Dazed & Confused Playing in - Kickball 4 the Kids Tourney

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Kickball 4 The Kids - Final Tourney Update!

The Kickball 4 the Kids Tourney is done and in the books. Both El Paso teams, I'd Hit It and Dazed & Confused represented well! They showed kickballers across the country that El Chuco Town has some mad crazy kickball skillz. 


Dazed & Confused was able to make all the way to the semi-finals, but fell short. I'd Hit It also did well by making it all the way into Round 2 of the single elimination portion of the tourney. Awesome job to all the kickballers! We'll get em next year! 

Dazed & Confused

First Game Results: 

Drunk Again and Looking to Score - 0

 Dazed and Confused                        - 7

Second Game Results:

Business Formal - 3

Dazed & Confused - 5

Third Game Results:

Dollar Bill - 0

Dazed & Confused - 16


1st Round Game:
Balls & Purses: 0
Dazed & Confused: 12


2nd Round Game:
GlowKickball.Com: 6
Dazed & Confused: 12


Semi-Final Game:
Sofa King Good: 15
Dazed & Confused: 3

I'd Hit It

First Game Results: 

???????????                  - Forfeit

I'd Hit It                         -  Win

Second Game Results:

Brews on First - 0

I'd Hit It - 10

Third Game Results:

 ?????: - ?

I'd Hit It - ?


Round 1 Game:
????????? - 1
I'd Hit It - 12 

Round 2 Game:
???????? - 3
I'd Hit It - 0 

Team I'd Hit It - Playing in Kickball 4 the Kids Tourney!

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No Soup For You!

Chapter 1:
Big time, big name games have been scarce the past couple of kickball weeks. But kickballers don't despair, with SCK heading into the playoffs, there will be no shortage of epic kickball action. However in the treacherous land of Nazi Kickball, there was a very interesting match-up that warrants some attention.

There are a couple of kickball mercenary death squads who are using Thursday Nights as their own personal battleground. These ambitious coaches have recruited the strongest, fastest, and slickest players available on the kickball market. They have assembled kickball juggernauts that are practically unbeatable, that is until they had to play each other.

On one side of the field were the Party Crashers. The Party Crashers are a mix and match of assorted kickball skill. They are a combination of SCK franchise teams; consisting of the Shockers, Balls & Dolls, New Kicks on the Block, and anchored by the ever dominating Drunken Monkeyz. These bands of SCK loyalists joined together to crash what is considered to be the lamest party in kickball, Thursday Nights. Last season they were very successful by winning the Thursday Night Championship in their very first attempt. Now they have returned to defend their title and it is already looking like they will again be successful in their efforts.


The only thing that stands in their way is the other mercenary kickball death squad which is known as Nexus. Other kickballers might know them as Balls to the Wall, or the other half of former champs Confused Kixxx. If you are a frequent kickball tourney player, you may even know them by Kicking and Screaming. These randoms change their name so many times its as if they had a credit problem. I like to refer to them as Rick's Henchmen. Regardless of whatever their current team name is, they are championship contenders every season, in either kickball league, and in any kickball tournament. They have multiple tourney titles, league titles, and even a handful of out-of-town tourney titles. The core of this team originates and got it's kickball start within the barren waste-land this is Thursday. However they also play on Wednesday nights under the shining rays of the SCK colors. They often consider themselves step-children within the SCK family and claim to be treated differently, because of their origins. Which I find these claims to be unfounded.

But I digress, back to the game, a new scheduling format is slating top tier teams to play each other more frequently. This resulted in the Party Crasher and Nexus meeting in Week 1- Game 1. The atmosphere seemed light at first, as if both teams were down playing the significance of this game. However under the surface the desperation of victory was apparent.

Game Summary:
1st Inning:
Nexus drew first blood and quickly scored 2 runs.

2nd Inning:
Party Crashers pushed back with 1 run, making the score 2-1 Nexus still on top.

3rd Inning:
Party Crashers put up some good defense and then went gangbusters by bringing in 4 runs.
Crashers go up 5-2

4th Inning:
Nexus made a short rally putting up 2 runs, but their attempt was futile as the Crashers came back in the bottom of the inning with 3 more runs.
Crashers 8-4

5th Inning: By this time "the 3-second fuse" delivers and totally melts down. Then the entire Nexus team quickly follows. The Party Crashers finish their beat down by padding on 2 more runs for a final score of...

Nexus: 4
Party Crashers: 10

The Dark Side

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

Edmund Burke

For every Ying there is a Yang. To have good then you must be bad. If God does exist, then the Devil must admittedly exist also. Even in the physical world, everything seems to have a polar opposite. When it comes to kickball, SCK and the Thursday Night League are each others opposing forces.

Sun City Kickball may not be El Paso's "original kickball league", but they are now undoubtedly the biggest & best kickball league in El Paso. With a monster 28 teams, compared to the minuscule 12 team Thursday league, to compare the two is not only ludicrous, it is flat out ridiculous. Frankly the proof is in the pudding. The blueprint for SCK has simply been...don't do what Thursday does.

The Thursday night league could have been and should have been one of the biggest sports leagues in El Paso. However league management has kept this league from becoming anything meaningful. Their tyrannical obsessions, arbitrary decisions, and discriminatory ways have made this league defunct. 

Sadly the players are the only ones who suffer in this situation.However many players still continue to sign-up for Thursday nights, only because they love to play kickball and that is the only night that fits into their schedule. While other teams dig kickball so much they are just looking to play multiple times a week. At the point in time, the Thursday Night league is the only option for Thursday night kickball, but hopefully this won't always be the case. 

To add another dimension to the blog, IJK will be following the trials and tribulations of three pieced together teams from the best and brightest SCK players, currently playing Thursday nights. It should be very interesting to see how these teams will fair. Stay Tuned!

  

   

Strike Zone

Here is an informational video on the basic of the Strike Zone. However, please remember, this is a WAKA video. SCK defines the Strike Zone vertically as anything below the knee, which is way more than 1ft. Other than that, it's pretty much the same. Enjoy

Kickball Tourney Bracket Challenge

Time to do kickball NCAA style! Think you know how to pick the kickball studs from the kickball duds? Enter in the It's Just Kickball Tourney Bracket Challenge! Email ItsJustKickball@gmail.com for more details!

Playoffs!

Reprint: Courtesy of SunCityKickball.com - News Section

Playoffs!

On Wednesday May 11th, we will be playing the Playoff Play-In Tournament. This tournament will consist of the remaining 14 teams that did not make the SCK Spring 2011 King of Kickball Championship Tournament either as an automatic bid and or an at-large bid. The top two teams going into the Play-In tournament will have a first round bye.

The first two rounds will only be three innings long. If after these three innings the game is still tied, we will play extra innings. However, during the extra innings, the kicker who would be starting the inning will be placed on 2nd base. Therefore, the 4th and 5th (if necessary) innings will start with a runner on 2nd base.
If after 5 innings the game is still tied, the winner will be decided by Longest Kick Challenge. During this challenge, each team will choose a representative to kick the ball as far as they can. The pitcher will be from the same team. One pitch and one kick only. Foul balls and strikes count as
an attempt; the longest kick wins.

The third and final round will be a 5-inning game. Extra innings will be played as in the prior rounds. Longest Kick Challenge will be applied after the 7th inning if necessary. The winners of these two final games will advance as the #15 and #16 into the SCK Spring 2011 King of Kickball Championship Tournament. Of these two winning teams, the team with the lowest runs scored against during the play-in tournament will be advance as the #15 seed.

The first round of the SCK Spring 2011 King of Kickball Championship Tournament will begin on Wednesday May 18th. The 1st place teams from each division will make up the top four seeds of the tournament. The remaining teams will be seeded according to points, differential runs, and finally runs scored against. Games will be 5 innings and extra innings will be played if necessary. The remaining Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Championship will be played on Saturday May 21st. Championship game will be 7 innings. Award ceremony will be held at Coconuts Bar.

Remember that during all post-season play, including Play-In tournament, there will be no Gentleman’s pitch or Challenges.

Download Play-In Tournament Bracket

Download SCK Tournament Bracket

Tidbits

Scanning through Wednesday night's schedule there are some mentionable tidbits, not many, but a few.

Kick N Da Balls v.s. Mataconchas is looking to be a decent match-up. Right when you think Kick N Da Balls is getting on track, they awesomely derail into a heap of broken down wreckage. They dropped an absolute heart-breaker to Vicious & Delicious last Wednesday. Talk about choke...damn. Even after they brought in some high priced kickball consult to get them up to speed, they quickly went back to their old ways. Which is very frustrating, considering coach and team pitcher Tiger Pride FINALLY figured out how to get the ball to land within the strike zone. Well Kick N Da Balls is in for a treat Wednesday night, because the Mataconchas are no longer a push-over team.

With an even 3-0-3 record the Mataconchas are playing well. Just last week they gave the Shockers a slight scare in a very close game. I hope Kick N Da Balls is not over looking this game or they will be unpleasantly surprised....again.

Let see what else...

Balls & Dolls v.s 2Legit 2Kick may turn into a good game. If 2Legit plays some solid defense they may have a chance. The Bs&Ds are obviously not known for their offense. When facing decent to tough competition the score is usually very close. Occasionally the Balls and Dolls blow out a cupcake team, but rarely do they turn on the offensive merry-go-round with an equally level team. However if the Balls and Dolls score early and often, you may want to walk away from this one.

And....

I want to say Balls to the Wall v.s. One More Shot should be a good game, but I honestly just don't know.
One More Shot is terribly inconsistent and Balls to the Wall is ridiculously very consistent. I just feel that One More Shot may have a chance to catch Balls to the Wall sleeping, but that is probably highly unlikely. Either way my instinct says keep an eye on this one, just in case you are looking for something to watch.

Any Given Wednesday

Any given Wednesday anything can happen. SCK has had it's share of unexpected upsets. My personal favorite and arguably the biggest upset was during Season 3, when the hapless Billy Bad Asses took down the once mighty Shockers. The smiles stretched across all the SCK divisions when word came down that the Bad Asses vanquished the evil Shocker Clan. It's been awhile since an upset of that magnitude has graced the fields of SCK. However some folks are making predictions that we might see one this Wednesday.

Making a prediction is a doubled edge sword, it can either make you look like a genius or at other times  it can make you look like a down right fool. Personally I try to stay away from predictions, because writing checks that your ass can't cash is not only embarrassing, but can quickly damage your kickball credibility. Not that I ever had any credibility to start with or lose for that matter, but that's another story for another posting. However I'm hearing some lowly rumblings and grumbles that some kickballers are predicting an upset between the rookie Suisliders v.s. the veteran Drunken Monkeyz.

When I first I heard this prediction it took my a couple of days to stop laughing. Don't get my wrong, the Suisliders are a mighty fine rookie team. Despite having a 1-1-3 record, I've seen this team play a handful of times and they look sharp. Give them some time and trust me they are going to break some hearts in the coming seasons. However this season is not one of those seasons. Frankly the Suisliders are coming up against a monster. SCK is saturated with talented teams this season and the Drunken Monkeyz are definitely one of those teams. Maybe the Suisliders can try and keep it close, but I seriously doubt it. Word on the street is the Monkeyz don't take kindly to being challenged or called out onto the kickball field. They might be looking to make a statement this week.

I shouldn't do this, but I'll write the check. Monkeyz over Suisliders, 8-0

 

Wednesday Night Wrap-Up!

There were some close games this past Wednesday from a couple of surprising teams. A good week of kickball indeed!

Billy Bad Asses v.s Drunken Monkeyz

After clobbering teams left and right, the Drunken Monkeyz got a big scare when they almost dropped a game to the up-and-coming Billy Bad Asses. Lucky for the Monkeyz they were able to limp of the field with a 2-1 victory. If you can call it a victory. The Monkeyz had been scoring double digits each week up until they faced the Bad Asses. Chalk it up to bad coaching, missing players, or a lack of motivation; insert excuse here. It really doesn't matter. If the Monkeyz expect to win a championship, then that just ain't going to cut it.

But in all honesty, all the credit should go out to the Billy Bad Asses. Maybe the close score was more indicative of the Bad Asses playing well than the Monkeyz playing poorly. The Bad Asses have been flying under the kickball radar for some time now. They've had three close loses and they were all to three very good teams; No More Heroes, #3 Shockers, and the most recent #2 Drunken Monkeyz. Not to mention they tied the #5 Balls & Dolls. Their two wins were against decent caliber teams, both rookie teams, but strong wins nevertheless. Will they make the playoffs? Count on it. Will they go deep into the playoffs? The odds are looking better and better. Put this team on your radar screen.

Notable Upcoming Match-ups- Drunken Monkeyz v.s Balls & Dolls 

Thundercats v.s Chupacabrones

Before the season even start, the Thundercats were being hyped up as THE TEAM to beat. They were suppose to be even scarier than the #1 Balls to the Wallz. But after the first two weeks of the season, the Thunderkitties were under-performing and pretty much were left for dead. They fell completely off the kickball radar. That was until they decided to go on a 4 game winning streak including their big exclamation point win against the big time Chupacabrones. It was a tight game with a close score, 4-3 Thunrdercats on top. Now they have some momentum heading into the final three weeks of the season. Let's see if they can continue their winning streak into the playoffs. 

Notable Upcoming Matchups - Chupacabrones v.s No More Heroes

Thundercats v.s The Runs

Shockers v.s. Mataconchas

Tsk...Tsk...after absolutely nuking a brand new rookie team, 24-0 during Week 1, the Shockers were all but  ready to declare themselves the new Kings of Kickball. They continue to hang their hats on a back-to-back championship that they won in a league of 6 and then 12 teams. But the future is here, the leagues has 28 teams competing for the championship title. The competition level is at an all time high. I remember when the mercy rule meant you just got Shocked! Those days seem to be a thing of the past. If the Shockers want to contend, they need to show the kickball world something! Come on now...my dedication to you..

But congrats to the Mataconchas for hanging in their with the prime time Shockers. Kickball has never been so much fun! Cheers to you for showing that a team of fun loving guys and gals knows how to play some kickball!

Happy Kicking!

Tough Love

Disclaimer: Sun City Kickball is, has, and will always be for each individual player. That being said, all players, coaches, and fans are each entitled to their opinion. Lucky for the Angry Umpire, I take out the soap box every once and awhile, dust it off, and let him have his fun. The following is the the opinion of the individual author and does not represent the opinions of Sun City Kickball.




Written by: James "The Angry Umpire" Vargas

Some people know where they stand from the start, whiles others bust their ass to get to the top. In the case of the Balls and Dolls, they think they’re better than they actually are. Poor saps practice their asses off and never get any better. They hustle on every play and yet it gets them nowhere.

The B&Ds are finally starting to lose it…or maybe it’s just their coach. I feel for the guy because his team will never ever be more than a stepping-stone. He’s always been a cool, calm leader, but lately this once proud captain has finally reached his boiling point. Rumor has it that his practices are so tough and unforgiving that his own sister walked out on him and temporarily quit the team. WOW!! I thought Bill Parcells was a tough coach. This guy makes him look like a prissy little schoolgirl. If that wasn’t bad enough he embarrasses his players mid game. A source that was at the game two weeks ago against the Bad Asses said he pulled his pitcher during an at kick. He was so disgusted by what he saw that he yanked the ball away from his star pitcher after only a couple of pitches and barked at him to go and play third. This pitiful soul was so dumbfounded that he walked off the field and went straight to the showers. The funny thing is that after Mr. Lombardi yanked his ace he then proceeded to walk the very next kicker. The pressure to win really has started to crack this once tough nut. He is so starved for championships that he built his own team and joined the Thursday league. At least there they know him as a winner. I hope he enjoyed it because that’s the only place he’ll ever taste the joy of being on top.

I would love to say that all of these horrible acts were his entire fault and only his fault, but I cant. If his team wouldn’t let him down each and every season, there wouldn’t be a need for him to go to those extremes. Maybe this will be the season the B&Ds finally breaks through and the happy go lucky Oscar finally returns…YEAH RIGHT!!! I have a better chance at beating Nadia in a foot race. Sorry Balls and Dolls I’d love to say maybe next season, but we all know better.

Strike 3 Im Out 

Mid-Season IJK Honors

Not that the hardcore teams need anymore pats on the back but....

Offensive Leaders

1. Ballz to the Walls (58 PTS)
2. Drunken Monkeyz (57 PTS)
3. Shockers (41 PTS)

Defensive Leaders

1. Ballz to the Walls (1 Run Allowed)
2. Shockers (2 Runs Allowed)
3. Drunken Monkeyz, Balls & Dolls, Chupacabrones (3 Runs Allowed)

Best Rookie Team (so far)

1. 2Legit 2Kick

Best Sportsmanship

Where's My Pitches At?

Most Colorful Shoes

Balls to the Wall

Best Haircuts

Los Fah Qs

Best Dressed

Hash House Harriers

Hairiest Legs

The Shockers

Best Bar Representation

Royal Tenenballs

On Another Level

So the Game of the Week between #1 Balls to the Wall and #6 I'd Hit It turned out be a lopsided affair. Unfortunately, as predicted, Balls to the Wall walked away big winners with a final score of 12-1. Many kickballers were hoping for a closer game, maybe even the upset, but that was not the case. 

Honestly, Balls to the Wall is competing on an entirely different level than most teams in the league. The same can also be said about the Drunken Monkeyz and Chupacabrones. These three teams take kickball competition to a whole new world. The skilled players on these teams have tons more experience than the casual kickball competitor. They play in multiple leagues, participate in out-of-town tourneys, as well as in- town tourneys. Not only that but they have many, many  kickball seasons under their belts. These guys and gals live, breath, sleep, eat, shit, sweat and make love to kickball. It's going to take a good amount of practice and hard work to close the gap between these three teams and the rest of the league. 

However there are still a handful teams that can give these teams competition. The Balls & Dolls, the Shockers, and I'd Hit It are always in the post-season conversation. However after I'd Hit It's recent defeat, it's hard to make a case for them to win it all. They are a post-season shoe in, but not sure how far they will go. 

The Shockers are of course in the mix as well. They are always considered contenders, but their weak division schedule might make them rusty come play-off time. 

The Balls & Dolls were looking sharp and playing well up until they almost dropped a game this past week, but fortunately walked away with a 3-3 tie with the Billy Bad Asses. However the tie might say more about the Bad Asses' good solid play and overall improvement. 

The Billy Bad Asses are looking to be one of the top three teams in the Border Division. After handing the Balls & Dolls a respectable tie, they will get another chance to show what they got when they take on the Drunken Monkeyz. 

While we are on the subject of post-season teams, there are some other fairly new teams that could be making some kickball noise. Rookie teams the Suisliders and 2Legit 2Kick look decently sharp, with some more game experience and some polishing they should start putting up big wins soon. Other veteran lead teams, such as 99 Problems, The Runs, and No More Heroes could also be teams to watch out for, but the jury is still out on them.

On a side note, the blog, myself, and other contributors have been recently criticized for "talking down" to the new teams, "insulting" teams who are trying hard or just down right "taking kickball too seriously". There is a reason the blog is called "It's Just Kickball", it is suppose to be ironic. The blog is, because of it's readers, geared towards the more "hardcore" kickballer. Which is also the reason why the content on the blog is mainly an editorial. It's not meant to demean or insult anyone, but admittedly sometimes the comments get out of hand. However that's not to say that the blog or it's writers, don't take into consideration the "weaker" teams or newer teams.

Truth be told, I'm a very competitive person by nature, but on the other side, I'm usually more of an advocate for the underdog type teams and "fun" teams. I personally am very in favor of the proposed added recreational division. I believe SCK can and should provide kickball to all different players and skill sets. I'm currently lobbying for this added division. However I also feel that struggling teams who want to get better and still compete with stronger teams should have that option. It's all about having options and choices. 

But I digress, so remember just so it's known, the blog is usually not geared towards those who are easily offended. It is all in good fun and suppose to be entertaining. 

That being said, what's that saying about the kitchen??????  ;  )  

Here We Go

It's been fairly quiet across the SCK world. However the key marque match-up between #1 Ballls to the Wall and #6 I'd Hit It should hopefully start creating some kickball buzz.

Obviously #1 Balls to the Walls is one of the teams to beat. They've demolished their opponents every week thus far. Frankly they look bored. They basically play with their opponents like a cat plays with a caught mouse. Bouncing them back and forth between their paws until it's time for dinner and then . Yes, they are a bit of show boat team, but what do you expect from a team that can play at half speed and still score runs in the double digits. My only critique is that they change their name so many times you don't know who or what they are. First it was Dazed & Confused and then they teamed up with another kickball crew to become Confused Kixxx.  Their tourney name is Kicking and Screaming, which by the way is my favorite. It describes this team perfectly. However, the Shockers, Balls & Dolls, Drunken Monkeyz these are franchise names. You know them and more importantly you remember them. Pick a name and stick with it. Also someone needs to get control of Mr. Hugo "the 1-second fuse". If he can't remember which uniform he needs to wear on Wednesday nights, someone needs to drive down to his house and lay it out on the bed for him so he doesn't forget.

But the real story here is I'd Hit It. They've always been a mid-range contender, always making the playoffs, but just missing that little something special to push them into contention for a King of Kickball title. They are making some good noise this season, looking sharp, playing well. Oddly enough they've developed some critics along the way. I'm not completely sure why though. Some feel I'd Hit It doesn't have what it takes to contend for a SCK title. If that's the case then we are about to find out. Make no mistake, although I'd Hit It is playing well and ranked #6, they are a fairly big underdog going into this match up. If they are able to come away with a win it would be considered an upset. More importantly a win would be justification that I'd Hit It is a contender.

I'm an underdog guy. Only because it makes the league dynamic. When the Billy Bad Asses cracked the foundation of the once mighty Shockers during Season 3, it was the talk of the SCK nation. Nothing against Balls to the Wall, they are a great team. In all reality they are going to win Wednesday night's game. However from time to time, it's nice to see the mid-range teams stick it to the powerhouses. Either way, the one thing every kickballer wants is to be treated to an awesome game. Good luck to both teams and happy kicking!

 DON'T MISS THIS ONE FOLKS!!!