Who's Who?

And so it begins, on what is looking to be a rather windy day, the Spring 2012 kickball campaign has arrived. 22 teams have accepted the challenge and will be competing for the the very coveted King of Kickball Championship Crown. Many have tried, but few have succeeded. Will three-time defending champs Kickin' N' Screamin' win another title? Or has the time come for a new challenger to step up? We are about to find out...

But who are these new challengers? And what about the veteran teams? Who is coming back and who called it quits? All good questions!

There are 6 brand spankin' new teams coming into the kickball mix. They are:
1. Downtown Renegades
2.Drinkers with a Kicking Problem
3. It Burns When I Kick
4. FreeBallers
5. Much Ado About Balls
6. Kick Ballaz

There is VERY little intel available on the new teams. I do know that Kick Ballaz has a very loose connection to powerhouse Kixxx, which could mean absolutely nothing and probably does. Much Ado About Balls has a couple of old Balls & Dolls players, but again nothing to write home about. With such little information I will be sure to keep a close eye on this group Wednesday night.

As always, a gaggle of veteran teams are returning. I'd Hit It is back after a very strong season. Championship Runner-up Kixxx is also back to try and contend for another shot at the title. Last season's middle division teams are pretty much all back, the Bad Asses, Party Pandas, Scoregasms and others.

I think the most surprising bit of info is what teams AREN'T returning this season. In a very sad, almost tragic set of circumstances, the kickball Gods have deemed in necessary to deprive us of not one, but three SCK franchise teams. The Balls & Dolls, Shockers, and Drunken Monkeyz are no more. In an odd bit of coincidence, members of all three teams decided to go their own separate ways in the off-season. Most players found a new home on other teams, but the fact remains that it marked the end of the era. Of the Original Six teams only 2 teams are left, Los Totally Awesomes and the Multiple Scoregasms. Maybe one day all these teams will get back together, but that is very unlikely.

So where did three teams worth of players go? That's the interesting part! Most of the Drunken Monkeyz, minus the mercenaries they picked up last season, joined up with a decent amount of the Shockers to form the new team Das Boot. Kickball Nation has been quick to dub this team an "All-Star" team, but I'm not convinced. They have also been compared to the Thursday Night hit-squad Party Crashers, but can't confirm the similarities between rosters.

Where did the Balls & Dolls players go? Some found their way to new team HardKnocks and by some I mean, I recognize maybe 4 names on their roster. So not sure about this team yet.

Who are the Longstrokes? Easy, they are last season's rookie team Chilies and Chilindrinas. Mostly intact, but with some new players. They had a strong rookie season and will probably build upon that success this season. Another strong rookie team coming back is Suck My Kick. After winning divisions honors in the Wreck Division, they had a huge upset slip through their fingers when they had former kickball juggernaut the Shockers on the ropes. It will be interesting to see if they make another strong showing this season.

Well that's it kickballers or atleast for now... Extremely excited to see the Wednesday Night results.

Good Luck and Happy Kicking!