Islanders Go to the Source

		Coffee Time
		by Carl Coffee

Many Wifflers in WSEM started with us when the league was founded in 2011. Others were part of Downriver Wiffle when we started hosting tournaments in 2009. There are very few that go way back; they were part of the Downriver Wiffleball League that started in 2005. One more of those Wifflers from 2005 is making a triumphant comeback! His name is Timmy Anderson. I always called him Tim, or Tim A., or Timmay, but for this article I will refer to him as Timmy. Although it was called the Downriver Wiffleball League in 2005, it was not a league. We had two tournaments that spring/summer, and Timmy played in both of them. Switch-hitting Timmy took advantage of the short porches in the right fields of ‘The Rodney’ and ‘Gill Yards’, and took MVP honors in the second tournament we hosted, the Flag Day Wifflepalooza. He led that tournament in both HRs and RBI, but unfortunately his team was unable to win the championship. Timmy played in both DWL tournaments with Brandon Corbett, but then combined forces with myself, my brother Nick, and Corbs, and traveled to New Carlisle, IN to play in the inaugural (and still going on to this day) Hometown Days City Championship Tournament. Timmy was our pitcher for this tournament, and threw some of the sickest breaking balls at the time. The tournament was mid-pitch, but did not have a strike zone board. The only way you could strike out Timmy at the first ever DWL tournamentwas from swinging. This obviously hurt us badly, as many times Timmy would freeze batters with breaking balls in the “zone” that they would just watch go by without penalty. We still fared well in the tournament, however, and finished in third place out of sixteen teams. As the years go by and many new faces join the league, I for one am happy to have an original DWLer back. When Timmy informed me he would be returning to Michigan and wanted to join WSEM, I let Alex Linebrink know that Timmy was looking for a team. Timmy instantly signed to the Islanders, and gives the team some nice pitching depth. He has very similar stuff to Joe Seto, who is coincidentally also on the Islanders. I talked to Timmy recently and asked him some questions: Carl: When do you plan on returning to Michigan? Timmy: When the Army lets me. Carl: Thinking back to the early days of the Downriver Wiffleball League in 2005, did you ever think this league would grow so big? Timmy: It’s blown my mind. Carl: Do you still pitch? Timmy: On and off. I blew out my shoulder in 2006, so I lost some velocity. I am now even more of a control junk pitch freak. Carl: What are you most looking forward to? Timmy: Competing in something I am really good at against others who are as well. Carl: Do you think the Islanders can compete? Timmy: I am sure we can. I have faith in Alex and the others, plus every team needs an idiot, I can be that guy.