TeamSLO.com - Sore Losers Organization

Prelude: There's a line from the fabled movie classic entitled "The Wizard of Oz" that many of us (old timers) are familiar with. Oh and hey, if you haven't seen it, check it out; Judy Garland was simply adorable in it (had a crush on her when I was a kid...madly in love)! Hehe--at any rate, the famous line from that flick goes like this: "Lions, and tigers, and bears - oh my!" I'm well aware that your average, everyday, truck crusher isn't too concerned with the aforementioned members from the local zoo, however, there's been an amendment to that line, and it goes a little something like, "NoX, and nOct, and Christy - OH MY!" These days you're likely to see "OMY!", but whichever you prefer, it doesn't change what I'm about to lay on ya - check it out:

October 29, 2001 - The SuperStar made a cameo appearance for this one, but couldn't stay long cause he had a few chores to take care of. Ea (the Mrs.) had him doing laundry, washing dishes, and dusting...and she makes him wear an apron, too...with flowers on it. Nope, nope...I kid you not! Yeah, he plays the macho-man/king of the universe role, and uh...he ain't. But hey, who cares about him; let's talk about Girlfriend (Christy)! In the now defunct "Battle of the Sexes" we went at each other pretty good as far as taunting and name-calling goes. I used words like scuz-o, dirtbag, hag, and of course, my all-time favorite - Crusty, when I addressed her (and a variety of hand gestures behind her back). But deep, deep, deep, deep, deep, deep, deep, deep...whew, deep, deep, deep, deep, deeeeeeep down inside there was always respect. (hehe) Well, she's now won her 2nd tourney, and I'd like to be the first one to bow in her presence (it'll never happen, but it sounds good, huh?) and render a heart-felt, "CONGRATS!!" Here are the details:

1st place - SLO_Christy & SLO_N8

2nd place - ZO_2wheel & ZO_coon

3rd place - ATW_8828 & ATW_DemolitionX

• Christy, I promise not to call you anymore names for...a whole 48 minutes!!! Yeah, ain't that something? A symbolic gesture to show just how much I care about ya (gag) !! What a sweetie she is (double gag!!!!) So hey everyone - please stand and put your hands together for the meanest, roughest, toughest, girl(?) on the team - Crus...I mean, Christaaaaaaaaaay!!!!!! Pictures at 4:00 p.m. Central; no autographs please.

• SLO would like to acknowledge +Valuablemoss (I'm gonna make this guy famous) for hosting, and say "gg" to all of the podium finishers - great job, you guys!! Got all that housework done yet, SuperStar? Hehehe

October 29, 2001 - Let's see, I've teased NoX about being cool in my book because he wore a cape (actually his name is a semi-clever little twist of the words "no escape". I knew that, but didn't care). Fact is, he would be better off if he actually wore a nice, tailor-made, cape; after all, look what it's done for me! I'll tell ya, these youngsters today swear up and down they know it all - little punks. As for The nOct3rn4l One, I'm convinced a 3rd grader helped him spell his name (and tie his shoes), but I can't prove it...and he refuses to discuss it. What a bunch of characters on this team, huh? Still, they're a talented bunch of characters, and as for these two, I believe it's they're first time hooking up for a tourney win, but I assure you it won't be the last! Here are the final standings:

1st place - SLO_nOct3rn4l & SLO_NoX

2nd place - FIRE_Rhino & FIRE_Tormentor

3rd place - XXX_Cabojoe & MGD_Ultimate

• Special thanks to +RunoverU for "hostin' up", and congrats to all of the podium finishers! As for NoX & nOct...to show my "personal" admiration, I'm going to let you "touch" my cape (not hold or wear, just feel; I don't want your grubby little fingers all over it) Uh huh...nice isn't it? Well, if you're good little rumblers over the next 537 days, I'll consider letting you touch it again! Hehehe--we definitely need a "SLO standing-O" for these two guys!! Congrats fellas, and I'm sure I'll be talking about you again on this page (whether you win or not!)

October 26, 2001 - Got an e-mail from N8 tonight, and he seems to be under the (misguided) impression I'm "slacking" with the updates. Hehe---don't go get pushy on me, SuperStar; I'm pacing myself! Besides, it's obvious you don't read this stuff anyway or you would've taken heed of my October 22 post...chump! Now that we have that straight, I got two tourney updates to lay on ya, and I'll start with the one I'm "behind" on:

• This first one took place just THREE days ago (2 really--just after midnight now), and it was of the one-on-one variety. As per usual, N8ster was in top form on the cube, and although we're closing in on Halloween, he wasn't in the "Trick or Treat" mood, nor was he giving out candy; all he had for his opponents was a beating.

• Hehe - special thanks go out to ValuableMoss for hosting this baby, and +Without_Reason for the assist! Here are the final "punch stats":

1st place - SLO_N8

2nd place - FIRE_Rhino

3rd place - Ionoone

• I think it's safe to say we're all vaguely familiar with this combo - SLO_N8 & SLO_nOct3rn4l. Yeah, they're not on this page a whole lot, but when I get the opportunity, I like to say something nice about em...I mean, if it comes up, you know. Hehe--once AGAIN, these two guys have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt they're two of the best truck masher-uppers out there!! Seems like every time they find themselves in a tourney of late, they're rewriting the history books with respect to rumbling. Way to go you guys, but if you want to prove you're really good, meet me and RAZ on the cube - any day. I'll be the one with the cape, red boots and big fargin SC (SuperCope) across my chest, and RAZ will be the one with the hair curlers and pink, fluffy house slippers. Ok, so he's not much on style - the guy can rumble!!!

• Special thanks to +Madjack_359 for hosting this one up!! Here's a wrap of the final results:

1st place - SLO_nOct3rn4l & SLO_N8

2nd place - SGL_HeH8teMe & SGL_GOODFELLA

3rd place - ZO_Coon & ZOcc_Lesteratt

Thanks again to the tourney hosts, and "gg" to all the podium finishers!!! Last, but certainly not least - N8/nOct...whenever you guys are ready to lose, you just look me and RAZ up...ya hear? Hehehe--HUGE congrates to you guys!!!

October 23, 2001 - You see guys like this once every blue moon, and we have a couple of them on the team in SLO_SCAT and SLO_Jumper. They're super nice guys (well, SCAT's not nearly as nice as he "used" to be, and Jump's kind of a pain in everyone's wazoo nowadays, but for the sake of arguments...), "quintessential team players" (hehe--I've been waiting like...2 years to use that word), and absolutely superb racers. Oh, and I dare not let it go unsaid that the rest of our team is made up of "class acts" - every one of them no less significant than the two I just mentioned. We've been extremely lucky in the personnel department, and just when we thought it couldn't get any better, along comes this guy who's extremely well known on the MTM 2 scene, and as of today, we'll refer to him as...

SLO_AlG

• So imagine if you will this lineup of racers: SLOs NANOO, Fila, JDAK, Preach, Gutterboy, RAZ, N8, SCAT, PA (The Destroyer), Jump, 3B, FLASH, SS and myself (COPE)...with CLV, nLuVnIt, BRO, & our resident Duck honing their skills as I speak. And then...you throw in AlG. Heheh--man o' man, talk about a topnotch group of roadsters, and boy have we been burnin' it up on the tracks!!!!

• AlG - welcome to the team, my friend. We're DEFINITELY glad to have someone of your caliber on our roster. Oh, by the way, being the most recent addition to the group, you'll serve as the team's "towel boy/truck washer/drink fetcher/tailpipe checker and waiter-waitress (wear something...tasteful)-parking attendant-bouncer at our team functions. Sorry man - BRO and Duck had those jobs, but since you're the new guy on the block...see where I'm going? And get used to your "addtional duties"; you're the last new member we'll have for quite some time since we've closed our doors 'til spring/summer of next year! Hehe - in all seriousness, however, your presence will serve only to enhance what we feel is THE most dynamic team in the entire Gaming Zone - period (so I'm biased...so what!). How bout a "SLO standing-O" for our newest member - SLO_AlG!!!

October 22, 2001 - As warped as my imagination is, as wild as some of my stories have been during the 11 months I've been writing for our team page...even I sometimes hit rock bottom when trying come up with a new angle in order to convey a fact that's undeniably well known to our team, but also to the entire MTM 2 community as well. The subjects at hand: The Dynamic Duo - SLO_nOct3rn4L & SLO_N8. In a way I would appreciate it if they won "less often", you know. They seriously put a strain on my creative juices, and at this point I'm not even sure if I'll be able to continue writing for this page!

• With that said, I'm not going to hold our viewers in suspense. Yeah...you guessed it; they won yet again. Yay. Yahoo. Whoopie. Can't wait to see them so I can go, "so what?" Hehehe. +StormMaker played host to this 2 vs 2 Spur-like slug-o-rama, and the final results go something like this:

1st place - SLO_nOct3rn4l & SLO_N8

2nd place - GohanGZ & XXX_THESNAKE

3rd place - VTR_MaDKiWi & VTR_REDSOX45

• How bout (yet another) HUGE round of applause for these two, TEAM SLO!!! Seriously, you guys are "unfreakinbelieveable"!!!! Also congrats to the other podium finishers - great job you guys!!

October 21, 2001 - Well...we've run approximately six installments of our Zone-wide "Race-Rumble Events", and I'm happy to report they're catching on. It was looking pretty dismal there for a while, but the fact is the "regulars" who participate every weekend are what put this function over the hump. Now that it's gotten a little notoriety, my belief is we'll start to see a marked increase in the number of players taking part in this event...and why not!! Just like it says at the top of the page, if you haven't tried it...nuff said!

• So, to LS6_POOH, LS6_Deanna, ATW_WannaGoFast, OLD_Ghost, OLD_Zero, ROX_SS, and a slew of others names I simply can't recall at the moment (just woke up!!)...thanks guys/girls; your loyalty to this "cause" really helped make it what it is today.

• And to the newcomers who have seemingly found a comfort zone (no pun intended) at these events: ZOro_Player, ZO_TwoStroke, ZO_426_HEMI, ZO_WVCHAMP, ZOc_GrandPrix, ROX_Draft, TheXtremeGZ, Firestonegirl, _70_bronco, and many more...thanks to you all - you're the best!!!! And of course, a heartfelt thanks to TEAM SLO. I could elaborate on that sentiment alone for another 40 minutes easy, but you guys know...you know. Besides, I have to go to the bathroom!!! Hope to see you out there this weekend!!

October 15, 2001 - Ever see the movie, "The Karate Kid"? If so, one of the more memorable sequences is when Mr. Miyagi demonstrates to the young, overzealous, but oh so naive Daniel how his unconventional training techniques paid off. I'm sure those of you who saw the film vividly recall, "Show me, paint fence". "Now show me, wax on-wax off." Well with N8 I pretty much employed those same techniques in an effort to hone his rumbling skills. Yeah, he whined, and complained...threatened to sick his wife, Ea on me, but in the end, the little punk complied with my demands. I even used some of the same phrases, but with subtle variations, like "Show me...paint COPE'S truck" "Now show me...wax COPE'S truck - wax on, wax off (and don't forget to Armor All the tires)." "SHOW!!!!" Hehe--had to be a tad forceful at times; he's sorta hard headed, and not real bright.

• The results, you might ask? Well hey, you be the judge: On October 13, 2001, RRX_The_Smurf held his Quest For the Best 1 vs 1 Single Elimination Tourney. Check out the results:

1st place - SLO_N8

2nd place - FIRE_Noise

3rd place - SGL_HeH8teMe

4th place - airduffy

• Nowadays NoX, nOct, Christy - they all come to me, The Master, for tips and advice, seeking to improve their rumbling skills. After they've bowed and kissed my boots (it's required...and hey, they're clean!), we begin. The very first thing I do is take them out to my truck...and you can probably guess what happens next! J

• N8 - Awesome job, out there, partner!! And hey, no need to thank me; I simply did what any Master Instructor would've done!! Way to go, bud...and congrats to all of the podium finishers!! Special thanks to +AC_Needy for "the assist".

October 14, 2001 - Before work last night I had a post "Race-Rumble Event" conversation with SLO_Smiley (I'd much rather talk to her as opposed to N8, nOct, JDAK, RAZ, Preach, Gutterboy, CLV, Destroyer...let's see, who else...well, I'll give you the other 19 names later). During our little chat, I recounted how far we've come since the days when it was just four of us, and how we never imagined in November of 99, when we just happened to end up in a room together, that we would be where we are today. As many times as I've told that story, it still amazes me how it all unfolded, culminating in what we feel is the best team in the MTM 2 Gaming Zone!

• Today we've hit the 28 member mark with the addition of two guys who seemed to fit in from the very start. Still, no one escapes the rigors of our dehumanizing, back-breaking, 3-week trial. A little known fact is that several potential members wound up hospitalized before the completion of their trial (poor saps); THAT'S how tough it is to get on SLO these days! Nevertheless, these two guys (well, one of them is a guy; the other we're not too sure about) made it thru free of bodily harm, and they are...

SLO_BRO_USA

SLO_DUCK

• If I recall correctly, several new recruits failed to receive their SLO exclusive gift package right after being announced as members of our great team. I'll certainly not make the same mistake twice, and in fact, I'll present these two with a "little something extra" to sorta compensate for being remiss in my duties of the recent past. Everyone knows we spare no expense (well, we do...but saying "we spare no expense" just sounds good) when it comes to showering our new recruits with gifts, and this time was no different. Let's see what they got: 1 set of "Johnny Quest" swim fins (The duck has a built-in set, so he don't need 'em), 200 used CD-Rs (hehe), a 19 hour luxurious vacation to Knob Noster, Missouri (if you pace yourself, you can see the whole city in 20 min), and last but not least, our standard $1.29 gift certificate good at any Burger King in Antarctica (dress warm)! Yeah, we know--you're speechless. Most people burst into tears when we make this presentation. I suppose it simply overwhelms them. Such a joy to see, yes sir.

• Hehe--well whether you like your gifts or not - you're stuck with 'em, so suck it up! Mostly, TEAM SLO would like to congratulate you both on making the team. We love it, and so will you!!! Way to go, you guys!!

SPECIAL NOTE: October 10, 2001 - I have an apology/correction of sorts to make. I had a conversation with Radeon_ last night. If that name is unfamiliar to you, he's the guy who teamed with SLO_N8 a few days ago (see Oct 5 post below) in a 2 vs 2 rumble. He tactfully pointed out that I never acknowledged his efforts in winning that tournament...and he was right on the money with his observation. After rereading it I couldn't help but wince just a bit at such a HUGE oversight on my part. N8's a heck of a rumbler, but he surely didn't win that thing by himself.

• With that said, I commend you on two counts, Radeon_: 1.) For the tremendous part you played in winning the tourney (obviously), and 2.) for the class you showed in pointing out my gross oversight. I believe I told you last night that if you did a repeat with a SLO member I'd "highlight" you on our page. Well, after thinking it over, this was the correct thing to do in my mind. Once again, SLO tips it's hat to you, guy - way to go!!!

October 9, 2001 - The question is "when?" When will JDAK stop runnin people off the road when there's plenty of open space for him to use. When will Triple B learn that talking trash without being able to back it up is...well, it don't matter; he'll never change anyway. When will Christy learn that "COPEY POWER" is real, and the cape I wear during rumbles DOES help (she told me I was full of it and threatened to shove my cape up in a place where...well, where you don't normally find capes)! Finally...when will The nOct3rn4l One & The SuperStar stop beating the crap out of people? When???? That's what the opposition is dying to know. : )

• There's no need for me to recap what you've undoubtedly read before if you happen to frequent this page. These two guys, when paired up together in a rumble, make for one heck of a tandem. On October 7, 2001, they simply did what comes very natural to them; they captured yet another tourney win!! It was a spur tourney on The Cube, and the "on-duty" host was +boophoenix (interesting name there). Here are the final standings:

1st place - SLO_nOct3rn4l & SLO_N8

2nd place - XXX_THESNAKE & XXX_D_Lady

3rd place - +MDMII98 & +No_Valve

• Hehe--wow, I didn't think those Member Plus types knew how to bash trucks. People, yes; trucks...well hey, I guess you learn something everyday, huh! Hehehe--I know Play (ZOc_Play) is going to boot me for that crack. He's kinda childish that way. : ) At any rate, HUGE congrats to our "Dynamic Duo", and "gg" to the rest of the podium finishers--well done!!!

October 7, 2001 - This team has gone thru a rather significant metamorphosis with respect to personnel, which of course, has been a good thing. What's also of significance (gross understatement) is when people who've been with the team from the early days return to the game after a long break. We've already seen Triple B and STOMP make their comebacks, and they're two long-time veterans of this team, with 3B being with us prior to the formation of SLO. We now have another who's name will once again become commonplace in the Zone; that name is...

***** THE FLASH *****

Hehe--now, keep in mind he's been off for a while, so despite the name, don't expect this guy to be too swift around the tracks...yet! In fact, I beat him up pretty bad just today on "Zoon's Euro Park"...and I was using my son's bike! Seems like the only two places he's able to go in a "flash" these days is to the bathroom, and to sleep!

• Not to worry though, for that will change once he starts getting back in the swing of things. He was a hell of a racer before his hiatus from the game (he's dang tough on the cube still!), so I'm quite sure he'll return to that form, and indeed surpass it! Flash - welcome back man; we sure did miss ya, bud. Oh and hey, if you're interested (you should be; you need it) I got a line on a driver's ed class you can take to help ya get back on your feet...and get this: it's free!!! Hey man, no need to thank me - it's just the kind of guy I am. Once again, on behalf of ALL of Team SLO, welcome back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

October 5, 2001 - Hehe--well, the name of the e-mail he sent me was entitled, "not again......", and if you haven't guessed it by now, The SuperStar was back on the cube. For those of you who don't know this guy, he recently got married (lovely lady, very nice - he must've tricked her...somethin), and between talking computers with him and making updates on this page about some tourney he won...I had to ask if she was still living in the house with him!! Take a break, N8; eat some food, drink water, use the bathroom...you know, stuff "normal" people do! Oh and hey - talk to your wife!!!!

• Look, I'm not going to sing this guy's praises on this particular post (done enough of that crap already...and I don't even really like him all that much). If you want to know more about N8, read below...and DO visit our profile page.J Some of it is true, and some of it is "really" true. Hehehe.

• Last night +Acoustic_Brute1 played host to a spur tourney on The Cube! Here's how it came out in the end:

1st place - SLO_N8 & Radeon_

2nd place - ZOc_Sandfobs & ZOac_Speed7

3rd place - CHEV_Gold & VTR_ExPLoSiOn

Way to go, N8! I see my hours and hours of tutelage on the cube were not in vain after all, o' young one. Hehe. Congrats to all the podium finishers in an fantastic effort out there!!

October 3, 2001 - In a couple of weeks our friendship will have spanned over two years, which is significant in ways that can't be expressed by words alone. We've butted heads more than anybody else on the team (and each time I was right and he was wrong. Hehehe - he would differ with that assertion...and we would argue about that, too!). Here's something of interest though; my take is he feels slightly uncomfortable with being touted as one of the greats of the game, but hell, somebody has to be! I'm kinda busy, so I don't have the time. Hehehe. There are, and have been great players on both sides of this game, but I challenge anyone to come up with five names who race and rumble, obtaining the kind of success N8 has. Uh huh...that's what I thought. Hey look, this isn't a suck-up job; I'm already on the team! Like I told another "interested reader" a few days ago; I just report the facts! Right, JM? : )

• With that in mind, The SuperStar hooked up with The nOct3rn4l One in a couple of 2 vs 2 slug-o-ramas. If you don't know it by now, these two guys have partnered up for many a win. I kinda liken them to a few well known duos, like Kato and The Green Hornet, Batman & Robin...Sonny and Cher. Hey, I could go on and on, but you get the idea. Here are the official particulars:

• Run's 2 vs 2 Spur tourney on "Da Cube", held Sept 29, 2001 NOTE: Special thanks goes out to +Knight_SP9_CO for "the assist"!!

1st place - SLO_nOct3rn4l & SLO_N8

2nd place - Termin8tor_ & _HeH8Me_

3rd place - SGL_UNTOUCHABLE & SGL_GOODFELLA

• Run's 2 vs 2 Tourney, also on The Cube, held Oct 1, 2001 NOTE: Would like to acknowledge +Isomer_Specific for assisting with this event. Thanks guy!

1st place - SLO_nOct3rn4l & SLO_N8

2nd place - SGL_Traffic & __Explosion__2k

3rd place - ATW_Draz & NFM_Osprey

How bout a "SLO" round of applause for this team's winningest tandem - The nOct3rn4l One & The SuperStar!!!! Outstanding job you two!!! Also, a hearty congrats to the other podium finishers--great tourney results you guys!

October 2, 2001 - I recently got off the phone with SLO_Jumper, and we discussed a myriad of topics related to this team (to include why he hasn't paid me the $10,000 he's lost in bets from our races). One topic in particular was about the elite group of racers we have, and to name a few, there's The Destroyer (PA) - very tough competitor, blazing fast on any track out there, always finishes in top 3 spots...if not at THE top. JDAK (The Mauler) - our American Fighting Man, who's 9 month layoff due to his "vacation" in Bosnia chipped away his racing edge, but it was only temporary, cause he's back now...and this guy is flying! Jump - track for track he may be the best we have right now. A rather lofty compliment, no doubt, but If you don't believe me, simply take a look at his credentials (Jump's Hall of Fame). Of course, there's always "The SuperStar" (N8), who in my mind is probably the best player this game has ever seen when you consider his abilities on both sides of this game - racing & rumbling with an astonishing amount of success; it's just amazing. Of course, let's not forget guys like NANOO, who isn't on a whole lot, but when he is, we're usually trying to catch that son-of-a-gun! The Flash, who's making his much anticipated comeback after a long break, and our "ace truck maker", SS. When he's hot, he's untouchable. And you can never dismiss Triple B, who has more mouth than game right now, but that's soon to change! : ) Then we have our newer racers - Preach, GB who are most impressive with how far they've come in so little time. RAZ, nLuVnIt, CLV - improving every day, and mark my words: by the end of the year they'll be burning it up on every track they run--no doubt!

• However, this post isn't about any of those clow...I mean, those "highly regarded teammates" of mine; this is about one guy. He's without question SLO's ambassador where attitude is concerned, and he's been with us since we started it all back on March 11, 2000...and before that. The name is SLO_SCAT, and make no mistake he is THE most improved racer on this team within the last year - hands down. He and I met almost two years ago, and to think about how he used to race, and compare it to the level he's at now...well it blows me away. To punctuate this post, I'm here to announce that our very own "SCAT-ATTACK" just captured his first podium finish as NUMERO UNO!!!

• Yep, it was a race...of the "race-rumble" variety, but a race nonetheless. He teamed up with The SuperStar, who served as his blocker, and together they took it ALL!!! HUGE congrats to you guys on a job extremely well done! And I speak for the entire team when I say to you, SCAT - you're a class-act thru and thru man, and it's great to see you having this kind of success! It's your world, bud; we just live here!! Hehehe--way to go!!!

• Congrats to team's OLD and stop for their first-rate showing! Also, an "honorable mention" goes out to Christy & NANOO for taking part in this event! : ) Here are the results: Race-Rumble