Ultimate fantasy: a fan-led franchise

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — Weary from the trip to Kansas City, where his Schaumburg Flyers lost their 12th consecutive game, manager Andy McCauley drops by his boss' office to learn which players the Internet masses have chosen for him to start.

"This is the strangest one yet," warned Rich Ehrenreich, the minor-league team's president and managing partner.

An outfielder who often bats last is leading off. The second spot, usually reserved for a good runner who reaches base often, is occupied by a big catcher who does neither. The slugger who normally bats fourth is dropped to sixth.

"That is, uh ... really?" McCauley asked.

"It makes no sense," Ehrenreich conceded. "But you know what? It could be just goofy enough to work."

"Just goofy enough to work" may prove to be the operating principle of the Flyers' experiment with fan-picked lineups as part of "Fan Club: Reality Baseball," an Internet show that takes fantasy baseball leagues to new levels of interactivity.

To promote his club, Ehrenreich signed on to have cameras follow the Flyers through a half-season of baseball — 48 games — in the independent Northern League.

And Ehrenreich agreed to let fans, voting online, decide the team's starting lineup each night. Diehard supporters, opposing fans and Web surfers who know nothing about the team have an equal say about which Flyers play and which ride the pine.

"It's 'Bull Durham'-meets-fantasy-sports come to life," said Larry Tanz, chief executive of LivePlanet, the Santa Monica, Calif.-based production company that created the reality show, which can be seen on Microsoft's MSN Video site and at fanclub.msn.com.

In reaching out to customers, Ehrenreich has ticked off his manager, many players and even some fans. They say the promotion threatens the integrity of baseball.

"No one, I don't care what your job is, likes to be told what to do, let alone from 10,000 guys sitting on their couches," McCauley said.

The longest losing streak in club history didn't lessen their distaste. The team won the division title in the first half of the split season, going 31-17 with the manager running the show. Since "Fan Club" began to start the second half, however, the team has struggled and landed in last place.

Whether that's because of "Fan Club" is unclear — some players were hurt, others moved up to higher leagues, and four were suspended for a bench-clearing brawl against the Kansas City T-Bones.

Nonetheless, attendance at the Flyers' Alexian Field has ticked up since "Fan Club" debuted.

Throughout the history of organized sports, supporters have second-guessed managers' decisions and said they could do better. "Fan Club" gives them that chance.

In future seasons of "Fan Club," LivePlanet, Microsoft and the Flyers want to let fans trade and release players via online voting and use real-time software to swap in another pitcher or hitter during a game.

The involved parties won't say how many people vote for lineups or watch the show. Microsoft said "Fan Club" episodes have cumulatively been viewed more than 500,000 times.

Handing over managerial control to a bunch of mouse-wielding fans could happen only in a place like the Northern League.

In most of minor-league baseball, player development trumps winning. The vast majority of lower-level teams are affiliates of major-league teams and follow strict rules set by the parent clubs, such as the maximum number of pitches a prospect can throw or the fielding position a young talent must play.

Not in the Northern League. Its eight teams, which include the likes of the Calgary Vipers and the Edmonton Cracker-Cats, operate independently. They have one goal: Make money by putting a winning team on the field, or at least put on an interesting show.

"Not only does it provide fun for fans, it gives them an opportunity to see what the life of a minor-league baseball player is like," commissioner Jim Weigel said. "Most fans think the average baseball player is getting paid millions of dollars and driving a Mercedes. The guys in our league are barely getting by. It's a struggle."

That's an understatement. Each team's payroll is capped at $104,000 per season. The Flyers pay an average salary of $1,700 per month during the season, which runs from mid-May to early September. Most players stay with host families.

They do it for a shot at making the majors. Northern League players who have made it include Rey Ordoņez, a former Gold Glove shortstop with the New York Mets, and Baltimore Orioles first baseman Kevin Millar. Former big-leaguers also have landed on Northern League teams to play out their final days.

That's why "Fan Club" is driving them nuts.

"This isn't a last-resort league," said Dan Jackson, the Flyers closer. "There's a lot of guys with chances to move on. Being out of position doesn't better your chances to move on, or better us to win the game."

Some players don't mind the attention. Players gather to watch themselves on screen in the clubhouse, which features a new sofa and a computer. Cameras follow the Flyers as they play poker, rehab from injuries and try to pick up women in nightclubs.

Some players haven't gotten used to the fan voting, though.

"It's the dumbest thing I've ever heard of in baseball, period," Jackson said. "We've been told this is for the fans, to give back to the fans. You want to give back to the fans, let them vote on the price of beer."

The change has been toughest on McCauley. During his second season with the Flyers in 2004, McCauley led the team to its first division title since 1999 and was named Northern League Manager of the Year.

He entered this season with a won-lost record of 143-137 with the Flyers and managed the team to the division's best record in the first half, guaranteeing the Flyers a spot in the playoffs, which begin Tuesday.

The experiment began well enough July 11. Fans made no major lineup changes against the Gary SouthShore RailCats, and the team won 4-2.

The second night, McCauley said, "is when the lineup from hell came down."

When LivePlanet producers handed him the fans' lineup, McCauley erupted. After playing every game the first half of the season, Josue Lopez, a slugging first baseman from Trabuco Canyon, Calif., was riding the pine. Cole, the center fielder, was starting at first base, where he hadn't played in four years, and backup catcher Ryan Walker was manning third base (McCauley had listed the players as eligible at those positions but had no idea fans would start them there.)

During the third inning, a RailCat batter dropped a bunt down the third-base line. Walker uncorked a bad throw and Cole couldn't handle it, leading to two runs. The Flyers lost 5-2.

The lineups soon stabilized. LivePlanet began listing player statistics and "Manager's Choice" selections. With a few minor tweaks, fans generally have gone with McCauley's recommendations. Flyers fan Chris Connelly says he generally spends his lunch break voting — often 100 times, each for McCauley's picks.

"He's the manager — he knows best," said the 43-year-old telecommunications technician. "I let the professionals do their jobs."

The Flyers are trying to stop their skid and turn things around before the playoffs.

Last weekend, Ehrenreich sat in his owner's luxury box, with the lights off, and watched the Flyers drop another game, by a 4-1 score. The shuffled lineup picked by the Internet masses scratched out five hits.

On this night, "just goofy enough to work" doesn't.