Owner Interview – grissom97
This interview will amuse torrone the most since I’ll basically be talking to myself. torrone, insert comment here. I currently run the Kansas City Athletics but those that have been around know that I have moved my team around a bit in this world. With 337 seasons played, 28 have been in AU with my current ownership at consecutive seasons. You will see two WS titles on my resume, however, it’s been a very long time since a team of mine has hoisted a trophy. Now on to the Q&A: "What part of the country do you live in?"
"SoCal, originally from Long Island but moved to the warmer weather long ago."
"What is your favorite team and when did you start following baseball?"
"I’ve been a Yankee fan since I was five. Found my mom cursing the TV because Mantle didn’t hit a homerun. She hated him because he replaced DiMaggio. Been following baseball ever since."
"Who was your favorite player growing up?"
"Has to be Thurman Munson. The heart and soul of the Yankees in the 70’s. Hard nosed, determined, and fought everyday to win, also a very disgusting person. He would spit into his helmet and then rub it onto his head, not sure why but it was very odd."
"What is your favorite baseball memory?"
"Personal memory was my first season in LL. Was new to the game and struggled mightily, had some speed though. Coach put me in to pinch run with the game tied. On a groundball to 1st I broke for home, went in rubber spikes high and knocked the ball out of my best friend’s glove. He was the catcher for the other team. MLB memory, sitting in box seats at the Stadium watching Clemens face Martinez in a Sunday battle that lived up to expectations."
"How did you find HBD?"
"I played APBA baseball as a kid and found they had a computer version, unfortunately joining a league or finding others to play was difficult so I did a google search. Found the WIS Sim game first but found little to do after creating a team and acquiring players so looked at HBD and got hooked quickly."
"How many teams are you comfortable running at one time?"
"3-5 teams are all I can handle before it becomes too much of a time investment."
"How do you like to build your teams? (ex. – Power, Speed, Pitching, etc)"
"When joining a world, I like to find one with either ML or MiL talent to build around. A focus on pitching and defense is typically the direction I take with my thinking that offense is easier to find."
"What is your favorite HBD team (past or present)?"
"I have two. I picked up an abandoned team in Hot Stove. Unfortunately, it was the Red Sox, it was a few games under .500 but in a weak division. Picked up 3 or 4 players at the deadline. Finished 6 games above .500 and won the series. Cobb was my first world so while my Rochester team has struggled, it’s still a favorite."
"What is your favorite aspect of HBD?"
"I like to build things so redirecting an organization and trying to turn it into a winner is the attraction. I do enjoy evaluating the prospects for the draft and seeing the develop into ML players."
"What would be the one thing you’d change about HBD (what’s the most important thing to fix)?"
"Two things, injuries, have changed in RL allowing players to return to their previous level of play so I think the game should try to mirror this. The top 50 prospects should be seen by all that budget for College and HS scouting. The accuracy of the potential could be dependent on money in the budget with no one knowing with 100% accuracy how the player will develop because of other variables but there should be a certain percentage of the top prospects that everyone can see."
"I'd like to take the time to thank myself for doing this interview."