Middlesex Panthers, 2007
The girls
The guys
The guys, lookin' tough
Animal is OUR Homeboy
One-on-one flip cup
Flip cup practice
The Red Balls hanging out
Feel the love
Feel it againFriday, September 14, 2007
Pictures from Championship Night
Middlesex Panthers, 2007The girlsThe guysThe guys, lookin' toughAnimal is OUR HomeboyOne-on-one flip cupFlip cup practiceThe Red Balls hanging outFeel the loveFeel it again
Panthers shut out in championship game
The fairy tale is over.
The Middlesex Panthers, a rag-tag bunch of first-time kickballers, lost the WAKA Massachusetts Commonwealth Division championship to the Red Balls, an experienced team of seasoned veterans, 4-0 last night.
The Panthers celebrated their strong showing in their inaugural season with a final throwdown at league bar Joe Sent Me, where the Balls were conspicuously absent. After the game, Panthers players were overheard talking about their desire to seek redemption against the Balls at the flip cup table, which likely struck fear into the hearts of the Balls players and was the reason they did not show up.
"I'm really proud of this team," Panthers co-captain Colin Steele said. "We started off as a group of loosely connected strangers, and we finished as a team -- a team of less loosely connected strangers. That's what kickball is all about, and that's what I will take with me for the rest of my life.
"Oh, and I'd also like to thank the lord and savior Jesus Christ, without whom our second-place finish in a small, suburban adult kickball league would not have been possible."
The Panthers and Balls had a scoreless battle through two innings, but the game unraveled in the third when the Balls struck for three runs, despite strong defensive outings from right fielder Fran Blanchard and center fielder Brian "The Say Hey Kid" Kraemer. The Panthers continued to sputter on offense, while the Balls added another run to seal the victory.
Many of the Panthers players have joined the Last Ones Picked, a team in the WAKA Massachusetts Minutemen Division in Somerville, for a fall league. They include Kraemer, star pitcher Eric Pierce, second basewoman Amanda Wong and the injury-riddled Casey Boardman. Steele is also on the team but has relinquished his co-captain duties.
"Thank God," he said. "I can't stand all these f#$%ing cliches."
The Middlesex Panthers, a rag-tag bunch of first-time kickballers, lost the WAKA Massachusetts Commonwealth Division championship to the Red Balls, an experienced team of seasoned veterans, 4-0 last night.
The Panthers celebrated their strong showing in their inaugural season with a final throwdown at league bar Joe Sent Me, where the Balls were conspicuously absent. After the game, Panthers players were overheard talking about their desire to seek redemption against the Balls at the flip cup table, which likely struck fear into the hearts of the Balls players and was the reason they did not show up.
"I'm really proud of this team," Panthers co-captain Colin Steele said. "We started off as a group of loosely connected strangers, and we finished as a team -- a team of less loosely connected strangers. That's what kickball is all about, and that's what I will take with me for the rest of my life.
"Oh, and I'd also like to thank the lord and savior Jesus Christ, without whom our second-place finish in a small, suburban adult kickball league would not have been possible."
The Panthers and Balls had a scoreless battle through two innings, but the game unraveled in the third when the Balls struck for three runs, despite strong defensive outings from right fielder Fran Blanchard and center fielder Brian "The Say Hey Kid" Kraemer. The Panthers continued to sputter on offense, while the Balls added another run to seal the victory.
Many of the Panthers players have joined the Last Ones Picked, a team in the WAKA Massachusetts Minutemen Division in Somerville, for a fall league. They include Kraemer, star pitcher Eric Pierce, second basewoman Amanda Wong and the injury-riddled Casey Boardman. Steele is also on the team but has relinquished his co-captain duties.
"Thank God," he said. "I can't stand all these f#$%ing cliches."
Friday, September 7, 2007
Pierce rolls no-kicker as Panthers earn finals berth
Pitcher Eric Pierce rolled the first no-kicker in WAKA Massachusetts Commonwealth Division history, leading the Middlesex Panthers to a 2-0 victory over Animal Is My Homeboy in last night's semifinals.
The win vaulted the Panthers into next week's championship game, where they will play their archrivals, the Red Balls, who defeated the Root Down in a darkness-shortened rock-paper-scissors tiebreaker.
"So, Red Balls, we meet again," said Panthers co-captain Colin Steele, who had been trying in vain to include a "Spaceballs" quote in this blog all season up to this point.
Pierce scored the Panthers' first run in the first inning and Blake "Slam" Dunkel added another run in the third inning. The Panthers, who smell like a turd covered in burnt hair, threatened to score more in the fourth inning, but Brian Kraemer ran -- er, more like steamrolled -- past teammate Amanda Hines on the base paths when he mistakenly thought she was called out at third. Hines then stepped off the base and was tagged out.
"I think we're going to have to equip our base coaches with tasers or something to keep B.K. under control on the base paths next game," Steele said. "It was like the Running of the Bulls Fan out there. Get it, 'cause he's from Chicago?"
The Panthers have a long history with the Red Balls, splitting two controversial games with them this year. On Aug. 9, the Panthers won 9-5 -- a score disputed by the Red Balls, who said the Panthers only scored eight runs, even though nobody on the Red Balls was keeping official score. The Red Balls then won the Aug. 30 rematch after they asked to end the game, leading 6-4 in the fourth inning, because of darkness.
The win vaulted the Panthers into next week's championship game, where they will play their archrivals, the Red Balls, who defeated the Root Down in a darkness-shortened rock-paper-scissors tiebreaker.
"So, Red Balls, we meet again," said Panthers co-captain Colin Steele, who had been trying in vain to include a "Spaceballs" quote in this blog all season up to this point.
Pierce scored the Panthers' first run in the first inning and Blake "Slam" Dunkel added another run in the third inning. The Panthers, who smell like a turd covered in burnt hair, threatened to score more in the fourth inning, but Brian Kraemer ran -- er, more like steamrolled -- past teammate Amanda Hines on the base paths when he mistakenly thought she was called out at third. Hines then stepped off the base and was tagged out.
"I think we're going to have to equip our base coaches with tasers or something to keep B.K. under control on the base paths next game," Steele said. "It was like the Running of the Bulls Fan out there. Get it, 'cause he's from Chicago?"
The Panthers have a long history with the Red Balls, splitting two controversial games with them this year. On Aug. 9, the Panthers won 9-5 -- a score disputed by the Red Balls, who said the Panthers only scored eight runs, even though nobody on the Red Balls was keeping official score. The Red Balls then won the Aug. 30 rematch after they asked to end the game, leading 6-4 in the fourth inning, because of darkness.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
