Lee Martinez Park - Week 8 Highlights

LM East Field 1 @6pm

Social License to Intoxicate (Carolina Blue) vs. Skies Out Thighs Out (Sapphire Blue): Going into this one, Skies Out Thighs Out knew they would have to play stellar defense if they had any hope of containing the high-powered offense of Social License to Intoxicate… The defensive charge was led by Rachel Timmons, Captain for Skies Out Thighs Out, who displayed great effort throughout the night, including a diving catch on a ball that was clearly going foul in the bottom of the 2^nd inning. Skies Out Thighs Out kept it close through the 5^th inning—they even had a great scoring opportunity in the top of the inning when they had two on, nobody out. Unfortunately, Social License to Intoxicate then decided to amp up the defense with Paul Scharwz making a diving catch to end the scoring threat. Schwarz proceeded to later show his versatility on the offensive side as well with a bases-loaded 3 run smack to right. Kickball analyst Peter Gammons explained afterwards, “With the colder temperatures, Skies Out Thighs Out was unable to show as much thigh as usual, which really hindered their game strategy. They are more of a summer team.” Social License to Intoxicate wins 11-0.

LM East Field 2 @6pm

Odd Balls (Purple) vs. Muddy Wing Tippers (Charcoal): Sometimes all it takes is one winning to really clinch a game. For the Muddy Wing Tippers, that inning came in the bottom of the 5^th when they scored 4 runs to take a 6-0 lead over the Odd Balls. And despite some stellar defensive play from Ty—he only goes by “Ty”, no other names, kind of like Pele—the offense for the Odd Balls really stalled once again. The Muddy Wing Tippers wins 6-0.

LM West Field 1 @6pm

2 Legit 2 Kick (Athletic Gray) vs. Girls Love Big Kicks (Cactus Green): Usually, more people=a better chance to win. In this case, having more people allowed Girls Love Big Kicks to advance to the semifinals. Girls Love Big Kicks wins by forfeit 3-0.

LM West Field 2 @6pm

Ballbarians (Cardinal Red) vs. KickTease (Red): In a rematch of a hotly contested game earlier in the season, the Ballbarians came in looking for revenge. Their plan—focus on the defensive side of the plate. Colton “I Prefer Catching” Kuny started things off by completing an impressive double play to end the bottom of the 2^nd inning. Meanwhile, Brennen “I prefer Batting” Bridge had a highlight reel moment with a reflex play as the catcher in the bottom of the 6^th inning. Once again, after teasing themselves with the lead through the first three innings, KickTease gave up six runs in the top of the 4^th inning, which ultimately cost them the game. The Ballbarians win 7-3.

LM East Field 1 @7pm

Social License to Intoxicate (Carolina Blue) vs. Muddy Wing Tippers (Charcoal): The MVP of the playoffs so far has to be Social License to Intoxicate’s captain and pitcher, Michael Schwarz, for his valiant effort while playing on injured/casted foot. Schwarz had another excellent outing in this one as he held the Muddy Wing Tipper’s potent offense scoreless through six innings. However, the Muddy Wing Tippers also showcased their defensive prowess, with Kelsey Blakken-Straus making many catches for outs while playing second base, including a couple diving saves. With the Social License to Intoxicate leading 4-0 going into the bottom of the 7^th inning though, the Muddy Wing Tippers saw their season start to flash before their eyes… Then they rose to the occasion and piled on three runs before an instant replay challenge ended their comeback chances. (Insert sad face emoji) Social License to Intoxicate wins 4-3.

LM East Field 2 @7pm

Odd Balls (Purple) vs. Skies Out Thighs Out (Sapphire Blue): In another instant classic between these two evenly matched squads, extra innings were definitely needed to decide things. With Skies Out Thighs Out winning 1-0 through five innings, the Odd Balls would not taste the lead until the 6^th inning when they finally scored two runs. However, before you knew it, the 7^th inning ended and it was now tied up at 3-3. Finally, in the 11^th inning, the tie would broken and the Odd Balls could claim victory!!! And there was much rejoicing! Kickball enthusiast President Obama said after the game: “We look forward to many more matchups of these teams in the future… Kind of like we look forward to many more filibusters in Congress.” Odd Balls in 4-3.

LM West Field 1 @7pm

Ballbarians (Cardinal Red) vs. Girls Love Big Kicks (Cactus Green): The Ballbarians jumped out quick to a 1-0 lead in this one, but it wouldn’t last long. The consistent play of Girls Love Big Kicks eventually carried the day, and three straight outs all by Steve Esarey in the top of the 5^th inning didn’t hurt either. When asked about how Girls Love Big Kicks wins games in such a methodical fashion, Brady Andersen, Captain of Girls Love Big Kicks explained, “We just have a ton of belief in our team. We know someone will come through. If one person isn’t having a great day, it’s someone else’s turn to step up. Also, performance enhancing drugs help a lot too.” Girls Love Big Kicks wins 5-1.

LM West Field 2 @7pm

KickTease (Red) vs. 2 Legit 2 Kick (Athletic Gray): Another forfeit… But at least KickTease could play against themselves. They would have made a great only child growing up. Kicktease wins by forfeit 3-0.

Lee Martinez Park - Week 7 Highlights

2 Legit 2 Kick (Athletic Gray) vs. Skies Out Thighs Out (Sapphire Blue): Skies Out Thighs Out finally brought out the offense on this night while 2 Legit 2 Kick proceeded to score more runs than they had all season. However, the MVP of the night was Tom Jorgenson from Skies Out Thighs Out who knocked home a 2-run dinger in the bottom of the 2^nd inning that really opened up the metaphorical floodgates for his team. While the final score may be misleading in terms of this game’s competitive spirit, fortunately we can measure the quality of play in relation to hearts and minds of those competing as well… Not too sound corny or anything. Skies Out Thighs Wins 23-3.

Muddy Wing Tippers (Charcoal) vs. Ballbarians (Cardinal Red): Fresh off their first loss of the season, the Muddy Wing Tippers wanted to bounce back and make it known they are still gunning for a championship. After scoring four runs in the top of the 1^st inning, Kyle “Oh Captain, My Captain” Pettyjohn proceeded to hit a 2-run home run in the 3^rd inning to give the Muddy Wing Tippers a 7-1 lead. The Ballbarians didn’t go down without a fight though as Colton “The Crusher” Cuny made a great double play in the top of the 4^th inning to stop the bleeding temporarily. Unfortunately for the Ballbarians though, Samantha “Frisky Fingers” Brooke ended things in the bottom of the 7^th inning with an impressive reflex fingertip that ensured the Muddy Wing Tippers would stay on top for good. Muddy Wing Tippers win 9-2.

Social License to Intoxicate (Carolina Blue) vs. Girls Love Big Kicks (Cactus Green): In a battle between newcomers (Social License to Intoxicate) and veterans (Girls Love Big Kicks), this game ended up being quite the nailbiter! Girls Love Big Kicks jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first inning while showing great defensive prowess along the way. Not one to throw in the towel early, Social License to Intoxicate came back in the top of the 3^rd inning to claim a 3-2 advantage. Meanwhile, Tivory Luevane made a diving catch in the top of the 5^th inning that halted a bases loaded threat from Girls Love Big Kicks which kept Social License to Intoxicate in the lead. Finally, in the bottom of the 7^th inning, Steve Walker from Girls Love Big Kicks once again rose to occasion and bombed a 2-run walk-off home run for victory!!! Walker said after the game, “I was just trying to do my best Sid Bream imitation…” Girls Love Big Kicks wins 4-3.

KickTease (Red) vs. Odd Balls (Purple): KickTease was hoping to use this game as a springboard for their playoff run, and boy, were they looking solid!! Despite trailing 1-0 to the Oddballs after the 1^st inning, KickTease proceeded to tie up things in the 2^nd before a home run from Joshua Devine in the bottom of the 3^rd inning put them on top for good. The Odd Balls once again stalled on the offensive end while just a couple defensive lapses hurt them big in the long run. The captain for the Odd Balls, Rebecca Benedict, mentioned that they might be in the market for a new strength and conditioning coach at the end of the season. Word on the street is that the Odd Balls are in talks with Todd Helton to be a player/coach going forward. In this game though, Kicktease wins 7-2.

Lee Martinez Park - Week 3 Highlights

2 Legit 2 Kick (Athletic Gray) vs. Muddy Wing Tippers (Charcoal): In a matchup of gray vs. grey, only one team could reign supreme. Unfortunately for 2 Legit 2 Kick, their shade of gray didn’t cut the mustard. (By the way, if you would like to learn about the origin of the phrase, “cut the mustard”, click right here—its very interesting stuff.) Captain of the Muddy Wing Tippers, Kyle Pettyjohn, set the tone early with a 3-run home run in the bottom of the 1^st winning. From there on out, it was all the Muddy Wing Tippers. In fact, they were playing so well that there is only one explanation: the Muddy Wing Tippers have turned to the dark side of the force and have become Sith Lords!!! For 2 Legit 2 Kick, the light side (of gray) just wasn’t strong enough this round. The Muddy Wing Tippers win 36-1.

Kicktease (Red) vs. Skies Out Thighs Out (Sapphire Blue): Kicktease’s experience showed up early, as they took advantage of every offensive opportunity by scoring in bunches throughout the match—4 runs in the 1^st inning, 4 runs in the 3^rd and 4^th, then finally 4 runs in the 7^th. Kicktease was also solid on the defensive end, as evidenced by Russell Salavec’s defensive prowess in the bottom of the 2^nd inning when he punched the ball from third base over to first for an inning ending out. Skies Out Thighs Out never gave up though, especially on the defensive side: Sarah Blanton’s face made a great reflex play for an out in the top of the 6^th inning. But the MVP and birthday boy of the day, albeit in a losing effort, was TC Dinkins for his patented fingertip catches in the outfield. Sadly, it was too little too late… Kicktease wins 16-2.

Girls Love Big Kicks (Cactus Green) vs. Ballbarians (Cardinal Red): Last season’s champs Girls Love Big Kicks knew they needed to be ready to defend their crown against the upstart Ballbarians, and boy did they deliver. They really cranked the defense up to 11 in this contest!!! Drew Nelson made a great catch on a line drive for Girls Love Big Kicks to stifle a scoring threat for the Ballbarians early, and from there on out the pitching prowess of Girls Love Big Kicks took over. Girls Love Big Kicks ended up throwing a shutout with no errors, which is almost unheard of in the GO Kickball realm!!! The Ballbarians played hard and showed great sportsmanship throughout, but they couldn’t match Girls Love Big Kicks perfection on the defensive side of the ball. Seasoned Kickball analyst John Madden had this to say after the game: “Boy, I tell you what, those Ballbarians were right there the whole game. They didn’t quit. But today, Girls Love Big Kicks was just better. I wouldn’t want to see either of these teams in the playoffs. Let’s just say that.” Girls Love Big Kicks wins 3-0.

Social License to Intoxicate (Carolina Blue) vs. Odd Balls (Purple): The Oddballs came into this game hoping that their veteran experience would carry the day against the youthful athleticism of Social License to Intoxicate. Unfortunately, the Oddballs really stalled on the offensive side of the plate and literally couldn’t keep up with the fast legs of Social License to Intoxicate. Lupe “I swear I don’t use stick ‘em” Hernandez made some great catches for the Oddballs, but no one could catch the long kicks of Social License to Intoxicate’s Captain, Michael “I make sure to stretch both legs before the game” Schwarz. Social License to Intoxicate wins 8-0.

Lee Martinez Park - Week 2 Highlights

Social License to Intoxicate (Carolina Blue) vs. Muddy Wing Tippers (Charcoal): In what can only be described as an epic defensive stalemate, this battle of the newcomers lived up to all the pre-game hype. It was tit-for-tat through 6 innings as one team would score a run, only to be answered by the other squad in the next inning. Then it all came down to the bottom of the 7^th inning, with the Muddy Wing Tippers losing 3-2 and Adam Shoemaker at the plate… Adam proceeded to crush a 3-run walk-off double for the win!!! And the crowd went crazy!!!! Not even the sprinklers going off in the outfield could dampen the excitement. Captain of the Muddy Wing Tippers, Kyle Pettyjohn, said after the game, “I am so proud of our team. We knew coming in that Social License to Intoxicate will be challenging for the championship this season, so we anticipated it would be a good contest. Fortunately, our hard work and mental fortitude carried the day!” Muddy Wing Tippers win 5-3.

KickTease (Red) vs. 2 Legit 2 Kick (Athletic Gray): Kicktease may have dominated the scoreboard, but 2 Legit 2 Kick is about to dominate this highlight. It started in the bottom of the 1^st inning with a great fingertip grab for an out by Meg “The Real Deal” Tannehill for 2 Legit to 2 Kick. Her performance was followed by an amazing reflex catch by Hector “Sure Hands” de Leon in the bottom of the 3^rd inning. Then at the end of the game, Mike “That’s a” Rapp made a great defensive effort for 2 Legit 2 Kick by catching a ball that bounced off a teammate’s back for an out. Despite the highlights, Kicktease wins 17-2.

Ballbarians (Cardinal Red) vs. Skies Out Thighs Out (Sapphire Blue): Skies Out Thighs Out displayed a lot of thigh during this hot contest, which probably helped them jump out to an early lead of 1-0 after 2 innings. Anna D’Hooge’s double play in the top of the first inning didn’t hurt either. From there on out though the Ballbarians stormed the metaphorical castle, just like those barbarians that sacked Rome back in the day. It wasn’t all peaches and cream for the Ballbarians though, as Abdulla Al-Qawasmeh made the SportsCenter not-top ten in the bottom of the 5^th inning by being too strong with his throw to first base one play, and then having the sun eclipse his vision the next play as he tried to catch a pop fly. The Ballbarians strength and conditioning coach, Barry Bonds, said he is going to have Abdulla lay off the weights next week. Ballbarians win 6-1.

Girls Love Big Kicks (Cactus Green) vs. Odd Balls (Purple): In this matchup of veteran squads, both came ready to play. Girls Love Big Kicks jumped out early, but the Odd Balls held in there with some stellar defensive plays. Cesar Fuentes made a diving catch after the ball bounced off his teammate at second base for an out in the top of the 1^st inning. Then in the bottom of the 2^nd inning, when it looked like the Oddballs were about to get on the scoreboard with the bases loaded, Girls Love Big Kicks came up with a clutch out to turn the tide back in their favor. The pitcher for the Oddballs, Thomas Torres, struggled on the mound but made up for it with some defensive hustle such as the double play he helped complete in the top of the 4^th inning. MVP of the contest though went to Brady Andersen, Captain of Girls Love Big Kicks—every time the Oddballs were threatening to score, he would come up with a big play in the outfield, not too mention his solid base-running acumen that scored a couple runs. Girls Love Big Kicks wins 5-0.  

• Captains:

o   2 Legit 2 Quit: Adam Hauser

o   Ballbarians: Nadia Fahoum

o   Girls Love Big Kicks: Brady Andersen

o   Kicktease: Sara Atkinson

o   Muddy Wing Tippers: Kyle Pettyjohn

o   Oddballs: Rebecca Benedict

o   Skies Out Thighs Out: Rachel Timmons

o   Social License to Intoxicate: Michael Schwarz

Lee Martinez Park - Week 1 Highlights

Ballbarians (Cardinal Red) vs. 2 Legit 2 Kick (Athletic Gray): The Ballbarians started strong and finished even stronger as they put up 6 runs in the 1st inning and 7 runs in the 7th inning. In particular, Michael Ochs from the Ballbarians really got things going in the top of the 1st inning with a 3-run homer! 2 Legit 2 Kick tried to stifle the Ballbarian’s stellar offense by aggressively charging the kicker after the pitcher rolled the ball, but their efforts were in vain. Captain of the Ballbarians, Nadia Fahoum, said after the game, “It’s obvious that our pre-season regimen of a 100 kicks and catches each day really paid off. We were ready to go from the outset and never looked back!” Ballbarians wins 18-1.

Girls Love Big Kicks (Cactus Green) vs. Skies Out Thighs Out (Sapphire Blue): In an effort to defend their Summer 2014 championship, Girls Love Big Kicks wanted to come out and make a statement early. However, Skies Out Thighs Out hung tough through three innings with Kevin Warner showing some exceptional base-running to tie the game in the bottom of the 3rd inning. However, perennial MVP contender Steve “The Hitman” Walker from Girls Love Big Kicks proceeded to kick an inside-the-park grand slam in the top of the 4th inning to put some distance between the two teams. That was all they really needed! Girls Love Big Kicks wins 6-1. 

Odd Balls (Purple) vs. Muddy Wing Tippers (Charcoal): In this contest, newcomers the Muddy Wing Tippers came out tough in their GO Kickball debut against league mainstay, the Odd Balls. The Muddy Wing Tippers showed amazing team chemistry, as evidenced by Bob Muntz assisting Phil Baros for an out after the ball bounced off Phil’s hands and Bob dove behind him to make the catch. The scream from the crowd could be heard for miles in each direction!!! Pretty much, the play was on equal footing with this gem from Roger Federer during the US Open. As per usual though, the Odd Balls showed great tenacity with Danielle Schleppy displaying great effort as she dove into first base in an attempt to beat the throw. Unfortuately, she was still out. Muddy Wing Tippers wins 6-0. 

KickTease (Red) vs. Social License to Intoxicate (Carolina Blue): With Swift Kick in the Grass joining ranks with KickTease for the Fall 2014 season, they thought they would be unstoppable… That is, until they ran into Social License to Intoxicate! This game was tight until the end, as both teams turned in some great individual plays. The catcher for Social License to Intoxicate, Angela Garman, had a couple “sneak catches” from just behind home plate. Angela “sneak attacks” people by seemingly hiding in plain view, and then swooping in to make the catch when the opposing team tries to bunt or fouls it off. Meanwhile, for KickTease, 2nd basewoman Kathryn Crampton turned in the “best inning of her life" during the 3rd by assisting on all three outs. Unfortunately for KickTease, with the good plays came some bad ones too, as an anonymous player struck out/fouled out twice during the course of the game, thereby tying the all-time GO Kickball record for most strikeouts in a game. Social License to Intoxicate wins 4-2.