The votes are in and this is how it shook out. The committee had 4 options.
1 VC member didn't vote in time but it wouldn't change the outcome so voting is over.
Option A) Eliminate the cap entirely (5 votes)
Option B) Move the cap to $30 million
Option C) Keep the cap as is (1 vote)
Option D) Griv's idea with a $25 million cap on prospects and unlimited for the draft (2 votes)
Friday, October 7, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Up Close with Trenton GM jvford
1.) UCONN grad? What do you think of their chances vs Kentucky this weekend? I think it depends on Oriakhi. If he plays well and stays out of foul trouble, the Huskies are hard to beat. 
2.) Baseball being your favorite sport, who's your team and favorite current and all-time player? Boston Red Sox. My favorite current player is Kevin Youkilis: hard worker, intense, and he stood up to Manny. Growing up, I was a fan of Dwight Evans from the beginning. Loved the outfield arm and he was an OPS machine before I knew what that was.
3.) Lots of success in Hoops Dynasty with a 329-110 record. Give it up for any reason? Any tips for noobs?
I kind of felt like the game was all about the recuiting period, with very little to do afterwards. Towards the end of my time there, I was adding more teams in HBD and I just started losing interest in HD. There's just no comparison between the depth of HBD and HD. Tips for noobs? Seems like so long ago that I was playing HD. From what I remember, plan ahead: when you're recruiting, look to be replacing your juniors, not your seniors.
4.) Whats your best sports moment? Best in-person sports moment? Best sports moment would be the 2004 ALCS. I was away at a convention and I remember a couple of Yankee fans shooting their mouths off in the bar every night during the comeback. For a Red Sox fan, it couldn't get any more exciting.
Best in person moment was May 19th, 2008. My father had been asking me for a week to go to this game with him and a couple of guys from his work. It was a Monday night game and a 3+ hour drive, but I decided to go last minute because I honestly couldn't remember ever going to a game with my father. Anyway, Jon Lester threw a no-hitter and the place was electric. My father still talks about that game.
5.) What sort of changes, if any, can we expect with the Trenton Crossing this season?
There could be a lot. Thatcher is another year older and most of my RP are FA. I haven't decided whether or not to start tearing it down...a lot depends on what's available in FA. Of course, I owe it to an aging Doster to make another run.
6.) What do you think is more important for an HBD team? A sure fire Ace? Strong pitching staff? Well rounded lineup? Speed, defense, coaching?
Defense, defense, defense. My teams will always be among the top defensive teams in any world I'm in. I've gotten away with mediocre pitchers in my rotation (check out Dave Malloy's 3 seasons) and made good pitchers great (Doster).
7.) If you could have one real life player in MLB transferred to your new team, who would that be and why, age irrelevant?
Felix Hernandez....dominant and throws a lot of innings. I could see him anchoring a rotation for 10-12 years in HBD.
8.) If you could sit at a poker table or play a round of golf with 3 other people who would they be and why?
Marc Cuban, Tony Kornheiser, Bill Simmons...3 guys that could cover all aspects of sports....there would never be a lull in the conversation. I read a lot of Cuban's blog posts (great head for business) and I listen to a lot of TK and BS podcasts. I think it would be a heck of an entertaining round of golf.
9.) What part of the country do you reside in and what do you like to do in your spare time when you're not running your HBD teams?I live in CT. I spend most of my spare time with my wife and 3 kids.
10.) If there was one thing you could add/change about HBD, what would that be? I would change the draft. It's my least favorite part of the game. At the very least, the should come up with a way of allowing us to import rankings via excel. I hate sitting at my desk at work and re-ranking 75-100 players manually....it just takes forever.
2.) Baseball being your favorite sport, who's your team and favorite current and all-time player? Boston Red Sox. My favorite current player is Kevin Youkilis: hard worker, intense, and he stood up to Manny. Growing up, I was a fan of Dwight Evans from the beginning. Loved the outfield arm and he was an OPS machine before I knew what that was.
3.) Lots of success in Hoops Dynasty with a 329-110 record. Give it up for any reason? Any tips for noobs?
I kind of felt like the game was all about the recuiting period, with very little to do afterwards. Towards the end of my time there, I was adding more teams in HBD and I just started losing interest in HD. There's just no comparison between the depth of HBD and HD. Tips for noobs? Seems like so long ago that I was playing HD. From what I remember, plan ahead: when you're recruiting, look to be replacing your juniors, not your seniors.
4.) Whats your best sports moment? Best in-person sports moment? Best sports moment would be the 2004 ALCS. I was away at a convention and I remember a couple of Yankee fans shooting their mouths off in the bar every night during the comeback. For a Red Sox fan, it couldn't get any more exciting.
Best in person moment was May 19th, 2008. My father had been asking me for a week to go to this game with him and a couple of guys from his work. It was a Monday night game and a 3+ hour drive, but I decided to go last minute because I honestly couldn't remember ever going to a game with my father. Anyway, Jon Lester threw a no-hitter and the place was electric. My father still talks about that game.
5.) What sort of changes, if any, can we expect with the Trenton Crossing this season?
There could be a lot. Thatcher is another year older and most of my RP are FA. I haven't decided whether or not to start tearing it down...a lot depends on what's available in FA. Of course, I owe it to an aging Doster to make another run.
6.) What do you think is more important for an HBD team? A sure fire Ace? Strong pitching staff? Well rounded lineup? Speed, defense, coaching?
Defense, defense, defense. My teams will always be among the top defensive teams in any world I'm in. I've gotten away with mediocre pitchers in my rotation (check out Dave Malloy's 3 seasons) and made good pitchers great (Doster).
7.) If you could have one real life player in MLB transferred to your new team, who would that be and why, age irrelevant?
Felix Hernandez....dominant and throws a lot of innings. I could see him anchoring a rotation for 10-12 years in HBD.
8.) If you could sit at a poker table or play a round of golf with 3 other people who would they be and why?
Marc Cuban, Tony Kornheiser, Bill Simmons...3 guys that could cover all aspects of sports....there would never be a lull in the conversation. I read a lot of Cuban's blog posts (great head for business) and I listen to a lot of TK and BS podcasts. I think it would be a heck of an entertaining round of golf.
9.) What part of the country do you reside in and what do you like to do in your spare time when you're not running your HBD teams?I live in CT. I spend most of my spare time with my wife and 3 kids.
10.) If there was one thing you could add/change about HBD, what would that be? I would change the draft. It's my least favorite part of the game. At the very least, the should come up with a way of allowing us to import rankings via excel. I hate sitting at my desk at work and re-ranking 75-100 players manually....it just takes forever.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Season 1 Draft Recap
A recap of the Season 1 Rule 4 (Amateur) Draft, held recently. Grades are based on the player and where he was picked only (I can't speculate as to who else was/wasn't available on anyone's draftboard).
1. MINNESOTA MILLERS
Pick: Brian Fornatero, CF
Analysis: With the #1 overall pick you hope to get a future superstar, and Fornatero sure looks like one. Scouts had him pretty much unanimously as the best prospect in this draft- a 5 tool player. He'll start in A ball, but his coach at Memphis said he could start in CF for some major league teams now and he's probably right. Grade: A
2. WASHINGTON D.C. FILIBUSTERS
Pick: Christopher Grabow, 3B
Analysis: Minnesota and D.C. went two for two. If not for his somewhat questionable glove, Grabow would be mentioned as being every bit as good as Fornatero. Like Fornatero, he can not only hit but has good speed and knows the strike zone. Grade: A
3. PAWTUCKET INDIANS
Pick: Joaquin Ramirez, 2B/CF
Analysis: Apparently in this draft, great hitters who can run and field well just grow on trees. Pawtucket fans who saw Fornatero and Grabow go off the board won't be disappointed with the consolation prize here. Grade: A
4. CHICAGO OLD STYLE
Pick: Al Boyd, SP
Analysis: Finally, a pitcher comes off the board, and probably the best one available. His coach at Evansville said his arm was great, but also that he always wanted to finish games. He's a hard thrower who should strike out a lot of guys but may give up some homers, especially in the windy confines of Chicago. He may lead all pitchers in pinch-running attempts as well.
Grade: A
5. BUFFALO GHOSTBUSTERS
Pick: Tony Stanley, SS
Analysis: He's still unsigned and wasn't on my draft board, so I can't comment on him.
6. HOUSTON HALFWITS
Pick: Harry Lugo, SP
Analysis: And here we have the first gamble of the draft. Hpuston passes on several good position players to take a pitcher whose stamina and control have been questioned by scouts but probably has a better pure arm than any pitcher in the draft, including Boyd. If they can get enough innings out of him, this is a great pick. If he doesn't pan out as a starter, less so. Grade: INC
7. SAN JOSE KUSH
Pick: Giovanni Vernon, SP
Analysis: Vernon should be a solid pitcher starter for San Jose. His sinker isn't a hard sinker, but he induces ground balls with it. He may not ever win a Cy Young Award, but he should be a mainstay in San Jose's (or somebody's) rotation for years to come. Grade: A-
8. SYRACUSE SYNDICATE
Pick: Saul Nunez, SS
Analysis: Didn't see him and he's unsigned.
9. LITTLE ROCK RAZORBACKS
Pick: Carl Rowe, SP
Analysis: No, he's not the mastermind of George W. Bush's campaigns. He's an 18-year-old starter out of Washington State. On the plus side, he should provide innings, throws hard, and has excellent control. The only downside scouts see is he's generally a 2-pitch pitcher. But I still expect good things from him. Grade: A-
10. CHARLOTTE'S WEB OF LIES
Pick: Kyle McCorley, LF
Analysis: An interesting prospect if ever there was one. Kyle's got a world of speed and excellent power, but can't necessarily be counted on to play 162 games. When he's out there, watch out! Grade: A-
11. TRENTON CROSSING
Pick: Steve Hammonds, RF
Analysis: You don't always find a middle of the order hitter at #11, but Trenton sure did. The only question is his glove- one of his Winthrop teammates said, "We told Stevie not to try out for wide receiver on the football team". But he's a very good all around hitter. Grade: A-
12. OKLAHOMA CITY PIG ROPERS
Pick: Corey Wilkins, LF
Analysis: Wilkins is every bit as good a hitter as Hammonds, maybe slightly better. He's never be any more than a LF/1B type, but he'll be in the #3 or #4 hole in the lineup someday.
Grade: A
13. ARIZONA DESERT DOGS
Pick: Danny Wyatt, SS/CF
Analysis: He'd be one of the better bats in the league as SS, but can he field the position? Or is he a CF? Either way, he's got a lot of ability both offensively and defensively. Grade: A-
14. IOWA CITY FOXHOUNDS
Pick: Brad Willis, 2B
Analysis: He's a good solid hitter who is lightning fast. Defensively he's solid if not spectacular. A solid pick for the slot. Still unsigned. Grade: B
15. TAMPA BAY STORM
Pick: Lou McDonald, LF
Analysis: A good all-around hitter who also is very fast (notice a theme here with that?). Doesn't do any one thing exceptionally well (except run) but does everything well offensively. Grade: A-
16. NEW YORK YANKEES
Pick: Bernie Ordonez, RP
Analysis: The first reliever goes off the board. While he should be a ML closer, I'm not sure he's an elite closer. He's tough on righties, but lefties have a chance against him and he doesn't have a very good second pitch. Grade: C+
17. SAN JUAN QUENOS
Pick: Matty Lansing, SP
Analysis: Like some of the other pitchers in the 1st round, he comes with some question marks. Like Lugo, he tended to run out of gas early in his college career and his pitches aren't exceptional. If he can overcome those things, he'll be a fine starter. Grade: B
18. LOS ANGELES FRESH
Pick: Troy Brumfield, SP
Analysis: Your stereotypical "soft-tossing lefty" out of Rhode Island is a project- he's several seasons away. Some scouts question whether he'll be able to get righties out consistently, but his sinker and slider are both tough pitches to hit and he'll take the ball early and often. Grade: B
19. ST. LOUIS YARDBIRDS
Pick: Marcus Witt: SP
Analysis: The third straight starter picked seems to be a dropoff from the first two. He's an example of a hard thrower with good control, but scouts don't think his stuff translates to the ML level as well as people might think or as well as St. Louis fans hope. Should be a bottom of the rotation type guy. Grade: C-
20. MONTGOMERY BOLL WEEVILS
Pick: Rolando Brogna, IF
Analysis: OK, back to position players who can hit a lot. Another very good all-around hitter, this one comes with a cannon for an arm. Montgomery needs to find a position for him (it may or may not be SS), but he's no slouch defensively. Grade: A-
21. SEATTLE PILOTS
Pick: Carlos Familia, 2B
Analysis: He may struggle against righties at times and he's got some durability questions, but other than that he's yet another position prospect with a good bat. Solid pick. Grade: B+
22. BUFFALO GHOSTBUSTERS
Pick: Clarence Morehead, RP
Analysis: Very similar to Bernie Ordonez, except maybe with better pitches and not quite as tough on righties. Result should be similar: solid reliever, not a dominant closer. Grade: C
23. ROCHESTER RED WINGS
Pick: Dennys Olsen, RP
Analysis: Hard throwing righty who is probably better than the first two closers to go in this round. Not sure if his pitches are quite good enough, but he's got the stuff to be dominant. Grade: B+
24. TRENTON CROSSING
Pick: Walt Kydd, SS
Analysis: Not bad at all for the team's second pick in the round. Kydd can field a decent shortstop and provides a bat at the position as well as speed. Only reason this isn't an A+ is that he probably won't ever play near 162 games. Grade: A-
25. BOISE RIFLEMEN
Pick: Bart Stearns, CF
Analysis: Good fielder with exceptional speed. Whether he can hit enough to stay in a big league lineup remains to be seen- scouts are divided on this. Grade: B-
26. SAN FRANCISCO NINJA BAY SOX
Pick: Fritz Gutierrez, CF
Analysis: Only difference between him and some of the higher picked prospects is that this lefty struggles with left handed pitching. Grade: B
27. CHICAGO OLD STYLE
Pick: Hughie Hegan, LF
Analysis: Another very good hitting prospect, Chicago mines him late in the first round. Good work by their scouting staff here- he's a middle of the order type guy. Grade: A
28. SALT LAKE CITY OIL SLICKS
Pick: Matt Lockhart, RF
Analysis: Like Gutierrez, may struggle against lefties, but that's the only knock on him offensively. In just about every other respect, he's just as good as the guys in the middle of the round. Grade: B+
29. BOSTON RED SOX
Pick: Roy Mercedes, SP
Analysis: Aptly named, because he may be in the shop often like an expensive luxury car. But the biggest knock on him is that lefties hit him hard in Juco. Grade: C-
30. FARGO SODBUSTERS
Pick: Earl Jamison, 2B
Analysis: Perhaps a bit overrated by some scouts, he's a solid if unspectular prospect.
Grade: B
31. OAKLAND A'S
Pick: Mo Lewis, INF
Analysis: Not a great hitter, he probably wins a gold glove at any position but short. A poor man's Danny Wyatt. Grade: B
32. SAN FRANCISCO NINJA BAY SOX
Pick: Michael Medders, INF
Analysis: Unlike some of the other "SS" prospects, his bat is good enough to cut it at other positions such as 3B or 2B. May be slightly better than their first pick. Grade: B+
1. MINNESOTA MILLERS
Pick: Brian Fornatero, CF
Analysis: With the #1 overall pick you hope to get a future superstar, and Fornatero sure looks like one. Scouts had him pretty much unanimously as the best prospect in this draft- a 5 tool player. He'll start in A ball, but his coach at Memphis said he could start in CF for some major league teams now and he's probably right. Grade: A
2. WASHINGTON D.C. FILIBUSTERS
Pick: Christopher Grabow, 3B
Analysis: Minnesota and D.C. went two for two. If not for his somewhat questionable glove, Grabow would be mentioned as being every bit as good as Fornatero. Like Fornatero, he can not only hit but has good speed and knows the strike zone. Grade: A
3. PAWTUCKET INDIANS
Pick: Joaquin Ramirez, 2B/CF
Analysis: Apparently in this draft, great hitters who can run and field well just grow on trees. Pawtucket fans who saw Fornatero and Grabow go off the board won't be disappointed with the consolation prize here. Grade: A
4. CHICAGO OLD STYLE
Pick: Al Boyd, SP
Analysis: Finally, a pitcher comes off the board, and probably the best one available. His coach at Evansville said his arm was great, but also that he always wanted to finish games. He's a hard thrower who should strike out a lot of guys but may give up some homers, especially in the windy confines of Chicago. He may lead all pitchers in pinch-running attempts as well.
Grade: A
5. BUFFALO GHOSTBUSTERS
Pick: Tony Stanley, SS
Analysis: He's still unsigned and wasn't on my draft board, so I can't comment on him.
6. HOUSTON HALFWITS
Pick: Harry Lugo, SP
Analysis: And here we have the first gamble of the draft. Hpuston passes on several good position players to take a pitcher whose stamina and control have been questioned by scouts but probably has a better pure arm than any pitcher in the draft, including Boyd. If they can get enough innings out of him, this is a great pick. If he doesn't pan out as a starter, less so. Grade: INC
7. SAN JOSE KUSH
Pick: Giovanni Vernon, SP
Analysis: Vernon should be a solid pitcher starter for San Jose. His sinker isn't a hard sinker, but he induces ground balls with it. He may not ever win a Cy Young Award, but he should be a mainstay in San Jose's (or somebody's) rotation for years to come. Grade: A-
8. SYRACUSE SYNDICATE
Pick: Saul Nunez, SS
Analysis: Didn't see him and he's unsigned.
9. LITTLE ROCK RAZORBACKS
Pick: Carl Rowe, SP
Analysis: No, he's not the mastermind of George W. Bush's campaigns. He's an 18-year-old starter out of Washington State. On the plus side, he should provide innings, throws hard, and has excellent control. The only downside scouts see is he's generally a 2-pitch pitcher. But I still expect good things from him. Grade: A-
10. CHARLOTTE'S WEB OF LIES
Pick: Kyle McCorley, LF
Analysis: An interesting prospect if ever there was one. Kyle's got a world of speed and excellent power, but can't necessarily be counted on to play 162 games. When he's out there, watch out! Grade: A-
11. TRENTON CROSSING
Pick: Steve Hammonds, RF
Analysis: You don't always find a middle of the order hitter at #11, but Trenton sure did. The only question is his glove- one of his Winthrop teammates said, "We told Stevie not to try out for wide receiver on the football team". But he's a very good all around hitter. Grade: A-
12. OKLAHOMA CITY PIG ROPERS
Pick: Corey Wilkins, LF
Analysis: Wilkins is every bit as good a hitter as Hammonds, maybe slightly better. He's never be any more than a LF/1B type, but he'll be in the #3 or #4 hole in the lineup someday.
Grade: A
13. ARIZONA DESERT DOGS
Pick: Danny Wyatt, SS/CF
Analysis: He'd be one of the better bats in the league as SS, but can he field the position? Or is he a CF? Either way, he's got a lot of ability both offensively and defensively. Grade: A-
14. IOWA CITY FOXHOUNDS
Pick: Brad Willis, 2B
Analysis: He's a good solid hitter who is lightning fast. Defensively he's solid if not spectacular. A solid pick for the slot. Still unsigned. Grade: B
15. TAMPA BAY STORM
Pick: Lou McDonald, LF
Analysis: A good all-around hitter who also is very fast (notice a theme here with that?). Doesn't do any one thing exceptionally well (except run) but does everything well offensively. Grade: A-
16. NEW YORK YANKEES
Pick: Bernie Ordonez, RP
Analysis: The first reliever goes off the board. While he should be a ML closer, I'm not sure he's an elite closer. He's tough on righties, but lefties have a chance against him and he doesn't have a very good second pitch. Grade: C+
17. SAN JUAN QUENOS
Pick: Matty Lansing, SP
Analysis: Like some of the other pitchers in the 1st round, he comes with some question marks. Like Lugo, he tended to run out of gas early in his college career and his pitches aren't exceptional. If he can overcome those things, he'll be a fine starter. Grade: B
18. LOS ANGELES FRESH
Pick: Troy Brumfield, SP
Analysis: Your stereotypical "soft-tossing lefty" out of Rhode Island is a project- he's several seasons away. Some scouts question whether he'll be able to get righties out consistently, but his sinker and slider are both tough pitches to hit and he'll take the ball early and often. Grade: B
19. ST. LOUIS YARDBIRDS
Pick: Marcus Witt: SP
Analysis: The third straight starter picked seems to be a dropoff from the first two. He's an example of a hard thrower with good control, but scouts don't think his stuff translates to the ML level as well as people might think or as well as St. Louis fans hope. Should be a bottom of the rotation type guy. Grade: C-
20. MONTGOMERY BOLL WEEVILS
Pick: Rolando Brogna, IF
Analysis: OK, back to position players who can hit a lot. Another very good all-around hitter, this one comes with a cannon for an arm. Montgomery needs to find a position for him (it may or may not be SS), but he's no slouch defensively. Grade: A-
21. SEATTLE PILOTS
Pick: Carlos Familia, 2B
Analysis: He may struggle against righties at times and he's got some durability questions, but other than that he's yet another position prospect with a good bat. Solid pick. Grade: B+
22. BUFFALO GHOSTBUSTERS
Pick: Clarence Morehead, RP
Analysis: Very similar to Bernie Ordonez, except maybe with better pitches and not quite as tough on righties. Result should be similar: solid reliever, not a dominant closer. Grade: C
23. ROCHESTER RED WINGS
Pick: Dennys Olsen, RP
Analysis: Hard throwing righty who is probably better than the first two closers to go in this round. Not sure if his pitches are quite good enough, but he's got the stuff to be dominant. Grade: B+
24. TRENTON CROSSING
Pick: Walt Kydd, SS
Analysis: Not bad at all for the team's second pick in the round. Kydd can field a decent shortstop and provides a bat at the position as well as speed. Only reason this isn't an A+ is that he probably won't ever play near 162 games. Grade: A-
25. BOISE RIFLEMEN
Pick: Bart Stearns, CF
Analysis: Good fielder with exceptional speed. Whether he can hit enough to stay in a big league lineup remains to be seen- scouts are divided on this. Grade: B-
26. SAN FRANCISCO NINJA BAY SOX
Pick: Fritz Gutierrez, CF
Analysis: Only difference between him and some of the higher picked prospects is that this lefty struggles with left handed pitching. Grade: B
27. CHICAGO OLD STYLE
Pick: Hughie Hegan, LF
Analysis: Another very good hitting prospect, Chicago mines him late in the first round. Good work by their scouting staff here- he's a middle of the order type guy. Grade: A
28. SALT LAKE CITY OIL SLICKS
Pick: Matt Lockhart, RF
Analysis: Like Gutierrez, may struggle against lefties, but that's the only knock on him offensively. In just about every other respect, he's just as good as the guys in the middle of the round. Grade: B+
29. BOSTON RED SOX
Pick: Roy Mercedes, SP
Analysis: Aptly named, because he may be in the shop often like an expensive luxury car. But the biggest knock on him is that lefties hit him hard in Juco. Grade: C-
30. FARGO SODBUSTERS
Pick: Earl Jamison, 2B
Analysis: Perhaps a bit overrated by some scouts, he's a solid if unspectular prospect.
Grade: B
31. OAKLAND A'S
Pick: Mo Lewis, INF
Analysis: Not a great hitter, he probably wins a gold glove at any position but short. A poor man's Danny Wyatt. Grade: B
32. SAN FRANCISCO NINJA BAY SOX
Pick: Michael Medders, INF
Analysis: Unlike some of the other "SS" prospects, his bat is good enough to cut it at other positions such as 3B or 2B. May be slightly better than their first pick. Grade: B+
Monday, July 12, 2010
Opening Day for Season 1 Part II
And the other 16 teams are off and running. Opening day for the other half of the league:
National League
In Kansas City, St. Louis Yardbirds C Eugene LeBlanc hit a 3-run shot in the 8th to turn a 2-1 lead into a 5-1 margin and starter Ronnie Watson scattered 8 hits over 6 innings for the win in a 5-2 triumph over the hometown Riverboat Rounders.
In Fargo, Sodbusters Phil Bruske and Miller Forrester each drove in 2 runs to help spear an attack that jumped out to a 4-1 lead on the Chicago Old Style and hung on for a 5-4 win.
In Wichita, the Charlotte's Web of Lies outhit the Mediocre Men but Wichita's Moe Dillon hit a decisive 3-run blast in the 4th to fuel a 4-1 victory for the home team.
In Boise, a 3-run shot by Domingo Johnson in the 4th inning was all that San Francisco Ninja Bay Sox starter Malcolm Matthews would need, as he pitched a 5-hit complete game shutout as the NBS beat the Boise Riflemen 3-0.
American League
In the Bronx, Trenton starter Kent Doster went 8 shutout innings and Dweezil May and Tommy Caruso each homered as the Crossing beat the Yankees 6-0.
In Detroit, the Wolves turned a 6-1 deficit around in the 7th using a 6 run, 7 hit inning to beat the Rochester Red Wings 7-6.
In Montgomery, the home town Boll Weevils pounded out 10 hits and lost. The San Juan Quenos lit up Montgomery's pitching staff for 18 hits in a 9-4 win. Leadoff man David Vicente was the only member of the Quenos not to get a hit.
In Oakland, the home team had no hits after 4 innings but struck for 5 runs in the next 2 innings to take a 5-3 decision over the Seattle Pilots. A's starter J. J. Henley went 8 innings for the win and closer Fergie Walsh pitched a perfect 9th for the save.
National League
In Kansas City, St. Louis Yardbirds C Eugene LeBlanc hit a 3-run shot in the 8th to turn a 2-1 lead into a 5-1 margin and starter Ronnie Watson scattered 8 hits over 6 innings for the win in a 5-2 triumph over the hometown Riverboat Rounders.
In Fargo, Sodbusters Phil Bruske and Miller Forrester each drove in 2 runs to help spear an attack that jumped out to a 4-1 lead on the Chicago Old Style and hung on for a 5-4 win.
In Wichita, the Charlotte's Web of Lies outhit the Mediocre Men but Wichita's Moe Dillon hit a decisive 3-run blast in the 4th to fuel a 4-1 victory for the home team.
In Boise, a 3-run shot by Domingo Johnson in the 4th inning was all that San Francisco Ninja Bay Sox starter Malcolm Matthews would need, as he pitched a 5-hit complete game shutout as the NBS beat the Boise Riflemen 3-0.
American League
In the Bronx, Trenton starter Kent Doster went 8 shutout innings and Dweezil May and Tommy Caruso each homered as the Crossing beat the Yankees 6-0.
In Detroit, the Wolves turned a 6-1 deficit around in the 7th using a 6 run, 7 hit inning to beat the Rochester Red Wings 7-6.
In Montgomery, the home town Boll Weevils pounded out 10 hits and lost. The San Juan Quenos lit up Montgomery's pitching staff for 18 hits in a 9-4 win. Leadoff man David Vicente was the only member of the Quenos not to get a hit.
In Oakland, the home team had no hits after 4 innings but struck for 5 runs in the next 2 innings to take a 5-3 decision over the Seattle Pilots. A's starter J. J. Henley went 8 innings for the win and closer Fergie Walsh pitched a perfect 9th for the save.
Around the League on Opening Day Part 1
It's Opening Day of a brand new league! Spring training is over and the games finally count. 32 fan bases are excited for the start of a new season. Half of them will have to wait until tonight to get their first look at their team, but half have already opened. A recap of Opening Day:
National League
In Washington, Filibusters SS Antonio Miyakazi went 1 for 5, but that one hit was a double in the 11th inning to drive in pinch runner Howard Snavely. That run gave D.C. a 2-1 win over visiting Philadelphia.
In Buffalo, pinch hitter Pablo Rojas hit a 2-run walkoff home run to give the Ghostbuster the win in Round 1 of the Upstate New York rivalry over the Syracuse Syndicate by a score of 6-4.
In Houston, Benji Siqueros and Jonathan Foster each pounded out 4 hits for the hometown Halfwits to lead Houston to a 9-1 victory over the Oklahoma City Pig Ropers. The Pig Ropers only run came on a solo shot by Andrew Mateo, traded from Houston to Oklahoma City in the offseason.
In San Jose, Fred Stock and Curt Mussina each homered for the Kush as the top 4 hitters in the lineup (Jose Lopez, Stock, Pedro Crespo, and Mussina) accounted for 9 of San Jose's 10 hits. It was enough to pace the Kush to an 8-4 victory over the Arizona Desert Dogs.
American League
In Iowa City, the Foxhounds proved they could score runs in bunches. After yielding 2 in the first inning to the visiting Boston Red Sox, the Foxhounds scored 4 in the 3rd followed by 7 each in the 7th and 8th for a 18-2 romp. C Francis Weiss drove in 6 runs with a grand slam in the 3rd and a 2-run shot in the 7th.
In Pawtucket, the hometown Indians took advantage of some mistakes by the Minnesota Millers in a crucial inning to win their home opener. In the 8th inning, with the score tied at 2, Millers reliever Robert Weiss walked 3 batters, uncorked a wild pitch, and was victimized by a passed ball, enabling the Indians to score 3 runs in the inning on only 1 hit. The Indians won the game 5-3.
In Tampa Bay, the Storm were the only home team to lose on Opening Day. They scratched out 2 runs in the 5th of Little Rock Razorbacks starter Harry Levis but Storm starter Andy Maduro (who threw a complete game in the loss) gave it right back in the 6th, yielding 3 runs. No one else could find the plate after that, and the Razorbacks took a 3-2 decision.
In Los Angeles, Fresh ace Ellie Poole held the Salt Lake City Oil Slicks to 4 hits while throwing a complete game, enabling the Fresh to win despite leaving 12 runners on base. Poole made sure the 4 they were able to score held up, as L.A. won 4-1.
National League
In Washington, Filibusters SS Antonio Miyakazi went 1 for 5, but that one hit was a double in the 11th inning to drive in pinch runner Howard Snavely. That run gave D.C. a 2-1 win over visiting Philadelphia.
In Buffalo, pinch hitter Pablo Rojas hit a 2-run walkoff home run to give the Ghostbuster the win in Round 1 of the Upstate New York rivalry over the Syracuse Syndicate by a score of 6-4.
In Houston, Benji Siqueros and Jonathan Foster each pounded out 4 hits for the hometown Halfwits to lead Houston to a 9-1 victory over the Oklahoma City Pig Ropers. The Pig Ropers only run came on a solo shot by Andrew Mateo, traded from Houston to Oklahoma City in the offseason.
In San Jose, Fred Stock and Curt Mussina each homered for the Kush as the top 4 hitters in the lineup (Jose Lopez, Stock, Pedro Crespo, and Mussina) accounted for 9 of San Jose's 10 hits. It was enough to pace the Kush to an 8-4 victory over the Arizona Desert Dogs.
American League
In Iowa City, the Foxhounds proved they could score runs in bunches. After yielding 2 in the first inning to the visiting Boston Red Sox, the Foxhounds scored 4 in the 3rd followed by 7 each in the 7th and 8th for a 18-2 romp. C Francis Weiss drove in 6 runs with a grand slam in the 3rd and a 2-run shot in the 7th.
In Pawtucket, the hometown Indians took advantage of some mistakes by the Minnesota Millers in a crucial inning to win their home opener. In the 8th inning, with the score tied at 2, Millers reliever Robert Weiss walked 3 batters, uncorked a wild pitch, and was victimized by a passed ball, enabling the Indians to score 3 runs in the inning on only 1 hit. The Indians won the game 5-3.
In Tampa Bay, the Storm were the only home team to lose on Opening Day. They scratched out 2 runs in the 5th of Little Rock Razorbacks starter Harry Levis but Storm starter Andy Maduro (who threw a complete game in the loss) gave it right back in the 6th, yielding 3 runs. No one else could find the plate after that, and the Razorbacks took a 3-2 decision.
In Los Angeles, Fresh ace Ellie Poole held the Salt Lake City Oil Slicks to 4 hits while throwing a complete game, enabling the Fresh to win despite leaving 12 runners on base. Poole made sure the 4 they were able to score held up, as L.A. won 4-1.
Friday, June 25, 2010
One on One with Iowa City GM SRTFoxHound
I got a chance to sit down with Iowa City GM SRTFoxHound to chat about how he found HBD, his best sports moment and what'd he'd change about HBD. 
1.) How long have you been playing fantasy sports and how did you find out about HBD? I used to play at a different simulation site and happened upon HBD a few years back but just didnt have the time to dedicate to playing until recently.
2.) Baseball being your favorite sport, who's your team?
Definitely the Tigers. I get to about 20 games a year and it is by far the activity I look forward to the most. I have an agreement with a guy so we sit front row on the bullpen. Its a lot of fun.
3.) Michigan grad?
Actually didn't go to Ann Arbor but the off campus in Flint for a while. Never completed college because I went into business when family finances demanded it and I haven't looked back. I did play against Jake Long in high school though.
4.) I noticed 5 of your 6 HBD teams are in Iowa. Any particular reason?
I like things to be uniform in my approach. Iowa City offers the ability to have a park that is -2 across the board and I like being able to build my teams similar in each world so I can have a similar approach. I took Detroit in the Negro League world just because its my home town and I was pretty excited to be able to have it in a premier world like that. As far as some type of exciting story, I have never been to Iowa City.
5.) Whats your best sports moment? Best in-person sports moment?
Best sports moment would be the walk off home run Magglio hit in the playoffs back in 2006. Its definitely something I will not forget unfortunately I was not there. Best in person moment with watching sports would have been back in 2007, I took my younger sister to a Tigers game and Brandon Inge hit a walk off home run. She was only about 8 so she loved the game and she knew the general rules but didnt realize that they won when he hit that so while 40,000 plus were going crazy she was asking me what happened. For my best personal moment in sports would have been my sophmore year of high school football. Our coaching staff gave a lot of value to seniority so in the last game of the season the wear and tear finally got to our backfield and the top 3 running backs went down to injury. Down 21-0 at the half I went in at tailback and racked up 200 something yards and 3 scores to bring us back for the win.
6.) who will meet the the world series this year and who will win?
My vote is Tampa Bay over the Mets.
7.) If you could have one real life player in MLB transferred to your new team, who would that be and why?
There is a lot of good talent out there but it would have to be Stephen Strasburg. He is going to be lights out for a lot of years to come and to have a pitcher like that to start a new world would be great. I am trying to base my teams out of having one strong ace coming into his prime that can go out and win 15-20 games every year for me.
8.) If you could sit at a poker table or play a round of golf with 3 other people who would they be and why?
I would have to say Warren Buffet, Ernie Harwell, Taylor Swift . I have always wanted to meet Warren Buffet and have read a lot of books about him. Ernie Harwell for a Detroit fan is a no brainer even though he recently passed and I had a lot of trouble with the third but I think Taylor Swift works for me.
9.) What do you do in your spare time when you're not running your HBD teams?
Work, Family, and Play Paintball. Married and have a 2 month old soon. I play on a paintball team so that takes a lot of time and I work quite a bit. I am an Agent for Allstate and have a couple other business that I am working on.
10.) I know you are relatively new, but if there was one thing you could add/change about HBD, what would that be?
I think the biggest change I would make would be to be able to do things live. Mainly the draft and then games. I would like to be able to do an actual draft and be able to make important calls during the games
1.) How long have you been playing fantasy sports and how did you find out about HBD? I used to play at a different simulation site and happened upon HBD a few years back but just didnt have the time to dedicate to playing until recently.
2.) Baseball being your favorite sport, who's your team?
Definitely the Tigers. I get to about 20 games a year and it is by far the activity I look forward to the most. I have an agreement with a guy so we sit front row on the bullpen. Its a lot of fun.
3.) Michigan grad?
Actually didn't go to Ann Arbor but the off campus in Flint for a while. Never completed college because I went into business when family finances demanded it and I haven't looked back. I did play against Jake Long in high school though.
4.) I noticed 5 of your 6 HBD teams are in Iowa. Any particular reason?
I like things to be uniform in my approach. Iowa City offers the ability to have a park that is -2 across the board and I like being able to build my teams similar in each world so I can have a similar approach. I took Detroit in the Negro League world just because its my home town and I was pretty excited to be able to have it in a premier world like that. As far as some type of exciting story, I have never been to Iowa City.
5.) Whats your best sports moment? Best in-person sports moment?
Best sports moment would be the walk off home run Magglio hit in the playoffs back in 2006. Its definitely something I will not forget unfortunately I was not there. Best in person moment with watching sports would have been back in 2007, I took my younger sister to a Tigers game and Brandon Inge hit a walk off home run. She was only about 8 so she loved the game and she knew the general rules but didnt realize that they won when he hit that so while 40,000 plus were going crazy she was asking me what happened. For my best personal moment in sports would have been my sophmore year of high school football. Our coaching staff gave a lot of value to seniority so in the last game of the season the wear and tear finally got to our backfield and the top 3 running backs went down to injury. Down 21-0 at the half I went in at tailback and racked up 200 something yards and 3 scores to bring us back for the win.
6.) who will meet the the world series this year and who will win?
My vote is Tampa Bay over the Mets.
7.) If you could have one real life player in MLB transferred to your new team, who would that be and why?
There is a lot of good talent out there but it would have to be Stephen Strasburg. He is going to be lights out for a lot of years to come and to have a pitcher like that to start a new world would be great. I am trying to base my teams out of having one strong ace coming into his prime that can go out and win 15-20 games every year for me.
8.) If you could sit at a poker table or play a round of golf with 3 other people who would they be and why?
I would have to say Warren Buffet, Ernie Harwell, Taylor Swift . I have always wanted to meet Warren Buffet and have read a lot of books about him. Ernie Harwell for a Detroit fan is a no brainer even though he recently passed and I had a lot of trouble with the third but I think Taylor Swift works for me.
9.) What do you do in your spare time when you're not running your HBD teams?
Work, Family, and Play Paintball. Married and have a 2 month old soon. I play on a paintball team so that takes a lot of time and I work quite a bit. I am an Agent for Allstate and have a couple other business that I am working on.
10.) I know you are relatively new, but if there was one thing you could add/change about HBD, what would that be?
I think the biggest change I would make would be to be able to do things live. Mainly the draft and then games. I would like to be able to do an actual draft and be able to make important calls during the games
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Chat Avatar
Quick note: If owners could pick make your chat avatar your actual team logo, that would be awesome. Makes trading easier
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