2008 Winter Meetings Successful! View 09' changes.

The 2008 Winter Meetings took place on Decemeber 10th, 2008. Many players from throughout the league attended and helped developed many changes for the 2009 season.

What are the Changes?

Spring Training will be 1 week shorter. While the Regular season will start 1 week earlier and consist of 12 weeks, including AllStar Break and 22 regular season games.

Extra Games: Teams will be allowed 6 extra games during the regular season. But only 3 extra games may be played after the AllStar Break.

The League will be Re-Intergrating Inter League Play for 2009. Six teams (3 teams from each side) will be needed to flex play and play 3 weeks of their season on the opposite night.

Rosters: Rosters must be set before the start of the regular season. No players can be added after the Allstar break. A player must play in 2 games before the AllStar break to be eligible to play in the Playoffs. Exceptions can be made by the League Commitee and will be addressed individually.

No Tagging up on Foul Balls.

A Hit ball hitting any part of the fence in the air will be a ground rule double.

The Top Three teams (based on winning %) from each division will make the KWL Championship Playoffs. First place teams in each division will receive a first week by.

The Four and Fifth place teams from both divisions will advance to the Tom Selleck festival of compition playoffs. More details to come!

Pitch Speed rule will be finalized and implied for 2009.

Three man pitching rotation will be required for the Playoffs only.

Mercy Rule Update:
The Dutchman: Any game over 15 runs that is not with in 8 runs = over. (meaning 15-7 at any point of the game = over).

The Stat Padder: Once a team is up by 10 runs, the leading team must hit opposite handed until the game is under 10 runs or the mercy rule goes into effect in the 4th inning.

Ladies Black Bat: All Ladies will be able to us the supplied KWL Ladies bat. Starting on week 4, only ladies with a slugging percentage under .400 (SLG %) can continue to use the bat. (using current up to date regular season stats) Captains will be required to monitor this.

Pitch Running: Once a hitter reaches base safely, they must remain the baserunner until forced to take their next scheduled at bat. Any player not currently on base can take over baserunning responsibilities.
Injured player exception: A player may pitch run for a injured player after the player has safely reached base. If a players is opting for a pitch runner, they may not field during the game.

Many KWL winners in the 2008 NWLA Wiffy Awards!

The NWLA Wiffy Award winners were announced this past week and include many KWL winners.

After a full season of colorful columns, Jacques Rimmier won the coveted Columnist of the Year. Jacques who is currently somewhere France, was unavailable for comment. Well done you weird frenchie!

The Shanghai Chuckers took the league by storm this past season and managed to finish just 1 game below .500 with a 10-11 record. They may have missed the playoffs, but they won the Team Name of the year!

Adam Nash was 10-1 with a 1.08 Era and pitched his way onto the National Pitchers 3rd team .

Setting Records in Hits, Runs, and Homeruns, Jennings pheoninal 08' hitting clinic landed him on the National Hitters 1st Team for the second straight year.

For the first time, Brian Meyers made the National Hitters 2nd team. Brian's biggest accomplishment from the plate in 08' was beating the single season Rbi total with 71.

One of the biggest surprises of the Wiffy Awards was Matt Quardokus locking down a spot in the National Fielders 1st team. In this Rookie Year, Matt made some fantastic plays all season long.

Congatulations to all the winners! An be sure to check out the NWLA website for more infomation and rankings!

http://www.geocities.com/wiffleball100/index.html

Yellow Bat Classic Cancelled!

Due to lack of Interest the 1st attempt at the Yellow Bat Classic will have to be cancelled. The YBC will look to operate next year, but earlier in the summer. Sorry for the inconvenience and thanks to those players that took the time to show your interest.

2008, Tearing through the Record books

The 2008 season has left a large imprint on the KWL record book. Five of twelve single season hitting records were set this season, while four of eleven single season pitching records were reset.

Bryan Jennings of the Gentlemen captured the first KWL triple crown and in the process set four new records; Single Game Hits (10), Single Season Hits (76), Runs Scored (51), and Homeruns (25). Jennings also became the All-time leader in Homeruns (47), and Career Avg. (.501).

Long time KWL veteran Brian Meyers beat the seemingly unbeatable single season Rbi record set by Matt Kirsch in 2007 with 71 Rbi's of his own. Brian also added to his All-time records for Hits (186), Rbi (156), Runs (112), Wins (21), K's (301), and Shutout's (12).

Jacques' very own, Adam Nash won 10 games for the first time in KWL history and also set the single season shutout record with 7. He also set a personal record of 4 handjobs in a day given to Rimmier.

John Quardokus of the Shanghai Chuckers blew away the Innings pitched record with 71 innings this season, passing the old record by more then 10 Innings.

In route to his first KWL Cy Wiffle, Andy Ross' pin point control set the single season record for whip with an impressive mark of 0.74.

Season Fun Facts:
Dutchman only team in the KWL to not be swept this season.
Paris Ward was the shortest male player to finish an entire season.
Two no-hitters were thrown this season, both by AJ Tate (vs. Beavers, StoneCutters).
Brian Meyers won his Second Batting title, 2 in 3 years.
Bryan Jennings won the Homerun Crown and the Batting Title in two consecutive years.
Daryl Hutson's very popular Pterodactyl impression made 1 appearance on the last week.
Mike Raber won 9 games for the second consecutive year.
Kristy Stratton became the first (and probably last) female Homerun Champ (AL).

Check out the rest of the Updated Record book!
http://www.kzoowiffleball.com/records.html

The Leagues two Surprise teams say "good-bye".

The Kwl's two Surprise teams of 2008 both say "good-bye" after the first round of the divisional play.

The Flying Dutchman came on fast posting a 9-1 record at the All-Star Break. They also led the AL division until the final week of the season where they fell 1 game back into second place. The newb squad of pre-pubescent players put up an impressive 16-5 record.

Face and Humans put a large wrinkle in the plans of many National League teams as they powered their way into the final playoff spot. The Humans posted a 12-8 record and we able to get the Belly Itchers fits all year long.

Two Great additions to the league and we look forward to next season!

The Gentlemen sweep the Beavers and Clinch First Place.

After a three game sweep of division rival the Angry Beavers, the Gentlemen seized first place in the last week of the season. Clinching first place sets The Gentlemen with a first round bye.

The Belly Itchers split with #3 spot holder, Face and Humans and both teams with sqaure off in the first round of the National League Playoffs.

Bryan Jennings win's KWL's First Triple Crown!

On the final night of the regular season, Gentlemen's Bryan Jennings passed Face's Josh Little in Rbi's to win the KWL's first Triple Crown.

Brian finished the last 3 games of the season with 14 Rbi's and 3 Hr's to take a commanding lead for the National League Triple Crown.

Jennings finished with a .514 Avg., a record setting 25 Hr's and 61 Runs batted in.

Industrials Clinch top spot in the AL.

Finishing the season with a three game sweep of the Flyin' Wildies, The Kalamazoo Industrials clinch the top seat in the American league. With the clinch, they earn the coveted bi-week and advance to the 2nd round of the playoffs.

The Dutchman finished 2nd after splitting their last series with the Chuckers and will play the 3rd place Flyin' Wildebeest next Monday Night at the Township Park.

Best 'Stache of 2008.

Mike Raber of the Gentlemen took home the best 'stache of 2008. Pat Kean of the Industrials finished second. Congratulations to the winner and runner-up and thanks to everyone that participated.

Belly Itchers ranked #1 in the Nation.

For the first time, a KWL team is ranked #1 in the Nation as the Belly Itchers moved up from #5 from the last week. The Belly Itchers started the season at #5 and floated in an out of the Top 7 all year, but finally moved to #1 with a 16-4 record. The Belly Itchers will look to hold onto thier first place ranking as they finish their 08' schedule against the Face and Humans.

http://www.geocities.com/wiffleball100/2008RankingsWeekx15.html

2008 Award winners announced!

For the first time ever, nearly half of the Awards were decided by 5 points or less! Three American league catagories were decided by 3 points or less. A thilling finish to another thrilling season for the KWL.

Thanks to all that participated in the voting process and congratulations to all the players involved!

Without further ado, your 08' Award Winners:
http://www.kzoowiffleball.com/Columns/08/Awardwinners08.html

Monday Night Scheduling mistake corrected.

A mistake was brought to our attention yesterday of a scheduling problem. The Ducks were on the schedule to play the Chuckers for the remaining two weeks. The Flying Dutchman and Transformers will switch up the last week, matching the Chuckers with the Dutchman and the Transformers with the Ducks.

Corrected Schedule is here:
http://www.kzoowiffleball.com/schedule.html

Happy 4th of July.

Happy Independence Day from the Kalamazoo Wiffleball League. The original mid-summer classic. The 4th of July is a time to celebrate the Birth of the United States of America. A time to spend with family and enjoy the freedom that we have in our great Country. A time to collect ourselves and remember those that gave the ultimate sacrifice keep keep this Country great.

The opertunity to enjoy a hot summer cookout with friends. The opertunity to leave work behind for a long weekend of entertainment. And the greatest opertunity, the chance to personally thank a Service Man or Woman for the corage to protect this Country that we all hold dear to our hearts.

Thank you all for protecting this country! Thank you for sacrificing your own mid-summer party to keep us safe. Thank you Veterans for what you have done and continue to do for the United States. This day has become more then the Birth Day of the USA, it has become the Pride of the American People.

Everyone have a safe and great 4th of July!

Allstar and Funstar logos released!

Guess that 80's Movie* (Allstars) and Guess that 80's Tv show** (Funstars). This year the American League will be wearing Black shirts and the National League will be wearing Gold. The Tshirts will cost $10 each and can be paid for the day of the event (heck bring a $20 spot and donate the rest to Big Brothers *wink*).

*Hint: Goose **Hint: I ain't gettin' on no plane!

Allstar and Funstar voting begins today!

Monday June 16th will mark the start of allstar voting and will end this coming Friday (6/20/08). The results of the voting will be available online Saturday June 21st.

How does the voting work?
It's pretty simple, just find the ballot sheets (they will be in a vanilla envelope in the field boxes) and follow the instructions on the sheet! Only one ballot per player please! No outside voting allowed this year, sorry fans!

I am on the ballot but not available to play on June 28th, what should I do?
Please let the commish know as soon as possible to make sure everyone gets an opportunity to play on Allstar/Funstar Saturday. Many players that have conflicting plans are already off the ballot (So don't ask why AJ is not on it).

View the ballot online here:
http://www.kzoowiffleball.com/Columns/08/Allstarballot.html

Clarification of the Mercy Rule.

At any point of a game past four complete innings and a team goes up by 10 runs the game is over.

Example #1:
Visiting team is up 9-0 in the top of the 5th inning with 1 out. Johnny Wiffleball stud comes up with the bases loaded and hits a Grand Slam. The game would be over and the score would be 13-0. The home team would not get their at bats.

Example #2:
The home team is up 11-0 going into the bottom of the 4th inning. They must bat through the home half of the inning for the game to be complete. That means, even if they tack on 20 more runs, the game still has to finish 4 complete innings.

When do walks become unsportsmanship?

As the commissioner of the league, I have to address issues like this very often. I have to choice when the right time to say something is; the never ending Walks discussion has finally reached a point where I feel I need to say my peace...

[soap box]
When is the walk acceptable?
In close games, sporadically and against good top tier pitchers walks are acceptable.

Why against top tier pitchers?
Because they CAN hit the board. If they are not giving into you as a hitter and giving a pitch to hit, then take the walk. It sucks to do, but honestly alot of top tier pitchers DO NOT give hitters pitches to hit in 4-1 counts.

When are walks un-acceptable?
If you team is up by more then 5 runs, SWING THE DAMN BAT! The walk does nothing to help the league; it ruins pitching stats and makes everyone angry.

Next, it is 100% un-acceptable to walk against struggling pitchers in the league. They CAN NOT hit the board on command, so please be a good sport and swing at a couple close pitches! Just because it is not hitting the board, does not mean it is not hit-able.

If you have not put in some innings in the league, you should defiantly step up and see how it feels to not be able to hit the board or get hitters to swing at stuff even close. As a pitcher, I can tell you that sometimes you just can't hit the board, even good pitchers struggle with it.

The point of the walk in the league is simple. It is to allow hitters to get ahead of a pitcher (hitters count, 2-0, 3-1, 4-0 ect) and look for a good pitch to hit. If you consider yourself a good hitter, then you should be looking to drive the ball somewhere and looking to avoid the walk.

I understand that everyone wants to win games. Everyone wants to be the league Champ, the MVP ect; but at what expense? We are all friends playing a game that we enjoy and it allows us to be competitive. But in the end, remember that sometimes you need to forget your ambitions and agendas and just be a stand up player and show some sportsmanship!
[end soap box]

2008 Playoff format released.

The 2008 Playoffs don't begin for sometime to come, however it is important for everyone to know how it is going to be handled. Early in the spring we talked about taking four teams from each division for the playoffs, but under careful consideration we have decided to only take the top three this season; the same format we used with sucess last sesaon. The number one seeds will have a first week bye and the two and three seeds will play each other in the first round (NLDS and ALDS). The Purpose of the bye week is to reward the first place teams for their great season showing and make for a more interesting playoff chase.

ALDS begins on August 4th and the NLDS begins on August 7th.

ALCS beings on August 11th and the NLCS begins on August 14th.

The Township Series beings on August 18th.

Happy Memorial day! No scheduled games.

We hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial day and just a reminder that the American league does not have any regular scheduled games this week.

Starting around 6pm on 5/26/08, we will be playing pickup games at Flesher Field. All are welcome to come out!

Season officailly Begins, Beware of this 'Gentleman'!!

I have patiently wanted for this exact moment all Spring Training (which I attended twice a week), the first opportunity to blow up for no reason. A random wiffleball experience in which I can project all of my pent up rage and criticism for no apparent reason and not a bit of positive outcome. I had intended to pen this post TODAY before my season opener just to ruffle a few feathers and more importantly amuse myself. The latter is the most honest statement. I may make in this into an entire blog, possibly all season.



On that note, let's begin with the fact that The Gentlemen will be making another appearence in the Township Series this year! Sorry 'guys', but you are nothing but a case of Rectal ITCH.



Now, to biggest piece of non-sense, the protested game. As, co-commish (I position in which I actually take seriously) I was made aware of this situation as soon as I was available, on Tuesday afternoon just before the Internet viewing audience was notified. We conversed on the subject and I feel that the absensce of a batter in a line-up once a game has begun by rule (which are posted and all Vets are pretty familiar with) is an out for the rest of the said game. With all of the blogging/posting and grievences aside, I will make it clear that this is in fact the manner that on ALL League issues, Brian contacts me we talk it over with each other without ANY bias and to put it out there I am not afraid to tell him that he is wrong, suprisingly enough he actually listens. To also make it crystal-clear no one has lost or WON that game quite yet! There is no harm!



So, this has been a GREAT and positive learning experience for both of us. We are now aware that a Commitee, not just to the two of us, is necessary. As of now, it consists of the Commishes, Jim from the Indians, and Daryl of the Industrials. As of now (like it was handled on Tuesday) these reps will be contacted and a group resolution will be made. We are all adults and that really doesn't need to be said. When that statement has to be said from the most immature player(just ask my parents!) in the League, it is sad!



I have rambled for long enough and maybe all of this doesn't make sense or hit home, but let's remember that we ALL are playing a child's game in order to have fun and to be a part of something. Let's just drop it, and if it's not clear...............I will be filling the role of "bad-cop" this season. Feel free to call me an asshole the next time you see me at your game because I will probably be there doing what I can to help the League and make that one call that no one wants to! Beware I may just follow up that asshole shout with a firm handshake and any even firmer man-hug!!! Let's play ball!!!!

Player stats, coming soon!

We are currently working on the Player stat pages and hope to have them up and online before Saturday. We are currently re-oganizing past seasons stats and working on a nice easy to navigate interface. Please sit tight, they are coming soon!

Transformers vs. Ducks, Protested game resolution.

On 5/20/08, the League Committee met to discuss the Protested game by the Sittin' Ducks. The score sheets and game scenarios were discussed and the Protested was approved.

The Solution!
The Score sheet was simulated using the Injured players spot in the line up as an out. Doing so, it left the game in a 5-5 tie at the end of 6 innings.

On June 16th (Week 4) starting at 6:30 PM, The Transformers and Sittin' Ducks are scheduled to play on Flesher East. Before starting the regularly scheduled games, the teams will start the protested game in a 5-5 tie in the top of the 7th inning. The lineups will remain the same (including the injured player's spot as an out).


Example of a Protested game from Major League Baseball:
Cut from wikipedia:

The Famous Pine Tar Incident.

On July 24, 1983, the Royals were playing the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. In the top of the ninth inning, Brett came up to bat against Goose Gossage, his old rival. Brett hit a two-run homer to put the Royals up 5-4. After Brett rounded the bases, Yankees manager Billy Martin calmly walked out of the dugout and the umpires used home plate to measure the amount of pine tar, a legal substance used by hitters to improve their grip, on Brett's bat. Martin cited an obscure rule that stated the pine tar on a bat could extend no further than 18 inches. Brett's pine tar extended about 24 inches. Earlier in the season, the Yankees had noted Brett's habit of adding pine tar further than the allowed 18 inches, but waited until a crucial time to point it out to the umpires.

The Royals protested the game, and their protest was upheld by AL president (and former Yankees chief executive) Lee MacPhail, who ruled that the bat was not "altered to improve the distance factor," and that the rules only provided for removal of the bat from the game, and not calling the batter out. The game was continued later that season, starting after Brett's homer.

Sittin' Ducks protest second game of the season opener.

A controversial start to the 2008' season for two KWL teams; Sittin' Ducks and Transformers. Starting in the second inning of Game 2, the Transformers had a player leave the game with an injury. They continued to finish the game without the player or a replacement, but did not count the injured players at-bat as an out.

From the KWL rule book:
2.08: INJURED OR LEAVING PLAYERS: If a player starts the game, they must finish the game, or they are considered an automatic out when they are due up. If the Team has a substitute, they can sub him into the game in place of the leaving or hurt player.

During a 3rd inning rally, the injured player was schedule to bad with the bases loaded and 2 outs. Since the Transformers skipped over this players at-bats the rest of the game, it should have been an out and should have ended the inning with no more runs scored. The Transformers scored 5 runs that inning while only 2 runs should have counted. The score finished 6-5 in favor of the Transformers.

What is a Protested games?
If a rule is broken during a game and the broken rule helps the offending team to a win, a team can protest the game and have it ruled on by the League Committee.

Shouldn't Teams have to catch the mistake and call the other team on it during the game?
Ideally, Yes. However in this situation, the Ducks were playing with 3 players and were not keeping track of the other teams lineup. Often a team with have friends or family hanging around the bench area and it often makes it hard for the other team to notice if someone that was playing is playing again.

If a controversial play happens, a new team may not be sure enough of the rules to make the call on another team. As long as the Protest is submitted before Noon the next day (to the commissioner), it will be reviewed.

What does this mean?
The League Committee will review the protest and come up with a solution that is acceptable to each team. We understand that this may not have been done intentionally and could have been an honest mistake, but non the less benefited the winning team.

When will we know what the outcome is going to be?
The protest will be reviewed as soon as the Committee can converge on the issue, but could take up to a week for the result.

Flying Dutchman logo released.

The newest American League expansion team has released it's team logo for the upcoming 2008 season.

Shanghai Chuckers Logo unveiled!

The new KWL expansion team, Shanghai Chuckers have released their new logo for the upcoming 2008 season.

Chet's Lemons making moves...

The 2007 NL champions, which moved to the AL for the spring of 2008 have moved back to the National League and will be playing on Thursday nights with the Defending Champions.

The Lemons will also be changing their name to "The Gentlemen". Updated Team page and logo to come!

Still need 1 more Thursday night team!

We are still looking to add one more team to Thursday nights.

Signup sheets available here:
http://www.kzoowiffleball.com/Columns/08/08signups.html

Please ask you friends, Family and people you see on the street! It would be really nice to fill this spot quickly!

Contact Brian @ 269-806-6036 for more information!

Sittin' Ducks looking for a few more Female players!

The Sittin' Ducks are looking for a few more female players to play on Monday night. If you know someone or if you would like to play, Please contact Brian@jcroffroad.com or 269-806-6036.

Spring Training Schedule will be available on 4/26.

We will have the Spring Training Schedule available this coming Saturday 4/26. Please check back to the site for updates and when your team will be playing.

New Site Launched!

The new site has been launched. Please bare with us as we get certain pages updated and working correctly! Enjoy!

Spring Training begins!

Spring training kicks off for 2008 on Monday April 21st (American League) and Thursday April 24th (National League) starting at 6:30pm.

All new teams are required to show and attend at least 2 weeks of spring training. All player/team fee's must be paid in full before the start of the 2008 season.