05-07-2023, 10:22 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-08-2023, 10:55 AM by xenosthelegend. Edited 1 time in total.)
The Berlin Fire Salamanders are a team that I remember receiving some outcry when they were first founded. Not in the location, Berlin was a good choice for the first International team overseas for the recently renamed ISFL, joining Yellowknife as a team that wasn't American. No, the issues were from the name and branding. I seem to recall a lot of dislike towards the logo, and especially the Fire Salamanders name; while it's not Grey Duck tier in terms of an awful name for a sports team, people really wanted it to be a single word. That being said, along with its fellow expansion franchise of S25 in the New York Silverbacks, the Fire Salamanders are the youngest team in the league with the smallest amount of history in terms of time. How exactly did they shape up overall?
S25: 3-13
S26: 7-9
S27: 6-10
S28: 12-4 (0-1 in Playoffs)
S29: 13-3 (1-1 in Playoffs, 1st Ultimus berth)
S30: 9-7 (1-1 in Playoffs)
During this decade, the Fire Salamanders went 50-46, for a 52.1% win rate. Overall, almost everything about this period of time had the Silverbacks being just one step ahead of them. They'd trade the better record between the two title back and forth, with the Salamanders being one game ahead through S29 but ending up a game behind the Silverbacks after S30. They also ended up behind them in other ways; making the playoffs only 3 times to New York's 4, going without any major awards to the Silverbacks' one, and when they'd fight for the Ultimus directly in S29, losing to the Silverbacks to solidify a worse playoff record than them and a losing one for the decade overall at 2-3.
S31: 9-7
S32: 11-5 (Dexter Zaylren wins MVP) (2-1 in Playoffs, 2nd Ultimus berth)
S33: 9-7 (Jacob Raske wins DPOY)
S34: 11-4-1 (1-1 in Playoffs)
S35: 8-8
S36: 2-14
S37: 7-9
S38: 10-6 (1-1 in Playoffs, 3rd Ultimus berth)
S39: 4-12
S40: 5-10-1
During this decade, the Fire Salamanders went 76-82-2, for a 48.1% win rate. They managed to go to the playoffs three times, and ended up with a 4-3 record. By every metric but one, they were a better team this time than their natural rivals; they went to the playoffs one more time, they had multiple awards during this period, their record was still below .500 but better by over 10 games, and they even went to the Ultimus one more time than them, even if that S38 Ultimus trip feels like a massive flash in the pan considering the seasons it's surrounded by.
But they missed out on one major thing, arguably the most important; they missed out on an Ultimus win. I can't punish the team too harshly for that, though. In a 14 team league with a playoff format, everything being equal and perfectly random, you'd expect a team to make the final game twice over a 14 year period, and win once. Over the 16 years the Fire Salamanders have been in the league (at least one of which can be tossed out due to being an expansion franchise in an established league and thus very much not being equal), they have managed to make the Ultimus on three separate occasions, about one full time more than expected. Them not being able to win one is just failing to do so one more time than expected over this period. So this team is not in the running for worst team ever, despite being the only team in the ISFL to not win an Ultimus. But where exactly do they stand?
All Time Record: 126-128-2 (49.6% win rate)
Playoff Record: 6-6
Ultimus Record: 0-3
Playoff Berths: 6 over 16 seasons, 37.5%
Hall of Famers: 2 (Byron Dolls, Derred De Ville)
Major Award Wins: 1 MVP, 1 DPOY
Best Team Period: S28-S29 (2 playoff berths, 1 Ultimus Appearances, 25-7 record over 2 seasons, 78.1% win rate)
Worst Team Period: S39-S40 (9-22-1 record over 2 seasons, 29.0% win rate)
The easy comparison is the Butchers, and it's a comparison that I actually think the Salamanders take. For one, similarly to how the Butchers aren't that much over .500, the Salamanders aren't that far below it either. Simply put, for a team with 10 seasons less time to put together a resume, I think the Salamanders surpassed the resume of those Butchers. One less Hall of Famer, a better award cabinet, even if only by a hair, and while the Salamanders' best stretch doesn't really compare to the Butchers, and they do lack a title, the team just hasn't bottomed out for a long period of time so far during its existence.
This could, however, be in the process of changing, and it would be in a way that would see them go below both the Butchers and the Silverbacks on my prospective ranking. The period I put as the Fire Salamanders' worst is the most recent two years. It is the first time that they have had back to back seasons of over 10 losses, and it is part of a generally bad last 5 year stretch that also had a random 10 win season, a playoff berth, and a trip to the Ultimus bracketed by a pair of seasons where they were unable to reach 10 wins when combining two seasons together. Currently, as in during S41 as I am writing this, the Fire Salamanders are 2-8. The Silverbacks are currently 3-7, which is bad, but the Butchers are currently 6-4 and in prime position to at least compete for the playoffs. If the Fire Salamanders spend another couple seasons putting together 10 loss campaigns while the Silverbacks and especially the Butchers do not, then I will be hard pressed to put Berlin where I currently have them in the preliminary rankings: 5th overall, above the Butchers and the Silverbacks. And if Berlin goes another 5 seasons or so without winning an Ultimus, their ability to make and not win the Ultimus goes from a mitigating factor to a hindrance in my mind. Suffice to say that of the many rankings that I feel could swing either way based on the results of the coming years, I think the Fire Salamanders are the likeliest to freefall down and also lack an ability to move up.
Two final teams to go, both very interesting to talk about in their own ways.
S25 through S30
Second Fiddle to New York
Second Fiddle to New York
S25: 3-13
S26: 7-9
S27: 6-10
S28: 12-4 (0-1 in Playoffs)
S29: 13-3 (1-1 in Playoffs, 1st Ultimus berth)
S30: 9-7 (1-1 in Playoffs)
During this decade, the Fire Salamanders went 50-46, for a 52.1% win rate. Overall, almost everything about this period of time had the Silverbacks being just one step ahead of them. They'd trade the better record between the two title back and forth, with the Salamanders being one game ahead through S29 but ending up a game behind the Silverbacks after S30. They also ended up behind them in other ways; making the playoffs only 3 times to New York's 4, going without any major awards to the Silverbacks' one, and when they'd fight for the Ultimus directly in S29, losing to the Silverbacks to solidify a worse playoff record than them and a losing one for the decade overall at 2-3.
Season 31 through 40
Better than New York but still Unable to Break the Curse
Better than New York but still Unable to Break the Curse
S31: 9-7
S32: 11-5 (Dexter Zaylren wins MVP) (2-1 in Playoffs, 2nd Ultimus berth)
S33: 9-7 (Jacob Raske wins DPOY)
S34: 11-4-1 (1-1 in Playoffs)
S35: 8-8
S36: 2-14
S37: 7-9
S38: 10-6 (1-1 in Playoffs, 3rd Ultimus berth)
S39: 4-12
S40: 5-10-1
During this decade, the Fire Salamanders went 76-82-2, for a 48.1% win rate. They managed to go to the playoffs three times, and ended up with a 4-3 record. By every metric but one, they were a better team this time than their natural rivals; they went to the playoffs one more time, they had multiple awards during this period, their record was still below .500 but better by over 10 games, and they even went to the Ultimus one more time than them, even if that S38 Ultimus trip feels like a massive flash in the pan considering the seasons it's surrounded by.
But they missed out on one major thing, arguably the most important; they missed out on an Ultimus win. I can't punish the team too harshly for that, though. In a 14 team league with a playoff format, everything being equal and perfectly random, you'd expect a team to make the final game twice over a 14 year period, and win once. Over the 16 years the Fire Salamanders have been in the league (at least one of which can be tossed out due to being an expansion franchise in an established league and thus very much not being equal), they have managed to make the Ultimus on three separate occasions, about one full time more than expected. Them not being able to win one is just failing to do so one more time than expected over this period. So this team is not in the running for worst team ever, despite being the only team in the ISFL to not win an Ultimus. But where exactly do they stand?
Overall Stats
More than just all time records here
More than just all time records here
All Time Record: 126-128-2 (49.6% win rate)
Playoff Record: 6-6
Ultimus Record: 0-3
Playoff Berths: 6 over 16 seasons, 37.5%
Hall of Famers: 2 (Byron Dolls, Derred De Ville)
Major Award Wins: 1 MVP, 1 DPOY
Best Team Period: S28-S29 (2 playoff berths, 1 Ultimus Appearances, 25-7 record over 2 seasons, 78.1% win rate)
Worst Team Period: S39-S40 (9-22-1 record over 2 seasons, 29.0% win rate)
The easy comparison is the Butchers, and it's a comparison that I actually think the Salamanders take. For one, similarly to how the Butchers aren't that much over .500, the Salamanders aren't that far below it either. Simply put, for a team with 10 seasons less time to put together a resume, I think the Salamanders surpassed the resume of those Butchers. One less Hall of Famer, a better award cabinet, even if only by a hair, and while the Salamanders' best stretch doesn't really compare to the Butchers, and they do lack a title, the team just hasn't bottomed out for a long period of time so far during its existence.
This could, however, be in the process of changing, and it would be in a way that would see them go below both the Butchers and the Silverbacks on my prospective ranking. The period I put as the Fire Salamanders' worst is the most recent two years. It is the first time that they have had back to back seasons of over 10 losses, and it is part of a generally bad last 5 year stretch that also had a random 10 win season, a playoff berth, and a trip to the Ultimus bracketed by a pair of seasons where they were unable to reach 10 wins when combining two seasons together. Currently, as in during S41 as I am writing this, the Fire Salamanders are 2-8. The Silverbacks are currently 3-7, which is bad, but the Butchers are currently 6-4 and in prime position to at least compete for the playoffs. If the Fire Salamanders spend another couple seasons putting together 10 loss campaigns while the Silverbacks and especially the Butchers do not, then I will be hard pressed to put Berlin where I currently have them in the preliminary rankings: 5th overall, above the Butchers and the Silverbacks. And if Berlin goes another 5 seasons or so without winning an Ultimus, their ability to make and not win the Ultimus goes from a mitigating factor to a hindrance in my mind. Suffice to say that of the many rankings that I feel could swing either way based on the results of the coming years, I think the Fire Salamanders are the likeliest to freefall down and also lack an ability to move up.
Two final teams to go, both very interesting to talk about in their own ways.