Pennant Races Heat Up 

The NIC Ramblers and Gamblers swept this week against the Brooklyn Transplants, as they were motivated and inspired by the legend of 108^th Street, Ann Walsh, who recently passed away. Rockaway has lost another icon. Ann and her family’s deli hold a great many wonderful memories for all who were privileged to experience that special part of the Rockaway community that we will never forget. Good for you, Bonnie and Erin, you know mom wanted you out there on the beach with all of your buddies.

The Rugby Clubhouse lost a squeaker to the Kerry Hills Eiele 2-3 and then returned home to host a terrific backyard BBQ. Many of the players commented on the high quality and the higher quantity of the burgers and hot dogs supplied all night. A special thanks goes to Tyrone, John and the staff who worked long behind the hot grill on a hot night. Luckily they had time to fit in a cold beverage or two for themselves. How about the “Dunk Tank”? The patrons loved this novelty idea and many grudges were settled as folks took turns soaking each other at 20 paces. 

The Kerry Hills Pub played great but came up a little short (1-4) against the Circling Sharks. Where was Frankie? I hope he wasn’t at Connolly’s when he was supposed to be at the Rugby Club. Congratulations to Billy and Nancy on their upcoming wedding and congratulations to the guys who were dedicated enough to schedule their Las Vegas bachelor party between VB matches. Michele Fleming did three trips to the dunk tank and she went in three times. Thanks to Jimmy and Carmel for the beer and the support, in that order. 

Grassy’s Rat Pack might have gone down 3-2 to It’s All Good, but Annie and Keith represented for the youth of Rockaway. MAF and Dan-O had hands up on the net and Grassy’s could have gone up 5 – 0 if everyone had stayed in their perimeter. We wish Annie lots of luck in her new venture as a missionary in Santa Monica, not too much poverty and we can’t wait to hear about her homeless women’s VB team. We’ll miss you, Annie! Patricia looks forward to being pen pals with Anastasia. 

Paris and Nicky of It’s All Good were servicing the whole league after dark. Nicky was practicing with her pool stud trainer and improved her game big time. Paris wants to hire the pool stud to work on servicing balls. Joey Moore was great on delivering the short serves and the flowers. Tom, Brian and Bugsy were great at the net and pulled everything together. Murph was a no-show, probably because he couldn’t find a coordinated vertical-striped outfit to wear. Dickie was a no-show at the bar, probably because he had to drink his own and TBG’s share of beers at the beach. Cubby kept his streak of bar appearances alive and is closing in on Cal Ripken’s record. 

The Nobody’s beat EZ company 3-2 and accused them of drinking from the fountain of youth after the third loss. Why is Claire O’Brien always on the ground? Is it the alcohol or the excessive hustle? Thanks to Meghan Sugrue for not wearing her prom dress this week. The dynamic trio, Will, Bobby and Harry continue to be the only talent on the team. Our hearts go out to Jimmy Higgins for breaking his toe on the beach - probably because Lauren Peligrino was too busy finding buried treasure. Michael Lonigro played intensely for the squad and captain Kristen Diffendale is seeking anger management counseling! Special thanks to Nicole Lonigro and Mike Karlou for being top fans in spite of the lack of faith in the team. EZ Company doubled their season point total from 2 to 4 – they’re hot, so watch out! They’re not so easy anymore. With a record of 4 and 36 we there is nowhere to go but up. The first win was hard earned by Monica & Chris Reilly, TJ Meade, Turtle McManus, Jim Warren and Maureen. The second win included Turtle (again), Deborah and Mike Munns, Pat & Toddy Farragher and Barbara King. Where were the Cordes’ …. Spikin’ de deutsch, not spikin de ball! Watch out for this Cinderella team in the playoffs. The committee will be checking out the validity of Turtle’s membership and next week he may be subject to a steroid test and a full cavity search by Sgt. Rocky. 

The Beach Club beat the Beach House 3-2. (Sorry, John.) The Club has been quiet in the Wave lately but they are still around. Mom (Caroline) and the kids have been going out every week. Big shout out to Peggy and George in cold Alaska, we miss you and need you! Do they play much beach volleyball in Fairbanks? Grassy Point may not like our trash talking but we plan on backing it up. 

John Sica shouldn’t serve out of bounds at game point. Didn’t he learn anything from coaching the Brooklyn College women? George still has the ups and showed it against the big front line of Fillmore Insurance, unfortunately his supporting cast left much to be desired. Fillmore took the match 4-1. Did the Queer Eye Fab Five return to the Sica residence? Something happened to Brian’s hair and rumor has it that Carson Queer came back to handle the makeover. 

Tom Tuohey was recovering from his major leg surgery and he wasn’t able to serve the first ball of the night for Sands Point. Without him, his team was in a quandary and didn’t know what to do. Where’s the rulebook? They eventually figured it all out and nosed out their chief rivals, Vaughn’s Cheese Fries 3-2. Happy Birthday, Steve! These top two Sun division squads will go at it once again next week in what promises to be another close one. 

The top two teams in the Ocean division, Freedhand’s and Abbracciamento’s, swept their matches and will face off next week during position week. Other matches between first and second place teams will pit Stealth against Jameson’s in the Wave division and the Odd Couples versus the NIC Ramblers and Gamblers. 

Commissioner Patty would like to thank last week’s transportation committee: Rene for the day care shuttle with the kids, Noelle and Della for the taxi to Riis Park and especially Keith and Katie for the limo ride home from NYC. Why is Kelly out every week supporting the sponsors and the league in spite of her pregnancy and many teams are totally absent? Remember, you have 354 days of the year to go wherever you want, whenever you want but we only have 11 nights of summer volleyball. How hard can it be to show up in support of the neighborhood businesses that support us? Let’s make an effort to have a strong finish this season. We’ll see you on the beach and at next week’s party at the Harbor Light!