S2 Draft Review

Season 2 brought a new crop of young talent into The NCAA II and while it will be a few seasons before we can really tell who the winners of the draft are we'll take a look at the top 5 selections now to see who to watch for.


1). Richmond Cavaliers - Al Cruz (2B) - With the 1st selection in this year's draft the Cavaliers selected their 2B of the future.  Cruz has the defense to play the position, great speed, and a solid bat.  Will be able to hit off lefties or righties and will provide some power to a position that usually lacks.  Nice solid, safe pick to help get the orginization turned around.

2). Atlanta Yellow Jackets - Aaron Forster (SP) - The 2nd pick overall decided to go with pitching and they found a solid arm.  Forster will be able to throw a ton of innings with his stamina/durability, has great control, solid splits and two very highly rated pitches. 

3). Jackson Rebels - Nick Gilbert (CF/2B) - The third pick in the draft goes to another 2B player although he has great defense and could roam the outfield at CF.  Will be an everyday player that will be a threat on the bases with his speed.  His bat is just simply average though for a pick this high.

4). Montgomery Crimson Tide - Eddie Donovan (CF) - Hasn't signed.

5). Columbus Buckeyes - Torey Tavarez (SP) - Another inning eater of a pitcher selected in the top five picks.  Tavarez will keep the bullpen fresh as he'll go deep into games, has outstanding control and good splits along with three very good pitches.  Will be a solid pitcher for the Buckeyes when he works his way into the rotation.

S1 Playoff Picture - NL

Round 1 - NL

The #4 seed Detroit Wolverines (88-74) will face the #5 seed Baltimore Terrapins (99-63).  The Wolverines took the NL North by 1 game to make the playoffs while Baltimore finished 2nd in the NL East by 6 games and grabbed the top wildcard spot by 2 games.  The Wolverines hit .258 avgerage (T-23rd), 175 home runs (24th) and scored 740 runs (T-17th) while the Terrapins hit .261 (T-17th), 219 home runs (9th) and scored 816 runs (11th).  Detroit pitchers threw a team era of 3.98 (10th) and fielded as a team .989 (3rd).  Baltimore threw a 3.83 team era (6th) and fielded .988 (T-6th).

The #3 seed Florida Gators (93-69) will take on the #6 seed Anaheim Trojans (97-65).  The Gators won the NL South by 10 games while the Trojans took 2nd in the tough NL West by 1 game and locked up the 2nd wildcard spot by 4 games.  The Gators hit .264 as a team (13th), 214 home runs (11th) and scored 741 runs (16th) while the pitchers had a team 3.93 era (9th) and as a team fielded .990 (T-1st).  The Trojans hit .271 (T-8th), 233 home runs (6th), scored 819 runs (10th), pitched 3.66 era (4th) and fielded .985 (T-20th).

My prediction to advance to next round:
Baltimore over Detroit
Trojans over Gators

S1 Playoff Picture

Round 1 - AL
The #4 seed Oakland Golden Bears (90-72) will face off against the #5 seed Boston College Eagles (97-65).  Oakland took the AL West division title by a comfortable 8 games to earn a trip to the postseason while the Eagles finished 18 games back in the AL North but managed to grab the top wildcard spot by 7 games.  These two teams match up pretty evenly in the stats category.  Oakland batted .262 as a team (14th) while the Eages were right behind them batting .261 (18th); the Bears pitching staff threw for a 3.30 era, best in the majors while the Eagles ended with a 3.83 era (6th); fielding percentage saw both teams tied for 6th in the majors with a .988.  The big difference was the offense, where the Eagles homered 219 times (9th) and scored 1,021 runs (1st).  Oakland won their games with pitching as the offense hit 147 home runs (30th) and scored 684 runs (26th).  Playoffs seem to favor pitching and the Bears, who only allowed 164 home runs to be hit off them all year (2nd) but if the Eagles keep their bats hot they'll be tough to stop. 

The #3 seed Wichita Jayhawks (91-71) will be up against the #6 seed Cincinnati Bearcats (90-72).  This is another matchup where both teams match up pretty similar to each other as their records would indicate.  The Jayhawks earned their trip by winning the AL South by 7 games while the Bearcats finished 2nd in the AL North by 2 games but managed to grab the 2nd wildcard spot by 6 games.  The Jayhawks hit .266 as a team (12th), 187 home runs (19th) and scored 800 runs (12th). while the Bearcats hit .269 (10th), 234 home runs (5th) and scored 865 runs (6th).  The Jayhawk pitchers threw a 4.23 era (11th) and the Bearcats a 4.45 (16th).  For fielding percentage the Bearcats finished tied for 6th with a .988 and the Jayhawks finished down towards to bottom (27th) with a .983. 

My prediction to advance to the next round:
Oakland over Boston College
Cincinnati over Wichita

Draft Recap

Draft Day has come and gone, bringing in a new crop of prospects that will provide more talent into NCAA II and more bargaining chips for the trading season next year.  In the first round 12 pitchers were selected, the top 3 picks all drafting that position and 17 position players, 13 of which were listed as CF or SS.  Only two owners are still sitting at the negotiating tables trying to ink their 1st round draft picks to a deal while the rest are busy watching the development of our picks in the minors.  While most of us were excited to see the new players on draft day, after looking through it doesn't look like this draft class will be remembered for elite talent.  Here's my take on the top 5 selections and the 10 teams that stood out the most.

#1 Oscar Rolls - Rolls gets the title of #1 draft pick in S1, signing for $3.905M.  He's got the stuff a manager wants to see with a pick this high in the draft and can be a #1 SP for the Blue Demons.  Only knock on Rolls is if his health allows him to develop into those projections.  The Blue Demons better hope so as they didn't have another pick until the 4th round and as of now only have their 25th RD pick (#791) signed to a contract.

#2 Jeromy Stern - Another great SP who has all the ratings to make him a solid #1 SP.  With his durability/stamina combination he should be able to pitch deep into games.  Has the best health out of the top 3 pitchers taken which is important to me but also the lowest makeup.

#3 Cecil Traynor - The 3rd SP taken in the 1st 3 picks, he also has great numbers to make him a #1 SP.  Traynor should be able to pitch deep into games as well with his 99 stamina.  His health is a little lower than the Bears probably like but if he stays healthy he should be dominate.

Owner mr_stickball:  The Golden Bears landed their #1 guy with the third overall pick in Season 1's Amateur Draft, Cecil Traynor.  Thing is, despite having "Superstar SP" tattooed across his forehead, he, at 6'0" tall mind you, "... thinks the deal is fine, but he is still weighing the option of playing professional basketball. He needs some time." We think, with his Baseball Projections, he'll sign (eventually) and love this kid's potential. His key to success is staying healthy while getting lots of preparatory minor league innings. Cy Young SP's are "Golden" (eh hem...).

#4 Izzy Grieve - See Scranton Nittany Lions

#5 Gorkys Calderone - Has the defensive to possibly play SS, but will be in contention for gold glove at 3B.  Either way has a great, solid bat and some good speed.  Makeup and health is high which should allow him to play quite a few seasons for the Rebels as he is currently tearing up Low A ball for them with 8 HR and 30 RBI in 24 games played.

Winners on Draft Day

Scranton Nittany Lions - With the #4 pick you think you should be able to land an impact player and I think the Nittany Lions did that with the first position player selected in the draft, Izzy Grieve.  I can see him playing 2B and RF, while possibly being able to handle 3B but no matter what position they decided to play him at his bat will provide some big offensive numbers and his speed will have him flying around the bases.  Bert Mercedes and Ervin Bradley will be interested to watch, both selected in the 1st round of supplemental picks.  While their stamina is very low, all the other numbers I like in a pitcher are great.  They've got the control, splits, pitches, durability, health and makeup all there.  I'll be interested in seeing how the Lions will use these guys to get the most out of them.  Also drafted was Paul Barnes (2nd Rd, #65) who has a good enough bat to play the 2B position with his defense and speed; a good value pick up in the 2nd round.

Charlotte Tar Heels - Anytime we're talking draft recap it seems like the Tar Heels and owner hopkinsheel are mentioned and in NCAA II this is no different.  Marc Breen has the projections to be one of the better starting pitchers in this draft class and the Tar Heels manage to be fortunate enough that he drops to them at the 9th pick.  With the 63rd pick in the draft they manage to find Yunesky Castro who looks to have great offensive numbers, and while he might not see the NL as a great fit with his defense, I can see AL teams wanting to trade for his offense production at the DH spot.  Andy Wells (3rd Rd, #95) would probably be a bullpen pitcher in most worlds but with the lack of pitching in NCAA II he should make a decent #3 SP.  Ted Simpson (4th Rd, #127) will make the majors as a solid defensive back up catcher and Dennys Finley (5th Rd, #159) should be able to make the majors as a CF/2B defensive backup as well.  While the last two players aren't the offensive type, I can see all 5 of the Tar Heels' first 5 selections making the major league roster someday.

Hop's quote: ..."The Heels were very excited when Breen slipped to us at #9. I think we got pretty lucky in what prospects we saw as we actually had a solid list of 6 or 7 guys we would be OK with at #9...Breen was third on the list. He immediately becomes the top prospect of the organization and hope that he will develop into an ace pitcher every 5 days."

Trenton Scarlet Knights - Trenton only signed 6 draft picks out of their 24 selections and I'm only interested in one of them.  Some may wonder why Trenton gets the "Winner" label with only one player but when I see Jimmie Butler I love the pick.  Taken in the 1st Rd with the 12th selection, I was surprised to see Butler drop this low.  While he might only be a 1B player defensively and struggling beating his grandma, who uses a walker, in a footrace, his bat is great.  He should put up MVP type numbers even in a world with solid pitching but as NCAA II doesn't seem to have too many of those, I think he'll be able to put up world record type numbers and with high durability, health, and makeup I can see him doing it for quite awhile.

Boston College Eagles - With the lack of pitching talent in this world, I think the Eagles did well in grabbing 3 pitchers that should see some ML action.  Bruce MacFarlane (1st RD, 14th pick) has the type of stamina, control and splits you like to see for your SP's.  The individual pitches are a little low but he still should put up solid numbers for the Eagles.  Charley Dodson will be a nice pitcher out of the bullpen.  Great control and good splits to help in the later innings of games.  Ken Shermann (3rd RD, 100th pick) is not the greatest pitcher, but to get him with the 100th pick he's got decent enough numbers to make the ML bullpen as a setup pitcher. 

Arizona State Sun Devils - Another team that signed less than half of their picks (10) I really like what the Sun Devils did in this draft.  While none of the draft picks are elite type players, I think they got some nice players that will add depth to their team.  Omar Campos (1st RD, 15th) should be a nice back end SP for the Devils; Kevin Sullivan (3rd RD, 101) defensive SS; Art Friend (5th RD, 165) same type of player as Ken Shermnn for the Eagles; Lloyd Park (6th RD, 197) nice bat for this late; and Denny Pierce (7th RD, 227) defensive SS projections but might need a DITR to get there.  Regardless of Pierce's development I was still seeing guys in the 5th and 6th round that I could see on a major league ball club for the Devils draft.  Great signings in those late rounds.

Seattle Huskies - Bernard Burks (1st RD, 16th) looks like he should be able to handle the SS position defensively and will have a great bat for that position; if not he'll be a gold glove 3B and still have a good bat for that position.  The Huskies also grabbed Virgil Villalona (1st RD Supplemental, 38th) who should be a good pitcher out of the bullpen for them.  Also taken in the supplemental round Jeremy Galloway will make a nice defensive SS.  An intriguing pick in the 2nd round with Izzy Reynolds.  His vR is avg while his vL is low but with his power he could still put up some big numbers, especially with the lack of talented pitchers in this world.  He'll be an interesting player to watch.

Richmond Cavaliers - Another team who didn't waste any picks.  Deion Burgess (1st RD, 17th) is a closer who can pitch the 8th and 9th and still be ready to pitch possibly the next day.  His vR is a little low but still above average and all his other numbers are great.  Dwight Osbourne (1st RD supplemental, 39th) has the defensive to play catcher and has a great bat even if the power is low.  His stamina will keep him from playing alot but he should play very nice when he is in the game.  Merkin Cook (1st RD supplemental, 50th) is another nice arm to add to the bullpen.  Just like his teammate Burgess his vR is lower but all the other numbers very nice.  Greg Jones (2nd RD, 60th) will bring the power that teammate Osbourne is lacking, although Jones will be playing the DH position; very nice bat for this late in the draft.  Bernard Nickeas (2nd RD, 71st) is another nice bullpen arm to add to the minors for the Cavaliers.  I can see all first 5 selections helping out in the majors when ready.

Atlanta Yellow Jackets - With two first round selections Atlanta had a nice draft night, getting Ricardo Cubillan (1st RD, 18th) and Eddie Williams (1st RD, 19th).  Cubillan has the defense to play either 2B or CF for the Yellow Jackets and will have an adequate bat while Williams has the numbers to be a decent SP for them, ratings that compete with a few of the pitchers taken early in the 1st round.  Hector Shannon (1st RD, 40th) will be a nice SP to help in the rotation with Williams; Eddie Gaetti (3r RD, 104th) will be a nice defensive SS; and Adam Sherman (4th RD, 136th) could see some action in the majors as a 2B player.

Since there are winners on draft day, that also means that some teams strike out on draft day:

Cincinnati Bearcats - As of this write-up Solly Grahe (1st RD, 7th) hasn't signed yet and Willie Brito (1st RD, 28th) just tore his ACL and is out 357 days for the Bearcats.

Salem Beavers - Not a single draft pick signed yet although 1st pick was the 30th overall.

Owners of the NL South



Little Rock Razorbacks

1). Who is Drichar138? I am 32 years old and have been married for 10 years. I have a 9 year old son. I live in O'Fallon, IL which is about 20 min from St. Louis.

2). What are your interests and hobbies? Other than watching sports I enjoy horse racing and working out.

3). What are your favorite sports teams and which one is #1? I am a St. Louis Cardinals and Rams fan, but my #1 team to follow is the St. Louis University Billikens Basketball team. I am a season ticket holder. We just might make the tourney this year so look out!!

4). Who is your favorite WIS player? Probably Yorman Costilla on my Helena Grizzlies team in NCAA I world. I grew up near St. Louis and loved the St. Louis Cardinals of the 1980's and as a result always enjoyed players that could steal bases. Yorman is the most complete lead off hitter I have ever had in HBD. I often get mad when he isn't play up to my perception of his ability, as I have very high expectations for him.
5). If you were a player what sport would you play, at what position, and what rating? Probably basketball, I played PG in high school and have always loved the flow of the game. My ratings would not be that good. I was a good ballhandler and had speed, but couldn't shoot a lick.

6). Best piece of advice for HBD? Don't make any trades in your first 3 seasons of HBD. It just takes too long to gain an understanding of all the nuances to consider when making trades. Contracts, age, makeup, health, position scarcity within the world, etc, etc, etc.

7). The most over-rated and under-rated ratings? The most overrated rating is probably splits. So many people are attached to a pitcher or hitter with 70/70 splits without taking into consideration the other key ratings. The most underrated rating to me is range. I see so many people trying to get away with 2B and 3B with range levels below the recommendation, including myself at times. I would lump glove for a SS into that as well. I can't stand seeing a team playing with a SS with a glove below 80. That would never happen in real life, the fans would storm the field.

8). Favorite and least favorite part of the game? Favorite parts of the game are the mornings I wake up to a draft or world roll over. Those are awesome!! I dislike Spring Training with a passion.

9). Who are the owners you respect and/or enjoy the most? Obviously I have a lot of respect for hop for bringing me into his worlds, I probably would not have stuck with HBD if that would not have happened. Other than that, I also have a lot of respect for cmthieme. I met him playing HD and he turned me onto HBD. It seems like he has good teams in every world/game he plays. Not sure how he does it. Finally, I have to mention Hurricane384. He is the most active trader in any world he is in and its always fun to haggle out a deal with him. I think we see and value players the same way, which make it easier to get deals done .

10). The thing that may surprise us about you? I played little league baseball with John Rheinecker who pitched for the Texas Rangers in 06 and 07. When John and I were in little league we were the two best players on the team and took turns playing 1B and SS in games. As I got older, I started getting into basketball more and kind of walked away from baseball. Looking back and seeing the success John had, I sometimes hit myself for doing so. I wasn't going to be an MLB player, but I may have been good enough to play baseball in college. But, I fell in love with Basketball and couldn't help it. The kicker is that I was never really good at basketball, just enjoyed playing it more.

Jackson Rebels
1). Who is coachsimon?
Ellis, from New Orleans. Screen name coachsimon is in honor of my son, Simon.
Simon has down syndrome and is the biggest sports fan.

2). What are your interests and hobbies?
Most teams sports, football and baseball particularly, and horse racing.

3). What are your favorite sports teams and which one is #1?
LSU and New Orleans Saints, please don't make me choose.
Been a Yankee fan from childhood

4). Who is your favorite WIS player?
Hum, haven't choosen one as of yet

5). If you were a player what sport would you play, at what position, and what rating?
Likely football. Was a HS QB, but those days are gone. As a kid I wanted to be a Major Leaguer because they play everyday.

6). Best piece of advice for HBD?
Don't move to fast. Plan ahead.

7). The most over-rated and under-rated ratings?
I think it depends on the position of the player.

8). Favorite and least favorite part of the game?
Regular season games. Least favorite is waiting for rollover.

9). Who are the owners you respect and/or enjoy the most?
Pretty new to the game but since waiting for rollover is my least favorite part of the game kudos to Chris for keeping things moving along. He has been helpfull since I joined HBD.

10). The thing that may surprise us about you?
Likely not much.

Florida Gators
1). Who is tk21775?  30 yr. old insurance agent and father of 4.  Will be married 10 years this fall.

2). What are your interests and hobbies? HBD, reading, gambling and coaching.

3). What are your favorite sports teams and which one is #1? Michigan Wolverines, Chicago Cubs and Bulls, North Carolina Tar Heels, and the Tampa Bay Bucs.

4). Who is your favorite WIS player? Joaquin Nunez even though he hasn't been a Wolverine much of his career, he was the one who helped me get the World Series in NCAA.

5). If you were a player what sport would you play, at what position, and what rating? Basketball, point guard.  I'd be retired due to lack of speed anymore.

6). Best piece of advice for HBD? Be careful trading, it's one of the more enjoyable aspects of the game but can really hurt a team if you're trading just to trade.

7). The most over-rated and under-rated ratings? Over-all rating is the most over-rated; under-rated is individual pitches.

8). Favorite and least favorite part of the game? Favorite is the interaction with other owners; least favorite is tankers.

9). Who are the owners you respect and/or enjoy the most? Hop would have to be at the top of the list for the worlds he runs, like to talk Bucs football with mikejuggalo.

10). The thing that may surprise us about you? Baseball is probably my least favorite sport.

Montgomery Crimson Tide
1). Who is abesmem?
A mid 50’s life-long sports fan from NY. Baseball & Hockey are my main sports (Mets & Islanders – don’t laugh). I’ve been playing fantasy baseball since the early “Rotisserie” days. I’m an old dude.

2). What are your interests and hobbies?
Food, books, movies, military history and sports

3). What are your favorite sports teams and which one is #1?
Mets and Islanders (Tied for #1)

4). Who is your favorite WIS player?
Jack Daley – a homegrown, lights out starter

5). If you were a player what sport would you play, at what position, and what rating?
I’d be a closer with 5 / 5 splits and 0 control

6). Best piece of advice for HBD?
Don’t panic, see what the successful teams do, select a strategy (they differ) and adhere to it. But, what do I know.

7). The most over-rated and under-rated ratings?
Overrated – Temper, Underrated - splits

8). Favorite and least favorite part of the game?
Favorite – Amateur draft planning, Least – Tie between Hiring Coaches and injuries

9). Who are the owners you respect and/or enjoy the most?
Seriously – all of them as I’m continuously amazed at how much more everyone seems to understand than I do. But as an aside, Hop has been a great help in keeping me grounded through the early seasons.

10). The thing that may surprise us about you?
I walked on the moon… I think.

Owners of the NL East

Baltimore Terrapins
1). Who is mcgupp?  mcgupp is a 38 yo father of 3, special ed. teacher and HS football coach.

2). What are your interests and hobbies?  Love traveling, SCUBA diving, music and of course all things sports.

3). What are your favorite sports teams and which one is #1?  NY Jets, NY Yankees, Notre Dame

4). Who is your favorite WIS player?  Miguel Lira, the Pitcher on my ML team.

5). If you were a player what sport would you play, at what position, and what rating?  Football, Defensive Tackle, solid D3 player, strong but not a great athlete.

6). Best piece of advice for HBD?   Keep track of what's coming through your system so you have a plan for the next 5 seasons.

7). The most over-rated and under-rated ratings?  Wish I knew but I think make up and batting eye are under rated.

8). Favorite and least favorite part of the game?  Favorite total control of a franchise especially drafting. Least-spring training

9). Who are the owners you respect and/or enjoy the most?  Hard to not respect and like hopkinsheel for commishing 2 awesome worlds.

10). The thing that may surprise us about you?  My second child was in such a hurry I delivered him on the living room floor with 911 on the phone.

Durham Blue Devils
1). Who is (ghutton9)? Glenn Hutton

2). What are your interests and hobbies? More than my wife would like. Softball, bowling, playing ps3, working out, and running to name the most important.

3). What are your favorite sports teams and which one is #1? Reds, Bengals, UC Bearcats with the Reds just edging out the other 2.

4). Who is your favorite WIS player? Too many to name, but my only MVP winner ever that came in Pine Tar, Rafael Cervantes stands out to me. He had a beast season, then I turned around and traded him in the off season. I don't usually get attached to players obviously.

5). If you were a player what sport would you play, at what position, and what rating? Baseball. and I would be a SP with an overall rating of 95. Beast stamina, and durability, 80's control, splits in the 90's, velocity in the 90's. My first pitch curveball is wicked (really is, I hurt a buddy last year when he wasn't expecting it), my slider is pretty good, and my fastball is decent(probably a 60 rating). My change up is in the 50's.

6). Best piece of advice for HBD? Just have fun with it. If your not having fun then what's the point. Only 1 team can win a championship each season which leaves 31 other teams left out. Too many guys take it way too serious. My favorite part of the game is rebuilding teams which to me is fun.

7). The most over-rated and under-rated ratings? Over rated is definitely overall. I have a buddy that plays that will still tell me that this guy has an overall in the 80's, why isn't he very good. Well, it's because overall really means very little. Under rated has to be glove. I'm not sure why, but it seems like some really good teams are ruined by having terrible fielders.

8). Favorite and least favorite part of the game? Favorite part is rebuilding a team and making them relevant. Least favorite is the time between the end of the world series and the start of a new season. Seems like it takes months.

9). Who are the owners you respect and/or enjoy the most? There are a lot. I really enjoy playing against almost anyone that is in the world I commish(Pine Tar). A lot of great owners that rarely argue and have always helped when asked.

10). The thing that may surprise us about you? This is funny, but I may be the most unclutch, if that's even a word, person ever. This is a recent thing that started happening when I turned 35 last year. I used to be the guy that wanted the shot to make something happen when a game was on the line, but I've lost it and am now just the opposite. I didn't realize it till someone pointed it out to me. I've never had that nervous feeling about anything until then and now it hits me in every sport I play. Stupid, but the only thing I could think of.

Charlotte Tar Heels
1). Who is hopkinsheel?

2). What are your interests and hobbies?

My biggest hobby is probably HBD at this point. Also love watching NFL, College Football, and College Basketball.

3). What are your favorite sports teams and which one is #1?

As you can probably tell from my user name and teams, I'm a big Carolina fan. My dad went there so I grew up as a Tar Heel. I'm also a Baltimore Ravens fan. Went to Hopkins and have lived 8 years in Baltimore (7 previously, but recently moved back).

4). Who is your favorite WIS player?

Tough to choose...I've had a lot of good players, but none that I'd be able to call my favorite. Ramon Pong has a great shot in NCAA. He is a 23 yr old catcher who with his patience should be a Tar Heel his whole career.

5). If you were a player what sport would you play, at what position, and what rating?

I pitched in high school and college so if I could get my name in HBD, I'd probably go with that.

6). Best piece of advice for HBD?

I have no idea, there are so many places to offer advice. This is the deepest game I've ever played. I keep finding out new things. This doesn't really apply here, but my advice to new owners would be two-fold...don't do anything until you know what you're doing and don't join 10 teams your first week. For us veterans...my only advice is to be respectful of the other owners in the world and make sure to communicate with them if they are trying to communicate with you. And take care of your minors!

7). The most over-rated and under-rated ratings?

I think this really changes for each individual owner. One of the great parts of this game is we all value players differently and value ratings differently. I'd say that people pay too much attention to projected ratings when 99% of the time the prospect won't reach them and most won't come that close.

8). Favorite and least favorite part of the game?

Favorite part is the strategy. There are so many ways to win in this game which leads me to my least favorite part. Tanking. Luckily we've put together a solid ruleset that helps with teams not being able to successfully tank. Its one of the reasons I decided to start my own world (original NCAA which has now spawned three more). Also one of my big pet peeves is when owners don't take the time to take care of their minors.

9). Who are the owners you respect and/or enjoy the most?

I can't believe that I've been literally playing this game for 4 years. I've been lucky to have found some good friends in tk21775 and hurricane384. I converse with them the most and a lot of times we don't even talk HBD. I could list another two dozen guys I really enjoy being a part of a world with and I try to get them in each of my worlds.

10). The thing that may surprise us about you?

I like to trade. I know that is extremely surprising to everyone since I've been pretty quiet here. (hopefully that made everyone chuckle).

Owners of the NL West

Los Angeles Bruins
1). Who is mamidu?  Matt

2). What are your interests and hobbies? Sports, Gaming, Technology & Beer

3). What are your favorite sports teams and which one is #1? Cincinnati Reds, Bengals, Bearcats, Celtics

4). Who is your favorite WIS player? Edgardo Lee

5). If you were a player what sport would you play, at what position, and what rating? Football, WR, I would say a rating of 50, but a speed rating of 1 since I am a slow white boy. I had good hands though!


6). Best piece of advice for HBD? Low durability kills!

7). The most over-rated and under-rated ratings? Over-Rated = flyball   Under-Rated =

8). Favorite and least favorite part of the game? Fav = Draft  Least = Spring Training

9). Who are the owners you respect and/or enjoy the most? hopkinsheel, cmthieme

10). The thing that may surprise us about you? I'm in IT and not a geek! well, not a complete geek....haha

Colorado Buffaloes
1). Who is cctigerfan?

2). What are your interests and hobbies?  I like watching most sports, especially football. I like to play basketball and softball, as well as watch my kids play their sports.

3). What are your favorite sports teams and which one is #1?  I like all the Colorado teams. The Broncos are my favorite overall.

4). Who is your favorite WIS player?  Sherm Brown is probably my favorite. He was my first good draft pick, and I won my only world series with him leading the way.

5). If you were a player what sport would you play, at what position, and what rating?
I would be a DB in football.

6). Best piece of advice for HBD?  Find a good league to play in with like minded owners. It makes it alot more fun.

7). The most over-rated and under-rated ratings?  Overated, I would say velocity, although I am playing in Coors in this league and might pay more attention to it there. Underated, I think is Batting Eye. It seems to be able to overcome low ratings in the other hitting catagories.

8). Favorite and least favorite part of the game?  I like all aspects of the game except for coach hiring. I would like to see coaching become a category like Training and Medical instead of hiring induvidual coaches.

9). Who are the owners you respect and/or enjoy the most?  My favorite league is NCAA and I like all the owners there.


10). The thing that may surprise us about you?

Arizona Wildcats

1). Who is trains?  Real name is Kevin, live in AZ. Recently married, and I work far too much.

2). What are your interests and hobbies? - other than HBD? Gym, video games.

3). What are your favorite sports teams and which one is #1? College- ASU, Baseball - Oakland, Football - SF, Basketball - Phx Suns. Baseball is easily #1, though my team generally makes me suffer.

4). Who is your favorite WIS player? - tie between CC Hutton (American Pastime) and Marvin Jenkins (Mays).

5). If you were a player what sport would you play, at what position, and what rating? - I would suck. I was never very good at baseball. I'd probably be minor league filler, retire young and get into coaching.

6). Best piece of advice for HBD? - Be patient.

7). The most over-rated and under-rated ratings - I'm not sure there's an overrated rating, I typically look for rating combinations, not one rating individually. I think there can be a deficiency in one rating that can be overcome with strong ratings elsewhere.

8). Favorite and least favorite part of the game? The draft is my favorite part, but ranking the players is possibly my least favorite (I'm going to avoid the obvious coach hiring). I often run out of time and frantically put together a list the night before.

9). Who are the owners you respect and/or enjoy the most? I enjoy those who reply quickly to trade chats, and those who post entertaining/funny observations. Especially if they are about fake players.

10). The thing that may surprise us about you? I'm pretty boring, so I'm not sure there's much surprising about me!

Anaheim Trojans
1). Who is mcbain10? A guy who cares too much about fake baseball players. Also a Boston guy who loves the Sox and has two young kids, ages 1 and 2. Irish twins as they say.

4). Who is your favorite WIS player? A lot to choose from as I have been playing a while, but probably Walker Mays tops the list. He was the #1 overall pick in season 1 of Hornsby and has been with me for his entire career, which is now sadly winding down at age 40. One of the all-time great pitchers I would think.

5). If you were a player what sport would you play, at what position, and what rating? I would play baseball, pitcher, with good control but low splits and a high fly ball rating. Lots of dingers off my Frankie Viola circle change (which would be my third pitch rated at about 22).

6). Best piece of advice for HBD? Stick with it, be patient.

7). The most over-rated and under-rated ratings? Over-rated is overall rating for sure, maybe overall defense is an over-rated part of the game too, despite the fact that I value it for some reason. I lose to playoff teams with weak SS and 2B and I wonder why I am throwing out good defenders with weaker bats. Not sure anything is under-rated, I think they all matter, but if a guy has power it seems that can mask a lot of other deficiencies.

8). Favorite and least favorite part of the game? Favorite is coach hiring! No just kidding. Getting good players that exceed my expectations is my favorite part. Least favorite consists of two things: 1) Spring Training just kills me, way too long. Torture. 2) Int'l FA when you waste $30 mil because of the scarcity of good players that come along. Of course if you get a good int'l, it can be one of the best things about the game. But it is so random that it is frustrating.

9). Who are the owners you respect and/or enjoy the most? mr_stickball gave me some props so I'll return the favor to him, I recommended him for this league and he is real solid. lots of respect for hop too for putting this together, great job.

10). The thing that may surprise us about you? I'm at work right now, getting paid to fill this out. Not a bad deal.