 by Carl Coffee & Greg Franzen |
| The Jason Mattseals were pretty much the whipping boys of the league last season. At the last minute, Jason Matt and Imran Kakli came together to form a roster full of fun-loving competitors. With the league unsure if they would even show up to play, the Mattseals surprised everyone by playing 25% of their season in the opening weekend! Last season, the team’s regular players were Jeff Biegas, who will be a part-timer this season, Jason Hewlett, who will be back on the pitcher’s mound this season, Diamond Digit winner Danny Johnson, who is no longer with the team, and Jason Matt and Imran Kakli, who will both be playing full time. Showing up to games, they did; winning those games, they did not. The Mattseals struggled to find any sort of identity until they played a four-game series in early June against the Flying Squirrels. The Mattseals upset the Squirrels twice that day and split the four game series, behind a dominant pitching performance from Hewlett. The Seals also upset the Westside Warriors once, and had two forfeit wins against the Ass Kickers to finish the regular season 5-23. The Mattseals drew number-one seed Git R' Done in the playoffs, and almost had the upset of the century. In the first two games of the best-of-three series the Seals blew two late-inning leads and lost both close games to end their 2011 season. The 2012 Jason Mattseals now have a new leader, Greg Franzen. He is changing the entire identity of the Mattseals, and I now throw this article over to him to tell you all about that.  Franzen throws to Adam Cosby for the force. When the 2011 season came to a close with a first-round playoff loss to the eventual champions, Git R' Done, the Mattseals went into the off-season looking for answers to how they could correct their 5-23 regular season record and turn around their luck for 2012. I was contacted by Carl about playing wiffleball in early December. He mentioned there was a team looking for a solid hitter/fielder. Having played organized baseball since the age of six and high school freshman baseball with both Carl and Corbett, they felt I would be a good fit with the Mattseals: a team looking for a new identity. I worked closely with Jason Matt over the off-season, and when Carl mentioned each team needed to have matching jerseys I wanted to try and design something fun and different. What I came up with will hopefully be a highly talked about and admired jersey by the league. The big question for the team was who would be returning to play again next season. We already were prepared for the return of three stable veterans in Jason Hewlett, Imran Kakli, and Jason Matt. The loss of Jeff Biegas as an everyday starter and player was huge, because we were losing our best hitter of the 2011 season, and offense was one area the Mattseals really struggled last season. Jason Hewlett, however, managed to come through with two new names and I was able to recruit a former high school cross country teammate. Having to play five non-regular players last season hurt the Mattseals chances to gel together as a team. This year the Mattseals have an entire team of dedicated players who will play in most, if not all of their games. Here is a brief rundown of the 2012 Mattseals roster. • Greg Franzen (Captain) – A wiffleball rookie, Greg has undertaken the roll as Mattseals captain and is hoping to change the Mattseals perception in this league. Greg is looking forward to trying to spark the Mattseals offense with his bat and help solidify the defense. With good speed and excellent hands, he should be a welcomed edition to the newly revamped Mattseals. • Jason Matt – Wiffleball veteran Jason Matt brings pitching and game experience to the Mattseals. Jason is familiar with pitching in big games, having been placed into that roll against Git ‘R Done in the playoffs with the unfortunate injury to Jason Hewlett. Jason comes into this season with a strong dedication to help improve the Mattseals.  • Jason Hewlett – Wiffleball veteran and last year’s Mattseals pitching ace, Jason Hewlett was counted on to pitch most of the innings for the Mattseals last season. Unfortunately, this was a heavy undertaking and Jason got injured before the playoffs. With the new pitching rotation rules this year, other players of the Mattseals will be stepping up to provide more starting and relief pitching. Jason has been working hard this offseason to improve his pitching arsenal and should provide a dominate presence on the mound. Jason has tweaked his batting style a little bit as well and it has improved his swing and power. Jason is an all-around solid wiffleball player.• Imran Kakli - Wiffleball veteran Imran Kakli brings a fun and energetic presence to the Mattseals. Imran wanted to have a stronger presence with the Mattseals last season, but his work schedule conflicted with many of the games. Luckily, the Mattseals will be playing a majority of their games on Sunday, which should provide Imran with more playing time and an opportunity for a bigger role on the team. Imran brings a knowledge and understanding of the game that will help the rookies and veterans of the Mattseals unite.  • Chris Paquin - Wiffleball rookie Chris Paquin is no stranger to playing organized baseball. Chris jumped at the opportunity to join the Mattseals when recruited by Captain Greg Franzen and he brings with him a strong knowledge of baseball and strategy that will be very beneficial this season. Chris will have the opportunity to do some pitching this season and he has been practicing hard to fine tune his pitching style. Chris will be a good fit with the Mattseals.• Adam Cosby - Wiffleball rookie Adam Cosby was recruited by Mattseals veteran Jason Hewlett. Adam will be inserted into the pitching rotation and will allow Hewlett the rest and recovery that his arm needs. Adam has a good baseball background and is very anxious to get this season started and has been a dominate force at practice. He is a welcomed addition to the Mattseals. • Mike Myers - Last, but certainly not least, wiffleball rookie Mike Myers was also recruited to the team by Jason Hewlett. Mike has previously played baseball and has shown promise with good hitting and fielding. He helps to round out the Mattseals and we are excited with what he can offer the team this season.  Mike Myers is looking to provide a spark in the new Mattseals offense.At the first team meeting, the Mattseals discussed moving away from Brownstown Middle School and finding a new home for a new identity. After much searching, that home has been found. The Mattseals will play their home games in 2012 at “The Club at Civic Center Park” located in Woodhaven, Michigan on Hall Road. This is a good location that should provide the general public with a good chance to view what our league is all about, while still being partially secluded from most other events at the park. This will be a pitcher friendly park with deep fences all around. Home runs are possible with the wind blowing in the right direction. The Mattseals have been practicing hard this off-season and they are coming together as a team. This revamped Mattseals team is young, hungry, and ready to change their previous image in the league. All the players are very well rounded and will be able to contribute something to each position. They are not afraid to critique each other in order to improve their game. There is a strong level of respect and motivation that will be the driving force behind the Mattseals this season. I am proud of what this team has to offer and I am excited to see us match up against the other great teams in the league this season. |
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Showing posts with label Jason Mattseals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jason Mattseals. Show all posts
Team Tuesdays: Jason Mattseals
Walk-up Music 2012: Vol. 1
 | Your Junk my Happy Zone | |
| by Brandon Corbett |
Walk-up themes! Mmmm, yeah! Let's get sexy! This year I am going to put these out in small doses, like a series of EPs throughout the year. Remember what the thought behind this is: first, an amusing anecdote about the player to hopefully get a chuckle, then - only as an accidental afterthought - the "cool" factor you would normally go for with a walk-up theme. Come to think of it, that's kind of the thought behind Wiffle all the time. Get excited, because here we go!
"I'll Tumble 4 Ya" - Culture Club - Jason Matt - Jason Mattseals
Jason is no stranger to laying out for pop flies, whether he's tracking back towards the wall or sprawling off the mound. And sometimes his eyes reach a little further than his arms, or body. Nevertheless, if he has any shot at the ball at all, Jason will tumble for ya!
"Ace is in the House" - Tone Loc - Mike Constanti - Flying Squirrels
Ever since his new captain gave him the number-one starter job with the Squirrels, reports have frequently come in of Mike traveling from club to club with an entourage that belts out "yo' ace is in the house" with each ever-more grandiose entrance. We don't expect a lowly boombox; we expect a DJ and full-on dance routine!
"Rollin' with Kid N' Play" - Kid N' Play - Josh Nagorski - Thunder Ducks
According to commissioner Coffee, Josh is a kid. According to his 2011 playoffs, Nagorski can play. He's willing to laugh off the former, especially if the low-light of the "kid" nickname can help prove the latter to his neasayers.
"Escape from Ohio" - Electric Six - Eric Pfefferle - Campus Commandos
Eric lives in Perrysburg, OH. Let's just say it; no ifs, ands, or buts... having us to get him the heck out of there is the best thing "Pfeiffer" has going on!
"I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)" - Genesis - BJ Hoppe - Wiffling DeLoppes
BJ comes to the park dressed for the big time: home white pants, road grey pants, always high-cuffed; the only way to wear your baseball pants. Sure, he could rock a song like "Sharp Dressed Man", but BJ's style is unique on the Wiffle diamond, and all you can say is, "he knows what he likes." Or that Petey G. fits better than the beards.
"I'll Tumble 4 Ya" - Culture Club - Jason Matt - Jason Mattseals
Jason is no stranger to laying out for pop flies, whether he's tracking back towards the wall or sprawling off the mound. And sometimes his eyes reach a little further than his arms, or body. Nevertheless, if he has any shot at the ball at all, Jason will tumble for ya!
"Ace is in the House" - Tone Loc - Mike Constanti - Flying Squirrels
Ever since his new captain gave him the number-one starter job with the Squirrels, reports have frequently come in of Mike traveling from club to club with an entourage that belts out "yo' ace is in the house" with each ever-more grandiose entrance. We don't expect a lowly boombox; we expect a DJ and full-on dance routine!
"Rollin' with Kid N' Play" - Kid N' Play - Josh Nagorski - Thunder Ducks
According to commissioner Coffee, Josh is a kid. According to his 2011 playoffs, Nagorski can play. He's willing to laugh off the former, especially if the low-light of the "kid" nickname can help prove the latter to his neasayers.
"Escape from Ohio" - Electric Six - Eric Pfefferle - Campus Commandos
Eric lives in Perrysburg, OH. Let's just say it; no ifs, ands, or buts... having us to get him the heck out of there is the best thing "Pfeiffer" has going on!
"I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)" - Genesis - BJ Hoppe - Wiffling DeLoppes
BJ comes to the park dressed for the big time: home white pants, road grey pants, always high-cuffed; the only way to wear your baseball pants. Sure, he could rock a song like "Sharp Dressed Man", but BJ's style is unique on the Wiffle diamond, and all you can say is, "he knows what he likes." Or that Petey G. fits better than the beards.
In the Cards #1: Jeff Biegas
Now that the numbers are coming in, styles of play becoming known, and the varied personalities are starting to shine through, it is about time to start highlighting the players who deserve it. In the Cards will focus primarily on lower profile players who may fly under the radar and have not had their names and high praises tossed around in the preseason "Top ___" lists and the Team Tuesday columns. At least at first; until those big names make it impossible to not talk about them. These will not be all about on-field numbers, some may even be entirely devoted to a player's antics, how just their personality and presence change the game and bring something totally different to this league. This is the fun part, and with that babbling intro out of the way... onto our first In the Cards piece!
Jason Mattseals
Jeff Biegas is the perfect player to lead off this In the Cards column. On one hand he is carefree and just having fun out there, even on a team that is 0-10 to start the year. On the other hand he is absolutely raking right now, ripping the ball around the field, and running around making plays in the outfield giving it all he has got. Jeff does not make a lot of noise, in that he is not a shit-talker or going to talk up his own accomplishments; he is far too laid-back for that. He will, however, be Johnny on the spot with a good non-sequitor, clever remark, or joke while kicking back and enjoying a cigarette in the dug-out or peanut gallery.
Biegas has a good athletic background, so the on-field benefits he brings to the team should not be a surprise. He is big into tennis, so that explains his quick reactions and speed. Plus a racket is kind of like a wiffle bat in concept, so that is an added benefit. Jeff played defense in soccer in high school, so there is more of that "speed" thing in his pedigree along with heads-up awareness. Also in high school he had a brief stint in black ops and sabotage, which earned him an additional 45 days of retraining. This man has all the bases covered. More recently Mr. Biegas and teammate Imran Kakli undertook an intensive 10 months of dart training, honing their accuracy and concentration, in which the main focus, surprisingly, actually was on throwing darts and not drinking beers and shots! Above all, you have to admire his dedication. Jeff works the overnight shift at a hotel, checking in guests and handling wake up calls, and yet he still manages to make weekend afternoon and evening games.
Now, what really put his face on this first card is that, more importantly than making his team's games, Jeff has hit safely in each of the first ten games of the season. What can you say? He quickly turns around from checking in guests at his job to reserving a nice corner room for himself 45' down the first-base line. His ten game hitting streak is the longest in the league, and easily puts him the running for a WSEM "iron man" award if he can keep it up. His hitting streak is huge for the Mattseals, too, as it gives some positive news in their clubhouse and brings excitement to their games: will Biegas keep it going? is becoming a common question the day or two before the Mattseals play. The two greatest things about Biegas' streak are that interest in brings to the team, and Jeff's attitude towards it. When he first heard about it he had a shocked look on his face, like we were joking with him. Then, when he saw we were for real, a full ear-to-ear smile and a little nonchalant shrug with a cool-as-a-seal's-belly comment that anyone who knows Jeff should expect: [laughing] really? I just go up there and try to hit the ball... and then run. [paraphrased]
| Player | PA | AB | H | BB | HR | RS | AVG | OBP | SLG | RBI |
| Jeff Biegas | 60 | 55 | 20 | 5 | 1 | 5 | .364 | .417 | .418 | 7 |
Week One Fun
| Your Junk my Happy Zone | |
| by Brandon Corbett |
Sure, there was long grass on Friday night, the wind was up and there was a chill in the air on Saturday, and Sunday was played in a mud pit, but Opening Weekend went great and featured a ton of exciting game play resulting in some early season surprises, both positive and negative. Let's count our way into talking about the week in WSEM:
1 undefeated team
2 angry neighbors
3 very different field locations
4 home runs by two players to lead the league
5 -hundred on-base percentages for half the league!
6 games played by the Jason Mattseals!
7 teams participating
8 I ate Checkers... and I'm out of ideas...
Jeff Biegas of the Jason Mattseals swinging for the
fences in front of fans at Lafayette Park in Detroit
One [not the start of another random list, I promise!] great thing about a league is building up expectations and then the surprise of watching completely unexpected things happen. Joe Seto of the Commandos put on possibly the most surprising, dominant on-field performance. 4 HR, 10 RBI, a .571 AVG, and 1.429 SLG% at the plate, and 12 K, 0 BB, and 2 wins on the mound; he took control of every facet of the game and took the Commandos to the top of the WSEM standings after week one. I will not elaborate much on the Commandos 2-0 start as the wins came against the 0-6 Mattseals, but it is great to see them off to a winning start and showing they can play the game well.
There are a couple other players who are happy surprises atop the league. The always hilarious Josh "Truffle Shuffle" Roberts (Git r' Done) leads his team in more than just ridiculous on-field antics with a .462 AVG, and Cliff Comstock (DeLoppes) leads the entire league in hitting with a .625 AVG. [Update:] In a simultaneously hilarious and head-scratch-worthy stat the Flying Squirrels lead the league with 32 hits, but are dead last in the league with only 15 runs scored. On the mound Matt Murtha (Squirrels) leads the league in strike outs with 27, while Michael Constanti (Ass Kickers) is 2-0 with a 3.25 K/BB ratio and surpassing his brother, Brian, as the ace of the team. David Buhr (Belgian Wiffles) blew even himself away by slugging out of the park what he described as, "the only two home runs (he'll) get all year."
Chad Hoppe and the Wiffling DeLoppes cruised
and clawed their way to a 3-1 start to the season
Outside of individual players and teams, the big shock of the weekend, just by looking at the stats, is the high offensive numbers across the league. You have heard it a thousand times if once: this is a pitchers' league. So, seeing half the league batting over .300 is completely out of left-field [home run pun intended]. The numbers do not paint an exact picture, though, as the weather and field conditions hindered pitchers' accuracy, thus driving up offensive numbers. Still, an impressive start for the offense, and think of it this way pitchers: it is a lot easier to bring an ERA down than to bring a batting average up. So, you have that going for you.
Now for a couple fun observations with a bit of a "what the...?" touch to them. First, the Jason Mattseals are one game short of being a quarter through their season! Take a second to process that... three days into a twelve week season; they are 3 weeks ahead of schedule! It is an anomaly, and it is due to them being good guys, good sports for stepping up and filling the slot left vacant on Saturday by the Warriors. We had intended to ease the Mattseals and Commandos into WSEM with two games against each other, and that happened Friday night, but things sped up quickly for the 'Seals on Saturday; as it was put on the NWLA boards by Brian Meyers, "those poor Mattseals." We here in the front office have a lot of gratitude and respect for "those poor Mattseals" and are giving them the unofficial Oberon All-over Performance Award for their efforts on and off the field to help the weekend run smoothly. Thanks, 'Seals!
Ass Kickers' Mike Constanti pitching out of a jam
against the Belgian Wiffles with David Buhr on second
A second "laugh out loud, then stare at each other silently for a few uncomfortably long moments," absurd account from the weekend: twice, at two different fields (Detroit and Brownstown) neighbors who do not think parks are to be played in felt the need to come over, or yell from upstairs windows, about how we should not be there. Both mentioned something about baseball fields, but we were not playing baseball and baseball fields invariably make terrible wiffleball fields - outfield walls are terribly shaped and gravel infields are a nightmare. So, their arguments in that regard were invalid. General consensus around the league is that they thought we should just be sitting in basements doing drugs and playing video games, and while some of us are down with that, we are not always down with that. We are going to keep an angry neighbors tally over the season, and maybe we will make an honorary award for best (read: "worst") outrage from one of them. When delivered we will make sure not to walk through public spaces.
Lastly, one serious, not funny in any way incident from over the weekend. Dennis Pearson, Git r' Done fireballer, injured his pitching arm on Saturday in a game against the Mattseals. The extent of the injury is not yet known, but information gleaned from Facebook threads has it sounding like he may be sidelined, or at least not taking the mound, for some time. He had thrown 20+ innings two weeks prior at the Wind Up Tournament and 10 Saturday putting wear on his arm before the damage was done attempting to peg a runner out at home from left-field. Dennis, we wish you the best and a speedy, full recovery for your arm.
There are a couple other players who are happy surprises atop the league. The always hilarious Josh "Truffle Shuffle" Roberts (Git r' Done) leads his team in more than just ridiculous on-field antics with a .462 AVG, and Cliff Comstock (DeLoppes) leads the entire league in hitting with a .625 AVG. [Update:] In a simultaneously hilarious and head-scratch-worthy stat the Flying Squirrels lead the league with 32 hits, but are dead last in the league with only 15 runs scored. On the mound Matt Murtha (Squirrels) leads the league in strike outs with 27, while Michael Constanti (Ass Kickers) is 2-0 with a 3.25 K/BB ratio and surpassing his brother, Brian, as the ace of the team. David Buhr (Belgian Wiffles) blew even himself away by slugging out of the park what he described as, "the only two home runs (he'll) get all year."
Chad Hoppe and the Wiffling DeLoppes cruised
and clawed their way to a 3-1 start to the season
Outside of individual players and teams, the big shock of the weekend, just by looking at the stats, is the high offensive numbers across the league. You have heard it a thousand times if once: this is a pitchers' league. So, seeing half the league batting over .300 is completely out of left-field [home run pun intended]. The numbers do not paint an exact picture, though, as the weather and field conditions hindered pitchers' accuracy, thus driving up offensive numbers. Still, an impressive start for the offense, and think of it this way pitchers: it is a lot easier to bring an ERA down than to bring a batting average up. So, you have that going for you.
Now for a couple fun observations with a bit of a "what the...?" touch to them. First, the Jason Mattseals are one game short of being a quarter through their season! Take a second to process that... three days into a twelve week season; they are 3 weeks ahead of schedule! It is an anomaly, and it is due to them being good guys, good sports for stepping up and filling the slot left vacant on Saturday by the Warriors. We had intended to ease the Mattseals and Commandos into WSEM with two games against each other, and that happened Friday night, but things sped up quickly for the 'Seals on Saturday; as it was put on the NWLA boards by Brian Meyers, "those poor Mattseals." We here in the front office have a lot of gratitude and respect for "those poor Mattseals" and are giving them the unofficial Oberon All-over Performance Award for their efforts on and off the field to help the weekend run smoothly. Thanks, 'Seals!
Ass Kickers' Mike Constanti pitching out of a jam
against the Belgian Wiffles with David Buhr on second
A second "laugh out loud, then stare at each other silently for a few uncomfortably long moments," absurd account from the weekend: twice, at two different fields (Detroit and Brownstown) neighbors who do not think parks are to be played in felt the need to come over, or yell from upstairs windows, about how we should not be there. Both mentioned something about baseball fields, but we were not playing baseball and baseball fields invariably make terrible wiffleball fields - outfield walls are terribly shaped and gravel infields are a nightmare. So, their arguments in that regard were invalid. General consensus around the league is that they thought we should just be sitting in basements doing drugs and playing video games, and while some of us are down with that, we are not always down with that. We are going to keep an angry neighbors tally over the season, and maybe we will make an honorary award for best (read: "worst") outrage from one of them. When delivered we will make sure not to walk through public spaces.
Lastly, one serious, not funny in any way incident from over the weekend. Dennis Pearson, Git r' Done fireballer, injured his pitching arm on Saturday in a game against the Mattseals. The extent of the injury is not yet known, but information gleaned from Facebook threads has it sounding like he may be sidelined, or at least not taking the mound, for some time. He had thrown 20+ innings two weeks prior at the Wind Up Tournament and 10 Saturday putting wear on his arm before the damage was done attempting to peg a runner out at home from left-field. Dennis, we wish you the best and a speedy, full recovery for your arm.
I'd like to take the chance to point out that Dennis' right arm is missing
in this picture to lighten the mood here at the end of this article ...
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.
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
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