Post by Captain America on Dec 7, 2014 16:37:02 GMT -5
Stephen Curry and the Dubs keep Spencer busy each winter.
It's been a little while since I've caught up with my man Spencer, so here we go!
Spencer - Orange
Me - Purple
1. For much of this season, your Giants were dominating the NL West, but now, the Diamondbacks have been red hot and the Giants have slumped. What has been the problem recently? Have there been multiple problems? I know you've tried hard to figure out what kinds of hitters are good fits at Candlestick and have made many trades accordingly. Are your guys simply underachieving, or do you think you need to try something new to generate more results?
The Grady trade killed me. I was trying to friend trade but also get value and Grady is just too good. I knew Habes wanted him. I thought I got better dumping Johnson for Hamilton. But Hamilton isnt better than Johnson and Grady is much better than Patterson. I really thought I had a solid team. Just really needed another SP. But when I did the Grady trade it really exposed my needs. I needed another bat and another pitcher. Things were looking good before the DBacks took 2 from me. 6 back now and not looking good.
Grady is definitely a better fit at your park than Patterson. He does everything. He hits for average and has some power. He also gets a lot of doubles, walks and steals and plays solid defense. Patterson is aging and probably will decline soon. Obviously not as good of a fit at Candlestick as an all-or-nothing power hitter. I also feel that the K-Rod trade wasn't good for you either. He was solid last year for you.
Grady is sick. It's hard not to like him.
2. With the Diamondbacks currently in by far the best shape they have ever been in, you have recently hinted at a possible rebuild. Many people though probably thought you were joking. But in all seriousness, are you actually considering a legitimate rebuild at all?
Nah. It's too boring. Too long of a process to do right. Plus I really like my long term success here. I'd rather just try and win 90 every year and just figure it out on the fly. I like a lot of my talent. I think my window is solid for the next 2 years. I think Arizona is solid, but he has some financial stuff going on. I think I can manage things well and succeed. Either take back the west this year or bounce back next year and take it. Ill worry about 3 years away in 3 years.
That's not a bad way to look at it. Most of your current core is aging, but you usually tend to find ways to replenish your roster with very good players, so I bet you'll continue to do so whenever you feel the need. Darell should have made a better effort with trying to trade for in-game cash. His financials are decent right now, but not great. He definitely should try to trade for at least $20 million in the offseason.
3. For quite some time, the Dodgers have been toiling in mediocrity under Dale's leadership. What does he need to do to get the Dodgers to the next level? More hitting? More pitching? More board cash spending in certain areas? Anything else? Do you think the Dodgers are close to being a legitimate contender right now, or do they still have years to go before becoming more relevant?
I just think hes taking the slow road. Which is fine. Building talent. Trying to develop a large core of good players and strike when the iron's hot by getting key pieces. I'm just not sure he has enough top tier talent is good enough. I think both my team and Arizona are way better. And I think Greeme will be good soon too. Hopefully Dale uses his rewards well and takes a little bump up.
Dale has made some trades to try to get better. The Mike Lincoln trade though has not worked out too well for him with all of Lincoln's injuries, plus the fact that he's now 37 and signed through 2015. Yikes. Henderson Alvarez should be ready next year, but Dale definitely needs more pitching to contend. Offensively, Dale needs a big time slugger. It's tough though because Dodger Stadium favors pitchers quite a bit. I'm really surprised Sabo isn't killing it at the plate. Morello has a lot of potential, but has yet to really break out. Freeman and Morrison have some potential too. But Dale definitely should look towards trading for a power bat in the offseason.
4. With Greeme and I both rebuilding, it looks like the Giants and Diamondbacks should remain the top NL West contenders for the next 2-3 seasons. Which team among the Rockies, Padres and Dodgers do you think has the best shot of taking over the NL West 5 seasons from now?
I like Greeme as a GM. I think he has the best shot to put together a successful team. He's the most successful Gm in the division besides myself. He does a great job of attacking. He is active. He does articles. He gets cash and board cash. He really goes after what he wants. Not passive at all. Very important when playing these games. Take control. I'm worried long term about having him in my division.
Greeme is a solid GM indeed. It's very important to be active when rebuilding. Post a lot. Write articles. Make board cash. Spend on more TIA's, etc. It can make a huge difference and speed up the process for sure. A little surprised I wasn't even acknowledged. Oh well. I've got more work to do with my team. Most of my lineup is in good shape for the future, but I have very little pitching in the minors and I really need a stud SP spect. That will be my top priority this offseason. I hope I have a good shot at contending again in 3-5 seasons. We'll see how it goes.
5. As time goes on, some teams get better and others eventually need to retool. Which 5 teams are trending upward the most for the future right now? Which 5 teams are the closest to being forced to rebuild/retool?
I really thought Atlanta was trending upwards but HF really messed it up. I love Chicago. So much talent. Easily [HASH]1 on the trending upward list. I really like what Erbes has done. He has a great market so once he starts winning hell be good for awhile. I love Oaklands core as well. I really think he will be atop the AL West soon. I like Minnesota too. I dont think hes close to competing but I love his talent. Not sure he can really take a step up with his financial situation. Then Florida. Laughable I know, but I love his youth. Meh.
For the downward teams. Obviously Boston and SF are there. I think both GM's do a good job of retooling on the fly though, so I'm not worried about either too much. Obviously you'd like more prospects and picks to deal, but it is what it is. Chicago WS are pretty old. I could see them falling of pretty hard, although they arent that great now. Obviously Montreal is already making deals to rebuild. But with their financial situation you could see that happening. Atlanta too. You just cant lose money. Both those teams are way over budget. DBacks are interesting in that respect as well. Quite possible he'll go over budget this year.
Definitely have to agree with you on the Yankees, A's and Cubs all trending upward. Erbes could certainly give Break a run for his money next season and definitely has the best future right now of anyone in the AL East. The A's should be able to really contend even more next season as we will see the A's Mariners rivalry here get renewed once again. The Cubs are in amazing shape. Play has young talent everywhere and superb finances. And he still has more spects, so if he ever wants a particular upgrade, he should have the pieces to make it happen. As for the Marlins, they've got literally everything going for them. It's simply remarkable how much major league talent Ashes traded away and he still has the best record in the NL, plus a top farm system. Just unbelievable.
On the downward side, I really don't know what happened to the Braves. HF traded for a bunch of great players and they all pretty much underachieved together. It's pretty crazy how badly his team has been the past couple seasons. He looked ready to take over the NL East and so far, it's been a disaster for him. The finances didn't help either and speaking of finances, the Expos' future got ruined because of Kobe's lack of in-game cash. He should have definitely made more trades for cash in the past.
Crazy Mike always goes after aging veterans in FA and having so many of them just limits his team's potential despite having some studs in Prince and David Price. Break probably has 2-3 seasons left of really competing. His minors are completely drained though so he'll be in for a long rebuild once his window closes. I also see the Indians as a team that will need to rebuild soon. DRowe's core is so old now. He's had a great run atop the AL Central, but his guys are just too old at this point. Maybe he makes 1 more run at the postseason in 2013, but after that, he'll probably have to tear it all down. I'm not liking the Reds' future much either. Stutter has pretty much no picks in the next 3 drafts and barely anyone of significance in his minors right now.
Chris Sale and the Cubs have a very bright future and could potentially upset the Marlins in the 2012 postseason.
6. The recent Post Pad event has been a big topic here ever since Erbes made the initial post. What was good about the event? What exactly went wrong? Was it a mistake for Erbes to not mention a maximum post number for rewards, or was a free for all PP a better idea? Do you think we will ever see another PP event in the future or was this the last hurrah?
Post pads are dumb. Do a frenzy. To not allow posts from a post pad is just stupid. Really dumb idea. If you want to kick start activity do a frenzy. Frenzys are way better for activity. People are on the fence with rebuilding, or retooling and a frenzy puts them right over the edge. They go for it. Teams get made over. Way better way to spark activity. Post pads should only be done for board cash and maybe in game cash. When it seems like maybe the league needs an influx of it.
When Steve originally asked if I was "double dipping" on PP rewards, I had no idea what he was talking about because that was never brought up in previous PP's from what I remember. I didn't understand why the posts wouldn't count, but the rewards turned out great and of a larger value in board cash, so I'm satisfied with that. We didn't end up really losing money in the end for all the posting and that's what mattered most to me. Frenzies are very good for the league, but after the amazing rewards in the most recent one, it was clear that we wouldn't be seeing another frenzy for a long time. I'll be surprised if it happens again in the next 5 seasons. Hopefully it does though because it definitely motivates people to trade more.
7. As much as the BBSBL forum is about our sim league and its teams and players, it's also a good source for silly drama that happens regularly. Lately, the big drama has been between Break and Play over various issues they've had with each other. It's like those 2 need to get a room already! Between Break and Play, whose arguments do you tend to agree with more when they bicker with each other? And do you think it's possible they could be on more peaceful terms in the future or will this be a battle between them that will never end? What do both of them need to do to avoid creating more situations with each other?
Play is a complete troll. Almost all of the shit he says is a troll. Hes almost never serious. He does get legitimately upset about some things, but mostly he fucks with people cause hes bored. Break needs to let stuff roll off his back more. Just let stuff go. Don't react. Just play it off. Who cares? It doesn't matter. Overall I agree with Play more, but I can see that Break just can't deal with stuff. And then it ends up being a bigger ordeal than it should be. If he dealt with it better they'd never get to the boiling point like they seem to now.
Ugh. I've been trying to tell Break for months that he's been making way too big of a deal with all this nonsense. He thinks certain people are out to get him and really takes those thoughts too far sometimes. He keeps trying to prove points about people trying to fuck around with him when he gets called a victim and what not. If he ignored it, they'd shut up eventually. Those people don't care about the points he's trying to prove. They just wanna see him get angry for their own entertainment. Nothing else he says matters to them. He's trying to stand up for himself, but it only results in more attention going his way and I really don't think he sees it thoroughly. I completely understand that he's sick and tired of people making fun of him, but if he legitimately laughed it off or didn't try to fight back as often as he does, these problems wouldn't get so ridiculous. Break cares so much about how he's treated, but he puts way too much energy into the wrong things and not enough energy into what will actually solve his problems. There is so much he can do to his make his life here easier. If he's complaining about not enough exports being in for a sim for example and he didn't even do his own export, then why even complain about a lack of exports? Be part of the solution and not part of the problem!
I don't really take Play all that seriously anymore. I learned after a long time to just let him do his thing and not to get in his way. It's pointless to argue with him. You'll never win an argument against him. He will stand by his opinions at all costs and there's pretty much no way to convince him otherwise. He's passionate and has a lot of energy, but if you get on his bad side, he'll go after you like crazy. I respect him enough to avoid any possible arguments with him in the future. I still don't understand why he got so mad at Break for making a simple waiver claim on one of his players, but whatever. They both need to patch this up and get along better.
8. Trolling on this forum generally speaking has really been toned down in comparison to 1-2 years ago. Is this good for everyone, or is more trolling necessary to keep people on their toes and lighten the mood once in a while (of course as long as it's within reason)? Also, please name the top 5 trolls here from 1-5 in your opinion.
Trolling is just part of society now. Good or bad its just here now. As for BBSBL I think its fine. I think some people troll. But it isnt an epidemic. As for the top 5 its kinda tough. I think Styro tends to just pick up certain subjects and run with it. I think Play trolls a bit. Erbes is a huge troll. Probably [HASH]1. Steve trolls a little too. Id say only Erbes is problematic because he has some say so in the league. I troll sometimes but really only for post padding.
Obviously, I'm not the biggest advocate for trolling on the internet, but I'm so used to seeing it now that it's just a part of the experience as much as anything. Not taking people seriously has easily been the best life lesson anyone has ever told me. The trolling isn't as bad now as it once was and I'd be perfectly satisfied if it remained the same going forward.
I agree with your troll picks. Kobe and Stevie B are up there too, obviously. HF can troll a bit too if someone in particular pisses him off. Greeme and Stutter fit the same mold as you. They'll troll but more often than not will not go too far with it and really only do so for posts. The other aforementioned GM's seem to simply enjoy it quite a bit. They don't do it for the posts necessarily. They just want constant entertainment. Life gets boring a lot, so you can't really blame them there.
9. Were you a fan of the new PD reversal system? Has it been working? Do we need to go back to the old system? Create a brand new system from scratch? What's the best solution here?
Nah. it sucks. Its more complicated and not clearly better. I can see why they did it, but Id rather it just be like it was before. I think its more confusing, Im honestly still not sure what the rules are. Change for changes sake is always a mistake.
I'm surprised you in particular find it confusing being that this new reversal system was borrowed from HOFFBL, which you are obviously in. Anyway, I like it. I like having more reversals and how you can reverse a player's hits twice for example, and still be able to fix his homers or walks later. More flexibility is good. Definitely less of a risk when it comes to keeping star players producing for a long time. Of course, to balance it out, the reversals are a bit more expensive and the maximum age for reversals got lowered, which is fine because by the mid-30s, talents usually do go down for most players. It also stresses the need for young talent that much more, which I think is good for the league.
10. You've been a big advocate for expansion recently. Why do you think we need to bring back the Royals and Astros? If it were to happen, would it really be that good for this league in the long run, or do you think that we will always have occasional problems with recruiting no matter what?
I like expansion to curb inflation. I think it would help a ton. But it wont happen because we dont have the GMs for it. We have a couple of inactive GMs as is. If we had the Gms for it I think its a no brainer. Inflation is hurting the league now and helping that would be great.
Expansion could work for inflation, but yeah, if a few more of the current GM's were more active and there were 2-3 reliable and well known people on the wait list, expansion could work. At this point though, I can't see it happening.
11. Inflation has been another big topic that's been brought up quite a bit recently regarding player ratings and stats. Does inflation really exist now in this league? Are the stats right now better for both pitchers and hitters in comparison to the past? Are the hitters and pitchers more balanced than before? What needs to be done here? Do you have a particular scale of ratings expectations when it comes to expecting what kinds of stats per season from each player with their ratings (for example: a "10" rating in home runs = 25-30+ home runs per season, "13" rating in home runs = 45+ home runs per season)? Do some guys simply just sim better than others or are the ratings more or less accurate for stats at the end of the day?
Stats aren't affected. Stats are the same. But lower rated players are less valuable. Higher rated players are mediocre. Before a 5 AR SP could help you. Now you really need 4 10 AR guys to succeed. Its a big thing. I think middling and lower teams have a hard time trying to compete. Teams are so far away. We need something drastic like expansion, or less reversals, or less TIAs. Something. I really have grown to dislike the ratings league wide.
The ratings have gotten crazy. Back then, a hitter with a 10 in homers could crush 40+ per season easily. Now, hitters with the same ratings are struggling to reach 25-30 home runs in a season, which is ridiculous. The pitching is also at another level. There are too many pitching studs in this league in my opinion and until this current group of pitchers phase out, I see this need for 3-4 pitchers with 10 in runs need continuing for a while unfortunately. I really have no idea what kind of solution would be best for this besides what happens to draft classes. I'm very interested to see what the fake draft classes will look like in comparison to what we are used to seeing each draft. And yeah, teams without a bunch of studs that sim really well are pretty much fucked for a while and it can be very frustrating for rebuilding teams to take that next step towards being more competitive. I still think some players just tend to sim better than others regardless of the exact number ratings.
12. Miguel Cabrera over the past few seasons has put up numbers that are simply at a whole other level in comparison to all the other hitters. Look no further than the 2 consecutive NL Triple Crowns he has won in the past 2 seasons. Will he go down as the greatest hitter in BBSBL history? If so, will it be by a long shot or not so much? Do you expect him to break both Ken Griffey Jr's career record of 685 home runs and likewise with Juan Gonzalez's career record of 2,101 RBI? Will we ever see another hitter like Miggy ever again?
Maybe Trout, but unlikely. Cabrera will own all the BBSBL records. Hes locked in. Hes soo good. Franchise rule was for stuff like this. The elite players, all time greats. Trout has a chance to be a better defender and a base stealer. So in that way he could be better. But its unlikely.
I can't see anyone touching Miggy in the future. His ratings are amazing and those stats he's been putting up are just one of a kind. He might actually win his third consecutive Triple Crown this season. That is simply remarkable. No one could have predicted something like that ever happening. Maybe Ashes, but that's it. Trout may end up being a better overall player depending on how high his number ratings end up going up. But more than likely, no one will ever surpass Miggy as the [HASH]1 all time BBSBL hitter.
This just in: The Babe Ruth leagues for kids have been renamed the Miguel Cabrera leagues after the greatest hitter to ever exist.
13. On the pitching side, Mark Buehrle has been on quite a run over the past 10 seasons. He has won five Cy Young Awards and currently has a great shot at winning a 6th Cy Young Award. Is he already the greatest pitcher in BBSBL history? Or does Kerry Wood still have the edge for the [HASH]1 spot?
Wood has amazing numbers. Ive had both and Buerhle is better IMO. Hes been so good and hes still so good. Time will tell but these guys are probably both top 3 SPs. Cant forget Johan. Wish I had Buehrle still.
Both Buehrle and Wood have had remarkable careers. I really don't know who I'd put above the other. Buehrle is clearly the best southpaw in BBSBL history. Johan would definitely round out the top 3. They're all first ballot HOF'ers without question. Hopefully, Break will make the most of Buehrle while he's still in his prime and win a championship with him. If not, it would be a huge failure for the Red Sox.
No matter where he has pitched, Mark Buehrle has been one of the premier southpaws for years.
14. Last but not least, BBSBL recently surpassed its 2 year anniversary. How is our league doing right now in comparison to 1 year ago? How is it doing in comparison to when we started? Is this league going in a good direction at the moment or are there legitimate concerns that need to be addressed? If you had to name 3-5 changes over time that have been great for this league and 3-5 changes over the time that have not been so good for this league, what would they be and why?
I like the simming and commishing overall. I do wish we'd try expansion. I think it'd help inflation. I really wish we had more consistent trade frenzies with rewards. I think teams get dull without the incentive to trade. I wish we had more in game cash pushed into the league somehow. Either through a PP or through a frenzy. Id scale back reversals. I really like the 2 reversal rule with the 2nd one being twice the cost. I wish there was more incentive for exporting. I think more teams need to export every sim.
Overall the league is great, best baseball sim ever.
I couldn't agree with you more on more incentives to export. It's frustrating to see a few certain GM's export just once a month for example. It's like come on now...it's easy money for doing a few simple things that take minutes to accomplish. I get it that some people only do it when they have actual changes to make, but they're missing the bigger picture on exporting for more board cash. I'm glad I suggested the board cash for exporting to go up from $500k to $2 million.
More trade frenzies would be nice, but if they happened more often, the frenzy rewards would have to get scaled back. It would still be good to have a bunch of small frenzies instead of one massive frenzy for the sake of making trades.
The commishing has been very good. It's a shame people complain all the time about sims not happening earlier and all that. As Spencer once said brilliantly, "commishing is a thankless job" and that is so true. I've obviously never had any commishing experience anywhere in OOTP, but I know it's a lot of work at times and can definitely get frustrating for Ashes and Steve. I for one appreciate each and every one of their efforts and wish that less people would whine about when sims will happen.
Overall, I think this league has been extremely successful for the past 2+ years. No other sim league could compare to the activity around here and all the hundreds of thousands of posts. There is a very good group of core original GM's that have been here since the beginning and there have been some very good additions over time as well. I'm not worried at all about the future of BBSBL. This league could easily go on for 20 years and I wouldn't be surprised at all if it were to happen.
