2011 News
Subscribe to our NewsletterWelcome to the new home of the Black Top Wiffleball League
New name. Same old game. The captains of the former AWL voted unanimously for the league name change to the Black Top Wiffleball League. The league name change comes as a result of the lack of originality of the former name. The new name highlights the uniqueness of the league, seeing it is one of the few, if not only league in the United States that plays on the pavement.
With the new name and logo, the 2011 season is officially underway. As of now, the BTWL website is ranked #21 on the National Wiffleball website, and we are #1 in the state of Massachusetts. To be able to have nationally ranked teams and players, the league will need to be updated more than ever. Look for pre-season power rankings, columns, game recaps, videos, pictures and more.
With the new name and logo, the 2011 season is officially underway. As of now, the BTWL website is ranked #21 on the National Wiffleball website, and we are #1 in the state of Massachusetts. To be able to have nationally ranked teams and players, the league will need to be updated more than ever. Look for pre-season power rankings, columns, game recaps, videos, pictures and more.
Top five headlines of the 2011 season
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/my.llfiles.com/00089886/WIffleball_RS.jpg)
1. Can the Chicago White Sox gain legitimacy?
After shocking the wiffleball world in 2010, the White Sox are out to prove that their BTWL championship was no joke. During the regular season, captain Jim Sarkisian had one his worst year’s at the plate and on the mound, falling way below the Mendoza line, and having an ERA over 5.00. The playoffs were a polar opposite not only for Sarkisian, but for the rest of the White Sox roster. Sarkisian allowed one run on three hits in 21 innings pitched during the 2010 playoffs. Greg Sullivan’s bat came alive in the playoffs, and his pitching dominance, which he had in years past, came back at the right time. The White Sox proved that they have the skills to win the championship, but can they translate those skills into a good regular season? The Sox have yet to have a regular season above .500 in their history, but getting above this line could prove that last’s years championship was no fluke.
2. Will the Nationals find a pitching staff that works?
Last year, the Washington Nationals struggled to find a pitching rotation, and this hurt them in the playoffs, as tired arms pushed them to the limit. Captain Tyler Galicia has been the ace of the staff since 2006, but struggled last year, posting an ERA well over 7.00. Antonio Leatham filled in for these duties last year, but failed to get the Nationals out of last place. Leatham did show some potential in his pitching abilities having an above-average pitching year, but does he have the skill set of the Nats’ number one? BTWL veteran Kyle Cross filled in for the spot start last year and showed some promise, although his history as a pitcher has not been as good. If Cross can pitch like he did in his starts last year, and Leatham can provide the team with six quality innings every start, this may be the staff that gets the Nationals back to the championship. Galicia went with this staff toward the end of 2010, so let’s see if he goes with them to begin the 2011 season.
3. Will the Padres, and most importantly Cayden, win a BTWL championship?
The Padres were the first team to win a championship in the BTWL (back in 2006), but have not reached the Promised Land since. The year after they won the championship, they signed Cayden Bengtson, who has been with the team since. Now with this signing, you would think the Padres would have multiple championships, but the exact opposite has happened. Is it a curse? Perhaps. But the 2010 BTWL MVP puts up the numbers every year. Bengtson and captain Dave Pierce have dominated the league since they came together in 2007, but the lack of championships makes you wonder if they will ever win. You can pencil in the number one seed this year to the Padres, but after that who knows?
4. Will anyone other than a Padres’ player win the MVP?
Dave Pierce’s run of MVP’s came to an end in 2010 when his teammate Cayden Bengtson won the prize, but can anyone else in the league win it? A few names on the short list of candidates that have the potential are Greg Sullivan, Antonio Leatham, and Detroit Tigers captain Tony Sciaraffa. Sullivan has had MVP-like years in the past, being able to dominate on the mound, and hit at the top of the league. These years were usually shadowed by Pierce in some way, which hurt Sullivan’s chances for MVP. Leatham also is an excellent candidate for the award, as in 2010 he was the first person to get the batting Triple Crown. However, his pitching needs to improve. If he can become the ace of the Nationals and lead them to a first or second place finish, he could capture the MVP. Sciaraffa also has a great chance to capture the award. He captured the Cy Young Award in 2010, having his best year on the mound, but his batting stats are just short of MVP numbers. With improvements to his batting stats, the chance is there for the Tigers captain.
5. Will the BTWL find a new field for the 2011 season?
After the 2007 season, the BTWL almost ended, but the use of North American Martyrs parking lot not only saved the league, but also gave them a place to play for future seasons. Little did the BTWL know, that 2010 would be the last season at NAM, as the field was demolished to build senior citizen housing for the church. The league is still in the process of finding a replacement field for the upcoming season. JB and Bethel will serve as the worst-case scenarios for the league, but two fields have the potential to be the new home of the BTWL. The league is looking into playing either at the St. Joe’s Rec Center parking lot, or at the Auburn Skate Park. The Rec Center is the more likely of the two fields, but the Skate Park provides the potential to not only be recognized by the town, but to have a permanent field for the league to flourish and to possibly expand. The captains are planning to meet with the Auburn Recreation Committee before the season starts to try to convince the town to invest in the league, and the sport.
Detroit Tigers Win 2nd Annual Kurt Bowes Classic
May 29, 2011
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/my.llfiles.com/00089886/Tigers_AS01.jpg)
The highlights of the day's games include Tony Sciaraffa beginning the season reaching base nine times in a row. For the two games, Sciaraffa was 7-for-9, with five runs, three 2Bs, a HR, and five RBIs. He is currently leading the league with a .778 batting average, and a ridiculous .923 on-base percentage.
Another offensive highlight was the resurgence of Nationals outfielder Conor Rogan. Rogan went 5-for-13 with two 2Bs, 2 HRs and 7 RBIs.
As for the days best pitchers, Keith Leatham and Dave Pierce had the two best outings of the year so far. Leatham shutout the Padres in the KBC championship game, allowing three hits, while striking out five. Pierce allowed two runs in his defeat over the Nationals in the first round game, and he came in for an inning of relief in the championship game. In his seven innings pitched, Pierce struck out 10 batters.
Some milestones that were surpassed during the KBC were:
Keith Leatham's 10th win
Keith Leatham's 20th double
Greg Sullivan's 15th complete game
Conor Rogan's 75th RBI
**Just a reminder, the All-TIme Leaders will be updated after each game is put on the site.**
Padres win two games, Cayden throws no-hitter
June 5, 2011
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/my.llfiles.com/00089886/Cayden_AS01.jpg)
In the second game, Bengtson pitched his fourth no-hitter of his career in a 6-1 win over the White Sox. Although it wasn't a great looking no-hitter (9 BBs, 1 ER), he shut down the Sox from any type of offense.
In the third game on Sunday, the Detroit Tigers looked to cruise to an easy victory after they took an 8-1 lead. The Nationals bats, however came alive, and tied the game in the bottom of the second. Conor Rogan had three home runs, while Antonio Leatham had two of his own. Rogan hit one of his homeruns, his 25th of his career, in the seventh inning to give them the 9-8 lead.
So after the KBC, the #43 Detroit Tigers will probably fall out of the national rankings, as they went 0-2 on the weekend.
Milestones that were passed during this weekend's games:
Jim Sarkisian's 30th complete game
Keith Leatham's 75th RBI
Conor Rogan's 25th homerun
Nationals win three games this weekend, atop standings
June 14, 2011
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/my.llfiles.com/00089886/Nationals_AS01.jpg)
Their first win came in convincing fashion over the San Diego Padres, as Antonio Leatham spun a three-hit gem. Their second game seemed to be their second loss of the year, but a grandslam by Kyle Cross in the bottom of the sixth gave them the walk-off win over the White Sox. The third game of the weekend, had some thrilling aspects to it, as the Nats almost blew a six run lead. After Greg Sullivan hit a three run homerun to put the White Sox down one, it looked like a great comeback. Tyler Galicia, however, came in for relief of Cross and got the save.
In the other game of the weekend, the San Diego Padres won in walkoff fashion, beating the Detroit Tigers 2-1. Cayden Bengtson drove in the winning run, as Dave Pierce pitched a gem allowing no earned runs, while striking out 6.
Career RBI and HR leader Dave Pierce is still without either stat now six games into the season. He is the only player in the BTWL who has played a game to have no RBIs.
Milestones passed this weekend:
Jim Sarkisian's 300th Strikeout
Kyle Cross's 100th inning pitched
White Sox win first of the season; Elder Rogan wins classic Battle
June 19, 2011
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/my.llfiles.com/00089886/Rogans_AS01.jpg)
In the second game, the San Diego Padres and the #33 Washington Nationals went to a classic pitchers battle. Ben Rogan versus Conor Rogan. The RBI-less Dave Pierce finally broke the curse, getting his first RBI in the first inning of the game. Pierce had a great day offensively, going four-for-seven, with three 2Bs and the RBI. Reigning MVP Cayden Bengtson drove in two runs for the Padres, who did all of their scoring in the first inning. The Nationals hot bats, which got them their #33 ranking, cooled down immensely with the elder Rogan on the mound. Captain Tyler Galicia went 0-for-5, and Antonio Leatham and C. Rogan each went 2-for-5. The Padres went on to win the game 4-1.
With this weekend's pitching matchups, the question now is will slower pitching become the new trend in the BTWL? Two dominate performances by B. Rogan and Gasparoni seems to show that slower pitching can still be very effective. Pitching wins leader Galicia, who has a history of slower than normal pitching, is having his best year on the bump, with a 3-0 record and a save.
As the season passes the 1/3 mark, it will be interesting to see what will happen with regards to this new form of pitching.
Sullivan Throws No-Hitter; Galicia and Pierce go to 4-0
June 26, 2011
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/my.llfiles.com/00089886/Greg_AS01.jpg)
The other two big stories this weekend were the continued dominance of pitchers Dave Pierce and Tyler Galicia. Galicia pitched a complete game, 1-0 shutout over the White Sox allowing four hits. PIerce got his win thanks to his own bat. The BTWL career leader in home runs got his first two of the season in their 6-5 win over the Tigers. The Cy Young race is heating up between these two captains as they both are now 4-0 on the year.
In a makeup game on Thursday 6/23, the Tigers beat the White Sox 7-4. Free agent Kyle Reis, in his first BTWL game, went 3-for-7 with three RBIs including a two RBI double to put the Tigers ahead in the game.
Details about the all-star game and schedule will be out sometime later this week as a decision needs to be made about the error in the schedule.
**Also the Sunday games are always 12:00 and 1:30 not what the site says.**
Galicia earns 5th win with shaky outing vs Tigers
June 30, 2011
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/my.llfiles.com/00089886/Tyler_AS01.jpg)
Milestones Reached:
Tony Sciaraffa - 300 K's
Tyler Galicia - 30th Complete Game
-TG
K. Leatham outduels A. Leatham in sibling matchup
July 2, 2011
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/my.llfiles.com/00089886/Keith_AS01.jpg)
Milestones Reached:
Antonio Leatham - 10th complete game
Keith Leatham - 100th career hit
-TG
Galicia gets rocked in first loss of season
July 9, 2011
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/my.llfiles.com/00089886/AJ_AS01.jpg)
-TG
Sciaraffa Powers Tigers over White Sox
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/my.llfiles.com/00089886/Tony_AS04.jpg)
Sciaraffa performed well on the mound as well, going four scoreless innings before surrendering a run to Sarkisian with an RBI single down the third base line. Even after the hit, with runners on first and second, Sciaraffa got the next two batters out ending the White Sox only rally.
Sarkisian had a better than his normal performance on the mound, only allowing three earned runs, while striking out five. Sciaraffa ended his day with a two run home run in the top of the sixth inning. He was 4-for-5 on the day, with three runs, a double, a home run and two RBIs.
-JS
He's Baaaaack
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/my.llfiles.com/00089886/Cayden_AS03.jpg)
Davis is 9 hits shy of 200
Cayden is 3 strikeouts shy of 200
-DP
Pierce catapults himself into MVP race with 13-1 drubbing of Sox
July 14, 2011
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/my.llfiles.com/00089886/Dave_AS01.jpg)
Milestones Reached
Dave Pierce -50th Career Home Run
-TG
Nats drop weekend set, slide falls to 5; White Sox walk-off; Padres keep winning
July 17, 2011
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/my.llfiles.com/00089886/Gaspi_AS01.jpg)
In the first game of the weekend, the Nats matched up with the White Sox in what figured to be a potential chance for the Nats to end their skid. That quickly became a possibility after they jumped out to a 4-2 lead in the 4th. However, as Tyler Galicia continued to struggle with his command, the Sox waited patiently and struck for 3 runs in the 5th to take a late 5-4 lead. Captain Jim Sarkisian elected to go to lefty Greg Sullivan in favor of himself to close the game and seal the upset. The Nats, however, had other plans as they scratched for 2 runs and 2 hits off Sullivan to give themselves a chance for the win going into the bottom of the 6th. John Gasparoni then quickly added to all the drama and brought the game to an abrupt halt with a 2-run walk-off home run to deep left to give the Sox their 3rd victory of the season.
Not to be outdone, Cayden Bengtson and Tony Sciaraffa found themselves in a classic Padres-Tigers pitching duel in the second game of the afternoon. The game remained scoreless into the 6th and inevitably seemed to be going into extras, until Bengtson ended the scoring drought with a 2 run shot to right center to take the lead. The Tigers made things interesting in the home half of the inning, scoring one run, but having their rally cut short in the defeat. This is the third straight game in which Cayden has truly looked like his 2010 MVP-self, going 10-23 with 3 HRs and having gone 2-0 on the bump with a 0.50 ERA, 16 K's, 3 BB's and only 5 hits allowed.
In the weekend wrap-up, the Nationals looked to bounce back against the Tigers in a pitching matchup between Keith and Antonio Leatham. Ty Galicia quickly led off the game with a home run to right field on the 2nd pitch he saw, as the Nats hoped to nurse that lead to a victory. The one run stood until slugging rookie Kyle Reis tied the game for the Tigers in the 4th with a solo shot to left, and things all fell apart for the Nationals. After a walk and a double, Keith then helped his own cause by tripling in 2 runs, and then scoring on another homer from Reis to give the Tigers a 5-1 win in a fast-paced game which saw the Nats fall back to .500 after their hot start.
With only a couple games remaining, a few questions are coming about in the BTWL. Will the Padres regular season dominance finally translate to the playoffs? Will the Nationals and Antonio Leatham regain their early season form in time for the playoffs? And finally, with a suddenly wide-open MVP race, who will step up in the last few games to take the crown?
Milestones Reached:
Tyler Galicia - 30th career double
Cayden Bengtson - 200th career strikeout
Conor Rogan - 100th career hit
-TG
Non-Stop Blacktop
Check out the first ever episode of Non-Stop Blacktop. This will be a weekly show on the BTWL.
Padres mercy Sox, Pierce moves to 7-0
July 22, 2011
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/my.llfiles.com/00089886/Dave_AS02.jpg)
Milestones Reached:
Dave Pierce -
200th career hit
150th career RBI
350th career strikeout
-TG
Padres keep rolling behind Pierce, K. Leatham walks off with Tigers win
July 23, 2011
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/my.llfiles.com/00089886/Paul_Keith_AS01.jpg)
The Padres put up another crooked number in the third inning. MVP candidate Dave Pierce hit a three-run home run putting his Padres up 4-0 in the game. Pierce drove in another run in the fifth inning putting his team comfortably ahead 5-0.
Pierce also pitched a stellar game as well, going six strong, allowing two hits, while striking out eight. HIs numbers in the last four games are 18-for-29, with six home runs, and 18 RBIs. He also has an 8-0 pitching record for the year, with a 1.40 ERA.
In the second game on Saturday, endurance proved key as the Tigers won the game, 1-0 in the ninth inning. With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Keith Leatham hit a towering drive to left field walking off with the win.
The game was a pitchers duel between Tigers ace Tony Sciaraffa and White Sox ace Greg Sullivan. Sullivan got out of two bases loaded jams, while Sciaraffa worked his way out of one. Sciaraffa had to leave the game early, giving the pitching reigns to Leatham, who pitched two innings of relief, allowing one hit.
The BTWL would also like to congratulate Nationals player Antonio Leatham for becoming a father today. He is expected to make his next pitching start in this Sunday's game.
- JS
Nationals snap skid, Padres outlast Tigers
July 24, 2011
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/my.llfiles.com/00089886/Ant_Conor_AS01.jpg)
In the second game of the day, we saw the rejuvenated Cayden Bengtson match up against the always dangerous Keith Leatham, in what was sure to be another Padres-Tigers pitchers duel. The game didn't disappoint as the Padres managed to take the game, their 6th in a row, behind the arm and bat of Bengtson, as he bombed a solo home run to center in the 2nd to help his own cause. Dave Pierce came into the game in the 6th to shut the door and preserve the win, earning his first save of the year in the process.
-TG
Bengtson and Galicia duel into extras, Padres come out on top
July 29, 2011
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/my.llfiles.com/00089886/Dave_AS03.jpg)
-TG
Non-Stop Black Top, Episode 2
Here's the much anticipated 2nd episode to the BTWL's new weekly show, "Non-Stop Black Top". Included are game highlights, interviews, news, and the new opinion segment, entitled Tony Reports.
Nationals Take Game One
August 10, 2011
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/my.llfiles.com/00089886/Antonio_AS02.jpg)
Sciaraffa got his composure back and settled into a groove, keeping the score at 1-0 for the duration of the game while him and Galicia continued to duel on the bump. Both pitched brilliantly, allowing a combined 5 hits between the two teams. Then, with the game on the line in the bottom of the sixth inning, Sciaraffa approached the plate and hit a towering drive to left-center. The ball seemed to be headed over the fence for a game-tying home run, but Leatham came up with one of the top plays of the year. With one foot in play, he caught the ball and toe-tapped the remaining foot to assure himself of being in-bounds. The out was made, and the Nationals came out on top with the thrilling 1-0 win in game one of this best-of-three series.
FYI - game stats will be put in after each game, but player stats will be put into the site after the playoffs have ended. Season award ceremony is TBD.
-JS/TG
Non-Stop Black Top, Week 3
Week 3 of the new weekly BTWL show entitled Non-Stop Black Top. Topics include season awards, rookie Kyle Reis, and Tony's newly titled "Touching Bases".
All pressure on Keith
August 13, 2011
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/my.llfiles.com/00089886/Keith_AS02.jpg)
-dp
Sox, Pads...Who ya got?
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/my.llfiles.com/00089886/Jimbo_AS01.jpg)
Game one of the Padres vs WhiteSox wasn't quite the matchup we would all expect. With Greg Sullivan out in the Cape and Davis' arm still bothering him you would think it would be a Jimbo/Cayden matchup on the bump. However Saturday's game featured 2-0 Ben Rogan vs. newly acquired Steve Sarkisian. Ben coasted thru the first inning while Steve struggled giving up a homerun to Cayden in his first homer of the post season. In the top of the second, Captain Davis Pierce had some fielding issues, botching 2 ground balls and dropping a fly ball to deep center off the bat of Eric Norman. He redeemed himself with the next batter by doubling up Jimbo to end the inning. From there on out it was all Padres, as the bats came alive. Cayden homered for the second time, and Davis homered as well. Ben just kept doing what he had been all season on the bump, striking out 2 and pitching a complete game 3 hitter. Final score Padres 7, White Sox 1.
Game 2
Game 2 was held on Sunday in the rain with Cayden on the bump against Jimbo and the game showed to be a surprising pitchers duel. Jimbo got into some early trouble with the bases loaded in the first, but struck out Davis to get out of the jam. Cayden was superb, breezing through the first 5 innings without allowing a run or hit. After the Padres scored on a Cayden single it was up to Cayden to shut the door on the White Sox. In the final inning of the game Cayden ran into some trouble walking the bases loaded with 1 out. Eric Norman worked the count and fouled off a few balls only to be struck out by the heat of the riseball to send the Padres into the Finals against the Nationals.
-DP
2011 BTWL Championship: Nationals v. Padres
August 15, 2011
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/my.llfiles.com/00089886/Conor_Dave_AS01.jpg)
For the Padres (15-3, 2-0 postseason), it seems their biggest hurdle will be themselves. After a slow start to the season, they dominated the rest of the way, cruising to the #1 seed for the playoffs. They are led by former MVPs Dave Pierce and Cayden Bengtson, both of which are capable of taking over a game on the bump and at the plate. With that being said, the two of them have been together since the 2007 season, and that has resulted in zero championships. At this point the Padres must think they're cursed, but they find themselves back in the championship round with a chance to once again redeem themselves after handling the White Sox with relative ease, as expected. Another concern will be the health of Davis. He didn't pitch a single inning in the first round with back and shoulder pain after a sensational season, going 8-0 with a 1.27 ERA in 61.1 innings pitched. Will there be rust, or will he not even miss a beat?
Regardless, it should be a thrilling championship to cap off another successful season in the BTWL. Stay tuned and check back later in the week for Episode 4 of Non Stop Black Top, and game results from the championship.
-TG
So Far, So Good: Championship series tied at 1
August 21, 2011
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/my.llfiles.com/00089886/Antonio_AS01.jpg)
In Game 1, Captains Tyler Galicia and Dave Pierce took it upon themselves to try and steal a win and get the series started off on the right foot. In the top of the first after a walk to Antonio Leatham, the slugging Conor Rogan deposited a Pierce screwball into left for a 2-run shot and give the Nationals an early 2-0 lead. The Padres stormed back, however, with a Cayden Bengtson double scoring one, and a Ben Rogan sac-fly to tie up the game. The Padres would score a go-ahead run in the bottom of the 2nd with a Pierce double and give his team the 3-2 lead. That was all that Pierce and Galicia would allow, battling to the very end in a close game which saw the Padres hold on to beat the Nats, 3-2.
In Game 2, Leatham took the bump looking to save the Nationals season and title hopes, as he went against Bengtson. Both looked spectacular, dueling into extras with the game tied at 0. Leatham pitched 7 strong, allowing only 1 hit and zero runs with 6 K's; while Bengtson pitched 6 plus, allowing 4 hits and 1 run, while striking out 9. The lone run came in the bottom of the 7th following a hit by Rogan, a walk by Galicia and then a Leatham rope up the middle which Pierce struggled fielding, giving Rogan enough time to round 3rd and score the game winning run in walk-off fashion.
The final game of the season is now upon us with Game 3, and the winner will be crowned the 2011 BTWL Champion. Game 3 is currently scheduled for Monday at 6PM at JB.
-TG
And Your 2011 BTWL Champion is.....TBD
August 22, 2011
With a perfect evening for wiffleball, the Nationals and Padres battled for the 3rd time in 2 days to try and crown a 2011 champion. It was a rematch of Game 2 as the Nationals sent Antonio Leatham back to the bump, and the Padres looked back at Cayden Bengtson to try and seal the deal. After they both pitched brilliantly in a 1-0 Nats victory on Sunday, the two battled yet again. Antonio looked just as strong as he did Sunday, pitching 9 scoreless innings, walking 3, and not allowing a single hit to the strong Padres lineup. Cayden looked great again too, also going 9 scoreless while scattering 3 hits to the equally potent Nats offense. The Nationals, however, had a few more chances than the Padres. In the 4th, they left the bases loaded, and in the 8th they stranded Conor Rogan at 3rd when Antonio hit a deep drive to dead center which Dave Pierce managed to track down just in time before it fell for a hit. After Antonio struck out Dave to end the 9th, the teams discussed their options. With only a few minutes left of daylight, the captains reluctantly elected to conclude the thrilling championship game on either Tuesday, the 23rd, or Wednesday, the 24th at 6pm. Look for the captains, Pierce and Tyler Galicia, to match up in the 10th and perhaps beyond, as both Bengtson and Leatham have reached their innings limit. It should be an exciting ending to an equally exciting championship series.
-TG
-TG
San Diego Padres, 2011 BTWL Champions
August 24, 2011
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/my.llfiles.com/00089886/Padres-Logo.jpg)
-TG
2011 Season Recap and Awards
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/my.llfiles.com/00089886/BTWL_LOGO_FINAL.jpg)
First, the Padres finally came together and won a championship with Cayden on their roster. After being the dominant force of the BTWL every season, the Pads finally broke their curse and captured their 2nd team championship and first in 5 years. The Nationals gave them all they could handle in the championship round, but the Padres weathered the storm and finally came out on top.
The White Sox dismal season. Captain Jim Sarkisian surely can't be pleased with the performance of his team coming off their first BTWL title the year prior and he definitely had high hopes and expected more from his squad. And quite frankly, we all did. I don't know if we would say that the Sox were expected to be a powerhouse, but we absolutely expected more than a 3 win season and being swept in the first round.
Tony's early prediction of the Nationals being the 2011 Cinderella team. We weren't sure how this prediction would live up to Tony's expectations, but the Nationals got hot quick and stormed out to a 7-2 start, looking strong behind the pitching of Tyler and the heavy bats of Antonio and Conor. They fell off at the end, but picked it back up in the postseason to sweep Tony's Tigers and come within mere inches of capturing their 2nd title in 3 seasons.
Speaking of Tony, his Tigers looked very average for most of the year. As usual, Tony and Dave lived up to their rivalry and battled in games all season long. But despite the Tigers efforts, they still only beat the Padres once, and that was in the KBC final. Other than that, the Tigers were steadily average all season. They finished 9-9 and never got more than 2 games above .500 and never more than 2 games below. Keith was strong on the bump all season long, and that led to serious MVP and Cy Young considerations.
And with that, here is the long awaited announcement of awards. Your 2011 BTWL Award winners are:
MVP - Davis Pierce, Padres
.422, 11 HR, 27 RBI, 43 H
8-0, 1.27 ERA, 75 K's
Silver Slugger - Antonio Leatham, Nationals
.406, 12 HR, 30 RBI, 10 2B, 39 H, 27 R
Cy Young - Keith Leatham, Tigers
5-4, 46 IP, 1.57 ERA, 12 ER, 10 BB
Gold Gloves - Conor Rogan, Tyler Galicia, Antonio Leatham, Dave Pierce
Comeback Player of the Year - Ben Rogan, Padres
Rookie of the Year - Kyle Reis, Tigers
Congratulations to all our winners, as each is very deserving. And don't forget about us! Keep checking back for news on the decathlon, the 2012 draft, a winter edition of Non-Stop Black Top, and some potentially earth-shattering changes for the BTWL. Never fret on the BTWL though, changes will only be for the benefit of the league and it's players.
-TG
Non-Stop Black Top, Week 4
This is Week 4 of Non-Stop Black Top. Our sincerest apologies that this couldn't be posted prior to the championship. But its still gold, Jerry. Gold.
Off-Season Tournament News
With the 2011 season a little more than a month over, the BTWL has tournament teams in the Nationals Wiffleball League Rankings website. The BTWL Champions, San Diego Padres, are currently the number one seed in the Riser region of the tournament. The Washington Nationals also are in the tournament as the number seven seed in the curve region.
There are 32 teams in the small league tournament, so look for the BTWL to make a splash in the national headlines.
In addition, the Chicago White Sox were knocked out of the first round of the "Dangerfield 'No Respect' Tournament." This tournament goes to every league's last place team. The White Sox were the number four seed one of the four divisions, but were knocked out in the first round.
The fifth episode of the BTWL's show "Non-Stop Blacktop" is currently on hold, as missing tapes have caused a delay in publication. News on the final episode will be announced when it is available.
The career stats and all-time leaders will be updated in the upcoming weeks. Also, new for the league will be the archives. We will now keep game-by-game stats for every season from here on out. This also includes news items published during the season.
With the "Non-Stop Blacktop" program, the new stats on the site, and the national tournaments, it is safe to say that the BTWL is on the map for wiffleball leagues in Massachusetts. We are the #12 ranked website in terms of content and appearance, out of over 40 leagues.
Stay tuned for the tournament results with the Padres and Nationals!!
-JS
There are 32 teams in the small league tournament, so look for the BTWL to make a splash in the national headlines.
In addition, the Chicago White Sox were knocked out of the first round of the "Dangerfield 'No Respect' Tournament." This tournament goes to every league's last place team. The White Sox were the number four seed one of the four divisions, but were knocked out in the first round.
The fifth episode of the BTWL's show "Non-Stop Blacktop" is currently on hold, as missing tapes have caused a delay in publication. News on the final episode will be announced when it is available.
The career stats and all-time leaders will be updated in the upcoming weeks. Also, new for the league will be the archives. We will now keep game-by-game stats for every season from here on out. This also includes news items published during the season.
With the "Non-Stop Blacktop" program, the new stats on the site, and the national tournaments, it is safe to say that the BTWL is on the map for wiffleball leagues in Massachusetts. We are the #12 ranked website in terms of content and appearance, out of over 40 leagues.
Stay tuned for the tournament results with the Padres and Nationals!!
-JS
1st Round of National Tournament
The first round of voting in the National Tournament took place this weekend, and two of the BTWL's four teams were involved. The Padres and Nationals. The No. 1 seeded Padres advanced to the round of 16 teams, while the No. 7 Nationals were knocked out of the 32-team tournament.
The voting for the next round of the tournament will take place this weekend.
-JS
The voting for the next round of the tournament will take place this weekend.
-JS
Small-League Championship
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/my.llfiles.com/00089886/Cayden_AS01.jpg)
The Padres represented the BTWL well making it far into the tournament, and with the Washington Nationals qualifying as a #7 seed, the BTWL is on the map. We also have the #12 ranked website on the leagues listed in the directory on NWLA.
More career stats will be done in the coming weeks and the fifth and final episode of the 2011 season is scheduled to come out by the end of the year due to major technical delays with the production of the video.
As of this update, the Hitting Stats are all done for the site.
-JS