The Aces smoke KNS, the Scoregasms best SMK

Written by: Rich Alvarez

With playoffs just around the corner, missteps in the final weeks of the season can be damaging for the psyche of each individual team.

Each match-up is detrimental to a team's momentum heading into the playoffs. Wins are obviously encouraging, but a loss may also be it's own form of encouragement.

Which leaves Kickball Nation wondering how will powerhouse Kickin' N' Screamin' fare after their most recent loss. Will they use it as fuel during their playoff bid? Or will the very real possibility of losing another championship start to creep into thier minds? Only time will tell. Interesting tidbit though, Kickin' N' Screamin's three most recent losses have all been on unfamiliar fields. Jimmy Ochoa (Kixxx), Alta Vista (Party Pandas), and Memorial (Smoking Aces).

And who is to blame for all this creeping doubt? The previously under achieving Smoking Aces are responsible. All season long thier talent has been recognized, but they have struggled to harness that talent into a true powerhouse team.Unsettling emotions and internal pressures plagued this team throughout the season. However things seem to be changing within the ranks of the Smoking Aces. Which should afford them the opportunity to make a true championship run. Now anchored by solid pitching and more level headed decisions, the Aces will undoubtedly make the final four.

Now on the complete opposite side of the King of Kickball standings, lies another interesting story, as the battle for the worst team of all the "competitive" teams was held this past week. The previously winless Scoregasms were able to pass the honor of "division worst" to the hapless Suck My Kick squad. Even while sporting the worst defense within the King of Kickball division and after much trying, the Scoregasms were finally able to pick up their first win of the season and keep themselves out of the cellar. More importantly, they are no longer at the bottom of the barrel. That unceremonious honor now belongs to Suck My Kick. 

There is just one more opportunity for teams to jockey for seeding position this coming week. Although the strength of schedule seems to suggest that there will be little change within the competitive standings this week.

That is all for now...

Good luck and as always, Happy Kicking!

Whoa, living on a prayer: King of Kickball

By Grizzly Michaels
A Kickball Pepo

Alright, time to look at the King of Kickball at the halfway point.

Unlike Wreck Division, the teams in King of Kickball were pretty well known coming into the season, so there would be no point to tell you about them.

Instead, lets look at the schedules and briefly talk about how they got here.

Imagine starting the season against the defending champion Kixx, then going to powerhouse Kickin' N Screamin' and then last season's runner up I'd Hit It. The game of kickball may come closer to feeling like a game of Monopoly with your Gam-gam. Well, that is exactly how Scoregasms started the season off. Throw in a game against New Kicks On the Block and the Scoregasms may forget what a win is like. Does it get easier? They have the Smoking Aces next. But then they get Los Totally Awesome (Don't forget your ID's) and Suck My Kick. And then they finish with KNS.

Both LTA and Suck My Kick are 1-3, however Suck My Kick has the head-to-head advantage. Things are just as tough for LTA with Kixx, Aces and I'd Hit It still on tap, with the team in forest green up first. However, a 5-0 lead on KNS (before it was erased) was noticed and if the Unicorns can keep it going they may shake things up. They would be considered the favorites against the Scoregasms and a potential spoiler in the playoffs.

Suck My Kick has a little more favorable schedule. Once they get past the Kixx this week, they have the NKOTB twice, with Scoregasms in between. LTA got their lone victory over NKOTB, so Suck My Kick is capable as well. However, attendance has seemed to be an issue for Suck My Kick, maybe they should pay their players in beer or tartar sauce.

Next up is Kixx, which is 1-2 (with one game still pending, but they have a 4-0 lead) but lost a head-to-head to NKOTB. The defending champions are not in the position others may have envisioned. But consider that they have reached the championship game for the past four season. No matter where Kixx finish you don't want to face them in the playoffs as that is when they are peaking.  Aside from games against LTA and Suck My Kick, the Kixx will have a showdown with KNS next week and rematch of last weeks game against I'd Hit It. Expect some stopwatches to be used in that one.

The New Kicks On The Block have had a roller coster of a season. They dropped a close one to the Aces, took down Kixx, got upset by LTA and then defeated the Scoregasms while their captain missed the first two innings for a angry punt. They have two games with Suck My Kick and one against KNS and I'd Hit It each. NKOTB is an interesting team to watch the rest of the way. The way they finish could go a long way in the playoffs if they get a good seed.

I'd Hit it is standing at 3-1. After a tough loss to KNS to start the season, I'd Hit It has won three in a row and even took out the Kixx, 3-0, in a championship rematch. Those two will play again in the final week, but until then Lucas and his crew have LTA, Suck My Kick and the Aces. Lucas looks like he is trusting his teammates more than ever. It's safe to say that even with their one loss, I'd Hit It is still a championship contender.

Smoking Aces are 3-0 (while still trailing Kixx 4-0 in an on-going game). Two of their victories have been by one run. They will need to draw on that experience the rest of the way as they still have I'd Hit It, KNS and the end of their game with the Kixx to go. However, they also have the Scoregasms and a rematch with LTA, which they needed a walkoff to beat last time. The Aces have come together nicely this season, but we still got plenty more kickball to go.

And up at 4-0 is Kickin' N Screamin'. They were tested early against I'd Hit It and then had to dig deep to avoid an upset by LTA last week. Now they will put their perfect record up against NKOT, the Kixx and the Aces. They will get a break against the Scoregasms right before the playoffs. However, did LTA discover a weakness? Will other teams be able to jump ahead of KNS? We got four more weeks to find out.

Like Bon Jovi, we are halfway there and hopefully "we will make it I swear," unliker Homer.

Whoa, we're halfway there: Wreck edition

By Grizzly Michaels
A Kickball Pepo

Don't look now, but we are halfway through the 2013 Fall season. Unfortunately the season cannot last as long as Major League Baseketball playoffs.

So what better way to celebrate the halfway point that to take a look at how the season has fared so far.

Let's start with those crazy kids in the Wreck Division.

So far the Cool Arrows have received the Will Smith welcome to the Wreck Division. The Cool Arrows are winless at 0-4 and have only been able to muster six runs this season while giving up 40. However, if I were in the Wreck I would watch out for them. It seems that every year some team has a rough beginning but regroups and gets some late momentum. Don't be surprised if the Cool Arrows play spoilers.

Four teams are locked up at 1-3 and they may be the teams you expected. The Kickaholics, Alcoballics, This...Pitch! and Hash House Harriers have each been able to walk away with one win.

The Hash House Harriers picked up the biggest win of the bunch by taking down the kickballaz. Something to note is that the Harriers have a mentor in Lucas from I'd Hit It. Also, everyone knows the Harriers drink and run, so they have the cardio, so watch out they are no slouches. Drunks yes, but slouches no.

This...Pitch! also got a victory over the veteran Tenenballs in week two, but since then they have struggled. Scouting report shows that This...Pitch! has some kickers and their female pitcher has evolved to throwing some spin on it. This...Pitch! is made up of some players from a team that went 8-0 in the Lone Star Division last year, so they are learning and improving week to week.

However, This...Pitch! has given both the Alcoballics and the Kickaholics their lone victories. The Kickaholics have some skill when their players show up to the game. Plenty of rookies on this team which means there are some wild cards here, but it also means some of them may not be used to the bright lights on Wednesdays.

Haven't heard much on the Alcoballics except they have scored 10 and given up 26. However, their three losses have been to top teams in kickballaz, Just Kickin' It and Pitches Ain't Sh**. So with that gauntlet finished, perhaps we can see the Alcoballics strike back on other opponents.

But in order to do that, they will have to go through defending Lone Star Division champion Toe Jammers who are one of three teams tied at 2-2. The Commish had high hopes for this team, but after starting the season with a 1-0 victory over This...Pitch!, they dropped two to Just Kickin' It and Pitches Ain't Sh**, which is the type of competition they will experience in the playoffs. They are back on the right track after a victory over the Cool Arrows, but they shouldn't sleep on the Alcoballics.

The Jammers are actually ahead of Pitches Love Me in the standings based on point differentials. Pitches Love Me is also 2-2 but they have given up 25 runs while scoring only 17. They are led by veteran Lisa Simpson (no not this one). Pitches Love Me has beat the teams they need to in Cool Arrows and Kickaholics, but they struggled against the top half of the league with kickballaz and Pitches Ain't Sh**.

The third 2-2 team is the Royal Tenenballs, which have seemed a bit bi-polar. They beat teams like the Harriers and Kickaholics with ease, but then had no ounce of game against This...Pitch! and then they go and take Pitch Please! to the limit. If they Tenenballs don't get started quick in the game they become quiet deflated. However, they may undoubtably be the loudest in the land as no other team has matched their decibel levels. Plain and simple they like to party.

Two veterans teams are lingering at 3-1. Just Kickin' It may be in its second season together but they have several players who have been in SCK for what seems decades (or years, you know). Their main weapon is their pitcher Johnny, who has had to adjust to a two-bounce this year. Just Kickin' It was the favorite to win the Lone Star Division title last season but fell just short. Maybe the second year is the charm.

Next up are the kickballaz and the buzz around Coconuts is that unlike the 11 other teams, they did not chose the Wreck to have fun. Their reason to come to Wreck is to win a championship. So far they have been able to put up runs against weaker teams, but they had an epic collapse against a party team in the Harriers. This week they have another party team, perhaps the party team. What will happen when contrasting styles meet. Pure competition vs. pure Wreck. Will the Tenenballs upset or will kickballaz ruin the party.

At this point we may have already talked about the two undefeated teams enough for you to know what they are all about. Pitches Ain't Sh** is a new team made up of veterans and so far it has showed game after game. They have been impressive and poised and it will be interesting to see if anyone can stop them. If there is one team, maybe it could be Just Kickin' It, the kickballaz or the next on the list, but there is a catch. Wait for it.

Pitch Please did what any team would have done after getting ejected from the playoffs two years in a row. They got drunk and sang. After that they regrouped made some new additions and came down to Wreck. There were doubts of their intentions, but they have proven so far that unlike the kickballaz, they can have fun. But that doesn't change their talent and veteran leadership in Araceli and Michelle. Now they do have some new players, so will that catch up to them, remains to be seen. They're next challenge will be the kickballaz in week 7.

Now if you have been paying attention you will notice our top two teams are 4-0 and are not scheduled to face each other. So if they both manage to remain undefeated, they will have to wait until the playoffs to see each other. Will this matchup come to fruition. Well this dude has the answer.

Game of the Week - Pitch Please V.S Royal Tennenballs - 9/4/13

Tennenballs Choke, Unicorns Will Upset

Written by: Rich Alvarez

The SCK 2013 Fall Season seems to be going by in a blur as we are about to enter Week 5. The new rules of the Wreck Division and the close competitiveness of the King of Kickball Division have resulted in some very interesting games. By far one of the most exciting season thus far. Can't wait to see how it all ends up.

There were many questions about if the new Wreck rules would create a favorable kickball experience for those less-competitive kickballers. So far the so good, is what most Wreckers are reporting. Kickball Nation had a chance to check out the new Wreck action as the Royal Tennenballs v.s Pitch, Please was Rio Pod Co's Game of the Week.

The Royal Tennenballs are the definition of a "fun" team. Basically a group of friends who have come together to play some good ol' fashion fun kickball. While their opponents Pitch, Please are a mid-tier competitive team hiding out in the Wreck division. Although the Tennenballs carry some skilled veteran kickballers, namely their pitch Luis "Coach Ando" Gomez and their utility man Aaron "the Demon" Bracamontes, they are mostly made up of normal regular everyday kickballers. While Pitch, Please has an athletic, talented roster even compared to King of Kickball standards.

Although the game was peppered with some heads-up plays, for the most part, the match-up itself was essentially a snooze fest. I know those witness to their first Wreck game were expecting more offensive plays with the new female pitching rule. However late into the game, both teams finally treated the crowd to a handful of fireworks. Starting off with a solo home-run by Tennenballs 1st baseman Daniel "Stubs" Ortega in the top of the 4th. A confused Pitch, Please outfield let the long high ball blasted by Ortega get by them resulting in the Tennenballs only run. However that wouldn't be the grand finale as Pitch Please was able to rally in the bottom of the 5th inning and win in walk off fashion to the tune of 2-1. Although the Royal Tennenballs played a tough, tight game they eventually broke to the talent of Pitch, Please. Which is resulting in Kickball Nation asking, should there by a mid-tier division for those on that borderline between competitive and Wreck?

To see the Game of the Week with live play-by-play Click Here

On the King of Kickball side of things, what got into Los Totally Awesomes?!?! Even though they are currently sporting a losing record at 1-3, they seem to be on the verge of breaking out. Never truly considered a marque competitive team, things might be changing for the Mighty Unicorns. Just this past week, they showed their offensive improvements by ringing up 5 runs on power house Kickin' N' Screamin'. Even though they ended up losing 9-5, putting up 5 runs on KNS shows promise. No other team this season has put up more than 2 runs on KNS this season. They've also had some close games against some tough opponents. They just missed taking down Smoking Aces to a final of 3-4 and they got the better of New Kicks on the Block by a close score of 3-2.

This week Los Totally Awesomes have I'd Hit It and with LTA poised to break out at any minute, IHI better be on their toes. Hell they better be more than on their toes. I think LTA walks away with this one in a shoot-out.

That's all for now...until next time, Good Luck and Happy Kicking!

SCK - GameDay Report - Any Given Wednesday

Written by: Rich Alvarez

SCK Week #3 proved to be a treat for Kickball Nation, as there were many interesting developments that few anticipated. From injuries to upsets and from under-achievers becoming over-achievers, it quickly came to prove the new kickball adage, "Any Given Wednesday!".

The 1st note worthy tidbit has to be the re-scheduling of the Smoking Aces v.s Kixxx bout. An unfortunate accident which resulted in a serious player injury put the highly anticipated game on pause and forced the game to be reschedule for a later date. The game is currently frozen in the top of the 3rd inning with Kixxx wining 4-0. Thus far Kixxx is proving to be the better squad. However they are incredibly inconsistent and are far from a reliable, consistent winner.

No Blood, No Glory

On the Aces front, without their Coach Reid "The Viking" Hanson for this match-up, the Aces were left to make personnel decisions on their own. An interesting aspect of the Aces' defense has to be their bullpen, as they carry two veteran hurlers. Choosing whether to use Damian Lamas, the level headed and seasoned veteran or Mike Armendariz, the high risk- high reward player, is proving to be an important defensive component. In this match-up they decided to open with Mike Armendariz as their pitcher and quickly fell behind. Defensive team mistakes resulted in a frustrated pitcher and was heading towards a potential disaster. The game postponement was actually a plus for the Aces. Luckily for them, starting this week, they enter a 2 game stretch of King of Kickball bottom dwellers, Suck My Kick and the Scoregasms, which should supply a good opportunity to release some frustration and beat up on some inferior teams.

Another news worthy item came at the hands of the Mighty Unicorns. Los Totally Awesomes shocked Kickball Nation as they upset the New Kicks on the Block in walk-off fashion. A heart breaking loss for New Kicks which resulted in Coach David "Domino" Fernandez momentarily losing his composure. His post-game actions came at a cost with Domino being issued a short 2 inning suspension. Which means NKOTB will be without their star player this coming week against the Scoregasms.

But the bigger story has to be in the new competitive play of Los Totally Awesomes. Usually a roll-over team, they are quickly proving they can contend with the big boys. Even with a 1-2 record, they have been surprising their opponents as they are often over looked. The return of their anchor and pitcher, Daniel "Chucky Bear" Acuna has brought back life into this LTA squad.

In other corners of King of Kickball Land, I'd Hit It raised a few eyebrows as they squeaked by the Scoregasms 1-0. Although IHI isn't known for their offense, I expected to see a greater margin of victory from this championship contender.

Panning over to the Happy Land of the Wreck Division, the much-improved Kickballaz defied all logic as they were pummeled by the happy go lucky miscreants the Hash House Harriers. HHH came up with an astounding 8-0 win against the Kickballaz, who are currently the offensive leaders within the Wreck Division. Not sure what went wrong here. Looks like the Lucas Quimiro training sessions are paying off for the Harriers.

The two biggest match-ups within the Wreck Division had to be the Toe Jammers v.s Pitches Ain't Shit and Just Kickin' It v.s. Pitch, Please.

Starting off with the Toe Jammers v.s Pitches Aint Shit, although it was a gallant effort, the Jammers fell to Pitches Aint Shit 5-4. This was the Pitches first kickball test and they passed, barely. They seem to be flying under the Kickball Nation Radar, even though they are sporting one of the best defenses within the Wreck League. While on the flip side, the Toe Jammers are one step away from wearing the scarlet letter of the worst offense within the division. They'll have a huge chance to rebound against true rookie team Cool Arrows. The Cool Arrows have given up a whopping 32 runs so far this season. Watch for Pitches Aint Shit to continue their winning ways and expect  the Toe Jammers to make a rebound as they are entering the easiest part of their schedule.

Pitch, Please v.s. Just Kickin' It had the attention of all the Wreak Leaguers. Both teams are strong within the Wreck League, but Pitch Please is obviously the more seasoned team. Armed with King of Kickball knowledge and talent, they are a formidable force for most Wreck League teams, even against a tough Just Kickin' It. Pitch Please put away JKI to a final score of 3-1. A respectable match-up and respectable score for both teams involved, considering though that JKI was at the top of the Wreck League food chain, well that was until the likes of Pitch Please and Pitches Aint Shit moving into the neighborhood.

Looks like Pitch Please and Pitches Aint Shit are the teams to beat.

Well that's all for now...until next time

Good Luck and Happy Kicking !