Uh Oh Says Veteran Teams

Two small words can some up Week #3 quite easily, Uh and Oh. Kickball Nation was treated to, not one, but three big upsets on Wednesday night. For the past couple of seasons, the elite teams at SCK have used the regular season as one long practice. They would only take a couple of games seriously, usually when matched up against their tougher opponents. However in reality much of the season was prep work for the playoffs. That is all about to change... The gap between the mid-range teams and the top teams is becoming increasingly smaller with each passing week. The mid-range teams are growing by leaps and bounds. The veteran teams need to start taking note, because the younger franchises are starting to blossom.

As part of the Original Six, the Shocker name is synonymous with big time kickball. Most of Kickball Nation is familiar with their kickaball credentials. As two-time SCK champs and Final Four regulars, its hard not to be aware of their presence. However not all kickballers have taken notice of a newer franchise team, Suck My Kick, that is making big statements with their much improved kickball skills.

I'm sure many over-looked the match-up between the Shockers and Suck My Kick. However, this match up really peaked my interest. Especially after the Shockers started off their season with an Opening Day loss to Lights Out. This match up had upset written all over it. Suck My Kick has been slowly progressing up the kickballer ladder, while the Shockers are quickly tumbling off it. Granted that the Shockers aren't a horrible team, not by any means. They are just losing their killer instinct. They need to find it and quick or things may get worse for this veteran crew.

But I digress, Suck My Kick is the real story here. They were able to win their game 3-1 against an elite SCK team, even after one of their female players was kicked out of the game for "giving the ump the business", leaving them to finish the game with a 8 fielder defense. Not an easy thing to do. Nice work.

Another notable upset came at the hands of the often forgotten Scoregasms. They were slated against the veteran players of the Thundercats. Although the Thundercats only have 2 seasons with SCK, not consecutive seasons mind you, folks should be aware that they are in fact an elite kickaball squad. They have tons of tourney experience, as well as other league experience, but not with SCK. So when word came down that the Scoregasms took down the Thundercats, kickball insiders were in disbelief. However those in attendance say there was no question about it, the Scoregams were absolutely the better team on that field. Even though their win does seem marginal with a 3-2 final, a win is a win and they did make a statement. The Scoregasms have I'd Hit It next, which will be a better measuring stick and be a more telling match up. I'd Hit should be ready too, as they will be coming off of a 10-2 beat down of Pitch, Please. This will be a game to watch.

And finally, the Pièce de résistance, the unconvincing crew of Lights Out shocked last season's championship runner-up, Kixxx. I will be the first to admit I wasn't sold on Lights Out. Their off-season personnel changes made me weary and I just wasn't convinced watching them play. However they quickly changed my mind and much of Kickball Nation as they put away Kixxx by a close score of 2-1. Which now means that they have the Shockers and Kixxx on their kill board. They should have also had Kickers with a Drinking Problem, but that ended in a sister kissing contest.

Now in regards to Kixxx, they are nowhere close to panic mode. They had a huge 19-0 annihilation during Week #1 and then they had to battle back to a 5-2 win last week against Suck My Kick during Week #2. They are still the 2nd best team in the league; however the one thing that absolutely has to change is team morale. Kixxx has the mental toughness of a 8 week old infant. They break down way to quick and you can say it all over their faces. And no matter how many times their coach tries to rally them, his efforts are often in vain. From near fights within their own dugout and starting players showing up late, they need to start doing some internal inventory and fixing some things. Their few loses are not coming from play out in the field, they are coming from within the dugout.

Well that's all for now...

Good Luck and Happy Kicking

 

Week #2 - Recap

Even this early in the season, the true kickball contenders are starting to become apparent. Aside from the normal veteran powerhouses, there are a couple of young teams that are quickly making a name for themselves. Namely, Suck My Kick and Drinkers with a Kicking Problem. Although neither team was able to earn a win this past week, both teams did make a statement with their effort on the field.

Suck My Kick had to tangle with the always dangerous Kixxx kickball squad. I think most of Kickball Nation anticipated that Kixxx would walk away with the win; however it was far from a dominating performance. Suck My Kick looked like the better team, but their inexperience cost them the game. Even though they were able to get ahead early, if you let an experienced, talented like Kixxx hang around and stay in the game, they WILL rally. And that is exactly what happened. Suck My Kick played well, but they made just enough mistakes for Kixxx to capitalize and take control. Kixxx, again, is very experienced and incredibly talented. They have been playing this game for many seasons and it shows. They were able to work themselves off the ropes and come back to earn a 5-2 victory. However, Suck My Kick seems to be getting better and better with each passing game. Look for them to contend and expect to see them in the playoffs.

The Drinkers with a Kicking Problem continue to impress all of Kickball Nation. Although they ended in a tie with Lights Out (Formerly the Longstrokes), their natural talent and ability is obvious. This game should have been chalked up as a win for the Drinkers, but their hesitant base running and miscues cost them a handful of runs. The scoreboard should have read differently. Either way, the Drinkers had to stomach a tie. They are on a bye-week this upcoming up week. Hopefully they dedicate that time to work on their base running.

A couple of notable items: The New Kicks on the Block, Foreplay, the Drunken Monkeyz, and Kickin' N' Screamin' all earned shut outs this week. They all held their opponents to zero runs.

There were also a couple of blood bath alerts this past week as Foreplay, the Thundercats, and Los Totally Awesomes all scored in the double digits.
Foreplay won - 17 - 0
LTA won - 17 - 6
Thundercats won 13 - 2

Last but not least, a battle of two veteran squads played out at Memo V. 4- Time Champs, Kickin' N' Screamin came of an opening day bye week to compete with a strong I'd Hit It squad. The boxscore had KNS out of the gate quick with 3 runs and then fell silent until they 3rd inning where they made a small 1- run yelp. I'd Hit It fell asleep on the offensive side of the ball and fell victim to a shut out. Their only saving grace was they didn't get slaughtered. They kept it close, but don't know if that's something you want to hang your hat on. KNS is still looking deadly and that won't be changing any time soon.

That's all for now...

Good Luck and Happy Kicking

Hope is a Dangerous Thing

No Pre-Season Polls?  No Pre-Season Predictions? Bah Humbug!

But it's all too late for that now, for Sun City Kickball's Fall 2012 Season is off and running.

Every SCK season starts with a large amount of relief and a small bit of hope. The off-season seems to last forever, but once opening day rolls around, the wait and the impatience all seems to disappear. Catching up with old friends, as well as old rivals, is what kickball is all about. There is a good amount of camaraderie among kickball folks. There truly is. However, all those happy butterfly feelings seem to quickly give way, as the reality of competition starts to flood back.

That's where IJK comes in. It's Just Kickball, right? Right?!? Well unfortunately or fortunately, what ever side you fall on, it never is "just" kickball. So before the season starts, fair warning, IJK is for the dedicated kickballer (as ridiculous as that sounds). Like with anything else in this world, some folks happen to nerd-out on different things. Kickball Nation happens to nerd-out on kickball. Kickball Nation lives here. So if your feelings are easily hurt, read no further, however; if you are truly competitive at heart and a kickball nerd to boot... read on.

Everyone "hopes" to have a good season. There are some teams that practice, come up with strategies, and dedicate themselves to compete on a high level. While there are other teams that merely show up each week and try to win games. Both types of teams "hope" to have a good season. But which type of team ultimately has the advantage? I honestly can't say one way or another, every team is different. However I can say that the teams that do practice and commit seem to perform at a higher level than those who do not. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised by a couple of teams that looked sharp opening day.

On the Radar

There were a ton of whispers and questions about Drinkers with a Kicking Problem. This is their 2nd season with SCK. As rookies last season, they dominated the competition in the Lone Star Divsion. This season they make the jump to the big leagues and not without notice. "The Old Timers" and "Original Six" members tend to ignore or immediately dismiss any new, rookie, or beginning teams that aren't up to par. However the Drinkers seem to have the attention of alot of the veteran teams. Which is warranted, considering that the Drinkers totally dismantled the returning Hash House Harriers to the tune of 13-1. Keep an eye on this team. They have natural talent and ability. They are slowly building up experience, which will make them extremely dangerous with each passing game. Next up they have Lights Out, formerly known as the Longstrokes. This game will be a good measuring stick for both teams.

Speaking of Lights Out, I have to be honest and say I had very little hope for this team. Im always wary when teams starting changing their name, losing players, picking up new ones, etc. It's hard to gauge how a modified team will do. Last season the Longstrokes were coming into their own, playing some strong competitive kickball. Now my understanding is they have more than a few new pieces of personnel on the field. So they are in that dreaded "time will tell" category. However they were decent enough to take down Original Six Member, the Shockers. Although the Shockers did have a considerable attendance issue, but in the end the scoreboard read 2-1, Lights Out advantage. Looks like the Shockers are headed towards retirement and Lights Out is still full of life.

Another HUGE surprise came from another Original Six member, Los Totally Awesomes. They been here since the league was founded, but they were never considered a "competitive" team. They love the game immensely, but never took their competitiveness to the next level. However, considering they were able to hold down the New Kicks on the Block to a dead even 2-2 tie, things are looking up for LTA. It was only a matter of time before they figured out the formula to win games and the equation didnt involve sugar, spice, and everything nice. Looks like they want to play some kickball now.

The New Kicks are a Final Four team from last season and are quickly becoming one of SCK's Elite Squads. Although their opening day performance was mediocre, you can still expect a lot from this team as the season progresses. Their next opponent is Kickballaz, which should be a confidence booster for New Kicks and an easy win.

Another honorable mention has to go out to the Thundercats. After a one season lay-off , these Kitty Cats are back in action. There 5-1 win over Pitch, Please wasn't necessarily impressive, but I'm sure knocking off some of the kickball rust is going to take some time.

The Fall '12 season looks promising... I havent been this excited about a kickball season in a long time.

Good Luck Kickballers and Happy Kicking