The Drew Stubbs Incident - The Prelude

The CFCL's history is rife with excellent stories, great memories and historical "incidents". Usually the moment an incident occurs, it's obvious. The minute Kelly had a meltdown on drafting Ramon Martinez, we knew we had the "The Ramon Martinez Incident". When the Ruffins and Kents stood up simultaneously to look in the kitchen we knew we had "The Darryl Strawberry Incident". When Monroe grabbed the card and then the crayon we knew there was the "Snookie Incident" (details to follow in an upcoming blog).

Two years ago we had a bonafied Incident, but it wasn't obvious until well after the fact. "The Drew Stubbs Incident" on its surface happens every year, multiple times. So what makes it an incident? The parties involved and the back story.

This is a story about price enforcement. Usually price enforcement occurs without much acclaim. Just a matter of one owner wanting to keep another owner from getting a phenomenal deal. But in the cases of the "The Steve Carlton Incident" and now the "Drew Stubbs Incident" other factors come in to play.

Let's set the stage. It's 2012. There are a handful of enticing outfielders available in the draft. The Kenndoza Line, Candy Colored Clowns and Dem Rebels all had their list of who they wanted and how much they would be willing to pay. Soon, the main players - Andre Ethier, Dexter Fowler, Shane Victorino - were all snatched up and the only remaining significant outfielder in the pool was Drew Stubbs.

The dimwitted Rebels were interested because of Stubbs' amazing speed potential. Apparently overpaying for a guy who may not be able to find first base with a map wasn't an issue. I remember as Stubbs was brought up that I had a maximum bid remaining of upper 20's or low 30's and shamefully I was excited because I thought that would be enough to get Stubbs. As the bidding continued it came down to me, the Clowns and Line. A quick look at the money sheet showed me Kenn and Mike could both go into the 40's for Stubbs. They wouldn't do that would they? If memory serves neither was desperate for SBs (at least not as desperate as I was). Well, I didn't understand there were other forces at work.

I think at this point of the league's evolution, I was still naïve to the fact that Mike being a Reds fan, I mean a REDS FAN, would be willing to pay ungodly amounts of money for anyone playing in the Queen City. I also knew about the "friendship" between Kenn and Mike but was oblivious to the undercurrent of "fun" that could lead to.

As it was I had to drop out sooner than I wanted and had to watch these two rivals go back and forth like McEnroe and Borg. Who won? Tune in later this week for . . . ."The Drew Stubbs Incident" in their own words.

The Faces of the CFCL

Thanks to League Photographer and Archivist David Mahlan, we were able to capture some close up pictures of the current local owners of the CFCL.  Unfortunately, not all CFCL owners were able to attend.  Not pictured below were Mike Bentel (Twin Killers), Dave Holian (David's Ruffins), Nick Hansen (Eukennott Beatniks) and Kenn Ruby (Kenndoza Line).  All four selfishly decided that travelling a hundreds or thousands of miles to Chicago for a few hours of pizza eating and beer swilling wasn't an efficient use of their time and money.  Go figure.

Below are the local faces of the CFCL and a little bit about their team history.

Matt Bentel - owner of the DoorMatts.  Joined the CFCL in 1994 and still looks frustrated for tying with the Kenndoza Line for first in 2009 and ultimately finshing in 2nd due to tie-breaker rules.

Mike Coulter (in red) - owner of Candy Colored Clowns.  Joined the CFCL in 2008 and won his first championship five years later (2012).  Also is our savior in handling all transactions and issues with our statistics at OnRoto.com.

Matt Grage - owner of Graging Bulls.  Joined the CFCL in 2000.  Celebrated his first CFCL title in 2013 (and only his second money finish).  Matt also provides all the owners with the Master Draft List on Draft Day that saves us tons of time.

Tim Morkert - owner of Morkertzuma's Revenge.  Tim joined the CFCL in 2008.  Here Tim looks like he has a concerned look on his face as he reflects back to 2011 and his oh-so-close run for the title.  "Dammit Brad Lincoln!  I hate you!"  A commissioner and owner in a fantasy baseball league in San Francisco, Tim has been a long standing member of the CFCL's Executive Committee.





Pat Chesnut (left), Matthew Barriball (right) - co-owners of Hey Patta Matta Swing.  Pat and Matthew joined the CFCL this off-season and will enjoy their first season in 2014.  They have previous fantasy baseball experience and, based on their conversations and e-mails, bring a ton of game.  This is the future face of the CFCL.

Rich Bentel - owner of Dem Rebels.  Rich is the last remaining original owner (1984).  In 30 years of ownership, the Rebels have performed poorly with only seven money finishes (two championships).  Rich also took over full Commissioner responsibilities when the Copperfields retired in 2010 as well as League Secretary responsibilities circa 2009 in a failed effort to keep the Copperfields around forever.

The True CFCL Legacy

I thought the CFCL Legacy was simply being around 30 years.  Turns out that’s not as big of a deal as I thought.  We’ll learn more about that in the upcoming weeks.  So then I thought perhaps our legacy would be our children carrying on the tradition started by their not fore, but six fathers.

If we eliminate the female offspring since we’ve never had a female remotely interested in joining the league (sorry Revenge and Dem Rebels (X 3)) then we have nine future CFCL’ers.  So below I have created their teams as I would imagine they would and voila!  We have a junior league, not unlike the professional soccer leagues in Europe that have developmental leagues for teams before they (the teams) get to the Big Time and Bright Lights.

Revenge – One son

Noah (Noah’s Arcs)  No, that isn’t a misprint.  The name would represent the trending of the team.  Great draft and stocked minor league system?  They are on an upward arc.  Season ending injuries and Brad Lincoln’s son on the team?  Downward arc.  Of course this wouldn’t stop Noah from collecting his players in twos.  Uptons (Justin and BJ), Claytons (Richards and Kershaw).

Dem Rebels – One son

Cooper (Cooper Rollows) – You would think he would name his team after the town that he himself was named after.  Well Cooper is a renaissance man and chose to honor a wordsmith of legendary proportions.  It’s uncertain how good the players will be, but the lineup card will be extremely well written.

DoorMatts – Two sons, one son is already in the league.  This opens the door for the other twin.

Matt (Matterhorns) – Looks to be an up and down season with a bunch of Mickey Mouse players.

Kenndoza Line – Two sons

Jacob (Jacob’s Ladders) – always looking to move up with Tim Robbins moving from the pitcher’s mound to the manager’s seat in the dugout.

Evan (Evan Almighties) – a hard team to beat with the All Powerful on their side.

Stranger Danger – Two sons

Lucas (Lucas Cruikshanks) – Sadly the Cruikshanks are the most disliked team in the league because they are . . . so . . .damn . . . annoying.  On the upside they will have the biggest social media following.

Maximus (Maximus D. Meridius) – Russell Crowe is the manager.  The team looks fierce on the field, but their war uniforms make it tough to turn a double play.

Clowns – Two sons

Aidan (Aidan Quinns) – Come all without, come all within.  You’ll not see nothing like the Mighty Quinn(s).

Logan (Kenny Logans)  - When a player gets injured but can walk off the field, on the Jumbotron a video of a gopher will appear lipsyncing “I’m All Right”.  The Kenny part would also be a nod to his favorite CFCL owner, Kenn Ruby.

Ruffins, Bulls, Beatniks and Twin Killers – kind of makes you want to have a son, doesn’t it?

Anatomy of a Pennant Race (Part 2)

Here's a look at the top five places of the CFCL 2013 Pennant Chase.  Standings as of 9/11/13.

1.  Clowns 74
2.  Bulls  73
3.  Ruffins  63
4.  DoorMatts  62
5.  Kenndoza Line  57
6.  Beatniks (Beatniks listed yesterday and today to show how they might move up or down the standings).

Beatniks VS Line (9 points separating the teams)
Beatniks could gain 1 SB, 1 OBP, 3 WHiP, 1.5 QS, 3 K/BB, 1 H/S for a total of 10.5 points.
Line could lose 1 OBP, 2 WHiP for a total of 3 points.
13.5 points in play with a nine point deficit.  Beatniks could move up.

Line VS DoorMatts (5 points separating the teams)
Line could gain 1 Run, 1 TB, 1 ERA, 1 WHiP for a total of four points.
DoorMatts could lose 1 OBP, 1ERA, 1 K/BB for a total of three points.
Seven points in play with a five point deficit.  Line could move up.

DoorMatts VS Ruffins (1 point separating the teams)
DoorMatts could gain 1 OBP, 1 WHiP, 1 K/BB for a total of three points.
Ruffins could lose 1 R, 1 TB, .5 QS, 1 K/BB for a total of three and a half points.
6.5 points in play with a one point deficit.  DoorMatts could move up and for all of August and part of September, the DoorMatts and Ruffins in fact have been been trading the third and fourth place slots.

Ruffins VS Bulls  (10 whopping points separating the teams).
Ruffins could gain 1 RBI, 1 ERA, 1 WHiP, .5 QS, 2 K/BB, 1 H/S for a total of six and a half points.
Bulls could lose 1 R, 1 TB, 1 WHiP, .5 QS, 2 K/BB, 1 H/S for a total of six and a half points.
Thirteen  points in play with a ten point deficit.  Amazingly, with two weeks left in the season, the Ruffins could move up.

Bulls VS Clowns (1 point separating the teams).
Bulls could gain 1 OBP, 1 TB, 1 ERA, 1 WHiP, 1.5 QS, 1 K/BB for a total of 6.5 points.
Clowns could lose 1 OBP, 3 WHiP, .5 QS, 3 K/BB for a total of 7.5 points.
Two weeks left in the season and there could be a fourteen point swing with the top two teams.  Bulls could move up.  And in fact, for August and September the Bulls and Clowns have been flipflopping the top two places in the standings.

Disclaimer**  This is all potential stuff.  For any head-to-head matchup diagnosed above and yesterday to happen, all the right (or wrong) things must happen.  The reality is that some of this and some of that will happen.  The amazing point to this Anatomy of a Pennant Race is that with two weeks left in the season, EVERY SINGLE TEAM has the ability to move up or down in the standings.  That speaks volumes to the parity of the talent of the owners in this league as well as the detailed attention they give their team week in and week out.  Oh, sure it could be luck or a special convergence of events.  But as we saw yesterday, this is the fourth year out of the last five where we very well won't know the CFCL champion until the last out of the last game of the season.

Further proving that point, [get this, this is amazing] the Bulls and Clowns are adjacent to each other in FIVE categories and four of those categories it is completely possible that one could pass the other.  That is eight points that will be in play until the final game of the season.

Meet the Candy Colored Clowns

In 2008 the CFCL was going through a bit of a transition.  We had three owners resign at the end of the 2007 season (Splinters, Lambchops and Meisters).  We were looking to replace 25% of our owners during the off-season.  One of those new owners is profiled here.  Mike Coulter joined us from a connection with an existing owner (Kenn Ruby).  Since then, Mike has been involved on many levels of the CFCL.

When David needed to scale back his administrative involvement in the league and then ultimately retired, Mike took over the stat service connection with OnRoto, claiming the title of OnRoto Czar.  He's the one we contact whenever OnRoto starts giving us problems.  Mike has also been a consistent member of the Executive Committee, charged with interpreting rules and Constitution verbage.

On top of that, Mike's Five Year Plan seems to be paying off with their first CFCL title last year and sitting in first by two points entering into September.  When Mike first joined the CFCL the Monroe Doctrine "interviewed" him.  Shortly after that Mike provided us with a team profile.

Even though he's a Reds fan he's an important member and cog in the CFCL Machine.  It's time to meet The Candy Colored Clowns.

How did you join the CFCL?

I was recruited to join the league by now frenemy Kenn Ruby during the offseason following the 2007 year in which three teams vacated the league. Having been out of fantasy baseball for some time other than a crappy Yahoo league, I was looking for something more in-depth and challenging. After passing the grueling entrance questionnaire, I was awarded entrance into a three-team expansion draft with fellow new owners Michael "Not Roger & Me" Moore and Tim Morkert. After a drawing of straws, I landed third in the pecking order for selecting from the "talent" pool remaining. Moore selected Ryan Fraud first, Tim followed with current Clowns ace Adam Wainwright and with the first selection of the Candy Colored Clowns franchise, we grabbed the .2 mx contract of one Jay Bruce, who remains a Clown to this day.

Where exactly does the name Candy Colored Clowns come from?

The Candy Colored Clown is a character from the Roy Orbison song "In Dreams." Its significance stems from a bowling league that Kenn and I were in during our days at STATS, Inc. We would find rallying cries from movies that we saw and the film "Blue Velvet" was a favorite. The scene where Frank Booth, memorably and menacingly played by Dennis Hopper, tells his neophyte "neighbor," played by a young Kyle MacLachlan to not be a good neighbor to Isabella Rosellini, his woman/hostage, all the while applying lipstick and creepily singing the Candy Colored Clown lyrics from "In Dreams" helped get us in the right frame of mind to unleash destruction on the lanes. And besides, if I had referenced our other favorite quote from the movie, my team would have been called "Here's to your fuck, Frank."

There seems to be a good natured rivalry between you and the Kenndoza Line. How bad do you want to beat him each year?

I used to make a habit of beating Kenn at things. Bill James Fantasy Baseball. Fantasy football. Nudie card poker on bowling nights. But he has become quite a formidable foe since moving to Cincinnati. Must be something in the water there...

While the rivalry is real, we are actually quite good sports about it. When I am not in contention and he is, I root for him and see if there are any trades that might help both our teams. When he is not in contention and I am, he trades Mat Latos to a rival for Xavier Paul, leaving my team to continue scrapping for points in QS and K/BB.

Kenn may have won a title in this league quicker than I did ... but should I hang on this year, I will have the honor of beating him to the first championship repeat...and will have won my first TWO titles in less time than he did. THAT speaks to our rivalry. But most of all, he is as awesome a friend as he is a competitor.

How does the CFCL compare with other fantasy leagues you have been a part of?

I was mostly in office leagues with journalists who knew of Albert Pujols and few others. A shark in a guppy bowl. The CFCL has provided me with a real challenge, both by the members of the league and in trying to find Theo Epstein-esque loopholes in the league's constitution that I can take advantage of. Those have been much tougher to find than I anticipated. Kudos to the league's forefathers for that.

In your “real” job you do some work for a baseball website. What is it and do you feel it lends you an advantage to running the Clowns?

I'm assuming this refers to my illustrious career as a part-time fact checker/copy editor for MLBtraderumors.com. The only thing that job does for me is make me trade prospects like Kolten Wong and Zach Wheeler because 12 times a day I read that "team insiders" swear they are on their way to the American League via trade. Meanwhile, Wheeler is the Mets' #2 starter and Wong and his .2 cent contract and 20 steals at Triple A are making the CARDINALS debut this week. But I'm not bitter.

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 CFCL Owners of 2008

Pictured from left: Nick Hansen (Nick's Picts); Mike Coulter (Candy Colored Clowns); Tim Morkert (Morkertzuma's Revenge); Michael Moore (Moore Better); Steve Olson (Steve's Stones and eventual 2008 CFCL Champion); Dave Holian (David's Ruffins); Matt Grage (Graging Bulls); Bob Boryca (Mo's Red Hots); Rich Bentel (Dem Rebels); Matt Bentel (DoorMatts); David Mahlan (David's Copperfields); Kenn Ruby [and DunnKenn] (Kenndoza Line).

We have a lot going on in this season.  It would mark the end of nine straight years that the CFCL had 12 owners.  At the end of the season Nick Hansen would resign (before returning four years later) and Steve Olson sadly stepped away feeling it the best thing for himself and the league.

In 2008 we also welcomed new owners Tim Morkert, Mike Coulter and Michael Moore.

Our draft location was once again the, if not so plush certainly roomy conference room, in Oak Brook, IL.

The Owners of the CFCL 2009

Pictured from left:  Rich Bentel (Dem Rebels), Matt Bentel (DoorMatts), Bob Boryca (Mo's Red Hots), Kenn Ruby (Kenndoza Line - eventual 2009 CFCL Champion), Mike Bentel (Proxy for David's Ruffins), Tim Morkert (Morkertzuma's Revenge), Matt Grage (Graging Bulls), Michael Moore (Moore Better), Mike Coulter (Candy Colored Clowns), David Mahlan (David's Copperfields).

2009 was interesting for a couple of reasons.  It was the last draft at my office conference room (I would change employers in early 2010 starting us on a two year trek through high schools and basements).  The Kenndoza Line snagged their second CFCL title in one of the closest races in history, beating the DoorMatts by tie-breaker rules.  Mike Bentel received some Draft Day experience by sitting as proxy for the Ruffins.  Notice Mike was holding the phone so Dave Holian could be in the picture.  Yes, we are such geeks that we took the picture while Holian was on the phone.  You may be wondering why Matt Grage has such a goofy expression on his face.  It's not because he's wearing his "angry eyes" hat.  You'll also notice Matt is pointing down, to the phone console, to futher emphasize the virtual attendance of the Ruffins.

Also worth mentioning is the talent of Kenn Ruby.  He was able to, yet again, include DunnKenn (mascot) in the photo.  This time carefully balanced on the brim of his hat.

This was the last season for Moore Better.  Michael Moore (not the movie director) resigned at the end of the season and his team would be taken over by Mike Bentel.

The Owners of the CFCL 2010

 

 

Pictured from left: Mike Coulter (Candy Colored Clowns), Bob Boryca (Mo's Red Hots), Tim Morkert (Morkertzuma's Revenge), Rich Bentel (Dem Rebels), Matt Grage (Graging Bulls), Dave Holian [kneeling and eventual 2010 CFCL Champion] (David's Ruffins), Matt Bentel (DoorMatts), Mike Bentel (Twin Killers), David Mahlan (David's Copperfields), Kenn Ruby (Kenndoza Line).

 

This was an interesting year.  It was to be the end of an era as Original Six Owner, League Founder, Co-Commissioner, League Historian, League Secretary and eleven time champion David Mahlan would retire at the end of the season.

 

It was the first of two years that we had to scramble for a draft location.  Bob Boryca came through big time, finding a room for us to draft in at Plainfield North High School.  Interestingly, in those two non-coporate room drafting environments, the Ruffins laid the groundwork to capture back-to-back titles.

 

This was also the first year for the Twin Killers.  With Mike joining the league, the CFCL was comprised of 30% Bentels, still well behind the CFCL record of 50% saturation the Mahlans achieved in 1984.

The Owners of the CFCL 2011

Well the CFCL went down to Naperville
We were lookin’ for a room to use
We were in a bind ‘cause we were way behind
And we sure didn’t have much to choose.

When we came across this young man
Sittin’ at the computer and playin’ it hot
And the Ruffins jumped up on a hickory stump
And said, “Boys, let me tell you what”

“You probably didn’t know it
But I’m a fantasy player too
And if you go to draft below
I’ll make a deal with you.”

And so in 2011, for the second year in a row our normal corporate digs were not available and the Ruffins came to the rescue.  They provided a room in the basement of a Naperville office building.  The room wasn’t real conducive for photo taking so we stepped out in the hallway for our close up.

From left: Rich Bentel (Dem Rebels), Bob Boryca (Mo’s Red Hots), Dave Holian (David’s Ruffins), Tim Morkert (Morkertzuma’s Revenge), Scott Strang (Stranger Danger), Matt Grage (Graging Bulls), Dan Strang (Assistant GM Stranger Danger), Matt Bentel (DoorMatts), Mike Bentel (Twin Killers), Jeff Ruby (brother of Kenn and proxy for Kenndoza Line), Mike Coulter (Candy Colored Clowns).

The Ruffins used the home field advantage to perfection as they defended their title and grabbed their 4^th overall championship.  Little did we know at the time that this would be the last year we would draft with Bob (Red Hots). He would resign at the end of the year.  Kenn Ruby couldn’t make it up from Cincinnati due to the recent birth of his second child, but DunKenn made it with Kenn’s brother Jeff who proved to be an amazing proxy, handling the bidding and tracking of players while a cell phone was glued to his ear all afternoon so Kenn would know what was happening.

We also welcomed Stranger Danger to the CFCL as they took over the league’s most successful franchise (David’s Copperfields, who resigned at the end of 2010).

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.

Mr. Holian Goes To Washington

In an earlier post I had listed some things that are unique about the CFCL.  I heard back from some owners listing things I missed (i.e. the categories we use to keep score, etc).  Well another big thing I missed is the maniacal attitude our owners have about their teams.  There are many examples, but one from last year stands out.

August 1^st was our trade deadline last season.  In the five days leading up to the deadline, seven trades were completed, including the final one four minutes before the deadline.  Maniacal you say?  Sure if you’re a mere mortal fantasy league.  It’s the last trade of 2012 that sets the CFCL apart from the rest.

The Candy Colored Clowns and Ruffins were working on a deal.  I don’t recall how long the discussions had been going on, but it was crunch time and a deal needed to be completed before noon Central time.  In a flurry of texts or e-mails via IPhone, the Ruffins traded Emelio Bonafacio and Ryan Hannigan to the Clowns for Yasmani Grandal and Jean Segura.  Big deal?  This helped fuel the Clowns run to the title and set up the Ruffins with some production in the oncoming years.  But the kicker is still to come.

The Ruffins sent a quick, almost terse e-mail reporting the deal that in part said “can’t go into detail.  I’ll explain later.”

Later came the e-mail stating that his wife is certain the Dave is bats**t crazy because at 11:56 Central time he was completing a deal on his IPhone.  Ok, wives can be less than understanding about the needs of a CFCL owner.  But Heather had good reason to make that claim.  This picture accompanied the Ruffins e-mail.

Dave was consummating the deal with the Clowns while sitting just a few feet from First Lady Michelle Obama!  Mrs. Obama was at the University of North Carolina – Greensboro to address an audience and our own Professor was on the stage in the seats of the Hoity Toity.  Rather than soak in the atmosphere leading up to her speech, our beloved Professor was furious typing away on his phone.

Some comments from the league in response to his e-mail.

Matt Grage:  I have this image of Dave sitting there with his thumbs punching furiously at his phone and his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth like Linus from the Peanuts.

The rest of the league chimed in with various comments about how many Secret Service Agents were closing in on the stage with their weapons drawn to take out the guy who was clearly texting his associates on the movements of the First Lady.

That is what being an owner in the CFCL is all about.

A Future Blockbuster

Three years ago on this date, a future blockbuster deal was completed by the Candy Colored Clowns and David’s Ruffins.  

I say “future” blockbuster because at the time the key components of the trade were a couple of highly regarded but unproven rookies. When Rich reported the deal on the Front Office Blog, he described it as “an interesting trade,” which was probably an apt description.

However, if the same deal were made today, just three years later, it would be huge news. We’d be talking about the swap of two All Star hitters, both of whom are not only among the Top 20 hitters overall, but are now each the premiere hitter at their position … positions that are both among the weakest-hitting in the game.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, on May 9, 2010, David’s Ruffins traded catcher Buster Posey and their 14th round pick in the 2011 Rotation Draft to the Candy Colored Clowns for shortstop Starlin Castro and their 8th round pick in the 2011 Rotation Draft.

Castro had only made his major league debut just two days before this deal was reported. Posey had a bit more time under his belt, having accrued 17 AB in 7 games at the end of the 2009 season, but he had started 2010 back in the minors and was still there at the time of the deal, though he was called up to the majors within a few weeks.

Castro and Posey both had excellent seasons in 2010, both of them finishing in the Top 5 in Rookie of the Year voting, with Posey taking the honors:

Posey: .357 OBP – 205 TB – 58 RS – 67 RBI – 0 SB
Castro: .347 OBP – 189 TB – 53 RS – 41 RBI – 10 SB

Since then, of course, both players have continued to grow, with Posey advancing a bit ahead of Castro so far, winning the NL MVP award in 2012, though he is 4 years Castros’ senior.

So how has the trade worked out for the Clowns and Ruffins?

Posey has been a key cog for the Clowns since they acquired him, and they have since signed him to a long term contract through the 2014 season. Posey’s already paid dividends on that payoff as his MVP season in 2012 coincided with the Clowns’ first CFCL Championship.

As a matter of fact, Castro contributed to a Championship for the Ruffins as well, albeit less directly. Starlin spent less than a month with the Ruffins. He put up decent stats in that time, but the Ruffins were in a pennant race and when they had the chance to acquire two rock-solid outfielders, they didn’t hesitate to include their young shortstop in a the deal. On June 2, 2010, the Ruffins sent Castro, along with pitchers Mike Leake and Sergio Romo plus outfielder Tyler Colvin to Dem Rebels for Andrew McCutchen and Adam Dunn.

The deal paid off for the Ruffins, as Dunn and McCutchen helped power the Ruffins to their third CFCL title – finishing just 7 points ahead of the Candy Colored Clowns.

Meet The 2013 CFCL Owners

Here are the ten heartbeats of the CFCL.  This solid core allow me to fully state with utmost confidence "30 Years of the CFCL!  (We're Not Even Halfway There!)"

Left to right we have:  Matt Grage (Owner of Graging Bulls); Tim Morkert (Morkertzuma's Revenge); Nick Hansen (Eukennott Beatniks); Rich Bentel (Dem Rebels); Mike Bentel (Twin Killers); Matt Bentel (DoorMatts); Dan Strang (sitting in for his brother, Scott Strang - Stranger Danger); Kenn Ruby (Kenndoza Line); and last year's champion Mike Coulter (Candy Colored Clowns).  [Not pictured Dave Holian (David's Ruffins); Dave drafted via cellphone connection and with the awesome assistance of former CFCL owner and League Founder, David Mahlan]