Sunday(s) in the Park Where we are unafraid to cry "FOUL!"

THIS SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH IS THE KVKL POST-SEASON PARTY!!! It starts at 7pm, and all sorts of fun things will be going on, like games, prizes, video presentations, alcohol, a dance-off, and more alcohol.  It’s at Liberty Hall (644 Massachusetts St, home of the Late Fees), there is a $5 forced-donation to get in, but all that goes to good things (like alcohol). Please be there, and please be ready to party.

Cheers,

Coach Billy Gay Cyrus

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If anybody needs to bone up on their “Worst Dance-Off” moves…

and…

and…

and (not really dancing)…

and the best for last…

The Fall Classic is just a few weeks away, and here are the official details:

2011 KVKL Fall Classic – Sunday, September 25th, 1 p.m. – 11 p.m.

Event expectations:
This event will benefit The Willow Domestic Violence Center and Headquarters Counseling Center in Lawrence. The Fall Classic will be held on Sunday September 25 beginning at 1p.m. and ends whenever the tournament is completed, or 11:00 p.m. The entry fee of the Fall Classic will be $100 per team. We’re looking for a minimum of 8 teams and money will be due Wednesday, September 21th (by 8 p.m.). This way, we will be able to build a schedule on teams we know will be attending (schedule will be posted on www.kawvalleykickball.com and FACEBOOK on Friday, September 23rd).

Contacts:
If you would like to register a team, please contact Erin Adams, Jacki Becker, or Deron Belt:

Erin Adams – erin.patricia@live.com – 550.9727
Jacki Becker – jackioh@sunflower.com – 423.2846 (text only please)
Deron Belt – gradually@hotmail.com – 766.9779

Rules of the tournament:
All KVKL rules apply. This year we ARE NOT eliminating the gender rule for this tourney.
As always all games will be self-officiated. All teams will be guaranteed two games.
Clipboards, scoresheets (+ pens), and balls will be provided.

When:
Sunday Sept. 25 beginning at 1p.m.

Where:
Holcom Sports Complex

Notes:
Please bring your own food and drink.

By supporting these events, we really appreciate your time and dedication to building a better Lawrence. Thank you!

KVKL

After the last few days of perfect weather in Lawrence, KS, ten hours of kickball sounds like the greatest thing in the world.  I’m curious what teams will return looking the same as they did during the 2011 season, and what sort of frankenstein teams emerge in the Fall Classic.  I’ve heard rumors of Troy concocting a team of heavy drinkers called The Funaholics–you must play with a beer in hand the whole game, and shotgun a beer for every run/foul/inning.  Get in contact with Deron, Jacki, or Erin right away if you want to play.  I’m not sure if I’ll be able to make the whole tournament, but I hope to at least come out and watch/ref some games… though, I love the idea of self-officiating.

Please visit the links above and find out more about the organizations The Fall Classic will be benefitting.

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Coach Billy Gay Cyrus’ official 2012 Top Ten (prepare to be impressed):

1. Bye – Creation Station is pissed they were kicked out of the league, and even more upset I left them out of the Most Fun Wins contest.  They build a team of terrifying shoeless-stoner soccer players and change their name to Bye, unfortunately they forfeit the championship game because they are unable to field a team.
2. Chalmersiz – after a less-than-spectacular performance in the 2011 tournament, Coach Candy incorporates a dunk tank into the Chalmerisz defense.  Teams can’t help but try to kick the ball at the target and dip DJ Candlepants.  Candlepants then makes every out of the Chalmersiz’ 2012 season and solidifies his place in the KVKL Hall of Fame. A “NO DUNK TANK” rule is quickly added to the rule book for the 2013 season.
3. Sacred Sword – after a rough start to the season involving a real sword, they lose several of their fastest players and are forced to stop bunting.  They discover they have some of the best kickers in the league and make an incredible run in the tournament.
4. I’m Going to Murder You – the whole league is confused and upset by The Swarm’s newest team name (formerly Milton’s, formerly Mu-Tang, formerly Murder Tang).
5. Das Boot – they somehow become even better kickball players, who have even more fun. What a bunch of assholes.
6. Balls Deep – they have a spectacular season, but end up quitting the league mid-season to start a competing Lawrence kickball league that allows a strike zone.  They tell everyone the new league’s name is Balls Deep Kickball League, but we still call it Mad Greek Kickball League.
7. Spacepussy – they discover performance enhancing steroids and enter the top ten.
8. Goats – the Scotts appoint Tricia Rock team coach, and The Goats have their best season yet.
9. Red Lyon – Nick Lerner starts to bunt, Red Lyon starts to win.
10. Liberty Hall – Coach Billy Gay Cyrus is voted out of his own team after never getting The Late Fees above a tenth seat ranking during his time as team manager. Deron Belt takes over and crushes every other team in the league during the tournament, reclaiming his Championship Belt title. Coach Billy Gay Cyrus joins the city league in disgrace.

Kickballers,

After one last long day of kicking balls at Hobbs Park, the 2011 Kaw Valley Kickball Season is officially over.  The Ghosts took down West Coast to claim the Less-Awesome Bracket title, and walked off with the Princess Di commemorative plate.  West Coast started off slow, but they were able to bring it within one during the last few innings, finishing the game with just a two run deficit. The Love Garden Squids vs. Star Bar Barracudas Under the Sea Championship game wasn’t nearly as close on the scoreboard. Star Bar was playing some of the best kickball we’ve seen all season, holding the powerful Squids to only one run.  Despite the lopsided score of 9 to 1, watching two great teams play one last time under the lights at Hobbs was still a spectacularly fun time for the crowd in the packed stands–can’t wait to watch it sober on TV.

Congrats to Brian Thomas for winning the KVKL Bracketology Challenge! You’ve won a pair of concert tickets, Hamms, and cinema passes to Liberty Hall.  You can pick up your prizes at the post-season party! Thanks to everyone who participated, check your scores below.

Also, thanks to everyone for reading and commenting on the blog this summer.  I had a great time pretending I know stuff about sports, but am looking forward to passing the blog onto someone else.  I think it’s important to get a new perspective of the league every season, so if you’re interested talk to the board!  Special thanks to Chris Ford for creating a blogging foundation I could build upon.  The blog had record breaking numbers this season, and I couldn’t have done it without Mr. Ford and the other members of the league who have kept Sunday(s) in the Park up and running over the years, and I couldn’t have done it without you nerds constantly refreshing the site over-and-over again.  Have a great off-season, and I’ll see you at Hobbs Park on Sunday, June 3^rd 2012.

Another amazing season in the bag, good work KVKLers.  Don’t forget to be at The Replay patio for a live recording of The KVKL Podcast this Wednesday at 7pm, you know you want to boo Cougar one last time.

Yours forever,

Coach Billy Gay Cyrus

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The 2011 Kaw Valley Kickball Championship Sunday is here!  We’ve seen some great games this post-season, including nine official upsets.  The stage is set for two great mid-level teams to compete for the Less Awesome title, with #17 West Coast going up against the #15 Ghosts—only one team will walk away with my Princess Diana plate.  On the Awesome Bracket side #5 Star Bar is looking to have a major upset against the #2 Love Garden team.  I can’t wait to join everyone for one last late night of kickball under the lights at Hobbs Park.

#17 West Coast vs. #15 Ghosts – 7:00 at Hobbs Park

Last year’s Less-Awesome Championship game had the same level of  ranked teams up against each other, with #17 Brew Ballers taking on the #15 Late Fees at Hobbs Park.  That game went into extra innings and was decided by a 10^th inning walk-off home run.  One could argue that last year’s game was so competitive due to a collective fatigue from both teams after playing two games before the Championship match-up on that hot sticky August day, but I think it’s pretty safe to say this game will be equally exciting.  Both the teams playing struggled during the regular season for consistency in their kickball playing, but they seem to be peaking at the right moment.  I somehow have never seen West Coast play this season, but a good chunk of them stood behind me while I watched The Ghosts barely hold off the Blue Collar Rockets during the third round games, and those West Coasters looked fucking tough in their matching striped baseball pants.  The average age of The Ghosts is much younger, and whether or not that’s an advantage I can’t say, both teams should be well rested and relatively sober after a week off from the KVKL.  I have seen The Ghosts play several times this season, and they have some fantastic players, if they can get an early lead on the West Coast team, I see them keeping their cool and winning the Ms. Congeniality Plate.  I also believe that The Ghosts home field advantage is going to play a major roll in their possible victory, as it did with their 12-inning game against The Rockets.  This should be a close game, so don’t miss it.

Prediction: Ghosts > West Coast

#5 Star Bar Barracudas vs. #2 Love Garden Squids – 9:00 at Hobbs Park

 We’re finally getting the Under the Sea themed championship game we’ve been dreaming of all our lives! If The Barracudas can upset the Squids, it will be the second time Love Garden has fallen to a five seat in the championship game.  The first time was in 2005 when the K-Jensen’s-HK team took Love Garden down with the “Bermuda Triangle” defense: a carefully constructed triangle of athletic dudes that dismantled Love Garden’s aggressive bunting—let’s not forget that the Love Gardeners were the original bunters, before the league ever uttered the words, “Sacred Bunt.”  Star Bar is a team that I wish I could have seen more of this season; they are extremely athletic and full of talent, which makes for great kickball spectating.  I did watch them last Sunday when they spanked The Chalmersiz hard, and they’ve definitely hit their stride.  I’m wrong about most things on this blog, but I think this is a good place to quote something right I posted during the Week 8 Preview:

“The Star Bar Barracudas might have a new name, but they are an old team with a tradition of kicking ass. The former Eastsiders are my dark horse (if they can even be considered a dark horse) to win it all this year.”

No. Big. Deal.  Though, they haven’t won it all just yet.  The Squids have kicked even more ass over the past ten years of Kaw Valley Kickball, including several championship appearances.  They play nearly perfect kickball, and though you might not want to admit it, they do it while having a good amount of fun, too (except for when Cougar brings out their dark side).  It’s tough to balance fun and competitive kickball, I imagine if they can keep their cool this Sunday and get over the fact the crowd will be rooting for the under dog, they shouldn’t have any trouble winning—unless my prediction that Captain Chris Ford’s constant tweaking of the defense mid-game will finally backfire on him.  They have the defense, they have the offense, and they have the experience, it’s hard for anyone to argue that The Squids won’t get another win this post-season… that being said, I’m a big fan of upsets, and anything can happen at Hobbs Park.

Prediction: Star Bar > Love Garden; Nelson the Barracuda Dog > Team Owner Kelly Corcoran

The almost complete bracket!

ALL-STAR GAME – 5:00 at Hobbs Park

After a 1-year hiatus, we finally have the return of the All-Star Game!!!  Girls and guys will be alternating every inning for ten innings.  The William S. Burroughs and Langston Hughes divisions will take on the John Brown and Carrie A. Nation divisions.  I really can’t bullshit much about this match-up, since the league is filled with all sorts of All-Stars and we can’t be sure which players are being sent to the game, and where they play best.  Let’s hope the league’s captains do a good job of nominating the best players from their teams to entertain us during the first game of our last Sunday this season.  I can’t say who will win, but I imagine like always the girls will put on a better show, while the guys get all cocky and kick away into an All-Star outfield.

Prediction: Willston S. Burrhughes > Jarrie A. Brotion

That’s it for this week’s predictions, hope to see you all at Hobbs Park this Sunday!  If you haven’t checked it out, Nick Lerner posted an awesome 2011 KVKL Championship preview video on the KVKL fan page site, unfortunately I can’t post it here because Facebook blows.

BFFs,

Coach Billy Gay Cyrus

GET EXCITED!

Hey dudes,

Finishing up the Week 12 podcast as I write this, and boy are they pissed I haven’t posted the bracket scores.  Cougar seems to thrive when there are less games to talk about–the flow and quality of the podcast is as good as it has ever been, and after listening to Brad from Das Boot’s phone call I really wish he could have been there the whole podcast.  Good work dudes!  Below you’ll find the bracket scores, this week with both numerical and alphabetical order!!!  Thanks for being patient with me (skool sux), and the Final KVKL Preview will be up tomorrow on August’s final friday.

Click here to listen to the KVKL Week 12 Podcast

Cheers,

Coach Billy Gay Cyrus

Find out where you stand with the brand new numerical order!

Find your score alphabetically!

Picture via Roscopoet, click on the image to check out our Flickr page!

Hey buddies,

It’s official, #2 Love Garden vs. #5 Star Bar are in the KVKL Awesome Bracket Championship game next Sunday, and #15 Ghosts vs. #17 West Coast Saloon will duke it out in the KVKL Less-Awesome Bracket Championship game.  I jumped around and watched a little bit of every early game.  I saw Star Bar depants Coach Candy’s Chalmersiz at Holcom Right.  I only saw a few innings of the Goats vs Pit game, but I heard both teams played great and it just boiled down to the team that made the fewest mistakes winning.  The Blue Collar Rockets took The Ghosts into extra innings, the final run being made in the bottom of the twelfth after the head ref made this season’s second Encroachment call, The Ghosts walked off with a win and later took down Los Luchadores at the same field.  I watched most of the Das Boot vs. Sacred Sword game, where Das Boot really showed off how powerful an offense they have by putting up 9 runs on the impeccable Sacred Sword defense.  I had to go ref a game on the other side of Holcom, so I didn’t see The Sword come back from a five point deficit to almost tie it up–would love to hear what happened.  Plenty of upsets, and plenty of great games, having the whole Week 2 at one location was pretty spectacular, and I loved seeing big crowds at each field. What games did you watch? What was your favorite play? What was the deal with that giant head in the outfield during the Das Boot vs. Love Garden game?

There has been a lot of talk about sportsmanship on the KVKL website, this blog, and our Facebook page.  People seem concerned about the direction the league is going in terms of competitiveness and what shapes our collective attitude towards the game, but I think as we near the end of our tenth season it’s important to remember how many absolutely awesome people and teams are involved in this massive league, and why we do spend every Sunday of the summer running around and boozing it up in triple-digit temperatures.  To recognize what makes this league great, I want to introduce the Sunday(s) in the Park Most Fun Wins trophy.  The most fun wins mentality was first introduced to me in 2007 by my former teammate Justin “Soobs” Atwater-Taylor after the Late Fees’ first disastrous season–we didn’t have a winning record but we partied our asses off and I fell in love with the KVKL.  Below you will find a poll, the winner of this poll gets an awesome trophy.  You can vote for your own team, but that probably means your not very fun.

Love,

Coach Billy Gay Cyrus

Keeping kickball weird.

Hey there,

We played twice as much kickball last Sunday and the podcast matched that by being double the normal length, hitting almost 90 minutes.  I listend to most of the podcast live for the first time this season and there were tons of calls, cursing, and consuming of alcohol.  On top of the four special guests, there were a record number of call-ins from representatives of Asteroid Head, The Ghosts, The Late Fees, and Dirty Mike & The Boyz.  Give it a listen!

Week 11 Podcast

Special Guests: Caitlin Dix, Jack McFarland, Kristoffer Dover, and Jacki Becker.

And don’t forget, you can call in anytime to leave a voicemail for the podcasters at 785-504-4700.

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I took the night off of work to organize the twenty-six entries from the KVKL Bracket Challenge.  At this point the prize pack includes a 12-pack of Hamms, concert tickets, passes to Liberty Hall cinema, and probably some other crap.  At the moment Sara Rock is kicking your ass, Diana Garcia is just two points from the top, and out-of-stater Adam Mitchell is somehow in third (I imagine my expert commentary over the season has really helped him out).

KVKL Bracket Challenge results for round 1 and round 2. Click for a larger image!

Cheers,

Coach Billy Gay Cyrus

(Photo from Roscopoet, pulled off the KVKL Flickr page. Click image to check out our flickr page!)

Hey buddies,

The scores aren’t up yet, so we’ll have to help each other out on everything that went down last night.  I officiated for the 5pm #26 Blue Collar Rockets vs. #7 Slowride game.  The Rockets nearly busted everybody’s bracket by keeping the game extremely close.  The Rockets’ defense was solid throughout the game, and their offense took advantage of every mistake Slowride’s 9-person defense made.  The lead changed a few times, and by the top of the ninth The Rockets were just down by one run, though they were unable to tie it up and get a major upset.  During the 6:30pm game at YSC 3 the #14 Late Fees took on #19 Channel 6.  The Fees and Channel 6 have played three times in the last two years, and we were 1-1 before yesterday’s game. In 2010, Channel 6 fell apart during our Game of the Week match-up, and we fell apart during our first tournament game, thankfully this game felt much more competitive.  The Fees got an early three runs and held onto the lead for the entire game, but Channel 6 kept it close.  I’m not sure of the final score, but it was in the single digits; with the combination of a brand new slightly juiced ball (approved by both captains) and the bump at home plate, both teams popped up the majority of their kicks–to the point where I had to implement a “Push-up for Pop-ups” program, five push-ups for every pop-up.  Over on field 4 at YSC, the #18 Brew Ballers took on the #2 Love Garden team.  Brew Ballers played some great kickball for the first 5 innings, taking advantage of  some very rare Squid errors.  Love Garden started off slow, the top of their line-up didn’t make one run until the sixth inning.  Up until The Squids hit the sixth inning, the No. 2 team in the league could only muster a three point lead, but in a game played by amateur kickballers it only takes one inning to completely change the momentum of a game.  Love Garden hit their stride in the sixth and had a monstrous inning, and the Brew Ballers, despite their best efforts, couldn’t catch-up.  The game ended (I think) 13-2, an impressive score when you think about the official rankings and how Love Garden has handled most mid-level teams over the years.  The 9:30pm game at Field 4 was #14 Liberty Hall Late Fees vs. #3 Sacred Sword.  The game started off offensively slow for the Fees and by the end of the second inning Sacred Sword had a four run lead on us–two of the runs were scored off a kick that went over our heads and nearly flew over the 200′ fence.  Though, despite some unfortunate calls and Josh Hunt’s trash talking, we kept our shit together and played some of the best defense I’ve seen all year. Other than the second inning, we held The Sword scoreless, and worked our asses off to make a few runs.  At the top of the ninth it was 3-4, and we were feeling good, but Sacred Sword held us off and the Late Fees’ season ended.  I think everyone was surprised by how close the game was, the refs, players, and people in the stands, but I’ve always known The Fees had the talent and experience to hang with the best, it’s just unfortunate our season ended right when we finally figured our defense out and started playing great kickball. It was a hell of a game, and I couldn’t have been happier with the way we played… well, I guess I’d be happier if we won.  The Fees had a great time with both Channel 6 and Sacred Sword (The Sword vs. Fees game actually pitted a newly engaged couple against each other), those teams have some of my favorite players in the league, and though our season is over I’m just glad we ended on such a positive game.

I know twenty-six other games were played yesterday, please fill us in on how your Sunday night went!

Love,

Coach Billy Gay Cyrus

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For those who entered the Bracketology/Kickatology contest, please be patient as I organize the entries and wait for the official scores each week. Thanks!

KVKL Nerds,

That’s right mothahfuckers, two previews in one week. These Round 2 predictions and BS are assuming the designated top-seeds in Round 1 win, one or more of these match-ups will likely not ever happen—just trying to give you more content when you crave it the most.

Less-Awesome Bracket

Do you remember when the Less-Awesome Bracket was called The Awesome Bracket? What the fuck happened!?

#25 Free State Growlers vs. #24 Dirty Mike and the Boyz @ Holcom Yellow, 9:30pm

After a rough start to the season, Free State is 3 and 0 in pool play.  After a very exciting first half of the season, Dirty Mike finished at the bottom of Pool 6, with a 1-2 pool play record.  Looking at the scores you see a different story.  Each game Dirty Mike played was extremely close.  The biggest gap was during Week 8 against Wild Man, where they only fell by four runs in a high scoring game, finishing with the score 15-11.  The other two games played were decided by two runs: in Week 9 they fell to newcomers Cork & Barrel 7-9, and in Week 10 they beat the quickly improving Asteroid Head team 9-7.  Not to discredit winning three games in a row, but Free State’s pool was decidedly weaker—Tellers was likely the only team that could keep up with the Growlers.  In the end I think these guys are evenly matched on paper, and correctly ranked at #24 and #25.  I see Dirty Mike’s speed on the field giving them the advantage over The Growlers.

PREDICTION: Dirty Mike > Free State

#26 Blue Collar vs. #23 Corksuckers @ YSC 2, 8pm

New to the league Cork & Barrel Corksuckers have had a pretty great first year.  As far as I know, most of the players on the team are new to the league as well, and finishing ranked twenty-third in very competitive thirty-two team league is impressive. I see them easily climbing into a comfortable ranking in the teens for their second year.  Blue Collar hasn’t had the most impressive season, but they certainly have a great time while playing—which in my book makes them winners.  They’ve had some close games against tough teams, and if they’re playing their A-Game I bet they’ll move past the Corksuckers.  In the end, you always have to go with experience, but I wouldn’t be surprised if The Corksuckers move into the third round of the Awesome Bracket.

PREDICTION: Blue Collar > Corcksuckers

#23 Tellers vs. #22 Asteroid Head @ YSC 1, 9:30pm

I don’t think I’ve actually seen Asteroid Head play this season, but the only game they lost in Pool Play was to Dirty Mike & The Boyz, and that was decided by 2 runs.  They easily handled Wild Man and the Corksuckers, finishing pool play with a 2-1 record.  Also, they had some impressive games against much higher ranked teams early in the season.  They have talent, and despite their inconsistency in game play during the first part of the season, I wouldn’t want to meet these unpredictable A-Heads in the tournament.  I’ve seen Tellers play once or twice, and they also have many fantastic players, but haven’t quite figured out how to use their best offensive weapons, or how to field a tough defense.  These teams have fun, making this a must see Less-Awesome match-up, but in this case I think the gap between the two teams in Cougar’s RPI rankings are a little more accurate than the board with Asteroid Head at #21 and Tellers at #27.  In this case I believe an asteroid will wipe-out these dinosaurs.

PREDICTION: Asteroid Head > Tellers

Awesome Bracket

Surprisingly, the Awesome Bracket has far less awesome games during Round 2.

#8 Goats vs. #9 Replay @ Holcom Red, 9:30pm

The Goats manhandled the threes in Pool Play.  I’ve said this before on the blog, but they don’t kick far, and they don’t really need to.  Their guys are extremely fast, and they have a solid group of ladies that play extremely smart—a very well rounded team.  I feel like they’ve been flying under the radar this whole season, but after playing them and watching them play, I don’t see anybody getting by The Goats easily.  Shut down the bunt, fill those gaps, and get the ball to the pitcher, this is the best advice I can give The Replay.  The Replay once again had a tough end of the season this year. They upset The Screamers in the first part of the season and were forced to play all the twos (many of which could easily be ranked ones).  The Goats play consistently great kickball, but really haven’t been challenged by any mid-level teams this year, while Replay has had an extremely tough schedule that definitely made them better as a whole.  This will be one of the closer games of the night, and The Rowdies at first sight seem more prepared for that sort of pressure.

PREDICTION: Replay > Goats

#7 Slowride vs. #10 Screamers @ YSC 1, 8PM

Slowride had a tough draw during selection time.  They beat The Chalmersiz early in the season and were thrown into a pool with three teams that have been on top of the KVKL for years.  They had the hardest last three games of the 2011 regular season, and because of that and the KVKL Board’s subjective way of ranking teams, they got pushed down to the seventh seed.  This round two game will be Slowride’s first opportunity to show off their strength, and build momentum before playing those upper echelon teams again.  The Squids already trounced Slowride once this season, and the Fasthumpers will need a solid victory to attain the confidence it takes to survive a rematch with the brutal Love Garden team.  Slowride is a great kickball team this season, and they have had more experience with the best than anyone.  I see them moving past The Screamers in this Round 2 match-up, and at this point they need to prove to themselves and the league that they are under ranked at 7.  The Screamers are tough, and these two teams have a history of close games over the years, but I believe Slowride’s intense pool play experience will help them move into Week 2 and have an aggressive show there.

PREDICTION: Slowride > Screamers

Have fun tomorrow!

Cheers,

Coach Billy Gay Cyrus

Lou Schmitt's 10th inning walk-off home run during the 2010 Less-Awesome Bracket Championship game. via roscoepoet.com

Hey friendz,

Thanks to the board for organizing what looks to be another amazing Week 1 of the KVKL Tournament at the Youth Sports Complex and Holcom this Sunday.  There will be a total of 30 kickball games played Sunday, starting at 5pm and ending around 11.  Some teams will advance and get to play kickball for at least one more week; other teams will end their season and probably spend that night at The Replay complaining about how we don’t use a true double elimination bracket. This is easily the most exciting sports event Lawrence will see this summer (fuck you softball!), and personally my favorite part of the season—great games will be played, great teams will fall, upsets will happen, and it all ends with a Sunday late night championship game at Hobbs and a monstrous Monday morning hangover.  Remember to be friendly to each other as we enter the part of the season where how you play a game actually has consequences. Hands are for helping, not hurting.

Below I’ve picked the match-ups that peeked my interest, followed by the usual bullshit and unexceptional predictions.  Don’t forget to fill out your KVKL bracket for the Lawrence Fucking Kickball Bracketology Challenge (now with prizes: Concert tickets, Hamms, and possibly more), have it turned in before 5:15pm on Sunday.  I will be collecting physical entries at YSC 3, and Troy from Red Lyon will be collecting them at Holcom Left.  Do your best to get them in early, since I will be officiating at 5pm, and Troy will be playing at 5pm.  Also, I’ve attached an Excel document that you can fill out and email to me at mickcottin@gmail.com, if that’s your thing (it would definitely make my life easier).

KVKL 2011 Tournament Bracket EXCEL DOC (with field/time updates)

KVKL 2011 Tournament Bracket PDF (with updated fields)

HAVE FUN! STAY HYDRATED! BOOZE! LAWRENCE FUCKING KICKBALL!!!!!!

#16 Balls Deep vs. #17 West Coast Saloon @ Holcom RED* 6:30pm

These are both solid mid-level teams that have the talent to make a run on either side of the bracket.  Unfortunately, the winner of this game plays #1 Pita Pit in round two, while the loser of this match-up will get a bye in the Less-Awesome Bracket, and have a great chance of winning the Ms. Congeniality title.  I’m not saying there will be any sandbagging (I don’t think any team in the league has the balls/talent to truly Sandbag); I do think it will be very difficult for the captains of these teams to properly motivate their players when losing leads to more kickball and fun.

PREDICTION: Balls Deep > West Coast

*The Balls Deep vs. West Coast Saloon game will be played at 6:30 at HOLCOM RED, not at the original 5pm time at Holcomb Right. This has something to do with available lights, and Ms. Fortunes screwing people out of games.

#13 Wilt Chamberlain vs. #20 The Swarm @ Holcom Blue 5pm

Wilt Chamberlain has been gaining steam this entire season.  They have plenty of great players with the speed it takes to run up scores.  In Week 10 they fell to #12 Red Lyon by just 1 run, they beat the very strong Ghosts by 3, crushed Channel 6, and managed to score 11 runs on #5 Star Bar.  As the 2011 season has progressed they have grown more consistent in game play, The Swarm will need to play their best defense to hold The Stilts off.  The Swarm hasn’t had a great season. In the last three weeks of Rank Play we saw them lose to Channel 6, and barely hold off both West Coast and Brew Ballers, but they always impress during tournament time.  If they fall in round one I could easily see them getting their second Less-Awesome Bracket title.

PREDICTION: Wilt > The Swarm

#12 Red Lyon vs. #21 Wild Man Vintage @ Holcom Left 5pm

At the beginning of the season I figured Red Lyon would be a top ten team.  They were a force last year, and I still think they could be one this year (anything can happen during tournament time).  It’s nice to see a team with so many great players who are used to dominating not letting their team’s less-than-great performance get in their heads, they continue to party hard while playing competitive kickball games.  Red Lyon has a good chance of having a similar Cinderalla story that #10 Rangelife had during the 2010 Tournament. They should easily handle Wild Man, but once again neither of these teams have played consistently good kickball this season.  I haven’t seen Wild Man play much this season, and I’m not too comfortable commenting on their abilities.  In Rank Play they took down KVKL Sweethearts Dirty Mike and the Boyz and handily beat The Corksuckers, while falling to the unpredictable Asteroid Head Art Club.  Let’s hope for a close game!

PREDICTION: Red Lyon > Wild Man

#15 Ghosts vs. #18 Brew Ballers @ YSC 2 5pm

After unexpectedly losing to Liberty Hall in a close game during Week 7, the Ghosts were bumped down to the Four Pool.  I expected the Ghosts to dominate, but they went 1-2 in Pool Play, I think this says more about the strength of KVKL teams this season, than the strength of The Ghosts.  They lost to Balls Deep and Wilt Chamberlain, but were able to hold off Red Lyon (the team that ended the season ranked first in the Four Pool).  They may have underperformed in Pool Play, but I expect them to beat the struggling Brew Ballers and give Love Garden a good Round 2 game.  Brew Ballers also underperformed in the Five Pool, but if they can’t take down The Ghosts, they definitely will be a major threat in the Less-Awesome Bracket.  This game could go either way, but…

PREDICTION: Ghosts > Brew Ballers

#14 Liberty Hall vs. #19 Channel 6 @ YSC 3 6:30pm

A rematch of last years first round game that ended with Liberty Hall entering the Less-Awesome bracket for the first time ever and winning the top Less-Awesome prize (have you seen our trophy case?).  I don’t see this game ending the same way.  The Late Fees have a lot of talent, their Coach just needs to get his shit together so they can pull out a Round 1 win, followed by a Round Two upset/stomping of Sacred Sword, and go on to become the ultimate Cinderella story in the Awesome Bracket. I’ve always loved playing Channel 6, win or lose this will be a great way to start the tournament for my team.

PREDCITION: Late Fees > Channel Sux… and MOST FUN WINS… also, Billy Gay > Cougar

#11 Los Luchadores vs. #22 Asteroid Head @ YSC 1, 6:30pm

Not going to say much about this game, but I have a feeling this might be the upset of the night. It’s a long shot… The Head > Los Lunchables.

THE OFFICIAL KVKL 2011 TOP 32

1. Pita Pit
2. Love Garden Squids
3. Sacred Sword
4. Chalmersiz
5. Star Bar Barracudas
6. Das Boot
7. Slowride
8. Goats
9. Replay Rowdies
10. Screamers
11. Las Luchadores
12. Red Lyon
13. Wilt Chamberlain
14. Liberty Hall Late Fees
15. Ghosts
16. Balls Deep
17. West Coast Saloon
18. Brew Ballers
19. Channel 6
20. The Swarm
21. Wildman Vintage
22. Asteroid Head
23. Cork & Barrel Corcksuckers
24. Dirty Mike & the Boyz
25. Free State Growlers
26. Blue Collar Rockets
27. Tellerdactyls
28. Lawrence Gang Green
29. Spacepussy
30. Weavers Beavers
31. Fightin’ Harpies
32. Ms. Fortune’s Satanists From Outer Space—RIP