Chillin Under the Gateway Arch with Matt

1. You have been in GABL for a long time. Is BBSBL your second league? Or have you participated in other leagues as well?

I got started over 10 years ago when Josh Steinkamp was running the DKML and APBL. Those lasted a while, but eventually ended up in the GABL. I've been in a few leagues here and there while in GABL, but none that I ever really enjoyed.

BBSBL is currently my 2nd league and only other league. Too much time to spend on both of them to get in much more with the schedule I tend to keep.

That's pretty cool. I thought you meant the current GABL commish Josh Jameson. It can definitely be tough to balance out spending time in each league.

2. Erbes recently referred to the "GABL clique" as "old and mean". Do you have any kind of response to that? What happened with Erbes in GABL and would that league ever let Erbes back in?

Old and mean? Everyone will eventually be there...didn't think I was yet, but to each their own.

Erbes just came into GABL and stirred things up. Had a very enjoyable time watching him mess with the Twins/Montreal GM while he was there...but ended up ticking off the wrong guy (the founder of the league) and that was the end of his tenure in GABL. He didn't do anything too crazy, but with the clientele of that league, it really wasn't welcome at all.

He annoyed the founder of the league? That doesn't sound good. I hope to have more success with the Twins there than he did.

3. Please describe your overall experience here. Has this league been a lot of fun in particular? Better than GABL? What possible changes or improvements could be made?

My experience here has been mixed. Overall it's been a fun time, but all the extra crap gets old sometimes. Frustrating seeing 2-3 teams make multiple trades that only help 1 of the 3 teams, but I guess that's the nature of the beast in leagues you join where you don't know most of the guys.

Better than GABL? Bits and pieces can be, but being "old and grouchy" I like the pace of the GABL better than what we've got here. Too many whiners when we take a day off complaining about a sim.

Improvements? Nothing really stands out. Maybe more scrutiny on trades between known friends, more enforcement on a few rules, but for the most part when an issue is brought to the limelight, commish does a good job of figuring something out to help solve the problem.

To each his own. Seems like the younger GM's prefer a more fast paced league than the older GM's, who have families and full time jobs, among other things. More rules on trades would be a good idea.

4. What is your current opinion of Erbes as a commissioner? Has he improved, stayed the same or declined in recent time, regarding all aspects of his job?

I'll admit I was very hesitant of being in a league with Erbes as commish, especially after his tenure in the GABL. For the most part I'd say he's improved throughout his entire tenure in handling issues. He does take jabs at GM's at times, which a commish probably shouldn't do, but in his defense with some of the crap he has to put up with, it isn't really that bad.

I may have been a little too critical on Erbes recently, but personal jabs from a commish to other GM's is something that should be at a minimum. I've honestly agreed though with many of the decisions he has made, generally speaking.

5. The Braves so far have been doing very well this season. Do you think this is due to your players not being bitten so much by the injury bug? Or is your team noticeably better than it was in 1999?

My experiences in OOTP is that it usually comes down to pitching. With the 4 I've got right now (Maddux, Cordova, Schmidt and Portugal), I think that's the biggest reason I'm having the success I am right now. Is it noticeably better than my 1999 team? I doubt that. That team had the offense that clicked at the right time with the pitching that I had, so I was successful. If anything, that team might have been better than this one.

That injury bug the Braves had in 1999 was insane. At least 15 different players got hurt, if I'm not mistaken. The Braves' pitching should continue to carry them to another potential NL East title.

6. As of right now, four of the five NL East teams have a winning percentage above .600. That's unreal! Do you think the overall success of your division will continue throughout the season? Or will one or two of the teams likely fade away within the next month?

Overall, with the teams that the NL East has built, I'm not sure any of us will fade. If any of us fade, I'd almost think it would be my Braves because I'm not sold on the offense I've got....and I don't have much of anything left to trade to add anything to the offense and try and not kill myself with a bigger payroll than I've got now.

The Braves are the more veteran team among the group, but they also have the most postseason experience by far, which could work to their benefit for sure. It's definitely tough to make moves to improve your team with only so much payroll space.





7. The Braves have always been known for their pitching. You currently have Greg Maddux and Francisco Cordova having great seasons for your team. Are they the best 1-2 punch in all of BBSBL? If so, why?

Maddux and Cordova have to be close to the top 2 in the league I'd say. Are they at the very top? Probably not with all the great pitching the league has right now. Maddux is holding on at his old age, and will probably retire a Brave since no one wants to give anything of value because of his age and contract. Cordova had his flaws when I acquired him from Pittsburgh, but with a trade frenzy and also a spring training bump he's one of the top guys out there.

I'd personally put Maddux and Cordova at #3, behind Johan/Wood and Pedro/Groom in that order. Still a great 1-2 punch to have.

8. Speaking of Maddux, are he and Chipper Jones Braves for life? Or will you eventually try to trade both when they get older?

At this point, I'd say they'll be Braves for life. I've already mentioned the outlandish offers I've gotten for Maddux, (I've had a couple of good ones, and actually probably had him traded before I changed my mind) I don't see him going far at all. But I'll never say never, that's one thing I have learned in OOTP. As far as Chipper goes, it's going to take one heck of an offer for me to consider moving him. If Larry Walker got the package he got at his age, if anyone wants Chipper anytime soon, they'll have to beat that one.

That Maddux contract will be tough to move. And good luck getting an amazing offer for Chipper!

9. At the beginning of this league, Maddux led an amazing rotation that included Tom Glavine and John Smoltz. Looking back, do you regret trading both Glavine and Smoltz? Or do you feel you got enough out of each trade to not regret anything?

I think the only trade I really regret at this point in the league is when I dealt Glavine. I was frustrated with him from his previous season and Spencer probably got him on the extremely cheap end. Smoltz I really had no choice at the time to deal him because of the contract he signed (the one in which a new rule was created ) Would I have liked to keep those 3 together with Avery throughout their entire careers? Yep, but things happen as always in OOTP.

I can understand trading Smoltz, just because of the contract and your other big contracts you also had. But in my opinion, trading Glavine was a big mistake for you. I'm not including the fact that he is now out for the season. That's just bad luck for Spencer.

10. Describe the Braves' long term plans. Do you see the Braves still competing in a few years when the Marlins and Expos' young players will be ready to go? Or will it be rebuild time by then?

I hate rebuilds in OOTP. Nearly impossible with the randomness of PD hits that the game hands out. I also hate sitting back and watching other teams win. Just takes away from the game and makes me lose interest really quickly. I figure as long as I have at least 3 of Maddux/Cordova/Schmidt/Lincoln as my starters and Chipper/Javy/Greer as my offense, I'll be competitive with about anyone. Once they get near the end, who knows what I'll do.

You have an aging core, but still a very productive core to build around with younger players. The NL East is going to be quite a battle for many years to come.

11. The one team that has not been particularly successful in the NL East so far is the Mets, who have been rebuilding since the start. Do you think they will be competing within the next 3 years? Or will their rebuild continue for the foreseeable future? What kind of moves do the Mets need to make in order to finally become relevant?

In all honesty, I'm not worried about the Mets anytime soon. Nothing great on the ball club now, and outside a few good prospects, nothing much in the future. Yes, he's got the top ranked system, but when you've got the 1/2 prospects, the game overrates the entire system. Need 25 guys for a team, not 2-3.

The way I see it, it will be tough for James to compete while the Marlins and Expos are both going to be at their primes. He's got a very young team though and amazing pitching, so hopefully within the next 5 seasons, he will be able to find a way to win.

12. Finally, it's obvious that you and Jeff/Twins GM are close friends and have known each other for many years. How did you and him first meet and how long have you known him?

I actually met Jeff thru a high school friend. Him and Josh used to talk everyday about baseball, sim leagues, etc. Probably going on 6-7 years that I've known him. Been going on baseball trips for the past 3-4 seasons. His family was in St Louis a few years back when a tornado went through the north part of the city and nearly destroyed part of the airport. We were actually sitting in Busch Stadium waiting on the game to start when it all hit.

That's pretty cool. I originally thought you and him were high school buddies or something like that. I hope you all were okay during that tornado.