Spotlight on Perjured

The Spotlight series will take a look at the career of each active manager in the league.

Perjured (Tim Weyel) aka 8 More Outs, Raging Roids, Raging Bull#$%^, Roidian Slip, Juiced and last but not least "Statman".

Tim is a charter member of Hardball Heaven and has been very influential in making the league a cut above the rest. His efforts early on with keeping the stats for the league was a labor of love that was unique to our league. Since those early years I am convinced Yahoo saw the value added benefit of keeping league stats from year to year and copied Tim's idea. Tim has also helps maintain the Hardball Heaven website.

Tim hails from Santa Barbara, Ca where he lives with his wife and family. He is a program development specialist.

An active participant in softball leagues, Tim has never outgrown the sport he loves. He is an avid fan of the San Francisco Giants and his favorite all-time player is (in his own words) Barry "Roid" Bonds.

Aside from being an integral part of the foundation of Hardball Heaven, Tim has also represented well on the field. He sits #3 on the all-time wins list and sports a winning % just under .500. Below is a look at his career results thus far.

Year	Playoff	Reg Sea	Wins	Loss	Tie	%	GB	Moves
2003	10	11	107	134	11	0.446	43	35
2004	9	9	113	131	20	0.466	39	68
2005	6	4	126	115	23	0.521	14.5	45
2006	2	6	122	120	22	0.504	24	36
2007	8	8	122	127	15	0.491	34	43
2008	3	3	132	102	30	0.557	11	40
		6	722	729	121	0.498

2006 was the highpoint for the team as it made it all the way to the Championship game after squeaking in at #6 for the regular season before losing to Baseman.

A look at his H-2-H results shows somewhat inconsistent trends as he has a definite advantage over some teams, fairly even against some, and totally inept against others.

W=Wins against listed team

	W	L	T	PF	PA
REDS	7	1	0	62	26
Ageless	7	5	0	68	60
Utica	6	4	2	77	61
Baseman	5	5	0	53	59
Halfway	5	7	0	64	70
Eagles	4	4	0	49	43
Plasmatics	4	4	0	49	42
Stars	4	5	1	47	64
Champions	4	6	2	59	71
Angels	3	2	1	36	30
Hitters	3	9	0	60	70
Zonk	2	2	0	25	17
Squirrels	2	7	1	42	69
BYKGiambi	1	1	0	10	11
Panties	1	2	1	21	24
fried bread	0	1	1	0	12
	58	65	9	722	729

*Denotes teams that have played under more than one name.

Tim is constantly looking for a winning identity and is convinced each new year will be the year. He is the consummate competitor and, regardless of his own personal results, the road to the championship almost always must run through him.

2009 will bring a new team name, and a renewed determination to claim the title.

Randy

Spotlight on Ageless One

The Spotlight series will take a look at the career of each active manager in the league.

Ageless One (Mike Jones) aka Ageless Braves is a charter member of Hardball Heaven having joined in 2003. A true fantasy fanatic that participates in many leagues, he still places Hardball Heaven at the top of his list of "leagues to do well in".

Mike is a professional bachelor and works in recreational vehicle supply. Though single he is considered an integral part of Hardballer's family as both a neighbor and family friend. His Christmas gift to Hardballer this year has provided inspiration to award league trophies each and every year.

A diehard Braves fan, Ageless's early rosters used to reflect just how deep that loyalty was. Always among the league leaders in SB is it any surprise that his favorite all-time player is the fleet-footed Lou Brock?

Often on the losing end of pre-season predictions and Swami weekly predictions his carreer stats say something completely different as he is one of only 5 managers to be at .500 or better carreer winning % in Hardball Heaven! He is also the 2nd winningest manager in Hardball Heaven history!

Just look at his career season stats.

Year	Playoff	Reg Sea	W	L	T	%	GB	Moves
2003	6	5	122	111	19	0.522	24	25
2004	5	3	132	111	21	0.540	19.5	12
2005	8	12	91	157	16	0.375	53	24
2006	9	8	120	120	24	0.500	25	19
2007	4	3	134	108	22	0.549	18.5	29
2008	2	4	126	118	20	0.515	22	45
		6	725	725	122	0.500

2008 was definetely a high point for Ageless as he made it all the way to the Championship game before finally succumbing to Plaz. His H-2-H totals almost mirror his .500 winning ways. It is noteworthy that last years final against Plaz was apparently no fluke as he has a terrible record against him.

W=Wins against listed team

Team	W	L	T	PF	PA
Champions	6	4	2	75	57
Hitters*	6	6	0	69	65
Halfway	6	6	0	65	74
Squirrels	5	4	1	64	47
Utica*	5	7	0	72	63
Perjured*	5	7	0	60	68
Stars	4	4	2	51	60
Eagles*	4	4	0	36	46
Panties	3	0	1	30	16
Angels	3	2	1	35	33
REDS	3	3	2	42	50
Baseman	3	6	1	48	48
BYKGiambi	2	0	0	13	9
Zonk	2	2	0	20	25
fried bread	1	1	0	11	12
Plasmatics*	1	5	2	34	52
	59	61	12	725	725

*-Denotes teams that have played under more than one name

Ageless may have finally silenced the naysayers after his tremendous finish last season. One thing is for sure, his record definitely indicates that he is just as likely to win each week as he is to lose. Can he climb the final rung to the pinnacle of Hardball Heaven? I, for one, will not be betting against him.

Randy

Spotlight on Halfway Hardballers

The Spotlight series will take a look at the career of each active manager in the league.

Halfway Hardballers (Randy Stovall) aka "The Commish" is Commissioner and co-founder of Hardball Heaven. Along with fellow fantasy baseball lover Tommy (Hitters) Coleman, he was getting tired of playing in leagues plagued with dead teams, stupid trades and managers of questionable commitment and ability. In 2003 he and Tommy set out to create a different kind of league. One with dedicated, knowledgeable managers that played to win to the bitter end. Hardball Heaven is the result of that effort.

As the name implies Hardballer lives in Halfway, Ky (Yes it is on the map). Retiring from retail management in 1998, he is the 911 communications coordinator for the county and performs other duties for the city of Scottsville. He is married and has 3 children. 1 - 28 year old son (autistic) 1 - 23 yr old daugher (graduated from Georgetown and currently attending Asbury Seminary College), and 1 - 17 yr old daughter a junior in high school (and also a starting C/OF for the high school softball team). His favorite team is the Atlanta Braves and his favorite all-time player is the great Bob Gibson.

Hardballers has the distinction of being the winningest manager in Hardball Heaven history with 787 ! His is also the only manager to have repeated as regular season champion having accomplished the feat in 2006 and again in 2008. Despite the regular season success he has only managed to break in to the top 3 twice in the playoffs.

A look at his carreer demonstrates the learning curve he has experienced with the league.

Year	Playoff	Reg Sea	W	L	T	%	GB	Moves
2003	7	7	110	124	18	0.472	36.5	27
2004	3	4	131	114	19	0.532	21.5	38
2005	7	10	119	130	15	0.479	25.5	24
2006	3	1	148	98	18	0.595		28
2007	5	5	132	114	18	0.534	22.5	39
2008	4	1	147	95	22	0.598		46
			787	675	110	0.538

A hard-boiled competitor, Hardballers plays it one week at a time. His desire to win every category, every week, against every team is evident as a look at his H-2-H results shows consistent success against almost every team, especially the major contenders.

W=Wins against listed team

Team	W	L	T	PF	PA
Eagles*	7	1	0	50	38
Perjured*	7	5	0	70	64
Hitters*	6	4	2	77	55
Utica*	6	4	2	68	53
Basman	6	4	0	57	46
Ageless*	6	6	0	74	65
Plasmatics*	5	3	0	51	39
Stars	5	4	1	59	52
REDS	4	3	1	51	41
Squirrels	4	5	1	64	52
Champions	4	5	3	63	66
Angels	3	1	2	42	27
Panties	3	1	0	30	16
Zonk	1	2	1	20	26
BYKCGiambi	0	2	0	6	17
fried bread	0	2	0	5	18
	67	52	13	787	675

*-Denotes teams that have played under more than one name

Having never won the championship in the league he helped conceive, he continues to set his sights on the ultimate prize. No doubt he has established himself as a force to be dealt with each season. Will 2009 finally be the year???

Randy Stovall

It's Been a Long Winter!

Ok all you fantasy guru's of Hardball Heaven, what do you say we meet up in AZ or FL for some spring training right around the corner! Well, yes that is a fantasy, but one can dream. Speaking of dreams for this wonderful league that is going into its 7th.......count 'em' 1,2,3,4,5, 6, and now 7th season, it is time to up the ante for this league. This year a trophy/trophies will be involved to celebrate our victors for the regular season and playoff winner/s. Ageless (Mike) did a very nice gesture for Randy this past Christmas and awarded him with a trophy for winning the league last season. What a guy! This should now be an annual award to our winners. It would be nice for all past champions to have one as well, so I would like to take this upon myself to do so. This would be for regular season and playoff winners. This dream can easily come to fruition. Another would be for all of us to meet up for a live draft. Now that may be only a pipe dream, but why not put it out there.

Now, are we ready for some baseball. You all better be as Baseman has never put more time into a strategy than this season. No further details on that though, but I WILL BE READY!
BASEMAN

Plaz's A-Roid No More

The spotlight on Plaz and the other players were really fun to read. I had no idea I was doing that well in this tough as nails league. Repeating as champion will be like moving a mountain with my bare hands...almost impossible. HH is a compilation of some of the toughest managers and nicest guys I know in cyberspace. Nevertheless, I will at least set out to make winning the HH title difficult for everyone else. Thankyou Randy for creating this interesting blog.

Now, onto A-Roid. Mentioned in my spotlight was the fact that A-Rod was my favorite player in 2004. He certainly was, until about 2005 when I could see that his ego was getting the best of him. After reading his latest admission that he took steroids, he is now maybe a couple players above my least favorite player, Barry Bonds.

That's the thing about professional sports in America...they're all payed too much. The stakes are so high that the players become virtually inhuman and are forced to do things they regret. Do they really deserve that kind of money for what they do? Who really needs 55 Hr's from a player? Well, maybe if he's on my fantasy team, but baseball was great way back when the highest paid player made about as much as a gifted doctor and the game was about the fundamentals, not showcasing these inflated egos and getting your name in the gossip columns.

A-Roid is a sham, but he did what I think alot of people might have done in the same circumstance. Still, that doesn't make it right. I don't know why these guys don't come clean right away. He looks so stupid right about and he's hurting the quality of the game.

For the record, Chase Utley is far and away my favorite player with Prince Fielder in second. I guess you known who I'll be chasing in the draft. :)

More Juice!!!!

I guess we can add A-Rod to the list of chemically enhanced stat collectors. Surely this will turn out to be an early experiment that ended when things started becoming public.

Does not this tend to reflect what we are seeing throughout our country right now? People doing WHATEVER it takes to enhance their own value. Greed, not integrity, seems to have become the virtue of choice the last several years.

For A-Rods sake I hope this was a very temporary experiment before the league started laying down the law. If not I see more *asterisks* going into the record books. Maybe we need to take some bailout money to construct an annex to Cooperstown for the "enhanced" performers.

I am sick of this junk.

Hardballers

Spotlight on Plasmatics

The Spotlight series will take a look at the career of each active manager in the league.

Plasmatics, (Peter Alden),aka "Swami", affectionately referred to as "Plaz" was a last minute entry into the league our inaugural season. He along with Baseman were in search of a fantasy league of serious fantasy afficianados that could match their level of enthusiasm for the game. Hardball Heaven did not dissappoint and neither has Plaz as he has established himself as one of the bedrocks of the league.

While his hometown is Fairbanks, Alaska, Plaz has been teaching in Hsinchu, Taiwan since 2003. Occaionally plagued with internet availability issues, Plaz still manages to stay abreast of the sport he loves. He is a naturalist and enjoys running.

Plaz is a semi-regular fan of the Seattle Mariners and his favortie player is future Hall-of Famer Alex "A-Rod" Rodriquez.

Plaz became the 4th champion of Hardball Heaven in 2008 after finishing the regular season in 2nd place. After his worst finish in 2004, Plaz took a 2 year hiatus in '05 and '06 which led to a rejuvenated return in 2007 where he finished 3rd in the playoffs. With only 4 seasons in the league Plaz sports the 2nd highest winning % with .542!

A look at Plaz's carrer demonstrates the consistency of success that he has enjoyed in the league.

Year	Playoff	Reg Sea	Win	Loss	Tie	%	GB	Moves
2003	2	4	127	106	19	0.542	19	35
2004	8	7	120	122	22	0.496	31	40
2007	3	4	135	112	17	0.544	20	97
2008	1	2	140	101	23	0.574	6.5	72
			522	441	81	0.542

As you can see, with the exception of 2004 Plaz has always found himself at the top of the league. A look at his H-2-H record reveals why as only 2 active managers have a winning record against him.

W=Wins against listed team

Team	W	L	T	PF	PA
Squirrels	6	0	0	48	21
Hitters*	6	2	0	59	32
Ageless*	5	1	2	52	34
Utica*	5	2	1	49	34
Champions	4	3	1	49	39
Perjured*	4	4	0	42	49
REDS	3	1	0	25	21
Stars	3	2	1	35	30
Halfway	3	5	0	39	51
Eagles*	2	1	1	17	16
Panties	2	2	0	21	21
Baseman	2	5	1	41	50
Angels	1	1	0	14	8
Zonk	1	1	0	12	10
BYKGiambi	1	1	0	11	12
fried bread	0	1	1	8	13
	48	32	8	522	441

*-Denotes teams that have played under more than one name

Putting his time and effort where his desire is, Plaz has helped set Hardball Heaven apart from the basic run-o-the-mill fantasy league with his weekly "Swami" posts. A decidedly thankless job that most every manager looks forward to reading each week, even if it is only to rant about his thought provoking predictions. There is no question that Plaz embodies the true spirit of Hardball Heaven.

What will 2009 bring for Plaz? I am sure he would like to become only the 2nd repeat champion of HH. Unfortunately there are 11 other managers that are determined to see that doesn't happen.

Randy Stovall

Spotlight on REDS

The Spotlight series will take a look at the career of each active manager in the league.

REDS (Rick Hill) joined the league in 2005. He had an immediate impact finishing that year in 1st place for the regular season. REDS lives in Orlando, Fla with his wife and family and enjoys a career in the medical profession. REDS is a regular volunteer for medical missions to other countries.

REDS is a fan of the Cincinnati Reds with his favorite all-time player being the great Johnny Bench.

Since joining in 2005 REDS has been a steady competitor with somewhat of a roller-coaster career. His high point was in 2007 when, after finishing 2nd during the regular season, he went on to win the title beating Stars in a classic match up that went right down to the wire. REDS became only the 3rd Champion of Hardball Heaven.

A look at REDS career results show the up and down roller coaster ride that he has endured in the league.

Year	Playoff	Reg Sea	Wins	Loss	Tie	%	GB	Moves
2005	4	1	145	105	14	0.576		18
2006	11	10	107	135	22	0.447	39	22
2007	1	2	142	100	22	0.580	10.5	18
2008	7	12	95	156	13	0.384	56.5	71
			489	496	71	0.496

1st to 10th to 2nd to 12th in the regular season. Is 2009 the year for another high point? If so he is going to have to settle some scores with the rest of the league. A look at his H-2-H results reveals REDS has a winning record against only 5 teams and only 3 of them are current active managers! Below is his H-2-H results thus far.

W=Wins against listed team

	W	L	T	PF	PA
Hitters*	6	2	0	59	32
Champions	5	2	1	54	35
Squirrels	5	3	0	49	40
Angels	4	2	0	40	27
Eagles*	3	1	0	25	18
Ageless*	3	3	2	50	42
Halfway	3	4	1	41	51
Stars	3	4	1	34	55
Zonk	2	2	0	24	21
Utica*	2	6	0	38	52
Plasmatics*	1	3	0	21	25
Baseman	1	4	1	28	36
Perjured*	1	7	0	26	62
	39	43	6	489	496

*-Denotes teams that have played under more than one team name.

REDS no doubt wants to erase the memory of 2008 which was his worst ever even though he redeemed himself somewhat by winning the lower bracket championship. In spite of his ups and downs REDS has established himself as a force to be reckoned with every season.

Randy Stovall