My second log attempt!
Disclaimer: I don't know how long this'll last, how much it'll be updated, but I'll try to do updates whenever I can. It'll be updated more on the weekends/holidays, but I'll try to get some in on weekdays too. Let's see how it goes.
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THE NEW JERSEY EAGLES - THE STORY OF EXPECTING THE UNEXPECTED
July 31, 2016
Consider this my diary. Well, not a diary, that's too girly. Anyways, you can expect this to be updated frequently. With that, let me tell you my story....
It's the 2012 baseball season, year 5 of me as the GM. The GM of something unexpected. Who would've thought an expansion team could have the success we've had. We're like the Moneyball A's, you could say. Which is surprising, considering at first we were supposed to be like the 1899 Cleveland Spiders: a team that would calmly sit in the cellar and would stand no chance against even the MLB's worst teams.
I only have myself to thank for this team's success.
Just kidding. I'm not some pompous, arrogant kid who got this job because my parents were rich. It's actually quite the opposite: I was born and lived in the suburbs in a middle-class, ordinary family. Never did I think I'd have this opportunity, not once. It was on my 20th birthday that my whole life changed.
A new park was opening up in my home state of New Jersey - South Jersey, to be exact. That's where I'm from, so you could imagine I was excited to see a new expansion team - especially here, practically in my own backyard. I held my expectations, though. I mean, what were the chances this team of nobodies and scrubs would complete against big-league players? It would take years before this team was competitive.
I had heard of there possibly being a new team, and that they were going to open up a huge stadium and were gonna try hard to bring fans in. The owner was gonna do whatever it took to attract people from the area to come and see some fresh faces, including signing 48-year old Roger Clemens. Yeah.
"Who would be the GM of that team?", you might be asking. Perhaps an experienced GM who's been around for a while, or at least a long-time assistant to the GM, you know, stuff like that. But the owner was a wealthy man who loved to be in the spotlight and take risks to get the greenbacks. He did something unseen this time, something that had never happened before, and would likely never happen again. No, it wasn't a veteran GM that would be hired, it was a young fan from New Jersey. Quite a birthday present, if you ask me.
And so I was in an MLB front office, and in total disbelief, too. How could a simple fan from a small town in New Jersey take control of a baseball team? What fans would want to see a team that has a 20-year old kid making the decisions? There was no hope for this team.
But I was gonna try to the best of my ability to learn the ins-and-outs of being a general manager and make this thing work. What else could I do, right?
Anyway, that's my story. But that was back in 2012, and 5 years later, a lot has changed. Lots of good and bad, ups and downs, but I have to say, we've definitely exceeded expectations.
And the journey to a ring continues. Join me, won't you?
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The rosters are as of 2012, and if you guys want you can be agents or have roles on the team (pitching coach, batting coach, scout, trade advisor, etc.) also. Just let me know.
Roster and more coming soon!
