2000 Season

Return of the Franchise Player

Pavelich attempted to bring back Plan B Free Agency at January's Rules and Awards banquet but the proposal was defeated by the other owners. The Franchise Player proposal that had been adopted two years earlier but scrapped when the league expanded was reintroduced by the commissioner. This time, the measure was approved, as long as it would start with the off-season after the '00 campaign. The reasoning was that this would allow owners the opportunity to enter the draft with the knowledge that the players they selected could eventually be protected. The league office was moved to Norwalk, OH.

Beginning with the summer of 2001, all owners would have the option of designating one franchise player at a cost of $20, payable to the league’s general fund. By making such a designation, that player would be protected on that owner’s roster for one year. The amount of units spent on the player during the 2000 auction would be that player’s designated cost for the 2001 season. Franchise Players would then remain a part of the declaring owner’s roster for a period of one season. Once that time period had elapsed, the player would once again become available for the rest of the owners at the following year’s auction. The deadline to make the payment necessary for designating a franchise player was set for July 31, 2001. 

Comings and Goings

In the All-American Conference, the No Limit Ballers franchise folded and was replaced by the Rat Bastards (Scott Keithley). Jody Barth changed team names again -- this time twice before the season started. At first, he replaced the name Couch Potatoes with Courtney Couch, to reflect the Browns top draft choices of Courtney Brown and Tim Couch. After he is ridiculed by his police academy classmates, he asked for and received permission to change the name to Blockheads. Looking to change his luck from a 3-11 rookie campaign, Brent Holsclaw dropped the name Butt Chows and adopted the new moniker Kodiak. Still living in California, Storm Thomas scrambled to find a replacement selector in order to keep the Gargoyles franchise in the league.

The Fat Bottom Girls dropped out of the Browns Conference and was replaced by the Gibby's (Jason Gillespie). Still holding the option on the Assassins franchise, Mike Bell decided not to return in '00, opening the door for Rob Pesicka to change the name to the Dudley Boyz.

Click here to read the season preview Sports Page.

The 2000 Auction

The All-American Conference's auction was set for Friday August 11, 2000 while the Browns Conference planned to get together to select players on Saturday Sept. 9, 2000.

The Erie League renewed their statistical partnership with FanStar, a company that now specialized in fantasy football, baseball, basketball, hockey, and Nascar.

Gargoyles GM Storm Thomas hired Dudley Boyz GM Rob Pesicka to select his players, thus ensuring that his franchise would return for a seventh season. Top choices for All-American Conference clubs included: WR Randy Moss, 31 units (P.P. Brains); WR Joey Galloway, 28 units (Captain Tripps); WR Isaac Bruce, 40 units (Kodiak); RB Fred Taylor, 36 units (Gargoyles); RB Eddie George, 42 units (Blockheads); QB Steve McNair, 27 units (Masons); RB Ron Dayne, 22 units (LTP); RB Edgerrin James, 42 units (Polish Monarchs); RB Terrell Davis, 35 units (Midnight Vigilantes); and WR Carl Pickens, 22 units (Rat Bastards). The most expensive players selected were RB Marshall Faulk, (Psychedelic B's) and WR Marvin Harrison, (Cosmic Monsters), who both went for 44 units -- new records for the All-American Conference.

Top choices for the clubs in the Browns Conference included: RB Stephen Davis, 47 units (Bonecrushers); QB Steve McNair, 48 units (King Salmons); WR Randy Moss, 33 units (Shadow Bandits); QB Kurt Warner, 36 units (Dudley Boyz); RB Corey Dillon, 26 units (Hostile Omish); RB Curtis Martin, 36 units (Gibby's); WR Isaac Bruce, 35 units (Morticians); RB Eddie George, 47 units (Screaming Eagles); QB Brett Favre, 30 units (Black Diamond); RB Marshall Faulk, 49 units (Donikers-DTL); and QB Peyton Manning, 41 units (Mad Zippers). The most expensive player selected was RB Edgerrin James (Atomic Punks), who went for 50 units.

Goodbye to the Sports Page

The weekly Sports Page disappeared and was replaced by the web site newsletter. Smack talking dropped off to the lowest levels in years. In Week One action, Bryan Vince's Psychedelic B's used 60 Monday Night points from QB Kurt Warner and RB Marshall Faulk to erase a 30 point deficit and defeat the Cosmic Monsters 120-93. Jimmy Smith (Polish Monarchs/Dudley Boyz) scored 47 points in Week Two to break the league record for single game scoring by a player. Mike Szydlowski's Polish Monarchs scored 130 points in a Week Two victory over the Rat Bastards. Szydlowski then dealt QB Daunte Culpepper and WR Terry Glenn to the Midnight Vigilantes for RB Duce Staley and QB Brett Favre. In Week Four, the Monarchs erased a 62 point Monday Night deficit by scoring 79 to defeat the Psychedelic B's 111-87. Also in Week Four, Mike Kuratko's Hostile Omish used the 49er connection of QB Jeff Garcia (24 points) and RB Charlie Garner (29 points) to drill the Bonecrushers 129-65.

In Week Five, it was the Blockheads turn to produce astronomical offensive numbers as Jody Barth's club hammered the Polish Monarchs 129-70, raising its record to 4-1. Trash talking finally resumed in time for Interleague Play, as Barth posted the following comment for Shadow Bandits GM Paul Labonte in the Week Six newsletter: "Paula, I hope you took out an extra insurance policy on your team this week because they will crash and burn against the Blockheads. Then I will be your daddy and come collect your deductible." Barth went on to defeat Labonte, a collection agent for Progressive Insurance, 92-80. He then started talking some more: "Paula, where was my phone call? I even bet that you stayed up late to watch the entire game. I went to bed early, got a good night rest, woke up to me WHOOPING YOUR ASS!"

Interleague Play

The All-American Conference went on to post eight victories against just four defeats to increase their lead over the Browns Conference in Interleague Play to 14-10. The biggest story to come out of the week was the 69 point shellacking delivered by Keith Kuratko's Atomic Punks against Bryan Vince's Psychedelic B's. Kuratko's 141-72 win broke the individual game scoring record set by Dave Bell's Bonecrushers back in 1996. Despite the huge win, Kuratko found himself on the other end of a Barth quote, this time over Kuratko's team page photo (see above). "Did you see the gay guy?" Barth said at the time. "The only thing I can think of why he scored so high is that maybe on his trip to California, he visited San Francisco and SWALLOWED some jungle karma."

Week Seven featured another Monday Night comeback as the Blockheads used 42 points from RB Eddie George, WR Keenan McCardell, and the Tennessee defense to knock off Kodiak, 110-99. The win raised Barth's record to a league best 6-1. Kuratko's Atomic Punks followed up their 141 Week Six performance with a 131-94 win over brother Mike's Hostile Omish. The 272 points scored over two games set a new league record. The Gibby's rebounded from a 49 point Week Six performance -- a game they still won -- to defeat the Bonecrushers 125-83.

Pavelich trades everyone

Over several weeks, Kirk Pavelich's Midnight Vigilantes dealt QB Daunte Culpepper, QB Brian Griese, RB Corey Dillon, WR Marcus Robinson, WR Terry Glenn, WR Joe Horn, and WR Antonio Freeman to the Masons, Psychedelic B's, and Gargoyles in order to acquire QB Kurt Warner, RB Jamal Lewis, RB Mike Anderson, WR Torry Holt and WR Terrell Owens. When the dust settled, the only starter to remain from the Vigilantes opening day lineup was kicker Mike Vanderjagt. .

Rzyczycki and Szydlowski's war of words

Brad Rzyczycki (pictured left), Cosmic Monsters GM, was quoted in the Week Eight newsletter: "I know fantasy football is all luck. Look at the winners the last two years." Mike Szydlowski, 1999 champ, and Jody Barth, 1998 title winner, would take exception in future publications. The Atomic Punks broke the 120 point barrier for the third consecutive week when they defeated the Dudley Boyz 126-71. Through eight games, Kuratko's Punks stood at 6-2, having scored 851 points (106.38 average). Bryan Vince's regular season record of 1,162 points, set just one year ago, appeared to be in serious jeopardy. Rzyczycki's Cosmic Monsters won their sixth consecutive game, 118-82 over the Rat Bastards, and now led the All-American Conference in scoring with 780 points (97.5 per game). Rookie Jason Gillespie's Gibby's nearly caught the Atomic Punks for most points in a game, scoring 140 in a 28 point victory over the Donikers. John Thiem's Masons scored 35 points on Monday Night to rally from a 121-105 deficit to Kodiak, winning 140-121. Newly acquired RB Corey Dillon broke the NFL single game rushing record and scored 39 points for the Masons. 

Mike Szydlowski (pictured right), Polish Monarchs GM, responded to Brad Rzyczycki's Week Eight comments when he said, "At least I have a championship under my belt. By the way, how is Mercyhurst football doing this year?" Rzyczycki, who is 0-2 in two Fantasy Bowl appearances, also coaches football at Mercyhurst College, a team that struggled in 2000.

Rzyczycki immediately responded with, "The record of Mercyhurst football isn't what it should be. We have lost some close games. I think we still have a better winning percentage than you ever had with Twinsburg's JV baseball team. I can accept criticism from someone who played football, but remember Ski, you played SOCCER! Go Mia Hamm!! By the way, what are you teaching the kids this week in school? How to comb your eyebrow?"

LTP calls for fire sale

After seeing his squad fall to 3-5, LTP owner Don Jones announced plans for a complete fire sale. Owners came out in droves to respond to the sale. First, LTP sent QB Rich Gannon and WR Albert Connell to the Masons for QB Steve McNair and RB Tiki Barber. Then, Jones dealt RB Ricky Watters to the Polish Monarchs for WRs Yancy Thigpen and Terance Mathis. Finally, RB Darnell Autry is acquired from the Midnight Vigilantes for the first call-in slot. Pavelich subsequently grabbed RB Kimble Anders and then dealt RB James Allen, WR Tim Dwight, and the cost of the trade to the Rat Bastards for WR Cris Carter. Satisfied that he has now acquired the last piece to his championship puzzle, Pavelich stops making trades. Click here for a complete list of transactions made during the 2000 season

More trash talking

Prior to Week Nine action, Dave Bell (pictured left) fired a shot at Donikers GM Sam Profio (pictured right), a player he brought into the league back in 1995: "When I brought Profio to the Erie League, he didn't even know what a football was. I felt sorry for him so I let him win a few games so he wouldn't up and quit in the middle of a season and embarrass me. Now he thinks he knows everything. Well, it's time he took his rightful place in the league -- somewhere behind me -- way behind me! It's time to flush the turds!" First Profio responds with "Dave asked me into the Erie League because he complained about a lack of competition and specifically said no one could beat him. So I cam in, I played him, and I kicked his ass!! Not just once. Not just twice. Not even a few times, but every time!!!! Dave has not beat me in so long he doesn't even remember how!" After their matchup, Bell obviously still doesn't remember, as the Donikers came away with a 110-56 decision.

Keith Kuratko became the first owner to reach the 100 win plateau by virtue of his 96-84 Week Nine victory over Jim White's Screaming Eagles.

Don Jones and Storm Thomas continued their long-time rivalry with a war of words, sparked in part by their failure to work out a deal during Jones' fire sale. Said Thomas, "Jones is nothing but a crier and a whiner. That is why my team gave him a shiner this year. As an owner in this league and a classroom leader he should be ashamed of himself. He drafted a shitty team so instead of taking responsibility for it, he is quitting and having a fire sale. The fact that he is a quitter is sad. I would rather have Bobby Knight, Darryl Strawberry, or Alan Iverson as a role model for my kids instead of his sorry quitting ass!" Jones responded with: "Storm's comments come from a guy with a long list of accomplishments!! If I could think of one I would list it! I respect his intelligence and he is probably correct in a lot of things he said. I discovered how intelligent he was when the last two years he has sent someone else to do his drafting. I am sure that when his team does WIN, he has an empty feeling in his gut because Rob (Pesicka) did a pretty good job of spending his money. A true sportsman would complete his own draft. Remember the quote, 'The credit belongs to the man in the arena, not the critic on the outside looking in.' Next year use a thing called a phone so you can at least act like you had something to do with your team. By the way, keep up the good work trying to start that list of accomplishments."

The LTP-Gargoyles grudge match

Jones eventually challenged "Showers Thomas" to a grudge match, based on the outcomes of their games in Week 12. Thomas accepted and lost the unofficial matchup 61-58. To make matters worse, Thomas' 59-58 loss to the P.P. Brains in the official Week 12 game knocked the Gargoyles out of the playoff picture. League reaction to the grudge match is downright comical.

Said Psychedelic B's GM Bryan Vince (pictured left): "What the hell is the deal between Storm and D.J.?? Who the hell cares!! Why don't they just make a bet on whose dick is smaller!!" Blockheads GM Jody Barth also weighed in with the following comment: "Don Jones, Storm Thomas, shut the F**K UP! I do not want to hear shit from either of you, unless you are wiping my ass with your TOILET BOWL paper." Fred Taylor (Hostile Omish/Cosmic Monsters) scored 48 points in Week 12 to break the record for scoring in a game that had been set earlier in the season.

Pavelich announced in late November that the Erie League would branch out to sponsor a fantasy football contest using participants from the brand new XFL, set to debut in February. 

Division Champs

In the All-American Conference, Captain Tripps (7-5) won the Blue Division, the Blockheads (10-2) captured the Red Division and the Midnight Vigilantes (10-2) won the White Division title. In the Browns Conference, the Shadow Bandits (7-5) took home the Brown Division title, the Gibby's (10-2) won the Graham Division, and the Donikers-DTL (7-5) clinched in the Kosar. The division title was the fifth in six years for Profio's Donikers. Jim Damicone's King Salmons became the first team in league history to finish a regular season without a win, going 0-12. Click here to see the rest of the 2000 standings. Click here to see the final rosters from the 2000 season.

Playoffs - Round One

Denver's rookie sensation Mike Anderson began to pay big dividends in the opening round of the playoffs for both the Midnight Vigilantes and Donikers-DTL. Click on the individual scores for details: Midnight Vigilantes 115, Masons 74; Polish Monarchs 92, Captain Tripps 56; Blockheads 86, Psychedelic B's 55; Cosmic Monsters 108, Kodiak 64; Gibby's 105, Bonecrushers 60; Donikers-DTL 95, Dudley Boyz 80; Hostile Omish 95, Shadow Bandits 75; Atomic Punks 92, Morticians 76.

Conference Semi-Finals

Each of the match-ups in the conference semi-finals were between divisional rivals. Pavelich's Vigilantes, led by a playoff and overall record of 49 points by Mike Anderson, swept Szydlowski's Polish Monarchs -- the defending champions -- in three meetings. Profio's Donikers used the same player to sweep Keith Kuratko's Atomic Punks. Brad Rzyczycki's Cosmic Monsters won the season series 2-1 over Jody Barth's Blockheads, while Mike Kuratko's Hostile Omish managed to salvage a game in the three meetings with Jason Gillespie's Gibby's. Click on the individual scores for details: Midnight Vigilantes 120, Polish Monarchs 100; Cosmic Monsters 121, Blockheads 100; Hostile Omish 104, Gibby's 96; Donikers-DTL 123, Atomic Punks 85.

Conference Finals

Mike Kuratko's Hostile Omish broke the playoff scoring record held by the 1998 Cosmic Monsters when they slammed the Donikers and advanced to the franchise's first fantasy bowl. Pavelich's Vigilantes equaled the old mark, defeating his former co-owner Brad Rzyzycki in the process, to qualify for a second title game appearance. Click on the individual scores for details: Midnight Vigilantes 136, Cosmic Monsters 94; Hostile Omish 140, Donikers-DTL 105. Click here for the Fantasy Bowl 11 Preview.

Fantasy Bowl 11

Pavelich (pictured below) and his Midnight Vigilantes won Fantasy Bowl 11 over Mike Kuratko's Hostile Omish by a score of 134-96. The victory enabled Pavelich to become the first owner in league history to win a second championship. Once thought to have made too many trades, Pavelich could now boast that his club had finished the season with 12 straight wins. WR Terrell Owens, acquired earlier in a trade with the Cosmic Monsters, was named Most Valuable Player for his 34 point performance. Owens did it on the strength of a 20 catch, 283 yard performance, to break the Fantasy Bowl scoring record. Amazingly, the Vigilantes scored 505 points in four playoff victories, an average of 126.25 per contest. For his victory, Pavelich received a check for $539. Click here for the details in the Fantasy Bowl 11 Recap and the Fantasy Bowl 11 Box Score. 

The Polish Monarchs won the All-American Conference's third place game 104-94 over the Blockheads while the Atomic Punks took the honors in the Browns Conference with a 114-80 victory over the Gibby's. The win was Keith Kuratko's second consecutive (third overall) consolation game victory.

The Consolation Bowl

Jim White's Screaming Eagles won the 2000 Consolation Bowl, defeating the P.P. Brains 80-40. Click here for a recap. For the victory, White collected a check for $50. Click here for the complete list of scores from the 2000 season.

Kirk Pavelich won the post-season playoff league, scoring 223.35 points.

Great Lakes Too Recap

Pavelich's Young Guns set a season scoring record in the Great Lakes Too League with 1,356.35 points, an average of just over 104 per contest. However, the Guns fell 90.75 to 90.55 in the opening round of the playoffs to Jeff Gallagher's Crusaders when TE Tony Gonzalez came up three yards short in the Monday Night contest. Torsion Connect won the 2000 championship with a 92.9 to 71.7 win over the Red Zone.

Awards Banquet

The fifth annual Awards Banquet was held on Jan. 13, 2001 at Tail-Gator's in Twinsburg. Pavelich won GM of the Year honors in the All-American Conference, the same award Keith Kuratko took home in the Browns Conference. Coach of the Year in the All-American Conference went to Brad Rzyczycki while Jason Gillespie received the prize for the Browns Conference. Daunte Culpepper (Masons/Shadow Bandits) was named MVP in both conferences and RB Mike Anderson was named post-season MVP for leading the Midnight Vigilantes to the title. Anderson (Vigilantes/Donikers) also won Rookie of the Year honors in both conferences. Click here for the Top 30 scorers for the 2000 season.

The Erie XFL League

The Erie XFL League officially took shape on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2001 when the following charter members met via conference call for the first player draft: Toledo Terrorists (Mike Kuratko), Louisville Snuffers (Brent Holsclaw), Macon Whoopie (John Thiem), Iceland King Lips Void (Brad Rzyczycki), Bulgarian Ballbusters (Kirk Pavelich) and Sagamore Hills Sharks (Matt Rzycyzcki). The Terrorists selected RB Pepe Pearson with the first overall pick. Other first round picks included: QB Jeff Brohm (#2 - Snuffers), QB Marcus Crandell (#3 - Whoopie), RB Joe Aska (#4 - King Lips Void), QB Casey Weldon (#5 - Ballbusters), and RB John Avery (#6 - Sharks).

Led by solid starts from QB Jim Druckenmiller and RB Saladin McCullough, Pavelich's Bulgarian Ballbusters upended Brad Rzyczycki's Iceland King Lips squad 41 to 27.6 in the first and only XFL title game. See recap. The league officially folded after just one season of play on May 10, 2001.