Commas 2008 Season (Cue the Green Day Song)

Click to enlarge the following photos:

Photo credits go to Lora and Kari.

Commas Close Season with a Dogfight

The Commas were given the task of playing spoiler to Los Touchitos ("Little Touchers"), a team that had to win in order to get into the playoffs. Fighting through picks and some weirdly rough tackles, Oxford began the game with a long drive that couldn't quite get into the endzone. Ebin set the tone by shrugging aside the guy who, frustrated by his inability to get laid, shoved Ebin out of bounds on one of the first plays of the game. In response, the Touchers, easily the mouthiest team in the league, scored two unanswered touchdowns. A deep pass to Brian late in the first half looked like it could even the playing field, but again the Commas were denied on the one-yard line, and the half ended with Oxford down by 14. It was not until late in the second half when the Commas finally punched through on the "Gonzo" play to Iain. Then Ben, playing with a pin in his broken finger, scored on a two-point conversion at the back of the endzone. There was little the Commas could do at that point, though. The Touchers immediately answered with a long touchdown bomb, putting them outside of the 16-point range that would have forced the clock to stop on each incomplete pass. Oxford had to watch as Los Touchitos drained the clock. Happily, the Commas stopped them on the last play of the game when Sam sacked their quarterback. Final score: 26-8.

My final word on the season is this: the sportsmanship, hustle, and good humor that this team showed should make everyone proud. That was the consensus while the Commas, tipsy on Shock Top, contemplated the sequel, a.k.a. the Winter League. It's still up in the air, but hopefully this will not be the final chapter.

Special thanks go to our fans, Tim, Tanya, Kari, Catherine, and Jared. They took some great photos and videos, which you can view here below. (Some of the other photos will appear in another post.)

http://picasaweb.google.com/catherinelrae/TheCommas#

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jwright40/sets/72157608852895361/

Here are the other highlights. Enjoy.

Ash takes a cleat to the head, but holds on:

The camera crew debates the difference between a center and a quarterback. Meanwhile, the ball is thrown away.

Sam with the catch:

Ben chats up the fans on the sideline. He was later seen texting in the huddle. You believe this guy? Oh yeah, the pass sailed wide.

QB sneak:

Ash with the diving reception:

Oxford is denied again at the goal line.

"Skip this part. In fact, never show it again"--Dark Helmet, Spaceballs

The biggest "Little Toucher" bats the ball away:

Desperation throw to Ben in the back of the endzone--incomplete.

Ebin makes a lunging tackle:

Dayne throws:

Matt moonwalks:

Deep to Matt, but thrown too far:

Dayne to Iain for one of the biggest plays of the day:

Dayne to Ben over the middle:

Is there pass intereference on Ben in this play? Robert DeNiro says, "Little bit, little bit."

Shovel pass to Iain for an easy (cheap) first down:

A throw into heavy traffic is broken up by the "Little Touchers" defense. Elyse, Ben, and Dayne all get a hand on it:

The Commas finally connect on a TD to Iain:

Ben scores on the conversion by toeing the back of the endzone:

Sam's hair is messed up on a short pass:

Ninell dives for it:

Brian, be honest: did this hit you in the hands? If it did, you're gonna run wind sprints until you puke.

The Commas never make anything look easy:

Ebin runs right into your living room. Or should I say cubicle? Hey, get back to work!

Dayne to Robert:

Iain beats a growling defender for the catch:

Deep to Brian:

Robert and Ebin try to reenact "The Catch" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Catch_(American_football), but it's not to be:

The Warmup

On Sunday, the Commas incurred the wrath of the Swingers, a team that was much better than its losing record would suggest--more on that in a minute. It turns out that opening a must-win game with two straight interceptions is not a good idea. Who knew? As a result, the Commas found themselves down 20-0 with time running out in the first half. The Swingers employed a confounding zone defense that allowed Oxford to get close to the endzone, but stopped them cold over and over. In response, the Commas began firing the ball downfield in an attempt to break through, and finally connected with Brian on a long touchdown bomb.

The Swingers, using a quarterback with a howitzer-strength arm and several speedy receivers, piled on more points while the Commas pulled out every trick play they could think of to catch up. On a desperation play late in the game, Iain pulled off the catch of the season when he grabbed a ball that was thrown short. He had to contort his body to make the catch while keeping his feet in bounds for the score. (It was actually a good day for all of the receivers; there were only a few drops, and everyone made a solid contribution on the designed plays.) Brian added the two point conversion on the next play, but by then the game was over. The Swingers added another touchdown to make the score 44-14.

As the Commas packed up, they got to see the Swingers remove their gold jerseys and put on gray ones so that they could play a game in the competitive league. "Were we the warmup?" someone asked. Perhaps, but I'll bet those Swingers were really tired out for their real game. Right? Anyone? Oh, god...

Thanks go to Ebin for taking some photos, which you can see here.