The Darryl Strawberry Incident

You have been very loyal readers.  You have been patient.  You deserve to be rewarded.  And so we bring you "The Darryl Strawberry Incident".  1992 may have been the best draft ever for humor and entertainment, and here is the Piece de Resistance (French for "good stuff").

Some background.  For eight years the CFCL owners enjoyed the Draft Day Bidding Process.  We would typically nominate every player for ".01" and then go around the table increasing the bid by a penny.  Ridiculous to bid .01 on a superstar?  Well, sure.  But it was quaint and fun.  It was also amusing to watch the momentum build as the bids got higher.  I still recall the exuberance of The Professor when the bidding went around the table on some forgotten player some forgotten year with each owner bidding and each owner only increasing the bid by .01.  There were ten owners in the league and when the bidding got back to The Professor for a second trip around the table, the bid was a perfect ".10".

There were times (as you will see in the video below) when an owner would begin the bidding a little higher than .01.  And occasionally an owner would increase the bidding by more than a penny, but usually it was no more than two or three cents.

Enter Pat McGuire of the Twin Picks.  Pat had been in the league previously from 1988-1990, stepped away in 1991 and returned for a two year run beginning in 1992.  Apparently three years of this "quaint and fun" bidding style crap was enough.  It appeared that he thought he could singlehandedly shave hours off the draft by getting the bidding to an appropriate price as quickly as possible.

What you are about to see is, in my opinion, the quintessential moment of the CFCL.  The reaction of two owners (Tom Clark and Dave Holian) to McGuire's efforts to get the bidding going has been retold around the CFCL Draft Table a million times.  Fortunately for all of us it was captured on video and it is yours to see here.

The CFCL Owners of 1999

Pictured from left going back: Paul Zeledon (Da Paul Meisters), Steve Donalson (Steve's Slackers), Ken Welch (Welch's Flatfeet - hunched over), Matt Bentel (Door Matts), Rich Bentel (Dem Rebels).
Pictured right back coming to the front: David Mahlan (David's Copperfields), Dave Holian (David's Ruffins), Kelly Barone (Six Packs and eventual 1999 CFCL Champion), Dave Goetz (ForGoetzMeNots), Eric Lamb (Lambchops).

No "official" league photo in 1999.  David was able to capture this off the video he took.  The Six Packs won their first and only CFCL Championship in 1999.  This was also our last year at ten owners.  At the end of the 1999 season the Slackers and Flatfeet would resign.

The draft took place at the home of Dem Rebels in Aurora, IL.  At this draft we tried a "Kangaroo Court" wherein owners would be fined for things like forgetting who we were bidding on, what the bid amount was, etc.  Host Bentel was fined because there was no nearby food place that could deliver lunch.  Kelly Barone was in charge of the fining process.  The lack of a catered lunch must not have caused too much hardship on Kelly considering he won the damn league.

The most unique and egregious fine levied on this day was to the ForGoetzMeNots for ACTUALLY FALLING ASLEEP DURING THE DRAFT!

Meet Stranger Danger

As we come down the home stretch of our current owner Q&A, it's time to meet the youngest tenured owner of the CFCL.  Scott Stang joined the CFCL in 2011 taking over the vaunted Copperfield franchise.  While Scott hasn't exactly replicated the Copperfield dominance, he has seen improvement each year.  His first year the Danger finished last, but last year they jumped to 7th and are currently holding 7th place again this year.

When Scott joined the league the Monroe Doctrine conducted a not too terribly official interview to get some background.  But today, the Danger actually provide their own answers.  It's time to meet Stranger Danger.

What brought you to the CFCL?

I wanted to try rotisserie auction draft.

Your brothers have helped out with your drafts the last few years.  Is yours a big baseball family?

My brothers and I played baseball through high school. I also went a little further and played for Robert Morris college and try out for numerous county teams such flyers and cougars. We are all fantasy owners in a head to head league.

Do you or they belong to other fantasy baseball leagues?

We are all in a head to head league together and from the looks of it all three are gonna make the playoffs . We have been part of this league for the last five years.

You have a newborn at home along with another young child.  Any plans to get them involved in fantasy sports when the time is right?

I plan on my children to love sports( not only baseball) and to be involved at a very young age. My four year old is already lethal with a bat and will be playing organized ball in the spring. The other is to young but will soon be where his brother is. I'm sure they will get into fantasy play when old enough.

What has been your most enjoyable moment in the CFCL so far?

trying to build a franchise in this league is a great challenge and very different from the fantasy style I am used to. The owners know there baseball which in return makes the leagues competition second to none.

Trading The Gator: Keeping Score

Today we present another segment from Trading the Gator.

This clip comes from early in the film and provides some basics about how the game is played, as well as a look at some of the business that grew up around fantasy baseball.

Some things to keep an eye on in this clip:

• An awesome photo from a 1974 Strat-O-Matic Baseball convention
• A glimpse of the Tout Wars experts league draft
• The Junior year yearbook photos of the CFCL’s Co-Founders

The Women of the CFCL

This is a shout out to the unsung heros of the CFCL.  Sure the owners do all the draft prep, they sit in a conference room once a year for eight hours bidding on players statistics, they spend all summer trading and tweaking and praying.  But our women have to put up with it.

Kim, Dorothy, Jasmine, Mrs. Danger, Heather, Julie, Elizabeth and Denise.  The latest lineup of Disney Princesses?  No, though they should be.  In their own way they provide tremendous amounts of support for their Men of the CFCL.  For The Draft:  Julie watches the little ones while Kenn heads out of town for a few days.  Heather keeps the homefront safe and secure while Dave jets across the country to try and secure another championship.  Elizabeth keeps Nick company on the short six hour drive up the driveway to Illinois (known as Iowa).  Kim, Denise, Jasmine and Mrs. Danger all entertain the kids while we scurry off for the draft.  Dorothy endures the lengthy, season long phone calls between Matt and his GM.

On top of the physical support of watching family and home while we're drafting, there have been times when our lovely ladies have gone above and beyond.  Mrs. Copperfield sent David flowers one year to wish him luck.  Give her a break - it was early in their relationship, she didn't realize David (out of everyone) didn't need luck.

Mrs. Six Pack baked Kelly some type of lemon bar thing to munch on at the draft.  It worked as Kelly nailed down the championship that season.

Kim, Mrs. Copperfield (many times), Mrs. Bald Eagle and Mrs. Mahlan (mom of David) all opened their doors to the league for the draft.  That really shows the support our girls are willing to go to show their baseball love.

Kim would look at the roster sheet I brought home from the draft in the early years of our marriage.  She would stare at the teams and their players and say "Hmm.  Looks like (insert a CFCL team here) or (other CFCL team) is going to win this year."  Now a lot happens during a season.  Injuries, trades, owner attention all affect the outcome of the season, but more often than not the teams she tabbed on Draft Day usually finished in the first division.  Not so coincidentally the Rebels were never one of her picks.  As the years went by and the children arrived, she lost knowledge of player performance and would try to make her assessment on how many good looking players a CFCL team had.  If someone had Mark Grace and Mark DeRosa on their team they were a virtual lock to win the title.

Now Kim's primary interest is in watching football so she's completely out of the loop on who is good in the National League.  I feel a bit like a guy complaining that my wallet can't hold all of my $100 bills.  "My wife likes watching football more than baseball."

From the Archives: The Gauntlet

Today, we’re going to dip into the CFCL archives again and pull out another dusty artifact…

In 1994, experienced Roto player and Trading The Gator fan Kenn Ruby joined the CFCL. Full of ambition and high hopes, Kenn struggled in that first season and his franchise, By Kennen, limped to a last place finish, a mere 77.5 points out of first place.

In 2005, Kenn rechristened his team Kenndoza Line, and rocketed up the standings to a 3rd place finish, only 9.5 points behind the 2005 CFCL Champions, David’s Copperfields.

Apparently emboldened by his sophomore success, when it came time for Kenn to mail his fee payment prior to the 2006 season, Kenn included a note to the Co-Commissioner and reigning league champ (click to embiggen):

The simple audacity of the proclamation, which I dubbed “The Gauntlet”, was a gusty move by a third-year CFCL newbie to a Co-Founder and 23-year veteran. Yet it instantly earned my respect and I featured it as the quote of the week at the top of the pre-draft bulletin.

How did Kenn fare in his prediction? Pretty damn well. The Copperfields did indeed go down, sucking their way to a 7th place finish in 2006.

Kenn’s note was more than a prediction, though. It also carried the tone of a threat … as in “I’M going to be the one who takes you down.” Kenn didn’t exactly follow through on that threat, as it was David’s Ruffins who ran away with the 2006 title. In fact, Kenndoza Line actually dropped in the standings themselves, falling from 3rd place in 2005 to 4th in 2006.

Perhaps is all just took a little longer than Kenn expected. In 2007, Kenndoza Line did indeed reign supreme, securing the first of their two CFCL titles.

The CFCL Owners of 2000

Picture from left:  Eric Lamb (Lambchops), Rich Bentel (Dem Rebels), Matt Bentel (DoorMatts), Steve Olson (Steve's Stones), Dave Goetz (ForGoetzMeNots), Kelly Barone (Six Packs), David Mahlan (David's Copperfields and eventual 2000 CFCL Champion), Nick Hansen (Nick's Picts), Paul Zeledon (Da Paul Meisters - in white hat), Bruce Ellman (Bruce's Witzke a Go-Go - in yellow shirt), Dave Holian (David's Ruffins), Matt Grage (Hard Hats).  Not pictured - Harry Witzke (Bruce's Witzke a Go-Go).

 

There is a lot going on in this 2000 CFCL Owner Picture.  First of all, if you have been following this part of the blog as we work our way backward from 2013, you noticed that the quality of this picture is extremely poor compared to previous posts.  That's because this was the last year before we hit the digital photo age.  To get this picture we stood in front of the video camera David had set up, stood real still for a few seconds and then got down to business.  David anticipated needing/using an Owner Photo for 2000 and had us line up in front of the video camera.

 

If you are anal like me, you looked at the names listed (12) and counted the faces (13) and realized someone was not accounted for.  The gentleman on the far right is Tim Leen.  Last week we met Tim as the One Year Wonder owner of Tim's Maulers.  In 2000 he provided backup help as Matt Grage (Hard Hats) needed to step out of the draft for an hour or so due to a family commitment.  Tim sat in for Matt while he was gone, getting a flavor of what it was like to attend a draft and be an owner.

 

Interestingly, while Matt was out and about he had on the radio and heard that Sean Casey broke his thumb - either in a spring training game or an early regular season game.  When he came back he mentioned it to everyone which allowed the owner of Sean Casey (don't remember who that was) the opportunity to focus his efforts on a firstbaseman during the Rotation Pick part of the draft.

 

2000 was the first year the CFCL expanded to twelve teams as the Stones and Go-Go joined the league that  year.  We also had two other new owners.  The Hard Hats replaced the retired Steve's Slackers and Nick's Picts replaced the retired Welch's Flatfeet.  This would also be the last year for the ForGoetzMeNots - an Original 6 Owner who left the CFCL and then rejoined in 1994.

 

The Copperfields would win the first part of their fourth back-to-back CFCL titles.

 

We drafted in somewhat corporate oppulence in Naperville.



 





Meet David's Ruffins

There are a few stable pillars of the CFCL.  One of those most decidedly is Dave Holian.  Dave joined the CFCL back in 1986 (still a point of contention for him as you will see below) and has provided a unique contribution to the league ever since.  Whether it is his insightful observations he would post on the CFCL forum during discussions about rules or changes in our game or his amazing wit - virtually every hilarious moment caught on video or archived in our memory has a direct line to Dave - or his recent almost Copperfield-esque success, Dave has been an absolute necessity for balance and reason in the CFCL.

In 28 years the Ruffins have fourteen money finishes with four CFCL Titles.  You can learn more about the origin and essence of the Ruffins here.  If you click there you can see the logo Dave created.  When he was finished he excitedly proclaimed to his wife "It looks like they're pointing at the bat!!"

I first "met" Dave in our high school's journalism classroom.  I was taking a journalism class of Mr. Curry.  Dave was already on the newspaper staff.  I was wearing a Cubs T-shirt and when Dave walked in the classroom to consult with Mr. Curry he saw me sitting there, got this big grin on his face, pointed at me and said "THEY ARE EVERYWHERE!"  I was agush that this high-falutin' newspaper guy would notice me and from there it was kismet that three years later Dave would join the CFCL.

Enough with the walk down memory lane.  It is now time to meet David's Ruffins.

You are the second longest tenured active owner (28 years) in the CFCL.  Just how deep seeded is the resentment you hold against the Rebels for not inviting you to join sooner?

 

Resentment.  Excellent wording choice.  With resentment, comes injury…humiliation…disrespect… affront… trauma…suffering…mortification.  Yes, I think that sums things up nicely.  If second longest ACTIVE tenured owner is supposed to make me feel better, it’s not working.  Because of the Copperfield’s departure, yes, I am second in something.  But when the opportunity was there for me to be first – first among equals – I got bypassed.  I am the unwanted, red-headed stepchild of the CFCL.  Don’t think I don’t know that the Ruffin Privilege was a weak attempt to buy my forgiveness.  I’m not sayin’ it didn’t work, just sayin’ I’m wasn’t fooled.

 

 

 

As you answer that question, you do understand that the delay in your joining the CFCL was directly a result of providing Tony Ghelfi as a draft day suggestion to Dem Rebels, right?

 

I take issue with your attempt at rewriting history.  If I had been invited into the league when I should have been: at its creation; if I had been the Thomas Jefferson to your John Adams and David’s George Washington; the Vaclav Klaus to your Jan Urban and David’s Vaclav Havel, I would have never suggested that you draft Tony Ghelfi.  _I_ would have drafted Tony Ghelfi.  And why in god’s name did you listen to me in the first place?  I wasn’t even good enough to participate in your precious league!  Yet you take my advice?  Not.  My.  Fault.   And another thing, the much maligned Tony Ghelfi made it to the Show as a 21 year old.  He started three games for the Phils, went 14.1 IP, struck out 14(!), had a 3.14 ERA, and fielded his position flawlessly (5 assists, 0 errors).  Moreover, his ERA+ was 118, which would make him the 2013 Ruffins #1 starter.  (Granted, that’s the very definition of damning with faint praise.)  I can only identify talented prospects.  I can’t force the Dallas Greens and Pat Corraleses of the world to develop ‘em and play ‘em.

 

You currently mold the political minds of students at The University of North Carolina – Greensboro (hence your moniker “The Professor”).  You have been drafting out of state, longer than you drafted as a resident of Illinois.  What are the challenges of being half a country away?

 

There are two challenges and neither has anything to do with trying to win the league.  Once Al Gore gave us the Internet – totally bogus, by the way, the guy never claimed to have invented the thing – staying in touch and making trades is pretty easy.  The first challenge is social.  I blow in – when I can – one day a year for the draft and then never see anyone again.  No trips to see the Cougars.  No trips to Wrigley.  No end-of-season banquet at Alinea, or wherever you guys go.

 

The second challenge, which is closely related to the first, is that the few times I’ve won since moving here, I’ve done so in a vacuum.  No Yoo-Hoo shower.  No basking in the jealousy and outrage of my fellow owners.  No lording my trophy over all the little people who helped me along the way.  Sure, upon clinching a title I roll over my neighbor’s car and set it on fire, but that’s gotten old.  She’s an octogenarian and can’t possibly stop me – although god knows the poor old girl has tried.  Plus, after I set her third Buick Regal ablaze, she downgraded to a Ford Focus, which will hardly be a challenge when/if I win again.  Finally, nothing, and I mean NOTHING, stops a conversation among a university chancellor, a provost, a couple deans, and a few department heads, as quickly as, “Hey folks, guess what?  I just won my Rotisserie League!”

 

Since you have been around so long (and yes, that’s a veiled reference to you being old), how would you compare and contrast the CFCL in the 1980’s with the current state of the CFCL?

 

Here’s a not-so-veiled reference: you’re older than me.  As to your question, the league has evolved in much the same way that MLB has.  Billy Beane exploited market inefficiencies and turned the A’s into a perennial contender on the cheap.  Our Billy Beane, David Mahlan, exploited owner deficiencies (i.e., our slow wittedness) and turned the Coppers into perennial champions.  The biggest difference in the CFCL over time is the sophistication of the owners.  Those of us who have been in the league since early days finally started to clue into some things that David figured out decades ago.  Moreover, the owners who’ve come on board more recently, the Dozers, Clowns, Bulls, Revenge, etc., have been really savvy.  So the biggest difference is the competition, which has been consistently stronger now than ever before.

 

If the Coppers were still in the league I don’t think they’d dominate like they did in the 1980s and 1990s…maybe.

 

Looking for a needle in a haystack here, but in your 28 years, is there a single-most memory that stands out above all others?

 

Making you cry when I picked Andruw Jones in the 1996 rotation draft…and with good reason.  By October, the dude was still 19 and raking in the World Series.  By the way, other Ruffin draft picks that year: Scott Rolen and Billy Wagner.  (And I barely missed on Vlad Guerrero thanks to the Coppers.)  No accident that the first Ruffin championship (finally) came in 1998.  Had I not won any since then, I would be the very definition of the blind squirrel that finds a nut every once in a while.

 

So, to summarize, over 28 years, my fondest memory is making you cry.

 

In 28 years you have won four titles.  Your first came in 1998; your last three in 2006, 2010 and 2011.  To what do you attribute all this recent success?

 

First, booze and plenty of it.  Second, the too-slow-in-dawning realization that those aren’t human beings out there.  Those are nameless, faceless, teamless collections of statistics.  Keep emotion out of it.  Third, the only exception to number two is the following: avoid Cub closers at all costs.  Why?  Two words: Dave Smith.  Hey, someone tell Smitty that we throw batting practice before the game.  That SOB damn near killed me.  Let’s head back to Baseball-Reference, shall we?  33 IP, 39(!) H, 19(!!) BB, 16(!!!) SO.  Add that up and you get a 1.758 WHIP and a .84 K/BB…For a closer.  (Looking back, I take some comfort in the fact that we were still rocking the old-fashioned categories in 1991, no K/BB.)

 

We have read about the travel experiences of former CFCL owners.  For a few seasons you have spent summers in Italy and France.  How have you managed to run the Ruffins (and win championships) while abroad?

 

You give me too much credit – and about time, by the way.  I’ve never won in a year (2000, 2007, and 2012) when Heather and I have spent a month or more abroad.  When we headed to Florence in 2007, I had just spent three weeks in DC, and the Ruffins, coming off our 2006 championship, were flying high.  I think the 2006 team holds the CFCL record for highest percentage of points earned (111 out of a possible 120, or, let me do the math here…enter the decimal point…add the zero…subtract…carry the one…add another zero…shift the decimal point…NINETY TWO POINT FIVE PERCENT).  So the team was basically on autopilot when I landed in Florence.  From there the Ruffins were undone by the so-very-Italian lack of Internet access in our apartment.  We’d been promised it…we’d been assured of its existence…we’d pre-paid for it…upon arrival we’d identified something that looked vaguely like an Ethernet cable in one of the cabinets…and…niente.  Thus, I was left to manage the team via trips to an Internet Café a few blocks away.  This led to the following conversations: “Honey, before we head to ________ (fill in the blank with the Uffizi, Pisa, Rome, Arezzo, Orvieto, San Gimignano, San Marco, Montalcino, the Duomo, the Baptistry, Santa Croce, the Academia, the Pitti, the Boboli, that osteria where we’ve eaten the best pasta ever,  etc., etc.) I’d like to stop by the Internet Café for 30 minutes or so, so I can MANAGE MY FAKE BASEBALL TEAM.  Whad’ya say?  Honey?  Darling?”  Not so much.  The 2006-2007 Ruffins were to fake baseball what the 1985-1986 Bears were to football.  How did those teams not win multiple championships?  The answers are “Italy” and “Steve Fuller.”

 

In 2012, we were promised the Internet, and we got it!  I was able to manage the Ruffins from the comfort of our apartment.  Then, when our month in Italy ended and our month in Austria, Germany, Belgium, and France began (10^th anniversary trip), I left the Ruffins in the capable hands of the Copperfields.  The flaw in this brilliant, championship-compatible plan?  The Ruffins sucked.  Not even the 42-time champion Coppers could save them.

 

We will spend another month next summer in Florence and a couple weeks beyond that here and there.  Give me a sturdy Wi-Fi connection and a healthy Oscar Taveras, and I hope to be in the hunt for the CFCL’s first international title.

From the Archives: CFCL Newsletter, June 9, 1987

Here's a random artifact from the CFCL Archives for your entertainment - the CFCL Newsletter from June 9, 1987.

In an earlier post, I described the origins of the CFCL Newsletter.  That first edition, from April 28, 1987 was a joint effort between Rich and me.  By the time we got to the sixth issue, however, it had pretty much become Rich's production, though I was still listed as an Editor on the cover sheet (this was, no doubt, because we continued to reuse the same cover sheet week after week, just pasting in a new cut-out date for each edition ... and remember, in those days of typewritten documents, this was actual physical cutting and pasting).

This issue includes a number of features:

• Down On The Farm - an update on players belonging to CFCL farm systems
• Head To Head Standings - an update on the daily head-to-head competition that was run simultaneously with the regular CFCL season (the Head To Head competition was described in an earlier post)
• The debut of TICOD - In those days, there was a charge for every transaction made (a dime per activation or reserve, etc).  The funds collected went into the prize pool for the year, and TICOD - one of Rich's many personas - was responsible for updating the league on outstanding fees, and threatening appropriate violence to ensure payment
• A nice sampling of photos clipped from the pages of the Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times and repurposed with Rich's captions, customized for the CFCL

Now, straight from the Archives, please enjoy:

CFCL Newsletter - June 9, 1987

Looking at Technology

We have highlighted a few of the webpages David has created to make our CFCL lives a little easier.  One day I was clicking links on one of those said pages and came across another Fantasy Baseball League.  The Luis Gomez Memorial League.  As it turns out they were in their final year of existence (2010) when I discovered their page.  When I viewed their teams, both past and present, I was really entertained by their information.

So like any good businessman, I stole their idea but not before asking permission.  They had their owners answer baseball related questions "The DH is" or "The Commissioner of MLB should be" as well as non-sensical non-sports related questions. 

We had been doing something like that on our team profiles, but not as in depth, although aspects of our Owner Profiles were cooler than the LGML.  So we started adding some questions "borrowed" from the LGML on a yearly basis.  Another question will be forthcoming this year once I send it out to the existing owners.

But for today, I want to introduce to you the CFCL Team Profiles.  The Clubhouse defaults to the Team Profile of Dem Rebels for some reason, but you can access all current owners and a handful of former owners off that page.

If you haven't noticed already, the CFCL currently has and has had many, many talented, well-written, incredibly funny owners.  The Clubhouse and all its current inhabitants only further prove that point.

The CFCL Owners of 2001

Pictured from left [First Row] David Mahlan (David's Copperfields and eventual 2001 CFCL Champion), Kelly Barone (Six Packs), Rich Bentel (Dem Rebels), Matt Bentel (DoorMatts)

[Second Row] Harry Witzke (Bruce's Witzke A Go-Go), Eric Lamb (Lambchops), Steve Olson (Steve's Stones), Tim Leen (Tim's Maulers), Matt Grage (Hard Hats), Paul Zeledon (Da Paul Meisters), Nick Hansen (Nick's Picts).  [Not pictured] Dave Holian (David's Ruffins)

2001 saw the Copperfields capture their second consecutive CFCL title (actually this would be the fourth and last time they repeated as champions).  This was the first (and last) year for Tim Leen of Tim's Maulers as they replaced an original six member - Dave Goetz of the ForGoetzMeNots.  This would also be the last season that Harry Witzke (co)owned a CFCL team.  They joined in 2000 with Bruce Ellman as co-owner and after the 2001 season Witzke resigned, turning over the franchise solely to Ellman.  This season, while the Copperfields ran away with the title with a nine point lead, the Go-Go and DoorMatts stood tied point-wise for third.  The DoorMatts were able to show by taking the second tie breaker.

We drafted in corporate opulence in Oak Brook which allowed the Ruffins to draft long distance via phone and computer.







Meet the Kenndoza Line

It was 2004, shortly after the CFCL's performance in the major motion picture "Trading the Gator".  We were in need of, hopefully, two teams to keep the league enrollment at twelve.  The Six Packs and Tenacious B were resigning and fortunately we added Teddy Scott (Teddy's Splendid Splinters) and this man - Kenn Ruby.

Kenn has taken the CFCL by storm.  In nine short years he has five money finishes including two, count 'em, two CFCL titles.  He has introduced us to his mascot DunnKenn, provided a worthy foil to the Candy Colored Clowns and even while doing all this from the luxury of Cincinnati, has added his son to his front office staff, allowing him (his son) to demand the acquisition of Xavier Paul.  That recommendation alone has Kenn thinking he won't be extending his son's contract when it comes up at the end of next year.

To learn more about Kenn and the Kenndoza Line beyond the questions below, you can click his Team Profile here.

Completing his first decade with the CFCL, it's time to meet The Kenndoza Line.

How did you come to join the CFCL?

 

It’s a long story. In February of 2003, I started dating Julie, who would ultimately become my wife. I was coming off back-to-back championships in the BURP League, another Chicago-based league, and although Julie had played fantasy football, she was incredulous I would do anything besides going home with her on the night before my 2003 draft. She had no idea how obsessed I was with this game. Later that summer, I saw a listing on the old RotoJunkie forums that there was going to be a fantasy baseball movie showing at the Chicago Cultural Center in a few days. I don’t know if I was reading those forums every day since then, but I could’ve very easily missed it. I dragged Julie to the movie, and for the first time in our relationship she finally understood the obsession that was a significant part of my life. I should’ve married her on the spot.

 

I also brought my brother with me that day. He writes for Chicago magazine, and I told him he should write up something about this movie. His response was another life-changer: “why don’t youwrite something up about the movie?” I pitched the idea to Chicago and became a paid writer for the first time in my life. I’ve been a freelance writer ever since, and while it doesn’t pay the bills, it’s a nice experience to have.

 

Wait, what was the original question? Oh yes, CFCL. Well, as part of my article, I talked to David Mahlan. I was getting a little tired of the BURP League (I won again in 2003) and was looking for a new challenge, so I dropped hints to the esteemed Mr. Mahlan that if he needed anyone in his league, I’d be eager to join (I liked what I saw in the movie), and after a very thorough entrance exam, y’all accepted me. That’s the third way my life changed. I’m now in my 10^th year with the CFCL, which is the longest I’ve ever been in any baseball league.

 

How much pleasure do you take in winning your first CFCL title in your fourth year when it took the Clowns five years?

 

Heh. I’ve known Mike for more than 20 years, and it definitely gives me great pleasure to be back in touch with him now after some quiet years in there. I like to think of it as Michael Jordan and LeBron James. MJ did it in his seventh season. LeBron in his ninth. I like analogies in which I’m Michael Jordan.

 

You are one of a select few that have won multiple CFCL championships. Is that meaningful?

 

Flags fly forever. Both titles were meaningful, and very very close. The first one (2007) came down the 163^rd game of the season, and that game went 14 innings, and it wasn’t over until well after midnight. Julie watched with me and was probably as excited as I was. The second one was in 2009 and I remember the next-to-last day of the season I got a shutout from Randy Wells (seven innings, three hits, one walk, 10 strikeouts) that put me over the top, but I had to hang on the last day. It came down to the last pitch of the regular season – my pitcher vs. his hitter (I don’t remember the players involved). If the hitter hit a home run, the DoorMatts would win the title. My pitcher got the out, and we tied, but I had the tiebreaker.

 

What other leagues are you in or have you been in?

 

The BURP League was run by my bowling teammate Dave Mundo (Coulter bowled on that team well). That was a fun league. In 2001, I thought I had no chance of winning, so I took a chance on some youngsters like Eric Gagne, Roy Oswalt, and Albert Pujols in the hopes of winning in 2002. I won the last three years I was in that league. I’ve also been in the Gheorghe Muresan basketball league for 20 years. The current GM of the Houston Rockets was in that league, as well as noted baseball writer Rob Neyer. I beat ‘em both.

 

You have sent a few e-mails over the past months that seem to indicate your six-year-old son has taken an active role in Player Acquisition for the Kenndoza Line. How involved is he in the decision-making process?

 

Too much, unfortunately (why couldn’t his favorite player be someone better than Xavier Paul?). Still, it’s great how much he’s picking up on things (sample quotes: “The Graging Bulls are always in first place!” “Who has Tony Cingrani? I assume it’s the Candy Colored Clowns.”). He’s learning a lot of names, and I’m sure someday soon I will set him up in a Yahoo! League he can run himself. What he doesn’t understand is just because he wants somebody on his team doesn’t mean his rightful owner will hand him over. Then again, I haven’t learned that yet either.

 

Even though during the season most of what we do is Internet based, do you feel there are any specific challenges you face living in Cincinnati?

 

Certainly the year I drafted by phone was a disaster, but I love coming in for the draft and I feel the drive up to Chicago is good for relaxing myself and getting into the mood for draft day. Since I come alone, I get a good night sleep. Just like in 2003.

The Chico Incident

The Roster Change report for this date in 1991 included the following transaction:

SIX PACKS activate Jose Offerman from the Reserve List, waive Chico Walker (waive period ends 8-20).

I seemingly innocent and innocuous roster move, but one that would have a significant impact on the Six Packs’ season and one that their owner Kelly Barone would regret for the rest of his CFCL career. Of course, for the rest of the CFCL, it was a moment that we fondly recall as “The Chico Incident”.

Before we get into the details, let’s meet the players.

Jose Offerman was a highly-touted Dodger prospect (at the time ALL Dodger prospects were highly touted) that the Six Packs had drafted into their minor league system in 1989. In 1990, Offerman had hit .326 with 60 SB in AAA.

He came up to play with the Dodgers late in the 1990 season and the Six Packs activated him at that time. They resigned him the following year and Offerman was up and down between the majors and the minors a couple times. When he was sent down on June 4, the Six Packs reserved him and called Chico Walker from the Free Agent Pool.

Chico Walker was a 32-year-old pinch hitter/utility player who had kicked around with the Cubs and Red Sox, and Angels, but hadn’t played in the majors since 1988. In 1991 he returned for a second stint with the Cubs and started the season as their #1 pinch hitter. But between Walker’s modest success in that role and the utter futility of the Cubs’ Opening Day third baseman, Gary Scott, soon Don Zimmer was writing Chico’s name in the starting lineup more often. Chico also played some OF and even filled in for Ryne Sandberg at 2B on occasion. In the end, Walker got over 100 more ABs in 1991 than in any of his other 11 big league seasons.

When the Six Packs called him up on June 4, Walker was hitting .273 with 2 HR, 10 RBI, and 3 SB. Over the next couple months, Walker hit .299 for the Six Packs, with one homer, 12 RBI, and 6 SB.

Then, on August 13, the Six Packs were faced with a decision. The Dodgers had recalled Jose Offerman from the minors and the Six Packs had to cut either Offerman or Walker loose.

In 1991, the CFCL did not have 40-man rosters that would allow teams to shuffle players between Active and Reserve. Players who were on the DL or sent to the minors by their NL teams could be reserved, but when they returned, their CFCL owners had to cut either that returning player or the player who took his place on the roster.

So Six Packs owner Kelly Barone was forced to choose between the journeyman Chico and the prospect Jose. Walker wasn’t setting the world afire, but he was at least performing at an acceptable level. And while Offerman had a world of potential, he had hit about .170 in his major league career to that point.

To complicate matters, the Six Packs were embroiled in one of the tightest pennant races the CFCL had seen to date, with 4 points separating the top 4 teams in early August. Here’s how the top of the standings looked at the time Kelly was weighing his Chico vs Jose options:
  1. Six Packs        65
  2. Bald Eagles     62.5
  3. Lambchops     61.5
  4. Copperfields   61

As we saw at the top of this post, Kelly apparently felt secure enough in his 2.5 point lead and chose to keep Offerman over Walker. It was a move, when the final 1991 stats were counted, that the Six Packs would deeply regret.

The final CFCL standings had the Bald Eagles on top, ahead of the Six Packs and Lambchops by a single point. The category rankings were tight, though, and after the season, in reviewing what had gone wrong, Kelly determined that if he had kept Chico Walker active and waived Offerman instead, he would have gained the extra points he needed to pass the Eagles and finish in first.

Here are the final 1991 Standings (click to embiggen):

It was a decision that haunted Kelly for years. For proof of this we have this bit of video from the 1995 CFCL Draft. In the clip, the Draft comes to a halt as Kelly recounts “The Chico Incident” much to the amusement of the rest of the league.

The whole thing starts with Kelly recalling how he ended up with Gary Scott at 3B in the 1992 draft because “there were no other third basemen.” That story was recounted on this blog as The Brett Barberie Incident.

I apparently had my Incidents confused and very innocently asked if the whole Gary Scott thing was part of “The Chico Incident”. Kelly reacts almost violently: “No, that’s not the Chico Incident and you know it! You just wanted to bring it up!”

This is an interesting clip, because not only do we get the details of the Chico Incident, but we also mention The Brett Barberie Incident, The Ramon Martinez Incident, and The Kevin McReynolds Incident. Four incidents for the price of one!

CFCL: Past Meets Present

Thanks to the organizational efforts of Matt Grage (owner of Graging Bulls), the CFCL had their first in-season get together in over a decade.  Matt coordinated an outing to Geneva to watch Cubs Single A affiliate Kane County Cougars take on the Cedar Rapids Kernels.  There was a little of everything in the game.  An elderly fan was taken to the hospital after being hit in the face by a foul ball.  A batter for the Kernels and the Cougars shortstop collided knee-to-head during a t-ballesque play of Merry Go Round.  Adam Walker, rightfielder for the Kernels, hit a herculean homerun to dead center that cleared, not only the fence, but the 20 foot tall black wall behind the fence.  Oh, and there was a celebrity siting (picture below).  Speaking of pictures, here are some of the motley crew that camped out behind homeplate.

Pictured from left:  Mike Bentel (Twin Killers), Matt Bentel (Twin Killers Behind The Scenes Man), Matt Bentel (DoorMatts), Rich Bentel (Dem Rebels), Paul Zeledon (Da Paul Meisters), Tim Morkert (Morkertzuma's Revenge), David Mahlan (David's Copperfields), Mike Coulter (Candy Colored Clowns), Matt Grage (Graging Bulls), Junior Mr. Coulter (Player Acquisition Influence for the Candy Colored Clowns).

Bentel Triumverate talking baseball strategy . . . or where to go for dinner that night.

 Owners of the Bulls and Clowns strategizing on how they both can end up in first.

                                Matt and Tim, based on the expressions, obviously talking
                                about the Commissioner.  "What?  We're just sitting here."

Even though the Cougars put a lot of runners on base and consistently found ways not to score, the game was exciting.  And then around the 8th inning I looked over to the right and noticed a guy signing a baseball for a fan.

   It's the guy in the blue shirt.  I blurted out who I thought it was (guessed correctly), then I turned and asked the rest of the owners, "Who is that signing an autograph?"  Without even looking where I pointed out, Paul immediately said "Is it Carlos May?!"  The rest of the owners looked over and eventually we all agreed (and were proven right) it was Moises Alou, former Cubs rightfielder.  Funny that a former Cub All-Star was about fifty feet from us and no one got up to take his picture (other than the one I snapped here since I knew I was writing this blog) or get his autograph.  Based on the comments of the owners, we're all still pissed about his reaction in the 8th inning of Game 6 in the 2003 NLCS. 

As the Coulters headed out for the day and handshakes were passed around, Mike said "Good seeing you guys!  Let's do this again next year."  Which actually is a pretty good idea.

The 1994 Season Ends

19 years ago today, the 1994 CFCL season came to the end.

MLB’s Acting Commissioner Bud Selig and his band of merry owners had tried to implement a salary cap on the game, and the Players’ Association and their leader, Don Fehr, were having none of it. After playing the first four months of the 1994 season without a collective bargaining agreement in place (the previous one had expired at the end of 1993), the players set a strike date of August 12.

When that date arrived and an agreement still was not in place, the players walked out on the season, making August 11 the final day of the MLB – and CFCL – season.

Of course we didn’t know on the 11th that the season was over … there was still theoretically the chance that the players and owners would resolve their issues and resume the season. It wasn’t until September that, with the strike still unresolved, the disgraced Selig announced that the remainder of the season and the post-season was cancelled.

The final CFCL standings report issued in 1994 states that it covers the period through August 15, but since there were no games played on the August 12-15, for all intents and purposes the season was over as of August 11.

The first acknowledgement of a possibly shortened CFCL season came in the Roster Change report for August 2 – actually in a hand-written note that I had appended to the typewritten report. The note just mentions the possibility of a season-ending strike on August 12, but then goes on to examine the standings for the week, which had tightened considerably. In that week’s standing report, Da Paul Meisters held a one point lead (61-60) over David’s Copperfieds, but as the note mentions, there were tight races up and down the standings. Here’s a PDF of that Roster Change report:

Roster Change Report - August 2, 1994

 

By the following week, the Copperfields had spring ahead of the Meisters, and it was the Coppers who held a 61-60 lead. The Roster Change report for August 8 included the following note:

 

Speaking of the strike, it looks very possible that the season may end on August 12. If it does, it means there are only three games between this week’s standings and the end of the season, and those three games will have already been played by the time you read this. Just comparing this week’s standings to last week’s you can see the huge impact that a few games can have. All but three teams changed places in the standings in the last week, and the movement is almost guaranteed to continue for what may be the last few days of the season.

 

For example, Curt Schilling’s outing Tuesday night put the Ruffins ahead of both the Rebels and DoorMatts in ERA and ahead of the DoorMatts in Ratio. So just that one performance dropped the Rebels to 7th, shot the Lambchops up to 4th, and tied the DoorMatts and the Ruffins for 5th place. Obviously, this can all change Wednesday and Thursday night, but this is clearly the closest all-around race we’ve ever had.

 

Unfortunately, that race never got to play out to its full conclusion. As noted above, the season did end on August 11. You remember how I had written on August 8 that a lot could happen in the standings in those last three days between the 8th and 11th? I wasn’t kidding.

 

In what turned out to be the last three games of the season, the Meisters picked up one point in ERA and half a point in Saves. They also picked up a point in RBIs, which was doubly important because they passed the Copperfields in that category, making it a two-point swing there. All told, the Meisters picked up 2.5 points in those last three days to finish with a total of 62.5 points.

 

The Copperfields, meanwhile, not only lost the point to the Meisters in RBI, they lost TWO points in Wins, which not only dropped their point total to 58, but dropped them into second place and made Da Paul Meisters the 1995 Champions.

 

Also in those last three days, the DoorMatts dropped three places in the standings (4th to 7th), with the Lambchops, Rebels, and Ruffins each moving up a spot to finish 4-5-6.

 

It was a thrilling end to the season, but one that came much too soon. With a month and a half left in the schedule, and still three weeks left until the trading deadline, it would have been a lot of fun to watch that season play out.

 

That’s not to take anything away from the Meisters – it’s not like they snuck in to steal the title at the last minute. They were in the top 3 places in the standings every week of the season after Week 1, and in 1st place in 6 of the last 8 reporting periods.

 

Here’s the final standings report for 1995 (click to embiggen):

 

 

The MLB player strike continued into 1995 and impacted the start of the baseball season that year, delaying the 1995 CFCL Draft Day until early May. I wrote about that, and our contingency plan to draft replacement players, in the May 7 post, Draft Day 1995 – No Scabs Edition.

 

This Week In CFCL History

Here’s a look at this week in CFCL history, covering the dates August 4. To August 10.

Aug 4, 1992	COPPERFIELDS trade Mike Sharperson to DA PAUL MEISTERS for Mariano Duncan.
Aug 4, 1992	COPPERFIELDS trade Ryan Klesko to DEM REBELS for Craig Lefferts.
Aug 4, 1992	DEM REBELS trade Ryne Sandberg to RUFFINS for Anthony Young and Mike Scioscia. There’s an interesting background story on this one, but I can’t share it yet. Suffice to say that the Rebels had traded Young to the Ruffins just after Draft Day 1992 in exchange for special “considerations”. Supposedly this tale will be told in a future blog post…  Apparently it only took 6 months for the Young to wear out his welcome with the Ruffins and they shipped him back Rebel-way.
Aug 4, 1992	DEM REBELS trade Rob Dibble, Bob Scanlan, and Frank Seminara to LAMBCHOPS for Vince Coleman, David Justice, Roger McDowell, and Mark Gardner.
Aug 5, 1986	BALD EAGLES trade Lenny Dykstra to DEM REBELS for Dale Murphy. Rich revisited this trade in a post a few days ago: The Bald Eagle Eyes His First Victim  Also see: Trade Deadline Review: 1984-1987
Aug 5, 1997	SIX PACKS trade Mel Rojas to RUFFINS for Todd Hollandsworth and their 3rd round Rotation Draft pick in 1998.
Aug 6, 1991	BALD EAGLES trade Jeff Bagwell, Glen Braggs, Jay Bell, Randy Myers, Steve Avery, and Kiki Jones to COPPERFIELDS for Matt Williams, Kevin Mitchell, Gregg Jeffries, Greg W Harris, and Jeff Brantley.
Aug 6, 1991	LAMBCHOPS trade Ron Gant, Scott Ruskin, and their 1st round Minor League Draft pick in 1992 to COPPERFIELDS for Mike Felder, Lee Smith, and their 1st round Minor League Draft pick in 1992.
Aug 6, 1996	DEM REBELS trade Jody Reed and Tony Fossas to DOORMATTS for Dennis Eckersley.
Aug 10, 1993	COPPERFIELDS trade Roberto Mejia, Cliff Floyd, and their 2nd round Rotation Draft pick in 1994 to RUFFINS for Larry Walker, Will Clark, Andy Benes, Jose Vizcaino, and their 14th round Rotation Draft pick in 1994.

 

Trade Deadline Review: 2006

This is the sixth in a series of posts taking a look at the trade deadline action in each season during the CFCL’s first 29 years. Specifically, for each season we’ll look at each team’s trading turnover in the 3-4 weeks before the trading deadline. Individual deals will continue to be listed (though not analyzed) in the “This Week in CFCL History” posts.

Previous posts in this series:

1984-1987
1998-1999
2000
2001
2002

Continuing to hop around, today we’ll revisit the trade deadline for 2006.

2006
Trade Deadline: August 1 (first Tuesday after July 31)
Number of Teams / Number of Trades: 10 teams, 12 trades
Number of Players Changing Hands: 54 players, 11 draft picks
Busiest Teams: Copperfields (5 trades), Dem Rebels (4 trades)
Contenders: Nick’s Picts, DoorMatts, David’s Ruffins, Teddy’s Splendid Splinters, Kenndoza Line, Mo’s Red Hots
Rebuilders: Dem Rebels, Eric’s Lambchops, Graging Bulls, David’s Copperfields

All but two of the CFCL’s 12 teams dallied in the trade waters in the month before the August 1 trade deadline, with just Steve’s Stones and Da Paul Meisters sitting things out.

The beginning of July found the Red Hots, Kenndoza Line, Splinters, and Ruffins separated by just 4 points at the top of the standings, while just half a point separated the DoorMatts and Pict in the battle for 5th place.

It was two teams in the second division, the Founding Franchises – Dem Rebels and David’s Copperfields – who engaged in most of the trade deadline action.

DEM REBELS

Acquired	Traded	Results
Matt Kemp Brandon Phillips Sean Marshall Hunter Pence Andrew McCutchen Felix Pie George Kottaras Reyel Pinto 8th round pick 13th round pick 13th round pick 16th round pick	Aaron Rowand Ryan Freel David Dellucci Marcus Giles Roger Clemens Glendon Rusch Scott Eyre John Grabow 14th round pick	Wow – take a look at the names the Rebels picked up at the 2006 trade deadline … a veritable all-star team.  The Rebels probably could have wrapped up a title 3 or 4 years down the road if they had hung onto them all. Matt Kemp was just .05, but he wasn’t MATT KEMP! yet, and the Rebels cut him prior to Draft Day.   Marshall was only .01, but was still a couple years away from becoming a perennial leader in the Holds category and the Rebels cut him during Winter Waivers. Kottaras was also cut loose during the winter. The Rebels kept everyone else, though Pence, McCutcheon, Pie, and Pinto were all still in the minors at the time. Pie came up in April, struggled early, and the Rebels dealt him to the Red Hots at mid-season. Pence came up about a month into the season and was great - .360 OBP, 246 TB, 57 RS, 69 RBI, and even added 11 SB. McCutchen spent 2008 in the minors, but had a great rookie season in 2009 before the Rebels traded him to the Ruffins midway through 2010. Player-wise, the big pickup for the Rebels was Brandon Phillips, who put together the best season of his career for the Rebels in 2007:  .331 OBP, 315 TB, 107 RS, 94 RBI, 32 SB. There wasn’t much of a payoff from the Reserve List picks:  8th rd  – Corey Koski (did not play in majors again) 13th rd – Cory Sullivan (.336, 54 TB) 13th rd – the Kendoza’s pick was traded to Picts 16th – not used

GRAGING BULLS

Acquired	Traded	Results
<Aaron Rowand> Andre Ethier Dustin Nippert 7th round pick 14th round pick	Aaron Rowand Aaron Sele Felix Pie 8th round pick 13th round pick	The Bulls made two deals in July, one to acquire Aaron Rowand from the Rebels, and the second to deal him to the Red Hots. Andre Either was the big acquisition for them, but they ended up cutting him during winter waivers in order to pick up Steve Kline.  They should have kept Either, who posted a .350 OPB with 202 TB.  The Bulls ended up cutting Kline before Draft Day anyway. Nippert was already gone by that point, having been included in the Bulls’ initial winter cuts, so their only gains from the deals were the draft picks. They selected minor league outfielder Fernando Martinez with the 7th rounder, who to this day is still trying to establish himself in the majors. The 14th rounder was traded to the Ruffins during the offseason.

ERIC’S LAMBCHOPS

Acquired	Traded	Results
Jose Bautista Matt Wise	Scott Hatteberg Jon Lieber	The Lambchops had nothing to show for their rebuilding effort, either.  Wise was cut during Winter Waivers, while Bautista was cut free before Draft Day.

DAVID’S COPPERFIELDS

Acquired	Traded	Results
Jeremy Hermida Choo Freeman Edwin Encarnacion Ryan Howard Josh Barfield Ronny Cedeno Ian Stewart Jason  Jennings Jonathan Broxton Takashi Saito Matt Capps Dan Wheeler Aaron Heilman David Bush Jason Hirsh 5th round pick 6th round pick 7th round pick 9th round pick	Juan Pierre Steve Finley John Mabry Aramis Ramirez Jimmy Rollins Omar Vizquel Scott Spiezio Hector Luna Pedro Martinez Chris Capuano Derek Lowe Jeff Suppan Kip Wells Roberto Hernandez Diasuke Matsuzaka 12th round pick	The Copperfields turned over nearly 40% of their 40-man roster in the month of July 2006. Before Draft Day 2007, 6 of the 15 players they acquired were no longer with the team – Freeman, Barfield, and Cedeno were all set loose during Winter Waivers, while Saito was deemed too expensive at .24 and was cut at Roster Freeze.  Heilman and Hirsh were both traded during the off-season. Still, the Copperfields netted 9 keepers from their July deals, which made up 60% of their roster going into the 2007 Draft. Howard had a big year, with a .392 OBP, 309 TB, and 136 RBI; and Encarnacion was solid as well, with 220 TB and 76 RBI. The two starting pitchers they acquired, Jennings and Bush, were busts, posting ERAs of 6.45 and 5.12 respectively. The trio of relievers was stellar:  Broxton had 34 HoSv, Capps had 33, and Wheeler posted 29 – all for a total of .16. Here’s what became of the reserve picks they acquired: 5th rd –traded to Red Hots 6th  – Tony Clark (113 TB, 51 RBI) 7th  – Jeff Samardzija (in minors, waived mid-season) 9th – Mike Stanton (the pitcher, not the stud OF, he was waived mid-season)

NICK’S PICTS

Acquired	Traded	Results
Derek Lowe Jeff Suppan Kip Wells	Josh Barfield Takashi Saito Matt Capps	At the trading deadline, the Picts stood in 6th place, 8 points out of 5th.  They saw points available in the QS category, and traded for three Copperfield starting pitchers. Wells was injured at the time, and only returned to make a couple ineffective starts.  The other two produced though: Lowe – 2.39 ERA, 1.08 RATIO, 3.15 K:BB, 7 QS Suppan – 2.78 ERA, 1.33 RATIO, 1.91 K:BB, 7 QS Despite the help, though, the Picts only gained one point in the QS category, and finished the season in 6th overall.

MO’S RED HOTS

Acquired	Traded	Results
Aaron Rowand Aaron Sele	Andre Ethier Dustin Nippert 7th round pick	In their first season, the Red Hots had spent all of June and the first week of July in first place, but by the end of the month, they had fallen to third.  Only 4 points behind the first place Ruffins, they put a small deal together for some offense, but it didn’t pan out.  Rowand had a .331 OBP after the trade, but with only 47 TB, 18 RBI, 13 RS, and 6 SB.  Sele, meanwhile, posted a 6.44 ERA in 29 IP. The Red Hots just didn’t have a deep enough roster of potential keepers to compete in the trade market with some of the other contenders.  In the end, they finished in 5th place.

 KENNDOZA LINE

Acquired	Traded	Results
Ryan Freel Steve Finley Aramis Ramirez Scott Hatteberg Scott Spiezio Hector Luna Pedro Martinez Jon Lieber Chris Capuano Roberto Hernandez 12th round pick	Matt Kemp Choo Freeman Jose Bautista Ryan Howard Aaron Heilman David Bush Jason Jennings Dan Wheeler Matt Wise Jason Hirsh 7th round pick 13th round pick	Kenndoza Line were the most active of the contenders at the trade deadline. By the middle of July, they had knocked the Red Hots out of first place and stood atop the standings.  In an attempt to solidify their position, they made 4 deals over the next couple weeks. Ryan Freel provided 17 SB, and Ramirez put up a solid line of .371 OBP, 133 TB, 41 RS, 51 RBI.  Everyone else, however, washed out. Finley, perhaps was the biggest letdown, posting a .315 OBP and only 45 TB.  Hatteberg, Speizio, and Luna were non-factors. On the pitching side, Martinez returned from an injury and put up a 7.84 ERA for the Line.  Lieber had 6 QS and Capuano provided 7, but they post did it with ERAs over 4.20.  Hernandez pitched well out of the bullpen, with a 3.48 ERA, but posted only 3 HoSv. By the end of July, Kenndoza Line had fallen to second place, and the decline continued through the rest of the season and the finally ended in 4th place. In 2007, they select Matt Albers with the 12th round pick.

DOORMATTS

Acquired	Traded	Results
Marcus Giles John Grabow	Hunter Pence Reynel Pinto	The DoorMatts complete their first trade in two seasons (their most recent deal had been in July 2004).  Finding themselves in 5th place, but zeroing in on a money spot, they completed a deal with the Rebels. While Giles (.339 OBP, 84 TB) and Grabow (4.26 ERA, 6 HoSv) didn’t set the world afire, the DoorMatts did climb to 3rd place by the end of the year.

TEDDY’S SPLENDID SPLINTERS

Acquired	Traded	Results
Jimmy Rollins Diasuke Matsuzaka	Edwin Encarncion Jonathan Broxton 5th round pick	The Splinters began July in 3rd place, but only a point and a half out of first.  Like the Red Hots, the Splinters had limited resources to offer rebuilding teams, but did complete one deal. Rollins was great, getting on base at a .346 clip with 176 TB, 62 RS, 52 RBI, and 17 SB. They also acquired Diasuke Matsuzaka for the second time in the past two years … and he was still pitching in Japan. Helped by Rollins’ contributions, the Splinters climbed to 2nd place by seasons’ end, but came up losers as far as Matsuzaka was concerned, as he eventually signed with an American League team.

 DAVID’S RUFFINS

Acquired	Traded	Results
Juan Pierre David Dellucci John Mabry Omar Vizquel Roger Clemens Glendon Rusch Scott Eyre	Jeremy Hermida Ronny Cedeno Brandon Phillips Ian Stewart George Kottaras Sean Marshall Andrew McCutcheon 6th round pick 9th round pick 16th round pick	It was a slow climb to the top for the Ruffins in 2006 – they didn’t reach first place for the first time until the end of July.  Once there, though, they refused to budge and eventually won the league by a large margin. Powered by Pierre (29 SB) and Clemens (2.31 ERA, 4.14 K:BB, 10 QS), the Ruffins picked up 14 points after the trade deadline to secure the 2006 CFCL Championship.

2006 Standings at Trade Deadline and End of Season (click to embiggen)