Sat Jan 02, 2016 6:07 pm
This would be the draft order if the draft were held today; however, there will likely be some movement with the addition of the playoff wins added to the totals. Therefore, we will not draft until the conclusion of the playoffs in the Semi-Finals. Even if the positions were settled prior to the Semis finishing, we will still wait until the playoffs are complete.
I will open a thread for the Tour Finals draft. In the meantime, take this opportunity over the next week or so to put together your ideas, concepts and approaches toward drafting your teams.
A hearty congratulations, again, to the 12 Tour Finalists:
1. Jack377: 474
2. bigmahon: 467
3. mpcharette: 462
4. ycbill: 461
5. wjb23: 458
6. rudys raiders: 456
7. bbfan: 452
8. mesquiton: 451*
9. Stoney18: 448
10. Gilbo: 441
11. rickburr: 441
12. uncle ny: 439*
* Previous Tour Champions
Lastly, a word to the 24 semi-finalists. Congratulations on your performances in the tour qualifying events. I have always argued that the Top 36 players are equally capable and any one of you would make a deserving tour champion. Unfortunately the vagaries that transpire over any one individual league, full of such tough competition, make it very difficult to make the Finals on skill alone. There is simply no getting around that an element of luck is necessary to go all the way through the tour.
Thank you all for putting forth your very best efforts and forcing so many of the Final 12 to earn their place on the last night of the competition. I know missing it by inches is frustrating, so here's hoping the wheels of fate serve you better in next year's tour - I hope to be there with you!
Here's a re-cap of the Finals preparations (from the Rules thread):
Champions League
The 12 Semi-Finals playoffs qualifiers in a single 12-team league
Salary Cap: $80,000,000 (standard)
DH Rule: Yes (standard)
Free Agent Drop Penalty: 5/10/20
There will be an eight pick live draft for the Tour Championship, consisting of seven players and a ballpark, to be done on the forum boards. The draft will NOT be serpentine for the finals - i.e., the draft order will be repeated in each round. These "seeding" rules for the draft order provide an incentive and a reward for the managers who finish with the highest scores in Events I-V.
Reference is made to the slight change in the point system, adding points accumulated in the semi-finals round to the manager's points total from the qualifying rounds. This will effect the final overall standings, impacting the order of picks in the live draft for the Champions League.
Lastly, the division assignments of the Finals will be:
East: 1, 6, 7, 12
Central: 2, 5, 8, 11
West: 3, 4, 9, 10