Congratulations Kenny

[MGrage]

I was rooting for ya kid. It's great to see a newblood win the Championship. Plus, I always have to root against the defending champs too. No offense, Dr. Holian. I look forward to rooting against the Dozers next year.

While I have your attention, I'd like to ask the class something. Given that Dave lost his chance to repeat by a measly 2 runs, do you guys think his decision not to activate Carlos Gomez cost him the 2007 trophy? Gomez's 12 SBs would have pushed him ahead of Rich and his 14 runs would have vaulted him over the Dozers. His microscopic OBA might have cost him points there though. I'm too tired to crunch those numbers though.

I just thought it was interesting due to an earlier discussion we had this year about trying to eliminate "roster rot" and entice more owners to activate their prospects earlier. Mahalo

Matt

PS. I have rosters for every week too. I started saving them last year. Don't ask me why. I'd have to kill you if I told you ....

[Copperfields]

Ah, the second guessing begins...

Before I get into that, though, I'll add my congratulations to Kenn. Just the fact that 4 teams entered the final weekend with a chance to win it all probably makes this the closest CFCL race ever, but to have it come down to the 13th inning of the 163rd game of the season put a thrilling cap on an incredible season.

With a race like this one, there will be dozens of ways to slice and dice the results and look back on roster moves made and not made (I almost killed my chances by reserving the supposedly-done-for-the-season Pujols). I think the thing that hurt the Ruffins most is spending three months in the middle of the season (including the trade deadline) in Italy with little-to-no Internet access. I don't know the details of when Gomez was called up by the Mets, but it wouldn't surprise me if it were during the Ruffins period of exile. Besides, as they showed with their immediate activation of Joey Votto, the Ruffins aren't a team to sit on a minor leaguer in an effort to preserve M-contract status if that player will help them in pursuit of the Championship.

Lessons learned - if you're going to leave the country for any period of time during the season, be sure you 1) leave your team in the hands of a capable backup, 2) don't trust your foreign relator when they swear your apartment will be wired for high-speed access.

Dave actually did make a couple trans-contintenal roster moves to replace injured players, and he made up for his absence by throwing down .24 apiece on a couple of productive free agents upon his return (Wily Mo and Ankiel). But frankly, it's amazing that he came as close as he did with having been the only contender to not make a deal at the trade deadline.

But enough about the Ruffins - I guarantee that you can point out decisions made by the Rebels and Copperfields that may have cost them the pennant. The fact remains that only one team made all the right moves (or just enough of them) to finish on top -- congrats to Kenn!

David

PS I also have rosters for every week. For the past 24 years...

[Nick's Picts (archived)]

Congrats on a season well played, Kenn! IIRC you approached me earlier this year with "I'm not sure why I'm doing this well, but I should probably make some kind of trade to capitalize on the opportunity." Looks like you backed yourself into a coveted championship.

[stones]

Kenn,

You worried way too much and over thought every weekly roster move and FAAB bid. You wondered why you didn't bid .01 more on some 30 day scrub. You analyzed, and re-analyzed, what might have been had you made the other move instead, bid the higher price or bid on the other guy instead. You watched closely the players you traded away and wondered what you were thinking. Why did you give those guys away so cheaply when they could help you now! You made another trade, or trades, not because you needed anything in particular, but you felt the need to tinker or you just felt better making a counter move to the move of your closest competitors. You sat nibbling on your finger nails watching every single pitch on CBS Live Scoring. You worried until the final trade was posted by the Commish at the trade deadline, waiting for the one that would be the counter-punch to knock you out of it, the one you couldn't overcome. You fired off an email, or three, to a league-mate, or three, in a desperate attempt to "talk" about your feelings with someone who might be able to commiserate. You got a little too snippy with the wife (probably once too often), wished a hundred times that the season would end prematurely, with you sitting at the top. Then you watched some other team pull even or ahead of you, if only for a moment, and thought you were about to become yesterday's toast in this stupid &#@$%^ race. You died a thousand deaths with each bad start and caught stealing, blown save, 0-4 at the plate by your studs, etc. And, finally when it was over, your almost couldn't breathe. You pinched yourself just so you didn't feel numb somewhere. And then, and only then, did you think the only way you were going know for sure you had the deal done was by checking this board. To see if anyone left you a congratulatory message. And there they are!

Then you knew! Exhale baby!

It's been a great ride. It's been exactly what you would have wanted it to be, because now you know you will value it so much more after all of the invested time and emotion.

CONGRATULATIONS, you earned this Championship. And welcome to the club.

By the way, you probably owe your wife a nice hug and a few nights out after that last outburst! Not sure but I'm guessing!

[motherruffin]

Kenn,

It's been almost a year since my last visit to this board. I was just checking in to see how David was doing, since he never calls or writes. I was a little surprised to read he was in Europe this past summer. He never even brought me a snow globe!

Any way, Kenn, I am sure you are a nice boy. And, even though you took the championship away from our little David, I congratulate you.

I sure hope you weren't mean to your lovely wife like the Stone fella said.

All my love,

Mother Ruffin

[Demreb]

Kenn -

You outlasted, outwitted and outplayed . . no wait, wrong game.

You kicked our butts! Congrats! Even though you've been snippy with the wife, I'm sure she'll let you put the trophy front and center on the mantle.

[redhots]

Congratulations on a GREAT season!!!

[davidsruffins (archived)]

While I considered asking for a recount in the Runs category -- my people tell me something weird happened whenever a Ruffin visited Florida -- I emailed my concession to Kenn early this morning. I did this for the good of the country, and right after I loaded Sportsline and cracked open my index and middle fingers, hoping to see the Ruffins in first place, expecting to see them in second place, dreading having to see them in third. So much for all the dynasty talk engaged in by, um, me. In any case, cheers to Kenn for accomplishing in four years what it took the Ruffins four years plus, oh, a decade or three to achieve: a coveted CFCL championship.

Since everyone else posted their congratulations publicly -- including, apparently, my mother, with whom I'm on neither speaking nor gift-giving terms -- I decided to post as well, lest everyone think I'm the broken, bitter, unsportsmanlike jerk I surely will be once I start drinking this evening. Or maybe I'll start drinking when a certain team figures out another unique, didn't-see-THAT-comin' way to rip out my heart and leave my bones by the side of the road to be bleached white by the sun.

Go Cubs!

By the way, Dave, who did I have in my Utility spot in week 17 of 1992? Just wondering.

[kenndoza (archived)]

Thank you for all the kind words. I know no title is complete until you hear from Dave's mom, so I especially appreciated her words.

While I can't say everything in Steve's e-mail was correct, he amazingly was completely accurate in describing what this is like to go through a fantasy pennant race. I'm not sure where all the wife comments come from, but they are 100% true. My wife is unbelievable in embracing not only my obsession with this game, but giving me the time to write too (shameless plug: I'm now writing for NFL.com and NBA.com too).

She watched every Adrian Gonzalez at-bat last night and jumped up and down with me when he struck out in the 13th (all he needed was one run in any of his last five plate appearances). At one point during a Matt Holliday at-bat, I pleaded with the fantasy gods to deliver Cory Sullivan to home plate, offering up my wife to Holliday in the process. Plus I believe I promised the gods that my next child will be named Ramon Ortiz Tulowitzki Schierholtz Ruby.

I hope it's not a girl.

Speaking of Tulowitzki, one battle that probably only me and Matt noticed all season was for total bases. I spent five freaking months trying to catch the Bulls in total bases, only to finally pull even with him Sunday. Then Tulowitzki went nuts last night and the Bulls stayed ahead of me.

One last note, and I speak from experience on this one. When you make a trade, get the details into the commish on time! Would you believe that a trade that was reported 20 minutes late nearly cost my team the title (the extra day I had to wait cost me three runs and four total bases)?

Anyway, thanks for the congrats. See you all in April!

Kenn

[Copperfields]

davidsruffins said:

By the way, Dave, who did I have in my Utility spot in week 17 of 1992? Just wondering.

Dave,
I don't know what cosmic influence made you select Week 17 of 1992 in your request. Your Utility player for that week was none other than Bud Black, losing manager from last night's incredible playoff game:

[Copperfields]

kenndoza said:

Would you believe that a trade that was reported 20 minutes late nearly cost my team the title (the extra day I had to wait cost me three runs and four total bases)?

Holy cripes! I completely forgot about that. Now THAT would have been a hell of a finish.

kenndoza said:

Anyway, thanks for the congrats. See you all in April!

April? Wait, does that mean you're not coming in to collect your trophy at the Banquet? Ya know ... CFCL tradition is that if the champ doesn't show up to collect his winnings, we use it to buy the pizza and a few bottles of 30-year-old scotch. Just warning you...

[Demreb]

OK, let me just say that picking the slot that was occupied by Bud Black is relatively creepy. But no where near as creepy as David being able to pull that information up, scan it and post it within 9 hours and 1 minute of the request.

Hey Kenn, David is just kidding about the 30 year old scotch. Don't worry if you can't make it. Recent by-law changes have been enacted to state that any non-attending money finisher happily donates his winnings into the newly created (and Congressionally approved) "Cooper Wrigley College Fund So That He Can Be Smarter Than His Father" aka 'Like It Would Take College For That To Happen Fund'

[davidsruffins (archived)]

Twelve-man reserve lists!?! Man, were we sissies.

You know, that '92 team wasn't half bad. But then again, you could say that about any team that included Ruffin uber-favorites Anthony Young and Antonio Osuna. I really do have to rethink my favorites... I see the Kents had Archi Cianfrocco for a dime. Haven't thought about Archi Cianfrocco for awhile. It's been at least a month since I was regaling the wife with hilarious Archi Cianfrocco stories.

OK, Dave, 1988 corner infielder, week 3. This could be a new web site feature: The Ruffin Roster Reprise. It's alliterative. It's of interest only to me. What's not to like?

[Copperfields]

davidsruffins said:

OK, Dave, 1988 corner infielder, week 3.

Chris Brown (.12E)

[davidsruffins (archived)]

Amazing. Chris Brown signed to a long-term contract, just off his RotY season in 1986. Did he deserve the money in 1988? Well, in 247ABs he hit .235/.295/.283. Without crunching the numbers, I'm going to have to say...no.