And That's a Wrap!

AND THAT’S A WRAP! Totems Fall Apart, Lone Stars Capture Division in Final Games

HONOLULU - One should assume that the final games of the 2015 FBA Regular Season would not be without controversy, and sure enough - many teams ended April 29th celebrating graciously or shaking their heads in despair. The latter was the case for the Edmonton Totems. Once the front-runner of the Mountain Division, they dropped 19 of their last 23 games, and miraculously, they could have still made the playoffs. But the Santa Ana Spectrums - one of the best assemblies of raw talent in 2015 - did not rest up in Game 80, and the Totems opened the door for either the Santa Fe Whips, or the Hawaii Kahunas, to take the coveted eighth spot of the Western Conference. After Santa Fe failed to budge the Montana Howlers, Hawaii’s close win over the Las Vegas Wildcards was enough to give the Kahunas their first playoff berth in history by virtue of divisional wins. For what it’s worth, the Kahunas will now have to prove their worth against the Spectrums when playoffs begin on May 6th. Good luck!

(Right): Luukas Hirvonen and Narkissa Kassius watch in despair in the remaining seconds of their loss against the Santa Ana Spectrums in Edmonton. (Bottom): Dylan Redfield walks off the floor of Arctic Tundra Arena, after losing by three to the Arctics. The loss secured the Texas Lone Stars to win the division in the final game of the season. (Art by ~Pac) NEW STORIES - (pg. 2)

The following list includes several new stories that have been written since the last newsletter. ______Fatherly Advice ~Sam-Gwosdz Crystal Davis has a sincere talk over dinner with her famous father.

The Final Thank You ~Thwaitesy The final score of the game didn’t matter as much as saying ‘thank you” to a special player...

The Off-Season ~TrianglePascal Hiro and Catherine - it’s shoes, cancer, and flying - all in one story about life in Vancouver.

Cloricia “Tex” Teixeira: Revival (Ch. 4) ~Wolfnumber9 Another entry from Tex’s diary gives us insight to what it’s really like when a player gets hurt... One Last Push ~Harlow Julian Cross-Kiraly gets some mail from his sister. Words of encouragement?

The Courage to Grow (Ch. 12 - Memory) ~PaulShep Agent Blake Toivonen recalls a vivid memory from his past.

FATBC (Part VI, Ch. 2): Brick by Brick ~ShaneRufus During his suspension, Alphonse returns to Liverpool to visit a very special place from his past.

The Question of Leviticus ~HerrWozzeck, ~MorganMcCarthy, ~Trivol Agundio meets up with Morgan and Micah over a meal to share some thoughts on sexuality.

One Last Wildcard Meeting ~JWolfman Wildcards’ GM Mikela Soros has one last talk with the team - but why? ______More stories available at the FBA Forum!

ART AND MEDIA - (pg. 2) The following section highlights new art and multimedia from the FBA community.

Going In for the Shot! And now for something completely different - some 3D renderings of Ryan Malone and Buck Hopper - an experiment in 3D modeling via ~BuckHopper himself, using the program “DAZ 3D”. (Buck admits he has to work on the “cute” factor of the models we wish you luck, sir!) …

(jersey design by ~Pac and ~Fraddas)

Two Miracles (~Foxenawolf) “Soon enough the Doctor stood up and gave both Marcus and Mercedes a surprise as he proudly announced "It's a Girl!" this time though she was already crying as she was held up. Again Marcus cut the cord and held her after she was swaddled, and as Mercedes rested Marcus gave her a quick kiss. Soon enough their newborn daughter joined her brother in the cot and one of the nurses placed wrist bands on the pups arms with the name Knight and their weight and time and date of birth written on them.” (text, characters by ~Thwaitesy)

Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall (~Wolfgirl) “Here's good ol' Hank being a sweetheart. 'Cause that's what redneck possums with banjos do best, y'know?” Scene art to go with the story, where Hank pays Carl a special visit in the hospital (via ‘Drop The Bass’). And look at that bass strum away!

(text, characters by ~HerrWozzeck, ~Tazel)

Jonathan Lawyer (~Pac, ~Mochni) We’re gonna need to know this guy’s name soon. Jonathan (a meerkat nicknamed, “Judge”) hopes to enter the 2015 FBA Draft, coming all the way from Ferrengton University.

(character by ~CrazyXenos)

Nina Lime Character Card (~Adabune) “Personality wise, Nina is a leader, it’s her court, and she’s the alpha wolf. She’s good at barking out orders, but is an amazing team player as her assists show. She’s just as happy to pass off for an open shot as to drive into the rim. Her numbers from the woods are strong enough where she’s a kind of frightening point. Her numbers seem to fit more of a center, but she simply doesn’t have the size to elbow it out in the paint.”

Part of ~Adabune’s 2015 Season FBA Card collection, and Nina definitely deserves the recognition!

(character by ~JadedFox)

Moar Rookies For the Win! (~Pac) … Two more faces you should memorize for next year While Robyn Moonnay (Bongo) analyzes the … court, Derek Kim (Magpie) points towards an anonymous person with an anonymous name Aren’t … we funny? Hahahaa eh. … (Robyn is a creation by ~Akkarri; Derek is by ~Anonymous13423)

Happy Birthday, T. Matt! While the image to the left is not exactly a “new” piece, the recording for T. Matt Latrans’ 49th birthday is! Several of our FBA groupies (too many to list) participated in reading and scripitng phone calls to our favorite on-the-court coyote. Click here to listen to the recording! (Character and audio designed by ~BuckHopper)

FEATURED STORY - (pg. 4)

Eldorados - ~Khed

[Saturday 31 October 2009]

It was evening and Seba was neither in the gym nor the library. This was unusual.

His outfit consisted of a teal tunic, vest, and short-cropped pants. This was also unusual.

Both of these things were Danny’s fault.

As to the first, the older toucan had decided that his Argentine cousin needed to get out for an evening. He did this from time to time, calling his brief interventions “check-ups”; tonight’s was the first of the series to exceed meeting up for a meal. While a portion of Seba appreciated his concern, a much larger portion suspected that he was specifically tasked with monitoring the new college student, uprooted and planted in foreign soil a mere two months ago, in order to assuage their mothers’ worry.

As to the second, the night’s check-up and Seba’s attire were occasioned by a party Danny was hosting to celebrate that odd American holiday called “Halloween.” As Seba fretfully crammed in whatever studying he could before he saw his cousin’s car pull up, he watched his roommates don their various guises to mingle across campus, where throngs of students (he had heard, and did not doubt) sought to cure their sobriety even more vigorously than on most weekends. He closed the blinds when passersby began displaying lewd feathery body language inappropriate for public display.

At least Seba’s outfit was less flashy than his face. Of course, a toucan beak was hard to beat in that department and uncommon, meaning that he’d gotten a few compliments on his “mask” that day.

Danny, standing amid the disaster that was Seba’s roommates’ sense of order, wore a similarly understated, but anachronistic outfit: a scoop-necked, loose-sleeved red shirt. Seba would have reminded Danny that he looked absurd if silliness weren’t one of his cousin’s preferred modes of interaction.

“Ready?” Danny asked, cocking his head and an eyebrow.

“Y supongo que sí.” [ I suppose so.] Seba replied. He invariably reverted to Spanish around … … family. Despite the campus’ heavy Latino population, English still dominated its conversations, and Seba was glad for whatever respite he could get from unfamiliar words clambering off his tongue. What English he had learned through the dint of self-study in Argentina had proven merely sufficient, and the parts of the language he did not encounter in his classes still washed over him uncomprehended.

“Y bueno! Vámonos!” That was one good thing about Danny: he followed Seba’s lead back into Spanish without prompting, his own accent tinted with his father’s Brazilian drawl.

A little small talk about Seba’s classroom and basketball activities accompanied them out to the waiting car, a script each check-up had come to follow. Danny offered his diagnosis: “Tudo bom, eh?”

Seba nodded and jimmied open the car door. “Tudo bom.” Folding himself into the passenger’s seat, he adjusted it back to accommodate his lanky legs and guided his tailfeathers between the seat and its back. Danny got in on the other side.

The moment he shut the door, Danny donned a conspiratorial smile and turned to face Seba. “Okay, so. When we get to my apartment, I’m going to burst in the door and go ‘Miguel and Tulio!’ ”—he … spread out his arms and wingfeathers—“ and you’re going to follow me and go, ‘Tulio and … Miguel!’ ”—he mirrored his previous gesture—“ and then we’re going to act all tough and say, … … ‘MIGHTY AND POWERFUL GODS!’”

Seba stared at his cousin, who was sporting a wide-eyed grin and flexing behind the steering wheel. Seba’s eyes were wide below a furrowed, bemused brow. After a moment and the prompting of another flex, he verbalized his mental reaction: “Bieeeen ” [Ooookay ] … …

“Aw, c’mon, tucancito!” Danny said. “It’ll be great! Here, practice with me a bit: MIGUEL AND TULIO!” There were the jazz hands.

Seba got an elbow in his arm. “ eh TULIO AND MIGUEL!” … …

“MIGHTY AND POWERFUL GODS!” they both proclaimed. One voice, however, was considerably less enthusiastic than the other.

“Great!” said Danny, twisting the key in the ignition and immediately pulling the car out of the parking spot. “That’ll be great!”

Seba worried about what he was getting into.

Danny seemed to detect this fact and continued: “I guess you don’t have to be there too long if you don’t want to. If you want to come back, I’ll gladly give you a ride.”

“Gracias.” Seba planned to take him up on his offer.

In a couple minutes Danny navigated the car through the streets of Pasadena to his off-campus apartment. The lights were on and various beaked figures moved in silhouette across the window shades: the party had begun. Apparently, most of the attendees were seniors Danny knew from his own classes at El Alado and players in the intramural sports leagues. All strangers. What had finally convinced Seba that this party might be alright was Danny’s reassurance that alcohol would be absent.

Seba gulped. He was used to performing before crowds of unknowns in his own way: dribbling, passing, scoring. What he wasn’t used to was performing by speaking, much less in a room inundated by English. And much less such a peculiar script. Tulio and Miguel?, he thought. Who are they? And what’s this about gods?

Momentarily lost in his thoughts, a rap on his door called Seba back. Danny had parked the car, gotten out, and come around to his side without him having noticed. With trepidation, Seba pushed open his door and exited. Danny rushed him up the staircase to the second-floor apartment balcony. Poised outside the door and speaking in a whisper, he counted down from three.

Danny jerked the knob and cast the door open on the count of “one.” This was early; it caught Seba unawares and he stumbled into the room, very nearly toppling forward. Surprise and a mental skip caused him to miss his comedic beat, but he still managed to squawk out the words “Tulio and Miguel,” followed by a half-hearted flex and assertion of divinity.

The room erupted into cheers and applause. Within a moment, Danny had slapped Seba on the back with a “bien hecho” [well done] and proceeded to the table of snacks in the open kitchen. The younger toucan gathered himself and stood there, mildly disoriented, as some of the crowd broke away from festivities to surround him. Though he almost a head taller than the tallest of them, he couldn’t help but feel a tad claustrophobic.

“You’re the one who’s actually from El Dorado, right?” some sort of green-headed waterfowl asked. Seba stammered an affirmative while wondering what his hometown had to do with anything. “Cool, man! Welcome to the US!” came as the response. A bluish female corvid complimented him on his costume, to which offered a nod, and another asked if he wasn’t the new recruit for the basketball team. Weirdest still, “Tulio” had apparently stuck. That had become his moniker for the evening. And he didn’t even know who this “Tulio,” as whom he was apparently dressed, was.

After the initial daze of passing greetings had subsided, Seba found himself where the carpet of the living room gave way to the kitchen’s linoleum. Most of the partygoers had congregated in the living room, clustered by Danny on the couch or around the TV, but a handful sampled from the fruit and vegetable platters scattered atop the kitchen table. They were all speaking English which, in the din, Seba found barely intelligible. And besides Danny, he knew not a one. They did not know him. And changing that was very nearly an impossibility. A dozen rehearsed English personal introductions flitted through his head, only to have the unrelenting waves of talk and doubt about points of English grammar and etiquette blow them away like so much winter fog. They all seemed so false, … laughable.

He watched their faces, caught snippets of sentences he could not follow. Words poured out, translated into meaningless rumbles by acoustic interference and an untrained ear. The sinking feeling in his stomach was not pleasant.

Averting his gaze from the inhabitants of the room and remembering that he had skipped dinner in to work, Seba spotted a couple of mangos nestled in a bowl among the food offerings. Not the small, yellow-orange, stringy Argentine sort; these were the green-and-red, fleshy Brazilian ones, rare even in Misiones. Apologizing perfunctorily to a pair of conversants between whom he reached to retrieve the tantalizing fruit, he grabbed the mango and began to rummage about in Danny’s drawers for a knife. Having found one, he ensconced himself in the corner between the refrigerator and the wall, cutting a neat line around the center of the fruit and twisting one end. Half the flesh came off with the skin and, inverting the hollow hemisphere of fruit, he scooped it out with his tongue.

It was delectable. A taste from home. Methodically, he disassembled the rest of the mango. The juice that coated his fingers he scraped off onto his beak. With the fruit came other very recent memories: he could smell the smoky summer air, the asados, the iron petrichor of the red soil … ------Read the rest of the story here! (All characters and illustration by ~out-of-the-boks (Khed)) GAME RECAPS - (pg. 8) The following game recaps have covered some of the most major matchups of the last two weeks.

April 21st, 2015: Hawaii Kahunas at San Jose Thrust

The rallying Kahunas needed a win against the already eliminated Thrust to stay alive in the Western Conference playoff chase. Unfortunately for them, embracing the tank hasn't looked like an option to the purple-and-navy team - as they walked onto the Rabbit Valley Pavilion II's tinted hardwood, they looked set into making it a matter of pride towards their loyal fanbase.

The Sauce built a strong lead in the early minutes - Kellendyne and Walters feeding each other into several fast breaks to start the game off a 12-2 run. They were able to carry it into the second half of the game, although the third quarter brought a reaction from the Kahunas, right as Aurora Goldshine and Julian Cross-Kiraly sank two treys in rapid succession. Hawaii was able to shave their deficit to one point right towards the end of the 4th, but longtime veteran Shane Rufus proved his 15-year experience as he sank a last-minute 3-pointer, leaving Hawaii to rely on a last-second long ball which bounced off the rim. The Thrust captain Devon Kellendyne, who was crucial to their team's triumph with 12 points in the last quarter, was elected Player of the Game.

-G. Whitewater (~Qovapryi)

April 29th, 2015: Las Vegas Wildcards @ Hawaii Kahunas

Alphas Protest Spectrums/Totems game over a team 'playing too hard' - Albany, New York

The Albany Alphas issued, then recalled, a formal protest to the league regarding the Santa Ana Spectrums for 'playing their starters' during the last game of the year - citing tampering and collusion charges.

The Spectrums played the Edmonton Totems on the 29th in a do-or-die match for the Totems. A win would mean Edmonton would be in the playoffs, and would play the Spectrums in the first round of the playoffs. Given how Edmonton had a record of 3-19 in their last 22 games, many expected the Spectrums to rest their starters and let the Totems win to gain the favorable matchup against a weaker team.

However, the Spectrums fielded their entire starting line, and played hard to the end, securing a closer than the final score indicates 4-point win at Edmonton. Combined with a loss from the Whips, it opened the door for the Hawaii Kahunas, who took home a stunning 98-96 win to secure the 8th seed in the playoffs. Hawaii has been hot, winning seven of their last ten games and taking 2 wins on the year against their divisional rival.

This angered the Alphas, who cited collusion and tampering charges in an official protest.

"The Alphas own the Kahunas' 1st overall pick and the Spectrums intentionally tanked to hurt the Alphas. By letting Hawaii win, it eliminates our chances for a lottery pick. It makes NO sense for the Spectrums to play as hard as they did so they can play a more ‘competitive’ team," crowed Hugh Courtney (Assistant GM - Honey Badger). Hugh's claim, as crazy as it may sound, is not without basis. Edmonton’s last 20 games have been a disaster, while Hawaii has been hot as a luau party. Edmonton would have ended up being the far weaker team. Then, there is the matter that Alpha's current GM Ralqul Witt was with the Spectrums GM for 3 years until the two teams silently parted way at the start this season. During the rookie challenge CourtSide Live event, the Spectrums were rumored to have been the source of the 'leaked' Ralqul's scouting notes of the non-top 24 players. Bad blood seems to remain between the two clubs.

"The Spectrums have nothing to gain here by letting Hawaii into the playoffs, this was an attack on us." cited Hugh.

Before the league could respond, Stefan Calico stepped in. Ralqul formally withdrew the application for a protest, and the Alphas formally apologized to both the Spectrums and Kahunas for their mention - saving what little face they could from an ‘embarrassing claim.’

The Kahunas play the Spectrums next week at Santa Ana, while the Alphas are getting ready at home to deal with the Tallahassee Typhoons.

~Wendingo PLAYOFF CENTRAL - (pg. 9) With the Playoffs here, it’s time to talk serious business. Only sixteen teams remain!

First of all, I must say on behalf of FSPN how delighted we are to be the official network for the 2015 FBA Playoffs. With that being said, the starting date for Game 1 across all eight matchups is May 6th and 7th. These series will last until May 19th, where we will have eliminated half the field and move into the semifinals.

Here are your current matchups, with commentary from various analysts from the league.

#8 Hawaii Kahunas vs #1 Santa Ana Spectrums (first game @SAS, May 7th) An aggressive retooling campaign by the Spectrums and masterful coaching paid off handsomely as the team not only finished with their first conference title in team history but also the best record in the league. The Kahunas, who squeaked into the playoffs with a last-second win against the Wildcards, also had a similar rebuilding campaign that finally paid off with a pair of highly-touted rookies and strong veteran presence. Because of Santa Ana's sheer depth, they are the overwhelming favorite to take the FBA title, but Hawaii is determined to make their playoff stay against their division rivals a lengthy one.

#2 Montana Howlers vs #7 Winnipeg Voyageurs (first game @MON, May 6th) After missing the playoffs last year for the first time in nearly a decade, the Howlers have returned to the postseason with another divisional title under their belts and looking for their tenth franchise championship. The Voyageurs haven't missed the playoffs since their inception in 2011 and are hoping that this is the year they can finally avoid a seven-game series that ends in their elimination. And with both coaches already familiar with each other from their days in the EFBL, this matchup could prove to be a lot more interesting than the regular season record shows.

#3 Seattle Summit vs #6 Alaska Arctics (first game @SEA, May 7th) Fresh off their relocation from eastern Washington to the Pacific coast, the Summit have rallied behind their GM and her star rookie son in the hopes of going deep into the postseason. After winning the Pacific Rim Division only to be upset in the first round of the previous playoffs, the Arctics struggled to make it to the postseason this year and endeavor to make up for their performance last season. If the regular season record is any indication, this matchup could be the sixth-seed upset that has been a part of the past six playoffs.

#4 Texas Lone Stars vs #5 Dakota Bikers (first game @TXS, May 6th) Based on the budding divisional rivalry between these two teams, the Lone Stars hold the slight advantage as the only ones to have won on the road between these clubs. And with home court advantage belonging to the divisional champions, it could be a tough road ahead for the Bikers without it. Grudges do tend to take a long time to resolve, and this series is likely to be one of the longest and most hard-fought.

#1 Huntsville Mayors vs #8 Baltimore Spirits (first game @HNT, May 6th) It was a charmed season for the Mayors, who had a fabulous 16-1 start en route to the Eastern Conference's best record, only earning it on the last day against the equally-hot Pittsburgh Keystones. On the flip side, the Spirits battled the Newark Pride almost the entire season for the last spot and only claimed it in the last couple of days. No one would give Baltimore much of a chance in this series against Huntsville, but as they were the ones to upset the Firestorm last year these new Spirits could be liable to surprise, as most analysts had not expected them to get to this point after all.

#2 Pittsburgh Keystones vs #7 Williamsburg Minutemen (first game @PIT, May 7th) The Keystones' rebuilding project finally paid off as they had their best season in franchise history, including their time in Springfield as the Fusion, having run away with the Central Division title by 19 games -- they clinched the earliest in the Eastern Conference and spent most of the month of April battling the Huntsville Mayors and the Santa Ana Spectrums for the best record in the conference and the league only to fall short of both on the last day. Despite retooling around more females on the club, the Minutemen fell below .500 for the second time in the past three seasons but have reached the playoffs for their fifth year in a row. Expectations are running high for both clubs, as Pittsburgh's mostly-young team with sky-high talent and very solid veteran experience have provided more blowout wins against their divisional foes while Williamsburg relishes the underdog role -- they knocked off defending Eastern Conference champions twice in the first round -- and will rely on their veteran experience to guide them through the series which may come down to who steals the most games on the road.

#3 Plymouth Taproots vs #6 Bangor Tides (first game @PLY, May 6th) Although they didn't clinch the top spot this year, the 'Roots still had a terrific run, and are more than prepared and determined to go all the way this season. On the other corner we have their division rivals, the Bangor Tides, who have seen more shakeups in their roster over the course of the season, including a massive four-way buyout to draft new talent as well as the trade of Barton Rouge (Red Fox, G). Even so, they managed to slightly improve from last year's 8th place to a more comfortable 6th, as well as keeping massive talent with them; however, the Taproots still have the advantage as they have won their regular-season series by a larger margin more times while both of Bangor's victories were only by a bucket or two. Don't be ready to hand out any passes yet, as most of these games were hotly contested, so we'll see how it goes.

#4 Albany Alphas vs #5 Tallahassee Typhoons (first game @ALB, May 7th) This has been two very interesting teams to follow. After missing the playoffs last year, the New York-based team underwent a notable makeover, with some shuffling to accommodate Spokane star Xavier Knutten (Squirrel, G/F), making the duo with Rodger Umaechi (Husky, F) a most talked one this season. On the other corner, the Tallahassee Typhoons were chock full of activity both on and off court, but easily had the smoothest run through the season while still keeping a decent record. Many analysts talked about them playing safe so far, so we are expecting a lot of tricks under their sleeves at this point in the competition. This would be expected to be the TXS-DAK of this conference: hot, contested and a nail biter to the end.

END-OF-SEASON AWARDS - (pg. 11) Now that the regular season is over, it’s time to debate who worked hardest this year ‘round!

In this issue, we intend to focus on the Rookie of the Year picks of our FSPN analysts. There are other awards to give out, such as the Coach of the Year and Sixth Fur of the Year, and those will be covered in full with future issues.

Curtis Matheson’s Top 5 Rookie of the Year Picks All right, FBA fans! It’s time for my Top 5 recommendations and why I chose these individuals in their standings for “Rookie of the Year” award.

1. Jake Turner- Jake’s performance has been top-notch and with his stellar performance in his rookie year, he shows a lot of promise later on in his career. The only thing holding back is his prematurity. He still has a lot of room to develop his skills and hone them. 2. Theodore Rockwell - Rockwell has been solid in his performance, becoming a rising star on the Baltimore Spirits. He showed his true potential on the Spirits. A very versatile player and all heart. 3. Aditya Anggun - Despite that blow done to his head by Julian Cross-Kiraly, his sharp ability to assist his players has been taken down a couple notches. However, he does everything he can to help the team. That right there deserves a lot of attention and respect. 4. Adam Tevela - He’s been having a good solid season while being on the Pride. He’s an all-rounder; very capable of handling his own position at the 3 or 4 position. 5. Clifford Carlin - Carlin quickly picks up the slack and delivers what Bangor needs: a rising star. Not only does he put up good points for the team but nailing those assists is where he shines the brightest. Excellent utility player.

Honorable Mentions: Hiroyuki Matsuura - One of the best centers I’ve seen around but I think Jake Turner is a much better center in my opinion. This center for the Montana Howlers is certainly not to be missed. He does deserve attention for his performance on the floor. Warren Doyle - He has put up impressive numbers has been the most solid player I’ve seen due to his basketball IQ and keeping his emotions in check. The Voodoo have chosen a good small forward with a leveled mindset.

Willy Walker’s Top 5 Rookie Picks My goodness, Curtis. And they call you a “reporter”? Psssh. We obviously know who *really* deserves the Rookie of the Year! And to all you readers out there, let me give you some quick reasons as to why these fellas are the deserving ones for 2015.

1. Aditya Anggun - Yes, there was a mid-season injury that prevented this young man from getting the numbers he could have achieved. But his excellent shot percentage from the field cannot be ignored. Santa Ana has lucked out with this surprisingly good new player. 2. Jake Turner - He leads the league in points. Enough said. 3. Hal Dufrain - Many forget that this young alligator came away from the All-Star Week rookie challenge with a phenomenal performance, and earned the MVP Award. One of Bangor’s many fresh faces, he earned his keep and will likely emerge as a farce in his second season. 4. Clifford Carlin - When you look at the defensive and offensive statistical ratings of the Bangor Tides, you come to realize that Carlin’s one of the most contributive players in the league - his “Win Share” rating is one of the highest. Good for the ol’ mutt! 5. Hiroyuki Matsuura - It’s hard for me to see how Huntsville would have fared without their rookie picks this year; Matsuura has the slight upper hand in ratings, and the shrike has never been one to tempt us with a poor showing.

Honorable Mentions Aurora Goldshine - Remember our shining first pick of the 2014 FBA Draft? She didn’t do half bad! And the team is heading to the playoffs - that’s amazing, given the controversy the youth of this organization has had to juggle this season. Ren Inoue - Ren’s reputation and representation in Tallahassee has been admirable, but Ren - when teamed up with Klaus Korber - make an essential duo. Dawg Pack 2.0, anyone?

Jason Ha’s Top 5 Rookie Picks I may be new around the FSPN offices, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know a thing or two. I’ve only been doing this job for over half my life, after all. And my esteemed colleagues have been negligent enough in missing at least one top candidate that I feel I need to correct that error, especially since I’ve been watching these kids since the draft period. So let me just show you all what truly “is up”.

1. Baltásar Torrealba y Toboso - This tortoise has been consistently among the top rookies this year. He leads the rookies in rebounds and blocks, beating many veterans in those categories, he’s on the top team in the East, and helped lead the East Rookies to their victory at ASW. And my colleagues here completely skipped him! I mean, Matsuura is good and all, but I think Huntsville got the better deal of that trade by getting this Tortoise from the Howlers. 2. Jake Turner - Do I really have to explain this one? 3. Aditya Anggun - As my colleagues stated, Anggun had an amazing season, despite his injury. ASW starter vote, a stunning record, and he still managed to get back on the court and begin putting up good numbers again, even though he was out with a HEAD injury. That’s dedication. 4. Hal Dufrain - ASW Rookie MVP, consistent, and dedicated, he puts up a strong competition. He just needs to stop injuring those dang footpaws! 5. Julian Cross-Kiraly - I know Walker up there put in Goldshine as his Hawaiian representative, but I have to give it to the Saluki. He’s consistently performed just as well as Goldshine, but unlike the snake, he wasn’t drafted first, and he didn’t have the Top 24 nod, though he did turn a few heads with his choice at pick #8. A pick that he has more than proved his worth for.

Honorable Mentions Ren Inoue - Walker makes a good point. Dawg Pack 2.0? Clifford Carlin - This is probably my biggest snub of the list, alongside Matsuura. While Carlin’s performance has been exceptional, I just think that the ones in my Top 5 have done just as well, if not a little less, in some cases, but overcame great obstacles to do so.

STANDINGS & SCORES - (pg. 13) The following page illustrates the final scores and standings of the FBA since the last newsletter’s release.

Box Scores for April 19th April 29th, 2015:

April 19th April 21st 92 Albany Alphas @ Tallahassee Typhoons 93 98 Albany Alphas @ Newark Pride 108 102 Bangor Tides @ Huntsville Mayors 107 97 Alaska Arctics @ Santa Ana Spectrums 101 112 Dakota Bikers @ Edmonton Totems 105 96 Baltimore Spirits @ Pittsburgh Keystones 104 100 Lorain Firestorm @ Biloxi Voodoo 104 101 Bangor Tides @ Plymouth Taproots 114 101 Newark Pride @ Baltimore Spirits 106 102 Biloxi Voodoo @ Tallahassee Typhoons 100 106 Plymouth Taproots @ Pittsburgh Keystones 115 116 Dakota Bikers @ Texas Lone Stars 118 112 Santa Ana Spectrums @ Montana Howlers 114 94 Edmonton Totems @ Montana Howlers 106 108 Seattle Summit @ Hawaii Kahunas 111 109 Huntsville Mayors @ Tennessee Moonshiners 90 95 San Jose Thrust @ Sante Fe Whips 104 107 Hawaii Kahunas @ San Jose Thrust 111 82 Tennessee Moonshiners @ Williamsburg Minutemen 90 93 Lorain Firestorm @ Williamsburg Minutemen 105 103 Texas Lone Stars @ Alaska Arctics 111 89 Las Vegas Wildcards @ Seattle Summit 107 78 Winnipeg Voyageurs @ Las Vegas Wildcards 91 97 Sante Fe Whips @ Winnipeg Voyageurs 91 April 23rd April 25th 104 Albany Alphas @ Bangor Tides 106 99 Baltimore Spirits @ Williamsburg Minutemen 107 111 Alaska Arctics @ Hawaii Kahunas 117 111 Montana Howlers @ Las Vegas Wildcards 94 95 Biloxi Voodoo @ Huntsville Mayors 105 104 Newark Pride @ Bangor Tides 113 110 Dakota Bikers @ Sante Fe Whips 97 115 Pittsburgh Keystones @ Lorain Firestorm 96 91 Edmonton Totems @ Las Vegas Wildcards 95 114 Plymouth Taproots @ Albany Alphas 119 88 Lorain Firestorm @ Baltimore Spirits 91 116 Santa Ana Spectrums @ Hawaii Kahunas 108 106 Plymouth Taproots @ Newark Pride 96 115 Seattle Summit @ Edmonton Totems 101 101 Seattle Summit @ Seattle Summit 107 99 San Jose Thrust @ Alaska Arctics 108 94 San Jose Thrust @ Santa Ana Spectrums 108 95 Tallahassee Typhoons @ Huntsville Mayors 103 82 Tennessee Moonshiners @ Tallahassee Typhoons 98 84 Tennessee Moonshiners @ Biloxi Voodoo 105 97 Williamsburg Minutemen @ Pittsburgh Keystones 111 102 Texas Lone Stars @ Sante Fe Whips 101 94 Winnipeg Voyageurs @ Texas Lone Stars 95 91 Winnipeg Voyageurs @ Dakota Bikers 105

April 27th April 29th 112 Albany Alphas @ Biloxi Voodoo 101 91 Baltimore Spirits @ Albany Alphas 97 95 Baltimore Spirits @ Tennessee Moonshiners 82 100 Biloxi Voodoo @ Winnipeg Voyageurs 108 108 Bangor Tides @ Lorain Firestorm 93 103 Dakota Bikers @ Alaska Arctics 106 105 Dakota Bikers @ Santa Ana Spectrums 107 96 Las Vegas Wildcards @ Hawaii Kahunas 98 83 Edmonton Totems @ San Jose Thrust 92 104 Pittsburgh Keystones @ Huntsville Mayors 109 111 Huntsville Mayors @ Newark Pride 105 113 Plymouth Taproots @ Lorain Firestorm 101 113 Hawaii Kahunas @ Montana Howlers 114 114 Santa Ana Spectrums @ Edmonton Totems 110 98 Las Vegas Wildcards @ Texas Lone Stars 100 88 Seattle Summit @ Newark Pride 106 105 Sante Fe Whips @ Seattle Summit 95 100 Sante Fe Whips @ Montana Howlers 111 111 Tallahassee Typhoons @ Pittsburgh Keystones 117 89 Tennessee Moonshiners @ Bangor Tides 112 83 Williamsburg Minutemen @ Plymouth Taproots 102 104 Texas Lone Stars @ San Jose Thrust 98 105 Winnipeg Voyageurs @ Alaska Arctics 100 90 Williamsburg Minutemen @ Tallahassee Typhoons 105

FEATURED PLAYER - (pg. 15) Akako Tsubasa (G - Kitsune - BAL)

I’ve been following Akako Tsubasa’s progress since she entered the FBA via the 2013 FBA Draft as the #42 Pick by the Baltimore Spirits. Despite a nearly non-existent rookie season in which she only spent time on the court on Game 80 of the regular season and some minutes playing in the Playoffs, she had improved remarkably in her second year, after she underwent cochlear implant surgery during the off-season to regain her lost hearing. She’s been a constant presence on the bench and reserves, but she has remained in Baltimore for the entirety of her rookie contract even as teammates were traded off over the past two seasons.

She managed to take some time off her busy schedule to have an interview with me, and while this is not the whole interview, I have included questions with answers I felt were important enough to be published. Akako is one shining role-model that is sadly often overlooked by the social mainstream media. Even though she can hear now, she still needs an ASL translator to help on the language.

Karl: During your rookie year, how difficult was it to adjust to your new team? Akako: It was a lot more difficult than I cared to admit, really. With me, it was more than just adjusting to new practice times, new coach, new teammates, new media scrutiny, more grueling traveling and a life after college. I also had the obvious communication problems with being mostly deaf. Not only did I need to rely on David (her American Sign Language interpreter) to relay directions to me from the coaches and teammates, but I had to teach my teammates on certain paw signals on where I should go and what to expect during a play on the court. Thankfully my teammates put up with me, especially Catherine DeMille (her teammate before she was traded to the Dakota Bikers), whom I’ve gained a friendship with.

Karl: What’s a cochlear implant? Akako: It’s a device that replaces the function of my damaged inner ear, basically enough. I lost all of my hearing by the time I was ten years old, and while the surgery was always an option for me, it was out of reach due to lack of insurance and the costs. It consists of a microphone to catch sounds, a speech processor to translate the sounds for the device so that the signals can go to my brain properly, a transmitter to turn the sounds into electronic impulses, and finally an electrode array which does complicated nerve and electronic signal transfers to various parts of my brain so I would recognize a bark or a chirp as I hear them. They’re different from hearing aids in which the implants bypass the damaged portions of my ears to directly stimulate my brain with the sound signals, while hearing aids merely amplify the signals that go through the damaged portions already. Without insurance, the whole thing, with the surgery, the device, and rehab, cost almost $100,000 (USD). Which is why I’m thankful for the salary I got in the FBA! *laughs*

Karl: Tell me what was going on with you immediately after the implant surgery? Akako: Immediately after I woke up from anesthesia? Dead silence. Cold, dead silence. Now even after I was ten, I could still hear some things, like a deep thud nearby or something that is heavily bass in music that would shake my entire body. And the tinnitus, oh my god, the tinnitus. The bane of my existence for almost two decades. But after the surgery, it was nothing. No sound, no anything, and while people may think I would be used to being deaf, this was a new kind of deafness that left me feel alone to the world. … Like the whole world of sound didn’t matter to me anymore and didn’t exist. I felt scared, and on top of that, most of my head was bandaged due to the operative incisions that they had to do in order to put the implant underneath my skin, and I also felt dizzy. I had to deal with this kind of new silence for about three weeks.

Karl: Three weeks? Why for that long? Akako: I had to wait for my head to heal properly. The surgeons had to put this device right into my ear, so they had to cut open the outer flap of my fox ear, cut a path for the device to bypass my bad ear to reach the brain directly and then close it all up. The reason why I heard nothing after the surgery was because I didn’t have the external components of the device yet and I had to wait almost an entire month before I could have an appointment to receive the external components and undergo program mapping. After that, I had to go through rehab, and there was added pressure on me to finish before current season starts so that I can go back to the court again. Rehab was a hurried mess, so to speak. Not only did I had to adjust … to brand new auditory experiences and sensations, but I had to relearn a lot of things that people take for granted concerning sound, especially on the basketball court.

Karl: So it’s safe to say that you’ve restored all of your hearing? Akako: No. The implant device is a machine but it’s not a perfect machine. I can hear close to normal levels, but it is still a machine and it can’t catch up on the potential hearing I could have if I was never deaf. Even today, I would hear something and I would have absolutely no idea on what it is, while other people could hear it and know exactly what it is. That’s because I still have to associate a lot of sounds with their proper sources. It’s a learning process, and couple that with the grueling practice and travel that FBA players go through.

Karl: Ever since the FBA Draft, you’ve been called as a role model for deaf and hearing-impaired children and even adults. Akako: Oh gosh, I’ve been called that even during the FBA Combine earlier. A lot of people, even close friends, didn’t think I would make it to the FBA, so I didn’t get a lot of attention, but I did receive mail from deaf kids and signed autographs for a lot of deaf fans that came to me. I consider it a blessing rather than a burden!

Karl: What have you been involved with concerning the deaf community? Akako: I have a very busy basketball schedule, but during the break periods I would visit hospitals and rehabilitation centers to speak with deaf children and adults, especially those going through the difficult time of adjusting to new life with their own cochlear implants. I’ve done speeches at auditoriums at the Maryland School For the Deaf, and I’m very proud to say that I’m one of the spokesfurs for the USADB, which is a Deaf Basketball organization and also for the Deaflympics, an IOC-sanctioned event where deaf athletes compete on an elite level. The USA team even asked me to join in for basketball at the 2017 Deaflympics in Samsun, Turkey, but we’ll see how it goes with my FBA future by then.

Karl: How much did the FBA change your life? Akako: I can’t list all the things the FBA have done for me in one page, or even in one thick novel. I’ve seen so many people because of my involvement with the FBA, and the FBA gave me access to so many new opportunities to help the deaf community. I owe my time and life to the FBA and the Baltimore Spirits for giving me this rare chance, and I’m so proud that I have this opportunity. I want to give back to the Spirits, and the best way for me to do that is to help the team with the best of my ability and give Baltimore a FBA championship.

Karl: If there’s just one thing you can say to a deaf child that wants to go to the FBA, what would it be? Akako: I would say that being deaf is not really a huge burden and complication as many think it is. A deaf person can play serious basketball and be better than a lot of the FBA players right now. All a deaf player can’t do is simply hear. If you have the height, the stamina, the knowledge, the physical build, and so forth, then being deaf shouldn’t be the one thing that keep them back from achieving their dreams.

______

- Right when the 2012 FBA Playoffs were getting set when Buck was still with ART FLASHBACK! … the Thrust, the Rapids and Bantams were FBA teams, and the Dawg Pack was in full force. Can you guess the names of each of these players? (art by ~Rosenthal)

POLLS AND TRIVIA! - (pg. 18)

The first person to get the Trivia question right gets 10 points; 5 points for 2nd, 4 points for 3rd, 3 = 4th, 2 = 5th & 6th, and 1 point for everyone afterward. Scores will be posted and updated per each issue - the winner at the end of the season gets a reward!

TRIVIA POINTS FINAL STANDINGS: “Gold & Bold” = Last newsletter’s winner

Anonymous13423 - 51 Harlow - 40 Stevie Maxwell - 15 XenosBlade - 8 Raleigh P. - 7 Qovapryi - 6 MountMcCarthy - 4 Nasuella - 3 Akkarri - 3 Arterian - 2 Kinto - 2 Ratiphex - 2 HerrWozzeck - 2 JWolfman - 1 JTigerclaw - 1 Radin Nightfire - 1

Previous Poll: Not so much a poll, but a quiz - Previous Trivia Question: How many teams let’s match the song with the player! Click the that are currently leading (as of the April 19 link below to go to the forum page. Submit your games) and/or have clinched their division in guesses (or guess the ones you know, at least) 2015, were also the champs of their division in and we’ll give some love to the person who gets 2014? the most right! Answer: Zero! (or 1 ) …

Answer: Click here! At the time the question was asked, there were We only had one person guess the answers :( no repeat division leaders - but since then, but nevertheless, it was fun putting this playlist Plymouth has come back to win it, so an together! exception is made for any of those who answered ‘1’ (without the “extra points”.)

This Week’s Poll: Who would your choice be for It is the end of the season, and I officially 2015 FBA Coach of the Year? declare ~Anonymous13423 the winner of the Trivia Contest! Congratulations - we’ll be CLICK HERE! reaching out to you soon!

O.O.C. EVENTS - (pg. 18) If new members have gotten involved with the community or have done great things to promote the FBA, we highlight it here. Occasionally, an FBA member may also be in need of help or needs some tender love and care and, as a community, we should be there to help each other out! …

● THE DRAFT IS STILL OPEN!!! Other than our lovely playoffs, it’s one of the most exciting times of the year - the future of our FBA. Submit your player by clicking here! ● Hey - we have some new FBA members on our tails. Be sure to say hello! ○ SeitoAkai ● Some of our older, unclaimed FBA players have been removed from Restricted Free Agency due to lack of development. If you’re curious to see this list, click this link here (scroll down).

● Umm this week, we found out that “SFW” means more than just “Santa Fe Whips”: …

● Also, to ~Christaphorac - please undo this magic! It’s traumatizing!! What IS that monkey?? (Thanks to ~Kinto for the screen capture - I believe also this has been fixed since. But STILL.)

● ~Wendingo and crew have been developing the Wiki page for the “Incident at Howler’s Stadium” from 2013, where Dylan Redfield famously injured Shane Rufus. We urge anyone who wants to learn more about FBA history to click the link and read through ~Foxenawolf’s comic as well!

● Normally we try to avoid posting about self-achievement here but ~DCrest13 recently held an art … commission contest and opened it to the FBA community to decide who would win the commission. After a tie vote between ~itsamadworld919 and ~StevieMaxwell, Stevie graciously offered the art to me. Thanks to all of you - I’ll be sure to post the art up when it’s done!

● THE FUN HAS STARTED - Committee and Commish have started listing next year’s approved draftees! If you don’t see yours yet, don’t fret - but keep it bookmarked! See the list here: http://furrybasketball.com/wiki/index.php?title=2015_FBA_Draft

------FSPN: The Hoop! -assembled by ~itsamadworld919, ~Trivol, and ~KingsleyWolfe. The FBA is a creation of Buck Hopper. Players, agents, art, stories, and media where otherwise not stated are creations owned by their respective contributor. Entry Logo assembled by ~itsamadworld919. If you wish to have your content featured, you have a question, or if a correction must be made in the content above, please send all inquiries to [email protected]. Thanks!