As I mentioned to a few people at the meet and greet, we ref our own games in our division so it's important to be familiar with the rules. Below are some of the rules that can cause confusion.
Tag Ups10.5 - Tag-ups are only required before advancement on a caught ball. After a kicked ball is touched or caught, runners are forced to tag their their originating base before running ot the next base. If the runner has not moved off of the base before the ball is touched or caught by a fielder, the runner may run forward without a forced tag up.According to the official WAKA interpretation of the rule, the wording that is important in this rule is after a kicked ball is touched or caught. That means that a runner can tag as soon as the ball is touched for the first time. If a ball is knocked up into the air and then caught the runner can tag on the first touch and is not forced back to the base once the ball it actually caught. Runners do not have to tag up if no catch is made on the play.
The real purpose of this rule is to prevent teams from potentially playing volleyball with the kickball and purposly hitting it into the air trying to bring it closer to the infield before someone actually catches it, preventing the runner from having any real chance at tagging up.
Infield FlyUnlike in baseball and softball, there is no Infield Fly rule in WAKA Kickball.
Kicking Box13.02 A Foul is:
c.) a ball kicked outside of the kicking box (in front of the back cones, behind the front edge of homeplate)The important thing to note on this rule is that the ball is not considered out of play as described in Rule 15. Unless any of the requirements in Rule 15 happen to cause the ball to be considered out of play any ball that is kicked outside the kicking box is considered foul but a live ball. That means that if the ball is popped up a defending player can catch it in the air for an out and the play would be treated the same as it would be for a pop fly in foul territory.
Double Kick13.02 A foul is:
d.) a kicked ball touched more than once in foul territory or stopped by the kicker in foul territory.
g.) a kicked ball touched more than once in the kickbing box or stopped by the kicker in the kicking box.
14.02 An out is:
d.) a runner touched by the ball or who touches the ball at ANY time while not on base while the ball is in play (see Rule 15.02)Basically what this means is that if a kicker kicks the ball and then the ball hits them again either in the kicking box or in foul territory the play results in a foul ball. If however kicker kicks the ball and then the ball hits the a second time while in fair territory the kicker is out.
1st and 3rd Base Line8.03 No player may field forward the pitcher other than the catcher until th eball is kicked, and no player may advance forward the 1st-3rd base diagonal until the ball is kicked. A team's first infraction by a team during the game will result in a warning to the team that caused the infraction. The second and each subsequent infraction by a team during the game will result in the kicker being awarded first base regardless of the outcome of the kick.Each team will be allowed 1 warning per game on this rule. The warning is per team, not per player.
Balls, Strikes and Fouls8.05 The strike zone extends to 1 foot on either side of home plate to the side of the kickball, and 1 foot high to the bottom of the kickball. A pitch outside the strike zone is a ball.
11.01, 12.01, 13.01 A count of 3 strikes is an out. A count of 4 balls advances the kicker to first base. a count of 4 fouls is an out.
11.03 Foul balls never count as strikes.This is sort of a basic one but it is worth noting for new players to know that strikes and fouls are counted seperately.
Overthrows10.07 Base Running on Overthrows;
a. an overthrow is a ball thrown, kicked, or deflected into foul territory while making a defensive play toward a
player or base;
b. a runner may advance only one base beyond the base the runner is on or running toward when the ball travels
into foul territory;
c. one base on an overthrow is a restriction on the runner – not an automatic right for the runner to advance;
d. Once an overthrown ball is back on the field of play, and the defense attempts a play other than returning the
ball to the pitcher, runners may commence base running.1. THE PLAYING FIELD 101 e. the sidelines are lines 10 feet on the outside of and parallel to the foul lines, the area between the foul lines
and the sidelines is the sideline area; (see Rule 14.03)If the ball is overthrown along the first or third base lines and goes into foul territory and out of play (10 feet) then the runners are restricted to only get one full base. It's important to note that it's a restriction and not a right so if the runner is taking his or her time getting to the next base and the defensive team can tag the runner out, the runner is out. After a ball has gone out of play on an overthrow, any play made by the defensive team other than getting the ball back to the pitcher can be deems a live play and runners can then advance at their own risk. The rule only applies to overthrows that go past 10 feet from the foul lines so there is no restriction on overthrows at second base, only first, third and home.
Sideline Area14.03 Sideline area. Prior to the kick, no participants (or spectators) may be in the sideline area except for the
kicker, the catcher, referees and designated base coaches. After the kick, fielders and base runners in the
process of playing the game may also occupy the sideline area. (see Rule 1.01e). The first infraction will result in
a warning to the team that caused the infraction. The second and each subsequent infraction will result in an out
for the next kicker in the written scorebook kicking order on the team that caused the infraction.This rule is pretty self explanatory.
Roster Requirements5.02 Teams must field at least eight players and no more than eleven. Teams must field a minimum of four players of each sex. If fielding 11 players, one player must play the position of catcher. At any time during the game teams may only field one pitcher and one catcher.
7.04 teams must have at least four men and four women present and ready to play at the scheduled game time. Teams will be granted a 15 minute grace period for that day's first scheduled game(s), and a 5 minute grace period for any subsequent scheduled game(s). Failure to abide by this rule results in a forfeit.
18.01 The spirit of these rules is to ensure a fun environment and participant enjoyment. All games are to be played in a sportsmanlike manner...If teams can not provide at least 4 players of each sex for a game then their opponent has the right to force a forfeit in that game in the standings. It will be at the discretion of the captain of the opposing team to decide whether to force the forfeit or not. The opposing captain may elect to allow the team to play short handed and have the score count in the standings if they wish but a final agreement must be made before the game starts. If a forfeit is enforced the teams can play a scrimmage for fun. If a forfeit is not enforced and the teams play out the team that is short handed will need to play short handed in the field according to the minimum requirements as dictated in the rules.
Example: Team A has 9 men and 3 women show up for a game and therefore does not meet the minimum number of women to play. Team B agrees to allow Team A to play shorthanded with the final result being reflected in the official standings. It has become somewhat customary that since each team must have at lest 4 men and 4 women take the field team A should only be able to field a maximum of 10 players since one spot in the field would be considered reserved for the missing female player but this is up to the captains to reach an agreement before the game.
The official WAKA rule on this is that the team that is shorthanded must forfeit and that is the rule that will be in place for the tournament in Las Vegas. However, in the spirit of rule 18.01 the alternative rule regarding short handed teams has become customary in the divisions in Tampa if the captains agree to it before the game. Referees should be witness to the agreement if one is made. If no agreement is made before the game then the short handed team must take a forfeit in the standings.
Leading Off14.02 An out is:
f. a runner off of his/her base when the ball is kickedLeading off a base is not allowed. If a runner leaves contact with his/her base before the ball is kicked that baserunner will be out. It is also worth mentioning that if the basecoach physically assists a runner or touches them during an actual play the baserunner is out or if a runner passes another runner on the bases the runner who did the passing will be out.
To view all of WAKA's rules go to
www.kickball.com/rules
For their week 10 rematch Smack My Pitch Up will be challenging Drunk Again And Scoring to a full team chug prior to the game to determine home field advantage. The team with the fewest number of people will determine the amount of chuggers in the relay. First team done gets to decide if they want to kick first or field first. We have had relay chuggs before but this may be the first instance of a full team chug in the Breaker Division.
After Smack My Pitch Up wins the game, they will also be challenging Drunk Again And Scoring to a game of Bottle Flip Cup at MacDintons. Each player will have a beer bottle in front of them and rather than simply flipping your cup over, you have to flip your cup onto the beer bottle. Does that sound cool to you? Of course, because it is.
As many of you have come to realize, Dale from the Seminoles, has assumed the role of Division Villain. Why not? Every division has to have one and Dale is certainly competitive. For the most part, Dale takes it all in stride and finds it funny but those who know him best feel that he is sometimes unfairly demonized. So lets take a moment to get to know the real Dale. The Dale behind the kickball.
Dale can often be seen teaching illiterate children to read, rescuing trapped kittens from trees, and collecting food supplies to ship to starving people in third world countries. Rumor has it that he also likes long walks on the beach, candle lit dinners and likes to cry while reading romance novels. 
Tampa, FL - It was confirmed last night that WAKA Rep, Ty, has no idea what he is talking about when it comes to predicting the outcome of games. Not one of his week 7 predictions came even close to reality. Lets break down this debacle of an attempt at fortune telling.
I'd Hit It is planning on having a Pajama Party at next week's game and is hoping that everyone else in the division will join in. I'd Hit It would like everyone to come wearing what you usually wear to bed (plus your WAKA kickball t-shirt of course) to the fields to play kickball in. It raises the interesting and possibly either exciting or disturbing question: What if you like to sleep in the nude?
Tampa, FL - Gator alum, fans and friends were victorious last night against the Seminoles. Smack My Pitch Up proved too much for the Seminoles to compete with in Tailgating and afterpartying. As Dale drove up in his new garnet colored car that he bought just for the anticipated rivalry game, it was clear by the look in his eyes that he was completely intimidated by the impressive site of Smack My Pitch Up's tailgating party, complete with 2 grills, ladder ball, multiple tables and coolers of consumables and tons of random Gator paraphenalia lying around.
Week 6 looks to be an intense one in the Breaker division as teams have started creating an indentity for themselves this season. The most anticipated match up may be between the Seminoles and Smack My Pitch Up. Since Smack My Pitch up is comprised mostly of Gators and their color is Gator blue they have decided to add in a little Orange when they face off against the Seminoles. It will be Orange and Blue vs Garnett and Gold mayem as both teams are expected to tailgate before the game. Any player who went to either school is invited to watch the matchup at 8pm on Field C, if they don't have a game at that time, to cheer on the representatives for your alma mater.
Tampa, Fl - After struggling for most of the young season to put any runs up on the board, Great Balls of Fire were able to more than double their offensive output for the season last night as they defeated Jamestown 5-2. In the young team's first 4 games they were only able to score a total of 4 runs. That scoring drought was ended quickly when Great Balls of Fire matched their previous offensive output in just the first inning by posting a 4-spot. That was more than enough to conquer the struggling Jamestown but added some insurance later in the game.
We asked team captain, Shelley, to talk about her team's secret to success this week. "Well I was talking to my good friend Jacques the other day and he told me that the secret to winning is compression shorts. He said that if the boys are nice and snug and secure it can only help on-field performance. After hearing that I decided to institute a 'No Commando' policy for this week. At first, some of the guys were really upset by the new policy but in the end, everyone did what was best for the team. It clearly helped in our victory. Thank you for the advice Mr. Strapp!"
Visible in the stands was number one Great Balls of Fire fan Pete Schweddy of Schweddy Balls and Schweddy Weiner fame. "I really love to come out and see my 'Balls'. They really exploded today and sqeezed out as much as they could. They had had some problems with disfuntion earlier in the season but now I'm glad to see their performance improve. Their victory today gave new meaning to Great Balls of Fire."
Tampa, FL - Those who stuck around late last night at MacDinton's were witness to one of the greatest performances ever in the history of karaoke as Wes and Mike from Drunk Again And Scoring did an amazing rendition of "The Humpty Dance". The crowd was in desperate need of a knock out performance after the DJ had botched their earlier song by giving them the wrong song to sing. Fans of Wes and Mike were hungry for their heroes to take the stage again after suffering through some interesting drunken renditions of songs by I'd Hit It. The crowd went wild as Wes and Mike took the stage once more. Wes did his best Shock G impression as Mike seemed to be summoning the spirit of a young Tupac Shakur with his dancing and backup vocals.
Wes's act was so incredible that he only limited himself to half of the lyrics and made up some of his own, knowing that giving the crowd the whole song would certainly set off riots of mass hysteria from the sheer excitement of their brilliant performance. At one point, Wes could see the rambunctious crowd grow with excitement and for safety reasons decided to walk off stage.
The new team name may be fitting since their team color is Texas Orange. Denis Quaid could not be reached for comment.
