Mithril Spike 1999

League Page

 Current Standings
 
Team Points Team Rating Games Played
MHT 52 117 4
Orcland Raiders 49 133 4
Marcus' Marauders 37 128 4
Zero Line Gravity Dwellers 32 119 2
Verministers 25 133 4
Oxa's Regulators 21 113 2
Forty Miners 10 126 3
Skrypt Kiddies 8 103 3

Player of the Year Standings
 
# Name Team SPP
9 Grot Skullhack Orcland Raiders 21
4 Battue Verministers 19
9 Grot Skullhack Orcland Raiders 18
6 Gortflem Rotbreath Orcland Raiders 15
5 That Nameless Ache MHT 13

 1999 Mithiril Spike Matches



Week of February 14, 2000

Ron:    Good evening Blood Bowl Fans, I'm Ron Valdez.
Pat:    And I'm Pat Boom.
Ron:    Lets get you caught up on all the action from this week.

Marcus' Marauders vs Verministers

Ron:    When the Marauders started out the season, the managed to strike fear into the hearts of every living player in the league.  They did this by devastating the Forty Miners in their season opener.
Pat:    That's right Ron.  Equipment manager controversy aside, the Marauders managed to clear the field of every last Dwarf at one point in the match.
Ron:    The Marauders went on to win that match 2 - 0.  However, the team seems to have fallen into an immediate slump after such a promising beginning, losing every subsequent match.  With the Mithril Spike semi finals just around the corner, could the Marauders maintain their current standings with the other teams in the league coming up fast?  Coach Marcus II has been putting the team through the paces with some serious EXTRA TRAINING. We take you now the the opening kick of the match.  We see The Mummy of Love sporting his newly acquired MAGIC HELMET lining up against the Verministers newly acquired power house Headsplitter.
Pat:    With Vulrus on the injured reserve, this was a much needed purchase for the Verministers.
Ron:    As the Verministers were set to receive the kick off, a pitch invasion like no other occurred.
Pat:    We're used to seeing fans flood onto the field from the stands.  But fans of the Marauders are so hard-core they must have, well, buried themselves in the field sometime earlier.  Decomposing fan after decomposing fan rose up from the ground and mobbed the unsuspecting Verminister players.  We see in the slow-mo Dolous of the Verministers getting pulled underground by at least a dozen fans.  We wouldn't see him again till after the game.  Needless to say he was pretty shaken up.
Ron:    Even with two other Skaven stunned on the ground for the opening moments of play, the notorious speed of the Verministers was still a threat.  Taking the ball all the way down field nearly scoring a first blood touchdown.  But the Marauders would have none of that, stopping the Verministers rush a mere 4 paces from the end zone.  However, old problems would continue to plague the Marauders in this match.  In the closing moments of the first half, the Marauders failed to score on three separate attempts.  Two of which, #5 Brook just plain fell down and dropped the ball as he entered the end zone.
Pat:    Even though the Marauders have been plagued this entire season by lack of scoring, they continue to make up for it in the "smacking the opponent around" category.  While the ball was being batted around near the end zone, the Verministers were being batted around in the midfield.  5 Skaven were all knocked out, including Headsplitter who would not be fit for play for the rest of the match.  Also complicating matters for the Verministers, #9 Battue got himself thrown out of the match for laying in a nasty foul on #10 Cat Fish.  That would spell serious trouble for the Verministers in the second half as the Verministers would only get 1 of their 6 knocked out players back.  Cat Fish was diagnosed with a PINCHED NERVE which even the infamous regenerative ability of the Marauders wouldn't be able to shake.
Ron:    We take you now to the second half.  With the Verministers kicking the to Marauders, another hard-core Marauder fan threw his own skull onto the field taking out Longo.
Pat:    Out numbered 11 to 5, the Marauders slowly marched down field for a touchdown.  In the process, they completely cleared the field of every last Skaven.
Ron:    Things went from bad to worse for the Verministers as they were down to just 3 able bodied Skaven to receive the kick.  And if the Marauders' fans did not already have an over bearing impact on the game, another fan threw what appeared to be femur onto the field clocking Nox right on the noggin.
Pat:    Any ordinary team would have given up at this point, but the Verministers once again introduced the Marauders to their lightning quick speed and agility running the ball within 9 paces of the end zone.
Ron:    However, with one last gasp of a phenomenal 3 pace leap by Clysm to bring him within 6 paces of the end zone, the Marauders converged and smothered the last hope the Verministers had.  Your final score Marcus' Marauders 1, the Verministers 0.

Forty Miners vs Zero Line Gravity Dwellers

Ron:    In the beginning of the season, the Forty Miners were put in the odd position of having several players injured.  In their season opener against the Marauders, the Miners had 5 casualties on the day and at one point had all of their players cleared off the field.  In game 2 against the Verministers they suffered 3 casualties from the speedy, yet at the time under strengthed, Skaven team.  It seemed that legendary ruggedness of the Dwarven players had some how evaporated.  Then, late last week, news broke that the Miners had fired their equipment manager sighting extreme negligence as the reason for termination.
Pat:    Actually Ron, I heard that the Dwarven equipment manager was shaved and left out in the middle of Middenheim after game 2.  That's more than just a simple slap on the wrist!
Ron:    With a new equipment manager, the Miners managed to only suffer one injury in their match against the Zero Line Gravity Dwellers.
Pat:    That's right Ron,  and I hear Maxim Spikehelm will be just fine for his next match.  However, Alphatek of the Dwellers will be missing his next game while nursing a Gouged Eye.
Ron:    The Miners/Dwellers match was marked by a surprising number of completions, with the Xavier Thorn having two completions on the day.
Pat:    The improved equipment care appears to have helped the Miner's passing confidence as well!  #2 for the miners had a completion on the day, pretty gutsy move for a Dwarven team!
Ron:    While the Miners came close to scoring, an unfortunate illegal procedure came late in the first half to keep the Miners scoreless in this match.  Minor discipline issues on the field aside, the Miners look like they are ready to turn the corner.
Pat:    But talk about a team that has come out of nowhere and has shaken up the league, the Dwellers pull off a 1 - 0 win today placing themselves in fourth place knocking out the highly favored Verministers from their playoff berth.

Orcland Raiders vs MHT

Ron:    We take you now to Talabheim and Frankie Lightning who called the play by play for the Cabalvision coverage of the Raiders/MHT match.
Frankie:    Thanks Ron.  Today we were witness to a collision of the 2 most dominate teams in the league; The Orcland Raiders and MHT.  MHT has found a perfect blend of strength and speed.  MHT has managed to excel in one of the most vital aspects of the game: ball control.  The Raiders are all about smash mouth, brutal play.  How would this match turn out?  In the first half we witness the overbearing defense of the Raiders completely shut down the MHT offense.  At one point, the Raiders managed to spring the ball free from Jimmy "The Hand" and begin their own.  However, Gurk Krudd Chucker was in for a bit of a surprise as he entered the MHT half of the pitch.  We see here in a slow-mo replay Gurk falling into a well disguised pit.  A few moments later, he comes flying up into the air screaming like a stuck pig!  Just look at the expression on his face in the replay..."wot du?".  Grot came crashing to the ground killing the Raiders drive in the first half.  However,  the Raiders would receive the ball to start the second half, and that's when the stitch in time breaks the camels back...
Ron:    "Stitch in time breaks the camel's back"?  Huh?  What does that mean?
Frankie:    It means disaster for MHT.  In the second half the Raiders managed to rack up 4 casualties including killing #9 Head-Deer-Lights.  The Raiders marched down field bringing scoring the first touchdown in of the day.  Additionally, the Raiders knocked out the Mighty Zug taking him out for the rest of the match.  From the point, the Raiders managed to recover the ball after kicking to MHT.  However, due to down right undisciplined Orcy play, the Raiders get nailed for an illegal procedure right before scoring a second touch down at the end of the match.  Your final score Raiders 1, MHT 0.
Ron:    Frankie, I want to get your opinion on the Verministers/Zero Line Gravity Dwellers situation.
Frankie:    Not that I have anything against the Dwellers, they are a hell of a team with a lot youth and potential, but I think it's an absolute crime that the Verministers will be missing out on the Spike finals.  I think its an affront to the game that a loud mouthed coach like Agnamemnoz just happens to have a very lucky team in the Raiders making it to the finals were as the Verministers, a well oiled, disciplined team will be missing out.  The Raiders total lack of discipline and out and out mental lapses will cost them in the finals, mark my word!
Pat:    Lucky?  The Raiders are one of the most physically imposing teams?  Sure, like any Orc team, they sometimes become defocused.  But coach Agnamemnoz has been has done a terrific job of keep the Raiders undefeated streak alive.
Frankie:    This from a guy whose only Blood Bowl experience is 1 match were he spent the entire match running around screaming "They're trying to eat me!"  Sorry Pat, the Raiders were lousy bumbs when I used to play them in the old NAF.  Now they are lucky lousy bumbs!  Maybe if you had spent more of your Blood Bowl career on the pitch and less time riding the pine eating pastries you'd realize this.
Pat:    Um...
Ron:    ...moving on to our next match...

Skrypt Kiddies vs Oxa's Regulators

Ron:    In our final match of the day we saw the Skrypt Kiddies take on Oxa's Regulators...
Pat:    ...I can't believe he said that...
Ron:    The Skrypt Kiddies have been in a recovery mode since their second game of the season...
Pat:    ...I was in two matches not one...
Ron:    The Regulators have also seen their share of problems at the start of this season...
Pat:    ...I was only running around screaming in one of them...
Ron:    Pat...
Pat:    ...and that Minotaur was trying to eat me...
Ron:    Pat?
Pat:    ...they do that sometimes in matches ya know...
Ron:    PAT!
Pat:    ...huh?
Ron:    Can we just call the match, please?  With both teams hungry for a win, but cautious about taking more casualties, we were set for a rather interesting match.
Pat:    The key to this match for the Regulators was the combination of Glymdring, Xip, and Xap, combining for 3 completions and 1 touchdown on the day.  And don't expect them the Regulators to stick to a finesse game, they managed to put Ogar and Amit out of the game with some seriously physical play.
Ron:    Fortunately for the Skrypt Kiddies, Ogar and Amit were the only casualties on the day, I have been informed that we will see them back in action next match.
Pat:    The highlight of the match for me was when D'Koy of the Regulators mistook a dummy filled with rather unstable gas for one of the Kiddies' Linemen.  This block had rather explosive results for D'Koy.
Ron:    Fortunately for both teams, no long term damage was done.  Your final score in the match: the Skrypt Kiddies 0, Oxa's Regulators 2.

Ron:    That's all for this week, join us next time for our coverage of the Mithril Spike semi-finals



Spike Semi Finals

Ron:    Welcome again Blood Bowl fans, I'm Ron Valdez
Pat:    And I'm Pat Boom
Ron:    This week we bring you Mithril Spike semi-final coverage.
Pat:    Later today we will be brining you the surprise match up between top rated MHT and the cinderella team of the Zero Line Gravity Dwellers.  They really came out of no where and took to league by storm Ron!
Ron:    That's right Pat.  But first we bring you the match up of two teams that have been brutalizing the league this season: The Orcland Raiders vs Marcus' Marauders

Orcland Raiders vs Marcus' Marauders

Ron:    What can be said about the Raiders that hasn't already been said?  You can some up their game this season with one word, domination!
Pat:    That's right Ron.  Contraty to what other so called "Journalists" claim, the Raiders have found a winning combination in maximizing their brute for physical play while exploiting mistakes and weaknesses in their opposition.
Ron:    And squaring off against them today is a team that shares many of the same brutal playing tactics.  The one major difference between these teams is scoring.
Pat:    That's right Ron.  The Marauders have been able to pummel their opponents into to pitch.  But when it comes to the all mighty TD, the Marauders just seem to come short when they've really needed it.  For the Maruaders to win today, they need to score early and then shut down the Raiders offense.
Ron:    Let's go to the kick-off.  We have the Raiders lining up preparing to kick to the Marauders.
Pat:    The Raiders line up comes as no suprise here as coach Agnamenoz has Geargrinder flanked by Da Rock and Da Brick right in the middle of the line of scrimmage.
Ron:    And the Marauders meet power with power lining up The Mummy of Love and Steel Head right up with the Raiders power line.
Pat:    And there's the kick.
Ron:    Brook runs back to get the ball.  In the middle The Mummy of Love and Geargrinder and laying in some serious blows to each other.  Drakenborg runs wide with Golden running interference for him.  The Raiders Rocknar and Rotbreath run up to challenge Drakenborg.  Back in the middle the Marauders are forming up the cage.
Pat:    Looks like their going for the Funeral March down the middle of the field.  But its unusual for Drakenborg not to be part of the front line Ron.
Ron:    It sure is Pat.  The Raiders are starting to break through the cage.  In the wide zone, Golden has just taken a vicioius hit from Rocknar.
Pat:    That leaves Drakenborg alone to face Rocknar and Rotbreath.
Ron:    Drakenborg is in huge pile up with Rocknar and Rotbreath.  They seem to have him tied up pretty well at the moment.  Back in the middle Zike has come in and broken the cage open on the side.  He's got ahold of Golden!  The balls popped loose!
Pat:    The Raiders' fans are going nuts!  Their team has managed to pop the ball loose before the Marauders could even make it past mid field.
Ron:    The Raiders and Marauders and in a mad scramble to get the ball.  Neither team seem sto be able to get control at this point, the ball is being batted farther and farther into Marauder territory.  And Bull Head has the ball!  It's not every day you seem a zombie come up with the ball in the middle of a pile up like this!
Pat:    Of course it did practly bounce up into his hands.
...
Ron:    With time ticking away in the first half,  the Marauders are still trying to battle their way out of their end.  In the wide zone, Drakenborg has managed to break fream from Rocknar and Rotbreath.  Drakenborg is making a mad dash to the endzone.  Brook takes the hand off, he's making a run up the middle dodging through the Orc line.  Skullhack and Snots attempt to double back and cover Drakenborg.
Pat:    Are the Marauders doing what I think they're doing?
Ron:    It looks like it Pat!  Brook launches the pass to the double covered Drakenborg.  It's on the numbers!  Drakenborg breaks two tackles his heading to the endzone with no one to stop him.  What?  Drakenborg has disappeared into the field!
Pat:    I see what's going on.  The Raiders seem to have borrowed a dirty trick that was used on them by MHT last week.
Ron:    You're right Pat, Drakenborg has fallen into a well disguised bit on the field.  He's coming back out, fast!
Pat:    Yup, just like last week, the old "Trampoline in the Pit" trap.
Ron:    Drakenborg has been flung into the crowd.  Ouch!  He is getting absolutely mauled by these rabid Raiders' fans.  The fans toss the ball back on the field.  Skullhack recorvers the throw in and makes a run down field.
Pat:    Not enough time, the horn sounds signaling the end of the first half.  Those Raiders' fans are still roughing up Drakenborg something fierce!  I wonder if coach Marcus II is going to be able to get him back in the lineup for the second half?
...
Ron:    We are about to start the second half.  Our Khemri reporter Jewel Denile has been trying to get information about Drakenborg's condition.  Jewel?
Jewel:    Yes Ron, the word from the Maruaders locker room is that Drakenborg will be out of action for the rest of this match.  However, he is expected to make a full recovery in the next few days.
Ron:    Jewel what condition is he in right now?
Jewel:    It seems a majority of the Raiders' fans have brought everything from holy water, to garlic, to wooden stakes to this match.  Fortunately Raider's fans don't know much about anatomy as they managed to stake Drakenborg through every part of his body except his heart.  Back to you Ron.
Ron:    Thanks Jewel.


Due to technical difficulties, we will not be brining you the rest of the play by play for the 1999 Mithril Spike tournament.  Here are the results from the Semi-Finals and Finals:

Orcland Raiders 1 - Marcus Marauders 0

Zero Line Gravity Dwellers 3 - MHT 2

Spike Finals

Orcland Raiders 1 - Zero Line Gravity Dwellers 0

Player of the Year: Grot Skullhack