Click here for a copy of this report in Word for Windows format

January 28

COPPERFIELDS trade G Maddux and D Kolb to DEM REBELS for B Wilkerson and M Holliday.

Click here for updated rosters in Excel format.
Click here for the 2005 Rotation Draft Pick Tracker

As reported last time, we’ve scheduled April 3 as Draft Day 2005.  Rich has secured the large conference room at his company’s Oakbrook office, so we can once again draft in comfort and with lots of elbow room.  Like last year, we'll plan on starting around 8:00 AM.

As always, everyone will be responsible for brining his own lunch and beverages for the day.  Rich didn’t specify, but I assume there will again be some limited fridge space available and microwave for warming things up.  Also, as was the case last year, no alcohol is permitted and care should be taken to keep things neat.  I will provide the traditional Old Gold pretzel rods and Twizzlers.

We’ll once again use the Internet to communicate with Ruffin Draft Headquarters in Greensboro, NC., and if the projector is available that day we’ll display the Bid Spreadsheet for all to see.  Hopefully that will help cut down on the “who got him?” and “how much?” questions that follow many of the player acquisitions.

On the topic of computers, if you plan on bringing a laptop to the Draft, make sure you also plan to bring an extension cord and/or a power strip.  There are a limited number of outlets available, and not everyone will be able to sit right next to one.

There will be plenty more Draft Day information coming your way as the date draws near.  Speaking of dates…

Pre-Season Calendar

Along with Draft Day, here’s a list of other important dates you should know:

The Administrative Pre-Season will kick off on March 23 when Roster Cut Sheets will be sent to CFCL owners.  Roster Cut Sheets will be sent via e-mail in Excel Format.  If you do not have Excel on your computer, you can download a free Excel reader from Microsoft -- there's a link in the Download Center of the website.

If you have Excel and it would be easiest for you, you’re free to edit the Roster Cut Sheet and send it back to me.  Otherwise, you can type the players you're keeping and cutting, plus any contract information into an e-mail.

If there’s anyone out there who would rather submit cuts via snail-mail, let me know and we can discuss adjusting the dates – you'll need to have your cuts done earlier to allow for delivery time.

If there are any questions about how the process works, check the relevant portions of the Constitution or contact me.

Money

In case you missed the announcement in the CFCL News Flashes section, the Lambchops quickly filled their front office opening, bringing on former CFCL owner Paul Mahlan to fill the Assistant General Manager role recently vacated by John Lemon.

Paul was around for the birth of the CFCL, owning Paul’s Penguins in the league’s inaugural season in 1984.  The Penguins remained in the league for four years, departing after consecutive Third Place finishes in 1986 and 1987.

Paul will fill a role very similar to the one that John Lemon played before him.  Be sure to copy both Eric and Paul ([email protected]) on any Lambchop-related e-mails.

A word of warning:  the Mahlan-Lamb combo could be a powerful one.  The Power Rating that Paul compiled in the CFCL’s first four years is higher than that of half the current owners in the league.  (That’s not a valid comparison at all, as the league’s changed quite a bit since its early years, but I couldn’t resist applying a little good natured brotherly pressure on Paul – welcome back, bro).

Everyone should have received an e-mail from Steve Olson with his new e-mail address.  Be sure to update your address books with his new info if you haven’t done so yet.  If you missed his e-mail somehow, let me know.

According to the official league records, the following players are eligible to be signed to X-year contracts this spring:

Miguel Cabrera (Copperfields)
Dontrelle Willis (DoorMatts)

In order for a player to be eligible for an X contract, he must meet the following requirements:

He must have been drafted as a minor leaguer (M contract)

He may have been traded while a minor leaguer, but he must still be owned by the team that owned him when his contract changed from M to D

If you’ve got X contract-eligible players, see the CFCL Constitution for details about your options for signing these players at roster cut time.  It would also be worth taking a look at the treatise X Contracts Explained, which appeared in the previous report, so you’ll know what you’re getting yourself into.

We’re coming to that point in the pre-season when Rotation Draft picks can start changing hands at a pretty rapid pace.  Keep in mind that there are a few tools available on the website to help keep Rotation Draft picks straight:

At the end of the Roster Changes section of this Report, there is a link to the 2005 Rotation Draft Pick Tracker.  This is a web page that lists all of the draft picks owned by each team and also indicates those picks that have been traded away.

The Excel roster sheet (available in the Download Center) lists all of the draft picks that have been acquired by each team via trade.  The number in parenthesis at the top of the list is the total number of draft picks owned by that team.

The Download Center also includes the full listing of all 2005 draft picks, broken out by round and fully updated for all trades to date.  This can be found under the 2005 Draft Prep section.

Speaking of the Draft Prep section in the Download Center, the spreadsheet with the NL Spring Training rosters has been posted.  I’ll update it nearly daily to reflect demotions, etc., during March and the file will form the basis of our Draft Pool on April 3.

Recently, the CFCL approved several new rules or rule clarifications via league-wide balloting.  All teams except the DoorMatts, Reservoir Dogs, and By Kennen participated in the voting.  The results of the vote were as follows:

The Executive Committee will investigate any alleged misconduct by CFCL owners and report their findings to the league as a whole, along with a recommendation as to whether the owner in question should be expelled from the league.  The league as a whole will vote on the recommendation, with a 75% Yea votes being required to expel and owner. 

National League players who are retained on CFCL rosters on Roster Freeze Day and who move to the American League (via trade, free agency, release, etc) may be retained on the CFCL team’s active roster and accrue stats through the current season.

The “Integrity Clause” will remain in the anti-dumping section of the CFCL Constitution.

Beginning after the 2005 season, the Winter Waivers process will begin in January rather than October.  CFCL Winter Rosters (23-man protected lists) will be due the first Friday in January (with exceptions made when that Friday falls too close to New Year’s revelry).  In an additional change, the waiver period will be about half a week shorter than in previous years.  Starting next off-season, Winter Waivers will follow a Friday-Tuesday schedule.  This, of course, also means that freeze on off-season trades will be extended until 23-man winter rosters are submitted.

The term “Hometown Discount” will be used when referring to what we used to call “Toppers”.  Since we’ve changed our whole approach toward this concept “toppers” doesn’t really fit any more, and means something quite different in the non-CFCL roto world.

In league-wide rules votes, any franchises who do not participate in the balloting will be counted as having submitted a Yea vote on all issues.  Proposals that end in a 6-6 tied vote will be considered defeated.

Fees for 2005 will remain the same as they were in 2004.  As per the Constitution’s Escalator Clause, we will vote on raising the fees by $5 prior to the 2006 season.

Thanks:  The EC would like to thank everyone who participated in the rules discussions, both in the CFCL Forums and via e-mail and phone calls.  There was some great discussion and constructive debate over the several months it took all of this to come together.  Matt Grage, Nick Hansen, Teddy Scott, and Steve Olson were especially helpful in sharing their views and opinions, and special recognition should be given to Nick, whose ideas and posts led directly to a number of the rule changes listed above (as well as the discarding of a couple other proposals the EC thought better of after Nick pointed out problems).  Thanks everyone!

I will work on updating the Constitution posted at the website to reflect these changes.  Hopefully I’ll get it done much more quickly than the 7 months it took me last year…

Hometown Discount Watch

In 2005, the teams that finished in 5^th-12^th place in 2004 will receive a budget of up to .06 to use toward reacquiring players who had played out their option with the team (B-contract players). The exact amount each team receives will be based on how far behind the 5^th place team they are at the end of the year, in terms of a percentage of the 5^th place team's point total.