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| League History: 2000 |
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The 2000 season was a regression from 1999 if you focused solely on the field.
On the web, however, things were different as the Commissioner bought the rights to
www.wiffleball2k.com after finally
successfully begging for money from his disappointed parents. Many wondered aloud why he chose a website name that would
seemingly be "out-of-date" by the year 2001. The Commissioner, as always, got a pained look on his face, as if he forgot
the year 2000 would in fact eventually end. Nevertheless, the league decided to stick with the name (as if they had a choice)
and nowadays the address is a household name. Despite the new, brief address and the slick new page design (which featured
a scary number of updates as well as poorly-written pieces by TV stars Omar Gooding and Donnie Jeffcoat), the actual game
was suffering.
After two season of exponential growth, the league played less in 2000, probably because many players were fuedin' like
backwoods cousins. James Vassar and Scott Carmichael had a very public spat on our very own message boards that I think
both would rather forget. Mark Montgomery, who the year before took reign as "Most Dedicated Player Ever" with his
record-breaking AB total of 230, abruptly retired a gameday after a pissed off Scott decided to "appease" the Commissioner's
distaste for his one-sided domination by playing left-handed. Why Mark retired is anyone's guess, and he ain't talking.
Vassar made everyone's life miserable as he ruthlessly made fun of anyone that did anything successful off of him,
especially Jeff Morrison, who brought it upon himself by bitch-slapping Vassar in the 1999 playoffs. It seemed every
week someone was mad at soemone else, which oftentimes ended with the words "fag," "bitch," and "fuck" being used more
times than necessary on our joke of a message board.
The bright spots for the season did exist however, believe it or not. Casey Sylvester decided to stop playing like a 3
year-old for the first time since 1996 and had himself a hell of a season, leading the league with a .413 batting average
along with 24 HRs. Clint Wattenberg, who only a couple years back was learning what a "strike" and a "ball" were, became
known as one of the league's best pitchers with his 1.69 ERA. Darnell Uhland joined the league, breaking our color
barrier and starting a career that would eventually lead to him becoming one of the most recognizable and enjoyed players
in the league.
Other than those examples and perhaps a couple other moments of clarity, the 2000 season was a rough one for most. Over
the off-season, the Commish and his assistants were forced to figure out the best way to rekindle the joy the league
brought in years such as 1999. The answer was clear--the website needed to have a fantasy league.
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