Week 2 Preview

Lots of great Peninsula action this week. Let's look at the matchups!

Rumspringa (0-1) vs. 5 O'Clockers (1-1)

"Rumspringaaaaaah!"

Last season, these two teams met early in the year and Rumspringa pulled out what was at the time an upset victory over Gym Tan Kickball. It was at that point, that it became clear that Rumspringa had truly arrived as one of the better teams in the league, after struggling in their first season. It means something to earn a win over the Clockers, and that early victory had to be a huge confidence boost for the 'Springas... Now, we fast forward to the spring 2011 season, and we have a rebuilt 5OC squad looking to reclaim their place among the league's pecking order... In week 1, the Clockers suffered from a lack of mental discipline in their loss to the Jagers before exploding for 16 runs against Off in the Corner. The key for victory for them will be to keep their heads in the game and cut down on the costly throwing errors... In week 1, Rumspringa found themselves on the receiving end of a VD beatdown. During that game, they struggled to place their balls against the superb pitching of Dan Reyes and Jimmy Wilcox. Against the Clockers, the same challenge will be there, as SP Corey Carlyle is one of the best in the game. Rumspringa will have to find a way to handle his nasty pitches if they're going to have a shot at winning... Rumspringa will benefit from having the leadership of captains Sabra Swilley and Scott Moriarty back this week, as they missed the first game while on a scouting assignment. However, their starting catcher Troy Southall is out with an injury and will miss significant time this season. Southall broke his foot trying to bunt one of Wilcox' fireballs in the VD loss... It's going to be tough for the 'Springa without Troy's presence behind the plate.

Saved by the Balls (0-1) vs. Jiminy Kick-It (0-1)

It's alright, 'cuz you're Saved by the Baaaaalls!

This is a matchup between the 2 teams that fell victim to Foul Balls last week. And while both teams lost, there were a lot of positives to take away. Saved by the Balls played one of their best games in franchise history, showed an ability to score runs, and flashed some potential. As noted in the Week 1 recap, captain Allison Hund declared, "...while there may be a stigma attached to Saved By the Balls as an "easy win", the League should be prepared to meet an entirely different team than HRSSC on the field."... JKI made their WAKA Kickball debut on Wednesday, and while they don't have a single player with experience (beyond grade school), they acclimated themselves quite nicely. Their offense came alive in the last inning, scoring 3 runs, and nearly came back to draw the Foulies. If they can carry that momentum into week 2, they could be looking for their first win.

NKotB (0-1) vs. Foul Balls (2-0)

Marie Harper counts how many

wins Foul Balls has currently.

The Foul Balls are riding high after exceeding expectations and sweeping their opening night double header. This week, they look to extend their record to 3-0 by knocking off the New Kickheads. NKotB got their butts handed to them by Moose Knuckles last week, and will be trying to rebound by knocking off the first place team in the league. If they hope to accomplish this, they better have practiced catching fly balls this week. Outfield drops killed them in week 1.

Chubby Gangsters (1-0) vs. Jagernauts (1-0)

Mike Nobile runs to first last week. 

The Chubby Gangsters flexed their muscles last week and dominated an overwhelmed OitC squad. They scored 15 runs in only three innings, in a game that was called due to time. The offensive explosion was a franchise record and made a huge statement to the rest of the league; The Gangbanger s are ready to be contenders... This week though, they should face a stiffer challenge with the experienced Jagernauts. In their first game, the Jagers looked like they hadn't missed a beat all winter and took care of business against a good 5 O'Clockers team. The thing with the Jagers is that there isn't one particular thing they do great (except for maybe drinking) but they do everything very well, and won't make a lot of mistakes. The 'Nauts aren't going to give up too many easy runs on errors... Are the Gangsters worried though? Not really, along with their big opening night win, comes a new found confidence. The CG's Melissa Rarick said recently, "Oh, we plan on staying undefeated."

Chicken Tetrazzini (1-0) vs. Moose Knuckles (1-0)

Current Champions (of Luckie's)

As CT's Adam Henry noted in his write up this week, this is a match up between two spawns of the TailGator franchise. Chicken Tetrazzini spun off of the 'Gators last season when Henry, Andrea Hoffman, and Derek Patterson founded the new team. Nick Anderson and Jiselle Decker played with the 'Gators in the Fall, before breaking off and forming the Knuckles... The Knuckles made a big splash in their first game, cruising to a 7-2 win over New Kickheads before owning Luckie's afterwards. Meanwhile, the Chickens used the tried and true "Nobody believes in us!" motivational tactic to spur them on to victory against Battlestar Ballsacktica... The Tetrazzini do seem to have improved from last season, and this will be a good early season test for them against a very athletic MK team. CT's experience probably helps edge Moose Knuckles here, but it could be close. I wouldn't be surprised to see a tie in the works here.

The Emperors Club (1-0) vs. Rumspringa (0-1)

Look John, you made the blog!

The 2nd game of Rumspringa's double header pits them against VA Peninsula's dynastic powerhouse, The Emperors Club. The VIPs are fresh off of a big week 1 win against Just For Kicks, and the announcement that they will officially compete in the Founders Cup this Fall. They have a lot of momentum going early this season and will look to continue it against Rumspringa... It won't be easy though, as even without C Troy Southall, Rumspringa is a talented and athletic squad that has a lot of pride. They won't just roll over for the VIPs... 'Springa isn't the only team battling some early season bumps and bruises. The VIPs 1B Patrick Jones (quad) is out for the game, and rookie sensation Phil Barr is listed as questionable (knee) on the injury report...

Jagernauts (1-0) vs. Moose Knuckles (1-0)
This may be where we really see how good Moose Knuckles can be. If they can hang with the Jagers, let alone pull out a W, they'll really put themselves on the map and move up the power rankings.

Battlestar Ballsacktica (0-1) vs. Off in the Corner (0-2)

Hope we don't have any crips in the kickball league...

Off in the Corner had a rough night on opening week. Which is probably an understatement given that they were outscored 31-1 in their two games. On the other side of the coin, Battlestar Ballsacktica struggled to take off at the plate against CT, only scoring 1 run in their defeat. Will OitC's porous defense be the cure for BB's offensive woes? Or will Off in the Corner right the ship and take advantage of an inexperienced B-Star squad? One thing is for sure, is that both of these teams have talent and are better than what they showed in week 1. Expect a pretty competitive game that could go either way.

Just For Kicks (0-1) vs. Vicious & Delicious (1-0)

Hello!

There are a lot of great match ups on the schedule in week 2, but there is no doubt that this is the marquee one. Not only is it a possible finals preview, but it's the first meeting in what is sure to become one of the league's best rivalries. These two teams are very familiar with each other, as several noteworthy players left JFK to join the expansion VD squad, including Bryan "NoShoes" Moore, Jimmy Wilcox, Noelle Walsh, and Joey Smith (plus abs). VD co-captain Chris "Bundy" LeBlanc also played previously with JFK in the Spring 2010 season... I can imagine that JFK would love nothing better than to earn a win against the players who decided to jump ship. And at the same time, the aforementioned players are eager to prove that their decision was the right one. This game has all the makings of a classic, and one that will probably attract a good crowd of spectators during the 8:30 time slot.