Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Weeks 2-4



Weeks 2, 3, and 4 have come by and shown your historian that he needs to do a better job of keeping up on this (DO BETTER!!!). We are at the halfway point in our schedule, and it's proving to be another great season of CA Vertigo kickball! I've seen people make new friends and secret enemies, earn nicknames they may or may not like, and more hook-ups and bone-downs than the backseat of Tiger Woods' Buick.

We've also seen people do some serious drinking around the flip-cup table this season, and with that, I present to you the CA Vertigo Scale of Drunkeness:

0 - Anyone on the Pitches (participate!)
1 - Still slightly drunk from the night before
2 - Time to order some chicken wings or Irish nachos to prepare the stomach
3 - When people ask who bought a pitcher, you don't say anything
4 - Flip-cup gets better because the shakes are gone
5 - SCHAUGHTZ!
6 - You voluntarily buy a pitcher (you rule!)
7 - Beer goggles
8 - Nikhil drunk
9 - Reservation drunk
10 - The antithesis of Dinday'd (see Fun Fact below)

So find your comfort spot somewhere on that list and aspire to go 2 levels past it. And remember, no matter how drunk you may get, the soccer hooligans at Martin Mack's are always a little drunker than you are.

Vertigo Fun Fact™: The term "Let's get Dinday'd!" means "to behave like an civil and upstanding member of the kickball community who drinks, at most, in moderation". So remember, next time you see someone acting like a charming gentleman around the flip-cup table, tell them "Way to get Dinday'd, kind sir".

Predictions for this Sunday
1. The staff at Martin Mack's will join in on flip-cup one more time before the season is over
2. Someone will go all Bill Murray from Caddyshack and wage a war against the gophers on the field
3. The management will stop giving Jenny Sweinberg plastic cups (although I hope not!)


Sleazy
Week 3
Having just returned from a 4 day Vegas bender the previous night, Sleazy showed up with the shakes and a mild case of the DT's to take on Fried Kickin'. Still intoxicated from Vegas vibes, we developed super drunk powers which allowed our offense/lack of Fried Kickin' defense to score something like 10 runs, but our hangovers and shakes caused us to make more errors than Brian Francis on a first date, so we ended up tying. But then we did what Sleazy does best, drank way too much, and added another victory notch to our flip-cup belt.

Week 4
Sleazy arrived to the moors of Scotland/the field Sunday morning to take on the Ninjas and to our surprise Fried Kickin'. Playing with a ball that was wetter than that sexual euphemism I previously made in regards to your mother, Sleazy and the Ninja's got dirtier then 2 girls 1 cup. But even with the strategic line-up devised by Jenny Choi-Baker, the Ninjas beat us. However, we dominated again on the tables building a monument of used cups representing the victories and broken hearts that Sleazy causes in the bar. While this was going on Daniel "grandma's boy" Patten was out on the hunt looking to bring down his batting average of 72 years old. Next week sleazy will dominate against who ever steps up to play.

Fried Kickin'
Week 2
Oh, gentle Stepdads, how you love yourselves some KFC. No doubt about that last Sunday as you skipped church like you do every week (always with the same excuses of going to the game or sitting on the couch to dig out that bellybutton lint), and dragged your red-headed step-children along to live out your failed childhood dreams through them. Luckily for Fried Kickin’ we have our own ginger enforcement, but we encourage these kiddies to play by offering amazing purple uniforms and fun-flippin M&M madness rather than threatening them with belts and beatings after too many beers. It’s ok that you won’t acknowledge the flicker of fear that you felt when we put the first run against you this season with our too-hot-to-trot Kickin’ skillz. That hubris of yours is hard to hurt. But we gratefully and gracefully accepted the lessons you forced us to learn last Sunday and won’t forget them when we see you again a month from now. You’ll show up as always, ready to dive into that bucket of breaded breasts, but this time you might just choke on some chicken bones.

Stepdads
Week 3
Last Sunday, the Stepdads faced a depleted, yet very determined, Ninjas team. They played with a lot of heart, led by their pitcher. The Stepdads drew upon their seasons of experience to pull out to an early lead and maintain it for the rest of the game with the Ninjas showing their best efforts late in the game. Overall it was a good game with many strong plays. There are many accolades that can be given out to various Stepdads players so far in what is shaping up to be our third undefeated season in a row. Doug, Johnny and Brittany have shown up in good form. Jen has seen tangible benefits to her offseason training. And we have many new players that have contributed greatly – looking at you Browntown, Heather, Hailey, Craig, Lauren, and Kelly. The Stepdads are looking to continue their dominant and cohesive play throughout the season.

Drunken Irish Pirate Ninjas
Before I begin joking on Team Green of week 2, I'd like to nominate an honorable mention from another team. Known for his red shorts, red socks and kickball skills, Hanley of the Stepdads had a spectacular slide into home. Anyone who saw it would agree. Despite sliding a foot short and being called out, you gave it all you had and almost broke an ankle. Did you make it to work on Monday?

Week 2 kickball vs. the Pitches turned out to be a great game with an eclectic mix of 80's rockstar, 80's prom and Jesse's awesome cat t-shirt from his 80's childhood (count it). From the start, SF DIPN came out of the gates firing on all cylinders and put a few points on the board. Not bad considering 3 Ninjas had big balloons tied to their wrists... and a few others were wearing skirts. Final score: 8-2, Ninjas.

Here are a few noteworthy plays:
1. Celebrity guest Slash, and his incredible transition from air-guitar to deep-left-field-catch-for-an-out, ending the inning.
2. Bzura's orange tights AND her mom.
3. Our ace pitcher, Nihkil throwing heaters directly at the other team's kicker. Calm down my friend, calm down.
4. "He was all up in her junk!"
5. Rosa.
6. What adult walks through the playground with a popped collar, sunglasses, and a balloon tied to his wrist? That would be Stephen. Next time... bring candy and good intentions.

Flip cup was fun as always. There's nothing quite like the smell of coors light on the floor mixed with hot and sweaty kick ballers. Pitches, you have a raincheck.

Week 3
Hanley was super intense. He didn't throw a clipboard but he tried to discount Nikhil's awesome 3 base run because he didn't touch 2nd base which was strategically placed in a crater in the field. The ref called it good which enraged Hanley; I'm sure if he had a clipboard, it would've been thrown. And they were up by 9 runs at that point so it was a little bit of a nonsensical tantrum. He also kept grumbling every time his wild pitches were called balls. A bubbling cauldron of discontent indeed.

Overall, I think the DIPN did well against the Stepdads, considering we only had 9 players. Our first inning was a bit of a bloodbath, but we regrouped and fought well the rest of the innings. And we scored a point! We secretly pretended like we won, which was evident by our end of the game chant, "Not a shutout Stepdads!"

A brief mention of the finest moments: Jason's awesome catches and overall good-gameliness; Chelsea and Miranda’s sweet outfield catches; Daniel’s (Gary’s) unique yet successful catcher kick to first base; Daniel’s (Gary’s) total flop catcher kick to far right field.

Oh yeah, I think the final score was 10 - 1...so the mercy rule did not apply! (We looked it up during the fourth inning on someone's iPhone, just to be sure).

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Week 1



"The start of another season of CA Vertigo kickball always kind of reminds me of the start of a new school year at Hogwarts."
-Marcus from Morningwood

Welcome back everyone! Week 1 is in the books, and we couldn't have had a more gorgeous day to kick-off (get it?) the new season of CA Vertigo kickball! From beginning to end all I saw was smiles and laughs from everyone, so here's looking forward to another great season.

Anyway, let's take a moment crack an egg of knowledge over the heads of new players and remind the veterans of the DO'S and DON'TS of kickball...

DO: Show up on time to games.
Rolling in late ain't cool homeslice, if your team doesn't have its whole posse by 15 minutes after the official game time you all forfeit.
DON'T: Forget to wake me up before you go, go...
Let your Captains know ahead of time if you're gonna be MIA or showing up late. At least that way they can figure out how to manage the team that will be on the field that weekend.
DO: Drink before or after the games.
Because why would you want to waste a perfectly good Sunday being sober!?
DON'T: Drink during the game!
Seriously...we like this field and want to continue playing on it
DO: Come out for our Bar Crawls, Parties, and Happy Hours!
Keep your eyes peeled for some awesome social opportunities coming your way this season (care of our social chairs, AlphaBar, and awesome people in general)! Its gonna be off the heezy!
DON'T: Avoid temptations and debauchery.
Friends don't let friends play kindergarten games sober - at least hit up the sponsor bar for a drink.
DO: Say completely un-PC things at unconsciously, inappropriate volumes near and surrounded by kids in the park.
It's their parents’ fault for bringing them to GG Park on a Sunday. Now Timmy can get a leg up on his peers, at least when it comes to Sex Ed.
DON'T: Take things so seriously!
Life’s one crazy, mixed-up bag of tricks, relax, have fun and indulge in stupidity from time to time!
DO: Play flip cup at our super-awesome sponsor bar, Martin Macks!
What better way to bond with your fellow Vertigo players than by trading insults and beating 'em in flip cup (and kickball)
DON'T: Skip out on post-kickball shenanigans.
4 out of 5 doctors agree 90% of the time people have twice the fun when they lower their inhibitions (i.e. drink). You booze, YOU WIN! And the bonus is you don't even have to drink to have a good time at the bar. So join in on the fun, that's my prescription/addiction!
DO: Ridiculously awesome to slightly inappropriate things that get caught on camera.
TMZ's in the house y'all. That's right we got our own brand of paparazzi, and each week we wanna catch you at your best! So don't be shy, let your hair down and have fun. You might even get featured in the blog and reach all-star status for the whole season!
DON'T: Bail on some of the biggest events of the year!
Seriously, who does that!? What are you, anti-fun!?
DO: Read, submit to and comment on the blogs!
I do this for you people! You complete me. You... Complete ME! SHOW ME THE MONEY!
DON'T: Get offended!
From time to time I will poke fun at other teams, at their expense. This is only to either motivate them to NOT forfeit their games and to prevent them from getting inflated egos. There is no pro-kickball league after all.
DO: Take public transit, or avoid driving.
There's no greater buzz kill then hunting for a parking space all day long. If you do drive, get to GG Park early, cause spots are almost non-existent near the field. Your best bet is to bus, tram, trolley, bike, beg, barter or crawl to the field.
DON'T: Drink and drive!
Someone will and can drive you home, get you a cab, or let you sleep on their floor. Do yourself a favor, avoid endangering yourself and others! I'm effing serious!
DO: Shower me with gifts!
Because bribery pays people! You want your name in lights, and I want free food... Make me an offer.
DON'T: Expect me to come to your every beck and call.
There's only one of me to go around ladies... I will try to help you out with stuff whenever I can though.
DO: Show some love to our league rep and volunteers!
These are the people that make it happen
DON'T: Argue with the refs!
We've got some rocking referees and umpires this season. Whatever they see and say on the field goes amigos! RESPECT THEIR AUTHORITEEEEHH!
DO: Attempt to reach all-star status this season!
This can happen on the field or at the bar...or preferably both
DON'T: Take yourself or the game too seriously!
Okay I sort of mention this twice, its because its pretty important (not as important as getting home in one piece however)... Nonetheless if you act like a jackass nobody will like you. So have fun, get some smack talk in there, but keep your cool!

So that's about it people, it's really hard to screw up at kickball...just make sure you show up to the games and try your best not to be a dick.

Predictions for this Sunday
  1. There will be more gopher holes than grass on field 1
  2. The back room at Martin Mack's will be so well air-conditioned there'll be more erect nipples than at a Justin Bieber concert
  3. Fried Kickin' will start adapting to the usual kickball lifestyle of passing out drunk at 7pm on a Sunday night
  4. Doug of Morningwood will eagerly wait for another opportunity to go against 12 people in flip-cup

Anyway, onto the recaps. Thank your captain for sending these in...and players, if you don't see a recap for your team here I would ask them nicely to write one for next week, and if they fail again, I feel mutiny may be your only option.

Morningwood
Game 1 vs Stepdads
Well things got off to a bumpy start this season. With a heavily new roster there was bound to be a learning curve. All-around superstar Kenny led off the game with a hit and got to third but that was the extent of the offense Morningwood could muster. Defensively things looked better as the game remained scoreless going into the 4th inning. Unfortunately that was when the Stepdads got on the board and it proved to be enough as they cruised to victory. Apparently that victory wasn't motivation enough though as they refused to take part in the flipcup challenge and instead forfeited.

Game 2 vs Ninjas
This one got off to a much better start as some more speedy base running by Kenny and a timely sacrifice by Paula got Morningwood off to a 1-0 lead and eventually built a 4-1 lead. Unfortunately the 5th inning proved to be a bit of trouble and the Ninjas fought back to earn the tie. This was followed by the cowardly move of issuing the flip cup challenge before Morningwood's captain even made it to the bar. Vengeance will be had for this!

Fried Kickin'
The team of first-years, Fried Kickin’, put some spit in the grease fire to shake-and-bake things up a bit in their season-opener against the Ninjas. True, the score was 6-1 Ninjas, but with bases loaded more than once and a double- (we’ll call it what it really was: an ALMOST triple-!!) play, these baby chicks were h-o-t HOT and anything but yellow! FK showed some promising flip skills at M&M’s too and were generous enough to team hop when players were needed elsewhere. You’re welcome. Being captained by veteran kick-baller and Waka rep Allie D., Fried Kickin’ won’t take long to get in the groove. So be prepared if we are to face each other again, Ninjas…Fried Kickin’ will be ready to make some Kung Fu chicken!

Sleazy
Sleazy returned this season with a roster packed with seasoned veterans and thick-skinned ladies (metaphorically, their actual skin is quite soft and well moisturized). After a month or two of off-season strategy planning forged at the many Sleazy pub crawls, we were able to pull off our first legitimate win in a very long time. Could it be a fluke? Maybe. Could it be the rebirth of a dynasty? We certainly hope so. Either way, Sleazy scored a run in the first inning and held down the Pitches, never giving them a chance to make it around the diamond far enough to utilize the advice/screaming of their third-base coach. After the game, Sleazy walked with a skip in their step over to Martin Mack's, where we celebrated the victory by systematically decimating every opponent on the flip-cup table, not stopping the rampage until 9pm when decided to leave some of the booze at Martin Mack's and the Golden Cane for other patrons to drink. It ain't easy being sleazy, but it's damn fun!

Thursday, July 22, 2010

The countdown begins

One more month...

Monday, June 14, 2010

...and we have a winner



Congrats to the White Russians!

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Week 8


Dibs!



Week 8 has come by and left such psycho-sexual damage to the captains that none of them sent recaps in...I picture them sitting on the floor of their showers, crying and repeatedly washing themselves.

This marks the end of the official season, we will be having our tournament this weekend. Good luck to all the teams!

Predictions for this Sunday
  1. All of the Sleazy girls who signed up will decide to show up for tournament game and wonder where all the males from the team are
  2. The wonderful waitstaff at Martin Mack's will breathe a sigh of relief as they realize this is the last Sunday that will require them to circle around a bunch of drunk kickballers trying to find who ordered the Irish nachos
  3. A random girl will show up, forget she weighs 95lbs, and proceed to play flip-cup to the point of alcohol poisoning
  4. Crack cocaine will be available for sale...look for the blonde in the back corner


So, to my fellow Vertigoers who are reading this, please encourage your captains to send in a final post after the tournament...it will be their last chance for highlighting wins, failures, alcohol related incidents, and whatever shenanigans you may have gotten into this season.

See you guys Sunday!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Week 7

Week 7 has given you $400 and dropped you off at Planned Parenthood, and in case no one was aware of it, Doug of Morningwood has his flip-cup shit together...



Now this is the kind of stuff that happens only once a season, so make sure you come out to the bar after the games to watch this sort of mayhem ensue...and hopefully be a part of it.

Vertigo FunFact™: After this weekend, a recycler in Lake Tahoe is 306 beer cans richer

This season is winding down quickly, next week is the last of the season games followed by the tournament the next week. Everyone make sure to show up so you can hold friendships/grudges throughout the summer until we pick back up again in the fall.

Predictions for this Sunday
  1. Superdave will find the iPad fairy left his under his pillow
  2. Someone may die playing king of the hill, and a plaque will be dedicated to them at Martin Mack's
  3. There will be a debate over the difference between hooking up/boning down


Anyway, onto the recaps. Thank your captain for sending these in...did you know that captains who send these in will be ascended into heaven on a diamond-studded chocolate chariot with Jesus after the rapture?

Morningwood
Morning Wood stood at half mast this weekend with only half the team ready to play. Will scored our only run against Where My Pitches At?’s 2 runs. It was one of our best games in the field with Ron making several key catches and Dave stepping up as pitcher. Morning Wood began to shine on the flip cup table at Martin Macks. The flip cup started with a mix match of Morning Wood versus Sleazy but quickly turned into team survivor flip cup. In the end Doug was the last one standing versus 7 Sleazy’s. The pressure was on but Doug had his shit together and won the round. In 2 weeks Morning Wood will be ready for the second double header of the season and redemption on the flip cup table.

Sleazy
Say it with me gang - DE-FAULT! DE-FAULT! Sleazy won its first game of the season thanks to the White Russian's lack of punctuality. We played anyway, and also happened to score more points than all previous games combined. Maybe it was the lack of stage fright, maybe it was the tribal noises coming from the drum circle (ok, it for sure wasn't that). After the game we headed to the bar for what we feel was the best flip-cup day this season, and blurred the team lines to form SleazyWood and go through more beer than an Irish wake.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Pajama Party/Week 6

Well, week 6 has gone to the store for cigarettes and isn't coming back. Prior to the Sunday fun, Vertigo had its mid-season party at Ireland's 32. If you weren't there you truly missed out! Here are just a couple things that went down...

  • Mating dances fueled by drink specials
  • Confused old men wandering upstairs wondering why everyone was in flannel pants
  • A public-access version of Pants-Off-Dance-Off
  • People strongly urging some of the previously mentioned people to put them back on
  • The opportunity to see many Vertigoers give their best Elaine Benes impression after having a couple shots of Harlem...whatever the hell that stuff was

In my illustrious 1.5 seasons of playing kickball, this was the best party thrown yet. Everyone should make sure to thank Hanley, Allie, and Jen for setting this up!

Reminder to everyone - we will not be having games this week because of Bay 2 Breakers...for obvious reasons. Most of us will be blacked out drunk by the time the games would start anyway, right? I hope so.

Vertigo FunFact™: Did you know that buzz-killing doctors define binge drinking as 5 drinks for a guy, 4 drinks for a gal? In kickball we call that a warm up.

Predictions for the next two Sundays
  1. Someone will forget games are postponed this week, and show up to the field painted in gold wearing a matching speedo, cross-eyed drunk and ready to play
  2. Some asshole will forget that this is not a full contact sport
  3. Paula of Morningwood will be given the nickname St. Paula Girl, and will find a way to bring even more beer up to the tables
  4. Your historian will hear another drunken Irish guy cockily ask someone on the street "Do you speak English?!". Drunken Irish guy: Do you know what irony means (video)?
  5. Jenny Choi of Sleazy will burp so loud it will register on seismographs as far as Modesto, and the news will report the epicenter being Martin Mack's


Anyway, onto the recaps. Thank your captain for sending these in...and if your captain failed to do so ask them why they think they are better than everyone else.

Russians
What can I say, my team loves their moms so a lot of my main players were out of town--but I think we played pretty well considering! We were in the field last playing for a tie at 2-2. There were 2 outs, bottom of the 5th, and we were about to close the deal for a TIE. Ugh. Then the Turtles went and scored on a really dumb error. Oh well--we'll bounce back. Oh, and I pwn'd Will at flip-cup--a few times. Flip-off woulda gone my way had people not been up in mah face.

Sleazy
In honor of our mothers, Sleazy started out the day like champs with some Mimosa Brunch, after drinking the place dry, we got into cabs and headed to the field ready to play.

The Game was a close one, every time it looked like someone was about to score. There would be an out. The fifth inning ended at with a score of Zero to Zero, but as the pink team was not there to start their game, we decided to keep playing. Then due to some impressive base running on the Kicktators part, they scored their first and only run, and then walked off the field. The sad thing is they didn’t give us a chance to destroy them at flip cup. But never the less sleazy showed the bar what drinking really is before stumbling to get some Escape from NY pizza.

Ninjas
The SF Ninjas turned out in their finest nighttime apparel for some fun and merriment at this year's mid-season party. Us SF Ninjas really do call attention to ourselves everywhere we go... sometimes it is because we are grown men in Furby suits and sometimes its because we drink a little too much, dance a little too hard, and party like you've blacked out at the mid-season party. Nevertheless, we always have fun and that is what kickball is all about.

Well, now that I am back to being the responsible yuppy I am, and sitting in an office that smells of rich mahogany I will compose a respectable recap that highlights the true tenacity of the SF Ninjas and the admirable sportsmanship of our fine competitors. Or I can talk about what really happened. I choose the latter.

So bitches, the SF Ninjas had a rough day. Captain E's new rule is no more Pajama Jams before game days, ever. We just couldn't get a win on Sunday, totally not in line with respectable Ninja form. Maybe it is because we missed the Scarlett Mendez and the silky smooth shoulders of Spaghetti Straps or possibly we needed the magic and mystique of Liz's fanny pack, but all in all we just couldn't get it together. The SF Ninjas had 99 problems, here are a few standouts: countless outfield collisions, stunningly terrible outfield performances by the Little Girl Bear that Couldn't, bobbles in the infield, overzealous base running, and a ripped Furby suit. On the bright side, at least we still have a mathlete on our side for any Kickball issues relating to numbers and counting. You know like determining what inning we are in (cough, cough... Big Blue).

So yes Ninjas, let's just forget this weekend happened and plan on regaining our Ninja strength and annihilating Sleazy Bandeezy on June 6th! Good luck to you Sleazy, the SF Ninjas are now prime for a comeback and are going to pull out all our tricks and possibly a Ninja star or two for our last regular season victory!

Stepdads
Heavy is the head that wears the crown. Luckily the Stepdads mix Muscle Milk in with their Old English so no crown is too heavy for us. And we get the added benefit of some extra roid-rage. The Stepdads made it through Sunday’s double header with our perfect season intact despite some sluggish defensive play on our part. Luckily we have Alex Catani’s foot in our lineup. He busted it open in our first game, against the Pitches, by crushing a home run right when we needed it. Needless to say he moved up in lineup for our second game, against Morningwood. Apparently Morningwood forgot to take their Viagra/Cialis cocktail that morning since they showed up looking kind of flaccid. The Stepdads’ defense was still not as sharp as normal, but with some loaded offense and some errors made on the part of a team whose best days are behind them, the Stepdads prevailed yet again. Then we went home and celebrated Mother's Day with our spouses and stepchildren, by telling them twice, if you know what I mean.