Team Tuesdays: Campus Commandos

The story behind the formation of the Campus Commandos is a kindred spirit to that of the genesis of Wiffle in Southeast Michigan. Team captain, Adam Grant, played in a tournament in East Lansing. He was placed on the roster of a team called the Jackson 5, and they battled through the long journey of the losers’ bracket and ended up in second place. Adam fell in love with the game, and after moving to Detroit after college he wondered if he could find a way to continue wiffling. Now, I will turn it over to Adam for a minute, so he can tell you, himself, how he found our league and started putting his team together.

Like any Gen Y’er, I Googled it. My search turned up the league Wiffle in Southeast Michigan. I called anyone in my cell phone to put a team together. No one on the team is going to make the MLB, but I am pretty sure if we hit the ball with all our strength it will just get over the fence. 'Beginners Luck! Beginners Luck,' the rest of the league will shout as we start moving up the leader board!

Adam Grant (far left) making his wiffle debut in East Lansing

Well, maybe no one will be going to the MLB, but at least one of his recent free agent pick-ups, Joe Seto, is a pitcher who could well be on his way to the WSEM all-star team. In two Downriver Wiffle tournaments Seto has a 4-1 record and a 2.18 ERA, and only allowing 1 ER in 12 innings (0.41 ERA) in his most recent performance. Damien Rogers, another everyday player recently slotted into the Commandos, calls himself, “a team player who likes to just play. Competitive.” [Edit: Damien is now a member of the Newport Ass Kickers, where he will bring another everyday, consistent player to the roster.] Don’t be fooled when you look at the Commandos’ lineup. It is a huge list of names, but like Adam said: he called everyone in his phone to put a team together. He is not sure how regularly most of his roster will be available, so the addition of everyday, every play guys like Seto and Rogers are a big help to both the team, and Adam’s sanity.

Adam and Commissioner Carl Coffee share similar stories with how they came to the game of wiffleball: they each played in a tournament, fell in love with it, and wanted to find a way to play more. For Carl it took awhile, but he has managed to put together a league of the best wiffle talent in five Michigan counties. While it may take some experimentation and adjustment early on along with the fun on the field, Adam definitely brings a tremendous excitement to the game and if his wiffleball story continues at the same beat as WSEM's, there is no ceiling to the level the Campus Commandos could be competing at by the end of this 2011 season or what they could accomplish.

Thanks to Adam for letting us know about his background with wiffle and how he came to find us. To repay that favor, here is Adam again to tell you some information about his college student’s advertising blog, from where his team takes their name:

While I have your attention. If you know of any company that needs help reaching the college demographic let me know. http://www.campuscommandos.com - The Campus Commandos may one day afford a billboard in a MLB stadium, but for now we will take the shameless promotion on this blog! - Adam Grant

Team Page: http://wiffleinsemiteams.blogspot.com/p/campus-commandos.html

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Brandon Corbett
Flying Squirrels, 17, P
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