The Goose continues the Hawk's battle for Capital Hill

[gosensgo101]

Prologue
June 30th, 2013
Washington, D.C.

"Mr. Gossage," I heard a call from Ted Lerner's office as I was talking with his intern Chris, who was acting as his secretary.

"Yes sir," I hollered back.

"Join me in my office please," he replied sternly.

I shot a smile at Chris as I turned, wiping it off before Phil, joined by Will the security guard, could see it. I replied "Sure thing boss!" as I headed for his office.

I turned back just before entering the office, giving Chris one last grin. She responded by mouthing "Good luck."

"I assume you know what I want to talk to you about," Mr. Lerner said as I sat down.

"No sir," I knew full well why. Hell, even the players in the clubhouse could've heard the confrontation Mr. Lerner and Mr. Ihok has just had, resulting in the latter's firing.

"Well, Mr. Gossage, in lieu of wasting of $25 million of my hard earned money, Mr. Ihok has been relieved of his duties as General Manager of this ballclub. I'd like you to take that position, on an interim basis of course," he offered.

"I accept, of course," I replied gleefully.

"Good," he remained serious, "Your first order of business is to get my payroll back down around $100 million. Maybe then we'll only end up $10 million in the hole for the year," he directed.

"Sure thing," I replied, somewhat disappointed.

"If you don't f-ck up like Ihok, maybe you'll be around next year, and then I'll give you a more specific budget," he was still aggravated.

"Yes sir," I replied.

"Off you go," he ushered. "I expect you dump that salary before tomorrow's game."

"Thank you sir," I walked out. Dump nearly $10 million in salary, I sure hope someone's desperate (read stupid) enough to take Wells off my hands, but that, is very unlikely.

[gosensgo101]

Reserved for 'Title Page'

[gosensgo101]

House Rules

Filihok used many means in order to manage the AI and maintain competitive balance throughout the league. I intend to continue this effort, as it has become a staple in this dynasty. I already use many of these myself, but I will pay extra attention and add a few more house rules to my repertoire.

1) Trades

Unlike filihok, I will not impose any formal restrictions on the number of, or how I reach each trade proposal. I will try to keep the number as well as the trades realistic.

2) Free Agency

I will use Mizerak's negotiator app (http://forum.sportsmogul.com/showthread.php?t=193674)

3) Disabled List

A player who is placed on the Disabled List is ineligible to return until 15 days are up. I may players who are injured for less time (within reason) but must still remain on the DL for 15 days.

4) Rule V Draft

Each offseason, immediately before spring training, I will conduct a Rule V Draft. I use a method similar to filihok's. I will post details with the results of the Draft.

5) Settings

A) I am using the same settings as filihok, which can be found in the mog file located here (http://forum.sportsmogul.com/showpost.php?p=1391016&postcount=751). I will likely tinker with them at some point, but they are already close to those I use myself. (and I trust filihok's judgement)

B) I will adjust the trade frequency throughout the year in an effort to mimic how active teams are in the trade market at different times of the year:

i. From April 1st to May 14th trades will be set at -40%
ii. From May 15th to July 24th trades will be set at +0%
iii. From July 25th to July 31st trades will be increased to +20%
iv. From August 1st to March 1st trades will be set at +0%
v. From March 1st to March 31st trades will be set at -100%

6) Commissioner Actions

A) I reserve the right to veto and/or modify any trades made my the AI which I deem detrimental to the competitive balance of the league.

B) I reserve the right to initiate trades in order to improve competitive balance.

C) I reserve the right to initiate free agent signings, releases and may change cash levels of any team in order to improve competitive balance.

D) I reserve the right to use any means necessary in order to promote competitive balance.

7) Format

I would prefer to make all of my writing storyline driven, but I just don't have the time to that for two dynasties right now, let alone two, especially if I want to be as thorough as I would like. I will include some posts of storyline though, at key points in the dynasty.

I will not give game-by-game recaps, but I will post important stories and a monthly (or maybe more often) recap, much like filihok has been doing. It will likely be a work in progress to start, and I would appreciate any feedback you guys have.

8) Special Thanks

Special Thanks to filihok for allowing me to continue his dynasty. He did a great job with it. His entire version up until date can be located here (http://forum.sportsmogul.com/showthread.php?t=185602). You do not need to read it to fully enjoy this, but I do recommend reading filihok's final post (located here (http://forum.sportsmogul.com/showpost.php?p=1388823&postcount=747)), which takes place immediately before my prologue found above.

Also, special thanks to Mizerak for all of his apps, which will be used throughout this dynasty.

And, of course, special thanks to all of the authors from which I craft of style.

[gosensgo101]

Sean 'Goose' Gossage was born in 1973 to a working class family in the Bronx. He received the nickname 'Goose', after the great Yankee closer of the time, a nickname he would prove worthy of the title as he excelled as a hard throwing reliever until his baseball career ended after graduating Junior College. He worked for various organizations in various capacities over the years, eventually latching on with the Montreal Expos in 2002, remaining with the club as they moved to Washington. He served as the Assistant General Manager to Phil Ihok since 2008. He was appointed to the position of Interim General Manager of the Washington Nationals following the firing Ihok on July 1st, 2013. He takes over a team sitting in third place in their division with a record of 41-38.

[FloydtheBarber]

At first I thought the title was a reference to Metsguy quote in your sig... LOL

[gosensgo101]

At first I thought the title was a reference to Metsguy quote in your sig... LOLThat's how I thought of the name 'Goose'. :D

[FloydtheBarber]

You need a constipated sidekick named Go, that must mean Nellie Fox or another Go Go White Sox

[ewing6]

or nwuhockey

[gosensgo101]

July 1st, 2013

No wonder Wells managed to stay with the Blue Jays for so long, nobody wants him, just as I suspected. Luckily, we have a pitcher languishing in Triple-A by the name of Joe Blanton. Did I mention he's expendable? Did I mention he's making $7.3M this year? Did I mention there are suitors?

I ended up swinging a deal with the Colorado Rockies, sending the 32 year old Blanton (84) to the Rockies for 21 year old speedster Harvey Carrie (60/90). He'll go to Single-A Potomac while Blanton takes a spot in the Colorado rotation and I solve our budget problem.

This doesn't change anything on the Major League side, but here's a look at how our club shapes up as we head into July:

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c180/gosensgo101/Nats%20Dynasty/NatsRoster.jpg

[FloydtheBarber]

You turned peak back on?

[metsguy234]

Gossage's name is Rich, not Sean.

[CatKnight]

Mets:


Sean 'Goose' Gossage was born in 1973 to a working class family in the Bronx. He received the nickname 'Goose', after the great Yankee closer of the time,

Sean is named in honor of the great relief pitcher. He isn't the reliever, who in 2013 would be 62.

Unfortunately, now that you point it out, there's still a problem. In 1973 Mr. Gossage played for the White Sox, not Yankees. Entering '73 he had a lifetime record of 7-1 4.28 ERA 2 saves. In 1973 he went 0-4, 7.43 ERA. Hardly the legend you'd name your kid after.

Ah well, geese are geese. On with the show :)

[Astrosfan183]

Mets:



Sean is named in honor of the great relief pitcher. He isn't the reliever, who in 2013 would be 62.

Unfortunately, now that you point it out, there's still a problem. In 1973 Mr. Gossage played for the White Sox, not Yankees. Entering '73 he had a lifetime record of 7-1 4.28 ERA 2 saves. In 1973 he went 0-4, 7.43 ERA. Hardly the legend you'd name your kid after.

Ah well, geese are geese. On with the show :)
He probably acquired the nickname growing up, not right when he was born.

[gosensgo101]

FTB: Yeah, I much prefer to play with peaks on.

MG: Cat answered your question perfectly, except...

Cat: Indeed, but as Astros said, he picked the nickname up later in life (during primary school)

********

July 1st, 2013
Nationals lose first game of the Goose's era
Armed with a new lineup, the Nationals lost their first game under the reign of Sean 'Goose' Gossage, losing 6-4 to the Marlins.

July 2nd, 2013
Division Leaders lose speedy Center Fielder
Milwaukee's Carlos Gomez may not be ready to return in time for Spring Training. The Brewers currently sit 4 games up on the Cardinals for the Central Division lead.

July 2nd, 2013
Sean Gallagher No-Hits D'backs
The 27-year old Pirate allowed 5 baserunners - 4 walks and 1 error (from Ryan Doumit, who curiously replaced Steven Pearce in Right Field in the 7th inning, making his first appearance at the position since 2011 with the Angels) - against the NL's 3rd best offence. It was the righty's first career complete game, which consists of 98 starts.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c180/gosensgo101/Nats%20Dynasty/nohitbox.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c180/gosensgo101/Nats%20Dynasty/Doumit1.jpg

July 7th, 2013
Reliable Gervacio blows saves on consecutive days, increases ERA by nearly 2 full points
The National's usually dependable closer, Samuel Gervacio, has given up 3 runs in the 9th inning against the Giants the last 2 days, blowing saves and losing the ballgame in both instances.

July 7th, 2013
Upton completes cycle in bottom of the tenth
The Diamondbacks' Justin Upton lead off the bottom of the tenth inning trailing the division rival Dodgers by 1 run, a homer away from the cycle. He took a 1-1 fastball from Dodger closer Takahashi Saito deep to left field to complete the feat. The D'backs would complete the comeback in the bottom half of the 11th inning. Upton was 4-for-5 on the day. Despite the win, the Dodgers still hold a 3 game edge over the Wild Card leading Diamondbacks in the NL West.

July 12th, 2013
Nationals 3-8 for July as All-Star Break begins.
The Nationals head into the All-Star Break following a 4 game sweep on behalf of the Diamondbacks. "We've lost some close games," said Interim GM Sean Gossage, better known as Goose (but not the once you're thinking of), "I hope we can come back after the break and start winning these 1 and 2 run games."

July 12th, 2013
Senior Circuit races just heating up
It looks like it will be a very interesting stretch drive in the National League as no division leader (Atlanta, Milwaukee & Los Angeles) has a lead bigger than two and a half games. In the American League, The Central and West Division leaders (Cleveland and Texas respectively) have 4 game leads while the Yankees are the only team in the Majors running away with their division, sitting 12 games up of the 2nd place Rays with the best record in baseball (59-29 for a .670 win percentage).

[gosensgo101]

2013 All-Star Festivities
July 13th-14th

Home Run Derby


2013 Home Run Showdown

FIRST ROUND (10 Outs)

PLAYER HOMERS
Alex Rodriguez (NYY) 12
David Cooper (HOU) 9
Brandon Wood (SEA) 8
Michael Burgess (DET) 8
Mat Gamel (MIL) 7
Kyle Skipworth (CHW) 6
Gordon Beckham (HOU) 6
Travis Snider (TOR) 5
Jeff Francoeur (ATL) 2
Jay Bruce (CIN) 1

SECOND ROUND (5 Outs)

PLAYER HOMERS
Alex Rodriguez (NYY) 6
David Cooper (HOU) 3
Brandon Wood (SEA) 2
Michael Burgess (DET) 1

FINAL ROUND (5 Outs)

PLAYER HOMERS
Alex Rodriguez (NYY) 1
David Cooper (HOU) 1

EXTRA INNINGS (3 outs)

PLAYER HOMERS
ALEX RODRIGUEZ 4
David Cooper 2

WINNER: Alex Rodriguez

Rosters

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c180/gosensgo101/2013AllStarRosters-1.jpg

There are lots of newcomers to the All-Star Game, including our very own Aaron Crowe, who is our sole representative at the All-Star Game, and deservedly so.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c180/gosensgo101/2013FrazierJippedAllStarFinal.jpg

I do think our 27-year old Shortstop Todd Frazier got jipped out of his own first All-Star appearance, especially when compared with NL Infield reserves Brian Roberts and Akinori Iwamura. Sure he didn't open up the season as a starter, but they've only got 27 and 31 at bats on him. Plus, Kelly Johnson managed to make the team with 252 ABs.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c180/gosensgo101/KellyJohnsonAllStar2013.jpg

All-Star Game

The Senior Circuit was held to 3 hits and was down 6-0 before they exploded for 3 runs in the 6th inning and another 5 runs in the 7th to take the lead and eventually win the game 8-7. Interestingly, the Angels' Francisco Rodriguez got his first professional start since 2001 as a 19 year old, when he was in Single A. Former Angel John Lackey, now in his first full season with the Brewers, got the call for the National League side. Washington's own Aaron Crow gave up 1 run, throwing the 5th inning for the National League Squad.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c180/gosensgo101/2013AllStarBox.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c180/gosensgo101/AaronCrow2013AllStarAppearenceRecap.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c180/gosensgo101/2013AllStarRecap.jpg

[gosensgo101]

I was looking through Fili's original dynasty and 200tang had an interesting comment when Fili picked up the now injured Lars Anderson.


Waits patiently for Lars Anderson to break his arm and stunt his growth.....:p

A broken wrist is close enough, I figure.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c180/gosensgo101/LarsAndersonInjury.jpg

Now, lets just hope he doesn't bust.

*******

July 16th, 2013

11 games into my regime, and so far, it hasn't been great. Sure, we've played well enough to keep games close and have some interesting finishes, but the owner doesn't care about that, he cares about results. And that, I suspect, is why he's asked my to meet him today.

"Come in," he told me as I approached his office.

"Good morning sir," I extending my hand.

"Let's get right down to business," he shook, barely acknowledging my greeting.

"Sure thing sir," I replied.

"Well, I'm disappointed with our performance since you've taken over. 3-8 is a bit disappointing. We were a .500 team in June, I suspect you can get us back there."

"We're sure trying sir. The games have been close, they've been tough battles for the most part, plus we've been playing without Figgins, Willits and Byrd for the last 4 days. Not to make excuses, as we have capable replacements, but we were really handcuffed with what we could do with our bench."

"It's winning I care about, Sean, no excuses."

"I understand, and I'll make sure the team does as well."

"Good, because if this keeps up, there'll be some changes around here."

"Speaking of changes, I've made a few changes. I send John Lannan to Triple-A to make room for Kyle Weiland coming back from the DL. Barry Enright, who's been doing great in relief for us, will take his spot in the rotation.

"I'll trust your judgement, for now."

"Good day sir."

"Goodbye," I stepped out.

[filihok]

Good for Aaron Crow,not sure he needed to throw those extra 55 pitches though, and Frazier got totally jipped.

I had forgotten about 200's curse. *******!

[gosensgo101]

I seem to have a terrible curse of starting a dynasty and then getting busy as soon as I get it off the ground. That was the case again for this dynasty, but I'm back in full force once again. After this post I'll be doing like Fili did and asking for some help around the Trade Deadline. Look for that within a few days, but for now, here's the second half of July.

******************************

July 18th, 2013
A-Rod hits dinger #700
The feat was accomplished in the top of the third inning off of Orioles starter Pedro Beato. Its been a big year for the 37-year old, who has also recorded his 300th steal, 2000th run and 3000th hit this season. Depending on who you consider the home run king, he's just 56 or 63 homeruns away from dethroning him.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c180/gosensgo101/Nats%20Dynasty/AlexRodriguez700HR.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c180/gosensgo101/Nats%20Dynasty/AllTimeHRLeaders.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c180/gosensgo101/Nats%20Dynasty/ActiveHRLeaders.jpg

July 19th, 2013
Nationals plate 13, sweep Phillies
The Nats have come out firing on all cylinders following the All-Star break, winning their first 3 game set. They outscored Philadelphia 26-8 in the process. They travel to California to face the NL West leading Dodgers next.

July 20th, 2013
Pirates lock up 26-year old McCutchen
The dynamic Center Fielder was slated to be eligible for arbitration for the first time this offseason. The deal will pay him $6.5M per annum through the 2016 season.

July 24th, 2013
Mariano reaches 600 save plateau
Fittingly, Mo saved a one-run ballgame against the Yankees' Beantown rivals to accomplish the feat. The 43 year-old who has bounced back from a disappointing 6.10 ERA in 2012 is 93 saves behind he all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman, who is also performing well as a closer this year - for the Portland Beavers. The Yankees are the best team in baseball at the moment, while the Red Sox are languishing in 4th place in the AL East.

July 24th, 2013
Bay area swap begins deadline fever
The A's, who are just 3 games back of the NL West leading Rangers acquired 2B Howie Kendrick for a 26-year old pitching prospect named Andres Pantleo. Pantleo will have a hard time cracking he Giants youthful and skillful rotation, but he could help the Majors' worst bullpen as early as next year. Kendrick will take Mark Ellis' spot in Oakland's starting lineup.

July 24th, 2013
NL East leading Braves lose All-Star Catcher for remainder of regular season
Brian McCann will be on the shelf for 2-3 months with an elbow ligament problem. If the Braves get far enough in the playoffs, he could return this year. His replacement, Anthony Recker should perform adequately defensively, but will certainly not replace McCann's bat. Look for the Tomahawks to address the situation before the deadline.

July 24th, 2013
Figgins, Byrd lead Nats to 13-3 win
Jeff Francis could only record 2 outs in the ballgame, giving up 6 runs (all earned) in the process. Figgins and Byrd led the Nationals with 5 and 4 hits respectively. Their teammates added 11 more hits.

July 25th, 2013
The Rockies strike back
After an embarrassing loss to open the series, the Colorado offence did better, scoring 18 runs on 27 hits. 8 of the runs were unearned as the Nationals committed 3 errors. "Sloppy baseball and bad pitching," said rookie GM Sean 'Goose' Gossage, "that's the exact opposite of what we want to see from this club." Washington is sitting 7.5 games back in 3rd place in the AL East. They will have get hot soon to warrant making any additions in order to make a playoff push.

July 28th, 2013
Utilityman Figgins placed on 15-Day DL
The 35-year old switch hitter broke his wrist during the series finale against the Rockies on Sunday. He should be ready to return as soon as he is eligible to. The Nationals are sitting 3 games below .500 with 63 games left to play. 29-year old Infielder Pedro Lopez was signed to take Figgins' place on the roster. He has played 162 career games for Chicago (A), Cincinnati and Toronto.

July 29th, 2013
Gutierrez hits for cycle in blowout
St. Louis outfielder Franklin Gutierrez hit for the cycle in a 13-1 win over the Pirates last night. Gutierrez drove in 3 runs and scored 4 himself. It was the sixth cycle of the year in Major League Baseball.

July 29th, 2013
Tigers and Astros kick of trio of deals
Early this morning it was announced that Starter Roy Oswalt, who is in the last year of his contract, was sent to MoTown in return for a pair of pitching prospects. Detroit sits 8 and a half back of the AL Central leading Indians, but just 4 back of the Wild Card. The deal was made in the wake of the Tigers losing 2 of their starters in less than a week. Both Justin Verlander and Jeremy Bonderman should return to the rotation in mid-to-late August, giving Detroit one of the most formidable rotations down the stretch.

July 29th, 2013
Palehose make pair of deals
The South Siders are out of playoff contention, and netted 5 pitching prospects in the deals. The first sent 26-year-old power hitting Right fielder Roger Kieschnick to the Mets for former first round pick Rolando Cholula. He'll battle for playing time in the outfield with Chris Duffy and the struggling Carlos Beltran. The other deal sent free agent to be Orlando Hudson back to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Hudson returns to the desert just one and a half years after leaving as a free agent. The O-Dawg was the starting second baseman on the AL All-star team this year, in just his second career All-star appearance. The 3-time gold glover is just as slick fielder as ever. Both Arizona and New York sit in second place in their respective divisions, while the D'backs lead the Wild Card, with the Mets in 5th place just 5 games back.

July 30th, 2013
Lyon joins Hudson in rejoining Diamondbacks
Another ex-Diamondback is heading back to Arizona today in 33-year-old reliever Brandon Lyon. Since leaving in the 2010 offseason, Lyon has pitched for the Angels and Twins. The Twins receive 3 position prospects in the deal. The Diamondbacks currently hold a one and a half game lead of the wild card.

[metsguy234]

Moises Alou is still playing in 2013?

[gosensgo101]

I put together the primer much quicker than I expected, and as its trade deadline time, I need your help!

I'm following in fili's footsteps and asking for your help to look for some trades that would be beneficial to everyone. So far, in my experience with this file, the AI has been pretty swift, but there's no better General Manager than a human General Manager (except in Jim Bowden's case, but that's for another time). So grab the file, and get your GM on, whether its just looking for a deal for your favourite time, or trying to pull off the fairest (is that a word?) deal you can.

If you're interested, head over to this thread (http://forum.sportsmogul.com/showthread.php?t=201287) to grab the file and read the primer. Any help is appreciated.