The Legion Thanks You for the Support!

We would like to thank everyone from the Capitol Hill League who donated money last Thursday at the park in celebration of Memorial Day and to raise money for veterans. The black shirts distributed poppy flowers during games and we raised almost $120 which will be matched by the League. We're told that your contributions pushed local Legion Post 8 to it's most successful poppy program ever! They greatly appreciate your support and generosity.

Is Trendy Good or Bad?

I guess it all depends on your point of view. DCist.com has launched the first shot in what could be a long string of questionable, anonymous commentary, or the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

Check out the infamy of DC Bocce in this comment strand and add your thoughts!

http://dcist.com/2009/05/wee_baltimore_trapeze_school_coming.php

Here’s to You, Matt Damons Balls

Bocce It, We’ll Do It Live would rather not discuss the circumstances which led to our brutal defeat last night (let’s just say 2004 ALCS), but we have to give props to Matt Damons Balls for their colossal win in the final game of the regular season. The loss ended our 4 game winning streak, and it’s certainly not what we wanted to see heading into the playoffs, but nevertheless it’s a lesson learned for this rookie team. The complimentary pitcher of beer courtesy of the winning team was more then appreciated to soften the sting, but our true recovery will have to come next week. After a night of excuses, what-ifs, and numerous contemplations, we think we’ve moved on…bring on the playoffs.

Well played, Matt Damons Balls.

80's Hair, Outlaws, Oranges, Aqua Teens, Carl Douglas, Matt Damon, and More...

The League would like to congratulate Tuesday team "Matt Damon's Balls", Wednesday team "Funky Cold Pallinas", and Thursday team "Baci Bandits" for their wins in the flair-off.

And a shout goes out to the second place finishers from all three days, "EveryBocce was Kung-Fu Fighting", "hugs from snow tires", and "Saucy Balls", along with all the other teams that went as far out as they could to be noticed without risking embarrassment while walking DC. We really appreciate the turn out, and don't forget that superlative voting is this week so there's still a chance that your dedication to flair will pay off. We hope the winning teams make good use of their bar tabs and with a couple more weeks of bocce to be played we're looking forward to the giveaways to come.

Play Us Out

If the picture of Bill O’ is not a dead give away, you probably have already figured out that Bocce It, We’ll Do It Live derives its name from the anchor’s infamous meltdown years back. Now, you don’t have to worry about a member of Bocce It doing the same during a bocce showdown (well, one might); we are probably more known for pounding a Peroni pitcher, or six, at Pour House. Regardless, this post is to celebrate our first win (and subsequent second) in DC’s bocce league. Even though a few of us grew up mastering the immaculate courts of New Jersey, this was our first win in the grass of the Nation’s Capital. Don’t expect us to make it look pretty; we beat the formidable Buddha Bocces by a measly one point and staggered to a two point victory over Any Given Tuesday, who couldn’t quite handle a Thursday game.

We’ll be looking to keep our winning streak going in the 2^nd half of the season. In the meantime, if you see Bill O’s thugs in Garfield Park, tell them look for the tangerine and Bocce It, We’ll Do It Live will play it out.

Smoked Salmon

A Teal of Two Schwettys

Fact: The only thing better than eating salmon for breakfast is eating salmon-flavored Schwetty Bocce Balls for dinner.

In Week 2 of the Spring DC Bocce League, Change You Can Bocce feasted on their salmon-colored opponent in a 14-9 shellacking for the ages. Though The Beast, The Captain, and Mr. Awesome were significantly outnumbered (2 humans, 2 dogs) by their opponent, Petes Schwetty Bocce Balls, their insatiable hunger for salmon-flavored victory was enough record their second consecutive win this season. You had to see it to believe it!

The win marked a critical step toward our goal of an undefeated season; indeed, few teams in bocce history have ever lost their Week 2 match and still managed to go undefeated. Will there be a challenger?

Do you have what it takes?

Hilarious Name-Tshirt Match

We played 'Are you there God, it's me Bocce' last night. They a super fun team who pulled ahead at the end to kick our asses - er, win. But the highlight of the match was the realization that the Bocce Gods in black shirts, in their infinite wisdom, chose the color red for their team shirt. Hilarious! It is likely that every woman in our generation read the Judy Blume coming of age book that inspired the team name. The book is about menstration and the team shirts are red. Seriously funny!

Flair Night for Bar Beer

As you've heard, noticed, or forgotten, we (The Black Shirts) enjoy giving away items from week-to-week, ranging from Nationals tickets, to BeerPen passes, to gift baskets, to shots. We're going to try and make Week Five a little more interesting by having a Best Team Flair contest with the winning team from each night getting a $100 bar tab! Losers will receive a team building experience, random glares from people and bar staff, and best of all, our gratitude.

As with last season's contest, we’re not expecting a full 37 pieces, and if you need a clue to success check out previous winners, Et tu, Bocce, Creepy Uncle Bocce, Blazing Sweetness and Bocce 5-0. "Best Team Flair" is a Superlative Award this season, so consider this a starting point to kick off a successful campaign and reap the benefits at our End-of-Season Party...just ask Matt Damon's Balls or NKOTBocce. Of course for the superlative you have to get the attention of the whole Division and in this case you just need a gimmick that suckers us Black Shirts (condolences to G, Lauren, and Katie for missing that shot of whiskey) into choosing you.

An-HUGE Week 2 Victory for Change You Can Bocce!

Change You Can Bocce

The 2009 spring bocce season has already offered its share of adversity. A 10-minute torrential downpour postponed Week 1, and DC Metro construction left Change You Can Bocce without two of its stars, Mr. Awesome and Dr. Clutch, for its Week 2 match against Bocce Ballers. Even worse, our Week 2 match took place on the bocce courts, which meant we didn't have the luxury of relying on the unpredictable grassy terrain, "the great equalizer", to mask our inadequacies.

For these very reasons--and because they agreed to pay the $40 entrance fee--we recruited two entirely new team members for the 2009 spring season. Until Week 2, neither of these individuals had even so much as cradled a bocce ball in their hands, let alone competed in an organized league, and therefore neither had been assigned nicknames clever enough to pass our rigorous nickname-vetting process. After all, everyone knows that nicknames can only be awarded for amazing feats of physical dominance, clutch maneuvers, or generous gifts of golds and spices.

Fast forward to the end of our Week 2 match -- the score is 13-10 and only a few minutes remain until the game is called. Our newest teammate, Anuj, against all notions of logic and tradition, hurls his ball into a tight corner, knocking all of our opponents balls out the way, and securing a 16-10 victory for his team. A HUGE shot by Anuj! An-HUUGE!!

And, so it was decided, to the list of Change You Can Bocce members, which includes The Beast, The Enforcer, The Captain, Unkle Unkool, Mr. Awesome, and Dr. Clutch, we add An-HUGE!

Now that we have that resolved, we will try to work on perfecting our simultaneous complex aerial maneuvers, as demonstrated quite unsuccessfully in the above picture.