BIONIC NINJA (1985) – Hey! The people who dubbed this flick into English overused “Hey!” to such a degree that if you play the Hey! Drinking Game you’ll die of alcohol poisoning a third of the way through the movie. Leo Fong supposedly choreographed the fights and did some stunt work in and out of ninja garb in this film, another splice job of unrelated movies.
Hey! It’s also been released under the titles Ninja Assassins and Ninja Force. Bionic Ninja is using “ninja” as its plural form but sadly, none of them are bionic. For some reason many international releases took to using the word “bionic” in their titles as if the word meant “super” or “ultra” or “maximum.” The ninja in this movie are the NOISIEST ninja ever committed to film, but they do possess powers of teleportation, so that’s fun.
Hey! In Hong Kong, a kung-fu fighting Chinese courier named Gordon Mann is transporting a “Top Secret Technical Film” containing information that could alter the balance of power in the Cold War. The Soviets have hired a band of ninja (our title menaces) to steal the film from Gordon. Mann’s boss in the British Secret Service, Warren Smart, lets Mann twist in career limbo under suspicion that he willingly handed over the film while Smart is secretly a traitor himself. Continue reading
HISTORY WAS MADE – The SUSSEX COUNTY COLLEGE SKYLANDERS are playing their very first season of intercollegiate football and have now logged their first W, three games in. The Skylanders welcomed the CAPP ACADEMY CRUSADERS and dominated their opponents on both sides of the ball. By the time the dust settled Sussex County College had triumphed by a score of 48-8. 
DEFENSIVE EPIC – The 4-0 GARDEN CITY COLLEGE BRONCBUSTERS traveled to face the INDEPENDENCE COLLEGE PIRATES. After a scoreless 1st Quarter the Pirates held a 7-0 lead at Halftime. Neither team was able to put up points in the 3rd Quarter, but then in a comparatively action-packed 4th the Broncbusters’ offense finally came alive for a 14-10 triumph and a 5-0 record to this point. 
NAILBITER IN GEORGIA – The GORDON STATE HIGHLANDERS welcomed the HOCKING COLLEGE HAWKS. Neither team scored in the 1st Quarter but by Halftime the Highlanders were on top of the Hawks by a score of 6-3. The defenses dominated once again in the 3rd Quarter with no points put up, and in the 4th Gordon State held on for a 12-10 victory. 
WHAT IS IT BETWEEN TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA? – Teams from Texas and Oklahoma have some classic rivalries and classic games between them. In this matchup the NAVARRO COLLEGE BULLDOGS took on the visiting NORTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA A&M GOLDEN NORSEMEN. A 7-0 1st Quarter lead for the Golden Norsemen turned into a 10-7 Bulldogs edge at the Half. Each team logged 13 more points after the break as Navarro College won it 23-20.
PHANTOM BULLET 
THE THIN MAN 
WITH THE FRENCH FOREIGN LEGION IN SYRIA (1928) – Written by a British former member of the French Foreign Legion using the alias John Harvey. Previously, Balladeer’s Blog examined the excellent 1895 short story collection titled 
John Harvey’s With The French Foreign Legion In Syria instead wallows in the tawdry and brutal side of the Legion. Instead of James O’Neill’s poetic, astonishingly prescient tales, this volume presents an ugly and sensationalistic take on the FFL. It would have stood in stark contrast to stories romanticizing the Legion as written by P.C. Wren and others. No movies of the time would have touched these violent, vulgar Peckinpah-style antics. Get ready for a look at some Legionnaires who would make The Wild Bunch look genteel. 
QUITE A DIFFERENCE – Dedicated fans will remember that the games between the HUTCHINSON COLLEGE BLUE DRAGONS and the BUTLER (KS) GRIZZLIES were often played with the Jayhawk Conference title on the line. Instead of an Instant Classic, this time the Blue Dragons dominated their hosts, leading 28-3 by Halftime on their way to a 41-10 beatdown of the Grizzlies. 
SHUTOUTS – Two Shutouts with unusually low scores this time around: the ARKANSAS BAPTIST COLLEGE BUFFALOES defeated the visiting ELLSWORTH COLLEGE PANTHERS 6-0 with a 4th Quarter TD ### And the HOCKING COLLEGE HAWKS won a 10-0 affair at the SUSSEX COUNTY COLLEGE SKYLANDERS. This odd game, too, saw no scoring until the 4th Quarter. 
Balladeer’s Blog takes a look at several buried treasures which legends maintain may still be out there for the finding. 
ONE-POINT WONDER – The closest game for this time around pitted the SNOW COLLEGE BADGERS against the home-standing IOWA WESTERN COLLEGE REIVERS. The Reivers led their opponents by a score of 7-0 in the 1st Quarter, 13-8 at Halftime and 27-18 to end the 3rd Quarter. In the 4th the Badgers came roaring from behind for a 31-30 victory. 
