BLAST FROM THE PAST REDO THEME LEAGUE, Draft on ILC

No harm no foul, Joe. Good job getting your team in under the wire. Welcome aboard!

Although I expected the league to fill quickly, it filled even quicker than I thought it would.

There are quite a few good teams entered. This should be a very tough league.

I'll get a randomizer to determine draft order run on Saturday afternoon around 1:00 P.M. Central Time and set up the league on Diamond Dope.

I don't believe Diamond Dope supports a $110 mil cap, so I'll have to set up the Diamond Dope draft as $140 mil, but keep in mind that the $110 mil cap cannot be exceeded.

Because several league members are out of town with limited internet access, the draft clock will be off for the first two rounds or until Monday morning at 9:00 A.M Eastern time, whichever occurs later.

I'd like to give everyone the opportunity to place a different team in the league, if so desired, PRIOR to the draft order being determined. Remember, only teams that DID NOT win the Finals are eligible. Once the draft order is determined, a team cannot be changed.

Post in this thread if you want to enter a different team. Don't forget to include a link to the new team.

Lastly, after seeing the number of players who appear on multiple teams, I've decided to make an amendment to the rules regarding an exception to the 18 player past team player minimum roster requirement. The exception is as follows:

Any team that loses a player valued at $2 mil or more from a past team shall receive an exemption from the 18 player minimum past team roster requirement for each player lost, up to a maximum of three such exemptions. So, for example, if team A loses one player worth $2 mil or more in the Diamond Dope draft to each of team D, G and K, the minimum past team player roster requirement for team A would be reduced from 18 to 15. The reason for this rule change is that it is unfair to teams losing players in the Diamond Dope draft to have to use one their 6 or 7 roster exceptions to a fill the spot of a player lost through no fault of their own.

If you have a problem with this rule change, let me know and I'll reconsider.

Thanks again for joining the league and keep watching here for future updates. - Bernie

Dukie: I'm glad that you like the concept. I've been mulling it over for some time. The league became feasible once Strat-o-matic made past teams available and created variable caps.

Like many managers, I could be in this league a many times over and still have teams remaining that I'd like to "redo".

This league filled so quickly that you could probably start another league like this and have no shortage of managers.

You are first on the waiting list, although I don't expect anyone to drop out. An added benefit to being on the waiting list is that I usually rerun theme leagues, but vary the concept a little. I invite back current league members first. If any of those decline, those on the waiting list get offered the vacant spot in the subsequent league before I post it in the forum.

Waiting list:
1. Dukie98
2.

Bernie,

I'm glad you amended the rules. I wrote out the rosters for everyone and cross-checked them again shared players, and I see that everyone has between 3 and 9 players to compete over, many of whom are over $2M. One small thing to clarify as I'm writing this is that I assume the $2M price tag applies to the most expensive ATGVI card, right?

With permission, I would like to switch my team, both to have less conflicts with other managers, and also because I think the team I'd like to sub in needs a lot more work and, in hindsight, could have really benefited from a few key changes.

Here's the new team:
http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/275993

I'll re-post the whole league with the change, too.

1. BDWard - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/244262
2. thaibill - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/338978
3. mrharryc - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/379583
4. andycummings65 - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/306741
5. carr20 - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/382091
6. AeroDave10 - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/275993
7. Motherscratcher - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/367721
8. bontomn - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/386565
9. hotcorner4444 - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/373387
10. PJK - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/317205
11. bmilner http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/387683
12. RangerJoe http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/298566

Bernie,

I'm glad you amended the rules. I wrote out the rosters for everyone and cross-checked them against shared players, and I see that everyone has between 3 and 9 players to compete over, many of whom are over $2M. One small thing to clarify as I'm writing this is that I assume the $2M price tag applies to the most expensive ATGVI card, right?

With permission, I would like to switch my team, both to have less conflicts with other managers, and also because I think the team I'd like to sub in needs a lot more work and, in hindsight, could have really benefited from a few key changes.

Here's the new team:
http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/275993

I'll re-post the whole league with the change, too.

Dave: Thanks for your post and your good question. No problem switching teams. I knew that some people would want to switch teams once they had more time to more thoroughly examine all their past teams and to see other teams in the league.

I'm considering switching teams as well, but no matter which team I decide upon, I'll be vying with other past teams for some key players who will be very difficult to replace. It's more than likely that I'll just stick with my original team, but it's not yet written in stone. It's more like wet concrete.

Insofar as amending the rules goes, I'm starting to feel a little bit like the NBA and/or the NFL, which have all sorts of cap and roster exceptions/exemptions. But this is a novel theme league concept, so there has to be some flexibility to amend the rules as the need arises, Of course, it's always far preferable to amend and/or clarify the rules BEFORE we start drafting. With that in mind, if anyone has any suggested rule changes or needs clarification on the rules, please post here ASAP. Such suggestions/questions are especially welcome, as we are in uncharted territory with this league and there's no way anyone could have possibly anticipated all questions or situations when drafting the rules.

Regarding clarification of the exemption from the 18 minimum past team players roster requirement for players from the past team valued at $2 mil or more lost to other past teams in the Diamond Dope draft, let's simplify it even further and eliminate the value requirement. This should be of little consequence, but make the rule easier to administer, as there are only a max of 3 exemptions for players lost to other teams in the Diamond Dope draft anyway.

So the amended rule regarding exemptions for players lost to other teams in the Diamond Dope draft reads as follows:

Any team that loses a player from a past team in the Diamond Dope draft to another team shall receive an exemption from the 18 player minimum past team roster requirement for each player lost in the Diamond Dope draft, up to a maximum of three such exemptions. So, for example, if team A loses one player in the Diamond Dope draft to each of team D, G and K, the minimum past team player roster requirement for team A would be reduced from 18 to 15. The reason for this rule change is that it is unfair to teams losing players in the Diamond Dope draft to have to use one their 6 or 7 roster exceptions to a fill the spot of a player lost in the Diamond Dope draft through no fault of their own. Note that the exemption (up to 3 max) from the 18 minimum past team player roster requirement is ONLY granted for past team players drafted by other teams in the Diamond Dope draft. Obviously there is no exemption for past team players a manager decides not to keep who go undrafted by other teams in the Diamond Dope draft.

I hope this clarifies things. - Bernie

The manager list in order of sign up:

1. BDWard - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/244262
2. thaibill - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/338978
3. mrharryc - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/379583
4. andycummings65 - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/306741
5. carr20 - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/382091
6. AeroDave10 - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/275993
7. Motherscratcher - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/367721
8. bontomn - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/386565
9. hotcorner4444 - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/373387
10. PJK - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/317205
11. bmilner - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/387683
12. RangerJoe - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/29856

artie4121 was kind enough to run a randomizer, which is below:

Sat Oct 27, 2012 3:14 pm

Research Randomizer Results

1 Set of 12 Unique Numbers Per Set
Range: From 1 to 12 -- Unsorted

Job Status:

Set #1:
3, 10, 8, 12, 2, 5, 11, 6, 4, 1, 9, 7

Based on the randomizer, the draft order is as follows:

1. mrharryc - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/379583
2. PJK - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/317205
3. bontomn - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/386565
4. RangerJoe - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/29856
5. thaibill - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/338978
6. carr20 - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/382091
7. bmilner - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/387683
8. AreoDave10 - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/275993
9. andycummings65 - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/306741
10. BDWard - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/244262
11. hotcorner4444 - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/373387
12. motherscratcher - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/367721

Also, it looks like Steve (carr20) may be dropping out. I'm awaiting final confirmation. Steve sent me a PM seeking to drop out at 7:30 A.M., but I didn't see it until after 6 PM Central time when he sent me a message through league mail advising me of the PM. I flat out missed the PM, as I had never received a PM since the transition and there is no PM icon like on the old TSN site. I've sent a PM to Dukie98 (who had the foresight to request that he be added to the waiting list) and am waiting to hear from him. Once I receive final confirmation that Steve is out, Dukie will get his spot on the list as soon as he decides which team he wants to use.

If anyone is currently in a league with Dukie, please ask him to check his PM and/or this thread in case he missed the PM like I did.

I'll set up the Diamond Dope draft some time in the next 24 hours, after I hear from Steve and Dukie, so stay tuned.

Sounds good - I'm on board. I'll post my team shortly.

Here's the team I'll use: http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/176344

After much deliberation, Steve is out and Dukie98 is in. The decision was not made lightly. At his request, Steve is now officially at the top of the waiting list.

Steve is a good guy and a capable manager who has been in several theme leagues with more than half of our league members. He will be missed.

We are fortunate to have Dukie to fill in. He is another good guy and a past winner of the now defunct Good People ATG Tournament. He is one of the elite managers in the game and his addition to the league will serve to continue the tradition of very tough competition in the theme leagues I organize.

Rather than run another randomizer for draft order, I just inserted Dukie into Steve's spot. The draft order is now as follows:

1. mrharryc - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/379583
2. PJK - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/317205
3. bontomn - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/386565
4. RangerJoe - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/298566
5. thaibill - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/338978
6. dukie98 - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/176344
7. bmilner - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/387683
8. AreoDave10 - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/275993
9. andycummings65 - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/306741
10. BDWard - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/244262
11. hotcorner4444 - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/373387
12. motherscratcher - http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/team/367721

In fairness to all league members, if anyone wants to change teams as a result of Dukie's addition to the league, they will have until 6:00 P.M. Central Time on October 28 to do so. League members can change teams as many times as they like between now and 6:00 P.M. on October 28, but at 6:00 P.M. on October 28 I'm activating the draft and it will be too late to change thereafter. The reason I'm giving until 6:00 P.M. on October 28 to switch teams is to give everyone an opportunity to see this post. Don't forget to post the link to your new team.

Thanks for your patience and cooperation and good luck to all. - Bernie

As currently written, the rules provide for a 24 round Diamond Dope draft. The reason for such a long Diamond Dope draft is to allow competing claims for players on more than one past team to be resolved and to allow managers to tweak their teams with free agent acquisitions and replacements for players lost to other past teams, while at the same time substantially preserving each team's roster by insuring that the team drafted on Diamond Dope will have no fewer than 18 past team players, minus any exemptions, up to a maximum of 3, for past team players lost to other teams in the Diamond Dope draft. Most of the draft will be spent drafting players from our past teams for whom there are no competing claims so as to meet the minimum past team roster requirement, as even with the maximum number of exemptions for players lost in the Diamond Dope draft to other past teams, each roster should end up with no fewer than 15 players from the past team.

Live drafts are always a lot of fun and require a different strategy than the autodraft, and tend to result in a more even distribution of talent than the autodraft, assuming that the participants have a similar knowledge of the game. Diamond Dope drafts tend to be lengthy and tend to tether people to their computers as they check frequently for movement, so in assembling a Diamond Dope draft care must be taken to move the draft along while at the same time ensuring that participants have an adequate opportunity to make their picks, as we all have busy lives outside of online Strato.

Ever since I read AeroDave's fine post stating "that everyone has between 3 and 9 players to compete over" I've been thinking (I know, that's a dangerous thing!) about ways to shorten the Diamond Dope draft without interfering with each team's ability to tweak its roster or to meet the minimum past team players roster requirement.

Since, even with the maximum of 3 exemptions for past team players lost to other teams, no team will have fewer than 15 past team players, is it really necessary to run a 24 round Diamond Dope draft when the majority of players chosen will be past team players subject to no competing claims? Wouldn't it be better to have a shorter Diamond Dope draft and to put the past team players needed to complete the roster and subject to no competing claims on the autodraft card?

I propose a rule change to a 15 round Diamond Dope draft, with the first 5 rounds dedicated exclusively to drafting past team players, which should resolve any competing claims for such players. If your team has fewer competing claims than 5, or resolves all competing claims prior to round 5, or desires not to draft a player in the first 5 rounds on whom there is a competing claim, simply draft a player from your past team to help satisfy the minimum roster requirements. Beginning in round 6, teams will be able to draft replacements for past team players lost to competing claims in the Diamond Dope draft and/or free agents, being players not on the roster of any past teams. Again, if your team runs out of free agent claims or fills the roster spots resulting from past team players lost to competing past team claims prior to the completion of round 15, simply draft a player from your past team to help satisfy the minimum roster requirements. The remaining past team players needed to fill out the roster after completion of the 15 round Diamond Dope draft can be put on the autodraft card.

We have a very smart group of accomplished managers and I have no monopoly on good ideas. Your input is needed. What do you think of the proposal to shorten the Diamond Dope draft to 15 rounds? Is there a better way to shorten the Diamond Dope draft without interfering with each team's ability to tweak its roster or to meet the minimum past team players roster requirement? Would it be better to just leave the draft at 24 rounds and not make any changes?

Let me know your thoughts. Thanks for your help. - Bernie