Winter Waivers - 2012

We are a scant 19 days away from the Winter Waiver deadline.  Your cuts are due to the Commissioner by 3pm, Sunday January 6, 2013.  How did I know the time cuts were due?  I checked with the Constitution which has all you need to know about Winter Waivers.

However, I will give a brief reminder/synopsis to the process.

By Sunday, January 6, 2013 at 3pm CENTRAL TIME, you must submit your cuts and keepers to the Commissioner.  For your roster's safety I STRONGLY suggest submitting both a Keeper List AND and Cut List.  That way there shouldn't be any misunderstanding.  You are to cut down to 23 players.  For Winter Waivers there is no position requirement (you can keep 23 pitchers), there are no major or minor league restrictions (you can keep 23 minor leaguers - you know who you are).  You may NOT cut below 23 players.

You may want to use this as an opportunity to purge your roster of all unwanted "talent".  You cannot - beyond getting down to 23 players.

Keep in mind that anyone you had on your roster at the end of the season that played out their final year of their option or final year of a Long Term Contract or was acquired in September has already been purged from your roster and isn't eligible to be waived.  Uncertain who is still on your team?  Download the Roster Excel Spreadsheet located on the right.

Anyone on the roster sheet highlighted in yellow is currently on an American League roster.  I have tried to keep this roster accurate, but errors there may be.  Anyone in yellow is eligible to be kept or waived (and thus claimed).  If said player is still in the AL come Roster Freeze Day, then he must be cut.

You MAY NOT cut anyone currently on a Long Term Contract (Sean Marshall, Jay Bruce, Brandon Belt, Andrew McCutchen, Gaby Sanchez, ok, there's too many to list, but you get the idea).

Your cuts are due to the Commissioner no later than 3pm, January 6th.  I will be submitting my cuts to the remaining two members of the EC by that same deadline.  As luck seems to always have it, the Bentel Family Vacation runs into Winter Waivers, but not too much.  I will be out of town 12/30 - 1/6.  So I will be back the day cuts are due.  Hopefully this will not cause a delay in me releasing the list of available players.  However, if you have any questions about the waiver process, there may be a slight delay in me getting back to you.  I will have my computer with me, but I may not respond to you until later in the evening.

If possible, look things over and if you have questions, please contact me before the 30th.  Between the Constitution and your previous experience, there shouldn't be many problems, but it's always better to ask a question rather than assume an answer.  I would hate for anyone to lose a player from their roster because of a misunderstanding.

Post Season Stuff

First an official Front Office congratulations to the Clowns for capturing their first ever Copperfield Trophy.  Job well done.

There is some off-season things to be aware of.  First of all . . .

Hometown Discount  Here's how it breaks done, budget-wise.

Kenndoza Line beat out the Bulls for the Sweet Spot and garnered the maximum budget of .06.  They have the rights to the following players:

Ian Desmond
Jose Tabata
Jonathon Lucroy
David Freese
Logan Morrison
Jason Motte
Ian Kennedy

Graging Bulls  .05
Pablo Sandoval
Hunter Pence
Troy Tulowitzki
Jonny Venters
Brett Myers

Twin Killers .04
Omar Infante
Angel Pagan
Carlos Zambrano

Stranger Danger .04
Ike Davis
Nick Hundley

DoorMatts .04
Chris Johnson
Carlos Ruiz

Ruffins .03
Chris Young (OF)
Drew Storen

Beatniks .03
Brandon Phillips
Andres Torres
Josh Thole

Revenge .00
Yadier Molina
Jose Reyes
Matt Cain
Mat Latos
Eric O'Flaherty
Tommy Hanson

Dem Rebels .00
Ryan Zimmerman
R.A. Dickey
Mike Minor
Cole Hamels

Candy Colored Clowns .00
Ryan Hannigan
Pedro Alvarez
Roy Halladay
Johnny Cueto

Some other resposibilities for you the owners over the next few weeks.

1)  Please contact Commissioner Bentel and let him know your intentions for next year.  If anyone isn't coming back we need to know ASAP to try and find new ownership.  Are you in or out?

2)  We need to plan the Award Banquet.  Let's assume the Line, Beatniks and Ruffins aren't coming into town for pizza and beer (although you of course are welcome to attend).  The other seven owners please e-mail Commissioner Bentel with preferable dates/days or problematic dates/days so we can find a time to celebrate.  As always majority will rule, but there is always special weight given to the newly crowned Champion's schedule.

3)  Speaking of the banquet, you will be receiving the Awards Ballot in your In Box soon (hopefully within the week).  Please take time to vote, but return it in quickly.  The Banquet cannot occur until all votes are in.  This will be repeated when the ballot is e-mailed out but "Please vote for the most deserving candidate.  Most deserving does not necessarily constitute the player on your CFCL team or your favorite National League team."

That's it for now.  See (hopefully) most of you at the banquet!

Coming Down To The Wire

In what has become virtually an annual experience, the CFCL title is back up for grabs.  A couple of years ago the Line and DoorMatts duked it out until the last out of the season before the Line won in a tie-breaker.  Last year the Ruffins leapfrogged their way from third with half a week left in the season to win the championship yet again.

This year what looked like a run away romp by the Candy Colored Clowns has turned into a closer-than-it-appears battle between the Clowns and Rebels.  After Week 10, the Clowns lead the league by twelve points and that lead soon ballooned up to 21 points shortly after the trade deadline.

Now we are staring at fifteen days left in the season and the Clowns still hold a strong, but vulnerable eight point lead over the Rebels.  Additionally we see the standings have three other races as well.  The Revenge look to be a strong bet for third, but the Bulls and Line are fighting it out for the Sweet Spot (a.k.a. 4th place).  The Killers are firmly entrenched in sixth while the DoorMatts and Danger keep flipping the seventh and eighth spots.  And last year's champion Ruffins are doggedly fighting off the Beatniks for ninth.

Since it's been said that no one remember who finishes second, let's take a look at the categories that are in play and how they impact the Clowns eight point lead.  First of all, I didn't not include the opportunities the Clowns have to increase their lead, since if that happens nothing is different than it is today, the Clowns in the lead.  What follows is only potential for the Clowns to drop points or Dem Rebels to gain points to see if this is a close pennant race.  So by category, here we go.

Stolen Bases
Dem Rebels trail the Revenge by one stolen base.  (One potential point for Dem Rebels)
The Clowns are safely 16 bags ahead of the Killers (No potential loss in points)

Runs
The Bulls trail the Clowns by seven Runs (One potential point lost for the Clowns)
Dem Rebels are 32 runs away from the Revenge (No potential gain in points)

RBIs
The Clowns safely lead Dem Rebels by 94 RBIs (No potential loss for the Clowns or gain for Dem Rebels).

Total Bases
This one may be a bit of a stretch, but maybe not.
The Clowns lead Dem Rebels by 47 Total Bases.  That breaks down to Dem Rebels needing three more Total Bases than the Clowns each day for the rest of the season to pass the Clowns.  Likely?  Don't know, but possible.  (One potential point lost by the Clowns and one potential point gained by Dem Rebels).

On Base Percentage
Dem Rebels trail the Killers by .0018 (One potential point gained by Dem Rebels)
The Ruffins trail the Clowns by .0009 (One potential point lost by the Clowns)

Offensively there are conceivably six points in play.

Earned Run Average
The Clowns are safely .233 ahead of the Danger (No potential point lost)
Dem Rebels are .037 behind the Revenge and .051 behind the Bulls (Two potential points gained)

WHiP
Danger is securely .0381 ahead of Dem Rebels (No potential point gained)
Danger is .0242 behind the Clowns (One potential point lost)

Quality Starts
The Bulls are three QS behind the Clowns (One potential point lost)
Dem Rebels are nine QS behind the Killers (No potential point gained)

Holds/Saves
The Clowns are a secure seven H/S ahead of the Line (No potential point lost)
Dem Rebels are a distant twelve H/S behind the Bulls (No potential point gained)

K/BB
The Line is a mere .002 behind the Clowns (One potential point lost)
Dem Rebels trail the DoorMatts by .106 (One potential point gained)

Pitching has six points in play.  In total there are twelve points available to move with an eight point lead.  Some are more possible than others, but the potential for another last day show down is still there with fifteen days remaining.  If nothing else, this yet again points out to Bud Dumber of Major League Baseball that you don't need to create stupid ass rules and monkey with the system to have drama at the end of the season.

Good luck to all for an exciting finish to 2012!!

Christmas Comes Early to the Line

The Kenndoza Line benefitted from some fortunate timing as well as heads up team management to secure two potential big pieces of their 2013 puzzle at very reasonable rates.

With 27 hours to spare before the Free Agent Bid Deadline for the week, the Red Sox and Dodgers completed a massive deal that sent a lot of Dodgers and Beatniks to Boston in exchange for four major leaguers.  We'll come back to the significance of the deal being done on Saturday versus, say Monday, in a moment.

With an influx of talent into the CFCL Free Agent Pool, bidding promised to be interesting.  Alas, it wasn't as interesting as it could have been.

The DoorMatt and Clowns had already spent themselves dry, so they had to sit on the sidelines for this one.  The Revenge (.10) and Ruffins (.07) also didn't have much fire power available for the bidding it would take to pick up Gonzalez, Crawford or Beckett.  That didn't stop them from making a Hail Mary bid, but they didn't have enough to be successful.

The big spenders that had a chance to pick up some 2013 pieces were the Beatniks (.35), Killers (.84) and Danger (.40).  The Line walked into the day with .39 left in their budget as well.  What figured to be a bidding war between the 10th, 8th, 6th and 5th place teams turned into a true silent auction as only the Line submitted bids out of the four teams.  The only stiff challenge came from Dem Rebels who pushed all in with their .20 budget for Adrian Gonzalez.  That wasn't near enough to beat out the Line who picked up Gonzalez for .26 and Carl Crawford for .13.

The amazing thing about the timing of the trade is this.  By the bids being submitted on Sunday, August 26, 2012, all players acquired (Gonzalez .26, Crawford .13 and Beckett .20 to the Rebels) receive a two year renewable contract.  Gonzalez has to be kept for 2013 lest the Line sacrifice .13 of their 2.60 on Draft Day.  Somehow the Line will suffer penciling in Gonzalez at first for .26.  This would have happened whether the Dodger/Red Sox trade took place Saturday or Monday.

Now, if the trade had been finalized on Monday, those players wouldn't have been available for bid until Sunday, September 2nd, 2012.  Any player acquired after September 1st receives an S contract and is released at the end of the 2012 season.  So Beckett and Crawford would not have the chance to be with the Rebels and Line, respectively, in this case.  Most likely, having just had Tommy John surgery last week, Crawford would not have received any bids anyway.

So if the Line finds themselves to be contenders next year they can thank the Dodgers and Red Sox for the 27 hour gift.

End of Season Reminders

We are fast approaching the homestretch of the 2012 season.  Here are a couple of things to remember.

1)  For those of you that still have a Free Agent Budet, this weekend is the last weekend to acquire a free agent and keep him next season.  That's because . . .

2)  Anyone you acquire during September receives an "S" contract, which means the contract expires at the end of the current season.  Also, for "S" contracts, there are NO Home Team Discount rights.

3)  A week from Saturday (September 1st) you are able to activate an extra player into a second Utility spot.  The player can be pitcher or position.  Keep in mind that if you activate a player from your reserve to the September Roster Expansion (SRE) spot, this does not allow you to fill the open reserve spot without waiving someone.  You are allowed 40, and only 40, players on your roster.  For five months the split is 23 active 17 reserve.  For September it can be 24 active 16 reserve.  You are not required to activate an extra player in September.

For the above three points, more details can be found in our beautiful Constitution.

I have started putting together the ballots for our end of season awards.  If you would like to submit some suggestions, any help would be greatly appreciated.

Why I Love This League

Gents -

Another trade deadline and IFAB Day has come and gone and, without trying to sound condescending, I am really impressed.  The CFCL has experienced its bumps along the road, but this year went swimmingly (if I can go Olympic on you).  Here are just a couple of reasons for the title of this post.

• Trading - This year, from my point of view, the trades were extremely fair.  Competing teams looked to fill needs and were not involved in huge, egregious trades involving Uber-stars with Uber-salaries while giving up Rookie Ball prospects.
• Prior to this week, before trading began, we had the makings of a horserace for at least 2nd through 5th place.  The trades that were made did nothing to violate that and may have enhanced the race.  Nothing against the Clowns, but here's hoping that the race for the title becomes a little more interesting.
• IFAB.  Many years teams will want to acquire a moderate talent level guy and throw a .24 bid out there so that they ensure getting him but are not tied to the player for the next season.  While it's a valid strategy, it's also not very creative.  But this year, while we only had four teams make bids on IFAB Day, all the bids were within reason and each player acquired could easily be kept next year for that salary.  Well done!
• The commitment of our owners.  Mike Coulter commented that he took IFAB Day off (not sure if it was only because of IFAB Day) so he would be available to process trades, answer questions, etc.  And then there's the Ruffins.  Mind you the Ruffins are coming off of back-to-back championships and are currently mired in 8th place.  It would be relatively easy for them to rest on their laurels (and championship rings) and not worry about making a last minute deal.  Especially so if they were, say, meeting with a leader of the country.  But, no, the Ruffins frantically worked their IPhone - well, let me have Dave use his own words:

I made two trades today on my IPhone minutes before our trade deadline and minutes before Michelle Obama spoke on campus today...literally minutes. If my wife was unsure up to this point, and honestly she was likely quite sure, she now knows that I am completely batshit crazy. About to hear the first lady speak from the VIP section right next to the podium and what am I doing? General managing my fake baseball team.

In any case, I write to make sure everything is ok with the Bulls-Ruffins trade because I see it hasn't been processed yet. I sent the trade and my related moves to you at 11:44 your time. Matt's email likely came in just a tad earlier.

 

With 16 minutes to spare before the deadline and the First Lady clearing her throat, Dave's punching proposals into his phone.  I'm sure Secret Service was not nervous at all by the profusely sweating professor playing with an electronic gadget mere feet from Mrs. Obama.

 

And here's Dave's proof.

 

 

Impressive.  The only negative to any of this is I heard a few comments from owners that their trade inquiries were completely ignored.  Rejecting a trade offer is normal and acceptable.  Not responding at all isn't.  But overall, this very well could be the most successful mid-season experienced by the CFCL in quite a long time.

 

Clowns working until the end

Seeing the championship within reach and not wanting leave a stone unturned, the Clowns pulled off a deal within 30 minutes of the trade deadline and the Ruffins were involved in two deals to help build for next year.

First the Ruffins sent Hunter Pence (.25 12) and Brett Myers (.07 12) to the Bulls in exchange for Bobby Parnell (.05 14+), Julio Teheran (.02 Mx) and Matt Sczur (.05 Mx). 

Then with four minutes left before the deadline the Ruffins and Clowns dealt.  The Ruffins sent Emilio Bonafacio (.10 13+) and Ryan Hannigan (.04 12) to the Clowns and received Yasmani Grandal (.02 Mx) and Joe Segura (.10 14+).

The Clowns are in the driver seat especially with all the last minute fortification.  The interesting part of the standings will be for the remaining money slots.  The Bulls and Dem Rebels made some moves to try and advance and currently the Line and Revenge are holding down 2nd and 3rd.

Injuries, playing time by NL teams in and out of the playoff hunt as well as the IFAB later this afternoon will most likely tell the tale of how things finish.  This should be interesting to watch.

Rebels welcome Ruffins back to America with trade

Dem Rebels added to their starting stable by acquiring Cole Hamels (.29 12) and a 6th round pick from the Ruffins in exchange for some high risk, high reward ammo in Mike Leake (.01 13+) and Domonic Brown (.02 13+).

Trading continue - Bulls/Rebels style

In an effort to push themselves into the money slots, the Rebels and Bulls made a deal of needs.  The Rebels picked up a bit more offense while the Bulls are hoping for some speed.

Dem Rebels traded Tony Campana (.05 14+) and their 7th pick to the Bulls for the struggling Dan Uggla (.25 14+) and their 5th pick.

Clowns continue to deal, this time with the Bulls

The Clowns continued to fortify their first place presence by picking up Matt Holliday (.48 14+) and Jed Lowrie (.07 14+).  To get them he gave the Bulls Todd Frazier (.10 14+), Jonny Venters (.05 12) and their 13th pick.

Clowns - DoorMatts Swap

Smelling blood, and his first CFCL Championship, the Clowns went for speed and quality starts.

The Clowns acquired Roy Halladay (.37 12) and Jose Altuve (.05 14+) from the DoorMatts and sent Tyler Pastornicky (.05 14+), Carlos Martinez (.05 Mx) and Zach Wheeler (.02 Mx) back in return.  The DoorMatts waived Orlando Hudson to make room for his new minor league booty.

Rebels - Danger Make a Deal

In perhaps a futile attempt to make a run at the Clowns, Dem Rebels shored up their starting rotation and their infield.

Dem Rebels traded Jason Heyward (.15 13!) and Travis Wood (.09 14+) to the Danger in exchange for Ryan Zimmerman (.27 12!) and Mark Buehrle (.09 14+).

Trade and IFAB Day

We are approaching a deadline and a date that we need to be aware of.  First the deadline.

The CFCL Trade Deadline is Noon (CST) on Wednesday, August 1st.  We've had a few trades already this month and more are expected.  We are all familiar with the process, but with a deadline as part of the mix, things could get dicey.  Let's review the process.

In order for a trade to be official both teams involved in the trade must report the trade to the Commission ALONG WITH ALL ASSOCIATED MOVES.  I know you all know this, but understand that if both teams don't report the deal with their associated moves by Noon, Wednesday, August 1st, then the trade is invalid and will not be allowed - period.

If the Commissioner is involved in the trade then they and the other team involved will report the trade with associated moves to the Executive Committee.

I strongly encourage everyone to visit the Constitution to answer any questions you may have about the CFCL Trade Deadline.

Now on to the date to be aware of.  The Interleague Free Agent Bid Day is the day after the National League Trade Deadline.  So, on Wednesday, August 1st each owner of the CFCL is allowed to place bids - in the same fashion that we do on each Sunday.  The deadline is 3pm (CST) and you are allowed to bid on ANYONE in the Free Agent Pool, not only players recently arriving from the American League.  Same rules apply - you are only allowed to bid up to the amount you have remaining in your FAAB, if you bid (and acquire) a player for .25 or more, you are required to keep that player going into next year's draft.

I strongly encourage everyone to visit the Constitution to answer any questions you may have about IFAB Day.

Rebel - Revenge Swap

With twelve days left until the trade deadline the Revenge and Dem Rebels went their separate ways.  The Revenge, in an effort to close the gap between them and the Clowns picked up some speed in Jose Reyes (.29 12).  Dem Rebels, realizing that trying to overtake the Clowns would be a daunting challenge gave up Reyes to snag the Poor Man's Andrew McCutchen in Starling Marte (.10 Mx) and the Revenge's 4th round pick.

More interesting that this trade will be the potential domino effect that could have the next week and a half become of flurry of activity with no less than eight teams still having a legitimate shot to finish in the money.

If the season ended today . . .

OK, I hate that assumption.  The season isn't ending today.  BUT there is an interesting development happening - hand in hand with the fact that teams are jumping from sixth to third in the course of a couple hours each night.  If we look ahead to the use of the Home Team Discount, here's how things stand currently.

Bulls (sitting in the sweet spot) .06
Rebels .05
Ruffins .05
DoorMatts .05
Killers .04
Danger .03
President of the Carlos Lee Fan Club .03

The standings are tightly packed and I don't ever recall this much money being in play for the HTD.  Speaks volumes to the talent of our owners, the parity we've achieved and the fact that no one has made any assinine dump trades to completely tank for the season.

First Trade of the 2012 Season

Just hours after the e-mail from the Bulls admonishing the league at the lack of trades, the Killers and Revenge announce a blockbuster.

The Revenge trade Matt Harvey (.05 Mx) and Martin Maldanado (.06 14+) to the Killers for Yadier Molina .06 12.  The Killers waive Brett Pill (.05 14+) to make room for their two new players.

Natural Day - 2012

Celebrating the 28th anniversary of Ryne Sandberg's incredible game against the St. Louis Cardinals, our CFCL version of The Natural Day had its own come from behind heroics.

For much of the evening the Clowns held a lead, at times commanding, in what looked like a cakewalk to a $25 gift certificate.  Instead, inning by inning, batter by batter the Revenge chipped away at the lead and ended up winning in convincing fashion.  Last year's winner, The Ruffins, finished last this year, no doubt suffering from the Head Ruffin being away on a scouting trip in Europe.

Here are the final results as well as some interesting notes about the Cubs vs. Cardinals game in 1984.

Revenge - 55 (MLB.com gift card will be on its way).  Oh, by the way, the Revenge also won K-Wood day this year making it a clean sweep.
Clowns - 48
Beatniks - 41
Bulls - 40
DoorMatts - 38
Dem Rebels - 37
Twin Killers - 33
Kenndoza Line - 22
Stranger Danger - 20
RYNE SANDBERG - 20
Ruffins - 11

• Ralph Citarella was the starting pitcher for the Cardinals on 6/23/84.  He was staked to a 7-1 lead early in the game but came away with a no decision.  As if the baseball gods were saying "Well, if you can't win this game. . . " Citarella never won a major league game.
• Often overlooked, Willie McGee hit for the cycle.
• Steve Trout was the starting pitcher for the Cubs that day, giving up 7 earned runs in one and a third innings.
• Current Cubs broadcaster, Keith Moreland, played rightfield and went 0-4.
• Many people have claimed that Sandberg won the game with his second homerun off Bruce Sutter.  In fact he tied the game in the 9th and again in the 10th inning with homeruns off Sutter.
• Dave Owens knocked in Leon Durham with the winning run in the 11th inning.
• Cardinals closer, Bruce Sutter, entered the game in the 7th inning and proceeded to pitch three and a third innings (giving up three earned runs).
• Attendance for the game was 38,079.

Welcome Back

The Ruffins have headed out for their Annual European Sabbatical.  While they plan on running their team while roaming among the art and sipping wine in Italy (yes it's good to be The Professor) they have put in place a back up plan should Italian Internet Service become infested by the European Problem known as Greece.

The have hired pro-tem none other than David Mahlan to act as Assistant GM (yes, it's VERY good to be The Professor).  So for those of you scoring at home (or even if you're alone), that's The Professor (owner of four CFCL titles) running the show, being backed up by The Copperfield (owner of eleven CFCL titles) working to guide The Ruffins to a three-peat.

I have not received confirmation that Mr. Mahlan has authority to make trades, so at this point (until July at least) I would suggest sending any communication to The Professor's e-mail address should you want to deal.

K Wood Winner

Congratulations to the Revenge for winning this year's K Wood Day! The Revenge staged a come from behind victory on the right arm of Matt Cain to over take the Clowns. The Revenge posted 22 Ks, three more than the 19 registered by the Clowns. The Ruffins finished a distant third and were the only other team with double digit strike outs, amassing thirteen. A $25 gift card to mlb.com is on the way to the Revenge e-mailbox.

K Wood Day

May 6th is K Wood 2012. Since it's on a Sunday there should be strong competition for the coveted $25 gift card. As a reminder, the team with the highest total of strikeouts recorded by their ACTIVE pitching staff will garner the prize. Last year the Red Hots won with 25 Ks (16 by Cliff Lee alone). Neither the Hots nor Lee are around for this year's go at it so the door is wide open. Good luck!

Draft Day 2012 Photo Album



CFCL 2012




Pre-Draft Business




The Morkert Innovation




Executive Committee Election Results



We Are Locked And Loaded

Alrighty boys! Thanks to everyone for getting their cuts in on time (and many who got them in early!) That allowed me to get a head start on putting the roster sheet together and reconciling some issues. I have posted an updated Roster that can be downloaded on the right.

Here is a synopsis of the cuts.

Long Term Contracts Signed
John Axford 2 years
Madison Bumgarner 2 years
Jordan Zimmerman 2 years
Brandon Belt 2 years
Neil Walker 2 years
Jason Heyward 2 years
Starlin Castro 4 years
Sean Marshall 2 years
Mike Morse 3 years
Tyler Clippard 2 years
Yovanni Gallardo 2 years
Gaby Sanchez 2 years

Big Names (and salaries) Cut
Chris Carpenter
Ryan Howard
Chase Utley
Jayson Werth
Rafael Furcal
Shawn Marcum
Francisco Cordero
David Wright
Heath Bell
Tim Lincecum
Chad Billingsley

X Contracts Exercised
Mike Stanton
Buster Posey
Stephen Strasburg

Winter Waivers Kept
Kenley Jansen
Nyjer Morgan
Zach Cozart
Edison Volquez

LTC Broken
Skip Schumaker (The Danger will lose .05 from their budget for voiding the last year of Schumaker's contract).

Money to Spend

Here's what you wanted to know.

Danger needs 10 players and has .62 to spend (6.2 cents per player)
DoorMatts 9 players and 1.02 to spend (11.3)
Revenge 11 players and 1.20 to spend (10.9)
Killers 9 players and 1.72 to spend (19.1) !!!
Rebels 12 players and 1.44 to spend (12.0)
Bulls 10 players and 1.49 to spend (14.9)
Clowns 8 players and 1.48 to spend (18.5)
Beatniks 13 players and 1.38 to spend (10.6)
Kenndoza Line 8 players and .91 to spend (11.3)
Ruffins 10 players and 1.06 to spend (10.6)

That's it! Thanks again for your cooperation and we'll see you at 7-7:30am on Sunday!

Matt to Matt Trade

The DoorMatts and Graging Bulls continued blowing the trade winds. The DoorMatts acquired the Chicago Cubs Next Big Thing in Anthony Rizzo (.05 13+). In return they sent the April, May, June version of Ryan Howard - AKA John Mayberry (.01 13+) back to the Bulls.

With the recent trades and Major League activity, a new roster excel spreadsheet has been posted to the Front Office on the right.

Beatnik - Revenge Trade

The Eukennott Beatniks have not lost the feel of running a baseball team despite taking a two year hiatus. In their second deal this spring, they trade set-up specialist Eric O'Flaherty (.01 12+) to the Revenge in exchange for Brandon Phillips (.29 12+).

Beatnik - Line Trade

The Eukenott Beatniks began putting their stamp on the old Red Hot team by agreeing to the following trade with the Kenndoza Line.

The Beatniks send Rafael Bentancourt (.09 13+) and their 9th Round Rotation Pick to the Line in exchange for Allen Craig (.10 13+) and Alex Presley (.11 13+).

2012 Draft Day Timeline

Okay, boys. Spring Training is in full swing, games will be starting this weekend and we're getting ever closer to Draft Day 2012!

Here is a timeline for the days leading up to Draft Day. As always I suggest reading the Constitution regarding Roster Freeze Day, but if you have any questions, feel free to send me an e-mail.

For this year's timeline, I've tried to wait as long as possible for us to have to make decisions while still giving us enough time to formulate a game plan based on each others keepers and cuts.

Tuesday, March 27th - ROSTER CUTS DUE! 12pm noon is the cutoff. Remember, once you submit the cuts (even if you send me your cuts two days before the deadline) NO TRADES ARE ALLOWED. Once you click "send", that's it. Period. Cuts are due by 12 noon. I will remind you that the sooner I receive everyone's cuts, the sooner I can give you final rosters.

Wednesday, March 28th - ROSTER CUTS ANNOUNCED. In all honesty, I plan on sending out the list and updated Roster Sheet Tuesday night, but in case life gets in the way or there are issues to sort through, I'm giving myself until the 28th to get the list out.

Saturday, March 31st - HARD FREEZE. No more movement between active and reserve list is allowed.

Sunday, April 1st - DRAFT DAY!!! We will start with the Ruffin Privilege at 8am SHARP! We have owners leaving town that afternoon so we have to start on time. That means everyone should arrive between 7am and 7:30 so that we can take care of league business (go over Draft List, take picture, sign the Copperfield Trophy, vote for the EC, clarify any rules, etc.) before 8am. Plan accordingly. Look at Mapquest. E-mail me with direction issues. Buy yourself an alarm clock. Learn how to set the alarm clock. No one should walk in the door after 7:30am.

Keep in mind that the Trade Season is still in session. You can make trades up until the point that you submit your cuts to me. I will be submitting my cuts to the Executive Committee before noon on the 27th.

DRAFT DAY 2012

We are finally locked in on date, time and location for Draft Day 2012!!

Our draft will take place on Sunday, April 1st, 2012 at 8am in the plush conference room of Rich's company. I will be sending you an e-mail with address and detailed directions to the location.

Here are some details. We will have access to a fridge (no telling on how much space will be available so bringing a mini cooler might not be a bad idea) and a microwave oven.

The conference room has a table and very comfortable chairs that seat ten. If no one brought a lap top, there would be enough space to sit comfortably. If everyone (or some) brings a laptop, and papers and books then the space gets a bit tight so think ahead and plan to put some stuff on the ground around you.

There are six outlets. Four at one end of the room, two at the other. We'll power strips and extension cords.

There may or may not be internet access, but we won't use it. If there is a port, it's the building management's, not my company's so we won't have claim to using it.

If you were planning on bringing an assistant GM or co-owner or someone for moral support understand there is room for ten people to co-exist in relative comfort. Anyone else attending WILL NOT be able to sit at the table because there's simply no room. The extra people will have to hover around the perimeter of the table, looking over your shoulder.

While the above paragraph is important, here's the MOST IMPORTANT thing to plan for. Our 8am start is when the Ruffin Privilege will be invoked. So that means we have to take the league photo, vote on the Executive Committee, hand out and review roster and free agents sheets, sign the 2012 Copperfield Trophy and talk about any new business BEFORE 8am. That's a lot of stuff to accomplish. We cannot have people arriving at 7:55am. I would say all the league business should be handled starting at 7:30am at the latest.

It's January 18th. That means you have two and a half months to coordinate GPS or Mapquest to get you to our draft by 7:30am. We have three owners travelling back out of town Sunday evening and one or more could be on tight schedules, so if we are going to draft at a comfortable pace, starting on time is paramount.

7:30am at the latest. Matt, Mike B and I will be there most likely by 7am so anytime after that is fine.

Winter Waivers Complete

With no bids submitted for John Jay, the Winter Waivers have come to a close.

Currently your Executive Committee is reviewing and scouring through the Constitution in the hope of clarifying language and leaving no ambiguity. But in the spirit of 20 eyes are better than six, if you have noticed something in the Constitution that seems confusing, missing or misworded, please forward it to me so we can look into it.

Additionally I am finalizing our draft location and hope to have an announcement on the location and time soon. We have already determined that Sunday, April 1st will be Draft Day.

As owners, the next order of business will be Roster Freeze Day. I will be posting a calendar of events here shortly, so I encourage you all to check back for more details.

Winter Waivers 2011-12 Round 4

Yes that's right, we have a Round 4! Deadline for claiming Jay is 3pm Sunday the 15th.

Ruffins
Orlando Hudson .05 13+ (John Jay .10 13+)

Kicking Off The 2012 Trade Season

Opening the 2012 Trade Season, the Candy Colored Clowns have acquired - wait for it - a Cincinnati Red prospect! But in a shocking turn of events they ended up trading a Cincinnati pitcher to get the prospect.

The Candy Colored Clowns send Mike Leake (.01 13+) and Casey Kelly (.05 Mx) to Dem Rebels in exchange for Billy Hamilton (.05 Mx) and the Rebels 11th round pick in the 2012 Rotation Draft.

Rebel Management had all sorts of promotional nights planned: Bobblehead night featuring Billy The Quick, for example. They just couldn't resist shoring up their pitching rotation for the upcoming season.

Winter Waivers 2011-12 Round 3

Round 2 results. Round 3 deadline is Thursday the 12th at 3pm.

SUCCESSFUL BIDS

Danger
None

Killers
None

Clowns
None

Bulls
None

Dem Rebels
Brad Lidge .03 (Chase Headley .21)
Derrek Lee .05 (Orlando Hudson .05)

Beatniks
None

DoorMatts
None

Revenge
Matt Dominguez .05M (Justin Turner .08)

Kenndoza Line
None

Ruffins
Zack Cozart .12 (Evan Meek .05)

These were the only claims submitted, so everyone got who they wanted.

Please respond to today's e-mail about Draft Day availability and preferences.

Winter Waivers 2011-12 Round 2

Below are the results of Round 1. Anyone listed in () is eligible to be claimed in Round 2. The deadline to submit a claim is 3pm Sunday, January 8th. Remember, for every player you claim you must waive a player.

HERE ARE THE SUCCESSFUL CLAIMS

Stranger Danger
None

Twin Killers
None

Candy Colored Clowns
Kenley Jansen (Brad Lidge .03)
Ryan Howard (Zach Cozart .12)

Graging Bulls
Jonny Gomes (Mark Melacon .05)
Mike Pelfrey (Derrek Lee .05)
Brad Ziegler (Chris Snyder .03)

Dem Rebels
Ted Lilly (Daniel Descalso .05)

Eukenott Beatniks
None

DoorMatts
None

Morkertzuma's Revenge
Nyjer Morgan (Octavio Dotel .06)
Christian Friedrich (Ryan Doumit .03)
Jeremy Affeldt (Matt Holliday .44)

Kenndoza Line
None

David's Ruffins
Jonathon Singleton (Alex White .06)
Jordan Lyles (Francisco Rodriguez .22)
Edison Volquez (Matt Dominguez .05M)

HERE ARE ALL THE CLAIMS - Players listed in italics were unsuccessfully claimed

Danger
None

Killers
None

Clowns
Kenley Jansen*
Ryan Howard

Bulls (Only three)
Kenley Jansen*
Jonny Gomes
Mike Pelfrey
Brad Ziegler
Todd Frazier

Dem Rebels
Ted Lilly
Jonathon Singleton*

Eukenott Beatniks
None

DoorMatts
None

Revenge
Nyjer Morgan
Jonathon Singleton*
Christian Friedrich
Jeremy Affeldt

Kenndoza Line
None

Ruffins
Jonathon Singleton*
Kenley Jansen*
Jordan Lyles
Edison Volquez

Winter Waivers 2011-12 Round 1

The cuts have been submitted and are listed below. As always I suggest using the Constitution as your guide through the process, but feel free to e-mail me with any questions or discrepancies. Here are a couple of things to remember about the rest of Winter Waivers:

1) The Trade season in now open! You can trade without restriction. There are no player restrictions or salary restrictions.

2) When you make a Waiver Claim you MUST WAIVE a player. As of this moment you may have more or less than 23 players on your roster. If you make a lopsided 2-1 deal that leaves you with 22 players on your team, you still must waive a player if you claim one.

3) There are many American League players on the list below. You may claim them, but if those players are still in the American League as of Roster Freeze Day, you must release them.

4) The claim deadline for Round 1 is 3pm this Thursday (January 5th).

5) MOST IMPORTANT!!! WHEN YOU SUBMIT YOUR WINTER WAIVER CLAIMS YOU HAVE TO SEND THEM TO ME!! YOU CANNOT GO THROUGH ONROTO. ANY CLAIMS NOT SUBMITTED TO ME ARE NOT VALID. I WILL NOT CHASE DOWN ANYONE IF THEY SUBMIT THEIR CLAIMS OTHER THAN IN AN E-MAIL TO ME.

Here are the players:

Javier Lopez .10
Clay Hensley .01
Wilson Valdez .06
Yu Darvish .02M
Mitchell Boggs .08
Matt Belisle .10
Randy Wolf .15
Jose Altuve .10
Jeremy Affeldt .05
Casey Blake .15
Ross Detwiler .06
Nathan Eovaldi .06
Jeff Keppinger .10
Jiovanni Mier .05M
Ronny Paulino .05
Tony Sanchez .02M
Juan Uribe .08
Tyler Colvin .10
Jonny Gomes .01
Humberto Quintero .05
Chris Iannetta .09
Rubby DeLarosa .10
Mark Rzepczynski .11
Charlie Blackmon .05
Santiago Casilla .05
James Darnell .05
Delino DeShields .05M
Mike Fontenot .10
Edwin Jackson .24
Kameron Loe .10
Chris Narveson .05
Chris Resop .05
Jeff Samardzija .05
Geovany Soto .22
Kosuke Fukudome .08
Chad Qualls .10
Bill Bray .10
Hong-Chi Kuo .12
Justin Sellers .07
Pat Burrell .03
Todd Frazier .02
Matt Guerrier .06
Tony Gwynn .10
LaTroy Hawkins .05
Trayvon Robinson .05M
David Ross .01
Josh Spence .05
Reed Johnson .10
Yunesky Bentancourt .07
John Grabow .05
Matt Downs .05
Armando Galarraga .02
Alex Cora .05
Jay Gibbons .10
Aaron Rowand .10
Henry Blanco .05
Zach Duke .05
Ross Ohlendorf .05
Kris Medlin .05
Ryan Theriot .10
Sergio Mitre .02
Laynce Nix .05
Kenley Jansen .05
Marlon Byrd .18
Ben Francisco .02
Chipper Jones .21
Jonathon Broxton .15
Derek Lowe .07
Sean Burnett .15
Willie Harris .10
James McDonald .10
Wil Nieves .05
Scott Rolen .12
Ryan Spilbourghs .01
Eric Hinske .10
James Loney .21
Rick Ankiel .01
Mike Cameron .05
Corey Hart .30
Alfonso Soriano .17
JB Shuck .05
Ryan Howard .45
Mark Ellis .09
Willie Bloomquist .10
Steve Pearce .05
Derrick Norris .05M
Jose Constanza .05
Jose Ceda .05
Kyle McClellan .15
Kerry Wood .15
Collin Cowgill .05
Brian Bogusevic .05
Jerry Hairston Jr. .10
Chris Heisey .10
Nyjer Morgan .03
Brad Ziegler .05
Jordan Lyles .05
Edison Volquez .07
Dontrelle Willis .05
Josh Collmenter .10
Mike Pelfrey .01
Christian Friedrich .05M
Jonathan Singleton .05M
Josh Lindblom .05
Brandon Allen .02
Aubrey Huff .09
Jason Bartlett .13
Kelly Johnson .20
Rod Barajas .10
Javy Guerra .24
Ubaldo Jimenez .27
Jordan Schafer .11
Eli Whiteside .05
Hiroki Kuroda .31
Chris Denorfia .10
Raul Ibanez .10
Blake Dewitt .05
Greg Dobbs .05
Lyle Overbay .04
Miguel Cairo .05
Jamey Carroll .05
Gerald Laird .02
Ronny Cedeno .05
Ted Lilly .17
Randy Wells .09
Matt Antonelli .10M
Roger Bernardina .05
Livan Hernandez .10
Fred Lewis .10
Ivan Rodriguez .05