Archive of SportingNews.com's old SOM Baseball forum

More than a few posts recently talking about rules loopholes, collusion, and such.

Just a suggestion, use the boards to recruit managers for private leagues with passwords. It might take a little longer to fill a league but you could filter out guys you know will try to win at all costs.

You'll almost NEVER have this problem in theme leagues, because the managers are familiar with each other. Managers looking to work the system won't join a league with a group of managers that are familiar with each other this because they wouldn't be anonymous and it they pulled this stuff, the theme league organizers would keep them out of any future leagues they run.

So if you want to start a league, post it on the board, recruit managers you're familiar with, and fill the open spots with managers that you don't know. You'll have a dialogue documented with them in the thread, and the anonymity will be gone.

Would this deter a newbie manager??? If I was a newbie and joined a league this way, I would feel good about getting into the league formed this way, definitely better than joining one with 11 random managers.

We've got a terrific group of managers in the mystery card leagues that fill and refill each others theme leagues, and it really adds to the enjoyment of the leagues. I can't tell you how many public leagues I've been in with no banter, trading, or interaction for the entire season.... BO-RING!!!!

Oh well, just a thought.

Fireproof racing suit on, ready for flaming!!

[quote:5651be53ab="latorrer"]

Would this deter a newbie manager??? If I was a newbie and joined a league this way, I would feel good about getting into the league formed this way, definitely better than joining one with 11 random managers.

[/quote:5651be53ab]

Yes, but you're assuming the new manager is a good-spirited person like yourself rather than a ill-spirited one. This is a tough situation because veterans want to include new managers and make them feel welcome, but they also don't want absentee or malicious ones either. In fact, many theme leagues specifically indicate "vets only" to prevent any new manager from potentially disturbing the waters.

I know my comments don't really offer an alternative solution, but I'm just trying to point out that SOM needs to keep supporting both public and private leagues with new and old managers. Veterans joining public leagues can inform new managers through league messages about how to find the forum, tips on strategy, etc. At least, I hope most of the veterans are willingly and able to do those kinds of things. I know it was a nice gesture by experienced managers to teach me when I first joined.

I am in the league where Bernie took action. It was easy because the offending team sent out a email about his intentions. It was very clear what he wanted to do and why. I do have a suggestion on how to keep this from happening. A 24 or 48 hour notice to except or decline the trade by the other owners. The other owners vote by a majority to except the trade. The division not effected by the trade votes. Every league has a moderator that is bias and is put in before the league starts by TSN. Any other suggestions? This really only needs to be done where teams don't have to meet salary cap constrictions. This would end the problem of dumping and collusion. Most of us check the site atleast every other day and a moderator or 5 could easily handle the small number of no cap leagues. Even a panel of 5 to except or decline every trade offer would work. Hey just throwing out my vast amount of useless knowledge on the subject as I always do. Follow me and I will lead you to nowhere and then lost. Mike

IMO, the problem applies almost strictly to 200X live leagues. There is no need for anything in a 200X capped league $100 or less. The cap polices the league to a good enough extent that it is very difficult for ridiculous things to happen. I have played 500+ leagues and I can't recall a huge need for contacting TSN in any < $100 league. On the other hand, Bernie has been contacted in two of the last three Live 200X leagues I have been in and easily could have been contacted in the third. There is just too much room for strange happenings. By contrast, I have played in 30+ ATG Live leagues and close to 100 mystery card leagues where the same strange goings on could occur, and nothing much untoward has ever happened. The 200X Live leagues seem to attract the new players, who probably need a little seasoning in a capped league before playing live, but the opposite seems to happen with the allure of choosing the high priced guys in a Live League. I for one am not going to play in any more 200X Public Live leagues. The chances of wasting your $$$ in a Live league that goes bad is pretty substantial compared to it being extremely rare in any other salary cap or in any other game.

I have to agree with durantjerry. I'm going to be very careful about joining live draft leagues. The one that I'm in with dj and chasenally has left a bad taste. I'm fairly new to SOM and have been in only two other live draft leagues. The first one was a 2008 newbie league that finished last week, although it didn't have a lot of trading and talk. The second one was a theme league with a lot of veterans who knew each other (Avatar) -- it was only a four round draft, done through the message boards. Very different feel in both of those leagues from what has happened in this last league. I'm going to be very careful about how I choose leagues, and will likely not do any more live draft leagues. But I'm not sure at all about the best way to prevent these problems (collusion, roster dump, etc.) from happening. Bernie acted quickly for our league and took what I thought was the appropriate action -- reversed the trades and kicked out the one manager.

I've enjoyed the games very much, and will continue to play, but with a little more caution about my league choices now.

I think "bad" as in cheater managers are rare, but I've encountered them in keeper leagues. A warning to keeper league managers. We have had managers who completely draft for the upcoming year and then quit after one year.

They are easy to spot. They draft a team that has a 20-50 million higher salary and only players with good current cards. Then sure enough, they convienently bow out the next year.

I am not saying managers who bow out in a year are playing unfair, just those managers who draft for one year in a keeper league- then bow out.

There are many ways to be unsportsmanlike beside collusion.

I don't have a solution other than Bernie stepping in when he is shown evidence and other managers calling out the cheaters.

[quote:e3cd54e4df="Terry101"]I think "bad" as in cheater managers are rare, but I've encountered them in keeper leagues. A warning to keeper league managers. We have had managers who completely draft for the upcoming year and then quit after one year.

They are easy to spot. They draft a team that has a 20-50 million higher salary and only players with good current cards. Then sure enough, they convienently bow out the next year.

I am not saying managers who bow out in a year are playing unfair, just those managers who draft for one year in a keeper league- then bow out.

There are many ways to be unsportsmanlike beside collusion.

I don't have a solution other than Bernie stepping in when he is shown evidence and other managers calling out the cheaters.[/quote:e3cd54e4df]

Yep, it happened in a league I was in last year. I questioned it when he began trading most all his upcoming FA and prospect picks for the 2010 season, as well as trading for 1 year wonders with no regard to the future. Sadly, there was a call for a keeper league replacement in another league and when I requested the roster, it happened to be the same person who bolted, and lo and behold, it was this same person's team and amazingly, probably left it in worse shape than his other.

If this person ever attempts to join a keeper league I am in, I plan on calling him out, complete with evidence. I mention this only because a couple of managers had vouched for him both while he was dismantling his team, as well as after his departure from the league. I suppose it's within one's right to do what they wish, especially knowing they won't be around the next year, but still doesn't make it ethicial.