Fans everywhere enjoy a good friendly, everyone enjoys giving into a good fantasy, and everyone loves the Fall - just too bad there isn't much Wiffle going on. Ah-ha! (Take on Me) That's where the the friendly and fantasy can come across even stronger. Four teams of five have been arbitrarily selected to compete and entertain us over the slow months. To determine the outcome of each at-bat a random number generator from 1 to 1000 is used. Each player's number ranges are different: their AVG and OBP are multiplied by the opposing pitcher's WHIP to set the ranges for hits and walks; from there a player's percentage of singles, doubles, triples, and home runs are spread over their "hit range": singles start at 1, home runs end at the highest number in the hit range. Walks follow above hits, and a pitcher's number of strikeouts in the 2012 season set the strikeout range after walks. Every number above that is an out made in the field: numbers closer to 1000 are fly outs, while lower numbers are ground outs. Depending on the situation sacrifice flies, advancing runners, peg outs, and double plays also come into play. You'll see that strikeouts and walks are disproportional to a real game, and that just adds to the entertainment! Let's just say everyone agreed to play these friendlies mid-pitch.

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Game 5: Risers (0-2)  VS.  Cheese (1-1)

---

- The Risers got the offense started last game (to the tune of 15 runs), but still couldn't get the win. They again choose to change things up, this time going with a "feel" thing in addition to just going by the numbers. Tomlinson says he hits best at fourth in the order, and he is .300 with 3 R but no RBI or HR, so he is moving down to the four slot. Constanti, Seto, and Mushinski are all coming off big games (4-6, HR, 4 RBI ; 2-4, HR, 5 RBI; 3-5, 2 HR, 5 RBI - respectively) and will move up to the one through three slots. Franzen, struggling in the fall (.143 AVG), bats fifth. Constanti (0-1, 5.00 ERA) takes the mound for his second start.

- Confident in their lineup's performance, the Cheese make just one switch with Cosby (0-1, 7.00 ERA) taking the mound for the second time. Cosby, hitting .444 and coming off a 2-4 game with a HR, will switch to the third slot with Lewis (.333 AVG) taking over the fifth. They have put up 15 runs in 2 games. Led by Crozier (.636 AVG, 5 R) at the top of the order with Pfefferle bringing them home (.444 AVG, 6 RBI).

Top 1st -
Cosby starts out strong getting two easy groundouts and a lazy pop fly to Crozier in center.

Bot 1st -
Constanti matches with a sound start of his own: a slow-roller and soft line drive to Franzen in right, and a pop up to Seto in left. Pitchers on their game, no baserunners after one.

Top 2nd -
Cosby starts out the second looking to continue dominance. He strikes out Tomlinson, then gets Franzen to roll over on a pitch for an easy out by Shore in left. Constanti then gets to him with a sharp single to center, and Seto follows by pushing a ball behind Pfefferle down the right field line for an RBI triple. Mushinski then flies out to left to end the inning. One run in.

Bot 2nd -
Constanti runs with his team's 1-0 lead, three-up/three-down in similar fashion to the first: two pop outs, and a roller back to the mound. Risers take a 1-0 lead to the third.

Top 3rd -
Tomlinson leads off with a single to left; Franzen hits into a fielder's choice and trades places with him. Constanti steps to the plate and helps out his cause, blasting a 3-0 inside slider over the left field fence. Cosby responds by striking out Seto on three pitches. Mushinski slaps a seeing eye single into right, then Cosby Ks up Tomlinson for the second time to end the inning. 3 strike outs on the day, but 3 runs also for the Risers.

Bot 3rd -
Constanti keeps pitching to contact, and keeps getting outs. Shore and Cosby both fly out to Tomlinson in center to start the inning. Back-to-back walks to Pfefferle and Lewis follow, before Crozier gets underneath yet another ball for a pop fly to Seto in left. Out. 3-0 lead for the Risers heading to the fourth.

Top 4th -
Cosby comes through for his team with a blank inning. Soft line out and a grounder back to the mound start the inning; Seto then ropes a two-out single to left, but gets stranded as Mushinski grounds out to Pfefferle right.

Bot 4th -
Cheese need runs, and Shore answers the bell by leading off with a triple that runs along the wall in right-center. He scores immediately on a ground ball out by Cosby. They add a walk later in the inning, but are unable to get anymore going with two lazy fly outs. Cheese close the gap to 3-1 with three outs left.

Top 5th -
Cosby starts finishing off the game strong with two ground outs. Constanti then draws a walk and Seto singles to right, before Mushinski lines out to Tomlinson in center. Cheese need 2 runs, last call!

Bot 5th -
Shore fouls off a few pitches leading off, then turns on a strike, but hits it right at Franzen in right. One down. Cosby fights off a close, tight first pitch, but squibs it right back to the mound for out number two. Constanti stays with the inside pitch against Pfefferle and gets him to roll over one to Seto in left, relayed quickly to the circle for the final out. Risers end their Fall season with their first win, 3-1 over the Cheese!

	1	2	3	4	5	R	H
	0	1	2	0	0	3	7
	0	0	0	1	0	1	1

Risers  (1-2)			Cheese  (1-2)
OFFENSE			OFFENSE
Constanti	2-4, HR, BB, 2 RBI, 2 R		Crozier	0-4
Seto	3-5, 3B, RBI		Shore	1-3, 3B, R
Mushinski	1-5		Cosby	0-4, RBI
Tomlinson	1-4		Pfefferle	0-3, BB
Franzen	0-4, R		Lewis	0-1, 2 BB
PITCHING			PITCHING
Constanti	1 R, 1 H, 3 BB		Cosby	3 R, 7 H, 1 HR, 1 BB, 3 K

Standings
	W	L	+/-
	2	0	+3
	1	1	-2
	1	2	-1
	1	2	0

The MVP of this game is an easy pick. Mike Constanti went 2-4 with a HR and had a hand in each run scored for the Risers in their first win of the Fall. He also nearly shut down the Cheese offense completely. The Risers' lineup moves paid off, with Joe Seto and Constanti providing a great one-two punch at the top of the order. It seems like nothing the Cheese could have done would have affect the result; Constanti was straight dealing on the mound. Shore gets a big nod for coming through late with a hustling triple in a huge spot to spark a run and late life for the Cheese. This was a vintage Wiffle game (without the Ks): low scoring with timely hitting deciding the day.

The Risers' win locks them into a third place finish. A 12 2 6 Curves (1-1) win over the Sinkers (2-0) has them both finish 2-1 to claim the first and second spots, respectively. The Risers would claim third over the Cheese with the head-to-head victory. A Sinkers win over the Curves grants them a perfect 3-0 first-place finish, while three teams finish 1-2, which would cause the head-to-head tiebreaker to be thrown out. Run differential would then decide the final placing. In such a scenario the Cheese are in top position at an even 0, the Risers again place third with a -1, and the Curves finish fourth going into their final game with a -2.

The finer points going into the final game: Whoever wins, Sinkers or Curves, is the Fall Champion. If Sinkers win: 2nd place is Cheese, 3rd is Risers, and 4th is Curves. If Curves win: 2nd place is Sinkers, 3rd is Risers, and 4th is Cheese.

Fans everywhere enjoy a good friendly, everyone enjoys giving into a good fantasy, and everyone loves the Fall - just too bad there isn't much Wiffle going on. Ah-ha! (Take on Me) That's where the the friendly and fantasy can come across even stronger. Four teams of five have been arbitrarily selected to compete and entertain us over the slow months. To determine the outcome of each at-bat a random number generator from 1 to 1000 is used. Each player's number ranges are different: their AVG and OBP are multiplied by the opposing pitcher's WHIP to set the ranges for hits and walks; from there a player's percentage of singles, doubles, triples, and home runs are spread over their "hit range": singles start at 1, home runs end at the highest number in the hit range. Walks follow above hits, and a pitcher's number of strikeouts in the 2012 season set the strikeout range after walks. Every number above that is an out made in the field: numbers closer to 1000 are fly outs, while lower numbers are ground outs. Depending on the situation sacrifice flies, advancing runners, peg outs, and double plays also come into play. You'll see that strikeouts and walks are disproportional to a real game, and that just adds to the entertainment! Let's just say everyone agreed to play these friendlies mid-pitch.

---

Game 4: Cheese (0-1)  VS.  12 2 6 Curves (1-0)

---

- Following their 7-6 defeat in Game 1, the Cheese make a few lineup shifts to get the most out of their offense. Crozier (2-4, BB) bumps up to the lead off spot, followed by Shore (1-5) who brings a lot of extra base power. Lewis (2-4) takes over the three-hole, with Pfefferle (2-4, HR) backing him up, and Cosby rounding out the order. Lewis gets the start.

- The 12 2 6 Curves make only one change in their lineup: bumping Buhr (2-3, 2 BB) up to the two spot. Evan Bischoff (3-6, 2 2B) stays at lead off, and Nagorski (3-6, HR) moves down to third in the order to put him in position to best do damage with another home run. Hewlett and Coffman remain in the four and five slots. Hewlett is on the mound.

Top 1st -
Crozier leads off the game with a shot into left-center for a single. Shore just misses on a 3-1 pitch, flying out to Buhr in right. Lewis puts a ball on the ground to Bischoff in left, who gets the ball to the circle for the out at first; Crozier safe at second, two outs. Pfefferle draws a walk, then Cosby rolls over a pitch and grounds out to left.

Bot 1st -
Bischoff starts things off for the Curves with a line drive directly at Shore in left for out number one. Buhr then puts a ball on the ground the other way, but Cosby charges and flips to the pitcher in time for the second out. A routine ground ball out off the bat of Nagorski ends the inning. 0-0 after one.


Cheese scoresheet Top 2nd -
Hewlett makes quick work of the Cheese in the second, throwing just 8 pitches. Crozier grounds out to Bischoff in left on the second pitch he sees, Shore sees three pitches and drives a single to right, Lewis then pops up the first pitch back to the mound, and Pfefferle fouls off a good first pitch then hits a high fly to Nagorski in center to end the inning.

Bot 2nd -
Hewlett draws a walk to start the inning, then Coffman pops out behind the pitcher's circle. Bischoff hits another ball hard to left, this time for a single; runners on first and second. Buhr puts a ball on the ground to left-center, Crozier charges to his right and makes the throw to the circle for the out at third. Nagorski puts a ball down the left-field line, Shore gets to it in time to hold him to a single and Buhr at second. However, Bischoff scores from second. Hewlett then walks for the second time in the inning, loading the bases. Coffman puts the ball in play, and Cosby makes the catch in right to retire the side. Curves take a 1-0 lead after two.

Top 3rd -
The Curves run wakes up the Cheese offense, and fiercely! After a Cosby ground out, Crozier singles to center, Shore and Lewis draw walks to load the bases, then Pfefferle ropes a single into right-center that scores Crozier and Shore from second. Cosby walks to load the bases for the top of the order, and Crozier drops a single between Nagorski and Buhr to score Lewis; bases remain loaded. Shore works the count, fouls off four tough pitches, and eventually draws his second walk of the inning; this one pushing Pfefferle across the plate. Lewis follows slapping the ball into right field, Bischoff whips his throw to the circle in time to get Cosby at home; two out. Pfefferle connects on a high pitch, and hits it deep to right field; Buhr camps under it and shudders the flood gates. 4 runs cross the plate, Cheese take a 4-1 lead.


12 2 6 Curves scoresheet Bot 3rd -
Bischoff leads off the third with a long battle, drawing a walk, and Buhr follows with an infield single; a charging Shore holds the ball at third to not throw it away. The play looks smart as Nagorski trickles a ball just past the 20' dead-ball line for another infield single, but cannot push across a run. With the bases loaded Hewlett hits a single to right, Bischoff scores, Buhr rounds third and tries to score; Cosby throws a relay to Lewis in front of the plate, but they miss the peg; two runs score and Nagorski moves up to third on the throw. On the first pitch Coffman hits a ball on the ground to left; Shore throws to Crozier at second and he attempts to turn the double play in the circle, but the throw is just late. RBI for Coffman on the fielder's choice at second. Bischoff then knocks a ball over Lewis' head into short center; Crozier charges, tags the bag, and whips the ball to Lewis for the double play to end the inning. Curves add 3 to bring things back even at 4 heading into the fourth.

Top 4th -
Just as in the third, the Cheese offense responds furiously. Cosby leads off by crushing a 2-0 fastball over the fence in left. Three consecutive singles by the top of the order push across a second run, with Shore advancing to third on Lewis' flare to right. The Curves catch a break turning a double play (left-second-circle) on Pfefferle; Shore scores from third on the play for the third run of the innings, bases empty. Cosby keeps things going with a single to center, and Crozier belts a deep drive over the wall in right-center; the second home run of the inning and fourth and fifth runs. Swinging on the first pitch Shore nearly adds to both those numbers, but has a home run taken away by Buhr in right. Big inning for the Cheese puts them up 9-4 just six outs away from a win.

Bot 4th -
It took until the fourth inning, but this is what the Curves' lineup shift was meant to do. Buhr gets on with a single, then Nagorski knocks the ball over the fence in left-center. Lewis rebounds with his first strike out and a ground out, before Bischoff knocks a ball into right for a single. Lewis tidies up quickly getting Buhr to fly out to Shore in left. Curves chip away at the lead with 2 runs, still trail 9-6 as we go to the fifth.

Top 5th -
Hewlett has his best inning since the second. He opens up dealing his first strike out of the day against his counterpart, Lewis. Pfefferle dribbles an infield single, followed by a seeing eye variety off the bat of Cosby. Hewlett then gets Crozier to weekly fly out to Nagorski in center, runners hold, and bookends the inning with a swinging strikeout by Shore. Last call for the Curves needing 3 runs.

Bot 5th -
Lewis looks locked in to close the game down. He gets Nagorski out on a weak pop up to Pfefferle, and Hewlett on a slow roller to Shore. Coffman then gets to him with a single down the left field line, and Bischoff follows with a walk to bring the tying run to the plate. Buhr puts a nice swing on Lewis' patented riser, but drives it to the deep part of the park in center. Crozier gets underneath of it and records the final out. 9-6 Cheese win!

	1	2	3	4	5	R	H
	0	0	4	5	0	9	13
	0	1	3	2	0	6	9

Cheese  (1-1)			12 2 6 Curves  (1-1)
OFFENSE			OFFENSE
Crozier	5-7, HR, 3 RBI, 3 R		E. Bischoff	2-4, 2 BB, 2 R
Shore	2-5, 2 BB, RBI, 2 R		Buhr	2-6, 2 R
Lewis	1-5, BB, RBI, R		Nagorski	3-5, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R
Pfefferle	2-5, BB, 2 RBI, R		Hewlett	1-3, 2 BB, 2 RBI
Cosby	2-4, HR, BB, RBI, 2 R		Coffman	1-5, RBI
PITCHING			PITCHING
Lewis	6 R, 9 H, 1 HR, 4 BB, 1 K		Hewlett	9 R, 13 H, 2 HR, 5 BB, 2 K

Standings
	W	L	+/-
	2	0	+3
	1	1	+2
	1	1	-2
	0	2	-3

The lineup changes for both teams were successful at boosting offensive production to the tune of three more runs for the Cheese and one more for the Curves. Though, obviously, those results are more apparent for the Cheese. Crozier thrived in the move to the lead-off spot: going 5-7 (now hitting .637 this Fall), getting his first HR and first 3 RBI, as well as scoring 3 more runs for 5 on the Fall. Pfefferle had his second two-hit game and added his fifth and sixth RBI of the Fall. Cosby also had his second two-hit game, getting his first HR and RBI, expertly fitting into the five slot. Nagorski had another great game for the Curves: his second three-hit game of the Fall (hitting .545), second HR and third, fourth, and fifth RBIs.

At 1-1 both teams are still in the hunt for the Fall Championship with just two games left to play. The Cheese close out their season against the 0-2 Risers, and the Curves go head-to-head with the 2-0 Sinkers. Both games have implications on crowning the champion. The cleanest way to decide the champion is A) a Sinkers victory; at 3-0 they would stand alone with no need for any tie-breakers. A 1-2 Curves team would finish third with a loss to the Cheese and win over the Risers. However, a Curves victory in that game makes things much more interesting. B) A Curves win and a Cheese win makes three teams 2-1, each with a head-to-head win over one of the others: Cheese over Curves, Curves over Sinkers, Sinkers over Cheese. Therefore the champion - as well as second and third place - would be crowned by run differential.* C) A Curves win and a Cheese loss makes the Curves the outright champion with their victory over the only other 2-1 team, Sinkers - Sinkers would be second, Risers third, and Cheese fourth.

Bottom line on what's at stake in these final two games: Sinkers and Curves can finish anywhere from first to third; Risers can still place as high as second; and Cheese can finish anywhere on the board - first to last! #MeaningfulGamesInOctober

* On the other end of the spectrum, a loss by both the Cheese and Curves puts three teams at 1-2 and will see second through fourth place decided by run differential.

Fans everywhere enjoy a good friendly, everyone enjoys giving into a good fantasy, and everyone loves the Fall - just too bad there isn't much Wiffle going on. Ah-ha! (Take on Me) That's where the the friendly and fantasy can come across even stronger. Four teams of five have been arbitrarily selected to compete and entertain us over the slow months. To determine the outcome of each at-bat a random number generator from 1 to 1000 is used. Each player's number ranges are different: their AVG and OBP are multiplied by the opposing pitcher's WHIP to set the ranges for hits and walks; from there a player's percentage of singles, doubles, triples, and home runs are spread over their "hit range": singles start at 1, home runs end at the highest number in the hit range. Walks follow above hits, and a pitcher's number of strikeouts in the 2012 season set the strikeout range after walks. Every number above that is an out made in the field: numbers closer to 1000 are fly outs, while lower numbers are ground outs. Depending on the situation sacrifice flies, advancing runners, peg outs, and double plays also come into play. You'll see that strikeouts and walks are disproportional to a real game, and that just adds to the entertainment! Let's just say everyone agreed to play these friendlies mid-pitch.

---

Game 1: Sinkers @ Cheese

---

Top 1st -
Sinkers start out hot with a single off the bat of Justin Hughes, followed immediately by a Dylan Braden double. Adam Cosby settled in to retire the next two batters before a walk to Chris Roszell. With the bases loaded he got Hughes out in front for a lazy fly ball to end the inning.

Bot 1st -
Chandler Phillips got outs every way possible: on the ground, in the air, and with the K. However, between those he gave up singles to Joel Crozier and Chris Lewis, and then hung a ball right in Pfefferle's sweet spot - resulting in a deep fly over the left field wall that put the Cheese up 3-0 early.


Sinkers scorecard Top 2nd -
Sinkers respond quickly with six runs scored on four 2-out hits. A single by Hughes brought Alexia in from second; then a double to the wall by Braden scored both Phillips and Hughes; Alexia kept it alive with an infield single, and finally Phillips hit a 3-run blast to straight away center before Cosby got Roszell to ground out to end the inning. Sinkers on top 6-3.

Bot 2nd -
The Cheese get two runs back. Pfefferle delivers again in his second at-bat with a sac-fly to left, scoring Cosby; Sinkers tried to make the out at home, advancing Lewis to third. Alex Shore then got his first hit of the day to push Lewis across the plate. Cheese pull back within one. 6-5 Sinkers lead after two.

Top 3rd -
Sinkers put the ball in play, but the Cheese didn't give them any breaks. A single, fielder's choice on the lead runner (at second), single, and another fielder's choice on the lead runner (at third) set up a Chris Roszell single with runners on first and second. Sinkers tried scoring Alexia from second, but he was cut down by a peg from the pitcher on a good relay from the outfield. Sinkers remain up 6-5.

Bot 3rd -
Easy inning for Phillips and the Sinkers, surrendering only a Pfefferle single between two Cheese fly outs and Phillips' second strike out. Score remains 6-5 Sinkers after three.


Cheese scorecard Top 4th -
Sinkers threaten, but are unable to score - in almost identical fashion to the first inning. A lead-off single, a double that wasn't deep enough to score the lead runner, two weak outs right at the pitcher, a Roszell walk, and a high fly-out to end the inning. Cheese keep it close, down one going into the home half of the fourth.

Bot 4th -
Phillips has settled in, now: getting the first 1-2-3 inning of the day, and retiring the last 5 batters. Cheese are running out of chances. 6-5 Sinkers going to the 5th.

Top 5th -
Cosby got routine ground balls from the first two batters for easy outs, and looked poised to take his team to the plate needing only one run. However, Phillips helped out his own cause - and gave his team their first run since the six-run second - with a home run that snuck over the right field wall on the first pitch; his second of the game. Roszell then drew his third walk of the game off a seemingly shaken Cosby. Adam settled down quickly, though, getting a third easy ground ball out off the bat of Hughes to end the inning. 7-5 Sinkers; final call for the Cheese.

Bot 5th -
Phillips started off the 5th confidently by retiring his six consecutive batter. He then got into a lengthy battle with Crozier, who fouled off multiple close strikes before coaxing a walk and bringing the tying run to the plate. Cosby stepped up and drove a first-pitch single into right field that pushed Crozier to third. Lewis then hit a drive to the wall in left-center, but watched it get robbed by a great Roszell grab. Crozier scored from third on the sacrifice, but the ball came in quickly to hold Cosby at first. Two outs and Pfefferle, already 2-3 with 4 RBI, coming to the plate. After a hard hit line-drive foul, Pfefferle got jammed and hit a lazy pop fly to Alexia at short to end the game. Sinkers hold off the cheese to win 7-6.

	1	2	3	4	5	R	H
	0	6	0	0	1	7	13
	3	2	0	0	1	6	9

SINKERS  (1-0)			CHEESE  (0-1)
OFFENSE			OFFENSE
Hughes	4-6, RBI, R		Shore	1-5, RBI
D. Braden	3-5, 3 2B, BB, 2 RBI, R		Crozier	2-4, BB, 2 R
Alexia	2-6, 2 R		Cosby	2-5, R
Phillips	3-6, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 R		Lewis	2-4, RBI, 2 R
Roszell	1-3, 3 BB		Pfefferle	2-4, HR, 4 RBI, R
PITCHING			PITCHING
Phillips	6 R, 9 H, HR, BB, 3 K		Cosby	7 R, 13 H, 2 HR, 4 BB, 1 K

Under the Radar: 4 Players Who Might Sneak Up On You

		Your Junk my Happy Zone
		by Brandon Corbett

Spring is the time to not only get back your feel for the game, but also the time to check out the new talent, improvements made in a returning player's game, size up the league, and make predictions about what is coming up this season. Going into our second year, we have approximately fifty returning players we think we know a good deal about. We also have a large rookie class entering the league. With all this talent running around, there are some players left to fly under the radar. These are four players whom I think will use that element of stealth to their advantage.

Craig Spring  -  Manchester Punchouts To be fair, the entire Punchouts roster are only rookies in relation to WSEM. However, we all know about the pitching and hitting talents of players like Evan Bortmas and Sam Hatt. They along with another previous-unknown, Logan Zigila (aka "Godzilla", aka "the Silver Surfer", aka "Wolverine") and his monstrous power at the plate are taking the light away from what Spring brings to the team: Craig brings that extra base power, too, but he also brings lightning-quick speed. If the ball gets past the pitcher, he has a good shot of reaching first base safely. His speed also helps him make great, wide-ranging plays in the field; including coverage of a large swath of foul territory. On a team full of "rookie" players already receiving a lot of praise, Craig is poised to take the league by storm.

Adam Cosby  -  Jason Mattseals Some of us have experienced what the new Mattseals ace brings to the mound, but most of the league has no idea about him and thinks of Hewlett as the crown jewel of the 'Seals roster. Soon, however, everyone will learn how much they are missing when they see Cosby pitch. One thing that may help keep Cosby's cross-section low is the amount of talent spread across the other new Mattseals' pick-ups: the bat of Mike Myers or Greg Franzen's managing, for example. In his first competitive Wiffleball games, though, Adam easily handled Wiffleball veterans with his assortment of pitches. He is not a dead-to-rights fireballer, but he does have respectable velocity. Adam also pairs that velocity with good movement and deception. Oh, yeah, he brings a good stick to the other side of the plate, too.

David Castle  -  Belgian Wiffles Taking stealth to a new level: this is the highest quality shot we have of David! (Sorry, David, we will get a better one soon.) The serious reason why Castle is flying below the radar in buzz around the league, though, is that his fellow Belgian rookie, Chandler Philips, is already being sized up as a Diamond Digit winner waiting to happen. Nick Walker is also the most recognized name and face of the new Belgian roster. Thus, Castle was quietly able to go about throwing a gem in the innings he pitched against the Thunder Ducks during the satellite tournament. David is confident and impressive on the mound, and gave his team the opportunity to go up 3-0 against the reigning champions in his first Wiffleball start. He is definitely going to be talked-up much more as this season advances and he racks up innings.

Josh Nagorski  -  Thunder Ducks Josh is another victim, or benefactor (depending on your outlook), of playing with teammates who steal the spotlight. Obviously the NWLA Strike-out King and Clown Shu winner, Dennis Pearson, commands a lot of attention. As does the acquisition of Dr. Riser, Chris Lewis, as number-two pitcher in he off-season. Nagorski has thus been improving his game in the shadows. You may have missed it, since your team had been knocked out, but Josh's batting average blew up in last year's playoffs: a stout .304, which was third best among players with more than two games played. He put that number up in seven games, while he only saw action in eight games during the regular season. "Naggie" expects to feature much more regularly in the 2012 Thunder Ducks lineup, and I expect we will see his numbers continue to grow steadily alongside his appearances.