A Fist Full of Film

Craig Bay Packers and Big McLarge Huge

Since football is played today, I figured I’d show a shot of some of the guys in my fantasy football league.  Its funny each year, I try to avoid getting involved in Dungeons and Dragons for jocks.  But sports heroes are the ways we nerds can live in jock bodies.  Otherwise we would be having hypotheticals about Spectre vs. Anti-Monitor, or who would beat up who between a DC Universe and a Marvel one.  But in Fantasy Football, we can take an ownership with our team names.  It can be as looney or off the wall as you want it to be.  Or you can play it straight.  But no matter who you get, you can take ownership in men and celebrate and horror to the rise and fall of each limp, of each completion, of each of the 10 yards in the fight to the death.  And eventually you will be watching games that don’t mean anything, just because you have a Kicker in on a monday night game, and you are down by five points and you just need two field goals to win.

Spending 3 hours to wait and watch a kicker score 2 field goals is a waste of time.  But its justified in your mind, because last year Ted Dancin’ Machine beat you in the Superbowl when your team name was the Suckfest Wankers.

But the best part is sit across the sofa from the guy you are playing, to sit there quietly, your Ipad open to the point ticker, and you see he takes a sip of his diet coke, while you wash down a bean burrito with a fountain drink mountain dew.  The fantasy updates scroll across the bottom of the tv.  And you see his guy, and you see your guy and you see the score on the Ipad change.  Not a word is said.  In your mind you are trying to figure out how its going to play out, which route, decorum or ridicule you will engage.  What would he do given the similar situation?  How will I take it if he wins?  Things get historical at this point.  You remember last year, and the year before.  In that same room the ‘Ballhandlers’ and ‘Stark Industries’ who are also in the league have already finished their perspective games.  All the attention is placed on #1 and #2.  Still not a word is said.  A side glance or two.  An eyebrow raise, a nod, an adjustment in the sofa which now is getting really really warm.

Then it happens, one of your running backs in the game you are both watching breaks around the corner of the defense, and you are counting yardage, and looking for flags on the field, and you keep pushing him with your hands, as if your hand gestures can telegraph to Buffalo, NY and provide good blocking for Fred Jackson.  Your hands are getting visibly in the way of your opponent and his view to the tv, and quite frankly they are just plain annoying.  Some popcorn has spilled, and behind you can hear a “that’s just great…”  As the temporary euphoria subsides, you sit back down, as the Ipad app updates the score.  ”Phew.” That’s a 10 point buffer that has to hold till tonight.  If so, my team, the ‘X-Con Vicks’ will triumph tonight. 

Malibu, CA

Rolleiflex Baby Grey 4x4, Schineder-Krueznach 65mm, Rollei Retro 80