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