2063.06; Random Robin Thoughts (pt1)

[shoeless.db]

Oof. Taking over this organization was more than I expected. I knew I’d have fun, which I am, but the sheer amount of tearing down and attempts to build up is a tad overwhelming. What follows is my thoughts going into the final Spring Training sim:

** The complete overhaul of the coaching staff went about as well as I could have hoped under the circumstance. I believe we kept four coaches from last season: the entire staff in AAA and our team trainer. My BBA and AA coaches are above average to elite due to complete overpays and swift action. The player conversion to a coach of Pitching coach Bugbie in rookie ball was more than expected also. It’s comforting to know I can shove draftee pitchers there and not worry about a coach causing detriment. The new feature in v26 showing the influence of coaching on a player should be telling.

** Due to the great coaching staff assembled in AA Memphis, I’ll likely be creating the Cobble Hill AA-version of Phoenix’s Toledo single A team. I have an overwhelming amount of player ripe for AA ball and will be quite disappointed if we don’t run away with whatever AA division Memphis is in. Our pitching staff in particular will be ridiculous, with nearly 10 of our top 12 pitching prospects there. I’m punting AAA this year as the coaches are awful and I don’t have enough talent to do well there. Anyone worth anything will be playing AA or Rookie ball for me this year. A good minors equals a good majors. We’re starting with two teams and working up to six over a six year plan.

** I feel a bit bad about ripping apart any stamp Ben had on the Robins, but I learned back when I took over California/Sacramento that you can’t move forward in any meaningful way while looking backward. It drains the fun and it drains the competitiveness of my vision for what I want in Cobble Hill.

** Come opening day, the Robins will have just six players (one position player and five pitchers) that were on the team at the end of 2062: Liyongo, Torres, Jensen, Woolford, Feliz, and Harmon. Liyongo is the only surprise and he is currently trade blocked. Right handed first basemen are still in abundance in the org despite trading handfuls of them away. I rven brought two more into the fold with the FA signings of Dallas Dixon and Unem Ploid. They provide both solid leadership and proven track records. I doubt they stay healthy enough to play all year.

[CTBrewCrew]

Its gonna be a fun ride…

[ae37jr]

I like just about everything you are doing. I do think you need to work on the financial side a bit more though. Cobble Hill has the lowest FI and Fan Loyalty in the league. I think we all agree the Robins may play terrible this season. Last season the team only made $15 million dollars(not including media) with a team that had better and more popular players. That is the area that makes this situation the hardest.

I have zero doubt that you will turn this team around. You'll probably be a .500 team by next season. But in order to get back to the (mini?)behemoth you had in Sacramento, that is going to take a ton of work. Especially playing in a division that won't hand you anything.

[shoeless.db]

.. you need to work on the financial side a bit more though. Cobble Hill has the lowest FI and Fan Loyalty in the league ..

This is an area I've struggled with most due to FI and Fan Loyalty being more of a min-max "gaming" requirement, while the rest of it feels more like building a baseball organization. I don't like being forced to do things for what I see as arbitrary reasons. I understand that FI can be slightly influenced by the signing or loss of popular players, but the way OOTP does it isn't true to life. The Rays signing Manny Ramirez at the end of his career didn't pump their "fan interest" by 10%. Maybe it added a couple fair-weather or old Boston Red Sox fans to see a game, but it was a short-term boost that should have disappeared quickly.

I'm going to continue to struggle with this for some time as I refuse to "play the FI game". The signing of Dixon and Ploid were fine in my reasoning as it makes sense that a GM would bring in familiar former players who can still contribute meaningfully to the team (there's a lot of gray area in my thinking). FI and Fan Loyalty should be tied to an organization building a team that continually competes and succeeds over a longer process. A fan can trust that the organization is working to win. Always. I don't enjoy the boom-bust style of going all-in, then sitting idle for a couple years to "retool". That should kill fan loyalty and gruesomely murder fan interest at the mere hint of a bust cycle, regardless of who the team signs.

My philosophy doesn't align with the game, but I'm not changing because it completely drains the fun out. I'll just deal with the constraints of a shitty financial situation (for now ..).

[shoeless.db]

Last season the team only made $15 million dollars(not including media) with a team that had better and more popular players.

I plan to have a better team than last year with less shiny and less popular players. Wins should be the biggest influencer.

And in my old-school thinking, a cleaner product on the field (better defense, better pitching) should increase loyalty.

OOTP gives a bigger benefit to having popular players who lose than having a bunch of no-namers who win. This is major flaw in the way it's built.

[shoeless.db]

Last thing, how the fuck is fan interest not maxed to 100 when a team is fighting for a wild-card or pennant? That is some bullshit.

The old Edmonton days with Chris R. were ridiculous .. winning Brewsters with low fan interest? Come on.

[cheekimonk]

My high school football coach to a reporter doing preseason predictions: "We return almost our entire offense. I'm not saying that's a good thing."

[DugoutDesperado]

One of the rivals of my high school had their pre-season article published in the county paper with all the other teams. The editor wrote this:

Good News: Austin is returning all 5 of their starters from their 5-16 team last season.

Bad News: Austin is returning all 5 of their starters from their 5-16 team last season.

I am guessing the editor could not get away with that today like he did in the late 70's.

[Graham]

My high school football coach to a reporter doing preseason predictions: "We return almost our entire offense. I'm not saying that's a good thing."

Reporter: Coach, what do you think of your offense's execution?
John McKay: I'm in favor of it.

(A favorite of mine, even if apocryphal.)

[JRamirez]

Agree with your philosophy/thoughts about FI, OOTP, reality, and having fun doing multi-year rebuild.