Thursday, March 25, 2010
Close But No Cigar
I'd Hit It was probably the team that had the best chance at finishing undefeated. The problem with that is, they weren't counting on the swash buckling Pirates! to come out of nowhere and break their party pinata into a million sad tiny little pieces. The Pirates! are not only one of the most fun teams in SCK, now they are true championship contenders. But don't count out I'd Hit It just yet, this was an extremely slight misstep. Be assured they will go far in the King of Kickball tourney.
The Balls & Dolls are looking sharp and playing well. They are basically a giant 12 ft brick wall. They have allowed 1 run all season. Now I don't want to hear, "Well they have no competition". They are in a division that has scored a total of 150+ runs, which is on par with Group A & B. They are also another team that could have been undefeated, but...... Coach Oscar Da Grouch got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Which is usually a job reserved for the Cookie Monster, COOOKIE COOKIIEEE! The situation was not good, not good at all. Needless to say the Balls & Dolls are no longer undefeated.
The Shockers hadn't dropped a regular season game since their very first SCK season. They lost only one game that Spring Season of 2009 and the team that gave them the one blemish on their record was the veteran Drunken Monkeyz. So it was very fitting that this season the team to hand them their only other regular season loss and end their undefeated season, would be....you guessed it, the Drunken Monkeyz. The original Drunken Monkeyz took a brief hiatus last season, most members and some new recruits played under the team name Sons of Pitches. The Pitches had a very disappointing Fall 09 season. This season the original Monkeyz reformed to make sure that the bully Shockers had someone their own size to pick on. Mission accomplished.
Now there are no undefeated teams for the Spring '10 season. Which means the tourney should be very, very interesting. The throne is truly up for grabs.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Return of the Angry Umpire
a posting about his own team, the Shockers.
Written by: James "Too Big" Vargas
Oh how the mighty have fallen! The mighty Shockers finally fell flat on their faces and if you ask me it was about freakin' time. If you ask the players around the league I'm sure most will agree that it was only a matter of time before some one took down the over hyped, overly confident Shockers.
The two time defending champs played more like a bunch of snot nosed rookies. They had no business being on the field Wednesday with the Drunken Monkeys. If that's the kind of effort that they are going to bring to their games, they're better off staying on the sidelines with the rest the spectators. Horrible, is the only way I can describe their kicking! If the Shockers don't get on base with their bunting, they have no shot at scoring any runs because most their girls kick it harder and better than their boys do.
Pathetic comes to mind when I think of the atrocious defense that was on display! The first base man couldn't catch a cold, their out field was non existent and the pitcher would have been better off holding the ball for the kickers field goal style. And don't even get me started on the catcher. This guy celebrates an out like he just won game 7 of the World Series. If you were one of the poor people that had to endure watching this crap I feel sorry for you. It must have been exceptionally bad or displeasing to your eyes.
The Drunken Monkeys played their asses off and deserve their props, but most of all they deserve a big thank you from me and the rest of Sun City Kickball for finally handing an ASS kicking to the Shockers. They finally exposed the chumps, I mean champs, for the pretenders that they really are! The Monkeys are no joke and I'm curious to see how far they can go during the Sun City Kickball playoffs.
Now that the so called "champs" have tasted defeat, maybe they'll fade away into obscurity never to heard from again. Maybe they'll quit playing kickball all together, but whatever happens with them remember this: They're done! New blood seems ready to assume the mantle of SCK, I guess only time will tell.
"Strike 3, I'm out!"
Monday, March 15, 2010
Tourney Time Closin' In!
All teams will have the opportunity to "make it" into the championship tourney,but the tourney will only consist of 14 of the 20 teams in SCK. Who gets a bid into the tourney? Conveniently it is very similar to the NCAA Championship Tournament, which happens to be coming up very soon.
There will be 14 tourney bids available. The top 4 teams in each group, with the best records, will earn a tournament bid. There will be 1 at-large bid that will be awarded to the next best overall team between the 3 groups after Rivalry Week. The last bid will be awarded to the winner of the Last Chance Play-In Tourney.
The Last Chance Play-In Tourney will consist of all the teams who did not earn a tourney bid. The play-in games will be held on the regular Wed. nights during the last week of the season. Game times we also be held during the regularly scheduled times between 7pm-9pm. Teams who were not top finishers during the regular season will have the opportunity to earn a tourney bid through the Last Chance contest. These teams will play a single elimination tourney. The winner at the end of the night will earn a bid into the post-season tourney.
Good luck to all the teams!
Silly Kids!!!
Silly kids, kickball is for adults! The kindergarten clan of team Kick N Da Balls (3-1-0) finally suffered their first loss of the season. The team that took KNDB over their knee, for a good ol' fashion whoopin', was the far more experienced and skillful Balls & Dolls (4-0-0).
Although KNDB lost the much anticipated match-up, they did exceptionally well considering they were playing a more far superior opponent. The final score was a very close 2-1 with the advantage going to the Balls & Dolls. Picking up a win against the Bs&Ds would have secured KNDB's status as contenders and not pretenders. They were on their way to sitting pretty for the championship tourney but with only 7 regular season games, one loss can make you or break you.
Now the crazy kiddos find themselves only one win ahead of some solid teams such as the Family Jewelz and Viscious & Delicious. Both these teams are looking sharp and playing great kickball. What is even more impressive is that Viscious & Delicious is a rookie team and seem to be handling their first kickball season very well. They have a very good chance at securing a tournament birth, in fact I expect this team to finish 2nd in Group C.
In addition, although Los Totally Awesomes Too have only one win, they still are in the running to catch up and earn one of the top three spots in Group C. So the Kick N Da Balls have their work cut out for them. While the Balls & Dolls are about to set their season on cruise control and start planning for the championship tourney. These next three weeks should be exciting.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Now It's Their Turn
Monday, March 8, 2010
Ahoy!
Under the Radar
The Umpires
Sunday, March 7, 2010
On The Radar
By far the Shockers receive the most amount of web-time on the blog, sometimes at nausea. However they have a great opponent this week with Where My Pitches At? coming to Shocker Stadium . The Pitches haven't been able to score much this season but they have a 2-0 record and are coming off a rested bye-week. They were barely able to squeeze by the Drunken Monkeyz a couple of weeks ago, which I have to say was expected but they ended up having some trouble with the Billy Bad Asses last week, which was absolutely not expected. The Shockers on the other hand, were able to put away a very good Scared Hitless squad with a nail baiting 2-1 final score. Everyone has been waiting for the Shockers to finally drop one and this week may not be it.....
Predicted Final Score:
Shockers - 3
Where's My Pitches At? - 1
Upset Alert!!! The Pirates! are scheduled to play the self-proclaimed Kings of Group B, team I'd Hit It. After a week of Group B bashing and certain comments, Mr. Lucas Quimiro has not only put a bulls-eye on his back but he has put a target on his entire team. They are a solid team but they might be getting a little complacent with their situation down at Jimmy O.
The Pirates! are about as fun as any team can be but the first rule of life is: Don't piss off a pirate! This past Wed. they were able to chalk up a win playing shorthanded. They almost ended up not showing up Wed. night. Good thing they did because they are now sporting a 2-0 record with a decent +10 Power Ranking.
Both teams have yet to lose a game. One of these teams' hope for an undefeated season is about to end. Sorry I'd Hit It, prepared to boarded says aye!!! Argghhh!!!
Predicted Final Score:
Pirates! - 7
I'd Hit It - 3
For The Kickballers!
I think Sun City Kickball is very unique when compared to other sports or recreational leagues. More often than not, most other leagues are controlled by a small contingency of players & coaches. This group makes decisions that are usually only beneficial to them and leaves the rest of the league's participants to fend for themselves. The whole reason SCK was founded was to create a place that was NOT EXCLUSIVE but instead more inclusive for its participants.
Some of you know the detailed story of how Sun City Kickball came to be. If you do, then you know my commitment to making sure that SCK is always an enjoyable place for all its participants. You can never make everyone happy all the time but it doesn't mean we can't try. I can't tell you how many people hesitate when they want to ask my something, comment on something, make a suggestion, or even want to complain about something. I'm 100% sincere when I say, "Don't be shy. Tell me whats going on". Because if I don't know whats going on, I can't help. I will always find time to field a phone call, answer an email, and heck, I even do text message conversations. Just this week, I had lunch with a captain to discuss some suggestions that they had been working on. The key is if you have something to say, good or bad, we need to know. That is the only way to make sure the league is functioning properly and people are enjoying themselves.
The other thing to remember is, we have a 7 member board that is in charge of adopting policy and procedure for the league. I can assure you that these 7 members share my enthusiasm and my common goal of being true to the league, its players & fans. My hope is that between all the players, coaches, fans, and board members, we are all able to make Sun City Kickball an awesome place to play and an admired local El Paso organization.
Different Strokes for Different Folks
Questions/Comments: metermanrich@gmail.com
The past week of kickball commentary has been interesting, to say the least. I've been trying to keep my head down to avoid getting caught in the verbal crossfire. However DJ Freddy is curious to know what I think about the whole "situation". Truth be told, the whole thing made me extremely uncomfortable and I'm glad to see everything has calmed down.
I never expected for the all the comments to get as contentious as they did. In fact, I felt the need to use the comment moderation option on the blog, because things were getting a little bit out of hand. I assume full responsibility for the whole fiasco, because ultimately it is me who decides what gets posted to the blog. I knew the "Angry Umpire's Corner" was going to be controversial but I never thought it would anger as many kickballers as it did. So I made the decision to pull the postings and continue on without the Angry Umpire's Corner.
The one constructive thing that came out of this weird event, is that something very useful has been brought to light. There seems to be strong, growing competitive and non-competitive contingencies out there. Different people play kickball for different reasons. Some play for fun, while others play to win. One reason isn't any better than the other. However combing these two styles of kickballers is becoming problematic.
Last season, I was really trying to push the idea of separating the league into two different groups, one competitive group and one fun group. The idea was discussed during an end of season coaches meeting. The coaches recommended we keep fun and competitive teams together. The idea was briefly discussed during a board meeting but without player support, the idea was shelved. However things change...
With the Summer Season slowly approaching and anticipating another large influx of teams, the opportunity to make some format changes is becoming imperative. I know the Spring Season hasn't even ended yet but with the constant problems SCK has been plagued with (example: the rain outs, the lights not working) I can't wait for the Summer to get here. But I digress, if you are a player in favor of making a separate competitive and non-competitive division, please let your voice be heard. You can send an email, send a Facebook message, or track down a board member, umpire, even your own coach. Let them know you feel the seperation would be a great addition to the league. This will ensure that fun and competitive players are able to both enjoy the kickball experience.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Still On Top
Questions/Comments: metermanrich@gmail.com
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
You Have Some 'Splaining To Do!!
Questions/Comments: metermanrich@gmail.com
I knew the "Angry Umpire's Corner" was going to stir some controversy. James "Too Big" Vargas admittedly stated that he was looking to take a more aggressive approach to his kickball writing. Maybe he felt the blogspot postings we are little too pedestrian or boring. His postings are often brutal yet there is some truth behind his insensitive thoughts. "Tough love" is what he likes to call it. Its not my favorite writing style and others feel the same way but it is a different view point, which I feel brings a new flavor to the blog. Although the flavor is a bit bitter.
Another thing I need to mention is, Its Just Kickball's opinions and/or comments are indepdent from that of official Sun City Kickball opinions and/or comments. The opinions on the blogspot are not necessarily the opinions of Sun City Kickball's board, staff, or its agents. Obviously we share extremely close ties, considering there is a link from SCK's official website to the blog. However none of the blog postings or opinions are posted on the SCK website, for the reason that they are in fact independent of each other. The reason why a disclaimer is posted at the top of the blogspot is to ensure that reader recognize that there is a separation.
Its Just Kickball is a place to read about everything happening with Sun City Kickball located in El Paso, Texas. You can read kickball stories, check power rankings, and participate in player polls. The opinions, comments, and/or suggestions are solely that of each individual authors.
I use to write Its Just Kickball for the Thursday Night league until I was banned from participating. The blog has a longer history than just Sun City Kickball. The funny thing is, the whole idea of the blog was meant to be a bit ironic. The blog is aimed at the more dedicated kickball player, looking for more in depth analysis and commentary but in the end, ITS JUST KICKBALL! It shouldn't be taken so seriously. Everything written is done in good fun and designed to make the whole kickball experience that much more enjoyable! It is meant to enhance the game and the league.
So for those of you feel that the Angry Umpire is not in good fun, basically a tad bit ugly, if not ultimately just down right nasty, I would say....skip it, don't read it. Instead just read my posts. = ) "Too Big" James knows that my postings are better anyways, Im the one who has to correct all his mistakes. Keep practicing James. Good thing they didn't have the TAKS when you were in school James because you would probably still be there, playing kickball with all the 3rd graders.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
*Expert Picks*
Rich and Big James both claim to be the foremost authority on kickball in El Paso. Their kickball debates are endless and forgettable but somewhat entertaining. They will now both have the chance to prove they are the real deal when it comes to knowing the who's who of kickball. Each week they will make their picks for each match-up and see who really has their finger of the pulse of Sun City Kickball.
Rich: Shockers
Big James: Shockers
Rich: Billy Bad Asses
Big James: Billy Bad Asses
Drunken Monkeyz v.s 1 More Shot
Rich: Drunken Monkeyz
Big James: Drunken Monkeyz
Red Hot Cherry Poppers v.s Violet Femmes
Rich: Red Hot Cherry Poppers
Big James:Red HotCherryPoppers
Beavers & Balls v.s Pirates!
Rich: Pirates!
Big James: Beavers & Balls
Multiple Scoregasms v.s I'd Hit It
Rich: I'd Hit It
Big James: I'd Hit It
Hash House Harriers v.s Viscious & Delicious
Rich: Viscious & Delicious
Big James: Hash House Harriers
Balls & Dolls v.s. Tu Sabes
Rich: Balls & Dolls
Big James: Balls & Dolls
Kick N Da Balls v.s Los Totally Awesomes Too
Rich: Los Totally Awesomes Too
Big James: Kick N Da Balls
Game of the Week!
Questions/Comments: metermanrich@gmail.com
Due to popular demand, itsjustkickball will be adding a Game of the Week posting. We will be highlighting a game that looks to have all the drama, intensity, and entertainment value we come to expect from a great kickball game.
This week's Game of the Week is the much anticipated match-up between the mighty, unstoppable, ever dominating, team demolishing, two-time champion, bone crushing, ball kicking, home-run slamming, and undisputed heavy weight champions of kickball...the Shockers and their unsuspecting prey Scared Hitless.
The Shockers are undoubtedly the #1 team in SCK. They have two championships back-to-back and an almost flawless record. You can literally count the number of games they lost on one hand. The only regular season lost the Shockers suffered was at the hands of the Drunken Monkeyz. The only other kickball bouts they lost came in a charity kickball tournament, which brought them to a total of 3 loses lifetime. The Shockers have a swagger about them, which is understandable. Team after team has tried to upset the Shocks, only to fall short. They have had numerous scares but when the game is on the line, they always seem to fight back and win. Just ask their nemesis the Balls & Dolls. who had the Shockers on the ropes in a season ending semi-final playoff, only to have the Shocks come back and crush the Bs & Ds dreams of a kickball championship into a million sad tiny little pieces. I had never seen so many grown men cry....
They are now up against a SCK rookie team Scared Hitless who is out to end the Shocker Dynasty.
I don't know much about Scared Hitless. I do know that they are a Thursday night league team, who had a great season last year. Like a bunch of hitmen, they have come to collect a bounty. Everyone wants to play the best and now they will have their chance. However what few people might now know is Scared Hitless has already beaten the Shockers, not once but twice! How can this be? Well remember the two loses the Shocks suffered during that charity tourney, those two spankings came from the paddle of Scared Hitless. During the tourney Scared Hitless played under a different name and now the mask comes off. They have found themselves with an opportunity to beat the Shockers for a third time. This time for all the kickball world to see. This will be a very interesting match-up.
If you have a chance, I would make some time to catch this game. It should be fun, very fun.