Mailbag

ouch77: I heard there where a couple of injuries in the last couple of weeks. Do people really injur themselves in kickball?

Yes! In any physical activity there is always a risk for injury. Most injuries that occur in kickball though can probably be easily avoided with proper stretching. People think, "oh well its just kickball" and don't stretch and that is a real easy way to pull muscles. The other way that people tend to get hurt is collisions. Sometimes that can't be avoided but if you aren't making an active play on a ball, get the hell out of the way of the baserunners and don't stand on the bases. Last but not least, if you never learned how to slide or dive correctly in sports, it's probably best if you don't try to learn on the fly.

timmy48: Last week you talked about the best team the league has ever seen, what about the worst?

Excellent question. There have been a few teams over the years that have struggled on the field (most of them where a lot of fun though) but the one that probably really takes the cake is Raging Balls. Raging Balls was my team in the Fall of 2009. We were bad, really bad. We couldn't catch, we couldn't kick, we couldn't run the bases very well (with the exception of yours truly of course). We didn't win a single game and in most games we lost in stunning fashion by monumental scores. We pretty much capped it off in the playoffs when in the first round we gave up 10 runs in just the first inning. We knew very early that we would be firing up that grill and enjoying burgers and dogs. If you notice pictures of that team you might find some familiar faces. After that debacle of a season the team broke up and was retooled into what is now 99 Problems. So if your team is having a rough season this year, remember that you can always improve in future seasons.

kickballstu: Your blog sucks. What does it take you to write it? 2 minutes? I could do way better.

Um... thanks Stu. Actually people ask me how long it takes to write the blog a lot. Truth be told, it usually takes me about 4 hours each week to come up with all of the content and write it for your enjoyment (which is why you don't usually see much posted on Wednesday morning). Actually, if you think you can contribute to the blog you can. Just let me know and I can give you publishing rights. It would be great to have someone who can do player profiles that I just don't have the time to do. There are a couple of rules though. First, you have to remember that this is an official WAKA Blog so the content should be posted with the idea that its purpose is to help promote WAKA and the fun we have while playing and socializing. Second, we don't use people's full names. We always use first names or nicknames. We don't want your drunken exploits on the flip cup table to be too googleable just in case you are a teacher or something like that. Third, be respectful. Its always good to poke a little fun here or there as long as its all in good taste. Kickball is fun and we want the blog to be too. So if you want to post content for the blog, just send me an email at tyrus at kickball.com.

Mid Season Report Card

Can you believe that we are already halfway through the season? At this point we are starting to get a good look at all of the teams and what their makeup is, I will go through each team and give them a grade in both their on field and off field performance. These grades are determined using a very complex mathematical formula where I don't care is squared, divided by totally made up shit to the power of it doesn't matter.

So here are the grades for the first half of the season:

99 Problems but a Pitch Aint One: Field A+, Fun A+
Come on, you didn't think I would give my own team anything but an A+ did you? Actually, unlike in past seasons when I've done grades, this team probably actually deserves it. So far they are undefeated on the field and have posted up some pretty lopsided score. Every week they bring some sort of treats to the field and are always seen making lots of noise on the flip cup table as well as the karaoke stage.

Asstastic Balls: Field C-, Fun B+
Asstastic Balls usually have a much higher fun rating but I feel like this year they haven't had quite the same form though there is always one or 2 fools on the team that participate in any theme we through out there. I'm pretty sure that we could make a US Presidents of the 1800's not named Lincoln theme and the Beast would show up dressed as Martin Van Buren. On the field, this team struggles but never count them out. They have the ability to go very deep and score lots of runs in bunches.

Balls and Dolls: Field B-, Fun B+
Our Returning champs are not having the easiest run at retaining their title but it all comes down to the playoffs anyways and anything can happen then. This has always been a fun and laid back team with lots of spirit. If you hear a random cheer from across the field, its likely to be the reaction from the Balls and Dolls bench to a player safely making it to base.

Barbara Balters: Field A, Fun A-
We were a little worried about this team at first. They had a pretty weak showing at the pre-season party and were anti-social in week one at the bar. I actually have had a few guys come up to me and express some frustration that the 3 beautiful ladies in fedoras at the pre-season party weren't wearing their stickers to indicate whether or not they were single. Since then this team has definitely shown that they know how to have a good time and are now a force on the flip cup tables. They are also shaping up to be one of the toughest teams in the league.

Booze on First: Field B, Fun B
This team's record could probably be a bit better if it wasn't for their 2 very close losses against 99 Problems and the Seminoles. Those are both very tough teams and Booze on First had a good chance in both of those. Don't ever count this team out as they bring their A game against the toughest teams. This is a pretty laid back and easy going team and even when they don't have a large showing of players at the bar, there will always be a few who will be more than happy to join your flip cup team.

D's Nutz: Field C-, Fun B+
Despite the fact this team developed a computer program to maximize their roster, D's Nutz have had a hard time capitalizing on it. It looks like it needs a little bit of tweaking. They can be a bit of a quiet team but they do have their own band which instantly gives them plenty of cool points. I have only heard small samples of Sunshine and Bullets on their website but I hope you will all support them at their show on Apr 13th.

I can definitely guarantee that you will enjoy them way more that this awful piece of mind numbing dribble that I discovered today:



It kind of makes you hate Fridays.

Jagerballs: Field C, Fun B
Jagerballs may not be the best team on the field but they are a fun and laid back bunch. With a captain named Romeo, they are always good for a couple of good sexual innuendos on the sidelines. They are the league's smallest teams so they have to keep it loose to make sure everyone shows up to avoid forfeits.

Masterbatters: Field D-, Fun A
I love the Masterbatters. They love to have a good time, even in losing, which they do plenty of. So far they have lost their games by a combined score of 32-6. They don't let that get them down though. They even have cutouts of Elvis and Marilyn Monroe as their cheering section on the sideline. What does that tell you when your cheering section is physically incapable of actually cheering? This team is what WAKA is all about.

Seminoles: Field A-, Fun Incomplete
The Seminoles only get an A- after their loss this week. They are a good team who can beat just about anyone. Their challenge for the rest of the season without the strong leg of injured player, Salty. The've got a bad reputation for being overly competitive and complainers but the core of the team is actually really fun to joke around with. Their biggest problem is that they never go to the bar. Later on you will notice that they don't go to the parties either. I don't take it personally because I know its not about me, they just don't like you very much.

Suck My Kick: Field B+, Fun A
Last but certainly not least is Suck My Kick. This team is mostly made up of models who think it would be nice to play kickball. They are quickly coming together as a team and where able to pull off the stunning upset over the Seminoles this past week. This team definitely knows how to have fun and are a force to be reckoned with at the bar. If there is a party, Suck My Kick wants to be there.

Which team do you think has the best chance to win the playoffs?

Week 5 Theme - Cowboys and Indians

That's right folks. We brought out an old favorite for next week's theme. I fully expect Balls and Dolls to play this one up right. There really isn't much more that needs to be said, is there?

Week 4 Recap

Our first game of the night was between Booze on First and Jagerballs. Something must have happened in this game, considering that there was a good amount of scoring but according to Booze on First's Rachel, "Nothing interesting happened in this game at all... nothing fun, nothing interesting." Ok then, thanks for the great content. Booze on first won 5-2

Our second game was a bit more interesting between 99 Problems and D's Nutz. 99 Problems again brought treats to the field, this time in the form of brownies, their first non-alcoholic treat of the season. This game started off in a tight 0-0 game after 3 innings. 99 Problems scraped together one in the 4th and one in the 5th before remembering that they knew how to score and put up 6 in the top of the 5th. 99 Problems won 8-0.

Our late games where a little bit more interesting, starting off with Masterbatters and Asstastic Balls. This game was brought to you by the number 3 (more on that in a little bit). These two are some of the most fun teams in the league. Now you can decide for yourself whether they are fun because they have cool people or if they are fun because they are easy to beat. Both teams came into this one without a win and their schedules really don't get any easier after this. Masterbatter, Matt kicked a triple in his first at bat. In his second attempt he had runners on first and third. He kicked it to right field where it was caught and quickly brought back in to first before that runner could tag up. The runner at third decided to tag up and try to score but was thrown out for the triple play. Even the final score was a difference of 3. Asstastic Balls won 7-4.

Next up, we had Balls and Dolls and Barbara Ballters. Both of these teams have a serious chance at the championship this year. Balls and Dolls are of course the returning champions while the rookie, Barbara Ballters are quickly becoming one of the toughest teams in the league. Not only that but they are also becoming one of the most social teams at MacDinton's after the games, challenging any team they can at flip cup. This was a low scoring affair with lots of defense. Barbara Ballters won 1-0.

Last but certainly not least was the marquis matchup of the night between Suck My Kick and the Seminoles. There have been many occasions over the years where a group of Gators played up the whole UF thing in an attempt to beat the Seminoles and it never worked out too well. The old Smack My Pitch Up team played up the Gator theme real big and their right fielder even wearing a Gator football helmet. That resulted in 2 balls being kicked over his head when he lost the ball through the facemask and lost by 13. This current group of Suck My Kick Gators decided to not go all out but their beautiful ladies did sports gator backpacks and led a couple of UF cheers. This was a very contested matchup and both pitchers where putting everything they had out there. Unfortunately, everything they had included what was probably a world record for most balls thrown in a kickball game ever. Suck My Kick brought a 3-1 lead into the 6th inning. The Seminoles put up a run and threatened for me but ultimately came up short. Suck My Kick won 3-2.

Sunshine and Bullets/ Saving Abel

Hey everyone we have a band on Tuesday nights that would like you to come out and support them on April 13th at 7:00pm details are located below.

What is Sunshine & Bullets?

Sunshine & Bullets is the latest up and coming alternative rock band fueled by an intense energy and passion that has to be experienced live to get the full effect. They are a 3 piece band with both male and female vocals and great music that is anything but boring! Their style ranges from extreme ends of the rock spectrum, so one song from the next can be totally different! One thing that stays consistent: their ability to create head-bopping grooves that are sure to turn the music industry around!

Who are they?

Two members of Sunshine & Bullets are playing for the Kickball team D's Nutz (navy blue)!!! Rich, who plays guitar, is the crazy redhead spouting off insanities such as “Praise Tom Cruise,” and “I hate being catcher.” Amanda is the blond who plays bass and loves being catcher so she can heckle the kickers! They both are the lead singers. Their drummer is thinking about joining the kickball league next season!

When can I see them play?

Sunshine and Bullets are opening up for SAVING ABEL on Wed, April 13th at 7pm at the State Theater! Check out the site here www.statetheatreconcerts.com

To get your tickets, send an email to SunshineAndBullets@gmail.com or ask Amanda or Rich from D's Nutz (navy blue team) at the next Kickball game, or at McDinton's afterwards!

Bonus: They will be donating the profits to the kickball league for an awesome party that we can all remember!

Visit www.sunshineandbullets.com to hear a sample of their music.

Duh! Winning!

In honor of this week's theme.

Mailbag

It seems like a lot of news publications like to do mailbag segments every once in a while. Its almost as if they like to pretend that they actually give a crap what their readers think. Well we decided that we would pretend the same thing since we are asked questions all of the time. So here you go, our first edition of our mail bag segment.

g8erlover69: Why are the Seminoles so awful?

The Seminoles aren't that awful. The Seminoles have a bit of a bad rep though because they are competitive and tend to bring out some bad blood with other teams. Most of their players are actually pretty good people who you can joke around with but most people don't realize that since they almost never go to the bar.

chiefosceola24: The Seminoles are the best team ever!

Thanks, Chief, but I don't think that is a question. Keep working on that. Historically speaking they are one of the toughest teams to beat that our league has ever seen but best team ever might be a stretch. They probably take second fiddle to the old Don't Touch Our Balls team that dominated pretty much every season until they got bored with beating everyone. If you were scheduled to play them, your best bet to win was hoping that they all decided to forfeit and go to a Rays game instead (which they were good for once or twice each season).

blogfan12: I love the blog but how do you remember what to put on there? Last week on your birthday you didn't seem to be in any condition to remember much of anything.

Yes, indeed, it was a good time on my birthday and I thank anyone who bought me drinks. I actually am awful at remembering details on things so I try to take a few shorthand notes on my phone here or there so I can remind myself for blogging later. It also helps that I'm not really a journalist so I'm not really concerned about journalistic integrity. As Suck My Kick can already attest, details aren't as important as making the story sound interesting. I have also definitely been known to just make stuff up for the hell of it too.

Well, that's enough for this week. We will have some more for you next week.

Breaker Week 4 Theme - Hollywood Train Wrecks

Charlie Sheen is the hottest thing around right now. WAKA leagues all over the country are getting in on the action and teams with Sheen references are popping up everywhere. There is even a raffle for tickets to see him in person in DC. His Tiger Blood, Goddesses and Winning are being plastered all over the place but he is just the latest in a long line of entertaining Hollywood Train Wrecks.



So come out dressed as your favorite Hollywood Train Wreck or as a character in one of their movies. There are plenty of options to choose from.

Who is your favorite Hollywood Train Wreck?

Breaker Week 3 Recap

What a beautiful night for kickball this week. The weather was great and there were quite a few good matchups.

Definition:
bloggable   
[blawg-uh-buhl]
–adjective
something notable that happens in a kickball game that might be of interest to readers of the blog.
Used in a sentence:
Ty came up and asked me if there was anything bloggable that happened in our game tonight.

We started things off with Masterbatters vs Barbara Ballters. The poor Masterbatters have had a rough start to the season, starting things out by facing to of the toughest teams in the league, and lost their first two games by a combined score of 19-1. They keep telling themselves that things will get better but only time will tell. Meanwhile, Barbara Ballters is one of the new teams that is finding their way in the league and have shown that they aren't exactly slouches on the kickball field. This game started out pretty close with a 1-1 tie until Barbara Ballters was able to get a bases loaded triple to open the game up. When asked about their performance, the always humble Barbara Ballters said, "We were awesome". Barbara Ballters won this one 6-2.

Field 2 stated off with Suck My Kick squared off against last year's champions, Balls and Dolls. Suck My Kick has quickly established themselves as one of the most fun new teams in the league. They blame their poor week 2 bar showing on the fact that they were still recovering from their mandatory team Spring Break weekend. Suck My Kick decided to motivate their team early with coordinating dance moves to the Back Street Boys. It seemed to work as they took an early 3-0 lead but that's when Balls and Doll's catcher, Matty B, sprang to action. Matty loves to talk... and talk... and talk behind the plate... and everywhere else. His plan to get into Suck My Kick's heads must have worked because the tables turned quickly and Balls and Dolls scored 4 unanswered runs. Suck My Kick's beautiful ladies decided to counter with some attempts at comedy that were about as successful as the Situation on the Roast of Donald Trump. Balls and Dolls took this one 4-3.



Our Field 1 late game was an epic matchup between the Seminoles and Booze on First. That chill up your spine, feeling of looming impending doom and concern that the gates of hell are opening up would be the Seminoles coming. For whatever reason, they always seem to get whatever team they are playing to get really fired up and agitated. Anytime the Seminoles play there is always the thought that maybe it would have been a good idea to have some riot police on stand-by. This game was no different. Already up 7-4, Seminole slugger, Salty, kicked a ball over everything. He rounded third to try to score a home run and dove into home plate, only to be thrown out with a quick throw by the catcher just inches from home plate. Unfortunately two unfortunate things happened. First the catcher grabbed the ball and spiked it a second time into Salty for good measure, then it turned out Salty hurt his shoulder on the play. Homeplate ref, Jon, took good control of the situation and gave a warning against unsportmanlike conduct before anything erupted. Seminoles won this one 7-5.

On a related side note. Everyone should remember that WAKA Kickball is a fun social activity and the reason WAKA exists is to create a comfortable atmosphere where people can meet new people and make more friends. Unsportsmanlike conduct should not be tolerated. Respect your opponents and your refs as you would a good group of friends.

OK Back to the fun, Our next matchup was between D's Nutz and Asstastic Balls. I was told by Rob on Asstastic Balls that this was a boring game and gave me nothing bloggable. Luckily D's Nutz could remember something interesting. With no outs and runners on first and second, the D's Nutz kickers was able to kick a deep ball. The runner from second made it to third and decided to plant herself there, The runner from first rounded second and continued to 3rd, only to overrun the base and pass her already stationary teammate. Then the kicker, thinking he was going to be able to score a home run also ran past the stationary D's Nutter still standing on third. According to the WAKA Rulebook, rule 10.08: "Running past another runner is not allowed. The passing runner is out". Asstastic balls was also able to get that lead baserunner out too so what should have been a 3 run home run turned into a triple play with no runs scored. D's Nutz secret weapon computer program finally seemed to work out this week, or maybe it was just that they played Asstastic Balls. D's Nutz won 6-0.

Last but not least was 99 Problems and Jagerballs. This game started out out tight with no scoring by either team in the first couple of innings, though 99 Problems did their best to take advantage of what they viewed as a weak spot in the Jagerballs defensive alignment. In a strange twist of fate, as soon as Jagerballs adjusted to cover the weakness 99 Problems exploded on offense and put up about an 8 spot just in one inning. This game got pretty out of hand at that point and 99 Problems players started jokingly heckling each other. Though this ended in a blowout, vodka watermellon was enjoyed by all. 99 Problems won 12-2.

What might have happened if Jon didn't keep the Seminoles vs Booze on First game under control

Beer Pong? Really?

First of all, let me say this, I love Barbara Ballters. They are a good group of fun people but they also make me laugh with their bar etiquitte. Week one they secluded themselves in a corner at the bar. We invited them to have fun and socialize and join in with other players playing flip cup. This week, they where playing beer bong. Beer pong? Really? I mean I guess that's cool if you've got a small group people but doesn't that take up valuable flip cup room?

Exhibit A: Beer Pong is fun for 4 people, everyone else just watches and waits

Exhibit B: Flip Cup is fun for as many people as you can cram on a table and people are always changing out

Of course there is also Karaoke which is often fun for both the person on stage and the people listening but sometimes just for for the person on stage while the people listening wish they were deaf.

I'm just giving you guys a hard time. However you are having fun at the bar, the important thing is that you are having a fun time. Isn't that what kickball is all about?

Lecture Time

Ok children, don't forget to take notes here. We had a bit of trouble with reffing assignments tonight. Erik sent something out to the captains the other day but its probably worth sharing how it works with everyone.

If you play at 7pm, your team is responsible for providing 3 refs for the 8pm games. Two on the field you are playing and 1 for field 3.

If you play at 8pm, your team is responsible for providing 2 refs for the 7pm game on the same field you play on. Since there is no 7pm game on field 3, you do not need to provide refs if your team is scheduled to play on field 3 at 8pm.

If your team fails to provide refs, your team can incur a paper forfeit. That means all of your game decisions count but you will lose .75 points in the standings. Not good, especially since if your team has 3 or more forfeits of any kind, your team isn't allowed to play in the playoffs.

Every team has a couple of people who are good candidates to ref and probably a few that aren't. In any game that is between competitive teams, try to get your best refs to volunteer. The Seminoles are relentless on refs that don't know what they are doing or aren't paying attention.

Refs should be paying attention to the game, including the inning count and score. The good news is that the iphone and the Android phones both have kickball referee apps that you can download to help you keep track.

If you aren't familiar with the rules, they are easy to find at www.kickball.com/rules. Every team should print at least one copy and keep it on the sidelines for quick reference during games.

Ok, lecture over. Don't worry, the fun stuff is coming soon.

FL Big Guava

Are you having fun this Spring playing WAKA Kickball? Of course you are. Want to keep if going? Of course you do.

After our FL Breaker Spring season ends, there will be another Summer season for the FL Big Guava league. They begin play on June 1 and play on Wednesday nights. If you sign up today (Friday, Mar 18th) you get a $9 discount on your registration.

Just go to www.kickball.com/flbigguava and sign up.

Why is it called FL Big Guava? Well, actually The Big Guava is one of Tampa's nicknames and well, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Happy St Patrick's Day

Have fun, enjoy and be safe.

...and for the record, beer on St Patrick's day is supposed to be dark brown, almost black with a thick, creamy head. Not green.



... and the rap remix:

Who all seen the leprechaun say yeah!

Week 3 Breaker Theme - 80's Movies

We've all done 80's themes before and to be honest, they are sort of overdone. 80's movies, on the other hand, are a undervalued theme just waiting for a chance to shine. Week 3 will now be 80's Movies night. Come as the Ghostbusters, Goonies, Spaceballs, Indiana Jones, there are tons of possibilities.

Tyrus Singing Karaoke 3-15-2011

Well anyone that knows Tyrus, knows that he rarely ever sings Karaoke at MacDintons. Well this has changed, last night was his birthday and being 3 sheets to the wind he got up on stage and I got it on camera.

No Trash on the Field

I know how much fun everyone has out there on the field but we have to remember to pick up all of our trash. Before your team leaves the fields, please make sure that all of your trash is picked up. The last couple of weeks we have been lucky that some of your fellow kickballers have stayed late to help pick up left over trash.

We've got a great relationship with PAL and we don't want some trash to ruin that. We recommend that you keep a box of trash bags in the trunk of your car. If your team consistently leaves trash on the field, you will lose points in the standings and we might put your team on permanent clean up duty.

We also need to make sure that when we are out on the fields that there are no signs of adult beverages on the fields. If you have an exposed case of beer, Erik or I will gladly confiscate it for later enjoyment. There should also never be any glass bottles or anything with bottle caps on the field, cans only please.

Bad

Good

Breaker - Week 2 Recap

Hey boys and girls. After 2 weeks into the season we are starting to see who's got what and I have to say, the competition level is great this year. Hopefully, everyone will remember that kickball is as much about having fun and meeting new people as it is about winning, but then again, winning is fun to. Anyways, here is what happened this week.

Our first game of the night had the Seminoles taking on the Masterbatters. Seminoles pitcher, Dale took to the hill to continue his triumphant comeback to the league after taking a season off to terrorize small children, the elderly and small puppies. Dale, who will be celebrating his dirty 30 Birthday tomorrow, promptly pulled a hamstring. Welcome to the club, old man. This game started out being a close one, with no scoring at all in the first couple of innings. That was until both teams realized who they where and who they where playing and things went promptly downhill for the lovable Masterbatters. They have had a rough start to the season after starting out by facing off against what most would consider the 2 toughest teams in the league. Seminoles won 9-0.

Game 2 had the Jagerballs take on D's Nuts. Last week I told you that D's Nuts had developed a computer program to help develop their roster. Unfortunately the program has a fatal flaw, while it can create a maximized roster, it can't predict who is going to not bother to show up so they still end up having to make the lineup on the fly. They also reported a problem with another secret weapon (why is it that everytime I talk to these guys they have another secret weapon?). Team speadster EJ hurt his knee sliding into 3rd base on a close play and it is unclear how long he will be sitting out. Meanwhile, Jagerballs team captain couldn't be bother with such distractions as computer programs to develop his lineup. It was clear that he had maybe something a little more on his mind. His instructions to players included, "Touch it nice, Carroll. Touch it nice" when instructing a player to bunt and "Give it hard" when instructing a player to kick away. Its unclear whether it was Jagerball's mindset or D's Nuts failing secret weapons but Jagerball's won this one 2-1. We are still waiting to see what D's Nuts secret weapon will be next week.

Our first game at 8pm had a rematch of our championship game from last season between Asstastic Balls and Balls and Dolls. The last time these two teams played it was a crazy low scoring affair. After a long day of kickball these two teams went 8 innings before anyone scored and then they both put up 1 run in the 8th inning so we went to an accuracy kick to determine the champion. No extra innings where needed for this one though as Balls and Dolls helped show that they deserved that accuracy kick victory last season. Balls and Dolls won 6 to 3.

Field 2 had Barbara Ballters against Suck My Kick. Both of these teams are new this season and there isn't a whole lot of kickball experience on either roster. How new are they, well Suck My Kick player, Mandy, had to ask her teammates which foot she was supposed to kick with. Despite that, make no mistake, these teams can play. Suck My Kick was able to build up to a 3-0 lead and Barbara Ballters countered with one. In the last inning Barbara Ballters was able to rally the bases loaded with two outs and sent a strong kick to right field, confident that it would be the game winner but the Suck My Kick fielder, Jamie, was able to make a miracle catch with her boobs (according to her) to end the game. The beautiful ladies from both teams came up to me at the bar to tell me how much they didn't like the other team for being too intense. I sense a rivalry developing here. Suck My Kick won this one, 3-1.

Our last game of the night was between 99 Problems and Booze on First. 99 Problems celebrated another birthday this week, mine. Last week they brought jello shots and this week they had cupcakes infused with "adult sports drinks" and baked inside of ice cream cones (to reduce the trash). This game was a tough defensive battle as each team was eager to gobble up any ball that came close to them. This game came down to baserunning as 99 Problem, Danielle created opportunities with her aggressive head first dives into 2nd base, allowing herself the chance to cross home plate for the game winning run. 99 Problems won this one 2-1.

After the games where over, the scene at MacDinton's was amazing. First of all, it was my birthday so thank you to everyone who bought me a drink or a shot and don't be offended if I maybe can't remember having it. Every team was well represented. Last week I gave Barbara Ballters a little bit of grief for being anti-social at the bar so they showed up in full force this week and where strutting their stuff on the flip cup tables. There where even sightings of the Mythical Bar-going Seminoles. If you can, I highly recommend that you plan on calling in to work on a Wednesday at least once this season so you can enjoy Tuesday night to its fullest and make lots of bad decisions all night long. As the night goes on, the karaoke gets more interesting and we had some pretty enthusiastic performances by 99 Problems and Asstastic Balls. Its hard to argue against spending time with awesome kickballers coupled with $1 Miller Lite drafts.


Reinactment of the dance floor late at night on a kickball night:

What is your favorite thing at MacDinton's?

Kickball Flashmob

If you haven't heard of a flashmob yet, you probably aren't a fan of the show Modern Family which did a flash mob in one of their episodes. According to Oxford dictionary a flash mob is "a public gathering of complete strangers, organized via the Internet or mobile phone, who perform a pointless act and then disperse again."

Well a group of kickballers in Austin, TX decided the most "pointless act" they could think of was to organize a late night kickball game right in the middle of 6th Street in Austin (think Austin's version of 7th ave in Ybor but way better). This all happened this weekend during Austin's SXSW (that's South by Southwest music and film festival for the uninitiated).

You think you can do a better kickball flashmob? Put it up on youtube and share it with us.

New Playoff Date

Due to scheduling problems, our playoffs are now going to be held on Saturday, May 14th. Be sure to clear your calendar for that day.

What do you think?

What is the most fun thing about WAKA Kickball so far?

Refs

There has been some confusion about how reffing assignments work so we wanted to clarify it a little bit.

If you play at 8pm, your team is responsible for providing 2 refs for the 7pm game on the same field you play on. Since there is no 7pm game on field 3, you do not need to provide refs if your team is scheduled to play on field 3 at 8pm.

If you play at 7pm, your team is responsible for providing 3 refs for the 8pm games. Two on the field you are playing and 1 for field 3.

If you have any questions about that, ask Erik.

By the way, if you see your refs spending a lot of time on their cell phone during the game, they might not be texting. If you have an iPhone or an Android phone there are kickball referee apps that you can download to help you keep track of the score, strikes, balls, fouls and outs.

Rules

Kickball may be a kids game played by adults but we do have our rules and its good to know at least a good basic understanding of what they are. The good news is that the rules are easily downloadable on the kickball website at www.kickball.com/rules. It helps if your team has at least one person who knows the rules well and that person should probably be your captain or a co-captain.

The good news for the league (and for my team) is that I sit on the rules committee with WAKA so I have to have a good understanding of them. Our rules aren't perfect and we are always looking for examples where our rules can be clarified. If you ever have either a rules suggestion or a rules question you can always come up to ask me. I can easily be found as one of the 18 million members of 99 Problems but a Pitch Ain't One.

At a few points during the season we will post a couple of items that may have come up in a game so that everyone can better understand the rules. If you have a suggestion for a rule that you want me to clarify, please just comment on a post or send Erik or me, Tyrus, an email at our @kickball.com email addresses.

This week we will cover just a couple of simple ones.

1.02 The strike zone is a three-dimensional irregular pentagon based on the shape of home plate and is one (1) foot in height. The front of the zone aligns with the front of home plate. The sides of the zone extend one (1) foot to either side of the plate. The back edges of the zone are one (1) foot from the back sides of the plate (see Diagram 4). The strike zone may not be marked by cones or other raised objects.

I will admit that this rule is maybe not as easy to follow as it could be but the concept is simple. The strike zone is not just over home plate. It also extends 1 foot from home plate. In Rule 11.02a it is further stated that if any part of the ball comes within the strike zone, it can be a strike but it also needs to bounce less than a foot when it comes through the strike zone. Strikes and Fouls are counted seperately, 3 strikes you are out or 4 fouls you are out.

Since this one came up in a game this week I will also include:

10.04 Hitting a runner’s neck or head with the ball is not allowed, except when the runner is sliding. Any runner hit in the neck or head is safe, and advances to the base they were running toward when the ball hits the runner. If the runner intentionally uses the head or neck to block the ball, and is so called by the Referee, the runner is out.

I think that one is pretty self explanatory once you see it.

Another one that comes up from time to time and can cause some confusion is in relation to automatic foul balls and takes a bit of explanation.

13.02 A foul ball is:
g. a kicked ball kicked outside of the kicking box (see Rule 9.02) (see Diagram 3L, 3M)

According to WAKA's Rule's FAQ

Q: What kinds of Foul Balls can be caught for an Out? May runners tag up on such Outs?
A: All of them, except for when the ball touches a foreign object such as a batting cage or fence (13.02d). Other fouls, including kicks on or above the knee (13.02e), balls touched more than once by the kicker in the kicking box (13.02f), and balls kicked outside the kicking box (13.02g) MAY be caught for Outs, and runners may attempt to tag up and advance on them, provided the caught ball is not in the possession of the pitcher on the mound.

So basically, here is the situation that comes up from time to time. A kicker kicks the ball either in front of home plate or behind the rear cones of the kicking box. Its an automatic foul but if he kicks it in the air it may still be caught for an out (and any baserunners may tag up). If the ball hits the ground, or is dropped, its just a foul ball.

Make sense? Please let me know if you have any specific rules questions.

Happy Holiday?

You can always learn something new by talking to Kickballers. Late at MacDinton's on Tuesday night I got into a rather interesting conversation with someone, who wished not to be identified, about a holiday I was not aware of.

Apparently, Monday, March 14th is a holiday. I don't know how I missed that, since my birthday is the 15th. It is a rather obscure holiday but if we see a lot of satisfied looks on guys faces Tuesday night at kickball, we will know that the day was a success.

So what is this holiday? Well, you can visit the website at www.steakandbjday.com. As you might have assumed, it may not be suitable for work site. According to the website, "...this holiday has been created so you ladies finally have a day to show your man how much you care for him" and that it will "usher in a new age of love as men everywhere try THAT much harder in February to ensure a memorable March 14th!". You can even visit their merchandise section and get yourself your very own teddy bear to memorialize the holiday.

You never know what you are going to learn by talking to kickballers.

Breaker Week 1 Recap

Well, folks, after much anticipation our season has officially started and week one is in the books. Lets take a look at what happened.

Field one started things off between Suck My Kick and Booze on First. Now some of you veterans might remember a team from a couple of seasons ago called Suck My Kick. In one season we jokingly created the Seminole award (more on that later) for the team that was the least favorite team in the league and ironically gave it to Suck My Kick. They where ultra competitive and didn't care who knew it. Make no mistake about it, this is definitely not the same team. I felt like I broke their hearts at the pre-season meet and greet when they discovered that their team name wasn't as original as they thought. Meanwhile, Booze on first is a returning team from last season. They struggled with scoring last season and where never able to score more than 2 runs in any regular season game. They seem to have found their scoring groove in the first game of this season. Booze on First won 6 to 4 and only needs to score 5 more runs to match their season total from last year.

Field two had Jagerballs facing off against Asstastic Balls. Jagerballs is a rehashing of the old We Like 'Em Young team. We have no evidence to support that the name change was due to a court ruling after an incident at a summercamp but they did take the fall season off. Asstastic Balls is an interesting team. At times they look terrible, at other times they look like they can be unbeatable. You never know what you are going to get against the Pink team but your outfield better be ready because they do have the ability to go balls deep. This game was a barn burner. Jagerballs got on top with a 5-0 lead and where sitting pretty. One of the favorite moments in the game was when the Jagerballs pitcher thought he got an Asstastic Balls girl out by hitting her in the head with the ball. The ref's called her safe and he argued, "no, I hit her in the head". Unfortunately for him, that is exactly why she was safe according to rule 10.04 in the WAKA Rules. Asstastic Balls pulled off a miracle comeback and where able to push this one to a 7-7 draw.

The late game on Field One had a showdown between a couple of old rivals, 99 Problems but a Pitch Ain't One and Masterbatters. These teams aren't really rivals in the traditional sense though their first matchup ever did result in a rather contentious tie. Actually both of these teams just have a friendly rivalry in that they both enjoy drinking copious amounts of beer at MacDinton's together. In case you weren't really sure which team 99 Problems was, they are the team that is roughly the same size as the Chinese Army and wears bright prison inmate orange. It was easy to spot their rookies this week as tradition now holds that 99 Problems Rookies receive personalized baby bottles with their names on them and must wear adult diapers in their first game. Everything was rolling the right way for 99 Problems as they started the game with a 1st inning grand slam and never looked back. In the last inning, the Masterbatters where able to kick a home run to break the shutout. 99 Problems had no problem in this one and won 10-1.

Our late game on Field 2 had D's Nuts face off against Barbara Ballters. Barbara Ballters is a brand new team so we don't know an awful lot about them yet but watch out for their female talent. While everyone was playing one girl to bunt, she was able to kick the ball over everything. Don't underestimate BB's offensive abilities. D's Nuts is made up of elements from last season's Multiple Scorgasm but have retooled and believe that they have 2 secret weapons. Secret Weapon #1 is their vast collection of snuggies. If the weather turns cold they will hope to get the upper hand. Other team's blankets will slip and slide and when players try to reach for something, their hands will be trapped inside but D's Nuts will hope to kick your ass in total warmth and comfort. Secret Weapon #2 is their experimental computer program. The team's leadership is made up of enginerds who devised a program that will rank players based on actual game performance. This program will evaluate each player and automatically set the kicking order and defensive alignments. No, seriously, I'm not kidding. This really exists. They are hoping this program is a big success but they have a long way to go. Barbara Ballters won 7-2.

The last game of the night was a rematch from last season's semifinal playoff game between the Seminoles and Balls and Dolls. The Seminoles are by far the most tenured team in the league. They first started play as a team in Breaker's 2nd ever season way back in early 2007. They tend to be a pretty competitive team and have a good amount of hardware to show for it. They also have a bit of a reputation to show for it to, including the aforementioned Seminole awards given to the least favorite team in the league (which they didn't win). Ever since the creation of that faux award we have tried to give the Seminoles a little bit of love since some people seemed to have a hard time understanding that a lot of their persona is a fictional creation. Balls and Dolls is also made up mostly of veterans and they are probably one of the most chill groups you will find in kickball. The last time these two teams faced off Balls and Dolls pulled off the upset and eventually won the championship. This one went in favor of the Seminoles, 7-2

New Season!

Our Spring 2011 Season is officially under way. This is Breaker's 10th season overall and after our pre-season party and first week of games, this is looking to be a great season. We've got a great mix of new and returning teams. We will try to keep you as up to date as possible on everything going on in the league as we can.