The Mildcats just won their second title in three seasons. And seriously, what just happened!? How! Who?
Just about every Cats fan had them fighting for their playoff lives this season, every fan save for at least one, the GMs wife.
"He's too competitive." Laughed Hannah Mac, first lady of the first GM in office. "Last season was tough for him. He wanted to fight and stay up, but knew a long-term foundation was necessary. It's just, he believes the fans deserve a winner, every season. If he saw a window this season, I knew he was going to take it."
When asked about his wife's prognostication, when so many others, including this writer, disagreed, the GM chuckled. "She knows me better than peanut butter knows jelly."
While peanut butter and jelly sandwiches might be cheap, this title certainly wasn't. It cost a pretty penny. More than the first title. But, this title just feels sweeter. Doesn't it?
The Cats were bound to spend more money at some point in the future. Seven, count them seven, teams in came down from DIII in this newly restructured DIV.31. That's practically unheard of. Five of them went into the Big 8. Only one was going to make it out. The Cats payroll ranked 6/6 for live rosters. So, what happened?
"We do the same thing every season. We do a deep assessment of the league after 8 matches and we decide what to do from there. Most of the time I wanna go for it. But I have an outstanding staff and we have an honest work environment. We've learned to hold each other accountable without taking offense." The GM was clearly emotional talking about the entire staff during the post-game presser.
Several players echoed that sentiment too. Including team captain, and now two-time finals MVP, Mitch Snider.
"Everybody just gets it here, ya know. From the parking lot to the penthouse, we are all in this together. And tonight was a testament to that. Why would I ever wanna be anywhere else?" Snider was doused in champaign before he could elaborate.
He's not worried about the future. And you shouldn't be either. Just soak it all in Cats fans. Your team just won one of the toughest DIVs in history.
Plus, next season will more than make up from what the Cats spent on title number two. There will be some roster changes. Veteran Ortiz always knew this was the final game of his career and his brutal knee injury in the second quarter was horrible to watch live. But the team rallied behind Snider, who had 12 points in his first 8 minutes.
Also gone is Kuang Seng, aka Big Mike. Who probably could have won finals MVP. He averaged 18 pts, 15 boards, and 4 blks in the three-game series. His departure is a tough pill to swallow, but two new big men are already here early for the offseason program. Something the GM was very happy about.
"I like getting our business done early. And there's more work to do."
There is more work to do, Cats fans, but let's all just play for now. You deserve it.