Thursday, July 20, 2023

Finally a nice day and the air wasn't beige. The field was still a soggy swamp, though, especially on the away side. I personally blame the pickleball players. 

Sky Bison and Black Pepper faced off in the early game to determine sole possession of third place, and the possibility to even contend for second if Purple Rain or Ice Ice Babies took a loss. The Bison received the opening pull and scored on a set play deep cut to Zach. After getting off to a flying start, the Bison were challenged by a spicy comeback from Pepper, who scored three in a row to keep it close. Bison took half up a break, 8-6. Pepper scored the first two points of the second half to tie the score at 8-8, but couldn't convert on two really good scoring opportunities as hard cap neared. The Bison took advantage, and air bent their way to a narrow victory, 12-10.

Purple Rain stormed Best Fronds in the prime time game, with Mirsad scoring a Callahan in a zone defense set after a pull. Best Fronds scored on a great bid by Jordan, but he had to leave right after the point so he could play volleyball. Volleyball? Really? At least it wasn't pickleball. Oh, and I think Mufasa got a D with his butt, and I think it was intentional. Chris also made some beautiful hucks for Fronds. Much respect. On the sidelines, Lindsay had a crown from Medieval Times, and she said Purple Rain planned to make scoring players wear it. The final was 15-4 Purple Rain, so the crown made the rounds.

Sadly, Orange could only muster four Bottomless Mimosas for the late game, so they lost by forfeit to Ice Ice Babies. Pickup was played, discs were thrown, and fun was had by all. Especially the mosquitos.

The summer 2023 playoff race and upcoming all-star, awards and feedback survey

With their wins, Purple Rain and Ice Ice Babies remain tied atop the standings, with Purple Rain holding the tie break. Sky Bison moved into third, only one game back. There are four more regular season game nights, plus pickup on Wildwood Hangover Monday, July 31st. Playoffs will begin on August 10th, with the top two seeds getting a bye that night. Teams will select all-stars soon and I will post a ballot for summer awards and at-large all stars after team all-stars are announced. I will also be soliciting ideas for squares for All-Star Bingo, and I'm planning to include some survey questions about your experience this summer. I hope everyone is having fun!

Fall league registration and timeline

I plan to post the interest form and open registration for our fall league next week. The fall league is going to be four teams with captains drafting their rosters during the week of August 21st. Fall league games will tentatively begin on August 28th. Fall playoffs should begin around October 26th, and fall championship will be decided by mid-November. Remember, our fall playoffs are double-elimination. As we've done for several years now, we plan to offer a discount for summer players who continue in the fall. Our league may also make some changes to baggage rules and registration to continue our focus on gender equity, mixed play and Defenders of Women recruitment. If you know any DoW who would like to play, please let them know!