January 25, 2026… that was our last football game. A week 17 tackle game in the heart of a blizzard. But then snow turned to ice and the turf was nowhere to be seen. Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into a month. But jewball persevered. While some traditions were postponed or updated, we pushed on. Super bowl bbq turned into super bowl breakfast at the Kut home. What should have been week 20 turned into the prancing bowl. Finally though the rain came and the temps got warmer and the field was there once again. Week 18 would finally be played. Just barely though as more snow would come during the game. But a beautiful 3 game jewball sunday morning was had. Can’t say it was worth the wait bc a month without football is too long, but football was back.

On the first side of the field we had Green Machine vs Stogies. Both teams trying to bounce back from losses in their previous league game. Stogies struck first with an opening drive td to gronk and just marched their way down the field with dump offs to dk and stella. 6-0 stogies. Green machine took a while to get going and the score would stay at 6-0 for a while. Stogies marched their way down the field once again and had first and goal from the 5 with a chance to go up two scores. But the GM captain was sneaky and jumped back from d line to the middle to pick a slant off to gronk and returned it 50 yards and gave GM the momentum they needed. three plays later it was captain daveo once again with a dump off from Avenger for a td. 6-6. Unfortunately, the game took a pause then. I didn’t see what happened but it was described as gruesome. Tom went down with an injury and the game stopped to make sure that the In Both vet was okay. He was not. With his wrist bent the wrong way, Tom was rushed off the field. RS Tom! We will see you back on the field soon. Tom doesn’t get enough credit for it, but the man always plays every game. He is the true definition of in both and still doing it at 40. He’s our snow game majestic horse. You’ve bounced back from having Bert as a brother, this is nothing. Feel Better! Eventually, the game continued and Avenger ran one in to make it 13-6 after the extra point. Stogies would falter on their next drive and GM had the ball with a chance to ice the game. On 3rd and goal from the 15, avenger tossed a beautiful touch pass to the back of the endzone for berk.. who hauled it in, toe tapped… and then got rocked by landy and couldn’t hang on to the ball through the ground. An incredible effort, but landy made the defensive stop. GM couldn’t punch it in and Stogies were now down to their final drive. score and a two point conversion would give them the win. a few short plays by yaron set up 4th and 3 to keep the drive going. But a toss to gronk across the middle got knocked down Captain Daveo again and the game would end. 13-6 Green Machine. Jewball to the GM of GM and their captain Daveo on the all around offense and defense in this one.

On the other side of the field it was Semi Pro v. Gorillaz. Last time these two teams played there was controversy abound and it took away from the incredibly close game that it was. This time there was no controversy…..there also wasn’t much of an incredibly close game. SP was without their captain as he was off visiting Jordan in the holy land. But SP (aka solo) came out with a fire that we haven’t seen in some time. When Solo first started playing Jewball he was a dream that Yaron had invented and no one really knew if he was real. Then he finally showed up and dominated. But then solo moved far away and we saw less and less of him. Sunday he was determined to show that he should not be forgotten. After three and outs by both teams, SP took the ball and started moving. a quick out to stats, a dumpf off to solo and a few short plays to storm. set up a 3rd and 3 from the 47 yard line. A designed run by pray got SP the first down but as pray looked up after crossing the first down marker…. it was three gorillaz in sight and one solo. That was all SP needed. Solo proceeded to mow down zada, mighty and rook en route to a 30 yard rushing td for pray. 6-0 SP. Gorillaz took the ball back and moved methodically until on 3rd and 10, lego stepped up in the pocket and was met by a flying solo and pummeled to the turf. Following drive for SP , it was again dump offs to solo and storm culminating in a solo hand off that he took to the house from 20 out to make it 12-0. Stats extra point made it 13-0. Gorilaz then put together their best drive of the game. and had 3rd and 12 past midfield. A lego pass to Goldberg made it 4th and 1. Can’t say for sure exactly what happened but lego tried catching SP off guard and hurried to the line to try a quick play. Unfortunately, that quick play caught everyone off guard and Lego ran directly into solo. Once again Solo pummeled lego into the ground, despite legos outstretched arm it was a turnover on downs. Three plays later it was pray to DJCP (not urkel because he wasn’t wearing the glasses) for a 20 yard td 19-0 SP. Sp got the ball back again and it was djcp for his second td of the game on a ten yard slant to make it 25-0. SP set up for the extra point but a tipped ball by zada led to a mighty int and he was off to the races. 80 yards on a zig zaggin winding return for the rat and it was 25-1. SP would score one more time, this one to storm and a stats phill philly extra point to pray capped the game at 32-1. Gorilaz finally got on the board again after a mighty td to make it 32-7. If you couldn’t tell solo absolutely dominated this one. On both sides of the ball he reminded jewball (and lego) of just how terrifying he could be. Jewball to you. Together with Sam and Spiegel the O line and D line of SP had a day. DJCP would have gotten a jewball but this day was the solo domination one.

In game 2 It was colors of yaron, blitz, bz, spiegel, steveo, storm, and zinn vs. dark of pray, gronk, rabin, kagan, prime, rook and stats. Colors struck first. After a leaping vintage zinn catch over stats, it was storm hurdling the defense to go up 1-0. Dark would put good drives together but each one would end in pray throwing an int (first to storm and then zinn). Whether it was the hangover from a big league win or the ferocious pass rush of blitz, bz and spiegel, it was a redzone int to storm and then a redzone int to zinn to shut down the first two drives of the game. Lucky for Dark, Colors didnt take too much advantage and only scored one more time on a flea flicker td from yaron to storm to make it 2-0. Then the snow started to fall and the QB of Colors made the infamous statement “if I win this counts as a snow game”……. whether the football gods have a sense of humor or that comment enraged Dark enough. They got to work and quick. An angry prime started doing what he does best and catching quick outs and slant and running through people for chunk yards. A 7 play drive ended with a pray to gronk slant to make it 2-1. next drive it was kagan on an out and up from 25 out to make it 2-2. two drives later it was dark with a chance to win it but a pray deep ball to rook was picked off by storm and the game went to overtime. Yaron tried to answer quickly and a deep ball to zinn was picked off by pray and now dark was playing for the win. Dark went right back to the well and hit a quick out to prime to go get them the chunk yards once again. Steveo came up to make the stop and went low for the flag and all we heard was a muted scream. Steveo bloodied all over his face would have to leave. Refuah Shleima Wizard! We will see you back on the field very soon. We went to 6s for the last two plays and on 4th and goal from the six, it was rook in the back of the end zone to win it 3-2. Jewball to kagan in this one for 1 td and being a willing third blocker all game. Also three sacks on the day in huge spots to keep Colors out of the redzone. Storm was on his way to a jewball with the two tds and two ints…..Season of bartender.

Snow….there’s nothing like it. Yes, some find it annoying and dangerous, but when looked at through the proper glasses there’s something scenic and peaceful about the white fluffy cloud-like substance coating the earth. Yet, some snow comes down so hard and blizzard like that there’s nothing calm about it. It revs something up inside of you that can only mean one thing……tackle football. This would now be our third tackle game of the season, an enormous number that we haven’t seen in years. We’re lucky to get one per year. Ecstatic if we get two. Three??…..almost unheard of. The last time being the 2020-2021 season.

It was colors of yaron, landy, zinn, urkel, logic, mandelbread, and tom vs dark of pray, bert, bz, prime, steveo, daveo, and the mighty snowdent. With the snow coming down hard the first few drives were sloppy three and outs (with one monster sack by yaron on third and goal off a well timed blitz). But then dark got clicking, a slant to daveo, a run by prime, and a deep ball to mighty set up third and 10 from the 40. A screen to mighty was all they would need and dark had the first down and then some as the snowdent took off down the sideline to open the scoring 1-0. The next drive colors got after it and worked the ball down the field with runs to landy and a tom catch and run of 35 to make it first and goal from the 24. After a yaron tush push where the ball may or may not have been stripped by mighty, it was determined that the first down was reached and colors would maintain possession. However, a chance to tie it up on a pass from yaron to zinn was just a bit behind and tips up into the hands of pray for an int. Next drive, Dark was right back at it with a mix of runs and slants, even hitting Bert on a tight end leak for 15 yards. After a logic sack, it was third and goal from the 20 for dark with a chance to go up 2-0. And that’s exactly what they did. With pray evading a zinn blitz, the ball just barely got off and into the waiting hands of prime who adjusts and makes the catch in the endzone. 2-0 dark. Unfortunately for colors, their fortune would go from bad to worse and three drives in a row ended with ints. The first one by pray, his second of the day, on a pass intended for tom. After a lateral to Steveo, it was 1st and goal from the 11. After a pray run to bring them inside the 1 yard line, it was a forward pitch to bz and tush push to bring the score to 3-0. One play later it was a daveo pick six to make it 4-0 dark and the game getting out of hand. Colors would make a qb switch to Zinn but on his first play he lofts a ball up the sideline to urkel that gets picked by steveo island (no map needed) and it’s dark ball once again. Two plays later it’s daveo finding the endzone on a quick tight end leak to make the score 5-0. Colors would finally get on the board with zinn at qb and after some good qb runs and dump offs to landy, urkel, and tom, it was logic in the back of the endzone on 4th and goal to get colors on the board 5-1. Both dark and colors would go three and out on the next two drives to end this game at 5-1 dark. Another awesome snow tackle game for jewball. A lot of jewball worthy candidates in this one, especially with guys keeping track of their tackles. Mighty led the day with 9 and a maybe forced fumble, prime with 7, pray with .5 (ya i sucked at tackling today) but the Jewball winner this week goes to Daveo. A td, a pick six, and a bunch of other catches and huge defensive stops in this one, the GM of Green Machine was all over the place on both sides of the ball.

Tackle games are infectious and bring out the best of jewball. It’s a high that you can only get once you’ve played them. Not saying you should or shouldn’t but if you do….. congrats daveo.

Who wants week 18! IJWT!

Week 9 was the return of leagues. We had SP v. BLOP two teams in desperate need of a win. BLOP took the ball first and went three and out. SP took over and went to work, methodically moving the ball down the field, resulting in a td to vegh….without his two feet in and four plays later resulting in a td to vegh with his feet in. Extra point to stats made it 7-0 early. Blop then had arguably one of their best drives of the day and got the ball to the 1 yard line. After a defensive PI, Dachs dropped back and threw a patented curl at the pylon to…..not mordy…..instead it was Zinn and whether the connection on the curl isnt there or the ball floated away, pray jumped it and returned it to the other 15 yard line setting up a td to storm to make it 13-0 SP. Similar to their last league game though, you cannot count the combo of Zinn, Dachs, and Prime out. Eventually they punched the ball into the endzone with a pretty toe tap by dobs to make it 13-6. SP answered back right away and after a portal catch and run and a solo catch and run, pray ran it in to make it 19-6. It was 928 and the game all but over but dachs hit landy on a quick crosser and landy took it the distance to make it 19-12. SP took the ball back with a chance to ice it but decided that after their defense had put up 5 sacks by solo and 2 ints, they would play it safe. Three run plays and they gave the ball back to BLOP for their final drive. The first play of the drive solo did what he had been doing all day and racked up his 6th sack of the day. two plays later a 3rd int by pray ended the game. 19-12 final. Jewball to Solo for the absolutely monster day. A Myles Garret like performance, absolute dominance.

On the other side it was GM v. Stogies. Stogies looking to continue their undefeated start and GM looking to shake off a tough loss to Gorilaz. Unfortunately for stogies this just wasnt their day. a final score of 31-6. Some say it was because DK wasnt there and oppen wasnt supposed to be there but there is a cute irony in the fact that Oppen aka Mr. RT took down stogies to ensure that BOP continues to remain the only undefeated team in jewball history. A team that both Captain Daveo and Stella were a part of. I truly saw no part of this game other than hearing it was violent. I believe ice scored twice and avenger ran a few in. Also saw the tail end of gronk catching a few balls over steveos head deep down the field. I also believe that Ice got his second look at qb for a little while in this one. The details are a bit fuzzy but Avenger disappeared and Ice ran one in. Eventually ice will realize that qbs are supposed to throw the ball. Jewball to avenger for the three tds thrown, 1 rushing td and 1 int on defense and most of all for not pulling a peeve on the field.

In the late game it was dark of yaron, bz, kagan, prime, stats, gronk and new guy mandelabum vs. colors of pray ice, storm, tom, dobs, rook, and new guy ezra. This game was a close one to start out with yaron hitting stats on a deep ball td and pray answering right back with a td to ezra. Yaron jumped out to a 3-1 lead with tds to bz and gronk. Pray answered with a td to ice but then stats went down and popped his shoulder back into place. The guy who is known for his flag grabbing, grabbed the flag so hard that his shoulder stayed with the flag RS Stats! and the game would go to 6s. Whether it was the stench of the league game that took over for yaron and gronk or the high that pray ice storm and tom were feeling the game got out of hand quickly. Pray hit rook for a td and ezra for another and ice ran one to make it 5-3. dark scored twice more in “garbage time” and colors capped it off with a trick play passing td by ezra or chad chinnenburg as some were calling him to rook for a 6-5 final. The final score in this one does not tell the full story. Feels weird to give a jewball to someone who isnt in jewball just yet but 2 receiving tds and a passing td would deserve it. instead its going to rook for the two tds scored and just bringing tremendous pressure all day as a third rusher and batting down balls right and left.

Week 10 is here and we are just about halfway through the Jewball season. Who wants it IJWT.

Turkey bowl came with a few last minute team/game adjustments but at the end of the day we could not have asked for a better Turkey day than what we got. Yes were some of the games less than desirable in terms of the football- sure. but the fact that we got jewballers past, present, and future out to the field to play some football, eat some turkey, wings and donuts, and just overall experience a beautiful jewball thanksgiving was beyond gratifying. In one game Ice played qb and led his team to victory on a jump throw game winner to daveo (yes the OT rules were slightly changed for Turkey Bowl). On the other side it was Lego v Avenger. Again, didn’t see much of the game but I believe Avenger pulled out the W in a tight contest. Lego unfortunately didn’t have a great day throwing the ball but hey when you’re not throwing tds you may as well throw picks. But even in the losing effort highlights of the day may have been Lego scoring a rushing td and Hingle Mpringleberrying the td pumps to perfection.

The early games ended, the traditional jewball pic was taken (thank you Sheriff) and kut arrived with trays of steaming wings and turkey legs. Game 2 eventually started and other than taking some turkey leg eating breaks was pretty uneventful. It was pray (orange) v. gronk (brown) and seemed like mighty for brown and sheriff for orange were just running wild all over the field. There were trick plays, there were laterals to the wrong team, but all in the spirit of good turkey bowl fun. Brown scored 5 i believe and remember socks just running the entire field towards the end of the game to tie it up. But i believe the final score was 6-5 orange after a flip to schiffer for the game winner. Regardless, after the donuts and turkey….. we were all winners. Truly was a remarkable showing and can imagine we made jewball proud. Really showed how the melting pot of jewball works with all people of every background coming together towards one goal.

There’s no world that exists where Prime and I would become best friends let alone even know each other. There’s no world that exists that people who maybe a few months or years ago were absolute strangers would be eating off the same turkey legs as each other…. true story. but that world does exist. It exists right here in our island of Jewball. For better or worse there are people who live next door to you or co-workers or other friends who we will never have that same connection with. There’s no rhyme or reason to it but just gratitude and thanks to one above for leading us all here and continuing on this crazy Jewball adventure.

Of course there was a part of Jewball missing without Jordan there and Amy’s pecan bars but as we hopefully follow along on jordans newest football journey in the holy land, a part of Jewball is now there to create more and more jewball connections. I heard that there was a Jewball turkey bowl in cleveland last week. Imagine, as crazy as it sounds, that wherever you go there is a Jewball connection and something bringing you back to this island. Imagine one of the new rooks who played on thanksgiving, even if we never see him again, may one day bump into someone and they’ll realize the connection they have back to this place. with a little WWJD (what would J do.. for spira) it really is possible. We’re almost at the midpoint of the season. Let’s make this second half just as awesome as the first.

Week 8 started with the jewball usual of two early games side by side. On the one side it was the OG matchup of pray v yaron and the other side it was the Avenger taking on Feit.

Unfortunately for the first game, we had some late cancellations and the game started with dark of pray, E, DK., Ice, POrtal, and Stella taking on colors of Yaron, Steve-O, sam, oppen, logan, bert, and storm. The game was close for a little while but bc we were playing 6s instead of 7s there was just too much speed on the field for dark leading to long tds by ice, portal and a pray rushing td. Colors fought back with yaron throwing tds to storm and bert and a late game bullet to the back of the endzone to sam who toe tapped to stay in bounds. but that was all that colors would put up. Dk was a monster for dark with three sacks and E was racking up catch after catch in the middle of the field to keep dark’s drives alive. Ultimately Stella would score and portal and ice would each get one more to end this game 6-3 dark. One play that absolutely needs to be mentioned is portal taking a tipped ball 99 yards to the house….except Dk BERTcalf stalks him down and grabs his flag at the one. Just a crazy hustle play all around but bert saved a td (dark scored on the next play but that’s not important). As we all saw on the glasses recap and stats machine, Portal had quite the day. Jewball to portal for the pick and 2 tds.

Onto the other and seemingly much more exciting early game. It was dark of avenger, bz, landy, mighty, prime, schiffer, and stats v. Colors of feit, justin, rook, zada, zinn, daveo, and berk. This game was a pick fest with avenger throwing 2 to berk and rook and feit throwing 3- two to stats and one to landy. In true TBI fashion I dont know how the game flow went at all but it seemed like a tight game throughout the contest. Avenger was spreading the rock around throwing tds to landy, mighty, schiffer, and bz (we will get to that in a second) and feit throwing a td to daveo and zinn and feit each running one in. The one play I did see was certainly the most impactful. With a tie game and dark on their last chance to try and win it…. avenger dropped back from the 5 yard line, bought himself some time with his patented hip twists, and threw a cross body floater to bz who corralled it with one hand and secured it for the go ahead score. Jewball to bz for the game winner and 5!! sacks on the day.

In the late game it was colors of yaron, bin, bk, dk, stats, rook, and zinn vs. dark of pray, dietsch, kut, logan, oppen, prime, and storm. This was an absolute blood bath. Don’t know if dark ever got a stop on defense and I believe cool yaron scored all 7 times he touched the ball. hitting zinn, rook, and stats for 2 a piece and one to dk. As ugly of a blowout game 1a was, this one was somehow worse. a 7-2 shellacking and a jewball to yaron for the 7 tds thrown. Unfortunately for storm, logan and oppen they were on the losing side of both these blowouts. Fortunately for DK he was on the winning side and racked up 5 sacks on the day and was just an absolute menace chasing people down and making sure that no one escaped his sacks. add to that a bunch of catches and a td and DK you are the in both player of the week. The lone highlight for dark in this one was a forward lateral receiving td by oppen that just counted bc it needed to… it was that type of game.

Week 3 started with some late last minute sign ups and a late saturday night posting of the teams but ended up with some of our most competitive games yet on this young season.

In the first early game it was jewballs last qb phenom in dachs set to square off against the new phenom in lego. lego had his work cut out for him going up against ice, bz, dobs, landy, tom and oppen but he had his own weapons of prime goldberg, e, whiskey, justin and rook to match the fire power. although the final score of this game, 7-5, would make one think there was no defense….. there were 7, i repeat 7, interceptions thrown between the two qbs. game got started with dachs picking apart the defense and hitting a quick score to ice only to be immediately countered with a beautiful lego td to rook over the outstretched arms of dachs at safety. I don’t know what the score was when the ints started but seemed to be a tie game through most of it. however everytime we looked over from the other side of the field someone new was running the wrong way with the football. first prime ices iceman leading to a rook pick six and then ice takes one away from lego leading to a dobs td. whether it was the pressure from oppen or the swarming defense lego was throwing some picks. the only thing to do when you get to play both sides though is if you throw a few, you better get a few back on d and that’s exaclty what lego did, fast forward a few plays lego picks off two from dachs leading to tds for goldberg and a real pretty one to prime in the back of the end zone. dachs took a one score lead late in the game throwing another td to ice for his third of the day. Lego had a chance to tie on his last licks drive of the day. and as he drops back to pass he sees what we described as “dachs running the most perfect crossing route”. He loads up, fires… and dachs takes it back for six to seal the deal. second game in a row where dachs makes a huge play on defense seal the deal. the rookie finally takes his first L of the season in what seemed to be an incredible game all around. Jewball to the iceman and current td leader with the 3 td 2 int game. strong stuff from ice cream.

In game 1b it was yaron v pray. the most classic of jewball qb matchups that weve had over the last few years. This was a tight one back and forth as well with yaron opening the scoring with a td to schiffer and colors marching back down with a pray td to kagan on a quick slant past the blitzing mighty. Yaron answered back right away with a methodically long drive and a td to mighty. stella wilmer captain stogie answers right back with a td of his own on a screen pass barreling his way in to tie it at 2. yaron marches right back down and hits none other than the rat who does it again -weaving through the defense for another td giving dark a 3-2 lead. colors gets the ball back and pray calls his own number, dancing through traffic and picking up incredible blocks from stats spiegel and ernie on his way for a 70 yard rushing td to tie the game at three. yaron again having himself a day throws a td to schiffer to make it 4-3 dark. thats when the game started to slip away for colors. Pray on a third and long heaves one deep to stella but underthrows it and mighty makes the jump on it to pick it off. Immediately after, yaron throws an absolute bomb to new rookie akiva to make it 5-3. it was back against the wall time for colors after going for it on fourth and forever and not converting. yaron got the ball back with a chance to ice the game with a first and goal from the 15. but between spiegal and bert on the line, colors gets a huge sack, pushes yaron out of the redzone and manages to get the ball back. first play of the next color possession ernie makes a circus type catch and runs it in from 40 yards out to make it a 5-4 game. Dark gets the ball back. a score would end it as it’s 935 and the game is over by 940. yaron is one of those guys who never sees color. he treats everyone with the respect and dignity that they deserve. on this drive he refused to see color as well and throws a perfect shovel pass to…. stats at the five yard line. the biggest play in the biggest moment made by stats to set colors up for a game tying opportunity with first and goal from the 5. after a couple of incompletions. colors punches it in on a quick slant from pray to ernie that the muppet secures to tie the game at 5. Ties are not wins and they are not losses. Ties are ties. they are an ugly but necessary evil at times. however there are times that ties feel like a loss and times that ties feel like a win. for colors this one felt like a win. down 5-3 with 2 drives left and came all the way back to not take a loss. no jewball for this one but huge shoutout to bert and speigel for the clutch line play down the stretch and ernie and stats for the game saving td and int respectfully. schiffer was prob gearing up for his first jewball had dark pulled it off but only an honorable mention for now.

one final note from the game 1 is that both games started after 810. Guys….game starting at 8 means exactly that…game starting at 8. yes is there an unwritten grace period for a couple of minutes. sure. but that doesnt mean show up at 8 or 815. it means be there at 755, cleats on and ready to warm up so we can actually start at 8. were coming up on week 4 – lets fix this, especially with leagues coming up next week.

onto game 2 where avenger was making his first start of the season at qb. he lined up with his bro- davinger, iceman, justin, logan, prime and stella against yaron pray lego (at wr) kagan tom danny/stats and oppen. Danny made his long awaited return to the field. unfortunately it was short lived and on the third drive of the game he tore his patella tendon. rest up and feel good danny. wishing you a full recovery! but This game picked up where the other left off with an int by yaron to start the game, followed by avenger saying I dont want any free drives and proceeding to throw the ball about 75 yards directly up in the air for an int to pray. it was basically the opposite of a rabin screen pass. unfortunately yaron and co did nothing with that drive and it was avenger scoring first with a td to iceman. yaron finally started moving, hitting a td to stats and a few missed flags later he was in the endzone. yaron scored again on a td to pray leaking from tight end to make it 2-1. aveneger answered immediately with a quick slant to prime and a quick spin and stiff arm later he was down the sideline to tie it up at 2. the game stayed at 2-2 for a while but that doesnt mean there wasnt any action. it really started before the game when lego ripped his shorts and asked logan for a new pair. then logan flag grabbed lego before the pass was thrown. finally logan just wanted to be 100000% sure that lego wasnt wearing his shorts and went for a full investigation. with lego hobbled and on one ball he moved to tight end. and yaron started feeding him. finally the scoring drought broke with a yaron pass to stats who lateraled to pray and blocked stella in one motion for a td. as the hour was getting late avenger had a chance to tie and threw a deep ball to prime who also decided to flag grab lego as lego intercepted the pass effectively ending any chance for dark to come back. Yaron threw a late td to tom to seal the game in a 4-2 final. Jewball to stats for this one. although he only had the one td. the flip play he had was the go ahead score and was just an increidble play. beyond that, he somehow tracked down every flag on defense, got trucked by ice on a block, and literally left his blood all over the field and ball. Awesome game stats!

Last but not least, we finally have an in both player of the week. as everyone knows playing both is tough, its physically and mentally draining, yet there’s nothing like it. Its an adrenaline rush that just makes you want to keep going. However, i get to say that from a position of playing qb or sometimes wr. I cannot imagine what playing both as a lineman might feel like. and i dont mean a rotating linemen. i mean a guy who literally does not leave the offensive or defensive line AT ALL and somehow still manages to bring it every. single. play. Oppen you are the inaugural first ever in both player of the week. While i didn’t see much of game 1 i did see dachs standing in the pokcet with no one near him every play. i also saw lego dancing around trying to avoid you. in game 2 it was more of the same. you were asked to play tight end and your answer was just a simple “no im an offensive lineman” in an almost military like tone. only one sack on the day for you but two W’s in a dominant performance. take this week off. you deserve it.

We got leagues this week. GM. v SP and Gorilaz v. Stogies. followed by a late game. Who wants week 4!

As League playoffs start in a few hours, I would be even more remiss than usual if I didn’t get out – even in this flimsy manner – a recap for the final week of League Games. Meanwhile, I’m watching Heretic, which is brilliant. With first place on the line, Gorillaz and Reapers squared up to prove who goes into the playoffs with the most swagger. Steve-O, with as low key a façade as they come, managed to show his interior depth once again, by way of his drafting. The team seemed scattershot and incongruent. Would Solo be engaged? Could Feit shake off the Top Guns PTSD? Could Mighty have an MVP season? I mean…..it’s as if the Wizard knew the future. Just not sure how far into his crystal ball he has seen. I guess we find out in the morning. Although there has been no fully dominant team like 2023’s Birds of Pray or 2022’s Roll Tide, The Reapers have been the class of Leagues this season. Gorillaz and Carnivores started strong. The Ducks had their moment in the sun. But in the end….
This game was a low scoring, by the numbers affair. Although I was on the other field (to be recapped), I have to presume there was great defense. Of course Mighty had 2 scores – and that’s all the Reaper offense needed. I was lucky enough to look up and see a behind the back lateral from Goldberg to Mighty. Based on the box score, Pray did all he could. The reigning MVP threw 1, picked 2 (one of em for 6), but the extra point does him in and Reapers take the top spot by a single point. Feit takes a team to 1st place. Solo is engaged AF. Mighty gets another Jewball. Reapers making this very interesting.
With nothing to play for, of course Yaron puts it all together and wins. The Ducks had eliminated BLOP with their prior W and was all about healing and filling in holes (pause) on Week 19. But some things – some injuries – a week or two off won’t cure. And that was the position Ernie and his Ducks found (and find) themselves in as both BK and Tommy – two stalwart players – the muscle of the Ducks – sustained season ending injuries. They got Stats and Kagan to replace Tommy and BK, but was a wet day, very slippery. And while Dachs merely had the flu, his team suffered from dropsy. BLOP was just bullying. They punched in all the TDs that eluded them all season. Yaron throws 6 and Ice Man throws 1. Jewball to OPY Ice for 3 TDs, 1 thrown, and 3 picks.
The late game a blow out with Zinn asserting his dominance as a QB and multi-tiered threat. Ran for 2, threw 2 and a pick 6. Kut continued to be an offensive juggernaut with 2 scores. Pray finishes off a low caliber day for him – throwing only 1 TD to Prime. That’s 2 TDs thrown by Pray on an IN BOTH day. Rough one for the MVP. Let’s see how he does tomorrow when everything is on the line.

As I watched the theatrics then fallout from NBA All Star Weekend (as you read this, you’ll be able to spot the various time periods I worked on it), it had me reflecting on Vets Rooks and the treatment we give it here at Jewball. Although some (Mighty) have argued that we should make it an All-Star game, I’ve resisted this notion. And now I’ve resisted to the last, as next year it will be someone else’s decision. (As an aside – Jewball, I will never ever ever leave you hanging. The IPWT era will begin, but until God recruits me to the Jewball games in the Olam Ha’Emet, I will contribute whatever I can – as much or as little is needed to keep our glorious institution afloat and on the rise.) What stood out consuming the All Star game festivities was how intent they were in injecting it with pomp and circumstance. The playbook read: SELL that this game means something because we are telling you it means something. We will dress it up and commentate and reminisce and this will create the illusion of import. And hopefully….HOPEFULLY the illusion will become the reality. Well, the fallout from social media and analysts said this plan crashed and burned. Mostly because the players themselves, both current and former, plainly stated as much. The older players criticized the dumbing down of it all. The younger players said the game is meaningless to them. Well, that game is played like it is meaningless.
Say what you want about VR…at the very least, it brings people out. The fun is in the rosters. The pre-game trash talk. The players that circle the game on the calendar. It’s that…”If I play one game this season, I’m coming out for VR.” It’s the game Singer flew in from Florida for (and then back). It’s the game Zez just flew in from Israel for (and saved a life along the way). There is something compelling about it. Whether you call it nostalgia or hype. In a way, just showing up matters as much as playing well. One thing that will inherently separate VR from an exhibition match is….it’s always been a regular season game. It counts. And Jewballers never phone it in when they can rack up a W (and maybe some stats along the way). They come out and compete. Maybe the concept of VR doesn’t mean what it once did, but there is no one on the field taking plays off. And that’s what makes the difference.
Luckily, I already talked about the disgraceful way Juniors Seniors ended (each side thinking…yeah…because of you, other side!) so we can just talk about the game.
I guess we have to go back to the pre-game trade. It’s relevant. Because Rabin had to clear out a deep impact, the Seniors picked up a QB who made a big impact. Gronk not only gave the Seniors a big advantage on both sides of the ball, it took a very versatile player away from the Juniors. That said, the Juniors had a loaded roster, and all the talent needed to go to the finals in back to back years. But then the snow came. Not enough to cancel the game (sorry Goldberg), but just enough to trap Solo (and Spira) and all of a sudden, the Juniors were mortal. There was also enough snow to have us all move our cars out of the LHS parking lot right before game tim, so it was a very Jewball-esque ceremony of rolling with obstacles and just finding a way to get the game in.
With Gronk on the other side and Solo snowed-in (and Storm on the IR), it was left to Yaron, Prime, Zada, Stella, Goldberg, Logan, Beast and their new toys, Legs, Dobs and Pray to do the heavy lifting. Yaron took ball first and it was a quick 3 and out. Gronk came in for the Seniors and sized up the defense. He immediately judged it as not formidable. Gronk with time is a nearly unstoppable force and the Juniors defense could not figure out an effective alignment early in the game. Gronk just picked it apart with Mighty, Jordan, Tom, Daveo, and Steve-O at his disposal. The Seniors were scoring early and often, while Yaron just managed one TD to Dobs in the first half. Yaron was kinda throwing the game away. Like Prime said, “Pick to Steve-O is something you can print in advance if it’s a VR game.” With the game tied, a Steve-O pick leads to a Senior TD. Then a Gronk pick leads to a Senior TD. Mighty is going off moving the ball and scores on a graceful leap to snag a pass right up the gut and into Valhalla. Jordan grabs two of his own and Daveo adds one. As the clock ticks down on the first half, the Seniors are in control with a 4-1 lead. But then Mighty has to drop his daughter off at a Chumash Play. He’s going to be gone for 35 minutes, allegedly to return. Can the Seniors hold on until the resurrection? No. No, they cannot. The Juniors start the second half with Pray at QB and a much more fierce pass-rush of Dobs and Legs. Yaron is left on the sidelines contemplating the degree of curse worthy to damn for all eternity the day he was born. The loss of Mighty is glaring and brutal and the Seniors start losing their swagger. TD to Prime. 4-2. Seniors think, bad, but we still have room to breathe. But then on a 4th and long, with man coverage and Pray under pressure, Daveo leaves his man to…allegedly watch the run. Dobs wide open in the endzone. TD Dobs. Juniors are breathing down the neck of the Seniors who are in full panic mode, staring at the parking lot, hoping for any signs of rat droppings. Instead of playing defense, the Seniors start saying Tehillim. This doesn’t work. Pray to Stella for a TD. All is lost! ALL IS LOST….it’s 4-3….nothing is working! NOTHING IS WORKING. MK drops a sure TD, gorgeous pass down the sideline from Gronk. Gronk starts to look totally bored and that’s never a good thing when he’s your QB. He’s gonna start throwing picks on purpose….and….and….HERE HE COMES TO SAVE THE DAAAAAAAAY! A car races into the parking lot and pulls up alongside the field. The door opens, and out jumps….no one…..oh wait, a mouse scurries out of the car and scampers onto the field. It’s MIGHTY! The Seniors are saved. Pray throws a pick to Gronk. The clock expires. The Seniors drive one final time just for fun (and of course to make the Juniors think that they get ball last even though they are down and the clock has expired and they don’t get ball last, but…why should reality and common sense ever get in the way of good old fashioned tantrum – sorry…recap is for posterity….had to be noted for future generations).
SENIORS ADVANCE!!! (Jewball to Gronk)
Oh yeah, there was also another game. First off, need to thank Logic for being one hell of a Rook. Just a consummate pro and Jewballer from day one. Much like his fellow Rook Captain, Zinn….a true role model in every way for our young players. On the field effort and skill. Off the field commitment and accountability. Thank you for joining us and making such a positive impression on the JCU.
It’s very cool that Avenger QBed for the Freshies. We are yet to see or know or realize what Avenger will be in Jewball, but I think he’s off to a really promising start. He plays the right way. The talent is undeniable. And he’s a character. So….it’s really just up to him whether he buys in. Hope he does. Game changing talent. Unfortunately for the Freshies, some of the top tier players were lost to injuries this season like Sherrif, Tommy, and BK. So…you’ll never know how this might have gone, but – at the same time – games are played under the circumstances which they are played. Meaning, depth of roster matters, as well as….who is zocheh to be in the game when it’s played. Also known as destiny.
The Smores we know. Honestly, hard to process and behold the Smores without Pray at the helm….But so is life. It rumbles on. We are powerless to stop time. This is one of the factors that makes VR as exciting as it is disturbing. The Smores this year were basically Roll Tide. You know that crew….Zinn, Dachs, Oppen, Stats, Ernie Rook, Waldo….The team that went all the way. And at the VR semis….they were up 4-0 quick. Dachs was a tad on fire. He threw 5 TDs! (2 to Irv, 1 apiece to Ernie, Zinn, and DK) and he rushed for one. Oppen and DK (YIKES!) sacked Avenger 5 times combined. Zinn even got in on the action with an Avenger takedown of his own. I’ll give Jewball to Captain Invader for being that Roy. Sacks better than picks. Seemed like this game would be a dud, but the Freshies stormed back. The final was 6-4 (Blitz two scores, and 2 for the new guy Avenger brought), so need to give them credit for showing grit. Pretty inspiring crew. Beyond the leadership of Logic and tenacity of Avenger, Portal was a revelation that Sunday. Landing from Israel at 5am…straight to the game, then helping out at the BBQ. I’m telling you, Jewball, the future is nothing but bright and brilliant. Jewball will be there for our kids. We carry it for us, but also for them. We will pass it down and pay it forward.

Coming off their impressive tie (sarcasm), the Blunts NEEDED a win and Ducks loss to remain alive for the playoffs. Ducks were playing on the other side of the split field. Looming above all this was the Pray v. Prime reunion/grudge match where each wanted to prove what he could do without and against the other. And it looked like stalemate for most of the game. Yaron leaned very heavily on Prime (perhaps too heavily), giving the Blunts’ Captain carry after carry. And Prime ran with the opportunity, picking up a lot of yards and bludgeoning the Gorillaz defense that was without their lead killer, Legs. BLOP scored first but the difference in this game was the extra points (oh, the irony!). Yaron buried one in Ice Man’s chest, but the ball bounced out. Points left on the field. Pray answered back every time, mostly with his legs. But once again, BLOP got in the endzone and took the lead. This time it was Jordan unable to haul in an extra point. The Gorillaz tied it up and finally got that critical extra point to take a lead. It was Zada hiding in plain sight and uncovered to nab the loft from Pray. Another mistake on Blunts’ resume. But Blunts were in never say die mode and took the lead one last time. The rest of the game for the BLOP….not pretty. Instead of stepping on the the throat of the Gorillaz and putting up a point that would put the game out of reach from the Gorillaz and seal a win, with 20 minutes left and 3 possessions over that period…..Blunts failed to score. On their last possession, Pray went straight run down the left sideline and Jordan could not keep up or catch him. Yaron took the ball last with a chance to tie, but the game ends on a jump ball between Jordan and Irv that Jordan couldn’t handle. No picks by Yaron. He throws 3 (2 Storm, 1 Ice). Pray threw a pick and ran 3 in. He was the man. Jewball to him.
*UNUNDEFEATED
An Ode to the Blunts of Prime
*A bird, flightless, plucked from its nest
Burning, High/stressed, embracing the test
Some questions unanswered and warnings unheeded
Draft Night, tension, the brownies unlabeled
Slight trash apprehension, a crowning is fabled
With Ice-Man and Stormy, a chip is conceded

Begin with the munchies, ready to feast
Defending like swiss cheese, from greatest to least
Bad starts can happen, a wound can be treated
Two down, still winless, doubt – it did creep
The story grows spinless, you sow what you reap
Mistakes and regrets, a mantra repeated

Deep Kuts, the sequel, a blow to the chin
Popmpous yet feeble, and bowing to Zinn
No ifs, ands, or butts, our buts firmly seated
Caught it, Prime did, now tied in a knot
Afforded more time, with one final shot
A rivalry next that could not be more heated

A wing and a prayer – is how the dream died
A team without hope is a team that is fried
Yaron should have lied more, LeBron should have cheated
The end, it approaches, a feeling that sucks
Puffing on roaches, hunting for ducks
A lone prime objective, to go un undefeated.

As far as playoff clinching, the Blunts loss to the Gorillaz did not end up mattering since the Ducks beat the Reapers. The 2023 BOP remain the lone undefeated team in League history. The Ducks won but lost BK for the season with the distal bicep tendon tear. Heal up, BK! Gronk gets the Jewball for the guest appearance at QB for the Ducks. They won this one handedly. Saw Tommy make some beautiful TD catches. Without Mighty and Ross, the Reapers could not put up points. Steveo starting them off with a score right away, but it was a barren wasteland after that. 1 TD and 5 picks for Feit. Steve-O the only TD….first score and only score. Some say the win was because of E who came in for BK and the Ducks took off. From line judge to savior. Ducks go on season defining, playoff spot seizing run…Gronk throws 4 TDs….2 Tommy, 1 Ernie, 1 Special K….almost everyone has a pick, but DK had one for 6.
The late game was a barn burner. 7-7 final, so….no Jewball (staying true to the alleged rule, but I did see recaps where I did give one for a tie due to special circumstances, but it’s been a long while) – however honorable mention due to the insane numbers for Avenger. Pray was sacked 4 times by Kut. Yaron threw 6 but was picked 3 times. Avenger threw 2, caught 2, rushed for 1, sacked Yaron and picked him twice (one of em for 6). I won’t remember many Jewball games as the years go on, but I think this one will stick.