Your mind is spinning no doubt. Who had professional baseball experience? Who was in shape to actually throw a ball? Remember the CFCL rules. For the Rotation Draft we can select anyone who is on a National League roster, in the minor leagues of a National League team, in college, is a free agent, plays in Japan (or any other country) or even lives down the block and has a live arm. Anyone as long as that person is not affiliated with an American League team.
With the final pick of the 1993 Rotation Draft the Copperfields selected . . . . Bob Monroe, former CFCL owner of the Bald Eagles.
Let me set the stage. It's 1993. You've already been introduced to that draft because it was the same year as the Orestes Destrade Incident. We started drafting in Dave Holian's basement at 8pm. I distinctly remember taking a break and walking around Dave's backyard around 1 or 2am wondering what his neighbors must be thinking to have seven strange guys and Dave walking around outside at that time of the morning.
Bob's been out of the league for two years, but he's not forgotten. You'll see in the background of the video from the Destrade Incident that there is a balloon hovering near the ceiling. That was our way of keeping Bob around for a few extra years. We would blow up a balloon, draw a mouth, nose, eyes, glasses and beard on it. Because we were doing a life-like depiction of Bob we didn't have to add anything on top.
In 1993 we had eight teams, just like the year before. But in 1993 we decided to expand our reserve list from 12 to 17 players. That meant that we had to pick 40 extra players. Doesn't sound hard? Try doing it at 2 in the morning. So with the last pick of the draft, all eyes were on David. Not because we were excited to see who he picked, but because we wanted to get the hell out of there and go to bed. Sensing the tension, being at wits end and most likely also being out of his mind just a little bit, David threw up his hands in exasperation and said "I'm drafting Bob."
And with that CFCL history. The first, and only time, a CFCL owner was drafted to a team. ** While it may have seemed a stunt, Bob actually kept his spot on the roster for about five weeks. No, he never was activated, but he did last longer than expected until on May 4th David improved his roster by waiving Bob and acquiring the completely inept Luis Mercedes.
** (Yes, I stole this move from Joe Posnanski). While Bob was the only owner drafted to a team, it should be noted that the Eric Lamb did draft his dog, Cassie, to his roster during the rotation draft one year.
Once David waived Bob, I felt that shouldn't be the end of it. In the following week's Monroe Doctrine, I wrote this suggestion.
"From the "I didn't exactly say that" department - I would
like to defend myself a bit late. Dave reported [in a Roster Change report]
that I referred to Bob as a cheap bottle of booze, but it was taken out of
context. When I saw that Dave had waived Bob I thought that all the CFCL teams
should be allocated an honorary 18th spot. You would only be able to use it
when you acquired Bob. Dave waived Bob so then the Rebels could claim Bob, keep
him on the roster for a couple of weeks, get tired of his lack of production and
waive his sorry butt. Then the Ruffins could claim Bob by using their 18th
spot. After a couple of weeks and countless requests by Bob for some of Dave's
hair, the Ruffins would waive Bob and so on. Thus Bob would be passed around
like a cheap bottle of booze. The owners wouldn't even have to do anything.
Every couple of weeks the league secretary could rotate Bob. I don't know. I
think it's a great idea.
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