New York City Tecmo Super Bowl Tournament V

Travel and Arrival

I went to bed around 11:30 PM on Wednesday night.  A few hours later I dragged my son out of bed and left our place a little after 3:00 AM on Thursday morning.  After a quick drive-thru breakfast and a stop to fill the cooler with ice to get trip beverages and snacks cold, my son and I embarked on our very first trip to the Big Apple.  We made a quick stop in Barberton, OH for an ATM and some gas. The lack of sleep was wearing on me so I had to stop at a rest area in Reynoldsville, PA for about an hour nap.  When my son and I went to use the restroom, there was an aspiring musician in the foyer of the rest area building who was belting out some lyrics with an acoustic accompaniment.  I thought it was pretty good, but the man cleaning the restrooms said he was too loud and kicked him out. They got into an altercation outside.  That was our cue to get back on the road.  Dolan did pretty good on the road.  We only stopped when necessary.  The iPad kept him busy and he pulled the frequent hour-at-a-time naps.

Traveling through eastern Pennsylvania was a treat.  I have seen the Appalachian Mountains many times as I have family in western Pennsylvania, but eastern Pennsylvania is where it is at for scenery on a long drive.  The trees all turned every variant shade of red, orange, yellow, and green as if they were perfectly blended in an painted masterpiece.  All were stacked atop the towering mountains of the Appalachians on a side which I was unfamiliar with.  At times we felt engulfed by them, but it felt so peaceful and the drive to Stroudsburg, PA was smooth and calm.  While we were in Stroudsburg, we stopped for more gas.  We grabbed a slice of brick oven pizza from a local pizza place attached to the gas station.  It was great.  I had a buffalo chicken ranch slice while Dolan had a traditional pepperoni.

This is where the travel gets dicey.  I knew I was somewhat close to New York City.  I hate large crowds and I hate traffic just as much.  This is the person that travels 70 extra miles to avoid tolls and the Chicago Skyway on the way to Madison.  Traffic started picking up in New Jersey, and it wasn't horrible, but the closer we got the more anxious I got.  Once I saw the buildings I was nervous. Dolan was excited and pointing everything out, but my eyes couldn't veer too far from the road to look. Crossed the George Washington Bridge and paid a $14 toll.  That's not a typo.  Cars were packed like sardines, swerving in and out of traffic.  I was praying to the big man upstairs that I wasn't going to wreck the rental car.  I was also at the mercy of the GPS on my phone which kept sliding and falling from the dash.  I paid another toll of the $8 variety to cross over into Queens.  Then shit hit the fan. I got stuck in an intersection.  Car horns and finger gestures ensued like a well conducted orchestra.  I am trying to nudge into the correct lane changes.  After an hour and forty minutes we finally arrived at the hotel in Queens.  I unpacked the car and crawled into the hotel room like a hermit crab and not prepared to go back out until the next day.  I played four practice games with Dolan.  Most of which he held his own.  James Brooks got off in one and he had no chance.

James Brooks 9 carries for 448 yards

Friday and Sight-seeing

On Friday morning we indulged in some continental breakfast and left to meet Brian Rausse at a subway station.  On the way, I suddenly realize I left my belt back in Indianapolis.  My jeans are falling off my hips and I am constantly grabbing and pulling them back up.  Knowing I would be walking somewhere between 10-15 miles to do sight-seeing in New York, I stopped some electricians on the road and asked them for zip-ties.  I told them the story of how I used to use zip-ties for the saggy jeans of students and it was an effective way to keep them from sagging.  Three zip-ties later, I was safe and we met up with Brian at the Queens Boulevard Subway Station.  Brian took the day off work to take us around.  Without him I would have been completely lost.  He showed me the ropes on getting and using the MetroCard.  Dolan soon found out what the poles were for on the subway. We went to Grand Central Station, saw the New York Public Library, Bryant Park, and then to Times Square. When I asked Dolan what he thought of New York, he replied, "It's so busy."  Far cry from what we have in the Crossroads of America.

In Times Square, Dolan took pictures with famous mascots from Sesame Street and Disney.  I figured this wasn't a free thing.  Next thing I know, after we paid Elmo, three other characters grab Dolan and I find myself spending away Dolan's college money on selfies with mascots.  We checked out Toys-R-Us which featured a Ferris Wheel inside.  Next, we hit up a souvenir store after a New York scarf caught my eye for my wife.  The day of the tournament was my wife's birthday.  It was bad enough that she has been very ill, and then we were leaving her on her birthday to play Tecmo.  The scarf was in order.  Next, the three of us grabbed some early lunch at the Times Square Grill.  Then we ventured off to Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building, and Madison Square Garden.  We didn't stop there.  We saw The New York Stock Exchange, Federal Hall, the Statue of Liberty (from Battery Park), and then worked our way to the World Trade Center Memorial.  Best thing I saw by far.  The history teacher in me is a sucker for memorials anyway. Seeing all the names put this well documented, and what I thought I understood event, into perspective. Very emotional.

After a drink and subway ride, we waited for the Tecmo Ninja and Chris #2 in Union Square.  Loved this place as well.  I am a people watcher.  Everyone there had a story or was unique in their own special way.  Even the squirrels who would literally jump on the park benches on your back were friendly.  When "Chris Squared" showed up we ventured across the streets of Manhattan.  On the way to Little Italy, we stopped at a retro video games store.  Heaven in a 300 square-foot building.  We saw a white font label Tecmo Super Bowl variant.  I also snagged a factory sealed Tecmo Super Bowl.  This made my trip.

Tecmo Ninja owns an Italian restaurant.  He was in Pizza Heaven.  I feel like every corner store or stand he picked up a slice or wanted to stop.  This was all on the way to the Mecca of Pizza, Lombardi's.  Lombardi's is the oldest family owned and operated pizza restaurant in the U.S.  It is the only pizzeria that has/still uses a coal oven to bake their pizza.  Zagat surveys claims that Lombardi's is the best pizza on the planet.  I will not dispute this.  During this time we found out that Louis (red98sethuthut) made it to the Big Apple, but his car broke down.  Louis was staying with Dolan and I at the hotel, but at this time there was no way to get to him.  I felt bad.

By this time Dolan and I were exhausted.  Legs on the verge of cramping and just physically and mentally spent, Brian put us on a subway and gave us directions to get back to the hotel.  Here is proof that I can not live in New York City.  I followed his directions to a T.  Then on our final subway (we had to transfer) I saw that the next stop was Hunter's Point Avenue .  This was the same street we were staying on, so I was like let's just get off here.  Turns out it lead us to a 30 minute walk down one of the poorest lit streets in New York.  Scared to death.  On the way, Louis said he got a jump start and we finally made it back to the hotel.  Dolan immediately passed out.  Louis and I stayed up until almost 2:00 AM playing practice games. I was playing pretty well.  I felt like if I could play at that level at the tournament, that I would have a shot of finishing near the top.

Tournament Day

Next morning, Dolan wakes up early and plays Louis.  Both games were relatively close.  We packed up all our equipment and got a free Uber ride to the venue (thanks to my brother Kevin).  Break Bar and Billiards had great space and a good set up for Tecmo.  I set up the stream on my laptop and helped set up equipment.

A new tournament experience for me was having my son be apart of this special hobby of mine.  It was also a different element because I have never had to worry about keeping tabs on my kid while I was playing.  Dolan played his first game of Tecmo at four years old.  He played sporadically from ages five to six.  He played next to nothing for a year and then practiced hardcore with me before Madison, as he was supposed to go to with me this year, but plans fell through.  He then didn't play a game until I prepped for the Indianapolis tournament in June of this year.  Since June he played a total of six games.  The four with me Thursday night and the two with Louis this morning.

Dolan's Group Play

Dolan started out by playing a matchup he has never played before.  His opponent called WAS vs MIN.  Dolan took MIN.  He got an INT on the first WAS drive and then converted a cross-field TD bomb to Hassan Jones.  After some possession exchanges, his opponent went into Up and A mode and Dolan never adjusted his play calls.  He lost 31-7.

Second game was against Erik Merliss (last year's runner up).  I didn't get to see most of the game as I was playing, but Erik was up 14-10 with 2 minutes and change.  He scored a late TD to win 21-10 in the PHX (Erik) vs DAL (Dolan) matchup.  I asked Erik how Dolan played and he said he played well.

Third game Dolan found out what Tecmo is all about.  Someone told me he lost three fumbles.  He also threw a couple of picks with BJ.  His opponent cruised to an easy win with the Broncos.  Dolan scored his first TD late in the game.  After getting the ball back I instructed him to kick a FG at the buzzer so his opponent would't get the 28 point maximum.  He lost 35-10.

The final game Dolan finally got to call a matchup.  He went S.F. vs. GIA.  Dolan played well and won 24-0 with the Giants.

Daddy's Group Play

First game was against Ryan H.  Same Ryan vogtcd11 and I spoke with on Tecmo Talk Radio.  I was thinking he lived in Wisconsin so when he told me he lived in New York, it threw me off.  He called MIA vs. S.D.  No hesitation for me here.  I have learned to quit thinking with my heart and start playing Tecmo with my head.  I took the Dolphins.  I ran early and often.  Smith and some descent carries.  Logan chipped in as well.  Dan operated the quick passes.  Chargers scooped a fumble return for a TD and had another really nice TD drive as well.

Second game I played TecSpectre (Ray B.) from Philadelphia.  He called RAI vs CHI.  I went with the defense.  Neal, at WR, got an early TD.  Singletary got into the backfield way too much to keep Bo in check.  Bailey ran well until he went into BAD and then Neal took carries to end the game.

Third game I played Juan I.  Real cool guy.  I will get you on that FaceBook page by the end of the week brother.  I got to call one of my only two matchups the entire day.  I went with S.D. vs. DET. He took the Lions.  He ran Right and A and soon realized I was calling it every play.  He then left the run game and went to the pass.  Byrd was able to shut it down.  BJ and Butts were solid.

Fourth game was a cross-pool game since I was in one of two groups with four players instead of five.  I had to play the other 3-0 group member Jim Teta.  I know Jim was good.  He made deep runs the past several years in this tournament.  He doesn't know, but I did some scouting.  I know he is a runner.  I know he LOVES the Raiders.  He called PHI vs. RAI, so I took the Raiders.  I scored early. He fumbled away and I scored.  Up 14-0 early I really played some tough defense and forced several first half punts.  Jim was a great guy and I know that final score is not indicative of the type of player he is.  He had a bad game, bad luck, and I had good luck and played some of the best defense on the day that game.  I finished 4-0 in group play and claimed the number 1 seed.

Raffles, Raffles, and Raffles

Every tournament participant had their name put in a bag for the chance at some cool nostalgic prizes ranging from a Barry Sanders or was it Mel Gray throw pillow to the complete first season of 30 for 30 on Blu-Ray.  Each person selected, got dibs on which prizes they wanted.  They let Dolan draw the names.  He was so excited.  The crowd made him feel welcomed.  It was a big day for him and this was a big deal.  So whoever came up with it, thank you. Obviously it was rigged (joking) because Dolan's name and my name were pulled.  Dolan selected the mystery box which included a 1990 football magazine, Barry Sanders in box Starting lineup, Bo Jackson pin, Bo Jackson card, Bo Jackson VHS, and Bo Jackson two-way baseball/football LCD game.  I selected original 8-Bit artwork from NES games.  I originally thought I'd get to choose one, but I actually got all of the artwork in the box.  I also threw in $20 for an arm's length worth of raffle tickets for a Bo Jackson autographed Tecmo Super Bowl cartridge.  No bueno.  I believe Ryan H.'s brother got this.

Art Work I Won:  http://8bitproverbs.com/prints/collectors-pack-1

Dolan's Elimination Bracket

Dolan snagged a win in the opening round of the elimination bracket.  His opponent called PHI vs. GIA.  Dolan loves the Giants.  He got up early on 7-0.  The game went back and forth.  Dolan got some goal line stands in the third quarter.  In the fourth quarter Dolan tacked on another score to win 14-0.

Next game happened before I could even get over there.  I was talking to Matt D. and Shawn S. and realized he was playing a MIA vs. ATL matchup.  His opponent called it, but Dolan took to the Falcons. WTF!  Lack of preparation.  He thought the Falcons were better.  Ugh!  Down 7-0 in the third, he got a JJ to Rison to make it 10-7.  In the fourth he stopped the opponent and had two minutes to go 70 yards.  Plenty of time.  On a run up the middle Rozier fumbled.  Final stayed 10-7. Dolan went on to play several people in scrimmages and was successful in most of them,

Daddy's Elimination Bracket

Group winners and top finishers got byes in this tournament set up.  By being the top four seeds you automatically made the sweet 16.  My first game was against Joe B. of Philadelphia.  I also scouted this guy.  Pass, pass, and more pass.  I called pass plays 100% of the game.  He called N.E. vs. SEA. I took SEA.  I controlled the game by calling plays he didn't.  I felt like this was one game I had total control over.  His only offensive score game on a ghosted triple coverage dive catch.  I was up 21-7 with just under 3 minutes to go in the game.  I was running and short passing near out of bounds every play.  I fumbled a short pass near the out of bounds line which was returned for a score making it 21-14.  Then I do the same thing.  I was fully confident in sealing the deal, but after I ran out of bounds the ball fumbled and bounced back into play.  He drops back for a three-quarter field JJ.  He got it at the one and I out-tapped him to avoid over-time.  Unbelievable how well I played to almost lose my first game.

Second game was against Brian Rausse.  He won the toss and said, "I hate to do this to you, but N.E. vs. SEA."  I don't know why people call this against me so much.  I actually enjoy using Seattle.  I have only had one really bad outing with the matchup, but it is what it is.  To me, it felt like a carbon copy of the game previous.  I was up 17-0 in the fourth and Brian managed a score to pull it to 17-7. I did the same type of short passes and runs I did the first game.  The only difference this game was no fumbles.

Semifinal game was against D.T. of Buffalo.  I finally won a toss and got to call a matchup.  I called DEN vs. S.D.  As expected he took the Chargers.  His first two possessions he threw INTs to Dennis Smith.  I was able to score 14 points early.  I felt super comfortable.  The game changer was when I was driving right before half.  I think I was on the 8 yard line.  I ran forward with Elway and instead of tapping A to run in for the score I accidentally hit B and passed, but the ball was intercepted at the 1.  If I score there, the game is 21-0 and I am getting the ball after half, but instead I lose a grip on the game and in the second half D.T. tacked on a TD late in third or early in the fourth making it 14-7.  I am forced to punt with a minute and some change.  D.T. gets a long Butts run and then the CC attempt to Anthony Miller fell incomplete in the back of the end zone.

Erik Merliss knocked off two-time defending champion Matt DeGeorge for the right to take on Shawn Suchy on the other side of the bracket.  Shawn got a fumble or two early and never looked back in a JETS vs. DAL matchup.  Merliss then played D.T. in the third place game.  D.T. won with ATL over T.B.

The championship game was set.  Shawn won the toss and called CLE vs. PIT.  This is a matchup I was actually ok with.  Matty V. once told me that it was unfair because the Steelers were so much better.  I also have my second highest OG win percentage with the Steelers.  After my game with D.T. we were forced to move the system, TV, and, laptop to a different location because of the Mets game.  During this switch my capture card fried and we were unable to to stream straight from the NES.  So, we took the HD webcam that was originally used to video the competitors, and we turned it to view the game play on the screen.  Here is the championship in its entirety:

1st place:  Derek R.
2nd place: Shawn S.
3rd place:  David T.
4th place:  Erik M.

As soon as the tournament was over, there was a rush to pick up all equipment.  I got all my stuff outside and waited for the Uber.  Not long after we got back to the hotel we all fell asleep.  These tournaments are exhausting.  Louis lived up to his snoring reputation.  I have an audio recording if anyone needs evidence.

Return Home and Conclusion

The next morning Dolan and I left around 10:45 AM.  Traffic wasn't nearly as bad on the way home. Stopped and ate at a Dutch Pantry in Clearfield, PA.  Listened to the Colts vs. Patriots game on the radio.  Got to hear the worst play call of all-time and then the memes and social media about it the following day.  We got back home safely around 1:15 AM.

I originally had no plans to come to NYC.  My wife, son, and I had been planning a family vacation to Disney for the past several months.  A day before we were supposed to leave my wife had to cancel the trip.  I won't go into detail, but she is very sick right now.  It has put quite the stress on our family and myself.  I would ask that you keep my family in your prayers or thoughts moving forward during this difficult time.  When my son found out we canceled, he was devastated.  This was his birthday present a month prior, so I told him anywhere he's always wanted to go was fair game.  His first place he said was NYC.  I said deal.  After jumping online, I realized that Saturday was the weekend of the NYC Tecmo tournament.  It made sense to me that we should play if we were going to be there anyway.  When I found out how excited he was about participating it got me excited to go.

The fact that I got to share this time-honored tradition with my son is indescribable.  I realize that he only plays because it gives him something in common with his dad.  I realize that some people in the tournament felt like a catch 22 when playing him.  If they beat him they are "picking on the little guy" and if they lose to him then they feel embarrassed.  The fact of the matter is that Dolan does have talent.  No one should take it easy on him.  I beat him bad all the time.  I never "let him win". That teaches him nothing.  He's learned a lot the past four years about the game.  I am astonished how fast he picked up things that took me years to understand on my own.  With that said, I am a hundred times more happy and proud that he played and won some games than me winning this tournament. The expression on his face was priceless.  He isn't clinically diagnosed, but I am positive he lives with social anxiety.  This was a huge step for Bubby and it is one of my proudest moments as a father.

To Brian, Ryan, and all the other people involved with NETSBA, thank you.  Quality tournament, with a great venue, and overall experience.  I love the format, the byes to reward the group winners, and the raffles.  This was my first NETSBA tournament and it won't be my last.  It ranks up there with Madison and Midwest in my book.  Nice work as always.

Besides Hendershot and Louis, nearly all of the people in this tournament were first time acquaintances or long a waited face-to-face encounters.  I am so glad to have met Shawn and Matt.  I have played online with these guys for the better part of five years.  They were in my first league that I ran as a commissioner and I had a short stint with them in Bits and Glory.  You can tell that these two are quality guys in conversations online and meeting them in person was no exception.  They remind me of people I would have hung around with in high school or college.  I just wish we lived closer and could do this more often.

To Shawn, the championship game was Tecmo at its finest.  I am sure it provided get entertainment for those watching even if it didn't live up to the Mets game being displayed behind the TV.  I'm glad it came down to us.  Great run.

I couldn't have asked for a better Tecmocation.  Dolan got to see the biggest city in America thanks to Brian.  These memories will live with him for a lifetime.  I snagged a sealed copy of Tecmo Super Bowl which only leaves me the Tecmo Super Bowl Prototype cartridge to have a "complete" collection.  I got a chance to have the greatest pizza on the planet.  Dolan and I cleaned house on the raffles at the tournament.  I took home another trophy in 2015 (four) even though I broke the hand of the football player.  I have since super glued it back on.  I had the opportunity to share this great hobby with all of you in attendance and those of watching from a far.  Last, but importantly, not least, I got to share an extended weekend with my son to further develop a bond with him as he grows older.  What a vacation!

Until next time, Long Live Tecmo.

Midwest Tecmo VIII

Going into Midwest VIII I found myself not playing ANY Tecmo for a little over two weeks.  That was online games, games versus COM, and or console versus MAN.  I was not comfortable at all.  I drove to Shelbyville, IN in a monsoon to eat dinner with my parents at Cracker Barrel.  I shared with them stories of our family vacation.  You see, I literally just got back from Gulf Shores, Alabama. We left on Sunday evening, stayed until Thursday late afternoon, and got back early Friday morning. Brutal.  After dinner I drove to my parents place and visited a little more (they are half way between my place and vogtcd11's).  Around 8 PM I embarked to Hotel de Vogt with a blackened sky and the threat of more severe weather.  I arrive a little after 9 PM and chat with Chris and his fiancée. Shortly thereafter, we start playing some practice games.

With some fumble luck I won the first game, but I felt so uncomfortable.  I could tell that my lack of playing was going to be a problem.  Chris rattled off four straight including a shit storm JETS vs. N.O. garbage game.  I was getting pissed.  I buckled down and won three straight including two of Chris' favorite matchups (WAS vs. MIN) to tie it at four games a piece.  The fifth game was a great game of Tecmo which Chris won 14-17 in OT.  I felt better about my game, but not super confident. Went to bed around 2 AM.

The next morning Chris got up early to go to Rick's Tavern and Grill.  I couldn't get up.  When I finally did I grabbed some breakfast, headed to the tavern, and set up.  One by one, the star-studded field arrived.  Madison is the largest tournament in the country and features some of the top talent around, but at Midwest there is no froth at the top.  Highly concentrated talent.  I sat down with Diaz and we practiced our kick timing by only punting and kicking FGs.  I was BUF and he was IND.   Both of us knew that Rohn Stark was one of the best punters I the game, but I was shocked by how much difference it actually makes.  I was kicking from the five with Tuten and getting full bar, with it only getting it to the 25 or 30.  When Diaz was kicking from his five he was getting it to the five or ten with almost a full bar.  What a weapon IND has.  Strangely, the very next day Tecmo Bowlers posted this article about Rohn Stark:  Good Player Bad Team - Rohn Stark

As the registration grew to a close, Chris asked me to help with pool dividing.  It was fairly easy to put the "#1 seeds" into each pool.  Initially there were only 24 people and six pools.  Chris and others were making a case that I was a #1 seed.  I argued that I wasn't.  I definitely didn't have the confidence.  In a practice game I lost to Jordan W.  35-3.  After a 25th competitor showed up I became a #2.  Every pool was brutal.  Every pool had two ultra tough, could win-it-all types, and at least one upset type player.  My pool featured #1 ones11fazhu, myself, Jordan W., satellite tournament winner Nick S., and Brian M.

My first pool play game was a rematch with Jordan W.  Jordan chucked it up to Rison in the 35-3 game I mentioned earlier.  If I won the matchup call he was getting two shitty QBs.  I called DEN vs. S.D.  He took the Chargers.  I felt like I was in control in this very different game.  I played good defense until the end of the game and won 27-3.

My second pool play game was against satellite winner Nick S.  Chris told me that he out tapped him that weekend.  Chris got me a few times the night before so I didn't know what to expect from him.  I won the toss and called S.D. vs. WAS.  He took WAS.  I mixed it up.  I played near perfect.  I had the feeling he was playing well too, despite some crazy Gary Clark 4th down CCs and JJs.  He became very frustrated at not winning the taps and by losing.  When I scored a TD that put me up 3-31 he made a comment about running it up.  I had to explain point differential and how players are seeded.

My third pool play game was against Brian M. of Rushville, IN.  I grew up 30 minutes from Rushville.  Brian was also Tate M.'s brother who I met at the Tecmo Indy tournament.  They both made the trek to play.  In Indy, Tate acted as if his brother was better.  Tate improved immensely during the Indy tournament and after watching a few of his pool play games, was much improved since then.  Brian won the toss and called IND vs. N.O.  No-brainer for me.  Saints scored at will and shut down the Indy offense.  Final score was 0-42.  I felt like despite the poor matchup call, that Tate is the better player.

The final game of the pool was against ones11fahzu.  At times we play and it feels pretty even.  At other stretches he has dominated our games.  I called CIN vs. RAMS.  I wanted RAMS and felt he would take the Bengals.  He didn't.  He also ran a quality playbook taking Fulcher all, but out of the game.  My defense was great though.  Getting a pick early and controlling some early clock led to a 28-7 victory.  For the second straight tournament I was a handful of undefeateds.  This time I was the #1 overall seed with a point differential of 102.  Here are the results from the pool play games:

Being the #1 seed I got a bye, but what is my reward?  A "first" round game against the winner of Aaron H. and Chris H.  Ugh.  Hake won and he called a RAI vs. PHI matchup.  Against other players this is a tougher decision.  Against Hake it was easy.  Hake likes to pass.  I gave him RAI.  QB Eagles ran wild and hit open receivers.  Play calls and turnovers in his own territory led to a 14-35 win.

Second round game I get Louis B.  Are you kidding me right now?  He called MIA vs. PHI.  I have played this a ton since Orenga called this on me in Madison.  I have had success with both teams.  I practice this game quite a bit.  I took MIA.  I played lights out and also had several called plays putting QB Eagles out of reach.  After a late score from PHI, I won 7-17.

Round three and the right to play in the winner's bracket championship and a guaranteed fourth place finish I had to play ones11fahzu again who just got a monster win versus Chet H.  I won the toss and went with the same matchup Louis called on me.  He chose PHI.  Game was a great one.  Probably my most exciting game of the day.  He scored on a solid drive to go up 0-7.   I was held to a FG to make it 3-7.  I brought in Mitchell for the last second bomb at the half and it falls incomplete in the end zone despite a GOOD diving Mark Duper.  I get the ball after half and have a great drive.  I switch Duper up top and got a burner over a jumping cut screen Eric Allen.  Allen whiffed and Duper runs for an additional 20 yards or so and then FUMBLES!!!!!!!!!!!!.  Ooooooof.  Talk about a punch in the gut.  Eagles gets a FG and makes it 3-10.  Fourth quarter I march it down the field and with a minute and some change (52 seconds I think) score a TD to tie it.  Eagles have time to march and kick, but after converting a 4th and 3 from their own 35 the RB fumbles and give it to Stoyanovich with nine ticks left.  A punt and this game is in OT.  Instead the tournament run continues.

The winner's bracket championship is against regulator088.  Since Madison I hear one or two things. 1.  Psycho had a great run THAT DAY or 2.  Psycho is the champ and he has proven himself.  Either way, I feel like there is an asterisk next to the win.  Yes, regulator088 was not there.  I understand that.  If he was there, yes I may have lost.  So going into this game I felt like I had to prove something about playing top tier talent.  To this point, no one had given me a game besides ones11fahzu.  I felt pretty good, UNTIL regulator088 called the matchup.  He called his self-proclaimed BEST matchup JETS vs. PIT.  I was like, OK I just need to keep it under two scores.  I've seen how bad he has beaten great players in this matchup.  I took the Steelers because the JETS suck for me.  Game opens up with a JETS fumble and I got 3 off a FG.  The rest of the game I just limited yardage on the JETS. I felt like my defense was solid.  I did catch a break on a JJ INT by Woodson in the end zone across the middle (Clifton had one on Bubby earlier in the game).  On offense I felt like every other play was a first down.  I had some big gains.  I found myself up 0-19 at the end of the game.  JETS did get a fumble at the end which was returned to about the 3.  Regulator088 got pissed and punted it through the uprights.  If anything, I feel like no one has ever played him like that before, especially in that matchup.

After that victory I sat what seemed like a day.  I was refilling my water on my own because the new server that replaced Taylor was non-existent.  Taylor was awesome by the way!  I watched other talented Tecmoers get knocked off one-bye-one.  Chet got revenge on ones11fahzu, regulator088 defeated Diaz, Jimmy was defeated by Chet on a 60+ yard FG by Del Greco as time expired to be eliminated.  Jimmy finished 4th.  Jimmy also won the Boomer Esiason Starting Line-up by throwing for the most yards with him during the day (199).

While David Fulcher Sr. couldn't make it this year, he donated some autographed items including a football, a painting, and a jersey.  Raffle tickets were sold for his foundation.  I dropped $20 and missed the jersey by two tickets, ugh!  Regulator088 donated a larger amount to the bag, but didn't take his worth in tickets.  The Tecmo Gods rewarded him by winning the jersey.  Awesome stuff.

Yuengling was also gracious sponsors by donating T-shirts, banner work, a chalkboard, a golf bag, and a bar light.  First through third place would take home those prizes.  Chet went on to play regulator088 in the third place game.  Kyle took the Vikings in a WAS vs. MIN matchup call.  Kyle won big for the rights to clash with me.

I so wanted to call the matchup against Kyle.  This is one thing he does so well against everyone that I don't think he gets credit for.  He can take people out of their game.  In the first game of the championship he called RAI vs. CHI.  Against anyone else I am jumping up and down.  I took CHI. Looking back, I should have taken RAI.  He made me look silly and I felt like we just should have hit reset and played the second game once he got up 21-0.

The second game he won the toss again.  Ugh!  I was going to call CIN vs. WAS if I won it.  He later said he would have taken CIN, which is what I planned on.  Instead I get another matchup against everyone else I am jumping up and down against, DEN vs. S.D.  When I played this game I thought he had the upper hand the entire time.  After watching it back the game was much closer than the final score indicated.  A couple of plays here or there that did not go my way and the game is easily 13-13 or possibly in my favor.  If I would have ran R and S with Pro T Run 1 instead the offset playbook, I think it would have been a game for the ages.  Congratulations Kyle.  You are the measuring stick in Tecmo.  You watch the championship at minute marker 10 hours 9 minutes 33 seconds:  Midwest Tecmo VIII Championship Game

Whether you want to call it a magical year or a "run", I am 27-5 in live tournament play in 2015 on original ROM.  I have finished 1st at Madison, 4th at Tecmo Indy, and 2nd at Midwest VIII.  The fact of the matter is that I am improving and I am one of the better console players around.  There are others that are just as good and better.  Big ups to Chris Vogt who continues to do more for the game of Tecmo than anyone I know.  I think we are running people off.  We need to get this thing back up to 56 people like it was two years ago.  You do an awesome job and you are the reason why I continue to plan life around Tecmo.

After the tournament I picked up my stuff at Hotel de Vogt and headed home with ones11fahzu and regulator088 behind.  I offered them a place to stay to save them some drive time and a ridiculous late night.  We grabbed some pizza and crashed hard.  I woke the next morning to find they left me some cash and a tidy living room.

Another great weekend.  I love these, win or lose.  

Long Live Tecmo

  

Tecmo Indy I

Ever since I have been going to live tournaments (summer of 2010) I have dreamed of playing in my home city and possibly throwing the tournament myself.  Over the past five years I have obtained 12 consoles with controllers and hookups and nine copies of Tecmo Super Bowl.  I have pursued venues to play, but most give me the are you effing serious look, or they want to charge me an arm and a leg. Late 2014 I see a post from DStach on TecmoBowl.org declaring the inaugural Tecmo Indy tournament.  I'm like holy shit of course I'm in.  I registered by emailing this fellow right away and offered any help I could offer.  In the months leading up to the tournament I made a tournament logo and stayed in brief contact with the tournament host.  I tried to advertise via Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.  As time grew closer I talked to him about logistics.  The tournament was to be played at a small bookstore on Indy's north-side called Books and Brews.  A year or two ago I remember this place having a retro game night and playing Tecmo Super Bowl, but I was unable to get a sitter to go up to play.

The day before the tournament I brought six CRT televisions to store and checked out the place.  In the front was the bookstore, then a bar area, and then an unfinished recreational room, with a furnished room in the very back.  For a tournament between 16-32 competitors this place is perfect. On top of that, Books and Brews offer a menu featuring locally brought in smoked meats.  Their bar also has several high quality in house crafted brews which you can jug and take home.  How cool!

The morning of the tournament I grab some breakfast and headed up.  The place wasn't supposed to open until 11 AM, but I walk right in and am met by Kevin C. and Louis B.  We start setting up the consoles I brought.  The tournament direct Dan S. arrives a few minutes later.  The tournament looked to have 20 total competitors including Matty V.  who was showing up at 3 PM for group play. Why 3 PM you may ask?  The Tecmo Indy tournament is unique in that it holds Tecmo Super Bowl SNES play as well.  This year it was more like pick up games.  Next year it looks to shape up to be an actual tournament for those interested.

When group play started, a few competitors got a little more than they bargained for and became upset.  They bolted to the parking lot.  One of them came back in and said they were done.  He said he didn't need this shit.  He also said his buddy was taking shrooms and was messed up.  He said he needed to stay with him to make sure he didn't do anything stupid.  Completely agree here.  Only problem, is that these guys didn't understand how messed up the group play became.  The groups were split into three regions if you will.  The East region, the Central region, and the West region.  Each region used special commemorative coins for game coin flips (a New York Giants coin for the East, a Chicago Bears coin for the Central, and a San Francisco coin for the West).  Now that the two guys left it really screwed up who already played who.  Bradbears81 did a masterful job of reworking the pools and few games had to be replayed, but all was well.

My first pool play game was against Tate M.  Tate was an enthusiastic fellow who was asking questions all day.  He was like a sponge soaking it all in.  I called CIN vs. CHI.  He took Da Bears.  I fumbled and lost three first half fumbles.  Thankfully for me Fulcher was Fulcher and picked Chicago back nearly every possession.  I won this game 21-7.

Tate M. and his Tweet following group play:

My second pool play game was against Shane B.  I can honestly say I have NEVER played a game of Tecmo where my play was called so many times.  I couldn't do anything in this RAI vs. CHI matchup.  Fortunately I was able to pull it out 10-18.  What an odd game.

My third pool play game was against tournament director Dan S.  I saw him play pretty well in a game or two before so I was not going to hold back.  I called the S.D. vs. DET.  As expected, he took the Lions and Butts ran wild. final score was 39-0.

My fourth pool play game was against Brian E.   Brain was a talker.  He talked the entire time.  From the AdvoCare diet that I was currently on, to music play lists, to Nintendo collecting, etc.  Long breaks from the game.  Every return to the game was previewed by an "Are you ready."  Nice guy. He called a PIT vs. T.B. matchup.  He started out crazy with two consecutive CCs to Louis Lipps from Brister on Haddix to put PIT up 7-0.  I stormed back to win 7-51.  He was amazed by T.B.'s defense.

We saved the final pool play game for the heavy weights.  I was to play Matty V.  Matty was unsure if he was even coming due to having his car fixed, but he strolled into the tournament just in time for the beginning of pool play. I won the toss and called a matchup I have had success against Matty in the past, CIN vs. DET.  Matty took CIN.  I put Barry up top to give DET that deep threat.  The game was classic.  Back and forth stops, back and forth scores, and back and forth talk.  The game breaker was early in the fourth quarter on a 4th and 4 from the Lions own 30.  Matty called my play (Pass 4 Z-Slant) and I cycled through to the RB up top.  A diving catch after a diving defender allowed the Lions to keep the drive alive and take the go-ahead score of 21-14.  I would later be told be vogtcd1`1 (Matty's brother), who watched on the live stream, that this game was professional Tecmo at its finest.  Matty said it was his only group play loss.  So aggravated by the stream (will mention this later).

After pool play I found myself as the #2 overall seed and one of only two 5 and 0s (Louis B.).  Here are the pool play results for all three pools:

In the first game of the double elimination bracket I faced Brian E. once again.  He threatened to go with the PIT vs. T.B. matchup as we were allowed to repeat matchups after pool play.  He decided to go with RAI vs. CHI.  This time the score was worse at 0-51.  Singletary was in the backfield every play.  I called the same run (Run 2) the entire game.  Still a nice guy, and still talked my ear off.

In the second game of the elimination bracket I faced Dave S. of South Bend, IN.  Dave played pretty well all day and I could tell he has a strong interest in the game.  He was wearing a PHI. Tecmo helmet shirt.  He won the toss and called WAS vs. PHI.  This is a tough matchup against anyone, especially if you have never played them and do not know tendencies.  I played much better than the score indicates.  I play solid D, calling his play quite a bit in the first half.  I go up 0-10 with about two minutes left in the first half.  He goes for it on a 4th and long from about 35-40 yards out and hits a diving CC with WR2 on Mayhew.  The odds of this happening cannot be high.  None the less the score is 7-10 going into halftime.  After the half he got the ball and was stopped.  I was able to march down and get a descent FG to make it 7-13.  He has his best drive of the game and converted another 4th and mid range to go up 14-13, but left three minutes on the clock.  I knew minus a fumble, I had this game.  Sure enough Chip sealed the deal and I escaped a hard fought game.

In the third game of the elimination bracket I faced bradbears81.  Brad lost against Kevin C. in pool play, but found himself defeating Kevin C. pretty handily in the game before us.  He won the toss and called a CLE vs. G.B. matchup.  I took CLE because I didn't want him to huck and chuck with 75 PC. He scored first to go up 0-7.   I came back down and scored to tie it at 7.   I fumbled before the half making and nothing was created by the Packers.  I got the ball at half.  I scored on the first possession making it 7-14.  Brad converted two fourth downs and fumbled (retaining it out of bounds) on his way to a score.  Game was tied at 14.  On my next possession, sure enough, I fumble running with Metcalf and Brad scoops it up which turned into a 21-14 game.  I get the ball with a chance to hail-mary with Browns.  I drop back and B doesn't register.  Safety to end the game.  Score was 23-14.  

In the fourth game I faced Tate M. again.  This game he played much tougher and the score was closer than it appeared.  He won the toss and called a N.O. vs. ATL matchup.  Fearing the long garbage I took Rison.  I went up 7-0 early.  Saints didn't run their playbook at Deion which made defense much easier.  This game would have been much different if he would have done so.  Falcons tacked on two more score later in the game to win 0-21.

On to the Final Four.  Only myself, Louis B., bradbears81, and Matty V. are left.  I was to play Louis with the winner to face the winner of Matty V. and bradbears81 (Matty V.).  I won the toss and called DEN vs. S.D.  Louis replied with, "Can I just have some passing teams?"  Louis played flawless.  He hit the quick pass and won the taps when they mattered.  I played ok and probably would have one against most other people, but I had a dropped pass in the back of the end zone that would have given me the lead late in the game.  Elway + back of end zone = inevitable.

I'm a little conflicted.  Going into my first original ROM tournament after Madison I had a target on my back.  That target was magnified when I went 5-0 and was winning pretty easily.  So how should I feel?  Well it sucks not winning, especially in my hometown.  I feel like a little bit of a failure after taking down the field at Madison and having such a great start to the day.  After all, I was the only one who beat the eventual champ of this tournament.  On the other hand, I had some bad luck in my first loss, which happens, and I was outplayed in the game versus Louis.  Finishing top four at any tournament is not shameful.  So conflicted.

Bradbears81 lost to Matty V. and then again to Louis in two close games, finishing third.  Brad is much improved and played great a majority of the day.  Well deserved.  The championship saw Matty V. and Louis facing off.  Louis had to double dip Matty to win.  Matty just needed the one victory.  Louis called MIA vs. PHI.  Matty took MIA without much hesitation.  A great game throughout.  Louis was winning the taps and Matty played is normal poised game.  One big 4th down stop that sealed the game was captured here:

I spoke with vogtcd11 a few times throughout the day.  He said the live stream never dropped and it looked great.  We used a newly created Tecmo Indy I account on my computer.  I already had my Twitch (the_tecmo_psycho) set up to archive streams automatically.  This newly created account was not set up to automatically archive broadcasts and therefore only people watching it live had the opportunity to watch it.  I was devastated when I tried to upload the better games of the day onto YouTube to only find out that they were not saved.  The high point of the championship game showed 17 viewers.  The only evidence is the video clip above and this blue screen of the championship below.

The championship was played on my new custom TSB console pictured here.  Congratulations to bradbears81 on his third place finish, Louis B. on his runner-up finish, and Matty V. for the title.  The first Tecmo Indy tournament was a huge success do to Dan S., bradbears81, Kevinc C., and anyone else who helped out in the process.  Next year's tournament will be even better as we look to have another great time.  Eyes on Midwest Tecmo VIII in about a month.  Long Live Tecmo.

Stone Age Gamer Franchise Bowl - Salem, Ohio

I took the day off of school so I could go watch my son perform at his living wax museum as the Fly Guy (a book he read for class).  I then grabbed lunch with my wife and daughter. After a haircut, mowing the lawn, and a shower I was ready to pick up the rental car and embark to Salem, Ohio.  When I went to pick up the car at Enterprise, the car was not ready. After being much later than I anticipated, I found out the gas was on empty.  Forty-five minutes into my drive the ABS and traction control lights came on.  Remind me never to buy a Chevy.  The car only had 588 miles and it was brand new.  The lights stayed on the duration of the trip.

Sometimes riding in the car to Tecmo tournaments can be the best part about the weekend.  That is when you have a group of buddies.  For five hours it WS me and the road.  The Sirus XM radio helped, but riding alone is brutal.  I arrived in Streetsboro around 9:30 where I met the Tecmo Ninja as he was gracious enough to take me in for the weekend.  We went to Applebee's for some late late grub.  Chris paid for my meal.  We went back to his place and fired up the NES.  We played about six or seven games before finally going to bed a little after 3 AM.

The next morning, we had breakfast at his Italian restaurant with tournament director Ryan M.  Along for the ride was Chris's daughter and a friend.  They were troopers all day and were probably bored out of their mind.  When we arrived at Stone Age Gamer headquarters I went into sensory overload.  Arcades, Players Choice machines, every console imaginable, games, accessories, and even boxed Atari stuff.  I was in retro collecting heaven.  After perusing the store and wiring on participants, Ryan began explanation of rules and format.

The tournament began with the Tap-Off competition.  Using brudogg's Juice-Off Rom, each competitor got one shot to get the top score.  I didn't know what to expect.  I know Louis is right there with me.  There were a lot of unknowns.  Ninja got a 56 with a very inconsistent method the night before.  He told me that Ryan M. got 62 with the same method.  I went against another competitor and scored a 50.  Everyone gave their attempt and Louis also got 50.  There would be a Tap-Off between the two of us.  We went head to head.  I got a 49 while Louis only managed a 45.  I received $20 and a very nice trophy.

Next was pool play.  In my pool was Ryan D., Dan C., and Kyle D.  Going into this tournament I did spend a bit of time thinking about my team.  I built a team with pieces I like to play with.  I went with DEN QBs, RAI WRs, KC RBs, and RAMS OL on offense.  On defense I went with Bob Nelson, Darrell Green, and Martin Mayhew.  Planning my team was really my only preparation.  I didn't practice with the team except for the online CULT league which had a few variations from my actual roster.  I also did not play any console games prior to this tournament besides the Ishtar before with the Ninja.  So going in I knew I wasn't going to be at my best and I had no idea how the other teams were as I did ZERO scouting.

My first game was against the Giants and Ryan D.  First I do want to say that I think Ryan D. is an above average player.  I also don't want this to come out the wrong way. This was the most annoying and boring game of Tecmo I have played in the past five years.  I lost 38-28.  Every score of the Giants came at the expense of a long JJ from Ken O'Brien to Mark Duper or an extremely long CC.  In this game he literally Back and B'd the entire time.  I did lose a fumble before half which gave him a FG and he got the ball right after half.  That was essentially the difference.  Elway threw two wide open passes that were dropped.  Okoye stepped out an inch to early on a fourth down run.  I also foolishly went for it twice on 4th down deep in my own territory.  As you can see, I brought in Kubiak in the second half and just mimicked the Back and B out of frustration.  I think the gods got even in his next game as he lost four fumbles and threw a couple of picks in a losing effort.  Good job Ryan.  It was nice to meet you.

My second game was against the Packers and Dan C.  He had the 49ers QBs and WRs.  I was like ok, so if O'Brien and Duper just did that to me then what is Joe and Jerry going to do?  Thankfully Joe threw for 16% completions as I called pass the whole game.  In this game Okoye could not be stopped as he popcorned the Colts to a 37-7 win.

My third game was against the Oilers and Kyle D.  He had QB Eagles.  Mayhew got an early pick the Colts jumped out to a 21-0 lead at halftime.  The Oilers stormed back forcing a punt early on Colts first second half possession.  Slowly, but surely Kyle scored making it 21-14 in the fourth quarter.  Elway foolishly threw an angle pass to the RB after having a solid drive, but a diving cut screen LT picked it off.  QB Eagles scrambled his way to a game tieing TD late in the fourth.  In OT the Colts won the toss and had a great drive.  I want risking a LT blocked FG so it was TD or bust.  I managed to do so for the 27-21 win.  I finished second in the pool and advanced to the Tier 1 bracket.

Between the pool play and the main tournament everyone was encouraged to leave and go eat.  Many did so.  When they returned they did the drawing for the custom Tecmo themed EverDrive.  Matt/Luke C. was the winner.  That was so awesome.

I drew the winner of the EverDrive in my first game of the tournament.  More dropped passes and more going for it on 4th down in my own territory found me down 0-14 early.  I also lost the first 2 or 3 taps in the game so I had to go to my secondary method.  After I switched I was able to win the rest of them and pulled myself even to a 14-14 tie.  The Steelers got a TD with 2:00 left to go up 14-21.  Since I already checked conditions at the beginning of the fourth I thought it would be gained the rules to swap Elway for Kubiak for the last second JJ attempt.  So I had to work quick with Elway.  I had a brilliant drive and made it inside the 10 with six seconds left.  No open receivers formulated and the pass fell incomplete.  Good game Luke.

In the elimination game of the loser's bracket I took on Ryan D. and the Giants again.  In this game there were not as many CCs and JJs, but two of his three scores were on them.  The big play of them game was when he was up 7-14 and I made a great drive inside the five.  I called pass 1, scrambled to the top with Elway, and threw to RB2 wide open in end zone.  Quick thumb got the best of it and and over press led to a Giant INT.  He then got the ball after half and that was it.  

Ryan M. took home the Tier 2 championship while Jim. L. double-dipped the Ninja to take home the Tier 1 championship.  Jim and Chris made a pact to split the winnings before the second championship game.  Jim did just that.  Good guys that group.m good to see fresh faces and new excitement for Tecmo.

After the tournament Ryan M., Chris, and a local eatery Miller on Mantua.  We then went back to Ninja's place and played about 6 or 7 original rom games.  Good times.  The next morning pulled out, drove bored out of mind back to Indiana, went to my sons  baseball game, and went out to eat with my family.  Capped the night off with Tecmo Talk Radio.

It could have been the lack of sleep, it could have been the lack of prep work, but it was probably my piss poor play and decision-making.  I do love the uniqueness of this tournament.  It is fresh and makes for interesting play.  With that being said, it is not Tecmo Super Bowl.  Nothing compares to the original 28 teams, calling matchups, and being fully prepared about the game.  Once in a while, yes these are great.  For several tournaments I probably won't do it.

I want to thank Ryan M. for putting on a great tournament and coming up with this great idea on EverDrive's.  Stone Age Gamer is the best.  The grab bag full of stuff was worth the entry fee and the gas money alone.  I picked up several great games for my collection.  Andy and Ryan from Stone Age Gamer were so accommodating and had a vested interest in the tournament.  Everything was low key and Tecmo as usual.  Even though the trip was boring, I am glad I went.  Big thanks to Ninja for taking me in over the weekend and showing me some Streetsboro hospitality.  Indy tournament is next.

Long Live Tecmo