Charter Owner Interview Series -- bjb2378

It felt necessary, given the description of his basketball prowess, to have bjb2378 be the next interviewer. Also, he's one of the most decorated players on the entire website. But mostly, it was to see if I could bait him into a response about his hardcourt playing days....

The Basics
Where do you live (feel free to go into life wandering detail here with college and everything):

I'm in a Chicago suburb and I've been in the area for most of life. I went to college in Atlanta and returned afterwards. It is very hard to leave this city despite all of its warts. Many of my friends from grade school through high school are still here plus many of my law school classmates. 

What do you do for a living?

As you'd expect from Shucky's note, I'm a lawyer too. It does seem like there is a disproportionate number of us in this game. It would be interesting to figure out why.

Family?

I have a wife and three kids. They are a handful these days, but well worth it. I hope one day to get one of them into WIS, so we can have three generations playing. The oldest is 6, so it may be a while.

What WIF games do you play?

I play HBD and HD. I like them both for different reasons. HBD was my first "love" and the depth of the game is fantastic. 

Titles (In Hunter/out of, and non-HBD titles):

33 HBD titles with 8 coming in Hunter. I don't know how many total HD titles I have won, but a fair number as well. 

Favorite rivalries:

Of course the rivalry with djbradford is #1. It is fun to beat pops in anything. But the rivalry with Jahu has been fun too because we are both long-timers in this league. More recently, MDukes has had a great team and we have had some crazy playoff series. And, I guess Shucky and VZhao, but those are more pity games...

Favorite player (if you can remember, in and out of Hunter):

This is tough. There are so many. Right now Yadiel Molina is in his final season and has won 8 Cy Young Awards. He continues the long line of great SF pitchers including Felipe Bournigal, Pete Daly, and Quentin Lary among others. In Riley, I have had a bunch too, but I won't bore you all with that.

Let's Go Deeper
Based on information from a previous WIFs interview, it would appear that you're a White Sox fan. As a fellow Chicagoan -- but a Cubs fan, living on the North Side -- how would you describe the divide between Cubs and White Sox fans? And then to a larger extent, that North Side-South Side divide?

The difference between Cubs fans and Sox fans, IMO, is that Sox fans care about the product on the field, while Cubs fans care about the product in the stands. Its tough though, Wrigley is the best beer garden in the city. (Remember beer gardens, don't those sound great right now?) (editor's note: I'm not insulted. I'm not insulted...I'm not insulted. If I keep saying it over and over, it's true, yes?)

Most fanbases don't have the...umm...fortune of experiencing multi-generational world championship droughts ended as both of our baseball teams have. What was the 2005 World Series run like for you? Has the shine of that title waned at all in the 15 years since?

The 2005 World Series was a magical time. I was at both World Series games here in Chicago and still can remember the Konerko grand slam, the Podsednik walk-off, and Jenks striking out Bagwell.

Also nice, I received a barbecue package from Shucky when his Asterisks lost that series. Couldn't have happened to a better franchise.

You mentioned BBQ from Shucky, and it made me realize hey, you moved out to the burbs, you've probably got a nice back yard out there for grilling and such now, don't you? Is puttering around the yard (and doing "manly Dad things") a good diversion for you?

We only moved last spring, so we are still settling in. Three kids makes it difficult to do anything around here. But, I have never been one of those guys who invests a day in smoking a pork shoulder or anything like that. Too much time, not enough reward. I need to focus on WIS instead...

As someone who has stepped away from WIF and recently come back, you forget about the fun of the different aspects of all the games. The extreme camaraderie of HBD is always the attraction here, but what is it about HD that keeps you active there?

The camaraderie in HD is also good, but not the same as HBD. The game, however, is lower effort, but still interesting in a different way. The recruiting model is exciting and competitive. 

Since, as of this question being sent, I've taken a 2 game lead for the #1 seed in the AL, do you have any advice for me on beating your team should we get to meet up in the ALCS?

The best way not to lose to the Night Demons is not to play us. In all seriousness, the top of our rotation is as good as it gets, but our offense is a little lacking. But, you tell me, what weaknesses do you see?

I think that, the way to beat your team is to get to load up on lefty starters against your offense and to get to the bullpen -- you're not going to do that second part easily, and probably not by scoring a ton of runs so I'd imagine an offense that is evenly balanced lefty/righty, but with as high of batting eye as possible to maybe draw as many pitches/AB as possible. 

You also had to know I was going to make you go through my team. Same Q back at you -- how do you beat the Returns?

In terms of beating your team, it seems like the answer is easy. Just pray the SimGods roll your way and you can steal a game against Kelly. Then load-up on LH bats to have a chance against your other starters and get a lead before the bullpen gets involved. I also think throwing Lefties against you will help. Now, where can I get one of those?

You got to read shucky's description of your low-post game...accurate or is he just jealous of your skills? And obviously, I have to give you the chance to describe shucky's game here as well...

I haven't played ball against Shucky in a while and he certainly described my game from 15 years ago. These days, I think it has morphed into crafty old-man game. And, Shucky is selling himself short in that regard. He was by far the best player in our class and was deadly from deep. I think a rec-league Klay Thompson may be a good comp.

I feel like with the rec-league Klay Thompson comp, you're being WAY nicer to him than he was to you...

You're right that Klay is too nice. Perhaps more of a rec league JR Smith...

Champions Series Interviews -- shucky

Wanted a softball on my first interview so I went with someone that I've played against in shucky - a championship winning owner here in Hunter. He turned in an engaging and entertaining interview.

The Basics:
Name: Mark

Age: 40

Where you live: I live in Katy, Texas, a suburb of Houston. I went to Texas A&M for undergrad and lived in Chicago for law school. Other than that, I've lived in an around Houston my entire life.

What do you do: I'm an attorney. Specifically, I'm an eminent domain lawyer. 

How many HBD titles (in Hunter/out of): 13 titles total. One in Hunter.

Favorite rivalry (in and out of Hunter): They are personal rivalries more than with any team. I started playing WIS at the urging of bjb (a good friend of mine) and started with our other good friend victorzhao. Always enjoy playing (and beating) those guys. Like I did for my title in Hunter. :)

Favorite player you've had: Domingo Toca in Riley. International prospect that signed on my way to the airport (still remember getting that message years ago). He ended up in the Top 5 overall in almost every hitting category, including both home runs and steals.

What are some of the strategies you use for team building: Nothing too unusual or exciting, really. Financial payroll and flexibility are really important, obviously. I try to adjust where I spend money based on the age and potential of a given team. So, for instance, I'm open to spending big on international players one season and, then, front-loading bonuses in another to try and free up money in the future.

Let's Go Deeper
One more quick HBD question: With regards to team building - do you favor any type of scouting for the amateur draft, and why?

I'm a bit lost on the amateur draft now, honestly. I kind of fly blind and hope for the best.

Being an eminent domain lawyer in Texas, given all the wall building talk, gives me lots of questions lol. Though with urban sprawl being what it is in Texas does a lot of your job involve more infrastructure projects than anything else?

My job is entirely driven by infrastructure. Roadways. Pipelines. Power lines. The Wall. It's a very fun and interesting practice. You get to do way more "traditional lawyer-type things" than almost any other non-criminal practice.

Being on the inside of so many different infrastructure projects, what are the things in the near future that you see that will make our daily lives easier/better? How do you see things changing post Covid-19, especially with regards to commuting daily?

I'm most interested to see how infrastructure needs could be impacted. Certainly, if the economy goes into a depression, the condemning entities may not have the funds to start as many projects. I think we'll certainly see that with oil and gas companies. Also, this could really impact how people work going forward. For instance, do a significant number of people continue working from home? If so, that could change the way we travel into work. Which could impact things like the need to widen/create roadways.

With the halting of sports because of Covid-19, how are you passing the time? Do you find yourself missing sports more or less than you thought? 

Sitting at home, like everyone else. Trying to maintain a semblance of a schedule. Honestly, I think I miss it less because baseball hadn't officially started and I'm not a huge NBA fan. Certainly, if this impacts the college football season, I'll be singing a much different tune. (Interviewer's note: I took a shower today and felt like I accomplished a lot).

As a Chicagoan, I'm always interested in hearing about people's time here in the city, especially when they're close to me in age -- where'd you go to law school, what neighborhood did you live in, any favorite places you used to frequent?

Went to the University of Chicago and lived in Hyde Park all three years. Loved the time there. Cliched answer, but my favorite place is Wrigley. My wife (a big Cubs fan) and I went to tons of games during law school and even made it back for a game during the 2016 WS.

What was it like being at Wrigley for those games, especially being able to be there with your wife as a big fan?

The WS game was as close to a major college football game atmosphere as you'll ever find at a baseball game. It really was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be there with my wife, who has loved the Cubs since she was a little girl watching Mark Grace on WGN. And, as a lifelong Cubs fan, she never really believed the day would come. Well worth the money we paid.

Did you play any sports growing up?

Lots of basketball and lots of tennis. Had some good on-court battles with bjb back in the day. Don't underestimate his post-up game.

If you had to compare bjb's post game to any player, who does he remind you of?

Think old guy at the Y in a young guy's body. Uses his body well. Good passer. Deceptive moves. And really competitive.

Thanks to shucky -- he was genuinely a game interviewee and it was fun catching up with someone I used to play with so long ago. One caveat to the interview is I now get to crash on his couch if I'm ever in Houston. I probably should have mentioned that before but...I'm sure he won't mind.