I am very pleased with everything I've seen this year.  We've established four very dedicated teams and we've yet to see a forfeit.  Injuries are at a nice low number thus far, only one true wiffleball related injury to record.

Many may have noticed that there is no set schedule for any team for the rest of the season.  So far I have just been rotating teams and scheduling them week by week.  This may also be the reason we haven't seen any forfeit's yet since I'm able to shift teams around at semi-last minute opportunities.  I am looking to set a more concrete schedule sometime this week that will give us a good look at the rest of the season's games.

Today I tried to run through game film again but the camera is malfunctioning.  Hopefully we can get it into Sears and have them clean it out to see if that is the problem.  The recordings on the tapes are very bandy and the sound is just beeps and short blips of noise.  The camera issues are the main reasons you haven't been able to see any web gems in the past few weeks.

Once the camera is up and running well again I would like to be able to offer any team that wants copies of their games to be able to get them, so long as they do it very quickly after their game because we reuse our digital tapes game after game.  I use 3 tapes in a cycle.

Overall, I am extremely happy with the way things are working out this year.  I very much like the close games we've seen thus far and I'm looking forward to All-Star selection next week.  The All-Star game and HR Derby will be on Sunday July 20th.  Clear your Schedules - it's a Sunday, just like last year.

One final note - I'm looking for feedback.  Please send me an email and tell me what you like or dislike about this league and/or the website.  If you have idea's for improvements to the site or the game itself please let me know. 

The Commish
djplanton@wisc.edu

Restructure Policy Dropped due to Lack of Ambition 5-24-03

Due to only one team being signed up so far we are dropping the clause requiring teams to consist of no more than 2 teammates from last season.  At this point, in hopes of having a league, we will allow any and all teams consisting of any combination of players.

Off-Season Changes Proposed  4-1-03

I have a few ideas that have been tossed around and may be able to help us eradicate some of the problems we saw with last season, namely pitching dominance and lack of talent dispersion.

My first idea is a Voluntary Team Restructure.  Current players would form new teams either with current players in the league or players wishing to join the league.  This option would allow everyone to again stay on teams with friends.  The second clause to this option is that no more than one former teammate can remain on a team with another. 

It will be to your benefit, if you don't have a team already, to sign up online and I'll post all free agents on a list.  By signing up online you are agreeing to have your name put on this list.

All other players still need to sign up, but if they are already with a team, put the team name where it asks for it, and I won't add your name to the Free Agents list. The Free Agents list is designed to help people know who is available to grab for their team.  Managers can more easily contact free agents this way.

The second amendment to the wiffleball constitution is this:  The Pitching rule will be changed to 13 innings pitched per every 3 consecutive games his team plays (forfeits/non-played games do not count).

If you are opposed to either of these changes I'd be glad to hear from you by sending an email to dplanton@charter.net explaining why you disagree and which amendment you disagree with.

Unless I receive 10 emails before Saturday April 5th opposing these rules, they will be implemented for use in 2003.  Teams may begin forming and handing in team sheets Saturday April 5th 2003.  Make sure each player knows the team name they are belonging to and signs up online with this team name.  Free Agents may begin signing up as well.

Teams should consist of a minimum of 6 players and maximum of 9 players.

Free Agents Unsigned by May 24th will be assigned to teams with the fewest players, or may retract themselves from the league for a refund by June 1st.

Happy player huntin'
The Commish

Off-Season Updates Mailed 10- 30- 02

Last week (around October 22nd) I emailed a newsletter to every email address I'd received of those who either had recently expressed interest in our league or those who had played last season.  The newsletter aimed to re-spark the interest we all had (or at least I had) last season.  We need to start thinking of improvements and changes for next season.  If you'd like to read the newsletter download it here.   (10-22-02 Off-season Newsletter.doc)

League Finally Taking Shape 7- 8- 02

Nearly a month into the season I finally feel that this wiffleball league is becoming a success.  We've weeded out the problems and fewer and fewer forfeits are occurring.  We've dropped 2 teams that had never made a game and shifted some of their players around to help reduce the forfeits from other teams.  We've increased the roster size to 9.  We've tweaked some rules (added to homepage), and we've had excellent weather for every day we've played.  We'll hope the weather trend continues thru July and August. 

The Pirates have jumped into an undefeated lead, but the thirsty Cacahuetes and Blue Steel are nippin' at them from behind. 

Personally, I'm anxious to get back out there on the field and start hitting again.  For those who don't know, I severely sprained my right ankle on the 22nd of June and it's still in the healing process.  I'm walking again but not with any ease.  The swelling is down, however it's still black and blue.

All-Star outlook:  The MLB all-star break has just begun and It's dissappointing to see all the great pitchers who've either declined their spot or have to sit out.  I'm hoping that when the Wiffle All-Star break hits us we'll all be around to enjoy the action.  There will be a Home-Run Derby prior to the game and I have a feeling it's going to be exciting.

Lazy Sheboyganites (5-27-02)

Now 2 days prior to team's sign-ups being due I'm a tad frightened we will not reach our goal of 8 teams. Many people have made their inclinations known that they desire to play however they lack the ambition or the guts to actually sign up. Many spots are still available and I hope that we can get those individuals to get there act together and get on a team. If you see these lazy individuals let them know that it's not appreciated and that they should hurry up and sign up so as not to cause a scramble right before opening day.