2008 Preview
2007 NCT Recap
A Pioneer Calls it Quits_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Roster Moves
Every offseason teams evaluate their rosters and look to add players they think will give them a chance at the title. The 2007 offseason was no different. In fact, it was probably the busiest in Fast Plastic history.
Only a handful of the top teams have remained the same for more than a couple of seasons. On paper, they appear to improve, but it hasn't always worked out that way. Some people think this type of player movement drives away new players and will eventually lead to the downfall of competitive wiffleball. Others think it makes the game better. Whatever side you are on, it is a part of the game that appears to be here to stay.
The 2008 season will be full of familiar faces playing with new teams. Here are some of the more notable roster changes.
Wood-N-Box
Joe Nord and Mickey Hyde of the NY Knights are teaming up with Ryan Wood and Tom LoCascio. Wood played with the Knights in 2006 and is considered one of the best pitchers in the country. LoCascio became a wiffle legend as captain of the perennial contender In The Box. He also introduced one of the most commonly used bats in the game, The Loco. His big stick will be a welcome addition to his old Box teammates, Hyde and Nord.
603 Allstars
Big things are in the cards for 603 in 2008. Adding Dons and Leahy from Top Gun, and Jared Lachance from Thunder gives 603 incredible pitching depth to go with ace Jon Hickey. 603 will not give up too many runs. You better have some great pitching of your own if you want to beat these guys.
Phenoms
The Rookies are no longer The Rookies. They have added a couple teammates and changed their name. The additions will be significant in former Top Gun standouts Boomer and Stoop. Boomer should help out their round robin pitching, while Stoop, the 2007 NCT MVP, adds a huge bat to an already great hitting team. They should be even better than their 2006 NCT Champion squad. The addition of Stoop’s bat cannot be underestimated.
Niff
One of the better teams in the northeast, Niff has consistently fallen just short at the NCT. The addition of the Davis brothers from Slimetime should help take care of that problem. Anyone who saw Slimetime at the 2007 NCT knows these kids can pitch. This could turn out to be one of the most significant roster additions of 2008.
Remember The Name
Remember The Name (RTN) finished 4th at the 2007 NCT and they have added Ryan O’Shea from the Ball Bustaz, who finished 3rd at the 2007 NCT. O’Shea is one of the top pitchers in the country and instantly becomes the ace of the RTN staff. This pickup turns a title contender into one of the favorites. RTN also added Troy Parks, a former member of Doom. He will add yet another arm and good bat to the roster.
Lights Out
The former young guns of wiffle are now veterans in need of some help to get to the top. They will be getting some in the form of lefty Brian Adams. Adams will take a much needed load off of Nick T’s rubber arm. After a strong showing at the 2007 NCT, Lights Out hopes Adams will be the piece that finally puts them over the top.
Caught Lookin
Rickle Pickle, who finished 16th at the 2007 NCT, pulled off the biggest coup of the 2007 offseason. One of the youngest teams in competitive wiffleball has added one of the best pitchers to ever play the game, Rob Brunner from CCX. Brunner is a workhorse who consistently pitches his teams deep into the NCT. The Rickle kids get better every year, and Brunner will be a great influence. Look out for Caught Lookin in 2008 and beyond.
Hitsom
The New Jersey powerhouse is adding another veteran in Tim Benson from the Mud Ducks. Benson has years of big game experience. His solid bat and veteran arm will make the Hitsom crew even more formidable. He should be able to take the hill at the NCT in games when Hitsom might have otherwise needed to use their ace Elvin Cortez.
EC Wifflebrawlers
One of the most traveled teams in wiffleball the last couple of years has added one of the toughest pitchers in the game, Scott Bragg from Unarmed. Bragg logged a ton of innings in 2007 and it showed at the NCT. After dominating for most of the season, Bragg’s arm was worn out at the end. If he can stay healthy, Bragg has the talent to hold any team down. EC also added a very good hitter in Paul McBride from Thunder. They should be much improved.
Run Factory
One of the longest running teams in wiffle has made the most changes of the offseason. The 2007 roster has only one remaining member, Rich Norman. He will be reunited with original member Doug “Banjo” Howard. Banjo spent the last three seasons with Fin Daddy’s, compiling a 9-1 record from the mound at the NCT. Also joining the team will be Troup Brinson from Power Alley and Unarmed teammates David Dasher and Brandon McElveen. Troup has spent the last five years as the top pitcher on Power Alley, and one of the best pitchers in the south. Dasher and McElveen supplied Unarmed with most of their offense last year, while McElveen served as their #2 pitcher.
Wiff A Vengeance
Bruce Chrystie (Thunder) and Kris Nagy (Big East) have split from their former teams to play together full time. The two got together in 2005 to win a Georgia NCQ as El Guapo with Banjo from Run Factory. In 2008 they will be teaming up with veteran pitchers Mike Washington and Ryan Patnode to form Wiff A Vengeance. The young guns in New England better not overlook these veterans.
Big East
Big East lost Kris Nagy but gained a couple Battle Toads. The Battle Toads have been one of the most underrated teams in the country and should more than make up for the loss of Nagy.2008 Pre-Season Writer's Poll
1. Golden State Wifflers (PHX) - Defending champs have the 2007 Cy Young and a winning formula. 2. Phenoms (NE) - 2006 Champs + 2007 MVP = Hard to beat. 3. Remember The Name (NE) - Addition of O'Shea makes RTN a title favorite. 4. Wood-N-Box (NY) - Nord, Hyde, Wood, and LoCascio. Four of the biggest names in wiffleball. 5. 603 Allstars (NE) - Pitching, pitching, pitching. And more pitching. 6. East County Wiffle Crew (SD) - 6th place in rookie season wasn't a fluke. 7. Vipers (PHX) - Balian and crew haven't lost a step. 8. Doom (NE) - Always one of the best. 9. Hitsom (NJ) - Veteran powerhouse adds another veteran. Still has a good shot at the title. 10. Niff (NJ) - 2008 could be the year Niff takes it to the next level. 11. Caught Lookin (SD) - Brunner and the Rickels will win their share of tourneys in 2008. 12. Fin Daddy's (FL) - Getting older, but still one of the best. When will their tank run out of gas? 13. Gunners (SD) - 2005 Runner-ups have disappointed at the NCT the last two years. 14. Old School Risers (MD) - Still a national contender. 15. Lights Out (NE) - Lights Out has the arms but New England is too deep. 16. Swingers (NJ) - 2004 champs are still very dangerous. 17. EC Wifflebrawlers (NJ) - Big additions could push them over the top. 18. Run Factory (FL) - Major roster changes should turn this team around. 19. Wiff A Vengeance (NE) - These veterans will push the kids in NE. 20. Running Wiff Scissors (NJ) - Good team that hasn't taken it to the next level at the NCT. 21. Chico Bamboos (NCal) - Cinderella of the 2005 NCT. Will we ever see them at Nationals again? 22. A-Team (MD) - Will push OSR as best team in Maryland. 23. Rabid Woodpeckers (NJ) - Good team in a tough region. Made a nice run at the 2007 NCT. 24. Big East (NJ) - Will make a couple runs at NCQ titles. 25. Las Vegas Wifflers (SD) - Made their first NCT appearance in 2007. Should be there again in 2008. 26. C-Jacks (UT) - Made it to the Sweet 16 in 2006 but didn't attend in 2007. 27. Gashouse Gorillas (NE) - A good team stuck behind better teams in New England. Added Dan from rival ECWB. 28. Big Sticks (SD) - Adding a Gunners will help, but won't be enough to get them to the top. 29. Nads (PHX) - Has fallen hard since their dramatic loss to Niff at the 2006 NCT. Could come back strong. 30. Oakland Mariners (NCal) - A good team that needs to play more to be a real threat. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________
2007 NCT RECAP
The National Champions
In 2002, Bill Owens won a national title as a member of the Vipers. In 2003, the DeRoche brothers finished second to an Owens-less Vipers. GSW Captain Mike Cross has been considered one of the best hitters in the game since 1997, but had never played in a championship game. Together in 2007 the veterans cruised through the regular season undefeated and dominated the powerful NY Knights 9-4 for the NCT title, a 24-1 overall record, and one of the best seasons in Fast Plastic history.
Most players around in the early years of Fast Plastic thought the DeRoches would win a title long before 2007. Hooking up with Cross was a step in the right direction. Adding Owens was the final piece. This GSW team carried the confidence of a champion and the talent to back it up. It was always one step ahead of the competition, winning a number of close games. Four of their eight wins at the NCT came by one run or less, including two tie-breaker wins. They did what every champion needs to do, win the close ones.
The Cy Young
Joel DeRoche has long been considered one of the best pitchers in the game. When the inevitable "who throws the hardest" question is posted on the message board, Joel's name enters the discussion at some point. Velocity has always been his calling card. But DeRoche had been known as somewhat of a chucker; relying on his velocity too much. He changed that perception at the 2007 NCT. Most notable was the way he would often change his delivery. One pitch he would use a windup. The next would be a slide step from the stretch. Another might come from the stretch with almost no motion at all; appearing to come from a set position. His ability to do this without losing control or velocity caused hitters to remain off balance and prevent them from timing his pitches. These adjustments along with mixing his pitches a little better is why he finally got recognized as the best pitcher at the NCT.
The MVP
Since the first year Fast Plastic named a National Champion, the MVP has only once been awarded to someone who wasn't a member of the National Championship team. Brandon "Stoop" Stupikowski became the second. Stoop dominated opposing pitchers all tournament. His team, Top Gun, squeeked into the Sweet 16 through a play-in victory over the Rabid Woodpeckers. Stoop's bat was instrumental in getting his team out of the round robin. Top Gun scored 39 runs in 5 round robin games while giving up 27. One of their round robin wins was an impressive 11-1 victory over the eventual national champion GSW. Stoop also led Top Gun's powerful offense to a 9-2 victory over the Vipers in the Sweet 16 before losing 3-2 in a rematch against GSW. Overall, Top Gun scored 50 runs at the NCT. Stoop would finish the NCT hitting over .600 with 8 home runs.
The Cinderella
Almost every year someone surprises the NCT field. The most famous Cinderella of wiffle was the 2005 Chico Bamboos finishing in fourth place when nobody outside of California knew who they were. It will be hard to top the Bamboos. The 2007 NCT had a couple of surprises. Everyone knew Remember The Name was good, but they probably weren't predicted by too many people to make the final four. Their final eight opponent, East County Wiffle Crew, was a first year team who had to get by Fin Daddy's in the sweet 16. But ECWC came into the NCT ranked 10th in FP3 points. Hardly a Cinderella even if they were rookies to the league.
The true Cinderealla of 2007 had to be Rickel Pickle. Their Sweet 16 exit doesn't have the same flair as the Bamboos final four in 2005, but Rickel Pickle may have been even further off the radar than the Bamboos were. Rickel Pickle entered the NCT in 55th place with a measly 27 points. Nobody expected them to make it out of the round robin. If it were possible, even fewer would have expected them to finish ahead of the defending champion Rookies. But they did. And that makes them the 2007 Cinderella team.
The Sweet 16
The Final Order
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"What Bruce has been able to provide for players has really gone unrecognized", said Bill Owens, Chrystie’s partner and Co-Director of FP since 2001. "Few players truly understand the amount of time spent on a daily basis in order to keep this machine going. And to do it for seven years while caring for a family and working a fulltime job is amazing. It really has been a thankless job for Bruce.”
For those who haven’t had the privilege of meeting Bruce, it's not too late. He will continue to play in the New England circuit. He’s the mild-mannered lefty hitting walk-off homers. Back in the day, Bruce dominated most wiffle events as a pitcher. He was known as an overpowering left hander capable of blowing any pitch by a hitter; and those being the days when the mound was at fifty feet. In the late 90s and early 2000s, Bruce was still a dominating force playing for the Orangemen, LongShotz, In the Box, and Iguanas. But with more than 20 years of throwing the holey ball, arm injuries have taken a toll on the 43 year old lefty’s body.
“He will always be known to me as the most dominating left-handed pitcher in the history of the game; the Koufax of wiffle” Owens added. "I'm gonna miss all the day-to-day duties, discussions, debates, jokes, and a million other topics that have come up for the last seven years with Bruce. Having him as a partner really made Fast Plastic very enjoyable and kept me motivated."
Bill Owens and all those who make up the Fast Plastic organization would like to thank Bruce for all his time, foresight, hard work, and leadership. The world of wiffleball has improved from your tremendous work.
