• Print
• Email

Ladies and Gentlemen of the TSL Universe, in just a short time most of you will be preparing to gather your football stuff (gloves, ball, cleats, something alcoholic you sneak onto to fields which you shouldn’t do, jersey, etc) in order to head on down to the Lenny Alba Fields at The Rose Garden to play a game or two (or three…or four) of Social Co-Ed Touch Football. The ones who are reading this that aren’t going to be doing that are wishing they were. Why? It’s because if you’re reading this article, or checking the rankings, or seeing what The Sentinel saw, or listening to the podcast…you love this wacky world of TSL Football. Some of you are currently in the league, seeing what I’m going to predict for the upcoming games this week and if I’m going to pick you to win. Others aren’t even a part of this league, and maybe they play elsewhere, but they want to be. Others used to play in the league and they’re just checking in to see how things are going. Some of you have been reading my article for the last 13 years or so that I’ve been writing this thing. Some of you just joined the league recently and you’re still figuring out what the hell is actually going on. Whatever your reason, TSL Football has ingrained itself in your DNA, whether you like it or not. 

 

New players to the league, you’re just starting to get it. Playoffs are approaching, and you’re getting that excitement as the Race to Social Co-Ed Football Immortality is about to begin. You spend a little more time each week thinking about Saturday’s game(s), you read the articles, you start listening to the podcast to see if you’re mentioned or what they say about your team. It’s grabbing a hold of you. The players who have been here for a while, whether it’s been two years or two decades, you’re reading this nodding along, remembering how it happened for you too. How you’ve seen TSL football grab a hold of countless others and become a large part of their lives without them even realizing it. Eventually, you just let it happen. You welcome it. You join the cult. And that’s okay. 

 

But how did we get here? How did a Social Co-Ed Football league become this massive, living, breathing thing that has spawned countless relationships, marriages, children who will become the next wave of TSL superstars (and they’re already starting to play in the league!)? How did a football league like this literally create a family that rolls thousands deep? One that actually made its own yearly holiday? 

 

Magic, mostly. Cookie Monster and Elmo helped, but it was mostly magic. But in reality, it’s because a group of people started a football league, wanting to do things the “right way”. Sure, while the actual football matters, it’s the least important part of what’s going on here. When the TSL was started many, many moons ago, it was described as a drinking league that had an hour of football get in the way during the day. It was about the PEOPLE in it, making them feel like family, and doing all of the little things to keep making it special. Sometimes, that was just buying someone who was sitting alone at the bar a drink and talking to them for a bit. Other times that meant hiring a mariachi band to play at the fields and follow someone around playing music wherever they went for most of the day. Or it meant getting an ice cream truck to pull up to the fields for “Free Ice Cream” day. Or it meant spinning a massive wheel that has all of the TSL’s teams on it once an hour, and if your team was at the bar and it landed on your space, you got a $100 bar tab. But you had to be there. And by being there, you naturally met new people. And before you knew it, you were playing in Breakfast Club, or picking out your outfit for the TSL Banquet preparing to dance your face off, telling your “non-football” friends about this league you’re in and how awesome it is, trying to get them to join in on the fun. And the entire time, they were telling themselves in the back of their minds that you’re nuts. Until they tried it themselves and got attached. The Circle of Life. 

 

This weekend, the holiday I mentioned earlier is upon us. Lenny and Rameer Day is officially the Saturday after June 4th, which was Lenny’s birthday, but also, in a weird twist, the date of Rameer’s passing. Lenny and Rameer Day is a time to bring all of the TSL together to have a drink, share a laugh, and make a new friend or two. Yes, the league will be toasting to the memories of two of the three most influential people in league history as well. It’s a time for happiness. For celebration. They would’ve wanted it that way. 

 

Now I know that the new people to the league are asking themselves one question: Who the hell are Lenny and Rameer? And that’s fair. So let me tell you. Lenny Alba was Topper’s best friend and was also the TSL Commissioner for Life. He was sitting alongside Topper when they decided to start the TSL and breakaway from the league they used to be a part of. Rumor has it Lenny sort of made Topper do it, and for those of you who never got to meet Lenny, believe me he can be a persuasive human being. Like the kind of person that can convince you to write an article about a co-ed football league every week for the last 13 years, even when your job moved you away to a log cabin in Des Moines, Iowa about a decade ago. But, here I am. Still. Anyway, Lenny was a great person who poured a ton of his time and effort into the league. While he helped make rules, and would make decisions on football matters, that was never his main goal. His main goal was the people. He would meet new people at the bar, and make them feel included. He was sincere in getting to know you, which would then have you being a part of his shenanigans for the league be it coming on the podcast, or being in a music video, or driving B’s Brother to places and filming it. Maybe you’d end up being the TSL Bachelorette and have 16 eligible bachelors from the league compete to win your heart. (This was a thing, yes. And from what I know she’s still in the league. We’ll not name her directly to keep her protected. And no, she’s not with the winner of the competition. You should’ve seen how it all unfolded. I think you can go back and listen to those episodes on the podcast feed on the website.) The point is, Lenny was a larger than life personality who made the TSL about the people first, and the football itself a distant second. He truly cared about each and every person he came across, and he believed there was good in everyone. Even Blase. His approach to the league and its members is why the TSL has become the Greatest Social Co-Ed Touch Football League in the world, why every other league tries to emulate what the TSL does (and fails every time), and why the players who don’t play in the league yet want to. 

 

Rameer eventually became the “third wheel” to Topper and Lenny. Anyone reading this who ever hung out with Topper and Lenny at the same time knows that doing it just once can be exhausting (in all of the best ways). Rameer signed up for it, willingly. When Topper and Lenny couldn’t agree on a rule for the league, or were split on some decision, Rameer became the deciding vote. He was named Director of Officiating when Topper and Lenny decided getting the ref schedule together every week on top of all of the other things they were doing was too much. Rameer was always offering to help with the league, and since he knew everybody, it was easy for him to take on that role, get people reffing, and he had NO problem yelling at people when it was needed. Rameer was similar to Lenny in how he went about his time in the league. He also made it all about the people. Now, where Lenny was loud, ridiculous, over the top, and in your face to make you feel included, Rameer would do that too, just in the opposite way. He was quieter (to be fair, everyone was/is quieter than Lenny) in his approach. He’d notice you from afar (guys and girls, to make that sound less stalkerish) and then he’d saddle up next to you to chat with you. Rameer would get to know you on a personal level, and if you weren’t having the best day or your ‘vibe’ was off, he’d wait until you were alone to check in on that. But he made sure to check in on it, and never forgot to do so if he felt you needed it. He made you feel included in that way. It was important to him. He always put up a rough exterior at first, but once you broke through that (it wasn’t that hard), you’d realize he was a softie with a big heart who truly cared. Just like Lenny was too. 

 

Lenny and Rameer are two of the biggest reasons that the TSL exists in the way it currently does. They’re WHY we’re a football family, and why other places consider us a “cult”. People like them were the biggest difference between the TSL and everyone else, and they truly can’t be replicated. The league today still has many people who care, and who get to know you the way they did. It was always about the people with them. And that's why we celebrate them every spring. If you’re reading this, and you’ve ever made lifelong friends from this league, or got a girlfriend/boyfriend from the league, gotten married to someone from the league, had a child with someone from the league, gone on trips with someone from the league, and whatever else there could be to do with people who you met from the league who have gone from “someone from football” to “person who I’d still know if football just went away”, then hopefully you’ll stop up to the bar this weekend to share a laugh, say hello to a new friend, and just take in the atmosphere, if only for a moment. They would’ve wanted it that way. 

 

Let me be the first to kick off the festivities. To Lenny and Rameer! Thank you for everything guys. 

 

And now, you’re probably sitting there saying “But Godfather, I just saw on the TSL Facebook Page a couple of days ago saying that Lenny and Rameer Day was moved to next week!”. And you’d be right, sort of. It’s true, with the weather report for Saturday (earlier in the week) looking like it was supposed to rain and be windy, the powers that be moved all of the shenanigans that we have in store back a week. So, instead of having things like a dunk tank at the fields on a 68 degree day in the wind and rain, it was moved to the 15th that’s currently supposed to be 80+ degrees and sunny. However, since many TSLers past and present planned to be there this week, Lenny and Rameer Day (in typical Lenny fashion) has become a two day extravaganza! This week will be more of a “Rameer” Day, with everyone just congregating at the bar and toasting to them and hopefully getting to know the newer players in the league. Next week, on Lenny and Rameer Day (Observed) will be more of a “Lenny” Day, with all of the shenanigans and prize wheels and make your own T-Shirt guys and maybe a magician or something too, who knows? Now you get two days to celebrate two amazing people who made all of this possible. It was always about the people first. Enjoy it. 

 

And yeah, for those of you here for the predictions, it’s like I said earlier. The football itself was always secondary. 

But I’m still going to do it. 

D1/D2:

 

It’s Crossover Time! In an effort to give D1 teams someone ELSE to play, and to show the D2 teams that maybe they CAN play in D1 and they shouldn’t be scared, we’re getting some interdivision battles this weekend! Some of the best upsets in TSL history have come from these games in the past. Let’s get into them! 

 

Last Week’s Games: 

 

D1:

 

Eyes Uptown 36, Eyes Downtown 31

 

That’s it. That’s the tweet. Eyes Uptown gets a second straight last second win to take the division lead. 

 

D2:

 

Can’t Touch This 41, Freeballers 41 (TIE)

Puckett All-Stars 48, Scared Hitless 36

 

CTT and Freeballers battle to a high scoring tie, while Puckett FINALLY gets that first win over a shorthanded Scared Hitless team. Still counts. 

 

This Week’s Games: 

 

Eyes Downtown vs The Untouchaballs (+10) - Jeremy Burr vs Bobby McConnell? These crossover games already look like they’ll be fantastic. Both teams have been playing well. Upset Potential? 3/10. EYES DOWNTOWN BY 14

 

Sticky Bandits vs Freeballers (+7) - The Freeballers have been pretty good recently, and with Sean out there for them anything can really happen. Sticky will more than likely have an answer to take him out of the game though. Upset Potential? 6/10. STICKY BANDITS BY 4

 

Frodo Swaggins vs Scared Hitless (+3) - Frodo draws a Scared Hitless team that has been in a little bit of a slump, but if they all show up and the defense makes a play or two, look out. Upset potential? 9/10. SCARED HITLESS BY 2

 

Eyes Uptown vs Mavericks (+6) - Eyes Uptown has been quite hot lately, winning on the last drive twice in a row. The Mavs can score and they fixed the defense from last year, but when the game begins it’ll have been three weeks since they last played. Any rust forming here will be deadly for them. Upset Potential? 8/10. EYES UPTOWN BY 7

D3:

 

Last Week’s Games:

 

Topper All-Stars & Todd 27, Keller Whales 26

Jabronies 45, Wanderers 35

Jabronies 27, Bullet Club 26

Wanderers 28, Keller Whales 17

The Malones 62, Let’s Get Reccked 29

 

D3 continues to be its usual chaotic self, although the one constant is that nobody can touch the Malones, who demolished LGR. Meanwhile, Topper gets his first win back in the league, beating the Kellers, who would drop to 0-2 on the day after a loss to the Wanderers later in the day. The Jabronies were the big story, going 2-0 and handing the Wanderers their first loss of the year, and then holding on against Bullet Club. 

 

This Week’s Games:

 

Bullet Club vs Topper All-Stars & Todd (+3) - Topper vs Joe K on Lenny and Rameer Day just makes sense. It’s been a rough season, as both teams are a combined 2-9 on the year, and they’re angling to play in the 8-9 play in game. This should be fun. BULLET CLUB BY 1

 

The Malones vs Jabronies (+10) - The Malones are walking into D2 next season no matter what. The Jabronies are the next team standing in their way. THE MALONES BY 20

 

Keller Whales vs Bullet Club (+6) - The Kellers had a rough week last week, but were missing their QB in Damien who must’ve had final exams or something. BC continues to lose close ones, and will do so again here. KELLER WHALES BY 3

 

Buffalo Vice vs Practice Squad (EVEN) - These two teams come into the week pretty even after 6 weeks, although Vice currently feels like the hotter of the two. BUFFALO VICE BY 6

 

Let’s Get Reccked vs Buffalo Vice (+3) - On paper, you’d think LGR would steamroll, but they proceed to not dominate as they should just about every week. Vice makes this a game. LET’S GET RECCKED BY 3

 

The Malones vs Topper All-Stars & Todd (+17) - I’m not sure what the scoring records are for the league, but I feel like The Malones are going to get it. THE MALONES BY 14

D4:

 

Last Week’s Games:

 

Cunning Stunts 54, Tater Tots 30

Interdimensional Lightning Falcons 27, Reset Warriors 26

Cobblestone 22, Creekers 19

Creekers 29, The Roaring 20s 20

Vaspian 30, Cobblestone 20

 

The Stunts maintain their dominance over the men of D4 like they should be getting paid for it. ILF slips by a very game Reset Warriors team. Cobblestone finally feels like they gave the rest of D4 the head start they needed, and they take out the Creekers before losing late in the day to Vaspian. The Creekers would rebound by just getting past TR20, who continue to improve. 

 

This Week’s Games:

 

Passing While Intoxicated vs Vaspian (+10) - Vaspian got a nice win last week and is getting hot, but PWI is already hot and should put up tons of points in this one. PASSING WHILE INTOXICATED BY 17

 

Interdimensional Lightning Falcons vs Cobblestone (+7) - ILF just feels a little off this season, but this week is as good as any to get things settled down for playoffs. INTERDIMENSIONAL LIGHTNING FALCONS BY 12

 

Cunning Stunts vs Creekers (+8) - The Stunts put their perfect record on the line against the Creekers, who will look to rebound from a tough week last week. CUNNING STUNTS BY 10

 

Reset Warriors vs The Roaring 20s (+7) - The Reset Warriors feel like a team that’s on the edge of breaking out in D4. They can score, and TR20 still has trouble on the defensive side of things. RESET WARRIORS BY 10

D5:

 

Last Week’s Games:

 

GUCCI 17, Come From Behind 14

Come From Behind 50, Two Tuddies 14

Not So Sticky 36, TMA 12

GUCCI 18, Not So Sticky 18 (TIE)

Power Puff Girls 52, Stir The Sauce 33

 

GUCCI only scores 17 points but holds the CFB offense to only 14 to get a win between two D5 contenders. CFB would go on to take out their frustrations on Two Tuddies afterwards, while GUCCI would go on to tie Not So Sticky, just after NSS pulled out a win over TMA. Lastly the PPG put up a big win over STS. 

 

This Week’s Games:

 

Power Puff Girls vs TMA (+10) - Don’t look now, but the Power Puff Girls are getting hot. They’re the type of team that can make some noise in the playoffs the more they “figure it out”...and they’re figuring it out. POWER PUFF GIRLS BY 10

 

Travis Henry’s Kids vs Not So Sticky (+7) - THK has only played 4 games so far this season, lowest in the league. Two weeks of doubleheaders starts with NSS, fresh off a great game against GUCCI. THK is on another level though. TRAVIS HENRY’S KIDS BY 16

 

Travis Henry’s Kids vs GUCCI (+6) - The 5-0-1 GUCCI takes on the 4-0 (should be 5-0 going into this) THK for first place in D5. We have a championship preview on our hands. I worry about GUCCI’s ability to score enough to keep up. TRAVIS HENRY’S KIDS BY 10

 

Power Puff Girls vs Two Tuddies (+8) - The Tuddies have the distinction of being the only team in the TSL without a victory this season, and with THK and GUCCI on the horizon, this is their best chance to get a win. The problem of course, is that the PPG is playing very well. POWER PUFF GIRLS BY 3

 

Come From Behind vs Stir The Sauce (+3) - CFB continues to remain very hot, despite the loss to GUCCI last week. STS continues to improve overall, but they’re not at CFB levels yet. COME FROM BEHIND BY 16

 

GUCCI vs Two Tuddies (+14) - The Tud Buds need to find a way to keep GUCCI’s scoring down, but also improve on the 21 points per game they’re averaging on offense. One stop could give them a win. But, you know. GUCCI BY 7

 

D6:

 

Last Week’s Games:

 

Back That Pass Up 30, Blitzkrieg 26

Sausage McMuffins 28, Balls Deep 0

Pit Harade 52, Mighty Drunks 12

Just Joshing 16, Sticky Laces 15

Dogg Pound 27, Sticky Laces 10

 

BTPU continues to be the TSL’s most bi-polar team, this time pulling out a win over Blitzkrieg. The McMuffins stomp on Balls Deep, shutting them out. The “bad” Mighty Drunks showed up this week as they got beat down by Pit Harade. Just Joshing moves to .500 with a win over the Sticky Laces, who dropped to 0-2 on the day when the Dogg Pound got their first win!

 

This Week’s Games:

 

Blitzkrieg vs Dogg Pound (+13) - Despite the loss to BTPU, BK still remains the D6 favorites, and they get the Pound Puppies to right the ship this week. BLITZKRIEG BY 18

 

Back That Pass Up vs Just Joshing (EVEN) - The numbers suggest these two teams are closer than they appear, which makes sense as JJ just keeps improving week over week while BTPU is all over the place. They settle in here. BACK THAT PASS UP BY 10

 

Balls Deep vs Dogg Pound (+3) - Balls Deep has been just simply not good for a few weeks now, while the Dogg Pound is improving. Dogg Pound gets its biggest win in their short history. DOGG POUND BY 6

 

Mighty Drunks vs Sticky Laces (+7) - We continue to have no idea what version of the Drunks will show up, but the “good” version is overdue to pop out this week. Sticky Laces is another team that continues to improve every week, even if they’re not quite getting the wins to show for it just yet. MIGHTY DRUNKS BY 10

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR SATURDAY:

 

 

• Are you a new team coming to the bar to check things out? If so, take a look around and start talking to some other people who have been in the league for a while. It’s the best way YOU can help add to the fun of a Lenny and Rameer Day. 

 

 

 

• What’s going on in Breakfast Club? Well, Trish’s team has pulled ahead as the favorites, but everyone else seems pretty close. Even the last place team, Dorene’s Nutz, is 0-5, but have lost all 5 games by a total of NINE points. They’ve lost by 1, 2, 3, 1, and 2 points. Crazy. We have a very good BC this season, the playoffs start the 15th for them. 

 

 

 

• With two weeks to go, are there clear favorites in each division? Actually, kind of. Right now in D1, Eyes Uptown are the favorites, but Downtown and Sticky are right there. But in D2, the Mavericks have a sizable gap between them and the rest of the division. The Malones in D3 are unsurprisingly overwhelming favorites, as they average 54 points a game. The Stunts are pretty big favorites in D4, and so is THK in D5. D6 is pretty interesting at the top, as Blitzkrieg, the McMuffins, and Pit Harade are all very close, but have created some separation from the rest of the division in terms of underlying numbers and math. All this means is that every team I mentioned won’t be champions when all is said and done. 

 

 

 

• What teams are the most overrated/underrated by the numbers right now? In terms of overrated, there aren’t too many teams who have a deep negative point differential but are also .500 or above. The Mighty Drunks at 3-3 are one of them, ILF has a negative PD despite being 4-2, and Practice Squad at 3-3 qualifies here too. As for underrated, don’t be surprised but Puckett is much better than their 1-5 record suggests, as is Bullet Club, The Reset Warriors, and Let’s Get Reccked. 

 

 

 

• How do I get more involved in the league? I love it here. Well, there’s a few things you can do to get more involved. The league is always looking for new referees, so please reach out to Jeff Krol, Topper, Joe K, Garrett, B, etc if you’re interested. We could always use more people for Breakfast Club if you’d like to sign up for that to meet new people. If you’d like to join the podcast to talk about your squad, talk to the above people too. If you don’t know who Jeff, Topper, Joe K, Garrett, B and everyone is, just ask around, someone will be able to direct you to one of them pretty quickly. And you can always email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to hype up you and your team. Or to just say hello and how you like the article. Or to give info I can use FOR the article about your games. 

 

TEN FINAL THOUGHTS FOR SATURDAY

 

 

• It’s Lenny and Rameer Day, Part 1. Get yourself to the bar after your game for at least ONE drink! 

 

 

 

• Breakfast Club Predictions: 

• BCTV 40, Dri’s Company 38

• Mistymeanors 30, Jeneva Conventions 20

• Steph Infection 27, D’s Nutz 26

 

 

 

• Games of the Day: 

• 10:00 - Bullet Club vs Toppers All-Stars & Todd

• 11:00 - Buffalo Vice vs Practice Squad

• 12:00 - Balls Deep vs Dogg Pound

• 1:00 - Cobblestone vs ILF

• 2:00 - GUCCI vs Travis Henry’s Kids

• 3:00 - Eyes Uptown vs Mavericks

 

 

 

• Remember, the TSL Wine Tournament is August 3rd, and if you haven’t signed up yet for it, do so now. You can do it right here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1kHH9UEaZ5bohtmGsUZlPjfzPF_dglSHgJurWR9OGeJo/edit 

• Teams are really starting to heat up as the season winds down, which can only mean one thing for the playoffs: absolute chaos. Just how we like it. 

 

 

 

• I really think the Reset Warriors are going to be good for quite some time in the league if they stick around. 

 

 

 

• The amount of teams moving up divisions in the fall regardless of if they win the title or not feels higher than usual. (Stares at The Malones and Travis Henry’s Kids in particular)

 

 

 

• From what I’ve been told, garbage on the fields after the games is getting smaller and smaller, so keep on that! 

 

 

 

• I’ve gotten quite a few emails recently from TSL mainstays who have been complimenting people on their sportsmanship, letting refs know they got the wrong call even if it hurts their own team. “No that was a catch”, “Yeah, I was out of bounds”, “I missed the tag”, etc. Things like that. Considering how we remember the arguing, or the missed calls, or who messed up, I just wanted to highlight the good in the league too. 

 

 

 

• Lenny and Rameer Day is going to be a great time, even if Lenny and Rameer Day (Observed) is next week with all of the ridiculous fun stuff that’s happening. Like many have said before, the TSL is a family. I’ve done this article a very long time, and I’ve seen and heard about a ton of awesome things that this league has brought into people’s lives. The more you put into the league, the more you get out of it. It’s why I implore the new people to walk up to the bar and make a new friend or 6. Next week, I hope my inbox is full of stories from you about the good things about this league and how well everything went. Have a blast, and remember to raise a glass to those we’ve lost along the way. 

 

Happy Lenny and Rameer Day! 

 

-GF OUT

 

• Prev
• Next