The Best of Tourney 2009

Matt Shostak

The Best of the 2009 Texas Team Tourney
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Best Bandana: Pete Shelling's Monopoly railroad themed doo-rag. Awesome.

Best Slam: Eric Gerstenberg, while looking through the scrapbook of old tourney photos, says, "Hey Matt, you really looked different way back then, huh?" as he points at a picture of Russell Mueller from 1992, thus insulting both of us with one beer-fueled quip. (I know, Russell is a handsome devil with a certain je ne sais quoi, but it's the principle of the thing.)

Best Facial Hair: Paul Chamberland, with an impressive and intimidating full beard.
Runner Up: Ed Beekman's mustache.

Best Blast from the Past: (Tie) Gary Fortenberry, back at the tourney for the first time in 16 years, and David Hailey, renowned ASL author, player, and past tourney director for this very tourney, back for the first time in many years.

Best Rules Question: Jeff DeBraal and Pete Shelling, trying to decide if you have two broken opposing leaders (only) in melee, can an MMC from one side perform an SMC overrun?

Best Accent: Tim Kelly from Boston, hands down. Hearing him made me feel back at home. It was wicked awesome.

Mr. Distance: We'll have to check the official scorecards with Rick, so this is unofficial, but I think Tim Kelly also came the farthest to play in the tourney.

Best t-shirt: (Tie) John Farris' classic Peace Through Superior Firepower shirt, Sam Tyson's G.I. Joe shirt, and the Tiger I tourney shirt Rick had for each of us.

Best dice tower: (Tie) Bud Garding and Mike Denson. Each had smooth action, quiet, felt-lined dice towers with low walls so that you could actually read the dice too.

Best Dice Cup: David Longstreet's homemade 10-3 stencil.

Best Boxing Speculation: How would Bill Dorre have fared as a junior welterweight?

Best Cameo: Roy Casagranda, with an impressive now-you-see-him-now-you-don't brief appearance. I hope he at least got a game in somewhere.

Best sugar rush: Rick brought in several dozen Round Rock donuts on Saturday morning. Yum.

Best trophies: Rob Burton's snazzy dioramas. Nicely done, sir.