Potomac Wiffleball League hopes to resume season

Torrential downpour over the metro Washington D.C. area (along with most of the mid-Atlantic region) last week which dampened the PWL's plans of having some games. This week looks good and the PWL is expected to resume play this weekend (May 1st) in which they will be playing a whopping 17 games to play catch up from last week. Best of luck to the Potomac Wiffleball League on resuming game-play. The competition has already been heating up with what they've played so far. Some familiar teams look as strong as they did last summer such as Scared Hitless, Superman's Wheelchair, & Blandsford Barnburners. There's a few winless wonders (teams that have yet to win) in there as well. I've got admit I didn't follow PWL that much in 2010 but will definitely be keeping my eyes on them this summer.

Hess Field also starting their season May 1st.

At 1:00 PM tomorrow the Hess Field Wiffleball League will kick off their 7th season. They have 4 games lined up for the day (which you can check out on the schedule page). Their website has been updated and as long as they keep it that way they could be serious contenders for 2011 NWLA Website of the Year. The most noticeable change this year is the contraction of the amount of teams. In 2009 they had 12 teams; shrunk to 10 teams in 2010; and now have just 8 teams. Will they continue to diminish next year? The Cardinals look to be the real strong team in the league and are likely to dominate this season. They won the spring invitational tournament that featured their own league and Kingston Wiffleball League (New York). The Cardinals are also ranked #1 in the New York State Wiffleball Rankings. But who knows? Maybe one of the other top teams could knock the cardinals out of the top spot. The only think I care about is the league keeping their website consistently updated...they were simply too detached last year. However, I have a good feeling about HFWB this year...

Ryan Winfield In The Kzoo Spotlight

Early this morning a new article in Brian Meyer's 'Pitch-Out' column (which is 5 years running) gave credit to the relatively new player known as Ryan Winfield. If you follow their league at all you'll hear this guy's name quite a bit. He doesn't just play, he's a big contributor to the infrastructure of the league such as field maintenance, photography (Monday nights), writing columns, and helping with filming videos. Among Winfield's contributions, his writing abilities have stood out above the rest - winning 2010 NLWA Columnist of the Year for his Wiffle Effect column. Yes, if you're running a wiffleball league you need a guy like this to share the load otherwise you will be overworked (especially if you're running a league as vast as KWL). This article is well worth your time if you're wanting to know more about this guy. He's accomplished a lot considering he just joined the KWL last year!

Failed Training Video

I'm going to apologize in advanced...now that I've got that out of the way, here we go. I've seen just about ever wiffleball related video posted in the past few months but this one is among the weirdest. Now that wiffleball season is about to start up you might want to get into shape. Okay...well don't expect this video to do much for you except creep you out. I guess it's funny in parts. Some of you out there may appreciate it. It's a slow day today for wiffleball news.

Palisades WBL season starts this Sunday - May 1st

I was recently contacted by the commissioner of the North Carolina Wiffle Ball League advertising a tournament that will be held in the Charlotte/Kannapolis area sometime this June or July, exact date still pending. If you are interested in this tournament shoot that guy an email (ncwbl@hotmail.com). I'm not sure where NCWBL stands as a league. They've been booted off the league directory on the NWLA site but to be honest - their site wasn't that special anyway. What happened to these guys?

Tim Stewart is Back!

Tim Stewart of the East Tennessee Wiffleball League made a post on the National Wiffleball League Association messageboard within the past 24 hours stating the league's intentions to make it's return for the 2011 season on Saturday, April 20th. [Insert record skip noise] What!? April 20th was a Wednesday and has already happened. Time Travel? No...Tim Travel. To Hell with calendars with this kid. He can do anything. Thanks to some posters on that thread I'm led to believe that he received a Delorian for his 16th birthday...thus making Tim Travel possible. For those of you who've never followed Tim much or don't know what I'm talking about...you're missing out. Tim has been running a small (arguably non-existent) wiffleball league in the isolated region of Harriman, Tennessee. He claims to be one of the best players in the country and has been nationally ranked by associations we are unfamiliar with (which may be non-existent as well). He stopped and started his league's season so many times last year that just about everyone lost interest in his league and shifted their focus to Tim. His personality is larger than life and he's been a muse for many articles and even made a guest appearance on the NWLA's podcast. If you really want to get to know Tim and why we're so fascinated by him check these out:

Tim Stewart is Superman - by Sly Rivers
Tim Stewart: Fact or Fiction - by Brian Meyers
The "100% Real" Tim Stewart - by Josh Smith
NWLA Podcast (Episode 2) - Hosted by Josh & Vladimir with guest Tim Stewart

For the record, I think Tim means their season will be starting on the 30th. Although he says there will be "coverage" you can bet there will be little to no real hard evidence. Hope I'm wrong about that though. The south could use another solid league.

CGF = WTF

Jesus....are you kidding me? I don't know what's more heinous - mentioning college/pro golfers dozens of times or using a small bowling ball as a "wiffleball". I mean, look at that thing! "True athletes"...please. I think just about anyone can hit a ball that gigantic.

HRL Twin Cities release vol. 1 of "Lost Tapes"

Truck of the HRL: Twin Cities posts part of volume 1 of their "lost tapes." This one in particular is about a bar/restaurant that had constructed a wiffle ball field in the back. The field is pretty nice but what really sets it apart is that it has light-up foul lines...awesome! Anyway it's an HRL video, always worth your time. So check it out.

Oh...and I forgot to mention that today is opening day for them!

Parson's Summer Wiffleball Finish Preseason Tournament.

Parson's Summer Wiffleball League has finished their preseason tournament and the Heavy Smurfz took it all, not losing a single game. But just because they won the tournament doesn't mean they're a shoe-in for winning the season. The Storm and Patriots are looking good as well (not much information of Golden Sombreros). This 4-team league had steady video updates in 2010 and I expect that they'll deliver again this year. This video is probably one of their best so far because you get to know them a little more through humor instead of just watching highlights. No set date on when their season is starting but best of luck to you PSWL!

SoCal Wiffle 2011 Season is totally underway dude.

I'm not going to lie, I thought the Southern California Wiffleball League was going to be another one of those fly-by-night leagues that appear on the radar but nothing ever materializes. Boy was I wrong! Although these guys are totally into tournaments and such, they're looking pretty good for a 2011 season. The team featured in the video (the Jackers) are currently in first place in their league with a 4-0 record, the other 2 teams (yeah...they're small, so what?) are trailing behind with a 1-3 record a piece.

Plot Thickens With Safety Risks Involving Wiffleball, etc.

As I've mentioned before, I prowl the web for information that we all might enjoy as lovers of the sport we call wiffleball. Is it time consuming? You bet. Why do I do it? I don't know. You know those losers who have entire channels on Youtube that consist solely of them whining about pointless subjects that no one could possibly care about. When people began hearing about the NY Health Department wanting to ban sports like Wiffle Ball in summer camps people were either outraged or apathetic. Among the outraged were some of those losers whose useless chatter pollute the Internet. This guy, "Jonald Reagan", is nothing short of a complete nutcase. Seriously. Aside from the fact that he's a Reaganite (nothing wrong with that if you're into that sort of thing) this guy is obviously not of sound mind (check out his other videos if you don't believe me). He yells like a professional wrestler the whole time. It's insane. The best part of the whole video is when he says a wiffleball "has 3 holes at the top of it." Really, Jonald? Relying on a profile picture of a wiffleball is fairly irresponsible dude. This guy obviously doesn't know enough about wiffleball to be this pissed. It's hard to find his anger justifiable considering he doesn't even have an official yellow bat as a visual aid in the video and he whipped out one of those God-awful softball-sized "wiffle" balls with the circular holes throughout.

Glad I was officially the first person to watch this video...the sensation is much like being the first person to step in dog sh*t and now I get to wipe my shoe in the grass (which never works) as I warn others "hey, there's dog sh*t right there."

In case you're wondering what the Mullany's are thinking of the assault from the NY State Health Department they have been interviewed. Check it out.

In other news, a recent article has been posted on the Kalamazoo Wiffleball League's website. Columnist, Travis Branch, writes about the 10 things he misses most about the recently deceased Jacques Rimmier.

Beware of the wrath of Presley

It's doubtless that this kid's life already sucks...I mean his name is Presley for Christ's sake. You know this kid has a long road ahead of him with a name like that. I pity what the little chap will go through on his thousands of bus rides to school. Adding insult to injury is some 10-year-old prick that couldn't correctly throw a wiffleball if his life depended on it. Presley's reaction was only natural but as always, the slightly taller sleaze got the upper hand by quickly throwing a ball to the kid's face right before incurring the wrath of Presley. He's lucky. I bet Presley was carrying a plethora of diseases that elementary schoolers share (pink eye, etc.) but that doesn't mean it wasn't a real douche move.

In other news, WiffleATL seems to actually be interested in keeping us all in the loop. Some dude named Grant Yarbrough wrote an article for the NWLA giving us the skinny on the events that unfolded on Opening Day for Wiffle ATL.

Also, the Ontario County Wiffle Association posted a promotional video for one of their teams, Freaky Franchise.... Here is that video:

Wiffleball and other Recreational Sports...Dangerous?

According to a story posted by the NY Daily News today, the Health Department has made a list of recreational activities that may pose a health risk to children. Seriously? Unfortunately, yes. Wiffle Ball made the list of dangerous activities along with kick ball, red rover, capture the flag, and other classic childhood games. What's next? Checkers & marbles because they might choke on the pieces. Give me a break! I know that children aren't quite as cognitively developed as adolescents and adults but you've got to be kidding me. Do you want to know what I played (when I wasn't playing Wiffle Ball) as a kid? Lawn Darts. That's right! They were banned from the market in 1988 in the U.S. & Canada but that didn't stop me from playing with them in 1997. I lived to tell the tale and do you want to know why? I'm not so inept that I went and killed somebody with a metal-tipped object that can reach a terminal velocity. That's why! Don't these people know anything about Social Darwinism? Long story short - smart people live longer. It's just the facts of life. Someone get me an Aspirin...my head hurts. Unbelievable!

I'm not done.

Just for fun - let's try to imagine how you could be terminally injured during a rousing game of wiffleball. There's really only a handful of ways this could happen, most of them would require a person to be either mentally inept or extremely unfortunate.

• A pitcher pitches a ball at an incredible velocity and hits the batter directly to the temple possibly causing a concussion and permanent unconsciousness. The aforementioned type of pitch could also strike an exposed tumor a batter could have, causing it to explode and cancerous juices quickly spread throughout the body causing a slow death for the unfortunate player.
• A batter who desires to hit more long balls corks his bat with a metallic material of some sort. Wiffleball can be played in the rain because it's an all plastic game and does not necessarily attract electricity. A batter with a corked bat could conduct electricity to him/herself and cause immediate death as thousands of watts of electricity travel through their body.
• Two friends decide that it's a great idea to strike each other in the head with the sturdy official yellow bat. Hitting the spinal cord just right can cause separation of the vertebrae and cause paralysis which can affect the brain's messages to parts of the body such as heart and lung function. If you're dumb enough to mock execute a friend with such a blunt object...maybe you deserve to die.
• An outfielder could impale him/herself chasing a fly ball that's traveling over the fence. A fence post could turn a person to a human popsicle when the circumstances are right.
• If your mouth is big enough you could always choke on a Wiffle Ball. If the ball is lodged far enough down your through you can block any access of air to the wind pipe. The ball would be near impossible to move from this position. it's round, smooth, and would become extremely slippery with saliva.

I'm sure there are other ways you could be killed playing this game. Feel free to share other ways you think a person can die playing wiffleball. I wonder if someone has died playing the game? I must have missed that episode of 1,000 Ways To Die. I'd like to thank Collision from the NWLA Messageboard for finding this story today. I probably would have missed this story otherwise.

Winston-Salem Wiffleball League promos

The Winston-Salem Wiffleball League has posted a couple of team promo videos on their Youtube channel for the Meerkats and Kenny Powers Krew (KPK). This, I feel, is the better of the two. It's got a hint of what their epic Week One Highlights video had from last year...using Hanz Zimmer's Inception soundtrack. Some of the images used are a little over-the-top but it's still a pretty nice video. I can't wait till they actually start their season though. I want to see some game highlights! When they exactly begin their season is still unknown.

Palisades Draft and GDWL Spring Training Today

The Garrett Drive Wiffleball League will be having their first major spring training session for the year today. Up to this point there had only been a few small sessions but now that the weather has shaped up and college semesters will son be over the GDWL appears to be getting ready for some wiffleball. The league may see a few new faces as they try to make up for the loss of their 4th team from last season, the Neapolitan Creamers. Kevin Hancart (successful rookie on the Green Bears team last year) has started his own franchise called the Dirty Birds to fill in the gap. Returning this year are the Green Bears, Hot Dogs (2010 champions), and the Parasites. Some newer players will either be used for another team or two or to really beef up the 4 existing teams. The league also has a new field with a much higher fence, which should be interesting. And they will be filming their games in High Definition. 2011 looks to be promising for the GDWL. No word yet on when exactly their season starts, only that it will be in mid-May sometime.

In other news Palisades WBL will be having their 2011 Draft this afternoon. So if you're not doing anything at about 1:30 pm feel free to watch the draft live! You'll have to be quick though because the draft will only last about 30 minutes.

The Wiffle in SE Michigan "Wind Up" Preseason Tournament results are now up on their website. Check them out! Their season starts April 29th.

WiffleATL in the wind...

According to a post on the NWLA messageboard from WiffleATL's commissioner the WATL 2011 season opener will be soon. But how soon? When? As we await more elaboration on the messageboard I feel that it is necessary to make a statement about the Wiffle Atlanta website. Although it is a beautiful site is is going though the same funk that Hess Field went through last year: obsolete information. Through much of 2010 WiffleATL's website was a place of old news and empty space. Aside from asking new players to sign up and informing members of some rule changes, the site looks the same as it did last year. Last year's standings are still on the home page! Last year if you wanted to know what was going on with their league you had to hit up their messageboard and even then you might not find out much. WiffleATL is a great league and I hate seeing them so closed off! Let us in!

As soon as it is known when WiffleATL's season opener will be you know you'll be able to find out about it here.

Kzoo and others busy this weekend into next week

So, it's spring time. No dip!? And spring time only means two things...
1) You will gain a new appreciation for allergy medication.
2) It's wiffleball season!

Some of the nation's best leagues are going to be busy this weekend into next week. Palisades WBL will be having their 2011 draft this Sunday, April 17th. Kalamazoo Wiffleball League will be having their season opener the following Monday on April 18th. Meanwhile Hess Field Wiffle Ball and Wiffle in SouthEast Michigan will be having preseason tournaments. This is a really exciting time to be in a league or just a fan of the game. From here on out places like the NWLA website, league websites and forums, and this blog will be constantly buzzing with news, stats, and all things wiffle. So if you're not used to the fast pace of wiffle news - fasten your seat belts because it's sure to be a wild ride.

The opening week for Kalamazoo could be more interesting than first thought. The weather has really taken a turn for the worst for a league trying to get it's season underway. This weather in Kalamazoo has been wet and chilly with temperatures in the mid-50s...which is probably why this poor fellow is wearing gloves. But Kalamazoo looks as if they'll try to tough it out as depicted in one of the site's latest articles (Weather or not, here we come). Also they finally have the 2011 NL Preview up too.

23 Years In The Making

Filmed in Phoenix, AZ these guys played this casual game of wiffleball in a backyard in 1987. Friggin' 1987!!! This video is quite lengthy, 15 minutes to be precise but if you're wanting more there is a part 2. There is a vintage charm about this video that I find irresistible. The green tint of everything. The haircuts. The short shorts. The tracking of the tape constantly adjusting. It's a feast for the senses. I'd love to see some videos from before this era, I'm sure it'd be entertaining. I was a little disappointed at first because I thought it was another video made by the guys who made Wiffleball '78 (an amazing short film about wiffleball). After I found out that they didn't make it, I was a little disappointed. I don't think this video is amazing for it's content, just for the fact that it's one of the oldest videos of playing wiffleball on the web that I've found thus far. I figured it was worth sharing.

Kzoo Spring Training

The Kalamazoo Wiffleball League is on the verge of their season opener (April 18th) and Spring Training is coming to a close. They've posted around a half-dozen videos lately with their latest action. Hopefully they'll continue to post frequently once the season begins. Stop by their site and see the AL Preview for 2011 and check out Daryl Hutson's new sadistic article about the departed Jacques Rimmier.

New Mystery League

Just uploaded today...a mysterious new league has had their season opener. I went to their channel and as expected no website link or anything. I hate that. Unacceptable! So I did a little digging and asked the poster. I got an answer. They're the Schafferstown Wiffleball Association. And get this...they've been playing since 1986! But it's not what you think. It appears that they don't have set teams or anything and they only have stats that go back to 2005. Regardless it's still pretty cool that these guys have been playing for 25 years. That takes some dedication.

HRL playing very soon

HRL : Twin Cities kicks off their 2011 season the week-after-next on Monday, April 25th. Yes, they still have 20 teams. And yes, they're still doing the Wifflin' 4 Wishes tournament. Although I'm not sure if they'll keep the "Wifflin'" part with the latest fiasco with Michael Herman of Wicked Cow Entertainment. We'll see how that goes.

When does your season start?

If you're into that whole watching pitching videos thing...

...then you'll love this video. Except for perhaps Wiffleboy28, this guy has some of the best pitches seen on the web. Like Wiffleboy28 he plays in Golden Stick. jjallday203 is this dude's name by the way and he'll be playing for the Mass Revolvers this year so if you play in Golden Stick and play against this team, watch out for this guy.

CCWA Write-up

BEHOLD! --- The only real league out west. For some peculiar reason, Columbia Cowlitz Wiffleball Association appear to be a lone voice in the wilderness with regard to wiffleball. Located in southern Washington  and northern Oregon, this league brings a lot to the table. They've already started their 6th season and will doubtlessly rise to the occasion, as they always do, by having a fantastic season. So what separates CCWA from other leagues. Well...they have a lucrative beer sponsorship thanks to Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer. They first stumbled upon this opportunity last year and this year the proposition was a success once more. So if you ever want to list America's typical beer drinking leagues, this league would have to be at the top of that list.

CCWA does have some room for improvement though. They still use a leaguelineup.com website. Which is fine because they make it work but it's a little shocking to see them succeed for 5 years and still have such a basic site...but maybe they just stick with what works. I can respect that. Last year they would be tight-lipped with news which became tiresome. This year I'd like them to step up in the information department. The CCWA is truly a candle in the dark, so to speak. They are a lone league with no close wiffleball neighbors, yet they draw little attention except for their couple of teams that grace the top half of the rankings. CCWA could benefit from writing an article or two giving us the skinny more often than last year. They also don't do videos, and if they have I've never seen them. Not a strong criticism, I know, but it would be nice to see them play. This league has remained such an enigma to me although I've followed them as best as I can for the past few years. They're a league I'm just dying to get to know better but can't. I feel that they keep their followers at arm's length sometimes. Will 2011 be the year they let us in? I sure hope so.

This quiet western league has been the rock of the West. Since the apparent break-up of the Washington State Wiffle Association, CCWA is the only Pacific-Northwest league left. Their commissioner, Nate Bullock, does an apparently good job running the league. One of the strongest characteristics of their league is their stability. Up to now they've had 5 great seasons and remained around the same size. It's amazing that they can do this with a state border dividing their league in half. There's really no other league quite like CCWA. Hopefully this league will stick around and will do bigger and better things. They've got some great teams and probably have some of the best content for any leaguelineup site out there. They've done a great job so far and I can't wait to see what they have for us in 2011.

Moron Who Can't Hit Ball

"I whiffed...not surprising." You want to know why it's not surprising? You suck! You probably did it on purpose. What a clown! "Most people whiff with the wiffleball bat which maybe is part of the problem." What!? You serious? I guess if your idea of difficult is hitting a ball with a huge ass meaty bat then you're thoughts will align well with his. But lets be realistic, the sky ball requires no talent or skill whatsoever. Granted it's a revolutionary step in plastic technology because it bounces several dozens of feet into the air which explains why it goes up to 300 feet once acted upon by a force such as a bat. But CNBC really needs to stick to what they're suited for - business news. Leave the sports analysis to ESPN.

Windy City Wiffleball 2011 Season Starts

Windy City Wiffleball has begun their 2011 season. They are the first team in the Central Region to get their season started and may get a jump at the rankings. 630 All-Stars have taken a gigantic leap to first place with a commanding 4-0 record. Here's the standings after yesterday's opening day:

630 All-Stars.................4-0
Dead Red......................2-0
Crosstown Crusaders.....1-1
Under The Radar............1-1

Apaches........................0-0
Bulldogs........................0-2
Beavers.........................0-4

Let us not forget that Windy City Wiffleball is the oldest league in the country. So although they don't have the snazziest website, amazing team logos, videos, or much a messageboard presence. It's still important to respect this league because they've actually been growing over their 12-year history. If you want to find out more about that: read this article.

National Wiffleball League Association announces pre-season rankings.

Breaking News --- The NWLA has posted the 2011 preseason rankings. Why haven't they been posted sooner? Most leagues haven't started their seasons yet and the amount of time teams with a 0-0 record needs to be as short as possible. Most leagues will be starting their season within a month or so. The rankings will be more diverse than ever. New leagues springing up constantly (particularly in New York) has really made choosing teams fit for the top 50 a challenge. No doubt Wiffleball100 (the mysterious man who is chief operator and webmaster of the National Wiffleball League Association) will have his work cut out for him this summer. As an added bonus this year there will be another list of rankings set aside just for small leagues ranking the top 20 small league teams. But don't worry! Small league teams can still compete in the original top 50 rankings. My guess is that this second rankings list will help wifflers understand who the best is of the smaller leagues. Far too often good teams from small leagues are underrepresented or ignored in the rankings. This will be their chance to finally shine. Best of luck to all the nation's top teams. Get ranked!

PSWL Commissioner Tells Us What's Up

Among my numerous duties I volunteer for with the National Wiffleball League Association is finding new leagues and seeing if they've got the goods and meet the criteria to be considered for the NWLA. It's probably the most laborious task involved with my position aside from researching for writing columns. I've written a couple of articles bearing the fruits of such labor involving finding new leagues (America's Most Promising Non-NWLA Leagues & Fresh New Leagues).The biggest problem with scouting new talent is establishing contact. I've attempted numerous times to contact a league called Griffle Ball but to no avail. Fortunately for some leagues though they answer the call, Parson's Summer Wiffleball League is one of those leagues. In fact, of any new league I've contacted they were the quickest to respond. Their zeal for the game is unmatched for a league of their age - which is very young. But anyway...this little video catches you up to speed on the what's going on with their league. Is it awkward? Yeah. Is there a little repetition because of it's candid and improvisational nature? You bet! Is there weird non-wiffleball related rambling? What video update would be complete with out that? However awkward you may find this video there's some good stuff. I'll give you the skinny though. First and foremost he mentions that he recently got a haircut. Always an important update for the world to know. Next he announces team rosters and that the draft went well. After that he talks about them being taken into the NWLA. There's an added bonus for me because I got a small shout out while he was on the topic (always nice, I guess). That's pretty much it. Oh, I forgot...he's incredibly talented when it comes to pointing to where links and captions will be on the screen. It's like MAGIC! Hope this league does well this year. I'm looking forward to their season starting...which will be in about 2 weeks.

Tampa Wiffleball League finishes 2011 season...already.

Tampa League Wiffleball finished up their 10 week season this week. Already? Yeah, I know. You can do that sort of thing when you basically live in heaven where it's 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the middle of winter. Essential information:

STANDINGS:

Rays........19-1
Gators.....7-13
Bandits....7-13

Braves.....7-13

AWARDS:

MVP................................Chris Harley
Cy Young......................Michael Harley
Strikeout King...............Michael Harley
Silver Slugger.................Michael Harley
Golden Hammer................Chris Harley

Guess which team the Harley brothers are on? You guessed it...the Rays. It's only natural they cleaned up on the awards as well. Playoffs begin next week! Braves are facing the Rays and the Bandits are taking on the Gators. I think we all know how this is going to end but you never know, an upset could be in the immediate future.

WSWL Most Likely To Return For A 2011 Season...

Last summer wifflers from across the nation were shocked about a small league out of North Carolina called the Winston-Salem Wiffleball League. For many of us it was our first time hearing about them but they had, in fact, been playing since 2007. Their phenomenal Week One Video sent shock-waves throughout the wiffleball community. How had we not hear about this league before? Unfortunately they disappeared almost as suddenly as they appeared in the national spotlight. The 2010 southern darlings called it quits after the season was over due to so many players graduating high school and attending college. The South has been hard up for leagues of substance for the past few years. WiffleATL and Garrett Drive Wiffleball League appear to be the only other solid leagues in the South. Long story short - the South needs more leagues, good leagues. WSWL filled that gap nicely last year and it looks as if they will once again. 4 teams are planning on returning - Kenny Powers Krew, Meerkats, Shirtless Sluggers, & Red Faces. Meanwhile Patrick Ronan has parted ways with Red Faces in an attempt to start his own expansion franchise (yet to be named). So things are looking good for WSWL this summer. Their website has underwent a little construction and it'll be interesting to see where they take the 2011 season. Keep your eyes fixed on this league if they do make a comeback. They don't disappoint.

Kalamazoo Wiffleball League write-up

The Kalamazoo Wiffleball League is a true juggernaut in the wiffleball world. Where do you begin to with such an acclaimed league? They've been the league for the past few years, dethroning the wiffleball kings up in the twin cities (HRL: Twin Cities). They're probably one of the hardest working leagues in America, which is partially what makes them so endearing. Their commissioner, Brian Meyers, is one of the most social wifflers in the country and chances are if you're talking with someone who plays the game and mention his name they'll find it familiar. Their website has been constantly soaring to new heights. There's almost always something new every time you visit their site. KWL has championed the art of writing articles. Meyers doesn't do all the articles though, he has crucial help from his friends. Some of the league's players are some of the best wiffleball writers out there. Ryan Winfield and Daryl Hutson regularly post articles on their site which gives the site fresh perspective all the time. One of their columnists, Jacques Rimmier, won NWLA columnist of the year with his Creme de la Creme column. The splendid and sleek design of the website is extremely easy on the eyes but it's the great writing that keeps visitors coming back. Their columns are often very humorous as well as informative. Daryl Hutson's articles are particularly funny. His knack for writing isn't a coincidence. He's closing in on a Bachelor's Degree in Creative Writing...it shows. His Fernandomania article made it to the NWLA site and was met with much acclaim.

But it's not all fun and games. There are those out there that think this league is impossible to take seriously. It doesn't take much reading and searching to discover that Meyers and his vast band of friends don't take themselves very seriously. Most find it as a good thing but not everyone is entertained. Some have questioned the talent and competitiveness of KWL due to their carefree behavior. The KWL has made it clear that they don't care what others think about them, a characteristic that has aided them in their rise to prominence. But say what you want about their vulgar humor and carelessness for competitiveness - it's easy to see that these guys love the sport. They appear to be purists to the game and don't approve of the use of "fag-bats" and aren't afraid to call out leagues that do use the aforementioned style of bats. Some say this is a good thing and others find themselves in an arms race against Kalamazoo. Beloved by many and scorned by others the KWL is truly a league of their own and it seems that they'll be playing for quite some time. Only time will tell if they'll be able to continue to ride on the top of the tide of independent wiffleball leagues across the nation.* Can they keep up the phenomenal work? It's a juicy question when you consider the handful of serious contenders that are capable and willing to become America's new top league. With leagues like Palisades WBL, ORWBL, Hess Field, and CCWA waiting in the wings (and don't forget that the HRL: Twin Cities can always make a comeback) to snag some NWLA Awards, Kalamazoo has its hands full for 2011 and beyond. If the KWL ever slips it may cost them their precious top spot. Long story short - this league better bring their A-game because they've got company. But they were writing funny articles and playing ball long before all this acclaim and chances are they'd continue doing as they've done all along should they relinquish the spotlight.

* - Based on 2010 NWLA Awards won on their behalf (website of the year, commissioner of the year, & columnist of the year) and recent popular opinion among those involved in the NWLA. This opinion is in no way linked to the recent horrible mishap associated with the poll.

Everyone can appreciate a good nut shot

So what? I've posted a noticeable amount of nut shots in this blog's short history. Big deal. You might say "I've seen enough nut shots here, what gives?" I hear you. At first this video may seem uneventful enough. A few moments into the video the money shot happens and it's a cheap laugh. Then there's like 50 seconds of recovery and laughter. The pitcher recovers, finishes the inning AND checks up on his package to see if it's okay while still in the shot. Don't worry dude, your nuggets are still there...I think you would have known if they would have been obliterated. After all it is just a perforated plastic ball. But the package check is what separates this nut shot video from all the others. I'm just wondering why this dude didn't check on his junk sooner. I guess this guy has priorities. 1) Finish the inning. 2) Access the damage of figs. Who am I to question that logic? Some people just find plastic balls more important than actual balls. Determination? Maybe.

Kalamazoo write-up has been pushed back until tomorrow. Sorry for the delay.

Potomac Wiffleball League kicks off 2011 season

Check out this guy slide into home to win the game in extra innings. He turned the slide into a roll and tumbled right over the strike zone board. Can't say I've ever seen this happen before. Try to check in on this league every once in a while, they're often forgotten about for no reason. So give the Potomac Wiffleball League some love periodically.

Palisades WBL Write-up

It's finally time to give credit to the 3 leagues I agreed to give a write-up for after performing well on the poll. Since the controversy of the poll has soured anything definite I felt that it'd be unfair to not give these leagues the publicity they deserve. Today it's Palisades' day. At only 3 years old they're one of the fastest growing leagues in the nations (9 teams now). Their video production capabilities are unmatched. Their Yard Work dvd is pretty high quality and affordable (well worth the money and your time). Their This Month In Wiffleball program is absolutely to die for. If you even follow this league a little bit that program makes it impossible for you to not know what's going on. Palisades uses their media well to keep their players and followers informed.

No amount of success comes without a price. They are somewhat social lepers in the national wiffleball community to some people. They're different. No doubt. They play with blue "super" bats and catch a lot of crap for it. BUT their field dimensions are pretty deep so I tend to turn a blind eye to it because I don't think I could hit a ball that far with a yellow bat in a field that big. Some of their players have taken to wearing baseball pants while playing which has also attracted criticism about taking the game just a little too seriously. While I find baseball pants both unattractive and uncomfortable I don't really see a big deal with it...different strokes for different folks. Palisades approached the National Wiffleball League Association at a bad time. The NWLA and GSWL were up-in-arms and in the midst of all of this Palisades was making their NWLA messageboard debut. Initially shunned Palisades stuck around and eventually were taken in to the NWLA.

While Palisades WBL definitely have the goods they may end up discounting that fact a little bit by declaring so often how they have the goods. Being confident and being conceited are related concepts. This fact is another reason why some find Palisades to be offensive. Palisades does go as far to say that others copy them (which they don't seem to mind, only point out) which is both true and untrue. About the only thing that leagues may copy from them is striving to up-the-ante with videos. As far as everything else I don't see anything to validate that statement...after all Palisades (like many leagues) use MLB mascots and logos. Nothing wrong with taking that route it just invalidates statements of originality. Palisades is in a class of their own and, in my opinion, no one is in their realm as of now. Their website, while stunning in appearance, is pretty tight-lipped with information. Don't get me wrong, it's sleek and one of the easiest sites to navigate out there. Period! But I find the site lacking in one thing...articles. Articles would really give HRL: Twin Cities and KWL a run for their money for website of the year. Seriously!

Whether you love or hate these dudes there's hardly a dull moment with them. If you really want to be in the constant know you need to join their forum. They have one of the most active forums of any league. It's amazing that a small league (by comparison to some of the juggernauts out there) that this league makes as much noise as it does. I have no doubt that they will continue to make a substantial amount of noise but my only hope is that a lot of that noise won't be self-proclaiming praise. This league is good enough to get plenty of outside praise, this being one of the sources that has done it's fair share of praising.

Simplicity at it's best

This is a pretty nice short film someone shot to test out a new camera they purchased. It's a couple years old but still snazzy nonetheless. As far as I can tell, they're in no league or anything. It's just a short video that I find humor in because of that guy whipping himself while riding the bat. Enjoy.

"Wait one second...Just got a Facebook message."

There's so many funny things this kid says in this video. My personal favorite is in the title of this post. He interrupts his little review to check a Facebook message. I love how he totally could have edited that out before posting this but he was probably like "Ehhh...I'll go with it." This type of carelessness is hilarious. All-in-all, criticism aside, this review is a little better than that other kid's wiffle bat review - although he does not review the official yellow bat. Someone really needs to do a "Captain Caveman" Bat review. That would definitely be an entertaining review.

Ditch the blade and get in the game!

This is the latest article to be posted on the NWLA website. Bizarre? Without question. In this article the theory that playing well and having facial hair appear to be linked. It's an interesting theory but do you believe it?

So here's what's going to happen...

Due to misconduct of the top two poll contenders the poll is hereby nullified and neither of the top two leagues will be exclusively rewarded. As of now the details of the two parties misconduct will not be revealed to the public and will mostly remain private. Wiffler's Digest will seize from having polls until a more secure poll gadget is obtained. As promised the offer of a special write-up still stands. However, no one league will exclusively be getting a write-up. Due to the misconduct of the aforementioned leagues the third place league (CCWA) will also be getting a write-up. This should be more than enough to satisfy the contending parties and this will serve as the only compromise. Hereafter Wiffler's Digest will make no further mentioning of the poll results. Please refrain from posting negative comments on the subject for they will be promptly and cheerfully removed.

The first writeup will be for the Palisades WBL. What will this write-up consist of you may ask? It won't be anything too terribly fancy. Just an overall post about why I think a certain league could be considered the best in the country and reasons why people should check them out. Expect the first write-up within the next couple of days.