Author Topic: TEAM: THUNDER BAY ROAR (Read 4736 times)

GM Metroll · « **Reply #150 on:** August 20, 2019, 01:46:20 PM »

Then lets do it.
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1. Fernando Tafolla RF
2. Andreas Pizzolato 2B
3. Mike Ray LF
4. Luis Figueroa C
5. Armando Roman 3B
6. Adrian Harris 1B
7. Jake Martin CF
8. Steve Blood DH
9. George Fasulo SS

GM Metroll · « **Reply #151 on:** September 15, 2019, 11:08:58 AM »

1.Discuss the latest series. What was your favorite moment of the series?
Pizzy’s walk off in game one was big. I think we had a chance with something like that to really seal the Heartland but then losing the last two games of that series hurt us. We’ve still got a lead but you can’t take that for granted. We need to bounce back this week.

2. Do you think PBL.com had the award winners right?
I believe so – Cruz and Olson have been en fuego all year. We saw first hand this week what Salvadore Patino is capable of. There’s a lot of really good players around the league and I think our fan base is really lucky to see them ply their craft week in, week out.

3. Talk about at least one other piece of news.
I think the Tokyo fans wanting GM Kirk back is interesting. GM Gooch has proven over the years that if you give him time he builds a formidable team but I don’t know if that market has the patience for GM Gooch to do what he normally does.

4. Talk about your Week 14 opponent.
Indianapolis is a good squad and this is a massive series for us in the playoff race. We take the series and we’ve got a great chance of locking down the Badlands division. We lot them run over us and we’ve got ourselves a fight. This is one of those gut check series for us.

GM Jon · « **Reply #152 on:** September 15, 2019, 01:00:13 PM »

I know we’re still in first, but this is an important series for us.

GM Metroll · « **Reply #153 on:** September 17, 2019, 03:23:15 PM »

Agreed - the pitching wasn't great at the back end of the series again. That's starting to become a concern for me? Thoughts?

GM Jon · « **Reply #154 on:** September 17, 2019, 09:17:27 PM »

Defintely some concern there, but I trust Feret and Pierce to lock down a game if need be.

GM Metroll · « **Reply #155 on:** September 18, 2019, 09:24:52 AM »

Sounds good - there's not much we can do in so far as changes but I do know patience is wearing a bit thin. Anything else you need from me?

GM Jon · « **Reply #156 on:** September 18, 2019, 10:09:12 AM »

Nothing boss.

GM Metroll · « **Reply #157 on:** September 18, 2019, 12:24:26 PM »

Perfect - thanks for your time.
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Adrian Harris please.
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Adrian, just wanted to commend you for your performance the last month. You handled the week off earlier in the year with aplomb and have really been swinging the stick well since. It's a testament to your work ethic and I wanted to recognize that.

GM Jon · « **Reply #158 on:** September 18, 2019, 04:08:02 PM »

It was a little bit of a wake up call to take that breather and yeah, I feel good at the plate right now. I have good and bad games, but I feel like I'm putting the work in to get better each and every day.

GM Metroll · « **Reply #159 on:** September 18, 2019, 06:05:26 PM »

For sure - your effort's noted. Thanks for your time.
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We're good to go. No changes.

GM Metroll · « **Reply #160 on:** September 23, 2019, 04:02:23 PM »

1.Discuss the latest series. Did any player suprise your team or the opponents team?
We rebounded after a tough series with a good sweep. With 7 now as our magic number heading in to the stretch run I think we’ve put ourselves in a good position. Indianapolis played us tight and really you saw a lot of our guys come through in the clutch throughout the series. That’s a galvanizing performance for us.

2. Talk about at least one piece of news.
Scarface – what more can you say about him? The kid has taken to PBL pitching with aplomb and really stepped up at the trade deadline and has played well for us at the hot corner. There’s a lot to like about the kid and I think he’s going to look really good in a Roar uniform for a long time.

3. Talk about your Week 15 opponent.
Tokyo – I know GM Gooch is a BBQ fan so maybe some hibachi’s on tap. On the diamond it’s a long trip for us to Tokyo and I think we’ll need to keep that in mind and really get our bodies right for the first game. They’re a great team and their fighting up hill for a wildcard berth and so you know they’re not going to leave anything in reserve. It’s a good test for us against playoff competition and really continue doing what we need to do to be successful come the playoffs.

GM Jon · « **Reply #161 on:** September 23, 2019, 06:55:42 PM »

About time everything clicked for an entire series. We're unbeatable when we play like that.

GM Metroll · « **Reply #162 on:** September 24, 2019, 08:40:04 AM »

Agreed - I don't want to get too cocky though. There's still a bunch of baseball left to be played. Heading to Tokyo this week any concerns? I know the press has been on about Gooch vs. Kirk but I still think that's a good baseball team on the field.

GM Jon · « **Reply #163 on:** September 24, 2019, 11:05:02 AM »

They are still the best hitting team in the league and will be a true test for our arms. Our bats will have to match there's and I think they can against there staff.

GM Metroll · « **Reply #164 on:** September 24, 2019, 02:21:15 PM »

Sounds good - with that in mind I did want to ask if we wanted to change up our order just a bit. I was thinking going Scarface, Ray, Harris, Figgy as our 3,4,5,6 with the way the sticks have looked recently. I'm leery of mixing up what's working but Scarface has been our second best guy this year.

GM Jon · « **Reply #165 on:** September 24, 2019, 02:23:39 PM »

We’re coming off a series where we hit fairly well, but if you want to mix things up, I’m fine with that.

GM Metroll · « **Reply #166 on:** September 24, 2019, 03:03:09 PM »

Let's stand pat for now but keep it in the back of our minds.
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Can I see Andreas Pizzolato please?
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Andreas, hell of a season so far. Just wanted to take a minute to recognize that.

GM Jon · « **Reply #167 on:** September 24, 2019, 03:15:20 PM »

Thanks boss, I'll continue working hard to try and lead this team to a championship.

GM Metroll · « **Reply #168 on:** September 25, 2019, 10:06:17 AM »

I appreciate that. Thank you for your time.
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I think we're ready to go.

1. Fernando Tafolla RF
2. Andreas Pizzolato 2B
3. Mike Ray LF
4. Luis Figueroa C
5. Armando Roman 3B
6. Adrian Harris 1B
7. Jake Martin CF
8. Steve Blood DH
9. George Fasulo SS

GM Metroll · « **Reply #169 on:** October 01, 2019, 02:07:11 PM »

WEEK FIFTEEN

1. Discuss the latest series. What player on your team is your unsung hero?
Taking two of three in Tokyo’s big for us. We had a great first game where everything came up spades; the other two were tighter but our guys fought hard to make sure we won the series the last game. I think unsung hero might be Steve Blood. He had a great series for us and he’s gotten some big hits for us since coming over at the trade deadline.

2. Talk about at least one piece of news.
I think just how good Tafolla is as a ball player is worth talking about. I know there was rumblings at the start of the season when he started slow but baseball’s a long season with a bunch of games. You’re going to have a dry spell somewhere but when you look at weeks like this you know you’ve got a helluva ball player.

3. Talk about your Week 16 opponent.
This is clinch week. Our magic number is down to 3 and realistically we should be able to put it away. I’m excited to see our guys perform on the field again and start to get ready for the money-maker games.

GM Jon · « **Reply #170 on:** October 01, 2019, 04:52:41 PM »

Time to clinch this division. We're playing good baseball at the right time.

GM Metroll · « **Reply #171 on:** October 02, 2019, 09:44:54 AM »

For sure - it was really good to see a big series from Tafolla. If he's starting to turn it on now then that's perfect for us. I'm thinking of moving Blood up a spot or two in the order though. He's been hitting well for us since joining the squad.

GM Jon · « **Reply #172 on:** October 02, 2019, 10:07:35 AM »

I see no problem with that, but at the same time, it's been nice having some success in the bottom third of the order too. Your call though.

GM Metroll · « **Reply #173 on:** October 02, 2019, 11:04:23 AM »

That's fair too - it's tough when everyone's clicking but I was thinking more to break up the platoon splits heading into the playoffs when teams are going to be firing at us. Having Roman/Harris/Martin stacks most of our lefties in a row so to break that up was my thoughts - doubly so with our conversation last week.

GM Jon · « **Reply #174 on:** October 02, 2019, 11:11:51 AM »

We're in a position where we can experiment a little and try and find the lineup that we want to roll with into the postseason.

GM Metroll · « **Reply #175 on:** October 02, 2019, 11:23:38 AM »

Sounds good - I'll tinker a bit and we'll figure it out from there. Anything else?

GM Jon · « **Reply #176 on:** October 02, 2019, 11:27:45 AM »

I don't think so, ready when you are.

GM Metroll · « **Reply #177 on:** October 02, 2019, 11:32:06 AM »

Sounds good - thanks for your time.
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Jacob Larson please.
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Jacob, heck of a game in the first one. I know there was a lot of love for the offense this week but that pitching performance was big for us. I look forward to seeing a couple more like that in the playoffs.

GM Jon · « **Reply #178 on:** October 02, 2019, 11:43:27 AM »

Whoa, thanks for asking me up here to your joint Mr. Metro, but please, call me Bob. I see my brother is treated well here, yeah. If I can be blunt here, I wasn't going to take credit for his performance out there, but since you called me up here and everything, I think I hint at what you want me to do here. I'll take care of that for you Mr. Metro. Leave it to me, I'll have Jay ready for the playoffs!

GM Metroll · « **Reply #179 on:** October 02, 2019, 12:06:19 PM »

Thanks Bob. It's a pleasure to meet you as well.
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Jay Larson please.
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Jay, I just had an interesting conversation with your brother Bob. Seems an affable fellow - looks a lot like our prime minister back in '99 on that boat actually. I made an egregious error that I'd like to apologize for in calling him rather than you about your performance this week; I could cite fatigue from the trip back from Tokyo or a peanut butter sandwich but there's truly no excuse for getting your first name incorrect so I'd like to profoundly apologize for that.

GM Jon · « **Reply #180 on:** October 02, 2019, 12:51:41 PM »

A peanut butter sandwich sounds amazing right now.

GM Metroll · « **Reply #181 on:** October 02, 2019, 01:42:05 PM »

After your performance this week - you've more than earned it. I'll get someone on that right away. Everything else good in your world?

GM Jon · « **Reply #182 on:** October 02, 2019, 06:19:57 PM »

Yeah, like, everything is wonderful, ya know? This world is beautiful, you're beautiful, everything is great, bossman.

GM Metroll · « **Reply #183 on:** October 06, 2019, 05:17:54 PM »

Thanks for your time.
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We're ready to go. We're going to change our batting order.

1. Fernando Tafolla RF
2. Andreas Pizzolato 2B
3. Mike Ray LF
4. Armando Roman 3B
5. Luis Figueroa C
6. Adrian Harris 1B
7. Steve Blood DH
8. Jake Martin CF
9. George Fasulo SS

GM Metroll · « **Reply #184 on:** October 13, 2019, 12:07:17 AM »

1. Discuss the latest series.
We played some great baseball and clinched the division. We ran into a good arm in the first game but settled down and held out for the series. It’s realistically what we’re looking for this of year.

2. What record are you most looking forward to seeing broken (if any)?
I think the OPS mark is near certain to fall the way this season’s gone. I’d be happy to see Isaac Marshall avoid the walk record however. That’s something that comes with time and is definitely a work in progress but we’ve seen a lot of good things so far this season.

3. Will you be resting any players down the stretch to assure the team is healthy for the postseason?
I think it’s something we’ll look at and figure out what gives us the best chance of long term success. You want to make sure that everyone’s healthy but rhythm counts too. You need at bats and get in a groove and you routinely see the hot team at the end of the season carry that through. We want to clinch the conference first and then we’ll take a deeper look.

4. Talk about your Week 17 opponent.
I think our focus needs to be on player our game and building momentum for the playoffs. That’s the name of the game this time of the year regardless of who you’re playing.

GM Jon · « **Reply #185 on:** October 13, 2019, 12:26:15 PM »

I know you're celebrating this week with the Mrs. Let me know if you want to change anything, otherwise let's keep going. I don't think we need to rest players, but if you want to take some extended looks on some players who don't get any playing time, I'm fine with that too.

GM Metroll · « **Reply #186 on:** October 13, 2019, 03:03:57 PM »

I want to clinch the conference first and foremost so I agree. Let's leave things as they are and I'll see you once the week is through.

LOCK IN.

GM Metroll · « **Reply #187 on:** October 19, 2019, 02:29:10 PM »

AFTER CELEBRATING CLINCHING THE CONFERENCE – GM METRO FINALLY APPROACHES THE PODIUM

1. Discuss the latest series.
We played some good baseball and it culminated with clinching the conference. We’re not going to really dwell on this week anymore though as the real season has just begun.

2. As you head into the final week of the regular season. What is your own biggest personal takeaway from the season?
How well this team has played. We started out strong, hit a couple bumps in the middle of the season and then took care of business at the end of the year. We’ve had a lot of different people show up big in different series and that balance I think bodes well for us in the playoffs. You can’t really try and pitch around part of our lineup or beat-up on our bullpen. Everyone on our roster has contributed at some point.

3. Talk about your Week 18 opponent. Who is the one player you know is going to show up for your club this week.
I think kind of similar to what I just talked about that everyone’s shown up all year and that’s why we are where we are. Obviously Pizzy’s gotten a lot of love for his bats and Scarface should be rookie of the year, our arms have been great and what you can say about our 1 2 punch at the top of the rotation. They’ve been fantastic all year. We’re going to use this series to make sure we’re ready for whoever we come up against in the first round of the playoffs.

GM Jon · « **Reply #188 on:** October 19, 2019, 02:38:28 PM »

Alright boss, with our position already clinched, how you want to set things up?

GM Metroll · « **Reply #189 on:** October 20, 2019, 12:07:34 PM »

I think we look to give the starters one game of rest a piece. Have Bumbrey play 2nd, SS, and 3rd for a game to fill in their, Tirado cover off the OF, Martinez at 1st and DH and then split the catching. I really wish we could call some pitchers up and down mid-series but c'est la vie. The only thing I want to focus on is if we're comfortable with Marshall in the playoffs. He's gotten some great experience this year but I want to make sure that he's the right option versus going something like piggybacking Weeks and Cohen and kind of bull-penning a potential game 3 scenario.

GM Jon · « **Reply #190 on:** October 20, 2019, 12:10:44 PM »

I can make all that happen, except you'd need to call up Tirado. Right now we have Kaminsky. As for Marshall, I mean we'll have to take it on a by-case situation. I trust him to give us some valuable innings, but might want to have him on a short leash in the playoffs with the bullpen on stand-by. Also, did you want to do anything with Wagner?

GM Metroll · « **Reply #191 on:** October 20, 2019, 12:33:24 PM »

Sounds good - if you can make that happen like it looks like you did in Game 3 last series than let's go for it. I have nothing else Coach. Let's close out the season on a high note.

Coach change roster to rest starters for a game.

LOCK IN

GM Metroll · « **Reply #192 on:** October 22, 2019, 02:50:23 PM »

1. Congrats, you've made it this far. What will it take to continue this run?
I think the biggest thing for us is going to be the last three innings of the games. We’ve had some instances this season where we had a lead through six and then imploded at the back end. We’ve done a good job all year of giving ourselves opportunities and we just need to make sure we capitalize on them in a short series.

2. Who was your MVP this season?
Pizzy had a great year for us. It’s a team sport but it seemed like whenever we needed a clutch at-bat he came through for us. It’s a testament to him but also the other guys in the batting order who set him up to be in a position like that.

3. Do you feel the lower seeded team getting to open the series at home in Game 1 fair before the higher seed gets to host Game 2 and a if necessary Game 3?
We’re going to have to win at least one road game at some point if we want to be the champs. I don’t see why we can’t win a second. Fair, not fair, it’s the way the league has established itself and we’ll play by that. We’ve had success on the road this season and we’ll need to continue that.

4. What will it take to advance to the Championship Series?
We need to come through in the clutch. Chicago’s a great team and we know they’re going to push us. It’s going to come down to a couple at-bats this series and we need to win those.

GM Jon · « **Reply #193 on:** October 22, 2019, 03:02:40 PM »

As long as we can keep Torrez and Shoup off the base paths, I think we can handle Chicago.

GM Metroll · « **Reply #194 on:** October 22, 2019, 03:11:08 PM »

For sure - anything else or shall we just get too it?

GM Jon · « **Reply #195 on:** October 22, 2019, 06:57:24 PM »

We can get to it unless you need to address anything.

GM Metroll · « **Reply #196 on:** October 23, 2019, 09:14:16 AM »

Nope. Let’s do it!

GM Metroll · « **Reply #197 on:** October 25, 2019, 12:21:57 PM »

1. One series down, how does it feel to complete that first step in the postseason?
It feels great. We knew that we had three more series we need to win and we accomplished our first goal. It maybe wasn’t the way we wanted to do it in Game two but that never say die attitude is key in the playoffs – we believed as a team that we’re not out of any game and we strung together some big hits and then Pizzy finished it off. It was a fitting way to end the series and we’re on to Mexico.

2. With the next series being 5 games, do you plan on changing things up?
We’ve got the man who should runaway with Manager of the Year in our dugout. I’ll sit with him and come up with what our plan is but I’ll be sure to make sure that we let you all know in advance so we can tip off Mexico City.

3. How important is it to get the Game 1 victory?
You need three victories, if you get the first one you then only need two. Obviously it’s better to need two than three so yeah, it’s important. More important though is winning the last game and that’s going to be our focus in this series.

4. Do you feel win or lose, this season is already a success?
We want to win it all. That’s why you play this game. Moral victories are retrospective events. We’re living in the moment now and focused on winning it all.

GM Jon · « **Reply #198 on:** October 25, 2019, 12:52:14 PM »

Couldn't have said it better myself, we didn't look great in Game 2 for eight innings, but it was in that ninth inning where we show exactly the type of never give up mentality. They have bested us through 26 outs... but against us, you need to get 27.

GM Metroll · « **Reply #199 on:** October 25, 2019, 12:56:21 PM »

Exactly. I'm really proud of our guys and we're on to Mexico. They've got a great team - we saw what they can do earlier in the year and I think we had some success grinding out at bats and eventually getting through a crack or two. I don't think we need to make any changes. We'll be able to throw Helton and Larson twice and I like the balanced batting orders production. Agreed?