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Q: Who is the Schlemiel?
A: I am a 67 year old man who tries to do things right but screws it up each and every time -- hence, schlemiel
Q: How did you learn about whatifsports.com?
A: That is a fine question, but I plead oldheimers disease because I just don't recall.
Q: Which games of ours have you played?
A: Sim baseball and football and HBD. Came to Evangeline thru Kbrick's AAA league (probably following vdaino - going to beat him one of these days.)
Q: Besides sports, what are some of your other interests and hobbies?
A: Backpacking with background of wildlife and range management. Women.
Q: Which five people, past or present sit at your dream roundtable discussion?
A: The Lord Jesus (OMG), Carol my deceased wife, Lonna my murdered fiance, St. John of the Cross, and Al Kaline
Q: Who are your favorite players of all-time?
A: Al Kaline, Bob DiPietro (a minor league 3b), Willie Mays, Y.A. Tittle, Greg Minton (load the bases 1st then get them out - lights on closer).
Q: Which are your favorite teams of all-time?
A: '53 and '84 49ers, '55 SF Seals, all Giants good and bad.
Q: Did you play baseball or basketball (or other sports) growing up?
A: baseball and some football. Lots of tennis out of high school.
Q: What is the top sports-related thing you want to do in life that you have not yet done?
A: Win the California State 65-70 Mens Tennis
Championship. Tour the 4 grand slam tournaments in one year.
Q: What would you consider your greatest WIS moment?
A: Breaking a eleven game losing streak even more than the World Championship.
Q: In Hardball Dynasty, how do allocate your budget?
A: Growing up before free agency I still try to emulate those days, so am more loyal to my players than real life is now. So, I sign my core to long term contracts and allocate that to my player budget with 3 million extra. Get max scouting all departments except international which I avoid (too costly), training more and more.
Q: How do you approach off-season events with players such as arbitration and free agency?
A: I don"t yet allow enough players to go into free agency until they approach ages just over 32. Core players I sign longterm, others I let go thru arbitration and take those as they come. I rarely sign free agents for the Major club but fill in the minors thruout the season.
Q: What is your general strategy for hiring/re-hiring coaches?
A: Generally rehire to avoid hassle and frustration. Generally stress hitting coaches in pitcher home parks and pitching in hitter parks. Sometimes wait till end to pick up pretty good talent.
Q: How do you finalize rosters at each level? What role does spring training play in your decision making?
A: Good spring training stats consideration in first call to majors, parttime for major plyrs to avoid injury. Watch who computer selects for particular situations off the bench or bullpen. Promotion based on merit as well as talent and letting 3A older players leave determine roster levels.
Q: What is your basic strategy for setting your starting lineups and pitching rotation?
A: Use APBA technique: 1) on base % and speed and SB success. 2) Bat control and speed to avoid double plays and enable hit and run and sacrifice. 3)Best all around hitter on team for rbi - should not be slow speed. 4) Very good power and on base % to lead off an inning. 5) High average hitter to bat in leavings. 6) hitter with more power than #7 ) (and maybe even #5). 8)on base % and SB success to set up sacrifice by pitcher.
Start with best 5 rotation. Observe quality starts and make adjustments. Sometimes drop down to 4 man rotation and back to 5 towards end of season. For me, many good relievers because I tend to end up with quality but not great stamina starters.
Q: What do you believe are the most important individual player ratings for performance?
A: For batters power (groundballs thru the infield travel faster for power bats and thus more singles than same ball hit by low power bat) and batting eye combined with pushpull. For pitchers patience rating (home runs seem to occur more often by pitcher challenging the batter early in the count with to good a pitch) and control with lefty-righty almost as important.
Q: How do you approach in-season player events like the draft, international prospects, waivers and promotions/demotions?
A: I love prepping the draft knocking down for injury, no control, difficult to sign potentials. I don't mess with internationals directly - let someone else sign them. I check waivers every cycle especially for minor league critical positions. Promotions made infrequently during season when obvious mismatch develops. Demotions rarely also, except into rookie league roster. Otherwise, promotions at end of season or beginning of next depending upon money available.
Q: 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?
A: My strategy develops a team into a every year dynasty capable of attaining new lows each subsequent year. More trading or free agent adroitness would help but goes against my baseball old time (never thought I would say that) roots.
Q: Do you have any favorite players from any of your HBD teams?
A: Each of my teams seem to have maybe two - no coincidence they do well which helps. Always a fan.....lol
Q: How much time do you spend on your Hardball Dynasty teams? How much do you think is necessary to be competitive?
A: I have time usually to spend about 10 minutes per team per cycle and do. The change in the minors they made allowing several players to be switched in or out at the same time allowed me to buy into another world.
Q: Who are the users you respect the most?
A: Vdaino because I am always looking at his backside in the standings it seems. Actually all of them that sustain themselves thru the difficult times. Like in tennis which I teach - there is little sympathy but a whole lot of empathy.
Q: What is your favorite aspect of HBD?
A: The building of teams in the minors and watching the progress on their cards.
Q: 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?
A: Coaching so can hire a manager at the major level for 3 years with several subcoaches associated with him, and perhaps one coach position missing occasionally allowing promotion of minor league coaches. Second, scouting which misses ratings (what was the name of that dodger catcher- Giants fan here) and allows a top prospect to be way down in the draft and upon signing realization is made that guy has major league potential. Third, a ruling that allows me to have a 151 game lead on Vdaino before the season gets underway.
Q: If you were in one of our games, which sport would you play? At which position? And, what would you be rated?
A: I would be a bench coach in this league at the major level roasting opponents, moving my fielders around to parts of the dugout where the beer can be found, intercepting opponent signs as to where their beer can be found, and otherwise being my usual obnoxious good self.
