MVP Baseball 2004

[Guest MikeSC]

then got Pujols for Brad Wilkerson and Livan Hernandez

gee, I wonder how you keep winning all the time.

What's that I smell?

 

Smells like somebody who doesn't have it set for the computer to refuse trades.

-=Mike

...Heck, why not trade a AA guy for Albert Pujols?

[Guest Dynamite Kido]

I just picked this up today, can't wait to get the fuck out of work so I can go home and play it. I have to clue who to start my dynasty with though......

[KingPK 0]

I've moved up to All-Star difficulty and, with the sliders I posted earlier, I find it is pretty damn realistic; you hit well against bad pitching and get into pitchers duels with good ones.

 

As the Sawx, I've in June and have finished my NL West interleague series. I'm leading the East by a good margin, with the DEVIL RAYS second (9.5 GB) and the YANKEES last (16 or 17 GB).

 

I'm enjoying the hell out of this game. I like how the CPU teams trade prospects around. But the funniest trade offer I got was from the Yankees of all teams:

 

Johnny Damon........for Aaron Boone.

 

Yeah, RIGHT.

[Styles 0]

That's another thing I like about this game. The Polo Grounds, Forbes Field, Shibe Park and other stadiums are unlockable. No Ebbets Field, unfortunately.

MLB 2005 has "Gold" and "Silver" era teams with legendary players, classic stadiums and retro uniforms all unlockable as well....just saying.

[Mole 0]

then got Pujols for Brad Wilkerson and Livan Hernandez

gee, I wonder how you keep winning all the time.

What's that I smell?

 

Smells like somebody who doesn't have it set for the computer to refuse trades.

-=Mike

...Heck, why not trade a AA guy for Albert Pujols?

I traded Trot Nixon for Andy Pettite and I have it so the CPU can decline trades.

[Guest Dynamite Kido]

I just started my dynasty yesterday with the Angels. Pretty good stuff so far as I am really getting the hang of the controls. 3-1 isn't too bad coming off my first series with Seattle, so lets see how it works out. Anyone have any clue why Bonds isn't on the game???

[Guest Smues]

I don't know the details, but he pulled out of whatever deal it is the players have that allows games and such to use their names. On mlb.com ultimate fantasy baseball they just list him as SF Left Fielder. MVP lists him as J. Dowd, which got a chuckle out of me since that's the name of one of my accounting professors. And the fact he's a white guy is hilarious.

[Guest Dynamite Kido]

I don't know the details, but he pulled out of whatever deal it is the players have that allows games and such to use their names. On mlb.com ultimate fantasy baseball they just list him as SF Left Fielder. MVP lists him as J. Dowd, which got a chuckle out of me since that's the name of one of my accounting professors. And the fact he's a white guy is hilarious.

I imagine that he can be edited though....right?

[KingPK 0]

Yep, just go into the player editor and change his name to Barry Bonds and his number to #25.

 

Oh, and it might be a good idea to make him black, too.

 

I had one of the quickest games ever yesterday in Atlanta. It was Wakefield vs. Ramirez and they were ON. It was just 1-2-3 inning after 1-2-3 inning. About 20 minutes later, I'm in the 9th and it's 0-0. I don't get anything in the top half, and I pinch hit for Wakefield, so I brought Alan Embree in. Sure enough, on the FIRST FUCKING PITCH to Marcus Giles, he smacks it BARELY over the left field wall for the game winner.

 

And I gotta say, Pedro sucks in this game. He's 8-8 at the All-Star break and I am seriously considering trading him straight up for Kerry Wood (the Cubs have him on the trading block).

[A Happy Medium 0]

then got Pujols for Brad Wilkerson and Livan Hernandez

gee, I wonder how you keep winning all the time.

What's that I smell?

 

Smells like somebody who doesn't have it set for the computer to refuse trades.

-=Mike

...Heck, why not trade a AA guy for Albert Pujols?

Heh, thats a fair trade....Pujols is on the block for two seasons...I got really tired of my inbox getting full of trading block notices

 

Wilkerson is a .280 hitter and Hernandez is a 15 win guy...more than enough to replace Pujols.

 

What's next...you're going to tell me that it's unfair to strike out every batter I can with Halladay's crazy curveball because it's a foot out of the zone?

 

The trading engine is a farce anyways...never get off a trade where you end up even...always have to give away everything.

 

However I did make a damned good trade for Rafael Soriano....

[A Happy Medium 0]

then got Pujols for Brad Wilkerson and Livan Hernandez

gee, I wonder how you keep winning all the time.

Actually...I won 94 games without him...and the year before that the World Series.

[MrRant 0]

What the fuck is up with all the diving, over the shoulder, in between the legs, leaping grabs for foul balls (and middle fly balls that should be dropping in) by the CPU?? And it freaking catches 99.9% of them.

[Mole 0]

And I gotta say, Pedro sucks in this game. He's 8-8 at the All-Star break and I am seriously considering trading him straight up for Kerry Wood (the Cubs have him on the trading block).

 

Yes, Pedro does suck. I traded him for Andy Pettitte, which has been good for me so far.

 

I also traded Wakefield and Mark Evans for A.J. Burnett, who is an awesome pitcher.

 

Plus I signed Greg Maddux, so I have a nasty pitching staff.

[Guest FrigidSoul]

Not if you hit it towards Hideki Matsui, they all end up looking like they bounce off his big Japanese Dome.

 

I've made two trades with my Red Sox. Traded Ramiro Mendoza to the Dodgers for Edwin Jackson(real Triple A player) and Guilmera Mota. Then I went and traded Kevin Millar(I actually made him since he's not a member of the union. Didn't make him have absurd stats either...he's like the real Millar so I did pretty well), Mota, Ryan Rupe, and one other minor league pitcher for Mark Texiera.

 

Edit: I own with Pedro and I don't play it on a pussy level. Thus you people just don't know how to pitch. Mix your pitches and locations, also don't always throw the damn thing in the strike zone and you'll get some players looking/swinging at bad pitches.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Bonds is not in the game because he did not sign on with the MLBPA's licensing agreement, choosing to go his own course. John Dowd is amusing because it is the name of the investigator of the Pete Rose affair, in the late 80s.

 

I picked up Rafael Soriano myself, in exchange for Roberto Hernandez. I think a big problem with computer trade engines is that they don't recognize franchise player appeal, and more importantly future potential.

[MrRant 0]

Does anyone else notice the catching thing though?

[Mole 0]

Edit: I own with Pedro and I don't play it on a pussy level. Thus you people just don't know how to pitch. Mix your pitches and locations, also don't always throw the damn thing in the strike zone and you'll get some players looking/swinging at bad pitches.

Really? I've been throwing in the red zone the whole time....

[MrRant 0]

It's hard to tell if Mole is being sarcastic or not based on his history.

 

I'm going to assume he is.

[Guest FrigidSoul]

Does anyone else notice the catching thing though?

Not if you hit it towards Hideki Matsui, they all end up looking like they bounce off his big Japanese Dome.

[A Happy Medium 0]

The computer is awesome at fielding...it kinda bothers me. I should consider moving the sliders a bit.

 

However, I am able to keep in the field by picking good routes to the baseball.

[KingPK 0]

Edit: I own with Pedro and I don't play it on a pussy level. Thus you people just don't know how to pitch. Mix your pitches and locations, also don't always throw the damn thing in the strike zone and you'll get some players looking/swinging at bad pitches.

I know how to pitch, and I'm playing at All-Star level. I just can't seem to get it going with Pedro. The rest of the staff have records like 11-4, 10-4, so I'm doing SOMETHING right.

 

For the fielding, bump up the CPU catching errors slider to about 30 or so (or higher, if you want to). They still make some circus catches, but a fair amount are missed, too.

[lomasmoney 0]

Me and a buddy have been simming a dynasty with the Tigers where we play a few games and make trades and shit, well actually he has been doing 90% of the simming, and with all of the standard rules on in the franchise we were able to trade for Josh Beckett and Aj Burnett in the first year and we signed some cheap FA veterans like Galaragga and Orlando Hernandez, and we somehow won the World Series in 2004 with the Tigers. We are now on season 4 and in the process of winning our 4th straight WS. We have an Amazing infield of Mark Texiera, Hank Blalock, Jose Reyes, Alfonso Soriano and Dimitri Young with AJ Pierzynski as our catcher.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

Pedro is 3-5 with a 5.51 ERA for the CPU controlled Red Sox in my league. Meanwhile Tim Wakefield is 9-1 (including 2 over me because I can't hit his knuckler) with a 2.29 ERA.

[Mole 0]

It's hard to tell if Mole is being sarcastic or not based on his history.

 

I'm going to assume he is.

I couldn't have been anymore sarcastic there.

[Guest MikeSC]

What the fuck is up with all the diving, over the shoulder, in between the legs, leaping grabs for foul balls (and middle fly balls that should be dropping in) by the CPU?? And it freaking catches 99.9% of them.

It wouldn't be that bad --- if AA players weren't pulling it off with similar success.

-=Mike

[Cartman 0]

In defense of that rediculous CPU AI when it comes to fielding, if it wasn't that way the scoring would be silly like the Triple Play series was.

[Guest FrigidSoul]

Do you people change speeds when you pitch as well? Take Schilling for instance, I'll start hitters off with a 92MPH fastball that they'll take for a strike. Then I'll throw the slider low and away to right handers or the split low to lefties. If they swing and miss it I then go and pump the pitching meter all the way with the 4 seam and hit them up and in or up outside of the strike-zone with a96mph heater and they're behind it.

 

With Pedro its all about establishing the fastball(both 4 seam and 2 seam) then fucking them up with Change-ups or curves. Don't use both the change and curve on the same batter the first time through the line-up that way on the second one they don't expect the other. 3rd time through the line-up you really fuck'em up by giving them a Slider, a Change-up, and then a Curve low and away(outside of the strike-zone)

 

Young grasshoppers need to learn to pitch, not throw

[MrRant 0]

In defense of that rediculous CPU AI when it comes to fielding, if it wasn't that way the scoring would be silly like the Triple Play series was.

I adjusted the sliders of the All-Star level as Kingpk posted and that seems to help... a little.

 

Still too many wacky catches IMO. Course doesn't help I'm playing my dynasty as the Tigers so getting any bat on a ball is a challenge considering the craptastic line up I have.

 

That and Fernado Vina is going to miss 75 days with a torn rotator cuff injury.

[Guest FrigidSoul]

Rant, why aren't you using the Mariners?

[MrRant 0]

I like a challenge.