Has 2006 killed off the "Old Guard"??

[ArrylT]

bigmahon
dneedle
etdefender
JKolak
JaserD
jamesgang77
mav
penngray
T.Richardson

Just a list of owners who have been around for years and were mainstays on the forums & SOM Community. Two things they have in common

1 - 150+ teams
2 - Their presence in 2006 has either been subdued, non-existant or soon to become subdued due to loss of interest.

Could 2006 have killed off a vibrant part of the SOM Community. Was RiggoDrills goal in pricing 2006 to drive away any & all owners who could challenge him?? :wink: :wink: :P :wink:

Or is it all just co-incidence?


Seems this year there has been a higher rate of dissatisfaction with 06, and it is good that there are so many new owners out there ... it has sort of masked the disappearance of many of the "old guard".

Fresh blood is always good - and the more owners the merrier. It is just a little sad that so many of the older (in length of membership) owners are fading away. Heck I feel the malaise myself ... 2006 just doesnt seem as enjoyable as previous years ... and this in spite of one of the greatest comebacks made by a team I owned ever.

Oh well - nothing stays the same forever - but it has got to be more than just a co-incidence that so many of the above owners have all but disappeared ...

Here is a thread on a similar topic for those interested:

[url=http://forums-beta.sportingnews.com/viewtopic.php?t=96373]Skill or Chance[/url]

[Detroit-Tigers]

I think with the pricing differentials fading, all teams turn out pretty much equal, and the games come down much more to chance.

The pricing discrepencies, and finding the high value guys made the game much more fun.

[LMBombers]

So the better TSN gets at making the player salaries more legit the more the old timers lose interest in the game? That makes no sense. Were they just interested in taking advantage of the improperly priced players against players who didn't know any better?

Seems to me that if the salaries are more correct to performance, as a whole, it comes down more to skill in shaping your team rather than knowing which players to get or to avoid.

[vince0501]

I think the pricing has something to do with it. As one who has been here from the very beginning, a lot of the fun was finding those hidden gems. The Mateos' Ben Webers' and Victor Santos of the early years are nowhere to be found. It also seems to make it even more common to always see the same names on the free agent lists. So if your team is struggling, for the most part there is nothing you can do.

I also feel that the cards have been lacking the last couple of seasons. Either a ton of injuries, or widely unbalanced cards, have made the players less interesting to use. That of course is not Strat or TSN's fault.

I am sorry to see some of the old guard go away, and also the activity on this board dwindle. I never have been one of the 150 team a year guys, but (not independently wealthy..like some of you :), I don't see myself getting more than the one or 2 more teams I am committed to already.
If TSN would ever wise up and start making the games equal (I.E a five pack can be used for any of the games..same with a credit), I might be more tempted to dabble in some of the games beyond the current year.

[LMBombers]

[quote:d1937adb71="vince0501"]If TSN would ever wise up and start making the games equal (I.E a five pack can be used for any of the games..same with a credit), I might be more tempted to dabble in some of the games beyond the current year.[/quote:d1937adb71]

They already do. If you buy a 5 pack for the 2006 game they will transfer as many credits as you want to the other games.

[vince0501]

so if I buy a five pack of '06 I can use one for '80's one for ATG, etc?

Do I have to e-mail Bernie or is that set up already?
Thansks for the info. I guess I missed that.

[Detroit-Tigers]

[quote:943179e61e="LMBombers"]So the better TSN gets at making the player salaries more legit the more the old timers lose interest in the game? That makes no sense. Were they just interested in taking advantage of the improperly priced players against players who didn't know any better?

Seems to me that if the salaries are more correct to performance, as a whole, it comes down more to skill in shaping your team rather than knowing which players to get or to avoid.[/quote:943179e61e]

Please read the thread ArrylT referenced.

It isn't about skill anymore, the pricing is so even, and the strategies so plain, that a lot of the current games now come down to luck. I am sorry if this doesn't make sense to you. Old Timers might have liked the idea of figuring out this year's pricing inconsistencies and using it, in addition to plain old strategy.

[durantjerry]

1)Message Board participation started going down when the Tour Began IMO. You hardly ever see guys commenting on posted teams who used to comment all the time a couple of years ago. I noticed a decline in people sharing information when they thought they were giving their hard earned secrets to the competition. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with it, as I used to complain that many people just drafted and let guys like Quicksilver create their whole post-draft team.
2)Some vets just pick and choose their spots a little more. They only play private leagues or in tourneys such as the Tour. They have become sophisticated SOMO players, not dabbling as much with the SOMO rabble.
3)Pricing being more competetive is a good thing. It eliminates an unfair advantage being held by a select few that are experienced. I know in ATG I, I had over a .550 career winning % because I read all the posts before I started playing and consistently drafted obviously mispriced players early and often. I also was playing the 2001 game. The people that were aware of these pricing "errors" could consistently do well, while those that didn't started out with at least a bit of a handicap. There are still gems to be found, but nothing like some of the pricing in earlier years.
4)I have always liked to go against the grain and enjoy trying to think up new ways to win. I think some guys just freaked out the first time they lost a series to someone starting a "3" rated player at SS and quit. My winning % has been as high as it's ever been the last two years while playing in more competeive leagues than ever before, so I guess I like the "even" playing field.

[LMBombers]

I don't agree that there is no skill involved any longer. For 3m you can buy a speedster that can field great or a power guy that has a brick glove. The skill is knowing which guy to use for your park and in your lineup. They both would not put up the same statistics in the same park.

This same example is used about 24 times to form your roster. With about a million possible combinations the skill used is determining which roster combo will work best for you. You can't just fill in any old 24-25 guys and get the same results. :shock: Thats crazy.

[BRADSANDBOTHE]

I started strat on line last year and had 5 or 6 teams.
With what I know now, I would have fared better than I did last year.
I did make the Finals (and lost) with my very first team.
After that, I did horrible. Mostly because I didn't know the intricacies of the game.
Pricing and hidden gems, OBP, BA, and SLG.
Hard Righty vs Lefty, Injury ratings....things that had no influence with my first team. (I just picked from the gut)
I don't think the Old Guard has left, but maybe they aren't sticking out as much with the influx of new players and with the knowlege to be gleaned from these boards.

I have asked and have received valuable advice from these boards.
Opinions and insights that otherwise I would have missed.

Also, it is still pretty early to start having the cream start to rise to the top.

I know I had a dismal 290-358 record in '05 (mainly due to my 47-115 record at Petco).

This year on the other hand started slow and now is picking up for me.
I stand at 365-340 so far.

My point is people are learning more and this is making the competition a bit more evened out. The game may be a bit more vanilla, but the good managers will always eventually win out against the less experienced. The more tweaking done with each persons teams and experience in certain stadiums will be the curve.

I think the 'Old Guard' will eventually be around to brag on their successes once they pick apart the very smallest of advantages and start using them.

Hopefully I can sneak in while the getting is good and steal a Champ or two before they start dominating again.