I think that probably within the next 10-15 years, there will be a professional roller derby league that spans the nation. But the way things are right now, a large league stretching from Seattle to San Diego to Miami to Portland, ME and all points in between isn't possible. Way too much money would have to be spent and the logistics would be nightmarish. However, I don't think regional leagues are too far out of the realm of possibility.

For instance, take the state I live in…Washington. As of right now, we currently have 2 WFTDA member leagues (Rat City and the Oly Rollers). But there are also a few other leagues who haven't reached that status yet. And those are the leagues I'm looking at for this idea. Rat City and Oly have their WFTDA championship dreams being worked on right now. But for the rest, maybe something a little smaller would be something they could shoot for.

For starters, I would take the 6 leagues in the state of Washington and create a league of their own. The teams would include the Dockyard Derby Dames (Tacoma), Slaughter County Roller Vixens (Bremerton), Rainy City Roller Dolls (Centralia), Jet City Rollergirls (Everett), Lilac City Rollergirls (Spokane) and the Bellingham Roller Betties.

The regular season would see each team playing 6 bouts; three at home and three away. Each team would play each other once for the first five games, then there could be a rivalry bout for the 6^th (my ideas there include more geographic rivalries such as Rainy City vs. Slaughter County, Jet City vs. Bellingham and Dockyard vs. Lilac since Tacoma and Spokane are similar in size and already have a historic rivalry of sorts within the state). The rivals would play each other in a home-and-home series during the year and the rest of the home bouts would be decided through some sort of drawing.

One bout per month in this league. The regular season would start in March and end in August. Then there would be one weekend sometime in September at a pre-determined location in which the playoffs (the top four teams in the league record-wise) would be played. The two semi-final bouts would be held on Saturday, and the state championship game would be held on Sunday.

During the season, the "home" bout in this league could be ones regularly scheduled monthly bout. Meaning as the season goes along, you can still play your regular intraleague bouts. But those intraleague bouts would be scheduled the same month as the "away" bout. When it all pans out in a perfect world, this would mean playing three bouts every two months for the travel team members who are a part of the Washington league. I think three bouts every two months isn't such a bad thing, but I do think trying to milk two bouts per month out of most skaters is asking a lot…especially considering that we aren't talking about professionals here.

I have always loved interleague bouts. It's always been the chance to see each leagues best skaters go up against each other. Really, the competition and skill level of these bouts are so much higher than your regular intraleague bouts.

But with several examples over the first half of this year, I think I have grown to love interleague bouts even more! I think it's mostly due to the overall atmosphere in buildings during these bouts. I'll just take the last Rat City bout as the prime example here. Usually on a regular RCRG bout night, the crowd is divided into four sections; the Sockit Wenches fans, the DLF fans, the Throttle Rocket fans and the Grave Danger fans. While these bouts are going on, it's usually not that big of a deal during the game. Let's say there is a game between the Wenches and DLF. Something happens during this bout that favors the Wenches. The crowd reaction pretty much boils down to the 25% of the fans there rooting for the Wenches cheering, the 25% of the DLF fans not being happy at all and silent while the other 50% who make up the TR and GD fans just kinda sit there in indifference. Basically, especially considering something exciting just happened, the overall atmosphere is still kinda "blah".

But in that final jam of the Rat City/Bay Area bout when the game was still on the line and Valtron broke out of the pack for Rat City with lead jammer status almost 100% of the crowd jumped up and started yelling and screaming with joy as it looked like their hometown team had pulled it off. For maybe the first time at a Rat City bout, fans of the Wenches, DLF, Rockets and GD all had something to cheer about in unison. And as Taxi Scab pointed out in the comments section of my recap, the sound was close to deafening.

It's thrilling moments like that which get more people to come back to any event in any sport. And not only with Rat City this year, but with other places like when the Jet City Bombers took control of the Axles of Annihilation from Rose City the crowd went nuts in the Seaview Gymnasium. I remember the passion of the Oly Roller fans and the up-and-down rollercoaster their team led them on during their exciting bout against the Derby Liberation Front. It got awfully loud in Skateland that night, too. Yet another image I have in my head was from when I was in Boise a few weeks ago and the crowd sat there waving their little green pom-poms in support of their hometown Treasure Valley Rollergirls. Much like with that Rat City bout, those other three featured an entire crowd who were pretty much on the same page as to who they were rooting for. I don't know about you, but to me that's a beautiful thing.

And that's why I think even a mini-league like the one I dream of here in Washington would be such a cool thing. At least on three occasions during the year, the crowds in attendance will be banded together and rooting as one and not all divided up into 2-4 groups. And if you are a skater who attended that bout in Seattle and experienced that atmosphere, ask yourself if you would love to have that same electricity brought into your local rink at least every now and then.

I think starting with something on a relatively small scale like this would be a good start towards something even bigger. I mean, it wouldn't be incredibly difficult for the 6 teams in this league to travel to the other cities. In fact, it's entirely possible that, outside of Spokane, each team could be home and sleeping in their own beds later on that night after the bout. The nay-sayers would say logistics wouldn't make it happen. But really, those would be the people who want to keep their regular four team season completely intact. If all the parties really wanted to, the logistics could be worked out quite easily, really.

Anyway, this is just my crazy little idea. Honestly, I don't expect it to happen next year or even anytime after that. Although I think this would be an awesome way to promote the sport better by pitting city vs. city, I just don't think there would be enough support within each league to make it happen around here. Still…if someone out there in some other part of the country or anywhere else in the world wants to take my little idea and run with it, go ahead and try it. I think it would work in other states with plenty of derby leagues currently bouting (Texas, California and Florida all come to mind). Even regionally it could be a doable thing (say a northeastern or midwestern league).

I think a truly organized roller derby league is on the distant horizon. But for now, I also think it's a good idea to start small and work our way up. That way when the "big league" does become a reality, we will have had plenty of trial and error examples to work with to make it's debut run even smoother and better.

Jam 1. X-Khan broke out of the pack first with lead jammer status and skated her way to a 4-3 decision over DRR jammer Dreadful Dodger. Score 4-3 in favor of the Sockit Wenches.

Jam 2. Juliet Bravo broke out of the pack first for the Sockit Wenches and skated away with a grand slam scoring run before Speedy Gun Haul Ass finally left the pack with lead status and called it off. Score 9-3 in favor of the Sockit Wenches.

Jam 3. Wile E. Peyote once again broke out of the pack first and racked up a couple of grand slams before DRR jammer Beat N Harass did pick up lead jammer and called it off. Score 19-3 in favor of the Sockit Wenches.

Jam 4. This time it was the Death Rattle Rollers jammers turn to break out of the pack first. And when she did, Darth Maul'her had lead jammer status. She skated around for a grand slam on her first scoring run and collected four more on her second for a convincing 9-0 decision over Sister Piston. Score 19-12 in favor of the Sockit Wenches.

Jam 5. X-Khan was able to earn lead jammer status once again and called it off after squeeking out a slim 2-1 skate over Bashley Blaze. Score 21-13 in favor of the Sockit Wenches.

Jam 6. Dreadful Dodger picked up lead jammer status early on in this run. And things were made a little easier for her when DRR blocker Anna Barbara smoked Wenches jammer Sugar N Creamher with a solid hit while Dodger was making her way around the track. After picking up a nice 4-0 pass, Dreadful Dodger called it off. Score 21-17 in favor of the Sockit Wenches.

Jam 7. Even with DRR jammer Skeater Tuscadero heading off to the penalty box, Juliet Bravo still called the jam off right after picking up lead status before either jammer could score any points. Score 21-17 in favor of the Sockit Wenches.

Jam 8. With Tuscadero still sitting in the box, Wenches jammer Rebel Belle took advantage of her opponents misfortune by collecting an 8-0 decision. Score 29-17 in favor of the Sockit Wenches.

Jam 9. Not only did Speedy Gun Haul Ass get hammered by Wenches blocker Shovey Chase during the initial pass, she was also sent packing to the sin bin a little later on. This gave Anya Heels the chance to pick up lead jammer status and claim a pair of grand slams during a 10-0 rout. Score 39-17 in favor of the Sockit Wenches.

Jam 10. With Speedy still serving her time, X-Khan was able to break out of the pack and pick up 5 points during her scoring runs. Although Speedy Gun Haul Ass was still able to earn lead jammer and collect 4 points of her own to minimize the damage. Score 44-21 in favor of the Sockit Wenches.

Jam 11. Wile E. Peyote did skate away from the pack with lead jammer status in the early stages. But after picking up four points during her scoring run, she was waved off the track to serve some time in the box. This gave the always dangerous Darth Maul'her time to pick up four points on her first pass, a grand slam on her second and one more during her third as she claimed a nice 10-4 win. Score 48-31 in favor of the Sockit Wenches.

Jam 12. With Wile E still sitting in the penalty box, Speedy Gun Haul Ass tried to fight through the Wenches defense. When she finally did, she did earn lead jammer, but still fell short to Wile E. Peyote and her Sockit Wenches to the tune of 5-4. Score 53-35 in favor of the Sockit Wenches.

Jam 13. Bashley Blaze did pick up lead jammer status, but there were no points scored on this jam between her and X-Khan. Score 53-35 in favor of the Sockit Wenches.

Jam 14. Rebel Belle took advantage of Dreadful Blockers trip to the graybar hotel by picking up lead status and collecting an 8-0 decision. Score 61-35 in favor of the Sockit Wenches.

Jam 15. With Dreadful Dodger still sitting in the box, Sister Piston was able to shake off a rattling hit by Darth Maul'her during the initial pass and claim lead jammer and a 2-0 decision. Score 63-35 in favor of the Sockit Wenches.

Jam 16. Wile E. Peyote once again picked up lead jammer for the Sockit Wenches and skated away with an 8-0 run over Skeater Tuscadero. Score 71-35 in favor of the Sockit Wenches.

Jam 17. Neither Bashley Blaze or Anya Heels could pick up anymore points before the clock ran out. After one half of play, the Sockit Wenches held a 71-35 lead.

Jam 1. After Darth Maul'her broke out of the pack first without lead jammer, Wile E. Peyote did claim lead jammer and called it off before either jammer could score. Score 71-35 in favor of the Sockit Wenches.

Jam 2. Things looked pretty good for the Death Rattle Rollers early on as Speedy Gun Haul Ass earned lead jammer after the initial pass. But she was soon making her way to the penalty box, paving the way for Sister Piston to come away with a 4-0 decision. Score 75-35 in favor of the Sockit Wenches.

Jam 3. With Speedy still keeping the jammers chair in the penalty box warm, Wile E. Peyote was able to earn lead jammer status and race off with a pair of grand slams before calling it off after posting a 10-0 tally. Score 85-35 in favor of the Sockit Wenches.

Jam 4. Things changed a little bit in this run as Bashley Blaze not only earned lead jammer, but took advantage of Rebel Belle's trip to the penalty box by posting a grand slam 5-0 scoring run. Score 85-40 in favor of the Sockit Wenches.

Jam 5. With Rebel Belle still sitting in the sin bin, Skeater Tuscadero had a chance to close the gap a little more. But just as Rebel was leaving the penalty area, Skeater was sent in to replace her there. Rebel Belle went on to claim lead jammer status and a 5-0 grand slam tally. Score 90-40 in favor of the Sockit Wenches.

Jam 6. With X-Khan heading on over to serve a little time of her own, Speedy Gun Haul Ass was able to skate away with a 5-4 decision. Score 94-45 in favor of the Sockit Wenches.

Jam 7. During the initial pass, Wenches blocker Sassy Chassis did an awesome job of holding DRR jammer Dreadful Dodger behind her. This gave Wile E. Peyote the opportunity to earn lead jammer once again and claim a 9-3 decision. Score 103-48 in favor of the Sockit Wenches.

Jam 8. Early on, Wenches jammer Anya Heels was sent off to serve some time in the penalty box. Then when she left it, she didn't re-enter the pack at the rear and was signaled off once again before she even got half-way down the first straightaway. While all this was going on, Darth Maul'her picked up lead jammer and a 7-0 decision. Score 103-55 in favor of the Sockit Wenches.

Jam 9. With Anya Heels still in the penalty box, Bashley Blaze had a chance to close the gap a little more. Instead she had a tough time making her way through the Wenches defense and still eventually fell to Anya by the score of 1-0. Score 104-55 in favor of the Sockit Wenches.

Jam 10. The Death Rattle Rollers were once again snake-bit as Dreadful Dodger was sentenced to a minute in the penalty box as jammer. This gave the green light to Wile E. Peyote who claimed lead jammer along with a devastating 17-0 scoring run. Score 121-55 in favor of the Sockit Wenches.

Jam 11. Once again, Skeater Tuscadero was sent off to the box while jamming for DRR. X-Khan made her pay by picking up a 10-0 decision. Score 131-55 in favor of the Sockit Wenches.

Jam 12. Anya Heels did pick up lead jammer during the initial pass, but Nerd Rage was hot on her heels. After the two jammers each collected four points during their first scoring run, the DRR jammer went to the box for the third time in three jams as Nerd Rage was shooed off to the sin bin. This gave Anya the time to collect a grand slam on her second scoring pass before calling it off with a 9-4 victory. Score 140-59 in favor of the Sockit Wenches.

Jam 13. With Nerd Rage still sitting in the box, Juliet Bravo was able to earn lead jammer status and come away with a 4-0 tally. Score 144-59 in favor of the Sockit Wenches.

Jam 14. X-Khan claimed lead jammer and collected a quick 5-0 grand slam over Knock'er SocksOff. Score 149-59 in favor of the Sockit Wenches.

Jam 15. And in the final jam of the night, Raven Mad was able to pick up yet another grand slam for the Sockit Wenches as she skated off into the sunset with both a 5-0 decision over Anna Barbara and a Sockit Wenches victory by the score of 154-59.

3. Anya Heels. Probably played her best game for the Sockit Wenches this year. She was a dominant force within the pack and also picked up 20 points in five jams.

2. Darth Maul'her. Continued to make her case as one of the very top players in the northwest by playing a great game within the pack while earning 26 points for the Death Rattle Rollers in only four runs as a jammer.

1. Wile E. Peyote. 63 points in eight jams. Need I say more???

With the Death Rattle Rollers still sticking around in the bout midway through the first half, Rebel Belle took advantage of Skeater Tuscadero starting the jam in the penalty box by skating away with an 8-0 decision and the momentum of the game for her Sockit Wenches.

Lordy…Knock'er SocksOff, Beat N Harass, Speedy Gun Haul Ass, Clobberin Mame, Shovey Chase, and Rebel Belle all served 4 minutes in the sin bin apiece. Well, I only have three minutes down for Beat N Harass, but she was convinced that she served four minutes in the game so I gave her a piece of the Bad Girl award (lol).

The results of both games went about how I expected…around 100 point wins for the Rat City teams. Still, I think everybody has to give some mad props to the Slaughter County teams for hanging in there and still playing quite well regardless of what the scoreboard said. They stuck around, plugged away and never gave up. They really are improving at a rapid pace. It'll be interesting to see how they do around the northwest next season.

Of course I want to thank my spotter in this one, the Dockyard's own Judy Asa Punk. She didn't really have much to do since I'm already really familiar with both leagues. Still, she picked-out some of the skaters heading to the penalty box and I think we had fun rooting for one of those 6 skaters in the last game to pick up one more minute in the penalty box so there would be a clear-cut winner of the Bad Girl award (lol).

I say if Leannderthal is at your bout…whether she's playing or not, she should sing the National Anthem.

Randy Pan should do his rendition of "99 Problems" at every event or after party.

Cop A. Phil is an excellent ref, but I had to cover my eyes and shake my head when he sang "Paradise By the Dashboard Lights" (lol)

And if you dedicate a song to one of your refs, make sure you know most of the lyrics first. A bunch of the Slaughter County skaters dedicated "Did It All For the Nookie" to SCRV head ref, Albino Wookie (get it? Wookie? Nookie?). Although they all did know the one line about taking that "cookie and stick(ing) it up your ass". I have a feeling they wanted to tell him that for quite some time (haha). Although Wookie sat there right in front of the stage and soaked it all in. I'm also sure he took names and a few of the offenders will be serving a little more time in the penalty box come next season (hahaha).

Good times this weekend!

The first bout featured the Terrormedixxx going up against the Throttle Rockets. And the second bout featured the 2008 SCRV champion Death Rattle Rollers squaring off against the 2007 RCRG runner-ups, the Sockit Wenches.

Jam 1. Pris Toff made her return to the Throttle Rockets lineup after over a year away from the bouting game. But it was a tough debut for both her and Terrormedixxx jammer Daisy Nuke as both teams defenses clamped down hard and didn't allow either jammer to even leave the pack during the entire two minutes. Score 0-0.

Jam 2. Leeloo took the jammers cap for the Throttle Rockets, claimed lead jammer and skated away with a 3-0 decision over Leannderthal. Score 3-0 in favor of the Throttle Rockets.

Jam 3. Blonde An Bitchin' made her token appearance at jammer for the Throttle Rockets on the night and made the most of it. Although she didn't get lead jammer, she did rack up three grand slams on her first three passes and posted four more points on her last scoring pass to claim a 19-0 decision over Roller Rage Rosie. Score 22-0 in favor of the Throttle Rockets.

Jam 4. Astro Glide continued the Throttle Rockets early runaway score as she earned lead jammer and skated her way to a 7-0 tally over Ree Arrangher. Score 29-0 in favor of the Throttle Rockets.

Jam 5. Leeloo was once again able to claim lead jammer for the Throttle Rockets, picked up 4 points on her first pass and a grand slam on her second as she picked up a 9-4 decision over Rollin Dirty. Score 38-4 in favor of the Throttle Rockets.

Jam 6. Strobe Lightning picked up a 15-2 decision for the Throttle Rockets before being sent off to the penalty box near the end of the jam. Score 53-6 in favor of the Throttle Rockets.

Jam 7. With Strobe Lightning still sitting in the sin bin, Leannderthal was able to earn lead jammer status and claimed a 3-0 decision for the Terrormedixxx. Score 53-9 in favor of the Throttle Rockets.

Jam 8. Leeloo was able to snag the lead status again and skated away with a slim 4-3 decision over Ree Arrangher. Score 57-12 in favor of the Throttle Rockets.

Jam 9. Pris Toff picked up another lead jammer run for the Throttle Rockets. But she was soon passed by the speedy Daisy Nuke which prompted Pris to call it off in a scoreless tie. Score 57-12 in favor of the Throttle Rockets.

Jam 10. Taking advantage of Roller Rage Rosie going to the penalty box with the jammers cap on for the Terrormedixxx, Andromeda Sprain raced around the track for a couple of grand slam scoring passes. Score 67-12 in favor of the Throttle Rockets.

Jam 11. The Throttle Rocket defense contained Terrormedixxx jammer Rollin Dirty within the pack for the entire two minutes. Meanwhile, JoWanna Ass Kickin' was able to earn lead jammer, but was sent to the graybar hotel before she could stick any points on the board. Score 67-12 in favor of the Throttle Rockets.

Jam 12. With JoWanna Ass Kickin' still keeping the penalty box chair warm, Roller Rage Rosie got things going for her Terrormedixxx by earning lead jammer status and picking up a solid 7-0 run. Score 67-19 in favor of the Throttle Rockets.

Jam 13. Pris Toff picked up lead jammer and skated away with a 4-0 decision over Leannderthal. Score 71-19 in favor of the Throttle Rockets.

Jam 14. Leannderthal started the jam in the sin bin for her Terrormedixxx. JoWanna Ass Kickin used this chance to pick up some of the points she lost while serving her previous time by skating away with a 4-0 run. And not too long after Leannderthal left the penalty box, she was sent right back in there. Score 75-19 in favor of the Throttle Rockets.

Jam 15. To close out the first half, Slutnik of the Throttle Rockets was able to skate away with a 4-0 decision over the penalized Leannderthal. The halftime score stood at Throttle Rockets 79, Terrormedixxx 19.

Jam 1-2. Okay…this wasn't a scoreboard issue. Rather it was me dozing off at the wheel and not checking the scoreboard after the first jam (lol). A few things I can tell you from my notes, though; first Billie Boilermaker did claim lead jammer status for the Throttle Rockets in the first jam and Daisy Nuke didn't pick up any points for the Terrormedixxx in that one since she was shooed-off to the sin bin early on in it. And in the second jam, Terrormedixxx jammer Leannderthal made an awesome move to the outside for lead jammer and collected 8 points for her team. The score after the first two jams of the second half was 97-27 in favor of the Throttle Rockets.

Jam 3. With neither skater being able to earn lead jammer status due to some more great blocking within the pack, Astro Glide did eventually power her way to a 3-1 decision over Roller Rage Rosie. Score 100-28 in favor of the Throttle Rockets.

Jam 4. Ree Arrangher did earn lead status for the Terrormedixxx, but Betty Ford Galaxy was still able to come out ahead with a 4-3 run. Score 104-31 in favor of the Throttle Rockets.

Jam 5. At the end of the previous jam, Ree Arrangher was sent packing to the sin bin. This gave Andromeda Sprain the chance to pick up two more grand slams for a 10-0 decision. Score 114-31 in favor of the Throttle Rockets.

Jam 6. Even though Rollin Dirty broke out first for the Terrormedixxx, it was Pris Toff who earned lead jammer and she called it off immediately. Score 114-31 in favor of the Throttle Rockets.

Jam 7. Rollin Dirty started the jam sitting in the penalty box with the jammers cap on for the Terrormedixxx. This gave Slutnik a chance to run the score up even more for the Throttle Rockets. But she wasn't able to do it since she was also waved off the track for cutting the track early on in the jam. Score 114-31 in favor of the Throttle Rockets.

Jam 8. Early on, Leannderthal was ordered off the track for the Terrormedixxx which gave JoWanna Ass Kickin a free scoring pass. She took advantage of this sale by collecting three grand slam runs and a 15-0 decision. Score 129-31 in favor of the Throttle Rockets.

Jam 9. The Terrormedixxx had probably their best jam of the night overall in this one. The blockers did a great job of holding Betty Ford Galaxy within the pack for most of the jam while Daisy Nuke was able to pick up lead jammer status and collect a 10-0 two grand slam scoring run. Score 129-41 in favor of the Throttle Rockets.

Jam 10. Betty Ford Galaxy started the jam in the penalty box for the Throttle Rockets. But once she got out, she was still able to outscore Roller Rage Rosie by collecting a grand slam on her only scoring pass for a 5-0 tally. Score134-41 in favor of the Throttle Rockets.

Jam 11. Billie Boilermaker was able to earn lead jammer for the Throttle Rockets and skated her way to an 8-3 decision over Ree Arrangher. Score 142-44 in favor of the Throttle Rockets.

Jam 12. With Ree Arrangher being sent back to the sin bin, Andromeda Sprain took the jammers cap for the Throttle Rockets and reeled-off a nice 8-0 scoring run. Score 150-44 in favor of the Throttle Rockets.

Jam 13. Leannderthal was able to claim a nice 2-0 decision over Elektra Lyte. Score 150-46 in favor of the Throttle Rockets.

Jam 14. Even though Astro Glide broke out of the pack first for the Throttle Rockets, Daisy Nuke was still able to pick up lead status for the Terrormedixxx. But when it was all over, Astro had claimed a 6-5 decision. Score 156-51 in favor of the Throttle Rockets.

Jam 15. With time running out on the clock, Strobe Lightning was still able to earn lead jammer for the Throttle Rockets. But neither she nor Rollin Dirty could pick up any more points to add to the final total. When it was all over with, the Throttle Rockets had won the bout by the score of 156-51.

3. Daisy Nuke. It was tough to pick out someone from the Terrormedixxx for the list. But Daisy did finish the second half strong with 15 points in three jams for her team. And on a night in which it was so tough for the Terrormedixxx to pick up points, that was actually pretty impressive.

2. Billie Boilermaker. Had two solid jams wearing the jammers cap in the second half (sadly, one of those jams was the one where I had that brain fart and forgot to check the scoreboard), but she also played very well within the pack for the Throttle Rockets all night. It was a very good night for one of Rat City's most unheralded players.

1. Andromeda Sprain. She's always a solid blocker for the Throttle Rockets. The type that you can just plug into the line-up and any given time and you wouldn't have to worry about her not doing her job. But in the regular Rat City season, she never jams. But on this night, she took the jammers cap three times, racked up four grand slams and collected a total of 28 points.

It was the third jam of the first half when Blonde An Bitchin did all her damage with that 19-0 scoring run. It was pretty much over after that one.

Ree Arrangher of the Terrormedixxx along with JoWanna Ass Kickin and Slutnik of the Throttle Rockets each spent four minutes in penalty purgatory.

The second half of the evening will be recapped when I get home from work tonight. For now, I have to eat some dinner before heading off to work.

Jam 1. Paula Bunion split through the middle of the pack to pick up lead jammer status for the Homewreckers, but Mary Stoppins was still able to out-run her by the score of 4-3 to kick things off. Score 4-3 in favor of the Prima Donnas.

Jam 2. Pain Goodall was able to earn lead jammer for the Homewreckers and this time she came out on top with a 4-0 shutout skate against Boomer. Score 7-4 in favor of the Homewreckers.

Jam 3. B Tease N took the jammers panty for the Primas and made the most of it with a 15-8 skate over Blonde Amazon. Score 19-15 in favor of the Prima Donnas.

Jam 4. Pain Goodall broke out of the pack first but without lead status. It didn't matter though as she was still able to collect a 7-0 tally over Sloshica. Score 22-19 in favor of the Hellbound Homewreckers.

Jam 5. With Sloshica starting the jam in the penalty box with the star cap on her lid, T'erin Traxx had a shot at picking up some points. But neither jammer could. Score 22-19 in favor of the Hellbound Homewreckers.

Jam 6-7. Our old nemesis, Mr. Scoreboard issues popped up once again. But I can tell you that after the 7^th jam was over, the score was tied at 37-37.

Jam 8. B Tease N was able to earn lead jammer for the Prima Donnas and raced away with an 8-4 decision over Paula Bunion. Score 45-41 in favor of the Prima Donnas.

Jam 9. Boomer was able to collect lead status once again for the Primas and skated off with a nice 4-3 win over Rita Beata Maid. Score 49-44 in favor of the Prima Donnas.

Jam 10. Pain Goodall took the jammers cap for the Homewreckers, skated off with lead status, collected 4 points on her first scoring pass and a grand slam on her second to come away with a 9-0 run over Mooner to close out the first half scoring. The halftime score stood at Hellbound Homewreckers 55 (they added two more points .. the second half), Prima Donnas 49.

Jam 1. Despite being rocked pretty good with a hard hit by Rudy Ruption, Paula Bunion was still able to earn lead status and took advantage of Sloshica's trip to the sin bin by coming away with a 7-0 run. Score 62-49 in favor of the Hellbound Homewreckers.

Jam 2. Mary Stoppins cut her way through the pack pretty good in the early stages of the jam, but was held up by Homewrecker blocker Vitamin V at the front. This gave Pain Goodall the chance to earn lead status and come away with a slim 4-3 decision. Score 66-52 in favor of the Hellbound Homewreckers.

Jam 3. B Tease N barely beat Paula Bunion out of the pack, but it was still Bunion who earned lead status and she called it off almost as quickly as she had earned it. Score 66-52 in favor of the Hellbound Homewreckers.

Jam 4 (a). B Tease N started the jam with three minors on her. While on her scoring pass, she cut the track and earned her 4^th. But she was never sent off to the penalty box. So without either her or Pain Goodall earning lead jammer, the two of them skated around for what amounted to a 17-12 jam in favor of the Prima Donnas. However, once the jam was over, the ref was alerted to her mistake and they decided that the fair thing to do was to do it over again. But when they posted the new, corrected score, they had taken all but one of the points that B Tease N had gotten on that jam and also only taken away 8 of the 12 points that Pain Goodall had collected. So going into the do-over, the score stood at Hellbound Homewreckers 70, Prima Donnas 53.

Jam 4 (b). The Prima Donnas put Twinkle Toz in the penalty box with the jammers cap on. This gave T'erin Traxx time to earn lead jammer status and pick up a grand slam on her first scoring pass before being sent to the penalty box during her second pass. And when she came out of the penalty box, Twinkle Toz picked up 9 points of her own. Score 75-62 in favor of the Hellbound Homewreckers.

Jam 5-6. More scoreboard issues. Maybe the scoreboard was cracking up in the heat? Anyway, after the 6^th jam, the score stood at Hellbound Homewreckers 89, Prima Donnas 78.

Jam 7. T'erin Traxx held up Oly jammer B Tease N just long enough to enable Paula Bunion to earn lead jammer and a 4-2 decision. Score 93-80 in favor of the Hellbound Homewreckers.

Jam 8. Rita Beata Maid was able to collect lead jammer for the Homewreckers and ended the jam right after she picked up a 4-0 run. Score 97-80 in favor of the Hellbound Homewreckers.

Jam 9-10. More scoreboard issues. After the 10^th jam, they had the score posted at Hellbound Homewreckers 109, Prima Donnas 92. This was also the last time a score was posted.

Jam 11. Mary Stoppins was able to earn lead jammer status and collected a pair of grand slams for the Primas before the jam was called off when T'erin Traxx couldn't recover from a devastating hit on her delivered by B Tease N. Score (to my count) Hellbound Homewreckers 109, Prima Donnas 102.

Jam 12. With time running out, B Tease N broke out of the pack just barely ahead of Paula Bunion to earn lead jammer status. B Tease N made one pass through the pack and got 5 points for it while the jam ref gave Bunion 4 points. But when it was all over with, the official score was Prima Donnas 110, Hellbound Homewreckers 109.

The final jam in which B Tease N snagged the win for the Prima Donnas

Mary Stoppins and Ale Ta Bit Naughty of the Prima Donnas and Pain Goodall for the Hellbound Homewreckers each served 2 minutes in the penalty box.

Frankly, this was neither jam refs shining night. And I actually think this may have been the reason for the scoreboard issues; the scorekeepers confusion as to what was just announced by the refs not adding up to what everyone else just saw. Everything from missing obvious points ("only 2 points" became a running joke with Alan and I during the first half) to points being awarded after the initial pass on at least two occasions to the final jam when a grand slam was awarded while clearly the other teams jammer had been tailing the other one all the way around the track. But mistakes were made that favored/hurt both teams. So in the end, I have no real issue with the score. I guess they knew something that wasn't announced to the rest of us.

BUT…with all that said…this was still an awesome bout! I mean you had two evenly matched teams swapping the lead back and forth throughout the entire 40 minutes. And the entire thing came down to the final jam of the night. I mean, how can you ask for anything more than that? And considering how hot and stuffy it was in there Saturday night (not quite as bad as that night in Bend last year for the Lava City/Sacred City bout…but still pretty damn hot), all the players and refs should get major kudos for skating so hard for the entire bout.

Thanks once again to Alan for being my spotter/partner in confusion during the bout. Also thanks go out to Rudy Ruption for all she does for me at each and every Oly Rollers bout (I hope you're enjoying your Diet Coke!). And also thanks to Bashley Juggs for giving me a late-night tour of some of Olympia's finest establishments (lol).

I also stand by my comment stating that I would LOVE to see that rule stricken from the rulebook yesterday. But then again, I would love to see a lot of things that aren't up to me to decide. For instance, one of my favorite topics of conversation; the streamlining of the rules.

Especially when it comes to penalties and scoring. Along our way to Boise a couple of weeks ago, Willy Callit told me that when he saw how thick the NHL rulebook was, he was amazed at how small the WFTDA rulebook was by comparison. But as I told him in his truck, for the most part the actual penalties and basic rules are a pretty small part of the rulebook. Mostly, the rest of it covers how to deal with certain situations that might arise during a game and equipment issues. But the penalties are described in a cut-and-dry way. And if you commit one of those penalties, you go and sit in the penalty box for two minutes (on a minor. Five minutes for a major). And if the puck crosses the goal line without the goalie being interfered with and before the refs whistle blows or the green light behind the goal signaling the end of the period turns on, it's a goal. Pretty simple stuff.

To me, the whole minor/major thing is crazy. The way I see it, if it's something that's done that either effects the play at hand or could possibly injure someone, then whoever committed it should head to the penalty box. If it's some little ticky-tack thing that had no real impact on what's happening out there, then it should just be let go. Streamlining penalties like that would make it easier on everyone in the building; skaters, refs, scorekeepers, coaches and fans.

In hockey when there is a penalty, the ref will make the initial gesture with his hands immediately after he blows the whistle, then skate over to the penalty box area, tell the penalty tracker what the infraction was and then make the gesture again. Then a few seconds later, the announcer will come over the PA and say something like "Pittsburgh penalty to number 97, Sidney Crosby. Two minutes for holding. Time of the penalty 15:20 of the second period". Now everyone watching knows exactly what was called and what the penalty time will be.

In football, it's even easier. The head ref will turn on his microphone and say "Holding. Number 63 offense. Ten yard penalty. Repeat second down". Again, everyone now knows what the infraction was and the penalty for it.

Although I know you can't do this for every little thing during a derby bout. That would not only be an insane task for the announcers to pull off, but it would also take up most of the PA time as the bout went along. Although Rat City has been doing something really cool for about a year now. Whenever a skater is in the penalty box, they'll toss it over to Queen Mum and she will tell everyone why the skater is in the penalty box. "Mommacherry is here for a tripping major and Sara Problem committed her fourth minor". I actually love that feature at Rat City bouts. It may be tougher for other leagues to do the same thing. But if you can, I would definitely look into it.

But if it was up to me (and I fully know that it's not), I would be all for streamlining the rules quite a bit. Even though this list probably doesn't cover everything, it gives you an idea as to where I'm coming from and how things would be if I actually ran the show (again…I know I don't…lol).

Legal Hitting Zone: As defined by the WFTDA rulebook, I'm perfectly ok with it's description. If a skater intentionally hits another skater outside of this hitting zone, it's an automatic one minute penalty. Incidental contact is not penalized (one skater hunched over low and another skater's elbow or any other body part clearly accidently bumps her in the head…no penalty. If a skater is falling and hit's a skater in the legs…no penalty).

Tripping: Most people can tell the difference between an accidental trip and one that's done on purpose. If it's clearly done on purpose, one minute in the box. But when skaters are going around in circles in a pack together, it's inevitable that feet will get tangled up. This shouldn't be a penalty at all. It's like in football; if a receiver and a defensive back are both looking back at the ball coming towards them and their feet get tangled up, no pass interference is called on either player. It's ruled as "incidental contact". Same thing should go with derby.

Elbowing/Forearms: If you are leading with your elbow cocked at a 45 degree angle from your torso or you swing your elbow or forearm and hit someone with it, it's a one minute penalty; possibly more if there is an intent to injure. But if a player has that little "chicken wing" thing going (meaning the elbow might be a few inches from her torso), then that shouldn't be a penalty. And if you do have your elbow nice and tucked in like a good girl, make a clean hit and that elbow extends a little bit after the blow is delivered, that shouldn't be a penalty, either.

Pushing: No matter when or where it happens, that's a one minute penalty. Pushing someone doesn't "accidently" happen.

Holding: Again, no matter when or where it happens, that's a one minute penalty. Again, holding someone doesn't "accidently" happen.

Back Blocking: If you actually hit someone with force from behind, that's a one minute penalty. One of the things that drives me bats is when a skater just sorta puts her hand on her opponents back a little and it's called a penalty. Really, as long as it's just a touch and there is not blunt force or pushing behind it, it doesn't really effect the game at all. If something little like that happens, let it slide.

20 Foot Rule: If anyone actually blocks someone more than 20 feet away from the pack, it's a one minute penalty. But if a blocker lays off after hearing the ref yelling "20 feet!" and the jammer skates into the blocker on purpose or casually skates by and touches that blocker, then no penalty should be called. That one drives me bats now and then, too.

Blocking Out Of Bounds: If a skater clearly hits someone while she is out of bounds, obviously this should be a one minute penalty. If a skater blocks someone while in bounds and rides her clear into the crowd out of bounds, that should be a penalty too. But if a blocker initiates the contact in bounds and rides her opponent until she is out of bounds then releases (even if the blocker may have taken a step out of bounds herself), I say let that slide. I call that "finishing your block". Which every effective blocker should be doing in the first place. Again, it's like in football; if the defensive player makes his initial contact with the ball carrier in bounds and their momentum takes them to the ground just out of bounds, no penalty is called. But if the tackler grabs the ball carrier and holds onto him until they are well out of bounds and then slams him to the ground, it's a penalty. And if the ball carrier is clearly out of bounds before the defensive player makes contact, that's also a penalty. Again…it's intent that is the issue.

Intent To Injure: If you slug someone in the head or start kicking a skater in the ankles, legs or feet or if you really drill someone well after the whistle or when a skater is damn-near in the suicide seats, the offending player should be ejected immediately. There is a difference between playing aggressively hard and being reckless and dangerous.

Cutting the Track: The idea I toss around to people makes perfect sense to me, but it doesn't always to others. Of course you have the regular boundaries both to the inside and outside of the track. My idea is to create a second dotted/hashed line one foot outside the boundaries. If a jammer goes out of bounds untouched while making her way through the pack but still keeps her skate(s) within the dotted/hashed line, she does not serve any penalty time for it. Instead, if she re-enters the pack ahead of any opposing skaters, she simply either loses her chance at getting lead jammer or any points she may have been able to get. But if she re-enters the pack approximately around the same place where she left it, then she is still able to pick up lead status or collect points.

While going through the pack the skater is knocked out of bounds by an opponent and whether she crosses that dotted/hashed line or not and re-enters the pack ahead of where she left it, she doesn't get lead status or any points she may have been able to collect. This is called the blocker doing a good job of preventing points or lead jammer, not the jammer "cheating".

If the jammer does go out of bounds and beyond the dotted/hashed lines untouched and does re-enter the pack anywhere, then she should get a penalty for it for one minute.

If a jammer is all by herself away from the pack and goes out of bounds, but not across the dotted/hashed line; if she has lead jammer status then her first offense on that jam would result in her losing lead jammer status. If she does it a second time or doesn't have lead jammer in the first place, it's a one minute penalty.

I think that's about it for now. I'm sure I've probably overlooked a thing or two. But the bottom line is that it's either a penalty that should send a skater to the box or it's nothing. In a lot of ways, I think simplifying the rules like that would also not only make it easier on everyone to follow, but it would also clean the game up a lot, too. For the most part, I think minor penalties are lazy penalties. And lazy penalties leads to bad habits. And bad habits lead to your spending more time in the penalty box and landing yourself on my "Bad Girl Of the Game" list (although some actually do take pride in making that list…lol).

But if everything is nice and clear and has an immediate punishment, I think lazy habits would either never form in the first place or go away in a hurry. Thus the game would be cleaner both on the track and in the minds of everyone either watching or playing.

Any other ideas? Or am I full of crap??? (haha)

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I'll start off by riffing a little more on that non-lead jammer call. Strictly by the rulebook, it was the right call to send the jammer to the penalty box. But in my opinion, it's a bad rule.

Seriously…who came up with the idea that if a jammer tries to call a jam off without having lead jammer status, she should go to the penalty box for it? I mean it has NO impact on the game if she's skating along pounding her hands on her hips like that. She doesn't gain any advantages by doing so…..

…..unless, of course, the jam ref falls for it and actually does call it off. Which is why I tend to believe…without any actual proof…..that a referee probably came up with this idea. Why? Because if a ref has his/her head up her ass at that time and actually does call it off when he/she isn't even signaling the lead status, the ref looks like a fool.

When I was watching the bout on Saturday night, I didn't have any real rooting interest. I like Rat City and hope they do well. But Pia is also one of my best friends not only within derby, but life itself. So I was hoping they would do well, too. It didn't matter one way or the other who won the game or not to me. All I cared about was that it was close and both teams left everything on the floor…which they did.

Also, when I sit there watching a bout, I see fouls all the time that either a) aren't called or b) shouldn't have been called that way in the first place. I also see plenty of times when jammers get points when they clearly shouldn't have. Things like this happen on a weekly (or even boutly) basis for me. But most of the time, I just shrug my shoulders and say "people are human that way". The refs literally have a split second to see something and make a call on it one way or the other. It's a tough job, and I don't envy it at all.

With those two things said, when Grr Lee Burly did wind up going to the penalty box on Saturday night for calling that jam off when CLEARLY her jam ref had messed up and signaled her as lead jammer, I was actually pissed about it. Not so much because the ref fucked up, or that Burly had called the jam off or that even Rat City was cheated out of scoring more points on that jam to help their cause. What pissed me off about it is that after about a 30 second conversation, they decided to go ahead and send the Bay Area jammer to the penalty box. They had a chance to do the right thing and say "we fucked up, we're sorry", but they didn't.

That wasn't right, and it most certainly wasn't fair. And there is nothing that anyone can say that will make me change my mind on that issue.

To be frank, this is a bullshit rule and, at least in my opinion, it should be taken out of the WFTDA rulebook right NOW. And also in my opinion, it should be replaced with another rule that says if a referee signals for lead jammer and calls it off if the jammer they are watching signals for it after the other jammer has already been given that status, the jam ref who makes the mistake should have the jammers cap taken off him/her for the remainder of the period/half and give it to another referee who isn't currently jam reffing. The ref who makes the mistake can continue to be a pack ref, but not a jam ref.

The way I see it, penalties and ejections are in place to keep the players in-line and accountable for their actions. And I don't see any reason at all why a ref shouldn't be held accountable for their actions, either. And on Saturday night up in Seattle…at least for that one instance…the refs dodged any and all accountability during that debacle.

I've said it before and I'll say it again; I love the refs. Hell, two of the refs in that bout are among my best friends in all of roller derby. And 99 times out of 100, whether the call in question was right or wrong, I'll defend them (and any other ref whether I know them or not) to the end of the earth. But this was that one time out of 100 that I simply can't.

So the bottom line is that it was the correct call, but a bad rule. And seriously, WFTDA, get rid of it now.

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In fact, I will defend the referees right here:

"This bout really made me realize that you should never, ever play an away travel team bout without your refs present. We had no ref representation due to vacations and ECE. I am not trying to imply that home and away refs favor their teams but dang, we missed our refs and their interpretation of the rules and their skating skills". -----Killer Vee in the Rat City/Bay Area Recap comments section

When I first read that comment, I was ready to throw down my gloves and have a go with her to defend the honor of the Rat City refs. But then she clarified a couple of lines later by saying that wasn't what she was implying. So the gloves stayed on (lol).

Still, if there is one thing that consistently saddens me is the implication that referees favor one league or another. The way certain leagues refs call a game may vary from place to place (one league has refs who call everything tight, others let little things go), but I don't think refs go out there thinking "we gotta make sure the team we came here with wins tonight". Like I said a few weeks ago in my entry about the refs; they like reffing bouts. The more, the better. And I think they work hard on their reputations to make sure that they are able to ref as often as they can in whatever capacity they can fill.

As far as I know, the only leagues around the northwest who have a full compliment of refs are Rat City and Rose City. At every other bout in these parts, the ref pack usually contains however many refs the host league can provide (usually between 3-5) and the rest are made up of refs from other leagues not playing that night.

I know that due to the way roller derby is right now, we can't really do this on a national basis. But at some point, I wouldn't mind seeing refs completely disassociated with leagues all together. For instance, instead of having refs up here in the northwest that represent Rat City, Rose City, Oly, Dockyard, Slaughter, Lava, Lilac, etc, they just have one large pool of refs who can go from town-to-town for different bouts on the weekends. Kind of regionalize the refs instead of making them part of just one league. Of course the refs can still go to their local leagues practices to practice their thing. But at the same time, if the entire reffing community is lumped together like that, not only would things be more consistent across the board ("wow! We didn't know what the refs in *whatever town* were calling because ours don't do it that way) but this silliness of one team claiming the refs for that league were out to get them would almost entirely go away.

Of course when this would first start, things would be all over the board. But as time goes along, discussions are had and decisions are broken down, more refs will be on the same page and things would go a lot smoother. If it did happen, I promise you that everyone in that region would notice the consistency within 6 months of it starting and, although things will still never be perfect, it will still be better for everyone in the long-run.

Anyway, refs aren't perfect…they are human and not see-all robots. Mistakes will be made and chances are always will be made. But at the same time, I can assure you that, at least the refs I know, are honest as the day is long and aren't out to get anybody or any league. They're just trying their best to do a very difficult job.

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"Second. It doesn't matter who wasn't there.

Sure it'd have been great to have both teams at 100%. The game would have been different. Hell, with a different lineup on both sides, BADG could have won by 10. They could have just as easily lost by 25. Maybe that missing star jammer would have scored a 10-0 jam. Maybe they'd have been a little over aggressive and gotten sent to the box early. Sure, I'd have loved to have seen Miss Fortune on the floor skating just because I love watching her skate. Though, then I wouldn't have enjoyed her company trackside during the bout. Plus, who knows. Maybe whoever the player that replaced her on the bench was the one who scored the most points or had a kick ass game blocking and made just enough difference for the win.

Unless you get to the personnel losses of a team like Tuscon, who's lost 70-80% of their starting lineup from a year ago, saying "what if" doesn't mean much".-----Axle Adams in the Rat City/Bay Area Bout Recap comments section

The best teams in any sport have interchanging parts to them. They can also make adjustments to changing conditions. In football, if your running game isn't up to snuff today, the best teams can start chucking the ball all over the yard and vice-versa. In hockey and basketball, the best teams can usually play however the other team wants to and still win; does the other team want to turn it into a high scoring affair? The Celtics and Red Wings can do that. Does the other team want to turn it into a defensive grind-fest? The Celtics and Red Wings can do that, too. That's why they are the champions this year.

Actually, when it comes to what Axle and Swag were saying, the better example this season would be the Red Wings. During the playoffs, their number one goalie, Dominik Hasek, didn't exactly play his best between the pipes the first few games of the playoffs. So they swapped him out with Chris Osgood. Ozzy caught fire and led the Wings to the Stanley Cup. But along the way, their top scorer in the playoffs went down with a concussion (Franzen) and their two top scorers during the regular season went into slumps for extended periods of time (Zetterberg and Datsyuk). Still, they found ways to mix and match other players and make adjustments to their game plans in order to take home the championship.

That's another reason why I often compare derby to hockey; because they are so much alike away from the fact that they are contact sports played on skates. In hockey, teams usually are separated into four lines. The top two lines (the most offensively gifted) usually play about 15 minutes on the ice apiece each game. The third line usually gets about 12 minutes and the fourth line (generally either the defensive line or the one with the enforcers on it) gets 5 minutes of ice time. The remaining 15 minutes or so are usually for the specialty lines (power play units or penalty killing lines that can differ from the regular four lines). Defensively, there are three pairings and all three generally get about the same amount of ice time throughout the game.

So when a hockey team wins, it's not always because the one line runs up all the goals in it. Although on the surface that's what it appears to be, in the end it's all four offensive lines, the three defensive pairings and the special teams that wins the game. All 18 skaters and the goalie contribute (even the back-up goalie does just by manning one of the bench doors so his teammates can get off the ice in a timely manner..lol).

Same thing goes with derby. When a team can put the full compliment of 14 skaters on the bench, usually all 14 play a good chunk of the game. And at some point, they all get in for however long they can. And as time goes along during a bout with two evenly matched teams, the squad who does the best job of adjusting to the changing conditions of the game…whether it's compensating for injuries or ejections, the other teams game plan is working better than yours, or even how the refs are calling the game…is the one who usually wins. At least one Bay Area skater understood this concept:

"But what it comes down to is not the refs, not the calls. Our downfall was that first 14 - 0 jam. It rattled us for a few minutes and we never completely regained the points we lost there. God damn that jam"---Killer Vee in the Rat City/Bay Area Bout Recap comments section

On Saturday night in Seattle, Rat City made those adjustments and came out of it with a win. And down in Portland, the Break Neck Betties probably did the same thing. Both of those squads win as a team, and lose as a team and there are no excuses in between. That's what separates the best teams from everyone else.

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I honestly have to say that amidst all the chaos and confusion with the refereeing out there on the track and the physical nature of the game, I was surprised that Ann R. Kissed didn't have a meltdown of some sort. That's usually her M.O. But not on this night. She played a good, hard, physical game and kept her head in it with her eyes on the prize. That's the Ann R. Kissed I love to watch! If she plays the game that way and doesn't get carried away, her team…whether it's the DLF or the Rat City All-Stars…will usually be victorious.

Although as far as I know, she still doesn't know who I am, who I know or even why I'm there in the first place (lol).

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"I'm not taking anything away form D-bomb she is a phenomenal skater, but how valuable is she to her team if she is in the box and ejected half the time. Now I know I'm not innocent either, there are more than enough pictures to prove that, but unlike myself, who has never been ejected in a game in my 3 years of skating (until getting the someone punched ME in the face ejection Sat.) , D-bomb seems to be ejected every other game"---Taxi Scab in the Rat City/Bay Area Recap comment section

Whether or not the Rat City peeps like it, every last word of that first sentence is true. I still go around saying that D-Bomb is the best blocker…if not the best skater overall…in roller derby. And taking penalties has always been a part of her game. It's not so much that she does it to hurt her team, but along with being a technically sound blocker, the penalties she takes also adds a certain level of fear to her aura out there. When you skate up behind her, you never really know what you're gonna get. And that doubt plays right into her hands.

There's a fine line between being effectively aggressive and harming your team. And so far this year, even though her teams still haven't lost a game, I think D-Bomb has moved more over towards harming her team than being effectively aggressive. Like I said above, overall teams win championships. But at the same time, D-Bomb and all the skills she brings to the table for Rat City are the cornerstone of that franchise. Her being ejected for dirty play in BOTH the first and second halves of that game isn't a good sign at all. Rat City escaped this time, but I can promise you that if they were playing Kansas City, Carolina, Texas or Gotham, chances are they probably wouldn't have.

I love watching D-Bomb play, her style and attitude on the track and I've also enjoyed the couple of conversations I've had with her. In fact, I often say that I've probably learned more about the individual aspects of derby and how to do it right simply by watching her play and listening to her views. But at the same time, one of the keys to Rat City's championship hopes for this year will be if she can reign that aggressiveness in a little bit before regionals and possibly nationals come around. If she can come back around to being the most technically sound/feared/admired blocker in the world of roller derby, Rat City's chances are pretty good. If not, then the path to any championship for Rat City will be a mighty bumpy one.

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All three of those quotes were from Taxi Scab in the Rat City/Bay Area Bout Recap comments section. I think Taxi Scab has commented definitely once…maybe two or three times…on this blog before. But with the comments she left in this one, she has definitely earned the right to be called a "superstar" on this blog! Maybe she hasn't quite reached that rarified air that the likes of Franky Bones, DVS and Swag have. Still, you could tell that her comments were bold statements that came straight from the heart and she didn't give a damn about what anyone thought. Much like those other three do all the time on here.

She also provided one of my all-time favorite…if not THE favorite…quotes of all-time on this blog:

That one is right up there with Franky saying something about "the paparazzi taking (her) picture while dropping a deuce" and Swag telling me one time that "this is no way to get more pussy than Frank Sinatra".

Please Taxi Scab…come back more often!

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Also, the moratorium on people emailing me about the stuff that happened on Saturday night is now lifted (lol). So feel free to write me privately if you so desire and it'll all be kept confidential like normal.