Season Two Predictions

With Jackmove and the Lexington Brewers set to kick off the season later today, I figured now would be a good time to make my final pre-season predictions. I've taken into account not only the skills that each player possesses but also how committed I think they may be. Cause let's face it, you're not gonna win MVP if you don't show up to play.
Here we go....
In the Northern Division Playoffs I have the Lexington Brewers beating Jackmove two games to one in one of the best series the CCWA has ever seen. The Longview Colt .45's will narrowly miss the playoffs by two games.

In the Southern Division Playoffs I have the Laurelhurst Pirates sweeping the Salem Blazers behind the hot bat of "the Ericks" (Guttormsen & Keele).

In a rematch of last season's AL playoffs, I see the Lexington Brewers winning game one of the World Series against the Pirates. Unfortunately for the Brewers, that will be their last win of the season as the Laurelhurst Pirates defend their CCWA title in four games.

Northern Division MVP
1) Dusty Kirk, Jackmove
2) Karlis Liepa, Longview Colt .45's
3) Jim Hewey, Lexington Brewers
Dark Horse) Caesey Madden, Quiznos

Southern Division MVP
1) Erik Guttormsen, Laurelhurst Pirates
2) Luke Puprini, Salem Blazers
3) Matt Miller, Couch St. Wizards
DH) Blair Whiteman, Woodstock Unicorns

Northern Division Cy Young
1) Timmy Kramer, Lexington Brewers
2) Matt Jones, Jackmove
3) Justin Johnson, Wiffleball Furies
DH) Garrett Booth, Quiznos

Southern Division Cy Young
1) Ed Bert, Laurelhurst Pirates
2) Lance Sasser, Salem Blazers
3) Nate Bullock, Laurelhurst Pirates
DH) Emily Newell, Woodstock Unicorns

Northern Division Rookie of the Year
1) Caesey Madden, Quiznos
2) Reggie Williamson, Jackmove
3) Josh Bodine, Wiffleball Furies
DH) Laura Marcil, Femme Fatales

Southern Division Rookie of the Year
1) Eric Keele, Laurelhurst Pirates
2) Luke Puprini, Salem Blazers
3) Erik Williamson, Portland Penguins
DH) Emily Newell, Woodstock Unicorns

With the addition of the Rookie of the Year awards there will be no more Most Improved award. It will be retired with Ed Bert being the only winner.

Good luck this season everybody! Keep wifflin!

Awesome

Only a couple days left until season 2 starts. Can't wait to see you all on the field....

One Week Away...

So with season two now only one week away, we are just about all set to get started.
In the Northern Division, Laura Marcil will captain the CCWA's first all-female team. With a majority of them being former softball players, I think this team may surprise some people this season.
Karlis Liepa and Austin Brown were unable to get a team together and will join the Colt .45's lineup, giving them one of the most feared lineups in the game. They should be able to compete for a playoff spot.
Spencer Booth may be joining the Colt .45's in the near future also. His other option is starting a team in the Southern Division which would be the twelfth and final team.
Wayne Tobias of Portland has agreed to captain the Southeast Ball Blasters in the Southern Division. Wayne originally contacted the CCWA a couple of weeks ago and since then has put together a team. Nice to have you Wayne!
There is still a possibility of a team from the Beaverton based BWL joining to round out the Southern Division. Time will tell.

If you check out the CCWA homepage you will notice that the season's schedule has been added. There looks to be some exciting games every week of the season this year. We plan on reviewing the games of the week here on the blog.
Also you will see that the season 2 rules have been added. Check them out to see the changes we have made to the game. Mostly minor stuff, but it should make the game a little bit funner.

Thanks again everybody who is taking the time to play this year. Without you guys the CCWA wouldn't be what it is today. Can't wait to see you all out on the field.

Keep wifflin!

Justin Johnson re-joins the Wiffleball Furies, Reggie Williamson joins Jackmove

In a surprise move yesterday, Justin Johnson agreed to re-join the Wiffleball Furies. This is after a whole Winter of talk of him and Collin Conway joining Jackmove. And the last time I talked to Justin he was talking about starting his own team but that apparently has fallen through.
This is great news for the Furies who almost lost their most dominant pitcher. The Furies were in serious trouble and were close to folding until Justin agreed to come back for them. Furies team captain Kelly Frost could not be reached for comment.
Justin also has another player interested in joining the Furies and Collin Conway will most likely be joining too. Collin played in a handfull of games last year and should improve this season with more playing time.
The other team Justin was thinking of joining, Jackmove, didn't come away empty-handed in the deal. After Justin agreed to rejoin the Furies, Jackmove signed Reggie Williamson to their roster. Reggie should make an instant impact and will help in the field and at the plate.
Jackmove is also looking to re-sign Zac Warren and have Mike Jones join their roster.

Northern Division News

So it is sounding like some form of the Red Lion Ringers will be playing in season 2 of the CCWA. I talked to Karlis "the Armbar" Liepa and "Downtown" Austin Brown yesterday and they both expressed interest in playing. They said they would get in touch with Max "Baby Meat" Fisher and see about getting a team together.

Reggie Williamson also agreed to join the league yesterday. It's unknown at this time which team will sign Reggie. He is an accomplished softball player and should add some punch to whatever lineup he's added to.

The status of the Wiffleball Furies is completely in the air at this time. It doesn't look like they will have a full roster in time for league play and may need to join another team. The status of Justin Johnson and Colin Conway is totally in the air right now. It is still unknown whether or not they will start their own team or play for either the Furies or Jackmove.

Jackmove is close to having former Fuck Stick captain Mike Jones join the team. This would mark the second time in league history that brothers have played on the same team. The first was last season when the Bruce Lee Wannabes had both Spencer and Garrett Booth on their team.

Garrett Booth's new team, Quiznos, is looking like they will have a full roster. Joining Garrett so far are rookies Ryan Anderson, Avish Bhalani, Doug Dobyns, Nic Clark and Caesey Madden. I have played wiffleball before with Caesey and know that he is capable of winning Rookie of the Year and quite possibly MVP. The man can hit some bombs.

As for the Lexington Brewers, it looks like Matt Bailey who played in the first Jones Field tournament two summers ago will be joining the team. It looks like they have one more roster spot and that may go to Brandon Champagne.

Timmy Kramer has been practicing...

League sources say that Timmy Kramer, of the Lexington Brewers, has been seen recently working on his batting. He fell short last season of accomplishing his dream of playing in the CCWA World Series and is going to do everything in his power to make it happen this season.

It looks like he will be one of two aces on the pitching staff. With his sidearm delivery teamed up with the wily Brian Eyer they should provide enough pitching to lead this team to the playoffs. Rumor has it that Timmy has been working on the elusive riser.

Last season ended up a major disappointment for Timmy. After batting a dismal .220 last season with one measely homerun, it sounds like he decided he needed on off-season regimen to compete with the better hitters in the league like Dusty Kirk, Jim Hewey, Karlis Liepa, Matt Jones and basically everybody on the loaded Laurelhurst Pirates.

We recently obtained photographs of Kramer working on his form. We are publishing them for the first time anywhere.

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BATTING STATS

YEAR	TEAM	AVG	GP	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	OBP	SLG
2006	BREWERS	.220	10	59	8	13	7	3	1	9	14	15	.370	.492

Just a couple more teams needed

With season two's Opening Day right around the corner we are still looking for a couple of teams to fill out the divisions. We are very close to having a couple of teams join the league but they have yet to commit.
In the Northern Division we are looking for at least one more solid team, possibly two. Quiznos, the Lexington Brewers, Jackmove and the Longview Colt .45's are all in for sure. The Wiffleball Furies are having trouble filling out their roster and could fold within the next week or two.
Justin Johnson may be forming his own team to add to this league. He is supposed to be in contact with the CCWA within the next week to finalize his plans. If he doesn't start his own team he will either end up with Jackmove or the Furies.
There is also the possibility of the Red Lion Ringers coming back in some form to play in the Northern Division. I had a conversation with Karlis Liepa just a couple days ago and he sounded very interested in playing again. Karlis said he would talk with Austin Brown and Max Fisher and see what the could do.
Spencer Booth is interested in getting his own team together. There is a chance that he could play in either league but he is leaning towards the Northern League. He is working on getting a roster together right now.
Another possible team that could end up playing in either league is the currently being discussed combination of Ty Baker and Terry Boudreau along with some college baseball players. We're not sure if there are serious or not this time but we do think they are scared so they probably won't end up playing.
Zac Warren may end up with his own team in the Southern Division if he can find players. If that doesn't happen look for him to end up back with Jackmove as they try to go to the World Series again.
The CCCP Beaver's captain Matt Schaper may have another team ready to join the league out of Vancouver. We should have final word sometime next week.
It's also possible that another team from Laurelhurst could join the league. This is a long shot right now and may or may not play out.
The CCWA has also contacted some players from the Backyard Wiffleball League out of Beaverton, Oregon. We are currently waiting to hear back from them.

Justin Johnson in for next season, Jeff Myers out, Guttormsen signs with the Pirates

Justin Johnson, last years strikeout king, has informed the CCWA that he plans on coming back for season two. He is undecided as of right now where he will play and even hinted at maybe starting his own team. If that falls through he will most likely end up with either Jackmove or the Furies in the Northern Division. Look for Collin Conway to end up on the same team as Justin. Justin is one of the favorites for Cy Young this season.
Rookie Jeff Myers has told the CCWA that he won't be playing next season. Jeff has to drop out due to a pre-existing shoulder injury. He has an MRI scheduled for next week and surgery is a very real possibility. He would have been an assest to whatever team signed him. Look for him to come back for season three. Get well soon Jeff.
In a move that will certainly shape the outcome of the Southern Division, Erik Guttormsen has agreed to play next season with the Laurelhurst Pirates. After stepping down as team captain of the now defunct Bruce Lee Wannabes, Erik was unsure of where he was going to play next season. He had narrowed his choices between the Pirates and the upstart Quizno's teams. In the end he decided to go with the Pirates. His addition to the roster makes the Pirates the team to beat in the Southern Division.

Dez LaFountaine re-signs with the Pirates

Dez LaFountaine has agreed to a deal with the Laurelhurst Pirates to play for them this season. The Pirates are hoping that he will continue his pitching dominance that started last season in the World Series. Dez gave up one hit to Jackmove in a complete game win that decided the Series.
The Pirates also agreed to a deal with rookie Eric Keele for him to join the team this season. Eric has a baseball and softball background and could possibly win Rookie of the Year. With these signings, the Pirates only have room for one more player on their roster.

New Logo

Here is the new Columbia Cowlitz Wiffleball Association logo. I figured that since we were expanding the league to another state, the logo should show that. I also felt that the old logo wasn't polished enough to represent our league. Let me know what you think of the new logo.

Eazy Z found alive and well in Portland

Zac Warren a.k.a. Eazy Z has contacted the CCWA about playing in the upcoming season. It sounds like he will be trying to start his own team in the Southern Division. If that falls through look for him to return to Jackmove for next season. The addition of his defense would make Jackmove one of the teams to beat in the North.

Jackmove has kept it's core players together for next season and they are looking to add Justin Johnson and Collin Conway who played with the Wiffleball Furies last season.

Red Lion Ringers Fold

I learned last night from Red Lion Ringers team captain, Max Fisher, that the team will not be playing this season in the CCWA. With Scott Manser in California and the rest of the team playing college baseball locally, the team had no choice but to fold.
Max however told me that he would be interested in playing on another team for the season. It's looking like he will end up with a team in the Northern Division possibly a Kelso team.

Teams in the League (so far)

Well we are about a month away from opening day and how the leagues are going to shape up is starting to take place. It's looking like there will be twelve teams playing in the CCWA this season with a possible four more joining before the season starts.
In the Northern Division it looks like the Lexington Brewers, Jackmove, Longview Colt .45's, Wiffleball Furies and Quizno's are all in for sure. There are a couple of teams from last season that may decide to play also, they are the Fuck Sticks and the Red Lion Ringers. There is also talk of another team possibly joining the Northern Division which would bring the count to eight teams.
In the Southern Division it looks like the Laurelhurst Pirates, Salem Blazers, a team from Woodstock, and two teams from Vancouver are in for sure. There is talk of possibly another team from Vancouver, Portland or Gresham joining the league.
More updates to follow along with updated rosters.

First trade ever in CCWA

The Pirates have traded Andy Toll to the Colt .45's for Ed Bert. After the Pirates move to Portland they started trying to move players who would like to stay in the Northern league. After Ed Bert stepped down as captain of the Colt .45's and Joe Paul became captain, Ed wanted to play in the Southern League so the trade happened.
Rumor has it that Joe will be renaming the Colt .45's before next season. So far his roster is consisting of him, Boss Taylor and the newly acquired Andy Toll.
The Pirates are still looking for a couple of other players to fill their roster after they learned that Tony Liepa will be placed on the Disabled List for the entire season following a knee injury.

Brewers favored to win the North

As of right now, it looks like the Lexington Brewers are gonna be the team to beat in the Northern League. With their four regular players returning, they are poised to make a championship run this year. Jim Hewey is back to captain this team again this season. Brian Eyer and Tim Kramer return as their 1-2 pitchers and rumor has it that Phil Shero has been practicing his batting. Which is good because last year he couldn't hit his way out of a wet paper bag.
The only team I see contending with the Brew Crew is Jackmove. We'll have to wait and see how Jackmove's roster compares at the beginning of the season. Captain Matt Jones, Gerald Allen and Dusty Kirk are all returning for another run at the World Series. Justin Johnson and Colin Conway may also be joining this team. Zac Warren's future is up in the air at this point.
It'll be interesting to see how these two teams fare in the revamped Northern League.

Meeting this Saturday

We are having a pre-season meeting this Saturday (February 24th) @ Nate's place in Portland. If you need directions, shoot me an e-mail and I'll give you directions. Hope to see everybody that's interested in playing some wiffle there. We'll be talking about scheduling, rosters, rules, fields and whatever else we need to decide. We plan on starting at 2 PM so don't be late.
And if you're interested, afterwards we will most likely be visiting the McMenamin's Kennedy School.

New Look

Along with the new season, I am currently working on updating the website and the blog. As you can see, the blog already has a little bit of a new look. I'll be working on getting a banner for Quizno's on here too. I'm also gonna work a little harder to keep it updated.
If there is anybody out there (I'm looking at you Todd) that would like to help me update the website. Send me an e-mail. Thanks.

Quizno's Joins the League

Quizno's Subs here in Longview, Washington yesterday came to an agreement to not only have a team in the Columbia Cowlitz Wiffleball Association, but to also become the league's official food sponsor.
The team name is yet undecided, but Avish (the owner of Quizno's) has decided to name Garrett Booth captain of the new squad. It looks like their second player is going to be Ryan Anderson and it's also rumored that Avish may play in a couple of games. This team will be playing out of the Northern League and should be competitive.
We are currently in talks of having Quizno's cater the CCWA All-Star game which will take place at Jones Field in Kelso at the end of June, beginning of July.

North Vs. South

So Season 2 is definitely a go. I have had some very positive feedback from quite a few people that would like to come play some wiffle this summer.
Longview and Kelso will be home to the Northern League. I plan on seeing the return of a couple of teams from last season including Jackmove and the Brewers. A couple of other teams may be back with slightly changed rosters including the Furies, the Bruce Lee Wannabes, the Colt .45's, the Ringers and the Fuck Sticks.
Portland and Vancouver will make up the Southern League. The only team in that league that has already played is last season's champs, the Pirates. It's looking like there will be three teams in Vancouver and at least two in Portland that will be joining the mix.
If anybody else is interested in playing, leave me a comment here or send me an e-mail (gr8_n8_77@yahoo.com).

Second Season

So season two of the CCWA is most definitely on like Donkey Kong. I'm am currently trying to get a group of people together who are all interested in having their own team.
This season will be made up of teams from all over southwest Washington & Portland. So far I know I have a couple of teams from Longview/Kelso, a team from Castle Rock, a team from Vancouver and a couple more teams from Portland. I'm not sure exactly how the schedule is gonna work, but I'll figure it out.
If you are interested in playing, leave me a comment here or on the CCWA webpage.