New to the National Wiffleball League Association? Don't know your KWL Belly Itchers from your HRL Blue Jays? Can you imagine a league where EACH team has their OWN home field? Can you imagine a league with team names ranging from “We've Got the Runs'' (hilarious!) to “Phat Dongs'' (...c'mon)? Would you believe there's such a league?

    The Old Republic Whiffleball League, based in small rural New Carlisle, Indiana (which is off of Irish crazy-ass South Bend ), is one of the most unique leagues you'll find on this site. The 12-team, 12-stadium ORWBL has been around since 2007 (no championship due to a work stoppage) and doesn't look to quit. It's far too legit to quit. I asked their commish, Koby Keck (also Manager of Newts), to give me a what's-what of Whiffleball.

    “Well we started off with 10 teams in 2007, but we had trouble getting people to actually show up to games,'' he started off, “Eventually we scrapped the regular season and tried to just move ahead to the playoffs. But even that didn't get completed. So we consider the inaugural season to have been cut short by work stoppage.'' The 2008 campaign would fare better, after some ridding of unwanted players, they started out with 8 teams, 4 in an A.L., 4 in the N.L. The La Porte Sox won the title with a 24-0 regular season record. The league expanded in 2009 to 10 teams and 42 games (jeez!), and the Pterodactyls took the title from the now twice runner-up Newts. I noticed that one Neil Ludwig had been on both champion teams, so I had to ask Keck whether this was a little coincidink or because Ludwig was an animal. He replied, and I quote, “Pretty much just a coincidence.” I honestly did not expect that reply, Koby Keck, and I admire that you layed down the truth. Another thing he mentioned is that Keck is “pretty sure he'll be stepping down as commissioner” this offseason. The task to find a replacement to a league's founder/commish has been documented in the past, famously by the HRL. They figured it out, and are still a top league, so I have no worries about this and hopefully it will be resolved.

    Now in depth on their ballparks (which, if you haven't already told, is my favorite part of this league). 7 ballparks are played in backyards, 3 in vacant lots and 2 in little league fields. When I asked why each team had one, he said “Well, with 3-game series each Wednesday and Sunday, we pretty much have to for time.” Space is not an issue in New Carlisle . But, with the cool perks of a league come the hard parts. For the Old Republic Whiffleball League, that would be forfeits. “One thing that's always been an issue with the ORWBL is getting people to show up,” he began, “Previously, we had allowed reschedules, and some games would end up being played later and others would not. However, this year we got strict and if a team couldn't make it on the scheduled day, we made them forfeit. So there have been an awful lot of forfeits this year. We'll be looking at contraction for next season to fix the issue.”

    Now the good stuff. I asked Mr. Keck which team should take the championship trophy this Summer, he said “Hands down Dactyls,” (< I'm thinkin' that's a purty cool team motto! Suck it, “Who Dat” Nation) “They always have their best players there, and they just hit the absolute piss out of the ball.” Do you need any more reasoning than that? Me thinks not.