League gears up for fifth season in 2011

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.