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Wednesday, July 6th - PLAYOFFS, SEMI-FINALS
14 years ago
Yo from RoPo!
COMMISSIONER'S NOTES:
I missed some very big announcements yesterday.
First off-- a very happy belated birthday to FBA contributor and GM of the Albany Alphas,
rourkie!!!
And also a huge congratulations to FBA contributor and GM of the Montana Howlers
paulshep on his recent acceptance into Red River College! Congratulations, P-Dog!!
Please shower these two with lots of happy wishes, everyone!
SUMMARY:
STA @ DAK: L #2 Thrust (62-18) 92, W #1 Bikers (67-13) 96 (Series tied 1-1)
INJURIES:
No one injured.
BOX SCORES:
TBA
CAPSULES:
STA | 18 22 26 26 | L 92
@DAK | 22 26 26 22 | W 96
This is not easy to write.
It's easy to look at the furry world around us and think that the harmony we share has always been. It's easy to see predator and prey animals on the same teams and think that there had never been a second thought about it. But those of us old enough to remember how things were just a few generations ago know that the struggle for species equality still bubbles under the surface of the world we've made. It's not politically correct to talk about it, but it isn't wise to ignore it either.
Buck Hopper (Rabbit, SG) is no stranger to prejudice. The bunny felt the arrows of discrimination from the beginning of his FBA career when analysts felt no qualms about calling the Thrust foolish for signing prey. He felt much more when that bigotry was etched into his side by Julio Onca's (Black Panther, C/F, HNT, suspended) claws in an unspeakable event during an earlier Playoffs match. But despite knowing the agony of speciesism better than most, it is a cold but honest lesson when Hopper showed he, too, was not immune to the temptation of bias. In a single thoughtless comment toward his teammate Doral (Gecko, SF) in the first round, a rabbit who once stood as the perfect example of the absurdity of prejudice showed he carried prejudice, too.
It was with that event still fresh on the minds of the players that Cletus Swinton (Pig, C) was rapidly escorted from the microphone during the previous game's post-game press conference. Boss Hawg has long enjoyed a reputation for mouthing off to the cameras, seeing no reason not to speak his mind. He was especially bad in Tennessee, where he made himself the franchise player of the team, and he took his club's chronic failures as license to do whatever the hell he wanted. When the big swine was first traded to Stanislaus, many wondered how he would settle into a new system where he would be forced to play second fiddle to the team's long-time captain, Buck Hopper. And for the most part, he impressed the fans with his acceptance of his new role, demonstrating a maturity that had reporters wondering if maybe the Bacon from Macon was finally ready to do what it took to win.
A flash of the old Swinton came during the press conference, however. In a thoughtless gesture, the big pig lashed out against his feral opponent, Steven Munt (Warthog, C). The tension between prey and predators is easy to spot, but less so is that between ferals and domestics. It's no accident that Foo-Foo (Dog), owner of the Stanislaus Thrust, purchased a team with a domestic as its superstar. Almost assuredly the former showdog would have had no interest in the club had their star been Brad Zimmerman (Hare, G, KCC) or Silvia Windcreek (Silver Hare, G, BAL). And it's no accident that B-Hop chose 'Rabbit' for his species designation rather than the more domestic-sounding 'Bunny', a defensive choice against the oft-held public prejudice that ferals are more athletic than their domestic cousins, softened by privilege and comfort. The exceptions outnumber the examples, as they should-- Jack Howell (Wolf, F, KCC) and Peter Conner (Cougar, F) are certainly feral species who came from affluent backgrounds while no one can question the hardships Bailey Brisbane (Catahoula Leopard Hound, G, HNT) experienced despite his domestic species. But despite the absurdity of preconception, whenever a domestic like Klaus Korber (Doberman, G, TAL) becomes captain over more established feral players like Jake Velox (Kit Fox, G, TAL), William Keen (Coyote, G/F, TAL) and Charles Yotechuk (Coyote, F, TAL), ears perk with attention.
Head coach Don Von Wasser (Dolphin) fined Swinton for his anti-feral comments toward Munt and made it clear to reporters he had admonished the swine for his outburst. But the damage was already done. Doral and B-Hop showed clear tension during warm-ups as the comments rekindled the frustrations between the teammates. Reportedly one practice session the day before had to be cancelled early when the pair got into a shouting match with each other. That led Bikers head coach Kurt O'Malley (Grizzly Bear) to hit the Thrust hard with tough D in the first which succeeded in keeping the struggling Sauce to under 20 points. Perhaps smarting from the fine, Swinton struggled to find any opening around Munt, who played with snorting, angry defense, clearly showing any apology was not accepted. Doug Bentham (Weasel, SG) started over Ryan Malone (Kangaroo, G), and while that left a seething macropod on the bench, it also meant an utterly shut down B-Hop who only hit 1 of 8 shots in the first. Nearly all of the Thrust's scoring came off the paws of Peter Conner, who maintained focus despite the tension surrounding him. But with Dakota's signature D, it was only enough to keep the home club for carrying the score away.
The second proved much like the first with the Thrust's strongest players totally out of rhythm. It was a testament to the team's bench and role-players that they only fell behind by 8 going into half, especially after O'Malley allowed his superstar Skywalker onto the court and the boomer sizzled with a staggering 6 buckets in 6 possessions. The spread reached 14 at one point, but a Stanislaus time out followed by strong performances from Carlos Syevens-Quiles (Calico Cat, F) and Michael Porter (Mallard, F) helped shrink the gap.
Coming out of halftime, the crowd roared for more, enjoying seeing the limping Thrust slowly collapse against the confident Bikers. But Von Wasser had a surprise for the crowd as he put in some new faces, giving Blythe Nacht (Red Fox [silver phase], G), Douglas Smith (Coyote, G) and the rarely used Seth Ross (Gecko, F) and Mary Wooten (Sheep, F) significant floor time. The new lineup functioned like a completely different machine as the Bikers found their defensive playbook useless against the reinforcements. Nacht did nothing to slow down the scoring powerhouse Malone, but showed exceptional nerves from the woods, drilling home three long balls on the quarter. Once again, Smith didn't have the height or the hops to block anything from Dat Mongoste (Mongoose, PG), but swift paws and light frame sped up the back court in ways Randy Catcher (Bullfrog, PG) could not. In one strong example, Dat clearly expected a pass that would have come from Dig 'Em, but instead Smith faked, then crossed over to get past the mongoose and hit an open look from the top of the key. Ross's slightly taller and more slender frame was more adapt than Doral's at slipping inside for the inside rebounds. And Wooten's tireless defense forced Jack Wayans (Black Labrador, PF) into kicking out of inside scoring opportunities.
The result was a tied up quarter with big numbers on both sides. But in the fourth, the new lineup kept sizzling. Chrys Brachy (Maned Wolf, C) was forced to give the exhausted Swinton relief against Samuel Roberts (Clydesdale, C), and stunned the audience when he managed a vicious swat into the crowds of a Prime Time dunk attempt. The Habit managed a pair of buckets against defensive powerhouse Toby Papanastasopoulos (Skunk, F)-- he later admitted to reporters, "There's no way I can block a nun!" And Smith nailed his first playoffs 3-pointer in his career when the clock nearly ran out on his team. The Bikers answered back with fresh legs as rookie Fritz Jansen (Paint Horse, G) used his powerful body to muscle in for points off the glass. Stephanie Beck (Deer, G) reminded the fans how she led this team to last year's championship by keeping up with Smith's high-speed game and stripping the young coyote in one dramatic play. With the steam seeming to cool down on the Thrust, Hopper and Doral came back out onto the court to try to seal up the last few points, but the confident Bikers answered back with Malone and Munt, who reclaimed their dominance and kept the Bikers ahead. The Thrust never had the lead for all 48 minutes of tonight's match as the Bikers took Game 2 by 4 points, tying up the series.
Game 3 will take place in the Rabbit Valley Pavilion in Modesto, CA as the Thrust return to their home court.
I missed some very big announcements yesterday.
First off-- a very happy belated birthday to FBA contributor and GM of the Albany Alphas,
rourkie!!! And also a huge congratulations to FBA contributor and GM of the Montana Howlers
paulshep on his recent acceptance into Red River College! Congratulations, P-Dog!!Please shower these two with lots of happy wishes, everyone!
SUMMARY:
STA @ DAK: L #2 Thrust (62-18) 92, W #1 Bikers (67-13) 96 (Series tied 1-1)
INJURIES:
No one injured.
BOX SCORES:
TBA
CAPSULES:
STA | 18 22 26 26 | L 92
@DAK | 22 26 26 22 | W 96
This is not easy to write.
It's easy to look at the furry world around us and think that the harmony we share has always been. It's easy to see predator and prey animals on the same teams and think that there had never been a second thought about it. But those of us old enough to remember how things were just a few generations ago know that the struggle for species equality still bubbles under the surface of the world we've made. It's not politically correct to talk about it, but it isn't wise to ignore it either.
Buck Hopper (Rabbit, SG) is no stranger to prejudice. The bunny felt the arrows of discrimination from the beginning of his FBA career when analysts felt no qualms about calling the Thrust foolish for signing prey. He felt much more when that bigotry was etched into his side by Julio Onca's (Black Panther, C/F, HNT, suspended) claws in an unspeakable event during an earlier Playoffs match. But despite knowing the agony of speciesism better than most, it is a cold but honest lesson when Hopper showed he, too, was not immune to the temptation of bias. In a single thoughtless comment toward his teammate Doral (Gecko, SF) in the first round, a rabbit who once stood as the perfect example of the absurdity of prejudice showed he carried prejudice, too.
It was with that event still fresh on the minds of the players that Cletus Swinton (Pig, C) was rapidly escorted from the microphone during the previous game's post-game press conference. Boss Hawg has long enjoyed a reputation for mouthing off to the cameras, seeing no reason not to speak his mind. He was especially bad in Tennessee, where he made himself the franchise player of the team, and he took his club's chronic failures as license to do whatever the hell he wanted. When the big swine was first traded to Stanislaus, many wondered how he would settle into a new system where he would be forced to play second fiddle to the team's long-time captain, Buck Hopper. And for the most part, he impressed the fans with his acceptance of his new role, demonstrating a maturity that had reporters wondering if maybe the Bacon from Macon was finally ready to do what it took to win.
A flash of the old Swinton came during the press conference, however. In a thoughtless gesture, the big pig lashed out against his feral opponent, Steven Munt (Warthog, C). The tension between prey and predators is easy to spot, but less so is that between ferals and domestics. It's no accident that Foo-Foo (Dog), owner of the Stanislaus Thrust, purchased a team with a domestic as its superstar. Almost assuredly the former showdog would have had no interest in the club had their star been Brad Zimmerman (Hare, G, KCC) or Silvia Windcreek (Silver Hare, G, BAL). And it's no accident that B-Hop chose 'Rabbit' for his species designation rather than the more domestic-sounding 'Bunny', a defensive choice against the oft-held public prejudice that ferals are more athletic than their domestic cousins, softened by privilege and comfort. The exceptions outnumber the examples, as they should-- Jack Howell (Wolf, F, KCC) and Peter Conner (Cougar, F) are certainly feral species who came from affluent backgrounds while no one can question the hardships Bailey Brisbane (Catahoula Leopard Hound, G, HNT) experienced despite his domestic species. But despite the absurdity of preconception, whenever a domestic like Klaus Korber (Doberman, G, TAL) becomes captain over more established feral players like Jake Velox (Kit Fox, G, TAL), William Keen (Coyote, G/F, TAL) and Charles Yotechuk (Coyote, F, TAL), ears perk with attention.
Head coach Don Von Wasser (Dolphin) fined Swinton for his anti-feral comments toward Munt and made it clear to reporters he had admonished the swine for his outburst. But the damage was already done. Doral and B-Hop showed clear tension during warm-ups as the comments rekindled the frustrations between the teammates. Reportedly one practice session the day before had to be cancelled early when the pair got into a shouting match with each other. That led Bikers head coach Kurt O'Malley (Grizzly Bear) to hit the Thrust hard with tough D in the first which succeeded in keeping the struggling Sauce to under 20 points. Perhaps smarting from the fine, Swinton struggled to find any opening around Munt, who played with snorting, angry defense, clearly showing any apology was not accepted. Doug Bentham (Weasel, SG) started over Ryan Malone (Kangaroo, G), and while that left a seething macropod on the bench, it also meant an utterly shut down B-Hop who only hit 1 of 8 shots in the first. Nearly all of the Thrust's scoring came off the paws of Peter Conner, who maintained focus despite the tension surrounding him. But with Dakota's signature D, it was only enough to keep the home club for carrying the score away.
The second proved much like the first with the Thrust's strongest players totally out of rhythm. It was a testament to the team's bench and role-players that they only fell behind by 8 going into half, especially after O'Malley allowed his superstar Skywalker onto the court and the boomer sizzled with a staggering 6 buckets in 6 possessions. The spread reached 14 at one point, but a Stanislaus time out followed by strong performances from Carlos Syevens-Quiles (Calico Cat, F) and Michael Porter (Mallard, F) helped shrink the gap.
Coming out of halftime, the crowd roared for more, enjoying seeing the limping Thrust slowly collapse against the confident Bikers. But Von Wasser had a surprise for the crowd as he put in some new faces, giving Blythe Nacht (Red Fox [silver phase], G), Douglas Smith (Coyote, G) and the rarely used Seth Ross (Gecko, F) and Mary Wooten (Sheep, F) significant floor time. The new lineup functioned like a completely different machine as the Bikers found their defensive playbook useless against the reinforcements. Nacht did nothing to slow down the scoring powerhouse Malone, but showed exceptional nerves from the woods, drilling home three long balls on the quarter. Once again, Smith didn't have the height or the hops to block anything from Dat Mongoste (Mongoose, PG), but swift paws and light frame sped up the back court in ways Randy Catcher (Bullfrog, PG) could not. In one strong example, Dat clearly expected a pass that would have come from Dig 'Em, but instead Smith faked, then crossed over to get past the mongoose and hit an open look from the top of the key. Ross's slightly taller and more slender frame was more adapt than Doral's at slipping inside for the inside rebounds. And Wooten's tireless defense forced Jack Wayans (Black Labrador, PF) into kicking out of inside scoring opportunities.
The result was a tied up quarter with big numbers on both sides. But in the fourth, the new lineup kept sizzling. Chrys Brachy (Maned Wolf, C) was forced to give the exhausted Swinton relief against Samuel Roberts (Clydesdale, C), and stunned the audience when he managed a vicious swat into the crowds of a Prime Time dunk attempt. The Habit managed a pair of buckets against defensive powerhouse Toby Papanastasopoulos (Skunk, F)-- he later admitted to reporters, "There's no way I can block a nun!" And Smith nailed his first playoffs 3-pointer in his career when the clock nearly ran out on his team. The Bikers answered back with fresh legs as rookie Fritz Jansen (Paint Horse, G) used his powerful body to muscle in for points off the glass. Stephanie Beck (Deer, G) reminded the fans how she led this team to last year's championship by keeping up with Smith's high-speed game and stripping the young coyote in one dramatic play. With the steam seeming to cool down on the Thrust, Hopper and Doral came back out onto the court to try to seal up the last few points, but the confident Bikers answered back with Malone and Munt, who reclaimed their dominance and kept the Bikers ahead. The Thrust never had the lead for all 48 minutes of tonight's match as the Bikers took Game 2 by 4 points, tying up the series.
Game 3 will take place in the Rabbit Valley Pavilion in Modesto, CA as the Thrust return to their home court.
Great Write-up
And thank you, B-Hop. ^_^
Belated!
Belated Happy 21st-for-the-Nth-time Birthday!
What's happening to us?!
Mikhail Lobochevski was seen at the STA @ DAK game nearby the Bikers’s own Stephanie Beck. Lobo having to miss the last game of the second round of the playoffs against the Thrust cause of a broken hand has been seen for the first time since the end of the second round. The two lovers exchanged words throughout the game, and after the game ended the two kissed.
We had a chance to pull Lobo aside to ask the inside of what going on with the Rapids, and the cause of his injury. He smiled and answered.
“I am here to see my lovely fiancée and enjoy the playoffs. Yes it hurt to see the Rapids lose and wishing I was there, thinking I could have done something that last game, but it in the past now and I am here to enjoy the present.”
On the other side of the Conference, Assistant coach and GM of the Spokane Rapids, Nightfire Kitsura, was seen at the NWK@ LOR game. Nightfire hasn’t made any statement since the Rapids got swept by the Thrust in the second round. Along with Nightfire was one of the Rapids upcoming stars Ryota Akanishi who had one of his best seasons since his trade to the Rapids. Nightfire tried to state that he had no comment for the press but we got an opportunity to get a statement from him out of the recently silent Squnx.
“I don’t know what you want me to say. When the captain of the team says to the media ‘We're hosed’ at Game 3, it means something is wrong. Rather be angry about what happened, I accepted what has happened and now I am figuring out what I did wrong. That’s all you are getting for now. If you want more you have to wait till this series is over.”
There is rumor that the Spokane Rapids John Stoat, will be going into Free Agency for the 2011-2012 season. This is unconfirmed but we will bring you an update as it develops.
Grrr, Bikers...stop being so...Detroit Red Wing-y!
Only took nearly two seasons, too.~ But seriously,...
And thanks for the birthday wishes! = )