Halfway to 30

Today marks a milestone for this blog … we’re exactly halfway through the planned 365-day life of the blog leading up to Draft Day 2014. To mark the halfway point, we’re going back exactly halfway in the CFCL’s history to 1999, the CFCL’s 15th anniversary.

That year was actually a double milestone. Not only was it the CFCL’s 15th anniversary, but 1999 marked the point when Rich and I had been involved with the league for exactly half of our lives - we started as 16-year-olds in 1984, and were kicking off our 16th season. From that point onward, Rich and I could say we had played in the CFCL for over half our lives. Of course, the expiration date on that badge of honor will be expiring soon for me … having retired from team ownership after the 2010 season, I’m locked at 27 years in the CFCL, which means I’ll lose the “half my life” designation in a just a handful of years.

Rich, of course, continues to increase his “percentage of life in the CFCL” mark (if my calculations are correct, it’s up to 64%) and as he likes to point out, the CFCL isn’t even halfway there…


For now, though, let’s hop back to the halfway point between the CFCL’s first season and its 30th – 1999. Rich and I wanted to commemorate the occasion with a gift for the owners in the league that year, so we had caps made emblazoned with a 15-year logo (I use the term “logo” loosely, as resident CFCL Logo Designer Nick Hansen wasn’t part of the league yet). In addition to the hats, I had a special memento prepared for Rich – a photo of the Wrigley field marquee celebrating the CFCL’s first 15 years.

Both of the gifts were presented prior to the 1999 Draft, captured on video below. Pay attention for a clever quip from ForGoetz Me Nots owner Dave Goetz when a telephone call interrupts my speech about the occasion.