Don’t call it a comeback! This past Saturday, the bent-but-not-broken It’s Raining Mens Rea reversed its losing ways with an emphatic 10-3 victory over 2L stalwarts Lawyers, Guns, Money.

We don’t want to get too ahead of ourselves. But the win definitely called to mind a football game from October 5, 2014 that proved reports of the demise of a certain athletic powerhouse to be quite premature.  Details and a bonus breakdown of the newly unveiled 1L team names follow the break.

BROOKLINE, Mass. — Noah Johnson and It’s Raining Mens Rea routed Lawyers, Guns, Money and quieted the doubters.

The reigning Boston College Law Softball League MVP finally looked like a shortstop who has batted over .800 for his career, as Mens Rea dominated an excellent 2L team and beat LGM 10-3 Saturday morning.

Just seven days earlier, Mens Rea lost to Hits Out For The Boys and the Grimes County All-Stars by a combined score of 20-14 and unleashed criticism Johnson had regressed and lacked talented teammates to help him.

“It’s hard to be oblivious to things. We all have TVs or the internet or the questions I get and the emails that I get from people,” Johnson said after a perfect day at the plate and in the field. “Nobody died or anything. It’s just a loss, and I think we’ve always done a great job putting losses behind us quickly.”

Saturday’s win had special significance for Johnson, as he became the sixth BCLSL captain to pass the 15-win mark.

“It’s awesome,” he said.

Johnson made five put-outs at shortstop after not recording more than two in his first three games. The fans chanted “John-son! John-son!” as the game-ending pop-up landed in his glove.

“It was a long week. We dug deep. [I’m] proud of everybody,” Johnson said.

It’s Raining Mens Rea was surrounded by questions all week.

Was Johnson no longer one of the BCLSL’s top shortstops? Did he have enough solid players around him with a rebuilt offensive lineup?

For one morning, at least, he did.

“We don’t sit around listening to what everybody else says,” Johnson said. “We try to do the best we can. We know we’re a good softball team and it was important for us to stick together as a team.”

Editor’s Note: Noah Johnson did not actually say any of this. We’re paraphrasing here.

In addition to a return to form for one of the wiliest and veteran-iest groups in the league, Week 3 saw the unveiling of official team names for our three 1L-squads. What follows is a power ranking of the monikers adopted by the teams formerly known as Section 1, Section 2, and Section 3, respectively.

3. The Hung Jurors (Section 2). Although it’s not quite as egregious as Hits Out For The Boys, this name falls flat on both relevance and novelty grounds. Hung Jurors is obviously a legal term, but where is the second half of the joke? The best names wed legal terms or law school lingo with athletic jargon (“Grimes County All-Stars”) or pop culture references (“Top Gunners”). Points also deducted for the name’s implication of constant in-fighting amongst Section 2’s young nucleus.

2. Swinging Dictas (Section 3). This squad clearly understands the technique behind choosing the right name for the front of the jersey. Here we’ve got a softball action rolled into a law joke. Unfortunately, the execution is a bit bungled. Besides being vaguely offensive, this name designates Section 3 as a group that, strictly speaking, does not actually matter. Some great naming potential lurks among this group, but the players will need to step it up next season.

1. Bad News Barristers (Section 1). Ah, this name is a thing of beauty. A true contender for best in the league. It works on so many levels. First, we have the surface-level trifecta: a pop culture nod that doubles as a baseball reference, perfectly modified to incorporate legal terminology. Then, the independent technical brilliance of the pun. The homophone extension of “Bears” into “Barristers” is inspired, as flawless as any other pun in the league.

And finally, the self-awareness is what launches this name into the stratosphere. The self-deprecation acknowledges the struggles that plague both this squad and 1L teams generally, while simultaneously implying the possibility of significant on-field improvement. Bravo to you Section 1, and bonus points for avoiding the obvious “Section Fun” and “Section Gun” jokes that get recycled in the hallways literally every year.

Scores – Week 3

• 9 AM – It’s Raining Mens Rea (10) – Lawyers, Guns, Money (3)
• 10 AM – Hits Out For The Boys (10) – Lawyers, Guns, Money (3)
• 11 AM – Hits Out For The Boys (9) – Top Gunners (2)
• 12 PM – Top Gunners (7) – The Other Guys (4)
  
• 1 PM – Bad News Barristers (8) – Swinging Dictas (7)
• 2 PM – The Hung Jurors (TIE) – Grimes County All-Stars (TIE)

Standings (3 points for win, 0 for loss, 1 for tie)

1. Hits Out For The Boys (4-1-0, +35 runs, 12 points)
2. Grimes County All-Stars (3-0-1, +36 runs, 10 points)
3. The Other Guys (3-1-0, +5 runs, 9 points)
4. It’s Raining Mens Rea (2-2-0, +15 runs, 6 points)
5. Lawyers, Guns, Money (2-3-0, -7 runs, 6 points)
6. The Hung Jurors (1-1-1, +2 runs, 4 points)
7. Top Gunners (1-3-0, -14 runs, 3 points)
8. Bad News Barristers (1-2-0, -17 runs, 3 points)
9. Swinging Dictas (0-4-0, -49 runs, 0 points)

Fourth place by record, third place by runs. We’re just going to have to keep preparing for one game at a time, except for when we have two games on the same day. Luckily that’s not this Saturday. We’re onto Section 2, I mean, The Hung Jurors. See you next week.

Rob Rossi is a 3L at BC Law and a three-year veteran of the BC Law Softball League. He is also a current member of the Boston College Law Review‘s Executive Board and the former Chair of the Law Students Association Social Media & Communications Committee. Feel free to contact him with questions about his experience, BC Law, or law school in general. Comment here or send him an e-mail at rossire@bc.edu, and don’t forget to follow the Boston College Law Students Association on Twitter @BCLSA.