Capra Hardball Dynasty League

He's won over 100 games seven seasons in a row and counting. His team is the most feared team in the AL. Here is an owner interview with dcbove. 1. What is your RL situation (age, location, family, career)? I'm 40 years old, I live in Albany, NY with my girlfriend and no kids or pets. I was an environmental consultant that turned to the dark side and became a software developer about 15 years ago. 2. Favorite Capra player on your own team? On someone else's team? On my team? When I first acquired my franchise, it was bad. Really bad. And the one player that I had that it was fun to root for from day one was: Juan Martinez . However, nowadays, I am mostly wrapped up in Rick Christensen and his quest for 300.On someone else's? I probably made more trade offers to attempt to acquire William Uehara then any other player. However, I love the fact that some players manage to acquire a league-wide recognized personality. Because of that, I'd have to say that I like Chris

After two mediocre seasons of 83 wins each and no playoff appearances the Sicilian nine moves into Season 22 with some questions answered and but several with answers still pending. In short, this season could be a success or something considerably less. Catcher: Clayton Rollins, he of the .301-.380-.467 career averages, is back again. Season 21 saw his numbers a bit below his career figures, but still he hit .292, OPS'ed .829, and whacked a career high 24 homers. He also showed great durability in playing in 157 games, the forth consecutive year he has played in more than 155 games. He's a warhorse. Lonny Alomar played well in his rookie season, as a backup, and managed to hit .284. 1B: The Sicilians platooned at the right side corner in 21 and it payed great dividends. Rookie Larry Flood hit .293, bonked 24 homers, and slugged .546 against RHP. Third year player Will Lee hit .287, bonked 13 homers, and slugged .569 vs. LHP. Both have been dangled as trade bait in the off-seas

Here’s my take on this season’s HOF nominees. I’ve put them in 5 categories: No Doubt, Good Chance, Borderline, Short Career, and No Chance. The problem is that there are so many decent candidates, the vote gets split among them. For those who don’t use all 5 of your votes, think about players like Alberto Sosa, who has 550 HR’s and is about 15 th in line (and won’t ever get in). No Doubt Hong-Gu Hyun – One of the great players of all-time, won 2 MVPs, went to 9 All Star games and won 9 Silver Sluggers! Hit almost 400 HRs, stole 250 bases, and had a blistering 1.000 OPS. Did I mention he did it all at CF? Dennys Yamakazi – It may be hard for current Capra players to remember a time when there was only 1 truly great pitcher (the immortal Brett Tracy). Yamakazi’s numbers might not be staggering, with 190-133 W-L and a 3.89 ERA, but he was clearly the best pitcher not named Tracy in the early years of the league. No real-life pitcher won 3 CYA’s and isn’t in the HOF. His caree

He is CAPRA's hard working commishioner. He runs the most respected (and hated) franchise in the league. As an owner, he has impressive collection of 19 division titles and 4 (!) world series titles. Here is an exclusive interview with rls1 . 1. What is your RL situation (age, location, family, career)? 42. Indianapolis. Grew up in Southern California. Married for 15 years. Two daughters, ages 11 and 5. Teach writing at Butler University. 2. Favorite Capra player on your own team? On someone else's team? Currently, our 1B, Ismael Maduro. All-time, his predecessor and Hall-of-Famer, Kip White. Elsewhere, I like to see players that we drafted and developed do well with other teams. 3. Biggest HBD blunder? Dropped out of the International Market a few seasons ago. When you pick near the end of the 1st round every season, that makes it hard to develop any prospects at all. Now we've got nothing in the system and time is about to run out on whatever run we've had going. 4. Y

Michael Dransfeldt Jacksonville, AR (AP) - "I'm taking my talents to Huntington." And, with that statement, Michael Dransfeldt became the second most hated man in Cleveland. Speaking at a press conference in his hometown, Dransfeldt stated that he felt that Cleveland was too cosmopolitan and snobbish for his tastes. "I hated that place, man. They were a bunch of snobs that never accepted me for who I am. I like to drink warm beer out of a can. I think it is more convenient to have my washing machine on the front porch. I don't even like to wear shoes during the offseason. Huntington seems more like my kind of town. Heck, it can't be that big, I'd never even heard of it." Cleveland owner and GM dcbove appeared dismayed about how the negotations had ended. "We had offered him a large extension last season and had a 5 year, $85 million deal on the table when he signed elsewhere. He just didn't want to come back." The Spiders will

Burnsy, owner of the Cinncinati Roses and reigning Capra champion, has 11 HBD seasons under his belt. In that short time, he's amassed an impressive .541 winning pct, to go with 5 division titles and 6 playoff appearances. He's been more than kind in volunteering to be our first owner to be interviewed. On to the questions! 1. What is your RL situation (age, location, family, career)? I'm 28, live in the NYC area, and work in the sports and entertainment field. 2. Favorite Capra player on your own team? On someone else's team? My favorite player on my team is probably Coco Hentgen. I had the first pick of the draft in my first year here, and I'm proud of my selection. He's a franchise player, and will be a star at 2B for quite some time. My favorite player on another team is Bruce Harper. He's been a beast his whole career, and I always love a good power hitter. Within my division, it's Alex Valdes. Whenever Mike gets sick of him, I'd be happy to t

Here are five guys with the nastiest stuff in CAPRA. Introducing the Top 5 Pitchers: 5.) Rick Christiansen, 33, Cleveland Spiders (4 Cy Youngs, 8 AS) - The guy just keeps winning and winning. Christiansen more than makes up for a pedestrian control rating with outstanding splits and solid pitches. 4.) Charlie Gulan, 25, Tampa Bay Hot Dogs (2 Cy Youngs, 2 AS) - Gulan combines excellent vR split with pin-point control. He's the ace of a dominating Tampa staff. What makes him even more valuable is his durability: He's already thrown over 240+ innings twice in his young career. 3.) Christian Grim, 34, Cincinnati Roses (2 Cy Youngs, 8 AS) - He basically single-handily won the world series last season for Cincy. When he's on, the "Grim Reaper" will absolutely shut down any offense. Excellent splits and control, plus four different pitches rated 61 or higher. 2.) Jose Sosa, 29, Anaheim Anteaters (1 Cy Young, 3 AS, RoY) - He has a 1.05 career WHIP and 2.76 career

Brett Tracy   7 Rick Christensen   6 Alexander Frye   4 Diego Ozuna   4 Joe Warden   3 Dennys Yamakazi   2 Antonio Martin   2 Rudy Ewing   2 Stevie Nevin   2 Livan Lee   2 Charles Jones   1 Ted Davis   1 Luis Herrera   1 Andy Cortes   1 Ron Quantrill   1 Junior Funaki   1 Charlie Gulan   1 Morgan Sierra   1 Kelly Grace   1 Christian Grim   1 Pascual Servet   1 Enos Garciaparra   1 Ariel Cortez   1 Shawn Morton   1 Lance Tatum   1 Dean Incaviglia   1 Patrick Erickson   1 Jesus Guerrero   1 Denny Martin   1

Rogers Glynn   10 Louie Hayes   6 Roger Scalici   6 Stan Lee   5 Juan Valentin   5 Delino Julio   4 Mikey Tatum   4 Al Perez   3 Dean Brennaman   3 Domingo Padilla   3 Don Barnes   3 Hong-Gu Hyun   3 Denny Cooper   3 Lonny Dali   3 Ernest Lamb   3

Rogers Glynn   14 Hal Randall   12 Mel Barfield   11 Al Perez   11 Wesley Smith   11 Domingo Padilla   11 Lonny Dali   10 Santos Flores   10 Stan Lee   9 Juan Valentin   9 Louie Hayes   9 Aurelio Astacio   8 Roger Scalici   8 Mikey Tatum   8 Lou Witt   8 Denny Cooper   8 Julio Iglesias   7 Torey Aparicio   7 Julio Johnson   7 Rudy Hayes   7 Ernest Lamb   7 Dmitri Stafford   7 Richard Young   6 Melvin Martin   6 Delino Julio   6 Hong-Gu Hyun   6 Frank Sellers   6 Russell Steinbach   6 Edgar Berroa   6 Walt Cashman   6 Don Barnes   5 Kelvim Woodard   5 Matty Estrada   5 Jose Sardinha   5 Deacon Phillips   5

Brett Tracy   303 Desi Martin   239 Ted Davis   223 Denny Martin   209 Kelly Grace   209 Ariel Cortez   205 Jesus Guerrero   202 Rick Christensen   200 Bryan Stocker   196 Diego Ozuna   196 Tom Hudler   195 Dennys Yamakazi   190 Karl Appier   188 Matty Bennett   184 Vance Spencer   183 Trenidad Espinosa   183 Craig Schwartz   182 Alexander Frye   182 Paul Hayashi   181 Charles Jones   180 Paul Martin   180 Livan Lee   178 Christian Grim   178 Luis Herrera   177 Ron Quantrill   176 Rafael Olivares   176 Vasco Almonte   175 Joe Warden   174 Andy Cortes   169 Enos Garciaparra   168 Pete Patrick   167 Tomas Barrios   166 Tito Martin   161 Walter O'Connor   157 Justin Shipley   157 Patrick Spencer   157 Paul Connelly   154 Chris Larkin   152 Alan Dorsey   150 Julius Edmonds   150 Don Chang   149 Kennie Hughes   146 Roy Brinkley   145 Moises Melendez   144 Bud Simpson   144 Jacob Wallace   143 Fernando Johnson   141 Jimmie Gutierrez   140 Lee Plunk   140 Marty Rodgers   139

Rogers Glynn   764 Darren Owens   764 Rudy Lombardi   724 Bruce Harper   679 Clinton Anderson   667 Damaso Colome   659 Pablo Vincente   632 Al Ontiveros   598 Darin McClellan   589 Roosevelt Davenport   586 Claude Long   562 Alberto Sosa   556 Carlos Pulido   524 Trenidad Prieto   521 Henry Menechino   521 Clyde Unroe   517 Desi Rodriguez   517 Alexander Henry   511 Bruce Kent   496 Al Maurer   485 Willie Bacsik   476 Diego Santana   475 Javier Leon   472 Tex Jordan   468 Moises Guzman   464 Stan Lee   462 Dan Donatello   460 Zachrey Grace   454 Tyler Buhner   439 Sean Montgomery   438 Carlos Medrano   436 Julio Martin   434 Michael Dransfeldt   426 Otis Watkins   421 Ralph Stanley   420 Ariel Rosario   418 Chuck Coleman   413 Kip White   412 Alex Guerrero   411 Justin Terry   409 Anthony Gipson   399 Hong-Gu Hyun   396 Walt Cashman   395 Ismael Maduro   394 Al Ordaz   394 Sean Burnett   392 Matt Kirkland   383 Thomas Simon   381 Hal Randall   379 Al Cedeno   371

Flashback to Season 17. The young, upstart Seattle Picards are facing the mighty Cleveland Spiders. Cleveland is heavily favored, but the Picards scratch and claw their way to a deciding game 7. It's the bottom of the 9th and the Spiders are up by three runs. Cleveland brings in their ace closer, Slash Clay, to slam the door. It looks apparent that Seattle's dream season will come up just short. The Picards manage to get two runners on base, but there are two outs now and the Picards are down to their last breath. Quiet, steady SS Willy O'Connor steps up to the plate. All he wants to do is just make contact with the ball. Then, Clay offers up one of his signature fastballs. Willy swings with all his might. CRACK!!! The ball flies off the bat into the Cleveland night sky. The Spider fans stare in disbelief. The Picards dugout erupts in joy. IT'S A HOMERUN!!! The normally subdued Seattle announcer/android/bat boy Data begins to scream, "I can't believe it! It'

The National League should be highly competitive this year. As the season gets ready to kick off, there are no clear "rebuilding" clubs and several teams are hovering around the .500 mark talent-wise. All this should make S21 a fun season, full of surprise dark horse teams and down-to-the-wire division races. However, expect defending champs Tampa Bay, Anaheim and Louisville to stay well above the pack and go deep into the playoffs. NL West Prediction: 1.) Anaheim Anteaters (100-62) 2.) Vancouver Maintaineers (90-72) 3.) St. Louis Archers (81-81) 4.) Seattle Picards (76-86) Anaheim should be able to coast to the division title again. Vancouver looks primed for another playoff run. Seattle and a quickly improving St. Louis squad will likely battle it out for 3rd place. NL South Prediction: 1.) Jacksonville Bulls (83-79) 2.) Little Rock Travelers (79-83) 3.) Florida SunRays (79-83) 4.) Huntington Honey Badgers (76-86) The NL South is a wide open division. Any one of the four te

Vancouver made significant financial commitments during the off season by signing pitchers R.J Gardner and Lon Lee and right fielder Ricardo Seanez to long term contracts. The continued emphasis is to keep talented farm products. The strength of the team is pitching. The challenge is for Hitting Coach Chad Reese to get more offensive production. If they can find 50 more runs scored in season 21, they will be poised to go deep in the playoffs. If not, they will be scratching for a wild card birth in a very completive NL West. Rotation The top four starters return, led by last year’s Cy Young candidate Jamie Bradley. His career record is 107-52. Gardner scored career bests in ERA and WHIP in season 20. Yorvit Molina had a rotation-best 1.13 WHIP. Lon Lee had 3.45 ERA as combination starter and reliever, expects to stay in the rotation. Lou O’Brien, the Über set up man, brings his .195 opponent average to the rotation. Bullpen This year’s pen i

Overview After missing the playoffs last season, Seattle made a flurry of trades as S21 kicked off. Whether the new personnel help the Picards close the gap against superior division rivals Vancouver and Anaheim remains to seen. Starting Pitching The rotation should be the strength of the team. With newly acquired Brandon Groom (1.31 WHIP with Jackson) and the debut of 20 year old uber-prospect Junior Hernandez, the Picards hope they have a formidable 1-2 punch to build their team around. Solid vets David Armas (8-5, 3.46 ERA), Junior Funaki (1.18 WHIP) and Denny Martin (16-8, 2.81 ERA) round out the rotation. Bullpen Unhappy with Slash Clay's inconsistencies (3-10, 34 saves), the Picards signed ex-Anteater Sid Watson (1.50 ERA, 40 saves) to try to nail down 9th inning duties. ROY Pat McCullough, Harry Hammond (1.22 WHIP), Rolando Diaz (1.24 WHIP) and Clay give the Picards plenty of late inning options to get the ball to Watson. Catcher long-time backstop Julio Concepcion (.319 avg

The Syracuse Sicilians returned to the playoffs last year, making that 4 appearances in 5 years (including 3 Divisional Championships) under the current GM. The Sicilians have perennially found their strength in pitching and defense, while they have struggled to find a consistent offense. In Year 19 they did show improvement at the plate, however, finishing 7th in the league in runs scored. This followed 4 years where they finished 14th, 14th, 12th and 14th in the same category. The Sicilian pitching staff stumbled slightly and gave up the 6th fewest runs in the league in Season 19. This followed 4 seasons where they were 3rd, 1st, 3rd, and 3rd in runs allowed. During the past 5 seasons the boys from Syracuse have flashed spectacular glove-work, finishing 1st, 2nd, 2nd, 3rd and 1st in fielding percentage. As a new Opening Day approaches Syracuse fans are optimistic that their teams pitching and defensive strengths will remain just that and that their offensive improvement will continue

A few days ago we were treated to mfahie's exhaustive recap of all the HOF candidates, including his comments on a crowded field of first basemen. Mfahie pointed out the merits of Henry Menechino, Trenidad Prieto, Alexander Henry, and - to a lesser degree - Don Wilson. He ranked them in that order, singling out Menechino as a top-tier candidate and designating Wilson as a borderline case and the 22nd most deserving candidate. Crickett13 subsequently responded with a spirited promotion of Don Wilson's candidacy and has garnered some support for Wilson in the World Chat. We'll try to compare each player's career here. In a crowded field with a number of worthy HOF contenders, it is likely that an owner's ballot might contain room for only one of these contenders. For counting stats, we'll compare per 600 plate appearance to try to smooth out some of the issues with playing time. And finally, we'll provide the stats for two other comparable candidates. Hen

After making their 3rd consecutive ALCS appearance, and celebrating 8 straight AL South division titles, Monterrey is back to compete for the title again. Monterrey said goodbye to two more of their longtime heroes, but hope with some new faces to make another deep run in the playoffs. Infield: Perennial All-Star Alfonso Cortez is back after signing a lucrative contract to anchor the Campéones infield. Vinny Holmes returns to man the hot corner. The right side of the infield is brand new, with defensive wizard Lance Plant at second, and rookie Juan Brogna at first. Veteran professional hitter Stan Lee will take time out from his budding career as a comic book artist to play some first base and help mentor Brogna. Ralph Daniels will hope to rebound from a very disappointing year last year, while Orlando Javier brings his stellar defensive skills and occasional pop back for another year. Ivan Soriano comes over from Madison to back up any and all positions. Javier Leon still owns a catch

The S19 Cleveland Spiders did what had previously seemed impossible and brought a World Series title to the much beleaguered city of Cleveland. The "Mistake by the Lake" is now - if only temporarily - "The Town with a Crown". After three World Series losses and four straight, unconsummated 105+ win seasons, the Spiders won 107 games and topped the Louisville Redbirds in a six-game series. The question now is: Can they repeat? Most of the World Series roster returns intact, but the payroll has dropped from $107 million to $93 million. Unlike last season, where a slow start and some defensive issues were handled by acquiring Yorvit Guiterrez, there is no money in the budget for a pricey mid-season acquisition. Some help exists in the minors, but this is a talented team of veterans with little depth and they'll only go as far as their health allows. Starting Rotation S19 Cy Young runner-up Rick Christensen won 21 games. The rotation continues to be anchored by