The Birthday Bowl

Date: November 30, 2008 (or thereabouts)
Start Time: I'm guessing 1:00 PM
Location: Thomas Fitzwater Elementary School

Attendees
2 Teams (intended to be a rematch of Felix Bowl I)
Mark's Team
Mark Pyfer*
Matt Sidell
Brian Lee
Ben Razon

Jarrett's Team
Jarrett Felix*
Mitch Sacks
Todd Warszawski
Brett Tannenbaum

What I Wrote in 2011's Felix Bowl, A History

It was Jarrett’s birthday, but the weather was not at all suitable for a football game. Needless to say, they still played. A few players dropped out of the game before it started, including last bowl’s surprise stud Eric Lau, but the game went on. Sacks and Razon both struggled to find a grip on the ball for most of the game and the cold weather and rain made it tough for people to stay on their feet, but somehow Matt Sidell managed to haul in everything, including a few tipped balls. The score slowly added up and Pyfer and Sidell continued to rack up the touchdowns as they hammered Felix and company in what is still to this day the most one sided Felixbowl in history.

What I Remember
We'd (I'd) been planning this rematch for a long time. Probably ever since I lost the first ever Felix Bowl. However, between running and an improved social life for all players involved, the Mondauk 1-4 type sessions were dying down in frequency. We scheduled this thing well in advance and, of course, we got terrible weather when we were supposed to play.

I think Tim Robinson, Joe Lauman and Eric Lau from Felix Bowl I were all not allowed/didn't want to come because it was cold and rainy. So without those guys showing up, we had to improvise the teams on the fly. The rest of us idiots all showed up to play in this cold, rainy miserable game.

From a karma perspective, I got what was coming to me on game day. After making everyone come out and play in this terrible weather, my team got absolutely crushed. I remember Mitch and I's hands were so cold, we could barely throw the ball. The field was also a mess from a muddy perspective and this year, after the slipping and falling of the year before, Mark wore cleats the game. He and Matt Sidell absolutely carved us up on that occasion. This one was a blow out in favor of Mark's Team.

Results
Winning Team: Mark Pyfer, Matt Sidell, Brian Lee, Ben Razon

This was during the stretch where I was still doing MVPs so the ones awarded for this one were Offensive MVP: Matt Sidell, Defensive MVP: Mark Pyfer

Felix Bowl I

Date: February 3, 2008 (or thereabouts)
Start Time: Probably 1 o'clock
Location: Thomas Fitzwater Elementary School

Attendees
2 Teams (Giants and Patriots in honor of the Super Bowl)
Giants
Jarrett Felix*
Mitch Sacks
Todd Warszawski
Brian Lee
Joe Lauman
Dan Shopper

Patriots
Mark Pyfer*
Eric Lau
Matt Sidell
Ben Razon
Brett Tannenbaum
Tim Robinson

What I Wrote In November 2011's Felix Bowl, A History

The first ever Felixbowl was held the day of the Patriots v. Gaints Super Bowl. The game was the result of various trash talking and speculation about which players were the best at football. The Pyfer vs. Felix rivalry came into play early as Pyfer started rolling and helped his squad jump out to an early lead behind Quarterback Ben Razon. However, a slightly muddy Thomas Fitzwater field ended up coming back to haunt Pyfer as he nearly slipped on a touchdown run. After that moment, there was a shift in the tide. Mitch Sacks and Jarrett Felix got their offense going and rallied from being down three at the half into a 3 point lead as the game began to wind down. But there was still one more change left to be made. Eric Lau took over the helm at quarterback position for Ben Razon and led huge scoring drives down the field with passes to Matt Sidell and Ben Razon. Meanwhile, Brett Tannenbaum made a couple key defensive stops as the pump and go move stopped its effectiveness on Pyfer and conservative play calling slowed the Felix’s squads offense. Ultimately, it was a 10-10 game when the ball was dumped off to Pyfer, Felix missed the tackle and he ran down the field for the game winning touchdown. It was an epic start to the Felixbowl series.

What I Remember Now
After much hype and speculation, the first ever "Felix Bowl" was staged at Thomas Fitzwater Elementary School. I remember we held the came around Super Bowl time and we also picked teams ahead of time. I think we just tried to split it to make it even, but I would say Mark and I were captains.

Naturally, I decided that my time would be the Giants who were trying to take down the then undefeated Patriots in that Super Bowl. I always wanted to be the underdog.

In typical Felix Bowl fashion, the field was a little muddy, but otherwise weather conditions were pretty good. Since there were only two teams, I'm pretty sure we just played for about three hours straight until all our parents came to pick us up (nobody was driving yet). The Patriots got out to a lead early, but I remember on one touchdown Mark nearly slipped and completely wiped out. He might have messed up his back a little bit too. After that, I think he took a little bit more conservative of an approach and so Mitch Sacks and I started running double moves and stuff at him and the Giants made a bit of a comeback. We may have even tied it up/taken the lead.

Then, in a signature Felix Bowl moment, Eric Lau took over at quarterback for the Patriots. In his classic calm, cool and collected style, Eric led the team down the field and neutralized the Giants defense. If I am remembering correctly, all our parents had shown up in the parking lot and the score was tied. We were in next score wins position and Mark caught a pass and just ran straight away from me for a touchdown.

Results
Patriots won (11-10): Mark Pyfer, Eric Lau, Matt Sidell, Ben Razon, Brett Tannenbaum, Tim Robinson

This is back when I handed out Offensive and Defensive MVPs as well. Apparently, I gave myself Offensive MVP (questionable ethics here) and gave Brett Tannenbaum Defensive MVP.