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.
Showing posts with label video. Show all posts
Showing posts with label video. Show all posts
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Trading the Gator - From the Cutting Room Floor - The Ralph Macchio Incident
The 2014 CFCL Draft is just two weeks away. To whet our collective appetites, here's a little glimpse inside the Draft Day segment of Trading the Gator, the fantasy baseball documentary featuring the CFCL.
The producers whittled the Draft Day segment down to about 7 or 8 minutes in the final cut of the film (we'll be sharing that sometime in the next couple weeks, to celebrate The Greatest Day of 2014). Most of the Draft Day footage left cast aside in the editing suite consisted of those mostly silent, brooding moments as eleven owners sit waiting as the 12th endures the internal debate about whether to raise the current bid a penny.
There were a few really entertaining moments, though, that just couldn't make it into the finished product. Case in point, The Ralph Macchio Incident...
The producers were kind enough to share some of the unused footage from Draft Day, so we were able to save this moment for posterity.
To set the scene, Six Packs' owner Kelly Barone was locked in a bidding war for Hideo Nomo with Bruce Ellman of Tenacious B. It was the point in the auction when you're getting down to the last few players who are really worth spending for, and Kelly found himself with the choice of spending more for Nomo than he had budgeted or passing him by and possibly being stuck with a much lesser pitcher.
Kelly begins the clip apologizing for taking so long to make up his mind, and declares that he's at a crossroads in how he'll proceed with the rest of the Draft. Bruce wonders whether he's referring to the Ralph Macchio film, "Crossroads", or the Brittney Spears offering of the same name.
Cue the film ...
Note: See this post for the background on the CFCL’s involvement in Trading the Gator.The documentarians following the CFCL during the 2002 season shot hours and hours of video - the vast majority of which never made it into the final cut. Included in those hours and hours recorded, was the full 8 or 9 hours of Draft Day, shot with multiple cameras, and including side interviews during breaks in between rounds.
The producers whittled the Draft Day segment down to about 7 or 8 minutes in the final cut of the film (we'll be sharing that sometime in the next couple weeks, to celebrate The Greatest Day of 2014). Most of the Draft Day footage left cast aside in the editing suite consisted of those mostly silent, brooding moments as eleven owners sit waiting as the 12th endures the internal debate about whether to raise the current bid a penny.
There were a few really entertaining moments, though, that just couldn't make it into the finished product. Case in point, The Ralph Macchio Incident...
The producers were kind enough to share some of the unused footage from Draft Day, so we were able to save this moment for posterity.
To set the scene, Six Packs' owner Kelly Barone was locked in a bidding war for Hideo Nomo with Bruce Ellman of Tenacious B. It was the point in the auction when you're getting down to the last few players who are really worth spending for, and Kelly found himself with the choice of spending more for Nomo than he had budgeted or passing him by and possibly being stuck with a much lesser pitcher.
Kelly begins the clip apologizing for taking so long to make up his mind, and declares that he's at a crossroads in how he'll proceed with the rest of the Draft. Bruce wonders whether he's referring to the Ralph Macchio film, "Crossroads", or the Brittney Spears offering of the same name.
Cue the film ...
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Trading the Gator: Draft Prep
Spring Training has begun, and soon teams in Arizona and Florida will begin playing preseason games. Elsewhere, all around the world, fantasy baseball owners are shaking off the cobwebs of winter and starting their research and preparation for the Greatest Day of the Year - Draft Day.
Draft Day prep can involve many facets - from reading every bit of news you can get your hands on and watching spring games - live or on television, to arts and crafts and ensuring you have the right foodstuffs with you at the Draft Table.
See all that and more in this latest clip from "Trading the Gator," the fantasy baseball documentary that featured the CFCL (read that story in this earlier post). You'll see CFCL owners Kelly Barone, Eric Lamb, David Mahlan, and Jason Grey, Paul Zeledon, plus Walter Shapiro of the American Dreams League discussing their pre-Draft routines and strategies.
Draft Day prep can involve many facets - from reading every bit of news you can get your hands on and watching spring games - live or on television, to arts and crafts and ensuring you have the right foodstuffs with you at the Draft Table.
See all that and more in this latest clip from "Trading the Gator," the fantasy baseball documentary that featured the CFCL (read that story in this earlier post). You'll see CFCL owners Kelly Barone, Eric Lamb, David Mahlan, and Jason Grey, Paul Zeledon, plus Walter Shapiro of the American Dreams League discussing their pre-Draft routines and strategies.
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Draft Day Cat Nap
NFL Countdown analyst Mike Ditka recently took some good-natured ribbing for falling asleep while on live television:
This brought to mind one of the more notorious incidents in CFCL History: the time ForGoetz Me Nots owner, Dave Goetz, actually dozed off during the 1999 CFCL Draft.
Draft Day is legendary for being a grueling marathon requiring super-human endurance and a consistent focus beyond the realm of normal human ability. That said, in the CFCL’s first 30 years, this was the only time an owner actually fell asleep mid-Draft.
The incident occurred only 2 hours into the auction. Da Paul Meisters had just acquired Jerry DiPoto, and after recording the transaction on his draft sheet, Dave – either by choice or from sheer exhaustion - closed his eyes and zoned out.
In all likelihood, Dave probably would have snapped out of it without anyone noticing once Rich started reviewing the players needed/money left for each team. However, before Rich began the recap I passed Jerry DipPoto’s Draft Day Poker card down the table toward the Meisters’ owner. Six Packs’ owner Kelly took the card and held it out toward Dave Goetz expecting him to grab it and pass it on down. When Dave didn’t respond, Kelly called his name and startled him awake.
To Dave’s credit, he made a quick, nonchalant recovery, but Kelly had noticed his nap and was quick to make sure the rest of the table knew about it as well. Let’s go to the video…
To top things off, Kelly was also running the Draft Day Kangaroo Court that year. Kelly was sure to levy a hefty fine against Dave for his breech of Draft Day etiquette.
This brought to mind one of the more notorious incidents in CFCL History: the time ForGoetz Me Nots owner, Dave Goetz, actually dozed off during the 1999 CFCL Draft.
Draft Day is legendary for being a grueling marathon requiring super-human endurance and a consistent focus beyond the realm of normal human ability. That said, in the CFCL’s first 30 years, this was the only time an owner actually fell asleep mid-Draft.
The incident occurred only 2 hours into the auction. Da Paul Meisters had just acquired Jerry DiPoto, and after recording the transaction on his draft sheet, Dave – either by choice or from sheer exhaustion - closed his eyes and zoned out.
In all likelihood, Dave probably would have snapped out of it without anyone noticing once Rich started reviewing the players needed/money left for each team. However, before Rich began the recap I passed Jerry DipPoto’s Draft Day Poker card down the table toward the Meisters’ owner. Six Packs’ owner Kelly took the card and held it out toward Dave Goetz expecting him to grab it and pass it on down. When Dave didn’t respond, Kelly called his name and startled him awake.
To Dave’s credit, he made a quick, nonchalant recovery, but Kelly had noticed his nap and was quick to make sure the rest of the table knew about it as well. Let’s go to the video…
To top things off, Kelly was also running the Draft Day Kangaroo Court that year. Kelly was sure to levy a hefty fine against Dave for his breech of Draft Day etiquette.
Friday, November 22, 2013
Trading the Gator: What It All Means
As we ease into the baseball offseason, let's revisit "Trading the Gator" with the film's closing sequence. It's an introspective segment, that reflects on what this whole fantasy baseball thing really means. Original Rotisserie League founders Valerie Salembier and Dan Okrent, along with Dave Barry, Jim Cramer, Bill James, Tim Kirkjian, and American Dreams League owner Walter Shapiro all give their thoughts on the subject.
Also appearing in this clip is Paul Zeledon, owner of the CFCL's Da Paul Meisters, who is seen in action at White Sox Fantasy Camp. The video of him legging out a triple earned Paul the nickname "wheels" after "Trading The Gator" premiered.
Also appearing in this clip is Paul Zeledon, owner of the CFCL's Da Paul Meisters, who is seen in action at White Sox Fantasy Camp. The video of him legging out a triple earned Paul the nickname "wheels" after "Trading The Gator" premiered.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Bad Boy Dance
Before there was The Voice, The Sing-Off, America's Got Talent or American Idol the world had . . . the CFCL videos! Usually captivating in and of themselves, the video in 1996 got a little "oomph" from Ken Welsch, owner of the Flatfeet.
There doesn't seem to be any true explanation as to the reason Ken broke into song other than he wanted "to liven things up." Based on the reaction of the other owners he may have had the exact opposite affect.
There doesn't seem to be any true explanation as to the reason Ken broke into song other than he wanted "to liven things up." Based on the reaction of the other owners he may have had the exact opposite affect.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
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:
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:
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:
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Trading the Gator: The Home Stretch
As we've seen the past couple days, the 2013 race has turned out to be another nail-biter. It's that time of year when the team in the lead spend gut-wrenching nights hitting refresh on the Live Scoring, desperately trying to stave off charging competitors, while those lower in the standings - if they're paying attention at all - wonder at what could have been, while others have already checked out for the year.
We see all of that in this clip from Trading the Gator. We get to hear the anxious thoughts of Lambchop owner, Eric Lamb, as he tries to hang onto a lead for the last few weeks of the season, we get to experience the softball prowess of Da Paul Meister's owner Paul Zeledon, and hear David Mahlan (David's Copperfields) and Kelly Barone (Six Packs) dissect the Six Packs all-out collapse in 2002.
We see all of that in this clip from Trading the Gator. We get to hear the anxious thoughts of Lambchop owner, Eric Lamb, as he tries to hang onto a lead for the last few weeks of the season, we get to experience the softball prowess of Da Paul Meister's owner Paul Zeledon, and hear David Mahlan (David's Copperfields) and Kelly Barone (Six Packs) dissect the Six Packs all-out collapse in 2002.
Friday, September 6, 2013
Trading The Gator: The Season Begins
It's time for another installment from the film Trading the Gator, the fantasy baseball documentary that featured the CFCL.
Note: See this post for the background on the CFCL’s involvement in Trading the Gator.
The timing's not exactly right for this clip, as it covers the opening of the baseball season, but you'll notice the filmmakers had some problems of their own with timing here. The shots of Michelle and I crooning "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" at Wrigley Field were obviously not filmed during on Opening Day as purported.
That aside, the clip also features Six Packs owner Kelly Barone musing about the need to "keep your head in the game" (by the way, for a time during the editing process, the producers were toying with titling the film "Head In The Game") and we see Da Paul Meisters owner Paul Zeledon evaluating his team's chances for the season.
From there, the segment takes an interesting turn with Rotisserie League founder Dan Okrent and the wife of Walter Shapiro discussing (very frankly and matter of factly in Mrs Shapiro's case) the impact of fantasy baseball on the personal lives of those who play it and their loved ones.
For the last portion of this clip, the filmmakers spoke with Harry Witzke, a former co-owner who quit the CFCL after the 2001 season, leaving Bruce Ellman as sole owner of Harry's Witzke a Go-Go, soon to be rechristened Tenacious B.
A couple years leaving the league, Harry was clearly still perturbed about the reasons that had led him to leave the CFCL - a combination of the planned move from standard 4x4 format to non-standard 5x5 in 2003 (the rule changes he mentions) and what he saw as an unreasonable trade by co-Commissioner Mahlan.
I'll admit the trade was imbalanced - a deadline deal in which my Copperfields acquired Shawn Green and Curt Schilling from the Picts for a package of four minor leaguers, only one of whom panned out (a two-cent Morgan Ensberg, who provided the foundation of the Pict offense for the next five years).
I do, however, take exception to the charge of "finagling," Harry's term for the fact that I released the .33 Green and .27 Schilling rather than keeping them the following spring (when, by the way, Harry was already long gone). Given that I already faced going into the Draft with .55 to spend on 8 players, keeping an additional .60 in salary was never really a consideration.
I actually think the producers mainly wanted to include Harry in the film because they were desperate for a stereotypical Chicago accent (I love the "double edged schword" line).
But enough about that ... enjoy this 5-minute clip from Gator:
Note: See this post for the background on the CFCL’s involvement in Trading the Gator.
The timing's not exactly right for this clip, as it covers the opening of the baseball season, but you'll notice the filmmakers had some problems of their own with timing here. The shots of Michelle and I crooning "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" at Wrigley Field were obviously not filmed during on Opening Day as purported.
That aside, the clip also features Six Packs owner Kelly Barone musing about the need to "keep your head in the game" (by the way, for a time during the editing process, the producers were toying with titling the film "Head In The Game") and we see Da Paul Meisters owner Paul Zeledon evaluating his team's chances for the season.
From there, the segment takes an interesting turn with Rotisserie League founder Dan Okrent and the wife of Walter Shapiro discussing (very frankly and matter of factly in Mrs Shapiro's case) the impact of fantasy baseball on the personal lives of those who play it and their loved ones.
For the last portion of this clip, the filmmakers spoke with Harry Witzke, a former co-owner who quit the CFCL after the 2001 season, leaving Bruce Ellman as sole owner of Harry's Witzke a Go-Go, soon to be rechristened Tenacious B.
A couple years leaving the league, Harry was clearly still perturbed about the reasons that had led him to leave the CFCL - a combination of the planned move from standard 4x4 format to non-standard 5x5 in 2003 (the rule changes he mentions) and what he saw as an unreasonable trade by co-Commissioner Mahlan.
I'll admit the trade was imbalanced - a deadline deal in which my Copperfields acquired Shawn Green and Curt Schilling from the Picts for a package of four minor leaguers, only one of whom panned out (a two-cent Morgan Ensberg, who provided the foundation of the Pict offense for the next five years).
I do, however, take exception to the charge of "finagling," Harry's term for the fact that I released the .33 Green and .27 Schilling rather than keeping them the following spring (when, by the way, Harry was already long gone). Given that I already faced going into the Draft with .55 to spend on 8 players, keeping an additional .60 in salary was never really a consideration.
I actually think the producers mainly wanted to include Harry in the film because they were desperate for a stereotypical Chicago accent (I love the "double edged schword" line).
But enough about that ... enjoy this 5-minute clip from Gator:
Thursday, August 29, 2013
The Darryl Strawberry Incident
You have been very loyal readers. You have been patient. You deserve to be rewarded. And so we bring you "The Darryl Strawberry Incident". 1992 may have been the best draft ever for humor and entertainment, and here is the Piece de Resistance (French for "good stuff").
Some background. For eight years the CFCL owners enjoyed the Draft Day Bidding Process. We would typically nominate every player for ".01" and then go around the table increasing the bid by a penny. Ridiculous to bid .01 on a superstar? Well, sure. But it was quaint and fun. It was also amusing to watch the momentum build as the bids got higher. I still recall the exuberance of The Professor when the bidding went around the table on some forgotten player some forgotten year with each owner bidding and each owner only increasing the bid by .01. There were ten owners in the league and when the bidding got back to The Professor for a second trip around the table, the bid was a perfect ".10".
There were times (as you will see in the video below) when an owner would begin the bidding a little higher than .01. And occasionally an owner would increase the bidding by more than a penny, but usually it was no more than two or three cents.
Enter Pat McGuire of the Twin Picks. Pat had been in the league previously from 1988-1990, stepped away in 1991 and returned for a two year run beginning in 1992. Apparently three years of this "quaint and fun" bidding style crap was enough. It appeared that he thought he could singlehandedly shave hours off the draft by getting the bidding to an appropriate price as quickly as possible.
What you are about to see is, in my opinion, the quintessential moment of the CFCL. The reaction of two owners (Tom Clark and Dave Holian) to McGuire's efforts to get the bidding going has been retold around the CFCL Draft Table a million times. Fortunately for all of us it was captured on video and it is yours to see here.
Some background. For eight years the CFCL owners enjoyed the Draft Day Bidding Process. We would typically nominate every player for ".01" and then go around the table increasing the bid by a penny. Ridiculous to bid .01 on a superstar? Well, sure. But it was quaint and fun. It was also amusing to watch the momentum build as the bids got higher. I still recall the exuberance of The Professor when the bidding went around the table on some forgotten player some forgotten year with each owner bidding and each owner only increasing the bid by .01. There were ten owners in the league and when the bidding got back to The Professor for a second trip around the table, the bid was a perfect ".10".
There were times (as you will see in the video below) when an owner would begin the bidding a little higher than .01. And occasionally an owner would increase the bidding by more than a penny, but usually it was no more than two or three cents.
Enter Pat McGuire of the Twin Picks. Pat had been in the league previously from 1988-1990, stepped away in 1991 and returned for a two year run beginning in 1992. Apparently three years of this "quaint and fun" bidding style crap was enough. It appeared that he thought he could singlehandedly shave hours off the draft by getting the bidding to an appropriate price as quickly as possible.
What you are about to see is, in my opinion, the quintessential moment of the CFCL. The reaction of two owners (Tom Clark and Dave Holian) to McGuire's efforts to get the bidding going has been retold around the CFCL Draft Table a million times. Fortunately for all of us it was captured on video and it is yours to see here.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Trading The Gator: Keeping Score
Today we present another segment from Trading the Gator.
This clip comes from early in the film and provides some basics about how the game is played, as well as a look at some of the business that grew up around fantasy baseball.
Some things to keep an eye on in this clip:
This clip comes from early in the film and provides some basics about how the game is played, as well as a look at some of the business that grew up around fantasy baseball.
Some things to keep an eye on in this clip:
- An awesome photo from a 1974 Strat-O-Matic Baseball convention
- A glimpse of the Tout Wars experts league draft
- The Junior year yearbook photos of the CFCL’s Co-Founders
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
The Chico Incident
The Roster Change report for this date in 1991 included the following transaction:
SIX PACKS activate Jose Offerman from the Reserve List, waive Chico Walker (waive period ends 8-20).
I seemingly innocent and innocuous roster move, but one that would have a significant impact on the Six Packs’ season and one that their owner Kelly Barone would regret for the rest of his CFCL career. Of course, for the rest of the CFCL, it was a moment that we fondly recall as “The Chico Incident”.
Before we get into the details, let’s meet the players.
Jose Offerman was a highly-touted Dodger prospect (at the time ALL Dodger prospects were highly touted) that the Six Packs had drafted into their minor league system in 1989. In 1990, Offerman had hit .326 with 60 SB in AAA.
He came up to play with the Dodgers late in the 1990 season and the Six Packs activated him at that time. They resigned him the following year and Offerman was up and down between the majors and the minors a couple times. When he was sent down on June 4, the Six Packs reserved him and called Chico Walker from the Free Agent Pool.
Chico Walker was a 32-year-old pinch hitter/utility player who had kicked around with the Cubs and Red Sox, and Angels, but hadn’t played in the majors since 1988. In 1991 he returned for a second stint with the Cubs and started the season as their #1 pinch hitter. But between Walker’s modest success in that role and the utter futility of the Cubs’ Opening Day third baseman, Gary Scott, soon Don Zimmer was writing Chico’s name in the starting lineup more often. Chico also played some OF and even filled in for Ryne Sandberg at 2B on occasion. In the end, Walker got over 100 more ABs in 1991 than in any of his other 11 big league seasons.
When the Six Packs called him up on June 4, Walker was hitting .273 with 2 HR, 10 RBI, and 3 SB. Over the next couple months, Walker hit .299 for the Six Packs, with one homer, 12 RBI, and 6 SB.
Then, on August 13, the Six Packs were faced with a decision. The Dodgers had recalled Jose Offerman from the minors and the Six Packs had to cut either Offerman or Walker loose.
In 1991, the CFCL did not have 40-man rosters that would allow teams to shuffle players between Active and Reserve. Players who were on the DL or sent to the minors by their NL teams could be reserved, but when they returned, their CFCL owners had to cut either that returning player or the player who took his place on the roster.
So Six Packs owner Kelly Barone was forced to choose between the journeyman Chico and the prospect Jose. Walker wasn’t setting the world afire, but he was at least performing at an acceptable level. And while Offerman had a world of potential, he had hit about .170 in his major league career to that point.
To complicate matters, the Six Packs were embroiled in one of the tightest pennant races the CFCL had seen to date, with 4 points separating the top 4 teams in early August. Here’s how the top of the standings looked at the time Kelly was weighing his Chico vs Jose options:
1. Six Packs 65
2. Bald Eagles 62.5
3. Lambchops 61.5
4. Copperfields 61
As we saw at the top of this post, Kelly apparently felt secure enough in his 2.5 point lead and chose to keep Offerman over Walker. It was a move, when the final 1991 stats were counted, that the Six Packs would deeply regret.
The final CFCL standings had the Bald Eagles on top, ahead of the Six Packs and Lambchops by a single point. The category rankings were tight, though, and after the season, in reviewing what had gone wrong, Kelly determined that if he had kept Chico Walker active and waived Offerman instead, he would have gained the extra points he needed to pass the Eagles and finish in first.
Here are the final 1991 Standings (click to embiggen):
It was a decision that haunted Kelly for years. For proof of this we have this bit of video from the 1995 CFCL Draft. In the clip, the Draft comes to a halt as Kelly recounts “The Chico Incident” much to the amusement of the rest of the league.
The whole thing starts with Kelly recalling how he ended up with Gary Scott at 3B in the 1992 draft because “there were no other third basemen.” That story was recounted on this blog as The Brett Barberie Incident.
I apparently had my Incidents confused and very innocently asked if the whole Gary Scott thing was part of “The Chico Incident”. Kelly reacts almost violently: “No, that’s not the Chico Incident and you know it! You just wanted to bring it up!”
This is an interesting clip, because not only do we get the details of the Chico Incident, but we also mention The Brett Barberie Incident, The Ramon Martinez Incident, and The Kevin McReynolds Incident. Four incidents for the price of one!
SIX PACKS activate Jose Offerman from the Reserve List, waive Chico Walker (waive period ends 8-20).
I seemingly innocent and innocuous roster move, but one that would have a significant impact on the Six Packs’ season and one that their owner Kelly Barone would regret for the rest of his CFCL career. Of course, for the rest of the CFCL, it was a moment that we fondly recall as “The Chico Incident”.
Before we get into the details, let’s meet the players.
Jose Offerman was a highly-touted Dodger prospect (at the time ALL Dodger prospects were highly touted) that the Six Packs had drafted into their minor league system in 1989. In 1990, Offerman had hit .326 with 60 SB in AAA.
He came up to play with the Dodgers late in the 1990 season and the Six Packs activated him at that time. They resigned him the following year and Offerman was up and down between the majors and the minors a couple times. When he was sent down on June 4, the Six Packs reserved him and called Chico Walker from the Free Agent Pool.
Chico Walker was a 32-year-old pinch hitter/utility player who had kicked around with the Cubs and Red Sox, and Angels, but hadn’t played in the majors since 1988. In 1991 he returned for a second stint with the Cubs and started the season as their #1 pinch hitter. But between Walker’s modest success in that role and the utter futility of the Cubs’ Opening Day third baseman, Gary Scott, soon Don Zimmer was writing Chico’s name in the starting lineup more often. Chico also played some OF and even filled in for Ryne Sandberg at 2B on occasion. In the end, Walker got over 100 more ABs in 1991 than in any of his other 11 big league seasons.
When the Six Packs called him up on June 4, Walker was hitting .273 with 2 HR, 10 RBI, and 3 SB. Over the next couple months, Walker hit .299 for the Six Packs, with one homer, 12 RBI, and 6 SB.
Then, on August 13, the Six Packs were faced with a decision. The Dodgers had recalled Jose Offerman from the minors and the Six Packs had to cut either Offerman or Walker loose.
In 1991, the CFCL did not have 40-man rosters that would allow teams to shuffle players between Active and Reserve. Players who were on the DL or sent to the minors by their NL teams could be reserved, but when they returned, their CFCL owners had to cut either that returning player or the player who took his place on the roster.
So Six Packs owner Kelly Barone was forced to choose between the journeyman Chico and the prospect Jose. Walker wasn’t setting the world afire, but he was at least performing at an acceptable level. And while Offerman had a world of potential, he had hit about .170 in his major league career to that point.
To complicate matters, the Six Packs were embroiled in one of the tightest pennant races the CFCL had seen to date, with 4 points separating the top 4 teams in early August. Here’s how the top of the standings looked at the time Kelly was weighing his Chico vs Jose options:
1. Six Packs 65
2. Bald Eagles 62.5
3. Lambchops 61.5
4. Copperfields 61
As we saw at the top of this post, Kelly apparently felt secure enough in his 2.5 point lead and chose to keep Offerman over Walker. It was a move, when the final 1991 stats were counted, that the Six Packs would deeply regret.
The final CFCL standings had the Bald Eagles on top, ahead of the Six Packs and Lambchops by a single point. The category rankings were tight, though, and after the season, in reviewing what had gone wrong, Kelly determined that if he had kept Chico Walker active and waived Offerman instead, he would have gained the extra points he needed to pass the Eagles and finish in first.
Here are the final 1991 Standings (click to embiggen):
It was a decision that haunted Kelly for years. For proof of this we have this bit of video from the 1995 CFCL Draft. In the clip, the Draft comes to a halt as Kelly recounts “The Chico Incident” much to the amusement of the rest of the league.
The whole thing starts with Kelly recalling how he ended up with Gary Scott at 3B in the 1992 draft because “there were no other third basemen.” That story was recounted on this blog as The Brett Barberie Incident.
I apparently had my Incidents confused and very innocently asked if the whole Gary Scott thing was part of “The Chico Incident”. Kelly reacts almost violently: “No, that’s not the Chico Incident and you know it! You just wanted to bring it up!”
This is an interesting clip, because not only do we get the details of the Chico Incident, but we also mention The Brett Barberie Incident, The Ramon Martinez Incident, and The Kevin McReynolds Incident. Four incidents for the price of one!
Thursday, August 8, 2013
The Rebel Puberty Incident
Ok, this has nothing to do with baseball, but it seems fitting that today, on the anniversary of Rich’s birth, we celebrate the time he seemingly went through puberty right in the middle of the Draft.
First, a little background … after the 1991 season, Bald Eagle owner and defending CFCL Champion Bob Monroe announced he was withdrawing from the CFCL. Bob’s job had taken him out of town, and in 1992 the CFCL hadn’t yet made the transition to the Internet. Long-distance ownership was a non-starter.
Bob’s departure led to two new features at the 1992 Draft:
At one point in the Draft, I got up to fill in an acquisition on the big Draft Tracker on the wall. Since Bob’s head was nearby, I gave it a vigorous spin on its string. At the same time I was doing this, Rich was finishing up a pretzel rod, stuffing the last half of it in his mouth at once.
He noticed Bob’s Linda Blair act and – showing great restraint and respect for the owners sitting across the table from him – tried to laugh without spewing half chewed pretzel across the room. What emanated from him wasn’t a laugh so much as on odd squeak.
This caught the attention of David’s Ruffins owner, Dave Holian, who wondered if Rich was “going through that change thing”. That comment set us off on what would prove to be the first of many digressions into 1970s television that we enjoyed over the years.
Before we go to the film, just one quick note about 1992. Between the Ramon Martinez Incident, the Bret Barberie Incident (listen for him being nominated at the end of this clip), the Origin of the Ruffin Privilege, light hearted moments such as this, plus a number of others to be shared later, 1992 is far and away the most entertaining Draft we recorded.
First, a little background … after the 1991 season, Bald Eagle owner and defending CFCL Champion Bob Monroe announced he was withdrawing from the CFCL. Bob’s job had taken him out of town, and in 1992 the CFCL hadn’t yet made the transition to the Internet. Long-distance ownership was a non-starter.
Bob’s departure led to two new features at the 1992 Draft:
- We knew we’d miss having Bob around, so to take his place at the Draft, we placed a helium-filled balloon at the corner of the draft table. To ensure everyone recognized him, Rich used a marker to draw a fringe of hair around the bare top, glasses, and a beard … the splitting image of Bob.
- Bob made it clear he was going to miss being at the Draft too. After hearing him bemoan the fact that he’d miss out on the fun of Draft Day, we decided to video tape the whole Draft and send it to him. It was the first Draft we recorded, something we did for the next 15 years or so.
At one point in the Draft, I got up to fill in an acquisition on the big Draft Tracker on the wall. Since Bob’s head was nearby, I gave it a vigorous spin on its string. At the same time I was doing this, Rich was finishing up a pretzel rod, stuffing the last half of it in his mouth at once.
He noticed Bob’s Linda Blair act and – showing great restraint and respect for the owners sitting across the table from him – tried to laugh without spewing half chewed pretzel across the room. What emanated from him wasn’t a laugh so much as on odd squeak.
This caught the attention of David’s Ruffins owner, Dave Holian, who wondered if Rich was “going through that change thing”. That comment set us off on what would prove to be the first of many digressions into 1970s television that we enjoyed over the years.
Before we go to the film, just one quick note about 1992. Between the Ramon Martinez Incident, the Bret Barberie Incident (listen for him being nominated at the end of this clip), the Origin of the Ruffin Privilege, light hearted moments such as this, plus a number of others to be shared later, 1992 is far and away the most entertaining Draft we recorded.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Fox for Jimenez - Captured!
Eleven years ago on this date, in 2002, Tenacious B and Dem Rebels teamed up on a deal that’s gone down in CFCL history. Not because of the players involved, nor its impact on the standings, but because it was the only trade in CFCL history to be captured on film.
It was the month of the trading deadline in 2002, and the producers of Trading the Gator had been anxious about recording trade talks – and hopefully the consummation of a deal – for the documentary.
Note: See this post for the background on the CFCL’s involvement in Trading the Gator.
They had recorded some general discussions between the Lambchops and Da Paul Meisters, though things didn’t get beyond the kicking-some-names-around stage. The also filmed a number of owners who had gathered at a sports bar to watch the All Star Game, but no trade discussions took place (and the background noise in the bar made the footage unusable).
Eventually, the producers arranged to be present on both ends of a phone call during which Dem Rebels and Tenacious B completed this blockbuster:
TENACIOUS B trade Jose Jimenez and their 13th round Rotation Draft pick in 2003 to DEM REBELS for Andy Fox.
The straight forward Saves for Steals swap paid off better for Tenacious B than for the Rebels. Post-trade stats:
Fox: .257 BA – 3 HR – 17 RBI – 11 SB
Jimenez: 4.00 ERA – 1.39 RATIO – 2 W – 5 Sv
The Rebels also received a 13th round pick in the 2003 Rotation Draft, which they used to select first base prospect Scott Thorman. Thorman didn’t appear in the majors until 2005, but by that time the Rebels had cut him.
The trade talks between the Rebels and Tenacious B were included in the portion of Trading the Gator dealing with trade talks. The section also includes the trade meeting between the Lambchops and Meisters mentioned above, as well as footage of the owners of the Six Packs and Tenacious B at a White Sox game, and thoughts on trades from a couple real life GMs. And Baseball Tonight’s Tim Kirkjian says he’s much too busy to play Roto.
Before we get to the video, a quick correction: the video the Fox-Jimenez deal is dated July 29. This was apparently a bit of creative license on the part of the Gator producers (or a mistake in labeling tapes), because the trade was officially reported on July 20.
And now, on with the show…
It was the month of the trading deadline in 2002, and the producers of Trading the Gator had been anxious about recording trade talks – and hopefully the consummation of a deal – for the documentary.
Note: See this post for the background on the CFCL’s involvement in Trading the Gator.
They had recorded some general discussions between the Lambchops and Da Paul Meisters, though things didn’t get beyond the kicking-some-names-around stage. The also filmed a number of owners who had gathered at a sports bar to watch the All Star Game, but no trade discussions took place (and the background noise in the bar made the footage unusable).
Eventually, the producers arranged to be present on both ends of a phone call during which Dem Rebels and Tenacious B completed this blockbuster:
TENACIOUS B trade Jose Jimenez and their 13th round Rotation Draft pick in 2003 to DEM REBELS for Andy Fox.
The straight forward Saves for Steals swap paid off better for Tenacious B than for the Rebels. Post-trade stats:
Fox: .257 BA – 3 HR – 17 RBI – 11 SB
Jimenez: 4.00 ERA – 1.39 RATIO – 2 W – 5 Sv
The Rebels also received a 13th round pick in the 2003 Rotation Draft, which they used to select first base prospect Scott Thorman. Thorman didn’t appear in the majors until 2005, but by that time the Rebels had cut him.
The trade talks between the Rebels and Tenacious B were included in the portion of Trading the Gator dealing with trade talks. The section also includes the trade meeting between the Lambchops and Meisters mentioned above, as well as footage of the owners of the Six Packs and Tenacious B at a White Sox game, and thoughts on trades from a couple real life GMs. And Baseball Tonight’s Tim Kirkjian says he’s much too busy to play Roto.
Before we get to the video, a quick correction: the video the Fox-Jimenez deal is dated July 29. This was apparently a bit of creative license on the part of the Gator producers (or a mistake in labeling tapes), because the trade was officially reported on July 20.
And now, on with the show…
Saturday, July 13, 2013
The World Premiere of "Trading The Gator"
On this date in 2003, Trading the Gator, a documentary film about fantasy baseball featuring the CFCL, had its world premiere at Chicago Cultural Center. We covered the background on how the CFCL got involved in a post back on June 20.
After nearly a year and a half of filming, the producers had a final cut of the film completed by mid-June 2003. The producers hosted a swanky (catered!) private premiere for the owners of the CFCL, then scheduled the public World Premiere for the evening of July 13 in the Chicago Cultural Center’s Cassidy Theater (listed as #6 on Crain’s Chicago Business’ “10 Things To Do This Weekend”!).
Seven CFCL owners and their groupies (family and close friends) attended the premiere, forming part of a 250+ member audience. The film was very well received, and after the credits rolled, the four producers took the stage to an extended ovation. After they said a few words, they called the seven CFCL owners in attendance up to the stage, and we were greeted with a shockingly enthusiastic standing ovation. There was a brief Q&A, during which we each got to field some questions from the crowd.
Here’s the Roster Change report from the following week where I described the experience:
Above, I noted that seven CFCL owners attended the premiere. Actually, there were eight CFCL owners in attendance that night … future CFCLer Kenn Ruby was there as well.
Kenn wrote a brief article about Trading the Gator, which was published in Chicago Magazine (see below). Months later, during the 2003 off-season, the CFCL advertised for owners to fill a couple openings. Kenn applied and joined the CFCL for the 2004 season.
You may recognize Producer Brad … an alum of the Second City improv group, Brad had since gone on to star in Best Buy commercials (with Brett Favre!), and has appeared on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Modern Family, Cougar Town, and The League (an FX comedy about a fantasy football league).
To close this post, here are the opening 4 minutes of Trading the Gator. Appearing in the opening are CFCL owners Eric Lamb, Paul Zeledon, and David Mahlan; original Rotisserie League owners Dan Okrent, Valerie Salembier, and Glenn Waggoner; and fantasy league superfan, Walter Shapiro.
After nearly a year and a half of filming, the producers had a final cut of the film completed by mid-June 2003. The producers hosted a swanky (catered!) private premiere for the owners of the CFCL, then scheduled the public World Premiere for the evening of July 13 in the Chicago Cultural Center’s Cassidy Theater (listed as #6 on Crain’s Chicago Business’ “10 Things To Do This Weekend”!).
Seven CFCL owners and their groupies (family and close friends) attended the premiere, forming part of a 250+ member audience. The film was very well received, and after the credits rolled, the four producers took the stage to an extended ovation. After they said a few words, they called the seven CFCL owners in attendance up to the stage, and we were greeted with a shockingly enthusiastic standing ovation. There was a brief Q&A, during which we each got to field some questions from the crowd.
Here’s the Roster Change report from the following week where I described the experience:
Above, I noted that seven CFCL owners attended the premiere. Actually, there were eight CFCL owners in attendance that night … future CFCLer Kenn Ruby was there as well.
Kenn wrote a brief article about Trading the Gator, which was published in Chicago Magazine (see below). Months later, during the 2003 off-season, the CFCL advertised for owners to fill a couple openings. Kenn applied and joined the CFCL for the 2004 season.
 |
“Trading the Gator” producers Sara Berliner, Casey Morris, Brad Morris, and Nick Barrionuevo (click to embiggen):  CFCL owners Kelly Barone, Matt Bentel, Bruce Ellman, David Mahlan, Matt Grage, Paul Zeledon, and Eric Lamb:  |
To close this post, here are the opening 4 minutes of Trading the Gator. Appearing in the opening are CFCL owners Eric Lamb, Paul Zeledon, and David Mahlan; original Rotisserie League owners Dan Okrent, Valerie Salembier, and Glenn Waggoner; and fantasy league superfan, Walter Shapiro.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Tie Goes To The Runner
A few days ago, Rich posted about some of the Challenges faced on Draft Day.
One of the challenges he mentioned had to do with the reaction of one new owner to the format and pacing of the CFCL’s draft. Traditionally, the CFCL has conducted our auctions in a very structured manner -- an owner nominates a player and an opening bid. The bid then goes clockwise around the table, with each owner either increasing the bid or dropping out when it is his turn. Once an owner drops out, he is out for good -- he cannot pass and stay in the bidding.
This differs from the bidding method used in the vast majority of leagues – a true free-for-all auction format in which a player is nominated at an opening bid and any owner can raise the bid at any time.
In a comment to Rich’s post, Kenn Ruby wrote: “I don't know if the CFCL greybeards have ever done an auction the "real" way, but it would be a shock to the system.”
The CFCL did try the “real” auction format … for two rounds in the 1997 Draft … or at least something close to it. A number of owners were concerned that they would not have time to fully consider their bids in the frenzied pace of a true auction, so while we allowed owners to call out bids in any order, any owner could halt the auctioneer’s call at any point for additional “think time.”
Because of this concession, the two auction rounds didn’t go a whole lot faster than the regular rounds, though they did lead to some pretty interesting situations. One of these was determining how to resolve ties that occurred when two owners called out the same bid at the same time. In most cases, one owner was willing to break the tie by raising the bid by a penny.
The video below depicts the beginning of the true auction rounds and illustrates the trepidation Dave Holian had about the free-for-all bidding format. It then transitions to the bidding on Pedro Martinez, is which Six Packs owner Kelly Barone and I both call out “seventeen” at the same time. Kelly makes a clever observation about how ties are handled in baseball, which inspires Dave Holian to suggest a clever way of breaking future ties.
One of the challenges he mentioned had to do with the reaction of one new owner to the format and pacing of the CFCL’s draft. Traditionally, the CFCL has conducted our auctions in a very structured manner -- an owner nominates a player and an opening bid. The bid then goes clockwise around the table, with each owner either increasing the bid or dropping out when it is his turn. Once an owner drops out, he is out for good -- he cannot pass and stay in the bidding.
This differs from the bidding method used in the vast majority of leagues – a true free-for-all auction format in which a player is nominated at an opening bid and any owner can raise the bid at any time.
In a comment to Rich’s post, Kenn Ruby wrote: “I don't know if the CFCL greybeards have ever done an auction the "real" way, but it would be a shock to the system.”
The CFCL did try the “real” auction format … for two rounds in the 1997 Draft … or at least something close to it. A number of owners were concerned that they would not have time to fully consider their bids in the frenzied pace of a true auction, so while we allowed owners to call out bids in any order, any owner could halt the auctioneer’s call at any point for additional “think time.”
Because of this concession, the two auction rounds didn’t go a whole lot faster than the regular rounds, though they did lead to some pretty interesting situations. One of these was determining how to resolve ties that occurred when two owners called out the same bid at the same time. In most cases, one owner was willing to break the tie by raising the bid by a penny.
The video below depicts the beginning of the true auction rounds and illustrates the trepidation Dave Holian had about the free-for-all bidding format. It then transitions to the bidding on Pedro Martinez, is which Six Packs owner Kelly Barone and I both call out “seventeen” at the same time. Kelly makes a clever observation about how ties are handled in baseball, which inspires Dave Holian to suggest a clever way of breaking future ties.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
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:
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:
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Trading the Gator: The CFCL Goes Hollywood
Pride of the Yankees.
Bull Durham.
Field of Dreams...
Trading the Gator?
When listing the greatest baseball movies of all time, no one would name that last one, but no baseball film is more fondly remembered by the CFCL than Trading the Gator. The reason – we were among the featured players.
A 51-minute documentary filmed in 2002 and released (very limited) in 2003, Trading the Gator was billed as “an intimate and entertaining look at one league in Chicago, where intense competition coexists with strong friendships, where hope battles tragedy, where finding a second baseman with some steals just might allow you to control the uncontrollable.”
That “one league in Chicago” is the CFCL. Here's how it all came about… After the 2001 season the owner of Tim’s Maulers announced that he wouldn’t be returning for the following season. We put out the word to advertise for a new owner to take over his team, and one of the respondents was Jason Grey, of Mastersball.com fame (he's also written for SI.com, MLB.com, ESPN.com, and is now a scout for the Tampa Bay Rays). Given Jason's credentials, he was quickly approved and welcomed into the league.
In December 2001, shortly after Jason joined the CFCL, he was contacted by the documentary producers who were looking for a long-standing, local league that they could feature in the film to illustrate various concepts related to fantasy baseball. Specifically, “we are looking for a group that is proud of their involvement with, and proficiency in this sport … our goal is to give people an unprecedented view into the preparation and drafting process.”
Jason felt that the CFCL fit the bill, and after visiting the CFCL Internet Headquarters and meeting with me and Rich, the producers agreed. Rich and I were definitely intrigued, and checked with the rest of the league to determine their level of interest. Everyone responded positively and seemed to agree with the assessment of Six Packs’ owner Kelly Barone: “I've not seen anything so far to make me think this is a bad idea. Sounds like fun, outside of the possibility of us being portrayed as a bunch of pathetic geeks -- and what's the chances of that?”
And so the CFCL agreed to live the next few months under a microscope as a film crew interviewed us and our loved ones, documented our draft prep, and filmed our entire Draft Day. Although the producers originally planned for the film to end there, shortly after the Draft they told us they’d like to continue follow us for the entire season. Filming continued throughout the rest of the 2002 season, and by the time Draft Day 2003 rolled around, they were still filming follow-up interviews to fill in some holes.
Once editing and production were complete, the producers held a private screening of Trading the Gator for the CFCL owners in June of 2003. That was followed by a premiere showing at the Chicago Cultural Center during the All Star Break, a showing at the Chicago Historical Society in October, as well as appearances at a few film festivals. An interesting note about that premiere at the Chicago Cultural Center – in the audience that night was future CFCL owner Kenn Ruby, who joined the league in 2004. We’ll have more about Kenn’s experience at the premiere in a future post.
Trading the Gator includes interviews with some of the owners of the original Rotisserie League, including creator and Beloved Founder, Dan Okrent, ‘celebrities’ such as writer Dave Barry and cable TV financial guru Jim Cramer, a handful of real-life general managers and players, and some owners from The American Dreams League – purportedly the second-oldest Rotisserie League in the country. Most-featured among the ADL owners is political columnist Walter Shapiro, who speaks with more eloquence and child-like enthusiasm about the game than anyone I’ve ever heard.
However, the main focus of the film is on the CFCL as we play out the 2002 season. A subset of 4-5 owners are featured more than the others, though nearly every owner got at least some screen time. It’s incredible to have that document of our league at that moment in time – probably the league’s heyday in terms of engagement and competition. That’s not meant as a slight to the current set of owners (or any other in the past 30 years) but the 2002 season offered a full complement of 12 teams - not a weak owner in the bunch - and a total of 6 CFCL champions or future champions ( plus a nationally recognized guru and winner of multiple expert competitions).
When we wrote to the producers of Trading the Gator to ask about sharing clips from the film on this blog, one of the producers, Sara Berliner, who now helps run an iOS and Android app development company called Night & Day studios, shared these thoughts about her experience documenting the CFCL’s 2002 season:
I was really impressed with the dedication of the league members and how you guys created a membership organization based on your passion for baseball with a friendly but deeply competitive spirit. I remember seeing the preparation rituals (charts and marked-up books, Twizzlers, homemade baked treats) and the "game faces" of draft day and realizing how seriously some of you took it -- perhaps not always the friendliest of days! -- but it seemed to me that your lasting relationships and camaraderie were as important over the years as any individual seasons, triumphs, or trade stories. I doubt many groups last as long as the CFCL and congratulate you on your longevity. We had a lot of fun covering you guys and appreciated your participation. Definitely wouldn't be the same film without the CFCL.
We’re glad the producers were happy with the final product, and playing our season out in front of the camera was certainly a fun experience.
Throughout the year, we’ll be posting clips from the film (including scenes that ended up on the cutting room floor) to illustrate various aspects of the league or fantasy baseball in general.
The first clip we’re going to share does not include the CFCL at all; rather it features Bruce Buschel, a playwright and owner in the American Dreams League. We’re starting with him because his segment reveals the story behind the film’s name. But don’t worry; we’ll be posting plenty of clips from Gator, including those featuring the lovable clowns in the CFCL.
For now, let’s hear how the Gator got its name…
Bull Durham.
Field of Dreams...
Trading the Gator?
When listing the greatest baseball movies of all time, no one would name that last one, but no baseball film is more fondly remembered by the CFCL than Trading the Gator. The reason – we were among the featured players.
A 51-minute documentary filmed in 2002 and released (very limited) in 2003, Trading the Gator was billed as “an intimate and entertaining look at one league in Chicago, where intense competition coexists with strong friendships, where hope battles tragedy, where finding a second baseman with some steals just might allow you to control the uncontrollable.”
That “one league in Chicago” is the CFCL. Here's how it all came about… After the 2001 season the owner of Tim’s Maulers announced that he wouldn’t be returning for the following season. We put out the word to advertise for a new owner to take over his team, and one of the respondents was Jason Grey, of Mastersball.com fame (he's also written for SI.com, MLB.com, ESPN.com, and is now a scout for the Tampa Bay Rays). Given Jason's credentials, he was quickly approved and welcomed into the league.
In December 2001, shortly after Jason joined the CFCL, he was contacted by the documentary producers who were looking for a long-standing, local league that they could feature in the film to illustrate various concepts related to fantasy baseball. Specifically, “we are looking for a group that is proud of their involvement with, and proficiency in this sport … our goal is to give people an unprecedented view into the preparation and drafting process.”
Jason felt that the CFCL fit the bill, and after visiting the CFCL Internet Headquarters and meeting with me and Rich, the producers agreed. Rich and I were definitely intrigued, and checked with the rest of the league to determine their level of interest. Everyone responded positively and seemed to agree with the assessment of Six Packs’ owner Kelly Barone: “I've not seen anything so far to make me think this is a bad idea. Sounds like fun, outside of the possibility of us being portrayed as a bunch of pathetic geeks -- and what's the chances of that?”
And so the CFCL agreed to live the next few months under a microscope as a film crew interviewed us and our loved ones, documented our draft prep, and filmed our entire Draft Day. Although the producers originally planned for the film to end there, shortly after the Draft they told us they’d like to continue follow us for the entire season. Filming continued throughout the rest of the 2002 season, and by the time Draft Day 2003 rolled around, they were still filming follow-up interviews to fill in some holes.
Trading the Gator includes interviews with some of the owners of the original Rotisserie League, including creator and Beloved Founder, Dan Okrent, ‘celebrities’ such as writer Dave Barry and cable TV financial guru Jim Cramer, a handful of real-life general managers and players, and some owners from The American Dreams League – purportedly the second-oldest Rotisserie League in the country. Most-featured among the ADL owners is political columnist Walter Shapiro, who speaks with more eloquence and child-like enthusiasm about the game than anyone I’ve ever heard.
However, the main focus of the film is on the CFCL as we play out the 2002 season. A subset of 4-5 owners are featured more than the others, though nearly every owner got at least some screen time. It’s incredible to have that document of our league at that moment in time – probably the league’s heyday in terms of engagement and competition. That’s not meant as a slight to the current set of owners (or any other in the past 30 years) but the 2002 season offered a full complement of 12 teams - not a weak owner in the bunch - and a total of 6 CFCL champions or future champions ( plus a nationally recognized guru and winner of multiple expert competitions).
When we wrote to the producers of Trading the Gator to ask about sharing clips from the film on this blog, one of the producers, Sara Berliner, who now helps run an iOS and Android app development company called Night & Day studios, shared these thoughts about her experience documenting the CFCL’s 2002 season:
I was really impressed with the dedication of the league members and how you guys created a membership organization based on your passion for baseball with a friendly but deeply competitive spirit. I remember seeing the preparation rituals (charts and marked-up books, Twizzlers, homemade baked treats) and the "game faces" of draft day and realizing how seriously some of you took it -- perhaps not always the friendliest of days! -- but it seemed to me that your lasting relationships and camaraderie were as important over the years as any individual seasons, triumphs, or trade stories. I doubt many groups last as long as the CFCL and congratulate you on your longevity. We had a lot of fun covering you guys and appreciated your participation. Definitely wouldn't be the same film without the CFCL.
We’re glad the producers were happy with the final product, and playing our season out in front of the camera was certainly a fun experience.
Throughout the year, we’ll be posting clips from the film (including scenes that ended up on the cutting room floor) to illustrate various aspects of the league or fantasy baseball in general.
The first clip we’re going to share does not include the CFCL at all; rather it features Bruce Buschel, a playwright and owner in the American Dreams League. We’re starting with him because his segment reveals the story behind the film’s name. But don’t worry; we’ll be posting plenty of clips from Gator, including those featuring the lovable clowns in the CFCL.
For now, let’s hear how the Gator got its name…
Monday, June 17, 2013
The Bret Barberie Incident
Last week, we heard about the disastrous start to the Six Packs' 1992 Draft, with The Ramon Martinez Incident.
As I alluded to at the time, that incident didn't mark the low point of the Six Packs' draft that day. Six Packs' owner Kelly Barone fell into a distracted, brooding funk after getting stuck with Martinez. He came into the Draft with significantly less money to spend than all but one other owner, and blowing .13 on a pitcher he wanted nothing to do with threw his entire strategy and approach into chaos.
When he should have been focused on moving on, all Kelly could think about was his misjudgment in bidding on Martinez. This festering wound was brought back to the surface when Kelly tried to bid on Tom Candioti, a pitcher he had come into the Draft wanting, but was unable to bid high enough because of the money he'd wasted on Martinez.
Of course, Pitcher wasn’t the only roster spot Kelly needed to fill that day. He also came into the Draft with all three corner infield spots open (1B, 3B, 1B/3B). Combined, the other eight teams needed to fill 11 corner spots. Considering the disadvantage Kelly was working with money-wise compared to the other teams, he had is work cut out for him.
Throughout the Draft, there had been a lot of joking about which team would end up with Cub third baseman Gary Scott. In 1991, Scott had torn the cover off the ball in Spring Training and went early in the Draft, for .09 to Dem Rebels. Scott had a terrible season, hitting just .165, and the Rebels cut him. When Scott had another great Spring Training in 1992 and was again named the Cubs’ starting third baseman, Scott’s availability in the Draft became a running gag.
As the Draft wore on, corner infielder after corner infielder was put up for bid, 7 of them over the first several rounds of the Draft, and Kelly did not acquire a single one of them. Whether it was by design or the effects of the Martinez/Candiotti debacle, the 6th round of the Draft was drawing to a close and Kelly had not filled any of his corner infield spots. In fact he hadn’t drafted a single player since Ramon Martinez.
Dem Rebels owner, Rich, was sitting directly across from Kelly, and noticed him dropping out of the bidding early on corner men, and began to speculate about who Kelly was waiting for. When Ruffins’ owner, Dave, nominated Expos infielder Bret Barberie, Rich and Kelly began to discuss whether Barberie, the Expos’ Opening Day third baseman, had been the corner infielder Kelly had been waiting for. Kelly claimed he had forgotten about Barberie, but he joined in the bidding, clearly encouraged by the opportunity to fill his 3B roster spot.
Unfortunately Kelly and Rich failed to check Barberie’s defensive games played for the previous season. Although he had played 10 games at 3B, that was short of the 20 needed to qualify to be drafted there in 1992 – Barberie qualified only at SS, the position he had played the most in 1991.
When Kelly finally won the bidding for Barberie, there was some good natured celebration over the fact that Kelly had recovered from his earlier troubles, but the celebration was short-lived as other owners put the kibosh on his plans to put Barberie at 3B.
The Bret Barberie Incident was yet another mishap in Kelly’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, but it wasn’t the final insult. That came later, when Kelly was forced to draft Gary Scott for .09 to fill his last corner infielder spot.
Enjoy…
As I alluded to at the time, that incident didn't mark the low point of the Six Packs' draft that day. Six Packs' owner Kelly Barone fell into a distracted, brooding funk after getting stuck with Martinez. He came into the Draft with significantly less money to spend than all but one other owner, and blowing .13 on a pitcher he wanted nothing to do with threw his entire strategy and approach into chaos.
When he should have been focused on moving on, all Kelly could think about was his misjudgment in bidding on Martinez. This festering wound was brought back to the surface when Kelly tried to bid on Tom Candioti, a pitcher he had come into the Draft wanting, but was unable to bid high enough because of the money he'd wasted on Martinez.
Of course, Pitcher wasn’t the only roster spot Kelly needed to fill that day. He also came into the Draft with all three corner infield spots open (1B, 3B, 1B/3B). Combined, the other eight teams needed to fill 11 corner spots. Considering the disadvantage Kelly was working with money-wise compared to the other teams, he had is work cut out for him.
Throughout the Draft, there had been a lot of joking about which team would end up with Cub third baseman Gary Scott. In 1991, Scott had torn the cover off the ball in Spring Training and went early in the Draft, for .09 to Dem Rebels. Scott had a terrible season, hitting just .165, and the Rebels cut him. When Scott had another great Spring Training in 1992 and was again named the Cubs’ starting third baseman, Scott’s availability in the Draft became a running gag.
As the Draft wore on, corner infielder after corner infielder was put up for bid, 7 of them over the first several rounds of the Draft, and Kelly did not acquire a single one of them. Whether it was by design or the effects of the Martinez/Candiotti debacle, the 6th round of the Draft was drawing to a close and Kelly had not filled any of his corner infield spots. In fact he hadn’t drafted a single player since Ramon Martinez.
Dem Rebels owner, Rich, was sitting directly across from Kelly, and noticed him dropping out of the bidding early on corner men, and began to speculate about who Kelly was waiting for. When Ruffins’ owner, Dave, nominated Expos infielder Bret Barberie, Rich and Kelly began to discuss whether Barberie, the Expos’ Opening Day third baseman, had been the corner infielder Kelly had been waiting for. Kelly claimed he had forgotten about Barberie, but he joined in the bidding, clearly encouraged by the opportunity to fill his 3B roster spot.
Unfortunately Kelly and Rich failed to check Barberie’s defensive games played for the previous season. Although he had played 10 games at 3B, that was short of the 20 needed to qualify to be drafted there in 1992 – Barberie qualified only at SS, the position he had played the most in 1991.
When Kelly finally won the bidding for Barberie, there was some good natured celebration over the fact that Kelly had recovered from his earlier troubles, but the celebration was short-lived as other owners put the kibosh on his plans to put Barberie at 3B.
The Bret Barberie Incident was yet another mishap in Kelly’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, but it wasn’t the final insult. That came later, when Kelly was forced to draft Gary Scott for .09 to fill his last corner infielder spot.
Enjoy…
Friday, June 14, 2013
The Ramon Martinez Incident
If you play Rotisserie Baseball long enough, eventually you’ll have one of THOSE Drafts. You know the ones … where, despite the months of careful preparation, you can’t do anything right and everything that can go wrong, does.
For Six Packs’ owner Kelly Barone, that Draft was 1992. Unfortunately for Kelly, 1992 was the year we started video taping our Drafts, so his Disaster Draft was preserved for posterity and can now be relived in front of the entire world via the magic of the Internet.
Ok, first I ought to explain what’s up with this whole video taping thing. Long-time owner Bob Monroe (Bald Eagles) had to resign from the league following the 1991 season because he moved out of state. During the off-season he had mentioned a number of times how much he would miss the fun of Draft Day, so as a gag we decided to record the Draft and send it to him. There were so many classic moments in that 1992 Draft, we decided to tape again the following year, and continued doing so for the next 15 or so Drafts.
But back to the matter at hand … Kelly entered the 1992 Draft with .85 to spend on 11 players, but only one other team had less than $1.30 available. After he acquired second baseman Juan Samuel in the first round he was left with just .69 to spend the rest of the day, so Kelly knew he had to be careful with his money.
When Dodger pitcher Ramon Martinez was nominated for bidding, Kelly figured he could safely participate – feigning interest and hoping to drive up the bidding to force someone else to spend their money.
Martinez had turned in some very solid seasons for the Dodgers, winning 20 games in 1990 with a 2.92 ERA and winning 17 with a 3.27 ERA in 1991. However, he also pitched over 450 innings during those two years and there were reports out of a tired arm coming out of Spring Training. Here’s what Bill Mazeroski’s Baseball Magazine had to say in 1992:
Who would have thought the Dodgers’ list of worries would include Dominican right hander Ramon Martinez? … a sore elbow caused Martinez to leave an all start team touring Japan last winter (1990) … As it turned out, Martinez may have paying for the elbow injury all season. His smooth mechanics became disjointed, his arm weakened, and … he wasn’t close to the Ramon Martinez of old.
So the warning signs were there, and apparently they were enough to give most of the CFCL owners second thoughts about bidding too high on Martinez.
Kelly got stuck with Martinez, sucking another .13 out of his available budget, and driving Kelly into a stunned funk that lasted over an hour. As you’ll see in the video, Kelly brooded about The Ramon Martinez Incident for quite a while, feeling “absolutely shattered.” When a pitcher he had hoped to acquire, Martinez’s Dodger teammate Tom Candiotti, was nominated later in the Draft, Kelly wasn’t able to bid high enough to get him.
Eventually Kelly shook it off and acquired another player, but this too turned into a disaster. But the Bret Barberie Incident is a tale for another day. For now, enjoy Kelly’s agony with The Ramon Martinez Incident…
For Six Packs’ owner Kelly Barone, that Draft was 1992. Unfortunately for Kelly, 1992 was the year we started video taping our Drafts, so his Disaster Draft was preserved for posterity and can now be relived in front of the entire world via the magic of the Internet.
Ok, first I ought to explain what’s up with this whole video taping thing. Long-time owner Bob Monroe (Bald Eagles) had to resign from the league following the 1991 season because he moved out of state. During the off-season he had mentioned a number of times how much he would miss the fun of Draft Day, so as a gag we decided to record the Draft and send it to him. There were so many classic moments in that 1992 Draft, we decided to tape again the following year, and continued doing so for the next 15 or so Drafts.
But back to the matter at hand … Kelly entered the 1992 Draft with .85 to spend on 11 players, but only one other team had less than $1.30 available. After he acquired second baseman Juan Samuel in the first round he was left with just .69 to spend the rest of the day, so Kelly knew he had to be careful with his money.
When Dodger pitcher Ramon Martinez was nominated for bidding, Kelly figured he could safely participate – feigning interest and hoping to drive up the bidding to force someone else to spend their money.
Martinez had turned in some very solid seasons for the Dodgers, winning 20 games in 1990 with a 2.92 ERA and winning 17 with a 3.27 ERA in 1991. However, he also pitched over 450 innings during those two years and there were reports out of a tired arm coming out of Spring Training. Here’s what Bill Mazeroski’s Baseball Magazine had to say in 1992:
Who would have thought the Dodgers’ list of worries would include Dominican right hander Ramon Martinez? … a sore elbow caused Martinez to leave an all start team touring Japan last winter (1990) … As it turned out, Martinez may have paying for the elbow injury all season. His smooth mechanics became disjointed, his arm weakened, and … he wasn’t close to the Ramon Martinez of old.
So the warning signs were there, and apparently they were enough to give most of the CFCL owners second thoughts about bidding too high on Martinez.
Kelly got stuck with Martinez, sucking another .13 out of his available budget, and driving Kelly into a stunned funk that lasted over an hour. As you’ll see in the video, Kelly brooded about The Ramon Martinez Incident for quite a while, feeling “absolutely shattered.” When a pitcher he had hoped to acquire, Martinez’s Dodger teammate Tom Candiotti, was nominated later in the Draft, Kelly wasn’t able to bid high enough to get him.
Eventually Kelly shook it off and acquired another player, but this too turned into a disaster. But the Bret Barberie Incident is a tale for another day. For now, enjoy Kelly’s agony with The Ramon Martinez Incident…
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