Playoffs: 05.31.08

Gayle, Jen, Amy, Mike, CH, NICH, Joe, & Brian were a heroic savage 8 - ending Sludge's season with a victory! David was an awesome cheer/chairleader as the notso-big brown pushed ahead of UnC.  Sludge dropped down to the classic savage 7 (4:3) as UnC tied the game at 11.

Sludge banded together @ Anacostia Park to win the next 2 points, winning 13-11, yet gave up the advancement spot to our opponents.

Well done on another fun-tastic season!

Math Problems

Sludge impressively won 2 games; lost 1 game last Saturday.

Record form: 2-1 (= 1st place)

[Analyzed] Record form: 2 + 1 (= 3rd place)

Darn you goal differentials!

Tentatively, lace 'em up again for 10 a.m. game at Anacostia on Saturday May 31st vs #2 in another unfinished pool.

Post Season: 05.18.08

It’s 8am and you were all dressed up with no place to go. By 8:30am, other weekend days options are being formulated. Alas, the hotline A-OKs to traipse all over damply fields.

10am - FastForward
Arrival to Lake Fairfax was understandably delayed due to the final phone jeopardy. Brown was welcomed by who else? Yes, CHarlie….and the rest of Sludge.

Sludge appeared eager to begin calling “Action” to ReRun’s play. Liz kickstarted Sludge’s offense with a who-me huck. The eastern time Zone Sludge had going was viewed as very effective taking big brown to an 8-4 lead.
That’s when ReRun’s roster began to gremlin (the movie, not the car) elongating Sludge’s first game to 11-11. Russ, Fishpez, Jen & Brian arrived to star in this made-for-TV action thriller “Comeback Squashers.” Supporting contributions went to a layout D (MicHael) and a point block (MattHew).

Sludge fastforwarded through the timecap to claim victory 13-11.

Charlie made a cut outta Lk Fairfax at the end of Game 1, leaving brown for 2 more games.

12pm - What Would Charlie Think?
Brown shirts met up with RedScare - who had a pep in their step. RS was fired up; brown was down. They were the hot knife through the proverbial warm butter. Down 4-7 and our D not helping our O, a T.O. was called to help foci.

WWCT?

Red Scare was about to rendezvous with some Red Happy. Sludge’s happy-like-Daniel mantra exulted to an 8-7 halftime lead, onto a 9-0 upturn to a 13-7 lead, finally to a 15-8 win.


Sludge was feeling pretty good with a 2-0 start. Though, big brown’s race in Game 2 and the closeness of the concurrent game allowed a lengthy break. The lapse allowed Democratic Party math (award percentage delegates even if you don't "win" outright) to muddy up the back-to-back wins, plus talk of not counting a completed Game 2 caucus (à la Fla & Mich). To claim victory of the pool &/or advance-or-not could come down to the convention of 2 teams in the next game.

2pm - Yawn
Sludge was Gayle-less though DLuvs kindly allowed Liz to play. A close back-&-forth game initially – 6-8 at half. Sludge was unenthused allowing zoney holes and making tired mistakes. Barack sez “If it’s more of the same, then change.” Hillary sayeth "I'm in it to win it." Sludge could only support minor blips to further their cause, yet never enough to overcome the deficit.

DLuvs played mistake-free as Sludge struggled keeping up to 8-10, 10-13, & finally 10-15.

-----------
Ending the day with a loss, Sludge grappled with the conclusion of not just another season, but a darn successful one [8 wins; 3 losses]! As one Sludgey sighed 'Hmmmpphh, I guess this means the brown shirt get stored until the fall.'

Some silver linings:
+ Didn’t think we’d even get to play at all today.
+ Fresh air does a body good.
+ The ground was soft which will reduce post-game joint pain.

The pure silver lining was…in actuality, the top 3 teams advanced to the next round! Congrats Sludge on advancing to another day! Fun day hanging out with the Sludge family!!

Presumptive

How dare you be so 'presumptive!' Everything you thought you knew has been washed away. Not only are we not playing at Montgomery Hills, we are not even playing on Sunday!

[New] When: Saturday, May 17th @ Lake Fairfax field #3

[New] Four Three games at: 11:15am, 1pm, 2:45pm & 4:30pm. 10am, 12pm & 2pm.

[New] Raindate: Saturday, May 31st.

Updated 5/15

Forecast

MUpDate:

Week 8: After-Party

It’s not an ideal situation to use a public restroom toilet, but when **it happens, you do your business and continue with your day. All those R ickies get flushed down in the end.


Under the cool shade of an Elm tree, Sludge was forced to play 5:1 for the first point. First points tend to be, uhm, chaotic as both teams feel out each other’s strategy warm-up. The brave souls should be commended for an epic one point as the ever-lasting opener provided just enough time to gain enough for 5:2.

Down 0-3, Sludge remained determined. Jen tossed a very pretty flick bender for a score to energize a stampede to take a one-length lead (8-7) at the midpoint.

Down the stretch, Sludge D euthanized Chump’s O. The Triple Crown was achieved -- the cup was impressively stifling; the wings were super active; & the deeps were doing something while everyone’s backs were turned. Nigel showed exemplary D by running(?) swiftly to create a turn on the first throw (...behind every first throw knockdown is a great pull).

At the finish line, big brown raced off with a 15-8 victory; foreshadowing a race track victory.

Tourney Time

When: Saturday, May 10th @ Montgomery Hills #1

Three games at: 10am, 12:00pm, & 2pm.

Raindate: Saturday, May 17th. Sunday, May 18th.

Week 7: Built to Last

Joe sums it up:

The game was played at Montgomery Hills and we won 15-6(?). Sludge played well and the most remarkable aspect of our play was the number of defenses we made. Chris, Russ, Matthew and Nigel all knocked down discs by coming to the disc faster than the offensive player -- it was the most number of D's I've seen by Sludge in years.

ETC...(T.M.I.)...A bad moment came towards the end of the game when Sludge was on defense. Charlie was the deep in a zone D and Bono hucked the disc into our end zone. Charlie and a twenty something on Swill went up for the disc together. Charlie tapped the disc away and came down first. The Swill player landed one foot on Charlie's foot and heard something in his knee pop. He went down and was in agony for several minutes before he was able to get up and be helped off the field. I spoke to Bono yesterday who said that the diagnosis was a torn meniscus. No word on whether surgery will be necessary.

Week 6: Goldilocks

In the notable children's bedtime story Goldilocks judges with phrases like "too hard," "too hot," "too soft" and "too cold."

Sludge visited with a friendly UnClq at one of Anacostia Park's more dangerous field (too rocky, too dusty, too manholey). Our opponent's unforced errors and punts were lapped up like well-tempered porridge creating many of Sludge's first half points. A few short throws to advance the disc, then a medium-long throw for a score was really working for brown. Unbelievable (the good kind)!

Yes, there was a wind, tho Sludge played more person D to tire our short-handed/legged foes. Habits are hard to break, so some zone was also played. Since UnClq had another game after ours, the game turned into a reserved lackadaisical back & forth with one team keeping score.

With an 8-4 lead, Nigel's "no shorts" game nudged Sludge to show more leg on defense. Brown's offense>defense energy reminds me of the pope mobile where it's a safe haven but it sure looks/feels imbalanced.

After about 65 minutes, Sludge won 15-8...,which was "just right."

Week 5: Hellion

A rite of spring that feels wrong. Annoying, yet unavoidable. Pay no attention, and they still affect effect. For anyone who suffers from recurrent irritants (allergies, etc), relief may be found in saying au revoir...to this game on our sched.

In the late game on Saturday, Sludge was present but minus a certain je ne sais quoi.

This collision with a familair foe flashpointed on POINT #1 resulting in a cuss-out instead of a rule call-out. Going in, we knew this was not gonna be a family game. Truly a tradeoff on such a beautious day.

Sludge was in mid-season form with smooth transitions between defense to offense, respecting cutting space which scored big rewards against a noticeably slowed DLuvs. David hammered in a point, Matthew struck with something called a backhand & Charlie magically threw a disc thru a defender's arm.

Sludge was content +1 @ half. Rob's body was evidently so happy about the score, it cried all over his newish Tshirt.

Our opponents inconceivably made a run grabbing a comfortable 8-12 lead. Then, brown turned up the heat closing the gap to 1 point (12-13) -- a comeback KLuck would have been proud of. All for naught, as Sludge lost 13-to-15.

Game honors in honor of Caps hockey, o'yah:
1 Star ==> Sue for her sideline support.
2 Stars ==> Christy playing super savage.
3 Stars ==> MJ making necessary cuts and D-ing.

Week 4: Cheerry

Andrew supplies his notes 'from the field':

- beautiful day (again) despite the gloomy weather forecast
- first game on the Polo fields in a while; surprised to see new grass growing there (unfortunately, less now after our game)
- opponent was TrunkMonkey
- lots of Sludge biked to the game (including Gayle on a loaner bike from Meg who made her mark on the game from thousands of miles away), but even they were slowed by traffic and people walking on sidewalks which led to some crankiness among our players...opening cheer: F'n tourists!
- some Sludgies had to park north of Constitution Ave. and walked down; hats off to Lucy and Anna Luna for working on their hiking skills at an early age
- our play was okay, some mistakes, but fairly steady; opponent made more mistakes and we capitalized; Sludge led 8-3 at half
- more steady play from us in second half; TM's started clicking towards the end, but were too far behind to catch up
- the extra play allowed enough time for Jen to arrive (with Keller & Griff), put on her cleats, give Griff a quick sip, and then jumped in the game to play one point
- game ended with Christy throwing the winning score (a break-force backhand, uphill and into the wind ???)
- final score 15-8/9 in favor of Sludge

Sadly, Brian never made it to the game; he circled endlessly in the car after dropping the others off and when the game ended he had to come pick them up; he even missed pick up that followed the game.

Week 3: Giddy Up

There’s a certain energy required when playing at Lake Fairfax. Normally a destination for playoff elite, this location is one of the furthest fields not just to arrive to, but also to park for. Anyone who gets stuck parking down the hill knows what I’m talking about. So, reaching Lake Fairfax is an accomplishment in itself.

A pared down Sludge accomplished to work very hard in the first half versus an amped up Hi Voltage squad. Too many non-goaly turnovers were misrepresented as excavating for underground power lines. And again, as in previous weeks, a certain Ohm would have been a nice addition to assist goal line connections. aaaaauuuuummmmm

Sludge D was consistent with an MJ-led pesky cup. Zone-turned-person D turbined to provide Sludge appropriate utility. Andrew opined: “That was key to us pulling away for the victory.” Joe cheered “Clap On!”

At 8-7, Sludge metered for a more powerful second half.

Alternating current, Sludge generated a 9-2 run. Brown really showed their energy efficiency by forcing the other team to rush their throws into turnovers and using the entire field space on O. After a knock down by NICH, the HiVo thrower was overhead saying: “"Sorry, I didn't think he was that fast when I threw it."

Many scores were:

• resulted from Amy’s mid-flow cuts.
• expertly thrown by Matthew.
• caught by soft-handed/stubbed toe/bad knee(s) Gayle.

:Game Notes:
>Gayle, MJ & Bucci are understatedly…aaaaauuuusssssum!
>Lucy accomplished a fan-tastic solo.
>Cookies from opponents after the game is a turn on.

Week 2: apPARENTly

After a parent-approved field change, Sludge was apparently in no rush to ham it up. Down a g00se egg-to-2, brown showed remote improvement in field positioning. Whereas in Week 1, Sludge stalled at the 2/3rds area of the field; Saturday, it was the 2/7th remainder of the field (+5% improvement).

Sludge closed in on the goal line, then looked scrambled. That prank of reaching for the passenger door as the car lurches forward rings true - so close, yet so far not inside!

Sludge demonstrated hard manual labor to a tardy bearded CHap in one of the longest points evah as 'Head'Master Matthew implored Sludge to change our offensive way.

Our opponents ReRun'd the middle D to boost viewership. Frequent Nielsen rating drops did them in, giving Sludge a primo time slot. Longer cuts and cutz from the back of the stack egg-celled Sludge to a comfortable lead.

After a 4-season weather experience in the 2nd half, the game was capped at 14. Up 13-10, down one bunny, Sludge D created a turn. Then, a long distance call was placed to Bucci's Deli telling them their Cutting Machine has been found...holding the disc for the game-ending score.

:Game Notes:

Kicking the disc is not cool.

Russ enjoys rewarding poachers.

Mi Rancho is a swell after-game sponsor.

Spring 08 Sched

Spring 2008
Week# - Date @ Location & Time (updated 04/19)

Week 1 – March 15
Montgomery Hills #2 @ 12PM

Week 2 – March 22
Montgomery Hills #2 @ 10AM

Week 3 – March 29
Lake Fairfax #2 @ 2:45PM

Week 4 – April 5
Polo Fields #1A @ 4:30

Week 5 – April 12
Montgomery Hills #1 @ 4PM

Week 6 – April 19
Anacostia #1 @ 1PM

Week 7 – April 26
Montgomery Hills #2 @ 4PM

Week 8 – May 3
JFK #3 (between the Lincoln and the WWII Memorial, south of the reflecting pool, but closest to the WWII Memorial) @ 9:30AM 12PM

Week 9 – May 10
Tourney Play @ TBD

Week 10 – May 17-18
Tourney Play @ TBD

Week 1: Food Baby

Since (almost) all of Sludge & Sludge Generation II were present and playing, your glog memory is as good as mine...

Sludge: 14 - SP: 16.

Pasta amounts are tough to estimate; you never know how much you need, either way you know it won't go to waste.

After a long winterish season, Sludge seeped to MontHills clocking in at Eastern Standard Time. Warmups were daring based on conquesting comments like:

'My oh my, the ground is so soft.',

'Wow, I am already winded.' &

'Gracious, I am really hungry.'

Other risk takers skipped intros, arriving to the ground-of-play by way of the playground.

Pickupian ways canoodled in the beginning. In the red early, Sludge came back saucey. Overall, O-cuts on the first half of the field didn't regurge nearer our goal. Closer to the goal, Sludge clumped together like cheese-on-mac. And in this season of March Madness, we all know ya gotta hit your free throws to win. A slump or two would have been beneficial...slump (1,2,3,4-5,6-7,8,9-10,11, twe-eh-eh-eh-eh-lve(Vid 2:42)...hey, a new word...Sludge Dump).

In a rare and near upsetting occurrence, the other team whipped up a zone defense before Sludge. Oh-Zone-You-Didn't!

By the 2nd half, Sludge quickly learned: if you ain't playing, then you're babysitting. Even as the team in blue unis drained well, Sludge kept to a gentle simmer yet never really boiled over. It looked promising with Russ' Jen-assisted shoe-string catch score....up 14-13!

Uncooked pasta can break easily, though. After a picked-off pass by a poacher, SnPac linguined Sludge 16-14. Sludge played really well in the well played season opener.

:Game Notes:
Christy fashioned some new kickin' cleats.
Rob proved he's been reading & wore a new Tshirt (not sure why he bought the female style.)

Gayle was placed on IR in the 2nd half. :(

Matthew is using his head again.

NICH is a speed demon!

Wait...Don't Tell Me

Sludge's FOIA request was ultimately granted & we learned about our 1-game spring season.

:Good News:
No bye for B15 the first week.
Week 1 Game: 12pm EDT @ Montgomery Hills (MD).

:Bad News:
Cough up $17 to play on one scheduled Saturday.
Charlie is excu$ed from the game & thus has cursed the day with rain.

Charlie Questions Your Regularity

From Charlie:
If the spring training camps are open for baseball, those of you who don't play winter pickup need to start stretching and running and flicking and hucking....?
[Don't try all 4 simultaneously.]

At any rate, please let me know if you are still planning to play with the Team Formerly Known As(?) Sludge for another round despite our last regular season.

If so, how regular do you expect to be on Saturdays in March, April & early May. No official WAFC notice, but I expect it soon & need to go through our biannual "Do we need to add anybody?"