Newsletter Hissy Fit

[Coyote]

Ok first just the facts. Then my opinion. Then you validate my opinion because lets be serious no one would post a question with out looking for validation.
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End of the year recap submitted by Fingerbang.

Ideally, we thought we would win this game and move on to play El Guapo in the championship game. While
we didn’t believe that Shake N’ Bake would roll over and we’d have an easy time with them, we did think we
had the upper hand since we beat them in our last encounter.
Needless to say, our ideal situation did not come to fruition.
SNB picked up one run in the first inning but we came back to match them at the bottom of the first. Neither
team was able to pick up any more runs for the rest of the game, although we did have several opportunities to
bring in the winning run, particularly with a bases loaded and only one out situation. Unfortunately the pressure
got the better of our kickers and we weren’t able to convert on those much-needed runs.
Because of the tie, the game went in to two extra innings. Both teams traded a run in the 6th inning but SNB
picked up an unanswered run in the 7th to win the game.
All in all, the competitive portion of the game was awesome. Unfortunately, the sportsmanship aspect was
awful considering that SNB really solidified their position as The Team That No One Likes with their incessant
trash talking through the entire game. Seriously, you guys should join a softball league if you want to act like a
bunch of classless d-bags.
Also, no thanks to the jerks on the other baseball field that turned off the lights. It’s not like we needed them or
anything.
Finally, big thanks to Team Awesome for providing not 2, not 3, but 4 umpires for the game. We know you
didn’t have to come out to the fields, so big thanks for going the extra mile to make things run smoothly.

Shake N Bake is that team They are the team that no one else in the league likes.
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Captain of Shake N bake gets upset about recap.
Shake N bake did not submit a recap for either their game with Fingerbang, which they won.
Or their game for the championship, which they lost to El Guapo (Shameless plug).
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Bruce, our president, is pissed. Wants Joe, editor of newsletter and member of Fingerbang, to write a retraction/apology. Which goes down like this.

Dear WAKA Kickball Participants,
We are emailing you today to highlight an oversight that occurred early in the week with the submission of KC MELE our weekly newsletter. It seems that some things were shared in a recap concerning a Semi-final game of Shake N Bake versus Fingerbang. The contents of the recap were very negative and spoke volumes about how we may need to do a better job promoting sportsmanship in our division.
Each season we've been in existence we've done things to improve the division... this will be true next season as well. We will educate and enforce the Zero Tolerance Policy for unsportsmanlike conduct. Kickball is a game played on playgrounds all over the US and we aim to return to fundamentals when supporting sportsmanship and teamwork. We as a division are a team and must act like one to support such a policy.
We'd like to apologize to the division as well as Shake N Bake for this oversight as the piece only served to stir up bad blood and was a clear indication that some folks aren't able to leave their feelings on the field. Regardless, on the field or off the field we promise to forge ahead and keep this in mind when planning for the Spring 2009 season and beyond. All remarks and recaps going into the newsletter will be viewed and edited if necessary (humor is welcome, but blatant disregard for a fellow kickballer is not).
I hope you've all had a positive experience with WAKA Kickball this season. If you have not please email me with your questions, comments and concerns and I will do my best to address them. Thank you for playing WAKA MO-Kansas City Division Kickball and making this the most successful season yet.
Sincerely,
Bruce, President
Troy, Vice President
Joe, Rules Chair/Newsletter Editor
Brian, Captain - Fingerbang

Joe the newsletter editor can't even send the newsletter to everyone through email. He has to send to pres first and then Bruce sends it out.
--------------End Facts-------------------------

Shouldn't have Bruce reviewed the newsletter before if he has such a problem with it now?
Should Bruce have sent out the apology?
Should SnB just got over it?
Would you want your newsletter to be edited and told what is and what is not quality content?
I think that SnB had the same opportunity to slam Fingerbang. [There is a heated rivalry here, so much so that they can not ref each other games, beer has been thrown on two different people, and a player left the game to go into the stands to try and start a fight. ]
Personally I don't want anyone to limit what I have to say in the newsletter. If I post something that makes me sound like an idiot then its on me. Not the newsletter. Next week the team can always write a response.

Ok that's it. Like to hear others opinions on it.

[KILF Hunter]

This seems pretty mild compared to the DC leagues...come check out the fodder on DC Royal. The good teams walk a fine line between poor sportsmanship and competitive drive.

Example: viewtopic.php?f=183&t=6510

[Zak]

If a team wants to call another team douchebags, asshats, or motherless curs in the newsletter let them. Editing the statements does nothing to but upset the censored team more.

[JellyDogg]

I agree. This is very mild for DC leagues. It would almost be considered "playful banter."

[GI_Joe]

<-- I'm Joe the Newsletter Guy

To be fair, I want to clarify a couple of things that Dave doesn't know about.

1. I wrote the recap for my team.

2. I don't have the ability to send the newsletter to the division. I have to send the newsletter to our web guy to upload to the website. Once that is complete, I have to e-mail the link and copy that I want to be in the e-mail to the president who then sends it to the division. At this point, two people besides me have had an opportunity to review the newsletter before it goes out.

3. The president wrote the apology e-mail on his own and sent it to the division. He privately sent myself, the vice pres, and the other captain on my team e-mails saying he was going to do so and wanted our backing on it. Apparently the other team's captain was pressing for an apology and wanted to know who wrote it. Our president wouldn't tell him it was me but did agree to the apology e-mail.

4. Only the pres, vice pres, the other captain on my team, my wife, and Dave officially know that I wrote the recap.

The easiest thing for me to do was go with the apology even though I don't agree with it and I think it's actually making the "situation" worse. I've read quite a few of our sister divisions' newsletters and I can definitely say that this recap was about .0001% of the nastiness that the rest of you guys say about each other.

[GI_Joe]

If a team wants to call another team douchebags, asshats, or motherless curs in the newsletter let them. Editing the statements does nothing to but upset the censored team more.

It was "classless d-bags," which, honestly, would make a great kickball team name.

[KILF Hunter]

<-- I'm Joe the Newsletter Guy

The easiest thing for me to do was go with the apology even though I don't agree with it and I think it's actually making the "situation" worse. I've read quite a few of our sister divisions' newsletters and I can definitely say that this recap was about .0001% of the nastiness that the rest of you guys say about each other.

Joe, I didn't find that write-up offensive at all. DC Royal has women captains that routinely make personal barbs at specific individuals on other teams, calling them out in our weekly "newsletter" aka GMOT. I wouldn't feel too bad if I were you, it sounds like you got hosed here and I still don't see anything offensive in the write-up.

You midwesterners don't have to be so nice all the time. ITS KICKBALL!!

[Festa]

<-- I'm Joe the Newsletter Guy

To be fair, I want to clarify a couple of things that Dave doesn't know about.

1. I wrote the recap for my team.

2. I don't have the ability to send the newsletter to the division. I have to send the newsletter to our web guy to upload to the website. Once that is complete, I have to e-mail the link and copy that I want to be in the e-mail to the president who then sends it to the division. At this point, two people besides me have had an opportunity to review the newsletter before it goes out.

3. The president wrote the apology e-mail on his own and sent it to the division. He privately sent myself, the vice pres, and the other captain on my team e-mails saying he was going to do so and wanted our backing on it. Apparently the other team's captain was pressing for an apology and wanted to know who wrote it. Our president wouldn't tell him it was me but did agree to the apology e-mail.

4. Only the pres, vice pres, the other captain on my team, my wife, and Dave officially know that I wrote the recap.

The easiest thing for me to do was go with the apology even though I don't agree with it and I think it's actually making the "situation" worse. I've read quite a few of our sister divisions' newsletters and I can definitely say that this recap was about .0001% of the nastiness that the rest of you guys say about each other.

I'm Festa, the DC Royal/Capital Newsletter guy,

1.) I do the same thing because certain captians seem to forget

2.) I don't have that ability either. In both divisions I have to send the GMOT to the President or VP. They may read it, but I've only been censored once... when I mentioned a non-WAKA league. Trash talking has never been censored. I don't censor anything that came from a Captain.

3.) Your president sounds too PC. He needs to grow a pair

4.) In the end, you're at the mercy of your President. If they read some of the recaps from DC/VA GMOTS they may be appalled.

[Coyote]

I don't know if anyone thought it was all that bad, per se. At times it still seems like our league is handled with kid gloves. But by doing it Joe set precident. No one had directly called out anyone else before. So I think there was the controversy.

[GI_Joe]

<-- I'm Joe the Newsletter Guy

The easiest thing for me to do was go with the apology even though I don't agree with it and I think it's actually making the "situation" worse. I've read quite a few of our sister divisions' newsletters and I can definitely say that this recap was about .0001% of the nastiness that the rest of you guys say about each other.

Joe, I didn't find that write-up offensive at all. DC Royal has women captains that routinely make personal barbs at specific individuals on other teams, calling them out in our weekly "newsletter" aka GMOT. I wouldn't feel too bad if I were you, it sounds like you got hosed here and I still don't see anything offensive in the write-up.

You midwesterners don't have to be so nice all the time. ITS KICKBALL!!

I am the only person in the division that has played WAKA kickball in another state/different division. I think that has a lot to do with the reaction from the other team.

I don't feel bad about it in the slightest and honestly, the only reason why it's become such a big deal is because the president has sent two division-wide e-mails about it.

[GI_Joe]

Blah Blah Blah

I'm Festa, the DC Royal/Capital Newsletter guy,

1.) I do the same thing because certain captians seem to forget

2.) I don't have that ability either. In both divisions I have to send the GMOT to the President or VP. They may read it, but I've only been censored once... when I mentioned a non-WAKA league. Trash talking has never been censored. I don't censor anything that came from a Captain.

3.) Your president sounds too PC. He needs to grow a pair

4.) In the end, you're at the mercy of your President. If they read some of the recaps from DC/VA GMOTS they may be appalled.

I've only censored one recap and it was because it could have been taken as racist. I e-mailed the writer and asked him to change it and I told him why. He was happy to re-write it because I approached him privately and respectfully.

This was my first season playing in KC. I noticed about halfway through that the people in charge are overly PC about this stuff and want to avoid hurting anyone's feelings, no matter how stupid the reason. I didn't deliberately try to piss people off, but I am sick of this particular team being retarded every week.

I can't wait for the inevitable showdown between myself and the other team's captain when he figures out that I wrote the recap. Our EOSP is tomorrow night, so I'll let you know if I've been banned from the division on Friday

[Coyote]

Joe, I doubt they show up. Last year when we beat them in the semi's they left the fields with in 5 minutes and didn't show up to the end of the season party. They took us beating them again this year a bit better. But I doubt they show up to the party.

Half of what causes Bruce headaches is trying to appease everyone. He does a good job, but he just needs to chill.

[*Angel*]

I can't wait for the inevitable showdown between myself and the other team's captain when he figures out that I wrote the recap. Our EOSP is tomorrow night, so I'll let you know if I've been banned from the division on Friday

Keep us updated Joe!

The wide world of kickball wants to know!

[zamboni]

I agree that censoring gets sticky.

This is our first season with a GMOT, and we were faced with a situation... My team is the most active team in the division... We make up a vast majority of the board, not to mention GMOT editor(s). We mercy-ruled a team earlier this season, and a not-so-nice recap was our reward. They called us douchebags, assholes, blah blah blah. Yeah. And they said we Sotally Tuck (which I thought was quite clever )

They have never talked to us, or tried to get to know us like the rest of the division has, so most of that team still hates us. oh well. No one else believes anything they say about us because they have taken the time to get to know us.

We made the decision not to edit it because, well... if that's how they feel, good for them. But also, it was tricky because it was our team that was talked about. Not that I agree with their statements, but it would have only made the situation worse, because I'm sure they would have been peeved that we edited them. There has been other trash-talk since then, but nothing nearly as pointed as that one. And really, I think the rest has all been in good fun.

Personally, the way I see it... I have no control over what people say about me, but I do have control over my own behavior. If I act like a douchebag, then good for you for calling me out on it. I deserve it. If I haven't acted like a douchebag, and you say I did? I'm pretty sure anyone who listens hasn't taken the time to get to know me, so it's no skin of my back. That's your problem, not mine. Those who know me know better.

So yeah, we don't edit people... makes the situation worse.

Let it go. Move on.

(sorry, I know that's a bit more than my $.02 )

[*Angel*]

Personally, the way I see it... I have no control over what people say about me, but I do have control over my own behavior. If I act like a douchebag, then good for you for calling me out on it. I deserve it. If I haven't acted like a douchebag, and you say I did? I'm pretty sure anyone who listens hasn't taken the time to get to know me, so it's no skin of my back. That's your problem, not mine. Those who know me know better.

Renny, you is the best. I'll never forget you.

[Festa]

(sorry, I know that's a bit more than my $.02 )

Would you like your change back?

[zamboni]

oh, Keesh!

Life's too short!

(however, it's not too short for me to be sad about not being top 20 and not getting to join the sake party!)

/end jack...

carry on.

yes.

[zamboni]

(sorry, I know that's a bit more than my $.02 )

Would you like your change back?

Nah, y'all can keep it. Probably the best $.73 I've ever shared on here.

[GI_Joe]

Personally, the way I see it... I have no control over what people say about me, but I do have control over my own behavior. If I act like a douchebag, then good for you for calling me out on it. I deserve it. If I haven't acted like a douchebag, and you say I did? I'm pretty sure anyone who listens hasn't taken the time to get to know me, so it's no skin of my back. That's your problem, not mine. Those who know me know better.

This is exactly how I feel about it.

The reasoning so far has been, "Well, that needs to be left on the field." Okay, so you want me to call you a douchebag to your face? I'm sure that's going to go over even better. The newsletter is supposed to be biased and controversial. It lets people bitch without having to go through the whole "physical altercation" thing that we know and love.

Anyway, thanks for the vindication. I realize that my online kickball friends can't "fix" the situation here, but at least I can feel good knowing that it's not me who is retarded.

Also, Dave, they were at last season's EOSP for a grand total of 20 minutes; just enough time for the awards to be handed out.

[Zak]

...We made the decision not to edit it because, well... if that's how they feel, good for them. But also, it was tricky because it was our team that was talked about. Not that I agree with their statements, but it would have only made the situation worse, because I'm sure they would have been peeved that we edited them. There has been other trash-talk since then, but nothing nearly as pointed as that one. And really, I think the rest has all been in good fun...

I believe my exact response was "At least they sent in a recap"

[Coyote]

Also, Dave, they were at last season's EOSP for a grand total of 20 minutes; just enough time for the awards to be handed out.

Oh. I was too busy cleaning up on the awards to notice! That's right I bolded it. I'm bold mother..

[Static]

Also, Dave, they were at last season's EOSP for a grand total of 20 minutes; just enough time for the awards to be handed out.

I don't really have a whole lot to add, but even though I was barely standing when I left the EOSP in the spring, I do remember that 5 or 6 of the SNB girls showed up for the party. None of the guys.

I also wanted to pop my first post cherry and this seemed like a good way.

Viva El Guapo!

[*Angel*]

Love the midwest getting MOre action to the board.

Welcome, Static!

[Bacchus]

Thats my favorite thing about kickball is the trash talk. It always cracks me up when some guy looks @ me and will be like "really its just kickball" and 3 minutes later he is screaming @ the ref b/c he didnt like the call.

bottom line if you dish it you must be able to take it. if you cant maybe you should bowl or something... AND if you are an ass/ d-bag be ready to be called on it.

[zamboni]

Oh yeah.

It totally cracks me up when that happens. So many people call us out for getting into the game, and then when a call doesn't go their way, they get all up in arms.

Which was one of my favorite parts about the anti-tober recap... They said we were poor sports because we were arguing calls... but in the next paragraph called the reffing iffy, at best, or something like that.

Hmmm...

[Retired]

Thats my favorite thing about kickball is the trash talk. It always cracks me up when some guy looks @ me and will be like "really its just kickball" and 3 minutes later he is screaming @ the ref b/c he didnt like the call.

bottom line if you dish it you must be able to take it. if you cant maybe you should bowl or something... AND if you are an ass/ d-bag be ready to be called on it.

Watch yourself about the bowling Just got done bowling last night in my league and I bring the heat when it comes to trash talking. A team of young guys were bowling next to us and they all bowled out of their ass. The lowest score scratch was 226 and the high score was 290. So they are feeling all happy with themselves, so I took my teammates 180 patch walked up to their table and slammed it down and said "What know Bitches!"

So no talking down to us little bowlers. Or maybe I brought my kickball skills to the bowling league along with me

[Bacchus]

a team in WAAR had a recap totally against me. it ended up being deleted b/c it was OUT of control. but our recap was awesome. I am trying to find it. It just pretty much said "wow foul hookers were a very nice team to play. Minus the 3 d-bags who like to run over our girls and laugh. too bad our girl took him out. bottom line dont talk shit when you are behind by 8"

see...when you are a douche you get called out.

aww now i am getting sad. winter division is soooo far way. the BEST trash talking ever is between us & the blue balls. it should go down in trash talking history. the greatest part of it .... is after @ the bar when we all hang out.

[Bacchus]

Thats my favorite thing about kickball is the trash talk. It always cracks me up when some guy looks @ me and will be like "really its just kickball" and 3 minutes later he is screaming @ the ref b/c he didnt like the call.

bottom line if you dish it you must be able to take it. if you cant maybe you should bowl or something... AND if you are an ass/ d-bag be ready to be called on it.

Watch yourself about the bowling Just got done bowling last night in my league and I bring the heat when it comes to trash talking. A team of young guys were bowling next to us and they all bowled out of their ass. The lowest score scratch was 226 and the high score was 290. So they are feeling all happy with themselves, so I took my teammates 180 patch walked up to their table and slammed it down and said "What know Bitches!"

So no talking down to us little bowlers. Or maybe I brought my kickball skills to the bowling league along with me

oh no i am not hating on the bowling....HAHA but i have never seen trash talking @ the bowling ally! i mean i was in a league once. we just drank too much so i quit...it was cutting into my college "learning" time

[BigEasy]

a team in WAAR had a recap totally against me. it ended up being deleted b/c it was OUT of control. but our recap was awesome. I am trying to find it. It just pretty much said "wow foul hookers were a very nice team to play. Minus the 3 d-bags who like to run over our girls and laugh. too bad our girl took him out. bottom line dont talk shit when you are behind by 8"

see...when you are a douche you get called out.

aww now i am getting sad. winter division is soooo far way. the BEST trash talking ever is between us & the blue balls. it should go down in trash talking history. the greatest part of it .... is after @ the bar when we all hang out.

jeez Kate, it's only kickball... settle down.

[Bacchus]

i would think NY is waaaay more intense then vb/norfolk???

[BigEasy]

i would think NY is waaaay more intense then vb/norfolk???

just when it comes to refs, rules, teams taking it too seriously, not seriously enough, the ball, practice, field set up, time limits, teams taking shirt color from another, flip cup, penny wars, and who MO'ed more.

nah all that stuff is probably the same in both places.

rent, rent is way more intense up here.

[Bacchus]

I couldnt imagine the rent!!!!

we dont have a lot of making out (still not used to the MO thing). Well i mean if people do it isnt me or i am too drunk to notice

i love competitive people. only the competitive people who understand athletics. it is really annoying when you get that person/persons who NEVER played a sport ever & is crazy. But i dont argue there...i just giggle

[*Angel*]

I couldnt imagine the rent!!!!

we dont have a lot of making out (still not used to the MO thing). Well i mean if people do it isnt me or i am too drunk to notice

i love competitive people. only the competitive people who understand athletics. it is really annoying when you get that person/persons who NEVER played a sport ever & is crazy. But i dont argue there...i just giggle

This was me. I had played dodgeball but never minded being a wholely fun team - we were always still competitive enough that we didn't care. And I got very lucky with my first kickball team (KMA!) - that we were all randoms, learning the game together, meeting everyone together - so we had an automatic pressure-reducer there. So I have eased into taking it all MOre seriously - which has also affected the dodgeball team!

[BigEasy]

I couldnt imagine the rent!!!!

we dont have a lot of making out (still not used to the MO thing). Well i mean if people do it isnt me or i am too drunk to notice

i love competitive people. only the competitive people who understand athletics. it is really annoying when you get that person/persons who NEVER played a sport ever & is crazy. But i dont argue there...i just giggle

This reminded me of one of my favorite FC stories:

My favorite quote was from Jen (our shortshop) on the elevator with the UNLV football coach and a few of the players. The players saw our kickball shirts and were giving us a hard time. Jen looked them square in the eye and said "Hey. This is what you have to look forward to after you graduate. We were all college athletes, too." They guys just gave her a blank stare and the UNLV coach almost fell over he was laughing so hard.

I was also on KMA and we were terrible at kickball, but I still found it amusing that so many people hated Hey Whoa because they "took it too seriously" or were "too competitive." I mean seriously even if you are a "fun" team you still want to win, losing is not fun.

[*Angel*]

I was also on KMA and we were terrible at kickball, but I still found it amusing that so many people hated Hey Whoa because they "took it too seriously" or were "too competitive." I mean seriously even if you are a "fun" team you still want to win, losing is not fun.

KMA never let it get them down. We never made excuses. The truth was that none of us had any idea what we were doing and there was never a consistent core that showed up every single week that you could depend on.
It was a very special team. I think that is why so many of us stuck around.

[BigEasy]

I was also on KMA and we were terrible at kickball, but I still found it amusing that so many people hated Hey Whoa because they "took it too seriously" or were "too competitive." I mean seriously even if you are a "fun" team you still want to win, losing is not fun.

KMA never let it get them down. We never made excuses. The truth was that none of us had any idea what we were doing and there was never a consistent core that showed up every single week that you could depend on.
It was a very special team. I think that is why so many of us stuck around.

I think our best game was against Bacon Bits. I think we lost 3-1 or something like that and played great.

[KILF Hunter]

Thats my favorite thing about kickball is the trash talk. It always cracks me up when some guy looks @ me and will be like "really its just kickball" and 3 minutes later he is screaming @ the ref b/c he didnt like the call.

bottom line if you dish it you must be able to take it. if you cant maybe you should bowl or something... AND if you are an ass/ d-bag be ready to be called on it.

I think we can all agree that the purveyors that hide behind "Really dude? Its just Kickball!" tend to be the people that act like the biggest jacka$$es week in and week out. Let's just throw that line out the window, shall we?

[Retired]

Thats my favorite thing about kickball is the trash talk. It always cracks me up when some guy looks @ me and will be like "really its just kickball" and 3 minutes later he is screaming @ the ref b/c he didnt like the call.

bottom line if you dish it you must be able to take it. if you cant maybe you should bowl or something... AND if you are an ass/ d-bag be ready to be called on it.

I think we can all agree that the purveyors that hide behind "Really dude? Its just Kickball!" tend to be the people that act like the biggest jacka$$es week in and week out. Let's just throw that line out the window, shall we?

Chill. "It's just kickball!"

[GI_Joe]

Just so you guys know, I'm trying to set up a meeting over beers with the president and vice president this weekend. They left me out to dry on this one and I'm not very happy about it. I just wrote a 7 page, itemized list of why they are wrong and how they should have handled the whole thing. I included some of the stuff you guys have written here (My internet friends said...).

I'm not expecting an apology because I think the president honestly thinks he did the right thing. Hopefully he'll at least consider my side of the argument after I talk to him about it.

And no, there is no ultimatum. I'm not going to quit playing kickball or writing the newsletter if he refuses to at least acknowledge that I have a point... mostly because there's no other divisions in Kansas City. If there were, I'd be out because this shit is ridiculous.

[BigEasy]

Good luck! It sounds like he will listen to you and hear your side, but will stick to the "what's best for the league" stand that he is attempting. I think you are right that he would be quite shocked to see/play in other divisions around the country.