DC vs Whitecaps x 2

Tonight, two DC sports teams will both play the "Whitecaps" - one from Vancouver (Major League Soccer), the other from Boston (Major League Ultimate).

• DC United play Vancouver Whitecaps in Washington, DC at 7pm.
• DC Current play Boston Whitecaps in Boston at 7pm.

RESULTS:

The "Whitecaps" swept the DC games. The DC Current lost to Whitecaps 15-23, & DC United lost to Whitecaps 0-1.

Sportsbook: June 29-30

Ten Eleven scheduled professional Ultimate games this weekend. Two MLU playoff games & 8 AUDL games. Betting lines - the spread & points total (Over/Under) - for professional Ultimate are for entertainment purposes only.

AUDL games. MLU games.

Saturday, June 28

• Phoenix (-6) @ Breeze (+6); 43
• Hammerheads (+5) @ Empire (-5); 45
• Dragons (+5) @ Rush (-5); 48
• Radicals (+2) @ Wildfire (-2); 41
• Revolution (+6) @ Wind Chill (-6); 40
• Mechanix (+4.5) @ AlleyCats (-4.5); 44

MLU Playoffs (June 28)

• Rainmakers (+2.5) @ Dogfish (-2.5); 36. RESULT: SEA 17 - SF 18; total = 35 
• Current (+3.5) @ Whitecaps (-3.5); 39. RESULT: DC 15 - BOS 23; total = 38

 Sunday, June 29

• Ooops...missed the make-up game of Hammerheads @ Phoenix
• Rush (-4) @ Dragons (+4); 45
• Radicals (-3) @ Mechanix (+3); 44

Full 2013 Schedules: AUDL . MLU .

Agree or Disagree? Have your say in the comments.

MLU 2013 Playoffs: Conference Finals

MLU playoffs start on Saturday, June 29 with the Western & Eastern Conference championship games. Each playoff team earned $1500; the Conference winners are then given a chance to win $5000/team in the Championship Game (July 13).

Saturday, June 29 @ 1:30pm PT: Seattle Rainmakers (8-2) and San Francisco Dogfish (8-2) played each other 3 times during the season; Dogfish won 2 games. Dogfish are 5-0 at home, while Rainmakers are 3-2 away - both losses to San Fran. All 3 games were incredibly close.

Score totals & average in the 3 SF vs SEA games

Saturday, June 29 @ 7pm ET: DC Current (4-6) and Boston Whitecaps (10-0) played each other 3 times during the season; Whitecaps won all 3 games. Whitecaps are 5-0 at home, while Current are 2-3 away - two of those to Boston.

Score totals and average in the 3 DC vs BOS games 

Credits: Conference Final graphics from MLU. Pie charts = mine.

Breeze Spelling Fail

If this misspelling is DC Breeze's (hugely) subtle jab at their Philly rival, then they may want to take a page from this DC Current fan's book.

DC Breeze 2013 Schedule

Hey, props to a nicely designed schedule! Yes, we all spell words incorrectly; sometimes, I even misspell "misspell."

Injuries in Major League Ultimate

In the first week of MLU's 2013 season, there were 27 injured players. By the end of the season (Week 10), injured players increased nearly 50% (48.15%) to 40! See a team-by-team comparison Week 1 to Week 2.

:Most Common MLU Player Injuries [#s (%)]:
1) Hamstring [41 (16%)]
2) Knee [34 (13%)]
3) Ankle [27 (11%)]
4) Hand/Finger [23 (9%)]
5) Leg [23 (9%)]
6) Foot [21 (8%)]
7) Calf [14 (6%)]
8) Groin [12 (5%)]

• Total listed injuries = 253
• 65% of all MLU player injuries = Leg-related
• "Turf toe", classified as a Foot injury, occurred only once (Spinners, Week 1)
• Listed injuries ranged from "Tweaked hip flexor" [M. Kuzmowycz, Rumble] to "Knee (Long-term IR)" [J. Hayduk, Nighthawks]
• Stags listed the weirdest injuries in Week 4 for two of their players - "Hit by Car" & "Bike Accident"^

NOTES: Data Sources (Weeks 1-10, except Week 9)
**"Approved Absences" (qty = 123) were NOT included in chart calculations.
The "Leg-related" sub-group includes: Ankle, Calf, Groin, Hamstring, Hip, IT band, Knee, & Leg*
*Leg is sub-categorized under "Leg-related" because no further details were provided on the IR postings.
^"Other" category includes:  Bone Bruise (1%), Arm (.4%), Bike Accident (.4%), Hit by Car (.4%), Upper Body (.4%)
Recurring injuries (i.e. Rainmakers' Seth Wiggins' thumb injury) were counted as many times it was listed throughout the season.
For any combination injury listings (i.e. "Knee/Hamstring"), only the first injury listed was calculated. (6 cases)

Ultimate Frisbee article [Washington Post]

A friend texted me "Reading abt the Current in the Post Sports Section" this past weekend. Published in the printed newspaper (circulation of 838,000), the article is a good 'MLU 101' and game promo.

However, the article did not cover the other DC pro ultimate team (Breeze), nor the AUDL. Did the author ignore covering the AUDL/Breeze because he writes for the MLU/Current?

Game recap. WaPo story.

Ultimate frisbee looks to grow, so long as it can maintain its roots [WaPo 6.22.13]
By Bryan Flaherty

..."Playing before crowds of over a thousand has been unreal,” said Daniel Kantor, DC’s co-captain. "When I first got my jersey and got on the team bus for a road game, it made me think, 'Yeah, this is happening. I'm playing professional ultimate.'"

"Professional" is true in a minimal sense. MLU Commissioner Jeff Snader said players make $25 per game with incentives that will push some players' season salaries over $1,000. Crowds at the modest stadiums the league rents from high schools and municipalities have been small, but Snader said fans who give the sport a look tend to return.

"Things can change in an instant," said Tom Crawford, chief executive of USA Ultimate. "At any moment, players can shift from offense to defense."

What traditionally has not been part of such transitions is the presence of a referee. The sport's guiding principle — referred to as "spirit of the game" — calls for players to make their own officiating decisions and settle disputes on their own.

But MLU made a decision to move away from the self-officiating principle, instituting referees instead in one of several key rules changes aimed at making the game more accessible to regular sports fans, including adding time-regulated quarters instead of playing to a point total and expanding the size of the playing field.

"We wanted to simplify things on the field for the players and the fans," said Snader. "Referees prevent lengthy on-field discussions between players and move the game along."

According to Crawford, such rules changes mean the MLU is playing a sport that isn't, by the strictest definition, ultimate.
...

DC Current Highlight on SCTop10

Finally! After being on the wrong side of an ESPN highlight four times this season, Washington DC Current are featured at #7 on the June 24th broadcast of SportsCenter's Top 10:

A higher quality video of same play:

AUDL & MLU Snapshots (June 22-23)

Fourteen pro ultimate games were played this past weekend. Compare to last week.

NOTES: AUDL games have 12-minute quarters; MLU games have 10-minute quarters
^One AUDL game [Wildfire v Revolution] ended with 1:10 left in game due to inclement weather.

[AUDL] Toronto Rush are still undefeated at 11-0, with 5 more regular season games to play.
[AUDL] 11 = consecutive wins by Toronto (11-0) & Wildfire (12-1).
[AUDL] Weather shortened the Wildfire at Revolution game^; happened in Week 6, too.
[AUDL] Hammerheads (2-10) won; their first win in 64 days, back on April 21 (Week 2).
[AUDL] 40 = highest total score by an AUDL team, by Toronto (Week 11).
[AUDL] +24 = largest margin of victory, by Toronto (40) over Breeze (16).
[AUDL] 56 = total scores between Toronto and Breeze; not an AUDL record.
[AUDL] ~11 = average margin of victory in Toronto's 11 Eastern Division games.

[MLU] The inaugural 2013 MLU regular season is over!
[MLU] Boston Whitecaps won all their regular season games; undefeated at 10-0. [BosTEN-0]
[MLU] 5 games = losses in a row for Stags.
[MLU] For the first-time all season, Current scored over 19 points with a 22-20 win over Rumble (Week 10).
[MLU] The Current are the only playoff team with a losing record (4-6) & a negative goal difference.
[MLU] After 40 MLU regular season games played, home teams were 21-19 (52%)
[MLU] The MLU playoffs are set for Saturday, June 29:
WESTERN: Dogfish (#1) v Rainmakers (#2)
EASTERN: Whitecaps (#1) v Current (#2)

"Feeturing" the Most Callous Ultimate Injury

Believe it or not, these foot injuries occurred while playing Ultimate Frisbee!

Injuries shown were caused by playing barefoot on a rough turf field for only 10 minutes!

Updated DC Current Logo

In solidarity with the Washington Monument, which is covered with scaffolding and fabric during repairs, an updated team logo has been unveiled for the Washington DC Current.

[Designed by: Eli Neugeboren]

RELATED: Alternative DC Current logo [pre-season].

Actual picture of Washington Monument with fabric-draped scaffolding:

Undefeated Boston Whitecaps (10-0)

Congratulations to Boston Whitecaps for an undefeated regular season, 10 wins & 0 losses!

Bos"TEN"- 0

Other designs to commemorate this milestone...

Sportsbook: June 22-23

Fourteen scheduled professional Ultimate games this weekend. Four AUDL teams play back-to-back games to help the playoff picture. In the last week of the MLU,  Boston goes for an undefeated season, NY & DC play a meaningful game and a Western Conference Game preview. Betting lines - the spread & points total (Over/Under) - for professional Ultimate are for entertainment purposes only.

AUDL games. MLU games.

Saturday, June 22

• Wildfire (-8.5) @ Mechanix (+8.5); 48
• Breeze (+10) @ Rush (-10); 45
• Phoenix (+3) @ Empire (-3); 31 
• AlleyCats (+4.5) @ Radicals (-4.5); 42
• Current @ Spinners NP*
• Rainmakers (-3) @ Nighthawks (+3); 33
• Dogfish (-5) @ Stags (+5); 35
• Rumble @ Boston NP*

 Sunday, June 23

• Breeze (+7) @ Dragons (-7); 45
• AlleyCats (+4) @ Wind Chill (-4); 51
• Wildfire (-5) @ Revolution (+5); 46
• Empire (-4) @ Hammerheads (+4); 44
• Dogfish (+2) @ Rainmakers (-2); 27 
• Rumble (+2.5) @ Current (-2.5); 41

Full 2013 Schedules: AUDL . MLU .

*NP = Not posted due to Sunday's game with playoff implications.

Agree or Disagree? Have your say in the comments.

Reviews of MLU Innova Pulsar Ultimate Disc

One way a pro Ultimate player in Major League Ultimate could avoid being suspended & fined for any negative comments of a sponsored product is to post a product review. Here's what others are saying about the Official Disc of MLU, the Innova Pulsar, on the MLU Store website:

For the MLU Official Game Disc - Innova Pulsar:
Adam V. "It's a fun disc"
The OI flicks on this disc are insane. It's definitely a disc everyone should have in their collection.

Denny L. "Sweet discs that fly long and true"
The title says it - huck, hammer, pass, etc - if I throw it right, it flies long and true. If I throw it wrong, it's my fault. Disc up!

Guillaume S. "official discs"
they're ok, but not the same design as on the web. a bit disappointed.

Zachary H. "Great discs!"
We've played with many discs, and it was unanimously decided that these discs were the best. The only downside was that it took about two weeks for my order to arrive. I know that's not that long, but in today's world you can get almost anything faster than that. Free sticker was a plus!

Olivier T. "Not revolutionnary"
It's an ok disk, but not worth 17$. Knowing that I can get a personnalised disc from Discraft for 8$ and that I didn't notice the different flight path, I won't order back.

For the MLU Stock Disc - Innova Pulsar:
Antoine M. "Realy good"
Fast delivery to quebec . nice disk. Alot of fun to try them out. Long live MLU

Jason C. "Pulsar is an interesting disc"
It takes a little getting used to, but the Innova Pulsar flies nicely, and seems to have better range than the ultra-star that I normally use. It is definitely a deeper/taller disc, and the rim is thinner, but the weighting still feels right. I'll have to try again on a calmer day, but I like the disc. Now to get my league to approve it for games! :)

Cj L. "Product"
I had no problem with the order or shipment. However, as an Ultimate disc I strongly disapprove of the Innova Pulsars after now trying them. The weight feels different due to the rim, which is too long and seems harder than it should be. It actually hurt to grip and throw flick hucks. I also saw no difference in distance traveled as advertised.
Probably not the type of feedback you were looking for, but I figured the more voices against the MLU official disc the better
##

Player's Disc Criticism Thrown Away

UPDATE: Ultiworld is reporting Malacek is now suspended without pay for this weekend's game! Now Ultiworld is reporting Malacek is now suspended a half game.

Each player is paid $25 per game, which is the equivalent of about 2 Innova Pulsar discs (on sale via MLU's Store.

Screengrab from MLU Store.

=============================

Ultiword recently re-posted a review of the MLU's official disc Innova Pulsar compared to the Discraft Ultrastar. The original review was posted on the personal blog (Process of Illumination) of Brandon "Muffin" Malacek, a player for Boston's club team (Ironside) & Boston's MLU pro team (Whitecaps). He also played for the Rhode Island Rampage in the 2012 AUDL season.

His original post was published a few days ago, and then was highlighted in on Ultiworld with an auspicious prediction of "Count me as surprised that MLU brass has not ordered this taken down yet."

His constructive review starts "As many of my Whitecaps teammates can attest, I've been in a continuing love-hate relationship with the Innova Pulsar." It was by no means a glowing review for the new disc on the Ulti-scene, yet it provided a practical comparison of throwing the two discs.

Late last night, the original post was removed/deleted from Malacek's blog. Malacek's excellent tweet from this morning:

The full review text can still be found at: Ultrastar v. Pulsar [Ultiworld]

[NOTE: I enjoy humorous headlines from time to time, but this one wrote itself]

Game Preview: NY Rumble vs DC Current - June 23

The most important game to watch in Major League Ultimate is the New York Rumble versus DC Current game on Sunday, June 23 at 4pm ET in Arlington, VA. This game has playoff implications - the winner secures the 2nd spot in MLU's Eastern Conference.

:How They Match Up:

(through 8 games)

:Scoring:

:History:
Rumble and Current have played each other twice so far this season; each winning one game.
May 18: Rumble over Current, 17-14. Watch full game.

	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Final
DCC	3	4	3	4	14
NYR	4	3	6	4	17

June 8: Current over Rumble, 19-17 in OT.

	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	OT	Final
DCC	3	4	6	3	3	19
NYR	1	6	7	2	1	17

:Other Factor(s):

• Both teams have games on Saturday. Rumble play in Boston at 7pm, while Current plays in Philadelphia at 6pm. How will teams play their Saturday games knowing the impact of Sunday's outcome? 
• Distance to Washington, DC: from Boston, 395 miles; from Philadelphia, 123 miles. How will travel affect the teams?
• Injuries to Mazur, Anderson and Heijmen (NYR) & Kolick and Doi (DCC) impacted the last meeting of these teams. Will they return? 

NexGen Tour 2013

The NexGen Tour starts today! Per heir published schedule, the 2013 tour will have 13 stops in 29 days. As NexGen travels counterclockwise on their U.S. trek, they play the same teams from 2012 except for Washington DC (Truckstop) & Colorado (Johnny Bravo).

:2013: Schedule [13 games]
June 18 vs Revolver (San Francisco, CA)
June 22 vs Doublewide (Austin, TX)
June 24 vs Chain Lightning (Atlanta, GA)
June 27  vs Ring of Fire (Raleigh, NC)
July 1 vs PoNY (New York, NY)
July 2 vs Ironside (Boston, MA)
July 4  vs GOAT (Toronto, Canada)
July 7 vs Machine (Chicago, IL)
July 9 vs Madison (Madison, WI)
July 10 vs Sub Zero (Minneapolis, MN)
July 13 vs Rhino (Portland, OR)
July 15 vs Furious (Vancouver, Canada)
July 16 vs Sockeye (Seattle, WA)

:2012: [16 games]
July 20, Johnny Bravo
July 22, Sub Zero
July 24, Madison Club
July 26, Machine
July 27, GOAT
July 29, Ironside
July 31, PoNY
August 2, Spinners
August 4, Truckstop
August 6, Ring of Fire
August 11, Chain Lightning
August 14, Doublewide
August 17, Revolver
August 20, Rhino
August 22, Sockeye
August 23, Furious George

VW Ad: Frisbee Throwers without a Frisbee

Mazda is not the first company to use Frisbees in their advertising; nor, the first auto company. In this Volkswagen ad, the flying disc is replaced by a coiled snake.

"Just because it fits, doesn't mean it'll work" [SOURCE]

AUDL & MLU Snapshots (June 15-16)

Ten pro ultimate games were played this past weekend. Compare to last week.

NOTES: AUDL games have 12-minute quarters; MLU games have 10-minute quarters
One AUDL game [Phoenix v Hammerheads] went into OT

[MLU] Boston Whitecaps are undefeated at 9-0, with one more game (at home) to play in the reg season.
[MLU] 7 games = losses in a row for Spinners (2-7); the longest losing streak in the MLU.
[MLU] Nighthawks (3-6) swept their 3-game season series against the Stags.
[MLU] San Francisco Dogfish clinched the Western Conference with their win over Rainmakers.
[MLU] If, if, if the season ended today, the MLU playoffs would feature:
WESTERN: Dogfish (#1) v Rainmakers (#2); EASTERN: Whitecaps (#1) v Rumble (#2) based on overall point differential.

[AUDL] Toronto Rush are undefeated at 10-0, with 6 more regular season games to play.
[AUDL] 10 games = losing streak for Hammerheads (1-10). In NJ's remaining schedule, they play Empire 3 times, Breeze once, plus a makeup game vs Phoenix on June 30.
[AUDL] 9 = consecutive wins by Wildfire (10-1).
[AUDL] 5 = consecutive wins by Empire (7-3)
[AUDL] In games decided by 2 scores or less, Radicals (8-3) are 4-3.
[AUDL] +2.71 = lowest margin of victory for a set of weekend games in the 2013 AUDL season (meaning they were all close games)!

Foam Roller Alternative

Ah, the foam roller. The firm foam log has become a seemingly ubiquitous member of the Ultimate sideline. There are many exercises for a foam roller - before, during, and/or after playing Ultimate.

For those who prefer not rolling on the ground, there's another option:
Roll Recovery R8

Info: A revolutionary massage roller & keep your legs fresh, healthy and recovered. The patented technology self-adjusts to different leg sizes and targets the quads, hamstrings, IT bands, glutes, calf muscles, shins, hip flexors & more.

Bring it to your workouts, throw it in your bag, or take it to the office. The 2.5-pound R8 was designed to be used anywhere.

Price: $119.00

ROLL Recovery R8 from ROLL Recovery on Vimeo.

Sportsbook: June 15-16

Ten scheduled professional Ultimate games this weekend. The top 2 teams in the MLU West meet on Saturday. In the AUDL, watch those back-to-back games with playoff implications. Betting lines - the spread & points total (Over/Under) - for professional Ultimate are for entertainment purposes only.

AUDL games. MLU games.

Saturday, June 15

• Empire (+3) @ Phoenix (-3); 40
• Radicals (-5) @ Revolution (+5); 43
• Wind Chill (+3.5) @ Wildfire (-3.5); 36
• Spinners (+5) @ Whitecaps (-5); 35
• Nighthawks (-3.5) @ Stags (+3.5); 42
• Rainmakers (+3) @ Dogfish (-3); 32 

 Sunday, June 16

• Dragons (+6.5) @ Rush (-6.5); 45
• Empire (-5) @ Breeze (+5); 37 
• Phoenix (-6) @ Hammerheads (+6); 41
• Radicals (+2) @ AlleyCats (-2); 44

Full 2013 Schedules: AUDL . MLU .

Agree or Disagree? Have your say in the comments.

Eli Manning, Frisbee Golfer

Eli Manning, NFL Quarterback, shows off his disc golf skills in a commercial for Dick's Sporting Goods.

Full commercial:
[h/t Sporting News]

Post-Season in Pro Ultimate

Two more weeks in the MLU season and five more weeks in the AUDL season. Then, the playoffs begin!

American Ultimate Disc League

Announced on Facebook: AUDL Ultimate Disc Championship II

(Eastern Conference Champions vs Midwestern Conference Champions)
WHEN: August 3-4, 2013
WHERE: Lane Tech Stadium in Chicago, IL

PLAYOFFS: #2 vs. #3 seeded teams from each Conference. Winners will then play the #1 seed in the semi-finals (8/3) during "Ultimate Championship Weekend".
WHEN: Friday, July 26 (Eastern) & Saturday, July 27 (Western)
WHERE: Lane Tech Stadium in Chicago, IL TBD

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Major League Ultimate
As expected, MLU's Commissioner recently revealed the location of the MLU Championship Game.

MLU Championship Game
(Eastern Conference Championship game winner vs Western Conference Championship game winner)
WHEN: July 13, 2013
WHERE: Philadelphia, PA

PLAYOFFS: #1 vs. #2 seeded teams from each Conference. Winners will then play each other on 7/13.
WHEN: June 29, 2013
WHERE: TBD. Presumed to be hosted at the winner of each conference. 
Eastern: Boston, MA; Western: San Francisco, CA.

Jeep's Deep Hucks

Mazda is not the first automobile company to use the Frisbee to sell vehicles.

In this Jeep commercial from 2008: People are shown throwing a disc across a deep canyon. After an eventual drop, the disc tumbles into the rugged gorge which prompts each of the throwers to excitedly claim "I got it!" as they head to their Jeep to retrieve the dropped disc.


RELATED:  Zack Snyder who directed the award-winning commercial (above), also directed these films:  '300', 'Dawn of the Dead', 'Watchmen' & 'Man of Steel'.

AUDL & MLU Snapshots (June 7-9)

Nine pro ultimate games were played this past weekend. Compare to last week.

NOTES: AUDL games have 12-minute quarters; MLU games have 10-minute quarters
One MLU Game [Current v Rumble] went into OT

[AUDL] Radicals were the only road team to win this weekend.
[AUDL] 58 = total combined score in Breeze (27) vs Phoenix (31); a high score, but not a record.
[AUDL] AlleyCats are the only team with a negative Goal Difference (-4) and a winning record (5-4).

[AUDL] 3-16 (15%) = teams' record on the 2nd day of road trip versus fresh opponents [h/t semiproUltimate]
[AUDL] 7 = consecutive losses by Mechanix (3-8).
[AUDL] 8 = consecutive wins by Wildfire (9-1).
[AUDL] 9 = consecutive losses by Hammerheads (1-9)
[AUDL] Toronto Rush are still undefeated at 9-0.
[AUDL] 11 games = worst losing streak in AUDL history; by Buffalo Hunters (April 14 thru June 30, 2012)

[MLU] Current have never scored more than 19 in any of their 8 games. (Neither have the Spinners).
[MLU] 2 = number of Week 8 games; the fewest games scheduled during the entire 2013 MLU season.
[MLU] Home teams went 0-2 this weekend.
[MLU] After 31 MLU games played, home teams are now 15-16 (48%).

The State of Ultimate Frisbee

Eli, a friend of Sludge, penned a great article on the current perspective of Ultimate.

A World of Flying Discs In Pursuit of Ultimate [The Classical]

...Ultimate is, fundamentally and in its actual bylaws, a pickup sport. In a pickup game -- hoops, soccer, whatever -- you don't hack the shit out of people. You don’t not-foul people, either, but there's a certain self-governing thing at work, there. You play to the game, what the market will bear. Are people fouling and not calling it? Are they calling picks? Are they pushing off and bumping on the mark? You go with it, whatever the case may be. You have to know the rules, but you also know that everyone in the game has agreed to play by them. Thou Shalt Not Be A Dick is the prime directive, the one supreme commandment. It works, but it works both because everyone is implicitly obeying the same rule, and because it's just a pickup game.
...
The word amateur's Latin root, "amo," means love. That seems worth mentioning. But it seems most mentioning because of ultimate's slow but unmistakable transition into something governed by a force other than love. USAUltimate, the sport’s governing body in the United States, just inked a long term deal with ESPN to air college games -- at least 23 games from the championship series will run this spring, with undisclosed terms for the future. Viewers drive ad dollars, and ad dollars will drive sponsorships. The same could be true with the Triple Crown series for club level teams in the fall.
...
The number one mistake the magazine cites are logos "designed by an amateur." I'm a graphic designer, and I recently reviewed all 20 of the logos for the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL) and Major League Ultimate (MLU) for a site called Sludge Ultimate.

What I found was that not just the logos, but the overall branding was amateurish in 19 of the 22 teams. In addition to that the forward face of these teams and the leagues, and their websites, were still, mere days from the start of official competition, littered with broken links; a goodly number were technically "under construction", and "coming soon." ...

Ultimate is not a sport unlike any other. It is, in fact, a sport a lot like other sports; that's the appeal. We run, we leap, we chase, we defend, we score, we strategize, we feel the wear and tear on body and on soul, and become familiar with the joy that comes with a good play, and the downer that comes from an opportunity lost. Ultimate is many things to many of us, and will remain so in its amateur and professional incarnations. What Ultimate is not is the perfect sport, or the ideal sport, or the sport to save all sports; it doesn't serve ourselves or the game we love to tout it as, well, the ultimate sport. But it works, and has worked for years. Whether it can be more than what it is, and has been, is a question without an answer just yet.
##

Sportsbook: June 7-9

Just nine scheduled professional Ultimate games this weekend. Only 2 games in the MLU. Again, will Toronto remain undefeated? Betting lines - the spread & points total (Over/Under) - for professional Ultimate are for entertainment purposes only.

AUDL games. MLU games.

Friday, June 7

• Radicals (-3) @ Wind Chill (+3); 48

Saturday, June 8

• Breeze (+5.5) @ Phoenix (-5.5); 42
• Hammerheads (+5) @ Dragons (-5); 41
• Mechanix (+6) @ Wildfire (-6); 47
• Dogfish (-5) @ Nighthawks (+5); 38
• Current (+2) @ Rumble (-2); 34

Sunday, June 9

• Hammerheads (+9) @ Rush (-9); 45
• Phoenix (+4) @ Empire (-4); 44
• Mechanix (+3) @ AlleyCats (-3); 43

Full 2013 Schedules: AUDL . MLU .

Agree or Disagree? Have your say in the comments.

[Chart] Team Frequency on MLU Live

Each weekend, Major League Ultimate offers two live streams of games - one from each league - via MLU Live. Philadelphia Spinners have been featured 6 out of the 7 weeks.

How many times each MLU Team has been on MLU Live (thru week 7)

Ultimate Frisbee Pickup (Washington, DC)

Time for Saturday morning pickup, Ultimate players!

Where: Polo Fields.
When: 10am EDT; sometimes 9/9:30am EDT to beat the heat. No  playing during inclement weather.

Bring: Ultimate accouterments (white & dark shirts), plus sustenance (food + drink), etc.

Map of Location:

View Larger Map

More games: DCPickup . MeetUP . Pickup .

My MLU Fan Experience (San Francisco, CA)

As advertised, the game between Portland Stags and San Francisco Dogfish started promptly at 3pm. This meant the pull was in the air at 3:01pm, and the players introductions & national anthem were already complete on a bright sunny day with a present wind.

Arriving at Kezar Stadium meant going past the Haight-Ashbury district, not spending too much time/money at Amoeba Music, and not being drawn into the expansive Golden Gate Park. I bought a ticket, received a stamp of the Dogfish logo on my hand, and was handed a nicely printed program.

Kezar Stadium's grass field adjacent to Golden Gate Park (San Fran, CA)

Fans were positioned on the north-side while the players & staff were on the opposite side. This provided open sight lines for both those in attendance (over 400) and the gameday host Daniel Chazin. Chazin did an excellent job of the public address and announcing the game. Chazin was definitely a valuable addition to this Ultimate game informing the crowd of the on-field action and also between points banter/promotions. I especially enjoyed his use of "ladies and gentlemen" to punctuate his sentences.

It never felt like there was any "downtime" as the deft DJ dropped solid beats. Plus, there was a dance-off, a few T-shirt giveaways, a Frisbee toss contest, and an attempt at the wave. For SF pulls, the crowd yelled "Gooooooooo...", ending with "Fish!" when the disc finally dropped.

There was also "High-5 Guy" who was excitedly celebrating with anyone with a raised hand when the Dogfish scored. H5G even ran around the stadium wearing his Big Hand after an exciting point. This apparently looked like so much fun that a 8-year-old took a turn with the Big Hand and did a lap, too. After which, the Big Hand was assigned back solely to H5G.

Dougie, the Dogfish mascot, was everywhere - near the field, in the crowd, launching shirts, doing cartwheels, signing autographs. And, of course, brushing his gills back doing the Dougie! If there was any doubt of Dougie's importance, the shark is sporting a personalized Electro Jersey (#99).

Fans had solid consumption options with a beer garden and a concession food truck (Doc's on the Bay) which offered a tasty California menu of burgers (meat or black bean), fried chicken sandie, and sides of french fries or green beans (or both). The merch table was full of sundries; some of which are not posted in the MLU online Store, like a comfy hoodie and a classy collared shirt.

After the game, the Stags huddled together for about a very long 10 minutes. The Dogfish players happily greeted the home crowd. With Sharpies in hand, they jumped into the stands signing autographs for anyone who requested one.

Overall, it was a fun fan experience provided by the San Francisco Dogfish with entertainment beyond the field of play. The good times spilled over to the Kezar Pub which was directly across the street from the stadium.

:Game:
The game itself was a blowout. Dogfish dominated with a 3-0 lead and won by 18 points. The game was over in under 2 hours.

Read more about the game on Portland's website & on San Francisco's site.

To the Stags' credit, they had this highlight to their name:

Coke Commercial Mimics Frisbee Community

This new Coca-Cola commercial shows drinkers in the activity of throwing disc-shaped objects (the Coke bottle cap) similar to what students did with empty pie tins. Commercial highlights include a few fingertip grabs and a surfer layout reminiscent of the "boat catch" from Brodie's bridge throw.

Watch video below & then compare concepts.


Comparison of a man jumping from moving buoyant device to catch a flying disc & landing in the water:

Images: Coke (top) and Brodie (bottom)

Slow-Mo Video: Frisbee VS Beer

Just a Frisbee thrown at a full beer cup balanced on someone's head...IN SLOW-MOTION!!!


Bruton Stroube // Slo-mo Booth Supercut from Bruton Stroube Studios on Vimeo.

Starting at 0:32 seconds you can see this:

VIEW FULL VIDEO of other silly slow-mo antics.