Barnstormers 2009, Rules Finalized

[mighty moose]

Without finalizing it 100%, here are some of the things in the works for this years, Barnstormers Tournament.

As this continues to grow and evolve as the [b:285c1d52ed]PREMIER ATG(I,II,III,IV,V?)[/b:285c1d52ed] tournament and series of events, this years improvements will add to what you, the players, wanted to see.

1. The tournament will be 6 events - all mandatory - using various ATG-IV formats (100 Mil, 80 Mil, a couple of subsets) and using the familiar mixture of autodraft and live draft events.

2. After 6 events are in the books, the [b:285c1d52ed]TOP 36 players[/b:285c1d52ed] will go into a ONE ROUND Semi-Final round.

3. The PLAYOFF TEAMS in the Semi-Final Round will be the teams that will be the 12 that will go to the Championship Round and compete for the prizes.

4. Speaking of prizes, TSN is already pitching in to make this Barnstormers Event the best ever by maintaining the great prizes awarded this year of [b:285c1d52ed]tickets for 4 to a major league ballgame[/b:285c1d52ed] of your choice, [b:285c1d52ed]plus:[/b:285c1d52ed]

5. One credit will be awarded for the team with the best record in [b:285c1d52ed]EACH EVENT FOR EACH BALLPARK GROUPING[/b:285c1d52ed] (that's 7 groupings x 8 events) for a total of 56 credits to be won, above and beyond the credits normally awarded per event !!! - (Thanks Bernie and Jeff !)

I am still finalizing some aspects of the next tour with the board and with TSN, but these are just the things that I CAN ANNOUNCE now. Look for the signup sheet to be passed around shortly, and look for Barnstormers 2009 to be the [b:285c1d52ed]BEST EVER ![/b:285c1d52ed]

Mighty Moose, Barnstormers Commissioner

[cristano1]

What a disappointment. The Barnstormers was so amazing because of the exclusivity of the Final 12. The 36 team playoff dilutes the importance of the first 6 events SO much. I strongly urge the committee to do something different:
-first 6 events mandatory
-top 8 automatically make finals
-teams 9-20 play in a "semi final" where the 4 playoff teams join the top 8 in the finals league
[b:584b3939ab]i beg you moose... dont ruin barnstormers like the 2007 tournament was ruined!!!!!!![/b:584b3939ab]

if this is taken to vote, id assume the top 8 / top 20 playoffs method will gain much more support than the 36 format.

[mighty moose]

Actually, this format was suggested by a board member, and seemed to get agreement with the rest of them. TSN also approved and liked the changes.

I'm sure you can understand that the goal here is to keep interest up longer and deeper into the tournament, as people drop off when they start to fall to the back of the pack.

Remember the "Second Chance" part of Barnstormers from a couple of years back? This was designed solely for that effort.

I need to know how you can preserve the present format, and still address that issue. I understand the exclusiveness of the Top 12, and I know you are speaking of one who has been priviledged to be included among them, but I just think this will keep interest up longer. - Yes, potential players standing at 30-36 could find themselves in the Finals and even winning, but this seems to be a change that a lot of people want.

[cristano1]

but the top 20 does the same thing... it opens "playoffs" up to 8 more people... so the top 8 get exclusivity and the next 12 get the playoffs... i just think its very unfair for someone who finishes 1 or 2 or 3 or 4... u have been essentially dominant for 6 solid events... and now your chances of making the finals league is diluted by 36 people... i think that anyone can agree that, regardless of if u finish #1 in barnstormers, you can still have a randomly bad event where you miss playoffs... as someone who always finishes in the top 12, it just seem unfair to throw what was done in SIX events to ONE event... if youre set on the 36 team semis, why not do 5 mandatory events and then the top 36 play in a TWO season event... i think that striking a balance between all the events before the semi and the semi itself are crucial... and SIX vs ONE is very very unbalanced in my opinion...

that said, its your event... and ill happily compete in it even if u have a 96 team semi...

[mighty moose]

I like to think that it's not just "my" tournament, - I created the Board for just such purposes and I have always opened up this forum to suggestions and votes all the time. We have always evolved from what people want, but at the same time, I have some things that have always been a "CORE" of what Barnstormers is that need to remain.

I will take your comments to the board, if you would like to start a vote [b:6d5af1ffe9]IN THIS FORUM[/b:6d5af1ffe9] on this topic in the interim, feel free to create such and we can post in the main ATG forum for people to come in and take part.

[Palanion]

I support the additional playoff teams idea.

While I was hanging on to every pitch in 2007, it was because I was in the top 20 and hoping to make it into the champs round; did not, finished 17th.

And this is not a sour grapes post. I didn't make the champs round and I'm fine with it.

This is more about interest in BST late in the tournament. In 2008, I sucked the big one. I was horrible. I almost did not play the final season because there was absolutely no chance I would have made it into the top 12. But I would not have made it into the top 36, either.

However, of my six seasons, it was the fifth where I basically bailed on the tourney. I was in the 60s for ranking and with a losing team. I knew there was no chance of making the top 12, so I stopped bothering to even really look at the team, let alone tweak it, try to fix it, whatever, for as many wins as I could get.

The cause/effect thing I'm trying to explain (and doing a crap job at it) is this: When I stopped caring about my BST team, it trickles to those who play against me too. And because I had no shot at the playoffs with two seasons left, I experimented rather than tried to win 100 games. It's not that I didn't want to win the individual seasons, because I'm competitive, but rather in the big Barnstormers picture I decided to not put a working formula into the mix but to try new things, which failed.

Others in my shoes probably might have a)done similar things or b)not played those seasons at all, requiring Moose and the board to find fillers.

Had there been 36 teams in the champs round(s), then I would have done things MUCH differently with season 5 (and then hopefully moreso with season 6).


The one thing I must diagree with however is the formation of the 12 finalists. The 12 finalists should be the 8 semifinal round finalists and 8 best records of those not in finals, not the 12 playoff teams in general. I would feel doubly screwed if I won 90 games, but missed the wild card because of a tough division, only to have the 81-81 West division winner not only get in the playoffs in this league, but also getting into the champ round.

Bill

[Munich_Man]

Ahhh, but Bill, could you not argue that the 81-81 team was 81-81 BECAUSE he was in a strong division while your shiny-on-the-outside 90 win team got that way because your division had a couple of patsies?

Yes, Grasshopper, things are not always what they seem...

[mighty moose]

[quote:7c21fbf591="Palanion"]

The one thing I must diagree with however is the formation of the 12 finalists. The 12 finalists should be the 8 semifinal round finalists and 8 best records of those not in finals, not the 12 playoff teams in general. I would feel doubly screwed if I won 90 games, but missed the wild card because of a tough division, only to have the 81-81 West division winner not only get in the playoffs in this league, but also getting into the champ round.

Bill[/quote:7c21fbf591]

I'm not following this. - Take the Top 36 players and make three semi-final leagues. Where do you get 8 to emerge from this and 8 best records? From the semi-final round, we need to get 12 people for the final round. Even if I took the 9 Divisional winners from the semi-final round, I still need 3 more. I'll grant you it COULD be that a player did not make the playoffs with a better record than a Wild Card team, but where do you get 8 + 8 = 16 teams from a semi-final round with 36 teams in it ?

MM

[PillPop]

Top 36 sounds like a good idea to me.

[Palanion]

[quote:563ac43671]I'm not following this. - Take the Top 36 players and make three semi-final leagues. Where do you get 8 to emerge from this and 8 best records? [/quote:563ac43671]

Aaah... I meant 8 semifinal finalists and 4 best records of those not in the finals.

And Munich_Man, how on Earth would an 81-81 playoff team EVER come from a strong division?

Plus, I'm thinking of those times like the following real life scenario (minus the real owners to protect the innocent) where "stuffed" fails to make the playoffs, yet "stuffed" ALSO fails to advance to the final round while "Marauditos" is rewarded for having a mediocre team rise to the top of a horrible division:

EAST Manager W L PCT GB
Furs 93 69 .574 -
Clowns 91 71 .562 2
stuffed 91 71 .562 2
Lindy's 76 86 .469 17

CENTRAL Manager W L PCT GB
Jukes 91 71 .562 -
Humanity 79 83 .488 12
Orz'z 76 86 .469 15
Furball 67 95 .414 24

WEST Manager W L PCT GB
Mauraditos 80 82 .494 -
Foxes 80 82 .494 -
Viermeisters 77 85 .475 3
Ghosts 71 91 .438 9