Well into the 2012 wiffle season, most players have had a large enough sample size to gauge success and hopefully determine it’s causes. In this segment, we look at the conception of concrete causality – wiffle-style superstitions and lucky rituals from around the CCWA.

I must have the wiffle logo on the bat facing forward ... otherwise I can’t hit.

On game days, I listen to “The Way It Is” by Bruce Hornsby and the Range on the way to the field. Only for the piano solos though...

I used to wear skull and crossbones boxers when we played the Pirates. It worked for years. Now both are defunct.

Two of our players have to listen to Wis Khalisa en route to the ballpark. One dude has to have vitamin water and a Clifbar, and I have to hit the board w/ one warmup every inning.

Wrangler cutoffs, without them I play poorly (and the Royals don’t get erections).

The Snack Bat! Lil’ plastic bat container filled w/ sunflower seeds. Had it the last two seasons.

I work out to 80’s aerobic videos before every game…

I keep a 5-dollar bill in my pockets and wear colored baseball socks.

Must haves: cheap beer, Copenhagen, Marlboros. And one teammate doesn’t wash his socks.

Long socks, Kodiak and herbals, of course.

If on a losing streak, I like to pee in a counter-clockwise motion in the moring and have the jelly on top of my PBJ. I also tap both cleats, then the board before each at bat.

50-50 mix of Vitamin Water and PBR. 3 warm-up pitches per inning.

Country music before each game and Vita Coco coconut water (I failed to drink it last week!).

Gotta watch Justin Bieber’s “Never Say Never” to get myself pumped up.

I wear and eat a candy necklace. Then I'm ready to start the game.

A teammate and I apply BenGay to each other’s entire bodies.

Take 4 Advil, fill flask o’ booze, shotgun a beer, fill backpack o’ beer. Then I stand naked over my uniform and we become one! Then I sit, smoke and stare at my lucky clock until I know the field is set up. Game time!

The Bridge City Dodgers have come out of the gates hot this season thanks in large part to two unknown CCWA rookies – Bryan Moser and Chris Larkin.

While Moser and Larkin may be new to wiffleball, they both have deep baseball roots. As kids the two played on the same Little League team in Billings, Montana. Larkin did the pitching and played 3rd base. Moser supplied the big hits and a great glove at shortstop. They continued to play together on travelling and All-Star teams until the age of 15 when life jumped in and Larkin moved to Florida.

After a full decade out of contact, the two were reunited via social media. Moser was living in Portland, Oregon and by chance Larkin was on his way to the same Rose City neighborhood. The sports stars fully aligned through a chance encounter with a bright-eyed wiffleballer named Andrew Kushner. Kushner heard their all-star story and offered the two lifetime contracts with the Bridge City Dodgers. They agreed and reunited with the bat and ball once again.

Heading into week three, both Dodger rookies look impressive. Bryan Moser is Batting .400 with 3 homers and 14 RBIs – making an early push for Rookie of the Year honors. Chris Larkin has also been successful at the plate, batting .312 with 1 HR and 10 RBIs. Additionally, Larkin has been stellar on the mound, going 1–1 with an ERA of 3.00 while striking out 22 batters in 10 innings. If he can get his control dialed in he’ll be giving Moser a run for his money for that ROY. As for now the two will continue to share a few beers and reminisce as the Bridge City Dodgers compete for a playoff spot in the tough Eastern Division.

The Major League Baseball season is notoriously long, arduous and action-packed. Acrobatic plays, eerie coincidences and landmark records occur throughout the year. And with over 2,400 games in the current MLB season even the most dedicated fanatic is bound to miss out on some of the action.

Case in point. A fellow wiffler asks if you saw Bryce Harper’s major-league debut with the Nationals. You missed it. And although you’re weary of any LDS or Expo affiliations, you really need to see and hear Mr. Scully call the game where the arrogant Mormon from Vegas gets booed in the City of Angels.

MLB.tv to the rescue.

Not only are all team-specific radio and video feeds are available on a plethora of conected devices — tele, computer, mobile, Playstation — but they’re available live or archived. That means you can watch every Moyer slo-mo, Hamilton HR, Verlander wiffle outing or Met melt-down — anywhere, any time!

Check it, test drive the daily free game and hope for wiff.tv in the foreseeable future.

Recommended: The Premium package. Mini-Player function and headphones for work viewing. Cold beer.
Not recommended: The MLB.tv NextDef plug-in for “DVR” functionallity. Flat beer.

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