Ghost Man on Third: The Given to Fly Edition

The  Award Winning Official Newsletter of the MA Commonwealth Division

"Is it a bird? It it a plane? No it's a KICKBALL!"  

WEEK TWO: " Revvin' up your engine. Listen to her howlin' roar. Metal under tension. Beggin' you to touch and go. Highway to the danger zone. Ride into the danger zone." - Kenny Loggins

Table of Contents: 


I: A Penguins Envy 

II: Chickens don't clap

III: Like Snoopy after the Red Baron 

IV: Standings and Schedule 

V: Announcements

VI: I'm So High...in the Air

PART I: " When I on walk on by. Girls be lookin like damn, he fly." - LMFAO

For those of you who have been a part of the MA Commonwealth division for a few seasons, and have actually paid attention to this newsletter (thank you), you'll know that I am a big fan building each issue around a theme. I find that it not only helps organize the fucked up miasma that is my alleged mind, and gives me a fertile field to plunder for bad puns, but it hopefully provides some interest to you the reader. And if it doesn't, I really don't care, I'm theme-ing it anyway. 

This week however, I've had a problem. I was all prepared to center this article around horses, for a few reasons. First, Patti Smith, the rock poet inspiration to many punks and wordsmiths, recently released her latest album, Banga, which echoes in some regards her 1975 debut Horses. So I've had some Arthur Rimbaud fueled ideas set to the soul of 50's rock stuck in my head for sometime. Secondly, every May and June the nation is captivated by the Triple Crown of horse racing. As a bourbon aficionado, Kentucky Derby day is one of my favorite days of the year. I know many fans of sports who only turn in for the triple crown, were saddened by the withdrawal of I'll Have Another from the Belmont. (In my sports bucket list, the only two events that have not occurred in my life time is the USA winning the World Cup in soccer (Imagine the hand wringing world wide when that happens), and a horse winning the Triple Crown.Of course I crossed off #1 last year.) I could easily have tied in a reference to the Triple Crown, as currently Pumped up Kicks in our own division has won the league title two years in a row, and are going after their own Triple Crown. And thirdly, horses have played such a vital role in the creation of civilization as we know it, that to not be honored by a kickball blog would be a crime against equinity. 

So I was all settled to write about horses. Then I saw this video floating around the internet, shot by a teammate of mine from the fall league in Somerville I play with, and man, is that an awesome play or what. Not only is the athleticism of the runner avoiding the throw fun to watch, but the reaction and athleticism of the catcher to make the play at the plate so close is even more impressive to me. So sorry Seabiscuit, your time to be honored by the Ghost Man on Third will come at a later date. 


(Start the video at about the 46 second mark. Some NSFW language, and when you get to the super slo-mo part, there's some weird sounding banshee noises)

PART II: "A man will rise. A man will fall. From the sheer face of love, like a fly on the wall." - U2

6:30pm Games

Ninjapocalypse Now 9 over Teleballin' 3

The opening match up of the season, saw league veterans Ninjapocalypse Now defeat a team of kickball neophytes in Teleballin' 9-3. However the score does not indicate the closeness of the game early, as in the first four innings the Ninjas only managed two runs against a stout Teleballin' defense, thanks to the pitching of Anton H. Then in the bottom of the 4th, Teleballin' took a 3-2 lead as the team was able to put together some key hits. The Ninjas recovered however in the bottom of the 4th, and exploded for 7 runs, powered by a home runs from game MVP Jon and Medal of Strength winner Mike, and key kicks and savvy base running from Megan, Jeff, Paul and Andrew. 

For Teleballin, the bad inning did not deter them, and they believe that with a strong effort and more familiarity with the game, they'll be able to challenge in this league. 

- Steve M and David M contributed this report

Looking to Bust Balls 7 over We've Got the Runs 0 

Defections, retirements, and misaligned priorities (putting work ahead of kickball!?) necessitated a merger of two long-standing Waltham teams – Looking To Score and Ball Busters – creating the aptly named Looking To Bust Balls.

The merger got off to a good start in Week 1 with LTBB taking a 7-0 decision over We’ve Got The Runs.  Ben pitched a complete game shutout and helped his own cause with a couple of RBIs.  Mike had three RBIs and did a good job manning the hot corner.  Nick went 2 for 2, while his better half, Sara, contributed an RBI.  Newcomer Andrea also went 2 for 2 and played some solid infield defense.

As for the We've Got the Runs,  they didn't have  runs after all and got shut out. Frank "The Tank" delivered a solid at bat in the loss. Another highlight was Vivek using his speed to beat out an infield single but that same speed later caused him to over run second base. Kerry made a nice defense play gunning down a runner at the plate. Matt also made some nice plays at short.

Jason K and Sam B contributed this report

PART III:" Kickstart my heart. Hope it never stops. And to think, we did all of this... To rock "- Motley Crue (Again, I can't find the umlaut)

7:15pm Games

Dirty Mike and the Boys 18 over Kickin' Nuggets 0

soup kitchen (clip NSFW language)
noun

1. a place where food, usually soup, is served at little or no charge to the needy.
2. Military Slang .(in World War I) a mobile kitchen.
3. Kickball Domination.  It was only week one for Dirty Mike & The Boys, yet what a glorious week it was. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and Forge slipped in center field on a routine fly ball as per usual (thank god for that golden toe!). Lead off Chris "lil tedesch" started off the night with an in-the-park home run, as Ben "BDO", pitched a strong game not letting up one run. EVERY player on DM&TB'S had themselves a nice old screw party on that field. It was great to see a brand new team mixed up 
of 3&4 year kickball OG's (Mike, Ben, Chris, Forge), as well as newbies (Gabe, Trevor, Tyler, Derek, Jenn) come together in such a way that brought tears to the WAKA god’s eyes. Allison, Dara, and Kayla made their presence felt playing great on both sides of the ball, while Pat really “Powered” through with some HUGE kicks and impressive sliding catches in the outfield. Now everyone give yourselves a clap on the hands, as Dirty Mike is proud of all of you and your 18-0 victory.

While there is no way to positively spin a rout, the Kickin Nuggets have identified some areas to improve on, according to team captain Jess."Sooooooo it was my first run as captain of a brand-new team, and I managed to fail on many counts - I think the score was 18-0, we didn't get any photos, and I was too busy trying to figure out who was going where and matching up faces and names to keep track of who was doing what. I'm delegating the task of note- and photo-taking to someone else this week, so I hope to be able to send you more then.
I can say that we held our own and only allowed a few runs...until the third inning when all hell broke loose. ...but that's all I've got. Armed with some actual coaching from someone who actually knows something about kickball AND a practice session before the next game, we're entirely sure that we'll get a run on Thursday. :-)

- Jess and BDO contributed this report.

Pumped up Kicks 6 over Don't Come on My Base! 2

The two time defending champs start the season off 1-0. Pumped Up Kicks took the lead 3-0 early in the first. With steady pitching by Dave P. and eventual strong defensive efforts after a few early season errors, they were able to hold the lead. Success for many first timers and Emma’s first run(ever) boosted personal and team confidence. The league should watch out for the powerhouse that is Pumped Up Kicks.

- Vickie contributed to this report

PART IV: " You fly straight into my heart. But here comes the fall. So much for make-believe, I'm not sold. So much of dreams, deceit, I'm not prepared to know. Your heart makes me feel. Your heart makes me bold." - Interpol

Standings:

Schedule:

6:30PM

Dirt: 

Don't Come on My Base v. Ninjapocalypse Now

Referee: Kickin' Nuggets

Grass:

Dirty Mike and the Boys v. We've Got the Runs!

Referee: Teleballin

7:15pm 

Dirt: 

Kickin' Nuggets v. Looking to Bust Balls

Referee: Don't Come on My Base

Grass:

Teleballin' v. Pumped Up Kicks

Referee: We've Got the Runs!

PART V: "I received a message from my brother across the water He sat laughin' as he wrote the end's in sight. So I said goodbye to all my friends. And packed my hopes inside a matchbox 'Cause I know it's time to fly." Led Zeppelin

Announcements, Announcements Announcements

UMPIRES: Remember each team will be required to umpire 4 games this season. Please have 2-3 players who know the rules available to umpire the games they are assigned. Failure to provide umpires can result in a "paper forfeit" which counts in the standings and affects playoff seeding. 

PHOTOS:   Snap pictures. Send them to me. Easy as 1-2-3. Also I'm sure I can post videos too, so if you catch people flying through the air and make close plays at the plate, boom, send it along. 

SHOES: While today should be nice, it rained yesterday. Please have proper footwear to maintain safety. 

BOCA BAR: After the game, please join us at our league sponsor, The Boca Bar a healthy selection of beverage options and appetizer specials.  

TWITTER: Remember to follow the league twitter account. @Macommonealth for all the latest news. 

PART VI:" And sometimes is seen a strange spot in the sky. A human being that was given to fly" - Pearl Jam

They like to say that time flies while having fun. I have no idea who "they" are? Poets? Prophets? Pimps? Pathetic Peripatetics? I'd say Popes, but we all know the Popes haven't had any real fun since Rodrigo Borgia. Anyway, the point is that the moments we enjoy the most are the ones that don't feel interminable. Perhaps this is part of what makes them so sweet, that their ephemeral nature makes us appreciate them all the more. Even if the moment is preserved on YouTube,  in a picture or the nostalgia dappled recesses of our mind, we can never truly relive that initial moment. So that is why it is important to savor those moments,but more importantly do everything you can to make more moments. For some teams last week was a good moment. For others it was a moment to learn. But those moments are behind us now and it is time to grab new ones, before the swallows fly back to Capistrano. 

Good luck and happy kicking,

- David, GMOT Editor