Une Rève Réaliser: Les Expos de Montréal (1969-)

[BINGLEBOP]

Agreed. It's nice to see a well-written dynasty for once.

[gosensgo101]

mizerak and bingle: Thanks for the complements.

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By the way, I'm do have a few more posts written already, but I'm trying to keep to posting ever 2 days so I can get a bit ahead in the simming maybe, since I'm lyable to fall behind with school starting up again and exams in a few weeks.

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May 27th, 1968
Part IV
Los Angeles, California

As we arrived at the conference room at the same time as the group from San Diego, which included the Dodgers' GM during my tenure, Buzzie Bavasi.

We were ushered inside by a hotel employee.

We must have been the last 2 groups as O'Malley started almost as soon as we stepped inside. Just before starting, however, he gave me a quick glance, then Buzzie. I hoped it was more than him just acknowledging his two former employees.

"Lets get started," O'Malley announced as a hush fell over the rest of the room. "I'd first like to thank all of the expansion groups on their efforts of the last few years."

Everyone in the room clapped.

"Now, the first city we are going to award with a team is," O'Malley paused. "San Diego."

Buzzie and his colleagues seemed to be holding in screams and leaps of joy, quite well I might add.

As the clapping settled down, O'Malley continued. "This second city, is a choice we made for many reasons. Mostly, we would like to expand the fanbase of the game to a whole new audience - "

That's us! We did it! I looked to either side of me, and the rest seemed to be holding in the same emotions.

"- to Montreal." I heard him finish.

Snyder padded me on the back. I looked over, it seemed as if he was fighting back tears.

"Now, if the two winning groups could stay behind so we can brief you on the proceedings and clauses attached to the teams -" O'Malley started rambling about what we were to do for the next 10 months leading up to spring training.

"C'est ma Rêve Réaliser," Snyder whispered to me.

"A dream come true," I repeated.

[oriole^]

Agreed. It's nice to see a well-written dynasty for once.

Gee, thanks.

Anyway, agreed...this is some very good stuff.

[OregonDuck1989]

Excellent start. Reminds me a bit of To Rule in KC (in terms of style)....which is a damn good thing!

[gosensgo101]

oriole: Thanks!

OregonDuck: I've stole a lot of my format and things from CatKnight. Being compared to CatKnight's work is always great.

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This has been on hold for a while, and it will stay that way for atleast another week and a half, since I'm kind of swamped with schoolwork and exams right now. After that, I plan to start back up with regular posts. I just think its better to take a break while it hasn't really gotten going instead updating sparatically.

[gosensgo101]

At long last, I'm ready to get this going again. I also updated the house rules post on the first page. Enjoy.

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October 14th, 1968

The day of the expansion draft had come. A General Manager had yet to be named, but McHale was the obvious choice. I was sent along with him, so it seems as though I will be his assistant.

At the age of 47, he already has quite the resume. After a journeyman career for the Tigers, he worked his way through the front office of the tigers, eventually becoming their Generally Manager in 1957, at the tender age of 35. He took over for John Quinn in 1959, becoming the Milwaukee Braves's last General Manager, and the first of the Atlanta Braves. He then joined the league's front office as Commissioner William Eckert's aide, and seemed to be one of the front runners to be the aging Eckert's successor. That is, until he signed on with the Montreal team, now named the Expos after the 1967 World Fair called Expo 67, as President with a 10% stake in the team.

The NL Draft was held separately from the AL draft, with the newly named San Diego Padres holding the first pick.

With that pick, they chose 24-year-old Outfielder Ollie Brown as the first member of their organization.

The pickings were slim, but we decided to take 30-year-old Outfielder Manny Mota with our first pick. He was a contact hitter without much power, but he hit singles like Willie Mays hit homers.

With the rest of our picks, we picked some young players who we hoped could both turn into something and contribute now, as well as some veterans, who if they didn't produce, would at least provide some leadership in the clubhouse for a team in its rookie season.

Here are the results:

[gosensgo101]

October 31st, 1968

McHale had called a meeting on this Halloween afternoon. I walked in with Snyder, say down, and McHale began: "I have called this meeting today because the Winter meetings start tomorrow, and we need to name a General Manager."

"By all means," Bronfman told him. "Call the press conference and I'll announce that we've given you the job."

"I did not come here to be a GM. I signed on to run this organization from the top, not to be involved with the day-to-day baseball operations," McHale said swiftly.

"Well, I hope you have someone in mind," Bronfman sounded deflated.

"Yes. The most qualified person we have employed is Gagnon." McHale replied

I wasn't really paying much attention until that point, as I expected McHale to simply be announcing that he was going to officially take the General Manager position, but I chimed in immediately after hearing this.

After a brief pause McHale continued, "So, are you up for the job Jack?"

I just sat there in awe for a moments and then replied, hoping it was soon enough that I hadn't looked too awestruck/stupid: "Of course."

"Great!" McHale said enthusiastically.

"I'll draw up the papers," Bronfman said professionally. "And here's your plane ticket."

"I assume you will be accompanying him?" he asked McHale.

"Absolutely." he replied.

"Bon." Bronfman said as he got to feet, on his way out the door.

"Félicitations" Snyder said to me with a smile, as he too left, leaving just myself and McHale in the room.

"Weren't expecting that were you?" he said rather matter-of-factly

"Not at all," I smiled.

"I think you'll do a great job," he told me.

"I hope so," I replied.

"Well, we best get going, before any vampire catch us," he said as he got up.

I took a few moments, before remembering that it was Halloween and cracked a grin.

[Sipimi]

Way to go! As a fan of the Expos for many years, I'll be reading that one. Should be an really interesting, well-written dynasty. I've always wanted to write one on the 1969 Expos, but I spend too much time working to be able to do so. That and my so-so English. So you'll have a fan in me!

I don't know if you could change your dynasty's title, but it should be:

Un rêve réalisé: les Expos de Montréal

as rêve is masculine and written with a circumflex accent and réalisé is the past participle.

Sorry to be a grammar pain in the . Anyway, I don't care that much about grammar...

Keep up the good work!

S.P.

[actionjackson]

House Rules

1) Free Agency

I will use Mizerak's app for OFG's rules (and later his negotiator app)

2) Trades

A) I can create trades from scratch if I want, but it must be fair and make sense for both teams.

B) I do not have a set limit, but I won't make an absurd amount.

3) Disabled List

A player who is placed on the Disabled List is ineligible to return until 15 days are up. I may players who are injured for less time (within reason) but must still remain on the DL for 15 days.

4) Rosters

The AI acts as my manager, setting the Lineups and Rotation once I set the roster. I can however 'suggest' an idea to the manager. I'll roll a die or something to decide if he bites. (Different managers may be easier to persuade than others, depending on personality)

5) Expenses

I will not spend anything on medical expenses, as I like the added challenge. (I might change this once I have more cash available)

6) 5 and 10 Rule

Any player who has 10 or more years of Major League Experience and who has played for the same team for 5 consecutive years must consent to any trade.

I will check each offseason and give any players who qualify a no-trade clause.

7) Fictional Players

A) All fictional players that appear in Free Agency will be deleted.
B) I will not add fictional players to the Amateur Draft if I can help it. I will add User created players as well as maybe some Minor Leaguers who never got a shot.

8) Initial Free Agents

Any players in the Free Agent pool to start (due to starting their career with a team that does not yet exist) will be placed on either the organization they played on at the time or the team they were drafted by. (In the case the first organization the player played for being a nonexistent organization, the player will be left in the Free Agent Pool)

9) Settings

A)

B)

C) I used actionjackson's Simulation Settings widget to calculate the Simulation Settings

D) I will adjust the trade frequency throughout the year in an effort to mimic how active teams are in the trade market at different times of the year:

i. From April 1st to May 14th trades will be set at -40%
ii. From May 15th to July 24th trades will be set at +0%
iii. From July 25th to July 31st trades will be increased to +20%
iv. From August 1st to March 1st trades will be set at +0%
v. From March 1st to March 31st trades will be set at -100%

10) Format

This dynasty will mostly focus on the career of Jack Gagnon. Where he goes, I go. He could very well be fired, and have to find a job with another organization. It is a narrative dynasty (made famous by CatKnight) that will also have the usual recaps about the team you would find in any other. Different parts of the format were borrowed from different people, along with some of my own ideas. (I borrowed largely from CatKnight, PotatoOfCouch and filihok) (Special thanks to Mizerak for his Box Score Parser and other apps which will be used throughout this dynasty.

11) Disclaimer

I reserve the right to make any changes that I deem necessary to this universe. (ie. force trades, signings, assassinations, etc.)

I love how you're making use of so many different peoples ideas, solutions and mods to long standing issues in Mogul. I like the using the AI as your manager thing too as well as 15 days or nothing for injuries. I've always wondered though (anyone that knows can answer): if you do 15 days or nothing (no minor league assignment to get a replacement) for injuries and you have let's say a 3 day injury, can you leave the player on the 25-man roster and the AI will leave that player alone i.e. not put him into a game while he is injured? That's always been my concern - wee, let's put this injured guy in and see if we can mess him up a little more. I prefer to sim as opposed to PBP because to me PBP gives me an unfair advantage over the AI teams, but it does mean I have no control over who gets into games.

Interesting idea with the expenses. I myself have been known to use commish mode to set expenses and prices to prevent teams from killing themselves by spending nothing on farm, medical, and scouting. It looks like this may not be necessary any longer if what FRS says in the Revenue Sharing thread is true re: 2k10. I also like your 5 and 10 rules and your fictional player rules at least until the fictional pool shows a little more variety. One thing about the 5 and 10 though: do you have some system by which you will determine which teams each player that qualifies will consent being traded to?

Your league settings appear to be CatKnightish with a dash of your own ideas and...hey, nice sim settings . I also like the variable trade frequency settings and it doesn't hurt to borrow ideas from some of the masters of dynasty writing. One piece of advice if I may though. Keep the assassinations down to a dull roar. I know you're under 18, so you won't be doing any ti-eee-ime but you never know what judge is gonna want to teach your punka$$ a lesson.

[Rongar]

AJ, even if u don't check your "Rearrange your line-up in case of jnjury box" the AI is loath to use "injured' players, tho it will allow them to sit on the bench, and will allow a pitcher who is on a "rest day" to pitch.

[actionjackson]

Don't even get me started about the "rest day" issue. Pitcher A threw 50 pitches in yesterday's game...AI decides he's good for 45 more today. I try to combat this by juggling the reliever rotation and slotting "tired" guys in spots where they're less likely to be used (I sim one game at a time, but not in PBP). Works for the most part, as the problem does seem to happen less frequently. The #4 slot (second short reliever) is probably the best slot for the pitcher with the most pitches relative to his Endurance rating and then maybe #3 and #5 and 6. But #2 (set-up) is the worst spot for a tired pitcher and obviously you don't want him in the closer slot just in case.

[Rongar]

I never leave any tired pitchers in my line-up at all...even if it be 3-4 at a time, the lot go down to the minors where the AI can't get at 'em, putting them back in the rotation when resfreshed...in the meantime i give their substitutes from the minors a whirl...any stiffs amongst 'em I put in the #5 spot, or any slot that the AI doesn't seem to use much.Even on my weakest pitching staffs, there're usually i or 2 fresh guys, with bearable stats that i can start.

Seeing as u monitor each pre-game, anyway, AJ, why not select your starting pitcher, yourself?

[gosensgo101]

All: I know I've stopped and started a few times already, but this time I've got everything organized, so (fingers crossed) I'm starting this up for good this time. I'm going to continue using BM09 v11.25 for probobly the first season before I find out how predictable BM10's historical play is and find some suitable sim settings.

Spimi: I realized my grammatical error as soon as I posted the thread, but I can't edit the thread title myself and I don't see the need to have Clay or Dee waste their time changing it.

ActionJackson: There are so many great ideas that writers have used in their dynasties and its a shame to let them go to waste by not using them. I did used CatKnight's settings as a base with some of my own tweaks. As for the 5-and-10 rule, I'll just leave that up to Mogul's built in system.

Rongar and AJ: When I do play play-by-play I am notorious for not sympathising for a pitcher's energy level. I like match-ups so I usually blow through most of my staff by the time my closer's in the game. Then I end up in extras and let him go 2 or 3 innings and 30 to 50 pitches. Than I go ahead and use him the next day. It may lead to more injuries but I find I trust my tired closer much more than most of the rest of my staff rested. I also don't see much of a difference if at all in between to bottom and the top of the 'One more day until rested' threshold. As in, whether the pitcher throws 25 or 45 pitches, he seems to still be the same amount of tired (atleast that's how I perceive it) I guess I won't be allowed to be angry with my Manager on that peticular topic.

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November 1st, 1968
Part I
Orlando, Florida

We got off our flight in Orlando, Florida shortly after midnight, and were driven to yet another 5-star hotel. I could get used to this GM thing quite easily.

It was a beautiful day out, so we sent our bags up to our room and immediately went poolside, outdoors of course. McHale immediately recognized a small group of people at a table and wandered over. I followed.

"Hey!" A voice called over as soon as we came within earshot.

"That's Finley," McHale whispered to me.

"I know," I replied. "Everyone in baseball can recognize Charlie O."

"I see you brought the new kid!" Finley yelled again, although this time it was completely unnecessary as we were pulling up chairs.

"Yes. Yes. How are you doing Jim?" McHale asked Jim Fanning as he sat down next to him. "Have you found a job yet?"

"I've always had a job," he replied.

"Head of some scouting service doesn't count. When are you going to get your feet back into the front office. Get back to life in the Major Leagues?"

"Soon enough," Jim said, "When the right situation comes up."

"So how have you been doing Jack?" Buzzie Bavasi, who was sitting to my right asked.

"Pretty good. This whole expansion thing is a little taxing," I replied.

"I know what you mean," Bavasi, the founding President and General Manager of the San Diego Padres, our NL expansion partner said. "I've been working my ass off to get everything ready in time."

"Sh*t's going down this weekend as long as you Junior Circuit chaps (looking at Finley) are on board you hear?" interjected Bob Quinn, General Manager of the Philadelphia Philles said.

"Oh really?" McHale inquired.

"Right, you've been out of the loop for a while. You want - no, of course you don't (referring to Finley again) - I'll explain," Quinn continued "You know yourself from being in his office last year, that Eckert's been paving his way out of that Commish office for a while now. Well, its finally happening - at least it looks that way."

"Hmm. Any candidates to take over?" McHale asked.

"You," Finley coughed. Bob Quinn leaned towards McHale and told him something under his breath. I would later find out that the American League brass preferred McHale as Eckert's successor. He was a natural choice, having worked closely with him for a few years after leaving the Braves front office, but most of the National League executives had agreed to squash the motion, as they knew he'd be of much more help trying to make baseball's first major Canadian team a success.

"I'll just have a beer," I whispered to a waitress as the others discussed what seemed to me to be a conspiracy against the commissioner. If every winter is like this, well, let's just say it'll be very interesting.

We chatted for over an hour, eventually moving onto lighter subjects. I mostly just listened, soaking it all in. It was great to chat with such knowledgeable people about the great game that is baseball.

[gosensgo101]

November 1st, 1968
Part II
Orlando, Florida

Back in McHale's room later that night, we discussed the days events, which was essentially mingling with other Major League executives and catching up on baseball gossip.

"You'll get to like them with time, except maybe Finley," McHale told me.

"He sure is a character isn't he," I replied.

"Always has been. He'll be running his team like a madman until the day he dies. I wonder what crazy idea he'll pitch this year."

"Crazy idea?"

"Every year he comes up with some new radical rule change and tries to convince the league to pass it. The scary thing is a couple have passed and they've worked out well. At the very least, he's some entertainment for a few days each November."

"Well, I best be off," I yawned, "I'm not a morning person, so I'd better turn in early."

"G'night Jack," McHale said as I turned to leave, "I'll see you bright and early tomorrow."

"Bonne nuite," I replied.

"Huh? Oh. Right. That french jitter you keep using. I hope you're not telling me to go ***** myself or something," McHale said, with a surprisingly stern look.

"You caught me. I should've stayed with the simple good night: va te faire foutre." I turned, and could barely control my laughter before I closed the door behind me. I guess I should savour it as I can though, as he should catch on to the language of love soon enough.

[DIM]

Great start FFG buddy, I'll be following.