Sunday, August 17, 2025
Today was Picture Day for the Camarillo Stingers Pop Warner Program.
DE Jacob Contreras
Another season of Stingers football
This promises to be a difficult season for the Senior Blue team.
Games are supposed to start next weekend but the actual schedule has still not been announced.
Go Stingers GO!
Meanwhile in EuroBall . . .
In 2016, I accepted a job to be the Head Coach of the new Gdansk Wikingowie in Poland's DII league. This club was entering just their second season of existence with high hopes.
About two weeks before I was scheduled to depart for Poland, I received the news that the Wikingowie was folding their team due to financial reasons.
Although I was temporarily without a EuroBall squad to coach, I did find work quickly coaching Sweden's Wäsby Warriors in the Spring and Spain's Osos Rivas team plus their developmental club, the Guadalajara Stings in the Fall.
The Gdansk experience led me to ruminate about the situation and eventually come up with The Contreras Five Year Rule.
Simply stated, I now live by and advise others to adhere to this simple concept. If a team or a league has been in existence for five years or less, no matter how enthusiastic they may be, DO NOT SIGN WITH THEM.
Despite all of the new found excitement, intentions, hopes and dreams, a team and/or league needs time to figure out all of its financial, leadership and organizational issues first and foremost. For me, that means at least five solid years of existence.
I bring all of this rule up because of what is looking more and more to be the fifth and final year of the European League of Football for again financial reasons.
The Final Week's Results
of the Regular Season
There were four close games decided by 15 points or less, two games won by comfortable margins of 23 and 27 points and the usual two blowouts by the exact same 57 points. All in all, it was a typical ELF week.
First, I looked to see the fate of the two teams mired at o-11 who were trying one last time to taste the fruits of victory in 2025.
NUTS!
The Helvetic Mercenaries dropped to 0-12
DOUBLE NUTS!!
The Cologne Centurions finish at 0-12 too
Somehow, at the last minute, the Centurions found the minimum 35 able bodied players needed to play a game under ELF rules. It was rumored all week long that the Centurions were going to forfeit the game.
I was happy to see the Madrid Bravos
win and thus make the ELF Playoffs
ELF Regular Season Standings
The Official 2025 ELF Playoff Brackets
The #1 seeded Vienna Vikings (11-1) and #2 seeded Munich Ravens (11-1) both have Wild Card Round Playoff byes.
Next weekend, the #4 seeded Nordic Storm (10-2) will host the #5 seeded Rhein Fire (8-4). These two Northern Division squads played twice this season and split their two games.
In Week Nine, the Nordic Storm edged the Rhein Fire at home in Copenhagen, 25-24.
Today, in a Week 14 contest, the Fire beat the Storm, 27-19, in a game played in Germany.
The winner of the Fire-Storm game will play the Vienna Vikings in two weeks in Austria.
The other Wild Card game next weekend will be between the #6 seeded Madrid Bravos (8-4) and the #3 seeded Stuttgart Surge (10-2) in a game to be played in Germany. These two clubs did not meet this season.
The winner of the Bravos-Surge contest will also play in a fortnight against the Munich Ravens in Bavarian capital.
Thoughts from the net . . .
Lots to argue here starting
with #99 who should be
L.A. Rams DT Aaron Donald
It's true
Despite being one of the greatest hitters of all time, Ted Williams best season for total number of hits came in 1949 with 194 hits during 566 at bats for a batting average of .348.
During his famed 1941 season when Williams batted .406, the last time in MLB history that anyone has hit .400, he had 185 hits in 456 at bats.
Additionally, he only garnered 2,654 career hits thanks in large part to serving as a U.S. Marines fighter pilot in WWII and in the Korean War. Williams never made it into the magic 3,000 Hits Club that currently includes only 33 former MLB players.
Who knew?
If you recall, Michael and Jacob both are Civil War Reenactors. They both participated in a reenactment in Astoria, Oregon last July. There was a professional photographer at the two days of "battles" who has been a bit slow in posting his pictures.
Until today . . .
The Mighty Band of Federals
Michael and Jacob loading up
for the battle with the Rebs
Ever Vigilant
HERE THEY COME!
Jacob is WOUNDED!
A father with his bleeding son
An angry father seeking REVENGE!
Somehow, they both survived another round of Civil War skirmishes.
Thank goodness this is all just a reenactment, both fun and safe!
Finally . . .
My new creed
I have found this to be about 87% true
Now this one is 100% true for me
The next week will see everyone going back to school except for Laurie and me. GOOD TIMES INDEED!
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