SEASON RECAP

GROWTH. No I am not talking about my ever expanding waistline in the land of Jewball. I am talking about growth as a person both on the field and off the field but most importantly as a Jewballer. For all intents and purposes we were all rookies this year. Our leader and commish was off to Israel and there would be a new beginning, new chapter for Jewball to start. Of course, Jordan is one 15 minute voicenote away but to say it would be difficult without him is an understatement. Jordan has navigated this Jewball island for 25 plus years and led us to the promised land (l’havdil). An FGD was taking over and now it would be a team effort of all Jewballers to make sure we continued the Jewball ways. To succeed in the Succession.

Taking on a new role is always difficult and it certainly wasn’t easy for me to be called “commish”. The Commish is Jordan….not me and yes I knew there would be challenges ahead… But after looking back at this 25-26 season, I can honestly say there is nothing I love more than being a Jewballer. I’m not going to say there weren’t stresses or late night phone calls because of a last minute cancellation, but watching this group of people come together week in and week out and doing what we do best cannot be put into words. It truly is a team effort every single time. Whether it’s Yaron always being at the field 15 minutes early and setting it up with minimal complaint or steveo always helping with everything that goes on behind the scenes or even zada with the weekly signup posts or the party planning committee helping with every Jewball event or the MJSA or safe space chats where I can just simply vent about how much you guys all piss me off….there is nothing that I would rather be doing. It truly is one of a kind experience that cannot be explained in normal language. To have a group of guys who are always ready to lend a hand and help out so we can succeed as a unit is something remarkable. I for one, can personally say the growth that I have seen from myself has been mind blowing and nothing that I ever could have predicted. Enough about us and me though….. the most important thing is we BH had another tremendous season of Jewball

This season was a long one yet somehow feels like preseason was last week. Walking onto the field in early September in the rain to play a 4 v 4 and then watch the smiling faces of more and more jewballers showing up for a week1 preseason rain game…. you just knew the season was going to be something magical. We had new rookies, new players and new personas that would all be put through the test of the Jewball season. We had Lego, Landy, Spiegel, Berk and then some late carryovers from last season in Kagan, Avenger, portal and most of all cool yaron. But of course as we all know, it’s not how a season starts… It’s about who makes it through the 20 plus week and 50 plus games of football that we have from September through April.

The Jewball season always starts with the talks of leagues and the draft. While certainly not the main focus of the jewball season it has become a staple of the jewball season. With two new captains in the works and three returning ones it would be a race to the finish line. Of course, winning draft night is meaningless, the games on the field would determine the champion. Not going to rehash the whole league season but it culminated in an all out playoff chip tourney just a few Sundays ago. While injuries mounted and replacements had to be found, it was GM v SP and the one seed Gorillaz v BLOP. An injured Green Machine made quick work of the randomly assembled Semi pro. On the other side, Gorilaz and Blop were in a heated battle. 13-6 with Gorilaz driving. A few plays later it was prime, knocking down a pass intended for Mighty to send the improbable BLOP to the Chip. To the grass we went and what a chip game it was. GM jumped out in front as the Avenger to ILNS connection stayed strong on this day (6 tds for ILNS). It was 19-6 and time was running out for BLOP. Prime and Zinn though had other plans in mind. A pick by zinn, a screen pass to prime, a two handed throw by dachs followed by another pick by zinn and it was 19-12 and BLOP with a chance to win it. A slant to zinn from 15 yards out made it 19-18 and it all came down to the extra point. BLOP would go for two to take the lead. If they miss, GM would be the 25-26 Jewball League Champs. Dachs drops back, looks right and throws to the left to an open zinn in the back of the endzone. Unfortunately, Gronk (filling in for Oppen?!?!) was there and bats the ball down and giddily states “I could have let them win” before running off the field. The Daveo led Green Machine are the Champs. Green machine was battle tested. They lost Iceman early on in the season and then lost Oppen right before the playoffs. They dealt with injuries, no shows and cancellations. Throughout it all though one GM with some crazy ideas stayed strong (and made the commish crazy) to win it all. But it goes deeper than that. While Daveo led his team, he had a new rookie jewballer who was an absolute constant for Green Machine throughout the season. I am not going to go into the stats but Avenger played through some real sh$t. pun intended. He somehow played every game despite injuries, work, making bad calls (jk Avenger) and just managed to keep winning through it all. Whether he’s the new jewball villian or not, time will tell, but for now he is a Championship Game MVP and Jewball Champion. Despite my lobbying, Avenger was not ROY and the answer perplexes me. Avenger won a chip, had great stats and really took the leap into jewball land this year way more than last season. But fortunately for jewball, and it makes me say BH how lucky we are every day, that the only reason he didn’t win it is because of a guy by the name of Legobomb.

I don’t think we have ever had a rookie come in with so much hype as we have Lego. I also don’t think we have had a rookie come in who has taken to the jewball way and felt like he’s been a jewballer for 10 years as much as Lego. Lego came in and not just wowed us on the field but wowed us off of it as well. Between his football game and chat game there is no one more worthy of having the ROY title than Lego. He won a bunch, he chatted a bunch, he stickered a bunch….but most of all he Jewballed a bunch. He came in with minimal ego and maximum talent. It’s been a wonder to watch him play and also to grow throughout the season. While the title of ROY isn’t something you can win year after year, it is something that cements your status as a jewballer and something that shows you are truly one of one. While ROY has been a relatively new award except for 2012 Steveo, you join the likes of Ernie, Zinn, Ice and (me! ;)). While we only had you for about 15 games this season, what you have accomplished was truly amazing and something that will be quite difficult to repeat. We of course are more than happy for you and your future wife and we wish you nothing but simcha and mazel, but it is slightly bittersweet that we will be seeing a limited amount of Lego on the field next season. Iyh we will get what we can and of course the chat goes beyond time zones. I have no doubt that while you may not physically be here we will absolutely feel your presence. The race for the 27-28 MVP awaits your return.   

While this season has been one of real growth for me. We were also tested a bit. Between injuries, weak signups, and weather we powered through despite it all. As Jewballers always do. While the snow brings us something that we crave, the snow bringeth but it also taketh. We had three incredible snow games this year (and one prancing ice bowl), the most I believe we ever had, but after the third one….. the snow took away football. Four weeks of nothing. The temps dropped and snow turned to blocks of ice and were quite literally Iced in. But like I’ve said, this season was one of growth and while the snow would delay and kick our games into April, Jewball would not be stopped. We were onto the next idea, yes fields were checked daily, but the Jewballers needed something and the SuperBowl breakfast would come in the clutch. Kuti has been a jewballer for who knows how long, but being able to play on his team this year and see first hand as “commish” everything he does behind the scenes for jewball was eye opening. Obviously I knew most of this beforehand but for some reason it was different now. Not only does he open his home to us for SB breakfast but he is always the first person to offer to help set up, cleanup, prep etc for every single jewball event. Between Chanukah parties, Waldo 7b, BBQ’s, purim hot dogs and the list goes on (and yes I realize it is mainly food related now) Kuti is the man behind it all. He does it all with a smile on his face and absolute love for Jewball. On top of that, at 42 years old he still signs up for both every week to play line. Playing line for three plays is hard enough (my shoulder found out the hard way) but two whole games without complaint is something that should truly be applauded. For that, it is abundantly clear to me that Kut is the Jewball Man of the Year (MOY?) He represents Jewball in everything he does. To be honest, I don’t think I have ever seen him not in his jewball sweatshirt. While his settling of rookies has taken a slight dip, there is no one more deserving to rep the title of MOY more than Kuti.

Speaking of in both, it started as something that was an actual meaningful phrase…. it quite literally meant “I am signing up for both games on sunday”.  As a rookie, I remember times when Jordan would not grant my in both and I would be upset. Following a few of those occasions, Prime and I began to say In Both for everything and it truly became a way of life. Yes, it still does mean we are going to try and play an insane amount of games throughout the jewball season but it is not just playing in the games that means “in both” it is playing in the games with a ferocity that only someone with a full in both mentality can bring. Therefore, it is only fitting that we award someone the In Both player of the year. Someone who truly personifies signing up for both, playing both, but also living it as a way of life. There are a bunch of guys who I could think of but no one comes to mind clearer (whiter?) than Bartender. He truly was a man on a mission this year to play as much football as possible and to become a completely different player than he was last year. The motor and the drive to succeed was intoxicating. Kagan you are now the racist, the CPOY, The In Both OY and a champion. Keep elevating your game bro.

While I can probably go down a rabbit hole and talk about every single jewballer and how they had an impact on my rookie commish season, the hour is late and hopefully no one cares that badly. I obvs need to shout out my league team and everything we were able to accomplish- stats, sam, djcp, kut, vegh, storm, schiffer, and solo it was an honor to play with you guys this season and looking forward to many more games in the future. I know Solo said he’s retiring, and I am choosing not to believe it, but if this was your farewell tour it was a pretty magnificent one. You were dominant this season. While we missed the ultimate goal of a chip we hope to see you back next season regardless of what you may have written in the chat. You will always be one of the best to ever do it. Right up there with the likes of munch oppen dk/legs. Two other shoutouts that absolutely require mention are the captains. Yes, they deserve a ton of blame. But they also deserve a ton of credit. Leagues aren’t perfect. We all know that. But they are an integral part of the jewball season and they give us an intensity of games that is unmatched with other weeks. Captain Stella, Kut, Prime, Rook, and GM Daveo…. you guys made me crazy but it was so worth it. Thank you for stepping up and being the leaders for leagues that we needed.
The last shoutout goes to someone who I absolutely despise. He makes arcade games about me. He makes fun of my golf game and my weight. But most of all he thinks he’s cool. I guess I didn’t fully understand what Jordan meant when he said that having a partner to help with field set up and other things make such a huge difference. But Jewball would not function without yaron. I could go on and on about what a terrible person he is but we need him and to have him be someone who contributes so much time, effort and money into jewball is incredible. Thank you yaron. A very special thank you steveo as well who keep the website running and makes sure we don’t miss a beat when it comes to all things jewball. The wizard really is a one man show behind the scenes.

There is one more award…. and I have procrastinated in writing this recap because of it. There are so many guys who are MVPs when it comes to Jewball. But mvp is not an award to be given out lightly. It is a signal that this person, this player, this jewballer is the best of the best. Not necessarily only in talent on the field but that they personify what a jewballer is and they have reached the pinnacle of that success. This year, after the dust all settled, it came down to two people. The never aging rat in Mighty and the always staying young Zinnvader. Both guys are truly deserving of the award. Both guys have played through everything and dominated the 25-26 season. While I can get into the Stats and break down the numbers, what both mighty and zinn do on the field isn’t always computed in a number on a screen. The amount of times QBs have to say “hey dont throw it there” which then leads to someone else getting a sack or int or the amount of times they get double covered so someone else can get open and catch a TD just shows how much attention one needs to pay them on the field. To still perform and lead the league in tds and a bunch of other stats just goes to show you how incredible these two players are and how lucky we are to have them as jewballers.

While Jordan and the Advisor to the Commish had their own thing going, Mighty is my bath buddy and someone who I really look up to when it comes to football. He’s been one of the best players in a league full of incredible talent for the past decade. He is going up against guys half his age and still playing every play with the same intensity as he has always had. While I have known mighty since before jewball, back to the old football and basketball days in KGH with his dad, I didn’t understand the legend of mighty until more recently. Yes, Jordan likes to make sure we all think of him as someone who thinks he’s better than us, but Mighty has been nothing but supportive this entire season. Whether it be private messages with ideas about jewball or on the field discussions on actual gameplay, I have learned a ton from Mighty this past season. To showing up in an elf suit for jesus bowl, to monsey for Lego, or to just come back to film game 2s or watch from the sidelines, he absolutely personifies jewball through and through and it is a privilege to be able to share the field with him week in and week out. He is our reigning mvp and for good reason and deserves every bit of this year’s MVP award. But now that I have spoken about mighty…. I guess you all know where I am headed.

5 years ago a skinny athletic kid scoots up to a jewball game… yaron calls his mom and the rest is history. Now he is a Jewball MVP. It’s hard to argue that Zinn could not have won MVP in past years. He certainly had the numbers for it and before Lego he was probably the last rookie who just bought into everything we do here with such a youthful exuberance. He has been the most dominant player in jewball since he joined. While this isn’t strictly a numbers award, Zinn led the league in tds this season with 27 while only playing 19 games at wr. add to that 3 rushing tds, 5 passing tds and 7 ints on defense, this season was all around for zinn. Yes, while he may have struggled with time occasionally, he was always there to jump into game 2 when needed and to bring plus 1s whenever we had some trouble getting to 14. He has become a leader both on and off the field well beyond his years. Personally, I don’t know if I have ever played against someone who you have to account for where he is on the field as much as Zinn. Someone wise once said that we have gotten so lucky that some jewballers feel like they’ve been created in a lab. Now that is not just referring to on field talent. That is referring to a Jewball state of mind as a whole and Zinn personifies that to the max. Zinn, like I said for Lego, we are so freaking happy for you on your wedding iyh, we are def a bit saddened that we won’t see as much of you on the field next season. I sincerely hope that you and dobs carpool each and every week together and that you continue your dominance with us and we see many more mvps in your future. I could go on and on and talk about how good of a player Zinn is but we all know it. There was some poetic justice last year when Mighty finally won MVP in Jordan’s last season despite arguably deserving a whole bunch of times before that. In that same vein, passing the MVP from one guy who could have won it every year in Mighty to another in Zinn feels somewhat surreal as a rookie commish. Therefore, with whatever power Jordan vested in me and without creating an ego (I hope)…Zinn, you are officially the 2025-2026 Jewball MVP. “From Roy to MVP – the Invader Scoot Story”. IYH many more of these in your future. Zinn, wishing you nothing but simcha and mazel as you start out your new life together with your kolloh.

One final final note- Jordan…… I have no idea how or why you entrusted me with this but I hope that we made you proud from afar. The two weeks we got with you here was incredible and we were truly blessed by that. Just a personal thank you for guiding us from afar and making sure that we just keep getting better and better. From the bottom of my heart we miss you and thank you for guiding this world we get to be a part of. Thank you.

While the offseason might be upon us, the Jewball world has no end. We got Weddings, 7bs, kiddushes by daveo, Ernie events, MidSommar, softball, golf, ultimate and the list goes on. In the words of our new TBI theme song- “football, friendship…..from the league to the laughs… you know we’re gonna win”. Let’s keep winning the offseason iyh and keep grinding out the days till the next season starts. To all the injured guys now’s the time to get healthy and put work in. Let’s come back stronger than ever and keep one upping ourselves from the season before. Let’s grow together as a unit, as jewballers. FGD out. 

Who wants Week 1???????!!!!!!