My advice to anybody new looking to play HBD - first play in a public league like Ford. Most of the best private leagues do not let in new players. They want player who have a few seasons under their belt and can prove that they are not a one and done owner. If a private league does let you in, then they are just trying to fill it up.
Ford is a great league for several reasons; 1) we have a great core of owners that have been in the league a long time (many are founding members of the league), 2) the owners in the league have done a good job not letting owners come in and destroy teams - we ran into this early in the league's history and know what to look for, 3) the league is competitive - there are enough good owners that it is tough to hoard talent and dominate in the league, 4) the owners in this league are committed to the league and will fight for its survival.