7/8 7/12 7/13 7/13 7/13 7/13 7/13 7/27 7/27 7/27 7/27 7/27 8/2 8/3 8/3 8/9 8/9 8/16 8/23
FS 3|3 FS 0|0 HB 0|2 BW 0|4 EL 1|1 ON 0|0 IS 0|13 EL 1|1 IS 0|0 WW 0|0 ON 3|0 KF 6|3 KF 0|1|0 FS 0 BW 1|2 EL 1|2 R★ 2 BW 0 The
WW 0|0 WA 1|1 KF 1|3 KF 1|10 HB 0|0 WA 3|3 WO 11|8 WA 0|2 WA 3|3 ON 3|3 WW 1|1 WO 0|0 EL 4|0|1 BW 2 WA 0|1 BW 0|0 G★ 0 EL 2 Thrill

Opening Night Matchup, Belgian Roster Announced

The first games of the 2012 season have been scheduled, and poetically they are scheduled for Opening Night, April 27th. In what is shaping up as a tradition for us, the Commandos will host the event under the city lights at Lafayette Park in Detroit. Their opponents will be the Flying Squirrels, who could not resist inviting themselves up for this year's kickoff (should I say "first pitch"?) event. Last time the teams played at Lafayette Park they split 1-1 with five runs winning both games. It should be a good test for the new lineups; speaking of which, now we can get to talking about who will be the opening day starters!

Also making news here at the end of the fiscal fourth quarter is the release of the new Belgian Wiffles roster. David Buhr has brought in four rookies for the 2012 campaign, three of whom he thinks could pan out as good pitchers. "I don't know how good any of them will be," David admitted in a text before confidently adding, "what I do know is that we're going to have some serious speed on the basepaths." So, it sounds like David has remodeled his lineup to take advantage of our expanded tag-up rule for next season. WSEM may have another team that can keep defenses on their toes and drive them crazy the way the DeLoppes and Warriors did last season.

In case you have not seen it on the news, the investigation into the plot to steal the Championship Trophy has reached a successful conclusion thanks to people's tips. Read about the guilty parties here. There is a lot happening over on The Skinny, and even more will be coming next week. So, stay tuned and check it out if you have the chance.

12/12 Looking to 2012

Carl and Brandon dust off the mics for the first time in nearly five months to bring you a special Wiffle spirit infused December edition of the WSEM Podcast. Due to the long layoff, the talking points start with some fun with 2011 awards. From there it goes into a look forward at basics for 2012 including new teams, roster moves, and rookie signings, before opening up some listener mail to answer questions from fans, then finally touching on balls and trash. Any reason to talk Wiffleball in December is darling, and we have had a resurgence lately. God bless the offseason!

Sorry for the quality of the closing few minutes. The main mic "malfunctioned" (read: "was not plugged in"), but some mystery mic still picked up the audio in a lower quality. It's witchy. We knew we'd never catch that weird, random wave of awesome we were riding again, so we just rolled with it.



There is also buzz in the rumor-mill that David Buhr has inked a huge deal that could land as many as five or six players on the Belgian Wiffles roster. Little information is available, but many wandering eyes are looking to the ripe farm systems of the Dominican Republic. Other outside sources, however, seem convinced the real news is coming out of Japan. I am sure the rumors will continue to grow as we anxiously await the official announcement.

Finally, today is a landmark day, as teams can begin scheduling matchups for the upcoming season. You do not have to nail down exact dates yet, but can select which of the fourteen weeks you would like to play certain series. Opening Day will be April 27th, and Closing Day will be July 30th. The season will be 28 games again, with two home and two road games versus each opponent. So, captains put the feelers out there, start getting in touch with each other and writing the script of how this season will play out! Have fun!

Commandos and 'Seals make 2012 Roster Moves

The Jason Mattseals, desperately in need of an outfielder/contact hitter, have signed Greg Franzen. Even though Greg is a rookie, he is the perfect player for the Matttseals. Captain Jason Matt has told me his rotation is set with Hewlett and himself, so his offseason priority was to replace Danny Johnson. I believe signing Greg gives the Mattseals a solid roster to play with.

The 2nd signing is Wiffleball legend Steve Harris, who will play with the Campus Commandos next season. After losing their best hitter and pitcher in Joe Seto, they really needed a player similiar to his skill set. Steve will bring that to the Commandos. Steve will be their ace on the mound, and should easily bat in the .300-.350 range. My first competitive wiffleball experience was in 6th grade with Steve, so he helped plant a wiffle seed in me at the ripe age of 12.

The Commandos may also have veteran David Buhr next season. More on that will be heard on our upcoming podcast, which will be recorded on Saturday.

-
Carl Coffee
Flying Squirrels - 18
Commissioner, The Hook Up

|\/\/| Crowns |\/\/|



First, the unveiling! Ladies and other ladies, your WSEM Championship Trophy. I debated whether to link that full frontal shot in this post, or just leave you with a few more teaser previews - like the one Carl dropped on Facebook yesterday - and save the big unveiling for when it is given to the Git R' Done guys. Alas, I cannot help myself. The trophy is amazing; it has to be shown it off!


Golden wiffleball and cup atop the WSEM Championship Trophy.

The trophy will be held onto by the WSEM champions until the next Championship Series when it will be passed onto the next champion. The front of the base will hold a plate with the reigning champion team. Past champions will be honored with small plates working their way around the sides and back of the base. Displaced champions can keep their former front-plate to either remember the better days, or provide visual kindling to their fire to reclaim the rest of the trophy. Joel Crozier did an amazing job getting this done for us. The little details - league and team logos on the plates, player names, etc. - are a great touch. The size is huge selling point; this trophy actually takes up the space worthy of the WSEM Championship. Great job, Joel, and thanks a lot for the effort!

While we are talking about Crozier, address your attention to the bottom of the page for a second. [Ctrl + End, read, then come back. I will give you a few seconds to do that.] Joel has been running the WWA for years, with a similar story and sort-of success that Carl and I had before our 2010 campaign. In addition to the trophy, soon-to-be-done Handies, and writing an article on The Skinny for his team already, he has also launched this page for the WWA. Obviously, not only does he like the hell out of the game of Wiffle, he also enjoys working on and playing around with all of the fun Wiffle-adjacent stuff - the stuff that kicks ass. (Check out the dimensions and features of the Wifflegrounds on the WWA site if you need more proof of kickass-osity.) He is the kind of guy Carl and I think can take this over and run with the effort, passion, and humor that we put into it come the day when the two of us inevitably become crotchety old coots (queue the "you mean like last June?" jokes). Hence the "Crown Prince."

One last note: starting on 12/12 scheduling will open, and you can begin setting the weeks in which you want to play certain teams/series. The 2012 regular season will run 14 weeks, from April 27th through July 30th, and again be 28 games: 4 vs. each opponent. Remember if you want your games, team, and players to be gotten on film, hyped up, and to get the whole range of the Wiffle experience, then you need to schedule in advance. With the pitching rotation in effect this coming season, there may also be some strategic benefit to it as well.

Wiffy Awards and National Teams

First, just a bit of housekeeping. The links to team pages have changed, making it easier for you to direct people to your pages. This comes with the side effect, however, of any link in a news post or article prior to the announcement of the All-WSEM teams on 8/21 now going to an out of date page. Team Tuesdays are the only articles on the Skinny to have been updated. So, be aware of that and just try to avoid links in old posts.


Now, the real news! The NWLA has announced the winners of their Wiffy Awards and National Team honorees for the 2012 season. WSEM has sparse representation in the Wiffy's with just one man and one team getting a nod. Quick, can you guess who the man is? I'll give you a few seconds...


A couple more...


Congratulations, Dennis Pearson on being named Strikeout King of the Year! Obviously, Dennis's numbers are well deserving of that title - racking up 233 Ks during the season, and a whopping 144 more in the playoffs! Even those numbers could not contend for the Pitcher of the Year honor, though, with Brian Rensch of the KWL never allowing a run and striking out 161 in eight games pitched. Running down that list you see a lot of amazing talent for us to try to live up to. Our second Wiffy belongs to the Belgian Wiffles for their syrupy good Team Nickname of the Year.

WSEM fares much better when it comes to representation on the National Teams, with eight players filling ten spots. Dennis Pearson and Cliff Comstock are both named as 1st Team Pitchers, and Mike Constanti as a 2nd Team Pitcher. Joey DeLano received a nod as a 1st Team Hitter, while Dennis Pearson got his second notch as a 2nd Team Hitter. The nation loves our gloves soft hands, giving out 4 fielder spots to WSEM players: Joey DeLano gets his second 1st Team nod, Ryan Bullard and Danny Johnson snag spots on the 2nd Team, and Chad Hoppe on the 3rd Team. Rounding out WSEM's spots on the national teams is Nick Snow getting rookie love, being named a 2nd Team Rookie.

With that we can pretty much put 2011 in the "history" bin, and start moving on with the 2012 season. Expect the rest of the page to turn over the way Teams and Standings have, and the ramp up to next season to begin churning by the end of December.

National Tournaments

Our Jason Mattseals (5-23) advance on to the 2nd round of the NWLA's Dangerfield Tournament as the second seed! Not to be confused with the first ever Downriver Wiffleball field, the Dangerfield Tournament takes 32 down and out teams that got no respect over the season and gives them an opportunity at some postseason "glory." One important caveat: the worse you were, the better you fair in this bracket! They had no trouble getting passed the Magic (12-30) from the ORWBL (when pronounced conventiently rhymes with "horrible"), but their round two opponent might be a little harder to best worst. At 2-14, the fourth-seeded Braves of the HVWBL (summer season) actually have a winning percentage worse than our 'Seals. However, we are still holding out hope that true futility cannot be measured in numbers alone. The winner will "play" in the championship of the Screwball Region for a chance to move on to the final four.

View the bracket at this link:
http://www.nationalwiffleballrankings.com/11Stenson2011NWLATournamentDangerfield.htm


WSEM is also represented by three teams in the 64-team NWLA Large League Tournament: Git r' Done, the DeLoppes, and Westside. Unlike the Dangerfield teams move on based on votes from around the country; each league gets one voter, most votes wins the match-up, a tie goes to the higher seed. Git r' Done's 23-5 record and WSEM Championship earned them the #2 seed in the Fastball region (a fitting region name), and square off against in-state rivals Scared Hitless (15) of the KWL. The DeLoppes (22-6) grabbed the #4 seed in the Curve Region, where they will play the 13th seeded Jackers (7-4) of the SCW. While GR'D and the DeLoppes should have the support to move on in their first round match-ups, the Warriors will need a bit of a groundswell to push them through. A 16-12 record got Westside into the tournament as the 13th seed in the Sinker region, where they will also face off with a KWL opponent, the 4th seeded 20-8 PF Flyers.

View the bracket at this link:
http://www.nationalwiffleballrankings.com11Stenson2011NWLATournament.htm

How About Some News?

It's tournament week; that's kind of exciting. Obviously, we here in league headquarters have been on hiatus since the Championship Series - completely worn out from Wiffleball day-in and day-out from April through mid-August. So, here's our first dip back into the waters as we slowly wade back into the content and upcoming changes you can expect in the 2012 season. We'll save talk about rule changes for a later date, as some will be field tested this Saturday, but the idea behind the changes is two-fold: heighten the focus on "team" in both pitching and aggressive, small-ball offense. Today let's just talk about what the league competition in 2012 is going to look like.

We will be going with 8 teams again. Expansion is obviously an enticing idea, one that is hard to pass up. However with teams struggling to field full 4-person rosters on a weekly basis (even one team never playing with 4), it would be wildly irresponsible. The good news: free agents will be allowed to be picked up by any team for the 2012 season. So if your team disbanded or you just want to jump ship, feel free to take your game to another of the remaining teams that will have you. *** ONE IMPORTANT NOTE, however. If it comes out that a team pays a player to play with them, it will not be tolerated. If you're willing to throw money into trying to win a backyard game, then you won't mind paying the league a handsome fine on top of it. Although Gatorade, beef jerky, sunflower seeds, after-game romantic dinners, beer, cigarettes, or soaks in the hot tub are all welcome ways to entice a player.

So, just who are the teams playing in the 2012 season? We only lost two of our 2011 franchises, Ass Kickers and Westside Warriors. Expect to see members of these teams on new rosters, though. The two vacated franchises were already filled before the season finished.

The first goes back with WSEM/Downriver Wiffle all the way to 2009: The Donkeys captained by Joe Seto. Seto signed with the Commandos this year after failing to generate the interest in the Donkeys for a full season. However after Joe Spagnuolo and Don Shaw ended up playing part time with the Commandos franchise, as well, the Donkeys have decided to throw their hats into the league next year. They will try their hand one more time at a tournament this Saturday, joined by Alex Shore formerly of the Warriors, before becoming the 7th/9th WSEM franchise.

The second new team for 2012 is captained by Austin Bischoff; you know that guy whose pitching rivals 2011 Clown Shu winner Dennis Pearson. He and his team from Whiteford, MI have played in their 1-on-1 league for years, and after Austin's dominant performance in WSEM this year are bringing all their talent up to challenge in the 4-man ranks. They, too, will be making their debut this Saturday at the Beat It Tournament.

The six remaining teams are the Belgian Wiffles, Campus Commandos, Flying Squirrels, Git r' Done, Jason Mattseals, and Wiffling DeLoppes. Belgian will hope for better commitment, health, and the possibility of fielding a full roster! They had a good looking roster before the season started, which quickly fell apart due to injuries and scheduling conflicts. Similar to Belgian, Campus will be coming back with a heavily changed up roster - only they will be scrapping to find pieces, while Belgian will (hopefully) finally be playing with their full deck. There are rumors that, in addition to Joe Seto, a couple Commandos may follow him to the Donkeys. It is the worst kept secret in all of Wiffleball that Adam Grant is interested in signing P Maclin Malloy from the Warriors. The Squirrels lose Austin Bischoff, but appear to be in line to pick up Mike Constanti and Ryan Bullard from the Ass Kickers; moves that will greatly improve their defense, and soften the loss of Bischoff on the mound. The DeLoppes will be back in all their glory. No changes in their roster are expected, but there will be a pool this offseason for how many jerseys they will have!

A couple franchises also are rumored to be coming back with new names. First, fan favorites formerly known as the Jason Mattseals look to pull a Jamaican Bobsled Team and return as equals, but team captain, Jason Matt, has expressed interest over libations of changing the name of his club for a fresh start. Wild Drinking Men of Ireland is his current proposal; we'll see how far that flies.

Reigning champions, Git r' Done, are also looking to change up their identity. A couple names have been thrown out, Thunder Ducks the more common, though neither have been confirmed. Even bigger news than a rebrand of a champion is the pick up of perfect-game tosser, Chris Lewis, to join the rotation with Dennis Pearson. Dr. Riser and Pearson's fireballs will be a formidable duo on the mound, and make them one of the front runners to repeat as WSEM champions in 2012.

The 2011 "Handies" ~ Individual Awards



Diamond Digits
Best 3 Fielders and Best Fielding Pitcher
  • Joey DeLano (Wiffling DeLoppes)
  • Ryan Bullard (Ass Kickers)
  • Danny Johnson (Jason Mattseals)
  • Chad Hoppe (Wiffling DeLoppes

Rookie of the Year
 Nick Snow (Wiffling DeLoppes)

Home Run King
 Joey DeLano (Wiffling DeLoppes) - 17 HR

Batting Champion
 Joey DeLano (Wiffling DeLoppes) - .560 AVG

Clown Shu
Best Pitcher
 Dennis Pearson (Git r' Done)

MVP
Best Position Player
 Joey DeLano (Wiffling DeLoppes)

2011 All-WSEM Teams

P - Dennis Pearson - (Git r' Done) - 7 votes
1.30 ERA - 1.43 WHIP - 233 K - 2.89 KPI
P - Cliff Comstock - (Wiffling DeLoppes) - 4 votes
1.33 ERA - 1.02 WHIP - 103 K - 5.14 K/BB
F - Alex Shore - (Westside Warriors) - 6 votes
.417 AVG - .515 OBP - .787 SLG% - 12 HR - 39 RBI - 35 R
F - Nick Snow - (Wiffling DeLoppes) - 4 votes
.379 AVG - .492 OBP - .642 SLG% - 35 RBI - 30 R - 9 2B
F - Carl Coffee - (Flying Squirrels) - 3 votes
.304 AVG - .400 OBP - .432 SLG% - 20 RBI


P - Chris Lewis - (Belgian Wiffles) - 7 votes
2.61 ERA - 1.72 WHIP - 177 K - 3.54 K/BB
P - Mike Constanti - (Ass Kickers) - 4 votes
1.54 ERA - 1.48 WHIP - 121 K - 1.96 KPI
F - Joey DeLano - (Wiffling DeLoppes) - 9 votes
.560 AVG - 1.229 SLG% - 17 HR - 16 2B - 49 RBI - 53 R
F - Bobby Hoppe - (Wiffling DeLoppes) - 4 votes
.353 AVG - .505 OBP - .613 SLG% - 26 RBI - 21 R
F - Dylan Braden - (Git r' Done) - 3 votes
.340 AVG - .469 OBP - .621 SLG% - 9 HR - 35 R

Teams Represented
4 players - Wiffling DeLoppes
2 players - Git r' Done
1 player  - Ass Kickers, Belgian Wiffles, Westside Warriors, Flying Squirrels

The two squads will square off in the All-Star Game at the September tournament. A date is not set yet, but we are currently tossing around the idea of Saturday the 24th. The All-Star Game will be played between round robin play and the start of the playoffs: five innings for bragging rights among the participants, and the chance for all of southeast Michigan to see who the best is.

* Voting ties were decided by a coin flip with heads representing East and tails representing South.


Saturday 8/13 | Frenchtown Field | Frenchtown, MI

Game 1 *15 innings*
Wiffling DeLoppes - 0
Git r' Done       - 1
WP: Dennis Pearson
LP: BJ Hoppe

Game 2
Wiffling DeLoppes - 10
Git r' Done       - 0
WP: Cliff Comstock
LP: Dylan Braden

Game 3 *13 innings*
Git r' Done       - 1
Wiffling DeLoppes - 0
WP: Dennis Pearson
LP: BJ Hoppe

Game 4 *8 innings*
Git r' Done       - 1
Wiffling DeLoppes - 0
WP: Dennis Pearson
LP: Cliff Comstock

Game 5
Wiffling DeLoppes - 0
Git r' Done       - 3
WP: Dennis Pearson
LP: Chad Hoppe


Well the Championship Series sure had its fair share of excitement. Although it took five games for Git r' Done to win the first ever WSEM Championship, they played 46 total innings. Game 1 was 15 innings, Game 3 was 13 innings, and Game 4 was 8 innings. Dennis Pearson pitched in 41 of those 46 innings and earned four wins. The DeLoppes fought hard all day and had to dip into their bullpen a lot, but just couldn't find a way to score off Dennis. It was a fun day and a wonderful season, congrats to both teams!

Semi-finals: Git r' Done vs. Ass Kickers Results



Sunday 7/31 | Constanti Field | Browntown, MI

Game 1:
Git r' Done - 2
Ass Kickers - 0
WP: Dennis Pearson
LP: Mike Constanti

Game 2:
Git r' Done - 7
Ass Kickers - 0
WP: Dennis Pearson
LP: Mike Constanti

Git r' Done handily took the two road games in their best of five series with the Ass Kickers, who were unable to generate any significant offense against Git r' Done pitcher Dennis Pearson. The Ass Kickers best shot came in the third inning of Game 2 against Dylan Braden, but Pearson retook the mound and quieted the threat. The series resumes Friday at 6 PM in Frenchtown. It will be a hard road for the Ass Kickers: needing to take all three games. Meanwhile, Git r' Done heads in looking for their second straight series sweep.

Friday 8/5 | Frenchtown Field | Frenchtown, MI

Game 3:
Ass Kickers - 1
Git r' Done - 5
WP: Dennis Pearson
LP: Mike Constanti

After a five day break, Git r' Done and the Ass Kickers reunited to finish off their semifinal series. It only took one game however, as Dennis Pearson won his third game of the series and led Git r' Done to the Championship to face the Wiffling DeLoppes. Michael Constanti and the Ass Kickers had a nice little run there in the playoffs, and shouldn't hang their heads. Great season Ass Kickers!

Semi-Finals: DeLoppes and Squirrels go the Distance



Game 1:
Flying Squirrels  - 0
Wiffling DeLoppes - 1
WP: Chad Hoppe
LP: Austin Bischoff

Game 2:
Flying Squirrels  - 0
Wiffling DeLoppes - 3
WP: Cliff Comstock
LP: Mike Merlo

Game 3:
Wiffling DeLoppes - 0
Flying Squirrels  - 2
WP: Austin Bischoff
LP: Chad Hoppe

Game 4:
** 12 innings **
Wiffling DeLoppes - 0
Flying Squirrels  - 1
WP: Austin Bischoff
LP: Cliff Comstock

Game 5:
Flying Squirrels  - 2
Wiffling DeLoppes - 6
WP: Chad Hoppe
LP: Mike Merlo


Photos from the tightly contested DeLoppes and Squirrels five game series

The DeLoppes took the 5-game series with the Squirrels 3-2, and it took every bit of six and a half games to get the job done! The games were close and competitive all day long. Pitchers mostly kept play in the yard, and winning often came down to capitalizing on opponents' miscues. The DeLoppes won Game 1 when Joey DeLano scored from first on a hit to center field that was overrun. Game 4, the 12 inning double feature (and then some), was won by Austin Bischoff crossing the plate for the Squirrels on a ground ball after getting to third with no outs on two uncharacteristic DeLoppe misplays.

Games 2 and 3 saw the offenses shine a bit more with 5 runs scored between the two teams. The DeLoppes 3 run victory in Game 2 came on sharp hits that found holes down the line and to the gaps. Mike Merlo provided the fire power for the Squirrels in Game 3, blasting the first home run of the day over the left field fence. Game 5 was much more tightly contested than the 6-2 score suggests; really the series in microcosm. The Squirrels led off the scoring in the first with Austin Bischoff scoring on a Brandon Corbett sacrifice fly. The DeLoppes came right back in the bottom half, though, with Joey DeLano scoring from second on a Bobby Hoppe two-out single that squeaked into left-field. BJ Hoppe followed immediately with a towering fly over the tall fence in left for a 2-run home run. The Squirrels narrowed the lead to one run, but BJ's home run proved to be enough to push the DeLoppes through to the WSEM Championship Series as they doubled their runs for some insurance in the fourth.

Half the guys may be in trouble for being late to work or missing other obligations, but this was an amazing series: a competitive series, a fun series. Pins and needles and penis jokes. Great play and great attitudes all around. It came down to the better offense stepping up to win the day. Oh yeah, and this happened:

1st Round Results



(3) Westside Warriors 47 --- vs. --- (6) Ass Kickers
Thurs. July 21st | 6 PM | Westside Reservation | Farmington, MI

Ass Kickers sweep, upset Warriors 2-0!

Last night, in the match-up widely expected to be the most closely contested of the 1st round, the Ass Kickers returned to their 2010 tournament form, overcame the Westside-friendly confines, pulled off the sweep in 2 close games, and upset the Warriors in the first ever WSEM playoff series. This is the Ass Kickers team many expected to see all season, so the surprise was somewhat muted to, "yeah, we knew they could do it."

Nevertheless, the upset is a big deal moving forward, as it will shake up the reseeding of the second round match-ups!

Batting Stats | Pitching Stats

Game 1:
Ass Kickers       - 1
Westside Warriors - 0
WP: Mike Constanti
LP: Maclin Malloy

Game 2:
Westside Warriors - 1
Ass Kickers       - 3
WP: Mike Constanti
LP: Maclin Malloy


(2) Wiffling DeLoppes 15 -- vs. -- (7)Campus Commandos
Sun. 7/23 | 3 PM | Frenchtown Field | Frenchtown, MI

DeLoppes sweep Commandos

The DeLoppes took care of business as expected. They're offense was as explosive as ever in the first game; mercying the Commandos, who were unable to put anything together against Chad Hoppe's pitching, in 4 innings. BJ Hoppe had the first big hit of the game, a 3-run HR in the second inning, with Joey "Delicious" DeLano eclipsing his feat by ripping a bases loaded triple that he ended up scoring on, as well, after an overthrow.

Getting last at bats in the second game seemed to help the Commandos confidence and performance. Drastically different from the first game, the Commandos unveiled a bear in their lineup and took the game into the fifth inning tied at 3. The DeLoppes led off the scoring with 2 runs in the top of the first and tacked on the third in the second. The Commandos scored all 3 of their runs in the bottom of the second with the RBIs coming on a pair of doubles by Eric Pfefferle and Joe Spagnuolo. The DeLoppes clicked in the fifth inning, though, icing the game on 4 hits including 3 doubles. The big hits again came from BJ and DeLano, along with Nick Snow.

Batting Stats | Pitching Stats

Game 1:
Campus Commandos  - 0
Wiffling DeLoppes - 10
WP: Chad Hoppe
LP: Joe Seto

Game 2:
Wiffling DeLoppes - 5
Campus Commandos  - 3
WP: Cliff Comstock
LP: Joe Seto


Photos from the WD v CC 1st round action



(4) Flying Squirrels -- vs. -- (5) Belgian Wiffles
Sat. 7/24 | 1 PM | The Drey | Romulus, MI

Squirrels take care of business, sweep Belgian

Call the janitor; we have our third sweep in as many playoff series. The one-two punch of Austin Bischoff and Mike Merlo, the Squirrels rotation, kept Belgian off the scoreboard and largely off the bases, as well. The duo racked up 26 Ks over ten innings, while giving up only one walk and four hits. Every out recorded in Austin's one-hitter was a strike out. Chris Lewis, who supplied that one hit (2 2B, 2 1B on the day), commented, "when I took the mound I knew I had to throw a shut out... just one run could be too much to get back." Offensively, traveling teammate Alex Shore seems to have rubbed off on the Squirrels who are now taking extra bases and running the bases more aggressively. The team hit 3 doubles (Corbett: 2, Bischoff: 1) and a triple (Merlo). The Squirrels also scored all their runs from second base except for one, which was scored from first (RBI, Murtha: 3, Merlo: 1, Corbett: 1).

Batting Stats | Pitching Stats

Game 1:
Belgian Wiffles  - 0
Flying Squirrels - 1
WP: Austin Bischoff
LP: Chris Lewis

Game 2:
Flying Squirrels - 4
Belgian Wiffles  - 0
WP: Mike Merlo
LP: Chris Lewis


On-field photos from the Squirrels 2-game sweep of Belgian



(1) Git r' Done 7 -- vs. -- (8)Jason Mattseals
Sun. 7/24 | 6 PM | Frenchtown Field | Frenchtown, MI


Git r' Done weather surprising challenge, survive for the sweep

The Jason Mattseals gave Git r' Done all they could handle today at Frenchtown Field. Despite this series completing a full slate of sweeps for the first round it was the most closely contested of all the first round series, and was much closer than the 2-0 result shows. In game 1 the Mattseals took a 4-0 lead into the fifth inning, and looked poised to send a shocking statement throughout the league. However, Git r' Done capitalized on 3 runs walked in and an RBI single to tie the game before ultimately winning by a score of 5-4 in 6 innings. Game 2 didn't let up. Git r' Done posted a 2-1 victory and escaped unscathed, although tested much more than expected in their 1 vs 8 matchup. Post game the Git r' Done guys praised the effort of the Mattseals in the surprisingly exciting close to the first round. No time for a breather, though, as the fireworks of the semifinals are upon us. Git r' Done will face the Ass Kickers, hot off their wins over the Warriors, in a best of 5 series that is expected to begin one week from today. Lots of power will be on the field in those games, which should carry on the momentum of excitement from today's series!
Game 1:
** 6 innings **
Jason Mattseals - 4
Git r' Done     - 5
WP: Nick Braden
LP: Jason Matt

Game 2:
Git r' Done     - 2
Jason Mattseals - 1
WP: Nick Braden
LP: Jason Matt

WSEM Podcast: Playoff Edition!


The Round Table of Squares
Carl Coffee, Chad Hoppe, Mike Constanti, and Alex Shore

Listen here:
http://wiffleinsemi.podbean.com/2011/07/21/wsem-podcast-playoff-edition/


The killer quote:
"I can strike them out after giving myself the stranger!"

What the lower seeds need to pull an upset:
  • (8) Mattseals over (1) Git r' Done: a miracle? Groundings?
  • (7) Commandos over (2) DeLoppes: Joe Seto superman. Murder?
  • (6) Ass Kickers over (3) Warriors: "The closest matchup." Mike take control? Wild Warrior? Should it be the other way around? Will they pitch around?
  • (5) Belgian over (4) Squirrels: Swing. Bat with less than two outs. Poison nuts.
The Panel's picks:
  • All WSEM Teams
  • MV(non-pitching)P - said in unison
  • Cy Young
  • Captain of the year
Favorite Moments of the Season
  • Chad: Preseason shit-talking threads, living 3 hour and perfect games vicariously
  • Alex: Benny Hill Mattseals, talking trash and threats. Not trees.
  • Carl: Biegas hit streak, opening night in Detroit, acquisitions
  • Mike: Building and opening Constanti Field, clutch pitching performance
Spontaneous Myth or Fact Redux

Playoff Schedule Thurs 7/21, 6pm: (6) Ass Kickers @ (3) Warriors
Sat 7/23, 3pm: (7) Commandos @ (2) DeLoppes
Sun 7/24, 1pm: (5) Belgian @ (4) Squirrels
Sun 7/24, 6pm: (8) Mattseals @ (1) Git r' Done

_________________________________________________

Editing: Cliff Comstock and Brandon Corbett
Hospitality: Cliff Comstock

Music: Zoos of Berlin "Electrical Way" - http://zoosofberlin.bandcamp.com
Dark Wave "S.U.T.F.S." - http://darkwave.bandcamp.com

2011 WSEM Playoff Bracket Unveiling




1st Round Matchups

(1) Git r' Done 8 vs. (8) Jason Mattseals
Sun. 7/24 | 6 PM | Frenchtown Field | Frenchtown, MI
Season Series: Git r' Done wins 4-0
(2) Wiffling DeLoppes 14 vs. (7) Campus Commandos
Sat. July 23rd | 3 PM | Frenchtown Field | Frenchtown, MI
Season Series: DeLoppes win 4-0
(3) Westside Warriors 49 vs. (6) Ass Kickers
Thurs. July 21st | 6 PM | Westside Reservation | Farmington, MI
Season Series: Tied 2-2
(4) Flying Squirrels vs. (5) Belgian Wiffles
Sun. July 24th | 1 PM | The Drey | Romulus, MI
Season Series: Squirrels win 3-1

Stay up to date with the build up and progress over on the Schedule page.


196 games into 2011 and we are just getting started! The 2011 WSEM Playoffs begin this Thursday! Now is when we see what teams are really made of and which have the luck on their side. Your best of three first round series may be played from Thursday through Sunday at the home field, or field of choice, of the higher seed: high seed will be home for games 1 and 3 (if necessary), low seed for game 2. So, get in touch ASAP with your opposing captain and set up the date and time that works best for your teams. Work with each other and help out when you can. The league is best when as many players as possible are involved, so let's try to make that happen. ** Remember that to be eligible to play in the playoffs a player needs a minimum of 5 games played. **

Teams advancing to the second round best of five series can begin playing their games Monday July 25th, and have until Tuesday August 2nd to complete the series. Different from the first round the best of five series will use both home fields (if applicable), and the games can be spread out across the entire time frame. In addition to setting dates and times, teams need to decide what format for the five games works best based on availability and travel. There are two formats you can choose from: 1) the common 2-2-1, where the high seed is home in games 1,2, and 5, or 2) the never used elsewhere, but here for teams that cannot play more than two days in the allotted time 2-3: low seed gets first two home games, then the series is finished at the high seed on the second day. A 3-2 series is not permitted, as it presents the possibility of not giving the low seed a home game at their field. If the low seed does not have a home field or preferred field, then the games can be played entirely at the high seed's field with the 2-2-1 format applied.

The best of seven WSEM Championship Series, which can begin Friday August 5th and run through Sunday August 14th, will be handled in the same way: teams choose the best format for their availability and travel, then set dates and times that work for both teams. While the 2-2-1-1-1 format may still be impractical, with two weekends and a full slate of weekdays (12 days total) it should be possible to utilize a 2-2-2-1 or 2-3-2. While it should be avoided if possible, a 3-4 is an option in the case teams availability mandates it. Again a 4-3 is not permitted due to denying the low seed a guaranteed home game at their field. You can play around with the numbers anyway you like, so long as the low seed is guaranteed home games at their field. And once again, if the low seed does not have a home field or preferred field, then the games can be played entirely at the high seed's field following the 2-2-1-1-1 format.

So, this is where it heats up, "the second season," the big payoff of our inaugural season, where we crown the first ever WSEM champion! Congratulations to Git r' Done on winning the pennant, but you know everyone is gunning to keep you from winning both titles. Especially those guys you lease your home field from! Let's have some exciting first round series to kick this off right! Westside vs. Ass Kickers jumps out as being the toughest to call, and therefore the most anticipated, but when a team just needs to play at the top of their game for ten innings anything is possible. It's not an upset if you can see it coming: I think we are primed for one stunning moment this weekend!

Ass Kickers Swept, Git r' Done and DeLoppes Split


@
Frenchtown Field


Game 1:
Wiffling DeLoppes - 12
Ass Kickers       -  0
WP: Chad Hoppe
LP: Brian Constanti

Game 4:
Wiffling DeLoppes - 5
Ass Kickers       - 1
WP: Cliff Comstock
LP: ?



@
Frenchtown Field


Game 2:
Git r' Done - 8
Ass Kickers - 0
WP: Dennis Pearson
LP: ?

Game 3:
** 6 innings **
Git r' Done - 4
Ass Kickers - 1
WP: Dylan Braden
LP: Brian Constanti


@
Frenchtown Field


Game 1:
Wiffling DeLoppes - 0
Git r' Done       - 1
WP: Dennis Pearson
LP: Chad Hoppe

Game 4:
Wiffling DeLoppes - 2
Git r' Done       - 0
WP: Cliff Comstock
LP: Dennis Pearson

It was a tough outing for the Ass Kickers who have been ramping up play lately as the playoffs approach. In post game interviews Mike Constanti didn't blame the losses on fatigue, but did mention that 8 wiffleball games and multiple nights of softball didn't help the Ass Kickers' performance Sunday. These results see them as the 6 seed in the playoffs later this week. Good news out of the AK clubhouse, though, is that Brian Constanti's dominance toeing the rubber seems to be returning at just the right time to make a run through the bracket.

The split of the two tightly contested pitchers' duels in the Git r' Done vs. DeLoppes series locks up the first ever WSEM pennant going to Git r' Done. With the decisive Git r' Done victory coming in game 1 it was not as climactic as it could have been, but still a good finish to the season with the DeLoppes rallying to win game 2 and even the season series. Smart money is that these two teams aren't done with each other yet, though, and they could likely see each other again in the best of seven championship series.

One bit of maintenance: The Warriors and Git r' Done never scheduled their final two games. Due to our "set your own schedule" format we have a different way of handling forfeits in this situation than most sports leagues. Because we want the focus to be on the fun of playing wiffleball our rule is one that benefits teams that reach out, communicate, and try to play their games: if Team A does those things and Team B does not reciprocate the effort or is uncooperative with the process, then Team A receives wins for all games involved. If both teams communicate and work together but are unable to set the games, then the series of games involved is a split. The whole point is that teams should want to get out there and play and the whole league should try to help each other make that happen. If you put the effort in, you are guaranteed at least a .500 record for your effort. Alex had listed times on the calender for about a month, and asked Git r' Done to choose one that worked for them. Then, in just the past week, Dennis finally asked Alex if Friday 7/15 worked for Westside; it did not. Still both teams attempted, therefore they both go 1-1 for their two game series.

The playoff bracket will be put up tonight. Most of you probably already know, but we will make a bit of a show of it and have a little bit of fun with the first bracket festivities. Playoff games will be allowed to take place Thursday through Sunday, and all 1st round games will be played back-to-back at the high seed's choice of field. Also, end of the season awards look to be named later this week. Good luck to everyone this week! Try to win without being a dick, and try to have fun while lighting it up!
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