Last week? Last year? They mean NOTHING

An offensive explosion heralds a new era of Whiff

There aren't any excuses that hold water for this one. Both teams pitched from the same damp mound, the same (extra) distance from home plate. We all played in the same low 60's temperatures. And no one had the sun in their eyes. And Stats DIDN'T make the teams.

But the Visiting team had an almost unbelievable day, while the Homeboys, their necks twisted sore from watching the hits go by, mustered a sole run in a 12-1 blowout.

Read 'em and weep

This was the second game with the mound pulled back, and all pitchers we're still looking to find the release point that put the ball in the strike zone; there were quite a few long at-bats. The big difference was, that when the home pitchers finally found it, the visiting batters connected. A lot.

After Stats surrendered a pair of runs in the top of the second, Dave Eldridge took the mound in the top of the third. Before he had recorded nary an out, Dave had surrendered more runs (4) than he had all last season (2).  Kurt, Hansoo, Glen managed three straight singles to start the inning, bringing Kurt back to the batter's box. Dave put one right out there and Kurt gave it a lusty blow to the roof - for the first home run of the season, and a Grand Slam at that!

But Kurt wasn't done. Next inning he hit a 2-run job off Peter - not just to the roof, but over the building. We have no color coding for that kind of hit, boys and girls:

Hits to the stratosphere shall be ruled home runs.

Peter would allow 6 runs that inning to complete the visitor's 12. Add it all up, Kurt went 7-for-12, 2 HR and 8 RBI. That's the only reason Hansoo's 7-for-13, 4 RBI are not the story of the game. Glen came along for the ride with a good day of his own: six singles in thirteen at bats.

I have no explanation as to why the Home batters could not make a show with the bats themselves. Peter commenced the defense of his home run crown with his first dinger of the year, a solo shot (off Glen) after his team was 12 runs down. Hansoo faced a bases loaded jam in the second, but emerged unscathed. The Homers never managed more than one runner in any other inning.

What have we learned three games into the year? There's little doubt that moving the mound back has changed the game. Longer at bats, more contact. Look at the pitching stats - Contact Avg.'s are way up. Last year means nothing: come to the park ready to hit.

And one other thing: Those of you who had intentions of moving the Tank Killabrew MVP statue from Kurt's mantle to your own (this would include me) - we're dug into a fairly deep hole already.  Damn you, Gilbert Harman!

Glen, Hansoo, Kurt - 12

Dave, Matt, Peter - 1

W: Cebulash

L: Lindsay

"Yours!"

Fielding Gaffes Waste Visitors' Effective Pitching

Blustery winds and temps in the low 40's made play a bit uncomfortable, particularly for defenders standing in the shade. Nonetheless, seven wifflers completed seven innings in a Sunday morning special at Nance Bradds. As the sun rose and the shadows receded, the bats heated up, too: no thoughts of comfort in a taut game.


Glen, making his first appearance of the season on the asphalt, convinced those chalking the lines to move the mound back to the middle of the window - probably a good four feet further back than the standard applied last year. Pleas that such a change was voted down in the Rules Committee last December, fell upon Glen's deaf ears. Besides most wifflers were too sloshed to remember the Rules Committee anyway. The extra four feet seemed to make a difference for most batters (see, for instance, Stats' three triples, and Brent's three hits). But while the bats were truly active, it was defensive miscues that really were the story of the day - costing the visiting three a win over the home-standing four.


And Brent suffered most from the cement hands in the outfield. With two on and none out in the bottom of the first, Brent induced a fly ball off Stats' bat more or less right at Kurt, who dropped it for a 2-RBI triple. If Kurt makes that catch, Brent escapes the inning unscathed. As it was 2 runs would turn out to be all the home team would need.


Later, pitcher Peter Berwald made a miscue of his own. With a lead off triple standing at third, da Commish attempted a double play on a grounder off Dave Eldridge's bat. The throw came in low and missed the strike zone, allowing a run. Not an error by definition, but a poor decision on his part; one that would open the door for another run later in the inning, completing the Homer's four.


The home team had a gaffe of their own in the field. One out, top of the fifth and da Commish sends a medium high liner to straightaway center field, where we find Glen and Zamonski ... engaged in casual conversation. Returning to the here and now, both men begin to converge on the ball, which is headed in between them.  They converge until Glen calls out, "YOURS!" at which point both "outfielders" stop and look into each others' eyes, allowing the ball to drop for a triple. That runner would score in subsequent play on a double by Kurt.


Now. Verily it is so that some wifflers take this pursuit too seriously and others do not. Some kick coffee cups and throw bats, some keep score and calculate slugging averages. Others ... wear capri pants and elfin hats, and critique old films while at play. Neither forms a Platonic ideal, but it is a bit difficult to watch a ball drop between two fielders from the pitching rubber.


Brent, Kurt, Peter - 1
Dave, Eric, Glen, Matt - 4


WP - Lindsay
LP - Mackintosh
SV - Zamonski

Opening Day Tie

Unfortunately, it was not this kind of tie. It was the kind of tie that Vince Lombardi so despised. It was the kind of tie that leaves a wiffler feeling incomplete. It was the kind of tie that begged for more innings, but there had been a full two and a half hours of play, and arms were tired. It was this kind of tie:

Under a cloudy sky, with chilly, gusty winds and with basically no fanfare, Stats Lindsay opened the season with a first pitch ball to batter Chris "Flo" Anderson. The 2011 OW&AC season was underway.

There were two runs plated, evenly divided between two teams over 150 minutes of play. There were gutsy performances from Hansoo, who pitched two innings despite a bad shoulder, and new guy Mike Lucas, who threw three innings (and a high pitch count) and in a lot of jams. Those gentlemen surrendered the paltry supply of runs on the day.

Batting stars of note included "Flo" Anderson, with 2 (count 'em) doubles on the morning, and an RBI; Hansoo with 6 singles in 9 at-bats; and Mike Lucas with a 4-for-11 debut with an RBI.

Chris, Hansoo, Kim, Kurt - 1
Matt, Mike, Peter - 1

One last note - Stats achieved wiffle-dork history this morning: He became the first batter in league history to use a batting helmet (facing Kurt Mosser in the bottom of the first inning). It didn't help - struck out looking - but Kurt didn't bother hitting him in the head.

The redesigned stats for 2011 are updated and available at the links on the right column.

New Rules Review As Opening Day Approaches

You may recall that on December 10th last, the rules committee met and approved two new rules for the 2011 Wiffle Season. Actually, considering the quantities of beer consumed, some of you may be excused for not remembering. Anyway, for the refreshment of all, here are the new rules for the 2011 Whiff Championship Season:

1.  "Either Hoop!" By a close vote is was decided that the batter who successfully bats a foul ball through either basketball hoop shall be credited with a home run and four runs batted in (RBI). This is known as a Grand Slam on the Cheap. It does not matter how many runners are on base at the time of the feat. After such Grand Slam, the bases shall be considered empty, and the batter's time at bat is over. The pitcher shall be charged with a HR and four runs allowed. This is known as a Tough Break.

Either one: HR, 4 RBI

2.  Ground Out Line. A new line will be added to the "infield" that runs parallel to the brick wall at the same distance from the wall as the pitching rubber. Ground balls must be fielded by the pitcher in front of this line to count as an out. Batted ground balls passing this line will be recoded as a single. One point on this rule that is not clear is if extra defenders are allowed to be positioned between the Ground Out Line and the Doubles Line. Details.

Finally, since more and more players are adding the "Cebulash Pull" to their batting repertoire, I think it wise to review the ground rules regarding hits to the short right porch at Nance Bradds Field. Please study this field diagram:

Right Field Ground Rules

Fair fly falls striking the building on the fly are hits according to the following guide:
Red - single
Orange - Double
Green - Triple
Blue - Home Run

Purple - Foul Ball

Weather looks good for Saturday's Opening Day!!

Spring Intra-Squad Game

First things first: let's all remember what Spring Training is for: getting in your swings, finding that release point and running the warning track. For Whifflers, two out of three ain't bad.

Today, what started as just batting practice for Matt, Kurt and (Rookie of the Year candidate) Mike Lucas turned into a seven inning intra-squad game with the arrival of Brent and Dave (R-OH). And the fans were treated to plenty of "finding the release point." More like "searching for the release point." Not all release points were actually found.

There was also a good amount of getting swings in, as the contest featured a fair amount of offense. For the record, we kept the score but not the stats.

Brent working on his "eye" (i.e. not swinging)

Take note, reader, in the photo above one of the high notes of the day: Starbucks coffee and DLM doughnuts delivered mid-game by Robyn. Nowhere is the term "Better Half" more apt than in the Mosser home. In the background you can make out Brent "getting in his swings" whilst waiting for Kurt to "find his release point."

Emphasis in the preceding paragraph is placed upon "one of" because there was another high note of the morning. In what was his fourth inning of pitching of the day, Kurt got shellacked. It started with four straight singles before Kurt struck out Matt. He'd see 6 more runs score before he got the second out. It got so bad that even when Matt was laughing so hard in the batter's box that he could not see, Kurt still couldn't hit the strike zone. When Matt did get it together he laced a single up the middle for another hit. Brent, Dave and Matt sprayed singles to all fields, and Dave hit a 3 RBI triple in the middle of it all. When the third out finally came, Kurt in that inning had surrendered more runs (9) than he did in all of 2010 (7). A one-game ERA of 20.25. Ice, Kurt. Ice.

9 runs allowed by Kurt, 2 driven in by him (off Brent)

But, hey, that's what Spring Training is for.

REMEMBER: Da Commish has declared next week Opening Day. Come on out and get in some swings that count.

How League Leaders are Made

Click to enlarge

Mid March. Saturday morning. 48 degrees.  Who's on the asphalt tuning up for the 2011 season?  Krash, Commish and Stats (not pictured).

Pictured above is Peter Berwald, 2010 leader in ABs, IP, RBI, 3Bs and tied for the lead in HR, is snapping off a curve to Kurt Mosser, 2010 MVP and league leader in Avg, Hits, 2Bs and K's as a pitcher. That is how league leaders are made: Pre-Season work.

Pre-Season is all about finding that release point, getting your work in and taking your swings.  The scouting report for today's one hour of batting practice? Peter's pitching is in regular season form, as is Kurt's bat.  Matt ... needs a lot of work ... which he'll get NEXT Saturday at 9:00 am.

Prepping for the new season

Early March, Whifflers, means we are just weeks away from wiffle-tolerant weather on Saturday mornings.  To get ready for the season, I have set up some of the 2011 stats tables - available on the right side for your perusal.  The tables are set up with dummy stats, taken from the Reds/Dodgers Cactus League game from Saturday, March 5.  The "All Stats" link is the same look at the standard batting and pitching stats for all players.

What's new is the "Clutch Batting" link that provides (via tab links across the top) a look at how players bat with runners in scoring position (RISP), how players bat with 2 outs and RISP, and finally how players bat when their team is behind.

Missing is the Matchup Matrix, which in addition to being a little bit of a pain to create, really added nothing to our understanding of the game or league.  Really, what does it matter how Zamonski hits off Ben?

If there are suggestions on what would be a good look at "Clutch Pitching," I'd welcome that.  Is there any such thing as clutch pitching?  Discuss, in the comments.