From the desk of the Commissioner:

     After reviewing all sides of the situation and going over the details, I have decided to remove game 2 of week 4 from the record.  No statistics from this game will count and it will not be published on the league website.

     The game in question was played on June 22nd at Shed Field.  After three and a half complete innings, a member of the away team left abruptly.  The score at the time of his departure was 8-4 in favor of the away team.  This was a 3v2 matchup, meaning the away team was down to 1 player.  The game could have been resumed as a 3v1 matchup, but then 2 players from the home team also left, leaving just 2 players.  A 1v1 matchup is allowed,  but by now the game was dead and it ended.

     The only rule in the rulebook that has anything to do with short games says, "In case of severe weather, 3 innings constitutes a complete game".  There was no severe weather present. The lack of depth in the rulebook brought me to make a very difficult decision.  An important part of our league is that we are flexible and you can come play whenever you want.  In this case, it might seem like you can change the rules and count the game at the end of 3 innings.  Maybe you don't count the game as a win/loss for the players, but count their stats.  I didn't like any of these outcomes and decided terminate the game from the record.

     I am using this event as a way to show all league members the importance of the league and that this is no Sunday get-together.  This is a wiffleball league that can still be flexible and family-friendly.  Along with that is still the same competitive nature of playing any sport.  When you come to play, you are here to play and are expected to finish all games you start.  I am also using this event as a way to make our league rulebook better.  Right now, it is a pretty terrible, unorganized system of rules that could use a makeover.  Anybody who wants to help, let me know.  I am going to start work immediately and the new system will be live by the All Star Game, July 6th.

     Thank you all for the advice on handling the situation.  A special thanks to Deputy Commissioner Howard Cronin.  I apologize to all the players involved in this event for the misunderstanding and the loss of all earned statistics from the game, myself included (3 HR and a win all down the drain).  I also apologize to the fans of the BWA who had to wait an extra day to see all the statistics from week 4.  I look forward to more fun times in the future and hope we can avoid situations like this.

John Cronin
Commissioner

Meet Wiffleman.  He has many different qualities and skills.  He has the head of Howard Cronin, eyes of Ryan Cook, mouth of Rebecca Cronin, heart of Joe Hubly, arm of John Cronin, Muscle of Joe Cronin, hands of Thomas Randolph, and legs of Andrew Cronin.

Head:  Howard Cronin is one of the smartest players in the game.  He is a crafty veteran who can outsmart his opponents.

Eyes:  Ryan Cook played in 2 games and reached base in almost every one of his at bats.  He hardly swung the bat and was quickly named "Power Walker".

Mouth:  Rebecca Cronin is a talker who uses her her words to distract opponents.

Heart:  Joe Hubly may be 0-3, but he has a lot of passion for the game.  He always gives 110% and is a positive teammate. 

Arm:  John Cronin has led the league in strikeouts for the past 3 seasons.  He is currently leading the league.  He has found his groove this season and has mastered a couple more pitches.

Muscle:  Joe Cronin is a HR machine and doesn't show any signs of tiredness.  He is running (more like speeding away in a car) away with the HR title.

Hands:  Thomas Randolph is a terrific defensive player.  He robbed a couple HR last year.

Legs:  Andrew Cronin is the fastest player in the game.  He is the perfect size for a small wiffleball field.  He hustles every play.

Thomas Randolph will make his long awaited season debut this Sunday.  He will need to play catch-up if he hopes to be in the running for MVP.  Last season he hit 10 HR and struck out 2 with a 4-1 record.  His HR/game average was one of the best in the league with 2.00 HR/game.  Expect a strong outing for him this Sunday.  He will likely finish with around 50 HR and 50 strikeouts.

Turn-back-the-clock day has been rescheduled to Week 4

Turn-Back-the-Clock day will soon be upon us so here are the 6 best bets in honor of the 1960's, which is were we will turn-back-the-clock

1.  Howard Cronin will have a multi-HR day
2.  Joe Cronin will hit over 5 HR
3.  Joe Hubly will win at least 1 game
4.  Thomas Randolph will rob a home run
5.  Andrew Cronin will hit his first HR of the season
6.  Someone will get tired of listening to 60s oldies at least twice

The Bonfire Wiffleball Association is a hotbed for up and coming rookies and other big name prospects.  Here are the top 5 rising stars:

1.  Leona Cronin-  Leona, born this past May has already shown her promise.  Throwing out the first pitch on Opening Day showed the potential of this lefty.  Her estimated rookie debut is Fall 2023

2.  Rebecca Cronin-  Rebecca (pictured at right) has already made her debut with a tee-ball handicap, but has since been demoted to go play inside with dolls. With a 1.00 batting average and 3 HR she has already burst onto the wiffleball scene.  She adds a 2013 Fan of the Year award to her resume.  Rebecca plays with as much passion as anybody else in the league.  Her estimated re-debut is Spring 2018.

3.  Katie Cronin-  Katie is another prospect from Savage, MN (otherwise known as the 'BWA Farm System').  Katie made her debut last season in the playoffs hitting of a tee.  With a 1.00 batting average, Katie is ready to take her game to the next level, right after she finishes up coloring another picture.  Katie should be ready to play again sometime this summer.

4.  Matthew Cronin-  Matthew has the most potential out of all the prospects on this list.   He is a strong young player who could blossom into the next Pat Cronin. He has the makings of a superstar.  He is the youngest of 4, which could be an indication of his future (2-time MVP John Cronin is the youngest of 4).

5.  Noah Kim- Noah has the energy of a hummingbird.  He is always ready to hit the ball.  He has little to none wiffleball experience, but has tremendous potential.  He is very fast and will likely develop into the fastest player in the league.

Week 1 was a wild success for Joe Cronin.  Coming off a championship season, he wasted no time in putting his name in the MVP race.  Going 2-1 with 7 K's and 7 HR, Joe is already the most talked about player in the league.  This is looking like the year Joe can walk away with his first MVP.  So the question is, how will he do it?  Will he get done on the mound, at the plate, or both?  

Joe "Fear the Beard" Cronin has a balanced stat sheet this season so far.  With 7 K's and 7 HR, it is hard to tell which of these stats will become his strongest quality.  Joe has been inconsistent on the mound historically, but this season he seems to be getting better control on his rising fastball.  Though, John Cronin hit a grand slam off it, resulting in the first HR ever hit off his riser.  It is hard to tell his future on the mound and only time will tell if he is really getting control of his pitches.

Joe's best skill that everybody knows is hitting home runs.  A perennial power hitter with consistent power numbers, Joe gets it done at the plate.  Averaging about 2.3 HR/Game, Joe is the front-runner for the HR Race.  He doesn't hit much for average and usually swings for the fences.  The only downside of this approach is choking in clutch situations.  He may be clutch in the postseason, but his regular season record from last season was 17-16, one game over .500.  Right now, he hits a lot of useless HR that don't help his team win many games. He needs hit more game-changing HR to be considered for MVP.  The MVP award is based off of regular season performance.

If Joe Cronin wins MVP, it will because of his bat.  He needs to play to his strengths and keep up his batting before he tries to become an ace pitcher.  Joe Cronin is a slugger, but that could change if he has a surplus of HR and decides to focus more on his pitching.