I can tell you why I dropped my two teams. I am still interested enough to check back now and then to see how my teams finish out, and I will occasionally check in the future to see whether any changes are made. I put this out here not to complain, but to see whether other guys would agree with my take and suggest changes. If this sounds like bashing or sour grapes, my appologies --it is not meant to.

My reasons for dropping:

1. Its solitaire. Very few other managers actually play. One very active poster on this board noted that he plays at least 1 of his home games. That's only 20 better than unmanaged. I think that the charter members with many free or cheap teams delute the intensity. I appreciate those who like to draft-and-watch but there another game designed for that and therefore better at that. PB offers interactive play and if I don't get that I'll spend more time on my 2005 projections to better compete in that better draft-and-watch game.

2. The sandbagging. More guys are actively trying to lose than are trying to win. Trying to build while trying to win is not possible. When I quit, I had a team with the best record and the lowest PB in the league. Meanwhile, the sandbaggers pick-up multiple prospects due to the drafting rules. It does not make for a good game. An unmanaged team can build but a well-managed team cannot.

3. The lack of time by the commish. There's a need for privately run leagues with their own constitution and commish. His decisions sometimes seem arbitrary, likely because he simply can't look at the situation.

4. The little quirks in the game that take away from its great sabremetric potential. The fielding ratings for example: they don't relate to other perceptions or statistical analyses. To some extent, we end-up playing with make-believe players rather than exploring the true value of real MLB players. PB becomes merely a board game.

5. The extraordinary cost. At one time PB did not seem expensive because there was not much to compare it too. Now, I compare two PB teams @ $20/month to other games and PB seems way to high. Star Wars Galaxy is @ $15 per month. Diablo or any other online game can be purshased for $45 and you get unlimited online play - with a much more varied game, a much richer environment and much much more interaction with other players.

If there at 23 other guys who would be interested in a true competitive league, I would like to approach Mike with a proposal for such a league with its own rules. Among the rules would have to be ones that allow the league to clense of inactive owners, and ones that did not reward sandbagging. The other problems would still have to be address. While not my biggest concern, the cost relative to other PC/online options is probably the biggest detriment to PB success.