Week Two Preview: Old Friends Meet Again

It's Rivalry Week, kids. Three games, three opportunities for absolute mayhem. 10:00 AM - Green Monsters @ Hit Squad (Umps: Slackers) The two teams share a common ancestor in 2005's Intruders. Renamed the Green Monsters the following summer, several of the current players from both these teams won that season's championship together. The next season, the Monsters essentially split into three teams: the Beats, along with the Sluggos--who lost the championship game to (you guessed it) the Green Monsters. The Sluggos and Beats are in the arms of History now, with Hit Squad being the latest team to try to knock off their distant Green cousins. We hear that ringers are being flown in from all corners of the globe. It'll be intense, for sure. 11:30 AM - Slackers @ Nomads (Umps: 4U2NV) The Jordan Derby pits Amman Softball League's two best teams with all-local roots--and easily the highest collective blood pressure in any game you'll see this season. The first game between these impassioned rivals was tight until the Slackers lost control of their emotions and gave the game away. But the Slackers have to be wondering if the Nomads have looked past this game. With all the trash talking going on between the 'Mads and a team they're not even playing this week, have the Bedouins already chalked this one up as a win? 1:00 PM - Trojans @ 4U2NV (Umps: Hit Squad) Of all the possible scenarios going into this season, I don't think anyone could have predicted that Bling Bling would split into two teams. But they did, and there is now some bad blood between the Trojans and 4U2NV. Trojans captain Saif Barhoum, himself a Blingvet, hand-picked a few former teammates and, along with brother and team screamer Laith, put together a new team. This left the other Blingers sad and homeless. That is, until Neal Zureikat put together 4U2NV, a team with great potential and women who can seriously play the game. And now they're all trying to burst the Trojans bubble.

Week One Results: Blood Follows Rain

A couple of massacres during Week One -- and a nice comeback that needed an extra inning before it reached the FDA-recommended internal cooking temperature. DEC. 8, 2007: Nomads 30, 4U2NV 2 Hit Squad 19, Trojans 14 (7 innings) Green Monsters 33, Slackers 11 A few notes: * 4U2NV does not exist just for you to envy. They exist for you, too, Nevada. * Them Nomads look tough. Last year's home run champ was freakin' pitching for them. * The Trojans could not protect a lead. Punsters, have fun in the comments section. * Hit Squad has heart. On such a large team, great things will happen if the pecking order is decided by game skills. * The Slackers just want to say: Yil3an abu umm jamal sittek fi sitteen surmayeh! * The Green Monsters have reloaded. Come get us.

Let's Beat Up On Each Other, Eh?

We had some fun with the preseason exhibition warming up crap, but it's time the games counted for something. Amman Softball League will kick off regular season play for the Winter League this Saturday, December 8th. Here's your schedule: 10:00 AM: Nomads @ 4U2NV (Umps: 2 Trojans) 11:30 AM: Hit Squad @ Trojans (Umps: 2 Nomads) 1:00 PM: Green Monsters @ Slackers (Umps: 2 Hit Squad) PLEASE show up with competent people to umpire when it's your turn. This is your league. ---------------------------------------------- The revised rules, team registration form and the rest of the schedule are all available for you to download in the Slogs Downloadables, in the green sidebar on the right of your screen. From the new rules, which were approved by all the captains, comes the following nugget: Warm-ups: We’re having none of it between innings. Please switch quickly and be ready to play. The schedule for warm-ups, using the small field, breaks down thusly: •Game 1 (10:00 AM): Visitors get small field prior to game time; Home may use big field. •Game 2 (11:30 AM): Visitors get small field from 10:00-10:40; Home from 10:40-11:20. •Game 3 (1:00 PM): Visitors get small field from 11:30-12:10; Home from 12:10-12:50. •Game 4 (2:30 PM): Visitors get small field from 1:00-1:40; Home from 1:40-2:20. This is crucial for managing our limited game time. Please do not bring balls out to the infield between innings. Little League is having some baseball activities on Fridays this month, so the big field will not be available for practice on those days. You may, however, use the small field on any day, provided you reserve a spot in the comments section of THIS POST, which will be valid for THIS WEEK. Cool? (There will be a practice reservation post every week.) NOTE: On behalf of Mark, Hit Squad has the small field for practice this Friday, Dec. 7, from Noon-2 PM. Everyone else, please use the comments section. And another thing: Teams may add an extra Extra Hitter this season. If you use two EH's, at least one must be a female. Finally: Please read the rules.