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December 17, 2004
Voting booth results posted
DAYTON, OH. - The first SPB-Now
voting booth result have been posted on the website. Click
on Voting booth link, then on the right side will be the link to
the results. The center aisle contains archived voting
results for all SPB-Leagues.
December 12, 2004
Team name change
DAYTON, OH. - Greg Stillwagon
has officially changed his team name from the Kansas City Monarchs
to the Bay City Rollers. All of his SPB-Now references now
carry the updated/new team name.
December 12, 2004
Further Clarification on X-Player scenarios
DAYTON, OH. - Click HERE
for a league update by Commissioner Jim Wheeler. It gives
some excellent examples of X-Player scenarios, and how it may
affect your players and phase-2 draft
strategies.
December 1, 2004
SPB-Now league Update
STROUDSBURG, PA. - Here's hoping that everyone had a safe and pleasant Thanksgiving holiday. Only a few more weeks until the release of the DMB 2004 season disk, which means our SPB season is right around the corner. We are still on schedule to have our first "rookie" draft on Saturday January 15, 2005 beginning at 11 AM Eastern Standard Time. Everyone is invited to attend in person at my place in the Pocono Mountains or if that is not possible, participate live in the SPB Chat Room or else submit a list in advance of the draft. My intention now is to complete the rookie draft in one day and I am told to estimate the length of the draft to be about eight (8) rounds. Currently John Turnbull and Craig Korol are planning to attend in person and we are planning to also visit the Hall of Fame on Sunday. Upon completion of the rookie draft, the Phase II draft will immediately begin via E-mail. More on this later below.
A couple of business needs to take care of. First, it is the responsibility of each manager, with the exception of the league stat, to purchase their own copy of the 2004 DMB season disk. If you have not purchased the disk yet, you can do so by either calling DUMB or visiting their web site which is
http://www.diamond-mind.com/. Shortly before the rookie draft begins I will check with
DMB to make sure that everyone has become a registered owner of the season disk.
Next, league dues are $3.00. If you have not sent in your dues yet, please due so prior to January 15, 2005. Your dues are used to keep the
SPB web site operating and to provide the league stat with an official DMB season disk. At SPB we recognize the hard work the the stats perform by waiving their league dues and the purchase of the their season disk is made by the league. Please note that both your dues and ownership of the season disk are due by the date of the rookie draft, January 15, 2005. If this represent any particular hardship, please let me know so that other arrangements may be made. Send your dues to myself at 833 Blue Mountain Lake, East Stroudsburg, PA 18301.
A few questions have come up about X players such as Carl Pavano. Remember, it is on which roster the player ends the season that determines his X player status and the X teams are Florida, Tampa Bay, Arizona, and Colorado. In the example of
Pavano, he finished the 2004 season on the roster of the Marlins which qualifies him as an X player. Should he sign with a non-X team (and finish the 2005 season on the roster of a non-X team), he will be eligible to be drafted in the 2005 rookie draft which will be held in January 2006. Regardless of where he signs, he will not be eligible for our next rookie draft on January 15, 2005.
Also, a reminder on obtaining a current X player in trade. The manager owing any X player on his roster assumes the liability of protecting that player in the Phase II draft. The cost of protecting an X player in Phase II is giving up 2 protected roster spots. For example, on my team I have X player Julio Lugo and for Phase II, I am allowed to protect 19 players on my roster. Should I elect to keep Lugo on my roster, I may do so but only by reducing the number of Phase II protected players from 19 to 17. Thus far, I believe that the only X player traded to another team is Jeromy Burnitz (John correct me on this if I am wrong).
For the newer managers now on board, lets review the SPB draft formats. All SPB leagues feature two (2) very distinctly different draft formats. The first draft Phase I or the "rookie draft" consists of all players who are determined to be rookie eligible for drafting in a particular season. You can read more about the eligibility requirements in the League Constitution. In SPB NOW, rookies would be the new rookies joining the Major Leagues along with any X players who have signed with a non-X team such as Schilling, Derek Lee, Ronnie
Belliard, etc.
Phase II is that portion of the draft where typically veteran players are drafted with the draft order based upon reverse order of finish plus any permanent overuse penalties applied. Phase II is where SPB differs from most leagues! Here each manger picks three (3) players consecutively rather than round by round. You can see what an impact this has at filling crucial immediate roster needs! Also, while each team gets only three (3) players, no team in the league can loose more than five (5) players from their roster. The number of players a team may protect from being drafted depends on a couple of factors. First, there overall record in the previous season based upon worst to best. Next, the application of any overuse penalties. So you can see where protecting an X player at the cost of 2 protected roster spots is something not to be considered lightly.
For the upcoming season, the overuse penalties have been tightened up. Please review them in the League Constitution and plan your draft needs accordingly.
let me know if you have any questions.
Jim
November 25, 2004
SPB-Now voting booth open
DAYTON, OH. - Belated as it may
be, the first ever SPB-Now voting booth is now open on the
website. It is a civic duty for all managers to participate
in the voting process as per the SPB constitution.
Commissioner Jim Wheeler will announce a deadline shortly.
All current managers are allowed to vote, even the new ones that
did not participate in the league last season.
November 5, 2004
Team name change
DAYTON, OH. - Rick Ryan has
changed his team name from the Rossville Rockets to the Speedway
Sparkplugs.
October 27, 2004
SPB-Now League Stats database now open
DAYTON, OH. - Thanks to the
efforts of Lynn Miller, the SPB-Now League stats database is now
open. This will be a running tally of all major SPB-Now
stats. It is located in the left under SPB-Now
Links.
October 24, 2004
Stadium Change
STROUDSBURG, PA. - The Waldo Peppers (Rich Applegate) will be moving from Olympic Stadium
(MON) to Kauffman Stadium (KC).
Open parks are now: Metrodome and Olympic Stadium
October 22, 2004
Inaugural World Series Champion crowned
DAYTON, OH. - Congratulations
to John Cusack and his Palos Hills Pit Vipers, for taking the
first ever SPB-Now crown. A hearty round of applause also goes out
to Chris Williams for taking yet another SPB team to the
finals. The complete boxscores, write-ups and stats are
posted on the left.
October 17, 2004
More ballparks claimings
STROUDSBURG, PA. - The following changes in ball parks have been made.
Altanta Colt45's (Pearson) from Metrodome (MIN) to Citizens Bank Park (PHI).
Watertown Arrows (Henning) from Kauffman Stadium (KC) to
Camden Yards (BAL).
Parks now open for bidding are Metrodome (MIN) and Kauffman Stadium (KC).
If 2 teams claim the same park, ties will be broken in reverse order of last seasons finish.
October 14, 2004
X-Player clarification and drafts
STROUDSBURG, PA. - Hopefully to clear up confusion over X players and the Phase II draft understand the following. Any X player who is left unprotected in the Phase II draft will be considered ineligible for further league play and will be removed from that teams roster. Unprotected X players are also ineligible from being selected by another team in the Phase II draft. An X player may return into the league as a "rookie" if he leaves the roster of an expansion team (Arizona, Tampa Bay, Florida, and Colorado) and finishes a season on the roster of a non-expansion team.
For example, on my team (Pocono Pumas) I plan to leave Danys Baez unprotected. If this occurs, Baez is no longer allowed to play in the league until he returns to the roster of a non-expansion team. So lets further say that Baez signs this off-season with the Yankees and does so after our drafts have concluded. He would no longer be a member of my team, so he would enter next year's rookie draft subject to be selected by anyone.
Use great care in making trades where you acquire any X player.
October 14, 2004
Pre-draft trade clarification
STROUDSBURG, PA. - Managers,
For a deal to be official, both parties must report the trade in writing (e-mail) to the league office. Thus far I have received word of one trade, however I am holding off announcing the trade until I am sure that the managers understand the consequences.
Understand that any team that acquires an X Player, which is a player who has ended the season on the roster of Arizona, Tampa Bay, Florida, or Colorado, also assumes any liability associated with protecting that player on his roster
For example, lets say that I trade Julio Lugo to Rich Applegate. Since Lugo is an X player, Rich may keep Lugo amongst his teams 18 Phase II protected players. However, if Rich elects to keep Lugo, he can only protect 16 players, one of which must be Lugo. Only X players cost you protected spots on your roster for Phase II. Remember this is done to act as a counter balance to the influx of veteran players coming into the league from the X teams, a la Schilling and Rodriguez. So in essence, keeping an X player is certainly allowable but at the same time the added cost acts to prevent a manager from keeping an X player. SPB NOW is not a super star/all star type of league and this unique part of our draft process acts to keep the playing talent realistic to the number of teams in the league. With SPB NOW you get to use them all, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
October 14, 2004
Dispersal draft complete, Draft order released
DAYTON, OH. - A hearty thanks
to everyone for making the Seattle-Toronto dispersal draft go so
smoothly. The results will stay on the page to the
left. A link has been added to reflect the current draft
order including all trades.
October 10, 2004
World Series now set
DAYTON, OH. - Congratulations
to Chris Williams' Bowling Green Buskers, and John Cusack's Palos
Hills Pit Vipers for advancing to the inaugural SPB-Now World
Series. The ALCS and NLCS box scores and scoresheets are
posted on the left. Good luck to both in the finals!
October 9, 2004
Ballpark changes
STROUDSBURG, PA. - The following changes in ball parks have been made and John, please note them on the web page and manager listings.
Burns Flat Bombers (Whetstone) from Veterans Stadium (PHI) to Safeco Field (SEA).
Michigan Tigers (Durfee) from Camden Yards (BAL) to Skydome
(TOR).
Parks now open for bidding are Citizens Bank Park (PHI) and Camden Yards (BAL).
If 2 teams claim the same park, ties will be broken in reverse order of last seasons finish. Bidding for these parks will last until Friday October 22, 2004 at 11 PM EST.
October 8, 2004
New manager in the fold to fill last opening
STROUDSBURG, PA. - Please join me in welcoming
Ricardo Lois to SPB NOW. Ricardo will be immediately taking over the reins of the
Kenosha Eagles and will also be participating in the current dispersal draft. Ricardo can be reached at
rlois@att.net.
Ricardo's new team name will be the San Juan Stars.
October 4, 2004
Seattle/Toronto dispersal draft now started
DAYTON, OH. - The Dodge City
Marshalls, and new manager Craig Korol makes a tough decision and
takes Ichiro Suzuki to kick off the player dispersal draft.
Click on SEA/TOR Draft results on left in Draft central box to
keep track of who is taken.
October 4, 2004
Ballpark claiming
STROUDSBURG, PA. - Claims for the Safeco Field and
Skydome will end on Friday October 8, 2004 at 11 :00 PM EST. Thus far I have received the following claims.
SKYDOME-Tigers (Durfee)
SAFECO-Bombers (Whetstone), Pitvipers (Cusack)
Claims for the same ball park will be broken based upon reverse order of finish. Since the addition of these 2 parks will set off a chain event of park availability, we will accept claims for the newly available park in this same manner. When a new
park(s) is available, I will announce it to the league and allow 2 weeks for bidding. This pattern will continue up till the rookie draft date at which time all parks will become frozen.
September 29, 2004
2003 Player overuse/underuse info
STROUDSBURG, PA.. - Click
HERE
for the total overusage and underusage of all SPB-Now teams.
Teams that have new managers are exempt from overuse or underuse
penalties.
September 27, 2004
Information on trading
STROUDSBURG, PA.. - Trading will be allowed to officially begin upon the conclusion of the Seattle/Toronto player dispersal draft. However, no trading of picks will be allowed for the dispersal draft.
There will be no restrictions upon trading of players or draft choices aside from those already in place in the league constitution. Remember, to be an official trade, both parties must report the trade to the league office. Let me know if you have any questions.
Also upon conclusion of the dispersal draft, I will be releasing the draft order for January's rookie draft.
A league
update was issued by Commissioner Jim Wheeler.
September 26, 2004
New Managers join SPB-Now
DAYTON, OH. - With the end of
the inaugural season officially over, it is time to announce the
new managers that will be joining us starting with the 2005
season.
Taking over the New York Knights
will be Steve MacPherson, who has renamed his team the Oneida
Silver Sox.
The Lethbridge Merlins have
been taken over by Colby Whetstone, renaming his team the Burns
Flat Bombers
The Louisville Centourions
are now skippered by Craig Korol, who will name his team
the Dodge City Marshalls.
Last but now least, the Brookline
Stars have just today been taken over by Don Swearingen.
Don has named his team the Carolina Crush.
The new manager's Bios will be
posted to the website. The Kenosha Eagles are still
available, so if you know of anyone who wants to join, please let
myself or Jim know.
September 26, 2004
Final Stats and Power Rankings posted
DAYTON, OH. - Runaway champs of National East are the Palos Hills Pit Vipers by 12 lengths over the KC Monarchs.......Congrats to John
Cusack!
Near runaway champs of National West are the Atlanta Colt 45s by 8 games over the Latrobe 33s and Honolulu Sharks.......Congrats to Richard Pearson!
American League East thriller champs are the Rip City Highlanders as they squeak out a one game margin for their divisional championship over the New York Knights...........Marc Hollingsworth comes out on top with Mike See breathing down his neck.......Congrats to both for a well fought season!
American League West thriller champs are the Bowling Green Buskers as they too squeak out a one game divisional championship over the Louisville Centurions........Chris Williams comes out champion with Steve Lasley right on his tail.......Congrats to both for a well fought season!
The Playoffs page will be setup soon.
September 2, 2004
League news
E. STROUDSBURG, PA. - As we enter the final month of our inaugural season, there are some important dates ahead. First, the distribution draft for players ending the season on the rosters of Seattle and Toronto will begin on
Sunday October 10, 2004 at 12 noon EST. This draft will be done exclusively via e-mail and in similar fashion to the original player draft. Each team will be assigned a reasonable time slot in which to make his pick and be passed over if a pick is not received in the scheduled time frame. I am asking John Turnbull to put this schedule together Also, John has posted the draft order on the web page.
It is important to understand that ONLY those players ENDING the season on the roster of Seattle and Toronto and who ARE NOT rookies will be eligible for selection. Players who began the season with Seattle or Toronto but have since been traded to an existing MLB team will be drafted in the Rookie Draft. Also any true rookie, by definition of an SPB rookie criteria, will be eligible for draft only in the Rookie Draft. Finally, players, who were already owned by an SPB NOW team, that end the season on the roster of Seattle or Toronto will be retained by those teams at no penalty to them.
The actual Rookie Draft is tentatively scheduled for Saturday January, 15, 2005 and I will be hosting the draft here at my home in Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. All are welcome to attend if possible and for those who enjoy the snow, this will be a perfect spot for you. As a side note, Cooperstown is only 3 hours away and would make a great side visit for those who may be interested. More draft details will be released as we get closer to that date.
Next, as we enter the final month of the season, please pay attention to the manager profiles that you receive from your opponents. Many managers are trying to prevent over use of players and have specific lineups and rotations to be used. As long as the constitutional guidelines for manager profiles are followed, there is no justification for using the incorrect manager profile. Also worth noting is that I notice many managers are now sending one manager profile but in their accompanying e-mail list different starting pitching rotations for each series. Make sure you get it right!
And last but not least, we have a new manager one board who will be taking over the New York Knights at the conclusion of the season. He is Steve McPherson and can be reached at
stemac@dreamscape.com
If you have any questions, let me know.
August 3, 2004
Stadium Issues
EAST STROUDSBURG PA. - Since the Seattle and Toronto teams will be coming into the league this Fall, so too will be their ballparks. We will have a random draw for those teams that are interested in switching to one of these parks. I will call for teams interested prior to the Seattle-Toronto dispersal draft. However, you can still let me know if you are interested in drawing for one of these parks. Also worth noting, that the owners of the Philadelphia and San Diego parks will retain the new parks that opened this season.
April 7, 2004
Inaugural Season has begun!
DAYTON, OH. - After a marathon
draft, and a new system to learn, the first pitch of the SPB-Now
season has been thrown. Commissioner Wheeler was in Pocono
PA to throw ceremonial first pitch for the Puma franchise.
Click on the following links for opening day boxscores!
Ritchie County Royals @ Latrobe
33's
Rip City Highlanders @ Atlanta Colt45s
Troy Haymakers
@ Dayton Dynamo
Colorado Grizzlies @ Kenosha Eagles
Watertown Arrows
@ Lafayette Lions
Brooklyn Giants @ Jersey Mob
Houma DevilDogs @ Waldo
Peppers
New York Knights
@ Palos Hills Pit Vipers
Louisiville Colonels @ Pocono
Pumas
Bowling Green Buskers @ Rossville Rockets
Louisville Centurions @ Honolulu Sharks
March 7, 2004
New Manager on board
EAST STROUDSBURG PA. - It is my
pleasure to welcome Harry Conover into the SPB family, who
will be taking the reigns for the departed Mike Boling.
Harry will name his team the Windsor Barons. All manager
information has been updated and he can be reached at:
harryconover@hotmail.com.
February 7, 2004
League start date and draft modification
EAST STROUDSBURG PA. - Last week I asked for your opinions on when to begin the first SPB Now season as well as your advice on whether we should wait for DMB to release V.9. Based upon the responses I received back, the season will begin on 4/1/04 and hopefully with the V.9 release from DMB. While I have no information on the exact release date from DMB, I do know that they are working very hard to get V.9 ready for a Spring release. In any event, once we begin the season, I think we may have to stick with what ever version we began with but time will tell on that one.
Next, many of you have expressed concern over protecting a veteran player and thereby losing a draft pick. To compensate for this, the rule will be modified accordingly:
"For each draft choice(s) involving draft picks 1,2, and 3 which have been forfeited to protect a player who has gone to a "lost team", that team may add 1 player to their protected list in preparation for the Phase II draft. No more than three (3) players may be added to a teams protected player list. There will be no compensation for lost draft picks in Rounds 4 or higher (Round 5, Round 6, Round 7, etc)".
As an example using my current team, let's assume that I finish the upcoming season at 81-81. which would allow me to protect 19 players. Prior to the 2005 Rookie Draft, I opt to keep Roberto Alomar and Dennys Baez at the cost of my 1st and 2nd round draft picks. I allow any other players who have gone to a "lost team" to be released from the league. As compensation, I would be able to add two players to my Phase II protected list, increasing the number of protected players on my roster to 21 players (19+2)=21.
As you can see from the list that B.J. Porter released earlier this week, at this point in the season, there are far more valuable players entering the league than there are leaving. But again, remember it is not where the player is now, but where he ends up the season that dictates if he is a "lost player".
Finally, not much has been happening in the trade market. A quick review of team resources show that some teams are borderline in pitching games started. Please review the league constitution for player limits and more importantly, overuse penalties. Does your team have enough resources to get through a season?
January 10, 2004
Trade restrictions relaxed
EAST STROUDSBURG PA. - Effective immediately, there will be a minor
modification of the restrictions placed upon the trading of draft choices. While the trading season is open, Fourth (4) or higher draft picks for the next rookie draft may now be traded with no
restrictions, (IE: 4th, 5th, 6th round etc.)
There is no change on the restrictions placed upon trading draft choices lower than a
fourth round pick. Here are the restrictions on trading draft picks One (1) through Three (3) :
1. Draft choices may only be traded from the time period between the conclusion of the World Series and the conclusion of the next upcoming rookie draft.
2. Future draft picks, for those drafts beyond the next upcoming rookie draft may not be traded.
3. Upon the conclusion of the World Series, any manger who owns a player who has been traded to one of the six (6) non-existent teams, must decide whether to keep this player at the cost of his first available draft choice, or release the player from the league.
4. During the off season ( between the conclusion of the World Series and the conclusion of the rookie draft), once a player is traded or signs with a non-existent team, the manager owning this player has 24 hours in which to decide whether to keep the player or forfeit his first available draft pick.
December 20, 2003
Super Rookie Draft begins
EAST STROUDSBURG PA. - Now that the rookie draft has concluded, this is a good time to regroup
before we move into the "trading season". FYI, those 8 or 9 rookies who
were not drafted, will go into the 2005 rookie draft if eligible. As for
trading, "Caveat emptor' Let the buyer beware! There will be no restrictions on players that may be traded aside from the prohibition on
trading draft choices for the 2005 rookie draft. Remember, it is not which
of the eligible teams a player is currently on that now matters. It is
where he ends up at the conclusion of the 2004 World series that determines
his further league eligibility or protecting him at the cost of a draft
choice.
I realize that there has been some concern over this concept. However,
until we have actually played a season or perhaps two, I am not yet ready to
modify any of the rules that we have in place. I reviewing the teams, I see
no real problems with player usage. You will have to use bad hitters and
pitchers, just as the actual Major Leagues used in 2003 and that is the way
it should be. The DMB game engine functions much more efficiently by having
a representative mixture of good and bad players in the league. I think this
is one difference between SPB Now and other current leagues of 24 teams. In
the other leagues, where 24 teams are staffed using all 30 ML teams, most of
the weaker players are never even drafted, let alone used.
Some teams may still have to make trades to make sure that they are
sufficiently covered. Please take advantage of the web page or use league
wide e-mails to make your needs known. I for one have many more outfielders
than I need and could use a little more help at shortstop.
Finally, I ask each of you, especially the managers new to SPB, to review
the league rules regarding player usage. If you have any question regarding
usage, let me know.
And one last thing, please copy both myself and Richard Pearson on any
trades that are made. Let the trading begin!!
Jim
December 20, 2003
Super Rookie Draft begins
DAYTON, OH - Thanks to everyone
for an extremely smooth player draft. Picking hundreds of players
via email is never easy. Thanks to Mike See and Marc
Hollingsworth for helping me keeping the draft flowing
smoothly. The Super Rookie draft has begun, and will
conclude our player dispersal for this season.
December 7, 2003
League Update
DAYTON, OH - Click HERE
for the latest league update from Commissioner Jim
Wheeler.
November 7, 2003
Constitution addendums
DAYTON, OH - As you know, SPB Now is going to be a different type of mail league. Due to the nature the draft choice and their relationship to players who may be traded to or sign with one of the 6 non-existent teams, a certain amount of safeguards need to be put in place to prevent a manager from trading draft choices simply in order to keep a premier player at a minimal cost.
For example, Barry Bonds signs with the Rockies. We have said that the manager owning Bonds may elect to either keep Bonds at the cost of his first available draft choice, or loose him without any compensation. Realizing this, a manger could trade several of his top draft choices and keep Bonds at the cost of a very low draft choice. Clearly, this is not what the spirit of the league is built upon. And while this situation may never actually occur, the league is better off to address this situation in writing now, then later. Accordingly, I am asking John Turnbull to add the following points to the SPB Now Constitution.
1. Draft choices may only be traded from the time period between the conclusion of the World Series and the conclusion of the next upcoming rookie draft.
2. Future draft picks, for those drafts beyond the next upcoming rookie draft may not be traded.
3. Upon the conclusion of the World Series, any manger who owns a player who has been traded to one of the six (6) non-existent teams, must decide whether to keep this player at the cost of his first available draft choice, or release the player from the league.
4. During the off season ( between the conclusion of the World Series and the conclusion of the rookie draft), once a player is traded or signs with a non-existent team, the manager owning this player has 24 hours in which to decide whether to keep the player or forfeit his first available draft pick.
October 18, 2003
SPB-Now draft now underway!
DAYTON, OH - Manager Chris
Williams selects Alex Rodriguez as the first overall pick in the
2003 inaugural SPB-Now draft.
September 27, 2003
New Manager announced.
STROUDSBURG, PA - Please welcome
Steve Lasley as a member of the league. Steve will be taking over for the departed Mark Fisher and will call his team the Louisville Centurions. Steve has an extensive back round in mail leagues and is highly recommended by Mike See and Dave Lauer. To learn more about Steve and all of the other SPB Managers, please check the SPB web site.
Also as a reminder, while the initial player draft is in progress, there will be no trading allowed. Trades will be announced upon the conclusion of the draft.
September 20, 2003
Manager list posted.
DAYTON OH - The manager listing
has been released with all ballparks, team names, and email
addresses. List will be rearranged once divisions have been
assigned.
September 13, 2003
First round draft order released.
STROUDSBURG, PA - Due to
popular demand, the first round of the SPB-Now draft has been
released. The order will be reversed in round 1B, then
a new order will be picked for each round. The order for the
Super-Rookie draft will be the reverse order of what is shown to
the right. Complete orders for the first two rounds and the
Super-Rookie draft can be accessed HERE.
September 8, 2003
Update on voting issues.
STROUDSBURG, PA - In response to yesterday's proposal which I asked you to vote on, response
has been very light with only 9 managers voting. The tally is 7 managers
for the proposal and 2 against.
One of the criticisms that Gary and I often hear from SPB managers is that
there are few league wide votes on rule changes. So here is your chance to
vote!! I will be the voting booth open until this Friday September 12, 2003
@ 12 midnight EST. After that deadline, I will release the results of the
vote and if called for, the draft order for the first 2 rounds.
In case you missed it, here is what we are voting on:
The FIRST ROUND draft order (picks 1 to 24) of the Super Impact Rookie will
be the reverse order of the FIRST ROUND Phase A of the regular player draft
(picks 1 to 24). So the team that drafts last in the regular player draft
would have the first pick in the rookie phase. The SECOND ROUND of the
rookie draft would then be drawn at random order. Please let me now if you
favor this change or not.
Next, several managers have asked me to immediately release the first two
(2) rounds of the regular player draft. I am willing to do this if that is
the preference of the league. Let me know what you think. However, I will
not release any draft order until the previous question regarding the format
of the impact rookie draft has been finalized.
Jim Wheeler
August 31, 2003
Ballpark draft finished, player draft in October.
DAYTON, OH - The SPB-Now ballpark draft
is now complete. The results are listed under the DRAFT
CENTRAL section. Jim Wheeler has sent out another update with
detailed drafting instructions for the upcoming player
draft. You can read his update by clicking HERE.
August 24, 2003
Ballpark draft has
begun.
DAYTON, OH - The
SPB-Now ballpark draft has kicked off, with Steve Ehresman choosing
Atlanta's Turner Field as his home park. President Richard
Pearson will be overseeing the festivities. A reminder that
Bank One Ballpark, Coors Field, SkyDome, Tropicana Field,
Pro-Player Stadium, and Safe-Co Field are not elegible to be
drafted.
August 24, 2003
SPB-Now names President
DAYTON, OH - It is my privilege to announce that Richard Pearson has accepted the offer
to become the SPB Now league president. The league stat will also be named
in the immediate future. I have asked Richard to handle the ball park draft, which has now begun. So
be ready with your pick when Richard notifies you of your turn.
Good luck.
Jim
August 23, 2003
SPB-Now Filled
DAYTON, OH - All 24 slots for
the inaugural SPB-Now league has now been filled. Drafting for
ballparks will begin shortly.
August 15, 2003
SPB-Now Update
DAYTON, OH - 18 Managers are in
the fold with 6 more to recruit. Jim Wheeler has sent out an
updated draft of the rules, and can be accessed HERE.
The main change from the previous rules is the super rookie
increase from 24 to 48.
July 29, 2003
Seasons Past Baseball-Now spinning up
STROUDSBURG, PA - Managers, For several years now I have thought about how to start a decent current day
baseball league using the SPB format. What I have come up with would be
called Seasons Past Now and would incorporate all of the current SPB rules
and at the same time insure that there is a decent distribution of talent
without having to have a 30 team league. Here is how it would work:
1. There would be 24 teams in the league, with the league being broken into
three (3) eight (8) team divisions.
2. The initial player draft would be based upon only those players playing
on the rosters of the 1969 era Major Leagues. The one exception to these
teams would be whether to have the current Milwaukee team or the Seattle
team replace the 1969 Seattle Pilots.
3. The draft format would be based upon Turnbull draft format which was
used to distribute the SPBV players. This would also include a bonus round
of "Super Rookie" draft picks as selected by John Turnbull.
4. OK, what about the players on the remaining 6 current ML teams, i.e.
Florida, Arizona, Colorado, Toronto, Tampa Bay, and either Milwaukee or
Seattle? These players and any future players from those teams would
basically cease to exist and would never be eligible to be drafted.
However, there would be one exception. If one a player from one of the
excluded franchises would join one of the existing teams (the 1969 ML
teams), that player would enter the league as a "rookie" in the next rookie
draft. An example. Randy Johnson who is on the current Arizona team would
not be eligible to be drafted or play in SPB Now. However, Johnson is
either traded to or signs as a free agent with one of the existing 1969 era
ML teams, say the New York Yankees. Johnson would then be eligible to be
drafted in the next rookie draft based upon the fact that he would now play
for a 1969 ML team.
5. What about players who are on a 1969 era ML team roster, drafted through
the initial player dispersal draft, and then are traded or sign with one of
the ineligible teams? The manager of the player involved could elect to
keep the player on his teams roster at the cost of a first round draft pick,
or he could keep the draft choice and forfeit the player. If the later
occurred, that player would be inveigle for play unless he re-enter the 1969
era teams as described in point #4.
As an example, Barry Bonds is traded or signs with to Colorado. He would
basically cease to exist as a player in SPB Now unless his manager opted to
forfeit his first round draft pick.
The intent here is to prevent a team from being destroyed by circumstances
he cannot control.
6. Only the 1969 era ML parks would eligible to be drafted.
7. With 3 eight team divisions, there would be a wild card team. This
would be the team with the highest winning percentage that does not win its
division. The wild card team would then enter the first round playoffs
against the team highest winning percentage and the wild card team would
also be the visiting team in this series. The other two division winners
would play each other with the highest winning percentage team enjoying the
home field advantage. In all playoffs, the team with the highest winning
percentage would enjoy the home field advantage.
8. At the conclusion of the World Series, random team divisional assignment
would occur. What this means is that each year the divisions will be
different. That way, no team will be stuck in a perennially strong
division.
9. All other SPB rules would be in effect.
Any one interested in this concept?
Jim
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