WIN AT ALL COSTS! The 2004 Boston Red Sox

[AZTarHeel]

Originally posted by And1pg2
This is the only good team Dynasty i've ever read

Thanks And1pg2... The season has just begun and I'm already feeling the Pressure of the Bambino... hope this continues to be a fun read for folks...

[AZTarHeel]

Martinez gets the ball for opener

The Boston Globe
April 4, 2004

The last time we saw the Red Sox, they were walking off the field at Yankee Stadium dejected over an Aaron Boone home run in the bottom of the 11th of Game 7 of the ALCS.

The 2004 Bo-Sox have said that crushing defeat is behind them. They'll begin another charge at an AL pennant and try to break their long-time string of curses beginning this afternoon at Baltimore. It's the only game on tap -- and the first game of the new season played on U.S. soil.

Pedro Martinez will get the ball for the Sox, hoping to erase memories of a Game 7 he couldn't finish. He had a great spring and is looking to carry that over into the regular season.

"Last year is last year," Martinez said. "All things are new right now. We couldn't be more excited."

Camden Yards is expected to be a sellout. Sidney Ponson will start for the Orioles...

[AZTarHeel]

The Boston Globe • April 5, 2004

Boston blisters Baltimore 11-1

Johnny Damon led off the game with a single, stole second and then came home on a base hit by Bill Mueller.

It was all downhill from there as the Boston Red Sox coasted to an 11-1 win over Baltimore in the season opener for both teams.

A sellout crowd paid to see it at Camden Yards. But only those wearing Red Sox colors had much to cheer about when it was all over.

"We really wanted to come out and make a statement in our first game," Damon said. "This was the perfect script."

David Ortiz hit a home run, and the Sox got offensive contributions from nearly everyone in the lineup. Nomar Garciaparra had three RBIs.

Pedro Martinez showed that last year’s ALCS Game 7 collapse was behind him, going seven strong and only surrendering four hits. A solo homer by the Orioles in the second frame was all the real offense the home team could muster.

Alan Embree and Bronson Arroyo combined for two innings of no-hit ball in relief.

New manager Terry Francona got his first win in a Boston uniform. "It feels good," he said. "But we’re still 160-plus games away from our ultimate goals. This is just the first step of the marathon."

Step two comes tomorrow when the Sox and Orioles collide again…

Johnny Damon scored the first run of the season in the top of the first (photo-mlb.com)

[AZTarHeel]

quick question about posting images -- how do I get them to appear at the top of my post? or somewhere in the middle? is that possible?

[And1pg2]

Damons so scummy lookin i cant stand to see any of his pictures

[Dagrims]

Originally posted by AZTarHeel
quick question about posting images -- how do I get them to appear at the top of my post? or somewhere in the middle? is that possible?

Highlight the image code that's at the end of your post, cut it, and paste it wherever in your message you'd like it to appear (you are using the 'img' button, correct?). Alternatively, if you know where you want your image to go while you're typing the post, you can just insert it and then keep on typing.

Hope that helps.

[AZTarHeel]

Originally posted by Dagrims
Highlight the image code that's at the end of your post, cut it, and paste it wherever in your message you'd like it to appear (you are using the 'img' button, correct?). Alternatively, if you know where you want your image to go while you're typing the post, you can just insert it and then keep on typing.

Hope that helps.

Actually, on the two images above, I posted as an attachment... how do I insert an image using the "IMG" button? Can someone walk me through that -- I'm feeling like my mom trying to work the VCR right now...

[And1pg2]

[1IMG]the link goes here[/IMG] dont put the 1 tho

[AZTarHeel]

OK, I'm a real moron and I'm sure NO ONE thinks I can help lead the Sox to victory now (lol)... But if I'm trying to use a photo from my hard drive and link that using the IMG button, how do I do that?

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Idiots anonymous

[And1pg2]

Yo cant i dont think

[AZTarHeel]

Game 1: Boston 11, Baltimore 1
Highlights: see above

Game 2: Baltimore 8, Boston 7 (14 innings)
Highlights: Keith Foulke blows his first save opportunity for Boston in game two, as the Orioles rally from a 7-4 deficit in the ninth. BJ Surhoff hits a pinch-hit three-run homer -- ouch!... Baltimore's Melvin Mora ends it in the bottom of the 14th, taking Bronson Arroyo's first pitch out of the yard.

Game 3: Boston 6, Baltimore 0
Highlights: David Ortiz hits two HRs (his second and third of the season) and B. Kim gets his first win in an eight-inning, four-hit effort. Scott Williamson pitches 1 1/3 innings of no-hit relief. Very nice.

Game 4: Boston 9, Baltimore 4
Highlights: Boston rallies from a 3-1 deficit with 7 runs over the final three innings. Burks and Mueller both homer. Manny Ramirez drives home three. The Sox swing the bats well...

Next up: The Toronto Blue Jays (3-0)... The Yankees are 4-1 by the way...

[potatoman]

Nice dynasty, glad you got the picture to work!

[AZTarHeel]

HEEEEELLLLLPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My computer froze with the game up and this dynasty loaded... When I try to log on now, it says "Invalid Player File" -- am I screwed???? I can't find a way to work around this...

I've already played nine games out, not too many to start over, but my dynasty already has some history as you can see...

CAN SOMEONE SAVE ME!!!????!!! The curse of the Bill Gates-bino?

[InRepair]

Tarheel,

How did you get that awesome Bo-Sox/Orioles pic? If you made it, how and with what program?

Sorry I can't help you with your technical problems...

[AZTarHeel]

I just used the logos I have in my game, that I downloaded from OOTPDownloadcenter... then I used Adobe Photoshop Elements to merge the two logos together and add text... I saved it in an images folder as part of a personal web site...

[AZTarHeel]

Bud Selig sits in front of scores of reporters and photographers, looking like another extra innings All-Star game is going to end in a tie.

He twitches and spasms with each flash pop as if the beams of light are darts aimed at his skin. Finally, he throws up his arms in disgust.

"I thought I'd seen everything during my time as the commissioner -- work stoppages, steriod use and rumors of steroid use, contraction, even stalemates in an All-Star game. But I never thought I'd see a day like this -- a day where Invalid Player Files threaten to ruin the league.

"This is a sad day for Major League Baseball indeed..."

Then, reporters start firing questions at him:

"Who are the invalid players?"

"Why are they invalid?"

"Does this have anything to do with BALCO?"

"Has the A-Rod trade been nulified?"

"Do you suspect terrorism?

"Is there a way you can help me make some cool logos using Photoshop?"

"What's up with Johnny Damons' scruffy look this year?"

And then a little-known reporter from a small town paper in Arizona delivers the knock-out punch:

"And just why, Mr. Commissioner, did you not BACK UP YOUR SEASON FILES???!!!???"

Selig's head hits the table like a brick and he weeps quietly... This season is history...

[Matt Uk]

Nice read Aztarheel.

As to the technical problem, I'm assuming OOTP5 won't load each time saying invalid player file? Have you tried renaming your league file to something else, this will at least allow ootp5 to load up. Then try and load your league and see if you get the same problem (I fear you might). Did you do anything different before saving the file or have you changed anything around??

[AZTarHeel]

Originally posted by Matt Uk
Nice read Aztarheel.

As to the technical problem, I'm assuming OOTP5 won't load each time saying invalid player file? Have you tried renaming your league file to something else, this will at least allow ootp5 to load up. Then try and load your league and see if you get the same problem (I fear you might). Did you do anything different before saving the file or have you changed anything around??

Hey Matt - my computer froze up on something else I was working on, and the OOTP5 file was open at the time... I had to restart, and since then it has never let me get back into that particular file...

I tried creating a new league, and then opening the BostonRedSox file from within the game, same result... I also tried "Restore backup" and pointed it to this Boston file, same result -- Invalid Player File... Maybe I'll rename the league folder and see what happens...

I fear there is nothing I can do...

Should I start over? Edit my previous posts to reflect the different outcomes of the early games? Leave this storyline alone, considering it cursed? Or just declare the Milwaukee Brewers, as per Bud Selig's request, the undisputed 2004 World Champions?

Seriously, anybody have any thoughts? I love this idea for a dynasty and loved how it started... I reloaded the rosters last night and began the process of starting over, but it didn't have the same feel if that makes any sense... The owner for Boston wasn't a horror this time, which I loved about the first try... Anyway to edit that part?

Thanks for anyone's input -- this is the fun part of doing a dynasty, when others chime in and it becomes a community story....

AZ

[Matt Uk]

Hi Az,

I know what you mean about starting over, somehow it's just not the same. I would think if the player file is still invalid then it's not going to load (though don't take that as read, I am far from certain on that - a post in the technical questions area might help with that) Normally the player file is ok, as if you have a crash, the game saves often so loads up previous save, all you tend to lose is anything you were doing at that moment. I wonder though, whether the game was saving at the moment it crashed, hence the invalid file? Hopefully you can find some work around via the tech help.
As to the dynasty, it's a tough one, you've put such a lot into this in terms of background etc, that it would be a shame to lose that. Maybe you can just restart from the beginning of the season (maybe with breaking news that the Yankees have been contracted ) rather than start from scratch?

[AZTarHeel]

This is the verdict from a search of the tech-support forum in the case of Invalid Player File caused by a computer crash...

And I quote: "UNLESS you had a BACKUP of the league there is nothing that can be done."