Clarifications

I originally started Ladderball Weekly because I was unemployed and had nothing better to do with my time than to play ladderball and blog about it. Things have changed since last summer, however. Ol' Andy had to pick up a day job because playing ladderball doesn't pay that well during the winter months. Also I decided to go back to school for ladderball court management leaving me little time to blog. Mr. Eric Rooney was nice enough to come in and do a little guest blogging. I highly enjoyed reading his thought provoking post, "The Bad Boys of Ladderball." I think guest blogging is a great idea and have decided to make Ladderball Weekly a community effort. Anyone who wants to blog just let me know. This will keep Ladderball Weekly going when I'm too lazy to do so. It will also make Ladderball Weekly fair and balanced. People have told me in the past that Ladderball Weekly is pretty one-sided. My first reaction to hearing something like this was "Fuck you! You don't like it? Write your own fucking ladderball blog." But then I lightened up and though there might be some truth to what they said. I definitely don't want to be the Fox News of the ladderball blogging world. So there you have it. Ladderball Weekly. Now for the people by the people.

Team Leggies Win on Independence Day. Too Much for Words?

Team Leggies beat out the likes of the A-Team and Team Shake and Bake to win their first ladderball tournament on July 4th, 2010. This incredible feat left Ol' Andy speechless for 2 months! I feel really bad about this. I didn't mean to take anything away from the Leggies by not reporting their extraordinary accomplishment. Any other reputable ladderball blog would have most definitely covered Kyle and Alyssa's spectacular performance from start to finish. As you may or may not know I was not able to attend the Independence Day tournament due to contract obligations with one of my sponsors, Ocean Beverage. This was quite devastating for me. I now know that I missed history being made that day. Team Leggies are the first co-ed team ever to win a ladderball tournament at the Shipmaster Resort. By doing so, they answered my question of the week from last summer: "Should Women Be Allowed to Play Ladderball?" Nice going Alyssa! Anyway, just wanted to right the wrongs and congratulate Team Leggies on a job well done. I wish them the best of luck on Labor Day but I doubt they will be able to repeat.

The Bad Boys of Ladderball

Every sport has them, and Ladderball, no longer in its infancy, is proving to be no exception. While there is a growing sense of parity in the league, with several teams having proved worthy of future invites to tournaments at the Shipmaster, it is impossible to overlook the fact that the same four teams are finding their way into the final brackets of every major event. Of these four, two could be described as loved and adored. The other two, anything but.

It is typically not difficult to comprehend a lovefest, in ladderball or otherwise. Easygoing personalities on and off the pitch, lack of excessive showboating and taunting, costumes/pads/helmets, and the ability to be perceived as an underdog despite also having the wherewithal to actually win the big one. See; B-Team, Leggies.

Being controversial is one thing. Being hated universally around the sport is something different entirely. The Bad Boys of Ladderball have all achieved this designation in their own special way; the only common denominator being that spectators are not so much rooting FOR their opponents, as they are rooting AGAINST the Bad Boys. We will take a closer look as to how exactly these outlaws created all of this ill will in the ladderball community.

A-Team
















The A-Team did a great deal to earn some goodwill amongst fans and competitors in the Independence Day tournament (despite debuting some new black jerseys - how fitting), namely by not winning. But also gone (for the most part) were Bob's unsportsmanlike antics and Fred's excessive alcohol consumption, as aptly noted by Ol' Andy in the tourney preview issue, neither change going unnoticed by those in attendance. But for the time being, the A-Team remains a threat in future tournaments, are expected to continue wearing their nifty black jerseys, and are simply not far enough removed from their excessive labor day 09 celebration to be back in the good graces of the sports Good Guys and Girls.

However, None could not have expected the A-Team to fall from their perch of Most Hated in the first big tournament of 2010. Most would agree, the hatred in this event was most palpable for another pair, formerly known as the ZJ's, recently reborn as....

Shake and Bake















Shake and Bake, consisting of brothers Eric (El Diablo) and Brian (Magic Man) Rooney, have easily established themselves as the most hated in the game currently, and have managed to do so without a major tournament victory; no small feat.

"How did we get here?" you ask? It all goes back to the pair's first tournament, during which an early hot streak led them to quick wham, bam, thank you ma'am victories over the A & B-Teams. As the (then) ZJ's confidence grew, chest bumps, high fives, threats, and boasts resulted, culminating in the fatal mistake of lighting victory cigars and taking shots before/during the semifinal round, leading to a disappointing 3rd place finish.

The team reinvented themselves in the form of Shake and Bake, an ode to the hilarious "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby." While starting out on an even keel, a favorable draw in the brackets led to early victories once again, and with that, excessive displays of braggadocio. Despite their best attempts to remain humble, "shake n' bake" gestures lifted from the movie and more jumping high fives were not received well by those in the audience. As the final game ended, spectators collectively sighed in relief, as SnB once again fell short to the much more lovable Team Leggies.

Whether these Bad Boys will ever to be able to reverse the ladderball community's negative feelings towards them remains to be seen.

Team Leggies Win Big on Independence Day

More stories and photos to come!

Independence Day Tournament Team Breakdown

A look at the teams that have a legitimate chance of winning it all.

A-Team


Winners of last season's Labor Day Invitational, pressure will be on them to repeat. They appear confident and ready for the task at hand though. In the off-season they upgraded their homemade white-t uniforms for cheaply made personalized mesh jerseys that they believe they can't lose in. They also made changes on the court with Fred curbing his alcohol intake and Bob developing some type of quasi-sportsmanship. Despite these things they are still the most hated team in ladderball and everyone will be gunning for them and hoping they get eliminated early.

B-Team

After winning the first ever ladderball tournament held at the Shipmaster Resort, they were disgusted with their 4th place finish at the Labor Day Invitational. Expect this team to "bounce" back and win big.

Team Leggies


They may look tired in the photo above but I know Alyssa and Kyle will be ready to play come Sunday. Their loss to the A-Team in the Labor Day Invitational left a bad taste in their mouth. They ended up finishing in 3rd but that's not why you play the game. They have waited all year to make things right. I'd like to see them win it all if the B-Team fails to do so.

Eric Rooney & Partner

No one knows who Rooney will be playing with on Sunday. He apparently won't reveal his decision until gameday. No matter what he decides, one thing is certain. Rooney is seeking redemption on the ladderball court this season. Rooney started last season strong with a 3rd place finish at the Ladderball Open partnered with his brother on the ZJ's. He looked to place better in the Labor Day Invitational with a new partner in Wyz however they both had dismal performances. Word on the street is they haven't played much ladderball this year. All I know is if Rooney plays anything like Wayne Rooney did in the World Cup, he too will be going home early.

Team Cherita


Rita wasn't happy with being the runner-up in two straight tournaments last season so she decided to put her partner Brian on waivers. She has her eye on the prize and has recruited Fred's off the field partner, Cherie to help her reach the promised land.

Or will there be a dark horse that wins it all?

James K. Polk, America's First Dark Horse President

Ladderball Weekly wants to know what you think. Who will win the July 4th Tournament?

And I'm Proud to be an American...

...Where at least I know I'm free to play ladderball.

Stay tuned for more information regarding this exciting event!

Question of the Week: Why Does Andy Only Update This Blog Once Every Few Months? Pure Laziness or Something Else?

This really needs to be addressed. I know many readers have been wondering it. Honestly, sometimes I forget that people actually read Ladderball Weekly and I need reminding to publish my thoughts concerning ladderball.
Also, my priorities have changed somewhat this summer compared to last. Last summer I spent about 50% of time playing ladderball whereas this summer I have played much less. Now I know what you're gonna say. "But Andy you started this blog because you were unemployed and wanted to play ladderball and blog about it. Aren't you still unemployed? What gives?" Well unfortunately, the state of California has kicked me off unemployment forcing me to re-enter the workforce. Apparently, they found out that I worked a few nights washing dishes at the Shipmaster Resort and deemed me unworthy of their support. So I've been spending some time beefing up my resume and scouring the job market. Much to my dismay, the market is looking pretty bleak with not many job openings for ladderball instructors. I am confident though things will turn around for me soon enough.
But to answer the question, yes, I can be lazy too!
Anyway, I guess I never realized how much joy this blog brings into people's lives weekly. I will make a conscience effort to keep it current here at Ladderball Weekly. This is the last time I will apologize for my occasional and scattered blog posts.