Flapacamingos Wifflepalooza Preview - Roster, Schedule, Notes

 ROSTER:

12-MAN ROSTER - BOLD=ACTIVE

2 Marshon Green

4 Pat Ney

5 Ryan Ricci

6 Eric Leonard

11 Al Etter

19 Jake Lambert (C)

23 Christian Willis

50 Tyler Suppa

69 Matt Bocchese

17 Rob Humes - inactive

1 Eric Bomenblit - inactive

3 Brandon Zachary - inactive

60-day IL

7 Kevin Engasser

12 Paul Nyitray

15 Jorge Valentin

SCHEDULE:

11am- off

1140am- v. Bert Brigade, Field 2

1220pm- v. Ironballs, Field 1

1pm- v. Goodfellas, Field 2

140pm- off

220pm- v. Goondingos, Field 1

NOTES:

Their 12-man roster and injured list could be considered the best in the sport, but down a significant portion of their team the Flapacs will have to make due with pieces they weren't expecting. Their 2nd pitcher, like a lot of teams, might be an issue. It's expected that the bulk of those innings will come from rookie Marshon Green, with veterans Al Etter & Rob Humes to fill in behind him. Ryan Ricci will lead the way as the ace once again with Kevin Engasser out, but his status is also up in the air. The one thing that the Flapacs believe they can definitely count on are the bats. They believe with a year of experience under his belt, OF Tyler Suppa can develop into a star, and the youth and talent of Green and, if he can play, Christian Willis will provide a serious boost to this already dangerous lineup. Their 6th roster spot remains a question. The Flapacs have gone with quantity over quality to fill it out, having a record 10-active players for the day of. Whether it will be the right mix is still unknown.

Odds: +145 to win, +115 to reach title game, -200 to make playoffs

Bert Brigade Wifflepalooza Preview - Roster, Schedule, Notes

  ROSTER:

12-MAN ROSTER - BOLD=ACTIVE

1 Sawyer Brown

2 Luis Sauri

4 Jake Guglielmi

5 Tony Donato

7 Taylor Cheli (C)

0 Yan Sauri

18 Ken McCormick

24 Pete Ojeda

Jeremiah Rodriguez - inactive

C.J Wallowitch - inactive

14 Rick Fifer - inactive

Mason Maxwell - inactive

SCHEDULE:

11am- v. Goondingos, Field 1

1140am- v. Flapacamingos, Field 2

1220pm- off

1pm- v. PA Pork Missiles, Field 1

140pm- off

220pm- v. Ironballs, Field 2

NOTES:

Bert returns almost an identical roster to the one that was good enough to win last year's tournament. At time's last year, it felt like things fell into place well for Bert, but the quality of talent and shape of this roster is undeniable. Still boasting two top-line pitchers, their ability to apply pressure on the other team's pitching and defense makes them a tough beat. They have to be the favorite again this year. Keep an eye on Tony Donato throughout the day. The 3x Cy-young winner is still certainly a force, but has shown some cracks the last two years dealing with control issues. His performance on the mound could be the key to the whole thing for Bert.

Odds: -185 to win, -385 to reach title game, -1000 to make playoffs

Wifflepalooza XIX Media Day Coverage

Today was the annual Wifflepalooza Media Day. Press from all 50 states and 18 countries world wide were in attendance to meet the teams and gather quotes and comments prior to this year's tournament. Below, are the general opening statements from each of the 6 teams in this year's tournament.



JEFF RONCHETTI, OWNER, CHAIRMAN AND CAPTAIN OF GOONDINGOS

Q: How do you feel about your teams chances?


"First and foremost, I always look forward to this time giving me a platform to address the entire league. As usual, we feel great about our chances. The word "humble" is not in our vocabulary. If Terrell Owens were a wiffleball team, he'd be the Goondingos. We're confident in our abilities, we state it loudly, and year in year out, we know we're the most important match up for most teams in the league. We see it every year-- pretty much every team throws their ace against us. These teams know that fumbling a game to the Goondingos can make or break their tournament, and not just that, but as seen in 2023, if you let us get hot, we will roll our way into the championship. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, we take it as a sign of respect that these bozos are aware that they can't let us heat up, but we know if we don't show up with our A game, it may be a long day.

The most worrisome thing for me, as a player, GM, and coach, is the deteriorating knee of top prospect 1pac O'Hennessy. You hate to see a guy who should be entering his prime struggle through multiple years of surgeries and rehab to get himself on the field. The past two years, the impact of the surgeries and injuries was clear, with back to back down years at the plate in both average and power, and no attempt from him to even set foot on the mound either year. In the field, it's become even uglier, famously overthrowing 6'8" and 7'2" wingspan perennial gold glover & all-star Dustin Graiff on a routine 4-6-3 double play last year. On top of this, his once notoriously aggressive baserunning has been relegated to jogging the bags. What was once a 5 tool stud prospect has become a shell of himself, and the potential of this happening is something our organization has been coming to grips with for a few years now. Hitting coach Marky Smalls has tirelessly worked with him to transition into a pure power bat for this year, to try and prevent him from having to leg out any balls in play and further damage his knee. We're projecting him to bat about .200-.250 this year, but also expect this lower average to come with at least 4 HR's and 6 RBIs, and he also may have to take over for switch hitting catcher P-Money "Jorge Posada" Gervasio behind the plate if the knee won't allow him to take the field."


Q: What are you looking forward to most?


"As an organization, we pride ourselves on finding ways to bother Commissioner Alfred Etter on tournament day, so if we had to pick one thing, it would likely be that. Whether it's arguing with him about rules that have existed for 10+ years, bringing a beer pong table onto the field in a game where the Flapacs need us to lose by no more than 15 runs to make the playoffs and making them sweat it, hosting a meatball fest, or showing up an hour late, we always do our best to make the day as difficult as possible for him.

If we had to choose one thing, totally unrelated to bothering Al, it would absolutely be beer consumption and beer showers. Nothing feels better than getting a lukewarm beer with cigarette ash thrown directly into your eyes when crossing home plate on a brisk 105 degree day."


Q: What's your key to winning?


"Our key to winning is the vibes we bring to the tournament. Take a look around on Saturday, you'll see a lot of sober & pissed off 30+ year old men who think they're playing for a shot at an MLB roster spot if they put up good enough numbers. The Goondingos have decided to zig when the rest of the league zag'd, we show up, kill a keg, and play some ball. The vibes are immaculate, and sometimes we hit the perfect level of drunk to actually win some games. We've discovered that we cannot play at all between the BAC ranges of 0.00-0.31. Once 0.32 is eclipsed, the sweet spot is open; the biggest issue is how long it stays open. We've also discovered that once BAC eclipses 0.47, we can no longer competently play. So generally our strategy is to get tewhere between 8:00-11:00am with the BAC sitting right at the precipice of greatness, a cool 0.30-0.31 right before our first game."


AL ETTER, PRESIDENT & GENERAL MANAGER OF FLAPACAMINGOS

"We have nothing but the highest expectations as always; and our ability to maintain the standard is paramount to the fabric of our organization. That being said, we're not fools. We know we're not at 100% right now from a standpoint of availability or health. Way we see it, our backs are against the wall, so why not play loose and have some fun with it. We don't have our main horse(s) like normal, so some other guys are going to have to step up and im excited to see that. Maybe we crack a few beers and team up with the Goondingos for another public meth orgy. Idk, we're gonna have to think outside the box it seems, so let's go nuts with it"


ALLEN CRUZ, PRESIDENT & GENERAL MANAGER OF IRONBALLS

"Let me start off by saying what an epic tournament we get to compete in every summer. Nothing we look forward to more than grilling burgers and glizzy goblins whilst hitting a shit ton of dingers. We've come up short past few years but much of the same squad if not all are back and we're not going away any time soon. Back to back years we're being put to the test against the best of the best. These games will have a playoff atmosphere no doubt but we live for the challenge and welcome it gladly. The table may very well come down to run differential and H2H but why not us? 2-2, scratching and clawing but into the playoffs yet again, book it danno."

ROCCO LOMBARDO: CAPO, BARONE SANITATION: CHAIRMAN & PRESIDENT OF GOODFELLAS
"How many times we gotta tell you to not put too many onions in the sauce?"


TIM DURANTE, OWNER, PRESIDENT & CAPTAIN OF PA PORK MISSILES
"We feel pretty good about what we have this year. We're obviously going to miss Dano (Volpe), but the addition of Brandon Sturgis is big for us. Not sure why he played under a different name two years ago and obviously that caused some confusion paperwork wise for the league office, but glad we got that sorted out and he'll be a part of our squad. Just gotta take it one game at a time and put our best foot forward and whatever other cliche's you guys wanna throw in there ok see ya."


TAYLOR CHELI, OWNER & GENERAL MANAGER OF BERT BRIGADE
"Just because we won last year doesn’t mean we’re satisfied. If anything, we’re hungrier"

Everything You Need To Know - Wifflepalooza XIX

       The 19th Wiffleball Championship of the World kicks off Saturday as is tradition, and it should be full of the same excitement and great competition as always. Below we line out for you some of the more interesting stories and give you the overall layout and timeline for the day.

Day's schedule:

8:00am - Fields open for optional bp/practice (DO NOT use dirt areas)

10:15am- Players are asked to arrive by 10:15 in order to settle entry fee's, get intro information correct and meet with their teams.

        - The earlier you arrive, the easier parking will be. There is limited street parking on the east end of Old Farm Drive. Teams and players are encouraged to carpool where available. Additional parking is available on the west end of Old Farm Drive and some other limited space on Brewster Road. Both of those however are longer walks. Drop off zones in the cul-de-sac of the east end of Old Farm Drive can be used to unload tents, coolers, spectators, etc.

10:40am- Introductions begin (done by Al Etter, Jake Lambert & Mike Tedesco)

11:00am- First set of games begin

3:10pm- Playoffs begin

4:20pm - Championship begins

Approx 5:30pm - Swanberg Cup is awarded and the tournament is complete.

Schedule Highlights:

11:00am - Field 1 - Bert Brigade v. Goondingos

    - As per tradition, the champions get to kick the day off on Field 1, and in this one they'll take on the squad that usually isn't asked to participate in this window, but you'll get (maybe?) their best effort in the first game. This is anticipated to be 3x Cy-Young Winner Tony Donato v. former Cy-Young and Goondingo ace, Jeff Ronchetti as the pitching matchup.

11:40am - Field 1 - PA Pork Missiles v. Goodfellas

   - A rematch of one of last year's semifinals sees the Pork Missiles and G'fellas face off again. Last year, Cy-Young winner Dan Volpe tossed one of his 3 no-hitters in this matchup, sending Pork to the title game for the 2nd time in 3 years.

1:00pm - Field 1 - Bert Brigade v. PA Pork Missiles

   - A title game rematch pits these two against each other once again. Last year's championship (a 15-5 win for Bert) was marked with some controversy, as for the 2nd time in history, the fence rule came into play in the title game. The first time it was Bert, back in 2018, as Sawyer Brown fell into the fence giving Goodfellas a 5-run boost, that ultimately led to them winning WP12 by a score of 7-3. Last year didn't see the penalty end as a deciding factor, but it certainly changed the course of the game, as Pork led at the time of the penalty, 4-3. They will get another shot at Bert this year, in this game.

1:00pm - Field 2 - Flapacamingos v. Goodfellas

   - The oldest active-running rivalry is renewed, as the 5x champion Flapacs take on the 4x champion Goodfellas. These two will face for the 18th time, as the Flapacs hold the all-time rivalry 10-7 but the G'fellas hold the edge in the playoffs, 3 games to 2. It's possible the pitching matchup here will be a battle of all-time legends as well, as Ryan Ricci could be making his 11th career start against G'fellas, while Mike Tedesco & Justin Geri could be making their 7th & 6th starts respectively against the Flapacs.

2:20 - Field 2 - Bert Brigade v. Ironballs

  - Our other semifinal rematch occurs in the final window of the day, as Bert and Ironballs face off for the first time since the narrow 7-5 victory that send Bert to the title game last year. This late in the day it's hard to predict what we'll get in this game, but while Bert have won 6 straight against IB (including 3x in the playoffs), these two teams always play each other close.

What to watch for:

- If the Goodfellas reach the title game, captain Rocco Lombardo could become the first player to particpate in 100 games in tournament history

- Flapacs C/1B Al Etter needs 5 runs scored to be the first to 100 in tournament history

- Flapacs P/IF Ryan Ricci needs 1 home run to reach the 40-HR club. He also needs 11 1/2 innings pitched to reach 200 career-innings.

- Goodfellas P/IF Justin Geri needs 6 home runs to reach the 40-HR club

- Goodfellas IF Brian Stanzione needs 5 RBI to reach the 100-RBI club, while teammate Justin Geri needs 7 RBI to reach the same feat.

- Goondingos RHP Jeff Ronchetti needs 2 wins to reach the 20-win club. He also will be the first pitcher to eclipse 200 career innings with just 3 innings pitched. He can also be the first ever pitcher to 300 career strikeouts, with 20 on Saturday.

- Bert Brigade RHP Tony Donato can reach 200 career strikeouts with 14 on Saturday

- Goodfellas RHP Mike Tedesco can also reach 200 career strikeouts with 20 on Saturday

2025 MLW/Wifflepalooza Roster Rights & Updated Free Agent Pool

In 2024, the Office of the Commissioner of MLW announced that the rules regarding roster size & construction are being codified. These guidelines have existed for some time now, & I can't think of a time where it's been an issue, but just to get everyone on the same page, here it goes.

MLW/WP rosters work similar to MLB rosters. You have an "active" roster (basically anyone you're having play for you on tournament/game day) and you have an official "12-man roster" (like a 40-man roster in MLB). Anyone on your 12-man roster is eligible to be used/"called-up" at any time. Same goes for de-activating/"sending down". Team captains/owners do NOT need to notify the commissioner's office when calling up/sending down players, only when there are changes to the 12-man roster.

It is not a requirement to fill all 12-slots on your 12-man roster. You STILL MUST field a minimum of 6 players for each tournament game, or face penalties listed in the official rulebook. 

- You may trade for a player on another team's roster, so agreed upon by captains/owners of each team.

- To add someone to your 12-man roster, you simply must notify the office of the commissioner. If you need to create a corresponding move to clear room, that can be in the same notification. Text, email or tweet are acceptable forms of notification.

- To remove someone from your 12-man roster, you can outright release (they automatically become a free agent) OR waive the player (other teams have the option to claim this player and pay the releasing team a small fee ($25)). Notice of this transaction must also be given to the office of the commish to notify other teams of the availability of said player.

- The only additional scenario I can think of where a player would end up off your 12-man roster is an event where a player leaves to start their own team. This is a dealing that would be handled internally with that player. There is no set agreement or terms that tie that player to your franchise once you allow them to branch off to own/captain their own team. Should that team falter, or no longer have a place within WP, that player (and subsequently all players on their team) would become free agents unless otherwise designated by the office of the commissioner.

- Players with confirmed injury may be placed on minimum 5-day injured list to activate another member of 12-man squad. Player with long-term confirmed injury may be placed on a minimum 60-day injured list and would not count against 12-man roster limit, but proof of injury must be submitted to the office of the commissioner.

INFORMATION BELOW IS CURRENT AS OF JULY 25th in the 2025 LEAGUE YEAR

BELOW is a current list of every player known to be on a team's 12-man roster, PLUS the current list of free agents and "officially retired" players. To be on the list of active free agents you must have participated in at least one of the last 8 tournaments (so currently, anyone going back to WP10).

FLAPACAMINGOS (12/12)+3

GOODFELLAS (10/12)

GOONDINGOS  (12/12)+2

BERT BRIGADE (10/12)

PA PORK MISSILES (10/12)

IRONBALLS (11/12)

TEMP AGENCY WC (6/12) -2

FREE AGENT LIST (76)

RETIRED (17)

Rule Change: Wifflepalooza adds "Swing-Off" Rule to Break Ties

 VINELAND- 

Today the Office of the Commissioner, after a 4-2 YES vote by the captains, has announced a rule-change that will go into effect immediately for this year's tournament. 

Going forward, any non-playoff tournament game, that is tied at the completion of 6 whole innings or at the end of an inning declared final by time-limit, shall be decided by a swing-off between the two teams. The format for this swing off will go as follows:

- Each team may choose 2-players to participate. Each player from each team will be given 2-swings. The team whose players accrue the most home runs in these 4 total swings, wins.

- Should the match be tied after the initial swing-off, each team must send forward one (1) new player to take 2-swings. Should no winner be decided, this process repeats until the top 6-players from each team have participated. At least 6 team members must go before you can repeat.

- Should the match still be tied, the order in which each team sent guys to the plate starts to repeat, but now each player only gets one (1) swing each.

- Pitches may be thrown by any member of that teams organization, and must be thrown with at least one-foot on the dirt of the pitching area on that field.

The overall premise is that this rule will prevent the tournament from getting severely off schedule as it has in years past because a game needed to go extra-innings. The longest game in WP history to date, was when the Goodfellas and Goon Squad went 13 innings in a semi-final match back in 2014 (WP8). The longest regular tournament game to-date, was when the Goon Squad and Flapacamingos went 11 innings back in 2017 (WP11). That game, originally slotted for an hour, lasted an hour and forty (1:40) minutes, throwing the next sets of games and even eventually the championship game into a significant delay. This rule aims to avoid that going forward.

If there are any further questions or concerns, please contact the Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner at your earliest convenience. Thank you.

2025 Goodfellas Roster

 Goodfellas 2025 Wifflepalooza Roster

12-MAN ROSTER - BOLD=ACTIVE

1 Brian Stanzione

8 Rocco Lombardo (C)

11 Anthony Lopez

16 Justin Geri

25 Billy Jackson

41 Mike Tedesco

42 Jeff Lunsford

13 Carman Daddario - inactive

10 Brian Calatozzo - inactive

12 Tyler Lunsford - inactive

15 Kyle Lunsford - inactive

20 Nigel Lunsford - inactive

24 Manny Colon - inactive

2025 Ironballs Roster

Ironballs 2025 Wifflepalooza Roster

12-MAN ROSTER - BOLD=ACTIVE

24 Allen Cruz (C)

T.J Suppi

Tim Suppi Sr.

Dylan Tollefson

O.J Flores

Josh Rodriguez

Izayah Quinones

Jose Garcia

Joey Rodriguez

Kev Caraballo - inactive

Samuel Celebre - inactive

Jay Fernandez - inactive

2025 PA Pork Missiles Roster

PA Pork Missiles 2025 Wifflepalooza Roster

12-MAN ROSTER - BOLD=ACTIVE

1 Tim Durante (C)

Justin Baeringer

Kenny Ballbag Weber

Jody Durante

Tom Volpe

Brandon McCullough

Dan Volpe

Brandon Sturgis

Kevin Glynn - inactive

James O'Brien - inactive

2 open twelve-man roster spots

2025 Goondingos Roster

Goondingos 2025 Wifflepalooza Roster

12-MAN ROSTER - BOLD=ACTIVE

3 Jeff Ronchetti (C)

4 Connor Viglianti

10 Patrick Hennessy

12 Dustin Graiff

24 Ryan Hutchings

69 Pete Gervasio

Scott Schneider - inactive

Johnny Malatesta - inactive

Nick Calabrese - inactive

Tony DiChiara - inactive

Rocco Lupi -inactive

Luis Umana - inactive

Reserve/Retired list

5 Mark Ronchetti

1 Tyler Martini

2025 Bert Brigade Roster

Bert Brigade 2025 Wifflepalooza Roster

12-MAN ROSTER - BOLD=ACTIVE

1 Sawyer Brown

2 Luis Sauri

4 Jake Guglielmi

5 Tony Donato

7 Taylor Cheli (C)

0 Yan Sauri

18 Ken McCormick

24 Pete Ojeda

Jeremiah Rodriguez - inactive

C.J Wallowitch - inactive

14 Rick Fifer - inactive

Mason Maxwell - inactive

2025 Flapacamingos Roster

Flapacamingos 2025 Wifflepalooza Roster

12-MAN ROSTER - BOLD=ACTIVE

2 Marshon Green

4 Pat Ney

5 Ryan Ricci

6 Eric Leonard

11 Al Etter

19 Jake Lambert (C)

23 Christian Willis

50 Tyler Suppa

69 Matt Bocchese

1 Eric Bomenblit - inactive

3 Brandon Zachary - inactive

17 Rob Humes - inactive

60-day IL

7 Kevin Engasser

12 Paul Nyitray

15 Jorge Valentin

2025 MLW/Wifflepalooza 19 Running Transaction Log

  Below is a list of all transactions within the franchises of MLW for Wifflepalooza 19.

June 4- 

Flapacamingos activate IF Marshon Green

June 18-

Flapacamingos place P/IF Kevin Engasser on 60-day IL, re-call IF Christian Willis to active roster

July 1- 

Goodfellas re-activate IF Brian Stanzione

Full Schedule & Times for Wifflepalooza XIX

 VINELAND - Over the weekend, the commissioner's office released the full schedule for Wifflepalooza XIX, after confirming the 6 particpants of this year's event. It will be the same 6-team field as last year's tournament, which saw Bert Brigade win their 3rd title in emphatic fashion.

    As has become tradition, the defending champions will open the tournament on Field 1 at 11am, a reward for winning the year before is that you get the first game on the nicest field before things get super hot. This year's version of that sees the Bert Brigade, fresh off of that 3rd title, facing off with the notorious Goondingos to kick things off.

    A rematch of last year's title game comes our way at 1pm, which sees the PA Pork Missiles take on Bert Brigade on Field 1. We also get rematches of both semi-finals, seeing the Goodfellas get another crack at the PA Pork Missiles at 11:40am on Field 1, and the Ironballs get their shot again at Bert Brigade at 2:20p on Field 2 in the final window of the day.

    The entire day kicks off as usual, with the MLW Today pregame show starting at 8am. At 9am, both fields will be open for optional batting practice. As a note from this year's rulebook, all players are asked to please not use the dirt areas (mound and home plate) for bp. All players are asked to arrive by 10:15am in order for teams to prepare and also for entry fees to be collected by tournament officials. Cash or venmo is fine. Opening ceremonies begin at 10:45am, with team intros, a ceremonial first pitch and the national anthem once again performed by Joey Diaz.

11:00am

Field 1- Bert Brigade v. Goondingos

Field 2- PA Pork Missiles v. Ironballs

11:40am

Field 1- Goodfellas v. PA Pork Missiles

Field 2- Bert Brigade v. Flapacamingos

12:20pm

Field 1- Flapacamingos v. Ironballs

Field 2- Goodfellas v. Goondingos

1:00pm

Field 1- Bert Brigade v. PA Pork Missiles

Field 2- Flapacamingos v. Goodfellas

1:40pm

Field 1- Ironballs v. Goodfellas

Field 2- PA Pork Missiles v. Goondingos

2:20pm

Field 1- Flapacamingos v. Goondingos

Field 2- Bert Brigade v. Ironballs 

 

3:10- PLAYOFFS

Field 1- Division Winner v. Wild Card

Field 2- Division Winner v. Wild Card

 

4:20 – CHAMPIONSHIP

Field 1-  for the 18^th Wiffleball Championship of the World