All Pro Update Numero Uno

Weeks 1&2 Review, Week 3 Preview
By: Willie Stroker Willie Stroker: Yahoo Columnist

Wow, It's finally here. Are you ready for some football? Back in my young days living on the ole' Wisconsin ice trails all I could think about was that opening week of the greatest sport going; some good ole' fashioned football. It seems like it was yesterday that my father, Sonny Stroker, took me to my first Packers game down at the storied Lambeau field. There was always just something about that Frozen Tundra that would get me so excited! Oh, well I've gone a little off track here, but here we go, off to some fantasy football reviews!

With two weeks in the books, the All Pro Fantasy Football League is looking like two separate leagues within two separate leagues. The Great Taste Conference has come out to a strong start, boasting two undefeated records with only one team without a W.

WEEK 1

GAME OF THE WEEK:

The ALLIANCE	136	Final
Dr.Acula	59

In a week of sheer blowouts, there was not one game that went down to the wire. Every game was decided early, so why not have the most convincing defeat as the GOTW? As my good friend Anthony Dellavale of the Alliance would say, "We have been roundhouse kickin' people since 2001," and nothing changed in week 1 of the 2009 season. Drew Brees continued where he left off last season posting 50 points on 6 huge TD passes. The ALLIANCE could have won this one with Brees and pretty much any other one player on their team. This 77 point loss was so bad, that Patrick Willis, the defensive player for the ALLIANCE scored more points than any player of the opposition. ALLIANCE gets the thumbs up for a great start, yet the thumbs down most certainly go to Dr. Acula, scoring the least amount of points in All Pro history with a full team in play. Make that several thumbs down....

The Elastic Warriors	123	Final
godzillas	105

The closest game of the week was a little closer than the score shows. This game was pretty close entering the Sunday and Monday night games, considering the Godzillas still had MVP caliber QB Tom Brady set to go, down about twenty points or so. It stayed there until about two minutes left in the 4th quarter of that New England game, yet Josh would still fall a few points short. The Warriors get the thumbs up, and godzillas most definitely down. You can't win every year my dear Asian friend, sometimes you just have to swallow your pride and accept mediocrity.

Chinese Eggrolls.	112	Final
Crotch Waffles	134

You know your in trouble when your kicker scores a fat goose egg, even though his team had two extra point attempts. This could be another year of futility for Kevin and the Eggrolls if he can't pull another miracle run off. The Crotch Waffles on the other hand boast a team full of scoring diversity. With a crafty Minnesota Defense backing the team, Reggie Wayne and Frank Gore (of the 2-0 49er's) are sure to put up big numbers week after week. Thumbs up to the Crotch Waffles, Two thumbs down to the Eggrolls. The Chinese Eggrolls are in a lonely dark place right now.

Spanarkel's Glory	147	Final
Mullet Mafia	97

Flat out ass beating in this one. Spanarkel ripped off Dave's mullet, pissed on it, then neatly placed it back on his head because he kind of felt bad for him. The Mafia left a lot to be desired in this one, not even breaking the triple digit landmark. The Glory of Andrew Spanarkel made good use of their 8th Round Pick, The Philadelphia defensive unit. Philly's D scored a whopping 49 points, which was pretty much the difference in this one. Thumbs up for Spanarkel, two thumbs down for Dave and the Mullet Mafia. Better luck next time Dave.

The Romosapiens	107	Final
Gjob 187	153

The Gjob not only drafted his team over the phone from work, but would then go on to open a can of whoopass on the Romosapiens. Just another blowout of week 1, except for the fact that the Gjob would score the most points in the league this week. The Gjob almost made it to his team name, 187, yet fell a little short. Phil actually had his own team work against him in more than one way. First off Bironas scored minus points, never helpful, and Phil's own Cowboy stars were the biggest scorers against him. All in all I see this as a insanely good week for Gary, and an off week for The Romosapiens. So in this one, I give thumbs up to both competitors.


Week 2
GAME OF THE WEEK:
Actually scratch that......

BLOWOUT OF THE WEEK:

Dr.Acula	150	Final
Mullet Mafia	113

Yet another week of blowouts, so I had to have Blowout of the Week for this one. Dr. Acula made a huge turnaround following his piss poor performance in the opener. The Mafia on the other hand, got manhandled like a puny white boy, with a mullet, in the prison showers. The Mullet Mafia most definitely dropped the soap in week 2. And Dr. Acula most definitely had the cure... Dr. Acula was most supported by their star player: Chris Johnson. Johnson went on a tear in week two breaking off 3 amazing plays on his way to 53 fantasy points. The Mafia is digging an early grave while Dr. Acula is on his way out of one.

Chinese Eggrolls.	96	Final
The Romosapiens	130

This game could be perfectly described by Kevin's smack talk: "SHIT!" After a second week of poor performances by the Chinese Eggroll's players, it looks to be another losing season for Kevin. The Romosapiens on the other hand looked to be what we all expected them to be this week, following an off week in the opener.

The Elastic Warriors	128	Final
Spanarkel's Glory	93

Spanarkel's Glory ran into a brick wall in the form of Drew Brees and the stellar New Orleans Offense. Philadelphia's Defense was torn apart by the potent Saints offense, leaving Spanark's Defense to a worthless 2 points. Without Philly playing to their potential killed his Glory and the Warriors would come out and steal this one. Catena stayed consistent with Jones-Drew and Manning putting up double digits. I look to see both teams bounce back in week 3 with wins.

Crotch Waffles	144	Final
godzillas	126

Another disappointing week for Josh's Godzillas, while the Crotch Waffles continued to roll scoring very high numbers for the second straight week. Josh wasn't even confident in his team, as he predicted to lose minutes before the first games started. Not a good start for the Godzillas; Waffles off to a phenomenal start.

The ALLIANCE	124	Final
Gjob 187	92

The Gjob claimed his team did work, yet the only work he would be doing is screaming moaning as Ant, and only Ant ,of the ALLIANCE Gjobbed him this week. The ALLIANCE put up consistent numbers across the board once again, backed by the only consistent QB in the league Drew Brees, and surprise of the season thus far Fred Jackson. The Gjob on the other hand had his QB, Tony the homo Romo stopped in his tracks by the ALLIANCE's New York Football Giant's Defense. This one was over early, and convincingly early.


WEEK 3 PREVIEW
After two full weeks of football, we have 3 teams boasting undefeated records, as well as 3 teams quietly losing both weeks so far. As for the undefeated teams, I see only one team coming out of week 3 without a scratch and in my best opinion, it will come out of the Crotch Waffle-ALLIANCE game.

This has GOTW written all over it and that is because of the healthy matchups both teams have. The key factors in this one will be the QB's and Defenses. Drew Brees is bound to light up the halfway decent Buffalo secondary, while Eli Manning is coming off his best regular season performance, playing the Buc's of Tampa Bay. Expect this one to be extremely high scoring on both ends of the stick.

My predicted blowout of the week is in the Spanarkel-Eggroll matchup. No one can argue that the Glory of Spanarkel will not put up big numbers with matchups like the Rodgers-Jennings combo traveling to the dome in St. Louis and Philadelphia welcoming 0-2 Kansas City into their home turf.

Upset of the week is going to be the Mullet Mafia pulling one out of his sore ass (from week 2) over the Gjob 187. I expect Trent Edwards to score at least 3 TD's considering he will probably be throwing the ball almost every down against the streaking New Orleans Saints.

I don't see the Romosapiens losing this week either. Sure you can argue the Elastic Warriors have some pretty good matchups going this week, but I see Phil's receivers alone maybe scoring 80 points. With Schaub back to mid-season form I can't see the Romosapiens going down this week.

The Dr.Acula-Godzillas matchup is certainly the most compelling one to keep your eye on. This game is going to make or break both teams. The Godzillas can't start 0-3 and expect to make the playoffs. Its way too big of a mountain to climb. On the other side of the spectrum, Dr.Acula can not lose either. A loss would make them a 1-2 club, but more importantly a 1-2 club walking into a probable ass whoopin' in week 4 facing Spanarkel's Glory.

All in all we got a week of hopefully some close games, and not 5 blowouts. GO PACKERS!


I AM THE #1 WILLIE STROKER!

Willie Stoker is Yahoo! Sports' national columnist. Send Willie an email at Willie1Stroker@yahoo.com

The Madden 10 Tournament Preview

The Official Madden 10'
Tourney Preview
By: Willie Stroker Willie Stroker: Yahoo Columnist

People are roaming the streets, driving in circles, and hibernating for days on end all over the Lyndhurst, NJ area. Why is this happening you ask? I have the answer; it's because with only two days left before the first whistle in the 6th installment of the Madden Tournament, people don't have any more patience to wait. Two days can seem like an eternity when you are waiting for one sole event of the ages. It is on the fingertips of time waiting to fall into place and finally happen after all of the hype, practice, all nighters of straight Madden NFL Football, online games, trash talk, facebook messages, blog articles, controversies, complaints, and excitement; it all comes to an exhilarating climax on Sunday the 23rd.

Before I get into this whole preview mumbo-jumbo I would like to further elaborate on my previous write up on the "Kansas City Controversy". When I last reported on this situation there was no clear cut solution set for the problem. Yet only a few days later on a follow up I was doing I have found that there is no longer any problems with the young Jack Moran using the Chiefs. Anthony Dellavale has chosen to take the long way home (as us Southerners like to say it) and reprieve Jack of any type of retaliation for the time being of the Madden Tournament. There will still be much tension between the two throughout the tournament, especially if they meet one on one, mono-E-mono, there may be no stopping Ant on his path of revenge.

That brings me to my first topic of discussion in this introduction to the Madden Tournament. There has been some recent rumblings in Lyndhurst of an "Unstoppable Play". I had little information and knowledge of this play of sorts, so I decided to do some in-depth reporting on the matter. I took a day trip to the little New Jersey suburb to seek out an old friend from previous matters. I stopped by a quiet one way street, Thomas Avenue on the North end of town and sought out a certain Dave Raszick.

So Dave, tell me, have you heard of this "Unstoppable Play" yet?
"Nah, not at all. Is it that stupid direct snap again?"
I don't really have a clue Dave, that is why I came to ask you, I figured you might have some inside info on the matter.
"Oh well it is probably some type of glitch of some sort."
Okay Mr. Razzik, thank you for your time once again.

So I didn't get much information regarding this play. Yet since then the glitch rule (#36) has been adopted by the Madden Tourney President Brian Rehbein. It was very hard to find any info on the play, which leads me to believe that it is being groomed and saved specifically for Sunday's start of the tournament. Although I did hear from a few other Lyndhurst residents that it is spread across a few separate teams. Rumored users of the play are Danny Kesack, Anthony Pacillo, and Mike Catena. I guess everyone will just have to wait and see what occurs come Sunday!

The first Madden Tournament in history started with eight participants and grew from there. From eight to double digits, double digits to 24, to 29, and eventually to a full 32. Yet with its growth has come a bit of imbalance in the blood relation ratio of the tourney. For years there was the Rehbein brothers, the Catena brothers, and even a rumored love triangle including Josh Seo and two other men in the tourney a few years back, but never a cousin relationship. That was until this past year at the Madden 09' Tournament where Porta recruited multiple cousins, TJ and "Bad News" Tony. This year they may have lost one cousin, yet Porta would not go without adding many more.

The Madden 10' Tourney this Sunday will feature 3 more Porta-TJ cousins, upping there ante of Porta relations in some way to a total of 5 participants, over 15% of the tournament. Is it just a few friendly kids wanting to play some good ole' Madden football, or is there more to it than that? Could there be a possible takeover in the works considering the numbers grow higher and higher every time you turn your back? I guess we'll just have to wait and see how it plays out by the end of the Madden 10' Tournament.


In the beginnings of the Madden Tournament there was this invincible entity in Jimmy Gangi household. That my friends is none other than the "Candy Cane" itself. For 3 years it reeked havoc on anyone playing Jimmy in his house. The candy cane had powers unknown to any mere human being and would pick a bone with you if messed with. There was a curse of sorts that went with the candy cane if you messed with it. For example in the Madden 07' Tourney, Billy took the candy cane from its magnetic home atop Jimmy's basement ceiling and hid it. He then went on to be upset by Joey Catena and then eliminated on the Miracle Manning play.

After two years of candy cane absence, as well as championship absence, Jimmy has found the infamous entity and will utilize it this upcoming Madden 10' Tournament. Will this play a huge role in Jimmy's possible success this year? Will anyone reek havoc in Jimmy's house by taking it? Will anyone be cursed by the powers of the candy cane? All questions that shall be answered in a few days.

Three years ago Billy was defeated by Joey Catena in the worst game of his Madden career, and then screwed over in the Miracle Manning game. From that point on Billy would only lose two games in the past two tourneys, dominate both years' winners brackets, and go on to win two championships back to back. The repeat of Madden Titles made it 3 Tourney wins for billy in only 4 years.

Now with the lights on bright and all eyes watching will Billy be able to pull another one out of the hat and make it a 3-peat? It will be a tough road with 30 others rooting solely against him, yet when it comes down to it all there is is two players, two controllers, one game. All eyes will be on the path Billy takes in this years bracket for sure, but will this affect other players efforts in the tournament? We will soon find out!

This year's event will see many new faces staring at a bunch of TVs. As always, with the entrance of new faces comes the exit of some old faces. Some of these people include four time entrant Dooky and three year player Gabe Ruggerio. Yet the most notable exit from the Madden Tournament this year is Kevin Rehbein. Kevin, who has been in every Madden Tourney to date will exit for the year due to vacation. Kevin had been in 5 tourneys and finished in the top ten each of the 5 times including three 4th place finishes (his highest ranking). How will these departures affect this years Madden Tournament? Will Kevin still somehow find a way to blame Billy for his misfortune? Will Gabe's mom even allow him to ask someone the results of the Madden Tourney? Will any of these questions be answered?
Come Sunday we will find out.

Following Billy's defeats in the Madden 2007 Tournament and his short comings in a few Smackdown Tournaments, he sought out assistance, assistance of another breed that is. Enter Anthony Dellavale, the Robin to Billy's Batman. Immediately as it started the ALLIANCE was formed. The ALLIANCE since then has tried to add a member here and there to make it a power trio. Some temporary members included the Batgirl to Billy's Batman; Josh, as well as Dooky, and a turncoat appearance by Dave. Yet the ALLIANCE would always remain a duo of superpowers that could never be stopped, or at least that is what its members and many others believed.

Madden Tournament 2008, enter "the Kid". The Kid, fed up with the ALLIANCE set out on a journey to recruit members for his very own group. He would call this group the NWO, which stood for New World Order. "It's a New World Order in the world of Madden!", the Kid, aka Dave Dicrisi proclaimed at Jimmy's house last year. Since that moment these two groups have been at each others' throats for supremacy in the world of Madden. The ALLIANCE got the better of the NWO this past year, but who will come out on top? That's a question in it of itself only to be answered this weekend at the Madden Tournament!

One of the highlights of the Madden 09' Tournament was the temporary perfection of the Pacillo Strategy utilized obviously by Anthony Pacillo. Well with a new tourney comes a new strategy for Pacillo, now known as the "Man with the Plan". As Pacillo as played a few other Madden Tourney participants a few rumors have broken about the new strategy. Rumors that may very well be true, or they could just be one big hoax. Either way, Pacillo has been rumored to solely use the Pittsburgh Wildcat Offense over and over again until he makes the defense sick to their stomachs. Is this new strategy a true story, or is it just a distraction in a ploy bigger than anyone realizes with rewards more lucrative than anyone can imagine? Does the new "Pacillo Strategy" even work? You will have to see for yourself that is, come the 23rd of August.

I touched on the topic of many new faces in this years tourney earlier, and I will now elaborate on the matter. In the history of Madden there has been only two champions. One of them would be Jimmy Gangi, a two time champion. The other is three time winner and reigning and defending Madden Champion Billy Rehbein. So with the 6th tournament approaching, will there be a new winner? Wait, I'm getting ahead of myself here. In the 5 years of Madden Tournament play, there has never been a year where neither Billy or Jimmy were in the championship finale. With that these two have faced off twice in the finals, leaving only 3 others to ever garner even 2nd place in the tourney and that has been in the past 3 years. In the 2007 tournament Phil went down to Jimmy, in 08' Mark Naseef fell to the wrath of the ALLIANCE and so did Pacillo in 09'.

This leaves many questions unanswered leading into the 6th annual Madden Tournament. Will there be some new blood in the finals this year? Many participants have come oh so close, only to be denied by Jimmy and Billy. Players entering the tournament for the first time include Frank Spanola: a former LHS Madden Champion. Phil Spanola: brother of Frank who dearly wishes to follow in Frank's Madden footsteps. Travis: a hidden gem in the world of Madden, not to be underestimated in this tournament. Jack Moran: who entered with a bang digging up tons of controversy. Chris Demarco: a man of indecision on entry into the tourney. Jeremy Shafer: eager to get into the action, yet injury prone (Fragile Thumbs). Gary Job: not using the cowboys, his favorite team, could very well hurt his chances. Steve Gumble: the oldest player in Madden History to date, will be looking to hip toss an 8th grader or two. Finally, The "Porta Cousin Crew" (Dylan, Bestar, Eric): if this tandem sticks together they could very well leave their mark on this madden tourney.

So like the poll on your right hand side of the page asks, will it be Billy/Jimmy winning yet again, or will the field take this one? There is only one way to decide that and that is on the couch!

Come Sunday we see a few intriguing first round matchups. Billy v.s. Jack Moran entices many to watch. Will Billy start off strong or will the controversial Jack Moran look to make his point of controversy and upset Billy? Steve Gumble v.s. Mike Catena (Which is most likely going to happen Monday) is also a barn burner. Mike Catena garnered madden attention by winning 1st pick in the draft lottery and choosing the Patriots, Billy's winning team the past two years. Steve, using a very talented Oakland Raiders has a chance to stop Catena in his tracks right off the bat, but will he? Travis v.s. Mike Moron is another enticing one to watch out for. Travis is a sleeper in this year's tournament and Moron will be looking to earn respect from his fellow Madden goers, they both have something to prove, but who will actually go out and do it? The closest and most exciting first round game will more than likely be between PJ and Frank Spanola. Frank a former LHS Madden Champion will take on PJ's Colts in a very even matchup. Finally a game to also keep an eye open for is Dave v.s. Ant. Dave may get too cocky in this one. Let's not forget Ant has all the help in the world from his fellow Alliance member and 3 time champion Billy. Let's also not forget this game is being played on ALLIANCE grounds at Billy's house. Anything can happen and if I had to pick a sleeper in the first round Ant is the one to take.

Willie's Picks
Champion: PJ Miller
Runner Up: Billy Rehbein
Tourney Sleeper: Travis
Most Improved (From 09'): Dave Racszyk
First Eliminated: Jack Moran
Biggest Bust: Danny Kesack
MVP Player: Peyton Manning

Like I said before, were just 48 hours and counting away from the start of the 6th Annual Madden Tournament. It is poised to be the best one yet and I don't think it will disappoint. August the 23rd, of the year 2009 is sure to be a date to remember.

I AM THE #1 WILLIE STROKER!

Willie Stoker is Yahoo! Sports' national columnist. Send Willie an email at Willie1Stroker@yahoo.com

Madden Check In Times and Game Times

--------Madden Tournament 2010--------

August 23rd: Start of Madden Tourney

-8AM: Official Madden Breakfast of Officers (Billy's House)

Check In Times: For Participants

(ALL PARTICIPANTS CHECK IN AT BILLY'S HOUSE)

-9AM: Billy, Ant, Dave Raz, Jimmy, Phil, Josh, PJ Miller, Phil Spanola, Frank Spanola, Jack Moran, Petey Zeoli, Bestar

-9:15AM: Porta, Jeremy Shafer, Kesack, Demarco, TJ, Mark Naseef, Pacillo, Dylan

-9:45AM: Gary Job, Petey D, Mike Moron, Travis, Dom Martinez, Joey Catena, Franny, Eric

-10:15AM: Rob Nichirco, DTF (aka Dicrisi)

Game Times

Billy's House:-----TV1----------------TV2---------------- TV3
9:05AM-----Billy-Jack Moran-----Ant-Dave----------Josh-Phil S
9:40AM-----PJ-Frank S---------- Porta-Shafer-----Kesack-Demarco
10:10AM----Gary-Petey D-------Travis-Moron

Jimmy's House:----------------------------Phil's House:
9:15AM--------Jimmy-Petey Zeoli----------Phil-Bestar
9:50AM--------TJ- Mark Naseef------------Pacillo-Dylan
10:20AM------Dom-Joey Catena-----------Franny-Eric
10:40AM-------------------------------------Dicrisi-Rob

The Kansas City Controversy

The Kansas City Controversy
By: Willie Stroker Willie Stroker: Yahoo Columnist

For years there has been the sport we know as American Football. For 30 or more years there has been the world of video games. When you put those two together you get the Madden NFL Football franchise. The Madden franchise has also spurred many competitive tournaments throughout the nation, with one of the most interesting tournaments taking place in northern New Jersey.

In a tiny New York City suburb; Lyndhurst, New Jersey hosts a Madden Tournament of sorts annually. I have contacted Brian Rehbein about details on this tournament and he has filled me in completely.

This brings me to my first topic of discussion. It has been brought to my attention that a certain participant in this madden tournament will not be using the team he has been using in the yearly event for the past few years, put aside the same team he has supported for all his life. I recently contacted this somewhat disgruntled fan and Madden player for his thoughts on the situation.

Anthony Dellavale of Lyndhurst, NJ has been a Kansas City Chiefs fan for all of his 18 or so years of life. He has been right there through the glory days of Trent Green, Tony Gonzalez, and record breaking Priest Holmes; straight through the hard times of the Missouri football franchise, Anthony has been there supporting his team through and through. So when I was informed that this year Anthony would not be using the Chiefs in the sixth year of his participation in this madden tournament i was shocked and appalled.

"I was in complete and utter shock, I mean only a crazy person would pick the Chiefs at this point." said Anthony Dellavale when he was asked his first reaction to Jack Moran using the Chiefs in this year's madden tournament. I then questioned if that made him crazy and he responded
"No sir, I am just a supporter of the underdog." But Anthony, considering you were the Chiefs for many, many years in this tournament; was it easy making the transition from your favorites in the Chiefs to the Tennessee Titans?
"Of course not Willie, no Donte Hall, no Trent Green, Larry Johnson not being the same player, it just wasn't the same."

I was really confused by what Anthony had to say so I needed to seek a second opinion on the matter. I contacted another fellow madden tournament participant, ironically also from Lyndhurst, NJ; Dave Razzick. What are your feelings that someone else other than Anthony is using the Chiefs this year?
"I say its an outrage and the Chiefs aren't getting the ownership they deserve. The Chiefs themselves should be boycotting the tournament." That is a bold statement Mr. Razzik, considering that is very unlikely to happen, what are your expectations for Jack Moran and Anthony Dellavale in this tournament?
"The kid Moran will have no success because the curse of the Dellavale will fall upon him. Ant on the other hand will have some extra motivation to play for this year." When I heard this I was even more confused, because when I asked Mr. Dellavale the same question he responded,
"Maybe its time to pass the torch. Let's see what the kid's got." It seemed to me as the spectators and third party players were more outraged with whole incident more so than Anthony himself. Yet continuing with Dave Rassicck, I then asked him if Jack Moran knew what he was getting himself into by picking the Chiefs?
"Not at all Stroke, he shouldn't be surprised if Ant trashes his house as a warning sign. Jack needs to expect a retaliation by Ant. I see a new, heated rivalry in the making here. Is that all, I got to go help my dad with stuff." What stuff David? "Stuff, don't worry about it..." Oh alright just one more thing; Do you have any other comments on this whole situation?
"I say that Ant and Moran have an exhibition match before the tourney. They would each use the Chiefs for ownership of the team, pure braggin' rights at stake here."

When I asked Anthony about the possibility of playing an exhibition match against the newcomer Moran, or even for real in the tournament, he proclaimed,
"It would be an honor to face the Chiefs, but lets face it only one person can pull off the Chiefs in style and can use them perfectly to their exact purpose and that is the one and only Anthony Dellavale! Oh and also the Alliance will live strong." Alliance? What is this you speak of Anthony?
"The Alliance can never be defeated nor destroyed. It can only be transformed into Chuck Norris and Steven Segal, two kick ass dudes." Oh I see, so you are the counterpart to this NWO i hear of around these parts of Jersey?
"Who? The Alliance lived strong, lives strong, and will always live strong." Ok, that is it for now Mr. Dellavale, thank you.
"Anytime Willie."

So after hearing all the details, stories, opinions, and controversies, I have finally come up with my own opinion. Mr Dellavale is so construed on being loyal to the Kansas City Chiefs that he would rather not ruin the run he had with them. He is still a Chiefs fan for life, but all books have to include a final chapter. I guess Anthony wanted to close this book before it got out of hand, before a touching tale turned into a terrible tragedy. What I'm getting at here in plain and simple terms is that Anthony is a winner through and through and did not want to shame his beloved team by losing with them in this year's Madden Tournament.

Willie Stoker is Yahoo! Sports' national columnist. Send Willie an email at Willie1Stroker@yahoo.com

History of Madden: Part V

PART 5



With four successful years in the books, the notebooks that is, the fifth was the first real landmark year in The History of Madden. Each year the tournament had progressively gotten better and the fourth to fifth year was the biggest jump of them all. After the Madden 08' Tourney, which was the most well constructed tournament of them all, came the Madden 09' tourney in August of 2008, which was even better constructed.

The Madden 09' Tourney saw the introduction of many new and important aspects to help the tourney run much more smoothly. The first addition was the introduction of a staff of officers to help Billy run the tournament. Billy still held his position ad head tourney director and President of All Operations and still held much of the workload, but 3 more officers took on roles. The next Madden Staff member would be Jimmy, who would become the Tourney Treasurer considering he would always hold all money. Dave would become the Director of Seating Arrangements, considering he would always somehow gets construed into not playing for a number of hours and sitting in the same seat the whole tournament. Lastly Ant Dellavale, out of all comical purposes would become the Tournament Shrink/Health Inspector considering his infatuation with the Madden Health Risks imprinted on the game. These four would be the officials making all decisions needed for the tourney. Then an honorary member would be named, PJ Miller would become the Honorary Food and Beverage Director, in charge of all edible goods for the tourney.

The tourney also made another progressive jump, topping the previous year's 24 participants, making it 29 in the 09' tournament. It was also the first time we had a cousin of a participant in the tournament. It was also the first time there was multiple cousins of a participant in the tournament. Nick Porta had his cousin TJ and his other cousin Tony enter the tournament, and no one would forget either of them. TJ, would miss his Aunt Suzie's funeral for the Madden Tourney. This showed how committed the cousins of Porta really were. Tony on the other hand would be remembered for more infamous reasons. Tony, using the Miami Dolphins faced elimination at Phil's House. Playing PJ Miller frustrated Tony. Tony's game was not going very good and he started to swear and curse up a storm. Billy who was watching the event happen before his eyes would have an epiphany and text Phil and Dave a message that will forever be remembered. "This kid Tony is Bad News". Stemming from this text message, he would become known by all as "Bad News Tony".

Memories of the 09' Tourney were a dime a dozen. The Phil-PJ series took place as they played each other 3 times, once in every bracket, the first occurrence of this in Madden History. Another memory would be the close round of 16 game and almost defeat of Billy. Billy was the number one seed following his 08' tourney win and would face Marc Carrier the 16th seed. Billy was poised to win yet another tourney using the New England Patriots yet again in the 09' Tourney. Marc would take the lead though very early and after a fumble and interception in the first half Marc went up 14-3 by halftime. Billy would have to put together an untouchable 2nd half to end any thought of an upset. Billy would come out in the second half and have an impressive drive right off the bat to make it a 4 point game. By the 4th quarter Marc added another FG to make it 17-10. Marc would then stop Billy on a turnover on downs in the opening minute of the 4th, which looked to be the final blow in this battle of wits. Yet Marc, facing a 3rd and long after two stops, would choose to pass the ball and Billy and his Pat's would take full advantage. Asante Samuel would be accredited with the interception on this 3rd and long and give the Patriots great field position. Billy would go on to score a TD with the clock ticking down to the final moments and seemingly send the game into OT. Yet a gutsy Billy would choose a play out of the goal line formation after Marc had already chosen FG block. Billy would throw a quick pass to Laurence Maroney in the flats to take the lead 18-17 and end any talk of an upset. Billy would then go on to dominate all comers in the winner's bracket. Billy would defeat Phil with ease in Phil's own house, Pacillo in the semi-final, and beating Mike Catena by plenty in the winner's bracket final, which put him in the championship series on an undefeated streak yet again for the second year in a row.

Probably one of the most memorable, scratch that, the most memorable incidents in the History of The Madden Tournament's 5 years would be the NWO takeover. Billy, had a group known as the ALLIANCE which consisted of Billy and Ant Dellavale. The ALLIANCE at this point was a dominant force in the world of Madden and any organized tournament or event. Dave Dicrisi, otherwise known simply as "The Kid" would lead this takeover. Dicirisi would gather 20+ participants in the Madden Tourney to rally against the ALLIANCE. "The Kid" as he liked to call himself took over the bracket boards, writing NWO all over them and writing NWO next to each member on the bracket. Dicrisi would also draw a number of pictures to give visuals of the rebellion he was leading. The whole rebellion ordeal came to a climax at the championship of the tourney.

Pacillo would fight out of the loser's bracket to defeat Jimmy yet again for an uncounted amount of times in Madden History, sending him to the elimination bracket. Pacillo would then take on Mike Catena and send him to the elimination bracket as well. Jimmy won the elimination championship game beating Catena and would go on to the Loser's bracket championship against Pacillo once again. Jimmy needed to beat Pacillo twice, but Pacillo only needed to defeat Jimmy once, which he did once again. Pacillo was dominate in this tournament due to the "Pacillo Strategy". This Madden strategy was based on possession and clock management. Pacillo would get the ball and drive the field using every second of the play clock on every play, often frustrating the opponent into doing things they wouldn't normally do, thus giving him the edge. Pacillo would go on to face Billy in the championship of the 09' Madden Tournament. Billy dominating throughout the entire tourney would tend to believe this championship would be the easiest of all for him after he defeated Pacillo earlier in the day.

Billy had another thing coming though. The NWO leader, "The Kid" had rallied his forces to Jimmy's house to root against Billy in hopes of a Pacillo upset. Pacillo needing to win three games before he lost two was calm, cool, and collected behind his 20+ fans in Jimmy's basement on a cool summer night in August. Pacillo, with his Pacillo Strategy would frustrate Billy in the opening championship contest and go on to defeat him in their second meeting of the tourney much to the cheers of the NWO.

The second game of the championship, taking place immediately after would be another close one. Coming down to the wire, Billy seemed to figure out a solution to the "Pacillo Strategy and hit two TD passes to Wes Welker and Randy Moss down the field to win the game. At this point, most of the NWO faithful including Jimmy himself left Jimmy's house. Billy needed one more game for a repeat as Madden Champion, which had never been done before in Madden History. Billy would go on to mercy rule Pacillo in this third game and take what was his. This tourney win made it back to back championships, as well as 3 in 4 years. This also made Billy the most winning Madden player in history taking over in most wins, championship wins, and least losses in Madden's 5 year history.

This might all change though, because with a new year comes a brand new Madden Tournament. Madden !0' is poised to be the best Madden yet and the 6th installment of the Madden Tournament franchise will most certainly not disappoint.