The rankings are in, its week eight, the time when the league breaks into ranked pool play. Last week the Terrebonne Po’Boys under the lights continued to prove why they are still the reigning champs of the KVKL by defeating the Hurtz Donut D-Holes in game of the week. All four teams that are the one seeds are all undefeated this season so each week it’s a battle of who might remain on path to being our ‘72 dolphins.
Last week also could be labeled the “fastest” games of the season. The Rockets vs. Channel 6 was a defensive juggernaut with the game lasting less than an hour. The Goats at Love Garden game also was played with 1/2/3 1/2/3 consistency and lasted just under fifty minutes with the squids continuing on their perfectly nasty way of no losses.
The general concensus this season is that “dang the rank pods are intense.” As some teams are lower than they expected based on pre-season “scouting.” Others who knew in the off-season how high they wanted to rise are heading from double digit rankings to the top ten. As always there are those who just want to have fun. But the final three weeks are upon us, time to get down and prove your place in the league.
JAZZHAUS AT DAS BOOT – LYONS WEST 5PM – POOL FOUR BATTLE – Jazzhaus is one of the teams catapulted up from the lower ranks after 2013. Das Boot was one of the team in the Carrie Nation Division that could have been a two but dropped to the fourth seed when head to head came into play. Das Boot has years of experience in their arsenal and will shoot the Jazzhaus down winning by 5.
RATS AT SACRED SWORD – LYONS WEST 7PM – POOL THREE BATTLE – Rats are a team that has the need for speed, there is no base their roster doesn’t want to pass. Their infield gets the job done. Sacred Sword has experience, like your big brother or sister, they can beat you on a good day but usually you know if you play a lil harder your younger ass will take em down. Rats are that new team, but if Sword shuts down the Rats top five, Swords got a prayer. Rats by three.
TERREBONNE PO’BOYS AT LOVE GARDEN SQUIDS – LYONS EAST – 5PM – POOL ONE BATTLE –Po’Boys have been stirring their championship gumbo each week. Their games are played on a slow rolling boil, where there is always seemingly a smooth success at the end. Love Garden, how can one not love a team that does a 5th inning skins and then Jen Beck makes all three outs in one inning. That’s hot. What is also hot is that the Squids are firing up the grill this week at Hobbs! With Kris Marshall being out of town does that change things? After nine quick innings we shall know.
RED LYON AT CHANNEL 6 – LYONS EAST – 7PM – POOL TWO BATTLE – I’m hearing rumors that Channel 6 will settle for nothing less than a 4th ranking. That means they are going to have to win every game in their pool the next three weeks. Shawna Trarbach with a perfect bunt, helped send the Lyon to a number two seed against the S-Words last week. They are gonna have to hustle and flo to shut down Channel 6. If the Lyon makes no mistakes and plays like the team who won the Mark Twain bust two years ago they got a chance. Red Lyon by one.
ASTEROIDHEAD AT FREE STATE GROWLERS – HOLCOM RIGHT – 5PM – POOL SIX BATTLE – Asteroidhead is like a jar of pickles, they can be sour, they can be sweet, they can be hot. If Thrasher is injury free, and most of their team is back from vacation, asteroidhead might tie-dye their way to victory. Free State like their beer is solid. They always win a few and most of us underestimate them yet year in year out making a repeat run for the less awesome plate. Free State by two.
HURTZ DONUT D-HOLES AT BAD NEW BAGELS – HOLCOM RIGHT AT 7PM – POOL TWO BATTLE – Bagels like Channel Six and Hotel Lobby are in the running for most improved team for 2014. Last Sunday D-Holes Captain Kris Dover in less than two minutes explained to me how proud he was of his team even though they lost to Po’Boys. It made my night, as this is a long standing captain in the league who in five years has turned his team from a bottom 20 ranked team in some hot water into a consistently top ten team. A top ten team who brought us all donuts last Sunday and along with Love Garden are helping grill food this Sunday at Game of the Week. D-Holes need to find their center and remain calm. Where the top five in the line up for the Bagels lead the way, there isn’t a weak link in the D-Holes ten. D-Holes by 3.
GHOSTS AT SPACE PUSSY – HOLCOM LEFT – 5PM – BATTLE FOR FIRST VICTORY – All four teams hanging out in the eight pool, are the anti-thesis of the one seeds. None have won a game but that changes this week (insert smiling face here). If you didn’t hear my roar on the podcast, it’s time for the Ghosts to eat more than the cherry and move onto strawberry eating (pacman lingo here). Space Pussy I saw a few early innings of your game against Asteroidhead and you were hanging tough with them. Remain positive, a team that compliments over antagonizes members of their own team always has a better chance at winning. Don’t get frustrated get happy, you got a real shot this week. Ghosts by six.
UP TO ELEVEN LATE FEES AT BASIL RIDE – HOLCOM LEFT – 7PM – POOL FIVE BATTLE – Of all the weeks I am going to be out of town, the week we play on Holcom Left. There goes my shot at one over the fence. Basil Ride has been getting more cohesive with their new players and have pulled a few upsets (if you listen to us podcast fools). If the Late Fees have big leg Jurban back this week and Kale continues his distance in the outfield the Fees could pull out the win. But if the Fees can’t get runners home and Basil Ride continues their solid defensive performance the Ride will win by 3.
WILDMAN ATTACK FORCE AT HAPPY SHIRT – HOLCOM RED AT 5PM – POOL ONE BATTLE – The second quest for a perfect record game. Wildman hasn’t beaten Happy Shirt since Wildman took home the championship cup in 2012. This season Wildman has pulled away from the boot and focused on the power of the midfield line drive. Happy Shirts outfield is going to have springs on their shoes (or maybe rollerblades) track to Wildman speeding balls. GOTW took Wildman by a bit of surprise. Their defense was a bit erratic. If Wildman can keep their blood pressures down, there could be an upset, but I think the consistency of Happy Shirt should bring them the win. Happy Shirt by one.
CHALMERSIZ AT LOS MATADORES – HOLCOM RED 7PM – POOL FOUR BATTLE – Two very excellent teams that landed in the four pool after a few late season losses. These two teams are like the Devito/Schwarzenegger movie twins. They couldn’t be more different yet equally talented. Chalmersiz need to do a few lines or chug some double espresso before the game. Stay focused, stay sexy and stay tight you guys play defense so very all right. Los Matadores have been a bit lost without their leader Paul Santos. The Matadores need to be more like Picadors to win this game. They need to stab the Chalmersiz in the gaps and make Chalmersiz catcher twerk it. Speed and direction is how matadors can win, funky aggressive play means Chalmersiz should win. To quote George Clinton, gotta have that funk. Chalmersiz by three.
ROCKETS AT HOTEL LOBBY – HOLCOM GOLTS – 5PM – POOL THREE BATTLE – I kinda want to call these teams two-faced. You never know if the “coulda been a one or two seed” is showing up, or the “with one more loss could have been a five seed” might be playing. Last week Hotel Lobby looked like they passed out in the Lobby compared to getting it on in the Lobby during GOTW. If they play like the team that almost brought the Wildman Express to their knees the game is theirs. However if all of the Rockets are healthy and in town, they are by far one of the most athletic teams around and could take the Lobby up to the penthouse. Hotel Lobby by two.
HARPER VALLEY PTA AT MERCHANTS OF DEATH – HOLCOM GOLD – 7PM – POOL SEVEN BATTLE – Congratulations to HVPTA moving on up to the sevens in 2014! This means you gotta push it real good for some victories. Use your legal teenage power rangers as much as possible because Merchants of Death are actually quite good. Merchants got kicks in all the right places, they just need to wrangle in their defense. Merchants by five.
TACO TUESDAY AT BREWBALLERS – HOLCOM BLUE – 5pm RANK POOL EIGHT – The second battle of one of these teams will get their first victory on Sunday game!! Taco Tuesday looked way more in control when they lost to Where’s My Pitches in ten innings last Sunday. Brewballers have a lot of solid new athletic players, the question is: are the ‘Ballers ready to take it to the limit? Brewballers by two.
BULLETPROOF TIGERS AT WHERE’S MY PITCHES – HOLCOM BLUE – 7PM – RANK POOL EIGHT – Tigers been picking up a lot of KC365 players. Are these players ready to learn the ways of the 8.5 “small ball” and get four games in under their belt for tourney time? Or was it a one-time deal? Where’s My Pitches finally got a win in extra innings last week. Their team needs to be all healthy and not on vacation to make this game competitive. Cougars solid recruiting means their bulletproof-ness will be a success. Bulletproof by three.
SCREAMERS AT GOATS – HOBBS PARK – 7PM – POOL FIVE BATTLE – Screamers keep plugging away, they got their second victory by screeching past the Kunt Punts in week seven. Goats have had a few surprising losses this season dropping them down to a five seed in 2014. Goats always got a way of bringing it home the closing weeks of season. I expect them to be well-rested and ready to run around those bases without stopping on Sunday. Goats by six.
KUNT PUNTS AT MURDA INC – HOBBS PARK – 9PM GAME OF THE WEEK – POOL SIX BATTLE – Please please please will the Kunt Punts don singlets again for game of the week!!! Maybe they can do a Singlet (aka onesie for adults) vs Skins GOTW? Maybe Murda will bring the ruckus this week. All I know is both of these teams know how to have fun while being competitive at kickball. Murda by 2 of sean jollys balls.