I am thinking of joining HBD. I am 100% new and have no clue about finding a team or joining a league. I would like to find a group of owners that has played GD in the past (or currently) to play with. Also which threads are a must to read for first-timers. Would also entertain taking on a mentor or two. Feel free to sitemail.
Thanks!

I'd say between the forums and the player search function, you can find out just about anything you want to know ... but it takes a while to figure out which questions to ask. Steep learning curve. Awesome game. Get a team for sure, and once you do, be very patient as you get to know your players and your league. Once you've got the questions, ask them! 

Take your time in choosing a world.    Look for a world that has had limited openings and competitive balance over the last few seasons.   Getting a good world is far more important than getting a good team.   You can fix a team. 

Go to the active world page or the private world page and look for commissioners name and see if you recognize any of them from GD.

Other than that I would I say basically the same things Mike said. You can fix a bad team, a bad world is a wild card.