Off-Season On Hold (01-02)

[Spear]

We all know what Rule V is "supposed" to accomplish, gotcha moments like this are not it.

Agreed 100%. There needs to be some sort of "gotcha" rule so we can finally put this to rest.

[Delandis]

Agreed 100%. There needs to be some sort of "gotcha" rule so we can finally put this to rest.

To me that's just it. We don't need a rule. Guys just need to do the right thing. Let him get his guy when the Hartford pick comes around and this becomes a complete non-issue and everyone is happy. As commish, Clay has to stick to the letter of the law, but that doesn't mean we can't just easily work it out on our end (TWSS ).

[Jake]

I've lost more talent on accident in the Rule V than most. Just in the last few years, active starters Robby Shumway, Zach Mitchell, Jarred Minchin, Daniel Larivee, Wally Copeland, to name a few. Top 60 prospects, former first rounders, etc. But I love the Rule V. Neal is obviously an oversight, just like my guys were, like Phillips, like Matt's guy, etc.

So I'm going to catch flack for this and I hate saying it because I really like umd and he has been very active, but how great of an owner is he that he was so quick to quit? He didn't suck it up like others. He didn't rationally reach out to picks before him like Matt. He just dropped the mic before he even turned it on. I'm sorry but I find that ridiculous and overly dramatic so I've gotta wonder how much he even wanted to be here if something so (relatively, in life) small made him pick up his toys and go home.

Not sure if you're still an owner and can see this or not umd but if you can I really say it out of respect and disappointment because I do hate to see you go. There's a lot of different ways you could have handled this before pulling out the quit card.

On the other hand, like I said earlier if we keep Neal for a new owner but not umd that's BS IMO. Teams have started with worse.

...And anyways this was just God's way of evening out that Rex Morgan trade that was a absolute robbery by Hartford...

[Clay]

I count 5 teams ahead of HRT in the Rule V, if all 5 teams want to PM me that they are agreeing to pass... we'll let him stay in HRT as their pick. If even one of those 5 teams says no, we proceed and he likely goes to WC.

We can do it private so no one has to be the villain if they object.

Were going to take today to figure out the who, what, when of it all. We'll roll out a gameplan for restarting tomorrow.

[Dave]

So I'm going to catch flack for this and I hate saying it because I really like umd and he has been very active, but how great of an owner is he that he was so quick to quit? He didn't suck it up like others. He didn't rationally reach out to picks before him like Matt. He just dropped the mic before he even turned it on. I'm sorry but I find that ridiculous and overly dramatic so I've gotta wonder how much he even wanted to be here if something so (relatively, in life) small made him pick up his toys and go home.

Not sure if you're still an owner and can see this or not umd but if you can I really say it out of respect and disappointment because I do hate to see you go. There's a lot of different ways you could have handled this before pulling out the quit card.

I agree with this. I like umd too but it seems like he was looking for a reason to bail here. If Clay has spoken with him privately or whatever and determined that this is not the case, then great and I rescind my agreement with your remarks. But I agree that the way it played it was surprising and made me think it was almost orchestrated.

Again, hoping that's not the case and we can all move on from this with umd in the league, but that's just the initial impression the whole thing gave me and I appear to not be the only one with that impression.

[umd]

I respect all of your opinions.

My thinking was, it's just easier to walk away than blow up the boards with a huge argument over a (not so) slight oversight on my part. It was easier to just take a breath and step back from it all. For once, IMO it wasn't going to be worth getting worked up over it...for me.

I made a mistake, I didn't feel like getting into a million post threads on what could be done, should be done, what's been done in the past.

I didn't orchestrate anything. It wasn't a give me Neal back or I walk type of thing at all - though now looking at it, I suppose it looks that way. I am just annoyed with myself because it was simple oversight. I was trying to be responsible because I knew I wouldn't be able to export Friday, so I made sure I did it early, since Rule V has burned me in the past. It didn't work out for me.

Yes, I could've probably asked the teams ahead of me to let him pass down, but is that really fair to them when others have made the same mistake I did and got burned? I didn't think it was. And if they didn't, then what? Be all pissed off? That's silly.

I'll say this as well, losing Neal to Rule V and "sticking it out" would piss me off every time I looked at that roster and opened the game. Yeah, it's just a game, but we all get attached to players and our teams. How could we not with all the time we invest.

That's where I'm at. I apologize for slowing down the offseason and having to make you guys scramble for a replacement - which I don't think will be difficult - this is the best OOTP league hands down.

I could have stepped aside better, but I was definitely frustrated at myself - no one else.

[Ryan]

...And anyways this was just God's way of evening out that Rex Morgan trade that was a absolute robbery by Hartford...

An absolute robbery, dumbass.

[Lintyfresh85]

Well, if we're giving the new owner Neal back, there's no reason to even have UMD leave.

Just give him back and move on.

Maybe a reverse Rule V for Hartford? If Neal gets sent down in 2002 Windy City has first choice of claiming him?

[Jimmy]

In the end you have a very small chance to keep your player. But you have 100% chance of being a good owner who rebounds from a catastrophic loss.

I've already contacted 5 people to fix my mistake and ill keep going until I have contacted 19 teams or have a firm answer. Don't do this to the DL! The Ale needs 4 good owners because they run all over people when they don't.

[Clay]

Based on how I read umd's post, he's not coming back either way.

We'll proceed with a new owner in the next 24-36 hours. Again, the top 5 teams have the option of conceding the pass to Hartford, but if not we proceed as normal. The new owner will come in knowing one way or the other.

[Jistic]

I'm gonna say my peace on this and be done.

Firstly I'd hate to see UMD leave. I like him very much as an owner and just as somebody on SGN I enjoy talking to and competing against. I want to be clear about his because I mean it.

Secondly as some or most of you know I'm a "letter of the law" type of person. Rules IMO are put in place to avoid drama. This is not the first Rule V mistake and won't be the last. I've been on the other end before and it sucked but I lived with it and moved on and Pat benefited from it which is almost as bad as Funclown benefiting from it.

That being said for the record you're damn right I'm gonna draft Neal. I don't feel guilty about it one bit. If that makes me the asshole, so be it. It won't be the first time. We've "earned" our right to pick first. We're by far the worst team in the league and have been pretty bad for a long time. My job as an owner is to do what's best for my team. I'm not breaking any rule so yes I have no problem with it.

For those saying well let's just give him back and move on I would say that I'm fine with someone trading for him and sending him back to Hartford for a 10th round pick. Operators are standing by.

Do I want Neal? Hell yes I do, duh. However for the record like my arguments and votes have stated in the past it's about the rules. Wouldn't matter to me who the teams were in this situation I'd still have the same opinion.

I don't want UMD to quit. He's a big boy and a veteran owner. This isn't about him or me, it's about the rules and the enforcement of them. I still love him.

Flame away.

[Clay]

The league is going to resume either tomorrow morning or Tuesday. I will give you the details as soon as I have them. Hopefully later today. Gets your Rule V list in either way.

[funclown]

The league is going to resume either tomorrow morning or Tuesday. I will give you the details as soon as I have them. Hopefully later today. Gets your Rule V list in either way.

Will Hartford be in "expo" mode????

[Z]

The league is going to resume either tomorrow morning or Tuesday. I will give you the details as soon as I have them. Hopefully later today. Gets your Rule V list in either way.

Given some of the developments in the last day, I'm sending in a revised Rule V List. I'll be noting that in the title of the PM.

[Clay]

Will Hartford be in "expo" mode????

No. umd or a new owner will control Hartford. If it's a new owner, he will get some time to submit a Rule V list.

Given some of the developments in the last day, I'm sending in a revised Rule V List. I'll be noting that in the title of the PM.

Please do.