Capra Hardball Dynasty League

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...