(Note: this is one of those outside of the WPK universe/deity viewpoint type of posts. I really need to find out a better way to message this and come up with a useful label to signal these. Oh, well, I'll think about that.)
So with OOTPXX on the horizon I am trying to move fairly rapidly (though maintaining my habit of playing out each and every game for my team) through the rest of the 1971 season so that I can export this save over to OOTPXX during the offseason. Partly because of that I haven't done a very good job of keeping up on this here and I will rectify that today and tomorrow. With a little less game-by-game detail than usually- not that I'm convinced anyone is likely reading those very carefully or will care.
On another big picture note, after struggling to figure out how to add ballparks from OOTP mods in the past, I revisited this in the past several days and suddenly what seemed so difficult to my non-tech mind before became very easy. I've been using ballpark names and details that were generated by the game at the creation of this fictional league along with MLB 3D stadium images for playing out the games, generally aligned with the location of the team (at least trying to stay within correct geographic region.) But I've decided to now move all of the teams in the WPK to new stadiums/parks prior to the 1972 season. (Much thanks to Silvam/Adion, eriqjaffe, and nielsoncp for their wonderful 3D parks which I have identified for my WPK teams.)
While this is an unrealistic and drastic step within the fictional universe of the WPK, I decided it was best to do this all at once, like ripping off a band-aid. And I am looking forward to moving ahead with parks that will become identified clearly and strongly with the teams in my league. I've also chosen parks in a way that preserves the general over-all current balance of park effects in the two sub-leagues of the WPK. Individual teams, on the other hand, might find that their new parks play quite a bit differently than their previous homes. My Denver Brewers, for instance, will be re-located to Centennial Stadium, which unlike the current Brewers Field, is more friendly to right-handed batters than left-handers. Given that I have built my team around strong left-handed hitters, this could create some challenge next season and will certainly influence future decisions.
Overall it appears that the ballpark changes might also balance out the two leagues as well. While currently the SJL is the more offensive minded league and the MGL (where the Brewers play) is a bit more pitching oriented, with the shifting ballpark factors the SJL will actually, on the whole, now have parks that are somewhat less offense friendly than the MGL.
The biggest change with all of this shifting of parks will be seen in attendance figures. As things currently stand, the Brewers play in the park with the greatest seating capacity, at 42,200, and this has given me something of an advantage in terms of revenue. The Brewers new park will be even bigger, with a capacity of 48,900, and while this is still good enough for 2nd biggest in the MGL (San Francisco's Bank of the West Ballpark will seat up to 52,800), there will be 2 parks in the SJL with over 50,000 seating capacity and the MGL league average will skyrocket from 24,600 to 42,840 (SJL will increase from 22,760 to 43,110). So the Brewers advantage won't completely disappear but it will be mitigated quite a bit. And overall WPK attendance should rise in the following years and revenue along with it.
Another thing that should be interesting to follow starting with the 1972 season is that although overall ballpark factors will not change much, there will be more discrepancy between parks, more parks that are extreme pitcher parks or extreme hitter parks. (The San Francisco Velocity, for instance, might struggle to score runs but pitchers will be very happy to step up on the mound there. The San Antonio Keys of the SJL, on the other hand, will be moving from a park that is pretty favorable to pitchers to one that should be among the best hitters parks in the league.)
Anyway, that is the future. But now back to 1971 in the WPK.