North Texas Sports Shakeup!
Dallas Morning News
Sports
(As first reported by The Athletic- DFW)
North Texas is ready to welcome a new franchise into the sports neighborhood. Move over Cowboys, Stars, Rangers, and that irrelevant soccer team up in Frisco that no one seems to care for. North Texas Sarlacc have received acceptance into the MML Blitz! Season 11 competition. HappyBudda11 has the pleasure of operating as Head Coach and General Manager for the newly created franchise.
The Coach/GM spoke at his first official press conference this past weekend, “First I would like to thank the fans on the vote for team mascot. We were fearful when “Midichlorians” even passed the first round of voting! But we’re thankful the Almighty Sarlacc got chosen as the winning mascot… if I’m honest that was my first choice.” HappyBudda11 of course is referring to the controversial decision put forth by the franchise to enable fans to choose the team name and mascot. This was frowned upon by many in the media, myself included, simply because of the fear of the team being called “Bowly McBloodBowlFace.” That name hilariously passed 2 rounds of initial votes but did not pass the third round of voting, much to the approval of new Coach/GM.
HappyBudda11 addressed the media on Saturday, “We’ve been compiling a list of potential [draft] picks and there are a couple guys we’re absolutely targeting come draft day. We really like the ones we’ve brought in and had work out for us.” The teams are welcome to invite players to workout at team facilities before the draft. This has given the coach a chance for a closer look at various position players.
“With Season 10 winding down, we’re considering which picks to begin shopping to the other franchises. Not all of our picks are deadlocked in of course, it’s so early in the process still. And especially with our position being in the Expansion Draft as well as in the big show [Draft Day]. But we have 2-3 guys that moved up on our draft board, surprisingly, after they worked out with us. We want to begin targeting these young guys as cornerstone faces of the franchise.” Calculated words from the new Coach/GM. He has the unenviable task of leading a new franchise into an established league with favorites, league norms, and an uphill battle when it comes to Blood Bowl.
The Blitz! League office released changes for the upcoming season and HappyBudda11 is looking for every advantage for his new team. “I’ve been in regular contact with the President and some other GMs and Coaches, everyone has been great so far. Just giving me advice and being a space for any questions to be answered really.” Navigating the building of a franchise and creating a culture that fits the norms of the established league can be a challenge for any new Coach/GM. But HappyBudda11 believes the franchise is in more than capable hands. “They brought me in here to compete for championships, and my goal is to remain relevant and keep our team in the championship conversation for many seasons to come. One of our mottos is painted on our locker room walls just to remind myself and of course my players what it means to be a North Texas Sarlacc: “A New Definition of Pain and Suffering!” That’s what I want our identity to be! A team that competes day-in-day-out, not only on game day, but at practice too. If our guys can cause suffering to each other- we’ll be ready to bring the pain to whoever is unfortunate enough to end up in our play pool.”
Season 10 begins the Playoff series within the month which means the clock for HappyBudda11’s offseason inches closer and closer to midnight. Who will be the new franchise’s first ever pick? What will he do with the other picks in question? How much gold can he flip for those picks? Can this inaugural season yield more than 3 wins? Fans have much to look out for, but one thing is certain… the North Texas sports world will be even more crowded from here on out.
