Thursday, November 22, 2012

Mantle World Owner Interview - frankum

Welcome to our latest "Meet Your Fellow Owner" interviews of Mantle World owners.  Today, we chat with frankum, the owner of the Louisville Pit Bulls franchise.  Frankum joined Mantle in season 24, taking over the former Monterrey Sugar Kings franchise which was a victim of the world's MWR requirement after finishing with a 49-113 record.  After two seasons of struggling with win totals in the low 70's, the Pit Bulls finally stepped up and took home the NL South division title in season 26 in a runaway  Lets find out a little bit about him.

Tec: Tell us a little about yourself.

Frankum: I'm 26 years old, married with no kids. Living in northern indiana and work as a product manager for an orthopedic device company. I started playing sim league baseball, then took a 3 year break and came back to play HBD.

Tec: Outside of Hardball Dynasty, what are some of your other interests and hobbies?

Frankum: Golf, slow pitch softball, fantasy football, really just sports in general.

Tec: Did you play any sports growing up?

Frankum: I played basketball, baseball and football growing up. In college I was actually a lifter on a cheerleading squad. Kinda wierd but the girls were hot.

Tec: Who are your favorite all-time players?

Frankum: I've always been a Yankees fan. Although I never saw them play, I grew up to stories from my grandpa about how amazing Mickey Mantle was. He'll always be a legend in my mind.






Tec: What has been your favorite real-life sports experience or memory?

Frankum: I've not been to many sporting events in person so I don't really have a cool on site experience. But in 2006 when the Colts won the Super Bowl. I was in college drinking with a bunch of Bears fans. I remember the Bears taking the opening kickoff for a touchdown and they were talking shit non stop. When we won a never let them hear the end.

Tec: What's been your most memorable non-sports experience in your life?

Frankum: I have two...my wedding day and the day we signed the contract to build our first house. I'm just a young fella.

Tec: If you were an HBD player, what position would you play and what would your ratings be?

Frankum: I would be a first baseman with an amazing glove, no range, no arm strength but accurate. Probably 25/50/25/60. Hitting I would have a solid batting eye, middle of t he road contact, line drive hitter with no power. 60/50/70/70/70. Solid bench guy. (in my dreams of course).

Thank you frankum for participating in our latest Mantle World Owner interview, and good luck to you going onward.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Mantle World Owner Interview - coachmoss

Welcome to our latest "Meet Your Fellow Owner" interviews of Mantle World owners.  Today, we chat with coachmoss, the owner of the Omaha Middle Americans franchise.  Coachmoss joined Mantle in season 26 and has just completed his rookie season in the world.  Most likely due to the permeation of potpourri around the team's front offices, left over from previous franchise owner hbdgirl, the Middle Americans struggled to a last place finish in the NL West.  Lets find out a little bit about him.

Tec: Tell us a little about yourself.

Coachmoss: I am a 32 year old Business and Computer Programming teacher at a southern New Jersey high school (close to Philadelphia). I also am Head Wrestling Coach where I work - how's that for an oxymoron? I'm divorced with a 7 year old daughter, but dating a pretty awesome girl (soon to be fiance) who is also divorced with a 5 year old son, so life is pretty good right now.

Tec: Outside of Hardball Dynasty, what are some of your other interests and hobbies?

Coachmoss: A lot of my free time is spent with the kids and coaching wrestling. I also sell sports cards, memorbilia and coins on eBay on the side.

Tec: Did you play any sports growing up?

Coachmoss: I played most everything growing up, but my main sports ended up being baseball and wrestling. Once I hit high school though baseball took a back seat because I saw I could use wrestling as a vehicle to get me through college and started training year round basically for that.

Tec: Who are your favorite all-time players?

Coachmoss: Cal Ripken, Jr. was always my favorite player growing up. Recently I enjoy watching Chase Utley because of his hard work ethic.

Tec: What has been your favorite real-life sports experience or memory?

Coachmoss: Being able to see both of my favorite teams in the playoffs recently (Phillies and Orioles) and also being there for the World Series celebration in 2008 for the Phillies was something I will never forget.

Tec: What's been your most memorable non-sports experience in your life?

Coachmoss: It's hard to top anything to do with the kids lately. My daughter recently graduated Kindergarten and started 1st grade. My soon to be step son also just started Kindergarten and wanted to sign up for wrestling, so being able to help and coach him is going to be really rewarding too.

Tec: If you were an HBD player, what position would you play and what would your ratings be?

Coachmoss: When I played baseball it was mostly 2B, so I'd be a 2B with high contact and speed, but low power. I don't think I ever hit a triple or homerun in my life, but could find holes pretty well and rarely struck out.

Thank you coachmoss for participating in our latest Mantle World Owner interview, and good luck to you going onward.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Mantle World Owner Interview - hawger

Welcome to our latest "Meet Your Fellow Owner" interviews of Mantle World owners.  Today, we chat with hawger, the owner of the Boston Minutemen franchise.  Rugrat joined Mantle in season 24 and is completing his third season in the world.  Lets find out a little bit about him.

Tec: Tell us a little about yourself.

Hawger: 51 years old. Originally from the midwest but have lived in SW Florida for 25 years now. Went to Illinois State for a couple of years but graduated from smaller hometown college.  Was a CPA for years now I work for the Mrs. running the business side of her Vet Clinic. Avid St Louis Cardinals baseball fan. Married to the same woman for 24 years, no children.

Tec: Outside of Hardball Dynasty, what are some of your other interests and hobbies?

Hawger: Anything outdoors. Living in FL you have to enjoy the weather. Both me and wife ride Harleys. Love sports but haven't played any for quite some time. Jimmy Buffet fan but love old time rock n roll and reggae as well.

Tec: Did you play any sports growing up?

Hawger: Baseball. Swam competitively from age 10 through high school. A bit of volleyball.

Tec: Who are your favorite all-time players?

Hawger: Baseball: Bob Gibson, Lou Brock and Pete Rose; Football: Jim Hart, Conrad Dobler, Dick Butkus and Kenny Stabler; Basketball: Pistol Pete Maravich

Tec: What has been your favorite real-life sports experience or memory?

Hawger: Growing up listening to baseball games on the radio with my grandmother.

Tec: What's been your most memorable non-sports experience in your life?

Hawger: Guess I will have to stick to the traditional. Getting married in Jamaica was pretty memorable.

Tec: If you were an HBD player, what position would you play and what would your ratings be?

Hawger: Weak hitting 2b or catcher. Never really catching but was fairly good at it. Of course with my torn up shoulders I wouldn't be able to throw anybody out these days.

Thank you hawger for participating in our latest Mantle World Owner interview, and good luck to you going onward.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Commissioner's Challenge Award (S26)

The "Commissioner's Challenge Award" is given to the team that had the most wins during the season without making the playoffs.

I'm happy to announce the season 26 winner of a $5 WIS Gift Certificate is MikeT23 of the Scottsdale Fighting Artichokes, whose 84 wins was just two games short of earning a post-season appearance.

1) 84 wins - Scottsdale Fighting Artichokes (MikeT23)
2t) 83 wins - Richmond Generals (dgtrache)
2t) 83 wins - Toronto Eh's (mikeg740)
2t) 83 wins - Boston Minutemen (hawger)
5t) 82 wins - Scranton Apollos (tecwrg)
5t) 82 wins - Rochester Rochy Road Rochstars (indiansrck27)
7) 81 wins - Cleveland Captains (captain10a)
8) 78 wins - Colorado Springs Mile High Marines (brendanjod)
9t) 77 wins - Chicago Black Sox (tomq)
9t) 77 wins - Oakland Polish Hammers (goodtymes31)
11t) 75 wins - Atlanta Blue (bkpeters)
11t) 75 wins - Milwaukee Suds (battmann)
13) 73 wins - Burlington Catamounts (dwoolery)
14) 71 wins - Oklahoma City Power Failure (coneheads)
15) 70 wins - Arizona Arachnophobia (ericsomsel)
16t) 69 wins - Jackson Bootleggers (rugrat)
16t) 69 wins - Omaha Middle Americans (coachmoss)
18) 66 wins - Little Rock Cigars (shanklsa)
19) 62 wins - Pittsburgh Pirates (bigal888)
20) 59 wins - Florida Lockdown (welsh5)

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Mantle World Owner Interview - rugrat

Welcome to our latest "Meet Your Fellow Owner" interviews of Mantle World owners.  Today, we chat with rugrat, the owner of the Jackson Bootleggers franchise.  Rugrat joined Mantle in season 21 as an in-season replacement for original fracnhise owner rwright, who stepped aside as he could not adhere to world rules.  The Jackson franchise struggled for many years with a lack of focus under rwright, so rugrat inherited a franchise with a fairly bare cupboard.  Now in his sixth season as a menber of Mantle, let's hear a little of rugrat's story.

Tec: Tell us a little about yourself.

Rugrat: My real name is Steve, and I'm currently taking a work break. I had been working for a leading environmental non-profit and managed all online fundraising for the organization. Due to a variety of circumstances, I left in March and have been working from home doing consulting work and working on an eCommerce business.  I have lived in the SF Bay Area (mainly Oakland and Berkeley) for 35 years and wouldn't live anywhere else - love the weather, the cultural opportunities and the ability to do just about anything you can imagine within a 30 mile or so radius. I'm not married currently, but have a daughter who is attending Columbia on a full ride.

Tec: Outside of Hardball Dynasty, what are some of your other interests and hobbies?

Rugrat: Film and music - I have an extensive record and CD collection that ranges from obscure punk and power pop, soul, jazz, rock and even some classical. I love film noir and am also working through most of the Criterion Collection of DVDs. I also get out of the house every once in awhile; love a good burger and other diner/dive food places. And you can't talk about living in CA without getting outdoors.

Tec: Did you play any sports growing up?

Rugrat: Baseball, of course, in high school. When they started throwing curve balls, I knew I was in trouble.

Tec: Who are your favorite all-time players?

Rugrat: I grew up a Tigers fan - Al Kaline was my favorite as a kid.  Others are  Kirk Gibson and Fred Lynn (such a sweet swing). I don't really have favorites these days.

Tec: What has been your favorite real-life sports experience or memory?

Rugrat: Memory? 1975, game 6.  There was so much more to that game than Fisk's HR. In person, I've been to several World Series and playoff games, and one Super Bowl (Niners/Dolphins) - all were memorable, even if the good guys lost.

Tec: What's been your most memorable non-sports experience in your life?

Rugrat: The birth of my daughter.

Tec: If you were an HBD player, what position would you play and what would your ratings be?

Rugrat: Well, in high school it seemed like they put the worst kids in RF, and MikeT says any slug can play out there, so I guess that would be it. Ratings? These days, zeros across the board.

Thank you rugrat for participating in our latest Mantle World Owner interview, and good luck to you this season and onward.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Mantle World Owner Interview - tedwmoore

Welcome to our latest "Meet Your Fellow Owner" interviews of Mantle World owners.  Today, we chat with tedwmoore, the owner of the Albuquerque Roadrunners franchise.  Ted joined Mantle in season 22, stepping in to pick up the pieces of a huge mess caused by the double-whammy of the sculley/greeny9 fiasco with the Albuquerque franchise which nearly crippled the franchise.  After we were able to work with WIS customer support to undo most of the damage done by sculley and greeny9, Ted has not only stabilized the team but has turned it into a strong and successful franchise going forward.

Tec: Tell us a little about yourself.

Tedwmoore: I am 34, live in Minneapolis and am a stay-at-home dad. We have one daughter who turns three the 21st of this month and my wife is due in early January with our second, a boy.

Tec: Outside of Hardball Dynasty, what are some of your other interests and hobbies?

Tedwmoore: I recently began home brewing and that has consumed a good chunk of my free time. Brewing feeds several of my interests -- self-sufficient food production (I know, non essential, but I drink enough beer that self production is a nice budget saver); agriculture, specifically the locality of food and how geography and climate affect quality/taste; nerdy obsessiveness with scientificy type stuff that I barely understand -- that I am already obsessed with brewing and energized to read as much as possible about it, to discuss it with as many people as possible and to develop my procedures and techniques as fully as possible.

Other than brewing I recently set myself the goal of completing a triathlon and I am enjoying the sensation and benefits of being back in the gym with motivation to push myself.

And as all proper Minnesotans do, I enjoy being outside year round, specifically kayaking, camping, fishing and snow shoeing (another new hobby).

Tec: Did you play any sports growing up?

Tedwmoore: Yes, and poorly. I played soccer through middle school as a defenseman, I ran track and cross country for two years during high school, and I played baseball but never made it past pee wee leagues.

Tec: Who are your favorite all-time players?

Tedwmoore: I'll limit this to baseball. Being from KC my favorites are Royals heavy: George Brett, Dan Quisenberry, Frank White, Bo Jackson and other ususals from that era (I am a bit too young to have seen Amos Otis and John Mayberry). As a kid I also loved Tony Gwynn, Kirby Puckett, Ricky Henderson, Cal Ripken and Robin Yount (back when Milwaukee and KC were in the same division, Yount and Brett had a nice little rivalry as to who was the better hitter). There are probably a few contemporary players who will make it into my all-time favorites as well: Carlos Beltran, Albert Pujols (he played high school ball in my home town), Joe Mauer, Frank Thomas...others.

Tec: What has been your favorite real-life sports experience or memory?

Tedwmoore: Rushing the field after the Hawkeyes clinched the Big Ten title in the early oughts. Yes, I am an Iowa grad. I barely remember the '85 Royals, and though I remember both Twins' championships well (my family is from MN but my parents moved to KC when I was young, so, yeah, I have some crazy split allegiances thanks to family influence) I was not there to see it in person. But rushing the field to celebrate a Big Ten title -- and this was when winning the Big Ten still meant something -- was amazing.

Tec: What's been your most memorable non-sports experience in your life?

Tedwmoore: Others have said it, but marriage and becoming a parent are hard to top. I would add my brief time in the military to that category as well: all three helped define me by providing structure and purpose to my adult life. Work obviously does the same, but in more mundane and less drastic ways: life long commitment to a spouse or a child or an ideal (as with military service) are incomparable to any other experience, at least in my mind. Other than that it is hard to say. I got stung on the dick once and that sucked hard, but it sure as hell was memorable.

Tec: If you were an HBD player, what position would you play and what would your ratings be?

Tedwmoore: Catcher. Average range and fielding, decent-to-solid arm, poor accuracy, upper 90s pitch calling. At the plate I might as well be a fence post.

Thank you tedwmoore for participating in our latest Mantle World Owner interview, and good luck to you this season and onward.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Mantle World Owner Interview - indiansrck27

Welcome to our latest "Meet Your Fellow Owner" interviews of Mantle World owners.  Today, we chat with indiansrck27, the longtime owner of the Rochester Rochy Road Rochstars franchise.  Indians joined Mantle in season 13, and is now in his 14th season of ownership.  The owner of six NL East division championships, he's twice taken home the NL pennant (in seasons 18 and 23), but was left at the alter both times.  Let's find out a little bit about him.

Tec: Tell us a little about yourself.

Indiansrck27: I am a 23 year old Combat Engineer (soon to be Psychological Operations Specialists) in the US Army, which I've been in for 3 years. Originally from Fayetteville, NC; currently live in Bamberg, Germany where i'm stationed, but in a month I am PCSing to Fort Bragg.

Tec: Outside of Hardball Dynasty, what are some of your other interests and hobbies?

One (two?) of Indiansrck27's interests.
Indiansrck27: Traveling all over Europe has been awesome opportunity. Running, proud to say I'm the fastest person in my Battalion. Running is when I can clear my head. After those like any guy sports, fantasy sports, music, boobs, and food.

Tec: Did you play any sports growing up?

Indiansrck27: Baseball, basketball, and soccer organized, everything else I played just not organized. Mom would never let me play football, said I was too fragile.

Tec: Who are your favorite all-time players?

Indiansrck27: Sandy Alomar Jr, Grady Sizemore (regardless of his injuries) and most Indians that haven't betrayed us or signed a huge deal and then seemingly fall of completely. I'm looking at you Hafner. Steve Atwater is my favorite NFL player of all time. Teemu Selanne favorite hockey player, and I really don't have a favorite basketball player NBA wise but any Tar Heels ever are pretty much on the list. Dider Drogba for soccer, he played for Chelsea until this season.

Tec: What has been your favorite real-life sports experience or memory?

Indiansrck27: As big of a Indians fan as I am, I have yet to be able to go to a game. By the time I had a job that would allow a trip up there money wise, I was in the Army and in Germany. I will next season though. But I have been to a few NCAA tournament games played by the Tar Heels during their 2009 championship. Also been to a few Carolina Panthers games. So nothing too exciting for me at this point in my life.

Tec: What's been your most memorable non-sports experience in your life?

Indiansrck27: Easy for me, deploying to Afghanistan for a year. I could talk for days about the crap we went through.

Tec: If you were an HBD player, what position would you play and what would your ratings be?

Indiansrck27: Hmm.. 2B, around 75 contact, 0 power, 60 vs R and 95 vs L (im a lefty with the stick myself but I always did good). Eye would be high, I got walked alot cause I was small back in the day. High base stealing and speed. Good fielder, but wouldnt win the Gold Glove.

Thank you indiansrck27 for participating in our latest Mantle World Owner interview, and good luck to you this season and onward.