Recap March 18, 2006

WEATHER: The gods continue to smile on us. It rained in LA Saturday night but earlier in the day in Venice, it was beautiful if windy and on the cool side (low 60s). But great football weather and a dry field.

GAME: It started even and was tied 12-12, until White took control and went on to a solid win. Notable were both teams going a combined 0 for their first 10 on 2-point conversions.

MVP: Goes to Toby, for a terrific game on both sides of the ball. He ran great routes, had a slew of catches, several scores and was the total shutdown corner on defense.

RUNNERUP: Peter, who made a bunch of key catches, at least 2 TDs and had several PBUs on defense.

BEST EXCUSE FOR SHOWING UP LATE: Rory, who got up in the middle of the night to take allergy medicine and took a sleeping pill instead. Doh!

GAME WITHIN A GAME: Anthony brought his "friend" Cody, who was a totally cool guy. We ended the game thinking Cody had bested Anthony in TDs, 2-1, but we forgot one: It was the weird play where I threw a hard pass that bounced off of Anthony's hands, into the air and back into his hands for a 40-yard score. So neither has bragging rights.

BEST IRONY: JP excitedly tells me before the game that he saw the eye doctor that morning and that one of his contact lenses had a weak prescription. Of course, his new, improved vision will make him a better receiver, flag grabber, lover etc. First pass from Puff Daddy to JP. Hits him in stride in the end zone. You can guess what happened. Made my day.

WORST LUCK: Peter, who had two big plays nullified on reallyclose calls. The first came when I ran for about a 5-yard gain. At the last second, I lateraled back to Peter, who ran down the sidelines for a score. But Dark ruled my flag was grabbed prior to the lateral. The second came on a wide receiver pass that Peter completed for a long TD. Again, Dark said Peter's flag was grabbed as he was passing. Both were super-close and fun plays nonetheless.

BEST PIN: Anthony on Jeremiah (Triple J). While White was waiting on defense, Triple J tackled Anthony, not realizing he's a high school wrestler. A quick reversal ensued and a pin. Had this been "real" wrasslin, Triple J would have smashed a chair over his head.

BALL HAWKS: Four excellent interceptions – Anthony's beautiful one-hander while going out of bounds. … Brent's great play to wrestle the ball from Matthew near the goal line. … Matthew making a superb MLB play by leaping high to catch a pass. … Marino, who read me perfectly on the last play of the game when I went to Anthony.

Worst non-pick: Triple J, dropping one in the end zone, prompting Toby to say: "If I would have known you were going to drop it, I would have picked it off."

BEST LONG BALL: Triple J ran a nifty inside slant route and I hit him stride for a very long score. He does have wheels.

BEST CATCH: Marino made a great adjustment and showed excellent concentration on a slant across the middle that he snagged from PD despite Anthony making a diving attempt for the ball.

HIGHLIGHTS: Peter ran a nice wheel route down the left side for a score. … Brent had a nice play where he caught a pass, then had several guys miss as he raced for a score with Triple J as an escort. … Oren played his best defensive game of the day and also wound up with some nice catches for key first downs (I like Triple J's nickname for him: "Big O") … Brian Rubin had one of his patented catches, stop (thinking the flag was off), everyone yells "Go!" and he gains another 15 yards. … My best pass was a strike into the wind that hit Anthony in stride across the middle for a long gainer. … Cody beat Anthony for his second score, leaving him on the turf on a crossing pattern. Not bad for a swimmer.

NEXT: We are playing Saturday March 25. See you then!