Early Game – 8am:

Team Dark:

Yaron, Kut, Jordan, Rabin, Goldberg, Vegh, Munch

vs.

Team Color:

Prager, Zada, Tom, Sam, Josh, Singer, Beast

Late Game – 945am:

Team Dark:

Rabin, Yaron, Vegh, Ari, Prime, Mo, Tom

vs.

Team Color:

Pants, Jordan, Brody, Eddie, Daveo, Dobs, Zada/Beast

Week 3 had everything you want and need early on in a season that started on rocky footing. Talented players, competative games, full teams on time, and decent weather. In a word: stability. Week 1 was postponed and wound up in some tournament style chaos. Week 2 was equally chaotic in a failed bid at simultaneous games. But Week 3 was about right. 2 games, one early one late, stacked with talent. QBs who can handle the role and are adept signal callers. Yes, some cancels, but people stepped up (GOLDBERG! You can have come a long way, homes!) and….I think….b’a’h…..no injuries. Stability. Its important in Week 3 to find that footing. And it was definitely needed and now we can build off the model.

Game 1 looks like we can lock in Sholom v. Yaron as battle that will go back and forth the entire season. Flip a coin as to how the Ws and Ls will shake out at the end of the year. What I love so far about that matchup is that their skills will force the other to bring it on every set. Yaron cannot take it easy and assume the comeback if he gets down. He needs to throw his best because Sholom has a real skill set. Last week, Yaron was not “on” and he took the loss. This week, he was sharp and the win was his for the taking. On a cold(ish) and windy(ish) morning, Yaron took the ball and commanded a dark squad of Zada, Effie, DK, Steveo, Tom, and Beast. Sholom and colors started in a zone that was beyond their grasp. Sam and Goldberg were rushing. Jordan and Skully played the sides. Sholom and Evan played back. MK manned the middle. But it was chaotic. And Yaron is too smart for a zone defense to work. Especially a poorly strategized one. Darks opening drive march to the 7 yard line was effortless. Patient mid range passes mixed in with QB runs. Eventually, Steveo sneaks behind the zone and Yaron hits him the endzone for a 1-0 lead. Truth be told, Sholom did not have the zip or accuracy he displayed in Week 2. The wind seemed to affect him. Certainly less than it affected Yaron. Also, the QB runs and elusiveness that allowed him to break open big plays in Week 2 were snuffed out by a collective swarming effort by Zada, Yaron and DK. Tom and Effie and Beast brought a lot of pressure. Sacks abounded. Yaron got the ball back and drove quite easily against the zone one again. Zada was the beneficiary this time and scored. 2-0 Dark. Colors switched to a zone and it did slow down Yaron’s barrage of scoring. With a Skully pick being the only early highlight for Colors, it did not translate to points. At the half it was still 2-0. But straight out of halftime Sholom and Jordan finally hooked up and exploited Steveo’s cheating close off the line on man coverage. Deep post, caught and down at the 5. Fake sweep and shovel to the TE Skully in the opposite direction. Easy score for Colors and we have ourselves a ball game. 2-1. But damn if Yaron doesnt take that personally. And Steveo and Jordan have been going mano a mano for a loooong time. Always an honor. And Yaron started finding him deep. Although one drop by Steveo in a cluster and a sure TD drop by Beast kept the score close, Yaron eventually zipped a beauty into Zada in the back of the endzone. After a bobble a secure and a toe tap, Zada’s grab was ruled a score. 3-1 Dark with a half hour to play. Soon enough, Sholom punched back again. Its Jordan and that post this time caught and manages to avoid the Steveo tackle, stays in bounds on the sideline and 40 yard run to pay dirt. 3-2. Yaron is all about pride and says to Steveo….whatever they can do we can do better. And he unleashes a massive bomb to Steveo down the left sideline. Jordan is with him. Even thinks the pick is possible. But instead of thinking like a reciever, he thinks like a defender – jumps, gets a finger tip on the ball – slowing it down just enough to make the catch easy for Steveo 

. TD for Dark. 4-2 with 20 minutes to go. Turning point of the game coming up. Sholom tries to go back to Jordan on that post and the ball is under thrown just enough that a Zada leap brings it down one handed and back breaker for Colors. To drive the point home, Yaron gets a 20 yard pass to fall into the awaiting arms of Effie (who is developing into quite the player) and just like that – without much time left on the clock – Dark is up 5-2. Sholom runs one in for Colors late, but not a difference maker at that point. MVP is Yaron for the 5 thrown and generally giving his team every opportunity to win – which is what everyone wants from their QB.

Game 2….I did not stay for, but thrilled Yaron lost. Thrilled Gronk is looking like an all star caliber QB. Thrilled my neighbor Mo is Jewball winner and put up great numbers. 

Who wants WEEK 4? Early, Late or Both (if both must say preference or I give you what works better for us. Also, preference does not guarantee preferred time. Both means I can put you in either game but will try to accomodate preference).

Game 1 – 8AM

Team Dark:

Yaron, Steveo, Tom, Katz+1, Beast, Effie, Zada

vs.

Team Color:

Prager, Sam, Katz, Evan, Jordan, Skully, Kut

Game 2 – 945AM

Team Dark:

Gronk, Effie, Katz, Katz+1, Mo, Beast, Vegh

vs.

Team Color:

Yaron, Prime, Zada, Brody, Goldberg, Dobby, Ari

Evan called it greedy. I said I was trying to be generous. For sure it was both. Greedy in that I was trying to keep as many people in the loop as possible so that when we start losing numbers in the cold and wet, there are enough ballers left to take us through the winter months coming up. I have learned to be greedy, because when you can’t get 10 guys for a game of 5s for a few years….u never forget. The lean years always stay with you. And so you learn to get greedy to survive. But I was also being generous. I see the hunger out there for games and no one knows that hunger more than me. I get it. And how could I turn away someone who just wants to play a game? So we pushed things to their limits. Which brings us to the right word – Week 2’s experiment was presumptuous. It did not work – and we learn from it. We presumed a lot. Too much. Having 26 guys on the field from 8-11:15 presumes a lot (everyone shows, no injuries, no lateness). And we arent there yet. And a part of me – and I think a lot of the vets agree – doesnt want to get there. As much as we love growth and stats and success….we dont want to lose our heart – the flavor of the game. We dont want to sell out. Go corporate. Become a monster. Like I said, it’s a tough balance. But, luckily – in that regard – last week did not work, so the reality on the ground dictated our path. We will go back to a regular doubleheader to try and accommodate as many guys as possible. At the same time, I am going to have to make tough decisions in who gets in to the games (if that many are interested). For example, I cant give u a spot if you come late, or dont show, or leave early, or generally are not reliable. I have to show deference to the Vets who have seen us through the years where we weren’t the popular choice. I have to show deference to talent because I want the games to be as competitive as possible. In other words, for the good of the games, I need to start being the bad guy. Stop being greedy. Stop being generous. And stop being presumptuous. Dont get me wrong – there were awesome things about last week – Game 2 was a classic – the fact there was a moment where 26 guys were playing Jewball – but the double doubleheader thing did not work. So we will go back to 8am and 945. Everyone gets at least one game. That’s enough. QBs can play both if we need them to. And the rest of the both spots (if any) will be on a rotation so that they are evenly distributed throughout the season. Recap and Sign Up to follow at around 5pm.

<Later that day….>

It’s cold, dark, and I already wrote today. I am really in no mood to recap. However, the show must go on. My bigger reservation is now that we are a stat based league, the recaps dont matter. But let’s keep it short and sweet. The Warm Up starter late as Prime had car trouble. He made it, but not right away. So was 5s for a while. Then 6s. I was told the teams I made were $#!& because @⁨Joshua Friedman⁩ is “the best player ever ever” so it was all him or something. I know he is very good. I heard he scored 4 TDs….so let’s give him a Jewball right there. I also apparently gave one team all the height. So just unfair. Anyway, the warm up game happened…and thanks for trying eveyone. 

. That’s the bugle they play at military funerals.
Okay on to the main stage. First things first. @⁨Sholom Prager⁩ looked very good. Love that we have a new legit QB. Welcome and hope to see a ton of you. You v. Yaron was a battle. Too bad Yaron was off….well, his whole team was off. Something was just wrong. One of those days where if the player was open the pass was either not in the right spot or if the pass was on it was dropped. Just ugly. Evan, Kut, Jordan…all with drops. Munch did his thing. Blocked and schemed and the defensive effort was generally competitive, but nothing to show for it. Was the kind of game where @⁨Eli⁩ and Jordan had a momentum swinging picks, but the momentum lead nowhere. On the other side of the ball, Sholom is colors was throwing some beauties. His team was doing him no favors either with a few drops of scoring chances. But, unlike Yaron and Dark, Colors used their momentum to put up a point. It was Singer with 2 picks and a TD. It was 1-0 for about an hour and 15 minutes. Crazy low score for that long. With a minute left @⁨Sholom Prager⁩ iced the game for his squad with a QB keeper and made it down the sideline and gone. 2-0 win…Colors over Dark.
Sholom may deserve an MVP but Singer gets it. Why? The stat line plus the play at Safety. One reason Yaron may have been off is that Singer made him feel squeezed. There seemed to be no window in which to place the ball. Well done, @⁨Meyer Singer Football⁩. Great to have u back. Expect big things.
I’ll recap Game 2 later. Was a shoot out! Dinner time in the Hiller home. Who wants WEEK 3? Early? Late? Both? (If both say a preference).

Game 2 happened on the main stage. It was the only game featured at 945. The After Party never materialized for various reasons. The good news was, the 945 needed spare parts from the After Party including a starting QB. Yaron stepped in and within a few minutes hooked up with Ari on a BOMB TD that may have just made up for all their failures in Week 1. May have. Malik came about 10 minute into the game and was off and running from there. Meanwhile Al and Jimmie split at line (with a rotation of Danny, Kito, Tomaz, and Josh to take over for John) so the 7s became a robust 8s. One very annoying thing about playing simultaneous games is that the lines are all messed up….so happy that is over. We widened and adjusted the field so this game could get the normalcy it soon deserved. Gronk looked super sharp and poised, making good decisions, when to run and when to throw. His passes were crisp and Brody was giving him a reliable target. Daveo was just a terror on both sides of the ball, but mainly getting his on defense. Malik was feeling it with Vegh on some nice crosses and comebacks but otherwise was having trouble in the passing game. Lucky for him, his running game is out of its mind. Basically, if u haven’t seen it, the closest I can compare it to is Mighty circa 2009. Virtually impossible to catch. Between the jukes, speed, escapability, and sheer brilliance….once he takes off, it’s only a matter of time that his legs will find the endzone. Between Veghs receptions and Flash’s running, Gronk and co were down 3 scores at the half. But what looked like a blow out soon turned into a duel. Daveo went next gear and became the hardest working man on the field. Once he made a catch, no one could lay on hand on him. He put up two scores in short order. Malik answered with a bomb TD of his own to Vegh and the lead was comfortable again. Gronk stayed calm and once again found a way to claw back. He actually was let down a few times by the usually reliable Danny. Maybe could have pulled this one out if a few things swung his way. We had a tie game with only a few minutes left. But Malik decided it was time to go home. Like in the first game, we end on a QB keeper. If Gronk and co won, would have been a more difficult call at MVP. Gronk threw and called as good a game as I’ve seen. Daveo was a force. Brody is a very welcome addition to our game. Those 3 came to work. But, Malik gets the MVP. The 3 scores and the the throwing TD did it. Also commendable work on keeping the rotation moving so the guys who got screwed by the After Party fail could get some ball in. TOP PLAYS: Dobby’s shirt. And Gronk telling him to go back to Staten Island for really no good reason. But it was all funny. WEEK 3 is currently locked out.* 

*Just need a QB for Game 2.

Currently enrolled:

Game 1 – 8am (16, locked)

Kut, Tabak, Brody, Asa, Goldberg, Vegh, Munch, Singer, Sam, Mighty, Gronk, Eli, Rabin, Yaron, (Oren vs. MK)

Game 2 – 945am (13, 1 spot left)

Beast, Yaron, Jordan, MK, Eddie, Ari, Pants, Tom, Primetime, Zada, B-sh, Mo, Danny

Courtesy of Kuti

The game that almost was

The golden season was set to begin. Months of anticipation, weeks of preseason and countless gifs and memes lead to this moment. “Week 1! Who wants some?” Were the words we were all waiting to hear from Commissioner Jordan. Like birds to seeds, the “Ins” started streaming in, but wait, false start! Sign up will begin Wednesday morning, not Tuesday night, as originally planned. (Much to the delight of those on the West Coast) Rise and Shine pretty boys! The official count has begun, 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 14….Games full, in only a matter of minutes. Perhaps a double game? was the request. 15, 17, 20….Could it be possible?! Is this Jewball? Maybe it really is the Golden Season. The commissioner throws out a Hail Mary…Should we go Tourney? Maybe, if we can get 4 more and have at least 4 decent QB’s. Apparently, Eddie’s got another son who knows how to throw. Count is locked at 24. 6v6 tournament is official, teams to come Friday.

With bated breath we waited like sheep at the petting zoo. Teams are announced, each one stacked more than the next. Getting 24 guys out on the field is a miracle in and of itself, but the quality and talent that signed up was even more impressive! On paper, it looked like Cleveland going up against New England  (Before the season started …what a disaster) The hype was real, the teams were real, Quality Jewball was back in session.

Rumor has it that Beast was in the gym 24 hours straight, fri night-sat night. (Rumor also has it that he bathes in his pink juice every sat night bef game day.)

But wait….Game 1 was too good to be true, we had the numbers, we had the talent, we had the field, only thing we couldn’t control was the weather. Forecast was calling for early light showers and heavy storms at game time. But the call wouldn’t be made until Sunday morning. It was a fitful night for those 24 Jewballers, much like Davy Crocket the night before the Alamo.

The Sunday sun rose and with it rain clouds, not heavy, but looming darkness. 7:30am…Maybe….7:45..not looking good….8am…Game is canceled. We’re not sure if it was the heavens opening up or Yaron’s tears hitting the ground but with a mighty fury the rains came rushing down.

It appears that the tournament is not gonna happen, but…. The rain isn’t too bad, if we can get 14 guys to come, we can still have a game. For a few moments, the sun came out and there was a chance, but that was short lived, like the Dothrake charging through Castile Rock, within moments it was clear that a game just wasn’t going to happen. It was a nice effort and promising potential for what the season has to offer. Looking forward to next week.

.

.

.

Unless…..

Anyone up for a night game? Never in the 73-year history of Jewball, was a game ever played at night. But hey, this is the golden season, anything is possible.

We have a field, we have lights, do we have the numbers? 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8…9, 10, 11, 12!! Wait…. 2 are out…. We have 10, for an 8:30 PM!! Game. Can we get 4 more? 75 guys on the chat…just.need.4. it’s like the Giants comeback against the Lions, could it be possible?

Not looking promising, but don’t give up hope yet. Guys are heading to the field, maybe we can recruit a few there. Just need a few more.

8:45PM, much like week 1, the lights have been turned off.

But hey, we can put this in the “Almost Game” stat column. (Right Beast?)

24 in for a WEEK 1 TOURNAMENT

9-1130 at Lawrence HS

GET THERE BY 845. Don’t let your team wait for you to start.

Jordan

Yaron

B-sh

Mighty

Ari

Adamar

Shai

Eddie

Goldberg

Dobkin

Flash

MK

Sam

Naftali

Vegh

Gronk

Tabak

Skolnick

Eddie’s other son (“David”)

Jon Borgia

Primetime

Kut

Tzvi

Jack Ross

credit intro to Jordan

Jewballers, unite! Arise and awaken! The 2019-2020 season is upon us. Personally speaking, my 19th consecutive WEEK 1, praise be to the weekend warrior gods. The beauty of this season – and, granted, we have been here before (though not often) is that I really dont need to hype it that much. I dont need to pull out the aggressive sales pitch or market this from a low leverage position. Quite the opposite. 2019-2020 Jewball may be our most anticipated yet. Probably not, cuz the golden age had its rabid excitement as well – but let’s go with it. Let’s go with this era being the comeback that surpasses all prior incarnations. Let’s go with this being the season that will define the future of our game and bring about the redemption and usher is into a transcendence never before imagined. The biggest difference being….in a word…Yaron. sure, we can say the website and all the new players, but I’ll just give Yaron the credit he is due. Our well deserved optimism is a product of his efforts and there is nothing more we can do to say thank you than 1.) Show up 2.) Show up ON TIME (cuz, we do not need to tolerate your diva behavior – there are 5 guys who want your spot) 3.) Play like you mean it (again, we want competitive games above all – if you cant cut it, someone else is ready to try) 4.) Bring positive energy to our game. You know what I mean. Whether to the chat, on the field, or on the street – be someone who raises the quality of the Jewball experience. Keep the chat tight. Also keep an eye on the website for Stats and updates and lists of who is in each week. I’m guessing that we will have a lot of people in which means double headers. Double headers means you get a guaranteed one game a week. If you say both, and don’t get both, that does not mean I messed up. Finally, I know we have new guys and I am the LAST person to be stubborn and hold on to the past over the future, but – provided that they still can play the game at a level that makes our games good – I will have to give spots to vets over rookies (if each sign up basically on time). Meaning, if 14 vets sign up today but 3 rookies signed up before 3 of the 14 vets, I’m not gonna lock out a guy who has played for 5 years…I cant do that. That’s why we will have the double headers. To make sure eveyone gets a game. 
Enough with the technical $#!&. Jewball is back! Life is good! Nothing like games that mean something. And now with stats and awards being back as well, the excitement level is amped. Away we go. The stories of 2019-2020 are about to be written. What will they say? What will they say about you? Pages are empty. Blank slates for all of us. It’s on you. It’s on me. Let’s do this. Who wants Week 1?

FOOTBALL. IS. COMING.

Welcome to the official Jewball website! The site will be an active work in progress, with capabilities of on-site comments, game and career stats, recaps, media, etc. The site is for YOU. Lets make this the best season yet!!!

Week 1 is scheduled for Oct. 27 at 9am (gametime subject to change if we schedule a double-header).

Please refer to the Whatsapp chat for the start of the headcount. The site will keep a real-time list of confirmed players, and once that’s set, teams will be posted as well.

Tentatively, headcounts will be started on the chat on Wednesday’s at 8am preceding the game (to avoid confusion or forgetting to get your spot).

I believe its fitting to end our first note and start this season with the final game recap from last season (can be accessed through the history tab)

Recap – Week 20 – END OF SEASON RECAP – 3/17/19

Jewballers,

We played Week 20 last week. Week 20. That’s 20 full weeks of official Jewball (some of them doubleheaders). That does not include Vets/Rooks, 3 Bowl Games, and Pre-Season. This does not need to be a PR job by me, pumping this season up. My instinct in the past has always been to make the season seem more epic than it was. Why? Because when it’s going well, we are all high on Jewball. And when it’s not going well….I think maybe my words can play defibrillator and shock the Jewball heart back to life. And, really, what was the status of the Jewball heart at the beginning of this 2018-19 campaign? Really, what were we? Where were we? If you asked me…I would have thought we were a thing of the past. A beautiful thing, a powerful thing, a critical thing….but something to look back on, to reminisce about, to speak of as if a myth or legend of a once upon a time. And – don’t get me wrong -there is value to that. That’s where my head was. I was over 40. Selfishly speaking, Jewball gave me everything I could have asked of it. Almost 20 years of memories – you can’t imagine the games in my head, the moments, the sweetest victories, the painful defeats – in all weather – on a dozen fields….but…oh, forgetting all that – the people! The Jewballers! I mean, these guys – how is it that you spend a few hours a week, a few months a year, with people you have no other connection to and they become this surrogate family that absolutely no one else on the planet can possibly understand? Our spouses, significant others, siblings, co-workers, parents, kids, etc…..they know we play “football” on Sunday mornings…or something…that we “have to play” even when the weather is bad. That we’re “crazy” or “nuts” or whatever else they call it when we go out in freezing temperatures, bundled up, seemingly against our will and better judgment. How we get so badly hurt and make sacrifices, take real risks….and come back! Maybe they even understand that it’s something more than football to us. But there is no possible way they get the depth of it. Just no way. We may not even fully grasp how deep it goes. What we do know, is that our fellow Jewballers get it. And when I say our fellow Jewballers, I mean those who you have played with and those who retired ten years before you played your first game. And I hope that is what our Jewball Honors BBQ will be about this summer. A gathering of 100+ people who get it. Who understand that we are doing more out there than running routes and cursing our QBs (and if you are a QB, cursing the line – and if you are a lineman, cursing everyone). We understand that there is MAGIC out there. If I HAD to describe the magic…it has something to do with an internal conflict being played out in a team setting combined with recapturing childhood along with a heavy dose of the brotherhood of soldiers. So I had much to appreciate being part of something like that for so long. But, I saw it ending and I made peace with that. What else could I do? It was a good run, but we couldn’t get more than 10 games together each season over the past 4 or 5 years. And while Jewballers are extremely loyal and dedicated and their appreciation for the game is unquestionable, they are never expected to play bad football. I am confident that no league can compete with us in terms of comradery, but Jewball suffered because the football had gotten low quality. We always had a star QB to keep the games interesting and competitive. We broke in with Jay Sky K and that took us through the Queens year…and when we got to the 5T we had a bunch of years with Yoni, Yirmi, Doggy, and a mix of one and dones. But once Yoni retired and the Sunday morning Leagues started….it was hard to reasonably argue that a player should keep coming out. The games were pretty bad (and inconstant). And I have said this many times….Jewball only works when the games are good. I don’t want to run some league based on nostalgia and blind loyalty. And we didn’t have the talent to put a good game on the field. So guys left – played in the league – and it decimated us. I actually retired. Daveo took over (and God bless him for still believing when I lost hope), but he found little success in rallying the troops. In a full surrender move, we actually joined the League last year and had a good time. It’s good football! It’s not Jewball! But…if there was no Jewball, it’s far better than nothing. Feeling bad, I gave it one more try last year after the League ended…for the guys who need Jewball (I’m looking at you, Rabin) and….might as well – it’s been such a long run…should it really end on my watch? But, it was a half-hearted try….because…we needed a miracle.

And a miracle happened.

The miracle was my good fortune of having guys like Jeremy “Wilmer” Tabak and Jake “Snake” Skolnick being neighbors…and they catching me after shul one day and telling me about two years ago that they are ready to join up. I probably said okay, feeling like….yikes, this is going to be embarrassing…cuz we don’t really have a game. But somehow, with their joining and bringing some new guys (YOUNG TALENT – this is what it is all about….YOUNG TALENT)…there was a feel at the end of last year….like…do we have something here? It was hard to miss the steady rhythmic beat flowing underneath those game. Is that a pulse?

To be honest, this past season – which if Jewball lives another two decades, it will trace back to what we just did – signaled itself early on. If you recall, our first pre-season game featured a QB I’d been dreaming of playing Jewball forever – Adam Ofman.  Shuey Ofman played as well. (Can these guys please become regulars so we can next level the hell out of this thing!) It was a special start, but did I think we would make through Week 20? Of course not! Thought it was just a cool treat. There was absolutely no reason to think that we would make it past fall! We hadn’t done it in years. So, let me first and foremost give credit to the next generation who kept us going. That would be the band who we call Gronk and the Cronies. Gronk, Wilmer, Goldberg, Vegh….listen, I know you are each individuals and –trust me – in my mind you are compartmentalized and each bring unique skill-sets and personalities to the table. You are football players, gamers, committed, loyal, smart, all that good stuff….but collectively…. on behalf of those playing now and who played before  – I say thank you. I don’t know what I did to deserve a second chance like this, but – make no mistake – I recognize that we are an old game and it’s not the most obvious choice for you guys. And you gave us a chance…and in doing so, I think you found a place among us and you have begun to create your own Jewball legacies. Young Talent gives us a better game, legitimacy in recruiting new players, and…most importantly….a future. Thank you.

All that said, and even though Gronk proved to be a very competitive and capable QB, we needed a star QB (and, btw, Gronk got better and better – he may be a star QB by now – and imagine what he will be in 5 years). But how could we ask for more miracles? Didn’t we use them up in just having a quarter of the season complete without a problem (other than Tammy hating Wilmer and trying to toss him from NW Park). Then my cuz, the big O (who is in the Daveo Hall of Fame of having the most passion for Jewball while hardly playing because they are ALWAYS WORKING!) says…there is this guy Yaron….

…And the rest is history. Forgetting everything else that Yaron will be doing for us very soon (announcement to follow this recap if it ever ends). Yaron, you are a Rookie so I’m not going to put you on the Jewball QB Mount Rushmore just yet, but right now we have Katzenstein and Paritzky chiseled in. I fully expect you to join them. They are there not just because of talent. We have had talent. There is talent and there is being plugged in as a starter game in and out for years and years and years. No pressure, but we need that from you. You have a gifted arm, you have a ginormous brain, you have the heart of lion, and I think you “got” Jewball quicker than anyone I have ever seen. That told me something. We have been waiting a long time for you. I can’t go through everyone, but…the guys you brought down….my God….obviously Beast is the standout in terms of character, with Zada and then Prime Time right behind him….I have so much love and appreciation for that crew. Again, just felt right and meant to be off the bat. The passion. The purity of play. The sense of humor mixed with that deadly serious gamer mentality. It’s what we are all about. And, in general – our Rookie class has been spectacular. Trust me, I wish I could speak about everyone…but I think most people stopped reading already.

Yaron, you are our MVP this season. That may surprise you (and others). You lost a few games at the end there. Certainly didn’t play as many as others. And Gronk is equally deserving for what he brought to the table this year (Gronk, no joke – you may be the villain of the league – but you elevate the quality of our games….and, as a PR man myself, one cannot underestimate the value of a really good villain – thank you for everything you brought to Jewball this past year). Yaron, it’s you because of the tangibles and the intangibles. Never before have I really had a partner in making these games happen. Never. Certainly not like this. I show up to the field…and you are out there setting up!? Never before. I need guys last minute and you got it covered?! Never before. And what we are about to reveal! Add to that a temperament that pulls it all together. So, there you are – Yaron – you are our 2018-19 MVP of Jebwall. The Most Valuable Player of our Most Magical Season.

So, why do I call it magical?

It’s not just because we got the full slate of games. It’s not because we got young. Not because we found a star QB. I mean, yes, it’s all of those things….but they alone would not be magic. Magic is something else – it’s something difficult to put your finger on. And you certainly can’t make it happen. It happens on its own. It’s a subjective feeling that those who were part of this past season recognize. It’s my precious precious Vets coming back as if out of nowhere and giving us what they got left (Love you, guys) – Doggy playing with his son, Klink, BD, Yakir, PJs, Mandel, Evan….I mean…each of these people coming back – it happened based on unique occurrences in their own lives….but all to happen in the same season…that’s magic! We just finished Purim, so don’t tell me I’m wrong when I see miracles in the natural order.

Magic is Eddie in his 50s and Ari in his 20s joining our game. That alone would break my heart (in a good way), but that storyline gets lost in so much more grand spectacle. It’s Effie’s TD last week. It’s Rabin resurrecting his career AGAIN!! It’s Steveo leading the Vets to defeat the Rookies. It’s the mud bowl that required the Town of Hempstead to rent special machinery to fix the field. It’s us showing up 3 weeks later to still play in NW Park after blaming someone else for the mess. It’s Zezzy retiring from Jewball and going out on top on his way to Israel. It’s the double headers. It’s somehow having LHS open for us. It’s a thousand little things that interconnect.

Magic is also the guys who never left – Kut, B-sh, Mighty, Tom, Rabin…a bunch more….keep it going, boys.

Beast, do you really expect me to Recap Week 20 at this point – Okay, Beast and MK QBed against Yaron and Beast kept his team in the game for a while with a few TD throws (a beauty to MK!) and a lot of stiff arming,  but eventually the pass rush was too much for him and Yaron kept scoring. Think Yaron won by 3.

I leave you with this, Jewballers: The offseason has many temptations and distractions – many of which can get in the way of you being your best Jewball-self come next September when a very promising season kicks off. Stay healthy. Heal up if you need it. Work out! Eat smart! Jewball is there for those who have the will to TAKE it. But it requires work! Whatever you were this season, plan on being better! More speed! Better hands! Become the weapon you were born to be. Because our faint pulse from a year ago is now a POUNDING DRUM of a heartbeat! There is magic to come! We are living in the time of Jewball miracles and I put nothing past us! LONG LIVE JEWBALL!