Championship Week: August 30th, 2009

It’s the last week of league play, I hope everyone has a good time.  Good luck to all teams!

Equipment: Milton’s, West Coast, First Blood, and Pita Pit are responsible for picking up equipment (Adina will be at the garage around 4 p.m.).  The winners of the Lyons East, West and Cowser games will bring ALL equipment to Hobbs (west parking lot) when finished with their games.  Cans for Community will have their bins at Hobbs, so please funnel all aluminum cans to those receptacles.  Thanks and great job with the can recycling this year!

Here is the ref schedule for this Sunday (8/30):

5 p.m. Lyons East Love Garden @ First Blood     refs- Curtis McCoy, Josh Hunt, Shaher Ibrahimi, Mike Tiffany

5 p.m. Lyons West Eastsiders @ Pita Pit     refs- Brad Keirns, Shawn Miller, Geoff Wright, Nick Lerner

5 p.m. Cowser Replay @ West Coast Saloon     refs- Phil Chiles, Leslie Smith, Mike Pergande, Paul Santos

5 p.m. Hobbs Weaver’s @ Milton’s     refs- Aaron Swaggerty, Jason Holladay, Adam Patterson, Casey McAtee

Playoffs, Week #2: August 23rd, 2009

News and notes:

-REMINDER- If you haven’t already, please check the revised 2009 playoff bracket for your field locations and game times.  In addition, a revised ref  schedule should be out in the next 24 hours.  Please keep an eye out for that.  Again, the 5:00 and 6:30 games will have the standard ref schedule.  Some  8:00 and 9:30 games will have travel times.  Therefore, starting ALL games on time is very important.  PLEASE GET TO YOUR ASSIGNED REF/GAME  SITES AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.  For equipment pickup/drop off: the team with the better seed in all games is the home team.  Last team that wins  at  a field drops off.  If you play in a 6:30 p.m. game and win (specifically at Cowser, Hobbs, Edgewood, or Water Tower Park) please drop off equipment at  Lerner garage as promptly as possible.  Someone will be waiting.

-My skills of prognostication are absolute crap.  Still waiting on the bathrooms at Hobbs.  From this point forward, I am going to abide by a city + 10  rule.  Or, whatever timeline the COL tells me then add 10 weeks.

-Regarding the  Screamers, Captain Swaggarty has graciously offered to rescind the results (via email) of their two games because of inadvertently  using an  ineligible player.  Therefore, the bracket now reflects a ToePokes (W) and Screamers (L) as well as a Replay (W) and Screamers (L).  Matt  Whitesell assures me  that Replay will be fielding a team and fulfilling their ref responsibilities.  If the Replay choses not to play, they will be responsible    for ref duties this Sunday.

-Looks like the weather will be in the high 70’s or low 80’s when we start playing on Sunday.  Wow.

-Cans for Community will be collecting cans at Lyons this week, so please plan on hauling your cans to that locale.

-Everybody did a fantastic job getting to and from game sites last weekend.  Looks like the only games that went late were those in extra innings.  The day   went very smoothly and we have you to thank for that.  Keep it up, only two weeks remain.  I appreciate the passion and commitment you’ve shown the       league as it wouldn’t work without you.

See you this weekend!

Deron

Tournament Results, Week 1

Congrats to all the winners on Sunday!
View and download the updated bracket (pdf).

Playoffs, Week #1: August 16th, 2009

Things you need to know:

If you haven’t already, please check the 2009 playoff bracket for your field locations and game times.  This playoff format is new (and exciting!) in that teams who lose their first game continue to play.*  Well, at least until they lose again.  Keep an eye out for the ref schedule which should come out today (if it isn’t already).  The 5:00 and 6:30 games will be a fairly standard ref schedule.  The 8:00 and 9:30 games get a little trickier because of your travel times (between sites).  Starting ALL games on time becomes very important in helping this day go smoothly. So, as the day progresses, PLEASE GET TO YOUR ASSIGNED REF SITES AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. Again, please start ALL games early or on time.  For equipment pickup/drop off: the team with the better seed in the 5 p.m. game is the home team and picks up (beginning @ 4 p.m.).  Last team that wins at a field drops off.

Personally, I appreciate all the comments, suggestions, and input regarding the seeding process.  There was no simple way to seed and no way to appease every team.  If you have ideas on how to seed future tournaments, please send them our way.  I believe the final bracket to be reasonable and should provide for one of our best tournaments yet.

There were a few discrepancies regarding player eligibility.  I do apologize, yet some team’s scorecards are very difficult to decipher. Some players had up to three names/nick names.  For future reference, please present you lineup clearly and legibly for counting sake.  I would recommend consistently using a player’s first and last name or nick name then last name.  This will help make discrepancies far less common.  We’ll all sweat fewer last-minute adjustments together!  Scorecards for week’s 1 (May 31st)  - 5 (June 28th) are pdf’d and on the website (hit the 2009 Schedule tab then Scorecards).  Have a gander and see for yourself.  As always, a team that uses either an ineligible player or an illegal lineup will result in a game forfeiture.

Keep bringing those cans to Hobbs, so Cans for Community may continue to extol the virtue of our greatness (with regards to recycling)!   If it does rain and washes us out, we may have to condense our tournament format some.  Just saying.  Let’s hope it doesn’t.

Thanks for your patience and persistence!  Good luck this weekend to everyone.

Deron

*However, losers of the Wildman @ Slowride and Astrokitty @ Eldridge receive a bye.

2009 Post Season Tournament Bracket

Bracket: This morning, the KVKL Commission released the 2009 Tournament Bracket. Download it here (pdf). A ref schedule for this weekend will be available soon.

Rosters: You can download lists of each team’s tournament-eligible roster here.

Good luck everyone!

Week #10: August 9th, 2009

News and notes (in no particular order):

Please remember all games start 30 minutes earlier again this week (and for the remainder of the season).

The final week of the regular season is upon us.  Rejoice!  The third phase of our kickball season is about to begin…the playoffs.  It’s going to be fun.

Please continue to put your best refs forward.

The folks from Girls w/LSE continue to accept donations in support of Andrew (look for them at GOTW).  They play at Hobbs around 6:30 and will be there for most of the evening if you’d rather not wait until GOTW.

I think the Hobbs bathrooms will be operable by this Sunday.

We will seed and post the playoff brackets early so people know where they will be playing/reffing.  During the playoffs we will only be using six fields per week, four of which have lights.

Please keep recycling those cans.  We are collectively doing some good work.

There have already been three new teams expressing interest in next year.

We have plenty of unsullied kballs (blue, red, orange, yellow) to sell, if you have want/need.  We will be selling t-shirts, pint glasses, stickers, and balls at the year end party (date/place/time TBD).  Cottin’s Hardware & Rental carries much of what we sell: 1832 Massachusetts, 785.843.2981 (Thanks Linda and Tom!).

Please continue to clean up after yourselves at ALL FIELDS.

There have been whispers of a 3rd annual post-post season tournament.  Still undetermined.

Looks like the heat will return this weekend.  The forecast for Sunday is 94-96 degrees and breezy.  Please make hydration a priority.

To all of our kickball comrades who’ve left before season’s end, you’ll be missed.

Enjoy your kickball weekend.

Thanks!  Deron

Replay Party Pics

DSCF0705, originally uploaded by A. Vieux.

Andrea took some party pics at the Replay last Sunday and added them to the League’s photo sharing pool on Flickr. Check them out and please share any of your Kickball-related photos there, too.

Week #9: August 2nd, 2009

Start Times- Please note that (for the remainder of the season) ALL game times will begin 30 minutes earlier so we may maximize daylight.  For more information, check out this nifty data table http://www.sunrisesunset.com/calendar.asp (please note that this does reflect times for KCMO).

Money- As of this moment (besides any bank charges unbeknownst to myself), the current KVKL bank balance is $3731.69.  It’s been awhile since I’ve reported this number and I believe it overdue.  Also, there has been some chatter about the coming fund-raiser at the Replay following GOTW and where those funds are being allocated.  Let me be clear, monies from both Replay fund-raisers go towards the year end party.  We would very much like to help do something regarding Andrew’s (of Girls w/LSE) medical expenses and have not yet decided what action we will take.  There’s certainly no shortage of ideas.  In the meantime, find the folks from Girls w/LSE if you desire to help out in any way.

Reffing- Please begin thinking about post-season officiating and who your best refs are (hopefully you’re using them every week).  If you do have several good refs on your team we’ll likely use them all.  As of right now, playoffs will be on 8/16, 8/23, and 8/30.  Refs, as always, will be the critical factor in making our playoff format work.

North Lawrence Construction- Please be advised that construction on North 2nd Street is now underway.  A bulk of the construction is focused on N 2nd and Locust meaning it might be tough getting to field sites (Woodlawn, Lyons E & W) in North Lawrence from downtown.  Please give yourself ample time to get to your site and plan your route accordingly.

Lastly, looks like another fantastic weekend of weather ahead.  Have fun, stay hydrated, and enjoy your weekend.  See you at the Replay fund-raiser.

Cheers!

Deron

KVKL Kickball Party this Sunday!

This Sunday August 2nd, immediately following the Game of the Week.
Come support the KVKL at the Kickball Party at the Replay Lounge – $2 cover

Join the league for fun times featuring The Dactyls, DJ Bushfestival, DJ Joel-er-coaster, and DJ George Hamilton

Week #8: July 26th, 2009 (Rule Changes)

Hey all,

These changes are intended to clarify only a few points of contention.  Remaining discrepancies will have to wait another year.  The KVKL rules are a work in progress that require due diligence rather than a willingness to exploit that which is unclear.  Please practice the former and not the latter.  That being said, these rule changes go into effect immediately.  The changes are based on suggestions from the mid-season meeting:

H. Fouls

1. A count of four strikes/fouls constitutes an out.

2. A foul is:

a. A kick landing out of bounds.

b. A kick landing in bounds, but traveling out of bounds, untouched by a defensive player or  runner, before reaching third or first base.

c. Any ball in foul territory that makes contact with a defensive player in foul territory, irrespective of its consequent path, shall be considered foul.

d. A ball that is kicked in front of home plate.

e. A kicked ball in foul territory that hits a fence, an umpire, a spectator, or other outside object shall be considered a foul ball AND NOT ELIGIBLE TO BE CAUGHT FOR AN OUT (see “Tree Rule” (I.3.a) for exception).

I. Outs

3. Any kicked ball, fair or foul, that is caught.

a. Tree Rule:  A kicked ball that strikes a tree during its course of flight may be then caught for an out.

4. A fielding player in control of the ball and touching a base to which a runner is forced to run, before the runner arrives.

5. A runner that intentionally makes contact with the ball while on base.

6. A runner that makes contact with a fielder making a play on a kicked ball. It is the runner’s responsibility to avoid a defensive player attempting to make a play on a ball.

7. A runner who deviates more than two steps to either side of their path to the next base when attempting to avoid a defender with possession of the ball.

E. Pitching and Catching

5. Catchers may not interfere in any way with the kicker’s attempt to kick a pitch.

a. Catchers must be positioned behind the front face of home plate, and at least three feet to either side of home plate (“catcher’s box”).  Catchers may not position any part of their body across the vertical planes of the catcher’s box during a pitch.

b. Catchers must remain stationary from when the pitch is rolled to when the ball is kicked.

c. Catchers must yield to a runner on his/her way to first base. If a catcher makes contact with a runner on the way to first base, intentionally or accidentally, the runner will be considered safe at first base, regardless of the play made on the field. A referee may also call catcher’s interference regardless of contact being made on a play. Players who abuse this rule by intentionally running into a catcher will automatically be out.

J. Ball in Play

3. Ground-Rule Doubles:

c. Landscape Interference- If a ball becomes unplayable in any landscape in fair territory, on a bounce or in the air, the referees shall rule the play dead and award ground rule double to the kicker. All runners advance 2 bases.

Cheers!  Deron