All-Peninsula Team - Honorable Mentions

Well, over the weekend, I spent about 20 hours compiling, writing, and posting the All-Peninsula teams (if you didn't see the posts, here is 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Teams) A lot of thought and effort went into the careful crafting of the teams, as I really wanted to recognize those players who really stood out as having the best seasons. Thankfully, you guys didn't shit on me (at least not to my face) and I got a lot of positive feedback and some good dialogue and debate. With only having room for 33 players on the All-Peninsula teams, certainly some people were left out, so I want to use this post to talk about some of the feedback and also recognize some of the players that just came short of receiving all of the honor, glory, fame, and fortune of being selected by some loser with no life to his kickball league internet all-star team.

First off, let's start with Ricky Holmes. After receiving 3rd Team All-Peninsula honors, he posted this. 

"Thanks but next time you should post this on April 1st because this is a joke."

No, sir. This is completely serious. But Holmes does have defenders out there. On the official VA Peninsula Facebook page, a long 27 comment thread broke out between Joey Smith, George Kiriazidis and myself over the merits of placing Anthony Williams above Holmes. Many feel that Williams, while an elite talent, was hampered by nagging injuries this season and as a result Ricky out performed him. I stand by my selection and contend that Anthony was as a key part of one of the league's all time best defensive teams, but I can see where others are coming from. The points are not without merit.

Regardless, I will concede that there was little difference between 1st team charger, the Chubby Gangsters' Steve Midlik and the 2nd, and 3rd team chargers. You could make a strong case for any of the three as the best. In fact, you could have easily made the case for a number of other talented chargers who did not make the cut. 

• Joey Smith, VD: Motor never stops running. Extremely fast. Had a great season offensively and defensively for the champs. 
• Jeff Pauley, 5OC: Got a lot of love from the pundits. Had a great season for the resurgent Clockers. 
• Joe Mazzitti, JAGER: A very tough out for the opponents. It seemed like he was always on base. 
• Micheal Machie, BB: Nicknamed "The Machine". (I hope that is a clever play on his last name, and not some sort of S&M bondage nickname). 
• Manny Anderson, NKotB: Lots of raw talent. Maybe no better pure athlete in the league. When he gets some more experience and learns to truly harness his abilities, he'll be a force. 

If this was an award for All-Abdominal Muscle
Team, Joey would have made first team hands down.

Catcher was another position that lead to some debate. Some of it even spilling over into the kickball365.com forums. April Moore made the case for her talented brother in law, Eric Stevens. 

"good write-ups, brent. not sure eric deserves to be so low, but whatever. not my division.  hehehe"

That's right, Scorekeeper. It's not your division, so STFU! 

(just kidding!) 

Catcher was another position that is just STACKED this season. Check out these guys who did not make the top 3 teams. 

• Adam Flowers, 5OC: I was really impressed with Adam's play when I watched the Clockers. He was on fire all year. 
• James Salgado, VD: Joey Smith said it best, "He was a black hole on defense. All season" 
• Guy Sumrell, RUM: He came in after the injury to Troy Southall and was extremely effective. Saved 'Springas season. 
• Taylor Wilson, CT: This veteran kickballer is consistent. 
• AJ Derr, CG: There is no way that the Chubby Gangsters improve to 10-2 without his upgrade behind the plate. One of the toughest omissions. 
• Justin Blair, MK: Are you kidding me? All this guy did was crank home runs. Another hard cut. 
• Jake Carel, NKotB: Carel seemed to improve week over week for the Kickheads. Dangerous offensive player.  

Now are you guys starting to see how difficult this task was for me? More talent than ever in the league this past season. Let's take a look at the best "Utility" players that didn't make the top three teams. Here are a couple of players who did it all for their teams, playing multiple positions.

• Bryan "NoShoes" Moore, VD: The self proclaimed "on base machine" was hobbled by some knee issues, missed a couple games, and was never really 100%. But with that said, still turned in a hell of a season and was a huge contributor for the champs. 
• Wes McClain, JFK: Played just about every position on the field at one point this season except for maybe catcher and first base. Very lethal on offense. There might not be a better line drive kicker in the league. Tough one to omit. 
• Scott Mackie, CT: Not too familiar with Mackie's overall body of work, but if you ask any Angry Bird about him, they'll tell you he was without a doubt their MVP. Consistent offensive performer. Versatile defensive contributor. 

For the outfielders, we had a couple more that were on the radar as well, but didn't quite make it. 

• Phil Barr, VIPs: Great offensive abilities, whether it's kicking away or bunting. Always managed to get on base. Because he grew up playing soccer year round though, he was inexperienced when it came to running the bases. A small opportunity to improve for him, but it was enough to bump him off. (Trust me, I really wanted to recognize him for a great season, but I figured I'd already put the rest of The Emperors Club on the teams, so maybe I'll show some restraint, lest someone question the integrity of the All-Peninsula teams. We wouldn't want that).
• Rob Lewandowski, JFK: Mentioned by a couple of people who's opinion I respect as a candidate for the teams. Can't say I'm too familiar with him, but rest assured, my scouts will be looking for him in the Fall. 
• Brandon Murgia, VD: Another solid athlete and kickballer for VD.  

First Base was a relatively easy one to cover. Not too many players really stood out to me, other than the three I nominated to the teams. However, I would be remiss if I didn't give a shout out to: 

• Mike Ramey, JAGER: The definition of reliability at first for the 'Nauts. Doesn't drop much. Maybe would've made the cut, had I seen more of him doing the typewriter at Luckie's this season.
• Ryan Dotson, JFK: Returned after a two year break from kickball and picked up right where he left off. Producing on offense and defense. 
• Thane Osterdahl, CG: The Gangsters didn't get the final four this season due to luck. They have a lot of talent.

For the ladies, I gotta say. There was a time in the past when I did this column and I struggled to find 8 women worthy of nominating as all-stars. Now, however, there is an over abundance of talented girls to choose from. It was very, very difficult narrowing the field down to 12. Let's look at some of the ladies who just barely missed being selected.

• Berd Weems, RUM: Held it down at first base for 'Springa.
• Nina Richardson, BB: Excellent all around player.
• Erin Welch, VIPs: Continued to develop a very effective bunt that went right down the 3rd base line.
• Courtney Efird, NKotB: Played 1B and OF for the Kickheads. Was capable of doing some damage at the plate too.
• Meaghan Dorsey, NKotB: The Kickheads sure did have some pretty athletic girls on their roster.
• Jen Nardi, FB: Finally appeared to be healthy after recovering from shoulder surgery last year. Veteran kickballer with a lot of experience and talent.
• Nicole Schaeffer, VD: Was having an excellent season until breaking her foot late in the year.
• Julie Kittleson, JAGER: Anyone who trains like this deserves to be mentioned.

I'm sure there are many more that can be included in this list as well. I could go on and on. It's a shame that the All-Girls Classic was rained out this season, as it really would've been something to watch.

Nina Richardson looks on, waiting for an
All-Peninsula nomination that would never come.

  Finally, let's talk about the pitchers who were left behind...

• Kim Merritt, JAGER: The Silver Bush was a solid hurler and a nice offensive contributor.
• Mike Seals, JAGER: Very talented pitcher. Might have made it had he not missed a significant part of the season due to injury.
• Corey Carlyle, 5OC: Carlyle played a huge role in the Clockers resurgence. Not only did he deliver the goods on the mound with some of the nastiest stuff in the league, but he provided the confidence and swagger that the Clockers had been missing for a few seasons. The only think that kept him off the team was missing the final third of the season due to redeployment.
• Jon Pilz, BB: Threw a very deceptive ball that always looked like it was coming in with one bounce, but would die right in front of the plate for a strike.
• Gary Weems, RUM: One of the fastest throwing underhanded pitchers I've ever seen.
• Matt Wellbrock, RUM: Continued to improve his pitching all year. Threw a gem and kept the VIPs offbalance in their week 2 0-0 tie.
• Jeffrey Scott, CG: Threw a hard bouncy pitch that kickers often times struggled to predict. Great rookie season.
• Jesse Jones, MK: Assumed the pitching duties midway through the season and really flourished in the role. Definitely a hurler to watch out for this Fall.
• Brent Wentworth, VIPs: I can't believe I got snubbed from the All-Peninsula team, again! What do I have to do to make this team?!

Pilz delivers the ball with power and fury.

So, there you have it. The best of the rest. Did you see anyone on here that I still missed? Sound off in the comments or on our Facebook page. And during the Fall, make sure you get your recaps, stats, quotes, write ups and stories into me so I can be sure not to overlook your deserving teammates.

Before I wrap this (too long) blog post up, just wanted to break down the Top Three All-Peninsula Teams by the numbers. How many players did each team have on the teams?

The Emperors Club: 7
Vicious & Delicious: 6
Just For Kicks: 6
Jagernauts: 3
5 O'Clockers: 3
Chubby Gangsters: 2
Rumspringa: 2
Moose Knuckles: 1
Battlestar Ballsacktica: 1
Off in the Corner: 1
New Kickheads: 1

There you have it. The VIPs lead the way with 7 All-Peninsula members. Let the charges of bias come flowing in!