Team Tuesdays: Git r' Done

Git r' Done is one of Wiffle in Southeast Michigan’s youngest teams by age, but are also one of the teams that has been competing with us the longest. First appearing on the wiffle scene in Downriver Wiffle’s August 15th, 2009 Fast Pitch Tournament, they have since played in both 2010 Downriver Wiffle tournaments with different lineups on each occasion. The core of the team, Dennis Pearson, Dylan Braden, and Nick Braden, however, has been in the lineup at each tournament and has made great strides toward being strong contenders. On the field Git r' Done has developed strong rivalries with both the Ass Kickers and Westside Warriors, and off the field their search for a visual identity has resulted in the first behind the scenes controversy between teams in the upstart WSEM.

After a disappointing 0-2 showing in the double elimination tournament in 2009 Git r' Done came back and put on a showcase of offensive power that catapulted them into the Rally Around the Flag-a-Palooza championship in June [stats: batting, pitching]. Coming out of the losers’ bracket they defeated the Kickass Team (now Newport Ass Kickers), who had beaten them in the first round, in game one forcing a final showdown between the two teams. Kickass and Git r' Done had faced three times prior with Git r' Done having won a round-robin game and now holding a 2-1 series lead. Kickass would come back, however, quiet the now tired Git r' Done’s bats, and win the championship in the final low-scoring game.

Still, they showed tremendous progress as a team and came away with something to brag about: going from 0-2 to 5 wins and playing for a championship – a championship that was lost only on the timing of the wins in a 2-2 series tie. So, going into the September tournament expectations were high and pitchers were looking for ways to limit Git r' Done’s newfound offensive prowess. Perhaps  they were bitten by a familiar gremlin, though, as Git r' Done followed up their 5-2 runner-up finish with a 1-4 showing after playing in an extra-inning slugfest that lasted over an hour and fifteen minutes in round-robin play against the Westside Warriors. They seemed to again run out of gas after this effort the same way they had after forcing the final game in the Flag-a-Palooza championship. Possibly the more critical thing to come out of the marathon game, though, is the heating up of a rivalry between the two young teams.

Git r' Done has become a lightning rod for rivalry and controversy both on the field and off. Recently while trying to create a visual identity in anticipation of WSEM’s inaugural season, Git r' Done’s selection of the Confederate Flag as their logo made many around the league uncomfortable, including in the league’s front office. Apprehensively a compromise was reached, and a modified flag with wiffleballs substituted for the stars was uploaded to the website. The front page blurb announcing the logo included this statement, “(Git r' Done has chosen) a logo that might make them WSEM's team people love to hate, like the Yankees, though not at all like Yankees.” The expectation was that players would use their disdain for the divisive symbol as extra determination to beat Git r' Done on the field. However, the WSEM Facebook immediately started buzzing with ranging levels of dissatisfaction with the use of politically charged emblem: from lighthearted, sarcastic jabs to discussion of why use the flag and whether it should be allowed, and even some players expressing their desire not to play in games that would associate them with the Confederate symbol.

Controversial logo used from 1/30/2011-1/31/2011

The controversy peaked less than twenty-four hours after the posting of the logo, and Captain Dennis Pearson chose to have the logo removed and begin a search for a new team identity. Pearson expressed that something such as a logo or symbol isn’t nearly as important as playing the game and having fun. “I don’t want people not playin’ against us just because of our logo … I want everybody to play and be fair,” he calmly stated. The WSEM front office responded to the incident by giving Git r' Done a temporary red, white, and blue retro “GRD wiffleball” logo (seen above), and instituting a “standards and common sense” mentality to govern over team names and logos, since image is important for the league’s standing in the community and with future sponsors. It is unclear whether Git r' Done will play as Git r' Done in 2011, now, or if they will select a new moniker for their third year.

Back where every team decision plays a more important role, on the field, Git r' Done heats things up just as much. All three of the core members will take the mound and are solid, competent, and capable pitchers. They won’t light up the world with records, but they don’t need to; they have their offense to do that. They can put up 5 runs or more runs and with error-free defense and solid pitching that is enough to win frequently, if not consistently. Gaige Braden played in 2009 and will return to the lineup full time this 2011 season. Joining him on the roster are Josh Roberts, who played in a limited role at the September 2010 tournament, and Chris Barta. In the sea of potential, progress, and power Git r' Done has, consistency is the one big question mark. No matter what the 2011 season holds for the young, talented team of Git r' Done, they have already made a terrific mark on Wiffle in Southeast Michigan, both on and off the field.

Team Page: http://wiffleinsemiteams.blogspot.com/p/thunder-ducks.html

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Brandon M. Corbett
Flying Squirrels, 17, P
Co-Commissioner,
Secretary of Defense