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Who is Philpitt?
Phil W., 51-year-old sports journalist now living in Mandeville, La. Just outside New Orleans. Originally from Pittsburgh and spent grade-school years living in Oregon until moving to Louisiana about 40 years ago, the past 24 in the N.O. area. Lifelong Pirates, Steelers, Penn State and Lakers fan. Saw first major league game at Forbes Field in 1968 (Pirates lost to Reds in 13 innings).
How did you learn about whatifsports.com?
From co-workers who appeared to be having a good time with it. I started in 2002.
Which games of ours have you played?
Used to play baseball sim theme leagues and AAA leagues until moving up to HBD. I have one HBD team right now, which is about all I have time for.
Besides sports, what are some of your other interests and hobbies?
My wife and kids -- son age 7 and daughter 6. (Also have son who's 27 from first marraige.) Pretty much full-time job keeping up with their school and extracurricular activities. Also have extensive collection of baseball cards and enjoy walking, bike riding and working in yard. I know, ZZZZZZZZ. Big Coors Light fan (I love to vent!).
Which five people, past or present, sit at your dream roundtable discussion?
George W. Bush, Shaquille O'Neal, Joe Paterno, Rush Limbaugh and Jessica Simpson (minus Romo).
Who are your favorite players of all-time?
Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell. So glad I got to see them play in their prime. Clemente still had a few good years left at the time he died.
Which are your favorite teams of all-time?
1971 Pirates were really good, but '79 We-Are-Family Pirates are by far my favorite. What a bunch of characters. The Lumber Company. Pops, Scrap Iron, The Hitman, Sanguillen, the Candy Man, cocaine-snortin' Dave Parker, just to name a few. The guy was a hell of a player before he got hooked on that stuff. Steelers' Super Bowl teams of the '70s evoke great memories; Penn State 82 and 86 national championship teams were strong. 1994 Penn State team was probably best of all but got voted out of title. Still kind of burns me.
Did you play baseball or basketball (or other sports) growing up?
Played Football, basketball, baseball and track (discus) until junior year in high school, then just concentrated on basketball and baseball. Played several years of American Legion and one year of semi-pro baseball but gave it up when I had to find a way to make a living.
What is the top sports-related thing you want to do in life that you have not yet done?
I really want to get back to Pittsburgh to see a game at PNC Park, it looks wonderful. Dream of hitting lottery and buying Pirates and finally investing money in some quality players to stop this ridiculous damn string of losing seasons.
What would you consider your greatest WIS moment?
I thought winning World Series in Season 5 would be hard to top. That season I swept through the playoffs (11-0). But winning World Series last season (Season 8) after trimming more than $20 million in payroll was extremely satisfying -- and shocking!
In Hardball Dynasty, how do allocate your budget?
Early on I used a lot on payroll to build up the lousy team I inherited. But now I am leaning more toward prospect payroll, training and medical. It's tough to nail down because situations can change from season to season.
How do you approach off-season events with players such as arbitration and free agency?
I try to lock up any arbitration players worth a darn long-term by second arbitration season. I've been known to just release some arbitration guys whose salary was exceeding their worth. ... I haven't signed any major free agents in quite a while.
What is your general strategy for hiring/re-hiring coaches?
I try to allow enough in the budget for coaches without going overboard. $15 million might be the most I alot for it. I welcome coaches who want to return if they have a proven record but usually it seems most want to leave no matter how much success they've had. I never pay more than minimum for minor league coaches.
How do you finalize rosters at each level? What role does spring training play in your decision making?
Spring training usually doesn't play much of a role, I usually know what I'm going to do before spring training. I go into most seasons knowing who my top 23 or 24 guys will be. In the minors I identify maybe 15 to 20 guys who I believe can play in the majors some day and concentrate on them. Rest of my minor league teams are usually full of garbage.
What is your basic strategy for setting your starting lineups and pitching rotation?
I am a big believer in a six-man rotation, especially at the major league level. I know it's hard sometimes to find six quality starters but even if sixth is just so-so, it seems the added day of rest for the other starters makes them more effective. I like speed and baserunning ability at top of order, of course, and always like to have guys with good batting eye ratings high in lineup. The top five guys in my current lineup have batting eye ratings over 90.
What do you believe are the most important individual player ratings for performance?
Once again, I love guys with high batting-eye ratings. I also like high R/L ratings. And both have to be about the same. I don't like guys that are good on one side and lousy on the other. They must be consistent on both sides. For pitchers I have to have good control ratings and again a good R/L rating with both being similar. No one-sided guys.
How do you approach in-season player events like the draft, international prospects, waivers and promotions/demotions?
I haven't had a whole lot of luck in draft recently but I usually have settings set to try to take the best players on the board. I try to grab at least one stud international prospect each season, even if they cost $13, 14, 15 million. I see it as the best way to build for the future. I will usually waive a player if he's out of options and I want to demote him or if I'm trying to drop some salary. Promotions/demotions are strictly based on performance or injuries.
Do you think your strategy will be conducive to building a multi-season dynasty? Or, do you feel that your team may be great for a couple seasons, but then must rebuild?
I hope it's a plan for having a competitive team for many years. I want to avoid rebuilding years. I plan to be in this for the long haul.
Do you have any favorite players from any of your HBD teams?
Johnny Hughes was an original Steelhead and was MVP in Seasons 1 and 2. He was a stud then. Never got tired and came through in clutch more often then not. I remember winning a game 11-10 in which he hit four solo homers. ... John Hernandez is another stud. I traded for him and right away won World Series in Season 5. He won MVP next season and then I traded him for three key guys who helped me win Season 8 WS. Two of the greatest players in Evangeline League history.
How much time do you spend on your Hardball Dynasty teams? How much do you think is necessary to be competitive?
I try to check in each cycle (a few minutes each time) but the bulk of my time spent on this is in the overnight hours, after I get home from work. ... I would figure 30 minutes a day at least is needed to do it right.
Who are the users you respect the most?
sbarrouquerre and kbrick used to beat me unmercifully in the sim leagues when I started, but I learned from it. They are still pretty tough to beat. I have enjoyed my dealings with Phillyfan and nordique, I admire their passion.
What is your favorite aspect of HBD?
Just being able to shape your team season after season. I always hated it in the AAA leagues that when I had a good team it would be gone after one season.
What is your least favorite aspect of Hardball Dynasty? As it is still a relatively new game, if you could change three things about HBD, what would they be?
The coach hiring process just doesn't make sense. You should not have to budget/spend that much on coaches. One thing I would change is the interleague schedule. Why do we play the same teams every season? They should be able to mix it up. Another annoying thing is when a draftee asks for a certain amount and you offer it to him and maybe more and he still turns you down.
If you were in one of our games, which sport would you play? At which position? And, what would you be rated?
HBD. I'd have to play in the AL because DH is about all I could do now. But I still bet I could hit a little. I can't begin to guess my overall rating but I would have a good contact rating with decent power and equally effective against righties and lefties. My baserunning and speed rating, however, would be zero. As would my defensive ratings if I ever had to play in the field.
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