Dear Kickballers,

I hope this message finds all of you well.  Recognizing that for half of us the season has reached its end, I want to thank you folks for contributing to another great year of "underground" kickball in Lawrence.  This marks my eighth year in the league and I can honestly say that I still enjoy Sundays just as much as I did many years ago and it is clear that our people are what make our league so awesome.

To those of you still involved our post-season tournament let me wish you the best luck.  With each round played, the games are sure to become more pressure-packed and exciting.  Our yearly playoff consistently creates an atmosphere of tension and attention that few get an opportunity to experience.

Unfortunately, the excitement of the tourney--along with the double-header format--has proven to be more than some of us can handle in a competitive realm.  The opening week of the tournament was marred this year with a number of unfortunate instances where the competitive spirit of some got out of control.  When these events happen (as they have on occasion throughout our history) they are a black eye on the "spirit of the league" that we hold so dear.

Upon hearing of these incidents throughout this week I began to feel increasingly uncomfortable with my own recent behavior.  I have always been a fiery competitor in life, and have always worked (pretty successfully) to keep these emotions in check when playing in tightly contested kickball games.  Sadly, on our league's biggest stage, fueled by a raucous crowd, a few PBRs, and Cougar's antics, I let my emotions get the best of me.  I consider my shouting at Cougar to be extremely poor sportsmanship and an embarrassment to the league, my team, and myself.

I hope that my example had nothing to do with the outbursts witnessed at Holcom this past weekend, but I realize this might not be the case.  Being a long-time player, a team captain, and a Board member, I have not provided the example of sportsmanship that I would hope to for and for this I sincerely apologize to anyone who loves this league.

The Board is currently working on addressing these unfortunate incidents and developing new guidelines regarding poor sportsmanship, but regardless of our efforts the ultimate responsibility to improve our league lies on each and every one of us.    While my future role within the league is uncertain, I promise to play out the remainder of the season in a manner befitting our league and its awesome participants.  I invite all of you to join me in setting such an example, to remind each other that this game is fun and that our league is hands-down the greatest recreational sports league in the Midwest.  As players or fans, let's hold sportsmanship, community, and good times above all else.  Most fun wins.  See you at Holcom.

Sincerely, Phil Mitchell Love Garden