What Could Have Been...?

		Coffee Time
		by Carl Coffee

The Whiteford Wicked Aces are the two-time defending champs, and it is a safe assumption that if they win it all in 2014 you can call them a dynasty. As I think about their dominance over the past two seasons, my mind wanders to the Manchester Punchouts and their historic 2012 season.

Just like the Wicked Aces, the Manchester Punchouts joined WSEM in 2012 and also once had their own league. Evan Bortmas was the commissioner of the Manchester Wiffleball League and then became the captain of the Punchouts when they joined WSEM. They had a great field, dominant pitching, lightning speed, flawless fielding, and even hit well in the ‘Year of the Pitcher.’

After starting the season 1-2, they then pulled off 25 straight wins to finish 26-2. They beat the Aces three times in the regular season, swept the very talented Belgian Wiffles and Thunder Ducks teams, and rolled into the playoffs super-hot. In the 2nd round they took care of Belgian three games to one, and then they were matched up with the Aces in the Best of 7 Championship Series.

At this point in the season the Punchouts were rolling with three guys: Bortmas, Sam Hatt, and Dakota LaDouceur. So not only were they dominating the league, but they dominated with one less fielder than their competitors. The problem though with only having three committed guys was that if one of them could not make it, the team did not have enough to play. So guess what happened as we were ready to start the Championship? Yep...

The league truly was robbed in 2012. That would have been an amazing Championship to watch and be a part of. The Aces took home the Commissioner’s Cup, the Punchouts broke up with the players all joining different teams in 2013, and the rest is history.

What if the Punchouts would have been able to play the 2012 Championship Series? They probably would have won it all. That is not a slam against the Aces. Check out the stats and their head to head regular season meetings: the Punchouts were just better. To be honest, I truly believe they were the best team in the entire NWLA that year.

So if the Punchouts would have won, would they have then returned in 2013 to defend their title? Would they be the team in the midst of being called a dynasty? Would Bortmas, Hatt, and LaDouceur be the players winning National Wiffy Awards? I cannot help but think what could have been.

No Orchiding: a Wolfpack Prognostication

		Your Junk my Happy Zone
		by Brandon Corbett

We may have our first good omen for a team in the 2014 season, and it appears to come for the Wolfpack. Yesterday, Pantone Inc. announced "radiant orchid" - a hue very similar to one being used by the Wolfpack - as the 2014 color of the year.

"Orchid is growing on us: A version of the purple hue is Pantone Inc.'s color of the year for 2014." - Detroit Free Press

"Officially known as radiant orchid, the tropical shade is... a little different, it's a little off the beaten path... It's an invitation to innovation," a Free Press article announcing the decision detailed. Off the beaten path and a little different, huh? Well, if that doesn't signal an innate connection with Wiffleball, I don't know what does. And the part about being an invite for innovation? That can only suggest great things for the 'Pack, and it's just the beginning.

Colleen Sharin, senior fashion director for Saks Fifth Avenue, goes on to praise radiant orchid as, "very relevant for spring, but I think even going into next fall (it will be)." Obviously, Sharin speaks to its place in fashion, but in our interconnected world her words promise even greater results in the context of Wiffleball. "Into the fall," is commonly used in MLB lingo when talking about playoff runs or races. Even though WSEM ends our season in August, it's not hard to extrapolate the meaning over to our game: being very relevant in the playoff picture. Any team has to like having that behind them.

Of course, it should be pointed out that Emerald Green is the color of this year, and while just a few shades away from what the Ducks used that relationship did not coalesce into anything more than a .393 season on the Wiffleball field and missing out on the playoffs. Still, with all the places the article expects to see radiant orchid show well - handbags, women's fashion, cosmetics, upholstery, desserts - it's hard not to jump in on the excitement and add Wiffle to that mix!

Let us know what do you think: a good omen for team of the year, or just a great color for 2014?