Team Tuesdays: Jason Mattseals

Finding seven WSEM teams was a piece of cake. Finding an eighth… not so much. Evan Bortmas and his friends from the Manchester Wiffleball Association were the original owners of the eighth franchise, but in less than a week they dropped out. Then, the Johnny III Truckers signed on as the eighth team. They ended up leaving to form their own league. Since we had such bad luck expanding (literally) with those teams, we decided to look locally and finally found a stable eighth team: the Jason Mattseals.

There actually is some history to this team. In early April of 2009, Downriver Wiffle returned after a four year hiatus. A tournament was held at Owen Park in Trenton, and a whopping three teams showed up. The weather was bad and with only three teams playing the tournament was canceled and a pickup game was held instead. Well, one of those three teams that did show up that day was the Jason Mattseals.

The only member of the Mattseals who played in 2009 that is currently on the roster is Jason Matt. Jason was an active part of Downriver Wiffle in the early months of 2009. He did not play at all last year, but is once again back at it this year. Jason wears an ‘A’ as the admiral of the team, which is fitting if you have ever seen a picture of Admiral Nelson.


Rumors run rampant that the Admiral ran his ship aground and built a
practice facility from its hull; pitching machines may be retooled cannons.

Imran Kakli is the captain of the Mattseals, and proved himself a good one when he did a great job putting a roster together in only a few days. Although Imran's sport of choice is basketball, his competitive nature will do well for him in this league. The rest of the roster is filled with athletes who excelled in baseball and even one in tennis. Jeff Biegas, a former standout tennis star in high school, is a very nice addition to the Mattseals. Much like Imran, he does not like to lose. Jason Hewlett has been getting some hype as the Mattseals ace pitcher. He is a baseball junky that is ready to give the sport of wiffleball a chance. Dave Gibbons, Jeff Philipart, and Chris Slapnik round out the roster for this rookie squad.

The Mattseals greatest strength will be their ability to surprise. Rookie teams have always done well in our tournaments, and it will be interesting to see if a rookie team can do that in our league. I would not underestimate this team. Imran handpicked a roster full of competitors and athletes, and in this sport that can go a long way.

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Carl Coffee
Flying Squirrels, 18, SS
Kissed by a Rose at Home Plate