Are you saying that I'm running this game as if it has no rules or deadlines? It sure sounds like it. Am I allowing someone to submit a team of 100 riders at 20000 points? Am I allowing someone to submit a team halfway through the season and give them points retrospectively? That would be something someone does if there were no rules to a game. What I summarized yesterday was the decision to make an exception to someone who submitted their team a bit late. I laid out a case as to why I thought this was reasonable, and why it would impact the game very little. I think Jancouver's point that there could be a silent majority who didn't submit a team is one I want to take seriously, and a good one, and I appreciate Handbrake mentioning his thoughts on it as someone who had to drop a rider because of the deadline. But hyperbolically suggesting that I'm running this game without rules is something I simply find insulting. I didn't spend like 60 hours on this game to be casually insulted by someone on an internet forum; I spent it on the game because I think it's a fun way to track the cycling season, and want to give other people the opportunity to enjoy that in the same way. There are over 150 teams who are participating in the game within the clearly defined rules, so I think it's going okay.
Anyway, this late team will carry an asterisk and be ineligible from winning this game 'officially', kind of in the same ways I've included the most popular teams in the tabs. At the same time, if there is anyone reading this that is part of that silent group of people who didn't submit a team because you thought it was too late, send 'em to me and I'll include you in a similar fashion. We can even call it the 'ghost bracket' or some cool name.
That's all I've gotta say about that, other than to say I thought making rules about a penalty for late entries would be a good compromise for future years, as it wouldn't exclude anyone necessarily, but it would put the incentive on you to get your team in time and offer a clear penalty so it won't seem grossly unfair if a late team is accepted. The only response I've received was vehemently opposed, so unless I hear some support, that's the end of that idea and we'll probably have this discussion again next year.
Well, I came on to talk about mid-level picks and their impact on the game. I guess I should have known I'd talk about this instead. This is the last word for me on this though; genuinely appreciate the feedback, and hope we can move on to start having fun in the game.