With both my men's softball leagues coming to an end its time to look back on the seasons. One league ending well and the other league coming to a rough end.
In the Mauston league we ended up finishing the regular season tied in first place having split our four games with Harmony. Then for some reason we needed to have a one game playoff in order to determine which team would have the higher seed in the playoffs. We only had nine players and for some reason we decided to have our number two pitcher pitch and then have our number one play the field. Harmony ended up hitting us hard and taking the win. In the first game of the playoffs we played Randalls with our number one pitching. Had a slow start and had to finish with eight players, as one of our guys had to work that night, and still managed to win by four runs. In the championship game we played Harmony again of course and had to play them with eight players. We jumped out early and were able to hang on to a three run lead.
My Predictions
1. Harmony- Won the tournament last year and are even more stacked as they added a couple guys from Harmony 2 who were unable to put a team together.
2. Anjeros- My team won the regular season title last year but, fell to Harmony in the championship and will be missing arguably are best player from last year.
3. Randalls- Has a few players that have played a decent amount of softball and should be able to beat the bottom two teams.
4. Dream Sports- Bunch of young guys that just haven't played enough softball.
5. Wonderlys- Not a lot of experience on this team and will probably struggle to win a game.
Actual Finish
1. Anjeros
2. Harmony
3. Randalls
4. Dream Sports
5. Wonderlys
After having a great regular season in the Dells league, it ended one game too early. In the regular season we finished in second place, with Sand Bar taking first. Stroede Bros and Monks finished up tied in third. Playoffs things changed a bit. The top four teams all had byes and the second group of four all won their games, with Ducks receiving a forfeit due to Wilderness bringing in some "ringers". The second round ourselves, Mt Olympus, Stroede bros, and Sand Bar moved on. Knuckleheads upset Monks in dominating fashion winning 17-1. In the semi finals we did not come to hit and ended up loosing to Stroedes 10-3 while Sand Bar beat Knuckleheads easily. In the championship Stroedes came out hot and beat Sand Bar 19-9.
My Predictions
Contenders
Stroede Bros- Won 9-1 and have a good amount of guys from my tournament team.
Moosejaw- Didn't see them play but, have heard their always towards the top of the league.
Knuckleheads- Lost in 10 innings but, are a young athletic team that should win a decent amount of games.
Sandbar- Last years champs that beat Knuckleheads.
Mt Olympus- Gotta put our own team and we did put up the most runs of the night.
Middle of the Pack
Scott Construction- Didn't see them play but, they have some big hitters and some guys that have played a decent amount of ball.
Edge O Dells- Lots of young guys that can hit the ball. Won their first game but, their D is suspect.
Monks- Lost their first game to Edge O Dells but, they have a lot of guys that have played a ton of ball and should rebound and give a lot of teams some trouble.
Ducks- Won their first game and were winning 9-3 when I left but, have a lot of players and a good portion of them haven't played a lot of ball.
Bottom Dwellers
Wilderness- Didn't see them play but, heard they lost 9-1 and that they weren't too good.
Royal Excavating- Lost their first game and didn't look to impressive.
Marleys- Lets just say that they are in for a long year.
Actual Regular Season Finish (tournament finish)
1. Sand Bar (2)
2. Mt. Olympus (tied 3rd)
3. Stroede Bros (1st)
Monks (tied 5th)
5. Moosejaw (tied 5th)
6. Knuckleheads (tied 3rd)
7. Edge O Dells (tied 5th)
8. Ducks (tied 5th)
9. Wilderness (tied 9th)
10. Scotts Construction (tied 9th)
11. Marleys (tied 9th)
12. Royal Excavating (tied 9)
Well with all my leagues done for the summer and only two tournaments left I may be going into hibernation. May be back tomorrow with ranking thoughts but, otherwise will probably be back after Labor day with tournament thoughts.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
Softball Bats
Decided to go with the ranking of softball bats over the White Sox game because the Sox lost and it wasn't that great of an interesting game. When ranking the bats I'm going to first do my personal preference in bats and then ranking what I've seen guys hit.
My Rankings
1. Miken Ultra 2 (illegal)- This bat is the best bat out there that you can use. Ball just jumps off this bat without a lot of effort.
2. Original Miken Freak (illegal)- Great great asa bat. Can really see the difference now that this bat has been banned. My home run total has gone way down.
3. Demarini Juggernaut- Love the flex of this two piece bat and you don't have to swing hard and the ball just jumps. Takes a little while to get used but, once you get used to it can't put it down.
4. Demarini White Steel- Best single wall bat out there. Competes right up there with any double wall bat. Have hit some of my deepest bombs with this bat.
5. Miken NRG- Its a miken so you know its good. Have to put a little more muscle in the ball but, hits the ball really hard.
6. Demarini Evo- Another reflex demarini which I love. Swings a little heavier then other demarini's but, still has great pop off the bat.
7. Miken Maniac 484- A stiffer bat but, when it hits the sweet spot the ball will go.
8. Miken Freak 98- Very very stiff bat but, the more you hit it the hotter the bat gets. Needs to be broke in.
9. Anti-Virus Combat- Has the best grip of any bat and swings nice. I just never seem to hit the sweet spot on it and don't like the feel when it hits the ball.
10. Toledo Katana- Durability is an issue with this bat. Swings great and feels good when you make contact but, really lacks power if you miss the sweet spot.
What I've seen rankings
1. Miken Ultra 2(illegal)- Seen guys hit 400 foot bombs with this bat enough said.
2. Miken Original Freak (illegal)- Everyones home run totals have dropped since this bat has been made illegal. This bat created "Miken Power".
3. Miken Recoil- Hits rocket line drives. Seems to have a long break in time though and swings alittle heavier.
4. Rip It Reaper- Not a very common bat but, seen guys hit monster bombs. Guys that I know love the feel and the power they get off the bat.
5. Worth Mayhem- Been told a few times that this is the best bat out there. Seen some good power out of this bat.
6. Anti-Virus Combat- Seen a lot of power hitters use this bat and it seems the more you hit it and the worse it looks the hotter this bat is.
7. Easton Synergy- Have heard mixed reviews about this bat but, have seen a few guys that hit the long ball extremely well and have always used this bat no matter what else was allowed.
8. Demarini Juggernaut- Have seen a lot of little guys hitting home runs with this bat that should never be hitting home runs. Great small guy bat.
9. Miken NRG- Has some very good pop but, like I said you do have to swing hard to make the ball go. Not quite the original freak but, close.
10. Mizuno Orange Crush (illegal)- Haven't seen a lot of good out of this bat but, have heard a ton of good things and its illegal for a reason.
Well theres my thoughts on the bats that I've used or seen. When I first started playing softball Demarini Ultimate Weapon was my bat, then Demarini White Steel, then Miken Original Freak and Ultra 2 when allowed, and now I'm on the Demarini Juggernaut with some Miken NRG mixed in. I love the Mikens and Demarini's but, as you look at my other rankings every bat company gets the job done as far as bats are concerned.
My Rankings
1. Miken Ultra 2 (illegal)- This bat is the best bat out there that you can use. Ball just jumps off this bat without a lot of effort.
2. Original Miken Freak (illegal)- Great great asa bat. Can really see the difference now that this bat has been banned. My home run total has gone way down.
3. Demarini Juggernaut- Love the flex of this two piece bat and you don't have to swing hard and the ball just jumps. Takes a little while to get used but, once you get used to it can't put it down.
4. Demarini White Steel- Best single wall bat out there. Competes right up there with any double wall bat. Have hit some of my deepest bombs with this bat.
5. Miken NRG- Its a miken so you know its good. Have to put a little more muscle in the ball but, hits the ball really hard.
6. Demarini Evo- Another reflex demarini which I love. Swings a little heavier then other demarini's but, still has great pop off the bat.
7. Miken Maniac 484- A stiffer bat but, when it hits the sweet spot the ball will go.
8. Miken Freak 98- Very very stiff bat but, the more you hit it the hotter the bat gets. Needs to be broke in.
9. Anti-Virus Combat- Has the best grip of any bat and swings nice. I just never seem to hit the sweet spot on it and don't like the feel when it hits the ball.
10. Toledo Katana- Durability is an issue with this bat. Swings great and feels good when you make contact but, really lacks power if you miss the sweet spot.
What I've seen rankings
1. Miken Ultra 2(illegal)- Seen guys hit 400 foot bombs with this bat enough said.
2. Miken Original Freak (illegal)- Everyones home run totals have dropped since this bat has been made illegal. This bat created "Miken Power".
3. Miken Recoil- Hits rocket line drives. Seems to have a long break in time though and swings alittle heavier.
4. Rip It Reaper- Not a very common bat but, seen guys hit monster bombs. Guys that I know love the feel and the power they get off the bat.
5. Worth Mayhem- Been told a few times that this is the best bat out there. Seen some good power out of this bat.
6. Anti-Virus Combat- Seen a lot of power hitters use this bat and it seems the more you hit it and the worse it looks the hotter this bat is.
7. Easton Synergy- Have heard mixed reviews about this bat but, have seen a few guys that hit the long ball extremely well and have always used this bat no matter what else was allowed.
8. Demarini Juggernaut- Have seen a lot of little guys hitting home runs with this bat that should never be hitting home runs. Great small guy bat.
9. Miken NRG- Has some very good pop but, like I said you do have to swing hard to make the ball go. Not quite the original freak but, close.
10. Mizuno Orange Crush (illegal)- Haven't seen a lot of good out of this bat but, have heard a ton of good things and its illegal for a reason.
Well theres my thoughts on the bats that I've used or seen. When I first started playing softball Demarini Ultimate Weapon was my bat, then Demarini White Steel, then Miken Original Freak and Ultra 2 when allowed, and now I'm on the Demarini Juggernaut with some Miken NRG mixed in. I love the Mikens and Demarini's but, as you look at my other rankings every bat company gets the job done as far as bats are concerned.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Softball Rankings Round 4
Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted on here but, life has been busy between work, softball, and a small social life. Since I've last posted our tournament team of Harmony is basically disbanded and I seem to be playing with a different random team every weekend. Two weekends ago we put together basically our own team to be sponsored by Harmony and went down to Hub City to play. The tournament was round robin of six teams and we struggled to a 2-3 record and just couldn't seem to get our bats going. We were in every game but, just couldn't get over the hump and break out. Despite the rough record we still finished the tournament in a tie for third place, as every team just beat up on each other. Jim and Marilyn's came away with the tournament win by dominating everyone.
The following weekend we played up in Wilton with a local team. They struggled to field a team which really hurt us. We finished at 2-2, I was only there for the two losses, and finished tied in fifth place. Multistack looked much more impressive then the first time I saw them in Camp Douglas as they went on to win the tournament.
Rankings
1. River City Coors Light (Lacrosse) Camp Douglas- Very very good team that hit the ball extremely well. Always hit line drives and only hit homers with runners on base.
2. Varsity Club (Baraboo/Madison/ Elroy) Tomah- Play very good defense, hit the long ball really well, and have one of the best pitchers around in Ronny Murray.
3. Multistack(Tomah/Sparta) Camp Douglas, Wilton- Hard hitting team. Play very good defense and hustle out every play and take the extra base.
4. Breakaway (Tomah/Sparta) Camp Douglas, Tomah, Wilton- Just like River City hit very hard line drives.
5. Harmony 2 (Mauston) Tomah, Lyndon Station- Another team that hits the long ball very well and plays pretty good defense. Can really string runs together.
6. Jim and Marilyns (Hub City, Richland Center) Hub City 2, Wilton- A good portion of the team is from Bar Ron Farms. Have a couple of very good power hitters and have a never give up attitude.
7. Bar Ron Farms (Ithaca/Spring Green) Hub City- Hit the ball very very hard and are always going for the long ball. Also have a pretty solid pitcher.
8. Mt Tabor aka The Barn (Mt. Tabor/Kendall) Hub City, Wilton- Similar to Bar Ron Farms in that they hit the long ball pretty well and play some pretty solid defense. Very solid 1-10. Appear to be getting a little old but, can still rise to the occasion and beat anyone.
9. Harmony (Mauston) My Tourney Team- Team that can really string the runs together and when there hot they can play with anyone.
10. Anjeros (Mauston) Mauston League- Play very solid defense and have very good hitters 1-9 and a pretty solid pitcher.
11. Harmony (Mauston) Mauston League- Combined players from the two Harmony's make this team pretty good.
12. Sand Bar (Wisconsin Dells) Dells League- Pretty good pitcher and a very solid hitting team all around. A very smart team, thats also very aggressive on the bases and on defense.
13. Crow Bar 2 (Warrens/Tomah) Warrens, Tomah- Solid hitting team that's played a lot of ball and play some pretty good defense. Looked to be a much improved hitting team the second time I saw them and had a better pitcher too.
14. Nubs Pub (Lacrosse/Sparta) Camp Douglas- Hit the ball really hard and can really string some runs together.
15. E.C.S. (Markesan/Dells) Lyndon Station- Young team with a lot of team speed. Hit the ball extremely well to the opposite field and cover a lot of ground in the outfield.
HM
Mt. Olympus (Wisconsin Dells) My Dells League Team
Sloopys (Lacrosse) Tomah
Monks (Wisconsin Dells) Dells League
Only two real give changes appeared in the new rankings. Jim and Marilyns appear since this was the first time I've seen them and Multistack made it into the rankings after there great tournament in Wilton. Kind of debating what my next topic will be about. I just went to the White Sox game last night, so I may write about that and I was also thinking about ranking my preference in softball bats and which bats are the best in my opinion.
The following weekend we played up in Wilton with a local team. They struggled to field a team which really hurt us. We finished at 2-2, I was only there for the two losses, and finished tied in fifth place. Multistack looked much more impressive then the first time I saw them in Camp Douglas as they went on to win the tournament.
Rankings
1. River City Coors Light (Lacrosse) Camp Douglas- Very very good team that hit the ball extremely well. Always hit line drives and only hit homers with runners on base.
2. Varsity Club (Baraboo/Madison/ Elroy) Tomah- Play very good defense, hit the long ball really well, and have one of the best pitchers around in Ronny Murray.
3. Multistack(Tomah/Sparta) Camp Douglas, Wilton- Hard hitting team. Play very good defense and hustle out every play and take the extra base.
4. Breakaway (Tomah/Sparta) Camp Douglas, Tomah, Wilton- Just like River City hit very hard line drives.
5. Harmony 2 (Mauston) Tomah, Lyndon Station- Another team that hits the long ball very well and plays pretty good defense. Can really string runs together.
6. Jim and Marilyns (Hub City, Richland Center) Hub City 2, Wilton- A good portion of the team is from Bar Ron Farms. Have a couple of very good power hitters and have a never give up attitude.
7. Bar Ron Farms (Ithaca/Spring Green) Hub City- Hit the ball very very hard and are always going for the long ball. Also have a pretty solid pitcher.
8. Mt Tabor aka The Barn (Mt. Tabor/Kendall) Hub City, Wilton- Similar to Bar Ron Farms in that they hit the long ball pretty well and play some pretty solid defense. Very solid 1-10. Appear to be getting a little old but, can still rise to the occasion and beat anyone.
9. Harmony (Mauston) My Tourney Team- Team that can really string the runs together and when there hot they can play with anyone.
10. Anjeros (Mauston) Mauston League- Play very solid defense and have very good hitters 1-9 and a pretty solid pitcher.
11. Harmony (Mauston) Mauston League- Combined players from the two Harmony's make this team pretty good.
12. Sand Bar (Wisconsin Dells) Dells League- Pretty good pitcher and a very solid hitting team all around. A very smart team, thats also very aggressive on the bases and on defense.
13. Crow Bar 2 (Warrens/Tomah) Warrens, Tomah- Solid hitting team that's played a lot of ball and play some pretty good defense. Looked to be a much improved hitting team the second time I saw them and had a better pitcher too.
14. Nubs Pub (Lacrosse/Sparta) Camp Douglas- Hit the ball really hard and can really string some runs together.
15. E.C.S. (Markesan/Dells) Lyndon Station- Young team with a lot of team speed. Hit the ball extremely well to the opposite field and cover a lot of ground in the outfield.
HM
Mt. Olympus (Wisconsin Dells) My Dells League Team
Sloopys (Lacrosse) Tomah
Monks (Wisconsin Dells) Dells League
Only two real give changes appeared in the new rankings. Jim and Marilyns appear since this was the first time I've seen them and Multistack made it into the rankings after there great tournament in Wilton. Kind of debating what my next topic will be about. I just went to the White Sox game last night, so I may write about that and I was also thinking about ranking my preference in softball bats and which bats are the best in my opinion.
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