week 4 08

The Rockaway Beach Volleyball League implemented their new innovative format on Wednesday night, incorporating a fifty minute halftime intermission in which teams gather on the boardwalk to discuss the first half action and devise strategies for the second half before taking the field to resume play. To kick off the new program they rented a rainbow which was strategically placed with one end over the Kerry Hills Pub, and the other end over the Atlantic Ocean.

The rainbow above the Flip Cup All Stars gave them the luck they needed to take the final game from Mark's Maintenence

For the hundreds of players who followed the rainbow back to the Kerry Hills Pub after the second half action, they were rewarded with a pot of golden mashed potatoes, beef stew, Jack Daniels spare ribs, turkey, chicken wings, salads, the world-famous Shepherd’s Pie and a new innovation, Chicken Shepherd’s Pie, all cooked to perfection. The extra bartenders for the big rush were a nice touch, too. By the way, that lady you saw, cooking, serving and cleaning was no the hired help. That’s the owner, Carmel, who has been doing this since the first season. Her excellent cooking and hospitality make the Kerry Hills a home away from home. Nobody does it better! She said she hadn’t seen that many people at the Hills since Abe Lincoln’s inauguration party. The bar was set high in the first four weeks and Kerry Hills set a new standard. That makes it five for five in parties, perhaps the most important statistic we keep. Keep showing your support for our very generous sponsors. We couldn’t do it without them.

And now back to Volleyball: Conditions were actually excellent for the most part, with no wind and comfortable temperatures before and after the lightning and rainstorm. The rain came on Shapiro Island again but could not dampen their spirits or skills as they won four games. They were on fire tonight, melting the storm away for the rest of the league. Sire serves were like lighting, oh no that was really lightning. Jacqueline came off the D.L. to serve a dirty dozen in a row. Jack came back and showed he still got it. Paddy’s hammer provided the thunder. Shane kept his cool and played awesome in the victories. And as the last point was scored Heidi’s husband John declared, this game reminded him of his women, wild and wet. Speaking of wild and wet, has anybody seen Tracey? The ambulance was cancelled when they found out Matty the human bumper car wasn’t playing. John Sica returned from his two month hiatus from retirement and joined his new team the Flip Cup All Stars. It was the first time ever that four Sica’s played on the same team in league play. Speaking of four that’s how many they lost to the solid Mark’s Maintenance. Frazier went down as Simon Sez took four games from the ex-first place team Last Call. I guess all of that yelling at Stella Maris from Kathy all winter has paid dividends so far. Thanks Billy Mac for those spikes. Nice Job. Frasier you’re the team’s rock. They are all playing well as a team. Congrats to Tommy Lac for a job well done as Captain. Watch out here they come!

Connolly’s wants to thank It’s All Good for bringing the tunes, it picked up their game. They won 5-0. Rock and Roll will never die, but It’s All Good will. The separation of the Morgan’s worked out for Connolly’s despite them losing the better half of the couple. For the first time in league history these words were heard at the beach, “Steve Gifford spiked and spanked us!” It’s no wonder Its All Good’s assets were nowhere to be found. Shannon showed up, a boob appeared and still it just wasn’t “All Good”. Is It All Gone? NO! Did you see the light show? Did you see the sky? Did you see the Moon? Well we did. The Rockaway Breakers are the party team of the season. They made it out in full force as usual to continue their challenge against Bar 13 NYC as the fun team of the year. John McHale Sr. doesn’t stay in his position on the court but he hasn’t broken anybody’s bones yet, or his own. Meanwhile John McHale Jr. is carrying the old man and was voted MVP this week. If the Tsatsis were there, they would have swept the week. These new teams are giving last year’s fun team of the year, the Piranha’s, a run for their money. The Piranha’s laugh at the notion. They counter with their new song, “Your Bum Is Sandy”. Pier92 Piranha’s have only two words for the Rockaway Breakers. DANCE OFF! Bar 13 NYC made an amazing comeback this week because of all TEAM players. The storm might have put a damper on some spirits, but not on Bar 13. They saw it as a fresh start and went on to win 4-1. Even an all day trip to Connolly’s couldn’t keep Bar 13 down. Although they are aware that Patty is the real Commissioner and carries a big stick, they are also aware that she would provide first aid because she is a professional nurse. Keep up the great serves, T Mags and J Geary. Bar 13 is unstoppable now so watch out.

You’ve heard of a lunar eclipse. You’ve heard of a solar eclipse. But if you stayed at the beach until the very end you were treated to the rare sight of a Flanagan Eclipse. That occurs when the entire moon is blocked out by the huge head of one Dickie Flanagan. An awesome spectacle! Stevie Wonder played Jones Beach during the storm and didn’t know the lightning was so close until Bugsy told him. The second Midnight Massacre of the week was threatened when “Willie” Kirby and “Omar” Flanagan met in the backyard of Kerry Hills. With good luck charm Kirby’s record at 0-10 the last two weeks, look for It’s All Good to make a change soon. Abbracciamento alum, Anna, returned for a visit with her compatriot, Sabrina. The old Princeton teammates wowed some salivating Ocean division captains with their sideline pepper game when it was discovered that they were free agents. Sabrina wowed the salivating Ancients of Casino Towing when she split her shorts making a diving dig. Dan, Brian, and Kevin “40-Foot Spike” Cregan sparked the Yacht Club fresh from their trip to Key West and Nancy celebrated her last day of school and now has 72 days off, but who’s counting? Unfortunately, Mike had to leave early for his Malibu photo shoot. Once again, Kathy, Jen and Pam were strong and Billy C. was spectacular. The Volley Warriors from St. Camillus Special Olympics showed that they are true warriors by weathering the storm and completing their second week of play. Your spirit shone through and we look forward to seeing you next week

Kerry Hills speared the Piranha’s like they were in a fish tank, 4-1. Ellen “Ringer” Mae, rose to the occasion and played like a veteran. Rob, there is no working out on Wednesdays. Your muscles are getting in the way. You are intimidating the wrong team. Mike (the Stash) Stone, was on his game tonight standing on the turntable serving like a madman with his tormenters down. Sean, Brady, Egan, combined for many points with Brady’s intimidating bark and Sean ‘s feline’s purrs to calm them down. John ’the Concert’ was MIA as usual with visions of Tom Petty dancing in his head. Last Call’s Digger, who was always a great lover of melons , unfortunately played bravely on despite the loss of his captain. Spike showed off her all-year- round skills and proved to her team that she can mix it up with the best of them. The beer boy committed a major crime when he did not factor in the beer consumption rate with the rain delay. No beer opener not enough beer. Paging Carl. What happened? McGyver, you couldn’t rig anything up. The cowboy who keeps the fires burning proved that he could turn up the heat a beat. Wait till the captain gets home. Bobby O you better get your prescription checked because something is up. Hotwood you are out of control, feeling cheeks with every opportunity. All of this feeling of cheeks is keeping Connelly happy. We all have our aches and pains Busted Brown, but we don’t throw in the towel after one bad race. The Bayhouse Babes lost a heartbreaker in game one, 22-20. They did not panic, kept their cool, and stormed back to sweep the next four games convincingly, winning 4-1. Jason and Keith were playing pinball with their bodies. The babes as usual were covering every position the men left open. Here come the Margaritas – new division 10 & 10. They are back. The Murray brothers guarantee they will roll thru all competition and will be moving up next year as well. Happy 35th birthday Lorraine Aggis – Team Margarita lady! Sands Points Physical Therapy needs some Sands Points Mental Therapy to remember that the reason to come to Riis Park is to have fun. Lobster House regrouped under the thunder and lightning and came back to win the last two games of the match against Set On the Beach. Serge, team captain and spiritual leader, led the powerful comeback. Katie, Kristine and Mary rotated in a way to satisfy the teams every need. As always, if you have any questions during the week, please call Patty Moule at 917-613-0908. (Be sure to call between 10 AM and 9 PM.) Or just check our website at www.rbvl.com. You'll find the answers to most of your questions there, not to mention pretty pictures and funny stories.