The Pause vs. the Paws

The Commas played a team called the Wildcats who actually had a team roar whenever they scored a touchdown. Seriously. It made the Commas realize that their own mascot is not a predator but a pause, in the middle, of a, sentence.

The game began with a defensive struggle, with the Commas forcing the Wildcats to punt. Since it was the first punt the Commas have seen all year, everyone needed a refresher on what they actually needed to do. Unable to score, the Commas turned it over on downs only to steal the ball back when Matt picked off an errant pass. They drove downfield and scored with a pass over the middle to Matt. Suddenly, Oxford had its first lead of the year. It unfortunately didn't last long. The Wildcats were able to put up two touchdowns, leading at the half by 13-6.

The Commas started the second half with the ball, but couldn't capitalize. Meanwhile, the Wildcats brought out their big guns, wearing down the Commas with relentless pass attempts to some of the biggest players in the league. After one of their giants made an impossible catch in traffic, Oxford appealed to the ref about the illegal use of Krazy Glue, to no avail. Later, a reverse handoff by the Wildcats (see the highlight below) put the the game out of reach. Desperate to score, the Commas tried to press the ball downfield, but could not connect, and had to settle for another loss, 26-6.

Special thanks go out to our two mercenaries, Kari (a.k.a. Kate) and Jane (a.k.a. Alexandra); they helped Oxford regulars Ninell, Michelle, and Lora keep the Wildcats' female players out of the endzone. (The politically correct term is "free agents", by the way.) Also, Oxford fan Tanya filmed parts of the game for us, for which we are grateful.

As usual, the evening did not end with football. After weeks of debate, the Oxford team finally tried out the "official" Zogsports bar. It sucked. The moral of the story: never argue with a Scotsman (in this case, Iain) about the quality of a bar. So the Commas headed back to the welcoming arms of the Black Sheep pub. After viewing Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, the team left the bar inspired by the dramatic turnaround of the once-moribund Tampa Bay Rays. Then again, perhaps the Commas were just hopelessly intoxicated. Regardless, the improvement will continue.

Before we get to the highlights, here is one last thought, inspired by the Wilcats' "touchdown roar": can anyone come up with a team logo? This writer can't think of anything beyond a smiley face on a comma.



Ebin with the catch:



Lora pressures the Wildcats' quarterback:



Sam and Robert get in on the act:




The Commas try a long play. Missed it by that much:




Ebin bails us out with the first down:




Matt scoops the ball up from the turf on a crucial 4th and 1:



Matt again:




The Wildcats try a trick play. Seriously, how were we supposed to know that this guy was the running back? Voice in my head: "That's why it's a trick play!"



The Commas try another play downfield to Brian, but are foiled at the last second. But his trash talk is priceless:




Matt: "Can I have the game ball?"
Robert: "Uh...I paid a lot of money for that ball."