Roto Leagues in 30th Year?

[Fielding Melish]

The original edition of the "Rotisserie League Baseball" book came our in February of 1984, which means that any leagues that formed for the 1984 season and are still playing are in their 30th year in 2013.

The CFCL, the league my friend and I started in high school, held its 30th draft this year, and I was wondering how many other leagues out there have hit the 30 mark. If I recall, Judge Jude's league started in '84 - any others?

I actually retired from the league as an owner a couple years ago, but have stayed involved as kind of an advisor, historian, and occasional Draft Day proxy, but my co-founder is still pulling double duty as Commissioner and team owner.

To celebrate our league's 30th season and leading up to our 30th anniversary next spring, we've been writing a blog with (almost) daily posts about the league's history, memories from current and former team owners, and stories that have gone down in CFCL lore. I'd be interested in hearing what - if anything - other leagues are doing to celebrate their 30th season.

If you'd like to visit the blog, you can find it at the link below. Drop us a comment if you find something interesting or have a related memory to share:

http://cfclrebelcopperfield.blogspot.com/

[TranaGreg]

very cool, thanks for sharing the link. we're only in our 27th year, starting in 1987. I'm the only original owner left in my league.

[bryanbutler]

we started in '93, so just had our 20th. 4 original owners, and 2 more that were added the next year.

[Mithrandir]

My league began in 1991. Three original owners still playing, including myself.

[YourPalChrisMal]

My 2 leagues have been wondering the same thing. We started an AL-only League to start the 1985 season, and then an NL-Only League that started mid-season 1985. There can be many leagues out there with that kind of longevity, but I can't fathom a guess how many there are. Is it single digits, dozens? I have no clue, but I'm very curious. When we started only 1 person in our NL-only league could drive. The rest of us were 13-15.

[Erik]

I don't know when my main league started because the last original owner left in 1999. I know it was sometime in the mid '80s and it may very well have been 1984. I'll have to ask the guys who have been around the longest. (One joined in 1989, two in 1990, and I am fourth-most senior, joining in 1998.)

[SeaDogStat]

Our league, the Crash Davis Memorial League was started in 1989 (25th yr). I still have the original Inside Sports mag with the article about rotisserie baseball.

[Judge Jude]

There was an aricle in the defunct mag, Inside Sports, I think, around 1980-81 - and I've seen owners check in from that era here.

But yes, the exponential rise came from the spring 1984 release of the first book, and we launched our first league that year.

My lone remaining 30th-year rival is kicking all of our asses this year after posting the worst results last year by any franchise since the 1980s. And if that ain't parity, what is?

Half or our 12 owners date back to the 1980s and the two "new kids" - both of them in their mid-60s now - joined in 2002.

The 3rd-place owner in our original year wound up being the guy who called up retired players to let them know they had been elected to the Hall of Fame.

A nice consolation prize - but flags fly forever!

[Fielding Melish]

My 2 leagues have been wondering the same thing. We started an AL-only League to start the 1985 season, and then an NL-Only League that started mid-season 1985.

Hi Chris ... I've actually been following your leagues for years via their web pages. I've got links to both of them in the "Fantasy Baseball Community" section of the CFCL website: http://home.comcast.net/~dmahlan.

I love the story about only one of your original owners being able to drive. It's amazing to think back to that time and realize exactly how long ago that was. When I "retired" as an owner in 2011, I had been running the league for 27 years ... well over half my life, and far longer than I've done anything else - longer than I was in school (K-college), longer than I've been married, etc.

[Erik]

I wonder how many leagues that were started in 1984 ended in 1994 because of the strike that nixed the World Series? My league lost a bunch of owners and was able to survive because it had been very large, so not everyone needed to be replaced.

[Judge Jude]

We added an AL offshoot in 1992 with about half of the same owners - and that one died after the 1994 strike.

per 30th year, I bought a lot of baseball cards (Topps has several varieties and just put out a Bowman series as well) and distributed them to owners as they acquired players. Have done it before, but on a bigger scale this year.....

[Fielding Melish]

I wonder how many leagues that were started in 1984 ended in 1994 because of the strike that nixed the World Series?

Excellent question, Erik. We didn't lose any owners between the 1994-1995 season (though I remain convinced that the shortened season in 1994 cost me a title ... I was on a roll and rising in the standings when the season was cancelled).

Going into 1995, we actually put together a plan to play a 'replacement' season using the replacement players that MLB owners were going to trot out onto the field in April. I recently posted an entry on the blog about our plans for that season: http://cfclrebelcopperfield.blogspot...s-edition.html

[ironfist]

I wonder how many leagues that were started in 1984 ended in 1994 because of the strike that nixed the World Series? My league lost a bunch of owners and was able to survive because it had been very large, so not everyone needed to be replaced.

We actually folded our league after the 1994 strike but we decided to return in 1996, I guess after some of the bitterness faded away. We did lose four of our 10 owners over the break though.

[YourPalChrisMal]

Hi Chris ... I've actually been following your leagues for years via their web pages. I've got links to both of them in the "Fantasy Baseball Community" section of the CFCL website: http://home.comcast.net/~dmahlan.

I love the story about only one of your original owners being able to drive. It's amazing to think back to that time and realize exactly how long ago that was. When I "retired" as an owner in 2011, I had been running the league for 27 years ... well over half my life, and far longer than I've done anything else - longer than I was in school (K-college), longer than I've been married, etc.

Oh, that's right! Very cool.

We have kicked around that we have to be a story of interest to someone. Obviously not all of the original owners are still with us. We have 1 guy who is homeless (not kidding), one guy who has had 7 or 8 DUI's and has spent parts of his life in jail, another guy who still lives at home with his mom and has never had a job. Others have become doctors, engineers, profitable business owners, etc. It's funny how a group of people joined together as kids in 1985 wound up with such diverging lives 30 years later, but the league perceveres. Those of us still in these leagues ofter wonder if it's an interesting story or just interesting to us. To think how many leagues used to crunch the stats weekly by hand. How we all lived for the day the stats would come out on the Wednesday USA Today. Pre-internet. It's crazy to think about it...

[Judge Jude]

In 1984, the original commissioner got busy running his semi-pro baseball team, so we only got standings about once a month - then every 6 weeks by midseason.
I was in 1st place as of mid-August, then didn't find out my fate until the end of the season. Fortunately, I remained in 1st place!

My only trade all season was Walt Terrell for Kent Tekulve, as I needed a few extra SV, I thought.