Mambo Mouth: The Running of the Bulls
Posted: Sat May 11, 2024 6:51 am
Word count: 1,500+
I want to start a series of articles where I will shine a spotlight on a particular GM and give my thoughts on their sim career. For each one, the format could look a bit different since the accomplishments, personal relationships, and activity level will vary from person to person. To make it easy on myself, I'm starting with a slam dunk. The person in this league who I've known the longest, the person who recruited me, who taught me the things I'd need to be successful here.
The Garbageman himself, Josh and his run over the Chicago Bulls.
I've attached a screenshot of Josh's GM page, which honestly could be enough of a spotlight all on its own. And if it would earn me the 5 remaining points I can earn, I'd mic drop there. But it doesn't, so, let's get long winded.
The first and most obvious thing to pull from this page is the 10 standing next to "championships". I believe that this season is Josh's 49th season in sim league and he currently has 10 rings, with a great possibility to make it 11 by the end of it. Just going by the first 48 though, we are talking about a GM winning a championship nearly 21% of the time since he's become an active member of the league.
Absurd.
.643 winning percentage, 37 playoff appearances, 25 division titles, 12 conference finals. That last one is one I'm really envious of, at least when comparing it to the 10 championships, because it means that there's very few failures once he gets to the big dance. Josh knows how to build finishers.
Another important thing to pull from the GM page, particularly for any newer GM who may be feeling discouraged about their humble sim beginnings, is that Josh didn't just start as this dominant force. It wasn't until his 4th season that he made the playoffs, didn't reach a conference finals until year 10, and broke through with a championship in year 11 (And it was another 11 seasons before winning another one). It took Josh time, energy, and plenty of trial and error to really catch on and become the GM he has grown into. In other words, "He's just like us!".
But let me go beyond a list of accomplishments that all of us can read at any time. Let's explore the how and the why Josh has been able to build his dynasty. At least in the time that I've shared with him.
Trading
It is no secret that Josh knows what makes a great deal, and that he understands that trading really is often the lifeblood of sim success. Josh has become a master at picking his spots. His deals are not all splashy, though he certainly does know how to cannonball into the trade waters. He's definitely hit grand slams before on the trade market with Delmar Lopez, Michael Sneed, Burt Gibson, Daniel Yandell, Ken Dirks, Darius Garland, Genaro Montoya, and James Wiseman all prime superstars, purple or not, which Josh landed in huge trades that led to titles. Listen, you need to have superstars to win in this league, and perhaps no one knows best how to find them than Josh.
Where I find he really excels too are in two types of deals: For the perfect fringe star or the aging, out-of-prime former superstar. He will takes swings on these older or not as exciting looking options since they are cheaper to deal for and turn them into perfect championship complementary pieces. Think Antonio Blakney or Charles Jarrett. And for the young players who he quickly identifies as future superstars and let's them grow organically to be their alpha or major contributor down the road. Think Mac McClung, Wanderlei Silva, or Les Kim.
In other words, there's multiple ways to skin the trade cat, and Josh has all of the different blades sharpened at all times.
Free Agency
Now, this may genuinely be the place where Josh excels at the most. Trading for, or developing a genuine superstar is important, but a star on their own is never going to be enough in today's league. You have to know how to target the right pieces in free agency to put together with those stars. Not only that, you have to fully grasp the different ways of attacking free agency based on your financial limitations. In a league that has long tried to diminish the value of players once they hit their 30s, Josh often values them in free agency. Much like I mentioned in the trading piece above, he knows they'll likely be cheaper than the younger stars but give him exactly what he needs NOW and goes and gets them. He does this with strategic Min or MLE offers and with planning out his bird rights offers too.
Then on top of all of his planning and strategy, there's the fact that he will continue to be rewarded by the sim Gods for being a perennial contender, meaning that free agents will want to sign and re-sign in Chicago. Few GMs are able to flip star free agents and convince them to take less money to leave their current situations as often as Josh. Don't be shocked if Josh wins title #11 this season then immediately signs another superstar or 2 this coming free agency period and restarts his run all over again.
To some that could be disheartening or deflating, but in this space here? It's a testament to continued greatness being the foundation of a great reputation. You applaud it and move on and try building your own powerhouse reputation.
The Commish
You can't do something like this without mentioning the long work Josh has done through the years to keep the league alive, striving, enjoyable. He was the commish when he brought me on and until I took over for him a couple years later, I'd never have been able to fully appreciate the time, effort and toll that part of the game can take after that kind of time. There would be no sim league still without Josh's contributions, so, he deserves thanks on behalf of everyone who still enjoys this silly little game of ours.
The (Garbage) Man
I think the proper place to end this is to just talk about Josh, the person, a bit. I honestly can't recall exactly what year Josh and I would have become acquainted now. So, Josh, if you read this and do remember, feel free to share. I just know we met during another extremely nerdy hobby that involved wrestling and writing and a lot of goofy creativity like wrestling segments happening in outer space.
It's that relationship that brought Josh to my inbox asking if I'd have interest in joining sim league. I was hesitant at first because it sounded like a whole lot to learn, digest, and understand, but decided to just take the leap and see what happens. Next month will now be 5 years since that initial post in the sign-up thread. I can say whole heartedly that I would never have made it this far without Josh's guidance, patience, and willingness to engage and humor me in any little dumb question I may have asked. He gave me pointed advice when needed, let me make my own mistakes if necessary, and has just been the best person I could have asked for to just bounce things off of.
This extended into my time as commissioner as well. Even though he was worn out of the job and eager to move on, Josh was there for me whenever I needed him to be, from advice to teaching to taking duties over when I was working late or on vacation. Josh has been a rock for me, and I'll always appreciate that.
The End
One thing I know for a fact, is that once you obtain the levels of success that Josh has here, it can sometimes feel a little isolating. Teams may not engage you as much in trades, for fear of giving you the path to yet another championship. The cheers aren't as loud and the high fives aren't quite as high from others when you pile on another ring to the collection. Hell, I'm sure I've been guilty of that with Josh myself. It's just sports nature to start hating on greatness that isn't your own at some point.
Josh is Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes now. He's Michael Jordan in the 90s or LeBron in the Eastern Conference for most of his career. He's Tiger Woods before the white women.
Yes, he's our GOAT.
And he definitely deserves the love that comes with that ... but probably also having to embrace some of the hate too
.
Regardless, thanks for helping me all these years. Thanks for being such an important part of the Sim League. Thanks for being a cool dude and a good friend. You have my respect and appreciation, and when Sim League does finally burn down completely and is nothing but a pile of rubble and ash ...
Let's go start a new E-fed instead, yeah?
Sent from my SM-F711U using Tapatalk
I want to start a series of articles where I will shine a spotlight on a particular GM and give my thoughts on their sim career. For each one, the format could look a bit different since the accomplishments, personal relationships, and activity level will vary from person to person. To make it easy on myself, I'm starting with a slam dunk. The person in this league who I've known the longest, the person who recruited me, who taught me the things I'd need to be successful here.
The Garbageman himself, Josh and his run over the Chicago Bulls.
I've attached a screenshot of Josh's GM page, which honestly could be enough of a spotlight all on its own. And if it would earn me the 5 remaining points I can earn, I'd mic drop there. But it doesn't, so, let's get long winded.
The first and most obvious thing to pull from this page is the 10 standing next to "championships". I believe that this season is Josh's 49th season in sim league and he currently has 10 rings, with a great possibility to make it 11 by the end of it. Just going by the first 48 though, we are talking about a GM winning a championship nearly 21% of the time since he's become an active member of the league.
Absurd.
.643 winning percentage, 37 playoff appearances, 25 division titles, 12 conference finals. That last one is one I'm really envious of, at least when comparing it to the 10 championships, because it means that there's very few failures once he gets to the big dance. Josh knows how to build finishers.
Another important thing to pull from the GM page, particularly for any newer GM who may be feeling discouraged about their humble sim beginnings, is that Josh didn't just start as this dominant force. It wasn't until his 4th season that he made the playoffs, didn't reach a conference finals until year 10, and broke through with a championship in year 11 (And it was another 11 seasons before winning another one). It took Josh time, energy, and plenty of trial and error to really catch on and become the GM he has grown into. In other words, "He's just like us!".
But let me go beyond a list of accomplishments that all of us can read at any time. Let's explore the how and the why Josh has been able to build his dynasty. At least in the time that I've shared with him.
Trading
It is no secret that Josh knows what makes a great deal, and that he understands that trading really is often the lifeblood of sim success. Josh has become a master at picking his spots. His deals are not all splashy, though he certainly does know how to cannonball into the trade waters. He's definitely hit grand slams before on the trade market with Delmar Lopez, Michael Sneed, Burt Gibson, Daniel Yandell, Ken Dirks, Darius Garland, Genaro Montoya, and James Wiseman all prime superstars, purple or not, which Josh landed in huge trades that led to titles. Listen, you need to have superstars to win in this league, and perhaps no one knows best how to find them than Josh.
Where I find he really excels too are in two types of deals: For the perfect fringe star or the aging, out-of-prime former superstar. He will takes swings on these older or not as exciting looking options since they are cheaper to deal for and turn them into perfect championship complementary pieces. Think Antonio Blakney or Charles Jarrett. And for the young players who he quickly identifies as future superstars and let's them grow organically to be their alpha or major contributor down the road. Think Mac McClung, Wanderlei Silva, or Les Kim.
In other words, there's multiple ways to skin the trade cat, and Josh has all of the different blades sharpened at all times.
Free Agency
Now, this may genuinely be the place where Josh excels at the most. Trading for, or developing a genuine superstar is important, but a star on their own is never going to be enough in today's league. You have to know how to target the right pieces in free agency to put together with those stars. Not only that, you have to fully grasp the different ways of attacking free agency based on your financial limitations. In a league that has long tried to diminish the value of players once they hit their 30s, Josh often values them in free agency. Much like I mentioned in the trading piece above, he knows they'll likely be cheaper than the younger stars but give him exactly what he needs NOW and goes and gets them. He does this with strategic Min or MLE offers and with planning out his bird rights offers too.
Then on top of all of his planning and strategy, there's the fact that he will continue to be rewarded by the sim Gods for being a perennial contender, meaning that free agents will want to sign and re-sign in Chicago. Few GMs are able to flip star free agents and convince them to take less money to leave their current situations as often as Josh. Don't be shocked if Josh wins title #11 this season then immediately signs another superstar or 2 this coming free agency period and restarts his run all over again.
To some that could be disheartening or deflating, but in this space here? It's a testament to continued greatness being the foundation of a great reputation. You applaud it and move on and try building your own powerhouse reputation.
The Commish
You can't do something like this without mentioning the long work Josh has done through the years to keep the league alive, striving, enjoyable. He was the commish when he brought me on and until I took over for him a couple years later, I'd never have been able to fully appreciate the time, effort and toll that part of the game can take after that kind of time. There would be no sim league still without Josh's contributions, so, he deserves thanks on behalf of everyone who still enjoys this silly little game of ours.
The (Garbage) Man
I think the proper place to end this is to just talk about Josh, the person, a bit. I honestly can't recall exactly what year Josh and I would have become acquainted now. So, Josh, if you read this and do remember, feel free to share. I just know we met during another extremely nerdy hobby that involved wrestling and writing and a lot of goofy creativity like wrestling segments happening in outer space.
It's that relationship that brought Josh to my inbox asking if I'd have interest in joining sim league. I was hesitant at first because it sounded like a whole lot to learn, digest, and understand, but decided to just take the leap and see what happens. Next month will now be 5 years since that initial post in the sign-up thread. I can say whole heartedly that I would never have made it this far without Josh's guidance, patience, and willingness to engage and humor me in any little dumb question I may have asked. He gave me pointed advice when needed, let me make my own mistakes if necessary, and has just been the best person I could have asked for to just bounce things off of.
This extended into my time as commissioner as well. Even though he was worn out of the job and eager to move on, Josh was there for me whenever I needed him to be, from advice to teaching to taking duties over when I was working late or on vacation. Josh has been a rock for me, and I'll always appreciate that.
The End
One thing I know for a fact, is that once you obtain the levels of success that Josh has here, it can sometimes feel a little isolating. Teams may not engage you as much in trades, for fear of giving you the path to yet another championship. The cheers aren't as loud and the high fives aren't quite as high from others when you pile on another ring to the collection. Hell, I'm sure I've been guilty of that with Josh myself. It's just sports nature to start hating on greatness that isn't your own at some point.
Josh is Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes now. He's Michael Jordan in the 90s or LeBron in the Eastern Conference for most of his career. He's Tiger Woods before the white women.
Yes, he's our GOAT.
And he definitely deserves the love that comes with that ... but probably also having to embrace some of the hate too
. Regardless, thanks for helping me all these years. Thanks for being such an important part of the Sim League. Thanks for being a cool dude and a good friend. You have my respect and appreciation, and when Sim League does finally burn down completely and is nothing but a pile of rubble and ash ...
Let's go start a new E-fed instead, yeah?
Sent from my SM-F711U using Tapatalk
