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GridIssue 103 June 2003
FROM COMMISSIONER SCOTT ELLIS, 2ND AMER. BASKETBALL LEAGUE
Should a salary/cap/financial system come to the SABL?
It's been talked about before by several of our coaches for several years and other leagues have it: a salary/cap/financial system. Here's a recent email I received from one of our longtime and successful SABL coaches, Royal Conference Champion Frank Rowley of the Richmond Raiders:
I would like to propose a salary structure & cap for our
league. With perhaps some sort of real life financial penalty for not compliance
with the set salary cap! The reasons for this are as follows:
1. To promote more trades
2. To promote a more "balanced league"
3. As in real life, some league members will be "better GM's" than others, but
this should add an extra level of interest for league members.
4. To promote more "off-season" interest in our league.
5. I think to the additional level of complexity--league members will have to be
more "committed" to our league.
Sincerely,
Frank Rowley
Richmond Raiders
With a new and possibly more restrictive minutes played system and a new Windows game headed our way this fall, we can't consider Frank's idea for our 2003-04 season. We could do it for the 2004-05 season, but realistically, I don't see such a plan going into effect until 2005-06.
But while it's easy to say "Let's do a salary" system, it's a lot harder to figure out what that system will be and how it can be fair. A complete plan, written out like our Constitution, would have to be read, voted on and approved by 11 or more of our coaches. Someone would have to write the plan, and I've asked Frank to start working on it.
Also, I don't have time to keep track of a financial system, so someone would have to be appointed our league's official "moneyman." We'll cross that bridge when and if we get there.
I was honest with Frank, and I'll be honest with you all, too: I love Frank, but I don't like this idea. Our league's philosophy is unique in the Strat world - keep it simple and free. Our league is also unique in that it has survived to become one of the premier Strat basketball leagues in the country. Most leagues add on layer after layer of bureaucracy, rules and complexity.
Most leagues fail.
However, I'm an old fart now and I'm getting older every day. To paraphrase Fox News, here's Frank's proposal: You decide.
It looks like Strat computer basketball will be Windows-based this fall
I just got the Strat-O-Matic Game Company's summer mailer (June 25) and although it doesn't specifically say so, it appears the basketball game will be on Windows platform this fall. It's been on DOS since it's initial release in the early 1990s.
The flyer advertises a "1.0" version on a CD-ROM and the upgrade cost varies from $31.95 for just the computer game, all the way up to $54.95 for the computer game, cards and "card image," which is a computer screen shot of the player's Strat card. I'm gonna order the $54.95 upgrade and, of course, that doesn't include Strat's "handling charge" markup, which in my case will be $8. The cards are supposed to come out in September and the computer game is due out in October, in plenty of time for our normal Dec. 1 regular season start.
Strat computer basketball's DOS version is now up to 4.5. It's new version will be 1.0. In the past, with their other three games, this has signified that the game is changing to Windows. Also, basketball is the company's last computer game to make the move to CD-ROM and every time Strat has moved a game to CD-ROM, it's changed to Windows. From this, it really seems like the game will be Windows-based this Fall.
However, the advertising circulars don't specifically say this and on the back of the "Strat-O-Matic News" flyer included in the mailing, the final paragraph about Strat's upcoming computer basketball game says:
"Also in the works is a conversion of the computer game to the Windows platform. Keep an eye on Strat-O-Matic.com for details."
The game company is obviously giving itself an out on the Windows conversion, just in case they don't get the job done. They didn't last year, even though they said they would. Forgive me fellows, but I have to see it in my hands and loaded on my computer to believe it.
But . . . the sharp eyes of Chapel Hill Coach Tommy Fields has reported this to league offices: Strat's online order form says the game will indeed be a "Windows" CD-ROM.
Another thing that's obvious is that this is a "conversion," not a new, improved version. Perhaps the bugs will be fixed, but the same quirks, including a poor stats/reporting package, poor computer coaching package (not being able to call a press when you want to, etc.) and not being able to call more timeouts and stretch out the last two minutes of a game (like you can do in real life) will probably remain.
Still, this is a great first step and I'm so glad the game company is making the investment to do it. After all, they don't sell that many basketball games. I'm sure most big corporate game companies, who only look at the short-term bottom line, wouldn't have bothered with this.
Thank God Strat-O-Matic is still an independent, small business owned by a man that puts principle before profit - Harold Richman. He is not going to let his loyal, if few, basketball devotees down. Although it's not selling now, sales will grow once it's finally on Windows. Harold Richman is in it for the long term and he knows this, too. And once sales grow, perhaps the computer game will be improved.
In any case, the SABL wants to thank ya', Mr. Richman. We knew we could count on ya'.
All SABL league newsletters are now posted, from the very beginning
I pulled an all-day and all-nighter to get this one done for ya'. It was one of those rare days (June 22) when I felt 26 instead of 46. So, I scanned in all of former Commissioner and SABL founder Tom Gantert's old paper newsletters and scanned in the first six of mine that didn't make it onto to our website. They are now all posted in their glory, for your edification and stupefaction, on our Past Newsletters link.
This is another project that I've been threatening to do for several years. The threat has become reality. Enjoy.
SABL trades updated to include the first three years of our league
It's been years in the making, but I've finally compiled a list of all our league's trades from the very beginning. And yep, I made our league's first trade in November 1994: D. Wilkins and my first pick (1995) to the Charlevoix Cutters for Pippen and McDaniel. The Cutters' franchise is now owned by that other inveterate SABL trader, Charlie Dillingham, of the Holcomb Heat.
Some things never change.
If you'd like to check out the "lost years" of SABL trading, go to the bottom of the page on our Trades link. Remember that our trades are listed in reverse order, so go to the very end of the page to start at the beginning.
All SABL Drafts now listed under one link!!!
Yes, it's true! All of our drafts, every year, are now available at our Past Draft Results link. Check it out!
Drafting of Uncarded players fails by 11-4 vote
The SABL has spoken and it's "No" to "Drafting Any Player On An NBA Roster Currently Or In The Previous NBA Season". This would've taken effect in 2005 and would have let us draft players just drafted by NBA teams, but who haven't yet played in the NBA.
We ain't gonna vote on this one again for awhile because the vote was pretty conclusive.
Playing anyone at any position fails by 9-6 "No" vote
This fell shy of 11 against, but 9 against is still pretty conclusive, too. So we can only play guys at the positions on their cards (remember, guards can still play both PG and SG, 'cause it's on their cards). We won't vote on this one again for awhile, either.
Player minutes vote inconclusive - Let's vote on it again!
Six coaches voted for 10% minutes over, four coaches voted for 15% minutes over, one coach voted for 20% minutes over and 4 coaches voted for 25% minutes over. The only thing you can say for sure about this vote is that a majority of SABL coaches want our minutes played restrictions to be less than 25% minutes over.
We were going to take the top two vote getters here and vote again, but since 15% and 25% tied for second, we will revote the 10%, 15% and 25% options. I need your votes by July 6 for them to count. Vote for 25%, 15% or 10%.
Remember, since playing anyone at any position has definitely failed, consider carefully the consequences of your vote on this.
Time to vote on MVP and Coach Of The Year!
Yep, more things to vote on in our off-season - our 2003 Coach Of The Year and our 2003 MVP. Check the stats, check the standings, and make your choices! I need these votes by July 6, too.
And still more voting . . . 2003 SABL All-Stars
Who says we don't have anything to do in the summertime? It's time to send me your votes for our 2003 SABL All-Stars, so that Amazing Kevin Feeney (Davenport Dazzlers) can play our annual 7-game All-Star series.
Vote for two point guards, two shooting guards, two small forwards, two power forwards and two centers, in each conference (Royal and Classic). That means you'll be voting for 20 players in total. It's just that simple, but it's just that hard to decide who should get this honor.
This year's big All-Star suspense story: Will Karl Malone get voted to his ninth consecutive SABL All-Star team? Karl Malone is the only SABL player left that's made the All-Star team every single season the SABL has been in existence. Will another All-Star invitation get delivered to the Mailman this year, too?
Check the stats and you decide!
Galactic Thunders to 2003 SABL Championship!!!!
Congratulations to Steve Walters' on winning his second SABL Championship by defeating the Richmond Raiders in Game 6 of the 2003 SABL Finals. Steve's been to the Finals dance three times and he first won it in 2000 over the East Asia Dragons (now the Saginaw Shockwave). Here's Steve's report:
Richmond 118
Galactic 130
Galactic put a close game away in the 4th quarter out scoring Richmond 34-23 in
period.
Thunder was lead by Malone with 30, 9 rebs and 5 assists as well as Payton 30
with 12 assists and 4 steals. Marshall added 18 with 6 rebs and 2 BK. Coleman
had 17 with 9 rebs. Brandon had 8 with 15 assists in 29 mins.
Raiders lead by Nowitzki, Finley and Redd each with 22 points. Nowitzki lead
both teams with 11 rebs.
Thunder out shot the Raiders 60%-52% from the field. Richmond made 14-32(44%) of
3's to Galactic 2-7(29%). Galactic won the rebs(44-37), assists(43-25),
Steals(12-6) and turnovers(12-17).
Raiders takes 2 of 3 at Richmond in SABL Finals
Steve Walters' Thunder leads the SABL Finals three games to two over Frank Rowley's Richmond Raiders as the series heads back to Galactic for Game 6 and a possible Game 7 finale.
The Raiders took two of the three games in Richmond. Here's Frank's report of Games 4 and 5:
Game #4
Galactic 125 - Richmond 105
Galactic dominates following a 44 point explosion on their part in the 2nd
quarter. Gary Payton scores 30 points and dishes out 14 assists to lead the
Thunder. He is followed in scoring by both Karl Malone & Terrell Brandon who
each score 19 points, Malone adds 8 rebounds & 8 assists, while Brandon dishes
out 11 assists. Scottie Pippen chips in 15 points & Derek Coleman & Donyell
Marshall each score 14 points, with Coleman getting a game high 13 rebounds.
Galactic is 57 of 102 from the field (56%) and 10 of 13 from the free throw line
(77%). They garner 56 rebounds to 35 for Richmond and dish out 38 assists to 26
for Richmond.
Richmond is led by Predag Stojakovic with 21 points,
followed by 16 points and 7 rebounds for Dirk Nowitzki. Keon Clark scores 15
points, and Michael Finley, Baron Davis, & Marcus Camby all score 10 points in
the loss. Richmond goes 43 of 93 from the field (46%), 16 of 19 from the free
throw line (84%), but only 3 of 20 from behind the three point arc. We commit 15
turnovers to 14 for Galactic, and we block 5 shots to 4 for Galactic.
Game #5
Galactic 112 - Richmond 118
Galactic is lead by Donyell Marshall & Gary Payton who each score 25 points,
Payton dishes 10 assists. Terrell Brandon scores 18 points and dishes a game
high 18 assists. Karl Malone scores 16 points, grabs 7 rebounds, and dishes out
6 assists. Galactic goes 47 of 92 from the field (51%), 15 of 18 from the free
throw line (83%), dishes out 38 assists to 24 for Richmond and out rebounds
Richmond 44 to 35.
Richmond is led by Dirk Nowitzki who scores 30 points on 9
of 16 from the field and 11 of 12 from the free throw line. Predag Stojakovic
scores 18 points, followed by Antonio McDyess who scores 16 points in 15 minutes
of game action. Baron Davis & Marcus Camby both score 13 points, with Camby
adding a game high 11 rebounds (including 7 offensive). Richmond turns the ball
over 14 times to 13 for Galactic and Richmond blocks 4 shots versus 5 blocks for
Galactic. Richmond is 42 of 87 from the field (48%) and 28 of 31 from the free
throw line (90%).
Galactic leads the series 3 games to 2, and is headed to the Thunder's home
arena to wrap up the year.
Quad City has a new email address:
It's Shorty072888@aol.com. Make a note of Rimrocker Coach Kathleen Feeney's Amazing new email addy.