Hertha: Ah, you are finally back, Günther! We are almost a week late with this program...

Günther: You know how it is. I have been travelling to Brionne for the Buccaneers press Conference. Thought I had to drop by and see how Friedrich was doing. And then the weather turned awful and the wizards were striking and... well, sufficient to say, it went downhill from there. A Wonder Cabalvision programs haven't been affected.

Hertha: Nice. So how was Friedrich doing?

Günther: As gentle as ever, and he seems to be fitting in nicely with the Buccaneers. Coach Andugl even brought him to thte press Conference, where he made himself useful chucking out nosy journalists. I was supposed to bring back his best Greetings to everyone here in Carroburg, so everyone (Günther looks into the Crystal ball), Greetings to all of you fans!

Hertha: I heard he even got a Casualty in his first game, and against the Knights Ogre at that. Coach Vatn must be furious at himself for the trade, looking at the players we got back from the deal, with Latimer out after some few rounds and Hughes standing totally confused for most of the match against the Greenskins (6 1's on 13 bonehead rolls)

Günther: (laughs) Probably! I was there, and I tell you that lousy is a euphemism when it comes to describing Bretonnian weather! The match started out in pouring rain and ended in a blizzard. The hot dogs served were extremly convenient. I would almost say life-saving... Sometimes I wonder why people live in Bretonnia instead of moving to Estalia or Tilea or somewhere warmer... But let us talk about what we were supposed to talk about, the evaluation of the ball-handlers in Season 2.

Hertha: Right. So what is your general impression? Unlike the hitting squad, the ball-handlers were mostly rookies...

Günther: That's right. But overall I am actually quite impressed. Whereas the experienced hitting squad slightly underperformed in Season 2, I think the ball-handling squad has produced more than anyone had the right to expect. And although the two experienced players, quarterback Hoffman and star receiver TJ Graham has performed well, the most impressive performances has been made by our two rookie females, Inga and Nicola. What a season they have had!

Hertha: We'll get back to that. But now, let us start with the individual players and star receiver TJ Graham. We rate him 6, don't we?

Günther: Absolutely. Coach Vatn only uses him for those desperate situations where there is little time and Cascade needs to score. Then they call upon TJ and the only time he hasn't done what was expected was in the final game versus the Universe, where he failed a dodge. Otherwise, he has secured 6 TD's and thus singlehandedly equalised three games. Cocah Vatn will probably stay with this tactic, bringing forward TJ only when absolutely necessary and then link him to Anders Hoffman's leadership skills. My Guess is that we will se him score his lastminute goals even more often this season, as our new receiver Latimer will be there to help him blitz the defense line with his Guard skills, which greatly increases TJ's chance of sucess.

Hertha: Exactly. And then we have decided that Nicola will get "only" a 5 this season. She has done everything right, and developed nicely from rookie to become a skilled veteran, and much stronger than when she started. It's just that her four TD's are not sufficient for a top mark.

Günther: That's right! But I have no doubt that if Nicola continues her development and stay unhurt, she will score a 6 already in this season. With the way that Coach Vatn uses TJ, keeping him in reserve for the most tricky situations, it is Nicola he relies on to score in normal play, so she gets a lot more field time than TJ.

Hertha: And she started well this season. Scored two TD's in last nights season opener against the Greenskins.

Günther: The other receivers has not been very good though. Tillman Hassel gets a 4. He finally developed at the end of the season and scored the Cascade TD in the final game against the Universe, but wasn't used very much in the season, being fourth cChoice. Hattendorf played more, but did never prove himself and fell through. I will rate him a 1. He failed in most things he was doing, and his failures were pivotal in the games against the Grizzlies, Vikings and Wolfskins. One actually has to wonder how he could slip through recruitment procedures to get on the squad.

Hertha: And he left the team and his career after Mosley broke his jaw.

Günther: That's right.

Hertha: And that leaves is us with... the quarterbacks!

Günther: And what an impressive pair of quarterbacks Cascade have! They are true quarterbacks, and can run with the ball, throw the ball and even get into a fight if needed. Inga started as a rookie, but truly proved herself in the second Grizzlies match when Anders was injured. She made four completions and caused a casualty as well.

Hertha: And she is very important off the field as well. The way she stood up to Coach Vatn after the loss against the Wolfskins endeared her to her teammates, and she is never afraid to speak out. She is also a social organizer and deserves the strong 5 we give her.

Günther: And then there are persistent rumours about her "covert operations"...

Hertha: (hesitating...) We don't talk about them, do we?

Günther: No.

Hertha: And we have waited until the end with the real gem, our star quarterback and local wonderboy, Herr Hoffman. There seems to be nothing that this star cannot do. From the very worst to the very best!

Günther: He gets a 5 rating for his Plays, though. Mostly because his lack of dodge skills cost us points both against the Vikings in round 12 and the Sharks in round 2, which earned him the title as sucker of the round. But then, he got his revenge when nominated for play of the round when he made a difficult TD pass against the Grizzlies in round 5, a game where he also killed Grizzlies Blitzer Marqueston Huff.

Hertha: And even more than Inga, he is a true Leader. With more experience than his younger colleague, he is also more aware of the importance of keeping good relations with the press and the fans, and he is always there to explain and motivate. It's fair to say that the worse the situation, the more relaxed, thoughtful and forward-looking is Anders. And he is even popular among players from the other teams. Thus it was no suprise that he was the only Cascade player in the ProBowl, where his leadership skill and safe ball-handling contributed to the 2-0 victory of the Conference.

Günther: Right. And thus it only remains for us to hope that you, like us, will continue to follow the team through season 3. Coach Vatn has promised that this year, Cascade will take home the divisional title. No longer will the Kislevites be allowed to hold it! Follow us and the team! You will not be disappointed!


Brought to you by Hertha Wendlinger and Günther Schiele, Carroburg Tageszeitung