Wednesday, October 5, 2011

The Goldies

The Herb Washington Award

This is awarded to the player who adds as little to his team as possible beyond the ability to steal bases.

George Governale In 247 ab’s he has managed to drive in 14 runs while batting a paltry .211. However he has stolen 21 bases in 24 tries. Hon Mention, Kip Robertson The rule 5 draftee has bashed out 4 homers to go with a hot .233 avg. The best part of his game though is the 18 steals in just 20 tries.

The Glenn Wilson Award

Formerly known as the Rifle Arm award.

Roy Gordon The CF has racked up 13 assists in just 110 games, he has an outside shot at 20 this year. Hon Mention, a style="color:black;" href="http://www.whatifsports.com/hbd/Pages/Popups/PlayerProfile.aspx?pid=2118823" target="_blank">Einar Carrasquel he has played a few positions this season but still he has racked up 11 assists in just 83 games in the OF.

The Bill Buckner Award

Once again Terrence Cooper has this award locked up. 4th in assists for a 1st baseman but a whopping 7 errors and 6 negative plays. Hon Mention, Joey Weiss On the outside he looks like a pretty smooth fielder, 55 assists, but his 7 negative plays, 3 errors and 9.70 range factor are among the worst.

The Bash Brothers Award

The team with the best overall pop

Minnesota Twinkies Leading both leagues with 189 homers. 4 players have hit over 25 and are on pace for almost 40 a piece. 4 other players have reached double digits. They are on pace for almost 270 homers. Hon Mention, Dover Gryphons 139 homers is not a lot but 10 players have already reached double digits with Olmeda leading the way with 21. Every player in this lineup is a threat every time up.

The Mid 80’s Cardinals Award

The team with the best speed and no pop.

Louisville Sluggers overall they have 152 steals with two players swiping more then 38 a piece. 4 other players have reached double digits to give this team a well balanced running game. Hon Mention, New Orleans Freebeads they lead the league with 173 steals with Poole and Bradley on pace for almost 60 swipes each.

The Express Award

This gunslinging pitcher has a knack for k’s and for walks.

Steven Eveland is averaging almost 7 k’s per 9 innings and and an amazing 10 walks. Hon Mention, Peter Barker throws hard and wild to the tune of almost 7 k’s and walks per 9 innings.

The Mike Hampton Award

Better hitter then pitcher award.

Andres Cabrera Not a bad pitcher 6-7 with a 4.46 ERA, but a sweet bat has lead to a .314 avg and a solid .666 OPS Hon Mention, Hersh Bergman 7-8 with a 4.67 ERA, is 11 for 44 at the dish however and has a respectable .577 ops.

The Willie Keeler Award

The player who likes to settle for a single

Luther Stanley This young speedster is batting a blistering .311 but has only 17 extra base hits to give him a anemic .361 SLG. His .728 OPS is barely better then Andres Cabrera the Mike Hampton award winner. Hon Mention, Russell Leach Another speedy player that has a solid .292 avg, his 23 extra base hits only bump the SLG up to .357.

The Bobby Bonilla Award

The player who should probably be a DH

Alfonso Tejera His glove aint awful but he aint no CF anymore (16 errors and 8 negative plays). Luckily he is still ripping up the league with is bat .331 avg and 25 homers. The HOF is just around the corner for him but no Gold Glove. Hon Mention, Eric Murphy This all-star catcher doesn’t seem to have the legs anymore, 8 errors and a weak 22% CS percentage. Still has the stick to stay in the league.

The Rob Deer Award

Player who hits the homers and not much else.

Allen Barkley This career .270 hitter is having a way down year with the avg. A .214 avg and a .263 OBP offset his 25 homers in just over 400 at bats. Not really earning the 6 million this season. Hon Mention, Orlando Espinosa Not much better the Barkley .218 avg and a .275 OBP, is out homering barley by 1 in 20 less at bats as well.

The Dal Maxvill Award

Just look him up.

Julio Beltre brings gold glove type defense and a .210 avg with 1 HR every 130 ab’s and a no speed. Hon mention, Vin Hudson has the defensive ability of a good RF and the bat of Okay hitting pitcher. .195 avg and 1 homerun in over 350 at bats.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

700 Saves club!!

Congratulations to the Boise Browncoats' Felipe Cairo for saving his 700th game! Quite a remarkable feat! Surely a sure-fire-HOFer Cairo has had a tremendous career in Boise!!!!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Owner's HOF

Congratulations to brentnet for becoming the 2nd member of the Addicted Users Owners HOF! brentnet has had a very successful career here in AU in both the Major Leagues and with his Minor Leagues!

Monday, September 26, 2011

3rd Power Rankings of Season 20

1. Louisville Sluggers(62-29)--The Sluggers are led by 8 all-stars this season. None have been more important than 2-time pitcher of the week Harry Velazquez. Velazquez struggled a little bit out of the gate, but he has been unstoppable since then!
Previously Ranked: 1st(E)

2. Boston EliteDucks(66-25)--Boston has ust been crushing the ball. With 7 all-stars on this years squad, none are more important than Craig Velandia!
Previously Ranked: 2nd(E)

3. New Orleans Freebeads(59-32)--The Freebeads are still breathing down Louisville's neck. This has the makings of a great division race as we enter the second half. The Freebeads have 4 all-stars led by power hitting youngster Erubiel Pineda.
Previously Ranked: 3rd(E)

4. Cincinnati Knights(59-32)--The Knights have been the hottest team in the AL over the past week. They are led by 3 all-stars with Ronnie Patrick finally having his breakout season it looks like.
Previously Ranked: 6th(+2)

5. Florida Fire Sailfish(53-38)--Florida is quietly having an excellent season. They are led by 2 all-stars, one of them being power hitting CF David Olivo.
Previously Ranked: 5th(E)

6. Chicago Black Sox(49-42)--Chicago seems to be starting to pull away from the rest of their division as we enter the all-star break. That could change though as their season has had some ups and downs. They are led by 3 all-stars and dominant closer Reagan Murray.
Previously Ranked: 9th(+3)

7. Colorado Springs Sky Sox(49-42)--The Sky Sox are led by lone all-star Trent Crane and a very good offense.
Previously Ranked: NR

8. San Diego Blue Sox(48-43)--San Diego is making their debut in the Power Rankings this season. They have a great pitching staff. Surprisingly they only have 1 all-star, Yank Watkins.
Previously Ranked: NR

9. Buffalo Wings(51-40)--The Wings are playing some very good baseball as they take over the top spot in the NL North going into the all-star break. With 2 all-stars they are led by youngster Carlos Arias.
Previously Ranked: 10th(+1)

10. Jackson Jaywalkers(51-40)--The Jaywalkers are the hottest team in AU over the past week. They are led by 2 all-stars, one of them being starter Bob Kelly.
Previously Ranked: NR

Dropping out: New York Torrones, Baltimore Bullets, and Salem Senators

Monday, September 19, 2011

2nd Power Rankings of Season 20

1. Louisville Sluggers(49-23)--The Sluggers are top 5 in runs scored, ERA, and fielding percentage. They have another dominate team that should make the playoffs.
Previously Ranked:3rd(+1)

2. Boston EliteDucks(53-19)--The EliteDucks continue to be one of the top teams in AU. They have great players. The gap does seem to be narrowing a bit though in the NL.
Previously Ranked: 2nd(E)

3. New Orleans Freebeads(47-25)--The two-time defending AL pennant winners are playing even better baseball this year it seems. New Orleans has one of the best offenses in the league and are breathing down Louisville's neck for the divsion lead.
Previously Ranked: NR

4. Salem Senators(48-24)--The Senators are lead by, easily, the best pitching staff in the majors. They have timely hitting to help with that and will give Boston a run in the playoffs this year.
Previously Ranked: 6th(-2)

5. Florida Fire Sailfish(42-30)--The Sailfish play in a very tough division and would be in first place in about half of the other divisions. They play very good team baseball using every part(offense, pitching, and defense) to get the job done.
Previously Ranked: NR

6. Cincinnati Knights(45-27)--The Knights, whose franchise has never won the AL North, have positioned themselves to be the favorites in this division almost halfway through the season. Billpitt has turned this team into viable contenders that slug the ball with the best of them.
Previously Ranked: 4th(-2)

7. New York Torrones(39-33)--New York has been playing better ball as of late. The Torrones got off to a bad start this season, but seem to have turned it around so far. Their offense will need a little more help from their pitching to make a run at another division title.
Previously Ranked: NR

8. Baltimore Bullets(42-30)--The Bullets are lead by a very good pitching staff that needs some help offensively if they want to contend once they get into the playoffs.
Previously Ranked: NR

9. Chicago Black Sox(40-32)--The Black Sox are the current division leaders in the AL East but have fallen on tough times recently. If they can right the ship could they win this division away from torrone?
Previously Ranked: 1st(-8)

10. Buffalo Wings(40-32)--The Wings have traditionally been led by a much better pitching staff. If they can get their staff back where it should be then with their offense they could run away with the division again. First things first though, they must jump the Cleveland Penguins!
Previously Ranked: 8th(-2)

Dropping out: Anaheim Hasselhoffs, Detroit Grass Lakes, Jackson Jaywalkers, and Washington D.C. Abnormals

Thursday, September 8, 2011

3000 HIT CLUB

The AU Intervention would like to congratulate Darron Pierce, of the Louisville Sluggers, on becoming just the 2nd player in AU to get 3000 hits. What an amazing accomplishment.

We would also like to congratulate Billy Ledee, of the Washington D.C. Abnormals, on hitting his 500th HR earlier this season! That is quite a feat!

Additionally B.C. Garland, of the New York Torrones, has recorded his 300th save during the am cycle. Garland has been a model of consistency for the Torrones locking down the back end of his bullpen.

Friday, September 2, 2011

1st Power Rankings of Season 20!!!

1. Chicago Black Sox(18-8)--The upstart Black Sox have surprised everyone jumping out to a very hot start here in the early going. They have a very good offense that is supplemented by a solid pitching staff.

2. Boston EliteDucks(19-7)--Sporting the best record in AU so far, the 2-time defending champs have an excellent top 5 pitching staff and just missed out having a top 5 offense so far this season. Look for the EliteDucks to dominate again all season long.

3. Louisville Sluggers(16-10)--The Sluggers got off to a rocky start, but they have started to turn that back around. They have a top 5 offense and pitching staff and fully expect to be in the thick of the AL South division race.

4. Cincinnati Knights(17-9)--The Knights have gotten off to an excellent start as well surprising the AL North a little I think. Billpitt has his team slugging their way to some wins. If they can get their pitching staff together then the AL North will need to be worried.

5. Anaheim Hasselhoffs(17-9)--Anaheim is lead by AU's best pitching staff so far in this very young season 20. If their offense gets going and supplements that staff then this team could steal the division away.

6. Salem Senators(15-11)--Salem has started the season off well. They are again led by a very good pitching staff and defense that will need just enough from their offense to take this team to the playoffs!

7. Detroit Grass Lakes(17-9)--The Grass Lakes are also lead by a top 5 pitching staff. Their defense though has not been doing the staff any favors and the offense has been average. If Detroit wants to stay in these rankings they are going to have to pick it up in both of those categories.

8. Buffalo Wings(14-12)--The Wings haven't played spectacular baseball obviously, but they have played solid all around. This team is built to win now and if they can will be a team that can contend for the World Series.

9. Jackson Jaywalkers(15-11)--The Jaywalkers are supported by a top 10 pitching staff and defense. They need some work on offense. If their offense can get going some this team could really contend in their division all season.

10. Washington D.C. Abnormals(16-10)--Washington looks like they are trying to break out into contenders this season. Their offense is very good, but they need to get their pitching staff better if they intend to stay contenders.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Breakdown of Hall of Fame votes

Here is a list of the HOF votes. Thought it'd be interesting to see how the votes break down!

Ramiro Guevara 18
Gerald Grey 13
Damaso Julio 13
Kirt Crane 12
Ned Taylor 10
Trevor Roa 9
Norm Adams 5
Felipe Vincente 5
Billy McNamara 4
Lou Benson 4
Miguel Acevedo 2
Clayton Hairston 2
Johnnie Price 2
Jayson Long 1
Will Hughes 1
Milt Wood 1
Benito Castilla 1
Pat Long 1
Julio Fuentes 1
Leonardo Mackowiak 1
Sherman Taylor 1
Buddy Scalici 1
Rolando Granados 1

Friday, July 15, 2011

WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS!!!

Congratulations to the Boston EliteDucks for winning their second straight championship! For the second straight season they were able to defeat the New Orleans Freebeads. This time it took 7 games though as the Freebeads were able to force a game 7 after falling down 3-1. In the end though keeid12x was able to pull it out. The parade that Boston held was wild, but there were no arrests made as the city of Boston was able to handle themselves (and their liquior) well!

Saturday, June 25, 2011

5th and FINAL Power Rankings of Season 19

1. Boston EliteDucks(103-47)--With the #1 seed all locked up Boston will just stroll on into the playoffs. Will the repeat?
Previously Ranked: 2nd(+1)

2. Louisville Sluggers(103-47)--With their magic number at 1 the Sluggers hope to get it out of the way and then gear up for the playoffs!
Previously Ranked: 1st(-1)

3. Buffalo Wings(90-60)--The Wings have clinched their division. They still have something to play for though trying to get the bye over Salem.
Previously Ranked: 3rd(E)

4. New Orleans Freebeads(91-59)--The Freebeads are still mathematically in the race for the division and they don't have the wild card wrapped up yet, but it would be a huge upset if they don't end up the 5 seed.
Previously Ranked: 5th(+1)

5. Salem Senators(88-62)--The Senators will look to wrap up their division soon and then zero in on trying to get the first round bye.
Previously Ranked: 8th(+3)

6. Salt Lake City Buzz(87-63)--The Buzz are trying to fend off the Boise Browncoats for the AL West division title. At stake is a first round bye possibly and the loser COULD be on the outside looking in.
Previously Ranked: 7th(+1)

7. New York Torrones(82-68)--Mathematically New York hasn't clinched, but it's just a matter of time before they win this division for the 5th time in the last 6 seasons.
Previously Ranked: 10th(+3)

8. Boise Browncoats(85-65)--Boise has faltered here in the past week or so, but if they can get it together they should be able to make it into the playoffs.
Previously Ranked: 4th(-4)

9. Florida Fire Sailfish(82-68)--Florida has also faltered some in the last week, but they are incredibly talented and it wouldn't be a surprise to see them make a run at the wild card. Bottom line is that one very talented team in the AL isn't going to make it into the playoffs.
Previously Ranked: NR

10. Toronto Toros(80-70)--Talk about a team that is not playing well. The Toros fell from 6th on the power rankings and out of the teams considered for the rankings had the least amount of wins since the last rankings. Goldenboy69 needs a late push to avoid a nasty collapse.
Previously Ranked: 6th(-4)

Dropping out Iowa City Lets Play Two

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Slam Dunk MVP's???!!!

Craig Velandia and Rich White are both having superb seasons. Velandia has won the Player of the Week Award 4 out of the 6 weeks. That is just incredible. He also leads Addicted Users in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging, OPS, runs scored, home runs, and walks. In addition to that he's top 5 in RBI's, HBP's and hits. Thats for BOTH leagues. He is just playing out of this world and in my humble opinion is the slam dunk MVP in the National League.

Rich White is having an absolutely incredible season in his own right. In just his 3rd full season for Toronto White has been truly dominant. He leads the Majors in RBI's. He also is in the top 5 in the American League in home runs, triples, runs scored, stolen bases, slugging, and OPS. I think White has the AL MVP award wrapped up as well barring a complete diseaster in the last 15 games or so.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

20 questions with joshoakley

1. What should we call you?
Josh (I know, right?)

2. Any hobbies or favorite pastimes besides HBD?
I've always excelled at the bar room sports like darts and shuffleboard... If you can consider those hobbies. Love softball, which keeps me busy during the weekdays.

3. How did you fall into HBD?
I was deep into Hoops Dynasty with some friends and started to hear rumblings about HBD. I was quietly hoping they would take the HD model and create something around baseball. Once the site went live, I grabbed a team in Williams.

4. How many teams do you run? How many hours per week do you pour into your teams?
I have two now. The other is in Kinsella that I just picked up. I don't think I need two (for some reason it feels like I'm cheating on my team here with the Kinsella team) but my addiction is kinda outta hand right now. Maybe spend 30-45 minutes a day here.

5. Married? Children?
Married for just over a year now. Children down the road.

6. City/State you live in? Hometown where you grew up?
Born and raised in Los Angeles. Well, kinda. I grew up in the Pasadena area and now live in North Hollywood, but everyone just says L.A. anyway.

7. Occupation? Do you check in on your teams often during the workday?
I work for Fox Sports Net on the programming side. Primarily working with outside producers to bring content to all the FS regions. I check in with both teams about three times a day. Hard not to when I'm in front of a computer all day. Sometimes it's more.

8. Who is your all time favorite baseball player?
This is a tough one. I'm forever a Dodger fan and when I was growing up, it was Steve Sax. Through the years, its been different Dodgers. For a while, Gagne was the #1 reason to be at a Dodger game. Even though he's not a player, Vin has a big place in my heart. Outside of Dodgers, I loved Don Mattingly (give him time, he will be a great manager) and Ken Griffey Jr.

9. What makes you laugh?
My wife, Louis CK, farts, cat videos, old episodes of The Simpsons, SNL Digital Shorts, that Christmas Shoes song, Tosh.0, Deadspin.

10. Top 3 all time movies?
The Big Lebowski, Goodfellas, Swingers.

11. What popular song past/present do you most identify with?
Straight Outta Compton - NWA

12. Real baseball team you grew up loving? Still in love with them?
Dodgers. Was in the Blue Crew Fan Club as a kid.

13. Tell me 2 things you wish you knew about particular AU owners?
What their full names are and what their favorite credit card number is (don't forget the expiration date! :)

14. You're fairly quiet as an AU owner. Why?
I'm not really one to chime in on the boards unless I feel it's absolutely necessary or it directly involves my team.

15. What is your GM philosophy?
Batters: Batting Eye and splits. Pitchers: Control, a strong #1 & #2 pitch.

16. Any special meaning for your WIS nickname? Your AU team name?
I think my nickname is pretty obvious. As for my team name, when I think of New Orleans, I think of beads. And you get free beads during Mardi Gras for showing boobs. I don't know...my 13-year-old self named the team.

17. Who is/was your favorite AU owner? Why?
Don't really have a favorite. I do respect everyone who has stuck around all these seasons. We have a really strong core of owners who make it fun.

18. Which MLB Commissioner do you admire or identify with most? Why?
None really.

19. General pet peeves about the HBD game?
Coach hiring would be up there. The down time between seasons also drives me crazy.

20. If I was AU Commish for a day I would...
...be so drunk with power I'd pass out.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Rieber Column on MLB realignment

Bud Selig's reign as baseball commissioner has brought us -- for better or worse -- interleague play, the wild card, the World Baseball Classic and instant replay.
Now it seems a near-certainty that a second wild card will be added in each league and that some sort of modest realignment will take place in time for the 2012 season.
Realignment, as ESPN.com first suggested, would seem to be as simple as moving the Houston Astros into the American League West.
While we appreciate most of Selig's innovations, we'd like to see baseball go deeper with realignment.
A lot deeper. Like a 500-foot home run.
It's time to say goodbye to the American and National Leagues. It's time to abandon a structure that was established in 1903 and serves no purpose today except to prop up memories and record books with a bunch of dusty, useless numbers.
What baseball needs to do is realign geographically. Learn the positive lessons of interleague play -- that fans like to see teams play against their neighbors from not just the same city, but also from just down the road.
It's not only the two-team cities (New York, Chicago, Los Angeles) that would benefit. It's regions that have teams a short drive or quick flight apart and could develop rivalries that would grab hold of fans' attentions for generations to come.
Why should the Phillies, for example, face the Mets 18 times a year but face the Yankees only every so often during interleague play? Here's why: Because the American League came in as an upstart to the established National League in 1903 and the NL titans didn't want to play them during the season.
(Yes, that's the reason. Because we've always done it that way.)
Wouldn't Mets fans love the chance to try to score tickets for a Mets-Red Sox game at Fenway Park every year? Why don't Cincinnati and Cleveland or Kansas City and St. Louis get to fight each other for a division crown? Wouldn't the Giants and A's be able to stir up a nice, groovy Northern California rivalry if they were in the same division?
Wouldn't baseball make more money?
The first place we saw this idea during the current debate was on ESPN.com, where former Reds and Nationals general manager Jim Bowden posted a realignment scheme on his blog. We liked it so much that we copied it here with just some minor tweaks (see chart).
"I just wanted to put it out there: Has the time come where we look at the two leagues and interleague play?" Bowden, who also co-hosts the "Inside Pitch" show on Siruis/XM radio, said in a telephone interview.
"Really, we've eradicated the American and National Leagues," he said. "We're really just Major League Baseball right now. And the question comes: Is there a better way to move forward? If we're going to talk about one team moving from one league to another, is it time to take a deep breath and say, 'Would it make more sense at this point to geographically align and get less travel and a better schedule and have one rule instead of a DH and non-DH?' Is it the time?"
Selig would say it's not time because he knows it would be too much to do in one collective-bargaining season. But MLB's current thought of creating two 15-team leagues with three five-team divisions by 2012 is going to have unintended consequences that we hope will lead to more radical changes down the road:
Under one plan MLB is considering for 2012, teams would play 72 games in their division, 60 games against the 10 other teams in their league and 30 interleague games. An interleague game would be required nearly every day because of the uneven number of clubs in each league.
The howling from AL clubs about losing their DH 15 times a season instead of the current nine will only get louder and could lead to both leagues finally adopting or abandoning the DH.
Once that happens, there will be no difference between the leagues. And no reason to keep them around.

MLB EAST
Atlantic Division
---------------
Yankees, Mets,Blue Jays, Phillies, Red Sox

Southeast Division
---------------
Braves, Marlins, Nats, Orioles, Rays

Central Division
----------------
Indians, Pirates, Reds, Tigers, Twins

MLB WEST
Midwest Div
----------------
Brewers, Cards, Cubs, Royals, White Sox

Western Div
----------------
Astros, D'Backs, Mariners, Rangers, Rockies

Pacific Div
----------------
Angles, A's, Giants, Dodgers, Padres

Sunday, June 19, 2011

20 questions with Evan43

1. What should we call you?
Evan

2. Any hobbies or favorite pastimes besides HBD?
Movies, Sports (mostly watching these days), Hanging out with my girls

3. How did you fall into HBD?
I've been on the site for almost ten years. I was a real big into SimLeague Baseball. I switched over to GD for awhile until HBD came out. I joined the day they launched game.

4. How many teams do you run? How many hours per week do you pour into your teams?
I am at 4 teams right now. I just had to let one go due to time and normal family chaos. In total I spend a few hours a day checking. It just depends on the time of the season for my teams.

5. Married? Children?
My wife has three beautiful girls. The youngest is almost four; she is my girl. She always makes me laugh. Just a whirlwind of energy.

6. City/State you live in? Hometown where you grew up?
I live in central Arizona. I moved out here about 8 years ago. I grew up in Akron, Ohio, and went to college in Canton, Ohio.

7. Occupation? Do you check in on your teams often during the workday?
I work in retail. I check my teams on my droid phone as much as I can. I have to hide out in my office. I used to be able to check on my computer, but WhatIf is a blocked site now. I think I had a small hand in putting it on the company's radar. All those GD recruiting classes probably did me in.

8. Who is your all time favorite baseball player?
I love baseball. Especially the history of the game. So I have a lot of players I like. But, growing up and even now, my favorite player is Dale Murphy. I can really get worked up when I start talking about Murphy not being in the HOF. I also have to say Chipper Jones is a close second to Murphy.

9. What makes you laugh?
I love to joke around and be a smart ass. My little girl Aurelia makes me laugh all the time. I also love to watch tv and movies that me laugh.

10. Top 3 all time movies?
I think I could write an essay on this question. I did a few times in college. I am big movie buff. So to make a short answer long... Casablanca is the best movie ever made. I really like films of Clint Eastwood, Woody Allen, the Marx Brothers, Wes Anderson and the Cohen Brothers, just to name a few. So at this moment... Casablanca, Annie Hall & Chinatown.

11. What popular song past/present do you most identify with?
Something from The Killers or Simon & Garfunkel

12. Real baseball team you grew up loving? Still in love with them?
I have always been a hopeless Atlanta Braves fan. I grew up with the Cleveland Indians, so they will always have a small piece of my baseball heart.

13. Tell me 2 things you wish you knew about particular AU owners?
Where everyone is from. And does anyone else think of their players as if they are real players from time to time?

14. You're fairly quiet as an AU owner. Why?
Not a big board guy usually. I love to read whats going on, but not big on chiming in. Plus, checking at work doesn't always allow for it. The blog in this world in one of the best around.

15. What is your GM philosophy?
Win. I have a difficult time waiting and rebuilding. Splits are king. Know your players and their strengths. Every roster spot should fill a role in the machine.

16. Any special meaning for your WIS nickname? Your AU team name?
My nickname is my first name and my high school jersey number. The name Browncoats comes from an old tv show Firefly.

17. Who is/was your favorite AU owner? Why?
I can't pick just one. This truly is a great world with a very solid group of guys. I do have to give a little love to MGreenwell. He left this team in amazing shape with a boatload of talent.

18. Which MLB Commissioner do you admire or identify with most? Why?
Happy Chandler. He was the players' commissioner. He helped set up a pension fund. He also allowed Branch Rickey to sign Jackie Robinson.

19. General pet peeves about the HBD game?
Coach hiring is weak. The lack in amount of talent is the draft is stupid. DITR should happen after players sign; not the all-star break. A late pick should turn into Jake Peavy or Albert Pujols. I not saying it should happen for every team every season, but it never happens. That is unrealistic.

20. If I was AU Commish for a day I would...
Do as little as possible. This a such a great world. The commish doesn't need to do much.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

ALTON BUCKLEY SLAMS #700

Vancouver's own, Alton Buckley became just the 2nd player in AU to hit 700 home runs on Friday, June 17 during the PM cycle. Unfortunately the Villians were unable to pull out a win, but they still had something to celebrate! Congratulations to Mr. Buckley for reaching this outstanding milestone.

Friday, June 17, 2011

4th Power Rankings for Season 19

1. Louiville Sluggers(89-37)--Louiville continues to cruise through the regular season. As a team, they have a league high batting average and on-base percentage. Anything short of the ALCS will be a major disappointment for this team. (Anything short of the World Series will be a major disappointment for davidbutler9).
Previous Rank: 1st(E)

2. Boston EliteDucks(84-42)--The EliteDucks are steamrolling their way to the NL playoffs. They lead AU in walks and are in the top 5 in least amount of strikeouts. Being the defending champs anything short of the NLCS will be a major disappointment for Boston.
Previous Rank: 2nd(E)

3. Buffalo Wings(72-54)--The Wings offense is led by Gerardo Espinoza who is having an MVP type season. The very good pitching staff is led by rookie of the year candidate Sean Waters. Waters is also a serious Cy Young candidate. This team keeps getting stronger and stronger as the season goes on.
Previous Rank: 5th(+2)

4. Boise Browncoats(75-52)--The Browncoats currently own the 2nd seed in the AL. They are still in a fight for their division with the upstart Salt Lake breathing down their necks. Boise's defense continues to help out the pitching staff recording the 4th most double plays in AU.
Previous Rank: 6th(+2)

5. New Orleans Freebeads(73-53)--New Orleans is playing some excellent baseball over the past week. They have leapfrogged Florida to take over 2nd place in the AL South. They have a very good rookie, Alving Espinosa, hoping to win rookie of the year. The pitching staff has a great anchor in closer, Guillermo Sivilla.
Previous Rank: 8th(+3)

6. Toronto Toros(71-55)--The Toros have slugged themselves to the AL North division lead and are lead by MVP candidate Rich White who has just been phenomenol for Toronto. The resurgent Al Canseco has been key for Toronto as well.
Previous Rank: 7th(+1)

7. Salt Lake City Buzz(71-55)--The Buzz have riden a 13 game win streak into the power rankings for the first time this season. They not only have risen to the top wild card spot, they also are contending for the division. Salt Lake's top offense in AU is lead by Trent Crane.
Previous Rank: NR

8. Salem Senators(72-54)--Salem has sputtered a little bit having only posted the 2nd fewest wins out of the teams in contention for the power rankings. That will happen some with a team that rely's so much on their pitching and defense. Walt Paul has been awesome as the anchor of the bullpen for grissom.
Previous Rank: 3rd(-5)

9. Iowa City Lets Play Two(70-56)--Iowa City's offense has been led by silver slugger choices Babe Denny and Claude Seaton. Their pitching staff has been led by innings eater Bret Powell and by closer Teddy Benson.
Previous Rank: 10th(+1)

10. New York Torrones(67-59)--The Torrones continue to play very well at home. They have been a sub-.500 team this season on the road, but the good news is they only have 12 more games on the road. That should bode very well for them going down the stretch playing more games at home.
Previous Rank: NR

Dropping out: Minnesota Twinkies and Florida Fire Sailfish

Thursday, June 16, 2011

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.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

20 questions with bbwinnow

1. What should we call you?
Brendan

2. Any hobbies or favorite pastimes besides HBD?
I play Pokémon a lot (the video games, not the trading cards) and I used to play softball at my old school. I was a pitcher and I sucked.

3. How did you fall into HBD?
I used to be a SLB guy, but I discovered HBD pretty early on. I took over my brother's team when he left the old Stargell world.

4. How many teams do you run? How many hours per week do you pour into your teams?
At one point I had three teams, but this is my only current team. I generally spend 30 minutes per day on HBD during the regular season, more in the offseason.

5. Married? Children?
No.

6. City/State you live in? Hometown where you grew up?
I live in Conway, MA (a bit closer to Boston than NYC) and have lived there since 2003. I have lived in western Massachusetts for nearly my entire life.

7. Occupation? Do you check in on your teams often during the workday?
Currently unemployed. I quit my job six months ago since I didn't have time for both it and college.

8. Who is your all time favorite baseball player?
David Ortiz. Though that's a bit obvious considering what he did in 2004. Seriously, three walk-off hits, two of them HRs, in 6 games?

9. What makes you laugh?
Watching reruns of old TV shows and seeing how stupid they seem all these years later.

10. Top 3 all time movies?
I don't watch movies all that much, and I really don't have favorites.

11. What popular song past/present do you most identify with?
"How Far We've Come" by Matchbox Twenty. It kind of fits who I am, and considering the "world is ending" theme of that song, it might mean more than that to people who thought it would end last month (during a Red Sox-Cubs series, no less!) or next year.

12. Real baseball team you grew up loving? Still in love with them?
Red Sox! They feel a bit different to me now that they won in 2004 and 2007.

13. Tell me 2 things you wish you knew about particular AU owners?
how the heck kevmax100 had 16 straight seasons in first or second place before I finished ahead of him in season 17.

14. You're fairly outspoken as an AU owner. Why?
I'm just surprised I managed to win my division at 80-82 last season. I guess I'm following in the steps of csherwood, taking the worst team in AU and turning it into a better yet not good enough team.

15. What is your GM philosophy?
Trade away prospects for guys that can win a title for me immediately. Of course, with all the Type B free agents I've had these last two seasons, I'm not quite sure which guys to keep. I'll be an 100-win team by season 21 if I keep this up.

16. Any special meaning for your WIS nickname? Your AU team name?
"Let's Play Two" comes from both the classic Ernie Banks quote and from my "Let's Play" video game walkthroughs on YouTube (though I won't give my YT username here.) My name here, bbwinnow, reflects my HBD tendencies, though this may be a coincidence since I started with SLB.

17. Who is/was your favorite AU owner? Why?
Csherwood, though he left well before I joined. There are interesting parallels between his team and mine, including two players that have played for both me and the 'Traps.

18. Which MLB Commissioner do you admire or identify with most? Why?
Bud Selig. This might be a surprise to most, but since he gave the Red Sox a chance to win in 2004 by introducing the wild card ten years earlier...

19. General pet peeves about the HBD game?
Owners who sign a lot of bad players or minor league FAs to long-term contracts then bolt after a season. On that note, guys who don't check their minors.

20. If I was AU Commish for a day I would...
institute a $20M prospect payroll cap.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

20 questions with diabeticrock

1. What should we call you?
Chris, but Rockstar works just fine ;)

2. Any hobbies or favorite pastimes besides HBD?
Enjoy writing (have a 2nd book coming out this summer) and spending time traveling

3. How did you fall into HBD?
Honestly, I don't really recall. I think I may have used one of those coupons for the college bball game during March Madness a few years ago

4. How many teams do you run? How many hours per week do you pour into your teams?
Currently I have three teams, and HBD is an adjective for PROCRASTINATION. I'd get a lot more work done if I didn't spend 18 hours a day studying the stats of my #5 starters.

5. Married? Children?
Single and any kids found richer fathers.

6. City/State you live in? Hometown where you grew up?
Temporarily back in Southeastern Michigan/Detroit, my hometown, after spending the previous 4 years in New York City. Probably heading out west to SoCal later this year.

7. Occupation? Do you check in on your teams often during the workday?
I run a charity (Diabetic Rockstar) and website (same ".com"), along with nationwide charity events, publishing endeavors (like the upcoming book), etc etc.

8. Who is your all time favorite baseball player?
Always had a thing for Kirk Gibson

9. What makes you laugh?
Is "Dumb people" an acceptable answer? I think one of the greatest joys in life is being able to find the humor in every thing.

10. Top 3 all time movies?
I'd have to probably include Swingers...Empire Records is a great, great movie...and for the hopeless romantic in me, lets go with Say Anything

11. What popular song past/present do you most identify with?
This is too hard....I am a music addict; I think my I-Tunes is up to 5,000 songs...I seriously have a song for every emotion, moment, feeling, whatever you can think of. I find a lot of myself in the very first Taking Back Sunday album, of all things, and even in some of Harry Chapin's first record.

12. Real baseball team you grew up loving? Still in love with them?
The Tigers,baby.

13. Tell me 2 things you wish you knew about particular AU owners?
1) What their weakness is, IE, the kind of player they can never say no too, and how old they all really are....Cause I swear I'm being toyed with by 12 year-olds, sometimes


14. You're fairly outspoken as a AU owner. Why?
Thats just me. I'm opinionated, vocal, stubborn, and always always fight for what I believe in....

15. What is your GM philosophy?
Offensively I'm a speed and makeup guy, pitching a groundball/pitch 2 type of guy.... My philosophy changes each time I lose, however

16. Any special meaning for your WIS nickname? Your AU team name?
I've kind of adopted "diabetic rockstar" as my alter-ego, or more appropriately as the persona I aspire to be. Its all about living life to the fullest.

17. Who is/was your favorite AU owner? Why?
Oh, none of you haha. You're all pains in my ass. But I guess Torrone, we've always had some good division battles, and now in other worlds too

18. Which MLB Commissioner do you admire or identify with most? Why?
Honestly, I don't identify with MLB commissioners in my lifetime, at least not to the point I can name more than one or two. The beauty of the game, unlike in other sports, is that the basic rules and structure never changes. Its always throw the ball, hit the ball, run around the bases...


19. General pet peeves about the HBD game?
I wish that there was a way to protect players from bad managers. Example, I just was a replacement owner and the previous guy had trotted out a 13 man MLB roster for the first 20 games. Its been 45 games and I still havent been able to use my #1 or #2starters because they are STILL at "0/0" fatigue and have no options, and aren't worth anything in the trade market right now. There has to be a way to protect players from their own selves, somehow, or give the commissioner additional ways to fix glaring mistakes

20. If I was AU Commish for a day I would...
Good question. I think a good commish lets people have passionate debates without becoming part of the debate. A good commish doesn't take sides, or argue vehemently for his/her point. The commish is the rep for all owners, just just a few.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

3rd Power Rankings of Season 19

1. Louisville Sluggers(72-31)-The Sluggers jump back into the top spot in the power rankings. They are powered behind an excellent lineup scoring runs in bunches fielding very well and still with a top 10 pitching staff.
Previously Ranked: 2nd(+1)

2. Boston EliteDucks(68-34)-Boston is thumping the rest of the competition in the NL. They are in the top 5 in runs scored and ERA. They have a great team cruising that doesn't look like it can be stopped right now.
Previously Ranked: 1st(-1)

3. Salem Senators(60-42)-Salem is riding an 11 game winning streak into these power rankings. They have a pitching staff that continues to excel and is backed up by the majors 2nd best fielding team. Their bats continue to hold them back a little, but with pitching like they have, you don't have to score many runs.
Previously Ranked: NR

4.Florida Fire Sailfish(61-42)-The Fire Sailfish continue to play very good baseball. Their pitching staff is now in the top 5 in ERA and they are backed by a capable defense. Florida has the 3rd best record in the majors and the misfortune of being in the AL South.
Previously Ranked: 6th(+2)

5. Buffalo Wings(57-45)-The Wings continue to pitch very well and their offense is starting to wake up it seems. They have moved up in their overall rankings since the last power rankings. If that continues then it could be a nice race for the 2nd seed in the NL.
Previously Ranked: 8th(+3)

6. Boise Browncoats(59-43)-Boise continues to just play very good, solid baseball. They are in the top 10 in fielding to help their pitching staff.
Previously Ranked: 5th(-1)

7. Toronto Toros(56-46)-The Toros have the best offense in the league slugging the most homers and doubles along with driving in the most runs. Great power in gb69's lineup.
Previously Ranked: 3rd(-4)

8. New Orleans Freebeads(58-45)-New Orleans has a very good offense. They are still waiting for their pitching staff as a whole to get it together a little more, but they are doing just enough to keep them in games.
Previously Ranked: 10th(+2)

9. Minnesota Twinkies(53-50)-The Twinkies have an awesome offense that is the 4th best in the league. They slug with the best of them and are one of the hottest teams in AU right now. only the Salem Senators have won more games over the past week. They are held back by a less then stellar pitching staff and a poor team defense.
Previously Ranked: NR

10. Iowa City Lets Play Two(55-48)-Iowa City continues to play behind a good pitching staff that is in the top 10. If they can get an offensive presence before the trade deadline then they may be able to make a push in the playoffs if they win their division.
Previously Ranked: 9th(-1)

Dropping out: New York Torrones, Philadelphia Chases Aces

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

20 questions with rigbystarr

1. What should we call you?
Rigby

2. Any hobbies or favorite pastimes besides HBD?
Sports in general. I watch the Pirates with my 2 year old son everytime they're on.

3. How did you fall into HBD?
I played APBA growing up. One day I was reading a forum on the APBA board and WIS was mentioned, I checked it out and I've been hooked since.

4. How many teams do you run? How many hours per week do you pour into your teams?
I have 3 teams, at one time I had 6. I put about an hour a day into my 3 teams.

5. Married? Children?
I'm a single father.

6. City/State you live in? Hometown where you grew up?
I'm from a little town, Ellwood City, it's just outside of Pittsburgh.

7. Occupation? Do you check in on your teams often during the workday?
Manager at Sears, I check my team while I'm taking a break.

8. Who is your all time favorite baseball player?
Roberto Clemente, he was always my hero.

9. What makes you laugh?
my son Max

10. Top 3 all time movies?
The Big Chill-you have to watch it at least twice to get it. Apocolypse Now- A dark Vietnam flick. Magnolia-it actually rains frogs.

11. What popular song past/present do you most identify with?
Here I go Again-Whitesnake.

12. Real baseball team you grew up loving? Still in love with them?
I am an avid Pirates fan. I attended game 3 of the 1975 NLCS against the Big Red Machine; the PIrates lost. I also attended game 4 of the 1979 World Series with the Pirates down 3 games to 1, they won that one and the Family went on to win the series.

13. Tell me 2 things you wish you knew about particular AU owners?
Anyone, how do you win a world series!?

14. You're fairly quiet as a AU owner. Why?
Good question, I don't know. I tend to send private messages rather than participate in world chat.

15. What is your GM philosophy?
Build within, probably because I'm a Pirates fan.

16. Any special meaning for your WIS nickname? Your AU team name?
Pittsburgh was taken so I decided to take the Penguins to Lake Erie. Rigby Starr, Can anyone guess how I came up with that handle?

17. Who is/was your favorite AU owner? Why?
jgarrity3, he wins with 120M payroll and never misses a beat. I know, he's in my other world, Stargell at Monument Park, but he's my biggest rival.

18. Which MLB Commissioner do you admire or identify with most? Why?
Peter Uberoth, he knew how to run a business.

19. General pet peeves about the HBD game?
Missing an event due to RL, rule 5, draft, coach hiring, etc.

20. If I was AU Commish for a day I would...
Hand it over to someone else.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

goldenboy69 first inductee into Owner's HOF!!!!

Congratulations to goldenboy69 for the being the first inductee into the Addicted Users Owner's Hall of Fame!!! goldenboy69 is the only 3-time world series winner in the world. He has won 8 division titles and 6 wild card berths for the most post season appearances as well. During those 14 playoffs he has won 3 ALCS's as well. He has succeeded in the minor leagues as well the playoffs a collective 24 times and winning the AAA world series once as well as the HiA world series once.

Additionally gb69 has been an excellent commissioner for Addicted Users. I'm not sure anyone would dispute his leadership and committment to this world. This world continue's to strive under his guidance and should continue to do so for many seasons hopefully.

Again, congratulations to gb69 for being very first member of this elite HOF!!

Thursday, June 2, 2011

20 questions with rockydawg

1. What should we call you?
Geoff

2. Any hobbies or favorite pastimes besides HBD?
Golf, fishing, walking my hounds, cooking/grilling and
aggravating my wife.

3. How did you fall into HBD?
Found it on a google search. Tried one season of a sim league, but the depth of HBD was what attracted me to the game. Used to play a little ball back in the day ( star pitcher on my T-ball team ) and lived and died baseball. So building a team from the ground up and developing players was very appealing. This was my 2nd world , Hunter was my first. I guess I became an Addicted User.

4. How many teams do you run? How many hours per week do you pour into your teams?
Got 4 teams right now. Spend about 8-10 hours a week. The wife thinks it is more.

5. Married? Children?
Married with 3 dogs ( Rocky, Marley and Kona) and 4 cats ( George, Koshka, Sammy and Sahara ) If anyone wants a cat I will give them Sahara and include a lifetime supply of food...the catch is a no-return policy:)

6. City/State you live in? Hometown where you grew up?
Reside in Raleigh, North Carolina at present. Born in Cleveland grew up in Erie, Pa

7. Occupation? Do you check in on your teams often during the workday?
I have been in retail for 33 years and rarely check during the workday.

8. Who is your all time favorite baseball player?
Have a few.
Willie Mays / Buddy Bell / Omar Vizquel / Tony Blair
Also Josh Gibson...just from the stories my Granfather used to tell me about him.

9. What makes you laugh?
My animals. They are always doing something you would not expect.

10. Top 3 all time movies?
Cool Hand Luke
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
The Outlaw Josey Wales

11. What popular song past/present do you most identify with?
Any Bob Seger tune.

12. Real baseball team you grew up loving? Still in love with them?
The Cleveland Indians. Started following them close when I was 10 way back in 1970. They was pretty bad. Listened to almost every game and when they were on the west coast would listen in bed with my ole transistor radio with a ear piece so my parents would not hear. Used to go to the old stadium when only a few hundred fans would show up.

13. Tell me 2 things you wish you knew about particular AU owners?
their passwords so I can change their lineups when they play me? Or I would just settle on where everyone is from.

14. You're fairly outspoken as a AU owner. Why?
I would not say I am outspoken, but do speak up if I feel strongly about an issue,

15. What is your GM philosophy?
What share my secrets on how to never win a World Series...well ok. I like pitching. Strong D and PC catchers. Good D up the middle. Power on the corners when I can. Although my philosophy does differ slightly in some of my other worlds. I don't really get into the International market much in this world and don't really sign to many "A" type FA.But that may change.

16. Any special meaning for your WIS nickname? Your AU team name?
My oldest dog is named Rocky...after Rocky Colavito. He was a rescue as all my animals are. He is 14 now. So all my teams name have Dawg in it...or will soon ( took over a team in mid season in Gibson world and have yet to change the name

17. Who is/was your favorite AU owner? Why?
Kinda hard to say, I have played with a lot of great owners in this world from the day I joined. I did not even have a full season when I joined and got a lot of great advice which I very much appreciated.

18. Which MLB Commissioner do you admire or identify with most? Why?
Kenesaw Mountain Landis....great name and he was described once by Ban Johnson as a "wild eyed nut".

19. General pet peeves about the HBD game?
Coach hiring...would also like to see more former players be coaches.
DTR's....just once would like to see one at least be a utility player.

20. If I was AU Commish for a day I would...
have 10 cent beer night!!!!

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

2nd Power Rankings of Season 19

Without further ado here is the 2nd power rankings for this season:

1. Boston EliteDucks(53-27)-The EliteDucks took 2 out of 3 against the Louisville Sluggers which helps vaunt them to the top of the power rankings. It doesn't hurt when you have the best expected winning percentage, the 3rd best pitching staff and the 3rd best offense in the world.
Previously Ranked: 2nd (+1)

2. Louisville Sluggers(57-22)-Although the Louisville franchise does have the best record in AU, they have faultered some as of late. They have the 2nd best fielding team backing up the a vaunted pitching staff and a very solid lineup up and down.
Previously Ranked: 1st (-1)

3. Toronto Toros(45-35)-The very hot Toros have won 17 games in the past 9 days. They have catapulted themselves with the best offense in AU.
Previously Ranked: NR

4. New York Torrones(44-35)-As well as the Toros have been playing, the New York Torrones have been playing the best baseball in AU with 18 wins over 9 days. The Torrones also have the best fielding team in the world.
Previously Ranked: NR

5. Boise Browncoats(44-35)-The Browncoats have a solid all around team. They play well in all faucets of the game. They are in the top 15 in of categories and have the 4th best record in the world.
Previously Ranked: 9th (+4)

6. Florida Fire Sailfish(44-35)-Florida has a very good pitching staff that is backed up by an offense that scores enough to help them to a very good record.
Previously Ranked: 3rd (-3)

7. Philadelphia Chases Aces(44-35)-The Chases Aces have been holding steady and are tied for the 4th best record in AU. They don't excel at any one thing but they do play well as a unit.
Previously Ranked: 7th (E)

8. Buffalo Wings(43-37)-The Wings have stumbled a bit, but they are staying afloat with an excellent pitching staff and very good defense.
Previously Ranked: 6th (-2)

9. Iowa City Let's Play Two(43-37)-Iowa City has been playing some good baseball with 14 wins in a little over a week. The have the 6th best pitching staff in Addicted Users. They are steadily climbing from respectability into maybe becoming a contender.
Previously Ranked: NR

10. New Orleans Freebeads(44-36)-The Freebeads have risen into the power rankings after just missing out in the first one. They have a solid offense, that is held up by a pitching staff that is underperforming. If their pitching staff can get it together then they will be a force to reckon with.
Previously Ranked: NR

Dropping out: Madison Clansmen, Salem Senators, San Diego Blue Sox, and Detroit Grass Lakes

Sunday, May 29, 2011

20 questions with torrone

1. What should we call you?
Tony

2. Any hobbies or favorite pastimes besides HBD?
Golf. Reading.

3. How did you fall into HBD?
Was originally in STATS baseball and it's later offshoot. WIS was discussed by some of the the owners there, so I checked it out and fell in love.

4. How many teams do you run? How many hours per week do you pour into your teams?
2 teams. About 2 hours a day, so about 14-15 hours per week.

5. Married? Children?
Married 36 years. 2 children, a daughter 30 and a son 28.

6. City/State you live in? Hometown where you grew up?
I live in Malverne, Long Island NY. I grew up in Floral Park, a town near where I live today.

7. Occupation? Do you check in on your teams often during the workday?
I'm retired.

8. Who is your all time favorite baseball player?
Mickey Mantle

9. What makes you laugh?
The absurd

10. Top 3 all time movies?
Gone With The Wind. Paths of Glory. The Graduate

11. What popular song past/present do you most identify with?
Large Time by the Atlanta Rhythm Section. Always looking to have a good time.

12. Real baseball team you grew up loving? Still in love with them?
Yankees. As much as ever.

13. Tell me 2 things you wish you knew about particular AU owners?
I'd like to know how MikeT23 has the time to post 100's of comments on the Forums every day.

14. You're fairly outspoken as a AU owner. Why?
As with many, I have an idea of how things should be done to maintain a strong league. I think maintaining your minors and screening new owners to make sure they will be a good addition are important.

15. What is your GM philosophy?
I look for solid all-around players. There are few superstars, so I think the role and complimentary players are the difference between a soild franchise and an also-ran.

16. Any special meaning for your WIS nickname? Your AU team name?
torrone is a sweet Italian nougat candy made with honey and almonds. Try it, you'll love it. If you don't go into sugar-shock, that is.

17. Who is/was your favorite AU owner? Why?
I have 2. davidbutler9 from here and hitman1979 from my other league. Why? Because we have similar HBD philosophies. I also enjoy goldenboy69 for his intelligence and grissom97 for his passion.

18. Which MLB Commissioner do you admire or identify with most? Why?
Bart Giamatti. He did what needed to be done whether it was popular or not.

19. General pet peeves about the HBD game?
Flame wars on the chat. Owners who don't maintain their team at all levels. Unresponsive Wis support and unrealistic responses to many legitimate issues.

20. If I was AU Commish for a day I would...
shoot myself.

Friday, May 27, 2011

20 questions with goldenboy69

1. What should we call you?
Jeff Penn

2. Any hobbies or favorite pastimes besides HBD?
I play softball, watch movies and read comic books some new mostly old.

3. How did you fall into HBD?
Started off in Sim Baseball, then started playing Hoops Dynasty and for awhile dreamed about the day that they would start a Baseball Sim like Hoops. Joined the first league i could with a friend that I worked with at PXP Sports, a "legal" sports betting website that was later purchased by Bodog. He got bored ten games into the season and left. I won the WS with the Santa Fe Express in Mr.October.

4. How many teams do you run? How many hours per week do you pour into your teams?
I have three teams, two of them for 19+seasons. Each team probably gets a solid 30 minutes everyday during the course of a season.

5. Married? Children?
Married for 13 years as of last weekend, Two kids, daughter 6, son 4.

6. City/State you live in? Hometown where you grew up?
I live just east of Toronto, Canada and grew up about an hour north of the city.

7. Occupation? Do you check in on your teams often during the workday?
I work for CTV, the largest tv network in Canada...i check my teams mostly while at work and do most of my draft research while at work.

8. Who is your all time favorite baseball player?
That is a tough one, Dave Stieb, George Bell, Jeffery Leonard, Andy Van Slyke, Lenny Dykstra and Wally Backman

9. What makes you laugh?
When i see a little bird flying after a crow or a blackbird beating the crap out of it.

10. Top 3 all time movies?
I am a movie junkee so this is tough.

When i was 9 it was DC Cab, Clash of the Titans and Flash Gordon.

Now it is Royal Tenenbaums, Dark Knight, Unbreakable

11. What popular song past/present do you most identify with?
Today/Smashing Pumpkins, Sabotage Beastie Boys

12. Real baseball team you grew up loving? Still in love with them?
Loved and Still Love the '86 Mets. Always a Jays Fan

13. Tell me 2 things you wish you knew about particular AU owners?
Any Ladies? Any Canadians?

14. You're fairly outspoken as a AU owner. Why?
I am just outspoken in general. I love a good argument and have trouble believing that people dont actually just agree with me all the time.

15. What is your GM philosophy?
D up the middle C/SS/CF, Power over contact, pitches over splits. Rest players as much as possible so always have a strong bench. Stick by your closer.


16. Any special meaning for your WIS nickname? Your AU team name?
In college we had a fictional wrestling league (long story). My character was called the Golden Boy. The Toros are a former WHA hockey team out of Toronto in the mid 70's.

17. Who is/was your favorite AU owner? Why?
We have a lot of great people here, Brent, torrone, jmercer, grissom

18. Which MLB Commissioner do you admire or identify with most? Why?
A. Bartlett Giamatti, because his son is Paul

19. General pet peeves about the HBD game?
Pre-season length, missed scouting on Amateur draft, you really should see every player...maybe not all the ratings

20. If I was AU Commish for a day I would...
Get a new commish :)

Thursday, May 26, 2011

20 Questions

1. What should we call you?
David, db9

2. Any hobbies or favorite pastimes besides HBD?
I love all sports, baseball is probably my favorite sport followed closely by football. I also love playing poker, and spending time with my kids.

3. How did you fall into HBD?
I was online trying to find some baseball sim games and found whatifsports.com and fell in love with HBD.

4. How many teams do you run? How many hours per week do you pour into your teams?
I currently run 5 teams. i probably spend about an hour to an hour a half on each team per week.

5. Married? Children?
I am married with 2 wonderful children. I have an 8 year old son and a 3 year old daughter who thinks that she's the boss.

6. City/State you live in? Hometown where you grew up?
I live in Lafayette, IN which is the home of Purdue University. I grew up just outside of Lafayette, IN

7. Occupation? Do you check in on your teams often during the workday?
I work as a restaurant shift leader and yes i do if we are not too busy.

8. Who is your favorite baseball player of all time?
Ryne Sandberg

9. What makes you laugh?
my children

10. Top 3 all time movies?
Billy Madison
8 Men Out
The Hangover

11. What popular song past/present do you most identify with?
I really don't know if I identify with any songs.


12. Real baseball team you grew up loving? Still in love with them?
Chicago Cubs-I will always love the Cubs no matter how stupid it may be:)

13. Tell me 2 things you wish you knew about particular AU owners?
I enjoy playing against the other people in Addicted Users. I hope to get to know all of you a little better and that you all like the 20 questions idea, so we can all get to know each other a little better.


14. You're fairly outspoken as a AU owner. Why?
I am outspoken in real life as well. I normally have an opinion about something, but i think that the great thing about life is that not everyone agrees and that we can all hopefully come to compromises on most things. I think it's important that people feel free to express opinions in a respectful manner.


15. What is your GM philosophy?
pitching and up the middle defense surrounded by very good, quality hitting

16. Any special meaning for your WIS nickname? Your AU team name?
not at all. i'm not very creative with my nicknames

17. Who is/was your favorite AU owner? Why?
i'm not sure i have a favorite. i like everyone here.

18. Which MLB Commissioner do you admire or identify with most? Why?
i don't know if i admire him and i certainly don't identify with him but i think that bud selig has done a better job than most people think. he has made a few mistakes, but i think overall the game is in a very good place now.

19. General pet peeves about the HBD game?
i wish that they would tweak the ditr's more. there still isn't much improvement in most of those players and i've still never had a ditr who became a major league player

20. If I was AU Commish for a day I would...
do whatever gb69 continues to have been doing. he is a great commish

Saturday, May 21, 2011

First Power Rankings for the 2nd Week of Season 19!!

This is my first ever power rankings and I'm sorry it's a little late for the week and i'll try and get them up sooner from now on.

1. Louisville Sluggers(43-11)-Best overall record and is tied for the most wins over the last week with Salem.

2. Boston EliteDucks(38-16)-Best record in the NL and has the second most wins over the course of the past week. Also has the best run differential in the majors.

3. Florida Fire Sailfish(31-23)-Even though Florida is second in their division they have the majors fourth best record and fifth best run differential and expected winning percentage in the majors.

4. Madison Clansmen(30-24)-The upstart Clansmen currently have the sixth best record in the majors and are also tied with the EliteDucks for the 3 most wins in the past week.

5. Salem Senators(32-22)-Sporting the majors third best record and tied for the most wins this past week with the Sluggers. However the Senators might be overachieving a little bit because they also have the ninth best expected winning percentage and run differential.

6. Buffalo Wings(31-23)-Buffalo has picked up where it left off last season owning the NL North first place spot again. Even though they have struggled some in the past week, this franchise seems poised to try and run away with their division again.

7. Philadelphia Chases Aces(30-24)-Tedpsu has this team playing very well. They are tied with the NL's fourth best record and have the majors seventh best run differential.

8. San Diego Blue Sox(29-25)-The Blue Sox have been playing very solid in a very tough NL West division. Although they currently are tied with the majors 10th best record, they have the 4th best run differential and if that continues to happen will quickly catch the division leading Senators.

9. Boise Browncoats(30-24)-The Boise franchise has been a symbol of excellence for many seasons and are hoping to make this season no exception. As a team they haven't been exceptional, but they have been very solid and hope to continue that throughout the season.

10. Detroit Grass Lakes(30-24)-The Grass Lakes edge out the New Orleans Freebeads because of a slightly better record. They are an overachieving bunch so far with the sixth best record in the majors but they currently have a -21 run differential. They will need to start scoring more runs if they want to stay in the top ten of the power rankings.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Other Award Winners

Blue Blazer (greatest stolen base threat): Quinn Smith Rattled off 74 steals this season a career high and was only caught 8 times (90.2%) Hon Mention: Chad Mora 57 steals (90.5%).

Rifle Arm (best outfield arm) Glen Thomas 16 assists from CF in just 93 games. Stop running on his arm. Hon Mention: Kiki Seguignol 15 assists in just over 140 games.

Bill Buckner (1st baseman with most errors but lots of assists) : Terrence Cooper The 118 assists rank 2nd in the bigs, but 6 errors and 5 negative plays lead me to believe he got them from being to slow to run to 1st base for the easy out.

Bash Brothers (team with Best Overall power): Toros 10 players with double digits in HR led by White, Thebeau, Logan and Yamaguchi who all had over 30. Hon Mention: EliteDucks 5 players with over 30 homers but only 8 in double digits.

The Mid-80’s Cards (All speed no pop team): Senators 114 Homers, 248 steals with 5 players swiping more then 25 this past season. Hon Mention:Seadogs 105 homers, 204 steals with two players combining for 114 of them.

Human Vacuum (Shortstop who gets to the most balls): Wiki Cortes This kid tracks down everything 28 Positive plays, 2nd most PO and the most assists, just call him Hoover.

The Express (pitcher with most k’s and bb’s per 9 innings): Tony Blair Almost 8 K’s per 9 innings but also 3.5 walks.

Mike Hampton ( Better hitter then pitcher award): Humberto Astacio 12 hits and .375 avg, also stole a base. Meanwhile throw 90 innings and had a WHIP on the plus side of 1.70 and an ERA of almost 8.00

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Drafting for the Future Part #6

Fresno Primetimers

Season #1 and #2

Joel Buck 7th, Pitcher, 0 points

Juan Romero 9th, SS, 0 points

Earl Dodd 44th, Pitcher, 0 points

No picks from the first two seasons signed up to play. Surprising since Camp was a rather solid GM.

Season #3 and #4

Ivan Roth 23rd, SP, 36 points

Trent Duran 37th, Relief, 25 points

Vance Curtis 50th, LR, 26 points

3 picks by camp in the season 3 draft resulted in three awful players. Season 4 he had no picks in the first round.

4 year score: 15/100

Possibly one of the worst drafters ever. However camp kept his team a winner for 13 seasons by doing a lot of other things right.

Hartford Storm

Season #1

Dustan Poole 14th, CF, 72 points

Tim Ducey 36th, Relief, 20 points

I would rather have Rob Ducey then Tim. Dustan Poole however was a pretty good pick at 14. Almost 200 homeruns and over 200 steals in his career.

Season #2

Omar Crespo 15th, SP, 52 points

Crespo won double digits three times in his career but never achieved the greatness that projected for him.

Season #3

Gordon Damon 12th, RF, 67 points

Moments of greatness for Damon. Peak of his career was a 20/20 season when his also drove in 102 runs with a .307 average

Season #4

Juan Hernandez 3rd, RF, 48 points

Never panned out like they hoped, a #3 pick should be a hall of famer. His weakness of being unable to hit lefties kept him from winning an everyday job.

4 year score: 52/100

A few hits but a mostly misses. No one ever overachieved leading to a rather average score.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Hall of Fame Season 18



It’s once again time for the Hall of Fame to announce this year’s inductees. This year’s ballot included several notable players from the early days of this world; however it will be Joey Montgomery that will forever be remembered as the player inducted to the Addicted User HOF in season 18.

Like most awards his selection was somewhat controversial. He seemed to be something of a dark horse with a handful of other players appearing to be shoo-ins. Yet the voters felt that his career numbers were sufficient to surpass his peers and allow him entrance into this very exclusive club.

Montgomery spent 14 seasons in the major’s with time spent in 5 different cities. He enters the Hall wearing the Boise Browncoats cap having spent 7 seasons with them. His talents earned him 8 all star appearances as well as 2 Cy Young awards. Joey was also able to pick up 212 wins with 82 complete games and a 3.96 career ERA.

This year’s ballot seemed to include the names of several future HOF inductees and next years ballot should present an even more difficult selection process for voters as more former stars become eligible for induction.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Drafting for the Future Part #5

Dover Diabolicals
Season #1

Pedro Marrero 10th, CF, 63 points

Worion guided this team for the first three seasons and even won a world series in season #2. Marrero was a bit of a flash in the pain with some nice seasons, 31-103-20-.246. But a low average and lots of K’s cut his career short.

Score: 63/100

Season #2

Dennys Clifton 22nd, RF, 80 points

Clifton was a bit of a beast for a about 6 seasons. He averaged 30 homers and about 90 RBI while batting .280. Not bad for a gold glove quality RF’er.

Score: 80/100

Season #3

Heath Kirwan 27th, P, 0 Points
Sidney Martin 28th, C, 77 points
Christopher Keeler 34th, REL, 0 points

Ouch, Kirwan never signed and Keeler pitcher under 30 innings in the minors. Martin is perhaps the best platoon catcher in the history of baseball. Has only once played more then 100 games but has almost 300 career homers and a great . 311 average.

Score: 26/100

Season #4

Kyle Jackson 25th, UTIL, 23 points
Mark Feliciano 47th, RF, 51 points

Saluki took over as GM and drafted two duds. Jackson is a none factor with 34 major league at bats. Feliciano looked like a solid 20/20 player for a handful of seasons but a bad attitude kept him from reaching his full potential.

Score: 37/100

4 Year Score: 42/100
worion started off pretty strong but some missed signings and failed developmental possibilities drags the overall score down.


Florida Fire Sailfish

Season #1

No Picks

Season #2
Curt Wells 4th, P, 0 Points

Jmercer joined our happy family in season two and was rewarded with the 4th overall pick that season. Too bad Curt Wells wanted a ten million bonus to sign. Luckily he was able to sign international free agent Alex Jose and draft Barry Kirby, Justin Winston in the 2nd and 5th rounds. But still those last two are more lucky then anything.

Score: 0/100

Season #3

Jeff Nixon 4th, LR, 62 points
Vic James 47th, LR, 68 points

In season three mercer grabbed two solid but not spectacular arms. They have combined for about 100 wins and a 5.00 ERA.

Score: 65/100

Season #4

Ivan Gonzalez 16th, CF, 83 points

One of the fastest smoothest fielding players in league history. Gonzalez is on his way to 600+ steals and 2000+ hits for his career.

Score: 83/100

4 year score: 54/100
not bad, but the missing out on Curt Wells when players like Alfonso Tejera, Mark Jones and Clayton Hairston could have been drafted.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Drafting for the Future Part #4

Cleveland Penguins
Season #1

Bey Morris 11th, RF, 87 points
Bruce Hentgen 43rd, 2nd, 68 points

Some guy named highvolta6e played one season of HBD and actually did a solid job drafting. Bey has way over 2000 hits and just over 400 homers in a solid career. Hentgen was a gold glove 2nd baseman and carried a decent stick.

Score: 77/100

Season #2

Stan Allensworth 12th, LF, 56 points
Jon Joseph 18th, RF, 0 points

Season 2 saw another one season owner hutzelgreg finished well under 500 in his only season and drafted two stiffs in the 1st round. Allensworth didn’t reach the majors until rigbystarr took over and started doing some sensible things with the team, by then his career clock was counting down and there wasn’t much left in the tank. Joseph never signed a contract

Score: 29/100

Season #3

Todd Lofton 1st, LR, 64 points
Dewayne Lowery 48th, SP, 0 points
Marc Leach 54th SP, 0 points

Another single season owner, flipdog was blessed with three first round picks to try and save this franchise. Leach and Lowery never made it to the show. Lofton the 1st overall pick was subject to such bad coaching to the start of his career had a 8.84 ERA in AAA before rigby took over. After that he was pretty solid but never as good as he should have been.

Score: 18/100

Season #4

Earl Slaughter 4th, SP, 53 points

The trend continued as escalator took over for one season and dragged this team even further down. His 4th overall selection, Slaughter, was another player poorly used until rigby showed up, a career 75-95 record with a plus 5.00 ERA is not what you want from a 4th pick.

Score: 53/100

4 year score: 41/100
Some solid players were selected but due to the revolving door at the ownership level its hard to say how good these players COULD have been.


Detroit Grass Lakes

Season #1

Bruce Phillips 12th, SP, 78 points

Cj has been the one and only owner of this team so lets see what type of job he did drafting in the early seasons…and did his picks have anything to do with his lone WS title in season 12. Phillips was 8-8 in the WS year but was awesome in the playoffs going 3-1 with a 3.14 ERA. A solid pick at #12 he has a solid 110-85 career record

Score: 78/100

Season #2

Mark Jones 8th, SS, 84 points

Cj traded him away in season 5 so he never played a game in the majors for the team that drafted him. But he has had a great career with gold gloves at 3rd base, 2000+ hits and 300+ homers.

Score: 84/100

Season #3

Jed Riske 11th, RF, 72 points

Riske was a 20/20 guy during the WS season, also batted .383 in the playoffs with 3 homers and 4 steals. He retired with 1000 hits, 150 homers and 100 steals. Not bad.

Score: 72/100

Season #4

Donovan Austin 19th, SP, 85 points
Marshall Golub 43rd, LR, 60 points
Tony Guerrero 56th, REL, 57 points
Reginald Powell 61st, CF, 35 points


Cj scored pretty well again in season 4. Austin won 17 games in the WS year and has a 140-92 lifetime record with a few more good seasons under his belt for sure. Golub has bounced around a little bit before coming back to Detroit to retire. He finished with a solid .500 record. Guerrero never played for Detroit but did manage 20 career wins and 7 saves in just over 400 IP. Powell is still bouncing around AAA. In his best season he stole 46 bases….but has only 3 more after that.

Score: 59/100

4 Year Score: 68/100
Cj was more about quality then quantity. It seems the less picks he is given the better he does. I don’t see any hall of famers but I do see 4 very solid picks.