Well, I’ve never felt more right but just as wrong about predictions.

ThisIsFine wrote:

Hey, If you still have that map of university athletics in Torland, could you put it here?

Yeah, it's on my Imgur. https://i.imgur.com/6grLxJE.jpg

1964 OFFSEASON

Tension Continues with the Commish

Commissioner Rey Marcotte held fast to his moratorium but allowed some conditions heading into the 1964 offseason. Namely, if there were not enough independent players of sufficient skill, an international player could be proposed instead, with all final designations to be done by the league office. All six team owners complained about this measure, stating that it was a gross overreach by the league. Tensions flared and after the fervor had died down, Marcotte promised he would step down after a draft and league expansion in 1965.

Uniform News



No significant uniform changes occurred, only Portarra owner Seymour Duval making good on his promise and adding a pair of stripes to the socks to represent their two Marcotte Cups. Duval again turned down offers from Apex and Zeal, while Yubay fielded presentations from both but ultimately made no decision on a supplier.

Player Signings

With the convoluted new rules, Lecayne hemmed and hawed on who to sign and took so long that Marcotte grew weary and allowed Kirkenport to go ahead of them. The Captains signed veteran Waterdee product Rocco Behrens, convincing him with a reported record high salary to lure him away from his independent team. Meanwhile, the Saints finally came to a decision and signed young forward Gary Musgrove from Arril. Musgrove is still very raw but showed greater potential on a recent playoff run in the indy leagues. Lecayne cut respected veteran F Maynard Van Dyke, much to the dismay of the fans and signed former Whale forward Lawrence Wolfe for his playoff and championship experience.

Several teams elected to wait until the pivotal 1965 draft and expansion, including Yubay, as their upstart youngsters dethroned the champs and nearly knocked off Portarra. The Whales felt good about their roster, while Chasonne, still shocked from their upset by Yubay, were indecisive on what to do with their team. Ultimately they decided to retool internally.

Port Alrene, still recovering from their inability to score with Gary Wiz out of the lineup, were able to sign Icelandic forward Loftur Pallsson, whom they hope will shore up the second unit. They also signed high school senior Brenden Poore, who slots as a forward but will play on the blue line as he develops.

Coaching Carousel

On the coaching front, it is reported that Saints owner Willard is desperate to make the playoffs and even though head coach Merle Sharpe is a favorite, he'll be square on the hot seat if the team can't progress. Sharpe changed out his assistant staff in hopes of delaying the axe, adding Noble Thornhill to the bench.


Up next: 1964 Season

1964 REGULAR SEASON



The 'Season Before the Draft' went somewhat predictably. Scoring was down league-wide and attendance was up as the teams were collectively more balanced. The increased cash flow helped soothe the brewing discontentment with Commissioner Marcotte.

The Anchors jumped ahead of the pack quickly with a healthy and invigorated Gary Wiz but it was the Heralds who yet again surged as the season progressed into first place. Their revenge tour, as one media member termed it, produced a no less than astonishing season by defenseman Paul Kauffman, who took the League MVP trophy his efforts. Kauffman was brilliant on both ends of the rink as he led the Heralds on a furious charge.

The Anchors fell to second place but are fully healthy for the first time in several seasons. Phenom goaltender Ferdy Haight improved on even his lofty standards, a constant stalwart in a league growing more familiar with each other. Haight took home Top Goalie honors for the 4th time in a row as he has cemented himself as one of the top players in the entire league. Marcotte talked publicly about potentially naming the Top Goalie award after him, but Haight politely spoke against it, citing his young age and that he wasn't old enough to have an award named after him yet.

With Lecayne head coach Merle Sharpe on the hotseat, the Saints failed to capitalize on their previous progression. New forward Gary Musgrove was a disaster on the top line as his play was filled with errors and boneheaded gaffes. Musgrove's aloof personality and dark temper turned the locker room against him and the team suffered to survive the fallout. One brighter note was 5th-year goalie Reed Darling who finally showed some life and potential in the net.

The Cinderellas from 1963 found themselves battling the sophomore slump after the electricity of their improbable playoff run wore off. The Falcons were forced to have multiple adjustment moments as the team chemistry was a major roller-coaster. Between all the ups and downs, young rising superstar Geno Pasternak was incredibly patient and nurturing despite his youthfulness and general glee. Geno is becoming even more of a household name and his stellar play guided the Falcons to another playoff berth.



With an aging roster, the Captains' gamble on Rocco Behrens didn't yield the higher dividends they'd hoped, but his solid play will help mitigate the pending retirement of team captain Byron Peachey and top liner Rob Cass. The defensive unit was solid, led by more subtly great play by Lauri Rikhard, as the Fin notched another All-Star berth on his belt.

The Portarra Whales, champions again after a rousing bounce-back performance against Yubay in the '63 Finals, were relatively quiet and flew under the radar as the team kept their nose to the grindstone toward a 3rd-seed. Anton O'Reilly's leadership and defensive prowess earned him another Top Defenseman award and the forwards were silently second in the league in scoring. It will be difficult to budge the Whales from their perch on the throne.

Playoff Preview

Heralds vs Falcons
This is exactly the matchup the Heralds were craving, a chance to exorcise their past upset and stomp the Falcons back into oblivion. The rising team in Yubay, however, has other plans and their hard work to even out the bumps is paying off. Is Yubay the Heralds' Achilles Heel, or will Chasonne put the emotions beside them to advance to another Marcotte Cup?

Anchors vs Whales
The last series between these bitter rivals was marred by injuries, but both teams are fully healthy this time around and should provide some serious fireworks as the series has the potential to be all-time great. Who takes the series by force, the Hatfields or the McCoys?

I'm thinking the Heralds will have no trouble in the rematch with the Falcons, although it would be funny if the Falcons did somehow win a 2nd straight time (saying that as a Heralds fan).  Heralds 4-0

I'm thinking their opponent will be the Whales, who win against their rival yet again (by the way, just flipped their the league's history briefly, this is already the 4th time they've met in the playoffs!  You ain't lying about this being a big rivalry!) They only just survive 4-3 in what would have to be seen as a small upset due to the point differential.

Winning the Marcotte Cup will be the Heralds, completing their revenge tour in total domination.  Let's predict 4-1.   

Awesome job as always with the story-telling!  Seems the Saints just can't get it together ever.  They will probably be destined to be one of "those" franchises, one that rarely even succeeds and will have a permanent history of ineptitude. Happens sometimes in sports (think Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Diego Padres, Arizona Coyotes, Minnesota Timberwolves), they might occasionally do well, even win a championship once.  But they'll almost always stink as a team.  Kinda rooting for them to prove me wrong, lol!



 

Last edited by Stickman (8/16/2019 4:46 am)