The CCWA drops a couple of teams for 2008 Season

In the past week the CCWA has removed two teams from the Northern Division and two teams from the South.
In the North the Toutle Angels were dropped from the league after they wouldn't pay their team fees. It's too bad too because this team could've contended for the title in my opinion. Matt Bailey would've been a great captain and set the tone for the rest of his team which included former Brewer Tim Davis. CCWA rookie Denny King had already paid his fee so he was allowed to join whichever team he wanted and that team would get an exemption on the six man roster size for the 2008 season. Denny decided that he'd join his friends on the Brewer roster and make them even stronger.
In very disappointing news the league office learned that the Cowlitz Cubs would also be dropping out of the league. Team captain Tyler Johnson was originally set to leave the season at the half-way point to go to college. Now he is scheduled to leave the second week of April which doesn't leave much time for wiffleball. Also departing the Cubs roster was Ryan Poston who is going to be Tyler's roommate in College. Kelle Ogden already had paid her fees and was given the same option as Denny. She decided to stay in the league and join her former team captain, Laura "Crazy Eyez" Marcil, on the Mariners roster.
In the South the new tournament tested team of the Rose City Padres dropped out of the league. It's tough to say how good this team may have been. I'm not sure if they really could hang with the CCWA since they dropped out before the season began.
In other Southern League news, the Woodstock Tigers have dropped a player in the last week. This left them with two players who both decided to join the Chinatown Athletics leaving the Tigers as a vacant team. With the Padres leaving we needed to cut another team for scheduling purposes. The now vacant Tigers were the perfect option.
For scheduling each team got assigned to a new division and will play each team in their League four games total. This will be in addition to two randomly drawn inter-league matchups.
NORTHERN LEAGUE

West	East
Lexington Brewers	Jackmove Giants
Quiznos Indians	Rose Valley Red Sox
La Center White Sox	Kelso Mariners

SOUTHERN LEAGUE

West	East
Vancouver Yankees	Laurelhurst Pirates
Portland Royals	Couch St. Reds
Chinatown Athletics	Laurelhurst Mets

The dropping of teams may actually prove to be good for the league as the remaining teams are all going to be able to play their games. Forfeits were unfortunately a big part of last season but should drop considerably this year. Along with the rising player fees the fact that 2/3 of the teams in the league will make the playoffs should keep teams interested and competitive through-out the season.
Thanks to all who help make this league the success that it is. The CCWA 2008 season will be the best yet.

2008 CCWA News Pre-Season Predictions

So it's that time of year again wiffleball fans. We're just two weeks away from the start of the 2008 season and things are getting exciting. I plan on going through both leagues here and giving my totally unbiased predictions. Lets start with the North...
North-West division winners : Lexington Brewers - With the core of players that made it to the Championships last year coming back and being joined by Erik "Gus" Guttormsen and Ty Baker makes this the team to beat in the North.
North-East Division winners : Rose Valley Red Sox - With the Liepa brothers both being on the same team this team will play some great wiffle. Look for team captain Tony "Ducky" Liepa to continue from where he left off after the 2006 season.
Northern Division Wild Card 1 : Quiznos Indians - I think that this will be the year that team Quiznos finally gets into the playoffs. Team captain Garrett "Teabag" Booth has been looking sharp all preseason long. He's been hitting the ball with power and done an excellent job pitching.
Northern Division Wild Card 2 : Jackmove Giants - Team captain Matt "Corduroy" Jones will have to have another great pitching season to help carry this team to the playoffs. The loss of Zac Warren will hurt this team on the mound and they'll lose a close, season long division battle to the Red Sox.
Regular Season MVP : Tony Liepa, Rose Valley Red Sox
Regular Season Cy Young : Matt Jones, Jackmove Giants
Regular Season Rookie of the Year : Denny King, Lexington Brewers

South-West Division winners : Vancouver Yankees - With 2007's Player of the Year Josh "Burck" Burckhardt taking over as team captain this team has a great chance to repeat. There is not another player in the league that hits the ball as well as Josh does. With Josh "Philly" Philpott and Erik "Chilly Willie" Williamson returning as well look for this team to win a lot of games.
South-East Division winners : Laurelhurst Pirates - With Cy Young winner Eric "Doctor K" Keele being joined by Zac "Eazy-Z" Warren this team has the best starting pitching in the league. This team has been hitting the ball extremely hard in Spring Training and hopes to keep that trend going into the season.
Southern Division Wild Card 1 : Couch St. Reds - Team captain "Thunder" Dan Hurley will lead this team to the postseason after just falling short last year. They should be one of the best defensive teams in the league and keep games close with their D.
Southern Division Wild Card 2 : Portland Royals - This was an extremely tough call due to the fact that I haven't seen all of the teams play yet. But I have seen these guys play other sports and I think that in the wide-open Southern League they may have a shot at the playoffs.
Regular Season MVP : Josh Burckhardt, Vancouver Yankees
Regular Season Cy Young : Eric Keele, Laurelhurst Pirates
Regular Season Rookie of the Year : Robert Long, Laurelhurst Mets

Northern Division playoffs; Round 1
Lexington Brewers will defeat the Jackmove Giants in a 2-0 sweep. Look for Ty Baker to be dominant in this series.
Rose Valley Red Sox will defeat the Quiznos Indians 2 games to 1. The pitching combo of Tony and Karlis Liepa will be too much for the Quiznos batters.

Southern Division playoffs; Round 1
Laurelhurst Pirates will defeat the Portland Royals in a 2-0 sweep. This series will be dominated by great pitching from the Pirates staff.
Vancouver Yankees will defeat the Couch St. Reds in a 2-0 sweep. Josh Burckhardt will go off at the plate in this series.

Division Finals
Lexington Brewers will beat the Rose Valley Red Sox in a close series that ends 3 games to 2. Both teams will pitch well but the Brewers will pull it out in the last game with clutch batting.
Laurelhurst Pirates will defeat the Vancouver Yankees 3 games to 1. The Pirates pitching staff will be too much for the Yankees to handle. Josh Burckhardt will play well but won't be able to carry his whole team.

CCWA Championships
Laurelhurst Pirates over the Lexington Brewers in five games. This will be another great series for the record books like last season's Championships. But in the end the pitching of the Pirates will be too much for the Brew Crew to overcome and the Brewers will fall short of the title for the second year in a row.

CCWA Player of the Year
Josh Burckhardt, Vancouver Yankees
Even though he won't defend his title, he will have the greatest offensive season to ever be seen in the CCWA. This year Burck will set records that may never be broken, especially with the overall pitching of the league improving as it grows.

Philpott playing with Yanks

Contrary to earlier rumors, it is now being reported that Josh Philpott will indeed be playing in the 2008 season with the Vancouver Yankees. He will be an integral part of their team and could help determine if they repeat or not. Look for Philly to be one of the best players in the league again this season.

Zac Warren joins the Laurelhurst Pirates

Zac "Eazy-Z" Warren, who played for Jackmove last year, decided that this season he was going to play in the Southern League to be closer to home. After narrowing his choice of teams down to three, he chose to join the Laurelhurst Pirates.

With his addition the Pirates now have five quality pitchers. With Zac joining Eric "Doctor K" Keele the Pirates look to have the best starting pitching in the CCWA.

Zac said it was an extremely tough call leaving Jackmove and his good friend Matt Jones but he's happy to have landed on the Pirates. He plans on playing for Laurelhurst for a couple of seasons and then ending his career with Jackmove.

Josh Philpott may miss season?

There are talks in the Yankee camp that Josh Philpott will not be returning for next season. Josh was an integral part of the 2007 CCWA Champion team. His all around play will be missed. In a recent poll of CCWA players to determine who the best players in the league where, Philly finished in at number nine overall. Yankees captain Josh Burckhardt, who finished first overall in that same poll, will have more of a job to do now to carry his team.

For his replacement the Yanks are in talks with former LCC pitcher Drew McEllrath. If Drew did join the Yankees and pitch as good as Burckhardt says he will, he would provide a deadly 1-2 combo with Burck.

How is all of this going to affect the Yankees season? It'll be interesting to see if they can defend their title with everybody in the league gunning for them.

Jackmove Giants shopping for a new pitcher?

Jackmove captain Matt Jones is searching for a new number two pitcher to help the Giants make the playoffs. Rumor has it that the G-Men may be bringing back a season 1 player to strengthen their lineup.

Laurelhurst Pirates adding a free agent

The Laurelhurst Pirates have recently come added a new player to their team. The team isn't announcing the signing until April 4th to keep the competition guessing. That is the latest the team can announce their new player and have him eligible for Opening Day against the Yankees.
Sources say the player will give the Pirates and edge in the South and make them a favorite for the post-season. Some people who have knowledge of the deal are calling it the biggest roster move in the history of the league.
Stay tuned here for a major announcement.....

Portland Tigers drop out

Newcomer Mike Vitallero and his team the Portland Tigers have informed the league that they will not be joining for the 2008 season. Team Captain Mikey V. said that he couldn't get enough people to commit for the whole season. He said he would be possibly interested in joining another team but will most likely focus his attention to softball.
Last year's Woodstock Unicorns have decided to adopt the Tigers name as their own, in part to honor their Michigan roots. As disappointed as the team was that they had to lose their Unicorn moniker, they decided that the Tigers was their best option.
This leaves only eight teams in the South and could force us to cut the North down to eight teams also for scheduling purposes. We will also most likely scrap the three divisions in favor of two in both the North and the South. The top two teams in each division will advance to the playoffs with the top seed in the Northwest playing the two seed in the Northeast and vice-versa.

Salem Blazers call it quits

Lance Sasser and Beau Theisen were both thinking of playing wiffleball this Summer. After contract negotiations with the Couch St. Reds fell through they both decided to sit out the season.
They were offered a spot as a team and denied it due to lack of interest.

Ty Baker signs with the Lexington Brewers

Lexington Brewers team captain, Jim Hewey announced today that the team had come to an agreement with free agent Ty Baker for the upcoming season. Ty Baker was the number one rated free agent on the market this offseason. Last year he played with the Femme Fatales and almost led them to the playoffs. He won the Northern League's Rookie of the Year and Cy Young awards.
With this addition the Lexington Brewers are the team to beat in the Northern League in 2008. Earlier this offseason they had Erik Guttormsen join their lineup. They essentially signed the top two free agents available.
It looks like Brewer Brian Eyer will miss a good portion of the season with the combination of Baker and Guttormsen making up for him. Last year's MVP Timmy Kramer will be back full time to be the ace. Jim Hewey should improve on his batting even more than last year and will be a lock in the field. Phil Shero will be back as their cleanup hitter and catcher.
Look for the Brewers to challenge for the league title this year after almost winning it last year.

Reds sign two former Wizards

Reds captain Dan Hurley announced today that Matt Miller and Sam Fox would both be joining his lineup. Last year Matt Miller was the captain of the Wizards and together with Hurley almost led them to the playoffs. Sam Fox only appeared in a couple of games but played extremely well and should help the Reds.
Dan also added that their newest addition, rookie Casey Bradley, is going to win the Defensive player of the year award and lead the league in outs. Dan said "This newcomer breaks glasses and rips pants during our Spring Training but he didn't miss an out or a ball". That's high praise coming from last season's best defensive player Hurley.
With his lineup almost set for 2008 it looks like the Reds will challenge for a playoff spot.

Hot Stove Update part. 2

We're still a little over two months away from Opening Day and there are still a couple of notable unsigned free agents
1. Ty Baker, is currently in contact with four different teams and could end up in either the North or South this next season...
2. Erik Guttormsen, recently signed with the Lexington Brewers for the 2008 season.
3. Beau Theisen and his former captain Lance Sasser are both in talks with the Couch St. Reds to join them next season...
4. Austin Brown, could still possibly be joining the Red Sox but may also be in talks with at least one other team...
5. Matt Miller, looks to be joining the Reds for the 2008 season, reuniting with former teammate Dan Hurley...

Cubbies sign Ogden

Kelle Ogden, formerly of the Femme Fatales, agreed to play for the Cowlitz Cubs in the 2008 season. It looked like she was going to join Quiznos and play for the Indians but at the last second she signed with the Cubs. She should help out this team that will have three rookies on their roster.
Cubs team captain Tyler Johnson also announced that Justin Johnson will be making his return to the CCWA after missing the second half of last season. This is huge for the Cubs since JJ was had the highest regular season batting average in the Northern Division last year.
With these signings and some of the rookies the Cubs have added they may just have a shot at the playoffs. It's going to be tough though in their division which also includes the Jackmove Giants and the Quizno Indians.

Marcil joins the Mariners

Former Femme Fatale team captain Laura Marcil has agreed to join the Kelso Mariners for the upcoming season. After the Fatales disbanded after last season, Laura was looking for a new team and had a couple of offers. In the end she thought the Mariners would be the best fit.
She should add a decent bat and some pitching to the new M's squad. She is definitely the veteran of the team after playing all last season opposed to Mariners' captain Reggie Williamson who appeared in four games in 2007.
The Mariners have two more open roster spots and could make some more moves.

Guttormsen signs with the Brewers

Erik Guttormsen made his decision on where to play in the 2008 season final this past Wednesday when he selected to join the Lexington Brewers. The Laurelhurst Pirates were hoping to re-sign him and the Cowlitz Cubs and Quiznos Indians were also both interested in his services.
The Brewers now look like the team to beat in the Northern League with the addition of Gus. His left handed bat should fit in nicely with the Brew Crew lineup and he should once again wreak havoc on the short RF fence of Jones Field. He may also take the mound for the Brewers from time to time to help out their rotation.
Brewers captain, Jim Hewey, was ecstatic on Erik's decision to join the team. "We're not sure how often he'll be able to play, but when he's on the field it will make our team better" Jim added.

Hot Stove Update

With the upcoming season still a couple of months away I've decided to take a look at the top five free agents that are still unsigned. I've also speculated on where I could see this team ending up.
1. Ty Baker, Rumor has it that the Lexington Brewers are very interested in last season's Cy Young winner...
2. Erik Guttormsen, I know of four teams that are after his services right now and I have no idea who he will sign with...
3. Beau Theisen, It's unknown how much Beau will play in 2008 but he may end up joining the Reds with former teammate Lance Sasser...
4. Austin Brown, After getting injured during last season Austin should bounce back strong this year. The most obvious choice is the Red Sox with friend Karlis Liepa...
5. Matt Miller, Could possibly be teaming up with former teammate Dan Hurley on the Reds to add a little homerun power...

Where will the Fatales end up?

After season 2 was over, the Femme Fatales captain Laura Marcil decided she didn't have time to run a team in the upcoming season. For a short while it looked like Kelle Ogden might step up and take over the Captain spot and keep this team alive but it never happened. So after one season the Femme Fatales were done.It looks like the core group of players from the Fatales will be back next season though.
Former captain, Laura, is interested in playing and has been in contact with the Quiznos Indians. She would help their pitching staff and also add a decent bat to their lineup.
Last year's Northern League's ROY and CY winner Ty Baker was unsure of his status in season 3 after last year was over. Rumors have it that he has been in talks with the Lexington Brewers who are always trying to upgrade their lineup. If they add Bakes they would definitely be the favorite in the North.
After Kelle decided not to captain her own team she started looking for a team to join in the North. It looked like she was going to join the Quiznos Indians but it appears like that deal has disappeared. It now sounds like she may be joining the Cowlitz Cubs lineup. If she joined the Cubs she could possibly pitch for them.

Southern League "Super-team" in the works?

It's being reported that free agents Lance Sasser, Beau Theisen and Matt Miller are in talks with Dan Hurley about joining the Couch St. Reds for the 2008 season. This move would combine the top talent from last year's Blazers and Wizards. They would be a favorite to go to the playoffs in the Southern League

McNeely signs with the Pirates

In a stunning move TJ "Greatness" McNeely has re-signed with his original team, the Laurelhurst Pirates. It was unknown what team may sign TJ since he currently lives in Las Vegas, but after talks with the Pirates it sounds like he will play in about a third of their games in 2008.

Guttormsen close to signing with new team...

Erik Guttormsen, who played for the Pirates last season, is currently the most sought after free agent on the market right now. I know of four separate teams that are all trying to convince Gus to join their team. As of right now I'd say the front runners are the Lexington Brewers.
If the Brewers added Guttormsen's potent bat to their already powerful lineup it would spell trouble for the rest of the Northern League. The Brewers are also in talk with another top prospect that would easily make their lineup the most impressive in CCWA history.