Tag Archives: 2012

Ivan of the Fish Sticks Named 2012 EWL Rookie of the Year

2 Aug
2012 EWL Rookie of the Year Ivan Maldonado

2012 EWL Rookie of the Year Ivan Maldonado

Ivan, who was a late addition to the Fish Sticks roster just days before the regular season started, was voted the 2012 EWL Rookie of the Year and is the first winner of the award. Ivan edged out several solid candidates after receiving considerably more first and second place votes (combined) than any other player.

Ivan quickly established himself as the leadoff hitter for the Fish Sticks and thrived in the role, winning the EWL batting title in his first season in the league. He hit .611, setting a new single season record for batting average. He hit 11 points better than the second best hitter, and nearly .50 points better than the third best hitter. Despite playing only 14 games, he finished in the top 5 in runs, singles, doubles, triples, and slugging percentage. His speed to first was unrivaled in the league, and he became the toughest out in the EWL. His presence at the top of the order sparked the Fish Sticks to the greatest offensive stretch in league history, when they scored 99 runs in 6 games, averaging over 16 runs per game. He had four games with 7 or more hits and he is tied for the single-game record for hits and runs. His 5 HR in one game is an EWL record that has never been matched.

Evan, of the Ham Slams, finished second in the voting. He was a legitimate MVP contender throughout the season until early July when he fell off the map and missed the rest of the regular season. He was on pace to contend for the batting title, was one of the best power threats in the league, and was also one of the league’s top fielders, making spectacular catches on a regular basis.

Mark and Anthony finished third and fourth in rookie of the year voting and each had great rookie seasons. Mark hit 23 homeruns (third behind only his brother Brad and Morrison), was one of the league’s most dangerous hitters, and played as hard as anyone in the EWL. Anthony may be the fastest player in the history of the EWL, was a threat to extend a hit into a triple every time he put the ball in play, and had incredible range in the field with the ability to track down balls that should have been well out of his range. Both made great contributions to their team and the league.

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Vassallo of the Fish Sticks Named 2012 EWL Most Improved Player

1 Aug
2012 EWL Most Improved Player Adam Vassallo

2012 EWL Most Improved Player Adam Vassallo

Vassallo, left fielder and cleanup hitter for the Fish Sticks, has been named the first ever winner of the EWL Most Improved Player award. In a close vote, Vassallo edged out the five other players nominated for the award and received by far the most first place votes after delivering a career season in 2012.

He first showed signs of what he was capable of in the 2011 playoffs when his clutch late-game heroics helped push the Fish Sticks to the championship. He picked up where he left off in early 2012, showing increased power in addition to his already stellar fielding. Vassallo not only improved in every offensive category, in some cases doubling or even tripling his 2011 output, but he established himself as an elite-level talent in the EWL. He finished the season as a legitimate MVP candidate and was among the league leaders multiple offensive categories. Some of his improvements from 2011 include:

– His batting average increased by over 100 points from .403 to .509.
– He was one hit shy of doubling his 2011 season hit total of 29 with 57 in 2012.
– He nearly doubled his 2011 doubles total from 7 to 13 in 2012.
– After hitting 1 triple in 2011, he hit 6 in 2012.
– His slugging % increased from .819 to 1.321.
– He averaged less than a run scored per game in 2011 with only 13 runs, but scored over 2 runs a game in 2012 with 42 runs scored in 20 games.
– After accumulating only 14 RBI in 16 games in 2011, he had 48 RBI in 2012
– He more than tripled his homerun total from 7 in 2011 to 22 in 2012

In addition to these improvements, he played in all 20 games in 2012 and hit safely in all of them, a remarkable feat. He has an active regular season hitting streak of 23 games. The only statistical category he didn’t improve on was putouts; he collected 80 in 2011 but only 73 in 2012.

Vassallo’s previous awards include being named an EWL Field Master in 2011.

Vassallo narrowly received more votes than Brad, of Downtown Bobby Brown, and Ron, of the Caucasians. Brad also significantly increased his production at the plate in 2012 along with becoming one of the finest defensive players in the game. He more than tripled his putout total from 2011 and increased all of his offensive numbers as well. Ron improved his batting average by nearly 250 points and improved his already impressive power numbers from 2011. Vassallo, Brad, and Ron were all deserving candidates after turning in impressive 2012 seasons.

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Joey, Commissioner of the EWL, Named Winner of Inaugural EWL Wiffleosity Award

31 Jul
2012 EWL Wiffleosity Award Winner Joey Troupe

2012 EWL Wiffleosity Award Winner Joey Troupe

Joey, player and manager for the Fish Sticks and the commissioner of the EWL, has been voted the first ever winner of the EWL Wiffleosity Award. The award was created to recognize those who exemplify the traits of a wiffleballer such as effort, sportsmanship, gamesmanship, and leadership and for those who are ambassadors for the EWL and wiffleball in general.

Joey founded the EWL in 2011 after feeling a deep desire to return to his wiffle roots. Joey created the AWBL (Albion Wiffleball League) in 2000 in Punxsutawney, PA and wanted to relive the wiffle glory that he felt as a young man by creating the EWL. The AWBL lasted for several years before folding. It is memoralized at http://www.angelfire.com/pa5/awbl2k3/

Joey was voted by the players of the EWL to receive the Wiffleosity award.

Morrison, of the Caucasians, was second in voting and was the only player to approach Joey in votes. Morrison, the unofficial deputy commissioner of the EWL, is not only an amazingly talented wiffle ball player, but also a key cog to the wheels that make the EWL turn. He is often found umpiring, keeping score, and contributing wiffle banter such as wiffle heckles from the sidelines when he is not playing. He helped to set up the wiffle diamond on multiple occasions throughout the 2012 season.

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Guthrie of the Caucasians Named 2012 EWL Wiffle Manager of the Year

29 Jul
2012 EWL Wiffle Manager of the Year Mark Guthrie

2012 EWL Wiffle Manager of the Year Mark Guthrie

Guthrie, manager of the regular season pennant winning Caucasians, has been named the 2012 EWL Wiffle Manager of the Year. In a narrow vote, Guthrie was voted by the players and commissioner of the EWL as the league’s top manager for 2012.

Guthrie led the Caucasians to a 14-6 regular season record, which was good enough to earn the #1 seed in the EWL playoffs. The Caucasians’ 14 wins was three more than any other team in the league. The Caucasians were 10-1 at home, scored the second most runs, and allowed the fewest runs by far during the 2012 regular season. The Caucasians were 6-4 in the first half, but 8-2 in the second half including winning last 7 regular season games. Despite being in second place in the standings for the majority of the regular season, the Caucasians’ winning streak propelled them past the Fish Sticks as they claimed the pennant for the second consecutive year.

Guthrie’s roster was similar to his 2011 team, but seamlessly utilized free-agent addition Ron, who was claimed from 4 out of 5 Dentists, and developed a strong team chemistry that improved throughout the season. Guthrie made great efforts to put 4 players on the field, and despite missing Frosty, a key cog in the Caucasian machine, for much of the season, his squad fired on all cylinders regardless of who played. He put his players in the best position to succeed individually and as a team, and the standings and statistics showed. Aside from Guthrie himself, all members of the Caucasian roster experienced career seasons in 2012. Guthrie displayed everything that would be expected from an EWL manager as he put together a strong team, played hard himself, inspired his teammates, and was an ambassador to the league by recruiting fans and taking photos. This could easily have been Guthrie’s second consecutive wiffle manager of the year award, as he finished second in manager of the year voting in 2011 by a very narrow margin. Ron, his current teammate and former captain of 4 out of 5 Dentists, was the 2011 wiffle manager of the year.

Evan, manager of the Ham Slams, finished second in voting. He led the EWL’s newest franchise to the #3 seed in the playoffs. He managed the league’s largest roster, as over 10 players suited up for the Ham Slams. He made a great effort to consistently put a full roster of solid players on the field, and he should be commended for what he brought to the EWL in 2012.

Guthrie will be presented with the 2012 EWL Wiffle Manager of the Year Award at the start of the 2012 Wiffle Series.

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Wiffle Days of Summer

12 Jun
The Wiffle Goods

The Wiffle Goods

Eleven games into the season the EWL trudges on. With week 7 approaching, all teams are within 3 games of each other in the standings. Bobby Brown has already surpassed their 2011 win total, as they sit tied at 4-7 with the Ham Slams. Three games ahead, the Caucasians and the Fish Sticks, the teams that met in last year’s Wiffle Series, continue to set the pace for the league, as they are tied at 7-4.

Offensive records are being broken as the season moves along, and a new batch of balls are in to finish out the season.

The record book and stats are fully updated. Vote for Wiffler of the Week and get ready for the week 7 action!

The week 7 probables:

Fish Sticks (Joey 4-3) vs. Caucasians (Guthrie 4-2)
Downtown Bobby Brown (Gaurav 3-2) vs. Ham Slams (Alec 1-2)
Fish Sticks (Dinger 2-1) vs. Downtown Bobby Brown (Mark 0-2)
Caucasians (Les 2-0) vs. Ham Slams (Evan 0-3)

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