Game 5

Meco Piledrivers 8 - F'n'A 6

In a battle between two teams tied for top spot, the Meco Piledrivers pulled off an impressive 8-6 win over F'n'A, a team that until recently was playing in the upper divisions of the dodgeball league. THe game was a reversal of the typical script that Meco has followed.

F'n'A took the first game with a series of tricks that baffled the Piledrivers. Sal Caruso had an excellent look away. There were also two players with great breaking balls, one a slider and the other a curve ball. Two players brought straight heat. This resulted in a disorganized looking Meco getting hit from all angles and being eliminated quickly.

Meco regrouped and played very well in the second game. The Piledrivers started to concentrate on the tricky throws of F'n'A and came up with several catches. Meco looked to be on track. Howeverm after game two, the wheels fell off. Meco lost the next three in glorious fashion.

Paddington (formerly known as Big Bri) had many catches slip through his fingers. TJ continued his odd session of only making catches when they are in sudden death overtime situations. Rookie's youthful exuberance led to his elimination from close range in several games. There were also two painfully wasted games. With six seconds to play and a two man to one advantage, F'n'A made a catch on an ill-advised throw to swing the game in the dying seconds. In a similar game, with a three man to two advantage and only seconds to play F'n'A made another catch on a very ill advised throw. With time about to expire and another game apparently pissed away, Free Agent hit a player with a gentle chest pass. However, Meco still lost the game in overtime.

Facing a 4-1 deficit with only one game left before the halftime, Meco needed to stop the momentum and change the mood before halftime. The Piledrivers responded. Rookie had his best game of the season. He eliminated three players in short order. Free Agent made a great catch and threw some darts and Captain Jack Sanford played a steady game. Halftime score was F'n'A 4, Meco 2, but the last game gave Meco hope...

The second half so a reinvigorated Piledrivers step up there game to a very high level. THe Wolf, Free Agent and Sanford led the way. The Piledrivers charged out of halftime to win the first two games and tie the score. The Piledrivers started to learn the tendencies of the trick throws. This led to many catches on the curves, sliders and look-aways that were so effective early in the game.

This was the best half the Piledrivers have played all session. Very few mental mistakes led to a dominating second half. The score was again tied at 6-6 at 11:52 pm. So late in the game, there were questions as to wether or not there was enough left in the tank for Meco to come up with the win. Despite being short on numbers (more on that later) the Piledrivers were able to grind out a conservative win in game 13. A catch from NY and Free Agent as well as some key hits by the Wolf and Rookie were the key plays. Killing 3 minutes and 52 seconds, Meco secured the win. One more and everyone could go home. Meco came out fast and took advantage of a desperate F'n'A to secure the win. Paddington got two big hits before being eliminated and after a short minute of game it was two Piledrivers vs two F'n'A. Sanford made a great catch to eliminate one and then a combined effort saw the game come to a conclusion.

Meco Wins 8-6. After being behind 1-4, this is an impressive result.

Game Notes Unfortunatey, many Piledrivers were unable to face the challenges of a late game. The player formerly known as Token was unable to attend due to a "back problem"... Giant was no where to be found. And as i understand it, Rage, who guaranteed he would be there at this late game after missing last years, was tending to a sick dog. Although this is only a rumor as Rage never actually replied to the question of whether or not he played. I am sure that he was dutifully sitting next to his dog from 11:00 - 12:00 and his nursing efforts are appreciated!

Hopefully next weeks season finale will see a more dedicated squad.

4 Wins 1 Loss, 39 points

Game 4

Meco Piledrivers 9 - The Pipe Kings 7

The Meco Piledrivers continued their run through session three with a 9-7 victory Tuesday night against the Pipe Kings. The game followed a similar path to what happened in the last session. Meco jumped out to a big lead and then nearly let the Pipe Kings back in.

The first game started with shades of the old Wolf. He was the dominating personality that became a feared player during the first several sessions. His swagger was back and he was a combination of daring offense and trusty defense. His play inspired the Pile drivers to an impressive 4-1 lead out of the gate.

The Wolf was not alone in his impressive early play. Rage showed that he still has the tools cnecessary to take over a game. Rage seemed to win many games single handedlt. There were at least two occasions that featured Rage against multiple Pipe Kings. He never disappointed. He played cautious, intelligent dodgeball. His throw seemed to gain accuracy as each game wore on.

Just as the Meco seemed ready to go home with a dominant win the Piledrivers lost three straight to cut the lead to 5-4. Meco seemed to have righted the ship and had five players left against only two Pipe Kings. That is when the wheels appeared to fall off. Hairlip and Free Agent (or PCP) began with a charge and both were eliminated. Seconds later TJ was drilled. We now were faced with Token and Big Bri against Pirate and the crazy dude that throws hard. Seconds after being warned "no catches big bri"... he tried to catch. Two against Token with the prospect of a tie game. Calmly, Token hit crazy guy and then caught a ball from Pirate. Token got the momentum back in our direction.

Meco reeled off the next two games to open up an 8-4 advantage. Then the Piledrivers made their second attempt to lose the game. With the hour mark quickly approaching, the Piledrivers began to lose their focus. In one memorable (and quick) game, the Kings sat at the attack line and efficiently eliminated on Piledriver at a time with powerful set of arms.

The lead had evaporated to 8-6 with 6 minutes left. The Piledrivers needed to dig deep to avoid the collapse. Wolf and Rage had whatit took and quickly lead the team in a decisive win in the 15th game of the evening. This secured the victory for the Piledrivers.

After some reflection, it seems that luck was on the Piledrivers side. The only two consistent players were Rage and Wolf. The rest seemed to have inconsistent evenings; every player had some nice moments, but also some awful mistakes. NY made some catches and won some battles at the line, but got drilled in the man root. Sanford made some decisive hits but could not come up with a catch. TJ was a little gun shy. Free Agent had his arm working but got hit on several counter attacks and also missed a player two feet away from him. Token made some memorable plays but also hit the ceiling on some throws. Hair Lip had some very impressive hits but was also caught several times. At least Giant did not get hit in the back at all. Lady luck helped to make sure that the Pipe Kings dropped some of our weakest efforts.

The highlight of the night was no doubt provided by the Wolf. After making a neutral zone charge and eliminating a player at the wall, the Wolf hit the ground. He layed still as several players from both teams jumped over him and some een threw at him. The Wolf braced for impact. After five seconds elapsed, he peeked over his arm and saw that people seemed to have forgotten about him. He simply got up and moved back and was back in the play.

At the end of the day a win is a win, however the Piledrivers will need to play a little more consistently over the next two weeks if they plan on staying near the top of the standings.

3 Wins - 1 loss, 30 points

Game Three

Meco Piledrivers 6 - Stone Hands 6 (Meco wins in overtime)

Another game went down to a dramatic finish as the Piledrivers faced an old foe (with a new name). While their shirts did say "Stone Hands", there was no doubt that it was our familiar foe, the Adirondack Cow Tippers.

As the game began, Meco was still riding high after last weeks dominating victory. The Piledrivers came out firing and secured a very quick 1-0 win. Game two began with the latest Piledriver, Token, making the rookie mistake. Token ran over the center line in the rush to start the game. This was followed by many ill advised throws and the game was tied.

Before long, Meco had lost three in a row. They were in their old funk of finding cloveer ways to win. Throwing the big balls high and soft did not work, although not due to a lack of effort. Charging carelessly without any cover also was a consistently poor plan. Rage missing Notorious BIG from three feet did not help. The most clever loss in the first half featured another show down between the now mulletless NY and three adversaries. With only 20 seconds to play, NY made a charge, avoided a ball and eliminated two of the Stone Hands. With three seconds left, NY only needed to avoid getting hit by one player who had one throw... unfortunately, NY was drilled by Ronnie Lott and the Piledrivers found themselves down 3-1.

With their backs against the wall, the Piledrivers responded. Free Agent began hitting some players. his speed was greatly enhanced by his moon boots and he got two balls at the start of almost every game. Token began getting a little bit of a swagger as he started to make some fine catches. Big Bri made acrobatic saves on the sideline to get the ball back into play quickly. Without anyone playing exceptionally well, the Piledrivers managed to win the last three games of the first half and get to halftime with the narrowest of margins, 4-3.

The second half began with a quick win for Stone Hands. The controversy was beginning to get into the heads of the Piledrivers as the Stone Hands Notorious BIG refused to leave several times he was hit. It was often the difference maker. As the game wound down, it was Meco 4, Stone Hands 5. With time winding down, Meco had three players, Stone hands two. In the neutral zone Free Agent squared off against a Stone Hands veteran, as the seconds ticked away, Free Agent got hit as he sent a gentle ball which was caught by the same player. This could have been the Piledrivers undoing. The official inadvertently called for overtime. Stone hands argued the point and convinced the official to change the call. This wasted about two minutes. Meco faced a 2 game deficit at 9:54.

As game 11 started, many of the Piledrivers were saying "this game doesn't matter, it is the last one anyhow". It appeared the best the Pieldrivers could do was a 6-5 loss. However, Sanford and Rage came to the rescue. Sanford came up with several excellent catches. Rage reintroduced his hands team, saving his best games for the end. Token also used some of his old keeper skills to make an exciting catch. In the meantime, Big Bri and Giant were hitting Stone Hands as if they were fish in a barrell. The Piledrivers won quickly enough that they were allowed to play one more game.

Game 12 was dramatic and tense. The first two minutes of the game did not eliminate anyone. Then Free Agent redeemed himself from some early mistakes and eliminated one. Big Bri was hit on a retreat after a charge. Token missed a catch as did Sanford. Then Rage made a catch and Giant eliminated one. NY joined the fray following a catch and made an ill advised throw. Somehow it bounced off the hands and we were off to overtime.

After one minute of overtime that saw no one eliminated, it was on to sudden death dodgeball for the victory. A successful charge found Meco with both stingers. However, their throws were off the mark. The Stone Hands were devising strategy when one came charging and threw at TJ. TJ, in the midst of one of a subpar performance without a catch, focussed in on the stinger and made a clean catch. Meco wins!

This game showed some resolve. Meco was able to do what they needed to do and win a game that certainly was not going their way. Things may have been a little easier if the inspirational leader, The WOLF made the match. His absence was very conspicuous. Perhaps Mrs. The Wolf, our old camera person, required the services of the Wolf. I would think that he was writing lesson plans, but we know that could not be the case. Maybe he was off helping the Rookie come up with a clever name for Free Agent. Hopefully everyone can plan their sleep schedules, as next weeks match starts at 10:00.

2 wins, 1 loss 21 points

Game 2

Meco Piledrivers 14 - The Wolverines 2

In a game with enough stories to fill a book, the Meco Piledrivers prevailed over the Wolverines by a 14-2 count. The subplots and stories were endless as the Piledrivers won game after game after game.

Coming off an opening game heartbreaker, Meco had a point to prove. After the opening whistle, they did just that, beating the Wolverines in a short 1 minute 42 second game. The dominance was a theme that would continue through out. Game 2 was much of the same. Meco had an aggressive and well orchestrated attack that kept the Wolverines on their heels. The speed of Free Agent was a weapon all day. Many of the “neutral” balls would end up in the hands of the Piledrivers.

The first game that saw any sort of doubt was game three. Playing with some over confidence, the Piledrivers left only NY “the Mullet” vs three Wolverines. A charge from Mullet saw two men hit and a then a catch on the last ball. It was the first positive contribution NY has made to the squad since November, 2002.

Before you could blink an eye, the Piledrivers were winning 9-0. Rage had unbelievably good hands for the second straight week. In one play during game 5, with four players on each side, the Wolverines decided to attack the guy with the glasses. Somehow, while already holding a ball, Rage managed to catch two of the balls flying at his face and never dropped the one he originally had. Howie Charbonneau is considering an investigation into the sudden turn around from this player as he maintains that he has broken no rules.

The Wolf was up to his old antics. One game saw him eliminated. As he started to walk off, he saw a Wolverine entering the neutral zone. Wolf attacked him all out and made the man run in fear. Giant started to get some big hits and only had to turn his back once in fear as a ball was hurled in his direction. TJ spent most of his time hiding in the goal and chatting with the ref. He came out with a key catch or hit when needed, but had a generally relaxing evening.

Sanford played a calm and effective game. He played the angles well and supported all the reckless runs of the athletic players on the squad (Free Agent, Rage, TJ and the Wolf). Hairlip the Rookie continues to improve. He has started to realize that you need a team to win and that you can not simply attack on your own.

Reigning MVP Big Bri had a big game. He broke new ground by attacking a guy off the court after he had already been eliminated in an effort to get a ball back to our side. I can’t imagine the fear in the young Wolverine when Big Bri tossed him aside and grabbed the ball then pointed and said “stay on your own side!” His other great moment occurred as a nice counter attack. Moments after their little afro’d annoyance had eliminated Free Agent and was flashing his gang signs at FA, Big Bri lined him up in his sights. From a slight angle, while the Fro was still flashing his signs, Big Bri drilled him in the mouth.

For better or worse, there was one play that summed up the whole evening. Late in the match, Free Agent drilled a player and as he was strutting back to our end, a Wolverine on the bench yelled sarcastically “Not bad for a 28 year old”… Free Agent turned around with his arms raised in a V, just like when Ali knocked out Liston, and yelled “I’m , 32!”

Nothing like grown men having fun playing dodgeball!


1 win, 1 loss - 12 points

Game 1

Meco Piledrivers 6 - DJ Builders 6 (DJ wins in OT)

The new session started with a bang as the Meco Piledrivers faced DJ Building. Last sessions encounter resulted in a 9-3 drubbing at the hands of the builders. However this match was a different story. The game certainly featured a new bit of enthusiasm with the reintroduction of the neutral zone. It introduces great new angles to the game and increases the level of intensity.

As the game started, the sense of enthusiasm got the better of Meco in the first game. The Piledrivers were eliminated in quick order as they charged into the neutral zone and were eliminated with short, easy throws. The second game featured a more calculated attack and the game was tied at 1. Free Agent started firing b-b's, and this continued throught out the match.

The introduction of some new team members, Giant, Rookie and Mr. Hicks caused some confusion as these players were eliminated with silly mistakes like foot violations and chest high throws. DJ Builders capitalized and took a 3-1 lead. It looked like it could turn into another pounding. However the Piledrivers showed some resiliency and won the next game cutting the lead to 3-2. The Builders regained momentum by winning the last game of the first half.

In the second half, Meco inched closer, but then things appeared to be falling apart. TJ took a fastball to the eye and appeared to burst some blood vessels creating cool red spots in the middle of the white part of his eye. With out a key player, Rage made the game his own. His hands appeared to get "very sticky" as he made dramatic catch after dramatic catch.

With the score 5-3 in favor of the Builders, the Builders and Piledrivers had two players left each. With only 10 seconds left to play, The Wolf launched a foolish assault and his ball was caught. This left 3 against Rage with less than 10 seconds left. Somehow, they threw a ball and Rage made a fantastic diving catch to send the game to OT. Meco won the OT and cut the lead to 5-4.

After losing game 10, the Piledrivers faced a 2 game deficit with 8 minutes left. Again, Hetero led the charge making great catches one after another. Game 11 featured some Wolf controversy. Wolf entered the game following a catch but never checked in. He was promptly drilled in the back. The ref said he was not out due to his never having checked in. This led to a great argument. We had three players left (including Wolf). Three Builders argued for an overtime based on two guys left from each team (they were counting Wolf as eliminated). The ref inadvertently counted one of the arguing builders and therefore he did award the overtime. Fortunately, all's well that ends well and the Piledrivers won the over time.

Meco went on to win the final game and create a 6-6 tie. The referees debated the rule for a tie... sudden death or one minute overtime. A one minute overtime was the decision; unfortunately, the nights hero Rage did not hear the decision and went wrecklessly for the win. It was not meant to be. Seconds later, Giant had the most feminine attempt at dodging a ball ever seen in Malta. At the end of the day, the Piledrivers lost a heartbreaker.

There is alot of optimism inspite on the loss. Rage is returning to the form that made him an MVP candidate. The Wolf is getting the fire back. Free Agent is becoming more dangerous every game. If TJ's eye heals, Sanfords immune system can ever win a battle, and Giant catches on, things will go well.

0 Wins, 1 Loss, 3 points