PowerPlay Magazine

The red eye flight east is rarely a pleasure trip and this was no exception.  Arriving in Charlotte, as the sun was rising; I hiked towards the commuter terminals to finish the last leg back to Cold Mountain.  As I came to the boarding counter for the puddle jumper back home, I realized that I had missed several text messages (ALL from my editor).  The first message read, "Change of plans, head to New York, you are to meet with Xalthos this afternoon."  The other messages were repetitions conveying the same thought, "Don't go home, head to New York".  I claimed my new destiny and half awake, but, ready for another adventure, I boarded the shuttle flight to New York City. 

Satellite communication is fabulous.  On the trip north, I was able to update myself and prepare for the upcoming interview.  Xalthos is the owner/manager of the Erratic Emus.  In their first season as a member of the USA division 1 Handball League, they were successful in claiming the league's playoff championship.  Not only did they claim this year's division 1 playoff trophy, but; the Erratic Emus' have succeeded in winning the playoff championship during their first 3 seasons of existence (Winning division 3 (season 1), then division 2 (season 2), and this year taking division 1).  So, after some quick debriefing and a short nap; I found myself landing in New York City.

Travel instructions were fairly thorough.  I took the train north.   The train traveled beside what I assumed was the Hudson River and the population density noticeably dropped as the trip progressed.  In roughly one hour, I arrived at my stop, a small single platform train station.  The instructions suggested travel by taxi from this point would be best, and travel by taxi it would be.  The taxi ride was a pleasant one traveling on small roads through wooded areas and rarely seeing evidence of humanity on the way.  The driver abruptly turned onto an unmarked road.  The road narrowed and abruptly turned into a one lane gravel and sometime dirt path.  The backwoods road weaved through the forest for about a half of a mile before the trees began to thin and we approached and entered a large wooden-fenced refuge or compound area.  As we crossed the livestock bars on the road, I was bewildered to see a herd of emus wandering about within the compound.  Within the fencing was also a white house with green window shutters.  As the taxi came to a stop in front of the home, I noticed an emu heading our way.  On the bird's back was a rider who was casually dressed; he wore a t-shirt, shorts and ball cap all bearing embroidered Erratic Emu logos. 

I soon realized that the emu rider was Xalthos and he had been waiting and ready to begin our interview.  He led me to the front porch and we settled into a pair of rustic wooden rocking chairs.  Our interview was about to begin.

Xalthos, thank you for inviting me up to your home and I have been looking forward to our interview (...since, earlier this morning).  I like to begin my interviews with a few warm-up questions; so if you are ready, let us begin.

Do you have a spirit animal?  Yes, it is a flightless bird (the emu! Right...). ... actually a different flightless bird than you might expect, the penguin.  Penguins are friendly, loyal, clumsy, and sometimes awkward.

What is your favorite television series?  I am a fan of Game of Thrones.  Just watch it and you will see why.  (Don't have to convince me... I'm also a huge GOT fan!)

If you were granted a trip in a time machine, where would you go?  I would go to Medieval Europe.  I would like to see how accurate the movies and TV shows portray that time period.

What is your favorite sport?  My favorite sports to play are Ultimate frisbee, baseball, and football. I also enjoy watching basketball and tennis. My two PPM teams are soccer and handball... but soccer is definitely my worst sport and I have never played handball before.

Do you have a favorite Athlete?   Derek Jeter. He came up with the Yankees organization while I was growing up and has put together an incredible career. He's always been great to the fans and has been a great role model for baseball and all professional sports. Sad to see him go at the end of this year, but I think it is a good time.

How many games of handball have you watched? Played?  I have watched a few Olympic matches but have never played a game.

How did you become a ppm manager?  I love sports simulation games. I am the kind of guy who will buy the latest baseball/basketball video game just to play the dynasty mode. One day I did a Google search and PPM came up... I made a soccer team and just kept going from there.

Erratic Emus were the USA I.1 season 3 playoff champions.  They had a dominating playoff run, losing just one game during the entire playoff run.  Describe your most exciting moment during the playoffs.  The nailbiter first round games against the Salt Lake Mountaineers. We exchanged home victories for the first two games, and luckily the third match was in the Cuckoo's Den. In that game the offense was sputtering a little in the first half, so I decided to give offensive pivot Peter Leitz a few more touches for the second half. Although he averaged only 2 goals a game during the regular season, he was pretty well-rested and managed to bully his way to 4 goals in the second half, and effectively carried my team to a narrow Game 3 victory.

Can you describe your strategy coming into season 3?  My strategy was to continue playing to my team's strengths while trying to figure out how to crack I.1. Being freshly promoted, I had to familiarize myself with each team's stars and style of play. With some knowledge of tactics and a little bit of luck I gave myself a chance to be competitive.

How do you plan to repeat as playoff champ during season 4 in USA handball?  This would be very tough to pull off. There are quality teams coming up from division II, and some teams have been spending lots of money on the market recently. My plan is to maintain my team's tactical identity and continue playing to our strengths. I will also try my best to manage energy between the international and league matches.

Who do you feel is the biggest threat to take the playoff title from you in coming seasons?  Again, you can't ask me to pick out one favorite because there really isn't one. Although now that my team has been somewhat proven in I.1, I think people will start paying more attention now that we're not just some upstart promotion team.   (good answer :))

If you were to name a most valuable player on your team, who would that be and why?  This is tough for me because my players split a lot of time on the floor. Offensively, captain Logan Mallory was great, leading the team in goals (not counting 7m throws). Defensively, pivot Allan Morris led the team in steals and blocks and provided some much needed grit. But overall Bryan Weber was steady the whole season, putting up good defensive numbers, leading the team in assists, and shooting well despite describing himself as a defense-first player. Although he often hides in the shadow of worldwide star Logan Mallory, I think the entire team would agree that he was a huge presence every minute he was on the floor.

What strategy has helped you most in becoming successful at handball? I think I conserved energy pretty well during the regular season, and tried not to play around with tactics too much after I found something that worked.

Do you seek advice from others within the PPM World? If so, who has provided you with the best advice during last season?  I try to stay in the loop by following conversations on the forum. There is probably more tactical discussion being done elsewhere, but I think most people (myself included) are still figuring out the odds and ends of the handball system. If I found something that worked, I wouldn't be ready to share it with the world yet ;)

If you were providing advice for a new player, what would you suggest as being the most important step to becoming successful in their league?  Be patient. It will take some time to build up a team that plays well together. Just like any new expansion team in the real world, it will take time to become competitive. Focus on building your facilities and stadium to set yourself up for the future.

About that time several emus lumbered up to the porch, Xalthos opened a basket beside him revealing what appeared to be several quartered apples.  He tossed the fruit to the birds and suddenly we were surrounded with flightless critters.  Xalthos, smiled.  Well I guess our interview was over.  I thanked him for the time and information and headed towards the taxi driver who had graciously waited.  Once again, I was on my way home.  If I can time my flights right, I just might make it home for country fried steak, mashed potatoes and sweet tea at mama's house tonight.