20 questions with brentnet

1. What should we call you?
My name is Brent... that was probably tough for most people to guess based on my screen name.

2. Any hobbies or favorite pastimes besides HBD?
I'm into quite a bit of things. I'm an assistant coach for our local HS basketball and cross country team. My newest hobby is amateur/indie filmmaking (see: www dot forthreemovie dot com)

3. How did you fall into HBD?
I think I read something Bill Simmons about WIS SimBaseball being like crack. It was except I got sick of getting beat by Bob Milacki in the playoffs.

4. How many teams do you run? How many hours per week do you pour into your teams?
I'm kind of the oddball hear. I've been here for 19 seasons with one and only team. Having more than one team feels like being in some strange Mormon/Big Love-esque marriage to me. I usually check my team right away in the morning and over my lunch break. I usually miss the PM2 shift. I don't know what the hourly breakdown is. Much more during coach signing/free agent signing/draft obviously.

5. Married? Children?
Yes - 1 kid (who turns 1 tomorrow!)

6. City/State you live in? Hometown where you grew up?
Perham, MN. Other than college, I've lived here since I was 12.

7. Occupation? Do you check in on your teams often during the workday?
I work IT... I do from time to time. Depends on what kind of day I'm having (aka - do we have any servers down and/or are people able to get their email)

8. Who is your all time favorite baseball player?
Kirby Puckett

9. What makes you laugh?
My team... the last three or four years before this year.

10. Top 3 all time movies?
Godfather 1 & 2
Scarface
Swingers

11. What popular song past/present do you most identify with?
Oh boy. All of my favorite kinds of music is music that probably shouldn't speak to a nearly 30-year old white guy living in Minnesota. My favorite band is still A Tribe Called Quest.

12. Real baseball team you grew up loving? Still in love with them?
Minnesota Twins - probably less this season than in past seasons, but yeah, they are my second favorite sports team (how embarrassing is it that the MN Timberwolves are my favorite team?)

13. Tell me 2 things you wish you knew about particular AU owners?
Nothing in particular. Just interested in knowing more about everyone.

14. You're fairly outspoken as an AU owner. Why?
I'm never mad. I just like to debate sometimes. I don't like to be called out when I don't like I'm wrong.

15. What is your GM philosophy?
Used to be grab sluggers that nobody wanted. I'm talking like 0-99-20-88-50 kind of guys. Use platoons to my advantage with that sort of thing. Then they changed the engine on me and I was (pardon my french) effed for about five seasons. I'm now trying to build a more balanced team. I don't mess with the IFA market. I don't do much trading anymore because nobody is seemingly willing to give up fifty cents on a dollar. My goal is to build a team of pitching and good hitters at the tough spots to find good hitting and fill in the gaps through free agency. My goal this past offseason was to fix my bullpen (which I did). Next year, I'm hoping to fix the rotation. Oh... and if I have money after the transaction deadline, I like to go grab old players that I used to have just because it's fun.

16. Any special meaning for your WIS nickname? Your AU team name?
When I made my first website, it was called brentnet.us. I've had the name for like 10 years now. Team name is pretty generic.

17. Who is/was your favorite AU owner? Why?
I don't know if I have a favorite. I know being in the same division for 19 years (which is really like 5-6 years, right), goldenboy and I have had some great battles.

18. Which MLB Commissioner do you admire or identify with most? Why?
NOT BUD SELIG! He tried to contract my beloved Twins.

19. General pet peeves about the HBD game?
Coach hiring sucks. I wish they could fix the timing issue... sometimes it takes two weeks to fill. You take a three day weekend away from a computer and come back and find out that your financials are set. I like the game, but I think the pre-season stuff is still pretty rough. Here's my biggest thing: GET AN APP! If I could get WIS on iPhone or Android, I'd be the happiest man alive.

20. If I was AU Commish for a day I would...
Make a new rule where everyone has to trade their two best prospects to me... kind of like PNA.