The Dog Days of August...

When I was originally starting this entry into my blog I was going to talk about the Dodgers, and about they were slowly but surely sliding back to the rest of their division and losing control on the play off race. Then I came across something online which brought me back to some good times with my friend Jon.

That's right folks, Wiffle Ball. This is a lot of fun, and is a necessity everytime I go over to Jon's house to hang out. Unfortunately we do not have the facilities or space for a Picture Show Park at the Pine Yards, but we certainly make do with what we have. In fact, last night, we played our first game with our new lighting set up. The lights made it just as bright as day, and allowed for some good Wiffle action, even though I got blanked 4-0. Our games are a lot of fun, obviously, and are typically more high scoring.

Our rules are pretty basic:

If you cannot field the ball cleanly on the ground it is a Single.

If the ball passes you, whether or not you are able to reach it, it is ruled a Single.

If the ball bounces off of the Kitchen wall or Patio cover it is a Double.

If you are able to reach the Den/Parent's bedroom wall on the fly it is a Triple.

On the roof, over the kitchen or the den, and over the driveway fence is a Home Run.

We have even set up a strike zone and back stop.

Strike outs are just the same as in normal baseball, if you foul a ball back into the strike zone with two strikes, it is the equivalent of the catcher catching a tipped 3rd strike, and counts as a strike out.

Three walks in a row, or Four total walks in an inning, gives the batter a Base on Balls.

Most every thing else is an out.

We have foul polls and an amazing lighting set up, as mentioned earlier, and I hope to get pictures on here shortly.

Jon and I normally play 1 on 1, but we have played 2 on 2 and even 3 0n 3. Fielding rules are changed when there are more players involved. In our more common 1 on 1 games Jon's little brother, Alex 'Jandro' plays with us as well, acting as a DH, and his ability to rake varies upon when he decides to hit the ball.

With more games to come in the near future we hope to add more people to our rotation. Updates will surely follow from Hurricane Park on the Ondrejko Grounds.

I am also looking to play Wiffle Ball with people at CLU, we can definitely get some good day games going there, hopefully organize some people and play this Fall!

Other interesting tid bits...

Yesterday I went down to USC to see Taylor Mays and the Trojans in a scrimmage. First of all, Taylor Mays is an absolute MONSTER. Secondly, it was pretty cool to be down there and be so close to all of the players and see how hard they work. It is quite a sight to be sure, and if you are looking to kill an afternoon you should definitely check it out as it is free.

Also tomorrow I think I will be going to San Bernadino to see the finals of the West Regional for the Little League World Series. I have never been, but have always wanted to go, so it should be a lot of fun, and am quite excited. Look for me tomorrow on ESPN!

Also here is hoping that David Wright and Hiroki Kuroda make quick recoveries from thier injuries. I saw both and they were equally chilling. Ian Kinsler also took a nasty hit off the head, and I hope that he will be OK as well, though he was able to remain in the game.

That is my view from the Cheap Seats for the time being.

Troy