Now that the Brooklyn Kickball League has been given the all-clear to get down-and-dirty at McCarren Park this summer, let the trash-talking between teams begin! The official kickoff (forgive us) of the season is this Sunday at Gilroy Field, and if the countdown on the league's official site is any indication, members of Saved By The Balls and Taco Taco Taco are getting psyched to square off in their short shorts. We spoke to former Crucial Taunt team captain and five-season veteran Kate "Hey" Brown, who joined Brooklyn United after Taunt disbanded over the winter, about this season's biggest rivalries and hot young bucks:
Why did your former team, Crucial Taunt, disband over the winter?
Rosters turn over every season, but we lost players over the winter to grad school, or moving away, or being married. Some folks are traveling for the summer, or have jobs that interfere with playing. Grown-up stuff. I'll still wear my Crucial Taunt jersey in memoriam. I've already asked my loved ones to bury me in our red lightning bolt knee socks when I die.
Who are your biggest rivals?
We'd like to kick everyone's asses equally. The best teams are the ones who have been around the longest—the John Cougar Mellencamps, Never Scared, the New Frontiersmen. We've all known each other for a long time, which makes for the most interesting games. But we're also all senior citizens, plagued by hearing loss and broken hips, so maybe the younger teams can show us something new (Just kidding, they're all going to have their dreams crushed, by me personally).
Who do you think is the team to beat this season?
I think the New Fronteirsmen are a team to look out for. Not just because they're super handsome and have the best uniforms. Just mostly because of that. I always put my money on them though, so maybe I've been jinxing them this whole time? Sorry.
What are you looking forward to most this season?
The return of warm weather, Never Scared's sound system, explaining to my coworkers why I don't have a voice on Monday morning from all the heckling and yelling. I never got to go to summer camp, but I imagine this is sort of what it feels like. Lots of people hate on kickball, which is fine, whatever, but kickball is my summer family.
