CRL News

March 2, 2013

“You spend the first two years of their life teaching them to walk and talk.  Then you spend the next 16 years telling them to sit down and keep quiet.”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        --Anonymous

Was reminded of this quote because of Marcus’ comment on tabernacle flatulence, which he probably blamed on Matt anyway.

 

Guys,

 

It’s March 2 – Texas Independence Day!  Time to grab a Tito’s Texas vodka and update everyone on league goings-on, especially since we have less than four weeks until the draft.

 

First, some housekeeping items:

 

Ken has changed his team name to the Alex Amber Sox.

 

Spencer has also renamed his squad – SuSPENCE.  He also has a new co-owner, his son Jared.  So now you’ll know, if you call him about a trade at some point this season and he says he has to talk to his partner, he went to Jared.

 

Don’t forget, money is due to Glenn by Friday, March 15.

 

Dinner for all at Toby Keith’s at Harrah’s (2nd-floor walkway to monorail/parking garage) Thursday night.  One group of eight at 7:15 and two more groups of 8 at 7:30.

 

The draft is 9 a.m., Friday, March 29 in Harrah’s Parlor Room B.

 

But now, the real reason you are all here – we had a vote.  And everyone needs to know the outcome to adequately prepare.

 

Earlier, I said I was pulling my proposal to replace the 2nd utility player with a 10th pitcher off the table because I thought it only fair that the Rons had the opportunity to defend the motion and vote they’d won approval for at last year’s draft.  Then the Rons chimed in and said it did not make a difference which way we went, and if we were to make a change it should happen with this season’s scratch draft.  So I laid out my reasons for the 10th pitcher option, but did not propose it.  Spencer did on Feb. 16.  Otis seconded the motion the same day and also voted in favor.

 

For the record, the motion to drop the second utility player and replace it with a tenth pitcher passed with six votes.  Owners voting in favor:

 

Otis, Terry, Farabee, Spencer, Scott, Marcus (despite initially voting a different way, but opting to change pews when the smell got to be too much).

 

Glenn and Weve voted in favor of an earlier motion (2/14) to revert from two utility players to two catchers.  (Sorry to pin you guys down a couple of days ago, but you wanted to vote one way and cast a provisional ballot another way, and the Supreme Court has already ruled on the admissibility of hanging chads.)

 

Rounding out the vote, Ken voted “Present.”

 

I earlier said I would not vote unless needed to break a tie.

 

In summary, the vote to replace the second utility player with a 10th pitcher passed 6-2, with one vote of present and two abstentions.

 

Maybe the great unwashed masses of middle relievers will finally get some love.

 

One last note – Spencer brought up a good point to me in a private email.  He said this way of changing rules was much preferable to the way we’ve always done it – spending an hour or more at the draft hashing out rule changes.  He said we should all do this by group emails during the first two months of the year.  That way, everything is settled by March 1 and we don’t need a bio-break between rule discussions and the first pick (those discussions do have a way of dragging on – and I know, I am not blameless here).

 

I see some real positives to this:

 

·         It gets the juices flowing.

·         People have time to sit and think about their comments before responding.

·         Owners will not be worn out by pre-draft discussions before we even get to the first pick.

 

The way I see it, we’ll probably still have 5-15 minutes of discussion of regular league business each year before the draft starts, but it won’t drag on.  If someone feels strongly about something, they can feel free to bring it up during this time.  Anyway, that’s my take and I’d like to take a few (very few) minutes before we start the draft this year to see if everyone agrees.

 

Remember, this is not my league.  It’s not Spencer’s league.  It’s not Glenn’s, Terry’s, Ken’s or anybody else’s league.  There are 11 teams and 20 owners.  It’s our league.  And as long as you are all entrusting me to run it, I feel it is my responsibility to ensure that governance of the owners, by the owners and for the owners shall not perish from this league.

 

See everybody at Toby’s.

 

Jim

 

P.S. – Altar wine always gave me gas.