 |
 |
| When it come's to Nate, the owner and GM of the IBC Reds, you either love him or you hate him. You either admire the genius he displayed in building his team this season, or you despise his ability to make the deals none of the rest of us can. Either way, you can't ignore the pool of talent that's been gathering in Cincinnatti. With one playoff team leaving the division after the season, the door is wide open for Nate and the Big Red Machine to win the NL Central, and possibly more in 2003. Gabe: First question. The playoffs are set. Who's taking it all the way? Nate: Well, that's a tough one. I've got some friends in the AL, and some friends in the NL. So hopefully no bruised egos here. Although I don't know if I can really pick a winner, I'd say the AL comes down to the Halos and the Red Sox. It'll be a tough series, but I feel the Halos can prevail. In the NL, it'll be between the Pirates and the Cubs. Too close to call. No offense to Nils, but I think Ropers takes it with his Offense. A Halos vs.. Pitts world series, and I'm going to say the Pirates win, just cause I always root for the NL deep down. G: I've completed three interviews, and I'm in the middle of three more. In all of them, there has been mention of the Reds being a powerhouse team in 2003. As the GM, are you fearing at all that you won't live up to the expectations? N: Talk about the Big Red Machine? You're all too kind. Well, I believe it buddy. I've put in a lot of hard work to build my vision of the 21st century Big Red Machine. Fear that I wont live up to expectations? Who's expectations do I have to live up to but my own? But to answer your question, No. In my mind, there are two key reasons we didn't make the playoffs this year. 1 - the sim undervaluing some of my players. Tejada, Irod, Vidro, and Giles' numbers should all improve significantly. Mulder's numbers should improve as well. The second reason - injuries. We sustained various injuries to various key components of the pitching staff and lineup all year. How many blown saves did my team have cause Rivera was on the DL? I'm confident that if we can avoid these 2 key issues, we should be in contention all year. Although, there are still some questions for the 2003 roster, and with me moving into a new ball park. Not sure how that will affect my team. I'm counting on it to work in my favor. But you never know. Baseball is baseball, and that's why we play the games. If we looked at teams on paper alone, yeah, I'm a contender easy. But as I said, we play the games. If I don't get them next year, no biggie. I'll do some overhauling and work for next year. That's all you can do right? G: Nils' powerful team is leaving the division, but I know everyone in the NL Central was shaking in their tennis shoes when they found out I was taking his place lol. But seriously, with all the moves, is the NL Central still the most powerful division in the IBC? N: Easily. There isn't a division in IBC that comes close to ours, except maybe the AL East. There are some stacked teams in Boston, Toronto, and even the Devil Rays. Some teams are on the verge of contending in that division as well should they make some off season moves. However, the NL Central is still loaded from top to bottom. Pittsburgh is a contender, Cards are a contender, - they have a lot of young guys who should be stepping up next season, Kearns catches my eye - Houston should be in much better shape after Pat gets a full off season under his belt. Milwaukee is always silent, but still had a good year. I definitely don't think that the NL central has lost any luster with Nils moving. And you're team should be more than competitive, you had my number last year. 1-5 against LA? pathetic. I'll be looking to improve that mark this year against your Cubbies. G: The NL West was the weakest division in 2002. But with the addition of the Cubbies and the A's at the end of the season, what division looks to have the dishonor of being 2003's easiest division? N: With Nils and Dr. GreenThumb moving over to the NL West, the division just got a lot tougher. KB is moving on up in Texas, so I think the AL West will still be a good battle for Nick. If I had to pick between 2 divisions, I'd have to say AL Central or NL East. However, don't take that the wrong way. I have to be honest, I really don't know too much about the teams in these divisions. Particularly the AL Central. I know KC has some good players, I know everyone tried to catch Detroit throughout the year, and I know Chicago caught him. I just don't know much about the teams, the players on the teams, within the respective divisions. G: The trade approval process, and trading as a whole, has been the topic of a hot debate all season long. However, you in particular have been singled out by some of your fellow GMs as being a guy who rips other people off. Now we all know the point of trading is to improve your team, but do you feel you might have taken that too far in some deals? N: No, not at all. I stand behind my trades 100%. Part of the trading process is evaluating what value a player has, and what value he has to another GM. I always believe I give fair value, in these regards. As the old saying goes, "what's one man's garbage is another man's treasure." That being said, the value that you or I put on a player, may be higher or lower than what another GM thinks. And in particular instances, some GM's may have an abundance of one type of player, and need help in other areas. I happen to be able to seize that opportunity. I give the other GM what they want, and give them the best possible value for that position available, and in turn, I get what I want. There is absolutely no ripping off another GM in that respect. We both agreed to the deal, because it both helped our present and future needs. I don't hold a gun to their heads and say, "trade me this player or else!" I simply sell them on a player's ability. I do not do anything misleading or deceptive. I feel one of the ways I've been able to get the guys I wanted, was because I'm honest about my trades, I commicate well with other GM's, and I have good report with most of them. I simply go in, tell a GM what I want, ask what they need, give them some options, and see if they bite. If not, no big deal. Time to go out and search for the next vict.. err.. I mean.. GM ;) to trade with. G: Do you think the trade review process needs to be changed? Do you think any of the IBC policies need to be changed? N: I do not feel that the trade process is bad. However, with as much apparent issues as other GMs have with it, perhaps we could setup a trade committee. The Commish could appoint 2 or 3 GM's per league to view trades, and vote on them. In the case of a tie, he - the Commish - would be the determining factor. That way, we could have a general consensus on the trades. How to construct this trade committee? I'm not certain of the best way to do that. Maybe the league could nominate candidates, maybe the Commish hand picks it. Not sure, but I think this is the best idea for trades. As far as what other policies need to be changed, I think the overwhelming majority would agree that the DL issue needs to be worked on. Who is and who isn't eligible for play remains a hot topic. New rules and guidelines should be drafted this off season to fix this issue. Perhaps we could have a committee for this also. A group that looks over who's on the DL, and can be a deciding factor in who can and cannot play. In my humble opinion, players like Luis Gonzalez and Ishii should not be playing. G: If a committee was instituted, would you be interested in a position on it? N: If a committee was put in place, I wouldn't mind having a position on it. Honestly, I wouldn't really care either way. I feel that I have a non-biased opinion when it comes to trades, a good representative when it comes to the IBC league, and I have good raport with a lot of the GMs in this league. However, putting something like this in place would be at the discretion of Bren. Who knows how he would assemble such a committee. If I didn't get it, no big impact on me. G: Imagine that you were the IBC Commish for one day, You've got the power to contract one team, whether it be because of the team or the gm. Who would you contract? N: Wow, put me in the spotlight. 1 team to contract? That's too tough of a question G. I would probably have to say I would contract the D'backs. A 'ghost' franchise in my mind, but hopefully thats corrected now with a new GM in place. SF comes to mind, but again, becuase of similar circumstances. But now that we have new GMs runnin the show in these cities, hopefully they can erase the image that has been implanted in many of our minds. G: Do the Reds have a rival here in the IBC? If so, who is it? N: Do the Reds have a rival? Of course. Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Houston, Milwaukee, Chicago. But they are all good friendly rivalries. Now, if you want some inside info on bad rivalries, well - I don't really know. Aside from occasional spats with other GMs, I really am much too laid back of a person to hold a grudge for too long. Philly and I got quite frustrated trying to complete trades with each other earlier in the year. Ended up having to get Tejada from Cleveland. The original GM in Atlanta(before our good friend Jmac) and I talked quite a lot of trash. The old Rockies GM Deuce tried to start something between us. But I honestly have to say that if there are any rivalries, they are good friendly ones. Ropers in Pitts, Aaron in St. Louis being the main ones. You guys are going down in 2003! G: What teams do you see as serious contenders in 2003? N: In the AL, I see Boston, Toronto, Anaheim, and Chicago as the most serious threats. In the NL, the Mets, the new Rockies, the new Giants, and of course, anyone in my division - including myself. I think there are a lot of up and coming teams in the IBC, such as Texas, Tampa, Houston, Philadelphia, Florida, KC, Baltimore, NY, Atlanta - yes, even Cleveland and Minnesota. But I don't know if 2003 is their year. Maybe 2004 or 2005. Some of these guys drafted extremely youthful, and as of last year, their team was compiled of prospects. Hopefully those guys pan out for their GMs and they become contenders. G: What teams look like they'll be stuck in the cellar next season? N: Unfortunately, I don't think San Diego is going anywhere. My good friend JP in Montreal has moved to Arizona, so I think the Spos will still find themselves in trouble. The NL Central is anybody's guess. In the AL, I think Oakland has to be the choice, since the good Dr. is headin for the Rockies. Cleveland and the Twins will battle it out in the central, their teams still need some time to develope. And in the AL East, its anybodg's guess again. G: You've built a good team over there in Cincy. Any advice to the new GMs that will have a lot of work ahead of them? N: Thanks G. I appreciate the kind words. My advice, go for youth and talent. Take a few gambles here and there on players. Make good solid trades that help you, and don't hurt you. Far too many times I've seen a trade and go 'why did he do that?' Don't trade just for the sake of trading. Trade to improve your team. Scout your players, and scout prospects. You want to have the talent be a constant stream for you year after year, so get guys that perform at every level. Find that 'diamond in the rough'. There are plenty of players out there, at every level, who can or will help your team - now, or in the near future G: Speaking of youth. Which of the IBC Reds Prospects do you think will have a huge impact on the team in the years to come? N: Good question. That's tough to say as we have a lot of young guys that are ready to impact our team in a big way. Tejada, Mulder, Williamson, Noogie, Chavez, Cruz Jr, Wolf, etc. Most of these guys are about 26 years old or younger. We have a lot of guys in the minors looking to play too, Josh Hall and Gabe Gross come to mind. The biggest impact in the years to come? I'd have to say either Tejada, Chavez, or Noogie. Tejada - MLB MVP candidate this year - and Chavez - best 3B in the league - speak for themselves. Noogie is a 21 year old fireballer with ace potential, who's been compared to Kerry Wood. Had some struggles in Milwaukee this year, but so did the team as a whole. He looked great when he came back from injury. I think he may be a big key to our rotation for years to come. G: Who on this Reds team do you feel didn't get the respect they deserves this year, either from the SIM, the GMs, or both? N: A couple of players come to mind. Vidro, Tejada, Irod, Mulder. I think the sim undervalued these players, and I can't justify any reason why in my mind, other than perhaps the sim thought they would have bad or mediocre years. If I had to pick 1 guy though, I think it would be Scott Williamson. The 99 ROY in MLB got no respect from the sim in my mind, and has fallen in a 'forgotten' category by other GMs and baseball alike. I think he'll be a big surprise and a key to my success in 2003 and for years to come. The kid just has wicked, filthy, and downright nasty stuff. G: What holes, if any, will the Reds be looking to fill this offseason? N: First thing that comes to mind if Bullpen and Rotation help. I'm still undecided about the 5th spot in the rotation. I may have to move Williamson into a starting role, which weakens the pen. So I'll probably be looking to make a trade or two for a couple of arms. I may make a move for an outfielder, as well. The lineup doesn't have any glaring holes, but defensively and beyond 2003, we may have an issue with Cruz or Cedeno. We'll have to see how Cruz plays in MLB in 2003, that will be a deciding factor. I have faith with new management in Toronto that Cruz can turn stuff around. He played well at the end of the year. I have Gabe Gross, Ludwick, and the vet Justice waiting in the wings to fill any holes. G: What one player that you don't have, would you love to see become a Red? N: Zito or Oswalt. I've been big fans of these kids ever since their short days in the minors. Both are going to be perennial Cy Young candidates. Zito has the most devastating curve in baseball in my humble opinion. And Oswalt is just disgusting. Both are very young and I don't believe we've yet realized their full potential. I tried to get these guys several times last year, and unfortunately (maybe fortunately for the rest of the league) I wasn't able to land them. G: What will a team have to do to beat the Reds on any given day next year? N: To beat the reds on any given day, you're going to have to score more runs than me and pitch better than my staff. I think we're very strong lineup wise from top to bottom. Cedeno and Vidro are getting on base and stealing bases. Giambi, Tejada, Chavez, Giles, and I-rod will be driving in runs and hitting the long ball. I feel that Vazqeuz, Mulder, Wolf, and Noogie are a very strong 1-4. There are better rotations in this league, but I think my staff can hang with anyone. Especially with the leads my lineup should be generating. G: Well, you're a fun interview Nate, and you're going to be one tough SOB in 2003. Any final comments? N: Best of luck to everyone in 2003. The 1st IBC season was a success in my book. I had a lot of fun talkin trash and playin ball with everyone. There's a lot of good GMs in this league, and I have to give credit to Bren for scouting out his GMs before assigning them teams. You're always going to have a couple guys who don't participate, but as a whole this has, far and away, been the best league I have had the pleasure of participating in. First one I've played in that was not abandoned. Lets keep up the friendly competition, and great work by everyone. I don't think this league could be what it is without everyone's dedication and help. |
| CINCINNATI REDS |