Contents - Index

Old Timers Fraternity

Basic Description

For all intents and purposes, the Nostalgia Old Timers Fraternity (OTF) can be considered a minor league system. But we thought these dead ball era players deserved a better moniker than "minor," so we decided to treat them as a fraternity organized in their own interest, which is to keep playing baseball. This group is difficult to include en masse in the Nostalgia system (say, in a normal draft) due to difficulties in normalizing statistics in the dead ball era, but we didn't want to eliminate them. So here's our attempt to include the ancients in our modern game without letting them dominate it. The OTF constitutes a fourth stream-in addition to regular draft, supplemental draft, and waivers-by which players may arrive on an owner's regular roster. Players from the 1893-1909 era are reserved exclusively for the Old Timers Fraternity. Each owner carries a roster of them.  

The computer maintains an assortment of old timers on each owner's fraternity roster at all times. Though the players themselves are selected and placed there at random, the computer prejudices the better players toward the worst teams. Unlike the supplemental draft, which is designed to provide wealthier owners with a way to spend their money productively, this system is designed to give the least successful franchises a chance at the best old timers. Though the probabilities are tilted toward the worst teams, it is still possible (though rare) for a great player to appear on one of the better teams. The players on your fraternity roster cannot actually play for you until you sign them to a playable contract! As you'll see, the good ones are neither easy to sign nor cheap! There are some interesting forces playing against one another here: the successful teams often have an abundance of mediocre players who want to play for cheap while the bad franchises have better players who are sometimes difficult and expensive to sign. 

How the computer determines who goes where

• First, the computer does a comprehensive analysis of the league to determine what players are in use and what players might still be available.
• Second, the computer looks to see if you have any significant vacancies on your fraternity roster. At a minimum, the computer tries to assign several starting pitchers and a full-timer to cover each defensive position. 
• Third, we employ a formula using your seasonal and recent records to determine a maximum allowable mean player value (MPV) for your fraternity list (poorer clubs have the higher allowance) and compare this to your existing fraternity MPV. Keep in mind that this maximum MPV  fluctuates with your won-loss records.
• If you have a vacancy and your existing MPV allowance can accommodate another player, the computer goes looking for one at random who happens to fall within a certain salary range proportional to your maximum allowable mean player value. 
• Each time the the computer searches for a player, there exists a small possibility, regardless of won-loss records, that the upper end of the salary range will be lifted, thus making it possible to get a high profile player. 
• The computer keeps trying to add players until either no vacancy is found or maximum MPV allowance is reached.
• Your fraternity list usually fluctuates between 14 and 18 players, although it is possible to have fewer than 14 if your MPV allowance is very small.  

Rights and Restrictions 

• Every player on your fraternity roster is assigned by the computer a fixed term of season days. During this time you own exclusive rights to him. The length of this term cannot be longer than his mean player value. If Walter Johnson happened to appear on your minor league roster, the computer would assign him a duration of not more than 285 season days. When his term expires, the player returns to his pool and is made available for random distribution to another owner who has opening on his or her fraternity roster.  
• The higher the price of the player, the longer time frame you have to make your decisions regarding his future. Think of your fraternity list as a window of opportunity. During this limited time you pay nothing for the player but you can maneuver if desired to adjust the regular roster to make room for him. You needn't do anything with these players. Eventually their contracts will expire and other players will appear in their place.   
• OTF players can be signed to two basic contract types: Fixed-Rate Short Term (Type 5) and Open-Ended Convertible (Type 6). The type of contract you sign isn't completely up to you because, unlike minor leaguers whose potential is yet to be realized, old timers have proven themselves and have a realistic sense of their own value  They set the terms for their contracts. For a comparison of contract types at-a-glance, see the contract reference table.
• Many of the more attractive players in the system want to be called up to your roster and have a chance to "stick" with the team on a long term basis. So they want a Open-Ended Convertible contract. In fact, to get them you must also offer them a signing bonus. Generally speaking, the better the player, the more they'll want. If you hold out on them they are usually willing to settle for a lower signing bonus, but you also risk running out of time to negotiate. You never know how many units they'll sign for (we don't reveal the formula, and there's a small degree of randomness built in as well). You'll have to make them offers. Whether they accept an offer has to do with a whole set of variables which include your club's success economically and in the won-loss column, the number of seasons they have available to give you in the pool, and a set of other variables that remain hidden. In other words, there is no fixed amount that will hook them. They may not always respond to your offers either. The higher priced players tend to be finicky and are sometimes difficult to hook even with good offers. The great advantage of the Open-Ended contract is that these contracts can be converted to regular contracts (Types 1, 2 and 3) when the next signing opportunity arises. That's right - these players stick around on the off-season and appear on your roster through the draft and transaction seasons waiting for your decision regarding their future.  
• The less attractive players in the system are realistic about their chances of "sticking" with your franchise. So they're always ready to play and you don't have to make them offers for signing bonuses. They will accept either a Open-Ended Convertible or a Fixed-Rate Short Term contract, available in denominations of 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 days.  These players are often willing to play for substantially less than their mean player value depending on a set of variables that remains hidden. The Fixed Rate contracts end automatically at the close (never in the middle) of the first game event that carries them beyond the length of their contract.  "Less attractive" may not be the best way to characterize these players,  since many of them can fill vital roles for your club. 
• Once called up and given a playable contract, old time players can be neither sent down nor waived. 
• Players signed to Open-Ended Convertible contracts can play in the postseason.
• Players under Fixed-Rate Short Term contracts cannot play in the postseason. Beware! They are forced off your roster at the conclusion of the final game set of the season. 
• Open-Ended Convertible contracts cannot be signed after the season date of August 31. September call ups are resricted to Fixed-Rate Short Term contracts of 15 or 30 days. Warning! You may lose the rights to sign a player if you do not pay attention to the date of his contract expiration and wait too long before making an offer or calling him him up! 
• Once an old timer "sticks" on your club and you decide to sign him to a regular contract (Type 1,2 or 3), he can be traded like any other player under those contract types.
• Your personal fraternity roster cannot be seen by other owners.