Flag Recap Jan. 20, 2007

WEATHER: The Midwest was hit by a major snowstorm, while in Venice there was no snow (this isn't Malibu) but a somewhat chilly 62 and partly cloudy; very nice football weather.

WELCOME: To new players Randy and Troy. Randy pooh-poohed it when I told him he would be sore the next day ("I do spinning," he said) but at game's end admitted I was right.

GAME: Back and forth throughout, with Dark finally pulling away 50-38.

MVP: Hard to deny Toby, despite his lobbying for the award. He caught TD passes, had an interception for a TD and even threw a TD pass.

PLAY OF THE DAY: For its sheer beauty as a pass and a catch, hard to beat Dan's long TD bomb to Ray, who caught it on the end of his fingertips and kept on going.

CLONE: Toby, the big Steelers fan, pronounced himself Kordell when he went into QB. His first few passes certainly looked like Kordell (low and in the dirt) but Kordell is more gay.

ON TARGET: David threw a lot of nice balls as Dark QB, though he must have felt like Phillip Rivers vs. the Patriots on the first few plays – drop, drop, drop. When did Eric Parker start playing flag football?

TRICKY: White pulled off two hook-and-lateral plays in honor Boise State. Me (still playing receiver and not QB) took the first one and tossed it back to Brent for a nice gain. The second one was cooler, with me basically batting it back to Dan (White's QB), who got about 15 yards out of it.

MAKING A STAND: White's defense did not cover itself in glory, but on the last drive it made a terrific goal-line stand, when Dark failed to convert on four tries from the 2.

HIGHLIGHTS: Really nice catch and run by Sheri on a TD grab, catching the ball in stride. … Ray made a nice one-handed grab for a long gainer that set up a score. … I had a nice long grab in the corner of the end zone for a score. … Randy did a good job of getting lost in coverage on one play for his first score in our group. … Troy1 made a terrific over-the-shoulder catch, while Troy2 had several catches in traffic. … Embarrassing moment was me catching a pass, then faking out Troy2 with a move. I have no moves. … Our sack master today was Sheri, who snagged Dan three times for large losses.

SCHEDULE: We are back Jan. 27, noon.