TEAM: Salt Lake SnowBeesCONFERENCE AFFILIATION: Wasatch Conference
OWNER: Ted "Beekeeper" Barnes
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE: Salt Lake SnowBees, 05-06 2nd Place, 06-07 9th Place, 07-08 6th Place
LOCATION: Salt Lake City, Utah
ARENA: SnowHive Court at Mr. Mac Arena
MOTTO: "Snow Excuses!"
MOST-HATED RIVAL(s): Abominables, Kings, Underdogs
SEASON OUTLOOK
Experts prone to hyperbole are calling it the biggest win in franchise history, but while the SnowBees' surprising first-place finish in the 2008 WFBL Draft Lottery was big, it was not a "win" in the strict sense—Salt Lake's won-lost record remains 0-0, just like everyone else's. Facts are such stubborn things, but SnowBees owner Ted "Beekeeper" Barnes has never been known to let facts spoil an opportunity to promote his team.
"I'm really proud of my team, the way they fought through adversity to win this lottery," said the Beekeeper, whose team, at the time, consisted of only Dirk Nowitzki, who, on the day of the lottery, was shirtless on a Mediterranian beach somewhere wearing flip-flops and listening to David Hasselhoff's Greatest Hits on his iPod shuffle. But there I go again, stating facts.
"No one really gave us a chance in the lottery," Barnes added, "but I had all of my fingers crossed on both hands for good luck, plus my thumbs. And that's not easy at my age. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to fully extend my left ring finger again. But we won the lottery, and that's all that counts."
The Beekeeper's reward is number-one pick Shawn "Worker Bee" Marion, who was a member of the SnowBees in their inaugural season (where he earned the moniker "Worker Bee," though it didn't seem to stick the past two seasons while he was playing for other teams). And that's great and everything, but in all the euphoria, it seems that no one has stopped to realize that getting the first pick in the draft could have the unwanted consequence of raising expectations for a team that has turned disappointing its fans into an art form. Will this be the year the SnowBees catch their fans unaware and finally win something meaningful, or will their biggest win continue to be getting their name drawn out of a hat by a three-year-old? That's why we play the games.
LOGOS & UNIS
2 comments:
Were the SnowBees really 12th place last year? I know it felt like it, but I remember making the playoffs, so isn't 6th the farthest they could have fallen?
You're right, I guess the people in the editing department screwed that one up. You know how editors are...
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