DC Monuments Flag Football

2009-04-29T11:39:00.001-04:00

From our favorite injured Monument:

Hey everyone,

I just wanted everyone to know that we will be having our flag football gaybowl kickoff party...

Friday May 15th 5pm to 9 pm @ COBALT/ 30 degrees.

Please feel free and invite all your friends, partners, tricks, etc.

2009-03-31T12:40:00.004-04:00

Its tournament time, a little Monuments/Metros March Madness. Did you have Craig's Green team with Tony as their QB in your bracket? Did you track the historical trend of Marc's undefeated in tournament play? Let's get to the games:

Game 1:
Marlon (White Team) 32
Brandon (Red Team) 25

Marc (Black Team) 34
Craig (Green Team) 0

Game 2:
Brandon (Red Team) 39
Craig (Green Team) 14

Marc (Black Team) 34
Marlon (White Team) 24

Theme of the Day:
With one very close game, all the other games were blowouts which is unusual for this time of year. Of course the results were skewed by Tony's no show which put Craig's Green Team behind the 8 ball. Marc's team dominated going 2-0, can Brandon's team step up and stop them next week, after a heartbreaking loss to Marlon's team?

Plays of the Day:
Keep in mind I didn't get any reports from the other games, so this is almost exclusively from my perspective. The one nice play in the other game I witnessed was Black's Jim, dropped back, threw the ball out to Kevin on the wing. Ari made a great break on the ball and came an inch from intercepting it and taking it back for a TD. Instead the ball bounced up, right into Black's Danny's waiting hands, who took it 50 yards for a Black TD instead.

Newcomer David had a nice INT return for a TD. PJ showed some sticky hands going up for a hard thrown ball against Craig's team.

Down 32-25, wtih 4 plays left, Brandon and his Red team found themselves on White's 9 yard line. Needing a TD and xp to tie, it looked like OT, but an errand throw landed in Tall Adam's hands for the game sealing INT.

Charlie had a nice INT as Dan got confused and threw it right too him early in that barnburner of a game.

Stats of the Day:
Brandon had 3 INT's against Crag's team. Burton had a ton of big catches and TD's keeping the chains moving and an INT in our game against Marlon's team.

Marlon was all over the field on Defense, if we kept track of tackles he would probably be leading the tournament.

Ari was the big player in White's first game victory. Coming up with several clutch catches (looked like the trend continued in the second game).

Charlie had the already mentioned INT & some big catches connecting with Brandon.

Lloyd carried the Green offense early in our game against them -- even with the uneven Qb play. It wasn't until Armando came in that the offense suddenly came alive, as he effectively moved the ball downfield -- accounting for both Green's scores.

I wish I could have seen more of Marc's black team play as they're clearly the favorites, so I'm not sure who was making plays for them.

Pictures are up here.

Stay tuned for next week....

2009-03-26T12:32:00.003-04:00

Missed the game this weekend due to family considerations.

All Charlie would reveal was that he was on the losing end of both games. I'm not sure who even showed up, so I can't even make up what happened like I usually do.

Instead here are the rosters for the Spring Tournament:

Craig -- Green Shirts:

Armando, Barry, JJ, Shane R, Steve & Tony, WK 1 Only: Miles

Marc -- Black Shirts:

Danny W, Gary, Jim, Kevin C, Kevin S, Wk 1 ONLY: Adam J, Sam, Tyler, WK2 ONLY: Chad

Marlon -- White Shirts:

Adam M, Ari, Burton, Dan, Lloyd, WK 1 ONLY: Hurd, JB, Peter, WK 2 ONLY: Cassius, Williams, Mike Bird

Brandon -- Red Shirts:

Adam S, Allscott, Charlie, David, Greg, Mike Bornmann, Michael, PJ

2009-03-17T15:21:00.002-04:00

It was a spirited 5-5 Sunday, with a good mix of regulars like and new guys, who showed up to play a shootout.

Final:

Light 35 - Dark 34

Dark: Me, PJ, Dan, Tall Adam

Light: Tony, Jonathan, Atlanta Mike, New Jonathan, Greg, Steve

A game that came down to the last play. It was up and down the field all day.

Theme of the Day:

Running, a lot of running. I know 5-5 entails a lot of running, but come on. It didn't help that the field was a nice combination of soft on top and mud underneath. Jonathan wiped out spectacularly at one point.

Plays of the Day:

PJ had perfect position on his INT. I juked Jonathan out of his pants, on a long run down the sidelines. Tall Adam had a couple of nice catches. For a game with so many big plays I can't remember any of them, but I know there were 4 or 5 long passes and long runs on passes across the middle.

Stats of the Day:

Jonathan claims he had 3 TD's and one dropped TD that off his hands, off his face, off his hands onto the ground. PJ had the only INT of the day. New Jonathan came out, shook off 20 years of rust, made a catch for a first down, had a sack and a couple of pulls, including his hamstring about 10 minutes into the game.

Mike from Atlanta (who said he moving down in September) showed a nice arm even as he got used to our type of Offense. Still, he clearly showed he could play QB.

Tony was his usual efficient self.

Ok remind me what I forgot.

2009-03-10T20:01:00.002-04:00

Snow day on Monday, 70 degrees on Sunday -- what a difference a week makes. Spring made her appearance this weekend on a beautiful Sunday. We had an allstar lineup out there with old timers and new players alike.

Game 1 Final:

Dark 33 - Light 24

A rocky start for Light with Craig's brother Danny taking a turn at QB to start the game. Light started to come back with Jim at the helm, but a crucial mistake turned the tide and gave Dark the victory. Light was never really able to stop Jim and Brandon's offense.

Game 2 Final:

Light 26 - Dark 18

We divided up for game 2. Maybe it was me -- I was on the losing side of both games. Man to man defense failed Dark on 3 straight TD. The final one was all Burton.

Theme of the Day:

Big players from big players. Sam, Burton, Trainwreck, Chad, Tony, Greg, Armando, JB, Brandon, Jay all made long catches or nice plays.

Play(s) of the Day:

Burton's INT of Jim was beautiful. He broke on the ball perfectly, then returned it for a TD. That play shook off some of the rust from Burton who dropped a couple earlier. Of course, he got toasted by Tony breaking on the pump fake perfectly this time to give up the game ending touchdown.

JB made a sweet rejection of Jim that Brandon had in his hands with a clear path to the endzone, that is until Brandon dropped the ball.

Chad made a silky smooth over the shoulder catch, adjusting to the ball like a center fielder.

Sam showed excellent body control on two grabs, I mean really excellent body control, one keeping his feet in the other a twisting catch.

Lloyd made a tough catch for an extra point, Brandon had a finger on the ball, still not sure how Lloyd held on.

Stats of the Day:

Chad had 3 TD's which he reminded me of. Jim had the only other INT other than Burton's. JB had a blocked pass. Tall Adam had a nice TD streaking over the middle, as did Jim. In fact in Game 2, Light had 3 long TD's on almost the same play to 3 different players, straight up the gut. Armando had a long TD, to go with a couple of nice passes defended on deep balls. Charlie showed some age, dropping a couple of balls he usually would catch. Jay had a TD or 2 and an extra point (at least one) in front of his cheering section. Greg had a couple of long passes, one for a TD. I had a TD on a perfect pass from Jim down the sideline.

As always, I know I'm forgetting something. But with so many big names and big plays, and no advil, I can only be expected to remember so much.

2009-03-03T17:20:00.004-05:00

A nice treat this Sunday as Sam brought out a bunch of guys from his straight team. We had enough to break up into a friendly Us v. Them game, then there was time left over for a quick mix up game before we ended at at 1:15p. There are some good pictures here especially of the new guys.

Though my favorite might be Brandon' juggling eyes shut catch.

Game 1 Final:

Sam's Boys 36 - Us 36

A tie? A tie? There are no ties, but we had one. There was a lot of offense today (not much D), Sam's Boys made one key stop to make a 2 TD game into a 1 td game, and they got the ball last to tie it up, after a failed extra point we decided to play one more.

Game 2 Final :

Dark 12 - Light 12

We mixed up teams and played a short game to 21 or 1:15p, we got to 1:15 first. Another tie. I think that's the record, we've never had 2 ties in one Sunday. Definitely fun, hope those guys come out again.

Theme of the Day:

New blood. It was really nice to play with a group of new guys, to face the unexpected. The game was a contrast in styles more akin to a tournament game then our regular Sunday games. Talking to the other usual Sunday guys, the sentiment was the same. While we played are traditional West Coast offense, moving the ball 6 - 10 yards at a time. Sam's boys came out slinging. First series they score in 2 plays. Next series was the same. It took both teams a while to adjust to the other's styles, and even so defense took a backseat to offense all day. There were only 2 stops that I can remember (Brandon do you remember).

Stats of the Day:

I can't remember all the names and TD, but Justin, Sam's Guys QB, threw a funny ball but always seemed to put it in just where his receiver could haul it in. Ervin had a blocked pass as did I on the rush. Receiver Justin had the key INT in the first game, that got Sam's Guys back into the game. Jay made several catches and was pretty active especially in game 1. Sam's Guys couldn't convert an extra point all game. Marvin had at least 2 TD's and showed his athleticism on several plays. Tom had a couple of TD, running one in from the 10 yard line. I kept my streak alive of 3 games in a row with an dropped INT.

Plays of the Day:

The play of the day had to Marvin stealing the ball from Brandon. On a lame duck of a throw from Justin, Brandon went up for a sure INT. He had the ball in his hands, seriously he was in the air with the ball in his hands above his head, and somehow Marvin not only tipped the ball back into the air without touching Brandon at all, but more impressively on an impressive play then caught the rebound and ran it in for a TD.

Charlie made another Inspector Gadget catch snapping the ball out of air.

I know there were a couple of other nice plays, but they've gone out of my head.

2009-02-24T22:19:00.004-05:00

We had rain, sun, sleet, snow, ice all in the span of 45 minutes. It was a day with a lot of new faces, and while we only had 13 -- enough for a 6-6, it was a spirited two games, with as many big plays as I can remember. Of course, I can't remember much, maybe it was the weather or all the running.

Game 1:

Dark 33 - Light 18 (game to 32)

Game 2:

Dark 27 - Light 20 (game suspended)

Theme of the Day:

New faces and big plays. Miles, Peter, Tall Sam. New players came out and strut their stuff today. I think almost every TD was on a long pass or a great play. While there was a core of old timers there, myself included, about half the guys had just started playing this season or had only played a couple of times before.

Plays of the Day:

When I asked for opinions about best play at the end of the second game, I literally got a different play from 5 people. And they were all right. My top play was Miles going horizontal on a deep bomb to snag the ball out from Armando who was sure he had the INT. Miles also had a nice catch after a INT went through my hands, showing excellent concentration hauling the tipped pass in. Armando showed he had a few tricks in him with a diving catch for a big first down from Brandon. Peter had a sweet run, breaking some tackles along way. I had a nice run on a slant cutting back against the grain for a TD. Brandon had a long TD on an out, breaking down the sideline almost untouched, I know I'm missing 2 or 3 other plays.

Stats of the Day:

Tall Sam tied the game record for 2 blocked passes, one a Motumboesq swat. Miles had at least a couple of other TD's, and he had one of the days' few INTs. I dropped two sure INT's, like right through my hands dropped, and a sure TD (must be the groin pull). Gosh I wish I could remember some other plays.

Anyone want to give an old man a hand? No not that kind of hand, a hand remembering what happened?

2009-02-17T11:00:00.002-05:00

We got off to a late start, but rustled up 15 players for a marathon 2+ hour game, that went down to the final play. No pictures today as I played for the team without subs.

The Game:
Dark 33 - Light 32
Dark Roster: Adam, Charlie, Brandon, Jim, JJ, Jay Steve
Light Roster: Tony, Corey, Dan, PJ, Kevin, JB, Cassius, Gary

Theme of the Day:
There seems to be a trend this year of blow-outs and comebacks. This game had both. Light was up 20-6, had the ball and seemed well on its way to a rout. Dark's defense was about as effective as a paperbag holding a gallon of water. Light's three headed QB rotation of Tony, PJ, and Dan moved the ball efficiently down the field. Then ever slowly, Dark crawled their way back into the game. There wasn't a single turning point, in fact I don't think Light threw an INT. It was just small victory after small victory for Dark, a dropped pass here, a turnover on down there, and suddenly the score went from 26-12 Dark to Light 32- Dark 26 and the ball for score or go home drive. Dark scored quickly after missing on their first pass attempt, they hit the next 5 passes in a row to tie the game. Pass number 6 on the extra point ended the game, as Tony could only stare on in disbelief from the sidelines.

Player of the Day:
Sometimes even in a team effort, one player stands up constantly making big plays when they're needed. Today it was Jay's turn. Jay scored the last two Dark TD. The final one that tied the game was in traffic and ended with a collision that sent Jay to the ground still holding the ball. He followed that up by catching the game winning extra point. He also tied Kevin's game record of 2 blocked passes rushing the QB, and he may have had a sack. Add to that several other big catches against only one dropped pass, and he's this week's player of the week.

Trivia of the Day:
What's first base for gay men? (you can answer in the comments) I learned in our huddle.

Plays of the Day:
Tony had a nice option run for a Light TD, and taking a rare turn as a receiver score a TD on a deep bomb into broken coverage. JB took a deep pass for an early light TD. Jay's final TD mentioned earlier was a tough catch, and he did a great job holding onto the ball. Charlie made some fine catches snatching the ball out of the air on a couple of occasions.

Stats of the Day:
Kevin helped Light build their early lead with not one but two goal line INT's. It was so bad, that even on the last drive, Jim kept talking about how to keep Kevin out of the play on the final TD play. Despite those two INT's, Jim and Brandon got into a grove late in the game that helped lead Dark back. It wasn't in the stat book, but I did a good job of protecting Dark's QB from the pass rush. In fact, I blocked so much, that I think I might as well have been wearing a 74 on my shirt for my only TD & xtra point. The Light QB's were good, but hurt by a lot of dropped passes. Steve showed his usual knack for finding the open spot and moving the chains. I know there were sacks by both teams, but don't remember who had them (if you remember pls post in the comments section).

Must be the Wind:
Dark QB's despite their victory showed an incredibly bad touch on deep balls all day, overthrowing open receivers 5 or 6 times, it was so bad they commented on it in the huddle. The lack of deep balls didn't hurt them in the long run though.

2009-02-09T14:07:00.003-05:00

60 degrees, in February? Come on, I got a frickin' sun tan. We had a great turnout for another 8 on 8 day with subs. 2 games and 3 hours later, we left for home. Some pictures of the day are here (some of my best if you ask me -- and I got some other QB's throwing).

Game 1 Final:
Dark 36 - Light 12 (game 32)
Not quite a shutout, but Dark controlled the game pretty handily. It was a pretty quick game running about 1h 15m.

Game 2 Final:
Light 24 - Dark 20 (game 22)
Light came back down with Dark just a score away at 20 points. The game featured two 20 minute drives that turned up zero points -- one by each team.

Theme of the Day:
The weather without a doubt. I mean this is February, and we're not in LA. We saw a bunch of the new guys make some contributions, Lloyd had a couple of catches, Peter finished out the first game with a TD, Chris almost made a sweet INT. The return of Allscott "Best Gay Quarterback."

Stats of the Day:
Marlon had the only int of the day from my memory. Marlon also came back from a case of the dropsies to make a big 3rd down conversion and then scored a game winning TD, coming up with at least 2 on the day. I had a key sack towards the end of the second game (with the family watching), pushing my way to grab Patrick's flag. Patrick had a nice running TD at the beginning of the first game, though it wasn't enough to keep Light in the game.

The Dark QB's Jim & Brandon played pretty flawlessly in the first game, making tough throws and showing good touch in the romp.

Plays of the Day:
A lot of nice catches. Brandon had a sweet catch on the far sideline. Patrick also showed some great hands in the second game, reaching up high and getting his feet in for a score. After several long drives, with minimal results, Allscott showed everyone why he's "the best quarterback" hooking with Marlon -- one play, 80 yards, 1 TD. Sam had a couple of tough (and I mean physical) catches towards the pool end of the field, going up in traffic and coming down with the ball -- even though one TD was called back. Craig was a go-to reciever for Dark in the second game, showing good concentration on a big 4th down catch as Chris collided with him. Oh, and I showed Charlie's dog who was boss running over him for 5 yards in the first game.

Sure there was other plays, Brandon, Allscott, let me know what I forgot.

2009-02-02T12:01:00.007-05:00

Played 2 games this Sunday, and we had a huge turnout (was it was Super Bowl Sunday or the beautiful 50 degree weather) -- playing 8-8 with 3 subs for the first game and 8-8 in the second game.

Game 1 Final:
Dark 32 - Light 20
Dark Roster was something like Charlie, Burton, Tony, Armando, Marvin, Kevin, Craig, Peter, Miles (who took a pain walk after I toasted him for the first TD of the day), Greg, Achai
Light Roster was +/- Patrick, Adam, Barry, Jim, Kenneth, Gary, JB, Lloyd, Marc, JJ, Brian, Dan
Light took a 20-6 lead, then watch as Dark came back, scored 26 straight points, shutting down Light's offense (at one point PJ threw 8 consecutive incomplete's against Dark's man to man defense). Here's some video of the game winner.

Game 2 Final:
Dark 27 - Light 6
Dark Rosterish Dan, Tony, Burton, Brian, Kevin, Lloyd, Barry, Greg, Achai, Armando
Light Roster: Adam, Jim, Charlie, Marvin, Marc, JJ, Craig
Game to 22, Light never really got their act together either on Offense of Defense.

Theme(s) of the Day:
Mud. Oh and the mud. Did I mention the mud? Mix snow, ice and bright sun you get mud, goody like cake batter or baby poop (you're gonna have to trust me on this one), we were caked in it. It felt like you were running with weights on your legs from all the mud on your shoes (nice day to break in new cleats Adam).

I found mud in my ear going home. Still the weather was nice and it was a great day for football, maybe if there had been a little less mud, it would have been perfect.

Quote of the Day:
As the teams were lining up pre-snap, Tony was centering to Dan.
Unattributed: "Watch Tony coming out."
JJ: "We've been watching him coming out for 10 years."

Play(s) of the Day:
Marvin streaking downfield to catch John Burton from behind on a long catch (too much mud on the cleats John).

Burton's INT at the goal line returned for a TD.

My stretching catch over the middle for a TD, reaching out high to snatch the ball out of the air.

Tony's flips (flip on a long return to seal the TD & multiple laterals to win the last game).

Stats of the Day:
My 3 TD's in the first game were Light's only scores -- I dropped #4 after buring Burton deep, who seemed to be standing in the mud, sigh.

Marc St. Pierre had 2 INT's with Light's back agains the goal line.

Burton had a INT which he returned for a TD.

Tony scrambled 20 yards for a TD in the second game.

Kevin continued his streak of blocked passes with another one at the line of scrimmage.

That's about all I can remember after the Super Bowl get together at the Duplex Diner. What do you remember?

Here are some pictures of the day.

Some video from the games.

2009-02-02T11:52:00.001-05:00

This says it all.

2009-01-26T13:23:00.001-05:00

I wasn't there personally, but I got this from someone who was:

The Scores:
First game was another shut-out 32 -0. Almost the same guys on the losing team as the last shut out -- Brandon, Dan, JB, Burton, JJ, AllScott.

Second game ended in a tie 36-36. It was almost 2:00 and there was a Lacrosse team and another football team waiting to play so we just left it at a tie. Lloyd brought 2 new guys out -- Miles and Peter. Both fast, good, and nice guys.

Stats:
Surprisingly few interceptions even though our team had a ton of stops in the first game. I think we confused them with different schemes/pressure and good amount of man-to-man.

Play of the Day:
Play of the day was a great fade route that Tony threw to Miles streaking down the sideline after a pump underneath.

2009-01-19T08:27:00.001-05:00

In honor of six word memoirs:

No games this weekend. Obama's Here.

2009-01-12T11:55:00.005-05:00

Summary of Jan 11:

We started with 6-6, then went to 7-7 as Tony rolled in around 11a, we played two games one very exciting and one the rare blowout.

Game 1 Final
Dark 32 - Light 0
Light Roster: Cipullo, JJ, Allscott, Jon, Marc, Lloyd, Tony
Dark Roster: Kevin, Adam, Charlie, Patrick, Daniel (Craig's brother), Jim

Game 2 Final:
Dark 31 - Light 28 (played to 29)
Dark Roster: Adam, Patrick, Steve, Tony, Dan, Lloyd, Scott
Light Roster: Charlie, Jon, Jim, Kevin, Marc, Danny (Craig's Brother), JJ

Theme(s) of the Day:
The Mud was a constant, JJ could barely lift himself up on play. Everyone was slipping and sliding.

Blow-Outs and combacks. The first game was a quick blow-out, Light never really got its game together and couldn't stop the Dark team. The second game looked like it was heading in the same direction as Dark was up something like 22-7 for a long time, and Dark's only score coming on an INT return for a TD. Sitting Just a TD and XP from victory, Dark stalled out, with Light's defense coming up with 4 stops in a row. Breaking their drought, they came to the brink of victory 28-25 but couldn't convert the XP. Light scored on their next possession to make the round trip from from blow out to victory.

Player of the Day:
As usual it was a team effort all the way around. QB's were unusually ineffective or at least not as effective as usual. My choice would be Danny (Craig's brother) who made several long catches and played good shut-down defense at safety.

Plays of the Day:
From what I remember.... I had a sweet one-handed catched reaching back on the ball with my left hand to scoop the ball and get the INT.

Danny had several nice catches on long bombs and made some good pulls crashing the ball on D.

Tony made his mark today as a receiver beating Jonathan for a deep bomb.

JJ had an INT off of Dan on a deep pass to Allscott and out-muscled Allscott along the sideline for another nice catch. It made up for Allscott's brutish shoulder to the sternum that knocked JJ out of the game for a play.

Blame the Sweatshirt:
Kevin was involved in controvery early as a long gain was called back because his gray sweatshirt was out over his flags. Latter, after 3 bad drops, he blamed the slippery sweatshirt which was taken off mid-game.

Turning Point,..maybe not:
Jim's INT near the goal line to me. I brought the ball out about 20-30 yards before flipping it to Allscott who took the ball the rest of the 60 yards for a TD. That played slowed down Dark's momentum in the second game brining the score to 7-6. It didn't last for long though as Dark went on to score the next 2 TD's bringing them to the brink of victory. But Light was able to wear them down with a tough man to man defense. Eventually going up 25-22 before winning it 31-28. Guess slow and steady won the race this Sunday.

Stats of the Day:
I had 3 INT, one for a TD on a duck of a pass by Allscott in the blow out of the first game. Steve went 2-2 for 80 yards and 1 TD in his only turn as QB. Allscott was 4-12, but he did get an INT and did bring one back with my help for a TD (Editor's Note (1/15): Scott sent me the following correction " I threw a long pass to Tony who flipped it to PJ for a TD - that counts as a TD pass in my QB rating; although 4 - 12 might be a little generous. I think that TD pass was my only completion in 2 drives (1 for 8, 1 TD, 1 INT)"). Patrick had an INT. Dan had a couple of sacks. Can't remember who scored the TD's. Though Patrick had the game winner on a nice catch and run making two defenders miss.

Thanks for JJ & Patrick for their e-mailing me their favorite plays? Did I miss something you did or thought was worth mentioning? Well, e-mail it to me or just post it in the comments.

2009-01-12T11:53:00.001-05:00

Pictures from this weekend's muddy game.

They're in the same set as last weeks' game.

2009-01-07T14:55:00.000-05:00

Some pictures from the game this past Sunday.

2009-01-07T12:03:00.001-05:00

See some pictures from November 2008.

2009-01-07T11:36:00.003-05:00

First game of the new year was played on a fairly mild winter day. We ended up with 16 guys for a nice 7-7 with a sub each. We only got one game in, of course it was a 2 hour game, and Charlie had to get home to watch the Dolphins (sorry Charlie, but you got to be happy with the season, right).

The Teams (as best I can remember):
Dark: Adam, Patrick Tangey, Jay, Steve, Jonathan, Craig, Brandon, JJ
Light: Jim, Tony, Charlie, Sam, Kip, Mike from Boston, I'm forgetting 2 guys.

Final Score:
Dark 32 - Light 20

Theme of the Day:
Defense. Not sure how long the score seemed stuck at Light 14 - Dark 6. Light had several opportunities to open up that lead, but interceptions killed their chances. Meanwhile Dark took its time, with some interceptions and turn over on downs, before it could come back and take over the game.

Stats of the Day:
TD's: I had 2 including a the game winner on a beautiful play -- JJ blizting in blocked Tony's quick pass to Sam "MVP" on the sideline, the ball floated beautifully up in the air to me steaking down uncontested for the game winner.

INT's: There were a lot of them. I had 2, Jay had one with Dark's back against the goal line, Patrick had one, Jimmy had at least one for Light. Sure there were others I missed.

Sacks: Patrick had at least one, rushing in un-touched to get Jimmy before he even had a chance to look downfield. Newcommer Mike, a visitor from Boston's league, showed some good strength on the pass rush, and had several sweet pulls including one on Brandon (I think) for a sack.

Play(s) of the Day:
Sam "MVP" had a beautiful catch on the sideline, showing great body control as he twisted towards the sideline to come down with the ball and get his feet in on a 40 yard bomb.

JJ's block of Tony's sideline pass, to set up the game winning INT returned for TD was just a great play.

Not on the Scoresheet:
You may not have noticed it unless you where in the Dark Defense's huddle, but Patrick did a great job of calling the Dark defense, throwing different schemes at Light's Qb's -- Tony & Jim, and different blitzes. Those calls along went a long way towards throwing Light off-balance, keeping the Dark team in the game long enough to get its offense going.

Sure I missed your favorite play or TD, let me know in the comments section.

2008-11-12T10:41:00.003-05:00

Hold on a minute, let me dust the cobwebs off this thing.

Welcome back to DC Gay Flag Football. Its been a month since Salt Lake City, "Girl down," Pattie Mac's throw me the f**king ball standing 5 yards out of bounds, and Trainwreck going offsides after reminding everyone the snap count was on 2. After one week off, its been three of weeks of football.

Not being there the first week, I can't comment on that game, but we've had some good football in the two weeks I've been out. One thing I've noticed is how much the level of play has improved with two teams representing DC in the tournament.

Two weeks ago we had a lot of newcomers to the game, the scores were blowouts, but the attitude was good and the games were fun despite the score. The play I remember most of all was Marlon rushing the passer, blocking the pass, catching the loose ball and returning it for a touchdown.

This past week, the word on everyone one's tired lips was DE-FENSE! The second game stretched to 1 hour and 50 minutes, only ending at 30-24 after a defensive deflection ended Tony's drive to tie it up at 1:50p there was a lack of will and advil to continue the game to 32. To give you an idea of the defensive intensity, there were 4 possessions back to back to back to back where the offensive team turned the ball over on downs. That made for a string of 6 or so possessions without a score from either team, that's got to be some kind of modern day record.

My flag pull to stop Tony's scramble on 4th and 7 at 5 yards was matched by Craig's pull on the other side to end a Dark drive. Typical of the day, after Craig's 5 yard pass turned into a 60 yard run down field to put White on the 8 yard line. Tony threw up a rare interception to Kevin in the corner.

Marlon led the Dark team's offense with his vaunted 2 play, err, 2 formation system. Kevin took the reins to throw a couple of TD, and superstar Brandon (the white Marlon) also chipped in. JJ was solid and open all day hauling in 10 of 11 balls thrown his way. I scored my share of TD's with a couple of nice catches...

Frankly, I can't remember anything that happened, too tired, too little oxygen to the brain. Post your highlights in the comments section.

The newcomers showed some solid contributions too in the past couple of weeks:
* Lloyd scored the game winning conversion in the first game only to rush off to his waiting posse.
* Andy shook off his hang-over and aging body to show some good flag pulling (why does he end up on the ground after EVERY pull) and was a solid short target in the second game death match.
* Brian took on quarterbacking white and displayed a good arm throwing a nice intermediate and deep ball.

Its just good to get out there and start the real football season. Some pictures two follow tonight.

2008-06-29T14:24:00.004-04:00

I write this sitting at home watching Ghostbusters. I just returned from a very fun filled weekend in Chicago at the first Pride Bowl. First of all thanks to all the Pride Bowl organizers, it was a great tournament a lot of fun, thanks to the other teams and the refs.

The Monuments & Metros both sent teams to the 12 team tournament.

I won't go into all the deals of each game, I'm too old, too tired (Jim sweet talked me into joining the boys at Sidetracks), and frankly I can barely remember what day of the week it is:

The Monuments finished 3rd with a 4-1 record. I think everyone would agree that it was a lot of fun, and I heard repeatedly talk of how close the team was, and how much everyone felt we were all on the same page. Tony spurred the offense, with like a gazzlion TD's (more than the tournament MVP from the Champion San Diego Bolts -- as he pointed out to me) and only one INT. John Williams' relentless rush keyed a relentless Defense, I think we totaled about 10 Int's and had 2-3 more dropped. Burton lead the team with 4 INT's.

Who can forget the driving rain storm, or Allscott's (Best Gay Quarterback) kinda floating wobbly duck of a pass to Shane, Williams going up against Stacy, Jim's 3 sideline plays, Marlon's and Burton discussing who was going to field a punt over tea.

It was a good leadup to Salt Lake in the Fall, and we can see the work that needs to be done to be ready for that challenge.

The Metro's won the Rec Division. I only on watched them play once or twice (guest blogger from the Metro's anyone), but I talked with several of them, and they also commented on the sense of team they were building. I think they all were really impressed and touched by how their team came together and really stepped it up.

All in all it was a fun weekend, I got some dancing in, after 5 games in 2 days, I'm not sore at all, and it was a good tuneup for Salt Lake.

2008-05-03T07:12:00.002-04:00

No game this weekend.

Softball has begun to play.

The field thanks us.

2008-04-30T08:21:00.002-04:00

Thirteen hardy souls showed up on an overcast and cool spring morning this past Sunday to play a spirited game.

The Black team was almost a carbon copy of the 2nd place tournament team with Brandon, Tony, Adam & Greg. The White team was led by Patrick as their QB, included the likes of Jay, JB, & Tim. Playing 6-6 with a permanent defender the were a couple of INT's. Patrick threw an absolute duck to Adam, and Brandon had one go off his receiver's hands which Tim snatched out of the air.

The game was back and forth. JB who was beaten one play earlier by Brandon found his way deep a couple of times, and he also took a lateral from Patrick to throw a long (really it was straight up and straight down) bomb to a sliding Joe. He was probably White's player of the week.

Black was constantly ahead, but White refused to quit. A nice fade from Brandon to me in the corner, over tough defense by Tim, put Black up 33-25. White had one last chance to tie. A quick bomb to JB put them 10 yards and a two point conversion from making the score 33-33.

But alas, White who was 0-5 on two point conversions on the day could not convert, giving Black a hard fought 33-31 win.

At least, that's the way I remember it. I'm sure in Brandon's version he did more.

2008-04-20T19:02:00.002-04:00

Compare these lists:

Kevin C, Burton, Adam, Brandon, Brad N, Craig, Jim, Bob, Marc, Tim, and Marlon = 11

Kevin C, Adam, Brandon, Craig, Tim, and Marlon

+

Burton, Brad N, Jim, Bob, Marc

= 11

Now looking over these lists, which 6 people do you think showed up to play (rain or shine) as promised and which 5 were MIA?

2008-04-15T09:01:00.002-04:00

The 2008 Spring Tournament ended with a Bang not a Whimper.

With no love in the polls, a 0-2 record on the field, and starting Week 2 playing the presumptive favorite (the team voted most likely to win), the deck seemed stacked against Victor's White team.

They took a 10 point lead at the half against Tim's Red Juggernaut, then held on against a 5 play last ditch drive to win the game 39-38.

Facing Greg's Black team who used a tough defense to overcome JJ's Green team, they jumped out to an early lead on Patrick's INT of a tipped Tony pass. The game stayed close, and black finally went ahead on a extra point by one point 39-38 with 2 minutes to go.

Then White showed the quality that I believe won the the tournament for them -- the ability to make a play happen when they needed it. Here's the funny thing, it wasn't always Burton or Sparrow making the plays happen, it seemed like a truly team effort. A Sam INT for a TD against Tim's Red Juggernaut, Victor running over the middle for a 4th down conversion, Patrick scrambling to buy time and finding the open man, Uncle Bobby making people miss to score a key TD. Everyone made plays when White needed a play.

Against Black in the Championship, it was Patrick finding Sam streaking deep through the middle to give White the lead. Black had its chance and moved down the field, with the remaining time, and 5 plays, but fell 20 yards short of tying the game.

I was trying to think of a tournament MVP, but I wasn't sure who that would be. What do you think? What were the keys to White's victory? Post your thoughts in the comments

As the 2008 Spring Tournament winds down I also wanted to thank the team captains and Charlie for their effort, and JJ for hosting the fun post-tournament extravaganza.

2008-04-13T17:17:00.001-04:00

Hail the victors -- Victor's White team.

A Cinderella story if there ever was one.

More tournament recap to come, but this is all I got time for now. See you at JJ's.

2008-04-11T21:55:00.001-04:00

AFTER-TOURNAMENT BBQ.
Sunday afternoon: 5:30 (Trainwreck?!!?)

WHERE: jj AND CRAIG’S HOUSE
5416 Grove Street Chevy Chase, Md 20815
(Very METRO-friendly)

Directions attached for driving or Metro. (We are right on top of the Friendship Heights Metro.) If you need more specific directions, then let me know and I’ll get them to you. My cell number is: 240-447-7832; Home landline: 301-65-5747

There’ll be Ping Pong, games and …

THERE WILL BE FOOD SO IT’S IMPORTANT TO KNOW IF YOU’RE COMING AND IF YOU’RE BRINGING A DATE/GUEST/TRICK/TRAMP. Please respond to this email and let me know.

Bring your own beverage. Looking forward to having everyone.

2008-04-07T22:33:00.002-04:00

Seedings for next week:

#1 Tim (2-0)
#2 JJ (1-1) (tiebreaker over #3 for head-to-head victory)
#3 Greg (1-1)
#4 Victor (0-2)

Games for next week: #1 Tim vs. #4 Victor
#2 JJ vs. #3 Greg

Oh and of course, there's the post Tournament party @ JJ's House. Details will follow but that everyone should bring beer, wine, liquor, etc...JJ will provide all the food.

2008-04-07T21:59:00.002-04:00

With all the games and the excitement over the weekend, I thought I'd write up some general thoughts about each team based on interviews and my observations. If you were expecting me to remember anything, then you'd be sorely mistaken.

Here are the facts:
Game #1:
JJ--41 Greg--28
Tim--32 Victor--14

Game #2:
Greg--38 Victor--33
Tim--27 JJ-13

Records:
1. Tim 2-0
2. JJ 1-1
3. Greg 1-1
4. Victor 0-2

Notes on Tim's Team:
I didn't get the chance to play against this juggernaut. But what I heard is they are a big team. Against Victor in the first game they played a max protect using John Williams, Tim, & Jonathan to bull their way to victory. Dan was efficient with his throws and the results showed in the scores. In their second note, I heard their pass rush against JJ's team, forced Jim into mistakes that sabotaged the green team's offense. As an anecdotal note, every time I looked over I saw Ari making a nice play, whether it was an INT that he was able to tip to himself or a sweet catch and tip toe into the endzone (was that a TD or not?).

Notes on JJ's Team:
Against us Jim led a balanced attack, spreading the ball around to his receivers. While Allscott didn't make an appearance at QB, he played a tough corner and sealed Green's victory over Black with a nice INT keeping Kevin in front of him all the way downfield. JJ also came up really big, with several clutch catches, scoring at the end of the half, to give Green the lead in the first game, and getting a long gain with Green's back against the endzone. Marlon proved a dangerous deep threat, stretching the field for the Green team. Joe sat out the first half of our game, claimed he couldn't see out of one eye, said he'd give it a go in the second half, then proceeded to catch the first three balls of the half. I guess he's preparing for his LA.

Notes on Greg's Team:
Tony played his normal cagey QBing. Really his only mistake was the Allscott INT, otherwise he played with his usual combination of intelligence and savvy -- even contributing some solid coaching advice on Defense. Gary put constant pressure on Jim even in the mud. Kip was pretty awesome on offense showing soft hands and catching everything thrown his way, continuing his success from a week ago. Brandon played tough defense on Marlon, and came up big in the second half against Victor's team, giving Tony a reliable target as we fought off White's comeback attempt.

Notes on Victor's Team:
The dual QB of Patrick & Bobby did a good job of finding Chad in the second half. The ever reliable Burton, who showed off his quick hips and Fred Flinstone twinkle toes for a nifty touchtown. Chad who bit bad playing middle safety much to Tony's delight, single handedly kept White in the game against Black, scoring two quick (and long TDs) that prevented Black from pulling away, and made the last moments of the 2nd half exciting. Victor put some pressure on Tony, forcing some quick throws. Wish I could remember more from our game against them, but I mostly had Chad in my face.

Questions for Next Week:
Can anyone figure out how to handle Tim & the Red team's size?
Can Black and Green play a half without arguing about the clock?
Can White find another receiver to put pressure on defenses (Sparrow anyone)?
Can Adam find a babysitter so he can play?

Stay tuned.

2008-04-06T14:16:00.002-04:00

My Apology.

Before I posted all the good things that happened this weekend. I just wanted to take a moment, to apologize for my behavior in the first game today.

The details and explanations of what exactly happened aren't really important.

I lost control of my temper, and I'm sorry to everyone. I figure bad public behavior deserves a good public apology. Instead of being a leader, I was a goon, instead of making things better, I made them worse. I feel embarrassed and disappointed in myself.

I would like to say this will never happen again, but I know that behavior doesn't change overnight or by itself, it only changes with time and effort. So instead I want to make this promise, that I want to learn and grow from this mistake, and will try my best to not make the same one again (there are so many other mistakes just waiting for me out there).

-Adam

2008-04-02T21:27:00.003-04:00

Let the games begin! Comment on who you think is the best team on paper. Here are the rosters, listed in ABC order by El Cap-eee-tans:

Victor's Team (White jerseys)
Bob
Brad N.
Burton
Hurd
Patrick
Robb
Sam
Chad (4/6 only) / Sparrow (4/13 only)

Greg's Team (Black jerseys)
Adam
Brad H. (4/13 only)
Brandon
Gary
Kevin S.
Kip
Steve
Tony

JJ's Team (Green jerseys)
Allscott
Jay
Jim
Joe
John L.
Kevin C. (4/13 only)
Marlon
Matt

Tim's Team (Red jerseys)
Ari
Charlie
Craig (4/13 only)
Dan
John W.
Jonathan
Mike F.
Daly (4/6 only) / Marc (4/13 only)

2008-03-30T14:29:00.002-04:00

It was a cool early spring day. Still more guys were out in shorts than not, and the softballers were out practicing, and the guy with the cutoff sleeves who looked like Daley circa age 21 was a crowd favorite. We started with 11, then Tony strolled out at 11ish, to give us a solid 6 on 6. It was a fun day even with the short numbers, and we had two games to 32.

• Kip basically kept White in both games despite his juggle in the end zone. He torched Jon in the first game, and probably score 2-3 TD's.

• Black was led by Brandon and "One More Play" Bobby (at 12:55p, he said, I'll stick around for one more play, then left with Black needing one TD to finish the game).

• The series that epitomized the second game and maybe the entire day was a 25 minute Tony led White drive that stalled on the Black 15 yard line. The highlight of the drive was a 4th and 25 conversion Tony to Patrick that kept the drive alive for another 15 minutes.

• Tony was responsible for the worst three plays of the game, getting beat deep covering me 1 on 1, then throwing a INT (to me) on what seemed to be a timing pattern to Tim, not sure if it was QB or receiver who's timing was off. Then getting beat deep by Greg on the next play.

• I had a pretty good day, a couple of TDs, a couple of conversions (including the game winner on a nice touch pass from Brandon), an INT. Though I still gotta work on playing middle safety as Kip raced past me while I was watching the center Jon Williams. I also got the worst of it from JJ who gave me a forearm shiver to the chest, a knot on me knee and knocked me over, no more jokes about him and his ice tea, I promise (fingers crossed).

• White lost both games, and though the final score weren't close the games felt competitive and fun.

2008-03-25T16:02:00.004-04:00

Two great games this weekend, a lot of new faces jumping in and making immediate and crucial contributions. If the level of play is this good for the tournament, its gonna be a hell of a two weeks. For those of you there, you saw me furiously scribbling down notes, looking at them now they make absolutely no sense at all. The second game we had no subs, so my memory is even worse for that. So with the usual disclaimer in mind that these are my recollections, and they are not intended to bear any resemblance to reality, here we go:

• The first game saw a White team loaded with newcomers and a dark team with old timers. Bobby came out quickly looking sharp with a TD to Marlon and then one to Burton.

• Dan took the White team down throwing a short TD to Rick, one of the new guys (Victor's brother maybe).

• At 12-6 Victor helped the Dark team hold serve knocking down Brandon's pass in the endzone. Uncle Bobby threw a 5 yard pass to his nephew Tyler, that Tyler turned up into a 80 yard streak between the safeties giving Dark an 18-6 lead.

• Tony kept White in the game with a TD making it 18-12. Then came the turning point in the game. Allscott stepped up to QB. The inevitable seemed near, and then something strange happened. Was it his hubris? Shaking his fist in God's eye one time too many? Declaring himself the "Best Gay Quarterback"? That is a question for the philosophers my friend. But on this Easter day there would be no resurrection. The highlight of his 4 and out drive was fumbling a perfect snap. It did not get any better as his ineffectiveness, let White back into the game. A Tony TD and Charlie tip-toe 2 point conversion later the score was 20-18 White.

• Dark tried to get the momentum back as Bobby took the team to the 2 yard line, but came up unsatisfied. In its darkest hour, Dark needed a hero, someone to step up and say the buck stops here. Instead of a white knight, we got our Black Brandon -- Marlon sacking the white Brandon in the endzone for a safety, tying the game at 20.

• On the next play after the kickoff, Bobby scrambled away from the rush, and found JJ (obviously having had his sweet tea that morning) for a 60 yard strike. It put Dark up 26-20. Those were the last point dark would score.

• Brandon came back from his safety, and led a two play drive to Ross (two 40 yard passes) to tie the game.

• Then Tony brought the first game to an end, finding the suddenly ever present Ross in the end zone on a 10 yard pass to seal the victory 32-26 White.

• The second game started with almost as much excitement. What's his name, outran his brother Danny from Michigan (in a guest appearance), tip-toeing down the sideline for a 70 yard score. (Ok I mean Craig ;-).)

• Allscott looking for an Easter Miracle with his cross and prayer offense, found absolution in the form of Marlon, throwing a 6 yard cross that went for a 60 yard TD run.

• The game was close. Brandon had yet another 2 play drive for a TD, making quick work of the White defense.

• The Game ended with Tony going around end on a 4th and 3 from the 50 yard line and then flipping the ball to Brandon, who took the lateral down the sideline to end the game 26-20 White.

I'm sure there's stuff I forgot, especially in the second game (no subs = no notes). Remind me in the comments section, or let us know your thoughts on the game.

2008-03-18T21:19:00.002-04:00

Here's my recollection of events (any resemblence to the truth is purely coincidental):

• After a couple of warm March days it was raining up till Game Time. When it cleared but was windy and cold.

• We had 12 RSVP's but only 6 Real Gay's showed up: Bobby & Jim (comfortably 40 minutes late), JJ (who had set up the field), Charlie, Me & Greg. So we made an in game adjustment.

• Jim let the Monuments with calm confidence to Cafe St. Ex for Brunch.

• Charlie made the blunder of the day forgoing the most excellent Fried Green Tomato BLT for the Egg White Omelet.

• Strangest play of the day was JJ putting 6 sugars into his ice tea. He completely emptied the sugar packets on the table.

• Greg made a late run for player of the week, discovering the delicious caramel sauce that went with the Gingersnap sandwiches, but it was a late run, and all too late for the rest of us to partake as the Gingersnap sandwiches were all gone by that point.

• POTW Me. Not for my order of Fried Green Tomato BLT, which JJ and Jim also took a chance on, but rather with my dazzling order of the aforementioned Gingersnap Sandwiches in the face of tough defense from Bobby and Charlie -- demurely protecting their figures. Not too gingery with dulce de leche ice cream in between...

2008-03-09T19:50:00.003-04:00

Well, I can't remember anything from the games, so here are my recollections from the game, any resemblance to reality is purely coincidental:

• Don't you love when its 60 degrees and sunny in March? Perfect early spring weather. That's was Saturday, today it was 40, cold and windy. Early March weather.

• Black took the early lead in the first game 18-6. Jim threw an ugly int to Burton (just for the record, I was 5 yards behind him and wide open).

• It looked like a blow out, but Brandon had the first of his two tip-toe INT's in the middle. One of which he ran back to a touchdown to the sound of Jay's quote of the day:"Oooops."

• White came back to make it 26-18. But Black had too much firepower today, Jon had 2 touchdowns on big 4th down catches and 2 sacks and certainly deserves a mention for POTW (Player of the Week).

• Welcome back to John Williams, after traveling through Dunkin Donut country, he make a nice play to stop a Tony to Burton 2 point conversion, yelling: "I know your shit...."

• Game 1 Final score 32-18 Black.

• Everyone stuck around for the second game, as we mixed up the teams.

• Black Qb's had some perfect throws -- Bobby threw a bullet right to Jim, too bad Jim was playing for the other team. Brandon had the afforementioned "Oooops" INT.

• After Burton ripped my shorts (is that a cigar Dr Frued?), the Black QB's targeted him for 80% of their passes.

• Welcome to Andrew who had a nice catch on a 2-point conversion in the second game.

• Black's mistakes were too much to overcome, a nice catch by Kevin, and a beautiful catch and throw from Tony to Jim, sealed the win for White 26-12.

2008-03-04T18:18:00.000-05:00

Two Thrillers, Each Ending On Final Play

The first game was a back and forth affair, with the White team, generaled by Uncle Bobby and Tony the Trickster, who for once was completely sober, moved the chains time after time. The Dark team also had a capable set of quarterbacks in Danny Dangerous, PJ and Trainwreck. Each team also had an out of the mainstream QB who each had perfect QB ratings, 1 throw – 1 TD. Charlie started it off, when he came in motion behind the QB, took the toss and chicken winged himself into touchdown lore, when Burton caught a perfectly thrown ball that Charlie later termed “crap.” Apparently he has hired standards for himself than a 158.3 rating. On White’s team, QB Steve “The Daddy,” made good of his one series, calling a beautiful play to Shane “The MacDaddy” for a TD.

The end of the game was dramatic, with Uncle Bobby having put the White team on top 32-25, with the Dark team getting one last chance. Trainwreck drove the team down, all the way to about the White’s 20 before stalling. I will add (and this is just for you Joe) that I broke up the 4th down attempt to Charlie. Maybe my hand was there a bit early and maybe it wasn’t…White wins 32-25.

The second game was even closer. Both teams were efficient, and at the end of regulation, the game was tied. So, we implemented a take on the college over time rules, giving each team the ball on the 20 with 4 downs to score. Three breath-taking overtimes later, on a play apparently designed by Brian “I’m a cheater Belichick” Hurd, Charlie ran a misdirection into the endzone for a Dark team victory.

2008-02-25T16:47:00.001-05:00

Two close games last week, the second one ending with a pop.

The first game saw two potential Players of the Week performing well together on the same team, but losing. All-Scott got the first jump to claiming back to back POTW honors by grabbing a pass intended for Trainwreck and thrown by Dan and gaining possession for the White team. All-Scott also used his patented Mike Martz type play calling (you all know it by now, it's almost as genius as Marlon's 2 play system) to perfection, throwing for TD after TD, one of which Uncle Bobby twisted and turned all the way to the house. Uncle Bobby also is due some POTW mention due to his quarterbacking as well - ad libbing on a play back to me for a touchdown early on. White dominated the beginning part of the game, up 14-0.

The QB combo of Trainwreck and Dan marched the Dark team back, however. Charlie led the team by beating a much younger, much better looking Brandon (thas me) time after time after time. One touchdown saw him catch a ball over my outstretched arms, and jog backwards down the field waiting patiently for Chip's block while the rest of my team watched and laughed. Ya gotta love teamwork.

In the end, both teams had a chance to win. All-Scott drove the White team down the field for a score, taking a 33-26 lead, but we could not convert what would have been the game-ending 2 point conversion. The Dark team drove back down the field, scoring and then converting their 2 point try when Trainwreck connected with Marc to win the game, keeping Tony's completely defeated streak for 2008 alive.

Before Game 2, we counted off and mixed up the teams. This time the White team, QB'd by Dan and Trainwreck, jumped out to an early lead. However, the game ended prematurely when Marc, after intercepting a pass and beginning to head down field, came down hard on his ankle. He has since gone to the hospital and will be out 3-4 weeks. Get well Marc...we look forward to seeing you back out there soon.

-- Posted by Brandon

2008-02-19T20:24:00.002-05:00

George vs. Abe vs. Allscott

George is the better athlete of the two, a more natural leader and playcaller. He can make big plays, and he has a knack for avoiding or minimizing big mistakes.

Abe is ferocious on the rush, where his size is near impossible to stop. But his attitude can be questionable, and he doesn't always come to play. He's runs a mean fade pattern and his big hands make him a solid receiver to throw to.

Allscott is simply the best gay quarterback around.

What do you think?

2008-02-18T20:49:00.003-05:00

I can never remember what happens in a game. It really slows down the blogging, but for lack of an outlet receiver here goes.

We had an even 14 guys show up for a spirited 7 on 7 (the first time in a while, we've been averaging about 16+).

The White team looked shaky in the early going with Uncle Bobby trying to get into a rhythm, while the three headed QB work of Tony, Patrick and Allscott (Best Gay Quarterback for you google fans), seemed to have the Black team poised for a run away win. But after a couple of quick hits, Allscott found that God gave us two arms and one mouth for a reason. "Its too easy," Best Gay Quarterback said with a giggle, before finding out why hubris was one the seven deadly sins: An all too easy interception by me, set up the White team, and seemed to right the ship.

After that it was a well played affair. Tony struck back at Burton for his trash talking the week before finally completing a pass over his straight pal (though Burton claimed the moral victory -- he only gave up a 40 yard pass, but no TD). Burton had a couple of nice runs for TD streaking through the middle on short passes turned up for TD's.

The see-saw battle came down to the final play. Patrick led Black on its ultimate drive, score on a nifty pass and run from the eight yard line by Greg.

But, with White up 33-32, the Black team went for 2 and the win. Patrick dropped back, looking for his receiver's, couldn't find his first option, and checked down to Greg in the corner against Tim. A tight perfectly placed pass to the front corner of the end zone, Greg had good position on the defender, but couldn't haul in the pass.

That left the final score Uncle Bobby's White Team 33 - Black 32.

What did I miss? Let know in the comments section.

2008-02-13T16:00:00.002-05:00

Not what I expected at all.

Looks like Allscott is running away with the Player of the Week vote (Allscott, how many times did you vote?).

Somebody Else is running a close second. Marlon "The Black Brandon" makes a good case for Charlie as that somebody else. I was rushing on his long TD run, I turned around and everyone was walking down field, and I was subing on his INT for a TD. So maybe I missed his play.

Is Charlie who you guys had in mind with the Somebody Else vote? Or where you thinking of another player? Who else did I miss?

2008-02-12T17:17:00.002-05:00

I see that "Someone Else" is leading the vote count for Player of the Week. Post your comments here about who that player should be and why.

2008-02-11T12:21:00.000-05:00

A little test of some stop motion video action. Without subs yesterday, I added some pictures form earlier this season. Enjoy.

2008-02-11T12:06:00.001-05:00

The Grope.

2008-02-11T12:00:00.001-05:00

The YAC.

2008-02-11T11:54:00.000-05:00

The Catch.

2008-02-11T08:20:00.001-05:00

The Read.

2008-02-11T07:09:00.000-05:00

The only pass Dan threw on the day that wasn't intercepted.

2008-02-10T21:17:00.000-05:00

The gays came out to play some football today. We had two competitive 7 on 7 games with the white team winning both. Player of the Day honors go to Burton, mostly due to his game-ending interception of Tony, as the dark team was driving down for the possible tie or win in the second game. Having talked smack most of the second game, Burton backed it up with the interception as Tony was trying to connect with JB across the middle. The white team, qb'd by Trainwreck and PJ, beat the dark team qb'd by Tony, JB (if you can call that quarterbacking), Dan and Brandon 27-20 in the second game.

The first game was close as well. Marlon, aka "black brandon," got the dark team off to a quick start when he took a quick hit from Dan all the way to the house. Trainwreck the masterminded a drive back down the field for a score. Stalled drives and interceptions hurt the dark team's chances. The game saw Charlie "The Fragile Gazelle" Salem galloping to the endzone after picking off Dan. Adam "The Bully" Strasberg attempted to keep the dark team in the game by picking off a Trainwreck pass on 4th down and taking it down the field. But it wasn't enough…the white team prevailed by 2 scores, ending with a touchdown pass to Ari over Burton. Of note, watch out in the future for "innocent" JJ. He showed us that if you get in his way you will not survive, as he slammed Trainwreck into the ground for a sack and then to protect his innocent image got up and claimed that their feet tangled. ;)

-- Posted by BrandyWhine

2007-10-18T08:39:00.001-04:00

With the tournament in our rear view mirror, now we can get down to the business of playing real football. 30 weeks of organized pickup. Who's in?

2007-04-26T20:51:00.000-04:00

Sigh, 73 and partly cloudy for Sunday, but alas, not game, I guess everyone will be stuck at home watching day 2 of the NFL draft.

2007-04-23T22:07:00.000-04:00

Spring Tournament Wk2 Summary:

First let me say off the bat: I am getting too old for this shit. My body aches, my ribs, my hands, my legs are like logs today. That's just being sore, thanks to John "I am a Train" Burton, my ankle is tweaked and my knee sore and swollen. I'm a father of two, and I can barely lift my 4 month old, and can't stand up from my chair without a good grunt.

What else is there to say? Oh, the weather? Couldn't be any more different from last week -- where last week was cold and wet, this week was hot and sunny, almost too hot for football. Well that's it for today. Oh wait, we actually played games too. So with my knee on ice and my ankle wrapped, its on to the games....

THE PLAYOFFS
Adam Smashers v. Charlie's Crew: Wow, what a game. Only thing that could have made it better was if we had won. If you liked Defense, then you had to look at the other game (see below). If you want your offense smart and balanced, with a twinge of big play, then come on over.

The Smashers jumped out to a lead led by Tony Stewart's accurate passes and Brandon "Superstar" Waggoners scarecrow legs. All tournament long, Brandon seemed to be able to get open deep at will, he showed good hands, and was our best receiver. Supporting Tony and Brandon's efforts was Allscott, who wanted me to mention he scored 2 TD's in this game.

For Charlie's Team, Dan showed good patience and was able to consistently find receivers open in the slots over the middle -- Kevin, Charlie, Marc, Ari all showed good hands and were able to find holes in the zone. At the half the score was Smashers 22- Crew 12 .

Undaunted, Dan led his team bringing the score to 28-26. One particular defensive series of note, with a sack and nice pull by Marc that left me 2 yards short on 4th and 16. With Time running out, Dan moved the ball around to his targets and stayed patient. With less than 2 minutes left, we had the choice to let them score or try to stop them, we tried to stop them, we failed and the score was 32-28 with Tony left with 5 plays. A incompletion to the ever dangerous Brandon left us with 4 plays.

Then the magic started. 3 consecutive passes from Tony to me (and various flips and laterals), left us 1 play and 15 yards from victory. Unfortunately, it was 15 yards too many and the magic couldn't continue. Final score Crew 32 Smashers 28.

P-Mac's Peeps v. Burton's Bashers: The name of this game was Defense. Showing what would be their trademark on their way to the championship, P-mac's peeps played tough D. Despite a red-zone interceptions by their QB Jim, the Peeps led 6-0 at the half. Maybe they thought they were still playing in the rain.

They set the tone for the second half, when Marlon reached out his long arms to intercept an attempted lateral on the 2nd half kick off. With a 12-0 lead, both offenses stalled. With a 12-6 lead, Jim was able to run out the clock with 2 first downs, the last one on a nice catch and run by JJ.

THE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND
Adam Smashers v. Burton's Bashers: Both games turned into a rematch of the first games of the tournament, the question on everyone's mind would the results stay the same when you replaced clouds and rain with sun and heat.

The consolation game started as an easy match up for 3rd place and trash talking rights between Burton and Tony, but quickly became a hard fought offensive war. Again Tony controlled the offense, finding open receivers with ease. The highlights were a long pass to Brandon over Burton and another long pass to AllScott who showed no fear as Burton whizzed by him looking for blood or the ball. Still, everyone got into the act, particularly Steve Adamske, who showed good hands and made a couple of tough catches, including one for a TD.

A strong rush by Jon Williams (who also showed surprisingly consistent hands) kept PJ on the run, but John Burton put his team on his back. Despite our box in one defense, Burton consistently made himself a target for his scrambling QB. Most memorable was his one armed reach on a deep pass that was slightly out of his reach, but apparently not that far out of his reach.

With the Smashers holding a 2 TD lead with 10 minutes left, it seemed that the game was over. So much so, that the gays in the huddle were discussing the the ass on the girl in the bikini in the corner of the field (much to my embarrassment), what kind of gays are you guys?

Despite our opinion, Burton and PJ refused to give up. Down 8, we had the ball with 1 minute 53 seconds left trying to run out the clock. A pass off the receiver's hands (and off a defender's fingertips) ended up in PJ's hands. Much to the surprise of everyone, led by a blocking convoy, he returned the tipped pass for a touchdown. With the key conversion to tie the game, PJ found Burton in the back of the endzone.

With a smile on his face, Stewart took on the challenge (not to lose those trash talking rights), throwing passes to open receivers across the field, he move the Smashers with aplomb as the clock ticked down. A touchdown left the score Smashers 42- Bashers 36 and PJ had one play left for a failed Hail Mary.

THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
P-Mac's Peeps v. Charlie's Crew: Another Rematch. Without any subs, P-Mac's team were true iron men on this hot day, still Charlie's team commented that they didn't seem tired at all.

Still, the Peeps took control from the begining, they took the lead and never gave it up racing to a 25-7 half time lead. It seemed that the Crew's strategy of letting Patrick's team run up a 3 TD lead to tire themselves out, and give the Crew their opportunity for a stunning second half comeback was working perfectly.

It wasn't just the Peep's star players who contributed-- Jim, Jay, Marlon or P-Mac, but their entire team stepped up to the task, Kevin, Dan and JJ played consistent offense and solid defense, leaving the Peeps with no weakness for other teams to exploit.

Despite their "rope a dope" plan, the second half was more of the same, as Dan was intercepted at least twice, and Charlie's Crew couldn't stop Jim's deep ball.

What can account for their dominance? As the only all gay team, maybe they weren't distracted by the girl in the bikini? Who knows, but they did what they had to do when it counted, with no subs and nowhere to turn, they played a team game, with every member contributing. Congratulations to Captain P-Mac and his team.

Final Thoughts: It was a fun well played tournament. Thanks to those who organized it and everyone who made the time to contribute and play. I was really impressed by the sportsmanship of the teams I played against.

Except for the championship game, all the games were tight, and really it seemed as if any of the 4 teams could have won the whole thing. I wonder if this was the most competitive tournament in that respect. In the end, despite the wet clothes, the wrapped ankle, the ice pack, the advil and sore back, despite the sun burn and blisters, the disappoint of close losses, and the girl in the bikini, it was a lot of fun.

Standings:
1. P-Mac's Peeps (2-1)
2. Charlie's Crew (2-1)
3. Adam's Smashers (1-2)
4. Burton's Bashers (1-2)

A final hiaku:

The weather was odd.
The games were close (god damit).
Congrats to P-Mac.

2007-04-16T15:59:00.000-04:00

Tournament Week 1 Recap:
Where to start? The stunning uniforms? The interceptions returned for touchdowns?

Oh yeah, the weather. 45, with rain that ranged from driving to heavy. It was pretty wet, wetter than the wet t-shirt contest at Gay Bowl.

Adam Smashers v. Burton's Bashers: The game was a real defensive struggle, with the weather making the ball heavy and throws and receiver hands unpredictable. The score stood at 12-6 at the half.

A little wetter and a little colder (after a 3 minute half-time), the second half started with both offenses stalling. It was defense that turned the momentum towards the Bashers as Chris took a 10 yard interception, 50 yards to pay-dirt (or mud as the case may be).

Basher Wk1 MVP PJ did a great job of controlling the game, taking what the defense gave him, and avoiding the rush. He hit Burton for the game winning td, to put the Basher's up 20-18.

For the Smashers, Tony played stellar in the wet weather despite 2 int's, but MVP honors would go to Brandon "Super-star" Waggoner. Two long td passes and solid defense all day long against the always dangerous John Burton. I would also be remiss not to mention the return of Joe Chapin. Playing with sky gloves, he showed no ill effects from his illness. He shinned on defense and in his brief offensive exposure.

It was a well played game by both teams, but the real winner was the weather.

P-Mac's Peeps v. Charlie's Gang: Another tight game at the half with Charlie's team up 12-7 and P-Mac's team getting the 2nd half kick-off. The weather proved more than Jim could handle (with 3 key players no shows), and 2 Int's returned for TD's by Marc and Uncle Bobby.

The ever reliable Dan did a good job with his shot putt motion getting the ball long even in the driving rain. I watched a pretty pass and catch Dan to Charlie, with Charlie running backwards into the endzone.

Wetter than Bobby at a high school graduation, the players and captains all agreed that the second game should be canceled to give ourselves a chance to recover and warm up.

All in all, it was a fun week even with the weather or maybe because of the weather. Of course, my car was a mess, and my feet were cold even after a 30 minute shower, but it was a great week. I'm sorry to say the weather report calls for 70 degrees and sunny skies next Sunday.

2007-04-09T17:50:00.000-04:00

Tour Around the Monuments v.2

Alright, we're going to try this again.

Our first stop: It was really cold, I mean I know it was only 40 degrees, but it was really cold, and it was April. Although we had 11 confirmed players via e-mail, we only had 9 hardly souls show up (and that includes Tony who was not on the list). Maybe everyone was healing up for next week's tournament.

On the left: We played 4-4 with a permanent defender who ended up being none other than our glorious QB Tony. White was led by Jay & Uncle bobby. Dark led by Dan Cipullo & PJ. The White team was filled out by Adam and Dan O, Dark by Brad and Kevin C.

On the right: Despite the stellar QB play, the best QB play was by replacement QB Adam, who came in and unexpectedly, went 4-5 showing a soft touch (his one incomplete was a drop), including a long pass right over PJ's out stretched arms into Jay's hands. He announced his retirement after the game.

Look here: Defense seemed to rule the day, not sure how many there were but an unofficial count left it at 140. Tony even intercepted an attempted lateral. Though the nicest play of the day might have been PJ's catch run, and lateral to Brad as Jay closed in for the tag. Unfortunately the glory was momentary, as White went on to score 24 straight point and win 36-18.

Coming up: We have the spring tournament -- 11 players a team, 4 Captain: Burton, Adam, P-mac, and Charlie. Should be a rousing good time. I'll try to post updates here along with pictures.

See you next week.

2006-05-16T15:07:00.000-04:00

I've posted some photos from the recent tournament. Wish I could have taken more, but was kinda busy running around:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/monumentstournament/

2006-04-03T13:32:00.000-04:00

Touring the Monuments:
All aboard the new format:

Our first stop: Its been a while since I posted, and while the blog has been at a standstill, the football has continued. We've seen the emergence of Brandon as a weapon on offense and defense. We've seen AllScott's religious conversion as he runs his new offense -- crosses and prayers. We seen great catches from Jay (and near misses too). We've seen Charlie continue his good hands streak. We've had Brokeback jokes and Uncle Bobby jokes, and a slew of close games. With Spring here, it looks like there will be games for the foreseeable future.
On your left: What's next? How about a Spring Tournament. 4 teams, 28 (+) players, 2 weeks. Over the weekends of April 23th and Arpil 30th, the Monuments are going to have their own Tournament, as they break up into 4 teams, and play for the championship over the course of 2 Sunday. 4 Captains have been chosen (or drafted) and players will be divided up soon. Check in here for your brackets and to follow all the action. If you're interest in playing, and haven't spoke to Charlie yet, e-mail him at monumentsfootball@gmail.com.
Please keep your hands inside the tram: This weekends recap brought to you by the Gazelle: It was fun but both games were blowouts...first one we kind of expected because of the lineup but the second game was much more evenly matched up -- me, tony, Trainwreck, dan on one side and burton, Jay, Patrick, that guy who's a beast on the rush, and Joe. We shut them out 36-0.
Last Stop on this tour: Welcome to the new format. I try to be better about posting weekly. I will certainly be posting the tournament action here, and through the summer.

2006-02-16T14:13:00.000-05:00

Snow day leads to Snow Bowl

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North Pole News Service
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On a snow covered field, 11 football warriors, true champions, stepped up to the challenge.

On a day where the snow was the big topic, there was only one name on everyone's lips: B-R-A-N-D-O-N.

The young man who has flashed talent, but mixed it with inconsistency, came up big on Sunday tying the modern Monuments record with 4 TDs.

Playing 5-5 with a permanent defender, White and Dark played a wide open game with lots of long strikes. The aforementioned Brandon did not show the same prowess on D against the formitable Gazelle, as Charlie burned him deep and often.

With 6 defenders the game proved to a mix of high powered offense -- long bombs to Madona (a tip off this perminant defender's hands), Charlie, Brandon,, short passes turned to long runs (JJ, Brandon, Charlie), and a nifty run or two by the ever craft Tony Stewart -- and stout defense with several 4th down stops.

The snow was cold on the feet and slowed the game down for both defenders and offensive players alike.

In a close game Dark beat White 32-26, as this permanent defender intercepted a sure touchdown from Trainwreck to Dan to end the game on White's last drive.

Game Notes:
Despite the snow, the weather was quite temperate.

The Fairy Snow "FLAKE" award (as voted on by the players who actually showed up) was presented (in abstencia) to Jay and Patrick who RSVPed but didn't show up -- guess those beds were warm and comfy.

2006-02-14T20:21:00.001-05:00

A star is born.

2006-02-14T20:21:00.000-05:00

Daly goes in for a TD

2006-02-14T20:20:00.001-05:00

3 I think, no 4.

2006-02-14T20:20:00.000-05:00

Which TD is this 3 or 4?

2006-02-14T20:18:00.000-05:00

The ball is my friend, the ball is my friend.

2006-02-03T10:12:00.000-05:00

Gay Quarterbacks shine in return: Suspected gay quarterback wins games
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Outsports.com News Service
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It was a day or returns, as Trainwreck and Alscott interrupted their winter hibernations to return to action. It was a day where 3 days where played before 1:30p. It was a day where Tony Stewart showed why he's the best gay quarterback.

On another temperate winter day, the first game started off with a bang as the Gazelle showed the importance of special teams play and field position, bringing back the opening kickoff 45 yards and giving the Dark team an easy opening drive. Operating with his usual efficiency, Tony quickly moved the Dark team into a score throwing to the ever reliable John Daly. A lofted pass in the back of the end-zone to this reporter and two quick feet on the ground provided the 2-pt conversion.

White struggled to get its offense going. A quick read by this reporter led to an interception off of Jay, a a toss to Charlie led to a touchdown on the return -- 14-0 dark. The Dark dominance would continue as a rare Tony defensive interception off of Jay, a 40 yard bomb by Dan to Madonna, and a knifing run through the defense by Akchai for a TD put Dark clearly in the driver's seat up 20-0.

With the game going against them, Dark turned to its two returning quartebacks to lead them back.

With his 40th birthday looming, none of the Monuments knew if Jim had anything left in his right arm. Missing the last few weeks only fueled the speculation that he was not aging in Uncle Bobby like fashion. Yet, when the time came, Trainwreck led a methodical 20 play drive down the field, moving the chains in 5 yard increments scoring appropriately enough on a short middle crossing play to Patrick -- a 2 pointer to a crossing Robert made the score 20-8 Dark.

Then it was best gay quarterback Alscott's turn. After weeks of inactivity, the question on everyone's mind could his arm live up to his mouth's hype. With Dark's defense preparing for a short middle passing on-onslaught, Alscott showed why there's always a giggle in his throat, striking deep over the middle to Jay for a one play TD drive of 60 yards.

Now the game was on, with Dark's 20 point lead reduced to 6 in a matter of two series.

It was the closest that White would get. Dark's offense when into overdrive, and it was the little man Akchai who had his foot on the petal. Scoring his 2nd TD of the day on a long bomb from Tony, then turning around and intercepting a Jay pass, Dark never looked back winning the first game 34-14 in about an hours time.

For the second game, the teams were repicked.

Alscott continued his magic intercepting a Jay bobble on a swing pass, and taking Tony's pass back to pay dirt. All the Monuments stood around with mouths agape at the quickness of the play. The play fueled the rumors that Alscott had spent the last several weeks in Narnia (to avoid testing) stocking up on Turkish Delight.

Unrepentant as all good Quarterbacks (and Gays) should be, Tony came right back leading his White team to a TD with a long pass to Greg.

Despite late-comer Mike strong rush Dark was able to move the ball downfield culminating in a Patrick-Jim TD connection. Dark's 2-point dreams were crushed by Uncle Bobby's quick break on the ball.

The second game moved along at the same quick pace as the first, a long TD to Jay made the score White 16-Dark 12. Like in the first game, that was as close as Dark would get to Tony Stewart. Tom caught a long TD to make the score 24-12. Dan threw to to Jim (who despite his age) proved himself to be a dangerous receiver to tighten the game again to 24-18.

But Mike's strong rush finally turned the tide in White's favor. As Alscott cockily dropped back to pass, Mike's ferocious pursuit terrified the Mr. Tumnus like QB (his eyes were as big as.... well you can fill in the blank without my help) who threw the ball errantly up for grabs and into the waiting hands of Jay for the int.

Tony feeling confident that he had Dark's defense down, led White in a no-huddle offense that culminated in a 20 yard TD to Kirk. With the game on the line, I ran what I thought was a decoy route, not expecting the ball, I looked up after looking to see if the ball had gone to the primary receiver only to see the ball was about to hit me in the hands.

Final score 32-18 White. Despite the triumphant return of Alscott and Trainwreck, the continuing magic of Tony led the way as the second game finished by 12:30p.

Game Notes:
The record third game finished too late for this edition, though highlights included Charlie chicken winging his team's way to a touchdown. Charlie also had his first drop in 8 weeks. The first two games were both played 8-8 with subs. The third game was 6-6.

2006-01-27T11:51:00.000-05:00

Turnabout fair play as White and Dark split
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DC Monument News Service
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On another beautiful winter day, the Monuments played two games which showcased the balance between the players and emphasized anything can happen in any game.

In the first game, White jumped out to a 6-0 lead, helped by a Sheldon interception and a key first down by Kenneth -- back from his good will tour of Italy.

Dark came back on a long run by Milo, and Tony throwing a pass to the corner to Patty Mac. Converting the two point conversion, they took an 8-6 lead, and the game looked like it would go back and forth -- it was not to be the case.

White dominated the game scoring the next 24 straight points. Sheldon making a run for Rookie of the day, took a short pass 45 yards for a touchdown -- showing off a nice spin move on the way.

Dark drove down to the goal line, but Stewart's drive stalled. On 4th down with a tough rush in his face he threw a rare interception to the waiting hands of Jay (momentarily off Patrick), who took the INT back 101 yards for another White touchdown, 18-8 White.

Turning the ball over on downs, White took advantage with an opportunistic run by Danny C -- making his run for best gay QB with Alscott's disappearance. Made the score 24-8, White.

Dark seeking some spark, brought in Burton in relief. Charlie "Hands" Salem, made the nicest catch of the day snagging a Burton pass out of the surrounded by White defenders. Again it was a Jay interception that ended Dark's comeback attempt.

The game ended unceremoniously 30-8 White.

Looking at their chance for revenge, Dark refused to re-pick teams. Taking the opening drive Tony tried to redeem himself riding Burton to a quick touchdown 8-0 Dark. White never got things going. Their offense stalled as QB's revolved in and out never getting into a good rhythm. Charlie led White's defense which proved up to the challenge all day long.

The only blemish was a 40 yard TD scamper by this reporter to make the score 18-8. There was no comeback in this game either, as Tony Stewart playing at his usual high efficiency marched down and finished the game 24-8.

The two games showed the strength of all the Monument players, and highlighted the fact that on any given play a new hero can be born.

2006-01-19T18:16:00.000-05:00

Dark beats White as arctic wind rages
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DC Monument New Service
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On a day where the wind blew more gays than Uncle Bobby on Gay Pride Weekend, 14 Supreme Football Jocks showed their mettle by battling it out on a frozen field.

With cones being tossed across the field, it was the orange field paint that saved the day allowing both White and Dark to mark the ball as the two teams played for dominance. In a game that played closer than the score, the wind was a constant factor, twisting throws and throwing off timings.

Dark took the kick off, and had to move the ball into the wind. With Tony Stewart taking the first set of snaps, Dark's offense failed to complete a pass and looked totally ineffectual turning the ball over on downs.

White took over quickly moved down the Dark team's one yard line. Then a pass thrown into the endzone bounced off of Dark's Delaware Greg's head and into Milo's hands for the first, but not the last rebounded interception of the day. Milo's attempt to return the INT out of the end zone was thwarted when he slipped on the ice that was once dirt and grass.

With a second chance, Tony Stewart capitalized throwing deep over the middle to Dan "Best Gay Center" Cipullo who raced straight to paydirt.

That opening dance was a step the teams repeated throughout the hard fought game. White's triumvirate of QB -- Uncle Bobby, Steve Adamske, and Brandon either would throw an early interception or drive their team into the red zone only to throw a late interception. The Breeder had three picks on the day, one off a tip by his teammate the Gazelle in the endzone to stymie a White drive.

Dark's offense used both short passes and big plays to score -- Milo down the sideline, with a quick bobble as Brandon came up just short on his break on the ball, Charlie zig-zagging across the field running 70 yards sideways to score 40 yards forward, finally Charlie on a bomb.

Brandon was the only White QB who converted in the Red-zone scoring their only 6 points of the day and breaking a 18-0 Dark run.

The the score 26-6 -- Jay's Patrick gave White a last chance with an interception off the Gazelle's hands. But keeping with the theme of the day, White gave it right back as the Gazelle sealed his MVP day with a nice break on the ball for an INT to add to his 2 TD's.

Though the final score 32-6 seemed lopsided, the game was much closer than that, if not for a couple of tipped passes and bad wind aided throws, the score could have been much closer.

Game notes: Cutest moment of the day was Patrick hooking up with lovey Jay on a nice medium pass. The game was played in 15 degree wind chill at start time, the coldest game day of the year so far. The wind was quite impressive, almost no cones were left standing by game's end, scattered across the field. Only one game was played as most of the players were off just after noon to watch the playoffs.

2006-01-02T17:00:00.000-05:00

Good game, bad weather greets Monuments in New Year
No shows don't ruin tight game
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DC Monuments New Service
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A wet day with light rain, tempuratures hovering around 40 and a muddy ground could not dampen the enthusiasm of the Monuments who showed up to play just one day after New Year's Day. The 11 players: Charlie Salem, Uncle Bobby, Adam Strasberg, All-Scott, Tony Stewart, Brandon, JJ, Tom "Madonna," Patrick McIntyre, Dark Shane, Mark Milo all Iron Men -- showed up despite the weather and their still lingering hang overs to put on a football show.

Playing 5-5 with a perminent defender changing sides, the Dark team led by QB Tony Stewart and Charlie Salem jumped out to a 20-0 lead. Salem had two early interceptions and a touchdown on out and run -- making his usual early run for MVP. Things looked bleak for the White team as Gay Quaterback Tandem contenders All-Scott and Uncle Bobby could not move their team downfield. There were rumbling of starting over and new teams.

All-Scott in particular seemed to be pressing. Upon learning that Best Gay Quarterback rival Dan Cipullo would not be playing, he boldly proclaimed, "Even when he's here, he not here." Despite or possibly because of those comments, Dark's defense seemed to keep both the dimuative and octagenerian quaterbacks bottled up.

With the game slipping away, in desperation White turned to Tom "Madonna" to lead them. Casting aside the ball control offense that had so far failed them, Madonna turned to an old friend the long bomb. Quick strikes to Adam and Mark Milo put White on the board and back in the game 26-14. White started back along the comeback trail.

With so few players, the game would be played to 36 points. With the Dark team up 34-20, White's chances seemed slim until their defense steped up.

As if stuck in the mud they were playing on Dark's offense seemed to stall under pressure from White's tough D. With some key drops Tony Stewart seemed to be struggling to put the ball in perfect spot.

All-Scott steped up, making a run for Best Gay Linebacker, defending several passes, and droping an near interception after making a beautiful break on the ball. Playing a tough man to man "D", White locked down Dark -- stoping Dark on four straight series as they crawled and scrapped their way back into the game.

Again it was the long ball with another bomb from Uncle Bobby (the mad bomber) to Adam, and downfield strikes to Tom "Madonna" that moved the ball. The venerable quarterback would show his Michael Young like moves later sprinting in for another touchdown.

White closed to 34-32, when Tony could no longer be contained. two quick runs, and a short 3 yard pass to JJ put them up and over 36, 40-32. But White had the last chance, nothing less than a touchdown and 2-point conversion would do it. Like a cat with nine (or 90) lives, Uncle Bobby pulled a miricle out of his..um hat. Under pressure, throwing back to Tom "Madonna" who tossed the ball 40 yards to Milo who streak for the touchdown.

But White's gun didn't have any more bullets left in it, as Uncle Bobby's 2 point converstion was easily knocked down by Tony to give Dark a hard earned 40-38 victory. All in all a good start to the new year.

Game Notes: Kirk could not make it to the games despite his RSVP because of a "out of town guest." The LA Motion (the Gay team in LA) had their game cancelled this weekend due to rain. Despite pleading with Charlie earlier in the week to play football on Monday, Patrick slept in and tried to weasel out of showing up -- he did eventually show up.

2005-12-27T12:21:00.000-05:00

www.flickr.com

astrasberg's Football Dec 18 photoset

2005-12-27T12:10:00.000-05:00

Face off.

2005-12-27T12:09:00.001-05:00

JJ with a tough catach and spin.

2005-12-27T12:09:00.000-05:00

The best gay quarterback?

2005-12-27T12:08:00.003-05:00

This is why Uncle Bobby should not be allowed to use the camera.

2005-12-27T12:08:00.002-05:00

Touchdown!

2005-12-27T12:08:00.001-05:00

The Gazelle comes down with it.

2005-12-27T12:08:00.000-05:00

The Gazelle goes up against tough defense.

2005-12-27T12:07:00.000-05:00

Last Week's MVP -- Uncle Bobby rumbles for a first down. Thanks to NFL Classic Films for Archival Picture.

2005-12-26T21:55:00.000-05:00

Although the below post might not capture it (I hope it does), I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for making my Sunday mornings a highlight of my week. I can't say how great it is to come out almost every Sunday from September to March and play football with such fun, completive and nice guys. Not to be too sentimental, but I think we have something special, and I just felt the need to celebrate it as the year draws to an end.

Honestly, I don't care (I know its hard to believe) if I win or lose on any given Sunday, I can barely remember who won when I talk about it with Nora afterwards. It really is the game that counts

Some special thanks:

To the quarterbacks who do just a great job of spreading the ball around and making sure everyone gets into the game.

To Charlie, Dan, Uncle Bobby, Patrick, Jim -- our leaders, and in all honesty the heart and soul of this great group. Thank you all for setting the tone, competitive but friendly, that I enjoy so much.

To all the new guys (some day I'll learn your names, I promise) for all your energy, for your commitment to this game, really its been so nice to have some new talent and new friends to get to know.

To everyone who shows up -- whether its once every couple of months (Ross) or its every week -- in sunny weather or windy days, on muddy fields or ice bowls, on good weeks and on bad days, thanks for shelping out there to play a game of football.

Happy Holidays -- which ever one it is you celebrate, and Happy New Year. See you on the field in '06 (and if you think I'm going soft after this sentimental rant, you'd be wrong. :-) )

2005-12-26T21:42:00.000-05:00

Monuments: naughty or nice?

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A guest column by S. Claus
(Additional editing provided by Ms. Claus)
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'Twas the day after Christmas and all 'cross the field,
Monuments rested to let bruises heal.

To look over the list and see who's naughty or nice,
Is the job that I do on this holiday night.

First up -- Uncle Bobby, he's ancient I think; with moves of his hips that make others blink. Naughty for sure, nice is a reach. A new hip would be good, what do you think?

Dan Cipullo is next, a quarterback by trade; making first downs with short throws he has made.
A witness that night when the star shown so bright. Is he older than Bobby? Now there is a fight! Another one naughty, so what is his gift? A trip to the bath house might give him a lift!

What about Allscott, the diminutive back? With a smile and a giggle he leads his attack.
When he is in trouble, to Adam he throws; to howls and teases he turns up his nose.
To be "Best Gay Quarterback" is what he would wish, but another one naughty takes him from my list.

What about Charlie, the graceful Gazelle? He's so close to nice, but he's naughty as well.
A new hair weave perhaps, from back in the day? A hair model for him... perhaps Dr. J.

And the one they call Jim -- what about him? A trainwreck he is, though his figure is slim.
Naughty (and late) he appears at the game, with a smile on his face, he's without shame.
Merrily passing right down the middle, a mirror's in store if he's fit as a fiddle.

Oh, Adam -- finally, a nice one, or so it does look; but oh my, when he plays, he hits like a crook!
So naughty its clear, but what's this I hear? A woman he loves and a child he does have?
What makes him think he can play with this gaggle of fags?!

Then there is Tony, the quarterback to love. His game is so fine, he rises above.
WIth a wink in his eye hidden by glasses, the football he throws, to receivers he passes.
Oh my, oh dear, how can it be? Quite naughty its clear; he plays smelling of beer.
Is he straight? Is he gay? The question resounds; still it's not answered 'less Patrick's around.

Now Patrick is naughty, of this there's no doubt. Arrives Sunday morning after much staying out.
They call him the hole, not sure what this means. This holiday rhyme is PG-13.

Then there is Jay, for the Colts he does cheer. Another one naughty, so I do hear.
A pair of nice hands would do him just fine for catching soft passes that come from behind.

Michael Borman -- not sure if he's naughty or nice. Two months he shows up; he doesn't "do ice".

John Daly -- now there is man who is always well-healed; runs with back to QB as he's beaten downfield.
At night dressed in drag, he's naughty no doubt; he wants to be nice, for certain no lout.

Then there is Shane with the heart of lion; through the middle he runs just like he's flyin'.
He says that he's nice (I think he's lyin') -- he wants to be naughty, there is no denyin'!

The new guys, we love them -- on, JJ! On, Kirk! So many who need their names on their shirts.
On, Jeremey! On, Milo! On, Brandon! On, Mark! They're naughty for sure, to hang at this park.

From endzone to endzone, from line to line; on Francis Field they play football so fine.
More naughty a team, I have not seen in time.
Still, all are so welcome, every Sunday to play.
Happy holidays to all, and to all a good day!

2005-12-16T22:45:00.001-05:00

That Allscott smile.

2005-12-16T22:45:00.000-05:00

Burton goes over the back of defender

2005-12-16T22:44:00.001-05:00

Quarterback

2005-12-16T22:44:00.000-05:00

Trainwreck meet Kirk.

2005-12-16T22:43:00.000-05:00

Where did he learn the leg kick

2005-12-16T17:56:00.000-05:00

The newest photos (from out Dec 4th Game) are up on Flickr. The link on the right should get you there (fingers crossed). Take a look my favorites are Daley punting the ball, Tony throwing into camera, and Burton's catch on the defender's back. I'll upload some here shortly.

2005-12-16T15:10:00.000-05:00

Best gay quarterback -- the "straight" one?

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Monument News Service
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On a sheet of ice, the question of the who is the best gay quarterback lingered in the cool winter air.

As the teams gathered together immediately following their count off, the open volleys were fired when Dan Cipullo and Allscott were paired together on the Dark team. Along with Uncle Bobby the best triumphantly since ancient Rome sought to prove their mettle against consummate trickster and alcoholic Tony Stewart.

Allscott started off the day throwing a strike to Adam Strasberg running a down and in (a very fine pattern if I do say so myself). Which led to a chorus of taunts from Dan Cipullo about the ease of throwing to the straight boy -- Allscott fired back with, "Like he hasn't bailed your ass out a million times." How this reporter became the center of controversy for catching a pass, I still do not know.

The game settled into its usual pace, through an interception by Allscott to the late arriving Mike threatened to blow it open.

The Gazelle made an early push for MVP honors with a short 10 yard TD and a nicely timed interception return off a telegraphed Uncle Bobby throw.

Despite recent comments in the press that Allscott was selling out gays by changing his passing style from a dashing QB to a straight pocket passer, he continued to try and play his game. After a late interception of Tony, he proclaimed, "Now, I've earned my interception back."

White's defense was led by the jumping bean rusher Gary. With 4 blocked passes, and several hurries, Gary answered the critics who wondered where he has been for the past 2 months with two words "plyometric shoes" (http://www.skyflex.com/).

Tony showed that he could win without Allscott as White triumphed over Dark in the first game.

The second game almost turned ugly fast. Tony's White team took a quick 14-0 lead in what looked to be a blowout. Dark was hampered by poor QB play as White's press man defense held them in check for their first three series.

It was up to the old queens and a straight guy to bring Dark back. First Dan Cipullo connected to Adam Strasberg on a 80 yard bomb -- one play one score. Patrick McIntyre looked lost on the coverage, seeming to run in the wrong direction. Some stellar defense by shut-down corner Kenneth "Steffi" brought Dark another opportunity.

Again it was an old Queen, this time Uncle Bobby throwing a 5 yard in pattern to Adam Strasberg, and he was off to the races. A hesitation move (the same one that never worked before) on Tony Stewart froze the final defender as Strasberg rumbled down the sideline -- two plays, two queens, two touchdowns and Dark was back in it -- down 20-14.

Just like that Tony Stewart came back. Showing the veteran leadership that won Two Gay Bowl titles, he moved white calmly down the field for the victory as game #2 ended close to 1:30.

The question on everyone's minds as they left the field was if Allscott and Dan together cannot win a game, is Tony Stewart's grasp on the title of Best Gay Quarterback even up for debate.

2005-12-06T17:14:00.000-05:00

Best gay quarterback controversy continues
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Outsports.com news Service
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A week of tumultuous smack talk found its way onto the mud covered Francis Field this Sunday. The incendiary comments by self-proclaimed "Best Gay Quarterback" Allscott fueled a controversy pitting Allscott's Dark team against Dan Cipullo's White team. The stakes were upped further with Dan proclaiming himself "the straightest man out here today."

Before the game, Allscott seemed to back away from earlier comments stating, "past comments do not predict future results."

Under sunny skies and a beautiful 50 degree fall day and over a mud soaked field the teams battled. Allscott fighting against Dan's criticism of his receiving skills, went down to his knees to make a beautiful diving grab early in the games. Tony Stewart moved the Dark team with stunning efficiency despite missing curfew the night before. Stewart, who some consider to be the best closeted gay quarterback, picked away at White's defense, frustrating them once even r throwing the same play to Kenneth four times in a row.

Trainwreck attempted to put himself back into the conversation of best gay quarterback, but quickly moved himself out throwing an early interception to Adam "the breeder" Strasberg.

The game came close to overshadowing the growing controversy, but a reinvigorated Allscott refused to let the controversy die, proclaiming about Dan Cipullo, "He's stealing my dick and dink offense." He back up his words with deeds throwing for a touchdown despite not taking a snap.

The second game did not come without its own controversy despite or maybe because of Allscott's absence. Dark took an early lead against Tony Stewart's White team. Early quarterbacking by Tom "Madonna" (who's highlight was a lame duck interception to "The Breeder") failed to move the White Team very far.

Adam Strasberg's pissy reaction to being run down by Milo showed he could be just as pissy as any queen.

Dan Cipullo answered Allscott's criticisms in this wide open 6 on 6 game -- hitting quick outs and slants moving his team down field like a true gay quarterback. While Trainwreck tried to redeem his earlier performance.

With the calls for Tony Stewart echoing across the field, the hung-over QB tried to lead his team back, calling his shot -- a one-play, I'm going to score on this one, throw and touchdown. Still, the question that hung over the field as Dark won easily 24-8, was can Tony win without Allscott?

DC Monuments Adam Strasberg contributed to this report along with Outsports.com news service.

2005-11-28T17:26:00.000-05:00

I wasn't there for this past Sunday's game, but "The Gazelle" was kind enough of to give me these game notes:

Good turnout for the Turkey Bowl -- 15 players.

White team -- headed by QBs Trainwreck, Uncle Bobby, and Charlie Kniseley.

Blue Team -- Headed by QBs Dan and AllScott

Blue took the early lead by taking advantage of an interception and jumped out to a 12-0 lead. But it was all White after that. Trainwreck, Bobby and Charlie K. combined for a QB rating of 384.9 and lead the Blue team back to win 34-26. Dan was picked off twice and Charlie Kniseley scored the game-winning TD on a QB scramble and run for 11 yards. The Kniseley brothers may get a group rate though on hospital visits...Chris was nursing what appeared to be a broken finger after a freak hit in the beginning of the game and that TD scamper from Charlie saw him grabbing his achilles. Both are listed as doubtful for next week.

TAT (Trainwreck Arrival Time): A respectable 10:18.

ABGQBR (AllScott Best Gay QB Rating): 68.2. Not great, not bad.

-- Charlie "The Gazelle" Salem, Your Roving Reporter

2005-11-23T11:14:00.000-05:00

So the pictures are all up at Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/97365827@N00/) or try this link to register (http://www.flickr.com/welcome/829563/389186/).

Adam

2005-11-21T01:09:00.000-05:00

The Pass, the catch, and the fall.

Good game, Dark-Shane.

2005-11-21T00:34:00.000-05:00

November 20, 2005

The Weather: Well, all signs pointed to our first real fall game, but it turned out to be a real nice day, colder than it has been but almost 60 and sunny.

The Arrival: Trainwreck did not grace us with his finely cofed presence, however Shane (light-Shane) brought his lovely mother to come out and cheer us on.

Turnout: Not counting Shane's mom, we got about 21 -- enough for 8 on 8 with a couple of subs.

He's Not Michael Vick He Just Plays Like Him: A rejuvenated QB Dan Cipullo -- off the DL from Rum poisoning, put on a show that would make Michael Vick proud: Showing slick run moves, throwing like Vick, and leading his White Team to 2 victories today.

What QB Controversy?: John Daly stepping in for Cipullo went 2-2 with a TD, my QB Rating Calculator is down for the moment, but according to my rough calculations that equals approximately 1004.2 or 9, I'm not sure (actually I did calculate it estimating the yard, and it comes out to 147.9 -- http://www.brucey.net/nflab/statistics/qb_rating.html).

How Many QB's Does it Take to Score A TD: The Hydra-Like (http://www.pantheon.org/articles/h/hydra.html) Dark QB machine lead them to a quick opening strike. Their hot receiver was Dark-Shane, who despite all his receiving prowess couldn't seem to be able to stay on his feet after catching the ball.

Memorable Moments: Uncle Bobby's rejection of Dan. Dark-Shane's multiple reception/falls. Dan scampering down the sideline.

Some Quick Hits: Was that a titter that came out of Patrick Mckintyre when he lost the ball in the sun to Matt? Did Uncle Bobby's last TD drive take so long because he needed to grab his walker? Kirk being heard saying to Matt in our Defensive huddle "Too many words...."

Last Notes: Thanks to everyone who took pictures, I'm going to post a few here and the rest on Flickr (there are 130 or so total). If you want me to e-mail some to you let me know (adamstrasberg@mindspring.com).

Happy Thanksgiving see you in 2 weeks.

2005-11-20T22:23:00.000-05:00

Shane and his momma.

2005-11-14T14:17:00.000-05:00

2005-11-14T13:34:00.000-05:00

2005-11-13T23:07:00.000-05:00

Nov 13, 2005 Recap:

Weather: This nice weather has to end sometime right? High 60's sunny, just a beautiful fall day.

Turnout: Not as many as last week, but close, we had 21 with a lot of new faces. Went 8 on 8 with subs. If all our Caribean vacationers had turned out, we might have been able to do 2 games. We saw the return of Steve Adamaske and John Daly's who's suspension was overturned by an arbitrator after Charlie and Dan missed the hearing because of too many Mai Tai's and sunburn.

The Arrival: Obviously Jim had pre-dryed his hair, arriving at a prompt 10:22am. Tony was a late comer with his crew of 5 and kissing some blond as he got out of his car.

Classic Moments: Ah the memories. In the first game, Tony led his dark team back from the brink of defeat to win 30-26 over Trainwreck's white team. The two highlights (or low-lights) as the case may be were JJ slicing through Dark's defense only to corkscrew himself into the ground about 2 yards short of the goalline. And who could forget (it will haunt my nightmares for weeks) Burton's "stomach bug" about half an hour into the game. Even Tony never did that.

They say a picture is worth 1000 words, so I'll let these pictures tell the rest of the story of the day.

2005-11-06T22:23:00.000-05:00

Nov 6 Flag Football Recap:

Weather: 75 degrees, bright and sunny. No, seriously.

Field: A dust bowl, but not too bad, though I got another one of those dust tans.

Turnout: Wow! 28+ Guys out there, 4 teams, 2 games a piece. Had a nice mix of new faces (3rd Generation Players) and old faces (1st and 2nd Generation), and then of course Uncle Bobby showed up. Hopefully we can keep this turnout up as the weather turns cold and well cold.

The Arrival: Jim "Trainwreck" Connelly arrived at a fashionable 10:30a, pulling his silver jeep up into a prime parking space (do we have Valet parking at this game).

My Recollections: When I first took a look at my team, #4, I wasn't sure what to make of it, especially looking over that Team #1Juggernaut of Charlie "The Gazelle" Salem, Ross "Mr. Smooth," (someday I'm going to learn everyone's last names) and Straight Charlie, led by the venerable Dan Cipullo.

We started against team #3, mired in controversy by the suspension of John Daly for conduct detrimental to the team for his suggestion that the best gay quarterback was indeed Tony Stewart and not their stalwart leader All-Scot, who was recovering from his rib injury.

With an efficient offensive attack led by Trainwreck, an ingenious 1-4-2 defensive scheme, a ferocious pass rush from JP, some timely defense from rookie Sam, and our funnel everything to Joe (4 Ints) strategy, we had allowed only 2 first downs (and I think Jim argued them both), before calling the game at 20-0 as the first game had already ended.

After a brief rest to collect ourselves, gossip and get some gatorade or water, we went up against Team #1, who had shown their mettle against Tony Stewart's trickily led team #2. Setting an early tone (on a challenge from my teammates), I ran down on the opening kickoff with field markers in hand, and pulled "The Gazelle's" flag while simultaneously marking the field. Though Ross protested the maneuver as "so very straight," it seemed to get us on the right track.

After moving the ball steadily, a key interception doomed Dan Cipulo's opening drive, it was a theme that was be to repeated, a critical late (very pretty) interception by "New" Shane" at the goal line helped to stem Team #1's momentum -- but I'm ahead of myself.

Moving us steadily down the field, including like 10 catches on the first 12 plays to me, Jim struck first, a lead we would not relinquish. After Team #1 put their shut down corner on me, we started spreading the ball around, with some tough blocking to give Trainwreck time by JP and "New" Shane", and some good hands by the aforementioned "New Shane," Joe, and the sneaky veteran Paul, our offense moved steadily all day.

Team #1 answered back by throwing to their big play threat Charlie Salem on an out, a quick move and the Gazelle was off to the races, down the sideline, one play, one score -- 8-6. The game was [insert your cliche here --hard fought, back and forth,...] with several beautiful catches by Ross down field, man is that guy smooth, I swear I think his hair is always perfect.

We sealed the deal on a play that would have made Tony Stewart proud. A 5 yard fake like you're injured fall to the ground pass to Paul. It was dubbed a "Gay play," which I took as a compliment.

Some other observations from the games I wasn't involved in:

A nice opening run by Milo, showing hips that would make any gay man proud.
"Green-Bay" Matt dropping an easy TD pass (brining over his Green-Bay mojo) from All-Scott.
Uncle Bobby showing moves that would sweep any 15 year old Asian boy off his feet running down the side-line.

So what do you think about this blog entry? Too long? Too detailed? Too short? Feedback appreciated.

Alright now its your turn....

Adam Strasberg

2005-11-06T18:08:00.000-05:00

Good games today.

Trainwreck ended up as the winning QB in both games. Probably helped that he had an extra half hour with the blow-drier. Jimmy -- how about showing up at least one week at 10am?

Tony goes 0-2 for the first time that I can remember. And Danny and Paul have obviously spent the last two years at Art Monk's football camp. They both had huge games...too many TDs and INTs to count.

And while I wasn't on the same field when it happened, the play of the day had to be Uncle Bobby streaking down the sideline for a TD not letting Chris Kniseley catch him from behind.

Charlie

3:07 PM

2005-11-02T14:28:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the DC Momuments Flag Football blog.