Big League WIFFLE Ball News

Since being ranked #2 in the Mid-Season power rankings put out by the Animal last summer, DOOM has gone on to capture 13 Championships, including 5 straight to start 2009 while grossing $3,650 in prize money. Combine that with last year’s winnings and DOOM has cleared over $13,000 with plenty of wiffs yet to be played.

Notable Streaks- DOOM has made 19 of the last 23 medium pitch Finals while putting up a 16-3 record losing only to the Rookies, Erik’s Yum Yums and Discover Yohoho’s Wood- consisting of Piazza, King and Kevin McHugh. The more talented McHugh brother. Perhaps most impressive is the streak D-Mall and Trotta are on playing as a 2-man. Since a 1-run loss to Legion of DOOM- consisting of Troy and Erik on Apil 19th, Dallas and Trotta have won 10 Consequative tournaments setting a ridiculous standard for others to aim for.

Despite DOOM’s dominance there are many teams worth mentioning that have the potential to dethrown the Champs at anytime. A short list in no particular order:

1. Blue Razrs- Young and talented. They play a spirited brand of WIFFLE ball and are one of the most difficult teams to get by in the playoffs. Their pitcher Kevin is quickly becoming one of the best in the game as he is learning to command the zone with 7 different pitches. His bat along with Dave’s and the rest of the Razrs make them a formidable foe for a long time to come.

2. Absolute Gunners- this team has been around for 6 years now and getting better with each tournament. In the absence of star pitcher Adam Junker, utiltiy player Matt McHugh had to take the reins and figure out how to win big games when it mattered most. A skill he is still fine tuning but with the steady offense provided by long time friend Chris Merrifield and recently acquired Gerry DWPH, the Absoulte Gunners seem on the cusp of winning every tournament they play in.

3. Yohoho and a Bottle of Rum- These guys win the gritty gutty award every year and are one of the scariest teams to go up against. Russ the crafty veteran has fined tuned his skills by playing some 1-man and kicking ass doing so. When you add Kyle Piazza to the team- one of the most dangerous lefty hitters in the sport and “round” out the squad with Josh formerly of the Bottom Line, this team is almost unbeatable.

4. Demboyz- This is another young up and coming team who hasn’t completely broken through yet, but who is consistently pitching their way to Final Fours. Once the bats come alive this will be a team nobody wants to play. Despite being a bunch of 16 year olds, these Boyz are the real deal and one of the most committed teams in the sport, showing up each and every weekend traveling from NY to VT. Their greatest challenge may be maintaining the wheels which get them around. Rumor has it they drove over a bucket of balls leaving the parking lot in Medway this past Saturday possibly causing damage to the undercarriage. Careful boyz or Dad may revoke transportation rights.

5. Krusty’s Kids- This Organization is led by Jack Caton, one of the most dedicated activist for the sport of WIFFLE. Jack and his team have been around long enough to see some former players retire, literally. In an effort to evolve Jack recruited some local talent by signing Nick Amato, Scott Martell and Dan Wizner. These players added instant credibilty and now in 2009, Jack has trespassed directly into DOOM’s farm system and stole Troy and Erik to compete against us in BLWB. Thus far, the move has yet to pay off as they have come up short going 0-3 against the Evil Empire, but 2/3 games did go to extra innings. KK’s are for real and so long as they keep their heads and emotions in check, this team will win more than just 1 tournament in 2009. 

Now obviously I could go on and on because there are so many good teams to talk about but for now I’ll jst break it down by listing a few great teams based on the formats they tend ot play in the most- so if you find yourself at any of these events, and DOOM isn’t there these are the other teams not listed you have to watch out for:

NEWA- Chief, Leg Arm, Dirtbags, C9′s

WROCK- Brew Crew, Aggro Crag, Beer Factor

WUP- Cereal Killers, Rookies, Niff, Lawn Boys

HRL- Plastic Jiahad, Ego Squad, The Steve’s Team

Wifflestock- The Show, Outlawz, Tripod, Waayback

WUP Phili- Lou’s Diamonds