Electric football champion hopes to keep game alive - buy electric toothbrush

CLEVELAND —
Walter Peyton of electric football went into the hotel ballroom on his own because everyone else was still sleeping and the champion started early.
He looked at the folding table, which was made of black cloth in a row.
He's staring at eight.
The team stand attached to the wall, his road to victory is outlined with a permanent mark.
Adrian Baxter won another national championship.
He approached the game board on Table 19, a metal surface decorated with an orange Cleveland Brown logo and a yard marker for a football field.
He grabbed an extension cord and flick the power switch.
The boards are buzzing like electric toothbrushes.
Adrian closed his eyes, rubbed his arm, developed muscles and was exposed to sleeveless T-shirt.
"I have to have my people on the court," 42-year-
Old accountant of Landover
These men are miniature plastic footballers, no higher than a blade grass, and attach a rubber tip from below to a rectangular base.
The tip absorbs the vibration of the board.
That's how the players move.
Adrian holds a player in midfield.
He pressed the switch again.
Before turning and face changing, the player pulled the zipper for a second in a rowplanting.
"It looks like they won't play today," Adrian said . ". He’s a no-
Nonsense coach who made the decision.
Recently, the Association of miniature football coaches, the football governing body, rated him as the greatest coach of all time. He’s a shoo-
Participated in the MFCA Hall of Fame and won 25 games including two consecutive MFCA championship tournaments.
On the first Sunday of August, he is fighting for a third Sunday.
"I'm not going to give this up for anything," he said, unloading the rest of his 60 s --
From the plastic silverware tray to the team of people on the field.
Soon, the ballroom in the Holiday Inn was packed with people, mostly in the middle --
Men of age in NFL jerseys and shorts.
They gathered in Cleveland with proud nicknames such as smokespark, Hulk and Silver Shadow (that's Adrian ).
They drag their families, burn their holiday time to satisfy their obsession, play a game they have never stopped loving and hang out with the endangered few who still love it.
The scoreboard clock is set to 35 minutes.
Eight finalists shook hands across the field.
"The game is good," said Adrian's opponent and fifth seed Charles Lane . ".
Adrian replied, "have a good time . "
With the seeds of the bull-Staring at his back.
A director of the event walked past the microphone of the ballroom.
He announced that the small church of the hotel was open and the God of electric balls was listening.
"Okay," said the director. “We ready?
He counted. Three. Two. One. BZZZZ.
On the previous weekend, Adrian invited friends to his townhouse for the competition.
He is a Dallas Cowboy living in the shadow of FedEx, so after losing in Washington, he likes to watch fans get angry with their cars.
"This is the joy of my guilt," he said . ".
Besides electric football.
Spacious front door to ground floor
His "man hole"
Two boards are set up for the exercise.
There was his glittering championship trophy on the carpet.
Hanging on a distant wall is a copy of the 10 frames that MFCA now publishes
An abandoned magazine named after the instructor's process of manipulating pieces for strength or speed.
Adrian made the cover in 2008.
Wearing a leather helmet, he assumed the pose of the hysmann trophy, passing through the brick wall.
Soon Chris Stringer came in.
Chris, 43, works at a beauty shop in Waldorf.
He directed youth football and designed his Mini team for the children.
Like many coaches, Chris spent hours working on his work, meticulously detailing with custom paint work and accessories.
He took his players out of the toolbox and put them on the board.
The hum flooded the soft R & B from the speakers.
"We are playing football," Chris said.
Essentially, this is the initial goal: to narrow down the products seen on TV every Sunday so fans can control it, which is no fundamental difference from fantasy football or video games.
In the 1940 s, a toy maker named Norman sass bought Tudor Metal Products, invented electric football and quickly monopolized the market.
Sas introduced hands in 1967-Players who draw
With the booming toy industry, department stores have created sales records, and electric football has powered assembly lines from factories to mailing catalogues to Christmas tree skirts.
This is where the game found Adrian.
"It was in 1977," he began.
Adrian, 7, lives in Washington with his mother.
On Christmas morning, he first saw electric football at his cousin Tony's house, and soon after, Adrian begged his mother for a board.
So on his birthday on January, Adrian opened his first electric football game.
Like most people who are frustrated with bad games, Tony loses interest.
The pieces gathered together and moved in unison.
The old version is neither true
Life football is not a fun game.
But Adrian's been back.
He knows to gain weight.
Usually putty.
Increased the blocking capacity of the offensive line officer, and flattened the pointed head with a heating pliers to give the wide receiver speed.
In the end, his game became like professional football.
On Friday night, in the banquet hall, the coaches gathered for the opening ceremony.
That morning Adrian was driving six hours from Landover with his 44-year-old girlfriend Michelle Robinson and her grandson Jaden.
Adrian parked his car on the table closest to the door and kept checking his phone.
He wanted to stay, but he promised Michelle that they would go out for dinner.
There are too many electric football between them.
"I have to go," Adrian said . ".
Chris slipped into Adrian's empty seat.
He has a forecast for the weekend and wants to share it with you.
He has read the message board, where the hive idea of electric football exists between tournaments.
Everyone admits that the champion is either Adrian or Big Jim.
"This is the chatter," Chris said . ".
"It will be a war.
Some players think Adrian's silence is indifferent and arrogant.
"They hate him," Chris said . "
Big Jim is not that kind of person.
He is Jim Davis, a huge man who stumbles to the podium and leads a collective prayer.
Other coaches called him "Hulk" because he adjusted his strongest player.
He won two regional tournaments in Alabama and Maryland in a row, qualifying for eight games on Sunday.
But he wants to know when his luck will run out.
Jim, 52, is from Detroit, where he learned at the age of 12 the importance of unloading watermelon from a fruit truck.
After graduating from college, he joined the Army.
He then managed a group of touring cars City-drama.
He also checked on the assembly line of Ford Motor.
Until one day, the machine broke down and squashed his knee.
He retired and focused on his two true love.
Seven surgeries have swollen Big Jim's fingers, with two more things on his neck: his wedding ring and his 2009 electric football champion ring.
The ring, like Adrian's two rings to Cleveland, represents a tangible prize that can be won that weekend.
On the podium, a tournament official lifted the replica.
Everyone is leaning forward, take a closer look.
Saturday morning
As other coaches prepare for the final qualifying of the Sunday championship, Adrian, Michelle and Jayden drive to Guangzhou to watch the Professional Football Hall of Fame.
Michelle likes to play lottery tickets on these trips, because in her opinion, electric football always takes them to small towns that seem to generate lottery tickets.
But if it was up to her, they would go to Disney World.
The car was parked in an alley next to an abandoned football field.
Adrian jumped off the sidewalk and carried Jayden on his shoulder.
Michelle lingered behind.
It was her fourth year in Cleveland.
She knows the names of some coaches and the faces of others.
There used to be a female coach, but there are not many now.
Some bad seeds, the coach is too nervous for friendly trash
Atmosphere of conversation.
"It's huge in their small world," said Michelle . ".
She supported Adrian's enthusiasm.
They have been dating for more than ten years and have little desire to get married or have children, and she knows Adrian may be doing worse things in his time.
But in 9-to-
In the center of Washington, D. C. , exercise at lunch, go to night school for a master's degree, spare time is allocated between home and electric football, which must be paid.
Adrian had a heart attack five years ago.
He called it an "event ".
The doctor never found the reason.
His memory has also been affected in recent years.
He believes that phasing out electric football until the rest of his life is under control.
For each offseason, however, the adrenaline starts to flow when he intends to quit.
He wants to win his man-cave carpet.
He wants to do better.
When is enough?
Maybe three consecutive tournaments will be successful.
"This is what we found when we were young and we don't want to let go," Adrian said . ".
"Because it's ingrained in our hearts to some extent, it's hard to let go.
We like this game.
"I'm an addict," he said . "“I’m addicted. ”He laughed.
At first Adrian's mother, Caroline Baxter, was like Michelle.
She often wondered why her son squeezed under the blanket fort and painted his plastic player with nail polish.
Adrian has also played real football over the years.
He ran very fast and played very well. At H. D.
Woodson High School in Northeast Washington, he gave up sports and focused on classes, but in his senior year, he tried college and became the starting guard.
Caroline has always wanted him to play less dangerous sports like basketball or golf.
Caroline, 61, now. year-
The old business owner said she raised the children and asked them to use them, but she allowed to fight back if necessary.
This is why Adrian was injured in several school scuffles. he sent a classmate to the emergency room and posted a line on his forehead, when a nearby mob pointed a gun at his friend at the rink, why did he intervene?
Electric football kept him out of trouble.
"This is very helpful," Adrian said . "“Even now.
So Caroline gave it a chance.
She still doesn't fully understand Adrian's achievements and hasn't played in the tournament, but sometimes she comes over to play and bring sandwiches.
"I'm starting to realize that it's not a strange hobby," she said . ".
"Whenever you have a child who knows what he likes, you will support him as much as you can because you never know what it will lead.
Adrian has never played chess, but he knows how to compare.
Everything is an illusion in electric football.
Look forward to three games, then jump.
It was Sunday morning when he was laying siege on Charles Lane.
Adrian said: "pass because the coach has to announce the run or pass before the game starts.
He pressed the switch.
The players buzzing on the court.
Adrian found an open receiver and stopped the board.
He went to the side and stood in his place.
There is still a tall monochrome quarterback in the throwing action.
This is TTQB, or three in one
Threat Quarterback
Adrian pinched a felt pill in the quarterback's paw.
Long nails improve accuracy, so Adrian's hand nails are long and thick.
He aimed, raised his arm, flick the pill, no more than one rice.
The pill hit exactly the receiver on the base: one finished, nothing but opening the board.
"Yes," said Adrian, tapping the chair gently.
Chris whispered, "excited.
"It came out.
Many coaches compare Adrian to a legendary run back to Walter Peyton.
One coach said Peyton had never been outside the world.
He punishes the defender, and whoever dares to enter his path will push his head flat.
But he's a quiet man like Adrian.
Jerry McGhee, president of MFCA, said: "When he catches you in a big game, it's like watching him do yoga.
On the board, Charles reacted to Adrian's passing and turned his defender to the intended recipient.
Every play starts at this point. and-stop manner.
The board is open again.
Adrian's pick-up man, the pick-up man, used the ball forward rattled before curling to the sideline.
None of the boards run the same way, so the smallest dead ends can get players off track.
If football is an inch game, electric football is a millimeter game. No matter.
Adrian later scored four goals in another pass.
He can easily reach the semi-finals.
Across the room, Big Jim scored touchdown.
The next is a dream semi-final, perhaps between the two greatest coaches of electric football.
A boy no more than 10 years old stared at the ballroom.
His family was at the front desk and checked in between the semi-finals and the semi-finals.
The boy came out of his backpack and was attracted by the shouting from the hall.
"Look," he said in particular to no one. “Air hockey.
The family caught up.
My father never heard of electric football.
He wants to know how there will be a general assembly, not to mention enough people to participate in the national championship.
When the elevator door opened, an old man wearing a Harley motorcycle
Davidson's shirt was overheard.
"Electric football? ” he asked.
He remembered.
He begged his parents to buy the game.
Opened on Christmas Day.
Packed the players and removed the stadium.
Insert the motherboard.
"This is the worst game in the world. ”The diehards —
Those who stop living and drive to tournaments all over the country --
Once worried about the negative side.
The TV clip focuses on the rotating clip as if the camera completely ignores the adjustment.
The article laughs at men playing children's games and living some life of Peter Pan's fantasy as if it is different from train models or video games. They hate this.
There are 8 on the box.
In early 1990, a small group of devotees emerged from human caves and entertainment centers across the country.
But they were isolated.
"We want to know, is anyone playing outside? ” Adrian said.
Then the internet.
Miggle Toys purchased Tudor from Norman Sas in 1988, which opened an online forum and lit the lighthouse.
MFCA was formed.
The game started.
Soon the coaches realized they were never alone.
They call it friendship, it ties the coach together.
It allows them to dump garbage.
Say a minute, drink a beer bottle next minute.
It eliminates cheats that increase player weight by diving on extra paint layers or soaking the base in baby oil.
The coaches hope that friendship will attract enough new people to save the game.
In 2007, the old MiG regime lost its NFL license because of the poor health of its owners, and five years later, Doug Strom bought the company and intends to expand.
He renamed it Tudor to bring the game back to glory and wanted to integrate electronic elements
IPad app, digital scoreboard
Attract more technology-savvy customers
Sales have doubled since Strom took over, and McDonald's recently showed Tudor's electric football in the Big Mac ad.
At Tudor headquarters near Seattle, Strom knows the target crowd: The lost generation of children who grew up in "Madden" video games.
The company needs parents to walk through the aisles of toy stores and avoid video games, instead buying miniature football for their children.
Fellowship is good, but it can't keep the game going.
Jim Davis said: "I sweat like a pig in a slaughterhouse . " He fanned himself before the semi-finals.
He reached across the table and walked to Adrian.
"I really love you, brother," he said.
"Brother, you are the champion in everyone's eyes.
"No," replied Adrian.
He took off his glasses, stared at the board and stroked his thin Goat Beard.
Since Adrian started playing at the championship in Fort Harris, Pa in 2003.
He goes well with Jim.
Nothing different this time.
Lead did not start to fall off until the mid-field break.
Adrian's touchdown pass.
Jim's star player, mini O, scored touchdowns. J. Simpson.
It turned into a gun battle.
Adrian is back on the ball for another game, seven points ahead.
But Jim kept answering.
Simpson hit the ground twice again to widen the gap.
Adrian never moved.
Later, on the issue of privacy, his consultation broke the problem.
He has a poor defensive pass and no defense after catching the ball.
In addition, no matter how he adjusts, Jim will respond kindly.
"I don't think I can do anything," Adrian said . ".
The score is 35-21. Fourth down. Bzzzz.
Each of the pick-up players was either on the line or stumbled, so one of Jim's strong defenders fired the quarterback.
Jim did it once.
Adrian shook his head.
They hit their fists.
The game is over.
Adrian put his players in his briefcase with the Silver Surfer logo on the front and left the ballroom.
He will consider the loss for a few weeks and think again about the future.
A new season is about to begin and he has little time to decide.
"All I know is that I need a break," he said . ".
"This needs to have happened.
Lynn Schmidt needs a break, too.
When the sun fell on Sunday night, he fell on the bumper of the car.
In the driveway, fans flocked to the Hall of Fame game in Guangzhou on Sunday night.
MFCA always hosts national tournaments on the same weekend.
After the board was cleaned up, everyone rolled south. A 52-year-
Old freelance designer Lynn, known for dressing up as Kansas City Chief's super fan "Weirdwolf", was the first and only person to be president of MFCA before Maggie took over last year.
Lynn still runs the website and takes photos, recording the progress of the scholarship in almost real time.
A small group of about 300 active MFCA members were drinking beer and wondering if MTV would accept an electric football reality show.
It was suggested that they open the boards on the street and start playing.
Lynn said, sipping a Manhattan drink from a plastic cup.
He felt that electric football had reached the crossroads.
If Tudor could not attract a younger population, "it would have been progressively thinner before we all died.
For these coaches, the most important thing about the tournament is to see old friends, exchange adjustment notes and share stories.
No one makes money.
Every coach wants to win, but he also wants to expand the game.
That's why a travel salesman named Joe Greco always sets race points when he goes to work on the West Coast;
Why is Chris Stringer's wife talking about-risk youth;
Why Adrian will give up competition and coordinate with the prospect of coaching others.
Adrian dragged Michelle and Jayden to the tailgate.
After Adrian lost, Jim Davis entered the tournament and beat the teenager will Chalmers, who was considered by many to represent the future of electric football in the final match
Mary cheered for the second time.
The crowd got crazy, Adrian was in it.
"I wish I could go there," said Michelle . ".
Jayden had a stomachache and missed the whole game. “Oh, well. Next year. ”Maybe.
The coaches gathered in the driveway to take photos.
They blow cigars and stick their long nails in the air until someone has a pose like their plastic player.
So Chris squatted down and pushed his arms forward to prepare for the tackle.
Others clenched their fists on the collarbone, just like Big Jim Davis's rough offensive line soldier.
Behind all of them, Adrian lined up
Threatening quarterback, one hand forward, the other leaning back, laughing and freezing in time.
Alex Prewitt is a sports reporter for The Washington Post. E-
When sending us wpmagazine @ post. com.
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