Sp2011 Tourney Preview - Saved by the Balls vs. Chubby Gangsters

**UPDATE** Due to Foul Balls vacating their slot in the tournament, we have reseeded, the first round match between Saved by the Balls and Chubby Gangsters will not take place. The Chubby Gangsters will now face Off in the Corner, while Saved by the Balls will play JFK in the first round.

Part 4 of our mega tournament preview (that I probably won't have time to finish)...

#14 Saved by the Balls (0-12, 15 RF, 117 RA) vs. #3 Chubby Gangsters (10-2, 66 RF, 19 RA) 

Bethany Show will BLEED if that's
what it takes to win a game.

Ben Franklin once said, "In this world nothing is certain, except for death and taxes." Well, I have a feeling if he was around today, he'd probably add "Saved by the Balls losing at kickball" to the statement. In their 2nd full season of WAKA kickball, the Balls have gone 0-24 and given up over 10 runs a game... It's been a tough go for them, to say the least, but that's not to say there haven't been a few glimmers of hope. While inconsistent, they do have some athletes on the team. David Chappell is a serviceable catcher and Trace Ferre has a monster leg (against the VIPs, Ferre blasted a deep 3 run bomb). Reports are that Head Coach Jon Hund has been working with his team to implement some of the strategies of the league's most successful teams.

Rarick, Nobile, Cook, Martin, Patterson, and Chakra
are the original founders of the Chubby Gangsters.

Whether SbtB can get a big win in the tourney or not this season, they need look no further for the blueprint for going rags to riches than their first round opponent, the Chubby Gangsters. Only 4 seasons ago, the Chubby Gangsters debuted in WAKA and went 1-11 and were outscored 13 runs to 92. Since then, they've continued to work hard and improve until they finally broke through to the upper echelon of the league. The Gangbangers are only one of three teams to win 10 games this season, and had big wins over Rumspringa, the Jagernauts, and The Emperors Club. Captains Buster Patterson and Tracy Colby have kept their core group of Chubbies together, and their combined experience has been very beneficial. Especially, when it comes to the training and development of numerous rookies, including P Jeffrey Scott and C AJ Derr. The duo paired with strong armed charger Steve Midlik and helped form one of the league's best defenses. (The CGs only allowed 1.58 runs per game; 3rd in the league this Spring). The Gangsters definitely needed the defense to be stout, because they occasionally struggled to score runs on the offensive side. The defense was crucial in several victories, including a 1-0 win over Rumspinga, a 2-0 win over the VIPs, a 2-1 win over CT, and a 3-0 win over Battlestar Ballsacktica.

Steve Midlik at the plate.

If there is any hope for Saved by the Balls in this game, it will be in the fact that the Chubbies don't have the most explosive offense. If the Gangsters come out flat in the morning and Saved by the Balls avoids the back breaking errors, than they'll have a punchers chance. Kind of like a plucky no-name college in the NCAA basketball tournament.

One could also look at it this way. After 24 games without a win, Saved by the Balls is due, right? Or will the Chubby Gangsters continue their rise to the top of the league?

The winner of the game will face the winner of Battlestar Ballsacktica and Rumspringa. These two teams met on June 22nd. CG won the game 10-0.