The Morkert Innovation

The CFCL has gone through many changes over the last 30 years.  Many have been written about here and more will be identified as the year goes on.  Most of the changes have come from the Co-Commissioners and Executive Committee because it is their responsibility to identify the growing needs of the league.

Occassionally there will be suggestions from team owners (like Idea Man Matt Bentel) on ways to improve the league or tweak a rule.  And there are rare occassions when, if we are extremely lucky, we are able to capture the improvements on video or digital imprint.

Thus it was back in 2012 when Tim Morkert (owner of Morkertzuma's Revenge) gave us an Innovation.

First a little history.  Our league is an Around The Table Bidding League.  As I've pointed out in earlier posts, that means a player is brought up and we go around the table, owner by owner, either increasing the bid or dropping out.  If you drop out, you are out forever on the player - you cannot rejoin the bidding (unless we're bidding on Mitch Williams and then all rules are suspended http://cfclrebelcopperfield.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-mitch-williams-incident.html).

So back in the '90's to make it easier to determine who is in and who is out of the bidding, Commissioner Mahlan took some index cards, folded them in half and wrote the names of each team on the cards.  When we dropped out of the bidding we would flip our index card down and everyone could visually understand our status in the bidding.

Those cards were upgraded to Fancy Corporate Tri-Fold Name Plates (also courtesy of Commissioner Mahlan) and for many years we would use them in the same fashion.  Then came 2012.  We drafted at my office in the conference room around a long conference table.  With everyone's notes, laptops, snacks and the narrowness of the table, the sightlines provided a challenge for us to easily view the status of a team's bidding involvement.

That's where Tim leapt to action.  He came up with a simple solution.  But in its simplicity was its brilliance and so earned him the Innovation.  Forever going forward (or at least until we go big-time and get electronic name boards ala Jeopardy!) the Morkert Innovation will be a staple of CFCL drafts.  If your nameplate is standing, you are in the bidding.  When you're out you knock over the nameplate (sometime's forcefully when you have to drop out on a player you really, really want).

The Owners of the CFCL - 2012

This is a new weekly feature as we walk backwards to the beginning.  You've seen the Big Uglies from 2013.  Each week we'll step back one year and meet the ownership.  The cool thing here is that when the picture was taken we didn't know what we were facing for the year.  But now we can look at the picture knowing who won, what happened during the year, etc. 

Here are the owners for 2012 drafting in Lisle, IL.

Pictured left to right:  Rich Bentel (Dem Rebels, in A's hat), Dave Holian (David's Ruffins), Matt Bentel (DoorMatts), Mike Bentel (Twin Killers), Matt Grage (Graging Bulls), Kenn Ruby (Kenndoza Line), Scott Strang (Stranger Danger), Nick Hansen (Eukennott Beatniks), Mike Coulter (Candy Colored Clowns and eventual 2012 Champion), Tim Morkert (Morkertzuma's Revenge).

Two interesting things heading in to 2012.  First we were welcoming back an old friend.  Nick Hansen rejoined the league after a much too long three year hiatus.  Secondly Dem Rebels and the Clowns engaged in one of the craziest pennant chases in CFCL history.  Both made significant trades right at the trade deadline and then watched as the Rebels, down 21 points in late August made a charge that left them one point short of catching the Clowns.  Going into the final day, it was possible for Dem Rebels to gain one point, thus tying the Clowns.  But the Clowns held the tie-breaker edge so they were in strong position going in to the final day, due in large part to their management of their team throughout the year.

Notice also that the DoorMatts seem to be staring someone down.  My guess is it's everyone but Nick since everyone in the direction Matt is looking at finished ahead of him in the standings.