1998 CFCL News Flash Archive

Stat Category Changes Ahead?  1/15/98

Executive Committe member Rich Bentel has volunteered to lead the discussion of possible changes in terms of the statistical categories we use.  Head Ruffin Dave Holian suggested that we use on-base percentage instead of batting average, and the Executive Committe agreed to discuss the change but felt that all categories should be re-evaluated rather than just batting average.  The hope is that any decisions about category changes can be made before Draft Day 1998 and will go into effect for the 1999 season.

The nature of the proposed change and its wide-reaching effects dictate that this should be a league-wide decision.  Rich will be starting the discussions on the topic sometime soon.  If you have any thoughts or concerns about the stat categories we use, contact Rich.

Draft Day 1998 Set  2/1/98

We've heard from about half the league, and the overwhelming favorite for Draft Day is Sunday, March 29.  This is the weekend before Opening Day, which is Tuesday, March 31.  The Draft will most likely be scheduled to start on Sunday morning, and barring any unforseen conflicts, we're planning on using a conference room at Rich's office in Lombard as our Draft Headquarters.  More information will be forthcoming as D-Day approaches, but it looks like the date is pretty well set.

As experience has shown, however, nothing is set in stone.  Owners who didn't respond to our earlier requests for input on the date of Draft Day are encouraged to contact David ASAP if this date will be a problem.

CFCL Stat Service Page All Set For 1998  2/2/98

Our Total Quality Stats web page for 1998 is now up and running.  To check it out, you can click here, or on the CFCL Page at TQS button on the main page.

The web page still shows us with 10 teams, but they're working on a league specifications editor which should be ready in a couple weeks.  Once that's available, I will be able to get rid of the Big Dogs and add the Ball Busters and Slackers.  All the other rosters, however should be up-to-date (the Slackers are listed under the Big Dogs, so the only team really missing in the Ball Busters).  Take a look and make sure everything looks OK -- l'll be using these rosters as a starrting point for building the rosters for the season.

This year, everyone will have their own password for posting messages to the message board.  Once TQS gets the league specifications editor up and running, I'll be able to enter an unique password for each owner.  Start thinking of what you'd like your password to be (and yes, this does mean that I'll know every owner's password -- guess you'll just have to trust me not to post trade proposals in your name).  For the time being, you can post to the message board using the password CFCL1998.  Just type in your message, select your team name, type in the password, and click the Submit button.

If you have any comments or suggestions about the page at TQS, let David know.

New Rotisserie Leage Book Released  2/9/98

The 1998 Edition of Rotisserie League Baseball was released last week, and it is something of a departure from previous editions. Glen Waggoner has handed over the editorial reigns to fantasy league magnate John Benson, which is actually pretty scary. Rotisserie League Baseball has finally caught up with the real thing -- it's now just a big business.  Gone is almost all mention of those fun-loving guys who founded the Rotisserie League.  Now, in addition to the ads for Roti-Stats and the Rotisserie League Baseball Association that have peppered the last several editions of the book, each chapter ends with "And be sure to buy Rotisserie League Baseball: Playing for Blood, by John Benson," or "The only way you can survive the draft is to buy John Benson’s Draft Software."  Ok, these aren't direct quotes -- but if you call John Benson's 1-900 number he'd be glad to give you some direct quotes (for $2.49/minute).

If you can ignore the blatant advertising and oppressive self-promotion (Benson is great for reminding you how brilliant he is), the book actually looks pretty good. For the first time in several years, I can recommend the book to CFCL owners. Darren and Steve may find it particularly helpful, as there are significant chapters on strategy, major and minor league player evaluations, and gives a pretty good overview of what it’s like to play the game.

Aside from one significant change, the Constitution appears to be the same as last year.  The change was made to deal with the growth of the National League from 14 to 16 teams.  In brief, a standard NL-only league is now supposed to have 12 teams with 40-man rosters (25 active, 15 reserve).  The two additional players on the active roster are supposed to be a pitcher and a hitter (utility).  In addition, the Draft Day budget is raised to $2.80 per team.

The Executive Committee is currently debating whether to adopt the new roster structure.  If you have any input on the issue, contact them.

The CFCL has again been thrown a curve by an expansion owner.  Brian Urban, of Brian's Ball Busters, has made it known that he will not be joining us for the 1998 sesaon after all.  The players he drafted in the expansion draft will be released into the Free Agent Pool and made available in the regular Draft on March 29.  This includes, of course, Brian's first pick and the first pick overall, Brant Brown.

Since we're now back to 10 teams, and to deal with the addition of two new teams to the National League, the CFCL will be expanding active rosters by four to 27 and increasing the spending limit from $2.60 to $3.00.  It is hoped that these adjustments will be for the 1998 season only and that we will be able to add at least one new team for the 1999 season.

The CFCL held the 15th Draft in their history on Sunday, March 29.  Ruffin owner Dave Holian started things off by nominating Sammy Sosa, who ended up going to Eric's Lambchops for .39.  As Dave Holian later pointed out, Lambchop owner Eric Lamb sported a Sammy Sosa signature cap throughout the Draft.  Coincidence?  We think not.

For more (incomplete) information on the 1998 Draft, see the Draft Histories section.

Copperfields Acquire Sean Casey 3/31/98

The Copperfields celebrated Opening Day 1998 by acquiring first baseman Sean Casey from the Free Agent Pool with a sealed bid of .12.  Based on the size of the bid, the Coppers were obviously expecting more competition for Casey, however only one other team, the Ruffins, submitted a sealed bid (.05).  The Copperfields used Casey to replace the injured Bobby Bonilla on their active roster and waived Danny Bautista from their Reserve List.

The Coppers now own seven corner infielders (Alfonzo, Castilla, KYoung, Casey, Bonilla, Konerko, and DYoung), so it wouldn't be a surprise if they tried to deal some of the surplus.

Congratulations to the man who once described himself as "the longest serving owner who hasn't won jack." Well all that's changed as the CFCL crowns David Holian and his Ruffins its 1998 Champion. The Ruffins were able to withstand a late-season charge by the Copperfields and survive a rash of injuries to finish first in what will be remembered as one of the closest and most exciting races in CFCL history.

How close was it? The Ruffins held a 2-point lead going into the final game of the season, the regular season playoff game between the Cubs and Giants. Steve Trachsel's win for the Cubs moved the ForGoetz Me Nots into a tie with the Ruffins in that category, costing them half a point.  The Ruffins didn't have any players with either the Cubs or Giants, but the Copperfields had three. If the Copperfield trio of Stan Javier, Brian Johnson, and Glenallen Hill could have combined for 2 HR, the Copperfields would have passed the Ruffins in HR and moved a half a point ahead of the Ruffins to steal the Championship. As it was, the trio went hitless and the Ruffins held on for their first CFCL Championship.

The Lambchops finished a solid third, and Da Paul Meisters completed the money spots with their 4th place finish. The race for 5th place and the #1 Rotation Draft Pick in 1999 went neck-and-neck, with the FlatFeet just edging the six place Dem Rebels by half a point. A couple extra wins by Rebel pitchers or a few more Lambchop HRs would have pushed the Rebels up past the FlatFeet.

Perhaps the closest race of all was at the bottom of the standings. The ForGoetz Me Nots were fairly solid in 7th place, but the Slackers and DoorMatts needed two tie breakers to determine who finished in 8th. Each team topped the other in 4 categories, so it was determined by tripling the number of IP for each team and adding that teams AB total. By virtue of an additional 398 ABs, the expansion Slackers just edged the DoorMatts for 8th place honors. Bringing up the rear were the Six Packs, who once again lived up to their tradition of dismantling their team as soon as it's clear they don't have a shot at first place. They finished in last, but got a good head start on 1999 with some rebuilding trades.

Click here to see the final 1998 CFCL standings at TQS.

As is customary, the 1998 CFCL Champion David's Ruffins were invited to a celebratory tribute at the White House, scheduled for October 17.  However, Ruffin owner David Holian decided to pass on the tribute, choosing instead to attend the CFCL Awards Banquet in Chicago.

The President took time out from reviewing the MLB anti-trust legislation recently passed by Congress to make the following statement:  

"While Hillary and I are saddened that the Head Ruffineer will not be joining us at the White House, we certainly understand his desire to gloat over his defeated competitors and revel in his success and the well-deserved admiration of his fellow CFCL owners.  Heck, I wish I could be there with him -- pizza, drinks, and baseball, it doesn't get much better than that.  And believe me, I can use a break!  Anyway, I'm pleased to announce Ocotber 17, 1998 as National David's Ruffins Day.  

"During what was, for some of us, a very stressfull summer, the Professor and his Ruffins provided a thrilling distraction from the persecution and harrassment so many of us face on a daily basis.  Many was the day I spent a relaxing hour browsing the CFCL Internet Headquarters to follow the expoits of the Ruffins.  For a while there it looked like the championsip trophy might again end up in the Copperfield penthouse, but thankfully the Ruffins prevailed and at last brought a Championship to Vacant Lot Stadium.  It was close though.  I'll tell you, when I saw that catcher from the Copperfields, Brian Johnson, hit that flyball to the warning track in the last game of the season -- wee-boy, I almost choked on my corn nuts.  Luckily there was an int--uhh--assistant present to  help me out.

"The American people owe the Ruffins a debt of gratitude.  Through the hard work and perseverence of their owner, David Holian, they've shown how a rag-tag group of home boys who started in the ghetto can rise to dominance in only 13 short years.  They're an inspiration to us all."

The President added that he plans to phone Holian once he's sure his telephone isn't tapped. 

The winners of the 1998 CFCL awards were announced at the annual Awards Banquet, though there were few surprises among those being honored.  Greg Vaughn was named 1998 Steal of the Year after putting up big numbers for Steve' Slackers for a mere .09.  On the other end of the spectrum, Mark Wohlers' complete collapse following his .43 signing with the Lambchops earned him this year's Nick Esasky Award.  The Lambchops were consoled, however, when Kerry Ligtenberg was named Best Free Agent Acquisition and Sammy Sosa was voted CFCL Most Valuable Player.  Trevor Hoffman followed Pedro Martinez as the second consecutive Copperfield to be honored with the CFCL Cy Young Award.  The Ruffins continued their Dodger-like dominance of the rookie awards by winning their third straight Rookie of the Year Award.  This time it was Todd Helton, whom the Ruffins acquired in a mid-season trade with the Lambchops.

In terms of the Reserve Lists, Gregg Olson of the ForGoetz Me Nots was named Best Reserve List Pick (major leaguer).  David's Ruffins were honored as having the Most Productive Farm System, producing Kerry Wood, Aramis Ramirez, Scott Elarton, and others.

Finally, David Holian, of David's Ruffins received the well-deserved General Manager of the Year Award.

The pizza was still being digested at the CFCL Awards Banquet and the owners of the Ruffins and Rebels were huddled in the corner conducting trade talks in hushed tones.  When the huddle broke, the Rebels emerged with a 4-cent closer and the Ruffins had added to their impressive collection of young talent.

The Ruffins traded closer Bob Wickman to the Rebels for catcher Bobby Estalella and minor league stud Daryle Ward, plus the Rebels 14th round pick in 1999.

There were rumors of other trades in the works, including a possible deal between the Lambchops and Slackers.

CFCL's First Chat Room Trade Completed
After swapping e-mails for a week or so to lay the foundation, the Copperfields and Lambchops moved into the CFCL Dugout Chat Room to finalize the deal.  Minutes after arriving in the chat room, the trade had been consumated.  

The Copperfields traded firstbaseman/outfielder Dmitri Young (.10D) and pitcher Joey Hamilton (.14D) to the Lambchops for shortstop Edgar Renteria (.04X), the Lambchops 1999 13th Round Rotation Draft pick, and the DoorMatt's 1999 3rd Round Rotation Draft pick (acquired by the Lambchops during the 1998 season). 

The CFCL Dugout Chat Room had lain dormant since it was added to the CFCL Internet Headquarters early in the 1998 season.  To the best of the league office's knowledge, today's trade marks the first time the chat room has been used -- for league business or otherwise.  The Lambchops and Copperfields were both happy with their chat room experience and encourage their fellow owners to try it out.  There were even talks of scheduled chats coming soon.

The trade marked the second CFCL cyberspace "first" the Copperfields had been involved in.  Several years ago, the Copperfields and the Ruffins completed the first e-mail trade in CFCL history when, after many exchanges, the Ruffins acquired catcher Brad Ausmus for draft picks.  

Rebels Get Burnitz
And speaking of the Ruffins and draft picks, the cyber-ink on the above report was barely dry when news arrived of another deal.  This one had banquet-buddies Dem Rebels and David's Ruffins coming together for their second trade of the young off-season.  The Rebels, who had previously traded for Ruffin closer Bob Wickman, kept the Ruffin/Milwaukee pipeline open by acquiring outfielder Jeromy Burnitz (.33D).  Burnitz returns to the Rebels, who originally drafted him as a free agent in 1992, and will provide a stable power/speed foundation for the Rebels as they try to restock their outfield.

Along with Burnitz, the Rebels received the Ruffins 6th, 7th, 9th, and 15th Round Rotation Draft picks in 1999.  In exchange for that package, the Ruffins come away with the Rebels' 1999 2nd, 5th, 7th, and 9th Round Rotation Draft picks.  

Since they did not receive a player in return, the trade was clearly a cost-cutting move on the part of the Ruffins, who have Andruw Jones, Scott Rolen, and Billy Wagner all due for big paydays after playing 1998 under X contracts, plus Todd Helton, Ray Lankford, Matt Morris, and Antonio Osuna all seeking long-term contract extensions.