Tuesday, May 22, 2012

An Ode to Kick James

In what ended up being our last game of the season, I was not unable to be present. My tears have yet to dry, but guest bloggest Laura aka dingleberry made me very proud. With that, I present to you.

An Ode to Kick James

By Dingleberry

As the clouds rolled in and the raindrops appeared,
We tightened our laces, while the kick off neared.
Gathering together we formed as one,
All of us knowing what needs to be done.
The red hats fit tight,
As we prepared for what would be a fight.
Settling our nerves, we took to the field,
Not knowing at that point our fates were already sealed.
 
They strolled up with confidence ready to kick,
So we all took our places and got focused quick.
The ref, named Al, cleared the game to begin,
And I looked down the field and gave Shelly a slight grin.
The ball was set loose, and all was afire.
With all of a sudden, ‘TWO OUTS’ cried the umpire.
Emotions were high, but communication trembled.
Two runs were scored, and to the sidelines we reassembled.
 
Brian up first, and the ball sored through the sky.
He slides through to second all hell to defy.
Sandy took to the plate and ran to first base,
As Katy strolled up with a smile on her face.
The pitcher had trouble crossing the plate with her pitch,
So Al gave her advice as to overcome this glitch.
Eventually she sorted it out, and kick james ran across home plate.
Unfortunately discrepancy caused the other team to challenge our fate.
 
The safe on second with two outs was on trial,
And I was called to once again defend my team with style.
Rock, Paper, Scissors was the name of the game.
One, Two, Three- Win.
One, Two, Three- Lose.
I looked into my opponents eyes and the moment came…
One, Two, Three- Lose.
Back in the field Kick James went,
But in no way were we ready to relent.
Shelly on the mound, the bases covered,
The outfield was buzzing while the clouds still hovered.
 
The strikes came one after the other,
The three outs caused the team to cry, ‘oh, mother’.
To kick again Kick James’ confidence rekindled,
While the red/blue swirled shirts swindled and dwindled.
The Loughners were up, and they both rose to new heights.
Raising our hopes, with the game that excites.
All of a sudden I was on deck,
Ready as ever I kicked and I ran, only the scream, ‘oh, heck’’.
 
At this point for me the game became fuzzy for an inning or two,
So henceforth my ode may become a bit askew.
It is now, I feel I shall mention for a bit,
The other team’s demeanor that seemed so misfit.
We came out to have fun, and laugh as a team
So why, shall I ask, the other team be so mean?
They called into questions Al’s calls and made fun of our plays
So I feel it is appropriate to individually haze:
 
Holly:
Golly, miss Holly, you seem to be on Molly- because you must be seeing things.
I ask, Polly must want a cracker, with the noise coming from your mouth.
I would suggest, miss Holly you take a trolly to Bali because only there, will they deal with your folly.
Nick:
Nick, my prick, I would ask you to stick the ball where the sun don’t shine.
You are a captain of bunters: ‘Quick’, ‘Slick’, ‘Trick’ and ‘Thick’.
Although your team inevitably won, Nick- I think you are a dick.
‘Big Red’:
I didn’t catch your name, ‘Red’, but I think you may need to grow a pair,
And learn how to kick, and be nice.  The end.
 
And like that we were in the top of the fourth,
The clouds started to break and there was sun up north.
This time it was our call that a safe should have been out.
So, Tim made the challenge because of his doubt.
A shotgun it was, so they took to the stage,
The beers in two hands and the other team in a rage.
Our team on one knee, while they took the loss,
As they blamed the faulty can, but Tim drank like a boss.
 
Up by two the innings got deeper.
Other teams walked over to see who would be the weeper.
The other team now tied, seven to seven.
(Something just made me think of Evans from Heaven).
And just like that, they were up and it was over.
Not one man on the field leaf was the least bit sober.
We did not however hang our heads with shame,
Together we yelled, ‘WE ARE KICK JAMES’!
 
I know you were hoping this ode would come to an end,
But special mentions are needed, and individuals to commend:
 
Jim, I think we all would agree,
There was a certain disappointment that we couldn’t see above either knee.
You may have been wearing long shorts, which is of course fine.
Next time however I expect nothing less than your short trench hemline.
 
Ashley you get major point for keeping your fiancé in check,
I think at one point he wanted to wrap his hands around Tim’s neck.
Throughout the season your kicks have gotten much better,
As the game continued I felt you were just warming up for the next of the double header.

Katie, as always you bring style and smiles to the game,
But don’t let that fool anyone- she’s here to take f’ing names.
Your multiple outs and getting on base,
Makes it hard for anyone to keep up at your pace.
 
Dave and Brian, I mention you together, valuable to every inning
Because, you two in the line-up made up our end and our beginning.
Scoring, out, and sliding to bases
As far as kickball is concerned you are both going places!
It will be difficult  to not often think of the visual
Of Brian catching, then sliding, then tagging for an out we should make a ritual.
 
Jesse, I feel your focus could change at any moment
Out in the field ready for action at every instant.
Next time, please do not pause and consider.
Take that girl out, when she is in the base line- just hit her.
 
Hoffy and Smitty, both on the verge of MVP status
(I personally thank Hoffy for the ice bag apparatus).
Base runs, and outs, and chats on the sideline
Both of you make Kick James shine.
 
MVPs: How there was four I will never know,
But all four of these player put on quite the show:
 
Shelly with pitches straight down the line,
How is it possible she got strikes almost every time!
Kicking and making it onto base
And you have such a lovely face.
 
Tim, oh’ captain, sub-captain! Our fearful trip is done,
With your guidance and energy we should have most defiantly won.
You won the shotgun but most of all,
You reminded us what it means to have fun playing kickball.
 
PJ, above and beyond all the other players
You on the field was an answer to many of our prayers.
Advancing, scoring, getting on base-
We all agree last night you were an Ace.
 
Sandy, you were our balance, exciting us to compete
Becoming fired up to help us win this feat.
Base hits and runs, but on top of all the good,
You also beat the MVP Mike’s shotgun- way to go, dude.
 
Lastly, I will leave you with this: ‘I should have been a mutha, f’ing bunter’.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Two Sides of the Same Coin

For all intensive purposes, Monday's events were one big rollercoaster of a game.

This is what a kickball team looks like after a rollercoaster.
Yes, maybe if you're one for technicalities, "Wilmer Valderama", you would refer to Monday's I'm Kick Jamesing as a "double header" but if you're not one for technicalities, "Mr. Obama", then you would just bunch everything up together and represent it as the mess it was.

In general, I'm Kick James had a fantastic night. Quick Highlights - Coming from behind to almost win. Winning really intensely. Gender confusion. Waxing. Waning. A Fine Frenzy. Smitty. Non-Alchoballiks compared to Guy, the loose cannon of mass consumption.

By the end of the night:

I'm Kick James  (6-1-1) 21, Alchoballiks of Mass Consumption (doesn't matter) 11

Now let's share in some stories... with the help of photographic technologies.  

WARNING:  There might not be a "defined order" to these stories, but there are pictures so that makes it a lot of fun.

Paper, Laura, Scissors: Dingleberry for the win!
A slow start led to some interesting moments as we started the evening. The other team, fighting to their last breath for a spot in the playoffs (that we still don't know if they actually got, one because we're clinched in first and don't give a shit and two, because it's very confusing) came to play. They wanted the full on win, settled for a tie, but not before barely drinking anything and whining about getting hit in the head with the ball while sliding into second (one of two calls the ref gave us all night long). The very ref who had no idea what a strike was and refused to call them.

An example of the other team barely drinking anything, the picture above shows I'm Kick James taking a knee (except Shelley who apparently doesn't know what a knee is) and drinking for Laura who is rock, paper, scissoring the other team.... haha scissoring the other team.

That win kept Laura on second and most likely led to something amazing. That amazing something could have been one of the thirty times PJ was on base, Tim's 2 RKI triple that would have been a home run if one of their players hadn't been overweight and unable to control his body tripped him on purpose. Maybe that's when Smitty ran so fast he almost lapped Laura.

I don't know, I wasn't paying attention.

Things started to heat up around here. Down by a few runs we came back and tied it up. We then took the lead and made fun of the other team for being douchy a little bit. That led to another inning nobody remembers that will never be mentioned again. Remember, we only played on game and it ultimately ended in a win.

Pictured: Terror giggles



I'm Kick James had a universal tension headache. Overcome with emotion and filled with intense feelings of devotion to each other, there was a lot of yelling for a little bit.  Short fuses were lit. Forgiveness hugs were plentiful. Katie, who may or may not have been drunk, kicked the ball extremely well, but hugged herself in fear on first base because the game was so tense.





It was all very confusing for Shelley.
Things weren't as smooth for Kick James as they usually are. The ball was kicked so hard into the outfield it knocked Jesse on his ass while he was catching it.



Brian dove for a ball 42 feet away from him. Katie brought bread to soak up some of the booze. Jesse and Shelley ate it so it was not effective.



I'm Kick James and in the face of adversity I turn things around by starting over, making my opponent change their shirts and complete personalities, and starting a fielding frenzy... and hugging, there was some hugging. The other team also had shots available, which didn't hurt anyone, except PJ because Tim stole his shot just like he's stolen so many balls from ladies in the outfield.
Pictured: Pitching is hard

Things like the action pictures to the left were common. Sweeney was constantly walking away from people.

Brady, the ref who totally looked like a dude named Brady, started getting a little scared. Besides the fact that he seemed to enjoy giving pointers to the other team and yelling at our team, Brady didn't do well with "fun." Playful banter, Tim pretend fighting an old drunk guy named Guy, women's liberation, the Magna Carta, and shot guns and lady chugs put him as far on edge as he could have gone.


The second half of the game was lively to say the least. The final reports aren't in, but Tim won a shotgun challenge for one of two reasons.

1 - The other dude never opened his can and pretended to do the entire thing.

2 - The other dude actually did a really good job and would have beat Tim if he had just handed the empty beer to the ref.

The world may never care, and good, because it's over and we won.


 The next challenge pitted young Miss Piles against a female rugby player in a chug to the death. Not really, it was just a chug to the end of the cup, which Shelley did not win, but gets crazy points in my book for stepping up to the plate.


Men pitched.

Ladies peed standing up

Awesome pictures like this were taken.

In the end, five worthy, yet unlucky MVP's were Schmirnoffed
 
 
Shelley - For her chugging attempt, awesome pitching and contemplative nature.

Sandy - He did something really well at the end of both games. It might have been fielding. I'm pretty sure he had a home run too.

Laura - For everything we mentioned (mostly the rock paper scissoring) and the ability to spend numerous innings, catching, smoking a cig, drinking a beer and taking pictures all at the same time.

Smitty - For being the most consistent player of the day and for also doing something really good, that I can't remember.

Thomas - I played well.






And with that, Sandy pointed to the parking lot for Sweeney and said, "Sweeney, that's where my car is parked."


I'm Kick James and I will see you in the playoffs you beautiful sons of bitches.

This also happened at some point, which is awesome.

Who should be the Kick James Fall MVP?

What was your favorite Kick James moment?