Thursday, January 14, 2016

Season 34 Introduction

Sorry that the previews won't be as in depth as in the past. My schedule has been extremely full lately and I'm just hoping to be able to get through all of the divisions. I know that the previews are fun and add flavor to one of the best leagues in HBD and I really wish I could devote more time to them. My plan is to have a summary for each team and a grade for Offense, Defense and Pitching as usual, but I'm not really going to dive too much into why I graded them as such. I hope that doesn't take away from the quality very much. At least it will be something. I'll also do my division predictions.

Over the last few seasons it seems like we have had a higher turnover than in the past. I'm not sure if it's the changes that WIS made or if it's more that people are losing interest in the game. I must admit, my interest isn't what it used to be, but after dropping down to 1 team about a year ago, I did start to gain some interest again. To me, the fun has always been in rebuilding and seeing how that plan paid off. A big problem with that is when the plan pays off poorly and then you have to start over. Many people hate the initial stages of rebuilding and it is a pain. Trades rarely net a good return when you are trying to rebuild. Prospects are too tough to come by. That is what I see as the biggest problem with the game. Quality is always better than quantity because too often you know how a player is going to end up. That is why I like the new system of hidden growth and advanced scouting meaning more. It gives you a reason to trade for quantity and hope that what you got has a better shot at turning out. The big problem with that is the team you are trading with has the advantage since they know how that player has progressed. If HBD is going to ever get past that point then they need a new progression system rather than hidden ratings. Hiding the rating progression is just a lazy way of fixing a greater problem. Hopefully they get that figured out since it does seem like they are putting a little bit of time into the game lately. I'd like to hear some others opinions on this and the reason we've lost people.

Finally, as many know, we had an owner terribly miss the win minimum last season. This is the second season in a row that it has happened to an owner and both seasons the majority league response was to give a probation to the owner. This season skuff, is on a probation and required to reach 70 wins. I know that 70 wins will leave skuff short of the win minimum again, but it is a realistic number to reach. Last season was really bad, and it was a rarity for this owner. While not acceptable, I do believe that one really bad season is not enough to make a difference for a team. He didn't have a really low payroll and spend on big IFA's. The only real benefit is the 1st pick this season and that is it. One player will not start a dynasty. skuff is a long time coach in the league that has had a competitive team for the previous 10 seasons. I believe this is fair. If any others have a problem with it then tc me and we will discuss it.

Thanks for being such a great league and a great group of owners.

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