Post by Captain America on Mar 4, 2014 16:41:38 GMT -5
Greeme said he was falling asleep while writing his analysis to my questions so he said I could post this for him.
1. You currently have a 14 game lead in the NL west? Is it over? The NL west might be the worst division in baseball with only one team over 500; agree or disagree?
It pretty much is over. The Giants are in 2nd place and below .500. If they were to make a huge comeback, that would be shocking to say the least. And no, I'd still put the AL Central below the NL West. A division with one great team and four rebuilding teams looks better and stronger in my opinion than a division with three mediocre teams and two rebuilding teams. Others may disagree with this, but that's my opinion.
2. Your home and away records are similar. Do you think that a park like Coors gives you an advantage because you can build your team to fit your park or not?
Coors Field is what it is. It gives hitters a big advantage and pitchers a big disadvantage. But there are ways to neutralize the pitching shit. Getting pitchers with at least good if not brilliant home runs is essential. Limiting hits and walks are important as well. So yeah I do know how to build a team that works well with Coors Field, but then again, every GM has that challenge with their home stadium.
You gotta recognize what works in your park and what won't work. Then you gotta make certain moves that are best for the team. If you got a hitter's park, it's good to do what I do and get some good hitters and pitchers that won't give up home runs. If you got a pitcher's park like the Cubs, Giants and Reds, among others, you gotta get hitters that will get a lot of doubles and walks and very good pitching because they'll just dominate in stadiums like that. Look at the Cubs and Giants historically. Two pitcher parks and their pitchers have obviously thrived for them.
3. Gms seem to value first round picks very differently. Would you rather have a middle of the road starting player or a mid round first?
I don't really see a rule of thumb here. Each team has its own needs and is going in its own direction. Some teams will benefit from acquiring a middle rotation starter if they are contending and possibly one pitcher away from being elite. A mid-round first can be good for rebuilding teams that are looking to stock up on talented prospects. Different GM's do value 1sts differently. I for one value my 2009 and 2010 1sts more than my 2008 1st because the 2009 and 2010 draft classes will be much stronger. Shit like that will certainly affect how much I value each of my 1sts year to year.
4. Brilliant walks or homers for a pitcher? Why?
Depends on the stadium. GM's with hitter's parks have to value brilliant homers very highly. A G/B/G pitcher will likely have more success at a hitter's park than a G/G/B pitcher. In a pitcher's park though, GM's with those stadiums will be just fine with either of the two. So for them, it's more of a personal preference. Neutral stadiums as well could go either way with personal preference.
5. If you had to give 3 pieces of advice to new gms what would you tell them?
I'd tell them to be active, export and post consistently, and get along with the other GM's.
6. You seem to take a lot of the things gms say very personally. Doesn’t that make you an easier target for the trolls?
That's not really the truth anymore. I USED to take some of that shit personal. But once I realized these people didn't mean shit personally or to really hurt my feelings for real, I don't take them seriously anymore. Naturally, I'm the kind of person that will take criticism and shit talking to heart. I've been like that since I was a kid. I thought it was all about being a man and not getting anyone to make you look like a bitch. But all that time, I took it too seriously when I didn't have to and I realize that now.
I'm an easier target sometimes because I post a lot and hype my team up. It is what it is. I don't give a fuck what the idiots have to say anymore. Erbes, Kobe and Styro will never like me. I've accepted that. I probably won't ever like them either. I feel though that I can get along well with just about everyone else and still be liked and respected by them. I don't try to go out of my way to be a douche to anyone. I always have a reason for anything I say and do. Some of those reasons may be hard for others to see, but what can you do?
There are a lot of egos here and people with opinions that can be stubborn at times. With the kinds of people we have here, push will come to shove sometimes and at times, it's just inevitable. If there are no arguments or any kind of controversy one day, then that shit will probably happen in the next day or two. It always does. There's always someone upset about something and once it starts, it usually just gets out of hand with time. But hey, that's life in BBSBL! Take it or leave it. I don't enjoy it every moment but I get through it. Even if a huge argument happens one day with a bunch of GM's, what's the likelihood that all of them will remember it a few months from now? Very unlikely.
7. How much will the addition of Trot Nixon help the Pirates? Are they now the favorites for the wild card or do you think the Expos will pull it out? Is anybody going to challenge the Cubs or do they have a clear path to the WS?
Kobe pulling out? Like that has ever happened in his personal life....lulz jk. Kobe really seems intent on trading anyone at this point. I do think Pirates should now be the Wild Card favorite. Their lineup is sick and so is their pitching. For such a shitty market, Stevie B has done an amazing job putting together such a sick team.
As for the Cubs, they're the Cubs. Did they finally break that 97-year Billy Goat curse? Yes they did and congrats to Play on that. But they're still the Cubs, which means that no matter how good of a team they have, they could easily choke in crunch time. So no, the Cubs do not have a clear path to the World Series by any means. The Marlins and Pirates are just as talented in all areas and my Rockies can stack up with any of these teams as well. It will be a very fascinating postseason to follow and I can't wait for it to happen. I hope I come out on top, but I'm not taking shit for granted.
8. Did Ashes quit or is he on leave? Would it annoy you more if a gmless team wins the WS or if a gm was appointed now and he ended up winning?
He is on military leave again and from what I remember seeing him say, it was for 2-6 weeks so hopefully he will be back soon. Play helped run the Marlins when Ashes was gone over the summer and did a very good job with it. Ashes put his team together all on his own and any and all success the Marlins will be 100% credited to him. There's no doubt in my mind about that.
It would not annoy me at all if the Marlins won the 2006 World Series. Well maybe it would annoy me that I didn't win it, but that would be it. I can't see someone else temporarily taking over the Marlins at this point, but yeah, someone pulling a Game or Kobe and winning a championship with a team that another man built would certainly be more annoying than an autopilot team winning.
9. I have seen a lot of posts about friends trades that you were involved in. I guess most of that relates to trades that preceded my time. Enlighten me as to what all the fuss is about.
Haha it's been one of the biggest topics by far in BBSBL history. Most of these people are fully aware of everything that has happened. But for you and the other relatively new GM's, I'll break this down as concisely as possible.
The "friend trades" have been between myself, Break and DRowe for the most part. Break was involved in most of the trades generally speaking, because DRowe and I have only made like four trades ever with each other. Between Break and myself, we have made a lot of trades throughout league history. But we talk all the time on Facebook and when we're in such consistent communication with each other, it's bounce off trade proposals and shit, and especially if one of us is competing and the other is rebuilding, which of course is currently the case. Basically, the complaint between Break and Shale trades is that they've happened so often and some GM's don't think we make big trades with anyone else, when that is obviously not the case. Those people are just trolling.
As for trades between Break and DRowe, that shit stemmed from a huge trade that happened between the 1996 and 1997 seasons. I'll copy and paste it right here:
Boston Sends:
C Mike Stanley (MLB)
SP Juan Cruz (AA)
SP Angel Diaz (A)
SP Jason Anderson (A)
1999 2nd rounder
1999 1st rounder
Cleveland Sends:
LF Manny Ramirez
MR Chad Ogea
C Sandy Alomar Jr.
Quite a few GM's voiced their opinions on this trade because it looked like DRowe sent Manny to the Red Sox for less than he should have gotten in return. After that, DRowe got called out for a long time for being Break's "farm system". In other words, they made it look like any time the Indians had good major league talent to offer, it was simply going to get traded to the Red Sox. Now did that always end up happening? No. The GM's that complained were either making too big of a deal out of it or were just trying to get Break to rage at them, which did happen sometimes.
Break and DRowe didn't actually make many trades at all for a while. Because of that, once Break began his own rebuild, the shit talking resumed that Break wasn't gonna do well anymore because he wasn't gonna have DRowe giving him talent all the time. Again, that shit was overblown and what not. But yeah, due to all this, any trade between Break and myself, Break and DRowe, or even the rare trade between DRowe and myself will pretty much always get looked under a microscope forever. It is what it is.
10. Rank the gms – Shale, Stutter, Break, Drowe.
First off, why isn't Darell included here? He should be in this group as well because Break and I have known him for years and we tried to get him here for a long time before he finally gave in. Anyway...
I'd put Break first just because he had a great run from 1996-2001 and got to the World Series in 1997 and 1999. Unfortunately for him, he didn't win either of them but he's easily had the best teams of any of us.
I'll put myself second because I'm active, I do a lot for this league, I make moves and try to help others when I can. I've had my fair share of good teams, some of which barely missed the postseason but whatever. My time to really shine is just about to begin.
I'll put DRowe third. Some of the original GM's may have forgotten that the Indians won the 1996 AL Central title. That's because DRowe broke up those great 90's Indians and started his rebuild in 1997. Unfortunately for DRowe, he hasn't been back to the postseason since, but the opportunity for him is there right now. He just needs to seize it and run with it. DRowe has gotten a lot of shit over the seasons for not making many big moves and sitting on the talent he has and not doing enough with it. To a certain extent, that could be true, but DRowe has done more than most others give him credit for. He's been active with events, gets his claims in when they happen (even if I have to be the one to remind him to do so) and again has done more than he's gotten credit for.
I nearly put DRowe and Stutter in a tie, but DRowe has that division title and made that big Helton trade. So Stutter would literally be just barely behind DRowe here. Stutter has had a rough time with the Reds to say the least. He's had some good young talent at times, but he's always been a few good players short of having a great time. Furthermore, being stuck in the loaded NL Central doesn't help as well. In the first 10 seasons here, the Reds have had just one winning record when they won 90 games in 1999.
Stutter has certainly been on the losing end of quite a few trades. Those definitely did not help the Reds become much better at all. He's made some changes to his stadium, but his revenue and fan loyalty are both awful and it's just tough to put together a good team with those factors being present. Don't believe me? Ask Steve. He and his Brewers can relate to the Reds here. Stutter posts a lot, is active with most events (half the time I have to keep telling him to do them) and always tries to provide comedy relief here.
I think at times, he has gone a little too far with trolling about trade offers and shit like that because I'm sure at least some GM's may have actually thought he was serious. Trolling in general is one thing, but trade offers are really not something one should troll about. Stutter doesn't give a fuck though. As long as he's stoned, nothing else in life matters to him. Well for now that is...it will obviously be different once his son is born this summer.
11. Which 5 players have the highest value in the league?
This is tough. There are so many factors to consider here. Age, talents, contracts, whether or not the reversals and TIA's have been used, loyalty, positions, and career success, among other things. Among major leaguers, in no particular order, I'd include Vladimir Guerrero, Corey Patterson, Eugene Delrio, David Ross and Kerry Wood, but there are certainly plenty others I'd consider as well. I didn't include any franchise players because very few, if any of them will ever get traded anyway.
12. Do you ever ask gms for trade advice? Which ones and why?
If I need a simple opinion on anything, I'd probably hit up Break because I talk with him all the time on Facebook and I'll probably get a response there quicker than through PM on the forum. But if I need a third opinion on something, I'd probably message Play because it seems like everyone does and he clearly knows his shit. I'd ask Spencer too, but the fact that he's in the same division as me, I'd have to be careful because maybe he'd say advice that might sound good, but not actually be good for me. He's got a clever way of using words sometimes. Another guy I've seeked opinions from is Ashes because he knows his shit as well and I'd trust his advice more often than not. Broph is another person I'd consider as well.
13. The Royals gm quit while complaining about the cash system. Is that the real reason he quit? What do you think about the cash system? How would you tweak it?
No I don't believe that was the full reason why Pete left. From the very beginning of this league, one thing became very clear: Pete hated Spencer. The thing Pete said about "sitting on the boards all day earning cash" was clearly directed toward Spencer, and probably myself as well to a lesser extent.
Pete would always talk shit about Spencer and how he had his huge market and could stretch his payroll as much as he wanted to and how he'd win most of the trades he made as well. It seemed like Pete never liked seeing shit like this and may have even felt Spencer had a possibly unfair advantage over his competition. Pete is an old school GM that seemed to always prefer simpler leagues over a complex one like BBSBL. Spencer hit the nail on the head though when he said that Pete is a good OOTP GM, but a bad fit here. I couldn't agree more.
I'm sure this hatred on Pete's part goes back to GABL, being that both of them were there for a very long time. I don't know exactly what happened there between them, but Spencer was the White Sox when he was there, which he meant he had a big market with that team as well. Pete is the Rays in GABL so he doesn't have a big market, so a lot of this shit really starts to add up and make sense. Pete wasn't the only original BBSBL GM to not like Spencer. Matt, the original Braves GM would criticize Spencer on similar shit as well when he was around here.
And like Broph pointed out before, Pete was complaining about people making too much board cash, but in reality, Pete earned the 11th most board cash among all BBSBL GM's in the first 10 seasons. Broph also mentioned how Pete earned nearly half his cash from articles and didn't earn as much from team/player accomplishments compared to other teams. I mean cash is cash, but clearly Pete seemed unhappy that he wasn't getting enough cash from his team and player accomplishments.
Pete's activity got worse and worse by like 2003 or 2004. By then, I knew it was only a matter of time before he'd decide to leave. After Jeff (original Twins GM) and later Matt both left, I knew Pete would be following suit eventually. He stopped writing articles, rarely posted and just seemed like he completely lost interest in this league. Seeing him go was no surprise at all to me. But after realizing he left HOFFBL as well, maybe he did get real busy after all. Nonetheless, Spencer was almost certainly a bigger reason Pete left than just the board cash system itself.
As for the board cash system, I like it the way it is, but I think that claims need to be enforced more strictly. Once certain claims occur, they need to be claimed immediately. That includes team and player shit, posts and all kinds of events. If those GM's don't claim their shit immediately, I feel Play should just add it to their banks for them so that everything is accounted for. I wouldn't even mind helping him with that. I could follow post counts for every GM and make sure that money gets added to their banks immediately after they pass each posting benchmark. But yeah, I definitely think some GM's get too lazy about claiming cash and that really shouldn't even be happening generally speaking.
1. You currently have a 14 game lead in the NL west? Is it over? The NL west might be the worst division in baseball with only one team over 500; agree or disagree?
It pretty much is over. The Giants are in 2nd place and below .500. If they were to make a huge comeback, that would be shocking to say the least. And no, I'd still put the AL Central below the NL West. A division with one great team and four rebuilding teams looks better and stronger in my opinion than a division with three mediocre teams and two rebuilding teams. Others may disagree with this, but that's my opinion.
2. Your home and away records are similar. Do you think that a park like Coors gives you an advantage because you can build your team to fit your park or not?
Coors Field is what it is. It gives hitters a big advantage and pitchers a big disadvantage. But there are ways to neutralize the pitching shit. Getting pitchers with at least good if not brilliant home runs is essential. Limiting hits and walks are important as well. So yeah I do know how to build a team that works well with Coors Field, but then again, every GM has that challenge with their home stadium.
You gotta recognize what works in your park and what won't work. Then you gotta make certain moves that are best for the team. If you got a hitter's park, it's good to do what I do and get some good hitters and pitchers that won't give up home runs. If you got a pitcher's park like the Cubs, Giants and Reds, among others, you gotta get hitters that will get a lot of doubles and walks and very good pitching because they'll just dominate in stadiums like that. Look at the Cubs and Giants historically. Two pitcher parks and their pitchers have obviously thrived for them.
3. Gms seem to value first round picks very differently. Would you rather have a middle of the road starting player or a mid round first?
I don't really see a rule of thumb here. Each team has its own needs and is going in its own direction. Some teams will benefit from acquiring a middle rotation starter if they are contending and possibly one pitcher away from being elite. A mid-round first can be good for rebuilding teams that are looking to stock up on talented prospects. Different GM's do value 1sts differently. I for one value my 2009 and 2010 1sts more than my 2008 1st because the 2009 and 2010 draft classes will be much stronger. Shit like that will certainly affect how much I value each of my 1sts year to year.
4. Brilliant walks or homers for a pitcher? Why?
Depends on the stadium. GM's with hitter's parks have to value brilliant homers very highly. A G/B/G pitcher will likely have more success at a hitter's park than a G/G/B pitcher. In a pitcher's park though, GM's with those stadiums will be just fine with either of the two. So for them, it's more of a personal preference. Neutral stadiums as well could go either way with personal preference.
5. If you had to give 3 pieces of advice to new gms what would you tell them?
I'd tell them to be active, export and post consistently, and get along with the other GM's.
6. You seem to take a lot of the things gms say very personally. Doesn’t that make you an easier target for the trolls?
That's not really the truth anymore. I USED to take some of that shit personal. But once I realized these people didn't mean shit personally or to really hurt my feelings for real, I don't take them seriously anymore. Naturally, I'm the kind of person that will take criticism and shit talking to heart. I've been like that since I was a kid. I thought it was all about being a man and not getting anyone to make you look like a bitch. But all that time, I took it too seriously when I didn't have to and I realize that now.
I'm an easier target sometimes because I post a lot and hype my team up. It is what it is. I don't give a fuck what the idiots have to say anymore. Erbes, Kobe and Styro will never like me. I've accepted that. I probably won't ever like them either. I feel though that I can get along well with just about everyone else and still be liked and respected by them. I don't try to go out of my way to be a douche to anyone. I always have a reason for anything I say and do. Some of those reasons may be hard for others to see, but what can you do?
There are a lot of egos here and people with opinions that can be stubborn at times. With the kinds of people we have here, push will come to shove sometimes and at times, it's just inevitable. If there are no arguments or any kind of controversy one day, then that shit will probably happen in the next day or two. It always does. There's always someone upset about something and once it starts, it usually just gets out of hand with time. But hey, that's life in BBSBL! Take it or leave it. I don't enjoy it every moment but I get through it. Even if a huge argument happens one day with a bunch of GM's, what's the likelihood that all of them will remember it a few months from now? Very unlikely.
7. How much will the addition of Trot Nixon help the Pirates? Are they now the favorites for the wild card or do you think the Expos will pull it out? Is anybody going to challenge the Cubs or do they have a clear path to the WS?
Kobe pulling out? Like that has ever happened in his personal life....lulz jk. Kobe really seems intent on trading anyone at this point. I do think Pirates should now be the Wild Card favorite. Their lineup is sick and so is their pitching. For such a shitty market, Stevie B has done an amazing job putting together such a sick team.
As for the Cubs, they're the Cubs. Did they finally break that 97-year Billy Goat curse? Yes they did and congrats to Play on that. But they're still the Cubs, which means that no matter how good of a team they have, they could easily choke in crunch time. So no, the Cubs do not have a clear path to the World Series by any means. The Marlins and Pirates are just as talented in all areas and my Rockies can stack up with any of these teams as well. It will be a very fascinating postseason to follow and I can't wait for it to happen. I hope I come out on top, but I'm not taking shit for granted.
8. Did Ashes quit or is he on leave? Would it annoy you more if a gmless team wins the WS or if a gm was appointed now and he ended up winning?
He is on military leave again and from what I remember seeing him say, it was for 2-6 weeks so hopefully he will be back soon. Play helped run the Marlins when Ashes was gone over the summer and did a very good job with it. Ashes put his team together all on his own and any and all success the Marlins will be 100% credited to him. There's no doubt in my mind about that.
It would not annoy me at all if the Marlins won the 2006 World Series. Well maybe it would annoy me that I didn't win it, but that would be it. I can't see someone else temporarily taking over the Marlins at this point, but yeah, someone pulling a Game or Kobe and winning a championship with a team that another man built would certainly be more annoying than an autopilot team winning.
9. I have seen a lot of posts about friends trades that you were involved in. I guess most of that relates to trades that preceded my time. Enlighten me as to what all the fuss is about.
Haha it's been one of the biggest topics by far in BBSBL history. Most of these people are fully aware of everything that has happened. But for you and the other relatively new GM's, I'll break this down as concisely as possible.
The "friend trades" have been between myself, Break and DRowe for the most part. Break was involved in most of the trades generally speaking, because DRowe and I have only made like four trades ever with each other. Between Break and myself, we have made a lot of trades throughout league history. But we talk all the time on Facebook and when we're in such consistent communication with each other, it's bounce off trade proposals and shit, and especially if one of us is competing and the other is rebuilding, which of course is currently the case. Basically, the complaint between Break and Shale trades is that they've happened so often and some GM's don't think we make big trades with anyone else, when that is obviously not the case. Those people are just trolling.
As for trades between Break and DRowe, that shit stemmed from a huge trade that happened between the 1996 and 1997 seasons. I'll copy and paste it right here:
Boston Sends:
C Mike Stanley (MLB)
SP Juan Cruz (AA)
SP Angel Diaz (A)
SP Jason Anderson (A)
1999 2nd rounder
1999 1st rounder
Cleveland Sends:
LF Manny Ramirez
MR Chad Ogea
C Sandy Alomar Jr.
Quite a few GM's voiced their opinions on this trade because it looked like DRowe sent Manny to the Red Sox for less than he should have gotten in return. After that, DRowe got called out for a long time for being Break's "farm system". In other words, they made it look like any time the Indians had good major league talent to offer, it was simply going to get traded to the Red Sox. Now did that always end up happening? No. The GM's that complained were either making too big of a deal out of it or were just trying to get Break to rage at them, which did happen sometimes.
Break and DRowe didn't actually make many trades at all for a while. Because of that, once Break began his own rebuild, the shit talking resumed that Break wasn't gonna do well anymore because he wasn't gonna have DRowe giving him talent all the time. Again, that shit was overblown and what not. But yeah, due to all this, any trade between Break and myself, Break and DRowe, or even the rare trade between DRowe and myself will pretty much always get looked under a microscope forever. It is what it is.
10. Rank the gms – Shale, Stutter, Break, Drowe.
First off, why isn't Darell included here? He should be in this group as well because Break and I have known him for years and we tried to get him here for a long time before he finally gave in. Anyway...
I'd put Break first just because he had a great run from 1996-2001 and got to the World Series in 1997 and 1999. Unfortunately for him, he didn't win either of them but he's easily had the best teams of any of us.
I'll put myself second because I'm active, I do a lot for this league, I make moves and try to help others when I can. I've had my fair share of good teams, some of which barely missed the postseason but whatever. My time to really shine is just about to begin.
I'll put DRowe third. Some of the original GM's may have forgotten that the Indians won the 1996 AL Central title. That's because DRowe broke up those great 90's Indians and started his rebuild in 1997. Unfortunately for DRowe, he hasn't been back to the postseason since, but the opportunity for him is there right now. He just needs to seize it and run with it. DRowe has gotten a lot of shit over the seasons for not making many big moves and sitting on the talent he has and not doing enough with it. To a certain extent, that could be true, but DRowe has done more than most others give him credit for. He's been active with events, gets his claims in when they happen (even if I have to be the one to remind him to do so) and again has done more than he's gotten credit for.
I nearly put DRowe and Stutter in a tie, but DRowe has that division title and made that big Helton trade. So Stutter would literally be just barely behind DRowe here. Stutter has had a rough time with the Reds to say the least. He's had some good young talent at times, but he's always been a few good players short of having a great time. Furthermore, being stuck in the loaded NL Central doesn't help as well. In the first 10 seasons here, the Reds have had just one winning record when they won 90 games in 1999.
Stutter has certainly been on the losing end of quite a few trades. Those definitely did not help the Reds become much better at all. He's made some changes to his stadium, but his revenue and fan loyalty are both awful and it's just tough to put together a good team with those factors being present. Don't believe me? Ask Steve. He and his Brewers can relate to the Reds here. Stutter posts a lot, is active with most events (half the time I have to keep telling him to do them) and always tries to provide comedy relief here.
I think at times, he has gone a little too far with trolling about trade offers and shit like that because I'm sure at least some GM's may have actually thought he was serious. Trolling in general is one thing, but trade offers are really not something one should troll about. Stutter doesn't give a fuck though. As long as he's stoned, nothing else in life matters to him. Well for now that is...it will obviously be different once his son is born this summer.
11. Which 5 players have the highest value in the league?
This is tough. There are so many factors to consider here. Age, talents, contracts, whether or not the reversals and TIA's have been used, loyalty, positions, and career success, among other things. Among major leaguers, in no particular order, I'd include Vladimir Guerrero, Corey Patterson, Eugene Delrio, David Ross and Kerry Wood, but there are certainly plenty others I'd consider as well. I didn't include any franchise players because very few, if any of them will ever get traded anyway.
12. Do you ever ask gms for trade advice? Which ones and why?
If I need a simple opinion on anything, I'd probably hit up Break because I talk with him all the time on Facebook and I'll probably get a response there quicker than through PM on the forum. But if I need a third opinion on something, I'd probably message Play because it seems like everyone does and he clearly knows his shit. I'd ask Spencer too, but the fact that he's in the same division as me, I'd have to be careful because maybe he'd say advice that might sound good, but not actually be good for me. He's got a clever way of using words sometimes. Another guy I've seeked opinions from is Ashes because he knows his shit as well and I'd trust his advice more often than not. Broph is another person I'd consider as well.
13. The Royals gm quit while complaining about the cash system. Is that the real reason he quit? What do you think about the cash system? How would you tweak it?
No I don't believe that was the full reason why Pete left. From the very beginning of this league, one thing became very clear: Pete hated Spencer. The thing Pete said about "sitting on the boards all day earning cash" was clearly directed toward Spencer, and probably myself as well to a lesser extent.
Pete would always talk shit about Spencer and how he had his huge market and could stretch his payroll as much as he wanted to and how he'd win most of the trades he made as well. It seemed like Pete never liked seeing shit like this and may have even felt Spencer had a possibly unfair advantage over his competition. Pete is an old school GM that seemed to always prefer simpler leagues over a complex one like BBSBL. Spencer hit the nail on the head though when he said that Pete is a good OOTP GM, but a bad fit here. I couldn't agree more.
I'm sure this hatred on Pete's part goes back to GABL, being that both of them were there for a very long time. I don't know exactly what happened there between them, but Spencer was the White Sox when he was there, which he meant he had a big market with that team as well. Pete is the Rays in GABL so he doesn't have a big market, so a lot of this shit really starts to add up and make sense. Pete wasn't the only original BBSBL GM to not like Spencer. Matt, the original Braves GM would criticize Spencer on similar shit as well when he was around here.
And like Broph pointed out before, Pete was complaining about people making too much board cash, but in reality, Pete earned the 11th most board cash among all BBSBL GM's in the first 10 seasons. Broph also mentioned how Pete earned nearly half his cash from articles and didn't earn as much from team/player accomplishments compared to other teams. I mean cash is cash, but clearly Pete seemed unhappy that he wasn't getting enough cash from his team and player accomplishments.
Pete's activity got worse and worse by like 2003 or 2004. By then, I knew it was only a matter of time before he'd decide to leave. After Jeff (original Twins GM) and later Matt both left, I knew Pete would be following suit eventually. He stopped writing articles, rarely posted and just seemed like he completely lost interest in this league. Seeing him go was no surprise at all to me. But after realizing he left HOFFBL as well, maybe he did get real busy after all. Nonetheless, Spencer was almost certainly a bigger reason Pete left than just the board cash system itself.
As for the board cash system, I like it the way it is, but I think that claims need to be enforced more strictly. Once certain claims occur, they need to be claimed immediately. That includes team and player shit, posts and all kinds of events. If those GM's don't claim their shit immediately, I feel Play should just add it to their banks for them so that everything is accounted for. I wouldn't even mind helping him with that. I could follow post counts for every GM and make sure that money gets added to their banks immediately after they pass each posting benchmark. But yeah, I definitely think some GM's get too lazy about claiming cash and that really shouldn't even be happening generally speaking.
