Dusseldworf, Dermany: Just weeks following the untimely death of Star Troll Slayer Dirk Diggler, rookie replacement Troll Slayer Rokk Harders is already showing that he has the goods to become a Steel Dragons Troll Slayer. Scoring 2 touchdowns in last night's 3-0 victory versus the Lucky Charms, the rookie emerged from the game showing the same ball handling skills as Troll Slayer veteran Chest Rockwell. In the post game interview immediately after the game, the young Dwarf had this to add:

"There has been a great history with this team of Troll Slayers stepping up into the play and moving the ball. This was started with Chest, continued with Dirk, and I hope to continue this on my time with the Steel Dragons. I was lucky that our blockers were able to create a lot of room out there early on vs. the Charms, and with a lot less pressure on the ball it allowed the coaching staff to elect myself to start moving the football. 2 Touchdowns in my second game is just an incredible feeling, and by games end I felt as comfortable moving the ball and dodging as any of the Runners or Blitzers on this team."

"I still have a lot of work on with regards to my physical play that Chest and members of the coaching staff have been working on with me, stuff like coverage and laying into my blocks, but I hope to get that sorted out before the Thunderbowl play-offs. Right now I'm just happy to have the opportunity to play for this club and hope to keep contributing to their success."

Last night's game also marks Steel Dragons 28th TBL victory - making it the most successful Dwarf team so far in Thunderbowl history. When asked about the land mark Steel Dragons' Head Coach General Jason had this to say:

"Frankly I didn't even notice. I knew we were close in wins to the Short and the Restless, and provided we progressed this season we might surpass it, but my focus has been on the development of this squad and getting these boys deep into the Thunderbowl play-offs. The core of our team has always been the strength and depth of our Blockers, and as Season 26 comes into the latter stages these Blockers have gotten even better. I'm very happy with our scotuing department and our player development."

"Losing Dirk Diggler vs. the Rasslers hurt, just like losing Brokk Landers hurt when he fell in the Thunderbowl play-offs, but again applause has to go out to Steel Dragons scouts and development. We never had a doubt to Rokk Harders development as a Blitzer, but for him to already have developed into a competent ball handler 2 games after Dirk falling... what more can a coach ask for? There were a lot of questions thrown around as to who would fill the void left by Dirk, and Rokk has already responded and stepped up into that position."

Despite firing fan favourite Deathroller Truckapiller before Opening Day of the season, and despite losing veteran Troll Slayer Dirk Diggler mid way through, the Dragons are now rated closely to what they were at the start when they had the costly Secret Weapon on their roster. As they enter the closing rounds of the regular season veteran Stuntie Sports analysts can only wonder if this will be the Dwarf team to take home a Thunderbowl victory this year. Don Cherrybomb had this to say about the Dragon fans' hopes of a Thunderbowl victory in 26:

"Definitely the deepest roster Dusseldworf has produced with these Dragons. Strong team play, hard hitting, and 6 members of the squad moving the ball confidently has to be their strongest asset. That said, still anybody's game. Rottin Ass Rasslers has a great game against the Steel this year, and we all know Y2J and HBK can change any game one way or the other. The 40 Grinders still have a great team, as do the Infectious Ratpack, Rat Bastards and the Plainsmen. Powerbowl Champions the Death Eaters Rejoice are a force to be reckoned with. The surprise this year has been the success of the Dentaurs so it'll be interesting to see what happens when the Dragons play them in the last game of the season. But as far as play-offs, with all the teams mentioned and not including the Chicklets, the Jailblazers, the Intent... going to be a nasty bit of blood going on in January so it's still hard to pick a winner."     

Dusseldworf, Dermany: 18 months out of the TBL was too much for Dwarf supporters as they took to the streets to voice their protest in downtown Dusseldwarf early Saturday afternoon. Loud, boisterous, and flamboyant as ever, nearly 100,000 jersey-clad Steel Dragon fans organized by the STFC marched - taking the same route as the victory parade for the Steel Dragons 14 years earlier back in TB12. Chanting phases such as "STEEL" "DRAGONS", "LESS BOWL" "MORE BLOOD", "MICK" "JOGGER", and wielding placards and sandwich boards, the fans gathered at the Victory Square for a peaceful protest.

Featuring guest speakers ranging from the Dragons organization itself, the Steel Dragons Fan Club, as well as celebrities Danny Devourto and Brad Pitstick, the day ended with a live concert by local heavy metal boys Panterror. Ellen Degenerate, President of the SDFC, took to the podium first as fans swarmed Victory Square by mid afternoon and the surrounding streets in downtown Dusseldworf. Wearing a Dragons jersey with a number 12 on the back, with a backdrop of three 40 foot Steel Dragons flags, President Degenerate had this to say:

"Isn't it about time we started seeing some Dragons jerseys back out there? Don't Dwarf Blood Bowl fans need a team to cheer for? 40 registered franchises in the TBL and not one team among them last year were Dwarves? I mean we invented the game, and not one team is registered for the 'show'? Are there any other Dwarves out there in this crowd that are ready to start cancelling your TBSN subscriptions too? One hundred thousand fans here and a million more watching from home want the TBL to listen: Bring back the beards!"

Dwarf Constables and members of the local army were brought into manage the crowds and maintain security for shops in the downtown core as well as celebrities and the players. Number 3 Mick Jogger took to the stage shortly after Degenerate, whipping Dragon fans into cheers that had not been heard since the re-entered the TBL originally back in TB20.

"Is it just me or has Dermany seen enough of Elves? Boots? Pfft. Hammerburg had their shot - let them play in Challengers for awhile longer. Roughriders? Hah. A great team with a bunch of rookies, but mediocre at best in the show. Are their fans still going to follow them if they start playing in the Challengers? Are the legions going to still be here 3 years later? The Roughriders may have been the last TBL franchise in Dermany to make it to the show, but even then, 10 years ago: they choked. Dusseldworf is the last franchise to actually win the Thundercup. Same players, same Steel Dragons, and we've made it further then any other team in TBL Dermany since the coming of the BC-League! Let's fulfill what we tried years ago and bring the Cup back to Dusseldworf where it belongs! 14 years is too long! Too much green skin, too much Chaos, and too many pointy ears in Blood Bowl nowadays. It's a sad state of affairs when there are more Ogres playing in the TBL league then there are beards. How many Ogres can even remember what channel TBSN is on? The Dragons want more, and the fans deserve it. We've been more than patient."

Brad Pitstick, star of Mr. and Mrs. Locksmith, Mountain's 11, and long time fan of the Steel Dragons came out to show support of Dwarf Blood Bowl fans in Dusseldworf. Also wearing the Steel Dragons home jersey, declining to take the stage the a-list actor and paparazzi bait had a few words to say to reporters during the rally:

"I just here to support the fans and the players. I've been a Steel Dragons fan every since I was a kid. I would very much like to see this Dwarf team over all other franchises who have played in the TBL to make a return to the show. We came very close back in Thunderbowl 22 to making it to the final, so I don't think I'm alone here when I say that these fans want blood. They want the Thundercup back here and I'd love to see that happen. But at the very minumum the TBL needs to start bringing back the Dwarves out of the minors and into the game. Over 2 million TBSN fans in Dusseldworf alone so why not here?"

Panterror finished the rally with pyrotechnics and high voltage rock to close off ceremonies in Victory Square. In a candid message to TBL management during their encoure lead singer Terry Blaze had four simple words: "Bring back the Steel."

Hopefully TBSN heard it.       

Hammerburg, Dermany: In a game that was so clearly one sided immediately after the Boots opened the scoring at 1-0, where the Malicious Intent pounded the Boots into the ground for 2 halves and claimed the lead for a score of 2-1 by end game, the Boots managed to wiggle out a tie with 6 players on the field with a little help from their fans. Ernst Redrohm, Das Boots only remaining veteran lineman, has this to say shortly after scoring the game equalizer:

"We were simply getting murdered out there all game. Our team hasn't seen a beating like that since we played the Scandinavian Superstars. Oskar and Alfred knocked out for the game early, Pummels and Storm are day to day, and Mauler taken out in a body bag. It was vicious out there today. But our team never backed down. Big Dolf and Franzie continued to hammer the ball all game despite our squad being reduced to 6 players by games end."

"We made a lot of mistakes in our defensive plays that cost us ground and cost us the game early on. We were up 1-0 straight away, and then what appeared to be a down and out loss of 1-2. If it wasn't for the intervention by our home fans at the end of the game, and the officials rolling the clock back, we would not have been able to tie the match 2-2. Our fans saved us a loss this game and so we thank them."

In the post-game interview when asked what happened during the match, General Jason has this to say:

"They played like bums. Some Dark Elf festival involving polka and beer was going on over the weekend and those guys were all a beer bigger walking into this game. Our positioning was off, our blocks were weak, and as their (Malicious Intent) hits were the complete opposite this began to snowball which left us down 1-2 and half a dozen players left to go by last play."

"What Ernie, Big Dolf, Franzie, Hans, Magda and Ernst did in the final stages of that match was what I'd been looking for all game. Rohmy, Ernie and the fans pull out a tie which clearly should have been a loss. I'm hoping once they sober up a bit more that they remember what went right in the beginning and late stages of the match and try to apply that to the whole game. But in their defence, those pink knuckledusters that the Malicious Intent players were wearing were giving us problems all game. I'm curious if they are regulation."

"Our next match is the Ratpack. I would have liked to have had a larger squad against the Rats, but the Boots will just have to scramble with what we have - which we've been doing all year, and hopefully continue to stay in contention for the Thunderbowl Play-offs."      

The Boots are back in town: Original article dated January 25th, 2010

Das Watton, Dermany: It was a shock to victims of the Play-off Riots over 2 years ago and fans alike when the High Court of Hammerburg granted time served to convicted Das Boots Adolf Blitzer, Franz Von Pimpin, Oskar Swindler and Ernst Redrohm earlier this morning. In a statement to the press late last night, Judge Reinhold had this to say:

"It is our conclusion that Herr Blitzer, Herr Pimpin, Herr Swindler and Herr Redrohm no longer pose any threat to the TBL or Das Boots management. They have been model prisoners throughout, they have been reabilitated, and we feel that any additional incarceration would be an injustice, not only for themselves but to the fans that supported them. I might add that it is our further conclusion that given the events at the Challenger Series 2 weeks ago, these gentlemen have a higher likelihood of being killed on the pitch then in Das Watton prison."

Fan pressure for the release of the Boots had been strong throughout their imprisonment, but had reached a frenzy in the last 4 weeks leading up to TB22 when word came out that TB had opened up the Challenger Circuit, and that the Boots would be granted a day pass to participate in the TB Challenger Circuit. For a month almost 3 thousand Boots fans have camped outside the High Court of Hammerburg, marching throughout the day with placards and sandwich boards, and sleeping in a labyrinth of tents that have completely blocked off the downtown core streets of Perceval and Lohengrin. Efforts by Elder Police to clear the area have been largely unsuccessful due to the large number of children in the tent city, where rubber bullets and tear gas would be normally employed.

Speaking to fans for the first time in over 26 months outside of the steps of the High Court of Hammerburg immediately upon release, Adolf Blitzer shadowed by his fellow Boots inmates had this to say:

"It has been a long time since we last spoke back in the summer of TB18. Much time has been wasted while we languish for 4 Thunderbowl seasons, but unlike all the other untermenschen, we are Dark Elves, and the passage of time to us is as harmless as wrestle. Our victory over the Lucky Charms a fortnight ago and the completion of my book, Mein Block, during my incarceration in Drakenborg and Das Watton stands as testament that the Boots have not been idle whatsoever during our absence in Thunderbowl. The goal of Thunderbowl glory is still the same. It is simply our destiny."

"And throughout our imprisonment we could always count on our little Booties to back us up and the movement. Das Boots have suffered enormously throughout our initial campaign in TB16 through to our last season in TB18, but we are now taking a new direction outlined in Mein Block to crush the mortals. See you all on the sidelines in 2 weeks and we thank you for your continued support. Love live sacred Dermany."

General Jason attended the release of the players and exchanged hugs and hand shakes with the 4. Although he declined to go to the podium after Blitzer to speak to the fans, he did say this to the media after Adolf Blitzer's insinuation that the Boots would be returning in TB23 and what was the fate of the Steel Dragons that he had coached for the last 3 seasons:

"The annoucement for the Boots return was one that senior management at Hammerburg TBL was planning on making later this afternoon. Adolf Blitzer kind of let the cat out of the bag but we'll forgive him - after all he's thought of nothing else for the last 2 years. It is the feeling of our General Manager that Hammerburg TBL is better served with 2 strong franchises operating in the B Division. Steel Dragons is practically everything we wanted the franchise to be. Other then bringing a couple more rookies up to speed and solving some new problems with our Deathroller Truckapiller - seems he's only getting the plays half the time, the club in solid."

"Das Boots on the other hand has been reduced to a Challenger Circuit only team and this is something the Hammerburg TBL wants to salvage and rectify. They have a lot of great talent in Adolf Blitzer, Franz von Pimpin, Erwin Rumble, Ernst Redrohm and others, and they want to further build on this core and bring the rest of the team up to speed over the next season or two. Steel Dragons will for now play in the TBL minors, along with the Graveside Gorys, until Hammerburg TBL wishes to bring them up to the show in future. It has always been a pleasure coaching those boys."

Mick Jogger - star Runner of the Steel Dragons was reached for comment immediately following the announcement:

"Why Hammerburg TBL is resurrecting a bunch of arrogant, pointy-eared hasbeens is beyond me. Management - who can understand them? Despite our 23 wins this team is still lacking a breakout post-season which we hope to achieve once these haughty-headed tea-sippers get drummed out again. The guys in our locker room deserve it. I met Adolf Blitzer at the TBL Awards after-party once, back when he was still dating Hanna Rock, and man is that guy an asshole."

"In the meantime we will play in the Challenger Circuit until we return to the show. Good luck to General Jason on behalf of all the players of the Steel Dragons and we look forward to the day when we return with him to TBL B-League and onto the Thunderbowl final."

Sports analysts and coaches alike in the weeks leading up to the High Courts decision were skeptical that the Boots can return to prominance in a bash heavy B-League. Only time will tell.

The Boots given the boot for 6 years. Original article dated December 31, 2007.

Hammerburg, Dermany: Sports analysts and fans alike were in disbelief at the outcome of the verdict set down by the High Court of Hammerburg versus Das Boots Captain Adolf Blitzer and his co-conspirators for their involvement for instigating the Play-offs Riots last month.

Adolf Blitzer and his fellow indictees were sentenced earlier today to 6 years imprisonment in Drakenburg Prison, knocking Herr Blitzer, Franz Von Pimpin, Oskar Swindler and Ernst Redrohm out for the entire TB19 season and beyond.

Das Boots HQ PR Head Dick Derek was quick to issue a statement shortly after the verdict and sentences were made publlic, saying:

"We still stand behind our recently imprisoned players and sincerely hope that their sentences can be appealed to time served. This wish reflects the wish of all the senior management team at Das Boots, including owner Johann Von Kaw and GM Brokk Bork."

"Das Boots stands behind their Captain - bottom line. The team will not play without veterans like Herr Blitzer, Pimpin, Swindler or Redrohm. It is the feeling of this organization that Das Boots will retire as a TBL team for TB19, and come back renewed."

"What will the Boots do with so much time off? Well, we must remember that we are speaking about Elves here. They never age. We will not be idle that's for sure. We are taking the Boots into the Prison Minor League indefinitely throughout their incarceration and work on new plays."

"Drakenburg is already in negotiations with General Jason to coach a Minor League team for TB19 - long time and Dermany's original TBL Franchise team: the Premier League Graveside Gorys. Long time fan favorites Mummy Mea and Tutterrokk have returned to lead Hammerburg's new Khemri team."

"Certainly Mummy Mea and Tutterrokk have lost a bit of their edge due to inaction, but Gj is confident that they'll be the force they once were, especially back by Mummies Pharokk and Hammerses."

"The Graveside Gorys have certainly changed dramatically ever since the lofty days of the Premier League, where Coaches and General Managers could recruit Big Guys, numerous ringers, Wizards, you name it. Those were some crazy days before the Collective Bargaining Agreement and salary caps."

"General Jason is definitely coaching an entirely different Gorys team, but we hope by resurrecting the Gorys franchise we might be able to attract some of the old time fans - regardless of whether the team resembles very little of the Gorys of old. As far as this organization is concerned, Mummy Mea and Tutterrokk have been, and always will be the franchise."