June 25, 2002 - There are those who claim SLO is washed up, spent, no longer a force in this game.  "Nay sayers" of that sort don't anger or frustrate me; they merely provide a source of humor, and you can never have too much of that!  The fact is we know who we are, and we're quite content with our focus being on "fun first and foremost".  However, for those who like numbers, I know of no other team that's amassed 68 tourney victories in a single year, and we could've easily topped that!

    »  In basketball you always hear references to a team's bench, and how "deep" it is, their 2nd-string players.  Here on SLO no such format exists (2nd-string), however, in terms of depth where racing is concerned, allow me to throw a few names at ya - Fila, HotShoe, JDAK, SCAT, The Destroyer, Jumper, NANOO, Redneck, N8, Raz, Gutterboy, Preacher, and ObeOne.  Then we have two "up and comers", guys that used to be rumblers who've transitioned over to racing - GT3K & LaGGy, and these guys are no joke, I kid you not.  Quite a list, eh?  Oh yeah, and each of them can flat out fly!

    »  For now, however, I'll focus on one racer from that impressive lineup: "Fila".  He hails from Timisoara, Romania, and of late he's had...well, a lot of homework, which is why you haven't seen much of him (neither have we!), so you may not be familiar with the name.  However, the "old school" racers know who he is and what he's capable of doing on a track.  Several of us (N8, PA (The Destroyer), JDAK, SCAT, and myself--COPE) have had the pleasure of watching Fila grow up in the MTM 2 world, and it's a pleasure to see how far he's come, earning these types of wins in tourneys.      

    »  Cutting to the chase, he entered a tourney hosted by OLD_NICK@NITE, June 23, 2002 featuring "ONaN's Crazy 98-2".  In the final he faced two guys who can burn it up - superb racers, both of them...and Fila took it all!!!  With several tourney wins under his belt, I suppose I should start showing him a margin of respect, cutting back on remarks like "tennis shoe wannabe".  Well, I'll certainly consider that in the future, but for now, here are the official particulars, with a pic of Fila after the race having showered and changed:

                                    1st place - SLO_Fila  

                                    2nd place - ROXc_SS

                                    3rd place - RIP_Boom

Way to go, Fila!!!!!  You da man in my book...and I really dig the blue detail around the shoulders and back...as well as the lacing technique you used on your face.  Slick man...slick!!!  Once again, outstanding job, bud...and how about a SLO round of applause (coupled with a standing-o) for Fila!!!!  Congrats to ROX_SS and RIP_Boom on their podium finish, and special thanks goes out to +IndaDogHuze for overseeing this event.

June 25, 2002 - Got a few updates to make everyone aware of, so I'll just jump right in:

        •  Team website:  Coming sooner than you may realize, so if you want your picture next to your profile...you know the rest. 

        •  Returning team members:  Yes, it's true - our Jedi Knight in training (been in training for like...6 yrs now) has returned!!!  Truth be told, I never really liked the guy all that much, and it sure was peaceful when he was away, but I'm actually glad to see ObeOne back in the swing of things.  Welcome back, Obe!!!!

                »  Incidentally, there's been a change in plans; Obe will be doing our website now that he's back in action, and boy am I glad of that.  I don't know about all of you, but I'm ready for a change.  Let's get together sometime and chat about the page, Kanobi.

        •  Rendezvous:  Unbeknownst to most of you, Smiley and I met in Kansas City last week (June 20), and I'll tell you what, she is undeniably one of the nicest people I've ever met - she's adorable!!!  She was there for a student convention, so needless to say she was busy, hence we only got to spend an hour or so together.  Still, it was well worth the 2.5 hour drive to get to meet her, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.  Conversely, Jump was in a hotel 2 blocks from my house a while back and I didn't go see him...nor did I let him in when he rang my doorbell (called the cops).   Hehe ok I'm kidding; I'd probably meet up with him...if I had time, that is.  Stay tuned for pics of me and our Smiles!!

        •  Tracks: I've recently uploaded quite a few tracks to our track page.  I happened to come across some nice ones while helping Phineus with his track page (MTMG), so if you're looking for something different, something new (to you, that is) check it out. 

                »  Speaking of track pages, MTMG has a new look, and I'll tell you what - it's the best layout I've ever seen for a track page.  Phin has quite a few more tracks than we have, so if you don't find it at home, check his place out.  NOTE:  Much thanks to Red, PA, JDAK, SCAT, and Jump for assisting with getting the garage settings for Phin's page.

        •  R-Rs and CNRs:  I'm sure everyone's noticed the push to get RRs back in the limelight, and I hope it's successful.  It's a nice change up, and I'm going to start featuring RRs in our Fast Lane events from here on out.  As for CNRs, I suppose my curiosity was peaked when I beta'd this guy's (SIGage_) CNR track.  l told him I wasn't sure how to assess it since I don't play CNR, and at the time I didn't know the rules.  Well, to make a long story real short, I'd like to give this format a go.  I also think both formats would be enhanced by the use of Roger Wilco.  I'm going to be organizing a little CNR get together soon, and I'll post the info in our forum.

Lastly...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRO!!!!!!

June 3, 2002 - Thirty eight days ago today SLO recruited it's first player in over 8 months.  He referred to himself as ATL_Redneck, subsequently dropping the prefix of his name in exchange for three letters that represent THE most dynamic team in the MTM 2 Gaming Zone - period.  We knew he had the goods to be a member of this team with respect to his personality, team spirit, and attitude.  What we didn't know was how quickly he would rise from near absolute anonymity to become the ferocious contender he now is.   As expected, his frequent participation in pick-up races aided in the development of his skills and familiarization with an assortment of tracks sporting different road textures.  But nothing, and I mean nothing boosts a racer's self-confidence quite like capturing first place in a tourney, which is exactly what this guy did!

    »  Dog's Down & Dirty Racing Tourney featured Finne's "Top Speed", and Red, who was no slouch on it to begin with, tweaked his skills in the final days before the tournament, enabling him to not only win the tourney, but win it over two racing veterans in the MTM Community.  If you've never heard of him before today, I'm here to tell you, he's the real deal, and he's already begun serving notice to the racing community that there's a new guy in town; Red's his name...and speed is his game!

   »  How bout a HUGE SLO round of applause for BIG Red on his very first tourney win!!  Here are the official results:

                                      1st place - SLO_Redneck

                                      2nd place - RIP_Maniac_

                                      3rd place - RIP_DirtyRacer