Third weekend, third victory. This one was not as hard fought as last weekend when we actually had some competition. Luckily no serious injuries like last week. Matt had surgery on his torn achilles tendon this past Wednesday and will be in a walking cast for 3 months. We miss you Matt.
So first the game almost didn't happen. Our team was there early and well warmed up while our opponents, the Boozehounds, had only 4 guys. Fortunately they start the clock and give them around 5-10 minutes to have enough guys. The refs actually called it a forfeit and began picking up the cones as it was the last game when the rest of their guys got there. A couple of our guys begged loudly and after a short discussion allowed the game to proceed.
We started with the ball on our own 20 and on 2nd down (I think) Travis threw a 60 yard bomb on a double pass play to Marcus. Yes, Marcus is back. He had a sweet mask to protect his nose. We went for 2 pts and a defensive penalty on the first try put the ball on the 1 yard line. We easily got the 2.
A quick defensive series later and Travis took over QB from Scott. Travis led a well-paced drive down the field and finished with a TD throw to me. I believe the PAT was unsuccessful but we still had a 14-0 lead. To their credit they tried hard but being down a man is hard when you have slower players. We had a 3 TD lead at half and finished with 2 more in the 2nd half. I apologize I didn't take notes and cannot remember who had how many catches. I know there were a few picks, including a pick-6 by Nate, Andrew's, Todd's, Travis's--oh wait, nevermind (haha). Good defense all-in-all.
Best tackle of the game: Andrew picked a tipped pass on our first defensive series and instead of getting his flags pulled he was tackled to the ground. Apparently it was the guy's first game and he thought the flags were there for decoration.
Defensive Player(s) of the Game: the refs I don't know what down it was but in the 2nd half I ran a short crossing pattern and got the ball just past the line of scrimmage on the left side. A quick display of hip action that even I didn't know was in me got me past 2 or 3 defenders and 25 yards later we were down somewhere around the 5 yard line. Oh, except for that late phantom flag they decided to thrown on Scott for making a textbook block that didn't even affect the play. Scott, it was clean.
The good news is that we continue to move the ball well and score. The bad news is that our opponent next week will be night and day better than these guys. It would have been nice to have a tougher game leading up to next week's game, but you can't have everything.
Our defense continues to pitch a shutout on the season. Stellar coverage and great pursuit on the line has bode well for us. Andrew's rush on the defensive line sticks out in my mind as being excellent all game. All of the guys rushing on the line are doing well containing the QB and forcing errant throws. Our blitz package is working and our speed will certainly be tested next week.
Scouting report: The Ballers are a team of fast African-Americans with one bull-rushing white guy on the line. A few of their guys are pretty fit, but remember, this is still just flag football and my skinny arms can pull a flag as easy as their ginormous ones. We need everyone to bring their A game next week and be ready to play a good game. They like to throw the ball downfield. The first week the Lions had 4 interceptions, so we should do well.
NEXT GAME VS. The Ballers
10/06/07, 08:00 AM, Harlow Park East
That's my take.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
No House Yet
Well, no luck with the house. The other offer was for 5K more than ours, but they can't close until sometime in December. The Sellers want to move soon, but apparently the extra 5 grand is reason enough to stay another 2 months.
I have to admit, I am okay with it. The house was really nice and staged exceptionally well when we walked through, yet at only 1550 (approx) finished SF and only 3 bedrooms, by the time we have our next kid (no we are NOT pregnant), we would outgrow the house. I do not want to feel like it is already time to move should we decide to have another kid.
Last Friday night we saw another house that I am leaning more toward. It is 1000 SF bigger than the other one which includes an unfinished basement. It has 4 bedrooms upstairs and they are all large rooms. The only downside is the kitchen. Since I am never in there does it really matter??? Just kidding Janna. We will have to expand the Kitchen for Janna, I am thinking of taking out the cabinets on the south side that encloses it and creating an island for her. I guess we have to decide to buy it before we get too many ideas.
The lot is about the same, taxes are a little more, but we should be able to get into it for anywhere from 12-15K less than the smaller house. We are going to go see it one more time before we make any decisions. Most importantly, it has a chimney so Santa can get into the house, just ask Stone & Rusty.
I have to admit, I am okay with it. The house was really nice and staged exceptionally well when we walked through, yet at only 1550 (approx) finished SF and only 3 bedrooms, by the time we have our next kid (no we are NOT pregnant), we would outgrow the house. I do not want to feel like it is already time to move should we decide to have another kid.
Last Friday night we saw another house that I am leaning more toward. It is 1000 SF bigger than the other one which includes an unfinished basement. It has 4 bedrooms upstairs and they are all large rooms. The only downside is the kitchen. Since I am never in there does it really matter??? Just kidding Janna. We will have to expand the Kitchen for Janna, I am thinking of taking out the cabinets on the south side that encloses it and creating an island for her. I guess we have to decide to buy it before we get too many ideas.
The lot is about the same, taxes are a little more, but we should be able to get into it for anywhere from 12-15K less than the smaller house. We are going to go see it one more time before we make any decisions. Most importantly, it has a chimney so Santa can get into the house, just ask Stone & Rusty.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Things that burn
I hate fax machines. We finally found a decent house in our price range and were getting ready to make an offer. So of course I get the call this morning that another offer had been made first thing this morning and they have until 8pm to respond to it. Why does this always happen. Same thing happened in December. Makes you feel all rushed and uncomfortable. I do not want to feel that way when making the biggest purchase of my life to this point.
Then of course I get all of the paperwork filled out, signed, initialed, forged for Janna with her permission, and the fax machine on the other end wouldn't work. I spent way to many hours dealing with that problem. Now if it was on my end, I take full responsibility. However it was not and that is why I wanted to punch somebody or something. 3 different fax machines would not take and it was not my end. Finally my agent had me fax it to her house and it worked fine. Slow, but fine. Archaically slow, but fine.
So now we wait. They met tonight to discuss the 2 offers and our agent is really upbeat that our offer will be accepted. I am okay whether we get it or not. We saw another house Friday night that needed a little updating inside and had an unfinished basement, but was 40% bigger and we wouldn't outgrow as fast. It was 10K cheaper too on the asking price, so either way I guess we will be able to get into a decent house and still pay less than we would if we stay renters at these stupid apartments.
Our apartment management put a renewal letter on our door today. If we stay and sign a year lease, our rent goes up by 200 dollars/month. 10 month, almost 300/month. Month-to-month goes up 450/month plus a month-to-month "premium." What the 1134-upside-down is that all about? Why would you totally screw your renters like that? Especially ones that never miss a payment and cause no problems? Unfortunately I had already heard they do that, it just makes me even madder that they would try this crap on me. I already filled out the survey they attached and told them what they could do with it. What a joke.
I'll let you know about the house when we do. I'll post pics too if they are still available then.
Then of course I get all of the paperwork filled out, signed, initialed, forged for Janna with her permission, and the fax machine on the other end wouldn't work. I spent way to many hours dealing with that problem. Now if it was on my end, I take full responsibility. However it was not and that is why I wanted to punch somebody or something. 3 different fax machines would not take and it was not my end. Finally my agent had me fax it to her house and it worked fine. Slow, but fine. Archaically slow, but fine.
So now we wait. They met tonight to discuss the 2 offers and our agent is really upbeat that our offer will be accepted. I am okay whether we get it or not. We saw another house Friday night that needed a little updating inside and had an unfinished basement, but was 40% bigger and we wouldn't outgrow as fast. It was 10K cheaper too on the asking price, so either way I guess we will be able to get into a decent house and still pay less than we would if we stay renters at these stupid apartments.
Our apartment management put a renewal letter on our door today. If we stay and sign a year lease, our rent goes up by 200 dollars/month. 10 month, almost 300/month. Month-to-month goes up 450/month plus a month-to-month "premium." What the 1134-upside-down is that all about? Why would you totally screw your renters like that? Especially ones that never miss a payment and cause no problems? Unfortunately I had already heard they do that, it just makes me even madder that they would try this crap on me. I already filled out the survey they attached and told them what they could do with it. What a joke.
I'll let you know about the house when we do. I'll post pics too if they are still available then.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Game 2, W, 33 - 0
Well I have to start off by saying this was perhaps the funnest game we have played as a team. I think this was partly because we won big, but also because everyone played so well both offensively and defensively.
Subway Sub of the Game: Travis Rawls, QB, 3TD passes and a few catches
This is the first time Travis played with us. He played free safety for us and slot receiver in the first half. After we went up by 3 TD early in the 2nd half we put had him take over the offense, leading 3 TD drives. Travis threw a TD to Kyle that went about 60 yards in the air. He has a gun for an arm and brings a lot of confidence to the offense.
Offensively: Everyone who played line at some point. We didn't miss a step with Tim being gone. The line was committed to their blocks and gave both Scott and Travis time to pick apart the defense. Everyone really played well on offense after the first drive and everyone caught a ball and 4 or 5 guys had touchdown catches.
Defensively: The entire defense was tough today. On Matt's 2nd interception he went down with an injury. We don't know the diagnosis (possible achilles tear) but hate to lose him and wish him a speedy recovery. Dan Park had 2 or 3 picksin the 2nd half alone. We only forced one punt that went for about 3 yards because every other possession we intercepted. The defense as a whole only gave up about 50 yards or less on the entire game. Maybe it was more, but it didn't seem like it. They only had 2 throws over 10 yards for the game.
Game Highlights: We started on defense and forced a punt on their first possession. They punted the ball about 5 yards in the air where Allen had the presence of mind to field the punt and return it about 15 yards. Our first possession we got within the 10 yard line and didn't score. Having done this 3 times last week, it was pretty frustrating. However the defense continued to flex its muscle and forced its first interception of the day (Matt H).
This time our offense would not be denied. We marched down and scored. Scott threw a good ball for a TD. On our next defensive stand we once again intercepted (Matt H) and at the end of his return he went down with the injury. Once again we made quick work of it and scored another TD on a throw by Scott A. We converted the PAT on the 2nd TD for a 13-0 halftime lead.
The 2nd half was more of the same. We came out and had a strong drive down the field and went up by 3 TD on another throw by Scott A to Allen. If I rememer right, Allen also caught the PAT.
Travis took over the offense at this point and led three TD drives. One was a 1-play 60 yard bomb to Kyle as mentioned above. The other two drives were strong drives with good route running and well thrown balls.
Overall I think we can be very happy with this win, but we don't have to be satisfied. We are playing a team next week that we have not scouted. If we continue to control the line of scrimmage, we will be successful. Good job guys.
NEXT GAME: 10 AM, September 29, 2007, Harlow Park East
OPPONENT: Boozehounds
No Souting report on the Boozehounds except that I heard that they did lose today to the Ballers and as they call themselves the Boozehounds, they may come hung over. They had a bye last week.
Subway Sub of the Game: Travis Rawls, QB, 3TD passes and a few catches
This is the first time Travis played with us. He played free safety for us and slot receiver in the first half. After we went up by 3 TD early in the 2nd half we put had him take over the offense, leading 3 TD drives. Travis threw a TD to Kyle that went about 60 yards in the air. He has a gun for an arm and brings a lot of confidence to the offense.
Offensively: Everyone who played line at some point. We didn't miss a step with Tim being gone. The line was committed to their blocks and gave both Scott and Travis time to pick apart the defense. Everyone really played well on offense after the first drive and everyone caught a ball and 4 or 5 guys had touchdown catches.
Defensively: The entire defense was tough today. On Matt's 2nd interception he went down with an injury. We don't know the diagnosis (possible achilles tear) but hate to lose him and wish him a speedy recovery. Dan Park had 2 or 3 picksin the 2nd half alone. We only forced one punt that went for about 3 yards because every other possession we intercepted. The defense as a whole only gave up about 50 yards or less on the entire game. Maybe it was more, but it didn't seem like it. They only had 2 throws over 10 yards for the game.
Game Highlights: We started on defense and forced a punt on their first possession. They punted the ball about 5 yards in the air where Allen had the presence of mind to field the punt and return it about 15 yards. Our first possession we got within the 10 yard line and didn't score. Having done this 3 times last week, it was pretty frustrating. However the defense continued to flex its muscle and forced its first interception of the day (Matt H).
This time our offense would not be denied. We marched down and scored. Scott threw a good ball for a TD. On our next defensive stand we once again intercepted (Matt H) and at the end of his return he went down with the injury. Once again we made quick work of it and scored another TD on a throw by Scott A. We converted the PAT on the 2nd TD for a 13-0 halftime lead.
The 2nd half was more of the same. We came out and had a strong drive down the field and went up by 3 TD on another throw by Scott A to Allen. If I rememer right, Allen also caught the PAT.
Travis took over the offense at this point and led three TD drives. One was a 1-play 60 yard bomb to Kyle as mentioned above. The other two drives were strong drives with good route running and well thrown balls.
Overall I think we can be very happy with this win, but we don't have to be satisfied. We are playing a team next week that we have not scouted. If we continue to control the line of scrimmage, we will be successful. Good job guys.
NEXT GAME: 10 AM, September 29, 2007, Harlow Park East
OPPONENT: Boozehounds
No Souting report on the Boozehounds except that I heard that they did lose today to the Ballers and as they call themselves the Boozehounds, they may come hung over. They had a bye last week.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
The View from the Top
This picture explains a lot of why I went back into construction and why I transferred to Kiewit Building Group. It is all about the view from the top. It makes you forget all of the stresses of the day and appreciate all that you had to to to get to that point. If you click on the picture and look to the left, you can see downtown Denver.
This is how precast buildings go up. After the 4' tall grade beam is ready to go, the precast pieces, which weight 15,000+ lbs. each are trucked in, usually 2 at a time. Each piece is uniquely designed to fit in a specific location and arrive in order. The team that sets them can do about 9-12 pieces/day, depending on any unforseen problems. The pieces are welded into place and to each other, and then grout is put in the underside of them.
Look to the left of the picture above, those are the same 2 pieces from the picture above. After these 2 pieces were set a double-T floor piece was set and extended from the front piece to where the top of that man-lift basket is extended.
With the setting of the precast pieces along the grade beam (above), we were rewarded with a surprise steak dinner tonight. It took a lot of hard work and good teamwork to get all 30 or so embeds put in exact place along the grade beam for the precast pieces to be welded to. Every single one was within the 1/4 inch tolerance.
No one else had the guts to order the 50 oz. (yes FIFTY), so I secretly ordered it to no one else's knowledge. The reaction was worth it all. I saw eyes bulging like Chevy Chase's. I did not plan on finishing it in one sitting, but I did put away a good portion and boxed up the rest along with the side of ribs.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Work Update
Quick update on my job. The Hotel we were supposed to be starting has been indefinitely put on the shelf until we hear otherwise. The owner hasn't been able to get all of the funding lined up and does not want to continue incurring costs, therefore we have dissolved the team and shelved it for now. For me nothing will change except now I will be on the Palazzo Verdi job full time. I have been working on it for the past 7 weeks, so I am already heavily involved in it.
We are scheduled to go back to nights next Monday and that should last for about 5 weeks. I am actually looking forward to that as my hours go from 60+/week back to about 45/week. I also will be able to workout every morning and see Janna and the kids and even get to take Stone to school a few times.
We are scheduled to go back to nights next Monday and that should last for about 5 weeks. I am actually looking forward to that as my hours go from 60+/week back to about 45/week. I also will be able to workout every morning and see Janna and the kids and even get to take Stone to school a few times.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Game 1, W, 6 - 0
Today was our first game of the Fall South Suburban Adult 8 x 8 Flag Football League. We had 10 guys make it to the first game, however due to Marcus's nose colliding with Marshall's head last Saturday, his maskless face could not risk another collision. So we played with one sub.
Let me tell you, I really think I am going to forgo the construction elevator and start using the stairs exclusively at work. I am losing what little lung capacity I had built up since they put in that thing.
The game was a hard fought one with only one hot-head. On our first drive after halftime, (which had a 0 - 0 score after 2 trips into the red zone without a score) we had once again driven within our opponents 10 yard line. The call was an option to the right where I was lined up in the slot. I proceeded to block my opponent and drive him out of the play while my team picked up about 5 yards.
When the whistle blew I lifted my hands off of the guy, yet could not get separation. The shmuck had grabbed my shirt on the left shoulder and on my right breast and was attempting to throw me to the ground. Are you kidding me? I was about 4 inches taller and had him out weighed and out-muscled. I yelled at him to let go of my shirt and he wouldn't. Making sure the ref couldn't see, I popped him in the chest to initiate him letting go of me and by that time the ref was there. The ref did not even say a word to me, he just told everyone to get back to their huddles and gave the guy a chewing. He saw the entire play and knew I was legal in my block. The guy probably was just warned for using expletives and told to knock it off, but give me a break, don't mess with an opponent that could knock you on your can at any given time.
As frustrating as it was getting to the red zone and coming away empty-handed, our defense continued to be stout. We ran a solid cover 2 and mixed in some good cover 3 to keep them honest. The opposing QB had a good arm with accuracy on his deep balls, yet our coverage was there. We forced them to punt 3-4 times in the 25 minute running clock halves. We did not punt even once.
The O-line was great. They stuck with their blocks and gave Tim time to make good throws to open receivers.
Offensive play of the game came with under 2:30 to play. We forced another punt and got the ball on about the 21 yard line. Tim had run a few successful draws up the middle so we knew he could run. He called trips-left with what I think was a draw up the middle. The offensive line called our their blocks and we did a good job of calling out blitzes. All blocks were made and after some fancy footwork by Tim, 60 yards later we were ahead 6-0. Nice run Timmy.
The XP failed, so we gave them the ball back on their 20 with 90 seconds on the clock. The coverage once again was solid, giving up the short dump passes to the linemen. They completed one pass downfield that went underneath the deep coverage, but it couldn't have gone for more than 20 yards. Their final play we could call our defensive play of the day when Matt intercepted a throw into the end zone to seal the victory.
My offensive MVP: Tim Dickman 1 rushing TD, played a smart game within himself and limited the turnovers as QB to 1 INT. The offensive line probably deserves this as much as Tim for their blocking. Unfortunately the guy running the ball usually gets more credit.
Defensive MVP: Matt Harting. This was a tough choice as it was a shutout. It could go to anyone as there were several passes batted down and several flags pulled. Matt had the INT that sealed the win for us, so I have to give it to him.
NEXT GAME: 10 AM, September 22, 2007, Harlow Park East
OPPONENT: WGI Lions
Quick scouting report: We watched their game following ours and they are a much improved team from the spring. They picked up an African-American co-worker and he recruited about 3-4 of his buddies. They have speed at the corners and left Free Safety. One of their D lineman is a big boy too. The O line is really their weakness. If we rush 2 and blitz every play, the QB will have no time to find his speedy receivers. This is what we saw today and it worked.
At least 6 times they put a receiver in motion, hand him the ball, and he threw it every time, usually a short pass.
Offensively, if we get good blocking and stay with the medium middle of the field crossing routes with a receiver both under and over the Safeties, we will move the ball.
Defensively, put intense pressure on the QB (a new quarteback this season, lefty that did not throw a ball over 15 yards, probably 40 years old, not mobile) force him to roll right and he will do nothing.
Let me tell you, I really think I am going to forgo the construction elevator and start using the stairs exclusively at work. I am losing what little lung capacity I had built up since they put in that thing.
The game was a hard fought one with only one hot-head. On our first drive after halftime, (which had a 0 - 0 score after 2 trips into the red zone without a score) we had once again driven within our opponents 10 yard line. The call was an option to the right where I was lined up in the slot. I proceeded to block my opponent and drive him out of the play while my team picked up about 5 yards.
When the whistle blew I lifted my hands off of the guy, yet could not get separation. The shmuck had grabbed my shirt on the left shoulder and on my right breast and was attempting to throw me to the ground. Are you kidding me? I was about 4 inches taller and had him out weighed and out-muscled. I yelled at him to let go of my shirt and he wouldn't. Making sure the ref couldn't see, I popped him in the chest to initiate him letting go of me and by that time the ref was there. The ref did not even say a word to me, he just told everyone to get back to their huddles and gave the guy a chewing. He saw the entire play and knew I was legal in my block. The guy probably was just warned for using expletives and told to knock it off, but give me a break, don't mess with an opponent that could knock you on your can at any given time.
As frustrating as it was getting to the red zone and coming away empty-handed, our defense continued to be stout. We ran a solid cover 2 and mixed in some good cover 3 to keep them honest. The opposing QB had a good arm with accuracy on his deep balls, yet our coverage was there. We forced them to punt 3-4 times in the 25 minute running clock halves. We did not punt even once.
The O-line was great. They stuck with their blocks and gave Tim time to make good throws to open receivers.
Offensive play of the game came with under 2:30 to play. We forced another punt and got the ball on about the 21 yard line. Tim had run a few successful draws up the middle so we knew he could run. He called trips-left with what I think was a draw up the middle. The offensive line called our their blocks and we did a good job of calling out blitzes. All blocks were made and after some fancy footwork by Tim, 60 yards later we were ahead 6-0. Nice run Timmy.
The XP failed, so we gave them the ball back on their 20 with 90 seconds on the clock. The coverage once again was solid, giving up the short dump passes to the linemen. They completed one pass downfield that went underneath the deep coverage, but it couldn't have gone for more than 20 yards. Their final play we could call our defensive play of the day when Matt intercepted a throw into the end zone to seal the victory.
My offensive MVP: Tim Dickman 1 rushing TD, played a smart game within himself and limited the turnovers as QB to 1 INT. The offensive line probably deserves this as much as Tim for their blocking. Unfortunately the guy running the ball usually gets more credit.
Defensive MVP: Matt Harting. This was a tough choice as it was a shutout. It could go to anyone as there were several passes batted down and several flags pulled. Matt had the INT that sealed the win for us, so I have to give it to him.
NEXT GAME: 10 AM, September 22, 2007, Harlow Park East
OPPONENT: WGI Lions
Quick scouting report: We watched their game following ours and they are a much improved team from the spring. They picked up an African-American co-worker and he recruited about 3-4 of his buddies. They have speed at the corners and left Free Safety. One of their D lineman is a big boy too. The O line is really their weakness. If we rush 2 and blitz every play, the QB will have no time to find his speedy receivers. This is what we saw today and it worked.
At least 6 times they put a receiver in motion, hand him the ball, and he threw it every time, usually a short pass.
Offensively, if we get good blocking and stay with the medium middle of the field crossing routes with a receiver both under and over the Safeties, we will move the ball.
Defensively, put intense pressure on the QB (a new quarteback this season, lefty that did not throw a ball over 15 yards, probably 40 years old, not mobile) force him to roll right and he will do nothing.
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