For the indecisive franchise guy

[Rmiok222]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bgrd1080

New day, New options. Liked the Mets shout and still like the idea as the budget would be something I've never had before as well as still competing with Atlanta and LA just to win the pennant let alone the world series. Minnesota might be fun, they are yearning for a playoff victory let alone a series win. They also have a little more building to do with the team. Toronto could be fun as they have to compete with NY, Tampa and eventually Boston again.

I’d go twins out of those because homeruns are fun 🤩


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[TheWarmWind]

I play the Blue Jays.

Biggest reason is they are my team. Period. It's funny, in any other sport I mostly cheer for players, not teams, but when it comes to baseball I bleed blue and would cheer for them even if they were bottom of the league. However I do have other reasons that aren't just patriotic.

I think they have the best uniforms. They are one of the very few teams whose symbol isn't just the city's initials in some font, yet the symbol has a timeless look to it, feeling both classic and appropriately modern at the same time. Also nearly all of the modern uniform combos (the Canada Day set being the exclusion) feel like they are the "right" uniform. They're all good enough to be default. I don't like the alternate three hat, but luckily that uniform matches well with other hats.

That's the thing with alternates. A lot of them are very cool, but a lot of the time they don't feel "right", like the team is trying too hard to have different looks as opposed to stay true their established identity. The Blue Jays always instantly look like the Blue Jays, even with a fair amount of variety.

I'm also a big fan of the Dome. I think it looks great in game (though I do think it could use some TLC in real life). I love the Colosseum feel, the way it looks at an open roof day game, and having a home stadium that has a dynamic roof. Also having a perfectly uniform field is actually kind of unique at the MLB level.

They're also a team where it's possible to become a league high budget team without the use of stubs. They have a pretty huge fanbase (albeit a fickle one) and the richest owners IRL.

I highly doubt I'll ever play another team. I could see myself maybe managing a couple of teams, especially if I do ever buy a new iteration of the show in the future (past 20) and trade logic is still a bit easy to get around. Competing against myself might be a good way to keep myself in check. But I have a hard time imagining I'll ever stick to a team that isn't the Jays.

[kinsmen7]

As someone who has pretty much flip flopped a bajillion times a year with this sort of thing, I can (happily) say that I'm 100% invested in my Jays franchise this year. If I was doing a rebuild, I'd do the Rockies, but I just can't stay engaged with the whole "Rebuild" thing anymore. I just find that I make a couple of trades early (Say, Story and Marquez...), then I'm stuck waiting for prospects to be close, with a ton of payroll room.

Now, I've got a good team that, with the help of a few house rules, I can try to turn into a consistently great team without losing the realism part.

I think the most interesting thing for me is that I'm finally looking long-term with my franchise. Like, if I go out and make a big trade, what are the future financial implications of it? I want to maintain a budget long term, and I'm looking at guys like Baby Vlad, Bichette, Biggio, Pearson, etc. and thinking "How am I going to keep this core longterm, while also being able to add?". Like, does the George Springer contract handcuff me into dealing someone away in a couple of years?

Some great other questions that I keep asking myself are:
-How do I improve the infield defence? Biggio and Bo aren't great defenders, and it really impacts how I pitch to people.
-Where will Austin Martin play?
-Can any of Pearson, Manoah or SWR emerge as a true-ace long term?
-How the heck do you upgrade this rotation without selling the farm or overpaying in free agency?

It's been a blast.

[Jeffrey Smith]

Quote: Originally Posted by TheWarmWind

I play the Blue Jays. Biggest reason is they are my team. Period. It's funny, in any other sport I mostly cheer for players, not teams, but when it comes to baseball I bleed blue and would cheer for them even if they were bottom of the league. However I do have other reasons that aren't just patriotic. I think they have the best uniforms. They are one of the very few teams whose symbol isn't just the city's initials in some font, yet the symbol has a timeless look to it, feeling both classic and appropriately modern at the same time. Also nearly all of the modern uniform combos (the Canada Day set being the exclusion) feel like they are the "right" uniform. They're all good enough to be default. I don't like the alternate three hat, but luckily that uniform matches well with other hats. That's the thing with alternates. A lot of them are very cool, but a lot of the time they don't feel "right", like the team is trying too hard to have different looks as opposed to stay true their established identity. The Blue Jays always instantly look like the Blue Jays, even with a fair amount of variety. I'm also a big fan of the Dome. I think it looks great in game (though I do think it could use some TLC in real life). I love the Colosseum feel, the way it looks at an open roof day game, and having a home stadium that has a dynamic roof. Also having a perfectly uniform field is actually kind of unique at the MLB level. They're also a team where it's possible to become a league high budget team without the use of stubs. They have a pretty huge fanbase (albeit a fickle one) and the richest owners IRL. I highly doubt I'll ever play another team. I could see myself maybe managing a couple of teams, especially if I do ever buy a new iteration of the show in the future (past 20) and trade logic is still a bit easy to get around. Competing against myself might be a good way to keep myself in check. But I have a hard time imagining I'll ever stick to a team that isn't the Jays.

I love everything about this post.

As a Jays fan I’ve always had trouble playing with them because I am to attached to the team.

I’ll trade someone away and then regret it when they have a big game IRL.

I have a hard time being satisfied when my stats don’t meet the real players. (In 2016 I had Josh Donaldson hitting about.220 with little pop and it drove me nuts.)

I also once confused reality with a video game and asked several people at work if they had seen the Bautista come from behind walk off HR last night. ( IRL the Jays hadn’t played the night before)lol!

But after reading this post and kinsmen’s follow up I feel I have to start a Jays franchise this year again.

Thank you


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[Bgrd1080]

Quote: Originally Posted by kinsmen7

As someone who has pretty much flip flopped a bajillion times a year with this sort of thing, I can (happily) say that I'm 100% invested in my Jays franchise this year. If I was doing a rebuild, I'd do the Rockies, but I just can't stay engaged with the whole "Rebuild" thing anymore. I just find that I make a couple of trades early (Say, Story and Marquez...), then I'm stuck waiting for prospects to be close, with a ton of payroll room. Now, I've got a good team that, with the help of a few house rules, I can try to turn into a consistently great team without losing the realism part. I think the most interesting thing for me is that I'm finally looking long-term with my franchise. Like, if I go out and make a big trade, what are the future financial implications of it? I want to maintain a budget long term, and I'm looking at guys like Baby Vlad, Bichette, Biggio, Pearson, etc. and thinking "How am I going to keep this core longterm, while also being able to add?". Like, does the George Springer contract handcuff me into dealing someone away in a couple of years? Some great other questions that I keep asking myself are: -How do I improve the infield defence? Biggio and Bo aren't great defenders, and it really impacts how I pitch to people. -Where will Austin Martin play? -Can any of Pearson, Manoah or SWR emerge as a true-ace long term? -How the heck do you upgrade this rotation without selling the farm or overpaying in free agency? It's been a blast.

Love it Kinsmen! Keep us updated, I am sort of in the same mindset and leaning more and more towards Toronto and Minnesota as I want a decent budget but not unlimited funds like NYM, Cohen money. Toronto and trying to build that pitching staff and maintain the core while upgrading. Minnesota do you keep Sano and the younger once herald prodigies or scrap it and go a different direction to hopefully, finally get them a playoff win?

[TheWarmWind]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jeffrey Smith

I love everything about this post. As a Jays fan I’ve always had trouble playing with them because I am to attached to the team. I’ll trade someone away and then regret it when they have a big game IRL. I have a hard time being satisfied when my stats don’t meet the real players. (In 2016 I had Josh Donaldson hitting about.220 with little pop and it drove me nuts.) I also once confused reality with a video game and asked several people at work if they had seen the Bautista come from behind walk off HR last night. ( IRL the Jays hadn’t played the night before)lol! But after reading this post and kinsmen’s follow up I feel I have to start a Jays franchise this year again. Thank you Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

A fictional franchise might solve your issues. It'd be a tough choice to not have that young core, but it helps a lot with the issues you bring up.

Either way, I always think of the start of a franchise as a divergent universe. It loses all attachment to reality from the moment it starts and is now your universe. In my 2014 carry over, Luis Sardinas became the undisputed best SS in all baseball while both DJ LeMahieu and Nolan Arenado only ever panned out as bottom of the order defensive specialists, and I'm totally ok with that because it's my universe.

I have come close to chatting with other fans about an incredible start from Lozano, only to catch myself at the last second. He's not even real!

Happy you're going to give it another shot though. Go Jays go!

[kinsmen7]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bgrd1080

Love it Kinsmen! Keep us updated, I am sort of in the same mindset and leaning more and more towards Toronto and Minnesota as I want a decent budget but not unlimited funds like NYM, Cohen money. Toronto and trying to build that pitching staff and maintain the core while upgrading. Minnesota do you keep Sano and the younger once herald prodigies or scrap it and go a different direction to hopefully, finally get them a playoff win?

Yeah, it's actually the first time that I've enjoyed playing with my favorite team. House rules are an absolute *must* for me.

I feel like a lot of people have the same sort of issues where they start a franchise, decide they regret something, start a new one, decide they don't like it, start a new one, etc., etc., etc...I've maxed out my franchise saves many, many times over the years. I've just found that having some form of structure around what I'm doing has made it so easy to get/stay engaged. I actually spent over a month going back and forth with someone on baseballtradevalues.com before settling on a hypothetical trade hahaha.

I think following Countryboy's progress over the years is what made me really commit to a long term franchise. I actually get a kick out of how much fun that guy has with this game.

[jcar0725]

I'm semi fictional myself. Take a team a relocate, change the uniforms, sell off most of the existing players and wipe the slate clean. Build it all from scratch. Man the first year of that franchise is rough.....but its all mine and when it starts winning its pretty satisfying. 20210513_130247.jpeg20210513_123336.jpeg

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