2012 Manager Profile - Standard Operating Procedures
This Manager Profile operations guide was produced by Troy Conner and is intended to help all owners learn how to create their own customized Manager Profile. Please Review the procedures below to learn about Diamond-Mind Baseball's Manager Profile operations:VFBL Manager Profile/Computer Manager
Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), v1.0
Introduction
We've had some problems using the MP correctly, so this document will attempt to give a guide to how to use it for VFBL purposes. The following will simplify the DMB manual, leaving out things you would not normally do in the VFBL. This document does not replace the VFBL manual and online docs, it augments them.
I'll probably miss some stuff, so feel free to email me questions, corrections and additions.
Creating an MP
View/Roster/manager Profile
Pick 25 players for the active roster (you can use all of them at the end of the regular season).
Pitching tab
1. Set the Usage to "Strict" if you are creating an MP for half a series, "Skip" otherwise.
2. Set the Rotation size to 3 or 4 if you are creating an MP for half a series, 5 otherwise. If you can manage a 4 man rotation you don't need this document.
3. Set the Next starter as follows:
a. Find the date of the next game to be played in the Game/Scheduled menu. It will generally be 1 or 2 days after the last game played.
b. Back in the Pitching tab, look at the Usage numbers in your pitchers list. Set the Next starter to the number of your best pitcher who will have no numbers on the day of the next game. Occasionally, if the pitcher is not tired, you can start a pitcher on 3 days rest, or if the pitcher had a relief appearance.
4. Spot-check your pitchers by right-clicking on them in the pitchers list. Select View player settings to see if you have the right appearances. Example: the Force are using Felix Hernandez in relief even though in RL he had 12 starts and 0 relief appearances. His Games pitched limits are set to 1/99.
5. Set the other pitching roles in the menu in the upper right corner of the Pitching tab. As a rule, you should have every active pitcher in at least one role, and you should have at least one pitcher in each role except Spot starter. Normally you should not set Spot starter for a single series.
Saved lineup tab
1. Create one lineup Versus "Right" and one lineup Versus "Left". They must be the first two lineups in the menu or the CM will not use them.
2. Optionally, you may create additional lineups for your opponent to load manually. An example of manual lineup instructions could be "use the default lineups unless Lima starts, then use the lineup labeled 'Scrubs'".
3. Spot-check your hitters by right-clicking on them in the batters list. Select View player settings to see if you have the right appearances.
Depth chart tab
1. Set Usage to "Game by game".
2. As a rule, enter any players who are platooning in the Saved lineups in Pl in the menu in the upper right corner.
3. Enter defensive replacements in Def in the same menu.
4. Enter injury replacements in 1-5 in the same menu, with . If you have a player there, double-click on the last column and change the Spot Start Percentage to 0. No other value makes any sense for a single series.
Mgr tendencies tab
Set the various sliders to account for your team's strengths and weaknesses.
Player tendencies tab
Override your Mgr tendencies for specific players. For example, the Bandits team settings are Stealing = "Less Frequent", but the Player tendencies for Cliff Floyd are set to "More Frequent" to take advantage of his "Ex" rating.
Exchanging MPs
Export
1. Open Transfer/Export statistics.
2. Pick your team out of the list (if it is not already highlighted) and take the defaults for further menus.
3. Save As with a filename containing your team name and the series, e.g., BanditsMPweek7. DMB will append ".zip" to the filename, or you can.
1. Attach from your email program the same file you created during export. It should be in the export directory under your league database directory, e.g., C:/DMP9/VFBL2009/export.
2. Include any manual instructions you may have - don't assume your opponent will do anything other than take defaults.
Import
1. Save the attached MP your opponent sent you in the league database import directory, e.g., C:/DMP9/VFBL2009/import.
2. Open Transfer/Import statistics.
3. Pick the file your opponent sent you and take the defaults.
Playing Games
Starting
1. Open Game/Scheduled, select the first unplayed game in your series, hit the Play button and select Play selected game.
2. In the Managers tab, make sure your team (generally the Home team) is set to all "Human", and your opponent's team is set to all "Computer". Only in the case of your opponent having manual instructions, set his Starting lineups to "Human".
Manual instructions
1. In the Starting Pitcher window, select the starting pitcher as specified by your opponent. Important: occasionally your opponent will give you manual instructions for a lineup, but forget to give you manual instructions for the starting pitcher (the same window is used for both). In this case, select Other actions/Computer manager and the CM will pick the right pitcher from the manager profile.
2. In the Starting Lineup window, Other actions/Load saved lineup and Choose a saved lineup as specified by your opponent. Occasionally your opponent may have more detailed instructions such as "choose lineup #5 and substitute Mario Mendoza for Buddy Biancalana". Important: do not use Other actions/Computer manager for opponents' lineups, ever.
Series Results
1. Open Transfer/Export statistics. 2. Pick your and your opponent's team (only) out of the list and take the defaults for further menus. You should deselect any series from the current week for other teams you may have, but it is OK to re-export the first half of the series if you are playing the second half.
3. Save As with a filename containing your team name and the series, e.g., BanditsForceweek6. DMB will append ".zip" to the filename, or you can.
4. Email the file to admin@vfbl.com and copy your opponent.
5. If you are on the receiving end of a series export, load the series and inspect the game scores. You may request a replay if your opponent did not use your MP or follow your instructions; email admin@vfbl.com to lodge a protest. Note: this happens a couple time a year, invariable because of a mistake, not intent. It is common practice to have a replay if you get the protest in on time, and nobody will hold it against you.