Champions Series Interviews -- shucky

Wanted a softball on my first interview so I went with someone that I've played against in shucky - a championship winning owner here in Hunter. He turned in an engaging and entertaining interview.

The Basics:
Name: Mark

Age: 40

Where you live: I live in Katy, Texas, a suburb of Houston. I went to Texas A&M for undergrad and lived in Chicago for law school. Other than that, I've lived in an around Houston my entire life.

What do you do: I'm an attorney. Specifically, I'm an eminent domain lawyer. 

How many HBD titles (in Hunter/out of): 13 titles total. One in Hunter.

Favorite rivalry (in and out of Hunter): They are personal rivalries more than with any team. I started playing WIS at the urging of bjb (a good friend of mine) and started with our other good friend victorzhao. Always enjoy playing (and beating) those guys. Like I did for my title in Hunter. :)

Favorite player you've had: Domingo Toca in Riley. International prospect that signed on my way to the airport (still remember getting that message years ago). He ended up in the Top 5 overall in almost every hitting category, including both home runs and steals.

What are some of the strategies you use for team building: Nothing too unusual or exciting, really. Financial payroll and flexibility are really important, obviously. I try to adjust where I spend money based on the age and potential of a given team. So, for instance, I'm open to spending big on international players one season and, then, front-loading bonuses in another to try and free up money in the future.

Let's Go Deeper
One more quick HBD question: With regards to team building - do you favor any type of scouting for the amateur draft, and why?

I'm a bit lost on the amateur draft now, honestly. I kind of fly blind and hope for the best.

Being an eminent domain lawyer in Texas, given all the wall building talk, gives me lots of questions lol. Though with urban sprawl being what it is in Texas does a lot of your job involve more infrastructure projects than anything else?

My job is entirely driven by infrastructure. Roadways. Pipelines. Power lines. The Wall. It's a very fun and interesting practice. You get to do way more "traditional lawyer-type things" than almost any other non-criminal practice.

Being on the inside of so many different infrastructure projects, what are the things in the near future that you see that will make our daily lives easier/better? How do you see things changing post Covid-19, especially with regards to commuting daily?

I'm most interested to see how infrastructure needs could be impacted. Certainly, if the economy goes into a depression, the condemning entities may not have the funds to start as many projects. I think we'll certainly see that with oil and gas companies. Also, this could really impact how people work going forward. For instance, do a significant number of people continue working from home? If so, that could change the way we travel into work. Which could impact things like the need to widen/create roadways.

With the halting of sports because of Covid-19, how are you passing the time? Do you find yourself missing sports more or less than you thought? 

Sitting at home, like everyone else. Trying to maintain a semblance of a schedule. Honestly, I think I miss it less because baseball hadn't officially started and I'm not a huge NBA fan. Certainly, if this impacts the college football season, I'll be singing a much different tune. (Interviewer's note: I took a shower today and felt like I accomplished a lot).

As a Chicagoan, I'm always interested in hearing about people's time here in the city, especially when they're close to me in age -- where'd you go to law school, what neighborhood did you live in, any favorite places you used to frequent?

Went to the University of Chicago and lived in Hyde Park all three years. Loved the time there. Cliched answer, but my favorite place is Wrigley. My wife (a big Cubs fan) and I went to tons of games during law school and even made it back for a game during the 2016 WS.

What was it like being at Wrigley for those games, especially being able to be there with your wife as a big fan?

The WS game was as close to a major college football game atmosphere as you'll ever find at a baseball game. It really was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be there with my wife, who has loved the Cubs since she was a little girl watching Mark Grace on WGN. And, as a lifelong Cubs fan, she never really believed the day would come. Well worth the money we paid.

Did you play any sports growing up?

Lots of basketball and lots of tennis. Had some good on-court battles with bjb back in the day. Don't underestimate his post-up game.

If you had to compare bjb's post game to any player, who does he remind you of?

Think old guy at the Y in a young guy's body. Uses his body well. Good passer. Deceptive moves. And really competitive.

Thanks to shucky -- he was genuinely a game interviewee and it was fun catching up with someone I used to play with so long ago. One caveat to the interview is I now get to crash on his couch if I'm ever in Houston. I probably should have mentioned that before but...I'm sure he won't mind.