The unthinkable happened to football fans in Northeast Ohio last November. The NFL team they followed for over 50 years - the Cleveland Browns - ceased to exist when owner Art Modell uprooted the franchise and moved it to Baltimore. Diehard fans in this area would no longer have the option of bundling up and braving the elements as they rolled through Cleveland Stadium by way of Lake Erie. No longer would they paint themselves Orange and Brown or transform into barking dogs every Sunday in support of their team.

To satisfy our pigskin fix, myself and 15 other owners have thrown every bit of our energy and support into the Erie Fantasy Football League. It is our hope that such dedication and desire toward the other NFL teams and players will keep our own football spirit alive while awaiting Clevelands new franchise in 1999. The league has been in existence for seven years, three of which I have had the honor of serving as commissioner.We have continued to grow each year as more and more of our friends and associates take notice to how enjoyable our league is. Our players keep coming back year after year because they feel a real closeness to their franchise and its history.

One of the things that will go unaltered when the new Cleveland Browns return in three years is the storied history of the franchise. Statistics, records, and legend that accumulated over the course of 50 years will go untouched, ready to be added to in 1999. As commissioner of the Erie League, I try to provide my fellow owners with just such a history of their own.

At the beginning of each season, I produce an official record book for each of the owners who participates in our league. The book has detailed sections on overall records spanning seven years, as well as head-to-head records over the same time period. I feel this not only provides the players with a realistic opportunity to establish long-standing rivalries with each other, but it also equips each owner with the statistical proof they may need to speak on their own teams dominance.

In addition, my preseason publication features a records section which covers such areas as best and worst regular season records, most and fewest points scored by a team over a single season, as well as longest winning and losing streaks in the history of the league. Owners can also claim bragging rights and have their names immortalized for all time by qualifying for sections such as Most Points Scored in a Single Game of the Regular Season, or Most Points Scored in a Playoff Game. Of course, the goal everyone shoots for is to permanently enter his name onto the page detailing past Erie League champions.

During the season, I believe that the more information you can provide in the weekly newsletter, the more involved and interested you will encourage each of the owners to be. This all starts off with The Sports Pages Preseason Power Ratings, which details the forecasted strength of each squad, based on my analysis of each teams draft and the projected point totals for each player on their roster. Throughout the year, I provide my owners with a column previewing each weeks matchups. This information comes complete with data on each owners current overall record, the head-to-head records between the two teams, as well as the score of the last meeting between the participants.

As the season progresses, I add material to these previews detailing the team scoring leaders, last weeks performances, and current win or loss streak. Another honor for the owners to strive for is to win the High Scoring Team of the Week award which places their smiling face on the back page of the newsletter for all of the other participants to be envious over. A feature new this season which has been very well received by all Erie League owners is the column detailing Overall Coaching Statistics. In this feature, an analysis is made of each teams point total for the week as compared to the possible points they could have had from players they chose to sit on the bench. I feel this provides an excellent tool for participants to see who actually uses their brain the best when it comes to arranging a weekly lineup. The last item covered on the newsletter involves the weeks News and Notes. It is here that I make observations on comical happenings, trends, and other developments which each owner might find interesting.

All of the before mentioned items I include come about due to my own tabulations. I do not subscribe to any fantasy stat service nor do I use any commercial software to manage my league. Thats not to say I wouldnt if a quality service did exist. I just find that in order to keep everyone happy and informed, I am better off doing the work myself and avoiding all of the additional headaches those services can provide.

At the end of the season, my colleagues and myself find it very difficult to just let go of an endeavor which we have all worked so hard to be involved in. To satisfy this final need, I arrange for a secret ballot among participants to vote for the leagues Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, Fantasy Coach of the Year, Fantasy General Manager of the Year, and New Fantasy Owner of the Year. The votes are tabulated and awards are presented at our annual Post-Season Banquet, usually held approximately a couple of weeks after the Super Bowl.

As you can see, I take fantasy football very seriously. My fellow Erie League participants take it just as seriously as I do, thanks in part to some of the items I produce for them before, during, and after the season. By no means can I say that my fellow owners or I dont miss seeing the Browns play each Sunday. However, by devoting as much time and energy into the management of my own fantasy football league - The Erie Fantasy Football League - I can honestly say that the time will go by faster while all of us in Northeast Ohio await their return.