The awesome Kevin Burghardt sent me a summary of his current project involving the OFAS 3 set. -Tom
The OFAS 3 set
When APBA’s OFAS3 set arrived at my doorstep, I initially thought I’d enjoy flipping through the cards, then set them aside to play with at some point down the road.
That’s………………… not what happened. I flipped OUT from the joy of seeing all the great players from 1961-present and shortly thereafter decided on a project that would incorporate all of the teams!
The format
I borrowed from the real life World Cup for my format. Group play for me consists of four teams per group with each squad playing a four game set against each of the others within the group. This means each team plays a dozen games in group play.
Groups were drawn completely at random. The top two teams from each group advance to the best of seven knockout round.
One problem I encountered is the fact that 32 teams are needed for this format and the OFAS3 set only comes with 30 squads. I solved this dilemma by creating ‘70’s A.L. All-Stars and ‘70’s N.L. All-Stars teams, using players from the OFAS3 set whose card came from a season in the ‘70’s. Players could not overlap (i.e.-When the A.L. squad played the Red Sox Rice, Lynn, and Fisk were on Boston and I replaced them with three other ‘70’s players on the A.L. team).
Method of play
I play a BG/MG hybrid (C+D only!) and incorporate several statistically sound innovations into the mix as well. These include pitcher fatigue, and fine tuned control/strikeout ratings for every pitcher.
Each team used a four man rotation for each series, with the order of those four randomly assigned within each individual series. Relief pitchers are used in a realistic manner and rosters are limited to 25 players per squad.
Current status
Group play is complete. You will find each group’s results below. Again, the top two teams from each group advance:
| Group A | Group B | Group C | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ’70’s NL A.S. | 8-4 | Tigers: | 7-5 | Mets: | 8-4 |
| Braves: | 8-4 | Royals: | 7-5 | Indians: | 7-5 |
| Marlins: | 4-8 | Cardinals: | 5-7 | Twins: | 5-7 |
| Mariners: | 4-8 | Rays: | 5-7 | D-Backs: | 4-8 |
| Group D | Group E | Group F | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reds: | 7-5 | Astros: | 9-3 | Giants: | 10-2 |
| Yankees: | 6-6* | Athletics: | 7-5 | Orioles: | 8-4 |
| White Sox | 6-6 | Rockies: | 4-8 | Padres: | 4-8 |
| Rangers: | 5-7 | Pirates: | 4-8 | Expos: | 2-10 |
| Group G | Group H | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Sox | 8-4 | Angels: | 8-4 |
| Phillies: | 7-5 | Cubs: | 6-6 |
| Dodgers: | 5-7 | Brewers: | 5-7 |
| ’70’s AL A.S. | 4-8 | Blue Jays | 5-7 |
*=The Yankees defeated the White Sox in a one game playoff to gain the second spot in Group D play.
What’s next?
With the 192 games of group play now complete, it’s time for the best of seven knockout rounds. Teams will employ a four man rotation for each series, bullpen usage will be realistic, and of course there will be 25 rosters for each squad as well. The brackets are below. I’m greatly looking forward to seeing how things turn out!
