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Sunday, July 21, 2013

The General Manager Career

On MLB 2K7, they have a GM Career mode which I began as the GM of the Pirates. I was in Pittsburgh from 2007 to 2010, winning three World Series titles and four National League pennants. My team was stacked MoneyBall style and consisted of Jonah Bayliss, Mike Gonzalez, Chris Miller, Wade Miller, John Grabow, John van Benschoten, Manny Delcarmen, Kenny Lofton, Russ Adams, Zach Duke, Jason Marquis, Matt Cain, Barry Zito, Chad Billingsley, Jason Bay, Andrew McCutchen, Cliff Floyd, Jose Bautista, Nick Swisher, Jack Wilson, Xavier Nady, Freddy Sanchez, Omar Infante, David Murphy, Billy Johnson, Trot Nixon, Russell Branyan, Nook Logan, Tim Thomas, Lloyd DiMaggio, Doug Minetkiewicz, Jason Phillips, George Hubbell, Nate McLouth, Casey Kotchman and Jason Giambi. In that time, Bay won four MVPs, Duke won four Cy Youngs, Gonzalez won a Reliever of the Year award. Bay, McCutchen, Swisher, Floyd and Bautista all won four Silver Sluggers and Gold Gloves and All-Star appearances. Bay, McCutchen and Duke all set MLB records. Also in that time, Giambi, Phillips, Hubbell, Logan, Wilson and Lofton retired. I ended up trading away Lofton, Adams, Sanchez, Nixon, Branyan, Thomas, Mientkiewicz, and Kotchman for prospects. In the end, I was left with the core group of Bayliss, Gonzalez, Miller, Grabow, Benschoten, Delcarmen, Duke, Marquis, Cain, Zito, Billingsley, Bay, McCutchen, Floyd, Bautista, Swisher, Wilson, Nady, Infante, Murphy, Johnson and McLouth. They were the last ones I had from the 2007 in 2010 when I won my final Pittsburgh title. After that, my contract expired and I knew it was time to move on. I signed a deal with Toronto and immediately got to work. I cut players who I knew wouldn't be valuable going forward (Bengie Molina, Brandon League). I brought in some players who are known for being Blue Jays such as Edwin Encarnacion and Shaun Marcum. I worked with what I had and I made some deals. I brought two players from my time in Pittsburgh to Toronto, Billy Johnson and Lloyd DiMaggio. I shipped Brandon Inge and Eric Hinske to New York for Boof Bonser, Adam Dunn and Jonny Gomes. I shipped Wes Helms to the Red Sox for Mike Gosling, Matt Clement and Wily Mo Pena. I signed free agent, Paul Lo Duca, Nick Markakis, Johnny Damon and CJ Wilson. Now, my starting rotation consists of Marcum, Wilson, Tom and Brandon Morrow, and AJ Burnett. I let BJ Ryan, my closer, walk and promoted Dick Gardner to closer with Bonser at setup with Joe Kennedy, Gustavo Chacin, Mark Michaels, Chris Capuano, Gosling and Clement rounding out the bullpen. Since, Michaels has left. My manager is no longer, Jim Tracy, but Tony La Russa. My offense consists of Marco Scutaro, Gomes, Shane Victorino, Eric Chavez, Markakis, Curtis Granderson, Aaron Hill, Johnson, Dunn, Duca, DiMaggio. I drafted a great player named Irish Wetzel. Encarnacion and Damon have since departed. I've won a title already, Johnson, Wilson, Gardner and Ryan have won awards and Billy has set MLB records.

The prospects are good and I just thought I'd share so that way in thirty years I can remember my players.

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