We've moved

You may be wondering why you haven't seen posts on this site for a little while. We've began working on a new website using wordpress. There's a few extra features we like about wordpress so we're ditching blogspot and using that site from now on. HERE's the link!!! We will soon be purchasing our own domain name (.com), which we will announce soon, after we decide which company to buy it from. Those who follow us on facebook and/or twitter knew of the website move about a week ago, further showing the perks of following using social media. The new website isn't fully operational yet and some new pages that were not featured on this blog will be added soon. Another great feature about using wordpress is that you can have multiple authors post. Matt Riegler and Luke Gagnon have agreed to author their own columns for the site along with Josh Smith writing his '5 Things' article. The invitation is open to anyone, just send us an email if you are interested. As for the magazine, our publisher has been sending us proofs and we should have it done by the end of this week. At long last it will be released. See you at the new website!

Sweet Grab

Check out this nice grab by Jamie Francis of Crofton Wiffleball. His team is currently in 2nd with a 5-5 record (only a half a game back from the leader). They only have 3 teams right now but are looking to expand to 5 or more. So if you live on Vancouver Island, contact Jamie.

Wiffle Discussed On Independent Radio Show in London, England

Chad Huff, of SAHD Wiffle, answered some questions on the Justin Wayne Show yesterday. The interview lasted about 15 minutes and you can listen to it HERE, just be sure to skip but around the 36 minute mark. Huff was kind enough to give some other wiffle projects a shout out while on the air such as Golden Stick, Palisades WBL, and Wiffler's Digest. Thanks Chad, we truly appreciate it. What's more is that this broadcast is hosted in London, England - a country that hasn't generated a lot of traffic on this site (or any other wiffle site, I presume). Maybe our friends on the other side of the Atlantic may finally give wiffleball a go.

Wiffler's Digest Mentioned In New WSEM Podcast

Carl Coffee and Brandon Corbett step behind the microphone once again but sans John Hill for another WSEM Podcast. Belgian Wiffles captain, David Buhr, sat in and chimed in when possible. This particular podcast, the 10th so far, almost did not happen. Corbett announced on the podcast's Facebook page that technical difficulties with their computer had wiped up the majority of what they had recorded. But somehow they recovered the recording but the quality was affected, giving it a "lo-fi kiss sound." They continue to touch on the national scene by discussing leagues playing their seasons already such as Crofton Wiffleball League and Tampa Bay Wiffle Ball League. At about 25 minutes into the program they begin to discuss the cover story for the new issue of Wiffler's Digest - the top 15 recreational league pitchers in the country. Two of their league's pitchers (Cliff Comstock and Dennis Pearson) made the cut and they indirectly mention a few others that are on the list. This serves as a teaser until the issue comes out - which will be soon. It was sent off to our publisher about a week ago and should be out VERY soon. But until then, give the new episode of the WSEM Podcast a listen.

5 Things: Non-U.S. Countries Who Frequent Wiffler's Digest

This website has been operational for a little over a year now and as the hits have been racking up there have been more and more people visiting the site that live outside the United States. Surprisingly few of these foreign visitors are from this hemisphere. Seriously Mexico, what's the deal? Here are the five countries that visit this site the most:

1. Canada - It is far too often Americans forget about our friends north of the border. While jokes and snide remarks toward Canadians seem never-ending -- Canada has just as much potential to host many wiffleball leagues as the United States. Their winters may be harsher than ours but they have an advantage that many other countries outside the U.S. does not have: open access to American products such as Wiffle Inc. 
I suspect that this website has been detecting significant traffic from Canada because of the Crofton Wiffleball League. But it's not out of the question to imagine that there's some guy in the Yukon, huddled in a cabin on a dial-up modem, that has developed a sudden interest in this sport.

2. Russia - Whereas Canada has been recently spiking our international audience tracker, Russia has always appeared among the various countries on the tracker. The reasons for interest in this sport in Russia are unknown. I can think of no realistic reason how a Russian would even know anything about wiffleball. Perhaps there is a U.S. citizen (possibly of Russian ancestry) studying or living abroad in Russia. But since there has been a steady number coming from that country for months there could be a few people there who are searching for interest and starting the very first Slavic wiffleball league. If that is the case I just hope they have some way of contacting us to let us know that such an event has taken place so that the league tracker can better reflect the growing international influence the game has.

3. Taiwan - Although they belong to the Republic of China, Taiwan seems to have developed it's own autonomy in a sense (it was it's own country for a while...loooong story) so much that people from Taiwan, not China, visit this website. To date, there has not been a single recorded person from mainland China to visit this website. I am not sure if Taiwan has more liberal internet censorship than mainland China. I don't see how this site would not make the cut for China. Must be all that anti-communist propaganda we spread? The most logical reason there is a Taiwanese presence in our audience is because there is a league in Taiwan. Unfortunately we do not know much about them since they do not know sufficient English to establish any dialogue. It seems only fair that since we import so much from Taiwan that we export something fun to them.

4. Japan - Ah yes, the land of the rising sun. Our friend, Tadashi Onizuka has been showing improvement with each pitching video he posts. He could become known as the Asian wiffleboy if the sport takes off in Japan. Japan is really the only non-U.S. country I could see wiffleball really taking off. They have built a thriving baseball community and seem to really be interested in bat and ball sports. Wiffleball seems like a perfect match for urban youths crowded into cramped areas of Tokyo and various other large metropolitan cities.

5. Germany - The only thing more shocking than Germany being among the top 5 non-U.S. countries to visit the site is the fact that they visit more than the United Kingdom and France. Interest in baseball is higher in Germany than it is in France but it's not much. Germany has Baseball-Bundesliga, a 15-team "elite" (professional?) baseball league but the interest in bat and ball sports there is pitiful when compared to sports such as football (or what we call "soccer"). I am skeptical that Germany has enough interest in wiffleball to develop any leagues or tournaments. But then again - you never can be too sure about these things.



*Here is a brief list of other countries that are visiting the site nearly as often as the five countries previously mentioned: Brazil, India, France, United Kingdom, Ukraine, and Australia.

Footage Finally Surfaces From Little Fenway's Winter Classic

Finally, someone posted some footage from the Winter Classic they had at Little Fenway! I mean, it did happen over a month ago... Anyway, this short video (which must have been shot with a GoPro Hero or something) gives us a rare glimpse of the recently finished Little Wrigley field. The vines haven't grown over the wall yet but it's still looking good.

Scranton Wiffle League Enjoys Spring Training

Scranton Wiffleball League has been around since 2008 but has only recently popped up on the national radar. Right now they are in Spring Training and they have yet to list a date for opening day. This league is another rarity in the sense that they play on pavement. Judging by their picture albums they have played on parking lots and behind retail buildings for quite some time. It seems that they only recently acquired the sweet venue that is featured in the video. Best of luck to this growing league out of Pennsylvania.

League Lineup Tutorial

There are a lot of you out there. And by you, I mean league lineup users. Nothing wrong with that. I'm not about to go on a diatribe about how aesthetically unappealing those sites can be...so fear not. But there is one obvious plus to using league lineup and that is the statistics feature. You can calculate just about anything with league lineup and too many sites are not utilizing it correctly. Enter Brandon Corbett and his latest article in his Your Junk My Happy Zone column: League Lineup Tutorial. If you run a league lineup site - read this article. Still not convinced? Here's the opening line: "League Lineup is not the prettiest thing out there. It is, however, really convenient for keeping stats. And stats, while essentially nothing more than ego driven fellatio, are an important part of the league dynamic." Ego driven fellatio? Yeah, you read right.

GSWL Open 2011 DVD Out SOON!

For $24.99 you can get a copy of the 2011 GSWL Open (National Championship) DVD. You can pre-order it from the GSWL website. Just thought some of you might want to know. I've seen the 2010 dvd and it's pretty impressive. So if you're wanting to know more about that organization, this dvd would be a great place to start.

Weekly Wiffle Cartoon Strip Series Begins

Today the NWLA unveiled a new feature to their homepage - a weekly "wiffle" themed cartoon strip will be posted on the site. We're unsure of who the author of the cartoon is at the moment, all we know is it's by a person known as "wrobberts."

NWLA Finally Becomes "Social"

The National Wiffleball League Association (NWLA) is, as many people know, the longest lasting wiffleball rankings website to ever exist in the history of backyard wiffleball. Since it's beginning in 2006 it has done it's part to bring the many leagues that are scattered across the nation together. For months, players and league commissioners made the case that the NWLA should produce a Twitter and/or Facebook page. And until recently, the operator of the NWLA refused. Later, he appointed two people - one to set up a Twitter account, and the other to set up a Facebook page. Today you can now follow the NWLA on both websites for even more information.

Oak Shade Wiffle League 2012 Draft

Actually seeing a wiffleball league draft is a lot like seeing a whale give birth, it's very rare. This often unseen phenomenon is often uneventful and one of the boring motions that a league goes through in the preseason. Most leagues don't do drafts and keep the same lineups from the year before while acquiring a new player here and there as the season approaches. Opinions vary on the effectiveness of a draft on small leagues, such as Oak Shade Wiffleball League, but this 4-team league seems to have gotten it right and really mixed up the talent in their league. As a result 2012 is shaping up to be their greatest season yet, one that will most likely gather more attention than in previous seasons.

Man Charged With Beating Daughter With Wiffle Bat?

Interesting news from Newtown Township (suburb of Philadelphia) this month. According to Philly Burbs (news source) - a man, Jay Louis Colton, repeatedly struck his teenage daughter with a wiffle bat when she refused to get up to get ready for school. Sound too weird to be true? I thought that too when I first read it but I assure you it's legit. The teenage daughter scratched one of her father's eyes, a matter that needed medical attention at a local hospital prior to his arrest. The daughter suffered from large deep bruises on her legs, buttocks, and forearm from the beating. On the bright side, she got her wish in not wanting to go to school that day. Louis is being charged with first-degree felony aggravated assault, first-degree misdemeanor simple assault, and endangering the welfare of a child. He could face a minimum of 10 years in prison if convicted.

Source: Newtown Man Charged With Beating Daughter With Wiffle Ball Bat by Chris English (Bucks County CourierTimes)

Status Update On Canada's Only Wiffleball League

In the month or so since we found out about the Crofton Wiffleball Association, they have been improving. They started out with only a couple of players and have since grown to be an organization of around 12, proving that there is some interest in the sport in Canada (well at least in Vancouver). The videos are coming along quite nicely with a scoreboard in the lower right corner and non-rap music in the background. So all-in-all this league has made remarkable progress in such a short timeline, growing to three teams with video footage of their games...a tall order for most new leagues. Hopefully they'll stick around and continue to play for years to come.

Cover for New Issue Leaks

If you follow us on Facebook, you might have noticed that we leaked the cover page of the Jan/Feb issue of the Wiffler's Digest magazine. All the more reason why you should be following us. Anyway, the new issue is nearly through and is almost ready to be sent to our publishing guy. Expect the issue any day. The cover story, as you can see, is about the top 15 recreational league pitchers in the country. But there are other interesting stories as well such as Ryan Winfield's advice piece on promoting your league. Luke Gagnon wrote a fantastic Winter Wiffle Report article highlighting Tampa Bay Wiffle and Hudson Valley WBL. Golden Stick's Scott Martell ponders the possibility of a 'Wiff-Con'. Readers will get to know more about Wiffle Ball's biggest competitor - Junk Ball.

There are over a dozen articles in this issue, making it our largest to date...and the best part is it will be printer friendly as the layout will fit on a 8.5'' x 11'' sheet of paper. So now you will be able to print out the magazine to share with friends. Yes - this issue, although running very late, is shaping up to be our best one yet! When the magazine has been published we will upload it and make a post announcing it. Readers who are on the 'subscription list' will be the first to receive the magazine, followed by an announcement on Facebook and Twitter, and ultimately an announcement on this blog. Unlike issues in the past, you will be able to download the magazine without receiving it via-email from us because it will be uploaded onto Google Docs. The first two issues have already been uploaded there, so if you are tired of perusing our Picasa album and want to view the full quality .pdf version go to the magazine section of the blog and follow the links.

Wiffleboy Nails A Dude In The Face

Wiffleboy28 followers may have noticed that Sean "Wiffleboy" Steffy was traveling to Tampa Bay for the Rays Fan Fest this past weekend. It was hinted that he would be participating in some activities down there but no one knew exactly what but it was safe to say that it involved pitching. At some point while pitching to a host of some program (the dude handling the microphone in the video) was nailed by one of Steffy's pitches, reminding us of a similar incident that occurred on Tosh.0. Steffy later commented online "cut balls break in folks...cut balls break in." Special thanks to Tom Beninati of Palisades, NY for finding this video and bringing it to our attention.

GTSOH Bat Now On Sale

If you've always wondered what bat the Palisades WBL used... wonder no longer! The posted a video online presenting the "GTSOH" bat. It has the same barrel as a Loco bat but has enough minor customizations that they lovingly call it their own. Don't know what GTSOH means? Watch enough of their videos and you'll no doubt hear at least one player proclaim "Get that shit outta here!" at a massive home run. No longer are you forced only to speculate the capabilities of their bat because you can now order one for yourself. You can now BUY IT directly from Palisades WBL for only $35 (which includes shipping). You have three options though as the barrel sizes vary from 34-36 inches.

Drunken Dizzy Bat Game Gone Awry

Okay, some of you might have already seen this one. It was posted back in October and has become a favorite for many, getting nearly a quarter of a million hits. It's nothing special, a typical drunken dizzy bat game gone awry. What's most impressive about this video is that the guy who was hit didn't drop his beer.

Golden Stick has done it again. And by it I mean make national news. They recently made it onto ESPN's Weird Web Stories. Check it out.

Wiffleboy Winter Practice

Here is the latest video posted by the one and only Sean "Wiffleboy" Steffy. He seems to have taken advantage of the incredibly mild temperatures we've been experiencing in the eastern United States to throw some pitches. Some winter, huh?

GSWL - All Aboard

GSWL wants you! This 8 minute epic advertisement gives outsiders a deeper gaze into the largest wiffle organization in the world. They've expanded regions and still have room for more. Something tells me that 2012 will be Golden Stick's biggest season yet.

Canadian League Playing Through Cold

A league has finally been spotted in Canada. It's a curious discovery, considering there has been no other known leagues to exist above our northern border. The Crofton Wiffleball League is located in Crofton on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. They look as if they just got started. They only have a Twitter account right now and no other form of online presence. It appears that there are only a few of them for now, but all leagues have had similar humble origins. Hopefully these guys stick it out and we'll hear more from them as things thaw out in the spring. Crofton is the fourth league, that we know of, that has developed outside of the United States in the past year. Other places include Japan, Taiwan, and the Dominican Republic.

Small Ball...Taken To A Whole New (and lower) Level

I don't know what's more shocking, the fact that this kid cannot throw a strike from less than 5 feet away from the batter or that they are playing wiffleball in a master bedroom. Sure, I've seen all kinds of indoor play in person and on the web. I've seen games in gymnasiums, basements, garages, batting cages, just about every spacious area with a roof over it. But playing in a bedroom...that takes small ball to a whole new level. They obviously didn't think this through before they uploaded it onto the web because mom and dad are going to be PISSED when they find out that they were in their room. It's when I watch videos like these I get frustrated and cannot wait for wiffleball season to truly begin so there will be more wiffleball videos that are actually worth watching.

2012 Promo Double Feature

As each day brings us closer to spring, "promo" videos such as these begin to pop up all over Youtube, forums, and league websites. Promo videos are a great tool to get entice new players into joining and pump up existing players. Creating a promo video is a subtle art and doing it right can set a good pace for your season. Take Palisades for instance, a league that couldn't make a bad video if they tried. They have to take pride in their videos and as they watched this promo for the first time they were probably out of their seats and ready to hit the field. So it must be also with Black Top Wiffleball League. They are a relatively new league and unique setting by being one of the only leagues that I am aware of that play on a concrete surface. They have began to film more and more and this year they will continue to upload a higher volume of videos on the web.

Preview To 2011 OPEN DVD

I was fortunate enough to view the 2010 Open DVD by GSWL last year and it is pretty amazing. It is hard to wrap your mind around the amount of pitching talent that is involved in the OPEN tournament. The 2011 video should be no different and if you get it, prepare to have your mind blown. But I'm not sure if it will be available to the public to purchase. We shall find out once it's released, a date which has yet to be determined.

WSEM Discusses The "National Fixation"

Wiffle in SouthEast Michigan has come out with another fabulous podcast. But unlike their previous episodes they discussed the national scene for a little while, particularly leagues that are interested in coming to London, OH on July 13 to participate in the first ever NWLA tournament. Brandon Corbett also gives an update on two leagues that are having winter seasons, Tampa Bay Wiffle Ball and Hudson Valley WBL. If you are wanting to know a little bit about the NWLA tournament that is set to take place, listening to this podcast would be a great place to start...after all WSEM's commissioner, Carl Coffee, is the chief organizer of the tournament. CLICK HERE to give the podcast a listen.

This Video Is Awful Every "Tingle" Time You Watch It

I think it goes without saying that this kid is absolutely obnoxious. But it's obvious this kid is so full of crap that he cannot contain himself by just releasing his verbal diarrhea to his friends and family. No, smearing some on the internet won't be the least embarrassing for someone like him about 5 or 10 years from now. Why would you expect anything less from someone with such an awful name as Brandlee. Talking into a lint roller is somewhat refreshing though, at least he didn't hijack his sister's hair brush. When he gags after saying 'Miller' it was probably because his dad last used it on his wool socks and this kid must have an allergy. Still does not excuse him from saying every "tingle" time instead of 'single' time. Who needs to edit when you're going to let the whole world see something, right? Just awful. The tags to this post say it all, folks.

London Wiffleball Tournament Date Announced

The long awaited date for the 14th annual London Wiffleball Tournament was finally released a couple of days ago - July 14 (Saturday). Brian Wheeler, the tournament's organizer, emailed us with the date and his hopes for it this year. Some leading commissioners of leagues in the NWLA that went to the tournament last year plan on getting more leagues involved. The plan is to get as many NWLA teams together the following Sunday to play each other. The event could also serve as a meet and greet that would otherwise never take place. Wheeler said in his email that he will cooperate with the NWLA in their efforts to play on July 15. Leagues with teams that plan on attending include, Wiffle in SouthEast Michigan, Potomac Wiffleball League, Kalamazoo Wiffleball League, HRL: Twin Cities, Ontario County Wiffle Association, National Wiffleball League, and Suburban Chicago Wiffleball League. If this occurred, it would be the largest known summit for independent wiffleball leagues to ever take place - a truly historic event. More details on this event as the tournament date comes nearer.

Dirk Nowitzki Playing Wiffleball

Can't believe I forgot to post this when it was uploaded onto Youtube nearly 2 weeks ago. Enjoy.

Black Stick Wiffleball League 2012 Promo

Despite the fact that this league has never put up a website they've impressed me for listening to Interpol.

Top Pitchers Honorable Mentions

* and/or bold print = made the top 15 pitchers list article in Jan/Feb issue

The Last Tournament of 2011

Ever wonder what went down during that Midnight Madness Wiffleball Tournament hosted by Wiff Junkies? Remember The Name (also known as 603 All-Stars and Doom) won the tournament at about 6:20 AM. Scott Martell, the event organizer, was surprised to see that a whopping 13 teams came out in the middle of the night to participate in the tournament.

The Off-Season Isn't Dead For Every League

While the Palisades WBL website is visually appealing it lacks that fresh article feel when you visit the home page. Before recently, if you wanted to get the scoop on what is really going on in the league you had to visit the messageboard, which for some is a big hassle. I know, I know, creating a user ID and password is so hard. But now you can get oven fresh news on the league on their Wiff Hot Stove page. By the looks of things it appears that the league is going to be mixing teams up and expanding, which is proving to be the makings of an interesting off-season. No easy feat, I assure you.