A DIFFERENT KIND OF NEW YEAR'S DAY BOWL GAME WAS PLAYED FRIDAY NIGHT IN THE EMERALD CITY. THE LINGERIE FOOTBALL LEAGUE'S NO.1 RANKED DALLAS DESIRE VISITED THE SEATTLE MIST AS PART OF LFL, FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL IN A GAME RIDDLED WITH PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS. SEATTLE FANS NEARLY PACKED-OUT SHOWARE CENTER IN KENT EARLY CREATING A PLAYOFF-LIKE ATMOSPHERE FOR SEATTLE'S ONLY PRO FOOTBALL TEAM POSSIBLY HEADED TO THE POST-SEASON. DALLAS CAME INTO THE GAME SHORT-HANDED MISSING THREE POTENTIAL ALL-FANTASY PLAYERS IN LINEBACKER AMIYA WATSON, DEFENSIVE END SHANNON A'SE AND WIDE RECEIVER CANDIS MOSLEY. MOSLEY AND SAFETY TONI KELLEY MISSED THE TEAM FLIGHT AND WERE SUSPENDED FOR THE GAME.

AS MANY EXPECTED AND DESPITE NOT HAVING MOSLEY IN THE LINE-UP AS A DEEP THREAT, DALLAS WASTED NO TIME OPENING THE GAME WITH A 43YD TOUCHDOWN PASS FROM LINDA BRENNER TO GABRIELLE MARIE SILENCING THE CHARGED UP SEATTLE HOME CROWD. MARIE CLEARLY PUSHED OFF ON THE PLAY BUT IT WAS NOT CALLED. AS THE MIST OFFENSE HAS DONE ALL-SEASON THEY COUNTERED DALLAS' SCORE WITH A BALANCED OFFENSIVE ATTACK WHICH LED TO A GAME-TYING 32YD TOUCHDOWN DRIVE THAT WAS CAPPED BY GAME MVP KATIE RYCKMAN TOUCHDOWN PASS RECEPTION FROM QB NATASHA LINDSEY.  NOTCHING UP THE SCORE AT 6-6, RYCKMAN ADDED ANOTHER TOUCHDOWN BEFORE THE HALF ENDED TO TAKE A 12-6 LEAD AT HALFTIME. LEGENDARY SEATTLE SEAHAWKS FAN LORIN 'BIG LO' SANDISKY WHO WAS IN ATTENDANCE SAID, "THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE ATMOSPHERE, I CANNOT BELIEVE THE INTENSITY OF THESE LADIES AND THESE FANS ARE LOVING IT!"

SENSING AN UPSET AND BLOOD IN THE WATER SEATTLE OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR/SPECIAL TEAM COACH CHRIS MICHAELSEN WENT FOR THE JUGULAR OPENING THE 2ND HALF WITH AN END-AROUND REVERSE CALL ON THE KICKOFF THAT RESULTED IN A 27YD TOUCHDOWN RETURN BY KENDRA BERLIN. SEATTLE NEVER LOOKED BACK ADDING ANOTHER TOUCHDOWN WITH LINDSEY BLAINE CONNECTING WITH SHANNON PETERSON WITH ONLY 23.2 SECONDS LEFT IN THE GAME TO THE DELIGHT OF THE NEARLY PACKED HOUSE WHO ALL STAYED TO WATCH EVERY SECOND OF THE LFL'S BIGGEST UPSET OF THE SEASON. JUST LIKE QWEST FIELD, THE CROWD NOISE WAS ANOTHER FACTOR CAUSING SEVERAL FALSE STARTS AS THE MIST FAN BASE LIVED UP TO IT'S REPUTATION OF BEING THE MOST RABID FAN BASE IN THE LFL. SEATTLE COACH CHRIS MICHAELSEN FOLLOWING THE GAME SAID, "DESPITE THE LACK OF RESPECT AROUND THE LEAGUE WE KEEP WINNING AND OUR GIRLS KEEP COMPETING AT A HIGH-LEVEL, HAVING BEATEN THE NO.1 RANKED TEAM IN DALLAS WE KNOW NOW THAT WE CAN COMPETE WITH ANYONE". MICHAELSEN ADDED, "DALLAS COULDN'T DO (BLEEP). WE HAVE 48 PLAYS, AND THEY ONLY HAD FOUR TO FIVE PLAYS. WE KNEW WHAT THEY WERE RUNNING."

NOT TAKING ANYTHING AWAY FROM A VERY GOOD SEATTLE TEAM, YOU CERTAINLY HAVE TO WONDER WHAT THE OUTCOME WOULD HAVE BEEN WITH ONE OF THE BEST RECEIVERS IN THE LEAGUE IN CANDIS MOSLEY IN THE LINE-UP RUNNING DOWN LINDA BRENNER'S PASSES. WITH MOSLEY'S ABSENCE, DALLAS WAS FORCED TO USE RUNNING BACKS LIKE GABRIELLE MARIE AND CRYSTAL LONDON LINED UP OUTSIDE WHICH RESULTED IN SOME KEY DROPS. DALLAS ALSO MISSED A PAIR OF STAR DEFENDERS SHANNON A'SE AND AMIYA WATSON AS SEATTLE'S RUNNING BACK LINDSEY BLAINE SIMPLY RAN ALL-OVER THE DALLAS BACK-UPS.

FOLLOWING THE GAME THE MIST HOSTED A FAN MEET AND GREET THAT GENERATED A LOT OF EXCITEMENT AMONGST THRILLED FANS. "IT WAS 2,000 TIMES BETTER THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE," SAID NIK VRSEK OF SEATTLE. HUGH GALLAGHER OF SEATTLE PAID $18 FOR HIS TICKET AND "WOULD'VE PAID MORE." HE PLANS TO GET SEASON TICKETS NEXT YEAR, "IT WAS AWESOME," GALLAGHER SAID.  

SEATTLE NOW IS IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT FOR A PLAYOFF SEED IN MIAMI THIS FEBRUARY. SEATTLE'S WIN CREATES A FIRST PLACE TIE IN THE WESTERN CONFERENCE WITH BOTH SEATTLE AND DALLAS AT 3-1. THE MIST WIN SETS UP A VERY INTERESTING SHOWDOWN ON JAN 29TH BETWEEN THE LOS ANGELES TEMPTATION AND SAN DIEGO SEDUCTION, IF LOS ANGELES WINS IT WILL CREATE A 3-WAY TIE AT 3-1. DALLAS HAS ALREADY CLINCHED BY VIRTUE OF HAVING A HIGH POINT DIFFERENTIAL (+44) VERSUS SEATTLE'S (+33). SINCE DALLAS HAS CLINCHED IT COMES DOWN TO SEATTLE AND LOS ANGELES FOR THE SECOND SEED IN THE WESTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFFS. LOS ANGELES WILL HAVE TO BEAT SAN DIEGO BY 33 POINTS TO HAVE A BETTER POINT DIFFERENTIAL THEN SEATTLE AND ADVANCE TO PLAYOFFS, IF NOT SEATTLE WILL ADVANCE TO THE FRANCHISE'S FIRST-EVER PLAYOFF APPEARANCE AND SET UP AN INCREDIBLE RE-MATCH WITH THE DALLAS DESIRE IN THE WESTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFF.