Interview with Tony Badger,
New Hope Badgers

BBIGGEST DADDY: Thanks for sitting down with us, Tony. You have been a member of this league since the middle of last season. What are your thoughts of the league vs. other types of fantasy baseball leagues that you have participated in?

Tony Badger: Thanks for having me, B.D. I’ve played in a few different formats: traditional rotisserie, head-to-head fantasy, and now a simulation league. I enjoy Roto baseball (and run a league going into its third season), but have greatly enjoyed the BDBL so far. There’s something about actually managing the players you have decided to have on your team that makes this format so much fun. I am having a blast.

BD: Tell us a little bit about yourself. Married? Kids? Where did you grow up, what college did you attend (if you did), and where do you see yourself in 10 years from now?

TB: The best decision I have ever made was marrying my wife, Amy, almost 9 years ago. She’s a wonderful and understanding partner (as long as I don’t play too many H2H series in a week, that is). I have 3 children: Sydney (7), Dylan (5), and Lucas (1). I grew up in North Plainfield, New Jersey (Central NJ) and graduated from Rutgers University in 2000. I went the “let work pay for college” route and had my daughter and 4 month old son at my graduation. In 10 years, I hope my sons are on Jeff Paulson’s short-list of prospects for the farm draft, my daughter hasn’t brought home any prospective boyfriend I want to run into door jamb Al Bundy style, and I am well enough off where my wife and I can take a cruise every year (the only way to vacation, besides Disney).

BD: What, specifically, does your job entail? Give us an example of a normal day in your work life.

TB: I am a team lead for a group of software developers at a financial services company, responsible for the website for our clients. My normal work day is juggling 5 different “high priority” tasks and making sure I keep enough sanity to make the hour drive home. I get up at 5:30AM to make it in without much traffic, but going home is pretty frustrating. I enjoy my work, but some of the issues I deal with are simple mismanagement by the upper management. With any luck, in a few years I’ll be in the position where others can complain about me mismanaging things….

BD: As a Yankees fan, what are your thoughts on George Steinbrenner? And, how frustrating is it for you to watch the Yanks go out and sign/trade for the best players in baseball, to have the best team on paper and then not win the World Series the past 4 seasons? Does the fact that the Yanks won in '96, '98, '99 and 2000 soften the blow?

TB: Personally, I love the fact my team has an owner who cares about winning so much. He understands from a business point of view if you want to make money you have to spend money. There are a number of organizations who try to make money, but by not spending any. I understand he does have money from outside baseball, but so do other owners (most notably the billionaire in Minnesota). However, the teams responsible for the run of titles were built from within the organization. I’d rather the money have been spent on keeping what we have. Chuck Knoblauch-head was the beginning of the mercenaries. Gene Michael built those teams from farm system talent, and we’ve traded the subsequent talent away. No matter what, I’ll be a Yankee fan even if we lose 100 in a year (which is coming soon, I fear). I became a baseball fan, ironically, during the player’s strike in 1981, and went through the 15 years of Yankee futility (Lee Guetterman, Andy Hawkins, Tim Leary, shall I go on?). It’s been a fun ride, no complaints.

BD: Which baseball stadiums have you visited and which is your favorite?

TB: Let’s see. I was at Shea Stadium for the 1988 playoff game where Jay Howell was tossed for doctoring the ball. A friend from out of town made a surprise visit a few years ago and we went to Veterans Stadium for a game. We ended up seeing Kevin Millwood’s no-hitter! Saw an Eric Davis inside the park home run at Riverfront Stadium. Camden Yards, which I actually didn’t care for too much. No atmosphere except for the right field barbeque. I played softball within view of Fenway Park, but haven’t been to game there yet. Some minor league parks, which I really enjoy. Waterfront Park in Trenton, right on the Delaware river, is excellent for a game. I’ll also be going to Spring Training this year, really looking forward to seeing Tampa Stadium. But of course Yankee Stadium is my favorite. I’m a huge baseball history fan, and the story of that park and the games played there makes me think of it as the cathedral of the game. It might not be modern, or comfortable, or entirely like what it was before the last remodeling. But you FEEL the history there.

BD: If a record-holder is proven to or admits to have used steroids such as Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, etc., should MLB place an asterisk next to their record?

TB: It wasn’t against the rules at the time they were doing it, so in my opinion there’s nothing baseball can do about it. I do think it will affect their Hall of Fame votes, though not necessarily mean they won’t get in. Unfortunately, baseball has had a long history of cheating or trying to get an edge (doctoring the ball, gambling, speed pills), and this is just a more modern version of it.

BD: Apprentice or CSI?

TB: CSI without a doubt. All those types of shows, Cold Case, Without a Trace, I make sure are scheduled for my DVR. I actually usually do know what is happening on the Apprentice, but from reading USA Today online.

BD: Morning person or night owl?

TB: I get up at before the crack of dawn, but I am definitely not a morning person (just ask my wife how much I love waking up early). I can be exhausted when I get home, but when 8PM rolls around I’m usually getting a second wind. Bedtime can get pretty late if I’m involved with something.

BD: Van Halen, Linkin Park, 50 Cent, Whitney Houston or Mozart?

TB: Van Halen and Mozart (though I prefer Baroque classical music like Bach or Vivaldi). My friends call my music taste odd to the extreme. I’ll listen to Kiss, Vivialdi, and Red Hot Chili Peppers in the same play list. And I take pride in not keeping up with current music unless it really catches my ear (and then, I really don’t know the artist). I honestly have no idea who 50 Cent is.

BD: Disneyland or Universal Studios?

TB: Universal, Orlando has by far the best rides compared to Disney. When the kids grow up, that will be our primary Florida destination. Islands of Adventure is an awesome park.

BD: Are you satisfied that the New Hope Badgers, as is, can earn a post-season berth? Any trade rumors you could share with us, concerning your team?

TB: I have the hitting to compete, especially with two lefties in the middle of the lineup who hits lefties very well in Jim Edmonds and Eric Chavez. The starting pitching is not good after Pavano, though the bullpen will be much better (obviously) with Eric Gagne at the back end. The bench is a little thin too. Because of the lack of quality starters and seeing them over a almost a chapter of baseball, I’d say I am a .500 team, which is where I wanted to be this year. A .500 team with some luck can contend. No current trade rumors, but I am obviously in the market for a #2 starter which is impossible to find. I could also use one additional right handed bat. But I’ll be pushing hard for the starter come next chapter if my team continues to play well. If I do get another front line starter to match up with Pavano, I think I am definitely a contender for a post-season spot. I really like the way my team has performed so far.

BD: As a BDBL GM, will you focus on compiling short-term year-to-year winning teams? Or will you focus on a long term dynasty? How "useful" is the farm roster in your eyes?

TB: I want to field a competitive team every year, so I’ll always be looking to field the best possible team for a particular year. The trick is to balance that with logical pickups based on potential. Victor Santos is an example. He had a decent year in 2004, and should be getting better. He can help me this year in the bullpen and spot starting, but if he does well in MLB 2005, my contract gamble pays off. Yhency Brazoban, Michael Wuertz, Bengie Molina, Randy Wolf. They can help this season, and if even 2 of them do well in MLB 2005, I’m that much better off for BDBL 2006. For me, a farm roster is useful in two ways. First, I think you do need to develop some cheap young talent to remain competitive. But it is my opinion you can’t entirely do it that way. Prospects are also for obtaining current talent to fill holes. The success rate for prospects just isn’t that good, and I think the return you can get based on their potential is more than the return you get based on their eventual performance.

BD: How does your team stack up against your Butler Division opponents?

TB: This is one real tough division. I think I am a difficult team to match up with because my lineup does hit lefties very well (how about that for a turnaround from last year!). But with my starters, I am at a disadvantage in my division. Salem, Corona, and New Milford have very good lineups. My upcoming series with New Milford is a good litmus test for my team. So far, I’ve split with both Salem and Corona. I’ll take that for now, and hope Gagne can make a bigger difference starting in Chapter 2.

BD: Thanks, Tony, and good luck in 2005!

TB: Thank you, I enjoyed it.