Getting to know Angel!

[The Slam]

Later tonight, an MB legend will be hosting a WAKA sponsored Trivia event. This person used to be staple of NYC kickball and of the message board, before mysteriously disappearing. Will tonight be one night only? Is she back for good? Let's find out...

1. When was the last time you played kickball? Why did you stop playing? What do you miss most about kickball?


2. In addition to leaving the kickball scene, you also left the message board scene. Why did you leave? What do you miss about the message board?


3. NYC Kickball hasn't grown much the past few years. Why do you think that is? What do you think needs to happen for kickball to grow in NYC?


4. What was your favorite team to play on? What about season? Why?


5. What are your thoughts on the "dating threads" of back in the day? Do you think they had their place on the board?


6. You went to Vegas with the Mondays. Many of the Mondays are no longer in kickball. Do you keep in touch with any Mondays? Who did you not keep in touch with that you wish you had?


7. Very few people know this, but you're very good at a game called "6 degrees of Kickball MO separation". Using kickballers only, connect me to you.


8. What would it take to bring you back into kickball? What about to become a regular mb poster again?


9. How did you get started in kickball and on the mb?


10. What is your favorite thread of all time?


11. What are your thoughts on last year's NYC tournament (both social and on the field)? What do you think went right? What didn't?


12. If you had to make a team (whether social or competitive), who are some of the people you would ask to be on the team?


13. Do you think anyone ever crossed the line on the boards? If so, who?


14. Besides kickball, you're well known for your flip cup skills. What is the secret to being good at flip cup?


15. Word Association:
StevieSlam:
Monkey:
Lisa Dee:
Dematas:
Jared:
Mikey:
Mondays:
Beth Mela:
Doug:
LIU:
Hey Whoa:
Karl:
Oakley:
Trey:
TDR:
Shane:
Amy:
Maggie:
Tweasy:
Festa:
Scorekeeper:
Jellydogg:
Meatballs:

[flip c*up yours]

#3 is incorrect. We actually have a LOT of new people this spring. And one league is already maxed out while another is more than halfway full with it only being open with a password. Also registration is up for the Friday league with a lot of time until the season.

Only my poor Monday night league is struggling. Stupid UWS.

Btw, I am super excited to see Angel tonight.

[The Slam]

#3 is incorrect. We actually have a LOT of new people this spring. And one league is already maxed out while another is more than halfway full with it only being open with a password. Also registration is up for the Friday league with a lot of time until the season.

Only my poor Monday night league is struggling. Stupid UWS.

Btw, I am super excited to see Angel tonight.

Cool. I was basing it off of the fact that NY Star had much less people this fall, as did the summer league.

Good to know spring is looking so good. Now let's how they all stick around

[JellyDogg]

I can't wait. I know Jared is cringing right now.

[2_easy]

We need to have a Date Thread Week on the MB!

[*Angel*]

1. When was the last time you played kickball? Why did you stop playing? What do you miss most about kickball?
My last season was NY Star Fall 2009. Golly that sounds much longer ago than it feels… I stopped playing because I felt like I wasn’t taking playing well seriously enough. I wanted to play well, but don’t want to make playing kickball feel like a job. That if I don’t perform well I’m a failure. I appreciate that others see it completely differently. Especially Fall NY Star. So I decided to stop. I miss the excuse to see my friends on a regular basis. It’s much harder to make plans to meet up than just having them automatically in your life each week.

2. In addition to leaving the kickball scene, you also left the message board scene. Why did you leave? What do you miss about the message board?
That’s probably more complicated though basically the same answer. The message board vibe changed. Even non-kickball-related topics turned aggressive and competitive. And that’s just not so much my bag. Again, I miss the people I would otherwise not get to see or talk to like Festa or Fro or JellyFig or Scorekeeper.

3. NYC Kickball hasn't grown much the past few years. Why do you think that is? What do you think needs to happen for kickball to grow in NYC?
I truly believe that it is because the competition is too much. I’ve seen this same problem in dodgeball – there isn’t a large enough pool of athletes to sustain an entire season & league so they have to include lesser athletes in order to have teams to play against. But when those more competitive teams (or maybe just certain players) seem to resent the non-athletes for not being athletes… well, something’s gotta give. Maybe that’s why other nights are doing better because they have a better balance between winning and playing.

4. What was your favorite team to play on? What about season? Why?
I have a special place for every team I played on. Even the Sunday-MOndays which was beyond a debachle. But my favourite experience was most definitely Soul Train Riders in Fall of 2008. Lisa D was an amazing captain. I felt supported and confident in my playing. We played well all season and had loads of fun.

5. What are your thoughts on the "dating threads" of back in the day? Do you think they had their place on the board?
I never understood the drama over the dating threads. If you don't care then don't read it. I think they served their purpose in helping BUILD a community. There’s a reason why we don’t just play our games and go home. We go out to a bar and socialize and hang out on weekends and form relationships that exist outside of the game. That’s what the dating threads (& threads like them) provided.

6. You went to Vegas with the MOndays. Many of the MOndays are no longer in kickball. Do you keep in touch with any MOndays? Who did you not keep in touch with that you wish you had?
The MOndays were something special. Very Bad News Bears. That whole MOndays-experience really burned a lot of us and I think that’s why some are no longer playing. More than one have left NYC. I’m still great friends with Lisa D & Amy Stark & see them often-ish. I stay in touch with American Mike & Kimpo. I just got an email from BWong last night & hope to see Beth when she visits NYC soon. Losing David Helziwig from kickball was a sad loss. I guess I wish he were still involved in some way to keep up with.

7. Very few people know this, but you're very good at a game called "6 degrees of Kickball MO separation". Using kickballers only, connect me to you.
Hahahaha. I plead the fifth. On behalf of myself and all of our connectors. Find me privately & I’ll tell you what I've got.

8. What would it take to bring you back into kickball? What about to become a regular mb poster again?
I haven’t completely ruled it out. If everything fell into the place (the right night, the right park, the right team) I would def come back. I don’t know if I’ll ever be a regular poster again. I feel super out of the loop when I’m on here. Plus, I now waste my time with facebook status updates (as most of you see in your news feeds).

9. How did you get started in kickball and on the mb?
I was very involved in my dodgeball league as captain of the InvinciBALLS. I realized that being captain of that team had turned into work (wrangling players, arguing calls, etc) and was looking for some new activity to meet people & drink but be less invested in. *sigh* I joined the mb because my dear friend Kickball Cowboy, who I joined with, had joined the mb & told me how fun it was. He & Shane & Suggs all encouraged me to join, though Suggs warned me to “not get sucked in by the mb.” *sigh x 2*

10. What is your favorite thread of all time?
Hands down, PLAYOFF PICTURE. It was my first season & it was Karl & Oakley & etc all writing a screenplay using kickball people in some action-adventure-story. Sooo funny.

11. What are your thoughts on last year's NYC tournament (both social and on the field)? What do you think went right? What didn't?
I think Adam does an amazing job. I certainly wouldn’t want to wrangle all of these people for such an event. Cause you really can’t make everyone happy. The whole day seemed to go pretty seamlessly as far as I could tell.

12. If you had to make a team (whether social or competitive), who are some of the people you would ask to be on the team?
Oh my. Hmmm.. I think I’m gonna end up getting myself in trouble with answers here. Can I just have STR back?

13. Do you think anyone ever crossed the line on the boards? If so, who?
I know it’s not exciting for me to not name names… I mean obviously my style & Jared’s style were not the same. I viewed it as bullying though I trust when he has says to me that was not his intention.

14. Besides kickball, you're well known for your flip cup skills. What is the secret to being good at flip cup?
1. Make sure the table is properly wet. 2. Sit in your stance. 3. Flip it like a lady. 4. Never give up. 5. When in doubt JUNGLE RULES!


15. Word Association:
StevieSlam: “kickball little brother”
Monkey: gives everything he has
Lisa Dee: “my #1 girl”
Dematas: misunderstood
Jared: dedicated captain
Mikey: one of the wittiest mb posters
MOndays: Cinco de MOnday
Beth Mela: pushes herself & others
Doug: Shot Club
LIU: It’s all about Sajac *swoon*
Hey Whoa: ::pour some out::
Karl: The M.C.H. (Most competitive hipster)
Oakley: Beyond respect both on the field and off.
Trey: it’ll always be him cutting his foot in Vegas, Always.
TDR: “Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.”
Shane: Lucky. Meaning, NYC is lucky to have him as our sage and I am lucky to have him as my friend.
Amy: Always welcoming & always friendly.
Maggie: Oh, my Maggie. I got so much love for this girl.
Tweasy: My Arizona-message-board-boyfriend.
Festa: People take for granted Festa’s contributions to the kickball community
Scorekeeper: Puts my organization skills to shame.
Jellydogg: JellyFig? IHOP? Why couldn’t one of my sisters have married Jellydogg?
Meatballs: Deservedly consistent winners.

By the by, this made me terribly sentimental. Looking forward to seeing folks tonight.

[The Slam]

Thank you Angel!

It was great to see you on the boards again. The interview turned out as good as I imagined, and you raise some very good points.

Two points I especially agree with:

1. NYC kickball talent is too condensed. Most of the talent seems to play on the same teams. I can see how other teams in leagues with the top teams might get turned off.

2. The dynamic of the MB has changed considerably. There are very few "witty" threads or "personal" threads. There's definitely something missing.

[JellyDogg]

Whoa, Angel has sisters?

[PittsBurgheR]

Nice work baby.

[2_easy]

It's been way to long!

I completely agree with the different vibe on here. The only reason I joined was because of threads started by you and Zamboni! In fact, it was the Booty Call thread that made me pop my MB cherry (Zambomi I think is responsible for this one). I can honestly say, if those threads weren't around, I would still be a Lurker to this day. So all you MB haters, can blame Angel

I would kill so many hours having a good conversation on here and it was wonderful. Now if it is slow at work, I sit here boarded off my ass hoping a good thread will start. But no luck, just the same shit, different thread name.

[*Angel*]

Whoa, Angel has sisters?

Figgy, if either ever becomes available I will send them your way asap.

[JohnnyBlaze]

Whoa, Angel has sisters?

Figgy, if either ever becomes available I will send them your way asap.

you might start a fite.

[*Angel*]

Nice work baby.

[*Angel*]

Whoa, Angel has sisters?

Figgy, if either ever becomes available I will send them your way asap.

you might start a fite.

I've got two sisters.

I'll offer them Sprite and root beer. Then we'll find out who gets who.

[2_easy]

Whoa, Angel has sisters?

Figgy, if either ever becomes available I will send them your way asap.

I can see the first date already!

Alright "sister", when I say go, you will run from 1st to 3rd, touching 2nd in the process as fast as you can. If you can make it under XX amount of time we can have dinner and all the sprite you can drink is on me!

[JellyDogg]

I've got two sisters.

I'll offer them Sprite and root beer. Then we'll find out who gets who.

That's really the only fair way to settle it.

[Festa]

Any day that Angel posts in the MB is a good day!

[2_easy]

Any day that Angel posts in the MB is a good day!

I approve this message!

[*Angel*]

Any day that Angel posts in the MB is a good day!

I approve this message!

Tweasy, is this you? Have I been away so long that you are now a respected member of the mb-community?

Festa, my heart, hoping all is well with you.

[Festa]

Any day that Angel posts in the MB is a good day!

I approve this message!

Tweasy, is this you? Have I been away so long that you are now a respected member of the mb-community?

Festa, my heart, hoping all is well with you.

All is well. I've been super busy with Grad School, the House and a promotion at work. Of course, my more visible time of the kickball year is about to approach. I can't wait for Spring Kickball!

[AmericanMike]

Angel, thanks for the kind words. I got a little teary

The kickball world misses you but then again, I'm not really a part of this "new" kickball world either. I agree with you on the way competitive kickball has taken over from the socializing on what we all joined kickball for in the first reason. Nothing compares to Fall of 2007.

But I have to say that sometimes the competitive bugs bites us all at some point. I put a ton of energy into the creation of my football team but we do try to find the missing pieces in order to stay fresh and competitive. However, we don't cut anyone or plan practices. We started off as a terrible team with no chemistry and now my team is considered a elite team because we worked out our kinks.

Compared to the last 4 years of KB, everyone wanted to join the top teams instead of building off what they got. These top teams took away the competition by recruiting more and more from the lower teams. And when someone got cut, well honestly they never came back to playing kickball again. Being a former rep, it is sad to see and hear from new players that are discouraged by the veteran top teams. What exactly are you suppose to say to someone like feels that way?

Best of luck to you Angel! I wish I could have joined you last night and tonight, but I am booked to work the Knicks-Magic game at 8 PM tonight. I hope we can round up Shot Club soon.

xo
American Mike/MOnkey

[The Slam]

Ok guys, now that I got Angel back for a day, we need to do enough in the next 24 hours to convince her to check the boards everyday and not leave.

Jelly, Scorekeeper, Pitts, Tweasy, Fro, and Festa, Angel needs you more than ever.

I understand this will not be an easy task, but you all better be willing to die trying.

[2_easy]

Yes Angel it is me. I tried to go old school with my name and change it to my very first MB name 2...easy. Apparently it doesn't allow periods in the names anymore.

[The Slam]

Mike, what do you do for work now?

[*Angel*]

Thank you Angel!

It was great to see you on the boards again. The interview turned out as good as I imagined, and you raise some very good points.

Two points I especially agree with:

1. NYC kickball talent is too condensed. Most of the talent seems to play on the same teams. I can see how other teams in leagues with the top teams might get turned off.

2. The dynamic of the MB has changed considerably. There are very few "witty" threads or "personal" threads. There's definitely something missing.

I think the thing is that there were certain personalities who have dropped out of kickball or off of the mb who helped maintain the balance. Or some are still there but due to various reasons don't post as much or play in different cities. C-Meth, Ro, Jenri, Anna Banana, Duffy, Suggs, Teresa Cassiburi - these were all people who made it easy to feel a part of the kickball community on the field and on the mb.

There were also lots of ways to crossover info like The Code. That made being on the mb important because it became mb-language (though I realize that it actually belongs to Mikey's camp shenanigans). And the sake-bomb parties. That's where things fell apart in NYC - no more sake bomb parties. Again, it was like a reward for being on the mb, making being on the mb valid. It also meant that there was this event where people from all teams hung out together. It seems like people really stick with their teams now socially. (I am sure that is not true across the board so this is not a blanket statement by any means.)

And the sake bomb parties were Jared's baby. He organized those. I wouldn't have enjoyed kickball or the mb as much without them.

[AmericanMike]

Mike, what do you do for work now?

i'm a runner in the club seats for all knicks and rangers games and events.
occasionally, i am vending for concerts and events.

[*Angel*]

Angel, thanks for the kind words. I got a little teary

The kickball world misses you but then again, I'm not really a part of this "new" kickball world either. I agree with you on the way competitive kickball has taken over from the socializing on what we all joined kickball for in the first reason. Nothing compares to Fall of 2007.

...

Best of luck to you Angel! I wish I could have joined you last night and tonight, but I am booked to work the Knicks-Magic game at 8 PM tonight. I hope we can round up Shot Club soon.

xo
American Mike/MOnkey

MOnkey, I ran into Doug last weekend and told him we should round up a Shot Club date soon. J-Hard & I have been hinting at one for a few months now.

[2_easy]

And the sake bomb parties were Jared's baby. He organized those. I wouldn't have enjoyed kickball or the mb as much without them.

Jared encouraged postwhoring!

[AmericanMike]

Angel, thanks for the kind words. I got a little teary

The kickball world misses you but then again, I'm not really a part of this "new" kickball world either. I agree with you on the way competitive kickball has taken over from the socializing on what we all joined kickball for in the first reason. Nothing compares to Fall of 2007.

...

Best of luck to you Angel! I wish I could have joined you last night and tonight, but I am booked to work the Knicks-Magic game at 8 PM tonight. I hope we can round up Shot Club soon.

xo
American Mike/MOnkey

MOnkey, I ran into Doug last weekend and told him we should round up a Shot Club date soon. J-Hard & I have been hinting at one for a few months now.

Sounds good. However, it will be difficult for me over the next 2/3 weeks left and then possible limited dates in April, May, and June depending how far Knicks and Rangers go in the playoffs. But let us talk soon.

[2_easy]

Angel,
Since this is your thread. Are you currently playing "spin the bottle" or has your bottle been stuck in one direction for awhile!

[Kickbot]

Great interview! Thanks for the kind words, Angel.

[The Slam]

It's been way to long!

I completely agree with the different vibe on here. The only reason I joined was because of threads started by you and Zamboni! In fact, it was the Booty Call thread that made me pop my MB cherry (Zambomi I think is responsible for this one). I can honestly say, if those threads weren't around, I would still be a Lurker to this day. So all you MB haters, can blame Angel

I would kill so many hours having a good conversation on here and it was wonderful. Now if it is slow at work, I sit here boarded off my ass hoping a good thread will start. But no luck, just the same shit, different thread name.

imagine how many more posters like tweasy there could be if Angel returns!

[The Slam]

Angel, thanks for the kind words. I got a little teary

The kickball world misses you but then again, I'm not really a part of this "new" kickball world either. I agree with you on the way competitive kickball has taken over from the socializing on what we all joined kickball for in the first reason. Nothing compares to Fall of 2007.

...

Best of luck to you Angel! I wish I could have joined you last night and tonight, but I am booked to work the Knicks-Magic game at 8 PM tonight. I hope we can round up Shot Club soon.

xo
American Mike/MOnkey

MOnkey, I ran into Doug last weekend and told him we should round up a Shot Club date soon. J-Hard & I have been hinting at one for a few months now.

Sounds good. However, it will be difficult for me over the next 2/3 weeks left and then possible limited dates in April, May, and June depending how far Knicks and Rangers go in the playoffs. But let us talk soon.

Since its technically work, are you able to enjoy being at the games or no?

Any perks like meeting players?

[2_easy]

Great interview! Thanks for the kind words, Angel.

From what I have heard and seen, those kind words are very true!

[crAsh]

Dear Angel,

I do not know you, but I know *of* you. When I was doing research on how to embarass StevieSlam in his recent interview I found your forum and thoroughly enjoyed it. The dating threads cracked me up...I'm pretty sure some of the threads should be sent to players when they sign up for their first kb season. Besides all of that...I think 98% of 365 posters are male at this point. (Not that I have a problem with that ) buuuuuut there could definitely stand to be a little balance here...

Plus I'm pretty sure all of the entertaining conversations happen offline these days, maybe you can help everyone feel comfortable bringing it out in the open

[Lost_Sage]

I don't like this thread ...

I it.

Thanks for the kind word, Angel. NYC kickball never had a better, wiser, and sassier social conscience, and we miss you dearly.

StevieSlam also missed asking one of your absolute favorite word associations. And I know the answer to it ... but it's worth hearing anyways. So I'll ask it now:

Admin:

[AmericanMike]

Angel, thanks for the kind words. I got a little teary

The kickball world misses you but then again, I'm not really a part of this "new" kickball world either. I agree with you on the way competitive kickball has taken over from the socializing on what we all joined kickball for in the first reason. Nothing compares to Fall of 2007.

...

Best of luck to you Angel! I wish I could have joined you last night and tonight, but I am booked to work the Knicks-Magic game at 8 PM tonight. I hope we can round up Shot Club soon.

xo
American Mike/MOnkey

MOnkey, I ran into Doug last weekend and told him we should round up a Shot Club date soon. J-Hard & I have been hinting at one for a few months now.

Sounds good. However, it will be difficult for me over the next 2/3 weeks left and then possible limited dates in April, May, and June depending how far Knicks and Rangers go in the playoffs. But let us talk soon.

Since its technically work, are you able to enjoy being at the games or no? Sometimes

Any perks like meeting players/celebrities? Sometimes

[*Angel*]

Dear Angel,

I do not know you, but I know *of* you. When I was doing research on how to embarass StevieSlam in his recent interview I found your forum and thoroughly enjoyed it. The dating threads cracked me up...I'm pretty sure some of the threads should be sent to players when they sign up for their first kb season. Besides all of that...I think 98% of 365 posters are male at this point. (Not that I have a problem with that ) buuuuuut there could definitely stand to be a little balance here...

Plus I'm pretty sure all of the entertaining conversations happen offline these days, maybe you can help everyone feel comfortable bringing it out in the open

Holy crap. You are adorable. That's sweet to hear all of that stuff. Embarassing StevieSlam seems to be a recurring theme on the mb!

Yeah - it definitely used to feel like I spent my whole day at one big online party. And, crAsh, I think you're exactly right that most convo happens offline like on gchat and whatnot. And what does that promote (it took me a second to NOT write "proMOte" ) but hanging out with the same people all of the time instead of growing and building your circle. Which seems to be the concern some people are expressing regarding kickball & k365.

[The Slam]

Dear Angel,

I do not know you, but I know *of* you. When I was doing research on how to embarass StevieSlam in his recent interview I found your forum and thoroughly enjoyed it. The dating threads cracked me up...I'm pretty sure some of the threads should be sent to players when they sign up for their first kb season. Besides all of that...I think 98% of 365 posters are male at this point. (Not that I have a problem with that ) buuuuuut there could definitely stand to be a little balance here...

Plus I'm pretty sure all of the entertaining conversations happen offline these days, maybe you can help everyone feel comfortable bringing it out in the open

Holy crap. You are adorable. That's sweet to hear all of that stuff. Embarassing StevieSlam seems to be a recurring theme on the mb!

Yeah - it definitely used to feel like I spent my whole day at one big online party. And, crAsh, I think you're exactly right that most convo happens offline like on gchat and whatnot. And what does that promote (it took me a second to NOT write "proMOte" ) but hanging out with the same people all of the time instead of growing and building your circle. Which seems to be the concern some people are expressing regarding kickball & k365.

Angel, if you haven't checked out the thread "getting to know stevieslam", it's a good read (well before it got hijacked). crAsh did a really good job of interviewing me. She was able to find info about my date with lilpenny and my NY post meet market. She's one of my favorite posters on here.

[The Slam]

Since its technically work, are you able to enjoy being at the games or no? Sometimes

Any perks like meeting players/celebrities? Sometimes

Allright, spill the beans. Who have you met so far?