Recap, April 7, 2007

This pic is from March 31. To see the rest of the photos taken by Brent, click here.

WEATHER: From an AP photo: With the Washington Monument in the background, cherry blossoms are covered in snow after a spring storm brought snow to the area Saturday. The only blossoms on a 70-degree day in Venice were on the Delicate Flower.

GAME: We played football and had a college basketball game break out. White beat Dark, 62-59, in Game 2, taking the lead on the next-to-last drive and finally making a defensive stand to hang on. It was a wild one.

OFFENSIVE MVP: Well, Demond was great and scored five TDs, but, believe it or not, he does not get the award. It goes to Rory, who scored seven TDs, a record, including six on offense and one defensive return. Not bad for someone with a sore hamstring.

DEFENSIVE MVP: Come now, in a game with 121 total points, the idea of a defensive MVP is kind of silly. Yes, Jeremiah played well at corner, but his team gave up 62 points and made one stop (when I basically made Marino the intended receiver on a pick). The nod goes to Brent, as a pass rusher and LB, for doing a good job of pressuring the QB. Any dissenters can reply in the comments!

CATCHES OF THE DAY: Two stand out. The first was by Demond, who made a twisting grab on a deep slant, then kept his balance and ran in for a score. The second was Rory's brilliant effort, going up high against double coverage for a long gain.

VERSATILE: Everyone knows Jeremiah goes both ways, but even on the field? Since White was initially short players, he came in and scored a TD on a crossing pattern. As a Dark player, he got himself two more. He will get a cut of both the winners' and losers' share.

PASSES OF THE DAY: Marino and I had a combined 18 TD passes and dozens of completions. My best was on a deep post to Patrick, who made a superbly timed leap to make the catch and score. Marino's fave was one that an unnamed former Texas Longhorn dropped even though it hit him in stride.

LINE OF THE DAY: White defense had just made a great stop on fourth down. On the first play on offense, I promptly threw an interception and walked back off the field. "You must really have wanted to get back to the sidelines," Brent said as he passed me by.

RULES 1: To answer some burning questions: a DB can grab the arms of a receiver ONCE the ball has hit the receiver's hands. From our rulebook: "If the ball has been touched by A or B, restrictions end for all players." Note: The defender can still be called for unnecessary roughness, especially if there is any contact with the head.

RULES 2: "2.16.1. Hurdling is the runner jumping so that both feet leave the ground at the same time. The runner may not hurdle to be deflagged. The runner may step over an opponent who is lying prone."

RULES 3: "A defensive player may not intentionally push or block a runner who is near the sideline."

RULES 4: "4.4.2. A defensive player may not hold, push, or knock the runner down in an attempt to remove the flag. It is best for the defensive player to attempt to grab only one flag at a time. Attempting to grab more than one flag at the same time may be considered illegal blocking if it appears that the deflagger is attempting to obstruct the forward progress of the runner."

HIGHLIGHTS: Jeremiah running a quick slant, making the catch(!) and running the rest of the way for the score. … Andy making a clutch fourth-down catch to keep a White drive alive. … Oren snagging a pass a split second after looking up and realizing the ball was heading his way. … Darren scored twice for Dark and had several key catches. … Peter did his best Dallas Clark impersonation on a slant pass for a key first down.

SCORING: With so many points, I was not able to keep track of all the back and forth. It was close the whole way, with neither team having more than a three-point lead.

WHITE: TDs -- Rory (7), six receptions, one interception return; Patrick (2), receptions. JJ (1), reception. Conversions: Peter (1), Oren (1).

DARK: TDs -- Demond (5), receptions; Darren (2), receptions; JJ (2), receptions. Conversions: Drew (1), Hinders (1), Darrin (1), I missed one.

NEXT: We are back April 14, Penmar.