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Old 12-07-2019, 09:10 AM   #186
MIJB#19
Coordinator
 
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Maassluis, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
General Manager Notes: Regular season ends in a dramatic fashion...
We're repeat division champions. Yay.

It ended in a dramatic change of events. While we thought we were clobbering the Paris Musketeers and hearing the Gothenburg Giants were steamrolling the Bordeaux Vineyards, we thought we were going to finish second in the division, in the last wild card spot and started fueling the team plane for a trip to Gothenburg.

Then we all woke up after a night's sleep and found out it was all a dream. We did wind up beating Paris, although just barely, leaning enormously on Theo Bondy and a franchise record 285 yards receiving, but more importantly, Gothenburg choked the division title with an unheard of 39-16 home deficit to Bordeaux.

European division:
1. Maassluis 9-7
2. Gothenburg 8-7-1
3. Bordeaux 6-10
4. Paris 5-11

Despite our shockingly bad record for a division champion and for the kind of player collective we have, the AOC Northeast division has been so tight, that entire division finishes the season with 8 losses, except for the 9-7 Harlem Apollos and their inferior conference record compared to our 9-3 record inside the AOC (yeah, we got swept by a division with 3 losing teams and a 10-6 champion), meaning we ended up as the #3 seeds and hosting the #6 seeds: the Gothenburg Giants!

Theo Bondy's big day also meant he sky rocketed to the receiving yards title with 2,449 yards, coincidentally yet another franchise record, as were the 19 receiving touchdowns.

So, after a very wobbly regular season campaign, the on paper title candidates sneak into the playoffs once again. We've been 9-7 or 7-9 in all four of these season. It's annoyingly disappointing. And yet, we're one of 12 teams still in the running, as undeservingly as that may seem. We'd better make the best of it, because with our inexcusable ability to piss away games against opponents that we should steamroll, we have no reason to be cocky. Confidence is a good thing, but only if it helps us get the best out of ourselves. The 'on paper favorites' rarely win, we've proven that for the last 3 seasons already. Fourth time the charm? Who knows, time will tell.

Next up Gothenburg, at home. We made horrible decisions in a winnable home game earlier this season, while we already had nearly choked a 24-point lead in the road game there. We'll have to play our A game to win here. We can do this, team: go Merchantmen!
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* 2005 Golden Scribe winner for best FOF Dynasty about IHOF's Maassluis Merchantmen
* Former GM of GEFL's Houston Oilers and WOOF's Curacao Cocktail

Last edited by MIJB#19 : 12-07-2019 at 09:11 AM.
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