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Unfortunately the "computer" period made sure that i probably will loose a couple of good guys. The "wallet" is empty hehehe

Kudos to the following teams: - Trojans (formerly Union) and Red Thunder... both managed to stay in GHL this season despite going the majority of the season managed by the computer. - Kamikaze for avoiding relegation after having just promoted from SHL. - Masons... who get a special kudos for avoiding relegation after just promoting from SHL - and it also being their first time in GHL. This is no easy task. Wait, I thought this was a trash talk thread.

1949 NFL RECAP Going into the season many experts had pegged the Washington Redskins to dethrone the 3-time defending champion Chicago Cardinals atop the East Division. The Redskins had added MVP running back Gene Babb from Green Bay during the off-season and were poised to make a run at the division title. Unfortunately, things couldn't have gone worse as Babb lasted less than a half before suffereing a season-ending injury in the opening game. Washington proceeded to lose 5 of it's first six games and although they got things together in the second half of the sesaon, finished out of a playoff spot. The Chicago Cardinals started slow, with just 2 wins in their first 5 games, but a strong finish allowed the Cardinals to claim the East Division crown yet again. It was much tighter this time around as the Cardinals, Giants and Browns all tied for top spot at 7-4-1 but Chicago was awarded first and New York second based on their record's within the division. The Cardinals once again relied on their UCLA connection as a now healthy Biggs Holley led the NFL in passing yardage while back Stan Crimmons rushed for 963 yards. The Cardinals defense was also very good, as was that of the second place Giants. New York, which had won only 8 games over the last three combined, ended with 7 this season including a season ending 16-10 victory at Cleveland to take a playoff spot away from the Browns. Veteran QB Bing Collum did not have an outstanding season for New York, but his years of playoff experience and 3 championships provided a steadying influence. Collum's main job was handing the ball of and the primary receipiant was Harry Robinson, a 7th year pro out of Oregon State, who carried the ball 218 times for 907 yards. The Browns look like a team that is just a piece or two away from contending for a title. QB Elmer Welch, a 1944 3rd round pick out of Oklahoma State, had a strong season and combined with 1947 first round pick WR Jerry Boullard for 49 catches and 725 yards, both figures third highest in the league for a receiver. In the West Division the big story was the San Francisco 49ers, who finished first for the first time since 1940 (when they were still in Brooklyn) and ended a 6 year playoff drought by improving by 7 victories over last season. The 49ers offense revolved around RB Mike Neville, a former Oklahoma Sooner, who rushed for a career best 1023 yards. Despite missing QB Bob Chapdelaine for the final 5 games (but he would be healthy for the playoffs), San Francisco finished the season on an 8 game winning streak. The second place Chicago Bears needed a final week victory over their rival Cardinals and a Green Bay loss in order to edge the Packers out for second place and the playoffs. With the retirement of veteran back Mack Johnson prior to the season, third year pro Gene Stokes became the centerpiece of the Bears offense. The 1947 first overall pick and former Heisman Trophy winner was up to the challenge, leading the NFL in rushing with 1105 yards. The Bears also had a new QB as veteran Buck Haff, who led them to the title game a year ago after being acquired from Baltimore, was waived. Bert Fitzgibbon, a second year player out of nearby Northwestern, earned the starting job and passed for 1961 yards and 13 touchdowns. Fitzgibbon's TD number was only surpassed by Green Bay's Bob Vetter, who looked like he had clinched the Packers a playoff berth in Week 10 with a 26-10 victory over the Bears. However, Chicago won it's final two games and the Packers dropped both of theirs to miss out on making the playoffs two years in a row - an accomplishment that would have been a first in team history. FINAL 1949 NFL STANDINGS EAST DIVISION W L T WEST DIVISION W L T Chi Cardinals 7 4 1 San Francisco 9 3 0 New York 7 4 1 Chi Bears 7 4 1 Cleveland 7 4 1 Green Bay 7 5 0 Washington 6 6 0 Baltimore 4 7 1 Philadelphia 4 7 1 Detroit 3 8 1 Pittsburgh 4 7 1 Los Angeles 3 9 0 1949 PLAYOFFS The New York Giants returned to the playoffs for the first time since 1945, when their streak of 5 straight playoff appearances (which included two league titles) came to an end. The Giants fall had coincided with the rise of the Chicago Cardinals. The Cardinals were in the playoffs for the 6th time in the past seven years and had won the last two NFL titles. The Cardinals were riding a 4 game post-season winning streak and that streak would remain intact, at least for one more week, because they were just a little too much for the Giants in a 16-5 victory. Rinty Martins kicked 3 field goals for the Cardinals while Biggs Holley, who was 16-for-25 for 110 yards, hooked up with fullback Nick Meade for a 3 yard touchdown to round out the Chicago scoring. Stan Crimmins had a strong day as well, pacing the Chicago running game with 87 yards. New York's veteran QB Bing Collum completed just 12 of 32 pass attempts for 84 yards and the Giants running game was also held in check. A field goal and a sack of Holley in the Chicago end zone for a safety accounted for the New York scoring. In San Francisco, the 49ers miracle season continued with a 29-10 victory over the Chicago Bears in a game that featured a most unlikely hero. With their backup already sidelined, 49ers QB Bob Chapdelaine was injured in the first quarter prompting San Francisco to have to go with third stringer Sam Goulet under center. The 31 year old former Purdue Boilermaker had been in the league for a decade but always as a backup and had only played in 10 games in his career and never in the post-season. The playoff stage did not phase him and Goulet threw a pair of touchdown passes while completing 17 of 21 to lead the 49ers to the win. Another back up came up big as well for the winners, as RB Hank Sowell, an undrafted rookie out of Georgia, gained 90 yards to lead all rushers. San Francisco did a terrific job on the Bears, intercepting QB Bert Fitzgibbon twice and holding RB Gene Stokes to just 13 yards on 9 carries before Stokes left the game in third quarter with an injury. Veteran LB Jack Outland also deserves a mention as he had 8 tackles, 2 sacks, a safety and an interception for the winners. 1949 NFL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME The San Francisco 49ers went from 2-9-1 the previous season to a berth in the NFL title game. The success of the team caused professional football's popularity in the Bay Area to grow exponentially. It was just the third season on the coast for the team that moved from Brooklyn but the 49ers had the opportunity to do something their southern neighbours, the Los Angeles Rams, had failed to accomplish and the Rams had been on the West Coast since 1937. Los Angeles had made it to the championship game twice, in 1937 and again in 1943, but they lost both times. Unfortunately, like their California neighbours, the San Francisco 49ers were unable to win the final game of the season. On this occasion the powerful Chicago Cardinals thumped the 49ers 38-6 to win their third straight NFL title, equaling the 1934-36 Chicago Bears record. Biggs Holley threw for 142 yards while Nick Meade and Stan Crimmins combined for 137 on the ground to lead Chicago to victory. The Cardinals defense held San Francisco off the scoresheet until late in the fourth quarter, picking off a pair of Sam Goulet passes and hounding the 49ers quarterback every time he dropped back to pass. Unlike the Bears a week before, the Cardinals defense had little trouble exposing Goulet for the inexperienced player he was. Holley was named the Playoff MVP and despite being in just his 4th season, the Cardinals QB owns 3 NFL titles, although he sat out last year's game with an injury. The regular season MVP came from Chicago also as Bears running back Gene Stokes captured the award after leading the league in rushing.

The Stealheads are skidding and tumbling into the playoffs for the 3rd consecutive season. Congrats to whichever team gets to face this ball-less team in round 1 and good luck in round 2

On the final day of the regular season 3 teams were all within 1 point of each other fighting for 1st place in the league. It was all going to come down to the last game for each team to decide who would finish 1st. At the start of the day the Laporte Red Raiders were holding 1st with 177 points by virtue of goals scored at 382. They had 52 regulation wins on the season at this point. Tied with them was my team, the White Mountain Winterhawks, with 177 points. My team had 312 goals and 55 regulation wins up to this point. We were both in the same conference. The third team, in the other conference, was the Red River Rockettes with 176 points. They had 343 goals scored and 55 wins so far on the season. If the Red Raiders won their last game of the season in regulation they would win 1st no matter what. In fact they just needed to tie in points to win because the first tiebreaker is goals scored. They were facing the 8th placed team in the East. To get 1st I had to get at least a point and nobody else tie my team in points. I was facing the 14th team in the West. For the Rockettes to get 1st they either needed to tie my team in points or get more points than the Red Raiders. They were facing the 8th team in the East. The Red Raiders lost in OT 5-4. This meant that my team needed to win in OT to pull ahead of them and a win in regulation would mean that I would win altogether. My team would win in OT 3-2 after losing my 1st line C a minute and a half into the game. This meant that if the Rockettes could win their game outright that they would finish 1st. Win they did as they ended the game with a 5-1 victory tying my team for points while scoring more goals on the season thereby holding the 1st tiebreaker of more goals scored. Congratulations to Jonathan D on finishing 1st on a very exciting finish to a season that came down to the very last game. A few extra notes; With that win on the last day the Rockettes held pretty much every imaginable tie breaker over me having more regulation wins and a better GF/GA differential as well. With 4 days left I was 9 points behind the Red Raiders and considered myself out as I had to win at least 3 of the last 4 just to tie whereas if the Red Raiders won even one game they would finish better than me by virtue of the first tiebreaker. The Red Raiders managed to go 0-0-1-3 in their final 4 games and 4-0-1-6 in their final 11 games of the season after beating my team 5-1 in game 68 of the season. My team went 7-1-1-2 over its final 11 after that loss. The Rockettes went 7-0-1-3 in their final 11.