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 In a previous meeting, last autumn, the rule was repealed and it was ruled illegal to lend players to other teams.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! )
|
12/20/96 The Ghiotto meeting: Candies spend! (with trade rules) 12/23/96 Flowers: The Mob Visited My House! (in Italian) |
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.
This page hosted by
Get your own Free Home Page