Been thinking on the upcoming season and the absence of two of our founding members. I've contacted Ram and TimC and they both say they'd be interested in returning in 2009. So my proposal is this: Let's play 2008 as a 10-team league leaving the door open for Rick and Tim's return. I know there will be questions and concerns as to how we'd make this work and I'm open to any and all suggestions. Except Az's

Let's just make it a free league this year so they can continue to play.

I understand they may have problems making it this year and seriously, they are two of my favorite members of this league. So I ask this....are they guaranteeing they will return next year??? Or saying its possible they may return next year?

Should we then call it 'Free Leagues Suck Some of the Time'

I guess with this being a keeper league I'm not sure how it would work going to 10 teams. Unless we're talking suspending the keeper aspect for a year and just making it a 10 team redraft for a year?

If they are both intending to come back there is a couple things we ca do. First, still keeper league this year.
Next year, to expand back to 12 we can have each of us protect 1 player and then they get to pick a player from any roster.
Then we each get to protect a 2nd player and then they get to pick again.
Players still can only be held for 3 years so that would still be in play too. I think that would work.

I can't guarantee next week, let alone next year. I hope that I will be back. I hope that I don't miss the f'n hell outta FF after week 1.

I'm not asking for a gurantee. None of us can gurantee a year from now where we would be.
My wife will be out of a job at the end of August (her department is closing, outsourcing it to India) and if she doesn't land a job by the end of the year, I don't know what we'll be doing come next year.
If your intent is to come back, I'm fine with going with 10 this year.

sounds like a fine idea to me, probably the thing to do would be to make it redraft this year and then the play 2009 like the first year of a new keeper league.

another option might be trying to find owners who are ok joining for a year, basically knowing they are pretty much keeping someone else's seat warm. I guess that could be tricky though.

Maybe we could just assign you and HoP to be their 'bestus buddies' while they are here...doubt they'd come back next year

A couple other things to take into consideration.

Where is HoP? It is now August, the time any FF addict should be checking into his leagues. He has not responded to any of Beach's communications in HEFFA yet.

Where is Furd? He has not logged into the huddle since April. Granted, he usually does disappear from the huddle during the offseason, but it's time for him to show up soon as well.

Free Leagues Suck Sometimes but especially with HoP and Furd Missing...

April?? No schit.

I gots to get me caught up.

That's one. I'll try to track down, Curley.

He's wanted in the HEFFA forum as well...

Little too ironic I guess.

I'm fine doing it free or going 10 team - either way. I'd just assume keep it free so those two yahoos could stay in. As a matter of fact - doesn't Rammy already have some moolah toward this year from the past year?

It 'aint the money - it's the stress that the concern about money puts on you. It makes participation in FF seem inappropriate or frivilous.

Hopefully the stress goes away, and the jones for FF brings Rick and Timmay running back to FLS next year.

That is total bullsh*t Mike - Before now, both those motherf*ckers earned an IOU for the season if they hit the skids. $100 over a year is nothing, even Sally Struthers could find time to put down the f*ckin bigmac for just pennies a day......