 |
 |
| In the middle of that deadly NL Central sits the up and coming Houston Astros. The team's GM, Pat Gillespie, is an intelligent owner with a plan for success. His lineup contains two of the best hitters in the game, and his pitching staff is lead by talented up and comers like Francisco Rodriguez and Jason Jennings. He's hopeful about 2003, and proud of his efforts in 2002. Gabe: Ok. First question. Who do you see winning the first IBC World Series? Pat: I think it's going to be Pittsburgh. His team just seems so solid, both in hitting and pitching and his bullpen is good. Besides, Bren can't win, because he's the Red Sox, he's cursed. G: Do you think the team is significantly better than they were when you took over? Pat: Absolutely. When I started I had Mo Vaughn and Reggie Sanders as my #3 and #4 hitters. I've got Arod and Thome now. My pitching staff was pretty solid with Wells, Pettitte, Lieber, Byrd and I let it weaken, but have built it up again, I think. G: What weaknesses, if any, plague the Astros right now? Pat: Right now, I'm looking for a good leadoff guy. The middle of my lineup is strong, but I need guys to get on base for them. And I've become more and more confident in Acevedo as a closer. I think speed and getting guys on base are the weaknesses. G: Is there anyone on your team that you feel doesn't get the respect he deserves from the SIM, the GMs, or both? Pat: Well, not really. A-Rod was hitting .242 when I got him and after getting Thome, he finished at .280. I thought that was a bit low. Jose Macias put up good numbers (.267 19 hrs/67 rbi/7 triples/27 SBs) and no one seems to want him. I understand that no one would be able to carry his numbers over, but I think he'll put up good numbers again next season. G: Are there any deals you regret? Pat: I ended up dealing Reggie Sanders for Gabe Kapler and Wayne Frankline. That wasn't so good. There probably isn't one deal that hurt me, but when I started I wasn't really sure how the league worked, so I probably acted too quickly just out of excitement. If I kept most of my players until I understood the system, that probably would have helped. That's my advice to the new owners, too. G: During 2002, both Jon Lieber and Aaron Sele pitched for the 'Stros, but you were able to deal both of them before their sudden injuries affected your team. Was this just good luck? Pat: I was actually disappointed with Lieber because I got many offers for him, but was planning on him being my ace, so I held off. When people started posting on the message board about him being out for a year, I got nervous. I ended up pretty much giving him away. With Sele, I worked a deal with Joe to get him and two other pitchers for Sabathia. That night, I just randomly instant messaged Milwaukee's owner about Thome and after 20 minutes, we had a deal. He said he liked Sele and I actually hadn't heard that he was hurt. I found out the next day. So I guess half was luck and half was bad luck. G: So what do you think of your division for next season? The great Cubs team is moving out, my whimsy little Dodgers are moving in, but Nate over in Cincy looks to be much tougher. Where do you expect to end up? Pat: I really don't know. My optimistic side says that I can actually compete for the wild card. Cincinnati has such a crazy team and he finished almost 20 games out of first place. Pittsburgh is solid, St. Louis has a ton of talent and then there's the rest of us. My pessimistic side says I'll end up above .500, but nowhere near first place. I think I'll need Pitt, Cincy and St. Louis to have to key injuries for me to make the postseason. G: With all the moves and new GMs, what looks like it could be the weakest division next season? Pat: I think it's got to be the A.L. West. They still have Anaheim, who's very strong, but Texas seems the same and Seattle is a little improved. I think it all depends on the new Oakland GM and how well he drafts. The NL West is the most improved. G: Of course, everyone in the playoffs this season has a shot next season...but what non-playoff teams look to be title contenders next season? Pat: I think the best non-playoff team has to be Toronto with Johnson/Maddux/Moyer/Beckett pitching and Chipper, Walker, Soriano, Jeter on offense. He just missed the playoffs. In the National League, Cincinnati is just ridiculous. His offense is solid and his pitching staff underachieved in the SIM. He's really scary too. G: What teams look to be stuck in the gutter next season? Pat: Well you can't really tell, mostly because the sim treats good players poorly and poor players well sometimes. I think the new owner draft is a great idea and will be able to help out the general managers coming in. G: Who's going to be the leader of this team next season? Pat: A-Rod for sure. I expect him to have a monster season and have serious contention for MVP. Hopefully Jennings will get some respect from the SIM and have a 15+ win season. He showed a lot of potential at the end of this season, so I hope it transfers to next. G: Everybody in the IBC has a rival (i.e. Pitt and NYY). Who's yours? Pat: I don't think I've developed one yet. I've only been in the league two months, and I've been out of contention the whole time, so I can't really say I "rival" anyone. If anyone, it would have to be Toronto because we're friends and maybe Texas because we talk all the time and we're cross-state rivals. G: Imagine you're blessed with the powers of Bren for a day. You can contract one team, one manager…who is it? Pat: I wouldn't want any specific manager to be booted, but if people are inactive, it's frustrating. My two biggest pet peeves for the league are people not having or updating web sites. G: The IBC is very well run, but it's not without its share of controversies. Can you think of any issues/rules that need to be discussed further, or changed? Pat: I think Bren and Nils have structured the league very well. The only thing I think needs to be addressed is injuries. And I think the only way that can be resolved is by honest managers. |
| HOUSTON ASTROS |