Meet Bigalric 2.0

S22 marks Big Al's 2nd season in Hunter

1. Why did you join Hunter?

1, Looked like a good group of owners and teams - and it is.

2. What is your favorite aspect of Hunter?

2. Stabilty, Good competition, absence of drama (most times)


MTO Follow-up?

Last year you reveal your favorite teams were: Boston Red Sox, Denver Broncos, Chicago Bulls, Montreal Canadiens which is quite a crazy mix. I'd love to know how you settled on each of those teams


Follow-up. See, I wasn't born or live in the USA or Canada (except for vacation). So there's no local or regional loyalty or family connection to any club or franchise or university. However I follow a lot of sports and admire great players like Larry Bird, John Elway, Michael Jordan, Patrick Roy and that way I kind of developed a bond to their respective teams. COMMISH EDIT: Now I need to know where you do live???? I'm sure everyone that read the above has the same thought

-----Original Message-----
From: jahu43
To: bigalric
Sent: 2/10/2012 8:52:00 AM
Subject: MTO v2

Going to be running somehting similar to last year to drive blog content.

Can you answer the following questions?

Meet Csherwood 2.0

S22 marks Csherwood's 2nd season in Hunter

1. Why did you join Hunter?

1. I joined Hunter because I saw how it was being ripped in the forums after the mess at the end of the prior offseason. I wanted the challenge again of turning around an unsuccessful franchise and found this team in it that had never made the playoffs. Also, I thought I was about to miss the MWR (Min. Win Requirement) in Moneyball and be booted out of it and did not want to be down to only one team. However, I somehow made the minimum wins and ended up sticking around in Moneyball also for one more season, until I missed it this year...by one game!

2. What is your favorite aspect of Hunter?

2. I think the best part of Hunter is the group of owners that have been assembled. This is best shown by how it probably set the record for biggest improvement ever in HBD in the length of times during one offseason to the next (COMMISH EDIT: If only Knine wasn't at an appointment when I sent the invite would have been able to push the button in under 12hrs). When it comes down to it, the strength of a world, in my opinion, should not be measured by the records of the teams but rather the quality, friendliness and competitiveness of the owners in the world.

MTO Follow-up?

We discussed the epic Moneyball run last year and you made another run this year coming down to game 162? How do you feel about the result?

3. Regarding the end of my Moneyball career, I quite honestly expected to get the boot last season but made that miracle run to stay alive. About 1/3 of the way into the season this year I was way off the pace to get the wins I needed to stick around and started selling...hoping to at least give the next owner something worthwhile to build on. Next thing I knew, I was a few days from the end of the season and in the running to qualify for another year. It came down to the last 3 games of the year, having to take 2 of 3 from a team behind me in the standings to survive...and I lost the first 2...of course winning the third to make my final win total exactly one game short. As I had given up on a shot of coming back much earlier in the year, I wasnt too upset about the loss. I inherited a team there that was full of veterans with very little farm system and once again ( as I did in my first Moneyball stint) made the mistake of spending too much on a few extra big league wins versus just crossing my fingers and hoping I could survive a few years with lower level talent while I restocked my farm.

I think it is a mental block I have when it comes to leagues with MWRs -- I get too worried about getting the wins and change my strategy for building a team. I compare Moneyball to my team in Mays where I didn't worry about minimum wins and built one of the weakest franchises there into a World Champion and one of the elite teams in the world right now.

Meet Timf 2.0

Why did you join Hunter

I joined Hunter at the start of my HBD experience. I chose this world because I was interested in competing against jahu who happens to be a close friend of mine (COMMISH EDIT: I regretably have to confirm this accusation) and he informed me that Hunter was a truly competitive world with lots of trade action. On both accounts, I agree 100% and couldn't be happier I chose Hunter.

What is your favorite aspect of Hunter?

My favorite aspect of Hunter is the trade market. This season we had 10 trades accepted on the first day which is unheard of in most other worlds. It is easy for a team trying to rebuild to acquire prospects and it is also easy for a team looking to add a couple veterans to do so. Every season I am impressed with the trades that are made in both volume and quality.

MTO Follow-up?

How does it feel to lose 4 straight World Series (Since I'm his buddy I can get away with asking this question)

Losing 4 straight WS is bittersweet to say the least. I have lost to great teams in the WS but also beaten great teams to get there. It would be nice to win one in this world as during this run of 4 straight losses I took one in Roy Hobbs. The feeling was great but it was lacking

Meet Dufferman 2.0

1. Why did you join Hunter?

I am one of the original Hunter owners. Basically, it was one of the open leagues back when HBD was getting started so I joined it. I've stayed because I like the 'dynasty' part of HBD; accumulating the stats, seeing players come and go and just managing the franchise. Also Hunter is a very good league and I've enjoyed being part of it. Finally, it took 17 seasons for the BayDogs to reach a level of semi-respectability so I had to stay until I could look on the franchise with a little pride. :-)

2. What is your favorite aspect of Hunter?


As I said, I think Hunter is a good competitive league, where everyone has a chance of winning, or at least competing. There are also some very dedicated owners that make things much more interesting. I do not know anyone personally, but some of the guys have been around a long time and I think that makes it a strong league. Also, jahu, the commish is doing a great job with this blog and in running the league. (COMMISH EDIT: I really do appreciate all the positive feedback, it makes it a little easier when I have to hunker down to do the power ranks) That is very important for league stability.

MTO Follow-up?

How did it feel when Rich Peters finally made the HOF?

I was happy when Rick Peters got in to the HOF. I had been campaigning for him for some time because of the 500+ home runs and the fact that he lost a season to injury in his prime. Due to Baltimore's poor records during his career , he did not get some of the publicity that others received, but I think he was definitley deserving. Reading what I just wrote, I need to remind myself that he is just a pretend player - get a little too involved sometimes. (COMMISH EDIT: As a guy who once wrote sonnets to Magglio Javier, there is no such thing as too involved ;)

-----Original Message-----
From: jahu43
To: dufferman
Sent: 2/3/2012 1:10:00 PM
Subject: MTO v2

Going to be running somehting similar to last year to drive blog content.

Can you answer the following questions?

Meet Hineiii 2.0

1. Why did you join Hunter?

I was recruited by the commish. Jahu and I went to battle many games vs. each other in the Stargell and then the Stargell @ Monument Park worlds. He sent a sitemail stating what he was attempting to do with the Hunter world and it made sense to come in and have some fun in a world that needed to make a turn around. Bottom line Jahu has done a great job as commish and the world is quickly becoming one of my favorites. (COMMISH EDIT: Ah shucks, I'm blushing) By the way I hold an 81-68 record vs. him. (COMMISH EDIT: Enjoy it now, remove bjb and his relatives very few owners can claim that)

2. What is your favorite aspect of Hunter?

When I first looked at the world, it was a lot of players that I haven’t played against. This was a good thing. New competition. Seeing more perspectives on how to run a team and new thought processes only makes you a better player.

Follow-up question?

How do you see two players on max deals playing out? (Earley & Santiago) Max deals depending on my overall strategy for my team can be a very necessary expense. I have run teams different ways. High payroll is one that I enjoy and can be seen on a few of my seven teams. I am not the best at developing players so I will gladly overpay for good players.
One note on that is I have only offered a max deal to a player right as free agency started once. For this guy: http://www.whatifsports.com/HBD/Pages/Popups/PlayerProfile.aspx?pid=711283 Look at his stats and you will understand. 292 wins in 12 seasons!!
All of my max deals have slowly moved up the salary scale as I was being out bid.
As far as the two guys that I now have max deals on in hunter…. SP are really easy to give up the cash. So Santiago was a no brainer. 95,94,88 control Vs. L Vs. R not much else needs to be said. Early was more a product of bidding war. I wanted his power in the middle of my lineup being in Philly, my line-up could get close to the Colorado Homerun numbers without the crazy ballpark effect. It felt like he was the last part of the puzzle (at least I hope) 76,78,85,95,91,84,77 are the power numbers 1-7. Adding that 95 rating could be huge, plus he is a career .285 hitter. It’s a gamble I was willing to take (with his age), in the hopes I can make it far in the post season for a couple of seasons.

Is the decision to base your team in Philly in multiple worlds a strategy decision for the ballpark or your undying love of all things Philly? (All of a sudden being a 76ers fan isn't so bad)

It’s all Philly. All but two of my teams are in Philly. Both because when I joined the Philly ballparks were already taken. Or they all would be. And yes the Sixers look ok, couldn’t beat the Heat, but I am actually watching some of the games now instead of just reading the Box scores and the recap.

Meet Rockydawg07 2.0

1. Why did you join Hunter?
I was new and this was the only world that would take a new guy. (COMMISH EDIT: Hunter has a long history of being new owner friendly at one point 22 of the 32 owners Hunter was their very first team)



2. What is your favorite aspect of Hunter?
The lack of drama that some other worlds deal with on a daily basis. Everyone is pretty respectful even when they disagree. Active trades and helpful owners. This was my first world and if it was not for the help I got I may have gave up after my first season...which would have made my wife happy.

MTO Follow-up?

Just how good did it feel to beat Radek during your WS run? (COMMISH EDIT: For the new guys Radek was a work class a$$hole who once quit when they changed FA rules so he couldn't resign his guys forever, we then allowed him back only to have him quit again because he didn't like how many HR Leppy's guys in Colorado was hitting)



To beat the legendary Radek who was a master at evaluating talent and the envy of all who had the honor of being in this world with one of the most humble, respected owners to ever grace us with his......WAIT...it felt awesome to crush his dreams!!!!! Yep buried his powerhouse with my little team of castoffs and misfits and crossdressers. Felt good...real good. So good I did not even mind getting whooped in the WS by a Canuck..eh (COMMISH EDIT: That was me :) )?

Meet Leppykahn 2.0

1. Why did you join Hunter? Or in your case what caused you to create Hunter? How did you hear about it? (COMMISH EDIT: Leppy was Hunter's original commish)

1. I heard about HBD while playing the college football sim. Was anxiously awaiting it's arrival. Wanted to create the first private world, so I gathered everyone who had been waiting as fast as I could. Of course, the great "Catfish" also required a league as tribute.

2. What is your favorite aspect of Hunter?

2. The competition.

Follow-up question to last year's MTO?

You mentioned guys you knew in real life had come and gone, which owners were they?

FU (COMMISH EDIT: I actually took the FU to mean #$% you, I thought Leppy had taken offense to my question, then it dawned on my FU stood for follow-up): I don't remember what their user names were, or even if it was this world they were in. Both people I personally brought to HBD were bad owners who never checked in .

Meet Pfontaine 2.0

Why Did you join Hunter?

1. I joined Hunter at the launch of HBD. I was trying to get in a private league and learn the game at the start. I ended up lucking out and joining a terrific world. (COMMISH EDIT: Pfontaine is a charter member of Hunter & the only owner of the only team to win the AL South other than my beloved Sluggers)



What is your favorite aspect of Hunter?
2. Hunter is my biggest challange. With so many good owners, and a very strong division rival in jahu, Hunter is always a tough nut. Most of my teams have been solid and competitive, but I haven't found the magic formula here yet. I'm going to continue trying.






Follow-up Question, Why do you keep employing Slugger greats? Bob Creek, now Ted Bolick, it's like Johnny Damon going to the Yankees
I admit, I do enjoy tweaking you with signing old Sluggers. Hopefully Ted can hit a GW HR against you this season. :)

Meet Randyrossrac 2.0

1. Why did you join Hunter?
I picked Hunter to apply because I liked Catfish Hunter growing up and it was 1st up on the classifieds. I was lucky enough to be allowed in as a newbie (COMMISH EDIT: Historically Hunter has been very friendly to new owners, at one point Hunter was more than half the owner's first team)



2. What is your favorite aspect of Hunter?
My favorite aspect is the fact that almost all owners are competitive and have pride in there franchises to try and have the best possible season. Tanking has not been a problem in my eyes as it has been in other worlds. When i was new and getting my feet wet I had mentors, with Jahu leading the way and showing me the ropes. (COMMISH EDIT: It's probably my fault it took till his 4th season to make the playoffs, if he hadn't listened to me it might have been Season 2) That is why Hunter is not afraid of new people coming in.






Last Year Randy mentioned he was a Professional Race Car driver, so I asked him for a quick synopisis of Baja Racing:
Baja Racing consist of all Desert Racing through out the Southwest Deserts. The most reconizable race around the world is the Baja 1000. It Starts in the streets of Ensenada,Baja Ca, Mexico and runs south 1100 miles to La Paz. I race purpose built tube chassis cars and Trucks the have 800 HP motors and upto 3 feet of up and down wheel travel ( your street car gets about 8" of wheel travel). It is the longest continuous race in the world taking upto 30 hours to complete. It is a adventure to say the least taking Months to prep for the race

Meet Stazrunner 2.0

Stazrunner is entering his 2nd season in Hunter and just missed the playoffs in S1.

1. Why did you join Hunter?

I was looking to add another team to the group i was managing

2. What is your favorite aspect of Hunter? (COMMISH EDIT: So that everyone knows I will be co-oping some of these answers to use for future recuirting. if that is problematic for anyone please advise)

I like how involved the owners are. also enjoy how there is not much bickering like there seems to be in every other league also a big fan of the blogs.

Follow-up question to last year's MTO? Where does Staz call home?

Complicated answer. I currently live in maasechusetts. That is only because the military moved me here. I got a stateside deployment to mass but i come from portland maine area.

Power Ranks (1-5)

5. Louisville- The Sluggers lost a few key players to FA (Bolick, P. Earley & J. LaRocca) however knowing the organization well an internal replacement for LaRocca was readily available & a good player was ready to step in for P. Earley. The 1b spot was a bit of a black hole that was address by signing R. Boyd in FA. This team is probably 3% worse than last year, but is very happy to see DJ move to the NL after ending our season early the last two years.

4. Los Angelos- The top team in the NL clocks in at #4 on the list, I keep waiting for an NL team to win the WS and stuff it in my face but I've been waiting six seasons. This year LA is the team best suited to do that. They signed 5 FA in the off-season most just plugged holes and improved the bench. The biggest signing was J. Diaz, a SP that screamed sub-4 ERA for his career however boosts a 4.4 ERA, he's like a sieren calling the Baja Racers to the rocks.

3. Washington- Was busy filling in organizational holes during FA signing: D. Aguilar SP, C. Livingstone CF, J. Lorenzo-SS, C. Serra-P, & M. Jacquez- RP. However, they were plugged well as most of the signings were above average for their position. Last year I motivated Wash by putting them too low one time. Hopefully putting them at 3, I will avoid that this season.

2. Kansas City- Was the busiest team in theFA off-season last year and was one of the quietest this season. Instead he made his noise in the trade market adding former Cy Young and future HOF Bob Creek, former MVP Hugh Schmidt, B. Fracno (3.88 ERA), G. Gordon the one inning wiz (2.73 ERA) These improvements and D. Reyes leaving SF makes the AL West race very interesting.


1. San Fransico- His only FA addition was D. Giuel who is nothing to write home about (.769 OPS @ 1b). Via the trade route the only players added that will play a role this year is Long Reliever Ray Wise & J. Perez in RF. There were several SF defections perhaps none more notable than D. Reyes who jumped ship for a max deal in Huntington. With the above said you would have expected to see SF lower in the rankings, that is if you didn't understand that SF boasts one of the deepest farm systems in the world and just swept the playoffs last season. I have not doubt SF will be able to re-load from within and do a damn good job defending their title.


All of the above said SF has one of the deepest farms in the world and swept the playoffs last season. Despite losing their ace this team is talented enought to stay in the #1 spot.

Meet Djbradford

Dj has been with Hunter since S3, making him the longest serving member that wasn't part of Season 1 (we still have a few charter guys sticking around, pfontaine, myself, leppy, Duff, Dizz, Bjb & Lets_Try.......kind of)

Name/Family Status: David, married with two children: BJB2378 is the oldest
Age: 59
Job: Attorney
Favorite HBD Moment: Season 14, hunter, coming back from 3 game to none to win the world series against salt lake (COMMISH EDIT: I'm willing to be bet that if we asked Shmish this would double as his least favorite moment)

Favorite Sports teams: Chicago white sox

Meet Bigtex1

This year is BigTex1 2nd year in Hunter. He joined as part of a world swap with Hunter along with his brother Redraider who decided to leave HBD.

Name: Frank -married

Age: 41yo

Job: Construction superintendent

HBD Highlight: Made the playoffs for the first time in my 8th season

Favorite Team: I bleed maze and blue Michigan Wolverines football COMMISH EDIT: Given his name I figured he'd say Hookem Horns

Power Ranks (6-10)- Early Season

Below is the first installment of the Power Ranks

10. Columbus- Finished 75-87 last season. Of the teams in the power ranks Columbus posted the worst record at the end of season 21. Columbos had limited FA departures with the biggest being the loss of V. Hara to Jacksonville in the NL. Hara was a solid inning eating reliever, however lacked the elite skills that would make him difficult to replace. The big off-season acquistion for the Blue Claws came via the trade route, picking up Stevie Flaherty a pitcher with top of the rotation skills from Louisville along with two ML caliber prospects. For the package of three players the Blue Claws sent Uber-prospect Fred Hayes to the Sluggers. Hopefully the addition of Flaherty fills the SP hole that Toni has been searching for, over the last few seasons.

9. Philadelphia- Finished 85-77 last season. I don't care what Hineiii says in the world chat, I can't let it affect the integrity of the power rankings. So once again you've touched with the "Canadian Curse", does anyone else think that sounds like a "sex move"? Philly only had limited losses in the off-season. The departures were all marginal bench players. The team was able to add some significant punch to the line-up via FA. Last year Hineiii made a splash giving R. Santiago a MAX contract, this year he did the same with a hitter: P. Earley (despite the commish forbidding him to do so). In addition to 5-time Silver Slugger Earley, he added slugging OF Blake Dirks coming off a 47HR season. In consecutive off-seasons Hineiii has added the best pitcher available & now added arguably the best hitter available.

8. Minnesota- Finished 89-73 last season just missed the playoffs. No significant pieces left following the season. In the off-season, Minny was busy signing H. Sanchez as a new DH, he offers high OBP with a little bit of pop. They also signed of Eric Dillon improvingtheir CF position, Dillon has great speed (Hunter record holder for steals), good defense and murders LHP. Unfortunately, Dillon does have one major flaw (33 vs. RHP), with this flaw Staz paid a hefty price in terms of contract and Type A compensation (mitigated a bit by the next signing). While there was some arguement as to who was better E. Fernadez or P. Earley there is no argument that those two hitters were clearly the best in the FA market. With a 3 year average of 42HR 133RBI & .970 OPS, the addition of E. Fernadez adds significant teeth to an already good team.


7. Las Vegas- Finished 90-72 last season. Iain joined the world mid-season last year as a replacement owner so this off-season was the first time he was able to really put his stamp on the team. The Sinatras had 5 ML players depart however looking at the player list, it was mostly Iain cutting bait with players that either wanted too much or returned significant compensation. Tim Farley was likely the biggest departure but was likely asking for an oversized contract based on his 77 overall. He was eventually scooped out of the bargin bin by Knine in Jacksonville, which netted LV a couple comp picks. This write-up will get super long if I summarize ALL of the players LV added in the off-season but here is a basic summary Iain added: Three quality RP, two new C, a new SS, a new LF & slugging 3b E. Alacorn while barely touching his ML roster. Needless to say this team should improve on their 90 wins

6. Little Rock- The Buffalo Bills finished 108-54 last season, I mean the Renegades. As we all know Little Rock made the WS for the 4th consecutive year. This ties a record set by the Louisville Sluggers in S9-12 (2 Titles), unfortunately for Little Rock they have zero titles to show for it. In the off-season Little Rock took a step back, trying to semi-retool while trying to stay competitively. The trades made this off-season just cut into the organization's depth & the farm is bare. This could be the Renegades last stand before a Cincy(NB) like tear down. All told 6 vets were sent out the door via trade with only one impact player coming back (V. Kraemer). This is still a strong team, but don't expect them to lead the league in wins like they have for the last few seasons

HOF Voting Results- S22

Posting results here to keep a record for next season. Based on the votes E. Gonzalez, P. Chaves & R. Brito stay on the ballot to be joined by qty (4) new candidates next year. E. Molina is dropped from the ballot for not recieving 10 votes.

Player Frn Pos Votes
Garrett Biggio JAX LF 89 27
Braden Cox PAW 1B 82 22
Yamid Molina NO LF 83 21
Eduardo Gonzalez KC RF 86 16
Pablo Chavez CLB CF 77 11
Rodrigo Brito RIC 3B 84 11
Erubiel Molina PHI DH 95 9
Matty Garces NY2 RF 79 5
Lonny Iglesias COL LF 76 4
Vance Davidson COL P 89 2
Sammy Moraga NO C 77 1
Pedro Torrealba JAX LF 81 1
J.R. Alston OMA 1B 83 1

Meet The_Rock

Season 22 marks the 3rd season in Hunter for The_Rock with two playoff appearances already under his belt.





Name/Family Status: Kelly - married, I have 2 boys, 5 and 3

Age: 34

Job: Teacher, High School Football Coach

Favorite HBD Moment: Well, I really enjoy HBD, but I can't say I have a favorite moment. I have played for a WIS title 2 times and both times was beaten, so that might be my best moment. I guess in the world, Bigs I had one of my players elected to the HOF (Osvaldo Johnson)

Favorite Sports teams: I like the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Mariners, I like the Washington Huskies

Meet Dcinto

Season 22 marks Dcinto's 2nd year in the league. Moving from the NL to the AL, he's quickly put his stamp on the original NB Yorkies pushing the team into full rebuilding mode.


Name/Family Status: Dave - Married - Two kids - 12/8
Age: 46
Job: Canada Country HR Mgr for Cisco Systems
Favorite HBD Moment: after losing in the playoffs with cant miss teams - won a WS with a really under par team -not quite sweet enough to make up for the losses but felt good.

Favorite Sports teams: Leafs (unfortunately) COMMISH EDIT: Yes, this is very unfortunate, however it looks like us Canadians are pushing closer to 50% of the league, Steelers, Blue Jays - from Toronto, aligning with Toronto teams a genetic defect......

Meet Knine

When Knine reached out to me it was a blast from the past, as we had played against each other several years back in Hoops Dynasty. Knine brings a hugely successful record with him to Hunter, 4583-3031 (.602) & 4 World Series championships

Name/Family Status: Hayes, married, 1 son
Location: Cincinnati
Age: 52
Job: Purchasing Manager, it is enjoyable to spend other people's money all day.
Favorite HBD Moment: Winning 1st WS title in Harold Reynolds world.
Favorite HBD Player: Carlos Belliard (Cochrane World), SP, 86-34, and the bullpen's probably blown 20 more for him. Just plain awesome.
Favorite Sports teams: Green Bay Packers, even when they were terrible, which was a lot of years. Texas Rangers, even when they were terrible, which was a lot of years. Ottawa Senators, will always blame Jacques Martin for the Sens not winning a cup. (COMMISH EDIT: Very very strange combo of teams living in Cincy?? Specifically the Sens. As a Canuck I very much approve of the hockey love though).

Season Outlook:
I honestly don't know how my team will do this season since I'm they new guy here and don't know the other teams in my division and league at all. I,m not sure how my team won 65 last season, but have 22 guys that weren't here last season, and do feel the bats and bullpen are better now. Starting pitching, that's a different story, which could make for a long season. I'm hopeful for 75 wins.

Meet the Owner: Aaronwayne

After a 1 year hiatus Aaronwayne rejoins us taking back over his old team in the AL South.

Aaronwayne had spent 4 previous seasons in Hunter, turning around a troubled franchse that managed only 52 wins in his first season. By season 3 & 4 of his tenure he posted back to back 80+ win seasons (83, 80).

I am glad to see Aaronwayne back, not so happy about him toughening the AL South. Aaron if you just remember the divison title belongs to the Louisville Sluggers we'll get along fine.


Name: Aaron, married w/2 boys, ages 8 & 6
Home: Columbia, MO
Age: 39
Job: agriculture research (water quality)/farmer
Favorite Player: http://www.whatifsports.com/HBD/Pages/Popups/PlayerProfile.aspx?pid=3241024
Favorite HBD Moment winning 99 games and making to the WS in hardball's season 10 (1st playoff trip ever)
Favorite Teams: die hard Cardinals fan & a fan of all things Mizzou

HOF- S22

By my count there are 16-20 guys on the ballot that could be considered for the HOF. If we all vote independently no one will get in, as a result I ask that everyone constrain their voting to the 7 players listed below. Please decided if you feel they are HOF or not. I have outlined my ballot below (I will be voting for 4 of the 7, you may choose to vote for 5 or none)

There are MORE deserving players than the 7 below however these guys will disappear from the ballot, so we need to clear the backlog. To put the effect of a “splintered vote into perspective”, two seasons ago before everyone started voting together Garret Biggio a CF with 3063 hits, 636HR & 2084 RBI did NOT get in season. Let’s clean up this first 7 and we’ll move to the next batch next year.

To make it easier I have added a note next to 7 guys in the voting screen to show who we are limiting it to. Last year 2 of the 7 listed gained entry to the HOF (R. Peters & K. Coleman), 1 stay on the ballot for getting more than 10 votes (E. Molina) and 3 have been dropped from the ballot (L. Igelias, A.Wright & S. Owen)& D. Miller eligibility has expired

So I have added 6 guys to E.Molina for this year. Garret Biggio, Y.Molina, B. Cox, R. Brito & E. Gonzalez and P. Chavez

I have put the guys in the order I will be voting for them and who will be getting HOF votes. Last year I voted for 4, this year I will be voting for the MAX 5 listed in order below.

1. Garret Biggio- Absolute lock for the HOF, he is the Hunter Record holder in: Runs, Runs batted in and hits. He's the only man in Hunter history to crack 3000 hits (3063). There are several more key statistical categories where Biggio sits in the top 5 including HR. Most impressive though is he acheived all of the above playing a "premium" position: CF. I won't go on much longer I think everyone agrees he's in.

2. Y. Molina- With 684, he's 2nd in career HR, 3rd in RBI and top 5 in several other world records. Probably as important as the stats above he was the best player on a WS winner. Molina in his prime wasn't a side piece, he was a centerpiece type player on WS contenders. The one flaw to his resume is a starling lack of hardware. He had a 78HR & 164RBI season and somehow didn't win the MVP and actually didn't even win RF silver slugger. Looking at his numbers from his prime there are several MVP caliber seasons.

3. E. Gonzalez- I make this argument every year, if we don't want a HOF full of 1b/Lf/RF we have to start voting in some skilled positions. Mendy Clemens is the only 2b in the HOF, Biggio will be the first CF & E. Gonzalez deserves to be the first SS. In the history of Hunter E. Gonzalez probably held the title for best SS for six to nine seasons. At a premium position that is worth a trip to the hall. Add on the following numbers. 1500+ runs 445 HR 1600+ RBI .501 Slugging, those stats would be impressive for a career at 1b, at SS they are ridiculous.

4. P Chavez- It would be fitting of Pablo Chavez went into the HOF the same year as G. Biggio as he played in his shadow for most of his career. Chavez was the 2nd best CF in Hunter for 10 seasons. Unfortunately for him Biggio could be argued as the best Hunter player ever regardless of position. He just happened to play the same one as Chavez. He was a multi-time all-star and a multi-time silver slugger in CF and also picked up two World Series rings. In his prime Chavez was a legit CF, not just a LF masquerading as a CF to get an extra bat in the line-up. He ended up with 515HR, you get to 500HR with CF as your primary position you get in the hall

5. B. Cox- I know I busted Beermans's balls last year after the HOF voting when he couldn't figure out why Cox didn't make the HOF. It became clear my old college buddy hadn't read the world chat or the blog post for HOF voting procedure, I hadn't put Mr. Cox on the ballot. Well Al, your in luck this year as Cox will get his chance. 1500+ Runs, 579HR, 1685RBI. I don't really have to go much further than that for why Cox should join the Hall but I will. He picked up 1 MVP award, and likely could have 2-3 sitting on his Mantle if his prime wasn't eclisped by HOF Magglio Javier and his 5 MVPS. If I remember correctly I believe Cox was a runner up to Maggs twice. Any player who had a multiple season stretch where he was in the discussion as the "BEST" player in the league deserves entry into the HOF. If facts and good arguments don't get you to vote for him. How about a frivilous one? Braden Cox was the only player to have two Hunter owners call him their favorite (Beerman & Lets_try). So I know he'd up to atleast three votes right there (mine plus two)




6. R. Brito- While 3b isn't as difficult to find at 2b, SS or CF. Brito should get bonus points for fielding a position much more difficult than 1b,LF or RF. Brito is one of the few HOF candidates who was a gold glover (3x) as well as a silver slugger (3x). He also picked up Seven All-Star appearances for his career. He ended up 30HR short of 500. In his prime he was a plus defender and a plus bat at a semi-premimum position. I think if we didn't have the backlog we currently have Brito would end up getting in but he's got a tough row to hoe with all the deserving candidates


7.E. Molina (Great all-around hitter, lacked the power to put up the gawdy stats, think Paul Molitor except could actually field a position)

Pittsburgh Studdabubbas S21 Wrap-Up

Hunter's 21st season will long be remembered in Pittsburgh as the season that David Trinidad ruined everything.

The Studdabubbas were holding their own early in the season with a 34-25 record. The pitching was, of course, lousy but the hitting was hot. The Studdabubbas decided to add a little more pop to their lineup by making a play for 34-year-old David Trinidad. The Bubbas gave up SS Frank Turner and LF Tony Grove, who weren't really in the long range plans, so it seemed like a smart move. Trinidad is a 6 time All Star, has hit over 500 homeruns, and has a .924 career OPS. Granted, he was getting older but he had to be an improvement, right?

Not right. Trinidad had his worst season ever. He hit .223 and just 10 homers in his 99 games with Pittsburgh. But, if that wasn't bad enough, the entire club fell apart. From that point on, the Studdabubbas went 47-56, finished with a .500 record and 4 games short of a wildcard spot.

OK. Trinidad probably isn't the real reason things went south. Pittsburgh also had several injuries to their already poor pitching staff and some of the hitters who performed well last season didn't this season. Darron Stoddard dropped 50 points from last season's batting average. Charlie Carson's slugging percentage dropped 40 points. Jimmie Henriquez's average dipped from .356 to .231. Hopefully, these guys can bounce back next season.

One player who continues to perform is Matt Buchanan. The 24-year-old first baseman hit .318, 50 homers and had a 1.053 OPS. He was one vote short of tying for the NL MVP award. Things may have been different had Studdabubbas management remembered to turn in their votes. Oops.

Season 22 should be a true disaster. Pittsburgh has been stockpiling some young pitching but they aren't quite ready for the bigs. But a lot of the pitchers they have now are getting old and will probably be moving on. Free agency is probably out of the question because Pittsburgh is notoriously stingy and good pitchers don't exactly come cheap in this world. Here's hoping the young pitching will be ripe before the hitting begins to rot.