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coolstandings.com - Know where your team really stands!
 Jump to Regular Baseball FAQ | Historical FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions - Fantasy Baseball:
Answers:
1. How does the fantasy baseball season work?
We are simulating the 2008 baseball season using the actual 2008
schedule, but using the stats from 2007. In order to complete the
season shortly after the real 2008 regular season begins, we'll be
simulating the season at 4 times its normal speed - each day
we'll simulate 4 days of the baseball season. The last week
of the season we'll slow the season down to simulate a single
day every day.
As we do in the regular season, after each "day" we update the
standings and the coolstats (DIV, WC, POFF), so you can keep
track of your simulated team's playoff chances.
2. When are the simulated games played?
The games are played at approximately 10am, 2pm, 6pm, and 10pm EST.
Near the end of the season we'll only simulate games at 2pm EST each day.
3. Can I influence my team's performance?
Yes! The simulation uses team stats to determine the expected
number of runs each team will score every game. However, we
give you the opportunity to increase your team's chances to
win by allowing you to boost its offensive or defensive performance
for any given game.
If you click on any team from the main
standings page, you will see at the top the list of upcoming
games. You can also filter games against a particular opponent.
Each game is represented as follows:
By clicking on the "Boost Offense" (blue) button, you boost the average number of runs
the given team can score. Clicking on the "Boost Defense" (grey) button reduces the average
number of runs that team will allow.
The net boost a team currently has is listed in parentheses next
to that team. In this example, Boston has a 1.14 run boost, while
New York has a -0.26 run boost. This means that on average Boston
would score 1.14 runs more than the simulation expects in this
game, while New York would score 0.26 runs less on average.
4. How much can I boost?
Each simulated day, any visitor to coolstandings.com is given
2 free boosts to use on any remaining game, for any team. So
for most of the season, you can use 8 free boosts per actual day, while
at the end of the season (because the season slows down) you'll
have 2 free boosts per actual day.
If you are a coolforums member, you have 3 additional free boosts
to use per simulated day (5 in all), so that you would have 20 total free boosts per actual
day. You can sign up to be a coolforums member here.
And the more you post in coolforums, the more boosts you earn! Each star by your name (representing
a total number of posts) gives you an extra boost per simulated day.
5. How does a boost help my team?
Offensive boosts help your team score more runs, while defensive boosts
help prevent your team's opponent from scoring runs. The coolstandings.com
simulation first calculates the expected number of runs each team would
score in a game without any boosts, then adds the boost number to come up
with a new average number of runs. The number of runs a team scores is then randomly
generated using this average number of runs as a reference.
For a particular team, the net offensive boost is the difference
between the number of offensive boosts and the number of opponent's defensive
boosts.
In general, you can increase the average number of runs scored by
your team, or decrease the average number of runs allowed by your team. This
will increase your team's winning percentage and chances of making the playoffs.
6. Is there a limit to how many extra runs my team will score after adding in the free boosts?
Yes. The maximum number of average added runs a team can gain from free boosts is 2 runs per game.
Each additional free boost carries a little less weight:
| 1st boost: | 0.26 runs | (0.26 runs total) |
| 2nd boost: | 0.23 runs | (0.49 runs total) |
| 3rd boost: | 0.20 runs | (0.69 runs total) |
| 5th boost: | 0.15 runs | (1.01 runs total) |
| 10th boost: | 0.07 runs | (1.51 runs total) |
| 20th boost: | 0.02 runs | (1.88 runs total) |
Of course, if 10 free boosts are applied to a team's offense, but
that team's opponent receives 10 free boosts for its defense, then
the free boosts cancel each other out and no boost is awarded to either
team.
7. How significant is this run boost to my team's performance?
With your 5 free boosts per simulated day (3 free boosts from being
a coolforums member), you can give your team a 1 run boost per game.
While this may not seem like much, it can change a .500 team
into a .600 team - equivalent to a 16 game bump over a 162 game
season!
8. How are game scores generated?
Game scores in real baseball games generally approximate a Rayleigh
distribution. You're probably familiar with the "bell curve", which
describes one type of distribution around an average. The Rayleigh
distribution is similar in that it describes how random numbers (or
game scores) are spread around an average:
Both the above distributions are drawn for an average value of 4 runs per game.
One reason the Rayleigh distribution better reflects real baseball scores
is because it is not symmetrical around the average value.
9. Are the coolstats influenced by boosts?
Indirectly, yes. The DIV, WC, and POFF coolstats are generated using each
team's statistics and its remaining schedule. As the boosts do impact the
simulated game scores, the coolstats will be affected as well. However,
the coolstats for the fantasy baseball season are calculated exactly the
same way as those calculated for the real baseball season.
10. New! What is the role of the team captain?
Each team can have a single coolforums member as its captain. By signing up to be a captain,
you get 40 bonus boosts to spend as you wish during the fantasy season.
You also have the responsibility of bringing fans of your team to the site so they can boost
your team too! The more people you bring, the better your team will do.
The captain for a team cannot be the captain for any other team.
11. Will you have a fantasy baseball postseason as well?
We'll see!
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