Career Record - 1506-300
Career Winning PCT. - .834
National Championships - 8
Conference Championships - 58
Bowl Record - 1-0
Playoff Record - 163-76
Current Teams - Lock Haven (Camp) and Northeastern State (Leahy)
Greetings all. This week, the roving interview settles in on Paranoid. Most of you probably know Paranoid from the recruit rankings that he posts, but his 1500+ career wins point to him being much more than a data dynamo.
The man:
Lou: Welcome Paranoid, and thanks for taking the time to sit down for the interview. Let�s start off with the basics. Name? Age?
Perry Waldner, 36.
Lou: Where are you from/where do you live now?
Perry - I grew up in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and lived through that miserable winter weather for 28 years before getting smart and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada. Nowadays, I miss the snow a little, but I think that is just because I don't live in it.
Lou: I live in it, and I can tell you that I definitely wouldn�t miss it. Are you married or single, any kids?
Perry - I am married with no children, as of now.
Lou: Where did you go to school?
Perry - I graduated with a BS in Computer Science from South Dakota State University in Brookings, SD. When I went there, they were Division 2, but have since moved up to D1 and D1AA in football.
Lou: What do you do for work?
Perry - I manage a group of software engineers for IGT, which is the largest slot machine manufacturer in the world. I also still have the opportunity to do some development work. The group I work with does not get to work with slot machines directly, but instead we work on player loyalty and reward systems for casinos to use.
Before you ask, the only way to win (rather not lose) is to not play.
Lou: Well there goes that question, and some easy money. How bout this one then, what are some of your favorite activities (Non-WiS related)?
Perry - Listening to music, bowling, studying the Russian language, watching movies, and computer gaming. I used to golf a lot, but lost interest when I bought a house and couldn't afford to shell out that kind of coin anymore. Basketball also used to be a favorite, but that was when I lived in smaller cities and finding a basketball court to shoot around at seemed a lot easier.
Lou: Why the Russian language out of all the languages of the world?
Perry - My wife is Russian and she pretty much makes me learn Russian. Compared to English, it is an extremely difficult language and it will probably take me another 3 to 5 years to master. Words with 15 to 20 letters are not uncommon in Russian. My wife thinks that I am really lazy when it comes to learning it, but the truth is that my mind doesn�t work as well for learning anymore.
Lou: Linguistically and physiologically that�s not wholly untrue. But I won�t go into that. You said gaming�what are some of your favorite video or computer games? Current, past or both.
Perry - My junior and senior high years were dominated by a number of video and computer games. Some of the more memorable ones were Phantasie on the computer and Sinistar, Mappy, and Gauntlet in the arcade. I can never have a serious conversation about computer games without bringing up the original Earl Weaver Baseball. That game was amazing. I used to be the commissioner for a group of about 10 friends that would get together and draft teams and let Earl play out the season. That was my start to both fantasy sports and simulation leagues. In the past 10 years, I have had a number of different addictions, from Diablo, to Civilization, to Heroes of Might and Magic, which I am currently enjoying again with its release last year.
Lou: I smell a Earl Weaver Sim theme league�How about some of your favorite foods?
Perry - Pizza, mexican food, and BBQ food.
Lou: Staples of my diet as well. Favorite sports figures?
Perry - George Bell (I loved to watch him hit), Carlos Delgado, Vernon Wells, Roy Halladay, pre-Yankee Roger Clemens, Billy Wagner, Barry Sanders, Josh Heupel, Kevin Johnson, Larry Johnson, Shawn Marion.
Lou: A rather unique list. What did you love about watching George Bell?
Perry - He was the definition of a professional hitter. He wasn�t a popular player by any means, which really created a bias against him, but for those that watched him with an impartial eye knew they were seeing a special hitter. I swear that sometimes he would try to get 2 quick strikes just so the pitcher would feel like they had an advantage and get into a comfort zone, but he could definitely hold his own when he had those 2 strikes. The player I see nowadays like that is Manny Ramirez.
Lou: Interesting�aside from players, how about favorite sports teams?
Perry - Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Vikings, Oklahoma Sooners, UNLV Runnin' Rebels.
Lou: I noticed a bunch of Blue Jays on your list of favorite players, how does a guy living in South Dakota become a huge Blue Jays fan?
Perry - Well, the Twins were considered the home team, but I already liked the Vikings and I didn�t want to like all of the teams from Minnesota. My brother loved the Yankees, so I had to pick a team that was going to compete with them, year in and year out. The Blue Jays were a new team, which made them exciting, so I chose them. It took a few years for them to become very competitive, but they had some great talent back in the 80�s and 90�s.
Lou: Ahh brotherly love and family competition. We got players and teams down, what about favorite sports moment (non-WiS related)?
Perry - Either one of the Toronto Blue Jays world series victories. In 1992, when Timlin recorded the final out, I jumped up and hit the textured ceiling in my parents' house and cut my hand up really bad. In 1993, all I can say is --- Joe Carter. The Sooners championship in 2000 is also at the top of the list. I have also been to 2 different Olympics (Norway and Atlanta), so those were pretty memorable.
Lou: Being a sports fan can be dangerous. Lets step outside sports for just a moment. What event from your generation do you think will be remembered by History?
Perry - Up until 5.5 years ago, I would say the fall of the Berlin Wall for a good moment and the first space shuttle (Challenger) exloding for a bad moment. I still remember exactly what I was doing when I got the news of that. That is significant because I don't have very vivid memories from childhood, but I always think of that. I don't know why. Now that 9/11 happened, it is really hard to think of anything that even comes close. I know that my life changed and things we used to take for granted, such as air travel, are a pain in the ass.
Lou: That�s a true story. For sanity�s sake, let�s go back to the world of sports. If you could be commish of one sports league for 10 days, what league would it be, and what would you change?
Perry - Good question. I know that a lot of people have good ideas for what they would do. I don�t know if mine is considered a great idea and it is probably a little selfish. The NFL has an extreme anti-Vegas philosophy. Paul Tagliabue seemed to think that if a game has bets on it, the game is tainted. When asked about Las Vegas, he would relate it to prohibition and bootleggers and always have a very poor argument against Las Vegas, not even considering the fact that gambling is legal in Nevada. He would go so far as to not allow any Super Bowl party in Las Vegas and Las Vegas alone. I hope that Goodell has more common sense than Tagliabue. So, I guess I would want to be the NFL commissioner, if for no other reason than to teach everyone about how gambling works when it is run legally with regulations and when it is illegally run by organized crime. Tagliabue just never understood that Las Vegas lines actually keep fairplay in check.
The Coach:
Lou: That is a very interesting point, I know I hadn�t really thought about it like that before. Moving on to the What If questions, how did you find out about the WIS website?
Perry - I believe that it was on a message board for a fantasy sports site, but I don't remember where.
Lou: How did you come up with your user name?
Perry - I had a girlfriend that used to call me Perrynoid and it eventually morphed into Paranoid. With my taste in music, it was very fitting to be named after a Black Sabbath song as well. As for the '0', I wish it wasn't there, but some assclown had to get to the site before I did and steal my name.
Lou: Do you have any other WIS IDs that you use?
Perry - Paranoid1 and one other that has been used for 1 season. That name has something to do with one of my favorite bands.
Lou: Do you play any other WIS games? if yes, which ones?
Perry - I tried the baseball sim, but didn't really like it, as there are a lot of managers that knew exactly how to build a team. Next, I tried HD and GD at about the same time. HD, although a solid game, just didn't capture my attention like GD did. I like HBD, but don't dedicate near enough time to it.
Lou: I had a similar experience with HBD. Loved the depth, but didn�t have the time. What is your favorite thing about the rest of the WiS site? Least favorite thing?
Perry - The competition is probably my favorite thing. The community atmosphere used to be a strong suit of WIS games, but that has really dimished in the past 6 months. Many topics devolve into unnecessary debates and name-calling, arguing the same points over and over, and there are some users that post mindless drivel endlessly on the boards. Maybe some think the same about me. So, I guess the forums would be one of my least favorite things or just the lack of updates with GD.
Lou: There has been a lot of talk about the disintegration of the forums. In your opinion, can the forums get back to how they were? How?
Perry - My pessimistic nature tells me probably not, but there is hope. This interview idea is great and you, Scott, and Rob deserve a lot of credit for it. For features, I think an ignore option would go a long way to killing off some of the animosity and utter crap on the boards. However, I think that a lot users like that about the forums, even if they don�t admit it. Venting and name calling with an anonymous screen name is easy. The thing I dislike the most is the high-jacking of threads with off-topic babble.
Lou: What are your favorite GD moments?
Perry - Winning back-to-back titles with my alma mater in Wilkinson, winning my first title with NE State in Leahy, winning a title with my first ever team in GD after 15 long seasons, and 3-peating with Lock Haven in Camp. Too bad they were sabotaged on their run for a 4th.
Lou: I can only imagine how that would feel. How about a few questions that can help out some of the other users? What you look for when applying for new teams?
Perry - Depends on my mood and my intentions. Sometimes I look for rebuilders, sometimes I look for talent, sometimes I look for location, and sometimes I look for a team I like. I haven't been applying to a whole lot of teams lately because I really like building dynasties and don't like giving them up.
Lou: How do you decide when it is time to move onto a new team?
Perry - Just when it feels right. Lately, I just felt the need to drop teams to free up time.
Lou: Do you look to run all their teams the same way, or do you run each one differently?
Perry - I have a blueprint that I follow for my roster and depending on my teams strengths and weaknesses, I adjust accordingly.
Lou: When taking over a team for the first season, do you have any kind of plan in place? (i.e. Are you going to be there for a set number of years or look to recruit a certain way?)
Perry - If I am going to be there for a while, I try to get my roster balance to where I want it and try to find great scouting reports. If I just plan on making a quick move up, I usually go for the best talent, regardless of scouting reports, and I don't redshirt anyone.
Lou: What would you suggest to new players taking over teams or players moving up divisions?
Perry - Look at the rosters and schemes of teams that are successful. Pay little to no attention to overall rating. Don't be afraid to ask question, especially from successful conference mates.
Lou: That�s how I learned, there are a lot of players willing to help out if you ask specific questions. What kind of split do you like to have on team vs. individual practice time?
Perry - Roughly 50/50. I adjust this very little after I take a team over.
Lou: How do you decide what aggressiveness setting to use?
Perry - With the flip of a coin. Seriously, it just depends on what I find to be working good for a team. Matchups also matter a lot. If I see a team has a very high completion percentage, I assume that they pass conservatively and I might play aggressive against their pass, as blitzing might mean that the QB doesn't have time to check off from the top target. In the end, sometimes things work and sometimes they don't.
Lou: OK, I�ve held off about the recruiting rankings as long as I can, what made you decide to start doing the recruit rankings? How long did you do them for yourself before you posted them? What made you start posting them for everyone to see?
Perry - I don�t remember who asked it, but in Stagg one season, someone asked who the best player in D3 was. I thought that I had a running back that was really good, so I wanted a way to compare him against everyone else. Ariansa had been posting talent rankings for teams, but not for players, so I thought I would give it a shot. I wrote a program to pull the team and player data and store it in a database. Well, now that I had a database, I had persistent data and could tell when players were added to a team. This gave me the idea to do the recruiting rankings. I developed some formulas to rank the players. Some of the formulas still need work to this day. I have always had intentions of doing the recruiting rankings auto-magically, but I have never taken the time to do it. I tested them out for a season or two before posting them. I don�t really remember why I started posting them for everyone to see, but no one has really ever complained about seeing them.
Lou: And I hope no one ever does. Those rankings add a great deal to the game. Lastly, a couple of hypothetical questions to finish up. If you could change one thing about GD, what would it be?
Perry - There are so many things that it is hard to select one. WIS seems to have made some adjustments to tone down offenses a little. I know that they have not made any release announcements about it, but support once told me that the game engine gets many unannounced game tweaks. The offensive changes would have been my first choice a month or two ago. Now, I would like to see more realism added to the game. I want to see special teams mean a lot more in the game. Let us set our special teams� units and make us learn what works and what doesn�t. Big plays are almost non-existent in special teams; more long returns should be added and fumbles should definitely be added. In addition, conventional offenses (Pro Set, I-formation) and defenses (4-3 and 3-4) are not significant in the game, which takes away from the realism.
Lou: If you had to drop all your teams except one, which would you keep and why?
Perry - I would probably keep South Dakota State in Wilkinson, under my paranoid1 account. This is my alma mater and I brought them to greatness, winning 3 of the last 4 National Titles. The conference there is one of the strongest and most enjoyable I have ever been involved with, containing the likes of wlarson, dwhit34, cravedogg, and cbriese. At the same time, the new rewards system is pathetic and I think that it is stupid that others can coach their alma maters in D1A and get free seasons, while I cannot.
Lou: You have a NC game, what coach would you not want to see running the opposition, and for what reason?
Perry - There are a lot in this category. First and foremost, I hate playing against plague. I guess hate is the wrong word because I enjoy the challenge, but he always matches up against my teams talent-wise and knows how to use that talent. Wlarson is another that I have not had a great history against and is always a challenge. For some reason, I could never beat melch in the playoffs either. Andynomore is always a challenge to play against as well, plus, he helped me a lot with learning how to win in the playoffs. I have not had many battles against deandg, since very early on in our careers, but he always had unique game plans. For some reason, I could never get a home game against him, which didn�t help matters much. For a coach that I have never coached against before, but would not like my first matchup to be a National Title game, it would be showrunner. Basically, there are a lot in this group and I know there are a lot more, but I don�t want to write up too much.
Lou: Thanks again Perry for taking the time to sit down and respond to these questions. I�m sure I speak for more than just myself when I say thanks for resuming your very active role in the forums in addition to coaching.
