1998 Season

Auction format denied, franchise player adopted

Thanks in part to 11 of 16 owners attending January's Rules and Awards Banquet, a number of changes are discussed and a few are adopted for the '98 Season. Commissioner Kirk Pavelich made a strong push for the owners to approve the auction style of player selection, rather than the draft format that had been in place since the formation of the league. Heated discussion abounds but the measure is defeated 7-4.

Another of Pavelich's proposals from years past -- the franchise player -- returns to the discussion. The owners voted 7-4 in favor of having the option of designating one Franchise Player at a cost of $20. By making such a designation, that player would be protected on the declaring owner's roster for ONE year. In addition, by declaring a franchise player at the end of the '98 season, an owner would automatically forfeit a first round pick in the August 1999 draft.

Other major changes at this landmark meeting included the alteration of the transaction night policy. Starting in '98, transaction order would be determined by the worst team each week, rather than the worst team to date.  The owners also approved an expanded playoff system. In an effort to keep more owners interested throughout the season, the proposal would admit four additional teams to the playoffs (up from the eight that qualified in '97). In addition, the four division winners would receive a first round bye and a bonus payment of $40. To offset this additional prize payout, the entry fee was raised for the first time in four years from $65 to $75 per franchise.

The Plan B Free Agency system, which called for owners designating two players as unprotected after Week Five, was approved again for the '98 season. Lastly, a long-standing trade policy prohibiting two for two swaps was modified to allow these types of exchanges. Click here to see the rest of the decisions made at this important league meeting.

After complaints from playoff qualifiers about teams with losing records winning money, the Consolation Tournament was officially removed from the Rule Book prior to the start of the 1998 season.

Mail service scrapped, Nunney accepts position

With the edition of Sports Page Volume 6, Issue 1, Pavelich made the decision to provide all subsequent newsletters via the internet and fax rather than U.S. Mail. Former Black Diamond GM Joe Nunney accepts a position with the league office as Vice President of Operations/Special Events Coordinator. Nunney's first order of business is to maintain the flow of the 1998 draft and to allow the commissioner to focus on selecting his team.

In order to serve in this post, Nunney's Black Diamond franchise was placed on hiatus and an expansion club -- the Wolverines -- was awarded to Jody Barth's former co-owner Mike Royer. Feeling the need to change his luck after losing his partner, Barth selected the name Kardiac Kids to replace Callouses.

The 1998 Draft

The Draft Lottery was held at the Medical Specialties Warehouse in Streetsboro on Tuesday Aug. 4, 1998. Matt Rzyczycki was the first ping-pong ball out of the box so Captain Tripps immediately went on the clock.

The Erie League renewed their statistical partnership with FanStar. FanStar starts to become one of the premier fantasy football software producers -- their clientele doubles from '97 to '98.

The draft took place on Sunday Aug. 30, 1998, with Captain Tripps selecting RB Terrell Davis with the first overall selection. Other first round picks included: RB Barry Sanders (#2 - Kardiac Kids), QB Brett Favre (#3 - Cosmic Monsters), RB Jerome Bettis (#4 - Gargoyles), QB Kordell Stewart (#5 - Hostile Omish), RB Ricky Watters (#6 - Atomic Punks), QB Jeff George (#7 - LTP), RB Eddie George (#8 - Shadow Bandits), RB Dorsey Levens (#9 - Screaming Eagles), QB Mark Brunell (#10 - Wolverines), QB Steve Young (#11 - King Salmons), RB Curtis Martin (#12 - Bonecrushers), RB Marshall Faulk (#13 - Assassins), RB Corey Dillon (#14 - Donikers-DTL), RB Napoleon Kaufman (#15 - Midnight Vigilantes), and RB Garrison Hearst (#16 - Psychedelic B's).

The 1998 season kicks off

The Kardiac Kids dropped their first game in the Jody Barth solo ownership era, 98-60, to Keith Kuratko's Atomic Punks. This prompts Bryan Vince of the Psychedelic B's to comment in Sports Page Issue 2: "At least the question was answered early. Barth and Royer DID share the same brain." The win leaves Kuratko so enthusiastic that he says: "Here is my week one, and I am sure many more weeks ahead -- including the Fantasy Bowl -- lineup."

Paul Labonte's Shadow Bandits scored just 87 points (43.5 average) in their first two games, prompting Vince to say in Sports Page Issue 3: "Christ, will someone tell the Sorry Bandits that we're using the combined scoring system in this league!" Barth gets in on the smack-talking action in Sports Page Issue 4 when he says: "Nice of the Psychedelic Bitches to join us this year after dropping out in Week One last year." Click here to read Sports Page Issue 5.

The defending champions -- LTP -- started the season by winning just one of their first five games. In response, Vince says in Sports Page Issue 6: "I'm going to start laying off LTP. What does Jones expect when he drafts a backup running back, a tight end, two secondary receivers, and a quarterback who spends more time on his back than a $2 whore?" King Salmons QB Steve Young broke the league record for points in a game, notching 41 in a win over the Shadow Bandits. Click here to read the details in Sports Page Issue 7. Click here to read the continuation of the long time rivalry between Bonecrushers GM Dave Bell and Donikers owner Sam Profio in Sports Page Issue 8.

Pavelich calls for expansion

Pavelich apologized to the league in a memo on Oct. 12, 1998 for "errors that have popped up over the course of the season." He goes on to inform his fellow owners that graduate school is leaving him drained -- physically and mentally -- and he first mentions the possibility of stepping down as commissioner at the end of the '98 season. Keith Kuratko responds that he would be willing to resume commissioner duties if Pavelich does indeed resign. Pavelich also uses this memo to first float out the idea of further expansion to the rest of the owners. This is the first time the idea of increasing the franchises in the Erie League to 24 teams, run in two separate 12 team conferences, is mentioned. 

Former commissioner Mike Bell (pictured right) responds with "I would be happy to support a two conference league and think we would all benefit from the increased pool of players to choose from. It would inject some much needed fun into this hobby. Notice I said 'hobby' and not 'work.' I'd like to encourage more of the same progressive ideas from our commissioner, who is -- like it or not -- the most influential element, and remind all those owners who are afraid to change anything that this league is only as fun as we make it. If fantasy football seems like a chore to you, that's because it is. I'd rather throw 70 bucks at the Blackjack table." Reading this, Pavelich is energized. He immediately begins working on convincing the other owners to buy into his proposal.

The talkative Bryan Vince gets pummeled 78-22 by the Kardiac Kids during Week Eight action. This leads to a shot by Shadow Bandits GM Paul Labonte in Sports Page Issue 9. Click here for Sports Page Issue 10. Pavelich imparted the curse on Profio's Donikers in Sports Page Issue 11: "The only thing missing from his resume is a fantasy bowl title. I believe this is the year he doesn't just appear in the big game, but the year he wins it all." The Donikers would later advance past the first round but lose in the semi-finals. Jones fired away at Barth and Keith Kuratko called Pavelich's jinx "wasted" in Sports Page Issue 12. Profio responded to Kuratko's shot at the Donikers in Sports Page Issue 13.

Division Champs

The following teams won their divisions and received first round byes: the Donikers-DTL (9-4) won the Club Division -- their fourth straight division title, the Cosmic Monsters (8-4) captured the Diamond Division, Captain Tripps (8-4) took home the Spade Division title, and the Psychedelic B's (8-4) won the Heart Division. The Kardiac Kids won the regular season points championship with 973 (81.08 per game). Click here to see the rest of the 1998 standings. Click here to see a Preview of the 1998 Playoffs. 

Playoffs - Round One

Barth's Kardiac Kids hammered Jim Damicone's King Salmons 110-69 in the first round of the playoffs. This lead to the following quote by LTP GM Don Jones in Sports Page Issue 14: "As the dreamer I am, it was refreshing to see Jody's dream of finally getting out of the first round of the playoffs become a reality! He may even keep his name next year." Barth responded with: "Put a muzzle on that monkey. I changed my name once in four years and I went to the Kardiac Kids because we're the comeback team. I thought because your season was over a couple weeks ago that I wouldn't have to listen to your ass anymore." Pavelich's Midnight Vigilantes set a new playoff scoring record with a 118-68 opening round thumping of Bell's Bonecrushers. Click here to read a recap of the rest of the first round action and a preview of the 1998 Quarterfinals. 

Conference Semi-Finals

Brad Rzyczycki's Cosmic Monsters broke the Vigilantes playoff scoring record after one week, hammering Kuratko's Atomic Punks 136-79. Click here to read all of the details and quotes in Sports Page Issue 15.

Pavelich (left) announced after the second round of the playoffs that he has gathered enough votes to make the expanded league proposal a reality for the 1999 season. Click here to read the news release. Although the final details still needed to be worked out at January's Rules and Awards Banquet, the days of the 16 team league were now officially coming to an end.

Conference Finals

The Final Four featured two great matchups with Barth's Kardiac Kids taking on Profio's Donikers and the Rzyczycki brothers doing battle in the other game. Click here to read a recap of the quarterfinals and a preview of the 1998 Semi-Finals. Click here to read a preview of Fantasy Bowl 9 in Sports Page Issue 16.

Fantasy Bowl 9

Jody Barth (pictured at right) and his Kardiac Kids won Fantasy Bowl 9 over Matt Rzyczcki's Captain Tripps by a score of 74-55. By winning, Barth became just the second owner (Mike Bell's 1992 Assassins was the other) to win the league title and the scoring championship in the same season. Amazingly, the Kids won the contest despite playing without a quarterback. Barth was forced to start Gus Frerotte, who had previously been benched, because of a broken thumb suffered in Week 15 by Drew Bledsoe. WR James Jett was named Most Valuable Player for his 16 point performance as Barth's receivers (Jett, Randy Moss, and Terance Mathis) combined for 39 points. Rzyczycki had a shot to pull out a victory if RB Terrell Davis could simply equal his 23 point regular season scoring average in the Monday Night contest. Instead, Davis posted just two points, his lowest output of the season. For his victory, Barth received a check for $441.38. Click here to read the rest of the details in Sports Page Issue 17. Profio's Donikers-DTL defeated the Cosmic Monsters 83-74 to win the third place game.

The All-Star Bowl

The Blue Conference evened the series with the Black by winning All-Star Bowl 2, 107-96. King Salmons QB Steve Young scored 29 points to win MVP honors and earn a $20 bonus for owner Jim Damicone. All of the action once again took place during NFL Week 17. This would be the last All-Star Bowl game played thanks to the league's expansion to two conferences that would use the same player pool.

Matt Rzyczycki won the post-season playoff league, scoring 269 points.

Great Lakes Too Recap

Keith Kuratko's Punishers, last seen during the '94 Erie League season, surfaced in the GLL Too, earning the number one seed and tying the Bushwackers and Young Guns league record for most wins in a season. However, the 9-4 Punishers are upset 94-69 in the first round of the playoffs by Rambunctious, the number eight seed. Pavelich's Young Guns rolled to their second Great Lakes Too title in three years by hammering Doug Frank and the Ryan Express 106-54. Sam Profio retired his Spogliati franchise.

Awards Banquet

The fourth annual Awards Banquet was held on Jan. 9, 1999 at Maxx Doogan's in Twinsburg. Barth was voted top GM and Coach, Terrell Davis (Captain Tripps) was named MVP, WR Randy Moss (Kardiac Kids) was named post-season MVP, and RB Fred Taylor (Cosmic Monsters) won Rookie of the Year honors.