America's Most Promising Leagues
Josh Smith
09.25.10


Parson's Summer Wiffleball League - Parsons, State Not Specified
I have thoroughly enjoyed watching this league update their Youtube channel each week with the season's newest games. There's only 3 teams that are listed: Your Nuts, Team Pwnage, & LI Wiffs. The plays you see on the videos are pretty amazing. There are quite a bit of home runs and they are a running-league (my favorite) which makes for some interesting plays as well. The only thing this league really needs to do is to stop fooling around with Myspace and get a real website, this would include even leaguelineup. I know little to almost nothing about them because there is no centralized location to get information on them. Knowing things like a team's record or player statistics is a luxury the league has not offered. What is really a necessity shouldn't be regarded as a luxury by a league that could possibly want more players or fans. PSWL, get online!

Griffle Ball - Highland , Indiana
This is a great league that has a lot of talent. They play on a basketball court and haven't we all been there when we've been hard up for a venue. These guys make the court work for them well and their videos show it. The league is actually pretty big, team wise. They had officially 16 teams for the 2010 season but only about 6 teams played consistently. The league champions, the Lightning, played only 5 games and finished with a 5-0 record. The Highlanders played the most games at 13 going 9-4 on the year. This league needs to get some more solid teams or reinforce the ones they have now if they really want to be one of the nation's best leagues. It appears all the right ingredients are there but can they make it happen?

MLW - Schultz Field - Brighton , Michigan
Easily one of the youngest leagues in America ! They are probably about 8-10 years old but don't be fooled, they've got game. The pitching is intense, the hitting is deep and they are running league and it isn't uncommon to see a single turn into a triple or inside the ball-park home run. They have a pretty good top 10 plays video on their channel that's pretty good, it features a no-hitter, and the perfect game thrown in game 4 of the world series for the Western Wildcats to win it all. The videos are pretty good. I think an adult does the filming and editing though. The editing and transitions between scenes is too smooth but I could be wrong and one of these kids could be pretty good with editing. The only bad thing about this league is its size. There are only two teams: the Western Wildcats and the Eastern Eagles. Almost everyone in their small league is related, cousins and siblings mostly. Their close association with one another will result in one of two ways: their bond will set a great foundation for their league in the future as they pick up more players OR they will become very annoyed with each other and this league will rip itself apart. I personally hope they can find a way to make it work because they could be a great league in the future.

Oak Shade Wiffleball - southern New Jersey
This league out of southern New Jersey is a really fun league to watch. They're one of several leagues across the country who concentrate more on their media than they do their website so if you want to get a handle on these guys check out their Youtube channel because their website only has the bare essentials. They have 4-6 teams and this is their second season. How they've managed to slip by our radar this long is a mystery. Be sure to check these guys out. Their videos are amazing but you may have to watch them on mute because the music selection is...distracting sometimes. They have a great video of a pitcher getting a ball hit right back to him in the face. The reaction from other players during the videos are hilarious too. They're in their early teens and hearing their voices crack when they scream is priceless.

FT Wiffle - Freehold, NJ
Although another New Jersey league, this league stands out from the rest. They are close neighbors to the Caputo Complex league and have a lot of players that play in both FT Wiffle and Caputo Complex. FT Wiffle's videos are amazing in quality and content. Like Oak Shade, FT Wiffle focuses more on their Youtube channel than their website. If you were a fan of Cleveland Wiffleball League's early format then you'd love these guys. There are no set teams, it's a statistical based system in which the players with the highest stats at the end of the season are the most rewarded. They are a entertaining group of guys and you'd be doing an injustice to yourself if you don't at least visit their Youtube channel, especially if you like the high energy of Caputo's videos.

Palisades WBL - Pearl River, New York
For a league of only 6 teams you'd think they wouldn't attract so much attention in New York. Well you're wrong. This small league has been having an amazing season and although they play a little differently than the leagues in the NWLA that doesn't mean that they aren't fun to watch. Their videos are hands down the best wiffleball videos on the web. Their 'This Month In Wiffleball' program is supreme and if it's impossible for you NOT to know every detail going on in the league if you follow them. They are a clear and easy to follow league. Recently they've been attempting to spread out their league name in a similar way that Golden Stick has. There are two sister leagues supposedly springing up in Northern Illinois and Danville , WV . Progress on the Danville league is minimal while the Northern Illionois WBL is looking promising. Look for gigantic things to come from Palisades . They have their eyes on the prize.

PA Wiffleball - Stevens, Pennsylvania
This league could be a great league if two things happened: consistent gameplay and UPDATING THE WEBSITE. The videos are pretty good. The background in the videos remind me a lot of Hudson Valley 's videos. There's RVs everywhere. And before you ask, yes, this is a running league. I approve.

Humboldt Professional Wiffle Association - Arcata , California
This league has been around for since 2006. They don't do teams they follow the individual stats format that CWL once used and FT Wiffle currently use. They are a no-nonsense league saying "Anyone can play, no cost, no signups, just show up..." It's no wonder they've been so successful. They have a ton of players. They make Myspace work pretty well as far as getting stats, it's all listed right there. They also have a facebook page to keep all the players well informed, a tool that a lot of leagues are using lately. They have pretty good videos and it looks like they have a great time. They've found a middle road to having a season without the painful process of keeping teams together, which makes them a unique league.

Shangri La' Wiffleball ­ - Monument, Colorado
This league has been around a LONG time. They began playing in 1994 with stats available only after 2005. They have been continuously shrinking to where they are now, with 5 teams. They have toyed with the idea of only doing tournaments from this moment on and therefore really won't be a league but a tournament. Nevertheless they are still worth checking out. Their site is great and has a lot of content. Videos.