The Mean Machine

The PowerSleds drill the Mayors, 51-15

DOLOMITE, AL - The Longest Yard was a 1974 American prison sports comedy-drama film starring Burt Reynolds. The film was released as The Mean Machine in the United Kingdom and South Africa. The film follows a former NFL player, Paul "Wrecking" Crewe, played by Reynolds who recruits a group of prisoners to play a football game against the prison's guards. The prisoner's team was known as "The Mean Machine" and stole the guards fancy uniforms just before the game and wore them against the guards in vict'ry. The film features many real-life, former NFL players including Ray Nitschke, Ray Ogden, Joe Kapp and Sonny Sixkiller. The film was shot on location at the Georgia State Prison in Reidsville, Georgia. The production had the cooperation of then Georgia Governor - Jimmy Carter. Filming had to be delayed from time to time due to prison uprisings. Though the film was billed as being based on an original story, some reviewers found parallels between this film and the 1962 Hungarian film Two Half Times in Hell which was based on a real-life soccer match in 1942 between German soldiers and Ukrainian prisoners of war during World War II, known as the Death Match. The character of Paul "Wrecking" Crewe was also said to have been inspired by former college basketball and NBA All-Star player Jack Molinas, who was said to have shaved points for Columbia University during the CCNY point-shaving scandal period and for the Fort Wayne Pistons during his sole season in the NBA, as well as being a key figure in the 1961 NCAA men's basketball gambling scandal. The film grossed $43 million on a $2.9 million budget. The BDFL isn't in the movie critic business, but Iron Hand, The Commissioner of the BDFL, gives the film a five-star rating and strongly recommends that all BDFL members watch the original film once again during the holidays. In the BDFL, the Fairfield PowerSleds have always been referred to as "The Mean Machine" and in Week 11 of the league's 30th season, The Mean Machine was hitting on all cylinders as they put the pile driver on the Magic City Mayors to drill them 51-15.

Playoff Picture

A snapshot of the 2024 BDCS playoffs

TITLETOWN - After 11 weeks of BDFL action, the league's media experts think they have enough empirical evidence to piece together a picture of the 2025 Big Daddy Championship Series (BDCS) field of eight teams. In the BDFL's championship post-season, each division winner gets and automatic bid and these four teams are projected to be the Vulcans (GHD), PowerSleds (GBD), Dogs (YHD) and the Bellcows (RND). The league also has four "wildcard" slots available for the next best teams in the BDCS and these are projected to be the Cheetahs, Bullets, Wildcats and Freebirds, or Bandits. There is still a lot of football to be played and it will be interesting to see how well these predictions pan out over the next four weeks of the league's regular season which ends in Week 15. The BDCS begins in Week 16 and runs through Week 18 to determine the BDFL Title Champions.