Spring 2011 - Week 4 Preview!

Battlestar Ballsacktica (2-1) vs. Vicious & Delicious (3-1)

NoShoes and Jesika Johnson will be looking forward to
boarding the Battlestar this week.

The Battlestar Ballsacktica squad stumbled out of the gate, losing in week 1 against Chicken Tetrazzini. But since then, they've done very well, winning their next two games by a margin of 20-2. They have a high powered offense, with a lot of versatile bunters and power kickers. They have the athletes to compete on the level of anyone in the league, including Vicious & Delicious. And while they have as much athleticism as anyone, what they lack is experience. Something that VD has in spades. Dave Dixon and Chris "Bundy" LeBlanc have assembled a squad that has years and years of experience playing competitive kickball on a national level. If and when BB makes a rookie mistake, you can bet that VD will pounce on it. This will be a good measuring stick for the Ballsacks. And even if they fall short, it'll be a good learning experience for the young Battlestar.

Jonathan Pilz will need to bring this intensity on Wednesday if BB
has any hope of pulling the upset.

Moose Knuckles (2-2) vs. Foul Balls (2-3)
These two teams both started out the season 2-0, but have failed to find the win column since then. Unless you count the Bar Buzz, where both teams have held the championship belt with pride. Both teams will be eager to bounce back and get the victory. And if they fall short, than it's no worries. 6:30 game = Early start at winning back their Bar Buzz titles at Luckie's.

These guys take their Wednesday night partying serious.

Saved by the Balls (0-3) vs. New Kickheads (2-1)

Bedazzling! 

NKotB is looking to extend their 2 game winning streak in week 4, with a victory over SbtB. Last week, they looked like they were headed for defeat against JKI, but they pulled it out late (that's how babies are made FYI). Meanwhile, Saved by the Balls is looking to rebound after an 11-0 trouncing at the hands of Battlestar Ballsacktica. In that BB game, the Balls were hurt by inconsistent play in the outfield. Much like BB, NKotB has a team full of strong kickers, including Courtney Efird, who will burn you if you aren't careful. If the Saved by the Balls outfield can avoid making too many mistakes, they have a shot at winning this game. But if they have a case of the droppsies, it'll be a long afternoon for Jon Hund's squad.  Side note: Really looking forward to seeing what the New Kickheads came up with for 'Pimp Yo Shirt'. Reports are that they spent Saturday afternoon boozing it up and working on their unis. Last year, there was a lot of glitter and bedazzling. Will they top that this season?

Jiminy Kick-It (2-2) vs. Chicken Tetrazzini (2-1)
JKI founders Brandon and Crissy Accordino got into WAKA after hearing about it from their friends Scott and Krystal Kenney. And because of that friendship, Chicken Tetrazzini became the unofficial "mentor" for JKI. The two teams held joint practices and scrimmages leading up the season, where the CT vets have taught the rookies some of the strategies of the game. You could see the results right away as JKI has started out 2-2, which is very rare for a team in their first season of kickball. In particular, the results are seen in the offensive output. Using the small ball game to set up the big kickers, JKI has produced a respectable average of 4 runs per game so far... Now, in week 4, the pupils will get a shot at the teachers when the two teams face each other at 7:30 at War Memorial. Will they be able to snatch the pebble from the master's hand? Or will the Chickens give them another lesson on the field? "Remember always, the wise man walks with his head down. Humble, like the dust."

Jiminy Kick-It? More like Jiminy Kicks Ass.

5 O'Clockers (3-1) vs. Just For Kicks (1-2)

Briters and the Clockers are coming for YOU!

The Clockers are the hottest team in kickball (and I'm not just talking about Courtney Travis' performance at Luckie's on Wednesday). They've won their last 3 games, which is the longest streak in the league. Meanwhile, JFK opened the season with close losses to The Emperors Club and Vicious & Delicious, before bouncing back with a convincing win against Rumspringa. Don't write them off just because they lost their first two games. They have a lot of talent, and now that they've regained the taste of winning, they'll be hungry to reclaim their place as one of the league's elite... Historically, these are two of the best teams in the league. Both the Clockers and JFK rank in the top 4 for winning percentage (teams with 2 or more seasons), and together they've appeared in 5 out of the 8 League Championship Finals... The winner of this game will definitely have a lot of confidence after the first quarter of the season is in the books. This is the game to watch this week.

Fact: Freed is the man.

The Emperors Club (2-0-1) vs. Saved by the Balls (0-3)

Saved by the Balls started out last Fall as the expansion HRSSC and went 0-12 for the season. So far, this season they're off to an 0-3 start, still searching for that elusive first victory. But there is signs of hope. With plenty of fresh blood and new recruits, SbtBs has been competitive in nearly all of their games (meaning they haven't been blown out at least). Newcomer Trace Ferre recently went on record and said, "I gaurantee we will get at least one win this season." So while the confidence is good, don't expect that this game will be the one, as the people who the Balls had Saved will be squaring off against VA Peninsula's dynastic VIPs... The VIPs are fresh off of a big win against rivals VD, and are looking to continue the momentum. Complacency could be an issue for them though, as it is sometimes hard to keep the same level of focus when playing lower tiered teams. (The VIPs could be battling complacency all night, as they have a double header against two teams with a combined record of 0-7 and a run differential of -62.)

Chubby Gangsters (2-1) vs. Chicken Tetrazzini (2-1)

The Gangsters and the Chickens make a great duo.

In March this was voted the league's top rivalry, by the WAKA VA Peninsula fans. As noted in that post, these teams are so close, that it's sometimes hard to tell where Chicken Tetrazzini ends and the Chubby Gangsters begin. When you go to Luckie's it's not uncommon to see more light blue and pink bunched together than an Easter basket. Last season, they decided against the traditional Rock, Paper, Scissors to determine home field advantage, and opted to Shotgun beers at home plate. The season, they've decided to up the ante, but have been kept their plans G-14 classified. The CG's Melissa Rarick commented, "All I can say is that the decision for home field will be epic!"

As far as the kickball game, I tried to get several Chubby Gangsters and Chicken Tetrazzini's on the record talking trash to each other, but to no avail. "I love playing the Chubby Gangsters!" Andrea Hoffman said, "They come out with a great attitude and no matter what happens on the field, we'll still be the best friends that anyone could have and we'll never, ever, ever, ever, ever, leave each other. It's going to be one big baby shower!"


Not sure what that means, but I know this will be a fun and spirited game between great friends.

Rumspringa (0-3-1) vs. Jagernauts (3-1)
"I know Brian Yohn likes to compare us to Rocky & Apollo, but I think the Jager-Rumspringa relationship is better compared to that of Ricky Bobby and Cal Naughton Jr.", Ashlee Gitkos commented, "On the field this week, we'll be Magic Man and El Diablo (that's Spanish for, like, a fighting chicken, for those of you who don't habla Espanol). But when we get to Luckie's, it's Shake 'n' Bake time! Slingshot, engage!"

The Rumspringa/Jager alliance will go head to head in week 4. 

Off in the Corner (0-4) vs. The Emperors Club (2-0-1)

This is a matchup between the two longest running continuous franchises in VA Peninsula history. The Emperors Club joined the league in the Fall of 2007, under the name "Bad Newz Kennelz". While, the roots of Off in the Corner go all the way back to the very first season, Spring 2007 (OitC has played under several names including Mulligans, Corn Doggers, and most frequently, the TailGators). All together, the two teams have played in a total of 181 VA Peninsula regular season kickball games... During this time, the 'Gators have been the league's whipping post with only 18 wins lifetime, while the VIPs have won 4 Wentworth Trophies and are always at the top of the standings. Although the two teams have been on opposite ends of the success scale, they've had some classic battles on the field.

• Spring 2009 Quarterfinals: After 4 innings, the score was 0-0. Randy Devlin hit a home run with 2 outs in the top of the 5th to give the VIPs a narrow 1-0 victory.
• Fall 2010 Regular Season: Although the VIPs won 9-3, the 'Gators did account for 21% of the VIPs runs against for the entire season in that game.
• Fall 2007 Semi-Finals: This is probably the biggest upset in VA Peninsula history. Top ranked Bad Newz Kennelz was stunned in the first round by the winless TailGators (which featured current Jagernaut Liz Sims.)

So, as you can see, it's not necessarily a gimme that the VIPs will roll over OitC on Wednesday night. Especially when you consider that The Emperors Club is only averaging 2 runs per game this season. Off in the Corner has improved their runs allowed each game, going from 16, 15, 9, and then 6 last week. They are showing signs of improvement, so don't be shocked if this game is closer than you'd expect... One other game note: This will be the first time John Laneave will face his former team since joining The Emperors Club in the winter. "I'm looking forward to beating Off in the Corner at War Memorial," Laneave said, "but obviously won't know for sure until close to game time." (Laneave's wife is currently expecting a baby and is due early next week. VIP Head Coach George Kiriazidis has generously approved a one week paternity leave for Laneave if his wife is in labor during VA Peninsula action).

Before they were the VIPs, they were Bad Newz Kennelz.