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 Christian Grim.
3. Biggest HBD blunder?
Biggest blunder: Chip Turner was one of my first big free agent signings (2yr, $28M) and one of my favorites. After Season 11, however, he was 34(?) and wanted a 3 year deal. In those days a signing team didn't have to give up a 1st round pick for a Type A free agent if they signed him after the initial free agent signing period. So, my plan was to let someone sign him and take the first round pick OR sign him towards the end of the signing period after his demands had dropped. I did neither. I messed up the timing, the signing period ended, and El Paso signed him for 2yr, $5M, and I lost Capra's first Hall of Famer.Other biggest blunder: Before season 11, all-time Capra wins leader and completely unlikeable Brett Tracy was traded to Jacksonville. Before that trade, I turned down an offer for Tracy where I would have given up (if I remember correctly) Odalis Leon, Tomas Pena, and Jose Trevino. Tracy won his final Cy Young in Season 12.
4. Your general HBD team building strategy?
Tough to say, but I do front load the heck out of everyone's contract. $10M signing bonuses and shifting the money toward the first couple of years of the contract. This isn't RL where the time value of money comes into play. Greatest/worst hbd moment?Finally winning the world series was great, but I think my favorite season was Season 12. The AL East used to be a really rough division where Boston and San Juan would each win 95+ games and lock up the division and one wildcard. The previous season I had traded a couple of prospects for 34 year old Trenidad Prieto. He and rookie Michael Dransfeldt led me to a 96-win season, a wild card and my first playoff birth.
5. If you could add/improve any feature to HBD, what would it be?
I wish the managing of your minors meant more. Arizona Fall League (or heck, winter leagues in the Caribbean and Hawaii!) where you could convert players to other positions and stuff? I wouldn't mind if you could manage your stadium and your television contracts and parking. Overkill, but I'd do it!
6. One interesting RL fact about yourself.
And applicable to baseball in some way, if only tangentially? I've won a bunch of Texas Hold 'Em tournaments of dubious legality in Albany. My favorite story is one where I was left at the final table of a particularly seedy tournament by a couple of friends that were Red Sox fans. They had been knocked out hours ago and wanted to go back to someone's house because Game 1 of the 2004 World Series was about to start. I won, made lots of people very unhappy, almost got my ass kicked and ran from the bar, all because of the damn Red Sox. Go Yankees!
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 Christian Grim.
3. Biggest HBD blunder?
Biggest blunder: Chip Turner was one of my first big free agent signings (2yr, $28M) and one of my favorites. After Season 11, however, he was 34(?) and wanted a 3 year deal. In those days a signing team didn't have to give up a 1st round pick for a Type A free agent if they signed him after the initial free agent signing period. So, my plan was to let someone sign him and take the first round pick OR sign him towards the end of the signing period after his demands had dropped. I did neither. I messed up the timing, the signing period ended, and El Paso signed him for 2yr, $5M, and I lost Capra's first Hall of Famer.Other biggest blunder: Before season 11, all-time Capra wins leader and completely unlikeable Brett Tracy was traded to Jacksonville. Before that trade, I turned down an offer for Tracy where I would have given up (if I remember correctly) Odalis Leon, Tomas Pena, and Jose Trevino. Tracy won his final Cy Young in Season 12.
4. Your general HBD team building strategy?
Tough to say, but I do front load the heck out of everyone's contract. $10M signing bonuses and shifting the money toward the first couple of years of the contract. This isn't RL where the time value of money comes into play. Greatest/worst hbd moment?Finally winning the world series was great, but I think my favorite season was Season 12. The AL East used to be a really rough division where Boston and San Juan would each win 95+ games and lock up the division and one wildcard. The previous season I had traded a couple of prospects for 34 year old Trenidad Prieto. He and rookie Michael Dransfeldt led me to a 96-win season, a wild card and my first playoff birth.
5. If you could add/improve any feature to HBD, what would it be?
I wish the managing of your minors meant more. Arizona Fall League (or heck, winter leagues in the Caribbean and Hawaii!) where you could convert players to other positions and stuff? I wouldn't mind if you could manage your stadium and your television contracts and parking. Overkill, but I'd do it!
6. One interesting RL fact about yourself.
And applicable to baseball in some way, if only tangentially? I've won a bunch of Texas Hold 'Em tournaments of dubious legality in Albany. My favorite story is one where I was left at the final table of a particularly seedy tournament by a couple of friends that were Red Sox fans. They had been knocked out hours ago and wanted to go back to someone's house because Game 1 of the 2004 World Series was about to start. I won, made lots of people very unhappy, almost got my ass kicked and ran from the bar, all because of the damn Red Sox. Go Yankees!
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