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Now the part of my commissioner's duties that I like the least, assessing penalty points. Please let me know ASAP if I've made an error, which is more likely the older I get. I will rescind them if you can prove me wrong or cry enough. Here's the current tally:

River City - 11 points total. River City drops down three places in next year's draft:

4 points for no results for Day 7, Dec. 9, Good News vs. River City. Good News was on autoplay for the month of December and that had been announced several weeks ago.

2 points for no results for Day 16, Dec. 18, River City vs. Bakersfield. Bakersfield is on autoplay for December and January and this was announced over a month ago.

Tri-City - 7 points total. Tri-City drops down two places in next year's draft:

4 points for no results for Day 14, Dec. 16, Tri-City vs. Bakersfield. Bakersfield is on autoplay.

5 points for no results for Day 4, Dec. 6, Bakersfield vs. Finney. Bakersfield is on autoplay for December and January and this was announced over a month ago.

Thanks to the computer-building genius of your friendly neighborhood SABL Commissioner, Richmond Coach Frank Rowley is now playing games and sending out instructions again. Please give him a chance to catch up on his schedule.

Also, please send Frank any results or instructions that you have ASAP so he can catch up quicker.

Once games get three weeks late, I usually give out penalty points. Once games results or instructions are 30 days late, you are free to autoplay the games, per our Constitution. Most of you have been doing great in keeping up with your schedule, but some late games are still hanging out there like some thumbs:

I've been telephoning many of you about these games. If these or any games aren't played by the dates shown above, either I or the opposing coach will autoplay your team or teams and get 'em done. Also, penalty points will be assessed where appropriate. And if these games get 30 days late, an opposing coach can autoplay your team, too, under the SABL Constitution.

Again, most of you are doing great so, keep up the good work and keep swishing the SABL nets!

McLean can't stand the Heat

Holcomb took two of three against the Nats in McLean, with the teams exchanging 20 point blowouts and the Heat taking the rubber game after a coaching blunder by McLean coach Bob Storey. The Nats were down by 108-107, and had the ball with 26 seconds left. Making a gutsy decision, the Nats held the ball for the last shot, and with 6 seconds left, called time to designate the shooter. But they couldn't get a shot off, and a 24 second violation was called. The ensuing intentional foul game the Heat a three point lead and once again the Nats couldn't get a shot off as the buzzer sounded. "I shudda taken the shot!"

Stackhouse averaged 30 in the series, and Duncan led Holcomb with a 23.3 average in points and a 10.7 average in rebounds. Holcom romped in game two, 116-95, and the Nats returned the favor in game three, 105-85. The Heat held the rebounding advantage for the series 122-121.

Twisters rebound from wretched December

After setting a SABL record for futility in the month of December (2-21), Tulsa Twister management demanded improvement or else “heads would roll” with Coach Philip Creider to be first in line at the chopping block.

As a testament to the value of fear of lost employment, during January, Creider implemented some strategic changes, resulting in a 16-12 record for the month. “The most constructive change,” remarked the embattled coach, “was the change in offensive strategy from fastbreak to half-court. Coming into the season, I was determined to exploit the fastbreak skills of players like Shawn Marion and Darius Miles. Problem was that I had overestimated the skills of my point guards. As I brutally discovered in December, I had too many turnovers and not enough dazzlers. Since January 1^st, the only time we fastbreak is off of steals.”

“Another change was to make Raef LaFrentz my primary offensive threat at the Center position, instead of Jermaine O’Neal. Raef is making shots that J was missing. Regarding shot selection, we also are making a more concerted effort to penetrate the hoop instead of merely laying back and heaving outside shots and 3’s.”

“Plus,” added Creider, “it didn’t hurt matters that our January schedule was arguably a little softer than our December one. In any case, for the moment, I am breathing a little easier.”

“With clearly no shot at the playoffs this season, we obviously need to readjust our goals. I can tell you this; it goes without saying that it is unacceptable to end the season with the worst record! Hopefully, with our productive January, that will not be a possibility. My hope is that from here on out we will play at least .500 ball.”

It is official; Bryant “Big Country” Reeves is retiring at the end of the season. Tulsa Twister management and fans will miss the popular player.

“Big Country has always been one of our harder working players,” noted Coach Creider. “During the Twister’s initial draft, we drafted both Joe Smith and Reeves in the 1^st Round. While “Big Country” had obvious defensive limitations, there were many times, early in his career, when we relied on his offense to lead us on to victory.”

Reeves has been basically non-existent this season as he is continually listed as “ineligible” for each series. “As a mini-tribute, we did play him in our home and away series vs. Bettendorf. Our fans really enjoyed it, “ noted Creider. “Who knows, maybe we can work him in some more before the year is out.”

Garden City was royally trounced in the bookend games, but managed one win with sound fourth quarter execution. The Nats won game one, 120-90 and game three, 115-88. But the Gladiators showed a lot on heart in winning the middle game 111-108. They also had a little luck, with Vin Baker hitting two three pointers, including a better than hafl court buzzer beater (otherwise he was 3 for 17 from the floor). The double team on Rashard Lewis held him to only 9 field goal attempts, but he made 8. Posey had been 0 for 7 on threes in game one but made five of eight. Nick Van Exel missed a tying three pointer at the buzzer. It was the only game in the series that Garden City hit over 37 percent from the floor. Over the full series Stackhouse was high scorer averaging 31.7 points, Lewis and Joe Smith averages 16 for the Gladiators, and Andre Miller had a triple double in game three.

The Tigers stun Iowa 114-104. Building up an 18 point lead after 3. Mobley had 31 and Odom 30. This must be the first time since the Brooklyn "Jazz" that two Tigers scored 30. McGinnis had 12 assists, Malik Rose had 13pt, 8 reb, in 17 min. off the bench.

Game 1: Allen Iverson got 18 points in the first quarter to send his team to a 104 - 90 win over Chapel Hill. Iverson finished with 34. Theo Ratliff had seven blocks.

Game 2: Rasheed Wallace had his first great game of the year with 23 points and 13 boards as the Jams won 112 - 108. Antawn Jamison had a season-low 10 points. Iverson's 40 was not enough

Sure, the Evil Druid will do ANYTHING to avoid playing the Miles Bulldogs -- even trashing his own computer. And even coming up with some lame excuse as Strat won't play on XP, and then (wink, wink; nod, nod) getting the commish to support this lame claim.

It's all a conspiracy, says Bulldogs owner Tom Jargo.

"Of course, he's pure evil -- but he's also a big sissy," Jargo said of Bettendorf owner Mark Feeney.

On the court, Miles swept the six-game series with the Druids. But Bulldogs Coach Hayden Fry knows that was just a fluke.

"We were lucky to autoplay these games," Fry said. "We know that the Druids would have taken at least two games on its home court -- probably all three. And the fans are cheated, too, because Feeney is a great coach. He gets the most out of the talent he has. His teams come to play; that wasn't the case during the autoplay."

Miles at Bettendorf:
Game 1 (98-74): Antoine Walker 27 points for Miles, which shot 55 percent; Arvidas Sabonis 22 for the Druids, who shot 42 percent.

Game 2 (113-103): Probably Bettendorf's best chance to win. The Druids had a nine-point lead at half, saw it cut to three after three quarters and then disappeared in the fourth quarter, outscored by Miles 31-18. Free throw advantage to Miles, hitting 35-42 while Druids attempted only 21, hitting 15. Walker led six Bulldogs in double-figures with 22. Sabonis led the Druids with 19.

Game 3 (97-81): Mike Bibby and Antonio Daniels combined to hit 14 of 15 shots from the field and led the Bulldogs with 15 points apiece. Sabonis scored 19 and hauled down 10 boards for the Druids; Mo.Pete added 15.

Bettendorf at Miles
Game 1 (108-76): Miles used a 29-12 third quarter to break open the game. Walker had 26 points and 10 rebounds, while Keon Clark added 18, making all 7 of his shots from the floor. Sabonis scored 18 for the Druids, who shot a dismal 33 percent.

Game 2 (88-61): Only a 6-point lead for Miles at the half. But Druids managed only 27 points in second half, shooting a dismal 33 percent for the second-straight game. Walker had 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Dikembe Mutombo added 14 points and 18 rebounds. Sabonis was the only Druids in double-figures with 16.

Game 3 (111-79): Walker with 24 points. Mutombo added 18 points and 12 rebounds. Damon Jones led the Druids with 14 points, while Stephen Jackson added 12.

Chalk up another one for Strat's computer basketball game. Evil Druid Coach Mark Feeney's old computer died and he bought a new one, which, of course, has the latest and greatest Microsoft operating system on it, as it should - Windows XP.

Unfortunately, Strat's computer basketball game will not work on Windows XP. That means everyone will have to autoplay Bettendorf's team and play all outstanding home and away games for the rest of the season for the Druids. Please send the results to Mark and me.

If Strat's new computer basketball game does not support Windows XP, we will have to switch to PC Action Basketball. Regrettably, we will have no other choice. Let's hope Strat-O-Matic comes through.

The Miles Bulldogs took advantage of a frigid Davenport team to sweep the series before a broom-carrying crowd at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, Minn. In the three victories, Miles shot 55 percent, 61 percent and 53 percent. The
Dazzlers, however, struggled, shooting just 38 percent, 43 percent and 37 percent.

Matt Harpring was a one-man gang for the Bulldogs, averaging 16 points a game in limited minutes off the bench. Harpring hit an amazing 21 of 24 shots during the series.

Game 1 (110-88): Harpring led six Bulldogs in double-figures with 19 points. Miles, which must lead the league in turnovers, overcame 28 miscues. Cliff Robinson led Davenport with 23 points.

Game 2 (114-106): Antoine Walker led eight Bulldogs in double-figures with 23 points. Harpring scored 17 points in just 12 minutes, hitting all seven of his shots from the floor and all three free throws. Lo. Wright was another hot hand for Miles with 15 points in 16 minutes, hitting 7 of 9 shots from the floor. Robinson led the Dazzlers with 26 points, while Maurice Taylor chipped in 21.

Game 3 (104-94): Mike Bibby led the Bulldogs with 17 points. Harpring added 14 points, hitting 6 of 7 shots. Steve Smith led Davenport with 21 points, while Robinson added 17.

The Miles Bulldogs stumbled at home against Tri-City, losing two of three games before a stumblebum crowd at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, Minn.

Stephon Marbury was the MVP of the series, scoring at will and dishing out plenty of assists. Marbury averaged 30 points a game for the three-game series.

Game 1 (Tri-City wins, 96-93): Miles was flat, shooting only 43 percent, while Tri-City shot 49 percent. Marbury with 33 points. Antoine Walker paced an unremarkable Miles effort with 14 points.

Game 2 (Tri-City wins, 124-109): The Blackhawks won the game with a strong second quarter, outscoring Miles 35-22 and turning a 1-point deficit into a 12-point lead at the half. Marbury scored 30 points and dished out 11 assists. Walker led Miles with 24 points, and the Bulldogs wasted the year's best game from Patrick Ewing, who scored 14 points on 6 of 7 shooting.

"God forbid, we should ever play defense," Miles Coach Hayden Fry scoffed.

Game 3 (Miles wins, 118-104): The Bulldogs jumped out early and built a 12-point lead after one period. The lead grew to 17 at the half. Miles shot 57 percent from the floor. Walker led seven players in double-figures with 25 points. Marbury scored 29 and added 11 assists for the Blackhawks

East Asia took game one 99-84 as a result of outshooting Iowa 48%-38%. Armstrong had 28, 8 dishes and 7 boards, while Wallace had 11 boards to lead a balanced attack. Francis led Iowa with 19 and McGradey had 18 and 11 rebounds.

Game 2 finished 109-80 as Asia outshot Iowa 49%-36% and had 13 steals and 11 turnovers, compared to 23 for Iowa. Jones had 30 and killed Carter who had 10 in their matchup. Both teams had 6 players score in double digits.

Game 3 ended 119-92 for Asia as they outshot Iowa 48%-40% and were 13-23 from downtown (armstrong was 9-14!). Armstrong destroyed Francis for 42 and 12 assists, Jones had 26 to Carters 19 and both Mason and Robinson had double-doubles. McGradey had 22 to lead Iowa on a night where Asia led 61-41 in rebounds.

On the series asia outscored Iowa 109-85, outshot them 48%-385 and had a 51-44 rebounding advantage . The next 3 games in Iowa should be much tougher however!

With most teams having at least 6 weeks of regular season play under their belt, division and playoff berth competition and runaways are becoming clear:

The East Division, despite the Dragons (31-6) 7.5-lead in the division, Richmond really hasn't checked in yet due to computer problems. It's clear, however, that the two-time defending Royal Conference Champs defense and rebounding are gonna get them into the playoffs again and keep Paul Bennett's incredible title machine humming.

It also looks like those infidels from the Mayo, the Miles Bulldogs (26-16, 2nd place), will put Tom Jargo into post season play, too. Akron is holding at .500 (16-16), while Brooklyn's Steve Feldheim is in for another long season in the cellar.

Up North, Iowa's Dennis Derby is hammering his foes (21-13) with a 9-game lead while Mike Resnick's River City Renegades (7-39) have the league's worst record. The Tornadoes may be the only team in the division to make the playoffs.

In the South, the defending SABL Champion Aces (46-5) are cruising to another divisional title with a 16-game lead over not Galactic, but Rob Storey's Nats (22-13). With both Galactic (16-13) and Chapel Hill (19-16) over .500, we have real playoff races going in the Classic Conference. Philip Creider's Tulsa Twisters (16-33) have sunk to the cellar,

Out West, Doug Dillingham's Finney Longhorns (25-8) are 4.5 games up on the autoplayed Bakersfield Blades and 7.5 games over his father's Holcomb Heat (15-13). Chris Gertridge's Good News Roosters (22-25) are still in the playoff hunt, though, but the last place Garden City Gladiators (10-30) are not.

It's the start of a new month in this 2001-02 SABL regular season and that means new stats and standings! Check out our League Leaders, Standings/Team Highs, and League Totals links for the latest! I will also be updating our standings every week from now on and I'll be updating our other stats at the beginning and middle of each month.

The Chapel Hill Jams dropped 3 out of 4 to McLean. Game 1: Jams 115 McLean 103. Glen Rice had a season high 22 points while Jerry Stackhouse shot the Nats out of it by hitting just 7 of 28 shots. Game 2: McLean 116 Chapel Hill 110 -- amazing stat: The Jams only had 4 Turnovers to McLean's 17, but still managed to lose. Game 3: BLOWOUT -- McLean 120 Chapel Hill 84. Game 4: McLean 98 Chapel Hill 90. Nats led all the way behind Stackhouse's 28. McLean killed the Jams on the boards in all 3 wins.

Florida Strat World Presents The:

Second American Basketball League

SABL

League Leaders Past NewslettersRecords All-Stars Draft Preview 2001

Standings/Team Highs Members Rosters & Stats2001 Draftable Players 2001-02 League Disk

E-mail The Commissioner 2001-02 Constitution 2001-2002 Schedule Of Events

Past Draft Results Trades2001-02 Season Preview 2001 Draft

SABL Minutes 2001League Totals2000 Draft Histories

McLean can't stand the Heat

Twisters rebound from wretched December

Florida Strat World Presents The:

Second American Basketball League

SABL

League LeadersPast NewslettersRecordsAll-StarsDraft Preview 2001

Standings/Team Highs MembersRosters & Stats2001 Draftable Players2001-02 League Disk

E-mail The Commissioner 2001-02 Constitution2001-2002 Schedule Of Events

Past Draft Results Trades2001-02 Season Preview2001 Draft

SABL Minutes 2001League Totals2000 Draft Histories

McLean can't stand the Heat

Twisters rebound from wretched December

League Leaders Past NewslettersRecords All-Stars Draft Preview 2001

Standings/Team Highs Members Rosters & Stats2001 Draftable Players 2001-02 League Disk

E-mail The Commissioner 2001-02 Constitution 2001-2002 Schedule Of Events

Past Draft Results Trades2001-02 Season Preview 2001 Draft