The Toutle Lynx have existed for a total of three JAL tournaments (JAL IX, X, XI). In those three tournaments the Lynx have more than earned everyone's respect. In JAL IX the team won the WWCD Cup, and in JAL X and JAL XI made it back to the championship but came up short. In all, Toutle has an 8-6 record.
Much of the franchise's success has been pinned to Jordan Halverson, who in his career with the team has won an MVP, two pitching crowns, and three all-star awards. But the real reason the Lynx have become the league's premier team is their owner, JoLynn McCully. Nobody wants to win more than JoLynn, and she proved it once again this "off-season" by forking up $50 to re-sign Jordan.
Another important component that has contributed to the franchise's success is their role player Stephen Todd. Stephen isn't a flashy player and doesn't necessarily have "big play" capability, but he's smart with the bat and doesn't make errors in the field. Tierney Uhlenkott has also been on the team in the last two tournaments, but was recently released in order to re-sign Jordan. Tierney DH'd for the Lynx and provided an offensive spark at times. But despite no longer having Tierney, it's fair to say that the "core" of the team (Jordan and Stephen) is still in tact.
Going Forward
The Good: After re-signing Jordan to the $50/5-tournament deal this off-season, this club is all set to continue to be good for quite a while. As long as Jordan's high level of play doesn't suddenly drop off, the Lynx should be contenders every tournament.
The Bad: The only thing that is concerning about Toutle going forward is the same thing it's always been: Offensive droughts. Occasionaly the Lynx stuggle to put points on the board. Because of this, they rarely blow teams out, and aren't a good "come from behind" team. Just look at what has happened to them in the last two WWCD Cups (lost 0-1, and lost 0-3).
Final Words: If the Lynx keep up what they have been able to accomplish already, they could very well surpass the Cobras as the JAL's most storied franchise before Jordan's 5-tournament deal is up.
.png){kind=small}