This interview took place between 2002 and 2003. At the time we were well into the offseason and Aaron was spending most of his time trying to convince people that he wouldn't deal Oswalt or Pujols. He had also just finished drafting a certain Mr. Cole Hamels.
Even though his taste in sports teams is, quite frankly, the worst I've ever seen, Aaron has still managed to put together a damn good team. With Ropers gone, the Redbirds playoff chances just drastically increased. I sat down and talked to Aaron about his playoff hopes, his offseason plans, and the league in general.
Gabe: First question. I'm asking everyone, is Nate the man to beat in 2003?
Aaron: I believe so, but first he has to get out of our division. Let's say he makes the playoffs easily, well, then I say he can easily get through the NL, maybe have a little trouble with Josh or Nils. I think the team that would have the best chance of stopping him is Bren, becuase good pitching beats good hitting.
G: The IBC Rookie Draft is finally finished. What do you think of your teams draft class?
A: I started out hoping that one of the shortstops, like Green or Upton, would fall to me. They both went pretty quick so I decided to go with pitching and took Hamels. I figure the Phillies have done a great job with young pitchers over the past couple of years, so he should do just fine. I stole Jason Pridie from Nate, he's another one of those young Devil Rays outfielders. The player I'm most excited about is Jake Blalock, Hank's brother. I almost took him in the 3rd round, but risked seeing if he'd fall again. They compare him to Rolen.
G: We're well into the offseason now. Have you made any significant deals that will effect your team's performance next season?
A: The only major deal that I made was Brett Myers, Lou Pote and Varitek to Nick for Lo Duca and Billy Koch. I figure that Lo Duca will help the offense a lot more than Tek would. I hated to give up Myers, but with Graves becoming a starter, I needed someone that would help me close games. I picked up Willis Roberts off waivers and got Ricardo Rincon for Politte, so my pen should be very good .
G: What's the best deal you've made since joining the IBC?
A: Far and away the best deal I made was my deal to get Roy Oswalt. I dealt Darryl Kile and Durazo for him and Chad Allen. Durazo would be a big help to me now, but not worth half as much as Oswalt. I only got that deal done because the guy was a Cardinals fan and really liked DK. At the time I was in the playoff hunt and DK was struggling, so I had been offering that package around the league. Luckily I got to the new guy first
G: What are the Cards currently in the market for?
A: The main thing I need is a 5th starter. I'm just ain't comfortable with Brian Moehler in that spot. Since Erik Bedard had TJ surgery, I have no backup starter besides Hackman. I also want a 3rd baseman, because I don't like Pujols there. If anyone has those things available, holler at me.
G: What are the Cards currently shopping around?
A: I'm going to say this one last time, I WILL NOT TRADE Oswalt or Pujols, so stop asking about them. I have a high price on people like Kearns and Freddy Garcia, but Koch is my main trade bait right now. I also have Sean Casey or Matt Franco and Spivey.
G: Are your playoff hopes any brighter now that Ropers has run off to AL-Land?
A: Definatly. I was right behind Nils most of last year till Ropers made his run and left me in a cloud of dust. I know this may sound cocky or whatnot, but I think my guys can take Nate. He has a great team, but I've got a very good squad myself. With Pierre leading off, and now Lo Duca hitting behind him I should be good. My lineup is dangerous until the last third. My rotation should be nasty, with Oswalt, Freddy Garcia, Carlos Hernandez and his carryover stats, and Dessens. The one thing I need is a 5th starter.
G: Without Ropers, is the NL Central still the league's toughest division?
A: I hate to say this, but no. Nate still has the best team on paper, but the games ain't played on paper, they're played by a computer disc. Right now I think that the toughest division is either the NL West or the AL East. I'm gonna go with the NL West for now, because Nils still has a great team and Josh moved his Bay Bombers to Coors. JP Also has a very underrated team, and I think he'll suprise some folks this year. They do have a big dip at the bottom with San Diego and LA, but they could sweep a series or do a little bit of damage late in the year.
G: How do you think the NL Central will look at the end of the year?
A: Hmm, that's a tough one. I think either me or Nate at the top, and Pat will be really close. Actually,any of us could win. I think you'll do a lot better this year, especially if you deal me Hunter. Brewers take 5th and the new Pirates come in last. So, I have no clue about the top 3 but am pretty sure about the bottom.
G: So what's the weakest division in the IBC?
A: Without a doubt the AL Central. Brett has a good offensive team, but he has no pitching, and he'll still run away with the division. The sim has finally caught up to Pickett, and he'll be way down this year. I think KC may have a shot at the Sox, but it'll be a challenge. The Twins aren't good at all, and a still a couple years away, and Cleveland got stuck with Joe's team, which says where he'll be.
G: What teams do you think will be the cellar teams this season?
A: Cellar teams will be the Twins, because they're just full of young, unproven guys, the Pirates, because they got stuck with Seattle's old squad, the Expos because their GM overvalues his players too much, LA because the rest of that division is great, Oakland because he got stuck with leftovers, and maybe the Yankees or O's in the AL East
G: Looking at everyone's current rosters, who do you think the playoff teams will be?
A: In the AL, I think Ropers and Nick, Brett because he has very little competition in the AL Central, and Bren because his staff is nasty and he's got Dunn's carry-over. I think that the Phillies will take the NL East, Nate/me/Pat for Central and Nils gets the West. The wildcard will either be 2nd place in the Central or Josh out in Coors
G: Who are your rivals in the IBC? Friendly or otherwise...
A: I think the biggest rivalry I got is with you. We always go at each other about everything, so now that you're the Cubs and I'm the Cards we'll really have it heated. I have a friendly rivalry with Nate and kinda have one with JP, though we hardly ever play each other. I don't think there's any bad blood unless you play Pickett and then you just wanna kick the crap outta his team
G: Are there any rules/policies in the IBC that you'd like to see changed?
A: I think that the only major issue that needs to be settled is the injury policy. Last year there were way too many hurt players that were in the lineup. Hopefully, it will be addressed.
G: What do you think of the league's Power Rankings? Are they accurate?
A: My team was undervalued by the power rankings all season. I can understand why I was ranked low at the end, but at the beginning of the season, I found that I was ranked around 10th even though I was just a couple of games behind Nils. They're accurate for the most part, and I think they're the most entertaining "feature" that we got.
G: Speaking of features, we have a ton of them here in the IBC. Can you think of any cool features you'd like to see added to the arsenal?
A: I would like to see something along the lines of a PTI type thing between two GMs.(even though me and you came up with the idea for PTI 3 years ago). I think that would be cool, they could argue about various league and pro issues. That's the main thing that I would like to see.
G: You mentioned the 5th starter, are there any other weaknesses that plague the Cards?
A: I think another weakness of mine is left field. I have Bobby Higgenson there this year, because I had to move Pujols to third. I think he can hold the fort down until Felix Pie is ready or I make a deal. I look to improve there any chance I get, but I really don't have anything to deal without creating another hole.
G: Winter league is coming up. Do you think it's results will help you decide anything about your team?
A: I think it will help me decide who to hit leadoff. RIght now I'm going with Pierre, but I want to see how Rollins and Spivey do this time. It will also let me see how to set up my bullpen, because I don't know where to slid Looper, Koplove and a couple of others.
G: If you could fire anyone in the league, who would it be?
A: Pickett, I don't believe I need to explain why.
G: Any final comments?
A: Nate, you'll never get Oswalt, so just stop asking. I don't care if you offer Bonds, he's NOT going to you!
ST LOUIS CARDINALS
Some thoughts...
1) Pickett really did suck. That guy was a douche.
2) Aaron confirms that despite our nearly life-long friendship, we agree on pretty much nothing.
3) We really did come up with PTI though. For real. Seriously. I'M NOT KIDDING!
IBC ARCHIVES: Volume 6 - Interview with Aaron, prior to 2003
Moderator: DBacks
