payroll, right?

[Raidergoo]

I see what you are saying.

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/team/...e.jsp?c_id=cin

Robert H. Castellini President and Chief Executive Officer
W. Joseph Williams Jr. Chairman
Thomas L. Williams Vice Chairman and Treasurer

John L. Allen Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Wayne A. Krivsky Executive Vice President and General Manager

I want Wayne's job, not John's job. John Allen's job, boiled to the essentials, is to limit Wayne Krivsky based on what Castellini and the Williams Bros. want in P+L for the season.

[DesertFox07]

Ditto, I want Brian's job.

Question though:
Brian R. Sabean Senior Vice President and General Manager
Dick Tidrow Vice President, Player Personnel
Felipe Alou Special Assistant to the General Manager
Ron Perranoski Special Assistant to the General Manager

Aren't Felipe and Ron technically Assistant General Managers? I've heard somewhere they're the same thing. :P

[Kelric]

Usually when I play my leagues I've always kept an eye on the bottom line and coming in as close as I can to my projected payroll unless we're awash in extra cash and I feel like we can compete - then I'm willing to add payroll for a couple of years just like some real teams do. I think keeping your team in the black over all (though not necessarily every year) is a good part of the game. I don't want OOTP to be Business Manager, but loose financial guidelines to follow are useful IMO.

[GBS]

I understand what you all are saying, afterall this is a BASEBALL game. I don't know why we even have a financial page if it doesn't mean squat. What challenge is it to lose millions of dollars by buying up all the free agents to dominate the game. I guess I could be missing something. We all know that in real life Milwaukee and others can't compete with the Yankees for free agents. $$.

[JHruska]

Originally Posted by GBS

I understand what you all are saying, afterall this is a BASEBALL game. I don't know why we even have a financial page if it doesn't mean squat. What challenge is it to lose millions of dollars by buying up all the free agents to dominate the game. I guess I could be missing something. We all know that in real life Milwaukee and others can't compete with the Yankees for free agents. $$.

The financial page is there because your owner gives you a budget you must stay within, just like IRL. That's good enough for me.

[battists]

Originally Posted by JHruska

The financial page is there because your owner gives you a budget you must stay within, just like IRL. That's good enough for me.

You shouldn't be able to squander millions unless your owner happens to let you. And if you spend lots of money, and don't make the playoffs, you will often get your butt fired.

I certainly wouldn't say that the front office means "squat." It's very important information for the GM, and interesting to boot, even if you don't have direct control over, say, your merchandising revenue.

[BruceM]

Originally Posted by GBS

I don't know why we even have a financial page if it doesn't mean squat.

It means plenty. It gives you, the GM, the financial information you require to do your job.

It doesn't give you the entire financial and business plan, including profit/loss margins, of the owner because you don't need that information to do your job as GM.

[GBS]

OK guys. Thanks. Looking forward to the game.

[84Hammy]

GBS, what is stopping you from doing this anyway? It would be easy, just don't set a cash max. or salary cap. Build your team and your business empire and try to win doing it.