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This week's games, the first under the lights and amidst an evening of fantastic weather, brought one of the largest crowds, a not-so-close game whose tale was told in the first five points, and a true last minute barnburner. First games first.

Desperadoes v Ballers
The Ballers did their best to lose this game in the first five points. Five straight unforced turnovers, either drops or throwaways, followed by sluggish defense, created an instantaneous 5-0 deficit that, for the confidence-shaken Ballers, was never surmountable. Positively, the Ballers connected on a huck or two and showed glimpses of offensive flow, but appeared outmatched as the Desperados took half 8-3.

Halftime offered the Arena Ballers a chance to regain their composure and get organized. A transition to a horizontal stack and a few set plays produced some success for them. Still, uncharacteristic turnovers also plagued the men in black in the second half, stifling any murmurings of a comeback. The Desperados' fast-paced offense, led by Ryan Purcell's deep roster of mutliple MagnUM players and speedy young and old locals alike, and their subsequent lock-down defense, proved to be too much, as the Ballers limped to a 8-15 loss.

The silver lining for the Ballers is that unforced errors are the easiest to correct, and with their roster of players, some mental fortitude, extra pre-game throws and catches, and a few set plays could quickly turn their fortunes around. In addition, they were matched up against what is looking to be the strongest team in the league right now, and a loss to them is of less import at this stage in the season. While they will have to contend with them come the final series, it is the other two teams against which they will truly test their mid-season mettle.

Little needs to be said for the Desperadoes, as they continue to gunsling their way through teams, with or without their fearless napoleonic leader. They are the team to beat right now, and we will see if they can deal with the pressure of the bullseye.

Sacred Cows v INC
The Sacred Cows jumped to an early led, something new for them this season, and held on for most of the game. Good defense, coupled with efficient after-turn offense, allowed them to get up early and to hold on to their lead. However, INC proved more dynamic, and was able to change their strategy and style of play well to prevent the Cows from getting in any sort of run-away rhythm. Taking half 8-6, the Cows looked to continue their modus operandi, while INC was scheming. This proved to be decisive, as the Cows were unprepared for the clammy defense that INC had morphed into. The patient, offense that earned the Cows their early lead, characterized by vertical flow that, once stalled, quickly shifted across the field laterally to find holes until once again going vertically, had given way to a less patient offense that forced vertical throws into poaches and lacked their horizontal, high percentage swing passes. Multiple throws into poaches quickly allowed the green men to capitalize with only short yardage to gain before reaching the endzone, and suddenly the lead was gone. As the clock ticked away and the other field slapped hands, the Rook and Tyler met mid-field to go over cap rules at 14-14-- win by two, with a hard cap at 17. The duel had begun.

INC pulled to the Cows, and they begun to move upfield. Fatigue had begun to show, and soon the disc was lost off an overthrown deep shot from Neff. The Cows defense continued to show the same fatigue, and the pressure mounted as INC marched towards their first lead of the game. However, it was not to be, as Bill Reith's backhand was tipped by Tyler and fell to the ground just short of its receiver, standing five feet into the endzone. The Cows took moved quickly on this turn and punched it in to remain in the lead. Pulling to INC, the Cows found their legs and manned up on defense, earning a turnover on a disc that simply didn't find its mark. However, the siren song light at the end of the tunnel was once again too tempting, and a 45 yard Neff hammer once again failed to connect. INC was able to move down the field successfully this time around, and again we find ourselves tied at 15. The Cows receive, and in their stable horizontal offense are able to move the disc well to open the field. A Kinley cross field IO flick huck to space allows Neff to make the play, circus-catching past a bidding Rook for the lead. 16-15, game point again for the Cows. INC, however, answers back, with a consistent and unphased offense that punches in a wholly uncontested point.

16-16, universe point. The cows receiving. Rook has been pulling huge this game for INC, and this point is no different. Catching 8 yards deep in the endzone amongst the sprinting INC defenders, Childers wisely looks off the centering pass. The INC clam is again set and poaching the lanes. Childers swings open side to Kinley who receives and can only see poaching cloggin the throwing lanes and a Callahan-hungry dump defense. A shifting mark prevents easy throws. As the stall count crescendoes, his dump cut goes upline and poaches eat the space. Soon, Kinley poorly chooses a blade to Bindman, momentarily open mid-field, who is quickly D'd by the poacher waiting for Kinley's misguided attempt. Turnover, 2 yards out of the endzone, double game point. Time out is called by INC. Rook has the disc, and writes a brief novella outlining the play. Proving his longwindedness, the play ends up being break mark backhand to space, and just like that, the Cows' lead and their hope at a win are both suddenly dashed. Game, INC.

A near win for the Cows, who yet again knock on the door of victory but find nobody's home. Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

Looking ahead, INC proved they have the chops to evolve to other team's strengths and to capitalize on their weaknesses, and look to be the team with the best chance of toppling the Desperadoes, leaving the Cows and the Ballers at the bottom of the pack to cope with their multiple early season losses and try to piece together what is working and jettison the mistakes of their past. If next week is anything like this week, bring your popcorn.

Rain Delay

Last week's games, unfortunately, were cancelled, due to monsoon.

However, this week's weather looks to be much better, and features two strong matchups.

Sacred Cows v Irish National Champions

The Cows have shown difficulty coming out of the gate strong against their opponents, and they will need to find some magic early on to not find themselves in a similar position against INC. What they lack in early ignition they make up for in heart, though, after proving that despite any lead, they always have fight left in them, managing to close a 7 point deficit and make a game out of what was once a trouncing.

INC will need to prove it can close out games, and to play with more consistency. Like a lazy student, INC seems to only muster its strength in the waning hours of the game, procrastinating their effort until it is most needed, and to dominate this season they will need to right this ship and play with more discipline throughout points 10-20, where they seem to falter and lose focus.
This game will be won by the team that is able to correct the mistakes of their past games, and is definitely up for grabs.

Desperadoes v Ballers

The Desperadoes have the potential to roll through teams with a strong roster that includes lots of depth in speed and throwing ability. The Ballers more closely resemble that ragtag team that somehow pulls things together, scrapping their way through games and finding themselves earning everything and being handed nothing. This week will be more of the same, and the Ballers most certainly have their work cut out for them. The Desperadoes lose Ollie Honderd, but gain back Ryan Purcell, who had been out of town. The Ballers will hope to have a fuller roster to give them more legs, a decisive element late in the game. If the Desperadoes are able to keep focused, this game could be ugly, but with the Ballers' heart and scrappy nature, it could be the perfect antidote to the Desperadoes' bite, and we could see an upset.

This week's games begin at 9pm again, the first to be played under the lights. All are encouraged to come to ABC for a pre-game meal, and a post-game beer afterwards.

Wednesday Night Lights

Everything's a spectacle under the lights.

This week is the first of four this season that will showcase ultimate under the bright lights of Mitchell Field. Like a spotlight, the night games always have a different aura about them, an added pressure, and pressure turns coal into diamonds.

So what can we expect from this week's matchups?

Desperadoes v Irish National Champions
Last week, the Desperadoes proved that they have the top-to-bottom talent throughout their roster to roll through good teams, but also that a sizable lead can mean a loss of the focus that got them there, and this will be the test for them this week as they face a consistently dangerous INC team. Last week, INC felt in control, yet couldn't manage to pull far enough away from the Arena Ballers to make it comfortable, and came dangerously close to collapse. The Desperadoes had a similar fate, acquiring a gigantic lead (11-4!) before dropping 5 straight to see the game broght to 11-9. With the pressure of the spotlight on both teams, it will come to internal fortitude to determine who belongs in the spotlight and who must bow out.

Sacred Cows v Ballers
The Sacred Cows found themselves deep in a hole last week, starting a 7 point deficit in the face. Similarly, the Ballers also went down early. Both teams managed to battle back, yet neither could climb high enough to reach that elusive W. This week, someone's got to start out on top, but who will rise to the occasion? A short roster hampered the Ballers in the end last week with signs of fatigue showing late, yet it also kept them in the game as nobody got sidelined to cool off in the downpour, and their chemistry could continue to build throughout the game. The Cows had no such problem with nearly perfect attendance, and while it helped to get them back into striking distance, it did little to earn results. The Cows need to iron out some of their miscommunication turnovers, while the Ballers need to continue to build on what they learned last week and to continue to see strong performances from Terry Shih, Crag Frankland, and the rest of their roster.

The Arena is the feature bar this week, and serves as a great pre-game and post game destination.

Beginning with a Bang

Predictions and forecasts are rarely right. Mine are no exception.

Wednesday's matchups, which pitted the red-clad Sacred Cows against Purcell's white-wearing squad, andRook's Irish National Champions against the Colin's savage squad, were played out in a multitude of weather conditions. Throughout the day, the sky was ominous, intermittently drizzling or raining and always on the brink of storm. It seemed that even the weather was preparing for the first games of the regular season.

Purcell v Kinley
Touted as a matchup of equally balanced teams, from the onset there were surprises. The Sacred Cows were missing two top cutters, Will Neff and Tejas Rao, while Purcell's squad were short their captain, but bolstered by a surprise showing of Ollie Honderd, whose attendance had not been expected. Trading a few early, it seemed to be heading towards the predicted dogfight. However, the tides quickly turned as Tyler & co. turned multiple discs over on their and the opponent's endzone line, and all of a sudden the once-confident Sacred Cows were staring an 8-4 deficit at half in the face. This, amidst the slowly increasing downpour, was proving disastrous for the mooing many. Confidence was not lacking on the Purcell-less side, as their top-to-bottom speed and disc-handling skill consistently struck at the Cows' endzone with heartless efficiency. The cows would need to rebound, and big.

The second half began badly as well, seeing the Cows immediately broken, thrice. 11-4. This was the brink for the cows- a 7 point deficit, a margin almost twice their own point total. Receiving, they managed to work the field and punch one in, stopping the bleeding. Trading means quick death for the Cows, but the question remains as to whether they even have the offense to score after getting a turn. The next point, playing solid zone defense, the Cows earned a turn on a miscommunication from their possibly overconfident adversaries, and punched in a quick goal. Following up, the Cows find another early turnover in another strong zone defense, and again find the endzone in hasty transition offense. Switching to man, the Cows have planted the seeds of doubt, and as the Cownfidence builds, Purcell's squad begins to bicker. Another turn, another Cow score. Somehow, the Cows have managed to run off 5 straight, to close the 11-4 gap to 11-9. Finally, white puts one in. The cows respond easily on offense with a string, seeing Kaiser place a perfect huck to Kinley. 12-10. Another trade in points takes the score to 13-11, and the Cows will need a score and a break to tie it up and go on to clinch this comeback-of-comebacks to begin their dream season on their undefeated path to the finals and into the annals of showcase league history and glory......

But it was not to be. A deep shot goes awry, and white takes advantage, 14-11. Another deep attempt, another missed opportunity, white score, white win. A great way to start the season for both teams, with each learning their own strengths and weaknesses, and each proving to themselves and each other that they both can vie for the final title.

Wilken v McIntyre
A similarly paced game, with McIntyre's team playing the role of Kinley's, going down early and storming back with adjustments to the offense and defense. The rain definitely affected the day's play, and these teams were no exception. Wilken's Irish Nat'l Champions began the game by acquiring an early lead. According to Wilken, it felt as if they had complete control, but the scoreboard read otherwise. Wilken and his squad had several wetness-induced miscues (this was the story of the day) and this kept McIntyre's army within striking distance. Wilken took half 8-5, and felt comfortable. However, McIntyre & co. rode the storm back into the game with the game-changing play of Terry Shih cutting and the unusually dominating forehands of Frank the Tank Frankland. McIntyre continued to slice his backhand through any mark, and suddenly both teams found themselves with 11. The game had quietly become huge, and both squads knew it.

Wilken's speed, not a surprise coming from the likes of Fumo and Matt Schlough, was also showing up in the powerful play of Ed Serzo, who made plays on both sides of the disc and mitigated any risky throwing decisions with hard-nosed D to earn the ball back. Gillette also helped to maintain the offensive flow, along with the sneaky Glowacki who was able to find the soft spots behind the defense for goals, and the deeper legs of Wilken's fast squad proved decisive against the savage McIntyre team as they rolled out the final innings to win 15-11.

*****

The first games are played, but from what can we glean in these stormy wins and losses? McIntyre's mini-army was able to hang with Wilken and even rally back from a deficit, as were the Sacred Cows, but both sides proved to have too little too late. Yet, how much of a factor did rain play in these victories? Sure both sides were playing in it, but should one have been overly affected, we could yet see surprises in the coming, less-rain-soaked weeks of the season.

If anything, this first week proved that this year's teams are both well-matched and capable, a good sign of things to come.

Calm Before the Storm

The Regular Season begins Wednesday.

Like that sudden dip in temperature, that eerily ominous pause in the wind that accompanies a shared glance to the darkening sky, now is the calm before the storm. Teams are set, matchups are being identified, cleats are being tightened, and anticipations are mounting. What will this season bring?

Without team names yet set, teams will be identified by captains.

Purcell
On paper, this team looks powerful. The backhand breaks and flick bombs of Ryan Purcell, coupled with the size of cutters Armand Conti, Pat Collins, and Will Mcgrath, the speed of Tom Haynes, Pug, and Zak Kemmer, and the stability of all-around players Juice, Allan Evans, Nate Solon, and the rest of the roster, make this is a multi-faceted, dangerous team. Ollie Honderd is the X-factor, as his attendance is expected to be nil, but who knows. Look for this team to make a clear and direct run at the championship.

McIntyre
This team begins its season handicapped because its captain is nursing a hamstring strain that immediately disadvantages it. However, should he become healthy, he is surrounded by an experienced core of Eric Geile (last year champion), Chris Spittal, Craig Frankland, and other do-it-all-ers whose ability to play multiple roles, from handler to deep cutter to up-deep in a zone, could prove decisive in earning the necessary W's throughout the season. Last year's lowest seeded team ended up learning its own game throughout multiple losses in the season, which culminated in a strong push in the semis (and also the most hotly contested game of the year), and finally in a strong finish, even though it ended early. However, last year's eventual champion was also touted as a semis-at-best finisher, so the only thing for certain is that this team will come to play at 6:30pm on Wednesdays and will punish any team that takes them lightly.

Wilken
The other captains are all under 5'9" tall, so right from the start, Wilken has a height mismatch in drafting. From there, its evident his picks were based on speed, speed, speed. Matt Schlough, arguably (easily?) the fastest man on the fields, Dave Fumo, Mike Burton, Gordon Siegfriedt, Rook himself- these players are simply fast as all get out, and will give any other squad headaches (and sore legs) in matchups. Their throwers will have the option of bombing lasers, and can float a few with Rook, Fumo, Gillett, and Greff out there to get up. This is a team of extremes, and could just as easily blow a team out as blow themselves out of a game, depending on whether their strategy is working or not. Their own consistency will be the key to their long-term ability throughout the season, but its safe to say that more than a few highlights will occur when this team is on the field.

Kinley
This team is about balance. Foldesi, Ricky, Kaiser, Noah B, and Dave Childers provide a solid handler core, allowing Will Neff, Darren Galligan, Tejas Rao, Toby, Tyler and the rest of the team to work the downfield game. Big enough to challenge the big guys, some speed to challenge the quickies, and experience and stability to maintain consistency against the steadfast, this team's main challenge will be to live up to its potential. With a strong roster, things can click as easily as they can go wrong, and sometimes it's the intangibles that win or lose a game for a team. This team will need to find out how to win together, coupling all of its strengths as one, and avoid having too many chiefs, not enough indians. A potential finalist for sure, but at the same time, a potential first-round-and-out if things don't click in unison.

The Matchups- Week 1
Purcell v Kinley
This will be a battle of matchups. Each team has squirrelly throwers, dominant big men, speed demons, and consistent throwers. Two well-balanced powerhouses, toe-to-toe, blow-for-blow to start the season. I can't make a prediction because it's simply too close to call. Bets are even- no spread this game. Take your chances folks, this is a big'un.

Wilken v McIntyre
Wilken's "extremist" frisbee, based on raw speed and power, versus McIntyre's veteran savvy. Will poaches negate the throws to space that the speed game relies on, or will pure athleticism overcome wisdom and experience? A true David versus Goliath story, if David were older, wiser and more experienced than Goliath but actually a bit slower, and they were both really roughly the same size, and Goliath were a brute mostly in respect to his being like an uber-jock and real fast. Wilken v McIntyre. David v Goliath. Be there.

The bar is Conor's. Car bombs and Guinness will flow like wine and players will flock like the salmon of Capistrano. See you there.

The end of one story is the beginning of another...

The Preseason came to a resounding close last night as FHS, again clad in their dominating Reds, overtook Slower, Whiter, and the Seven Dwarves in a nailbighting 17-15 finish. The other field hosted a game that finished a bit earlier, which saw Purcell and Neff's Ricky's Mom team taken out by Colin's Magnificent Four.

First, the Mag Four. Who woulda thunk? An injured leader, a team with attendance issues, an injured Ollie, all coming together to topple the dominators of Purcell and Neff! It's quite the rags to ric..., er, well, it isn't, but it's a pretty good story nonetheless, sort of like Major League meets Bad News Bears meets The Shining. It actually isn't like that at all, and that grouping is ridiculous, but this tangent serves only to reflect the utter surprise that the Magnificent Four's success has shown. However, it shouldn't really be all that shocking, as their core players- Fumo, Kaiser, Solon, Shih, Juice, Mcgrath- are all incredibly competent players, able to consistently get the job done and efficiently put the flatball in the endzone. Congrats to the chumpionship winners. And, it should be pointed out that Mag Four's record is equal to that of FHS, so why are they in the chumpionship at all? Well, Nate-Solon-who-asked-the-question-and-made
-me-have-to-think-about-it, Mag Four's first victory came under auspicious pretenses, having been able to field only four players of their own (hence the name) and necessitating players from their opponent's squad to earn the win. This W comes with an asterix, and that's my reason and I'm sticking to it. Also, it's just preseason.

But onward! to the Championship.

The story of the day was attendance- it was AWESOME. Like everyone ever showed up, okay, and it was like the sweetest thing evar. Seriously though, it was great ot get full or nearly full squads out to play, and if that is any indication of the regular season, well, this will be a good summer.

Back to the game. FHS was prepared, in their reds as always, and had great numbers, bolstered by the addition of one Craig "Tank" Frankland. Slower, Whiter and the Seven Dwarves had come to play as well, and in white, looked like a veritable avalanche of height, with multiple players coming in well above 6'. The game did not start well for the Dwarves though, as FHS rolled of quick three breaks to start the game with a 3-0 lead. Marching back, the Dwarves made their own run, and after a decently played first half, the score had become 8-6. FHS felt good- they were simply able to capitalize on the one more error that the Dwarves were making each point, and with this semi-efficiency, had kept the game in their hands. This was not to continue though. In the second half, FHS saw their lead begin to slip, and soon saw the game tied and the teams trading points. Both deep shots and the break side were being utilized, with the Dwarves reigning in their previously overhucked bombs to favor higher percentage IO flicks and lefty IO backhands (courtesy of one Noah Bindman), thus cutting out the majority of their turnovers and scoring much more easily. This took away the momentum from FHS who could no longer wait for turnovers to just happen, and playing take-away defense against the Dwarves was proving tougher and tougher. Finally, with the game tied at 15s, the pressure mounted. Armand found Tyler for a deep look that Tyler came down with in a crowd, and then hit D-Rock with a blady flick to go up one. 16-15, game point FHS. Playing hard flick D, FHS forces the Dwarves to dump and swing, preventing many deep shots and giving underneath cuts strong pressure. Finally, a poach in the lane pays off, and FHS gets its needed turn, moving the disc quickly to take advantage of the Dwarves discombobulation after the turn, and Dave Childers places a flick into the hands of a sprinting FHS cutter in the endzone to secure the championship win for FHS.

The victory was sweet, but it's only the slightest of tastes, since this, the preseason, doesn't matter at all, and is only the precursor to what is looking to be a great season.

The moral of the story-- attendance is the key to the league. If we all make it, the games will rock. If we don't, game play suffers.

And now, what we're all interested to see, the regular season teams:

Matt Wilken
Gordon Siegfriedt
Jay Meldrum
Paivo Kinnunen
Matt Dagher Margosian
Lucas Price
Mike Burton
Dave Mccreedy
Dave Fumo
Brendan Schramm
Ed Glowacki
Matt Schlough
Ethan Gillette
Matt Greff

Colin McIntyre
Jake Scobey-Thal
Craig Frankland
Thomas Gilchrist
Ryan Slater
Matt merrins
Ed Serzo
Adam Van Staveren
Terry Shih
Ari Kahan
Andrew Ueeck
Chris Spittal
Eric Geile
Andy Dunn

Ryan Purcell
Justin Canniff
Pat Collins
Henry Tyler
Will Mcgrath
Jeff Juice Osowski
Zak Kemmer
Alec Weiner
Allan Evans
Ollie Honderd
Ryan Sekol
Dave Pug Gagnon
Nate Solon
Armand Conti
Tom Haynes

Tyler Kinley
Kaiser Shen
Darren Galligan
Toby hartman
Ethan Eagle
Ricky Eikstadt
Dave Childers
Dan Fishman
Tejas Rao
Tyson Stevens
Noah Bindman
Andy Foldesi
Matt Wojczinski
Will Neff

PreSeason Finale

One last chance to get the kinks out before the season begins. Captains are eyeing the playing fields, getting their last reads on potential draftees, and there is some tension in the air.

Slower, Whiter, and the Seven Dwarves (obviously Rook's team) meets FHS in the championship game. The Dwarves have proven to have a potent mix of youth and experience, consistency and daring, and the flexibility to meet other teams' strengths and weaknesses. FHS has demonstrated its own strength, losing its first game in a veritable battle against itself, and winning its second in a game they ran away with. Their foes simply haven't had an answer to some of their weapons, and the Dwarves will have to once again prove their own flexibility and dynamism to come out ahead again, if they can.

The chumpionship, pitting the two teams with the lesser records against one another, could prove to be as exciting, if not more, than the championship. Ricky's Mom will return its powerful Will Neff, Ryan Purcell, and Ricky Eikstadt, all absent last week, to lead this Wednesday's charge against the injured Colin McIntyre's Magnificent Four. Ricky's Mom had trouble against the poachy defense of the Dwarves in the first week, and last week, with its top 3 absent, were felled by FHS. This week, they should be hungry to avenge these frustrations. The Magnificent Four will certainly have their hands full. However, with the speed of Dave Fumo, the throws of Colin, Nate, Ollie and Kaiser, and the size and cutting of McGrath, Shih, Rao, and Merrins, they've got the potential to inflict some damage.

Post-game festivities take place at La Cantina this week, on the corner of South U and Church, with $1 off purchases of $6 or more. I'll be eating a burrito and a beer for damn sure.