Committee Member Nominations

[New York]

As many of you have noticed, we recently had two members of the committee step away from the league for a bit (JScott & Swoosh) and to go even further back we had a committee member retire a few seasons back (Corey). So this off-season, the committee will be looking to add a new member to help out around the league. 

To make things clear, JScott & Swoosh are both very much still members of the committee and they will remain in those positions as long as they are (even somewhat) around. They will both chime in to league discussions and decisions when it is necessary and as two guys whose opinion I value an extreme amount, I wouldn't have it any other way.

However there are some things around the league that still need to get done and having a new member of the committee will help with that. Plus we believe adding another voice to the committee can only do good things for the league. 

So with all of that said...

This thread will be used for any GM interested in running to volunteer to throw their name into the discussion because as you know the committee positions are elected.

YOU CAN NOT NOMINATE SOMEONE ELSE - YOU CAN ONLY THROW YOUR OWN NAME INTO THE HAT.

Deadline will be a week from now - Friday, December 23rd 2016.

This is your chance to let GMs know why they should vote for you before the poll open after our holiday break. To assist you in doing that, committee members Sarawak and Swoosh (who had something similar to this last election that was referenced) put together a few questions that candidates are not required but encouraged to answer as it will help provide for an informed electorate. The questions will be provided in the second post of this thread. Responses from others in the league is allowed, but you are encouraged to keep everything civil. This process is about getting to know the candidates and what they may bring to the table as a committee member.

Candidates (Must declare their own intent to run)

Beijing
Minnesota
New Orleans
Moscow
Portland

[New York]

Questions
1. Provide a brief recap of your time with the ABCA Leagues and any other Sim Experience that would help you as a committee member?

2. What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses you would bring to the committee? Saying you have no weaknesses is not an acceptable answer.

3. If you could, what is the one thing you would change about the league? And as a follow-up, if you are elected to the committee, what is the first change you would put to a committee vote?

4. How do you feel about the anti-tanking measures in place? Have they worked in your opinion and what would you want to change if you could?


5. There is one open committee spot…other than yourself, who do you think is most deserving of being elected to the committee?


Note: If there is a question you want to ask the candidates, please let me know and I'll look into adding it to the others. 

[Aalborg]

Portland is my vote

[San Francisco]

Can we blame the Russians? If we do not like the results I second Portland.

[Piraeus]

I third Portland.

[Beijing]

I'll be throwing my name in the ring. I'll fill out the questionnaire later today.

[New York]

Can we slow down with the public backing of specific guys when no one has even decided to run. Portland would be a good candidate but I've received more than one message about the post already. If he wants to run, then he'll put his name in the ring and you can vote for him when the poll goes up. No need to continue with the support post.

[Piraeus]

Dec 16, 2016 16:29:03 GMT New York said:

Can we slow down with the public backing of specific guys when no one has even decided to run. Portland would be a good candidate but I've received more than one message about the post already. If he wants to run, then he'll put his name in the ring and you can vote for him when the poll goes up. No need to continue with the support post.

Apologies, I thought the process worked by nominating others. Duly noted.

[Minnesota]

Dec 16, 2016 17:57:26 GMT Piraeus said:

Dec 16, 2016 16:29:03 GMT New York said:

Can we slow down with the public backing of specific guys when no one has even decided to run. Portland would be a good candidate but I've received more than one message about the post already. If he wants to run, then he'll put his name in the ring and you can vote for him when the poll goes up. No need to continue with the support post.

Apologies, I thought the process worked by nominating others. Duly noted.

LEARN TO READ!!!!!!

And im nominating myself, ill get to the questions soon

[Minnesota]

1. Provide a brief recap of your time with the ABCA Leagues and any other Sim Experience that would help you as a committee member?
At this point I've been in ABCA since I believe it was the 2nd or 3rd season of the Legends iteration. 1 more day than Beijing! There have been no breaks for me since that point. Before that I was in AvN run by roark as the Americans/Floridians also with no breaks from the start of the league on. Even before that I was in LBA run by Joe for those who remember him, and only stopped 1 summer when I went to sleep away camp like 10 years ago lol.

2. What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses you would bring to the committee? Saying you have no weaknesses is not an acceptable answer.
One of my biggest strengths as you can tell from above is that Im extremely reliable, I'm always there, I don't strike out, I don't quit. I'm also active both on the boards and on slack. I have the time to do things to help the committee. I participate in anything done throughout the league, I've written articles/done roundtables in the past. There are little things that NY shouldn't be bothered with such as GMOTY/IT that I would be willing to take on. I'm willing to speak up and Im critical and like there to be a clear logical reason for decisions being made. My biggest weakness is that since I don't have the game, I probably am not the best choice as a mentor. 

3. If you could, what is the one thing you would change about the league? And as a follow-up, if you are elected to the committee, what is the first change you would put to a committee vote?
I still think that the anti-tanking rules are subpar, but I will save that for the next question. I know something NY has mentioned multiple times in the past is changing up some of the Camps and I agree that there could easily be a revamp. There are a few camps that just don't make much sense and we would see more variety in ones used if we took out a few of the stinkers for better fits positionally. Also as everyone likes to use the 3pt camp and there are talks of that getting too high maybe making that one cost more.

4. How do you feel about the anti-tanking measures in place? Have they worked in your opinion and what would you want to change if you could?
Personally I do not think there should even be rules in place, but understand why people in the league would. I think there are better rules that could be put in place such as no picking in the top 3-5 a year. If the rules were to stay in place I do think we should look to my proposal to change the tiebreaker for 3rd place. I think its unfair for the game to just randomly determine who gets the best odds and who gets stuck with 6th.

5. There is one open committee spot…other than yourself, who do you think is most deserving of being elected to the committee?
ik there are people that strongly disagree with this but my answer is Piraeus

[Brooklyn]

While I respect the Committee and will accept and support whoever is elected, I wont be seeking a position myself. I think I am a better fit as Leader of the Opposition and will continue in that role.

[New Orleans]

I'll throw my name in the hat. Really spent some time to decide whether or not I want to do this. Like Brooklyn (but in a different manner), I often prefer to oppose the committee publicly... even if I don't as much anymore.

1. Provide a brief recap of your time with the ABCA Leagues and any other Sim Experience that would help you as a committee member?

Started from the beginning of ABCA Legends when it comes to ABCA leagues and have been around since despite not always being in the league. Beforehand I was in AvN (as far as leagues that ran a while) but I’ve been around FBB and other sims (including player sims and running one) for over a decade now. Why I was gone will certainly play into question number 2.

2. What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses you would bring to the committee? Saying you have no weaknesses is not an acceptable answer.

My biggest strengths have to revolve around my accessibility and willingness to do anything that needs to get done. I’m always around and reachable on Slack or the message board via PM. Having been in leagues for nearly half my life at this point, I’ve seen just about everything as far as problems that arise and understanding what it takes to keep a league afloat. Don’t think my weaknesses are any big secret either. I’ve been hot headed and argumentative in the past. Hopefully my willingness to point anything out will continue play out a bit better behind closed doors than causing rifts in the league publically.

3. If you could, what is the one thing you would change about the league? And as a follow-up, if you are elected to the committee, what is the first change you would put to a committee vote?

Right now I feel one of the biggest issues in the league is where it stands in regards to activity around the message board. It’s a big recruiting tool if we can show articles and such about the league or current league happenings. Maybe this goes with the previous question but holding more roundtables and articles that involve multiple members is something I’d be willing to do.

The first thing I’d like to discuss with committee is where we stand on the league openings. Some recruiting efforts have taken place and I think most believe at this point that the league should have contracted down to 30 when initial contraction took place. It may be time to do so or try and push for some of the previous GMs to return earlier then they wanted since they were able to maintain their teams with limited activity.

4. How do you feel about the anti-tanking measures in place? Have they worked in your opinion and what would you want to change if you could?

I actually love them. I understand the concerns currently but I think you see the end of the season teams trying to win to avoid bottom 3 which is great for teams who play against them and are in the race for playoffs. Instead of someone having easier wins because a team has completely wrecked their team to try and lose more. They currently work in my opinion but I think the committee needs to listen to teams that are near the bottom more. Most of the committee rarely sees themselves near the bottom 10 much less 3. Hearing out some concerns from team who really want to build from the bottom up is important.

5. There is one open committee spot…other than yourself, who do you think is most deserving of being elected to the committee?

Much like previous committee elections, I would like to see someone who doesn’t often agree with the masses on the committee. Someone whose thoughts and arguments behind closed doors could actually benefit the league. To me those two members besides myself are Vancouver and Piraeus. They consistently oppose the current committee on issues and it would be nice have them on the committee to bring a different point of view. Since Vancouver seems more active these days than Piraeus, he’s got my vote for most deserving besides myself.

[Moscow]

It aays deadline is Friday, December 22nd, but I'm guessing you meant Friday, December 23rd?

[New York]

Dec 20, 2016 15:52:09 GMT Moscow said:

It aays deadline is Friday, December 22nd, but I'm guessing you meant Friday, December 23rd?

Actually meant Thursday, December 22nd but we'll add the extra day on due to my slip up lol

[Moscow]

Oh good- I can do them Thursday night now at work

[A Former ABCA GM]

Dec 19, 2016 15:38:03 GMT New Orleans said:

. It may be time to do so or try and push for some of the previous GMs to return earlier then they wanted since they were able to maintain their teams with limited activity.

I thought you were previously vocal about veteran GMs who quit to not be rehired so quickly?

[New Orleans]

Dec 21, 2016 5:36:02 GMT A Former ABCA GM said:

Dec 19, 2016 15:38:03 GMT New Orleans said:

. It may be time to do so or try and push for some of the previous GMs to return earlier then they wanted since they were able to maintain their teams with limited activity.

I thought you were previously vocal about veteran GMs who quit to not be rehired so quickly?

Still not something I want to do but better than having Teams empty right now. Especially in off-season. Plus there are a couple GMs that haven't left multiple times like other ones and are active on Slack. They'd clearly be the targets over GMs who have quit multiple times.

[Moscow]

1. Provide a brief recap of your time with the ABCA Leagues and any other Sim Experience that would help you as a committee member?

Started off in Global- was absolutely shit and basically ran the first team into the ground so badly- that I got fired and JScott took me on as an assistant until I actually understood WTF was going on in Global and then got another team. I want to say it was Los Angeles (alot has happened). I even ended up on the Board after awhile there. Other than that, I've been doing sims pretty much constantly since then (Global was actually one of my first sims, if not THE first, come to think of it). Thanks to Global (thanks again Cro and Boog!) I was in a really long-running (and well-run, for that matter) JSB league- and the nice part about that league was that there were a lot of techies in that league that did a lot of things software and website wise that helped the game-HTML interface. Then that folded and I sat out of sims for a year until Ducky texted me out of nowhere asking if I wanted to go do the newest iteration of UOSL- and then shortly after that I came back here after John messaged me.

tl;dr I've been doing this awhile with all the different sim engines and was in Global for awhile.


2. What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses you would bring to the committee? Saying you have no weaknesses is not an acceptable answer.

Strengths: I've been around these sims for awhile and I've had experience on a past ABCA committee- but I'm also fresh enough to this edition of ABCA that I'm still a fresh face, I think.
Plus, I have odd hours that would allow me to be on at times when others aren't on, so I can look back on any issues or discussions that come up with a possible different perspective than one who was right in the middle of it (calmer head theory). Another thing- I catch the minute details of things all the time (and it's become really noticeable with my job, since I'm a night auditor and catching the little details is literally part of the job description)- for example- I caught the issue with the fake coaches last offseason and brought it to the league's attention.
Also, I do like giving advice to people when they ask. Myself- I ask for advice all the time- I fell no one should be above asking someone else what they think about something. If you don't want to ask for advice- great! Power to you. I've just never been that kind of person. And I'm always willing to give advice on something- even if it ends up to my detriment.
Finally- I don't take myself too seriously. That's my life motto in general. Yeah, this whole response may look like someone that cares too much or is trying to hard- but honestly- I REALLY don't take myself too seriously. People that end up taking positions of importance that take themselves too seriously end up as pricks. That's not me.

Weaknesses: I have odd hours that make it so I'm never on at the same time anyone else is (doesn't mean I CAN'T be on during the normal hours- it just means there is a good chance that I'm sleeping. It's the hotel business, though, so my hours can change easily). It's a double-edged sword. I'm able to get by with interruptions in sleep- no problem. Also- I tend to be very wordy and can write a lot more than really is necessary. Case in point- this entire "application".


3. If you could, what is the one thing you would change about the league? And as a follow-up, if you are elected to the committee, what is the first change you would put to a committee vote?

We definitely need to figure out our activity situation- our Slack game is fantastic- but message board activity is obviously down. I have to agree with some of the other people that have spoken about contracting to 30- it MAY be the best option in today's sim world- as it seems no one has been very successful with their recruiting efforts. Going back to 30 may be a decent idea for activity at this point. I also think the camps need a bit of tweaking- some of those camps don't seem to be as necessary anymore- and that's probably because, through many seasons of sims and experimentation- we've found better ways to improve our players in terms of specific areas- and some of those camps are thus outdated. And some of them are cheaper than they should be (looking at you 3 pt camp), or more expensive than they should be.

What I would put forward, well, I would probably propose a contraction measure like mentioned above, as well as put forward some tweaks to the costs and attributes of some of the camps.

Also- maybe propose adding a strike checker to help New York out so he's not doing EVERYTHING by himself? Just a thought.


4. How do you feel about the anti-tanking measures in place? Have they worked in your opinion and what would you want to change if you could?

For the most part- I've felt the anti-tanking measures have been fair- although I can see why others would want them changed. Someone up above mentioned an idea about not being able to pick in the top 3-5 in consecutive years- I like this idea- although there'd be a LOT of potential pitfalls with that route- especially if you're, say, pick 5 one year, you have a good offseason- your team is MUCH improved and you clearly are not trying to tank... and then you end up with some ridiculous lotto luck and jump up from like 14 to 1 in the lotto- threw no fault or tanking efforts of your own, and get screwed and then there'd be that argument to deal with among others. I mean, you could basically go through the previous year's top 3-5 picks and then, wherever their picks are (if they, of course, own their own pick) freeze that pick where it's at/remove it from the lottery/bump it down from 1-3 to 4-6 like we have been doing, or something like that. There's many different paths and traps that can be opened on this matter.

I will say this, again- I still think the anti-tanking measures we have in place have worked. If we go forward with the current anti-tanking measures we have- I DEFINITELY want to change how the game does tiebreakers for that 3rd/6th slot- I hate the game deciding randomly who gets what pick in that instance. Maybe the team with the worse head-to-head gets put at 6 and the other team gets to be in the lotto, and if THAT'S tied, maybe go with a SOS tiebreak? It could work.


5. There is one open committee spot…other than yourself, who do you think is most deserving of being elected to the committee?

I'd vote for New Orleans or Piraeus- both seem to be able to bring a contrarian point of view to ideas- which is something that is always needed for a committee to work well.

[Beijing]

1. Provide a brief recap of your time with the ABCA Leagues and any other Sim Experience that would help you as a committee member?

Aside from a couple brief stints in Global, I have been a part of ABCA since Season 2 of Legends. I also did over 20 seasons in AvN where Aalborg was commish. I've taken a lot of hard lessons along the way including being fired in Global but since have been able to make the moves necessary to build competitive teams from the ground up. This growth along with my outspoken nature in league debates would help make me the best committee member I could possibly be.

2. What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses you would bring to the committee? Saying you have no weaknesses is not an acceptable answer.

My biggest strengths would have to be my willingness to listen and learn from both my own mistakes and others'. I'm always willing to help a GM hash out trade thoughts they are having to help them see every angle of a potential deal. And I always listen to constructive criticism on moves I make or gameplans I set. I'd say that my willingness to listen and even just talk even on non-league topics has allowed me to get along pretty well with essentially everyone in the league. Sure, tensions may rise at some point here or there, but in the end it doesn't affect how I view the GM as a person overall.


My biggest weakness would be in maximizing the potential of my players which could indirectly affect my ability to mentor when explaining gameplans and strategy. I don't have issues accumulating talent but I always struggle on one side of the ball. Last season my offense was great but my defense was shit. In the past it's been reversed. Another side weakness would be my board activity. While I'm always checking in on slack, my presence on the boards leaves something to be desired.


3. If you could, what is the one thing you would change about the league? And as a follow-up, if you are elected to the committee, what is the first change you would put to a committee vote?

This may be an echo from my past candidacy but I still believe we need a more stringent vetting process for brand new GMs. We need to hear their thoughts on open teams whether it be what they would do or what moves a GM should do to head in a certain direction. I would use input from several GMs outside of the committee to develop this process before sending it to a committee vote. At this time, I understand that we have a mild openings crisis but once filled, this is something we really need to look at because even the mentor system doesn't guard brand new GMs from making franchise altering mistakes from time to time. Helping the GM to understand certain steps and processes within the game prior to handing them a team would go a long way to keeping them engaged early on.

4. How do you feel about the anti-tanking measures in place? Have they worked in your opinion and what would you want to change if you could?

I believe they have worked to an extent. No system will ever be perfect but as we've seen over several Ultimate drafts is that being in spots 7 or 8 can lend itself to being highly beneficial for lottery and being in spots 4-6 prelotto has not guaranteed a top 3 pick.


5. There is one open committee spot…other than yourself, who do you think is most deserving of being elected to the committee?

This is not an easy question to answer. For me it would either be New Orleans or Minnesota. New Orleans has done a hell of a job redeeming himself in the ABCA and has shown that he is out of his Legends funk. He understands the game pretty well and has the ability to help other GMs. As for Minnesota, he has learned to be successful even without the game. While that would make mentoring a bit difficult, it would not affect his other committee duties which he also understands fairly well since being a member of ABCA for so long.

[Minnesota]

hey beijy thanks for the shoutout...but you conveniently left off your weakness

[Beijing]

Dec 23, 2016 17:20:51 GMT Minnesota said:

hey beijy thanks for the shoutout...but you conveniently left off your weakness

Written in haste. Will edit

[Portland]

First I wasn't going to do this, then I was, then I deleted a post, now here it is.  Mostly putting this here in respect to the gms who mentioned my name.

1. Provide a brief recap of your time with the ABCA Leagues and any other Sim Experience that would help you as a committee member? I joined Legends as Harlem after Corey left and stayed until the end of Legends which was (I think) five or six seasons. I chose not to make the move to Ultimate until it was in season two (when John graciously heard out my concerns and invited me in) giving me eight years in the current league. Altogether I’ve been involved in ABCA about 14 seasons. Before ABCA I was involved in a couple of Draft Day Sports Pro Basketball leagues as gm, commission, and simmer at various times. I think my long ABCA involvement helps me since I’ve seen the league run by very good commissioners, and having done that job myself I have an appreciation for how hard it is to do it right. Makes it easy to support the current commish.



2. What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses you would bring to the committee? Saying you have no weaknesses is not an acceptable answer. I feel my biggest strength is the same thing as my biggest weakness: I like consistency, tradition, and stability and to me that‘s the central ‘glue’ to any league and the ABCA in particular. Changing this up a lot or constantly tinkering with the rules makes me uneasy. Doing that on the spur of the moment makes me a little nuts, to be truthful. Example: I didn’t like how Legends seemingly evaporated overnight and it kept me from signing on with Ultimate from day one. So my strength would be helping making sure the league doesn’t leap into a harmful change, to be the voice for taking one last good hard look at what we’re doing. We already have a great league at its core and I’d want to always sustain that. The downside or weakness to this: some change is necessary and very healthy for the league. Not being receptive to that concept, bucking changes or endlessly dragging out the implementation of a good idea etc. would be a bad trait for a committee member. But on balance I think my strengths outweigh my flaws.



3. If you could, what is the one thing you would change about the league? And as a follow-up, if you are elected to the committee, what is the first change you would put to a committee vote? I’ve gone on record with this before; I want five FA sims over five days. I realize this puts a bit more work on the commissioner, and gm’s who weren’t planning to be active on the market might get frustrated as it moves along. But free agency should be more fun and dramatic than it is, when boom most of the top talent is snapped up in FA1. It should be a more exciting part of our annual calendar, like the draft is. So I would have a proposal for this change to submit to the committee at some point. I wouldn’t do it immediately, or pursue any other personal agenda immediately. The only thing I’d focus on in the short term if chosen would be to listen to ideas from the rank and file gms. Maybe one of their ideas would be the first one I’d put forward.



4. How do you feel about the anti-tanking measures in place? Have they worked in your opinion and what would you want to change if you could? Love the anti-tanking rules, think it’s worked, and wouldn’t change them. This past season one gm went on a winning surge over the last few sims and pulled themselves out of the bottom three. Pretty much exactly what we hoped for when the rules went in.



5. There is one open committee spot…other than yourself, who do you think is most deserving of being elected to the committee? I hate this question, lol. Because I think a lot of gms are deserving. The guys who’ve already self-nominated and a few more I could mention would be great committee members and if one of them gets the job I’m going to be highly satisfied with the process. In my view, the primary factor in choosing someone is… do they love the league? I may disagree with the views of some (may even think one or two gms are flaming assholes) but if they love the league they’ll always have my support. The secondary factor is how they treat other gms beyond the basic trash-talking. Respect given gets respect back (though I don’t see much problem anymore.) Brooklyn and Olympianacos not putting their names in the hat makes my answer a little easier but still very tough… but I say Beijing. Dude’s steady, respectful, loves the league, and puts obvious thought into his comments on the channels. Yeah. Beijing.