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Tuesday November 22nd

HUNTSVILLE (Al): Mayors fans are all abuzz with John Stoat (Stoat, G, HNT) fever as the FBA superstar led the team on a five-game winning streak that rocketed Huntsville to the top of the Eastern Conference after only two weeks of the season. A critical divisional matchup on Wednesday against the Biloxi Mudpuppies, who trail the Mayors by only half-a-game in the standings, could determine which of them will keep up with the undefeated Santa Fe Whips of the Western Conference. Head Coach Howard Schnitthund (German Shepherd) declined to talk about the team's success, but assistant coach Philip Ringer (Rat) did credit the new management: "Stefan [Calico (Tabby Cat, Owner/GM)] put together a solid bunch of players... to go along with his vision of Teamwork, Respect, and Growth. Even our inactive players have contributed their energy and motivation, both in practice and on the sidelines." Mr. Calico himself has not been available for interviews or comments, though it has been reported that he's been seen at other non-Mayors FBA games with his bodyguard.

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Thursday November 24th

PLYMOUTH (Ma): Roots Garden was a scene of holiday spirit during their Thanksgiving game against the visiting Santa Fe Whips. Chris "C-Cat" Farrow (Cat, Owner/GM, PLY), GM for the Taproots, was spotted in attendance wearing a costume pilgrim hat, chatting with Mayors GM Stefan Calico (Tabby Cat, Owner/GM, HNT) courtside. Ex-'Root Nick Bender (Black Lab, SF, retired) was also in the audience with his family; they went out to Thanksgiving dinner afterwards. With each made free throw by the home team, sounds of musket fire rang through the building, which made Whips guard Tay McKie (Flea, G, SFW) a little nervous as he jumped over the court side announcer table the first time the loud sound effect played. After the game ended in a Santa Fe victory, thousands of turkey feathers rained down onto the crowd and the arena floor. This had the unfortunate side effect of causing Whips guard Alyssia Silverman (Red Vixen, G, SFW) to get a rather strong case of allergies. Shi spent a few extra minutes on the bench in a sneezing fit.

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Sunday November 27th

HNT @ PLY: W Mayors (9-1) 89, L Taproots (4-6) 81 PLAYER OF THE GAME: John Stoat (Stoat, G, HNT)

While much of his post-game interview was not repeatable in respectable media, John Stoat (Stoat, SG) made what he said clear on the court-- Huntsville suits the ermine. Once again, the Mayors punch out a win against one of the league's strongest competitors, led by dialed-in shooting from JuJu. While Stoat's accuracy from the woods was unquestioned, he got a big boost from Hassan Kamal (Camel, C), who worked veteran Jasper Witham (Bear, C) with his tireless energy, outrebounding the ursine play after play. Former 'Phoon Jim McCormick (Badger, G/F) also delivered a solid bench performance, staying consistently strong for 3 quarters. While the Committee was mostly steady, a highly volatile Dave New (Cat, SF) just collapsed in the second half, bringing suspicions of catnip use during halftime. Angelo Dolph (Skunk, G) was excellent backing up Cheeto Wolfote (Wolfote, PG) and came close to sealing up the deficit, but a 3-point dagger by Stoat put the game out of reach for the home club.

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Monday November 28th, Bangor ME

As the final horn sounded to the cheers of the furries that stayed around to witness the Tides' seventh win in a row, one pair of felines in the crowd exchanged worried looks. The taller of the two was concerned about getting him and his boss back to the hotel without much incident, the other was rubbing his chin and neck while his tail twitched nervously through the tail slot of the seat. Thankfully no one in Bangor recognized or identified Stefan Calico (Tabby Cat, Owner/GM, HNT) in his blue-and-black Tides jacket and FBA Post-up Podcast cap, especially when he was participating with the rest of the audience in rooting on the home team and booing at the visiting Moonshiners.

"She is definitely going to be a problem," Stefan mumbled under his breath, "but maybe I can still work this to my advantage." A nudge from Leo (Black Cat) got his attention, as he stood up and followed his bodyguard toward the nearest exit. Looking over his shoulder, he could see some die-hard fans trying to get autographs from Desmond Macon (Siberian Tiger, SF, BGR) and rookie Darius Cole (Alligator, C, BGR) who stayed around for the courtside post-game interviews despite turning in below-average performances in the game tonight.

As the pair of cats made their way through the back hallways, Leo tried his best to not seem too out of place. It worked for the most part, up until they were just at the doors leading to one of the side parking lots. The departing crowd was thinner here, but security guards were gathered near a well-groomed feline who was shaking fans' paws on the way out. The burly bodyguard gave his employer a brief glance and received a slight shake of the head before the cap was pulled a bit further down to shield the tabby's face. Leo continued to lead Stefan toward the exit, nodding to the security furs who were paying more attention to their charge. Once outside, the big cat relaxed a bit as Calico leaned against a nearby post and pulled out the oPad that he had stuffed in his jacket.

"Lemme send off my notes, then we'll head to the car. Don't want to lose anything on the way." After a minute of navigating the touch screen, the device was packed away inside the jacket again and the duo made their way through the parking lot.

"Hopefully nobody gets too much flak from my proposal," mused Stefan.

From just inside the entry doors, Xander Knight (Clouded Leopard, GM, BGR) stood among his security team and watched the two cats fade into the sea of vehicles and furries. While he had suspected that Calico was in attendance, he had hoped to strike up a conversation with the elusive Huntsville GM without drawing too much attention or outright hunting him down. He still might have a chance tomorrow, but the media would most likely get in the way. Still, any contact is better than none at all, and he instructed his security staff to ensure that the owner of the Mayors was to be treated delicately.

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Tuesday November 29th

The New City Hall by Patrick Suarez

As the final horn sounded and the floater that L.V. McDyess (Black Panther, SG, BGR) put up from the baseline rattled off the rim to be rebounded by Hassan Kamal (Camel, C, HNT), the hometown crowd wailed and groaned as their Bangor Tides had their winning streak stopped at 7 games. The majority of the visiting Mayors all clustered by the half-court line to congratulate the Moroccan on his outstanding defensive efforts in the paint, while Coach Howard Schnitthund (German Shepherd, head coach, HNT) shook the limb of Annie McCurry (Tarantula, head coach, BGR) on the sideline.

Like always, John Stoat (Stoat, PG, HNT) was the first from Hunstville's club to talk to the courtside reporters, expounding on the "brilliantly frustrating" move by the coaching and managerial staff to put him at point against Wendy Brown (Saber-toothed Tiger, PG, BGR). While the position swap with Bailey Brisbane (Catahoula Leopard Hound, SG, HNT) allowed McNice to lead his team on the stat sheets, it also limited Fossil's contributions as well as the stoat's own. Combined with Evan Ashton's (Lion, SF, HNT) and Kamal's early experience in the Northern Division against Desmond Macon (Siberian Tiger, SF, BGR) and Donell Macon (Siberian Tiger, C, BGR) respectively, the Mayors used a Taproots-like team effort across their starting line and their bench players to control the game and finish 90-88 over the Tides. Huntsville now leads the league as the first team to 10 wins this season while extending their own winning streak to 9 games. Were it not for an equally close match against Tennessee in the Still, Huntsville would've been undefeated after the first three weeks of the season.

Rumors that Mayors owner Stefan Calico (Tabby Cat, Owner/GM, HNT) was in attendance at yesterday's match between the Moonshiners and Tides were confirmed by Xander Knight (Clouded Leopard, GM, BGR) today. The tabby's appearance with Chris Farrow (Cat, Owner/GM, PLY) for the Thanksgiving game between the Whips and the Taproots, as well as in Winnipeg prior to that for the Blanks and Voyageurs game, suggests that the feline may be doubling as a scout for his own club. While the Huntsville staff have not denied that the owner has been traveling across the country, they have only confirmed that Calico has been seeking out interviews with General Manager candidates, visiting them prior to inviting potential ones to Alabama.

With a five-day break scheduled for the Mayors before hosting the Moonshiners, coach Schnitthund said that the players have definitely earned a mini-vacation, but expects none of them to take it. "We've got former champions who know that any slacking off might ruin the teamwork we've established, we've got veteran talent that's looking to prove to the league that they can play like champions and be respected as such, and we've got a rookie guard who's not been too shy about wanting to grow with this club and help us win that title. We've invited the Georgia Peachtrees of the D-League to Explorer Stadium to be on the practice squads for the next few days, so it should be interesting."

Interesting? John Stoat said it best: "Ain't this just a f**king riot and a half?"

Patrick Suarez (Jackal) is a reporter for FBA News and a correspondent for Furballer magazine.