Season 58 Free Agents...and a few more tidbits

 22 FREE AGENTS JOIN DRAFT

* means starter.

-- 22 free agents, including 14 starters from last season, will join the 16 rookies for the Season 58 draft

-- That swells the draft to 38 players, meaning 8 teams will get 4 picks and 2 will get 3 picks.

-- This is the largest draft since season 54 when there were 39 players...there was 29 in Season 55 and 33 in both Season 56 and 57

-- Seattle is the only team to make it through free agency unscathed

-- By position: 10 guards (7 starters), 7 forwards (4 starters), 5 centers (1 starter).

-- Milwaukee and Gillette lost the most players--4...including three starters

-- The hardest hit teams were Oklahoma City, which lost its two top scorers,  Milwaukee, which lost its two starting guards and Gillette, which lost three starters.

-- San Jose, Seattle and Dallas lost zero starters to free agents (although Dallas lost two Hall of Fame starters to retirement).

-- Both Dave teams and Tyler teams lost 11 players and 7 starters each, although Dave teams were harder hit overall in the talent department.

-- Free agents include two All-MBA players from last season: Itstha Bishop of Milwaukee and Phillip Mianus of Philadelphia.

-- The biggest names declaring for free agency:

Playoff MVP Poop-Rupiah 3000, Oklahoma City center, the best player from any of Dave's teams

League-leading scorer Itstha Bishop, Milwaukee star guard

League-leading shot blocker Phillip Mianus, Philadelphia forward

Oklahoma City guard Bellybutton Inquisition, who was 8th in overall GVP in the league

3000, Bishop and Mianus were all the MVPs of their respective teams.

Others well worth noting are: guard Famichiki Whiskey of Charleston, guard Ehhy Table of Milwaukee, guard Joey Shamadu, Jr. of Gillette, forward Grand Demur Fuyacho of Gillette, guard Karma Chameleon of Sacramento and Rumpy Pumpy Lewis of Los Angeles.

MORE BETWEEN-SEASON TIDBITS

-- Poop-Rupiah 3000, Oklahoma City center, is the first Playoff MVP to come from a non-championship team in 13 seasons. The last one prior to 3000 was Hall of Fame guard Colquit Croix of Philly in Season 44, where the champion was Sacramento.

-- Chochky Galumpkus is one of just 7 Hall of Fame players who have never won a championship ring. He is the only active one.

-- This season's draft will include 7 rookie forwards, 6 rookie guards and 3 rookie centers

More MBA between-season Tidbits

 -- Season 57 was the first time in Seattle Stampede history that the franchise had two All-MBA players...Erik A. Crocidale and Hilbee "the Skinny German" Juggleboy.

-- Seattle also set a league record for assists per game as a team in Season 57 with 18.4 per contest.

-- No coaches lost their jobs following Season 57.

-- Two active members of the San Jose Fighting Amigos advanced into the Top Ten list of all-time point scorers in MBA history. They are Hall of Fame center Chochky Galumpkus and forward Eddie "the Milkman" Creamer.

-- Chochky Galumpkus is now tied with Ape Con Myth and Raisin Sport for second place all time for consecutive games played at 120. He moves into second place by himself with the first game of Season 58. First place is Wawa Wewa with 132 consecutive games.

-- If he makes a team's active roster at the start of next season (which he surely will), San Jose forward Al A. Orden will be tied for the most active seasons in MBA history with 18. Others who are at the top of that list are Tubes Mullard, Achilles Heel and Moe Bandy.

-- A trio of Dallas players, all Hall of Fame members, tied for second place all time for most championship rings...Juzan Djinn, Biggus Dickus (retired) and Pete "the Steakman" Marzano (retired). They tie Cam Bodia, Max Payne and Tug Hershorts. Topping the list is the aforementioned Al A. Orden with 7 rings.

MBA Between Season Tidbits

 -- 24 of the 27 Hall of Fame guards were 5 passers or better

Seattle has had just four Rookie of the Year winners and has not had one in 36 seasons prior to Season 57...they are:

Season 57...Forward J.J. "Jake" Pickle

Season 21...Center Gram Parsons

Season 19...Guard Nipple Rings Raguski

Season 14...Guard M.E. "Lou" Harris

Dallas has had 14 regular season MVP winners, including the last five in succession. They are:

Season 57...Center Biggus Dickus

Season 56...Guard Vicious Hick

Season 55...Guard Juzan Djinn

Season 54...Guard Juzan Djinn

Season 53...Forward Pete Marzano

Season 47...Forward Chip Battoe

Season 46...Forward Chip Battoe

Season 45...Forward Chip Battoe

Season 44...Forward Chip Battoe

Season 43...Forward Chip Battoe

Season 33...Center Tom Kondla

Season 23...Guard Joey Two-Tones

Season 21...Forward Tersio Tataruga

Season 16...Forward Curly Hogbottom

Season 57...Retirees...Their place in the MBA universe

 

Season 57 Playoffs Wrap-up

 

Season 57 Finals...Game 5...Oklahoma City at Dallas

DALLAS 71, OKLAHOMA CITY 55

D nets Big D record sixth title

DALLAS -- The  juggernaut that is the Dallas Demons held the challengers from Oklahoma City to a 5-point third quarter on the way to a resounding 71-55 Season 57 championship; a record sixth title in a row.

The win broke a record originally set by Philadelphia, who won five championships in a row from Season 29 through Season 33 and was tied by Dallas last season. This was the 11th title for the Demons franchise, a number only exceeded by the 16 won by the Phobia. 

Although the final game was a blowout in favor of the Demons, it was their most challenging title of the six, having spotted the surprising Lariats to a 2-0 lead in the best of five Finals.

The game was close at halftime, with Dallas holding a 35-32 edge before the champions put the hammer down defensively in the third quarter. The only question remaining in the fourth quarter was whether the Lariats could avoid the humiliation of the "Slaughter Rule," which they managed to do.

It was the last game ever for Dallas' pair of Hall of Famers...Biggus Dickus and Pete "the Steakman" Marzano, both of whom won championship riings in every season of their MBA careers. For the first time in his career, Dickus was pulled from the starting lineup by coach Buzzy Bazinksi, who opted for 7-footer China P to go against Poop-Rupiah 3000 of Oklahoma City. 

PLAYER OF THE GAME

25 GVP...A familiar card led the way for Dallas in this sixth consecutive championship, as Hall of Fame two guard JUZAN DJINN dominated at his position with a game-high 18 point performance, tying for team-high in rebounds with 5 and tying for team-high in blocked shots with 2. The eighth-year star started the championship game with a 3-point bomb that put his team in front right out of the gate, a lead they never relinquished. He was 5 for 10 from the floor (1 for 3 from deep) and 7 for 8 from the foul line. The championship ring gives Djinn 22 awards on his well-decorated card. That pushes him past Uncle Bob Masterson into a tie for third-most honored player of all time with Max Payne and the other Dallas legend, Chip Battoe. He is now one award behind Naf Naf for second place all time and three away from the top player ever, Curly Hogbottom, who collected 25. And Djinn will return next season.

Other 20-plus GVP performers

22 GVP...Oklahoma City point guard Bellybutton Inquisition...14 points...5 rebounds...3 assists.

20 GVP...Dallas' retiring Hall of Fame forward Pete "the Steakman" Marzano...12 points...4 rebounds...2 blocked shots...2 assists.

NEXT UP: Playoff stats leaders and naming of MVP of the Playoffs.

Season 57 Finals Game 4...Dallas at Oklahoma City

DALLAS 83, OKLAHOMA CITY 74

DEMONS IN DRIVER'S SEAT

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Dallas Demons warded off the Oklahoma City Lariats for the second game in a row, coming up with a clutch road win, 83-74, and sending the championship series back to the Big D for the decisive fifth game.

Down 2-0 in the Finals, the five-time champion Demons now have the home court advantage and the opportunity to grab a record-breaking sixth title in a row.

A pressing defense in Game 4 netted Dallas 6 steals and numerous other turnovers by the Lariats that led to the victors getting off 18 more shots than their opponents. So, despite the fact that Oklahoma City had its best shooting game in the Finals at a blistering 61.1 percent; Dallas overcame its 47.2 percent shooting with one more made field goal and 4 more 3-point buckets.

Dallas guards came up huge in the triumph, with both Mini Carfart (25 points) and Hall of Famer Juzan Djinn (21 points) potting 3 treys each. Oklahoma City countered with two 20-point scorers in Bellybutton Inquisition (26) and Poop-Rupiah 3000 (20).

Dallas led by 6 at the half, but with Carfartt and Pete Marzano on the bench with foul trouble in the third quarter, the home team came roaring back to take a 63-62 lead going into the final stanza.

The visitors took the lead immediately to start the fourth and held it throughout. The lead increased to 8 with 31 ticks left. The closest the home team could get from that point on was 4 with 24 ticks remaining.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

34 GVP...Brilliant in defeat, Oklahoma City center POOP-RUPIAH 3000 secured his third POG of the playoffs and second of the Finals, going 10 for 11 from the floor with a trio of slams while tying for game-high in rebounds with 6. He sent regular season MVP, Hall of Fame center Biggus Dickus to the bench with 8 first-half shot rejections as he dominated the man who edged him out for All-MBA. He's now averaging 19.2 ppg in the playoffs and is the distinct front-runner for the MVP of the Playoffs honor going into the final game.

Other 20-plus GVP performers

33 GVP...Oklahoma City point guard Bellybutton Inquisition...26 points...4 rebounds...3 assists.

31 GVP...Dallas point guard Mini Carfartt...25 points (3 treys)...6 assists.

27 GVP...Dallas Hall of Fame two guard Juzan Djinn...21 points (3 treys)...3 rebounds...2 steals...1 blocked shot.

22 GVP...Dallas retiring Hall of Fame small forward Pete "the Steakman" Marzano...14 points...4 blocked shots...2 rebounds...1 assist...1 steal.

NEXT UP: It's for all the marbles in Dallas Sunday night.