Gameday 7/28: Warriors @ Friday; Islanders @ Aces; Ducks @ Warriors; Ducks @ Friday

1 PM     Field of Make-Believe     Wayne, MI
(16 - 12)	1	Game 1	0	(12 - 16)
	WP: Haffey (5-3)  HR: Voutsos (5)	7 innings	LP: Hewlett (4-7)
	1	Game 2	2
	LP: Shore (0-2)		WP: M. Brannan (5-7)
Line on the Series:   How will the first run(s) be scored? (BB, 1B, HR, etc.) / HR Friday beat: Westside beat: Game 1: Pitchers duel between haffey and Hewlett. Top of the 7th solo bomb by voutsos puts Westside on top. Kiefer shuts it down. Game 2: Hatt pitches first two innings. Shore comes in in third. Slams door for first two innings. Hollister RBI and Sharlow RBBI lift KF to victory

2 PM     Poolside Park     Ottawa Lake, MI
(5 - 23)	0	Game 1	5	(25 - 3)
	LP: Linebrink (0-9)		WP: A. Bischoff (7-0)
	0	Game 2	1
	LP: Mundel (3-6)	8 innings	WP: Crozier (3-0)  HR: A. Bischoff (9)
Line on the Series:   Over/Under 39.5 Total Ks Aces beat: The Aces offensive struggles continued against a vastly improved Islanders team. Austin Bischoff threw game one for the Aces and was on his Clown Shu form. The Aces scored 5 runs, but most of them were off of walks by Linebrink. RJ Fisher toed the hill in game two and threw another masterpiece, going 6 and 1/3 scoreless. Joel Crozier came in with runners on 1st and 2nd and was able to shut the door on the Islanders. Will Mundel threw an excellent game and the only run he let up was on a walk-off A. Bischoff home run in the bottom of the 8th. Islanders beat:

3:30 PM     The Reservation     Farmington Hills, MI
(11 - 17)	0	Game 1	1	(16 - 12)
	LP: Pearson (6-6)		WP: Hatt (3-2)  * Perfect Game *
	0	Game 2	5
	LP: Morris(3-2)		WP: Shore (1-2)
Line on the Series:   Series Point Spread: WW -1.5 / WW cover Warriors clinch fourth seed in playoffs Westside beat: Game 1: Hatt v. Pearson for playoff berth. Hatt tosses a perfect game and absolutely shuts down the ducks. Warriors capitalize on early command problems by pearson. Game 2: Shore v. Morris. Morris gets in early command trouble. Warriors strike for three in the first. Hatt and Ajluni have 2RBI performances. Shore shuts the door on the ducks. Ducks beat:

6 PM     Field of Make-Believe     Wayne, MI
(11 - 17)	0	Game 1	3	(12 - 16)
		Ducks forfeit
	0	Game 2	3
		Ducks forfeit
Line on the Series:   Closest to # w/o going over: Outs recorded before a run is scored

Gameday 7/26: Holy Balls @ Belgian Wiffles; El Diablos @ Wicked Aces

6 PM     Wiff-Hill Grounds     Rockwood, MI
(18 - 10)	25	Game 1	0	(4 - 24)
	Castle (5-1)  HR: Paquin (6,7,8,9), N. Braden (8,9), Castle (12,13), Corbett (4,5), Bullard (1,2)	3 Innings	Alexia (0-1)
	12	Game 2	0
	Paquin (8-5)  HR: Corbett (6,7), Braden (10),Bullard (3)	4 Innings	Matt (1-4)
Line on the Series:   Over/Under 29.5 Holy Balls hits / OVER (39) Holy Balls clinch third seed; will face El Diablos in the opening round of the Commissioner's Cup Playoffs Belgian beat: Balls beat: Friday night, Belgian hosted the Balls in what would be the teams' final regular season series of the year. This series culminated in the sheer blunder of Belgian's season, as the Balls lit up scoreboard in an apparent batting practice session. In game one, Castle opposed Alexia on the mound, in which the Holy Balls scored 25 runs. All the Balls hit multiple home runs, led by Paquin with a four home run game. Corbett, Bullard, Castle, and Braden each added two of their own. Castle was superb, pitching a shut-out in the three inning mercy. In game two, two ex-teammates rivaled on the mound as Matt faced Paquin. Matt showed composure on the mound, until the second inning when the Balls bats heated back up. Corbett added two more home runs to his day total, as well as contributions from Bullard and Braden adding one of their own. Balls shut-out Belgian 12-0. The play of the year occurred late in the game as Belgian's Doug Wesserling smoked a line drive to David Castle at shortstop. In a quick reaction, Castle got his hand up, deflected the ball, then Paquin reached out and was able make the grab on the fly.

? PM     Poolside Park     Ottawa Lake, MI
(21 - 7)	2	Game 1	1	(23 - 3)
	WP: C. Phillips (7-4)		LP: Bortmas (4-2)
	0	Game 2	3
	LP: Lollio (1-1)		WP: E. Bischoff (4-0)
Line on the Series:   Series Point Spread: WA -0.5 / WA cover Split season series 2-2 Wicked Aces lock up first seed in the Commissioner's Cup Playoffs Aces beat: The Diablos vs. Aces matchup was sure to be a tale of two pitchers duels, and that’s exactly what they were. In game one, Chandler Phillips squared off against Evan Bortmas. The Aces got an early run off of a hit and a few walks, but that would not be enough. Late in the game, Phillips helped his cause and hit a 2 run bomb over the short right field fence. The Aces were not able to strike again and lost 2-1. Game two featured Evan Bischoff vs. Craig Skinner and Nicco Lollio. Bischoff returned to his 2012 form and threw an absolute gem, surrendering 2 hits and only 1 walk. The Aces were able to back him up, scoring 3 runs, 2 of which were on a ding-dong daddy by Bortmas. El Diablos informe:

The Mayor's NWLA Tournament Game Summaries

Game 1:  Big Wood vs. OCWA
It was an eleven inning affair for Big Wood and OCWA to open up pool play in the NWLA Tournament. Big Wood featured several new players to complete, what was thought to be, an improved Big Wood squad from last year. The game proved to be a dandy as Austin Bischoff and Ryan Bush—arguably the best two wiffle ball pitchers in the country—faced off against each other for the first time this year.

Both Bischoff and Bush pitched gems in the game as they only allowed six hits between the two of them to go along with 50 combined strikeouts. In the end, Bush was able to out duel Bischoff as Bischoff loaded the bases in the eleventh by way of walks. The winning run ended up coming from Jon Suhre as he walked himself in. Final score: OCWA 1 Big Wood 0.


Game 2:  Big Wood vs. CWBC Clubbers
In the second game of pool play, Big Wood faced the Cincinnati Wiffle Ball Club Clubbers. This was the first meeting between the two teams. Taking the mound for Big Wood was Craig Skinner—a WSEM pitching all star. Skinner provided Big Wood with two big first innings as they he did not give up a hit; however, things changed in the third inning.

In the third inning, Skinner had issues gripping the ball due to the rain that had come into the area. The lack of a good grip on the ball caused Skinner to have control issues as he started to walk batters. Skinner’s control issues mixed in with a lack of bats by Big Wood ending up being Big Wood’s downfall as they lost to the CWBC Clubbers by a score of 15 to 0.


Game 3:  Big Wood vs. HWL Maroon Squad
After two straight losses for Big Wood, they finally met a team that they could pitch and bat against as they faced the HWL Maroon Squad. In facing the HWL MaroonSquad, Big Wood sent NWLA Tournament first-timer Chandler Phillips to the mound. Chandler was exceptional on the mound as he pitched a four-inning-no-mercy-no-hitter.

Leading bats for Big Wood were Alex Shore, who hit for the cycle, and Austin Bischoff, who went yard. Final score in the mercy against HWL Maroon Squad was Big Wood 15 HWL Maroon Squad 0.


Game 4:  Big Wood vs. MWLWI Mequonderers
It was Chandler Phillips, after a gem against HWL Maroon Squad, back in action against MWLWI in the first game of the playoffs, and boy was it a show again. In his second game of the tournament, Phillips allowed only one hit to Mike Boyles of the MWLWI to go along with 15 strikeouts and 7 walks. Also during this game, Big Wood’s bats were alive as every single Big Wood player made it on base.

In the end, Big Wood was able to best MWLWI in the first round of the NWLA Tournament by a score of 5 to 0. Big Wood enjoyed playing MWLWI and were excited to see them participating in their first NWLA Tournament and look forward to playing them again next year.


Game 5:  Big Wood vs. TBW Lightning
In the second round of the NWLA Tournament, Big Wood faced the tournament favorite — TBW Lightning. It was, again, a pitcher’s duel as Big Wood put their ace, Austin Bischoff on the mound, to face Chris Harley. The game would end up going six innings as it was a back and forth battle between Bischoff and Harley. Big Wood was able to capitalize on a few walks by Harley in the third and fourth innings to take a 3-0 into the fifth.

In the fifth, TBW was able to wear down Bischoff as they started to concentrate on bagging three walks to load the bases. Once the bases were loaded, TBW’s Chris Harley hit a grand slam to put TBW up 4-3. That would end up being the final score as TBW would walk away with the win.


Game 6:  Big Wood vs. PWL
For the first time in 2013, Big Wood and PWL were set to renew their rivalry in the elimination round of the NWLA Tournament. On the mound for Big Wood against PWL was Craig Skinner, who was aiming to right the ship after a disappointing Saturday appearance, while PWL put Jack Shannon on the mound to face Big Wood for the first time.

Big Wood got the scoring started in the second inning as Dakota LaDouceur was able to walk in and score a run. PWL would then counter in the top of the third as they walked in two batters. The walking show would continue in the bottom of the third as Big Wood was able to capitalize on Shannon’s lack of control and walk in three runs. The walking show ended for Big Wood in the fourth inning as Shannon’s control was restored, and the Big Wood free swingers started to strike out looking. In the end, PWL bested Big Wood by a score of 9 to 4.

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Your 2013 Ringler & Garcia All-Star Teams

	2013 WSEM All-Star Game   Saturday   August 10th, 2013   Pervis Memorial    Southgate, MI

SP - Craig Skinner El Diablos - 16 votes		SP - Chris Paquin Holy Balls - 17 votes
RP - Will Mundel Islanders - 11 votes		RP - Austin Bischoff Wicked Aces - 13 votes
F - Dennis Pearson Ducks - 12 votes		F - Evan Bortmas Wicked Aces - 11 votes
F - Dakota LaDouceur El Diablos - 8 votes		F - David Castle Holy Balls - 10 votes
F - Michael Sessions Islanders - 8 votes		F - Jason Hewlett King Friday - 10 votes
Alt.-Stars Pitchers Fielders Jason Matt BW - 7 votes Kyle Tomlinson EL - 7 votes Chandler Phillips EL - 4 votes Josh Nagorski DU - 7 votes David Buhr BW - 3 votes Matt Murtha IS - 5 votes Ryan Alexia, F (5); Nicco Lollio, F (4); Andrew Mott, F (3); Dylan Braden, F (2); Mark Phillips, F (2); Josh Roberts, F (2); Adam Cosby, P (1); Mike Myers, F (1); Alex Linebrink, F (1)		Alt.-Stars Pitchers Fielders Keifer Haffey WW - 5 votes Greg Brannan KF - 8 votes Mark Brannan KF - 5 votes Nick Coffee KF - 5 votes RJ Fisher WA - 1 vote Alex Shore WW - 4 votes Ryan Bullard, F (4); Carl Coffee; F (2), Joel Crozier; F (2); Andrew Piasecki, F (2); Justin Hughes, P (1); Jimmy Barone, P (1); Nader Ajluni, F (1); Evan Bischoff, F (1); Jason Hollister, F (1); Greg Voutsos, F (1); Thomas DeMaria, F (1); Brandon Corbett, P (1); John Sharlow, F (1)

This year saw more players from around the league than ever receive votes. Ringler had twenty players in the fielders category get a shout out, and eleven pitchers. In Garcia there were seventeen fielders and nine pitchers named. In the event that a player had votes for both pitcher and fielder, his total numbers were added together in the position for which he had more votes. In the case of a voting tie between fielders, batting average was used as the tie-breaker. ERA was used as the tie-breaker for pitchers.

The 2013 WSEM All-Star Game will be played on Sunday August 10th as part of the John Hill For the Thrill festivities at Pervis Memorial in Southgate. The game will be played at 4 PM, in between the For the Thrill round robin and championship game. Festivities for día de celebración de la Liga will begin at 11 AM and run until we grow tired. More fun away from the field is planned this year, including a home run derby open to everyone throughout the day. More info on all of that to come. Let us look at the 2013 All-Star teams!

Garcia: Dennis Pearson gets named to his third All-Star team, making him the only player to have been named in every WSEM season. Though, this is the first time he is named as a non-pitcher. His commanding lead in the Country Strong HR King chase makes him an obvious offensive choice. Speaking of Country Strong, Dakota LaDouceur won a share of that award last year, and now gets named to his first All-Star team as a fielder. Should we get ready for a mid-afternoon fireworks show from those two? LaDouceur is joined by fellow Diablo Craig Skinner, who received the most votes of any player. Craig will get the opportunity to start the ASG for Garcia at his home field. The last two spots on the team are filled by the Islanders, who have two rookies voted in. Will Mundel has taken the league by storm, and improved on the mound with every start. The respect earned for him showed as he was one of seven players to get double digit votes; Mundel will be the relief pitcher for Garcia in August. His teammate Michael Sessions, in addition to being a favorite to share the field with, also captivated earlier this season with his impressive streak of 25 straight PA without an AB. Those two things secured the Mayor the fifth All-Star spot. However, he is already on record stating he will be out of town for the game; therefore, una tercera Diablo, Kyle Tomlinson, is next in line to fill his spot on the roster. As much as the game will miss Sessions, Kyle is having an MVP caliber year at the plate and looks to avoid being a major snub casualty.

Ringler: Evan Bortmas and Austin Bischoff of the Whiteford Wicked Aces are both selected to their second consecutive Ringler Division All-Star team. They were part of the rout in last year's, and look to keep the legacy of Ringler dominance going. Bortmas is voted on as the first fielder, again, and deservingly so with various impressive offensive numbers; apparently so impressive, they eclipse his Clown Shu contending pitching numbers. Austin is also in the Shu talk and is named to the team as the relief pitcher, because Chris Paquin took the league by storm early in the season. He has had a couple rough outings in July, but the clout of, "the only pitcher to beat El Diablos twice on the season," along with his early success has earned him the starters role. His Balls teammate, David Castle, earned his fielding spot with a huge mid-season push, which saw his average nearly double and home run total climb into the double digits. Oh yeah, and David is running away with the inaugural Great Lakes Stealer award, as well. The final roster spot on Ringler is well-deserved by Jason Hewlett. He is widely considered to be the most improved player in the league, and his having a very productive season at the dish for King Friday.

One thing seems clear with this season's rosters: even though Ringler has run away with the season series between the divisions, this 2013 ASG looks like it will be much better contested than its 2012 counterpart. We will have to wait until August 10th to see for sure, but what do you put your money on? Garcia's vengeance? Ringler's dominance? Which player will have the biggest on the game? Let us hear it!

Gameday 7/14: Balls @ Islanders; Westside @ Aces; Friday @ Ducks; Westside @ Ducks

3 PM     The Island     Detroit, MI
(16 - 10)	12	Game 1	3	(5 - 21)
	WP: N. Braden (4-1)  HR: Paquin (5), Castle (11), N. Braden (7)		LP: Linebrink (0-8)  HR: Colgan (1)
	1	Game 2	9
	LP: Paquin (7-5)		WP: Mundel (3-5)  HR: Linebrink (2)
Line on the Series:   Closest to # of outs recorded before a run is scored w/o going over; exact pick gets double points / # = 0 Islanders beat: Ah, those pesty little rats that are known as the Holy Balls decided to descend upon our lovely little island today for two epic battles. Thee Holy Balls, unfortunately, were able to steal the bounty from us, Pirates, in the first battle. It was Holy Ball, Nick Braden, who pitched remarkably well against our-beloved captain, Alex Linebrink. Nick was able to capitalize on a tough first inning for Alex and come away with a 12-3 victory. Enemies David Castle, Chris Paquin, and Nick Braden were able to pelt home runs out of the park, while Islander Robby Colgan hit his first career home run. In the second battle, thee Islanders were able to take their bounty back from the Holy Balls, and vanquish thee Holy Balls from the Island. Pirate, Will Mundel, was on for the second week in a roll, as he only allowed only one hit. Strong bats from pirates, Linebrink and Andrew Mott, helped propel thee Islanders to victory in thee second battle by a score of 9 - 1. Enemy pitcher Chris Paquin recorded the loss. Balls beat: Sweltering heat made games a bit unbearable to play, especially for those who took on more than one series. The usual breeze of the island didn't cool off the players, but just seemed to affect the movement of the ball from the pitcher's perspective. In game one, the Balls jumped out to a commanding lead by putting up 4 runs before the first out of the game was even recorded. After a painful first inning, the Islanders' pitching staff settled in nicely, shutting down the Balls. After the barrage of runs scored it was too late for the Islanders. Scoring included grand slams by Paquin and Braden, and a home run from Castle. Final score, 12-3. Game two was the total opposite, as Mundel shut down the Balls' free-swinging bats. Highlights included Corbett uncharacteristically shooting a triple to right field; Linebrink also with a home run for the Islanders. Final score, 9-1.

2:30 PM     Poolside Park     Ottawa Lake, MI
(13 - 11)	0	Game 1	12	(22 - 2)
	LP: Shore (1-2)	3 Innings	WP: A. Bischoff (6-0)  HR: Bortmas (8,9), Fisher (4,5), Crozier (4), E. Bischoff (3)
	0	Game 2	2
	LP: Hatt (2-2)		WP: Fisher (3-0)
Line on the Series:   Yes/No: Will a Westside lefty hit a HR over the short porch in RF? / NO Aces beat: Westside beat:

5 PM     The Swamp     Trenton, MI
(9 - 15)	2	Game 1	3	(11 - 13)
	LP: Hewlett (4-6)		WP: Pearson (6-5)  HR: Pearson (18), D. Braden (10)
	15	Game 2	9
	WP: M. Brannan (4-7)  HR: Hollister (2), G. Brannan (7), M. Brannan (2)		LP: D. Braden (1-3)  HR: Pearson (19,20), D. Braden (11)
Line on the Series:   Over/Under 3 HR hit by Pearson / PUSH Ducks beat: Friday beat: Game 1- Dennis Pearson struggled with accuracy early, but actually pitched a no hitter against a King Friday team that was hungry for that last playoff spot. Pearson provided his own offense when he took the other Jason H (the one with the infant) deep. "Our pitching plan was to throw Pearson bad pitches, however, a little David Buhr got into me and it was the most accurate pitch I've thrown in my almost 70 years on this planet." said Jason in a candid one-on-one interview to an unnamed source. This loss eliminated King Friday from the playoff hunt but captain Rich Hurd was overheard telling some of the spectators "Man, we can still make the playoffs, I feel it, I know we will make it!" [Ed. Note: KF is not yet mathematically eliminated; their elimination number is at 1.] Game 2 saw King Friday jump out early with a 3 run no-damn-doubter from dad to be Mark Brannan (the bearded one/quiet one) King Friday continued to pound a shirtless Braden on the mound. "I've seen some good looking nipples in my day", said stud batter John Sharlow, "but those have to be some of the most mesmerizing nipples I've seen since VegFest 2009." The Ducks made a run towards the end of the game, but Friday was able to hold on with the help of Greg Brannan's Griffey-Easton-pounding homerun which almost hit Jason Hollister's prized 1993 Toyota Camry. "I think it's a nice car," said should-be-allstar Jason Hollister, "If Greg would have hit it, I would guesstimate he would owe me somewhere around $15,000 or 4 Twisted Teas. I guess you could say I have an alcohol problem. Anyways we are going to Pranks bar in Gibraltar now." Overall it was a hot sweaty day but there will always be a spot in the King Friday patriotic heart for the Ducks.

7 PM     The Swamp     Trenton, MI
(13 - 11)	1	Game 1	6	(11 - 13)
	LP: Voutsos (0-1)		WP: Pearson (6-5)  HR: Pearson (21,22), D. Braden (12)
	9	Game 2	0
	WP: Hatt (2-2)  HR: Hatt (1), Voutsos (4)		LP: Nagorski (1-0)
Line on the Series:   Series Result: Westside sweep, Ducks sweep, 1-1 split / SPLIT Ducks beat: Westside beat: