19) Team Culture:
I love the culture down in Tijuana. When I play in a sim league, I like to be most active in the LR for the room I'm currently playing for, even if I've been signed to a "bigger" team. Tijuana is a great group of guys that I've felt welcome with since day one. Apparently they've got a really strong culture around defense and it shows from the way they churn people out. Towards the end of the season when Tijuana's future was looking dicey, I decided to step up and try to get people motivated to push out media so they could afford training and equipment. For a week, I donated $5 to the charity of a player's choice for each media article, and surprisingly George Fischer went and matched all of my donations. It wasn't much, about $40 for each of us, but it got more media on the site, more players interested, and more players invested in the league (and, a little selfishly, it got them buying equipment to get those TEPs out and give me a better chance at getting into the playoffs). We ended up missing the playoffs anyway, but you know? The LR has never felt more alive.
12) Pay It Forward:
I've actually got two guys. One I look up to, and one who is a peer that I respect immensely. Tom Hanks is a great dude who's been with me every step of the way since I signed with Tijuana. He helped me with my build early on and kept me motivated and grinding when I was otherwise focused on other leagues. He's on my team in the SHL and I'm trying to do the same for him now. NOLA picked me in the draft, and I think it's in no small part because of Tom's efforts (and Jay's, too). The second guy would be Corpsegrinder. He's just a good all around dude, and he and I share a lot of similarities. He doesn't like hockey, but you know what, he likes baseball and I don't like that. So I guess it's a wash. I think he's gotta be a shoo-in for captain next year because the guy's really got the shit. My fingers are crossed that he's still available when NOLA drafts this weekend so we can keep on playing together at the next level. I know that no matter where he ends up though I'll be excited for him, and he'll 100% be a net positive to his team.
18) Awards Season:
A little late for this once, since I'm posting after the awards came out, but frankly I was a little upset to have been snubbed for the DPOY or at least a best linebacker award. Not even a nomination? Sure, I didn't have the sheer number of tackles as some of the other guys out there, but without doubt I had other impressive stats. If you were to somehow weight defensive contribution, I bet I was up there. A safety, 2 interceptions, passes defended out the ass. Ugarth did it all this year, and I think he honestly suffered for it. Being a balanced linebacker, you're expected to be a Jack of all Trades, and it seems like the awards voting committee was more looking for a Jack of Tackles than anything. All jokes aside, however, I know first hand how hard it can be voting for awards. You're literally never going to make everyone happy, and you can't vote for everyone. There's some criteria you use to narrow things down, but ultimately sometimes you've just gotta give it the eye test. Too bad there's no award for striking fear into the hearts of one's enemies. Ugarth would have been a first ballot hall of famer in that category, at least.
X) SHL PT Claim:
Posted 4/12
I love the culture down in Tijuana. When I play in a sim league, I like to be most active in the LR for the room I'm currently playing for, even if I've been signed to a "bigger" team. Tijuana is a great group of guys that I've felt welcome with since day one. Apparently they've got a really strong culture around defense and it shows from the way they churn people out. Towards the end of the season when Tijuana's future was looking dicey, I decided to step up and try to get people motivated to push out media so they could afford training and equipment. For a week, I donated $5 to the charity of a player's choice for each media article, and surprisingly George Fischer went and matched all of my donations. It wasn't much, about $40 for each of us, but it got more media on the site, more players interested, and more players invested in the league (and, a little selfishly, it got them buying equipment to get those TEPs out and give me a better chance at getting into the playoffs). We ended up missing the playoffs anyway, but you know? The LR has never felt more alive.
12) Pay It Forward:
I've actually got two guys. One I look up to, and one who is a peer that I respect immensely. Tom Hanks is a great dude who's been with me every step of the way since I signed with Tijuana. He helped me with my build early on and kept me motivated and grinding when I was otherwise focused on other leagues. He's on my team in the SHL and I'm trying to do the same for him now. NOLA picked me in the draft, and I think it's in no small part because of Tom's efforts (and Jay's, too). The second guy would be Corpsegrinder. He's just a good all around dude, and he and I share a lot of similarities. He doesn't like hockey, but you know what, he likes baseball and I don't like that. So I guess it's a wash. I think he's gotta be a shoo-in for captain next year because the guy's really got the shit. My fingers are crossed that he's still available when NOLA drafts this weekend so we can keep on playing together at the next level. I know that no matter where he ends up though I'll be excited for him, and he'll 100% be a net positive to his team.
18) Awards Season:
A little late for this once, since I'm posting after the awards came out, but frankly I was a little upset to have been snubbed for the DPOY or at least a best linebacker award. Not even a nomination? Sure, I didn't have the sheer number of tackles as some of the other guys out there, but without doubt I had other impressive stats. If you were to somehow weight defensive contribution, I bet I was up there. A safety, 2 interceptions, passes defended out the ass. Ugarth did it all this year, and I think he honestly suffered for it. Being a balanced linebacker, you're expected to be a Jack of all Trades, and it seems like the awards voting committee was more looking for a Jack of Tackles than anything. All jokes aside, however, I know first hand how hard it can be voting for awards. You're literally never going to make everyone happy, and you can't vote for everyone. There's some criteria you use to narrow things down, but ultimately sometimes you've just gotta give it the eye test. Too bad there's no award for striking fear into the hearts of one's enemies. Ugarth would have been a first ballot hall of famer in that category, at least.
X) SHL PT Claim:
Posted 4/12
![[Image: SM8gLr7.png]](https://i.imgur.com/SM8gLr7.png)
