Fall 2013 - King of Kickball Predictions

Written by: The Kickball Guru . . 

SCK Fall 2013 will kick off tonight, and many people wonder what happened to all the competitive teams as we are now down to 1 division of 8 teams as opposed to 2 divisions of 8 last season. So what happened to the other teams and who is sill around? While we lost thundercats, drunken monkeyz, balls and dolls, sit on my base, drinkers with a kicking problem, lights out, and rollin balls due to time constraints and other teams creating hybrid/super teams, we also lost pitch perfect and kickballaz to the wreck league. So now only 8 teams remain and here is a breakdown of what to expect and what their final records I believe will be.

8. Scoregasms- The scoregasms are coming off their worst season ever played here at SCK. They only won 2 games last season in which both were by forfeit. Does this mean they are no good? Absolutely not. Lack of practice, too many roster changes season in and out and also losing their pride in Tony to go ump hurt them greatly. So what do I expect from them? Well with the talent pool being so deep in every team, I believe this is gonna be a really bad season for the scoregasms. This just goes to show how stacked this division is this season.

Spring 2013 Record- 2-6

Fall 2013 Prediction- 0-8

7. Suck My Kick- Suck My Kick is also another team coming off their most disappointing season after showing so much promise the 3 seasons before that. Losing some of their better players and their pitcher didn't help. This season they picked up a past championship winning pitcher in Rich who knows how to control the game properly. Only question is, can he lead this team to a decent season? Very doubtful. I'll look at this season as a rebuilding/chemistry building one.

Spring 2013 Record- 2-6

Fall 2013 Prediction- 1-7

6. LTA- Chuck is back on LTA and he has brought back some true vets to help make LTA relevant again. Bringing some of the ex pandas will help him on both offense and defense. Every season Chucky grows as a player and is starting to looking more and more promising as a pitcher, and that will bring any team he is on success. However, he will have the same issue as the scoregasms and SMK. Just way too uch competition in the division. The best part for LTA is that they can not do any worse than last season

Spring 2013 Record- 0-8

Fall 2013 Prediction- 2-6

5. New Kicks On The Block- Domino and his family decided to give it a go for another season after contemplating retirement after last season. The only thing that changed that was all the questionable calls against champion kixxx left a sour taste in their mouths. So how will they fare this season? They are #5 on my list because they will be playing smoking aces right off the bat with absolutely no practice. So that leads me to believe they will drop one early. Other than that they should beat up on the teams listed above

Spring 2013 Record- 5-2-1

Fall 2013 Prediction- 4-4

4. Smoking Aces- Now comes the only unfamiliar name on the team sheet of the king of kickball division. The smoking aces are the reason for the league losing 3 teams to make 1. So is this a super team? Many would say yes considering that they have a total of 3 championships on this team alone. While they have a lot of talent on this team, the pitcher (Mike) always seems to make his teams fall apart. Don't get me wrong he is an above average pitcher but loses his cool way too quick and gives up on his team (quarterfinals vs thundercats). Now if he can keep it together, this team will do a lot better than I think. Another big issue is that they need to have 1 coach only and not 5. In my humble opinion it needs to be Reid Hanson and he should not let anyone else tell him otherwise. If they can get it together within the first 8 weeks, expect to see them in the final four at the very least.

Spring 2013 Record- 12-10-2

Fall 2013 Prediction- 5-3

3. I'd Hit It- While many always give this team a hard time and never give them the credit that is due, I have always considered them to be an elite team. Have they had their not so good seasons? Sure but they seem to become more and more consistent. With their catcher only getting better it seems like Lucas doesn't have all the stress in the world to have to win games by himself. He needs to start believing in his team. The moment when he tries to do everything himself, that's the moment they lose. Example was the championship last season. Will it look better for him this season? I believe it will. Will he make the championship? Yes. Will he win? Probably not.

Spring 2013 Record- 5-1-2

Fall 2013 Prediction- 6-1-1

2. Kixxx- Last season there was finally a new champion after 5 seasons. Kixxx came out and put I'd Hit It away convincingly by dominating them 4-0. Will they be back to back? Possibly. The only concern here is that they lost their 3rd and 1st basemen. They lost the two people who run the team properly. They lost two big kickers in their line up. How much will this affect them? Not so much considering they picked up 2 really good players. Only problem is that those two do not really play either one of the positions that Raul and Joe play. So This might be their toughest season yet. 

Spring 2013 Record- 6-2

Fall 2013 Prediction- 6-2

1. KNS- After losing in the semi finals for the first time since they lost to kixxx back in their first season, word on the street is taht KNS is coming back with a vengeance. Did Kixxx awaken the sleeping dragon by knocking them out early last season? It will be tough to tell as I have heard that Rick did not get the players that he was hoping for this season. With that being said, KNS is still the most consistent team SCK has to offer and no one can argue that. So will they do well? Absolutely. Will they get sent home early again or are they championship material again? Only time will tell but don't think they will do any less than what they did last season.

Spring 2013 Record= 8-0

Fall 2013 Prediction- 7=0=1

Don't forget to check out the game of the week today at 9pm at Alta Vista. We have KNS vs I'd hit it. Tough game for both teams to open the season. Good luck to all the teams

Lone Star Kickball Breakdown - Fall '13

It was only a matter of time before the growing popularity of competitive kickball spawned a new local league. Lone Star Kickball is the new kid on the block and will be looking to make its mark on the local El Paso sports scene. LS Kickball is a Thursday night kickball grass league, featuring national Kickball 365 tourney rules. After the lack luster El Paso Kickball, continuously failing competitive players, LSK will be looking to become the premiere grass kickball league in El Paso.


 Although LSK's inaugural season only features 7 teams, the league size is considered on-par for any new sports league. However for being such a small league, the talent pool is huge. The best and brightest local kickballers all signed up to try their hand Thursday nights. Let's take a look at the inaugural team's for the LSK Fall '13 season.

After looking at the team list, three team names immediately jump out as unrecognizable. 915 Changos, Da Krew, and Where's My Pitches At.

The only intel I could gather up on the 915 Changos is they are a Three Legged Monkey team, the league's sponsor. I'm not sure if that means the team is made up of staff, patrons, or actual 3 legged monkeys, but nevertheless my gut tells me this may be one of those inexperienced teams that is putting in their first attempt at kickball. Unfortunately for these rookies they are in a fairly fierce group of experienced kickball teams so they will have to learn the game fast or they are doomed to be the league's punching bag.

Da Krew

The other team that is unfamiliar is Da Krew kickball squad. I had a chance to see them briefly play this past Thursday night. The team contains a group of young and seemingly athletic players.  However the lack of experience is more than evident. To steal a classic line from the movie Days of Thunder, they "looked liked a monkey fuckin' a football out there". Their roster doesn't contain any recognizable names, although my understanding is some of the roster has some kickball experience. On a bright note, they had an awesome female in right field, didn't catch her name. Anxious to see if their first game was just Opening Day jitters. Maybe they can cut down the kickball curve quickly.

The last team mystery team is Where's My Pitches At!. I do know that they are a disgruntled Epk team that was looking for a better home and may have found it at LSK. Other than that, info on this team is also sparse. I believe they were a playoff team within Epk, semi-final team, but don't take that to the bank, need to do some more research. We will see what they have within the coming weeks.




The next group of teams are all filled with seasoned kickball veterans. Starting off with the Billy Bad Asses, aka the Shocker Killers. The Bad Asses were Sun City Kickball regulars, although they no longer exist, a portion of their players reside with current SCK team Pitch, Please. The Billy Bad Asses do not have a marque roster, but they have always been known for tenacious play. Not sure how much experience they have playing on grass, as they earned their stripes playing on a traditional dirt diamond, but they should be ok regardless. Worst case they have the 3 inexperienced teams to beat up on, but don't count them out on the more competitive side. Back in the day when the Shockers were the KNS of now, they had a knack for taking down giants.

Moving onto the most recent championship team, the Animals. These Animals currently hold the title as the Sprummer '13 Epk champions,  a major note worthy victory. The title was earned on grass which is why they have thrown their hat into the ring with LSK. A solid roster and they have a pitcher/catcher combo that is a force to be reckoned with. Although they don't have the big names like a couple of the other teams, they have the power and skill in all the right places.

The last two teams have undoubtedly the biggest names and most experience. First up we have Screamin' Kixxx, which is basically Kickin' N' Screamin' sprinkled with a handful of Kixxx players. They are an extremely seasoned traveling team and have proven themselves on the grass. Again, they are the team to beat. Every time they travel out of town they get closer and closer at winning an Kickball 365 title. This extra practice should come in handy come tourney time.

The next big team is hybrid Smokin' Aces. They are a combo Thunder Catz, Drunken Monkeyz, and last but not least the Shockers, aka Sit on my Base. Three veteran SCK teams have combined to make the assumed monster that is Smokin' Aces. However Im not convinced they will be as dangerous as Kickball Nation is predicting them to be. It takes more than grouping a bunch of all-stars to make a good solid team

Well that in a quick nutshell are the inagural Lone Star Kickball teams, but the conversation doesn't stop here. Tune into the new IJK Ustream show to get an in-depth look at each team and their rosters.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/itsjustkickball

Until next time Happy Kicking and remember It's Just Kickball.

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Kickball All-Star Roster

In honor of the MLB All-Star game this past week, IJK constructed an All-Star Kickball roster to recognize the best players in the following categories: Best Male and Female Offensive Player, Best Male and Female Defensive Player, Best Catcher, Best Pitcher, Best Defensive Team, and Best Offensive Team. 

Through your nominations and research It's Just Kickball has come up with the final results! View the webshow edition here : http://www.ustream.tv/channel/itsjustkickball

Best Offensive Team

1st Team: Kickin' N' Screamin'

2nd Team: Kixxx

Honorable Mention: Drunken Monkeyz

Best Defensive Team

1st Team: Kickin' N' Screamin'
2nd Team: Kixxx
Honorable Mention: I'd Hit It

Best Offensive Male
1st Team: Albert Villegas - Kickin' N' Screamin'
2nd Team: Joe Davila - Kixxx
Honorable Mention: Kixxx Line Up

Best Offensive Female
Rocio Sandoval - Kickin' N' Screamin'
Michelle Enriquez - Thunder Catz
Sarai Rubio - Los Totally Awesomes

Best Defensive Male
1st Team- Heribeto Sosa - Kickin' N' Screamin'
2nd Team - David "Domino" Fernandez - New Kicks on the Block
Honorable Mention - Angel Meza - Kixxx

Best Defesnive Female
1st Team - Nadia Morales - Kickin' N' Screamin'
2nd Team - Ashleign Decker - Drinkers with a Kicking Problem
Honorable Mention - Kelsey Masters - Kickin' N' Screamin'

Best Catcher
1st Team - Marco Gallegos - Kickin' N' Screamin' 
2nd Team - Reid Hanson - Drunken Monkeyz
Honorable Mention - Aaron Bracamontes - The Royal Tennenballs

Best Pitcher
1st Team - Rick Delgadillo - Kickin' N' Screamin'
2nd Team - Lucas Quimiro - I'd Hit It
Honorable Mention - Jose "Pipi" Delgado - Kixxx

It's Just Kickball teams up with Rio Pod Co.

It's Just Kickball is pleased to announce that through a partnership with Rio Pod Co. , IJK will be bringing kickball enthusiasts live kickball action during Sun City Kickball's Fall 2013 season.

We will be live podcasting featured games, as well as bringing you a    post-game wrap-up report to get you all the scores, news and catch some player and coach interviews.

Also be sure to tune into Rio Pod Co's newest sports show - Who's on First - Sunday evenings starting at 5:30pm MST. Catch some informative yet comedic takes on current sport headlines, as well as tuning in for the It's Just Kickball Report, which will feature local league analysis, as well as national kickball news. Don't miss out Kickball Nation!

You can search and download Rio Pod Co's app from the Google Play Store or listen in through Stitcher.

Happy Kicking!

The Kickball Nazi Strikes Again

Most of the old time kickballers know the origin of kickball in El Paso. They know of the little league, known as El Paso Kickball, that started from a small group of friends and turned into an organized league. Those kickballers who played in that very first organized kickball season knew something special had started; however little did we know all the drama that would be involved.

Now there is only one thing worse than drama, that's kickball drama. And there is only one thing more entertaining than drama, that's also kickball drama. Well the early days of kickball were full of drama and in the present in continues to an alarming degree.


It takes a certain person to want to play adult kickball. For starters, you cant take be someone who takes themselves too serious, UNLESS you're the person running an adult kickball league, then taking yourself too serious is a pretty much a pre-requisite. A game designed for kids and run by adults can be a very dangerous thing, as has been proven time and time again on the grassy fields of El Paso Kickball.

Now as silly as it sounds, adult co-ed kickball is an awesome concept. Like I mentioned before, it takes a certain fun loving yet competitive person to play kickball. So when you bring that many like-minded adults together, it makes for an interesting dynamic with the potential to establish life long friendships. However like with all things, when you do something it must be done right. Especially when running any form of organized sport.

With no fault to the players of El Paso Kickball, unfortunately for them their leadership leaves much to be desired. Epk has been plagued with ridiculousness that has become almost legendary. All at the hands of their distinguished founder and commissioner, who has been affectionately dubbed the Kickball Nazi. To recount the numerous tales of hardships would take a novel. The tales of kickball woe and injustice are something of myth and legend now. With kickballers being banned from participation in the league for doing or saying the wrong things. To mid game rule changes to benefit the league founder's own team and changing umpire rulings in the middle of games. Its endless.

Til now its all been hear say and borderline rumors passed from kickballer to kickballer. However thanks to a true champion of kickball, Its Just Kickball has been provided an inside look on how Epk leadership deals with dedicated league players and tenured teams.

Kickin' N' Screamin is undoubtedly considered the gold standard when it comes to kickball in El Paso. They are the mark at which others teams measure their success. Unfortunately because of their success they are somewhat of a pariah and targeted by leadership. During their Sprummer? 2013 playoff season  at El Paso Kickball they were disqualified. Why you ask? Well apparently their was an oversight on the KNS team roster that was somehow overlooked for almost 9 weeks and only until they had advanced to the semi-finals was it "caught". However KNS did in fact follow the roster rules explained during the Sprummer Captains' meeting at the beginning of the season. Unfortunately and conveniently Epk league leadership does not recall the specific roster rule changes that they implemented for this season. Interestingly though, that's not to say the ever-compromising and merciful Kickball Nazi wasn't willing to work on a compromise for KNS. What kind of compromise, well let me show you...

Needless to say Kickin' N' Screamin' will not be coming back... It's unfortunate that players are treated in such an unfair fashion.

El Paso Kickball leadership claims to promote a fun atmosphere, but its riddled with favoritism but only for the few who tow the Epk line. Although their Theme Nights are a big hit with many kickballers, it only masks the dirty scent of what Epk really is...the Kickball Nazi's personal toy to play with as he see fit.

We're Back !

Hopefully some, if not all, of Kickball Nation noticed that It's Just Kickball took a brief hiatus these past few kickball months. Unfortunately life often gets in the way of hobbies and keeping up with the blog was nearly impossible. However after some life adjustments and bringing on two new kickball writers, IJK should be back in full force covering not only Sun City Kickball but all the kickball news related items in El Paso and the surrounding area. So be sure to come back regularly for all kickball league and tourney info. Now that being said, not covering the SCK Spring 2013 season was a huge mistake as it was Sun City Kickball's most exciting season yet.

So unless you been living under a rock, any respectable kickballer has heard that the young guns of Kixxx were crowned the New Kings of Kickball. After numerous tries and tussles with their long time rivals Kickin' N' Screamin', Kixxx was finally able to beat the 5-time defending champs.

Impressive to say the least, considering that Kickin' N Screamin' was having a historical season, stats wise, as they did not let a single run score on them all of the regular season. That of course has never been done before in SCK league history. Although even more impressive is that Kixxx wasn't exactly having a stellar Spring Season. In truth, they looked very mediocre all season long. However come playoff time, they were able to dial up some kickball magic or some folks chalk all that up to strategy.

Many teams live and die by the bunt. It is essentially the foundation to any good kickball squad, many coaches swear by it. If executed well it can be extremely successful, unless you run into a team that can consistently neutralize the bunt, which is rare. However KNS carries an A+ report card when it comes to defending the short game. So in a stroke of strategic genius or more like an epiphany of common sense, Kixxx decide to go long ball on a team that's outfield has never been tested.

Needless to say, it worked. Kixxx was able to hit the gaps and with some dropped balls, made KNS pay dearly with the long ball. Now don't misunderstand, it was a very close and exciting semi-final match-up. Arguably one of the best match-ups I've ever seen, but watching the game you could just tell that Kixxx wanted it more. They were going to walk off that field with a win no matter what and they did.

But wait, this was a semi final match-up?! Who was in the Champion Ship game? Would you believe I'd Hit It?

As unlikely as it seems, Id Hit It is becoming a post-season main stay. They're playing stronger competitive kickball season after season and keeping up with far more talented rosters. Which says tons and tons about this scrappy squad. Its no secret that they live and die by the arm of their pitcher, unfortunately being so one-dimensional is a huge handicap. Ultimately what has to happen is the pitcher needs to do a little bit less and the team needs to do a little bit more. Carrying a team alone is tiresome and does not make for good teamwork.

The championship bout was in all honestly a tad bit lopsided. On one side you had I'd Hit It playing in only their 2nd championship appearance ever, they were unsure and timid. On the other side you had an extremely hungry team in Kixxx, who had just defeated the one team they could never get passed and were looking to destroy anything in there way. And they did just that.

Again congratulations to Kixxx the new Kings of Kickball

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

Round #1 Talk Deja Vu

Every season, we have a different story on how certain teams make it to the final, and how its won. With that being said, this season might just have history be rewritten. All the arrows are pointing towards yes. 4 seasons ago, the drunken monkeyz would set a record in most ties in one season, and finishing the season 4-1-3, and would capture the 7th seed. They would then beat the 10th seed and go on to play the 2 seed in what most would call the dark horse of that season, and an extremely talented team in the warriors, and win to go to the championship and fall short to confused kixxx (KNS' first championship). This season, we have the exact same scenario. New kicks on the block have come into this season, and tied the record that the monkeyz set back in 2010 for most ties and finished 4-1-3. Now they have a chance to be an incredible underdog and go through a team who just lost their pitcher due to the injury he sustained last week in the scoregasms. If they do, they then will go up against the league's dark horse, and possibly most athletic team (80% college athletes), the drinkers with a kicking problem. The only question left is, can NKOTB do it? I think they can because they have the second best defense in the league, and they will need that for the drinkers (assuming the beat the scoregams). The only difference I see between the 2010 monkeyz and NKOTB, is I think NKOTB can win the whole thing, and maybe that'll only be the different part of this scenario. We shall see, now on to the play in games and some fun facts.

Play In Game #1

Who: Shocker vs Sons o Pitches
Where: Memorial Field
Time: 7pm

The shockers will be coming into this game as a heavy favorite. This is said due to their competition this year. While sons o pitches has not really had any except lone star winners, saved by the balls. However, what makes this match so interesting is that Sons O pitches has a really talented pitcher in Manny, and is really tough to kick against from what I've heard. He will be the only saving grace that Sons o Pitches has in this one. Whats really good about that is that the shockers have been struggling to score all season. The real question here though is, can Sons O pitches put up a run against this stingy shocker defense to win this game? Either way, whoever wins has a date with 3 time runner up kixxx. Ouch!

Spread: Shockers -2.5
Over/Under: 3.5 runs
Prediction: Shockers 1-0

Play In Game # 2

Who: Pitch Please vs Saved by the balls
Where: Alta Vista
Time: 7 pm

I don't know or anyone from the Saved by the balls team. I have heard that they are all experienced kickballers, so no surprise about them winning the lone star division, and now have a very winnable game against an inconsistent team in pitch please. Pitch Please is one of those teams who comes out to have fun, and they do, but at the same time know how to play the game. Taking teams like NKOTB down to the wire, and blowing out the teams like they should. However, they do struggle against the more disciplined and experienced teams. I think this game is a more doable game for both lone star teams, so expect this one to possibly be wild. Tough call to make here.

Spread: Pitch please -1.5
Over/ Under: 7.5 runs
Prediction: Saved by the balls 8-6





Quick Fun Facts before playoffs start

1. The number 1 seed has always made the final (no pressure KNS)
2. The number 1 seed has always won the championship except the very first season ( Undefeated Monkeyz would go to lose to the shockers)
3. The number 4 and 5 seeds have never made a final( number 2 seed 3 times, 3 seed 1 time, 6 seed 1 time, 7 seed 2 times).
4. Of the top 8 seeds 4 have never seen a final (new faces in town)
5. Of the bottom 6 seeds, 2 are past champs( how the competition has gotten)
6. SCK has had only 3 different champions in 7 seasons, will we have 4 through season 8, or will the monkeyz, shockers, or KNS keep it at 3?

Week #9 Post-Season Talk

Oh my, oh my! What an interesting week 9 in SCK. With two games being decided by a combined 1 point we now have ourselves a huge mess for playoff seedings. Lets recap on what happened this past wednesday.


We go to the 7 o clock game at modesto 1. The monkeyz showed us once again that they are only a force when both the catcher and pitcher are there. However, this wasn't the case wednesday as coach, catcher, and possibly best offensive weapon the monkeyz have was MIA. They went up against a 4 play team who had only 8 players. The game was close the whole way with the monkeyz up 2-0 all the way up to the fourth inning. Then, they gave up two runs there, and one in the fifth to lose the game. Props goes out to 4 play for grinding out a win for them playing with only 8 people. Luckily for the monkeyz they will get another shot at 4 play in the first round if my playoffs seeds are right.

Then we go to the 8 o clock game at modesto 1 where the two sloppy teams collided, SMK and Lights Out. Sloppy it was as Lights out gave up 2 ridiculous runs in the 1st, but then would rally late in the game when the inexperience of SMK would come in and allow a barrage of runs in the 4th. Your final here, 6-2. That would give SMK an automatic 11 seed, so very tough road ahead for them. As for lights out it now becomes tricky, but if my math serves me correctly they should get the 4th seed.

On to the game at 8 o clock at modesto 2, where always underdog NKOTB would take on Thundercats. As expected, this game would be nothing but defense and frustration if you ask me. For the first time, I saw Domino show frustration in his team. In the 4th Domino would get to 3rd base with no outs, and his players could not bring him in, fouling out, popping up one to the pitcher, and kicking it straight to the 3rd baseman. That was only real shot in anyone scoring in that game, but because they didn't, we got a 0-0 stalemate that leaves a 4 way tie for the 4-7 seeds for us.

Last but not least, we go to Memo to see if a upset was in store for us between the Scoregasms and KNS. Sadly, there wasn't an upset. On the up side for the scoregasms, they didn't allow the 20 runs that KNS wanted, on the downside, they now get the 10th seed according to me, and also lose their starting pitcher for the playoffs, with a severe ankle injury. These guys just can't catch a break. Final score here was 8-0 KNS.

So now that leaves the two 7 seeds for each of the top divisions playing the top two in the lone star division for shot at the crown. That leaves us with shockers playing Sons O Pitches, and Pitch Please, Playing Saved by the balls. If the shockers win they get the 13th seed, and the of PP and SBTB winner gets the 14th seed. Should the shockers lose, Sons O pitches gets the 14 seed, and the winner of PP and SBTB gets the 13 seed.

Now on to my actual seedings, these aren't accurate, they are just what I think should be the seeds. With a win counting as 1 point, and a tie giving you .5 (12 ties i think is a league record), it leaves a mess down in the middle. So here's what I got after Wednesday. Good luck to all teams.

1. KNS 8-0, 8 pts, Power Ranking 85
2. Drinkers With a Kicking Problem 7-0-1, 7.5 points, Power Ranking 31
3. Kixxx 6-2, 6 points, Power Ranking 43
4. Lights Out 5-2-1, 5.5 points, Power Ranking 18
5. Thundercats 5-2-1, 5.5 points, Power Ranking 14
6. I'd Hit It 5-2-1, 5.5 points, Power Ranking 23
7. New Kicks On The Block 4-1-3, 5.5 points, Power Ranking 12
8. 4-Play 4-2-2, 5 points, Power Ranking 18
9. Drunken Monkeyz 5-3, 5 points, Power Ranking 17
10. Scoregasms 5-3, 5 points, Power Ranking 6
11. Suck My Kick 3-4-1, 3.5 points, Power Ranking 1
12. LTA 3-4-1, 3.5 points, Power Ranking -5
13. TBA
14. TBA

Explanation on the 4-7 seeds is that there was a 3 way tie between IHI, T-cats, and NKOTB, but because T-cats have the head to head on IHI and better power ranking than NKOTB they jump both, so then you take T-Cats and Lights Out Power Rankings and Lights out beats them there.

It's Time

 

The time has arrived. Once again, the battle for the King of Kickball crown is upon us. This will be the 8th coronation for Sun City Kickball. During that time few have held SCK's most prestigious title. The league's original villains, the Shockers, have worn the crown twice in back-to-back seasons during SCK's inaugural year. The Drunken Monkeyz had a brief moment with the crown during the Spring 2012 Season. However no team has sat at the thrown as the King of Kickball, longer or more times than the current champions Kickin' N' Screamin'.

KNS has dominated the league since the Fall 2010 season. Since then many teams have tried to shut down the growing dynasty that KNS has created, but none have succeeded. Now a new series of challengers have lined up to assume the throne of Sun City Kickball. Will KNS repeat or will there be a new king to reign over the land of SCK. The bracket has been released now lets take a look at the teams.

 

The #1 and #2 seeds both have byes. Which means the #1 KNS and #2 DWAKP will have to find a way to stay sharp until their 2nd round match-ups. Recommendation: Practice, scrimmage, do what ever you can to get ready, don't go cold.

 

The #3 seed went to Kixxx and rightly so. They finished with a 6-2 record with 51 runs scored and only 8 runs allowed. One of their two losses came at the hands of rookie sensation Drinkers with a Kicking Problem. Kixxx is obviously excellent on both sides of the ball, again their Achilles heal is all emotional. They have tons of passion and enthusiasm, they just need to harness that energy against their opponent and not each other. If they are able to do that, they will be nearly unstoppable.

 

#4 I'd Hit It has been slowly improving season after season, inching their way up the kickball ladder. They finished with a respectable 5-2-1 record, although the Mountain Star division ended up being just a touch easier than the Sunrise group. They scored 30 runs which was on par with a division that ended with an 32 Runs Scored average. Their defense allowed 8 runs, better than average. Their claim to fame is their pitcher Lucas Q. A player who undoubtedly does not need an ego boost, he is however their entire team. Kickball Nation will see how far he can take his IHI squad this post-season.

 

Another team who also posted a 5-2-1 record is #5 seed Lights Out!. Whether they have truly played lights out is debatable. They posted 25 runs this season, next to a division average of 23.4. With 8 runs allowed, their defense seems to hold. However their strategy to slow down games to a crawl is worrisome. When you watch them play they don't appear to be a team you want to keep shackled. If anything I think the slow pace truly hurts them more than it helps them. Their offensive flurries are a mix of wild runners and uncontrollable cheering, both seem to be intimidating to teams. However they spend 80% of their game on defense just standing around waiting for 8 pitches then ultimately a base hit. Keep up the pace, keep up the momentum, speed it up boys and girls.

 

#6 seed Thundercats are a curious bunch. This is a squad full of kickball veterans and their record of 5-2-1 reflects it. Although their got their season off to a slowly start, they quickly got up to speed. 32 runs scored and 18 runs allowed, this team screams average. Their best hope is to get hot at the right time and it should propel them fairly deep into the playoffs.

 

With a league first 3 tie games in a season, the #7 seed New Kicks on the Block are hard to figure out. They sport a 4-1-3 record. Their only loss came at the hands of a forced forfeit, after enough players were ejected from the their game they could not continue. They tend to play up or down to their competition. They never dominate weaker teams, but often hang tough with the kickball juggernauts. Which always translates into an interesting game for whoever they play.

 

#8 seed 4-Play has been essential deemed the Balls & Dolls. Same style, same skill, its like looking at a clone. With a 4-2-2 record, they are another mid-range team, but with a scrappy style. They use their knowledge of the game to give them the edge. No matter the result of this post-season, Im personally very excited for the possible return of the Balls & Dolls franchise.

 

The #9 Drunken Monkeyz returned this season after a brief layoff during the Spring '12 season. Their plans to return to their status of kickball juggernauts have proven to be more difficult than originally anticipated. Their 5-3 record has been marred with defensive errors and offensive woes. Their offensive game is almost non-existence. Their feet will have to wake up if they want any chance in the post-season.

 

The #10 Scoregasms continue to play tough, close kickball. Even after their big win against the

Thundercats, there has been little to write home about. They finished the regular season with a 5-3 record, which again is on par with most other mid-range teams. However with a  Power Rating 6, there are some worries here. They scored 29 runs but allowed 23 runs, not a comforting statistics to say the least. They are going to need to tighten the screws on defense before they hit the field next week.

 

Suck My Kick ended with the #11 seed.  SMK is another incredibly talented rookie team. Their athleticism is apparent, however their inexperience on defense is even more apparent. Their defensive mistakes are painful to watch and have translated into a 3-4-1 record. Their defense needs to absolutely improve before next week or else they will be dead in the water.

 

Original Six member Los Totally Awesomes grabbed the #12 seed. Traditionally a more "fun" team, they have stepped it up within the competitive ranks this season. With a 3-4-1 record, there is room for improvement, but their aspirations to compete at a high level are feasible. Their post-season may be short, but the promise for future success is encouraging.

 

What about the play-ins??!?!? I think the Kickball Guru might have something to say on that.

 

Well that's all for now...

 

Good Luck and Happy Kicking 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





Week # 9 - Games of the Week

Written by: The Kickball Guru

Week 8 is in the books and finally we have our 1 and 2 seeds locked down for the playoffs. Congrats goes out to Drinkers With a Kicking Problem and KNS for winning their respective divisions. Only question left, is who will end up with the 1 seed. Will it be KNS once again? Scoregasms are really the only hope the drinkers have for KNS to not do that. With that being said, its pretty impressive to see the drinkers in the first year out of the rookie division come out and go pretty much undefeated, with a tie as their only flaw in their record. On a side note congratulations goes out to Saved by the balls for winning the Lone star division, and convincingly.


Now a quick recap for week 8. Unfortunate week for lights out as they lost on a terrible call, on paper, scissors, rock! I mean, its bad enough to have everyone complain about tthe umps and their bad calls, but how does someone mess up a paper scissor rock call?!?!? Now because of that, lights out is unfortunate to be stuck in tighter position in playoffs, and maybe even worse if they cant get past Suck My Kick today. However Suck my kick is also in a tight spot after dropping yet another game last week to the Monkeyz. Once again, the rookie mistakes really hurt them, and I don't see them matching up well against a decently disciplined team in Lights Out.

Now another game of the week that decided the mountain star division winner was the thundercats and KNS battle. The score ended in 6-0, favor going to KNS. The thundercats just couldn't manage to advance their runners and score, while it was just another day at the office for KNS shutting out yet another opponent. Now the thundercats are battling for position against NKOTB this week, not an easy task for either team.

Last but not least, SCK's most intriguing match up was down at modesto 1 between the drinkers and kixxx. Obviously, I was wrong about the drinkers AGAIN. In my defense, when I make these predictions, understand that I base it on both teams having a full squad. Unfortunately for kixxx they only showed up with 2 females. With that being said, I think they should've still won. They kept the game close and were leading all the way to the 4th inning 2-1, and then fell apart allowing 3 runs to the drinkers, and couldn't bounce back. The one thing that impressed me most about the drinkers, was that I finally saw them fight through adversity when being down late in the game. Now that leaves Kixxx with hoping that NKOTB loses or ties so they can capture the 3rd seed and not end up on the same side of the bracket as KNS (assuming KNS wins tomorrow), and can try to redeem themselves against the drinkers if they both advance all the way to the semis. On to the games of the week now folks.

Game of the Week #1

Who: Drunken Monkeyz vs 4-Play
Where: Modesto 1
Time: 7pm

Pretty much every game this week is a battle for position in the playoffs, seeds 3-10 are pretty much up in the air. The Monkeyz have crazy momentum, after their loss to the drinkers. They have shut out both of their last two opponents 8 runs to none. They are undefeated when both Reid and Mike (pitcher and catcher) are present. So definitely a team to watch out for in playoffs. 4 play has been on a roller coaster this whole season, tying, winning, losing, they've done it all multiple times. They need to come out strong against this strong monkey team so that the don't land in the 7-10 seed. Look for a defensive game in this one.



Spread: Monkeyz -1.5
Over/Under: 4.5 runs
Prediction: Monkeyz 3-1

Game of the Week #2

Who: Lights Out vs Suck my Kick
Where: Modesto 1
Time: 8pm

Talk about two inconsistent teams battling each other. I think these are the sloppiest teams in the competitive bracket. Winning and tying games that I thought they couldn't, but then turning around and not even compete against other teams that they should compete with. Lights out biggest moment of their short careers was he win over Kixxx, but however have fell off the map since. Even if the umps hadn't messed up the call last week, they still would've ended up in a 0-0 ball game. Time to put up points ladies and gents! There's no other explanation. Suck my Kick really needs some practice on what to do with the ball on defense, because this is where they hurt the most, and once you get confused, the bleeding doesn't stop, and that's been the story for SMK these past two weeks. Prediction here will mean nothing, since I don't know what version of these teams will show up.

Spread: Lights Out -.5
Over/Under: 3.5 runs
Prediction: Lights out 2-1

Game of the Week #3

Who: Thundercats vs NKOTB
Where: Modesto 2
Time: 8 pm



NKOTB has been flying under the radar all season, and crazy enough, they can end up with the 3rd overall seed. Which is crazy because they never win a game by more than 2 points. Even against the not so competitive teams. Last week they beat It burns 2-0, and it burns had allowed 47 runs prior to that. Amazing if you ask me, but they still don't lose and that's what matters. Now they are playing a thundercat team coming off a devastating loss to KNS, that could have won them a division title and 1st round bye. Now, they stare at a possible 3-6 seed with a win and a 7-8 seed if they lose, same goes for NKOTB. Last time these two teams met, it ended in a 1-1 tie. Look for a similar score tonight. Lots of defensive, not much offense.

Spread: 0
Over/ Under: 2.5 runs
Prediction: 1-1 tie

Game of the Week #4

Who:KNS vs Scoregasms
Where: Memo V
Time: 9 pm

KNS is looking to be the only team with a perfect record this season with a win today. However, remember when kixxx shocked the world 2 seasons ago, and ruined any chance of that? Remember when the pandas did just that last season? Can the scoregasms do it too? The Scoregasms are looking to do just that as well, with their coach tiger pride always believing in his team, and giving great pep talks, anything is possible. The Scoregasms have called an upset this week. It won't be an easy task, but very much possible. They already had an upset earlier this season, let's see if they can do it again. For KNS, talk is they want to put up 20 runs to make the 100 mark. Its incredible to hear of a team have those kinds of goals. But 20 runs on the Scoregasms? I just don't see it happening, but you never know. Because of their determination, I'm gonna have to up the numbers on this prediction.



Spread: KNS -5.5
Over/Under: 9.5 runs
Prediction: KNS 10-1

Week 8 Games of the Week

Written by: DG The Kickball Guru

2 weeks left in the regular season, and yet there's still no clear view to who will be crowned division champs, but two match ups this week might do just that. With the current top 4 seeded teams facing off this week, that still leaves two other really important games that can come down to a possible 4 seed in the playoffs, to a devastating 10 seed, and a 10 seed is pretty much one of the higher mountains to climb with how competitive this season has gotten. So once again we get 4 games of the week, which is pretty amazing to get that on a constant basis if you ask me. Here they are.

Game of the week #1

Who: Suck My Kick vs Drunken Monkeyz

Where: Modesto 1

Time: 7pm

For these two teams, this match up is all about placement in the playoffs, so both teams need to come out wanting it. The monkeyz are riding momentum after demolishing their long time rivals shockers last week 5-0. Sadly, I can't say the same about SMK, as they greatly disappointing me last week by getting shut out by the drinkers. Now they have to dig deep and try to knock off another veteran squad in the monkeyz. However, to do this, they will need to play a nearly perfect game. This is what SMK lacks. They don't stay disciplined, don't tag up properly, and make so many simple mistakes. Their athleticism can only take them so far, so clean it up boys and girls. As for the monkeyz, I would like to clear something up. Mike, I never questioned your pitching status, I think you're a great pitcher, I was simply just asking if Rich was a better fit for your defense. Now I believe that the monkeyz have found their pitcher, because rich does fit first base better now, his pitching is just not the same. No disrespect Rich. Anyways, so back to this game, if you can get to the park early, come and check this one out.





Spread: Monkeyz -2.5
Over/Under: 5.5 runs
Prediction: Monkeyz 4-2

Game of the week #2

Who: 4 play vs Lights Out

Where: Memo V.

Time: 8pm

With a bye week, it makes me wonder if lights out has been working on their offense, because that was the reason for their defeat two weeks ago to the monkeyz. They simply can't put up runs, and its going to be even tougher when going up against a stingy defense like 4 play. Now, they will be playing a demoralized team in 4 play, as they are coming off a shut out loss to kixxx last week. Story is, they just had the same problem lights out had against the monkeyz, they couldnt put up runs. These two teams remind me of ech other in that aspect. Last season they came to 1-1 tie, and i'm pretty sure that's no great feeling, so looks like another defensive game here. Although 4 play does have the experience factor, I will make this my upset pick of the week.


Spread: 4 play -.5
Over/Under: 3.5 runs
Prediction: Lights Out 2-1

Game of the week #3

Who: KNS vs Thundercats

Where: Modesto 2

Time: 8 pm

What a perfect time for this game to come around. I mean, the number 1 and 2 teams in the Mountain Star division late in the season going head to head for the division crown. If KNS wins they lock the division, and are guaranteed a first round bye in the playoffs. If the thundercats win, they still need to get through NKOTB next week to secure that. Rich has said many times that KNS is just on another level. With that being said, we gotta remember that KNS' last loss came last season to the hands of Damian. Now Damian has gone out and recruited his own players to make a run for the title. Even though they have struggled this season, they are still 4-1 grinding out wins by 1 in about 3 games. Can they grind out the most important game to date against the best offensive and defensive team of the league? Or will KNS just run through them like they have everyone else?





Spread: KNS-3.5
Over/Under: 7.5 runs
Prediction: KNS 5-1

Game of the week #4

Who: Drinkers With a Kicking Problem vs. Kixxx

Where: Modesto 1

Time: 9pm

Can the Drinkers do it one more time? Can they shock the kickball world again? I'm not going to lie and say that I think the drinkers are great, because I've never really believed the hype. Boy was I wrong, they have proved me wrong over and over again. To take down the 3 most dominant kickball teams that started this league as the cream of the crop, then to come in and destroy their other rookie colleague 4-0, the drinkers remain undefeated. Wow! just wow! That being said, they have yet to face anybody like the team they are about to face tonight, Kixxx. Kixxx slipped earlier in the season but have gotten back on track in a dramatic fashion, and look hungry. If drinkers win, they lock the division and the 1st round bye. Kixxx needs to win both this week and next to do that. If the drinkers would be playing any other team in their division, but because its kixxx, i'm going to have to go against them again. If they win this one, watch out we might be looking at the future of kickball, and not only the end of the shockers, monkeyz, and balls and dolls, but KNS and Kixxx as well.


Spread: Kixxx -2.5
Over/Under: 6.5 runs
Prediction: Kixxx 6-3

The Price of Victory

The Price of Victory

Considering we skipped the Week #6 recap, let's dive straight into Week #7 head on. No cute or clever introductions, just the nitty gritty meat and potatoes. But first, a special thanks to the Kickball Guru, Mr. David Garcia for picking up the slack last week and submitting the Games of the Week post. At least we had something to read on Wednesday. And while we are on the subject of the Kickball Guru, let's see how he did.

Match up #1 consisted of 4-Play v.s Kixxx. The predictions were as follows:

Spread: Kixxx -2.5

Over/Under: 6.5 runs

Prediction: Kixxx 4-1

Final:

Kixxx: 4

4-Play: 0

                  

Kixxx is still chugging along hard and despite one small misstep this season, they look poised to make another run at the King of Kickball crown. They are projected to take the #2 seed going into the playoffs. However there is one small hurdle standing in their way. The new sensation, Drinkers With A Kicking Problem are nipping at their heels. The Drinkers having convincingly made themselves the 2nd best team within the Sunrise Division. Next week they will have a chance to take their game to the next level. If the Drinkers can some how formulate a win against the Kixxx juggernaut, it will speak volumes. BUT, I sincerely hope they don't think they will be able to just roll up on Kixxx lightly. If there is one thing that Kixxx has shown Kickball Nation is to never count them out. They been humbling up and coming teams for many seasons now, for them its just another day at the office. Do NOT MISS this match-up.

Moving right along, Featured Match-Up #2 of the Games of the Week was the News Kicks on the Block v.s the Scoregasms. The predictions were as follows: 

Spread: NKOTB -.5

Over/Under: 3.5 runs
Prediction: NKOTB 2-1

Final:

NKOTB: 3

Scoregasms: 2

This game ended with a controversial final. The Scoregasms will tell you they were cheated out of a game. However some can argue they just didn't do enough to win it. The 1st cardinal sin you can commit on the diamond is to not to finish a play. Often players will try to shut down a play to argue a call, that is probably the absolutely worse thing you can do. Finish your play, then argue the point. It doesn't matter if that out could potentially be the 3rd out. That is just undisciplined defense. Its unfortunate when calls are missed, but it is part of the game. Either way, controversial or not, the New Kicks walked away winners on this one. The Scoregasms have to stomach a call, but it will be test to see how they bounce back this week. Its all about momentum at this point. Both teams are locked into the playoffs. The New Kicks have Its Burns When I Kick, which should be an easy confidence builder. However the Scoregasms will be facing a LTA team that has been flying under the radar. I think Los Totally Awesomes have an oppurtunity to catch the Scoregasms off guard and on tilt. It will be interesting to see how the Scoregasms respond after last week.

Match-up #3 featured an old school rivalry between two Original Six Members, the Drunken Monkeyz v.s the Shockers. The Kickball Guru made the following prediction:

Spread: Monkeyz -2.5

Over/Under: 6.5 runs

Prediction: Monkeyz 4-1

Final:

Drunken Monkeyz: 5

Shockers: 0

After being embarrassed by #2 Kixxx and then humbled by the up-and-coming Drinkers, the Monkeyz looked like the were in trouble. Their offense has been almost non-existent, but it is slowly starting to wake up. The question is will it be enough to keep up with the other powerhouse teams. Not to mention, their once dominating defense is only 7th best within the league. Beating a mid-range, but very good Lights Outs and then trouncing a declining Shockers isn't enough to convince Kickball Nation that they are back by any means. The were able to pull away from the Shockers, but the Shockers are also struggling in their own right. It always nice to see a good strong Rivlary game; however its disappointing when boths teams aren't playing at their peak level.

Match-up #4, and by far the most interesting, was between two rising stars. 2nd season hopefuls, Drinkers with a Kicking Problem and Suck My Kick, locked horns to see who, at this point, is the better squad. The Guru saw this in his crystal ball:

Spread: Drinkers -1.5

Over/Under: 5.5 runs

Prediction: 3-3 tie

Final:

Drinkers: 4

Suck My Kick: 0

Both teams have the personnel to put together a winner. A good amount of skilled athletes on both sides of the ball, thats for sure. What decided this game were all the mental errors out of the Suck My Kick squad and there were more than a few. SMK seemed to struggle on defense primarily. Many players were hesitant and confused on where to go with the ball after a catch and with the speedy, greedy Drinkers' kickers, that just spelled disaster. Compounding the defensive mistakes with some head-scratching base running translated into a 5-0 beat down. Oh and lets us no forget that SMK's leading offensive player managed to get himself thrown out of the game. The Drinkers are a solid squad and giving them any opportunity to make a play is going to put you in the grave. Suck My Kick was simply not mentally prepared for this game and considering the have an improving Drunken Monkeyz squad to deal with this week, they have no time to hang their heads.

Well that is all for now kickballers

Good Luck and Happy Kicking