Owner Interview - aumackenzie

 

Owner Interview with aumackenzie

 

When it comes to long time owners, aumackenzie has seen more than his fair share of action on the diamond in AU.  He has put together an impressive string of 216 seasons and probably more impressive 21 titles.  So as you can see he has little time to waste and let’s get right to it:

 

“aumackenzie, I appreciate you taking the time to share your history and thoughts with us.  Where are you from?”

“I live in the mountains in Colorado.”

“ What is your favorite team and when did you start following baseball?”

“Atlanta Braves - started following the Braves on TBS and going to the occasional game when I moved to the south in 1982 - started that season 13-0, stuck ever since.”

“Who was your favorite player growing up?”

“I've had a few but it was Dale Murphy on those early Braves teams.  Favorite non-Brave was Ozzie Smith.”

“What is your favorite baseball memory?”

“Probably the day Sid slid - 1992 NLCS.”

“How did you find HBD?”

“Friend of a friend told me about it.”

“How many teams are you comfortable running at one time?”

“I think 3-4 are manageable unless work gets really busy.  Then I start missing things.”

“How do you like to build your teams?”

“Pitching first, you need an ace or two to win the WS and I like to have a deep bullpen, control ratings over 80, average vl and vr above 70.  I've never slugged my way to a WS. Balance on offense, defense key at SS/CF/2B, but should have 1 MVP worthy bat in the lineup.”

“What is your favorite HBD team?”

“This Monterrey squad is pretty good, never won 4 WS in 5 years and still competitive. S63 squad here was loaded but I inherited a lot of it.  Favorite might be a team I had in AU that won 113 games and the WS behind 300-game winner Ehire Claudio and MVP Julius O'Malley.  Built that squad from scratch, only won 65/year 1st 3 seasons there.”

“What is your favorite aspect of HBD?”

“I just enjoy re-building teams, even ones I tear down myself, figuring out how to win with different types of squads.”

“What would be the one thing you’d change about the HBD?”

“Two biggest for me are coach firing during the season, and inability to fully recover from injuries that happen at the end of the season.  Injuries are frustrating but as a Braves fan watching guys like Smith-Shawver, Strider, and Soroka go down and maybe never recover, it's part of the game.”

“Thanks a lot, mac.  Truly appreciate you taking the time.”

Owner Interview - harley07

 

Owner Interview with harley07

 

Today we’ll be speaking with a new owner to HBD and someone newer to HBD.  While harley07 has only completed 43 seasons and is in his rookie year with AU, he has found some success and found his way into the playoffs close to 40% of the time.  So let’s open the questioning:

 

“harley, thanks for allowing me to take some of your time and ask some questions.  Let’s start with the basics, where do you live?

“Texas.  More specifically the city where Patrick Mahomes played his college ball.”

“What is your favorite team and when did you start following baseball?”

“Huge Yankee fan since '84.  Yes, I know, Yankees fan from Texas. That is a whole different story too long for this interview.”

”Who was your favorite player growing up?”

“Donny Baseball of course.  Presently, definitely Judge.”

“What is your favorite baseball memory?”

“Got to watch Derek Jeter in Yankee Stadium during his final year.”

“How did you find HBD?”

“I have played GD for a while now and decided to try it out.”

“How many teams are you comfortable running at one time?”

“I am going to try out having 4.  We will see how it goes.”

“How do you like to build your teams?”

“I try to build around pitching and power.  Coming into an established league sometimes is hard to get pitching.  No one wants to give any up.”

“What is your favorite HBD team?”

“Still looking.”

“What is your favorite aspect of HBD?

“I like free agent signing period and the draft.”

“What would be the one thing you’d change about the HBD?”

“Like a few others have mentioned, DH in the NL.”

“Thanks harley, appreciate you taking the time.”

Owner Interview - slicknick777

 

Owner Interview with slicknick777

 

Here’s another interview with one of our newer owners as we are joined by slicknick777.  Nick has posted 98 seasons and been able to capture 3 WS titles.  So it’s time to ask him some questions:

“Hi nick, let’s jump right into things.  What part of the country do you live in?”

“I’m in Georgia
Georgia

“What is your favorite team and when did you start following baseball?”

“Yankees, 1995. And in case you're wondering why I'm a Yankees fan in Georgia, I get it from my dad who was born in the Bronx.”

“Then who was your favorite player growing up?”

“Derek Jeter, of course.”

“Do you have a favorite baseball memory?”

“Living in Georgia when the Yankees overcome a 2-0 deficit to win the World Series in 1996.”

“Tell me, how did you find HBD?”

“I've been playing HD since 2008, so I was aware of HBD.  I had been in some OOTP leagues in the past that folded, so I liked that these leagues should avoid folding.”

“How many teams are you comfortable running at one time?” 

“I'm running 6 right now which is probably more than I should be trying to handle, but I am making it work, lol.  Any more would be too much.”

“How do you like to build your teams?”

“I'm a big believer on quality over quantity, especially at pitcher.  Better to have 3 elite SPs and 2 elite relievers than 1-2 elite and 4-6 above average.  Offensively, I prefer power to speed, but try to adapt to my ballpark.”

“Do you have a favorite HBD team?”

“My Hartford team was my first real team and where I won my first HBD title so it will always be my favorite.”

“What is your favorite aspect of HBD?”

“I really enjoy the depth of HBD.  I feel like I am always learning something new about the game that I hadn't known or thought of before.”

“Is there one thing you’d change about the HBD?”

“Probably the medical recovery issues.  But I would also love to see a scouting overhaul where teams scout specific players or regions (for IFAs), similar to HD.”

“Thanks nick, I appreciate the insight and you taking the time to share your thoughts.”