Rivalries are a part of every sport, wiffleball included. On a national stage, sure, but locally as well. The SWBL has had its fair share of rivalries in our 16 years of existence. Teams and players have faced off throughout our seasons that have caused great competition, and storied finishes to a championship. As we head into our 17th season, we look back and somewhat forward on some of our favorite rivalries during our league’s tenure.
To do this, I enlisted the help of all of the front office members, asking them to give me some of the best, current or past, SWBL rivalries. I expected them to think back and find teams that have constantly been waging war at The Blur; I was expecting answers like the Brewers/Rockies or Yankees/Royals (both of which will be in the same divisions for Season 17), but instead, I received the following the responses:
-Rain vs. SWBL Weekend
-Brett and Cornell vs. The Radar Gun
-The Trees vs. Lefties
-The Expos vs. Winning Record
-The Sidewalk vs. Car Bumpers
-Pooping in the porta potty or driving home to poop
-Louisville Chugger Bat vs. Mike Boyles forehead
-Rookies vs. The Fence vs. Commish’s Wrath
-Twins and Rockies (only teams that win) vs. The Field
-The compounding effect of age vs. Soreness
-Kevin Pohle’s awesome graphics vs. No Sleep
-Mr. Skibbe’s BB Gun vs. The Neighbor who feeds the deer illegally
-The Swimming Pool on Monday vs. Playoff Teams
-Rob Walters and his bats after striking out vs. the backstop and electrical wires
-Dog owners who think their dog is the cutest vs. other dog owners who think their dog is cutest
-Scorekeeping and Socializing vs. Scorekeeping and Focusing
-Brett vs. Rob’s Antics
-Edloe’s Odd Year Stats vs. Edloe’s Even Year Stats
-Close calls on the field vs. Fan Reactions vs. People in Score Tent vs. Getting dumped on a Skibbe.
-Diamondbax vs. Bombay
-Luke Bakula Hitting vs. Spencer Bogad Pitching
-Kevin Wiethuchter vs. Shoes
-Kevin Wiethuchter vs. Hitting a ball over the fence
-The wait staff at Corner Pub vs. Remembering people’s orders on Friday Night
-BK’s right arm vs. Home Runs
-Boy Next Door Platinum Hands Winner Brian Kenney vs. Annoyed Chris Meador that he can’t win Platinum Hands anymore even though he would never show it outwardly, but deep down he is pissed because he and everyone knows he is the best fielder.
-The person who clogged the toilet two years ago vs. Roto Rooter
-7:15 AM games vs. Anyone who has them
-The Royals vs. Being Cursed
-Freeze Pops vs. Beer
-Sam vs. Brett
-Darkness vs. Fun of Night Activities
-Downward Slope vs. Tracking Fly Balls
-Guys with kids vs. Guys without kids
-Home runs vs. People who don’t get their home run balls
-Sober Teams vs. Drunk Teams on Saturday and Sunday
-Wiffleball Performance vs. Girlfriend’s Acceptance of the League
If you can believe it, there were even a few more! Maybe this article didn’t quite turn out as expected, but I’m pretty sure it turned out better. Can’t wait to see what rivalries will be formed in 2019 for SWBL Season 17.