We Missed You at the Sponsor Bar!

Hey Kickballers,

I hope that everybody is having a good time so far this season.  The games have been getting started without too much issue and I think the reffing on the fields has been fairly consistent without to many issues.

But, we have had a very low turnout at our sponsor bar this year.  WAKA Kickball is an event built on the social experiment,  and part of that social aspect is the camaraderie shared after the game over food and drinks.  This is where our sponsor bar comes in, our bars spend a considerable sum of money and offer us outstanding prices on food and drinks to get our business.  The money that they give us goes to cover much of the start-up costs of the season, advertising, equipment, permits, etc.  In addition, our bar this year went out and recruited its own team to make the season more exciting.   For all that they do to help the season get under way and to keep the season exciting and competitive, I say let's pay them back by showing up and give them a little business.

The games end early enough, come on out, show your gratitude to our proud sponsor, honor your team with your presence and hang out with some friends you may not know you had!

Where is the Pink Team?

First there was Waldo...

Then Carmen Sandiego...

And, who knows how long the Dodo has been missing...

But, can someone tell me where the hell the Kickball Sacks have been week after week?  Please if you run into them, give them a ride, cab fare, a bus pass, or at the very least a CT Freedom season schedule.  And, let them know that the season just isn't the same without them. 

Rules You Should Know!

For this weeks rule we're gonna take a closer look at kicking.

What is fair? And, what is a foul ball?  

Let's see waht WAKA has to say:

9. KICKING

9.01 All kicks must be made by foot or leg, below the knee (see Rule 13.02e). Any ball touched by the foot or leg below the knee is a kick. 

9.02 All kicks must occur: 

a. at or behind home plate. The kicker may step on home plate to kick, however no part of the planted foot may be in front of or cross the front edge of the home plate (see Rule 13.02g).

b. within the kicking box (see Rule 1.01g). The kicker must have at least a portion of the plant foot within the kicking box during the kick (see Rule 13.02g). The kicker may line up outside of the kicking box. 

9.03 Bunting is allowed.

13.02 A foul ball is: 

a. a kicked ball landing in foul territory (see Diagram 3G, 3H); 

b. a kicked ball touched in foul territory (see Rule 1.04);

c. a kicked ball landing in fair territory, but touching foul territory on its own at any time before reaching first or third base (see Diagram 3I, 3J, 3K); 

d. a kicked ball whose direction is altered by contact with any object other than the ground in foul territory, and called as such;

e. a kick made on or above the knee (see Rule 9.01); 

f. a kicked ball touched more than once or stopped in the kicking box by the kicker; 

g. a kicked ball kicked outside of the kicking box (see Rule 9.02) (see Diagram 3L, 3M); 

13.03 A fair ball is: 

a. a kicked ball landing and remaining in fair territory (see Rule 1.04) (see Diagram 3C, 3D, 3E); 

b. a kicked ball landing in fair territory then traveling into foul territory beyond the 1st-3rd base diagonal (see Diagram 3A, 3B, 3F).

Ok, everybody get it?  Let me help.  The ball must be struck with the foot or shin area inside the kicking box and must move forward out of the kicking box to be considered a fair ball.

Any ball struck with any part of the leg on or above the knee, or with the foot anywhere outside of the kicking box will be a foul ball.  Any foul ball caught before touching the ground will be called for an out.


And as always, if you have any questions about a rule, find me on the field.

I said FOUL, not FOWL!

Week 4 Recap

Through the mist and fog we arrived, to a patch of muddy earth, warriors one and all, ready to engage in battle...

...over a BIG, RED BALL!!!

This week we played kickball in some inclimate weather, but sometimes that makes it even more fun!  Let's see how everybody did.

The Kickball Sacks were scheduled for another double-header this week against Aim For the Balls and Duh, Winning.  But, as fate would have it most of the Sacks didn't bother to show again.  (Someone should really tell these guys that we play every week.)  AFTB and D,W were gracious enough to allow Sean to fill out his roster and scimmage with them, but from what I hear the scores don't want to be repeated.  So for now, these two games will go into the books as 5-0 win by forfeit for Aim For the Balls  and Duh, Winning.  Better luck next week Sean!

The first game of the week gave us Going Balls Deep against My Favorite Color is Plaid, but to be quite honest it was less of a game then a hockey fight.  Plaid jumped out to an impressive 3 run lead in the top of the 1st,  but due to some lackluster pitching in the bottom half of the inning GBD got back into the game as Plaid Rick walked in 2 runs.  From there the game just got uglier with the lead changing hands 4 times.  The offense was potent and the defense was atrocious on both sides of the ball, with many fielding errors being responsible for many scored runs.  (Let's blame it on the weather, remember it was foggy out.)   In the top of the 5th, Plaid was able to put together a scoring rally to take the lead and then brought their shut-down defense to the field for the bottom half.  Plaid walks away from this game bloody, but not beaten 12-11.

Nothing like a goalie fight!

The last game of the evening was a re-match between Plaid and Aim For the Balls.  Plaid riding an emotional high after beating Going Balls Deep came out swinging and tacked 3 runs onto the scoreboard immediately.  After the first inning, this game became defensive highlight reel with amazing plays on both side of the ball including AFTB charger Bobby A throwing out a kicker at 1st base from his knees.  Plaid hung onto their lead and takes this game 4-1.

Rules You Should Know!

This weeks rule concerns overthrows.

Let's see what WAKA has to say:

10.07 Base Running on Overthrows; 

a. an overthrow is a ball thrown, kicked, or deflected into foul territory while making a defensive play toward a player or base; 

b. a runner may advance only one base beyond the base the runner is on or running toward when the ball travels into foul territory

c. one base on an overthrow is a restriction on the runner – not an automatic right for the runner to advance; 

d. if any fielder attempts to make an out prior to returning the ball to the pitcher, runners may commence base running.

What this means to us is:

If the ball is overthrown into FOUL territory during a play at 1st base, 3rd base or home plate runners on the base path may advance one base past the one he/she is running toward.  For example, if Gloria bunts and Kyle attempts to bean her with the ball to get her out, but throws it into the woods.  Gloria can advance as far as 2nd base.  

On the other hand, if Gloria is already on 1st base and is advancing towards 2nd and the ball is thrown into center field, this is NOT an overthrow because the ball is still in fair territory.  And, Gloria is not restricted to how far she may advance.

I hope this clarifies any questions.  And, as always if you have any questions or comments concerning the rules, just look for me on the fields.

Week 3 Recap

In Week 3 we saw some great kickball, old rivalries were restored, new ones emerged, and former champions fell.  Let's take a look at what happened.

Our first game of the night was a Ball-Fest!  On Field A Going Balls Deep was trying to keep their "unmentionables" out of the sights of Aim For the Balls.  I missed this game, but I can imagine that with GBD missing co-captain Jarrett "the Mouth" J, that it was a relatively quiet one.  But alas, on with the game.  GBD jumped out to an early lead with Tom making the circuit around the bases in the bottom of the 1st.  In the top of the 2nd, Megan took Aim and evened up the score, both defences kicked it into high gear until the bottom of the 5th when GBD Bryan P scored the walk-off run.  Going Balls Deep squeaks out of this one with all their parts intact 2-1.

Meanwhile, on Field B My Favorite Color is Plaid waited intently for Duh, Winning to finish pre-gaming in the parking lot.  It looked from the opening pitch that both teams brought their A-Game and continued to proceed that way until the bottom of the 4th.  Plaid co-captain Rick "stop looking up my Kilt" D led off the inning with a single up the middle opening up room for the top of the order.  Chris "the Walking Stick" D  and Justin C both reached on bunts, effectively loading the bases and bringing Frank " Big Papi" P to the plate.  "Big Papi" ripped a grand slam right up the gut that took the air out of Duh, Winning.  Plaid takes this game 4-0!

MFCIP riding the high after ousting Duh, Winning stays on Field B to face Aim For the Balls in the second game of both teams double-header.  Before the lineups were even exchanged, this game was fueled up by the brother-sister combo of Plaid Rick and AFTB Raelynn talking enough trash to fill a ten-wheeler. MFCIP Justin "I GOT WHEELS" C opened up the game with a leadoff bunt that he turned into a homerun (if you keep throwing the ball at him, he's gonna keep running).  Plaid brought in 1 more in the top of the 1st.  In the bottom half of the frame, with runners on 2nd and 3rd and 2 outs, Plaid captain Rick choose to walk Aim captain Tom (to a loud and vulgar protest from Raelynn) to load the bases and play for the force at any base.  That plan was an epic fail, as it brought Lisa K to the plate and that girl can kick.  Lisa "I'll let my hands and feet do the talking" K got ahold of a pitch and drove it up the middle, clearing the bases and taking the lead.  In the top of the 3rd, Plaid Jess scored to tie up the game.  Strong defence on both sides of the ball closes this game at 3-3.  These teams will meet 2 more times before the regular season ends, make sure you have a front row seat for those games.

Back on Field A,  Going Balls Deep faces off against the Kickball Sacks, who just barely were able to field a team this week, with their 4th girl walking onto the field at 6:04.  Going Balls Deep jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the 1st scoring Tom, Jesse, and Tina.  Kickball Sacks slowly chiseled back their lead throughout the game scoring John, Lindsay and Fran D and in the bottom of the 5th scored Chris and Tommy for the 5-4 win.  An elated captain Sean, was heard screaming "We legitimately won a game."

Rules you should know!

This week we had a problem with time limits on games and the authority of the head ref.  Here's what WAKA has to say about it:

3.03 Referees have jurisdiction over play and may: 

b. call off a game due to darkness, rain or other cause at the Referee's discretion;

7.01 Regulation games last five (5) full innings.

a. In the event of a tie score at the end of the game, the game shall be marked as a tie. 

b. At the discretion of the league coordinator, a single time limit may be set for all regular season games. Such a time limit may not be shorter than 45 minutes and cannot exceed 90 minutes. A game that finishes by being called off due to a time limit remains a regulation game (see Rules 7.02 and 7.03).

7.02 A game that is called off by the Referee (see Rule 3.04) after three (3) full innings of play shall be considered a regulation game. The game score at the end of the last full inning shall determine the winner. Regulation games called off that end in a tie shall be marked as a tie. 

7.03 A game that is called off by the Referee for any reason before three (3) full innings of play shall not be considered a regulation game and a new game may be rescheduled.

Now what this means is, that not every game has to be played for a minimum of 45 minutes or for that matter for the full 5 innings.  But, if a time limit is set it CANNOT be set for less than 45 minutes.  In other words, we can't set the time limit to 25 minutes.  Since the inception of CT Freedom we have always allowed for a 45 minute time limit.

This is a rule that is seldom enforced due to the fact that the large majority of our games are finished in under 45 minutes, but it is still a rule and the ref has the right and obligation to enforce it.

Week 2 Recap

After a week off to celebrate the Easter holiday most of us couldn't wait to get back to the fields and play kickball.

The Kickball Sacks were scheduled for a double-header tonight against My Favorite Color is Plaid and Aim For the Balls.  The Sacks arrived in a frenzy, pumped up like the weasel from the Foghorn Leghorn cartoons and eagerly awaiting the opportunity to throw a smackdown on a couple teams.   Unfortunately, either half their team forgot it was Sunday or failed to remember they joined a kickball league because only 7 players showed up, only one being a girl.  Not having the minimum amount of players to take the field, the Sacks regrettably had to forfeit both games.  Instead of taking a beat-down, Plaid and Aim For the Balls both take a 5-0 win.  And, for that we thank you!

On Field B, Going Balls Deep was trying to get on top of Duh, Winning for the 2nd week in a row by scoring 2 in the top of the 1st inning.  D, W denied their advances like they were wearing a pair of iron undershorts and retalliated with 3 of their own in the bottom of the frame.  Duh, Winning continued to pour on the offense in the 2nd and 3rd innings, sending Going Balls Deep off to the showers frustrated and unfulfilled.  Finally living up to their name, Duh, Winning wins this one 12-3.  Uncle Charlie would be proud!




In what turned out to be the most defensive and controversial battle of the night, Duh, Winning and My Favorite Color is Plaid squared off.  Duh, Winning jumped out to the early lead with a run in the bottom of the 1st, but Plaid was able to tack on one of their own in the top of the 2nd.  In the top of the 3rd, MFCIPs Frank P cleared the bases with a 3-run in the park home run to give them a commanding lead.  In the bottom of the 4th brought the game within one score, but Head Ref Jarrett called the game after the 4th due to extended time limit and it was "chilly".  MFCIP squeaks this one out 4-3.

Rules you should know!

During Week 1 there was a little confusion in regards to the rule of the extra base.

Here's my rule:

Let's see what WAKA's take on it is:

Rule 1.06 - Optional Extra Base – When the option of using this field setup is selected by the league coordinator for a season of play, this extra base must be used for all games of that league's regular season and league tournament games. If the extra base is used:

a. The Extra Base is only available for runners traveling from home plate (see Rule 10.06);

b. Fielders trying to make an out on first base must touch the base in fair territory (the First Base). Runners hindered by a fielder touching the base in foul territory (the Extra Base), will be safe; 

c. When a play is attempted at first base, a runner who touches the First Base prior to being called safe at the Extra Base shall be called out, except under the exception in Rules 1.06f and 1.06g; 

d. Once a runner has reached first base safely the runner must start the next play on the First Base. Any runner standing on or touching the Extra Base at the beginning of the next play will be out; 

e. No additional base may be used at any other base; 

f. The Runner is permitted to use the First Base if avoiding collision with a fielder in foul territory. In this event, the fielder in foul territory is permitted to tag the Extra Base (see Rule 14.02o); 

g. The runner may use First Base if attempting to advance to Second Base, or if there is no fielder on First Base. A runner (see Rule 1.06a) using or touching First Base in any other circumstance is out.

14.02 An out is:

o. a runner coming from home plate who steps on First Base when required to use the Extra Base (while an Extra Base is in use - see Rule 1.06).

In short, runners on the base path are required to use the extra base (foul territory)  if there looks like there will be a play at first base.  Fielders are to set up on the inside (fair territory) base when making a play at first.  If we follow these simple rules maybe we can avoid this:

Remember: the more time we spend playing Kickball and the less time we spend explaining what happened to medical personnel, the more fun we'll have!

Week 1 Recap

Week 1 is in the books!  Let's take a look back and see how everybody did:

The first game of the new season pitted My Favorite Color Is Plaid against newcomers Aim For The Balls, have you seen these guys?  They're huge, they look like the Texas Longhorns (I don't mean the football team).  Not to be discouraged, MFCIP put their all hands team in the outfield and took to the field.  MFCIP had the upper hand with Aim For the Balls not being too familiar with Kickball strategy and took full advantage of it.  MFCIP wins this one 6-0, but we'll have to wait to see when they re-match.  For now, let's leave them with a good Scottish War Cry:

OUR FAVORITE COLOR IS PLAID!!!

Meanwhile on the other field, Going Balls Deep was putting it to Duh, Winning.  DW had their game faces on and came out ready to play.  They were able to score in the first inning, but GBD Jarrett countered in the lower half of the frame.  In the top of the 2nd they put up another run and then again in the 3rd & 4th.  In the bottom of the 3rd GBD tied up the score and was able to move ahead in the 4th.  With Jarrett scoring 3 times in this game, GBD wins this one 6-4.

Going Balls Deep faced off against the Kickball Sacks for the second game of their double-header.  The Kickball Sacks jumped out to an early lead putting up 3 in the first inning and adding a 4th in the second.  GBD Jarrett once again proving that he's just out to score, was able to put one up in the 1st inning and then again in a 5-run 2nd inning that had GBD kicking around the order.  After that, the Kickball Sacks just couldn't recover.  GBD wins their 2nd game of the night 9-5.

Huh, Winning?

Another double-header put our new-comer Aim For The Balls against last years dominent force Duh, Winning.  After their first loss, they came up with a new gameplan, field alignment and kicking order, things were going to go well for the rookies and they took a commanding lead with 2 runs in the 1st inning and another in the 3rd, all while holding DW scoreless.  Then, in the top of the 4th DW got on their game and scored 3 quick runs to tie the game, only to have AFTB pick up another one in the bottom of the frame.  AFTB was able to hold on to the lead in the 5th and stun DW with a 4-3 victory.

New Season!

The first game of the Spring 2011 season is only a week out!  This year we have 5 teams, but there is still room for more, if you know anyone else that wants to play.  Let's take a little time to meet this seasons teams:

AIM FOR THE BALLS!




Not much is known of this relative newcomer.  They are comprised of several members of our sponser bar the Thomaston Fish & Game Club and are being captained by Tommy "I give new meaning to shooting the ball" R.  They are being joined by some veteran players such as Jerry "Cigarman" "I can weld anything together" B.  Let's see if the Cigarman can help merge these rookies with a winning season.








DUH, WINNING!

This team is the remnants of last seasons powerhouse PRAY FOR RAIN, which went undefeated during the regular season.  The team has been revamped under the leadership of Dave "I am the Mailman" B.  We should see pretty quickly if this team, unlike the U.S. Mail, can deliver in a timely manner.








GOING BALLS DEEP!


Renamed from ALCOBALLICS and co-captained by Bryan "why isn't camo a color option?" D and Jarrett "I'm all talk and no shut-up" J, this team is by far our youngest squad.  They've won it all in the past, though the last 2 seasons have been a little rough on them, they might just have what it takes this year to make a run at the title again.










KICKBALL SACKS



Sean "Go now, Do work" C, has had a busy off-season.  As well as, spear-heading his own league in Naugatuck, he has been busy along with his co-captain Ashley "don't piss me off" S, assembling a new team for the Spring 2011 season.  He has been keeping a lid on the squad that he has recruited, practicing only during the dark of night, but there have been many mutterings around the league of a "secret weapon."







MY FAVORITE COLOR IS PLAID

Our favorite monochromatically challenged team is back!  During the off-season captain Rick "this isn't a beer gut, it's a toolshed" D, has been on a recruiting tear, and its paid off for him in the lightning speed and cat-like reflexes of Brian and Justin C and Chris D.  These key acquistions added to PLAIDs already formidable defense makes them an instant contender, if they can get their offense going.

NOTE: The comments and opinions expressed above, are not the opinions of WAKA Kickball or CT Freedom.  They are just the opinions of one depraved blogger.

Please Keep the Fields Clean

I know how much fun everyone has out there on the
field but we have to remember to pick up all of our trash.
Before your team leaves the fields, please make sure
that all of your trash is picked up. In the past, we have
been lucky that some of your fellow kickballers have
stayed late to help pick up left over trash.

We've got a great relationship with the T/O Thomaston
 and we don't want some trash to ruin that. We
recommend that you keep a box of trash bags in the
trunk of your car. If your team consistently leaves trash
on the field, you will lose points in the standings and wemight put your team on
permanent clean up duty.

We also need to make sure that when we are out on the fields that there are no
signs of adult beverages on the fields. If you have an exposed case of beer,
I will gladly confiscate it for later enjoyment. There should also never be any
glass bottles or anything with bottle caps on the field, cans only please.

BAD

GOOD

Rules

Kickball may be a kids game played by adults but we do have our rules and its good to know at least a good basic understanding of what they are. The good news is that the rules are easily downloadable on the kickball website at www.kickball.com/rules. It helps if your team has at least one person who knows the rules well and that person should probably be your captain or a co-captain. 

Our rules aren't perfect and we are always looking for examples where our rules can be clarified. If you ever have either a rules suggestion or a rules question you can always come up to ask me. 

At a few points during the season we will post a couple of items that may have come up in a game so that everyone can better understand the rules. If you have a suggestion for a rule that you want me to clarify, please just comment on a post or send me an email at my @kickball.com email address. 

This week we will cover just a couple of simple ones.

1.02 The strike zone is a three-dimensional irregular pentagon based on the shape of home plate and is one (1) foot in height. The front of the zone aligns with the front of home plate. The sides of the zone extend one (1) foot to either side of the plate. The back edges of the zone are one (1) foot from the back sides of the plate (see Diagram 4). The strike zone may not be marked by cones or other raised objects.

I will admit that this rule is maybe not as easy to follow as it could be, but the concept is simple. The strike zone is not just over home plate. It also extends 1 foot from home plate. In Rule 11.02a it is further stated that if any part of the ball comes within the strike zone, it can be a strike but it also needs to bounce less than a foot when it comes through the strike zone. Strikes and Fouls are counted seperately, 3 strikes you are out or 4 fouls you are out.

Another one that comes up from time to time and can cause some confusion is in relation to automatic foul balls and takes a bit of explanation.

13.02 A foul ball is:
g. a kicked ball kicked outside of the kicking box (see Rule 9.02) (see Diagram 3L, 3M)

According to WAKA's Rule's FAQ

Q: What kinds of Foul Balls can be caught for an Out? May runners tag up on such Outs?
A: All of them, except for when the ball touches a foreign object such as a batting cage or fence (13.02d). Other fouls, including kicks on or above the knee (13.02e), balls touched more than once by the kicker in the kicking box (13.02f), and balls kicked outside the kicking box (13.02g) MAY be caught for Outs, and runners may attempt to tag up and advance on them, provided the caught ball is not in the possession of the pitcher on the mound.

So basically, here is the situation that comes up from time to time. A kicker kicks the ball either in front of home plate or behind the rear cones of the kicking box. Its an automatic foul but if he kicks it in the air it may still be caught for an out (and any baserunners may tag up). If the ball hits the ground, or is dropped, its just a foul ball.

Make sense? Please let me know if you have any specific rules questions.

Vegas Anyone?

Part of the fun of playing WAKA Kickball is that you
are part of a national organization and can play for
the chance to become eligible to receive an
invitation to play in Las Vegas next Fall in the
Founders Cup to determine the best kickball team
in the nation.

Invitations first go out to the division champions
around the country with preference given to those
in the most competitive divisions. If all slots aren't
filled then invitations may be given to runners up.
The Founders Cup is pretty competitive and its
amazing how some of the teams play. In order
to play in the Founders Cup, teams must use their
rosters from their championship team.

There is an alternative to the competitive Founders Cup. The Kickball Games was
new this year and it should grow next year. This is a fun tournament where each
team will play 4 games in a round robin format and awards will be given for certain
superlatives. The fun part about the kickball games is that you do not have to have
people on your regular season roster to be able to play in the Kickball Games, in
fact they don't even have to have played in the same division. In order to play in
the Kickball Games, all you have to do is have been registered to play WAKA
Kickball sometime in 2011. How great would it be to have a team or two
representing the most fun people that Freedom has to offer in Vegas next year?

If you are interested, lets start figuring it out now and making plans. You can
comment on this post if you are interested in playing. Who's interested in putting
together a team of Elvis impersonators and show girls?