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.