New Owners: Monsters Manual

There haven’t been a lot of turnover in Maize and Blue, as membership has stayed mostly steady over the years. Alan came abroad in 2014, defending champion Hong in 2013 (initially in a co-ownership role), Jon in 2012, and before that Porta in 2011. Back then, this very blog posited some expansion possibilities — really just a transparent ploy by me to get in — because it was such a long wait to crash into Maize and Blue. But this year, with just a few hours to go before the scheduled keeper declaration, we had not one but two owners drop out, citing personal reasons and a desire for more family time — or was it CTE studies and a spate of early NFL retirements also contributing to the cause?!

While we’re sad to see two original owners go in Ariel (Detroit Players) and Reno (Original Salt), we’re excited for some new blood to enter the fray. Yes, Dave and Donny are Michigan State folk but hey, until we have a battle royale for naming rights, this league still wears maize, and um, more maize. At least everyone is a Lions supporter right, right?! Haha, Lions...

Both Dave and Donny are serious fantasy veterans and came with Alan’s stamp of approval — with thankfully no GIFs — and from what I can gather, will be seriously competitors immediately. Dave will be taking over for a Players franchise that has gone 28-22-2 in the last four years, with three playoff appearances during that same span. They even boast the only the only back-to-back titles in modern MnB history, with 2007-08 being their repeat years. A few years ago we made a case that Detroit Players could be considered one of the greatest MnB franchises based on that fact alone, so that's a nice pedigree. Later on, we’ll delve into the team that Dave inherited, but it’s clear that there’s a strong tradition of winning to uphold here. Welcome Stink Pink Gators!

On the other end of the spectrum, the Original Salt franchise (formerly Rhythm Drive) has been a little less successful. A combined five year record of 21-44, a history of in-season mismanagement, and a fan base that has been screaming for a change at the top. After being one of the stronger teams in MnB’s early history, Original Salt really fell off the tracks after 2011. Then again, they did win an astonishing title in 2014, in an upset playoff run that shocked the nation and gave hope to every underdog forever. That 6-7 team snuck into the playoffs and then proceeded to show MnB what a focused — and slightly lucky — Salt franchise was capable of. With new owner Donny exuding confidence and experience, we foresee a quick rebuild and a return to glory for Team Grrrrific — that’s four “R’s” to engrave onto a future trophy, if you please.

The nice thing about having two owners enter together is that there’s a built-in rivalry. Stink Pink Gators and Team Grrrrific will always be mentioned together, like Biggie and Tupac, Magic and Bird, Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf. (Oops on that last one, whom Dave admitted to selecting over Manning during their rookie season.) Beyond that, Dave and Donny have been playing fantasy football together — with Alan — since the mid/late Nineties. Well placed sources say that Donny has tended to get the better of Dave during their extensive history, but Donny’s champioship breakthrough came in 2012, after sixteen long years of fantasy playing. Of course, if we’re counting XFL championships, then Dave is the reigning king, with a 2001 XFL title behind MVP Tommy Maddox! Let's see if our new D&D duo can reign atop Maize and Blue and take us one step closer to ultimate doom: "Spartan teams are never beaten, all through the game they fight; fight for the only colors, green and white." Somebody go squat on greenandwhiteleague.com right now...