Ha!

That was very funny! At first I couldn't figure out why you had Dean in there. I was beginning to wonder if you were living in a cave. ;)

Hattrick >> Republicans - Democrats

Just so the rest of you know what's going on here in the U.S. with elections coming up next week:

Match Report
124,580,020 registered voters had found their way to The Florida Polling Booth, despite the heavy winds and rain. Republicans had chosen a strategic 6-1-3 formation with heavy emphasis on defense. The following players had been chosen: Bush - Cheney.
Democrats had chosen a strategic 2-6-2 formation. The following players had been chosen: Kerry - Dean.
Counter-attacking seemed to be the preferred strategy of Republicans. Democrats appeared to be confused, perhaps due to inexperience or media portrayal. After 2 minutes, Democrats learned they will have to do without Howard Dean for a time due to a bad foot in mouth injury. He was substituted by John Edwards. After 5 minutes Republicans George Bush made his way behind the scenes with a nasty political television commercial, putting the visitors up 0 - 1. Republicans came close to extending their lead as Dick Cheney delivered a long range shot from the far, far, far right but the angle was too sharp, and the shot hit the side of the George Bush's head. John Kerry had a hard time on the pitch turned tropical river - his trademark technique was nowhere in sight this day. Democrats had, after 36 minutes of the game, worked the middle industriously, creating several opportunities to even the match, but somehow didn´t achieve closure. The referee showed John Kerry the yellow card after a particularly nasty mention of Dick Cheney's daughter. In the 43rd minute, George Bush acted confused and lost the ball to John Kerry who passed through the guests central line of defense, scoring the tying 1 - 1 goal. 
 Halftime score is 1 - 1. Republicans held a fund-raising ball, with a close 51 percent polling rate.

JSic- you may want to be in my group next season. Since I promoted, and my V league looks weak enough to make a run at, all of my best players will be playing league games and not the BCup this go around. Unless/until I start losing...

Anyone ever been contacted by a HT owner wanting to buy a player with the same name? This just happened to me. How much premium should you attach to this? I'm considering this, but the player also happens to be one of my top 3 players/trainees:

Shimon Cohen
TSI = 4 800 , (just turned) 19 years, solid form
Has wretched experience and weak leadership abilities
Stamina:  excellent     Keeper:  disastrous
Playmaking:  formidable     Passing:  passable
Winger:  inadequate     Defending:  wretched
Scoring:  wretched     Set Pieces:  poor

Transfer Compare and current bids show him around US$1.5M to US$2.0M. He's about halfway to Outstanding PM. The other owner is experienced (IV) and appears to have money.

The Wind and the Wrap-up

I have two oservations with regard to the honours page.

A. The Brooklyn Wind should actually be slotted Number 7 since the Avalanche scheduled a friendly instead of accepting my challenge for Leg II at my House. I know it may sound like a trivial thing to you, but Klaus thought since just kicking my ass by 5 goals in leg I would exempt him from coming to Brooklyn for leg II. THAT should cost him No. 7. Especially since my team was the nastiest team and his was the biggest wimp squad of the Cup.

B. Which brings me to B. I love how my team scored a hattrick of players who each garnered a hattrick of yellows, to lead the Cup in cards. Too bad they couldn't score more goals.

I hope I'm not in the The Pus's Group next season.

Cheers!!
Sic aka The Wop

Wow!

Thanks for posting the post season honors...that didn't take much work, did it? ;-)

Saltopus appears to have practically swept the major awards--Golden Boot, Most Amazing Keeper, Most Talked About Player, Most Improved Team, Most Violent Team, People's Champion....Coach of the Season, etc.. So, how did that translate into only a 5th place finish?

I'm sorry Saltopus players cannot be here right now to accept their awards--they are all in the Bahamas shooting a new rap video which will premiere during next season's Brooklyn Cup.

But Saltopus team management, none of whom tan very well, are present to graciously accept all awards, and the owner wishes to steal a kiss from the special awards presenter....C. Zeta Jones (who else!). As James Cameron said while accepting one of his dozen Academy Awards:
"I'm on top of the world!". Or, perhaps my team's success combined with losing thrice to the giant lurking iceberg that is Dirty Ratz, I'm just feeling a bit "Titanic".

Also, we'd like to send a special thank you to the Head Rat, who managed this season most excellently, in the face of exceptional adversity--just little things like, um, births and a spouse with gall stones!

Final Update

The stats, results and honours list have been completed.

That's a wrap for this season, folks! See you all again in about 6 or 7 weeks time ;)

Oh, and best of British for season XXIV! :D

Good News!

Mrs Rat (aka Mandy) is back from her short vacation in hospital feeling much much better!

She will have to go back on Wednesday next week for a quick operation to remove a trapped gall stone but other than that all is back to normal... And I get to have a holiday from being a single parent family and go back to work!! YAY!

Although I am kinda going to miss being with my son 24-7 :'(

This also means I will now have time enough to round up the BCup pages and fill out the stats!

BUt it will have to wait until I get some sleep :P

Sink into Nothingness

Thanks for posting the map story--very funny! You'd *never* see something like that happen on accident here in the US....we only misdraw maps on purpose.

Cathy Jones (that really her name?) is schweeet--top 10 in my book. Though technically, she's no longer "IN Wales".

Congratzzz to Ratzzzz on a B-Cup win. Could you post just a FEW more animated smileys?

Also, congrats to everyone else who promoted, and to all who didn't get relegated. For me, it's a little bit bittersweet to be leaving the safe confines of VI, although on the positive side I'm facing a robot team in the Cup. Took me awhile to realize this, until I noticed their top scorer has a TSI of 40. Will it make any difference in the Cup that their players are much more experienced than mine?

-Jay-

Wales and 7th

It's curious that with no hot women in Wales, Dan is an official "Chick Magnet". Interesting.......

Anyway, Dan, you kicked my arse in the quarters anyway - hot women or not - and that's all that counts.

As for Klaus, how about we do a match for 7th at my House - since I won the Group - disregarding the first match - since you blatantly scheduled another match this week. Straight up Cup Rules at home here in Brooklyn. How's that?

Congratz to the Ratz on their big win though I think Scotty was ROBBED!!!!!

Thanks to both and all for making it such a great competition.

The Wop

Speaking of Wales....

Looks like the cute women of Wales will have to put out a swimsuit edition. ;)

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=29&art_id=qw1096991820904E163

It's good to hear your wife is safe and returning home soon, Jeff. :)

The Brooklyn International Cup

God knows what happened but i have been unable to post any blogs due to technical difficulties. This means i have had no chance to defend the holy land against some of the comments like: " Anyone ever seen a good looking Welsh girl"!! This maybe a valid point but who cares when we have the most beautiful sheep in the world.....ooh so sexy! Anyway, what about Cathy Jones?(Katherine Zeta Jones/Douglas)She aint bad.

Thanks th Jeff and Scott and everyone else for this seasons fantastic cup competition, it gets better every year.....shame the english have won it again tho! Boo.

nice job!

Well done Jeff! That was a great final. You are having quite a year my friend. I'm glad to hear that your wife is on her way to getting healthy and I'm sure that you and Jonas are looking forward to having her at home soon.

Scott........tough luck in that second leg. Maybe next year. Thanks for another great Brooklyn Cup.

I didn't see any mention of ME winning the Das Losers Invitational so I'll mention it myself. Hey, did you notice that I won the DLI! Thanks for a great BC everyone and good luck in your new season!

Ratz Do It Again!

What a FANTASTIC season I have had!

Win my league... win the qualifier... win the Brooklyn Cup! Unbe-smegging-lievable!



etc etc... you get the idea ;)

Add to this the EXTREMELY good news that my wife's problem has been identified (she has a gall stone lodges in her common bile duct... painful, but not deadly and easily sorted through surgery) and you can see that today has been a blinding day!

Even better news is that she will be home soon and I can get a well earned rest by going back to work! I honestly don't know how single parents manage!

Cheers to Scott for making the final such a close and interesting battle... shame I missed the second leg but I was at the hospital with the wife :P

And cheers to all who have taken part in this season's cup match... you guys are the BEST! and make it all worth while.

See youse all next season!

Welcome and Yay!

Hihi Maria... welcome to the blogger at last :)

Don't beat up on the guys too much... it ain't their faults they are merely neanderthals! :)

In other news I have gained promotion from series V... YAY!

Now to beat up on Scott on tuesday and I win the double too... yay again ;)

Good luck to all next season!

Debut

Thank you for adding me to the blog, Jeff. :)

Hello gentlemen!

I'd rather not have my email added, I think. But only because links to this blog are somewhat public. I'll be glad to share it with Cup members if there's ever a cause in the future.

Update, Finals part 1

I have been really short of time this week so apologies for the late update. I have only updated the results as the few matches played this week have had minimal impact on the overall stats. I will, of course, be doing a full update after the final round next week.

As Tigers failed to set a challenge this week they have lost their first leg 2-0 to Ellwood. I have made this judgement according to the rules but, as always, it is not set in stone until Scott says so ;)

I will adjust the tables if it is deemed that I am in error (NOT a rarity ;P)

Hopefully the 'meet the cast' page will be up and running soon and will have details of everyone in this comp on it. How do people feel about me putting email addresses on the table too? I will happily put them on BUT I will ONLY do this if you either send me an HT mail (or email) giving permission OR you post that it is okay on here. Otherwise I won't include your email details. I hope this is a fair way of doing things!

Ladies first! You ought to know..eh?

Sorry John, but you weren't fast enough with your challenge! he-he
Perhaps only a light breeze this time instead of the normal strong and high speed Wind we're used to see..??! ;-)
A lady came in between...and as I've learned to know the guys in Brooky Cup - Everyone is qualified to title themselves "Gentleman".
Therefore I had no choice than to accept Idali's friendly invite...eh?

Now I see that you want to take advantage of my gentleman style and benefit yourself due to this fact??!
Hmm, that's not fair...or is it really?
You should also know that I was especially chosen (amongst many many candidates...well...) to be THE official Brooklyn Cup Chic Chasing Magnet Manager *hrrmmppffh* and as such instructed to give ladies first priority in all Hattrick matters (Scott and Jeff know more about the original work description).

That's also exactly what I did this time. I gave lovely Ida with her team Idali priority before your team. Cannot see anything wrong with this decision...ehh?

But IF you still think I've made a mistake I think You should decide whether or not we still can play the second leg next week instead of this week (it would save me and the HT dev's a lot of time, work and efforts trying to delete the already accepted match Bajen Avs vs. Idaly this week).

I know that the 7th place in Brooky Cup is very attractive...why I desperatly want us to avoid squabbling over this misunderstanding and instead play for it like gent's...next week!

OK with you? :)

Signed / BCup Chic Magnet - Claus Nielsen (Manager of Bajen Avalanche, akas Avs)

N.B! May the cup stay in Europe! (dont take iy personal Scottie) ;-)