Tues. & Wed., October 29-30, 2024
Tuesday started with news that smacked of both intrigue and possible hard feelings.
The fortunes of Jacob's Pop Warner
season may not be over after all
Last Saturday night, the Quarterfinal 20-6 playoff loss to the North Valley Bears (8-0) signaled the end to our Camarillo Stingers Blue (6-3) campaign.
Or so we thought.
The Bears suited up 29 players that night which is a huge number at this level where most teams opt to go with rosters of twenty or less. For example, the Stingers had about 38 players come out for football at the Junior level. The organization opted to split them into two teams, the Blue and the Grey.
This is the common practice with most Pop Warner organizations in the Gold Coast Youth Football League for one reason, the Twelve Play Rule.
This rule which has been in place in Pop Warner football since at least when our two sons played Camarillo Roadrunners Pop Warner ball back in the 1980s.
What the rule states is that every player suited out for a game MUST play in at least 12 plays. This becomes problematic the bigger the squad, thus the choice to create more than one team at each level by so many organizations. The rules state that each team has a recorder for their own team monitoring, recording and certifying that all of the team's athletes did indeed hit the field for at least the minimum 12 plays.
Now to the crux of the issue. The Stingers were apparently able to prove through video study that not all of the Bears played their 12 plays.
From what we've been told, the GCYFL Board of Directors, after evaluating the evidence the Stingers provided, agreed that the Bears were in violation of the Twelve Play Rule.
That meant that the Bears' win was forfeited and the #8 seeded Stingers were now in the Semifinals on the road against the #5 Santa Clarita Aztecs (8-1).
Maybe.
The Bears are, I'm sure, protesting this decision and as of this writing the GCYFL website still lists the Santa Clarita Aztecs playing the North Valley Bears on Saturday.
My concern is the hard feelings that may be being created between the Bears and Stingers in the future by this situation.
Stay tuned . . .
Tuesday night belonged
to the New York Yankees
The Yankees avoided a World Series sweep by clobbering the Dodgers in this one. Still the Los Angeles nine held on to a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
They played again Wednesday night in New York's Yankee Stadium.
Wednesday morning was shipping day for our seemingly non-stop philanthropic adventure of send good quality, used equipment to needy football teams in an effort to help the game grow globally.
We shipped a box with 96 jerseys to
Bart Iaccarino's Cecina Trappers in Italy
We also sent a box to Enrique Prado Alonso
for our new team in Spain, the
Gijón Mariners
This box contained 48 jerseys, two pants and two kicking tees.
Both boxes had both the brown and white jerseys seen in the two photos above.
If you are interested, I still have another 109 jerseys in need of a new home.
I was invited to attend the Mustangs' flag
football team's season ending pizza party
It was a nice, simple ceremony
with the team and . . .
. . . coaches exchanging pleasantries
Jacob was not in attendance as he has been home all week battling health issues that his doctor fears could become pneumonia unless he continues to be cautious.
On Wednesday night in New York City . . .
The Dodgers had a comeback
for the ages!
The Yankees jumped out to a seemingly commanding 5-0 lead going into the top of the fifth inning only to see the Dodgers take advantage of three New York errors en route to their amazing and historic comeback.
In a deciding game of a World Series, no team in history had ever overcome a five run deficit.
Until tonight.
By winning Game Five, the Dodgers
became the World Series Champions
for the eighth time in franchise history
The Blue Crew won one lone World Series title as the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1955 against the New York Yankees.
Since their move to Los Angeles in 1958, the Dodgers have now won seven additional World Series Championships:
1959 vs. Chicago White Sox
1963 vs. the New York Yankees
1965 vs. the Minnesota Twins
1981 vs. the New York Yankees
1988 vs. the Oakland Athletics
2020 vs. the Tampa Bay Rays
2024 vs. the New York Yankees.
The Dodgers with eight are now tied for fifth in all-time World Series Championships:
1. New York Yankees - 27
2. St. Louis Cardinals - 11
3T. Boston Red Sox - 9
Philadelphia/Kansas City/Oakland A's - 9
5T. Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers - 8
New York/San Francisco Giants - 8
Freddie Freeman won the
World Series MVP Award
He so richly deserved this honor for his outstanding and consistent play.
As for American football . . .
Team Turkey will travel to play
Team Netherlands on Nov. 17th
It should be a barn burner. If I was on the continent, I would certainly go to this game.
This Sunday, the Rams could climb
up the NFC West standings with a win
Reading Is FUNdamental!
This was a thought provoking
historical novel that I highly recommend
I had purchased this book from the author himself who was signing copies at a table inside the Gettysburg National Military Park's Visitors' Center when we visited the battlefield last month.
This tale did not focus on the minute details of this bloody three day battle that turned the tide of the American Civil War in favor of the Union.
While there is quite a bit of discussion of the battle's movements and events, this book looks more at the conflict in Gettysburg through the eyes of the civilians who lived in what was, at that time, a sleepy little Pennsylvania rural town.
It gave wonderful insights from a perspective that I had never before considered.
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