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.

"The Boss. He's Back!"

Commissioner Dee of the HRL Twin Cities posted an update on November 9th entitled 'Life, the Universe, and Everything'. The big news message within Dee's message has rocked the wiffleball world with excitement: Pat "Truck" Moriarty is coming back. And by coming back, I mean reclaiming his role as commissioner of the HRL. In 2010 he stepped down as commish and turned the league over to Craig "Dee" Deelsnyder. While Dee has done a great job running the league, it is undeniable that the HRL lost it's social flair (with the exception of the Blue Jays, of course) that it had when Truck was at the captain's wheel. I was not the only person who shared the position that the HRL had become reclusive under Dee's watch. The HRL was once very involved in the NWLA messageboard but suddenly dropped out of the national spotlight in 2010. Their league board was quite alive and well, however, leading some to believe that they no longer were concerned with what everyone else was doing or maintaining their reputation as the nation's top recreational wiffleball league. With the sudden downturn of the HRL, the Kalamazoo Wiffleball League and Palisades WBL muscled away the spotlight and the HRL - a distant memory. KWL commissioner, Brian Meyers, wrote an article about his disappointment in the HRL and called them out as his league (KWL) had won the 2010 Wiffy Awards for Website of the Year and Commissioner of the year, which the HRL previously had a dynasty on. But I've got to ask, is Dee the one who should shoulder all the blame for the HRL's fall from grace? I don't think so. It takes more than one guy to get the word out about a league and a commissioner can only do so much. Dee cited that he had a lot of things going on in his personal life and that he could no longer "put the time and effort needed to run the HRL" and that "life was catching up" to him and that, as a result, he was stepping down as league commissioner. It is unfortunate that such an able commissioner is stepping down from one of the nation's top leagues but we can all take great comfort in the fact that the league is still in good and familiar hands as the league enters it's second era under Pat "Truck" Moriarty's reign.

Oh yeah...

I'm sure some of you have already seen this clip. I can't believe I forgot to upload it on here this morning. Anyway, this is a nice catch.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

KWL's Brian Meyers with his Wiffle Bat Review!

This could be the new bestest Wiffle Bat review ever ever ever ever ever [echo].

St. Patty's Day Predictions continued

I had a difficult time making my predictions to submit to the National Wiffleball League Association. Don't get me wrong - some leagues were a easy to predict what would happen, small leagues mostly. But there are leagues out there that have always been hard to predict because the competition is so fierce. Leagues like KWL, HRL: Twin Cities, & ORWBL exhibit these traits. Furthermore these leagues are so large that a dark horse could be in the midst and none of us even know it. There could be some major surprises in store for the fans of these leagues. Another thing that made predicting difficult is that some leagues have completely reformed, contracted, or expanded. Some leagues have redrafted and jumbled up the teams while other leagues have switched team names, done trading or ditched certain teams altogether. Last year was not nearly as difficult to make the predictions but the NWLA has nearly doubled in size since then. For some leagues this is their premier season and hype alone is the only thing to guide the columnists with their predictions. However, in the end these predictions are for amusement and little else...although they may have a profound influence on the early rankings. The only thing left to do now is wait for the other columnists to make their predictions and hopefully they are posted on the NWLA site soon, which may be after St. Patrick's Day.

Kalamazoo is really running away with the poll aren't they? CCWA isn't looking too bad either; they've nearly caught up to Palisades! There hasn't been a single vote for Palisades WBL in over a week! I want to take this opportunity to thank 2 leagues for either saying kind things about this blog or promoting it. Both of these leagues have done this without me asking them to do so, which means a lot. First, KWL made this blog their top headline and also took the opportunity to plug them being on our poll (2 birds with one stone - nice). Next, the Old Republic Whiffle Ball league added us to the bottom of their home page as a link. Thanks a lot and keep coming back for more news, the flow of which is expected to increase as season openers are just around the corner! By the way, Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone.

KWL Industirals Hit Factory...nice.

This video has surfaced on the new Kalamazoo Wiffleball League Youtube Channel. There are two reasons to be excited about this. That looks like a great place to practice and it hasn't just been the Industirals, Andy Ross has made a pitching appearance there recently. Also the KWL is getting their feet wet in the realm of video. The league has been notorious for plenty of great photographs but you know how the kids are these days...moving pictures are all the rage. Hopefully the KWL will stick with videos for 2011. They're such an interesting and quirky league that the only way to find them more hilarious or fascinating is through video media. Their commissioner recently bought two Flip UltraHD camcorders. So with an investment like that I think it's safe to say that we will most definitely be seeing the KWL moving and in High Definition. It's yet another reason to be excited about wiffleball for the year 2011.