After my first game with the Moth Balls I was really sore. I mean, really really sore. I had picked up a very attractive scab on my right hip from floor-burn from sliding on the floor, and was generally sore from getting back into the swing of things. Also, my new job which is about 90% heavy-lifting didn't help either.
Fortunately, the Evil Empire's game was at Blessed John Elementary School and featured the Tiniest Gym Ever(tm). Seriously, the gym is maybe thirty paces deep. Our game was against the Shweaty Balls who've played a great deal of dodgeball at the recreational and intermediate levels. Surprisingly, we'd never played them before, at least not in this incarnation. Their captain, Jen, had been a member of the Dodgefathers, one of the better teams we regularly play. They also had a player who had been on a team called Chocolate Salty Balls, a team that soundly defeated us in our first season five years ago.
Unlike my game with the Moth Balls, I was feeling little rust, and I don't think many of us on the Empire were. I got two catches, including a low catch where I had to drop to my knees to end a round, and my throws were humming. In particular, I made good use of exiting players to catch our opponents by surprise. Although we were running a short bench (with Vaggio injured, Hot Sauce in class, The Deal at work, and Smirnoff out drinking after a work event) everyone played really well.
In particular, 8Mile played really well. This was the first game of only his second season, but he played exceedingly well. He got at least five catches, and, most impressively, was an excellent striker. I won't get in to too much detail, as I am planning on dedicating a future post to the topic, but in short, a strike a counter-attack. 8Mile was really quick at grabbing a loose ball and running in and pegging our opponents at short range just as they had, or were about to, throw a barrage at our team. He broke up a lot of their plays, and insured that every time they got one of us out, we got one of them out. It really was a masterful performance!
One highlight of the game was that I had asked the other team's captain to call head shots neutral since no one is going to purposely get hit in the head with a ball, and no one wants to purposely hit anyone in the head with the ball. Seeing the sense in my suggestion, she agreed.
We promptly hit one of their players in the head, particularly in his face, at least ten times.
It wasn't on purpose, it was just bad luck. Pocahontas hit him two or three times because the ball slipped from her hand. My Pet Monster and Tool Time were both having their balls spin up and in to his face, and even I hit him at close range when he ducked down low and caught the ball in the jaw. Eventually, he lost his cool and told us that it was bullshit that we'd asked for head shots to be neutral and that we had to stop throwing low.
Much to my surprise, and pleasure, Jimmers calmly spoke to him after that round and told him that we weren't doing it on purpose and that he should calm down. Yelling wouldn't get us anywhere. It was nice to see Jimmers, who in the past has been the most hot-headed member of our team, be the voice of reason.
We played a very tight game with excellent teamwork and communication and won 15-10. We also got full spirit points, putting us in a three way tie for first place along with our nemesis New Sense Presents: Girls' Night Out and our friends on Dodgebull 2.
This season, we're doing what we call the Reg Dunlop Award every week. The Reg Dunlop is, essentially, a prize that goes to someone on our team for completing a particular task. This week, it was to see who could catch the most balls in a game. It came down to Week One MVP 8Mile and Jimmers, both of whom had caught five or six balls. In the end, it came down to a tie-breaker in the final, all-in round. 8Mile was eliminated in the round early, and Jimmers was able to win with a low grab. His prize was a very nice Wilson Athletics Backpack which he decided to give to Banana who insisted she needed a new backpack. (see picture)
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