WEEK 20
I’ve been writing game recaps for almost 20 years. Why did I even start this whole thing? For a pretty small pick-up League? Sent via emails, to which no one really replied and couldn’t even hang a heart emoji on ‘em. No expectation of the recaps being kept. Certainly not as part of a website with pics, videos, stats, pirkei avos, lyrics, and original art. Back then I really liked writing. I also thought it would help Jewball – if not gain players – hold on to the ones we had. We would have a slight edge. Our players might keep coming back to be amused and “immortalized.”  That was likely the motivation. A marketing tool combined with my propensity at the time to write.
I remember the day Rabin sent me an email with a Word Doc attached. He had gone through his emails and pulled the recaps. He sent a file called The Jewball Chronicles. It was eye-opening to see where we had been, who we were, how clever and interesting Jewballers are, how committed, how passionate. I received that email thirteen years ago. A lot will be said in this year’s final recap, which will be more final than ever. So I need to hold off even as I type this final recap of a Jewball Week of games. Back then the recaps were a lot better. Just pure football talk and a lot of wild details. Something called Top Plays as well. All gone. The details. The Top Plays. This is the price we pay for having three games, TBI, and, thankfully so much Jewball talk in between. I just can’t. To the football:
So close yet so far. It was my last week to get some positive numbers. Wanting some stats to pass Goldberg on the all-time list and Zinn on the TDs list, but, really to gets a few more Ws so my losing % would be just a tad less egregious. No such luck. I end the season with back to back OT Ls. Another storyline going into Week 20 was a showdown between Vegh and the Czar of Eligibility. Vegh needed 2 games to become playoff eligible for the Ducks – and he played them (but it didn’t matter in the end, cuz he had a baby – Mazal Tov).
The game had Yaron, BZ, Sam, Stats, Steveo, Zada, Jordan v. Gronk and the Cronies with E, Mighty and Spira. Beautiful mix of generations. From Spira of the Silver Age to BZ, a red shirt rookie. Silver Age, Golden Age (Steveo), Renaissance (Mighty), Dark Ages (Gronk), Revolution (Yaron), and Enlightenment (Stats). All together. Doing what we do. I remember dropping the easiest TD to start the game. I remember Gronk rocketing one in to Vegh to win the game in the OT. Goldberg and Tabak went all VR on me begging for OT when we had the tie in hand! Jordan had all 3 scores. 1 short, 1 deep, 1 medium…but an L nonetheless.
On the other field Pray and Avrumi tied 4-4. Avrumi made his Jewball debut and no one seemed to be able to tell me if it went good or badly.
More of the same in Game 2 for me. Avenger v. Pray (and Yaron) in this final game of the regular season. Jordan and Rabin put up TDs (and Stats 2 more – what a season!) but was tied at the end of regulation. Stella convinces us to go into OT. I say the worst we can do is tie…
Pray and Yaron win. I think Yaron was the QB, but stat line says Pray threw 2 (to Prime) and Yaron threw 1 (to Pray). Oh yeah, and then daggered my heart with a P6 in the OT to rack one more loss on this old man before it goes dark.