[MAW] Battle by the Bay Tournament Recap

Jun 8

Jun 8 [MAW] Battle by the Bay Tournament Recap

By: Nick Shirey

THE STORY THROUGH TWO TOURNAMENTS

Before getting into the action from Battle at the Bay, I must first lay out the known. After two tournaments, it is clear what the top of the MAW pecking order looks like.

1. ERL
1. Juggz
1. VooDoo
*alphabetical order above

Those three are the clear cream of the crop, but the consensus next best is the Ridley Park Magic. I would tend to agree with this statement when the team is at full strength, which includes a healthy Noah Silverman on the carpet. Cam Farro is a beast but in order for this team to join those #1’s, they need Silverman’s arm because they have all the other pieces. The question mark here is…even if healthy…can Silverman step his game up? Does he have the extra gear, the desire to dethrone the teams above them? Time will tell but if time were to stop right now then this team would simply be a pretender to the throne.

After that, it gets REALLY interesting.

We all know the playoff structure, and how 5 teams make it to the Championship Tournament and bypass the Wild Card Playoff tournament two weeks before. We all also know that it may not be the top 5-point getters which go straight through because of the auto-bid situation left with the Pittsburgh and Staten Island events. We all assume the winners of those tournaments will be one of the #1’s from above. However, history has shown that there is normally a sneaky tournament victory each year, but will that come in either Pittsburgh or Staten Island?

That’s where things could come down to the wire. It is already going to be a super close race for that 5th and possibly 4th spot (depending upon the Magic’s rosters and availability each event). If an unlikely team can steal an auto-bid and the Magic can stick in that fourth spot in the point standing, things get tricky. But if it goes chalk by my book (if there are is not an expected champion in Pittsburgh or State Island) then it’s the 5th spot that’s still up for grabs with the likes of Longballs, Stompers, Goon, Dinos, Risers, Legion, Dragons, and Yaks, among potentially others, fighting for that final non-Wild Card spot.

I personally think some of these teams are superior to others but truly I believe that if you ask any of these teams, they would tell you that like their chances in a tournament against this group. That is what is great – there is a huge battle happening every tournament and it is not even to get to the final 4. It is simply to give a foe you are in direct competition with for the postseason a loss. That might sound dumb because that is always the objective, but in these cases an 1-2 record vs an 0-3 could be what decides that final spot – EVERY GAME MATTERS!

5 OBSERVATIONS FROM BATTLE BY THE BAY

So, with that that I will lead into “I’m Nick but Not Schaeffer TOP 5 OBSERVATIONS FROM BATTLE AT THE BAY”! (We wish Nick Schaeffer the very, very, very best and hope that he returns to us soon!)

The Great Lakes Legion are FOR REAL! This team has drawn some really tough matchups (see #1’s above) and they don’t have W’s to show for it, BUT they do have extra inning games, robbed HRs, and slight defeats. This may be the 4th best squad in MAW. The results don’t show but I expect them to eventually. Grant Miller is up there with the two-way beasts and Baranoski is a BEAR! That Lakes have thawed out. Watch out for them in June.
Pfttt HAM, ERL says Summer is JOHNNY in STILES! The two-time champs get back at it with a huge effort from Johnny Costa on the carpet early. Stiles took over in fashion for the playoffs and delivered. Let’s not forget Kenny Rodgers who was all over the ball all-day and Connor Young who provided some walk-off power and over the fence game saving robs. We never forgot about you ERL, but welcome back to the top!
REDS NOT DONE – LUTICK IS HERE: Chris “Red” Sarnowski provided all the pop and the pitching for the Juggz to go 3-0 in the opening round, in typical Red fashion. He then handed the ball over to Ray Lutick who did not get the results but again showed why he is one of the very best arms in wiffs today. This is probably not the result the Juggz wanted but I find it to be a very respectable showing and proof of why this team isn’t just about 1 or 2 players. The case could even be made that they were playing with a handicapped Ben Stant, who was batting righty to protect a recently repaired shoulder. I mean if Stant were healthy and batting lefty, they very well may have won this event.
#37 STENGEL: After not getting the nod and quietly sitting with his fire bat in hand for the first MAW tourney, Mr. Stengel delivered huge in the semi-finals with two-outs to take out the Juggz and Lutick’s scoreless inning streak. Kenny Stengel is a phenomenal hitter and he showed with his patience and selflessness in the first tournament why is he is also a phenomenal teammate.
YAKIN’ IT UP: As someone they let tag along, I will speak highly on behalf of my brethren. The Yaks have done what they expect to do. I will say that this is probably the best built Yaks team in the MAW era. The players are here mentally and somewhat physically. Bull and Skip is a formidable tandem however you chalk it up and Milsted and Potter can always get you for one. The question is can the Ole Yaks keep it up, can they elevate and knock off the cream of the MAW crop here and there, or will the fizzle into the summer night?

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Blake Hoffman threw every inning for the Dinos and pitched very well. The Dino’s went 1-2 but were competitive in all games, including a tough loss in 8-innings to the Stompers with a chance to reach the elimination round on the lie.

The Maryland Four Horsemen have shown a desire to grow and are working on the wiffs craft. The team of ex-baseball players had a very tough draw and played every game to a regulation result.

OF NOTE: The Maryland-Chesapeake Wiffleball League which hosted the event at Larry’s Tavern was excellent in my personal opinion. We look forward to running there again!

I Will Leave you all with this – this YAK’s early prediction for the 2022 MAW Championship Tournament!