Five Most Significant Changes in the CFCL - #3

As we have mentioned over the past year, the CFCL has evolved in many ways.  The Number #4 Most Significant Change was identified as the change in categories.  We did that so that we could have more true value of ALL National League players as well as allow us to be more well rounded drafters and team builders.

Another change we made to allow us to run our CFCL team in as a realistic "real baseball" fashion as possible was shifting to what fantasy baseball calls "Ultra".  Ultra essentially means we finally got reserve rosters.

Prior to Ultra, each CFCL owner would draft a team of 23 players.  If you had an injury to a player, you could reserve that player and pick up an available player from the Free Agent Pool.  BUT the rules stated that when your injured player became healthy you either had to waive that player or you had to waive the player you picked up for your injured player.

Draft a player that ABSOLUTELY SUCKED?  (See 1984 Electric Eels roster for many, many examples)  Too bad.  You lived with the suckiness.  Imagine a major league team having to keep a player in the starting lineup even if they were 0 for August.

Ultra gave us an opportunity to have a more realistic baseball team.  Now if we had horrible players on our active roster (see many, many lineups for Dem Rebels over the last 20 years), you could either take someone from the Free Agent Pool, or you could look at your Reserve List.

But the main point is owners now have options.  You can fill your reserve list with seventeen minor league and high school prospects (if your team name is the Graging Bulls) or you can snatch up the 4th and 5th OF of various NL teams, an extra starter or relief pitcher and have some flexibility with your team.

This allows us to "manage" our team during the season.  We still can't control Dusty Baker driving a pitcher into the ground, but at least we can reserve that pitcher so when his arm blows out or he gives up eight runs in the eighth inning of an important game, we don't have to absorb those stats.

With Ultra meant adding rules to the Constitution, it meant adding another hour or two to our draft each year, it meant adding hours and days and weeks of prep time to our January through March draft prep schedule.  And it meant running a baseball team in the most realistic manner possible while having a family life, an actual career and all for the low, low cost of just $2.60.