Alaskan’s Know How to Dodge a Wrench
Aug 30th 2007eExtreme Sports
Just in case you missed the action on ESPN 8, “The Ocho”, the Alaskan “Team AK” won this year’s National Dodgeball Championships. The team was led by 27 year-old Joe Bell, a former college pitcher who played in the Alaskan Baseball League (other notable alumni include Randy Johnson and Barry Bonds). Bell was so good that he injured numerous players with his atomic throws and basically single-handedly led his team to victory.
Team AK succeeded in large part by identifying its opponent’s best player and then getting a stinger into Bell’s hands early in the game, with the hope Bell could take him down with a well-aimed ball. The plan worked more often than not. Others helped by staying in front of Bell and warding off stingers aimed at him…Though not the most artful dodger on the team, Doug Olson proved invaluable because he willingly served as a human shield when opponents targeted Bell, which was often.
I think it’s fair to say that along with punt team gunners and mop-up bullpen guys, “human shield” is one of the least glamorous roles in all of sports.
On another note, Team AK’s win brings up an interesting question. If Bell and a bunch of nobodys can win a championship, why can’t Kobe Bryant?
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