Sticking Points 2061.4: Rockville Fans Celebrate the Departure of GM, While GM Says, "Au Revoir!"

[JimSlade]

Rockville Pikemen fans were generally ecstatic over the news that GM Jim Slade was giving up his front office position to focus on his other job, leading an overworked, shorthanded team of awesome colleagues who need his full attention and hands-on support until his company acknowledges the risk of trying to squeeze people too hard.

"It's with heavy heart that I'm leaving my position with the Rockville Pikemen. This organization, from ownership to our coaches to the players to the clubhouse staff, has been outstanding. From the Commissioner's office through my fellow GMs, I've gotten nothing but support. Except from @shoeless.db," he said, chuckling. "Nah, I am amazed by all of the league's GMs and their perspective on this game."

Rockville fans expressed a completely different point of view over social media and sports-talk radio.

"Slade couldn't wait to tear down a competitive veteran team and try some hair-brained rebuild with multi-positional switch-hitters," complained one caller to WOBL.

Said another Pikemen fan on social media, "The guy was too holy to spend extra to modify players' skills. This isn't 1978. We're living in a damn bionic age!"

At his final press conference as GM of the Pikemen, Slade wished his successor, returning Monty Brewster GM @woods the best. Then he took a few minutes to share his thoughts on some players who hope to move this organization forward.

"I want to take a few minutes to recognize some of the veterans who thought they might see our plan come to fruition: Malcolm Jolly, who is stepping away from the game and who has done everything we've ever asked of him. Nathaniel Davis...Alex Payne...Jon Keys, David Wade, Christian Walker, and Nasir al Din bin Sahir, guys I've spent as much time with as my family. Total pros."

"Then there are the everyday guys, like Richard Vernon. What a talent playing in the shadows! Of all the players I failed in my years in Rockville, I feel the worst for him. And Cam Whitten and Cesar Rodriguez."

"I believe my successor will have some emerging talent to build on. Octavio Martinez is the real deal. I can think of worse young complementary pieces to have than Joshua Ackland and Masahiko Harada. And damn, kids who've had fits and starts coming up through the minors, like Fida bin Kaseem and Muslih Abdul-Hasib, made my decision to walk away really tough."

Earlier this season, Slade acknowledged to his inner circle that his aversion to older, injury-prone players didn't help the team. "Jim constantly complained," said one insider who requested to speak off the record, "that the peak talent in the league was too old. He thought he could wait out that class and ride a new wave of talent."

"It's true," Slade acknowledged, "I didn't have the stomach for older players. My sense of excitement was rooted in developing a special team that would come up together. I let the team and our fans down. We didn't quite get there, but there's no reason our core can't work as a foundation with a GM more willing to infuse outside talent."

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Stepping out of character for a second, you guys have been great! As always with this game, my love of real-life baseball colors my view of OOTB baseball, and my love of OOTP colors my view of IRL MLB. I'm amazed at the angles you take on this game. It hasn't shown "on the field," but I do take notes. I have broadened my intake of data. I'm not a metrics guy by nature, but how could I not be turned on by some of the analyses guys like @RonCo bring?

I'm disappointed in not getting a handle on trading here, something I do frequently and successfully in my other league. Without being able to trade for draft picks and eat entire contracts, as I did with my initially last-place team in my other league, I didn't find a new gear here. Then my day job got so busy that I lost time for networking, as I like to do. I started feeling like I was only engaged in "parallel play," which is not my style and is not fair to the league. While I'm away, I'll see if I can develop another approach to trading here.

I'll also consider whether I should use PPT to boost skills. I'm on the old side. (Hell, for the young person I once was, I'm OLD!) My oldest son, now 27, is a gamer. He used to spend on something he called "mods" to boost his game. I asked him what he was talking about when he referred to "mods." I grew up loving The Who, and I could only think of the mods of 1960s UK youth culture. When he explained it to me I said, "But that's cheating!"

God, I can be too much, but that's truly how I felt and still feel to this day. I don't think any of YOU are cheating, mind you, when you spend PPT on improving a player's stamina, or whatever. It's just that I feel it's the equivalent of modifying "nature," the nature of randomly assigned 0's and 1's, in this case. I accept 100% how weird I am for feeling this way. I only share this so that you can see me off with, I hope, a good laugh at my expense. Thanks for having me in your world. I'll peak in on Discord and chime in now and then on MLB topics, memorable moments, etc. Take care.

[RonCo]

Sorry to see you step away, but totally get it...would be great to see you back again!

[woods]

We'll miss you here, Jim, and I'll do my best to take care of the talent you've built up. Hope you see you back soon!

[Dington]

Hope to see you back soon!

[shoeless.db]

"... focus on his other job, leading an overworked, shorthanded team of awesome colleagues who need his full attention and hands-on support until his company acknowledges the risk of trying to squeeze people too hard."

Ugh... this frickin' hits home with my last career. Take care, Jim. Best of luck moving forward. I expect you back. We always come back.

[trmmilwwi]

Wish you the best Jim, see you again soon!