the Ghost Man
Greetings Kickballers!
Well, here we are, at the end of another fall season. If your a Ball Buster, I'm sure it comes with a familiar sense of pride and joy. If your not a Buster, the feeling probably more closely resembles that of wishing you were a Ball Buster. (Or maybe the mischievous, yet strangely satisfying, feeling of urinating in one of their gas tanks...) While the BB did not dominate the regular season, they did manage to show why they are always a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs. Congratulations on achieving the coveted Championship Cup and the three-peat! Their key to success was clearly evident again as they played hard and when a mistake was made, they capitalized. The Inglorious Ballstards found out the hard way. Though kudos go out to the Maroon Army on a fantastic season. And let us not discount the efforts of the Uniballs and Sweep The Leg. There's was definitely a passionate game; both teams gave it all they had. It didn't look good at first when Kharim walked the Uni's first kicker. Or was he just trying to give them false hope...because the next kicker he struck out. The game was not as easy for STL as the score suggests (4-0). The Uniballs played some good defense but just were not able to get around the bases. In the big game (STL vs. BB) a victory was well within grasp of either team. Both played extremely well and in the sixth inning, both looked like they had just played 10 innings of kickball...because they had. Of the many highlights in this game, many of which I'm sure will be covered elsewhere in the blog, one of the standouts was when Brandon (STL), in a nice display of heads-up base running, managed to turn your average kick to the outfield into a home run. Well done. But, as noted earlier, the Busters got it done, once again, winning 3-2. It was definitely an exciting game well worth watching. For those not in attendance, you missed out. Which brings us to the fall All-Star game. As the sun started going down early (a lovely side effect of Eastern Standard time), it got cold rather quickly. But again, if you weren't there or if you left early to go and get warm, you missed a fun game. Not only was it the All-Star game, but also the guest-star game as our favorite, albeit sometimes overly sarcastic, bartender, Frank (in attendance for most of the afternoon), was invited to play on Team East. I think even he was surprised when he managed to get all the way to third before being thrown out. I'd post the winner and score, but I have to admit that I was too busy enjoying some liquid refreshments and didn't pay attention to that aspect of the game. And as a final comment on our last Sunday of kickball in 2010, a big thank you to those brave souls who dared step on the field to referee these last few games, including, but not limited to, Ty, the WAKA Northeastern Rep., who ended up as head ref for the Uni vs. STL game as well as the championship game.
Now, however, we find ourselves sliding head first into another off season. The long
dreadful winter ahead of us will be filled with bitter cold temperatures, slushy roads, filthy cars, wet shoes, runny noses, and no kickball. But all is not necessarily as grey and bleak as the winter landscape. Don't forget that with the off season comes a whole new round of recruitment, smack talk, and the growing popularity of Facebook-fu**ing your so-called friends! Some players become haters and some haters become players. Back-stabbing, front-stabbing, team jumping, new teams started, old teams getting back together, and the ever-popular threatening to quit and/or retire. Yes, there are plenty of ways to stay connected and interested in the CT Ivy over the winter. There are already several trade/recruitment rumors flying around, some of which were confirmed and that was just in the first round of the playoffs. (Have you no decency!) I've not checked the mighty FaceSpace in the last few days, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if this has not already begun. But before we say our final farewell to kickball for the year, we still have the end-of-season party ahead of us. The familiar and comfortable Anna Liffey's will be home to this stellar event once again, with good food, good booze, and another round of raffles and tournaments. So bring the cash and buy many tickets...remember, it all goes to our charity, Life Haven! At least after this shindig, we don't have to get up and play the next day...we have 4+ months to rest, recuperate, and re-energize until we once again take over East Rock Park!
'Til next year, Ball Kickers, see you, well, in a bar somewhere!
~Your Friendly Neighborhood Ghost Man
CT Ivy Fall 2010
Superlatives:
Best Looking Team – Uniballs
Most Improved Team – Kickelback
Best Team Food – Sweep the Leg
Team Most likely not to play flip-cup: Balls of Fury, Wrecking Balls, Blue Ballers
Team to most likely to close down the bar; (Must have at least 4 or more members): Ballstards / Ball Busters
Most Likely to Argue a Call – Mike Pinto (Balls to the Wall)
Best Matched/Dressed Team – Blue Ballers
Best New Couple – Robert Olsen and Dana Hurst (Ballstards/Kickelback)
Most Likely to Get Hurt – Richard LeBlanc (Sweep the Leg)
Best Dancer – Brendan Carey (Sweep the Leg)
Best Photographer – Samantha Liacos (Ballstards)
Loudest – Jillian Kellogg (Blue Ballers)
Cutest Couple – Brianna Sullivan and Stephen Smith (Wrecking Balls/Ballstards)
Best Free Agent Change – Matt Griswold (Kickelback)
Best Family Duo – Fischetti’s and Hurst’s (Wrecking Balls / Kickelback)
Best Drunken Giggle – Thomas Choma (Wrecking Balls)
Most Likely to make Random Friends – Theresa Jakubowski (Ballstards)
Funniest New Kickballer – Lauren Vassallo (Ballstards)
Most Likely to be picked up by another team – David Barnes (Balls of Fury)
Most Improved “in” Season – Balls Deep
Best Team Spirit - Teabaggers
Best Team Cheer – Ball Busters
Best Play this season – Brandon Smith(Sweep the Leg) Homerun in the championship game
Most Hated – Inglorious Ballstards
