Do you ever wonder why the same teams always win? Maybe it has to do with how active the owners are? Look at the amount of trades and player movement on the best teams...there are usually a ton of trades. How much research and time are these owners investing into player scouting? I know I use about a dozen different internet resources and a handful of paperback resources to evaluate players. I would venture to guess that some owners pick players based on them playing for their favorite team, or if they like the guy or not. When you strike up trade conversations with owners sometimes you can figure out some of these weaknesses (players or MLB teams they favor) and take advantage of that situation.

Yes, I've won 3/4 titles in 99T2...but I've also made 30 trades, I've drafted well, and I've put hundreds of hours into researching players before I draft them or make a trade. This isn't exclusive to 99T2 either, as I have won championships in all 4 of my leagues. Giving the weaker teams a stud player or two isn't going to make them win the league any time soon. They have to still be smart about it, make good trades, good picks, evaluate players well, and manage a good game at home.

This isn't the NFL. We don't want all 80-80 records and perfect parity. Good managers are rewarded with successful teams. If I ended up @ .500 with all the time I invest with my teams, I'd be very disappointed. Managers that don't spend alot of time with their teams (not saying you Brian, you have tons of trades and have always been active) typically end up around .500...even if they were lucky enough to land superior talent.

I know that if I were a non-contending team in 99T2 Sr. Circuit, I'd probably be VERY frustrated seeing the same teams battle it out for the championship every year... and I'd be even more worried about a contraction that would force me into their divisions. That said, with only 2 divisions, the better teams will be forced to play each other more often and there will be less cupcakes on the schedule. That right there should even things out a bit, contraction draft or not.

Jon