Choosing Your Starting Lineup

April 28, 2008

If you’re a team captain playing by our wiffleball rules, and we hope you are, you need to put some thought into your starting lineup before each game, since it’s also the same as your pitching rotation.

While having the fastest-running guy on the team lead-off might make sense, he also needs to fit the profile of a starting pitcher.

Over the years, an important tip when creating a lineup is to have your hardest throwing pitcher bat last. The craftier pitchers that can throw 3 or 4 pitches should pitch and bat first, and the fastball flame-throwing pitcher that throws nothing but seeds should pitch and bat last.

This helps in a couple of ways. When the fireballer comes in, the other team will have a tough time adjusting to the sudden increase in speed, and it will be tough for the batters to catch up, resulting in more strikeouts. Plus, it helps your other pitchers, since their fastballs might not seem as fast if they follow the guy that throws heat.

While you need to score runs to win, good pitching is always more important than good hitting in wiffleball. Your lineup should be based more on your players’ pitching skills than their hitting skills.

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Give Me Five!

April 21, 2008

Four innings didn’t seem like enough. Our cross-country pals at wiffleball2k in Chico, California played 4-inning games, but that felt too short to us.

Six innings didn’t seem right. Little Leaguers play six innings. We were Major Leaguers! Well, sort of.

Nine innings was out of the question. We wanted to fit 2 games in every game day. So we settled on five innings, and it was just right.

We wanted to keep our games light and interesting, but we didn’t want them to take up our whole day. Many of us probably wouldn’t make time to play a round of golf every weekend, but there’s a good chance we would hit a bucket of golf balls at the driving range every Sunday, or even play the occasional game of miniature golf. Our league was formed on the same idea. In order to make a serious commitment to wiffleball, we needed to treat the sport like a casual activity.

We also didn’t want the games getting out of control. In life, it’s usually best to finish what you start, but that’s not always the case for a wiffleball game. So, we introduced the 10-run rule, and we’re glad that we did. In this case, less was more.

Another rule that we added was allowing managers to pull their pitchers that don’t have their best stuff that day. Nobody should have to suffer by spending unnecessary time finishing an inning or a game. Move along, change it up, put it behind you, and try harder next time.

We chose five innings because it worked best for us. It didn’t take up our whole day. Chances are, this and our other rules will work well for your wiffleball league too. What do you think?

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Is it OK to bean someone with a wiffleball?

April 17, 2008

Yes, but you should avoid it at all costs. Sure, sometimes there’s a guy that probably deserves to get hit in the head, but here at MLW, we’re not a fan of intentionally beaning batters.

Although it’s unlikely, people can get hurt this way. Sure, the ball is made of plastic, but the person that gets hurt might not be the batter. The pitcher could be injured as a result of a flying bat or fist thrown in retaliation.

If someone just hit a home run off you, don’t bean them the next time they come up to bat. Throw better pitches. Get them out. The ultimate revenge for a pitcher is striking the batter out when you face them again, not hitting them in the head with a plastic baseball to put them on base.

You also need to think ahead. You’re probably going to bat again. If you just intentionally threw a bean ball at someone, you might have to step into the batter’s box and face them in the next inning. There’s a good chance that you’re going to get pelted. Is it really worth it? Probably not. Otherwise, the beaning continues, and all of a sudden you’re playing dodgeball, not wiffleball. Wouldn’t you rather get even by hitting a home run off them instead?

If you’re the victim, don’t throw the bat or charge the mound. Simply jog to first base. Rub the sore spot, if you must. Not every beaning is intentional either. Sometimes pitchers get nervous or the ball gets away. Remember, wiffleballs do have a tendency to curve on their own. Batters will get hit by a pitch every now and then. Accidents happen.

The only time when it could even be considered to be acceptable to bean a wiffleball batter is after they’ve intentionally beaned you — it’s an eye for an eye, basically. Even then, it’s not necessarily the right thing to do.

Just remember, it’s wiffleball. You play it in your backyard, in an open field, at the end of the street, etc. It’s supposed to be fun, not violent. Hopefully, you wouldn’t throw checkers, a Yahtzee shaker, or the Monopoly thimble if something didn’t go your way in those games. Remember, wiffleball is a game too.

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Big Papi’s Slump Could Result in Wiffleball Career

April 14, 2008

David Ortiz is off to a slow start in 2008. No, it’s not bad enough to be traded to the Minnesota Twins. This photo is from 2002. Ortiz played for the Twins before he became a hero in Boston.

Ortiz wasn’t much of a power hitter in Minnesota, and he hasn’t been much of a hitter at all this year. So far, through the Red Sox first 13 games, ‘Big Papi’ has a .070 batting average. He’s 3-for-43 with only one home run. He’s hitless in his last 17 at-bats. For a designated hitter, he’s not doing much hitting. Perhaps the Yankees should have left his jersey buried in their new stadium.

Back in 2002, Major League Wiffleball (MLW) Commissioner Shaun Breen met up with Ortiz on the MLW Florida tour. At the time, Ortiz wasn’t interested in making the jump from baseball to wiffleball. However, if his disappointing season continues, he may want to reconsider.

As an incentive, MLW Commissioner Shaun Breen may rename the ‘Most Valuable Player Award’ to the ‘David Ortiz MVP Award’. This would follow previous moves, where he thanked players for their cooperation, such as the renaming of the ‘MLW Cy Young Award’ to the ‘Johan Santana Best Pitcher Award’, and the ‘Gold Glove Award’ to the ‘Torii Hunter Best Fielder Award’.

Ortiz has wiffleball experience. On October 14, 2006, Ortiz played wiffleball with more than 40 Boston-area children in an event called the ‘Big Papi Backyard Wiffle Ball‘ game.

Maybe Ortiz can turn it around and have the type of season that many Red Sox fans expect. If not, MLW is prepared to make an offer to the struggling hitter, so he can continue his wiffleball career, and perhaps his destiny.

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