Owners' League News

New Year's edition

On its very last chance to ever happen, an already abrogated Loan Auction was held Friday night, the first of three steps that will bring the owners to Campionship Day. The Loan Auction is a yearly meeting where teams supposed to be out of contention can put a maximum one pitcher and one batter out for rent. Such players must cost at least Lit. 5.000 (about $3) of salary cap money, must be freezed after Championship day and then returned for free to the original owner. The implications of this particular kind of trade are so subtle, that it has never actually happened. No one ever wanted to pay such a high price (in essence, you would start the next season with just eight frozen players and less Lit. 5.000 in the pocket). In a previous meeting, last autumn, the rule was repealed and it was ruled illegal to lend players to other teams. Yet, since the new ruling will take effect at the beginning of next season, there was a last chance to see such an auction took place. Mr. Flower had already expressed some interest in renting out Cy Young award winner Pat Hentgen, but he had been apparently suggested not to by some influential adviser... (see table: The Mob Visited My House! )

PREVIOUS BULLETINS

12/20/96 The Ghiotto meeting: Candies spend! (with trade rules) 12/23/96 Flowers: The Mob Visited My House! (in Italian)

Some thought the auction would have been left deserted, but Mr. Burberry decided to bid instead, and since his was the only bid, he got Pat Hentgen for the minimum Lit. 5.000. Raucous comments followed, with Mr. Topo (obviously on the losing end of the trade) declaring his whole team roster out for sale (but at a reasonable price, of course...), and other owners loudly invoking new rules to prevent the wavering effect of teams giving up on their chances to contend and thus disassembling the team for money near the end of the season.
The main step in that direction could be broadening the postseason field to six teams (to increase the number of would-be contenders), adopting a NFL-like postseason format. Despite a few tough opponents, this resolution could be voted by the majority in the near future, probably on a temporary, experimental basis.
Another interesting issue was the opportunity to create a reserve roster of minor-league players, but the stage of the discussion is rather premature.

We had some minor trades too, but too little to mention. As usual, you can find a complete list in the trades list page.

Next step for the busy owners: by January 17th, they must submit the lineups versus left and right-handed pitchers (each defensive position must be covered by at least two players with a rating for that position in the DMB disk, and three catchers are requested), plus each pitcher's share of the total 162 starts and 1418 innings pitched. Horrible players can be bought at conventional prices if innings or at bats don't reach the requested minima (for a good example, see the Sniffers' statistics in the League's Stats Page). Managerial tendencies are optional ("normal" if not submitted).
Moments after, a sense of resignation will presumably pervade most of the owners: as in real life, the best team on paper doesn't always prevail, and fate often plays a major role (injuries, sub-par performances, etc.). So, they should just relax (those who can) and watch...

Check the League's Coming Events . Stay in touch!

For a complete recap of all the year's trades, see the Trades List Page, which appears thanks to the Flowers' archive site.

The DMB disk is here. Mr. Flower shares his impressions (in Italian).

.

.

r.caramelli@bo.nettuno.it
Send here your answers or comments. Thank you.