Team Tuesdays: Flying Squirrels

Founders… Before fabricating this feature, I first need to pour a treat from the Founders Brewing Co.; I often fall back on their Dirty Bastard as a standout favorite. Okay, now then… Founders! The Flying Squirrels are the team of the Wiffle in Southeast Michigan, and Downriver Wiffle before that, founders, Carl Coffee and Brandon Corbett. When you think of a founder, you usually think of a rock, tradition, unchanging. Well, forget that. This team’s history is a nightmare to follow! Just look at the list of team names used over the past 5 years: (The) Lugnuts, Don’t Parade in Our Rain, Jammers, Mike Babcock’s Hair, Skat Beletons, CoCoBuMu, and finally Flying Squirrels. The lineup has been shuffled around just as schizophrenically, including being two separate franchises early on. However, the current lineup of Coffee, Corbett, Jon McKinnie, and Matt Murtha, as well as the Flying Squirrels name, seem to have taken root as both have taken the team to their first championship and will, for the first time, see use spanning longer than one year.

A look back at some of the franchise's schizophrenic
(and quite bright!) logo and jersey history

Without a doubt the most important event in the history of the Flying Squirrels franchise is the moment they ran into Kickin’ Rocks, the team’s simpleton spirit guide met on the teams’ annual trek into central Ohio. One of his punted pebbles plunked Corbett on the head as the team rode into town on horseback; the divine intervention of fate. This is the teaching Kickin’ Rocks gave to the Squirrels: sometimes you’ll shank, sometimes you’ll fly true, sometimes you’ll whiff and look like an idiot, but just keep on doing what you’re doing and you’ll achieve everything; a simple confidence. The second critical event for the Squirrels happened mere hours later in what became known as “Brawling Pianos;” watching McKinnie delicately tickle the ivories, while at the same time pounding skulls invoked a zen-like extra-sensory concentration in the Squirrels’ roster. Oh, and then there was that time last September when they won a championship! These events have solidified this lineup of Squirrels and elevated them to a high flying level of competition, from which they have never come back down.

Corbett channeling the power of Brawling Pianos and
the spirit of Kickin' Rocks' teachings for the first time.

The two constant team members through the years, Carl Coffee and Brandon Corbett, love playing wiffleball so much they took it upon themselves to form tournaments and now a league in order to seek out the best competition and talent. When Carl moved back to Michigan in 2009 and reformed the squad, they quickly realized no one on the roster was a pitcher. Well, it did not take long before Corbett stepped on the mound, and the Squirrels realized they did have a pitcher, and a damn good one at that. Corbett has quickly turned into one of the league's elite pitchers, getting more dominant with each performance, and is a top contender for the Clown Shu award (WSEM's "Cy Young") in this inaugural season. Corbett already brought a power bat to the lineup, and although Carl can be streaky at times, he is still one of the better hitters in the league, and very capable in a clutch situation. Jon McKinnie, who played two tournaments with the Squirrels last year and tickled the ivories in Brawling Pianos, will step up as the everyday lead-off hitter and left fielder this season. His speed makes him very dangerous both on the base paths and defensively, and he has some surprise power mixed in with his swagger. Matt Murtha’s contribution is often overlooked, but he plays a consistent role that is very important to his team’s success. Murtha is an accurate pitcher who spot starts in games to save Corbett’s arm. John Hill has been given the role of “the voice of the WSEM.” He will be co-hosting the podcasts and will be the booming play-by-play announcer for live broadcasts. He also has a perfect fielding percentage, and will be used situationally as a defensive replacement for Coffee at shortstop.

From R to L - Carl Coffee, Murtha, and Corbett
in a defensive battle with their rivals, the Wiffling DeLoppes

Coffee, Corbett, McKinnie, and Murtha will comprise the Squirrels’ opening day roster, but they have two other solid players who will make appearances throughout the season, giving their lineup an even greater punch. Evan Bortmas from the Manchester Wiffleball Association, was penciled in to captain the 8th team in our league, however things fell apart for him and his team unfortunately had to drop out. Coffee and Bortmas did some talking and Evan ultimately agreed to bring his talents to the Squirrels lineup this season. Currently the Squirrels plan to have Evan on the roster when they play a couple series, roughly 8 games, at his field in Manchester. Bortmas brings valuable experience to the mound and the addition of his arm will make an already stellar pitching staff even more dominant. The Squirrels’ latest addition also reaches back to one of their original sensations, Nick Coffee. Nick was a huge player in the early days of the Downriver Wiffleball League: he helped build the fields, run the tournaments, and made amazing plays on the field. Although Nick is a vacuum in the outfield, his greatest asset to the team is his true home run power. Nick will be in South Florida when the season starts, but when he makes his mid-season return to Michigan and wiffleball he will be teaming up with McKinnie in an outfield that will have virtually no holes. In short, the hits will just keep on coming, and the already stingy Squirrels’ defense will be even harder to get runs on with the additions of Nick’s range and Evan’s pitching arm to their arsenal.

Nick Coffee (left) and Jon McKinnie, shown batting here, will be
an outstanding tandem in the Squirrels' outfield later this season

The Flying Squirrels name fits the team well: they’re defensive minded, not afraid to scrap in the dirt and hoard runs, yet they can turn it up, hit the long ball, and take over a game - soaring above the competition. They have learned to use their enlightening off the field experiences with Kickin’ Rocks and Brawling Pianos to make better use of their on field skills, becoming the reigning champions as the 2011 season begins, and they continue to seek out and store talent on their roster for an additional surge in case the need arises.

Team Page: http://wiffleinsemiteams.blogspot.com/p/flying-squirrels.html

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Brandon Corbett (wsg Carl Coffee on the Roster and Who's)
Flying Squirrels, 17, P
Wiffle Cool J