Q: What do you think propelled your team to their first championship in franchise history?
A: Pitching. As you mentioned in the blog post, I've been to the post season ten times, but most of my previous teams were built around offensive production (on multiple occasions I had the best offensive team in terms of runs scored going into the playoffs) and I lost to teams with superior pitching. My team last year was built on pitching and it paid dividends in the playoffs. The secondary factor is a combination of the fact that my team got "hot" after the all-star break and I had more overall team speed to help manufacture runs in close games. All that said, my team could still hit... The Cubs led the NL in battering average last year, but it was not the determining factor that finally got my team over the hump... my starting pitching was the difference.
Q: What are your thoughts on this upcoming season?
A: I think I will have a very competitive team once again in terms of making the playoffs. My entire starting pitching staff is returning. That said, the NL looks to be very competitive b/c there are probably 10 teams that have the talent to make the playoffs, but only 6 spots.
Q: Do you feel you need to strengthen your team in any areas?
A: Yes, I need some bullpen help and maybe a bat or two.
Q: Are you going to look in the free agency or through trades or both to make additions to your team?
A: I'll try to utilize both avenues, but I think I'll primarily focus on trading. The FA market is pretty bad this year and there are multiple teams that have a lot of money to spend, so I can see the few top tier FA signing big contracts. One of my major areas of focus is not to overspend on FAs... so I may be limited to trades.
Q: Do you feel your team can continue this success for many seasons to come?
A: Yes, I think my team will be a playoff caliber team for the coming years. Once again, I have good starting pitching and that is, in my opinion, a key factor in this game.
Q: Do you have any advice for the new owners out there?
A: My main advice would be focus on building a good pitching staff. Chicks dig the long ball, but a team build on big bats alone doesn't usually do well in the playoffs. Secondary advice is don't overspend on FA, particularly if your team is "one" player away from seriously contending. One bad contract can really set a franchise back.
We would like to thank blues_bros on allowing us to interview him. But pay close attention to what he is stressing in order to win: pitching, pitching, and more pitching! This may be the new path for teams in the league as they try to do the very same thing the Cubs did this past season, win the World Series. We wish the best of luck to them moving forward and next time you here from us it will be on the free agency! See you soon!
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