CFCL Tabs Scott, Ruby as New Owners 01/16/04

April 4 Chosen for Draft Day 2004 01/18/04

The CFCL Front Office has finalized the date for the 21st Draft Day in the league's history.  As expected,  Sunday April 4 was tabbed as the date for the 2004 CFCL Auction and Rotation Draft.  

April 4 is the day before Opening Day of the 2004 National League season, and will mark the 20th Anniversary of the CFCL.  The start time has been tentatively set for 8:00 AM, with a confirmation expected as the date nears.

Scott Christens Franchise in Tribute to Namesake  01/22/04

Teddy Scott became the first of the CFCL's new owners to name his franchise, announcing that his team will be Teddy's Splendid Splinters.  Scott was named after his father, who had been named for the Splendid Splinter himself, Ted Williams, so the team name brings the tribute full circle.  

Two New Franchises Set to Draft Rosters  01/24/04

Teddy's Splendid Splinters and the as-yet unnamed franchise owned by Kenn Ruby will draft their initial winter rosters on Wednesday February 4th.  This supplemental draft is scheduled for 7:30 PM at a location to be determined in Oak Park.  

Ruby and Splinter owner Teddy Scott will take turns selecting from a pool comprised of players who were on the Six Packs and Tenacious B rosters when their owners withdrew from the league.  The Splinters will be the first to pick, then the teams will alternate selections until all the available players have been taken or both teams decide to stop. 

Ruby Announces Franchise Name  01/27/04

Kenn Ruby today announced the name under which his franchise will enter the CFCL:  By Kennen.  In revealing the name, Ruby hinted "it has to be sung,"  which led to an instant dawning of understanding for this correspondent.

Ruby also hinted that the name may not be permanent, but he'll try it on for size for a while.  Whether the name is kept or not may depend on how the team fares in next week's Supplemental Draft.

CFCL Owners Approve Rule Clarifications  01/29/04

In nearly unanimous voting, the CFCL owners today approved three Executive Committee proposals for rule clarifications:

• In a 10-0 vote, owners agreed that players placed on MLB's Bereavement List should be treated as though they were on the DL and can be reserved immediately.
• In a 9-1 vote, owners approved the EC's proposal for the handling of suspended players: Players suspended by MLB may not be reserved by their CFCL teams.  In cases where a player is suspended for more than 10 games, the player can be reserved, but not until he has served the first 10 games of his suspension.
• Finally, 9 of 10 owners agreed that teams must be able to field full 23-man active rosters following in-season trades.

In a separate vote, owners were split 5-5 on whether to raise the Entrance Fee by $5 per team for the 2004 season.  The Constitution's Escalator Clause, which calls for such a vote every other year, states that 75% of CFCL owners must be in favor of a fee increase for it to be adopted, so the Entrance Fee will remain the same for the coming season.  Since the fee was not raised, CFCL owners will vote on a $5 increase again next season.

Bay, Wells First Members of Splinters, Kennen  02/04/04

The CFCL's two newest franchises began to take shape tonight as Teddy Scott and Kenn Ruby squared off in a Supplemental Draft to chose their players from the rosters of the defunct Six Packs and Tenacious B.  The two newcomers met at Edwardo's Pizza in Oak Park, along with Co-Commissioner Mahlan and Hard Hat owner Matt Grage.

The Splendid Splinters had been awarded the first pick in the draft, and owner Teddy Scott kicked things off by selecting seven-cent outfielder Jason Bay.  Kenn Ruby of By Kennen responded by choosing pitcher Kip Wells (.01).  

A full recap of the Draft and the Splinters' and Kennen's post-draft rosters are available in the Draft Histories section.

Meisters and Picts in '04's First Deal  03/01/04

Da Paul Meisters and Nick's Picts today finalized the CFCL's first trade of 2004, and the first of the offseason.

In the deal, the Meisters added closer and 2003 CFCL Cy Young Award winner Eric Gagne to an already formidable bullpen, while the Picts slashed salary by swapping Gagne's .31 price tag for outfielder Marquis Grissom (.02), starter Mike Hampton (.01), and reliever Paul Shuey (.02).

This marks the third straight year in which the first trade of the off-season involved the previous season's Cy Young Award winner.   On New Year's Day 2003, the Hard Hats traded 2002 Cy Young winner Randy Johnson and Scott Sauerbeck to the Copperfields for Scott Rolen and Richard Hidalgo.  

Almost exactly a year earlier, the Hard Hats had acquired Johnson (who was named Cy Young winner in 2001 as well) and Geoff Blum for Jimmy Rollins, Bud Smith and Luis Montenez.

CFCL Owners Plan 2005 Topper Revisions  03/10/04

The plan provides teams that finish out of the money with a budget they can use to take a "discount" on reacquiring players who played out their option with the team the previous season. The 5th place team will automatically recieve a .06 budget to use on their B-contract players in the following year's Draft.  The other non-money teams will receive  a percentage of that .06 depending on how many points they finished behind the 5th place team.  When a qualifying player is bid on at the Draft, the team that owned him as a B-contract player at the end of the previous season can reacquire the player and deduct up to half of the amount in their Topper Budget from the final bid for the player.

The CFCL hopes that this new plan will be an improvement over the current Topper plan in terms of enticing non-contending teams to keep their B-contract players rather than dumping them, or at least make dumping less 'automatic.'

Picts at it Again  03/12/04

Nick's Picts continued what has been, compared to the other teams in the CFCL, a very busy March, completing their second deal of the month.  Less than two weeks after sending Eric Gange to Da Paul Meisters for a trio of cheap keepers, the Picts combined with the Hard Hats in the second CFCL trade of 2004.

This time the Picts added a little salary, acquiring outfielder Moises Alou (.15) and well-traveled starting pitching prospect Bobby Brownlie from the Hats for outfielder Xavier Nady (.05) and their 7th round Rotation Draft pick in this year's Draft.

This marks the fourth time that Brownlie has been dealt since being selected by the Lambchops in the 12th round of the 2003 Rotation Draft.  During the 2003 season, the Lambchops traded him to David's Ruffins, reacquired him in another deal a few days later, then sent him to the Hard Hats at the trading deadline.

CFCL Owners Reject Expanding Minor League Keepers  03/15/04

CFCL owners today voted 7-2 to reject a proposal that would have allowed an unlimited of minor league (M-contract) keepers prior to Draft Day starting in 2005.  The DoorMatts, Reservoir Dogs, and Nick's Picts did not cast a vote.

Current CFCL rules allow each team to retain up to 4 M-contract players on their Reserve List coming into the Draft, with the provision that a team may keep more than 4 M-contract players at the expense of the some of the 15 major league keepers each team is allowed.  Owners apparently felt that this current provision provided teams enough flexibility without allowing too much leniency.  

Hard Hats No More  03/15/04

Shortly after announcing his team had dealt Moises Alou to Nick's Picts, Hard Hats owner Matt Grage announced that he is changing his team name.  Effective immediately Grage's franchise will be known as Hot Sludge Sundae.

By way of explanation, Grage said "It's both yummy and disgusting at the same time, which kinda describes me to a T."  Grage reportedly considered several other options, most of which rated near the bottom of the decency scale.  Some that can be reprinted here include Air Born Again Christians, Dope on a Rope, and Scratch 'n' Sniff Adult Website.

Hot Sludge Sundae becomes the 6th franchise in CFCL history to undergo a name change.

• One of the Original Six CFCL teams, Ben T's Electric Eels finish last in the leagues inaugural season, then changed their name to Dem Rebels prior to 1985.
• Another of the Original Six, went through the league's first season as Paul's Penguins, spent the following year, 1985, as Paul's Bunyans, then reverted to Paul's Penguins in 1986.
• McGwire's Picks joined the CFCL in 1988 and left the league following the 1990 season.  After a two-year exile, owner Pat McGwire return with a franchise cleverly named the Twin Picks.
• When Harry Witzke left the CFCL, splitting up the first co-ownership in league history, remaining owner Bruce Ellman renamed Bruce's Witzke a Go-Go to Tenacious B. 
• The Scotland Wiseguys joined the CFCL in 1989 and were renamed before ever drafting their first player.  When their owner failed to show up on Draft Day, the team was rechristened the Headless Horsemen.  Their roster was drafted by a committee made up of all CFCL owners and then left to coast through the season, in which they finished a distant last.  Details about these bizarre Draft Day goings on can be found under 1989 in the Draft Histories section.

Roster Freeze Day  03/29/04

Is Emeril in the House? 
BAM! CFCL Draft Pool Gets Kicked Up a Notch

When CFCL teams submitted their cuts and freeze lists today in preparation for Draft Day 2004, more top-flight talent re-entered the Draft Pool than on any other Roster Freeze Date in memory.  Not a single team kept the allotted 15 major league players as teams slashed salaries, resulting in what should be a talent-laden Draft.

Need a first baseman? You're in luck, as Jeff Bagwell (Splinters), Todd Helton (Kennen), and Ryan Klesko (Rebels) became available today. 

In the outfield, Jim Edmonds (Lambchops), Steve Finley (Dogs), Cliff Floyd (Meisters), Luis Gonzalez (Splinters), Andruw Jones (Rebels), Chipper Jones (Sludge), and Sammy Sosa (Kennen) were set loose in cost-cutting measures. 

But wait, there's more: Luis Castillo (Dogs), two (count 'em, two!) Alex Gonzalezes (Rebels, Kennen), Jason Kendall (Splinters), Al Leiter (Dogs), Greg Maddux (Matts), Mike Piazza (Meisters), Ben Sheets (Stones), and John Smoltz (Dogs) are all suddenly looking for work.

That's not to say there wasn't any spending going on today. The following players received raises and long-term commitments from their CFCL owners:

Josh Beckett (Sludge) signed to an X contract at .12

Sean Burroughs (Ruffins) signed to an X contract at .04

Juan Cruz (Ruffins) signed to an X contract at .04

Adam Dunn (Ruffins) signed for 2 years at .20 (from an X contract)

Morgan Ensberg (Picts) signed an X contract at .04

Marcus Giles (Rebels) signed for 3 years at .20 (from an X contract)

Austin Kearns (Stones) signed an X contract at .04

Brian Lawrence (DoorMatts) signed for 2 years at .12 (from an X contract)

Brett Myers (Meisters) signed to an X contract at .07

Roy Oswalt (DoorMatts) signed for 3 years at .20 (from an X contract)

Corey Patterson (Stones) signed for 2 years at .20 (from an X contract)

Mark Prior (Sludge) signed for 3 years at .27

Scott Rolen (Sludge) signed for 2 years at .34

Brad Wilkerson (Ruffins) signed for 2 years at .15 (from an X contract)

Carlos Zambrano (Picts) signed for 2 years at .15

The following players who were claimed on Winter Waivers made the final cut with their new teams:

Kris Benson (Dogs)

Mark DeRosa (Meisters)

Ramon Martinez (Sludge)

Raul Mondesi (Copperfields)

Jim Thome (Picts)

Returning to the cuts, two teams kept fewer than 5 players - Teddy's Splendid Splinters brought back three players for a total of .17, while the Reservoir Dogs held onto 4 players with a total salary of .13. Seven teams have over half of their budget to spend on Draft Day, and inflation figures to be high.  Fasten your seat belts...

Full details about roster cuts will be posted on the website by the morning of Wednesday March 31.

CFCL Teams Ready Rosters for Opening Day 04/05/04

Hot on the heels of one of the quickest Draft Days in CFCL history, several teams made pre-Opening Day roster moves to fine-tune their squads prior to the first pitch.  GMs had plenty of time to ponder roster moves, as the auction portion of the draft was completed in speediest time in recent memory and the entire Draft Day proceedings wrapped up in just over 8 hours.

A summary of today's transactions:

RUFFINS reserve Jose Reyes, Freddy Sanchez, and Chris Carpenter; activate Rickey Gutierrez, Juan Castro and Dan Miceli.

SLUDGE reserve Mark Prior and Chin-Hui Tsao; activate Casey Daigle and Jason Christiansen.

PICTS reserve Tony Armas Jr.; activate Claudio Vargas.

DEM REBELS reserve Scott Eyre; activate Brian Meadows.

LAMBCHOPS reserve Greg Miller; activate Dustin Hermansen.

BY KENNEN reserve Nick Johnson; activate Cody Ross.

COPPERFIELDS reserve Juan Rivera; activate Roger Cedeno.

DA PAUL MEISTERS reserve Jae Seo, activate Horacio Ramirez.

Rosters have been entered at the Total Quality Stats site, and Excel rosters will be available soon.  The next transaction deadline will be 4:00 PM on Friday April 9.

Rebels and Picts in Season's First Trade 05/20/04

Dem Rebels and Nick's Picts combined on the CFCL's first in-season trade of 2004 today when the Rebels sent starting pitcher Jeff Suppan (.05D) to the Picts for catcher Brad Ausmus (.02D).  The Rebels immediately activated Ausmus in place of Corky Miller, while the Picts stashed Suppan on their Reserve List.

The Picts have had a hand in all three trades made so far in 2004.

Sludge Start '04 Dumping Season with Deal of Rolen 06/05/04

In the first dump trade of the season, the Hot Sludge Sundae began work on their 2005 roster, sending third baseman Scott Rolen (.34F) and outfielder DeWayne Wise (.06D) to David's Ruffins for third baseman Sean Burroughs (.04X), starting pitcher Jerome Williams (.05C), and the Ruffins 8th round Rotation Draft pick.

After contending for much of last year, the Sludge had gotten off to a disappointing start fueled by injuries to key players such as Mark Prior and Richie Sexson, poor performances from expected contributors such as Tike Redman and Jose Vidro, and possibly a health dose of bad karma from the RotoGods.  Ranking in last place by a healthy amount, the Sludge became the first team to throw in the towel on the 2004 CFCL season.

The Ruffins have hung tough this year, despite suffering from a spate of injuries themselves.  Rolen, the league leader in RBI, will try to help fill the holes created by injured Ruffins Carl Everett, Sammy Sosa, and Preston Wilson.

Co-Commissioners Combine on Rare Swap 06/10/04

The CFCL's Founding Fathers teamed up for their first trade in six years today, as both teams looked to strengthen their rosters for a pennant run.

The Rebels sent outfielder Marlon Byrd, shortstop Jimmy Rollins, and their 2005 7th round Rotation Draft pick to the Copperfields for shortstop Alex Gonzalez (FLA), pitcher Steve Trachsel, and their 13th round Rotation Draft pick in 2005.

Today's trade came almost 6 long years to the day after the last trade between the Co-Comissioners.  Back on June 8, 1998 the Copperfields sent first baseman/outfielder Kevin Young to the Rebels for closer Robb Nen.

Stones Deal for Offense in 8-Player Swap 06/28/04

For the first time in their 5-year history, Steve's Stones find themselves with a solid shot at the CFCL Championship.  The team took a large step toward the title today, announcing an 8-player deal with Teddy's Splendid Splinters.  In the four-for-four trade, the Stones acquired outfielders Steve Finley (.20D) and Danny Bautista (.14D), first baseman Jeff Bagwell (.31D), and shortstop Adam Everett (.09D).

The Splinters, in the franchise's first ever trade, acquired outfielder Austin Kearns (.04X), pitcher John Patterson (.02B), and minor leaguers JJ Hardy (.02M) and David Kelton (.05M).

Lambchops Add More Players/Salary in Kennen Deal 07/01/04

Less than a week after breaking the FAAB bank with a .52 bid on Carlos Beltran, Eric's Lambchops made another move in their drive to become 3-peat CFCL Champions.

The Chops today traded third baseman Chad Tracy (.05D), pitcher AJ Burnett (.05C), and outfielder Ruben Mateo (.08D) to By Kennen for outfielder/first baseman Shawn Green (.28D), appropriately-named third baseman Mike Lamb (.05D), and pitcher Kip Wells (.01B).

The trade must have been an emotional one for Kennen owner Kenn Ruby, as Wells was the first player he selected in his initial CFCL draft.

Ruffins Acquire Walker 07/07/04

In a straight-up swap of Present for Future, Teddy's Splendid Splinters sent outfielder Larry Walker (.16D) to David's Ruffins for second baseman Scott Hairston (.05D).

The trade is the second of the season for both teams.

Copperfields Make Two Trades 07/14/04

The Copperfields celebrated the increasing of the in-season salary cap to $3.50 with a pair of trades today.

In one, they sent rookie shortstop Khalil Greene (.10D), outfielder Juan Rivera (.03D), pitcher Brandon Webb (.05C), and outfield prospect Felix Pie (.05M) to By Kennen.  In return, the Copperfields acquired three players (and their salaries):  outfielder Lance Berkman (.43D), first baseman Nick Johnson (.29D), and pitcher Randy Wolf (.13B).  The trade marks a homecoming for Berkman, who had spent his entire CFCL career with the Copperfields before they dealt him to the Reservoir Dogs last June.

In a second, smaller trade the Copperfields obtained outfielder Endy Chavez (.05D) from Teddy's Splendid Splinters for Japanese pitching prospect Diasuke Matsuzaka (.02M).

Stones and Splinters Deal Again 07/17/04

Steve's Stones and Teddy's Splendid Splinters combined on their second deal of the season, this one an 8-player swap that sends plenty of pitching the Stones' way.

The Stones acquired pitchers Eric Milton (.09D), Darren Dreifort (.01D), and Glendon Rusch (.05D), plus first baseman JT Snow (.08D).  In return, they sent outfielder Phil Nevin (.04C), and pitcher Josh Fogg (.05D), Dave Burba (.05D), and Scott Service (.06D) to the Splinters.

Reservoir Dogs Rebuild with Pair of Deals  07/18/04

The Reservoir Dogs began rebuilding today in a pair of forward-looking deals.

In the first, they sent catcher Jason Kendall (.20D) and pitcher David Wells (.06D) to the Lambchops for closer Brad Lidge (.10C).

The second deal had David's Ruffins acquiring outfielders Mike Cameron (.25D) and Ryan Klesko (.26D), shortstop Craig Counsell (.01B), catcher John Buck (.02M), and reliever Steve Kline (.15D) from the Dogs for catcher Johnny Estrada (.04D), outfielder Eric Valent (.06D), and prospects Brian Bruney (.10M) and Jason Stokes (.02M).

Rebels and Ruffins Combine in Pitcher Swap  07/18/04

In an even-up swap, David's Ruffins today sent reliever Dan Miceli (.05D) to Dem Rebels for starting pitcher Odalis Perez (.06B).

Copperfields Dealing in Pairs Again  07/19/04

Less than a week after making two trades in the same day, the Copperfields were at it again, making a pair of deals today.

The Coppers sent first baseman Nick Johnson (.29D) and reliever Mike Remlinger (.10D) to the DoorMatts for relievers Luis Vizcaino (.05D) and Felix Rodriguez (.04D).  Johnson had just joined the Copperfields in a deal from By Kennen five days ago.  The trade was the DoorMatts' first of the year.

Having cleared some salary room, the Copperfields then sent minor leaguers Edwin Encarnacion (.05M), James Loney (.05M), and Andy Sisco (.05M) to Teddy's Splendid Splinters for outfielder Cliff Floyd (.25D), and pitchers Chris Capuano (.06D), and Dave Burba (.05D).

Lambchops Acquire Vidro  07/23/04

In a effort to bolster their offense prior to the trading deadline, the CFCL defending champs, Eric Lambchops sent pitchers Wilson Alvarez and Greg Miller to Hot Sludge Sundae for second baseman Jose Vidro and the Sundae's 10th round Rotation Draft pick in 2005.

Ruffins Add Pierre and Piazza  07/30/04

Amid all the buzz about the 3-way race for first place between the Meisters, Stones, and Copperfields, the Ruffins served notice today that they shouldn't be counted out either.  The Ruffins tossed their hat in the ring with a couple of trades this morning.

In the first, they sent outfielder Brad Wilkerson (.15E), recently-acquired pitcher Ryan Dempster (.08D), and their 15th round Rotation Draft pick in 2005 to Dem Rebels for outfielder Juan Pierre (.46D) and reliever Scott Linebrink (.02D).

They then packaged shortstop Jose Reyes (.05C), pitcher Juan Cruz (.04X), and their 14th round Rotation Draft pick in 2005 and sent them to Hot Sludge Sundae for catcher Mike Piazza (.21D), pitcher Ray King (.01D), minor leaguers Scott Kazmir (.05M), Brendan Harris (.05M), and Brad Nelson (.05M), and their 1st round Rotation Draft pick in 2005.

FAAB Balances 07/31/04

In preparation for the trading deadline and IFAB Day on August 1, the CFCL Front Office released updated FAAB balances and salary cap levels for each team:

2004 Trade Deadline Deals  08/01/04

The transactions wires were buzzing as the 2004 trading deadline approached with 6 deals getting finalized before time expired at Noon on August 1:

Teddy's Splendid Splinters traded Brian Giles to Steve's Stones for Jose Valverde.

By Kennen traded third baseman Chipper Jones (.38D) to Da Paul Meisters for pitchers Brett Myers (.07X) and Luke Hudson (.05M).

Hot Sludge Sundae traded outfielder Andruw Jones (.36D), prospect Corey Hart (.05M), and their 9th round Rotation Draft pick in 2005 to Dem Rebels for pitcher Dan Miceli (.05D), infielder Nick Green (.06D), and their 8th round Rotation Draft pick in 2005.

The Lambchops traded outfielder Carlos Beltran (.52D*), catcher Jason Kendall (.20D), and pitchers Kip Wells (.01B) and Chris Reitsma (.05D) to the Copperfields for outfielders Lance Berkman (.43D), Juan Encarnacion (.13B), and Raul Mondesi (.19D), and prospect Andy Marte (.05M)

The Lambchops traded outfielder Jim Edmonds (.26D), Brad Penny (.15B) and Dave Roberts (.01B) to Steve's Stones for outfielder Cory Patterson (.20E), pitcher Glendon Rusch (.05D), and prospects Clint Everts (.05M) and Anthony Gwynn (.02M).

 Hot Sludge Sundae traded outfielder Abraham Nunez (.03D), pitcher Victor Santos (.05D), and thier 8th round draft pick in 2005 to the Copperfields for outfielder Roger Cedeno (.15D), pitcher Todd Van Poppel, and Dem Rebels' 7th round draft pick in 2005.

In all, it was one of the busier couple of trade deadline days in recent history.

IFAB Day Results 08/01/04

As anticipated, there was intense bidding for the services of free agent Nomar Garciaparra, as seven teams were willing to guarantee his contract for the 2005 season.

Here are the complete 2004 IFAB Day acquisitions:

DEM REBELS sign free agent N Garciaparra (.42), reserve R Hernandez.

DA PAUL MEISTERS sign free agent V Zambrano (.24), reserve JW Seo.

HOT SLUDGE SUNDAE sign free agent R Seanez (.05), reserve him.

RESERVOIR DOGS sign free agent K Hill, reserve him.

PICTS sign free agent G Cararra (.06), reserve R Cormier, waive P Shuey.

PICTS sign free agent D Hansen (.05), reserve D Glanville, waive M McBride.

PICTS sign free agent H Stanley (.05), reserve him, waive C Vargas.

PICTS sign free agent TJ Tucker (.05), reserve him, waive P Norton.

RUFFINS sign free agent J Bautista (.07), reserve him, release S Kazmir.

Details on the bidding were as follows:

CFCL Rosters Expand 09/01/04

Four CFCL teams took advantage of September 1 roster expansion and added an extra player to their active roster.  From now until the end of the season, teams may field 24-man active rosters.  The in-season salary cap was increased to $3.60 to allow for the extra player.

The teams that activated players on September 1 were:

Team	Player
Stones	JT Snow
Copperfields	Felix Rodriguez
Ruffins	Carl Everett
Dem Rebels	Ryan Dempster

Stoney End 10/10/04

The second place David's Copperfields started slowly and found themselves in 6th place, 28 points out of 1st at the beginning of June.  Over the next couple months, they climbed steadily and by the beginning of August were only 3 points out of the lead.  Their trading deadline acquisition of Carlos Beltran was a bold move (by virtue of Beltran's .52 contract, guaranteed for 2005), but Beltran's combination of plate patience, power, and speed helped give the Copperfields the CFCL's top offense.  Their pitching stumbled though, and they fell short of the Stones and finished just barely ahead of the third place Ruffins.  

Like the Stones, David's Ruffins were hit hard by injuries in 2004.  Their offense was especially affected, with Carl Everett, Preston Wilson, Jose Reyes, and Sammy Sosa all missing significant time.  The Ruffins used free agents and Reserve List reinforcements to bridge the gap until the wounded returned, fortified the forces with some key acquisitions via trades, and stayed in contention until the season's final days.  The Ruffin pitching, a strength all season long, faltered ever so slightly in the last weeks of the season and they finished in third place only by virtue of an extra earned run or two.

Da Paul Meisters spent much of the season a top the standings.  But while most of the other contenders scrambled to pull off multiple trades, the Meisters stood pat until they acquired Chipper Jones at the trade deadline.  By that time, though, the Stones had passed the Meisters, and by the end of August the Copperfields and Ruffins had followed suit.  The Meisters finished the season in fourth place; their first money finish since 1999.

After back-to-back Championships in 2002 and 2003, Eric's Lambchops fell short in their bid to become only the second CFCL franchise to three-peat.  The Chops struggled to rise among the top three teams in the standings, but they made a valiant attempt at contending, but struggled to rise to among the top 3 teams.  Even when they were in 5th place, 25 points out first on June 26, the Chops sent a jolt through the CFCL with their .52 winning bid on free agent Carlos Beltran.  While that move wasn't enough to bring the Lambchops to a money spot, it did secure their standing in 5th place - so much so that they were later able to deal Beltran with an eye towards 2005 without dropping in the standings.

From a team trying to three-peat as CFCL Champions, we move to a team trying to AVOID three-peating as league doormatts.  After finishing in last place in 2002 and 2003, Nick's Picts returned to where they finished in 2001 - 6th place.   The Picts had a strong season, and made a legitimate run at their first money finish before fading a bit in the second half.

The next three teams finished within 3.5 points of each other.  At one time or the other each one of the trio lead the pack.  Dem Rebels and the Reservoir Dogs entered the final week of the season tied, and during the season's last two days, Dem Rebels pulled ahead and finished in 7th place, after making a concerted effort to maximize their Topper Budget for 2005.  Edged by the Rebels, the Reservoir Dogs ended up in 8th place, while the DoorMatts dropped to 9th. 

Teddy's Splendid Splinters were one of the CFCL's two new franchises in 2004, brought in to replace two departing teams.   They hovered near the middle of the standings for much of the season and owned one of the CFCL's most productive offenses.  A mid-season rebuilding effort, during which they stocked up on low-priced keepers and minor leaguers, hurt their production and dropped them to 10th place.

Hot Sludge Sundae, the re-christened Matt's Hard Hats, struggled right out of the gate.  Injuries to their star pitching duo of Mark Prior and Josh Beckett didn't help matters, and last place belonged to the Sludge right from the beginning of the season.  At times, they were more than 30 points behind the 11th place team.  During the last week of the season, though, powered by a healthy Prior, the Sludge was able to sneak past By Kennen and move into 11th, where they finished the season.

That late-season surge by the Sludge came as a shock to the second replacement franchise By Kennen, who justifiably thought they were safe from falling into last place.  Kennen lingered in the bottom third of the standings for most of the season and by early July had settled comfortably into 11th place.  The decision to trade off their high-salary and final contract year players , combined with the Prior's return to dominance for the Sludge, dropped By Kennen into the cellar during the season's final week.  Kennen was able to secure a number of promising young pitchers which bodes well for their future.

2004 Award Winners Announced 10/30/04

The results of the 2004 CFCL awards balloting was announced Saturday night at the annual CFCL Awards Banquet.  A good turn-out was on hand to celebrate the conclusion of one of the CFCL's more exciting seasons.

The team achievements were recognized first, with David's Copperfields winning the Best Offense award (55 points), the 13th time in 21 years that they've owned the league's most powerful offense.  The 2004 Champions Steve's Stones took the award for the Best Pitching, totaling 55.5 points.

It was a Copperfield Sweep in the "improvement" awards.  The Coppers won the award for Greatest Increase in Points over last year's total (+56.5 points), Greatest Increase in Place over last year's finish (+9 places, 11th to 2nd), and, for the 7th time in their history, the Dallas Green Award.  The Green Award goes to the team that increased the most from the season's 10th reporting period until the end of the season.  The Copperfields gained 20 points over the course of the season, the 3rd highest total in CFCL history.

Next up were the awards that were voted on by CFCL owners.  The owners had ranked the top 3 players in each award category, and players received 3 points for each first place vote, 2 points for second place, and 1 point for third.

Aramis Ramirez of By Kennen was named Best Expansion Draft Pick, receiving 15 total points, including 4 first place votes.  Lyle Overbay, also of By Kennen, and Jack Wilson of Teddy's Splendid Splinters each scored 12 points and 2 first place votes apiece.

Adrian Beltre, of the Reservoir Dogs, was honored as the Steal of the Year for the 2004 Draft.  Beltre's .15 salary was the highest ever for a Steal of the Year award winner - the first ever in double digits.  Beltre received 4 of 10 first place votes and totaled 15 points overall.  The Ruffins' Chris Carpenter (.01) came in second with 10 points despite not a single first place vote.  Other players who WERE listed first on ballots included Jaret Wright (.01) of the Reservoir Dogs (9 points, 2 first place votes), Ben Sheets (.14) of David's Ruffins (6 points, 2 first place votes), Armando Benitez (.12) of Hot Sludge Sundae (6 points, 1 first place vote), and Oliver Perez (.05) of the Stones (4 points, 1 first place vote).

On the opposite side of the spectrum, the Nick Esasky Award for 2004 went to Nick Johnson, who was drafted for .29 by By Kennen.  Johnson totaled 12 points and had 2 first place votes.  Johnson is the first non-pitcher to win the award since Von Hayes of Dem Rebels was so honored in 1991.  The only other hitter to ever win the award is its namesake, Nick Esasky of the Bald Eagles in 1990.  Other vote-getters in the CFCL's most notorious award category were Roberto Alomar (.17) of the Reservoir Dogs (11 points, 3 first place votes), Carl Everett (.10) of David's Ruffins (10 points, 2 first place votes), Andy Pettitte (.10) of Nick's Picts (7 points, 1 first place), and Orlando Cabrera of the Reservoir Dogs (6 points, 2 first place votes).  Hideo Nomo (.08) of the Reservoir Dogs received 5 points.  Clearly it was feast or famine for the Reservoir Dogs in the 2004 Draft - they had 2 of the top-3 point scorers in the Steal of the Year category, and 3 of the top-6 in the Esasky Award.

The Reservoir Dogs also did well in the Best Reserve List Pick category.  The Dogs' Doug Davis won the top spot, netting 20 points overall and 6 first place votes.  Teammate Steve Klein came in third with 11 points and two first place votes.  Finishing between the two Dog reservists was Rob Macowiak of Da Paul Meisters, who's one first place vote contributed to his total of 14 points.  Copperfield selection Wily Mo Pena also received one first place vote.

The Best Free Agent Acquisition Award went to Milton Bradley, whose acquisition by Steve's Stones sent shock waves through the league and set the tone for the Stones march to the pennant.  Bradley received 6 first place votes and 22 points overall.  Second place went to Carlos Beltran of the Lambchops (14 points, 2 first place votes), and Dem Rebels' Nomar Garciaparra took third place with 4 points and 1 first place vote.  Rebel leader Rich Bentel pointed out at the banquet that this was the first time in CFCL history in which three free agents were acquired for more than .40.  A cheaper purchase was Mike Gonzalez of Hot Sludge Sundae, who received the remaining first place vote, but was named on only a single ballot so totaled just 3 points.  He finished fifth in the voting, just behind Copperfield Jim Brower who scored 4 points.

Nick's Picts continued their recent dominance of the waiver categories, taking the prize for both winter and in-season claims.  Jim Thome was elected the Best Winter Waiver Claim, receiving 6 first place votes and 23 points overall.  Thome easily topped runner-up Kris Benson of the Reservoir Dogs, who scored 17 points and was named first on 3 ballots.  It was the second consecutive win in the category for the Picts.

A Pict also took home the award for Best In-Season Waiver Claim.  Rheal Cormier scored 19 points with 6 first place votes, topping Antonio Alfonseca of Teddy's Splendid Splinters (14 points, 2 first place) and Damian Easley of Hot Sludge Sundae (9 points, 1 first place).

Like a broken record, the award for the Most Productive Farm System went to David's Ruffins, their 6th win in the category in 11 years.  The Ruffins received only 3 first place votes, but were named on enough ballots to score 19 points, which narrowly edged the 18 points scored by the Lambchops - despite the Lambchops 5 first place votes.  David Wright, John Buck, Todd Linden, and Scott Hairston were the Ruffins honored, while Kaz Matsui, Luis Terrero, and Chad Tracy formed the Lambchop rookie class.

Speaking of broken records, Da Paul Meisters' Barry Bonds was named the CFCL's Most Valuable Player for the 5th time in his career.  Bonds was named first on 7 ballots, scoring a total of 23 points.  That beat out second place finisher Albert Pujols of the DoorMatts (19 points, 2 first place), who had won the award last year.  Bobby Abreu of the DoorMatts also received a first place vote.

 There was a bit of an upset in the Cy Young Award voting.  Randy Johnson of Steve's Stones received more first place votes (5) than any one else in the category, but totaled just 21 points.  He was edged for the top spot by the Ruffins' Ben Sheets who got 23 points and 4 first place votes.  Had Johnson nabbed the award, it would have been his fourth in the last five years (the exception being 2003's Eric Gagne).

Jason Bay of Teddy's Splendid Splinters was the runaway winner of the Rookie of the Year award, scoring 26 points (7 first place).  Akinori Otsuka of Nick's Picts was named first on two ballots and Mike Gonzalez was listed at the top of one, but neither player came close to Bay overall.

The General Manager of the Year award has always gone to the CFCL Champions, and 2004 was no exception.  Steve Olson of Steve's Stones was named first on 8 of his fellow owners' ballots and accumulated 28 points overall.  The Copperfields' David Mahlan finished a distant second (15 points, 1 first place vote), and David Holian of the Ruffins finished just behind Mahlan (12 points, 1 first place vote).  Also receiving votes were Paul Zeledon of Da Paul Meisters (3 points) and rookie owner Teddy Scott of Teddy's Splendid Splinters (1 vote).

Finally, the CFCL Executive Committee selected Steve Olson of Steve's Stones as the winner of this year's Paul Mahlan Award.  The Rebels lost Adam Everett, Jake Peavy, Kerry Wood, Austin Kearns, Phil Nevin, Brad Penny, Jose Valverde, Randall Simon, Darren Dreifort, Karim Garcia, Ray Durham, and others for some or all of the 2004 season.  The Executive Committee felt that the perseverance with which Olson carried on despite these setbacks best illustrated the spirit demonstrated by original CFCL owner Paul Mahlan in dealing with his adversities.