Sunday, February 26, 2006

Recap Feb. 25, 2006

WEATHER: Newfoundland's capital city, St. John's, virtually shut down Saturday after a fierce blizzard pummeled it with snow and powerful winds. Penmar Park was quite a contrast, 72 and sunny and calm. The only wind came from JP flapping his gums.

GAME: An odd defensive struggle in part, but White led from the start to win going away 40-18. Dark won the turnover battle but never got its offense on track.

NEXT WEEK: This is simple – we are playing next week, rain or shine (no rain forecast as of now). Enough people said they will play regardless that we will dispense with any watching the weather. Show up and play or be a wuss. J

WELCOME: A big hello to Jason who was literally driving by and asked if he could play. He coaches Pop Warner in Santa Monica and said it was fun not to be playing with 9-year-olds. I said some of us act like 9-year-olds at times, but that's another matter.

A big welcome back to Dan, who hadn't played in years, and to Marc and Demond, both making their first appearance in months since they were sidelined by injuries. They looked like they hadn't missed a beat.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Stabbing pains are shooting through my wrists as I type this. I would much prefer being shot in the chest by Dick Cheney or sit in a small room with Scott Hamilton yelling about double toe loops. But, honorable man that I am, I have to give this award to JP.

He called a terrific game as defensive coordinator, leading White to many stops. On offense, he caught numerous passes and had a couple of touchdowns. Of course, on one play where I rushed the passer and batted the ball away he criticized me because if I hadn't hit the ball he would have had an interception! Those shooting pains in my wrist are back.

BEST EXCUSE FOR NOT SHOWING UP: Zach, who was 40 minutes out on his way back from Big Bear until a friend realized he had forgotten his wallet and they had to turn around.

BEST EXCUSE FOR DROPPING A PASS: "I was hung over." – Toby, who spent all night at a Mardi Gras party.

BEST GOAL LINE STAND: Dark had a first-and-goal at the White 1 and was held. Best plays were Oren knocking away a pass on third down and Demond stopping Marino short on a fourth-down run.

OFFENSIVE FORCE: Anthony had about a hundred catches, or at least it seemed that way, many of the leaping variety. He added three TDs along the way for good measure.

CATCH OF THE DAY: Rodger made a brilliant over-the-shoulder grab on a nice pass from Marino for a long gainer. Of course, they picked on Jason on his first play ever, so it was a nice initiation.

RUNNERUP: The hangover made Toby less than his usual stellar self, but he was brilliant on one over-the-shoulder catch where he got his first foot in and kicked the pylon with the second for the score.

WEIRD TD OF THE DAY: Marino hot Brian on a medium pass, and Anthony grabbed at the flag but missed. Brian, assuming he was down, stood still until his teammates yelled in unison "Go! Go!" Brian then ran the length of the field and survived a diving last-gasp attempt by Anthony for a score.

HIGHLIGHTS: Key fourth-down TD by white came on a flanker to the back of the end zone pattern to from me to JP, which he caught. … On another play, I threw the ball as JP broke and he barely looked up in time to make the catch. … Brent made a very nifty catch on a fourth down, extending his arms to bring in the ball. … Dan was terrific at middle linebacker, but he needs a bit of work on his interception technique. … Jason showed some nice bursts of speed on a couple of short passes. … Demond was very effective as a situational pass rusher, getting at least one sack and forcing several incompletions. … It was great seeing Oren swat one away from Brent, since Brent's always giving him shit at their gym. And was I the only one who saw Brent grab and hold Oren around the collar as Oren went out on one pattern?Throw the flag! … Nice defensive game by Marino, with two picks and several great flag grabs.

See you next week.

Monday, February 20, 2006

Recap Feb. 18, 2006

WEATHER: More than a quarter-million homes and businesses still lacked power across the Northeast on Saturday as temperatures plummeted following a storm with hurricane-force wind gusts. While the weather looked bad in Venice, it turned bright and clear and it was gorgeous for football. Anybody who stayed away thinking it was going to rain is a wuss!

GAME: Well, we hit the "over" quite easily, while White taking the lead early and holding on over Dark, 62-52. We played for 2 ½ hours and each team had 13 possessions. A barn-burner!

PLAYERS OF THE GAME: First one goes to Bryan, who scored four times with some great catches and runs. Second slot to Eric, with three TDs on some equally great plays. JP wanted to be considered for his defensive play-calling, but having your squad allow 52 points isn't a recipe for MVP on most planets.

WACKY PLAY OF THE GAME: I threw a long one to Rory, and by the time it was grabbed by David (Marino) playing DB about six people had their hands on it. Rory actually had the catch until Marino's knee met his head. I think Toby, Brent and Patrick also had shots at it.

LAME PLAY OF THE DAY: Patrick forced me to call this play by that title. White faced a third-and-1 and I threw a pass to JP at center that traveled about 2 feet. Toby went up to make a play, JP bobbled the ball with his flags still on, and he evaded Toby's tackle and went the rest of the way for the TD. I prefer to think of it as a 50-yard strike from me!

CATCH OF THE DAY: Has to go to Patrick. Marino threw a nice pass that was just a tad long. Patrick went up, made an in-air adjustment and caught the ball on the way down.

BOMB OF THE DAY: The best was my stop-and-go to Bryan, who ran a great route, caught the pass in stride and scored.

BALL HAWKS: In addition to the above wacky pick, we had five others. I got one on the game's best defensive calls, where I backed up into coverage and had JP rush. The result was an interception. Take that, JP! … Marino had two nifty ones, including one I was certain he could never catch up to to grab. … Dave was Johnny-on-the-spot, grabbing a pick off of a rebound. … Eric played like a center-fielder and grabbed his, while Patrick made a great read on an out, knocked the pass in the air, caught it and ran it back for a score.

STUMBLING, BUMBLING, FUMBLING: Brent took a shovel pass and made a nice run for a first down, then lost his balance and went sprawling forward, fumbling the ball when he hit the turf.

THE FACTOR RETURNS: With JP back, it certainly is never dull. He made some great defensive calls, got one sack and knocked a pass down on another. On offense, he was his usual pain in the ass in the huddle, trying usurp my play calling like the high-priced corporate lawyer he is. For some reason he was not pleased when I said he ran like "a 50-year-old woman" after making a nice grab then getting caught from behind. I should have said he ran like Harry Whittington with Dick Cheney's buckshot in his chest. He wound up with 2 TDs, but on the game-clinching score to Bryan over the middle, he complained that I "overthrew him as usual" since he ran underneath Bryan. Priceless!

HIGHLIGHTS: Some great grabs in the game. Rory went up high to make a super catch on a long pass. … Puff Daddy on one series had four catches, including a nice over-the-middle snag for a score. … Kevin got open a bunch in the second half for two scores and several catches. … Eric was terrific on the slant patterns, scoring a couple of times on nice routes. … Toby made an awesome move on Eric on a stutter and go for a score, so much so that Eric grabbed him and called himself for PI while the ball was in the air. … There was also some really nice blocking on White shovel passes, which often goes unsung. … Bubba may have set a record for getting hurt and taking himself out of the game. "But Jesus doesn't get hurt," Eric said. "Black Jesus does!" Bubba said.

NEXT: We are back Feb. 25 at the same time and place.

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Recap Feb. 11, 2006

WEATHER: The National Weather Service said 26.9 inches of snow had fallen in Central Park, the most since record-keeping started in 1869. In Venice, where it was 75 and sunny, 26.9 fewer inches of snow fell. Cyd picked a great weekend to visit LA and play with us.

GAME: It was a classic. Dark sprinted out to a 30-12 lead, then White scored 24 consecutive points to grab a 36-30 lead. At the end, Brent's TD catch on what amounted to the final play allowed Dark to salvage a 42-42 tie (Dark missed the 1-point conversion that would have won the game). We would have played OT but we had already been out there 2 ½ hours and too many people had to go.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: A tough choice this week, but I have to lean to Patrick, who made a series of spectacular catches. His best came on a twisting, over-the-shoulder grab falling down on a pass of about 30 yards. Great stuff.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: Got to give this one to Brent, who was terrific at MLB. He thinks I'm patronizing with my praise (I only patronize Zach, if you ask him), but we also know that Brent is solid. His best play came on a well-designed hook-and-lateral by White on a 2-point conversion. I threw a 5-yard pass to Matthew, with Brent guarding him. Matthew then tossed to Zach coming around the corner and it looked like a sure score. But Brent played off of Matthew and snagged the flag short of the goal.

WORST BIG BEN IMITATION: That would be me, for my diving attempt on a QB run near the goal line. My knee still hurts. Did I get in? Like Big Ben's run in the Super Bowl, who knows? I thought I got the ball over, but others said my knee came up short. Dark graciously gave me the TD (out of sympathy?). But since it was third down, I'll echo what Roethlisberger told David Letterman: "We were getting ready to go for it on fourth down anyway, so we would have found a way to get in."

KEY PLAY OF THE GAME: Zach ran a great route on a wide receiver slant, and I got the ball there on a key 4th-and-18 that keep the White rally alive. Zach had griped about being a "decoy" earlier in the game (uh, we had only run about 5 plays then), but he came up big.

NEWS FLASH: For the second week in a row, Jeremiah didn’t drop a pass. Oh, no, snow is forecast for Venice!

MY KINGDOM FOR A CONVERSION: To underscore the importance of after-touchdown conversions – White scored seven TDs (Cyd and Eric two, me, Oren and Brian Rubin) but zero conversions. Dark had six TDs (Toby, Puff Daddy, Patrick, Dave, Rodger and Brent) but made three 2-pointers.

WELCOME BACK: It was great having Cyd out from NYC this weekend and it was like old times. He made three key fourth-down catches, scored twice and did a great job rushing. His "duel" with Jeremiah was pretty much a bust, though, since J refused to play anything but left CB, while Cyd moved around on offense (White's not stupid!).

ZEBRA TIME: We instituted a new penalty system, where one team was awarded the first close call (the other team the next one, etc.) on any play where we simply couldn't agree. It worked pretty well. Dark did not use its call on my TD run, but did on a play where Cyd got a first down but Dark said he never had control of the ball. What's odd, is that Cyd DID catch the ball (he took three steps before losing it) and my play was so close it could have gone either way. Not a perfect system, but better than what we had.

LONGHORN TIME: How it is that playing in SoCal we had three Texas Longhorns (Patrick, Jeremiah and Toby) on the same team? They're everywhere, like weeds!

HIGHLIGHTS: Toby used great concentration on his TD catch on a pass that Zach got a hand on and seemed to knock away. … Puff Daddy played well at QB with many super throws and he even had a TD run. … Dave played solidly both on offense (a TD and a conversion) and defense. … Kudos to Rodger for a great block that sprung Brent on his TD. … Nice catch by Chris on a TD that was called back on a ticky-tack offsides call on a player on the opposite side of the field. Boo! … Oren may have found a new niche as a blitzer, as he regularly got good pressure on a delayed rush. … Jeremiah played great at corner all game, though we did one long pass against him with a shot downfield to Zach.

SKED: We are back next Saturday, Feb. 18.


Sunday, February 05, 2006

Feb. 4 Photos








Click photo for larger view. Game notes below photos.


Recap Feb. 4, 2006

WEATHER: Turkey received rain and snow coming from central Mediterranean and the Balkans on Sunday. Meanwhile, Turks with satellite dishes were watching the football action in Venice, where it started a tad foggy before turning clear and 72 with no wind. Perfect.

GAME: A 2 ½-hour thriller that went back and forth. White finally prevailed, 38-32, on Anthony's third TD, in a game where there were only a handful of defensive stops. Well played by all!

PLAYER OF THE GAME: I'll give this one to the Dark fourth-down offense. They converted 9 of 10 fourth downs, including two of 20 yards. Now, a cynic might want to fault White's defense, but since this blog is spun positively, we won't mention it! David (Marino) did a great job on that down, as did his receivers. In contrast, White seldom went to a fourth down, mainly because of their amazingly efficient (and modest) QB.

TOUCHDOWN MAKER: Anthony led the way with three TDs, two on shovel passes and a third on a great grab in the corner of the end zone that was so clearly in, it was amazing that Dark even challenged it.

HIS SENIOR MOMENTS: We needed Jeremiah to start the game and he was taking his sweet time. He then came on the field but forgot his flag. He went back to do something else ("He's putting on his nails," someone quipped), then came back on the field … and still had no flag. An hour later, we started.

DEFENSIVE PLAY OF THE GAME: Bubba made a brilliant flag grab on Anthony on a fourth-and-1 that stopped White on the Dark 3. Black Jesus becomes The Freak!

NOT FOOTBALL, BUT FUNNY: Bubba passes on this great clip from South Park of Tom Cruise "stuck in the closet." Check it out.

HUSTLE OF THE DAY: I hit Columbia Brian (one of our three Brians, and he went to that fine university) on a long slant that looked like a sure TD. But Patrick came from the other side, timed his dive perfectly and made the grab (not bad, considering Patrick twisted his ankle on the first play of the game). Brian did catch a TD pass a couple of plays later.

CONTROVERSY: Oh, for replay. Brian (Puff Daddy) made a great deflection of a pass that was heading to the ground. Zach dove and got his hands under the ball (or did he?) for a pick. Eventually, after the U.N. Security Council met in emergency session, Dark conceded the interception, which was sporting of them. Either way, Zach made a brilliant play.

ASSESSMENT OF THE DAY: "I didn't drop a single pass all game!" Jeremiah said after. He had about a half-dozen catches, only one that was bobbled (see photo above), and a nice TD in the back of the end zone. Wearing stick-em instead of lube will work every time.

MOVE OF THE DAY: Jeremiah was still in wonder on Toby's great move and catch on him. Marino threw a great pass, Jeremiah had wonderful position, but Toby still made the catch. He then walked over and handed Jeremiah the ball. Well done!

LONG TIME: It was great having Matthew and David Hinders back after a long absence. David had some nice grabs, including one where he tumbled like a Bulgarian acrobat. Matthew, meanwhile, made several catches, including a great one where he bolted between two tacklers and tumbled into the end zone.

GOOD HANDS MEN: Bubba made a great snag of a 2-pointer between two defenders. He was more aggressive than Jack Abramoff hustling an Indian casino. … Columbia Brian made a brilliant catch off a nice 2-point pass from Puff Daddy, going up high and spiking it out of the air (see 2nd photo above). … Zach became Air Zach on going quite high over the middle to haul one in.

NOTABLE: A heads-up play by Patrick on getting a TD on fourth down. The ball was batted up instead of down at the goal line and fell right into Patrick's hands as he ran behind in the end zone. … Columbia Brian was an awesome pass rusher, garnering about four sacks and showing great flag-grabbing skills. … Brian Rubin was clutch on several fourth downs and had a nice grab for a TD. … I liked Peter's catch for a first down in the middle of traffic. ... I thoroughly enjoyed the Walter and Jeremiah battle when we played man. They spoke more than they played, which made it all the more enjoyable. … A great call by Dark on a 4th-and-10 shovel pass to Walter that caught White flat-footed for a first down.

SCHEDULE: We are back Saturday Feb. 11, same time and place.