Photo Finish

		Your Junk my Happy Zone
		by Brandon Corbett

We've all told someone, "I play Wiffleball," before, and we've all seen the bewildered, quizzical look on the people's faces to which that statement has been told. Because of that there's even a long-running joke around the Wiffle community that the only thing more embarrassing than admitting you play Wiffleball is to proclaim that you're good at Wiffleball. This is all due, mainly, to the fact that most laymen see Wiffle as child's play: a small step up from your seven-year-old-self tossing up a rock and hitting it with the stick you found laying next to said rock. Fair enough, I enjoy that game quite a bit. However, the reality is those backyard games that most remember playing as kids now have as much in common with Major League Baseball - which we were emulating back then - as they do the brands of Wiffleball being played around the globe today.

Still, that's a very difficult reality to convey to outsiders. Our friends over in the OCWA recently did the Wiffle-world a great service in that regard by creating this side-by-side video comparison of a batter's reaction time when facing a Wiffleball pitcher to that when facing an MLB pitcher. In the Wiffle corner is Ryan Bush, 2012 NWLA Player of the Year and 2012 NWLA Tournament MVP. In the MLB corner is Aroldis Chapman throwing his record breaking 105mph fastball. Spoiler alert: in the boxing metaphor it's a perfectly fitting double KO, but it really lends itself better to the racing terminology... a photo finish!

"If anyone tells you that wiffleball is easy, just show them this video. For anyone who doesn't recognize the guy on the right, that's Aroldis Chapman's record breaking 105-mph pitch." - Justin Tomkins

Playoffs?

		Coffee Time
		by Carl Coffee

Every offseason we have made many rule changes and this offseason was no exception. The big one was obviously the talent cap and the smaller one that has kind of been unnoticed is going from five innings to six.

Something else that has changed, which I am very excited about, is the new playoff format. In the first two seasons we had eight playoff teams, which I felt really watered down the regular season. In 2013, instead of leaving it up to a vote, I made a rare commissioner’s decision to put in stone to only have four teams advance to the postseason. Now with 10 teams signed up for the upcoming season, I once again implemented a new playoff format without a vote, and that is to have five teams advance.

A running bit with Corbett and me has been calling the opening game a “play-in” game and technically not calling it a playoff round. I have been guilty of calling it that myself, but I do consider that one game to be a full-fledged playoff round. Before I breakdown why the new playoff format will be the best yet, let’s look at the boring nitty gritty.

As always, the two division winners will be the #1 and #2 seeds and host the best of 3 first round games. The top wildcard team will then be the #3 seed and will play at the #2 seed. The next two wildcard teams will be the #4 and #5 seeds, and this is where it gets fun. This will be my favorite day of the season: the #4 and #5 seeds will then play at the #1 seed’s home field with the #4 seed being the home team in a one game win-or-go-home “opening round” matchup. Then immediately following that, the winner of that game will play the #1 seed in a best of 3 series. Get it? Got it? Good.

Another thing I love is the set playoff dates. The end of summer is a busy time and sometimes it is unavoidable to miss games. Having set days to play will give you many months in advance to set your personal schedule.

If this playoff format looks familiar, it is because I bummed it off Bud Selig. Some people hate the one game Wildcard “round”, but I am a huge fan. I know we are six months away from opening day of WSEM, but with the current rosters as is, I want to break down some things and give you even more proof why the new playoff format is best yet.

Okay, let’s be honest when looking at the current ten teams and make some assumptions. Wicked Aces, El Diablos and Warriors will probably be the top three seeds, and King Friday will probably be punching a ticket to John Hill for the Thrill. I have some doubts about the Warriors because of availability of some of their guys, but for the sake of argument let’s put them in the top three. That leaves six teams in the running for the last two wildcard spots: Holy Balls, Wolfpack, Flying Squirrels, Belgian Wiffles, Islanders and Onanism.

Gun to my head I am making the Holy Balls the #4 seed. They have too much talent and the best power hitter in the game, Dennis Pearson, is now on their team. I would say most unbiased people would have the same four teams as the #1-4 seeds. If we only had a four team playoff, how boring would that be? Sure, we could still have a playoff race, but having that third Wildcard spot really opens up the possibility of making the playoffs for many other teams.

It is really hard right now to predict who the #5 seed will be. I did say on the October podcast that the Wolfpack are my prediction at the current time. I am not 100% confident in that choice, though. The Squirrels, Belgian and Onanism will go as far as their rookies take them. The Islanders have Mundel who is capable of winning any game he starts, so you have to put them in the conversation as well.

It took three seasons to finally have a decent postseason, but I believe 2014 will blow this past postseason out of the water. In addition to that excitement will be the playoff race at the end of the season. Those late July games will have more meaning than ever. My final season being Commissioner has the makings of truly being something special. Don’t let me down.

November Power Rankings

		Coffee Time
		by Carl Coffee

Sorry, I couldn’t resist. I love power rankings whether they are during the season or in early November. Releasing the rosters has given me the itch again. Right now I believe there are 3-4 powerhouse teams, but never before have I seen such a cluster in the middle. The 2014 season has the potential to be the most wide open in league history.

10. King Friday Richard Hurd is the only returning member of the 2013 King Friday team that was actually pretty competitive. He is bringing back six guys from his 2012 team and each of them is a one star player. It’s not about winning for this team, they just enjoy playing. I do think there are some bright spot on this team though. Tristan Birotte was decent in 2012 on the mound but I think the star of this team will be Ryan Hurd Jr. He showed some signs two years ago, and will now return bigger, stronger and better. I am glad this team is back, but I don’t see them anywhere else but #10 all season.

9. Oakland County Onanism It is really hard to predict this team. It reminds me of the 2012 Belgian Wiffles, and how clueless I was on how well they would actually be. Kiefer Haffey is very enthusiastic about his team and he did have a very nice rookie season, but I have no idea who anyone else is. Apparently his team is full of baseball players so I expect they will do alright at the plate. But as everyone knows, it will come down to pitching. This team could be full of rookie of the year candidates, or they could be full of duds. Until we see them play, I really can’t put them anywhere but #9.

8. Islanders When you look at the Islanders roster, it really isn’t that bad. This team will compete for a playoff spot but they do have some holes. After Mundel, their pitching really drops off. Linebrink and Murtha can both throw and will likely alternate starts as the #2, but they are both coming off bad seasons. The reason this team can compete is because Will Mundel is capable of winning any game he starts. It may sound crazy, but after Austin and Skinner, I think Mundel is right there as the top pitcher. Besides a #2 pitcher, their biggest question mark is hitting. Andrew Mott and Daniel Egan are both above average at the plate, but they aren’t always reliable. It should be a fun season though for these guys now that they have Mundel from start to finish.

7. Belgian Wiffles I do like how this team was put together, but the truth is I have no clue how well Belgian will perform. A lot is riding on the arms of rookies Stephen Farkas and Travis Strojny. They will be a part of a rotation that also includes Nick Braden. Josh Nagorski signed as well and will provide a very reliable bat. If the rookie arms do prove their worth I truly believe this team can compete for a playoff spot. If not, this could be a long season for a team coming off only four wins.

6. Flying Squirrels I absolutely love the way Sessions put this team together. It has the perfect combination of veteran leadership mixed with two rookies who have huge potential. The Squirrels will be in it until the end. Ryan Bullard and Ryan Alexia will anchor the left side of the field and all they do at the plate is get on base. Hewlett proved his worth at the plate with the black bats and also gives the Squirrels a solid pitching option. The other pitchers will be Adam Cosby and Kevin Doby. Doby had a nice showing in the September tournament and Cosby is rumored to have better availability in 2014. This team will be near .500 all season, and will be right there in the playoff race.

5. Wolfpack Jason Hollister quietly assembled a very athletic team. Nicco Lollio went from being another piece of the puzzle with El Diablos, to the centerpiece of the Wolfpack. No one is questioning this team’s ability to hit, but they will go as far as their pitching takes them. Mark Brannan was the ace of the Belgian Wiffles last year, and was then put in the King Friday rotation after being traded. No pitcher saw more innings than Mark in 2013, so you have to believe he will be the ace of the Wolfpack. The #2 spot in the rotation looks to be Andrew Piasecki. Lollio can also give you innings, but Hollister, Greg Brannan and Dancza are not pitchers. It really scares me to rank them at #5 with all of the question marks, but I had to put someone here.

4. Holy Balls The Holy Balls were the biggest surprise in 2013 and although I feel they got better on paper, will the chemistry be there in 2014? Their 6th roster spot is rumored to be Phillip Morris, who would add pitching depth to a team full of pitchers. Dennis Pearson doesn’t need an introduction. He provides the most feared power bat in the game and will be most likely be the ace. Paquin, Corbett, and Morris (if he signs) will compete for the #2 spot in the rotation. Chris Lewis is saying he will have a bigger role next season, and Dylan Braden gives this team another big bat. These guys lost a lot of talent in free agency, but you have to be impressed with Paquin’s signings this offseason. They reloaded quickly.

3. Westside Warriors The 97 Marlins…I mean the Westside Warriors went all out this offseason in hopes of winning a title. Alex Shore is hungry and could almost taste it last year after Sam Hatt returned from injury. If you could promise me Hatt and Bortmas would show up consistently and start 20 games combined, this team may have got the #1 ranking. Hatt lives in Chicago and no one ever knows where Bortmas lives. Lost in the shuffle is David Castle, who will be called upon a lot this season. Woods and Voustos add speed and solid hitting, but in the end I see the Warriors as a wildcard team.

2. Whiteford Wicked Aces Am I an idiot for ranking an Austin Bischoff team #2? Do I really want to motivate him and make him angry? Eh, oh well. I just don’t know about the Aces in 2014. Bortmas is gone. Crozier’s availability is unknown. Hughes (if he signs) is always a question mark. Their core three are Fisher, Little E, and Austin, who are all top 10 pitchers in the league. I believe that 4th spot in the lineup will be a revolving door. This team will still compete for a title and in no way do I think they will struggle, but I also don’t see them winning 25 games again.

1. El Diablos No disrespect to the two-time champs, but I believe 2014 will be the year of the Fighting Chickens. Losing Lollio doesn’t hurt as much as the Aces losing Bortmas, but it does sting a little. Their 6th roster spot will be a rookie, and even if he isn’t Nicco 2.0, they still have a ridiculous top four guys. Skinner/Chandler may be the most dangerous 1-2 punch in the league. Most of these guys now have two years of WSEM experience under their belts, so I believe their 3rd time (year) will be the charm.

This... is my Boomstick! Comparing Offensive Stats from 2012 to 2013

		Your Junk my Happy Zone
		by Brandon Corbett

Feliz Dia de Los Muertos! Let us talk about things that have come and gone. A lot was made of the bat switch this past season, and a lot of fun was had with the bat switch this past season. But what exactly did the bat switch mean when all was said and done?

The trick to comparing 2012 and 2013 stats from WSEM is that you cannot take the numbers at face value. Since, the two seasons featured a different number of teams playing, and thus a different number of games played, you must first account for that by dividing the "counting" stat categories by the number of teams involved: 8 for 2013, 10 for 2012. After doing that you will see that the number of hits per team saw a modest increase of 15.6% this season. That is just about exactly what we were looking for with the switch. It led to a league-wide batting average of .263, which falls just north of the MLB average of .253. For comparison: the WSEM average in 2012 was .226.

Stat	% change from 2012-2013
H/team	115.6
2B/team	142.0
3B/team	62.5
HR/team	171.4
TB/team	132.5
BB/team	178.0
R/team	196.7
AVG	116.4
SLG	133.5
OBP	128.7

Stat	WSEM '12	WSEM '13	MLB '13
AVG	.226	.263	.253
SLG	.360	.481	.396
OBP	.355	.457	.318
R/G	2.43	4.78	4.17
PA/R	8.61	4.92	9.13

The power numbers are where things really took off. The .037 (16.4%) increase in league batting average led to more than triple that for slugging percentage, with a league-wide jump of .121 in that stat: an increase of 33.5%. Bolstering that inflation were the number of doubles per team increasing by 42%, while the number of home runs per team saw a staggering 71.4% increase. Obviously, the bigger barreled bats account for part of the boom, but can we really find them solely responsible for the power surge? After all: "band boxes" and "tail winds" were things evidently. The fact that triples per team decreased by 37.5% this past season seems to back up the shared role that smaller fields other factors also played in the slugging increase. Now for a related, but irrelevant, fun fact: there were only 7 triples hit in the 2013 season, and each came from a different player.

One more place the bat switch was hugely successful, and my favorite stat boom to see from 2012 to 2013, is how runs per team nearly doubled this season! That 96.7% increase moved home plate from the desert littered with 15+ inning 1-0 affairs to much more fertile tracks of land. Another way to look at the run production boost is how many plate appearances came between there were per run scored. In 2012 this number was 8.61, and it dropped sharply to just 57.1% of that in 2013: 4.92. Bringing a run around to score every fifth batter instead of every eighth or ninth certainly makes for much more exciting action for the 75% of the league who are not pitchers. Plus, when you look at the minimum number of plate appearances in a game (15 for WSEM, 27 for MLB), having our PA/R be a little over half the MLB makes it much more analogous.

One thing here that does not make the game more exciting, unless you are the Mayor or Billy Beane, is the big 78% jump in walks per team. Much like the HR/team numbers and overall slugging percentage, though, the big change in this one stat only corresponds to a league-wide on-base percentage increase of 28.7%, slightly less than double the increase in league batting average. In the spirit of full disclosure, I find myself quite responsible for the large increase in walks: in 2013 I had 46 walks, which perfectly matched my number of career walks from the previous two seasons combined.

The inflated walk total seems to be something that is already remedying itself. Pushing the mound back three feet was something we knew would make pitchers adjust, and those adjustments seemed to be made as the season went on: i.e. pitchers found the zone with more practice from 48'. Figuring I needed some facts to back that statement up for this article, I ran the numbers for five random pitchers. I took their walk totals over their first five games in 2013, then compared that to the rest of their season. All but one of those five pitchers saw a decrease in walks per inning as the season went on. These four all saw double-digit percentage decreases in their walks: 13%, 17%, 25%, and a Jim Price "wow!" worthy 67%. In addition, two of them were giving up less than one walk per inning over the second half of their season. The takeaway here? Pitchers are only continuing to get better from 48', and walks will settle down.

That is essentially what we expect heading forward: the offense had an up year last year with the changes, now - with no sweeping rule changes - pitching will start to counter. Managing the quality of competition in a Wiffleball league is a balancing act. Pitching will always be the centerpiece of Wiffleball; pitching prowess is the reason the ball exists, after all. But with the majority of players in the league never toeing the rubber, it is nice to see the pitchers take a slap across the face once in awhile.