NEW CARLISLE- While Opening Day is nearly five months away, the league office is already
preparing for the fifth season of the Old Republic Wiffle Ball League. The first item on the
offseason agenda is finalizing how many teams will be included in the league for the 2011
season.
Currently, nine of the twelve franchises from the 2010 season remain in the league after the
departure of Phat Dong, Fast Plastics, and Lil' Saints. Phat Dong and Fast Plastics were
contracted, while the Lil' Saints have disbanded.
The league will first look for replacement teams to maintain the current divisional alignment.
However, Commissioner Koby Keck is also open to further contraction, possibly removing
one more team for an eight-team league. With eight teams, the league would likely revert
back to its 2008 season format. That year, the first place teams from the American League
and National League met in the World Series.
The league will also look to expand its media department with volunteers to assist with media
endeavors. Development of a weekly YouTube show is in the works. The 2008 season
opened with an episode of Wiffleball Tonight, but the show has not aired since. Internet
broadcasts of a Game of the Week are also being considered.
Expanded game coverage is also a goal for the media department. ORWBL.com will provide
complete recaps and box scores of each series. These box scores will be dependent on an
improved stat-keeping system.
The league hopes the 2011 season will be the first in which statistics are kept league-wide
for the full season. ORWBL players cannot be considered for any of the National Wiffle
League Association's Wiffy Awards or National Teams without statistics.
A complete plan for the future of the league will be released by the Commissioner's Office in
the coming weeks.