Recap Jan. 28, 2006

WEATHER: A heavy snow warning is in effect for the Cascades and much of Eastern Washington and northern Idaho, with as much as two feet of snow predicted in the Cascades by Saturday night. … In Venice, 2 fewer feet of snow was expected as the area saw brilliant sun, a cool breeze and a high of 65.

GAME: A thriller, as White rallied from 14-0 down to win by 6.

FYI: They are reseeding our normal field, so we are playing on the next one over until it is done.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: A tough choice, again, but I will have to go with Toby. He made a bunch of catches, including about a half-dozen on fourth down against a solid defender. He also made a brilliant over-the-shoulder catch in the left corner of the end zone for a score.

GOOD HANDS MEN: Some terrific catches. The best was Peter’s sliding effort in the end zone, snagging the ball inches off the ground. Also notable was Eric’s similar sliding grab on a 2-pointer, and Anthony’s nice reach on a long pass from David (back in his aqua Marino shirt).

WACKIEST PLAY: My pass to Jeremiah that hit him in stride, then ricocheted off into the waiting arms of Andy, who was somehow alert enough to snag it. I loved when people immediately said, “Write that up in the blog!”

WACKIEST PLAY RUNNERUP: An interception on a shovel pass. Ball hits receiver, ball bounces out and ball is caught by Walter.

WWJD: In this case, Black Jesus (aka Bubba, aka DJ) looked more like Antonio Gates. He had one touchdown where he caught the ball, had two people miss (I know, hard to believe) and walked into the end zone. On his second score, he grabbed a bullet over the top. He also called a defender for holding him, prompting someone on Dark to wonder, “How can Jesus be held?” Too metaphysical for me!

PASS THE SHOVEL: Dark’s most effective play turned out to be the shovel pass (not “shuffle pass” as some NFL announcers say). They ran it over and over and White never stopped it. Eric scored on at least one of them.

NOT RELATED TO FOOTBALL BUT INTERESTING: Check out this blog post from a guy and his friend who went to In ‘n Out in Vegas and ordered a 100x100. Yep, 100 burgers with cheese between one bun. Gross! Total calories: 19,490.

DEFENSE: Top defensive plays were Walter’s two interceptions, Eric’s pick off a deflection and Brian (Puff Daddy’s) on a good read. In addition David registered about five sacks on a great pass rush.

OUCH: Jeremiah played with a tight quad and on one play was sent sprawling on a chuck. He made a key catch for a big first down late in the game where he was shuffling more than running… Andy had his toe stepped on and was hobbling. … Some DBs had their pride hurt on some passing plays.

NOTABLE: I was nimble enough on one play to avoid the rush and buy a few extra seconds that resulted in a long TD to Andy. … Roger played solid D and ran a nice route to get open for a score. … Peter led the game with receptions with, it seemed, about 20. … I loved one Ohio State fan (Walter) playing against two from Texas (Jeremiah and Toby). The UT guys won this one, too!

SCHEDULE: We are back Feb. 4, same time and place. The day before the Super Bowl.

Recap Jan. 21, 2006

WEATHER: In Moscow, temperatures have dropped to 30 below, shattering 70-year-old records. One elephant at a circus got drunk on a vodka bath designed to keep it warm. With alcohol coursing through its veins it ran wildly round its enclosure, smashing hot water radiators and tearing them from the wall. … Meanwhile, in Venice, it was sunny and 65 with a slight breeze. So stop your whining!

GAME: We wound up playing nearly three hours and had two games. Dark ran away with a 24-0 win and we decided to play one from scratch. White got off the schneid by posting a 20-14 win thanks to a solid defense.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: A tough choice this week so with many players making a bunch of plays, but I’ll go with Shon. He made the catch of the game, going into double coverage to make a sensational grab. He snuffed out one White rally by making a great goal-line interception. And, for good measure, he threw a TD pass to Anthony.

EXPOSED: If Zach had a problem with the style of Anthony’s shorts, that’s one thing. But there was no need for him to rip them off like he did on one play when he rushed the QB! At least Anthony wasn’t freeballing and wore compression shorts in a neutral silver/gray.

BALL HAWKS: There were a lot of big plays on defense and some great picks. David (Marino) had the best, snagging one on fourth down and then doing his best Ben Watson imitation zigging and zagging down the sidelines for a touchdown. …

Shon had two picks, including one where it looked like he was going to score but got tackled. It prompted someone to say that he must have been stabbed in the knee by Nick Harper’s wife the night before. …

Oren got his first interception when he grabbed one along the sidelines. Not sure if his gray shirt confused White’s QB but it was a nice play. … Peter T. got an interception on a funny play. He went into to sub for a DB and that caused Brent and others to question whether he wouldn’t be more "comfortable" at LB. Having the confidence of his teammates, Peter stayed in at DB and promptly picked off a pass. …

Roger had a funny play (maybe not for him) when he hiked on fourth down and the ball fell 3 yards short and was downed. Two plays later, he got his revenge by making a perfect break on a pass for an interception.

CONGRATULATIONS: As some of you know, Anthony is a senior in high school and out. He plays football and also wrestles. The other day he was named first team all-league in football and got a special coach’s award. Can I have your autograph?

PIN-BALL WIZARD: Puff Daddy threw it, Peter T. tipped it, Brent at LB missed a chance for a pick, then John missed a chance for a pick and Walter wound up making the reception for a first down.

SAY WHAT? Overheard from someone: “That pass hurt my nipples.” …. Bubba proclaimed himself the Black Jesus, but I can’t remember Jesus ever dropping two passes in a row. More like Black Geez-us. … Jeremiah was introducing himself to someone and said, “Just call me JP.” Peter P. replied, “How about Chatty Kathy?” … Peter P made a nifty catch, move and run on a shovel pass, prompting Walter to yell, “Mack Strong!”

A RARE OCCURRENCE: It snows in Venice more than we punt, but there was White punting on fourth down. And Patrick got off a brilliant kick that wound up rolling through the end zone for a touchback. Who knew?

BANGED UP: Anthony said his shoulder popped out on one hard play but popped back in. Ouch! … Joe said he dislocated a finger. Double ouch … Kevin twisted his ankle, before the game, but still played great.

CONNECTIONS: Best pass play of the day was me to Kevin for a TD. I hit him perfectly in a seam down the middle left, he ran a great route and made the catch in traffic. … John made the best long ball play of the day, accelerating to catch the ball when others might have slowed down. … Brian made a super catch down the left side, reaching over a DB for the ball.

NOTABLE: Peter P made a brilliant knock down of a pass on fourth down, timing his break perfectly and swatting it away. … Brent, as someone said, never misses flag and consistently turned potential long gainers into 2-3 yarders. … Dark’s defense really clicked all day, allowing only 2 TDs in almost three hours. Take a bow. … Dave amd Puff Daddy came in late to QB the White team and each led a nice TD drive.

NEXT: We are back Jan. 28, Penmar Park at noon.

PS: For all of you who said how much you LOVED playing in the rain, I’ll expect you to show up the next time it’s wet! :-)

PPS: There is a comments section at the end of each post. Don't be bashful about mentioning something I missed. Pics will be up soon.

Jim

Pictures From Dec. 17

Some great images. First one is Rory's superb one-handed grab. Below, Jeremiah goes sky-high but I can't tell if the ball is coming or going! (Click for larger view).

To see all the pics from the game, go to Brent's photo page