Yard Work & Jenn Rossman Now On Youtube

Until recently if you wanted to watch Brett Bevelacqua's production, Yard Work, you either had to catch it on television or order the dvd. NOW...it's on Youtube now in 6 parts. Also, Lafayette College uploaded a video of Professor Jenn Rossman explaining her affiliation with the Yard Work video.

GSWL PA Pitchers & HFWB Double Header

Two pretty nice videos were uploaded within the last 24 hours. Wiffleboy28 uploaded a video showcasing the finer pitchers in the GSWL (Pennsylvania Region) and Hess Field Wiffleball uploaded the highlights from a double header matchup between the Cardinals and Mets. The Cardinals swept the Mets (not surprising). HFWB really have their act together this year. The website is being constantly updated and they are posting a video every now and again. They have really improved from last year in this regard and I've got to hand it to them...they have my attention. I'm checking their website now more than ever.

SCWL Week 2 Highlights Now Online

Better late than never!...SCWL uploads Week 2 Highlights and the wait is worth it. This league really is coming together nicely. Can't wait to see what they'll have uploaded in the weeks ahead.

Kid Gets A Nosebleed From Wiffleball

What's really unfortunate is you don't see the ball hit him in the face. But if you're imaginative it's not hard to connect the dots. Wonder if this kid will develop a fear for the ball...if so, his possible career in the game is o-v-e-r.

Hudson Valley WBL Start 2011 Season

The Hudson Valley WBL began their 2011 season yesterday with a matchup between the Brooklyn Bottling Giants and the Marlborough Braves. The Giants crushed the Braves 10-0. Giants pitcher Paul Rivera threw the league's first no-hitter...making it seem that the competition in the league will be much more intense than last year. The league has expanded to 5 teams this year and are looking more official than ever. Hudson Valley WBL has a lot of competition for attention given that fact that they're in New York (the apparent Galapagos of wiffleball lately). But if they keep this up they will doubtlessly turn some heads.

CCWA Fielder Stops at Nothing

A player in the CCWA called "Ox" is a fielder that will stop at nothing to get in front of or catch the ball. I wonder if this guy catches frisbees with his mouth like those cool dogs on the beach? Anyway, it's unfortunate that only a couple of the plays actually can be seen in the frame of the shot. But judging by what can be seen those hidden catches must have been awesome.

Out With The Old & In With The New

For those of you who might be into the whole Wiffle Reviews thing...you might want to check into a new dude who's rating wiffle videos, Wiffle Critic. Wiffle Reviews has not had an update in 2 months and maybe that guy's done which has made enough room for a new dude to review videos. I, myself, find this practice boring but some people are into it and I'm here to point people in the right direction for things pertaining to wiffleball so, for you, I watch these horrible videos with crappy music in the background.

Hess Field Makes The News

Hess Field Wiffleball League gets into the news. This is a great article with some great images. A lot of articles about wiffleball or leagues that make into mainstream news are sort of short or lame but this one is one of the most insightful I've seen in a while.

Vote for WSWL's top 10 and not top 10 plays

The Winston-Salem Wiffleball League has posted their Top 10 Plays and Not Top 10 Plays from their season thus far. They're wanting to know which plays you think are the 'Best of the Best' and the 'Worst of the Worst.' Any highlights reel from this league is well worth your time. You'll find that home runs don't come easy in that league as robbing home runs appears to be routine. Vote at their page. And feel free to discuss some of the plays here or on our Facebook page.

Blue Power Ranger Hits Camera With Wiffleball

This, to me, is a sweet find. I was a HUGE Mighty Morphing Power Rangers fan as a kid. My brother and I used to dabble in re-enacting some of their stunts. That came to a speedy end when I did a slide kick on my brother to knock him off of my bed. Ah...memories. Anyway, the blue ranger apparently likes wiffleball. Who doesn't? Why he's not wearing his cool helmet is beyond me.

More Stupid Teenagers Mixing Velocity With Cruelty

The impact didn't look like much but the results speak for themselves. Two things to consider from this video...that ball probably hurt like a bitch and teenage dudes are only geniuses when it comes to misusing devises for cruel purposes. Also that isn't a "wiffle ball" it's an off brand perforated plastic ball.

Washburn Wiffleball League start their debut season

Washburn Wiffleball League officially embarked on the beginning of their debut season yesterday afternoon. The Oatka Quackers beat the Wiffle Wonders in the game of the week with final score 11-8. Also the Workhorses beat the Bombers 14-13. This small 4-team league out of New York will probably be often over-looked but this league seems to have a handle on things. Although they have a leaguelineup site it's by no means bare and not cluttered with nonsense...a nice balance. The logos for the teams are pretty nice considering this is the league's first year. Like with most leagues, if you don't find all the info you want about them you can get the rest at their Facebook page. I think this small league is going to do well this season but I'm not sure their small voice will be heard among the hurricane of sound that's coming out of New York. With leagues like HFWB and Palisades WBL in the midst, this league is going to have to be content in the background for a while.

Palisades vs NY Climate

With the exception of today the next 9 days will be very wet for the NYC region. This is a continuation of the latest trend of never-ending thunderstorms that have been pounding the northeast over the past couple of weeks. On their forum, Palisades WBL have come to accept the increasing likelihood that Week 3 of their regular season is going to be a washout. Tallaman, one of their fields, "has been a swamp all spring". Brett Bevelacqua seems optimistic considering the weather forecast saying "it looks like we may be able to get the games in." I'm not so sure they'll be able to pull it off but I wish them all the luck in the world. Most leagues east of the Mississippi River have had to battle the weather as they've tried to get their seasons off the ground and now it's the Northeast's turn. The uncooperative weather won't just affect Palisades but the several other NY leagues as well as leagues in the New England area.

Hilarious yet sad new KWL article

KWL's Ryan Winfield writes another great article...this time about rageholic Mark Thompson on Scared Hitless. I think we've all had a player like this in our leagues at some point or another. A player like Thompson can either be the source of amusement or can really drag a league down. Regardless, this article is a great read.

Blitz Ball

A guy has emailed me a couple of videos he's found (this video is one of them) and I'm amazed a ball with no holes can move this much. Not only am I shocked but so is the Huffington Post. What are you feelings about Blitz Ball?

New Southern League in Kentucky

A new league has sprouted up in Kentucky...KY Wiffle. They have 6 teams and start their season July 15th, which is extremely late when you compare to other leagues. This is an exciting new addition to the South. Their status in the NWLA is still pending but I see no reason why they will not be ushered in quickly.

WSWL Opening Day Highlights now online

You read about the beat downs that happened on the WSWL website and on the NWLA messageboard now witness it for yourself!

CCWA Game on Film

The North Division normally gets the most attention in the CCWA. But it's the South Division that has posted highlights from a game. The CCWA is one of the nation's top leagues yet photos and videos are extremely rare. This is the first time I've seen a video from this league!

Oak Shade Stadium League back for 2011

They were originally not supposed to return after last year but it appears that Oak Shade Stadium is back for this summer. 2 days ago they built the stadium again and began spring training. Not a whole lot of people know about these guys. They're pretty young and still adjusting to puberty. If you want some true entertainment watch some of their videos from last year and listen to their voices crack. Hilarious. This video is pretty good but there's a big let down at the end with the message at the end, as you'll see, using "are" instead of "our". I know they sound the same guys but they're not. It's a nice little peek at the condition of language arts in today's educational system. Anyway...it's good to see yet another league make it out for another season.

The 100th Post

It's had to believe that it's been three months since I started writing this blog. This is the 100th post! This is an exciting time of the year to be a wiffleball player or fan. It's a lot like going to a farmers market...almost everything is in season. All the other leagues that haven't begun their seasons yet will before this month is over. Kingston Wiffleball League (New York) starts their season today...so does Winston-Salem Wiffleball League! The new Washburn Wiffleball League starts their season next week! Oyster Bay Wiffleball League starts their season May 21st. Feel free to comment to inform me of any other season openers not previously mentioned.

NWLA Adds 2 New Articles

Last night two new articles were added to the NWLA front page: Finn McCool's new Assign the Nine article team rivalries and my new article about women who play (or don't play) wiffleball called "Chicks With Sticks". In the article I faced the "why aren't there more female players?" question and tried to answer it as scientifically as possible. Despite the many disadvantages women have in sports in comparison to men, some of the few female players in America's wiffleball leagues can play with the best of them (Melissa Brink, Arielle Hord, etc.).

GDWL Begin Their 8th Season

The Garrett Drive Wiffleball League were originally going to have their final spring training session last night but the weather was so nice they were like "screw it, let's get some real games going." It was a pretty good night. 3 out of the 4 teams showed up and 3 games were played. The Green Bears lost both of their games, the Hot Dogs won both of their games (big surprise, right?), and the new team - Fat Bastards went 1-1. The Fat Bastards feature rookie Jeremy Litton and former Neapolitan Creamer Tyler Call. The competition looks good for 2011 and the 4th team (Kevin Hancart's Dirty Birds) should play next week. It is still unknown if last year's 2nd place team, the Parasites, will be returning this year. Both new teams already have logos for the league website. The Fat Bastards logo is...weird.

What Happened to the Filippone Heat?

Yesterday the Cutters swept the Bobcats in a double header dropping the Bobcats to a 4-4 record (still first in their division). Earlier in the day the Bobcats swept the Filippone Heat in a double header, outscoring them 18-8. The Filippone Heat, last years NWBL champions, have started at a franchise worst of 0-4. The Cutters are the only undefeated team left in the league (4-0 record). The Captains have yet to make their season debut...and they'd better hurry, the season is moving along. The Warriors have already played 7 games!

Wiffleball in Vermont...Yeah, You Heard Me

There's not much that I can tell you about this because there's simply not enough information. What I do know is this is a league based out of Vermont called the Green Mountain Wiffleball League (formerly Springfield Vermont Wiffleball) and they have recently combined with Southern Vermont Wiffleball League to form a solid 8-team league. The GMWL website isn't much but they already have standings which is more than I can say about a lot of leagues when they first start up. I've never known any leagues to come out of this state so this is interesting news.

KWL Highlights Improving Over Time

Kalamazoo Wiffleball League has really come a long way with the videos this season. Their commissioner has been using a FlipUltra HD video camera and been filming the games. It started as extremely short clips from spring training but have advanced to week highlights and out takes. Very nice work. The highlight video for yesterday's games are pretty good too. You get to see the Shanghai Chucklers duke it out with the Friars and the Sitting Ducks take a beating from Mayor Eric and the Town Hall Posse. I have to admit I was skeptical that the videos would keep coming but I've been pleasantly surprised. I figured that maintaining the site and writing articles kept their hands full but so far the videos have not disappointed and they look to only get better as the season progresses. One thing I did notice was that there was a little bit of sunshine seen about 2 seconds before the video ends. It's nice to see that the sun sometimes does shine...even in Kalamazoo. Hopefully they'll be able to ditch the caps and sweat pants soon when real spring weather arrives.

SCWL doesn't disappoint with week 1 highlights

The Suburban Chicago Wiffleball League has delivered the good so far in 2011. They've expanded from last year, began their season and have a highlights video. SCWL is showing a lot of promise and could one day compete for the attention of HRL and KWL but not on the same level, of course. If SCWL keeps this up I'll definitely have my eye on them this year.

NWBL 2011 Season has begun!

The National Wiffle Ball League have finally begun their 2011 season. This league has been working very hard this year and it looks as if it's going to pay off. They picked up another new team and abandoned leaguelineup.com for a more sophisticated website (not that there's anything wrong with using leaguelineup). Only four of the league's 7 teams have actually played so far but it already looks to be an action-packed season for the NWBL. The Rapids and Warriors faced off in a triple-header and the Rapids took the series 2 games to 1. Rapids Cy Young pitcher Ian Hanley won both games he pitched which has brought his total career pitching record to 20-2...nice. The Rapids haven't won a NWBL championship since 2005...could this be the year they finally win it again? It's looking good but nothing is for certain. BUT they are one of the most successful franchises in the country with a 131-48 record. They might not win the playoffs but this team is always a safe bet on winning the division. The future is not only looking bright for the Rapids but the league as a whole. 2011 looks to be their year.

Backyard Wiffs sneaking in on 2011

After mysteriously disappearing in 2010 it was widely believed that Backyard Wiffs was history. No one, other than them, knows what happened in 2010...there's still no stats on their site from last year. Did they even have a season? Your guess is as good as mine. What I do know is that on their site it's mentioned that there was a "lockout" and "angry players." I have no idea what that implies but that could answer what happened last year. Nonetheless, they appear to be serious this year and they've even expanded to 5 teams. Best of luck to Backyard Wiffs this year. Hopefully they'll make some noise before they fade out so suddenly.

Harley Brothers Sweep TBWL Awards

The Harley Bros really cleaned up in the 2011 Tampa Bay Wiffleball League Awards...meaning they won all of them. Michael Harley won 4 (MVP, CY Young, Strikeout King, & Silver Slugger) and Chris Harley won 1 (Golden Hammer). Seriously...no one else in the league got an award, that's how good they were this year. Their team, the Rays, dominated by finishing with a 19-1 record and are currently ranked #1 in the NWLA's National rankings. Check out the Harley Bros. Numbers:

Chris Harley
Hitting -- 51/129, .395 AVG, 16 HR, & 54 RBIs
Pitching -- 1.94 ERA, 6-0 W-L record, 31 IP, & 84 K

Michael Harley
Hitting -- 59/127 ,.465 AVG, 14 HR, & 44 RBIs
Pitching -- 0.58 ERA, 9-1 W-L record, 52 IP, & 140 K

I've only got one response to the amazing can of whoop-ass these guys unleashed in the TBWL this year...

Wiffler's Digest attending London Wiffleball Tournament

EXCITING NEWS --- The 13th Annual London Wiffleball Tournament is coming up and Wiffler's Digest will be there! Wiffler's Digest will be taking photos, recording game-play, and doing interviews. Tournament is on Saturday - July 16th in London, Ohio.

Kzoo posts old footage

Kalamazoo Wiffleball League has posted some older videos from a few years ago for the 2006 Township Series. A few of them are normal highlights but a couple of them are in a weird early 1900s style which is pretty cool. One thing all the videos have in common is strange background music. Check out these videos if you're wanting some entertaining highlights footage from years past featuring the KWL. These videos have been available for quite some time on their website but it's always nice to have it on youtube as well.

GDWL Still Showing Signs of Life

The GDWL is still showing signs of promise for there being a 2011 season. The Green Bears and Hot Dogs are the only two teams officially returning. The Parasites have still managed to not attend any practices. However, Kevin Hancart (former Green Bear rookie) has started his own team - the Dirty Birds. So will there be a 4th team? None can say at this time. Tyler Call (of the Neapolitan Creamers...which are dead) has showed for practice but it's not yet known which team he'll play for. It could be an interesting year for the Garrett Drive Wiffleball League...if they can get a season together again this year. The season is set to start in mid to late May.

SCWL Begins Season 2

The Suburban Chicago Wiffleball League (SCWL) has officially kicked off their 2011 season. White Sox take commanding 2-0 lead in standings. Last year this league found their way into my Fresh New Leagues article and have since not disappointed. Back then they only had 2 teams but have now expanded to 4 teams. No new videos yet though, which is disappointing...but I'm sure some will surface in the near future. They've doubled in size and this year will be crucial for them if they have much of a future. This season will determine if they will continue to expand, stay the same size, or disband. Illinois is a tough state to keep a league going in. One can hope that SCWL will find a way to stick around like Windy City Wiffleball (est. 1999) but only time will tell if this will come to pass. Good luck SCWL.

I know there's been a large influx of posts on here but would you believe me if I told you there was even more news? Well...there is. If you go to the Wiffler's Digest Facebook page there is news and information posted on there that may or may not make it to the blog such as footage from the HRL Bluejays Board Cam, standings, etc. Just something to think about.

Hudson Valley WBL Rising

We got our first taste of this relatively new league last summer and I'd so most of us have forgotten about them since (embarrassing). They only had 3 teams and a website that looks like it's straight about of 1997. While they still have that vintage, yet functional, website they have expanded to 5 teams and look to be a lot more active this year. I know there's a lot of leagues in NY but try to spread the love people...Hudson Valley Wiffle Ball League might surprise you.

Griffle Ball is back for 2011

Griffle Ball is back! And not only are they back...they're expanding. Last year I tried to get into contact with that league to see if they'd like to join the NWLA but I was either ignored or they don't check their messages. I didn't know if they'd return this year and when I saw this video I sent another email. Fingers crossed!

Winston-Salem Wiffleball League also posted a 2011 Season promo video too. As usual it's phenomenal and features well-orchestrated music. Whoever does their video editing (Joey Kahler, I assume) does a marvelous job. I get pumped every time I see one of their videos. They just might be the league in the South now. Their unexpected return only adds to their prestige. I have a good feeling that they're going to have an amazing season.

PWL's Joe Thaman throws Second no-hitter of 2011

The Potomac Wiffleball League pulled off a spectacular 17-game catchup to make up for last weeks rain-outs. Joe Thaman of Superman's Wheelchair threw a no-hitter in Week 1 but didn't sign the ball saying "I'll just sign one for the perfect game I'll throw next week." Week 2 was rained out but Thaman stayed true to his word and threw his second perfect game of the season this past Sunday. I'm not aware of any recent pitchers in the country to throw 2 perfect games so close to one another. Week 3 Player of the Week hasn't been announced for the PWL yet but I think it's safe to say this guy has it in the bag.

WiffleATL starts 2011 season

WiffleATL has started their 2011 season...but they still have the 2010 website. NBC sweeps the Pirates in a 2-game series this past Sunday. NBC was one of the strong contenders in the league last year and may rise to the top in 2011...although we may never know it from the website. If you want to know anything about this league I'll let you in on a little secret: visit their messageboard. Blaine is normally pretty good about posting little game recaps, but when the season is in full swing it can become a luxury. Hopefully WiffleATL can pull something together to update the homepage.

Hess Field Continues To Impress

Hess Field had their season opener yesterday and the stats are already up! Some of the game results are nothing short of amazing! The league's top two teams (Cardinals and Indians) faced off. The #2 Cardinals and the #17 Indians game would have been amazing game to watch, I'm sure, because it was a perfect game for Cardinals pitcher, Chris Horwedel. 18 Indians batters went to the plate only to sit back down. Final score was 3-0, Cardinals victory which enforced the theory that the Cardinals will reign supreme in HFWB (and possibly in the national rankings). The only other nationally ranked team left in the league, #31 Braves, lost to the Red Sox 1-0. Some unlikely teams may be rising up in the rankings...all the more reason to keep your eyes on this league, the competition is going to be unbelievable.

Tournament watch

So if you're into tournaments and have never heard of this tournament or just have never been...you should check out the London Wiffleball Tournament. It's one of the longest running wiffleball tournaments in the country. The geography of this tournament is refreshing too, seeing as to how it's in London, Ohio. Far too often are the big tournaments held near the west coast or in the New England area. So having a tournament in the Midwest is pretty rad...share the love. Fun fact: it's the largest slow-pitch wiffleball tournament in the world. Brian Wheeler is the guy who runs the tournament and he does a great job. It's a pretty elaborate set up. He sets up 16 wiffleball fields at the Bogenfire Farm in London, Ohio. So...it's no small tournament. Over 60 teams competed last year (mostly from the Columbus/Chillicothe area) in the one-day tournament. This summer the tournament will be held on July 16, 2011. It's $100 bucks per team to register and each team can have 6 players on the roster.

If you've never competed in a tournament this would be a great tournament to start out with. Register on their website and if you have any questions then contact Brian Wheeler (bwheele@columbus.rr.com)