Florida Strat World Presents The

The Miles Bulldogs run their home record to 5-0 with a thrilling 118-116 victory over the Galactic Thunder before a capacity crowd at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, Minn.

Lamar Odom led the Bulldogs with 34 points, including the game-winner at the buzzer. Odom, who played a few minutes at point guard, added 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks. Terry Porter was an offensive spark for the Dogs, scoring 12 points and adding 7 assists off the bench.

Galactic, which shot 53 percent from the field, was led by Karl Malone and Shawn Kemp with 24 each.

"It was a big win for us," Miles coach Hayden Fry said. "We haven't had much success against the Thunder. It boosts our confidence to beat one of the elite teams in the league."

Rumor has it that Scott Ellis, owner of the St. Lucie Aces (who CNN and NBC have projected to win the SABL championship) celebrated another Thunder defeat by sending a truck load of beer to Bulldogs owner Tom Jargo.

Rumors of at least one uncounted basket in 3 separate quarters has sent representatives of the Galactic Empire on a strategy to find a few more voter points that would put the people's popular choice in the win column.

Said Coach Walters "In a game this close every point needs to be counted, at least once."

At a press conference at the Mayo Civic Center, Lamar Odom admitted that he meant to score the game-winning basket for the Galactic Thunder but became confused.

After a thorough recount, some Miles players were found to have scored more than once. Those points were thrown out.

Commissioner's Note: In the latest Zogby Poll, 60% of SABL coaches believe Thunder Coach Steve Walters should concede, while 40% think he should appeal this all the way to the SABL Finals next spring.

In game 1 the Dragons used 16 steals and 13 blocks to hold off a determined Iowa squad. Asia’s big 4 of Jones, Robinson, Armstrong and Mason were great and led by Jones with 24 and Robinson with 21. Isaiah Rider scored 22 in 23 minutes to spark the visitors.

Game 2 saw a 18 point home win as Asia were just a little better in all areas in this one. Eddie Jones scored 24 and Vince Carter responded with 20 in a game that saw Asia outshoot Iowa 51% - 43%.

Eddie Jones scored 23 to lead 7 Asia players in double digits to offset Carter’s 29 in a convincing victory. Asia shot 56%, forced 26 turnovers, and held Iowa to 43% shooting to key the victory.

Holcomb Heat were cool from the floor last night, as they shot only 39% from the floor compared with 51% for the home side.

The Dragons were led by Armstrong (29pts., 8 ass.) and Jones with 28. Asia shot 93% from the charity stripe (27-29) and had 27 assists compared to 14 for the Heat.

McLean came to Chiang Mai at the wrong time of year as the red hot Dragons pulled away for a 118-81 victory.

Eddie Jones had a great day with 40 points on 14-23 shooting (5-10 3pt), while the Admiral had 21 pts., 14 rbs., and 4 blocks. Stackhouse scored 21 to lead McLean, who were outshot 54% to 36%, out-rebounded 49-33 and out-passed 35-17.

Perhaps the Thai nightlife can be held responsible for the results in this one, as the Dragons scored a convincing 113-78 victory over the Twisters.

Eddie Jones (33 pts., 7 rebs., 3 steals) led the way, while Armstrong (21 pts., 5 steals, 10 ass.) and Robinson (18 pts., 12 reb., 5 ass.) were also very strong. Antonio Davis led Tulsa with 11 as the Twisters shot a dismal 35% while the Dragons shot 59%. Asia led in steals 16-7, rebounds 45-34 and assists 31-15.

The Dragons are having their best home stand ever and hopes are high for the rest of the season, especially once Jerome Williams come to Chiang Mai in January. The next game against Sublimity will be a real tester.

Asia blew an 11 point lead with 5 minutes to play and then had Darrel Armstrong hit a trey with 1 second left to steal a 113-111 victory. After Alan Houston scored on a drive with 9 seconds left, Asia took a timeout and called Armstrong’s number and he hit the big shot. With Kidd on Jones and Robinson outside on offence, it was all Armstrong and he made it count.

Asia weas led by Jones and Armstrong with 26 each and Mason with 18, 10 boards, 5 assists and 2 steals. Alonzo Mourning had the best game of the year against the Dragons as he was unstoppable (39 pts., 9 rebs., 3 steals and 3 blocks). Jason Kidd had 21 and 11 assists in 32 minutes.

The Senators overcame some rookie coaching blunders to post a 5-1 home record over their first six games.

The Senators outscored Miles 19-4 down the stretch to pull out this close tilt. Alan Houston led all scorers with 31 points. The Bulldogs had seven players scoring in double figures, led by rookie Lamar Odom's 18. Sublimity shot 60 percent (12-for-20) beyond the 3-point arc.

I don't believe the Tigers will earn the top draft pick again next season - this team plays well together. It will be interesting to see if they gel as well with Odom instead of Brand...Houston had another strong night with 29 points, draining 11 of 15 firld goals (including 3 of 4 3-pointers) and converted all four of his free throw attempts. Cuttino Mobley lead Brookyn with 20 points.

Another 10-point win for the Senators. Davenport outscored Sublimity 29-16 in the third quarter to carry a one-point lead into the final 12 minutes, but Jason Kidd scored seven key points in the final 3:09 to put the game on ice. Houston again top top honors with 28 points, while the Dazzlers were paced by Steve Smith and Rik Smits, who scored 17 points each.

The Renegades overcame a sub-par first half to make this game more than interesting enough for the Senators. The difference was at the charity stripe, where Sublimity outscored River City, 20-9. Alonzo Mourning lead all scorers with 27 points, while Michael Dickerson topped the Renegades with 25 points.

The Senators couldn't contain Tri-City's Torrid Trio in the backcourt, as Larry Hughes (29), Stephon Marbury (25) and Charlie Ward (24) repeatedly rung up points against the Senator guards. The fourth quarter was an absolute disaster, as the Blackhawks outscored Sublimity, 38-20. 'Zo scored 28 points, and the Senators lost despite making 30 of 34 free throws.

The Senators shot 63 percent from the floor en route to the lopsided win. Vince Carter was the the lone bright spot for the Tornadoes, scoring 27 points. Mourning led Sublimity with 28 points. The Senators capitalized on 19 Iowa turnovers.

The Miles Bulldogs opened the home season with a surprisingly easy four-game sweep of the East Asia Dragons before a raucous crowd at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, Minn.

Turnovers and lousy free throw shooting did in the Dragons. In the four games, the Dragons wilted against the Bulldogs pressing defense, committing 116 turnovers. And they hit a mere 91 free throws out of 137 attempts -- 66 percent.

Game 1 (115-94): Antoine Walker haunted his old team with 23 points, while Lamar Odom chipped in 21. Eddie Jones poured in 33 for the Dragons, who hit just 18 of 33 free throw attempts and committed 29 turnovers.

Game 2 (129-101): Walker cooled (only 5-21 from the field), but Ron Mercer and Terry Porter picked up the slack. Mercer was 10-15 from the field and 9-11 from the line for a team-high 29 points, while Porter terrorized his old

team with 21 points off the bench, including 4-5 from three-point land. The Dogs shot only 39 percent from the field, but grabbed 22 offensive rebounds. Anthony Mason led the Dragons with 21 points while hauling down 15 boards. Jones chipped in 21 points.

Game 3 (122-93): East Asia shot just 38 percent from the field and committed 31 turnovers, while the Dogs shot 53 percent from the floor and hit 21 of 24 free throw attempts. Mookie Blaylock led the Dogs with 23 points, while Walker added 22. The Admiral scored 24 for East Asia, and Jones added 20.

Game 4 (115-99): Darrell Armstrong had a great game in defeat -- 28 points on 11-15 from the field and 9 assists. However, he had 8 of East Asia's 31 turnovers against the pressing Dogs. Walker led a balanced attack with 20 points, while Odom, Doug Christie and Dikembe Mutombo chipped in 17 apiece. Blaylock added 15 points and 8 assists.

Heat avenge home loss to Tigers, de-clawing Brooklyn 127-102 as the Tigers continue to give away baskets by the ‘bucket’full. Holcomb shot 63% through the 3^rd quarter, 9-18 from 3pt. range, and had 104 points at the 3 qtr. mark. Led by Terry 21pts. And Kittles 18.

Defending SABL Champs Galactic Thunder overcame a 13 point 3rd quarter defecit and had a 2 point advantage with 2 minutes left, but failed to hold on as The Admiral made a late power bucket and Darrell Armstrong nailed 2 free throws to seal it.

Asia was led by Eddie Jones with 23, while Mason had 21. But the real story was Bo Outlaw who nailed 18 on 8-8 shooting and keyed the win with smothering defence and 4 steals on Malone while keying a 3rd period barrage by Mason on the break.

Galactic were led by Coleman with 24, one of 7 Galactic players in double digits.

It's not even Dec. 1 and all but four SABL teams have already played their first games; some have played a dozen or more games ! It's been a great start to our year. Once everyone has played some games, I'll post some stats.

Of Note: East Asia leads its East Division and Royal Conference with its 7-2 start. Brooklyn is 3-11, while Miles is 1-11.

But Miles has not gotten off to the worst start this year. That dubious honor is reserved for Iowa, with its 0-11 record, which is all-time SABL record for worst seasonal start. Dennis, I'm so sorry I jinxed your team in my preseason reviews.

In the South, the Aces (20-1), ARE NOT in first place. Galactic (8-0) is, by percentage points over St. Lucie. McLean is 4-9.

Tulsa fans went home disappointed as their Twisters failed in the game’s final second to hit the game-winning shot, losing to the Brooklyn Tigers 98-97. Off a nice pass from Twister, David Wesley, George McCloud missed a wide-open jump shot as time expired.

Said Twister coach, Philip Creider, "George had the open look but just could not knock it down. He’ll hit it next time."

The game was close throughout with the lead for either team never exceeding 8 points. As it turned out, the difference in the game was the solid bench play of Tigers, Gary Trent (14 points) and Corey Benjamin ( 13 points). Benjamin, especially, hit some major shots late in the game as his team made its successful surge to victory.

The Twisters got some nice scoring from its inside play with Antonio Davis, Rauf LaFrentz, and Bryant Reeves combining for 43 points. Except for Tim Hardaway’s 19 points from the outside, no perimeter player scored 10 or more points. "If we hope to be competitive this year, we definitely need more scoring from Wesley and McCloud", remarked Creider.

With its defense falling dormant in the fourth period, the Tulsa Twisters lose to the Richmond Raiders, 110-98. After containing the Richmond Raiders to 71 points through the first three periods, the Twister defense allows a whopping 39 points in the critical fourth period. Leading the Raider’s charge were former Twister Jamal Mashburn (24 points), Dirk Nowitzki (18 points) and Pedrag Stojakovic (14 points). Tulsa gets solid performances from Tim Hardaway (19 points) and Antonio Davis (14 points and 11 rebounds).

Problem, once again, is lack of help from the shooting guard and small forward positions, getting a total of only 9 points from David Wesley and George McCloud. Noted Tulsa coach, Philip Creider, "Wes may have a tough season with his off-court crisis while Mac may just plain stink. Going 1-7 from the field (as McCloud did) doesn’t cut it in this league."

Tulsa fans were treated with the Raider’s unique offensive set. Richmond elected to position no one inside, choosing just to penetrate or spot up. The strategy worked as they hit 49 percent from the field and 53 percent from three-point land.

Coach Steve Walters is defending his world championship with vigor, taking out Davenport 125-120. The Thunder's 8-0 record keeps his team in first place in the South Division, percentage points ahead of St. Lucie (20-1). Here's Steve's report:

Davenport had 7 men in double figures lead by Steve Smith's 23(7-7 from field 9-9 free throw line) points and Avery Johnson with 19 points.

Galactic put 6 players in double figures lead my Malone with 23 points Stockton 13 points and 15 assists, Richmond chipped in with 20 points and Coleman added 19 points.

Trailing 72-59 at the half Davenport at scored, home team, Galactic 30-18 to make it 90-89 at the end of 3 quarters. Dazzlers scored 31 in the 4th quarter, but still fell short as Galactic thundered to 35 points it the 4th quarter to finally put the game away 125-120.

Richmond had 7 men in double figures lead by Finley with 17 points. Jackson had 10 assists.

Galactic had 6 men in double figures lead by Malone with 26, Stockton had 17 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds in 32 minutes and Brandon added 17 points and 8 assists.

Well, it wasn't smooth, but the Nats made 36 of 48 free throws to hold off a determined Brooklyn team, 112-104. The Nats took several 8-12 point leads throughout the game, but the Tigers just came coming back. Finally, the fouls did them in, however, when Brand fouled out with two minutes left. He led the Tigers with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Divac led the Nats with 23 points and 13 boards.

Miles was lead by Walker with 24 (10-10 free throws). For Galactic Brandon had 32 points and 9 assists, Richmond and Malone added 20 points each.

Galactic was lead by Kemp's 26 points of the bench as 7 players scored in double figures

Galactic had 8 players scoring in double figures, topped by Malone with 22. Stockton had 15 plus 12 of Thunder' 40 assists.

Galactic had 6 men in double figures lead by Stockton with 23 points and 12 assists and Malone with 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Galactic had 7 players in double figures lead by Pippen with 22. He was 10-10 including 2-2 from 3 point range.

Heat open the season with a home loss to the Brooklyn Tigers. Elton Brand hits a free throw with 3 seconds left to win the game.

The game was not as close as the score, as River City tallied the game's final 9 points.

The Renegades were paced by R. Miller with 36 and Dickerson with 31. They were no match for the Thunder balance, however. Malone 27, Brandon 22 & 8 assists, Pippen and Coleman 21 each. Kemp 17. Stockton 14 points and 14 assists.

The Aces set the SABL's all-time record for best regular-season start (19-0) before losing at McLean 124-102. Let's let Nats Coach Bob Storey tell about his first-ever win against St. Lucie:

    Well, it had to happen one year or another. McLean beat the Aces for the first time since the franchise moved to Virginia. The fact that they were outplayed consistently in the other three games took little off the glow the home team felt.
    The McLean coach commented after the win, "we have figured out how to beat these guys. All we need is for them to shoot 'badly' (46 percent versus at least 60 percent in the other three games) out rebound them (52-29, versus losing the boards by an average of 41-33 in the other three games) and shoot well (62 percent). Then it is simple -- we win by 22. Otherwise, well...." Stackhouse had 34 in the 124-102 win.
    McLean thought they also had a chance in one other game, when both O'Neal and Hill got in early foul trouble, but Mikki Moore and Byron Russell combined for 30 on 13 for 16 shooting. Payton and Cassell added 48 and the result was an esy 126-108 walkover. St. Lucie also won the other two games by playing the Nats even into the second half, and then using a run to put the games away, 126-108 (again!) and 133-115. Overall, the Aces had at least five double figure scorers in each game and averaging 35 assists a game.

The St. Lucie Aces overcame a 12 point halftime deficit to defeat the surprising River City renegades 121-120.

The Renegades used early foul trouble for Webber and Payton, and deadly 3 point shhoting to build their early advantage. The Aces closed to 6 after 3 quarters, and took their 1st lead, 98-97, on 2 Shaq free throws with 9:46 remaining.

River City stormed back behind 10 R. Miller points to take a 107-104 lead with 6:57 remaining. A Funderburke basket returned them to the lead, 109-108, with 6:19 left. Gary Payton, who finished with 32 points on 14-16 shooting, then scored the game's next 8 points to put the Aces up 114-109, with 3:06 left. Anderson hit a 3 and Payton responded with a basket to make it 116-112 with 2:18 remaining. Neither team scored in the next 30 seconds.

The Aces took time out and fed the ball to Shaq. The Renegades chose not to foul and Shaq fed Webber for a dunk. Miller responded with a 3 to cut the lead to 118-115 with 1:16 left. Cassell hit a jumper, 120-115 with 1:08 left. Miller hit yet another 3 to close River City to 120-118 with :46 left. Shaq was fouled with :32 left and made 1-2 free throws. Oliver Miller scored on an offensive rebound to close the gap to 1, 121-120 with :13 left. The Renegades were unable to foul and the Aces ran out the clock.

The River City Rockets used a 74 point 2nd half to overcome a 3 point deficit and defeat McLean 123-113.

Michael Dickerson scored a season high 41 points, including the last 7 of the game, to lead River City past Holcomb 108-101.

Frank Rowley's Richmond Raiders came the closest to beating the Aces this year so far, losing 123-113 at home and just 118-114 away. St. Lucie is now 12-0 against Royal Conference teams.

In the close game at St. Lucie, the Raiders led at the half 61-51, but then had a bad third quarter, getting outscored 39-23 in that period. The Aces had the press on the entire second half, but even so, the Raiders came back in the final period, tying the game at several points, outscoring the Aces 30-28, putting a real scare into the undefeated St. Lucie squad.

Richmond's Michael Finley was just brilliant, scoring 29 with 10 assists, leading his team in both categories. Jamal Mashburn scored 26.

Gary Payton scored 25 points and had 9 assists for St. Lucie. Chris Webber scored 23 and had 10 rebounds. Shaq had 15 rebounds and Grant Hill netted 21.

Paul Bennett's East Asia Dragons (3-2) won their first three games of the year at Iowa, sweeping the Tornadoes. River City (6-2) took two of three from Miles at home.

If you're tired of hearing about the Aces, send me your own highlights and write-ups. There's no way I can do highlights for all 1640 SABL games, so if you want to see your team's escapades in print on our website, just type 'em up and email 'em! I'd be glad to reprint them.

Tom Jargo's Bulldogs played the Aces tough for three quarters, but were outscored 42-28 in the fourth to lose it. Miles actually led at the end of the first quarter 34-29 and were tied at the half, 65-65. The Bulldogs gnawed their way to a 10-point lead in the third quarter, leading at the end of the third period 97-94, before starting to wear out against the relentless Ace press.

Antoine Walker was great for Miles, scoring 29, with 10 boards and 7 assists. Ron Mercer scored 24 and Lamar Odom had 23. Mutombo had 13 rebounds and Mookie Blaylock had 10 assists.

The Aces' Shaquille O'Neal scored 21 with 16 rebounds. Sudden Sam Cassell had 33 points and 13 assists. Payton scored 24 and Chris Webber had 20 points.

THESE DEALS TAKE EFFECT JANUARY 1, 2001. DO NOT ADJUST ROSTERS UNTIL YOU'VE PLAYED YOUR DECEMBER GAMES WITH THESE TEAMS. I WILL NOT ADJUST ROSTERS ON OUR WEBSITE UNTIL JAN. 1.

7. Holcomb trades M. Ruffin, Cato & Holcomb's 1st to Finney for R. Lewis & Anstey

6. Sublimity sends Van Horn & Howard to Iowa for G. Robinson and Billups.

5. Davenport trades T. Mills, Hawkins and its 2nd pick to Bettendorf for Weatherspoon and B. Jackson

2. Brooklyn trades Brand and its 2nd pick to Miles for Odom and Miles' 1st pick.

Brooklyn lost all three of its games at Davenport while the Aces won all four at home vs. McLean. Davenport is now 3-1, Brooklyn is 0-7 and St. Lucie is 13-0. The Aces are 9-0 so far against Royal Conference opponents.

Once I get enough game files from everyone to have meaningful league stats, I will post them. And even if I don't get enough, I always post what I have by about Jan. 1, and then about every two weeks after that.

Steve Feldheim's Brooklyn Tigers went on a 16-1 run in the third period and almost won their first game vs.Chapel Hill, but Tommy Field's Jams starting pulling it out when Antwan Jamison hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer at the end of the fourth quarter to tie it and send it into overtime, where the Jams won 127-119.

Other notable starts: The Aces are 7-0 so far, all against Royal Conference opponents. River City is 4-1 so far, losing only to the Aces. Iowa is 0-6, losing two to the Aces and four to River City.

Iowa ran into a tornado at River City, losing all four games, giving the Renegades and new Coach Mike Resnick a 4-0 start.

St. Lucie again beat an East Division team two straight, East Asia, 126-101 and 122-119.

In the first game at St. Lucie, the Dragons shot just 45% from the field and 67% from the line, got out rebounded 41 to 33 and out-dazzled 41 to 25 assists. Coach Paul Bennett's Dragons had 11 turnovers, St. Lucie had none.

It wasn't a good night for East Asia, but Eddie Jones did score 34 for the Dragons and Darrell Armstrong had 9 assists.

For St. Lucie, who cruised to a 4-0 start with these wins, Grant Hill scored 27, Gary Payton scored 25 with 11 assists and 7 boards, Chris Webber had 21 points, Shaq had 15 rebounds and Sudden Sam Cassell racked up 14 assists.

In the game overseas, O'Neal scored 18 and had 10 rebounds, while Cassell scored 21 and had 9 assists. For East Asia, Jones had 24 points while The Admiral really hurt his old team with 30 points in 32 minutes. Darrell Armstrong scored 23 points and Duane Causwell scored 11 points in 12 minutes.

St. Lucie took its two games with the Tigers 140-116 and 129-116. In the 140-pointer, the Aces' deadly duo of Sudden Sam Cassell and Gary Payton tallied 70 points, 10 rebounds and 23 assists. Shaq added 21 points and 10 boards, while Chris Webber had 13 rebounds. Elton Brand led Coach Steve Feldheim's Tigers with 24 points

In the 129-pointer at Brooklyn, Brand scored 26 with 11 rebounds while Brooklyn's Cuttino Mobley scored 21. Grant Hill scored 25 and had 11 assists for the Aces and Payton scored 21 with 8 assists.

Now that the official league disk is out and we are playing games, check out how I've legally (by SABL rules) allocated minutes, steal-shooting, Inside-Outside percentages and shot selection on my game plan minutes grid. Knowing how to do this will maximize your team's potential. If you have any questions about how to do this, please email or phone me and I'd be glad to explain.

I forgot to set everyone's game to HOLD, which is crucial when you want to import stats from other coaches. If you accidentally play an away game, then you can't import results from another coach and he can't import yours.

3. GO THROUGH THE ENTIRE SABL SCHEDULE, INTO MARCH, AND SET EACH DAY'S GAMES TO HOLD THROUGH THE BATCH FILE OPTION. IF YOU DO THIS OPTION, YOU WON'T HAVE TO DO THE FOLLOWING NUMBER 4 INSTRUCTION:

4. If you've already played official league games, that's OK. Copy or export those games to a disk (gfl files) and reimport them once you've restarted our league.

I'm so sorry for the inconvenience. Hopefully I've caught most of you before you've played any games.

Yep, I called Bettendorf last in their division last year and they almost won it. So, let's see who I give the jinx to this time around in my annual 2000-01 Season Preview. Enjoy!

42. Sublimity trades A. Miller, Divac, Horace Grant & its first pick to McLean for Mourning, Howard & Bibby

It's on our website at our 2000-01 League Disk link and it's also been emailed to every coach. What is it, you say? Why, it's our Official 2000-01 SABL League File, sabl.exe, and it means YOU CAN START SENDING OUT INSTRUCTIONS AND START PLAYING YOUR DECEMBER LEAGUE GAMES ASAP!!!!

Sabl.exe a self-extracting file, so all you have to do after downloading it is double-click on it (or single-click, depending on how you have your W95/W98/WinME configured) and it automatically installs our SABL league (labeled "2000-01 S") into your SOM game for you. No muss, no fuss, just start your game, it'll be there.

This also means, of course, that our preseason trading period, which expired at 11:59pm on Nov. 5, is over. All trades made now until Dec. 1 will take effect beginning Jan. 1.

Our new schedule is again compact, with everyone finishing regular season games by March 1.

And, of course, for the benefit our our new coaches, I now repeat my annual "HOW-TO" primers on this screwed-up but wonderful pastime we know and love as SABL Computer Strat-O-Matic Basketball:

The best way to understand how our SABL schedule works is to print it out and study it. Then you'll know what you have to do when. I suggest doing that ASAP and highlighting your team's games. Here's how to get to it: Click on General Manager Functions, then League Management, then Schedule League Games, then Print Schedule.

For all our new coaches, here's brief instructions on how to import & export game files & plans:

TO SEND INSTRUCTIONS AND RESULTS:
Step 1 - Attach the file to an email message. Your email program should have a paper clip icon or words that say attach or insert file. Look in your SOMBK\LEAGUES directory for files that end in .gfl and .gpl. GFLs are game files (box scores/stats) and GPLs are game plans (computer instructions).

Step 2 - Send them to your opponent and send the game files only (box scores and stats) to the commissioner (ME).

Step 2 - For .gfls, start the SOM game and go to Statistical Functions, then Process Game Files, then Import the game file. For .gpls, start the appropriate League Game and then import the game plan under your opponent's lineup.

When folks get traded during our season this year, USE THE TRADING FUNCTION TO TRANSFER PLAYERS FROM ONE TEAM TO ANOTHER. DO NOT DELETE PLAYERS OR YOU WILL MESS UP EVERY GAME PLAN (gpl) AND GAME FILE (gfl/box scores/stats) THAT YOU SEND OUT FROM THEN ON. IT WILL COST THE LEAGUE A LOT OF TIME AND ME A LOT OF EXTRA WORK AND YOU WILL GET PENALTY POINTS FOR IT. IF I IMPORT A MESSED-UP DISK FROM YOU INTO OUR LEAGUE STATISTICAL DATABASE, IT WILL MESS IT UP AND I'LL HAVE TO REDO EVERYTHING MANUALLY!!! IF YOU SCREW IT UP, I MAY BE LOOKING FOR A NEW COACH.

You can only have 12 active players on your roster, per series. You have to let your opponent know who is on your roster via your instructions. Include player names and real-life NBA teams. If you send a computer game file, of course, all this stuff is already on it and you don't have to send written snail or email instructions with it.

You can send players up and down by each individual 2, 6 or 8-game series, but you can't do it by individual games.

As you examine our league disk, you'll notice that all the players on your team are exact clones of their NBA counterparts. Strat programs players and NBA teams to try and ensure that they finish about the same as they did in the previous real-life season. If you decide to let the computer run your team, to make your team play better, you'll most likely have to rearrange the minutes played so it will substitute players as you wish. You can even program in how you want your players to shoot and whether or not to shoot on the fastbreak.

Just remember - you can never play a guy out of his carded positions and you can never add more total minutes per game to his profile. HOWEVER, A GUARD CAN PLAY EITHER POINT GUARD OR SHOOTING GUARD IN THE SABL. WHEREVER IT SAYS YOU CAN PLAY ON THE CARD, YOU CAN PLAY.

While you can't play anyone out of position on offense, thanks to the "Assign" function in our computer basketball game, you can assign anyone to cover anyone else on defense. This means that you could assign Shaq to cover Muggsy Bogues. I don't know why you'd want to do this, but you could.

A word of caution, however: Like a lot of other things in this game, the Assign function doesn't always work correctly. Sometimes the computer game will refuse to assign the player where you want them to go. Ditto for the Double-Team function. Have fun.

Also, it is your responsibility to keep up with all trades from now on yourself during the season. Watch our website for the trades, look on the instructions you get to see who your opponent is playing, and make the changes via the TRADE function in the computer game.

NEVER, AND I MEAN NEVER, USE THE DELETE A PLAYER FUNCTION OR CLONE A PLAYER FUNCTION IN OUR OFFICIAL SABL LEAGUE.

For those of you new to our league, please trust me on these restrictions. SOM's basketball game is a programming mess and it's not at all like the baseball game, where every manager can create their own leagues and stats can be easily added and deleted. THIS IS THE ONLY WAY IT CAN WORK IN AN SOM BASKETBALL PBM LEAGUE EFFICIENTLY. I have reprinted a ton of material from our past newsletters below on the proper ways to do things in our league, but if you have any questions, please phone me or email me.

The proper way to make trading adjustments on your official SABL league (the "2000-01 S" league) is this:

1. Teams that have made trades that take effect Jan. 1 should not adjust their rosters until they have played all their games in December. Teams that make trades which take effect Feb. 1 should not adjust their rosters until they have played all their December and January games. Likewise, the trading teams cannot send out any January or February game plans (disk) instructions until their rosters are adjusted and until all their December and/or January games are played. This is for SABL league statistical reasons. TRADING TEAMS, YOU'LL HAVE TO BE ON THE BALL OR IT WILL CAUSE ME AND EVERY OTHER COACH IN THE SABL EXTRA WORK! YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING THIS HAPPEN, NOT ME. CONTACT LATE COACHES TO GET THE JOB DONE. LET ME KNOW IF THEY AREN'T COOPERATING. THIS IS THE PRICE YOU PAY TO TRADE DURING THE SEASON.

2. DO NOT DELETE OR CLONE THESE PLAYERS! YOU MUST USE THE TRADING FUNCTION TO MOVE THESE PLAYERS FROM ONE TEAM TO ANOTHER. IF YOU DON'T IT WILL MESS UP OUR OFFICIAL LEAGUE DATABASE AND COULD MESS UP STATS OR GAME PLAN INSTRUCTIONS AN OPPONENT WOULD SEND TO YOU OR THOSE YOU WOULD SEND TO AN OPPONENT. IT WILL ALSO CAUSE ME A LOT OF EXTRA WORK AND COST YOU PENALTY POINTS.

Just because the constitution says you should send stats to me on the 15th and 1st of every month doesn't mean you can't send them earlier. In fact, if it's more convenient for you to email me results at the same time you email results to your opponents, go ahead! That would be great!

These are excerpts from our SABL Constitution with regards to when instructions should arrive at your opponents's place. If you are a week late, you get penalty points unless you have a darn good excuse.:

It’s the responsibility of each coach to keep his own team stats and e-mail them to the statistician (the commissioner) during the season. Individual game files (.gfl) and box scores (.prt) must be sent to the statistician. They are due to be in the statistician's hands by two weeks after the game was due to be played, during the season (Example: Dec. 1 game, in statistician's hands by Dec. 15). If you don’t send in or are late with your stats, you won’t be listed in the league leader reports and you’ll get two penalty points. If you’re late two months in a row, you’re expelled from the league. Accumulation of 21 points means expulsion from the league.

Also, it’s the responsibility of each coach to get series stats to his opponent within two weeks of the day the games are scheduled. Individual game files (.gfl) and box scores (.prt) must be sent. If a coach has not received results within two weeks, he should call his opponent to see what’s happening. At this time the offending coach will receive 1 penalty point. For every week after that, if a coach is late with results, the coach will receive a penalty point. If results haven't been received for two weeks, the waiting coach should call the commissioner, who then must notify the coach within another week on how to proceed. It is the responsibility of coaches to inform the league and commissioner of circumstances which may cause lateness. It’s not the responsibility of the commissioner to nursemaid coaches.

Every time a manager is late with instructions, he incurs one penalty point. For each three points that are incurred, that coach will drop down one place in the draft order. Accumulation of 21 points means expulsion from the league.

Coaches should follow mailed instructions to the best of their ability and when instructions are unclear, to manage the team as they think their opponent would wish it to be managed. All computer coach vs. computer coach games will be played under the "Neutral Court" and "Static Fatigue" options. All instructions must have the team’s active roster and the real-life NBA team he plays for by his name. Failure to do this earns an opposing coach 1 penalty point.

If any coach is 30 days late with either instructions or results, autoplay their team, play the games and get me the game files (.gfl). Before doing so, however, try and contact the offending coach twice. If he has not, or cannot get you the goods before the 30-day deadline, autoplay the late team, play the games and send the coach and me the game files. Please let the commissioner know if the games are autoplayed.

Instructions should reach a coach by the day the games are scheduled to be played.. If they don’t, coaches must phone the opposing coach to find out what’s happening. If no instructions are received a week after that, the coach should contact the commissioner, who must notify the coach within another week on how to proceed. For each week a coach is late with instructions, he receives one penalty point. Accumulation of 21 points means expulsion from the league.

If a coach gets a month behind schedule, unless a special circumstance exists, he will be expelled from the league. The commissioner must authorize autoplayed games or whatever it takes to keep the SABL running on time. It is the responsibility of coaches to inform the league and commissioner of circumstances which may cause lateness. It’s not the responsibility of the commissioner to nursemaid coaches.

The SABL schedule consists of 82 games. 8 games will be played against vs. teams in your own division, 6 will be played versus teams in the other division of your conference and 2 versus teams in the other divisions outside your conference. The SABL has two conferences and four divisions of 5 teams each."

Timely and easy-to-understand instructions are what makes play-by-mail leagues go round. If instructions and results are late, then a league becomes sluggish and managers lose interest.

We won’t be late in the SABL. Every coach needs to send on time strategies and results to their opponents. Instructions should be in opponents hands by the dates indicated on the schedule. Results should be in opponent’s hands a week after the schedule date.

Paper box scores and exported game files onto floppy disks should be sent to every coach following every series. For one of our coaches, Paul Bennett in Thailand, there is only one option - you have to email him instructions and results.

Now that you have your official SABL league disks installed, you will be responsible for keeping track of trades on your own machines and trading players where appropriate.

Make sure you are playing against your opponent’s correct roster and make sure you let coaches know, via your instructions, who is on your roster. Include the players’ real life NBA team on your roster list, in every instruction set.

I must have your team stats in my hands by the 1^st and 15th of each month. Don’t wait for other coaches who are late sending instructions or results to you. Send what you have or you will be penalized. Check our SABL Constitution.

Each coach must send box scores and exported game files of every league game to the Commissioner by the first of the month. Our first stat reporting deadline is Jan. 1, 2001.

Make sure you have the game file and box score options selected when you play league games or you will cause your fellow coaches and Commissioner a lot of extra work and we will hate you.

When you play league games, do with with "No Auto Rest," or else the computer will not follow your lineups. Also use "Static Fatigue."

42. Sublimity trades A. Miller, Divac, Horace Grant & its first pick to McLean for Mourning, Howard & Bibby

Florida Strat World Presents The:

Second American Basketball League

SABL

League Leaders Past NewslettersRecords All-Stars

Standings/Team Highs Members Rosters & Stats2000 Draftable Players 2000-01 League Disk

E-mail The Commissioner 2000-01 Constitution 2000-2001 Schedule Of Events

Past Draft Results TradesDraft Preview 2000 2000-01 Season Preview

Team Summaries SABL Minutes 2000League Totals2000 Draft Histories

Florida Strat World Presents The:

Second American Basketball League

SABL

League LeadersPast NewslettersRecordsAll-Stars

Standings/Team Highs MembersRosters & Stats2000 Draftable Players2000-01 League Disk

E-mail The Commissioner 2000-01 Constitution2000-2001 Schedule Of Events

Past Draft Results TradesDraft Preview 20002000-01 Season Preview

Team SummariesSABL Minutes 2000League Totals2000 Draft Histories

League Leaders Past NewslettersRecords All-Stars

Standings/Team Highs Members Rosters & Stats2000 Draftable Players 2000-01 League Disk

E-mail The Commissioner 2000-01 Constitution 2000-2001 Schedule Of Events

Past Draft Results TradesDraft Preview 2000 2000-01 Season Preview

Team Summaries SABL Minutes 2000League Totals2000 Draft Histories