Season 48 All Star Game Rosters

 Season 48 All Star Game factoids

— East leads West 30-17 with East having won last 5 games

—10 first-time all stars this season…5 in West (1 starter), 5 in East (3 starters); oldest first-time All Star is 6th season player James “Cherry Challenge” Payne of Sacramento

— 4 all stars will be retiring after this season (1 Hall of Famer)

— 2 Hall of Famers in the game this season

— For the first time in many a moon, two teams fail to place players in the game

—3 rookies made the All Star Game (0 starters); last season 2 rookies, both started

—oldest All Stars…Tree Fiddy and Ape Con Myth, both in 10th season

—most All Star appearances…Tree Fiddy of Sacramento in his 8th game; one of just 9 players to make it that many times; one of 11 players to have made 6 or more starts.

—most All Star Game starts…Chip Battoe of Dallas…6 in 6 games in 6 seasons

—Chip Battoe now has 22 lifetime awards, tying him for fourth-best all time with Uncle Bob Masterson

—teams with most stars…Sacramento and Milwaukee 4 each

—team with most starters…Sacramento…3

—of the 20 players who made the teams last season, only 7 returned for this season’s game

—making the Game gives Tree Fiddy his 10th award and Hall of Fame status; Dr. Marcus Brody now has 9 awards, one short of Hall of Fame status.

—near misses to the team: Jesse Shershot, San Jose (22.2), rookie forward Muscle Shoals, Charleston (20.2).

—All-MBA players from last season who did not make All Star Game this season: Shershot and Doo-rag Dripp of Sacramento (19.6)

 

Retirements Season 48

Season 48 retirement observations

—Dallas, winners of the last 2 championships, got decimated by retirements, with four of five starters hanging it up at the end of this season, including one of the greats of all time, Hall of Fame forward Chip Battoe, currently the fourth-most honored player of all time.

—11 active (and 20 total) players will be hanging it up … 7 of the 11 active are starters

—3 teams totally escaped without any retirements

—4 teams lost zero starters

— 9 players from the cut pile gave up on their MBA aspirations…none retired last season

 

Season 48 Featured Game No. 5...Seattle at San Jose

 SEATTLE 68, SAN JOSE 64

STAMPEDE 'D' COMPLETES BIG SWEEP

SAN JOSE -- Seattle's rugged defense and a second consecutive madman game from Stampede forward Reed Lemur combined for a 68-64 road win to send the Pacific Northwest club into the halftime break with a 3-game winning streak and a 4-1 record.

Most importantly, Seattle, picked to finish third in the West, swept the season series from San Jose, which was unanimously picked to win the division. The Fighting Amigos take their break with a 2-3 mark and a 3-game losing streak.

This was a close one all the way through, and a quick analysis would say that the winnners cemented their triumph at the free throw line, where they outscored San Jose 16-5.

Sixth-man AnDamian Wayne was huge off the bench for Seattle with 14 points, especially with league-leading scorer Potatoes O'Gratin fouling out early in the fourth.

The grind-it-out game is evident in the fact that neither team shot 50 percent.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Looking at the back of his card you would never guess that Seattle forward REED LEMUR had it in him to deliver two death-blow games against a tough division foe. But in a pair of contests against San Jose, the 6-7 Lemur has been a killer and the main reason for victories in both contests. In this game, Lemur tied for game-high in scoring with 21 points, going 8 for 14 from the floor and exploding for 4 powerful slam dunk moves. He was also 5 for 6 from the foul line. He dominated Vito Andolini of San Jose again, this time causing him to foul out with just 5 points. The 5-season veteran asserted himself on the boards as well, grabbing 9 rebounds. He topped things off with 1 assist and 1 blocked shot. San Jose fans officially hate this guy.

Other 20-plus GVP performers

-- Before fouling out with 33 time units remaining in the game (and his team down 63-55), San Jose shooting guard Mister Methane kept his team in contention, tying for game-high in scoring with 21 points, with a trio of treys among them. The fourth-year man added 3 rebounds and a steal.

NEXT UP: Los Angeles (2-2) can insert itself into the thick of the West Division race with an upset road win against first-place Sacramento (3-1). If Dr. Marcus Brody gets hot for The Big One, it can happen; but he'll be going against one of the best defenders in the league in Great Gruncle Terry of the R-Dogs.

Season 48 Featured Game No. 4...San Jose at Sacramento

Sacramento 100, San Jose 64

R-Dogs bark Amigos into submission

SACRAMENTO-- The Sacramento River Dogs (now 3-1) totally out-gunned and shut down a San Jose team that entered the game as the MBA's top scoring unit. The R-Dogs, boasting the league's best defense, had an answer for everything the visitors (now 2-2) threw at them, slaughter-ruling them 100-64.

Sacramento has now won the last 7 games in this rivalry.

PLAYER OF THE GAME 

Sixth-year forward JAMES "CHERRY CHALLENGE" PAYNE, the first new member of the Sacramento starting lineup in five seasons, got a rousing cheer from the Dog Pound fans when he calmly potted two free throws with no time left on the clock to give his team triple digits, the first and only team to reach 100 points this season. The 6-7 Payne, little brother of Hall of Fame center Max Payne, is getting his first opportunity to start this season after five years of coming off the pines. He was gorgeous this game, scoring a game-high 24 points on 10 of 12 shooting, including an accurate trey in his only such attempt. The 6-7 small forward was perfect from the foul line, going 3 for 3. A fine passer, Payne led everyone in assists with 6, tied for most blocked shots with 2, snagged 3 rebounds and swiped 2 steals, giving him a total of 7 thefts already this young campaign. He dominated Vito Andolini.

Other 20-plus GVP performers (none from San Jose)

-- Sacramento point guard Great Gruncle Terry contributed in every capacity with 10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal. His 2 blocked shots tied for game-high.

-- Sacramento crowd favorite Potus Obama made Mister Methane smell bad in this one. The 7-year shooting guard scored 23 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, doled out 3 assists and like the league's best thief should do, pilfered a game-high 3 more steals, giving him 8 in four games.

-- This game could give Sacramento center Tree Fiddy enough juice to net his 10th award with another All Star Game berth, thereby clinching Hall of Fame status at the halfway mark this season. His opponent, Hunk R. Down, was leading in the West center race, with Fiddy second; but the 10-year River Dogs star destroyed his man in this once. Fiddy had 19 points, a game-high 8 rebounds, 1 blocked shot and 1 assist.

-- All-MBA forward Doo-rag Dripp of the R-Dogs also lorded it over his man Eddie Creamer, scoring 19 points, getting 4 boards and 1 blocked shot while Creamer could manage just 5 points.

NEXT UP: Gillette (1-2), fresh off its first victory is at Seattle (2-1), which is looking to further solidify its West Division playoff position.

 

Season 48 Featured Game No. 3...San Jose at Seattle

Seattle 79, San Jose 60 

Stampede throws hat into playoff ring

SEATTLE -- The Seattle Stampede declared itself a serious post-season contender with this big home win over the high-flying visitors from San Jose as they held the Fighting Amigos 33 points below their season average.

The final score was 79-60, and if there's a paraphrase to be used here for San Jose it's "If you live by the three, you die by the three." At game's end, the Stampede had tallied as many made treys as the Amigos, with 11 less attempts. 

San Jose made a giant third-quarter run to cut Seattle's lead from 15 to 2, but the home team finished that frame strong and were in control from then on. 

Both teams are now 2-1 on the season.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Low-key small forward REED LEMUR was brilliant for Seattle, dominating his man Vito Andolini with a game that included 19 points, 3 assists, a blocked shot and a game-high (tied) 6 rebounds. Lemur came into the contest with a 7.5 points per game average, but turned on his offensive juices going 7 for 12, including hitting his lone trey attempt and a perfect 4 for 4 from the foul line. 

Other 20-plus GVP performers

-- Seattle forward Reed Lemur won POG honors, but it was the Stampede's 6-10 rookie power forward Charles Broccoli who slammed the door on any ideas San Jose had on a comeback in the fourth quarter. Broccoli has been excellent for Seattle this season, and in the final quarter, he tallied 10 of his game-high 22 points to seal the deal. He added 2 rebounds to the mix. Enjoy him now Seattle fans, players like this usually opt for a short stay in the rainy Pacific Northwest.

-- San Jose's veteran power forward Eddie "the Milkman" Creamer was the best player on his team in this game, battling Seattle's new star with an outstanding game of his own. The 6-9, fourth-year man scored a team-high 21 points and tied for game-high in rebounds with 6. 

NEXT UP: Dallas (1-1) visits Charleston (0-2) to complete the back-to-back meetings between these teams. The Demons got a little more of a game than they expected in their first contest, won by Dallas 78-67 behind the POG of Meat Pants Masterson. It's the first home game of the year for Charleston.

 

Season 48...Featured Game No. 2...San Jose at Philadelphia

San Jose 96, Philadelphia 88

Dynamic Amigos hold off charging Phobia

PHILADELPHIA -- Hitting the 90s for the second game in a row, the visiting San Jose Fighting Amigos held off an unexpected late-game comeback attempt to win 96-88, making them 2-0 in this young season.

The Phobia, now 1-1, was down by 15 at the half, but, displaying offensive prowess not hinted at in their opening win, used a 30-point third quarter to get within shouting distance at 76-67 heading into the fourth. Philly leader, Little Dickie Papers fouled out with 54 left and the team down 7; but his replacement Buddy "Stankpig" Pigglesworth popped in successive treys, then a tip-in, to help to eventually cut the lead to 2 with 7 ticks left. 

But two foul shots by Jesse Shershot of San Jose, followed by a 4-point play by his running mate Mister Methane finalized the scoring.

POINTS PREVENTED BY QUARTERS

San Jose.........0...2...2...0   Total=4

Philadelphia...0...2...0...6   Total=8

(no individual player prevented more than 2 points)

TURNOVERS CAUSED BY QUARTERS

San Jose...3...2...2...0  Total=7

Philadelphia...1...0...1...2  Total=4

Lupalin Greenbeard of San Jose led all players, causing 4 turnovers (no one else had more than 1)

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Snagging his second POG in as many outings, San Jose point guard JESSE SHERSHOT made that twine sing again, following his game-high 29-point effort in the opener with this game-high 26 point performance. The second-year star was 8 for 15 from the floor, banging down 5 treys in 11 tries and going 5 for 8 from the foul line. The 6-5 point guard added 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal as he wiped the floor with Dick Papers, who fouled out trying to stop him.

Other 20-plus GVP performances

-- Shershot's running mate at guard for San Jose, Mister Methane, poured in 22 points of his own, including a trio of threes, while grabbing 4 boards and dishing 2 assists.

-- Veteran 7-foot pivot Hunk R. Down of San Jose tied for game-high in rebounds with 6 and in assists with 3 while contributing 13 points.

-- San Jose forward Lupalin Greenbeard came off the bench to replace the foul-prone Vito Andolini and seized the opportunity for playing time with a 19-point game that included tying for game-high in rebounds with 6. Additionally, Greenbeard quadrupled the next closest player in causing turnovers one of which was a steal, before eventually fouling out in total exhaustion.

-- Philadelphia guard Tweedle D. Dee followed his opening game 17-point effort with a 20-pointer in this game. He added 2 rebounds and 1 assist to the effort.

-- When Bougainvillea Hedge went down to a rest-of-game injury in the first quarter, Philly's substitute forward Cheetah Vajayjay filled in like a champion, scoring a team-high 21 points, grabbing 3 boards, dishing 2 assists and blocking 1 shot. 

NEXT UP: Seattle at Los Angeles in a repeat of the opener, won handily by Seattle, 87-72 behind a 30-point game from Stampede shooting guard Potatoes O'Gratin. 

 

Season 48 Featured Game No. 1...Oklahoma City at Dallas

Oklahoma City 72, Dallas 70

Lariats end Dallas streak at 16

DALLAS -- The visiting Oklahoma City Lariats, riding the offense of rookie sensation guard Handsy Joe Potatoe and the newly discovered defensive prowess of forward Dreamy Ray Wilson, ended the record 16-game win streak of the two-time defending champion Dallas Demons 72-70.

Dallas trailed by 8 with half of the final quarter to go and appeared to be closing the gap to 2 with 7 ticks left when Wilson denied Battoe a down-low bucket that basically wrapped up the game.

Wilson, who is much-improved defensively since last season, came off the bench in the first half to thwart Battoe twice on scoring opportunities and earned a second-half start. He then proceeded to stop Battoe from scoring four more times in the second half, including the big stop near game's end...for a total of 12 points saved on Battoe in the game.

It was the first game for Oklahoma City as a member of the East Division.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Veteran Dallas shooting guard MEAT PANTS MASTERSON played an astonishing all-around game in defeat, leading his team in scoring with 23 points and swatting away a game-high 7 shots while grabbing 3 rebounds. Masterson, a late-bloomer in his eigth season, was 9 for 17 from the floor with 2 3-pointers in three attempts. He was 3 for 6 from the foul line. His game dominated his opponent, Hurricane Furrwizard.

Other 20-plus GVP performances

-- Oklahoma City's rookie point guard Handsy Joe Potatoe lived up to his No. 1 prime pick draft status in his debut, pumping in a game-high 25 points, including 6 buckets of the long-range variety. He added 1 rebound. The 6-5 rookie dominated his man Jolly Mon Singh.

-- Hall of Fame center J.J. Gargantuan put on an excellent show in his first game as a Demon, actually dominating last season's All-MBA center Chochky Galumpkus, tying Galumpkus for game-high in rebounds with 7, scoring 16 points, tying for team-lead with 3 assists, blocking 1 shot and snaring 1 steal. He held Galumpkus to just 10 points with solid D.

EAST DIVISION STANDINGS

1st -- Philadelphia 1-0 (points differential tie-breaker)

2nd -- Oklahoma City 1-0 

3rd -- Dallas 0-1 (points differential tie-breaker)

4th -- Charleston 0-1 (points differential tie-breaker)

Last -- Milwaukee 0-1

Upcoming bracket...No. 2

-- FEATURED GAME: The cross-over contest between "the shoot-em-up kids" from San Jose at Philadelphia, both 1-0 teams.

-- Seattle and Los Angeles will battle again to close out their season series. The visiting Stampede downed The Big One by 15 points in the opener behind a 30-point game from Potatoes O'Gratin.

-- Sacramento gets the honor of christening the new Gillette stadium and expects to emerge with a 2-0 record after dusting the Humps in their season debut 72-49.

-- Charleston, which did not show much in its 8-point opening loss to Philly, travels to Dallas, where the pissed off two-time defending champions are licking their opening-day loss wounds and waiting to strike hard.

-- Milwaukee (0-1) travels to Oklahoma City (1-0) in another important East Division game which is kind of a must-win for the visitors, who are playing without injured star Lannigan Lord Hobo.

Early Season Power Rankings

1. Dallas Demons (0-1)...it will take more than one 2-point loss against a top team to get them off the top line. But they showed vulnerability.

2. San Jose Fighting Amigos (1-0)...got their big man (Hunk R. Down) and scoring mojo back.

3. Oklahoma City Lariats (1-0)...may have found the secret weapon to neutralize Battoe.

4. Sacramento River Dogs (1-0)...old Dogs may still have a few new tricks.

5. Seattle Stampede (1-0) ...impressed us early with easy win against Los Angeles, showing solid game.

6. Milwaukee Greyhounds (0-1) ...the addition of Oklahoma City to the East is not what this perennial .500 team needed. Nor did they need an injury to Lannigan Lord Hobo.

7. Philadelphia Phobia (1-0) ...Flailed their way to an opening day win against equally punch-less Charleston.

8. Los Angeles (0-1)...They have Dr. Marcus Brody, who puts them above the teams below them here.

9. Charleston Mountaineers (0-1) ... They could use Gillette back in the East to get a couple of wins.

10. Gillette Humps (0-1)...Well folks, if anyone looked like an 0-10 team in their opener, it was the Humps.