Power To The People

Rick Chandler|published: Fri 16th June, 16:30 2006

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In the category of "What Could Possibly Go Wrong?", we bring you this: the Schaumburg Flyers, a Northern League (Independent) baseball team near Chicago, will let fans manage the team for the second half of the season. In conjunction with LivePlanet and Microsoft's MSN, who are hpoing to cash in with live streaming video, etc., the Flyers will get decisions on batting lineup, fielding positions and the pitching roster entirely from the fans. You know, just how it worked when you played Little League! Flyers president Rich Ehrenreich was asked how he sold Flyers manager Andy McCauley on the idea: "I think he was initially shocked at the idea. But then I asked him how he felt about being famous."

And then he asked him how he felt about being unemployed.

The Northern League, by the way, also contains the Kansas City T-Bones, which last season had the brainstorm of allowing two fans to play the first two innings of a regulation game by video game. If the Flyers' idea works, perhaps someone can persuade the Cubs to do it next.

Fans To Manage Minor League Team For Second Half [ESPN]