From
the Commissioner’s Desk – Online Edition
By Brandon Simpson – VBL4 Commissioner
BS: For
this edition of "From the Commissioner's Desk" I decided to interview
a veteran of the VBL family, Sam Ghnaim, owner of the Millbrae Meatballs.
Sam, I bet a lot of people don't know this, but you've been a part of the VBL
family for quite some time now, even longer than me. I know you were a
member of VBL1, a great league. Tell us about your experiences there
SG: I was introduced to VBL1 by a co-worker at the time, Scott
Slaby. He was one of the original owners of VBL1, I think.. That most
have been close to 12 years ago. Scott & I worked at EA Sports together, on
a baseball game called Triple Play. We actually might be hidden players
in the game for that year's version, don't remember for sure. Anyhow,
with growing up playing baseball, as well as getting into baseball video games
since they first started to be introduced, as far back as the Atari 2600 days.
I thought I would be well prepared for VBL1 baseball. Not the case to say the
least. Was a great league, challenging, competitive, with a great bunch of owners. Enjoyed
everything about it. Eventually moved on from EA Sports, and introduced VBL1 to
a current co-worker, Rich Ryall, who's in the VBL3 league now.
BS: Rich is one of the VBL3’s best
owners and the league’s defending champs, for those who don’t know him. What else can you tell us about yourself?
SG: I'm a San Francisco native.. Love everything about the city, and the
Bay Area all together. Grew up a Giants, Warriors, and Niners fan. Played
baseball a lot growing up, tell about my first year in college. Now it's
softball a couple nights a week, and basketball at times. First job out
of college was at EA Sports, worked there for about a year, tell I moved on to
my current company, which is based out of Foster City. Live in Millbrae now,
with my girlfriend, which is about 10 minutes outside SF, near the SFO
Airport. Mainly a dog person, but kind of inherited a couple of cats a
few years ago, with one of them being named Meatball.. There, the team name
Millbrae Meatballs came about.
BS: I can remember when I started VBL4 and I
was desperately needing some reliable members. I e-mailed those who had
been in VBL1 to see if they wanted a spot, and you were one of the few who
accepted. What made you join VBL4?
SG: VBL1 came to an end kind of suddenly, and at a time when I
finally thought my team would have a chance to compete, after many years of
not. Some time passed since the VBL1 days, then one day, I saw Rich Ryall
(we work together), a VBL3 owner, working on some of his league stuff, and it
reminded me of being part of VBL1. I literally saw Brandon's email about VBL4
just a few days after that. The timing was great, in addition to the baseball
sim that was going to be used, & starting from year baseball year of 1980.
BS: You were one of our earlier champions (1981)
and you are constantly in contention. Can you tell some of us, including
myself, what it's like to win a VBL championship? Many of us are still on
the outside looking in!
SG: Winning the championship in 81 was great, and well worth the
time/effort put into the league. Especially after winning 115 games
during the regular season.. Never know what's going to happen in the playoffs,
and that would have been a huge let down to win that many games during the
season, and not at least make the World Series.
BS: Owners who were around from the
beginning know that there were a lot of growing pains early on because I had
never been a commissioner and many of the guys were coming from the Sierra
Baseball Pro sim. What are some of the biggest strides you think the
league has made in its eight seasons?
SG: Constant willingess to make
adjustments for the better of the league. Being open to listening to
owners about positive changes to the league. The new Free Agent system, for
example, & realignment. Salary Cap being put into play as well. The
league just continues to grow & adjust for the better.
BS: As a veteran of Sierra sims and
now the OOTP 6.5 sim, how would you compare them, and which do you prefer?
SG: Prefer the OOTP 6.5 sim. Sometimes, for me, with the Sierra sim
used in VBL1, you had to rethink how to do things based on how the sim itself
played out, rather the game of baseball itself.
BS: You were actually referenced
recently on VBL3's mailing list. I believe it was by current VBL3
champion Rich Ryall, who talked about your consistent tinkering with your
lineups and how he learned a lot from you. With fatigue a non-factor due
to the elimination of the mysterious fatigue factor from OOTP 6.5 in VBL4, talk
a little bit about your philosophy for lineup changes in this league.
SG: Just like to try different things,
play around with certain hitter's spot in the lineup, seeing where they might
be most successful. Sometimes I experiment too much probably. Also, depends on
the team & pitchers the Meatballs might be facing in an upcoming series.
BS: You obviously have kept a lot of
your original players and made few trades. Your team-building style is
much more "passive," for lack of a better term, than many
owners. Describe your philosophy for building a winning franchise.
SG: Everyone has different styles I
guess. The end result being the only thing the matters, in my opinion,
and the Meatballs have been a playoff team almost every season. Sometimes
trading too much can hurt a team more then it can help. For me, like to build
around some core players, use free agency, and maybe the draft to balance the
team out. Made a few trades here and there. Really depends on a particular need
for that season, and a surplus the team might have in one area/position. Try to
keep it balanced basically, being competitive every year is the goal, but still
need to rebuild a bit at the same time, plan long term, etc. Timing is key, and
balancing the future success of the team, with the present.
BS: Who is your all time favorite
real-life player and your all-time favorite Millbrae player, and why?
SG: Favorite real-life player is 3B
Matt Williams.. He came up with the San Francisco Giants. I played 3B a
lot growing up, and kind of related to Williams.. Especially when he first came
up from the minors. He struggled a lot, shuttled back & forth to the
minors/majors, but improved his game, eventually came up to the majors for good
in the middle of the 1989 season. He had a huge impact on Giant's that season,
who ended up making it the "Earthquake" World Series that year.
Hitting behind Will Clark & Kevin Mitchell. Also, played a Gold Glove third
base. He actually came up playing SS, and started a game there in the 1989
World Series. Favorite all-time Millbrae player.. Dale Murphy.. Huge part of
Millbrae's success over the years. Power bat in the middle of the lineup, has
been a game changer.
BS: I have always wondered what
people like you who are quiet think about the craziness that is the VBL4
mailing list, so I ask you, what do you think of it?
SG: The craziness is entertaining to
say the least. It's part of what makes VBL4 the successful league it is.. You
also get to learn a bit more about other league members from those
emails. Some of the craziness is unnecessary of course... but most of it
is in good fun, and I don't mind it one bit.
BS: If you could be a fan of any other franchise on the game, whom would
it be and why?
SG: Fayetteville.. Definitely
pulling for them, have had many challenges in the past, but seem to be on the
right track, with some exciting young players. Just a fun team to watch
develop, & hopefully succeed. Reminds me of the Tampa Bay Rays story a bit.
BS: Millbrae appears to possibly have peaked. Would you agree
that the window of opportunity for this group has shut? What do you think
the next step is for Millbrae to be competitive?
SG: Peaked maybe, but definitely still
competitive.. I hope the window of opportunity hasn't closed, I don't think it
has.. To take Millbrae to the next competitive level, some young players
need to develop sooner rather then later.
BS: What is your favorite thing
about VBL4, and if you could change one thing, what would it be?
SG: Favorite thing about VBL4, the
passionate fun dedicated owners, & playing through the 80's baseball era in
which I grew up watching. If I could change one thing about VBL4, maybe
seeing more team press releases, especially some Meatball press releases, which
I haven't done enough of.
5/29/1987 – It was definitely Trade Day in VBL4, as you would have thought the trade deadline was hitting a bit early.
This day saw the likes of Ryne Sandberg, Wade Boggs, David Wells, Tom Glavine, and Cal Ripken, Jr. change hands. Unbelievable!
For this year’s first edition of “From the Commissioner’s Desk,” I decided to take a look at these trades and pick the winners and losers.
Trade #1 – Oaktown sends P Tom Gorman to Winnipeg for a second round pick.
This deal was pretty much even, I believe. Winnipeg needed some bullpen help, Oaktown is looking to rebuild, and Gorman was probably worth a second or third rounder. He was definitely worth a second rounder for Winnipeg; Jeff Schattinger was not getting it done in the pen, and Neil Allen has struggled. A win-win situation here, as it’s good to see division leader Winnipeg not sitting still despite their lead.
While this wasn’t particularly a blockbuster, Louisville sent a marginal relief prospect for a guy who could be a decent starter. If Hudson can give Louisville even a small amount of help now or later this should work out to be a good move for them, as Johnson probably won’t be great. No big winner or loser here, but I like this move for Louisville.
Trade #3 – Okolona sends P David Wells and 2B Randy Velarde to Oaktown for SS Cal Ripken, Jr. and P Eric King.
I’m a bit conflicted on this trade. Looking at Wells, I’m skeptical as to whether or not he’ll fulfill his potential. I think he’ll get better but he’ll never be great. I really like Velarde, though. I didn’t think he was ready, but he has performed well so far and could be the better player out of the two. Okolona gets Ripken, who signed a five-year extension for a very reasonable price in 1986, and King, who is a project but could be a lower-end starter someday. It’s hard to call a winner or loser, here, but I’ll give the nod to Oaktown because Velarde could actually be as good as or better than Ripken offensively if he develops and Wells, even if he doesn’t get as good as he could, should still be better than King. Kudos to Okolona, however, for getting a proven commodity at a very fair price.
Trade #4 –
Louisville sends their 1st and 2nd round draft picks
along with OF Ron Gant and C Tom Pagnozzi to Oaktown for 3B Wade Boggs, P Jamie
Cocanower, and Oaktown’s 3rd and 4th round draft picks.
Calling a winner or loser on this one will depend on how Oaktown uses the draft picks, but I have to think Louisville is the winner here. Recognizing they are in a real spot to make the playoffs this season, they picked up Boggs for a very reasonable price. I do think getting Gant was very good; with Gant Oaktown gets a good prospect who has plenty of time to develop. Pagnozzi isn’t much, though. The draft picks are a wait-and-see kind of thing, but I bet Shawn Hein is rooting against Louisville making the playoffs, which would put them in the lottery and give Hein a chance to really get something good with the picks. Louisville, meanwhile, gets Boggs, who has flirted with .400 all season thus far. He will be an immediate boost to Louisville, and you have to wonder if Vancouver will react and try to make a deal to offset this one. I’ll give Louisville the nod as the winner now because you never know how draft picks will turn out, but if Louisville fails to make the playoffs and Oaktown gets a shot at a high pick in the lottery, then I may have to reverse the decision. Even in that case who could fault Louisville for making this move?
Trade #5 – North Shore sends OF Luis Polonia, P Tim
Belcher, and P Scott Garrelts to Charleston for 1B Randy Johnson, OF Greg
Gross, P Tippy Martinez, and Rocky Mountain’s 2nd round draft pick.
This deal shows that North Shore has clearly not given up on this season despite being ten games back. Notice that the Thugs lose nothing offensively, at least in the present. They gain Johnson and Gross, proven guys who will definitely help boost the Thugs’ offense. They give up Tim Belcher, definitely the key in the deal, but gain closer Tippy Martinez, who needed a change of scenery as badly as North Shore needed to replace Bruce Sutter, who has struggled. If Sutter can find himself as he moves to the set up role, it should help North Shore immediately, but I don’t know if they have enough to compete this year, and that’s why I’ll give the winner of this trade to Charleston. I think Belcher will be solid, even if not spectacular, and looking at what else Charleston has for a rotation, I’m sure they’ll be happy with a guy who will be “solid” pitching from the #4 or #5 spot. Polonia is a nice prospect, as well. North Shore does get bonus points for getting a 2nd round pick that should be a pretty high one.
Trade #6 – Rocky Mountain sends their 2nd
round draft pick along with P Tom Glavine, P Rick Mahler, OF Mickey Rivers, 2B
Bump Wills, 2B Jeff Treadway, P Ron Davis, and P Randy Myers for 2B Ryne
Sandberg, 1B Franklin Stubbs, and P Bret Saberhagen.
I think there is no way you can’t say Charleston is the big winner on this trade. I really think Glavine, while he has struggled a bit this season, will be almost as good as Maddux. You now have a current rotation that features Clemens, Maddux, and Glavine along with Marty Bystrom and Rick Mahler. You have a future rotation that features the big three with possibly Terry Mulholland and Tim Belcher. The current Charleston rotation might be the best ever in VBL4; I would have to think about that. There is no question, though, that Charleston’s offense has taken a drop from last year. Their lineup last year featured Jim Rice, Darryl Strawberry, and Ryno, who are all gone now. Gone, too, are George South, Randy Johnson, and Greg Gross. Kris Lewis is taking some time in AAA to learn a new position. If you look at the Chew’s lineup right this minute, only Tom Herr was on the Charleston roster at the beginning of last season. (Von Hayes did arrive last May, though.) Other than that, it’s a new look and a new day in Charleston. With a reduced focus in offense and a heavy emphasis on great pitching, dare I say, without fearing for my own life, that Charleston is looking a bit like Brooklyn these days, at least in theory? Meanwhile, Rocky Mountain gets a guy whom they can build their franchise around and a guy I know Tom Gay really likes in Sandberg. What he has done here is basically exchange Glavine for Sandberg to build around. He parts with some decent young talent in Randy Myers and Jeff Treadway, not to mention a second round pick. However, while Rivers, Wills, Davis, and Mahler give Charleston an incredible amount of depth and immediate help, they really did not fit into Rocky Mountain’s long-term picture. Charleston gets GREAT value for Sandberg, but Rocky Mountain doesn’t give up too much of its future to get a guy they really covet. Overall Charleston is the overall winner here, though, even though they traded the best player in the game.
RL All Star Predictions – Starters Only
SP Greg Maddux – ChC
C George South - NY
1B Andres Galaragga - MUK
2B Kris Lewis – ChC
SS Shawon Dunston - WIN
3B Von Hayes - ChC
LF Barry Bonds – FAY
CF Chet Lemon - NY
RF Jim Eisenreich – WIN
DH Don Mattingly - ASB
AL All Star Predictions – Starters Only
SP Patrick Engle – BRO
C Dave Schmidt - OKL
1B Alvin Davis - PHI
2B Ryne Sandberg - RMB
SS Sam Grubb - OKL
3B Wade Boggs - LOU
LF Tony Gwynn - LOU
CF Eric Davis - CHA
RF Darryl Strawberry - OKV
DH Howard Johnson - LOU
Interview with Mike Branda – Charleston Chew Owner and VBL3 Commissioner
BS: Tell us a little
bit about yourself. It is rumored that you have a life outside of being a VBL
owner and running VBL3.
MB: Yeah, barely. I recently started working for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society out of Hartford, CT. My title is Team Relations Specialist… essentially I deal with all team captains who participate in our fundraising events. I am engaged, and getting married in June of 09, and I also have a dog. I've got a bachelor's and master's degree, and I'm a Penguins and Mets fan.
BS: I guess the first question on everyone's mind would pertain to Ryne Sandberg. What made you decide to trade the game's best player?
MB: Well, I won last year and didn't really have to sweat out the regular season at all. As fun as it sounds, it wasn't that fun. My team was almost too good. Sandberg is 27, in his prime right now without a doubt and he's making 17 mil until 1992 which I think is a fair contract. However, if you look at the talent in this league that has started to come up from the minors… hitters are a dime a dozen. Granted, he's still probably the best we'll ever see, but Sandberg isn't gonna help me get Bonds out in 3 years. Plus I never once considered dealing him in my league, and I think I sent him to a place he won't leave until 1992 for sure. Rocky Mountain got what he wanted, and I got what I wanted.
BS: You just made a trade to deal Bystrom and Mahler. Honestly I was a little surprised because, with the "Big Three" added in, Bystrom and Mahler rounded out a very nice rotation. Part of your deal was a first round pick, but you picked up Carmelo Martinez, too. I know Carmelo is going to start for you right away. The question is, why deal these two pitchers, and will this rescue All-Star caliber 2B Kris Lewis from AAA, where he is working on learning 1B?
MB: Bystrom and Mahler did compliment the staff quite nicely, but I have Belcher waiting to come off the DL and Mulholland is surely good enough to round out the rotation. The first round pick could be worth anything, I mean what if it's a top 5 pick and a 5 star starting pitcher is out there? Imagine 4, 5 star pitchers on one rotation for 6+ years! Lewis is staying down there until after this sim, if he doesn't learn 1B I may try the OF. I hate that he's a lefty, and if he wants an extension he'll have to learn a position suited for a lefty!
MB: For Terry it's how many trades he makes, that makes him the trade king. For me, it's the quality. Sure, gimme a break of course I want the best deal for my team…but once again, deals I make I get slammed for. How's Damaso and South hitting for New York right now? Guarantee you Damaso, South and Gooden do far more for NY than anything LA got for Davis.
BS: I know you don't want to give away all your secrets, but give us some insight about your philosophy on building a team in VBL4.
MB: I actually wing it. I drafted a win now team, and when I did win I was in the middle of a very busy time in my life with working in baseball, running vbl3 and ending college etc. So I rebuilt because I needed a little break… another thing people forget is there was no history for me to know how good boggs and gwynn would be when I traded for the picks. In fact, many could argue Gwynn to be a bust. I have 0 experience with OOTP so I kind of learn as I go. Last year's team is totally not the type of team I usually go for. I like speed, pitching and defense.
BS: Who is your all-time favorite Charleston player? I know some owners are very loyal. I know Josh De Borde of Deadwood will keep Quisenberry as his closer and sign Ed Ott to minor league contracts until both of them retire or die, he's so loyal to them. Any players on your roster you have a soft spot for like that?
MB: Not at all. I mean sure I like certain players, but I won't keep a player at the expense of my team. I always liked the fact that George South went from nothing to an all star while with my team. If I had to pick a favorite Chew right now, it'd probably be Faulkner.
BS: Your division
in VBL4 is certainly trailing you by a good margin with some teams
underachieving, notably your rival Asbury Park. Fayetteville has come
along nicely, though. Who is the biggest threat over the course of the
next five seasons: Fayetteville,
Asbury Park, or even Mukilteo?
MB: If Glenn keeps taking vacations during free agency, he'll never catch me. Dan P likes to talk shit to me because he has Bonds, but I have the weapons to get Bonds out. Without my 2 extensions I'm working on, my payroll next year will be around 40 million dollars. That's not a typo. I tried rebuilding by unloading everything, now I'm trying to rebuild and re-tool right away method. Dan P doesn't have the pitching to contend, until he has 2 pitchers that nobody wants to face… Glenn is my competition.
BS: What Ruth League franchises do you see as being the biggest threat to a Charleston dynasty in the next five seasons?
MB: Weird Tidbit: I always have to check which league I'm in. Marvin and Trillian League have been so engraved in my brain that I just always forget which is why. Weird huh? Hard to say who my threat is because I don't know what this team can do, now or in the next 5 years. We just took a total 180 in a matter of days. So for now, I'll have to stick with Asbury because I don't see Dan P getting those 2 top notch starters going by then,
BS: Looking over at the Aaron League, which teams do you see having the potential to meet you or another RL opponent in the World Series in the next five seasons?
MB: I didn't have to check which league the AL is this time! Whether we like to admit it or not, Herron will have a title in the next 5 years. Oklahoma is dying to rebuild, his roster just won't let him I think. Charlotte is always the team to look at until somebody proves otherwise… Vancouver could be the next big thing in that league.
BS: I know you have met a lot of guys from the leagues during your times in VBL. Who have you met, and what did it add to your overall VBL experience?
MB: Let's see I've been in VBL's since about 1996…Craig and I used to hate one another I think! I have only met 1 VBL4 owner that is not involved in VBL3, and that is Jeff Cohen. Cohen was a media intern last year for the team I used to work for. In VBL3, I have met 9 out of 28 owners. What did it add to my experience… well for the VBL3, it makes me want to keep going and never let them down and continue to meet everybody at some point. Overall, I think the best experience I had was knowing Mike DeSanto for almost 7 or 8 years only through the VBL (never in person) and then one day he needed an internship, so I told him to come down and meet with me and discuss it. He drove the 2 hours or whatever, and we've been real good friends ever since.
BS: Let's talk about controversy here. Honestly, I'm sure some owners think you're a real pain in the ass because you often speak your mind about anything and everything, not completely unlike your AL rival of sorts, Brad Herron. I have known you for a long, long time, despite not having met you in person… well over ten years, I guess, and I know that you're not /really/ an asshole haha… what would you say to those owners who might think you're a jerk?
MB: Go fuck yourself. No just kidding. If they think I'm a jerk, there's nothing I can do about it. If you can't talk shit in a virtual baseball league, what's the point? I could trade a bag of balls and get shit back and people would think I ripped somebody off. I'm over it.
BS: I know there are some things you would like to change about VBL4, and I guess with all the options the OOTP sim provides there exists a lot of flexibility about how things can be done. What is the single biggest thing you would change about VBL4, and why?
MB: I'm only being honest here. I'd have 1 slow off-season. I think it would accomplish a lot. There are a lot of things people mention on improving, and I think if we rush through the off-season, it just gets missed. I think if we take one off-season to hash out the ideas and not rush it… things can only get better. And if owners leave because of the lay-off then they weren't for real about the league anyway. There can still be activity in a league when sims aren't taking place. Plus it'd be good for you to re-charge your batteries.
BS: I know you worked in minor league baseball for a while. Tell us about your job and some of the famous players and personalities you encountered during your time there.
MB: Jeez, in terms of right now… the biggest story in baseball was on our team twice. Josh Hamilton was drafted, played with us then went on to become an addict and when he applied to be re-instated he was sent to us. My best memory about him was one of my good friends was the GM of Batavia and I went up there to visit while our team was in town also. I sat with Hammer's wife and kids all three games, and they were ridiculously nice people. It's really amazing to see what he is doing now, even though the people that have seen him play and take BP aren't surprised in regards to what he's done this year. There's too many others to name, I mean small handshake convos to long sit downs. I think the ONE big thing I will miss about working in baseball is going to the Winter Meetings. Man those were exciting.
BS: You have made a lot of trades this season. What would you say to people who say you might have gotten the best of Oakville or New York or both in your trades with them early this season?
MB: Bottom line: I didn't expect Maddux to be this good this year. I thought he was at least a year away based on his numbers last year. NY has a dominant pitcher back, and two guys hitting above .320. As for Oakville, he wanted Straw. Straw for Gooden is a good deal and if I got an edge it was because of Leonard, but he didn't need Leonard because of Straw and then he signed Rice. I don't see 3 5 star players getting traded for one another can be seen as a ripoff.
BS: One more serious question. You get a lot of criticism for "tanking." We've been over and over your rebuilding strategy in the past, and you know I stand behind you. I have even done something very similar in VBL3, though I wouldn't do it again because losing has killed me. While I hate to even bring this up, I'd like to hear why you did it, how you would justify it to the naysayers, and would you do it again?
MB: I kind of explained my first thought as to why I did it. I bet anything if I really wanted to look I could find emails to you explaining it at the time. There's absolutely no way I could have known Clemens would be a 29-0 pitcher. I didn't get Ryno from "tanking," and Straw would have been mine anyway. Hell, I didn't even know how many yrs arbitration lasted or anything like that. It was in most part an experiment for myself to understand the game, but also take personal time to do what I had to do. I would have won the division the year I traded out for sure. I was used to the method of rebuilding that you're doing in '3' and so I tried it. Would I do it again? Probably not. There is more talented players in this league now, back in the 82 season all the talented players were on like 3 teams so owners paid top dollar just to get their hands on one of them. It's not like I traded crap to get these guys… I was 1 year out from winning the title and hugely underachieved the yr after!
BS: All right. Let's play word association. I'll throw a bunch of words out, and you tell me the first thing that comes to mind. Try to be nice haha… and you don't have to limit yourself to one-word responses. Just whatever comes to mind… you're an opinionated guy, so here's your chance to throw some opinions around. We'll start with a simple one… Charleston.
MB: No idea why I chose it, I've been there a few times. Nice place, but I liked the idea of creating a team after a candy bar haha… and then I named my VBL5 team the Mars Bars (there is a town called Mars, PA… google it, its weird).
MB: Tradeable but expensive.
MB: Too quiet.
MB: Raw. Not looking forward to the day he wins it all!
MB: He gave Los Angeles a different kind of ED… bah dum psh. Nah, best owner in VBL4 even with that deal.
MB: Innovative.
BS: I wasn't around for this one, myself, but… VBL2.
MB: John probably came up with more coding additions than VBL1's commish but he just wasn't into it as much it seemed. I was never really in vbl2 either.
MB: Bret Hart. (Is, Was, Ever will be hahaha)
MB: I was the worst franchise ever, and the best franchise ever. Everybody else will always just be somewhere in between.
MB: Jury's still out
MB: He pissed me off to no end! Gave me a good laugh though when I dealt him to Dawson and he got hurt for like 3 months that day.
MB: 2nd worst VBL owner ever (with at least 10 yrs exp) the 1st is in my division and it's not MUK or ASB hahaha
MB: Your President.
MB: Change We Can Believe In
(Thanks to Mike for taking the time out to answer all these questions!)