The UCBL was created by Reg Sims while attending his 3rd year at Trent University in Canada. The league originally sought out Upper Canada Beer to sponsor the league, but to no luck we lost out on our first phone call to the company. The name stuck as it was accepted by the original 8 teams. (Toronto, Pittsburgh, Montreal, Boston, New York, Seattle, Atlanta, Colorado).
From the original 8 owners, 4 still exist in the following:
Jeremy owner of Tennessee Tomahawks
Reg Sims Owner of Evansville Purple Aces
Ty Cubbitt Owner of Toronto Wildcats
Christian Espinoza Owner of St.Petes Knights
Bob Carroll has been around for 7 of the 8 seasons with the Meade Mustangs
If you check out my Owners page, you'll see there are a lot of veteran and solid GM's you've probably seen elsewhere in other leagues, but made there starts in the UCBL.
The league has gone through 2 separate expansions
1st in 2003 with Montreal Knights (now Guelph Battalion), and Beloit Snappers (now Cape Breton Mudhens)
and 2nd in 2005 with 4 teams Louisville Cardinals, Fort Wayne Wizards, Iowa Cubs, and the St.Petes Knights.
The league is a strong group of 14 owners, that all possess strong managerial skills, and it's really hard to pull a trade over these guys heads, all the owners in the UCBL know what they are doing.
The UCBL is a proud league that uses Sierra Front Page Sports and should be a proud league in the future after it attempts to win its first Baseball league award April 31, 2001. Seasons on average take about 4 months, and uses real-life current MLB players. Ammy draft players currently now are chosen from the minors and the latest real-life ammy drafts to allow for realism. The UCBL sims 3 times a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and always is known for getting the simulations up as close to the set time each and every week.
The UCBL is known for its unique addition of rules ever since the league started in 1999. For example:
1. The league is a pitchers league. usually pitchers ERA are in the 3's as the customized .ini file allows for realism and excitement.
2. Usual batting leaders have .300 average, 40+ homers, 30+ SB, 100+ RBI's offensively the stats are there but the averages.
3. The league started with 20 of the original teams in the 1998MLB arc in an initial pool. The other 10 teams were used for the annual ammy draft. (teams drafted from a team not prospects, and that saw 18 year old prospects mixed with 35 year old veterans being taken in the first round).
4. The league has not sold out to Salary systems, or Free Agency plans, which make many leagues let the top owners stick out more and the less involved owners weaker.
5. The league does not allow the arc to be seen, and potentials are evenly distributed. two identical rated players will have same potentials you just have to bring him up right to get the better potential to show. Potentials for ammies are determined by a set rating, and that percent for potentials are across the board for all players.
6. The league has prospects set for the next 4-6 years at least, and more in the works for the next 10 seasons. so this league isn't folding soon, as the owners and commish are very solid into making this league the greatest there is.
7. Teams if signed up are mailed (snail-mailed) season reports and other useful tidbits each year regarding their team and the upcoming season before the start of the next campaign.
As you can see from the UCBL website:
UCBL
It is a well maintained league with an attractive quick loading front page, and detailed stats for each individual team.
The league now has a minor league system in place, that simple makes owners pick a starting 10 players and 10 pitchers and play a shortened season aside from the UCBL (Usually teams throw Lows players in this league to see how they might do while playing).
The UCBL is also attempting to have several other leagues participate in a friendly tournament that will pit your top team in your league against other league champions in a friendly mock season every 2 simmed seasons. Please email me at reg_sims@hotmail.com if interested in this.
The league is currently full (its been full for the past 3 seasons), however I am starting a waiting list. Please email me if you would like to be put on this exclusive list. Remember when emailing me information I need the following:
Full Name
Age
City
Country
Other leagues your part of
URLs of these leagues
and a description on why you should be included on this waiting list and how much you know about Sierra's Front Page Sports Baseball games.
Thanks for your time, and to AFBL for the opportunity to allow other leagues and owners to know about my unique but solid league I run in the Upper Canada Baseball League.
UCBL Commissioner,
Reg Sims
