TCBL: Season One Review and Experiences
By: KnightNoles (Cincinnati Reds)
Year one of the Triple Crown Baseball League wrapped up Sunday May 27, after beginning April 14. During this duration we saw 30 teams (user & cpu) play 31 season games, the 2012 First-Year Player Draft (10 rounds) which were conducted on the forums using Out Of The Park Baseball ’13, the playoffs and offseason. This isn’t just your average league, this is a very involved league from the games to the content and then using OOTP making a game within a game. When it boils down to it, playing the games is the easy part but you better bring it because everyone can play with the best of ‘em and the computer isn’t a pushover like many other leagues.
A little recap of what we saw in year one, the New York Yankees (cpu) defeated the Washington Nationals (Bobby) for the World Series Title. Then the real fun began May 15th as we saw Free Agency, arbitration hearings, winter meetings and spring training. In addition, setting of the 40/25 man rosters which was initially thought to take 2 or 3 days, would end up taking a week—the re-rating of each player on the OOTP roster for each team. I would like to extend my thank yous to these guys that sacrificed a lot to get this done: sdid22, bobjr, ndcolts1979, our fearless leader emmdotfrisk, soxandgators and anyone else that helped out in the process.
My personal experience in TCBL is probably one of the best experiences I have had in an online league setting. Everyone knows baseball and what it takes to play this game and then how smoothly the league is run and then how everyone interacts. The incorporation of OOTP puts the league over the top. In addition, The Show lets us have custom rosters to introduce rookies and such and this puts so much action into the game along with managing it all. There isn’t a whole lot left to improve in the league, it is mostly put on SCEA and The Show to help further the online league options and mode.
The future of TCBL looks bright, that is if it can stave off the Madden and NCAA leagues that will take attention away in July and August. We have a great core of guys, I’m sure the admins would like to strive for a full 30 man league but I don’t think we are ready for that just yet. I would love to recommend players to come join us, just I hope they are hardcore baseball fans and take their time to learn OOTP and how it works, stay committed through the good and the bad of what baseball provides and building their teams and helping the league overall.
Blackattack87 has taken a little bit of his time to share his time in TCBL for the first season.
“My experience in season one was very positive. First off, I was in awe at the dedication and time it took to put this league together. Subsequently, I was impressed at how smooth the league ran in regards to all the logistics and planning that it took to put it together, from the application process to a full 30 game spring training season. Everything in season 1 from the admin side was very professional. Lastly, I enjoyed the chatting and interaction with the guys in the league. Made for some very fun times.”
What can be improved/better?
“I cant really think of any glaring issues really, or any minor ones for that matter. I initially had a concern that some of the ratings conversions from OOTP to the show were going to drastically alter gameplay in regards to players becoming less effective and certain stat categories not being represented fairly, but in my season 2 experience I have found that it just isn’t the case. So that would have been a concern but it never materialized.”
What do you see in the future for TCBL?
“I see the need to constantly keep up the chatter for the league. With the new football games coming out I feel that there might be a “back burner’ mentality for some. So the league admin needs to keep on top of current members to make sure they stay committed and if they can’t then continue to strive to get new blood. I also see a future where the TCBL doesn’t need OOTP if SCEA ever puts together a full online franchise. This would take a lot of pressure off admins.”
How would you recommend TCBL to someone with regards to time involved with OOTP and games to be played?
“I would say that you need to be a pretty hardcore baseball fan and and take the time to learn OOTP to fully enjoy the experience, and make sure you have the time commitment. Many say they do then realize half way in that they don’t. The better you know OOTP the more fun you will have. I would also say that if you want the best sim baseball league in all facets, TCBL is the way to go from top to bottom.”
Ceegee also took time to share on his experiences:
How was your experience season 1 of TCBL?
“My Season 1 experience was fun. Despite having my best player suspended (my own fault) I had a good time.”
How can it be improved/better?
It would be nice to have more user teams. Although I don’t mind playing the CPU, its no secret that User vs User games are the most fun and present the most challenge for most of us.
What do you see in the future for TCBL?
“I like the idea of using OOTP and The Show together to create a very immerse league. The only thing that takes some getting used to is how the ratings differentiate between the two games. Going forward, I think we’ll be fine once everyone figures out exactly how OOTP works in regards to that.”
How would you recommend TCBL to someone with regards to time involved with OOTP and games to be played?
“I would recommend the league to others, because of the reasons I’ve stated above. The camaraderie between the owners here is top notch and the league has some great leadership in place. I would make sure new members know that this is league just about playing games and advancing weeks. Its about much more than that. Its about building your franchise, its about producing content, its about being a valuable member to the League and the TSO Community.”
*At the time of publishing TCBL is now in the second week of season 2 with an expanded schedule to 48 games playing each opponent 3 times.
