Owner Spotlight - A Genius is born in Phoenix

[trmmilwwi]

In this weeks’ edition of Owners Spotlight we sit down with long time Monty GM felipe to discuss his Louisville Sluggers, trading in the league, ‘hoot’ers, and that other football. Stu took over the Louisville Sluggers in 2007 after the previous owner Salas took leave. What even I didn’t realize is that he was around earlier than that… you just have to take the way back machine to get to that history! The Louisville team was instantly headed into a new direction with felipe at the helm and we’ve seen some great team news articles from the home of the Louisville slugger. Here’s the rundown of the conversation we had over some bbq and craft beers.

The Sluggers have been playing great ball the last few years. What changed since you took over the last place franchise in 2007?
The entire complexion of the league has changed dramatically since I got involved, (in 1995 incidentally; do your homework!), I took over the Phoenix franchise back then and guided an abject team to great glories every year, culminating in a glorious 77 win season in 2000. They still talk about that team if you frequent some of the classier watering holes in the greater Phoenix area. Guys like Elwood Hope, Cody Chamberland…and what a pitching staff! David Klopp! JP Tetreault! Andy Nebraska! Mike Rebhan! And who can forget that inaugural ’95 Phoenix team? I had six different catchers that year!
But perhaps the greatest changes have occurred since the date you mentioned in error. Before 2007, if you had a crap team, you were stuck. Player movement was non-existent. Good teams had their guys locked up for decades at cut-rate prices. No salary cap, or if there was, salaries were so low it didn’t have any effect. It was a joke.
But new-blood guys like Stever and Hoot put in a lot of time and had some good ideas, (and some crazy ones), and really turned the league around. Some other guys probably did something too, but I remember enjoying the public in-fighting of those two.
Now we have the international free-agents, the academies, a working salary cap, some very good free-agents, really a lot of avenues to quickly make your team better, faster.
In 2007, I was stuck. No free agents worth a penny. No international free-agents. No way to improve.
But I dug in, and created this dynasty in Louisville, and it looks like the greatest ever.


Phoenix you say… I didn’t realize. You've been known to pull the trigger on a few trades every now and again. Is trading for players an integral part of building up a franchise?
Trading is fun. Mostly, I do it to have fun. I don’t think I’m particularly good at it.
I do a lot of dry humping, trying to see what people are asking for, to see if I can get something on the cheap. I HATE it when someone makes a good deal, and I realise I had never contacted the seller. That could have been my deal!
But…I will willingly lose a deal, if I think it makes the franchise or big league team better than it was. I also try to make my deals realistic. What would my fan base think of this deal?
I’ll get on my soapbox now though. I freakin get sick when old timey GMs fleece a rookie GM in deals when the rooks first join the league. It’s cheating. Plain and simple.


Some deep thoughts regarding the politics of the league from Genius. The Genius moniker seems to have stuck. Where did it start?
I think it was the other GMs. They gradually recognised there was someone special among them.
In winter meetings, you’d hear it a lot.
They would warn each other not to deal with me. People were scared to deal with me.
They still are.
I imagine that, Greatness is intimidating.


You have a mix of veteran players and up and coming prospects on the squad. Is this part of the equation for a consistent winner?
Beats me. I drafted a bunch of great position players because we were terrible for so long. Then I flipped pitching prospects for proven starters, because you never know how pitchers will go as they develop. Then I got a great deal on Mansfield. Then, I filled in my roster with guys that could play defence and run.
And I got lucky, because most of my guys have great intangibles and make-up.


Speaking of great intangibles… there are 4 "Hopkins's" playing in the Monty right now. Is Lightnin the "one that got away"?
I created most of the other ones, so I drafted them too high. I never fancied Lightnin or his ratings. But he has performed very well.
Right now, I feel he’s overvalued. I got Shaun Snelling, who does the same job at the fraction of the price and hype, (and ratings). So I have no real ambition to go and get Lightnin today, but I’m certain that he will play for me at some point in his career.


Why did it take until 2014 to see a Hopkins make it in the Monty?
Recte screwed up when he started creating my Hopkins’. Its all his lack of due diligence.
Actually, we had a Hopkins back in 1995, running Phoenix.
And greatness takes time to develop.


Greatness does take time to develop… but once it is realized it can really be something. Bopper or Puckett?
I’m unfamiliar with either of those players. I did like Kirby.


Them are fightin’ words! Who is your biggest rival and why?
I wouldn’t say I have any rivals, mainly irritants.
That trilimilim, I am a weiner, crobob, jimbob, ricky Schroeder, 7teen, and some of the other guys…I think I recognise their names.
Of course anyone with the temerity to play in my division, (Scotia shit-gulls), or to contract my beloved Phoenix and move them in the dead of night…well…there’s really nothing good to say about them at all.
I guess I hate recte most. He was always scheming to remove me in the early days.
But…I guess I fixed his wagon.
I’m still here. And about to become champion.


Phoenix just wasn’t the same after you left I guess. What franchises have you modeled your philosophy after? Do you have an OOTP mentor?
No. But I do see a lot of people copying ME. Seattle and Hawaii are basically retirement homes for former Sluggers. Manny used to follow me around. I think I was Kyle's hero.


Times sure do change… Names like Hoot, Stever and Manny are still synonymous with certain franchises. Where do you see the Sluggers in 5 years? 10?
Honestly, I hope we win a championship soon so I can switch teams. Having a crap team is more fun to write about. I would love to take my bench guys and make them starters somewhere else.
But there is the challenge of seeing how long I can keep this team going near the top. The influx of new talent has been weak for the last couple of drafts.
I may be positioned well for an old timey dynasty, that everyone just kinda figured wouldn’t happen anymore.


If you were crowned Commissioner for a Day what direction would you take the Monty?
I think it’s the healthiest that it’s ever been, competition wise. It’s a near perfect league. I love it. That bastard recte has done a great job.
The only recent downside is the drop in writing and participation. I have to take some blame, because I’ve been part of the problem.
But, we’re all older, busier, and new people come in. It’s easier to write if everyone else is writing and responding. If only three or four are doing it, it’s hard to maintain.
I would maybe stop a bit for the upcoming 50 year mark, and have some sort of writing, recaps, celebrations, etc. But if you weren’t here back then, (ie. a recent GM) would you care? Would you just leave the league if we sat idle? Tough questions, no easy answers.


What hobbies does Genius have outside of the baseball world?
I have kids, I coach sports, (4 different ones at the moment!). I’m a control freak. I have to work too. I mainly watch the English premier and Champions leagues, and I see enough ice-hockey coaching my kids! Baseball is kind of in third place.

There you have it. Phoenix used to be great (not really), Louisville is a budding dynasty (we’ll see) and work takes the back seat to soccer, kids and make believe baseball! Thanks Stu… the ribs were outstanding. This KC Masterpiece stuff is actually pretty decent.

[aaronweiner]

Happy to be an irritant. Hopefully, I get another chance to bother the hell out of you in the Landis.

[crobillard]

Hahaha this was fantastic. Very well done.

[avery]

Cool. Awesome post! Did you guys really sit down together? Fifty years is a lot of history. Can you really make players as the same last name as you? I hope it's more fun rebuilding a losing team. haha I agree about "old timey GMs fleece a rookie GM in deals when the rooks first join the league. It’s cheating. Plain and simple." Not sure if it applies in MBWBA. I made a couple quick deals with genius last year, but I don't think I got fleeced.I was the one who contacted him. Only a few GM's have contacted me and when they do they usually want Glover.

[7teen]

Nothing against your hard work here Tim, but I just printed this off and used it to wipe my ass with.

[bschr682]

Nothing against your hard work here Tim, but I just printed this off and used it to wipe my ass with.

I totally almost choked to death on my beer when I read this.

[trmmilwwi]

Nothing against your hard work here Tim, but I just printed this off and used it to wipe my ass with.

Genius!! You may be up next for this feature buddy!!

[trmmilwwi]

Cool. Awesome post! Did you guys really sit down .

Not yet... We have been talking about a Monty get together for some time now... Poker night at recte's anyone??!!

[felipe]

I don't think that I've ever read a finer interview...

Perhaps you should interview this guy again;

He's Gold!

[agrudez]

You might be my hero, Tim, but Mr. Felipe is my muse.

[trmmilwwi]

Thumbs up bud!

[trmmilwwi]

First to respond to this post will be our next Owner Spotlight guest! I'll send a pm when I see the response.

[7teen]

First to respond to this post will be our next Owner Spotlight guest! I'll send a pm when I see the response.

Respond

[Chey]

Now we have the international free-agents, the academies, a working salary cap, some very good free-agents, really a lot of avenues to quickly make your team better, faster.

Good ol' Felipe, famously a huge fan of a working salary cap

[cheekimonk]

KC BBQ sucks balls. Real BBQ comes from the Deep South...and, no, that doesn't include Texas (beef can't be BBQ, that's just steak with sauce on it).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[felipe]

well...its working for ME...