RBI'S Early Pioneers and their Contributions

donovanhead

Donovan

  • Donovan McConn was an early innovator of the game. He was not the first to introduce RBI Baseball to the group in Davis, however he was the first to take it seriously.
  • Early Innovations: Lineup changes. He was the first to truly take advantage of the pinch hitters sitting on the bench. May have introduced the world to Ellis Burks as leadoff man. Also made competitors of aware of A,B,C,D speed.
  • davishead

    Davis

  • Davis Feng was always great at picking up video games quickly. Was perhaps the best at RBI at the very beginning. But was also the first to give up when things started getting rough.
  • Early Innovations: Can't think of any right now.
  • chrishead

    Chris

  • Chris Wend played in the first "unoffical" championship series in 1989 against Dennis Kim (DT vs MN).
  • Early Innovations: He was the first player to beat the computer (which seemd like a big deal at the time). He was also the first one to beat Donovan McConn.
  • kevinhead

    Kevin

  • Kevin Shinseki was one of the early competitors at RBI Baseball. Though not quite as competitive as his cohort Harry Louie, he did offer up some good play in the early years
  • Early Innovations: Taught the group the fast throw (hitting Button A and the base simultaneously), which he learned from his cohort Harry Louie. When applied properly, it completely takes away the SB ability of Vince Coleman.
  • brandonhead

    Brandon

  • Brandon is still playing hard but has yet to win a championship. Recently competed in the Finals in the Hammer of the Gods Tournament, and was also a finalist in the 1992 "unoffical" championship against Amir Massih. Twice a bridesmaid, but never the bride.
  • Early Innovations: He was the first one to sing "You've got to change your evil ways..." when replacing Rafael Santana with Tim Teufel in the New York Mets lineup. Also developed the two finger technique for the A and B buttons. This is his own patented style that no one has been able to replicate.
  • amirhead

    Amir

  • Amir Massih was one of the great early pioneers, and recently competed in the 2000 Hammer of the Gods tournament. Brought the game to a new level by making it competitive and taking the losses personally. Won the second "unofficial" RBI championship series against Brandon Wright at the Burr House in 1992
  • Early Innovations: Was the first to introduce RBI to the group, since he owned the Nintendo. Created the "Ledger" to keep track of all the scores when we played one another. Was also the first to get seriously injured from the game, when his face got cut by a flying Nintendo controller that ricochetted off the wall at the Anderson house in 1991.
  • jeffhead

    Jeff

  • Jeff Costa played RBI consistently from the Castilian years through the Anderson house years. Never quite reached the upper echelon of players, but did pitch one of the early no-hitters agains Dennis Kim
  • Early Innovations: Jeff was the first to develop the "fake pickle throw", in which a player chasing a runner down in a pickle will click on the "B" button to sound as if he is maiking a throw. This misdirects the runner, and allows for an easy tag out. Jeff was also the first to discover that there was an unfair advantage in seleceting the SF Giants in RBI 2, (the Kevin Mitchell factor).
  • billhead

    Bill

  • Bill Martin was one of the early competitors at RBI. Was a frequent player back in the Castilian dorm era. Much like Davis Feng, ultimately lacked the killer instinct to rise to the next level.
  • Early Inovations: Introduced the group to Donovan McConn.
  • laurencehead

    Laurence

  • Laurence Witschi picked up the game later than the Castilian gang, but soon proved to be a force. His first exposure to the game was witnessing a living room chair go flying across the floor and out the back door at the Anderson house during one of Dennis Kim's fits of rage.
  • Early Inovations: Became a great home run hitter, especially with California. Perfected the art of backing out of the box on an inside pitch, and going yard. His is also the first name on the Hammer of the Gods cup, since he won the first "official" championship in 2000.
  • harryhead

    Harry

  • Harry Louie dominated the competition in the early years, mainly because of prior experience. Ultimately, not living in Castilian or the Anderson house hurt his chances to become one of the elite. His skills dropped off significantly while his peers rose past him.
  • Early Inovations: Introduced the group to the fast throw (see Kevin above).
  • dennishead

    Dennis

  • Dennis beat Chris Wend in the first unofficial RBI tournament in the Castillian dorms, using some crafty pitching by Bert Blyleven and timely hitting of Gary Gaetti.
  • Early Inovations: First one to decide to leave Pettis in for the first at-bat, then pinch hit with either Burleson or Wilfong at the opportune moment. Despite the huge glasses, he still needs to sit close to the TV when playing RBI.

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