In a Class By Himself

Juan Guttierez
Revenge .08 (Perez, O.)

A Voice From The Past

Longtime CFCLers - heck, all CFCLers - should check out the following internet radio show:

Chicago Baseball Week in Review

That's right, those are the dulcet tones of our own Eric Lamb wafting over the airwaves (or whatever the internet version of "airwaves" are). You can listen to the show at the link above, and even subscribe to podcasts in iTunes.

Internet radio is a mixed bag and you're never sure what you're going to get, but Eric and his partner Brian do a great job of breaking down the latest happenings on the North and South sides of Chicago, and certainly don't hold back their disgust with the way things are going.

Check it out!

PS. Speaking of blasts from the past, in the car on my way to work Monday morning I heard something about Heath Slocumb beating out Tiger Woods in some tourament or another. That can't be the same Heathcliff Slocumb that pitched so superbly for the Cubs, Cards, Red Sox and others in the 90s can it? Talk about a successful career change!

(Ok, I'm assuming it's not the same guy. But given how closely I follow golf, I'm actually half serious. It's not him, right?)

Last Minute Shopping - I Got Me a Junior!

Eric Young Jr.
DoorMatts .12 (Hernandez, A.)
Revenge .06 (Glaus)
Red Hots .05 (Giles)
Bulls .05 (Lohse)

Jason Hammel
Dem Rebels .05 (Cora)

Corky Miller
Kenndoza .05 (Thurston)

Jonathon Sanchez
Ruffins .05 (Ross)
Kenndoza .05 (Petit)

Sammy Gervacio
DoorMatts .06 (Fontenot)

JJ Putz
Bulls .05 (Young)

Drew Stubbs
Bulls .05 (Lohse)

David Freese
Bulls .05 (Vandenhurk)

Ike Davis
Bulls .05 (Blum)

Charlie Haeger
Ruffins .05 (Burton)

Garrett Mock
Ruffins .05 (Sanchez, A.)

And Down The Stretch They Come!

Heading into the final week of August, the Kenndoza Line holds a commanding 12 point lead over the second place DoorMatts. Or is it commanding? Let's take a look.

Looking at the various categories and the points in play we find:

On Base Percentage:
Line is .002 ahead of Copperfields - potential 1 point loss
DoorMatts .0076 behind Bulls - no point gain

Runs:
Line 19 ahead of Bulls - no point loss
DoorMatts 2 behind Copperfields - potential one point gain

RBI:
Line 1 behind Copperfields - potential one point gain
DoorMatts 62 behind Line - no point gain

Stolen Bases:
Line 14 ahead of Revenge - no point loss
DoorMatts 4 behind Revenge - potential one point gain

Total Bases:
Line 13 behind Clowns - potential one point gain
DoorMatts 24 behind Copperfields - no point gain

So far, based on offense the Line could drop one point closer to the Matts (and have an 11 point lead). But let's look at the pitching categories. Now here's where it gets fun.

ERA:
Line .04 ahead of DoorMatts - potential one point loss
DoorMatts .04 behind Line - potential one point gain

Hold/Save:
Line 2 ahead of DoorMatts - potential one point loss
DoorMatts 2 behind Line - potential one point gain

K/BB:
Line .251 ahead of Copperfields - no point loss
DoorMatts .085 behind Copperfields - potential one point gain

Quality Starts:
Line 2 ahead of Revenge - potential one point loss
DoorMatts 16 ahead of Line - no point gain

WHIP:
Line .04 ahead of DoorMatts - potential one point loss
DoorMatts .04 behind Line - potential one point gain

With the above assumptions the total point swing is Line losing 3 points and DoorMatts gaining 6 points. That still leaves the Line with the title by three points.

Of course Gene Mauch, Leo Durocher, Willie Randolph/Jerry Manuel could talk volumes of insurmountable leads.

The rest of the league, aside from the Hots and MooreBetter, is jockeying for position to finish in or out of the money or closer to the sweet spot for maximum HTD.

Enjoy the ride.

One Shopping Day Left

The end of August brings about some adjustments to the business in the CFCL.

First of all, you have One Shopping Day left to acquire a free agent at an 11+ contract. Any players acquired in September will be assigned an "S" contract and will be released from the CFCL Roster at the end of the season. So next Sunday (August 30th) is it if you want to get someone and keep them for your future.

The teams still with a budget are:

Ruffins .51
Bulls .40
Revenge .24
DoorMatts .18
Kenndoza .17
MooreBetter .12
Dem Rebels .08
Red Hots .05

Out of Cash:
Clowns
Copperfields

Also, as of September 1st, the salary cap increases to 3.60 (up from 3.50 since the All-Star break).

And finally, in September you are allowed a September Roster Expansion (SRE) move. Your total roster still is 40 players, however if you want you can have 24 active and 16 reserve. The SRE is essentially another utility player since it can be either offense (any position) or pitcher. You are not required to utilize the SRE, it's just something you can take advantage of if you want.

When you have a chance, mosey over to the Forums and weigh in on your favorite all-time snack.

Welcome back, John

John Smoltz
Revenge .06 (Blanco)

Brandon Allen
Revenge .08 (Whitesell)

Trever Miller
Kenndoza Line .07 (J. Zimmerman)

Good News in Team Management

Each year the CFCL teams are required to amass at least 1000 Innings Pitched and 4250 ABs in order to qualify for the points on offense and pitching. These rules were instituted thanks to the Bald Eagles who long ago thought about having nothing but relief pitchers so that he could sweep Saves (before we added Holds), ERA and WHIP while tanking the Wins (before Quality Starts) category.

This year everyone looks to be in good shape. Below is a synopsis of each team. If you would like to track your team's progress, you can see if on Sportsline on the Set Lineup page.

Innings Pitched; At Bats
Clowns: 109 needed (On Pace); Met
Copperfields: 96 needed (On Pace); Met
Ruffins: 85 needed (On Pace); Met
Dem Rebels: 22 needed (On Pace); Met
DoorMatts: Met; Met
Bulls: 106 needed (On Pace); Met
Kenndoza Line: Met; Met
Red Hots: 113 needed (On Pace); 181 needed (On Pace)
Moore Better: 176 needed (On Pace); Met
Revenge: Met; Met