Sp2011 Tourney Preview - Foul Balls vs. JFK

The next first round matchup, we'll talk about is...

#14 Foul Balls (2-10, 17 RF, 103 RA) vs. #4 Just For Kicks (9-3, 91 RF, 21 RA)

Foul territory.

Just 2 years ago, the Foul Balls held up the prestigous Wentworth Trophy. But as Bob Dylan says, "Times They Are a Changin'". Now only Andreas Beyersdorf, Jen Nardi, and Laura Shayder remain from that epic Spring 2009 championship squad. After a rough season in the Fall, the Foulies looked to rebuild for the Spring with a very new, energetic, and enthusiastic (to say the least) lineup. Early on it looked as if they had found the winning the formula. Foul Balls swept their week 1 double header and peaked at #8 on the Coaches Poll. That would not last however, as once the Foulies started getting into the meat of thier schedule, the wheels quickly fell off and they were not really competitive in any game. In fact, they only managed to stay within 4 runs of one opponent for the the rest of the season (a May 25th 5-1 loss to Battlestar Ballsacktica).

Not that the Foulies goal was ever to be competitive. In fact, they very well could have been as non-competitive as possible on purpose. Lead by the social butterfly Mimi Gill, they were more than content to go out, have fun, and make as many new friends as possible. Hell, this is the team that actually decided to have their own theme week! I don't think they measure the amount of fun they have in wins and losses.

The pirates of War Memorial.

However, that doesn't mean that they won't be trying their best on Saturday. One of the (several) knocks on Foul Balls has been that their outfield defense is very pourous and prone to getting taken advantage of. Within the past few weeks, they've made a tactical switch to move Jen Nardi and Mimi Gill into the starting pitching roles, which allows them to put another guy out into the outfield. Nardi in particular has given them pretty good production, as she can actually hurl the ball pretty good to the plate. By making this move, the Foulies may be able to limit some of the JFK damage.

And make no mistake, JFK is a team that will do some damage. If you thought John Kreese was bad in the Karate Kid, you have no idea. Bryan Freed and company will seriously show 'no mercy'. Since losing on May 11th to the Moose Knuckles, JFK has been on a mission to dominate the league. They've ripped off a 7 game winning streak with an average score of 11.29 to 0.85... Now granted, this run has been against teams that have a combined 23-56 record. Only the Jagernauts (7-5) and Chicken Tetrazzini (6-6) were at .500 or better during the last 7 games of the season for JFK. So, they've definitely shown that they can dominate against lower performing teams, however after 2 months without a serious challenge, how prepared will JFK be once they get into the 2nd round and beyond of the tourney?

More than likely they will be more than prepared for the challenge. Freed has lead JFK to the past two league championship finals. He knows what it takes to go deep, and will have his squad ready. This team that has a very good mixture of speed (Dr. Jeremy Pinier, Eric Stevens, Cregan Brady) and power (Wes McClain, JC Cashwell, Daniel Shaw, Andrew Swenck). It's by no accident that this team over whelmed their opponents. They have the tools to put a lot of pressure on the defenses they face... Defensively, they are loaded at every position with talent. Stevens is one of the best catchers in the country when he brings his game, Shaw has proven to be a very serviceable pitcher, and the combo of Phil Nadolski (the only straight George Michael impersonator), McClain, and Pinier have been very effective at charger all season. And of course, JC contributes no matter where you put him on the field, least of which is at pitcher where he is without a doubt a world class talent. Perhaps what stands out most about the JFK defense is the contribution of their female players. Sarah Rourke, Jillian Simms, Nikki LeBlanc, and Sarah Crecelius are all standout performers who will be in contention to make the All-Peninsula team honors at the end of the season. 1B Ryan Dotson paid tribute to these lady JFKers in a blog post last month.

Back to the matchup, these two teams have met recently, with JFK coming out on top 10-2. It was a game that produced, in my opinion, one of the best volumes of Nathaniel Johnson's "A Man With his (Foul) Balls" columns to date.

"We decided that like the Bay of Pigs fiasco we would rush into the fray undermanned, underfunded and underdogs. Inspired by our 35th president, the Foul Balls chose to adopt an original J.F.K. strategy. Containment seemed like too conservative a choice, plus it was a policy that carried our nation into the Vietnam War. Instead we settled on our own JFK strategy: Just Fu*kin Kick."

Classic... Whether or not the Foulies decide to implement the "JFK" strategy against JFK this weekend, it probably won't matter. JFK should easily win this one, however, they play the game on the field and not on a blog. Anything can happen.