Go-Getters, Record Setters, and Bed-Wetters: The Autumn 2008 MMBBL Awards!

And now what you fans have all been waiting for - the MMBBL's award ceremony for the Autumn 2008 season! We've got the best and the brightest, the toughest, the roughest, and of course, the worst performances in the league!

Starting things off is the winner of the Silver Elbow, awarded to the player with the most completed passes in the league. This one's a no-brainer folks. With his closest contender, Fivel Mausketrap, a full seven completions behind, our winner here is Lance Freely of the Fly-by Knights with a staggering twenty completions this season. With an arm that never tires and more moves than an afternoon at chess club, there's nowhere to go but up for this young gun.

Next on the list come the big playmakers. The guys who, through force of will, brute strength and sweet moves, got the ball over that goal line the most times this season. To no one's surprise the winner is Tsih Killwillow of the Blueriver Wardoves with seven big scores. He was chased the whole way, though, by teammate Angruil Grimmrose, as well as Knights' receiver Stanley Steele and Go'nads' runner Dick Gozinia with six scores each. Killwillow, who also took home the Spike! Magazine cover deal, has shown nothing but the best in leadership-by-example for his high-flying team.

Next up, what some say is the hardest award to win...on purpose at least. And in that spirit, there was no single winner of the Brass Doorknob award for Undeniable Interference. There were only three interceptions all season in this league, likely due to a combination of highly accurate throwers and incredibly stubborn runners. The three picks that did get pulled down came from a diverse set of players. Firstly, Sue Xtopilopicoatl of the Chupacabras, who showed us how high a leapin' lizard can get. Next up was Victor Dashing of the Knights who did a little bit of everything, and did it very well, this season. Finally, from the "really had no business doing anything with a hand that doesn't involve punching" category, Orok Deathbane of the Spinebreakers, who by reasons we can only describe as the quantum probability of time and space skipping a beat, pulled in an errant pass of his own.

There were several players in the running for the Commissioner's Medal for Exemplary Brutality this season...until Cludge Slamboni got it in gear and ran away with it. With a whopping six serious injuries to his name, the Smash and Go'nads' deathroller pilot left his mark on the league this year, a greasy, pulpy smear that no other player could hope to live up to. Worth mentioning, however, in the category of actual confirmed kills, are three players who left their marks on the rosters of their opponents. Barkley Hobbittosser made not only a name for himself, but likely a species, genus, and possibly a phylum as well when he obliterated an unknown Norse journeyman in a game against the Asgard Raiders. A few games later, Fly-by Knights ogre Barglesnart Livingstone abruptly and colorfully brought an end to chaos dwarf Rip Tendon after hurling the Traumatic Takedown player into a vat of known unknowns, possibly the most philosophical death in league history to involve turning purple and catching fire. Finally, Reptar the Reprehensible of the Sun Temple Chupacabras gorefully terminated Tanthil Twigbreaker of the Blueriver Wardoves in playoff action, leaving barely enough to pass off as a jar of pasta sauce, let alone enough for a proper burial.

The player to be awarded the most MVP accolades over the course of the season was the impressive Fhorin Bloodmeadow, with three such awards to his name. Despite a late-season injury which will no doubt affect his quick mobility, he remains a fantastic all-round athlete and a credit to the Wardoves squad. Many other players earned a pair of MVP nods, but close doesn't count in the MMBBL.

Finally, our award for overall points gain and season MVP award goes to...Victor Dashing of the Fly-by Knights! Dashing made his mark in every aspect of the game this season, earning two MVP awards, a trio of casualties, three touchdowns, a completion, and even an interception. He's been seen lately chilling with Spike! player of the year award winner Tish Killwillow at some of the biggest events in Blueriver and Valor Keepe, and it's rumoured that the two are planning to open a lucrative nightclub in the off season.

Rounding out the top ten of overall points were Tsih Killwillow with 27, Dick Gozinia and Kiro Stormaxe with 24, Stanley "Stainless" Steele with 23, Reedrush and Twinkletoes with 21, Lance Freely with 20, and Egor Longrow and Dingleberry with 19 each.

Finally, the saddest sack, the lamest duck, the Big Fat Zero award goes to...the Buccinator of the Traumatic Takedown! This surly underachieving line dwarf did nothing impressive except possibly be the most unimpressive player all season! Even his teammate Rip Tendon had the good sense to get himself killed. We'll expect more from the Buccinator when we see him next. Why? because frankly, it's impossibly to set the bar any lower than ground level!

That's the lot of them, sportsfiends! Here's wishing you and yours a happy holiday season, and be sure to check back in the off-season for updates regarding new teams, new coaches, rules, events, and above all, MMBBL mayhem!

Spinebreakers Stun Knights to Advance

Time once again for another exciting update from the MMBBL Spike! Tournament playoffs! This time, it's the highly-rated Fly-by Knights hosting the newcomer Razor Hill Spinebreakers. While the knights may have been the favourites early on, their close victory over the Pancake Valley Shortstacks may have take a toll on them, physically and mentally. The Spinebreakers, for there part, have never been more ready to smash things.

Under bright conditions the two squads met at Valor Keepe Stadiumme. By way of inducements, the Spinebreakers had acquired the services of Ripper the troll, and had also made use of some very upscale training facilities to hone themselves into gameday weapons. The Knights would benefit from both a precautionary addition to their medical staff, as well as the enthusiasm of their roaring fans.

The Spinebreakers won the coin flip and chose, unsurprisingly, to receive first. A roar from the crowd on the kickoff seemed to inspire the humans briefly, but the tide of battle would turn quickly for the greenskins. with Kiro Stormaxe fielding the kick, troll blocker Zor Loneblow launched himself towards the Knights' Barglesnart Livingstone, in what promised to be an epic struggle of two overlarge, maladjusted meatheads. The impact was truly bonecrunching, with Loneblow falling to the ground stunned, and Livingstone being seriously injured. Luckily for the ogre, the Knights' medical staff patched him up nicely, ensuring his return for the next drive. Meanwhile, sheltered by the aforementioned mountains of mayhem, Kiro Stormaxe had made his move and crossed half, a screaming green bullet en route to the end zone. Human running back Jacques Strappe made a final bid to stop him, but Stormaxe was able to fend off his efforts and stride in to register the game's first point.

From hereon in, it appeared as if the Knights had been cursed. The coaches did their best to settle their charges down, but when the next drive started, Brad Attitûd dropped a costly pass from Lance Freely and he play began to fall apart. Worst of all for the Knights, sturdy lineman Abraham Sandwich was clobbered by Ripper, and needed the efforts of the already hard-pressed apothecary crew to repair the damage to his leg. The free ball, meanwhile was pounced on by orc blitzer Galthuk Battlewail, who plowed stubbornly through the secondary and crossed the goal line, putting the Spinebreakers ahead 2-0 before the halftime whistle blew. The orcs couldn't have imagined a better start, while the humans were watching yet another campaign's hopes crumble.

The human fans, however, would rather resort to violence than despair. As the second half began, countless hooligans dressed in Knights blue and green stormed the pitch and laid waste to the orcish defense. A few managed to remain upright, but for the most part the Spinebreakers defense had been folded up and put away like laundry. The ball came to lineman Abraham Sandwich, who, seeing a opportunity to help a friend out, handed off to Barglesnart Livingstone. Ball in hand, the ogre barreled downfield and was nearly into the end zone, only to be somehow stopped dead in his tracks by a lone orc who had probably expected to be a speedbump instead of a giant-killer. Livingstone tumbled to the ground, unharmed but dazed, the ball slipping from his grasp. Fortunately for the knights, they rarely travel alone. Chet Jackweed picked up the ball and tossed it to Cyrano de Baggagerack, who completed the play and brought the Knights within a point of the Spinebreakers.

With the ball now in the orcs' possession again, the humans would need a steal if they ad any hope of victory. While the Spinebreakers started off badly when Kiro Stormaxe failed to field the kick, their spirits were lifted shortly thereafter when blocker Kolark Bonefist knocked rookie lineman Humphrey Bogatyr out. Eventually, Stormaxe got his hands on the ball and handed of to the very brave (or very foolish) Huck Skudfungus. Ripper then picked the little fellow up and hurled him downfield, and the goblin landed safely to the dismay of the hometown crowd. Out of nowhere, though, came blitzer Cyrano de Baggagerack, stripping the ball loose and saving the Knights' chances. Skudfungus recovered and got to the ball again, but couldn't get far enough away from de Baggagerack, who mashed the little greenskin much more thoroughly this time. Skudfungus was hauled away with serious concussion symptoms (which are hard to detect as goblins technically exist in concussion-like symptoms on a normal, daily basis).

On the scene to recover the ball was Victor Dashing, and with little time remaining he threw the ball on a prayer to the streaking Chet Jackweed, who caught the pass and was closing in on the end zone! It looked like there would be another overtime for the Knights, until disaster struck. Jackweed lost his footing as he fell into the crater left by Barglesnart Livingstone after his fall in the first half, and the ball squirted free before he could cross the line with it. A shocked crowd looked on as the clock burned out and the Spinebreakers began to celebrate. With a two to one victory, the orcs had made their way to the finals, and in doing so maintained the strong tradition of orc teams in the MMBBL's growing history. The Knights, however, would be cleaning out their lockers yet again - will they ever find the success they pursue so doggedly?

MVPs of this semifinal match were Wamsley Wedgeworth of the Knights and and Rok Straglash of the Spinebreakers, who mimicked his teammate Mok Rawtar's training regime of shifty, dodgey zone defense.

What remains to be seen, now, is who the Spinebreakers will face in the finals! Look for the next update soon to follow, as the Smash and Go'nads host the Blueriver Wardoves in an iconic battle of pointy ears vs. beardy beers! See you then!

Knights Survive Scrappy Shortstacks in Overtime Thriller

No one gave the Pancake Valley Shortstacks much credit, or much of a chance, all season long in the MMBBL. All that changed on Tuesday night, as these herculean halflings stood tall against the Fly-by Knights in a playoff match for the ages.

Valor Keepe Stadiumme was a strange sight to see. The Shortstacks fans in attendance outnumbered the Knights' faithful; perhaps the human team's fans thought that the victory was assured, that they'd save their cheers for the second round. Halfling visitors gladly scooped up their tickets, though, so proud they were to see their beloved Shortstacks make the playoffs in their first season.

The Shortstacks won the coin toss and chose to receive first. Perhaps the Knights were guilty of taking their small opponents lightly, perhaps they simply misread the play, but the halflings got the jump on the first half with a quick snap, and had their familiar aerial assault underway before anyone could react. Cream Sugarfoot, one of the halflings' brightest spots this season, fielded the ball and made his way forward, hading the ball off to teammate Tub Trollfodder. Trollfodder was scooped up by Mr. Tree, and launched down the pitch like a pasty rocket. Landing safely, Trollfodder scooted past the deep Knights defense and, reaching deep down for a final surge of energy, crossed the goal line. It was one to nothing for the Shortstacks, and their enthusiasm permeated the entire stadium.

The Knights, for their part, were by no means concerned for their chances. With Silver Elbow-contender Lance Freely fielding the football, the humans set about their own brand of offense, beginning with a crunch as Victor Dashing drove Cam Sizzlespam soundly into the dirt, nearly punching the halfling's mortal clock in the process. With the path cleared by his offensive line, Freely passed the ball forward to Stanley "Stainless" Steele, who made his move upfield and was over half in no time. What worked well on offense for the halflings would prove to work well on defense too, as Barkley Hobbittosser picked up and launched the little legend, Puggy Baconbreath, sending him soaring over the heads of man and half-man alike. Baconbreath landed cleanly, right in front of a bewildered Stanley Steele, and laid the nimble receiver out with a shot to the thigh. The ball came loose, but no one could get an immediate handle on it.

As the human linemen showed dominating force on the line of scrimmage, the mobile offense began to reform itself as Steele got to his feet and retrieved the wayward ball. Hobbittosser launched another halfling in an effort to recreated his previous success, but he landed far enough away for Steele to glimpse daylight. Plowing past his waist-high coverage, Stanley got into the clear and scored the tying touchdown.

A bad kick on the ensuing Shortstacks drive put the ball in the hands of Fatty "Fatty" Fat Fat, who lined up right behind Mr. Tree. Try as they did, the Knights couldn't get to Fat Fat on the blitz, and the morbidly obese little fellow was soon airborne. Right down the middle of the field he flew, and with a surprisingly nimble display of dodging, he was into the end zone to restore the Shortstacks' lead. bewildered Knights fans could only look on with mouths agape - surely they couldn't keep making this play work, could they?

The Knights themselves decided that they'd need to match pace with the diminutive Shortstacks, if only to avoid wearing themselves out with drives that went on for several minutes. Another quick snap on the kickoff gave them the jump they needed, and Lance Freely launched another pass to his favourite target, Stanley Steele. Bolting down the sideline, Steele must have been too focused on speed, unaware of a large ham that had been dropped from the stands by a careless, most likely hungry and sad fan. Steel crashed over the ham and fell flat on his face, the ball squeezing free and resting beside him. Sloth Lovechunk of the Shortstacks was the first halfling on the scene, but his priorities shifted unfortunately upon seeing the discarded ham. forgetting the prone receiver and the ball, Lovechunk actually tripped over Steele himself en route to the glazed meat, and lost consciousness upon hitting the ground. As luck would have it, following up the play was the explosive Victor Dashing, who, unimpeded by hams and men, gathered up the ball and strode into the end zone to tie the score yet again.

believe it or not, with the score tied at two, there was still plenty of time left...in the first half! Once again, the Shortstacks' standard offense ran like clockwork, and the Knights found themselves powerless to stop it. Cream Sugarfoot fielded the kick, handed off to Douche Baggins, and Barkley Hobbittosser hurled the small fellow skyward. His landing stuck, Baggins bolted through the legs of a surprised human defender, and the lead was restored once more. The crowd was going crazy, there was an electricity in the air...but more on that later.

With little time to go in the first half, the Knights received again, but thrower Lance Freely was immediately beset by both the ferocious halflings and the jeers of their fans from all around him in the stadium. Unable to get a grip on the ball, Freely was soon surrounded by Shortstacks. They pushed him aside abruptly, taking Freely out of the play, and the determined halflings surrounded the ball. Jiff Jellyroll recovered the prize, but on his way downfield, the halftime whistle sounded. The Pancake Valley Shortstacks were leading three to two - could they hold on, or would the stunned Knights recover in the second period?

As the second half started, the effects of human beer on halfling physiology became evident, as a particularly belligerent little fellow lobbed what may have been his second bottle onto the pitch, clocking young Knights receiver Brad Attitûd in the back of the head. Enraged by this, the human fans present cried out for justice. An unnamed duke in attendance took particular exception to this foul play, and hurls his gauntlet onto the field as a challenge to the drunken halfling. The gauntlet caught Shortstacks player Fatty Fat Fat square in the head, and as the large lad was haled away on a stretcher, the crowd seemed to settle down, accepting this result as a substitute for conventional satisfaction of honour.

As play finally started, The ball came to Lance Freely, who again had trouble getting a handle on it. Seizing the opportunity, Barkley Hobbittosser planted his feet and pitched a surprised Tub Trollfodder into coverage. Trollfodder made his landing, and to the surprise of all, got hold of the ball, taking off downfield, hoping to score before his stomach caught up to him. Frustrated beyond belief, Freely charged after him, finally knocking the halfling out and getting the ball back. Not willing to push his luck by holding on to it any longer, Freely passed downfield to - guess who - Stanley Steele, who made the catch and was in the clear. The only thing between Steele and the end zone was clear, open air. He didn't even notice the smell of ozone, but felt its results immediately, when from out of the blue came a bolt which stunned the hard-luck catcher and dropped him to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

On the scene quickly was Cream Sugarfoot of the Shortstacks, picking up the smoking football and running like a bullet back up to his tree folk teammates. not quite able to make it, Sugarfoot passed to Tub Trollfodder, but the pass was dropped. It was the Knights' turn to be opportunistic now, and lineman Abraham Sandwich got hold of the ball. Barkley Hobbittosser, fixing to stop this renewed Knights surge, tossed Puggy Baconbreath into the mix, and Puggy landed on target, quickly pushing Sandwich down and stripping the ball from his arms. With chaos erupting everywhere, no one noticed as Chet Jackweed coolly shoved his halfling coverage into the stands before marching up to the ball, recovering it, and plowing his way into the end zone. after much effort, the Knights had tied the game again...but would the Shortstacks simply steal the lead back?

The answer, of course, was "yes, they would". he kickoff was clean, And saw Flapjack Porkbelly pick up the ball. He handed it off immediately to Pimpley Backfat, and Mr. Tree went through the motions, lobbing Backfat downfield where he landed cleanly. Try as they might, the Knights' deep defense could not find an answer to the dodges and dekes of these crafty halflings, and Pimpley Backfat made it 4-3 for the Shortstacks with graceful ease.

Down by a point with little time remaining, the Knights needed everyone to be playing perfectly on this last drive. Lance Freely fielded the high kick, and ran forward to make his throw go as far as possible. Barkley Hobbittosser loaded up Puggy Baconbreath and prepared to throw him at Freely, looking to end the game right there - but Baconbreath's pants became fouled in some branches, and the star player fell safely but pantless to the turf. Freely flung the ball into the air, and it came down in the hands of Stanley Steele. "Stainless" was off like a shot and into the end zone, and the whistle blew. the score was four points apiece, and we were going to overtime.

The Fly-by Knights won the coin toss and, not surprisingly, elected to receive. Much to the humans' delight, the halfling kick went out of bounds, and Lance Freely started the overtime period with the ball in his hands. What didn't go over so well was the heat - for whatever reason, nature had decided to test the players against the elements. despite the adverse conditions for an already tired team, Lance Freely found Stanley "Stainless" Steele open at the sidelines. Mr. Tree of the Shortstacks wasn't about to let him get away, and picked up Tub Trollfodder to chuck in Steele's general direction. the toss was quite good, but the landing was botched, and badly. Tub Trollfodder left the game with a badly mangled ankle, likely to slow the plucky halfling down in the future. With coverage blown, Steele was home free, and the Knights were glad to take an early lead in the overtime.

With the heat stifling both teams and exhausting their numbers, the Knights kicked off to the Shortstacks. Another bad kick saw the ball come directly to Douche Baggins, who was tossed downfield by Mr. Tree, only to land well short of his goal. In a panic, staring down a line of human defenders, Baggins retreated to the safety of the halfling front line, and handed off to Puggy Baconbreath just to be safe. With the sound of Barglesnart Livingstone banging on their figurative door, the frantic Shortstacks tried again, this time to great success. Puggy was airborne and landed in a matter of moments, and once again, the humans' deep defense couldn't contain the shifty halfling offense.

As the heat persisted, several more halflings simply couldn't take it, and refused to get out of the kitchen, where their team chef was making popsicles. To make matters worse, the referees had succumbed to heat exhaustion as well, and the remainder of the match was poised to proceed however its participants saw fit. Lance Freely may have been the lone cool head on the pitch, as he shovel-passed the ball to Stanley Steele. Looking for the stop, Barkley chucked Puggy Baconbreath into the way, but the star landed squarely on top of his own teammate, Pimpley Backfat. Though there was a great deal of confusion, both emerged unharmed, and Puggy got up to give Steele a mighty shove. Steele dodged the blow neatly and turned to run laterally and find an opening. Meanwhile, the halflings began the process of evening the odds, with Jiff Jellyroll and company shoving Tad Overdrest out of bounds. Pip Pieface was next to be thrown to glory, landing right next to Stanley Steele and lending a hand as Puggy Baconbreath bore down on the receiver. The hit was true, Steele went down and the ball squirted free to Pieface, and to make matters worse for the Knights, Baconbreath then proceeded to foul Steel outright, knocking the man out cold!

Puggy Baconbreath's rampage continued as he blitzed through Abraham Sandwich, clearing the path for Pip Pieface to get to a treeman. Chucked by Barkley Hobbittosser, Pieface was unable to stick the landing, though he himself was uninjured. On the spot was Lance Freely, who saw nothing but carnage all around him. Picking up the ball, moving to avoid pursuit, he looked...and found Cyrano de Baggagerack, open and not far from the end zone! That pass was up, deep, the longest pass of the night and in recent memory...and was caught! de Baggagerack hauled the ball in and stormed over the goal line, giving the Knights the lead for the first time, and with mere seconds remaining to play.

As the players took the field once more, the heat wave broke and turned to driving rain, further complicating things for any would-be ball carriers. As the kick landed, Puggy Baconbreath made his move to retrieve the ball...and lost his grip on it. Time expired, and the Knights' faithful rejoiced. A game for the ages had been played, nearly lost, and won by their beloved Blue and Green. You couldn't ask for a more exciting finish. The Shortstacks, for their part, were cheered relentlessly by their fans despite the loss, and shook hands with the humans after the game, with newfound respect and many words of support. Don't be surprised if, the next time you hear someone say that a halfling can't play Blood Bowl, it's a human who steps up to defend the small wonders.

MVPs of this incredible match were Cream Sugarfoot, the fast moving Pancake Valley Shortstack, and lineman Wamsley Wedgeworth of the Fly-by Knights. Also worthy of accolades were the impressively sure-footed Fatty "Fatty" Fat Fat, and the alert pass-defending skill of Chet Jackweed.

What a finish, Sportsfiends! And the fun's only just started, as two more playoff matches are just over the horizon - the Blueriver Wardoves renew hostilities with the Sun Temple Chupacabras, while the Darkmire Carnosaurs square off against the Razor Hill Spinebreakers. See you then!

Duel in the Drainpipe

The second of two challenge matches this weekend saw the Fly-By Knights answer the challenge put forth by the Blackwater Bilgerunners. These two well-rounded and experienced squads did battle in the Tidybowl to the delight of nearly twenty-five thousand fans.

Having won the coin toss, the Skaven would receive to open the game. Both teams were given inspiring speeches from their coaches before taking the field, and the resolve in the eyes of both man and mouse reflected their determination. When the kick from the Knights sailed out of bounds, the ball went to Fivel Mausketrap, quarterback and team captain of the Bilgerunners. Starting their advance with sound blocking, linerat Stumptail knocked out Knights' captain Karl Von Uberstamp. Taking immediate advantage of the momentum this caused, Mausketrap threw a pass to the nimble Dingleberry. The Knights worked to settle the score in terms of numbers as Barglesnart Livingstone sent Stumptail off for a brief nap, and Wamsley Wedgeworth, playing in the secondary, threw a block on Dingleberry. The hit succeeded, and the ball flew free, but Wedgeworth was down as well, and spent the rest of the game asleep. Not more than a few seconds later, O'Rattigan the rat ogre collided with Barglesnart Livingstone and both giants fell to the earth, with O'Rattigan getting the worse of the impact.

Rising from where he fell, Livingstone backhanded Brutus the Skaven blitzer, causing him to fall onto the ball and knock it away. Throwing caution to the wind, Fivel Mausketrap showed his leadership quality by charging into the fray and recovering the ball, then tossing it to a suddenly-open Twinkletoes, who scampered his way to the game's first point.

On the following kickoff, despite a gust of wind carrying the ball further than he'd anticipated, Lance Freely tracked it down and threw a clean pass to receiver Brad Attitûd, who took moved up the middle of the field into protective support. His timing was off as he made his cut to the sideline, however, and Attitûd fell forward, losing the ball. Linerat Krunch pounced on it, and looked to make a desperate pass before getting pummeled by a quartet of Knights linemen. The pass was tipped by Cyrano de Baggagerack, and nearly caught by Victor Dashing. Almost every Knight on the field was in tight against the skaven, but the hard-working Abraham Sandwich got free and got his hands on the prize. Looking for a target of his own, Sandwich saw Stanley Steele streaking down the sideline, and launched the ball his way. Steel made the catch, and was untouched en route to the end zone, tying the score at one apiece.

The Knights' kicking difficulties continued to plague them as their kickoff once again sailed out of bounds. A quick snap on the first play of the drive further confused them, and the Bilgerunners took full advantage of the miscue. Brutus stormed across the line of scrimmage, knocking out a bewildered Cyrano de Baggagerack. With little coverage on his receivers, Fivel Mausketrap calmly lobbed the ball to Dingleberry, who made his bid for the highlight reel by leaping directly over top of Barglesnart Livingstone. Only one other player has even attempted to vault this meaty mound of ogre, and you may recall Ol' Teabagger crashing pelvis-first into his helmet and spinning end over end into the dirt. No such problem for Dingleberry, who landed with ease and was well on his way.

Dingleberry wasn't the only player on his way, which the gutter runner soon discovered. Abraham Sandwich was on the spot once again, landing a solid block on the skaven and sending the ball bouncing away. What followed was another little miracle for the Knights' defense, as rookie lineman Humphrey Bogatyr gathered the ball up, saw that he was mere seconds from being munched by O'Rattigan, and launched a long bomb down the pitch, into the waiting arms of fellow lineman Max Limit. In a flash, Chet Jackweed was downfield as well, lending support to the unlikely receiver. The Bilgerunners weren't far behind, however, and Stumptail made a great tackle to slow the Knights' advance, knocking down Limit and freeing up the ball for Piddlepaw to grab. Piddlepaw couldn't get a handle on it, though, and it came back to Chet Jackweed. Jackweed was nearly in the clear, but as he moved to break away from the skaven, his foot caught in Piddlepaw's cape and he fell to the ground as time ran out in the first half.

The Bilgerunner had put a stop to the Knights' defensive rush, but how would they fare against their offense? As they kicked off, the answer seemed to be "pretty well, actually". Calling for the blitz, the skaven scurried across the line of scrimmage and made a break for the ball. Lance Freely got there first though, and managed a pass under pressure to Brad Attitûd, streaking down the outside on a familiar route. Squeesplat was quick to move into pursuit of the catcher, and Twistknee earned a cheer as he crashed headlong into Chet Jackweed before the blitzer could run to his teammate's aid, mangling the human slightly. Even without the support, Attitûd was able to scramble away from Squeesplat and high-stepped over the goal line to give the Fly-By Knights the lead.

Unshaken by the Knights' touchdown, the Bilgerunners' coaching staff rallied their troops and sent them out on the field with a similar quick-scoring play in mind. The one snag in the pan came as Fivel Mausketrap's pass to Piddlepaw was bobbled and dropped. With humans bearing down on him from all sides, it seemed that Piddlepaw might meet his end - until O'Rattigan showed up, fuming with animal rage and swatting Knights aside as if they were small figurines. With the only breathing down his neck coming from his lumbering teammate, Piddlepaw regained his footing and took the ball quickly down to tie the score at two.

The Knights still had a chance to win, but the clock was running out fast. Their desperation translated to heightened awareness on the line of scrimmage, and the humans were up and moving the ball before the skaven could react. Lance Freely hit Brad Attitûd for his third completion of the day, and his target charged headlong down the field while the Knight line did its best to hold. Their effort in that regard suffered mightily as O'Rattigan's continued frenzy enabled him to plow through Barglesnart Livingstone, knocking the ogre out cold. In light of this change in strength dynamic, the Knights shuffled their playbook a bit, and Brad Attitûd handed off to lineman Abraham Sandwich in order to deflect the rat ogre's wrath to a stronger target. Sandwich took the hits that came, and lost the ball as a result, but remained in the game. Now came another lineman, Solomon Squatz, who found the ball and lobbed it back to Attitûd, who made his cut back inside and hurried down the middle of the pitch, but fell not halfway to his goal. Lance Freely moved in to try to recover the ball, but couldn't hold on amidst half a dozen skaven. The match ended in a draw as Jenner threw a quick pass out to Stumptail, who was too far from the end zone to score in time.

The match MVPs for this 2-2 draw were the hideously disturbing Gurglegasp of the Blackwater Bilgerunners, and catcher Brad Attitûd of the Fly-By Knights. Stanley "Stainless" Steele earns a nod as well, for a remarkable burst of speed in his first half touchdown run. Next for the Bilgerunners is another challenge - this time issued by the Smash and Go'nads. The Knights will host the Pancake Valley Shortstacks at Valor Keepe Stadiumme.

Knights Best Takedown in Close Match

The final game in Bloodbath division's first week of the MMBBL's 2008 Autumn season saw a returning, veteran Fly-by Knights squad take on the up-and-coming Traumatic Takedown on the chaos dwarves' homefield. Expectations for both teams are high this season; the Knights have proven their skill yet have no championships to show for it, while the Takedown are subject to the demanding standards of surly dwarves, mean-spirited hobgoblins, and dangerously opinionated centaurs among their fans. To boost their appeal for the season's first game, the Takedown hired on recurring favourite Zzharg Madeye, and brought it what we presume is a large enough sum of money to keep officials from noticing his signature football-firing front-loading blunderbuss.

The Traumatic Takedown won the coin toss and chose to kick first, and you could see in the eyes of the line dwarves that they had a plan. Sure enough, as soon as the ball was over midfield, the Takedown showed the blitz and surged into Knights territory. The human team held its ground and kept its collective cool, however, and Lance Freely calmly retrieved the football and threw it to his favourite receiver, Stanley "Stainless" Steele. Steele made no mistake on the catch, but when trying to stretch out for extra yards down the sideline, fell after a misstep on the turf. Nevertheless, the bulk of the Takedown's defense had committed to the blitz, and Steele had ample time to get back up, brush himself off, and carry the ball in for an early lead.

The Takedown fans at the Operating Room weren't happy, and the uproar of ""Unhorse the Knights!" went up around the stadium. The Knights fans made their best effort to counter with a cheer of "Steele is the Reele Deele!" but simply did not have the edge in lungpower. Taking the field for the kickoff, the chaos dwarf squad had a couple of options at hand - Would they make use of Madeye's deep passing ability, or go with the strong running game centered around ace centaur Charlie Horse? The answer became evident quickly as Horse got his hands on the ball and moved downfield. The Knights' defense was quick to react, however, and the wall of linemen quickly closed off any avenue of passage. Charlie Horse turned on a dime and backtracked along the line of scrimmage, making his way to more open pastures.

The rest of Horse's team began to do their part for their runner, as first Rip Tendon knocked out blitzer Victor Dashing, and then Ortho Pnoea did likewise to Chet Jackweed. Charlie Horse made his move, attempting to capitalize on the compromised backfield coverage. Out of nowhere, though, came Knights newcomer Humphrey Bogatyr to knock Horse to the earth. Before he had a chance to celebrate his debut, though, Plex Fracture of the Takedown roared in with a head of steam, snatched up the ball, and got the glory for Charlie Horse's hard work by marching in for a touchdown. As the teams lined up for the final few minutes of the first half, a passing comment from Horse to Bogatyr was misinterpreted and started a minor scuffle on the field. After the game, the misunderstanding was brought to light: Charlie Horse, showing his respect for Bogatyr's strong tackle, made mention that perhaps his mother had been a horse herself. While this was a high compliment regarding the stamina and resolve of Bogatyr's lineage, the lineman took great offense initially. Once the cultural divide was bridged, however, the two shook hands on the matter and there were no hard feelings. Where else but in the MMBBL does one find such cross-species brotherhood and respect?

When time came for the second half to get underway, the teams took the pitch but not a single official could be found. Of course, the fans were suspected, but being that there's not neraly enough time to search each and every one for bits of referee, the game continued without delay. The Knights kicked once more to the Takedown, and once more Charlie Horse got the call to take the ball in on the ground. Now, the Knights were determined not to allow the chaos dwarves to gain the advantage, and brought out their heaviest hits to protect their end zone. Leading the charge was Jacques Strappe, the rippling running back, as he plowed through Ortho Pnoea without any sign of slowing, and Pnoea was dragged back to the dugout where he was pronounced "pooped". Still carrying the ball forward, Charlie Horse threw a blitz on Cyrano de Baggagerack, but the human shrugged the shot off smartly, and Horse wound up taking the fall. With that, the Knights rallied to the spot and began to turn up the physical game, shoving hobgoblin and dwarf alike all over the field.

Out of the chaos, Knights blitzer Victor Dashing, who'd awoken from his brief first-half nap, scooped up the football and was on his way. Linemen Abraham Sandwich and Max Limit followed him up as a protective force. With little time to spare, the duty fell to Rip Tendon to knock the blitzer down, and the dwarf delivered, putting Dashing on the dirt and knocking the ball free. Fortunately for Dashing, wingmen Sandwich and Limit did their job right, too, and shoved Tendon out of the way, leaving room for Vic to get up and get the football over the goal line. The Knights had the lead again, with little time left to spare.

in the dying minutes of the second half, the Traumatic Takedown had their work cut out for them, and the Knights defense wasn't about to make it easy for them. The green and blue defense read the chaos dwarf offense like a book, and reorganized themselves on the fly to dig in for the big stop. With everything riding on one big block, Charlie Horse plowed into Barglesnart Livingstone, and both players fell to the ground. That was it for the Takedown, but it also turned out to really be it for Rip Tendon. As Livingstone stood his hulking frame back up, the ogre grabbed the nearest thing to hit, and that thing was Tendon himself. The buzzer sounded just as the ogre's throw released, flinging the dwarf player headlong into the research pit on the sidelines, where he landed in a vat of bubbling chemicals, turned purple, caught fire, and died. He was removed by the medical staff, but even then, all they could manage to do was make him turn even purpler, catch fire some more, and die again.

What may sting the most for the Takedown is that after such a strong performance defensively, Rip Tendon was posthumously awarded the MVP for his side. For the Fly-by Knights, Stanley Steele was given the award. Also noteworthy was the effort of Victor Dashing, who made several stunning moves on his way to the end zone. After the game, the Takedown's management announced that while they would miss the presence of Rip Tendon, they would be unveiling a "very big surprise" for their next game in two weeks' time.

And that's the first week out of Bloodbath division, sportsfiends! This Tuesday we kick off Deathdealer's divisional play - returning teams the Wardoves, Smash and Go'nads and the Bilgerunners will test the skill of newcomer squads the Chupacabras, Stinkers and Berserkers, respectively. See you then!

The 2008 Chaos Cup Awards Ceremony

Hello out there, sportsfiends, and welcome to the first awards ceremony for the Chaos Cup in the MMBBL. We've got some familiar faces as well as several newcomers receiving awards this season. Illustrations will follow as they come in.

The League MVP award this season goes to - who else? Ol' Teabagger of the Dusk Hill Dirt Bursters blew the competition away with 27 total player points this season, and despite taking a bit of a tumble in his last match, is sure to return and put up big numbers again for the Blood Bowl.

The "In the Zone" Award for most touchdowns in a season goes to the O.T.B. as well, and while others came close, the ghoul's seven scores brought home the trophy. Leaping, dashing and biting his way out of coverage, it seems nothing will stop the one they call The Man from duplicating his success in the future.

The Commissioner's Medal of Exemplary Brutality, presented to the player who caused the most destruction out on the field this season, is presented to the mummy Khermit of the Dirt Bursters. Khermit equals the total put up by Gort Crudhammer last season, and the two may chase each other to next season's award.

Receiving the Silver Elbow this season for most completed passes is Lance Freely of the Fly-by Knights with an impressive nine throws landing safely in his receivers' hands. Watch for this award to be heavily contested next season, as more agile teams take the pitch and less emphasis (albeit only slightly less) is placed on crushing.

The Brass Doorknob award for Undeniable Interference, which goes to the player with the most interceptions, almost didn't have a winner this year. Not a single interception was made all season, until by some strange twist of fate, a ball was thrown directly into the pointy headgear of the Meathooks' T-Boner, and the officials ruled it a pickoff. Congratulations T-Boner, though we don't particularly expect more of the same.

Awarded the Silver Lining this year for the most game MVP awards is the Brutakai Ragefangs' own Kragor Clawfang, who somehow earned three of the awards in only five games. Either the fans really, really love him, or they just don't much care for anyone else. Perhaps he has the look? Perhaps he's got all the right moves. Perhaps he fixed the vote. In any case, he's won the cape!

Finally, the Big Fat Zero, the dubious Why Bother award, presented to the lazy, unfortunate, or otherwise ineffective player who earned nothing this season but a smack in the mouth from his coach, goes to Bacon Sandwich of the Meathooks. Sandwich made zero passes, zero interceptions, zero hits, zero blocks, zero touchdowns, zero impressions, and from all accounts zero effort on his way to the award this year. When pressed for comment, his response was limited to "don't hit me!"

And there you have it folks! The best of the best, the worst of the worst. The skilled and the lucky. The strong, the swift, the rough and the smooth. These are your 2008 Chaos Cup award recipients!

Don't forget, sportsfiends, the Blood Bowl season begins in one week! Time to hammer the dents out of the barbecue and grill up some squig dogs! See you then!

Undead Earn Perfect Season Despite Knights' Strong Showing

The final formality with regards to the Chaos Cup season has come and gone, and the Dusk Hill Dirt Bursters once again reign as the MMBBL's champions. It wasn't an easy finish by any means, and their final opponents, the Fly-by Knights, made them earn every inch on the march to victory.

Still displeased by the vein of mediocrity plaguing this talented team, the Dirt Bursters released zombies Stabbo and Shamus Smith, formerly of the Meathooks and Gildengrip's Gold Miners, respectively. Then, in a move to replace the fallen Blacky Gobbler, eager rookie ghoul Dug Nobs was hired to bring another element of speed to the roster. The day couldn't have been more perfect, the matchup couldn't have been more storied. Two of the league's founding teams, one having tasted victory, the other having only wafted its honeyed aroma.

The first possession went to the Dirt Bursters, and before anyone could handle the ball, one zealous fan decided to "handle" one of the Knights' linemen. We aren't sure where he got the brick, but none were as surprised as Max Limit, who crumpled like a cardboard parapet when the projectile struck him in the helmet. He was dragged off hurriedly before the ball landed, to sleep off the mild head trauma.

The ball came down near the illustrious Ol' Teabagger, whose exploits and talent are now so far-reaching that if you don't know who we're talking about, you should probably go back to the archives for an education in glory. Making his way into the safety of the zombie-mummy pocket, the O.T.B. was caught off guard by Knights' running back Jacques Strappe, who knocked the ball loose into the fray. The Knights weren't going to make this easy, but the undead line rose to the occasion, as Lez White opened the hostilities by throttling lineman Solomon Squatz. Squatz appeared to have broken his neck, which would mean almost certain demotion to the minors, but the docs worked out the problem quickly, and the injury was revealed as merely a pinched nerve, still serious but not life-threatening.

The Towering mummy Khermit put his own stamp on the game immediately afterwards, putting cocky Knights blitzer Chet Jackweed out for the match with a mighty shove. The gap left by the two fallen linemen was all the Dirt Bursters needed, and Ned Gummers charged out of the melee, sprinting in for the first touchdown of the game. Could the Fly-by Knights respond?

They set about doing just that, and the ever-effective Lance Freely, heavily favoured to win the Silver Elbow this year, completed his first pass of the game to catcher Stanley Steele. Steele was brought down, however, and when wight No Guts Bob forced a gap in the human line by laying out Wamsley Wedgeworth, Ol' Teabagger finished what he started on his first run and scored to make it two to nothing for the Dirt Bursters. The entire crowd was moaning, both from the anguish of the human fans and the assumed joy of the undead supporters. With little time to play in the first half, Jacques Strappe completed a pass to Brad Attitûd, though the catcher didn't have enough time to run the ball in before the whistle blew.

Battered and bruised after just one half, down two linemen and a blitzer, the Knights needed to rally around something - anything - to make a game of it. To their dismay, the undead read their play perfectly on the second half kickoff, and the Knights' already lopsided line of scrimmage was further compromised by a blitz from the Dirt Bursters. Even as the undead pressed the advantage on one side, however, the Knights made their hay by running a reversal. Jacques Strappe unloaded the long pass to Stanley Steele, who showed remarkable selflessness in handing off to Brad Attitûd, who in turn was off like a shot down the sideline. Aware of the chance to score, the human line threw itself boldly in the way of any potential playbreakers, and hard-working Abraham Sandwich made the greatest of the ensuing impacts, breaking the neck of newcomer Dug Nobs. Welcome to the league, Dug! Though with an injury like that it may not be a very long stay. Still, the Dirt Bursters managed to break coverage, and Ned Gummers knocked Attitûd on his backside. The Knights responded with even more high-risk strategy, as Attitûd got up and sprinted for the end zone while Steele, who had been following the play, grabbed the loose ball and shovel-passed it to his fellow catcher. One step closer to tying the match, the Knights still had a lot of work to do.

What happened next just goes to show you that no matter how tough, how talented, and how effectively detached from the mortal coil a player may supposedly be, by no means is he immortal, and certainly not without his moments of weakness. A standard running play by the Dirt Bursters on the following kickoff was going just as planned, and it looked like they could seal the victory with ease. Ol' Teabagger moved like lightning through the Knights defense, until faced with the mountain of mayhem known as Barglesnart Livingstone. The ogre was, by all accounts, oblivious to his surroundings and didn't even see the ghoul coming. Looking to cut corners in his charge, Teabagger made a flying leap to pass directly over the ogre...and apparently miscalculated. The wily ghoul crashed pelvis-first into Livingstone's helmet, and what on a smaller defender would result in moderate humiliation instead resulted in a catastrophic change to the ghoul's flight plans. Barreling end over end, Ol' Teabagger crashed to the ground in a heap and was carted away with serious but non-permanent injuries.

The Knights seized the opportunity immediately, and Lance Freely was on the spot as he found the foolhardy Flash Madison with a beauty of a pass. Chompsalot the ghoul would have nothing of it, and ran the catcher into the dirt, though he was unhurt in the collision. The same would not hold true for Chompsalot himself, who was subsequently trod under by Jacques Strappe, and removed from the pitch to sort out his insides in peace. In came Cyrano de Baggagerack on a charge through the remaining Dirt Bursters defense, retrieving the ball while on the move, and lunging into the end zone to tie the match. The crowd was in an uproar now, with the Knights rejuvenated by success and the Dirt Bursters depleted by the loss of three of their four ghouls.

With their most skilled players in a heap in the infirmary, the Dirt Bursters looked to unlikely sources for success. Ned Gummers may have been the ghoul for the job to get that final touchdown, but he couldn't simply dissolve the Knights' line. Enter Tinny, former vampire Thrall of the Day's End and one of the few low prospects to escape the recent firings from Dirt Bursters management. Tinny not only stopped what might have been another Knights "smash and grab" tactic, but also laid out Cyrano de Baggagerack with an uncharacteristic show of might. This was enough for the Dirt Bursters, with both teams seriously depleted. Ned Gummers broke through coverage, and with enough skill to avoid the onslaught of defenders, crossed the line to count the third undead touchdown.

With little time remaining, the Knights could only hope to lose once more with dignity. Lance Freely found Brad Attitûd with one final pass, but the catcher hadn't the speed to make it to the end zone in time. The Knights may have wished that the game could end then and there, because in the dying seconds, Khermit struck again, flattening Jacques Strappe with a bone-jarring hit. Strappe would survive, but lingering tenderness means that he may not be as sturdy as he once was. The final score was 3-2 for the Dirt Bursters. The perfect season was a reality, even thought the toll on the team's talent proved high. The Knights, beleaguered and heavily injured themselves, departed the stadium almost immediately to return to their castles and await the next campaign.

MVPs of the match were Brad Attitûd of the Fly-by Knights and Tinny of the Dusk Hill Dirt Bursters, whose key last-minute block may have won the game for the undead. Also noteworthy was the play of Jacques Strappe, who despite his last-minute injury threw many successful blocks of his own, and Cyrano de Baggagerack, whose strong presence of mind on the line kept many of his teammates safe, though he himself was also injured.

After the match, the Dirt Bursters took to the field, the wounded and healthy alike, to be awarded the Chaos Cup. Each took his turn to drink from its shining bowl, hopeful that the cup would choose him as worthy of its gifts. The first to be rewarded was Magut, the monstrous mummy, who sprouted claws and moaned in undead jubilation. Immediately afterwards, his teammate and fellow wrecking machine Khermit was similarly chosen, and identically rewarded. It seems that Chaos had chosen its champions. Finally, when everyone else had tasted from the Cup, Lez White took his sip, and what happened can only be described accurately as "eeeeyyyyuuuurrrrrrgh". Erupting pustules, twitching ganglia, bursting sores and dental cataclysm exploded from White's face, turning the cheers and praise of the fans observing on the Wizardtron screen into a chorus of heaving and vomit. The gift mirrored the game. Powerful, ugly, and only barely contained by conventional armour.

The Dusk Hill Dirt Bursters, returning and still champions of the MMBBL! Next season is the Blood Bowl, and we'll be watching as the undead vie for an unprecedented full year of dominance. Still to come - the final game on the list for the Spring season, with the Blueriver Wardoves looking to upset the Meathooks in a battle for glory and possibly recognition as the team to come closest to the Dirt Bursters. See you then!

Knights' Receivers Excel, Go'Nads Spoil Wardoves' Victory

Sit down and listen up, sportsfiends, it's time for the latest MMBBL action update! This week saw two exciting matches, in which the teams involved played for more than victory in the Chaos Cup (which has effectively been won by the Dusk Hill Dirt Bursters as of last week). Honour, Pride, and of course, lives were on the line for these two thrilling games.

In the week's first match, the underachieving (by their own standards, at least) Fly-by Knights took to the field against the fierce and committed Brutakai Ragefangs. The Ragefangs, while off to a slow start in the points and wins categories, have shown impressive resolve and a deep commitment to the gritty, unapologetic nature of Blood Bowl. For their part, the Knights have rallied around their own flags even as the series slips out of reach - both the tireless legs and enthusiasm of youth and the stalwart resolve and patience of age have served them well in recent matches. With chins and spirits high, these two collective juggernauts of willpower collide - which will come away with the W?

Receiving first, the Ragefangs executed their game plan with both a show of force typical of the orc's hefty, lumbering physique, and a show of athletic grace which flies in the face of it. Krak Toothsnapper called the play perfectly, sailed a pass to Raziek Bloodrage as though the ball were on a wire, and the talented blitzer charged downfield to put the first point on the board. A great help on the line came from the popular Ripper Bolgrot, who was brought in to tilt the scales against Barglesnart Livingstone of the Knights. Things were looking up for the Brutakai Boys, but some elements of this great game are out of the players' hands, including the often under-appreciated presence of the "twelfth man" - the fans themselves.

Despite the relative ferocity of their few but fanatical supporters, the Ragefangs were at a disadvantage to the Knights' increasing fanbase, and the consequences were immediate and dire. On the next kickoff, the stands absolutely erupted with activity, and the droves of green-and-blue-clad Knights fans rushed the pitch, laying out the majority of the Ragefangs team. The Ragefangs fans attempted to respond, but the Knights' admirers effectively shielded their heroes from harm. As the dust cleared, there was no real chance for the orcs to stop the humans' quick march downfield. Lance Freely spotted the completely wide-open Stanley Steele, and the latter caught the easy pass and practically walked into the end zone. He then celebrated by paying one lucky fan a hundred gold pieces for a bite of his hot dog. Talk about a collector's item!

The rapid scoring and breakneck pace slowed before the first half ended, as the two teams sought success with the running game, but none was to be had. As a part of their "everyone participates, everyone contributes" policy, the Knights gave lineman Solomon Squatz a chance to execute a passing play while ace thrower Freely sat, and the lineman delivered a short pass to Cyrano de Baggagerack to close out the period.

Determined to find a way to deal with the orc squad's physical superiority, the Knights looked again to their youth for answers. Hot on the heels of the kickoff in the second half, blitzer Chet Jackweed trampled line orc Ruushaenk Nightwrath soundly, and Nightwrath left the game under his own power. Taking advantage of the slight offset in manpower, Lance Freely found receiver Brad Attitûd with a bullet from midfield, and the lanky lad left defenders in the dust on his way to the Fly-by Knights' second score of the game.

With time running short, the Ragefangs needed everyone on the same page to complete another play and tie the match. They might have succeeded too, were it not for the ever-dangerous Jacques Strappe, whose reputation as the strongest thrower in the league is all but concrete. The resolute Strappe not only saved a touchdown with an emphatic blitz, but then picked up the fallen cargo and sent it, air mail, special delivery, to blitzer Victor Dashing. Dashing made like his name implied, and sprinted for the touchdown, sealing the deal for the Knights, the final score three to one.

Match MVP accolades went to Chet Jackweed of the Knights, with the only casualty of the game, whose training as an "armoured catcher" appears to be paying off. Kozu Ironhide, black orc of the Ragefangs, took the honour for his squad by virtue of his solid performance on the front line. Also highly of note were Brad Attitûd and Lance Freely of the Knights, who seem to have adapted to catcher Stanley Steele's training regime and demonstrated impressive agility all game. Raziek Bloodrage of the Ragefangs gets a nod as well for demonstrating excellent presence of mind with regards to his teammates, assisting on the line despite multiple threats to his person.

Our second scheduled game was a clash of extreme opposites. The graceful, groomed and gorgeous lads of the the Blueriver Wardoves brought their brand of quick, precise elven game to bear against the robust, rude and rowdy Smash and Go'nads, for whom success is measured only in destruction and blood alcohol level. Divergent philosophies coupled with a lust for the prize of victory and a cruelly brilliant sun can mean only one thing, sportsfiends - entertainment!

Things started out with a typical dwarf play, and the crafty fellows handed off to runner Adam Meway, who sheltered himself behind a crushing protective force of longbeards. Just as the line seemed it may buckle, Meway burst forth like the fizz from a newly-shaken can of Bloodweiser and dashed into the end zone. The dwarves had made their statement; could the elves respond?

Respond they did, in more ways than one. Vengeance was the first item on the Wardoves' menu, and Mlalyn Firefawn was the line cook of punishment as he violently fouled the down-and-out Gil T. Azell. The refs caught it, though, (for the record, the first time they've had the stones to do so all season), and Firefawn was sent off to the resounding boos of the already-wasted dwarven crowds. Azell was in horrible shape, but the dwarves' doc made no mistake and saw the bruising slayer back to the dugout for the next drive. Meanwhile, the elves were free to change the game to their own liking in the absence of the Go'nads' superlative troublemaker, and Bendark Mossfang made a smooth pass to the crowd-pleasing Tsih Killwillow, and before you could say "photo op" the game was tied. Killwillow reportedly celebrated by blowing a kiss to each and every one of the Wardoves' cheerleaders, who were subsequently carted to the infirmary for minor bruises sustained while falling to the grass in a stupor, as well as several counts of broken hearts. The half ended with a deadlock, both teams having each scored a touchdown.

Fired up by the momentum gained by their last drive, the Wardoves struck fast as the second half opened. Keeping the dwarves guessing while Mossfang surveyed the field coolly, the elves set up a scenario of multiple potential targets. At last the time came to strike, and the high, spiraling pass from Mossfang found Sutlan Spearflower wide open and the second point for the elves went essentially uncontested. Now all they had to do was keep the slower dwarf squad from making the game theirs again.

The Wardoves were about to find out just how hard it can be to tell a dwarf "no" and to make it stick. The bodies flew and crashed as the Smash and Go'nads paved a way for their plucky runners, but at every turn they were met with nimble elf resistance. The Wardoves danced quickly through what would be impassible coverage to most other teams. When the elves were finally upon him, Adam Meway connected with Dick Gozinia on a desperation pass, and one runner picked up the march downfield where the other left off. The dwarves were starting to win the battle to stay vertical, no doubt in part to their lower centers of gravity. Still, the Wardoves found the energy to surge at Gozinia before his goal was met. knocked off his feet, the ball scattering away, hope seemed lost until line dwarf Achilles Punks somehow managed to rein in the wild ball. Gone were the elves' hopes of an easy end to the match, but with them as well went the dwarves' ability to rely on the speed of their less-bearded specialists. With the resolve of an avalanche and much the same sound, Achilles Punks rumbled forward with the help of his teammates. The dwarves brushed aside the remaining elves as they swarmed, and panting, out of breath, heaving and farting like a true dwarven champion, Punks crossed the goal line to the uproarious support of the dwarven faithful. His celebration proved the least flamboyant of the afternoon, and he was left to nap on the pitch as the crowd dispersed. The final score: a 2-2 tie.

The most honoured players of this match were Stu Padasso of the Smash and Go'nads for his excellent line support in the dwarves' hour of need, and to Venspar Pondrazor of the Wardoves for his timely blocking. Several other accolades were given to elf catcher Sutlan Spearflower who deked and dodged his way to a touchdown, and to dwarves Achilles Punks, who supported his mates even as they paved his unlikely way to glory, and Adam Meway, who mimicked the quick reactions of his cohort Dick Gozinia and got the ball away under pressure on several occasions.

We're saving the biggest thrills for last, folks! Next week, the Dusk Hill Dirt Bursters seek the end to their perfect season, with the Fly-by Knights looking to upset the wagon. As well, the Meathooks take one last stab at glory when they square off against the Blueriver Wardoves in another intense duel of form vs. function. See you then!

Dirt Bursters, Knights Release Players

Three players have been let go by their respective squads this afternoon - two by the Dusk Hill Dirt Bursters and one by the Fly-by Knights.

Dirt Bursters management has ordered that skeleton Feeble McWeakerton and zombie Boz Squats be re-buried to make a dent in the recurring expenses incurred by the star players on the team. The two players have had a total of zero MVP awards, touchdowns, interceptions, casualties, completions, fans, friends, loved ones or anything else since they joined the team back in the Autumn season. Whether or not they are recalled in the event of additional player death remains unknown, but reports say that the firing came as a result of their failure to protect Blacky Gobbler from being smeared all over the pitch in their last match, as well as a looming threat to other low-production players to shape up or be shipped out in a series of buckets.

The Fly-by Knights also announced the release of lineman Reginald Reginald III, though with much less animosity and no orders of interment. The Knights' management and R.R.III mutually agreed that after his serious injury against the Wardoves, he would no longer be able to serve his liege in an on-field capacity. He has accepted a generous management position with the team and will be recognized as their defensive coordinator from this point on.

That's all from the newswire here at the MMBBL.

Fly-by Knights' Youngsters Carry the Day

After a confusing weekend of action, we're finally here to report on what happened in the latest MMBBL showdown! The match between the Fly-by Knights and the Smash and Go'nads was scheduled to take place on Sunday, but due to torrential rain it was rescheduled for the preceding Friday. Thanks to the miracle of sorcerous weather forecasting, disaster was averted before it arrived and the game went on as planned.

It was a lovely day, with an even mix of human and dwarf fans packed into the stadium. The Smash and Go'nads had been training hard for this matchup, knowing full well that while they certainly out-toughed the Knights, they were lacking proportionally in the area of pure skill. This skill was absent during the first kickoff, however, as the opening boot sailed out of bounds. Dwarf runner Dick Gozinia was awarded the ball for the opening drive and the game was underway with a pas to fellow runner Adam Meway. As Meway charged down the sideline, he was unceremoniously dumped past the guardrail by blitzer Victor Dashing of the Knights, and carried to safety by the dwarven fans.

Not willing to sit by and let the human squad out-muscle his team, troll slayer Gil T Azell set about some immediate retribution, smashing into lineman Max Limit of the Knights and sending him sprawling on the pitch. He hobbled off under his own power but did not return. The seesaw battle of physical dominance continued as human lineman Tad Overdrest sent Dick Gozinia on the same journey as Adam Meway - he too was knocked into the bleachers and was carried back to the dugout in much the same manner as his teammate was earlier. Seeing his teammates systematically removed from play sent the aforementioned Azell into an even greater frenzy, and he throttled Fly-by Knights running back Jacques Strappe to within an inch of his life. After some on-site surgery and a great deal of tears from the eligible young ladies in the skyboxes, Strappe emerged from the huddle of medics, seemingly right as rain.

Though their strongman had been sent off to recover from this injury, the Knights had succeeded in tilting the numbers game in their favour. Even as the normally-steady Barglesnart Livingstone tripped up and landed awkwardly, he had already bought enough time for the clutch play of Karl Von Uberstamp to ensure a score for the Knights. Uberstamp recovered the loose ball and spotted young Chet Jackweed, who trotted leisurely into the end zone and celebrated the score with a series of flexes and poses for the public to gawk at.

The second half saw more intense play from both the veteran linemen and their youthful new teammates. Uberstamp roared out of the dugout with a vengeance, seriously crippling dwarf blocker Eric Shun. The stalwart dwarf was unable to leave the pitch under his own power, and team medics soon reported that he had suffered a critical fracture in his leg, hampering his movement for the foreseeable future. Immediately afterwards, Fly-by Knights iron man and crowd favourite Abraham Sandwich gave dwarf blitzer Moe Lester a serious scare, positively crushing him, and it took every ounce of talent from the dwarf medical crew to ensure his survival of the ordeal. Down but not out, Lester was taken back to the dugout to recuperate.

As if this wasn't enough for the Go'nads to deal with, Victor Dashing soon made his own mark on the match as he clashed with blocker Ray Pugh and broke the latter's neck. Carted off on a stretcher but still lucid, Pugh mumbled that he was "sore as hell, but not worried about his future with the team." Dwarves, ladies and gentlemen, are just about the toughest Blood Bowl players out there, and Ray Pugh is no exception.

Their line depleted once again, the Smash and Go'nads could only watch as Karl Von Uberstamp once again showed his all-around quality, finding newly-signed catcher Brad Attitûd. A final chance to stop the speedy catcher remained, but was extinguished when Achilles Punks was shoved out of bounds by Wamsley Wedgeworth, and Attitûd had a clear run for the end zone, where he celebrated with his teammates and leaped into the crowd to share his joy. The game was sealed for the Knights, and in the final seconds the only other play of note was when a disgruntled fan lobbed a brick and sent Herb Eaverstinks of the Go'nads for a little nap in the mud.

MVP honours for the match were awarded to Abraham Sandwich of the Fly-by Knights, who tackled everyone who got in his way and a few who were simply in the general area, and to Drew peacock of the Smash and Go'nads. Also of note for the Go'nads was the play of Dick Gozinia, whose keen perception and peripheral vision allowed him make a clean pass despite a threatened position.

Stay tuned, sports fiends! The action's just beginning as tonight, we see two matches of serious interest. The indomitable Dusk Hill Dirt Bursters will square off against the talented and upstart Blueriver Wardoves in a battle of gore versus grace, while our two orc squads collide in a match the likes of which hasn't been seen since before the departure of the Greenskin Bumlookers! The Meathooks and the Ragefangs will almost certainly leave it all out on the field tonight. See you then!

Contracts Signed by Three Players

We have a few press releases for you today, just hours before tonight's matches. We'll start with the one of most significance, as it is the only one to have an impact on today's matches. And now, here's our dwarf correspondent Rock Blottem with the press release.

Euin and the Go’nads, together again for the first time

The Smash and Go’nads of the MMBBL released a statement today announcing the hiring of Troll Slayer Euin Whatarmy, in a last ditch effort to pump up their roster for their upcoming match against the up and coming Ragefangs.

“It’s a must win game for us” explains head coach Ryan Keizer of the Go’nads, “and if these miniature tanks with legs think it’s going to be a cakewalk they’ve got another thing coming.”

The Ragefangs are coming off a win/lose game against the Dirt Bursters, giving up 3 scores but scoring 3 major injuries against their opposition. Having already tied the Wardoves, this game is as important to the Ragefangs as it is the Go’nads.

“Aye, it’s a numbers game this season, and so far people don’t think we know ‘ow ta count - Hic” commented Go’nads Captain Achilles Punks. “And I’ve had enough of the hired goons, time we did things on our own!”

Achilles is the only player of the Go’nads to receive a player of the game award in their young season; Grim Ironjaw walked away with the honors after the close loss to the Meathooks last week.

Recently there has been more bad blood in the upstairs office of Go’nads management than on the field. “These two need to perform” comment management when asked about the future of runners Adam Meway and up and comer Dick Gozinia. It’s rumored head coach Ryan Keizer and the pair of runners got into a locker room brawl when the head coach took it upon himself to take his frustrations out on the runners’ pints. He did not comment when asked but his bandaged ankles are enough for us to draw our own conclusion.

Thanks, Rock. We have two smaller press releases to go through, as both the Blueriver Wardoves and the Fly-by Knights have made additions to their teams.

Second on the signing list, Valandil Dreadlily has signed an entry-level contract as a lineman for the Wardoves. Word is he'll wear the "holy" number seven this season - We at the MMBBL press office aren't sure why the number is sacred...could there be some strange elven prophecy at work? In any case, Dreadlily was noted in Spike! magazine last month as a potential call-up, and was also featured in the equal-opportunity swimsuit edition centerfold. From what we know of the Wardoves, getting his image out there for the public is paramount, and this is par for the course for any would-be star.

And finally, the Fly-by Knights have inked catcher Brad Attitûd to round out their roster. He'll sport the number fifteen for the human squad, and will likely serve to replace Flash Madison as the number two pass option, behind Stanley Steele. Madison was injured last season and never fully recovered, and has taken on the role of agitator to supplement his lessened utility. Attitûd, a little-known prospect hailing from a barony far to the north, has plenty of natural talent and speed, as well as an air of inherent superiority. His love for the game is intense, and his response to the media's questions were several heartfelt "Ja, du lam sooperstarr mit Flar-bar Kniuts!"

That's it from the press office of MMBBL. We'll see you at tonight's games and back here to catch the recaps!

Wardoves Show Knights How to Really Fly

Hope you had a great weekend, sports fiends! We certainly did here at the MMBBL, because on Sunday (Sunday, Sunday...) the Blueriver Wardoves squared off against the Fly-by Knights in a battle of the two least bloody Blood Bowl teams on the roster. Or so it was thought.

They met on a sunny day, birds chirping, fans cheering, clouds rolling lazily on overhead. The first possession went to the Wardoves, who trained hard for this matchup and had even hired on the services of the illustrious Prince Moranian to give them a boost against the more veteran Knights squad. They also wrangled a freelance medic to prevent what surprisingly hasn't occurred yet - 0gre-related injuries.

The tables turned early on, however, as it was the elves who drew first blood on the pitch. Lineman Stryth Leafmauler crashed into the human defense and sent Wamsley Wedgeworth sprawling in a heap. He walked off under his own power, but did not return for the remainder of the game. Not willing to sit idly by and take what the elves dished out, hard-working Cyrano de Baggagerack of the Fly-by Knights sent Albiir Featherdeath for a ride that ended in the infirmary, where the walk-on elf medic quickly showed his quality. Featherdeath returned to the game on the next drive. Hostilities continued to escalate as Bendrym Cloudrender brought his rage to bear on Reginald Reginald III of the Knights, nearly killing him. The human medical staff worked hard, and though they saved his life, his career may be through due to the state his sternum was left in.

In all this chaos, the perceived threat of ogrely damage was not even a factor. Confused by the quick movement and nimble dodging of his foes, Barglesnart Livingstone became confused and did not contribute at all during the first half, aside from the occasional half-hearted shove. Taking advantage of this sizable gap in the human line, elf blitzer Fhorin Bloodmeadow sailed a pass to the energetic Stryth Leafmauler, and he practically walked into the end zone.

The Knights looked to rebound before the half was up, but failing to execute on a high-risk play proved costly, as lineman Mlalyn Firefawn recovered a lost ball and threw an absolute cannon of a pass to catcher Tsih Killwillow, whose adoring fans chanted his named just as he'd instructed them. The first half ended with the elf squad up a commanding two to nothing.

After the break, it was obvious that whatever the human coach had said to Barglesnart to get him focused was working. Singling out the lineman who exploited his lapse in defense, the ogre drove the elf into the dirt with an overhand smash that would make a tennis team collectively wet itself. Mlalyn Firefawn was removed from the pitch, his head sagging from atop his broken upper vertebrae, and sent to the infirmary to recover as best he could. What might have been a turning point for the humans became fuel for the elves' own fire as well. Albiir Featherdeath, fresh from his recovery and seething with contempt for all humanity, knocked over lineman Karl Von Uberstamp, to the great dismay of his "Karl Kares" section of the bleachers, where dozens of under-privileged kids come to watch their hero play. He was carried off, gave an encouraging thumbs-up and a "winneres useth notte suspicious substances in thee pursuit of victorye" message, assuring us that he'd be back for the next Fly-by Knights match.

As if spurred by his heartfelt message, Jacques Strappe - the poster boy for non-suspicious, hard-working means of self-improvement - ran Wardoves catcher Tsih Killwillow into the mud where his handsome countenance remained for several seconds before a stretcher crew came out to cart him away. What may have been the largest incident of collective spontaneous fainting ensued, as every elf maiden, and quite a few human ones, could not bear to watch their favourite calender man run down so. Strappe was increasingly booed for the remainder of the game as these distraught women gradually woke up, though when he removed his shirt between drives it seemed to quell the uproar. Non-suspicious self-improvement, indeed.

Energized by the elimination of one of their opponents' key players, the Knights rallied to come within a point of the elves as Lance Freely completed his third pass of the afternoon to catcher Stanley "Stainless" Steele. Steele took it right to the house and performed an elaborate victory celebration in which he staged a fake joust between himself and fellow Catcher Flash Madison, which ended in a high five and a hug. Cheers echoed from their fans, but they yet had work to do to close the gap.

In a desperate attempt to even the score with time running out, the Knights were nearly within reach, with who else but Steele running down the sideline. The elves would have none of it, though, and after lineman Pynian Grassripper sent the ever pesky Flash Madison down in a heap, the Wardoves converged and stripped Steel of the ball, and the Knights of any chance at a draw. The final score was 2-1 for the Boys from Blueriver, and they paraded off the pitch, led by Prince Moranian to an afterparty at his stately mansion on the outskirts of town.

MVPs for the match were Bendark Mossfang of the Wardoves, whose throwing was right on the money until the very end, when it was actually right off the money (though it didn't matter on the scoresheet), and Barglesnart Livingstone of the Fly-by Knights, who stood by his teammates in the second half and let no ill befall them while he was within arm's reach. Also of note this game were the elf catcher Tsih Killwillow, who may have let his elaborate ducking and weaving go to his head and will need a week or so to set his balance straight once more, and Knights catcher Stanley Steele who showed elf-like agility of his own on his sprint down to the end zone.

More action to come Tuesday, sports fiends, as we see a rematch from the Dungeonbowl championship when the Meathooks and Dirt Bursters collide! Also on tap is the battle of two feisty young teams, the Brutakai Ragefangs and the Smash and Go'nads, who aim to show their quality and make their mark on MMBBL. See you then!

Dwarves Test their Mettle, Orcs Save their Bacon

The Chaos Cup tournament has officially begun! Two games were on the table last night as the newcomer dwarf team Smash and Go'nads squared off against the veritable Goliath that is the Dusk Hill Dirt Bursters, and the returning-from-hiatus Fly-By Knights met with the surging Meathooks for a match.

In the first match, the Dirt Bursters continued their latest unbeaten streak and handed the Go'nads their first defeat in league play. The final tally was 2-0, and the undead seemed reasonably impressed with their opponents (or so our zombie-fluent correspondent tells us). Touchdowns were scored by the ever-dangerous ghoul Ol' Teabagger and the less-prominent Chompsalot. The dwarves' tactics were sound, but their inexperience held them back as they had difficulty breaking the undead line. With time, they'll likely develop a crushing front of their own. The addition of the high-profile mercenary player Morg N'Thorg helped, but in the end he wasn't on the same page as his new teammates and there seemed to be a disconnect.

A trio of casualties punctuated the match, one caused by each squad and one caused by poor on-field traction. The towering, ponderous Magut, easily the most lethal player in the league to-date, seemed intent on rebounding from an off year in that department and made dwarf troll slayer Gil T. Azell his first victim of the tournament, sending him off for the remainder of the match. Later on, Moe Lester the dwarven blitzer was himself molested as he was sent crashing into the stands and summarily beaten by the Dirt Bursters' fans. Towards the end of the match, the Smash and Go'nads had their revenge as Stu Padasso blitzed Lez White into the dirt and shattered his collarbone with a sickening crunch. Fortunately, with several more sickening crunches, Lez managed to pop a rib and use it as a decent substitute, and suffered no permanent damage. Suspicious weather resulted in a near singing during a pile-up at the sidelines, but no one was seriously baked.

The matches MVPs were Achilles Punks of the Smash and Go'nads, and who else but Ol' Teabagger of the Dirt Bursters - the latter an icon of the present, the former perhaps an icon of the future?

In the night's second match, perennial carnage-makers the Meathooks took the pitch to do battle with the recently returned Fly-By Knights. Due to a sorcery competition the week before the match, a lingering blizzard hung overhead, much to the chagrin of the fans who weren't prepared for a springtime match to be so frigid. While the Knights were a bit surprised to see how much the Meathooks had grown since they last played, the Meathooks were possibly more alarmed that they weren't the only team out there with a big guy. Gristly Slötterhaus and Barglesnart Livingstone faced off against each other, two physical titans, grinning widely as their handfuls of neurons flared apprehensively.

Beginning their first drive, the Meathooks looked once again to their nascent goblin throwing strategy. On this first attempt, however, it was not the troll who was to blame as he had been fed immediately before the game. This time, young Bacon Sandwich's nerves got the better of him and he dropped the ball immediately. The Knights recovered and Cyrano de Baggagerack ran the ball in for the touchdown. The Meathooks tried again on their second possession, and this time the pass itself was made, with Bacon Sandwich soaring through the snow-filled sky, only to pooch the landing and get his tongue stuck to the field. He was quickly set upon by a pair of Knights linemen, and sent scampering towards the sidelines in terror. Meanwhile, Tad Overdrest, human lineman, was cracking heads up on the front line, smashing the popular Stabbo's collarbone and giving the orc physicians a headache of their own as they laboured successfully to repair the damage. Victor Dashing, blitzer for the human squad, spotted Tad in the clear and sailed a short pass to him for an easy run-in.

After halftime, the Meathooks shook the rust off and turned the tables on the Knights, beginning an offensive defense of their own. In a move born of both low cunning and high strategy, black orc T-Boner throttled Barglesnart Livingstone as he lay on the pitch, earning himself a match penalty but removing the ogre from action with lingering, though not serious, pain. With the human line in disarray, Stabbo retrieved the ball and ran it downfield for the touchdown. Never before have we seen someone so grievously injured return immediately to put his mark on a game, and due credit to the orcish medics for patching up what could have been a career-ending injury. The humans weren't ready to deal with the loss of their ogre, and the balance was tipped irrevocably. After catcher Stanley Steele was pushed out of bounds and the ball suspiciously being returned to the orc who sent him packing, Rip Steakface launched the ball to Beef Bigaxe and the green machine thundered down the field for the emphatic touchdown and the last-minute tying score.

The MVPs of the game were Pickles of the Meathooks, and Victor Dashing of the Knights for his clutch pass in the first half, stemming from his knack for getting the ball away from the opponent. Also of note was the explosive play of Tad Overdrest, knocking down anyone standing between him and the endzone and getting a rare slice of glory for the everyday lineman.

Stay tuned for more match results as the Blueriver Wardoves take on the Brutakai Ragefangs later this week!

State of the MMBBL Address

The start of the Dungeonbowl season is upon us, and it's time for a "state of the league" type of address.

While we're sad at the loss of a couple of regular teams, we're happy that we've got a solid four-player base on which to expand. At one point we had envisioned allowing players to run two teams this season to add more variety, but the general consensus is that it's too much work too soon. As a result, the four players and their teams are as follows for this season.

Chris Mudd - The Days End: The Gold Miners will be taking a rest for the Winter and their place will be taken by a Vampire squad, complete with emo-goth names for the vamps and taste-related IDs for the thralls (my favourite is "Like-Chicken").

Matt Stroud - The Woad Warriors: The Fly-by Knights, being students of traditional warfare, will not compete in the Winter months. They are replaced by a squad of Norse with a Scottish bent, mostly named with permutations of famous highland folk.

Sandy Miller - The Meathooks: One of two returning squads is the Meathooks, continuing their legacy of looking at the casualty count instead of the scoreboard to measure their success. Look for them to make a splash in their second season.

Curtis Hunt - The Dusk Hill Dirt Bursters: The returning champs are, well, returning. A strong, well-rounded squad which prides itself on both the lethal efficiency of its mummies and the highlight-reel calibre play of its ghouls is sure to electrify the crowd once again...and possibly be electrified once or twice too, since they have the highest team rating in the league.

Relegation: The Fly-by Knights and Gildengrip's Gold Miners are on one-season hiatus at this point, likely to return for the Spring season. The Greenskin Bumlookers and the Low-Blows, due to the commitments of their respective coaches, are on an indefinite "stand-by" status, and may play a match here and there as their schedule and interest permits.

Introduction: One, possibly two new players will take the pitch this season. Rob Anderson is set to field a Dwarf squad (and we've seen just how fun those can be) and Andrew "Beans" Embury is listed as possible and hasn't yet chosen a team. We wish these two the best of luck, and let them know that anything can happen once you have a feel for the game. Curtis can attest to that after defeating the only two players with actual experience prior to last season in the playoffs for the Spike! title.

The league's first meeting for the Winter season is this Wednesday, and it looks like we're going to have two matches on tap. The Dirt Bursters vs the Meathooks, and the Day's End vs. the Woad Warriors. These may change depending on player availability, but if all proceeds as normal then Rob and Beans will have their own teams created before the evening ends.

That's about it for the administrative aspects of the league. On to other matters.

A minor rules change to reflect the Winter season - The Sweltering Heat result in the weather table is being replaced by a second Blizzard result. The reverse will occur in the Summer season, to reflect the...lack of blizzards, mostly.

The league is being switched over to Excel-based team sheets. This is for three very good reasons. The first is that if a sheet gets lost, we can just print a new one out. The second is that they are much tidier and easier to track stats on. The third is that, after some strange talleys during the transfer, things like missing players, phantom injuries and miscounted skill points were popping up like some kind of numerical case of chicken pox. Luckily, we got it while we were young and with luck we can be immune from this point on.

It's good to see we've got it in us for another season, it's great to see the potential for new players as well. We'll see you Wednesday night for the first matches, and then back here on the blog for the results!

Playoffs Round Two: Dirt Bursters Bury Knights

In semifinal action last night, the Dusk Hill Dirt Bursters advanced to the championship round with a victory over the Fly-by Knights, with a final score of 3-1.

The first half gave the impression of a high-scoring affair, With two touchdowns scored by the Dirt Bursters and one for the Knights. Ghouls Chompsalot and No-Guts Bob had the scores for the undead, while Flash Madison, in a departure from his usual role as the subtle boot of justice, had a touchdown for the human squad. The second half was far less wide-open, and the Knights' first drive was stifled in a giant pile-up. A blown pass attempt resulting in a turnover gave the Dirt Bursters the opportunity they needed to strike again, and Chompsalot put the game away for good with his second score of the night.

The match's MVPs were Mummy Magut of the Dirt Bursters, who registered a trio of casualties (none of which were serious) and lineman Abraham Sandwich of the Knights, who gained his third MVP vote and marking him as possibly the most famed and admired player to ever do not much of anything. Other notable plays involved No-Guts Bob dying when trying to run that extra yard, but remembering at the last second that he was already quite dead and should probably just get up and keep going; Reginald Reginald III of the Knights suffering a crippling injury but coming out of the surgery room right as rain; Lez White being unceremoniously dumped into the stands and carted off to who-knows-where; Flash Madison not getting caught by the refs on a record six consecutive foul attempts; and the the Dirt Bursters' hired wizard getting completely hammered and forgetting about casting a spell at all.

The Knights wish their opponents well, and are looking forward to next season's meeting, since they closed out their season by signing one Barglesnart Livingstone, who may be the only ogre to be knighted. The circumstances of this title are as yet unknown. The Dirt Bursters, meanwhile, cleaned up well with their victory and are now considering the hiring of a fourth Ghoul and another linechump...that is to say, a zombie or skeleton.

Playoffs Round One: Orcs Fall, Cannot Get Up.

The preliminary round of the 2007 Autumn season of the MMBBL has come to pass, and if there's one word to use to describe the playoff outlook, it would not be "green". Both the Meathooks and the Bumlookers have been eliminated; the former by their opponents, the Dusk Hill Dirt Bursters, and the latter via default.

The Dirt Bursters beat the Meathooks by a score of 2 to 0, with Stumps O'Boggy getting the undead MVP nod for his strong blocking.The two mummies, Magut and Khermit, were also valuable forces on the pitch. Grunt Skunchman, the Meathooks' new black orc, impressed the crowds today with his first MVP vote. The Meathooks may be down, but they certainly aren't out, and they look forward to the new season beginning in January.

The Low Blows will advance to the semifinals due to scheduling problems which resulted in the Greenskin Bumlookers failing to show for their match. It has since been learned that they have defected to the obscure "Blood Bowl in Hedonism" league, due to such exclusive perks as mandatory pantless tournaments and free oil rubs. They may be seen in the future in inter-league play, and they will be missed by everyone, except possibly embarrassed announcers trying desperately to remain family-friendly during prime time.

And now, on to the semifinal matches! Tomorrow, The Lowblows play the Goldminers, and the Dirt Bursters play the Knights! Expect carnage, excitement, and a wizard or two if they can sneak past security!

Week 5 - The Last Hurrah

Three games to report on from this past week, the final week before playoffs commence in the MMBBL! (Accounts have been abbreviated due to being busy and eventually forgetting some things, sorry.)

The first match saw the Greenskin Bumlookers positively routed by Gildengrip's Goldminers. The final score was 4-0, and right from the get-go it looked like fate was stacked against the Orcs. Pro Blitzer Red Marx was tossed out on the first play for a flagrant foul, and it went downhill from there.

In match number 2, The Fly-By Knights Edged the Meathooks 2-1 in a gritty affair. Unfortunately for the Meathooks, promising lineman Chip Bonesaw suffered a broken neck, while the Knights' new blitzer Chet Jackweed took a spill which will see him benched for their first playoff game.

The third and final regular season match pitted the Low Blows against the league-leading Goldminers, and this one was closer than the 2-0 'miners' victory margin would leave you to believe. Both teams were very good defensively and bottlenecked running routes became the order of the day. After the game, the Goldminers announced that they had signed a Deathroller onto the squad for the playoffs, which will likely give this elite team the extra push (or trample) it needs to be the victors when the dust settles.

More coming soon, including results from the first playoff match!

Week Four Begins with a Whimper

Onyl one game this weekend to kick off the post-Thanksgiving (yeah, we're Canadian) Blood Bowl action, with the Meathooks meeting the Fly-by Knights this past Sunday. A nice day, roaring fans and the occasional squelching sound of a hot dog vendor being toosed over the balcony to the pitch below - what could be better?

The match wound up going in favour of the Knights, by a score of 2-1. Scoring for the Humans were catcher Stanley "Stainless" Steele, who was nearly char-broiled by a bolt of lightning from out of the clear blue sky (authorities suspect attempted arcane homicide, as Mr. Steele had not, to anyone's knowledge, angered a thunder god lately) and also Wamsley Wedgeworth, who was recently signed by a major outfitter to endorse their new "Xtra Plate" line of armour. The touchdown for the Meathooks was scored by line orc Bloatgaar the Flatulent, who is rumoured to have developed a special "pre-game meal" which adds a burst of speed to his running patterns.

MVP selections for the matchup were Beefquake of the Meathooks, who was an unstoppable dynamo of pushing, shoving, and all-around rudeness, and the just-back-from-serious-injury Flash Madison of the Fly-by Knights, who has lost any hope of being a physical presence and has embraced a more underhanded role, desperate to regain some measure of glory in the eyes of fans, now that the mere mention of being tackled causes him to curl up into a fetal crouch.

There were two injuries for each side in the match, though none was serious enough to warrant extended time away from the field for any player.

After the match, the Fly-by Knights' coach announced the signing of lineman Solomon Squatz, to increase their roster size to 14 and "really, REALLY make sure that the catchers don't have to be on the field unless they have to be".

Finally, after the game, the Meathooks' head coach held a press conference with the coach of the Greenskin Bumlookers, to finally plan out what the fans of both squads have been waiting for - Orc on Orc violence! Watch for this game to occur within the next week; it's sure to be a wild one!

Great Match, Ridiculous Amounts of Money, and New Hirings!

A make-up game for the Greenskin Bumlookers took place this Sunday, against the Fly-By Knights. This game had the greatest attendance to date, no doubt due to the hype generated around the team's coaches - rumour has it they've schooled, worked, and even lived together! Certainly the groundwork for an intense rivalry is being laid.

The game itself started in the rain, under the lights. The Knights grabbed the lead early on with a touchdown pass from Lance Freely to Stanley Steele, and then recovered the ball on defence to see it run in for the score by lineman Reginald Reginald III. The Bumlookers countered in the second half, after a tussle between the two teams on the pitch, with line orc Rod Harding bringing in the touchdown on a beautiful catch. In an amazing turn of events, the Knights dealt more damage than they sustained, injuring three Bumlookers and being no worse than knocked out themselves.

MVPs for the match were Abraham Sandwich, lineman of the Fly-By Knights, and Red Marx of the Bumlookers, who is showing his potential as a true professional Blood Bowl player. Also of note was the unflappable resolve and focus of Knights' catcher Stanley "Stainless" Steele.

A very spirited match for both sides, and it showed in the winnings, as each team pocketed 70,000 gold each! As a result, the Bumlookers hired on black orc Phil McKrackin to add even more muscle to their formidable front line, and the Knights signed blitzer Chet Jackweed, possibly the single most cocky individual to ever dance in the end zone.

Due to the holiday weekend coming up, arrangements are being made to have two more games played in the coming week. All the news and reports on them will be here as soon as they're made available to the press!