Lemon Leaves Lambchops 01/19/05
John Lemon, Assistant General Manager of Eric's Lambchops, has informed the team that he will be unable to return to his post for the 2005 season. A devoted family man, Lemon cited the desire to spend more time at home with his wife and child, as well as his intent to focus his energies on his burgeoning career in the press. Lemon has offered to remain available to the Lambchops and consult on specific trade proposals and strategies, but will no longer be involved in team operations on a day-to-day basis.
Lemon joined the Lambchops prior to the 2002 season, after Head GM Eric Lamb felt he didn't have the time to required to fully compete in the league. The partnership was a success right off the bat.
The Lambchops immediately captured their first CFCL crown in 2002, and became just the second CFCL franchise to win back-to-back Championships when they repeated in 2003. Both Lemon and Lamb deny that Lemon's departure has anything to do with the Lambchops' 5th place finish in 2004.
In his resignation announcement, Lemon emphasized how much he enjoyed his time in the CFCL and thanked Lamb and the other CFCL owners for the experience.
Lamb has already begun interviewing candidates to replace Lemon in the Assistant GM role.
CFCL to Draft on April 3 01/22/05
The CFCL Front Office and GMs have tabbed Sunday April 3 as the date for the 22nd Draft Day in CFCL history.
April 3 is the day before Opening Day of the 2005 National League season. The auction's start time has been tentatively set for 8:00 AM, and it is hoped that the Front Office will again be able to secure the conference room in Oakbrook to serve as Draft Day Headquarters.
The Reservior Dogs and Nick's Picts have both confirmed that their GMs will be present at the Draft, though work schedules will once again keep David's Ruffins in Greensboro. Ruffin GM, Dave Holian, is expected to participate via the Internet.
Winter Thaw Begins as Trading Season Starts 01/28/05
The CFCL's co-founders and co-Commissioners kicked off the 2005 trading season with the Copperfields packaging a pair of pitchers for two Rebel hitters. The trade is the first in the CFCL since last sesaon's July 31 trading deadline.
In today's deal the Coppers sent starter Greg Maddux (.17D) and closer Danny Kolb (.13) to the Rebels for outfielders Brad Wilkerson (.15E) and Matt Holliday (.05).
The deal is a rare one for the Grand Old Men of the CFCL, who had earlier gone six years without combining on a trade before they teamed up for a swap in June of the 2004 season.
PRESS RELEASE: Lambchops Bring a Mahlan Out of Retirement 01/28/05
The following press release was issued by Lambchop Headquarters late Friday night:
The Lambchops front office is announcing a very important addition to their front office. Tonight, The Lambchops and Paul Mahlan agreed on a contract for Paul to join their front office as assistant GM! Both the Chops and Mahlan are excited about this partnership! "Paul brings a passion for baseball, dogs, and coffee that make a great addition to the Lambchops front office," owner and GM, Eric Lamb said Friday night. Both sides are extremely hopeful that the partnership will produce many more CFCL championships, and at the least, an improvement over the Chops 5th place finish in 2004.Welcome aboard Paul!
Eric Lamb Owner and GM--Eric's Lambchops
Paul Mahlan, brother of co-founder and co-Commissioner David Mahlan, was one of the 6 original CFCL owners in 1984. That year his Penguins finished in fifth place, and the following season, as the newly-christened Paul's Bunyans, the team dropped to 6th place. Mahlan reversed the name change in 1986, and Paul's Penguins went on to third place finishes that year and in 1987.
Paul left the CFCL after its first four seasons, but he is excited to be returning as Eric's Assistant GM. Early reports indicate that Paul will play a role similar to that performed by former Lambchop GM, John Lemon.
CFCL Owners Approve Rule Changes 02/19/05
The CFCL owners today approved several Executive Committee proposals for rule changes and clarifications. Nine of the 12 franchises participated in the voting The Doormatts, Reservoir Dogs, and By Kennen did not submit ballots.
The results of the ballots received were:
In a 9-0 vote, owners adopted the proposed approach for handling instances of alleged misconduct by a CFCL owner. Under the plan, the EC will investigate the allegations and report their findings and recommendation to the league. The league will then vote on the recommendation, with a 75% super-majority required to expel and owner from the league.
In a 6-3 vote, owners voted to clarify that the CFCL season begins on Roster Freeze Day. This is important for handling cases where frozen players are traded to the American League prior to Draft Day. With the new clarification, those players can be retained by their CFCL team and accrue stats through the season.
In a 9-0 vote, owners voted to retain the anti-dumping "Integrity Clause" as part of the CFCL Constitution.
In a 8-1 vote, owners endorsed the plan to move the Winter Waivers process from October to January.
In a 8-1 vote, owners approved the use of the term "Hometown Discount" as a replacement for "Topper".
One measure that did not pass was the vote on whether to raise the Entrance Fee by $5 per team for the 2005 season. The Constitution's Escalator Clause, which calls for such a vote every other year, states that 75% of CFCL franchises must be in favor of a fee increase for it to be adopted. In this year's voting, there were three votes against raising the fee and six in favor of it, two votes short of the required 75%. As a result, the Entrance Fee will remain the same for the coming season and CFCL owners will vote on a $5 increase again next season.
By Kennen Announce Name Change 03/25/05
After one disappointing season under the moniker By Kennen, owner Kenn Ruby has announced he is changing the name of this franchise to the Kenndoza Line. Ruby summed up his current thoughts on his team's original name with a very simple statement: "It's just stupid."
Ruby is no doubt hopeful that his team's new designation will come to represent a standard of excellence in the CFCL - that it will be considered an achievement for teams to finish above the Kenndoza Line. This, of course, is opposed to the franchise's inaugural season in which every team successfully completed that task.
Ruby become the second owner in the last year to rename his team, following Matt Grage who opted to call his team Hot Sludge Sundae prior to the 2004 season after four years as Matt's Hard Hats. Several other CFCL franchises have undergone name transformations:
Roster Freeze Day 03/28/05
CFCL teams reported the names of the players they re-signed and those they released today, as they prepared their rosters for Draft Day 2005. Many high-priced players were cut loose, including Jeff Bagwell, Brian Giles, Kerry Wood, Chipper Jones, Lance Berkman, Preston Wilson, Luis Castillo, Mike Cameron, Matt Morris, Milton Bradley, and Cliff Floyd, though none of the moves were surprising.
The following players received raises and long-term commitments from their CFCL owners:
Luis Ayala (Dem Rebels) signed for 2 years at .10
Jason Bay (Splinters) signed for 2 years at .12
Josh Beckett (Sludge) signed for 2 years at .20 (from an X contract)
Sean Burroughs (Sludge) signed for 2 years at .12 (from an X contract)
Hee Choi (Dem Rebels) signed for 2 years at .15
Morgan Ensberg (Picts) signed for 2 years at .12 (from an X contract)
Austin Kearns (Splinters) signed for 2 years at .12 (from an X contract)
Phil Nevin (Splinters) signed for 2 years at .09
Jose Reyes (Sludge) signed for 2 years at .10
Craig Wilson (Ruffins) signed for 2 years at .09
Two players, the only two eligible, were signed to X contracts: Miguel Cabrera (Copperfields) at .04 and Dontrelle Willis (DoorMatts) at .07.
The following players who had been claimed on Winter Waivers during the off-season made the final cut and were retained by their new teams:
Greg Aquino (Sludge)
Josh Fogg (Lambchops)
Aaron Harang (Dem Rebels)
Ramon Hernandez (Sludge)
Jason Michaels (Splinters)
Dustan Mohr (Sludge)
Todd Walker (Sludge)
Woody Williams (Dem Rebels)
The 2004 CFCL Champions, Steve Stones, gutted their roster and brought back only 9 players. One of the players they cut loose was outfielder Milton Bradley, who had been on a guaranteed contract. The penalty resulting from the move means the Stones will have just $2.37 to spend on Draft Day, rather than the usual $2.60. The Copperfields (Carlos Beltran, .52) and Dem Rebels (Nomar Garciaparra, .42) had players with similar contracts and elected to bite the bullet and pay the stars' high salaries rather than take the penalty hit.
Nick's Picts kept the fewest players, and will enter the draft with just 8 roster spots filled. The newly-christened Kenndoza Line will go into the draft with the most money to spend - $1.99 for the 13 players they need to acquire. Other big Draft Day spenders will be the Reservior Dogs ($1.97 available), Splinters ($1.91), Lambchops ($1.55), and the Stones ($1.49) - they all have well over half their budget to spend.
Full details about roster cuts will be posted on the website by the morning of Wednesday March 30.
CFCL Teams Set Opening Day Rosters 04/04/05
Following a trend started last year, the CFCL completed another relatively speedy Draft Day. Prior to the season kicking off, several CFCL teams fine-tuned their active rosters with the following transactions:
SLUDGE reserve Mark Prior, Greg Aquino, and Freddy Guzman, activate Al Reyes, Jose Vizcaino, and Tony Blanco.
SPLINTERS reserve Norihiro Nakamura, activate Cory Sullivan.
RESERVOIR DOGS reserve Dave Roberts, activate Ricky Ledee.
RUFFINS reserve Chin-Hui Tsao, activate Rudy Seanez.
COPPERFIELDS reserve Adam Eaton and Jayson Werth, activate Terry Adams and Jose Castillo.
LAMBCHOPS reserve Humberto Cota and Lance Berkman, activate Henry Blanco and So Taguchi.
DA PAUL MEISTERS reserve Eric Gagne and Alex Cintron, activate Duaner Sanchez and Ben Greive.
Rosters have been entered at the Total Quality Stats site, and Excel rosters are available in the Download Center. The next transaction deadline will be 4:00 PM on Friday April 8 (with moves effective for Saturday's games).
Reservoir Dogs Acquire Pedro, Others 05/24/05
Teddy's Splendid Splinters cut the cord on their 2005 season today and signaled their intention to play for the future in a deal with the first place Reservoir Dogs, the first in-season trade of the year.
The Splinters sent starter Pedro Martinez (.44D), second baseman Ray Durham (.25D), and catcher Brad Ausmus (.04D) to the Dogs for reliever Chad Cordero (.06C), catcher Johnny Estrada (.04C), and their 3rd round pick in the 2006 Rotation Draft.
The Reservoir Dogs' team salary now stands right at the $3.00 salary cap after the deal, even though they reserved Durham and his quarter salary.
The trade marks the earliest in a season that a team has started dumping since 2002, when the Picts threw in the towel and sent Chipper Jones to Dem Rebels on April 17. A deal that was roundly criticized at the time (mainly for its timing), it did net the Picts Carlos Zambrano who has been a mainstay of their starting rotation for a number of years now.
Splinters Continue to Splinter in Sludge Deal 05/25/05
A day after kicking off the 2005 in-season trading season, Teddy's Splendid Splinters continued to dismantle their squad, this time in a deal with Hot Sludge Sundae.
The middle-of-the-pack Sludge demonstrated they still intend to make a go of it this year by acquiring outfielder Cliff Floyd (.17D), outfielder/first baseman Shawn Green (.33D), and reliever Mike Koplove (.05D) from the Splinters for speedy second baseman Jose Reyes (.10E), reliever Armando Benitez (.12C), and the Sludge's 4th round Rotation Draft pick in 2006.
Sludge Send Mike Gonzalez to Kenndoza 06/16/05
The CFCL's only two singularly-named franchises combined on a deal today, as Hot Sludge Sundae sent reliever Mike Gonzalez and their 5th round Rotation Draft pick in 2006 to Kenndoza Line for outfielder Terrmell Sledge, rookie pitcher Kyle Davies, and the Line's 10th round Rotation Draft pick in 2006.
The trade signaled a change of course for the Sludge, who only a few weeks ago were on the receiving end of a dump deal with Teddy's Splendid Splinters. A spate of injuries that occurred shortly after the trade apparently caused the Sludge to re-examine their chances for the 2005 season.
Copperfields and Stones in Six-Player Swap 06/19/05
The Copperfields and Stones celebrated Father's Day by each making their first forays into the 2005 Trading Pool, combining on a six-player deal.
The Stones sent outfielder Juan Pierre (.35D), second baseman/outfielder Craig Biggio (.13D), and closer Trevor Hoffman (.07B) to the Coppers for outfielder Juan Encarnacion (.05D), and starters Andy Pettitte (.19D) and Cory Lidle (.10D).
Dem Rebels Acquire Shawn Green 06/26/05
Dem Rebels served notice today that they're still very much focused on their performance in 2005, acquiring a couple bats in a trade with the dumping Hot Sludge Sundae.
The Rebels acquired outfielder/first baseman Shawn Green (.33D), first baseman JT Snow (.08D), and prospect Rajai Davis (.02M), and Hot Sludge Sundae's 13th round Rotation Draft pick in 2006. In exchange, the Sludge get infielder Lance Niekro (.05D), outfielders Ryan Langerhans (.01D) and Quinton McCracken (.05D), and the Rebels 7th round Rotation Draft pick next year.
The Sludge had acquired Green only a month ago in a deal with Teddy's Splendid Splinters.
Reservoir Dogs Trade for Castilla/Grudzielanek 06/27/05
Da Paul Meisters became the latest to join the ranks of teams to start dumping non-keepers with a deal completed today.
The Meisters sent budget-priced B contract players Vinnie Castilla (.01B) and Mark Grudzielanek (.03B) to the Reservoir Dogs for outfielder Marlon Byrd (.10D), third baseman Wes Helms (.10D), prospect Zach Duke (.05M), and the Dogs' 7th and 13th round Rotation Draft picks in 2005.
Among other things, the trade freed up some salary room for the Reservoir Dogs to activate recently-acquired free agent Alex Sanchez.
Ruffins Jump Into Fray, Acquire Burrell 06/30/05
The line between the Dumpers and Aquireers became even more defined today as one more team joined each of the camps.
Eric's Lambchops signaled their movement into dump mode by sending outfielders Pat Burrell (.32D), Corey Patterson (.20B), and pitcher Josh Fogg (.05D) to David's Ruffins for outfielder Ryan Church (.04D), infielder/outfielder Craig Wilson (.09E), minor league pitcher Anthony Reyes (.05M), and the Ruffins' 2006 3rd round Rotation Draft pick.
Lambchops Keep Dealing 07/01/05
Completing their second trade in as many days, Eric's Lambchops have sent starting pitcher Livan Hernandez (.07B) to the Reservoir Dogs in exchange for pitcher Jesse Foppert (.05D), minor league pitcher Adam Wainwright (.02M), and the Dogs' 2nd and 14th round Rotation Draft picks in 2006.
Copperfields Add Relief Help 07/14/05
The Copperfields became the first team to take advantage of the post-All Star Game salary cap increase and bolstered their bullpen by acquiring closer Billy Wagner (.29B) from Da Paul Meisters today.
In return, the Meisters received outfielder Matt Holliday (.05C), and prospects Michael Bourn (.05M) and Josh Anderson (.05M).
Copperfields Acquire Sludgey Trio 07/15/05
The Copperfields continued to add players and salary for the last half of the season with their second trade in as many days. Today they sent outfielder Wily Mo Pena (.05C), infielder Wilson Betemit (.05D), and their 4th and 8th round Rotation Draft picks in 2006 to Hot Sludge Sundae for outfielder Cliff Floyd (.17D), shortstop Omar Vizquel (.12D), and starting pitcher Derek Lowe (.11D).
This makes the third stop this season for the well-travelled Floyd. He was drafted by Teddy's Splendid Splinters and dealt to the Sludge at the end of May.
Kenndoza Line and Stones in 10-Player Deal 07/29/05
Steve's Stones became the latest team to start looking toward 2006, completing a 5-for-5 trade with the third place Kenndoza Line.
The Stones dealt outfielder Jim Edmonds (.26C), catcher Damian Miller (.05D), and pitchers Andy Pettitte (.19D), Brad Penny (.09D), and Jose Valverde (.10D) to Kenndoza Line for outfielder Victor Diaz (.05D), infielder Rickie Weeks (.10D), catcher JD Closser (.02D), reliever Ryan Madson (.01C) and pitching prospect Mike Hinkley (.02M).
FAAB Balances 07/31/05
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:
| Team | Salary | FAAB | Players | Team | Salary | FAAB | Players | |
| Meisters | 2.16 | .94 | 40 | Copperfields | 3.43 | .57 | 40 | |
| Lambchops | 2.29 | .67 | 40 | DoorMatts | 2.60 | .14 | 40 | |
| Dem Rebels | 3.01 | .62 | 40 | Sludge Sundae | 2.30 | .19 | 40 | |
| Picts | 1.87 | .45 | 40 | Ruffins | 2.77 | .24 | 40 | |
| Splinters | 1.93 | .60 | 40 | Reservoir Dogs | 3.15 | .47 | 37 | |
| By Kennen | 3.10 | .24 | 40 | Stones | 1.98 | .56 | 40 |
2005 Trade Deadline Deals 08/01/05
What at first appeared to be a slow trade deadline period, turned out to be quite active as the deadline passed, with 6 deals being made. The league-leading Reservoir Dogs picked up some extra bats for the stretch run, while the second place Copperfields shuffled players around in an effort to catch the Dogs. The Copperfields were involved in 5 of the 6 trades, and two of the deals involved them taking on players with long-term contract commitments - shades of their Carlos Beltran acquisition at the deadline in 2004.
Here are the details on today's trades:
| David's Ruffins trade: | to David's Copperfields for: |
| Adam Dunn (.20B) | Jayson Werth (.06C) |
| Jason Isringhausen (.18B) | Jose Castillo (.15D) |
| Kevin Gryboski (.10D) | Billy Wagner (.29B) |
| Josh Fogg (.05D) | George Kottaras (.05M) |
| 2006 14th round Rotation Draft pick | 2006 9th round Rotation Draft pick |
| Dem Rebels trade: | to David's Copperfields for: |
| Shawn Green (.33D) | Brad Wilkerson (.15B) |
| Jeff Suppan (.03D) | Chris Duffy (.11D) |
| Scott Eyre (.02B) | Jim Brower (.02D) |
| 2006 13th round Rotation Draft pick |
| Da Paul Meisters trade: | to David's Copperfields for: |
| Wes Helms (.10D) | John Grabow (.06D) |
| Hot Sludge Sundae trade: | to David's Copperfields for: |
| Brian Schnieder (.04C) | Wes Helms (.10D) |
| Sean Burroughs (.12E) | Steve Trachsel (.05D) |
| Quinton McCracken (.05D) | Einar Diaz (.05D) |
| 2006 15th round Rotation Draft pick | 2006 3rd round Rotation Draft pick |
| Da Paul Meisters trade: | to Reservoir Dogs for: |
| Joe Randa (.07D) | Yhency Brazoban (.08C) |
| Paul LoDuca (.15C) | JR Phillips (.06D) |
| Scott Olson (.06D) | |
| Ricky Ledee (.15D) |
| Splendid Splinters trade: | to David's Copperfields for: |
| Phil Nevin (.09E) | 2006 1st round Rotation Draft pick |
| 2006 9th round Rotation Draft pick | |
| 2006 15th round Rotation Draft pick |
With the passing of the 2005 trade deadline, the CFCL moves into a no-trade period which will last until the completion of the first round of Winter Waivers, currently set for Tuesday, January 10, 2006.
IFAB Day Results 08/01/05
Despite a less than exciting free agent market, there was still spirited bidding for Interleague Free Agent Bidding Day. The Reservoir Dogs walked away with the day's big prize, as they were the only team willing to guarantee Randy Winn's contract for 2006.
Here are the complete 2005 IFAB Day acquisitions:
RESERVOIR DOGS sign R Winn (.33), reserve K Lofton.
PICTS sign K Farnsworth (.24), reserve T Worrell, waive D Relaford.
DA PAUL MEISTERS sign L Bigbie (.24), reserve J Cruz, waive E Perez.
PICTS sign R Villone (.21), reserve C Qualls, waive W Lydon.
COPPERFIELDS sign J Broxton (.09), reserve him, waive S Kim.
RESERVOIR DOGS sign B Hennessey (.05), reserve him.
HOT SLUDGE SUNDAE sign CH Park (.06), reserve him, waive M Koplove.
RUFFINS sign O Quintanilla (.08), reserve F Sanchez, waive J Spivey.
NOTE: Players waived for IFAB Day cannot be claimed on waivers until Friday August 12.
Details on the bidding were as follows:
|
Randy Winn |
Kyle
Farnsworth .24 Picts (Relaford) .24 Kenndoza (Machado) .19 Sludge (Drese) .14 Res Dogs .11 Coppers (McCracken) .06 Rebels (Wellemeyer) |
Larry
Bigbie .24 Meisters (Perez) .12 Coppers (Cook) .09 Kenndoza (Ojeda) |
Ron
Villone .21 Picts (Lydon) .09 Kenndoza (Machado) .06 Sludge (Drese) |
| Johnathon
Broxton .09 Coppers (Kim) .06 Ruffins (Cedeno) .05 Sludge (Garabito) |
Brad
Hennessey .05 Res Dogs |
Chan Ho
Park .06 Sludge (Koplove) |
Omar
Quintanilla .08 Ruffins (Spivey) |
CFCL Rosters Expand 09/01/05
5 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 today were:
Team Player Copperfields Victor Zambrano Dem Rebels JT Snow DoorMatts Luke Scott Reservoir Dogs Mark Grudzielanek Ruffins Ronny Cedeno
David's Copperfields Bring Home Another Title 10/03/05
With 10 CFCL Championships already to their credit, winning an 11th might seem to be old hat for David's Copperfields. In many ways, however, the 2005 race was the most unlikely, hardest-fought, and closest battle in their history, making the 2005 Title one of the most satisfying.
The Copperfields entered the season with subdued hopes. In a failed attempt to catch 2004's eventual Champions, Steve's Stones, the Copperfields had agreed to take Carlos Beltran's .52 guaranteed contract for 2005 off the Lambchop's hands. The gamble didn't pay off as the Coppers finished second behind the Stones, and they came into 2005 facing the decision to either honor the over-paid Beltran's contract or pay a substantial buyout penalty. The Coppers decided to stick with Beltran in the hopes that his power/speed production from 2004's second half would carry over to the new season. They might have been better off taking the penalty, as Beltran failed to produce on all fronts. When Mike Lowell (.23) and Todd Helton (.46) also started slowly, the Coppers found themselves with a $1.20 black hole on offense that sucked the production right out of their team. Beltran, and especially Helton, eventually rebounded a bit, but Lowell never got it going and spent much of the second half on the bench.
Even with that three-headed monetary handicap, the Copperfields spent the early part of the season near the top of the standings. However, the Reservoir Dogs immediately took a firm hold on first place, and by the middle of June were owners of a commanding 20-point lead over the second place team. The Coppers began chipping away at that lead, and by the end of July had cut it in half. Fueled by a busy and productive Trade Deadline day, in which they completed 5 deals and brought on a dozen new players, the Copperfields kept the momentum going. By mid-August they had broken the 100-point barrier and snuck ahead of the slumping Dogs.
The Reservoir Dogs regained control a week later and held onto first place for another three weeks before the Copperfields moved back on top for good. The Copperfields looked to be securely in control with 10 days left in the season, but a mini-collapse by their pitching staff, coupled with a incredible charge by the Dogs' offense meant the teams went into the season's final two days separated by only two and a half points, with seven points still in play.
The race went down to the last day, in fact the last couple games on that day. The Reservoir Dogs capped off surges in the RS and RBI categories by passing Kenndoza Line in each category to gain a couple points, and moved ahead of the DoorMatts in SB. At one point on that last day, the Reservoir Dogs actually moved into first place. However, the Copperfield batters had a successful day at the plate which, combined with utter futility from David's Ruffins' batters, moved the Coppers ahead of the Ruffins in OBP by only .0004. On the pitching side, Kenndoza Line eeked ahead of the Dogs by picking up two Quality Starts, and Dontrelle Willis and Roy Oswalt of the DoorMatts combined to strike out 18 batters while walking only a pair, which was just enough to move the Matts ahead of the Dogs in K:BB. Oswalt, however, gave up 4 earned runs in his outing, which cost him a Quality Start. That meant the Matts remained tied with the Copperfields in the category, salvaging half a point for the Coppers.
By the end of the day, the Copperfields were in first place by 2.5 points, but just two more walks by DoorMatt pitchers, one less earned run by Oswalt, and four more hits or walks by Ruffin hitters would have been enough to eliminate that lead.
The closeness of that race doesn't do justice to the strong season turned in by fourth-year owner Jason Grey's Reservoir Dogs. Insanely dominant for most of the season, many observers felt the race was over by the All-Star Break. The Dogs' early season success was fueled by a strong Draft aided by the acquisition of ace Pedro Martinez near the end of May. The Dogs went all-out to win in 2005, dealing the league's best young closer in Chad Cordero to get Martinez, agreeing to guaranteed contracts for 2006 in order to lock up free agents Alex Sanchez (.25) and Randy Winn (.33), and trading away a number of solid keepers and 5 of their 17 2006 Rotation Draft picks.
In the end, the Reservoir Dogs were done in by injuries and circumstance. Michael Barrett and Sean Casey were sidelined with concussions in the final weeks. Pedro Martinez wasn't able to pitch in the final two and a half weeks of the season, Mark Redman missed the end of the season with a broken finger, Reggie Sanders, Dave Roberts, and Chipper Jones all missed considerable time in the second half, and workhorse Livan Hernandez was inconsistent down the stretch.
Third place belonged to second-year team Kenndoza Line. The doormatts of the CFCL in their inaugural season when they were named By Kennen, the Line were easily the league's most-improved team in 2005. In fact, they spent much of the season's first half in second place behind the Reservoir Dogs before tumbling into fourth at the end of May. They fought the Ruffins for third place honors during the second half and, fueled by a 2.28 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 220 IP over the last month of the season, went into the final week with a legitimate shot at finishing in second place. A great final week by the Reservoir Dogs, and a weak finish by the Line batters put an end to those hopes, though. Still, the season has to be considered a success for the sophomore team.
David's Ruffins were considered by many to be the team to beat coming out of the Draft, but for the second year in a row, their pennant hopes were crushed by a plague of injuries. Key players such as Larry Walker, Craig Wilson, Milton Bradley, Scott Rolen, and Mike Piazza all missed considerable time on offense, while injuries to Ben Sheets, Jake Peavy, and John Thomson took their toll on the pitching staff.
The CFCL's quietest team in 2005 finished fifth, winning the first pick in each of the rounds in 2006's Rotation Draft. The DoorMatts were steady the whole year, despite making fewer than 40 roster moves during the season. The Matts moved into 5th place in early July and were virtually unchallenged for the spot the rest of the season.
After winning their first CFCL Championship in 2004, Steve's Stones entered 2005 in a bid to become the third straight franchise to win back-to-back titles (Copperfields in 2000 and 2001, Lambchops in 2002 and 2003). Their drive for the pennant the previous year, though, had left the Stones without a solid base, however, and the team was never really able to contend. Like the DoorMatts, though, the Stones were incredibly consistent all year long, spending the entire season in either fifth place or sixth, which is where they eventually finished.
For the second straight season, seventh place belonged to Dem Rebels. The Rebels started slowly before making a charge to the middle of the pack in late May. However, aside from a short-lived surge into 5th place at the end of July, the Rebels never really challenged for a money spot.
Led by Roger Clemens, Tim Hudson, John Smoltz, and Tom Glavine, the eighth place Da Paul Meisters were owners of the league's best starting staff and set a new record for Quality Starts in a season. Their offense didn't feature a single player paid over .19, however (until they signed free agent Larry Bigbe for .24), and never produced.
Like Kenndoza Line, the team they entered the CFCL with in 2004, Teddy's Splendid Splinters improved their place in the standings in their second season. Unlike Kenndoza, however, the Splinters moved up just a single place, from tenth in 2004 to ninth. The Splinters actually showed a lot of spunk in the season's second half, however. Mired in last place at the end of May, the Splinters became the first team to throw in the towel and start rebuilding. Despite dealing away Pedro Martinez, Ray Durham, Cliff Floyd, and Shawn Green in two deals, the Splinters played decently from the beginning of June on. In that time, they picked up nearly 20 points and moved out of the cellar and into ninth place.
After moving up from last place in 2003 to 6th place in 2004, Nick's Picts appeared poised to make a break into the money spots this year. The Picts never got it going, though, and after mid-April weren't able to rise any higher than 9th in the standings, eventually coming out with the short end of the stick in a battle with the Meisters and Splinters. Those three teams were separated by a single point in the middle of August, but Picts fell off the pace to finish securely in tenth place.
For the second year in a row Hot Sludge Sundae, finish just out of the cellar. Unlike 2004, when the Sludge only managed to crawl out of 12th place in the final week of the season, this year they hovered around the middle of the standings for the first couple of months. However, they were again bitten by the injury bug. They ended up making over 140 roster moves over the course of the season, and used a CFCL-best 59 players on their active roster during the year. Unfortunately, their efforts to remain competitive were unsuccessful and, following a couple of mid-season dump trades, they settled into 11th place.
Just two years removed from back-to-back Championships, Eric's Lambchops found the going tough in 2005. The Chops brought on a new Assistant GM this year, but the management team's plans were undermined by injuries to big-ticket players such as Jose Vidro and Kerry Wood. The team languished in the bottom third of the standings for most of the year, before finally settling in the basement. With a core of young talent, including Matt Murton and Andy Marte, and a fully-stocked minor league system (they ended the season with 9 M-contract players), the Chops appear primed to return to respectability, if not dominance.
2005 Award Winners Announced 10/30/05
The 2005 Awards Banquet got off to a slow beginning, when there was some confusion about the start time and a few owners were delayed in arriving. In the end, the owners of the Lambchops, Dem Rebels, Copperfields, Da Paul Meisters, Splendid Splinters, and hot Sludge Sundae were on hand to celebrate the just-completed season. Once everyone was present, the awards ceremony began.
As is customary, the awards for team achievements were presented first. The Reservoir Dogs and David's Copperfields, the teams that went down to the wire for the CFCL Championship on the season's final day shared the award for Best Offense award (57 points). 2005's Fourth Place finishers, David's Ruffins, came out on top in the pitching categories and took the award for the Best Pitching, totaling 53.5 points.
The Third Place team in 2005 proved to be the most improved team since 2004, as Kenndoza Line won the awards for both the Greatest Increase in Points over last year's total (+67 points) and Greatest Increase in Place over last year's finish (+9 places, 12th to 3rd). The increase in points was particularly impressive, as it shattered the previous record of 56.5 points that had been set by the 2004 Copperfields.
Speaking of the Copperfields, the team was rewarded for their mad dash toward First Place in the season's second half by receiving 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 17 points over the last 16 weeks of the season, winning the award for the 8th time in their history and for the second consecutive season.
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.
The Steal of the Year award was presented to DoorMatt's pitcher Todd Jones, was the Matts drafted for a mere .01. Jones totaled 23 points in the voting, receiving 7 first place votes. Reservoir Dogs' infielder Felipe Lopez, who was also paid just a penny this season, finished just off the pace with 20 points overall, including 3 first place votes. Bill Hall (Steve's Stones, .01) and John Patterson (Reservoir Dogs, .01) were the other players to receive first place votes.
From the sublime to the ridiculous, the voting for the 2005 Nick Esasky Award resulted in a tie, with 2004's MVP winner Barry Bonds (Splendid Splinters, .23) and Jeff Bagwell (Sludge Sundae, .26), each receiving 19 points. Bonds was listed first on 5 ballots, while 4 owners felt Bagwell deserved the top spot. Other Draft Day busts who received first place votes were Kerry Wood (Lambchops, .26), Christian Guzman (Da Paul Meisters, .10), and Jose Vidro (Lambchops, .28).
The Best Reserve List Pick category was a run-away, with Reservoir Dogs reliever Derek Turnbow receiving 38 points, including 11 first place votes. Turnbow is the second straight Res Dog to win the Reserve List award, following 2004's winner Doug Davis. Finishing a distant second this year was Tony Clark of the Stones, who got two first place votes, and compiled a total of 26 points.
A Reservoir Dog was also honored as winner of the Best Free Agent Acquisition Award, with Randy Winn leading the voting with 27 points (6 first place votes). Ugueth Urbina of Teddy's Splendid Splinters came in second, taking 4 of the first place votes, but only 16 points overall.
Dem Rebels broke Nick's Picts two-year streak of Best Winter Waiver Claim awards. Rebel pitcher Aaron Harang received 7 first place votes and 30 points overall. Todd Walker (Hot Sludge Sundae, 25 points, 3 first place votes) finished second, while Jason Michaels of the Splendid Splinters and Hot Sludge Sundae catcher Ramon Hernandez also snagged first place votes.
Another Hernandez with the Sludge, pitcher Roberto, won the Best In-Season Waiver Claim Award. Hernandez received 10 first place votes and a total of 33 points. Marlon Anderson, also of the Sludge, and Ryan Shealy of the Picts each received a single first place vote.
For only the 4th time in the last 12 years, the Most Productive Farm System award was won by a team other than David's Ruffins or Hot Sludge Sundae. This year, Kenndoza Line took top honors, with their freshman class of Ryan Howard, Rickey Weeks, JD Closser, and Luke Hudson bringing in 37 points, including 11 first place votes. The other first place votes went to the Splendid Splinters system, which produced Edwin Encarnacion, Jeff Francour, and JJ Hardy.
The CFCL's 2005 Most Valuable Player award went to perennial award contender Albert Pujols of the DoorMatts. It was the second time Pujols had been so honored, after winning the award in 2003. He finished second to Barry Bonds in 2004. Voting this time around was very close -- Pujols came out ahead by only three total points. He received 7 first place votes and 33 total points. Hot on his tail was Derek Lee of Dem Rebels, who totaled 30 points, including 5 first place vote. The sole remaining first place vote went to Pujols' DoorMatt teammate, Bob Abreu.
The Cy Young Award voting was just as close as the voting for MVP. Chris Carpenter of David's Ruffins came out on top with 25 points (5 first place votes). Carpenter was the second straight Ruffin to win the award -- Carpenter's teammate Ben Sheets took home the Cy Young in 2004. Finishing second to Carpenter in the 2005 voting was Roger Clemens of Da Paul Meisters (22 points, 2 first place votes). The remainder of the voting was very splintered, with 4 other pitchers receiving first place tallys: Andy Pettitte (Kenndoza Line), Chad Cordero (Splendid Splinters), Pedro Martinez (Reservoir Dogs), and Brad Lidge (Reservoir Dogs).
As in the MVP and Cy Young voting, the race for CFCL Rookie of the Year award was won by a three-point margin. In this case, it was teammates going head to head -- Kenndoza Line's Willy Tavares just edged fellow Liner Ryan Howard, 25 points to 22. Tavares got 5 first place votes, while Howard received 4. Garret Atkins or the DoorMatts and Zach Duke of Da Paul Meisters each received a couple first place votes.
As in 2004, and every other season it's been givin, the General Manager of the Year award went to the CFCL Champions. David Mahlan of David's Copperfields was named first on 11 of his fellow owners' ballots and accumulated 36 points overall. The Reservoir Dogs' Jason Grey was recognized with a pair of first place votes and 25 total points, while Kenn Ruby of Kenndoza Line (13 points) and David Holian of David's Ruffins (4 points) were also named on ballots.
Finally, the CFCL Executive Committee decided to give the Paul Mahlan Award to a pair of owners. David's Ruffins GM, David Holian, dealt with injuries/demotions of varying length to Ben Sheets, John Thomson, Milton Bradley, Mike Piazza, Nick Johnson, Scott Rolen, and Corey Patterson. The Ruffins remained active in the free agent and trade market and were still able to hold onto a money spot. Hot Sludge Sundae's season was not as successful as that of the Ruffins, but their GM Matt Grage was no less persevering. They carried on despite losing Armando Benitez, Jeff Bagwell, Josh Beckett, Mike Cameron, Mark Prior, Todd Walker, Ramon Hernandez, and Chad Fox for some or all of the 2004 season. The Executive Committee felt that both owners dealt with their setbacks with the same spirit demonstrated by original CFCL owner Paul Mahlan in dealing with his adversities.