Editorial

"From the Outside Looking In"

Shaun York

Many of you know who I am, and after looking at this years stat's and team web pages, it's safe to say many of you do not know who I am. Either way I thought I'd try to contribute to the website by writing an editorial of sorts. This was the first season that I did not actively participate in the LSWBL, and because of this I am now able to view the league from the perspective of an outsider looking in. This outside perspective has allowed for me to take a step back from the LSWBL and really get a good grasp on what the league has become and what it could possibly be.

It isn't so much that I wasn't actively involved in the LSWBL this summer, it's that I went from being completely committed to the day-to-day operations of the league, to only being able to make it back for one weekend of wiffle. Some may say that it's sad that someone's Sundays would be lacking without wiffle ball in the Spiegel's back yard, but it is true. After moving to St. Louis and starting a new job, I've had many opportunities to share with new people the concept of our league. For many people they kind of pass it off as a silly back yard game, rather than what it really is, a structured, incredibly fun and active league. After explaining further what the LSWBL is all about, and also sharing the amazing website, people start to understand a little better, and before long they are completely hooked on the concept and will always say something to the extent of "I wish they had that when I was younger" or "I wish there was a league here like that". It's after hearing this so many times that I have really began to appreciate how unique the LSWBL is. It is great to have been a part of creating a league that will always grow and improve.

For some reason each year the number of new teams surprises me. I really shouldn't be amazed how much the league grows, but I am. The league is growing pretty rapidly also, not so much in the number of teams or number of players, but in how many people are falling in love with the league. This season marks an all-time high as far as teams with uniforms, and teams that are holding weekly practices. I couldn't help but shake my head in amazement when I came out for the one weekend this summer to see all the new faces and new jerseys, it was the first time I really felt the "wow factor" that an outsider must feel when they take a step into the Florence Field for the first time.

After checking the weekly results and power rankings it is obvious that there are a lot of teams improving and solid individual statistics throughout the league. This is a dream come true for the originators of the LSWBL. For the first few years there were only a handful of teams that were competitive in the league. But this year there was an obvious surge in competitiveness and talent. Maybe this was a result of the Winter Wiffle Classic, maybe teams were able to be in midseason form to start off the regular season? There are easily over 10 teams that are very solid, a number that is up from 4-5 teams in the past few seasons. This is great news, mainly because if there are only 4-5 teams dominating then there's a good chance that only 4-5 teams are having fun each and every week. But as the number of teams that have a legit shot at a title increases, so does the desire for the other 16 teams to do what they can to improve for the next season. This growing love for Wiffle and for winning leads me to another subject, year round wiffle ball.

I think we are nearing the point to where there are enough serious teams in the LSWBL to host a tournament every 3 months or so in the off season leading up to the summer season. 9-10 weeks out of the year just isn't going to be enough. Ideas of hosting regional tournaments have been discussed, and I hope that we'll be able to organize at the least, another winter wiffle tournament, to be held somewhere other than the Yard. One big reason we are able to have lofty goals for the league is due to the growing supporting cast of the LSWBL. Each year more individuals express a desire to do whatever they can to help out in running the league. Without this growing team, the league would not be where it is today. Having first hand experience at doing a vast amount of work with scheduling and organizing the league in it's first few years, it's a little weird to see the league continue to grow and thrive without me there. This isn't to say that I thought it would fall apart without my presence; it is just great to see everyone else take up slack and do what they can to help out. Although we are finishing up the sixth year of the LSWBL, the league is still full of potential. The league website, for example, has enormous potential and it was great to see additions in the form of video of games and the audio recaps. It's almost to the point to where we need a dedicated team to fully maintain the page as their job. There is also a lot of potential in getting more people involved with the LSWBL. There are probably hundreds of people in the KC area that would have a great weekend playing in a LSWBL tournament. As many of you know the LSWBL rules are very different from the "official" Wiffle Ball Rules. But there is no doubt that our rules allow for the most fun to be had while playing. I think the LSWBL has a perfect formula, one that I hope to one-day use here in St. Louis. Perhaps when the time is right the LSWBL can host a tournament in St. Louis to jumpstart interest in a league. First things first though, we'll have to find another 1308 NE Florence with giant trees, and a house in right field, and an amazing family to host 10 weekends a summer of Wiffle Ball madness.