Rain

The Rockaway Beach Volleyball League kicked into week three despite an all-day rain as dreary as a Sci-Fi set. The weather cleared just enough for action at 6 PM and the squads went to battle. The Stanii beat It’s All Good Tees 5-0 but the games were much closer than the final score. Tommy Morgan may have had a good swing on the golf course today but he evidently left that swing on the course. He was swing-less in Riis Park. Renee Rocket Balls served 14 winners in a row to close out game two. Does the R in R.A. Dickey stand for Renee? Apparently so. Murph (TBG) and Dickie (Cement Shoes) returned to the RBVL after a brief “honeymoon” to celebrate the solidification of their unusual relationship. It wasn’t all good though as their teammates made them feel like a soccer team relegated to the lower division. So, in one week, they were honeymooned and relegated. That’s a lot of syllables. With one win in three weeks the whole team may be relegated to the Moon Division next year. Start shopping for matching beach wear.

Casino Towing lost their opening match to Federation despite the triple threat offense of Sarah, Lauren and Brianne. The next four games fell Casino’s way despite Patrick Glynn’s unorthodox defensive acrobatic maneuvers. Allie Mckeefrey of Federation played well despite the lopsided scores. All games were quite competitive and promise to be so the rest of the way in the very tight Ocean Breeze division. Greg and George were no-shows but their A game is expected next week. Referee Hillary did her usual standout job. Can you believe that, a referee got mentioned and it was a good thing? Sands Point beat Coastal Realty three games to two. Afterward, the team voted to send Jessica to serving school. Is that for serving drinks or serving volleyballs? Sands Point welcomed new member, Steve Kelly. Standing six foot five, what team wouldn’t welcome Steve Kelly? Rumor has it Mariano Rivera was seen at Sands Point doing rehab. Janet McDonnell made a long awaited appearance back to a volleyball team, thanks to her friend Rosemary Hughes and Dan Sugrue. The Harbor Light still lost 5 games but not due to the addition of their new talent.

The after-party was held at Healy’s where the eat-and-run refs did their best to uphold their reputation. Ref Tony Carty executed a move on the food line that would be penalized for boarding in the National Hockey League. Corona Beer raffled off their weekly Corona bicycle and the league’s leading reveler, Vinny Bonanno, rode home a winner. (That must have irked the Erstwhile One.) Thank goodness there’s no law against B.W.I. The whole Bungalow Baranhas team celebrated Vinny’s win by dancing the night away. Wait a minute, they do that every week. The Bungalow Baranhas would like to welcome the Attack Pack to the league. They are a good addition.

Patrons socked away the Corona Light at Healy’s and the Corona rep, William, is very happy about that turn of events and he will continue to raffle off a bike each and every week of the RBVL season at the sponsoring bar. Keep up the good work. William J. Lachner Painters won four games with the help of uber big John Murray. John played his best game even though he was equally confused and conflicted. He just started working days so maybe that contributed to his stupefaction. John must perform better when he is confused, or so his wife professes. Even Sheila was surprised at how well her husband did. Young John Murray was fantastic as usual. On another note, John and Colleen McHale were the only two who made it to the end. Rockaway Seafood had a great showing led by the dominant efforts of Mike “Hammertime” Lonborg. Connolly’s is below .500 for the season and things won’t improve until the team starts playing volleyball, not soccer. Even Captain Steve was a no show. Is he saving his legs for the cookie run? (Where he lost his cookies last year!)

From conversations heard and overheard on the beach there are a couple of items that many people are confused about. Let’s clear them up. First, anyone who thinks that the RBVL plays by beach rules can think again. Generally speaking, the league rules are USVBA indoor rules with a couple of small differences. Virtually any beach rules you read or memorize refer to the beach game of 2-man volleyball, which we do not play. Those are not our rules. The only beach rule in the RBVL that comes to mind is the allowance of a lift or push on a very hard driven ball. So, for example, if an ugly two-handed set is legal in a gym it is legal on the beach. If a player dinks with open fingers on our beach it is totally legal. Yes, there is a beach under your feet but the rules are mostly the indoor rules. Second, a large number of people, perhaps more newbie’s than old-timers, have expressed the idea that the RBVL Committee, who run the league, are dong a good job for the money they are being paid. Well, in fact, they are doing a good job for the money they are being paid, which is $0 dollars and $0 cents. The six members of the committee take nothing from the league. If the RBVL has a successful year and there are a few dollars left over in September, they get treated to a dinner somewhere (without spouses). That’s it. That means every referee from 14 to 74 makes more than Patty, Denise, Joe, Steve, Rocky and John added together. And they are happy to do so but you should just know the facts.

12 hearty players bumped away at The Steve Gifford roofless 127^th Street Thunderdome on Monday night as players anxiously sought out a second evening to play some ball. There are no teams, refs, officials or sponsors just lots of fun. Friday night, 6/8, Aviator held the finals of their spring volleyball league and fans were treated to well-played and close matches all night. The Nice Guys beat JG Electrical 3-1 and the Flying Tigers spanked Bump, Set, Over-served by the same score to advance to the championship match. The Flying Tigers won 3-1 in four games 21-18, 21-18, 18-21 and 21-18. If they played a fifth game, what would the score have been? After the title game, the four teams retired to the Aviator bar and celebrated a fun indoor season. That sounds a little bit like the outdoor season, doesn’t it?

Your signed rosters were due this past week. If they were not handed in yet, you can play on 6/20 but you will get zero points and a forfeit. If you have already taken care of this important matter, thank you very much. All six people on your RBVL Committee are willing to help you with any problems that come up; just take care of matters in a respectful manner. They are always available to help out on any matters and answer your questions but especially: Steve and Rocky for equipment issues, Denise and Joe for referee items, John, Rocky and Joe for articles for the Wave, Denise and Patty for uniforms and schedules. As always, if you have any questions before then please call Patty at 917-613-0908. (Be sure to call between 10 AM and 9 PM. Remember, Patty has a life outside of VB, too.) 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.

See you on the beach!