Saturday! Saturday! Saturday! WAKA Kicks Cancer!!!

While the weather has not been cooperating lately for our on-field endeavors, the forecast for Saturday is looking perfect for kicking cancer.  Our annual Relay for Life is being held this weekend at Todd Stadium in Newport News and it would be great to see all you kickballers out there.  If you purchased one through Brent wear your WAKA Kicks Cancer shirt, bring your WAKA Kicks Cancer koozie, (non-adult beverages only) wear your WAKA Kicks Cancer bracelet and come out to support a great cause.  If you have ever been to a Relay for Life you know what a powerful and meaningful event it is, and it’s always been great to see kickballers come out and put their own spin on it, whether it be having a kickball game in the middle of Darling Stadium when we were relaying in Hampton or playing KanJam and Cornhole at Todd Stadium last year.  This year things are a little different as the event is starting on Saturday afternoon rather than the traditional Friday evening, the opening ceremony takes place at 2:30 pm and a list of events throughout the day can be found here.  If you have any other questions or would like to help please contact team captain Andrea Henry or Brent Wentworth.  If you would still like to donate you can go to our team page here as well.  Thank you to everyone who has donated and shown support throughout this year, this truly has been our biggest year yet with over $5,000 raised, so come out Saturday, show your support and let’s keep the ball rolling!!!

VA Peninsula Coaches Top 10 (April 28th, 2014)

Last time we did a poll 2 weeks ago, Plan B was unanimously alone at the top spot. In fact, they weren't just #1 in VA Peninsula but #1 in all of Hampton Roads according to the media. But in week 3, they were upset by Kick A$$. How would this impact the coaches' top 10? Keep scrolling and find out!

Record: 2-0
Last Week: W vs. NKotB, 11-3
Prev: Unranked
Battlestar blasts into the top 10 after kicking 5 home runs in week 3.
Next: Boom!

Record: 2-0
Last Week: W vs. WAKA Shame, 9-0
Prev: #10 (+1)
This team is looking good right now, and it's not just because of their pimped out tie dye shirts.
Next: Foul Balls

Record: 1-1
Last Week: L vs. JFK, 8-0
Prev: #5 (-3)
Lightning didn't strike twice in a row as the Jellies fell to JFK in a lopsided affair.
Next: NKotB

Record: 2-0
Last Week: W vs. Chaotic KILFs, 4-0
Prev: #7
The Wrecking Balls defense was stout in week 3, shutting out the KILFs.
Next: DCOMB

Record: 1-0-1
Last Week: W vs. Foul Balls, 13-3
Prev: #6
Ballz Deep may very well have the most explosive lineup in the league.
Next: #WAKAholics

Record: 1-0-1
Last Week: W vs. Ballsagna, 5-1
Prev: #4 (-1)
Big first win on Wednesday against Ballsagna keeps the Boomers firmly in the top 5.
Next: Battlestar

Record: 1-1
Last Week: W vs. Plan B, 5-4
Prev: #9 (+5)
The Ass Kickers rebounded quite nicely as they pulled out the W against #1 Plan B.
Next: WAKA Shame

Record: 1-1
Last Week: W vs. PBJT, 8-0
Prev: #3
The Dead Kennedy's cruised to a victory over PBJT in their last outing.
Next: Chaotic KILFs

Record: 2-0
Last Week: W vs. #WAKAholics, 14-1
Prev: #2
Dem 'Springas put it on the Holics. As Uncle Jesse would say, "Have mercy!"
Next: Plan B

Record: 1-1
Last Week: L vs. Kick Ass, 5-4
Prev: #1
The Bees didn't escape week 3 unscathed, but they still impress the captains enough to retain #1 overall.
Next: Rumspringa

Also Receiving Votes: Don't Come on my Base (2)
New this Week: Battlestar
Dropped: Don't Come on my Base
On the Rise: Kick Ass +5 spots
Free falling:  PBJT -3 spots

As you can see, Plan B retains the top spot despite suffering the loss last week. There simply was no consensus number 1 among the coaches, as 5 different teams earned a 1st place vote and Plan B was no lower than 3rd on anyone's poll. Rumspringa gained the most 1st place votes, but was not in every captain's top 5, so they didn't quite have the points to take the lead. They may feel slighted by this, but the good news is they won't have to wait long to prove themselves. The top 2 teams in the rankings square off on Wednesday.

Rank	Team	Record	Points	1st Place
1	Plan B	1-1	79	1
2	Rumspringa	2-0	74	4
3	Just For Kicks	1-1	74	1
4	KICK A$$	1-1	66	2
5	Boom!	1-0-1	56	1
6	Ballz Deep	1-0-1	51
7	Airwrecka and Friends	2-0	33
8	PBJT	1-1	23
9	Breaking Brad	2-0	22
10	Battlestar	2-0	15

Bar Buzz: Wuv, tru wuv.

I am a huge sap and I LOVE love. I love babies, and Love Actually, and good love stories, and people who are just so cute they make me want to vom….but in a good way of course. So when talking to Brian Neal and Jenn Miller two weeks ago about their story, it got me thinking about all of the other ADORABLE couples we have in WAKA.

The couples that met through a WAKA sponsored event or league.

The couples who needed some friendly competition.

The couples who play on separate teams because one is either really bad or really good.

The couples who just started dating.

The couples who are married.

So last week’s #wakabarchallenge was to go around taking pictures with your favorite couples and post their story and here are just a few of them!        

So thinking about all of this love was the perfect segway for something I’ve been thinking about for a while. The love going on in WAKA could never be if it weren’t for the love the leaders and coordinators show for this league. And sometimes we take it for granted. It’s so easy to complain; rainouts, traffic to get to 6:30 games, not getting mentioned in a podcast when you know you had a crazy awesome play, not enough beer at the EOS, a shitty bar for mid-season, not winning the bar belt, not winning flip cup, no hot guys on your team, too many hot guys on your team, a no pets field, really late games, triple-headers, field rules, bar rules, game rules, and so much more.

His love. Just look at the love.

Look at the
fearless-leaderness

That shirt

But think about how those complaints wouldn’t even be possible without Brent Wentworth or Keith Morehart; we wouldn’t have games to be rained out, or games to sit in traffic for, or EOS parties, or a podcast or blog at all. Like how Katie Litle might not be dating Matt Welbrock if it wasn’t for his celeb status and selfless contributions to 3U3D. Or how this damn South Korea Kickball Open couldn’t continue without the dedication of Jorts and his meticulously made shirt. Or how you never would have learned the wobble if it wasn’t for the tireless sponsorship talks done with Luckies. Or how we could very well be playing on a league with 4 teams instead of a well marketed, robust, 18-team league. Or how you never would have met the love of your life sitting across from you if not for those WAKA bombs at the EOS 4 years ago.

Look at all of that lovin'

There is so much LOVE in this league which people sometimes brush off or fail to recognize. The passion for this silly game with a red ball and 353 crazy, amazing people is just….it just amazes this sap right here. So next time you’re moving in on your honey, or mustering up the courage to talk to that cute outfielder, or marrying the charger of your dreams, just remember the people who contributed so much to your love story and maybe even gave your love story a happy ending.

I wish I could have ended my post on that line, because damn that was good. But I still have to shoutout to DCOMB for doing an AMAZING job with #barbelttravels and taking pictures. Y’all make me SO proud! Kickheads, it’s Sunday, where are your pics?? Don’t let me down!!

Kickout photo. 3 BB members!!

And now, in the name of love, I now pronounce Breaking Brad and the #barbelt lawfully married for this week by the power vested in me by the WAKA League of Hampton Roads. Your desire to stand out with your tie-dyed shirts, constant presence in the #AMP and Kickout Photo, dedication to WAKA promotion through your social media use, unfaltering ability to take really good pictures, and being all-around great people has not gone unnoticed. Thanks for being a great team on and off the field!

In the words of Marilee Columbus, #WAKAlove y’all

With all the LOVE in the world,

Fagel

VA Peninsula - Players of the Week 3

photo by Rob Mendoza

Time to highlight some of the top players from WAKA VA Peninsula week 3. As always, make sure you submit your nominees to me every Thursday.

Let's start it right out with a trio of Ass Kickers. You can't pull out a victory over a talented team like Plan B without solid contributions up and down the line, but these three certainly stood out.

Manny Anderson, Catcher, Kick Ass - Anderson went 2 for 2 and used his incredible speed and aggressiveness to cross the plate twice.
Bryan "NoShoes" Moore, Charger, Kick Ass - Shoes matched Anderson going 2-2 as well with 2 runs scored and an RKI.
Brent Wentworth, P/1B, Kick Ass - From the clean up spot, Wentworth drove in 2 runs including the walk off double. (yeah, I nominated myself. No one should be surprised at this point)

Peter Switzer, Outfield, Battlestar - The line of the night, without a doubt goes to Peter Switzer from Battlestar. In the Ballsacks' 11-3 win over the Kickheads, Switzer was 3 for 3 with 2 solo home runs and a triple. That's only a 3.67 slugging percentage. Not a bad day at the office for Mr. Switzer.

Jason Wiezsek, 1B, Battlestar Unassisted triple plays are rarer than double rainbows. Wiezsek had one Wednesday night.

Bryan Freed, Outfield, JFK - The fundamentals. Bryan Freed is a master of them. In JFK's victory against PBJT, Freed went 2 for 2 and drove in a couple of runs.

Joe Preseault, Charger, Foul Balls - Although he was only able to play a couple innings, Preseault made an impact. Against Ballz Deep, he absolutely crushed a ball that landed so far it landed in the infield of field 2.

Meaghan Dorsey, 3B, New Kickheads - It wasn't just the guys showing their power last week. Meaghan Dorsey drove in a pair of runs with a triple kicked to deep left field against Battlestar.

Todd Gular, Charger, Kick in the Box - If none other than Geoff Morehart gives you a ringing endorsement as a 'nasty' charger, than you've earned a spot on the player of the week list. Gular dominated the DCOMB bunters and helped KiaB earn their first win in franchise history, 2-0.

Anthony Leevy, Catcher, Wrecking Balls - After Wednesday night, Leevy is 4 for 4 with 4 runs scored this season.

3 Up 3 Down - Episode 71

VA Peninsula Spring '14 - Week 3 Recap

Let's take a quick look around the league with week 3's results.

Battlestar 11, NKotB 3
If it's true that chicks dig the longball, than the gentlemen on Battlestar definitely got lucky last night. The Ballsacks combined for 5 home runs in their rout of the Kickheads, including back to back to back round trippers by Michael Machie, Casey Heck, and Peter Switzer. Switzer also added another home run and a triple to fill up the stat sheets. But it wasn't all offense. Jason Wieszeck flashed some D by single handily turning an unassisted triple play early in the game to escape a bases loaded jam.

Breaking Brad 9, WAKA Shame 0
Whoa? Who saw this coming? After two games, the Brads have shown an explosive offense, putting up 9 runs in each contest. The "Mailman" Jonathan Williams delivered. Williams went 2-2 with 2 RKIs and a run scored. Defensively, they played solid kickball lead by charger Justin Waddle's recording several put outs.

Wrecking Balls 4, Chaotic KILFs 0
The Wrecking Balls defense shut down the KILFs, allowing no runners past 2nd base all evening. Thane Osterdahl snagged a line drive in stride and doubled off a runner at 2nd to put an exclamation on the Wreckers' victory.

Ballz Deep 13, Foul Balls 3
The Foulie's Joe Preseault launched a BOMB in the first inning that landed by the pitcher's mound in field 2. The impressive blast was described by onlookers as perhaps the farthest anyone has ever witnessed a ball being kicked. But that was a lonely highlight for the Foul ones, as this game was all Ballz Deep. The offense teed off and scored in every inning, including a six run 4th where they kicked through the entire lineup.

Just For Kicks 8, PBJT 0
The Jellies were looking to knock off another heavyweight this week, but it wasn't meant to be. "JFK, as a whole, epotomized the meaning of small ball," the Jellie's Jeremy Smithey said in a post game locker room interview (just out of the showers, nude, only wearing a Jushin Thunder Liger mask), "They got people on base and then rocketed kicks in every unoccupied spot on us." Bryan Freed particularly did some damage, going 2-2 with a double and an RKI.

Kick in a Box 2, DCOMB 0
This was a match between two exciting rookie squads. D-COMB turned some heads in week 1 with their impressive win, Luckie's performance, and overall enthusiasm. So much so, that they actually ranked #15 in all of WAKA Hampton Roads according to pundits. Meanwhile, the Box had a late inning collapse in week 1 that cost them the game. This week, it would be a different story. The KiaB defense locked down the athletic COMBS, lead by charger Todd Gular. "He is a nasty charger," Rumspringa's Geoff Morehart was quoted after observing the game, "[Gular] single handedly held DCOMB scoreless." High praise and a great showing by the young maroon team.

Boom 5, Ballsagna 1
The Boomers earn win number 1 in an impressive fashion over Ballsagna. Bailey Brown had a triple and 2 RKIs.

Rumspringa 14, #WAKAholics 1
'Springa sprung for two touchdowns. Afterwards, Holics coach Fagel Baer said, "My team got murdered. Slaughtered? Sacrificed? Rumspringa is just too good. But Jennie Stoeker did score a run for us."

Kick Ass 5, Plan B 4
Aggressive base running and timely kicking helped KA earn the walk off victory against the #1 ranked WAKA team in Hampton Roads. Manny Anderson lead the way, going 2-2 with 2 runs scored. Brent Wentworth (3rd person!) went 2-2 with 2 RKIs, including the game winner. (Please keep this in mind when filling out your All-Peninsula ballots at the end of the season)

WAKA Hampton Roads Media Poll - April 2014

WAKA Hampton Roads has seen explosive growth in 2014. We now have 2 big leagues and 32 kickball teams competing each week. Both leagues are stocked with incredibly talented teams. Whether it's Wednesday nights in Hampton or Friday nights in Yorktown, it begs the question, who are the top teams in the 757? Well, who better to ask than the members of both league's podcasts? (Ok, I'm sure there are plenty of other better people to ask, but go with it) So, we opened the polls and each member of "3 Up 3 Down" and "It's Just Kickball" cast their votes. Let's run down the top 15!

League: VA Peninsula
Record: 1-0
The D-COMBs have made an immediate splash on WAKA Wednesday nights, both at the fields and the bar. What these enthusiastic ballers lack in experience, they make up for it with speed and power. With only one game under their belts, they've already caught the eyes of the kickball pundits, who have them ranked #15.

League: VA Peninsula
Record: 0-1
The Spring 2013 Wentworth Trophy® winners have rebuilt their squad with several new vets and some promising rookies. The team struggled in a week 1 loss to PBJT, but no doubt will gel as the season goes on. Or maybe not. After all, this is the franchise that won it's championship from the 15 seed.

League: VA Freedom
Record: 2-1
YTF came out of the gate with a hot 2-0 start before stumbling this past week against Who's Driving Home. This experienced squad will win more games than they lose though, and have their sites set at claiming the VA Freedom title.

League: VA Freedom
Record: 3-0
Critics will point to their lighter schedule, but going 3-0 on Friday nights is pretty impressive. The Doom Squad will have an opportunity to prove they aren't a flash in the pan this week against Eat My Bunt. This team is full of fast, but raw kickballers who will be a tough team week over week.

League: VA Peninsula
Record: 1-0
They can't seem to decide on a name. Chubby Gangsters? Airwrecka and Friends? Wrecking Balls? Whatever you want to call them, they're a good damn kickball team.

League: VA Freedom
Record: 2-1
Brian Neal hit the recruiting trail hard and has built a strong team. They have quality wins over Peanut Butter Jelly Time and YTF by a combined 11-2 margin and don't look to be slowing down.

League: VA Peninsula
Record: 0-0-1
This Chesapeake based squad made their Peninsula debut by putting up 6 runs on an outstanding Boom defense. This potent lineup is going to strike fear in a lot of teams throughout the spring.

League: VA Peninsula
Record: 0-0-1
They couldn't hold off Ballz Deep from tying the game up in the 5th, but there will be very few times the Boomers give up 6 runs in a game.

League: VA Peninsula
Record: 1-0
Don't confuse them with the winless Friday night edition of the franchise. The WAKA Wednesday PBJT crew stunned the league with a huge upset win over Kick Ass. Could be a breakout season for the purple and yellow.

League: VA Peninsula
Record: 1-0
The 'Springas opened up their 4th year of WAKA Kickball with a dominating performance against Ballsagna.

League: VA Freedom
Record: 3-0
There has been a solid streak of charcoal gray racing around the bases on Friday nights. EMB has scored a league high 24 runs in extending their undefeated streak to 3. 

League: VA Freedom
Record: 2-1
They may have been crying crocodile tears after a week 1 loss to Cardiac Arrest, but the Double-Pees have been putting in some work since then. They aim to win yet another Friday night trophy.

League: VA Peninsula
Record: 0-1
The Dead Kennedy's fell short in their opening night game vs. Plan B. But on paper, this is perhaps the most talented team ever put together in VA Peninsula. Bryan Freed and the 7 time runner ups are going for broke. Wentworth Trophy® or bust. 

League: VA Freedom
Record: 3-0
Be still my beating heart.

League: VA Peninsula
Record: 1-0
It wasn't pretty at times, but Plan B showed a lot of fortitude in pulling out a big win vs JFK. This team may just run the table this spring.


Others Receiving Votes: Lady Hustlers, Rainbows & Lollipops, Menace

Bar Buzz & The Challenges

Rainout weeks are always an interesting time at the bar. People just seem more laid back. There's no pressure to rush over to the bar, no need to worry about looking or smelling a hot mess after a good game, no game mishaps to obsess over, and no ref calls to drown in alcohol. It's just 10% of the league going out on work and school nights for good-natured fun. 

Of course everyone needs that extra push of motivation to come out. Though I never realized how much people needed to be bribed to come out to the bar! I thought people declared themselves to be anti-bribery....haha. Thank goodness we bribed people to have a fun time with cash prizes for flip cup, free apps, and another chance to win the bar belt. Bribery my friends, bribery goes a long way. But apparently it worked! We had a great few rounds of loud flip cup - those cups definitely took some getting used to! 

But my favorite part of the night was the #wakabarchallenge. As I've said before, one of the things I strive for through this blog is player-promotion. It's hard getting to know 353 people over the course of 10 Wednesdays. So I'm trying to take the burden off by making the people part of the challenges. And I think this one was well-received! As promised, the ones I received would be part of the blog, and here they are:

Just look at all of that player-mingling going on! Makes me so happy. So happy, that I've already decided on next week's challenge! Shoutouts to Kickheads, Breaking Brad, JFK, and WAKA Shame for participating! Sorry if there were more, you can always comment here with your pictures!

Kickout Photo

But not every Wednesday can be high energy, and not every person can be as ecstatic about the bar as I am. So we completed #AMP 15minutes early, completed the kickout photo by 12:30, and we were all on our merry way...but not before Mimi Gill attempted to convince me to go to the Cat...sorry Mimi, maybe one day.

#AMP

So shoutouts to DCOMB who was the best choice to christen the belt with. You guys were phenomenal this week with the #barbelttravels and you have set the bar high! I can only hope to see just as much activity from the other winning teams.

So who deserves the belt this week? Obviously with lower numbers it makes it a little harder, not to mention there was plenty of discussion on facebook about how this isn't about me. But I was chosen by a consensus of thumbs-up photos to lead this league in to the wilderness that is luckies! To choose those worthy of the being belted, and to better the WAKA name. So even taking into consideration a double-nomination of #WAKAholics by DCOMB (because remember the previous team winners now have to send me their nominations as well!), I have to make a choice. So congratulations to New Kickheads on winning the first rain-out #barbelt! Your dedication to making social media a better place with your presence, and your eagerness and excitement for the challenges has not gone unnoticed! Remember the bar has been set high because of DCOMB, so go forth and travel the belt. I expect lots of pictures! 

But there are other teams who are close contenders for the belt! JFK, Breaking Brad, #WAKAholics, WAKA Shame, are all doing exactly what it takes. But for next week, take it a step further - do something totally out of the ordinary and impress me! Make yourself stand out.

Until then, stay classy my friends.

Fagel

JFK vs. Plan B Videos

There was a big game week 1 between Plan B and JFK. Bryan Freed captured the game on video and was kind enough to share it! Enjoy! 

Full Game footage with 3 Up 3 Down commentary. 


Or if you enjoy the quick and easy without having to hear dumb voices, here is the game edited down to the final pitch of each at kick (courtesy of Daniel Shaw)

3 Up 3 Down - Episode 70 (Saturday Night Open Phone Lines)

3 Up 3 Down - Episode 69

Bar Buzz - Spring Team Previews - "The Odyssey"

"The Odyssey" is soooo looonggg

Originally I was going to post this blog before the first post-game night at Luckies, but then I decided that in order for a team's potential to truly be evaluated, I needed to see everyone in action. You see, there a few key nights in the Bar Buzz's reign. 

1. The first night; because that's when anticipation and excitement is high...for everyone.
2. The first night after the mid-season party; because that's when the people who stop coming out realizes what they've been missing out on and tries to make a comeback. This happens once.
3. The last night; because that's when the people who decided that sleep was more important suddenly go "oh shit it's over!" and try to cram an entire season of bar-goings into one night....it's very entertaining.

So since we've now had the first night, let's look at the spring team previews. I requested from the captains to send me how they think their team will fare at the bar, I only received a few, so the rest were done by yours truly. 

Keith says my posts will be pretty if I add pictures of him...

#Airwecka:

I think this team is going to surprise everyone, including Keith Morehart. While he has his doubts, his younger, more social players like Laurel Manges and Jennifer Hause are really going to help carry the team after the bar. But Keith warns, "If there ever is a night where Kim Merritt, myself, and Rob Kroll all make it out... watch out, because shit is about to go down."....so watch out for this team on one of the aforementioned evenings. 

#Ballsagna
Super surprised that I didn't get a team preview from these guys! For a team graced by the presence of one of my fave dynamic duos; Brian Neal and Jenn Miller paired with Georgios Kiriazidis and from what I've seen from Karen Savell, this team will be a force to be reckoned with at the bar! They won't let their black shirts blend in with the crowd...

#BallzDeep
I'll say it time and time again, one person can not carry the weight of their team at the bar. Ballz Deep is so lucky to have Justin Schauf - karaoke extraordinare. This team has the benefit of me not knowing them to their advantage; first impressions are key and their whole team has a bank of first impressions to use!

#Battlestar
I'm partial to the hot pink...so every time I see that hot pink roaming in the night I'm going to think it's one of my cohorts. But alas it's not, and this team also has a nice bank of first impressions at their disposal. They're lucky Joe Stumpo is one of my favorite people ever or they'd have no advantage...other than the hot pink of course. Not sure how this team will do at the bar, once again, I like first impressions.

#Boom
This team has so much advantage when it comes to the bar! Former Bar Buzz contributor and current writer for the VA Freedom league Marilee Columbus will bring her sparkle and shine (and probably wine) to pretty much every post-game rendezvous. And Andrew Schlichte will be a huge contributing factor if the Boom-ers decide they want the belt.

#BreakingBrad

#BreakingBrad looks so happy!

This team did not send me a preview but with the fearless leader Brad Gault as captain, the notorious Kick-out participator, I have no fear that this team will do quite well for themselves at the bar especially with socialites like Brian Groh, Serena D'Angelos, and Mimi Gill. For the first night, I was only mildly impressed, but I am assuming it's because they were exhausted from kicking so much ass that evening in their game. I'll give you a pass this once.

#KILFs

I've had my team practicing with this team and they're so much fun! It's so depressing that I won't have any Kickballers I'd like to Facebook-friend... While I love a good deal on wings and beer, fiesta-ing it up with me is way more cost effective. And fun. Maybe they'll grace us with their presence and win the bar belt?

#DCOMB: I managed to recruit some of your players to dance!

#DCOMB
It's no secret I have a soft spot for the newbies. This team has already taken facebook by storm by captain Emmanuel Zapata - which he says doesn't mean shoe...buuuutttt I'm pretty sure he's crazy and it does. I hardly know anyone on this team yet, but I can promise you they will be strong contenders for the bar belt pretty much every week. With a team full of Jungle Gymers, they're definitely showing their social side in comparison to their brother Jungle-Gymer team.

#FoulBalls
There are so many people on this team who I love, and goodness knows that will go a long way! But love is a two way street. I need to know that this team loves the bar belt just as much as I do. With a strong social scene brought on by Wade Brock, Derek Patterson, and Andreas Beyersdorf, I believe in them. But then they've also got people like Andy Doye who's awesome but is really loving parenting.....lame. 

#JFK
This team is going to be high competition every week, even though they didn't send me a preview! I am very confident when I say that I am obsessed with the majority of the people on this team; Kelsey Whitelock, Bryan Freed, Emily Cook, D-Baum, Jason Kidd, Juice Fitz, Will Mckendree and basically their whole roster. And you know why? Because they're obsessed with me and they aren't afraid of bribery. I was bribed last week by 3 different members of their team. Watch out for them, they're getting the bar belt at least once this season.

#KickAss
Brent Wentworth seems very confident in his team's ability to perform at the bar. But I'll be honest, no one from this team even tried introducing themselves to me last week. Once again, the team cannot be carried by an individual alone, so maybe if Brent and Bryan Moore team up to get their team in check they'll do ok. Brent says a fun fact is that "Kick Ass was the first team to hold both the #1 spot in the rankings and the Bar Buzz belt during their Spring 2011 season.".....it's ok Brent, I still love you.

#KickinaBox
Once again, soft spot for the newbies. I'm so excited to see how well this team does with the bar belt! They may be new to kickball, but I'm certain they're not new to social situations and teammate Taylor Wilson is going to ensure the team knows what they're doing on and off the field!

#NewKickheads
This is another team I don't know too much about, but I think they've got what it takes. With social media lover Amanda Hassell, I think they just need to make themselves known to me and they'll be golden. But this is a team who's been around for a few seasons! Maybe this is the season they come out in full force.

#PBJT
Oh PBJT. You guys are amazing and wonderful, and you know it. You're almost getting to be just like me! But it's as if you don't even want to be bothered with the bar belt. I have such high expectations for you this season considering you're another team whose whole roster I love! You have Amelia Harveycutter, Jeremy Smithey, Eric Schessl, Megan MacDowel, Journey Thomas, and Chris LeBlanc. Please don't disappoint me this season!

#PlanB
Speaking of cocky...kidding. But seriously I love you guys too and you know it! Nick Schmidt knows from experience that when you all decide you want the belt, you're getting it. I was so glad to see this competitive team out in full force last week! Amanda Doolittle and Nick will be they keys to my heart. And maybe Alex Jackson....but I think he hates everyone. So, challenge accepted?

#Rumspringa loves that table...

#Rumspringa
Every week you'll have the numbers, but every week you'll stay at that table. I hate to say it, but I don't have good predictions for you guys. While Troy Southall adores me, he can't do all of the adoring...or the dancing. Maybe you guys will surprise me, or maybe your fellow Jungle Gymers will just socially dominate you every week? Hard to tell, but I do hope to see just a smidge more mingling next time. Just a little tiny bit. 

#WAKAShame
I have VERY high expectations for this team. Being led by Cory Pochop who is so eager for that belt, I have no doubt that this team will be a key player in bar belt domination. But looking at their roster, I only know a few people; Jimmy Rogers and Victoria Davis will be key players and will hopefully take my constructive criticism to heart to win the belt!

#WAKAholics
This team, being graced by the presence of Mike Kern, Michael Peele, and Juan Cruz will no doubt give teams a run for their money. Pair it with social media expert Neal Bennett and a few eager rookies and I have no doubt that they'll be taking photos and dancing all night long. Not to mention it's my team, so you know they're were born awesome.

Who could turn her down??

And now what you've really bee waiting for. The analysis.
So I actually had a lot of trouble deciding the winner! No one team really impressed me. I mean I was bribed by JFK in the form of sexual favors and drinks, someone from New Kickheads actually asked me to go dance - usually I'm the one asking people. Jimmy from WAKA Shame swept me away with his story about how he was recruited during the #WAKAbarchallenge last year when we had to take picture with people at luckies who weren't in WAKA - in the end, he's like the poster child of success stories. And Corey from WAKA Shame was ALL over the challenge of taking pictures with other teams. Mad props. But those are mostly individuals and the #BarBelt is a team effort.



So congratulations to #DCOMB! Not only did you win big in your first game, but your first post-game shenanigans was a success! Your enthusiasm is riveting, contagious, and extensive. Your eagerness to understand the bar belt and get to know me is exactly what I look for. You were even advocating for your win before the first game. Not to mention you had a huge turn out and had people dancing! -which was rare for last week. So while I've been enjoying my quiet week at home with the belt, I'll be happy to present it to you tomorrow night. But I still expect those Buffalo Chicken Sliders you promised last week. Bribery my friends. Bribery.

And also, I'm going to try a new thing to keep the winner of the belt involved. The previous week's winner will now be playing a large part in picking the next week's winner. See, now I'm bribing you! With power!

Ok, now that I've spent way too much time writing and hopefully you've spent too much time reading; go forth and party.
 
I hope you all saw the moon last night by the way. If you didn't, here's a recap:
 

Notice the rarity of the moon...

LOVE YOUUUU!
Fagel

Ballsagna Still Raw Around the Edges-Rumspringa Takes the Win

     Holy Moly, it's already Tuesday?!  Sheesh! I gotta get back into my blogging routine a little quicker, but life-things (You know, crappy stuff like kids, work, etc.) seem to always get in the way.  Never fear, the Silent Killer is here....again!
     So, just like this time last year, it looks like Ballsagna is a little raw around the edges and needs a little more time in the oven to get juuuuuust right.  We stumbled out of the starting blocks right away when the top of our kicking line up went 3 up-3 down. Ruh Roh! A mixture of rocket throws and bad calls made that happen. (OK, when I wrote "Ref's bad calls" in that poem I didn't mean for 2-3 of them to happen all in the same game!! Wink, wink! Hate Love you, ref  people!) Rumspringa came out kicking and our infield was looking a little rusty, but managed to hold them to 1 or 2 runs. We were able to get a few on base in the next few innings and even got a run in despite the  fact that Patrick Jones got caught with his pants down on third (Oh wait, that was Troy Southall in the AMP, never mind...) and got tagged out.
     I don't even want to talk about the 3rd inning....it was miserably awkward. Lots of great bunts from Rumspringa and several miscues and walks from Ballsagna. There, I said it. Can I wipe that memory from my brain now? Thank you very much...
     Let's talk about highlights from the game.  What can I say about Geoff Morehart?!  This southpaw was SMOKIN'! He threw....wait for it.....4!!! Count them 4!!!! (1,2,3,uh.....4) srtike outs in the game.  Three of them were in the final inning alone. I hate you, Geoff...

 Bringin' da HEAT!!

Well, Rumspringa certainly tested our outfield, but they couldn't penetrate (George Kiriazidis loves that word) the talent we have grazing out there. Stephen McGrew had to interrupt the game in field 2 dodging people, dogs, blankets and small children and managed to catch the ball amid the distraction.
David Griffin made a layout grab in shallow right center field after having a complete conversation with Jon Lenard on who should catch it (After you!  No, after you! Really?  Yes!  Why, thank you!)
 Also, Taylor Mitchell caught what was sure to be a home run boot from Troy "Hairy Derriere" Southall.  Well done guys! (Then there's the WAKA lawn ornament known as the Silent Killer waiting patiently for balls to come her way. Patiently....waiting.....and waiting....and waiting some more..... ;)
 As usual, the Ballsagna ladies rocked it...Nicole Graziano and Karen "Silent Killer" Savell both have a 1.000 KA so far. BOOM!!

 Peeps new to the team who I think are gonna be awesome:
Brad Kirby made his Ballsagna debut and showed his awesomeness at charger. Whoop whoop!

Brad Kirby nails it again...

Andrew Lowell is a kickball newby invited on the team by Mark Thompson and I almost drooled all over myself looking at those AWESOME muscles (I think I drooled more than Geoff).  He is also apparently my very own personal softball stalker fan.  He recognized me and remembered watching me play the week before. Yikes!  I think I'll break it to him gently that I am married.  I know it will break his heart... :(

 I hear it's good luck to rub Drew's mohawk. Give it a try!! (If you want your arms pulled out of their sockets)

SHAMELESS PLUG: Andrew has teamed up with Geoff and is now a trainer at the Jungle Gym!  If you want to pick heavy things up and put them down, do burpees, and weird hand stands next to walls, and just general fun stuff to make you sweat, these are the guys you need to talk to!

Hmmmm....I'm now getting the feeling that they were in cahoots with each other and Drew threw the game.  Bros before throws....and kicks and catches, right?!  I may have uncovered a conspiracy!!!!!! No matter,  I will be assigning him burpees until he throws up.

Jennifer Miller, whom I haven't met yet, has awesome talent in the outfield and I remember giving her a shout out in one of my blogs last year.  Can't wait to see her in action.

Taylor Mitchell and David Griffin I mentioned before.  They are both awesomely talented!

By the way, Mike Harvey needs to get his awesome butt out of the Middle East and back to the states to serve on the Ballsagna crew. We're waiiiiting......

^^^That's a lot of AWESOMENESS right there!! Add a little spice to make things nice, a little pepper on those throws, and a little swift sauce on running those bases and this team is ubber nom nom nomy!
   So it's back in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes and BAM!!!!! Battlestar is in deep Ballsagna dooky.


Any opinions expressed above are mine, and not those of Ballsagna or the U.S. Government. I filled out form 19842-J, Request for Official Opinions, when I first joined Ballsagna, but it's only been 2 seasons, so I don't expect them to finish processing the form for at least another two more years. Till then you're all stuck with my opinions.
Also, all opinions expressed are 99.44% true