Good to have you back, I would just suggest doing whatever you wanna do, I have no real preference of one over the other.

It's been a long time, but I'm finally ready to start this back up! I'll be posting short summaries from each of the seasons from 1960-69, then later on, do a full season post for 1970, and get things going back on track after that.

Without further ado, let's get started!

1960:
1. Toronto (17-5) 
2. Philadelphia (15-6-1)
3. Michigan (15-7)
4. New York (13-9)
5. Boston (11-10-1)
6. St. Louis (11-11)
7. Milwaukee (9-12-1)
8. Chicago (6-16)
9. Washington (6-16)
10. Montreal (5-16-1)

First Round:
Michigan 34-32 St. Louis
New York 49-16 Boston

Semifinals:
Toronto 34-22 New York
Philadelphia 43-41 Michigan

Urquhart Cup:
Toronto 9-31 Philadelphia

1961:
Note: The NAML introduced divisions for the first time in its history, as expansion teams in Minnesota and Los Angeles would begin play in 1961 and 1962, respectively.
The top 3 teams in each division make the playoffs, with the 2nd and 3rd teams facing off in the first round.
* - The Minnesota Walleye began play in the Western Division.
W1. St. Louis (17-5) 
W2. Chicago (14-8)
W3. Michigan (13-9)
W4. Minnesota (9-13)
W5. Milwaukee (7-15)

E1. Toronto (18-4)
E2. Philadelphia (14-8)
E3. Boston (10-12)
E4. Montreal (9-13)
E5. New York (5-17)
E6. Washington (5-17)

First Round:
Chicago 36-30 Michigan
Philadelphia 27-25 Boston

Semifinals:
St. Louis 25-32 Chicago
Toronto 32-29 Philadelphia

Urquhart Cup:
Toronto 21-44 Chicago

1962:
* - The Los Angeles Guardians began play in the Western Division.
W1. Michigan (17-4-1) 
W2. Chicago (12-9-1)
W3. St. Louis (12-10)
W4. Milwaukee (10-12)
W5. Minnesota (7-15)
W6. Los Angeles (7-15)

E1. Toronto (15-7)
E2. Washington (15-7)
E3. Boston (13-9)
E4. Phialdelphia (10-11-1)
E5. Montreal (7-14-1)
E6. New York (5-17)

First Round:
Chicago 43-28 St. Louis
Washington 33-48 Boston

Semifinals:
Michigan 35-51 Chicago
Toronto 27-33 Boston

Urquhart Cup:
Boston 25-34 Chicago

1963:
W1. Milwaukee (17-5) 
W2. Michigan (16-6)
W3. Minnesota (14-7-1)
W4. Chicago (14-7-1)
W5. St. Louis (4-17-1)
W6. Los Angeles (3-18-1)

E1. Washington (15-7)
E2. Toronto (13-9)
E3. Montreal (10-11-1)
E4. Philadelphia (9-13)
E5. Boston (7-14-1)
E6. New York (7-15)

First Round:
Michigan 25-25 Minnesota
Toronto 41-40 Montreal

First Round Replay:
Michigan 29-24 Minnesota

Semifinals:
Milwaukee 24-33 Michigan
Washington 23-22 Toronto

Urquhart Cup:
Michigan 42-32 Washington

1964:
W1. Michigan (14-7-1) 
W2. Chicago (13-8-1)
W3. Minnesota (11-11)
W4. Milwaukee (9-12-1)
W5. Los Angeles (9-13)
W6. St. Louis (3-18-1)

E1. Montreal (17-5)
E2. Toronto (13-7-2)
E3. Philadelphia (14-8)
E4. Washington (9-11-2)
E5. Boston (9-12-1)
E6. New York (6-15-1)

First Round:
Chicago 30-31 Minnesota
Toronto 54-17 Philadelphia

Semifinals:
Michigan 68-46 Minnesota
Montreal 24-38 Toronto

Urquhart Cup:
Michigan 51-26 Toronto

1965:
W1. Minnesota (16-6) 
W2. Michigan (15-7)
W3. Chicago (13-9)
W4. Milwaukee (12-10)
W5. St. Louis (9-13)
W6. Los Angeles (6-16)

E1. Toronto (18-4)
E2. New York (11-11)
E3. Philadelphia (11-11)
E4. Washington (10-12)
E5. Montreal (6-16)
E6. Boston (5-17)

First Round:
Michigan 50-21 Chicago
New York 57-36 Philadelphia

Semifinals:
Minnesota 27-35 Michigan
Toronto 45-42 New York

Urquhart Cup:
Michigan 51-28 Toronto

1966:
W1. Michigan (17-5) 
W2. Chicago (15-5-2)
W3. Milwaukee (14-8)
W4. Minnesota (13-9)
W5. Los Angeles (9-12-1)
W6. St. Louis (2-19-1)

E1. Philadelphia (18-4)
E2. Washington (12-9-1)
E3. Boston (12-10)
E4. Toronto (8-14)
E5. New York (5-17)
E6. Montreal (4-17-1)

First Round:
Chicago 60-37 Milwaukee
Washington 37-42 Boston

Semifinals:
Michigan 52-42 Chicago
Philadelphia 39-21 Boston

Urquhart Cup:
Michigan 37-33 Philadelphia

1967:
W1. Chicago (15-7) 
W2. Milwaukee (13-9)
W3. Minnesota (13-9)
W4. Michigan (11-10-1)
W5. Los Angeles (9-12-1)
W6. St. Louis (6-16)

E1. Washington (16-5-1)
E2. Philadelphia (14-8)
E3. Boston (11-11)
E4. Toronto (9-11-2)
E5. New York (7-13-2)
E6. Montreal (4-17-1)

First Round:
Milwaukee 33-71 Minnesota
Philadelphia 34-30 Boston

Semifinals:
Chicago 49-30 Minnesota
Washington 32-28 Philadelphia

Urquhart Cup:
Washington 33-31 Chicago

1968:
* - Season Length changed to 24 games
W1. Michigan (18-6) 
W2. Milwaukee (16-7-1)
W3. Chicago (14-10)
W4. Minnesota (12-12)
W5. Los Angeles (7-17)
W6. St. Louis (4-19-1)

E1. Washington (18-6)
E2. Toronto (14-10)
E3. New York (12-11-1)
E4. Montreal (10-13-1)
E5. Philadelphia (9-15)
E6. Boston (6-18)

First Round:
Milwaukee 55-34 Chicago
Toronto 41-26 New York

Semifinals:
Michigan 46-35 Milwaukee
Washington 27-36 Toronto

Urquhart Cup:
Michigan 31-19 Toronto

1969:
W1. Chicago (15-9) 
W2. Michigan (13-10-1)
W3. Los Angeles (13-11)
W4. Minnesota (12-12)
W5. Milwaukee (10-14)
W6. St. Louis (6-18)

E1. Washington (19-4-1)
E2. Philadelphia (16-8)
E3. Montreal (13-9-2)
E4. New York (10-13-1)
E5. Boston (9-15)
E6. Toronto (5-18-1)

First Round:
Milwaukee 73-32 Los Angeles
Montreal 38-42 Philadelphia

Semifinals:
Chicago 44-32 Michigan
Washington 33-49 Montreal

Urquhart Cup:
Chicago 43-30 Montreal

There's the 1960s, I'll have the full post on 1970 up soon!
If you want more in-depth information about each season, check out the CCSLC thread's web archive at https://boards.sportslogos.net/topic/113796-north-american-markball-league-a-fictional-sport-a-fictional-history-ive-got-a-blog/">https://web.archive.org/web/20190525210221/https://boards.sportslogos.net/topic/113796-north-american-markball-league-a-fictional-sport-a-fictional-history-ive-got-a-blog/!
 

Welcome back!

I'm back with the first full season post in a while, highlighting the 1970 season! hope y'all enjoy!

1970 NAML Season
 
Week 1 Scores:
Los Angeles 32-59 Toronto
New York 40-37 Philadelphia
Houston 53-49 Chicago
Washington 41-40 St. Louis
Boston 26-24 Minnesota
California 41-54 Michigan
Milwaukee 48-50 Montreal 

Western Division:

• After finishing in fourth for 2 straight years, the Walleye finally broke through and finished first for the first time since 1965. This was in a large part due to an offensive explosion, especially by Chris Garafalo, who became the league's first player to score over 80 goals, finishing with 81. Calvin Black played great at the back as well, and was a finalist for the Chester Harland Award, a huge honour for a defenseman. Minnesota finished at 17-7-0.
• In second were the reigning champions, the Chicago Crusaders. Bud Mahoney was once again great for the Crusaders, finishing with 77 goals, and the defense also had an above average year, allowing their lowest total points in 4 years. Chicago finished at 15-9-0, good enough for home-field advantage in round 1.
• It was a bounceback year for the Milwaukee Dragons, coming in third after a disappointed 1969 season. Hugh Pettas returned to form, and rookie midfielder Joe Lapoers impressed critics with his gritty style of play. The Dragons did show signs of decline, as they blew multiple leads and won most of their games by only a few points. Milwaukee finished at 13-11.
• In fourth was a bit of a surprise, the St. Louis Gatekeepers. After coming in last every season since 1966 and 5 of the last 6 years, the 'Keepers finally had luck on their side, and had no major injuries all year. Young forward Sid Bragg played well up front, finishing in the top 10 in goals, the first 'Keeper to do so since Arnold Lejoscasa. St. Louis finished at 11-13.
• In Houston, the Comet's first season was not as bad as people were expecting. Defender Bill Nielson was the team's main star, and was called the most improved player in the league. Team captain Chris McGillicuddy also had a comeback year, kicking the most goals of his career, with 35. Rookie Ty Marcoux showed flashes of potential throughout the year, but had several dry spells, making people wonder if he was worth picking. Houston finished at 9-15.
• In San Francisco, the Quails were projected to be worse than Houston and while that was correct, they only finished being the Comet because of point differential. The Quails were a quick, stealthy and high-scoring team, but their troubles were within the defense. It seemed that whenever they scored a goal, the other team would respond right away. Gary Ayers amazed in his first year, scoring 51 goals and assisting on many others. His infectious personality on and off the field made him a fan favourite already in California. the Quails finished at 9-15 as well, but with a point differential 12 worse than the Comet.
• In last was a shocking surprise, the Los Angeles Guardians. After finally breaking through and making the playoffs, they seemed like a team that would only continue to get better, but it was quite the opposite. While they only won 6 games all year, they didn't look like a bad team when they played. Their offense and defense weren't awful, and Georg Wahlsten was doing well in it. Their problem was that they couldn't close out games, leading to a much worse record than they deserved. LA finished at 6-18.

[b]Eastern Division:[/b]

• In first with one of the most dominating seasons in NAML history were the Philadelphia Falcons, winning 20 out of 24 games. All of their 4 positions were top-notch all year, and they were in either first or second in goals scored, goals allowed, rushes stopped, and blocked shots. Chris Olsen, Robert Stephens, and rookie Leron McCleary were the team's top performers, finishing high-up in their respective statistical categories.
• In second were the Washington Warriors, who took a step back from a dominant year in 1969. Jim Gardenar continued being the best player in Markball, and it was clear that he improved in the offseason, as he was now making his weaves through opposing players easy. He also got a big help from Cliff Jegou, who stepped up his game. However, the rest of the team couldn't support them to a first-round bye, but the warriors showed they weren't an easy team to beat, as they defeated the Falcons two out of their three meetings. the Warriors finished at 15-9.
• In third were the New York Knights, led by the elusive Phillip Cook. During the season, he didn't just lead the team, but made his teammates much better than they were the year before, and for the first time in franchise history, the Knights had a winning record on the road. Cook's efforts gave his the Chester Harland Award for the 2nd time in 3 years. The Knights finished at 13-10-1.
• Coming in fourth were the Toronto Nationals. Even though their core was aging, Toronto put up a fight for the last playoff spot, before falling out of contention with 2 weeks to go. Young center Francis Ashdam played a big role in their winning ways, and James Jogi continued being a difference-maker. It just didn't work out in the end, as Toronto finished at 12-12.
• Coming in fifth in their first season in the Eastern Division were the Michigan Bandits. After finishing 2nd in the west in 1969, they took a step back with the conference change, which was shown to be tough on the players. Despite the troubles, rookie wingback Theodore Hamp excelled in his first year in the league, leading the team in tackles. Michigan finished at 11-12-1.
• In sixth were the Montreal Évêques, who had a disappointing year after making the Urquhart Cup final the year before. Nicolas Bartosh was the team's best player, scoring over 70 goals once again, but the rest of the team took a step back, finishing at 9-15.
• Last in the East were the Boston Wolfhounds, who couldn't get a run together with their aging core. No player had a real breakout year, but the team's defense greatly improved, making the only real issue the offence. Boston finished at 7-17.

The 1970 NAML Awards were given to:
Chester Harland Award (League MVP): Phillip Cook, F, NY
Len Garey Memorial Trophy (Top Goalkicker): Chris Garafalo, FF, MIN (81 goals)
Benjamin Legrand Award (Best Goalkeeper): George Sovine, PHI                                                                                                                                                                                    
Rivalry Cup Winners:
Colonial Trophy: Washington (Beat Philadelphia 2-1 in season series)
St. Laurent Cup: Toronto (Swept season series with Montreal)
I-94 Series: Chicago (Swept season series with Milwaukee) 

[b]Notable Events:[/b]

• After rising tensions between the 'Keepers and the St. Louis municipal government over Clark Street Stadium, the Gatekeepers moved to play in the much smaller Freeway Stadium during the season.
• 7 players with contract disputes, including 5 from Michigan, missed week 1, a league record.
• Philadelphia set a league record for largest halftime comeback, beating Milwaukee 52-45 after trailing 36-9 at the break.
• Boston's Eddy Sullivan became the NAML's all-time Games played leader, in week 1, playing in his 367th game.
• For the first time, the NAML held an awards ceremony, which was broadcast on NBC.
• The season was considered to be one of the most exciting in NAML history, with California and Houston playing their first years, as well as several comebacks throughout the year. and many great rushes, goals, and saves by all teams.

Any C&C is appreciated!

 

Last edited by NoE38 (10/09/2019 2:42 pm)

Let's go Crusaders! Let's win it this year!