What champions are made of (mostly beer)

It was a sunny, breezy evening in early October when I stepped off the 2 bus down in the glorious ghettos of Hyde Park. Camera in hand, I walked briskly across the street to avoid mugging and swiftly made my way over to Washington Park, where the game was already in progress.


It wasn't just any game. It was the CHAMPIONSHIP GAME.

Team Beer had gone undefeated for years until last season's disaster in which they lost.


They DID get tapped, and it wasn't pretty.

So, this year was especially important. It wasn't just about winning. It was about redemption. (And Old Style.)


The stands were completely packed. I had never seen a crowd that large at one of these games! There must have been 8 or 9 people there. Each one glued to the action. Or something.


Matt Damon even showed up!


Okay, fine, that's just Justin, but he looks like Matt Damon.

Anyway, when I showed up that fateful fall evening, Team Beer was a few runs ahead of their opponents -- but no one dared display any cautious optimism. After all, things could go wrong at any moment.

But they didn't.

Team Beer had some great hits...


...They ran their asses off...


...They made amazing catches... (GO DAVE)


...And they won! 26-3


After the high-fives and "fuck yeahs," it was time for the finest champagne imaginable. I think it was $9.


One of the professors on the team couldn't bring himself to be anywhere near the $9 champagne, so he bought a massive bottle of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin for everyone to actually drink, rather than play with.


And drink they did!


To commemorate this momentous win, Team Beer all signed the ball in between swigs of champagne.


What a game. I don't know if you know this, but men are much, much happier creatures when their team is slaughtering the competition. Similarly, I am SO glad they won so I wasn't in the midst of 15 cranky, angry men.

After the game, we grabbed drinks at Jimmy's in Hyde Park, dinner at Francesca's and more drinks at Beviamos, since one of the players owns it. Redemption is sweet.

And now, I give you the tireless champions, watching their bright athletic futures take off (who needs academia?):


It was a day that will live in infamy.