hey jeff,
first I gotta say I was actually just thinking recently, "where are all the rake posts at?"
have you been mia or is it just my imagination?
second- personally, I'm not much for handicapping..I'd rather get my brains bashed in and learn something from it
(I know, you're thinking, how can you learn with bashed brains? well, you get used to it
).
I can see value in handicapping, especially for betting types-
it's just a spice on the cue rack that doesn't jive with my tastebuds.
this said, I've done a few bca leagues and they didn't handicap.
sometimes I got smoked, sometimes I did the smokin', but I had a good time overall, and met some nice folks in the process.
one of the (many) things I like about pool is that you gotta be a one-person team out there, no room for a crowd..
but if I did a league again, I would be happy to do bca.