DALY VISITS COLORADO ROCKIES
DENVER – Feeling a lot like a “free agent”, former Yankees GM D.C. Daly visited the Colorado Rockies, after the team invited him to Coors Field to get an introduction to the team and their philosophy.

“We’re going to throw our hat in the ring. We might get all of that east coast exposure that he’s used to back in Boston, but we’re trying to build a winner out here.”

The Rockies last made the playoffs in 1998 and won their only World Series in 1978.

The team’s leader is outfielder Javier Rubio, who at 31 has spent his entire career in Denver. He hit 35 HRs last year with 104 RBI. The team also features a familiar face for D.C. in Luis Manuel Morales who spent two years in Boston before being dealt last off-season to the Rockies. He went 12-14 last year with a 4.36 ERA.

For his part, D.C. said he appreciated the invite to Denver and said he’d be in California later this week. “It’s a great ballpark out here and the team seems to be well supported.”

DODGERS ATTEMPT TO WOO DALY TO LA
LOS ANGELES – Dodgertown was the site for a visit from former Yankees GM D.C. Daly, who visited the Los Angeles Dodgers today. With the crosstown Angels winning the World Series this past year over D.C.’s Yankees, the Dodgers are trying to claw their way back into relevance in the city. The team has just five playoff appearances since 1969, but two of those were within the past five years.

The team doesn’t boast a ton of talent, its best player is probably 23-year old outfielder Stephen Woodward who had a breakout year in 2003 hitting 38 HR and 134 RBI on .278 hitting.

But the team beliefs that with D.C. at the helm , they can get better faster than ever.

“We’re excited about the opportunity to have him here. The Dodgers franchise is a proud name in sports and we believe that with a guy D.C. calling the shots, we can propel that brand back to prominence again.”

Daly, for his part, said he wasn’t sure what his plans were. That he’d take some time to “figure out what I want to do and just make sure that if I do something else, that it’s really what I want and that I’m not just rushing back out there. But I’m too competitive to sit still for too much longer.”

NOVEMBER 10, 2003

Here is the positional strength overview for all of MLB as of November 10, 2003

D.C. DALY MOVES SOUTH
Former Yankees GM plans to make a name in Providence
HARTFORD – The Boston Yankees-Providence Bees rivalry just got a bit more heat to it. The Providence Bees today announced a press conference to introduce D.C. Daly as their new Vice President of Baseball Operations and GM.

“Wow, we’ll it sure is different on this side of the fence,” said the smiling 28-year old GM after signing a 5-year deal worth an undisclosed amount, but estimated at well over $12 million total.

“We can’t tell you how happy we are to be able to welcome D.C. to the Bees family,” said Bees Team President and Hall of Famer Charlie Cousins.

The Bees joined the majors in 2001 after gaining promotion from the Continental League, after finishing out one more season in Salt Lake City, the team moved east and will move to a brand new ballpark in Providence, RI next year. The team will spend more season at Rentschler Field outside Hartford, CT. They already have a playoff appearance, before losing last year in 7 hard-fought games to the Boston Yankees.

“Wow. I’m just overwhelmed at how nice everyone here is,” said Daly in his first public statement since accepting the position with the Bees this morning.

“I have to say that this team’s commitment to excellence was astounding. This is baseball country here in the northeast and turning the Bees into the team of choice for Southern New England is something I’m extremely excited about the chance to contribute to that cause.”

Cousins said the team was planning to invest in its young players and would lock a few guys up to long-term deals before the off-season was out and that they would defer to Daly for what he thought was best in terms of the team’s immediate future.

“We’re gracious to our fans here in Hartford for hosting us and want them to be able to bask in the excitement of World Series baseball before we move an hour up the road.”

Setting the bar that high doesn’t bother Daly, who has been in two straight World Series, but whose Yankees felt short in Game 7 of the 2003 Series versus the Angels. Asked if he’s worried about any backlash from Boston fans, Daly said no.

“Part of the reason I took this job is because I didn’t have to sell my house. I love New England and I love baseball. This opportunity wasn’t as much about me, as it was about the opportunity to use my skills to contribute to a team on the rise. I’m thrilled to be part of the Bees team and I think we’re going to do some awesome stuff in the coming years.”

BEES MAKE FIRST DEAL OF THE D.C. ERA, GET FOUR FROM RENS
NEW YORK - That sure didn't take long. Within 48 hours of taking the job as GM of the Providence Bees, GM D.C. Daly has hit the airwaves and made his first major deal. The team acquired four players from the CL New York Rens including second baseman Jeff Mavor (.308/18 HR/58 RBI), reliever Jorge Melendez (4-2, 30 SV, 1.84 ERA), reliever Ben Moore (4-1, 3 SV 1.82 ERA) and prospect SP Reggie O'Neal for outfielder and New York native Phil Waller (.253/40 HR/ 118 RBI), SP Wes Lynch (12-6, 3.84 ERA, 85 K) relievers Jorge Reyes and Carlos Diaz, as well as two prospects and cash.

"We're really happy to make this one happen," said Daly who is said to have seen scout reports of O'neal and thinks he can help the ballclub shore up its staff long-term.

"Daly is nothing if he's not a player development guy. I think he's working hard to shore up their farm and get a pipeline here that can compete for a long time," said ESPN's Peter Gammons about the deal.

I created a new league called the Collegiate Baseball of America. It’s a feeder to MLB and the players from that league are eligible for the draft yearly, which comes back this year.

Here are the teams:

TOP FARM SYSTEMS REPORT (MLB) - MARCH 2004

TOP FARM SYSTEMS (CL) - MARCH 2004

MLB PAYROLL NUMBERS ~ OPENING DAY 2004

HIGHEST PAID PLAYERS ~ MLB

CONTINENTAL LEAGUE PAYROLL NUMBERS ~ OPENING DAY 2005

CONTINENTAL LEAGUE TOP SALARIES

IT'S BEE SEASON: PROVIDENCE BEES 2004 SEASON PREVIEW

Ok gang. I have to admit, I had no idea this was coming. I contemplating taking this job last off-season, but I didn't think it was time and I'd pretty much reckoned to settle in to the Boston job. After all, that team is stacked and they're deep with players in the minors who'll someday contibute and that's not going to change anytime soon. Trust me.

My focus here in Providence..er Hartford is completely different. We've established a fan buzz, but to really get this team over the hump, we're going to need to sustain a winning attitude. After all, the Yankees hadn't been good much at all in the 1990s and so, fans are just coming around again there. The Bees are new and so, they can attract a whole new fan base and of course, their market is bigger because they can draw from Boston and southern New England in a way that the Yankees have been by virtue of being the only team in the region.

Anyway, let's take a look at the Bees roster heading into this year:

Here are the 25-man roster players, with their stats from last year:

BATTING

PITCHING

Ok, so here's the story. There is A LOT of pop in this lineup. Yeah, they strike out a lot too. But we acquired Allen Lee from Nevada in the off-season and if he can adjust to playing
in MLB, he'll be a solid pickup. Manolo Ramirez (aka, Manny) is a bonafide star. We got him from Chicago this off-season for four players. But he's a really solid guy and he's
only 21.

On the pitching side, our biggest free agent acquisition this off-season was Spike Ironside, a fan favorite in Pittsburgh, he comes to Providence at 29. He signed a
4-year deal worth over $58 million. He went 10-9 last year with a 4.33 ERA. He's got 112 career wins and I think on a team that can give him run support, he'll be a star.
He won 20 games two years ago, so he's got it in 'em and won a World Series with the Pirates in 2000. The rookies in our rotation include Miguel Ortega, who is a native
of Connecticut and Dominic Black, another local product who will come out of the bullpen to start the year, but will also spot start.

I think on paper we've got a team that should at least be solid enough to compete on a relatively high level. Given that we're in the uber competitive east, we'll know early on if the team
is the real deal or not. Coming off a division title, I expect them to be successful, but we'll go slow enough that if I need to make adjustments, we can.

It'll be very interesting to see how it all comes together.

The most ironic part of all of this, is the fact that Boston has a higher payroll than I do in Providence and part of why I came here was because of the owner's willingness to spend.

But this is Year 1. Let us begin!

Dark Cloud - this is a great read.

I have a question for you. Does OOTP support promotion and relagation? I'm curious to how you can do all of these things?

Well if by "support" you mean it does it automatically? No. But it does allow you to do it with some tinkering. But it's pretty much a seamless transition and there aren't a host of problems. If you want me to walk you through the process, I can do that for you. You basically just edit the league structure and move teams from one league to the other.

Then you build the schedule during the pre-season and play like normal. The stats don't make a distinction between leagues unless you make one league "lower" in quality, meaning you can make one a Triple-A league or something and the player's stats will reflect that. That's the difference between say, lower division soccer and baseball, you'd have to make the actual distinction that the league is of lower quality or else, the stats will remain major league.

In my particular league, MLB and the CL are effectively major league. Eventually, I'll have a Triple-A league or maybe an Open classification league that's defined as "international" that'll be a step below MLB.

I'd like to eventually have it setup so you could see a team from say, a small town, make it to the majors. There would obviously need to be some tweaks in terms of the 'realism' of such a system to make it seem like "oh, this could happen." But...yeah.

BOMBERS IN LAST? NEW YORK BRACES FOR THE WORST
NEW YORK - $98 million can buy you a lot of things. Most notably, it can help you acquire a
last place team. The New York Bombers have the highest payroll in baseball, but it's done nothing to help
that ballclub rise in the standings. The Bombers currently sit just a half game ahead Arizona in the
relegation standings.

No in baseball is really sure what to make of it.

The most notable thing is that the money doesn't equate to talent. It's the result of bad signings that the team can't get rid of now.

Case in point - Roberto Flores was signed after the 2001 season where he hit .270 with 17 HR and 69 RBI with Seattle. The Bombers signed him to a 6-year deal worth $120 million. No one is quite sure why.

Lorenzo Negron is a 34-year old hurler who came over from Columbus in 2002 on a four-year $62 million contract. He won 21 games, a career high in 2002, but went 10-13 last year and is 5-5 this year with a 4.63 ERA.

"I think they prove that you can't buy a title," said one baseball observer, who commented that the team will probably have to conduct a fire sale or pay significant amounts to get rid of players and attempt to pick up prospects to salvage the season.

"It's a lost year for them," said New York Times reporter Will Torre.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL STANDINGS ~ JUNE 1, 2004

JUNE 2004

UN BEE-LIEVEABLE!
So the fact that the Bees are in first probably isn't all that shocking. This team took the Yankees to the wire in the playoffs and dominated their division last year.

So here are how things are going so far.

We're the best hitting team in baseball pretty much hands down. We have five guys at or over 40 RBI already (Andrew Cooper, Manny Ramirez, Lawrence Hill, Alfie Penrice and Pete Coleman). I think the real flaw is in our pitching.

We've managed to get up to about the middle of the pack in terms of most categories, but we probably need one more solid arm.

To contrast, last year in Boston, I had a team full of young flamethrowers. Providence isn't remotely that deep and so, I had to patch together something, plus use what we already had to keep the team in play.

The weakest link in the rotation is 28-year old Isai Villa (4-4, 6.02) and I'll probably try to move him.

Save for that, I'm hoping we can hold onto the division and enter the playoffs hot. If so, watch out for us.

But as we all know, the season is quite long and there is a long, long way to go.

BASEBALL'S REORGANIZATION

Starting in 2005, we're going to change baseball a bit.

MLB has officially decided to approve the Republic League's application for Tier II status. That means that the league will officially certified by MLB and be put under its umbrella

What does that mean?
It means that teams will for the first time be eligible to be relegated from the Continental League starting in 2006.

So what will change?

MLB is trying its best to make sure that teams are in all of the major media markets, as well as covering the markets that are just below that tier.

There will be some overlap, but eventually you could see teams in the Top 100 MSAs or more before long.

How will the new alignment look?
The Republic League will be merged into a larger structure. Another league will join it. The number of teams is unknown beyond the 10 that are in the RL right now. Salaries will go up. The average salary in the RL right now is $57,000 and I imagine that will likely at least double if not more.

Potential cities?
Orlando, Indianapolis, Norfolk, Austin, Jacksonville, Memphis, Louisville, Richmond, Oklahoma City, Buffalo, Birmingham, Salt Lake City, New Orleans, Omaha, Boise, to name a few.

Any other layers?
There will not be minors at this level.

What happens to the draft?
How'd you know about that? We're eliminating the draft permanently after the 2004 season. A new level of league will be established. It will be 4th division of American baseball. The teams will not be allowed to carry players over the age of 25.

There will be no playoffs in that league. The #1 team will enter a playoff with the worst team from the Republic League. The winner of that best-of-seven series will be given RL rights for the following season.

The lower league will primarily be a place where younger players 'get their start'.

Ok, so tell me this again. In less than 20 words.

It's simple:

MLB (Premier League of Baseball)

CL (1st Division)

RL (2nd Division)*no promotion to CL until 2006.

new league (3rd Division)*no promotion to RL until 2007.

Welcome to the future of American baseball.

COLLEGE PLAYOFFS
Mississippi State def. Nebraska 4 gms to 2

UCLA def. Rutgers 4 games to 2

COLLEGE WORLD SERIES FINALS
UCLA beat Mississippi State 4 games to 2 to capture the 2004 College World Series title.

COLLEGE STANDINGS, FINAL 2004

I am officially soliciting cities for the 3rd division. No city is too small. Ok, let's not be ridiculous. Give me a legitimate reason to put a team there.

QUITE A DEAL: BEES MAKE PACT WITH BOMBERS & ROCKIES
June 17, 2004
PROVIDENCE -- The Providence Bees pulled the trigger on a three-team deal tonight that included a package of name players and prospects.

The deal allowed both Providence and New York to jettison overpaid players who weren't pulling their weight.

The Bombers sent underacheving outfielder Roberto Flores to the Bees along with catcher Rafael Medine(.209/1 HR/22 RBI), outfield prospect Ricky Rodriguez and 34-year starter Lorenzo Negron to Providence for 26-year old outfielder Andy Carney (.201/12 HR/ 39 RBI), 23-year old catcher Lawrence Hill (.277/ 14 HR/47 RBI), reliever Joe Fulton (2-1, 2 SV, 20 K)and outfielder Trent Pagnal (.290/3 HR/ 17 RBI in 100 ABs)

The Bees then sent Flores and starter Isai Villa to the Colorado Rockies for three prospects and reliever Kinnojo Sato (0-2, 4.19 ERA in 30 appearances)

"I think this will help us shore things up from a veteran perspective, it saves us some money and long-term, it gives us a few prospect shots in the arm. All very valuable things," said GM D.C. Daly about the move.

You should see this:

JUNE 29, 2004

RED SOX TO CHANGE NAME IN 2005

RIVERSIDE - If the Red Sox can hold on and stay in the majors for another season, the Riverside Red Sox announced today that the team will change its identity in 2005.

It's expected the team intends to try to tie itself to Los Angeles more closely, to capitalize on that region's marketing power.

DOWN THE STRETCH
Playoff time means fighting for spots and for titles. The Boston Yankees and Providence Bees are not just fighting for the Eastern Division title, but the winner of the east is presumed to be named the first-ever winner of the MLB Champions League, the regular season champion of baseball. The Colorado Rockies are meanwhile just fighting for a shot to get into the playoffs. The ballclub is just 1 1/2 games out. It seems that the Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Bombers will duel in the waning days of the MLB season to determine who will participate in the AT&T Challenge Series.

It should be an interesting few weeks of the regular season!

STANDINGS
SEPTEMBER 1, 2004

WHAT IF THERE IS A TIE IN THE CHALLENGE SERIES STANDINGS
Here's the answer to a natural trivia question that might be coming up really soon.
If there is a tie in the challenge series standings, the teams play a one-game playoff to determine who advances to the Challenge Series.

SEPTEMBER 21, 2004
THE BATTLE DOWN THE WIRE
While there are no division races and the Wild Card spots also seemed to be dealt out, there is a heated battle at the bottom of the baseball standings with 3 games left in the regular season.

CHALLENGE SERIES STANDINGS
New York (57-102)
Arizona (58-101)
Riverside (59-100)

It is plausible that all three teams could finish with the same record. The team with the best head-to-head record among the three would get the option of two home games against both teams or playing the winner of the two other teams on the road.

That said, all they have to do to stay out of this is to keep winning. The Arizona Diamondbacks actually made deals at the deadline to try to stave off relegation and have won 4 straight and 7 of their last 10, better than any of the three teams in the relegation zone.

The Bombers can help their cause by winning and saving themselves the embarassment of having to shed about $40 million more in payroll should they lose the Challenge Series. They've already dumped about $18 million in payroll via deals earlier this off-season.

"We're trying not to focus on anything but winning," said Bombers outfielder Trent Pagnal.

WORLD SERIES QUARTERFINALS MATCHUPS
NY METS V. BOSTON
WASHINGTON V. CINCINNATI
PROVIDENCE V. LA DODGERS
BROOKLYN V. DETROIT

BOMBERS FACE RELEGATION
In the strangest turn of events in New York baseball history, the New York Bombers will enter the AT&T Challenge Series facing the winner of the Portland Beavers/New York Rens Guinness Cup Series matchup.

The Bombers can take solace in the fact that the San Francisco Giants became the first MLB team to fight off relegation, dispatching the Minnesota Twins in last year's Challenge Series.

CONTINENTAL LEAGUE
FINAL STANDINGS 2004

PROVIDENCE V. LA DODGERS PREVIEW
Well how about this one? I almost took the Dodgers job and assessed them to be a bit short and not really ready to do anything. Well, I look at it now and think..well..pretty much what I thought then.

They're thin. But then, that doesn't mean they won't beat us.

The Dodgers have the best relief corps in baseball. Closer Mike Sharpe had 39 saves and a 1.57 ERA this year, and their starting staff is a two-headed monster of John Shaffer (19-11, 3.22) and Francisco Marquez (17-12, 3.58 ERA)

CF Juan Alvarez is giving the #42 significance in Dodger country. He only hit .210 this year, but he had 40 HRs and 102 RBI. Weird? But it worked for him...

Stephen Woodward is on the other side of the outfield. He hit .301 with 34 HR and 123 RBI this past year and Chris Womack is the right fielder and hit .311 with 27 HR and 110 RBI.

I think they're a solid team all around and whereas we're running with a lot of youngsters and spare parts, they're far more "chemistry" based.

You know the names, but I'll tell you again. It all starts and ends with Andrew Cooper at first base. A career high 52 HRs this year and 133 RBI. He's a beast.

Manny Ramirez is in his first season in Providence, he's no longer "Manolo" but he's He-Man to us. 44HRs and 100 RBI and we're hoping a stellar playoff season.

Al Jacobs hit .272 with 30 HR and 102 RBI to round out the order.

You might think it's weird when I say our pitching is a weakness. But we give up a lot of runs and I'm not convinced that we're playoff tested. We'll rely on Miguel Ortega (19-7, 2.73) and Ron Cowan (17-13, 4.81)

I know if it comes down to it, Paul Monuer is one of the best in the business (5-3, 44 SV, 1.72 ERA) and he'll shut down the door.

It'll be a toss-up series, but if the boys in black can dig deep...they'll prevail.

FINAL PITCHING STATS ~ 2004 PROVIDENCE BEES

FINAL BATTING STATS ~ 2004 PROVIDENCE BEES

MLB CHALLENGE SERIES
The matchup is between the New York Rens (Harlem, Manhattan) and the New York Bombers (Bronx). Because the matchup is a subway series, MLB decided to play the Series in New York City, using the same double header format as usual.

The Rens are seeking to become the first major league team to play in Manhattan since the New York Giants played at the Polo Grounds, while the Bombers are seeking not to be relegated.

GAME 1: RENS 1 BOMBERS 0
GAME 2: RENS 9 BOMBERS 8
GAME 3: RENS 10 BOMBERS 7
NEW YORK BOMBERS ARE RELEGATED TO THE CONTINENTAL LEAGUE, RENS PROMOTED TO MLB, WIN COMMISSIONERS PIN & 2004 AT&T CHALLENGE SERIES

GAME 1 WSQF: PROVIDENCE 5, LA DODGERS 3

After a pitcher duel broke out for the first 8 1/2 innings, the Los Angeles Dodgers broke the game open with three runs in the bottom of the 8th.

Undaunted, the Bees scored 5 in the 9th, spurred by a Pete Coleman grand slam.

The win puts the Bees up 1-0 in the Series.

GAME 2 WSQF: PROVIDENCE 10, LA DODGERS 8
It seems whatever the Dodgers do, the Bees wait until the 9th to prove their mettle.

Despite being down 8-1 after 7 innings, the Bees chopped at the lead, scoring 4 in the top half of the 8th. Needing 3 runs to tie in the 9th, the Bees brought out their bats. A solo shot by Alfie Penrice and a three-run homer by Manny Ramirez spurred a 5 run 9th that gave the Bees a 10-8 win and a 2-0 lead in the series.

GAME 3: LA DODGERS 6, BEES 0
No magic exlir could be found for Game 3 at home, as the Dodgers put up 6 runs and Mike Moore pitched 8 2/3 innings of 2-hit ball, to give the Dodgers their first win of the series.

GAME 4: PROVIDENCE 6, LA DODGERS 3
The Bees got eight strong innings of work from Lorenzo Negron, who struck out 5, to win advance to the semifinals series for the 2nd straight year.

GAME 1: PROVIDENCE 5, BROOKLYN 2
The Bees got strong pitching from Reggie O'Neal, who struck out 4 in 7 1/3 and [b]Alfie Penrice went deep twice for his 3rd and 4th homers of the post-season to capture a 1-0 series lead on the road against the Brooklyn Cyclones.

GAME 2: BROOKLYN 3, PROVIDENCE 1
Mitsuo Asai pitched eight innings of 5 hit ball, while the struggles of Spike Ironside of the Bees in the playoffs continue. He's got a 7.50 ERA in the playoffs, as the Bees go down and the series gets tied 1-1.

GAME 3: BROOKLYN 8, PROVIDENCE 3

The Cyclones lit up Miguel Ortega for 6 earned in 6 1/3 innings, while Anastastio Lopez gave up just 3 earned and four hits in 7 innings, to give the Cyclones a 2-1 series lead.

GAME 4: PROVIDENCE 5, BROOKLYN 4
If you had to summarize the Bees performances in the playoffs to date, it'd simply be "they just win."

Game 4 was no exception to that rule, as the Bees scored 5 runs in the bottom of the eighth after being down 4-0 to win Game 4 of the World Series Semi-Finals over the Brooklyn Cyclones.
Andrew Cooper had a double in the 8th with 2 out and bases loaded to break the game open.

GAME 5: PROVIDENCE 6 BROOKLYN 1
Lorenzo Negron pitched a complete game 4-hitter, as he was in complete control of the game and as a result, have the Bees on the doorstep of the World Series for the first time in franchise history.

Al Jacobs hit his first homerun of the post-season and Alfie Penrice continues to be on fire, hitting his sixth homer of the post-season.

GAME 6: PROVIDENCE 7, BROOKLYN 3
It was a team effort, as the Bees used five pitchers to secure a narrow lead 5-3 lead heading into the 9th, but they tacked on 2 runs and made Paul Moneur's job easy to give the Bees a 4-2 series victory against the Brooklyn Cyclones.

The Bees got home runs from Manny Ramirez, his 3rd of the post-season and Andrew Cooper in the 9th.

Manager Manny Serna attributes the team's recent offensive surge in a new lineup.

"We decided to tweak things a bit and it's had a lot of success for us. I hope it works in the next round," he said.

The Bees will take on the winner of the Cincinnati Reds-Boston Yankees series, that has gone to a 7th game, despite the heavily favored Yankees having a 3-1 series lead after four games.

The Yankees-Bees matchup would be a rematch of last year's hotly contested Semifinals Series matchup that was won by Boston in seven games.

REDS UPSET THE YANKEES 5-3 IN GAME 7 OF SEMIS
BOSTON - Well, so much for a matchup between the two New England ballclubs, a rematch of last year's semifinals game, that everyone called "the real world series."

Nope. The Cincinnati Reds, who were dismissed by most because they play in the "weaker" Southern Division, won 105 games this year and weren't slouches.

The Reds got out to an early 3-1 lead, before the Yanks tied it in the bottom of the 7th. The score stayed knotted up at 3-3 until the top of the 12th, when a rally yielded 2 runs, which was all reliever Legesse Gichinga needed to close out the game and to send the Reds to the World Series for the first time.

"It's why they play the games," said Reds GM Enrique Martinez. "People doubted this team all year. But they're a great group of guys."

The Reds finished the regular season Top 5 in most offensive and pitching categories.

"We're going to be a tough matchup for the next team."

GAME 1: CINCINNATI 4, PROVIDENCE 3
GAME 2: CINCINNATI 4, PROVIDENCE 3
GAME 3: CINCINNATI 6, PROVIDENCE 3
GAME 4: PROVIDENCE 8, CINCINNATI 7
GAME 5: CINCINNATI 7, PROVIDENCE 5

CINCINNATI REDS WIN 2004 WORLD SERIES

In the end, I knew we were overmatched. I didn't see this team on our radar and thought Boston would pull it out. But they're dangerous and they proved it. More importantly, we're just not very good. I mean, we have some playmakers, but the more I looked at this roster late in the year, the less happy I was with it. Maybe it's going from a complete team to one that you inherit after just one year.

Whatever it is, I'm proud that we got far and that we did as well as we did. But, there is a factor of me that looks up north and the mess that's up there and think to myself, "I could've done better than that."

It's like building a house, putting all of the stuff in it and then deciding to move after you just get comfortable. Or before you can truly appreciate how great a decorating job you did.

Well, that's how this year felt to me. Very bittersweet.

DALY QUITS BEES JOB
After just one year on the job as GM of the Providence Bees, the 29-year old GM says he's had enough.

"I want to do something in baseball, but I want something that's closer to my roots. This is just...I dunno. I've had a great run and the World Series and the players -- all of it, I've enjoyed immensely. But I just need a break."

The announcement comes just days after the Bees were beaten in 5 games by the Cincinnati Reds in the '04 World Series.

The Reds also beat D.C. former team, the Boston Yankees and his resignation has fueled intense speculation that he'll be heading back to Beantown for next season.

Both the Yankees and D.C. have denied such reports, but reports have him returning in all sorts of capacities such as team President, Executive VP or some other roles which will give him the control he craved when he left the team abruptly last season.

"You can believe he'll be back in baseball sooner than later," said one executive who declined comment.

Daly had four years left on his deal in Providence at the time of his resignation.

I'll put in a vote for Gary, IN as a team in the new 3rd division. A suburb of Chicago (kinda how Newark is a suburb of new York city), it should have the market to support a team.

Team name suggestions: Steelheads (current USBL team), the Railcats (current Northern League team), and the Panthers (my high school team).

I have to speak up for my midwestern bretheren with Fargo Bison, St. Paul Saints. Other cities that would be good are Ft. Worth Cattlemen, Salt Lake City, Omaha, Little Rock, Vero Beach, Dayton.

For reference, here's a current map of all of the teams in MLB and the CL.

It's useful for me to "see" where the teams are geographically, so I understand where the concentration of teams truly are.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UT...2b2c8d1a3397fb

WHAT WE DID
Ok, so there were a lot of changes and frankly, I'm not sure how I kept up with it all.

But anyway.

Here's what happened.

- The Dominican Development League was folded.

- The minor league of the Continental League was also jettisoned.

- The Republic League in its original form was folded, as were all of its team, the league will be 'reborn' as a new league that'll announce shortly.

- The 3rd division will also be announced at that time.
----
MLB UNVEILS NEW SETUP
Baseball's growth around the world, said MLB's Commissioner and a desire to "enhance the competitive experience of baseball fans around the world," has facilitated a new baseball "pyramid" that will "revolutionize" the game.

While baseball was already the first American team sport to introduce promotion and relegation to the landscape, what will take place this season will surpass anything baseball's seen before.

In order to get the players association to agree to the new 'pyramid' structure of baseball, free agency was granted to EVERY player at every level.

The rationale? "Players should have the right of self-determination. And if we've got owners who can make decisions about where their teams will play and what that'll be all about, the players ought to get a one-chance shot to do the same thing," said MLBPA spokesman Matt Holliday.

So there are over 5,000 players in the pool.

"The teams are all back in it and cities that were once home to minor league clubs or to independent teams are dreaming of their one day when they too can be major league. It's a great story."

The Republic League has been officially closed and will be replaced by the National League (AAA). The American League (AA) will be the 4th division, leaving the final setup as:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL (1st division/Premier League)
CONTINENTAL LEAGUE (2nd division)
NATIONAL LEAGUE (3rd division)
AMERICAN LEAGUE (4th division)

To streamline the process, MLB decided that promotion and relegation in the NL and AL will begin at the start of the 2007 season for both teams. The American League setup will be announced by December 1st.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

I wrestled and still have for a bit about the 'distinctions' of the leagues. I mean, what do you call them? Is MLB the Premier League or the 1st division? I know that England has it a certain way and our setup with the MLB and CL are basically similar to the EPL and Coca-Coca Championship. But it's an American spin on a decidedly unAmerican practice and so, I struggle with the semantics to some degree as I go through it.

I won't focus on the lower leagues in-depth much at all unless people specifically ask about a team or something, unless the story calls for it. Because if I do, it'll distract and get really confusing (if it's not already) and I'd hate to take away from the interesting parts of whatever story we're following to give you mundane details.

I've decided to hold off on adding the American League until the end of the 2005 season and it might even wait until the end of 2006, we'll see.

It'll put them at a disadvantage to be sure, but I'd kinda like to get this crazy off-season out of the way, because with everybody shifting all over the place, I think it would just be better to let the dust settle a bit, let things get a little less convoluted. The setup is new, it's different and we've got to get it moving before we go adding another team to the setup and so...that's just what I think about that.

So that being said, the next few years will be a fly-by as we discuss the relevant stuff that needs discussed and leave the rest out.

Mostly just where teams have regrouped and found themselves, what the salaries in each are and payroll numbers, etc.

The NL will have a best-of-seven game playoff to determine the winners of each Association, followed by a best-of-seven game NLCS. The winner of the NLCS will be promoted to the Continental League. There is no relegation playoff at that level. And I think we'll employ that method at the lower levels across the board.

There is a possibility for a future playoff between the last-place team and some sort of 2nd place finisher, but...we're not anywhere close to being there yet.

I'm gonna sim the off-season completely and come back with some numbers and stuff.

DESPITE THE CRAZINESS, ALL IS WELL
When we first approached the idea of making everyone a free agent, I worried that it wouldn’t work.

And it didn’t.

At first, anyway.

The game clearly isn’t equipped to handle when about 5000 players decide to magically become free agents at the same time. And despite 3 pro leagues with ample cash to sign them, players weren’t getting acquired.

I was worried the whole dynasty might be in jeopardy. But I used my head.

Basically, all you have to do is fill the rosters with fictional players. But not good ones. Instead, you change the creation modifiers to make the players newly created awful and after a day or two, the teams will release them all and sign the good players waiting out in free agency.

Why does this happen? I have no freakin’ idea. I’m just glad it worked or else I’d have to spin this year as the “year of the replacement player.”

Because things are working smoothly, promotion and relegation will happen as normal. I feared if things went wacky, that we’d have to wait a year to do it in all of the leagues. But, things will go as planned.

Also, in the National League we’ve gotten rid of the DH. So it’s the only league that doesn’t use it. I figured that’d add a nice old-school twist to things.

REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS ~ FINAL
Remember: NL - 3rd division CL - 2nd division MLB - Premier League

NATIONAL LEAGUE 2005 FINAL STANDINGS
Only division champs make the playoffs. NL will not be promoting/relegating in 2005.

CONTINENTAL LEAGUE 2005 FINAL STANDINGS

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 2005 FINAL STANDINGS

NCAA PLAYOFFS
Wichita State def. Mississippi State 4 gms to 1
UCLA def. Maryland 4 gms to 2

2005 COLLEGE WORLD SERIES
Wichita State def. UCLA 4 gms to 1

2005 PLAYOFF MATCHUPS

NATIONAL LEAGUE
ASSOCIATION FINALS

2005 NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Buffalo def. Indianapolis 4 gms to 3

CONTINENTAL LEAGUE GUINNESS CUP SERIES

AT&T CHALLENGE SERIES presented by MLB
@ Rosenblatt Stadium, Omaha
Monterrey def. Milwaukee 3 gms to 0

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
WS QUARTERFINALS

WORLD SERIES SEMIFINALS
Boston def. Cubs 4 gms to 2
Pennsylvania def. Texas 4 gms to 2

2005 WORLD SERIES
Pennyslvania def. Boston 4 gms to 1

Who knew that it'd just take a name change to get the Colonials their first World Series?

Here's the American League's inaugural setup for 2006.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SETUP (2006)
NORTHERN CONFERENCE
---
Worcester, MA
Hartford, CT
Appleton, WI
Rockford, IL
Grand Rapids, MI
Harrisburg, PA

Pacific CONFERENCE
-----
Santa Maria, CA
Spokane, WA
Bend, OR
Reno, NV
Grand Junction, CO
Fargo, ND

Fantastic read, I am following, however, I am shocked you are left the Bees considering you fawned over them the year previous, you take them over and go to the WS.

How do you decide when to contract/move a team?

Would you be willing to post your league/universe file? I'd love to see how the league works and how it looks within the game.

Thanks for the post.

You will soon find out why I left the Bees.

And originally my team move/contraction methodology was based solely on geography and of course, a team's lagging attendance. But I try to do it less and less, because it can be hard to follow the game if the teams are always moving around and so, I try to minimize it. That said, I'm always willing to take new team suggestion/city suggestions, because I always feel like there are more cities as we get further down the line that get neglected or make for a compelling story as we move forward.

It's easier now with lower leagues and stuff, because with promotion/relegation, the league is subject less to my whims and if I do get the desire to add random teams in Nowhere, USA, I can just create a lower league that may or may not enter MLB's promotion/relegation scheme.

Here's a link to the league file if you wanna download it/check it out. Just contains the .dat files. Unzip it to your saved games folder (it's already in a folder called MLB 2.0 and it should load okay. Lemme know whatcha think. I haven't named all of the teams in the American League in this version and you don't get any of my logos to the custom teams (not 'cuz I mind if you have 'em, I just didn't want to upload a 200MB file)

Link

If you check out the map, you can exactly where all of the teams are, including the newly added American League teams.

AMERICAN LEAGUE TEAMS NAMED
NORTHERN CONFERENCE
Appleton Foxes
Grand Rapids Griffins
Hartford Whalers
Rockford Foresters
Harrisburg Senators
Worcester Browns

PACIFIC CONFERENCE
Bend Brewers
Dakota Thundercats
Grand Junction Grays
Reno Miners
Santa Maria Winemakers
Spokane Natives

This is amazing, I updated the AL team names in the file that I downloaded - was there anything else you did? Doesn't sound it.

Also, I thought you played without view of the ratings, I thought I read that somewhere up there.

I used to. I turned them back on though. I hate scouts because it adds them to the payroll and there isn't a real steady flow of players coming in. I forget why I turned them back on. Oh, I just think having more information was better than less.

I just changed it from 1-20 to 1-100 when I stopped running the Bees.

Nope, didn't do anything else otherwise.

And for those at home wondering, I wrestled with making the lower leagues something lesser than major leagues. But in the end, I decided that the players talent levels across the board doesn't really change the fact that they're major leaguers and it wasn't worth the confusion in stats and stuff, to try to change the distinctions. It'll be evident to me, when it comes time to put a guy in the Hall or more importantly, when I'm signing guys what the difference between a 30 homer season in the AL is like versus MLB.

I wanted to mirror more the European style rather than trying to artifically diminish the importance of one league versus the other and so, they're all major leagues technically, it's just one is a lower tiered league (and the player creation modifiers reflect this) than the others.

I actually agree with that rationale, for what its worth.

Oh, there are a few name changes I made:

San Juan is now the Puerto Rico Leones. I did this so I could use the Puerto Rico WBC jersey for the team.

Indianapolis Browns are now the Indianapolis Nine.

Los Angeles Empires are now the California Empires. (I almost went with Los Angeles Empires of Riverside. Almost...)

Toronto Blue Sox are now the Toronto Blue Jays.

That's all my moves.

Well thanks. I really sure wasn't too sure what to do, but I do like the way things are now. I think the European setup was what convinced me in the end. I mean, we all know MLS isn't on par with the EPL or La Liga, but we don't need a "Double-A" moniker to indicate that.

D.C. TO PURCHASE AL'S WORCESTER FRANCHISE
WORCESTER, MA - After almost two years away from the game, it seems that D.C. Daly is ready to come back. But this time, the only person he's answering to is himself.

The 30-year old baseball exec who has already help build two New England clubs and took them to the World Series has a far more daunting task ahead of him as the new primary owner of the Worcester Browns of the new American League.

"I've always wanted to own my own team. I can't tell you how exciting it is that I get to do this, especially at my age. It's a childhood dream come true, but it won't be complete until we're someday playing on the biggest stage possible," said Daly about the acquisition.

He formed a partnership with several of his contacts from his days with the Boston Yankees and with those minority owners backing him, was able to put his own money up to buy the team. He reminds people that he went to college for economics, not baseball.

"Let's just say I know how to save a penny when I need to."

With just four months until the American League season begins, D.C. expects to dive right in.

"The best part of this, is that I get to combine my love for player development and talent, with being able to do something sustainable. I can't wait."

2006 CHANGES
Just so you know, the AL has effectively eliminated its cash maximum. Here's why. In theory, the AL teams could get rich and fat simply selling off their best players to leagues above them. The main difference as I see it between the National League and the American League for the purposes of this game, is that the NL is a competitive league with teams all gunning for the next level. Whereas, AL teams are split down the middle. Half are player development factories that have no intention of 'trying' to make it to the majors, with the others trying to develop young players with some veterans to get in while their window allows for it.

In 2006, the AL isn't eligible for promotion to the NL and so, it'll just be a 'test run' season to see what the new league is all about.

The salary cap is $15 million this year. In the NL it's $20 million and the winner of the NLCS will receive automatic promotion to the CL for 2007, with the worst CL team being demoted.

The salary cap in the CL this year is $50 million.