In the last couple of weeks, a long festering issue in our league has reared it's ugly head once again. When it comes to trades, it has always been my preference to never have to veto a deal. Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that we had to block a deal. The Valencia/Nashville trade was a rare case in which the Governing Board would exercise a veto. In this case it was solely to protect a franchise's future in a case where a new GM may have been a little too anxious to start repairing their team. Seeing as how there has been a lot of talk about Haney throughout the league, it was immediately clear that Valencia could have gotten much, much more in return for Haney. Our decision was in no way a reflection of Chad nor should it be a reflection of Neil.
A major concern of vetoing a trade is not only how the guys involved will react, but also how the other GM's will react moving forward. There's always a fear that by setting a precedent like this that criticism of trades will be dialed up in a big way. Sadly, that was the case. There were comments in a trade that not only led the GM's involved to void the trade, but has also now led to a highly active league member tendering their resignation to the Governing Board.
As I often do when I do these "State of the Brewster" posts, I will now make reference to one of the most important policy statements of our League Constitution that some seem to have lost sight of:
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I have a hands off policy with most matters. I typically trust in our league members to do what is right without having to legislate it. The Governing Board wants more than that. We, as the leaders of the league, need to make sure that this does not continue to happen. With that being said, effective immediately we have a new policy on Trades.
1. Only the General Managers making a trade are allowed to post in the Completed Trades thread. Trade Posting Protocol should be followed.
2. Trades can still be protested, however any concern that a league member has should be conveyed via Private Message to a Governing Board member who will then share it with the whole of the Governing Board.
3. Personal attacks on another member of the league by any league member will not be tolerated.
4. If you feel strongly about a trade, we have a forum titled "Trade Analysis" that is designed for the purpose of conveying your opinion (and earns you Participation Points). We encourage more of these. Remember to keep a respectful tone and that either participant of any trade may have their own motivations.
We have such an amazing group of folks. Each and every one of our 40 GM's bring something to the league. Let's be respectful and enjoy our hobby together!