Post by SPL on Nov 30, 2015 15:54:24 GMT -6
Tell us a little bit about yourself
I’m a single, 27 year-old DC native, full-time sports geek and a mechanical engineer. I’m fortunate enough that I get to go to work, send a few emails, update a few lines of code, and spend the rest of my day reading up and talking about sports with coworkers. I also get to travel constantly for work which can be tiresome but is still a great experience. If I’m not at work or watching/talking sports, I’m playing basketball. In high school I was all in on sports, playing basketball, football and soccer. In college, I was lucky enough to walk-on to the GW basketball team my freshman and sophomore years but unfortunately I suffered a high ankle sprain and a partially torn meniscus on a layup during practice, pretty much ending any shot at a college basketball career. Now I bully youngsters at the local courts.
Can you tell me a little bit about what brought you into the sim league?
KN and I love travelling for the sole purpose of meeting different women. This past summer, we made our way to a NY lounge surrounded by many beautiful women only to find ourselves talking sports. He kept checking his phone and I finally asked what he was checking on. With all the women around us, he told me he was checking on his sim results. He then gave me a brief 45-minute summary of the league. Weirdly, I’ve always been a bigger fan of the "GM’ing" modes than the actual gameplay in NBA2k, FIFA and Madden. And being an engineer, numbers are my livelihood. So I immediately was interested in the league. He told me that he’d ask Soup to put me on the waiting list and here I am.
In my opinion, you are a team that is on the verge of taking a nice step forward. What is your vision with what you have built thus far and where do you see your team going?
My vision has shifted a bit since I first started. My first ever move in sim league was drafting the Mountain. His production during his rookie year made it clear to me that I should build around him. I got lucky and landed Buck in FA the year after. My hope was that this frontcourt could turn into one of the best in the league and if I could put solid pieces around them, a few more wins would follow. But then Mountain and Buck struggled playing together. Enter Sim Dump. His TC increases along with Vanbiesbrouck’s improvements shifted my focus to the backcourt. If I can keep this backcourt together and add a productive wing, my hope is that this team can contend sooner rather than later.
If you could pull off 1 trade for your team to take that next step, what would that trade be?
I’ve had crappy luck drafting wing players since I’ve started doing this. I’m invested in building through the draft but I’d love to make a trade for a SF that can fit in with Dump and VanBeesWax. Who that player is, I’m not sure yet. But I’ll be looking for one.
Who is the most difficult person to talk trade with for you and why?
I still haven’t made any significant trade offers that required intense negotiation tactics. I’ve been approached with a few trade offers that I wasn’t interested in but I can’t say that anyone has been difficult to talk with. Talking trades has been a fairly smooth process for me thus far.
What teams are you a fan of in real life and why/how did that come about?
I’m a huge St. Louis Rams fan. The uniforms were cool and the team was fun to watch during my puberty years. If I had known they’d be this terrible 16 years later, I would’ve picked another team to root for. I’m more of a homer when it comes to my basketball fandom. I’m a big Terps and Bullets/Wizards fan. Sweaty Gary Williams is my favorite coach of all-time. The first basketball game I ever went to was a Bullets-Knicks game in ’94 at the old USAir Arena. Been a fan ever since. I should add that for a time, my love for AI consequently made me a Sixers fan. After December 2006, they were dead to me.
What is the best sporting event you have ever attended and why?
Harlem Globetrotters vs. Washington Generals at the MCI Center. It was either in ‘99 or ’00, can’t remember. I got to take a few shots with the team and as a kid, it was the best thing ever. After the game, they gave me some sweaty headbands and wristbands as souvenirs which my mom eventually threw out. A close second is Tarheels @ Terps in February of ‘09. Greivis Vasquez carrying a terrible Maryland team past the #3 team in the country in OT was amazing to watch in person.
In the current file with active players, give me your opinion on the best starting 5 and why?
PG Aaron Harrison
SG Frank Selvy
SF Ronald Savage
PF Myles Turner
C Kevin Garnett
Can't argue with their production
What is your drink of choice and list your top 5 beers/drinks
I’m not much of a drinker and when I do drink, I like to keep it simple. My boss introduced me to the Godfather (Scotch and Amaretto on the rocks) and I’ll order that when I’m feeling fancy. If I’m drinking beer I’d prefer a good stout. Guinness is usually the go-to. A few days ago, I tried Hardywood, a gingerbread stout from Richmond, VA, and it was amazing. Might be my favorite beer.
With winter coming about for us in the North, it is our time to dream of nicer places. What was your best vacation of all time and give us a little rundown? What is also your dream vacation and why?
I once visited Le Barcares, a city on the Mediterranean Sea in the South of France. My aunt had a beach house steps away from the water. I was 16 at the time but looked like an adult, which led to many new and exciting experiences. On top of that, the landscape and weather were fantastic, food was amazing, and there were tons of things to do. I’ve had many different beach trips since then but they never topped that one. My dream vacation would be to somehow reproduce that Le Barcares vacation.
What is your favorite holiday movie/show and why?
I’d say Home Alone is my favorite holiday movie. It was the first holiday movie I ever watched. As a 4 year-old, it inspired my belief that kids were smarter than adults. Other than that, I prefer holiday TV episodes over movies. I can’t say I have just one favorite, though. Seinfeld’s “The Strike”, Arrested Development’s “Afternoon Delight”, and The Office’s “Christmas Party” are at the top of the list. They make me laugh out loud.
What is the best Christmas gift you have ever received?
It’s hard to remember all of them but the one that stands out is a signed, authentic Wizards Jerry Stackhouse jersey. It just made no sense to me. An MJ Wizards jersey would’ve been more logical. It’s not the best gift I ever received but it’s definitely the most memorable and possibly one of the most expensive. $250-$300 for an authentic jersey and you pick Jerry Stackhouse?
What do you look for in a sim league player? What is the process you take in evaluating a player?
I guess it depends on the position and what type of offense I’m looking to play. I’m still getting the handle of it since I’ve struck out with a few high draft picks. Tanking for a few seasons made it easy to take risks on young prospects but in order to take the next step, the process will have to be updated. I must mention that KN has been extremely helpful in explaining to me what to look for. I’d be completely lost without his guidance.
In your opinion, what was the best and worst move you have made in sim league?
Best move has to be drafting Sim Dump. I’ve been told an elite PG can take you places, so drafting him was a lucky and great move. I might regret giving Clegane all that money one day but we’ll see.
If you could kick any one person out of the league, who would it be and why?
I haven’t been as involved in interacting with everyone as I’d like to yet. So it’s hard to answer that. I haven’t had any issues with anybody so I’ll take the easy out and say, I wouldn’t kick anyone out.
Any final thoughts or shoutouts?
Even though I could just tell him in person, shout out to KN for helping me acclimate to the league. Shout out to soup for giving me advice when KN couldn’t. I apologize if I rubbed anyone the wrong way and thanks to all for bearing with me. I’m excited that my team is finally showing some signs of life. I hope that I can be more active and make something of it.
