Agnelli Pools & Spa Giants Super Bowl champions

As the National Football League begins its much anticipated regular season next week, the Anna Maria Island Community Center just concluded its Adult Co-ed Flag Football League. The Sun sports game of the week was the AMICC Super Bowl between the Agnelli Pools & Spa Giants and the Waterfront restaurant Raiders.

Agnelli Pools & Spa Giants quarterback Ryan Moss led his team to his second consecutive Super Bowl win in 2013. After winning the winter Super Bowl, where he threw for eight touchdowns in a commanding victory, he picked right up where he left off.

The Giants started with the ball on offense and on the very first play of the game, Ryan Moss threw a touchdown pass to Frank Agnelli. Agnelli caught the ball on the sideline, made a defender miss, and took it the length of the field to the end-zone. The extra-point was good on a Ryan Moss pass to Brent Moss and 20 seconds into the game, it was 7-0.

The Waterfront Raiders bounced right back though just like they did at the end of the season. Three weeks ago, they were in last place, and they crawled their way up and into the Super Bowl. Receiver Jason VanCleave took the snap, passed back to quarterback Chris Gillum who then passed back to VanCleave for the 22-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion was good on a Chris Gillum to Mike Gillum post pattern. 8-7 Raiders.

The Giants marched right down the field, and on a third and goal play from the three yard line, Ryan Moss found Brent Moss in the end-zone for the TD. The extra-point was no good, and the score was 13-8.

The Giants defense held strong and got them the ball back with three and a half minutes left in the first half. Josh Rio made a spectacular diving catch on a third and long to give his team a spark and a big first down. On the next play, Ryan Moss found Brent Moss in the back of the end-zone for the TD. The two-point conversion was unsuccessful, and the score at the half was 19-8.

The Raiders started with the ball in the second half, but went three and out. Giants quarterback Ryan Moss seized the opportunity to put the game out of reach. On their first offense play, he threw to Brent Moss on a deep post for the long touchdown. The extra-point was good to Frank Agnelli and gave them the lead 26-8.

With 15 minutes left, Chris Gillum threw a 28-yard strike to Mike Gillum for the TD. The two-point conversion was good to Matt Ray and the score was now 26-16.

The Giants used up some clock and methodically moved the ball down field. On third and goal from the 14-yard line, they used a trick play. Josh Rio took a handoff and rolled to his right. He then threw a pass to Brent Moss for the touchdown. The extra-point was unsuccessful, and the Giants increased their lead to 32-16.

The Raiders were forced into another three and out. Ryan Moss then threw a pass to Amy Moss who ran it 32 yards to the two-yard line. Two plays later, Rio took the handoff again, but this time passed to an open Agnelli for the TD. The extra-point was no good, and the score was 38-16.

The Raiders bounced back, and on second down, Chris Gillum found his favorite target Mike Gillum on a 35-yard fly for the TD. The two-point try was unsuccessful when Amy Moss got the sack and made the score 38-22.

On the next possession the Giants went three and out for the first time in the game, but only left the Raiders with 20 seconds in the game. They were unable to punch it into the end-zone again. Final score 38-22, and the Agnelli Pools & Spa Giants are 2013 Summer Super Bowl champions.

Adult co-ed Flag Football Playoff Results

Agnelli Pools& Spa Giants  33
Slims Pace Broncos  27
Playoff

Waterfront restaurant Raiders 32
Discount Signs Seahawks  20
Playoff

Adult co-ed Volleyball Results
Southern Greens  25
Island Real Estate  21
(First game of best 2 out of 3)

Southern Greens  25
Island Real Estate  23
(Second game of best 2 out of 3)

Beach Bums  25
Salon Salon  15
(First game of best 2 out of 3)

Beach Bums  25
Salon Salon  23
(Second game of best 2 out of 3)

Adult co-ed Softball Results
Island Gourmet Rays  10
Tyler’s Ice Cream  9

Adult co-ed Softball Schedule
Aug. 30, Friday, 6:30 p.m., Tyler’s Ice Cream Twins vs. Island Gourmet Rays – Championship Game

Off to be a guest chef in California

It's hard to contain my excitement as the unofficial beginning of the Florida racing season is upon us, at least in our area. On Labor Day, the 20th annual Kanes Classic 5K running race will happen in GT Bray Park in Bradenton. It is the annual fundraiser for the Manatee High School cross-country team.

Some of my running friends actually tried to do a race this past weekend in Punta Gorda, but for the first time ever for many of us, a race was canceled due to frequent lightning and a flooded course. The Canes Classic has always happened at least in the last 20 years. And it's a great community event to not only put participate in because the trail for the run is a soft surface versus street running, but because it is a great community event where so many kids from the high school show up and see seniors like me trying to keep up.

The following weekend I will miss a local race to be a guest chef at the Dr. John McDougall advanced study weekend in Santa Rosa Calif. There was a time I would've paid the thousands of dollars that it would have cost to go to one of these weekends. Many of the speakers are long time doctors and healthcare professionals and otherwise major gurus in the vegan community and for lack of a better word, movement, in the United States.

But I always thought since I've been a trained cooking instructor for the nonprofit The Cancer Project, that that kind of training is really the best. Not that you can't learn things from other sources, but I just didn't feel it would be worth the investment to travel that far for that much money. Nothing like following a cooking program format designed by doctors and dieticians and shopping, prepping and cooking meals for 60 twice a day, five days a week.

Suffice it to say I was thrilled when over a year ago after my book, “Eat Vegan on $4 a Day” came out, that I was contacted by McDougall to see if I would be interested in appearing at the advanced study weekend. But I’m a mere speck compared to the hero doctors and other legends who will be there. Other speakers and their topics include:

• Dr. Pamela Peeke: “Hand Over The Chocolate and Nobody Gets Hurt,” and “The New Science of Food and Addiction into Your Genes: DNA is No Longer Destiny – The Empowering Science of Epigenetics;”
• David Jenkins MD, DSc, PhD – Plant foods, Glycemic Index, Dietary Portfolio and Planetary Health;"
• Robert Goodland, Searching for Truth in Agriculture – Climate Change Connection: Livestock’s Long Shadow;"
• Richard Wrangham, PhD: "Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human;"
• John McDougall, MD: "Paleo, Gluten-free and GMO: Distractions from Real-world Food Problems;"
• Wes Youngberg, PhD: "Goodbye Diabetes: The Lifestyle Medicine Approach to Defining, Detecting, Defying and Defeating Diabetes;"
• Dr. Michael Klaper, MD: "Practical Nutritional Medicine: Putting Hippocrates' Advice to Work to Treat Today's Diseases;"
• Dr. Vijayshree Yadav: "Results of the Diet and MS Study;"
• Doug Lisle, PhD: "Stepping Stones to Self-Esteem,"
• Dan Piraro: "Bizarro on Vegan Kool Aid."

For those who don’t know, Piraro, is an accomplished syndicated artist/cartoonist in his own right, who also happens to be vegan. My daughter, an employed artist in London, asked me to put in a good word. Not that she needs it.

Since this is the first time I’ll be a guest chef, I don’t know exactly what to expect other than to prepare food for the 3,500 or so attendees. I’ll have lots of help from hotel chefs. I hope I have time to attend some of the lectures, but that’s all just vegan gravy on my mashed potatoes.

If you have a few thousand bucks to spare, I’d love to see you there. I actually do know of some Islanders who have made it to this vegan mecca and have not been disappointed. If you crave a vegan doc, Dr. McDougall's clinic, well-known for treating near-death (especially cardiac) patients discarded by mainstream docs, can see you while you're there.

But if you're short on change, a video replay of the weekend will be available online for a fraction of the cost. Truth in agriculture and the paleo, gluten-free and other distractions are the two I most want to hear. Though I’m real curious about the chocolate talk.

Gotta run!

Island resident Ellen Jaffe Jones is the author of “Eat Vegan on $4 a Day,” ‘Kitchen Divided,” and is a certified personal trainer and running coach here on the island or via Skype. She can be reached www.vegcoach.com