Boston Invitational 2006- Masters division
So, fast forwarding to the future, I played with the Boston/DoGish entry in the Boston Invitational Masters Division this weekend at Fort Devens. Playing masters reminded me why I'm holding onto Open as long possible. Don't get me wrong, it was GREAT catching up with the old championship DoGs, but let me tell you, when I was on that team, I was one of the young guys, so you can imagine how old that makes the rest of them. Consider that of all the people that played out there this weekend, I was the 3rd or 4th youngest at 39. Makes me realize that the window for a true DoG masters team to win Masters is probably closed, unless we grab a whole bunch of random yutes to play D.
I followed the weather reports with some interest earlier in the week after it appeared that the gorgeous weather we had all week was going to disappear for the weekend. And disappear it did. After Jim was able to call around and cajole enough people to make the first game Saturday morning (after which we had a bye), Jim and I went to open DoG practice that morning instead. Pouring rain of the field trashing kind ensued, and the practice was not one of the more quality ones, as the field was pretty soft, still had some high grass, and mushy parts. It slows the whole game down (and the soft conditions make me even less nimble than usual).
Fortunately we were able to avoid the sprinting at the end of practice with the valid excuse that we were going to get far more running in the final two games of Saturday than we would in the sprints at the end. And yes we did get in a lot of running Saturday and Sunday.
The team crushed a local Boston team in the first Saturday game in our absence, then the bye, then the competition really began. We had a game against Chop Shop from Western Mass, who apparently went to Nationals last year. They were competitive, we took a largish lead and then let them come right back in the game before eking out a 15-13 victory. Meanwhile Above and Beyond had raced through their game and got to watch us struggle for most of the second half. After that game, there was serious discussion about flipping for the game and going drinking instead for the NY game, but saner heads prevailed, and we ended up deciding to play to 11. Of course right around this time, the rain came back with a vengeance and we spent the entire game either miserable on the field or huddled up on the sideline for warmth. We received, NY quickly jumps out to a 2-0 lead, we rally to 2-1, and then it is 9-1 before we trade out to 11-3. After a quick huddle on the sideline, Jim goes off to tournament central to try and rejigger the schedule for the next day so we don't have to play the 8:30 game. I find out later by email that he has failed. I am not unduly concerned as I have no intentions of making that game, but if we forfeit that game, then we will also have to play the 10:30 4/5 play-in game, so I am a little concerned about numbers.
Turns out I'm right, as at 8:40 there are 4 players, at 9AM or so they finally have 7, and Pittsburgh has generously delayed. They end up playing the game with 7.5 players (Gary Bernard shuttles back and forth between the game and coaching Lincoln/Sudbury for 2 points at a time). Amazingly enough, they go up 9-5 before losing on double game point. Marshall sent me an amusing note on the game. Did Jim tell you that we actually only lost by one? They attempted to
confirm with us that it was "universe point", but we refused to accept
the term and ended up losing on double game point. What Marshall neglected to mention is that they actually received on double game point. Ouch!
So Jim calls me at home at 10:40AM to give me the news that there is no game until 12:30, which is most welcome at this time, especially since we are down a car and I now have to fish for a ride to the fields, and hijack Jeff 'Dick' Brown to pick me up on the way. We get to the fields about 12:15 and gear up for the semis against Chop Shop, who we barely skated by the previous day. It was mostly closer this time, as we went up two early breaks, and then traded out to half. More importantly, we weren't giving them many opportunites as we finally cleaned up the offense. This one was a little more comfortable at 15-11.
This time we got to rest and watch NY close out Pittsburgh for a few points. After their game was over, immediately went over to their huddle, and they were more than interested in starting right away as opposed to waiting for 2:30 to start. So we did...
Now THIS was the DoG that I remembered. Nothing gets the juices flowing like playing against the old NYNY players, even if there were only a few of them like the Flores brothers, EO, Arnold, etc. We again gave up an early break, wait, I gave up an early break, traded out for the rest of the half before scoring the last two to go into half up one AND receiving to start the second half. Well, we reeled off the next four points coming out of half for 6 in a row and effectively putting the game out of reach. Naturally we let them score a few to make it somewhat nervous, but the final was around 15-10/11.
FFor other tourney writeups, check here and Jim's blog. But enough of the dry game summaries and on to the highlights.
* It was incredible how mushy the fields were during Saturday morning practice. As I mentioned, it slowed my fleet self to a crawl. But what a pleasure when I got to the Devens fields. Even after the dumping, they were closely cropped, still somewhat hard (!). HUGE difference in my game as I was finally able to actually juke. And on Sunday, the fields were even better, as the couple of muddy spots had faded and the traction was great. Hopefully it keeps raining otherwise they'll be rocky again for the Invitational in a few weeks.
* I got a layout D in the finals on Juano Flores just outside our endzone on a comeback cut. It was actually a legitimate layout, getting mostly horizontal with pretty good extension. I think I can count my tournament layout D's on the fingers of one hand in the 00's. There was a high layout (sort of) against Shiftyeye, I mean Luke, when he played for Sockeye at Nationals some year early 2000s. There was another one against Andy Crews of the Condors in 2002 during the quarterfinals where we ended their streak at 2 (unfortunately it was called back on a marking foul). Another one at a scrimmage against Brown on one of their main handlers after Wicks had been riding me, but I can't count non-tourneys. I have found that when I actually get a layout D, we have won the game. I theorize that it is because the other team becomes so demoralized... Naturally, Jim theorizes that it is because my team feels so desperate because I am laying out that they turn it up, or something like that.
* In the finals, pulling downwind at 14-10, talking to Dick Brown on the line, and he says he is going to get a layout D. NY works it all the way up the field, then somebody throws a hammer to the left corner of the endzone to Arnold, and Dick gets a full extension layout to block it away, though Arnold almost catches the junk. I take the disc up to the line, and 'huck' a forehand to Rob Barrett going down the line (lead-in to the next 'highlight'). After a few passes, I get it in the right corner of the endzone, very crowded in front of me. Stall 5, I see Dick cutting across the endzone left to right, so I throw a casual blade for the goal, feeling I have to validate his D, only to have the wind push it down for a turnover. He is PISSED, becausee he was ready to literally leave his cleats on the field after that catch and end his career. So when you see him continue playing somewhere and he either helps or hurts your team, blame me...
* As for that 'long forehand', I think I commented or blogged somewhere that I had learned a long forehand during nationals last year, but obviously couldn't break it out without practice. Well, I lost the technique during the offseason, and I broke out a few long forehands during the NY game that quailed miserably. Ugh.
* Dennis McCarthy, Mr. Kinesthesia, had an unfortunate Saturday. After making it out there for the 8:30AM game, on his second point he cut long and was thrown to. Apparently he had an unobstructed catch, dropped it, and then trying to catch his trash, he badly separated his shoulder, to the point that certain emotions of pain were expressed (so I'm told). This reminds me of Worlds in '93 in Madison, when Bob Deman showed up for his first game in the quarterfinals. On his first point, he did something similar (screwed up shoulder I believe) and Kenny D came over to him and congratulated him on a 'Nice tournament Bob'. And you wonder where they got that edge from...
* Late in the Saturday game against NY, probably 9-2 ish, EO throws a long downwind pass for a goal that is incomplete. Jim, standing near him, immediately excoriates him, asking why he didn't complete that pass? As you can tell, we really had no desire to be playing that game anymore.
* Jordan 'managing' the team. He was very sincere in trying to rally the troops, and run subs, and say the right things, etc. We all went along with it for awhile, then realized that the best way to defuse him was just to say 'Yes, Jordan' whenever he said or asked something, and then do whatever you were going to do anyway. It came to a head when Jordan tried to call Seeger in on offense late in the NY game, after Jay had just played a D point. After he yelled Jay like 4 times, Seeger finally lost it on him and told him 'No means no, or something to that effect. A bunch of us on the line remarked that it was a lesson we had been teaching our children, that sometimes you just had to emphasize that no means no...
* Hanging out briefly at the Devens Grill after the victory regaling ourselves with our greatness, and rochamboing for the tournament trophy, which was actually respectably large. Even though everyone wanted Jim to have the trophy, he being the person to blame/thank for putting the team together, he wanted to have the team rosham for it. 10 of us went in, and after 8 or so ties, we split up into two groups. Naturally Jim won his group and went against Simon in the finals and won the trophy anyway. Jordan, very depressed, was only consoled once Jim said he would rocham Jordan two out of three for it. Jim did his best Dennis McCarthy impression (so he was there in spirit at the end), before losing two straight to cede the trophy to Jordan.
The roster as far as I have been able to reconstruct it was
Moonee, Seeger, Jim, Alex, Jim "Bim" Johnston, Scott Goodrich, Jeff Brown, Rob Barrett, Coop, Bickford, Jordan, John Bar, and Dennis. That was the former DoGs. To fill out the roster we had Simon Verghese, Marshall Goff, Gary Bernard, James Milan, Bill Stewart, and Jackie Bourgeois (Jim's wife for those not in the know).
I followed the weather reports with some interest earlier in the week after it appeared that the gorgeous weather we had all week was going to disappear for the weekend. And disappear it did. After Jim was able to call around and cajole enough people to make the first game Saturday morning (after which we had a bye), Jim and I went to open DoG practice that morning instead. Pouring rain of the field trashing kind ensued, and the practice was not one of the more quality ones, as the field was pretty soft, still had some high grass, and mushy parts. It slows the whole game down (and the soft conditions make me even less nimble than usual).
Fortunately we were able to avoid the sprinting at the end of practice with the valid excuse that we were going to get far more running in the final two games of Saturday than we would in the sprints at the end. And yes we did get in a lot of running Saturday and Sunday.
The team crushed a local Boston team in the first Saturday game in our absence, then the bye, then the competition really began. We had a game against Chop Shop from Western Mass, who apparently went to Nationals last year. They were competitive, we took a largish lead and then let them come right back in the game before eking out a 15-13 victory. Meanwhile Above and Beyond had raced through their game and got to watch us struggle for most of the second half. After that game, there was serious discussion about flipping for the game and going drinking instead for the NY game, but saner heads prevailed, and we ended up deciding to play to 11. Of course right around this time, the rain came back with a vengeance and we spent the entire game either miserable on the field or huddled up on the sideline for warmth. We received, NY quickly jumps out to a 2-0 lead, we rally to 2-1, and then it is 9-1 before we trade out to 11-3. After a quick huddle on the sideline, Jim goes off to tournament central to try and rejigger the schedule for the next day so we don't have to play the 8:30 game. I find out later by email that he has failed. I am not unduly concerned as I have no intentions of making that game, but if we forfeit that game, then we will also have to play the 10:30 4/5 play-in game, so I am a little concerned about numbers.
Turns out I'm right, as at 8:40 there are 4 players, at 9AM or so they finally have 7, and Pittsburgh has generously delayed. They end up playing the game with 7.5 players (Gary Bernard shuttles back and forth between the game and coaching Lincoln/Sudbury for 2 points at a time). Amazingly enough, they go up 9-5 before losing on double game point. Marshall sent me an amusing note on the game. Did Jim tell you that we actually only lost by one? They attempted to
confirm with us that it was "universe point", but we refused to accept
the term and ended up losing on double game point. What Marshall neglected to mention is that they actually received on double game point. Ouch!
So Jim calls me at home at 10:40AM to give me the news that there is no game until 12:30, which is most welcome at this time, especially since we are down a car and I now have to fish for a ride to the fields, and hijack Jeff 'Dick' Brown to pick me up on the way. We get to the fields about 12:15 and gear up for the semis against Chop Shop, who we barely skated by the previous day. It was mostly closer this time, as we went up two early breaks, and then traded out to half. More importantly, we weren't giving them many opportunites as we finally cleaned up the offense. This one was a little more comfortable at 15-11.
This time we got to rest and watch NY close out Pittsburgh for a few points. After their game was over, immediately went over to their huddle, and they were more than interested in starting right away as opposed to waiting for 2:30 to start. So we did...
Now THIS was the DoG that I remembered. Nothing gets the juices flowing like playing against the old NYNY players, even if there were only a few of them like the Flores brothers, EO, Arnold, etc. We again gave up an early break, wait, I gave up an early break, traded out for the rest of the half before scoring the last two to go into half up one AND receiving to start the second half. Well, we reeled off the next four points coming out of half for 6 in a row and effectively putting the game out of reach. Naturally we let them score a few to make it somewhat nervous, but the final was around 15-10/11.
FFor other tourney writeups, check here and Jim's blog. But enough of the dry game summaries and on to the highlights.
* It was incredible how mushy the fields were during Saturday morning practice. As I mentioned, it slowed my fleet self to a crawl. But what a pleasure when I got to the Devens fields. Even after the dumping, they were closely cropped, still somewhat hard (!). HUGE difference in my game as I was finally able to actually juke. And on Sunday, the fields were even better, as the couple of muddy spots had faded and the traction was great. Hopefully it keeps raining otherwise they'll be rocky again for the Invitational in a few weeks.
* I got a layout D in the finals on Juano Flores just outside our endzone on a comeback cut. It was actually a legitimate layout, getting mostly horizontal with pretty good extension. I think I can count my tournament layout D's on the fingers of one hand in the 00's. There was a high layout (sort of) against Shiftyeye, I mean Luke, when he played for Sockeye at Nationals some year early 2000s. There was another one against Andy Crews of the Condors in 2002 during the quarterfinals where we ended their streak at 2 (unfortunately it was called back on a marking foul). Another one at a scrimmage against Brown on one of their main handlers after Wicks had been riding me, but I can't count non-tourneys. I have found that when I actually get a layout D, we have won the game. I theorize that it is because the other team becomes so demoralized... Naturally, Jim theorizes that it is because my team feels so desperate because I am laying out that they turn it up, or something like that.
* In the finals, pulling downwind at 14-10, talking to Dick Brown on the line, and he says he is going to get a layout D. NY works it all the way up the field, then somebody throws a hammer to the left corner of the endzone to Arnold, and Dick gets a full extension layout to block it away, though Arnold almost catches the junk. I take the disc up to the line, and 'huck' a forehand to Rob Barrett going down the line (lead-in to the next 'highlight'). After a few passes, I get it in the right corner of the endzone, very crowded in front of me. Stall 5, I see Dick cutting across the endzone left to right, so I throw a casual blade for the goal, feeling I have to validate his D, only to have the wind push it down for a turnover. He is PISSED, becausee he was ready to literally leave his cleats on the field after that catch and end his career. So when you see him continue playing somewhere and he either helps or hurts your team, blame me...
* As for that 'long forehand', I think I commented or blogged somewhere that I had learned a long forehand during nationals last year, but obviously couldn't break it out without practice. Well, I lost the technique during the offseason, and I broke out a few long forehands during the NY game that quailed miserably. Ugh.
* Dennis McCarthy, Mr. Kinesthesia, had an unfortunate Saturday. After making it out there for the 8:30AM game, on his second point he cut long and was thrown to. Apparently he had an unobstructed catch, dropped it, and then trying to catch his trash, he badly separated his shoulder, to the point that certain emotions of pain were expressed (so I'm told). This reminds me of Worlds in '93 in Madison, when Bob Deman showed up for his first game in the quarterfinals. On his first point, he did something similar (screwed up shoulder I believe) and Kenny D came over to him and congratulated him on a 'Nice tournament Bob'. And you wonder where they got that edge from...
* Late in the Saturday game against NY, probably 9-2 ish, EO throws a long downwind pass for a goal that is incomplete. Jim, standing near him, immediately excoriates him, asking why he didn't complete that pass? As you can tell, we really had no desire to be playing that game anymore.
* Jordan 'managing' the team. He was very sincere in trying to rally the troops, and run subs, and say the right things, etc. We all went along with it for awhile, then realized that the best way to defuse him was just to say 'Yes, Jordan' whenever he said or asked something, and then do whatever you were going to do anyway. It came to a head when Jordan tried to call Seeger in on offense late in the NY game, after Jay had just played a D point. After he yelled Jay like 4 times, Seeger finally lost it on him and told him 'No means no, or something to that effect. A bunch of us on the line remarked that it was a lesson we had been teaching our children, that sometimes you just had to emphasize that no means no...
* Hanging out briefly at the Devens Grill after the victory regaling ourselves with our greatness, and rochamboing for the tournament trophy, which was actually respectably large. Even though everyone wanted Jim to have the trophy, he being the person to blame/thank for putting the team together, he wanted to have the team rosham for it. 10 of us went in, and after 8 or so ties, we split up into two groups. Naturally Jim won his group and went against Simon in the finals and won the trophy anyway. Jordan, very depressed, was only consoled once Jim said he would rocham Jordan two out of three for it. Jim did his best Dennis McCarthy impression (so he was there in spirit at the end), before losing two straight to cede the trophy to Jordan.
The roster as far as I have been able to reconstruct it was
Moonee, Seeger, Jim, Alex, Jim "Bim" Johnston, Scott Goodrich, Jeff Brown, Rob Barrett, Coop, Bickford, Jordan, John Bar, and Dennis. That was the former DoGs. To fill out the roster we had Simon Verghese, Marshall Goff, Gary Bernard, James Milan, Bill Stewart, and Jackie Bourgeois (Jim's wife for those not in the know).
posted by Alex de Frondeville at 7:43 PM
12 Comments:
the list is short, but distinguished. but honestly, i can't remember that. i'd think such an event would still haunt me. or maybe i'm blocking. you are older, maybe the gray matter is getting spongier?
i think the only time i played against you at nationals with sockeye was in 2003. Not in 2002, or 2001... and w/ chain at nationals... just in san antonio...
maybe, MAYBE you got one in chicago in 2001? i do remember marking you a fair amount in that game, mainly in transition zone, i think... we won the game, but if that were the game, it would support your view your sterling efforts must of inspired dog to win the tournament... as we lost in the semis to epig...
and i still don't remember it, so i hope your not besmirching my already besmirched name w/ something like a time where you dove at some tipped throw 4 feet behind me...
but you'll be happy to know, i was going to sit on my couch, drink beer, and rest tonight.
now i am going running.
but, honestly, i was hoping to have as my 'defensive nemesis' someone like young seigs, who's, like a 'd' player...
i really don't want my frisbee epitaph to be, 'one of 5 players ever d'd by the count'.
so i'm going to deny.
and i'm going to have to get another top post going before word of this wild fantasy of yours spreads...
2003 sounds fine. It was definitely you, it was definitely nationals, you guys were wearing red, it was a huge comeback cut, and we won the game, but definitely not nationals, obviously.
At least I'm pretty sure it was you...
Yeah, we lost on double game point, but you could argue that we really did score two more points than we needed to...
i am certain i've never been deed on a huge comeback cut at nationals, by you. I'm sure the beer garden would have resonated w/ your cackling had that been the case. and while it's possible i could have created a mental wall against being d'd by firehat, the statler and waldorf tag team that would have surely followed (blah blah greatest semi ever blah blah how'd you like that 'd' luke blah blah no nose? how does he smell?) would have been unforgettable.
regardless.
i ran last night. and i've decided you use your comments box to post my workouts.
mon: 30 min bike. 1.5 hours throwing. 4.8 miles, 34:20 minutes.
hamstring feeling better.
...no, wait. 2003, was 'tied 5-6.' there was no glory in beerville... still, i'm sticking to my story... unless photographic evidence starts to show up.
at that point, alex becomes the most underrated defensive player in history.
Interestingly enough, it was on a field almost directly in front of the beer garden, or one next to it, and it was in the new crosswind configuration. But I think it was in power pool, so nobody would have been watching from the beer garden anyway...
And as for the most underrated, well, it is hard to be rated any lower, so at least the bar I have to reach is relatively easy...
i mean, you, and jim, would have followed me around, after the game, in the beer garden, w/ you saying 'best 'd' ever', jim saying, now 2002, 'best semi ever', and me relegated to saying '2002' best beer garden ever. but i just am pretty sure that had you gotten a block on me in '03, i'd have remembered the post game heckling more than the actual block...
today: 'recovery / rehab running' which is like jog/run/high knees/run/butt kicks/run/stride/sprint/shuttle runs... and 30 minutes biking...
and 1.5 hours of throwing...
Well, there is a non-zero chance I didn't actually touch the disc, but you definitely knew I was there as I was flying by you, and I'm sure it caused the turnover... And I probably also said I may not have touched the disc, which is why you have consigned the moment to your memory dustbin, not giving me credit for the 'phantom' block.
i think it was josh monohan. he too has blond hair? is there a photo of this anywhere? i looked. no fire hat getting a block on a mohawked dude. i'm moving back to a big city.
i must avenge....
i did find a great one of me throwing.
as promised, tuesday,
1200 at increasing pace to warmup
6x100 'run'
6x100 high knees easy
6x100 run faster
6x100 butt kicks
6x100 accelerate to sprint and slow
6x100 same, but to faster...
got in about 45 minutes of throwing...
hamstring feeling good, but have yet to go '100 percent'
today, coached a scrimage, 9-0 w/ a mixed a/b team vs. one of the new local teams... best moments, 3 or 4 'no turnover points with good position d and marking'.
now off to my site for pith.
still no pith... wednesday, 30 minutes bike, threw for like 20...
thursday, league night... played 22 points in a 13-11 win... still not up to full speed... leg didn't hurt... just still don't have the confidence to go full out. threw 12 goals... plenty of turnovers... generally of the 'ambitious sort' in a 20-25 mph up and down wind... couple d's and force overs at the mark...
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