River City League--Founded 1981

        The league was formed in January of 1981 after founder, Greg Conway, (Hey, that's me!), read an article in the
fairly new sports magazine, Inside Sports, describing the first year of the famous Rotisserie League, (1980).

         I wrote the rules based on what I read about in the article but strayed on various points. We were to be a combined league and more stat categories were to be used. Also, since a baseball strike was a possiblity for the coming year, rules were constructed to deal with this. A near fatal flaw in the early days was corrected when stat services sprung up a couple of years later. We did not add up stats on a weekly basis at first but rather the players you had at the end of the year were what you based your points on. Surprisingly the race still came down to the last week in these early years but trading abuses flourished. St. Louis vs. Dallas football game tickets were traded for some hot pitcher one August night. Trading guidelines were tightened up the next year.

        Winter meetings were scheduled every year to tidy up the rules and add new changes. We added such things as a minor-reserve, a draft to follow the auction to fill the minor-reserve, and the ability to retain some players at an increased price. Most of the basics have remained the same.

         We remained with a stat service for several years until a couple of us gained access to the internet. We have been doing our own stats with an online service for several years now.

          The league had one highlight of the year besides the great auction day. Every June we entered a team in the Easter Seals softball tournament. We had been one of the top 3 or 4 money raising teams for ten straight years and won about 90% of our games. The highlight of the the day, however, was after the games when we all gathered under a tree near the fields and begin a huge trading session. Trading could last for hours, long after the beer ran out and many a big name player had switched teams here. Sadly,the Easter Seals tournament is no longer being held and for the last couple of years we have struggled to find an acceptable substitute.

The Teams

Born Losers/Thunderbirds (1981-1988) Owner: Rick Lewis

An original team, the Born Losers changed their name to the Thunderbirds in 1982. After a 3rd place finish in '81 and a 2nd in '82, the Thunderbirds reeled off 5 straight 1sts before finally dropping to 3rd in 1988. The dissapointment of the 3rd place finish was enough to bring about the ending of the Thunderbirds. They dropped out of the River City League. The Thunderbirds' success was due, in large, to the rosters that always seemed to have Ripken, Murray, Sandberg and Gary Carter as the anchors.

An original team. My team. The only original team still in the River City League. We won the league the first two years and won again in 1988. The Clubbers never finished below 4th place until a disasterous 1992 auction. That year the Clubbers never spent a week out of last place. They bounced back somewhat in '93 and '94 with 4th and 3rd place finishes but slumped badly to 6th in '95 and 9th in '96. In 1997, however the Clubbers returned to the top again with their 4th Championship. In the early years, the Clubbers stayed at or near the top with Red Sox sluggers Rice and Evans and Harvey Wallbangers, Yount and Cooper. Carlton and Valenzuela anchored early pitching staffs and Clemens was a frequent Clubber later on. The '97 team won with a good auction that produced Bagwell, Mo Vaughn, Clemens again and Nomar Garciaparra. A pitching collapse doomed the Clubbers to 8th place finishes in '98 and '99. In 2000, the Clubbers rebounded to 3rd but nosedived to 14th in 2001. With Nomar, Bagwell and Guerrero the Clubbers won their 5th Championship in 2002, tying the Boneheads and the Born Losers/Thunderbirds for the most all-time.

The Crows were mildly competetive through the first half of the inaugural season, then lost interest and finished 5th. They did not return.

The Dodgers, an original team, changed their name to the Bangers in 1982. The team was competetive but couldn't finish strong enough. They fnished 4th three times, 5th and 6th and finally 10th in their last year. A new baby demanded more time then was available and the Bangers dropped out.

An original team, the Ravens were up and down in the standings, finishing as high as 2nd, ('81 and '85), and as low as 8th, ('86 and '90). The main weapon for the Ravens seemed to be pitching and stolen bases. McCarty's favorite team was the St. Louis Cardinals and guys like McGee and Coleman were frequently on the Ravens. In an unusual transaction in 1986, the Ravens franchise was sold to the 714 All Stars, who had disbanded their franchise. The Ravens then started anew. The change brought only a slight improvement, 8th in '86, 6th in '87. The Ravens dropped out when McCarty moved to Carbondale for further schooling. Harry died in 2001 of an undetermined heart aliment.

Another original team, the Rockers could not seem to get out of the middle of the pack. This probably led to their demise. Reggie Jackson was another reason the Rockers disbanded. The favorite player of Moore, his movement to the Angels' team seemed to lessen the enjoyment. The Rockers placed between 5th and 7th in each of their 5 years of existence. Reggie wasn't helping much.

An original team on a lark. The only female owner the River City League has ever had. She knew little about baseball and proved it.

This team competed in the first year but did not attend the auction. Instead, they purchased players left over from the auction for a flat rate. This was covered in the rules and still is but it's not a good way to be competetive. The All Stars finished last that year and didn't fair much better in the next 6 years. They did manage to get into the money in 1985 with a third place finish, but many bad trades doomed this team many times. As mentioned above, the '86 version of the 714 All Stars were disbanded and the rights to the Ravens team were acquired. It wasn't much help as the '87 team finished 8th. This was the end of the 714 All Stars.

The rights to Teri's Merry Fairies were sold and the team became Joe's Bar and Grill. Joe's actually did worse then it's predecessor and finished 8th. Jackson left for Murray St. the next year and therefore could not improve on the last place finish.

The Expos purchased the rights to Crowe's Crows to start the '82 season. They were a strong and energenic organization and did well their first year placing 3rd but the owner's personality, questionable trade practices and continuing attempts to find ways around league rules eventually caused the majority of the league to get tired of his act. After changing the name of the team to the Cardinals in '83 and finishing 2nd, Rowan was expelled from the league in the Winter Meeting before the '84 season. His team was disbanded and he could not sell the rights to it. Rowan brought a lawsuit against the members of the league including two new members for recovery of the amount he paid to obtain the franchise. Each member was served, some of us at work. When it was pointed out, however, that he purchased the team from someone that was no longer in the league in a private transaction, Rowan's lawyer convinced him that he probably would not win the case and it was dropped.

Bombers (1983) Owner: Rob Logan

Purchased from the former Joe's Bar and Grill, The Bombers continued the downward trend of the franchise. The team finished 9th and was again sold the next year.

One of the two first expansion teams, the Braves had 9th and 10th place finishes in '83 and '84. Both were good for last place. Conaway left the league, however, not because of poor finishes but because of a distant job opportunity.

The Fanatics were the other expansion team in '83 and finished a fairly strong 6th. They literally disappeared in '84 though. After a three year absence they reappeared in '87 and finished 9th. The next two years they finished in the money at 5th and 6th but after two more 9th place finishes they disappeared for good.

The Bronx Bombers were the 4th version of the original Merry Fairies, being purchased from the Bombers franchise. The Bronx Bombers faired much better then all the previous versions, finishing 2nd in '86, 5th in '87 and 4th in '92. They also suffered some miserable years finishing last four times in their 10 year history. Finally, the interest just wasn't there anymore and this franchise reached the end after four owners in 13 years.

The only '84 expansion team, the Giant-Tigers finished 8th in '84. They changed names in '85, becoming the Blazers, which they remain today. The name change began a rise in the standings. A steady run of first division finishes began with a 3rd place in '86 followed by 4th, 2nd, 1st in '89 and 1st in '90. Don Mattingly remained a fixture on these great teams but as Donnie Baseball began to go downhill so did the Blazers. Two 6ths and two 8ths from '91 to '94 were finally broken by three more first divison finishes, 2nd in '95 and 5th in '96 and '97. In 1998, however the Blazers dropped to 10th, 12th in '99 and 10th again in 2000. They finally got back to the first division in 2001 with a 6th place finish. In 2002 they had a second straight sixth place finish.

The Cows were purchased from the owner of the departing Braves. Buedel was unprepared the intensity of his initial auction. He passed out on the floor about halfway through it, about the time he ran out of beer. The Cows finished 9th but improved to 7th the next year. This progress was not enough for Buedel who felt he was in over his head and sold the team.

An expansion team. One year, last place. The Blockheads were done.

In 1986, this expansion team was co-owned by Vanvlack and Mark Craig. Craig dropped out the next year but the Boneheads continued an impressive run of first divison finishes. They were in the money every year with the exception of a 7th in '90 and 10th in '97. Along the way were 1sts in '92 and '96 and 2nds in '89 and '94. A big Cub fan, Vanvlack rarely loads up on Cubs though. In 1998 the Boneheads posted their third 1st place finish. They dropped to 6th in '99 but stormed back for 1st place finishes in 2000 and 2001. They are tied with the Born Losers/Thunderbirds and the Clubbers with 5 Championships. The Clubbers picked up their 5th in 2002, while the Boneheads finished in second place after a long stay in first during the first 3/4 of the year.

After a year of trying to get their brother, Don Mattingly, on their team by trading with the Blazers, they gave up and didn't return in '87. They finished 9th in '86 so Donnie probably could have helped a bit too.

The Cubbies were obviously owned by another Cub fan, the brother of an ex-co-owner. The team was purchased from the original franchise, the Bangers. They finished a respectable 7th out of 11 but did not return and the franchise ended, two owners, seven years later.

Miller Lite was sprung from the former team, the Cows. After 10th and 8th place finishes, this franchise ended, six years, three owners, no money finishes.

The first year of this expansion team was rough, 11th place, but the following years found the Nons consistantly at the top of the standings. A 5th in '89, 4th in '90, 2nds in '92, '93 and '96 and 1sts in '91, '94' and '95. Finally, a little air was let out of the Nons with a 7th place finish in '97. Greg Maddux and Barry Bonds seemed to be Nons every year. This would seem to be at least a small reason for the Non's success. In 1998, Bonds was finally traded. The Nons dropped to their second ever 11th place finish that year and followed it with another 11th in '99 and a 12th in 2000. They got back in the money in 2001 with a 3rd place finish and again finished 3rd in 2002.

The only expansion team in 1988, the Sluggers started with a 9th place debut. They took until 1993 to get in the first division and placed third that year. Their next best finish was in '96 when they finished 4th. The Sluggers finished 9th in '97. In 1998 the Sluggers led the league for most of the year but had a total collapse in September to finish 7th. They got into the money in '99 with a 5th place finsih but were knocked back down in 2000, 2001 and 2002, finishing 9th,13th and 10th.

The Bashers debuted in '89 and finished in 12th place, which was last. They did not return the next year but left to form another league.

The Mega Powers are owned by the son of the Blazers' owner. They finished 9th in their first year and moved up to 5th in their second. The Mega Powers may be the kings of trade. Every year they seem to be involved in many blockbusters and little remains of their original auction team at the end of the year. The results so far have not been too good as they have finished as high as 5th only one other time, in 1992. In '97 they finished 8th but again made trades that they hoped would help them in '98. The big players, Lofton, Sosa, did not help a poor pitching staff however and they finished 14th. A name change to the Halos in '99 didn't help that year. They remained in 14th. The new Millinium, however, started off with three first division finishes, 6th in '00, 5th in '01 and 5th again in 2002.

After a tough 11th place debut, the Mustangs stormed back with a 2nd place finish in 1990 and back to back 3rds in '91 and '92. In 1993 the Mustangs finished 8th though and due to some league fee disagreements did not return in '94. The disagreements were resolved and the Mustangs returned in '96 only to place 13th. In a repeat of their first two years though, the Mustangs again rebounded to 2nd place in '97, a twelve place turnaround. In 1998, the Mustangs stayed strong with a 3rd place finish and remained in the money the next three years, finishing 7th in '99, 2nd in '00 and 4th in '01. In 2002, the Mustangs started strong but faded to an out of the money finish of 8th.

The Taxi Squad finished 10th in their only year in the River City League. They left the following year to join with the Bashers' owner to form their own league.

The Cards purchased their franchise from the departing Bashers owner. They improved the franchise's standing, but not much. 10th place. They sold the franchise the following year.

The Doddgers purchased the team from the departing owners of the Cards. They finished 10th in '91 and improved to 7th in '92. They did not return in '93 and the franchise was finished.

The Hornets exploded into the River City League, winning 1st place in their first year. They have not yet duplicated that feat, but have remained close to the top with finishes of 5th in '94, 3rd in '95 and '96 and 6th in '97. They have had a lock on top players like Frank Thomas, Albert Belle and Randy Johnson for some time which, no doubt, contributed to their success. In 1998, Belle was gone but the Hornets still finished in the money in 6th place. They finished a strong 2nd in '99, despite a Hornet tradition of seldom making moves during the season. They basically relied on strong auctions to keep them competative. That didn't quite work in 2000 and 2001, as they finished out of the money in 11th and 10th places. They failed to come to the 2002 auction, thus ending the franchise.

The Dawgs debuted with a 10th place finish in '94 and improved to 5th the next year. 1997 was their best year yet as they finished 4th. They were 5th in '98. They have rivaled the Halos in trading frenzy in their years in the league and many superstars have passed through this team, ARod, Griffey, Sosa, Helton, Clemens and more. In '99 they dropped to a league low of 16th place but rebounded to 4th in '00. In 2001, it was back down again, to 9th and in 2002, they fell to 13th place.

The Greyhounds had a good start and finished their first year in 4th place. They dropped some in '95 to 8th. In 1996, Anderson disappeared before the All Star break and has not been heard from since. The Greyhounds still managed to finish 7th, even with an absent owner. In the Winter Meeting before the '97 season, the Greyhounds were voted out of the league due to their unpaid league fees.

The Skells were a jointly owned team in 1994 and finished 9th. The following year, Hawkins moved away and Sheller retained control of the team. The team's name was changed to Lakside and the team finished in last place. In 1996, Lakeside again finished 10th, but this time in a 13 team league. Lakeside did not return for the '97 season but were back in 1998 when Hawkins returned as part owner. They again finished last, in 15th place. They inched up to 13th in '99 but again dropped to last, (16th), in '00 and then finished 11th in 2001 and 2002.

The Tumbleweeds started slowly with an 11th place finish in '96. They made a huge leap to 3rd in their second year, but dropped to 13th in 1998. Another see-saw move brought them to 4th in '99 and then two 8th place finishes followed in '00, (in the money), and '01, (out of the money). In 2002, it was back up again with a 4th place finish.

The Yanks had a pretty good debut in '96, finishing 8th in the 13 team field but in '97, they had bad luck from the beginning when Best missed the auction. They dropped to last. They made a great comeback in '98 however, finishing 4th, their first finish in the money. They were beat out of a money spot in '99 by 1/2 point, finishing 9th, got in at 7th in '00 and dropped back down to 12th in '01. They did not return to the aution in 2002.

The Dinosaurs' first year was hugely successful as they used a strong auction to finish 2nd. In '99 they rode a dominating offense to a 3rd place finish. They had their first bad year in '00 and finished 13th but came back somewhat in '01 with a 7th place finish. Carl Fenwick had been a partner for the first four years of the Dinosaurs but has now departed the team. In 2002, the Dinosaurs again had a 7th place finish, in the money.

The Holy Cows finished 9th in their first year despite an overabundance of Cubs on their roster. Diminishing interest during the year from the owners ruined a surprisingly fast start. Did not return in 1999.

They were competative throughout most of their first year but began to fall behind in the last two months. They finished 12th. They must have learned a few lessons because in '99 they exploded up to 1st place. In 2000, it wasn't so easy though. They dropped to 14th. Another huge rebound in '01 brought them back up to 2nd. This appears to be another seesaw team like the Tumbleweeds. They dropped to 14th in 2002.

         The Indians debuted in '99 in 10th place. They made the first division in '00 with a 5th place finish, then dropped all the way to last in '01, (15th) They did improve a bit in 2002, finishing 9th.

Wildcats (1999-2000) Owner: Bob Davis

          The Wildcats debuted in 15th place in '00 and finished their RCL history in 15th in '01.

Blue Jays (2002) Owner: Shane Butcher

         The Blue Jays finished 12th in their debut year of 2002.

 
All-time River City League record holders

Batting Average                         .29845 Nons (1996)

At Bats                                 7,586 Born Losers (1982)

Hits                                    2,189 Boneheads (1998)

Walks (offensive)                       1,014 Nons (1996)

Hits + Walks                            3,139 Boneheads (2000)

Doubles                                 483 Reds (1999)

Triples                                 74 Ravens (1984)

Home Runs                               366 Boneheads (2000)

Stolen Bases                            317 Ravens (1986)

Runs Scored                             1,297 Boneheads (2000)

Runs Batted In                          1,303 Boneheads (2000)

On Base Pct.                           .3894 Nons (1996)

On Base Average + Slugging Pct.       .8361 Dinosaurs (2002)

Offensive Points                        96.75 Boneheads (2000)

Wins                                    140 Thunderbirds (1983)

Win/Loss Pct.                           .66985 Thunderbirds (1983)

Innings Pitched                         1,978.67 Dinosaurs (2000)

Earned Runs                             1,078 Dinosaurs (2000)

Earned Run Average                      2.6938 Clubbers (1990)

Hits Allowed                            2,171 Dinosaurs (2000)

Hits + Walks Pct.                       1.1194 Clubbers (1988)

Complete Games                          72 Clubbers (1982)

Saves                                   137 Sluggers (1993)

Strikeouts                             1,487 Boneheads (2002)

Walks Allowed                           800 Dinosaurs (1998)

Losses                                  119 Dinosaurs (2000)

Defensive Points                        88.25 Boneheads (2000)

Total Points                            185 Boneheads (2000)

Category Firsts                         10 Thunderbirds (1984 & 1985)