Baseball in the Valley of the Sun | MLB 14

[WaitTilNextYear]

Each Monday of the 2014 season, a passive-aggressive man, coincidentally named Ryan Braun--no, not that Ryan Braun--wearing D'Back mascot D. Baxter's costume will sit down with Arizona Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson to inquire about the state of the team.

Quote:

Braun: True or false? You were at your best as a player during the mid 80s with the Tigers.

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Gibson: Probably true. Had some great moments with the Dodgers though.

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Braun: I just remember you ambling around the bases like an idiot and not playing again in '88. I must be forgetting most of those moments.

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Gibson: Oh yeah, that was when I won the MVP and hit a World Series homer against Eck.

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Braun: Yeah, "won" the MVP....So, if the mid 80s were so good to you then why did your numbers start trending back up in the mid 90s when you went back with Detroit? You had your best OPS season in the strike year of 1994.

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Gibson: Baseball can be a funny game sometimes, I guess.

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Braun: Funny as in you were on the roids?

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Gibson: You'd better watch it, champ.

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Braun: No, I'm just saying that if the strike hadn't happened, you might've had 35 HR and 100 RBI for the only time ever at 37 years old.

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Gibson: Bite your tongue, SIR!

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Braun: If you only could've lasted until the good stuff in the late 90s, maybe your HoF candidacy wouldn't have been dead on the 1st ballot.

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Gibson: LISTEN FRIEND...are we here to talk about the D'Backs or is this just some sick agenda of yours?

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Braun: Sure why don't we talk about the team you manage that is currently 2-13. What are you thoughts on that?

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Gibson: My thoughts are we have the National League right where we want them...

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Braun: oooooohhhhh k! And they said I was daft for dressing up in this costume.

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Gibson: Well, slick, you do look stupid. I grant you that.

Well that appears to be all the time we have for this week's Gabbin' With Gibby.

[WaitTilNextYear]

[Equinox831]

2-16... Ouch... Any plans to switch things up and maybe get some pieces for you farm system, or are you just going to take it on the chin for now?

[WaitTilNextYear]

Quote: Originally Posted by Equinox831

2-16... Ouch... Any plans to switch things up and maybe get some pieces for you farm system, or are you just going to take it on the chin for now?

Well, both? I really need guys to start playing well enough to trade them. I also have to wait for a market to develop so I am stuck for a little while playing the FA wire. I don't want to tear it too far down though because even if '14 is not going to happen (it sure appears that way), I want a solid team when Goldschmidt and Corbin etc come back next season.

I think firing the hitting and pitching coaches was an appropriate thing to do given the offense is last in everything and the pitching is bottom 5. I also noticed that the fake coaches were dragging me down with some attribute negs. I picked out some better coaches so hopefully that's a start. I will reveal who those coaches are in my next recap post.

Another interesting note is that I am using the same slider set that I used in my Twins chise, but I am having a lot more trouble scoring. Lots of popups, lazy flys, and when I do hit it hard--boom, right at someone. I am hoping it's a bad slump and not a game patch has made it so I have would have to update my sliders. I have to compare my #s to my Twins chise to get a better idea though first--it could just be placebo.

[HadlerT]

I love this, haha. I'm excited to see who you trade away and who you get in return.

[WaitTilNextYear]

Quote: Originally Posted by HadlerT

I love this, haha. I'm excited to see who you trade away and who you get in return.

Thanks. At this point it's really seeing how much I can endure, lol. How many guys are able to keep chises going when they're getting buried like this? And the way that I am losing is classic. Guys not tagging up, guys not advancing on sac bunt attempts, warning track power, fly balls hitting the very top of the yellow on the fence and HRs becoming doubles. It's my burden and I will carry it proudly. At least it's something for you guys to read to balance out all the chises where guys win the World Series in year 1 with a mediocre team or have some insane records/dynasties going on.

I am just starting to get a feel for which players I can play with and which ones I just don't like. For now, let's just say Wade Miley might not make it the entire season in Phoenix. Or even May..

[HadlerT]

I'd love to see you blow up the team, get rid of guys like Hill, Montero, etc.

[Deuce2223]

I am curious how is your AAA and AA teams doing. Maybe you should try playing a minor league game so you remember what it is like to win a game. But I must admit it is pretty entertaining, and you are correct most guy's couldn't do it.

I will be the first to admit, if I played all 162 games, there is no way my M's team would've won 100 or the Series, I think my % of wins when played is like 45-55%. There is a big part of me that wishes I had the time to be able to sit down and play every game and actually do a true rebuild project but if I did there is noway I would be able to find the time to post. So I have to go with a happy medium. Getting in a game after work on work days, doing the majority of my posting on my days off. But we are in the middle of trying to buy a house so once the deal is accepted and we actually move, I will have even less time then I do now. My guess is when that happens is when I will make the jump back over to NCAA Football and put my thread on hold.