The target weekend for this year’s Draft is March 29 – 30. So far, no one has indicated any problems with this weekend, and almost everyone I’ve heard from has expressed a preference for Sunday March 30. Since Sunday works best for getting the conference room in Rich’s Oakbrook office, that’s probably the date will be aiming for.

If you think you won’t be available for either day that weekend, let me know as soon as possible. We will shoot for finalizing a date and time in the next few weeks.

New For 2003

Recently, the following new/changed rules were approved for the 2003 season:

Second Tie Breaker
The formula for the second tie breaker will be changed to AB+BB+(3*IP). Walks were added to ensure that proper credit is given to hitters who draw a lot of walks. This especially made sense since walks will become part of the CFCL's scoring in 2003 with the move to OBP as a scoring category.

Minimum IP Requirement
The minimum number of Innings Pitched that each team must record will be increased from 900 to 1000. Any teams that do not meet this mark will receive 0 points in the ERA, WHIP, and K:BB categories.

CFCL Trade Deadline
The CFCL Trade Deadline will be changed to Noon on August 1. This is the day after the MLB trade deadline, which should allow for any last-minute maneuvering in response to any MLB deals that may have been made.

Deadline for Announcing Toppers
Owners who are entitled to Topper rights for one or more players will no longer need to name the players for whom they are retaining Toppers when they submit their cuts. Instead, they will name the players on Draft Day, prior to the beginning of the Draft.

FAAB Reimbursement
When players are lost to the American League during the season, Free Agent Acquisition Budgets will no longer be increased by the amount of the traded player's salary. The player must be released and there will be no compensation for losing the player. 

This is obviously a hot topic, so we’d like to hear from as many people as possible on this one. If you haven’t done so yet, please read the posts on the Message Board and let us know which idea you think is best – either in a post on the board, or via e-mail.

Here’s a quick summary of the ideas:

1. No compensation is necessary. The player will be automatically removed from the CFCL team's roster as soon as the trade occurs.

2. Use FAAB Reimbursement for players lost to the AL during the season, with the value of the player being added to his team's FAAB.

3. Allow teams to keep players who are traded to the AL though the duration of the player's contract. The player must remain on the team's Reserve List, and the stats he produces in the AL will not count toward his team's total.

4. Allow teams to keep players who are traded to the AL through the duration of the player's contract. If the trade occurs during the season, the CFCL team may choose to leave the player active and the stats he produces in the AL will count toward his team's total.

5. Use FAAB Reimbursement for players lost to the AL during the season, with the CFCL salary of the player being added to his team's FAAB. The player will be automatically removed from the CFCL team's roster when the trade occurs.

6. Give teams that lose a player to the AL a compensation pick in the Rotation Draft. The player will be automatically removed from the CFCL team's roster as soon as the trade occurs.

7. ONLY for cases where the player goes to the AL during the off-season: the player will not immediately be removed from the CFCL team's roster. If, later in the off-season, the player returns to the NL, the CFCL team may keep him. If the player is still in the AL on the date roster cut sheets are sent out prior to the Draft, the player will be automatically removed from the CFCL team's roster.

Ron Shandler, of BaseballHQ, is bringing his First Pitch Forum to the Chicago area on February 22. The forum is a 3-hour session with experts Jason Grey (CFCL), Ron Shandler (BaseballHQ), Rick Wilton (Baseball Weekly Hot Sheet), and Jim Callis (Baseball America). Apparently the time will be split between presentations focusing on information/strategy and an open forum Q&A session. It’s billed as a smaller version of the Arizona Fall League Symposium that Shandler hosts in Arizona each fall.

Kelly and I attended the forum last year, and I had a great time. I don’t think either one of us came away with a wealth of hot tips (though we did get an interesting preview of Jason’s drafting strategy), but it was an excellent way to spend a mid-winter afternoon.

I’ll be attending again this year, and it sounds like Matt Grage will be there too. Obviously, Jason’s going to be on the panel again. If anyone else is thinking of going, let me know and maybe we can meet after the forum for late lunch/early dinner.

See more information and sign up at: http://www.baseballhq.com/FP2003/index.htm

Speaking of Shandler’s Arizona Symposium, our own Matt Grage and Jason Grey attended the weekend last fall, and Matt can even be glimpsed in a couple of photos at the Symposium web site (http://www.baseballhq.com/afl2002/photogallery.shtml) – look in the Round Table Discussions section and see Matt chewing the fat with minor league experts John Sickels and Derec McKamey. Watch out for Matt in the Rotation Draft this year…

An exhibit of 500 artifacts from the National Baseball Hall of Fame has been traveling the country since last spring and will be stopping at Chicago’s Field Museum from February 8 through July 20. The exhibit is titled "Baseball as America" and promises the following:

"Balls, gloves, bats, uniforms, baseball cards and advertisements bring baseball’s vibrant stories and personalities to life. The exhibition also includes items of special interest to Chicago fans—including Sammy Sosa’s record-setting bat, Harry Caray’s signature glasses, Ryne Sandberg’s glove, and a ticket window and bricks from the original Comiskey Park."

I’m definitely planning on trying to see the exhibit at some point. If anyone has interest in going as a group, let me know.

The exhibit requires a separate fee, in addition to the usual charge for entering the museum. Details about the exhibit can be found at the Baseball as America web page (http://www.baseballasamerica.org/) and the Field Museum’s web page (http://www.fieldmuseum.org/exhibits/baseball_tempexhib.htm).

2003 Toppers

Based on the final 2002 standings, here are the teams that will receive Toppers, the number of Toppers the team receives, and the players who are eligible for Topper use:

Record Book