The dogs may have lost today but they put up one heck of a battle as evidenced by the above photo of Scorpiokirsten. Too tired to make immediate comments on the victory, she asked that I wait till she had a short cat-nap first. I hope she wakes up before next week's tournament.

Things looked bad for the cats right from the start. They trailed in the first round 5-1 at one point. It was always close, but it seemed the cats were always fighting an uphill battle. It may be the fact that they are so used to winning that they don't take it a seriously anymore, or it might be the confidence that they can always come back. I hope they know what they are doing as it may sneak up and bite them someday.

Speaking of biting, the cats carried their aggression to the spectators today. Early in the first round a muffled cry was heard from the area in front of the fence - "Help, Dave! Iain pushed me off the fence and Killercat opened the trash can which he shoved under - can't get the lid off!!!" It was the cry of poor little Ryderpuppy. Fortunately, before the alley erupted into all out panic, Killercat removed the lid and let her out. "Only playing around" was the explanation for such behavior. It should have been seen as an omen of the fighting spirit of the cats. It was later predicted by one of the cats that the cats were clawing at the dogs from behind and would soon take the lead. The second round ended with the cats in the lead by 1 at 13 to 12. In the third round the cats thundered out of the gate winning 6 of 7 matches forcing the dogs to win all the rest. When Yadenwise and Moyan announced their win it slammed the door. The cats had won again. Final score was cats 27 dogs 24.

There has got to be a way for the dogs to break this recent dominance by the cats. I have seen runs before and I am sure there will be others but this is building it's way to a record. Can the dogs regroup and once again become the powerhouse they once were or will they crumble into a heap like the once fearsome rats did. Only time will tell.

Apache - For those of you who have not yet heard, we have lost another of our great friends. Sam as we knew him passed away. He was one of the true characters of Max's Alley. His loud and sometimes brash banter in the lounge was often funny and sometimes a little raw but always in the spirit of the alley. Once you got to play with him and learn a little about him you found that he was one of the nicest people here. He loved to "act" the tough guy but was a real softie. He would be terribly hurt if anyone ever took his yelling seriously. Just ask the folks he always played with. We will miss you Sam. Rest in peace friend.

If you see any of these people, please talk to them and see I you can get them back to the alley. We really miss them. Also, please give me some feedback if you find someone is upset with something or there are other reasons for them not being here. Let me know any others I may have left off the list.

Check out the "Mind if I watch" picture recently posted. It was the vision of our friend Flaunce after kibitzing in a crowded room. He gave me the suggestion and Irish_Temper drew it up for us. If you happen to see her, (she is not a bridge player) please take the time to say hi.

There is a new "Trophy Case" link on the front page. Each trophy name links to the list of recipients. All of the names listed as winners have been announced in previous posts. Use your back button to return to the front page.

Seen on the fire escape: Ryderpuppy, Pom2.Rafiki, Julie, Hbear, Stans_ie, Rueful_Rabbit, Greenmeanie, Rebekkha, Softfire, Errikos,

Welcome newcomers: Roo5649; Kdcommish; Realmusicwife; Dixiedeez; C_E_Dean; Turbinazoine

Supersubs were: Silver_wind; Kenebaby; Ryderpuppy; Errikos; Jimkatz

Slams were bid and made by: Roblyn/MelkorVala - 6CX; Cosmarch/Harlequin_smiles - 6S; Jcrayk/Smilodonkiwi - 6H; Orla/Turbinazoine - 6H; DeltaGayl/Lockupurgirls - 6C; Dixiedeez/C_E_Dean - 6H & 6S.

The trophy for purrrfect 3-0 tournament goes to:

The Dogs were: DeltaGayl/Lockupurgirls; Kenny_ha2/Cathugo; Jean/Arzcxy1; JamesGreyWolf/Woo7NT; Lorainew/John_Kenneth; Snoefte/upho; Drannalee/Redbird; Rebos/Barbara; Flaunce/Roo5649; Kdcommish/Realmusicwife; Dixiedeez/C_E_Dean; Ryderpuppy/Greenmeanie; Suegloss/Glossit

The Cats were: Katastrofix/Scorpiokirsten; Roblyn/MelkorVala; Cosmarch/Harlequin_smiles; Jcrayk/Smilodonkiwi; Alan_Mitchell/Lynh; Kippers/Borderline; Yadenwise/Moyan; Nuageman/Nonny; Orla/Turbinazoine(sub; Naelyn_Rose); IMDJ1/Golfnldy; Killercat/Godzilla; CoolJoew/Bearafm; Rueful_Rabbit/Pom2