It's been a long winter, but the time has finally come. It's the return of WAKA Wednesdays at War Memorial Stadium. This season is the biggest season yet on the Peninsula, with 15 teams and over 260 players! To kick off season right, I'm going to run down each team in the league, from least likely (in my opinion) to most likely to win it all, and give my thoughts and inputs (with a little help from America's favorite cokehead, Charlie Sheen).
# 15 Saved by the Balls
Captains: Jonathan Hund & Allison Hund
Color: Forrest Green
Fall 2010 Record: 0-12 (12th Place)
All-Time Record: 0-12
Wentworth Trophies: 0
Best Charlie Sheen Quote: "Can't is the cancer of happening."
The former Hampton Roads Sports and Social Club made their debut last season and became the first team in league history to go winless for an entire season. But while most teams had no problem beating them on the field, no one could beat their attitude. Lead by captains Jon and Allison Hund, the newly rebranded Saved By The Balls is one of the most positive groups of players in WAKA history, which is why I chose the Charlie Sheen quote that I did. As one of the most 'seasoned' teams last Fall, HRSSC struggled with a lack of athleticism. Many of those players have decided to retire (not just from kickball, but from their careers too probably), so the team should be more competitive. While I predict them to finish at the bottom of the table once again, I do believe that they will get some wins. Cuz, it's allll right, when you're Saved by the Baaaaalls! #14 Foul Balls
Captains: Jen Nardi & Andreas Beyersdorf
Color: Irish Green
Fall 2010 Record: 3-9 (9th Place)
All-Time Record: 28-25-3 (.500)
Wentworth Trophies: 1 (Spring 2009)
Best Charlie Sheen Quote: "C’mon bro, I won best picture at 20. I wasn’t even trying. I wasn’t even warm."
To the Spring 2009 VA Peninsula champions, who've seen a steady decline since hoisting the Wentworth Trophy two years ago (Foul Balls has gone 11-22-2 in the past three seasons) A number of factors have contributed to the fall of the Foulies; Several key players had moved out of the area, some have left via free agency (Roger Jackson to the VIPs, Greg Moore to the Chubby Gangsters, Khalid Nelson to NKotB), while at the same time, the level of competition has improved overall in the league as returning teams gained more experience. Still, captains Andreas Beyersdorf and Jen Nardi are carrying the Foul Ball flag with pride. The team has rebuilt around a core group from last season by adding several free agents to the squad. If the free agents turn out to be athletic, the experienced captains may be able to bring them up to speed and the team could be competitive. And if not, hey, these guys know how to have a good time regardless, so I wouldn't worry.
#13 Jiminy Kick-It
Captains: Brandon Accordino & Crissy Accordino
Color: Texas Hokie Orange
Fall 2010 Record: N/A
All-Time Record: N/A
Wentworth Trophies: 0
Best Charlie Sheen Quote: "I'm grandiose. Because I live a grandiose life. I'm not aw shucks... because I'm gnarly."
This is a brand new team that has absolutely zero kickball experience, so they will probably end up taking their lumps in their inaugural season. But from everything I can tell, Brandon and Crissy Accordino and company are some "gnarly" (to quote Charlie Sheen), as they've made appearances at both offseason socials and are already blending into our little kickball community... And while it'll be a challenge on the field, they have been helped greatly by practicing with Chicken Tetrazzini who have showed them some of the ropes... This team is a sure lock to break at least one league record though, and that is for most tweets during the season. This is mostly thanks to JKI's Kandice Dabney (@RottenKandee), who tweets approximately 538 times a day.
#12 New Kickheads on the Block
Captain: Amanda Hassell
Color: Navy Blue
Fall 2010 Record: 3-9 (10th place)
All-Time Record: 3-9 (.188)
Wentworth Trophies: 0
Best Charlie Sheen Quote: "I mean, what's not to love? Especially when you see how I party man, it's epic. The run I was on made Sinatra, Flynn, Jagger, Richards, all of them, just look like droopy-eyed, armless children."
New Kicks on the Block were one of the premier party teams on Wednesdays in the fall. Whether it was rounding up people for flip cup or starting the dance party off on the floor (or on the bar), Captain Amanda Hassell, sidekick Courtney Efird, and company always brought hard at Luckie's. Going into the spring season, New Kicks on the Block will be adding a lot of new pieces to the mix. Andy Tapley and several of the more competitively focused NKotB players from last year have broken off and started their own team. leaving Hassell having to rebuild with several unfamiliar names. Hard to say how they will do on the field, however, I would be highly surprised if they don't bring it in Trici's "Bar Buzz" every week.
#11 Chicken Tetrazzini
Captains: Derek Patterson, Adam Henry, and Andrea Hoffman
Color: Pink
Fall 2010 Record: 3-8-1 (8th place)
All-Time Record: 3-8-1 (.292)
Wentworth Trophies: 0
Best Charlie Sheen Quote: "If you're a part of my family, I will love you violently."
This quote is dedicated to one of the closest teams on the Peninsula. The Chicken Tetrazzini team really is like a family, whether it's cooking out, partying, practicing, or getting together to watch a WWE pay per view, this team is always having a good time together. And the team chemistry will be one of their best assets this season, if they hope to win some games... Last season, Chicken Tetrazzini started out hot, winning 3 of their first 5 games and having a close 3-0 loss to The Emperors Club. After the first quarter of the season, the wheels fell off for CT and they struggled to win some games. If the defense, lead by C Taylor Wilson, can stay tight and play as strong as they did the first part of last season, they could do some damage. That remains to be seen though, but regardless if the losses continue to pile up in 2011, one thing is for sure, they won't let it ruin their friendships (insert: aaaaws).
We continue the Mega WAKA VA Peninsula Preseason Preview in Part 2...
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