The Coronation

Today we crown Sun City Kickball's King of Kickball for the Fall 2012 Season. After 12 long hard weeks, it all comes down to 4 teams. These 4 teams have battled through a gauntlet of kickball foes. The increased competition this year was exciting to see. Many teams stepped up their game. The remaining teams should be very proud of making it to the Final Four, it was a true test. Now they are heading into the home stretch, who will come out victorious.

Each of the Final Four teams have a realistic chance of winning. Although some teams are more favored than others. Lets take a look at each team and what their keys to winning are.

I'd Hit It is becoming a playoff main stay, which is curious considering they have the least athletic roster of the final teams. It is no secret that they are anchored by their pitching and star player Lucas Q. I'd Hit It's success is clearly dependent on Lucas's success, which is problematic. Kickball is a team sport, you are only as strong as your weakest player. Not as strong as your strongest player. I'd Hit It is going to need all hands on deck for their match-up against KNS. They need to play flawless. Also Lucas needs to try not to do too much. My gut tells me that his competitive nature may push to make unnecessary plays and chalk up the errors. The key for I'd Hit It is to play good team ball, everyone needs to do their part, and execute when called upon.

Rookie sensation Drinkers with a Kicking Problem have been riding a cloud of buzz since the beginning of the season. They have made believers out of Kickball Nation and looks like they are here to stay. Although they are still fairly inexperienced in big time kickball games, their athleticism easily helps them close that curve. However it has been my experience that pure athleticism is not enough to be successful. Experience is worth its weight in gold. The Drinkers will need to limit the mistakes and hope that the veteran teams make mistakes of their own. They will need to take advantage of mistakes made by the veteran teams to give them the edge. The Drinkers will need to score in bunches if they want to fend off the old timers as I anticipate their defense will be tested like never before and may struggle.

Kixxx is the only other consistent championship contender aside from KNS. You will usually find them in the Final Four and inevitably in the Championship game and rightly so. They are a battle tested, experienced team. They have the talent, players and skills to win every season, but often fall short. At the risk of being misunderstood, it still has to be said, it all comes down to emotion. Kixxx is its own best friend and its own worst enemy. When morale is high and focused, they are like a freight train, unstoppable. However when morale is low and chaotic, they are like a sinking ship. They need to harness that enthusiasm, the passion and aim it straight at their opponents. If they are able to be successful in that aspect, they will be wearing the King of Kickball crown by the end of the night.

Kickin' N' Screamin' is easily the odds on favorite to win the SCK Crown again this season. Whether you agree with their methods or not, or are put off by their demeanor, they are all-around the best team in the league. They have earned that title through and through and I doubt you will find anyone in Kickball Nation that would disagree. Their play is methodical and seems almost like second nature. Simply, they make it look easy. However, their is a slight twist for tonight's final. It turns out that KNS will not be at full strength for their final playoff run. I'm sure the news of this has the other teams foaming at the mouth, but I wouldn't get too carried away. Although playing short will obviously hurt their defensive prowess, on the offensive side of the ball expect an explosion. The one silver lining when having to field players 8 players is that you have a stronger concentration of kickers. Assuming that these 8 players are the better of the bunch, expect a lot of offense from KNS. They may allow more runs than usual, but something tells me their offense will quickly make up for it.

Good luck to all the teams!!

Happy Kicking

 

 

SCK Bowl VIII

SCK Bowl VIII

Written by: The Kickball Guru

Well it all comes down to this. The final four and the championship for a team to be crowned the kings of kickball, the most prestigious kickball title in el paso. The best part about it is, that we have the four best teams in the final four being the 1-4 seeds. What makes this setup even more sexy, is that we have pretty much and MS vs MS and a SR vs SR matchup, to lead to what most would call the world series of kickball or the super bowl if you will. But before we get into these matchups, a big congrats to the teams that made these four really earn their way to here, it was no easy task for anyone. NKOTB took the Drinkers to extra innings with 8 players, as well as suck my kick did with kixxx. Both IHI and KNS won by the score of 2-0 to lights out and the monkeyz. No cake walk for any team. Here are your match ups and predictions.

AFC championship

#2 Drinkers with a kicking problem vs #3 Kixxx

Field: Unknown (Rose Garden?)

Time: Unknown (7:30?)

Well both these teams didn't impress anybody last week against short handed teams, you gotta give these two teams credit for making it this far. I know Kixxx really wanted this, a rematch with a team that dethroned them from their division title about 4 weeks back losing 4-2, now they get to try to prove everyone that it was all just a fluke, but was it? The drinkers have yet to lose this season, but now have to face a kixxx squad at full strength, not with 8 again. The crazy part about this team, is that these guys are already calling the ship, but they need to understand what they have in front of them is a hungry monster squad. If they get too over confident, they could be in for a long night.

Spread: Drinkers -.5

Over/ Under: 5.5 runs

Prediction: Kixxx 4-2

NFC Championship

#1 KNS vs #4 I'd Hit It

Field: (Alta Vista?)

Time: (7:30 pm?)

Biggest news I heard this week, was that KNS will not have a full squad. Easily the favorites to usually win the ship. Now? not so much. Even with them being short handed, this is still a very scary squad, but now the margin isnt as big, if there even is a margin at all. I'd Hit It will need to come out, and play a perfect game to have any chance in this one. The biggest threat to this I'd Hit It team is the fact that they have never beat KNS, and I know this is lingering in Lucas' head, but he knows that every time the score has gotten closer so that's always a good thing. If I'd Hit It can get past KNS, I believe it'll give them enough momentum to win the whole thing. They are the only ray of hope, the original 12 have to winning a championship.

Spread: KNS -2.5

Over/Under: 5.5 runs

Prediction: KNS 4-2

So now that only means one thing in my opinion, yes we will have a 3rd time in a row KNS vs Kixxx final. However, this time its gonna be harder for KNS to win being short handed, but if any team can do it, its them, and if they do that'll be 5 in a row! I know people will say that the monkeyz did it once with 9, but its just not the same. The competition is ridiculous now, so doing it short handed in 2012 is just insane. No prediction here as it will be up in the air. Good luck to the remaining four teams.

Round #2 Predictions

Written by: The Kickball Guru

Well last week round 1 had very few surprises, while most of the games went the way most of the kickball nation expected. Congrats goes out to suck my kick and the drunken monkeyz for being the only two lower seeds to beat the top seeds. Although the drunken monkeyz were the favorites they still had to beat a team who beat them with 8 the week before, and they did because having reid on the field makes that much of a difference. As for 4 play, disappointing loss here after fielding a whole team this time around, and not being able to limit the monkeyz' runs. I heard the story here was that johnny tried to carry his team too much and made two big crucial errors, one being walking two people with bases loaded. Final here was 5-3.

While the thundercats losing to suck my kick was the biggest surprise, I think the bigger surprise was that suck my kick played flawless kickball. Good job boys ad girls, thats the way you play disciplined defense. As for the thundercats, back to the drawing board. Their defense can't always hold teams down, you need to score runs. Practice that in the off season if you all plan to come back. Final here was 5-1.

One thing that bugs me the most is when people forfeit. Luckily for Lights Out, a scrappy team of LTA didn't show up, which i think could've posed a lot of threats for them. For the no shows in LTA next time let Rich or the board know, so they can find the next team in line, and not take time away from Light's Out. Now, what happened at alta vista? Pitch Please would come out guns blazing and send rookie division winners saved by the balls back to that division letting them know the big boys dont play around and shut them out 5-0, BUT then would come to the next game and forfeit to I'd Hit It after a player was ejected. If one player gets ejected, you all need to keep playing and play harder to come back next week when he's able to come back. Board members forfeiting team? Bad sportsmanship there. Final here was 3-0 in 1 inning before the forfeit.

Down at memorial we had some interesting match ups starting with what i predicted to be true. Sons o Pitches and Shockers was nothing but a defensive game, but simple rookie mistakes on defense for sons o pitches cost them the game. Shockers also came out flat only winning 2-1. That wouldn't changed as they approached the second game against kixxx, coming out flat footed, making mistakes left and right, letting kixx put up 3 quick runs in the 1st, and just could never recover after, losing 5-1

Back at Jimmy O, we had my dark horse NKOTB take on a pitcherless Scoregasms. Yes, the scoregasms were hurting on defense without their starting picther, but ladies and gents you all need to put up points as well. That just goes to show how great NKOTB defense is. Final here was 5-0. Heres a quick preview to tonight's games.

Who: #3 Kixxx vs #11 Suck My Kick

Where: Memorial Park

Time: 7 pm

Kixxx is just simply one of the best when they are on, after two losses this season, they started playoffs just right, sending the shockers with back to back losses in 2 weeks to kixxx with a combined score 8-1. Now they play an unexperienced team in Suck My Kick, who they beat earlier this season, 5-2. Suck my Kick had a rough second half of the season after starting 3-1-1, then dropping 3 straight. However, that didn't seem to shake them after they just upset the thundercats last week, and in fashion. Can they stay solid and disciplined against a stronger kixxx? Possible but tough.

Spread: Kixxx - 3.5

Over/Under: 6.5 runs

Prediction: Kixxx 5-1

Who: #4 I'd Hit It vs #5 Light's Out

Where: Alta Vista

Time: 7 pm

On paper this should be the closest match up, and in my opinion it will be. Two defensive teams going head to head. Last time they met. they ended in a 1-1 tie, so exciting to see some unfinished business unfold tonight. Will Lucas have enough to hold off the faster team in Light's Out, or will I'd Hit It's experience be enough to get them through?

Spread: I'd hit It -.5

Over/Under: 3.5 runs

Prediction: I'd Hit It 2-1

Who: #1 KNS vs #9 Drunken Monkeyz

Where: Memorial Park

Time: 815 pm

Drunken Monkeyz are coming into this game s a heavy underdog. I don't see itlike that at all though. I mean, they are undefeated when both mike and Reid are there, so as long as they both show up, this game will be a lot closer than expected. KNS is coming off a bye. Is that good or bad for this team? We won't know till later on today. Can they plow through the Monkeyz or wil the monkeyz upset?

Spread: KNS -3.5

Over/Under: 7.5 runs

Prediction: KNS 5-2

Who: #2 Drinkers vs #7 NKOTB

Where: Alta Vista

Time: 815 pm

The most intriguing match up of the night in my opinion by far. Great old fashioned underdog story, offense powerhouse vs defense powerhouse. #3 offense against #2 defense is just something everyone likes to see. NKOTB flying under the radar will end today, if they can manage to pull this upset off. As my dark horse pick, I think they will. Look at their resume, they took kixxx out a couple seasons back, they nearly took them out again two seasons in a row, losing 3-2 both times, and last year they only had 8 players. Most importantly, their first season, they nearly eliminated undefeated confused kixxx in the semis, however the lights would kill their momentum and lose in the final inning the final week. Now they face an undefeated Drinkers. Drinkers are coming into this game with big heads. After beating Kixxx, these guys think they are on top of the world, which they should, because that's no easy thing to do, especially when all the critics like myself didn't believe the hype. They are however, due for a humbling experience, and I think that'll be this week, IF NKOTB all show up.

Spread: Drinkers -1.5

Over/Under: 3.5 runs

Prediction: NKOTB 3-2 in extra innings