TCF - All Time Greats Online Stratomatic League

[swerb]

To get another Strat-O-Matic league going?

http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/stratomatic/

Sporting News just unleashed the "All Time Greats VI" set of cards/leagues. Includes all the old Negro League stars, recent cards for guys like Pujols.

Or we could get a 70's, 80's, or 90's league going. Will go with consensus.

$20 a team ... but you get two months of pure unadulterated entertainment for that $20. Putting your team together, setting your lineups, rotation, bullpen, strategy ... and reading the box scores of your games (3 games a night, 162 game season, leagues last 54 days) ... is very fun.

Lemme know if you're in.

[bookelly]

I'm in if we can do an "all-time" line-up. I'd love see Walter Johnson pitch against Honus Wagner. I used to play a SI game called Super-Star Baseball. It involved cards with the players names and stats, and you'd roll dice to determine the outcomes. It was shockingly realistic and very fun.

/Hell, I'm in regardless of the era...I just know a ton more about players from the old school.

[gotribe31]

You had me at "Is it Time?"

I'm in.

[swerb]

It's on ...

1. Swerb
2. bookelly
3. GoTribe31

[motherscratcher]

What kind of time commitment is it? I'm interested, but I don't want to be the turd in the punchbowl who doesn't set lineups and that kind of stuff like I was in Loo's league last year.

Is it something you do daily, weekly, or just once and let it go?

[swerb]

What kind of time commitment is it? I'm interested, but I don't want to be the turd in the punchbowl who doesn't set lineups and that kind of stuff like I was in Loo's league last year.

Is it something you do daily, weekly, or just once and let it go?

You set your pitching rotation, bullpen config, and lineups vs RHP and LHP. Then general tendencies on how aggressive you want your team to play.

I've set it before at the beginning of the season and not touched anything for a month. If you have injuries, they'll make automatic switches, or you can recalibrate.

Not a big time sucker. 5-10 min a day to pore through your box scores.

[FUDU]

[Madre Hill, Superstar]

It really was a well-spent $20. Count me in.

[motherscratcher]

I'm in.

[WiscTribeFan]

I was a APBA guy back in the day...

[motherscratcher]

I was a APBA guy back in the day...

Sounds kinky

[swerb]

I was a APBA guy back in the day...

Me too! Never met another. Was hooked on that GD game for about five years from age 8-13. Superior to Strat as a card game, IMO.

The Strat online game ... unmatched.

[swerb]

1. Swerb
2. bookelly
3. GoTribe31
4. Mike Perry
5. motherscratcher
6. FUDU
7. Madre Hill

[motherscratcher]

I was a APBA guy back in the day...

Me too! Never met another. Was hooked on that GD game for about five years from age 8-13. Superior to Strat as a card game, IMO.

The Strat online game ... unmatched.

Actually, me too. I've never played strat. I used to mess up my APBA cards by making all star teams. It would take me forever to get everything back to the way it was supposed to be. Still in my dad's basement somewhere. I should dig it out again.

[peeker643]

I was a APBA guy back in the day...

Me too! Never met another. Was hooked on that GD game for about five years from age 8-13. Superior to Strat as a card game, IMO.

The Strat online game ... unmatched.

Actually, me too. I've never played strat. I used to mess up my APBA cards by making all star teams. It would take me forever to get everything back to the way it was supposed to be. Still in my dad's basement somewhere. I should dig it out again.

Maybe they're under your D&D 20-sided die and the bio for your level-20 palladin/cleric?

Wiffle ball bitches. And video games and porno mags in the winter like all normal, red-blooded American kids.

Freaks.

[WiscTribeFan]

I regret tossing mine after college. Pretty stupid. Will buy it when the boys get older.

[swerb]

I was a APBA guy back in the day...

Me too! Never met another. Was hooked on that GD game for about five years from age 8-13. Superior to Strat as a card game, IMO.

The Strat online game ... unmatched.

Actually, me too. I've never played strat. I used to mess up my APBA cards by making all star teams. It would take me forever to get everything back to the way it was supposed to be. Still in my dad's basement somewhere. I should dig it out again.

Maybe they're under your D&D 20-sided die and the bio for your level-20 palladin/cleric?

Wiffle ball bitches. And video games and porno mags in the winter like all normal, red-blooded American kids.

Freaks.

Seems to me you know a little too much about D&D to be dogging it.

Closet Dungeon Master if I've ever seen one.

[peeker643]

Maybe they're under your D&D 20-sided die and the bio for your level-20 palladin/cleric?

Wiffle ball bitches. And video games and porno mags in the winter like all normal, red-blooded American kids.

Freaks.

Seems to me you know a little too much about D&D to be dogging it.

Closet Dungeon Master if I've ever seen one.

This isn't about me.

And if you must know, the freak that lived next to me had a gd coven or something in his basement. Kids showing up at sun down, getting home right before dawn and playing that freaking game all night with their bags of Doritos, Slim Jims and Jolt Cola.

Never seen anything as freaky til I saw an after hours club let loose its clientele at 7am one morning at the Barbary Coast. Not a nose, eye or lip without jewelry stuck in it.

[swerb]

Maybe they're under your D&D 20-sided die and the bio for your level-20 palladin/cleric?

Wiffle ball bitches. And video games and porno mags in the winter like all normal, red-blooded American kids.

Freaks.

Seems to me you know a little too much about D&D to be dogging it.

Closet Dungeon Master if I've ever seen one.

This isn't about me.

And if you must know, the freak that lived next to me had a gd coven or something in his basement. Kids showing up at sun down, getting home right before dawn and playing that freaking game all night with their bags of Doritos, Slim Jims and Jolt Cola.

Yeah, me too. Same thing.

[peeker643]

Maybe they're under your D&D 20-sided die and the bio for your level-20 palladin/cleric?

Wiffle ball bitches. And video games and porno mags in the winter like all normal, red-blooded American kids.

Freaks.

Seems to me you know a little too much about D&D to be dogging it.

Closet Dungeon Master if I've ever seen one.

This isn't about me.

And if you must know, the freak that lived next to me had a gd coven or something in his basement. Kids showing up at sun down, getting home right before dawn and playing that freaking game all night with their bags of Doritos, Slim Jims and Jolt Cola.

Yeah, me too. Same thing.

Dammit. Let's just drop it or agree to align against motherscratcher's evil axis.

[mikeperry]

I will fight anyone that says APBA is better than Strat. I am salty about the bashing of the greatest game of my youth. And Strat-O-Matic Basketball was the shit...I still have a notebook somewhere of my solitaire season stats and box scores from the 1980-81 Cavs. In fact, the score sheet I used for the games was the same sheet I eventually used after I becamme a sportswriter when I covered high school or college basketball. Amazingly comfortable with it for compiling stats (gee, I wonder why). What do you get when a fourth grade kid's family moves to a new town right after school lets out? A kid with a lot of time on his hands, time enough to play a full season of solitaire Strat hoops. At least until little league started because he knew NO KIDS in his new town. I'm in, by the way.

[Madre Hill, Superstar]

I still have Strat basketball ('95-'96 season if I remember right) and football ('97?) up in the attic. Strat baseball ('89), and Statis-Pro Football ('86 and '88) is up there too, but scattered to the four winds.

I picked up Strat football for the PC a while back, but lost it in a hard drive crash and haven't re-installed yet. Then again, they screwed me on the historical season I wanted. For some reason, I got '90 instead of '86. Maybe a Steeler fan filled out my order or something. If I have some spare cash again, I may take a run at Strat basketball for the PC and pick up the '88-89 and '08-09 seasons.

Hmm. Y'know, if I remember right I think these can run email leagues...

[FUDU]

I can't believe Rich left me even the slightest chance of NOT doing this by not tying this sign up into my TCF login or something.

Anyway, I vote for ATG version, simply b/c IIRC that way you know going in which card for each player you are getting. Most of the other ones the system randomly picks you 1 of 5 cards for a player, correct?

Also think it would be better if we take our time getting it started so it at least coincides a bit with MLB spring training, you know for the extra relevance and "the itch" factor.

[mikeperry]

I agree with kicking this off later because I have never played the game online and want to get acclimated with it. And, damn, an NBA strat league would be heaven right now...especially since I rarely watch NBA basketball anymore. If we did an NBA I would want to do the 70's or 80's so I can grab some of those sweet Milwaukee Bucks from back then...Terry Cummings is my all-time most underrated hero. Dude could BANG with anyone. How could you not love those Bucks teams with Pressey, Moncrief, etc. And you gotta love the Mecca.

[WiscTribeFan]

Seems to me you know a little too much about D&D to be dogging it.

Closet Dungeon Master if I've ever seen one.

Disclaimer: The video is funny as hell (love Stephen Lynch), but probably shouldn't be played if the kids are within listening distance. Pretty salty.

[Jumbo]

I've been meaning to try out Strat for awhile. I'm in.

I'd prefer the "all time" set.

[gotribe31]

If we do the all-time cards, can I have Old Hoss Radbourn's '84 season? Surely you'll remember that as the year he went 59-12 with a 1.38 ERA in 678 2/3 IP. 73 complete games and 11 shutouts.

Plus he had relations with a diffrerent woman between every inning of most starts to boot.

[peeker643]

If we do the all-time cards, can I have Old Hoss Radbourn's '84 season? Surely you'll remember that as the year he went 59-12 with a 1.38 ERA in 678 2/3 IP. 73 complete games and 11 shutouts.

Plus he had relations with a diffrerent woman between every inning of most starts to boot.

Tell me that ain't the best twitter follow in the history of Twitter?

[swerb]

You know baseball season is looming when Jumbo is back in the house:

1. Swerb
2. bookelly
3. GoTribe31
4. Mike Perry
5. motherscratcher
6. FUDU
7. Madre Hill
8. Jumbo

[hermanfontenot]

I'm in if you still need players.

[swerb]

1. Swerb
2. bookelly
3. GoTribe31
4. Mike Perry
5. motherscratcher
6. FUDU
7. Madre Hill
8. Jumbo
9. hermanfontenot

[swerb]

I created the league.

An All Time Greats VI league, with the DH.

League name is "The Cleveland Fan - 2011 ATG VI League"

Password is fujobu

You create your team first, then join the league. It's a private league.

[FUDU]

You have to complete you entire draft list correct (in order to rank your players) it will not complete any missing spots for you?

[motherscratcher]

I've never done this before. It look really cool.

Just a few questions.

1) Do I pay the $25 on the site to draft a team. That's absolutely no problem, I just don't want to pay it if there is a free league that I'm supposed to be doing that I'm just missing somehow.

2) There's no draft time, right? I just make my own team under a salary cap?

C) Does it matter if 2 teams have the same guy? I mean, if I pick up somebody, does that player become unavailable to everyone else? Meaning, it would be beneficial to draft ASAP?

4) Will Bruce Egloff be available?

[swerb]

You have to complete you entire draft list correct (in order to rank your players) it will not complete any missing spots for you?

Yes

[swerb]

I've never done this before. It look really cool.

Just a few questions.

1) Do I pay the $25 on the site to draft a team. That's absolutely no problem, I just don't want to pay it if there is a free league that I'm supposed to be doing that I'm just missing somehow.

2) There's no draft time, right? I just make my own team under a salary cap?

C) Does it matter if 2 teams have the same guy? I mean, if I pick up somebody, does that player become unavailable to everyone else? Meaning, it would be beneficial to draft ASAP?

4) Will Bruce Egloff be available?

1. Yep. $25 per team.

2. No live draft. Pick your players, then rank em. Any players you don't, get they give you a similar player at that same position. Also, there is a waivers period before the season starts where you can add/drop players to finalize your team.

C. No team can have the same player, though someone could have the '99 Bonds and someone else could have the '01. How soon you pick your team has no bearing. Once all 12 teams submit their teams and draft orders, the computers will spit out the teams.

4. LOL ... no, but googling "Bruce Egloff" brought me to this hysterical passage on his Wikipedia page.

Eggy's rookie card is currently valued at $0.83. He avoids crazed fans at all cost and once dared a man to shoot him during a Winter League game in Puerto Rico in which he made a relief appearance with the no outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th and his team leading by one. The Puerto Ricans were gambling on the odds in the stands and a lot of money traded hands when Eggy beat the odds by not surrendering a single run. Truthfully speaking Eggy never experienced much fame, although he did live with Moises Alou and Felipe Alou in Puerto Rico and has said they enjoyed more than their fair share of El Presidente.

[FUDU]

Done & done.

LOL, b/c IIRC Rich and I both covet a certain AL LF very very highly on our draft lists. I get physically mad when I don't get him.

ETA: how many teams we lookin to get?

[motherscratcher]

Done & done.

LOL, b/c IIRC Rich and I both covet a certain AL LF very very highly on our draft lists. I get physically mad when I don't get him.

ETA: how many teams we lookin to get?

Jason Michaels?

I'm in man, sir.

[bookelly]

Ok..lets light this .

[gotribe31]

OK, I'm in. Although after looking at Swerb's career strat #'s, I wish I'd waited long enough to end up in a different division.

Brook Jacoby, Pat Tabler, Cory Snyder all available...can't beleive Pauly C is sitting this one out.

[Jumbo]

C) Does it matter if 2 teams have the same guy? I mean, if I pick up somebody, does that player become unavailable to everyone else? Meaning, it would be beneficial to draft ASAP?

C. No team can have the same player, though someone could have the '99 Bonds and someone else could have the '01. How soon you pick your team has no bearing. Once all 12 teams submit their teams and draft orders, the computers will spit out the teams.
/quote]

This doesn't look quite right. From the wiki linked from the ATG6 page (http://somonline.wikia.com/wiki/All-Time_Greats_VI)

Multiple years per player Edit(the following is unchanged from ATG V)

Players can have more than one card available each - for instance, Babe Ruth's 1921 and 1927 cards are both available. However, only one card for each player may be owned in a given league at any time; thus, you won't see 2 Rickey Hendersons in the same outfield, and you won't see any Koufax vs. Koufax pitching duels.

How the Salary Cap Auto-Draft works Edit
(the following is unchanged from ATG V)

Each different card for a player has its own different salary, based on the value of that card. You can choose to put ONE card for any given player on your draft list. Say you choose Babe Ruth's 1927 card, because of its historical significance. Someone else in your league chooses Ruth's 1921 card, because it's even more of an offensive monster. Let's say you ranked your Babe higher, so the auto-draft awards him to you, and the other team receives a LF replacement as expected. You now are the sole owner of Babe Ruth in your league, with his 1927 card.

Waivers Edit
(the following is unchanged from ATG V)

Waivers works as expected; you can place claims on specific cards (e.g. Johnny Bench 1975), and, when waivers claims are processed, if another team happens to claim any card of that player (e.g. Johnny Bench 1978), his 1975 card is no longer available to you.

How in-season transactions work Edit
(the following is unchanged from ATG V)

If a team drops a player, that card as well as every other available card for that player in the set is made available in the free agent pool. This means that another team (or the same team) may pick up a different card for that player if it chooses to.

Trading with other teams is not affected; if you have Mike Schmidt's 1980 card on your team, that is the only Mike Schmidt card you may trade to another team.

[bookelly]

What's the cap set at? I'm on the page thats asking live draft or Salary Cap. What level are we?

[gotribe31]

What's the cap set at? I'm on the page thats asking live draft or Salary Cap. What level are we?

$80 million

[Jumbo]

LOL, b/c IIRC Rich and I both covet a certain AL LF very very highly on our draft lists. I get physically mad when I don't get him.

Hmm... there were a few outfielders who looked to be very good value. One AL LF in particular.

[gotribe31]

LOL, b/c IIRC Rich and I both covet a certain AL LF very very highly on our draft lists. I get physically mad when I don't get him.

Hmm... there were a few outfielders who looked to be very good value. One AL LF in particular.

Joooooooooey...Joooooooooey...Jooooooooooooooooey

[swerb]

Can't wait to see how these teams come out. Guy I do business with (huge Bill Selby fan) is in too ... he's #10.

1. Swerb
2. bookelly
3. GoTribe31
4. Mike Perry
5. motherscratcher
6. FUDU
7. Madre Hill
8. Jumbo
9. hermanfontenot
10. Selby is GOD

[Selbyisgod]

Alright go easy on me, I am a strat-o-rookie. '99 selby might be my utility sleeper...

[motherscratcher]

Holy shit, you should have seen my first go at a draft list. It was hilarious.

I did it saturday night and didn't really understand what I was doing or have any semblance of a strategy at all. I just started putting players on the list that I liked until I ran out of money. I probably had 7 outfielders and 5 first basemen.

I did have 5 Christmas Ales in me, though.

So, on sunday, I just erased the whole list and started over. I jotted down a few rules to follow as a very simple strategy on building a team and roughed out some salary slots to stick to. I have to tell you, it was a hell of a good time figuring this out and attempting to build a team that makes sense.

I have no illusions on winning this thing against more experienced players, but maybe I can finish in the middle of the pack. I plan on playing this a lot from now on.

I have to navigate around the site a little bit. I'm sure there is all sorts of advice on building teams. First I want to see if I can figure out where I went wrong with this team.

I'm way more excited about this than any other roto league I've been in.

Still, I wish I'd saved that first draft list I made.

[motherscratcher]

I'd also like to say how excited I am to be in the east with Swerb, FUDU, and GoTribe.

I guess that makes me the Orioles, huh?

[swerb]

Alright go easy on me, I am a strat-o-rookie. '99 selby might be my utility sleeper...

Yes! He's in.

If online Strat ruins your marriage, just take solace in the fact that you won't be the first it's happened to.