Trading The Gator - Draft Day

Today, for the 31st time in history, the owners of the CFCL gather for what they collectively acknowledge is the Greatest Day of The Year:  Draft Day.

I'm sure Rich will be recapping the events of the day, as well as the celebrations that took place to recognized the CFCL's 30th Anniversary.

For now, though, let's take a look back for an in-depth examination of Draft Day and what it means, courtesy of Trading the Gator.  This clip from the film documents the draft of 2002.

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 CFCL Awards Banquet

One of the (many) things that makes the CFCL special is the end-of-season Awards Banquet. Since our very first year, the CFCL has traditionally gathered in October or November (and once or twice, December or January as schedules required) to celebrate the accomplishments – and failures – of the recently completed season.

We seldom got full attendance at the banquet – especially in recent years, with a number of owners living out of town – but whether we have three owners present or ten, a good time is had by all.

In the CFCL’s early years, the big attraction at the banquet was the revealing of the final standings. Until 1997, when the CFCL finally modernized and hired a stat service, I compiled the standings by hand and until the final rankings were announced at the banquet, no one knew for certain who the league champion was.

To get a real feel for what goes on at the CFCL Awards Banquet, check out this clip from Trading the Gator, with highlights from the 2002 banquet. Some things to watch for:

• Pizza – the official banquet food of the CFCL. In the early years, we usually held the banquet at an owner’s house and ordered pizza in. After a few years, though, we decided to actually go out for the banquet. Although there were a couple years in the 90s when we met at a Chinese restaurant, most of the time we stuck to pizza. The pizzeria in the video is Giordano’s in Oak Park. 
• Awards – In addition to awarding certificates for the final standings, we also recognize a number of other award winners at the banquet. Some of the awards, such as the Dallas Green Award (which was described in an earlier post), are based on the point totals accumulated by CFCL teams, while others are voted on by the owners. We’ll be looking at some of those awards in future posts.
• Championship Trophy – Of course the big prize of the night is the CFCL Championship Trophy. This has evolved over the years, from a photocopied certificate to a customized trophy. Rich described this evolution in an earlier post.
• Baseball Cards – For a number of years beginning in the late 1990s, I started handing out unopened packs of baseball cards from the mid-80s to add some more fun and nostalgia to the proceedings. Each owner would get 3-4 packs to open, and we’d rip through them with the enthusiasm of 12-year-olds. The fact that the cards were from 8-10 years prior allowed some of the old-timers to reminisce about owning some of the players in the past, and it also meant many of the packs included the cardboardy plank of pink gum. Usually the gum was discarded untouched, though in 2002 – the banquet captured in the video below - the owner of Da Paul Meisters accepted the challenge to chew a couple sticks – you’ll see him putting his hand over his mouth in the video in an effort to keep from gagging it up.

Of course, the real attraction of the awards banquet is to spend an evening visiting with the rest of the owners in the league, outside of the usual Draft Day pressure cooker.

Here’s what the CFCL awards banquet looked like back in 2002:

A Yoo-Hoo To Arms

This morning, once the official and final stats for the 2013 season were posted at the OnRoto website, the Graging Bulls were officially crowned the Champions of the CFCL’s 30th season. It’s an honor that comes with a number of rewards, including the lion’s share of the prize pool and the CFCL Championship Trophy. One thing it won’t come with, however – unless there’s a hasty addition to the CFCL Constitution – is a Yoo-Hoo shower for Bulls’ owner Matt Grage.

Yoo-Hoo, a sticky concoction of chocolate flavoring and high fructose corn syrup, was traditionally poured over the head of the original Rotisserie League’s Champion at the season-ending party each year.

The closing essay in the first edition of the book Rotisserie League Baseball described it this way:

Unseen hands hold you, force your head down and pour water, dairy whey, corn sweetener, non-fat milk, sugar, coconut oil, cocoa, sodium caseinate, salt, sodium bicarbonate, dipotassium phosphates, calcium phosphates, guar gum, natural flavors, xantham gum, vanillin (an artificial flavor), sodium ascorbate, ferric orthophosphate, palmitate, niacinamide, vitamin D, and, yes, riboflavin all over your hair. The bizarre ritual is a Yoo-Hoo shampoo, and it is what you get for winning the Rotisserie League pennant.

The chocolate-flavored rinse will not leave your locks radiant and soft to the touch, and squirrels will probably follow you around for a day or two. All and all, the ritual is pretty distasteful. But there's not a member of the Rotisserie League who wouldn't gladly suffer the rite so long as it came at the end of a championship season.

You can hear the Rotisserie League’s first Champions, Glenn Waggoner and Pete Gehers (Getherswag Goners) and the league’s founder, Dan Okrent, discuss the that first Yoo-Hoo ceremony in this clip from the documentary “Silly Little Game.”




The CFCL never fully embraced the concept of the celebratory Yoo-Hoo shower, but there WERE two owners who got to enjoy the experience.

In 1990, I had that honor after my David’s Copperfields secured my 4th CFCL title. A subset of owners gathered at Bob Monroe’s house for the awards banquet, and at the end of it, we all headed out into the chilly night for the pouring ceremony (Bob wisely didn’t want to soil his carpet). Bob supplied the Yoo-Hoo, but rather than providing a single bottle, he had bought a 6-pack of juicebox sized containers to ensure everyone in attendance would have plenty of opportunity to pour. Bob, of course, could have just left them on the kitchen counter until the ceremony, but no … he made sure they were well iced so as to intensify the impact. Still – despite the freezing gooiness of it all, it was an incredible experience and one that I hoped to enjoy again.

The following year, 1991, it was Bob’s turn as CFCL Champion. Fortunately for Bob, he and his family had moved to Colorado before the season ended, so we had to douse him by proxy. With the ceremony out of our control, Bob afforded himself some comforts he didn’t provide to me the year before – an indoor ceremony, with a single bottle of room temperature Yoo-Hoo. Since no other CFCLers were present, his son Ryan performed the honors. There is one indignity Bob suffered that I was spared – documentary evidence. Bob’s wife Julie captured this photo of the ceremony, which she was only too happy to share with the rest of us in Chicago.

For whatever reason, the Yoo-Hoo ceremony was discontinued in the CFCL after 1991. But I say it’s never too late to bring it back … all it would take is some quick legislation by the Executive Committee, an approval by the league as a whole, and open spot in the Home Run Inn parking lot…

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 Graging Bulls

We are coming down the home stretch of the Current Owner Q&A.  Matt Grage joined the CFCL in 2000.  In his first thirteen years in the league his highwater mark was 2nd place in 2003.  But this year, 2013, could be the year he reaches Shangri-La.  He is in a neck and neck fight with the Candy Colored Clowns to take home the Copperfield Trophy.

Matt is a baseball fan through and through.  Many a summer night you can spot him on WGN-TV at a Cubs game sitting four rows up and just to the right of home plate.  He's also a constant presence down at the Arizona Fall League.  In addition to his passion as a fan, Matt stepped up in an administrative role within the CFCL.  When David retired, Matt took over the duties of tracking players being cut during Spring Training and annually provides the league with the Official Draft Sheet of Available Players.

Matt is the only team in CFCL history to go through three name changes.  He entered the  league as Matt's Hard Hats.  In 2004 he changed the name to Hot Sludge Sundae (don't ask, please don't ask) and thankfully again changed his name in 2006 to Graging Bulls.  You can read his profile here.

In real life Matt is a firefighter and perhaps the most poignant moment in the CFCL was when Matt came to a CFCL get together, I think it was a draft, with his hair dyed red.  He and many other firemen across the country did this as a sign of support for their fallen brothers in the 9/11 tragedy.  It reminded me once again that what we are doing here is just a game and more importantly, this league is made up of some really amazing, special guys.  It's time now to meet the Graging Bulls.

You are the fourth most senior member of the CFCL. What changes seem the most significant to you from when you joined (2000) to now?

 

The last time I was a senior member of anything, there was a spanking machine, a 44 gallon drum of rendered bacon fat, a plethora of rubber chickens and three legged ocelot involved. Oh wait, I was never in a fraternity in college. That must have been a dream. Yes, a dream.

 

Ahem. Anyways, I think the biggest change is going from 12 teams to 10. Our player penetration was so deep (don't go there Mike) that there was spirited bidding on 5th outfielders and 3rd catchers. You never could draft starting position players in the Rotation draft, even if they were Betancourt bad. Plus there are so many players available on the waiver wire now. I don't think there has been a week without a FAAB bid or waiver claim this year.

 

When you draft each year you wear your “Angry Eyes” hat. Is that a “mascot” for you like DunnKenn is for the Kenndoza Line?

 

LOL It's mainly a combination of watching too much poker on TV and my impeccable fashion sense. Plus it's a really cool hat. For this special occasion, I'll even give you guys the origin story. Be sure to print this out on non-acidic paper and store it in a vacuum sealed mylar bag. I was researching (re: obsessively stalking) one of my many, many Padre prospects (most likely Jaff Decker) when I saw a thumbnail pic of said prospect. He was wearing a Lake Elsinore cap, probably because he was playing for them at the time. It was love at first sight. A quick visit to their online store and a long week of waiting by my mailbox like Charlie Brown on Valentine's Day and there it was. History was made. And it irrevocably changed the CFCL forever ... It is my precious.

 

It sounds like you head off to Arizona for the Fall League pretty consistently. Is that a yearly event for you?

 

Yeah, and I've already started making plans to attend this year. I'm not sure how many years I've been going, maybe close to 10. I think it's a great way to extend the baseball season another month. It's three days of going to some fairly competitive games and talking about them with people who do that sort of thing for a living.

 

Have you met scouts and other baseball executives while you’re there?

 

Actually, I have. They've invited a Blue Jay scout, Kimball Crossley, the last few years. He's a fantastic speaker and very approachable. One year, they had Logan White as a featured guest. He's the Dodgers VP of Amateur Scouting. I've also met a few guys who have gone on to work in various team front offices. For the most part, it's writers for most of the major sports and fantasy sports websites. Guys like Ron Shandler, CFCL alum Jason Grey, Lawr Michaels, John Sickels, Jim Callis, Eric Karabell & Jeff Erickson. Every year I try to convince Jeff to fire a low level employee by the name of Kenn Ruby but he never takes my advice, with the usual lame excuses of being a terrific writer, a keen fantasy strategist & righteous dude.

 

In your thirteen years in the league, who has been your favorite ballplayer to own?

 

If you had asked this a couple years ago, my answer would have to had been Mark Prior unfortunately. He had such a bright career ahead of him before Dusty destroyed his arm. I can't wait for Baker to die so I can go spit on his grave ...

 

On the bright side, my new favorite player is a current Bull, Steven Strasburg. He was so good in his last start, he almost single-handedly put me in 1st place for about 10 minutes Sunday night. :) I thank Buddha that he's pitching for an organization that knows a little something about protecting pitchers. BTW, a close second is Bryce Harper :) But he gets docked a spot for getting his GED so he could enter the draft early and thus scuttling my plans on drafting him in the 13th round while he was a senior in High School ...

 

What exactly is your obsession with minor leaguers and your Reserve Roster?

 

It goes back to when I first came into the league. I saw the expansion draft list and the rosters of the returning teams and knew I wouldn't be able to compete. I was just getting back into fantasy sports after a long hiatus as well. I thought one area I could get even just a slim advantage was to put a lot of focus on the minor leagues. Sure, I made a lot of mistakes at first like drafting middle relievers (Hi Matt!!). :) But I think I've gotten better over the years and my hit rate is substantially better now.

 

As for Reserve List picks, I've actually done a complete 180 on them since starting out. The graybeards might remember a time when I'd just give them away like <REDACTED>.* Or maybe they can't remember because senility has set in. ;) I like having extras now either to as trade fodder or just to hoard so others can't use them. That didn't happen this year since I am in the unfamiliar position of being the dumpee rather than the dumper.

 

In real life you’re a firefighter for Chicago. Any interesting or cool stories you can tell?

 

Sure, but most are NSFW. I once nearly fell through an attic onto a fire floor (luckily I was too fat to slip in between the joists). Another time, some stairs collapsed right after I had just got off of them. Had a room flash over on me a couple of times. There were also a few bottle rocket fights at the firehouse and other assorted fireworks related gags. :)

 

But I guess the most appropriate memory for this forum would have to be meeting Double Duty Radcliffe a couple of times before he passed away a few years back. He was an old Negro Leagues ballplayer who earned his nickname by catching the first game of a doubleheader then pitching the second. He was living in an old folks' home close to my firehouse. He'd call for an ambulance and if we were closer, the alarm office would send us first. Even in his 90s, he was pretty healthy and able to get around well enough. He would tell us stories about the greats he played with who were long gone. He was a gifted storyteller.

 

On a more dour note, we were the ones who pronounced Vernon Jarrett a few years back as well. You never know who will be on the other end of a call ...

 

OK, I lied. There will be no further Joker references today ...

 

* - That was just too mean to Mike ;) I couldn't do it ... Just finish the sentence with candy :)

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 2006

Picture from left: [Seated] Matt Grage (Graging Bulls), Teddy Scott (Teddy's Splendid Splinters), Kenn Ruby (Kenndoza Line and DunnKenn).  [Standing] David Mahlan (David's Copperfields), Dave Holian (David's Ruffins and eventual 2006 CFCL Champion), Bob Boryca (Mo' Red Hots), Eric Lamb (Lambchops), Paul Zeledon (Da Paul Meisters), Nick Hansen (Nick's Picts), Rich Bentel (Dem Rebels), Matt Bentel (DoorMatts), Steve Olson (Steve's Stones).

Drafting in corporate opulence in Oak Brook.  In 2006 the Ruffins captured their second CFCL title and first since 1998.  This was also the year we welcome Bob Boryca for the first of six seasons running the Red Hots.

This is a nice picture, not only of the owners, but also of the environment that truly is the CFCL.  You can see four laptops, the world famous "flip cards", plus the constant staple of pretzel rods and Twizzlers.  America has Baseball, Apple Pie and Chevrolet; the CFCL has Flip Cards, Technology and Twizzlers.

The CFCL Owners of 2007

Pictured from left:  [Front Row] Teddy Scott (Teddy's Splendid Splinters); Rich Bentel (Dem Rebels); Dave Holian (David's Ruffins); Nick Hansen (Nick's Picts); Steve Olson (Steve's Stones); [Back Row] David Mahlan (David's Copperfields); Kenn Ruby (Kenndoza Line and eventual 2007 CFCL Champion with DunnKenn); Matt Bentel (DoorMatts); Bob Boryca (Mo's Red Hots); Paul Zeledon (Da Paul Meisters); Eric Lamb (Lambchops); Matt Grage (Graging Bulls).

Drafting once again in my Oak Brook office conference room, 2007 would see some changes. At the end of the season we lost three seasoned veterans as the Splinters (4 years), Lambchops (19 years) and Da Paul Meisters (16 years) all closed down operation.

The Kenndoza Line would capture their first CFCL Championship in only their fourth year of existence.  Interestingly, Dem Rebels would finish fourth despite owner, Rich Bentel, looking like he was dressed more for a luau than a baseball draft.

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 Darryl Kile Tragedy

This story is much too serious and somber to carry the label of "Incident".  "Tragedy" is very fitting indeed.

On June 22, 2002, St Louis Cardinals pitcher Darryl Kile was found dead in his hotel room in Chicago, where the Cardinals were due to play the Cubs in a Saturday afternoon game.

Pre-game preparations were already underway when Kile was found, and Cub catcher and captain Joe Girardi made a very classy yet very emotional announcement to the crowd assembled at Wrigley Field that the day's game had been cancelled. He didn't explain why at the time, saying only that the Cardinal family had been struck by a tragedy. News that Kile had passed away came out shortly thereafter.

Of course when something like this happens, baseball - whether fantasy or the real thing - takes a back seat, and rightly so. However the fact remains that Kile’s death did have an effect on fantasy leagues, as petty and insignificant as that effect was compared to those personally impacted by the loss of Kile.

I think it’s safe to say that the CFCL’s experience with Kile’s passing was unique among all fantasy leagues. While teams in thousands and thousands of fantasy leagues I’d wager that very few of those fantasy league teams had traded for Kile less than 24 hours before his death. What, maybe 10 or so?

And of those 10 fantasy leagues in which Kile had been traded the day before he died, how many were in the process of being filmed for a documentary?

I’d guess only the CFCL.

I don’t say that to brag or puff up the significance of our little league, but just out of sheer wonder … I mean, what are the chances that a team in the one fantasy baseball league being followed by a documentary crew would acquire Darryl Kile the day before his passing? They’ve got to be miniscule.

On June 22, 2002, the Six Packs traded Bobby Abreu, Edgar Renteria, Darryl Kile, and their 12th round Rotation Draft pick in 2003 to Eric’s Lambchops for Terry Adams, Carlos Hernandez, Roosevelt Brown, and Aaron Heilman. The Lambchops were gunning for their first CFCL Championship, and felt this deal could set the up nicely for a pennant run.

While the filmmakers didn’t capture the trade being made, they happened to be filming Six Pack’s owner Kelly Barone at a birthday party the day Kile died, but he hadn’t heard the news yet. Here’s how the Kile tragedy was portrayed in Trading the Gator:



When the film was finally released, the Lambchops’ owner Eric Lamb took some flak for what appeared to be an insensitive reaction to Kile’s death – for thinking more about its impact on his fantasy team than for mourning the loss of a human life.

I got to know Eric fairly well over the years, both as a fellow owner and as a friend outside of the league, and I’d be hard-pressed to name a more caring and compassionate person. I have a feeling that editing had a good deal to do with how things appeared (not that it was intentionally cut that way by the filmmakers). I have no doubt that the human side of this hit Eric very hard indeed, regardless of the impact to his team, and it’s not as if he immediately started drafting trade proposals upon hearing the news. It was a number of weeks before they made their next deal. 

That said, fantasy owners are conditioned to evaluate all news in terms of the impact to their team and league. Eric’s trading partner, Kelly, was very honest about his reaction in a post to the league message board:

==========================

Posted by Kelly on 6/22/2002, 3:28 pm
A few things on a very tragic subject...

-- I had absolutely no idea Daryl Kile was going to die
-- I hope this isn't a hex on Eric
-- This instantly becomes a classic bit of roto lore that you couldn't possibly dream up for a documentary
-- It’s sad and its selfish, but one of the first thoughts that went through my head was "Good thing I traded him when I did". And anyone in a roto league who says they wouldn't think something like that is just lying.

Other owners agreed:

Posted by Matt on 6/23/2002, 7:58 am
I'm with Kelly, one of my first thoughts was thankfulness that I didn't have him on any of my teams. What God awful timing on Eric's part to deal for him (I said wow about another dozen times this morning).

Well, my condolences to Daryl's family and friends and his current and former teammates throughout the league. I'm sure they'll all miss him, especially his kids. What a horrible week for the Cardinal nation.

Posted by Paul on 6/23/2002, 8:09 am
Unfortunately, Kelly is correct in his above assumptions. Obviously, the first three (and most importantly, the first two) go w/o saying, and the last item is one that is tragically true to at least one small degree, at least for yours truly.

I had a chance to talk to Eric yesterday and the whole conversation was just strange and surreal. In the big scheme of things, it doesn't (and shouldn't) really matter to Eric, but, as Kelly alluded to above to some degree, he was shaken (as I interpreted it) by this whole thing. I really wish it was something we could laugh about, like Kile was just out for the year after falling victim to having a tarp come up to Busch Stadium and rolling over his leg. This was something, however, that you just couldn't make fun of or joke about.

==========================

A few days after Kile’s death, I paid tribute to him in the weekly Roster Change report by listing the stats he had accumulated with each of the CFCL teams he had played for, and recapping his entire CFCL career. You can read the tribute in the report linked below:

Roster Change Report: June 25, 2002

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.

That Which We Call a Rose By Any Other Name Would Smell As Sweet

“What’s in a name?”  Yesterday’s birthday boy William Shakespeare asked the question about 416 years ago.  Well in the CFCL six of the thirty-eight owners decided a name wasn’t much and felt the need to change theirs.

Two of the name changes made sense in that we had two owners who were in the league, resigned for a few years and then rejoined.  With the rejoining there was a bit of a rebirth, a starting-a-new if you will, and therefore a new name was used.

Pat McGuire ran McGuire’s Picks from 1988-1990.  He quit for a year and then came back from 1992-1993.  When he returned he named his team the Twin Picks.  Actually this was somewhat genius (insanely genius if you knew Pat).  Originally his team was the Picks, he comes back a second time and named his team Twin Picks (Twin implying a second coming of sorts, really not bad).  In 1990 and 1991 a popular TV show was Twin Peaks and Pat was playing off that as well.  So all in all, pretty good creativity.

The other team that left and returned was run by current owner Nick Hansen.  Originally he ran Nick’s Picts (not to be confused with McGuire’s Picks).  Last year Nick rejoined the league and nailed the All-Time Greatest CFCL Name with the Eukenott Beatniks.

Ironically we had a third owner leave and return.  Dave Goetz was an Original 6 owner of the ForGoetzMeNots (1984-1985).  In 1994 he turned for seven years, but the ten year absence didn’t warrant a name change.  Dave came back to run the ForGoetzMeNots on a second tour.

Four owners changed team names without leaving the league.  Rich Bentel was an Original 6 owner, in charge of the Electric Eels.  A year later through the current year Bentel has run Dem Rebels.  Feel free to go back to the April 1^st post (1984 – The First CFCL Draft) to see why the name was changed.

Another Original 6 owner, Paul Mahlan couldn’t seem to make up his mind during his four years in the league.  He started out as Paul’s Penguins.  The next year he changed to Paul’s Bunyans.  The following year he went back to Paul’s Penguins.

We also have two current owners who changed their names.  Kenn Ruby joined the CFCL in 2004 with By Kennen.  If the name doesn’t jump out at you, you have to be a Seinfeld fan.  Think (and sing in your head) Cos-stan-za.  After one year Kenn improved things by changing names to the Kenndoza Line.  Awesome, bringing in a baseball reference.

The most frenetic name changing owner is Matt Grage.  In 2000 Matt came in with a team name of Hard Hats (I don’t know).  In 2004 he changed names to Hot Sludge Sundae (you really don’t want to know – trust me).  Finally he came to his senses and in 2006 his franchise became known as the Graging Bulls.  No, it’s not a baseball reference but at least it has a sports connection and it is miles ahead of Hot Sludge Sundae – believe me.

Changing team names doesn’t seem to really accomplish much.  Definitely there was improvement with Beatniks, Kenndoza Line, Graging Bulls and Dem Rebels.  That being said, it doesn’t lend itself to Championship success.  The six owners who changed their team names have completed 70 total seasons and have only won the title 4 times (Two by Dem Rebels and two by Kenndoza Line).

So the lesson here is changing a team name really gets you no closer to winning a title.

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]