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 _Poor Man's Commish (aka "dreambLogue") |
The Golden State of Mind guys | 5/26/2007 back to dreamblogue
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[From Vinsanity. This is a maybe-weekly chat with one or more of the guys from Golden State of Mind, who have a team in dreamleague Bay Area...]
Just a little disclaimer: This chat took place shortly after Game 2 of the Western Conference Semi's pitting the Utah Jazz vs. the Golden State Warriors. The Jazz were victorious in the end (winning 127-117 in OT) but were no doubt aided by the free throws woes of Baron Davis and Mickael Pietrus...
[Poor Man's Commish here: I'm adding some hopefully value-added comments after-the-fact, too...] Fantasy Junkie: Hey Vinsanity, it's Fantasy Junkie from Golden State of Mind. What a horrible end to that game, someone needs to go practice free throws.
Vinsanity: Hey Fantasy Junkie...yeah...we definitely should have won that game. First Pietrus could have iced it, then Baron...
FJ: Yeah, Pietrus and Baron 1 for 4 on FT's.
V: And was it just me, or were the refs calling everything in favor of Utah?
FJ: It felt like that in the first 3 quarters...just Warriors getting hit and no calls. However, in the 4th quarter they let a lot go.
V: I can picture David Stern issuing an edict to the refs before the game: "Make it go to 7 games." I agree with you though - the W's did get banged up
FJ: It just sucks as a Warrior fan that we NEVER get the calls.
[The rants on the refs do not necessarily reflect the views of dreamleague (!).] V: So Fantasy Junkie, can you tell me about how you started the GSOM blog? How long has it been going? Are there any inspirations behind it?
FJ: Let's see, it started about 2 years ago when Atma Brother 1 and DJ Fuzzy Logic decided it would just be fun to write about the Warriors…just kind of make fun of ourselves as Warrior fans and share that pain and laughter with others. Then it got more serious as we got bigger and bigger and those two pulled in three other people to help them out - me being one of them.
V: It seems like you guys are having the last laugh with the W's recent success and all huh?
FJ: Yeah seriously, we just kept working hard at it trying to refine the site quality and content. We just kept growing and growing…
Then one day we found our slogan, the "unstoppable baby" quote from Marc Jackson and it's kind of taken on two different meanings now.
First it was just fun to say it as a perpetually lottery bound team, but now that the Warriors are making a serious run in the playoffs it's become more of a serious motto.
Vinsanity with the GSOM guys Atma Brother 1 and Fantasy Junkie |
V: Wow...the Marc Jackson you're referring to is the notorious former Warriors center correct?
FJ: Yup…THE Marc Jackson, the one that we thought would be valuable down the line, but turned into a whole bunch of nothing.
V: Hey...he had that one year where he put up 13-and-8 or so. I was fooled too. Nowadays he just seems to be known for yelling incomprehensibly after grabbing rebounds.
FJ: Haha…he's made it famous on our site.
V: So what specifically is your role with GSOM?
FJ: As Fantasy Junkie, in addition to covering games (previews and recaps), I do a lot of the behind the scenes work such as setting up GSOM Night, taking care of finances (ad revenues), and setting up fantasy sports leagues.
Sprinkle in some about.com articles each week and that pretty much covers my role.
V: Seems like you have a lot of key responsibilities. Do you guys get paid for your efforts, or is this just a labor of love like the Dream League?
FJ: You got it. It's pretty much just a labor of love. We're Warrior fans and we love having this great community to share with other Warriors fans. In fact one of the main goals we set out to accomplish was to generate enough money in ads to be able to afford season tickets to share with our readers.
It's like our way of giving back to the people who visit our site everyday and support us. Basically, we don't make any money. It's all love, baby.
V: Would you award tickets on a game by game basis to readers? Sounds like a dope concept!
FJ: We're not sure exactly yet how we're going to split up the tickets. Maybe through contests, trivia, or even a pick up game!
We'll do our best to make sure everyone gets a fair chance and try to reward the readers who have been there for the long haul.
V: Great idea...I'm sure you'll come up with something.
FJ: Hah…but if it's a pick up game, we'll be giving out a lot of tickets considering how bad our Dream League teams have been.
V: How did you hear about the Dream League in the first place? How many seasons have you participated in?
FJ: We're currently in our 2nd season and just looking to improve game to game. We found out through a friend of a friend. My roommate and I were just dying to play some competitive basketball since we were no longer eligible for intramural games at college.
[I think the more precise story goes like this: my old hoop buddy Anthony Wang bumped into Fantasy Junkie at some random party and Ant happened to be wearing a dreamleague t-shirt. Grass-roots marketing, it works! But it's nice to know we're all in such a small world, it seems.] Dream League has been great so far. It gives us the chance to play hoops in a setting more significant than a pickup game.
V: That's true...and it must feel good to know that your roster fees are going towards a good cause huh?
FJ: Definitely. At first you think, “$90 to play basketball?” Seems a little steep, but then you look at the costs of the gyms, refs, and the fact that you're supporting a good cause, and it's really all worth it.
[Whew! I'm glad someone out there thinks it's worth the $90!] I'd pay more honestly because it's so much fun and games get so intense. Saturdays [leading up to Sunday dreamleague games], it's all I can think about.
V: And plus, it must be neat to be part of an organization whose model closely resembles yours – one where a lot of hard work and passion behind the scenes goes unnoticed to produce a great finished product. Like you said...it’s all about the love!
FJ: Yup. Poor Man's Commish works his ass off. I have a lot of respect for that guy.
[Like GSOM, dreamleague would like to earn enough of a profit so that we can continue to improve on what we offer, as well as give back whenever we can, through innovative ideas that might not necessarily have to cost money.] V: He definitely does. The amount of things Commish has on his plate on a weekly basis makes my head spin. For example, he routinely pulls off 12-13 hour Sundays shuttling back and forth from SF to Oakland and back again. That’s dedication.
[...or stupidity!] And I've got to say...where else can you find this kind of basketball experience in the Bay?
Shoot...dare I say, Cali? The U.S.?
[I gotta give props where props are due. I learned it all from my experience in the Japanese Leagues (aka Northern California NAU, or Nippon Athletic Union). However, I must admit we are trying to take their ability to run leagues and tournaments to the next level.] FJ: I know. All the games are competitive and rarely is a game a blow out.
V: True that! I like how he tries to keep the same level of competition in a division so every team has a fair shot at the title
FJ: Plus, it's great for the Asian community.
V: Yes it is...it unites us all on the court. I don't know how many times I've seen old friends happen to bump into each other on the court and exchange hugs.
FJ: My non-quarter-Asian friends get jealous every Sunday!
V: I don't blame them! There are so many pluses...the best gyms…
FJ: And you start to see the same guys over and over and build that respect and bond for each other.
[If I could clone myself, I'd probably do a dreamleague for any community out there that wants one.] V: …the most fair (and funniest) refs.
FJ: Oh and the refs are great. Yup, you're right, they're definitely funny and entertaining.
[We've taken a looooong time to weed out the bad refs and have a more turbo-boost process for new ones who must be referred in by an existing ref who we consider senior.] V: …the stat-tracking (while not 100% accurate, it's better than nothing!).
FJ: I love the stat tracking, helps my team figure out where we need to improve.
[Before the entire 92-team Bay Area explodes over this issue, let me reiterate and promise you that our people are working hard on getting these stats up. We have actually entered a new phase where we're focusing more on accuracy and simplifying the duties of our error-prone teenage statcrew.
Matter of fact, I spent about 6 hours late last night fixing a bunch of stats from 5/20, 5/13, and 5/6. The good scoresheets are already in the hands of our teenage crew and I'll need to crack the whip a little more, but as far as the other half of the stats that were problematic, well as I just told you, I'm done! All I need to do is punch them in and that's maybe another 4-hour super-charged sitdown session. Right around the corner!] V: Do you play the majority of your games in the East Bay?
FJ: Naw, my team is actually out in the Peninsula. I work and live out in Silicon Valley. It would be tough to get all my teammates out to the East Bay, lazy bums.
V: Looks like you guys had a nice win last Sunday.
FJ: Yeah we played Commish's AAA-Slowbreak team and for the first 3 quarters, they had only 5 guys. Plus we got off to the hottest start we've ever had (I'm still in shock), and we rode that hot start to a win. We got lucky with the shooting and the lack of depth on the other team.
[Yeah and my scorekeeper showed up late, so I only got to play the 4th quarter! Well, I sucked (air, literally) because I was suffering from bronchitis...I highly do not recommend playing with bronchitis.] Put it this way, we scored 65 points that game, our first two games we scored a combined 70 or so points. Hopefully, we keep up the shooting and D.
V: I have a feeling you guys are on the verge of a Warriors-type resurgence.
FJ: In fact, we're a little small compared to the other squads in AAA-S, so it kind of feels like we have to play like the Warriors to get anything going. Just try to out-quick and out-hustle the other teams.
[FJ plays like a Slowbreak-level Stephen Jackson!] V: Seems pretty fitting!
FJ: Haha, exactly! We're used to shooting in the 20 percentile range, Sunday was probably in the 40's.
V: You know, I'd say that putting up 70 in the Dream League is the equivalent of a team scoring 100 in an NBA game with the four 9-minute quarters and all.
FJ: I'd buy that. With the running clock, it's tough to put up a ton of points.
[Not to nitpick, but we do stop the clock on free throws and jump balls under 7:00, and all made baskets and whistles under 10 seconds and 2:00 to go in the 4th.] We foul a lot too, reaching in and trying to get steals. So all those fouls really slow the game down, but the clock continues to run.
Team GSOM, aka Run FOB |
V: I see...personally, I've found that uptempo teams tend to do better in this format.
FJ: If you look at our team last year, I think we averaged the least amount of points per game in AAA-Premier, but we also gave up the 2nd least amount of points. So we play some good D, we just need to work on putting the ball in the bucket.
This season I've been pushing the guys to get even more aggressive on D and get us some turnovers and easy buckets. Just have people be aggressive on the perimeter and pressure the ball handler into mistakes.
The other thing is, all of our guys are pick-up ballers. We're still getting used to the officiated games and the different pressure that comes with it.
All in all, we're making improvements and I'm really happy with our team. People are finding their roles on the team and things are starting to gel.
V: That's really great to hear...I think it's very rare for a team to come in cold and find success so I'm sure you will improve as you play together more.
The 24 second shot clock must throw you guys for a loop huh?
FJ: Haha. Yeah we've had some shot clock violations. Funny how when you watch the game on TV, you think so and so is an idiot for not noticing the shot clock is going down, but then you go out and do the same thing.
V: Yeah! It’s hard when you're in the heat of the moment and all…must be harder when you have a bunch of athletic 6-7 guys hounding you around the court.
FJ: Now I just have my girlfriend yell out the last 5 seconds on the shot clock so we know.
I can lay the blame on her now. Haha!
V: Now that's a great system!
FJ: Cheerleader + shot clock violation preventer = perfect
[Honestly, every team ought to have a Grace on their team bench.] V: Do you guys have the same roster as last season?
FJ: We lost a couple of our guards and our big 6-3 225 center, but we picked up a couple guards and got a little more athletic. Without our center though, we've changed to the more aggressive style D and hope to run and gun like the Warriors.
I organize the guys every Tuesday night to play with each other and we usually get about 4-5 guys to show up. If we never did that, we'd be failing in chemistry.
V: That’s great...I usually find it hard to get my squad together for pickup because of busy schedules so props to you!
FJ: Yeah we're lucky that 5 of our guys all work together. So we make sure each of us shows up.
V: What do you think of the new "AAA-SlowBreak" division?
FJ: It hurts! Haha!
V: It hurts? What do you mean?
FJ: Those big guys in that division are pounding us inside. I feel like Matt Barnes against Carlos Boozer.
[Actually, I think only SFFD and the CPA HEADS are the bruising teams. The remaining 6 teams are all kind of "normal" sized, except for 6'7" Mike Glass of the DrunkenMasters, who isn't all that dominating.] V: Ahhh…lemme take a wild guess: SFFD (San Francisco Fire Department) is in there with you guys huh? Those guys are bruisers!!!
FJ: At first I was going to take us out of there because the name brought to mind an old man's league but I wanted to try it out and it's been a lot of fun. Probably better for us to be in there than AAA-Premier.
[Yeah, I'm not sold on the "Slowbreak" moniker. Still open to a better word.] Oh SFFD... I saw them play last year in the playoffs and I was like damn, I hope we don't play those guys. I can't imagine anyone out-working or lasting longer than those guys. They had a nice shooter and all looked strong. I was hoping they'd move up to AAA-Elite!
V: What do you expect? They're Firemen…
I'd hope no one else outworks them! They save lives!
FJ: Exactly. They better be outworking me!
V: Wouldn't it be a little disconcerting if they were out-of-shape, slow and timid?
FJ: We were joking that the only chance we have against them is if a cat got stuck in a tree and they had to go save it.
V: Hahaha!!! That would have to be the first “DNP - Had to Save Cat” ever.
Fantasy Junkie, it's been really fun chatting with you. Hope we can do something like this again in the future. Maybe we can make this a series? I'm sure the Dream Leaguers will get a kick out of reading our random chats.
FJ: Yeah man it's been fun. We should do it again.
V: Thanks again. Go Warriors!
[Sorry for all the interruptions, but I hope they gave some more insights than not.] Comment on this post or View comments
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