The Goal-Line Stand (Div D) – Finals Recap

I have now officially drank out of the championship cup in two consecutive years while never once being part of a championship team. I’d like to know who else could have accomplished this feat but me, besides whomever’s job it is to wash and shine the cups between seasons (Daron Basmadjian’s?). Last season it was La Sauce’s sauce – an unidentified viscous liquid whose origins are yet unknown, and this season it was #NoRegard’s concoction – a combination of champagne and delicious.

 

As I write this article, I scroll through the FPF Facebook wall to see pictures of Lance Daniel, Alex Holowach, Kendal Mayers, and the gang with girls who all seem to have splendid personalities during what is, in fact, the greatest after-party in the history of recreational sports. I “turned up” there on Sunday night to find exactly what I had anticipated: a group of gentlemen drinking Tang and playing round after exhilarating round of speed chess.

 

Well done, chaps. You deserve it.

 

The Game

 

It’s unfortunate, from a spectator’s point of view, that #NoRegard was in the driver’s seat for the vast majority of the game. The only real time the game was tight was during the opening drive when not enough plays had elapsed for one team to score yet. That’s not to say the game wasn’t without its moments of excitement. The packed house (mostly #NoRegard fans but with a surprising amount of Project Mayhem fans sporting their orange pom-poms) gave a serious championship atmosphere to the entire event. #NoRegard went up by three scores early and then it simply became a war of attrition to the final whistle.

 

Controversy reared its ugly head when Project Mayhem defensive stalwart David Daoust was ejected for objectionable conduct after not completely agreeing (understatement) with an official. It’s interesting to think what may have been had Daoust been available throughout the entire game for his team. In the end, #NoRegard gets the championship and a first class ticket to Division 4 next season while Project Mayhem gets time to make decisions about their team’s future.

 

Paolo Della Rocca and I had the opportunity to broadcast Calling the Audible live from Brossard. If you weren’t able to catch it live or be at the game itself, go to fpf.podomatic.com to listen to the full recorded broadcast. Remember, it was live, so we weren’t able to edit out things like Paolo’s habitual accidentally racist gaffes. Besides that, it’s pretty kosher. So eat up.

 

 

The Gift

 

Because I couldn’t afford to get #NoRegard anything on a writer’s salary, I made them something instead. Considering that they are music artists, I wrote them a few verses to commemorate the occasion. And we all know how much everyone likes it when I do things like this…

 

This season was begun,

the moment last was over.

They would start their run,

their opponents getting colder.

 

Now the sched was set,

so that they would lose.

That’s what people had bet,

but instead they would cruise.

 

On the wall they troll,

to people’s dismay.

During playoffs they roll,

Don’t matter to who you pray.

 

Some people may be lovers,

while others are haters,

They’ll send you back to your mothers,

and say ‘see ya later!”

Other teams try, but other teams fail,

to the champs, we all must hail.

 

I’ll leave it to the marketing geniuses of #NoRegard to manage my career and finance a music video.

 

The Guilt

 

I wanted to take this opportunity to clearly and sincerely express my deepest gratitude to all those who read this week’s article, as well as those who have been checking in over the past three seasons. You have given me a reason to enjoy writing and an outlet from which to share it. It is an honor and a pleasure to write for such an intelligent and honest group of people – people for whom I’ve sacrificed many hours in an attempt to earn and retain respect from. As much as I write these articles for the fans and readers of FPF, you have also allowed me to write them for myself, as I have been granted the freedom (based on feedback) to wonder into the realms of prose and stray far beyond the foundation of football. And now, with Calling the Audible growing by leaps and bounds, my team and I have yet another project’s success to thank you for. We work hard to make the podcast for you, and the value we place on your viewership is monumental. Take the next few months to lick your wounds and rest your heads, but remember that January isn’t too far away. Merci.

#FlagPlusFootball

By: Paolo Della Rocca

With every passing season FPF’s community grows larger.  This would be most obvious to those who frequent the league’s Facebook wall. Where we see the greatest involvement of players in the media aspect of the league (social or organized) is in the lower divisions.  It is here where much of the expansion takes place and what has manifested is a culture of young, brazen and brash teams looking for a voice among the old guard of Flag Plus Football.  No team was more typical of this demeanor than #NoRegard. 

The first time the Flag Plus community witnessed the hash-tagged assault on its wall was after #NoRegard’s second win of their first season.  This win came against Checkmate (unfortunately for this particular analyst), a team fellow FPF personality GM Koletheras, predicted to challenge for the winter 2012 Division 5 championship. From then on #NoRegard remained steadfast in their belief in themselves and in their ability. 

This summer season was marked by an intense rivalry between the #NoRegard and an early favorite, The Rogues.  Words were exchanged constantly and two battles were fought along the way to the trophy.  Long before the conference final was played and the #NoRegard was declared victorious, spectators were treated to a true show of sportsmanship as players shook hands after big plays and two teams looked to the opposite sidelines in admiration of the fierce competition with whom they shared the field.  After the game the Facebook wall was filled posts from members of each team congratulating their opponents either for having played a ‘helluva’ season or for advancing to one final round.   

Prior to the final, tempers flared between the heavily favored hash-tagged scoundrels and the absolute underdog Project Mayhem.  During the game, verbal aggression was the norm as both teams saw players forced to the sideline for objectionable conduct (#NoRegard’s Mike Vieira and Project Mayhem’s Dave Daoust).  But once again, once all the dust had settled Dave Daoust congratulated #NoRegard for a game well played and a championship well deserved.  This is the mutual respect we have come to expect from our fellow players.  Perhaps this respect will grow as the lower division players move upward. Perhaps one day we will say names like Holowach and D’Amour and they will demand the reverence of those who have come before.

#Whatchyagonnado?

The most special moment in any sport happens once every season.  Every beautiful catch, every game saving tackle, every heartbreaking loss becomes insignificant compared to the single moment that the final game has ended and one team is declared champion.  Time seems to slow down as the final play comes to an end and the moment that one comes to realization that they now stand alone.  It’s the sort of joyful loneliness that only exists in sports. 

I wanted to thank the league executives, players, and fans for allowing me the honor of hosting Calling the Audible live from the finals.  Interviewing players of #NoRegard in that one special moment, that apex of human emotion, was an absolute privilege.  It is with great pride for our entire division that I can announce that #NoRegard are champions of the 2012 Flag Plus Football Division D cup!