Vol. VI, Issue #1 - February 2018

** Interview with Stephen Kahn **

(This month we speak to the Stephen Kahn, the champion of
the "Winter Need a Life League", a Netplay Strat League .... )

(Notes from the Wolfman:  In our last issue in 2017, we interviewed the commission of the "Winter Need a Life League", Harris Jessop.  Harris told me of how the champion of their league from 2016, had come out of nowhere to claim the championship, his name was Stephen Kahn.  It was such a great story I asked Harris if he could help me interview Stephen.  So apologies for this interview coming in late but Stephen's story has to be heard and as all of us who are in league, start thinking about our teams and how we can build one that could win a league, maybe you will bet some tips here from Stephen.
 

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Wolfman:  I would like to welcome to our newsletter Stephen (Steve) Kahn, he is  the defending league champion of The Winter Need A Life League which is a Draft League that uses Netplay, of which we interviewed the league's commissioner in the March 2017 newsletter (click here to link to the interview with their commish, Harris Jessop.)

Steve, thanks for spending time with us here at the Ultimate Strat Baseball Newsletter.

Steve: My pleasure.

Wolfman: Steve, I normally ask some personal questions first to give our members a chance to meet you and know a little bit about your background before we talk about Strat and your baseball league.  So I am curious, where did you grow up during your early years?

Steve: I presently live and always have lived in the greater Toronto area.  I grew up in North York, a suburb of Toronto.  That’s in Canada by the way. 😉

Wolfman: Which MLB team did you root for when you were younger and are you still a fan of that team? Are there any ball players you have really followed or who were your favorites now?

Steve: Obviously, I’m heavily into the Blue Jays but the Houston Astros have always been a favourite team of mine.  My all-time favourite pitcher is Nolan Ryan with Dave Stieb, a close second.  And my all-time favourite player is Craig Biggio.  I love the way he played and I’ve always tried to play like him.  I’ve spent a lot of time at the catcher and the middle infield positions.

Wolfman: Steve what are you doing for a living now?

Steve: I’m a Private Investigator.

Wolfman: Now Steve, how did you hear about SOM Baseball? When did you first begin to play the game?

Steve: I started playing (the baseball game) in high school over thirty years ago.  A good friend of mine Shawn Luddington, got me into it.  We would play out seasons, he and I, over many late nights, to the chagrin of our girlfriends. A few of our other friends got involved as well.  Our high school year book, our photos are well represented with shots of us with our dice and cards, playing in the halls during our “spares”.

Wolfman: What is your history participating in leagues (face-to-face or computer based)? Have you ever played in any tournaments?

Steve: Shawn and I played in a face-to-face league here in Toronto – the TTBL – which is still going strong.  That was my first exposure.  I’ve played in other face to face leagues for different stretches.  Shawn and I tried out a tournament in New York once.  We were pretty green back then so we didn’t fare too well.  Drafted poorly. I have played in the odd netplay tournament also.  But for the past several years – since this feature came out, pretty much, I have been exclusively in netplay computer leagues.  Only netplay. I’m not keen on the CM (computer manager based) leagues.

Wolfman: What is the name of the team you manage?

Steve: The Ontario Beavers.

Wolfman: Since you have a draft league, how do you create your teams, what type of players are you looking for?

Steve: I’ve learned over the years, that not only do “the chicks dig the long ball”, but it’s the power teams I go for.  Get the pitchers who don’t have the ball park homers, get the position players who do, get the right ball park.  Platoons are ok – and we obviously make much use of them in strat.  But the more two-way players you get, the stronger you are.  Those two-way LH bats are nice to have, as most good lefty pitchers have reverse skews anyway.  If you can make up much of your lineup with two-way bats including some lefties, there’s more room for the odd, damaging platoons and more room to carry a deeper pen.

Wolfman: How is your relationship with the other members in your league as far as trying to make deals with them, when they all know that you are trying to go all out to win?  

Steve: This has always been the very key to my successes.  You can be a strat enthusiast – and then - you can pick it up a notch. And what I mean by this is, to always being on top of what’s going on with the rest of the teams in your league. (Someone has decided to drop out of a race; someone is overstocked in one spot, or has a hole somewhere else; someone has a team that’s looking to get stronger / weaker for next year, etc.) 

Unlike in real life, there are always lots of trades to be made in strat leagues.  So be the first one on it and make the deals.  And always pitch and execute win-win deals.  I’ve had managers come to me about a player with no idea of what the upside might be for me.  On the flip side, if I like a player on another team, but don’t see a fit, I don’t bother pursuing it. 

You don’t have to “win” deals to win in making deals.  You simply have to make as many as possible because there are always “win-win” deals to be made.  Keep your trade partners happy by improving their situation and they’ll be all the more likely to continue dealing with you in the future.  So I would say my relationships are pretty solid.  The last thing I want to do is leave a trade partner with a sour taste.  The other guy doesn’t always agree with my pitch – and what’s in it for them… That’s fine.  But those instances are simply a difference of opinion, not an attempt at a rip-off.  So even if you don’t make a deal, if your pitch is true to a “win-win” scenario, you should keep the relationship in good standing.  And I believe I’ve been able to do that.

The trades I made with this team at the deadline, were with teams both in and out of the race.  Win-win deals.  And I know I overpaid in a few of them… but I didn’t mind.

Wolfman:  What were the keys to your success with this team? Are there special strategies you use to build your team? And what special strategies do you use when playing your games?

Steve: This particular team’s success (note: the team he won the league with) happened in a short time.  I started the season with arguably three of the top five valuable cards in Harper, Greinke and Posey (based on the 2016 MLB stats).  But I wasn’t very deep.  So I decided to be a seller at the start of the season.  I got a high return for Greinke, including a 1^st (round draft pick for) the following year.  I made Harper and Posey available but they stayed put – which I was happy to do anyway.  This season, the league was pretty tight throughout the standings.  My seasonal outlook was not to make the playoffs and to be better the following year.  But of course, I’m going to try and win each game as I play them one at a time.  And boy did Harper carry me.  I jokingly started lamenting how he was ruining my plans to finish poorly.

So, as the trade deadline approached, I found myself in tenth place out of 16 teams, where 8 make the playoffs.  I was already well stocked for the following year by way of good drafting and selling off other present value assets.  So I decided, what the hell, I’m make a run for 8^th.  And it seemed I could get by with just strengthening the pen and improving the back end of my rotation.  But once I got started on the minor improvements, I found I could make another move here and there and then some more major moves and by the end of it, had really overhauled the roster.  (And by the way, I did not weakened my team for the coming season.  Despite all of those moves, I have a team that is in contention for a three-peat).

So I ended up making 8^th place.  Barely.  But now on paper, I had a more formidable team than a typical 8^th place squeaker. 

As for playing strategies, this overhaul started with the pen – and that is what help me dominate through the early rounds of the playoffs.  I played the matchups well and was willing to go to the pen much earlier than my opponents.  By the end of the playoffs my pen was collectively: 62 IP, 28 hits, 6 ER, 18 BB’s, 63K’s, 0.87 ERA, 0.74 whip.

I don’t just use the pen for the best matchup of the moment.  I also try and get my opponent to make changes that will leave them weakened for future moves I might make later in the game.  I put a lot of thought and energy into my pen management.  I find when my opponents underestimate the importance of pen management, they’re easier to beat. 

Wolfman: We always ask those we interview if they have any tips or advice for our members that could help them with success with their own game playing?

Steve: Two things I’ve already touched on.  1. Make lots of win-win trades. And don’t be stubborn.  Don’t split hairs over small differences.  Make the deal.  Make your trade partner happy so they’ll be the one to deal with you later when it’s, say, getting that present-value card you need for a next-year-pick.  And in order to make lots of deals, pay attention to other teams’ needs.  Not just your own. 

2. Treat in-game management like a chess game.  Working the pen is huge.  If you can be the one who ends up working your opponent’s bench, taking away their control of it, you’re ahead of the game.  Don’t be afraid to go to top pen guys early rather than save them for situation that may never come. (I hope the other WNAL guys aren’t reading this interview).

3. This isn’t a tip on success for winning, but rather advice on enjoyment…Don’t rule yourself out of a run prematurely. Most managers would be comfortable with certain levels of sacrifice to hang a championship banner. So if you’re close to a playoff spot, go for it! My run last season proves it can be done. I went on to beat the seeds 1,2 and 4 but you never know what other upsets might take place that leave your path to championship easier then you though.

Besides, the more teams that go for it, the more excitement there is.

Wolfman: What do you like about The Winter Need a Life League?

Steve: The simplicity of it.  The big challenge of a league’s survival is keeping solid ownership.  We have 16 teams, a balanced schedule, 8 teams make the playoffs and it’s a small schedule.  It was 90 games; we’ve increased it a bit for next season.  But a small schedule is easier to commit to.  You’ll always get those guys who take off rather than rebuild.  But for all of us, when it comes to real life and time commitment, if you’re in say, three or four leagues and a life situation means you have to drop one, the WNAL is one that’s easy to remain committed to.  That bodes well for it.  And if you are rebuilding, it’s less of a schedule to slug through with a losing team.

Wolfman: Have you had any special experiences (certain games that stand out in your mind that you played or series you played) being a manager in your league that were amazing or very unusual games, or something you are proud of. Maybe some key trade you made ...?

Steve: There’s one championship I’m extra proud of.  Several years ago, I joined a face-to-face league as an expansion team. And the expansion rules were pretty lousy in terms of giving the expansion teams much to work with.  I ended up with a lineup that featured my best bat as Seth Smith.  I had guys like Victorino and Rolen in the lineup.  But I made the playoffs… and I won the championship in that first year.  I just outmanaged the hell out of those guys – mostly with the pen management I spoke of earlier.  They were all flabbergasted.

But I’m most proud of one particular year – two years ago.  I was in five leagues.  I made the playoffs in all five, finishing first overall in the regular season in four of them.  I won three championships that year – my first WNAL title being one of them. 

Wolfman: Why do you personally like playing SOM - did you try other baseball games like SOM?

Steve: I have only played SOM.  First and foremost, I love the game of baseball.  I still play – though I call myself “semi-retired” as I now play softball.  Lol. I coach my daughter’s team. She is now 8 and I got her started at 5.

I remember back when I was a kid collecting hockey cards… I would line up the player cards like they were on the ice and then have them smack around a little balled up piece of paper as a puck.  It was my way of playing fantasy hockey way back then.  So I guess when I got introduced to SOM, it was an instant love affair. I briefly tried SOM hockey but the game captures the experience of managing a baseball team the best, in my opinion.

Wolfman: Finally is there anything else you would like to share with our members that I didn't ask you before that you think is important to let them know about that is connected to your league specifically?

Steve: We have a very dedicated commissioner, Harris Jessop.  And our membership seems pretty solid.  Again, the ease of committing to the schedule makes it a league that should thrive for a long time.

In fact, we’ve taken half of the WNAL membership and have started up a new league, which I am commissioner of.  SNARL – Spring Need A Real Life league.  Eight members are from WNAL and the other eight were found via references and from ads.  We will be starting our first season shortly, having just completed our inaugural draft. (I was thrilled to get Kershaw 9^th overall).

Wolfman: And if a member of the newsletter wanted to contact you or had some questions for you, is this possible and if so what is the best way to do it?

Steve:  stephenkahn@rogers.com

Wolfman: Thanks Steve, All the best

Steve: Thanks for the opportunity to share.
 

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(Update, February 2018 -- after I re-contacted Steve for him to review our interview, the 2018 season of the WNAL league had been completed as well so I asked Steve if he would write an update for us so we could see how he did in their last season and this is what he sent me:

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Contained inside this exciting issue of the Ultimate Strat
Baseball Newsletter:

(to view the various interviews, articles, columns and special sections click on the links {underlined} and this will take you to the appropriate webpage)
 

♦  RETURN TO NEWSLETTER MAIN PAGE

♦  INTERVIEW with RON SHANDLER - PART I, In the first part of Mr. Shandler's interview we have a chance to meet Mr. Shandler and learn about his background and projects.  Then he shares with about his latest fantasy draft system called BABS which is like no other system you have heard of.

♦  SOM Baseball and MLB World News - February 2018, This is our periodic column where we share any exciting news and updates linked to either the SOM World or MLB. In this issue, we discuss all the new baseball products that the Game Company released for 2018, the new teams, the new version of the computer game and more plus, a reminder about the amazing new USBN 2018 Essential Draft Guide, that our group is putting out yearly to help you with your keeper's league upcoming draft as the key players available are all evaluated ....

♦  STRAT WISE with MARC WASSERMAN commissioner of the Cyber Baseball Association (CBA) continues his new column by giving us a complete report about his experiences at 2018 Strat-o-matic Opening Day along with the videos we have available on our Youtube USBN channel from interviews taken on this day.

♦  INTERVIEW with DEREK BAIN, Baseball Author, Stat Analytics Researcher, Derek is a fantasy baseball gamer who has tried many of the simulated baseball games out including Strat-o-matic Baseball.  Also he has written his own book and loves baseball analytics and stats in every form.  He offers in this interview some amazing insights in the game of baseball.

♦  RECOMMEND ON-LINE SOM RESOURCES -- On-line Strat-o-matic and Baseball related websites that offer amazing information, special tools and products to improve your game play that we strongly recommend. In most cases, we have had personal contact with these sources who agree with the idea and key principle about working together to help promote each other.

♦  BOOKS TO DIE FOR and Become a BASEBALL GURU -- This page is specifically about special books we are finding that either will expand your insights about the game of Baseball, help you in the creation of your current league teams or with your replays and learn more about the Strat-o-matic Baseball Game and Game Company's history.  We have a special arrangement with Acta Sports, who is a publisher of a number of great baseball books (including Bill James Handbooks) to offer for our members a 10% discount. We will continue to add more books to this page in the future as we uncover other gems our members should know about.