While the weather is expected to live up to the tourney’s billing, the mid-90s likely won’t be too much of a shock for the teams attending, since this will be a de facto South Region (pre-) preview, only, 2.5 months before the real thing. Besides the jambalaya and Abita, the big draw is the ~$2000 prize money for the winning team – and after having that purse added to the team coffers last year, it’ll be hard to give up without a fight.

Also of note, as July wanes, preseason predictions and analysis for the club season begin cropping up. New, and well-done, ultimate web presence mssui.com leads off with a feature article on the ATL’s prospects, Can lightning strike twice?, juxtaposing the team’s steadily rising talent level with the up-and-down results and concluding with a deserved question mark.

Finally, from earlier in the month, and because I’m not sure when or where else to get this picture from Bil Elsinger’s 2008 Potlatch gallery into the spotlight…

The Mullet Kid: John Hammond and his flowing locks at Potlatch

The other of Chain’s college frosh, Grant Lindsley, taking Seattle Sockeye’s #7, the considerably taller Chase Sparling-Beckley, deep into the endzone during the team’s pool play game with the eventual champs last October.

Grant is currently playing his freshman season for perennial college power Carleton (also the alma mater of the above mentioned Sparling-Beckley), and like George Stubbs at Harvard, will be a leading candidate for regional Freshman of the Year honors.

photographer: Frameatatime.com’s Chad Borer

click on photos to see larger versions

One of Chain’s college frosh, George Stubbs, makes a great diving bid on D during double-game (i.e., the final) point in our quarterfinal match with Goat. Foul was called and contested (and both points of view seemed within reason, according to those on the sideline); the observer was not called upon. Goat went on to score for the win and berth in the semis.

George is playing his first season for Harvard’s Red Line this spring, though at present he’s rehabbing from a PCL knee injury.

photographer: Frameatatime.com’s Chad Borer

Moving into the new year: Zip gets way up to rip one in last fall’s Nationals quarterfinals matchup vs. Goat.

photographer: Frameatatime.com’s Chad Borer

Season’s greetings to all from Jay Hammond (here spreading his own brand of holiday cheer a bit early, at nationals vs. Sockeye) and the rest of Chain Lightning.

photographer: the prolific Chad Borer

Old Boston player Rob Barrett lays out in the endzone to get a block on defense vs. Boston’s new team’s Ryan Todd in Chain Lightning’s 1 point win on Day 2 at Nationals.

photographer: Mase

John “Kid” Hammond goes high to catch the disc over 2 Truck Stop defenders in Chain’s day 1 win at Nationals.

photographer: Chain Lightning alum Jason Edelman

AJ Tiarsmith focusing on a throw in the quarterfinals game vs Goat.

photographer: Will Juras

Rob White (previously mentioned here) makes like a bird – no, a plane – on defense versus Boston’s Kurt Gibson in the hard-fought nationals power pool game won by Chain Lightning 14-13.

photographer: Chad Borer

Dylan Tunnell vs Goat in the quarters last weekend: called in from the offense to play some crunch-time D, Big Boy does just that with the nasty catch block just outside of Goat’s endzone.

photographer: Chad Borer