Dedicated to Pete

So Buckley (and others) will occasionally say "Good throw, Keith", which I tend to downplay. I find many of my throws that are good enough for practice or league, or what have you, wouldn't be quite good enough when the quality of competition increases. And what is a good throw anyway? Your job with the disc is to hit your receiver. They catch it, mission accomplished. So to rebut Pete's thought that I think I've never made a good throw, here are my best throws:

Actually, not yet. Joanne points out that this is likely to bring out a fair amount of heckling because I can remember that many throws. Remember, though, you are judging me on what I am demonstrating I remember. I could easily be misremembering or making things up. You have no way of knowing. Nor by demonstrating what I do remember does that reflect what I don't remember. Which is considerable.

So on to the show (not in any specific order).

Favorite throw: GRUB '06. We're up 14-8ish. I have the disc on the long goaline. Gabe Fuzat, former Phx player, is my marker trapping me backhand. He's very sideways. He'll give me any backhand I want, but no forehand. We're in a horizontal. Stalling 1...2... Jack is straight away, which gives him a bad angle on the deep cut he knows I want. 3... 4... Guy is the second one in. 5... 6... I see an in cut coming that's open. I see Guy nod. He knows what I want. 7... the throw goes up. It hangs for a bit, so the defender is able to make up ground. They go up for it. It gets popped in the air, but falls to Guy as he's falling on his back. Guy thrusts the disc in the air. In the endzone. For the game winner.

Most important throw: After moving into the house in 2003, I took June off, but came out for a hat at the end of the month. I was severely jacked up (3 or 4 dews that day), so I had hydration concerns. But I digress. In the first game of the day, Seth Jaffee makes a cut to the break side. I hit him with a backhand. He actually had to lunge for it, but it was about waist high. Before my June break, my backhand break was inconsistent--sometimes it would stay low, sometimes shoot high. But now it was locked in--extension, low fast release, good float, very catchable. My peak as a player was starting (it ended July 2005, btw).

Most infamous throw: Another hat tournament (2003 #2 I think, but I'm not sure). In finals, we were playing the team Joanne was on in finals. We rolled them earlier, but the tables had turned in finals, and they had a considerable lead. I kicked it up a notch and played a key role in getting us back in the game. I get a pass around mid field on the right side, turn and see no continuation. I yell "where's my deep cut " (this is the flick force btw). Jimmy tells the story that I used an expletive between "my" and "deep" (hence the infamy). I don't recall. Raul (tucson) gives me what I request. I put the forehand up. Hits him in stride. A good forehand for most people isn't a big deal, but as Sam noted in this period about my backhand "is that all you got?". Oh yeah, Raul dropped it. I don't think we challenged again.

Clutchiest Pull: It was just a scrimmage up in Flag summer of 05. We were playing Arson in a tight game. Lots of point trading. They get game point. We battle back to tie. I have the disc for the ensuing pull. The thin air helps--it gets to the endzone and drifts to the (my) left sideline. They elect to let it land, thinking it might go OB. It lands within 5 feet of the back cone. I don't recall if they completed one pass within in the endzone, but we cover the pull well. On either the first or second pass, they throw a high pass to Grobe with Stoli defending. He's not able to pull it in and we get the disc on the goalline for the game winner. Just a scrimmage maybe, but this was the first time ever a team I was on beat a Tucson A team in any form.

Best hard throw: Not hard in terms of tight space or pin point accuracy, but the speed of the throw itself. Actually this category has three. It's all the same throw--an OI backhand that I throw as hard as I can diagonally across the field. Generally this throw goes from the right side (trap flick sideline) to the other side for a score. It happens when i get the disc on the line, the marker overcommits to stop the forehand continue up the line, leaving me space to get the big backhand for yardage. But not always.

1. The first was Vegas 03, the worst run tournament ever. A Tucson-Phoenix game with some intermixing to make it interesting--Phil, Darrel and Gretchen are with Tucson. We have Emma (after she moved up). Tight game throughout. I get the disc on the flick side as described. Larry cuts for the flick, but is defended. He makes the S cut back around. I put it up and hit him in the front left corner for the score. This throw was hard because it was a longer throw than usual (30+ yards from the endzone, rather than a more common 20 yards) and the field orientation was a little wacky. We went on to win.
2. The second was another scrimmage against Tucson last summer. This was different in that I got the disc and was being trapped backhand. Skunk was on the far side not much further downfield than me when I put it up (hard OI backhand, coming down fast). He kicks into gear and catches it in stride in the middle of the endzone. More than the in-stride thing, what made this throw memorable was Skunk's exclamation/shock that I saw him cutting ("how did he even see me?"). I had a similar throw to Evan against Sack Lunch at '05 Regionals, with more wind. It should be considered the superior throw, but Skunk's reaction puts his ahead.
3. When I was formulating this post concept, I know I had three, but I can't think of it now. I'm pretty sure it's not the Evan throw, but I'm at a loss at the moment.

Best Spousal Throw: Unfortunately, the best throw involving Joanne came with her as a defender. This past spring league, in the WLR, I got the disc on the left side around midfield. Amber was cutting deep near the opposite sideline with Joanne on her. Taking advantage of a weak mark, I put up a crossfield IO backhand, that actually passes them left-to-right before drifting back in front of Amber for the score. Kevin calls timeout. We continue our run a bit more, but don't pull out the game. I did use this game as proof to Joanne throughout the season, though, that her team wasn't that good if they couldn't beat us much more severely.

Best Break Mark: This is tough. Repeatedly breaking Jeff Hale in Fall '04 playoffs, and his frustration at this occurrence, was good, as was getting the throws off against Barrio in '03 Sectionals even though they knew/were told by Emma that's all I wanted to throw (which is all that open. Tim remarked during the game "you don't expect me to get open to the open side do you?" [defender was pre knee injury Baldyga] it was the one time I felt like I might be the person the other team was most concerned about. Not too concerned, mind you. They did beat us rather handily. But there was chatter by them when I got the throws off). But the most memorable one was Potlach '04. Owen from Salt Lake is marking me and I get the break off. It was a rather pedestrian throw and the mark wasn't good (similar to the Spring 07 shirt marker), but what makes it memorable is his call of " ahh sh... broken" well before I got the throw off. I'm not sure my foot had landed on the step across yet.

Most Exciting Pass to throw: Competitive League 04. Phil took Nate with his first pick, when it came back to him for his second (6th overall) he states he needs a thrower, and proceeds to pick me. I point out that he just said he needs a thrower. Anywho, Emma and Matt Baral end up on the team as well, and we're the primary handlers. We play Sam's team during the season without them, so I'm the lone "handler" so the game plan literally ends up being "keith, huck it to nate." so i do that. a lot. and all i have is a backhand, yet, because larry isn't there for sam's team, i ended up being marked a lot by someone who continually bites on forehand fakes and gives me the space to get off the backhand. So the strategy actually works and we're in the game and leading. Towards the end, i get the disc 10 yards or so off the right sideline. Phil is about 15-20 yards from me. All I see is the back of his shirt--he's going deep. I get excited. Throw goes up towards the left side of the endzone. Score. The think I remember most is the flash of giddiness to see Phil busting deep because he knows I have it and he knows I'm going to send it. It was unlike any other moment. Not quite Guy's nod, but just as awesome in a different way.

Best midfield pass: Prior to Sprawl winning NYF II in '06, our best game was a 15-7 loss to Condors at '04 Regionals (better than the Monster win in '05 because in the latter, M played crappy. in the former, we played well). I take pride in having some involvement in 6 of our scores, even if 2 were only me calling the string on the line that worked and produced a score. One of the important throws in that game was a huck I got off to Ryan McDonnell. After a timeout and a couple of throws on the goalline, we got the score. Just as important was a break backhand to Santiago. Rather than the OI, this was an IOish underneath cross field throw (about 10 yards off the left sideline throwing to the right). Santiago proceeds to throw for a score.

Best understanding of the rules throw: Regionals 04 against PBR. THey shank a pull. I call middle and we're about 25 yards from the endzone. I ground check and throw a forehand to the front cone for a score. Don't remember the target, but I assume Stoli or Dixon (ie a fast person). PBR marker is upset and claims it comes back because he didn't check it. I explain there's no D-check for a brick. Just because they're "elite" doesn't mean they know the rules...

Best trash throw: Fall league 05, the one with scoreboards. We're down most of the game to Steve & Cayla's team, but make a comeback and go ahead. For the game winner, I got it just outside of the endzone. Abby flashes across to the front corner. I elect to bust out the push pass. Hits her in the chest. Game over.

Best ugly throw: Hoasis 05. Phoenix vs Phoenix in the B finals. Not sure if it was a game everyone wanted to win, or no one wanted to lose. I put up a floaty, high release-ish fairly swilly throw to nate in the front corner of the left side of the endzone. Alex gets there first for the game winner.

Best incomplete pass: Yes, this is legitimate. I throw a full field flick, it counts, whether caught or not. GRASS 05. Maybe the best tournament ever even if Saturday got mostly rained out. Anyway, little marker pressure in a game on Sunday, Karen Martin going deep, I throw a forehand. It's a little too far and drifts away from her to the right. Doesn't miss by much, and the thin air helped a lot.

Best upwinder: Ultimeet 03. In a game in which we got crushed by Dallas, one highlight was a huck I got off to Jimmy. Chris Gutmann got the disc on a brick, forced flick. He recognizes my defender is overcommitted to the flick side and leads me perfectly for the IO break. I turn and do a check down looking for my deep cutter. I see jimmy busting across right to left and send it, despite the wind. Jimmy was guarded by a guy considerably taller (not saying much, I know), but has separation. It's still out in front of him, but he pulls in with a full on high layout. No gratuitousness at all.

Most dramatic game winner: Potlatch 05. We're playing a Dallas team with a number of guys from the team above. They're up for most of the game, but we rallied. They were up 14-12, but we were able to tie it at 16. After an odd number of turns, I get the disc on the left half of the field behind mid field and on the turn see Jack going deep. the throw goes up. The throw is on the money, but other people are able to get into the play. Not a jump disc/hospital by any means, but Jack goes up and gets it with more than just his defender in the vicinity. This was a big game--it was perhaps the first game in which a team I was on rallied when down at game point to win a game. There was actual heart. It was different. It felt good.

Best fake: NYF 03, Symmsations v Chico. We lost the game unfortunately, largely because of a high number of passes caught out the back of endzone on a short field. Unlucky. But my highlight is a throw I got near the left sideline. Nate's going to the endzone for the continuation score, and I was going to throw it, but the defender closes, my marker lays out to prevent the throw. I throw flick to the middle of the field. We score a pass or two later.

Best league championship winner: I've been on the field for the 3 of the 6 teams I've been on that won league. And of those times, I've thrown the game winner once, so technically this doesn't have a lot of competition. Fall 03 try number 3. After failing to hit Jeff Grobe (early release or slow arm, same difference) and Emma (unexpected traffic), I finally hit Dan Chiang for the winner. Backhand of course. The throw was on target, but looks a slightly sketchy in the video only because Dan started to stumble because of cramps on the last 2 strides, but he battled through and pulled it in.