Fall 2011 Week 2 Recap

Happy Labor Day! Let's run down the action in week 2!

Chubby Gangsters 2, Rumspringa 2
Whenever the Gangsters and 'Springa mix it up, it's always going to be close (see chart). With the exception of their first game, which was also 'Springa's 2nd game ever, every contest was decided by one run. And this game would be no exception.

Afterwards, the two teams squared
 off in flip cup!

The last time these two teams met, a trip to the League Semi-Finals was on the line. The Chubby Gangsters bounced Rumspringa out of the playoffs that hot July day. In week 2 of the Fall season, 'Springa was out for a little measure of revenge. Right off the bat it looked like they would do just that. Troy Southall cranked a 2 run home run to deep right field in the top of the first to give the Smurfs an early lead. The Gangbangers would answer with a run in the bottom half of the first inning, as well as one in the 2nd to even the score at two all... From their both defenses were in lockdown mode as runs would be tough to come by. In the end, the latest chapter in this budding rivalry was a 2-2 tie.

Lick It Before You Kick It 1, Just For Kicks 0

Lick It head coach George Kiriazidis.

While Lick It is a brand new team, many of the faces on the squad are familiar from their days on The Emperors Club. Of course, the VIPs and JFK had their battles over the past 16 months and it appears that rivalry has transferred on to the Lick It/JFK series. There is definitely no love lost between these two great competitive teams.

The game started with the speedy Dr. Jeremy Pinier reaching base, as he's known to do. On a subsequent kick to the outfield, Pinier took off and rounded all of the bases to apparently score the game's first run. However, Lick It captain George Kiriazidis appealed the play to first base and the head ref ruled that Pinier had left early and not tagged up. The double play negated the run, ended the inning, and blew up both sidelines. JFK protested the call. The scene got ugly and both sides exchanged heated words.

Once order was restored, the game resumed with Lick It up in the top of the 2nd. Eric Cox lead off with a nice bunt single. Erin Welch then followed with a shallow bunt that the JFK catcher fielded and attempted to throw the lead runner out at 2nd. The throw was off target and sailed deep into center field, allowing Cox to come around and score the games only run. Despite the controversial circumstances that surrounded the game, no doubt, this was an impressive statement for LIBYKI.

In the loss, JFK's Daniel Shaw really stood out. The towering hurler kept the Lickers off balance, recording 2 foul outs in the game.

After the game, both teams took to the Facebook page to air their complaints / sides of the stories. Who was right or who was wrong, is of no real importance to me. When it comes down to it, both teams had individuals that crossed the line of sportsmanship and respect. It is unfortunate that it happened, and after speaking with both teams' captains, I'm confident that the behavior will not continue, since I think we all agree, what happened on Wednesday is not consistent with the spirit of WAKA kickball and our great league.

There was too much of this going on in the JFK vs. Lick It game.

Free Ballin' 6, New Kickheads on the Block 4

The top of both team's lineups were impressive. The first inning saw the Free Ballin' offense drive in 3 runs. NKotB answered right back in the bottom half of the opening frame with 2 runs of their own. Both teams settled in and the 2nd and 3rd innings were scoreless. In the 4th, Free Ballin' came up and extended the lead to 6-2 by adding 3 more runs. The Kickheads would not go quietly though. They scored 2 more runs in the 4th to cut the deficit in half. However, that's all the Ballers would allow as they remained undefeated.



Shake N Bake 11, Jagernauts 4

A real man of genius.

Right off the bat, the Jagernauts came out on fire. The top of their lineup, lead by Dan Moore, Joe Mazzitti, Julie Kittelson, Alden Lawrence, and Kevin Gitkos did some damage and scored 3 runs.

But the rough start would not discourage Shake N Bake. In week 1, the SnB offense was dormant, but that would not last another game. On Wednesday the team awoke from their slumber. 7 out of the first 10 Bakers reached base, with 6 of them coming around to score. That would not be the end of the onslaught. SnB added runs in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th innings, finishing with 11. Overall, the Shake N Bake offense went 20 for 28 (0.714) for the game. Here are some of the standout performers from the game.

• Jiselle Anderson: 3-3, 2 runs, 1 RKI
• Justin Blair: 3-3, 1 run, 3 RKI
• AJ Derr: 3-3, 2 runs
• Patrick Jones: 3-3, 2 runs, 2 RKI
• Bryan Turcotte: 2-2, 1 run, 1 RKI, 1 SAC

All in all, it was a great team effort, and an impressive statement. When reached for comment after the game, an excited SnB GM Jeffrey Scott said, "If you smell a delicious and crispy smell after the game, it's not your wings from Luckies, it's a little bit of Shake... and Bake! Shake and Bake!"

5 O'Clockers 2, Vicious & Delicious 2

This was certainly a wild game between two of the league's best teams. The top of the VD order came out looking good, scoring 2 runs in the first. The Clockers than scored a run in the top of the 2nd and the 3rd to even up the score.

Earlier in the week, SP Daniel Reyes, unhappy with his reduced role on VD, requested his release from GM Chris "Bundy" LeBlanc. Bundy granted the request, and Reyes came to terms with the Clockers. It was a move that paid off for the Clockers as they got an immediate boost to their rotation and a versatile player who gives them several options on defense. Reyes was very active off the mound on Wednesday, acting almost as a 2nd charger, and helped stiffle the high powered VD attack.

"VD wasn't painting perfect balls down the line like they normally do against their opponents," head ref George Kiriazidis commented.

NoShoes delivers to the plate, full of fury.

Filling the void left in the VD rotation was Bryan "NoShoes" Moore. NoShoes, while rotating in with Jimmy Wilcox, had a great night on the mound. He recorded a strikeout of one of the Clockers best offensive threats, Jeff Pauley and was solid all game long.

Tom Zuppke got some significant playing time at catcher for VD and made a positive impression.

"Zuppke played a strong game at catcher, which is the first I've seen him there. I don't think VD lost a step with him behind the plate," Kiriazidis stated after the game, "That'll be an interesting development project for VD to give them some added versatility at a key position."

While the defenses were tight, both teams had their opportunity to break the tie late in the game. In the top of the 4th inning, the Clockers threatened with Jason Kidd on base, 2 outs, and the dangerous Josh Waldrop at the plate. Waldrop ripped a line shot into the gap in center field, but was robbed on an amazing play by Wilson Gideon and Justin Schauf.

Kidd in play.

"I super-manned that play to parry over my shoulder," Gideon described the play afterwards, "Justin [Schauf] bobbled it and dropped it on my back, only to then pick it up off my back."

"As I was rounding third, I thought the ball had dropped, and I was on my way home thinking we took the lead," 5OC's Kidd recalled in the postgame press conference, "But the immaculate reception was made by the Leprechaun. That catch was unbelieveable."

The amazing highlight ended the inning and preserved the tie, but it wasn't over yet. Vicious & Delicious still had another shot at scoring before the game would be called for time. The champs managed to load the bases with 2 outs, however, Dan Reyes would once again be a factor against his old team, catching the final out to escape the jam and earn the tie.

After the game, the two teams joined together and tore Luckie's up (as well as Tom's shirt) at the after party, proving once again that two teams can play a really competitive game at a high level and peacefully coexist with one another.

Chicken Tetrazzini 3, Kick Ass 2
Adam Henry had a great recap of this close game. Check it out.

Shake N Bake 7, Kick Ass 3

This game was a lot closer than the score would have you believe. The two teams traded a pair of runs to start out the match before settling in. The defenses were on point for both teams, with SnB's Brent Wentworth (3rd Person Alert!) pitching all 5 innings of the game, in Jeffrey Scott's absence (scouting assignment). On the mound for KA was Jesse Jones and Hasaan Dubose. They each have a different style that compliments each other. Manny Anderson played a tremendous game at catcher and together they helped limit an offense that had just scored 11 runs on a veteran Jagernaut team.

In the bottom of the 4th inning, Kick Ass broke the tie when they used well placed bunts, speed, and aggressive base running to put Anderson across the plate. Going into the 5th inning, Kick Ass would be only 3 outs from pulling off the upset and winning their first game.

However it was not to be. The explosive Shake N Bake offense came alive and the inexperienced KA squad cracked under the pressure. Nick Anderson, Dani Moran, and Nina Richardson started the inning off by loading the bases. Bryan Turcotte then broke it open on a beautiful kick that landed safely in the outfield, driving in Anderson and Moran. Patrick Jones, Justin Blair, and Wentworth then added 3 more RKIs to push the score to 7-3. SnB would close out the bottom of the 5th to hold on to the W.

Good times, good times.

Jiminy Kick-Its 7, Foul Balls 1
Break up the Kick-Its! JKI opened up the game with a 5 run barrage in the first and then cruised to victory over the Foulies.

Burning Bridges 4, Battlestar Ballsacktica 4
BB + BB = tie game. These two evenly matched teams traded runs back and forth with neither team able to put away the other. (I literally got nothing on this game, so I am sorry the recap isn't more robust. Reminder: send me your recaps, quotes, and stories to brent@kickball.com!)