Wifflepalooza XIII Statistics

WIFFLEPALOOZA XIII HITTING STATS

FLAPACAMINGOS	GP	AB	H	R	AVG.	HR	RBI	BB	SO	XBH	TB	OBP.	SLG.	OPS.
Jake Lambert ©	5	11	2	4	0.182	0	2	9	4	0	2	0.550	0.182	0.732
Ryan Ricci	5	15	6	5	0.400	2	7	5	4	2	12	0.550	0.800	1.350
Al Etter	5	13	5	2	0.385	2	6	3	2	2	11	0.500	0.846	1.346
Pat Ney	4	5	1	3	0.200	0	1	8	3	0	1	0.692	0.200	0.892
Paul Nyitray	5	17	7	6	0.412	2	6	2	7	2	13	0.474	0.765	1.238
Jeremy Wright	5	10	4	2	0.400	0	0	7	5	0	4	0.647	0.400	1.047
Matt Garvey	2	4	0	0	0.000	0	0	0	4	0	0	0.000	0.000	0.000
TOTAL	5	75	25	22	0.333	6	22	34	29	6	43	0.541	0.573	1.115
GOODFELLAS	GP	AB	H	R	AVG.	HR	RBI	BB	SO	XBH	TB	OBP.	SLG.	OPS.
Rocco Lombardo ©	6	13	8	8	0.615	2	3	5	4	2	14	0.722	1.077	1.799
Justin Geri	6	19	5	6	0.263	4	12	1	10	5	18	0.300	0.947	1.247
Mike Tedesco	6	8	1	5	0.125	1	3	9	6	1	4	0.588	0.500	1.088
Jeff Lunsford	6	14	5	2	0.357	1	3	3	9	1	8	0.471	0.571	1.042
Brian Stanzione	6	15	7	6	0.467	5	8	4	5	5	22	0.579	1.467	2.046
Greg Kuhlen	6	13	1	1	0.077	0	1	5	8	0	1	0.333	0.077	0.410
Billy Jackson	6	15	7	6	0.467	2	4	3	4	3	14	0.556	0.933	1.489
TOTAL	6	97	34	34	0.351	15	34	30	46	17	81	0.504	0.835	1.339
MANDINGOS	GP	AB	H	R	AVG.	HR	RBI	BB	SO	XBH	TB	OBP.	SLG.	OPS.
Dustin Graiff ©	4	15	5	6	0.333	1	6	4	4	1	8	0.474	0.533	1.007
Scott Schneider	4	14	8	11	0.571	5	13	5	2	5	23	0.684	1.643	2.327
Ryan Hutchings	4	15	8	11	0.533	6	12	4	5	7	27	0.632	1.800	2.432
Dom Pontari	4	6	2	9	0.333	0	4	11	3	0	2	0.765	0.333	1.098
Nick Calabrese	2	5	1	1	0.200	0	0	2	1	0	1	0.429	0.200	0.629
TOTAL	4	55	24	38	0.436	12	35	26	15	13	61	0.617	1.109	1.726
SUPER SMASH BROS	GP	AB	H	R	AVG.	HR	RBI	BB	SO	XBH	TB	OBP.	SLG.	OPS.
Pete Polo ©	4	11	1	4	0.091	0	1	3	6	0	1	0.286	0.091	0.377
Matt Wallace	4	9	5	4	0.556	1	5	3	3	1	8	0.667	0.889	1.556
Chris DiPrimio	4	10	2	4	0.200	2	3	5	8	2	8	0.467	0.800	1.267
Hunter DiPrimio	4	12	6	4	0.500	2	9	2	3	3	13	0.571	1.083	1.655
Frank Loretta	4	9	0	2	0.000	0	1	3	3	0	0	0.250	0.000	0.250
Troy Cervini	4	5	1	3	0.200	0	2	7	3	0	1	0.667	0.200	0.867
TOTAL	4	56	15	21	0.268	5	21	23	26	6	31	0.481	0.554	1.035
GOON SQUAD	GP	AB	H	R	AVG.	HR	RBI	BB	SO	XBH	TB	OBP.	SLG.	OPS.
Mark Ronchetti ©	4	9	5	3	0.556	3	10	1	2	3	14	0.600	1.556	2.156
Jeff Ronchetti (A)	4	10	6	5	0.600	2	6	0	2	3	13	0.600	1.300	1.900
Patrick Hennessy	4	8	2	1	0.250	0	1	2	1	0	2	0.400	0.250	0.650
Johnny Malatesta	4	9	4	3	0.444	0	2	1	2	0	4	0.500	0.444	0.944
Tyler Martini	4	9	4	5	0.444	0	1	2	3	0	4	0.545	0.444	0.990
Pete Gervasio	4	7	0	1	0.000	0	0	2	5	0	0	0.222	0.000	0.222
Danny Martini	4	5	1	2	0.200	0	1	5	3	0	1	0.600	0.200	0.800
TOTAL	4	57	22	20	0.386	5	21	13	18	6	38	0.500	0.667	1.167
THE BERT BRIGADE	GP	AB	H	R	AVG.	HR	RBI	BB	SO	XBH	TB	OBP.	SLG.	OPS.
Jake Hatki ©	6	13	4	3	0.308	2	3	3	6	2	10	0.438	0.769	1.207
Anthony Donato	6	10	3	6	0.300	1	2	7	4	2	7	0.588	0.700	1.288
Sawyer Brown	6	16	5	4	0.313	3	8	3	8	3	14	0.421	0.875	1.296
Rick Fifer	6	11	0	2	0.000	0	0	5	7	0	0	0.313	0.000	0.313
Pete Ojeda	6	10	4	3	0.400	0	2	4	5	0	4	0.571	0.400	0.971
CJ Wallowitch	6	14	4	2	0.286	0	3	2	6	0	4	0.375	0.286	0.661
Ken McCormick	6	12	6	8	0.500	3	5	4	1	3	15	0.625	1.250	1.875
Taylor Cheli	6	15	8	6	0.533	3	8	2	5	3	17	0.588	1.133	1.722
TOTAL	6	101	34	34	0.337	12	31	30	42	13	71	0.489	0.703	1.192
WIFFLEBOTS	GP	AB	H	R	AVG.	HR	RBI	BB	SO	XBH	TB	OBP.	SLG.	OPS.
Tim Merighi	5	11	0	4	0.000	0	1	5	9	0	0	0.313	0.000	0.313
Will Martini	5	11	2	2	0.182	0	2	2	5	0	2	0.308	0.182	0.490
Jayson Hoopes	5	8	0	3	0.000	0	2	8	5	0	0	0.500	0.000	0.500
Cole Vanderslice	5	13	4	6	0.308	2	5	4	6	3	11	0.471	0.846	1.317
Cole Murray	5	11	3	4	0.273	1	2	2	6	1	6	0.385	0.545	0.930
Matt Amechi	5	11	3	3	0.273	2	9	3	5	2	9	0.429	0.818	1.247
Anthony Monfredo	5	11	2	4	0.182	1	3	5	7	1	5	0.438	0.455	0.892
TOTAL	5	76	14	26	0.184	6	24	29	43	7	33	0.410	0.434	0.844

WIFFLEPALOOZA XIII PITCHING STATS

FLAPACAMINGOS	W	L	SV	ERA	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Al Etter	1	0	0	4.20	5	2	3	3	7	5
Ryan Ricci	1	3	0	2.58	19	14	10	7	14	24
Paul Nyitray	0	0	0	0.00	2	0	0	0	1	3
TOTAL	2	3	0	2.69	26	16	13	10	22	32
GOODFELLAS	W	L	SV	ERA	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Justin Geri	3	0	0	0.39	18	8	1	1	5	28
Mike Tedesco	3	0	0	0.78	18	4	2	2	6	29
TOTALS	0	0	0	0.58	36	12	3	3	11	57
MANDINGOS	W	L	SV	ERA	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Scott Schneider	0	1	0	23.33	3	10	14	10	6	0
Dustin Graiff	0	0	0	7.00	1	0	1	1	4	1
Ryan Hutchings	1	1	0	15.17	6	16	13	13	6	6
Nick Calabrese	0	1	0	17.50	4	10	10	10	3	2
Dom Pontari	0	0	0	14.00	2	4	4	4	2	1
TOTALS	1	3	0	16.63	16	40	42	38	21	10
SUPER SMASH BROS	W	L	SV	ERA	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Matt Wallace	0	2	0	16.00	7	12	16	16	19	6
Pete Polo	0	1	0	INF	0	2	14	12	10	0
Hunter DiPrimio	0	1	0	12.25	8	17	19	14	12	8
Chris DiPrimio	0	0	0	25.67	3	6	11	11	3	1
TOTALS	0	4	0	20.61	18	37	60	53	44	15
GOON SQUAD	W	L	SV	ERA	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Tyler Martini	1	0	0	14.00	4	7	8	8	4	0
Jeff Ronchetti	1	1	0	1.91	11	9	5	3	13	12
Johnny Malatesta	0	1	0	70.00	1	1	10	10	9	2
Pete Gervasio	0	0	0	49.00	1	4	7	7	4	0
TOTALS	2	2	0	11.53	17	21	30	28	30	14
THE BERT BRIGADE	W	L	SV	ERA	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Anthony Donato	1	2	0	2.33	18	6	6	6	8	31
Rick Fifer	1	0	0	2.33	3	2	1	1	2	2
C.J Wallowitch	0	0	0	24.50	2	1	7	7	9	2
Ken McCormick	2	0	0	1.17	12	4	2	2	9	21
TOTALS	4	2	0	3.20	35	13	16	16	28	56
WIFFLEBOTS	W	L	SV	ERA	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Jayson Hoopes	1	3	1	4.79	19	19	13	13	10	25
Cole Vanderslice	1	0	0	12.83	6	18	14	11	10	5
Anthony Monfredo	0	0	0	28.00	1	4	4	4	1	1
TOTALS	2	3	1	7.54	26	41	31	28	21	31

WIFFLEPALOOZA XIII FINAL STANDINGS

                                                    W  -   L   -   RS   -   RA   -   +/-

1. GOODFELLAS                      6   -   0    -   34    -   31    -  +31

2. BERT BRIGADE                   4    -   2   -   34    -   15    -  +19

3. WIFFLEBOTS                       2    -   3   -   27    -   32    -   -5

4. FLAPACAMINGOS              2    -   3   -   22    -   13    -  +9

5. GOON SQUAD                     2    -   2   -   21    -   33    -  -12

6. MANDINGOS                       1    -   3   -   38    -   42    -  -4

7. SUPER SMASH BROS         0    -   4   -   21   -   60    -  -39

 

Interesting Facts & Figures for Wifflepalooza XIII

-Over 12 tournaments and 10 calendar years, there have been 18 teams and 173 different players to participate in the grand spectacle known as Wifflepalooza



-In those 12 tournaments, there has NEVER been a team to win 3 consecutive titles



-Also in 12 tournaments, there has NEVER been an undefeated champion. Twice, teams have reached the title game undefeated (Fresh Cuts in WP7, & Waffle Stompers in WP10), but both teams fell in the championship.



-Bert Brigade enter WP13 with a 4-2 record, which winning percentage wise is 2^nd all-time. They debuted last year with 19 home runs as a team. That is the 3^rd most for a team making its WP debut in history, behind two clubs who debuted in WP9, the Belgian Wiffles (29), who won it all, & the Balco Bombers (22).



-The Goodfellas, since WP8, have put up the best 20 game stretch of any team in tournament history, going 15-5, winning 2 titles, and having lost just one game in each of the last four tournaments.



-Goon Squad have hit the most home runs of any team in tournament history (113). Within that, they have two of the top ten HR hitters of all-time, Mark Ronchetti, who’s 3^rd on the all-time list with 28, and Tyler Martini, who’s 7^th on the all-time list with 17.



-Flapacamingos are the only franchise to have four different members throw no-hitters. Al Etter (WP2), Pat Ney (perfect game in WP3), Dimitri Paraskevas (WP3) and Matt Creamer (WP10) have all tossed no-hitters for the Flapacs.



-The Mandingos have not carried more than 3 of the same players from one tournament to the next in any season (Debuted in WP8, 2014). They are the only team ever to do this for more than 2 consecutive tournaments and, have put up a respectable 9-12 record over that time.



-Super Smash Brothers had a total team On-Base Percentage in WP12 of an even .500. That was 3^rd best among all teams in the tournament, ahead of even the tournament champion G’Fellas


- Wifflebots are the youngest team in combined age total since WP3, back in 2010.

Media Day 2019 - Road to Wifflepalooza XIII

It was a mostly tame 2019 Wifflepalooza Media Day, as comment was available from only 5 teams. The smack talk was kept to a minimum, with most of the attention turned to each team’s individual expectations. Here are some quotes from team members, as well as expert outlooks for each squad for Saturday’s tournament.

              We’ll start with the Goon Squad. Assistant Captain Jeff Ronchetti offered comment for his team. When asked how he felt about the Goons chances this year, his reply was simple. “I feel great about our chances”. The next question offered a bit of insight into the Goons offseason program. When asked what adjustments the team made since last tournament, Ronchetti said “We’ve utilized a lot of new training methods in our team facilities, as well as new complex analytics to determine where we needed to improve. We really feel like we’ve fully executed what we had to do. We’ve added hitting coaches to help improve our ‘black hole’ batting averages, hoping to bring up the team average from .250 last year (.110 if you take out both Ronchetti’s). We have also had Jiminez working with unnamed team nutritionists and feel like we really have him in a place to win the triple crown. Also, through those same complex analytics we determined that if we can keep our blood alcohol concentration down under .36 leading into the back half of the day, we can put ourselves in a great position to make a title run.”

              We’ll be up front and honest about this team. We have no idea what we’re going to get. Their most dangerous player at this point is Johnny Malatesta. He can pitch, he can hit, he can do it all. There has been a lot of smoke around the idea that the Goons have been using performance enhancers this offseason as part of their tournament preparation. However, no positive tests have been uncovered at this point. If they aren’t too blacked out, they’ll be good enough to at least make the playoffs. The Goons continue to chase their first title ever.

              Our next comments come from the new guys. The Wifflebots sent team captain Tim Merighi to the podium today and, when asked about his expectations with a new franchise, Merighi said “We expect a fair chance at a deep playoff run in our debut year at Palooza. Our scouting and development staff did a great job to get us to this point, as our athletic abilities run deep in our numerous D1 athletes. This team is to be feared.” Their experience is almost non-existent, but don’t sleep on this team. I don’t know if they should be “feared”, but they should most certainly be respected. Their athletic talent can’t be ignored. They’re young, talented and confident. What’s not to like?

              The Mandingos were next to the podium, and the kept things short and sweet. When asked about the Mandingos ability to field a competitive team for WP13, team owner and Captain Dustin Graiff offered up simply, “Vete a la mierda”… We could go into further analysis about the Dingos, but as of the writing of this article, we have no idea who will even be on the squad. Stay tuned for updates about that as they come along.

              Next to the podium came the Flapacs, who are often long on words and short on substance or content. Rarely do they talk smack, rarely do they offer insight into the workings of their program. Today however did offer some substance. Flapacs ace Ryan Ricci offered comment, when asked what adjustments the Flapacs have made to combat their issue of having a second reliable pitcher? Ricci said “I think a lot of teams find it hard to have 2 consistent pitchers, but it always seems to be an issue for us yes. Sometimes even to find one guy. But last year I think we made steps in the right direction to correct that issue, and this year we have brought in three new guys in Paul (Nyitray), Mike (Sheridan) and Jeremy (Wright) that can all definitely give us a boost when it comes to that. As for measuring up with everyone else, I would just say that we will be definitely looking to make a deep run this year. We have a ton of experience that some of these other teams don’t, and we have a ton of talent to go along with that, so I think we have a real shot once again this year.”

              Team owner and captain Jake Lambert was up next, and when asked about the new tournament format (7 teams, 2 fields) and how it affects the Flapacs strategy, Lambert offered this; “The flow of the tournament may be slightly affected however we will see positives come from it such as more accurate scoring and officiating. To answer your second question, It doesn’t hurt our team planning because our mentality is to win. Once you start worrying about things outside of the field of play, you’ve already lost.” Totally unrelated to any question that was asked and seemingly a little unhinged, former Flapacs captain Matt Bocchese came thundering in with “Obama doesn’t care about kids with cancer. Just want to make sure we don’t forget that.” Aside from the last comment, the Flapacs seem to be putting out a confident front, but some of the same questions remain. The Flapacs took the defending champs to extra innings in the playoffs last year. They were just one run away from getting back to the title game. Then it all came crashing down. Now, they’re another year older and another year further removed from their last title. The Flapacs are only 8-8 over the last four tournaments, and while they’ve been the victims of some terrible luck during that stretch, the solutions to their problems have been temporary or lack-luster at best. The influx in talent will help. Sheridan and Nyitray are elite level players, but the rest of the league has officially caught up with the Flapacs. It’ll be interesting to see how they respond on Saturday.

              Last to the podium during the open press session was Bert Brigade owner, captain and general manager Jake Hatki. When asked about his team and how they are planning to bounce back from last year’s heartbreaker, Hatki said “We’re holding our heads high after last year’s fence debacle. Sh*t happens, but numbers don’t lie. Sawyer (Brown) is prepared to break his previous Home Run record (he doesn’t hold that record) and not another fence… and our ace Tony (Donato) is itching to dice up the competition again. This year we’re taking home what’s ours – the trident.” These guys seem ready. They have kept their new talent and their plans very close to the vest since last August, and knowing their work ethic and ability to prepare, the conventional thought is that they are certainly one of the two biggest favorites. They have almost no weaknesses and returning the main core who had them one piece of fence away from a title last year, gives them a legitimate shot of not only winning, but possibly becoming the first ever undefeated team in tournament history.

              The Goodfellas and Smash Bros offered nothing of substance on this day. We’ve talked before at length about the G’Fellas and their set up. Two-time defending champions, returning their entire team, they’re the prohibitive favorites for this year’s tournament yet again. As far as the Smash Bros, they return most of the same squad that went winless in last year’s tournament. They have a number of holes and issues, but if they can find some consistent pitching they’ll give themselves a puncher’s chance.

Palooza Week Schedule -Wifflepalooza XIII

SUNDAY

-          Team flights arrive at ACY

MONDAY

-          10A-4P – Coaches Clinics

o   10a-12n – Marcus Thames, NY Yankees Hitting Coach

o   12n-2p – Chris Fetter, University of Michigan Pitching Coach

o   2p-4p – Wade Hedges, Mississippi State Fielding Instructor

-          11A-9P – MLW FAN FEST

-          11A-5P – WIFFLEPALOOZA MEDIA DAY part 1

o   Flapacs, Smash Bros, Mandingos, Wifflebots

-          6P-9P

o   P.A.L Youth Academy & Celebrity Game

TUESDAY

-          10A-4P – Coaches Clinics

o   10a-12n – Hector Crespo, Miami Marlins Player Development Assistant

o   12n-2p – Dawson Friedland, Miami Marlins VP of Analytics

o   2p-4p – Chili Davis, New York Mets Hitting Coach

-          11A-9P – MLW FAN FEST

-          11A-5P – WIFFLEPALOOZA MEDIA DAY part 2

o   Goodfellas, Goon Squad, Bert Brigade

-          5P-9P – Photo & Autograph Sessions

o   Flapacs, Smash Bros, Mandingos, Wifflebots

-          6P-11P

o   Hawai’ian Wiffle Association Annual Pig Roast & Luau

 

WEDNESDAY

-          9A-5P – Open Practices at Willie J. Huff Stadium

o   9a-11a

§  Goodfellas & Smash Bros

o   11a-1p

§  Goon Squad & Bert Brigade

o   1p-3p

§  Wifflebots & Mandingos

o   3p-5p

§  Flapacamingos

-          10A-4P – Coaches Clinics

o   10a-12n – Tim Cossins, Baltimore Orioles Fielding Director

o   12n-2p – Chad Bohling, New York Mets Sports Science Director

o   2p-4p – Dan McConnell, Louisville Head Coach

-          11A-9P – MLW FAN FEST

-          5P-9P – Photo & Autograph Sessions

o   Goodfellas, Goon Squad, Bert Brigade

-          8P-11P

o   Jerry Blavat “Scarfo Fund” Memorial Charity Dinner

§  Inaugural Wifflepalooza HALL OF FAME Class Announcement

THURSDAY

-          9A-5P – Open Practices at Willie J. Huff Stadium

o   9a-11a

§  Goodfellas & Smash Bros

o   11a-1p

§  Goon Squad & Bert Brigade

o   1p-3p

§  Wifflebots & Mandingos

o   3p-5p

§  Flapacamingos

-          10A-4P – Coaches Clinics

o   10a-12n – Mike Martin Sr., former Florida State Head Coach

o   12n-2p – Karl Kuhn, University of Virginia Pitching Coach

o   2p-4p – Chris Pollard, Duke University Head Coach

-          11A-9P – MLW FAN FEST

-          12N-9P – Maurice River Booze Cruises, presented by Walmart

o   Open to WP13 VIP members and ticket holders

FRIDAY

-          9A-5P – Open Practices at Willie J. Huff Stadium

o   9a-11a

§  Goodfellas & Smash Bros

o   11a-1p

§  Goon Squad & Bert Brigade

o   1p-3p

§  Wifflebots & Mandingos

o   3p-5p

§  Flapacamingos

-          11A-9P – MLW FAN FEST

-          7P-11P – WP13 JAM FEST

o   BRYAN ADAMS & BILLY IDOL

-          8P-Indefinite – WP Owners & VIP Party

SATURDAY

-          7AM – Lots Open

-          8AM – MLW Today Pre-Game Show

-          9AM- Gates Open

-          930AM- Official Watch Party Begins

-          945AM- Optional BP Begins

-          1030AM- All players arrive

-          1045AM – Opening Ceremonies

-          11AM – First pitch

-          8PM- Indefinite – WP13 After Party

Wifflepalooza XIII Schedule breakdown

   We’re less than 2 weeks out and preparation for this year's tournament is being ramped up. The 13th edition of the world's greatest wiffleball spectacle has a field set to challenge records and possibly give us our best tournament yet. While there's only one new addition, the six returning teams are all formidable enough to push for a title. There is history on the line as well, as the Goodfellas are seeking to become the first franchise to win 3 straight Wifflepalooza championships. Twice we've had back-to-back winners (Flapacs WP1 & WP2 and Purple Drank Squad in WP3 & WP4), and the Goodfellas themselves reached the title game 3 years in a row from WP4 to WP6. But no one in the 12 year history of this tournament has anyone taken home the trident 3 straight times. All six other teams aim to keep that history alive.



11am games

Goodfellas @ Bert Brigade

              The premier re-match of our tournament comes right away, as we run back the matchup from last year’s title game. As most will recall, the Goodfellas defeated the Bert Brigade 7-3 to win their 3^rd Wifflepalooza championship. But 5 of the Goodfellas runs came on a Fence Rule Penalty, as during the 4^th inning, with the Bert Brigade leading 3-0, Jeff Lunsford hit a home run over the left-center field wall. Tournament MVP Sawyer Brown lost track of where he was on the field and slowly fell through the fence, breaking off one of the posts, causing tournament officials to have to stop play to fix it. By rule, that is a 5-run penalty, which gave the Goodfellas a 6-3 lead, that they would not relinquish. No doubt Bert Brigade is coming back this year with vengeance on their mind. This should be one of the best games of the whole tournament, right out of the gate



Super Smash Bros @ Wifflebots

              The Palooza debut of our latest entry, the Wifflebots, pits them up against long time participant Super Smash Bros. The Smash Bros, captained by Pete Polo, went winless last year in what amounted to a rough day all around. Polo remains optimistic that his team is due for a comeback year, but they’ll need more consistency both on the mound and at the plate. The Wifflebots, while all rookies, have an impressive team of athletes, led by pitcher Cole Vanderslice. I have no idea what to expect for this game.




11:45am

Mandingos @ Flapacamingos

              Another re-match from WP12, both of these teams will once again open with each other. They each came one game from facing each other again in the title game, and both squads are expected to contend once again. Last year’s game saw Rocco Lupi throw a gem, frustrating the Flapacs over 6 innings en route to a 7-4 Mandingos win. It’s the only time these two franchises have ever faced each other. Both teams want to get off to a hot start, so look for each team’s best pitcher (Flapacs-Ricci, Dingos-TBD) to start in this one.



Wifflebots @ Goon Squad

              In what’s sure to be a matchup the commissioner will regret allowing to happen, Goon Squad stumbles into their first matchup of the day. Their opponent will be a familiar one, as the Wifflebots are essentially just a Goon Squad minor league squad. Same level of degeneracy, just with less tournament experience. Depending on how seriously the Goons are in winning of some kind, they may throw their ace (Jeff Ronchetti) if, for no other reason, to not risk the humiliation of losing to Jiminez’s brother and his friends. I would imagine that’s a priority for them no matter how drunk they are.




12:30pm

Bert Brigade @ Super Smash Bros

              The Brigade gets back to work in their 2^nd contest, where they’ll face the Smash Bros. Having both played one game to this point, each team will be on to their #2 pitcher. This is where the margin grows. The Smash Bros have never shown to have any solid type of #2 arm, while Bert Brigade flashed signs of multiple solid pitchers last year. Anthony Donato won the Cy Young award, but it was actually Rick Fifer who had the lowest ERA, at 1.91. This distinct advantage should give the Brigade an edge in this matchup. Bert Brigade won the only previous matchup last year.



Flapacamingos @ Goodfellas

              Another rematch from a premier game of WP12, the Flapacs and Goodfellas meet for the first time since last year’s semi-final extra inning thriller, which saw Jeff Lunsford hit a walk-off game winner off of Eric Bomenblit to send the G’Fellas to the title game. Both of these squads have plans to be playing late into the afternoon once again. It’s also the 2^nd matchup for each of these two squads so we’ll likely be looking at their #2 pitchers also. For the G’Fellas that will be Justin Geri, who’s won the Title Game MVP each of the last 2 years, and recently did well to silence Flapacs bats in a scrimmage. For the Flapacs, that’ll likely be newcomer Mike Sheridan, who in just one completed inning for the Back Door Bandits had a 21.00 ERA. His only scoreless inning however, did come against the Goodfellas. Flapacs lead the all-time series 5-3.





1:15pm

Goon Squad @ Mandingos

              Another rematch of a historic showdown, 2018’s matchup between the Goons & Dingos became  the only game in Palooza history decided via coin toss. The Mandingos won the toss, after the game went only 4 innings, over an hour and a half and was still tied 24-24. It’s one of the biggest disgraces of a game this tournament, or any tournament has ever seen. The game’s scorekeeper walked off after just 3 batters. It was a meatball fest beyond your wildest imagination. After the Goons playing the Bots, this is the 2^nd biggest mistake the Commissioner made in creating the schedule. In no earthly way should this game be played, but come 1:15..ish on Field 2, you’ll have it. By this time both teams are also playing their 2^nd contest of the day, but they’ll both be quite drunk also, so talking strategy here would be pointless. Either way, whoever’s winning after 45 minutes gets the W. Mandingos lead the all-time series 2-1.



Bert Brigade @ Wifflebots

              I would think we’d see Donato here for the Brigade, especially if things go according to plan for them. No history in this matchup obviously as the Bots are making their first ever appearance. But the third game of the day is always crucial for teams. 2-0? Win and you’re in. 1-1? A win puts you in prime spot, while a loss leaves you at the mercy of others. 0-2? Elimination game. So both squads will be putting their best foot forward.





2:00pm

Mandingos @ Smash Bros

              The Mandingos are looking for a 4^th consecutive playoff appearance, which has only been done by 3 other franchises (Goodfellas, Flapacs, Goon Squad) in the history of the tournament. If the first two games go according to plan, this will be their chance to punch their ticket. The Smash Bros will need it just as much, for the same reasons listed in the game above, as they look to reach the playoffs for the first time since WP7 (2013). Mandingos lead the all-time series 2-1.



Flapacamingos @ Goon Squad

              The 2pm window concludes with our tournament’s oldest rivalry. The Goons and Flapacs are a rivalry as old as time, and with a healthy dose of disrespect tossed in, there’s no love lost between these two teams. While they do tend to gather for the occasional drunken shenanigans, make no mistake, this game is circled on the schedule for both teams. This rivalry has produced numerous historic events in Palooza history. The first ever walk-off homer (Mark Ronchetti in WP2), Pat Ney’s perfect game in WP3, the first and only time we’ve had two grand slams in the same inning (Kyle Lunsford & Ryan Ricci in WP5), and a 3-homer game in the title game, causing the first ever Title Game MVP from the losing squad (Nino Bonanno in WP8). You can likely expect both teams’ aces on the hill, as they did back in WP11 (2017). The Goons ultimately won that game, another instant classic, 5-4 in 13 innings. It’s the 3^rd game for both squads, so it’s importance is paramount. Flapacamingos lead the all-time series 6-4.





2:45pm

Wifflebots @ Goodfellas

              The final tournament game for the Bots, and the 3^rd for the G’Fellas, it’s almost impossible to predict what these two squads will look like by then. Best case scenario, both teams are fighting for a playoff spot give a real effort. We may see the G’Fellas throw Tedesco here regardless of record with it being their 3^rd game. This is the part of the day that separates real title contenders from the overly inebriated.



Goon Squad @ Bert Brigade

              The final tournament contest for both squads. These two teams met for the first time last season, with the Bert Brigade taking home the win by a score of 3-2.





3:30pm

Super Smash Bros @ Flapacamingos

              These two squads have faced off quite a bit over the years. At this point in the day, it’s likely the deeper team will have the advantage, so we’d give the edge to the Flapacs here, but strange things happen in this tournament, and strange things happen when these two get together. The expansion Raft Riders (now Super Smash Bros), took the first three matchups, three years in a row from the heavily favored Flapacs. In the years since, the Flapacs have evened the score, but these two almost always play each other close.



Goodfellas @ Mandingos

              A rematch of the championship from WP11, the Dingos & G’Fellas resume their lopsided rivalry in the final tournament game of the day. The Mandingos by most measure, have a very tough schedule, so it would benefit them to snag a few victories before they close up against the 2-time defending champs. The Goodfellas sent Geri to the mound each of the last two times they faced the Dingos, and both times it paid off. Geri has dominated the constantly fluctuating Mandingos lineup, which leads us to believe they may try that route again. Goodfellas lead the all-time series 5-1.