Ripken0713

From: Mr. Stickball

To: Ripken

Subject:  Interview


1. What is your favorite beverage? Explain.
Scotch, Scotch, Scotch. I love Scotch - down into my belly. Started off gagging on a fifth of Johnny Walker Black, but halfway through it started tasting really good. Had to work my way from water/ice to pretty much straight up. I'm really a single malt guy now. MaCallan, Glenlivet, really any of the Glens. Nothing better than a good cigar mixed with a great scotch.

-Stick's Comment:  Ha ha, check out this review ... pretty funny if you've ever had MacCallan Cask Strength: http://seriousscotchgals.com/macallan-cask-strength/ 




2. Is baseball your favorite sport? Explain.

Sadly no. Football is. Baseball just seems so long to watch, even though it's the same time commitment as an NFL game. But, in baseball it's always just a 1:1 matchup - pitcher vs. batter. NFL and even playoff NBA always has something going on, right away. Also 162 games is a LONG season and it never feels like EVERY game matters. Although baseball is PERFECT for stats - one of the reasons I play hardball and no other whatif sport. 

3. Did your father like baseball?

Yeah. He's from WI, so Brewer blood in his veins  Grew up hearing about the Gatner/Molitor/Yount hay-days. I was born a couple months after Cal Ripken's MLB debut, in Baltimore, so I grew up with him and the first 20+ years of my life was following the O's and worshipping him. I remember going to Memorial Stadium with my dad when the Brewers would take on the O's and have our own rivalry. Eddie Murray ws a beast. In the early 80's they were both great and mid-late 80's the went through the same tough times, so their games always seemed evenly matched. It was a sad day when Milwaukee left the AL.

4. Have you been on a baseball team? A softball team? If so, which position are you best suited for?

I played a little baseball in high school, but never cracked past JV. Then played softball for a long time, about 7 years on a consistent basis. Then after a 5 years absence tried taking it up again and it amazed me how much I regressed. After taking a ball off a weird gravel infield hop to the face, I decided to give it up for a while. 

5. Who is your greatest rival in Stickball World? Give an historical example detailing what a challenge he can be.

KC - Miller. We're friends and he is the one that got me in this league. Of the 16 seasons I've played he or I have won our division 11 times (I'm up 6 to his 5) and have won 6 championships (3-3). It's great to be able to talk shit on a daily basis.

Aside from that, I'd say Milton had a good run and was fun competing, but it's been 5 seasons. And of ALL the owners, Mike in the NL is who I would want to emulate. 21 STRAIGHT seasons of 87 or more wins and 11 of the last 12 seasons winning his division. Definitely a pro. 

6. Who is your favorite player in Stickball World? Give us some stats and/or historical examples that illustrate why he's such a cool player.

Willie Gonzalez. By far the best pitcher to ever step foot in this world. 330 wins, a career 2.90 ERA, 166 complete games, 3567 K's, 11 time AS, 4 cy Youngs, even a silver slugger. Insane.

Keep an eye out for Antonio Charleston. If he can stay healthy, he has all the potential to give Willie a run for his money.

7. What is more important in HBD: Starting Pitching, Power Hitting, Team Speed, Good Defense, or What? Does your home ballpark make much of s difference?

IMO, starting pitching wins championships. I believe it's the reason you see people going for $130MIL in free agency. Pitching is hard to come by and extremely valuable. But, I may value it more than most. Also having solid defense at SS and CF is huge. I used to not think my ballpark mattered much, but looking at last year, a 53-28 home record is making me rethink that.

8. If you could change one thing about HBD, what would it be?

Scouting. Still not sure where advance scouting comes into play compared to things like HS/College or International. Does advanced help with ANY projections or just people once singed/drafted? Does that mean that the more I put in to the draft and international will give me more players to see/pick from, but their projections will all be off? That doesn't seem to make much sense.


9. Who is the hottest actress/musician/whatever on the planet?

10 years ago - Jessica Alba. Right now - Kate Upton.

10. Note that I had to throw booze and women into this ... that;s because sometimes I'm a chauvinistic pig. I'm not always the most politically correct person, although I do try to generally follow the "Golden Rule" in most anonymous situations. That being said, give us an original thought so we can get a better sense of who you are.

My original thought? I'm extremely competitive. I hate to lose and am always looking for ways to get better and have an advantage. That's why I make so many moves each year. I get bored keeping the same team and rolling the dice to see if they do better next year. It's really hard for me to stay slow and steady. I want to win now.

-Rip