Post by Spencer on Nov 16, 2014 14:13:58 GMT -5
1. So what exactly made you leave and why do you think you couldn't have just struggled through sticking with Tampa?
I got very busy very fast. Court went back in session in Sept and I was swamped with work. A few other things caused me to have a lot less time then I usually do. If I would have realized ahead of time how busy I would be I could have torn down the team and just rebuild for a year. It makes little sense to just stick around and not be active with a team that should be able to contend. Because of the finances of smaller market teams you always have to be on the lookout for trades which save you money and always try to add game cash. I think that not being around and coasting would have caused more harm than good.
Makes sense. Its so hard to be good here if you aren't really active. Making board cash. Watching trends. Pouncing on selling teams. All very important elements of being successful, Obviously rebuilding can be a little easier to do while being inactive, but even that isn't ideal. Well regardless its nice to have you back and I'm sure well be battling in the NL West for years to come.
2. Coming back in after a short absence, what can you take from your first run in Tampa to help you in a similar situation in San Diego?
You have to plan ahead. I always kept on top of my financial situation and would know who had to be resigned and who was likely to want too much money. When you are a small market you have to move contracts early if there is a chance they won't resign. I am staying away from minimal loyalty guys in SD as much as I can. Also I will be taking chances by giving out long term cheaper contracts. It is very hard to get fi up and to get fan loyalty up takes a few years; in order to fund those years when you lose money you have to try to start the year with 50 mil.
Obviously much more effort on the financial front. Even having a big market team you really need to be on top of finances. Look for bargains. I was very impressed with what you did in TB. You didn't sit back and wait. You were proactive with acquiring cash and talent. Winning and covering costs with cash. Then going out and doing the same thing again. I think too many small market teams just play victim and sit on their teams. Go make it work. Cant wait to see what you do in San Diego.
3. San Diego had a ton of talent but a horrible financial situation. Did you even think about trying to compete with this team, or was it an easy decision to rebuild?
Nah. They were losing pretty regularly by the time I took them over, I think that once they moved Ross they were done. Also the older players would have no value left in a couple years so there was no point. Rebuilding also gives you an opportunity to put your own stamp on the team and to get players who will fit your system.
Seems like the guy between you and Habes wasn't very good. I mean he gave up Ross for nothing. Pretty bad deal. He didn't want to deal guys he could've gotten more value for. Sometimes you have to trade guys with more value so that you get more value. Habes built a strong team but it was so far over its financial means it was almost cheating. Too bad he couldn't be around to fix that mess.
Overall I like coming in and making a team your own. So rebuilding always makes sense. Was just trying to get a feel for your thought process.
4. You're working with another poor financial team. What is your plan to rebuild this team and this market?
Not much to do about the market except get lucky and hope it goes up. The rebuild plan is simple; I want to tank for 3 years and save up enough money to revamp the stadium in a way that I can take advantage of it. I think there is already 50+ mil in the stadium bank so even if I only tank for 2 years that might be enough. My current thinking is to build a humongous park and get a bunch of speedsters to roam the outfield. Maybe add some flyball pitchers. I'm not really sure but that is the general direction. I would also like to have as many loyal players as possible.
Seems like a good idea. I think ballpark really goes unnoticed here. But its important. You gotta know and learn your park. Build a team around it. I think loyalty is important too. You need a core of cheap players when you have a small market. And obviously dominant pitching. I won 230 in two years when I had the best staff around. Hard to lose when you don't allow runs.
5. Seems like you've realy concentrated on acquiring hitting prospects early on. Go over some of those hitters and how you view them as long term pieces to your squad.
The truth is that pitchers, at least from last years draft, need pds to become solid starters. They pretty much look like Mulder and I could barely get a nibble for him. If you don't have brill hits or brill walks/hrs then you probably aren't starting for a good team, at least not in the playoffs. My current thought is that I will get as many hitters as possible and trade for pitchers later. I figure that some will bust but some will explode so if I have enough good prospects then a few will end up being studs.
Jason Kipnis – I love this guy. Good hits/doubles/hrs and brill walks. A solid defender at 2B and will end up a B/B basestealer.
Danny Espinosa – very similar to Kipnis except that he will end up with only Good walks (after tia) but will be a B/A basestealer. One of them will probably get moved for a similar player at another position.
Hak-Ju Lee – SS of the future. Brill walks, good hits, speedster that plays good d. No pop but you can't have everything.
Vernon Ferrel – He has a ton of power – I might not notice but 8 hrs while still in the minors seems really good. On the other hand with only avg hits and fair doubles I don't know if he will ever be a starter. One guy that definitely could use good pd.
Donald countess – Probably my cf of the future. Good hits (post tia), brill walks great defender and super speedy.
Keon Barnum – I had him at 7th in the draft and I have no idea how he fell to me. Barring bad pds he should be my first baseman of the future. I will probably try to teach him 3B also. Brill hrs and good hits (post tia) is something I like out of my corners.
Mike Zunino – I would love it if he gets a pd to hits and ends up with G hits/doubles and Brill hrs. Since he is a solid defender at catcher he might even end up starting with Avg hits depending on what other options I have.
Carl Angus – Another guy that I love. He has a cannon for an arm and will hopefully bump up his range next year is st also. Good hits/hrs and brill walks. Fun fact – he believes in reincarnation and swears that he pitched a perfect game in a previous life.
My future lineup as I see it now will be :
Cf – countess
Ss – lee
2b – kipnis
1b – barnum
C – Zunino
Rf – angus
3B – Espinosa??
Lf – Mac Williamson??
DH -
Obviously a lot will depend on pds but guys like skole, Martinez, Goins, weeks, wisdom, trahan, cozens and Espinoza could all play roles in the future.
I love Kipnis. Espinosa is solid. I think you're kinda overvaluing some guys a bit. I think you still need to add a bunch of talent. I think you need to load up on board cash and boost these guys up wherever possible. But league ratings are so high right now you need BRILL talents everywhere. Its an epidemic.
6. What is your rebuild window looking like? 3 years? 5 years? What type of rebuild are you looking to do? What type of players will you look to acquire?
I hate rebuilding but I would like to rebuild for 3 years if I can be that patient. I did luck into Kim which is like having an extra top 3 pick so that gives me some flexibility. I am going to try to get players who will fit in with the park that I am planning on building. Speed and defense are key. Also there seem to be a bunch of loyal speedsters so that should be good for my finances. Of course, if I see that I am getting offers for other types of players I can go in another direction. I think that no matter what I do countess, lee, kipnis, barnum and angus will be in my starting lineup barring death by pds.
Right now you're losing too much almost. I think you'll need to try a little harder not to lose 140. As far as your rebuild, Id be surprised if you last longer than 3 years. I think 3 years is a real long time when you're losing. I also think the relative weakness of the NL West will make it hard for you to lose. Every year you'll be looking at the NL West and thinking I could take it with just a little effort. it'll make it real hard to stay the course of rebuilding.
7. Recently we have discussed PD Reversals on the league forum. There has been much debate. What is your take on the new system?
I think we should give it a shot. I think it is too early to judge it and a lot of reactions might just be because nobody likes change. Really have no opinion yet.
I'm not opposed to change. I like it. I think its the sign of a good league. To constantly try new things and talk about new ideas. I just think that the idea implemented is relatively complicated and its somewhat convoluted to have a vote on a subject and then to disregard it and do something new anyway. I'm not against the commishes instituting new rules without our input, but I don't understand asking for our input, ignoring it and then doing something different. Its a very tasteless thing to do in my opinion. It creates an atmosphere of superiority. It tells us our opinions don't matter.
8. Ive asked almost everyone in my interviews how they feel about Ashes as the main simmer as opposed to Erbes. How are things working for you on this front? How is the simming? Better or worse?
They both are fine. The one thing I hate is the offseason. The draft takes forever but fa goes fast. I would try to change a few things that would make the draft go faster and publish a clear fa schedule. Nothing worse than not getting bids in.
Interesting. I haven't really noticed an irregular FA schedule. But then again FA isnt really important for me year to year. The draft does seem to take too long sometimes. I think we need to focus on time limits and lists. I think we need more access to phone numbers as well. More quick to auto guys that have already been autoed as well. I'm sure Play could use some draft mod help.
9. You are a big trader. You traded quite a bit in Tampa. Youve already traded quite a bit in San Diego. Who are two guys you enjoy talking trade with? Who are two guys you dislike talking trade with?
I talk trade and trade with everybody. I try to keep the lines of communication open. You never know who is going to have a player you want. I always have a hard time dealing with Game. He asks for the moon and the next thing I know the guy I wanted went to somebody else for peanuts. Of course he always gives my articles 3s so all is forgiven. I hate trading with Kobe. He just lies all the time. You have to check out everything he says. He has no qualms about trading you a guy that took a pd hit knowing that the hit isn't listed for whatever reason. And then he will tell play to add the pd. Dale is easy to trade with. He is very straightforward about who he likes and who he will part with. Play isn't easy to deal with but he will usually offer fair deals for guys he wants. We don't have any Skillz/Aar types who are willing to trade anybody at anytime for the right price.
Funny about Kobe. So slimy. Makes sense hes a coke head. I agree on all counts. Game is frustrating because of exactly what you said. Scared to trade. Asks for too much. Then trades cheap. Ugh. Pirate Steve is solid to trade with. Reasonable and such. Break is rough sometimes. Other times hes solid. D2A is pretty hard to deal with. He always values guys way differently. Pretty much add a star to his player and erase a star from my guy and that's how our trade talks work.
10. Looking around the league what is your opinion of the Marlins dynasty? Is it good for the league to have one team that is so dominant? Does it hurt the league in your eyes that that team is the simmers team?
Ashes built a great team. He also had a solid amount of luck. I think he got Ajax by lottery and now he got Darvish on a relatively cheap contract even though he was outbid by many. It isn't a big deal that they are so dominant. The playoffs are still somewhat of a crapshoot and he could just as easily have lost last year. I don't think that it is a big deal that it is the simmer's team. I don't think anybody really thinks that he cheats.
Good to know. I hate having a simmer have a team. I know its hard to sim without a team, but it just makes things so much easier. I think Ashes is a solid guy and I dont think he cheats but its interesting to me to see the dynamic of a sim league that is being dominated by the simmer. Its a pretty interesting situation. It sucks at how thankless the simmer job is. I really just enjoyed simming in BBS. I had a team for awhile but it always seemed wrong when I won. I felt guilty. It was so much easier just to sim. Plus you really get to see the league as a whole. get to try and tweak all the small details. Really boost the league in whatever way you can.
11. The Pirates, Braves and Red Sox are all very good teams. Do any of these teams have a shot at beating Florida? Which has the best shot and are they good enough to take down the Marlins?
Marlins will be favored against all three but in a short series anything could happen. I would say that Chi has the best chance and then the pirates. Santana can almost win the series by himself.
Johan is sick. Play has so much talent he can add just about anyone he wants. Plus he already said hes taking Ashes out. its nie to have Pirate Steve back competing too. he shouldn't rebuild. Just win. And Stutter is solid this year too. I love the Red Sox. I think they have an amazing pitching staff. I think this year will be more interesting than the last couple. Itll be tougher for Ashes to get out of the NL. And if he does make it I think the Red Sox will make it tough for him in the WS.
12. Have you looked ahead to the next draft? If so what players are you targeting? If you haven't search Kris Bryant.
Not yet. Wow. I'll take him. My future 3b. Jon Gray looks nice also but I'll probably go for the hitter.
Bryant is sick. bbs56.net/BBSBL3/BBSBL3/Site/p2337.html Bam. Wow. Makes me want to tank.
I got very busy very fast. Court went back in session in Sept and I was swamped with work. A few other things caused me to have a lot less time then I usually do. If I would have realized ahead of time how busy I would be I could have torn down the team and just rebuild for a year. It makes little sense to just stick around and not be active with a team that should be able to contend. Because of the finances of smaller market teams you always have to be on the lookout for trades which save you money and always try to add game cash. I think that not being around and coasting would have caused more harm than good.
Makes sense. Its so hard to be good here if you aren't really active. Making board cash. Watching trends. Pouncing on selling teams. All very important elements of being successful, Obviously rebuilding can be a little easier to do while being inactive, but even that isn't ideal. Well regardless its nice to have you back and I'm sure well be battling in the NL West for years to come.
2. Coming back in after a short absence, what can you take from your first run in Tampa to help you in a similar situation in San Diego?
You have to plan ahead. I always kept on top of my financial situation and would know who had to be resigned and who was likely to want too much money. When you are a small market you have to move contracts early if there is a chance they won't resign. I am staying away from minimal loyalty guys in SD as much as I can. Also I will be taking chances by giving out long term cheaper contracts. It is very hard to get fi up and to get fan loyalty up takes a few years; in order to fund those years when you lose money you have to try to start the year with 50 mil.
Obviously much more effort on the financial front. Even having a big market team you really need to be on top of finances. Look for bargains. I was very impressed with what you did in TB. You didn't sit back and wait. You were proactive with acquiring cash and talent. Winning and covering costs with cash. Then going out and doing the same thing again. I think too many small market teams just play victim and sit on their teams. Go make it work. Cant wait to see what you do in San Diego.
3. San Diego had a ton of talent but a horrible financial situation. Did you even think about trying to compete with this team, or was it an easy decision to rebuild?
Nah. They were losing pretty regularly by the time I took them over, I think that once they moved Ross they were done. Also the older players would have no value left in a couple years so there was no point. Rebuilding also gives you an opportunity to put your own stamp on the team and to get players who will fit your system.
Seems like the guy between you and Habes wasn't very good. I mean he gave up Ross for nothing. Pretty bad deal. He didn't want to deal guys he could've gotten more value for. Sometimes you have to trade guys with more value so that you get more value. Habes built a strong team but it was so far over its financial means it was almost cheating. Too bad he couldn't be around to fix that mess.
Overall I like coming in and making a team your own. So rebuilding always makes sense. Was just trying to get a feel for your thought process.
4. You're working with another poor financial team. What is your plan to rebuild this team and this market?
Not much to do about the market except get lucky and hope it goes up. The rebuild plan is simple; I want to tank for 3 years and save up enough money to revamp the stadium in a way that I can take advantage of it. I think there is already 50+ mil in the stadium bank so even if I only tank for 2 years that might be enough. My current thinking is to build a humongous park and get a bunch of speedsters to roam the outfield. Maybe add some flyball pitchers. I'm not really sure but that is the general direction. I would also like to have as many loyal players as possible.
Seems like a good idea. I think ballpark really goes unnoticed here. But its important. You gotta know and learn your park. Build a team around it. I think loyalty is important too. You need a core of cheap players when you have a small market. And obviously dominant pitching. I won 230 in two years when I had the best staff around. Hard to lose when you don't allow runs.
5. Seems like you've realy concentrated on acquiring hitting prospects early on. Go over some of those hitters and how you view them as long term pieces to your squad.
The truth is that pitchers, at least from last years draft, need pds to become solid starters. They pretty much look like Mulder and I could barely get a nibble for him. If you don't have brill hits or brill walks/hrs then you probably aren't starting for a good team, at least not in the playoffs. My current thought is that I will get as many hitters as possible and trade for pitchers later. I figure that some will bust but some will explode so if I have enough good prospects then a few will end up being studs.
Jason Kipnis – I love this guy. Good hits/doubles/hrs and brill walks. A solid defender at 2B and will end up a B/B basestealer.
Danny Espinosa – very similar to Kipnis except that he will end up with only Good walks (after tia) but will be a B/A basestealer. One of them will probably get moved for a similar player at another position.
Hak-Ju Lee – SS of the future. Brill walks, good hits, speedster that plays good d. No pop but you can't have everything.
Vernon Ferrel – He has a ton of power – I might not notice but 8 hrs while still in the minors seems really good. On the other hand with only avg hits and fair doubles I don't know if he will ever be a starter. One guy that definitely could use good pd.
Donald countess – Probably my cf of the future. Good hits (post tia), brill walks great defender and super speedy.
Keon Barnum – I had him at 7th in the draft and I have no idea how he fell to me. Barring bad pds he should be my first baseman of the future. I will probably try to teach him 3B also. Brill hrs and good hits (post tia) is something I like out of my corners.
Mike Zunino – I would love it if he gets a pd to hits and ends up with G hits/doubles and Brill hrs. Since he is a solid defender at catcher he might even end up starting with Avg hits depending on what other options I have.
Carl Angus – Another guy that I love. He has a cannon for an arm and will hopefully bump up his range next year is st also. Good hits/hrs and brill walks. Fun fact – he believes in reincarnation and swears that he pitched a perfect game in a previous life.
My future lineup as I see it now will be :
Cf – countess
Ss – lee
2b – kipnis
1b – barnum
C – Zunino
Rf – angus
3B – Espinosa??
Lf – Mac Williamson??
DH -
Obviously a lot will depend on pds but guys like skole, Martinez, Goins, weeks, wisdom, trahan, cozens and Espinoza could all play roles in the future.
I love Kipnis. Espinosa is solid. I think you're kinda overvaluing some guys a bit. I think you still need to add a bunch of talent. I think you need to load up on board cash and boost these guys up wherever possible. But league ratings are so high right now you need BRILL talents everywhere. Its an epidemic.
6. What is your rebuild window looking like? 3 years? 5 years? What type of rebuild are you looking to do? What type of players will you look to acquire?
I hate rebuilding but I would like to rebuild for 3 years if I can be that patient. I did luck into Kim which is like having an extra top 3 pick so that gives me some flexibility. I am going to try to get players who will fit in with the park that I am planning on building. Speed and defense are key. Also there seem to be a bunch of loyal speedsters so that should be good for my finances. Of course, if I see that I am getting offers for other types of players I can go in another direction. I think that no matter what I do countess, lee, kipnis, barnum and angus will be in my starting lineup barring death by pds.
Right now you're losing too much almost. I think you'll need to try a little harder not to lose 140. As far as your rebuild, Id be surprised if you last longer than 3 years. I think 3 years is a real long time when you're losing. I also think the relative weakness of the NL West will make it hard for you to lose. Every year you'll be looking at the NL West and thinking I could take it with just a little effort. it'll make it real hard to stay the course of rebuilding.
7. Recently we have discussed PD Reversals on the league forum. There has been much debate. What is your take on the new system?
I think we should give it a shot. I think it is too early to judge it and a lot of reactions might just be because nobody likes change. Really have no opinion yet.
I'm not opposed to change. I like it. I think its the sign of a good league. To constantly try new things and talk about new ideas. I just think that the idea implemented is relatively complicated and its somewhat convoluted to have a vote on a subject and then to disregard it and do something new anyway. I'm not against the commishes instituting new rules without our input, but I don't understand asking for our input, ignoring it and then doing something different. Its a very tasteless thing to do in my opinion. It creates an atmosphere of superiority. It tells us our opinions don't matter.
8. Ive asked almost everyone in my interviews how they feel about Ashes as the main simmer as opposed to Erbes. How are things working for you on this front? How is the simming? Better or worse?
They both are fine. The one thing I hate is the offseason. The draft takes forever but fa goes fast. I would try to change a few things that would make the draft go faster and publish a clear fa schedule. Nothing worse than not getting bids in.
Interesting. I haven't really noticed an irregular FA schedule. But then again FA isnt really important for me year to year. The draft does seem to take too long sometimes. I think we need to focus on time limits and lists. I think we need more access to phone numbers as well. More quick to auto guys that have already been autoed as well. I'm sure Play could use some draft mod help.
9. You are a big trader. You traded quite a bit in Tampa. Youve already traded quite a bit in San Diego. Who are two guys you enjoy talking trade with? Who are two guys you dislike talking trade with?
I talk trade and trade with everybody. I try to keep the lines of communication open. You never know who is going to have a player you want. I always have a hard time dealing with Game. He asks for the moon and the next thing I know the guy I wanted went to somebody else for peanuts. Of course he always gives my articles 3s so all is forgiven. I hate trading with Kobe. He just lies all the time. You have to check out everything he says. He has no qualms about trading you a guy that took a pd hit knowing that the hit isn't listed for whatever reason. And then he will tell play to add the pd. Dale is easy to trade with. He is very straightforward about who he likes and who he will part with. Play isn't easy to deal with but he will usually offer fair deals for guys he wants. We don't have any Skillz/Aar types who are willing to trade anybody at anytime for the right price.
Funny about Kobe. So slimy. Makes sense hes a coke head. I agree on all counts. Game is frustrating because of exactly what you said. Scared to trade. Asks for too much. Then trades cheap. Ugh. Pirate Steve is solid to trade with. Reasonable and such. Break is rough sometimes. Other times hes solid. D2A is pretty hard to deal with. He always values guys way differently. Pretty much add a star to his player and erase a star from my guy and that's how our trade talks work.
10. Looking around the league what is your opinion of the Marlins dynasty? Is it good for the league to have one team that is so dominant? Does it hurt the league in your eyes that that team is the simmers team?
Ashes built a great team. He also had a solid amount of luck. I think he got Ajax by lottery and now he got Darvish on a relatively cheap contract even though he was outbid by many. It isn't a big deal that they are so dominant. The playoffs are still somewhat of a crapshoot and he could just as easily have lost last year. I don't think that it is a big deal that it is the simmer's team. I don't think anybody really thinks that he cheats.
Good to know. I hate having a simmer have a team. I know its hard to sim without a team, but it just makes things so much easier. I think Ashes is a solid guy and I dont think he cheats but its interesting to me to see the dynamic of a sim league that is being dominated by the simmer. Its a pretty interesting situation. It sucks at how thankless the simmer job is. I really just enjoyed simming in BBS. I had a team for awhile but it always seemed wrong when I won. I felt guilty. It was so much easier just to sim. Plus you really get to see the league as a whole. get to try and tweak all the small details. Really boost the league in whatever way you can.
11. The Pirates, Braves and Red Sox are all very good teams. Do any of these teams have a shot at beating Florida? Which has the best shot and are they good enough to take down the Marlins?
Marlins will be favored against all three but in a short series anything could happen. I would say that Chi has the best chance and then the pirates. Santana can almost win the series by himself.
Johan is sick. Play has so much talent he can add just about anyone he wants. Plus he already said hes taking Ashes out. its nie to have Pirate Steve back competing too. he shouldn't rebuild. Just win. And Stutter is solid this year too. I love the Red Sox. I think they have an amazing pitching staff. I think this year will be more interesting than the last couple. Itll be tougher for Ashes to get out of the NL. And if he does make it I think the Red Sox will make it tough for him in the WS.
12. Have you looked ahead to the next draft? If so what players are you targeting? If you haven't search Kris Bryant.
Not yet. Wow. I'll take him. My future 3b. Jon Gray looks nice also but I'll probably go for the hitter.
Bryant is sick. bbs56.net/BBSBL3/BBSBL3/Site/p2337.html Bam. Wow. Makes me want to tank.
