Application - Scooter

[carolinacoolpapa (Scott, BOS)]

What is your name, age and general location?
Scott “Scooter”, 43, same as Jeter, Central Oregon

What is your email address?
[e-mail]

Which is your favourite real life team? How did you end up following them?
Seattle Mariners and St. Louis Cardinals. Growing up in Idaho, the closest team was the Mariners and I listened to Rick Rizzs and Dave Niehaus broadcast the games whenever possible. I loved the 1984-85 team with characters like Phil Bradley, Spike Owen, Dave Henderson, Gormon Thomas, etc. I continued to follow them through the Griffey years (my all time favorite player . . . saw him play in the low minors in Boise, Idaho – hit 2 homers in the game and robbed another!) and then the Ichiro years. I’ve been less into them in recent seasons but they won’t ever lose their status as my AL team. The Cardinals are my true favorite team. I started rooting for them in their great 1985 season – I was 11 and it was my golden age of baseball. I played center field and Willie McGee was my favorite. My family took a vacation in 1986 and let me pick anywhere in the country to go to . . . St. Louis it was! While the Herzog years were the best, they have consistently been my favorite team ever since.
I see the Red Sox are the team currently open. They are near the top of my second tier of favorite teams. I’ve enjoyed watching them since the Boggs/Clemens years.

How did you find this league?
Fantrax forum.

Please give a brief overview of your fantasy baseball experience. How many other leagues are you currently a member of, and what format are they (ie H2H, roto, redraft, keeper, auction etc)?
I have a long history in fantasy baseball, starting in the spring of 1989 (just finished 8th grade) when I read a book about rotisserie baseball and started a league with my friends. I calculated stats by hand and delivered them weekly on my bike. I played in another pre-internet league with my dad and his friends (all accountants) in the early 1990s and am still involved in that league today – it is a 7-team rotisserie league (two leagues, really – we have one AL team and one NL team) where we meet annually for a live draft.
I try to limit how many fantasy baseball teams I have, both for time considerations and because I like to have “my guys” . . . don’t want to be cheering for/against too many players. I also try to vary my experience and won’t be in two leagues at the same time with the same league structure/scoring system. Currently I am in the following: roto leagues with my dad (mixed auction/draft); head-to-head categories league with some friends (redraft league); and I run a 16-team head-to-head points dynasty league in its first season. If I am accepted and join this league, it would be my limit . . . I actually intended to limit myself to the three mentioned but, after reviewing your constitution, think I would really enjoy this league, particularly with the salary structure.

How often will you be available to be contacted by fellow owners in this league?
Daily, unless I am on vacation – and even then I would usually be able to check in daily. I am a highly responsive owner.

This is a league with 30 teams in it, and as such it can be expected that there will be a rather large number of teams that will not contend every season. Would you be content with building for the future? Do you need to always be in competition in order to remain interested in the league?
The only league I’m not content to not compete in is the one with my dad . . . and that’s just because I’ve always been “the kid” . . . plus, there is money involved, which I absolutely hate even though I nearly always come out ahead. I really like it that this league is purely for enjoyment. Winning in fantasy baseball is purely secondary. What I love is the team building aspect, which is why I started my first dynasty league this season with a heavy focus on developing a minor league system. Over-competitiveness will never be a problem with me.

Is there any other information you think we as a league should know in order to best determine your eligibility?
I’m a huge baseball fanatic with one major problem . . . with two young boys (neither of which like baseball), we have never found the time or prioritized finances to get satellite TV. I’m the biggest fan I know who never actually watches, with the exception of at the gym or the end of the playoffs that are on broadcast TV. So, instead, I focus my free time (the part not dedicated to the kids) on baseball research.

Please post links to any other leagues you participate in.
The only league I am in where posts are actively used is my dynasty league. Not sure if you can get into it or not, but here is a link to our Fantrax home page. I started all of the posts on our message board . . .
www.fantrax.com/fantasy/league/24azs74pj8bxthtf/home

Thank you for considering me. - Scott

[Rangers GM (Stephen)]

Scooter,

It looks like you were pipped to the post by another applicant. Would you like to join our waiting list for the next vacancy that arises?

All the best,
Stephen

[carolinacoolpapa (Scott, BOS)]

Sure. Sorry to be slow in responding. I didn't check back because I thought I would get an email if I was selected to continue to the 2nd part of the application. Also, sorry if this is a repeat post . . . I wrote this earlier today but it doesn't look like it was saved. I've had a tough time using this site, maybe a browser issue.

[Admin]

Hi. Thanks for getting back in touch. We’d love to have you as part of our league, and will be glad to send an email when something becomes available.

Rereading your application, you’re not alone in enjoying fantasy baseball while watching very little. As someone who listens to broadcasts far more than I watch, it’s nice to know there are others in the same boat.

Thanks for posting the follow up.

[carolinacoolpapa (Scott, BOS)]

Thanks Adam! So I'm curious . . . how, as an Astros fan, did you end up with a Houston team with so few of the Astro's stars? (= Partly giving you a hard time; partly just really curious; and partly setting the bait for a trade offer for George Springer if I get in the league.

Totally kidding. I don't want to trade Springer. Love that guy! But I am curious what your team history is. I checked your roster expecting to see all of the cool, current Astros and was surprised to see so few.

While I am a long-time Cardinal/Mariner fan, the Astros have held a special place in my heart. I grew up with cousins living in Houston and my family took a trip to see them in 1986 (I think), when I was 11. Along with visiting several baseball card shops and buying the game "Axis and Allies" at Toys-R-Us, the highlight of my trip was watching a game in the Astrodome in which visiting Pete Rose got two hits en route to his MLB record later that season.

[Admin]

You’re not allowed to give me a hard time yet for squandering my fortune. I had to have sympathy on the rest of the league and not keep them all.

Sounds like a fun trip in 1986. I visited the Astrodome a handful of times, but never for a game. It always smelled like nacho cheese to me.

We’re glad to have you on board. The following is our standardized welcome message to make sure we don’t forget anything, and give some guidance for the next steps:

Congratulations Scott! The Boston Red Sox are proud to welcome you as their new general manager. A fun and rewarding future awaits as you chart the course of your franchise!

What are the next steps to be taken to get started on the right foot?

1) Please use the username Red Sox GM (name).

2) Post your own roster page in your team folder. For continuity your first roster should contain the exact same players as the previous team roster. If you wish to make changes to your roster (by protecting unprotecting players) then these should be posted on the Roster Transactions board. You should also check that the arbitration contracts of all of your players are accurate - you don't want to be unnecessarily overpaying anyone! The format of the roster page is open for customisation by each owner, but please bear in mind that it should be easy to read and well maintained. You may find the FAQ page helpful. mlbbaseballleague.proboards.com/thread/636/league-faqs-new-owner

3) Notify one of the commissioners if there is a player on a multi-year guaranteed contract whose contract length you would like to reduce.

4) Check your real life team's major and minor league rosters to see if you can protect any arbitration players of value that your predecessor missed.

5) Check your email for an invitation to Fantrax. (Consult with one of the commissioners if there are any difficulties or delays.)

6) Check your Fantrax roster. It should match your Proboards roster and only include players receiving a salary on your team.

7) Post a trade block. You can't agree to a trade until your trade block has been posted for a week.

Make good use of your trade block, player evaluation advice, and the one week acclimatization period. The “trade block guidance” page is your friend. Please do not overlook this valuable tool. It is required reading. mlbbaseballleague.proboards.com/thread/732/trade-block-guidance

8) Protect a player (see Section VII of the rules). You won't be allowed to trade until this step is taken as a demonstration of understanding the procedure.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. You can post it publicly under “General Chat”, or ask any experienced league member. We’re here to help.

From all of your fellow friends and competitors, welcome to our league!