Offseason News & Notes - 2.22.2012

Well, we're exactly 6 weeks away from kicking off the 11th season of WAKA VA Peninsula Kickball and the hot stove is starting to warm up. With a month and a half until the first pitch, we already have 14 friend groups and 87 players registered. The excitement level is at an all time high, so let's take some time to look at some of the news and notes around the league...

Knuckle Up!

Moose Knuckles to Return; Shake N Bake Reloads
Making big news this week was the announcement by Nick and Jiselle Anderson that they are going to leave Shake N Bake and reform the Moose Knuckles franchise. The Knuckles made their debut last spring, and unleashed a powerful offensive attack that helped them earn a respectable 6-5 record and a memorable upset victory over JFK. The squad had a number of players who were unavailable to play in the Fall, and decided to hang up the cleats. The majority of the group who remained, including Justin Blair, Bryan Turcotte, and Dani Moran, joined the expansion team, Shake N Bake, who went on to win the Wentworth Trophy. Now that the Andersons are getting Moose Knuckles back together, it's expected that those teams will return to MK as well.

So where does that leave Shake N Bake, the defending Fall 2011 champions? Well, GM Jeffrey Scott and Captain Tracy Colby had been preparing contingency plans in the event this happened. Upon receiving the news that they were losing the MK crew, they immediately made moves to shore up the lineup with a couple of All-Peninsula caliber players. Joining the team will be Erin Welch and Thomas "Juice" Welch whose contract had expired with Lick It. Also signing as a free agent is charger Anthony "Rocket Laser Cannon" Williams, who will be filling the void left by losing chargers Blair and Turcotte. All three players are former members of The Emperors Club and are close with former VIPs Brent Wentworth, John LaNeave, and Patrick Jones. What other moves will Shake N Bake have up their sleeves?

Reunited. 

Burning It Up! 
The Burning Bridges made their WAKA debut last season and made an impact. Phillip Baltzis' team earned a 8-0-3 record, the number 1 seed, and a final four appearance. But the being one game away was not enough. The Bridges feel like they have some unfinished business. As soon as registration opened, the Bridges flooded their computers and already have 15 players registered. You can tell they're anxious to get back out on the fields this spring.

VD Not Returning?
Currently there are 14 friend groups signed up, 13 of which are returning teams from last season. Absent from the list are Kick Ass, Jiminy Kicks-It, and Vicious & Delicious. Kick Ass and JKI have already announced plans to return, however there has been no official announcement by the former champions, VD. Will they be back this spring? And if not, where will their players end up? If the team declines to return, this could lead to an influx of free agents to the market. Stay tuned to the blog for details as this situation develops...


You have any tips or ideas for the "News & Notes"? Any hot rumors? Send a tip to brent@kickball.com or comment on this post!