The Booberry Plan

[CowboyinAmerica 2,880]

 

Xavier Booberry: The Current Career Plan

 

It’s pretty much a guarantee that Xavier Booberry will be the worst goalie I’ve ever created. That’s not because I believe he’ll be particularly bad – in fact the opposite, I’m hoping. But the only other time I’ve been a goalie was Hans Wingate, who was recently named the seventh-best player and second-best goalie in all of VHL history, so I don’t think I’m hitting that again without an extreme stroke of luck.

 

With that in mind, I’m keeping my goals and plans a bit more practical as Booberry begins his VHL journey. For future VHLM, VHL, and yes, VHLE GMs looking at bringing Booberry aboard, here’s my initial plans for his career. These are subject to change, of course, since life and sim leagues have a tendency to shoot knucklepucks. Plus, these will be fun to take a look back at in the future and see how close I got.

 

Going for the Max: From the beginning, I never intended Lance Flowers to be a max earner. That was the reason I created a defenseman in the first place, after all – to allow for a bit more of a chill experience, maybe winning an award or two but overall just enjoying being in the league. Flowers’ career ended up being exactly that: I didn’t even try and keep up with Condor Adrienne in terms of TPE, and I was happy with my two Defensive Defensemen awards, a Rookie of the Year, and a finals appearance in my last year to ride into the sunset.

 

But when applying myself, I’ve proven in the past that I’m capable of TPE whoring with the best of them. And Xavier Booberry is planning on doing exactly that. I’ve recharged enough to try and shoot for the stars, and I believe the ability to go nine seasons in his career will give me the drive to shoot for high TPE levels, especially early, to be able to wait out that long career. Constant 12’s per week will be the goal here, along with donations in the early stages.

 

The 8+1: I really, really enjoyed @McWolf’s analysis of the new meta, in part because I had already done some of that back-of-the-napkin math myself when I knew I would be recreating. It makes a strong case both for going nine seasons as a top earner, but also in waiting a year in the VHLE before jumping to the VHL. That analysis focuses on the standard forward build and career arc – naturally, because most recreating players want to be an offensive star. If I were to create a forward, as I thought about a bit, I absolutely would be going the nine year route to try and rack up as many counting stats as possible.

 

Goalie, though, is a bit different. I know from experience that the first year or two as a goalie is going to be a wash – not only because of playing time in many instances, but also because there generally aren’t as many counting stats to be had at the position. Shutouts are near non-existent, and unless you get extremely lucky with team composition, you’re not going to be fighting for wins either. All you’re going to do with that extra first season is tanking your career save percentage, while probably not being in the Rookie of the Year fight as a result. That’s why, for goalies, I think a season in the VHLE is going to be the obvious meta moving forward. It’s what I would like to be doing, at least.

 

The VHLE Podium: The introduction of the VHLE was a major contributing factor in bringing me back to the VHL earlier than I had planned. Originally, when I retired with Flowers, I didn’t see myself coming back for 10 seasons or so in order to provide a little space and let the league evolve. But I can’t resist a challenge – and the chance to put up numbers in a brand new league, with brand new teams, is something I couldn’t readily give up.

 

That first VHLE season is going to be a bit of the Wild West, since every team will be creating their rosters from scratch and going for the championship right away. As one of the first active goalies in the league, though, I think I could give my future VHLE squad a major leg up. I absolutely plan on trying my best for that first VHLE Top Goalie award, maybe even an MVP if I could swing it, and bringing my team along to the championship if I could. If that particular team is Vasteras, who I’ve literally been trying to get back for more than five calendar years, then it would be even sweeter.

 

A Long-Term Player: Since my players tend to get drafted fairly early, I’ve found myself on my fair share of rebuilds. Some players would bulk at that – but that’s OK with me, since I find the process of trying to build something from scratch rewarding. Sometimes it doesn’t work: Karsten Olsen never reached the finals in seven seasons in Seattle, and Lance Flowers never did in six seasons in New York. Sometimes it does: Gabriel McAllister won in season four in Seattle, while Wingate won right away in season two in Calgary. But no matter what, it always guarantees a ride and a story being closely affiliated with one team like that.

 

I figure Booberry will take much the same trajectory, being drafted early as some team’s goalie of the future. Considering there’s a whole lot of active S75 goalies, but a wide gap in max earner goalies between S76-S78, that makes sense by me. My time will come. I’m not interested in trying to hop around for wins early, but instead taking the long view and helping to build a winning team and culture. I’m not necessarily going to promise that I’m looking to spend my entire career with one team, as I wanted to do in the beginning with McAllister. But generally, as long as there’s a coherent plan to win at some point that aligns with my prime, then I’ll be around.

[CowboyinAmerica 2,880]

1022 words, for the weeks ending 6/20 and 6/27

[Kisslinger 372]

9/10 straight to the point, well detailed and a super easy read. glad to see you and I are on the same team for now! I really do like how you have it all planned out because I do something super similar just in the notes on my phone lol. honestly the article is clean and I do not have any suggestions to improve on anything. 

[JardyB10 4,865]

On 6/14/2021 at 11:39 AM, CowboyinAmerica said:

 If that particular team is Vasteras, who I’ve literally been trying to get back for more than five calendar years, then it would be even sweeter.

 

Excuse me, but your player name seems to be "Xavier Booberry," I believe this is some sort of mistake?

[CowboyinAmerica 2,880]

10 hours ago, JardyB10 said:

 

Excuse me, but your player name seems to be "Xavier Booberry," I believe this is some sort of mistake?

 

I was beaten down by time

[Victor 10,922]

On 6/14/2021 at 5:39 PM, CowboyinAmerica said:

That’s not because I believe he’ll be particularly bad – in fact the opposite, I’m hoping

All I can say is good luck. It's a scary new world for goalies.

[CowboyinAmerica 2,880]

On 6/14/2021 at 11:39 AM, CowboyinAmerica said:

I absolutely plan on trying my best for that first VHLE Top Goalie award, maybe even an MVP if I could swing it, and bringing my team along to the championship if I could. If that particular team is Vasteras, who I’ve literally been trying to get back for more than five calendar years, then it would be even sweeter.

 

I'm about to be so damn obnoxious.