Echo

[recte44]

Why so quiet, compadres?

[mrbornac]

I am very unhappy with my team performance, very unhappy with the development of some players, and, to this point, not a huge fan of 13 yet. Just find it hard to get worked up enough to be chatty with a craptastic team....

[salas]

It's ok, I understand. You're sad that Louisville is awesome and Buffalo is not.

[mrbornac]

Last years problem was outfield defense. I sacrificed some hitting talent to put good defenders in the corners around Alan Sue, and now, I can't hit to save my life. Outside of Sunderland being tied for the 2nd most dingers in the MBBA, I am getting nothing out of the bats.

I fix one thing, and another falls apart.

[trmmilwwi]

Quietness must be a symptom of trying to improve the win total of this blasted Suns franchise. Maybe I'll find that bar that Mr Browne is hiding out in... (we will turn it around... oh yes we will)

[indiansfan]

Well my excitement is playing close to .500 and falling further behind Long Beach and Vegas. Could you guys cut me a break? And watching the draft page is like watching paint dry with all the delays due to autopicks.

[trmmilwwi]

Well my excitement is playing close to .500 and falling further behind Long Beach and Vegas. Could you guys cut me a break? And watching the draft page is like watching paint dry with all the delays due to autopicks.

Guilty... I completely forgot about the draft running (lack of draft day announcements I guess;) ). Sorry bout that fellas!

[salas]

Last years problem was outfield defense. I sacrificed some hitting talent to put good defenders in the corners around Alan Sue, and now, I can't hit to save my life. Outside of Sunderland being tied for the 2nd most dingers in the MBBA, I am getting nothing out of the bats.

I fix one thing, and another falls apart.

[youtube]-1BJfDvSITY[/youtube]

[jiminyhopkins]

Hey, for once, I haven't been quiet! lol

[jcrmoon42]

I've written more this season than I have in ages!

[JimBob2232]

Eh...I'm usually quiet...but working behind the scenes. Anyone want c champ kind? I might waive him next sim if I can't move him m

[cheekimonk]

I think the board's been decently active...especially a few GMs (and, Jason, I definitely noticed you've been more "visible" so far this season). I have to admit that I'm suffering a quietude similar to that of the Suns and Bison. Matt's tone reminds me of me last season after desperately trying to minimize the impact of Aguilar's injury (which somehow caused everyone remaining on the team to regress 3 years back in their performance) and patch enough leaks to get the boat back to dock for 2005, then the slow and steady realization last season - like the cook on the Edmund Fitzgerald ("Fellas, it's been nice to know ya.") - that we were doomed. Hopefully Matt will be more fortunate.

Now all I can do is wait things out. Trust me, Matt, it may be more frustrating to have leaks springing up everywhere, but at least trying to shuffle your pieces around is something to pass the time. There's no amount of mental energy I can spend between Sims that's going to make any difference right now.

[mrbornac]

Thanks for the words of encouragment there Ben.

I have been shuffling pretty much non stop the entire time I have been here. I was blessed in Buffalo to have 3 great players available to start - Mitrani, Wasson, and Hunter. I have tried to plag numerous pieces around them, and the addition of Sunderland has been good. However, no matter what I have tried, tinker here, tinker there, has been able to produce anything stable.

I have tried building in the draft, and have had very limited success with that. I have tried building through FA, and that has been an all-out bust. Rule V is interesting, but little more. I could try and sell my great pieces to contenders, but this league is full of teams trying to do that, there are way more sellers than there are buyers.

I clearly am missing some piece.

All this said, somehow, my team won 9 games the last sim. I think it's a mirage though - how can we be so bad for a month, and then all of a sudden be great.....

[cheekimonk]

You know, and keep in mind who is sharing strategy thoughts, I'm less and less convinced that shuffling makes that much of a difference. Even the stuff I've read on traditional lineup strategies vs. The Book, supporters of the latter admit that the difference between a 100% optimized lineup and one with a couple of players out of place is pretty small...real life or OOTP. As long as don't have your only 3 players with decent OBP bunched together that's about all you can do. A few seasons ago I was hung up on finding lineup spots players preferred (i.e., in real life some guys are more comfortable hitting 3rd, say, and they get a mental block about any other spot), but I'm not convinced OOTP figures that into it unless the player's expectation says he prefers "Top of the Lineup" or "Cleanup" so his morale is taking a hit.

[jumpmancol]

I've been busy with a big cross-country move (3rd and hopefully final!), and other real-life related issues that is simply keeping me completely swamped. I'm doing my best to still get exports in, but I hardly have time to sit down at my desk, much get any writing done :-/

I'm planning to get caught up before too much longer, but I'll be honest when I say that I have no idea when that's gonna happen. Hope y'all can bear with me in the meantime!