First off, let me say that the difference between what I thought was the best piece and the worst piece was very slim this week. Last week, I thought there was a big gap in the quality of the submissions, but this week I thought they were all pretty solid work and it was very hard to put them into a particular order.
But I guess that's not something that should be too shocking at this point in the competition.
Fellow judge Peter Schrager also offers his comments this round.
1. Jon_Mano: Steve Young, Scott Mitchell and Me
TOM: A very good piece that gave some personal anecdotes but then transitioned that into how a particularly memorable game related to those personal experiences. I also liked the notes about how he liked Steve Young's sideline vulnerability and the conclusion of the piece.
PETER: Interesting take on this assignment. Instead of opting to describe a game and its details, you focused on the personal ties to a football moment. Personally, I loved this article. The Young "Monkey off the Back" clip is one of the great NFL Films audio bits of all time. In a way, the Niners' '94 Super Bowl win was like lifting a monkey off your back too. The reader senses that throughout. If anything, a few notes about the game itself might have enhanced this article a bit. After all, your boy Young did throw six touchdowns that night.
2. tyhildenbrandt: The Day That Woke The Echoes
TOM: Great way of capturing the little things in a big game. What I also liked was the recognition of how big a game this actually was and using the little anecdotes like the fan sitting next to him and the Reggie Bush observations. It's not often that people have the chance to watch what is arguably one of the best games of their generation in person, and I thought this piece really did a good job of meshing the weight of the game and realization of that with personal recollections.
PETER: Good stuff. If anything, I would have liked some details from the road trip your buddy and you took to the game. You brushed over what could have been the most captivating part of the journey -- the 10-hour trek from Eastern Pennsylvania to South Bend. All that said, you made a major step as a writer, here. Your tone, up to this point in the contest, has consistently been very light and fun. Here, you showed your ability to write a dramatic piece. Had me on the edge of my seat. Well done.
3. crookdnose: The Snow Bowl
TOM: The little anecdotes in this one are what really did it for me. The calling Jerry Rice on the bus, the guy who got his flask confiscated, the other parking-lot tailgating notes. The Harry Potter line was pretty solid too. I also liked the note about the Patriots being the only team to lose Super Bowls with different helmet logos. This was news to me, and at first glance it seems like it can't be true given that there have been several franchise overlaps among the 39 Super Bowl losers, but after some digging it sure seems to be correct. The only problem I had with this one was that the Vinatieri game-tying field goal was a 45-yarder instead of 46. Might not seem like a huge deal, but to a diehard fan who remembers everything about that game, you'll lose credibility with him or her right away with even a minor error like that.
PETER: Was that a Rod Rust reference? Awesome. All in all, captivating read. Maybe getting to the game a bit sooner in this piece would have served it better. Neat story about your buddy Rob calling Jerry Rice on the cell phone before the game. If there's any critique, it's how you brushed over the miraculous football played after the "Tuck Rule" replay review.
4. mustangj17: The Greatest Show On Earth
TOM: Sometimes too much detail can be a bad thing, but in some personal recollections like this, great detail can work well because of how it points out how this memory has stood the test of time and how many of the little things you really remember. That said, I would have liked to see a little more of the personal recollections like the notes on the fans and bands at the end rather than the play-by-play that kind of bogged down the middle at points. Also a couple of proper noun misspellings: Should be "Sony Wega" not "Vega" in the intro, and "Def Leppard" not "Def Leopard" in the final score paragraph.
PETER: As always, great visual aids throughout this blog entry. You set the scene well in the first few paragraphs, even advising readers on how to feel the atmosphere of the game at home. However, for all your hyperbole in the introduction, we don't learn WHY this game was important until the end of the piece. Was this the Ohio State BCS Championship year? Was Michigan No. 2 in the nation? The avid Big Ten college football fan might know these answers; the casual football fan might not. All in all, good work. Bit on the old men crying was humorous.
5. HiPlainsDrifter: There Stands the Pass
TOM: A very strong piece that had great transitions in and out of a specific game and what that meant in the bigger picture of Nebraska football. I thought this one was one of the most enjoyable pieces to read, but there were a few errors that jumped out and knocked this down a few rungs. They might seem minor, but they can totally derail a reader's experience. The first one was "Lago-like" in the second paragraph. I assume this means "Lego-like" but given that I couldn't be sure what "Lago" was referring to, it left me scratching my head for a bit. The other was misspelling Darin Erstad's name "Erstadt." This, like the 45-/46-yard note above is something that can totally cripple a piece, especially with hardcore fans.
PETER: Incredible work. You tied in the geographical, personal, and historical importance of this game remarkably well. This line had me laughing: "Luckily I was at home for this one, watching with my friend the Yun' Ball Coach, as there's nothing more foolish than a man with a bold shirt silenced." The Erstad stuff was great. As a reader, you feel like you are in that sports bar with you. Great description of the Black 41 Flash Reverse call as well. This is the kind of story/article you forward to a bunch of friends in an email with the subject: "Read This!"
6. JWatters: Victory in Minnesota, Hawkeye Style
TOM: Another piece where the detail and anecdotes really came together well. Especially about personal experiences as an Iowa fan in Minnesota and the goalpost dismantling at the end of the game. One thing I wasn't too clear on was why in the paragraph that starts "In 2002, much was on the line ..." the Iowa State loss took place in "the preseason." I don't know of too many real "preseason" games for any college sports, and while it seems like he's referring to the non-conference season, I've don't consider "non-conference" and "preseason" to be synonymous.
PETER: When I first saw you wrote about an Iowa-Minnesota game, I expected to see a piece about Jess Settles or Kris Humphries. Well, you gave us a great football article instead. Good work. I like how you caught back up with that Iowa squad, and gave us a recap of how their season turned out. Very thorough work, as always. I'm not sure the whole "I'm only a basketball fan" angle was necessary. Don't handicap yourself. You can write.
7. DC_domer: Passing on the Dog Bowl
TOM: While a lot of pieces this week were about personal experiences at what turned out to be big games, this one was another good example of DC_Domer taking a slightly different path on the assignment and doing a good job with it. What I liked about this is that it didn't get too bogged down in details of a particular game but instead just focused on a bigger memory about a specific time. Given that this was a little bit of a different angle, I would have liked to see a few more personal anecdotes about women playing football and memories specific to that unique experience, especially at a place like Notre Dame where football is king.
PETER: As always, great writing. Though I fear your stuff may be too Notre Dame-centric, the writing holds up week to week. It's as good as anyone else in this contest. I loved this bit: "Some alcohol-fueled night, someone got the bright idea that the defense should drink from a dog bowl before the game as a show of solidarity. It quickly took root and became our 'thing.' Ray Lewis has his dance; we had 15 girls clapping and growling and drinking from a dog bowl full of water. Seeing as our own offense thought we were nuts, our captain Chrissy made the executive decision to keep the ritual a secret until right before kick off." Just a light-hearted, fun read. Nothing wrong with that.
8. SportsTraveler: Jones to Birmingham proves memorable in 'Miracle on Markham'
TOM: A solid piece, but I just didn't think it had the zing as some of the other entrants. I would have liked to see a few more anecdotes about the game or the atmosphere instead of so much play-by-play.
PETER: Great stat right off the start on Matt Jones. The fact that Arkansas participated in three games of six overtime-plus in two years is pretty amazing. Great anecdote about Jones whistling during the sideline huddle with coach Houston Nutt, too. You reveal Matt Jones as more than just the "scouting combine freak" he's been characterized as since the Indy combine. You reveal him as a college football star. Good work.
Thanks again to everyone for their efforts this round; it really was tough to put the entries in a particular order. The voting ends Sunday when we'll find out the final four.
-Tom
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