Post by Spencer on Sept 1, 2014 16:50:09 GMT -5
Lets chat it up with Shale Briskin!
1. Obviously its been a rough year for you. Does a year like this make you second guess your preparation for assembling a team? What moves should you have made in the off-season to make this season more successful?
Yeah this season has been crazy. A 100 win wild card team to having one of the worst records around is not something I expected to see. I knew I was taking a couple steps back with a few of the frenzy trades I made to cut salary, but I never imagined this team would be this bad with most of my core still here. The start of the season was ridiculous. My entire lineup didn't hit at all for over a full month. Then, Wright started to pick it up, but the team hasn't been much better. I dunno why.
The competition definitely got better. I will say that, but with what I consider to be 3 very solid SP's and a decent lineup, I thought a .500 team would be the worst possibility, but it wasn't meant to be. People underachieve and there's only so much that can be done after putting a team together. I feel like I made more moves than I wanted to and only because of the frenzy. Leon White and Glaus were solid and I may have kept both of them, but I wanted those frenzy trades to get to 8 trades, so those were 2 people I sacrificed for what I thought was the greater good of the Rockies. It doesn't make me second guess my preparation. It's not like I'm gonna go about everything completely differently now because I work with what I know and that's all anyone can really do.
I think the frenzy fucked up a lot of people. I know it did me. Sometimes you get so focused on a reward you make poor decisions. Pretty dumb overall but it happens. I think you have nice talent but your offense just isn't good enough. I think you've overpaid for some mediocre offensive talent and that will continue to hold you back. Really no ay you shouldn't have 9 .800 OPS guys. I think in your stadium its a must. I do like your core 3 or 4 players though. I think maybe you should re look at your ability to judge your own team a bit though. I think most people saw you as th 4th best team in the NL West but you were pretty adamant youd be in the playoffs. Must be something there.
2. It seems like your were reluctant in your late attempt to sell players. Do you feel like you have a solid core? DO you really think this year was bad circumstance instead of mediocre talent?
It's not being reluctant. It's about making sure I get what I feel I deserve in exchange for trading certain players. I've made a few too many bad trading decisions in the past and I guess in a way, I'm trying to redeem myself by hopefully being on the winning end of more trades in the future to sorta even the score. I try to be as cautious as I can and sometimes, I don't even trust myself in making trade decisions and that's probably at least part of the reason why it may looked like I was reluctant to make more moves. I got offers from people, but felt I could get more and wasn't ready to give up on that and just give in to others. To retool successfully, I can't just trade players just to trade them. I gotta get what I can for anyone significant and make sure any such deals were worthwhile.
Makes sense. Mid-season isn't the time to get value. Its the time to sell cheap. So maybe you made the right move in not moving your big guns just yet. Wait until the off-season when young teams are buying trying to win. Move salary before Free Agency so you have room to add players for free. Dump salary gain spects. Sign vets with that open salary space. Good plan. Plus I really think the key for you is to get cheap offense. You can get tons of defensive challenged guys that will rake in your park. I know I plan to try and move some salary in the beginning of the ofseason and add Free Agents. I really need to shake things up this offseason too.
3. List your top 5 players in term of value. Tell me why you like them, what they offer and what you'd want if you were to trade them?
I'd have to go with Hart first because he's a sick catcher with brilliant homers and A/A running/stealing. That's 50/50 potential year in and year out. He's a huge stud. It would take a lot to move him. Multiple stud spects and 1-2 1st round picks at least. Probably more if possible.
Gabbard would be next because of his nice ratings, A duration, a cheap contract and very good character ratings as well. He's also a lefty and there aren't many greatest lefty SP's around. I feel he's worth at least a top-mid level 1st and a stud spect, if not more.
I guess in no particular order, Weeks, Taguchi and Lackey would round out the top 5. Each of them are very solid players. Weeks and Taguchi are in their primes and Lackey is probably nearing the end of his prime, but I think he's got a few more good seasons left in him. Each of them would be worth at least one very solid spect. Not necessarily a stud, but someone really good. Maybe a little board cash as well or something else worthwhile.
Didn't include Wright because he is franchised, so he will play out his new extension here, which starts in 2011.
I love Wright, Hart and Gabbard. Id love to get Hart and Gabbard somehow this off-season. Unlikely but I think they'd add a ton for me. Gabbard is someone I think would flourish in a home park not named Coors. I really think Hart and Wright will put up nasty career numbers if they stay with you. Weeks was a solid pickup and Taguchi is fun but they aren't really star core type players. Surprised they aren't playing better. Once again though unless all your starters are hitting +800 OPS you will have problems. You should always be a top 2 offensive team.
4. List 5 guys you are severely disappointed in. Tell me what you expected from each one and if you think they can rebound next year.
Obviously very disappointed in Hart. Yes Miguel Cabrera was hands down the obvious NL MVP last season, but Hart was among the top 3-5 contenders too. He had a sick season last year. 40/40 for a catcher is amazing. And now, he's been a shell of himself this season. The power and steals took a while to appear and the average hasn't been up to par. Hopefully, it's just a down year and he will bounce back next season.
Gabbard has been disappointing too. I really felt he'd take it to the next level after that TIA, but like the rest of this team, he has really struggled. However, he is only 27 and I got faith he will bounce back next season. He has grown into his new ratings, but now the development needs to turn into much better results.
Endy has been terrible this season. He's still stealing bases, but that average is horrendous. I guess he's starting to decline and I'm stuck with him for 2 more seasons. Ugh.
I had some hope Mike Bacsik would be a nice addition to my pen, but he has sucked as well. I'm probably gonna be forced to move him to the rotation for the rest of the season now that the aging Paul Wilson completely fell apart.
John Patrick was terrible before I traded him, but the 5th player has to be on my roster at this very moment, I guess Joel Piniero has been disappointing too. I threw a lot of money at him a few offseasons ago in hopes he would really strengthen my pitching, but instead, he's been inconsistent since arriving here. The only really good thing he has done this season is eat innings, which is nice, but it would be even better if he was pitching more effectively.
Endy is horrible. Such a bad pickup. I thought hed be a better fit too but hes soo bad. So expensive too. Play is pretty good about talking up players and selling high. Its really too bad youre stuck with him for so much longer. Patrick was always kinda overrated. Lots of those well rated KC guys just sucked. Pineiro too. They seemed to have so much talent but all the players from the contraction draft were overrated. I think you need to focus on homers more. Try and stack up 9 or 10 in homers. Who cares about speed or range. Just homers and fielding %. Its worth a chance right?
5. With the NL being so dominant and the NL West being on an upswing have you considered getting your picks back and lying low for a bit? Don't you think maybe taking 3-5 years to get your finances in order, stockpile spects and picks maybe even re work your ball park, is a good idea? Why? Why not?
I'd love to do all that and stock up stadium cash in particular in an effort to eventually upgrade my market size. An average market isn't bad, but it's like if I really want to compete regularly and be able to afford big contracts without constantly needing to trade for a ton of in-game cash every offseason, I'd need a better market. I wasn't as lucky to have max stadium cash right away like Stutter and DRowe. Those were huge "get out of jail" like opportunities for them and again, I wasn't as fortunate to be stocked with stadium cash back then.
But yeah the NL West is deep. And I know that they are among my main competition, but I gotta say it is nice to finally see my good friend Darell having some success with the Diamondbacks and hopefully for his own sake, Dale will be able to soon get somewhere with the Dodgers. I wish him luck as well. I'd love to get my picks back, but I know I'd have to overpay for them and it's probably not worth it just to get them back.
Draft picks are unpredictable. You may hope to get that stud who can be a cornerstone player for many years, but it doesn't always work out. Josh Johnson was originally a bust for me when I traded him away, even though he now somewhat decent with the Jays. Look how the Felix pick turned out for Steve. It's a crap shoot to see what picks turn out to be worthwhile in the long run. I hope to stock up on spects and picks, but I'm gonna be patient with the process as well and not try to set unreasonable expectations for myself like I did in 2002 and 2003. I tried to win then too soon and I've learned from that. If more patience will help the cause, then so be it.
I think bumping up your market would help. Also making your stadium slightly more even as well. I think mostly you just need to get some more financial stability. Adding some in game cash and trying to get some better younger players should help you long term. Not the worst idea to take your time before you compete again.Im really considering it myself. Id need to go get my picks back which is never a good idea. But I think the Marlins are beast. The Cubbies, As and Braves are close. I dont think many other teams have a chance for the next 3-5 years.
6. Seems like you've been distancing yourself from the DRowe/Break/DanChevy situations. Is this a real thing, or not? Is it something you are conscientiously doing? If so why?
I'm not trying particularly hard to distance myself from all that. It's like Break and DRowe are close real life friends. They got their own shit going on, their own inside jokes and what not. Break and I both have found our own ways to get the trolls to troll us for different shit. I feel like he has matured and learned from it over time and I feel like I have as well. DRowe is quieter, but I feel like he tries to really avoid any controversy and arguments because he's just that kind of person that doesn't enjoy dealing with stuff like that and being involved in it.
As for Danchevy, he made that colossal mistake here with running 2 teams, and I've moved on from it and most likely everyone did as well, but I don't forget what he did and the fact that he kept it a secret even from Break, Darell and myself because he's known the 3 of us for over 3 years. Break and I asked him questions about that topic and he kept dodging them. It's like I'm cool with him now generally speaking, but again, I will never forget what he did.
Generally speaking, I'm not trying to cause incidents and arguments. I'm just trying to do my own thing and mainly worry about what I need to do and not care as much about the things that others should be doing as well. Everyone's got their own agendas, and if they're slacking, it's their problem and not something I should worry about.
It doesn't do you any harm to distance yourself from these guys. Right or wrong the get a lot of negative commentary about them and being connected to that isn't good. You're a solid member of BBSBL and you shouldn't be dragged down by what those guys do. Whether its a conscious effort or not its a good idea.
7. Obviously your personality type lends itself for constant activity. BBSBL is good for you. Gives you an outlet. You get teased here and in other leagues for being too active. How does that make you feel? Do you take it to heart?
My personality lends itself to constant activity because I post a ton in an effort to get more board cash. That's the kind of person I am. When I see something that's easy to earn with minimal effort, I go all out with it. Not just here, but in other hobbies and aspects in life. For example, I still play this stupid golf game called Shot Online and periodically, there are these "daily attendance" events where you get a free item just for logging on. Even though I barely play that game anymore, I will still log on for those events just to get the free item. I don't even need anything in that game anymore, but my compulsions to make the most of every opportunity to get free stuff are enough to log on and get the item and then log right back off.
The same goes with every forum event here. This league offers so many opportunities to earn more board cash and other rewards. To me, it's like a sin if I don't participate in every worthwhile event that is here. I cannot stand missing out on easy opportunities to earn worthwhile stuff. I like rewards generally speaking. It gives me motivation to do things and be more productive. It's like I don't do things in life just to do them. I always try to see if there is something to gain from anything I do. If there is nothing to earn, then I'm less motivated to work for something.
The "being too active" comments are nothing new. Everyone either thinks I'm on here more than I actually am (I rarely log off when going afk during the day) or they exaggerate just to troll. I don't really care about it though. I make my choices and live my life and if someone else doesn't approve, they can eat a dick. I probably set higher activity expectations on myself than others do for themselves, but I just know that with my addictive personality, I can earn as much as I need to be what I hope is a productive GM. Do I have more free time than most people? Yeah I do. But even if I didn't, I'd still put in a ton of effort because that's what I do for any passionate hobby I have. I go all out because that's what I know. That's who I am.
Sim leagues require people being active. Obviously, it's much better to be very active than barely active. And it's not like there's a limit to being really active or anything either. It would be considered being that much more active. "Too active" just doesn't make any grammatical sense at all. It's a not real phrase people could successfully use to make a valid point.
Ya. I think you do a great job of being as active as possible. You always participate in extras and freebies. You post a ton. You do articles. You do jobs when you can. It really allows you to have a little more success than you normally would. Board cash is huge. I need more of it to compensate for my bad trades as well. HA! But ya when you make mistakes having that extra board cash to throw around makes everything easier.
8. On multiple occasions, you've said that you are on the Autistic spectrum. How does it affect your day to day life? Are sim leagues a good hobby for people on the spectrum?
It is what it is pretty much. I can't hide from it. It's who I am and I gotta embrace it. Like I've said, it's a mild form of Autism that I have. I won't say the exact diagnosis, but if anyone is familiar with Aspergers (which has become more commonly understood over the years), think of someone with that, but with slightly lesser academic potential and slightly more social potential. That's where I fit in.
When I was a kid, I wasn't that comfortable with being who I was because it always looked like all the other kids around me had more going for them socially in particular. But with time, I grew more comfortable and understanding of myself and my peers got friendlier and more understanding as well. It wasn't always smooth sailing though. Some people gave me a hard time and back then, I took it to heart because I didn't understand jokes from serious statements that well.
I could recognize obvious jokes, but more often than not, it was tough for me to notice the difference. So it's like back then, I felt people went after me for no reason just to be temporarily entertained and feel better about themselves, but years later, I realized everyone did the same stuff to each other, but they kept going at me because I was one of the few that got angry with the teasing and jokes. Realizing the role I had in social situations in middle school and high school all by myself without ever having any such discussions with my parents or anyone else was one of the happiest, proudest and most gratifying moments of my life. It made me feel so much better about myself.
But I didn't learn all this immediately right after high school. Or in the 2 plus of college I did from 2008-2010. It was here in BBSBL that I finally understood what I was desperately trying to figure out for nearly 20 years. After all the trolling certain individuals did and even still do today, it took one huge rant toward Styro for some of the NC guys to give me the greatest advice ever. And all they really said in a nutshell was to not worry about what anyone else thinks of me, but to only care what I think of myself. Seeing those words brought me to tears because I felt so happy that I was worrying about something I never even needed to worry about in the first place.
To answer that final question, sim leagues are good for people on the spectrum because if they are passionate historical baseball fans like myself, they will really embrace the way in which people can connect with baseball history and go through the past again, but of course with many different variables. This isn't the same as MLBDH for me. That game was 1 of a kind and most likely, no other game will ever be even very similar to it, but this is as good of a replacement for MLBDH as anything because it's historical and I can still connect with baseball's great history. The fact that the people here that I've known for 3 years can have this same experience as well makes it that much better and getting know everyone else here has been fun as well.
Ive always kinda wanted to get into this. Its obvious youve made strides recently in not allowing certain things to get to you. Im happy about that. Its good to see growth from people and Im happy you are more comfortable in your own skin. Its a big step as a grown up. Fuck everyone else. Just be happy.
9. Obviously you're a big Mets fan. Name 5 real life Mets you'd like to get. Either younger guys currently in the league or guys coming up in future drafts. Name the 5 and then why you'd want them. Also give them your talent ratings if you had made them.
Erbes got both Syndergaard and deGrom in the last draft. I'd of course like to have them if possible. I probably would've made Syndergaard G/G/B/B/B because he's got the HR/9 rating to qualify for brilliant homers and the BB/9 rating isn't too far off from brilliant as well. His consistency rating should've definitely been higher, but oh well. deGrom I think should have gotten brilliant homers again because of the awesome HR/9 rating he has had in his rookie season, but everything else for him looks accurate.
With only a few real life drafts to go, I guess the real Mets spects I'm most excited to see are Brandon Nimmo, Kevin Plawecki and Dominic Smith. Nimmo of course is coming up in the 2011 draft. He looks about right as is. Maybe good hits, but a TIA of course can solve that.
Plawecki will be in the 2012 draft. He's a solid catcher that can hit and his power is developing. He also walks a lot, so I'd go with probably G/G/P/A/B/B based off his minor league stats. E/E speed/stealing. A range behind the plate and maybe a C arm. He's played some 1B as well, so he should be eligible there from the start. Maybe C range there.
Smith is a lefty 1B/OF who the Mets got in the 2013 draft. Scouting reports stated he has a lot of power, but he hasn't shown it just yet in Single A. The potential could still be there though. G/B/F/A/A/G and D/D speed/stealing would be good for him at this point. He's only played 1B so far, but maybe he spends more time in the outfield next year. C/D range at 1B I guess.
I think I made both Syndergaard and deGrom. I figured those would be guys you wanted. Both are pretty nice young SPs and thats the Mets strength now. Those young starters look good. Erbes might deal both isnt he a Yankee fan? God it would suck to be a Yankee or Met fan. Im pretty happy I live in California.
10. BBSBL is running like a machine. But machines need tweaks. Name one thing you'd change to make BBSBL better. Be specific.
I'm very satisfied with the direction BBSBL is going. I didn't like the tanking penalties that much and the changes happened. I like the 2nd PD reversal over the freezing of 1st year players, so that's been good as well.
The one particular change I'd like to see has to do with the timing of making PD reversals. I understand the principle of people being active and making the reversals right when they happen. However, we are now on a faster sim schedule than ever before, and unfortunately, not everyone can keep up with the pace. Thus, I believe every PD reversal should be given 3-5 sims before they are considered too late to be done. You never know if something were to happen to someone that would cause them to not be able to access the internet and this forum for a period of time. So at least a 3-sim period to make each PD reversal would be really great to see and would certainly make some of the less active GM's happier.
I disagree. I think we need less reversals so making the time period longer is counter productive. If a GM is away for a good reason the simmers allow for a reversal. I don't think we want to make ratings higher in any way, and allowiong for a longer period to reverse will only make ratings higher.
11. If you had to quit one of your other leagues, GABL or HOFFBL which would it be? Why?
First off, you forgot LBB lol. But this is a no-brainer. GABL is horrible. The schedule is slower than molasses. The general level of talent there is terrible. There are so few studs. Crazy PD's happen too often. Spects tend to die quickly and most of the GM's there are barely around. It's a disaster to say the least. The old school veteran GM's there are old farts that are hard asses about trolling and things they don't like. K pretty much has become a dictator and the way he deals with complaints and others disagreeing with him has been very poor. More often than not, he gets defensive and starts argument than actually trying to work out solutions that could make everyone happy. GABL is still gonna exist, but it's always gonna suck and I'd drop it in a heartbeat compared to BBSBL, HOFFBL and LBB.
As for HOFFBL, Chris has done an awesome job with that league. Yes, there isn't as much constant activity, being that half the GM's there are from GABL, but Chris is a 100x better commissioner than K. There is no comparison really. Chris is so detail oriented with the job he does and that's one of the main things that I love about what he has done with HOFFBL. He got one chart after another on the forum and stays on top of everything. It's a fun league that also has reward camps, even though they are not as deep. But I love his PD reversal system. It really helps keep great players lasting longer. The time period that we are in there is also fun. Eventually, there will be expansions and more openings and I have no doubt that it will not be tough at all to recruit new GM's there.
Don't worry Darell. I'm not leaving LBB out of this. LBB is also a fun league that I enjoy and it's only 7 seasons ahead of HOFFBL in time. So in a way, I can use LBB drafts to get a general feel of what each HOFFBL draft will be like once we get there. Darell has done a very good job with that league. He forgets to do a few things here and there, but despite the arguments with Lierman brothers, among other things, he has been a very good commish and has kept the league going quite successfully. The draft lottery is a very unique idea that he brought there to discourage tanking and to be honest, it's not bad. Darell is not as experienced with commishing compared to other commishes we have gotten to know, but he has been a quick learner and again, has done very well with LBB.
Whats LBB? JK! Ya but really, is that league still going. Ha. Poor Darell. Ya, obviously you'd quit GABL Its pretty bad and HOFFBL is pretty good. You've done a great job in HOFFBL I wonder if you have regrets leaving your stellar PITT franchise? But ya GABL is horrible. I mean its just so slow, its run pretty poorly and its a ghost town. Its painful just looking at the forum. It weas a pretty good league at one point too. Sad stuff.
12. Bring one GM in here to replace one of our inactive GMs. Who would it be? Why?
This is tough. I feel like if someone wanted to join this league, they already would have made an account and signed up. Even though he probably doesn't have the time anymore to commit to multiple leagues, I'd love see Chris return. He was a very good fit here. His Astros were quite successful in the 7 or 8 seasons he was here for and personality-wise, he blended in very well with everyone generally speaking. He looked like he really enjoyed this league and he took quite a few aspects from BBSBL into mind when creating HOFFBL. The rewards there for posting, writing articles and all the reward camps all came from BBSBL. He changed them up a bit, but still, the general concepts all originated from his time here.
I've never been one to say that certain GM's definitely should get booted or anything. I mean unless they do something completely out of line...then it's a different story. But despite my drunken argument with Crazy Mike last night, I'd go with Kobe. Kobe has pretty much disappeared here. He wanted to do that rebuild to prove to everyone he could win on his own, but it has taken a while and he's gotten too frustrated with it. He has since developed a cocaine addiction and more than likely, the Expos' recent struggles had an effect on this coke binge he has been on. But ever since that 2004 World Series he won, his activity has been declining. He tried to become a big troll like Styro, but then would be seen hiding in the corner when someone else would call him out. That's not how it works at all.
And now that he isn't around, what does Kobe really bring to the table anymore? Aside from some random college football posts, pretty much nothing. Again, I'm not one that would enjoy booting people here, but if I had to think of the most useless GM here right now, it's Kobe. He's in too deep with his coke addiction to even care about this league or anything else in his life anymore. Maybe he will try to get help at some point.
Chris would be a great re addition. Hes a very good Gm with a very good personality. He did a great job in Houston and his absence pretty much killed that franchise. Its really too bad he had the itch to start HOFFBL. As much as I love that league I think Id rather have him here as a GM.
Another guy Id love here is Josh. Hes a very good Gm that knows OOTP well. Hed help with a lot of stuff around the league including Draft editor and possible helping us do Free Agency compensation draft picks. Pretty sure he knows how to use the schedule editor too. Both would be amazing additions.
1. Obviously its been a rough year for you. Does a year like this make you second guess your preparation for assembling a team? What moves should you have made in the off-season to make this season more successful?
Yeah this season has been crazy. A 100 win wild card team to having one of the worst records around is not something I expected to see. I knew I was taking a couple steps back with a few of the frenzy trades I made to cut salary, but I never imagined this team would be this bad with most of my core still here. The start of the season was ridiculous. My entire lineup didn't hit at all for over a full month. Then, Wright started to pick it up, but the team hasn't been much better. I dunno why.
The competition definitely got better. I will say that, but with what I consider to be 3 very solid SP's and a decent lineup, I thought a .500 team would be the worst possibility, but it wasn't meant to be. People underachieve and there's only so much that can be done after putting a team together. I feel like I made more moves than I wanted to and only because of the frenzy. Leon White and Glaus were solid and I may have kept both of them, but I wanted those frenzy trades to get to 8 trades, so those were 2 people I sacrificed for what I thought was the greater good of the Rockies. It doesn't make me second guess my preparation. It's not like I'm gonna go about everything completely differently now because I work with what I know and that's all anyone can really do.
I think the frenzy fucked up a lot of people. I know it did me. Sometimes you get so focused on a reward you make poor decisions. Pretty dumb overall but it happens. I think you have nice talent but your offense just isn't good enough. I think you've overpaid for some mediocre offensive talent and that will continue to hold you back. Really no ay you shouldn't have 9 .800 OPS guys. I think in your stadium its a must. I do like your core 3 or 4 players though. I think maybe you should re look at your ability to judge your own team a bit though. I think most people saw you as th 4th best team in the NL West but you were pretty adamant youd be in the playoffs. Must be something there.
2. It seems like your were reluctant in your late attempt to sell players. Do you feel like you have a solid core? DO you really think this year was bad circumstance instead of mediocre talent?
It's not being reluctant. It's about making sure I get what I feel I deserve in exchange for trading certain players. I've made a few too many bad trading decisions in the past and I guess in a way, I'm trying to redeem myself by hopefully being on the winning end of more trades in the future to sorta even the score. I try to be as cautious as I can and sometimes, I don't even trust myself in making trade decisions and that's probably at least part of the reason why it may looked like I was reluctant to make more moves. I got offers from people, but felt I could get more and wasn't ready to give up on that and just give in to others. To retool successfully, I can't just trade players just to trade them. I gotta get what I can for anyone significant and make sure any such deals were worthwhile.
Makes sense. Mid-season isn't the time to get value. Its the time to sell cheap. So maybe you made the right move in not moving your big guns just yet. Wait until the off-season when young teams are buying trying to win. Move salary before Free Agency so you have room to add players for free. Dump salary gain spects. Sign vets with that open salary space. Good plan. Plus I really think the key for you is to get cheap offense. You can get tons of defensive challenged guys that will rake in your park. I know I plan to try and move some salary in the beginning of the ofseason and add Free Agents. I really need to shake things up this offseason too.
3. List your top 5 players in term of value. Tell me why you like them, what they offer and what you'd want if you were to trade them?
I'd have to go with Hart first because he's a sick catcher with brilliant homers and A/A running/stealing. That's 50/50 potential year in and year out. He's a huge stud. It would take a lot to move him. Multiple stud spects and 1-2 1st round picks at least. Probably more if possible.
Gabbard would be next because of his nice ratings, A duration, a cheap contract and very good character ratings as well. He's also a lefty and there aren't many greatest lefty SP's around. I feel he's worth at least a top-mid level 1st and a stud spect, if not more.
I guess in no particular order, Weeks, Taguchi and Lackey would round out the top 5. Each of them are very solid players. Weeks and Taguchi are in their primes and Lackey is probably nearing the end of his prime, but I think he's got a few more good seasons left in him. Each of them would be worth at least one very solid spect. Not necessarily a stud, but someone really good. Maybe a little board cash as well or something else worthwhile.
Didn't include Wright because he is franchised, so he will play out his new extension here, which starts in 2011.
I love Wright, Hart and Gabbard. Id love to get Hart and Gabbard somehow this off-season. Unlikely but I think they'd add a ton for me. Gabbard is someone I think would flourish in a home park not named Coors. I really think Hart and Wright will put up nasty career numbers if they stay with you. Weeks was a solid pickup and Taguchi is fun but they aren't really star core type players. Surprised they aren't playing better. Once again though unless all your starters are hitting +800 OPS you will have problems. You should always be a top 2 offensive team.
4. List 5 guys you are severely disappointed in. Tell me what you expected from each one and if you think they can rebound next year.
Obviously very disappointed in Hart. Yes Miguel Cabrera was hands down the obvious NL MVP last season, but Hart was among the top 3-5 contenders too. He had a sick season last year. 40/40 for a catcher is amazing. And now, he's been a shell of himself this season. The power and steals took a while to appear and the average hasn't been up to par. Hopefully, it's just a down year and he will bounce back next season.
Gabbard has been disappointing too. I really felt he'd take it to the next level after that TIA, but like the rest of this team, he has really struggled. However, he is only 27 and I got faith he will bounce back next season. He has grown into his new ratings, but now the development needs to turn into much better results.
Endy has been terrible this season. He's still stealing bases, but that average is horrendous. I guess he's starting to decline and I'm stuck with him for 2 more seasons. Ugh.
I had some hope Mike Bacsik would be a nice addition to my pen, but he has sucked as well. I'm probably gonna be forced to move him to the rotation for the rest of the season now that the aging Paul Wilson completely fell apart.
John Patrick was terrible before I traded him, but the 5th player has to be on my roster at this very moment, I guess Joel Piniero has been disappointing too. I threw a lot of money at him a few offseasons ago in hopes he would really strengthen my pitching, but instead, he's been inconsistent since arriving here. The only really good thing he has done this season is eat innings, which is nice, but it would be even better if he was pitching more effectively.
Endy is horrible. Such a bad pickup. I thought hed be a better fit too but hes soo bad. So expensive too. Play is pretty good about talking up players and selling high. Its really too bad youre stuck with him for so much longer. Patrick was always kinda overrated. Lots of those well rated KC guys just sucked. Pineiro too. They seemed to have so much talent but all the players from the contraction draft were overrated. I think you need to focus on homers more. Try and stack up 9 or 10 in homers. Who cares about speed or range. Just homers and fielding %. Its worth a chance right?
5. With the NL being so dominant and the NL West being on an upswing have you considered getting your picks back and lying low for a bit? Don't you think maybe taking 3-5 years to get your finances in order, stockpile spects and picks maybe even re work your ball park, is a good idea? Why? Why not?
I'd love to do all that and stock up stadium cash in particular in an effort to eventually upgrade my market size. An average market isn't bad, but it's like if I really want to compete regularly and be able to afford big contracts without constantly needing to trade for a ton of in-game cash every offseason, I'd need a better market. I wasn't as lucky to have max stadium cash right away like Stutter and DRowe. Those were huge "get out of jail" like opportunities for them and again, I wasn't as fortunate to be stocked with stadium cash back then.
But yeah the NL West is deep. And I know that they are among my main competition, but I gotta say it is nice to finally see my good friend Darell having some success with the Diamondbacks and hopefully for his own sake, Dale will be able to soon get somewhere with the Dodgers. I wish him luck as well. I'd love to get my picks back, but I know I'd have to overpay for them and it's probably not worth it just to get them back.
Draft picks are unpredictable. You may hope to get that stud who can be a cornerstone player for many years, but it doesn't always work out. Josh Johnson was originally a bust for me when I traded him away, even though he now somewhat decent with the Jays. Look how the Felix pick turned out for Steve. It's a crap shoot to see what picks turn out to be worthwhile in the long run. I hope to stock up on spects and picks, but I'm gonna be patient with the process as well and not try to set unreasonable expectations for myself like I did in 2002 and 2003. I tried to win then too soon and I've learned from that. If more patience will help the cause, then so be it.
I think bumping up your market would help. Also making your stadium slightly more even as well. I think mostly you just need to get some more financial stability. Adding some in game cash and trying to get some better younger players should help you long term. Not the worst idea to take your time before you compete again.Im really considering it myself. Id need to go get my picks back which is never a good idea. But I think the Marlins are beast. The Cubbies, As and Braves are close. I dont think many other teams have a chance for the next 3-5 years.
6. Seems like you've been distancing yourself from the DRowe/Break/DanChevy situations. Is this a real thing, or not? Is it something you are conscientiously doing? If so why?
I'm not trying particularly hard to distance myself from all that. It's like Break and DRowe are close real life friends. They got their own shit going on, their own inside jokes and what not. Break and I both have found our own ways to get the trolls to troll us for different shit. I feel like he has matured and learned from it over time and I feel like I have as well. DRowe is quieter, but I feel like he tries to really avoid any controversy and arguments because he's just that kind of person that doesn't enjoy dealing with stuff like that and being involved in it.
As for Danchevy, he made that colossal mistake here with running 2 teams, and I've moved on from it and most likely everyone did as well, but I don't forget what he did and the fact that he kept it a secret even from Break, Darell and myself because he's known the 3 of us for over 3 years. Break and I asked him questions about that topic and he kept dodging them. It's like I'm cool with him now generally speaking, but again, I will never forget what he did.
Generally speaking, I'm not trying to cause incidents and arguments. I'm just trying to do my own thing and mainly worry about what I need to do and not care as much about the things that others should be doing as well. Everyone's got their own agendas, and if they're slacking, it's their problem and not something I should worry about.
It doesn't do you any harm to distance yourself from these guys. Right or wrong the get a lot of negative commentary about them and being connected to that isn't good. You're a solid member of BBSBL and you shouldn't be dragged down by what those guys do. Whether its a conscious effort or not its a good idea.
7. Obviously your personality type lends itself for constant activity. BBSBL is good for you. Gives you an outlet. You get teased here and in other leagues for being too active. How does that make you feel? Do you take it to heart?
My personality lends itself to constant activity because I post a ton in an effort to get more board cash. That's the kind of person I am. When I see something that's easy to earn with minimal effort, I go all out with it. Not just here, but in other hobbies and aspects in life. For example, I still play this stupid golf game called Shot Online and periodically, there are these "daily attendance" events where you get a free item just for logging on. Even though I barely play that game anymore, I will still log on for those events just to get the free item. I don't even need anything in that game anymore, but my compulsions to make the most of every opportunity to get free stuff are enough to log on and get the item and then log right back off.
The same goes with every forum event here. This league offers so many opportunities to earn more board cash and other rewards. To me, it's like a sin if I don't participate in every worthwhile event that is here. I cannot stand missing out on easy opportunities to earn worthwhile stuff. I like rewards generally speaking. It gives me motivation to do things and be more productive. It's like I don't do things in life just to do them. I always try to see if there is something to gain from anything I do. If there is nothing to earn, then I'm less motivated to work for something.
The "being too active" comments are nothing new. Everyone either thinks I'm on here more than I actually am (I rarely log off when going afk during the day) or they exaggerate just to troll. I don't really care about it though. I make my choices and live my life and if someone else doesn't approve, they can eat a dick. I probably set higher activity expectations on myself than others do for themselves, but I just know that with my addictive personality, I can earn as much as I need to be what I hope is a productive GM. Do I have more free time than most people? Yeah I do. But even if I didn't, I'd still put in a ton of effort because that's what I do for any passionate hobby I have. I go all out because that's what I know. That's who I am.
Sim leagues require people being active. Obviously, it's much better to be very active than barely active. And it's not like there's a limit to being really active or anything either. It would be considered being that much more active. "Too active" just doesn't make any grammatical sense at all. It's a not real phrase people could successfully use to make a valid point.
Ya. I think you do a great job of being as active as possible. You always participate in extras and freebies. You post a ton. You do articles. You do jobs when you can. It really allows you to have a little more success than you normally would. Board cash is huge. I need more of it to compensate for my bad trades as well. HA! But ya when you make mistakes having that extra board cash to throw around makes everything easier.
8. On multiple occasions, you've said that you are on the Autistic spectrum. How does it affect your day to day life? Are sim leagues a good hobby for people on the spectrum?
It is what it is pretty much. I can't hide from it. It's who I am and I gotta embrace it. Like I've said, it's a mild form of Autism that I have. I won't say the exact diagnosis, but if anyone is familiar with Aspergers (which has become more commonly understood over the years), think of someone with that, but with slightly lesser academic potential and slightly more social potential. That's where I fit in.
When I was a kid, I wasn't that comfortable with being who I was because it always looked like all the other kids around me had more going for them socially in particular. But with time, I grew more comfortable and understanding of myself and my peers got friendlier and more understanding as well. It wasn't always smooth sailing though. Some people gave me a hard time and back then, I took it to heart because I didn't understand jokes from serious statements that well.
I could recognize obvious jokes, but more often than not, it was tough for me to notice the difference. So it's like back then, I felt people went after me for no reason just to be temporarily entertained and feel better about themselves, but years later, I realized everyone did the same stuff to each other, but they kept going at me because I was one of the few that got angry with the teasing and jokes. Realizing the role I had in social situations in middle school and high school all by myself without ever having any such discussions with my parents or anyone else was one of the happiest, proudest and most gratifying moments of my life. It made me feel so much better about myself.
But I didn't learn all this immediately right after high school. Or in the 2 plus of college I did from 2008-2010. It was here in BBSBL that I finally understood what I was desperately trying to figure out for nearly 20 years. After all the trolling certain individuals did and even still do today, it took one huge rant toward Styro for some of the NC guys to give me the greatest advice ever. And all they really said in a nutshell was to not worry about what anyone else thinks of me, but to only care what I think of myself. Seeing those words brought me to tears because I felt so happy that I was worrying about something I never even needed to worry about in the first place.
To answer that final question, sim leagues are good for people on the spectrum because if they are passionate historical baseball fans like myself, they will really embrace the way in which people can connect with baseball history and go through the past again, but of course with many different variables. This isn't the same as MLBDH for me. That game was 1 of a kind and most likely, no other game will ever be even very similar to it, but this is as good of a replacement for MLBDH as anything because it's historical and I can still connect with baseball's great history. The fact that the people here that I've known for 3 years can have this same experience as well makes it that much better and getting know everyone else here has been fun as well.
Ive always kinda wanted to get into this. Its obvious youve made strides recently in not allowing certain things to get to you. Im happy about that. Its good to see growth from people and Im happy you are more comfortable in your own skin. Its a big step as a grown up. Fuck everyone else. Just be happy.
9. Obviously you're a big Mets fan. Name 5 real life Mets you'd like to get. Either younger guys currently in the league or guys coming up in future drafts. Name the 5 and then why you'd want them. Also give them your talent ratings if you had made them.
Erbes got both Syndergaard and deGrom in the last draft. I'd of course like to have them if possible. I probably would've made Syndergaard G/G/B/B/B because he's got the HR/9 rating to qualify for brilliant homers and the BB/9 rating isn't too far off from brilliant as well. His consistency rating should've definitely been higher, but oh well. deGrom I think should have gotten brilliant homers again because of the awesome HR/9 rating he has had in his rookie season, but everything else for him looks accurate.
With only a few real life drafts to go, I guess the real Mets spects I'm most excited to see are Brandon Nimmo, Kevin Plawecki and Dominic Smith. Nimmo of course is coming up in the 2011 draft. He looks about right as is. Maybe good hits, but a TIA of course can solve that.
Plawecki will be in the 2012 draft. He's a solid catcher that can hit and his power is developing. He also walks a lot, so I'd go with probably G/G/P/A/B/B based off his minor league stats. E/E speed/stealing. A range behind the plate and maybe a C arm. He's played some 1B as well, so he should be eligible there from the start. Maybe C range there.
Smith is a lefty 1B/OF who the Mets got in the 2013 draft. Scouting reports stated he has a lot of power, but he hasn't shown it just yet in Single A. The potential could still be there though. G/B/F/A/A/G and D/D speed/stealing would be good for him at this point. He's only played 1B so far, but maybe he spends more time in the outfield next year. C/D range at 1B I guess.
I think I made both Syndergaard and deGrom. I figured those would be guys you wanted. Both are pretty nice young SPs and thats the Mets strength now. Those young starters look good. Erbes might deal both isnt he a Yankee fan? God it would suck to be a Yankee or Met fan. Im pretty happy I live in California.
10. BBSBL is running like a machine. But machines need tweaks. Name one thing you'd change to make BBSBL better. Be specific.
I'm very satisfied with the direction BBSBL is going. I didn't like the tanking penalties that much and the changes happened. I like the 2nd PD reversal over the freezing of 1st year players, so that's been good as well.
The one particular change I'd like to see has to do with the timing of making PD reversals. I understand the principle of people being active and making the reversals right when they happen. However, we are now on a faster sim schedule than ever before, and unfortunately, not everyone can keep up with the pace. Thus, I believe every PD reversal should be given 3-5 sims before they are considered too late to be done. You never know if something were to happen to someone that would cause them to not be able to access the internet and this forum for a period of time. So at least a 3-sim period to make each PD reversal would be really great to see and would certainly make some of the less active GM's happier.
I disagree. I think we need less reversals so making the time period longer is counter productive. If a GM is away for a good reason the simmers allow for a reversal. I don't think we want to make ratings higher in any way, and allowiong for a longer period to reverse will only make ratings higher.
11. If you had to quit one of your other leagues, GABL or HOFFBL which would it be? Why?
First off, you forgot LBB lol. But this is a no-brainer. GABL is horrible. The schedule is slower than molasses. The general level of talent there is terrible. There are so few studs. Crazy PD's happen too often. Spects tend to die quickly and most of the GM's there are barely around. It's a disaster to say the least. The old school veteran GM's there are old farts that are hard asses about trolling and things they don't like. K pretty much has become a dictator and the way he deals with complaints and others disagreeing with him has been very poor. More often than not, he gets defensive and starts argument than actually trying to work out solutions that could make everyone happy. GABL is still gonna exist, but it's always gonna suck and I'd drop it in a heartbeat compared to BBSBL, HOFFBL and LBB.
As for HOFFBL, Chris has done an awesome job with that league. Yes, there isn't as much constant activity, being that half the GM's there are from GABL, but Chris is a 100x better commissioner than K. There is no comparison really. Chris is so detail oriented with the job he does and that's one of the main things that I love about what he has done with HOFFBL. He got one chart after another on the forum and stays on top of everything. It's a fun league that also has reward camps, even though they are not as deep. But I love his PD reversal system. It really helps keep great players lasting longer. The time period that we are in there is also fun. Eventually, there will be expansions and more openings and I have no doubt that it will not be tough at all to recruit new GM's there.
Don't worry Darell. I'm not leaving LBB out of this. LBB is also a fun league that I enjoy and it's only 7 seasons ahead of HOFFBL in time. So in a way, I can use LBB drafts to get a general feel of what each HOFFBL draft will be like once we get there. Darell has done a very good job with that league. He forgets to do a few things here and there, but despite the arguments with Lierman brothers, among other things, he has been a very good commish and has kept the league going quite successfully. The draft lottery is a very unique idea that he brought there to discourage tanking and to be honest, it's not bad. Darell is not as experienced with commishing compared to other commishes we have gotten to know, but he has been a quick learner and again, has done very well with LBB.
Whats LBB? JK! Ya but really, is that league still going. Ha. Poor Darell. Ya, obviously you'd quit GABL Its pretty bad and HOFFBL is pretty good. You've done a great job in HOFFBL I wonder if you have regrets leaving your stellar PITT franchise? But ya GABL is horrible. I mean its just so slow, its run pretty poorly and its a ghost town. Its painful just looking at the forum. It weas a pretty good league at one point too. Sad stuff.
12. Bring one GM in here to replace one of our inactive GMs. Who would it be? Why?
This is tough. I feel like if someone wanted to join this league, they already would have made an account and signed up. Even though he probably doesn't have the time anymore to commit to multiple leagues, I'd love see Chris return. He was a very good fit here. His Astros were quite successful in the 7 or 8 seasons he was here for and personality-wise, he blended in very well with everyone generally speaking. He looked like he really enjoyed this league and he took quite a few aspects from BBSBL into mind when creating HOFFBL. The rewards there for posting, writing articles and all the reward camps all came from BBSBL. He changed them up a bit, but still, the general concepts all originated from his time here.
I've never been one to say that certain GM's definitely should get booted or anything. I mean unless they do something completely out of line...then it's a different story. But despite my drunken argument with Crazy Mike last night, I'd go with Kobe. Kobe has pretty much disappeared here. He wanted to do that rebuild to prove to everyone he could win on his own, but it has taken a while and he's gotten too frustrated with it. He has since developed a cocaine addiction and more than likely, the Expos' recent struggles had an effect on this coke binge he has been on. But ever since that 2004 World Series he won, his activity has been declining. He tried to become a big troll like Styro, but then would be seen hiding in the corner when someone else would call him out. That's not how it works at all.
And now that he isn't around, what does Kobe really bring to the table anymore? Aside from some random college football posts, pretty much nothing. Again, I'm not one that would enjoy booting people here, but if I had to think of the most useless GM here right now, it's Kobe. He's in too deep with his coke addiction to even care about this league or anything else in his life anymore. Maybe he will try to get help at some point.
Chris would be a great re addition. Hes a very good Gm with a very good personality. He did a great job in Houston and his absence pretty much killed that franchise. Its really too bad he had the itch to start HOFFBL. As much as I love that league I think Id rather have him here as a GM.
Another guy Id love here is Josh. Hes a very good Gm that knows OOTP well. Hed help with a lot of stuff around the league including Draft editor and possible helping us do Free Agency compensation draft picks. Pretty sure he knows how to use the schedule editor too. Both would be amazing additions.