July 14, 2010

     An ongoing feature on the TBBL web site will include monthly interviews with some of our league members.  In our first installment of 2010, I recently caught up with myself.  Please enjoy this cutting edge interview below:

TBBL: Hello and thanks for taking the time to be interviewed. How are you doing today?

Mike:  I am doing fine, working in the emergency department in Miles City, MT today (I work out here a couple of days a month, a good change of pace).

TBBL: Please tell us a little bit about yourself. Married? Kids? Where did you grow up, what college did you attend (if you did), and where do you see yourself in 10 years from now?

Mike:  I grew up in Indiana, just south of Indy in the 60s and early 70s.  Became a big Reds fan when I discovered baseball on the radio!  I met my wife at Hanover College where I was a physics major, played tennis.  I went on to IU to medical school and finished my residency in emergency medicine in 1985, stayed and taught medical students for 5 years before moving to Montana in 1990.  I worked in Yellowstone in 1977 and 78, fell in love with the N. Rockies, then and finally moved here after our oldest son at age 4 told my wife “Mom, if god had put mountains in Indiana, dad wouldn’t be getting on airplanes all the time.”  I got to be the on the field emergency physician for the Indianapolis Colts in 1984 when I was chief resident, was the doc on the helicopter for the 1985 Indianapolis 500, was the medical director for the EMS portion of the Pan American Games when they were held in Indy in 1987, and was ranked 5^th in IN in men’s doubles (tennis) in the late 80s.  Susannah and I have been married for 31 years, we have 5 boys ages 25 – 17.  Our third son won a state championship in track leading off the winning 4x400m relay team 2 years ago and finished 2^nd in the 800m race, our fifth son just won a state championship in duo interpretation in speech and debate this year (admittedly MT is a small state but it was certainly neat to have sons with state championships in athletics and also speech and debate).

In five years I hope to be living with my wife and NO KIDS!  Otherwise, will still be skiing, fly fishing, hiking, and working in emergency medicine in Montana.

TBBL: You are one of the original owners in the TBBL so you have had 6 years to build up a rivalry, who is the team you have the biggest rivalry with?

Mike:  There are several owners who have been in this league as well as several others with me, as my team has not been real successful, I don’t have a specific “rival” in the league.  My plan for this team was to draft young and talented and be winning the league by the 3^rd or 4^th year.  You can see how that worked out!  I do however feel very good about my chances next year.

TBBL: Do you have any players on the trading block currently?

Mike:  I traded a bunch of young players to get Cliff Lee, leaving me with a few relievers that I would like to move this year such as JP Howell, Todd Coffey, and Brad Ziegler.  They would be cheap in cost as I am only looking for late mid round draft picks (5^th, 6^th round picks).

TBBL: Your team has been in the post season two times and each time they were swept.  Did you think either team would perform better than they did and how so?

Mike:  I think both teams outperformed my expectations just in getting to the playoffs!

TBBL: If there was one trade that you could take back, which trade would that be? And what's the best trade you've made to date?

Mike:   The worst trade may still turn out well but I traded James Shields and Yovanni Gallardo for Jay Bruce.  I really wanted Bruce since I had seen him play for the Billings Mustangs and he was the outstanding young stud for the Reds.  I still have high hopes for Bruce but thought he would be better by now.  Gallardo is certainly very good but injury prone and Shields is a very good #2 starter if not a lower level #1.

My best trade was my first.  It was for a minor league Prince Fielder, D’angelo Jimenez, Jason Jennings and I gave up Nick “always frickin injured” Johnson along with some other bit parts.  Hopefully I can look back on the Cliff Lee trade as being very good as well.

TBBL: Shifting to the MLB now, who's your favorite team and why?

Mike:  I grew up loving the Cincinnati Reds when I discovered them on radio in the 1967 season (prior to that I was a Giants fan because I read a book about Willie Mays).  Anyway having been died in Red wool by the big Red machine, I am now and always will be a Reds fan

TBBL: Which baseball stadiums have you visited and which is your favorite?

Mike:  Crosley Field, Riverfront Stadium, Great American Ballpark, Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, Busch Stadium (older mutil use park), Safeco, Citi Field, New Yankee Stadium, US Cellular Field.  My favorite field is Safeco.  It is hard not to chose Crosley but I was a kid and only went there a couple of times.  Safeco though is a fantastic place to watch a ballgame.

TBBL: Who is your favorite baseball player, both current and all time?

Mike:  That is hard, but my favorite all time is probably Tony Perez.  Although I certainly admired Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, and Joe Morgan as ballplayers.  I saw Eric Davis for many games as my wife and I went to 15 – 20 games a year in Cincinnati in the late 1980s.  He was an immensely talented player who did some incredible things which we were able to witness.  Currently I am really rooting for Jay Bruce, Mike Leake, and Joey Votto.  I love the way Bronson Arroyo approaches his job. 

TBBL: What is your favorite movie of all time?

Mike:  My favorite baseball movie is “For Love of the Game”, enjoy the story, Vin Scully’s broadcasting, and the emotions involved on an athletic and emotional level.  I also liked “Saving Private Ryan” and the HBO series “Band of Brothers” as my father was the master sergeant in company A of the 506^th, 101^st airborne.  I am exposed to enough drama in my work life that I typically prefer movies that make me smile and feel good, hence my kids tease me about my “chick flicks.”

TBBL: Tell us something about yourself that may surprise us.

Mike:  I am a baseball nerd, surprised?  :>)

TBBL: What is the average temperature in your home town in January?

Mike:  This may surprise you!  The Billings section of the Yellowstone River Valley is referred to as the Banana Belt of Montana!  Our weather is frequently much better than the rest of the state but from around the middle of December until the end of January we will frequently have temps around 0.  However despite the cold, we have bright blue skies, they call Montana the “Big Sky State” for a reason.  I love the sunshine.

TBBL: You drafted Bryce Harper LAST YEAR (when he was barely past puberty), how did you first hear about him and do you think he will make as big a splash as Stephen Strasburg has in the bigs?

Mike:  I saw some info about Bryce Harper when he was a freshman in HS and followed him on the internet, drafting him in both the TBBL and the BYOF last year.  I think in both leagues I waited a while to draft him but there were other owners just behind me ready to take him.

I think he will have a very good future ahead of him, I would prefer comparisons to Junior or Justin Upton as both are position players right out of high school rather than Strasburg as a college player.  I think he has a 50% likelihood to have a similar career to Junior and what many expect of Upton.