A chance encounter with Ronnie Canterbury at a card shop is what Anthony Stidham credits as his introduction to the Huntington Wiffle League. Ronnie invited him to Miller Park to try out a game he hadn't played since he was a child to see if he'd like it. He didn't tell him he'd be playing for quite possibly the worst team to ever be assembled in our league's history. On May 26, 2015 - Stidham arrived at Miller Park and joined the Plain White Tees for their series that week against the Huntington Wifflers club. In the first game he went only 1 for 5 at the plate with two strike outs. While he visibly struggled he did find some encouragement in the home run he picked up in the first inning with the 3 RBIs that came with it. It would be the only runs for the team that game but a 12-3 loss nonetheless. They'd lose the next game 23-11 despite him sending two more balls over the fence. Most new players would likely not return after that to take a beating in a sport that's new to them, but Stidham isn't most people. He finished out the rest of the season with Andy Hill and company, fighting until the end of the season in the quest for a win... They wouldn't find it. The team would go down swinging with a 0-20 record before being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. 

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Most didn't expect Stidham to return the following year. The 2016 season was full of uncertainty with the leadership transition and format change. He was picked up as a free agent in the off season by Make Wiffle Great Again. There he made a name for himself as a home run hitting machine. Although he did demonstrate an early acumen in power hitting on Plain White Tees, not much of the 2015 season was left when he began his career but he wasted no time picking up where he left off and hit .464 with 20 HRs and 29 RBIs. His offensive contributions were of great import and a vital ingredient to many victories and why MWGA were able to advance far in many of the tournaments. That same season he also joined the league's NWLA regional team (Huntington Blizzard) where he hooked a would-be home run just foul against Leroy Wiffleball Association in a heartbreaker game; had it gone fair he would have been the toast of the tournament. Stidham later impressed on the mound in a lesser celebrated pitching role against Greater Cincinnati Wiffleball League. 

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Stidham also networked with the nearby communities and found a budding wiffleball tournament in Ashland, KY in need of more teams and attention and in late summer 2016 and the regionally renowned Greek Wiffology team was born. He has captained and organized Greek Wiffology every summer for the Amy For Africa (AFA) Wiffleball Tournament every summer since that represents HWL at the event. The first appearance of the team in 2016 saw only around 28 teams hosted on only two fields on a church corner lot and the rules were a bit difficult to follow for many present. Stidham knew the organizers and gently suggested some rule alternatives that have since been adopted (such as first pitch strike out) that have sped up pace of play and become popular among the participants. The tournament has grown to such a rate that the organizers now have had to cap registration at 40 teams for the past two years and any article that mentions the tournament always mentions Greek Wiffology (as a "favorite") and it's no wonder. When you have someone like Stidham working behind the scenes, you're going to strike oil.

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In 2017, Stidham co-captained Wiffle Hit Wonders and soon experienced déjà vu with a down-on-its-luck franchise struggling with roster attendance issues despite snagging the #1 draft pick in Jeremy Ray. This time Stidham would not simply serve as filling a roster spot but as an anchor of leadership as he and Ray would struggle to hold the team together to finish the season. They did manage an above .500 record but did not make it to the championship game when most pre-season projections had them winning the title. That year would also be the first year that Stidham would serve as a member of the league organizing committee and he became an increasingly valuable asset to the operations of the league and was involved in everything from field construction and equipment storage to podcast hosting and column writing and whatever else was asked of him. 

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Stidham assembled an impressive roster of former players in 2018 for his OD Bangers squad. The roster featured an all-star cast of talented players from various eras of the league: Justin Fairman, Rick Patterson & Mike McCoy. But he also poetically brought back the player that introduced him to the league, Ronnie Canterbury. Also on the roster were a couple of novice players at times, Greek Wiffology transplant Virgil Watson and even the capricious Tim Harrison. While the franchise was only 11-13 overall, they were an offensive force. Stidham was in the top 10 of most offensive  demographics across the board, easily the best performing year of his career (.564 / 26 HR / 40 RBI) and was integral to why the team was a threat to each team they played.

 

Where most would have left without a second thought after being placed on a struggling franchise in their first year, he took root, thrived and continued to improve as a player. His deepening involvement in the league placed him in more of a leadership role where he assisted in organizing tournaments and had the thankless job of housing and transporting the field equipment to and from Miller Park and also led the field construction effort. Anyone who benefited and enjoyed the league during it's last couple of years owes a great deal to this man as he carried his team(s), as well as his responsibilities to the league, on his shoulders.