2004 Winter Meeting

The 2004 Hawk Mountain Hot Stovers Winter Meeting was held Saturday, Jan. 30, at the lovely home of Scott and Phyllis Savage outside Friedensburg. A rather warm and sunny day saw Commissioner Leroy Boyer get stuck in the snowdrift at the bottom of White Dog lane (because he was goofing off) and need to be pushed out. Six other team owners did not get stuck in the drift: Charlie Wagner, Mike Zimmerman, Scott Rarick, Mike Adam, Jack Schwenk and the hosts, Scott and Phyllis. Owners Mike Comins, Pete Kenyon and Tom Brennan submitted votes to proposed amendments via e-mail and did not attend the meeting. Dave Schipper was just absent, soaking up the sun in Florida on some golf-oriented business trip. Ah, the life.

New owner Jeff Smith was also present and approved for membership in the league. His team will be called the Skunk Hollow Bandits.

In league business, the HMHS members in attendance set Saturday, March 13 as this year’s draft date due to owners’ conflicts on March 20 (Charlie), 27 (Leroy) and April 3 (Phillies game). If any of the absent owners can not make March 13, let me know ASAP. The next alternative would be Sunday, March 21.

The site of the draft will be Mike Adam’s house in Sinking Spring (site of last year's draft), with the draft beginning at 10 a.m. Mike Zimmerman originally bid to host the meeting, but declined to be the host during the WM. If you need directions, contact Mike Adam via e-mail.

With the draft set for March 13, each team’s keeper list is due by 9 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 29. You may announce it earlier, if you like. Winter Trading is also still in effect until 9 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 29.

The following officers were elected: Commissioner, Leroy Boyer; Assistant Commissioner, Charlie Wagner; Secretary, Phyllis Savage; Assistant Secretary, Scott Savage; and Treasurer, Mike Zimmerman. Mike Adam was appointed to fill Charlie Wagner’s seat on the Constitution Committee.

The league will once again use TQ Stats as its web site. Last year’s site is still up and running, with some changes to the home page. Each team is encouraged to visit the site: http://baseball.tqstats.com/hawkmt/index.html, and check it out. I will be renewing our league in the coming days and will pass along all information regarding team passcodes, etc. when the site is ready. Jeff, I will send you all of your information. Other owners, if you have your ID number and password from last year, it should still work.

The league owners did not pass any of the proposed amendments for 2004, but unanimously passed a revised Minor League Draft based on a proposal by Charlie Wagner. Starting in 2005, the Minor League Draft will be held after the Auction Draft, but before the Reserve Draft, and limited to three rounds. Each team will still be allowed to keep a roster of eight minor leaguers. The original proposal suggested the Minor League Draft be held first. But several owners voiced opposition because it would allow players like new New York Mets shortstop Kazuo Matsui, the Japanese star who hasn’t played in the majors and qualifies under the current Minor League Roster parameters, and any other Japanese, Cuban or Dominican defectors, to be eligible for selection in the Minor League Draft before being bid on in the Auction Draft.

Here’s a look at the rest of the proposals, and the vote tallies. Seven of 10 votes (Schipper didn’t vote, Jeff couldn't vote) were needed to pass the proposal. Note the two commissioner’s notes included in the following list:

1) Players released during the season who are in the second or third year of their contract maintain that contract status if they are acquired by a new team via FAAB regardless of the amount bid.

1) Make minor league draft picks tradable.

Proposed by Jack Schwenk

2) Make reserve and minor league draft picks NOT tradable during winter trading.

Proposed by Mike Adam

3) Move the trade deadline earlier.

Defeated, 3-7

1. Of the teams involved in the trade, the team ahead in the standings may not receive more than one more Star player than he gives up in the trade. In other words, if Team A is ahead in the standings, he may receive one Star player in exchange for none or two star players in exchange for one.
2. Two teams may only make one unbalanced Star trade between them per season. Additional trades between the two teams are permitted, but the number of Star players going to the team ahead in the standings must be equal to or less than the number going to the other team.
3. Players picked up in the FAAB do not qualify as star players when being transferred from the team that is ahead in the standings. In other words, a contending team can not pass off a $4 David Cone as a star player in order to "balance" a trade, but if a contending team wants to acquire a $3 Bartolo Colon in a deal, they balance rules do apply.
4. All trades remain subject to existing challenge rules
5. The Star rule is not in effect during the offseason.

Defeated, 2-8

1. Reduce the Salary Cap (amount voted on by league)

1. Second-Half Surge (SHS) Rule: Award $1 in extra draft day money to the team that gains the most standings points from the All star break through the end of the year. Team’s finishing in the money would be ineligible.

Defeated, 2-7 (Pete didn’t vote)

Commissioner’s Note: The league decided to hold a vote on Draft Day to change the prize for best Draft Day Roster from $25 to an extra $1 on draft day. That way, all owners will be present and have a chance to think about it before voting.

League approved allowing Charlie and Leroy to make typographical and verbage errors in the Constitution. Charlie will be updating the Constitution in the coming days on his furious shepherd web site and will send out a link to it via e-mail for everyone to proofread and double check.