2000RT1 is looking for owners to pick up unmanaged teams. There are plenty of active, involved owners who’ve developed good rivalries and histories, but we need a few more owners to adopt some of the perennial doormats and get them on the right track. Each one of these teams finished in the bottom eight last year, so they’ll all be part of the Rookie Draft Lottery and could get the first overall pick (Hideki Matsui, maybe?) To start with, here’s two teams with a lot to offer beyond the roster…

Edmonton Dominators (Senior Circuit) 69-91 Part of an All-Canadian Division!

Despite playing in a very competitive division that featured two 100 game winners and the eventual World Series Champions, Edmonton was one of the highest scoring teams in the Senior Circuit. Their offence barely needs a manager – Jim Thome, Shawn Green, Chipper Jones, Garrett Anderson, Carlos Guillen, Jimmy Rollins, Charles Johnson and Reggie Sanders don’t need too much guidance – and there’s plenty of trade bait there to help re-build the pitching staff behind Matt Clement and Octavio Dotel. If there are any Canadian owners out there who’ve always longed to be part of an All-Canadian division – the other teams are located in Vancouver, Calgary and Saskatchewan – here’s your chance. But, of course, any manager who just loves offence would be more than welcome.

Alsea Beavers (Junior Circuit) 55-105 Prospects A’Poppin’!

If you like ‘em young, this is the team for you. The Beavers’ previous owner was in re-building mode before selling the franchise, so the Alsea minor league system is a virtual Who’s Who of 2003’s top prospects. We’re talking names like Bobby Hill, Juan Rivera, Lyle Overbay, Ken Harvey, Josh Paul and Wilson Betemit. And the team has four picks in the first two rounds of the rookie draft, and two in the first round of the Free Agent draft, so a new owner could quickly put his stamp on the team with players of his own. Add all those players to the current core of Kip Wells, Jose Cruz, Damion Moss, Ted Lilly, Frank Thomas, Bill Mueller and Edgar Martinez, and you’ve got a potential powerhouse for years to come.

There are three more teams available in this league, and since the list of “best players” on the purchase team page barely scratches the surface, here’s a list of intriguing players on each…

Paineville Tonks (Senior Circuit) 70-90
Torii Hunter, Gary Sheffield, Kevin Brown, Roger Clemens, Kenny Rogers, Preston Wilson, Steve Karsay, Scott Sauerbeck, Darren Holmes, Geronimo Gil, Tony Womack, and more.

Chicago Angels (Senior Circuit) 63-97
Sammy Sosa, Ray Durham, Andy Pettite, Jason Varitek, Jason LaRue, Joe Randa, Woody Williams, Brian Boehringer, Mike Williams, Runelvys Jernandez, Alan Embree, Shigetosi Hasegawa, and more.

Deerfield Valley Lightning III (Junior Circuit) 52-108

Ichiro Suzuki, Randy Winn, Josh Fogg, John Lackey, Jay Payton, John Garland, Pokey Reese, Ramon Santiago, and…uh… did I mention Ichiro? Consider this squad a challenge!

If you only play TRAD leagues, I strongly suggest picking up one of these teams. It’s a whole different experience with a unique set of challenges. To me, TRAD leagues are like betting on the Super Bowl after you know who won. What’s the fun in that? In RT leagues, you have to decide by mid-April whether Hideki Matsui, Joe Thurston and Travis Hafner will live up to hype, or if your veteran like Kevin Brown or Frank Thomas will be able to bounce back after an off-year or surgery. Plus, the RT leagues start later than TRAD leagues, so that delay helps alleviate the lack of baseball in the off-season.

Won’t you please send money today? For less than the price of a cup of coffee each day, you