Spring 2011 - Week 7 Preview

Saved by the Balls (0-6) vs. 5 O'Clockers (4-2)

"The Smooth Operator" &"The Show-Stopper"

are good friends off the field, but in week 7

they'll be enemies on it.

Saved by the Balls showed some real improvement last week as they were tied with Rumspringa through the first two before buckling. They'll be looking to continue their progress, but it won't be easy against a Clocker team that has a tendency to destroy lower tiered teams. Against teams with losing records, 5OC is 3-0 and have outscored them 37-2. I hope Britney Travis has a better bedside manner as a nurse, because when it comes to kickball, she shows no mercy... The 5OC's Jeff Pauley will be going for his 2nd career home run in this game. If he does succeed, will he dedicate this one to his loving wife, Kristen as well?

Don't judge David Seko. It's a very good way to lose weight.

Battlestar Ballsacktica (2-3) vs. The Emperors Club (5-0-1)
I've thought about how the best way to preview this game would be for a while now, which is partly the reason the preview hasn't been posted until this point... I finally came to the conclusion that this game is probably impossible to preview. I can't really spend time breaking down run differentials and trend analysis for this kickball game when we have just received the biggest reminder ever that there is more to life. In the first game since Tyler's tragic accident last week, I can only imagine that the emotions will be high all around. I can only hope that getting back onto the kickball field will be a helpful release for the grieving players on Battlestar.

Rumspringa (2-3-1) vs. Off in the Corner (0-6)

OitC is winless at War Memorial,
but not at Luckie's.

Although winless, OitC had been improving week over week before running into a VD buzz saw that dropped 20 runs on them last week. Against Rumspringa, they hope to find the winning formula. If they want to do that, they'll have to find a way to manufacture runs. OitC is only averaging 0.5 runs a game. Captain Crystal Tanner will have to make some adjustments to their lineup, because with all the athletes they have on that team, there is no reason they shouldn't be producing more... Rumspringa's last game was against SbtB, another winless team. They may have let complacency set in just a bit, because the first couple of innings were a deadlocked 3-3 tie, before they pulled away. With captains Sabra Swilley and Scotty Moriarty out of town this week, they will be counting on the team to combat complacency without their leadership. If the 'Springa fails to do that and comes out unorganized and/or takes OitC lightly, than we could be seeing the makings of an upset.

Foul Balls (2-5) vs. Jagernauts (4-2)
Since winning their first two games, the Foulies have gone into a downward spiral, losing their past 5 matchups, none of which have been by close. They're matched up with a Jager team that is fresh off of an efficient 8-0 victory over JKI. They will be missing two of their best players, Kim "Silver Bush" Merritt (travel) and Mike Seals (injury), however, it shouldn't matter much in this, the first game of a double header for the 'Nauts. (Of course, the Foulies will be down a man too, as the search for Zack Galifinakis continues.)

Get well soon, Seals!

New Kickheads (4-2) vs. Off in the Corner (0-6)
We've already covered OitC in the preview for their 6:30 game, so let's look at the scouting report for their opponents, NKotB. The Kickheads are a very fast, athletic, and aggressive team. They can be a nightmare for opponents on offense against most teams, as quite frankly it's just hard to defend ludicrous speed. However, they are still very green, and their inexperience can hurt them at times. Agressive baserunning against the Kickheads can result in throwing errors and other miscues. Heading into this week, OitC has not scored a run in over 10 innings. If they can take advantage of some rookie mistakes, that could change and we could have a game on our hands.

Rumspringa (2-3-1) vs. Moose Knuckles (4-2)

The Moose Knuckles were flying high after they became just the 3rd team in VA Peninsula history to defeat the mighty JFK. They won't have much time to celebrate, as this week, they'll have their hands full with another strong squad. Rumspringa has really started to come alive after a rough first couple of weeks that saw them on the losing end against many of the league's top teams. I'd have to say this is probably my game of the week, as I could see this one going either direction.

Chubby Gangsters (4-1) vs. Jiminy Kick-It (2-5)

Most kickball pundits predicted that the Chubby Gangsters were going to be improved, but few, if any, could have predicted a 4-1 start to their season. This is a team that has never won more than 5 games in any season prior to Spring 2011. If they can win against JKI, it will tie the franchise record only 7 weeks into the season... But they can't expect to just show up and win. Jiminy Kick-It won't make it that easy. While they are 3 games under .500, for a team that had absolutely zero kickball experience, they have been impressive. Only 2 of their 5 losses have been by five or more runs, and they are one of the only teams to defeat Moose Knuckles this year. If Buster Patterson doesn't have his squad focused and ready to play, than JKI might scare them.

Rich Crawford and Brandon Accordino are ready to chase some Chubbys.

Vicious & Delicious (5-1) vs. Jagernauts (4-2)

Now, this is the game that Jager will really miss The Silver Bush and Seals' competitive kickball experience in. VD has been absolutely ruthless since losing to the VIPs in week 3. They've outscored their opponents 42-1 in the past three games, and have made it publicly known that they plan on breaking JFK's record for most runs scored in a season (11.33 runs per game). Of course, the Jagernauts, with or without Seals and Merritt, will be a lot tougher to run up the score on than BB, OitC, and the Foul Balls were. In fact, I'd be surprised if the 'Nauts didn't keep it close and make Bundy and Dave Dixon sweat a bit. Joe Mazzitti, Dan Moore, and Kevin Gitkos have all been having standout seasons on offense, so this is a team that can score runs on even the best defenses.

Chicken Tetrazzini (3-3) vs. Just For Kicks (3-3)

As late as a couple of weeks ago, one would look at this game as a huge mismatch in JFK's favor. However, that's not the case any longer. After falling to the expansion team, Moose Knuckles last week, it became clear that this is not your father's JFK (referring to past seasons of the kickball team, not the former president). The aura of invinsibility that once surrounded Bryan Freed and his squad has been shattered. With these two teams both coming in with 3-3 records, it's very conceiveable that this will be a close and competitive game... Chicken Tetrazzini, while they lost, looked very impressive against the top ranked VIPs last week. They were very aggressive on the bases and jumped all over the very few mistakes The Emperors Club defense made, scoring 3 runs against the champs... If Just For Kicks doesn't right the ship and play better than they did last week, the list of teams who have 'Beat JFK' on their resume may very well increase by one.