Divisions! And Notes from the Meeting

The divisions have been drawn! Cross-division rivalries have been named! We chose to bestow significant names in the history of Wiffleball in Michigan on our divisions; two guys who deserve this small honor at the very least.


Named for Alan Garcia, founder of the Wiffle House in Essexville, MI and the Michigan Wiffle Alliance, which was a precursor to orginazations like the NWLA and was influential in helping get the word out about this game when it first began to sprout legs.

The Garcia Division mark is inspired by that of Wifflehouse, home-plate standing as a house, with the five points of the plate symbolizing the five teams. Whereas the WSEM league logo showcases the pitching aspect of the game, the division logos use the yellow handle of a Wiffle bat to promote the offensive side.

Teams - Campus Commandos, Flying Squirrels, King Friday, Thunder Ducks, Wiffling DeLoppes



Named for David Ringler, founder of the Fat Bastard Wiffle Ball tournament in Grand Rapids, MI. The Fattie is the most recognized Wiffle name in Michigan and has raised thousands of dollars for charitable causes over the years.

The Ringler Division mark takes its inspiration from the logo of Fat Bastard Wiffle Ball, with the five holes representing the five teams. While the WSEM league logo showcases the pitching aspect of the game, the division logos use the yellow handle of a Wiffle bat to promote the offensive side.

Teams - Donkeys, Mancheter Punchouts, Belgian Wiffles, Whiteford Wicked Aces, Jason Mattseals


Here is the alignment with rivals side-by-side.

Garcia	Ringler
Campus Commandos Flying Squirrels King Friday Thunder Ducks Wiffling DeLoppes	Donkeys Belgian Wiffles Jason Mattseals Whiteford Wicked Aces Manchester Punchouts

Other notes from the meeting:

- The Playoffs will be 8 teams. Division winners will be the 1st and 2nd seeds with the other 6 slots being wild cards. The two teams that do not make the playoffs and the losers of their first round series will participate in the John Hill "For the Thrill" Extravaganza alongside the WSEM Championship Playoffs.

- Yes, a peg that bounces off the ground into the runner on a tag-up is an out.

- Regarding time outs and base running: the rule states that if a player is 3 steps or less off the bag when time is called, they return to that base. This will often be a close call, so in accordance with our policy on other close calls if it is close enough to cause argument, then the runner has not clearly advanced far enough to be rewarded the next base.

- Since we did not get to really go through the "how-to" of putting stats onto League Lineup (our fault, unprepared), we will have a detailed post about that in the coming weeks.

- The WSEM Championship Trophy and Handies look fantastic. Beware of racy twitpics that may show up of the Thunder Ducks with the former.

- ***EDIT: [Forgot this one, sorry]  In order to be playoff eligible a player must now play in 7 games, 25% of the season.

Expanding on the 2012 Expansion Teams

Kind of unusual that an expansion announcement is not a BREAKING NEWS! bulletin, but information on your two new-for-2012 teams has been trickling in and showing up on the site over the past month-and-a-half. Still, in lieu of a lavish unveiling, the week of the Winter Meeting is a good time to let you know just who your new competition (Fresh meat? Lurking ambush?) is this upcoming season. We will save this offseason's big reveal for the division names. Now, welcome King Friday and the Manchester Punchouts!

		King Friday Colors: Red and Royal Captain: Richard Hurd
Hurd is a friend of Commissioner Coffee's from beer pong played around the area, and rumor has it that he wanted into WSEM issuing the challenge that "Wiffleball seems easy" and he could throw together a team to dominate the league. Bold. Aggressive. Hurd definitely does not believe in easing in under the radar. His lot of competitors are all rookies to Wiffleball and are looking to be a force to be reckoned with, or at least a noise that cannot be avoided - no matter how many sights they get locked in. The real question as far as I am concerned, though, is will we see a pitcher with a King Friday hand puppet that pitches its own Wiffle ball? Fourth inning stretch, please?
		Manchester Punchouts Colors: Midnight, Cardinal, and Powder Captain: Evan Bortmas
Bortmas and the Punchouts were almost part of WSEM in our inaugural season. Many of you will remember them from the September tournament, which helped reinvigorate talk of them joining the league. It was not until King Friday's challenge to the league, however, that it was finally able to be a reality with ten franchises. Manchester are rookies only in WSEM terms; like Whiteford, the guys have been playing in their own league, the Manchester Wiffle Association, for many years. It is hard to infer much from the play in that strange tournament, but the Punchies were right in the thick of the tight, low-scoring games all day long - including a 0-0 tie and 1-0 win in extra innings versus the .500 benchmark Squirrels. It is probably wise to look past that "rookies" term.