Streaks are meant to be broken, and this week, we had a shakeup take place in Tropical Park that caused a We had a shakeup in Tropical Park. In the matchup of the season, Goon Squad ended Life’s a Pitch 26 game winning streak to race to the top of the standings there. In Miami Lakes, the status quo prevailed as the first place team, White Hot Pitches, continued to dominate with their win over second place Ballbarians. Let’s see how this affected the mindset of our poll voters.

Before I forget! I would also like to wish all of our Koala Kickballers a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving. Be safe traveling wherever you go and enjoy the time together with the people you care about. Finally, a special shout out to Balls ‘N Dolls in scoring their first seven runs of the season Wednesday night and getting their first victory against Grand Salami! This poll was written by Gio Lorenzo.

1. Goon Squad (30 points;3 first place votes) – For the first time this season we have a new number one, and it is unanimous. We all had a feeling that this team may be the one to finally unseat Life’s a Pitch and they have. Built behind many veterans of kickball and a pest of a leadoff kicker, Goon Squad is undefeated and racing towards the Commissioners Trophy in Tropical Park. They still have a few tough games remaining, but maybe changing to pink really helped put them over the edge.
2. White Hot Pitches (26 points) – The first place team in Miami Lakes who has been kicking butt and taking names. Their closest game was a 6-2 victory over second place Ballbarians with that pesky Jason scoring the two runs for them again. The run differential this season in just five games is 42! Commissioner Giovanni Lorenzo is hoping and praying that this season is the one in which he can finally get a championship… he hopes. This team is the favorite in Lakes.
3. Life’s a Pitch (25 points) – All good things come to an end and winning 26 games in a row is an amazing feat. It came to an end in their 27th game at Tropical Park at the hands of the Goon Squad. They have had a lot of close calls including a few in championship games, but they have persevered to this point. Expect a fired up squad looking for revenge in the playoffs on Goon Squad and anyone else who dares get in their way.
4. The Warriors (18 points) – 5-0! The former Ibex team who went 1-7 last season is now sitting pretty and in second place in the standings at 5-0! Mrs. Flowers is really proud of her team and loves to brag about it @mrsflowers9982 on her Instagram! When we get back from Thanksgiving, it gets serious for the Warriors as they have to play both Goon Squad and Life’s a Pitch. We will have a great idea then if they are pretenders or contenders.
5. Ballbarians (17 points) – Valiant effort shorthanded on Wednesday night to give White Hot Pitches a good game, but unfortunately it was too much to overcome in a 6-2 defeat. They seem to be standing out as the 2nd place team in Lakes but we won’t know for sure until their final week matchup against the Wolfpack. Either way, when they have a full squad, they should be able to put up a good fight against anyone.
6. Wolfpack (16 points) – Every week this poor Wolfpack feel like they have to fight with every commissioner but we still love them! They are sitting in 3rd place looking to shoot up and get good positioning in the playoff race. Led by Akins, Anthony, and a good group of girls, they are formidable opponents ready to make a statement on a weekly basis.
7. Free Balling (12 points) – One tough loss on the clay away from being 5-0, but these Free Balling bunch are simply having a great time… unless you use the wrong term to describe a female… ayyy. They are battling the injury bug right now, so the bye week is coming at the best possible time to heal and get ready for a final stretch that will mean a lot in the standings. Also watch out for their little secret weapon!
8. Can I Kick It? (8 points) – They are 4-1, but shhhhh… nobody knows! I had to look at this a few time in the standings to make sure, but yes they are 4-1! This bunch has stuck together behind Adrienne and Zamir to make some noise down south. Their schedule does get serious down the stretch as they play 3 games against teams in this poll. Great chance for them to prove to us that they are for real!
9. High Rollers (7 points) – High Rollers are not getting enough love in the poll even though they have the exact same record as Wolfpack with the same loss and tie. There are a lot of wild cards competing for second place and they are one of them. I’m really happy for some of the players on the team as they have really improved over the last few seasons of kickball. They will not be an easy out.
10. Sit on my Base (Miami Lakes) (5 points) – Started 0-2 and now are 4-2. Unfortunately, those 2 losses came against quality opponents, and one of those was a fluke in the rain. This team isn’t bad, but has simply been dismissed after the 0-2 start. Well they want you to know that they are back at 4-2 and ready to cause damage in the postseason.

Also receiving votes: Pitch You Don’t Know Me (1 point).

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. If there’s a tie for points, then the team with the most number of Commissioners voting it higher than the team they tied will receive the higher position. Remember that this poll does not affect standings or playoff seeding in any way; it’s only for fun!