We are back! Your commissioners spent way too much of the summer together crossing the country (RIP ducks that one person accidentally ran over on I-90 ☹ ), but we are back, refreshed and ready for this summer season of KOALA Kickball. Amazingly, some of you guys actually missed us, even me! In reality though, you missed our Commissioners Poll. As always, we spend our Thursday nights at Sports Grill figuring out where the 22 teams in our two leagues rank. I kindly write the updated standings out for the other two commissioners and vote quickly. Rene Medina spends some thought on the poll and promptly turns it in. “The Kickball Expert”… a lot of late nights at Sports Grill waiting for Jason to finish the poll. I love the tediousness of his work, but some of us work Friday morning too!! With apologies to Rene for writing the last three polls, your least favorite head ref Gio Lorenzo is writing the poll today! Thanks for reading.

1. Life’s a Pitch (30 points, 3 first place votes): Kiko would like to let you know that they have won all fourteen games they have ever played in Tropical Park. It is true, they are 14-0 at Tropical in their one and a half seasons in the southern league. They have run through their competition and defeated Goon Squad handily 6-0 in their last game. They look like world beaters right now. Will anyone dethrone them this season or will Kiko be letting you know that they are 22-0 by season’s end?
2. PSN Slidaz (27 points): Ho hum, PSN Slidaz are once again atop the standings at Miami Lakes. Nothing shocking about this team that continues to win and dominate. The competition seems a little stiffer in Miami Lakes but nonetheless, the PSN Slidaz are simply dominating through three weeks of play. They have it figured out, but will someone step up and finally dethrone them? Maybe the Night’s Watch?
3. The Night’s Watch (23 points): Speaking of the Night’s Watch, they are sitting at a comfortable third in the Miami Lakes rankings and standings. Due to summer restrictions, they have been shorthanded through the first two weeks but will finally be at full strength starting next Wednesday with the addition of Camila and Jo. With a solid combination of girls and guys, they may have what it takes on paper to challenge the throne of PSN Slidaz, but I guess we will have to wait until week 7 to figure that out.
4. Leon’s Angels (20 points): Sometimes the Schedule Master does you no favors (sorry!). Leon’s Angels had to play a rematch of their championship game in week 1, and unfortunately the result was no different with PSN winning 8-0. Leon’s Angels have recovered nicely, however, with two blowout wins in their doubleheader last weekend. This team speaks to how acquiring experience will bring you to the top. Two seasons ago, they only won 2 games. Last season, they were in the championship game. Now, they are sitting fourth in the Commissioners Poll.
5. Our Kicks Don’t Lie (15 points): Rene really loves this team by ranking them 5 spots higher than anyone else on the poll. He also plays on this team and is the star pitcher fielder on the team. This transplanted team from Miami Lakes has a solid 2-1 record so far in Tropical Park with a tough loss to the black team from Tropical Park. I envision good things from this team as long as Rene can stay healthy for the squad. They also look stellar in Baby Purple.
6. Big Black Kicks (13 points): Don’t say their name too fast… no, seriously don’t. The BBK brings back a good core that may be better than last year’s squad. They look leaner than before and are ready to finally break through. They took a tough 2-1 loss to the Goon Squad two weeks earlier but have a 2-1 record elsewise. Fun fact: They are the only Tropical Park squad to have the same core and color over the four seasons.
7. Goon Squad (13 points): Oh, the Goon Squad. They are a blessing to have at Tropical Park. Their name defines their squad. Don’t get me wrong, they have a great squad with a very interesting cast of characters. Hopefully they can develop some team chemistry and make a run for the title. They currently sport a 2-1 record after suffering a bad loss to their main competitors, Life’s a Pitch.
8. Free Balling (12 points): Cuz I’m Freeeeeeeee, Free Balling! The brand new free agent team is off to a surprising 3-0 start and seems to be having fun in the process. They are the crazy squad screaming FIRE in the middle of the game and promoting an anti-sexist kickball agenda for 2016. The ragtag group of not very punctual guys and very punctual girls don’t win pretty but they win. They also have a great time doing it! Remember kickball is fun!!
9. Purple Cobras (9 points): They had the pink team beat in the playoffs last season. Last inning, up one. They are back with a vengeance. After a tough week 1 against Wolfpack, they have beaten up on the Gold team thanks to a quirk in the schedule. The schedule will start getting more challenging soon and we shall see if this Purple Cobra team can get by the above average Joe’s
10. Bad Pitches (2 points): Hey Bad Pitches! My former students made the Commissioners Poll! I do have a soft spot in my heart for this team and I’m really happy to see them in the poll especially since they had to beat their other teacher Rene Medina in the process! Led by the power couple of Jess and Liz, this team is starting to figure it out! I hope they continue their success in Miami Lakes a little longer (until they play me of course!)!

Others receiving votes:

• Wolfpack (1 point): Don’t turn your back on the Wolf Pack was our motto at Belen for sporting events for some reason.  The mascot for Belen was the Wolverine and they are a solitary animal. Either way, the Wolfpack had one bad loss against PSN Slidaz but it does not mean you should ever turn your back on them!

Quick Reminder on How the Poll Works: Once both leagues have played at least 2 games each, the Commissioners each cast an anonymous ballot for the teams that they think are the top 10 in K.O.A.L.A. Kickball across our Miami Lakes and Tropical Park Leagues. The first ranked team in each ballot gets 10 points, the second ranked team in each ballot gets 9 points, and so forth all the way to the tenth ranked team in each ballot, which gets 1 point. The points that each team gets from each ballot are added up, and then the 10 teams with the highest total number of points are declared the Top 10 in the Commissioner’s Poll. Remember that this poll does not affect standings or playoff seeding in any way; it’s only for fun!