The Brooklyn Kickball League’s rookie phenoms tied a league record with four wins on Sunday, earning an 8–0 record overall and firm control over first place.
Milk Believe sunk the Pirates, threw away Bangarang, and asserted custody over #1 Dad, before tuning up last year’s finalists, the John Cougar Mellencamps, 6–2, on McCarren Field in a rematch of the season opener.
The dairymen flooded the Mellencamps with a 4–0 start, thanks to timely kicking by Ashley “Gustav” Kahler and Ariel “Mermaid” Bloch.
The Mellencamps got on the board in the third with two runs, but Milk Believe captain Mike “Baby Jesus” Scott smoked a double to center, scoring two runs in the fourth inning that sealed the deal.
“We have a lot of confidence in ourselves — we believe we’re better than everyone else,” said Scott. “If we have a bad inning, we have the confidence in our team that we’ll get it together. We’re trying to make milk believers out of everybody.”
The Mellencamps, who acknowledged they are in a rebuilding year, finished the day 2–1, mercy slaughtering #1 Dad, 10–0, and crushing the Pirates, 11–1, behind two home runs from Rose “Domini” Annis.
The Pony Boys, another team that has had its struggles early in the season, finished the day with three resounding wins over Bangarang, the Pirates, and Reservoir Balls.
Pony Boys captain Jason “Einhorn” Finkel said the team’s lineup is starting to coalesce and he believes his horses will be ready by the second half of the season.
“It’s about having fun and hanging out with each other right now — but if we don’t win we’ll be pissed,” he said.
And Boys infielder “Iron” Matt Tyson, who kicked four home runs, said the team’s low profile is just fine with him.
“We prefer to be underponies,” he said.
But Memorial Day weekend was an especially long weekend for the league’s bottom-dwellers.
Pirates captain Lance “On Guard” Jackson chalked up his veteran team’s performance to a tough early-season schedule.
“We’ve played some great teams but I like the energy of our team,” said Jackson. “As long as you’re giving 100 percent, you can’t be mad at the results.”
But Bangarang came away with some encouragement after they almost got Milk Believe to curdle for the first time this season.
And they’re talking tough even after a loss.
“We’re going to beat up Milk Believe on the streets, as soon as the lights go down,” said Bangarang’s Grace “LaMarcus” Aldridge.
