Vol. IV, Issue #1 - January, 2016
Strat-o-matic Baseball League
Commissioner' Interviews PART V
**
"BIGS" - Rob Stricker **
(It is time to meet so more
commissioners from the various SOM Baseball Leagues that are
out there ... as these Baseball Leagues are a key foundation of
the SOM World. We wish to
thank Rob for joining us in this column and offering to share about their league
which is a
relatively new thing but has its own twist and was started by
our contributor Chuck Tinkler.)
(Notes from the Wolfman:
BIGS, (which is using the
word MLB Prospects use when they go to the Majors) has two
sub-leagues linked to it according to commissioner Stricker.
It has a 10 team Netplay version and a 12 Team Autoplay (another
word for using the computer game with the computer manager).
Also for the teams who do not make the playoffs, they enter into
a tournament which decides their positioning for their pick of
the first round of their draft. Interesting enough, our
contributing writer Chuck Tinkler started this league. Rob
is the current commissioner but was not the original one. How I
heard about the league, is last year on the SOM Fan Forum, I put
a message out to join a second league and Rob responded.
But I made this request in July of last year and I didn't see
his answer till this month. They filled their spot in the
12 Team Autoplay version and I don't have time to do a Netplay
league as my other personal and business activities (and don't
ask what I do) keep me pretty busy. Ok
Commissioner Stricker, tell us all about BIGS .......
)
Wolfman:
Rob, I want to thank you
for accepting my
invitation to speak to us. So, welcome to
the
Ultimate Strat Baseball Newsletter.
Rob:
It is my pleasure, I am a big fan of
the newsletter.
Wolfman: Rob, I normally ask questions
first to
give our members a chance to meet you
and know a little bit about your
background
before we talk about Strat. So first,
which
part of the world do you live in right
now and is this where you grew up?
Then, is this the area where your league
meets?
Rob:
I grew up and still live in
Mid-Michigan, about two hours north
of Detroit. Since The BIGS uses the
computer game, its members play from
all over the United States.
Wolfman:
When you were younger - did you actually
play baseball and if so what was your
best position?
Rob:
I did play baseball when I was
younger and still enjoy it today.
My best position was pitcher but I
often played first base or third
base.
Wolfman:
What about which MLB team did you root
for when you were younger and are
you still a fan of this team. Are there
any ball
players you really followed or were your
favorites?
Rob:
My favorite team now is the Detroit
Tigers but I remember liking the New
York Mets as a kid. Some of my
favorite players over the years were
Robin Yount, Rickey Henderson, Mark
Grace, Jim Abbott, and Bobby
Higginson. Currently its probably
Justin Verlander or Miguel Cabrera.
Wolfman:
How did you hear about SOM Baseball?
When did you first begin to play the
game?
Rob:
I first heard about SOM in 1996.
There was a league posting at a
local baseball card shop. I
answered the post and haven't
stopped playing since. I started
playing the computer version in 2008
and have played over 9000 games with
about 1100 being play using Netplay.
I have also played in face-to-face
football and basketball leagues.
Wolfman:
What is your history participating in
leagues (face-to-face or computer
based)?
Rob:
I have played in face-to-face leagues
from 1996 to 2008 that include one stock
team league and one draft league. After
that it has been primarily computer
based.
Wolfman:
How did BIGS come into existence? Where
did the name come from for your league
- what is the name of the team you
manage? Can you describe the structure
of your league and how the playoffs work?
Rob:
The BIGS was created in 2010 by
Chuck Tinkler. I was an original
member choosing the Toronto Blue
Jays as my team. The teams started
with players with their respective
MLB teams and we drafted others from
then on. As I mentioned earlier the
league is split between Netplay and
Autoplay teams. A 162 game season
is played and each division winner
plus two wild card teams in each
sub-league advance to the post
season. The teams that do not make
the playoffs participate in the
"Battle Royale" which is essentially
a separate series of playoffs that
determine the first round draft
order for the next season. The BIGS
is a Winter league with a season
that games are played August -
February. The annual draft is
usually towards the end of July.
Wolfman:
How do you create your teams - discuss
the rules of your league and how
you build you team (players you keep
from year to year and your draft and
trades)?
Rob:
The original teams started with
stock players from the 2009 MLB
season. We have 25 keepers each
year and draft until each team
reaches 36 players.
Wolfman:
What is your life as the commissioner of
BIGS? How much time does it take,
what are your duties? Do you have other
officers in your league?
Rob:
Being commissioner does take time
but I get great help from Chuck
Tinkler and Mick Newman. Chuck
handles much of the Autoplay league
details and Mick does a fantastic
job keeping the league file
updated. My duties include
generation of the draft and
schedule, searching for and
selecting new members if needed, and
general administration.
Wolfman:
Rob have you ever been the champion of BIGS? What type of team do you like to
create? What type of team did you have in your last
season?
Rob:
I have not be fortunate enough to
ever have won the BIGS championship
but I have built and maintained
competitive teams. We currently are
in our final block of the 2015-16
season and my Blue Jays are expected
to be a playoff team this year.
Wolfman:
When you have had a successful
(champion/playoff
bound team) what were the keys to your
success with this team (or teams)? Is
there special strategies you use to
build your team? And special strategies you use when
playing your games?
Rob:
I believe that successful teams have
managers that are active on the
trade market and are always trying
to make their team better. Good
teams should draft players that fit
in their particular ballpark and be
able to supplement the teams with
role players such as pinch hitters
and runners, and specialty
relievers.
Wolfman:
We always ask those we interview if they
have any
tips or advice for our members that
could help them with success with their game playing?
Rob:
One thing that has worked well for
me is that when drafting or trading
for players, look for those with
the best opportunity to get MLB
playing time and remain healthy.
Draft picks are sort of like
currency that you can purchase good
players form the teams that want to
gamble on prospects.
Wolfman:
Have you ever tried to
play in the on-line
baseball leagues that Strat-o-matic
offers, other leagues (face-to-face or
via the internet)?
Rob:
I tried SOM On-line (now called
Baseball 365) one time when I had a
free credit. I am looking forward
to trying the new Baseball Daily
add-on that being introduced this
year.
Wolfman:
What do you like about BIGS? What are
the members like in this league from
your perspective? What is the key for the longevity of your
league?
How do you organize league play?
Rob:
The Netplay portion has a great set
of managers that endure the
commitment of playing 162 games
head-to-head. The Autoplay
managers, great as well, have the
opportunity to be more casual and
take a wait-and-see approach of how
their games will turn out. The key
is to have managers that love
competition, SOM, and MLB. Life
does get in the way some times and
managers have to leave the league
for various reasons.
Wolfman:
Have you had any special experiences
(certain
games that stand out in your mind that
you played or series you played) being a
manager in BIGS that were amazing
or very unusual games, or something you
are proud of. Maybe some key trade you
made ....?
Rob:
One thing that stands out is that I
took a 111 win team into the
playoffs and was then upset in the
first round of the playoffs in seven
games. When you invest so much time
and passion in a team and it ends
short of the goal, it hurts and can
wear someone down mentally. I won
the championship in my first season
playing computer SOM and not won any
championship since then. I have
played 62 seasons spanning several
leagues and made the playoffs in 37
of those seasons including 7 trips
to the World Series.
Wolfman:
Why do you personally like playing SOM?
Rob:
I like SOM because I am a fan of MLB
and enjoy the competitiveness of the
leagues. I enjoy the ability to
simulate what-if scenarios and learn
about players I might not normally
be interested in.
Wolfman:
Finally is there anything else you would
like to share with our members that I
didn't ask you before that you think is
important to let them know about?
Rob:
I would like say to the members that
one of the keys to SOM draft leagues
is patience. One can not expect to
win the championship every season.
Keep supporting the hobby.
Wolfman:
So thanks Rob for spending time with us.
Good Luck in your next season in BIGS!
Rob:
Thank you so
much for allowing me this
opportunity.
Wolfman:
And if a member of the newsletter wanted
to contact you or had some
questions for you, is this possible and
if so what is the best way to do it? Can
we share your league website perhaps?
Wolfman:
All the best and thank you again. {A
Shout Out to Nick Flory, the webmaster
for BIGS and many other leagues, for his
support of our newsletter on his website
- that a way Nick!}
-------------
(Final
Comments from the Wolfman - as
we hear from each league how they are organized, we find out how
different and unique each one is ... how the leagues bring a
group of gamers together to not only have fun managing and
creating their own teams but it provides an opportunity to
inherit a new family of friends, fellow SOM fanatics and more.
Once again, if you would like to have your league featured in
this section of our newsletter, whether you are the
commissioner, a league officer or just a member, feel free to
email me and lets talk. You can find my email at the bottom of
this page. We have heard from five different leagues so
far and I know there are thousands of league out there - each
with its own special and unique story to tell - lets keep em'
coming - thanks - Wolfman Shapiro :-) )
