VA Peninsula Spring 2014 - Rookies of the Year, Best Ref, Comeback Player

For the first time ever, we included some additional write in categories on the All-Peninsula ballot. Rookies of the Year, Best Refs, Comeback Player of the Year. We received a wide variety of responses and some really cool recognition. Let's take a look at the top vote getters!

Row Labels	Male ROY
Jeff Schildt, DCOMB	13
Manny Zapata, DCOMB	11
Andrew Lowell, Ballsanga	7

A pair of DCOMB standouts split the vote for Male Rookie of the Year. In the end, it was Big Jeff Schildt's multiple player of the week nods and social media hashtag campaign that earned him the top spot. Ballsagna's Andrew Lowell certainly made an impression in his first season, earning 3rd.

Row Labels	Female ROY
Desi Martinez, DCOMB	7
Katie Carstens, DCOMB	3
Angela Rice, Chaotic KILFs	3
Kelsey Butler, WAKA Shame	3
Rachelle Wilbur, Kick A$$	3
Erin Small, Breaking Brad	3

The future is bright for Don't Come on My Base (provided they can keep their core in tact). They also had two of the top vote getters for Female Rookie of the Year as well. Desi Martinez stood out for her great job at first base.

Row Labels	Comeback POTY
Steve Midlik, Wrecking Balls	8
Mike Harvey, Ballsagna	5
Larry Liverman, Kick A$$	5

For the Comeback Player of the Year, there were some truly deserving candidates. Larry Liverman is a legend of the game, and it was great seeing him back out on the field, making major contributions to a top team. Mike Harvey spent a couple seasons away while serving our country. He returned mid-year and looked like he hadn't skipped a beat. In the end, Steve Midlik was the top vote earner. This Wrecking Ball standout had achilles surgery in the summer of 2013 and worked hard to get back onto the field.

Row Labels	Ref of the Year
Bundy	21
Brent Wentworth	11
James Maxlow	8

Too often, refereeing is a thankless job. So, I wanted to make sure we took some time to recognize some of our top ones. Bundy ran away with this category, and rightfully so. He deserves it for his trademark "STTRRRRRRIIIIII" call.

Spring 2014 All-Peninsula 1st Team

Now the moment you've been waiting for. You've seen the 2nd and 3rd team. Now it's time to see the team that is considered the best of the best. According to the league wide vote, here are your top 3% performers this spring!

Jeremy Edge, Plan B
Outfield
Even the best infield defenses struggle to stop Mr. Edge. It doesn't matter who the pitcher is, the man can handle them. Picture perfect bunts, over and over again, all season long.

Jillian Simms, Just For Kicks
Outfield
Jill Simms speed and technique has been the envy of many opponents for a long time now. This season was no different. "The Sparrow" once again was one of the top vote getters in the AP ballot.

Juice Fitzgerald, Just For Kicks
Outfield
No individual in the league covers as much ground as the speedster, Juice Fitzgerald. When he's patrolling center, you might as well look to the corners if you're kicking away. And even then, there's a chance he'll still get to it.

Alex Jackson, Plan B
First Base
Tall, slender, and agile, Alex Jackson is the perfect target on one for hard throwing Plan B teammates like Noctor, Dom, Coup, Devlin, Ant Williams, etc. Jackson has the ability to extend his sure hands out and secure passes just a split second earlier than most first baseman. This advantage made it just that much harder to get on base vs. the Bees in their championship run.

Danielle Buchanan, Plan B
Outfield
Try to test her in left field at your own risk. Any ball kicked to her quadrant is likely to fall securely in her arms.

Amanda Doolittle, Plan B
Third Base
Pound for pound, Doolittle is one of the toughest kickballers in the league. She goes pedal to the metal, 100% of the time. Diving. Sliding. Hanging in to apply a tag, even as a runner is barreling down on her. These are the traits that have earned her yet another All-Peninsula accolade.

Bailey Brown, Boom! 
Outfield
Bailey is one of the most physically impressive ladies in the league, without question. But those muscles aren't just good for working out in the gym. She can straight up ball.

Alex Noctor, Plan B
Utility
The Love Noctor submitted yet another stellar VA Peninsula campaign. It's a true luxury having a player who can play catcher or outfield at an elite level. And if you need him in a pinch, can be a damn good pitcher too. Really, is there anything Noc can't do? 

Adam Tatem, Just For Kicks
Catcher
If EA Sports ever developed "WAKA Kickball 2014", Adam Tatem would have a 99 rating for "ACC". The dude explodes out of the box and smothers bunts. Not only is he quick to the ball, but he's got an A+ arm as well. He's the total package.

Dom Smith, Plan B
Charger
The absolute strongest arm in the league belongs to Dom Smith. At least once a game, Dom will gun a runner out with an insane throw from the line. It's truly incredible to witness. 

Geoff Morehart, Rumspringa
Pitcher
We all know about the big leg. We've known about it for a while now. And just like every other year, Geoff has kicked bombs and driven in a buttload of runs. And while that's impressive no doubt, it's never earned him an All-Peninsula ballot. It's not until this season when he stepped up his game on the defensive side. The southpaw hurler has worked hard at improving and has developed into one of the leauge's elite. Morehart's power and movement keeps kickers off balance and fills up the stat sheet with Ks and foul outs.

Spring 2014 All-Peninsula 2nd Team

Hassan Dubose, Just For Kicks
Pitcher
This hard throwing lefty was dominant on the mound for the Kennedys all season long, but perhaps no more so than in week 8. In a match up against Ballz Deep, Dubose filled up the stat sheet recording several Ks and Foul Outs.

Travis Cobb, Boom! 
First Base
Cobb deep y'all! As my man Jorts would say, "Hands for days!" 

Kearsten Lewis, Plan B
Outfield
Plan B's Kearsten Lewis put in one of the best all around performances this season. Week in and week out, this veteran kickballer was straight killing it. It seemed like Lewis was always on base and came through on multiple occasions with clutch RKIs.

Nathaniel Johnson, Kick Ass
Outfield
Just like he haunted the shadows of Luckie's, so too did Jorts Johnson haunt the opposing outfields of VA Peninsula this season. His powerful right foot was a constant source of runs for the KA offense. Example: In week 10, Johnson's 3 run home run sparked a 7-1 victory over DCOMB.

Jenn Tull, Kick Ass
Outfield
Jenn Tull's foot skills are without peer. The life long soccer player spent all spring kicking ass with Kick Ass. Laying down nasty bunts and kicking lasers into the gaps.

Lenora Harper, Rumspringa
Shortstop
Rumspringa's Lenora Harper is a tremendous athlete who can get down the line quick. She covered a lot of range in the infield for 'Springa and shut down any opposing kickers trying to take advantage up the middle.

Matt Coup, Plan B
Catcher
All this man does is win. Back to back VA Peninsula championships, not to mention his record 3 VA Raptor titles. It's not by accident either. Coup is an experienced, fundamentally sound player who always seems to be in the right position to make a play and rob someone of a base hit.

Ricky Holmes, Rumspringa
Charger
Not only does Holmes provide elite defense from the charger position, but he also doubles as one of the toughest outs in the league at the top of the Rumspringa lineup. Ricky consistently places the prettiest bunts up the line for base hits and later runs. 

Troy Southall, Rumspringa
Utility
Southall used to be a member of the All-Peninsula teams each season exclusively at the catcher position. Over the past couple seasons, he's evolved into much more than that. In addition to putting in outstanding innings behind the plate, Troy has also proven himself to be an elite outfielder. His versatility contributed greatly to Rumspringa's first place finish in the regular season. 

David Baum, Just For Kicks
Outfield
D-Bizzle has always been one of the top power kickers in the league, but this year he took it to a whole other level. In the off season he had surgery to take care of some nagging injuries, joined JFK, and got into the best shape of his career. It paid off. This spring Baum was dropping bombs and speeding around the bases as once again of the most feared kickers in the game. 

Lisa Rock, Ballz Deep
Outfield
Consistency. That's what Ballz Deep got from Lisa Rock all season long. Both at the plate (where she can both bunt and kick away really well), and in the field (where she was a smart, reliable defender). 

Plan B - VA Peninsula EoS Videos

Plan B had a truly historic run to The Wentworth Trophy® this spring*. "Cutting Edge Media" was in attendance to record their games from last weekend and has graciously edited them down to less than 10 minutes each.

*Official content warning* What you're about to see here is graphic kickball domination. Viewer discretion is advised.








*4-0, 40 runs scored, 1 allowed. Damn. 

Spring 2014 All-Peninsula 3rd Team

Another great season of WAKA VA Peninsula Kickball is in the books. Which means it's time to look back at the players who made the biggest impact on the field for their teams. Over 150 ballots were cast, and here are the results! We'll begin now with the 3rd team, and follow up with the 2nd and 1st later this weekend.

Josh Joyner, Boom!
Outfield
Joyner has always been one of the most reliable defenders in the field. Great instincts and sure hands help Boom lock down opponents kick away attempts. Josh also excelled on the other side of the ball this season, keeping his bunts down and consistently getting on base. Boom played in a ton of very close games, and often times it was Joyner that made the (winning) difference.

Emily Cook, Just For Kicks
Second Base
Perhaps no player in the league has worked harder and improved more than Emily Cook. This veteran kickballer earned her first All-Peninsula award by painting the lines and playing shut down defense up the middle for JFK. 

Kecia Warner, Rumspringa
Third Base
A perennial All-Peninsula selection, and with good reason. Warner is a well rounded superstar, who can play any position on the field. She can bunt with precision, speedy on the base paths, and can find the gaps with well placed liners.

Jen Miller, Ballsagna
Outfield
Jen Miller is a relative newcomer to kickball. She made her WAKA debut in the Fall of 2013 with the Ball & Chain Gang and has signed up for every league available since. Her dedication to improving and extensive soccer background has helped her develop into one of the top female kickballers in the league. 

Nicole Graziano, Ballsagna
Outfield
Season in and season out, Nicole Graziano proves that she is a great #@%& kickball player with her performance on the field. 

Manny Anderson, Kick A$$
Catcher
In the words of the immortal Young Runner, "Speed kills." And there is no one in VA Peninsula who matches the pure speed of the Kick Ass captain, Manny Anderson. He utilizes his blazing quickness to consistently get on base and aggressively move around to produce runs. 

Daniel Shaw, Just For Kicks
First Base
Normally recognized as one of the best pitchers in the country (and rightfully so), the depth on the mound for JFK necessitated that Shaw spend more time at first this spring. At 6'7'' with an enormous wingspan and big soft hands, he was a big target for the many hard throwing infielders on Just For Kicks. At the plate, Shaw has worked hard to become a consistent line drive kicker.

McCoy Wood, Just For Kicks
Utility
It was only a couple years ago that McCoy Wood was recognized as the 'player of the year' on the travel circuit. It's no surprise to see him earn another spot on an All-Peninsula team. He's a 5 tool player who can kick deep, line drive, bunt, and play multiple positions at an elite level (outfield, charger, and pitcher). Whatever gap manager Bryan Freed had, he could count on Wood filling it.

Mark Flores, Ballz Deep
Pitcher
Dude is a terminator. What other explanation is there? 

Joe Preseault, Foul Balls
Charger
Earlier this season, Allen Walker joked that the Player of the Week award should be re-branded as the "Joe Preseault Player of the Week" award due to the frequency of the Foul Balls charger appearing in the column (4x). Perhaps the most dangerous leg in the league was an RKI machine all spring.

John LaNeave, Plan B
Outfield
The ol' Wahoo himself, John LaNeave had another tremendous season. A versatile player who can kick anywhere in the lineup effectively, LaNeave was a key contributor to another championship team.

VA Patriot Draft is almost here!!

For those of you who haven't been paying attention, we hit 13 teams for the Draft League this year! So first of all, thank you for peer pressuring all your friends into signing up for the draft. They won't regret it, I promise.

That being said, before we actually draft on Wednesday, we need teams captains and team names and jersey colors and a draft order. Well all that was finalized tonight and I'd like to share it and post it in a one-stop-shop for you.

Here are your 2014 VA Patriot Express Draft League team names, captains, and jersey colors in the order of which they will be chosing players:

$exCannons  

Captained by Ian Fluke & Victoria Davis

Lazy Sexy & Drunk  

Captained by Bryan Freed & Fagel Baer

Turn Down For Bunts  

Captained by Geoff Morehart & Amanda Doolittle

E2  

Captained by Jeremy Edge & Courtney Efird

Fight or Flight Flamingos  

Captained by Curtis Faubion & Emily Cook

Taste the Rainbow, Bitch  

Captained by Keith Morehart & Jamie LaCrosse

Mary Jane's Magic  

Captained by Jason Kidd & Megan MacDowell

Boo Face  

Captained by Josh Joyner & Kim Morgan

The Schmidtuation  

Captained by Ryan Schmid & Dani Schmidt

Cinnamon Toast Crunk  

Captained by Andrew Schlicte & Sheri Lewis

Mamba  

Captained by Jordan Soles & Blaire Ward

Goin' Solange On Yo A$$  

Captained by James Maxlow & Laura Schmitt

Big Green Buddies  

Captained by Nathaniel Johnson & Becca Darron

Week 11 Results

I'm back, jerks.

Battlestar 8, Breaking Brad 2

Jacob Kirsteatter sparked the Battlestar offense as they rolled over Breaking Brad in the final week of the regular season.  Aaron Thompson executed the rare unassisted outfield double play as he made a catch and then barely caught a Battlestar runner on the foot just before crossing home.

Plan B 9, Foul Balls 0

Joe “P.O.T.W.” Presault sat down not one, but two Plan B players with a kick pass.  However, he was like the little Dutch girl with her finger in the dam as Plan B did what the Plan B do: scored lots of runs.

Kick Ass 5, Ballz Deep 4

Both teams were a little short staffed in this prime time affair, which probably led to the high score.  Kick Ass rebounded from an early 3-0 deficit behind the offense and pitching of Derrick Robbins and Bryan “No Shoes” Moore completed the comeback scoring in the bottom of the fourth.  Amroth Hough tried to show up No Shoes by playing with one shoe on due to a broken toe as she still made plays in the field for Ballz Deep.

Kick in a Box 10, New Kickheads on the Block 7

There was a veritable offensive explosion in this contest with Kick in a Box having just a little more firepower in the end.  Craig Dietrich somehow found some sewage waste to jump in during the game, so the runs were probably due to KIAB players trying to round the bases and get off the field as quick as possible.  Mark “Stink” Schlereth would be proud.

PBJT 11, Chaotic KILFS 1

Since I’ll actually miss the rug pisser and yelling “Leeeet’s go Jelly!”  I’ll let Eric Schessel handle this recap: “The KILFs played solid in a loss to PBJT. Chris Storar was a beast at charger. They made no mistakes on defense. PBJT just kept the ball away from their key players. Eric Schessl went 2-2 with a single and a double for 3 RKIs, and pitched two solid innings including the 5th to close out the game.”

You will be missed sir.

JFK 12, Ballsagna 1

B allsagna kept it knotted at 1-1 through most of the game before the potent JFK offense exploded.  Poland probably “kept it close” during the first 5 minutes of World War II also.

WAKAholics 3, Don’t Come on My Base 2

Too many hashtags to actually figure out what happened, but the WAKAholics barely came out on top in this meeting of VA Peninsula rookie squads.

Rumspringa 10, WAKA Shame 0

WAKA Shame came dressed for success, but it was not to be theirs as Rumspringa wrapped up the #1 seed going into the tournament.  Ryan Greene starred in the outfield for WAKA Shame in his Zapp Branigan-style  velour shirt.  Victoria Davis saw her first inning on the hill.

Boom! 8, Airwrecka and Friends (Erica’s Balls) 2

The Lady Boomers helped push across 4 runs in the second inning and they never looked back cruising to the win.  Captain Phil Baltzis celebrated his birthday in style driving in 3 of the Boom! runs.  On the defensive side, Scotty Harrell produced a web gem by pegging out a Airwrecka base runner streaking home from left field.

Ballsagna Came All Over Their Base!!

     Ballsagna decommissioned DCOMB with a big lopsided win Wednesday night. With the top of the line up pretty much getting on every time they came up, it was hard for Don't Come On My Base's crew to get into the game.
     It was noted later that night that if it weren't for Andrew Lowell's sac fly, that the top 5 in the lineup were 13-14 getting on base! Congrats go to Brad Kirby, Brian Neal, Mark Thompson, Andrew Lowell and Patrick Jones!  Dang, now that's a wicked lineup!!! Speaking of Andrew Lowell, with bases loaded he booted the stuffings out of the ball in deep left center field but little Dom Guarry got his fast little self under it for an awesome catch, resulting in Andrews sac fly and the only time he didn't get on base that night.

Imma bout to BUST this mo fo...

     There were several instances where bases were loaded and a few times Nicole Graziano came up with that situation.  She wasn't intimidated with 2 outs and bases loaded as she walloped one to shallow right field and cleared the bases with a triple!  Then again with bases full she was able to kick a double to bring in a few more runs.  She was on FIRE, baby! (I think I saw Holly go snuff out the flames in her hair after her triple...)
     Meanwhile defensively, Jen Miller was a ball hog at 2nd base. ;) Lots of line drives and pop ups came her way.  She destroyed their plans while catching every one of them with ease! The Silent Killer however had a little difficulty with a line drive boot to shallow left field. Running full stride back and to her right she went for it but it bounced off the boobs for a single.(Hey, any other night and I would have caught that, but NOOOOO....my ENTIRE family from Louisiana came up for graduation and came to see me play and that happens! Typical!!! :/ Oh well, it was nice having my own cheering section. :)
     DCOMB's defense had some nice plays as well. Dom pretty much OWNED left center.  He's gotten pretty quick and accurate with catches and throws and speed.  He was humpin' it the whole time and didn't let anything drop. DCOMB pitcher Jeff Shildt gave off a sexy grunt after each pitch as he put his ALL into every pitch. He was able to strike one of our kickers out with that wicked speed and spin. YIKES!
     In the final inning, we decided to put the RKI queen on the mound!  Nicole Graziano (5 RKI's for the night!) took the plate and was a little nervous.  Being a pitching virgin this season, it took a while to warm up.  With a few walks and kick pass gone wacko, Ballsagna was able to pull out of that inning with 2 runs going in.Whew!
     Sooooo, DCOMB had a big dose of Ballsagna face with a score of 12-2.
     Patrick Jones closed out his season with this awesome win.  He's got an amazing opportunity down in Florida so he and his family are packing up and heading south.  We hate to see him go as he is one of the best 1st basemen/deep kickers in the league.  He's got many years of kickball under his belt including being an Emperor's Club 3-peat champ. It was a pleasure getting to know you PJ and an honor to have played with you!  May all your future endeavors be as successful as your kickball career! Hat's off to PJ!!! Farewell, buddy! :,)

Dream team!! Drool...

BALLSAGNA FACE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bar Buzz: As we go on, we remember, all the times we, had together!

For those who don't know me, I am a huge sap. Actually, I've probably mentioned it before in this blog. But it always amazes me how wonderful this group truly is. Like sure we whine, and complain, and have our rival teams, and can argue calls to the death (trust me, I helped with the #WAKAmidatlantic2014 tourney....). But in the end, people can throw down those red balls, grab some beers and be insanely awesome people off of the field.

I've now been part of WAKA for a solid year, and I can truly say that many decisions I make revolve around this group of people. And the best part is knowing I've assisted contributing to that comradery. Brent is on point when he says it's a high when people have a good time. When I see noobs (newbies) re-joining for another season, or getting a best friend, or even recruiting someone else, it's a high.

And those were my exact sentiments after last Wednesday and the EOS. I love karaoke, but more importantly, I love other people loving karaoke. We had some pretty epic singers/performers! -I say performers because singing is a very, very, special talent.

Emily Ross Cook - Girl, your voice!
Keith and Geoff Morehart - Basically you guys are the most adorable duo ever. I can't wait 'till my sister turns comes to party with me...
Chris Storar and Tyler Bowman - Way to rap you guys. Wish I could have heard Tyler singing...but his performance was solid just the same.
Jesse Rogers - Your serenading performance was incredible! You are why we need more karaoke nights!
Kelsey Whitelock - Because I sang with you...obvi ;)
Marc Odom - I still can't get the image of you going all Marco Suave on us out of my head. Good choice my friend, good choice.
WAKA Shame - I'll be honest, I can't remember the song, but I remember you basically had your whole team up there. I remember saying "damn. I hope they have enough mics!"
Kick A$$ - Brilliance. Pure brilliance. (they sang What Does the Fox Say for those who were drunk/not there/not paying attention).

So the winner of the bar belt is a team I never thought I'd see win...even though I love a whole bunch of you. Y'all kept telling me you were too old, or too competitive, or whatever other excuse you could come up with. And maybe it's because I didn't really notice you until the flash of my iphone exposed how many dark green shirt-ed people there actually were. Or maybe it was your performance of your karaoke song. Whatever the reason is, I am honored to award the final #barbelt of the season to Kick A$$. Now the catch is that Manny has to let me have Danger.....

So as this season comes to a close tomorrow night, it's bittersweet. I think about the FANTASTIC people I've gotten a chance to meet, and can only hope everyone had the same experience!

I hope you leave this league tomorrow night craving for your next season ::cough:: ::cough:: ::the draft:: ::caugh:: I hope you leave this league needing Wednesday night team dinners. I hope you leave wanting to know more people, maybe try a different team (shameless draft reference again...).

Because in the end, this group of people is amazing, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Also, get your smart phones ready for #WAKAsmiles and #WAKAsummerselfie and take all of those shameless summer selfies...I know I will be!

Luh you
Fages

VA Peninsula - Spring 2014 Week 11 Results and POTW

I've had a lot going on with the WAKA Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament last weekend and all, so I wasn't able to get the results and POTW post up... Until NOW. Better late than ever, right? We did have a lot of outstanding players this week, so I definitely wanted to make sure they (and myself) got some recognition.

PBJT 11, Breaking Brad 5
Ballz Deep 8, Battlestar 1
Just For Kicks 13, #WAKAholics 1
Ballsagna 12, DCOMB 2
Foul Balls 5, WAKA Shame 0
Rumspringa 13, Wrecking Balls 9
Plan B 15, Chaotic KILFs 2
Kick Ass 12, Kick In A Box 1
Boom! 12, New Kickheads 0
Players of the Week

Derek Paterson, Pitcher, Foul Balls
Jesse Rogers, Pitcher, Foul Balls
DP and Jesse Rogers combined for 5 scoreless innings on the mound to shut out the WAKA Shames.

Joe Preseault, Charger, Foul Balls
As Allen Walker put it, we ought to rename the POTW award to the 'Joe Preseault' award. The dude fills up the stat sheet every week. Against WAKA Shame, Joe added another 3 RKIs to his season total.

Kristen Saunders, OF, Foul Balls
The Foul Balls had a great week, winning 5-0 against WAKA Shame. Saunders was one of 4 Foulies to get a shoutout in the win, going 1-1 with 1 run and a pair of catches recorded in the outfield.

Ashley Carte, OF, JFK
"Ashley Carte sparked the JFK offense in the top of the 3rd." teammate Emily Cook said, "She was 2-2 on the night leading off in two separate innings."

Nicole Graziano, 3B, Ballsagna
Graziano was a destructive force in the lopsided Ballsagna win. She drove in 5 of their 12 runs against Don't Come On My Base and threw a shutout inning on the mound.

Brad Kirby, Charger, Ballsagna
Mr. Kirby painted the lines on Wednesday night, going 3 for 3.

Patrick Jones, 1B, Ballsagna
In his last WAKA Wednesday before moving to Florida, PJ spent a lot of time rounding the bases. He went 3-3 with a couple of runs. Not a bad way to go out.

Ricky Holmes, Charger, Rumspringa
In the wild Rum/Wrecking game, Holmes went 2-2 with a double, triple, and 3 RKIs.

John P. Wilkinson, OF, PBJT
Jeremy Smithey, Charger, PBJT
The Brads had a headache dealing with the Jellie's J&J. Smithey and Wilkinson went a combined 6-6, 2 runs, and 3 RKIs.

Bryan "NoShoes" Moore, Charger, Kick Ass
Brent Wentworth, Utility, Kick Ass
This pair of Ass Kickers went 4-4, drove in 6 runs and scored a pair. (and also ran into an out each. But, uh, we're not going to focus on that part.)

3 Up 3 Down - Episode 76

The boys break down VA Peninsula week 11 and the upcoming Mid-Atlantic tournament. If you're just looking for Mid-Atlantic talk, skip to the 60 minute mark.

Ballsagna Buries Ballz (6 feet) Deep

Photos by Holly Lenard

  Ballsagna is finishing the season strong with a couple of wins back to back here in the final stretch.   Thinking it was going to be a tight game, Ballsagna tore into the Ballz Deep crew and scored 4 runs in the first inning. Ballz Deep had a few of their star players missing and seemed to fall flat that game. Several flamingly, fast balls were thrown to first (Yes, I actually saw flames coming from a ball thrown by Wes McClain!) by Ballz Deep but were uncharacteristically off target and the Ballsagna crew took advantage right away. The trio of Mark "Golden Arm" Flores, Wes "Flame" McClain, and Justin Schauf (Um, I'm thinking of a nickname. Give me a minute...) were rocking the infield for Ballz Deep but weren't quick enough for the likes of Ballsagna's top of the line up. Brian Neal, Mike Harvey, Mark Thompson and Patrick Jones all consecutively got on with ease, it seemed like and it was difficult for Ballz Deep to stop the bleeding.  There were plays made at the plate but with their quickness, nothing was too close to call.

Mike Harvey going for the more traditional baseball slide rather than the super duper 

Superman slide that won the game last week.

Mark Thompson's attempt at stealing home plate.

Dude, you can't take that with you! Put it back!!

      Ballsagna's defense was solid!  Absolutely nothing went through.  OK, except for Wes McClain's hellacious kick to right center field. Good Gosh A Mighty!!  It nearly knocked Andrew Schlichte out of his shoes! That kick was good for a one run homer to bring the score to 4-1. But Ballsagna's defence was tighter than a gnat's a$$ and was able to shut them down. David Griffin pretty much OWNED center field and didn't let anything drop except for one line drive up the middle near 2nd base where he just couldn't get under it in time. Slacker!! When it comes to fielding and catching balls, he's got elite quickness!  We can always count on him for support and holding those balls firm.  He is like our jock strap of the team! (OMG, simile gone wrong!!!) Brad Kirby finally was able to get back into kickball shape after suffering a near-death injury to his leg.  He pretty much erased all of the skin on his knee and lower leg in a sliding incident and they were thinking amputation.  Luckily, he pulled out of it ok and is back to kicking booty on the kickball field with both legs intact! Whew...

Dude, I got the outfield handled.  You just stay in your little charger area.

  The ladies of both teams were pretty awesome! Nicole Graziano made an awesome catch in left field and Karen "Silent Killer" Savell went 2-2 in kicking and getting on base. Holla! Nikki LeBlanc, Lisa Rock, and Amroth Hough held down their positions and got the ball in quickly and efficiently. I didn't enjoy kicking their butts as I usually do in games because some of them are my VA Hustle teammates. HUSTLE HARD ladies! Um, sorry? NOT! ;)

 The Silent Killer strikes again. Catch her if you can!

Lisa Rock and Nikki LeBlanc fielding and lookin' good!

 

     So, to wrap it up, Ballsgna takes a 7-2 win over Ballz Deep to slowly climb up in the rankings again with a solid offense AND defense. Like clockwork, baby! 

Put a fork in us, WE ARE DONE!

Word...

Bar Buzz: The Before and After

 If you really think about WAKA Wednesdays, I mean really think about it, there are some seriously dedicated people. If kickball starts at 6:30 and we do the #AMP at midnight, that's a solid 5.5 hours of kickballing and partying. That's almost like a full workday!

So not everyone makes it to the #AMP, and I totally get it. Sleep is basically the best thing in the world. Which is why last week we introduced the #BMP (Before Midnight Photo) to pay homage to those sleep-loving partiers. And the results were astounding. I guess Luckies is just SO big, that I never really knew how many people were there at one time!

But it wasn't just about being present for the #BMP, your team also had to be represented in the #AMP....which seemed a little harder. Below is your ranking of everyone present in the #AMP with their representation numbers. I couldn't even try to count in the #BMP. Too many!

Boom - Look at you guys, coming out all early, with big numbers too! Gives me hope for the EOS and future seasons. Not as old as y'all look ;)

Kick in a Box - Even though you didn't have anyone stay for the #AMP, I needed to give you a shoutout because y'all came out!! That never happens and even though I only talked to one of your teammates, I'm patiently awaiting the day when y'all will be my friends :)

PB&J (1) - I couldn't see many (if any at all) of your team in the #BMP but Megan did make her appearance in the #AMP! ...wearing a different colored shirt though. I'll get into what her PB&J shirt was being used for below.

Foul Balls (1) - I was so impressed with you guys. Seriously you had great numbers in the #BMP! Now I know where y'all hide. You hide in the depths of the early night. 

DCOMB (2) - Where's #bigjeffshildt?? Where's Zapata?? Where have you all gone? Within an hour and a half your numbers dwindled drastically....you have one more night to redeem yourself! ;)

Battlestar (2) - I love that your team had some reps! I see y'all once in a blue moon, but I'm sure you go hard when you do come out!

Breaking Brad (2) - Even though your representation was mere stragglers compared to your usual numbers but I'm sure y'all just had something better to do

New Kickheads (4) - Your usuals are constant and solid. I know that without a doubt I will see a Hassell and witness y'all doing your shots or being crazy with the WAKA Shamers and Breaking Brad.

#WAKAholics (6) - Solid numbers, solid presence, and way to go with that belt. I have to say, pole dancing with the WAKA Shamers was....interesting to say the least. But y'all as a team have been a blast!

KILF's (6) - I am still so glad y'all come out every week. Basically makes my night watching you guys. You're so interesting and fun and you don't even know it! Ok you probably do, but humor me. I hope I see you every Wednesday night for the rest of kickball eternity.

WAKA Shame (10) - Good comes to those who wait. Patience is a virtue. And all of those other crazy anecdotes about waiting. You all set out to win this week and you did. Your numbers were solid. Your shot-taking skills were on point. And your photos were priceless. I choose not to ask what was going on with the shirt slapping using Megan's shirt (see above note in PB&J). So use the belt wisely this week and just so you know, you have it for the tourney and EOS. Y'all better impress me!

Look at all of those people!

Left Side

Right Side

Ok guys, let's end this season with a bang! Karaoke is tomorrow and the tourney and EOS is Saturday! Two more WAKA Wednesdays and then it's the summer draft! Eek!

Fages.

3 Up 3 Down - Episode 75

Ballsagna Swipes Win From Battlestar

     It was an amazing head-to-head game between Ballsagna and Battlestar as they fought it out through 5 innings. Ballsagna bit first and scoreed a run off of Jon Lenard's booming kick to right field for a triple to bring in Brian Neal. After that it was defense, defense, defense!  Ballsagna took advantage of little pop ups for easy out catches near the plate.  Brian Neal was all over it! Battlestar kept with the basics of efficiently getting their outs one at a time.
     Both teams got runners on base but left a LOT of ducks on the pond that couldn't be driven in for scores. In one inning Alison Easterday had to make a play at 3rd but the ball was thrown a little off so she had to come off the bag and deflect it and tagged George Kiriazidis out. Constant plays like this left runners on the bags every nail-biting inning. So it was locked up at 1-0 until the 5th inning.  Michael Machie started it off by nailing a low line drive to shortstop Karen Savell where she couldn't get under it for the catch, but was able to keep it in front of her for the block. (By the way....OUCH!!! My pinkie hates you, Mike!)  After a few well placed bunts, the bases were loaded with no outs.  It was looking pretty bleak for Ballsagna.  The next kick was popped up in the infield and was caught for out #1.  #2 was a kick away to the right side where Michael Machie had the speed to come home for the tying run. With bases loaded still, the ball was kicked away for out #3.  Whew!!
     With the game at 1-1 at the bottom of the 5th, Ballsagna had nothing to lose by kicking their best. With 2 on and one out the ball was kicked away but caught by the great MVPeter Kuhr in center field. With 2 outs and Mike Harvey at 3rd base ready to run in, Andrew Lowell drilled it as hard as he could.  It was a low line drive between the charger and pitcher. Casey Heck was able to block it and it bounced up for an opportunity for him to catch it but he was off balance and couldn't get to it in time, but he was able to grab it on the bounce and hurl it into home, where Mike Harvey made a spectacular Superman dive to home plate to sneak under the tag for the walk off win!  (As usual, Alison Easterday was picking clovers the whole time...)

No photos of Mike Harvey sliding so here's one of him flinging the ball to 1st base ace, Patrick Jones

       Awesome heart-pounding end to a great game! Andy Tapley and Jason Wieszek did some outstanding pitching. Casey Heck is looking pretty awesome holding down that charger position and getting some great kicks in! Kudos to Battlestar!  Heopefully Ballsagna will keep tight reins on the next team they face like the last couple of games. We'll have 2 of our top dudes back this week, thank goodness.  SLACKERS!!!!
     Other awesome people: Patrick Jones has the stickiest hands in the league! Those balls just never drop when it comes to throwing runners out at 1st.And he always seems to get on base... PJ ROCKS!!
David Griffin is always quietly stalking in the outfield, waiting for any chance to catch that ball for a solid out! We are never nervous when the ball gets booted his way! David ROCKS!!!
Ok, everybody ROCKS!!!

  Patrick "PJ" Jones

Oh yeah, I'm bad!

Hear ye, Hear ye!!
      Stephen McGrew is McThrough with kickball this season.  He has announced that his wife is very, very, very near her delivery date and he needs to be close by at all times.  We wish him well and will miss him terribly!  Hopefully he won't share disgusting photos of the delivery.  Good luck, Mommy and Daddy McGrew, and little Boo Boo McGrew!!!

Bar Buzz - One Hit Wonders

I am so obsessed with the summer draft league, and think everyone should sign up, that I decided that the #wakabarchallenge should be about just that. Recruiting people for the draft! Now there were a bunch of (ok, like 3) people who participated in the challenge and attempted recruiting people. We'll see how they fared in a moment after I disclose the theme for this week's post. Last week was a nice, small, intimate group of people, who represented a good number of (ok, like 7) teams. And only 3 teams had more than one rep....your numbers are failing me my dear WAKA VA Peninsula.

In honor of the few, the inspiring, the brave, the night-owl, social individuals who braved to stay for the #AMP. This week's blog post is all about those one-hit wonders. Those songs that have such a fond place in our hearts but we can barely name other songs by that group let alone the group name. It's like you basically forget that group (team) exists without that catchy, jingle of a song (the individual).

So here's to you. You one-hit wonders, who hold such a dear place in our hearts.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Airwrecka and Friends - Keith Morehart: "C'est La Vie" -B*Witched. This is literally my favorite song in the whole world. And Keith is one of my favorites in the whole world. So obviously he deserves such a high-energy song. Keith, we can talk, we can sing, I'll be the queen, you be the king. You're the wolf today Keith, you'll huff you'll puff you'll blow them away. I also totally see you getting down with an Irish jig sung by a girl-band.

Rumspringa - Brandon Silver: "Better Days" - Citizen King. He's probably seen better days than this one. I'm sure he's been the star of many plays (get it??? like kickball plays??...I'm so punny..).

PB&J - Megan MacDowell: "I Love You Always & Forever" - Donna Lewis. Look at her #AMP face. She'll clearly love everyone always & forever. Also I really will love your team always & forever ;)

JFK - William Mckendree: "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" - The Proclaimers. Because when Will wakes up on Wednesdays he knows, when he goes out, he'll be going out with you. And when he gets drunk, yes he knows he's gonna be the man who gets drunk next to you.

KILF's - Austin Whipple, Tyler Bowman, John O'Donnell: "Jump Around" - House of Pain. This is literally the only song I could think of for these fine gents. Everytime I see them dancing, they're jumping...kind of. Or, they came to get down ;)

Breaking Brad - Brad Gault, Mike Malozzi, Serena D'Angelo, and Mags Waldron: "Closing Time" - Semisonic. Because one of them is always closing the bar down. Without fail. They don't go home, but they don't stay [t]here.

#WAKAholics - Juan Cruz, Sterling Wilcox, Mike Kern, and me (obvi): "Rump Shaker" - Wreckx-N-Effect. Because we try to be sexy, but most people just don't get us (much like these lyrics). We're catchy and you don't know why. Juan Cruz was born to be in this video (in another life). And we also totally scantily play our saxs on the beach...

 

I wanted to use this one to describe me..... Yea, Bar Buzz is totally up there with Cleopatra and Aphrodite ;)

So now that I've gone through some of my faves, it's time to announce the winner of the belt. Now I struggled with this because I want to always give every team a fighting chance. But the top two teams (Breaking Brad and #WAKAholics) have both already won the belt...so clearly someone gets it twice. Once again, Mike Kern takes his team (#WAKAholics) above and beyond by not only taking the most pictures for the #wakabarchallenge, but successfully committing some of his recruits to the draft league. The only rep to do so from that night. So to you teams who have already won it, if you're killin' it, kill it.

See you tomorrow!
Fages

VA Peninsula - Players of the Week 8

Hassan Dubose, P, JFK
JFK's southpaw ace was dominant on Wednesday, striking and fouling out several Ballz Deep kickers.

Danielle Buchanan, OF, Plan B
Buchanan's hustle on an overthrown ball resulted in a bases clearing triple that broke the game open for Plan B.

Stacey Carpenter, SS, Rumspringa
A big night for Carpenter, 2-2 including a clutch 2 out RKI, lands her player of the week honors.

Larry Liverman, P, Kick Ass
In addition to a pair of scoreless innings on the mound, Liverman continued to produce at the plate. He went 2 for 2 and scored both times.

Amy Schendel, OF, Ballz Deep
Amy went 2 for 2 to lead off two separate innings. Her run in the 5th inning helped lead a come from behind rally to secure a draw against JFK.

Joe Preseault, Ch, Foul Balls
Wade Brock, Utility, Foul Balls
Alex Hojnicki, OF, Foul Balls
You could probably put the entire Foul Balls offense on this list, as they exploded for 11 runs on Wednesday. But captain Andreas Beyersdorf specifically called out these three individuals for particularly doing damage; Brock (2-2, 2 R), Hojnicki (2 RKI), and Preseault (2-2; 6 RKI, GS, 2B, 2 R)

Dude. Look at Joe's stats again.

Andrew Lowell, Utility, Ballsagna
Mike Harvey, Charger, Ballsagna
Locked in a 1-1 tie with rivals Battlestar, this pair of Ballsagnas proved to be difference makers. Harvey hustled home on a line drive single by Lowell for the walk off victory.

Lucas Feller, C, DCOMB
Jeff Shildt, P, DCOMB
The modern day 'Bash Brothers', if you will. Both DCOMB sluggers went yard in the win over the Kickheads. Shildt also contributed 5 shut out innings on the mound as well. Additionally, Shildt went on to break league records for selfies posted to Facebook within a week. #BigJeffShildt

Ryan Saloka, P, WAKA Shame
Saloka was a human highlight machine for the Shame. In 3 innings of work on the mound he recorded 6 pop outs, including a couple of diving grabs. 

3 Up 3 Down - Episode 74