Week 8 will be remembered as the week where the luster lost by Feit and Pray was transferred to Rabin and Yaron. An undefeated QB and the reigning MVP tooks Ls from a QB with a losing record and one who squandered his starting role, respectively.  Now, of course there is more to it than that, but…this is a packed week short on time, and the recaps are many. I ask for your understanding over the Bowl Game season since….there are only so many words. And now with TBI in the mix, the themes of the day can get redundant.
I will begin with an apology. First to Feit and then to my team Sunday morning and then to Yaron’s team. I blew it. I made one sided teams. Yes, admittedly, I wanted to test Feit. I wanted to see if he could pull another W out of his ass against all odds, but I absolutely did not give him the personnel to do it. Even with Maor needing a replacement and Colors picking up a speed player in Benj, there was just not enough talent on Colors to cover or adjust to what Yaron and Dark were bringing on Sunday. This isn’t about Colors playing badly or making excuses, this is about a balance of the skillsets on the field. We have proven that when we Draft, we Draft well. The League games have been, are, and will be competitive until the end. The other weeks, I need to bring my A Game in making sure every team has a chance if they play their best. Colors did not play its best, but even if they did, they couldn’t win that game. That’s on me. And the shame is not just that Feit took an L and there goes the streak, but that Yaron and his team played an incredible game. They would have beaten a team much better than Colors. But we will never know. What we do know is they took advantage of Feit being a bit off and very much under pressure. They took advantage of a Singer injury. They took advantage of a vast disparity at line. And they took advantage of a team with 3 rooks learning the zone play. Trick plays, sure. Non trick plays, of course. Again, everyone on Dark looked really really good. I wish we could say it was surely them and not us, but I really don’t know. In the end, it was a thumping. No need to relive the details. 9-1 win. Irv gets the old gaudy stat line Jewball. 3 score, 3 picks.
As much as I deserve blame for Game 1, I got Game 2 right. With Rabin at QB, my aim is to give him what he needs to win, but without leaving the other QB’s cupboard bare. I think the teams were spot on and the game played was exciting once the scoring got going. It did take a while. Rabin and Solo did a very nice job pressuring Pray and a defense sporting guys like Dobs, MK, Zada, and Ross is handsy and formidable. That is not to say Pray didn’t have his shots. Beast did not have a beast of a game by any means and almosted his way into the early storyline of this game by getting spun around by a nice pass over the top that could have gone for points and then missed a flag on Zada which lead to Rabin’s first score. That right there is a 2 point swing. We await the return of the animal version of Beast. Zada needed bodying.
Pray got the game tied up by simplifying his play calling. Screen to Prime….welcome to Stiff Arm City. Jack is getting married in a few weeks and he doesn’t want to show up with Prime’s hand print on his eyeballs. So he didn’t go all out shoving Prime to the sideline. All good for Prime. He churns and burns 67 yards and knots this one.
Rabin then pulled out a play which was used very effectively by Yaron and Gronk in Game 1, but had actually failed for Rabin and MK earlier in the game. It did not fail this time. Swing out sideline pass to MK behind the line…..fake screen! There is Dobs cutting a post through the heart of the Pray defense, splitting the safety and the corner. MK unloads a 43 yard heat seeker that Dobs expertly hauls in (what doesn’t he do expertly?) while running full steam. Celebration for Rabin as they take the lead with a half hour to go.
The revelry was short lived. On the next possession, Pray drives the field and pulls out a miracle escape from Sacktown and finds Effie for the 23 yard strike 1st Down pass. Two plays later, Kut breaks free from the line and shows what a properly used TE can do. Catch and scramble, 45 yards to pay dirt. Game is once again evened up.
For Rabin, in a way, if the game ended in a tie, it would have been a nice showing. What really is expected of him at this stage in his career? How many times can one man be killed off and come back from the dead? Well, with Rabin, over the past 15 years, the answer seems to always be….apparently one more. With 20 minutes left, Rabin uses Zada to move the ball down field. Together they pick up 2 first downs. Now, with a 2nd and Goal and 10 minutes on the clock, the unlikeliest of occurrences transpires. The kind of thing that no betting man would bet on. The kind of moment that breaks every rule of logic and predictability. The kind of Jewball event that keeps us coming back for more, week after week, year after year, dare I say, decade after decade. It’s a simple play. If Yaron and Irv did it in the morning game 3 times, no one would have blinked or scratched their head. But there was Rabin – master of the gofer ball – ambassador of the flying duck – launching as pretty a deep ball as you will ever see. And to who? Is there anyone that had the legs and stamina this late in the game to get all the way behind the defenders to the back of the endzone to meet that ball? I mean that ball is not going to do what we have seen Rabin’s passes do a thousand times and come up short of their intended. This one is hitting someone in the back of the endzone or its flying out of bounds. Rabin happened to have done a professional job of making that the hallmark of his day. And it made all the difference. Instead of picks, we had incompletions. Harmless ones. So, does that spiraling heave land inbounds? And if so, does someone catch it? Yes and yes. Friggin Pops! Is over the top and perfectly placed behind all others to welcome that oblong leather baby into its new home. Rabin to Eddie punctuates the game! That’s almost 100 years of life experience! They get it done. Rabin and his defense hold on and Rabin gets the surprising win. Pray gets another head shaking loss. Jewball goes to someone who I didn’t mention that much but he was definitely the X Factor in the game !and did most of the heavy lifting for Rabin’s squad. Zada was slashing the defense and picking up 1st downs every time one was needed. Smothering defense as well. He added the score which gave Rabin his first lead and set the tone. Basically contributed from wire to wire and seemed to be the kind of weapon that Rabin needs to compete nowadays. A receiver with good hands that can create a lot of yards after the catch. And there you have it. Week 8 in the books, Turkey Bowl tomorrow with some incredible returns.
When some people say….life is a blessing, I totally get it when the response is….well, maybe your life is a blessing because it’s good. My life sucks, so I don’t want to hear it. I don’t know….I can’t argue with that person, but I believe – and belief is subjective – that we can also earn our blessings. And we do so by appreciating everything. Its not an exact science of course or any kind of science for that matter, but its a philosophy that pays off, even if its completely fabricated. So, on this Thanksgiving eve….let’s be sincere about our appreciation. Look at what you have – even if all you have is us! 

 – and say….damn…I am lucky, I am blessed – thank you! A lot of people don’t have a crew like this or the ability to play football or a chat to make them laugh or smile. A lot of people weren’t made with the kind of psychological components that would permit them to tolerate us and this – and I think they are missing something. It is not my job to understand why they don’t get it or convince them that they are crazy. But it is my job – without a doubt – to appreciate and say thank you that for whatever reason, I do get it. So…simple magic trick – appreciate everything you have and are…and earn blessings. Happy Thanksgiving, Jewball.

I love the smell of League Week in the morning (a dated reference – even for me – but look it up if you don’t know). There is just something about it. Maybe it’s the uniforms. Or the fact that people who don’t always show up, show up. Or that Solo is out there bright and early huffing and puffing and doing whatever fearsome preparation he does to psyche himself up and intimidate the opponent. Or maybe it’s because Yaron is out there full squad running drills in the crisp air as the sun sits low in the sky. Maybe it’s the storylines yet to emerge. Can the favorite Cronies secure an actual W now that Logan is back in the lineup? Can Feit keep beating the odds and continue his streak of shocking the haters? Can Pray disappoint PJs even more? Will Yaron’s team finally step up to meet his high expectations and demands? You know…the answer doesn’t really matter. League Weeks are special. Let’s just appreciate that undeniable fact. Through our sheer will and imagination, we created something special. So we just roll with that.
For the Cronies, League Week 2 meant having to face an imposing assemblage in the Lionhearts. Forget that Yaron leads them – a QB that wants it as bad as anyone and has the arm to make it happen. Look at the core of players?? So much damn talent! You look at the roster and you say….this team can’t possibly lose! But it’s Jewball Leagues 2021. You look at the next team and their lineup and have to pause – Wait…No…it’s THIS team that can’t possibly lose! After 2 weeks of Leagues…seeing what our Captains drafted – you have to be a believer.
The day starts with a message to the Cronies. Logan is out. Symptoms…sick….not gonna make it. Game starts in 40 minutes. No time to think about it. Maor and Klink go from bench to starting rotation….and one of them has to step up and have a big game. They both had huge games.
The teams playing in Game 1 seemed built in the image of their drafter. Yaron and the Lionhearts were on the field at least 15 minutes before the game scheming, and the Cronies were strolling in drinking coffee and eating donuts. I guess there are different methods to approach a big game. The only time I saw Gronk outwardly come close to taking a game seriously was Vets v. Rooks last year. He was coming off a League Game where he had squandered the W by throwing ill advised picks. The mantra on Sunday was…keep it simple and don’t listen to the inner voices that say take risks…but could he resist? Yaron’s gameplan should have been equally simple: Get rid of the ball quick to any one of his money receivers – because Munch and Solo are on the attack. The beauty of Munch and Solo, though, is that they are programmed to not just run north south, but east west. On 3 they are coming at the QB, but once the QB throws the ball to a wing…they reroute and run sideways…so….it’s a lose-lose on the short passes. The screen game really was not there for Yaron. Might as well then get to it early on here. His receivers have trouble securing his passes. Sure, some are caught cleanly, but just as many are bobbled, tipped, or dropped. In this game, Yaron would have been happy with clean drops! Instead, a ball off Jack’s hands/chest winds up in Gronk’s. A few plays later, Jordan – realizing Gronk was same-playing him into irrelevance – elected not to do the same play and brazenly crossed to the middle. Gronk hits him at the 5 and Jordan turns and finds some daylight running right. Edging past Irv, the 43 year old Vet who guaranteed a big game knifes his way into the front corner of the endzone and the Cronies are up 1-0. The Cronies were happy to draw first blood, but there game was far from over. Yaron bounced back eventually and found that sideline streak routes were available to him. He became particularly fond of picking on Steveo, who could cover anyone stride for stride, but the height advantage of Ross and Ivry is advantage Lionhearts. Yaron put some good balls up there for Ross to extend for and a hookup eventually went for a score – the game was tied. Gronk began to really really struggle. Numerous deep balls were not deep enough and easily picked by Lionhearts on the prowl. Ross, Ivry, and Yaron were feasting in the middle of the field. Gronk would have sustained drives – mostly by connecting underneath with Maor, but whenever he took a shot, it went for a turnover. His best pass of the day and the best catch of the day put the Cronies ahead for a few moments. A 30 yard strike to Maor in the back of the endzone that Maor hauled in with a full extension of his hands up and his toes down to brush that back line of the endzone. The video replay is inconclusive, but the eyeball test in game said he was out of the back of the endzone by a step. Incredible snag, deleted from the annuls (relax Rabin) of Jewball history.

With the score tied at the half….everything changed when….
Yaron is driving to take the lead. Munch and Solo are still relentless but its been a grind and everyone is tiring. Yaron is finding just a bit more time to gather himself and throw. He hits Ross on a slant over the middle and it splits the linebackers….he has one man to beat. Jordan at safety closes in on Ross, but fails in his duties. Ross stiff arms in and Jordan cannot wrap up…he stumbles back a few steps. Ross is accelerating and Jordan needs to catch up. If he doesn’t, it is a sure TD and a Yaron lead with 40 minutes to go. We will never know if Jordan would have caught up and managed to pull the flag. Because out of nowhere, Klink – of the often injured knees – flies in and plucks that flag from Ross’s belt like it aint no thing. Heroic move. He didn’t give up on the play and he kept the score tied. But would it be enough. Lionhearts were still knocking on the door. 7 yards from a TD and a 1st Down in their pocket. The playcall was a good one. Singer cross. Keep it simple. Put the ball on a bully with great hands and let him body his way in.
Whether it was telegraphed or too slow moving or the ball wasn’t placed far enough away from the defender, Jordan sniffed out the playcall on hike. Racing over to try and jump the route, Jordan inserted an outstretched hand into point of contact between Yaron’s ball and Singer’s nips. Just enough to create a bobble. A bobble that Singer may have been able to control if the sunlight or gravity or the wind was just slightly different, but – whatever forced make great receivers make mistakes – something happened. He didn’t get his hands around the ball. Jordan got a second smack on the ball, this one even more direct. At this point, Solo and Goldberg were swiftly converging on the play. Singer stars to tumble to the ground, leaving the ball suspended above him….and into the well positioned arms of Goldberg. The interception felt like victory enough. To stop a sure score. But what Goldberg did next was stunning. He makes a quick move to avoid a tackle and get out in the open field. Solo, never quitting on the dream of a P6 gets on Goldberg’s 6 and directs and protects him for 85 yards to a score which puts Cronies up 2-1. And damn if Singer didn’t get up off the ground and almost catch him. Incredible football moment.
With the Cronies up by point and a quarter left, it felt like a good time to tighten the defense and try and hold on. Keep it simple on offense. So Gronk throws another pick on a deep ball. Luckily for the Cronies, Yaron’s crew was still trying to figure out what could possibly work against a lockdown defense. Singer was likely bummed about the P6, Dobs was seemingly forgotten in the offense, Ivry was the most reliable player on the day, but he doesn’t seem to have a move yet that shakes a defender after the catch. Gronk did a good job on a late drive getting 1st downs with his legs and eventually calling a controversial roughing the Gronk which allowed him to stay alive and pitch one to Munch for a seemingly commanding 3-1 lead. Yaron bounced right back with Ivry on that deep sideline route and hit him in stride for a TD. The Lionhearts were back in business, down 1 with ten minutes to go. Gronk could not push that 4th score across and Yaron had 2 opportunities in those waning minutes of the game. I hate to twist the  dagger into Singer further, but…
On a 4th and goal, Yaron put a bomb in the deep left corner of the endzone that Singer normally leaps for and catches to save the day. Not on this day. He made an attempt on the ball, but Jordan was in the vicinity with a hand up. It was enough to knock the ball away. No score. No tie.
On the final drive of the game for the Lionhearts, still with a chance for OT, the gameplan was upended by a tipped ball that wasn’t caught cleanly. A high pass? Yes. A dart at close range? Yes. But Singer is Singer and he makes his living catching passes like the one that slid off his fingertips and landed – of course – in the awaiting arms of his nemesis – Maor! Maor makes the play and seals the victory for his Cronies.
Maor gets Jewball for the heroics. For the sure-handedness. For the sunny attitude and constant positive energy of gratitude. He is always nice, but never cheesy. His chat game was always razor sharp, and he has shown that his game on the field can meet that standard. Congrats. Game 2 recap tomorrow.

GAME 2

I will say this about the Feit Club. They look good in green. How could the color of a jersey matter? Just looking at the Game 2 matchup in League Week 2 – one team looked bright and full of life and energy. They were wearing a shining emerald green and they went by the name Feit Club. And across the way was a team decked out in a dark cloud of grey, like the color of a bad mood – and they were the reigning champions – the Birds of Pray (aka BOP). I’ll keep on with the symbolism. Watch Feit right now. Whether on TBI or after he calls hike. Bouncing around. Smiling like a damn fool! The kid has swagger. He’s had it since draft night when he had no reason to have it. When every prognosticator in the room was laughing at him and his picks. When every Captain was counting the games against FCFT as in the bag Ws. Would they even win a single game? Kut a first round pick? Oren a second round pick? And it was interesting to watch as Oren, Kut, and Feit huddled up on the corner of the highest step of Rabin’s patio. The three of them – even then seeming to see and understand what was happening – and working together to form the team. They picked up Storm and MK, Tabak and Vegh, then Rabin, then Effie, while other teams were grabbing perhaps more high profile receivers….but Kut, O, and Feit seemed pretty satisfied. Let’s be honest. People were laughing. Who is laughing now? Oren and Kut have QBs running for their lives. They are playing for Feit like on a mission. Katz and Tabak don’t miss a flag and pounce on everyone. Rabin is picking up critical yards all over the place. It helped that Vegh wasn’t there last Sunday so that Feit could concentrate on the receivers he planned to throw to. And Storm? He’s playing like the best receiver in the league. And it’s not really close right now.
For all those of you who wanted any sort of detailed recap, I’m gonna let you down. I was watching, but also hocking about the prior game. Cronies held on against Lionhearts and it was stress and then relief. My focus was limited. What was obvious was that Feit was really bouncy, really accurate, really poised and confident. Oh yeah, back to the symbolism. On the other side of the ball was Pray, who has been under fire for quite a while now. He is coming off a Jewball Season MVP and just has not regained the dominance. His Birds are sticking with him, surely, but – as we have mentioned here – Pray seems to always run backwards on hike, further from his receivers, and last Sunday, BOP seemed to move backwards. A very prideful team looked in disarray and lost some of its mojo. And this is not on Pray. Yeah, he missed some guys, but the entire team was blowing opportunities. Let’s get to the game.
I believe Feit’s first TD was to Tabak and it was a really nice pass to the back of the endzone over Mighty, but….I think Mighty could have made a better play on the ball. At least from my angle. Not sure what I can say about BOP’s possessions early on, but they just seemed to go nowehere. Intense pressure from O and Kut and just really limited chemistry with his receivers. He wasn’t finding them or they weren’t getting open. Plus really good defense. Mighty and Prime were smothered after they touched the ball. Daveo was really a non factor on offense. Salem made some nice catches and almost a spectacular one. But, overall, Pray had to run a lot and I think there were a lot of throws he wish he had back. Meanwhile, Feit was a magician. He threw a midrange pump and go to Storm that Storm brought down between two defenders that was jaw dropping. But it wasn’t just magic with the arm – he was equally an elusive escape artist. He got out of sacks that were like Houdini under water in chains in the vault. I mean, he was locked up. Done for. And out he came – leaving a defender behind staring at his hands in disbelief – and Feit uncorking a bomb to Storm for yet another score. You see where this is going? Feit scored early and often. 5 thrown TDs on the day to 4 different receivers. Pray was always trying to play catch up but never could.
This despite the valiant attempt by Daveo to singlehandedly give the team a chance. A brilliant one handed pick 6 brought the Birds within one early on, but Feit bounced around and bounced back. Daveo picked another one later in the game that lead to a Pray rushing TD, but…again….Feit bounces around and bounces back. The frustration was evidently mounting for the Birds. Yes, there was grumbling by players. There was drama on the sidelines. There was frustration calls in the game. None of these things should happen. Games test us in a lot of ways. We can’t always pass the test, but – together – we strive to. By the end of the game, it was hard to watch. BOP was broken. Prime was gritting his way through an injury and couldn’t be himself (though he did get a TD because the ball cures all maladies and when its in your hands…you go, it doesn’t matter what your back says). Birds need to regroup. They lost themselves out there. It’s not that they didn’t fight. It just seemed that they were each fighting for themselves and not for each other….and you can’t win like that.
Feit Club is all about the Feit. Those dudes battle. One for all and all for one and it is a gdamn honor to watch and see it all come together for them. They are the kinda team that sells jerseys to Mets fans like me. Feit leads it and they follow. He threw 4 TDs, had a pick, and practically demanded the Jewball after the game (he wouldn’t be Feit (or Prime) if he didn’t, but – anyone watching knows that Storm gets it. Simple reason. Feit…you played a hell of a game. On any other day….enough to get a Jewball. But you didn’t play a perfect game. Perfect Game??! Is that the standard!!!?? No, of course it isn’t. But your boy, Storm, played a PERFECT GAME. Perfection in preparedness, intensity, and execution. It was a game without flaw. The stats were counted, sure, and they were impressive, but he gets the Jewball because of the stats that cannot be counted. He gets the Jewball because he showed every single Jewballer what we are lacking and what we should aspire to become.

Week 6 feels like a looong time ago. So much has happened since I walked off the field dejected after a second consecutive loss. We wrote Jewball movie scripts, Steveo had a birthday, Spira chronicled the Silver Age, Logan revived TBI, and Benj switched to pullups. Definitely a good week to take my time getting a recap out. Sometimes a game is so brutal, you want to tell the story quickly and get it over with. That’s when the loss is devastating because the contest is so close and one or two mistakes turned the tide. Even worse if those mistakes were your own. The kind of game that – if you are lucky – it only haunts you for a week. Then there are the games that just suck the life out of you. Where your spirit gets broken and you just don’t care enough to revisit it. A forgettable game. In many ways, a memorable loss is superior – in the long run – to a forgettable win. After all – as heretical as it may sound – we are here (cosmically speaking) for the memories. Let’s talk memories.
On the first morning of the season that could be described as not warm (though still far from cold as evidenced by Goldberg playing), Jewball settled into a real rhythm at our new home in Hewlett. Old Timers asked us to flip the field and play on the shadowy side and we abided. Respect our elders, disrespect soccer bitches. Easy. Game 1 will be remembered by some as a rousing victory, by others as a gut punch defeat. And neither are true. It was another tie. MK took a knee 40 minutes before kickoff and asked for a replacement. Ivry and Waldo pounced, but it was Irv with the quicker swerve. Teams remained as posted. Once again Pray v. Feit. Sorry, the UNDEFEATED and very much embattled Feit. Pretty much no one wore their designated dark/colors, so….whatever. As captured on film – by yours truly – so I should be exempt from recapping – no one scored for the first 5 drives of the game. A lot of knocking on the doors of glory, but no admittance. Finally, I shut the camera and Feit went deep route to Mighty and a TD happened. Feit had thrown a similar reception to Gronk earlier, but Gronk is not big for running for TDs after the catch. You want Gronk to score  a receiving TD…he needs to be in the end zone already when you throw it. Once again, I started filming….and nothing happened. I realized I was the problem. No more filming. Problem is, now I have no video evidence of what happened next and I have to rely on memory. No memories. Thankfully, we do have Yaron’s box score. I know that Ivry scored for Feit once again. The man who uses TBI every night to help him fall into a deep coma-like sleep had the game in hand. Gronk was playing the best defense of his life. Oren was bringing the heat on the pass rush. And Dobs and Maor were being completely ignored. Feit’s game plan was running on all cylinders. Asked for comment immediately after the game about not throwing to Dobs and Maor – two sure handed receivers – Feit told the reporter to “get over it.”
With a 2-0 lead late in the game and, as mentioned, Oren really limiting Pray’s running game, Pray seemed to be in trouble. He was misfiring and clearly disappointed with his production. One could see PJs’ What’s Wrong with Pray segment on TBI getting longer and longer. Then Pray said F it and decided to run. A lot. In the end he ran just enough. Got some tough 1st downs, kept the chains moving, and scored twice – both to Zada. The first Zada TD was a grinder down the sideline with Singer lead blocking and Zada gutting the defense. The second, I don’t remember. Either way, Pray had come back. Feit had squandered what felt like a sure victory.  At the buzzer, Pray was feeling relieved and Feit was feeling mugged – and we have another tie in Jewball.
Game 2 was a Snow game, which is always special. But the shine wore off quickly. Things never to say in the huddle before an opening drive. “Guys, we are here to have fun and just run around” I know how Snow means it and I know he is a competitor. He has the hardware to prove it. Probably more than the rest of us. He has lead teams to many a championship. And that could be why – at this stage – for him – Jewball is just for fun. He’s coming off an injury and fighting his way back – GOD BLESS HIM – and it’s a long road, but let’s be clear: Jewball is fun, but we are not here for it. We are here to push ourselves, compete, and win ball games (and of course create memories while doing so). And it looked like maybe we would do that with Snow running the huddle as the game opens with a Jack drop of sure TD from Yaron. Snow runs the same play for his squad but Legs makes the catch and punches it in. On the following drive, Legs sacks Yaron and it seems like maybe…just maybe…this is gonna be a rousing victory for the returning MVP and a Jewball for Legs. But, unfortunately, the game had 70 more minutes on the clock. And during those 70 minutes Yaron ignited and MVP wilted. Yaron wants me to kiss his ass for the rest of this recap, and he deserves it. He gets beaten up enough. But I won’t do it. It’s boring, I’ve done it enough in other recaps, and – truth is – he doesn’t need the confidence boost. He knows he was on fire on Sunday. I know he was on fire on Sunday. His team knows he was on fire on Sunday. Gorgeous TD to Daveo (thanks for filming Irv). Cross the body TD to Benj. A bunch of other TDs. Solo blocking like a fiend. It was a dismantling.
On the other side of the ball, just shitty play. Not MVP’s fault at all that his team let up 6 TDs. He sat on D. Okay, the picks didn’t help. And the P6 to Pops from the 4 yard line was brutal and certainly his fault. But the D was soft and confused and porous. Embarrassing lack of conviction on flag pulling and coverage. Twas a beat down in every sense. No brainer Jewball to Yaron for throwing passes that were actually caught.
Memorable or not, Week 6 was played, and another link in the chain is forged. Week 7 will be anything but forgettable. It’s League Week 2, Jewballers. BRING IT!

While a dazed Yaron was trading his phone for sex and drugs in Cancun, Week 5 was played – and his absence was felt. Week 5, at least for me, had that melancholy air, which a Jewball Sunday can occasionally and unpredictably emit. Sure, it was the awfully uncompetitive Game 2 in which I participated. The kind of Game that really makes you think. Sends you home feeling empty. Leaving you to fill the void of meaningless Jewball with philosophical musings and the urge to have the recap make sense of it all.
And then Mike White happens. And you realize that all the Week 5 QBs are intensely loyal Jets fans. Maybe that is a sign. I always felt there was a connection between playing football in the morning and watching it the rest of the day. I don’t care what anyone says – a sentiment I have brought up here many times – we have an edge when watching football on Sunday. An edge over every armchair quarterback or announcer pounding wings, drinking beer and “appreciating” the games as they play out. Because we PLAY THE GAME. Yes, of course on a level that pales in comparison to the pros. I am not comparing our efforts to theirs. But the fact that we play makes us – in my mind – more like the players than the spectators. We recognize the game in a way that a fan doesn’t. It’s part of us. When a receiver drops a ball. When a tackle is missed. When a ball is thrown inexplicably awry. We jeer but we get it. When a circus catch is made. A block is laid down. A high effort tackle is accomplished. We are impressed because we get it. More about Mike White later.
I have to begin with the crew sharing the field with us. Reiterating first that soccer is still at LHS so going there now is a moot point – I like HHS. Feels like a home worth committing too. There is a vibrancy and life energy there that LHS did not have. The advanced years game playing along side us with the slow moving routes, the seven Mississippis, and the plethora of throwback jerseys – it’s comforting. To them maybe we look young. Well, they should see the crew that took over the field after we left. The point is….football is a brotherhood that can last a lifetime. More about Eddie later.
Game 1 was it’s usual high class affair with Pray and Feit facing off once again. Mighty v. Singer. Kut v. Munch. Talent up and down the rosters. One of our super rookies – Bentzy – got a spot last minute when Maor got tangled up with car issues just before the game. By the time I got to the field, Pray was up 1-0. I was told the BOP connection between Pray and PJs was strong again as PJS made a TD grab (and had also potentially suffered a concussion – RS, bud). I then turned on the camera and it was showtime for Mighty as he turned a broken play into a Mighty exclusive. Slashing and burning his was to a score. 2-0 Pray. Now, this puts me in an awkward position….because Feit has been really good in terms of comebacks and winning games. He hasn’t lost yet. So why is it that when I watch him….I only think how much better he can be? Definitely could be I’m the problem. I just see someone who is limiting himself by focusing on only 1 or 2 receivers. Pumping when he should be throwing. For now, let’s assume it’s me. He threw some stunners on the comeback trail. TDs to Zada and Singer (stiff arming his way for 40 yards), with a brutal for Pray pick to Vegh, opened the door for Feit to continue his propensity for finding a way. Pray managed to take the punch and punch back with a TD to Ivry and his team clung to 3-2 lead with 15 minutes left in the game. Never Say Die Feit made a spectacular throw to Bentzy in the Where’s Waldo hat over the middle to keep the chains moving and capped the game tying drive with a score to Zada. Pray had a chance to give his team the lead, but the drive stalled – Kut was particularly relentless on Sunday, going sack for sack with Munch after being traded for him. So, it’s Feit with the last licks. I have seen many amazing catches over 20 years of Jewball. For my money – no type of catch will ever be more impressive than those that are all out effort streaks down a sideline – catching up to a ball that you have no business by the laws of physics coming close to – and then catching it. The dynamics of such a catch are the most brilliant to me. But there is another kind of catch that can take your breath away. That is the high pressure contested jump ball where it is literally mano a mano to see who wants it more. Game 1 ended with such a catch. Not surprisingly, it was Singer in the middle of it. He went up with Ivry. Both men reaching into the sky for a spot in the air where there was no ball but where a ball would arrive suddenly like the Millennium Falcon emerging from light speed. Ivry is height and muscle and hands and focus. He did everything right. He interfered in every way possible, short of catching the ball himself. But the ball snuck through just enough to give Singer a chance. And Singer took the chance and made himself a hero. He comes down with the ball and with everyone getting over the visceral shock…he runs for the end zone and scores a game winner. With that, he gets a Jewball. Beast mode, Snow Pup!!!

If not for Mike White, Game 2 wouldn’t get much ink. It was a great day for back up QBs, just not in Jewball. With Yaron and Gronk out and Rabin only able to show up mid game, Beast/Tom got a start in Game 2…and it just didn’t work great. For whatever reason – and there are many – the Game was a bummer for the Dark team. Pray was throwing for Colors, coming off a tough loss, and he was the only QB on the field that lead his team. Dark tried multiple QBs including Rabin who (thank you) popped in ready to go. But there was no rhythm to be found. Dark scored 0 in 90 minutes of football. Pray scored 4 and ended the game on a P6. Final being 5-0. There is no excuse for the 5 scores other than it was one of those games where the discombobulation on offense spilled over to the defense. Missed flags and assignments and coverages. Jordan was particularly exposed. Once by Benj and once by Eddie for a TD. Whatever – take a shower, wash it off, move on. The lesson of Mike White and Week 5 is how important QBs are. Effective QBs. QBS who lead. QBs who can win. Who can make everyone in the huddle believe. What a precious commodity they are. This is why we are so blessed right now.
You ask me why the Dark Ages happen. It’s simple. We had no QBs. You can have 14 great guys – the best guys – who love the game and are as close as Jewball brothers can be – but if two of those guys are not REAL QBs…you don’t have a game. We have tried so many times to develop new QBs in Jewball…Sometimes it works very well (Doggy, Pray, Gronk, Zez), sometimes less well (Dorothy, Hood), sometimes not at all. But developing a QB is a worst case scenario. What we want ALWAYS is actual QBS! MVP, Yaron, Feit, Marino, JK! We would sell our soul for a QB every time. We sort of did that with Yaron. Just kidding!
Wishing Jewball continued QB good fortune. May our cups runeth over with those gems.
And speaking of treasures….Eddie!
Eddie could just as well have found a game like the one that shares the field with us. He’d probably be a superstar there. No exaggeration – he would blow their minds. But he sticks with us. He believes in Jewball. He raises his children with Jewball. He gets that it’s a game, it’s a family, it’s a way of life. Evidenced by Ari being in town and getting a game in. Evidenced by his sticking to the game plan and running his routes with alacrity and commitment. He puts up another score this week. He takes on Solo without fear. He is a role model for every one of us. And we all know it. Here is to you, Pops! Keep inspiring – untll 120. Jewball for you.

A PJ’s perspective… Week 4  coming off a competitive league  week #1 had a lot of excitement plus higher expectations. Pray was coming off his first W of the season with the BOP and Feit battling and playing quite well post COVID quarantine, there was much intrigue for this matchup. In addition, you had Mighty vs Singer, which is always storyline when these 2 matchup against each other. However, things don’t always look as good as we hope for them to look. Insert Dave Chappelle jokes! 7:50 am rolls around and bunch of old guys claim their stake in the land of Hewlett High School like the “Space Jews” they are… luckily they agree to split the field but start time gets pushed back and things aren’t quite right. Feit lines up with Singer, Zada, Gronk, Bert, Ernie, and Sam. Pray lined up with Mighty, Munch, Dobs, Tabak, Maor, and PJ’s. Feit gets the ball first and decent drive but stalls out. Pray has similar drive but also stalls. Then Feit on his second drive marches down the field and hits Gronk for a 20 yard TD. 1-0 Feit. Pray was unfortunately unable to respond all game and even threw 2 picks on misfired passes one to Ernie and the other to Singer. Prays intermediate game works at times hitting Maor, Tabak, and PJ’s but struggles to find Mighty deep or anywhere past the line of scrimmage. You can watch or listen to TBI for more on that! On defensive side Prays team kept him in it with Feit being sacked 6 times; 4.5 by munch, 1 by Dobs, and half by PJ’s. Midway through the game Feit finds Gronk on a deep 30 yard TD to seal the game at 2-0. Could’ve made it 3-0 but Pray picked off Feit in the end zone and the next ensuing drive PJ’s battered down a pass on a 4th down on the 2 yard line. Overall Feit played well despite the rush and Pray needs to figure out how to get Mighty the ball more. Pray will get better! 2-0 Feit wins!

Game 2 featured the return of a legend in name orb M-V-P! Who made appearances on the field and TBI in the same week. MVP lined up with his “old reliable” Tom, Klink, Beast, Irv, Storm, Prime, Kut, and Gronk . Yaron wanted to teach this legend once again that Jewball is his yard. Yaron lined up with a mix of young vets and rooks in Bently, Goldberg, Salem, Benj, Sonic, and Vegh. MVP looked a bit rusty at times on his first drive but was able to find Tom for some big first downs. MVP would end up taking a commanding 2-1 lead after hitting Tom and Ivry for TD’s. Yaron’s team couldn’t come together at all. Mis-plays and drops. Overall a frustrating game for Yaron who takes every game seriously and just wants to win. There was some extra play that led to a 4-1 win for MVP. Overall, Yaron and Pray will figure out how to use their talent better. Let’s hope Hewlett remains ours for the season! If not we need to reclaim Lawrence like the “Space Jews” we are!! This is Jewball boys!!!

Week 3 was the culmination of a lot. To recap it and judge it by the games themselves is almost unfair. The honest truth is, League Week 1 last year was a lot more exciting. Because it was the first. Because it was so unique and special. Because there were so many (193) guys there for the games. It had a once in a lifetime energy that can’t be replicated simply by running it back. I think I got into my biggest fights with Singer and Mighty that day. Big energy means big fights. So, this season, League Week 1 was virtually fightless. It was a spectacle, to be sure, and successful – absolutely – but it also had the proficiency of a well oiled machine. It almost felt routine. This is not a bad thing. The fact that incredible talent and competitive games is now routine in Jewball is a cause for celebration. 
The day itself was the first true fall day. Although the sun was peaking up to blinding effect just over the tree line in Hewlett, there was a crispness in the air. It was a far cry from the torrid heat of a week earlier. It was…football weather. And the boys came out. Mostly in their jerseys (guys, don’t make me mandate the wearing of your team color on game day…but cmon…it’s not hard and its an easy way for you to pretend for one day that it’s not about you), knowing their gameplans, sticking to the rotations, feeling the comradery generated by their banner, and playing hard (if not, harder) for the pride of getting a W for a team that they will play 6 regular season and hopefully 2 postseason games with. Like I said, Leagues are special. Hate on the new Jewball all you want – because hating on the new Jewball is as new Jewball as the new Jewball is – but we have not sold out. We have looked only to make Jewball better for you while remaining completely true to our roots. 
So, you want a recap? I guess there should have been a spoiler alert before Episode 4 of TBI since I made my feelings known about a number of items that would surely have made the recap otherwise. I guess I can refer you to the episode (which as of right now is the 3rd most viewed episode…I hope my ratings will go up by the end of the week), but let’s see if there is more to get into.
The more I looked at the Feit Club on paper, the more I knew that Cronies were in trouble. I know Gronk is a pot stirrer by design and is truly a troll l’shma, and it is entertaining and provides juice to both the chat and the games….there are times where shutting up is a good idea. I am equally guilty. I won’t back down on my belief that Cronies are the superior team in the League, but sh—ing on Feit Club is and was a bad idea. In the moment, as the draft was happening, the choices seemed odd and confounding. But, Feit is no dummy. Our third most arrogant quarterback? Sure, but he is confidant in his abilities and clever. His team was down 2-0 on Sunday and looking left for dead….and they came back. They fought back. Maybe fighting back will be the signature quality of Feit Club. 
A Logan-less Cronies began the game as expected, with intense pressure on the QB from Munch and Solo, while Feit tried to scramble and screen his way to the goal line. Fact is, Feit has looked very good all season. His long game isn’t the best, but his short game is precise as hell. He is actually the best in the league at it. He doesn’t retreat like Pray, or misfire like Gronk, or overwhelm his receivers like Yaron…He is pitch perfect in delivering the ball in short yardage. That skillset will go a long way, especially with a guy like Storm who has hands as good as anyone and a heart heartier than anyone. Although it would be an exaggeration to say that Munch and Solo had an easy time with Kut and O, they certainly got through plenty. And might as well deal with this inarguable detail right now: Linemen can wrap up a QB to attain a sack just as readily as pulling his flag. Zero issue. Lineman going after a QB have actually the most leeway when it comes to contact. That can push him. Smack his arm. Grab his legs. They certainly can go for the flag to shut down the play, but if they can hug him and force him to “surrender” all the better – that way we don’t have did the ball get out controversy. The only thing they can’t do for safety reason is tackle him (i.e. launch their body at him like a missile).  More about that later.
While Feit’s drives were stalling, Gronk was moving the ball effortlessly. As easily as I’ve ever seen. It was almost as if FC was purposely playing off the receivers. Every Crony seemed to be wide open on every play. Gronk marched down the field twice and scored twice. Once with Maor in the back left of the endzone and once with Klink in the back right. It was gonna be a massacre. 
There are many opinions about what happened next and you know mine. But, bottom line is…Gronk threw 3 picks in the 2nd half and Feit Club, mostly riding Storm in desperate situation after desperate situation, came all the way back. At first they knotted it 2-2 forcing the Cronies to begin to feel pressure. They could not lose after a month of smack talk. Gronk had been off for a while. His best opportunity to score since the first two drives was a 3rd and goal where he and Jordan failed to connect on an in route. Luckily it was his surefire connection with Goldberg to the rescue in a do or die drive at the end of the game. First Goldberg picks up big first down over the middle in traffic on 4th and 5, then the drive is capped by a similar ball to Goldberg again – this time in the endzone. 
Feit had another attempt, with 5 minutes left on the clock. A methodical drive ensued, but the game looked over when FCFT was faced with a 4th and 21 at midfield. Somehow, inexplicably, Feit – for the first time all game, unleashed a deep-ish pass that was not only pinpoint accurate, but zipped in with just enough mustard to evade the cornerback. Storm picks up the 1st down, and after a screen and scramble by Feit, Storm slants in from the 1 and the game is tied. That is where it stayed. Tough “loss” for the Cronies. Exhilarating “win” for the Feit Club. A game that proves not all ties are created equal. No Jewballs to give, but Goldberg and Storm did everything they could to help their teams, so hats off to those two gamers.
Although I can’t claim to be have been fully invested in the narrative of Game 2, being consumed by the post Game 1 hock on the sidelines, I was proud to see such megawatt talent assembled in true clash of Jewball titans. Crazy to see the star power on that field, and to then think that Yaron’s team was short a man who could not cut out of a bris – Singer was not in the huddle. What did I see? I saw Pray repeat his newfound performance piece as the human rocket launcher. He unloaded one that the Irv’s Iron Dome defense could not intercept, and it landed with a thud on Salem’s chest and there was nothing then between Salem and the end zone. 1-0 Birds. Not that Yaron wasn’t throwing the ball well – he was. His arm looks like it is back to its studly ways, but his receivers were not being as sure-handed as he might have hoped. While it wasn’t the dropfest of his games last season, there were balls that needed to be caught that weren’t. In a game where it’s 25 yards between first down markers,  a drop to erase a 7 yard gain is always costly. Although Pray had one other really nice deep ball to Salem which may have repeated as a TD if it was not slightly off, his short game was proficient enough. Pray does not want to be that running QB anymore. He can still run, but it is clear he wants to become a pass first QB. Good for him. Who better to pass to than Mighty and Prime and then let them do their thing with blockers out front. I said it in TBI and will reiterate here in the chronicles – Mighty and Prime is slash and burn, speed and power, ground and pound…whatever you want to call it. Add Legs as a relentless lead blocker. Or Tom as the human stallion. For these guys to run behind – for most teams this will be overwhelming if they are not at full power. And let’s be honest….Yaron was competitive and made it a game, but Lionhearts were not at full power. Singer would have made plays that the Lionhearts needed to be made. It was interesting to see who might step up for Lionhearts and fill that void left by Singer. If your money was on Dobs, you have been paying attention. Whether it be accumulating sacks, blocking, or catching everything that came his way – Dobs was the most reliable weapon Yaron had. I even saw the birth of his ego at some point during the game. The man who doesn’t even have the balls to talk back to his blow up doll, was actually wondering aloud why Yaron was throwing to anyone else but him. 
Its hard to call a 3-2 game uncompetitive, but from the moment Pray and Salem made it 1-0, the tone was set. Prime bullied his way to 2 more TDs. Yaron became erratic and Pray picked him off 3 times. I watched Yaron march down to within the 10 yard line 3 times only to come away with 1 score (Irv over Prime). That’s a problem. Bottom line is the BOP has once again put the league on notice. Where every other team failed to make a statement, Pray and his Birds walk away with a week 1 win. Jewball has to go to Pray for the numbers. More than anyone, Prime stepped up his game to meet the intensity we want from the League games, but he can take his 2 TDs as the reward for that. 
A word on violence: I like it. It should be a part of football. If you want to protect yourself from getting hurt, you can do what countless Jewballers have done when they reached a certain stage in life – retired. I see many Jewballers today, mostly in their 30s, who say to me…I’d love to come back, but I can’t risk getting hurt. I can’t miss work. My wife would kill me. Whatever it is. The best way to avoid injury is not to play. So, let’s start there. Once you decide to welcome the risk (for the reward) and play, you now have a certain expectation in Jewball – which is fair – that you will not be hurt by someone else who is being violent purposely or recklessly. Needless to say, we aren’t going to tolerate purposeful violence. Meaning, you can just as easily make the play in a way that doesn’t involve a collision, but you go for the collision. That’s not good or allowed. There is a way to be physical with wrapping up that doesn’t not involve violent contact with someone. Next up is recklessness. This is where we ask you to keep your head even in the heat of battle. That’s all. Size up the situation and process the data. Do not use the same force to push Daveo out at the sideline as you would for Prime. Don’t drag down Jordan as you would Singer. In other words: Be thoughtfully violent. 
I’m out this week….so….good luck and guest recap writer next Wednesday. Enjoy Week 4.

Between the hype of Opening Day and the grandeur of our first League Game, Week 2 had the feel of what we call in sports a trap game. One where the players aren’t quite ready and overlook the opponent. One where only the team with the proper mental preparedness would win. It actually (THIS) came off accordingly. It was sort of a dull and dreary day. As opposed to week one which was played in warmth and sunshine with guests, and fans, and dogs, Week 2 was cloudy and rainy with not one attractive person on the sidelines (no, drug dealer Daveo does not count). Could be the only aspect of Week 2 this season that stood out – and the hope is that it reverberates for many seasons to come – is that it was the debut of our Rookie class getting into some real game action. And not just action, but Pollack was under center in the early game. Stepping up into a role that presented itself when Rabin and Yaron could not participate. What we saw of Pollack in Week 1 was that he is a gamer. Everyone seems to know him already. He is related to Mighty, he went to school with Beast, he dated Pop’s daughter, he works for Sam, and he learns with Klink. It’s odd he is only showing up now, but so be it. He QBed in his Israel year – I believe with Pray on his team (no joke), but had a season ending injury. He was trying a comeback for Jewball. God bless! How did it go? Not great. He moved well. That was good to see. He looked like a leader in the huddle. That is actually one of the most important (IS) attributes. The problems were – and no need to be specific – his team was not moving downfield. The first pass of his Jewball career was promising. A slant to Might that picked up a chunk of yards. But the drive stalled, as did all the others that followed. There was a pick to his co-Rook, Burt. He had opportunities. Feit, who looked really good, quick, and bouncy, wasn’t perfect. He threw a bad pick to Tabak in the redzone, but he otherwise was running and gunning, as Clyde might say. It was a one sided game for the first 45 minutes. Feit ran one in and pumped 2 in (Singer and Zada). Things did change in the 2nd half as Pray, who waited patiently (a little too patiently maybe) on the sideline for such an occasion, entered the game. Needless to say, last year’s MVP is a game changer – and he did just that. I am sure not to make Pollack look bad, but after taking the ball to start his first set, he throws one of the greatest passes Jewball has ever known – a 55 yard nuclear warhead to Munch streaking down the sideline for an incredible hook up and a TD. Pray claimed it was the farthest pass he ever threw. A few sets later, Pray took off down the sideline and evaded the crowd to score again. Although Feit was unable to put up another point, he was able to run out the clock. A win and a Jewball for Feit. The much maligned leader of FCFT may have refused to take a test before the game, but he certainly passed one by looking really sharp in his first game of the season. Look out, FCFT haters.
Game 2 was interesting in that (NOT) it was backwards. Pray had just come off looking unstoppable in half a game of football, about to take on Gronk, who had looked shaky in the first half a week earlier. I would have bet on Pray to be on fire and dominate. But you gotta play the game. And though the game sputtered for a while at the outset, it was clear that Pray was going to have trouble. Solo (and eventually Beast) had him on his heels the whole game. Pray is used to running, either sideways or forward for big yards, but in this game, he was always running backwards. On plays where he needed 5 yards, he wound up 15 yards back before being able to properly scan the field. And it was happening play after play. This is the impact of Solo (and Beast). Meanwhile, Gronk had figured his shit out. All of it. Back with OG cronies Vegh and Goldberg, Gronk was doing some home cooking. BOOM! POW! ZAP! Moving the ball effortlessly and in his comfort zone. Vegh and Goldberg picking up yards all over the place. Goldberg amassing a really nice stat line in the process with 2 scores, 1 pick, and a sack. And while stats are nice, a win is nice, since we only give Jewballs to winners. But, Gronk won you will tell me. So, give the Jewball to Goldberg for his monster game. Alas, there was no winner in this one. Somehow, someway – and I don’t understand it despite being in the game  – Gronk did not win this game. They were (A) up  2-0 and 3-1 (Dobs added a score from Gronk), but they did not win. Instead, this one ends in another tie. Pray scrambled his way to tie. His defense did just enough. In game, it felt as though Gronk and co. were unstoppable, but apparently…they were stopped just enough. Salem and Kut got enough pressure. Legs tracked down enough flags. Prime made a man’s play taking the screen and running mercenary style down the sideline for 63 yards to put his team on the board. Jordan, after dropping a brilliant pass on an out and up which may have proved a score, managed (CULT) to make a sliding grab and 4th down to preserve a drive that wound up with a Jack Ross TD. Finally, Pray did his thing and ran one in to knot the game at 3. And there it ended. Without fanfare or satisfaction on this grey and forgettable Week 2. LEAGUE WEEK NEXT!