League Folds?

If you build it...
Freddy Philanthropist

2008 Draft Results and Opening Day Announced

The draft for the upcoming 2008 wiffleball season took place on Monday evening. Jason Clark and Matt Conkel took over as captains for Mike McNeil and Josh Sleime's teams, respectively, from the 2007 season. The draft order was determined by position in last year's standings and each team was allowed to keep, or protect, one player from the previous Summer.

The only team to miss out on the playoffs, Slim's Sluggers and newly named manager Matthew Conkel have their work cut out for them in a rebuilding stage to contend for the playoffs in 2008. Conkel (24 HRs) and keeper Jordan Saseen (18 HRs) had very productive years at the plate, but the pitching and defense they displayed was nothing short of miserable. Conkel took the first step to repairing both of those problems by adding family member Jeremy "The good Doctor" Saseen with the first overall pick. In the older Saseen, Conkel gets a reliable player and a workhorse on the mound. In 2007, Jeremy logged 76 innings while maintaining a solid 3.55 Earned Runs Average.

Taking over the Rockets, newly named manager Jason Clark will look to continue the regular season success enjoyed by the team in 2007, while taking them farther as they lost last season's first round playoff series. Clark kept ace Matt DeSantis, who finished second in wins last year with a 10-4 recod. DeSantis may have to spend overseas defending our nation, but as long as he is present has proven to be a dependable and deceiving pitcher, while also coming around with the bat last year and becoming a very productive leadoff hitter. With his first pick, Clark took younger brother Justin. Both of the Clark brothers had phenomenal batting averages last season with Justin (.538) and Jason (.530) both reaching base in over half of their plate appearances. Jason played a quiet but important role on last near's Nasty Boys, the league champions. Justin Clark also can pitch a bit, showing a 3.64 ERA.

The third pick went to Term's Troops, the runners up last season. Led by two of the most successful players in league's history, the Troops will look to captain Eric Belancic (13-3) for the pitching and keeper Marc Conaway (26 HRs, 48 RBIs, .523 average) for much of the offense. Belancic also added 22 HRs and 47 RBIs last saeson, and smacked the longest home run in the history of Wheeling Wiffleball history ... estimated at somewhere near 130 feet. With the third pick, The Troops also added the league's career leader in home runs in Mike McNeil, whose 21 bombs and 60 RBIs last season will give the Troops a trio of power hitters who combined to send 69 balls over the fence in 2007. McNeil will miss a large part of the season with a six week trip to Las Vegas for the World Series of Poker.

The fourth pick went to Brett Hambleton, manager of last year's champions and the favorites to repeat in 2008. Hambleton missed the first few weeks of 2007, but returned with an 8-1 record and 1.04 ERA to carry his team to the title. Keeper Tyler McFarland (16 HRs, 29 RBIs) has proven to be a powerful hitter and may see more time on the mound this Summer. With his first pick, Brett took fellow Wellsville Tiger Joshua Congrove. Congrove saw limited action in 2007 but was very productive when he showed up. With an impressive baseball background, expect Congrove to have a monster season in 2008.

The draft moved back to Conkel, who snagged high schooler Cory McKitrick with the fifth pick. McKitrick will be one of the two rookies to make their debut in 2008, and the scouting report on the high schooler shows very good size and the potential to become a solid pitcher. McKitrick, a senior in high school, joins the Saseen brothers to form a young and hungry bunch.

Jason Clark added a solid left handed batter in Brian Keys with the sixth pick. Keys, who has tremendous power, struggled at times last season with consistency. However, Keys went through military training in the offseason and is in the best shape of his life. Keys could be the steal of the draft.

With the seventh pick, Eric Belancic may have gotten the most value of the draft with his selection of Todd Ullom. Ullom brings consistency and some pop (10 HRs), along with a very high on base percentage. The patient Ullom is also very pesky and can grind down a pitcher, leading to big innings.

At the end of round two, Brett Hambleton grabbed a high school stud in Alex Peluchette. The 6' 3'' Peluchette showed some pop last season in his initial year of wiffeball. Alex was also highly regarded as the best defensive player at the first base position. A very accomplished athlete, Peluchette will play football for WVU in the fall.

With the draft moving back to Conkel, Matthew grabbed the most dangerous hitter in the draft, the lefthanded Ryan "The Rocket" McNeil. Ryan blasted 7 home runs in only 34 at-bats last season (Jeremy Saseen hit 7 in 170 ABs), but will only get to play occasionally because of work and law school duties in Akron, Ohio.

With the tenth pick, Jason Clark grabbed a phenomenal speedster and the other rookie, Chris Martin. Martin is coming off of a dazzling high school football career and will join Peluchette next season with the West Virginia Mountaineers. Martin could be the steal of the draft if he picks up the game quickly.

With the 11th pick, Eric Belancic bolstered his rotation by adding the strong arm of Josh McKee. McKee is another player who will not be available every weekend, but in limited duty last year comprised a 3-1 record with a 1.93 ERA.

Wrapping up the fourth round, Brett Hambleton rolled the dice and selected the enigmatic Joshua Sleime. A captain last year, Sleime missed the majority of the season because of work on Sundays. However, when present, Sleime is a powerful lefthanded batter and a nasty pitcher. If Hambleton can get him to the field, Sleime could be a key piece in defending the title.

With the first pick of the final round, Matthew Conkel grabbed Paul Alig. Alig, the league's oldest member, showed up in midseason last year and was impressive in his approach to the game. Alig is also a fine defender and will start at Shortstop, the main defensive position in wiffleball. With the defense severely struggling in '07, Conkel hopes that this selection will shore up much of those problems.

With his final pick, Jason Clark grabbed the 2007 comeback player of the year -- Michael "Jumpman" Kuca. After missing the first half of the season due to a suspension related to killing a man with an oversized white t-shirt, Kuca's productivity steadily increased. In their first round playoff victory, the Troops were surprisingly aided by the power hitting and on base success of Kuca. Standing at 9' 4'', the league's tallest player.

Eric Belancic completed his team with the selection of Vance Hanlin. An occasional player last year, Hanlin's season was highlighted when he broke a 0-0 count in the 11th inning by hitting a home run out of Meadow Lane Park.

The draft ended with Hambleton's selection of Nathan Peluchette. The older Peluchette's hitting improved as the season progressed, and he also added a fine glove.

Opening Day is scheduled for 1:00 this Sunday at Clator Field. Unlike last season, all games will be played at Clator while Meadow Lane Park is under construction.

Friday's Action Cancelled.
All Games to be Played on Saturday at Both Fields.
High of 83 and 40% Chance of Precipitation.
Fans Can Expect Shootouts?

Early week complications almost had MLY not being able to make the trip South, but travel coordinator Mike Jones tied some loose ends and fixed his car in time to allow the trip possible. On to the preview :

MLY Batting - Both squads will have plenty of ammo at the dish, power up and down the line-up. For MLY, the addition of lefty Shawn Brown in the heart of the order should lead to some substantial production. In just 86 series at-bats, Brown has an equally impressive 12 homers and .442 batting average. Setting the table as always will be speedster Mike Jones, bringing a plus .350 average and 21 career homers. What the numbers don't tell about Jones is his knack for coming through in the clutch, with his production much better in tied or close game situations.

MLY will also look to three seasoned veterans of the series to add some power. Phil Bradley, the all-time leader in series' homers for either squad, will bring his 27 lifetime bombs to Clator and Meadow Lane on Saturday. Andy Taylor's powerful uppercut swing (15 career homers) should bring some additional power, with James "Monu" Wickham (3 HRs), a veteran and chance to surprise, rounding out the Michigan line-up.

MVWL Batting - There will be some new faces to join the traditional forces for the home squad. Brett Hambleton and Tyler McFarland are two of the big names that will contribute to the MVWL's cause. As usual, the MVWL will also rely on traditional power hitters Marc Conaway, Eric Belancic and the McNeil brothers. Conaway is leading regular season MVWL action in hits, at-bats, runs and home runs. Conaway has 26 HRs, one in every 6.6 at-bats. Belancic has come up clutch for the Wheeling side in their last two (and only) series victories, and has sent 22 balls out this year, one in every 7.0 at-bats. Mike McNeil joins Phil Bradley as the only 8-year veterans in the series, and has 21 homers on the season, one in every 5.7 at-bats.

In limited action, Ryan McNeil has the best HR:AB ratio, one in every 4.9 at-bats, while leading the league in average. The older McNeil's lefthanded stroke has been the most consistent bat in the Wheeling line-up in recent years. Joining the veterans will be newcomers Hambleton and McFarland, both with solid regular season numbers. Hambleton, who will bat leadoff for Wheeling, has 14 homers, one in every 6.1 at-bats. McFarland, who has been finding his rhythm recently, has 16 bombs, once in every 6.3 plate appearances.

MLY Pitching - Andy Taylor will shoulder the majority of the pitching load for MLY, and hopes on the Michigan side are that Taylor regains his poise from the early part of the decade. With a 14-6 career record and 128 strikeouts, both series' highs, Taylor will be on the hill in game one for MLY. If his rise ball can dance like it has in the past, it could be a long day for MVWL hitting.

Shawn Brown should also receive some work, and has been impressive in limited work. While this will only be Brown's second trip to Wheeling, he does have a 3-2 career record and a nasty curve ball strikeout pitch.

MVWL Pitching - No secret here, Eric Belancic will be on the hill early and often for the Wheeling squad. Belancic, who has a 13-5 record in regular season action, has been tougher than ever in 2007. Striking out well over a batter an inning, Eric's development of a consistent rise piece and a couple nasty curves have made him dominant.

With Belancic starting game one, the MVWL will look to rookie Brett Hambleton in game two. Hambleton has a very impressive 8-1 record and 1.04 ERA in his regular season appearances. The absence of Matt DeSantis will hurt the MVWL's depth, but Hambleton will take his spot as the #2 starter.

Prediction - With all cylinders firing on the offensive sides, there could be more scoring than usual in this year's showdown. Both sides will have all the regulars on offense, while missing quality arms on the other side. Bud Clark will be a big no-show for MLY, having recently moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. The MVWL will have to do without Matt DeSantis, a longtime quality arm for the home squad. Many have Wheeling favored in this series, but with the core of MLY in tact, they will be very difficult to put away. The prediction here is MVWL in 7, with everyone getting drunk.

MLY Set to Make 8th Straight Trip.
MLY Caravan Will Include Bradley, Brown.
Weekend Kicks Off With Pick-Up Tourney Friday.
Series to be Played at Both Fields on Saturday.
Concludes Sunday Along with League Action.

It all began in August, 2000, at the one-time location of the Jaycees Complex in Elm Grove. Andy Taylor, Phil Bradley and Mike Jones traveled through Wheeling via Interstate 70 after watching the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

The MLY would win that first series two games to one, and would also go on to take the next four series' that followed. Building a dynasty and dominating the competition became the MLY's forte ... that is, until 2005. In that Summer, the MVWL finally found a way to solve the Michigan juggernaut, winning a competitive series four games to three. The MVWL also took last year's decision with Eric Belancic once again hitting a home run that would prove to be the difference maker, and look to make it three straight victories this Summer.

This weekend, for the first time since 2000, not all of the games in Wheeling will be played at Meadow Lane Park. The historic yard will still host games three and four, but the majority of the action will take place across town at the spacious, beautiful Clator Field located on Pearl Ave. The MVWL roster will also have some fresh faces, league members who will be seeing their first action against the Michigan rivals. Brett Hambleton, Matthew Conkel, Tyler McFarland and the Saseen, Clark and Peluchette brothers could all see series action based on availability. The MVWL will also see a lot of the traditional "big four" (Eric Belancic, Marc Conaway, Mike McNeil and Ryan McNeil) along with league staples Matt DeSantis and Todd Ullom. DeSantis will join Belancic and Hambleton on the mound, with the rotation to be announced at the end of the week.

For MLY, they recently received some pleasant news with the announcement that Phil Bradley will be making the trip South. Bradley's schedule once had him tied up during the weekend, but he will be making the trip after all. Joining the 8-year veteran captain will be Andy Taylor (making his 7th appearance), Mike Jones (7th), Monu Wickham (7th) and Shawn Brown (2nd). MLY will rely heavily on the arms of Brown and Taylor, both who have enjoyed success on the hill in the past. For the first time, the Michigan mafia will come into the Friendly City as underdogs, with pitching depth a concern. A recent dodge ball injury has relegated stud Mike Jones to limited arm strain, forcing him out of the pitching rotation. MLY will also rely a lot on Jones to produce out of the leadoff hole and to play his usual stellar defense at the main defensive position. The addition of Brown to the line-up in Wheeling, a rarity, will be a big boost to Major League Yardball's offensive attack. Brown exploded in the Michigan version of the Series last Summer, hitting nine homers in an impressive display of power. Taylor will not only manage his veteran squad, but will also be counted on to eat a lot of innings. Some say that Taylor's pitching has deteriorated after his rise ball ate up hitters in the early part of the decade, but Andy is a gamer who will bring his best effort in the biggest series of the Summer. James "Monu" Wickham will add depth to the line-up and could be available to throw some innings as well.

The activities will get kicked off on Friday, with the traditional home run derby and round robin tournament to be held at both fields. All players who are available will be thrown in a draft pool at Meadow Lane Park, with trophies and an MVP trophy given to the winners. Action will begin at 4:30 P.M. on Friday.

Check back on Wednesday or Thursday for the annual series preview at each position. Have a good day.

Rockets, Nasty's Sweep to Force 3-Way Tie Atop Standings

An improbability before Sunday's action, both the Rockets and Big Nasty's swept their three game sets on Sunday, resulting in the top three teams having identical records with only one regular season gameday left. The league will take a break this weekend for Jamboree in the Hills, but will resume the following weekend after the MLY Series takes place.

The Rockets welcomed back Mike McNeil to the line-up and enjoyed their best day of the season, sweeping Term's Troops by scores of 10-3 and 9-4. In the first game, the Rockets shelled league ace Eric Belancic, the front-runner for the Cy Young award, scoring ten runs with Matt DeSantis hitting a pair of 2-run homers. DeSantis, who easily enjoyed his best offensive day of the season, went 11-for-12 on Sunday while hitting four bombs, one more than the three he had total going into the weekend. The entire Rockets' line-up was swinging hot bats, as Mike McNeil had five bombs and 13 RBIs on the day, Todd Ullom went 8-for-10 in the two game sweep over the Troops, and Alex Peluchette added a pair of home runs on the day.

The Big Nasty's stretched their winning streak to six consecutive games, as the consistent presence of Tyler McFarland in the heart of the line-up has boosted the Nasty's offense. In a sweep over Slim's Sluggers, the Nasty's pounded the ball over Clator Field, winning by scores of 14-7 and 9-2. On the day, McFarland hit three long balls and also won his lone pitching decision, running his record to 3-1 on the mound. The Nasty's also received production from the entire line-up, with Brett Hambleton (2 HRs, 8 RBIs), Jason Clark (9 hits in 16 at-bats) and Jeremy Saseen (HR, 10 RBIs) all carrying their weight in a pesky, tough overall line-up.

The two sweeps in the early games set the stage for a late afternoon showdown at Clator. The Sluggers were trying to play the role of spoiler vs. the Rockets, and the Troops were trying to pad their division lead with a win over the Big Nasty's. With the #1 overall seed receiving a first-round bye, there was a lot to play for in the matinee contests.

In the first game, Jordan Saseen of the Sluggers took on Matt DeSantis of the Rockets. The Sluggers got on the board first in the top of the second, when Matthew Conkel singled in a run to make it 1-0. Brian Keys added a solo homer an inning later to give the heavy underdogs a two run advantage. Saseen was pitching his best game of the year, allowing only a run when he overthrew a ball at first base. He also added a solo homer in the top of the sixth, giving his team a 3-1 lead going into the bottom of the last inning. Todd Ullom led off and Saseen retired him on a groundball to shortstop. Down to their last out, Matt DeSantis worked a walk after an 0-2 count, bringing the tying run to the plate. Mike McNeil followed with a homer to left-center to tie the game and force extra innings. DeSantis shut down the Sluggers in the next two innings, and the Rockets won in the bottom of the eighth when McNeil hit a three-run homer.

In the nightcap, the Nasty's looked to Jeremy Saseen to knock off Eric Belancic and Term's Troops. Belancic's pitching record was 13-4 going into the game, including the impressive statistic of only losing one game at Clator on the season. Belancic got the scoring started in the top of the second, hitting a shot well over the shed in centerfield to take the early lead. Saseen would recover nicely after surrendering the homer, only allowing one more hit in the game without letting another run score. Belancic also seemed to regain his form after his poor outing at Meadow Lane Park earlier in the day. Belancic held the Nasty's scoreless through four before running into trouble in the fifth. After an out, Tyler McFarland singled and Brett Hambleton walked, putting a couple runners on for the elder Saseen. "Doc" responded with the biggest hit of his young wiffleball career, a three-run line drive home run that not only helped his own cause, but also the hopes of the Rockets as well. Saseen finished the game up in the sixth, getting the last two outs to ensure a sign of incredible league parity, three teams tied at the top with 20-13 records. With the first team receiving the bye, and the other two squads battling for home field positioning, there will be a lot at stake in two weekends. The Sluggers will take on the Rockets, with the Nasty Boyz meeting with the Troops in the doubleheaders. The Sluggers/Troops and Rockets/Nasty's will be the single games.

Check back as we continue to update, including a series preview on the eighth annual MLY/MVWL series, set to take place on July 27th-29th. As usual, there will be kegs on tap at both fields for the entire weekend.

Nasty’s Sweep 3 Games.
Term and Nasty Slug it Out, Batting Race Tied.
Complete Game No-Hitter?

The Big Nasty’s make up precious ground, turning last week’s 0-3 slide into a 3-0 sweep this weekend. All games this weekend were played at spacious Clator Field. The Rockets avoided forfeit by traveling to Clator to acquire legendary wiffler, Paul Alig. Nonetheless, a Nasty’s extended BP & warm-up at Meadow Lane proved advantageous in game one, as they tagged Matt DeSantis for 6 runs in the second inning with Tyler and Brett knocking in all 6. However, a composed DeSantis blanked the Nasty’s through the final four innings in a 6-3 loss to the Nasty’s Doc Saseen.

The Nasty’s exploded in game 2, shelling Rockets’ pitcher Todd Ullom for 13 runs in the 4 inning slaughter. The Nasty’s went a combined 14 for 19 with six home runs. Perhaps even more impressive, Tyler "Manchild" McFarland pitched a complete game, no-hit shutout that seemingly went unnoticed, even by Tyler himself.

Opposing team captains, set to meet next week, had monumental days with the bat. Big Nasty Brett Hambleton elected not to pitch this week and focused only on hitting; it paid off. Brett had an impressive day at the plate, hitting 6 HR, with 9 Runs and 15 RBI. "Nast" (as teammates call him) also went 13 for 17 to catch batting race leader Marc Conaway. Currently, both Hambleton and Conaway are batting an astounding .561 for the season. Not to be outdone, the Troop's captain put on a hitting clinic of his own, boasting a .938 BA for the day (15 for 16). Conaway had to outperform Hambleton (.765) to maintain his now shared lead in the batting race due to his immense number of at bats, a league-leading 157, dwarfing Hambleton’s 73.

Term’s Troops once again demonstrated why they are the best team in the MVWL, finishing 2-1 on the weekend. Sluggers’ starting pitcher Brian Keys had his curve ball working to keep the Troops at bay, but could not contain Wiff-stud Marc Conaway, who went a perfect 6 for 6 with 3 bombs. Trailing 4-0 through four, the Sluggers would not go away. Matthew Conkel sparked some life into his team by hitting a solo shot, Jordan "Nephew" Saseen followed suit with 2-run bomb that knocked in Keys, and Conkel hit another later in the inning to tie the game. However,the Troops would come up big in the bottom half of the inning, posting 4 more runs on long balls from both Belancic and Conaway. This would prove sufficient as Troops starter Eric Belancic finished the game to net his 12th victory of the season.

The second game between these two teams featured a pair of young pitchers, Justin Clark (Troops) vs. Jordan Saseen (Sluggers), in a game that promised to be high scoring. The lead switched hands twice before the Sluggers tied it in the bottom of the 5th. The score would remain tied at 6 until a walk-off homerun by Saseen ended it in the 8th inning, spoiling the Troops hopes for another weekend sweep.

The final two games of the day were far less exciting as the Troops bounced back with an 11-1, five inning victory over the depleted Rockets, and the Nasty’s beat the Sluggers 13-6. Eric Belancic got another win in a 6-strikeout effort for the Troops while Jason Clark picked up his second win of the season for the Nasty’s.

Also, congratulations to Vanessa Saseen who 2-weeks ago broke the gender barrier, becoming the first female wiffler to play in the MVWL, going 2-5 with 1 Run and 3 RBI. Vanessa, like all Wheeling-Wiff players, earned herself an invitation to the All Star competition to be held Saturday, August 4th.

Season Winds Down...Playoff Picture Takes Shape...

Since the leader of the Rockets Mike McNeil departed for Viva Las Vegas two weeks ago, the Sluggers continued to slowly move away from the Pennant Race, Troops Marc "Term" Conaway has taken over almost every batting stat, and Troops Eric Belancic is still wiffing dudes, racking up 123 K's on the year.

In WEEK 8, the Sluggers were swept by the Nasty's at their home, Clator Field, losing 3-1 and 8-1. The Nasty's owe their two wins to Tyler McFarland, hitting two bombs in the first game and another in the second game, while batting in seven RBI in the two games. The Sluggers received a surprise visit from Ryan "Real Deal" McNeil in the third game, but it was not enough to take down Matt Desantis and the Rockets. Although the Rockets were handed back to back losses at Meadow Lane Park earlier in the day, they came to Clator and avoided the sweep. The Rockets are the only team in the league to not have been swept on Sunday this season. Term's Troops were once again supported by the hot bat of Conaway, as he hit five bombs in the first two games against the Rockets to make his league leading season total 19 home runs.

In the showcase game of the day, Brett "Big Nasty" Hambleton and the Nasty's defeated Belancic and the Troops, 3-2, in a marathon 12 inning game at Clator. Belancic would strike out 17 and Nasty would strike out 12 in this affair. However, Hambleton's violation of the maximum pitch speed would cause him a suspension to be served the following week.

In WEEK 9, the Nasty's were without Jason Clark(flu), Tyler McFarland(school), and Brett Hambleton(suspension), and picked up Justin Eckman and Mike Kuca. Conaway's two homers off Doc Saseen would be enough in Game 1 as they won 6-3, and Todd Ullom's double in the bottom 7th knocked in Matt Desantis for a 1-0 victory in Game 2. Props to Justin Clark and Mike Kuca, who each threw gems in Game 2. Although Kuca got the loss in the stat book, this was also his first career start.

On the other side of town at Meadow Lane, The Sluggers fielding errors blew Game 1 for them. Jordan Saseen hit a bomb and threw 8 K's in the 3-1 loss, Matt Desantis credited with the win. In Game 2, the Sluggers showed what they are honestly capable of and hit a total of six bombs, Saseen having three of them.

Back at Clator in the later games, Desantis' pitching was too much for the depleted Nasty's. The Rockets won the game 4-3 in seven innings off another clutch hit by Ullom. Doc Saseen was given two losses on the day, and seems to play more focused and energetic when the Big Nasty himself is playing shortstop. In the boring finale of Week 9, Belancic smoked the Sluggers by hitting three knocks and retiring nine by strikeout. Troops won the game 10-0.

PLAYOFF PICTURE: There are three Sunday left for regular season. July 8

July 15

July 22 - OFF FOR JAMBO

July 29

The Sluggers are one game from being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. The only team they can catch is the Nasty's. The Sluggers would have to win every game the rest of the year(9 games), and have the Nasty's lose the same 9 games. Almost impossible, but look forward to the stars of the Sluggers to present the playoffs to everyone on August 5 and August 12.

Also, dont forget All-Star Saturday at Clator Field. Events for everyone in the league. Ask Conkel or McNeil for more details.

Three Horse Race : Troops and Nasty's Continue to Surge

With both Term's Troops and the Big Nasty's posting 2-1 records on Sunday, the standings are jumbled at the top with three quality teams. At 14-7, the Rockets continue to hold a slim lead over the rest of the league, but the Troops (13-8) and The Nasty's (11-10) are threatening to take over the division lead. With the top three teams making the playoffs, it looks like the final weeks will be a battle for playoff positioning as Slim's Sluggers (4-17) are on the clock in the 2008 draft, seven whole games out of the playoff race.

Term's Troops were once again led by captain Eric Belancic, who did it all on Sunday. Posting two more complete game victories to put him at 8-2 on the year, the Croatian Nightmare added a season record six HRs on the day, including a grand slam in a 6-2 victory over the Rockets in the day's final game. The Troops also received another big day at the plate from Marc Conaway, who pushed his batting average over .500 on the year and, along with Belancic, has 14 bombs on the season (only trailing the league leaders by two).

It's been no secret why the Big Nasty's have turned things around in the standings. Four weeks ago, the Nasty's were a disappointing 3-8 going into the final game of the day. Captain Brett Hambleton then made it to Meadow Lane Park in time for the final game of the day, threw a one-hit gem, and the rest is history. The Nasty's are 8-2 in games Hambleton has played, with Brett showing a 6-1 record and 1.01 ERA on the hill. In a doubleheader against the Rockets Sunday, Hambleton hit a pair of bombs in a 4-0 game one victory while throwing another one-hit shutout.

In the re-match, Jeremy "Doc" Saseen and Matt DeSantis squared off in the best pitched game of the year, and possibly the most well played game also. Saseen and DeSantis were brilliant on the mound, matching scoreless inning for scoreless inning at the hitter's friendly Meadow Lane Park. There were also a series of fine defensive plays made by opposing shortstops Jason Clark and Mike McNeil and Rockets' first baseman Alex Peluchette that kept the game scoreless. The score remained 0-0 until the top of the 10th inning, when Vance Hanlin followed a Todd Ullom walk with a two-run shot to right-center field to provide all the offense necessary in a 2-0 victory. Despite the loss, the Nasty's had to be very encouraged by the pitching performance from their #2 arm, as Saseen will be counted on to throw every other game once the playoffs begin in August.

For the Rockets, their once dominating 11-1 record and big lead over the field has been slipping, with three consecutive 1-2 weeks. At 14-7, the Rockets are the only team in the league who has not been swept on any of the seven gamedays, but they will be without captain Mike McNeil for at least two weekends. McNeil, who is in Las Vegas for the World Series of Poker, has given the captain responsibilities to first-round pick Matt DeSantis and second-rounder Todd Ullom. DeSantis (7-1, 2.01 ERA) will be looked to continue his pitching dominance as the Rockets attempt to hold onto their slim division lead.

It's been a disappointing overall season for Slim's Sluggers, but there have been individual highlights, mostly from first-round pick Matthew Conkel. Conk Dogg is second in runs scored (30), RBI (29), and tied for first in Home Runs (16). With McNeil out of the picture for a while, Conkel will be aiming for the season lead in all three categories. Despite a 4-17 record, there have been talks of the Sluggers making an unlikely run at the third and final playoff spot. Conkel is hoping the return of Captain Josh Sleime (has anyone seen Josh?) and a potential weekend or two from Ryan McNeil could be enough for the Sluggers to turn it around and at least have some winning weekends. The Sluggers have received production from Jordan Saseen (9 HRs) and Brian Keys (8), but need to find a way to keep the opposition off the scoreboard.

The schedule for Sunday : Term's Troops vs. The Rockets at Meadow Lane Park , and The Big Nasty's vs. Slim's Sluggers at Clator. The late games at Clator are The Rockets vs. The Sluggers and The Nasty's vs Term's Troops.

That's Nasty : Hambleton, Congrove Lead Charge in Sweep

Led by the right arm of Brett Hambleton and the hot bat of Josh Congrove, the Big Nasty's had a perfect 3-0 day to put them at the .500 mark on the season with an even 9-9 record. The Wellsville duo took care of Term's Troops in a series at Meadow Lane Park, winning by scores of 2-1 and 5-4. The Nasty's had to rally early, trailing 1-0 going into the bottom of the sixth after an early Eric Belancic home run. Down to their last out, Jason Clark drew a walk and reached third after Congrove's ground ball to Belancic was thrown away, putting both runners in scoring position. Hambleton was the next batter and hit a fly ball that Justin Clark could not handle, allowing both runs to score and giving the Nasty's the early win. In the following contest, the Nasty's jumped out to a 5-0 lead thanks to a pair of third inning bombs from Congrove. Term's Troops would rally late, putting up four runs in the last two innings to make the score 5-4. However, Hambleton came on in relief and struck out Marc Conaway with runners on base to get the save and earn the sweep.

In the nightcap, Hambleton avenged his only loss of the campaign by throwing his second no-hitter of the season against the Rockets, winning by a 3-0 count. The big hit of the game came from Congrove, who followed a Hambleton walk and a Clark base hit with a three-run bomb to left-center field. Congrove celebrated with an Ozzie Smith backflip that he learned from his competitive gymnastic background in eastern Ohio. The perfect day puts the Nastys right back in the thick of the standings, showing a 6-1 record since Hambleton's return.

Slim's Sluggers did not allow the absence of captain Joshua Sleime to effect them in their first game. Against the division leading Rockets, the underdog Sluggers received a big spark from first-round pick Matthew Conkel. The whispers that Conkel was not living up to his lofty draft status were hushed when Conkel sent three bombs out of his backyard at Clator Field in game one. The final homer of the game was a game-winning three run shot with the Slugger's trailing 6-4 in the bottom of the seventh inning. For the second time this season, Conkel hit five out on the day, good enough for second most in the league with 14.

The top teams in the league, The Rockets and Term's Troops, had disappointing 1-2 days, with each beating the Sluggers once. Eric Belancic and Marc Conaway both hit a pair of bombs in a 9-2 victory, while Mike McNeil had a record 13 RBI's and a walkoff homer in a wild, 16-13 win.

The league has exceeded the halfway point of the season, with each team playing 18 games while having 15 more on the schedule. Check back this week for a midseason report and check the stats on the left for updated numbers.

Changes in Pitching Match-Ups

With aces Matt DeSantis and Josh McKee unable to attend Sunday, the pitching probables for Sunday's action have changed. Against Joshua "Sir" Sleime for Slim's Sluggers in game one, the Rockets will pitch Mike McNeil to replace the absent DeSantis, who has military duties that last all weekend. For Term's Troops, rookie sensation Justin Clark will probably be on the hill for the second game of the day, sandwiched between two starts for league ace Eric Belancic. In his only start of the year, the younger Clark only allowed one run in a winning effort. A solid performance could add to Clark's all-star resume, which looks to be good enough to make the eight man squad at the halfway point of the season. As a result of the changes, the lines for Sunday's action have changed (ticker, above).

Belancic Tosses Troops Back into Thick of Race

On a day in which pitching was expected to headline the action, MVWL ace Eric Belancic did not disappoint, going 2-0 on the day while only surrendering a pair of runs. Term's Troops had a perfect 3-0 day to push their record to 10-5, only two games behind the division leading Rockets. Against the Rockets, the league's highest scoring offense, the Troops swept behind back-to-back one-hit gems from Belancic and the equally talented Josh McKee. After taking the first contest 2-0, Justin Clark provided all the offense in a 1-0 victory to give the Troops a sweep at Meadow Lane. The Troops then completed the perfect day at Clator with a 5-2 victory over Slim's Sluggers, with Clark once again leading the offensive charge with a three-run bomb in the second inning to break the game open.

Brett Hambleton made his much awaited debut for The Big Nastys for his first full Sunday of the season. Hambleton picked up where he left off in 2006, throwing the first no-hitter of the season while sending down nine batters on strikes in a 4-0 victory over Slim's Sluggers. While Hambleton did it with his arm in the first game, the multi-faceted star showed he could do it with the bat in the re-match. Trailing 5-0 early, the Nastys rally was led by Hambleton's fourth inning grand slam, giving his squad a 9-5 victory. The Nastys also received a boost from first overall pick Josh Congrove, who made his season debut and went 7-14 (.500) in the leadoff spot, and the pesky Jason Clark, who had seven knocks in nine tries to put his average back over the .500 mark.

Despite The Rockets dropping their first two games at the hands of the Troops, it was not a completely wasted day as they knocked off Hambleton and the Nastys by a 3-1 score in the final game of the day. Matt DeSantis improved to 6-1 by dancing around trouble all day on an afternoon where he did not have his best stuff. DeSantis struck out Jeremy "Doc" Saseen with the bases loaded to end the contest, the third consecutive inning the Nastys had loaded the bases. The win puts the Rockets at 12-3.

Slim's Sluggers dropped all three games, still looking for their first winning weekend. Despite the 2-13 mark near the halfway point of the season, co-captains Matthew Conkel and Joshua Sleime have their eye on the third and final playoff spot, which they trail by four games. The Sluggers are looking to spark plug Mike Kuca, now the league's tallest player at 6' 7'', and the recently acquired Brian Keys, who came over in a trade with the Rockets. In exchange for Keys, who can throw 12-to-6 junk on the hill and adds pitching depth to the Sluggers, the Rockets received the rights to Alex Peluchette, who joins older brother Nathan.

Check the overall stats and pitching stats links for updated statistics, and the ticker above for the weekend leaders. First pitches on Sunday are scheduled for 2:05, with the Nasts and Troops squaring off at Meadow Lane, while the Rockets and Sluggers will meet at Clator.

Sunday's Pitching Probables Announced

With Brett Hambleton returning for his first whole gameday, the pitching match-ups for this weekend's action should showcase the best arms the league has to offer. There will be a few marquee match-ups that fans are looking forward to on Sunday ...

Matt DeSantis (5-0, 2.86 ERA) will take on Eric Belancic (3-1, 1.50 ERA) at Meadow Lane Park in a 2:05 start. DeSantis looks to lead the 11-1 Rockets over the 7-5 Troops in the first match-up between the two aces this season. The two pitchers that are 1-2 in the Cy Young race have avoided each other when the two teams have squared up. Belancic is a -125 favorite in the contest.

Mike McNeil (4-1, 4.25 ERA) takes on Josh McKee (2-1, 2.50) in the second game of the day at Meadow Lane. The Rockets handed Josh McKee his only loss of the season when McKee lost his control and walked in multiple runs. Other than that performance, McKee has been dominant, having the best strikeouts : innings pitched ratio in the league. McNeil is -120.

DeSantis will also take on Hambleton (1-0, 0.00 ERA) in the late game at Clator. Despite the Nastys poor record (4-8) and the Rockets over-achieving one (11-1), DeSantis is only a -120 favorite because of the respect given to Hambleton, who has only played one game this season.

Check the ticker above for all pitching probables and lines, and remember to vote Yes! for jobs on June 9th.

Rest of Schedule Announced, More Site Updates

With four gamedays in the books after the completion of May, the rest of the season schedule was announced Thursday by Wheeling Wiffs commissioners Matthew Conkel and Mike McNeil. The schedule, which could always be changed, calls for at least seven more gamedays, with breaks taken for Jamboree in the Hills (July 21) and MLY Weekend (July 28). The regular season gamedays will be the five weekends in June and the first two weekends of July. The playoffs, which will include three of the four teams (top seed receiving a bye), will be held over the first two weekends of August, with the finals to be held August 11th. There will also be an all-star game for the top eight players from the regular season to be held on Saturday, August 3rd. All-Star criteria will be based upon attendance, statistics and overall performance.

The web site continues to develop with help from Todd Morrison and toddmorrison.com, the #1 ranked blog site among white males ages 15-18 on the East coast. An overall records page was recently added as a link on the left to update the standings. Check back as the site continues to progess, including a lot more pictures. In the meantime, check out the MVWL/MLY page that the boys in Michigan spent a lot of time working on, including fun scores and stats from every game, like the MVWL's 0-10 record in game threes --- MLY/MVWL Series Stats

Pitching Stats Updated

Thanks to some hard work from Matthew Ian Conkel and Fred, the pitching stats from the first four weekends have been updated and can be found on the "Pitching Stats" link on the left. The leader in each category has the stat in bold font, i.e. Matt DeSantis and his five wins are the current leader in that particluar category. As of now, the Cy Young battle looks to be a two-horse race between DeSantis and the always tough Eric Belancic. DeSantis is 5-0 with a 2.86 ERA, while Belancic is 3-1 with a 1.50 ERA. Other pitchers enjoying nice starts are Mike McNeil (4-1, 2 saves), Josh McKee (2-1, 2.45 ERA) and Brett Hambleton (1-0, 0.00 ERA).

Shooting Off : Rockets Sweep, Improve to 11-1 while Offense Dominates Week 4

With captain Mike McNeil and first-overall draft pick Matt DeSantis off to impressive starts, the Rockets continue to pad their lead over the rest of the league. With a perfect 3-0 weekend, the Rockets moved to 11-1 on the season, four games ahead of second place Term's Troops. McNeil's hot start with the bat has given him the statistical lead in three of the four offensive categories. Leading by a substantial margin in runs scored, home runs and RBIs, he is making a threat at the Quadruple Crown, trailing only teammate Matt DeSantis in batting average. DeSantis has been setting the table for the Rockets in the leadoff position, hitting an eye-popping .618 to league the lead. While his offensive numbers have been impressive, DeSantis has been even better on the mound, posting a flawless 5-0 record.

One of the keys to the Rockets' early success has been depth, having the best attendance rate of any team in the league. Todd Ullom and Nathan Peluchette have been showing up and producing at the bottom of the line-up. During a sweep of The Big Nastys at Clator Field, Ullom hit three home runs, giving The Rockets the lead for good in both contests. The Rockets rolled to a 7-2 victory in game one, and took the re-match with a 7-5 decision. With the score tied 5-5, Ullom hit a 2-run shot in the top of the sixth that turned out to be the game winner. Peluchette added the first homer of his career in the late game, a 9-6 slugfest victory over Slim's Sluggers. 'Chette had four RBIs in the game and hit 8-13 (.615) on the weekend. The Rockets as a team hit 32-57 on Sunday, a combined .561 average from the four man line-up.

While the remaining three teams in the league all went 1-2 on the weekend, they all had some bright spots to build upon. Slim's Sluggers split a pair of extra inning contests with Term's Troops at Meadow Lane Park, losing 5-4 and winning 7-6. On the day, the Sluggers hit an astonishing 13 bombs, with cousins Matt Conkel and Jordan Saseen each blasting a single-weekend leading five home runs. The Sluggers also accomplished a rare feat in Wheeling Wiffs history in a 9-6 loss to the Rockets --- hitting five homers (all solo) in the top of the fifth inning. The 1-2 weekend puts the Sluggers at 2-10 on the season.

The Big Nastys were sparked by the return of captain Brett Lee Hambleton. While the Nastys dropped their first two games without their captain, Hambleton made it in time for the final game of the day and threw a one-hit gem at Meadow Lane Park, fueling his team to a 4-0 victory. Dustin Schroeder won a $20 prop bet by hitting a 3-run homer at Clator Field, and Jason Clark had another Ichiro-like day with the bat to keep his average near the .500 mark for the season. The Nastys 1-2 weekend puts them at 4-8 for the year.

Without having ace pitchers Eric Belancic or Josh McKee available, Term's Troops received a spark from yet another little brother. Alex Peluchette, a D-1 football recruit, made his presence felt on Sunday by hitting four bombs on the day. With the younger Peluchette making his debut, the Wheeling Wiffs league has now had five sets of brothers compete in league action. The Troops fell to 7-5 on the season, still good enough for second place in the standings.

As always, check the ticker above for the statistical leaders from the weekend, and the "Overall Stats" link on the left for season statistics.

McFarland, Belancic, Conaway Have Big Days and R. McNeil Makes Debut

For the first time all season, the Rockets lost a game, Slim's Sluggers won one, and a few big hitters found their rhythm in week three of action. Both The Rockets and Term's Troops, the top two teams in the league, had winning weeks with 2-1 records to put them at 8-1 and 6-3, respectively.

The Troops were led by captain Eric Belancic and first-round pick Marc Conaway. Playing all of their games at pitcher's friendly Clator Field, Belancic hit three HRs, scored eight runs, and drove in eight more. Perhaps turning in the single most impressive weekend all season, Belancic also went 2-0 on the mound with a 1.00 ERA and posted 17 strikeouts. Teammate Marc Conaway had another big weekend, going 11-16 (.688) with three HRs and six RBIs. Term's Troops split a series with the Rockets, winning 6-0 and losing 7-6.

Slim's Sluggers posted their first victory of the season with some help from a familiar face and an unexpected one as well. Ryan McNeil made his season debut on Sunday, and along with rookie Nolan King led the Sluggers to their first W on the campaign with a 7-6, come-from-behind decision over The Big Nastys. Trailing 6-2 in the bottom of the fifth, King, who earlier in the game hit his first career HR, doubled in two runs and added another run scoring hit to tie the game. With the score tied 6-6, McNeil, who pitched two scoreless innings in relief, drove in the go-ahead and eventual game-winning run. On the Day, the older McNeil went yard three times and drove in half a dozen runs.

While the Sluggers captured game one, Tyler McFarland took over the re-match to ensure there would no sweep. McFarland, who hit three bombs in the first game, did all of the work for the Nasty's in a 1-0 victory, throwing a four-hit shutout and hitting a second inning solo home run. For the day, McFarland was 9-18 (.500), while hitting four solo HRs, tying the high for a single weekend in 2007.

There will be no action this weekend with the six annual Matt Velez Memorial Wiffleball Tournament beind held on Sunday. Action will resume on Sunday, May 26 at 2:00.

DeSantis Continues Rockets' Streak, Term Sweeps Too

Matt DeSantis made his first full day of the season count, leading the Rockets to another 3-0 weekend and a 6-0 start to the season. DeSantis went 11-15 (.733) at the plate, setting the table for the line-up with four runs scored. He was equally impressive on the mound, going 2-0 on the day with 16 K's and a 1.20 ERA.

While DeSantis certainly lived up to his first overall pick expectations, it was a total team effort for the young but talented Term's Troops, whose perfect day moves them to 4-2 on the year. The recently added Justin Clark was on base all day, going 13-for-26 and scoring three runs to add to his league leading 11 on the year. Clark also had the game winning base hit in a 2-1, 10 inning victory over Slim's Sluggers. In that same game, Josh McKee was dominant on the hill, striking out 14 batters to give him a league leading 25 on the year. First round pick Marc Conaway helped lead the Troops with 3 HRs on a day when pitching dominated, including a game winning, 8th inning HR over The Big Nastys.

With the wind blowing in all day, scoring was much lower than Opening Day. The Rockets swept the Sluggers by scores of 3-2 (in 9 innings) and 6-4 at Meadow Lane. Josh Sleime homered three times in the two games, but a late error by rookie Dave Wharton on a dropped fly ball cost Slim's Sluggers game one. The Sluggers dropped two extra inning contests on the day to drop them to 0-6. Despite the ominous start, Sleime is confident his boys can turn it around with G.J. Congrove pitching well in his first appearance and the possibility of adding the powerful bat of Ryan McNeil looming down the road.

Term and his troops swept The Big Nastys by scores of 2-1 (in 8) and 8-1. The Nastys also dropped a 3-1 decision to the Rockets, who received a clutch base hit from rookie Nathan Peluchette that scored two runs. While having to play all three games at the pitcher's friendly Clator Field, the Nastys struggled all day to push across runs, scoring only three on the day. Captain Brett Hambleton is expected to return in two weeks, which should give his 2-4 squad a boost.

The Overall Stats page has been updated with Sunday's stats, and the results and stats leaders from Sunday can be found on the ticker above.

Justin Clark Traded for Schwalm, Site Updated

After enjoying a successful Opening Day, Justin Clark was traded from Brett's to Eric's team to fill a roster need for Term's Troops. Clark hit .538 (7-13) last weekend, while hitting three bombs in two games and driving in five. In exchange, Brett's team will receive Matt Schwalm who will spend the majority of his Summer in Rochester, New York but could be back in time for the playoffs.

The site has some recent additions, including an Overall Stats link (on the left) that has all of the stats from Opening Day weekend. Thanks go out to toddmorrison.com for the help with the site.

Eighth Opener in the Books

With a few of the big name studs unable to attend due to class and work, the eighth consecutive Opening Day in Wheeling Wiffs history took place Sunday at Meadow Lane Park and Clator Field. The format for the '07 season calls for each team to play one double header at one of the two fields, followed by a single game at Clator by each team, giving each squad three scheduled games per week.

Both The Big Nastys (Brett's team) and The Rockets (Mike's) swept their double headers before meeting for a showdown at Clator. A 1st inning grand slam by Mike McNeil capped off a five-run first, and The Rockets held off a late rally to hold on to a 5-4 victory and a 3-0 day. The Nastys had a solid performance, going 2-1 without captain Brett Hambleton and first round pick Josh Congrove.

Term's Troops (Eric's team) and Slim's Sluggers (Josh Sleime's) suffered sweeps in the double headers, with the Troops losing 4-3 and 8-2 to the Rockets at Meadow Lane, and the Sluggers suffering 14-2 and 11-7 defeats at the hands of The Big Nastys at Clator Field. However, led by captain Eric Belancic, the Troops avoided a winless day with a 1-0 victory over the Sluggers. Belancic not only threw a three-hit shutout, but provided all the offense with a solo HR in the top of the sixth. Both teams look to rebound next week when more of the rosters show up.

The double headers for next week : Rockets (3-0) vs. Slim's Sluggers (0-3) at Meadow Lane, and the Troops (1-2) vs. The Nastys (2-1) at Clator. The two single games will be rematches of the late games played at Clator.

The offensive leaders after one week : Jason Clark (10-16, .625) leads the batting race with the best average, Jeremy "Doc" Saseen (8) leads in runs scored, with Clark (7) closely behind. Mike McNeil leads in both HRs (4) and RBIs (11), with Clark (3 HRs, 10 RBI) closely trailing in both categories. Also having good days with the bat were Doc Saseen (3 HRs, 8 RBIs), Justin Clark (3 HRs, 5 RBI), Tyler McFarland (2 HRs, 7 RBI), Todd Ullom (2 HRs, 4 RBI), and the always surprising Derrick McKee (2 HRs, 3 RBI). Rookie Ricci Zambito also got on the board with his first career shot in his first career at-bat, a line drive off EJB.

Eric Belancic (1-1) was the day's top pitcher with a 2.00 ERA over two games while striking out a league leading 15. Josh Sleime trails with 13 K's in two games, while Mike McNeil went 1-0 with a save on the day.

First pitches on Sunday are scheduled for 2:00 P.M.

Draft Day, Opening Day Updates

For the first time since 2003, the Matt Velez Wiffleball League will go back to having four set teams that will rotate playing each other throughout the season. Opening Day is scheduled for Sunday, April 21st at 2:00 P.M. Gamedays will consist of two doubleheaders to be played at both of the fields for each of the four squads.

The regular season will consist of 16 gamedays (64 games), with the regular season coming to a close at the end of July. The first two weeks of August will hold the playoffs, with the best-of-7 finals being held on Sunday, August 11th. An official schedule will be posted sometime next week.

Every player who has been drafted will receive a free league jersey at Opening Day. The results from the draft and the team that chose them :

1) Matt DeSantis - Mike McNeil's team

2) Matt Conkel - Josh Sleime's team

3) Josh Congrove - Brett Hambleton's team

4) Marc Conaway - Eric Belancic's team

5) Justin Edwards - Eric

6) Jeremy Sasseen - Brett

7) G.J. Congrove - Josh

8) Brian Keys - Mike

9) Todd Ullom - Mike

10) Ryan McNeil - Josh

11) Tyler McFarland - Brett

12) Josh McKee - Eric

13) Derrick McKee - Eric

14) Jason Clark - Brett

15) Jordan Sasseen - Josh

16) Mike DeSantis - Mike

17) Sean Fahey - Mike

18) Keyshawn Creighton - Josh

19) Justin Clark - Brett

20) Matt Schwalm - Eric

21) Jake Dailer - Eric

22) Dustin Schroeder - Brett

23) Nolan King - Josh

24) Nathan Peluchette - Mike

Check back for updates as the season nears, including a season preview and odds for the season.

2007 Plans Announced

After a very active 2006 season and eager talks during the offseason, the MVWL has decided to go back to the "set" team format that was made popular in 2002 and 2003. With a strong neighboring league being formed across town, a coalition between the MVWL and Matt Conkel's Clator league seemed natural. With plenty of talent in both leagues, the four squads that will be drafted should be both talented and deep, with over 25 players expected to be entered in the draft pool.

As in years past, all regular season games will be played on Sundays throughout the Spring and Summer. Opening Day will be held in early April, with both Meadow Lane Park and the Clator Complex hosting gamedays. Along with the records and standings, more statistics will be recorded and posted on this website. The league will have a mid-season all-star weekend, and vote on season awards at the end of the year. Brett "don't call me the Big Nasty" Hambleton is the odds on favorite to take down MVP honors at 5:1, while Mike DeSantis is lingering around as a dark horse with solid 1000:1 odds against.

Another addition to the 2007 season will be legit uniforms for all players in the league. These will not only be high quality, but discounted for league players. Check back for upcoming events, such as the draft and the schedule for games.

MVWL/MLY Awards

The MVWL calendar always includes opening day festivities, the annual Matt Velez Wiffleball Tournament on Memorial Day Weekend, and now night games with the lights. The highlight of the season still remains the annual series with the Major League Yardball All-Stars based in Flint, Michigan. For the seventh consecutive Summer, the two clubs met in a home-and-home series that may have led to a changing of the guard between the teams.

In late June, Flint was host to a best-of-seven series appetizer at Bradley Field and Brown Stadium. Unlike past years, the offense was heard from early and often during the weekend. Shawn Brown put on a one-man fireworks show at his home field, sending a series record nine balls over the home run line. Andy Taylor regained his poise on the mound, giving the Michigan mafia a couple of solid pitching performances. The result of the series was a 4-3 MLY victory, with Brown going crazy at the plate in the final three games of the series and taking MVP honors hands down.

The main course, the Wheeling chapter of the Series, took place just a couple weeks later in the Friendly State. Looking to build off a victory in 2005, the MVWL seemed to have gained a step up on the visiting squad due to playing more frequently. The MVWL had it's most productive season in it's seven years, as gamedays were frequently being held at least twice a week. The increased playing can be attributed to the lights added to Meadow Lane Park, and a new league and field being built just across town. The Clator field and squad became the biggest game in town, with best-of series being held almost every weekend and often during the week, as well. The Clator game was played with a more liberal speed limit for pitchers, enhancing the pitching abilities of the MVWL arms.

When the series got underway in Wheeling, the first game was a 1-0 pitcher's duel won by the MLY. It was Bud Clark tossing zeros on the mound, and an early solo HR by Andy Taylor off Matt DeSantis was all the offense needed. The MVWL countered with Eric Belancic in game two, squaring the series with a 2-1 victory aided by an early Marc Conaway homer. Conaway had a very productive season, as he turned potential into power numbers, including more than his share of bombs during the Michigan series.

Game 3 will be remembered for a defensive lapse moreso than anything else. MVWL manager Mike McNeil was getting the best of sinkerballer Bud Clark for the majority of the game. Spotted a 1-0 lead on a home run from Ryan McNeil, the MVWL looked to be out of the bottom of the fifth when Phil Bradley popped a ball towards first base. The harmless pop-up turned into MLY gold when first baseman Todd Ullom couldn't make the catch. Bud Clark followed with an opposite field book rule double to give the MLY the lead and the series edge, 2-1.

The MVWL would respond with an offensive outburst in game four, winning comfortably by a 5-1 score. Matt DeSantis had another effective pitching performance, limiting MLY to a single run in both of his starts. DeSantis has played an intricate role for the MVWL in the last couple of series', throwing a variety of pitches in a variety of locations to keep hitters off balance. It was DeSantis who was on the mound for Wheeling's Finest first series victory in 2005.

The first four games were played on Saturday afternoon, and a 2-2 split had both squads excited for another fateful Sunday at 114 Meadow Lane. The game five looked to be the most important, as both squads had their aces throwing bullets in the deciding contest. The game remained tied until the top of the fourth, when Mike McNeil hit a solo shot and teammate Marc Conaway added an insurance shot. Belancic, who was primarily throwing a sinker pitch he learned from Clark, was dominant on the mound, pitching the MVWL one game from another series title.

Game six pitted the managers, Taylor vs. McNeil. The MVWL left the yard three times, with Conaway, Belancic and the older McNeil swinging to a 3-1 lead. The MLY rallied behind spark plug Mike Jones, the familiar foe who has proven to have a knack for the big moment. Jones homered in the fifth, then doubled home a run in the sixth to tie the contest at 3-3. The MLY offense was kept quiet for most of the series, but Jones seemed to change all that quickly heading into the bottom of the sixth. On the mound for MLY was Andy Taylor, who in his prime was simply the most dominating pitcher in wiffleball thanks to his trademark rise ball. However, the pitch that once left batters cursing and confused, rose right into Eric Belancic's sweet spot in the bottom of that sixth inning, leading to a game-winning bomb over the shed in rightcenter field. The walk-off was only the 2nd in series history, with Mike Jones doing the same in 2003. For Belancic, it was a nice way to rebound after struggling with the bat for a while vs. Michigan.

The end result was a 4-2 series victory for the MVWL. The overall series still reads 5-2 MLY, 6-3 with Michigan trips included. The following awards were announced at a banquet held at Buffalo Wild Wings in St. Clairsville, Ohio :

MVWL/MLY 2006 Series MVP - Eric Belancic. After a 2005 series in which he struggled badly for the series until hitting the game seven game winner, Belancic turned it around with a more consistent offensive series. His walk-off homer was the first for a Wheeling player, but his pitching (one run in 2 games) was equally impressive.

MVWL/MLY 2006 Silver Slugger Award - Marc Conaway. Conaway was once a player labeled with much potential but performance problems. Short Term turned it around in 2006, including leading the MVWL in Homers and RBIs.

MVWL 2006 Regular Season MVP - Ryan "The Rocket" McNeil. In wiffleball, many games turn into pitcher's duels with each side throwing nearly unhittable pitches. Often these games come down to one big hit or homer, and The Rocket delivered more than his fair share in 2006. He was a force at the deep Clator Field, using a powerful lefty stroke to put up big numbers and come up with even bigger hits.

MVWL 2006 Most Underrated - Matt DeSantis. Often labeled as a good pitch/bad bat kind of player, DeSantis showed substantial improvement with the yellow stick this Summer. His speed allows him to leg out many base hits throughout the course of the season, and he does have a legitimate power burst from both sides of the plate.

MVWL 2006 Most Surprising - Todd "Thunder" Ullom. Ullom has had an up-and-down wiffleball career. He started as a struggling player, then became known in 2002 (the year of the set teams) for his clutch home runs, including a pair of walk-offs in two of the most important games of the year (Opening Day, First Round Playoffs). Ullom then tailed offa bit before a resurgence in 2006, including a very impressive series in Flint. When some thought he might struggle, Ullom performed just as well as any MVWL offensive player, hitting multiple homers and drawing a large number of base-on-balls.

All in all, it was another successful season for the MVWL. The league saw plenty of changes, including expansion with another Wheeling league, and improvements to Meadow Lane Park. When I was fortunate enough to win a few bucks earlier this year, I thought of no better place to spend some money on than beloved Meadow Lane Park. The bleachers and lights that were added in 2006 were things I had always envisioned but did not know if they could be achieved. Here's to a hell of a 2006 and an even better 2007.

Clator Field ... Season Awards

The 2006 wiffleball season has been going strong with Clator Field hosting action three times last week. Clator GM Matt Conkel has built a masterpiece, a field that puts more emphasis on defense and baserunning due to the wider and deeper dimensions it possesses. There is also a lot of foul territory and a fence that is 8 foot at it's lowest and 11 feet to straight away center. The shed in center juts out just enough that it leads to gap shots while making it tough on the defenders.

The popularity of the neighborhood yard has led to it's hosting of a majority of the wiffleball action in Wheeling this Summer, and most likely most of the 2007 season. The 2006 campaign is coming to an end, which brings us to some season awards. This will be a 2 part series, part one today :

Clator MVP - Brett "the Big Nasty" Hambleton. Hambleton has had a big year, attempting to eat chicken tenders 300 times in a calendar rotation and nurturing his pet chinchilla Yoshii to 18 pounds without incident. On the field, he has more than made up for a 1-for-19 start to his wiffleball career by developing into a strong sinker pitcher and clutch hitter. Often puts the ball in play hard, hit two walk-offs last week alone.

Clator Most Improved - Matt Conkel. Without a doubt, Conk has stepped up his play most since constructing Clator in late May, going from free swinger to legitimate power threat. Matt has hit a couple of bombs in recent weeks, including a centerfield shot estimated at 135 feet, the longest in field history. Has also been a good host, spending countless hours cleaning Marlboro Reds and oversized Foster beer cans.

Bet of the year - Chris Carpenter at 7:1 to win the Cy Young. The champagne bottles are on ice.

Clator Most Dangerous - Tyler "Manchild" McFarland. The prettiest right handed swing in wiffleball (often said that Ryan "the Rocket" McNeil has the best left-handed one), Tyler was a powerful staple in the heart of the Clator order. When he gets hot, becomes a threat to go yard in every at-bat at the very spacious Clator complex to all parts of the yard.

Clator's Biggest Bomb - Josh Sleime. In a game last week, trailing 2-0 late in an annoying, blistering rain fall, J-Slim came to the plate and hit the first pitch he saw off the Big Nast out to right field for a 3-run bomb, saving the MVWL commish in the process.

Coming tomorrow : MVWL awards and MLY Series awards

MVWL Continues Streak Over Clator

The Clator All-Stars have come a long way in their first season of wiffleball, building a beautiful wiffleball complex and showing marked improvement on the field. However, they have still yet to beat the MVWL on the Summer, losing a best-of-five showdown on Sunday 3 games to 2. The Conkel cousins, Matt and Tyler, had big days at the plate while Brett Hambleton made game four a blowout with 7 RBIs in one inning. Josh Sleime pitched well all day, but Ryan McNeil got to him early in the deciding game five, hitting an opposite field homer to give the MVWL a quick 1-0 lead. The Real Deal drove in an insurance run later on a base hit which would be needed after Tyler's late bomb cut the lead to 2-1. Clator continued to get rallies going by getting men on base, but couldn't find a way to score any more, and the 2-1 score held up.

Kudos go out to Clator's GM Matt Conkel and manager Josh Sleime for building a competitive league and a good atmosphere. They look to be even more improved in 2007, which may even include a victory over the MVWL.

MVWL Walks Off With 4-2 Win

For the second consecutive year, the MVWL held serve at their home field, defeating MLY four games to two. After day one, the series was knotted in a 2-2 tie, but Eric Belancic took over on Sunday, throwing a shutout in game five and winning game six with the first walk-off homer in series history.

On Friday, Meadow Lane Park hosted a Home Run Derby and a four team round robin tournament. In an all-Wheeling final, Todd Ullom defeated Ryan McNeil, Mike McNeil and Matt DeSantis to take the crown. In the tournament, the team of Eric Belancic, Bud Clark, Marc Conaway and Brian Keys went undefeated on the day, winning 3-1 in the final game. The MVP trophy went to Brian Keys, who was hitting like his late cousin Matt Velez by sending five bombs out of Meadow Lane in only three games, including two in the final game. Keys was on deck in game six on Sunday before Belancic sent his shot over the shed to end the series.

After the seventh series, the MLY still leads with an all-time record of 7-3, including 5-2 in Wheeling. Check the MLY/MVWL section of the site for game summaries from the series and check back as we add more life-sized pictures from the weekend.

Meadow Lane Park and Major League Yardball

The schedule of events for this weekend :

Friday - 4:00, The Home Run Derby and round robin draft will take place at Meadow Lane Park. After the draft, games will be played at Meadow Lane and Clator, with the finals at Meadow Lane. There will be 5-6 teams, with trophies going to the winning team, and a MVP trophy to the most valuable player on the winning team. Keg on tap.

Saturday - 2:30, The best-of-7 series will start Saturday with DJ Joey "Tuna" Allen handling the player introductions and music. The plan is to play four games on the day, unless one team is trailing 3-0. Game four will be played under the Meadow Lane lights. Keg on tap.

Sunday - 2:00, The series will conclude with games 5-7. Bottled water on tap.

Meadow Lane Park received a recent upgrade when the historic field installed four rows of wooden bleachers, new steps leading to the playing field, and a new fence in both right field and in foul territory down the left field line (pictures coming soon). Add in the lighting system, and the field will look a lot different than last year.

The MLY will be in town on Thursday, once again taking over the greater St. Clairsville area. Action will begin on Friday, with the Home Run Derby kicking things off at Meadow Lane, followed by a round robin tournament, which should include six teams. The games will be played at both Meadow Lane and Clator Field, with the finals being held at The Lane.

The annual series will get underway with game one on Saturday afternoon. The MVWL has decided to give the ball to Matt DeSantis in the opener, with Eric Belancic scheduled for game two. The MVWL roster will be deeper than ever, with necomer Josh Sleime looking to get a lot of at-bats, same with DeSantis and Todd Ullom.

The plan is to play 3-4 games on Saturday, with a night game being a good possibility. The rest of the series will be completed on Sunday afternoon, with the team who can handle the collective hangover better being more likely to take home the title. More updates to come between now and this weekend.

MLY WINS SERIES 4-3

Fighting back from an early 2-0 deficit, the MLY rallied to win the Michigan version of the series four games to three. On Saturday, the MLY welcomed back commissioner Andy Taylor and took both games in the evening double header to even the series.

On Sunday, the MLY won game five 6-5 behind a series record 4 homers from Shawn Brown, who had the most impressive offensive outburst (.452, 10 HRs, 22 RBI) in a single series. The MVWL battled back to take game six 13-8 after hitting nine homers in the game, including at least one from each member of the five man batting order. The series went to a deciding game seven, and the MVWL quickly jumped out 2-0 on Marc Conaway's first inning bomb. Conaway and Ryan "The Real Deal" McNeil each went yard twice in the game, but once again Shawn Brown provided the power for the MLY, hitting the Trifecta with a trio of blasts. Down to their final out in the top of the last, the MVWL showed some heart when Conaway and Todd Ullom each reached base for Deal, Wheeling's best hitter on the trip. However, as it usually does, the series was ended with an Andy Taylor strikeout, ending the game 7-6.

Despite the loss, MVWL manager Mike McNeil was impressed with the strong perfomance from rookie Todd Ullom. The Milkman hit .346 on the trip with 4 HRs, and reached base almost 50% of his at-bats. The series will resume in three weeks when the MLY makes their seventh trip in seven years to Wheeling for a best-of-7 at Meadow Lane Park.

SERIES TIED 2-2.

The MLY and MVWL are deadlocked in a 2-2 series tie after Saturday's action. The MVWL swept the first two at Bradley Field by scores of 3-1 and 9-5 before going back to Brown Stadium and losing 8-6 and 13-2. Action continues tomorrow at Brown with Eric Belancic getting the start in game five.

The MVWL leaves for Flint, Michigan on Friday evening. Games one and two of the series will be held in the afternoon at Bradley Field. "The Brad" is known for it's deep dimensions, the bushes in the outfield, and the singles garden past third base. The series will go back The Brad on Sunday if games 5-7 are necessary.

Games three and four will take place across town Saturday evening at Brown Stadium, where the first night game in series history may take place. The smaller field is known for the green fencing and the big tree directly past first base that makes base runners veer right after touching the bag.

The MVWL's roster will be : Eric Belancic, Marc Conaway, Mike McNeil, Ryan McNeil and Todd Ullom. Belancic is scheduled to pitch game one, Mike game two and Ryan game three.

The MVWL has had a lot of chances to practice before the series, playing a total of 41 official games on the year so far. All stats on the season have been updated.

Flint, MI - The official dates for the 7th Annual MLY/MVWL Series were announced today at Beningan's by MLY Press Secretary Phil Bradley.

June 24/25 - The MVWL will make their first trip to Flint since 2003. In a late move that may come as a surprise to some, the MVWL has decided to make the trip North and battle the Stars on Michigan soil. The MVWL has not yet officialized a roster.

July 21 Weekend - The MLY will return the favor a month later with a traditional late July visit to the Friendly City. According to Bradley, the MLY Roster should include Bradley, Mike Jones, Andy Taylor, Bud Clark, Jimmy "Monu" Wickham and newcomer Brett Stokes. Unlike the past couple of years, the MLY will add depth, a very underrated aspect of the series, to their roster. Clark and Taylor have both thrown no-hitters in Series' history.

In other news, the GDWL has confirmed they too will be in town for the pre-series tournament held on MLY Weekend.

The HRs and Batting Average stats have been updated. The rest will be done tomorrow. Making his case for playing time in the MLY Series is Mike DeSantis, who is hitting .429 on the year in 63 at-bats and had a game-winning homer in night action Wednesday night and went 10-19 on the evening. Derrick McKee temporarily halted his lifelong slump by hitting three homers in one game off Mike McNeil. Marc Conaway has cooled off since his torrid start, but still has an impressive .430 batting average with 14 HRs on the campaign.

The MVWL swept a 4-game series from Clator today, and the teams will take on each other again tomorrow. The recent talk around the tournament that may be held on the Friday of MLY weekend has included Clator Field and Meadow Lane Park hosting games simultaneously, with a round robin followed by a playoff series :

- Round Robin Games (Each Team Plays 3 Games, 1 Against Each Team)

- Round Robin Games Determine Seeds -- #1 Seed Gets a Bye, Total Runs Scored used as Tie-Breaker

- Seeds #2 and #3 Play for Berth in Finals

- Best-of-3 Finals Held at Meadow Lane

The MVWL is waiting to hear on confirmation for the series date from the MLY, either the weekend of July 22nd or 29th. Also, stay patient as we continue to bring updates to the site, including pictures and more content.

Welcome to wheelingwiffs.com, the new official home of the Matt Velez Wiffleball League (MVWL).

The MVWL has not seen the action we've had so far this year since the first year of the league. There have already been about 10 gamedays, with some additions that should lead to an exciting Summer. Meadow Lane Park recently had a lighting system installed that has allowed for some weekday night wiffleball. Construction on bleachers for under the shed in right will begin sometime next week and the stairs will be remodeled.

In other news, Matt Conkel and Josh Sleime just finished construction last weekend on Clator Field - the 2nd known wiffleball field in Wheeling. Conkel, Slim and a couple others have formed a local rivalry for the MVWL, with many home-and-home series scheduled for the Summer. This past Thursday, the MVWL came out on top against Clator in the best-of-five series. Clator took a 2-1 lead at their home field, but under the lights of Meadow Lane, the MVWL swept the final two contests to take the series.

The MVWL is also proud to host the Seventh Annual MVWL-MLY Series in July. There has been serious discussion about playing one or two of the games at the newly designed Clator Field, as well as playing a game under the Meadow Lane lights. The MVWL is also excited to possibly host another squad, the GDWL based out of Hurricane, West Virginia. A possible pre-series tournament held with the MLY, GDWL, and Clator is the goal, with a nice trophy to be given to the winner of the tournament.

The rest of the stats will be updated soon. Also, the Player Bio of the site will actually be put to use for the first time in years. Drop us a line in the guestbook to let us know what you think of the new site.