Kronum League Round 9 - Work Horses vs. Night Owls

The Work Horses are living proof that “luck favors the bold.”

In Kronum, everything from jumping a pass for a steal on defense to passing up a low percentage Chamber shot in lieu of a Crown Ring gamble, is high risk – high reward. An 8-point Kronum shot from the cross through the ring offers life to any team that has a hard-headed and confident enough scorer  to put the team on his back and go for the glory. In this particular matchup versus the Night Owls, the Horses saddled up two cowboys for the gunfight, rookie sensation Dave Slusser and captain Jeff Yetter. The two combined for a Kronum League record three, 8-point “Kronums” accounting for 24 points that, if not scored, would have left the Horses in the stable and out of contention against the high-powered, second-place Owls.

The first period offered a plethora of points, passes, and penalties. Owls ranger Luke Dougan (28 points) drilled home half of his game-high total in the first with 14 points early, including two 4-point shots from 17 yards out and Phil Cavalcante (22 points, 7 assists, 6 blocks) got some help from Horses’ wedgeback Trevor Lyman (7 saves) on a deflected penalty that found it’s way through a Crown Ring for 6 points. Owls' wedgeback and ROY candidate Matt Sola (18 points, 12 saves) patrolled the field and found open shots from the Flex and Cross Zones, connecting for 10 points in the opening frame to go along with 5 saves in net while Greg Ashton (11 saves) recorded 7 saves. The Owls were flapping along  with a double-digit lead early when Horses' rookie ranger Dave Slusser (24 points) sniped the first of his two 8-point "Kronum" shots on the day to breathe life back into his squad. Kosta Nikolos drilled 8 of his 10 points to support Slusser's heroics and the Horses were within reach, trailing 46-34 after one.

The re-emergence of Horses' captain Jeff Yetter seemed to have more than an inspiring effect for the defense in the second period. The team's physicality alone stymied the Night Owl shooters, forcing ill-advised shots and turnovers in the middle of the field. As good as the first line of defense was in the second, the wedgebacks were even better. Bill Zane (8 points, 10 saves) led the cavalry with 5 incredible stops to help limit the Owls to less than half of their first period total. Around the 11:00 minute mark in the second, Slusser decided to go ahead an bury another 8-point "Kronum" to start the surge that would eventually bring the Horses within two points to close out the period. Yetter began heating up as well drained a 4-pointer from the Cross and a 2-point dunk late. The Owls needed to mend their broken wings but escaped with a slim lead at 68-66 heading into what would be one of the greatest 3rd period battles in Kronum history. 

The winless Work Horses smelled blood against the Nimble Jacks three weeks ago where they played lights out and took a 6-point loss. In this game, they already took a bite and had it running down their chin. Yetter (28 points, 5 assists) was the first to jump in on the carnage, going off for 18 points in the 3rd and showed his versatility in the process. An 8-pointer from the cross, a 2-point kick score in the wedge zone, a 4-pointer from the cross, AND a 4-point Ring shot from the Flex. Matt Urglavitch (16 points) played Robin to Yetter's Batman in the 3rd and chipped in 8 points. Bob Zane (9 saves) was going crazy in net for the Horses, turning aside all 5 shots fired on him in the final 20 minutes. The Owls' were missing ranger Jay Klein, their "Maestro in the Middle" and turned to their All-Star wedgeback Joe Tulskie for a spark and Tulskie went ballistic. Working in unison with Chris "CVT" Von Tanhausen (game-high 7 assists), "Polish Joe" went 5-for-5 from the Flex to erase 5-point deficit. With half-a-minute left in the game and the Horses leading by 1, Tulskie calmly fired a bullet past Bob Zane to give the Owls a one-point lead. Now, every sport has its own legendary finishes. Bobby Thompson's "Shot Heard Round the World", Ali/Frazier's "Rumble in the Jungle", and so on. The final 20 seconds of the 2011 Work Horses/Night Owls second go round will forever be known as the "Mess in the Wedge". After Tulskie's go-ahead shot the Horses put all their focus and effort on Quad 1. About 12 players battled in the "no hands" Wedge Zone as the Horses tried to get off a shot and the Owls desperately tried to clear the zone. Elbows, shoulders, knees, and hips were thrown spastically by each team in the frenzy. Tick, tick, tick. The clock seemed to be in slow-motion but eventually timed out on the Horses and the Owls "limped" away with a hard-fought and exhausting 106-105 victory. 

The Horses fell to 0-9 and the Owls made a bigger push for the first round bye and advanced to 6-3 heading into the final week of the regular season.

Tune into kronum.com on January 8th beginning at 10am to view all the action.

PC

Kronum League Round 8 – Work Horses vs. Jet Sets

When teams in the Kronum League line up on the 2nd circle for the Prime Rush, they see a multitude of threats cloaked in more bright orange and hues of blue than your classic Cosby Sweater. Their primary concern, however, is to execute a plan to shut down Jet Sets’ ranger Jeff Regensberg. The 2010 Kronum League Scoring Champion has built a reputation on his ability to score whenever and wherever he sees an opening, while oddly enjoying the contact that physical defenses implement in an attempt to contain his offensive outbursts. They expect him to shy away from it later in the game but to no avail.  Wicked shots from the Cross, Flex, and the moon’s surface rain down upon wedgebacks with the fire of 10,000 suns as Regensberg and the netminder in his primary quadrant play their own game of rapid fire, just without the saves.

The Jet Sets rely on their big “Spruce Goose” to carry the cargo week in and week out as a dependable provider of everything offensive on the round and even chip in on ‘D’ with an occasional block or steal, but it is the medium-sized Bombardiers and the single-engine Cessnas that take turns re-filling the jet fuel levels of a very volatile team. When they are on, they appear invincible. Riding the Jetstream with gusts of smack-talk, physical, and some necessary showboating on top. Their confidence is admirable and their on-the-fly experimentation is questionable. Nevertheless, every week fans and viewers are treated to a unique version of Kronum. Attention passengers, we are now boarding…
The aforementioned Bombardiers and Cessnas have become the backbone of the sets throughout the season where they sit in 4th place holding a 4-4 record. A very talented supporting cast, players like Nick DeLuca, Vinny Greco, and Most Improved Player of the Year Candidates Ant Barbera and Jim Andorko are a huge part of the Jet Sets’ turnaround since the 2010 regular season, and they were the ever present in their most recent victory over the Work Horses in Round 8.

Playing a winless team is tricky. They’re hungry for a win and will play 100% to get it. The Jet Sets did not fall into the 0-7 Work Horses turbulence trap” as  Regensberg (22 points, 3 assists) and crosser Matt Parsons (21 points, 4 assists) came out firing 2 and 4 point shots as usual while Steve Vandenberg (14 points) and Andorko (15 points) nailed 4-pointers to assist in the fast start. Sets’ wedgeback Christin Rota killed it from the get-go, making 4 of his game-high 14 saves in the first 10 minutes of the first period. Horses’ newcomer an 8-pointer extraordinaire Dave Slusser kept the margin thin by drilling three 4-point shot from the Cross and scoring all but 2 of his 16 points in the opening period. Teammate Bob Zane (10 saves) did his best to limit the high-scoring Sets and turned away 4 shots early, keeping the Horses within striking distance at 38-30 at intermission.

The minute that the Horses turned their backs, literally, on the Jet Sets players in the Goal Zone, is when the aerial assault began. Andorko, wedgeback Scott Reimer, and ranger Mike Schaeffer (8 points) combined for 6 Crown Ring stuffs in the 2nd period. The common denominator and mastermind of the dunk-a-thon was ranger Nick DeLuca (8 points, 9 assists), who passed up some open shots in lieu of offering some fine china. China as in dishes. Dishes as in assists. C’mon people! Work Horses’ crosser and equally talented assist man Ray Hunter (8 points, 5 assists) led the offensive effort in the 2nd while wedgeback Ryan McGlensey made the better half of his 7 total saves in the period but trailed 72-56 heading into the 3rd.
An injured but still hard-nosed Jeff Yetter did not let his cavalry settle for a quiet trot into the countryside. Ranger Mike Small (14 points) and wedgeback Bob Zane (12 points, 7 saves) combined for 22 points from the Flex and Cross Zones and got their squad fired up for a comeback and when Brett “Monster” McGlensey (team-high 18 points) hit a scud missile 8-point Kronum, it appeared that the Horses were back in business but the Sets countered with Anthony Barbera (14 points), who “flowed” his way to 10 third period points and a couple key blocks on the defensive end to pull up the reins on the Horses shooters and the Sets got back to .500 with a 114-94 win.

The big brothers Airbus 300s, Boeing 747s, and Antonovs of the Kronum League will usually get theirs on any given Sunday, but its the puddle-jumpers that pick up the pace whenever they are needed and in this case offered more than expected.

Wish I could say the same for U.S. Airways…..I really loved that suit.

PC

Kronum League Round 8 – Night Owls vs. Nimble Jacks

The final two minutes of this rivalry match was difficult to watch.  The first and second periods suggested that it would be a tooth-and-nail, grind it out special until the buzzer. But in the third period one team flipped and the other flopped. Although Kronum allows for quick and high scoring capabilities that never leaves a team entirely out of contention, and while no team in the Kronum League ever goes quietly, this ending reeked of desperation and futility. The Night Owls pelted the Goal Crown from the Cross Zone in seek of an 8-point Kronum shot that would bring them back into the game. Every shot was uglier than the one before. This was bad, and after having played such a tight and competitive game throughout the first two-and-a-half periods, the Owls hooted their last hoot when Jacks' captain Scott Kennedy rejected his rival skipper Kyle McGrath's 8-point attempt with extreme prejudice.

Think Jordan's White Sox stint, comeback with the Wizards, and those really awkward Hanes commercials all rolled into one. It was THAT kind of ugly.

Early on, the Owls and Jacks came out hot, loose, and just plain on their games. The Owls looked like the team that just put together a convincing team win the previous week over a streaking Throwbacks squad, and the Jacks turned a 180 on the careless play that led to their first loss and a shaky 8 point win over an 0-7 Work Horses team in their last two outings. Jacks ranger Jared O'Donnell (13 points, 3 assists) and Owls ranger Luke Dougan (21 points, 3 assists) got their teams started early with 11 and 10 points, respectively, in the opening period. Saves were plenty as well with Owls' wedgebacks Matt Sola (5 points, 13 saves) stopping 6 shots and Pete Weiss (8 points, 12 saves) gathering 6 to go along with two 2-point dunks for the Jacks. The two teams delivered, as expected, and cranked out a combined 74 points, 27 saves, and 17 assists with the Owls taking a 39-35 lead into the first intermission.

Jacks All-Star ranger Ryan Coyne, held scoreless in the first 20 minutes, leaped out of his rabbit hole and put the Jacks on his back in the 2nd. He connected for 12 of his 18 points in the period with a combination of left-handed throws, kicks, and topped things off with a thunderous 2-point jam. Scott Kennedy (24 points, 6 assists) has his own 2-point ring and found Weiss in the goal zone for two more slams. The Owls countered with 12 second period points from ranger Phil Cavalcante (28 points) and crosser Jay Klein's booming drop-kick from the Cross Zone past a sprawling Ben Hutchison (9 saves) but the Jacks had exposed the Owls in the Goal Zone for a total of 5 Crown Ring dunks and turned a 4-point deficit into a 75-74 lead after two.

The beginning of the end. Both teams played evenly in the first 40 minutes. Shot for shot, save for save. One team made a run and the other would check 'em. Each team was the Charlie Murphy to their opponent's Rick James, but the Owls eventually took the brunt of the "What did the five fingers say to the face?" joke and got slapped in the third and final period. Jacks rookie ranger Joe Petrino (28 points) was cruising along at his 22.5 ppg pace with 12 after two frames then switched quadrants and exploded for 16 game-changing points highlighted by a quick steal and 4-point shot in transition from the cross and a pinpoint 4 -point ring from the Flex in the final minutes with Scott Kennedy draining two 4-point Cross scores of his own. The Jacks wedgebacking crew stood on their heads to combine for 22 third period saves with Sean Kennedy (13 saves) leading the way with 8 of those. Not to be outdone, the Owls' Greg Ashton (13 points, game-high 17 saves, 3 assists) added 8 of his own in the final twenty minutes. The Owls carelessness with the ball led to their demise and the Jacks took home a 113-99 victory to stay alone in first place.

The right approach and mindset wins games in all athletic endeavors, both team and individual. When the right plan is executed with a winning attitude, athleticism THEN becomes the deciding factor.

Some teams just know how to get it done while others panic.

Kudos.

PC

Kronum League Round 8 – Urban Legends vs. Throwbacks

Statistics do not win games.  Victories are not earned in the columns of  assist totals, shooting percentages, or game-highs. If this was not the case, and numbers told the whole story in Kronum League games, then the Throwbacks would be fresh off one of the biggest shellackings in League history, and the Urban Legends would be off to Hollywood as the next to star in one of those Southwest Airlines “Wanna Get Away?” TV spots.

This is really nothing to joke about, I mean, look at the numbers. They’ll tell you what you need to know, right? Well maybe not since Tim Tebow has been winning games with a completion percentage equivalent to his age, but a game’s paper trail is usually a good outline of the outcome.

Not in Kronum, brah. The Throwbacks shot 46% to the Legends 38%. The T-Backs never shot lower than forty-five percent in any one period to be specific. Their save total of 39 dominated the Legends 28 stops. Their Mommas taught them how to share their way to 20 assists against the Legends’ selfish 17 AND they held a controlling 8-point lead after two periods. The T-Backs looked to be in control and on their way to their fourth win on the season and a chance to climb the standings to compete for a playoff bye in the coming weeks. However, things didn’t exactly pan out on that front for the Maize and Navy. In Kronum, more is definitely better but “how” and “where”  are the real factors that tell the difference.

The ”Cross Zone”, to keep things simple, is comprised of the areas of the field farthest away from any one goal. Each goal quadrant has a Goal Zone, Wedge Zone, Flex Zone, and a Cross Zone. However, in any given Flex Zone, a part of the inner circle of the Cross exists and this is where…..jeez, you know what, just YouTube Kronum Basic Rules. OK, you seen it? The Cross is worth more points and The Legends won because they do it more often and better than other teams, got it? I’m actually sitting here yelling at myself for trying to write about where a zone is. It’s like someone  explaining, in words, the location of Birmingham to someone who doesn’t know where Alabama is on a map.

The Throwbacks came out firing in the first period, taking a commanding 13 point lead just 5 minutes into the game with ranger Kevin Casero drilling a big 4-point shot and had 11 different players tally points in the frame. For the first ten minutes, the T-Backs’ wedgebacks stonewalled almost every single shot from the Legends’ shooters. Jim Bradley (8 points, 13 saves), had 8 stops to lead the defense to a total of 21 saves in the 1st period alone, which is almost unheard of in Kronum. That’s over 1 save per minute. The Legends stayed persistent with their shots on net and finally broke out halfway through with Greg Ermold (14 points) and Kevin Glover (18 points, 4 saves) leading the effort to chip away at the T-Backs early onslaught and trailed by only two points, 28-26, at the end of one.

The second period was almost identical to the first as the Legends started out slow and gradually clawed their way back within striking distance. Throwbacks’ crosser John Graham (12 points) nailed a 4-point shot from the cross and a 4-point Ring from the Flex Zone while teammate Steve Botta (14 points, 11 saves, 6 assists) had his own 4-point ring and came very close to earning the Kronum League’s first ever Triple-Double. The Legends countered with some specialty footwork from Todd Wampler (8 points) and Glover. Ranger Kevin Clark (Game-high 26 points, 4 assists), despite a slow start, hit a big 4 from the cross, and showed signs of life that would make for an exciting 3rd and final period. Jordan Welles (6 points, 7 saves) and Bradley made fine plays in net for their respective squads in the period and the T-Backs took a 62-54 lead into the 3rd.

In the way that the 3rd period played out, one would of thought that the Urban Legends were slow playing their opponent and simply turned it on when they felt like it or the vaunted T-Backs wedgebacks were getting a few bucks from a couple unknowns in leather jackets seen hanging around the team bench areas. The Purple Orchids from West Philly blew up for 44 points and the spark that Clark showed in the 2nd period ignited a wildfire in the form of 14 3rd period points, including an 8-point Kronum shot that served as the death dagger when the team were locked at 88-88 a piece with a few minutes to go. Ermold, Glover, and Mike Ragan (12 points, 4 assists) provided the support to Clark’s late game heroics and Cory Robertson (8 points, 11 saves) shut down the T-Backs big shooters with 5 saves in the final 20 minutes. Ranger Steve Fariss seemed to be the only Throwback with a pulse in the 3rd, connecting for 14 of his team-high 18 points but the Urban Legends earned their third straight win, 98-88, to advance to 5-3 as they T-Backs fell to 3-5 on the season.

The Legends’ effort late in the game proved that one period, one minute, one turnover, one shot, or one player can completely change the pace of the game.

Big stat numbers are fun, great topics for discussion, and they get you in the Hall of Fame. But go ask Dan Marino, Karl Malone, Ted Williams, and Barry Bonds how many titles they bring your way.

PC

Kronum League 2011 Player Profile – Joe Ferrigno of the Throwbacks

As the world watches the final minutes of the most thrilling upset in Kronum League history, Joe Ferrigno knows the task is unfinished. He knows that the lead his team had built could crumble within seconds. He knows his opponent's capabilities for a comeback. He knows what you did last summer. He knows the answer to the math problem solved by Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting. He knows who, what, where, when, why, and how on the Kronum Round. Raise your hand and ask away kids, because Joe knows diddly.

The 3rd year captain of the Kronum League Throwbacks gathers his players prior to the start of each game and draws out the vision that has been burning in his brain throughout the week on how to best approach this Round's opponent. "I really enjoy that aspect; setting a game plan and trying to have guys buy into it", he claims. Ferrigno has devised an attack pattern on offense that has revealed itself to be one of the most effective and almost guaranteed methods of getting an open shot on net for a particular shooter. Defenses around the Kronum League are still figuring this out and will hopefully get back with an answer soon. He has also cultivated a defense that has given up a league-low 681 points. Built upon a rock solid core of wedgebacks, his next line of defense is a tactical nightmare for high-scoring, fast-paced offenses. If you think that a simple dribble, drive, and pass to the open shooter will suffice in generating open looks on net, then you might as well pack up your turf shoes and exit the premises. Two, three, even four passes may get the job done, if Ferrigno's complex scheme hasn't already forced you into a turnover.

A rapsheet comprised of various soccer achievements has enabled Ferrigno to become one of the most talented "foot" players in the Kronum League but Joe has embraced the use of his hands and a way to better control the ball and manage the pace of the game. Utilizing skills with both hands and feet, Joe has patented one of the league's most deceiving and theatric shot fakes to shake defenders in one-on-one situations. He approaches the Flex Zone line at full speed, leaps and performs a mid-air head and ball fake to his left with a facial expression similar to a Stanley Ipkiss in The Mask, drops the ball to his feet while the defender tends to a newly twisted ankle, and calmly buries a 2-point wedge kick past a very vulnerable wedgeback. Obviously standard practice drills for Joe during his time as captain for the Millersville University soccer team.

As both a student and teacher of Kronum, Ferrigno's ability to innovate comes from in-game substitutions in which he selflessly removes himself for a few minutes for a breather and a bird's eye view of the action on the field. This allows Joe to play and manipulate his opponent as a chessmaster would by making in-game adjustments to improve his team's play. Never will Ferrigno allow the Throwbacks to take the field unprepared or under-prepared. This was most evident in a recent matchup vs. the undefeated Nimble Jacks. The Throwbacks came in as a 40 point underdog to an equally prepared and strategic Jacks squad, winners of 18 stright over a 2 1/2 year span and Ferrigno was at his best. "We did a little tweeking to face the Jacks, knew it would be a tough game but our guys stuck to the gameplan and executed everything we were looking for", Ferrigno said. " Bit of an understatement in this writer's opinion. The T-Backs played PERFECT for the final two periods and captured the win in dramatic fashion.

As the Kronum League playoffs approach, the cunning captain is preparing his troops for the important weeks ahead. Other teams need to take note and come with their best. Even the most talented athleticism can be contained with a solid plan so try to develop a more intricate, less predictable game plan. This might  seem like a good idea to try and take Ferrigno by surprise, but there is something teams need to realize.

Joe is prepared.
Joe sees your thoughts.
Joe already knows.

PC

Kronum League Round 6 – Night Owls vs. Jet Sets

“Return of the Mack,
Return of the Mack
Return of the Mack
You know that I’ll be back”
-Mark Morrison, 1996

That song may not resurrect memories for some of you readers, nor has it gotten you as lucky as this writer while dancing closely at the Welcome Freshman Fiesta in high school.

The Kronum League Jet Sets have their own version of the tune re-written as “Return of the Matt”. Parsons that is. The highly anticipated comeback has built hype levels surpassing that of  The Return of the King, Return of the Jedi, and Return of the McRib combined, and it lived up to its high expectations.

For those unfamiliar with the Kronum League’s version of Lenny Dykstra, sans the financial woes, Matt Parsons arrived onto the scene in 2010 and contributed immediately to a very talented, yet disorganized Jet Sets club. They had an elite scoring threat in ranger Jeff Regensburg, a tier 1 foot skill ranger in Nick DeLuca, and a plethora of above-average wedgebacks to boot. Still, games within reach turned into lop-sided losses as the Sets finished 2009 in the basement of the League. Enter Parsons. His hustle, ball-control, vision, and game management skills in addition to a deceptive left-handed shot, rocketed the Sets from a doormat to a playoff semi-finalist in 201o. In September 2011, Parsons suffered a broken collarbone in a pre-season match versus the Urban Legends and was forced to watch from the sidelines where he kept his team and his vocal chords in fine tune as the Jet Sets awaited his return.

In his first game back, Parsons picked up right where he left off, netting 22 points and dishing out 3 assists as the Sets edged out the Night Owls 120-119 in a tooth and nail game decided by a shot at the buzzer. Regensburg (21 points, 3 assists) seemed to benefit the most with the return of his favorite crosser, getting open early and connecting for 15 points in the first. Luck seemed to be on the Jets Sets side as well in the opening period, as both Mike Schaeffer and Nick DeLuca hit 4-point Crown Ring shots that were deflected by Night Owl wedgebacks. The Owls put up some offense of their own as Kyle McGrath (23 points, 6 assists) drilled a 4-point ring, a 4-point throw from the cross, and a 3-point penalty shot while ranger Phil Cavalcante (12 points, 4 assists) and wedgeback Greg Ashton (12 points, 10 saves) hit double-digits early with 10 points apiece in the 1st. Defense was hard to come by but the Sets’ Scott Reimer (8 saves) and the Owls’ Joe Tulskie (12, points 10 saves) made critical saves early and the Owls’ led 52-51 at the end of the opening period.

Now, the Modus Operandi, of the 2011 Night Owls, in the words of Ray Finkle’s father, is that “the engine’s running but nobody’s behind the wheel”. The Owls stayed consistent with their second period carelessness and squandered their lead as Parsons, fellow crosser Steve Vandenberg (game-high 23 points), and wedgeback Zack Van Fosssen (17 points, 9 saves, 3 assists) when to work on the Owls defense nailing home 2s, 3s, and 4s throughout the period. Van Fossen added a highlight reel save on Cavalcante’s 2-point throw attempt in the final seconds of the 2nd. Owls’ speedy crosser Jay Klein (14 points, 7 assists) was a rare bright spot as he found the net with his patented drop-kick from the Cross Zone and wedgeback Derek Clouser (6 points, 8 saves) hit a few big “hook” throws from the Flex. The Sets took a 95-88 lead after two with the third period promising some real fireworks.

However, the final period turned out to be a showcase of defenses and superb wedgeback play as the Sets combined for 14 saves and the Owls stopping 16 shots. Vince Rota led the way for the Jets Sets D making 5 of his 9 saves in the 3rd. Both teams struggled to find open shooting lanes and looks at the net. Vandenberg took over in the frame burying a 4-point cross throw followed by a 3-point penalty shot. The Owls’ had no intention of going quietly as Chris VonTanhausen (6 assists) hit a big 4-point shot and Tulskie nailed a 4-point ring with Matt Sola (11 points, 8 saves) adding a booming 3-point penalty kick and with under 10 seconds left crosser Marc Stewart (8 points), known for his shooting accuracy and shot placement, found himself in the open field with a great look at the goal. As the arena collectively held its breath, Stewart released a high throw for the win but both Van Fossen and the goal crown combined for the game-saving stop and the Jets Sets flew away with a 120-119  victory.

The high-level play of Parsons no doubt played into the ‘W’, but it was the effect his presence had on the field for his team members that proved to be the biggest factor. Great players know how to make those around them better.

Parsons would be a great pitchman for Jet Blue Airlines, under the alias “Jet Glue”.

PC

Kronum League Round 6 - Nimble Jacks vs. Throwbacks

Throwbacks defeat Nimble Jacks. No big deal.

Game 2 of the day featured two .50 caliber offenses in the Jet Sets and Night…whoa, wait, hold up a hot second. What the hell did I just type? Is that first recap a dyslexic slip or has temporary insanity found me? Maybe it was a keyboard glitch. These damn things. Whatever the cause, I’ll go back and correct the err…wait, they lost? and THEY won?!

An award-winning fiction writer would have had trouble coming up with a chapter that told the story of the Kronum League Throwbacks taking on and taking down the two-time champion Nimble Jacks, winners of 18 straight games over a two-and-a-half year stretch that could be its own era in the history of time. The Jackassic Period? Probably not. Moving on.

Game One of Round 6 featured the top two strategic Kronum clubs in the league. A re-re-match of the 2010 Kronum League Championship game. A chance to avenge a 40 point loss earlier this season. These squads are similar in approach and game-planning, the ‘Jacks just always had a higher talent level athletically, and after the first 20 minutes, fans and viewers around the globe were settling in for another predictable match-up.  Nimble Jack ranger Joe Petrino (game-high 20 points) was a bit ring happy in the 1st period, connecting for two 4-point rings from the Flex and another 4-pointer from the Cross Zone. Captain Scott Kennedy (20 points, 5 assists) fed Petrino pinpoint passes on two of his 4-point scores. The T-Backs responded with a steady dose of 2-point throws and kicks from captain Joe Ferrigno (8 points, game-high 6 assists) and ranger John Graham (13 points). The typically slow-to-start Throwbacks came to play offensively on this day but their usually reliable defense did not and the Jacks took a 44-28 lead into the 2nd period.

Ferrigno must have huddled his troops and watched ’300′, ‘Gladiator’, and ‘Little Giants’ all within a 3-minute intermission because the T-Backs put a serious whoopin’ on the Jacks in the second and made it look easy. They nearly doubled the Jacks scoring output in the period, putting up 52 against 27 with ranger Nick Ferraro (14 points, 7 blocks) playing like a man possessed hitting two 4-point rings from the Flex while rejecting shot after shot with authority in his zone. The Jacks could barely get a shot near the net in the “Botta Quad”. Ferraro was playing through a torn plantar fascia ligament injury that he suffered early in the game but overcame the pain to dominate on defense. Wedgeback Steve Botta (12 points, 8 saves) of the aforementioned “Botta Quad” drilled an 8-point Kronum to highlight the T-Backs outburst with Steve Fariss (15 points) and Kevin Casero (8 points) chipping in with 6 points a piece, respectively, in the period. Meanwhile, the Jacks were literally going postal on the goalposts. The most accurate shooting team in the league was certainly not showcasing their target-shooting skills on this day. The T-Backs defensive pressure forced quick shots that banged off what it seemed like all eight posts of all four goals on the round. Crosser Ryan Coyne (15 points, 6 assists) hit a 3 point penalty kick and Wedgeback Sean Kennedy (13 saves) had 6 saves in a damage control effort to end the period down ‘only’ 9 points at 80-71.

Could this really be happening? Is this where it ends? Why won’t they stop shooting on 21? These were just some of the questions coming from a record-high and stunned spectator crowd mostly comprised of Nimble Jack supporters. One could argue all day which team the pressure was on in the 3rd period and both sides would have been correct. The Jacks had a perfect season and undefeated streak on the line and the Throwbacks were in danger of hitting a 2-4 mark on the season with a loss and neither squad was considering losing as an option. Both teams turned up the intensity but the period belonged to the T-Backs wedge-backing crew of Ryan Hoff (12 point, 10 save double-double), Jim Bradley (11 saves), Botta, and James “Cell Block T” Thomas. Before Alcatraz became a defunct federal prison, Cell Block D was the famed in-penetrable segregation chamber of the San Francisco Bay slammer. On this day, Thomas locked down his quadrant making 8 of his game-high 15 saves in acrobatic fashion. The four combined for 20 total saves in the third period alone as the Jacks frantically peppered the net with time winding down and wedgeback Dustin Gebhard completed a 5-point “And 1″ play with a 2-point ring jam while getting fouled and drilled the 3-point penalty kick past Bradley to cut the lead to one. However, Ferrigno kept his crew calm, cool, and collected down the stretch. When the final buzzer sounded the T-Backs achieved the unthinkable, outlasting the mighty Nimble Jacks by a score of 104-98. The win propelled the Throwbacks to 3-3 and right back into the mix while the Jacks fell to 5-1 yet remain at the top of the 2011 standings.

What a game. What a finish. What an upset. What a streak. What the hell?

PC

Kronum League 2011 Player Profile - Kevin Glover of the Urban Legends

DaVinci, de' Medici, and Galileo. Shakespeare, Franklin, and Bacon (Sir Francis or Kevin, your preference).

These philosophers, visionaries, artists, and humanists have been claimed by many to be ahead of their time. Their efforts in discovery and innovation still remain as some of the most extraordinary and inspired contributions given to modern man.

Kevin Glover was not born ahead of his time. In fact, he was born way AFTER his time. The Renaissance Era tentatively spanned the 14th to 17th centuries as the most significant period of the Late Middle Ages. It's fitting to say that Kevin Glover should have existed back then. Opposing players in the Kronum League would rather he existed then as well. The Urban Legends Wedgeback and co-captain is the master and commander of the feared "Hook Throw" has been torturing fellow net-minders with a blazing shot clocked as high as 63 MPH from the Flex Line at the 2010 All-Star Skills Competition. The mid-air bending and torque-generating twisting motion disallows for an accurate read on where his release point will be and what part of the Kronum Goal his aim is focused on. This wildly-effective shooting method, obviously constructed as part of a scholastic project during his tenure as a member of the varsity soccer team and Cum Laude Mechanical Engineering major at Drexel University in Philadelphia, has led to 43 percent shooting clip over the past 3 games and a team-high 19 PPG heading into the second half of the 2011 season. A 28 point, 7 save effort against the 2-time Champion and currently undefeated Nimble Jacks, in which he led the Legends from a 29 point deficit with three 4-point Crown Ring scores and helped hold the Jacks to zero points over a 7 minute stretch in the final period, highlighted his resume of heroics on the Kronum field. His 8 saves per game in goal puts him in the Top 10 among wedgebacks to boot.

It would appear to most that Glover's soccer prowess as a South Jersey All-Conference selection in high school and on the NCAA level at Drexel would transfer the most to his standout skills on the Kronum round. While he is nothing short of stellar with the ball at his feet and his little jump-fake roll-ins into the Wedge Zone (yeah, we're catching on to it), Glover attributes his success and innovative scoring styles to the track and field career that ranged in events from 200m Sprint Relays, the Long and Triple Jumps to state-level performances in the javelin, discus, and shot put. Call me crazy but I'm going to go ahead and assume that in some way the devastating "Hook" that we have all come to love, is the love child of these three non-typical, awkward athletic throwing events. Who knows if it was even the bowling hobby he picked up from his mother at age 5 that is lending itself to a throw that both looks scary and IS scary from a defensive standpoint? Enough already, rather than individually go through why he is the Renaissance Man of the Kronum League, here is a short list of his athletic endeavors as quoted by Glover:

"After soccer I joined Pi Kappa Alpha and became even more athletically involved than ever. I Played football, soccer, volleyball, basketball, dodgeball, billiards, bowling, horseshoes, softball, and floor hockey, leading Pike to 3 straight IFC cups and earning two straight IFC athlete of the year awards."

Most of us would have lists much shorter and most likely a quote that stopped much earlier.
Glover's Urban Legends sit at 2-3 in the standings currently but both he and co-Captain Cory Robertson have their squad poised to make a run in the second half. As unique as the game of Kronum itself, Kevin Glover has pioneered alternative styles of play and has been a vital asset to the league's mantra of  "Change the Game". I suggest Kronum fans come out and witness first hand on Sundays or LiveStream at kronum.com while there is still time.

A senior engineering project at Drexel resulted in the first functioning time-machine and he's planning a trip back to the Middle Ages. When asked why, he stated "DaVinci's a fan of the drop-kick, we're discussing some new ideas".

PJC

Kronum League 2011 – Round 5 Game Recaps

"The malcontent of men is the vitality of progression in life, in love, and in sport".
-Phil Cavalcante 2011

Round Five action provided a plethora of highlight reel athleticism and total team efforts that have become a staple in the professional ranks of the Kronum League. Accurate shooting, crisp passing, and synchronized defenses dominated the round and provided fans and viewers plenty to be excited about heading in to the 2nd half of the season.

Then there was the hot-under-the-collar, highly volatile, put the women and children to bed Kronum that we have all come to know and embrace in so many ways. It's the inevitable result that one would expect from opponents that know each other, respect each other, and understand each others tendencies well, but don't necessarily like each other. All love is lost in the heat of the battle. Just ask my girlfriend from college. Whether it is MW3, table-tennis, Bar brawls, or Kronum, one thing is certain; a true competitor shows up to the fight to win. All six teams revealed this  stubborn nature in Sunday's games. Respect all around.

Round 5/Game 1: Night Owls vs. Work Horses
A blazing hot performance right out of the gate can offset brief lapses later in the match. Unfortunately for the Work Horses, the Owls were the ones busting out of the turnstiles. They flapped their way to 56 1st period points, 26 of which were netted by ranger Luke Dougan (34 points, 5 assists). His huge 8-point Crown Ring shot set the tone for an offensive explosion of 2 point and 4 point scores that included a mammoth drop-kick blast from crosser Jay Klein. The Horses kept their early focus on consistently trying to score on Owls wedgeback Matt Sola. The plan blew up faster than a warrior brigade led by Leroy Jenkins. Sola turned aside 7 shots on goal in the first, and and hit his own 8-point Ring in the 2nd to walk away with his league-leading 3rd double-double, finishing with 19 points and 12 saves. The Horses relied on rangers Brett McGlensey (16 points) and Kosta Nikolos (16 points) to support the offense early but not often enough. Night Owls wedgeback Greg Ashton, the only Kronum League player averaging a double-double on the season, continued the defensive stonewalling in the 2nd, making 6 saves and finished the day with 14 points, 12 saves, and 4 assists. Kyle McGrath (24 points, 5 assists) pumped in 12 points in the second to keep the Owls offense rolling but the Horses countered with rangers Mike Small (28 points) and Matt Urglavitch (10 points) and outscored the Owls 40-37 in the 2nd. The 3rd was simply a showcase of every possible way to score. Horses crosser Ray Hunter (7 assists) ran wild in the middle of the field getting the ball to his scorers. Fellow crosser Don McCall (15 points) drilled a multitude of kick and drop kick scores while Bill Zane and Mike Small threw from all over the field to lead the Horses to a 108 point total, their highest of the season . Zane finished with a 12-point, 11 save double-double. Marco Menna (6 points), Tim Myers (4 points), and Dave O'Neill (5 saves) killed it for the Owls off the bench helping the Owls to a 149-108 victory. Both teams displayed the talent and hunger needed to get stronger in the 2nd half of the season and I would bet the Horses get their 1st win very soon.

Round 5/Game 2: Urban Legends vs. Nimble Jacks
This match-up was eerily similar to the early game. The Urban Legends came in looking to avenge a loss to the Jet Sets the previous week but the energy of the undefeated Nimble Jacks was evident right off the Prime Rush and they doused any fire in the upset-minded Legends. The Jacks started scoring and did not stop, building a lead that got as high as 28 in the first. The balanced attack was highlighted by a healthy dose of 4-point shots from Ryan Coyne (30 points, 5 assists), Joe Petrino (20 points, 4 assists), Jared O'Donnell (20 points), Ben "Hutch" Hutchison (8 points, 3 saves, 3 assists), and League Assists and team captain Scott Kennedy (season-high 24 points and 7 assists). The Legends played damage control as crossers Kevin Clark and Kyle Miller finished the the period strong with Flex scores to keep it respectable. The 2nd period was a defensive showcase for both squads as the Jacks' stifling defensive rotation allowed only 22 points on 19 total shots from the Legends' offense. On the other side, Wedgeback Scott Anderson (14 total saves) had a brick wall up in his quadrant for the "purple D machine" holding the Jacks offensive weapons to "only" 30 points. Mike Ragan (20 points, 4 assists) provided the bulk of  the offense for the Legends in the 2nd, scoring 10 points. At the end of 2, the game pace had slowed, the Jacks were up 30, and nothing stood in the way of me heading to Wawa for Turkey Breast Shorti and a Blueberry Chobani (What? Guys eat yogurt, too). The Nimble Jacks have been in this position a lot, big lead in the 3rd, other team will fold, and we'll pad the stats a bit. Well, nobody made the Legends aware of the standard protocol. Five, yes, five 4-point rings by the surging Legends, 3 of which came in succession from a red-hot Glover (28 points, 7 saves), cut the lead down to 10 midway through the final period. Desperation play at it's finest. Cory Robertson (10 points, 5 saves) stood on his head to keep the ball out of the net. All of a sudden, the blowout in progress was a two possession game and within reach. The Jacks' captain Kennedy rounded up his War Bunnies, made adjustments, and righted the ship in the final 10 minutes. Petrino and O'Donnell hit a few 4-pointers of their own and the Legends' valiant 3rd period charge proved too little too late and they fell 114-92. Lesson learned. Fight the good fight and play 60 minutes. Every game.

Round 5/Game 3: Jet Sets vs. Throwbacks
Find me a Kronum match-up with more attitude and more back-and-forth jaw flapping and I'll give you like, I don't know, 15 bucks. Rollie Massimino impersonator Matt Parsons, still out with a shoulder injury, performed his routine song and dance on the sideline, Steve Vandenberg was closing in on T-Back shooters just as Patrick Willis would on any given NFL ball carrier. John Graham was letting everyone know what he didn't like about what they were doing on the field, and Captain Joe Ferrigno was trying to keep his Throwback crew focused amidst all the hoopla. Well, cooler heads prevailed in this one as Ferrigno did the rest of the league a solid and put the landing gear on the Jet Sets aerial game. T-Back ranger Nick Ferraro (12 points) had countless blocks on the Sets attempts to pass into the goal zone for the slam. Graham (11 points) and ranger Steve Fariss (23 points) had breakout games for the offensively-challenged T-Backs. Air traffic controller Nick DeLuca (12 points, 4 assists) and his Pan-Am crew (Vinny Greco and Jim Andorko) got a few opportunities to continue their Dunk for Dunk campaign with 8 and 10 points respectively but T-Backs were "checking luggage" in the Goal Zone and the threat level showed Red. The re-vamped T-Backs offense stormed to a 35-12 lead after one. With Kronum League scoring leader Jeff Regensburg out, Sets' Crosser Steve Vandenberg was unconscious in the 2nd, connecting for 19 points in the period, to bring the Sets back within 13. WB Ryan Hoff (4 pts, 6 saves, 6 assists) guided the Throwback offense with 5 assists in the 2nd period. The 3rd period was a mad scramble that resembled a prison riot but where the inmates had to hop on one leg. The Sets' Vandenberg continued to fireball the goals, Greco made 8 of his 12 saves while Vince Rota had 6 stops, and the Sets gave fouls galore in an effort to stop the clock for a potential comeback victory. Down 7 in the final 10 seconds, Sets ranger Mike Schaeffer's inbound pass sailed high and they never even got a shot off. Steve Botta, and Jim Bradley made just enough stops in goal to thwart the Jet Sets scoring power and secured an 82-75 win as both teams left the field with 2 win and 3 losses. Parsons is expected back in Round 6 to start the second half of the 2011 season and Regensburg will likely not miss more time.
A wild weekend it was heading into the mid-season bye week. The second half of the 2011 season begins 11/20/11 with some great grudge matches.

1pm EDT: Nimble Jacks (5-0) vs. Throwbacks (2-3)
2:30pm EDT: Night Owls (4-1) vs. Jet Sets (2-3)
4pm EDT: Urban Legends (2-3) vs. Work Horses (0-5)

All the action is live every Sunday. Only at www.kronum.com

Kronum League 2011. Live it. We Do. Join the Revolution.

PC

Busy week…let’s get right down to the nitty gritty Round 4 action. Comments and feedback on the recaps and Kronum related subjects are welcome for discussion below. Say something, then get checked. 

Round 4/Game 1: Nimble Jacks vs. Work Horses 
Good things happen when you shoot 58 percent as a team from the field. Not so good things happen when your opponent doubles your total in saves AND assists. Such is the case between the Jacks and Horses. True to form, the Jacks started hot, stayed hot, and finished hot. Sounds like a regular Friday night for Yours Truly. Rather than play down to inferior opponents,  Scott Kennedy  used this match-up as routine maintenance to keep the machine oiled for the next race. The Jacks’ captain hit his first 8 point Crown Ring on the season and finished with 18 points.  Shaun “of the dead” Stevens came back to life with a season-high 18 points from the Ranger position. On the contrary, the leader-less Horses had a tough time putting the ball in the goal. Mike Small took charge and banged home 2 point throws from the Flex to finish with a team-high 16 points. Ray Hunter (12 points, 9 assists) played a solid game all around and distributed the ball as best he could against the Jacks pressure defense. Wedgeback Bob Zane (10 points) chipped in on the offensive end while brother Bill (9 saves) anchored the Horses in goal. The Player of the Game, and possibly of the week, was Jacks’ WB Sean Kennedy. Tell me nobody saw this coming in the off-season while he honed his game in the K-REC League. As if stuffing opposing shooters wasn’t enough, this guy feels the need to start scoring in bunches. Knock it off already. 20 points, 12 saves, and 4 assists later it appears the Rec league play paid off. Dustin Gebhard finished strong in net with 10 saves, Ben Hutchison dished out 5 assists (weird?) and rookie WB Pete Weiss, not to be outdone in net, turned away a game-high 17 shots. The team that was supposed to win in convincing fashion, did. Any questions? 


Round 4/Game 3: Night Owls vs. Throwbacks
Joe Ferrigno probably wants this game back. As good of a job he did putting together a defensive scheme to subdue the League’s highest-scoring team, the offensive plan was equally as bad and may have a case in court on the grounds of negligence. The Owls came in boating point totals of 135, 146, and 110 while the defense held its own each week against 3 high-power offenses. The T-Backs did everything needed in order to win as they guarded the big shooters closely, created turnovers, got in the passing lane, and made acrobatic saves in goal resulting in a season low 102 points for the Owls. The defensive effort, however, took  a toll on the T-Backs’ scorers. Runs at each quadrant appeared slow and telegraphed, passes were not crisp, and the ball just wasn’t finding the net. A 27% shooting rate resulted and the Owls capitalized. Wing Flappin’ Kyle McGrath led all scorers with 26 points to go along with 6 assists. WB Greg Ashton (16 points, 9 saves) broke out offensively and ripped 2-points throws throughout the game. Chris Von Tanhausen, or CVT, delivered a game-high 11 assists. The Night Owl defense, not to be overshadowed, was highlighted by stellar Wedgeback efforts from Derek Clouser (8 saves) and Matt Sola (9 saves, 10 points). The T-Backs’ Steve Botta stayed true to form with a 12 point, 11 save double-double. This guy is the new Tim Duncan. Ferrigno ran the middle trying to get the ball to anyone who could score and had 4 assists while Ryan Hoff made 8 saves in goal. Just a hunch, but the next game might be a tiny bit different. 

Round 4/Game 3: Jet Sets vs. Urban Legends 
 Ok, we get it. The Jet Sets like to dunk. They probably get together and have NBA Jam marathons while congratulating each other on being masters of the Crown Ring Slam. “Your dunk was awesome, bro”! “No, your dunk was awesome, brah”! “It was pretty awesome, wasn’t it breh”? I know, it starting to grind a little bit but it’s an attractive new aspect of the game, and it works. The Urban Legends were the latest team to experience Phi Slamma Jamma. Wedgebacks have so much focus on the Flex Zone throw, near-post specifically, that opposite Rangers are wheeling in un-checked, receive a nice bounce pass, and throw it down with authority. The main culprits of the self-proclaimed “Greatest Show on Turf”, ranger Nick DeLuca, wedgeback Jim Andorko, and wedgeback Vinny Greco, provide a three-way compliment to the strong arms of Kronum League leading scorer Jeff Regensberg and rookie crosser Steve Vandeberg. It’s an alternate offensive style being adopted by other team in the Kronum League as wedgebacks are getting better and defenses tighter. It worked again in this match-up.  DeLuca tallied the first 30 and 10 game of the 2011 season, with exactly that, 30 points and 10 assists. Andorko, KL Crown Ring points leader with 36 on the season, dunked his way to 24 points along with 9 saves. J-Regz (25 points) and Ant Barbera (10 points) rounded out the Sets’ offense on the afternoon while saves leader Greco stonewalled 17 Legends’ shots.  The Legends were paced by crosser Kevin Clark (26 points, 4 assists), Kevin Glover’s 17 point, 10 save double-double, and Brian Sperling’s 14 points from the Flex. Jordan Welles held down his quadrant with 13 saves to limit the high-powered Jets. The rest of the league is catching on Sets. The next time it won’t be easy. 

All the live action can be watched this Sunday starting at 1pm, only at kronum.com 
1pm: Work Horses (0-4) vs. Night Owls (3-1)
2:30 pm: Urban Legends (2-2) vs. Nimble Jacks (4-0)
4pm: Jet Sets (2-2) vs. Throwbacks (1-3)

Kronum League 2011. Live it. We do.

Join the Revolution at www.kronum.com

Peace and Kronum,

Phil Cavalcante
Night Owls #17

Cav's Kronum Corner: Kronum League 2011 Weekly Recap – Round 3

Cav's Kronum Corner: Kronum League 2011 Weekly Recap – Round 3: L.A. Looks should jump the train as an official Kronum League sponsor over the next few weeks of play. I can see the player endorsements ...

Kronum League 2011 Weekly Recap – Round 3

   L.A. Looks should jump the train as an official Kronum League sponsor over the next few weeks of play. I can see the player endorsements for each team that would go a little something like “Hi, I’m Ryan Hoff, when my team is looking to gel together and hold firm early in the season, we don’t reach for just any gel, we grip up a bottle of L.A. Looks. We might be named the Throwbacks, but we always come looking fresh!” or “This is Jared O’Donnell of the Kronum League champion Nimble Jacks. Sometimes my team AND my mohawk need a bit of a lift. We stand tall together with L.A. Looks Super Mega Hold. Remember kids, the team that gels together, wins together. And obviously has great hair.” 

Someone call somebody please and get me a retail placement writing position. I relate to and specialize in ego-maniacal consumer products only.  Here’s the the Round 3 Kronum League breakdown as all 6 teams find their identities, strengths, and weaknesses moving forward:

Round 3/Game 1: Jet Sets vs. Work Horses
The offensive juggernaut Jet Sets found themselves at an unlikely 0-2 after two rounds and someone had to pay. Jeff “Frodo” Regensberg must have watched the Lord of the Rings trilogy the previous evening as he lit up the Horses with multiple 4 and 8 point Crown Ring shots. After finishing with an “Un-Jeff” 2 points after the first, J-Regz connected for 26 points in the 2nd, highlights by two 8-pointers from the Cross Zone. He finished with a game-high 34 points and team-high 5 assists. Back in action for the Horses after missing the first two rounds, captain Jeff Yetter and ranger Mike Small provided and much-needed spark to a struggling offense. Small, with arguably the strongest throw in the Kronum League whipped shots from the Flex Zone past the Sets’ Wedgebacks and finished with 29 points. You can't save what you can’t see. Yetter ran the middle and distributed as he typically does and had a game-high 6 assists while Bob Zane and Shane McManus each stopped 9 shots in net for the defensive-minded Horses. “Vote for” Vinny Greco put on a clinic in goal for the Sets’ as he dismissed 15 shots on the day but the most complete effort of the game came from Zack VanFossen, who landed the Jet Sets to 127-82 victory with a 20 point, 10 save double-double. 

Round 3/Game 2: Nimble Jacks vs. Night Owls
My 7th grade science class dissected owl pellets and I remember finding remnants of various animal species including rabbits in the exercise. This match-up did not represent the food chain structure, as mere bunnies devoured mighty Owls in the mid-day run. Pete Weiss came with his best Biggie Smalls “If ya don’t know, now ya know” effort as the rookie Wedgeback blew up the Owls Goal Zone defense for 5 Crown Ring jams, 4 in the 2nd period alone, 19 stops in net,  gave blood, carried groceries for an elderly woman, then went out with Jessica Biel that night. Not bad for someone still “learning” Kronum. Crossers Ryan Coyne (16 points, 6 assists) and Jay Shegda (5 assists) created turnovers and won virtually every loose ball with their high-energy play. Ranger Jared O’Donnell has found himself in more of a scoring role for the Jacks this season and he finished with an effortless 35 points while Wedgeback Sean Kennedy (12 points, 9 saves) missed a double-double by one save. The two teams traded shots evenly and the Jacks led 39-36 after the 1st. Led Zeppelin’s “Communication Breakdown” pretty much summed up the Owls play for half of the 2nd period. Bad shots, passes, ball-handling, and lax defense allowed the Jacks to capitalize and pull ahead by 21 after two periods. Same old Jacks, slow-playing their opponents then pull away late, right? Wrong. The fiery Owls refused to go quietly and had the highest scoring period of the game, hitting for 48 points in the 3rd. Luke Dougan (22 points) connected on two 4 pointers and Kyle McGrath (20 points, 5 assists) led the charge and WB Matt Sola (14 points, 8 saves) played mad on both sides of the ball. Both teams came in at 2-0 but the Owls’ late run feel short and the Jacks hopped away with 116-110 win.

Round 3/Game 3: Throwbacks vs Urban Legends 
The final match-up of the day featured two teams sitting at 1-1 with similar skill sets and style of play. This game looked like a grind on paper and that’s exactly how it played out. This one lived up to the expectations and it came down the 3rd period, a battle of resilience, where both squads clawed and gnawed to try and break above the .500 barrier. “Sidearm,” Steve Botta (22 pts, 7 saves, 4 assists) and Nick Ferraro (22 points) came out blazing in the 1st, combining for 22 points for the T-Backs, including three 4-point ring shots from the Flex to counter the Legends’ “Kevins”. The Glover version (20 points, 6 saves) hit for 12 in the first and the Clark edition (20 points, 5 assists) netted two 4s to finish with 10 on the period. Two squads touted for their defense and foot skills scorched the net for a combined 80 points in the 1st. Ferraro and Crosser Joe Ferrigno (12 points, 5 assists) paced the T-Backs in the 2nd while Legends ranger Brian Sperling (17 points) broke loose with hard throws from the Flex. Wedgeback highlights were not short in this one as James Thomas (13 saves) stonewalled the Legends kicks and throws while Scott Anderson (10 saves) kept the T-Backs in check. The Legends got a spark from Ranger Dess Leeper (15 points) in the 3rd period as he nailed two 4 point shots from the Flex Zone. The battle ended in a 113-101 Legends win. We are all eager to see the revenge game between these two later this season.

Thanks to all who viewed the Live Stream action. Log on to kronum.com at 1pm this Sunday: 
1pm EDT: Nimble Jacks (3-0) vs. Work Horses (0-3) 
2:30pm EDT: Night Owls (2-1) vs. Throwbacks (1-2) 
4pm EDT: Urban Legends (2-1) vs. Jet Sets (1-2)

Kronum League 2011. Live it. We do. 
Tune in to www.kronum.com this Sunday to Join the Revolution.

PC

Kronum League 2011 Weekly Recap - Round 2

The 2011 Kronum League season is young and after Week 2 it is difficult to tell how teams will mesh and adjust to styles of play. Plenty of newcomers have stepped up to make an immediate impact for their respective squads. The new blood and talent is a microcosm for the overall evolution of the Kronum League since inception in 2008.

I'm going to stop here. I love writing, but only highlights are important here.

Round 2/Game 1: Nimble Jacks vs. Throwbacks
Two top-tier captains in Scott Kennedy of the Jacks and Joe Ferrigno of the T-Backs faced off in the early game. Both squads have built a reputation on forcing the opposition into playing to their pace, which is relatively slower and somewhat of a "stall-then-score" gameplan. They take their time with the ball in the second circle and attack with 2 or more passes, typically resulting in a wide open look for one of their shooters. The two teams lived up to their calling cards in this one. For about 40 minutes. The Jacks hit the NOS button and used a 3rd period surge to thwart any upset attempt from the T-Backs. The Jacks got a huge lift from world-traveler Ryan Coyne (game-high 28 points), who missed the Opening Round. Rookie-of the-Year candidate Joe Petrino (25 points), Jared O'Donnell (18 points, 6 assists), and Kennedy (18 points, game-high 9 assists) took care of the offense as Sean Kennedy (12 saves) anchored the D. For two full periods the T-Backs kept it close. Steve Botta (17 points, 7 saves) was the vital cog while Steve Fariss (12 points) and Nick Ferraro (14 points) buried Flex throws. Ryan Hoff (10 saves) and James Thomas (9 saves) kept the high-scoring Jacks in check as they turned away shots through out the game. The Jacks afterburners fired up in the 3rd and they cruised to a 121-81 victory.

Round 2/Game 2: Urban Legends vs. Work Horses
If you like "O", the answer is no. Twelve minutes into the first period the Legends led 4-0 in a defensive showcase that was more suited for a Steelers/Ravens game than a Kronum match. However, this type of game proves that a solid defensive plan can disrupt offensive timing, shot selection and rhythm. And that's what the Legends did. The Horses were shooting over, under, and around defending rangers and crossers and could not find an open look. When they did put the ball on net the Crown Ring made the easy save as at least 15 shots came in way high. Kevin Glover again led the way for the Legends with his trademark "hook" throw and finished with 14 points to go along with 8 saves. Human squirrel Kevin Clark (14 points) and Greg "Perm" Ermold (10 points) rounded out the balanced scroring attack. Ranger Mike Ragan had 5 assists and Wedgeback Jordan Welles added 10 saves in goal. The Horses were again led by Rangers Kosta Nikolos (14 points) and Brett McGlensey (10 points). Crosser Ray Hunter helped with 11 points and 4 assists as Ryan McGlensey made 14 saves. Mike Small and captain Jeff Yetter are due back in Round 3.

Round 2/Game 3: Jet Sets vs. Night Owls
Liftoff. You got what you paid for in this one. Points. Like record points. 311 combined actually. A new Kronum League record.

True to form, The Jet Sets and Night Owls stuck with their high-pace, quick-to-score gameplans and put up big numbers all over the field. The score would lead to the belief that the Wedgebacks were either drunk or dead but there plenty of highlight reel saves by the Owls and Sets. Matt Sola (12 saves, 16 points) led the way and league saves leader Joe Tulksie (11 saves) was his usual self and Greg Ashton and Derek Clouser added 10 stops. Captain Kyle McGrath got off his Week 1 rocking chair and threw down 32 points. Luke Dougan led the Owls with 34 including a huge 8 point ring shot to increase the Owls lead in the 2nd. League assist leader Jay Klein had 9 assists and Chris Von TanHausen (12 points, 5 assists) enjoyed a solid game. The Sets were led by rookie Crosser Steve Vandenberg who netted a game-high 45 points from pretty much everywhere on the field. Jim Andorko (17 points, 9 saves), Nick Deluca (18 points 8 assists), and Vinny Greco (17 points, 10 saves) played their usual "Phi Slamma Jamma" aerial show for most of the game which led to some hard fouls and bad blood between the teams. Jeff Regensberg finished with 31 "quiet" points as the Owls D had a hand in his face and took away shooting lanes whenever they could. The Owls played to a 165-146 win. The grudge-match takes place Week 6 where the two squads could just agree to a Royal Rumble to settle the score.

Live-Streaming games this Sunday (Oct. 23) at kronum.com include:
1pm EDT: Jet Sets vs. Work Horses
2:30pm EDT: Night Owls vs. Nimble Jacks
4pm EDT: Throwbacks vs. Urban Legends

Kronum League 2011. Live it. We do.

Join the Revolution at kronum.com

Kronum League 2011 Player Profile – Matt Parsons Of The Jet Sets

Move over Bobby Knight, there is a new sheriff in town and if you don’t like it, you can come get an earful too.

Matt Parsons has fits. While he doesn’t toss chairs onto the field (Kronum League uses aluminum benches), he has the vocal magnitude that would make Ozzie Guillen, or a grizzly bear, green with envy. Now, as a fellow competitor and friend, I can understand the motivation one gets from observing when one should be competing. That being said, disregard it. Parsons, serving as interim sideline boss while he recovers from a broken collarbone suffered as a result of his trademark hustle and arguably, reckless style of play. He made his presence known as referees, players, fans, the turf, my car, and a vagabond hitch-hiking on 322 became targets of everything that displeased the Sets skipper. Whether it was a judgment call that could have went either way, a questionable collision that left both a Night Owl and Jet Set player on the turf, or the undercooked eggs he had for breakfast, Parsons was pissed. He needs to be on the field for so many reasons in that he loves the game, is a top performer on both sides of the ball, and have helped lead a team on the down and out into a contender for the title in less than 1 year. Most importantly, he needs to be on the field so he can stop seeing ALL the action that a panoramic sideline view offers and we won’t hear his majestic opinions as often. If you’re coming to Maple Zone this Sunday, October 23rd, be ready. You may the next subject of his Matt Parsons VS. The Universe project.

If you play the Jet Sets, bring your headsets.

Kronum League 2011. Live it.

Join the Revolution at www.kronum.com

PJC

Kronum League 2011 – Round 1

     I want to be honest here and wish to explain my tardiness in providing the full Kronum League Week 1 rundown, scores, and  highlights that you’ve all been salivating for like Mastiffs in a meat plant. I’ve kicked around a few believable excuses, but whatever, I don’t need a cover up story or apology to appease KroNation. This update is overdue, it is what it is.

Hype is a word used to describe both the external environment surrounding an event, person, or thing and the internal perception of the participant or observer directly influenced by the event, person, or thing. These two factors combine to have an impact on a level that is understood by one, few, or many. In this case, Kronum impacted many. Players, spectators, referees, crew, and viewers via LiveStream all witnessed the HYPE on Sunday, October 9. There are believers. Here’s what happened:

Round 1/ Game 1: Night Owls vs. Urban Legends
Arms and offense pinned against feet and defense. This one was about contrasting styles of play and someone had to prevail. The Legends came out hot and turned away the Owls first few attacks on net, but the relentless drive and dish scoring approach of the Owls came in waves. Or flaps, if you will. Crossers Mark Stewart (8 assists, 12 points) and Jay Klein (5 assists)  of the Owls distributed to big shooters Luke Dougan (game-high 33 points) and Kyle McGrath (14 points) who buried 2′s and 4′s from the Flex and Cross zones all day while wedgeback Joe Tulskie notched 17 saves for the “One-Eye Opens”. Legends’ Wedgeback Kevin Glover kept fired up his squad by hitting three 4-point Crown Ring shots from the Flex and finished with a double-double (16 points, 11 saves) while Rangers Kevin Clark (13 points) and Dess Leeper (12 points) chipped in on offense. The Owls kept the pressure on and notched a victory in the opener with a 135-109 win.

Round 1/Game 2: Nimble Jacks vs. Jet Sets
This one had potential championship game caliber written all over it. The two-time defending champ Jacks against the 2010 upstart playoff Cinderella poised to make a run in 2011 with loads of talent and the Sets came out whipping balls into the back of the net. Chamber shots, crown rings, dunks, Gold Jacket, Green Jacket, who gives a hoot. 2010 Kronum League Scoring Champ Jeff Regensberg picked up his luggage where he last left it and paced the Sets with 39 points. Southpaw newcomer Steve Vandenburg (29 points) and foot soldier extraordinaire Nick DeLuca (20 points, 9 assists). The usually suffocating Jacks defense wasn’t their best. What to do? Score more. Captain Scott Kennedy might get GM of the year award as rookie Ranger Joe Petrino nailed home 47-points to lead all scorers on the day. It didn’t stop there. Jared O’Donnell, the Kronum League version of Pistol Pete Maravich scored a career high 42-points and picked up the slack for M.I.A 2010 All-Star Ryan Coyne. Matt Kump dished out 10 assists for the Jacks. The Jet Sets “Vote for” Vinny Greco stopped 17 shots and Pete Weiss had 15 saves in net for the Jacks. Both teams looked good and could be there at the end but the Jacks outlasted the Sets 135-122 in this one.
Round 1/Game 3: Work Horses vs. Throwbacks

Two old-school styles of play converged in the 4p.m. match. The T-Backs rode captain Joe Ferrigno’s complex defensive schemes and strong wedgeback play to a 2010 title game berth. On a similar note, the Horses earned their reputation on tough, physical D and a lot of athleticism in net coupled with a few big arms. Additionally, both squads added even more talent on both sides of the ball. Everyone anticipated a defensive struggle and that’s what they got. All-around talent Steve Botta (17 points, 13 saves) killed it for the T-Backs and got them out to an early lead but the Horses BIG shooter, Brett “Monster” McGlensey (14 points)  kept the Hoofs close with timely Flex scores. Kosta Nikolos (13 points) helped out on offense wit a patented set shot. Ferrigno did his best John Stockton impersonation and dished out 11 assists to waiting Rangers in the flex zone. Jim Bradley benefited the most and buried home 16 points to go along with 9 saves in net. Bill Zane kept the Horses in the game with a tough display in net and finished with 12 saves on the day. Horses’ Captain Jeff Yetter was sidelined with an injury but he may have not been enough to counter the strong D of the T-Backs as they fell 79-65 in the final game of the day.

This year gonna be good. Get in the game. kronum.com #KL2011

Live it. We do.

PC

Kronum League 2011 – An Athletic Revolution

The American Revolution started in 1775 as a flare up between 13 British Colonies in North America and Kingdom of Great Britain. Minutemen and local militia scraped, clawed, and flanked the Redcoats without regard and turned a dispute over taxation into the most influential Global War in history.
The Revolution of Sport began in 2008 as a backyard concept to challenge the mainstream World of Sports. This active effort to bust loose and carve a new mark into the oak tree was commanded by the hand of Bill Gibson. Kronum was born. Acting as a modern day Nathanael Greene or George Washington he spearheaded the revolt and charge in protest to the tyranny of the mainstream. On second thought, Greene is a poor reference as he had multiple post-revolutionary problems and died of sunstroke. Let’s stick with G.W.
On October 9^th, 2011 an epic sports event took place as Kronum League competitions were viewed LIVE via internet by 40 U.S. states and 30 countries around the globe. Six teams served as the 13 original colonies that stood and fought against conventional rule and the result was identical. The streaming in-game action prompted a call to action for countless viewers around the globe looking to join the fight. Join the resistance. Join the Revolution.
Though we claim just one founding father, the Nimble Jacks, Urban Legends, Work Horses, Jet Sets, Throwbacks, and Night Owls have signed the treaty to declare independence from all other athletic endeavors, while witnesses viewed from around the world.
This is OUR flare up. This is OUR Boston Tea Party. This is OUR charge Crossing the Delaware. Funny thing is, it’s all YOURS too. Kronum. Join the Revolution.