Sessions Shops for Himself during the Holiday Season

The following press release from the Flying Squirrels was posted to their facebook page at 12:40 AM on 12/24:

WOODHAVEN, MI - Early this morning, Flying Squirrels General Manager, Michael Sessions, gathered a crowd including WSEM Commissioner, Carl Coffee, into a room to announce a big acquisition. Sessions went on to announce that Adam Cosby had been waived by the team, and in his place, Sessions would be picking up a four year wiffle baller from the west side of the state. The wiffle baller Sessions ended up announcing as an acquisition is Zac Adams, tournament player in the 2012 NWLA Tournament, and three time all star of the Kalamazoo Wiffleball League. Sessions was delighted to make the announcement: "We want to thank Adam for his service to our franchise. His willingness to play for us is commended. In turn, I am excited to welcome Zac to such an incredible franchise. In speaking to Zac, he is relishing the opportunity to play against the likes of Shore, Bischoff, and Pearson. I expect him to put up great numbers for our team."

2013 NWLA National Team Cards

The National Wiffle League Association announced its 2013 national team pitchers, hitters, fielders, and rookies yesterday. Wiffle in Southeast Michigan once again improved our showing with 16 players named to 17 spots on the national teams this year - 8 players filled 10 slots in 2011, and 12 players claimed 14 spots in 2012. We show strong in both the pitchers and fielders categories, however, we managed to sneak just two hitters onto the three teams. Impressively, despite contracting to eight teams this season, WSEM has a great showing in the NWLA rookie teams with 6 players new to the game receiving recognition. Take a look at all the cards for those named to the NWLA year-end teams below, and check out the full list of players named to the national teams here.

Guys Using Arms
Guys Using Bats
Guys Using Hands
Guys Who Were New

Current Team Rosters for 2014

The turnover of rosters from 2013 to 2014 on the team pages will begin in the near future. As we wait on the finalizing of a few details before that undertaking, here are all the 2014 rosters - as they look today - lined up next to, atop, below, kiddy corner, and a couple chess moves from one another. That is a literal way to look at their layout in this post, of course, but having all the rosters presented here together also gives the chance to see how they currently seem to fit those parameters in terms of competitive balance. The draw for divisional alignment and inter-division rivalry series will not begin until the first week of the new year, but still... How many days out do you think Coffee Time's first shot at the power rankings are? How about yours? We all need a fix!

# NAME Pts 4 David Buhr 2 11 Josh Nagorski 3 18 Carl Coffee (C) 3 21 Jason Matt 1 32 Doug Wesserling 2 99 Nick Braden 3 48 Steven Farkas (r) 1.5 14 Travis Strojny (r) 1.5 TOTAL POINTS:   17	# NAME Pts 1 Chandler Phillips (C) 4 3 Kyle Tomlinson 5 5 Dakota LaDouceur 4 71 Mark Phillips 2 99 Craig Skinner 5 ** Open Slot     TOTAL POINTS:   20
# NAME Pts 1 Adam Cosby 2 11 Ryan Bullard 3 24 Jason Hewlett 4 25 Michael Sessions (C) 2 30 John Sharlow 4 48 Ryan Alexia 3 -- Mike D'Agnese (r) 1.5 -- Kevin Doby (r) 1.5 TOTAL POINTS:   21	# NAME Pts 17 Brandon Corbett 3 19 Chris Paquin (C) 3 28 Dylan Braden 4 32 Chris Lewis 2 37 Dennis Pearson 5 ** Open Slot     TOTAL POINTS:   17
# NAME Pts 2 Andrew Mott 4 7 Alex Linebrink (C) 2 11 Daniel Egan 3 16 Robert Colgan 3 24 Matt Murtha 2 97 Will Mundel 3     TOTAL POINTS:   17	# NAME Pts 3 Tristan Birotte 1 11 Eric Sizemore 1 26 Arvie Coffman 1 41 Rich Hurd (C) 1 -- Ryan Hurd 1 -- Ryan Hurd, Jr. 1 -- Joe Shinn 1   TOTAL POINTS:   7
# NAME Pts 2 Chris Park (r) 1.5 4 Nick Hool (r) 1.5 8 Kiefer Haffey (C) 3 10 Trey Jardine (r) 1.5 13 Nate Motta (r) 1.5 34 Dan Simms (r) 1.5 44 Matt Brasil (r) 1.5 58 Joe Foley (r) 1.5 TOTAL POINTS:   14	# NAME Pts 3 Sam Hatt 4 8 Greg Voutsos 3 9 Evan Bortmas 5 33 Alex Shore (C) 3 50 David Castle 5 99 Nick Woods 3     TOTAL POINTS:   23
# NAME Pts 8 Evan Bischoff 3 13 Joel Crozier 4 21 RJ Fisher 4 24 Austin Bischoff (C) 5 ** Open Slot ** Open Slot     TOTAL POINTS:   16	# NAME Pts 1 Andrew Piasecki 4 8 Matt Dancza 1 24 Greg Brannan 4 31 Mark Brannan 3 34 Jason Hollister (C) 3 -- Nicco Lollio 5     TOTAL POINTS:   20

Wiffle Vicariously: Hallo-Wiffle II

Tweets by @Official_WSEM

Oakland County Onanism Bursts onto the Scene

Novi, MI #Expansion   #2014   #Onanism #Haffey   Rookies October 1st was one of the most exciting days in WSEM history. Dozens of players changed teams, the Squirrels were reborn, and the Wolfpack assembled. We thought we had a tenth team lined up, but later discovered they had to drop out. We made some Kiefer Sutherland references during the October podcast trying to tease who would captain the new tenth team, but no one caught on. In all of the craziness in early October, Kiefer Haffey was left out in the dust despite quietly having a very nice rookie season in 2013. He was third in the league in ERA, and had a perfect game in his first start. He helped keep the Warriors afloat before Sam Hatt was able to return from injury, and kept them in the playoff picture. Everyone knows what Alex Shore and Westside did this offseason, but it was news to Kiefer when he was left off the roster. The Belgian Wiffles, Islanders and Holy Balls showed some interest in signing the 3-star free agent, but when Kiefer heard the tenth franchise slot was available, he jumped at the opportunity. After two weeks of talks with the front office about all that captaining a team entails, he never got turned off. Instead he only got more excited. Kiefer tried out two names before setting on one. 1) Oakland County Centaurs. 2) Oakland County Cannons. Finally, the third and official team name - Oakland County Onanism. The rest of the eight-man Onanism roster will consist of all rookies: #2 Chris Park OF #4 Nick Hool P/SS #8 Kiefer Haffey P/SS #10 Trey Jardine P/OF #13 Nate Motta OF #34 Dan Sims P/UT #44 Matt Brasil P/SS #58 Joe Foley OF The home field of Onanism will be at Novi Meadows in Novi, which is located at 11 Mile and Taft Road. After granting Kiefer the expansion franchise, Commissioner Coffee took the chance to ask him a few questions about bringing the new squad into the league. Keep it stiff and check out Haffey's responses below. Carl: What are you most excited about now that you are captain of an NWLA team? Kiefer: think more than anything I'm just excited to see how a team full of baseball players transitions into a wiffleball team. Last year I personally underestimated how different the two games are - especially from a hitting and pitching standpoint. Carl: Do you think you guys can compete with 7/8 on your team being rookies? Kiefer: I definitely think it's a possibility. I've never seen these guys play wiffleball really - we're all guys who played baseball throughout high school but as stated before - they're two different games. My prediciton for a best case scenario as of now would be squeaking in as the 5 seed. Carl: Do you have any bitterness towards Alex and the Warriors? Kiefer: No, not at all. As soon as I read about the new "Star Cap" rule I knew that teams would be making huge roster changes and I didn't play nearly well enough last year to be a "must-have" player. I also think that because of this new cap rule this league is going to expand to way more teams. Carl: What are your team colors? Kiefer: Grey and Green

[Free Agency] Ducks on (New) Ponds

It has been a week since the whiplash inducing start to free agency, but now we see our next big signings of the offseason. It was nice to be able to catch our breath and decompress after the frenetic first day, but it is good to see the roster moves continue.

+    Captain/Commissioner/Carl Coffee never stops recruiting - that is likely the itch that made him take control of a team again. He is rumored to have put offers on the table with many players around the league, both veterans and rookies. Details of the deal for Belgian to acquire Josh Nagorski and Nick Braden, who Coffee refers to as the N & N boys, did not start to leak out until late Tuesday afternoon (10/8). And the deal came together fast. By 7 PM the terms had been finalized and approved by league HQ. Nagorski and Nick will join Coffee, David Buhr, Jason Matt, Douglas Wesserling, and rookies Stephen Farkas and Travis Strojny on the now (for now) complete Belgian roster, which commands 17 stars. Josh Ratliff was dropped in order to make room in the eight-man clubhouse. Both N & N boys bring solid bats to the lineup, Nagorski provides a bit more power, while Nick adds a nice arm to a rotation in need of it. Coffee heralded the impact of the signings on facebook, "Josh and Nick have been apart of WSEM since the beginning, and both won a title with Git R' Done in 2011. They bring experience and offensive production the team desperately needs."

+  Ever since the signing of Dennis Pearson on October 1st, there has been scuttlebutt around the Holy Balls' camp involving both Braden names. Nick was a key part of the clubhouse in 2013 and came through in the clutch on a few occasions. However, the lure of Dylan's bat in the lineup is hard to look past. Also, some degree of discretion and tact is called for when dealing with brothers. Captain Paquin and his team appeared to be taking a patient, "wait and see" approach to the matter - not ready to make a hasty decision one way or the other that would effect the franchise's future. Well, Belgian's quick action on Tuesday afternoon took care of the "see" part, making the "wait" pretty much unnecessary. Just 36 minutes after the Belgian announcement, the Balls made one of their own: "This just in.... Balls announce the signing of stud hitter...wait for it... Dylan Braden!" The reunion of the fabled D & D boys along with Paquin, Chris Lewis, and Brandon Corbett puts the Balls at 17 stars in 5 players. With 4 stars to play with and a second big bat now added to the lineup, rumors seem to indicate the Balls are looking at both rookie and veteran arms to fill their sixth and final roster spot.

[Free Agency] Day One: A Sprint out of the Gates

In the race to be the first to break the news, eight teams made announcements about their rosters on Tuesday, October 1st. At the end of the day, 26 players (including 6 rookies) were involved in the moves made public on Facebook from midnight through the early afternoon. Many teams also included mention of continuing talks with players, although none named names, to fill their final roster slots.

In case you blinked, here's a recap of what you missed.

12.5 New Captain: Carl Coffee Rookie Signings:   Stephen Farkas, Travis Strojny, Josh Ratliff Returning: David Buhr, Jason Matt, Douglas Wesserling

The Belgian Wiffles didn't make any moves on the free agency market. Rather, they capitalized on the trademarked expertise of their newly named captain, Carl Coffee, in signing rookie Wiffleball talent. Carl has been doing it for years, though this time he used Facebook and Twitter instead of Craigslist, and it fits in well with the culture of new blood that David Buhr had created for the franchise. In his Facebook statement, Coffee revealed, "in a rebuilding year it is important to sign young talent, and we are excited about what (they) can offer to the team." He also provided insight via hashtag: #stillnotdone, #newCJandSkinner, #wehaveouronetwopunch. If this Belgian rookie class - Stephen Farkas, Travis Strojny, and Josh Ratliff - come in anything like that alluded-to-by-hashtag 2012 Belgian class, then this franchise could be poised for a nice bounce back season.

7 Call-Ups: Tristan Birotte, Arvie Coffman, Ryan Hurd, Ryan Hurd Jr., Eric Sizemore, Joe Shinn Rookie Signings:   N/A Returning: Rich Hurd

Like Belgian, King Friday did not make any real free agent moves. Their signings were all about "bringing the band back together." Rich Hurd is bringing 6 players from his 2012 Dangerfield runner-up roster back into WSEM for a remarkably efficient total of 7 stars in 7 players. The sense here seems to be both "let's have fun," and "Dangerfield Championship or bust!" That said, Tristan Birotte did show some good potential on the mound in 2012, and who knows what using the black bats could do for all of their offensive production.

20 FA Signings: N/A Rookie Signings:   N/A Returning: Dakota LaDouceur, Chandler Phillips, Mark Phillips, Craig Skinner, Kyle Tomlinson

El Diablos had the most daunting task of the offseason: having to release players to get under the cap. Chandler Phillips handled the tough decisions well in his first duty as captain, and explains his re-signings and releases with this quote, "although I took in many opinions, I ultimately made the decision that I feel will give the team the best chance to not only win, but win at a lower cost as well." He referenced keeping reigning Clown Shu, Craig Skinner, as, "the easiest decision,." For Kyle Tomlinson, the reigning MVP, Chandler said simply, "I need Kyle on this team," citing his crucial role in both offensive production and groundskeeping. Dakota LaDouceur was the first player to announce his signing, doing so right at 12:00am. Chandler praised Dakota as, "your ideal 3 hitter," and everything you can ask for in a team player. El Diablos still have one roster spot to fill and are "scouting some rookies to fill the void." Read the full press release from El Diablos HQ here.

16 FA Signings: Dennis Pearson Rookie Signings:   N/A Returning: Nick Braden, Brandon Corbett, Chris Lewis, Chris Paquin

Holy Balls lost a 5-star player, David Castle, and a two-time Diamond Digit winner, Ryan Bullard, to free agency, but countered with the signing of 2013 Country Strong HR King Dennis Pearson. Having witnessed (on a few occasions) last season Pearson's ability to hit any pitch out of the park, Chris Paquin was locked on Pearson as the Balls' primary target this offseason. With Dennis now landed, they still have 5 stars to play with under the cap. That's a lot of room while only needing to fill one more roster slot. Likely targets for that spot seemingly include another productive bat to plug into the lineup.

21 FA Signings: Ryan Alexia, Ryan Bullard, Adam Cosby, Jason Hewlett, John Sharlow Rookie Signings:   Mike D'Agnese, Kevin Doby Expansion Captain: Michael Sessions

When Michael Sessions announced he'd be bringing back the Flying Squirrels franchise, you knew he'd really dig into the numbers when approaching his roster. So, it's no surprise that he's put together as close to a perfect cap era team can be done. Sessions targeted every need and spent economically without skimping. Two members of the 2012 Squirrels, Ryan Alexia and Ryan Bullard, return as the basis for a strong defense on the left-side of the field. While those two get on base at a good clip, John Sharlow will be a big bat in the lineup, able to hit to all fields with extra-base power. Jason Hewlett also comes off a big production year, but he and Adam Cosby were targeted for their capabilities on the mound. To round out his eight-man roster, Sessions identified and locked down two rookies: Mike D'Agnese and Kevin Doby. In their tryouts this weekend, D'Agnese impressed with a pair of home runs, while Doby put himself in the early RotY discussion with a great performance on the mound and 2 home runs of his own. Read the full press release from the Flying Squirrels here.

20 W FA Signings: Mark Brannan, Greg Brannan, Matt Dancza, Nicco Lollio, Andrew Piasecki Rookie Signings:   N/A Expansion Captain: Jason Hollister

Jason Hollister also assembled a damn near perfect cap era roster for the expansion Wolfpack franchise. Mark Brannan and Nicco Lollio may be an even more potent 1-2 lefty punch than Hatt/Shore for Westside. Greg Brannan, famous for his defensive exploits, and Andrew Piasecki also swing good sticks from the correct side of the plate. With deceptive pop in his bat, a great attitude and good eye Matt Dancza is a solid pick-up at 1 star, as well. If there is a hole in the Pack's roster, it may be on the pitching staff. "If" and "may" are key words here, though. Mark will be the ace of the staff, while Greg, Andrew, and Nicco will all have a shot to land the number-two job.

16 FA Signings: N/A Rookie Signings:   N/A Returning: Austin Bischoff, Evan Bischoff, Joel Crozier, RJ Fisher

The Wicked Aces didn't make any roster moves, but did announce in a Facebook post that the core four players will be returning, "RJ Fisher, Austin Bischoff, and Evan Bischoff will return to defend their 2013 WSEM championship... Also, Joel Crozier will be back in an Aces uniform." The Aces went on to mention that how they use their remaining 5 or 11 stars to fill the final two roster spots will be discussed, which leaves a whole lot open-ended. Will they play above or below the soft cap? Are they talking to rookies? Re-signing 2012 players? Maybe even eying a big name or two? We'll wait and see, because for now, the info's flowing out like a Detroit Lions press conference.

23 FA Signings: Evan Bortmas, David Castle Rookie Signings:   N/A Returning: Sam Hatt, Alex Shore, Greg Voutsos, Nick Woods

While most teams strategically added and dropped players to be at or under 21 stars, Alex Shore went all in for 2014 and will play at 23 stars. Westside went 16-12 in 2013 and got swept in the 1st round of the playoffs in both of their previous seasons. Tired of being slightly above average, Alex went after the most expensive free agents on the market. His biggest signing? 2012 MVP, Evan Bortmas. Bortmas chased and won a title with the Wicked Aces in 2013, and expressed he wanted to play with former Manchester Punchout teammate Sam Hatt this upcoming season. Not every team had the room for both of them, but Westside made it happen. Hatt will return to the team he helped take to the playoffs; Sam is slated as the Westside ace. Westside also signed All-Star OF/P, David Castle. Castle had an outstanding 2013 season with the Ducks and Holy Balls, which earned him a 5-star rating. Castle is a very committed wiffler and gives Westside deep pitching depth. Read Shore's take on each of his offseason signings in this Facebook album.

Stepping Down: 2014 to be Commissioner Coffee's Final Season

As the 2013 season comes to a close, the WSEM front office is already focused on 2014 and the big changes that are in store. Every offseason the league has made pretty big changes, and next year will be no exception. 2014 will be the fourth season for WSEM, and I am thrilled to see our league rise in prominence as one of the biggest and most popular leagues in the country. After the 2014 season though, I will be stepping down as the Commissioner. In 2005, I tried to form the Downriver Wiffleball League and soon realized the challenges in store. After three years of living out of state I returned in 2009 and then again wanted to form a league. It took two years of networking and hosting tournaments to finally have enough interest to form WSEM in 2011. Each season had its ups and downs, but every year we have made improvements. We have won many national awards, have a top five ranked website, our podcast is very popular, and our Big Wood team has made a lot of noise in the NWLA tournament. With WSEM growing and improving, why would I step down? Running a wiffleball league is very time consuming, and trust me I get a lot of help. Whether it is Corbett on the webpage, my brother making the turfs, or Crozier with the trophy and Handies, I have been able to surround myself with good people. I really get too much credit when I do not deserve it. I was ranked the 8th best commissioner in the country and was voted into the NWLA Hall of Fame, and although I am honored to get that recognition, a lot of it comes with guilt. So why would I step down? Through the years we have been able to network with top leagues all over the country and many of the commissioners who run these leagues do not get the kind of help I have. They are stuck with many tasks, and would kill to have what our league has. I am well aware of this, and this also gives me a little guilt. So why would I step down? This is why I am stepping down. Anyone who knows me probably knows I have a very addictive personality. When I am interested in something my entire focus is on that one thing and it consumes my life. For the longest time all I

wanted was to form a wiffleball league and well, that goal has been met. I still have fun and love the friendships I have made because of this league, but my heart is no longer in it like it has been in the past. Don’t get me wrong, I will give it my all in 2014 and make sure it is the best season to date. Another reason why I am stepping down is because of the growth of the NWLA Tournament. I think this tournament is proof that we are one step closer to getting national recognition and I want to be a part of putting “backyard” wiffleball on the map. Forming a local wiffleball league was a challenge, but this goal will be way tougher. I am not done with this sport, and I believe if I surround myself with the right people, we may be able to make this goal happen. I have no idea what the future of WSEM has in store. I do know you are in good hands. Corbett will be given the opportunity to become the new commissioner, and if he doesn’t want it, a new one will be picked out after next season. Thank you to everyone who has helped make these last three summers memorable, and let’s make 2014 the best one ever.

Our 10 Teams for 2014

The 2013 season wrapped up less than a month ago and we already have our ten franchise slots for the 2014 season filled. We had a nice head start this time as seven of the eight teams from 2013 have said they will return next year. We were right back at eight teams quickly, as Michael Sessions informed us he would return the historic Flying Squirrels franchise to its place in WSEM. Shortly after that, another second year player, Jason Hollister, announced that he will start a new downriver franchise, name still being discussed. Finally, Steve Harris, a lifelong Wiffle aficionado, approached Commissioner Coffee a couple of weeks ago about bringing in an expansion franchise of his own. Harris has been in contact with the league for awhile, but his roster is expected to be primarily an ensemble of rookies.

Here is a quick rundown of the teams slated to play in the upcoming 2014 WSEM season:

Belgian Wiffles		El Diablos		Flying Squirrels		Harris' Team
2011-Pres. Captain: David Buhr Belgian will once again have an overhauled roster for the fourth consecutive season. This time, though, Buhr does look to have two returning players alongside him.		2013-Pres. Captain: Chandler Phillips El Diablos have a lot of decisions to make regarding their roster and the cap for their sophomore season, in which they will defend their Garcia Division title.		2011-2012, 2014-Pres. Captain: Michael Sessions It's a new era for the brown and blue. We'll see what kind of roster The Mayor can assemble, but the franchise is expected to make its next drey downriver.		2014-Pres. Captain: Steve Harris Steve has been in talks with WSEM for the past few months, and has a crew of rookies ready to take on the established talent.

Hollister's Team		Holy Balls		Islanders		King Friday
2014-Pres. Captain: Jason Hollister Hollister started talking about forming his own team last May. Now, he has the franchise and is already in talks with players that want to set up a "new Wiffle order."		2013-Pres. Captain: Chris Paquin Holy Balls had a nice run in 2013. They may be losing some players, but Paquin isn't concerned as that leaves cap space to add quality free agents to replace them.		2013-Pres. Captain: Alex Linebrink The Islanders found a stud pitcher and solid core late last season. They may be just one or two pieces away from going on a nice run in the new cap era.		2012-Pres. Captain: Richard Hurd Reports say King Friday will look much more like the 2012 squad than last year's 12-16 roster when they step onto the Field of Make-Believe next spring.

	Westside Warriors		Wicked Aces
	2013-Pres. Captain: Alex Shore Shore has a lot of options for his roster with some quality players to bring back, but he always seems to have an "in" to pull blue chip free agents or rookies, as well.		2013-Pres. Captain: Austin Bischoff Fresh off back-to-back WSEM titles, the Aces remain a favorite in Ringler. Although, circulating rumors hint their roster could see more turnover than most expect.

There you have it! The first look at the 2014 season! Obviously, elements like team names, colors, and logos may be changed with league approval this offseason. And, of course, we will see players start moving around when free agency opens up on October 1st, which will give us a much better sense of how the landscape is shaping up for 2014 season.

We WILL NOT be taking on more than ten teams at this time. If other teams approach us this offseason, they will be put on a waiting list in case any of the current ten teams back out before the season. Players from teams on the waiting list can also choose to join existing WSEM rosters as full-time free agents or fill-in players.

A Look Ahead at 2014: The Little Changes

As is always the case between seasons, WSEM is looking at some upcoming changes. We will announce a couple big ones in the next month: one that will shake up the 2014 season, and a second that will have a huge impact come 2015. For now, though, let us look at the two smaller tweaks being made that will improve the WSEM experience next season.

6 Innings

Starting with the 2014 season WSEM games will bump up from five innings to six for a regulation game. Five innings is a holdover from early tournament days when it was necessary for time constraints. When we started league play in 2011 our attention was focused more on the logistics of setting up league operations than any adjustments to games rules that were already in place. Increasing to 6 innings puts us in line with the format used by most other leagues, as well as the NWLA Tournament. The change will increase average game time from 45 to 54 minutes.

Some of you are probably preparing messages about how this will upset the record book, but let us be honest: our record book is something of a dirty little whore. Everything in there already comes from many different places. In 2012 we added the rotation rule, which drastically changed the look of pitching numbers. Then in 2013 we brought in bigger bats and increased the pitching distance, which this time effected both pitching and hitting numbers. If anything, the additional 14 IP or 30 AB may provide an opportunity to break some of the single season records set during 2012 with all of its extra inning marathons. Bottom line, the change actually brings us right in line with every other season when it comes to potential WSEM records.

With the inning increase our pitching rotation rule will modify slightly. A pitcher will still be ineligible for the next game after throwing one pitch over 2 innings. However, the two-game ineligibility will now come after throwing over 8 innings, which is the new equivalent of one game plus two additional innings.

Our mercy rules are also being adjusted. The new numbers are 10 runs after 4 innings, 15 runs after 3 innings, and 20 runs after 2 innings. Basically, the old version pushed back an inning with 20 after 2 in place to limit wildly egregious stat padding. All changes related to the innings increase have already been made to the rulebook, in sections 8a and 9.

Set Postseason Schedule

For the first time WSEM will utilize a set schedule for league games. Scheduling for the 2014 season will remain the same way it was handled this year - set by week with day decided by the teams. While there are some hiccups, this system works much more smoothly during the season than it does for the playoffs. Therefore, the dates for all 2014 postseason activities - Championship Playoff series, For the Thrill, and the All-Star Game - are already set on the calendar.

Sat. 8/2	-	4 vs 5 Play-in Game @ 1 seed
Sat. 8/2	-	1 vs 4/5 Best of Three Series @ 1 seed
Sun. 8/3	-	2 vs 3 Best of Three Series @ 2 seed
Sat. 8/9	-	Championship Series, Games 1 and 2 @ low seed
Sat. 8/9	-	All-Star Game @ Championship Series field
Sun. 8/10	-	For the Thrill @ TBD
Sat. 8/16	-	Championship Series, Games 3 - 5 @ high seed

Note: the 4 vs 5 play-in game is accounting for a ten team league. Should WSEM consist of only eight teams in 2014, then the 1 vs 4 first round series will be played that day on its own. The biggest change, aside from the set dates, is the packaging of the All-Star Game with the first games of the Championship Series, after two years of it being paired with For the Thrill. The ASG will be played after game two, making it possible to see three games on both days of the Championship Series. The repackaging is an effort to match up All-Stars with a date and place more of them are likely to be, as well as increase attendance at Championship Series games.

-   -   -   -   -
Aside from the increase to 6 innings and the accompanying adjustments to the rotation and mercy rules, there will be no changes to rules or parameters of actual game play. So, a 2014 game will look just like one from 2013 - just about 10 minutes longer. Off the field, though, change is coming that will greatly impact the dynamic of competitive balance within WSEM. Check back September 1st for the details about this year's "big change."

Batting Champion
	Nicco Lollio
		El Diablos
	.448 AVG

Country Strong Home Run King
	Dennis Pearson
		Ducks
	22 HR

Walker Texas Ranger
	Michael Sessions
		Islanders
	53 BB

Great Lakes Stealer
	David Castle
		Holy Balls
	22 SB

Rookie of the Year
	Nicco Lollio
		El Diablos
	Batting:  .448 AVG,  .493 OBP,  .925 SLG,  8 HR,  36 RBI,  20 R,  5 SB,  16 GP    Pitching:  3.43 ERA,  2.14 WHIP,  27 K,  15 BB,  11.2 IP

Most Improved Player
	Jason Hewlett
		King Friday
	2013 Batting: .267 AVG,  .445 OBP,  .700 SLG,  12 HR,  33 RBI,  29 R    2012 Batting:  .100 AVG,  .336 OBP,  .211 SLG,  3 HR,  10 RBI,  9 R

MVP
	Kyle Tomlinson
		El Diablos
	.429 AVG,  .618 OBP,  .810 SLG,  10 HR,  41 RBI,  56 R,  4 SB,  28 GP

Clown Shu
	Craig Skinner
		El Diablos
	0.37 ERA,  0.72 WHIP,  9 W,  144 K,  33 BB,  2/4 CS,  54 IP

Diamond Digits
	Nick Coffee			Greg Brannan
		King Friday			King Friday
		OF			OF
	Joel Crozier			Chris Paquin
		Wicked Aces			Holy Balls
		SS			P