The New King of Kickball is Crowned

SunCity Kickball would like to congratulate:

The Drunken Monkeyz on their first King of Kickball Championship Title! SCK fans got to watch one of the most intense and exciting games in our league's short but sweet history. Thanks goes out to the league members, fans and volunteers for making Sun City Kickball possible.

Tourney Rule Amendments

When Sun City Kickball finally reaches the post-season, there are some rule amendments that have traditionally always been adopted for the play-offs and championship game. This season’s post-season will be a single elimination tournament and the traditional amendments will still apply. Please take note of the following changes and note them accordingly in your rulebooks:

Rule 7.4 – Refers to the 15 min grace period. We are asking that teams be ready to play promptly at the scheduled game times; unless otherwise directed by the Head Umpire, SCK staff, or SCK officials.

Rule 7.9 – Refers to the Pick-Up Rule. Teams will NOT be allowed to pick up other registered SCK players in order to field a team.

Rule 9.4 – Refers to the Gentlemen’s Pitch. Female players will NOT be allowed to ask for the Gentlemen’s Pitch.

Rule 18.3 – Refers to the Dispute Rule. There will be NO dispute challenges during the tourney. The Head Umpire and Field Judges will confer on any questionable calls and determine a final ruling.

Coaches may ask for a BRIEF explanation of a rule but will ultimately accept the final call OR be subject to an excessive delay of game penalty ( see Rule 3.3 (C).

Time is always a constant factor. In order to keep the tourney on schedule, a tie-breaking rule will be enforced for all the early rounds; with the exception of the semi-final games and final game. If a game is tied at the end of 5 innings, the team who scored first will own the tie-breaker. If there is absolutely no score at the end of 5 innings, the game will continue. Each team has two elements, offense and defense. The tie breaker is based on the ability of a team on both elements. Kicking first does not have an advantage, if your defense does its job.

The Mercy Rule will also be suspended once the remaining teams reach the Semi-Finals and Final game.

The Championship game has traditionally always been 7 innings. The 7 innings will also apply for the tourney Championship game
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Special for Group B: Jimmy Ochoa had a unique situation in regards to the over throw rule. SCK removed the over throw rule from the rulebook after the Fall ’10 Season. However due to a safety concern involving a ditch near their field, a tentative restriction was implemented for teams in Group B regarding over throws. This restriction will NOT continue to the tournament, please take note.

Last But Not Least

The 14th and final King of Kickball tourney spot has finally been awarded. The Billy Bad Asses battled through the Last Chance Play-In to get a chance to compete for the championship. Better late than never.

However much respect should be given to the previously 0-6 Tu Sabes team for winning back to back games during the mini-tourney. They made a valiant effort and they were very close to upsetting the Billy Bad Asses during the final game. However they fell short and had to go home empty handed this season. But things look promising for next season, I think they are getting into the swing of things.

Next stop - Championship Station

King of Kickball Championship *Breaking News*

Word on the street is the Shockers are anticipating attendance problems for Saturday's King of Kickball Championship. Which is troublesome considering they have already established that they need their entire Shocker crew to win games. They are matched up against the Pirates! for the 1st round and I predict that the merry band of drunken pirates will upset the Shockers in the 1st round. Arrrrrggg! Yo ho, yo ho, the Shocker's gonna lose!

Another team much hyped team that might be making a quick exit out of the tourney is the Kick N Da Balls squad. Coach Tiger Pride told me he would be short one girl for the 1st round of the tourney and with no Pick-Up Rule, they will have to play with 8 players. They will be playing against Los Totally Awesomes Too, who are riding a massive wave of momentum into the tourney. During Rivalry Week, LTA Too absolutely hammered the Beavers & Balls with a 17-1 stomping. With the Acuna boys at the helm who knows what will happen. Lucky Chucky and Coach Cry have to keep their team's eye on the prize. I predict that LTA Too will have the Kick N Da Ball in bed before curfew.

Good Luck to all teams!

Angry Umpire's Corner

Big James "the kickball bully" has decided to create his own blogspot to freely express his own opinions to the Sun City Kickball faithful. Check it out when you get a chance, if anything just to amuse yourself.

Any mindless drone can dish out pointless smack that no one really cares about. It takes a true kickball enthusiast to produce a blog that has some substance, some meaning, something that brings a smile to loyal kickballers everywhere. Because that's what kickball is about. It's about having fun, hanging out, and kicking some balls. The title of the blog is "It's Just Kickball" for a reason. Kickball isn't a sport, it's a game. Games are meant to be fun. Of course some teams like to win and put in their best effort, but at the end of the night, win or lose, they still have a smile on their face. Those are my kind of kickballers!

However I'm always open to other opinions, even if they are from the Angry Umpire. At the very least for my own vanity, because when I read the http://www.angryumpirescorner.blogspot.com/ I realize that my blog is far superior! (Kidding James!) God Speed and Good Luck!

Happy Kicking!

King of Kickball Championship Preview

The Angry Umpire begged to do a Championship Tourney preview. Its not too bad. Could be better, but I think he is finally starting to get it.





Written by: James "Too" Big Vargas


Now that March Madness is over, the Sun City Kickball community can finally start debating who will wear the next crown as the New SCK King of Kickball. There are bunch of upstarts that trying to make a name for themselves. We've got new blood and we have old blood, we've got the young upstarts against the old grizzled vets. One thing is for sure, April 17th will be full of joy and great heartache for new and old alike.

The Violet Femmes, Family Jewelez, Multiple Scoregasms and The Pirates! all had great seasons. However I would be extremely surprised if any of them advanced deep into the tourney. It would be nice if there was a Cinderella during the tournament to spice things up a bit, but it will be a challenge. Good luck teams.Now that I got that out of the way, let me start with the teams that play in Group C.

The new kids on the block KNDBLS have burst on to the scene like a feisty Chihuahua in heat. They look to be primed and ready. They bring one of the best D's to each and every game. My only question is will they be able to score enough runs to keep up with the higher scoring teams in the league. Are they a one hit wonder or will they make a run at the King of Kickball crown, only time will tell. Vicious and Delicious have me believing that they can make a serious run or at least score a bunch of runs. Has anyone seen these PEEPS kick? They can put up runs in bunches and score with best of them. But how does that old saying go? "Offense wins games, but Defense wins championships!" And unfortunately for them they seem to have more holes in their D than some of my old socks. At the very least they will make it interesting, I can guarantee you that.

Balls and Dolls were viewed by many as a pre-season favorite. They have done nothing to disappoint, but they also have done nothing out of the ordinary. All season they have been the model of consistency with or without some of their key players. If anything keeps them in the hunt it will have to be their Defense. They have only surrendered 4 runs all season. That's just stupid if you ask me. But can a team with no wow factor really win it all? I doubt it, but something tells me that they won't go down without one hell of a fight.

I've already written of the other teams from Group B, all except for 1. I'd hit it! They have to be the best team to be on if you want to have a good time. They’re solid everywhere. They've can score runs and defend like their hair was on fire. Just keep in mind that all this came against the group that plays at Jimmy Ochoa. They had their chance to step up during rivalry week and came up short to the Drunken Monkeys 7-4. All this leads me to believe that they are just a bunch of pretenders. Even though I think they will exit quietly, I want everyone to remember what happened the last time people counted them out. They did the unthinkable, they made a nice run and won 2nd place at the Kicktoberfest tournament. I'm not saying that they'll do the same thing, but they play with the heart of champion that can never be counted out. And now on to the big boys.

Group A is full of teams that can win it all. Many believed that the Shockers would be at the top of that list, but thanks to this super competitive division everyone has started to think otherwise. The Shockers started off hot winning their 4 first games. That was until they met the machine called the Drunken Monkeys. They then stumbled against the Billy Badasses and ended with what might be a season saving win against Kick N Da Balls. All in all they seem like a team that is over confident and not as hungry as they should be. They have no killer instinct and might be the victims of an early exit from the tourney. Now, getting back to the machine know as The Monkeys. How in the world do these kats, I mean Monkeys, keep hanging in there and winning games with just 8 players. That is a true testament to their strategy and excellent coaching. The pitcher, Rich, is always boasting about how no one can play with them 8 on 8. I'm not going to dispute that fact after the terrific season they had playing shorthanded. They are the consensus pick to win it all according to the voters on the blog. I think their new rivals, Scared Hitless might have something to say about that.

Scared Hitless is one of the teams that made the short trip from the Thursday league and from the start they showed that they could not only hang but thrive in Group A. One of my favorite players plays for them. His name is Julian. He's certainly one of the best catchers in the league, too bad he decided to leave for Army. Some might think that this would weaken their D. Let me tell everyone right know that they didn't seem to miss a beat when they went up against the B&D during rivalry week. Their only weakness that I can see is the they seem to get a little hot under the collar when things are tight. Are they stressing or are they cracking under the pressure? The King of Kickball tourney will reveal all and we'll find out pretty soon.

And last but not least we have Where My Pitches At? If I'm not mistaken they are the defending champs for the Thursday league. I really don't know what to make of this team. At times I have seen them look like world beaters and others they look like a bunch of snot nosed rookies out there. With all that inconsistency there's no wonder they've scored about as many runs as they've given up. (25-19) If they plan on making any noise during the tourney they might want to pick up the concentration up a few notches because as they stand I can't imagine them going anywhere.

There you go people! This is what I think. And remember this is just my humble opinion and has nothing to with anyone else or SCK. So with all that said GOOD LUCK to everyone and may the best team win.

Totally Under-Rated

Players often ask me why some teams get more pub on the blog than others. There are two reasons: 1) I don't always have enough time 2) I go where the story is. I know it might not seem like it at times but these postings take time to write. I need inspiration, an angle, something to go off of. The biggest stories have been the Violet Femme turn-around, the demise of the Shockers, the up and coming KNDB, and other various topics. However there is one team that I've been meaning to bring on the big stage for awhile now. They have been flying under the radar for weeks but NO MORE! Its time to introduce this team to the hardcore kickball junkies of the Its Just Kickball blog pages.

Junkies, meet Vicious & Delicious.

Without a doubt they should be selected as the Rookie Team of the Spring Season! They have my absolute unwavering support. Now wait, before I get the "what about KNDB?!?!?", they aren't a TRUE rookie team. A majority of the Kick N Da Balls squad has more than a couple of seasons in kickball experience. For example, Coach Tiger Pride has been in the game for awhile, not to mention they have 2 or 3 Thursday night titans on the team as well.

Now Vicious & Delicious on the other hand is a true rookie team. The last time they played kickball was probably in the early 80's. = ) Seriously though, most rookie teams struggle during their first kickball season. However VD has caught up quickly with the more experienced teams. They are sporting a very respectable 4-2 record. In addition, so far they have scored the 2nd most runs in the entire league with a total of 40. Their defense is a little suspect but I believe they usually play 8 strong each week, which means they are going to have holes. There's just no way around that with only 8 players. However they are looking good, playing sharp, and should go far in the tourney.

Wednesday night will be a big test for this rookie team. They will be playing the often absent Where's My Pitches At? (Whhhaaaaa!) WMPA are by far the more experienced team. They will be showing Vicious and Delicious some different looks they don't normally see down at Modesto 1. Should be very interesting to see how the VD reacts to a different style of play.

We are about to see what this rookie team can do.... Good Luck!

Its Time To Panic

If there were ever a time to hit the panic button, the time would be now for the once glorious Shockers. I doubt Coach Big T has been able to get a wink of sleep since last week. The Shock-less are on a two game losing skid, which is extremely rare. What's even worse is the losing streak has a very good chance of continuing with the kindergarten kickball kiddos of Kick N Da Balls coming to Shocker Stadium for the first time. KNDB is downright hungry for a bite at the Shockers and they're riding a wave of momentum that just might get the job done.

There is a saying that goes, "Never kick someone while they're down", but the Shockers are in desperate need of some motivation. The kickball faithful have been piling on for weeks and now that the Shockers have lost two games in a row, the other kickball contenders smell the blood. I've been giving reasons or excuses, however you want to classify them, on why the Shockers haven't been able to win; attendance issues, miscues, errors. Whatever the case may be they have only once chance left to pull it altogether. They CANNOT go into the King of Kickball without some momentum. Thats not opinion, its just a fact. So what do they need to do to win against KNDB?

First they need the Double Ds, Dora and Domino. The Shocks are basically a bunting team. If they can't get their speed on the bags, then their clean-up guys are useless. Now normally they don't need many runs because their defense is pretty stout. Although it is only strong when they have their full team. They aren't like the Monkeyz, KNDB, or Where's My Pitches that can play with 8 players and still win. They need the entire squad to show for their defense to click. So reluctantly I will admit that attendance has been crushing the Shockers. Hopefully Coach Big T has had an opportunity to rally the troops and get them to show up Wednesday night.

With all that being said, Kick N Da Balls still needs to come into this game confident, not cocky. True the Shockers are on the ropes but Ive seen what happens when teams think "we got them, game over". Like Mr. Miaga once said, "Focus! Daniel San!" KNDB has solid pitching, but I worry about the offense. They try to play long ball when this should be a straight up bunting team. Their offense would be so much better. Not to say 26 runs is good but this number should be higher.

This game will not be a blow out for either side. This one will be close, it should be a really good game. This is a must see.

Kickball Commentary!

I want to quickly thank all the kickball comment junkies for the feedback that is provided, it is greatly appreciated. Im also glad to see that everyone is starting to put some time and careful thought into each comment they post and not just bashing each other all the time. The kickballer on kickballer verbal murdering has been kept to a minimum. I think it makes the site better when there is some substance to the comments. However, we need to stop posting anonymous comments! Especially when it is very simple to type in a name. All you have to do is click Name/Url and type in a name. You don't need the URL part, just the name. Last chance. Thanks again everyone.

Don't Call It A Comeback!

Although they haven't been here for years, they are still by far the most improved team to ever grace the fields of Sun City Kickball. Who am I speaking of? Well the Violet Femmes of course! The Femmes have gone from the deep, dark, damp cellar of the kickball rankings; to a very breathable middle of the road situation. Granted they aren't the #1 team in the league, however the quick turn around of this team is remarkable and should be applauded.

Led by their often boisterous, happy go-lucky Coach Sham-Wow, the Femmes have earned a chance at the King of Kickball Championship and they are understandably very excited, especially after missing the playoffs completely last season. No matter what happens from here on out, I think it is only fitting that the Violet Femmes be considered for some sort of Most Improved Team of the Season award. At the very minimum Coach Sham-Wow should be considered for the Coach of Season Award, which has already been established and was given out to Coach Oscar Da Grouch of the Balls & Dolls last season.

You really can't help but to cheer for this team. They have heart, guts, and most importantly they have fun. The Femmes are what kickball is and should be about.

At-Large Tourney Bid

With the top 12 tourney teams already announced, there are only 2 bids left to enter the King of Kickball Championship. The next bid up for grabs is the at-large bid which is given to the next best team within the league or lucky #13. The bid will be awarded after the results of Rivalry Week. The following are the three teams that have the At-Large bid within their grasp:

Beavers & Balls
Los Totally Awesomes Too
Billy Badasses

The results of Rivlary Week will also finalize the seeding for the King of Kickball tourney and for the Play-In tourney. So for the teams who have already earned a tourney bid, a win or loss could decide what seed you end up in. Good Luck!

First 12 Tourney Bids Announced

The following teams finished within the top of their groups to earn a bid into the SCK King of Kickball Championship Tourney. The tourney will be held Sat. April 17th and will be an all-day event. Keep posted to www.suncitykickball.com for scheduling and times. Seeding for the tourney will be announced after Rivalry Week.

Balls & Dolls
I'd Hit It
Kick N Da Balls
Scared Hitless
Drunken Monkeyz
Shockers
Where's My Pitches At?
Pirates!
Viscious & Delicious
Multiple Scoregasms
Family Jewelz
Violet Femmes

Congratulations to all the teams!

Badasses Indeed!

More often than not you can sit down, look at a match-up on paper and be fairly confident on which team you feel is going to win any given game. Wins, loses, ties, runs scored, run allowed, all these tell a team's tale. These are tangibles on which you can measure a team. However sometimes the "stats" can be miss leading. You must never, ever forget to consider the intangibles. There are elements which drive teams that cannot be seen, touched and/or measured. My personal favorite, which I admit is very cliche, is heart.

When you glance over the Billy Badasses stat sheet it doesn't necessarily paint the picture of a powerhouse team. You see that they finished with a 3-3 record, so you may think, "Ok, their average". Then you look on further to see that they've only scored a total of 9 runs all season long. You then compound that with the fact that they've allowed 18 runs to score, double the runs they have put up on offense and you get a picture of this middle of the road team or at least that's what the stat sheet would leave you to believe. So when the Badasses were slated to play the mighty Shockers, most players thought, "There's no way they beat the Shockers". Now the problem with that line of logic was someone forgot to tell the Badasses they were suppose to lose to the mighty team Shockers. But guess what,that didn't happen. The Billy Badasses went out and shocked the Sun City Kickball world.

The worst part for me was I wasn't there to witness this marvelous upset. I can just imagine the sad, astonished faces of the Shockers. I'm sure it would have been comparable to the day they found out that Santa Clause wasn't real. I can see them standing there with those child-like, teary eyes thinking, "How did we lose? How?!" I wish I could share with all of you my first hand account of the biggest upset of the season, far bigger than the Pirates! taking down I'D Hit It down at the Jimmy O sandlot. You just know the Shockers thought this would be a tune-up game for them. Which they were in desperate need of after the Drunken Monkeyz kicked them off the top of the kickball mountain a couple of weeks ago. Instead the Billy Badasses caught the Shockers rolling down down the mountain, picked them up and slammed them down once again.

It all comes down to this folks, heart! I know its cliche, I will be the first to admit it, but its true. The Billy Badasses just wanted it more than the Shockers. Plain and simple, there is no other way around it. Your talent will only get you so far. They can give you the ability to win, but your pride, your passion, and your determination is what will ultimately seal your fate.

Congratulations to the Billy Badasses!