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Sunday September 25th

The vixen stepped into the office with a soft knock on the door. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Ahh, Natalie, yes! I need another set of eyes to look over the letter I've composed. Read it back to me and tell me if it sounds reasonable."

Trying not to roll her eyes, the canid took the offered piece of paper and cleared her throat before reciting:

"For Mr. Jim McCormick:

Good day to you sir! Congratulations once again on making the FBA post-season for the second year in a row. Hopefully the free agency off-season has been treating you well.

We're sending out this letter as a reminder of our commitment to the contract offer submitted to the FBA Player's Union and your agent. We would like to reiterate that the no-trade clause for the first four years of the contract is still a valid part of the bid, and that we will compensate you accordingly if you are traded without your consent. The severance bonus at the end of the contract is your incentive to help foster the teamwork between you and the rest of our players.

As it stands right now, we only have three open slots in the depth chart and would like to see you take up one of those spots. However, we also understand the commitment you might have built with your current club, perhaps even with your brother, and will respect your decision to decline our contract and remain with them.

Whatever you choose, we remain excited to see a lot of growth and development in the coming years from you.

Sincerely,

Stefan Calico 2011-2012 Huntsville Mayors Owner and Temporary GM"

Throughout the reading, Stefan had his eyes closed while nodding his head to the various parts of the letter. Upon finishing, Natalie waited for Stefan to open his eyes and acknowledge her concerned gaze. "Something wrong?" asked the tabby.

"Did you have to mention his brother?"

The cat shrugged. "It's part of the published offer. Besides, his decision will tell me a lot about his career priorities."

"Just like the other two letters you sent out?" asked the vulpine.

"You didn't seem to have any problem with the details I added in those," hissed the feline before a long sigh followed. "Sorry, Natalie, I didn't mean to snap at you."

The lady fox smirked. "It's fine, but I still think you can do without the mention in this one."

Stefan rubbed his temples. "Okay, I guess," conceded the cat as he cut that item from the on screen document before printing out an updated copy for his assistant to look over. "Satisfactory, boss?"

Natalie chuckled. "Oh, quit it, you charmer. I'll send it out with the rest of today's mail."

"Hey, let me sign it first!" mewled the cat as she waved it out of his reach. "Natalie..."

The vulpine female flashed a sly smile. "Nuh-uh. You need a break, Mr. Calico, and your schedule is clear right now, so I'm taking you to an early lunch."

The male feline quirked his brow and perked his ears. "Really, now? And just what do you have planned?"

The smile melted into a mischievous grin. "You'll see, boss."

=-=-=-=

FBA Transactions - Wednesday September 28th updated daily by T.Matt Latrans

In one of many surprises, Hassan Kamal (Camel, F/C) left the Spectrums to take a 5-year / $32.5 million offer with the Huntsville Mayors.

"The [Santa Ana] contract was not good," he explained to a reporter. "It paid me a lot to start, but then it paid much less. And it was too long. I'm still young, and I need to want to have options at the end of my second contract."

He further mentioned not liking the prospect of sharing the team with legendary bad boy Toby Papanastasopoulos (Skunk, F, SAS). "We play the same position, so we were going to be fighting for starter... and I'm not going to fight this person. He is very unpleasant and crude. I'd much rather play behind Tyler Kiko (Goat, F, HNT) than play in front of Papa Nasty."

*****

Huckens Storrs (Raccoon, F) has accepted a 5-year / $35.0 million contract from the Tennessee Moonshiners. The following letter was included with the offer:

"Dear Mr. Storrs,

It has been an exciting season for the Moonshiners, and we expect great things to come. Your performance this season was a key part of clinching the Southern Division, and taking the team to the 2011 Quarterfinals. In addition to the foregoing contract offer and concerning your musical interests, the Moonshiners organization is prepared to support your endeavors with studio time and staff in partnership with one of the legendary recording facilities in Nashville or Memphis, in accordance with your needs. Additionally, we would like to offer you a signing bonus in the amount of $3 million, plus a no-trade clause for the first three years of your contract. The Moonshiners organization will continue to grow and dominate in the coming years, and we enthusiastically hope you will continue to be a critical part of it.

Warmest regards,

Roscoe P. Lott General Manager Tennessee Moonshiners"

*****

Jim McCormick (Badger, G/F) has decided to join the Huntsville Mayors. The 6'6" badger from Chicago, IL has signed a 5 year deal worth a reported $27.0 million to keep his talents within the Southern Division, but with the team in Alabama as opposed to Florida.

"This is a great opportunity for me," McCormick said moments after he had signed the dotted line of his new deal. "It was great to have two teams that really wanted me to be a part of their roster. Tallahassee has been great to me and I'll always appreciate the coaching staff, all of the fans, and the guys I played with. One in particular."

That one is his brother and fellow FBA player, Adrian McCormick (Badger, F), who is still under contract with the Typhoons. The Mac brothers had spent their entire careers together ever since Jim was drafted to Tallahassee in the 2nd round of the 2006 FBA Draft... one year after Adrian was selected in the 1st.

"Me and Adrian we've always pushed one another yanno. Striving for each other to be the best we could be. I told him earlier today, this is a great chance to prove myself and he told me to go for it if that's what I truly believed and wanted. So here we are."

When asked how difficult it will be playing against one another for the first time, Jim felt that competition will drive them both.

"There's always been a bit of sibling rivalry between us. Blood is blood and we always have that bond, but we've always tried to out do one another. We wish each other the best and then compare stats at the end of the game. Who made more 3-balls this year, or who shot the highest percentage. I'll tell ya what though, it'll make Tallahassee/Huntsville games much more intense for Mama McCormick!"

Maybe Mama Mac can get herself one of those half and half jersey for when the two teams face each other.

J-Mac becomes one of the many players to transfer between the two cities of Huntsville and Tallahassee ever since the rivalry between the two clubs came to a fever pitch following the heavily documented Klaus Korber (Doberman, G) pass up in the 2009 draft.

*****

In a huge shocker for the Newark Pride, 2009 Rookie pickup Theodore Sanftner (Prairie Dog, G) has jumped ship for the Spokane Rapids.

Even more shocking is that Sanftner accepted one of the lowest bids offered to him to make the jump, a 5-year / $29.0 million contract.

"The situation was just too good," he explained to reporters. "At first, there's no way I would have considered leaving the Pride. But then the Rapids got Zipper [Xavier Knutten (Squirrel, G/F, SPO)]. They got ZIPPER. The greatest rodent in the whole FBA. And teamed back up with Alan Chesuk (Moose, C, SPO), who's like the best prey center in the league right now. And they wanted me to be part of that. Normally I'd be terrified at the idea of filling John Stoat's (Stoat, G, HNT) shoes, but for the chance to take that spot with Zipper and Chesuk? I can't wait to play in Spokane!"

=-=-=-=

Thursday September 29th

The ringing of the telephone just minutes after entering the townhome made the cat's fur stand on end. Maybe it's just a wrong number, thought the feline as he set down his bag and went around the corner to pick up the call. "Hello?"

A cheerful voice greeted him. "Mr. Broyles! How are you liking your new place so far?"

Quovaedis stiffened. The GM was calling him. "I-It's fine, sir!" stammered the feline. "I kinda just got in, Mr. Calico, and haven't looked around yet."

"Oh, I'm sorry! Guess my timing needs a bit of work. But I'm sure the house will fit your needs for now."

"Yeah, it should be fine," he answered. "So what can I do for you, boss?"

A chuckle preceded the tabby's response. "You can stop with the 'sirs' and 'misters' and 'boss' and just call me Stefan. Except in front of the media, of course."

"Heh, okay. I'll keep that in mind, Stefan."

"Good! Now, Reflex, I'm sure you've heard that your college teammate Huckens Storrs decided not to sign with us, right?"

Quovaedis' ears fell. "Y-Yeah, we were talking a lot. He was really torn about having to choose."

"I see," purred the voice on the other end of the phone.

"I didn't want to influence his decision, but he wanted someone besides his agent to talk to about it," sighed the tall cat, his tailtip twitching a bit. "In the end, he told me he just went with his gut and signed with Tennessee."

"Understandable," said Stefan. "I'm pretty sure he also wanted to assure you that his decision to stay with the Moonshiners wasn't going to affect your friendship off the court?"

"Oh, definitely!" perked up the cat. "After all, Nashville's only a couple hours drive from here."

"While that's good and all, I just wanted to remind you that the additional clauses to the contract you signed are no longer in effect," warned the GM. "No bonuses or guarantees, you'll just be paid your salary like most of the other players on the team."

Quovaedis slumped a little. "Oh... um, okay--"

"And," Stefan interrupted, "he's no longer just another player on another team, he's your direct divisional rival. Most likely you'll be facing off against Mr. Storrs position-wise, and that's something I'm already talking to the marketing department about."

The siamese cat bristled slightly. "Uh-huh."

"So I expect you to give him no mercy when we face off," reminded the tabby cat. "Because he's getting paid a lot more to make sure we lose. And I'm pretty sure that you are quite tired of losing."

"Yeah, I am," hissed the slender feline. "You can count on me, Stefan."

"Excellent!" came the mew over the phone. "Before I let you go, I do want to see you in my office before training camp starts on Saturday. Without your 'friend' signed we have an open spot in the reserves, and I would like to consult with you about some of your former big teammates in Kansas City."

"All right, I'll be there," Quovaedis said. "Anything else?"

"Not right now, especially since you really should finish unpacking and such. I'll see you on Saturday, okay?"

"Okay, sure. Bye, Mist-- Stefan," the feline corrected.

"Take care, Reflex," chuckled the tabby before a click indicated the call was completed.

As the siamese cat hung up the phone, he glanced briefly at the University of Connecticut Class of 2009 ring on his finger. A long sigh to help him relax preceded thoughts of him and Huck crossing his mind: playing in the FCAA tournament as well as in the draft combine, sharing a congratulatory and consoling hug on draft night when he got chosen while the raccoon didn't, watching his friend's changes over the course of his own rookie season with the Clefs, facing off against each other twice last year and splitting the series, the heated discussions and arguments that finally led to the situation they were both in now. Quovaedis closed his eyes and shook his head to clear his thoughts, and returned to the bag he left by the door to begin unpacking...

... despite the tears that were drying in the fur around his eyes.