A solid guy, Bob had a great run in 2008, finishing in 2nd. When he joined the league he was charged with naming his team. He chose "Mo's Red Hots". I have to admit it was a headscratcher. No obvious baseball reference, no inclusion of his name. But when you learn the backstory it is a solid name. Bob had lost his grandfather a few months before joining the CFCL. His grandparents owned a place called Mo's Red Hots, so as a tribute Bob named his team after his grandfather's restaurant.
As I mentioned when we met the Friars, many of our current and former owners have talents that range beyond interest in fantasy baseball. Bob is no exception. By vocation he's a high school teacher, but his interests are many.
The more technologically advanced the CFCL became, we asked all of our owners to create a Team Profile. Here is the link to the Red Hots profile.
http://home.comcast.net/~dmahlan/owners/RedHots.htm
Now it's time to Meet The Red Hots:
How did you come
about joining the CFCL?
When I lived in Texas I was able
to get into a NL only re-draft league with an owner of Rotojunkie.com and many
very knowledgeable members of the site. It was my first live auction draft
experience and was a VERY competitive league. I had also been the commissioner
of an NL only online auction keeper league that was very competitive but once I
was in the live auction league I was hooked. Once it became official that I was
moving my family back to Chicagoland I began searching for a live local league
with openings. I came upon a post for an opening in the CFCL which seemed like
it would be a great fit. I contacted David and went through the process of
trying to obtain a franchise and was denied in that first year. After going
through the process and getting a taste of the history and competitiveness of
the CFCL I let David know that I would still be interested in the future if a
spot ever opened up again. (I didn't anticipate that happening anytime soon but
hoped) I then kept in touch every now and then to show how interested I really
was of becoming a CFCL owner at some point and it worked out that the next year
there was another opening and I was able to secure a CFCL
franchise.
How would you
compare the CFCL to other fantasy leagues you’ve been a part of?
The re-draft league that I was part of in Texas was comparable in
terms of competitiveness but it was a different kind of competitiveness due to
it being a re-draft league. That league benefited the person skilled at the
auction and in season trading. With the CFCL the benefit goes to building and
maintaining a franchise planning years ahead with moving parts all over your
roster while still attempting to win or be competitive now. There is also a
difference in the "open auction" bidding that I had been part of in the other
leagues and the "formal organized" style of the CFCL. There is no comparison
leagues I have been part of and the history of the CFCL with owners still active
in the league that were there in the humble paper and pencil/USA Today stats
beginnings.
Not only are you
an accomplished fantasy baseball owner, you are a world class poker
player. Are there any similarities to going through the CFCL
auction draft and playing poker?
LOL....I wouldn't exactly say world class......but I
would say that I can definitely hold my own at the poker table. There are
definitely similarities to a CFCL auction draft and playing poker. In poker,
the cards even out for everyone over a lifetime. The skill then becomes a huge
part of (as the song says) knowing when to hold em and when to fold em.
Learning and knowing your opponent and your opponents tendencies is the biggest
similarity. Knowing that this opponent never bets on the come (his draws) or
only is aggressive with two way draws is important information. Just as knowing
that the some owners are going to hold higher value to minor league talent than
others or that some teams will not spend money on pitching or closers (you can
insert franchise owners/teams names for yourselves as I do not give away
information learned at the poker table or in the CFCL.....not that you guys
don't know it already :o) is valuable information. Knowing when to put the
pressure on an opponent with a big bet at the poker table is as valuable as
jumping the bid at the CFCL table to put the pressure on an owner that you know
likes and wants that player (whether you really want them or not). Also,
knowing when a small bet (bid) will get the job done and get you the pot (the
player you want for cheap).
You are the only
owner (active or retired) to have gone head to head with Doyle Brunson at the
poker table. What do you recall about that hand?
It was amazing to have the opportunity to sit at the
poker table and play with the legendary Doyle Brunson. I recall that Doyle was
getting shorter stacked (not as short as typical amateur players let themselves
get but short to the point where you should move all in and still be able to do
damage to someone calling you) and Doyle moved all in. I knew he had a wider
range and watched the action move around the table. There was a caller in
between us who had a decent size stack (mostly weaker players do this or good
player setting a trap of which my time at the table thus far had told me he was
the former and not the latter) and I looked down at AK. I moved in knowing that
the weak caller would fold 80% of the time and would be heads up with Doyle with
dead money in the pot and giving him a chance to triple up. I had him dominated
as he had another big Ace (can't recall exactly right now.....think it might
have been A 10). As legends typically do, he hit his three outer and tripled
up. Getting the money in good (or fantastic in this case) is all you can do.
Sometimes they hit one of their outs and sometimes they don't. It would have
been nice to have been the one to knock him out.....but would have been even
nicer to win the table and the Main Event seat!
Aside from that
what is your biggest and/or favorite poker memory?
Aside from playing with Doyle, my two favorite poker memories
are:
1) The first time I ever walked into the room hosting the World
Series of Poker in Las Vegas. You cannot imagine how big that room is with all
of those tables with thousands of people playing and the sound of chips being
constantly shuffled over and over. It is a sight and sound I will never forget
and words do not do it justice....you have to witness/experience
it.
2) The first time I bought in and played in the 2K buy-in World
Series of Poker event in Las Vegas. I thought I was going to be nervous but
once I sat down and they announced "shuffle up and deal" I settled into my game
and had a blast playing!
Back on January
17, 2010 you made a trade with the Rebels. You received Jonathon
Broxton in exchange for JA Happ, Leo Nunez and six poker lessons.
The players changed teams, but the poker lessons were never cashed
in. Is there an expiration date?
The poker lessons do not have an expiration date and dates/times
for those lessons can be negotiated at any time. Is there a local home game
tournament/cash game you would like to take advantage of? Are you looking to
play in the Chicago Poker Classic at the Horseshoe in Hammond the beginning of
March? Maybe looking to take Vegas by storm this summer? Let me know and we
can definitely work something out. Even if you decide to host a game I would
come early and we can talk strategy.
Lastly, I just want to say that although life events have taken me
away from the CFCL (and to some degree the poker table) I will always respect
it's history and competitiveness. If I ever looked to get back into the fantasy
baseball world I would wait for a CFCL spot to open or be created. I am
fortunate that I made the choice to stop fantasy in order to focus time and
energy on my family (same for poker) rather than have it dictated to me by
events or misfortune. I have not regretted my decision for even one second. I
have missed it.....a lot at times....but never regretted it. Thirty years!
WOW! Here's to another THIRTY!
Bob
Was always a pleasure to compete with Bob, except for one thing: he seemed to love all the same sleeper pitchers I did. I swear, he's beaten me out on more guys than everyone else put together. Bob - I hope you'll be able to come back to the CFCL some day!
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