March 17th, 2006 :: Brown and Orange victorious in matches

Week One of BB2006 came to a close with matches between Brown and Blue, and Orange and Violet. Due to missing players, both matches were 3-on-3.

On Thursday night, the Brown Recluses beat out the Blue Bombshells in both games. Despite the losses, Bombshells' captain Cleo Groove saw them games as a team motivator. "Well, they sure done licked us good," commented Groove. "I gotta buncha rookies learnin' the game. A sound beatin' from a full team of vets will do them good. Everyone needs a' whuppin' once inna while."

When this reporter approached the Recluses' locker room for post-game comments, Brown Recluses' resident angry old man Amos Q'iteau told me to "Git offa my lawn!" with a serious look in his eyes. This reporter saw no lawn around but decided to walk away nonetheless.

Friday night's event was the Orange Crush versus Violet Femmes. Although the Femmes were able to bring down Orange's kill count in Game 2, it wasn't enough to gain a victory.

Violet Femmes' spokesperson, Tonia Rivera had a theory about Orange's team strategy. "Orange showed up a man short, and we had to suffer because of it," said Rivera scornfully. "What kind of crap is that? In a fair fight, with our whole carefully-tuned team allowed to excercise our intricate plans in full, we'd have rocked them hard. Maybe they knew that... maybe they locked their fourth guy in a locker somewhere just to throw us off. Holy crap, that must be it!"

Sean Diego, Orange Crush captain, scoffed at Rivera's "locker theory" saying, "I'm very proud of my guys. They worked hard, stuck to the game plan, and showed a lot of enthusiasm and initiative. I've just talked to team management, and they said that starting tomorrow, there's going to be hot water available in the locker room!"

When Mary Bettman, who returned from her exotic tour of "Motels Along the 401" for the match, heard of Diego's locker room fantasies, she commented that, "Diego and I will be in negotiations about the locker room upgrades throughout the weekend. The negotiations will be rigorous and constant. I think Monetti will be showing up too. We may not all get what we want, but we'll have to see how ...*ahem*... flexible we can all be." Bettman was then wisked away by private limousine, containing Diego and several friends.

Week Two of Brute Bowl 2006 continues next week. Matches will be scheduled in the Scheduling forum.

March 14th, 2006 :: Comets smash Grizzlies in first regular season game

Iron Comets were victorious over the Green Grizzlies in two games this evening. The first game was a tight race, with the Comets beating the Grizzlies by a narrow margin of 16 to 14. The Comets overwhelmed the Grizzlies in the second game, with a score of 17 to the Grizzlies 12.

"Thanks to the Comets, I broke several nails tonight," commented Grizzlies' team diva Portia Mercedes. "There goes that hand modelling career I've worked so hard on! ... Now, where are my towels?!"

Comets' player, Skud Flakspewer, was pleased with his team's performance. "Well, they laid a beatin' on us, sometimes it seemed like I was constantly being pummeled by a 4-headed green and yellow monster, but we pulled it off in the end. Big up's to my big man with the poo hammer, Rock Poundcake, for the leading score!"

The regular season continues this Thursday with a match between the Blue Bombshells and the Brown Recluses. The game will begin at 9:00 pm EST in the Port Oakes arena.

March 13th, 2006 :: Brawlfest! Brawlfest! Brawlfest!

Over twenty of the league's Brute Bowl players showed up for the BB2006 opening event - Brawlfest. Not to mention the special guest. EvilCuppaJo battled traffic and the Breakout tutorial to take part in the event. A big thanks goes out to CuppaJo for participating! Here are a few screenies from the event.

(Above) Teams gathering before CuppaJo arrives.

(Above) Teams gather for a group shot, with EvilCuppaJo taking center stage.

(Above) EvilCuppaJo sizes up the team captains as she prepares to "throw the first punch"

(Above) EvilCuppaJo finishes off the captains and the Free-for-all begins!

More screenshots from the event can be found at the AFBL Forum in this thread.

The regular season commences Tuesday night with a match between Green Grizzlies and Iron Comets. Gathering time is 8:45 pm EST and game time is 9:00 pm EST. Come join the festivities!

March 9th, 2006 :: CuppaJo to help kick-off BB2006!

On Monday, March 13th at 8:45 pm EST, BB2006 players will gather in the Port Oakes arena (on Infinity server) to prepare for Brawlfest - the season opening celebration for BB2006. Cryptic's CuppaJo will be on hand for the festivities, as will BB2006 Commissioner Mary Bettman.

Spectators are welcome to watch and wager on their favorite players and teams. Regular season matches are set to start between March 12 and 18 so watch the Calendar page for updates.

March 3rd, 2006 :: Team Names announced, Brawlfest details, Schedule posted

Team captains and players have been hard at work getting organized in preparation for the beginning of Brute Bowl 2006. The team names are as follows: Blue Bombshells, Brown Recluses, Crimson Crash Test Dummies, Gold Goblins, Green Grizzlies, Iron Comets, Orange Crush, and Violet Femmes.

The season opening event Brawlfest will take place the week of March 12 - 18. Keep checking here and the General Discussion forum for info. Cryptic's own CuppaJo will be on hand to throw the first punch! Help make this event explosive by showing up for the massive Free-For-All.

The schedule has been posted for the entire BB2006 season. Please note that only weekly guidelines are given. The actual match time and date will be determined in the Scheduling forum. Your participation in scheduling is necessary!

February 25th, 2006 :: Brute Bowl teams get organized!

Following Thursday night's announcement of teams, the BB2006 offices have come to life with activity. Each team has a small agenda to be carried out soon, including designation of team captains, team name and uniform as well as power set distribution. Check your team's forum regularly for updates!

The date and time for the BB2006 season opener "Brawlfest" will be announced within the next week. Be prepared!

February 15th, 2006 :: "AFBL - Brute Bowl 2006" Announced!

Mary Bettman, commissioner of the AFBL's Rogue Isles branch announced the exciting new Brute Bowl 2006 divison. "We're very excited to get all these ex-cons involved in something that can make me money," commented Bettman.

Brute Bowl 2006 will pit new teams of four brutes against each other in fast paced arena combat, to be held in Rogue Isle arenas starting in the coming weeks. Although some of the AFBL rules have been slightly modified, the essentials remain the same. Please check the Brute Bowl 2006 Rulebook link for details.

Players wanting to sign up are encouraged to post in the new Brute Bowl 2006 forum as soon as possible. A closing date for the first draft will be set soon.

February 5th, 2006 :: AFBL Season 2 talks underway

In a secretive underground lair, AFBL coaches have reunited after a long hiatus to discuss Season 2.

Larry Bettman's sister, Mary Bettman gathered the coaches to discuss teams, rule modifications and possible expansion into the Rogue Isles. "Rogue Isles is a dirty place, but those citizens make a ton in danger pay just by living in those areas. Considering that there are very few stores to actually shop, it's a demographic that's just waiting to spend their cash," said Bettman.

Talent agents are busy calling new recruits and Season 1 veterans to sign-in at the AFBL Forum in the "Season 2" forum. Watch for news regarding team positions, drafts and season scheduling.

August 5th. 2005:: AFBL Expansion kicks off!

After several months of planning, the AFBL expansion kicked off last night in the Galaxy City arena.

The Striga Isle Leviathans took on the Terra Volta Reactors in two games. The Leviathans won the first game by a score of 18-11. The Reactors stepped up for game two forcing the Leviathans to a tie game of 16-16.

The second match between the Steel Canyon Fortress and the Peregrine Island Warbirdz was equally tense. The teams tied the first game at 23-23, but the Warbirdz managed to pull ahead in Game 2 with a win of 25-20.

Larry Bettman was pleased with the new teams. "I'm just glad to be getting some income while the other loafs are enjoying their summer. These new players have got lots of moxie, which is what I need to keep those endorsements coming."

After the games, several AFBL veterans stopped by for a few informal games. Duke Bagg, Dicky Johnson, Stery McRoids and Benny Buxton met a few of the rookies and tested their mettle. "It was great to shake off the rust," said Johnson.

July 15th, 2005 :: AFBL Rulebook updated

AFBL Commissioner Larry Bettman has announced the release of an updated AFBL rulebook. "Lots of people worked hard to make this happen: the players, coaches, concession stand clerks, janitors, my chauffer, ummmm... cheerleaders, those crazy fans, and a bunch of other yahoos," commented Bettman.

The rulebook changes include recent changes to power set diversity, the new match format as well as many minor fixes. Read the updated rulebook here.

July 6th, 2005 :: AFBL Central presents "Minotaurs vs. Monarchs" video

Watch a video of the playoff match between the Minotaurs and the Monarchs. Thanks to Rain (Rain Maker) for putting it all together into this stunning video. Check it out!

July 3rd, 2005 :: Season One Awards announced

With Season One of the AFBL officially over, the league leaders proudly announce the Season One award winners. Awards were given for top scoring blaster, scrapper and tanker; the player who played the most games including substitutions (the Sixth Man Award), the Most Valuable Player and the Season Champions.

Check the new Awards link to view the player award cards.

July 1st, 2005 :: Talos Island Minotaurs Season One champs!

The final between Talos Island Minotaurs and Kings Row Monarchs ended after 2 games with the Minotaurs emerging as the Season One champions. Minotaurs won the games with scores of 22-17 and 23-17.

The games were played furiously by both teams as the players knew the Championship was on the line. "It was tense out there, knowing that this was for the Cup," commented Minotaurs co-captain Benny Buxton. "Both teams played hard, and played well, but only one could win. Either team deserved it."

Other season-concluding awards will be handed out soon, including top blaster, scrapper and tank; the Sixth Man award for the most played substitute; and the coveted Season 1 MVP award. Expect an announcement soon.

Larry Bettman wanted to personally thank all the players and participants from Season 1. "You guys made me ****loads of money. Thanks, from the bottom of my heart."

Details about Season 2 and possible rulebook changes will be announced once the team coaches solidify some of the issues at hand.

June 25th, 2005:: Team Blue wins Super Brawl; Playoff Announcement

The AFBL's stars gathered in the Ruby section of the Galaxy City Arena for the 1st AFBL Super Brawl. Larry Bettman and several team coaches were on hand to watch the players battle it out.

Team Blue (Howitzer Howard, Jarl Jericho J, Throb Thompson, Bubba Baggins and Stery McRoids) bested Team Red (Duke Bagg, Rapid Roy, Krunch Kaplan, Spike Hackett and reservist Roy Putz) in 3 games. The competition was tight throughout the match. Team Blue started with a 1st game win. The 2nd game ended as a draw which forced a 3rd game. Team Blue came through in the end with the victory in game 3.

Reservist Roy Putz was honoured to be among the AFBL all stars for the game. Putz proved his place on the team by scoring the most kills (19) while the league's top blaster, Howitzer Howard, was a close second with 16 kills.

After the match was complete, Larry Bettman announced the details of the Season One Playoff matches...

Then he decided it might not work, so much like Tony Monetti, Bettman is backing down from his previous announcement until more input has been garnered from the player-base.

June 18th, 2005 :: Season One comes to an end!

With the Monarchs' victory over the Minotaurs, and Authority's win against the Towers, Season One has come to an end.

Thursday night the Monarchs beat the Minotaurs in two games to win the match. The Monarchs' win tied them for first place in the league against the Minotaurs.

The Authority and Towers squared off Friday night for 3 games. The games were close and the action fast-paced. Thanks to the win, the Authority tied the Sentinels for 3rd place in the league.

Check the Stat Tracker for complete details of the regular season final standings in the league.

June 18th, 2005 :: AFBL's 1st Paragon City Super Brawl details announced!

Larry Bettman has announced details for the post-season Super Brawl.

"I am really excited to have this event happen. Think of the ratings! All these top-notch players in an all out Super Brawl!" commented Bettman. "I think this line-up will make for a great evening of entertainment."

The line-up for the 1st Super Brawl will showcase many of the league's Season One stars. Team Blue will be Howitzer Howard (Sky), Ripper Reynolds (TI), Jarl Jericho J. (KR), Throb Thompson (IP), and Bubba Baggins (Brk). Team Red is Duncan McReady (IP), Duke Bagg (KR), Rapid Roy (Sky), Krunch Kaplan (TI), and Spike Hackett (Brk).

Bettman explains the decision process: "We had a pretty tough time deciding. We had to fill the right positions, take 2 players from each team, and decide which players gave 110% over the season. Unfortunately, some worthy players had to be cut, mostly due to position limits -- I'm particularly disappointed that McRoids couldn't fit into a team, that kid knows how to scrap, and he brought in the advertising bucks!" Bettman also explained that Coach/Captains were excluded from the line-up, "Those guys get too much air-time as is. I wanna see the players play without some captain breathing down their necks."

Super Brawl results have no bearing on Season One stats or Playoff positions. Look for the Super Brawl to be held the weekend of June 24th.

June 10th, 2005 :: Friday night nail-biters!

The AFBL was busy Friday night as the Minotaurs battled the Authority, and the Sentinels took on the Towers. Both matches extended beyond the usual two games, as tough competition forced the teams into sudden death games.

Authority and Minotaurs started the evening with a high-scoring 27-27 tie. The second and third games were won by the Minotaurs and Authority respectively. After three games and some unforeseen connection problems the players were eager to have one team declared winner. The fourth game saw the Minotaurs victorious over the Authority to win the match. Minotaurs co-captain Benny Buxton stated, "That was the most intense any match has been yet. Fun, but intense!"

The Sentinels and Towers match came down to a third game as well. The Sentinels won the first game by a score of 20-12. The Towers came back to win the second game by 2 points, but the Sentinels managed to take back the third game to win the match. The match was the last for the Sentinels before the Final Tournament. "We were happy to get that last win in before heading into the Tournament," said Sentinels' Coach Sullivan. "But now we just have to sit and wait it out."

Next weekends' matches will be the last chances for teams to add to the scoreboard before the Season One tournament takes place. Details on the Tournament and a pre-tournament AFBL All Stars game will be announced soon!

June 6th, 2005 :: Towers and Monarchs duke it out in sudden death!

Monday night's Towers and Monarchs match had a slightly different flavour then previous AFBL Matches for a few reasons. Due to player schedules, the teams used a 3 on 3 format instead of the usual 5 on 5. Each team had one of each position. It was also the first match in the AFBL which made it to sudden death.

The first game was won by the Monarchs, scoring 17 defeats to the Towers' 13. The second game saw the Towers pick up steam to defeat the Monarchs with a score of 17 to 14. The deciding game, was as close as it could be without being a draw, as the Monarchs beat the Towers by a single point to win the match.

Larry Bettman was very pleased with the sudden death match. "Longer games means more time on-air, which means more commercial time sold, which means more money in my pocke -- errr...higher salaries and better equipment for the players."

AFBL action continues this weekend with two matches: Authority vs. Minotaurs, and Towers vs. Sentinels.

June 3rd, 2005 :: Sentinels find their feet against the Authority

Friday night's match between the Brickstown Sentinels and Independence Port Authority gave the Sentinels their first victory of the season. Sentinels co-captain Spike Hackett was pleased with the match. "I'll admit, the Sentinels have had a slow start so far, but we're finally beginning to gel as a team. The Authority gave us a very tough fight but our teamwork pulled us through. The rest of the League'd better watch out."

The first game, held on the Outbreak map, saw the Sentinels beat their losing streak with a score of 19 to IPA's 16. The second game was cancelled after 3 minutes as the teams were unable to find each other on the massive Eden map. Game #2 was restarted on the Outbreak map and the Sentinels found victory again by a wider margin, this time with a score of 23 to 10.

Authority captain, Nails Nelson, was positive about his team's efforts. "The IPA did their best in there but it's hard to do anything with all that ice &*@#$% being thrown around!"

Tonight's game saw the debut of the newest AFBL player, tanker Throb Thompson. Thompson was picked up from the Authority farm team earlier this week. Leo Putz and Tom Poundum subbed in as reserves.

After the match, Sentinels' coach Sullivan was seen jumping wildly in the Sentinels box seats. "It's nice to finally have a win under our belts," commented an ecstatic Sullivan. "Our hard work is starting to pay off."

Tonight's match between the Monarchs and the Towers was rained out and will be held later this weekend. Check the forum for details.

May 31, 2005 :: Independence Port Authority Press Release

Authority coach Rufus Pendergrass was unable to reach a settlement with Larry Bettman for his Season 1 salary, resulting in his leaving the AFBL. Pendergrass was scouted out by other organizations and has since been hired as the Director of Equal Opportunity for the LPGA. About his new job, Pendergrass stated, "My job is to ensure a healthy balance of gender among the players. It'll be an uphill battle."

Upon hearing news of Pendergrass' LPGA position, a few Authority players left the team as well. "I've always wanted to play golf, but wasn't good enough to get into the PGA. Ladies, here I come!" said former Authority captain Bjorn McBrrr. While waiting for their golf career to take off, McBrrr and a few other former Authority players will remain in the AFBL Reserves, run by savvy union man Tony Monetti.

Authority scrapper Nails Nelson will pick up Captain duties for the current season, although the Authority will remain without a coach. "I simply don't have enough money to pay for another new coach," admitted AFBL commissioner Larry Bettman, "Now excuse me, I gotta fly to Tibet to get my limo washed. There's nothing more thrilling than getting your car handwashed by a Sherpa ten thousand feet up on the Lhotse face, overlooking Everest." Bettman explained that if all the advertising pays off, the league will be able to hire a coach for the Authority prior to Season 2.

The AFBL thanks Coach Rufus for his help with starting up Season 1.

The Authority were undefeated against the Monarchs last weekend and hope to garner another victory this weekend against the Brickstown Sentinels.

May 31, 2005 :: Sentinels and Minotaurs emblems available for download

Texas Jack has created custom emblems for the Sentinels and Minotaurs, to compensate for a lack of suitable in-game emblems. Check out the Downloads page to download the files and read installation instructions.

Thanks Texas Jack!

May 28, 2005 :: Authority and Minotaurs victorious in Friday night matches

Friday night's matches were full of hard hitting foot brawl action as the Authority bested the Monarchs, and the Minotaurs were victorious over the Sentinels.

The Minotaurs and Sentinels met twice on the Atlas Park map. The Sentinels made a major adjustment to play style in the second match and nearly forced a third game. Sentinels blaster, Rolando Rivera commented, "If we had just 30 seconds more, we could've made that happen." Cutter Donner was subbed in for Sentinels' Jimbo McGibbits for the first game.

Despite a late start, the match between the Monarchs and Authority was intense as the Authority managed two wins against the Royals of the AFBL. Duncan McReady, the petite 4 foot tall Authority blaster amassed a record 18 defeats in two games. Sentinels Bjorn Svenson and Spike Hackett, and AFBL reserve player Mel Putz were on hand as substitutes.

Be sure to check out the updated schedule for next week's matches.

May 24, 2005 :: AFBL Forum added

The AFBL forum now has it's own forum including private team locker rooms and more! Register at: http://frpmods.com/AFBL/index.php. Once registered, you will be added to your group's appropriate usergroup. Please include a list of your AFBL players (including reserves) in your signature.

A special thanks to MikeB7 for helping set this up and providing the web space.

May 23, 2005 :: Towers and Minotaurs match plagued by giant maps

Sunday night's match between Skyway City Towers and Talos Island Minotaurs took place in two of the largest maps offered in the Paragon arenas. Minotaurs co-captain Benny Buxton commented, "Those large maps made respawning a real pain. Once you were down, your team was at a disadvantage because it took so long to return to the fight."

The Minotaurs defeated the Towers in two games with the margin narrowing in the second game. The Minotaurs won 31 - 12 in the first game, and 24 - 14 in the second game.

The match has sparked a discussion of whether or not to allow Max Recovery in AFBL arena matches. The matter will be decided upon before next week's matches between the Sentinels and Minotaurs, and the Monarchs against the revitalized Authority.

May 21, 2005 :: Monarchs edge out Sentinels in Season One kick-off

AFBL Commissioner Larry Bettman was on hand to kick-off Season One of the AFBL and it couldn't have started with a more exciting match. The Monarchs managed to win over the Sentinels in two tight games. The Monarchs dominated the first game with 13 defeats to the Sentinels 9, while the second game was only won by 1 defeat, as the Monarchs squeezed by with 20 - 19.

When asked for comment about the match, Monarchs captain Tsar Grigory II said, "The outcome of this match was a forgone conclusion. The Sentinels barely knew their salad fork from their dessert spoon - how could they possibly expect to defeat their superiors?"

Monarchs' Coach Lewis had a slightly different take. "That was a lot closer than Grigory would like to admit. The Sentinels put up a good fight, but in the end, blood did tell. Some skills can't be taught, it's in the breeding."

Coach Sullivan of the Sentinels remained positive about the results. "The Monarchs just outclassed us this week, especially in that first match. We managed to narrow the gap in the second match by learning their skills and adjusting accordingly. Next week, we'll be better prepared for Minotaurs," commented Sullivan.

The Monarchs attended in full force, while Skyway City Towers' tanker Jock MacCrankle kindly subbed in on the Sentinels for a missing tanker.

Other attendees included Nails Nelson from the Authority, the Minotaurs' Ripper Reynolds, and AFBL Reserve player Mel Putz. Putz was excited to be socializing with the AFBL players and was heard to say, "Gee, someday I'm gonna make it just like thems did!"

Season One continues Sunday night with a match between Talos Island Minotuars and Skyway City Towers.

May 17, 2005 :: The New AFBL Central goes live! 

The turf has been laid down, the scoreboards are up, the ticket prices are set to sky rocket...the Arena Foot Brawl League is getting ready for Season 1!

Paragon City's finest atheletes have signed up for the first season of hard-hitting, rage inducing, action packed PvP in Paragon's newly built arenas. This site is AFBL Central -- get all your news, coach's comments and scores right here!

Pre-season training has begun for Season 1. All atheletes are required to be at combat and security level 7 before May 20, 2005. Check the Season 1 schedule for a full list of match-ups and events.