Interview with Jeff Paulson,
Los Altos Undertakers

BIGGEST DADDY: Thank you for sitting down with us, for another installment of "BDBL: A retrospective". Generally speaking, how do you feel about the BDBL?

JEFF PAULSON: Words cannot describe my overwhelming enthusiasm for this league. It is, by far, the best hobby I could possilby ask for! I love it, I absolutely love it.

BD: How have you felt about the overall success of your franchise at this point?

JP: Part of me is very happy with the success this franchise has seen. 6 divsion titles in 10 seasons is pretty good. Then there is part of me that is very displeased. One division title the past 4 seasons, and I haven't made it to the BDBL world series. So, I guess the answer is mixed.

BD: What is your favorite aspect of the BDBL?

JP: There are so many things I enjoy about this league. I guess my favorite aspect is how knowledgeable this league is. We can talk and debate baseball and I never get bored. Everyone knows what they are doing in this leauge, it is so highly competitive. That is why, when I win, it means something. I'm not taking advantage of people who don't know what they are doing. I am competing with some great baseball minds.

BD: Tell us the absolute low point of your franchise, whether it was a particular game lost, or a particular trade ripped to shreds, or a particular fellow GM that ticked you off.

JP: I have taken my playoff losses very hard. Let's recap...

1999: I lose in extra innings to Litchfield in the final game, a team that had usage problems. I lose because Trevor Hoffman throws a wild pitch. In the bottom of the 10th, Eric Plunk gets me 1-2-3!

2000: I lose to the Zoots in 6 games. In game 6, I lose 1-0. I couldn't score one run. I did everything I could to hold Stamford to 1 run, and couldn't get a single player to the plate.

2002: I lose in game 7 of the OLCS to Salem. I was so close to making the BDBL world series. I lose 7-4, as Salem scores 6 in the 8th.

2003: I lose to my rival Bear Country. Talk about insulting.

2004: I lose to Ravenswood, with superstar Eric Gagne blowing a save that would have put me up 2-0.

2007: I got swept by New Hope. This was especially hard because 07 was a very painful year and I thought I had earned some good karma. Boy was I wrong.

All of them have been very hard. I remember shaking I was so upset when things just feel out of control. Its a terrible feeling. I can't wait till I actually have some post season success. I hope it comes in the next decade.

BD: Over the course of your time in the BDBL, who is the one GM that you consider your largest rival or target?

JP: I don't really have a GM target. I pay very close attention to several teams, especially those in my division. I also pay close attention to guys like Glander, Tom and Bobby to see what they are doing.

BD: Name a GM that you absolutely love to talk trade with.

JP: I enjoy talking with most of the GMs in this leauge. I have had very good trading relationships with several.

BD: How did you first hear of the BDBL?

JP: I think I went to the diamond-mind website at the time and looked for league openings. I joined a league that was in season 2, but then saw the BDBL was starting from scratched, so I quit that league before it began and joined this one. Best decision I ever made!

BD: What would it take for you to exit the league?

JP: Me or Glander dying.

BD: What is your favorite BDBL memory?

JP: I think my favorite BDBL memories are the times we have spent at BDBL weekend. It is so nice to be able to spend some time with people you chat with everyday. I have met some great people who I now consider my friends, and have had a chance to see some fantastic ballparks and cities I normally whouldn't have had a chance to see.

BD: What is your best trade ever? And your worst?

JP: Who knows. I have made several trades I am happy about. The one thing I have noticed, when compiling my list of favorite trading partners is many of the trades where I acquired prospects for the future didn't pan out. Jose Ortiz, Brian Dopirak, Chris Nelson...some guys I thought I would build around never panned out.

BD: Other than Glander, what GM would you absolutely hate to see leave the BDBL?

JP: Mike Stein.

BD: Who is the craziest character in the BDBL?

JP: LOL! Jim Doyle. He will just appear randomly on the board, spout his wisdom or make a ridiculous trade, and then vanish.

BD: If your franchise had a Team Hall of Fame, which players would be members?

JP: I do have a Undertaker hall of fame, thank you very much! Albert Belle and Tom Candiotti are the only ones in, so far.

BD: Tell us which MLB team that you feel like your BDBL franchise is the most like.

JP: Hmmm...I guess I would consider us the Oakland A's. We had a streak of a few years where we kept making the playoffs but couldn't get to the world series. Then we have been in rebuilding mode. Billy Beane is thought of as being a GM with a unique way about him, and I'd like to think my philosophy for drafting and scouting is a bit different than others.

BD: How has drafting all these young high school and college players worked out for the Undertaker franchise? I haven't seen the Undertakers take place in a World Series game.

JP: Ouch! Don't be such a hater, Biggest Daddy! No strategy is perfect. I have certainly swung and missed a bunch of times. But haven't we all. I have very much enjoyed finding young talent and watching them doing well.

BD: How has your overall team-building philosophy changed over the years?

JP: It has, but I think it has to. I would like to think I was one of the first organizations to focus on having a very strong bullpen. That was partly why I was so successful during the first couple of seasons. Look, we all have different ways of building a team and some guys really know what they are doing. I am certainly not the most successful, but I think I have done a reasonably good job. And over time, my philosophy continues to grow.

BD: What has been the most significant change in the BDBL?

JP: The auction draft was a fantastic idea.

BD: Name your favorite "off-the-field" moment from BDBL Weekend or the league forum.

JP: Any new ballpark I have walked into for the first time...Yankee Stadium, Fenway, Camden, etc...walking through those doors and seeing a new ballpark has always been an exciting moment for me. I love it!

BD: What would you prefer: A BDBL Championship or a Los Angeles Dodger championship?

JP: I have witnessed and enjoyed a Dodger Championship in my lifetime. It would mean more to me now to have a BDBL marriage.

BD: The BDBL members played a role in helping you during a tough time in your life when your marriage was going through some tough times and eventually ending. How are you holding up these days? Are you seeing anybody?

JP: I opened myself up and many BDBL members really helped me get through some tough times. Its something I won't forget. For the most part, I am doing great. There are little things which I still affect me, and I don't enjoy being single for the holidays, but I have dated 4 different girls since the divorce and that has been a wonderful experience for me. But, I am currently single. You asking me out, Biggest Daddy????

BD: Thanks, Jeff!

JP: Thank you, Biggest Daddy for helping to make this league so enjoyable!