The Village Idiots will be taking advantage of the Vermont snow one more time this weekend as they visit the Stanley Family Compound in Killington for a weekend warm-up before heading out West to for the big finish in Jackson Hole Wyoming next week!!!

Over 30 Village Idiots will be making the trip to J-Hole, so there should be quite a few stories and a ton of media coverage when they get back!  Stay Tuned!!!

In action for the first time since the Weekend Hoops Idiots took the Winter title, the Urban Pro Squad may have been motivated by a little intra-VI rivalry!  They were clearly focused and energized as they gave “Happy Hour” no chance to compete by dominating both ends of the court.  The defensive intensity of the VI wreaked havoc on Happy Hour’s attack, and the Idiots’ sharp ball movement and floor spacing easily poked holes in the Happy Hour defense.

A 19-point halftime lead grew to 26 and leveled off to a 66-43 margin before the game was called with about a minute left giving the Village Idiots their 5th win and keeping them tied for first place at the midway point of the season.

The Urban Pro action continues next Thursday, 2/25 at Baruch Simon (20th St bet 1st & 2nd Ave)… gametime 9pm!

The Weekend Hoops squad will return to begin defense of their title this Saturday at 3pm at the Julia Richman Complex (68th & 2nd)!

Stacked with two full squads of talent on one team, the Idiots were able to stay fresh all afternoon long and had too many weapons for the Hawks, in the Semi-Finals, and the Grizz, in the Finals, to handle.  Shedding the uncertainty of 8 fruitless seasons under the Dime Hoops moniker, the same old players were finally afforded the taste of victory that often comes with wearing the Village Idiots jersey!  Ironically, it was the founder of the original Dime Hoops squad, Pat Cassidy, who came through for the VI down the stretch and hit many big shots to put each game out of reach.

In no way was this a one man show for the Idiots, as all 10 players scored in the final game and the constant rotation of fresh legs onto the court forced many turnovers and controlled the boards.  By the time Cassidy put the final nail in the Grizz’s coffin, they were completely out of gas.

Even more impressive was the post-game showing at Southern Hospitality, with 14 pitchers and a few rounds of shots going down before the group broke for Saturday night’s activities!

With the upcoming holiday weekend, the Idiots are in jeopardy of opening the Spring season with a forfeit as many players will be out of town… if they can gather a team, they face a Grizz team eager for revenge on Saturday at 1pm at Julia Richman.

As could be expected, the action on Full Tilt Poker has not been limited to the VIPC for these two, as they have been engaging in a wide variety of tournaments outside of the formal competition…

Clearly undiscouraged by his loss in the VIPC, Knipscher had an impressive showing in last night’s “Big Double” tournament on Full Tilt… coming in 10th in Big Double A, and 4th in Big Double B… a nice payday resulted as he grabbed the bonuses for Double Cash and Best Double Finish. 

He was short on chips and only one spot away from a huge bonus for Double Final Table, when he called all-in with A-J suited against a big stack.  His instincts were correct as the cards were turned over to reveal a 7-9 offsuit for his opponent, but as luck would have it, a 7 and 9 hit the board and Hombregrande9 was denied the final table and an even bigger payday.  All told, Knipscher still walked away with over $2,300 but he definitely has to be thinking about what could have been!

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Keep a look out for more Village Idiots on Full Tilt, as Danny “Viking Power 20″ Hansen and Gerard “GEC3″ Connors have also begun to make a splash!  Good luck to all!!!

There will be another double-header this Saturday (Feb 6th), with the VI facing off against the #1 seeded Hawks in the first game at 11:15 am… the 2nd seeded Grizz play against #6 Hickory immediately following… and the winners face off in the Final Game at 2:15!  All games at the Julia Richman Complex on 68th & 2nd… see you there!!!

“Isetta for 3!” 

“Springer for 3!” 

“Knipscher for 3!” 

“Brown for 3!”

“Caceres… Count it and the foul!”

“Rausch with another board!” 

These are a few of the common calls that were heard last night as the Village Idiots easily handled division contender Ramp it Up in Urban Professionals action.  A 74-57 victory moves the VI to 3-1, while handing Ramp it Up their 2nd loss of the young season.  The Idiots remain at the top of a traffic-jammed “Big & Bad” Division, in which no team has made it this far without a loss.

With a short 7-man roster going into the 4 month long season, the VI are relying on their versatility to stay in the hunt for their first championship.  Although only seven deep, each is now a VI Veteran with playoff experience.  As a group they are in their 4th season playing together, coming off an undefeated regular season last Spring.

The real difference maker could be their ability to punish opponents behind the arc.  Averaging more than ten three-point goals per game, the Idiots do not let opposing defenses rest.  And, when they attempt to adjust, slashers like Tyler Springer and Lincoln Isetta expose anyone who has strayed too far from the paint.

Remaining at the center of the VI attack is Edwin Caceres, who although often out-sized by his defender always finds a way to get to the rim for the score.  Compounding the headaches for defenses is Caceres’ improved free-throw shooting, turning many buckets into 3-pt plays already this season.  Add in the high-octane baseline play of Mike Rausch and defenses are left totally exposed in the paint!

While Isetta and Springer often mix things up from the perimeter, it is clear that Dan Knipscher and Chris Bocciolatt are ready to fire as soon as they get their hands on the ball, and produce the majority of their offense from deep. Aubrey Brown, coming back from off-season surgey, adds yet another threat from downtown, and the Idiots can pile up the points in a hurry.

Although we’re only a third of the way through the Winter season, it’s looking pretty good that you will see the Village Idiots in a playoff bracket again this March!  Next game is Thursday, February 4th at Seward Park H.S. (350 Grand St.) - gametime is 9:15pm.  Keep up with the Urban Pro League Winter Schedule and Results HERE!

With a win in game 1, the Idiots will face the winner of the #5/#12 matchup immediately afterwards, with an estimated gametime of 6:15pm.

Both games will be played at the Julia Richman Complex on 68th & 2nd.

The players have decided it would be more interesting to play the final event together in the same tournament, and that will happen this week!  Exact date and time will be announced shortly!!!  Stay tuned!

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While the Allock of the Week and myself warmed up on the bunny slopes, it was off to the woods for the rest of the VI Extreme Ski Tour, as VI Veterans Haas, Zec, Connors, Walls, Rohani, and Bruno initiated newcomer Brandon Doyle into the Jay Peak Glades!

A dense fog covered the majority of the 77 runs along the 4,000 foot mountain, but that fog could not catch the Idiots, as they dashed into the woods to find a much more visible path between the trees… with the expection of a few minor spills, the VI battled the Jay Pines admirably and came out on top, run after run…

After a morning to get my ski-legs back under me, I ventured into the Jay Peak glades myself, joined by the snowboarding crew of Maz, Benny, and GC… things started out well as we tore up the glades adjacent to the JFK run at the top of the mountain, but unfortunaley for Maz and myself, I think we made a wrong turn during our trip through the Everglade run and got stuck in some heavy forest… after repeatedly sinking waist deep into some untouched powder, I had to admit defeat and pop-out of my skis before crawling a couple hundred feet to firmer terrain… thanks to Maz who was kind enough to stay within shouting distance until I made it back to safety.

Maz and I arrived late for a delicious lunch break which included some Chili and Lobster Mac’n'Cheese washed down by Jay Peak’s own Tram Ale, of course!  No major challenges were sought in the afternoon, as most of my energy was drained during my 45 minute escape of a frozen death… so a few light runs filled my afternoon before heading back to the cabin…

A nourishing dinner at Belfry’s and some fun with a group of Lesbian snowboarders was followed by a restful night of sleep, making the sky the limit for Day 2!!!

And at Jay Peak, that means it was back to the glades right away, but this time I was escorted by the leaders of “Team Extreme”, Zec and Haas… we took a dive into Timbuktu and things got off to a great start.  Learning from the previous day’s mistake, I quickly jumped out of the soft stuff before gravity took over and we popped out of the woods in much more efficient fashion, before flying across the mountain to meet up with the rest of the group.

With confidence brewing, the entire group headed back to the heavy forest and we conveniently met up with the lesbians on the way, who were eager to slip into the bush with us… as it turns out, they were pretty talented snowboarders as well…

A few more runs seemed to go too quickly and we were back to the lodge in time to catch the NFL Playoffs with dinner.

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The Idiots are clearly the most well rounded team in the league this season.  The inside forces of Bob Bassman and Ed Caceres have proven troublesome enough for the opposition, but with Joe Coburn and Dan Creekmore adding to the power in the paint, there have been a lot of ice packs picked up on the way home from the Julia Richman Complex this year…

Just when you thought taking your lumps down low was the worst of it, the slashing drives of Linc Isetta and John O’Meara make it impossible to get any rest if your facing the VI.  The Feeney Brothers (Stew and Chris) enrich the versatile attack from the perimeter, and sharpshooters Pat Cassidy and Dan Knipscher put the finishing touches on any chance to find a successful defensive strategy to stop the Village Idiots.

The versatility spells nightmares on the other end of the court too, as the swarming VI attack leaves little breathing room.  Whether a point guard or a power forward, any of the Idiots defenders are likely to cause fits.

With two games to go before the playoffs begin on January 30th, the Idiots are looking to finish the regular season strong and solidify a top seed!  Next game is this Saturday, 1/16 at 1:45pm vs. Jericuse.  As always, games are played on the 3rd floor of the Julia Richman Education Complex at 68th Street and 2nd Avenue!