Are you ready for some cornhole? In Keyport, WFAN's Jerry Recco's league is a big hit Sports broadcaster Jerry Recco, a Hazlet resident, launched the league this fall with modest expectations. It's become a hit.

Jerry Carino | Asbury Park Press

Show Caption Hide Caption WFAN Radio anchor hosts weekly cornhole league in Keyport A look at Jerry Recco's cornhole league in Keyport

KEYPORT — Al Rudiger’s heave was in mid-air, spiraling like a Frisbee across the gym, when his teammate Rich Mannino called “swish.”

Sure enough, it fell perfectly through the hole for three points.

This wasn’t basketball, though. It was cornhole.

You think of cornhole as a game for backyard barbecues or tailgate parties, with a couple of folks lobbing beanbags at a leisurely pace, waiting for their sausage and peppers to cook.

This was cornhole on a bigger scale, more sport than game. Each Monday night since September, dozens of enthusiasts have congregated at the gym in the former St. Joseph School for a league run by sports broadcaster Jerry Recco. The Hazlet resident, who can be heard on WFAN’s morning show or calling radio play-by-play for Rutgers men’s basketball contests, launched the endeavor at a friend’s suggestion.

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“I thought the idea was nuts,” Recco said, speaking over a steady drumbeat of beanbag thuds that echoed through the gym. “Then we put it on Twitter and Facebook, and we got dozens of emails within the first 20 minutes.”

They just might be onto something.

“I used to play horseshoes,” said Rudiger, who hails from Manalapan. “This is horseshoes without the dirty hands, without your shins getting hit.”

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Rudiger and fellow Manalapan resident Mannino form one of the league’s top pairings. They’ve dispatched foes in as little as 10 minutes for a best-of-seven series.

“You know the good teams because they spin (the beanbag),” Rudiger said. “It’s like a slow-motion Frisbee toss. No knuckleballs. I aim a tad to the left because I know it’ll kick right if I throw it the right way.”

The best throwers aim for the bottom of the board (a bag in the hole is worth three points; a bag that remains on the board after each round earns one point). There are few overthrows, which is akin to an air ball.

"When it hits the board, you want it to slide up," Mannino said.

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Not everyone is an expert. Howell’s Tony DeFelippo said he developed a spin only “after I got my (butt) kicked” without one.

“We have everyone from beginners to advanced,” said Hazlet’s E.J. Black, who helps run the league. “For some people, this is what they do. They play to win.”

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Rudiger has been building his own sets for 12 years. He’s got a set with a Rutgers logo on the board, a Penn State set and one honoring Pink Floyd.

“I’ve built mini-ones that you can play in the house,” he said.

For kids?

“Nah, for adults,” he said.

The sets in St. Joseph’s gym are all plain, with the exception of one that bears a Dallas Cowboys star — a nod to Recco’s favorite football team. His cornhole squad is about as successful.

“I’m terrible,” Recco said. “I’ve actually gotten better, and I’m still terrible.”

All told, there are 18 teams over four divisions (teams can have a roster of up to four people, although only two play at a time). The season concludes with playoffs and a championship round on Dec. 16. A winter league starts Jan. 6; nearly all the current teams signed up again. One thing Recco will do differently is tier the divisions based on skill level instead of at random.

“I thought this would be a fun thing to do,” Recco said. “I didn’t think so many people would be this interested and this competitive about it.”

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The entry fee of $180 per team covered the gym rental, insurance and Recco’s purchase of the boards, with a little leftover for the league’s organizers. Players are mostly men, although there are a handful of women. All must be 21 and older because it’s bring-your-own-beer — and folks do. Twelve-packs of Coors Light, Miller Lite and Rolling Rock line the gym’s outskirts.

“Beer takes the butterflies away,” one of the participants said.

The winning team will take home $500 to split and the runner-up gets a free entry into the next season. It’s a nice little bonus, but this is not about the money.

“It’s a night out,” Hazlet’s Travis Evernham said. “I’ve got two kids and I’m very busy with their sports. This is one night for the guys to have a couple beers and have some fun.”

To join the winter league, visit www.reccosports.com.

Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.